This interception by safety Ronnie Hickman at practice doesn't count, but it's a start in ending the team drought. (Cleveland Browns)
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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 …
Halfway through their season, the Browns have one interception on defense, matching the New York Giants for fewest in the NFL.
The player who nabbed it, linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, is on injured reserve with a neck injury. So there is no active player on the Browns’ roster currently with an INT.
This is one of the more astounding statistics of the Browns’ season, equivalent to the overall free-fall of the offense.
A year ago, the Browns had nine interceptions through nine games on their way to 18, which was tied for third in the NFL. It led members of the defensive secondary to proclaim themselves “the best in the world.”
This year, complete opposite.
“Some years they come, some years they don’t,” said safety Grant Delpit. “It’s been a drought recently. We dropped a couple. That probably has a lot to do with it.”
A couple? At least nine, by my count.
Two weeks ago, defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said he didn’t keep count of dropped interceptions “because it would depress me too much.”
Cornerback Denzel Ward leads the NFL in passes broken up (PBUs) with 15. But he also leads the team in dropped interceptions. Unofficially, I have him for five of those
“I should have some, for sure,” Ward said. “I don’t know the exact number, but I have to find a way to come away with them. I’m obviously making a play [with all the PBUs]. Just got [to get] two hands on the ball and take it away cleanly. It’s gonna change soon.”
Delpit has a couple drops. Same with cornerbacks M.J. Emerson and Greg Newsome.
Schwartz has lamented that PBUs are nice, but INTs change games.
“Some of them are just finishing plays,” he said on Thursday. “We’ve had our hands on some balls and [have not] finished plays. There’s been a couple other times we’ve had tip balls where you got to come down with some of those, and they’ve sort of fallen on the wrong side.
“I think our [quarterback] pressure rates are down just a little bit from last year, so I think that can have a lot to do with it, getting quarterbacks to throw before they’re ready, forcing overthrows, forcing bad decisions. I think it’s all tied in. I wouldn’t necessarily put it on the secondary even though they’ve had their chances on some and we need to come down with some of those.”
Schwartz warns that when players go for interceptions, the result can put a player out of position and a big negative play occurs. That was the case with one of the long touchdowns given up to the Chargers in the last game.
“It just goes to just being more consistent doing our job in the scheme and letting the scheme work for us and making plays within the scheme, as opposed to trying and pressing to do too much,” he said. “Everybody wants to make turnovers. We feel a big responsibility to do that, to help our team. But we also have to guard against doing something that could put the rest of the defense at risk. And there’s that fine line of being aggressive and being reckless.”
Delpit said, “We don’t want to chase picks. We want to get them when they come.”
Speaking of INTs
By contrast, the Saints have 12 interceptions. Their team leader is free safety Tyrann Mathieu with three. Since he entered the NFL in 2013, Mathieu’s 36 interceptions are the most in the league.
Since Jameis Winston entered the NFL in 2015, no active quarterback has a higher interception rate than Winston’s (3.4 percent). How daunting is that for offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey?
“I wouldn’t say daunting,” he said. “I think every defense poses their issues and poses what they do well. Obviously, this one, they do a great job at taking the football away. They’re aggressive.
“I think the ‘why’ behind it is one, they’ve got, schematically, they create some issues in terms of post snap, doing some different things, showing looks and then running out and giving you different looks up front, especially on third down, I think that’s one big thing.
“I think the other thing is they’ve got players who are effective at it. They’ve got aggressive safeties, physical corners that’ll come up and press you and get hands on you. And I think that’s the scheme of how they do things is really what they’re taught. They’re taught to be aggressive, and they’re taught to play that way, and they do it effectively.”
Brownie bits
Myles Garrett ended a four-game sackless streak with three against the Chargers in the span of four plays. Schwartz thinks that’s never happened in NFL history. “It’s good to see him just being healthy and looking like himself again,” Schwartz said. “He went a few weeks where he just didn’t look 100 percent like himself. I don’t want to speak for him and his health, but I think you could see it. He was trying to push through things, but he’s starting to get a little bit better as a team. We’re getting a little bit better, and it’ll be good to see us close to full strength as we go forward to the second half.” …
Left guard Joel Bitonio said the transition of playing next to behemoth left tackle Dawand Jones has been “comfy.” Here’s what Bitonio said about Jones’ future at left tackle: “I think he’s shown he can play it. For the most part, he’s been very solid in pass protection. As long as his body holds up, I think he can play either side. He can be left tackle or right tackle, whatever the coaches choose for him.” …
Bitonio (pectoral) and defensive tackle Michael Hall (knee) were the only players not to practice in all periods. They were limited.