The Browns would love to get a walk-off win in Jacoby Brissett's last expected start at quarterback. (Cleveland Browns)
Can the Browns send Jacoby Brissett off on a winning note?
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
Four downs on Browns (3-7) v. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-5)
First down: A farewell to arm.
If all goes as the Browns hope, this will be Jacoby Brissett’s last start at quarterback. If Deshaun Watson is formally reinstated from his 11-game suspension on Monday by the NFL, Watson will finally take his place under center for the final six games beginning Dec. 4 in Houston. Whether Watson could lead the Browns on a belated stretch run to the postseason depended on their record through 11 games, of course. The best they can do now with a win is 4-7. That would be one less than what most felt was the bare minimum. At 3-7, the Browns are one of the season’s biggest disappointments. But it hasn’t been Brissett’s fault. His 90.7 passer rating through his 10 starts is six points higher than his career rating. His 7.2 yards per pass attempt is .6 higher than any season with a minimum of five starts. He’s the starting quarterback of the No. 10 scoring offense in the NFL. Not a bad resume of work. But Brissett’s career-best season has been submarined by a historically-bad defense and consistently blunder-prone special teams. Through it all, Brissett has played his heart out, accepted blame for his errors and refrained from pointing out the mistakes of others. Brissett most likely will seek a starting job in free agency next year. The least his teammates can do is give him their absolute best to send him out a winner.
Second down: The GOAT goes grazing.
At 45, Tom Brady isn’t exactly out to pasture yet. He has unfinished business this season in trying to lead the Bucs to their third post-season appearance in his three years in Tampa, and possibly their second Super Bowl. And he may join another team in free agency in 2023. So we can’t say for sure if this is his last appearance in FirstEnergy Stadium. But it may be. For that reason, it is a treat to witness the greatest at his position – and one of the five greatest players at any position in NFL history – perform. Brady has defeated all 32 teams in his 23-year NFL career. He is 7-1 lifetime v. the Browns. The only teams that have never defeated him are the Patriots (0-1), Buccaneers (0-4), Vikings (0-6), Cowboys (0-7) and Falcons (0-11). Joining the Browns in the one-win category are the Cardinals (1-1), 49ers (1-2), Bears (1-6), Raiders (1-6), Bengals (1-7), and Jaguars (1-8). For what it’s worth, the Browns have held Brady below his career average in completion percentage (60.4) and passer rating (94.3). The only Browns coach to defeat Brady was Eric Mangini, who was Bill Belichick’s defensive coordinator before he became Browns coach in 2009. In Mangini’s signature win in the 2010 season, the Browns held Brady to 224 yards passing on 19 of 36 completions (two touchdowns) in a 34-14 Browns win over the New England Patriots. Mangini would later reveal he used two different defensive gameplans – one for each half – to confound Brady. Peyton Hillis rushed 29 times for 184 yards and two TD for the Browns. The Patriots went 14-2 that season before losing to the Jets in an AFC playoff game.
Third down: Center of attention.
Reducing this game down to the matchup of Browns center Hjalte Froholdt v. Bucs nose tackle Vita Vea would not be an oversimplification. In training camp, Froholdt was the Browns’ No. 4 center behind Nick Harris, Pocic and Michael Dunn. He is the next man up after injuries devasted the position. Froholdt’s 311 offensive snaps this year rank sixth among Browns offensive linemen, but most of them have been at guard and a few times as a blocking fullback. He replaced Pocic on the first series against Buffalo after a knee injury. This will be his first NFL start at center and first overall since 2018 at Arkansas. He missed two days of practice this week due to illness. Vea is a freakish, athletic behemoth – 6-4 and 347 pounds – who was the 12th overall pick of the 2018 draft. Vea, one of the league’s strongest men, earned his first Pro Bowl berth last season. Despite his huge size, Vea leads the Bucs with 6.5 sacks. He missed two days practice this week after suffering a foot injury during the Bucs’ bye week.
Fourth down: Run the damn ball!
The Buccaneers have the GOAT at quarterback, yet are enthused about their post-season chances mostly because they finally discovered their running game. In their last game before their bye, the Bucs produced a season-high 162 rushing yards from rookie Rachaad White (105 on 22 carries) and Leonard Fournette in a 21-16 win in over Seattle. Prior to that, the Bucs were last in the league in rushing at 70.7 yards a game and a 3.1 average. They still rank last, but the breakout by White was seen by the Bucs – and Brady, in particular – as hope they can now balance their offense and keep Brady from throwing the ball 42 times a game (most in the NFL). “We saw the gifts that he had early but … we’re here with him every day, so we knew we had to get him to the point he could handle that type of load,” offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich said of the third-round draft pick from Arizona State. “He’s there now.” Fournette has been ruled out of the game with a hip injury, so it will be White’s showtime against the Browns. The Browns have allowed 140.5 rushing yards per game in their last four and have sunk to 23rd overall against the run on the season.
The pick: Buccaneers 27, Browns 13.
My record: 4-6.
