Joe Woods has spent long hours this week trying to fix the leaks in his defense.
Joe Woods is worried about fixing his defense, not losing his job
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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 …
What’s it like being the defensive coordinator of the Browns these days?
Joe Woods stepped onto the podium in the Browns media room and the first thing he said, with a disarming chuckle, was “See my eyes? They’re red.”
It’s because of sleepless nights searching for answers, not for concern about his job.
The Browns’ defense is not holding up its end of the deal and is the biggest reason the team heads into Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots with a 2-3 record. The offense has outgained all five of its opponents. In their losses, the Browns have blown leads of 13 points to the Jets, three points to the Falcons and 14 points to the Chargers.
“It’s frustrating,” Woods said. “I would say disappointing at times, but [I’m] not discouraged. I do believe we have the talent to be a top five defense. I’ve said that from the start. It’s my job to get us there. We’re addressing issues. We’re trying to fix it. Part of it is fundamentals, part of it is scheme, part of it is just guys doing their job. So it’s a little bit of everything. We all have to get on the same page, give them a good plan, and we have to go out on Sunday and believe in it and execute.”
First, it was miscommunication in the pass defense. Lately, it’s been sloppy tackling and leaving gaps in the run defense. All hands are on deck to stop these major leaks from turning into a landslide.
This week, GM Andrew Berry traded for veteran linebacker Deion Jones and signed off-the-street nose tackle Tyeler Davison to the practice squad. Both have multiple years experience in a similar scheme run in Atlanta by former Falcons coach Dan Quinn. Jones is being pressed to play immediately. Davison is further behind, having just recovered from a meniscus injury and surgery last year.
On the field, coaches have re-emphasized tackling fundamentals and techniques. Woods said he showed the entire defense a video of every missed tackle made this year. He said it was 15 to 20 plays.
Woods said that effort was not a recurring theme on the video. Technique was.
“You have to have a tackling plan and understand the type of tackle you need to make,” Woods said of the main message.
Woods sounded reluctant to make significant changes to his scheme. But that would be the next step.
“We have the ability to do multiple things out of a four-man front,” Woods said. “We can also put an extra D-lineman on the field, if we choose to. We have to consider all that stuff. At the same time, we can’t do so much that they can’t execute.
“I like the guys we have. [Incorporating a space-eating nose tackle) is always something to think about. Just so we get bigger inside. I feel the guys that are playing, it just comes down to technique. It comes down to us doing something differently where they can’t just double you and take you off the ball. So, I feel like we have answers.”
Woods knows if he doesn’t find the answers quickly, there will be louder calls for his job. He does not view that as motivation.
“I’m just telling the truth. I don’t worry about it,” Woods said. “I know it’s a problem. To me, the NFL is fair. You have an opportunity. I feel the organization provides us with good players on all three levels. Right now we’re not performing well consistently for 60 minutes. [Criticism] just comes with the territory.
“For me having red eyes, it’s about just studying [late into the night]. I’m always like that. Been like that for 31 years of coaching. In terms of worrying about that, you can’t. You can’t worry about [job security]. If you do, it affects your decision-making, your thought process. So I just put my head down and say, ‘How can we get better?’”
Woods was under criticism early last season, but the defense turned things around after a 45-7 blowout loss to New England in Game 10. He has to remedy these issues much sooner this year.
“Each year is different challenge,” Woods said. “I promise everybody we’re trying to do everything we can. Right now it’s not going well. But I just don’t worry about [my job]. I’ve been around different people in my career that maybe listened to it more. I’ve seen what it’s done to them. I just believe in where I’m going, believe in the coaches I have around me, believe in the players, and I just feel if we all work together to correct the issues, we’ll be heading in the right direction.”
Brownie bits
Davison said he played through a torn meniscus with Atlanta last year and was not re-signed by the Falcons. He had surgery in mid-February and felt only last week was he sufficiently recovered to join a new team. In the middle of Atlanta’s D-line, he kept blockers off Jones for three seasons with the Falcons. So he has the same familiarity with Woods’ similar scheme as Dan Quinn played in Atlanta as Jones does …
On Wednesday, Patriots coach Bill Belichick said, “After Ozzie [Newsome], [David Njoku] is probably the best tight end the Browns have ever had, which that’s saying something.” Njoku was flattered, but isn’t taking the bait of losing focus on the task at hand. “I appreciate the kind words, but we have a job to do,” Njoku said. Njoku is on pace for 82 receptions and 983 yards – career-highs by plenty. “There’s so many plays I wish I had back. There’s so many things I can do better. So I’m just going to keep working on what I can do to help this team,” Njoku said …
Special teams coach Mike Priefer was with the Vikings when head coach Mike Zimmer released kicker Daniel Carlson after going 1 for 4 in field goals in his first two games. Carlson is now one of the NFL’s best kickers, having gone 123 of 137 (.904) in five seasons with the Raiders. Carlson came up in a discussion about confidence in rookie kicker Cade York, who missed a costly PAT and two field goals in losses to the Jets and Chargers. “When Daniel got to the Vikings, there were certain members of the Vikings that were not real fired up that he was drafted,” Priefer said. “I was very fired up. I know he is a very good kicker. They, we in Minnesota, did not handle that situation very well. We did not help him – Daniel I am talking about, mentally. He was probably not as strong as Cade at that age. I know he is now. He is doing a great job. He is a great kicker, as you guys know. I think Cade is much stronger mentally and because of that situation and the way our Head Coach handles Cade and has handled Cade, which has been fantastic and really good for his psyche and his confidence. We learned from that situation.”
