Jackson to be more involved in Browns offense
The season is starting to slip away from the Cleveland Browns, but head coach Hue Jackson believes he has the solution to make sure he doesn’t lose total control of the situation.
Jackson plans to get more involved in the offense, starting with the game Sunday in Pittsburgh against the Steelers. The Browns opened the season with a 21-21 tie at home against the Steelers in a game that foreshadowed what was to come.
The Browns are 2-4-1. They have already played four overtime games, in which they have gone 1-2-1. One of the reasons they have already played more than four quarters four times – the record is five overtime games set by the 1983 Packers – is the Browns are slow starters. That is what Jackson wants to change.
The Browns have been outscored, 23-8, in the first quarter and 55-32 in the second. They earned their first-quarter points on two field goals plus a safety and are the only team in the NFL without a first-quarter touchdown.
It would be ironic for Jackson to reduce the role of offensive coordinator Todd Haley during Pittsburgh week. Haley was the offensive coordinator for the Steelers for six years. His contract was not renewed in 2018, so he defected to the Browns.
“We all have things that maybe we don’t see as well,” Jackson said. “We all have things we may not be privy to because we’re not looking just at that. Everybody sometimes has their own blind spots.
“I’m not saying that Todd does, but I’m sure that another good set of eyes on certain things might help. I’ve always felt that way. I still think that two heads are better than one in certain situations. Obviously, somebody has to lead it and that’s Todd’s job, but at the same time, if I see something where I can help and help us be a little bit better, I think that’s my job, as well.”
The 21-21 tie with the Steelers in the opener not only foreshadowed a rash of overtime games to come, it also foreshadowed how the Browns would struggle to score points. The defense took the ball away from the Steelers six times, but converted only one of them into points, and that was on a short run by Carlos Hyde after Jabrill Peppers returned a fumble to the Pittsburgh 1.
Rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield will be making his fifth start for the Browns, but it will be his first against the Steelers. Left guard Joel Bitonio has a warning for Mayfield about the Pittsburgh defense.
“They do a lot,” Bitonio said. “They send a lot of blitzes. They run that 3-4 defense, that 4-2 nickel. They do a good job. They change looks.
“They have guys that can cover in the back end. They’re one of the fastest teams to get pressure. We have to protect, get the ball out and hopefully run the ball.”
Browns quarterback Tyrod Taylor was sacked seven times in the opener with four of them by linebacker T.J. Watt.
The Steelers, despite a modest record of 3-2-1, are first in the AFC North. This is a must game for the Browns if they are to get back in the division race.
SERIES HISTORY: 132nd regular season meeting. Steelers lead series, 72-58-1. The Browns-Steelers series dates back to 1950, yet the rivals never played a tie game until the 2018 opener. That game wouldn’t have ended in a tie, either, but a 43-yard field-goal attempt by Browns kicker Zane Gonzalez (since waived) was blocked with 13 seconds left in overtime.
