Monday leftovers

Yes, the Miami Dolphins took the Browns to the shed  Sunday and wailed the daylights out of them. It wasn't so much the loss that bothered me. I kind of expected it.

What concerned me more was the way they lost. It was as though the Browns, most notably the defense, played almost submissively. There was absolutely no pushback with regard to the shellacking they were absorbing.

There was little or no push from the edge of the defensive line. Dolphins tackles took Cleveland's Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney wide when Tua Tagovailoa dropped back to throw and rendered them useless. Only two quarterback hits; neither by Garrett or Clowney. The result was a clean pocket most of the afternoon.

The interior of the Miami offensive line made the interior of the Browns' defensive line look almost as though they were never there. The ease with which they were moved allowed running backs Jeff Wilson Jr. and Raheem Mostert to run through cavernous holes for chunk yardage.

To say the Dolphins toyed with the Browns all afternoon on both sides of the football would be a gross understatement. Dominated might not even be strong enough. This was game nine, for goodness sakes, during a season the Cleveland run defense had reached maligned status and yet regurgitated a game like this.

Head coach/playcaller/wannabe offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski pronounced himself "really, really disappointed" with the outcome. He could have added at least a couple of more reallys and not be incorrect.

There was no excuse whatsoever for the kind of performance his men delivered Sunday. For the kind of effort they gave, they might as well have spent every day of the bye-week break doing anything other than preparing for the game.

That all falls on Stefanski's shoulders. I didn't hear one "this one's on me" either after the game or in his news conference Monday. At 3-6, he's smart enough to know better than that. He might have to retire that until next season.

He spoke Sunday about what his club didn't accomplish. "We didn't slow down their offense . . . We didn't play complementary football .. . . We lost the turnover margin." Okay. So? Back to the drawing board? Got the answers, I think, Monday

"We just didn't stop the run," he repeated at his news conference. "There's never one simple answer to stopping the run. It takes 11 guys, it takes gap integrity, it takes getting off blocks, those types of things."

All of which the front seven failed at.

"We've got to look at the game plan we gave the guys in order to stop the run and ask ourselves (presumably the coaching staff) if there are things we can do better." At the risk of being repetitious, the Browns are 3-6, Why is this still happening?

"Every coach, myself included, we all need to come up with a better game plan," Stefanski said. "We all need to be better." Ya think?

"I know that locker room," he declared. "I know the leadership we have." Names please. "I know they're disappointed, but we've got to control what we control right now, which is own this one (the latest loss), learn from it, move on and then find a way next week." That word salad is nothing more than coachspeak.

Next week, by the way, is a date in Buffalo with the spitting-mad Bills, who have dropped two in a row after starting the season 6-1. Can you say 3-7?

***

The Cleveland offensive line might have played its worst game of the season. They had all kinds of problems handling the Miami pass rush, Quarterback Jacoby Brissett dropped back 40 times, but had to scramble on five occasions and became the second-leading runner for the day with 40 yards.

They were never able to establish a rhythm that would enable them to open holes for Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. Tackles Jedrick Wills II and Jack Conklin had trouble with speed rushers like Bradley Chubb and Jaelen Phillips, while guards Joel Bitonio and Hjalte Froholdt have had better days.

Froholdt took over at right guard for Wyatt Teller, who started but lasted just 11 plays before his injured calf muscle, which sidelined him for several weeks, began acting up again. This could be one of those lingering ailments that takes more time to heal completely.

Center Ethan Pocic, who took over when starter Nick Harris was placed on season-ending injured reserve in training camp, was the lone lineman to escape any egregious errors. He has clearly been the biggest surprise on either side of the ball this season.

***

Last time I looked, Amari Cooper was the Browns'  No. 1 receiver. Why then, is he not being treated like one? Sure, he leads the team this season in targets with 69 and yards with 585. That's barely more than seven a game.  Translated: Not nearly enough for one of the NFL's top wide receivers.

The man has three 100-yard games this season. Why is he being starved out of producing more? He has been targeted only 14 times in the last three games, catching 11. He was perfect on three targets for only 32 yards against Miami. He is one of the best route runners in the league and his quarterback has trouble finding him. 

Nevertheless, Cooper is optimistic about what the immediate future holds for the club. "I believe we've got guys in this locker room to turn things around," he said. "Everybody has greatness in them, but greatness is put on display. Some people don't put it on display even though it's in them. This team has to find a way to put it on display. It's in us. We've just got to find a way."

***

Finally . . . It's probably a little early to suggest this, but Jerome Ford might provide the solution to the Browns' kick return problems based on his performance against the Dolphins, The rookie running back brought three kicks back for 95 yards, including a 48-yarder on the game's opening kick that created 

a short field for the offense to score the game's first touchdown, , , , The Browns have scored a touchdown on their first possession of the game four times this season. And lost all four games. . . . If you're keeping score on Stefanski's record as a head coach, he is 22-20 overall after an 11-5 start in 2020. He is 11-15 since then and 4-9 in his last 13.