Nick Mullens would be the 10th No. 3 or No. 4 quarterback in a season to start a game for the Browns since 1999. The previous nine combined for a record of 0-22 in their emergency starts. (Cleveland Browns)
Browns have until 2 o’clock on Monday to get more players back from COVID list for crucial game
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland.
Four downs on Browns (7-6) v. Las Vegas Raiders (6-7)
First down: Sleeping dog awakened.
There’s no way to predict the effect the NFL rescheduled start time from Saturday to Monday will have on the game. In the 48-hour reprieve, the Browns gained two players coming off COVID/reserve (defensive end Takk McKinley, right guard Wyatt Teller) and lost two (defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, right tackle James Hudson). There may be more in both categories by the special game-day roster deadline of 2 p.m. on Monday. The rescheduling also gave Browns coaches extra time to prepare a game plan using up to 20 replacement players. But one thing’s for sure – the Browns lost their role as sympathetic underdog in this must-win game for both teams. Without question, the Raiders became a sleeping dog awakened by the NFL’s gesture. Their owner Mark Davis said the move to Monday was a competitive disadvantage for the Raiders because it shortened their work week for their next game against division-rival Denver. Linebacker K.J. Wright and cornerback Casey Hayward were among Raiders players who complained the NFL showed favoritism to the Browns because center JC Tretter is the NFLPA president and was involved in talks with the league to revise COVID protocols in exchange for postponing this game and two others infected by COVID involving the Rams and Washington. In defense of Tretter, Browns linebacker Anthony Walker said, “He is the president of the NFLPA, not just the Browns. He has done a great job. He has communicated over the top with us. It has been great having JC.” While the Raiders – and their media – have complained about the NFL’s decision to reschedule, it can’t be denied that it has certainly given the Raiders more motivation to play out of their 1-5 tailspin.
Second down: The replacements.
Until – or unless – the Browns get back some starters on Monday morning, they will have to use replacement players at most every position group. Running back is in good shape with Nick Chubb and D’Ernest Johnson still active. The major areas of concern are these: On offense, quarterback Nick Mullens would play for Baker Mayfield or Case Keenum, and the starting tackles possibly would be Blake Hance and Alex Taylor instead of Jedrick Wills and James Hudson. On defense, McKinley would play for Clowney, and safeties John Johnson, Ronnie Harrison and Grant Delpit would be replaced by a combination of M.J. Stewart, Richard LeCounte and Jovante Moffatt. Also, key special team core players, such as Mack Wilson, Tony Fields, Jacob Phillips, Ifeadi Odenigbo, and A.J. Green would have to be replaced. Not to be forgotten is Kevin Stefanski, who had not cleared COVID protocols as of Sunday and would cede game day operations to special teams coordinator Mike Priefer and offensive play-calling to offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt. “I think the coaches have done a great job and I think the players have done a great job of being able to adapt in all of this,” Stefanski said on Saturday. “That is something that we have seen from the team – certainly, last year, and I have seen it this year from the guys. That is part of our job as coaches is to find out who is available to us and put together a plan based on who is available to us. That is why we have these staff meetings so often.”
Third down: A tradition like none other.
If Mullens indeed gets the call, he would be the 32nd quarterback to start a game for the Browns since their rebirth in 1999. He would join an even more exclusive fraternity than that, however. Though the circumstances of his emergency start are unique, Mullens would join nine others as the third different quarterback to make a start in a Browns season since 1999. None has produced a victory. The roll call: Spergon Wynn, 2000 (0-1), Luke McCown, 2004 (0-4); Ken Dorsey, 2008 (0-3); * Bruce Gradkowski, 2008 (0-1); Thaddeus Lewis, 2012 (0-1); Connor Shaw, 2014 (0-1); Austin Davis, 2015 (0-2), Cody Kessler, 2016 (0-8) and Kevin Hogan, 2017 (0-1). (* Technically, Gradkowski was the fourth quarterback to start a game in 2008.)
Fourth down: No ‘Jackpot, baby!’
The Raiders have no players currently on COVID/reserve, and only had two players miss a game because of COVID all season. But they have two significant players missing the old-fashioned way – because of injury. Middle linebacker Denzel Perryman, the defense’s leading tackler by plenty (plus 2 fumble recoveries), is out for the first time this season with a back injury. Tight end Darren Waller is out for the third game in a row with knee and back injuries. You can argue that Waller (53 receptions, 643 yards, 2 touchdowns) is Derek Carr’s best playmaker. This is a particular break for the Browns because of the fact they are without their top three safeties because of COVID. In Waller’s absence, Carr has leaned more than ever on possession slot receiver Hunter Renfrow, who had 22 catches on 24 targets the past two games for a club-high 86 receptions (877 yards, 5 TDs). In losing five of their last six games, the Raiders scored 16, 14, 13, 15 and 9 points. The anomaly was a 36-point outburst against the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day.
The pick: Browns 17, Raiders 16.
My record: 7-6.
