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Friday, September 24
War Room: Browns at Ravens


Browns offense vs. Ravens defense
BROWNS OFFENSE
Ranking in the NFL:
Run 30
Pass 30
Tot. Yds. 30
Scoring 30
Int's allowed 14
Sacks allowed 4
   
RAVENS DEFENSE
Ranking in the NFL:
vs. Run 15
vs. Pass 16
Total yds. allowed 12
Ints. 16
Sacks 14
Turnover differential -3
It is hard to pinpoint a specific person or scheme that is holding this team back from running the football, but the truth is that the Cleveland Browns have the league's worst rushing attack, and probably will for the duration of the season. Do not be fooled by the 80-net yards rushing on Sunday, because 40 of those yards came when QB Tim Couch was running for his life.

One of the biggest problems the Browns face when running the football is that teams are going to come after the rookie quarterback and force him to make his reads and deliver the ball under pressure. This means that teams usually have an extra man close to the line of scrimmage that is headed upfield in pursuit. When the defense recognizes the play as a run, it's at that point that the defense has the numbers and the offensive line is undermanned. What many offensive coordinators do in these kinds of situations is run draw or screen plays to counter the upfield pursuit and catch the defense out of position.

Head coach Chris Palmer has tried these tactical schemes, but the problem is that he does not have the personnel to pull it off. Both Sedrick Shaw and Terry Kirby are considered in the league to be specialist type backs who ordinarily would contribute on short-yardage or relief situations. Neither back is very explosive nor do they pose much of a threat to opposing defenses.

Baltimore will have the advantage of being able to employ any scheme it chooses vs. the Browns and should be able to dictate the tempo of the game. The Ravens linebackers will come after Couch and force him to make split second decisions and put the ball on his receivers who will be matched up in a lot of man-to-man coverage. The Ravens are confident in DT's Tony Siragusa and Larry Webster to clog the middle, which allows MLB Ray Lewis to play more of a roaming style as made evident in last week's 13-tackle performance.

Defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis will bring Lewis on some first and second down run-blitz packages to not only cause disruption in the run game, but to also set a tone for Couch and possibly put Lewis in the backfield when Couch sets up in the pocket.

Couch showed a good understanding of the offense in last week's game versus the Titans, but the problem here is that there is not enough of a supporting cast to warrant the start of the team's "franchise quarterback." Cleveland is having all sorts of trouble on its offensive line, picking up the blitz and getting its stunt assignments down. The receiving corps is still not on the same page as the quarterback, which makes Couch look erratic. No matter how you look at it, this is a losing situation in Cleveland.

To draw on one positive, it's important to note that Couch and his receivers will have time to gain this valuable experience while learning the system together. As for Sunday's game, it will be much of the same offensively: lots of pressure, little room to run and defensive backs taking chances to make the big play.

Ravens offense vs. Browns defense
RAVENS OFFENSE
Ranking in the NFL:
Run 19
Pass 25
Tot. Yds. 25
Scoring 27
Int's allowed 4
Sacks allowed 7
   
BROWNS DEFENSE
Ranking in the NFL:
vs. Run 29
vs. Pass 26
Total yds. allowed 29
Ints. 28
Sacks 30
Turnover differential -6
The Ravens are getting production from their run game, just not from where they expected. Errict Rhett is a tough back who last week showed some of the cut-back flair and leg strength that gained him more than 1,100 yards two seasons in a row four years ago.

The projected premier back, Priest Holmes, is battling some nicks and has yet to show any ability to carry the load. Baltimore will attack the Browns from all different angles on the ground and try to wear down the depthless defense with the powerful running styles of Rhett and FB Charles Evans.

Evans has yet to contribute as much as originally projected, but with Stoney Case taking snaps in his first start, expect coach Brian Billick to make sure that Evans is a bigger part of the offense. Evans will take pressure off of Case by not only carrying the ball with greater frequency, but also as an outlet in the passing game. The bruising back has established himself as a reliable receiver and a tough guy to bring down in the open field.

Cleveland's defensive front four showed a great deal of progress as a unit Sunday, holding Tennessee's offense to just 102 yards rushing and Eddie George to less than 100 yards. Rookie MLB Wali Ranier emerged as a playmaker with 11 tackles. The Browns have two tough defensive tackles that clog up the middle and do a good job of protecting Rainer. The group did a fine job of stuffing the middle and forcing plays to the outside, where OLB's Jamir Miller and John Thierry are considered the strength of this defense.

The problem Cleveland has is its depth at defensive tackle. Jerry Ball and John Jurkovic can only play so many downs until they wear down. This is when teams really attack this defense and pick up the bulk of its production.

Case can expect to see pressure on Sunday, and the challenge will be to make the correct blitz recognition early to back the Browns off. The onus on offense will rest on the Ravens receivers to recognize the blitz and get open underneath for Case to get rid of the ball. Cleveland, on paper, has some pass rush threats at defensive end and at outside linebacker, but thus far the team has done little to pressure opposing quarterbacks.

The Browns gameplan heading into the Raven contest will be to come after Case with a blitz package that will include defensive backs coming off the edges. The Ravens receivers are a marginal group that needs to take advantage of some man-to-man matchups with CB's Daylon McCutcheon and Corey Fuller.

Special teams
NFL RANK
Category CLE BAL
Punt return avg. 28 9
Kickoff return avg. 26 3
Opp. punt return avg. 14 19
Opp. kickoff ret. avg. 26 14
Time of possession 30 29
Ravens PK Matt Stover was 2-for-2 on FGs, adding to his perfect season. P Kyle Richardson had a bit of a letdown last week, averaging just 40.8-yards per punt, but dropped one inside the twenty that brought down his average. The units did a real nice job of springing Corey Harris on kickoff returns, but then gave up big plays to Pittsburgh on kickoffs. Changes need to be made on the coverage units, or else there needs to be a new coverage scheme implemented, because the unit is over-pursuing and not making plays downfield.

P Chris Gardocki was one of the lone bright spots for the Browns, averaging 47.6-yards per punt and keeping the Browns out of their own end all afternoon. The trouble is that Cleveland's coverage units were horrific, missing too many tackles and giving up too many yards. PK Phil Dawson scored the first points for the new Browns franchise with a 41-yard FG.

Key matchups

  • Baltimore OTs Jonathan Ogden and Harry Swayne vs. Cleveland DEs Derrick Alexander and Roy Barker.
    Cleveland has had little to no pressure on opposing quarterbacks, but expect to see more production out of Alexander and Barker, who combined for 20 sacks a season ago. The job doesn't get any easier, as the rush-ends line up opposite one of the top OT tandems in the league. The reason this matchup is so crucial is because QB Stoney Case gets his first start for the Ravens, and the Browns know the only chance they have of staying in this game is to pressure Case into mistakes.

  • Cleveland QB Tim Couch vs. Baltimore safeties Rod Woodson and Kim Herring.
    Expect the Ravens' secondary to throw all sorts of formations and secondary reads at the rookie quarterback. With little protection from the offensive line, Couch cannot afford to be confused by coverage.

  • Cleveland FB Marc Edwards vs. Baltimore MLB Ray Lewis.
    Lewis has been a big-time playmaker in the first two weeks of the season, highlighted by his 13 tackles last week vs. the Steelers. The Browns have had little success running the ball, and if the team would like to change those fortunes, Edwards is going to have to make a lot of isolation blocks on Lewis, forcing the MLB out of the play.

    Cleveland will win if...

  • The offensive line and backfield can do a better job of picking up the blitz to give QB Couch some time to make his reads. Couch has some weapons in his receiving corps and showed some flashes on Sunday when he had time in the pocket to check off to his secondary read, or allow his receivers to come out of their routes.

  • If it can present some threat of a running game to give the defense some time on the sideline. Last week against Tennessee, the Browns had just 18:40 minutes of possession to the Titans' 41:20.

  • The Browns can get some production out of DEs Roy Barker and Derrick Alexander. The Browns have a chance to disrupt the Ravens offense by pressuring inexperienced QB Case and forcing him to make mistakes with the ball.

    Baltimore will win if...

  • The Ravens can stick with the hot hand and keep running Errict Rhett. Rhett is a powerful back who looks like he's regained some of his form of four seasons ago when he used to wear down defenses. Also, a steady run game will take some pressure off of Case and allow him time to settle into the position.

  • Defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis mixes up the blitz package and comes after Couch. He is a talented quarterback who can make most of the throws, but at this point in his career, especially with the marginal talent around him, the rookie will make mistakes.

  • The offense can establish some identity with newcomer Case under center. It's obvious that Scott Mitchell is not the man to lead this unit, and head coach Brian Billick has expressed his disdain for ex-Ram Tony Banks, so the offense will have to rally around Case and find a way to be productive with a quarterback who has very limited experience as an NFL starter.

    The War Room edge
    After making the necessary decision to bench Mitchell and go with Case, Sunday's home game against the Browns is a critical one for Brian Billick's Ravens. After a 0-2 start, marred by offensive miscues and defensive misfortune, the Ravens welcome the league's newest franchise into Baltimore and will look to take advantage of rookie QB Couch. This is an excellent opportunity for the Ravens to get on track and give Case a chance to settle in as the starting quarterback.

    The Browns have had little success on either side of the ball, and Sunday's matchup will probably produce much of the same for this ailing first year squad.

    The War RoomMaterial from The War Room.
    Visit their web site at http://www.nflwarroom.com


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