Post-Steelers leftovers

There is no truer ideology in football at all levels than the notion that games are won and lost in the trenches. That little piece of turf in which superiority almost always determines the better team.

And if there is any unit on this season's Browns team that epitomizes that, it's the offensive line, the heartbeat on that side of the football. The defensive line comes into its fair share, too, but it has been betrayed by lapses behind it.

It's been only three games, far from being an accurate barometer on where it will eventually finish 14 games from now, but the plug uglies who protect quarterback Jacoby Brissett and provide wide swaths off territory for Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt to run have been outstanding.

Guards Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller are still playing at a Pro Bowl level, whether it's pulling and leading Chubb and Hunt on sweeps or providing crushing trap blocks for the interior game. That's a given on a weekly basis.

The surprises have been at center and the two tackles, where Ethan Pocic, Jedrick Wills Jr, and Thomas Hudson III have played at a much higher level than expected. Hudson in particular while filling in at right tackle for All-Pro Jack Conklin, who missed the first two games rehabbing off-season knee surgery.

The second-year pro, who was clearly not ready to make the transition to the National Football League in a serious way as a rookie, does not look like the same player this season. His pass sets are stronger (with occasional help from a tight end), he sets the edge much better for Chubb and Hunt and he plays with more confidence.

Wills, perhaps because he is much healthier than last season, has adopted a much more pugnacious approach to protecting his quarterback, one that was absent his first two seasons at left tackle. He is no longer the soft spot in the line. 

And Pocic, who fell into the role in the pivot when Nick Harris blew up a knee during the first exhibition game, has been steady. That's code for keeping mistakes at a minimum. Quality level at the position since the club decided to release Pro Bowler JC Tretter has not dropped. Yet.

That unit has been mainly responsible for some pretty impressive statistics. Like 379 yards a game, 5.4 yards a play, 22 of 46 (48%) on third down, 572 rushing yards (191 a game), and the most impressive of all, ownership of the football (an astounding 35.5 minutes a game).

Individually, Chubb is enjoying his typically sensational season with 341 yards (5.5 yards a pop and a pair of 100-yard games). Brissett has been given solid protection, enabling him to comfortably play pitch and catch with Amari Cooper (two 100-yard games there, too). He has been sacked only seven times, four  coming on full blitzes. 

And now that Conklin is back and playing well again, it isn't hyperbolic to suggest the Browns again have one of the strongest offensive lines in the NFL. It's only three games and some of the more rugged defenses in the league await in the next six or seven weeks, but the momentum of a good start is encouraging.

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It took three weeks to blossom, but waiting for David Njoku to emerge as a valuable receiver for the Browns was well worth it after his didn't-see-that-coming performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers Thursday night.

The big tight end, who was consistently inconsistent in his first five seasons with the club, played by far his best game ever with a near flawless display of catching and holding on to the football. Known for making the tough receptions and dropping the easy ones, Njoku seems to have added better concentration to his talents.

Brissett targeted him 10 times against the Steelers and connected on all but one for 89 yards and a touchdown. His only miss was due to a terrific hit by Steelers cornerback Courtland Sutton that jolted the ball loose. Otherwise, he was perfect.

It was the first time he was a major part of a game plan since October 2018, when he was targeted in double digits in back-to-back games. He has been a forgotten piece of the puzzle since then, no doubt because of his inconsistency.

In his first five seasons (65 games), the late first-round pick in 2017 caught only 148 passes (240 targets) for 1,754 yards and 15 touchdowns. Despite these disappointing stats, the Browns rewarded him with a four-year, $55 million contract.

What makes this a significant development is the notion it takes pressure off Cooper, Brissett's clear No. 1 target who draws double coverage. With Njoku, based at least on this game and ostensibly in the picture from a receiving standpoint, opposing defensive coordinators are now at least thinking of  game-planning for him.

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Joe Woods often times gets too much blame when seemingly everything fails and not enough credit when subsequent adjustments pay off. Such was the case in the victory over Pittsburgh Thursday night.

The beleaguered defensive coordinator, suspiciously quiet whenever grief comes his way, recovered nicely after the drama that surrounded him in the first two games of the season as fans urged head coach Kevin Stefanski to make him the former defensive coordinator.

It was a simple move of making the pass defense more diverse, employing man-to-man defense a lot more because his secondary plays that sticky defense a whole lot better than zone. Not once during the game Thursday night did a Steelers receiver gain any kind of appreciable separation until late when a prevent was employed.. 

So why did Woods, who didn't revel in its success, concede and change the strategy against the pass? No one knows for certain. It really makes no difference. It worked and that is all that mattered.

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Martin Emerson Jr. is taking full advantage of Greedy Williams' absence due to injury. The coaching staff apparently trusts the rookie cornerback to the point where he is playing a major portion of the snaps and not looking like a rookie.

He was the victim of perhaps the most sensational catch of the season when Steelers rookie George Pickens, in spite of tight coverage by Emerson, hauled in a 36-yard bomb from quarterback Mitch Trubisky late in the first quarter that seemed destined to be incomplete.

As he was falling almost perpendicularly to the ground and face up with Emerson hovering over him. Pickens reached out with his right hand, snatched the ball, tucked it in, fell to the ground and bounced out of bounds without losing his grip on the ball. 

After watching it several times in replay, the more unbelievably spectacular and extraordinary it looked. Emerson had perfect coverage. Not perfect enough, though. Pickens had other ideas. It will be hard to beat that for catch of the year.

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Finally , , , Correcting the Steelers game story. Cade York's missed extra point after the Browns' second touchdown was not partially blocked. It was just a poor kick, his second in the last two games. He seemingly concentrates better on long kicks. It cost the Browns one game. Captan Obvious says every point counts. . . . More special teams problems: Rookie running back Jerome Ford, trusted with returning kickoffs, committed a rookie mistake by trying to return one late in the second quarter from three yards deep in the end zone and making it to just the 12-yard line. Next time, take a knee and start at the 25. . . . Now that Njoku is fully in the offensive picture, time for wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones to reenter the same picture. After being targeted 11 times in the season opener, he has been targeted just four times. What gives?