Monday left-overs

Jacoby Brissett sure has a high opinion of himself. It's one thing to be confident of what you do for a living. It's quite another to be unrealistic about how well you do it.

The backup Browns quarterback said something after he and his teammates combined to drop another winnable game Sunday, this time to the Los Angeles Chargers, after twice blowing an opportunity to win the game.

For the third time this season, each time with the game on the line, Brissett completed a pass to the opposition. The first two were desperation heaves and could be excused. Not the one he threw against the Chargers, though. He hadn't reached desperation stage yet. That one was unforgivable. 

"I know I'm better than that," he declared, "and I just made a bad decision" Therein lies the problem. He is not better than that. If he were, he wouldn't be filling in for Deshaun Watson while he serves his suspension. He'd be starting for some other team.

Brissett is average at best, unreliable at worst and proved it Sunday. He shouldn't beat himself up for not being the guy he thinks he is. He had two chances, thanks in large part to a tactical blunder by Chargers head coach Brandon Staley, to prove he is better than he thinks he is. And failed both.

The first chance. Third and seven at the Chargers' nine-yard line, inside three minutes left in regulation and trailing, 30-28, with kicker Cade York warming up on the sideline. With a chip-shot field goal -- and the lead -- in his back pocket, Brissett had two options once the ball was snapped.

He had an opportunity to run toward the wide-open right flat and gain a few yards to assure the three points. Or he could throw to Amari Cooper, whom he said he saw in the back of the end zone. How he missed Chargers strong safety Alohi Gilman standing directly between him and Cooper is a mystery.

He chose unwisely and threw rather than run. Gilman had an easy pick. Brissett threw the ball right to him. Not "better" at all.

The second chance. Moments later, Chargers ball, fourth and a yard at their 46, 73 seconds left and Staley on the verge of shockingly going for it. Quarterback Justin Herbert misconnected with Mike Williams and the Browns were back in business, albeit with no timeouts.

Time once again for Brissett to prove he, indeed, was better. Second chances like this don't come along often in the National Football League. Time for redemption. Until it wasn't because Brissett moved his offense just 10 yards (on a hookup with Cooper), hurling three uncatchable passes to Anthony Schwartz and Donovan Peoples-Jones. 

It proved once and for all that Brissett was not "better than that" because he is not. He was just being himself in situations such as this. If he were better, York's field-goal attempt would have been closer to 40 or 45 yards rather than the 54 he was tasked to make and avoid another tough loss.

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Call it a coincidence, but there could be a change or two on defense after the Browns acquired linebacker Deion Jones from the Atlanta Falcons Monday. After what has taken place the last two games, such a move might elicit an "it's-about-time" cry from frustrated fans.

The Cleveland run defense has upchucked 440 yards the last two games, both losses, and there seemed to be no help in sight until General Manager Andrew Berry acquired Jones, a six-year pro who has averaged nearly 110 tackles a season and achieved Pro Bowl status in 2017.

Jones, 28 in a few weeks, was on injured reserve after off-season shoulder surgery when the trade was made. Because of his physical status, it is not known how -- or when -- he'll be be ready to play or where, for that matter, he will play.

He is an outside linebacker by trade, but the Browns have a cavernous hole at middle linebacker with Jacob Phillips, another outside backer, struggling in an effort to fill the shoes of Anthony Walker Jr., who is done for the season with a torn quad tendon.

Jones, on the small side at 6-1, 225 pounds, is fast and quick. He's not your prototypical inside backer who plays downhill and is strong enough to fill gaps and make tackles at or behind the the line of scrimmage. Once healthy enough to dress, it will be interesting to see where defensive coordinator Joe Woods plays him.

Berry now has to set his sights where he needs the most help -- defensive tackle. The line, even with Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney back, is ineffective. It has been exposed the last two weeks and you can bet other teams have noticed. 

It was a problem in training camp, too, along with the wide receivers room. Berry had to know that. The acquisition of Jones is a nothing more than a Band-Aid. Hint: Trading deadline is Nov. 1. 

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York seems to have the correct attitude to what has transpired thus far with just five games on his NFL résumé. He has experienced the highs -- the sensational 58-yard field goal that won the season opener -- and the lows -- missing his first two field goals after eight straight makes, including what would have been the game-winner.

"Gotta get over it," he said. "That's my first time missing twice in a game. It wasn't like I went out there and was just going, 'Oh, I missed one before.' I hit it hard. I hit it strong, I just missed it."

The one pitfall York needs to avoid is allowing misses -- he also missed two extra-point attempts to go with his latest misses -- to bother him. Putting past failures in the rearview mirror is generally the best antidote. Remember the good ones and learn from them; and forget the bad ones quickly.

Twenty-four hours of reflection and then it's on to the next game. He has been assured by his head coach and many of his teammates that the current events have not lessened their faith in him. 

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Finally . . . Having fun with stats: The Browns totaled 846 yards of offense the last two games . . . and lost both; they have lost games thus far by one, three and two points; they have scored 133 points and allowed 125; and they have accumulated 400 yards or more of offense in three games . . . and lost all three. . . . Jones becomes the sixth former Louisiana State player on the roster. Grant Delpit, Greedy Williams, Ethan Pocic, York and Phillips are the others. . . . Final word goes to cornerback Greg Newsome II, who sums up the season this way: "It's definitely frustrating. We know what talent we have in the building. We're just not showing it every play on Sunday."