Mid-week thoughts

Read recently that the reason the Browns failed to upset the Los Angeles Rams Sunday night was a lack of execution in the final moments of the game. Nothing wrong with the playcalling of Freddie Kitchens.

So it was the execution, not the mind-numbing calls by the head coach/playcaller,.

Painting with a broad brush here.

If I understand this correctly, it’s never the fault of the coach calling the plays if a play fails. He is totally absolved of the blame. It’s the failure to execute them properly that results in the failing. It’s also a weak crutch for explaining a loss.

Sorry. Can’t have it both ways.

Who is mainly responsible for the proper, and presumably correct, execution of plays? The assistant coaches, of course. Isn’t that why teams practice? To hone the execution of plays in the playbook.

And who coaches the coaches? The head coach. That’s who.

Someone has to take the blame for poor execution. That naturally filters down to the assistants. But it starts from up top.

How often have we heard losing head coaches after games say that in order to fix problems, they need to go back to the drawing board? Don't hear that from winning coaches. When teams flawlessly execute plays, don’t give all the credit to the players. Proper coaching is where it all begins.

There was no certainty proper execution would have helped against the Rams. That one rest solely and heavily on the shoulders of the Cleveland head coach, who stubbornly refuses to surrender the job as offensive coordinator.

So when all else fails, fall back to the easiest excuse, blame the execution and move on to the next excuse. In this case, tough, Kitchens owned the entire blame and proper execution would not have changed anything. The awful playcalling made it difficult.

Speaking of execution in football puts me in mind of John McKay, who shepherded the Tampa Bay Buccaneers through their early years of expansion football, losing their first 26 games. After one of those games, McKay was asked what he thought of his team’s execution. “I’m in favor of it,” he was said to have replied.

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Juston Burris contributed mightily in the Rams loss after making a circuitous return to the Cleveland roster. The defensive back played all 66 snaps, made four solo tackles, had one quarterback pressure and picked off a deflected pass in the final minutes that led to the unsavory conclusion of the game.

Originally signed off the New York Jets practice squad last November, the 6-0, 212-pounder was with the Browns throughout training camp, but was among those waived on Sept. 1, cut down day. The Oakland Raiders signed him on Sept. 13, but waived him six days later. He did not suit up for the Raiders’ second game of the season.

That’s when the Browns, their entire backfield injured and unable to play against the Rams, signed Burris, who graded out the highest of all the defensive backs and figures to stick around the rest of the season.

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Quarterback Baker Mayfield sent the following tweet (all caps) to local fans the day of the Browns national television date with the Rams:

I WANT FIRST ENERGY STADIUM ROCKING TONIGHT. SPREAD THE WORD. CLEVELAND, MAKE THEM FEEL OUR PASSION.

The message was received loud and clear. The fans showed up – filled the stadium to capacity – and did their part, displaying their passion all evening. And were rewarded with yet another jarring loss.

The crowd clearly came through. Held up their end of the bargain. Mayfield did not. And that had to be the biggest disappointment of all because Cleveland is all in on its young quarterback. With Mayfield in charge, the fans no longer hope for a victory. They expect one.

Results so far: Two home games, two losses. The lone victory was achieved against the injury-riddled New York Jets on the road. In the next three weeks, they face teams with a current combined record of 7-2, two of them on the road.

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Scraps: Myles Garrett, who logged sack number six against the Rams, finally met his match. Rams left tackle Andrew Whitworth got the best of Garrett early. So much so, defensive coordinator Steve Wilks finally moved his prized defensive end around and worked him mostly from side away from the veteran Rams tackle. He found much more success against Rob Havenstein. The best part of his efforts? No penalties. . . . Speaking of penalties, the Browns are slowly getting back to normal. Only eight against the Rams for 60 yards. Believe it or not, that’s an improvement. . . . Another distinct improvement was third-down conversions: Six for 16 after going five for 23 in the first two games. . . . To give you some idea on how bad this offensive line is, Mayfield was pressured on 18 of his 39 dropbacks. All five men up front drew a penalty flag. Right guard Eric Kush was like a turnstile in the pass protection.. Left guard Joel Bitonio was off his game. Probably too much Aaron Donald.