CLEVELAND: They looked like the same old Browns at first, but quarterback Robert Griffin III and the rest of the starters got their acts together enough to show progress.
Although the Browns were far from perfect in a 24-13 loss to the Atlanta Falcons in the second preseason game Thursday night at FirstEnergy Stadium, their top units, especially the offense, made strides since a 17-11 loss in the exhibition opener Aug. 12 against the Green Bay Packers.
Coach Hue Jackson admitted the tune-up at Lambeau Field opened his eyes to the problems that need to be fixed before the Sept. 11 regular-season opener. His first-string players, though, fared better less than a week later in the preseason home opener.
Griffin and the No. 1 offense played five series and scored two touchdowns, both of which came against the Falcons’ starters.
“It gives [the offense] confidence,” Griffin said. “That’s what preseason’s about. New coach, new quarterback, new system, new mindset, and we’re trying to erase the tape and record a new message. So I think it gives everybody confidence that we know what we can go out and do when we’re clicking on all cylinders and we can run the ball, we can throw the ball and make plays happen.”
Griffin went 6-of-8 passing for 96 yards and two touchdowns without an interception after throwing one at the goal line against the Packers. He posted a passer rating of 154.2. He had three carries for 36 yards, including a long gain of 22. He took one sack, but the protection he received from the offensive line appeared to be a legitimate upgrade from last week.
The Browns didn’t commit a turnover. Jackson said he was most pleased with Griffin’s ability to rebound in that department.
“As a quarterback, you never want to throw interceptions,” Griffin said. “You don’t want to put your offense in those situations. So last week that happened, and it’s just reinforced. Since the offseason, since I first got here, coach has always been about protecting the football, protecting the football and we did a much better job of that overall today.”
The starting defense played four series — three against Falcons starting quarterback Matt Ryan — and allowed a touchdown.
After Griffin and Co. started the game with a three-and-out and cornerback Justin Gilbert whiffed near the line of scrimmage to give Falcons running back Devonta Freeman a clear path on a 19-yard touchdown run with 9:51 left in the first quarter, the Browns decided to look respectable.
On second-and-5 from midfield, Griffin launched a 50-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Terrelle Pryor that allowed the Browns to tie the score with 7:45 left in the first quarter. Pryor didn’t beat some scrub on his go route, either. He blew past Pro Bowl cornerback Desmond Trufant to make the play. Griffin and Pryor also connected for a 49-yard gain on a go route against the Packers.
The starting defense still has major problems against the run — the Falcons rushed for 78 yards on 16 carries (4.9 average) in the first half. Missed tackles are plaguing the defense.
“We’re seeing a common theme that people are starting to run the ball at us pretty good, and we need to get that shored up fast,” Jackson said. “We obviously have to cover better.”
However, the defense held its own against Ryan in his final two series. On third-and-6 from the Falcons’ 39, nickel cornerback Jamar Taylor broke up a pass from Ryan to wide receiver Mohamed Sanu, forcing a punt with 5:44 left in the first quarter.
The Falcons settled for a field goal on their next possession because wide receiver Nick Williams dropped a pass on third-and-4, but Williams missed the 48-yard attempt wide left with 14:52 left in the second quarter.
Then the offense led by Griffin marched to the Falcons’ 32, where running back Duke Johnson ran for 3 yards and a first down on fourth-and-2.
“It was very important [to give our offense a chance to convert a fourth down],” Jackson said. “I wanted to see our guys in tough situations as tough as they are, and that was one.”
On the next play, Griffin connected with tight end Gary Barnidge for a 29-yard touchdown on an out-and-up route, giving the Browns a 13-7 advantage with 12:33 left in the second quarter. Barnidge beat rookie safety Keanu Neal, a first-round draft pick, and made an over-the-shoulder catch with his arms outstretched as he fell beyond the goal line.
The first-team offense failed to produce any points against the Packers, so Griffin’s touchdown passes provided reasons to be encouraged.
Griffin’s runs of 14 and 22 yards preceded both of his touchdown passes. (His recovery of a bad snap counted as his third carry.)
Jackson appreciated how Griffin protected himself by sliding to finish the runs.
“He was smart,” Jackson said. “He is able to take care of his team. What I mean by that is get on the ground. You have to be out there playing, not standing next to me. I think he’s gotten that message, and he’s handled that right. There are certain times we’ll do certain things with him, but we’re going to let him play quarterback. I think this guy is growing, I think we see it and I think he’ll continue to get better.”
Griffin said he’s fully committed to sliding, which wasn’t always the case.
“It’s something that coach has emphasized to me,” Griffin said. “It’s something I’ve learned over my career, just with situations that I’ve been in. I can’t thank everybody who’s helped me get to that point where it was hammered in, and I’ve learned my lesson from my mistakes in the past.”
Despite Griffin’s stellar night, the Browns are a rebuilding team coming off a 3-13 season. In other words, their blemishes are still plentiful.
The offense can’t execute a screen to save its life. Griffin’s screen pass to Pryor was nearly intercepted during the opening drive. Later, back-to-back screens blew up on the Browns’ third possession and killed the series.
Center Cameron Erving has some serious trouble snapping out of the shotgun. The deficiency surfaced last week in a training camp practice, and it reared its ugly head when he launched the ball over Griffin at the beginning of the offense’s fifth series. The miscue was largely negated by a penalty because Falcons linebacker Sean Weatherspoon grabbed Griffin’s face mask after he recovered the fumble. But then Browns fullback Malcolm Johnson whiffed on a block during the next play, Griffin was sacked by defensive end Adrian Clayborn and the starting offense’s final drive went nowhere.
“It’s something we have to fix,” Jackson said of Erving’s bad snap. “That was disappointing to have the ball go over the quarterback’s head. That’s the first thing [Erving] said to me was, ‘Coach, I can’t do that.’ I think he gets it. He’s young at the position, and we’re going to keep working with him and get him better because I think he has the talent that we want. Obviously, the most important thing is he has got to snap the ball first, and he’ll get that.”
Added Griffin: “It’s just something that can’t happen, and [Erving] knows that, I know that, and we’ll continue to work.”
Incumbent kicker Travis Coons missed the extra-point kick wide right from 33 yards after the Browns’ second touchdown. Patrick Murray has been the better kicker throughout camp, and he made a 38-yard, extra-point kick (a false-start penalty pushed it back 5 yards) after the team’s first touchdown.
“Can’t miss a PAT, obviously,” Jackson said.
Still, the Browns have more reasons for optimism now than they did a week ago.