New LB Deion Jones is on a 'crash course' to get up to speed to play Sunday against the New England Patriots. (Cleveland Browns)
Browns go back to tackling basics as Bill Belichick’s invasion looms Sunday
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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.
Takeaways from Browns practice and interviews …
The Browns put “extra emphasis” on renewing tackling fundamentals and technique, and also put new middle linebacker Deion Jones on the practice field for the first time Wednesday.
With raging bull back Rhamondre Stevenson expected to carry Bill Belichick’s offense for another game, time is of the essence for the Browns to fix their astonishingly porous run defense.
Stevenson rolled over the Lions for 161 yards on Sunday in the first NFL start for rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe. The Browns aren’t sure if the Patriots will play regular QB Mac Jones three weeks after a severe high ankle sprain.
Either way, the Browns do expect a healthy dose of Stevenson – and that means trouble for a defense that has been gashed for 440 rushing yards in back-to-back games.
“He is elusive, he has great vision, good feet. Definitely gonna be physical because he runs hard,” safety John Johnson said of Stevenson. “You definitely have to put a red dot on him. I think he’s going to be the work horse this game.”
The Browns are now giving up the same 5.3 yards per rush on defense as their own top-ranked running game is achieving on offense.
And with even more critical games against Cincinnati and Baltimore on tap after New England, GM Andrew Berry swung into action by trading with Atlanta for Jones on Sunday night and signing eight-year nose tackle Tyeler Davison to the practice squad on Tuesday.
Neither has played a down of football this year.
Getting just one off-the-street player acclimated to the Browns’ defense in one work week will be quite the challenge. Getting two probably is out of the question. Perhaps that’s why coach Kevin Stefanski brushed aside a question about whether Davison might also be forced in immediately.
“We’re always adding guys to the practice squad … taking a look at players, so that’s it,” the coach said.
But Jones definitely is on a crash course to get ready for Sunday, not only to fill the gaping hole in the middle of the defense but also to fill a leadership vacuum left by the season-ending injury to Anthony Walker.
“Hard to say [if Jones could help on Sunday]. We’ll see. Wouldn’t rule him out at this point,” Stefanski said. “There is some carryover with what he did with DQ [former Falcons coach Dan Quinn] down in Atlanta. So he does have a basis of knowledge in what we’re doing. But we need to see him practice, all those things.
“Deion’s a very smart football player and intelligent. Has been in a similar system, so we’ll see how he can catch up. It’s a crash course, like it is when you acquire a player midseason.”
Jones had a procedure on a shoulder in May, played in the Falcons’ last preseason game, then was IR’d when they cut to 53. He’s been healthy and waiting for the Falcons to free him up, and that finally happened when Berry came calling. Jones said he had no inkling a trade with Cleveland was brewing, even though the Browns played in Atlanta two weeks ago.
“I guess I was excited. The biggest thing was getting everything together to leave the fam. But then I was excited. Can’t wait to get started,” he said.
“We’ll see [if he makes it to the game on Sunday]. I’m just taking it one day at a time. I’m not making any predictions. We’ll see what happens today and take it from there.”
Stefanski was asked if there was a message to the other players made through the additions of Jones and Davison.
“We don’t send messages like that,” he answered. “You can imagine a lot of those moves are being discussed over weeks. So I wouldn’t put anything into [the horrendous play of the last two games].”
Back to basics
Since the Browns seem to have forgotten how to tackle ball-carriers, Stefanski and coaches sought to remind them of fundamentals and proper techniques at practice.
He said he didn’t want to overstate it and that doing tackling drills was “nothing new.”
“We’re just going to make a renewed emphasis as a group on some of the techniques we need to work on, to sharpen up on,” he said.
“You drill fundamentals every single day. Talk about them, drill them, and you watch tape. I think so much of this game can be distilled down to fundamentals and techniques. So certainly for our defense, tackling is a huge part of that. We can’t ever lose sight of that.”
Johnson said the weekly players leadership meeting was not about panicking over the play of the defense but about everybody doing their job “a little bit better.”
As for improving the tackling, Johnson said, “I think it’s just everybody running to the ball. You’re going to miss tackles. You have some talented guys in this league that are going to force missed tackles. If there’s somebody else on your team right there to limit the yards, that helps. Really just locking in on angles and everybody running to the ball relentlessly. You might get a ball on the ground. [We need to have] relentless pursuit this week.”
Brownie bits
Cornerback Denzel Ward remains in concussion protocol. Stefanski said it’s “trending” for Greedy Williams to be available after a good second week of practice since missing four weeks with a severe hamstring injury …
Jacoby Brissett, who was drafted by the Patriots in the third round and then traded the following season, knows Belichick as well as anyone on the Browns. His words on Sunday’s game are both obvious and foreboding. “The known fact is that the Patriots don’t beat themselves. We can’t go beat the Browns and beat the Patriots at the same time,” he said …
Johnson also stated the obvious when he said of a Belichick-coached team, “They do a great job of seeing what a team doesn’t do well and attacking that. That’s what I imagine they’re going to do.”
