Monday leftovers

So why all the fumbling by the Browns to virtually hand the Denver Broncos an easy victory Sunday? That was the 11th game of the 2023 season for goodness sakes. You'd think that malady would have been fixed by now.

The main job of a head coach, in this case Kevin Stefanski, and playcaller, in this case Kevin Stefanski, is to make certain they put players in a position to make plays. That's what the head coach/playcaller says. 

It seems like most of the fumbles -- the Broncos recovered three of the five Sunday -- occur when Stefanski calls on players to make plays that are out of the ordinary. Like Jet sweeps, tight ends lining up under center in short-yardage situations, multi-layer plays that involve more than two players and one ball exchange.

Coaches on all levels constantly preach ball security. The Browns were well aware the Broncos were on a takeaway binge heading into the game and yet Stefanski did not put his men in a position to make plays with his weird selection of playcalls

He probably thought he had put them in position but failed to take into account the most important part is execution. Failure to execute these gadget plays often result in turnovers. Like tight Harrison Bryant botching a simple snap on fourth and an inch at midfield on the second possession of the game.

But he had done it successfully previously. A couple of times, in fact. Works in practice. So why not again? What can happen? Rhetorical questions.

Turns out that miscue was a sign. No harm, though. The defense came to the rescue (again), getting the ball back minutes later on a Russell Wilson fumble.  But it was a warning. Don't do it again. It foretold other miscues were queueing up to fail later on. Stefanski ignored it..

The capper arrived on the first play of the fourth quarter when a multiple-exchange end around involving quarterback P. J. Walker, wide receiver Elijah Moore and running back Pierre Strong Jr. saw the latter handle the football like it was a hot potato. 

The momentum that had been built -- the Browns still trailed by only five points at 17-12 at the time with a practically a whole quarter remaining -- evaporated when the Broncos recovered the ball and stretched the lead to 24-12 minutes later. 

It's almost as though Stefanski sabotaged his own game plan with a play that had no chance of being successful. 

His playcalling is hurting this team. Alex Van Pelt, the real offensive coordinator, will stay in his lane and won't say anything. Guessing General Manager Andrew Berry has broached the subject of turning over those duties over to Van Pelt. And yet, here we are.

One argument against ceding the offense to Van Pelt is the club's 7-4 record. Equalled last season's victory total with six games remaining. The other side of that argument is the record could be even better with smarter playcalling and a wiser, simpler approach.

Nothing like good old-fashioned sound, fundamental football. The KISS method rarely fails. Limit the other stuff because it's become apparent they can't handle it. 

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Better hope Dorian Thompson-Robinson clears concussion protocol before Sunday's game in Los Angeles against the Rams. If  the rookie doesn't, I wouldn't be surprised to see Joe Flacco make his Browns debut. I never want to see Walker take another snap for this team.

He is a walking disaster. The reason for signing him to the practice squad was just that. Prepare the defense by imitating the next team's quarterback in practice. He was pretty good at that. That was all. 

An unfortunate series of events and the casual way Berry approached the situation with regard to the most important position on the team led to Walker, whose best place on the roster is the practice squad, not stepping into a starting role.

First it was Deshaun Watson and his shoulder problems. Then it was DTR and his brutal NFL starting debut against Baltimore. Then it was Watson again, this time fore the season. Again it was Walker. It was a two-man room at the time. Flacco arrived too late to help

Walker has proved thus far -- he has been credited with a pair of victories -- to be the kind of quarterback you hold your breath and cross your fingers every time he drops back to throw. That's not the kind of football Browns fans deserve.

I don't care if Flacco is 38. Right now, he is the better quarterback, the more legitimate professional quarterback. His name alone garners respect among the players. 

It is incumbent on Stefanski and Van Pelt to get him up to speed. Commanding the huddle will be like riding a bike all over again for him. Caution: This isn't to suggest he is the answer and he'll be terrific. It's suggesting he is by far the best quarterback the Browns can put on the field Sunday. He won't embarrass himself or his new team. 

And if DTR should clear protocol, Flacco should be QB2 in the event he falters. The Browns have reached the point of the season where every game is golden and nothing can be left to chance. The Browns won three of their four November games. 

Having Flacco around is a plus. He's played and won many big games for the Baltimore Ravens in November and December, the two most critical months on the schedule. His experience in games like these is invaluable.

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In crafting the game plan for the Broncos, Stefanski had to notice only one team in the league was worse against the run. Then again, maybe I'm giving him too much credit for noticing this because the Browns came out throwing in the first half.

Eight of the first 11 plays (three possessions) were passes. It was as though the excellent Cleveland ground game was an afterthought. That's what I mean about being smart because that surely wasn't. It wasn't until the run game entered the picture midway through the second quarter that the early offensive malaise slowly disappeared.

Consecutive red-zone visits produced a pair of Dustin Hopkins field goals after drives stalled. If there's  one aspect of the offense that needs work, it's scoring  touchdowns rather than settling for field goals. The Browns rank right in the middle of the league in that category.

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Finally . . . Nice to see Cedric Tillman is no longer a mystery man. He's finally getting a chance after spending most of the season as a special teamer. When Donovan Peoples-Jones was traded to Detroit, the big rookie wide receiver's snap count jumped significantly. He showed up big time against the Broncos with four receptions (five targets) for 55 yards, including grabs of 17 and 23 yards plus a couple of crushing blocks. He's blessed with strong hands. . . . The reason Amari Cooper is nursing sore ribs? Walker led him right into Denver safety T. J. Locke with a slant pass across the middle midway through the final quarter. Locke strip-sacked Walker on the next play.. It led to a Will Lutz field goal.