Andrew Berry on the Baltimore debacle: ‘There are things we’d do differently in hindsight’
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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 Andrew Berry press conference …
1. The more the Browns explain the Deshaun Watson situation, the more the facts indict the game plan for Baltimore authored by Kevin Stefanski and the offensive coaches. GM Andrew Berry said that at the beginning of the week that Watson couldn’t even lift his right arm. And although Watson made “a ton of progress,” he never was able to “throw or drive the ball well enough to perform in the game. It just wasn’t at a level where we felt comfortable that he could ultimately perform the duties of his position.” So those facts make the pass-oriented game plan even more ludicrous. I mean, they shouldn’t have been surprised that they’d have to play rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson. And knowing that very real probability, they had time to tailor a more conservative game plan to limit DTR’s responsibilities in his first NFL start against a voracious defense. “I think probably part of it is that once you’re down two scores, you do have to play a little bit more aggressively,” Berry said. (Note: The Browns attempted to throw on seven of the first 10 offensive snaps with the score at 0-0.) “But also the other thing is, if you’re a quarterback, you are going to have to pass the ball. And that doesn’t mean that the balance may not change. But again … we didn’t play well on that side of the ball. There are things that we would have done differently with the benefit of hindsight. But you look at everything when you have a loss like that.”
2. The reason the early bye came at an ideal time for the Browns is that Watson probably would not have been able to play this week, either. However, “We don’t view it as a long-term injury,” Berry said. “I think Kevin mentioned earlier in the week, there’s nothing structural [wrong]. We are optimistic that it’ll heal in the short term and he’ll be ready to go.” So I wonder if there’s nothing structurally wrong and Stefanski previously said Watson was medically cleared to play, then why on Earth couldn’t he physically throw a ball? Also, Stefanski said Watson would use the bye weak to rest and rehab the right shoulder. Yet, it’s my understanding that Watson departed for Houston. Berry declined to confirm Watson’s “location,” but said, “He is definitely getting rehab, definitely resting, doing everything he needs to be able to play.”
3. If Watson is unable to play against San Francisco, Berry declined to speculate on the prospect of veteran QB P.J. Walker leapfrogging Thompson-Robinson as the top backup. “Yeah, I don’t envision any major changes in the [quarterback] room,” Berry said.
Browns GM Andrew Berry thought the trade of QB Josh Dobbs in August was a good idea for the present and the future. (TheLandOnDemand)
4. Which brings us back to the trade of Josh Dobbs on August 24 – for a fifth-round draft pick – which put Thompson-Robinson in the position of being “one play away” of quarterbacking a team with division title hopes. I asked Berry why he thought the trade was a good idea at the time. “Obviously we had a high opinion of Josh. He had been here for two seasons,” Berry said. “I’ve often talked up here about the general manager’s role, having a foot in the present and a foot in the future and certainly that consideration and that transaction has elements of that. [I] thought it was the best decision. We’re really excited to work with Dorian and see him progress and develop. But [I] thought [it] was the right move for the organization both short and long term.” The trade was consummated on that day literally as Stefanski was affirming media outside the facility that Dobbs would, in fact, be the No. 2 quarterback heading into the season. Asked if Stefanski were aware of the possibility of Dobbs being traded, Berry said, “I’ve never believed in surprising the coaching staff with roster moves. We always have a ton of communication before anything happens, really any transaction.”
5. Berry, understandably, would not comment on any interest he has in trading for disgruntled Colts running back Jonathan Taylor. On multiple occasions, he praised the ability of Nick Chubb-replacement Jerome Ford and left no doubt that he is comfortable with a running back-by-committee approach in Chubb’s absence, and probably thereafter. “We think what Jerome provides us – he provides us big-play ability,” Berry said. “We’ve seen that over the first month of the season. His speed and strength is a real asset. And then also, he’s a real contributor in the passing game. We saw that against Tennessee. We’ve seen that in the screen and check-down game. But we think Jerome’s ability to actually split out and run routes, that’s something that’s pretty hard to find. And then with Kareem [Hunt], we do look at getting him ramped up more heavily. Obviously, him coming in without camp, without a spring with us, there is a little bit of a ramp-up period for him. But we really do look at that position as more of a platoon position as opposed to hey, this is your one, this is your two, that type of thing. It’s probably a little bit more role-based and in fairness, again, we’ve been spoiled by having Nick, but that’s probably more where this position is trending with us and has certainly trended around the league.”
Some quick-hitters from Berry:
* On the biggest thing he wants to see corrected after the bye: “Number one, two, three, four and five would be ball security. Ten turnovers in four games. Minimizing that or getting that back to an acceptable standard will make a huge difference.”
* On the play of left tackle Jedrick Wills: “I think Jed would be the first to tell you that he hasn’t played as consistently as he knows he’s capable of playing. He’s capable of playing better. He will play better. He’s obviously going to be an important piece for us moving forward.”
* On if he wants to see more of tight end David Njoku in the game plan: “David’s one of our best pass catchers, and I think Kevin will be the first to say that we want him to be a big part of the offense.”
* On the slow start seen from receiver Elijah Moore: “We view him as one of the better playmakers on the roster. I know that we’re excited to get him the ball in a variety of ways … We’re four games into this thing. We do want to get him the ball, but I think that’ll evolve and grow as we go.”
* On the prospect of extending the contract of safety Grant Delpit to avoid him leaving in free agency next year: “I’m not going to talk about contracts in this setting. Very pleased with Grant’s start, though.”
* On the possibility of doing something before the October 31 trade deadline: “I wouldn’t rule out any style of transaction for us. We’ll do what makes sense for us organizationally.”
