It would be good for the Browns to give the ball to Quinshon Judkins against the Dolphins' 32nd-ranked run defense on Sunday. (Cleveland Browns)
brought to you by Kaz Company - call 216-901-9300
You must have an active subscription to read this story.
Click Here to subscribe Now!
Editor’s note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns and NFL analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
The insanity of having rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel drop back to pass 58 times against the Steelers isn’t lost on anybody.
“Yeah, I think it’s pretty obvious,” Gabriel said on Wednesday. “Winning football is pretty balanced and it kind of works in unison, the run and the pass to set things up, create more explosives, chunks, and just be more efficient in general.”
Coach Kevin Stefanski said, “Obviously, we want to be able to run the ball effectively in games when you have the lead, and you can run the ball and keep the lead. But that’s certainly something that we keep in mind as you go into games, yes.”
Playing from behind is always the excuse when the Browns throw, throw, throw.
True, they never held a lead in Pittsburgh. But down by only 3-0, they came out and threw five times on their first seven plays. A Jerry Jeudy roughness penalty caused second-and-23, which resulted in pass, pass, punt.
At halftime, the Browns were still down by only 9-3, and their dropbacks v. run ratio was 21 to 9.
Ultimately, Gabriel dropped back to throw 58 times in Pittsburgh, which only served to paint a smile on the face of Steelers coach Mike Tomlin.
In Gabriel’s NFL debut a week earlier in London, the Browns held leads for a total of 24 minutes, 47 seconds. The pass/run ratio was much better – 35 pass dropbacks v. 32 runs.
This week, Miami comes to town with the worst run defense in the NFL. The Dolphins yield an average of 168 yards rushing a game.
If holding a lead is the key to the Browns’ play selection, why not take the ball first on offense, instead of deferring, and execute the script of plays practiced most during the week to take a lead?
“We always think about it by game,” Stefanski said about starting on offense or defense first. “I think weather always plays a factor. If weather is going to be an issue, where you want to have the wind in the fourth quarter, that certainly comes into play.”
Paging Bill Callahan
The Browns’ offensive line – no, their entire offense – has been in shambles since the organization allowed offensive line guru Bill Callahan out of his contract to join his son, Brian, with the Tennessee Titans after the 2023 season.
On Monday, Brian Callahan became the first NFL head coach fired this year. A day later, Bill parted ways with the Titans, too.
Callahan was more than just the O-line coach in the first four seasons of Stefanski’s tenure. He was instrumental in creating the Browns’ wide zone running scheme and was also a trusted resource for Stefanski.
“I hate to see that news down there in Tennessee,” Stefanski said. “I talked to Brian. I have not talked to Bill, but obviously I hate that news.”
So, would the Browns be open to adding the elder Callahan, 69, to the coaching staff now that he’s free again?
“Yeah, like I said, I haven’t talked to Bill,” Stefanski said. “So, obviously I think very highly of them, but I’m disappointed for them with that issue.”
For whom Bell tolls
On Tuesday, receiver David Bell announced his retirement due to an unspecified off-field injury.
Bell wrote on Instagram, “"Several months ago, I was blindsided by an off-field injury that was beyond my control, which put my football future in jeopardy. After consulting with medical experts and praying, I accept that continuing to play football would literally risk life and limb,” he wrote, adding that retiring is "the last thing I would otherwise want to do.”
Stefanski commented on Wednesday.
“Yeah, talked to Dave yesterday. He’s a favorite of this building, he’s a favorite of the coaches, of the staff. He’s just a guy that, from the moment he got here, he always did it the right way. Super dependable.
“You know, I think back to that game where he was injured, and I’m making it up, but he played like 15 plays or something and was so impactful in those 15 plays. He had a big catch off play-action, had a great scramble, drill catch, was making plays, doing dirty work for us in the run game. So, think very highly of the person. He’ll do great, whatever is next for him, but also, just a guy that was fun to coach because he was just the consummate professional.”
Bell, a third-round pick in the 2022 draft, had 41 catches for 408 yards and three touchdowns in 32 games for the Browns. He suffered a hip injury in the second game of the 2024 season, but it wasn’t the injury that caused his retirement.
Brownie bits
After taking six sacks and being hit another 16 times in Pittsburgh, I asked Gabriel how he felt on Monday. “Yeah, my mom used to beat my ass when I was a kid, so I don’t think anything will live up to it,” he joked. “No, I was just playing around, but I’m good. I’m good. It’s part of football, you know what I mean? That’s why you play it. We’re good.” …
DNPs on Wednesday were right tackle Jack Conklin (concussion), receiver Gage Larvadain (concussion) and tight end David Njoku (knee).