Our Offense has No Identity

[sportydude1818]

Our offense has No Identity! I have absolutely no idea what the offense is trying to accomplish. At least last year they established themselves as one of the best throwing teams in the country. Eventhough we knew there was no threat of a run last season, the team was 4 wide air it out. This season I have no idea what they are trying to do. Not sure if its clawson or ruggerio but someone needs to take charge and decide what we wanna be. Just looks like a mess on offense. No true commitment to the run at all and only 1 deep shot all night.

[Falcon137]

We suck, lets not play the next 2 games. Lets not play next year since our offense is awful and is young.

Everyone complaining about Clawson's offense does know he is in his 2nd year and trying to completely change everything about the program?

He said last year that he would play the hand that was dealt to him because of the weapons he had back. He is a conventional offensive guy that was a handed a 5 wide spread offense. He inherited no fullback, a scat back, and 1 tightend. This year he is actually putting his offense in and getting guys that will run it for 3 and 4 years to play in it. Same with the defense, he is a 4-2-5 guy, which I think is great for the pass happy MAC. The improvement on defense is night and day in my opinion.

What do you want him to do? Go sign 10, 5 star recruits and turn the ship around at night? We have a freshman quarterback playing behind a mash unit offensive line and people wonder why we can't establish the run or why we aren't taking 7 step drops and throwing it deep. The only way Shilz will last 4 years without being carted off the field every week is screens and quick passes.

I have been frustrated like everyone else, but I realize we aren't Ohio State and 2 years isn't enough time to fix the laundry list of screw ups Brandon left him. Some of you people need a reality check.

Sorry for the rant, hope everyone got home safely last night or this morning.

[guest44]

I haven't understood why we haven't thrown a deep ball all year. The chances of this team lining up and going 80 yards are not good. Atleast take a shot. We recover the fumble and come back and go -20 yards and -25 yards of declined penalties. That was amazing.

[60yearsofsicsic]

Okay. I have been around this program for awhile now over 10 years ( I know we have people who have been around it a lot longer time then me). I have not agreed much with anything Sportsdude has said since he arrived on the board but he has some points.

1. Willie Geter up the middle is about as smart as Metcalf up the middle for all you long time BROWN fans.

2. Schliz has some talent I am not sure he has the intangibles. I hope he proves me wrong. I will give you 2 examples.
*He throws screens like no matter if the cornerback reads it or not
* His instincts on the QB scramble last night for a first down was pretty much a lack of awareness

3. Clawson inside the redzone.... Well let just say its very conservative especially when you know your kicking game is atrocious.

4. Credits to Clawson. We have discovered the TE!!! I also understand that this team is very young and in the MAC it can turn around quickly look at MIAMI. And I think only one guy got arrested this year

I think that Clawson needs to understand that to win in the MAC you must be able to spread the ball around and throw the ball to setup the RUN. That and recruiting an outstanding QB

Just my 2 cents.

[unfalconbelievable]

Talk about no Identity.

I'm puzzled with the call of Timeout with 5.5 seconds left in the first half down by 7 at approximately your own 37. With the clocking running a timeout was called to run an off tackel play to the left. Just take a knee and regroup for the second half or just let the clock run out, Why call the time out? If your going call a timeout heck your 2 - 7 throw one up and see whats happens? Lack of creativity and ZERO line protection along with questionable plays............has made for a scary season and we are not done.

[Falcon137]

They took a timeout instead of taking a delay of game. If Miami had elected to use a timeout he would have handed them 5 yards, that move wasn't puzzling at all.

I still don't understand why everyone is upset about throwing deep and not being able to run the ball. When you can't take 7 yard drops you can't chuck it 50 yards, when your line is in tatters the way BG's is you can't lineup and pound it 40 times a game.

[hammb]

Okay. I have been around this program for awhile now over 10 years ( I know we have people who have been around it a lot longer time then me). I have not agreed much with anything Sportsdude has said since he arrived on the board but he has some points.

1. Willie Geter up the middle is about as smart as Metcalf up the middle for all you long time BROWN fans.

2. Schliz has some talent I am not sure he has the intangibles. I hope he proves me wrong. I will give you 2 examples.
*He throws screens like no matter if the cornerback reads it or not
* His instincts on the QB scramble last night for a first down was pretty much a lack of awareness

3. Clawson inside the redzone.... Well let just say its very conservative especially when you know your kicking game is atrocious.

4. Credits to Clawson. We have discovered the TE!!! I also understand that this team is very young and in the MAC it can turn around quickly look at MIAMI. And I think only one guy got arrested this year

I think that Clawson needs to understand that to win in the MAC you must be able to spread the ball around and throw the ball to setup the RUN. That and recruiting an outstanding QB

Just my 2 cents.

I really gotta disagree with you here.

1. Willie Geter is a fine between the tackles runner. Contrary to popular belief you do NOT need to have a big back to run between the tackles. You need to have the vision to see the crease/hole and the willingness to hit that hole quickly and with authority. Geter has those things, and if there were ever creases there for him to run through he'd have good success between the tackles. Unfortunately our OL cannot open holes...nor can they block well enough to get Geter outside. By running up the middle we at least don't risk the big losses that we would undoubtedly see if we ran more sweeps. Yeah, I'd like to see a few less running plays just because we really are a crappy running team, but I think this is a clear case of Clawson installing his system and knowing that when we get the horses it will work.

2. I don't think you can make your assessment here at ALL based on what I've seen. Yeah the one scramble he clearly ran back INTO the tackler...a really boneheaded play. As for your screen comment I know at least one screen last night he threw to the feet of Geter because they had sniffed it out. As for a few other things I've actually been pretty impressed by Schilz in that regard this year. He rallied his team last night from down 14 points to tie it up...the offense totally blew it in the end, but I'm not sure the final 2 drives were his fault at ALL. Still, was great to see him deliver that bomb to Jorden. He also orchestrated a fantastic last minute drive against Temple. I definitely think the guy has the talent to be a big time player in the MAC. I really don't think you can make an assessment on intangibles from a Freshman starting QB...he's going to make mistakes...he's a FRESHMAN.

Finally, I totally disagree that you can only win in the MAC by spreading the game out and passing constantly. In fact, that has been the model of success for so long in this conference I actually think that if somebody installs a good pro style offense, and gets the talent to operate it, they'll have great success here because defenses have been way too focused on stopping that spread for the last 10 years or so. Unfortunately it's very difficult to run a pro style offense with the talent recruited to run the spread.

Overall, I think our offense DOES have an identity. Unfortunately it's an identity I've seen all too often as a Browns fan over the years. We have an offense built around an OL that flat out can NOT block with any consistency. I think Geter could be fine as a between the tackles runner if he ever had a crease to run through...our OL can't run block at ALL. I think we have a QB who is pretty good throwing the ball down the field, but we cannot call those plays with much consistency because we cannot keep him upright long enough to look downfield. When Schliz has had a shot he throws a damn good ball...that bomb to Jorden was a thing of beauty last night.

What we're watching is a team TRYING to compete offensively with a senior RB, a raw freshman QB, and a very bad OL. They're also trying to learn a new system and we have issues with the QB/WR not always being on the same page (last night's game losing INT was clearly a result of a mis-read between Schilz & the WR...Pronty?). We want to run the ball, but we can't open holes. We want to pass the ball downfield, but we can't protect our QB well enough to do that. So the bulk of our passing game has become quick hitters and screens which are pretty ineffective when the opposition knows it's our only hope. To make matters worse as our OL is getting beat they are taking a LOT of penalties in the process...of the penalties last night I think nearly all of them were on the OL. Hell in the 2nd to last possession we had a play where Schilz dropped back and got drilled with no chance to throw the ball...even though he got pounded right away our OL was also guilty of both a hold AND a clip. They're cheating and STILL cannot block...it's a problem.

I'm hoping the OL issues are mostly the result of injuries...the unit has had it's fair share of those. From what I can tell if you wanna point fingers for our offensive ineffectiveness, look no further than that line...it's been flat out BAD.

[BGGrad01]

I just don't understand why we don't use the rollout as part of our passing attack. Move the pocket a little bit if our line is getting abused. Right now, the play call is either a short screen where the line doesn't even pretend to block and Schilz gets hit before he throws or it's a play action straight back drop. In the latter, it's usually a 5 yard route to Kamar Jorden because he appears to be our only viable receiving threat (not named Alex Bayer) that can get open and not have the ball bounce off his pads.

Also, I'd like someone who really pays close attention to the offensive line to say whether there really are no holes for Willie to run through or if he is just missing holes. Willie looked like Jamal Lewis of a couple years ago with the Browns. Dance behind the line of scrimmage looking for a hole, then bang into the back of an offensive lineman for a 2 foot gain. My gut feeling is that our line isn't very good at run or pass blocking, but they aren't being helped out by backs hitting the few holes that are actually open.

[JohnnySwoop '85]

Jeez!!! So much angst.

Its already been posted about the record in the last minute outcomes (1-4), so if you were saying last August "ok, its a rebuilding year so we just need to be competitive"....well, you got that. How about reversing that record given a play or two or taking it into OT on some of those games and let the cards fall where they may. Temple, Miami, Buffalo all last play losses...if different outcome you'd be sitting on top of the MAC in your re-building year. Bowl eligible darn near at this point.

Life got in the way this week, so I couldnt bolt the office to get out there but props to the fans who did. I got cold all over again when they showed the 2006 Mud Bowl highlights. But watching on TV, I saw what your seeing....lack of execution, poor reads, throws not just in traffic but traffic with a school recess coming at you, lack of contain on D and lack of coverage.

But still, the brightside is they are competitive, patchwork line is limiting their offensive scheme....so maybe with another year of development, one game changer on O, and a shutdown corner on D it will be far different next year. Its not a long list, even at this point.

In the immortal words of the mysteriously absent Freak....Go Falcons!

[hammb]

I just don't understand why we don't use the rollout as part of our passing attack. Move the pocket a little bit if our line is getting abused. Right now, the play call is either a short screen where the line doesn't even pretend to block and Schilz gets hit before he throws or it's a play action straight back drop. In the latter, it's usually a 5 yard route to Kamar Jorden because he appears to be our only viable receiving threat (not named Alex Bayer) that can get open and not have the ball bounce off his pads.

Also, I'd like someone who really pays close attention to the offensive line to say whether there really are no holes for Willie to run through or if he is just missing holes. Willie looked like Jamal Lewis of a couple years ago with the Browns. Dance behind the line of scrimmage looking for a hole, then bang into the back of an offensive lineman for a 2 foot gain. My gut feeling is that our line isn't very good at run or pass blocking, but they aren't being helped out by backs hitting the few holes that are actually open.

I agree that the rollout would be a good option to help buy our QB a bit more time. It's something I was wondering last night as well. The only thing I can think of is that Schilz just may not be comfortable throwing on the move. He's definitely more of a traditional drop back passer, so I don't know. The thing I typically like about rollouts for young QBs is you not only buy them some time, but you simplify the reads to only one side of the field. I think you've got a fair question, but if Schilz can't make the throws on the run, then maybe it's not really an option...I don't know.

As to our running game, I'm not seeing Geter miss many holes from my seats. They just can't open anything up. The only real success we get running the ball is when the defense over pursues and our RBs can bounce to the outside. It seems to be pretty rare for our RBs to actually have an opening where the play is designed. That may be easier seen from watching the game on TV than from the stands though, so if somebody is seeing different feel free to chime in.

I would say I'd like to see more of Hopgood running as an actual RB. Seems like almost all of his carries are out of the Wildcat.

[MarkL]

Speaking of Hopgood - at RB forever, or back to receiver next year? Our RBs next year will also have a healthy Pettigrew and a healthy Geiger. Pettigrew played very well against Boise last year, and Geiger had some good moments in the spring game.

[Warthog]

1. Willie Geter up the middle is about as smart as Metcalf up the middle for all you long time BROWN fans.

I really gotta disagree with you here.

1. Willie Geter is a fine between the tackles runner. Contrary to popular belief you do NOT need to have a big back to run between the tackles. You need to have the vision to see the crease/hole and the willingness to hit that hole quickly and with authority. Geter has those things, and if there were ever creases there for him to run through he'd have good success between the tackles. Unfortunately our OL cannot open holes...nor can they block well enough to get Geter outside. By running up the middle we at least don't risk the big losses that we would undoubtedly see if we ran more sweeps. Yeah, I'd like to see a few less running plays just because we really are a crappy running team, but I think this is a clear case of Clawson installing his system and knowing that when we get the horses it will work.

Hammb, I dont want to put words into 60years mouth, but I know there has been a lot of angst about Geter up the middle at the goal line and maybe that is what he is refering to. I agree with you that Geter is a fine between the tackles runner when you are away from the goal line. But when you get down close, its more about power than speed and being able to bust it through 8 defensive lineman instead of four. And I think Clawson realizes that too and it is why you see Hopgood in the 'Wildcat' in many goal line and short yardage situations.

[footballguy51]

Speaking of Hopgood - at RB forever, or back to receiver next year? Our RBs next year will also have a healthy Pettigrew and a healthy Geiger. Pettigrew played very well against Boise last year, and Geiger had some good moments in the spring game.

Hopgood seems to be a very effective running back. I say let him battle it out at RB and see what happens. If he gets beat out by one or both, then move him back to receiver and he can be the back-up running back. But if he is indeed our best back, then we should use him for sure.

[hammb]

1. Willie Geter up the middle is about as smart as Metcalf up the middle for all you long time BROWN fans.

I really gotta disagree with you here.

1. Willie Geter is a fine between the tackles runner. Contrary to popular belief you do NOT need to have a big back to run between the tackles. You need to have the vision to see the crease/hole and the willingness to hit that hole quickly and with authority. Geter has those things, and if there were ever creases there for him to run through he'd have good success between the tackles. Unfortunately our OL cannot open holes...nor can they block well enough to get Geter outside. By running up the middle we at least don't risk the big losses that we would undoubtedly see if we ran more sweeps. Yeah, I'd like to see a few less running plays just because we really are a crappy running team, but I think this is a clear case of Clawson installing his system and knowing that when we get the horses it will work.

Hammb, I dont want to put words into 60years mouth, but I know there has been a lot of angst about Geter up the middle at the goal line and maybe that is what he is refering to. I agree with you that Geter is a fine between the tackles runner when you are away from the goal line. But when you get down close, its more about power than speed and being able to bust it through 8 defensive lineman instead of four. And I think Clawson realizes that too and it is why you see Hopgood in the 'Wildcat' in many goal line and short yardage situations.

You may be correct. I would be inclined to agree that power becomes more important in the condensed area of the goal line, but I know I hear moans and complaints in the stands every single time Geter gets a carry up the middle. As far as the goal line last night Geter got 2 carries inside the 5 yard line and got into the endzone easily on both of them.

If our OL could block I don't think people would be nearly as upset about seeing Geter go up the middle. I think he has the ability to run between the tackles, we just don't see it because NOBODY could run between the tackles behind this OL. Unfortunately they can't block well enough for getting outside either. Our best runs are up the middle where it's totally stuffed and our back can then bounce it outside to take advantage of overpursuit, but relying on that isn't a way to build a running game.

[factman]

I have heard that there is a BIG back in our future if verbal comittment holds up. Not only big but very talented.