Linebacker B.J. Goodson, who leads the team in tackles and interceptions, has been a pleasant surprise. (247 Sports)
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland.
The Browns are 5-3 at the halfway point of the 2020 season.
Whoopty-hell?
To put that record in the perspective of their expansion history, they have tied or exceeded the total season win totals of 14 of their previous 21 seasons -- 1999 (2-14), 2000 (3-13), 2003 (5-11), 2004 (4-12), 2006 (4-12), 2008 (4-12), 2009 (5-11), 2010 (5-11), 2011 (4-12), 2012 (5-11), 2013 (4-12), 2015 (3-13), 2016 (1-15), and 2017 (0-16).
“The way I would describe our feeling organizationally is that we are feeling encouraged but incomplete,” said GM Andrew Berry. “We still have a lot of work to do.
“I like how we are positioned. I like what the team has done during the first eight weeks of the season, and I think that we have a lot more to do and potentially accomplish over these next eight weeks.”
The 5-3 mark matches the Browns’ best record at the halfway point in the expansion era.
They were 5-3 in 2007 under Romeo Crennel and then 5-3 in the second half for their best season record since expansion. But that 10-6 overall record was not good enough for a playoff spot. They lost the last of then-two wild-card berths on a tiebreaker to Tennessee.
They were 5-3 in 2014 under Mike Pettine and then slumped to 2-6 in the second half when the organization rushed in an unprepared rookie quarterback Johnny Manziel.
If the season ended today, the Browns would earn the last of three AFC wild-card berths.
Can they finish the deal?
“I am not naive to the fact that really a playoff appearance for any franchise is special because each season really is sacred and the chance to compete and ultimately get in the tournament,” Berry said. “That all being said, our focus is really on attacking our opponents one week at a time and taking care of the little things on a weekly basis because if we are able to successfully accomplish that, the big things will take care of themselves.”
Before the Browns move on to the second half after this weekend’s games, we honor the highs and lows of 2020 with the following midseason awards.
Best offensive player: Running back Nick Chubb
Sure, he played only three games and one quarter before suffering an MCL knee sprain. But in that time Chubb averaged over 100 rushing yards a game, 5.9 yards per attempt and 1.1 touchdowns. Chubb’s selfless attitude and toughness on the field became the team’s identity.
Best defensive player: Defensive end Myles Garrett
An honorable mention here goes to cornerback Denzel Ward, whose 11 PBUs (passes broken up) lead the team, with two coming in the end zone, and has another deflection resulting in an interception in the end zone. He also forced a fumble, which prevented a touchdown.
Best rookie: Left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr.
Wills has been penalized a team-high seven times (five false starts, two holdings), but is playing a demanding position at an acceptable level. The transition from right tackle at Alabama to left tackle in the NFL for the first time in his athletic career has been made without major incident. Wills has protected Baker Mayfield’s blind side well and has averted a potential crisis simply by answering the bell and improving virtually every game.
Best veteran newcomer: Linebacker B.J. Goodson
Goodson was a two-down player his last season in Green Bay, and came off the field in obvious passing situations. After a training camp injury to Mack Wilson, Goodson took on the responsibility of leadership of the position group and also unexpected play time on passing downs. He leads the team in tackles (58) and interceptions (two), has three PBUs, one fumble recovery and is fourth on the defense in snaps (91 percent).
Least appreciated: Kicker Cody Parkey
In his second iteration with the Browns, Parkey rescued a situation that could have plagued the team all year. After one game, he replaced Austin Seibert, who developed the yips attempting PATs. Parkey promptly made 30 kicks in a row and hit the break 22 of 23 on PATs and 10 of 11 on field goals.
Forgotten man: Punter Jamie Gillan
Practically a folk hero as a rookie sensation, Gillan has slumped in his second season to 20th in gross punting average, 27th in net average and 19th in punts inside the 20. He was also an accomplice on the biggest head-scratcher play of the first half -- a fake punt in the first quarter in Baltimore on which Gillan was buried for a 2-yard loss trying to run for a first down on fourth-and-4 from the Browns 31. The Scottish Bummer.
Most indispensable player: Center JC Tretter
Tretter saved the day when he made it back from arthroscopic knee surgery and a training camp-long rehab to be at his customary starting center spot for the opener in Baltimore. He proceeded to extend his consecutive snaps played streak through eight games despite re-injuring the knee on the same play in Pittsburgh on which Odell Beckham Jr. suffered his torn left ACL. Further, as president of the NFLPA, Tretter is a tireless advocate of daily testing and conscientious overseer of the Browns’ adherence to Covid-19 protocols.
MVP: Garrett
The defense’s lackluster performance against the Raiders with Garrett out with a knee injury was a painful reminder of last season when the defense went belly-up with Garrett suspended over the final six games. Garrett’s nine sacks co-lead the NFL and he leads with four stripped fumbles and two fumble recoveries. His pressure has influenced at least two interceptions and one intentional grounding call in the end zone for a safety.
Breakout performer: Right guard Wyatt Teller
Teller was decent in his nine starts last season, but was wrongfully pegged as a potential “weak link” of the starting five after the addition of Wills and right tackle Jack Conklin. He can maul his opponent with the best of them, and is like a runaway cement mixer when pulling into the second level of a defense.
Most valuable assistant coach: Offensive line coach Bill Callahan
The 22-year NFL coaching lifer tipped the scales to drafting Wills 10th overall when he put his rep on the line and vouched for Wills being able to transition from right to left tackle. He implemented Kevin Stefanski’s wide-zone blocking scheme in an offseason limited to virtual classes via Zoom and then coached up Teller from a raw starting guard to an All-Pro candidate.
Play of the half-year: (Tie) Odell Beckham Jr.’s 50-yard TD run on a reverse v Dallas, Baker Mayfield 24-yard TD to Donovan Peoples-Jones v Cincinnati.
Beckham’s punt return-like run weaving through traffic up the right sideline flattened a frantic Cowboys comeback that saw them score 24 points in the fourth quarter, only to lose by 11 points. Mayfield’s dime to the right corner of the end zone and Peoples-Jones’ catch and step in bounds with 11 seconds left turned back Joe Burrow’s relentless assault on a tired Browns defense and saved a critical AFC North win. It also rescued Mayfield from two weeks of national condemnation.