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Archive for the category “Jake Delhomme”

02 Sep 2010

Buying into Delhomme

Since the Browns returned in 1999, the team’s passing leaders have been:

1999: Tim Couch, 2,447 yards, 15 TDs, 73.2 QB rating
2000: Couch, 1,483 yards, 7 TDs, 77.3 QB rating
2001: Couch, 3,040 yards, 17 TDs, 73.1 QB rating
2002: Couch, 2,842 yards, 18 TDs, 76.8 QB rating
2003: Kelly Holcomb 1,797 yards, 10 TDs, 74.6 QB rating
2004: Jeff Garcia, 1,731 yards, 10 TDs, 76.7 QB rating
2005: Trent Dilfer, 2,321 yards, 11 TDs, 76.9
2006: Charlie Frye, 2,454 yards, 10 TDs, 72 QB rating
2007: Derek Anderson, 3,787 yards, 29 TDs, 82.5 QB rating
2008: Derek Anderson, 1,615 yards, 9 TDs, 66.4 QB rating
2009: Brady Quinn, 1,339 yards, 8 TDs, 67.2 QB rating

In his seven years as the QB in Carolina, Jake Delhomme’s average 16-game season was good enough for 3,386 passing yards, 21 TDs and a QB rating of 84.9. And that includes his horrific year last season.

This tells us two things:

When you look back at the last 11 years of Browns football, you realize just how bad the quarterback play has been.

The team is going to be in good hands with Delhomme.

Posted in bad quarterback play, Cleveland Browns, Jake Delhomme, reason for hope | Leave a comment
29 Aug 2010

Thoughts on Browns-Lions

The Browns final real preseason game (is that an oxymoron?) left the team with as many questions as answers.

Once again, while the offense put together a solid effort, the defense continues to struggle.

The Good:

  • Jake Delhomme continued to show fans what an NFL-caliber QB looks like. He completed 20-of-25 passes against Detroit, with one TD. In three preseason games, Delhomme has completed more than 79 percent of his passes and has a QB rating of 110.5. Most importantly, he has yet to throw an interception.
  • Delhomme completed passes to 10 different receivers.
  • In the first half, when the starters were playing, the Browns scored 17 points, had 17 first downs and controlled the action, running 41 plays to Detroit’s 18.
  • Josh Cribbs had a nice sideline catch on a TD drive in the second quarter. He’s showing that he may finally be ready to be productive as the third wide receiver.

The Bad:

  • Matthew Stafford had a big day for Detroit, completing 13-of-17 passes. In three preseason games, the Browns defense has allowed opposing QBs to complete 30-of-36 passes.
  • The Browns have only one sack in three games.
  • The run defense regressed. After holding opponents to 2.6 yards per carry in the first two games, the Browns allowed the Lions to rush for 4.1 yards per carry.
  • The Browns have turned the ball over eight times in the past two games. That simply has to stop.

Overall, there are certainly reasons to feel, if not good, then better about this team after three games:

  • Delhomme appears to have settled the quarterback position; he’s taking control of the offense, he’s spreading the ball around and he’s not making any mistakes.
  • While the defensive secondary has struggled at times, the group should continue to improve. Rookies Joe Haden and T.J. Ward are getting game experience that will pay off when the season starts, and Sheldon Brown is a solid pro who’s play will rub off on the younger players.
  • Most importantly, the coaching staff – primarily head coach Eric Mangini and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll – seem to have cottoned on to what the preseason if there for. Unlike last year’s baggy-pants farce, the coaches are using the preseason to work on different aspects of the game – the no-huddle offense, going for it on fourth down, etc. – to prepare the team for the regular season. You actually see the offense come out with a plan and work to execute it.

The best part of Saturday’s game is it means we are now only two weeks away from the season opener.

***

What everyone else is saying:

Posted in Cleveland Browns, feel good, Jake Delhomme, Josh Cribbs, oxymorons | Leave a comment
24 Aug 2010

Running on Empty?

You have to run the ball to win in the NFL, yes?

Well, maybe not, according to Tuesday Morning Quarterback’s AFC preview column on ESPN.com. According to the column:

“The National Football League is all about running the ball, right? That’s what you hear. Yet for two consecutive seasons, the last-ranked rushing team made the Super Bowl — Arizona in 2008 and Indianapolis in 2009 reached the ultimate game despite having the league’s worst rushing offense those seasons. True, both lost, but 30 of the 32 NFL franchises gladly would have traded places with the team that lost the Super Bowl. And last season, the AFC’s two best teams, winning the first-round byes — San Diego and Indianapolis — were 31st and 32nd overall, respectively, in rushing.

“Thus you don’t have to run the ball well to win at football. … In 2008, only seven NFL teams rushed more often than they passed. In 2009, the number fell to just four — Carolina, Cincinnati, Jersey/B and Tennessee. Maybe this is because, as the Football Outsiders website long has contended, establishing the pass has more tactical value (because of more yards gained per attempt) than establishing the run.

First off, we have to point out that last year the Browns ran the ball 498 times and passed it 443. So it was actually more than four teams in 2009.

Plus, in the Browns season-ending four game win streak, they ran the ball 181 times compared to just 65 pass attempts. That late-season surge helped the team finish eighth in the NFL in rushing – and only 19 yards behind Super Bowl champion New Orleans.

So while running the ball may not be a guaranteed path to victory, it doesn’t mean you can’t be successful with a solid ground attack. It seems likely that the positives of a top-notch running game – keeps the ball away from the other team, limits the possibility for mistakes by the QB, helps immensely in cold/bad weather – outweigh any perceived negatives.

But having NFL-caliber play at the quarterback position certainly can’t hurt. Mike Holmgren has gone on record as saying the Browns can’t consistenly win the way they did at the end of last season. Which is why the team worked hard in the off-season to fix last year’s mess – Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn – and upgrade to Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace.

TMQ’s preview column missed the point on those moves as well, writing:

“What is it that new Browns president Mike Holmgren saw on tape of Jake Delhomme that no one else sees? Holmgren traded away Brady Quinn, passed on Tim Tebow and Jimmy Clausen in the draft, and handed the Cleveland starting quarterback’s job — plus $7 million guaranteed in 2010 — to Delhomme, who has thrown 35 interceptions over the past two seasons. Carolina immediately got better when Delhomme was benched in 2009. And the $7 million guarantee, it’s nice that Holmgren is generous, but he wasn’t bidding against anyone: Delhomme might have signed for the veteran minimum.

“Cleveland has been the trade capital of the NFL in recent seasons. Eric Mangini conducted a series of trades with his old team, the Jets, netting Cleveland several decent players but surrendering Mark Sanchez, who would look mighty good in Tootsie Rolls colors along about now. Holmgren has continued the yard-sale ethos. The net is that Cleveland has surrendered two recent first-round choices (Quinn and defensive end Kamerion Wimbley), plus fourth-, fifth- and seventh-round draft choices, for Sheldon Brown, Peyton Hillis, Chris Gocong, Seneca Wallace, third- and sixth-round choices and a conditional pick from Denver in 2012. That’s an awful lot of roster turbulence.”

Yes, by all means, let’s not have any “roster turbulence” on a team that has only won more than six games once in the past seven years.

TMQ does make a valid point about the Browns possibly overpaying for Delhomme, but it’s really not that bad. Plus, Quinn hasn’t really shown much in Denver so far in the preseason, so lamenting his loss is a bit much.

Since 2002, the Browns have only run the ball more than they’ve passed in two seasons – last year and 2004 – and we haven’t been swamped with any victory parades through downtown.

Maybe bucking the trend and going with an old school philosophy is the way to go for what could be an up-and-coming team this season.

Posted in Cleveland Browns, ESPN, Jake Delhomme, running attack | Leave a comment
22 Aug 2010

Thoughts on Browns-Rams

While not as affirming as their opening preseason game against Green Bay, the Browns walked out of Saturday night’s tilt with the Rams with some positives.

It was a strange game, with the rain, the offensive struggles in the first quarter and a general feeling while watching the game that the team wasn’t playing very well.

But looking at the stats, the Browns outgained the Rams 285 to 172 and held St. Louis is 1.7 yards per rush. So they have that going for them.

The Good:

  • It looks like the team has a starting quarterback in Jake Delhomme. The veteran QB delivered a solid performance for the home crowd, completing 12-of-16 for 127 yards, a TD and a QB rating of 118.5.
  • Peyton Hillis showed that he’s going to become a fan favorite with some tough inside running.
  • Ben Watson made a nice TD catch in the second quarter.
  • The team overcame some early mistakes that resulted in a 13-0 hole to eventually take a 17-13 lead at the end of the third quarter.
  • Even though it seemed like his name was hardly called, T.J. Ward had another solid game, as did Joe Haden. The rookie duo broke up back-to-back passes in the second quarter to stall a Rams’ drive and force a field goal.

The Bad:

  • No sacks on defense.
  • Five turnovers – three fumbles and two interceptions – on offense, plus another two fumbles that the team recovered.
  • Only 3.6 yards per carry on the ground, after only gaining 3.9 per rush against Green Bay. Not a good omen for a team that is banking on being able to run the ball this year.
  • Eric Wright dropped two interceptions.

It some ways this may actually have been the kind of game the Browns needed. By making some avoidable mistakes, the team opened up an opportunity for the coaches to work the team this week and provide some teachable moments.

“We’re gonna turn the sprinklers on (at practice) or dunk the ball in water. It shouldn’t be like that,” coach Eric Mangini said in published reports, talking about the team’s inability to hold onto the ball.

The team needs to work this week to get its mojo back and correct some of the mistakes in time for Saturday’s game vs. Detroit. The third preseason game is generally the game where the starters play most of the way as they make their final preparations for the season opener.

Hopefully the team can bring it’s A game for 60 minutes at Ford Field.

***

What everyone else is saying:

Posted in Cleveland Browns, Jake Delhomme, positive signs | Leave a comment
15 Aug 2010

Thoughts on the Browns Exhibition Opener

Some thoughts on the Browns preseason opening win over Green Bay:

The Good:

  • Jake Delhomme looked sharp on the team’s opening drive; hitting 6-of-7 passes and keeping the team moving – and no penalties.
  • The offense looked like it actually had a plan, something that was not always the case last season.
  • The defense forced two turnovers.
  • The offense only gave up one sack.
  • Phil Dawson appeared to be in regular-season form, hitting two field goals – including a 58-yarder.
  • Seneca Wallace made nice plays on his two TD passes.
  • Rookie defensive backs Joe Haden and T.J. Ward got their first taste of game action and Ward showed off his tackling skills, especially when he stopped Donald Driver short of a first down.

The Bad:

  • With several new players seeing their first game action on defense, the Browns were beat up pretty good by Green Bay’s offense as the Packers had 22 first downs and 340 yards of total offense.
  • Ward was beaten by Greg Jennings on a 25-yard TD catch and couldn’t bring down John Kuhn on a short TD run.
  • The defense only recorded one sack.
  • Colt McCoy hurt his passing hand when he hit a lineman’s helmet.
  • Mohamed Massaquoi spent time on the bench with his knee being iced.

While the Browns struggled on defense, it’s really not all that bad or surprising. Green Bay has one of the better offenses in the league, they were ranked seventh in passing last year, and with all the new pieces on defense you’d expect some problems.

Conversely, Delhomme and Wallace combined to complete 10-of-15 passes for 138 yards and two TDs in less than one half of action against a defense that was ranked fifth against the pass last year.

It’s really hard to judge a team during the exhibition season, especially during the first game. You never know how much of their offensive or defensive packages the other team is running, or how much/how hard the team’s top players are working during a game.

Based on what the Browns showed on the field last night, the team definitely has something to build on as it heads toward the second exhibition game on Saturday.

Posted in Cleveland Browns, Jake Delhomme, NFL, positive signs | Leave a comment
06 Aug 2010

Can We Get Reception Here?

As the Browns reach the end of the first week of training camp, one of the biggest questions facing the team is the state of the passing game, both at quarterback and, even more importantly, at wide receiver.

Some are calling the Browns receivers the worst in the league. It’s hard to tell, though, just how good the receivers are, or can be, because they were paired last year with Derek Anderson (a big-armed QB who can’t hit the broad side of a barn, according to ESPN) and Brady Quinn (he of the tentative pocket presence and unwillingness to stretch the field, according to ESPN).

And therein lies the rub: were the receivers bad last year because the quarterbacks were horrid, or did the QBs suffer because Mohamed Massaquoi (34 catches), Brian Robiskie (seven catches) and company are just not that good?

We may not find out this season, either, which could prove problematic. If new quarterback Jake Delhomme struggles the way he did at the end of his tenure in Carolina, most fans will say that he’s washed up. But he may only be as good as the people he has to work with and what if what he has to work with is a group of No. 4 wide receivers?

Go back to Derek Anderson for a minute. When he had his big year in 2007, Braylon Edwards, Kellen Winslow and Joe Jurevicius were his primary targets. Those guys were able to grab all those passes that were over their heads, three yards behind them or at their feet, making Anderson look good.

The next year, Jurevicius was out with an injury, Edwards forgot how to catch the ball and Winslow was hurt and only played 10 games. Anderson – and Browns fans – suffered because of it.

I was listening to Sirius NFL’s Tim Ryan and Pat Kirwan when they were at Browns camp on Thursday. Kirwan was talking about how none of the Browns receivers had the extra gear needed to get separation on a defensive back and give the quarterback an opportunity to drop the ball in.

That’s going to be a problem this year, even with the Browns hopefully committing to the run. You have to expect that defenses will be stacking the box to stop the Browns running game, and if they don’t have to worry about anyone stretching the field, things could get dicey.

It’s not all bad though, as Kirwan had some positive things to say about the Browns in his NFL.com column, writing that:

“Delhomme, a free-agent acquisition from Carolina, believes return specialist Josh Cribbs has the ability to be a “Steve Smith-type receiver” and was quick to point out the strong hands Cribbs has to snatch the ball. Cribbs is so explosive after the catch, and he will get a lot more balls thrown his way than last year when he had just 20 receptions.”

“Delhomme said he really likes Brian Robiskie, and could see the second-year wideout having a big season. He also is intrigued by a hybrid player, Evan Moore, who is listed as a tight end but is more of a big wide receiver in the mold of Joe Jurevicius.”

“Credit goes to (Mike) Holmgren, who watched the Browns finish with a flurry of four straight victories, a stretch that convinced Holmgren that (Eric) Mangini had not lost the team and kept the players motivated in an otherwise forgetful season. Benefits of Holmgren’s first big decision is evident around training camp; the construction of a winning attitude, for one, can be seen within the franchise, from the coaches down to the players and all of the support staff.”

“The Browns have put second-round pick T.J. Ward right into the starting lineup. He showed in Thursday’s team scrimmage that he likes getting up in the box and being aggressive against the run. (Scott) Fujita said Ward is special.”

Clearly, while the situation isn’t ideal, things could be worse and there is reason for hope. We’ll find out more a week from today when the Browns open the exhibition season against Green Bay.

***

Sure he is.

***

A great read on what NFL training camps are really like.

Posted in Cleveland Browns, Jake Delhomme, Pat Kirwan, wide receivers | Leave a comment
16 Jul 2010

Standing Tall in the Pocket

Since their return in 1999, the Browns have had, to be blunt, horrific quarterback play. From Tim Couch to Kelly Holcomb, Jeff Garcia, Trent Dilfer, Charlie Frye, Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn, the QB position has been a giant pool of stench.

But that may all be changing, especially if you look at the current quarterbacks on the roster as a whole, rather than just presumed starter Jake Delhomme.

John Clayton recently had a column on ESPN.com detailing how the state of backup quarterbacks in the NFL is dismal”

“The backup (QB) landscape is a desert,” Clayton wrote. “More good teams have unknown, unproven quarterbacks behind the starter than ever before. An injury to a starting quarterback could take a 13-win team to six or seven wins in an instant.”

Just take a look at some of the examples Clayton cited:

  • Brian Hoyer backs up Tom Brady in New England
  • Curtis Painter backs up Peyton Manning in Indy
  • Caleb Hanie backs up Jay Cutler in Chicago
  • Jim Sorgi backs up Eli Manning in NY

Clayton continues that “football people talk about the value of a backup quarterback, but so much of it is just talk.”

Which brings us to the Browns. With eight-year veteran Seneca Wallace backing up Delhomme, the Browns have one of the better combinations – taken collectively – in the league.

For his career, Wallace has completed almost 60 percent of his passes, thrown for more touchdowns than interceptions and has a QB rating of 83.1 – a mark that no Browns quarterback has been able to match since their return in ’99. Mix in his potential as a runner in the Flash package, and the Browns find themselves in a very good position.

Consider the rest of the division:

  • A broken-down Marc Bulger, along with the over-rated Troy Smith, are Joe Flacco’s back ups in Baltimore
  • J.T. O’Sullivan and Jordan Palmer are backing up Carson Palmer in Cincy
  • The Steelers will find out quickly how much Byron Leftwich has left as he and Charlie Batch will be running things while Ben Roethlisberger serves his four-game suspension.*

The Browns, led by Mike Holmgren, a “football person” if there ever was one, are suddenly looking pretty good.

No one expects Delhomme to play the way he did in 2003, when he led the Panthers to the Super Bowl, but he doesn’t have to. It appears that after adding Montario Hardesty and Peyton Hillis to a running game that already features Jerome Harrison, Lawrence Vickers and Josh Cribbs, as well as a solid left side of the offensive line, the Browns are committed to run, run and run some more.

A solid running game takes pressure off Delhomme to make plays; eats clock; keeps a suspect defense off the field; and is the perfect offense for the cold-weather games sure to come in November and December.

And if Delhomme struggles or is hurt, the Browns just may be able to buck the league-wide trend with a capable backup waiting in the wings.

That would certainly be a welcome change of pace for Browns fans.

*I know Rothlisberger’s suspension is for six games; but it can be reduced to four and with the Steelers having a bye after Week 4 and then facing the Browns in Week 6, you just know his suspension will be cut to four games.

Posted in Cleveland Browns, Jake Delhomme, quarterback play, Seneca Wallace | Leave a comment
13 Jun 2010

A Break for Some Good News

With the Indians still flounderigng around with one of the worst records in Major League Baseball, and the Cavs on the brink of the abyss as they consider turning the franchise over to a college coach, good news is in short supply in Cleveland sports.

That’s why Browns minicamp was a nice diversion this weekend. And what a difference a year makes. This time last summer Eric Mangini was busy plotting his “strategy” for the upcoming training camp quarterback debacle and working behind the scenes on the demise of then-General Manager George Kokinis.
This year things are much better, as Mike Holmgren and Tom Heckert have taken Mangini’s place at the table where men conduct business. In today’s Plain Dealer, Terry Pluto talked about the ways that Holmgren has righted the ship as training camp looms, with the main point being that Holmgren would make the decision on the quarterback going forward, after he and his team evaluated the current situation.
Now, instead of heading into training camp wondering which quarterback will be taking the snaps on a game-by-game basis in the preseason – a time when teams can evaluate talent in games that don’t count, something the staff didn’t seem to comprehend last year – the team is in solid hands with Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace. And Holmgren has said the decision “is all on me.” And Delhomme and Wallace “are quarterbacks who can help you win the game, if you need it. You don’t just hope they don’t make a mistake. They can make some plays.”
Browns fans are all too familiar with watching a QB – Derek Anderson anyone? – and not only hoping but praying they don’t make a mistake. Now, thanks to Holmgren, we won’t have to worry about that.
In addition, Gil Haskell has been working with Brian Daboll, teaching the offensive coordinator who was routinely over matched in his play calling last year, how to build an offense. Browns fans can be confident that the mistakes of last year, when if a play didn’t work in the first quarter it was redacted from the playbook for the rest of the game, are a thing of the past.
And the Browns have a structure in place where the coaches coach and nothing else. Which can only be a good thing.
All in all, not a bad way to start the week.
Posted in Cleveland Browns, Jake Delhomme, Mike Holmgren, NFL | Leave a comment
05 Apr 2010

The Right Move

Eleven years ago the Browns had an opportunity to draft Donovan McNabb. They passed, selecting Tim Couch instead which turned out to be the wrong move. I know, I’m not telling you anything you didn’t already know.

With McNabb being traded over the weekend to Washington for a second-round pick and either a third- or a fourth-round pick, we’re left to wonder if the Browns had made a move would they have landed the QB that could have been the face of the franchise for the past decade? They could have easily matched Washington’s offer and the allure of sending McNabb out of the division may have sealed the deal for the Eagles. But if they were in talks for a McNabb trade, not pulling the trigger was the right call, just as much as not drafting him was the wrong one.

While McNabb certainly would be an improvement over Jake Delhomme for the next few years, he still would not be the long-term solution to the QB position. By holding on to their remaining picks – they have five in the top 100 (spots 7, 38, 71, 85 & 92) the Browns can fill a hole either in the secondary or offensive line with the first pick and then still make a move in the second round (or trade up to the late first round) to grab the potential QB of the future.

We may never know if the Browns were tempted, but in the end the Holmgren/Heckert brain trust made the right call.

In other news, nice work at Cleveland Frowns on ESPN New York’s love affair with LeBron.

And Waiting for Next Year checks in with an additional take on what the McNabb trade could mean for the Browns draft plans.

Posted in Cleveland Browns, Donovan McNabb, ESPN, Jake Delhomme, New York, NFL draft, Philadelphia Eagles | Leave a comment

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