Colt continues to impress

[OconRecon]

Another solid performance by McCoy. There are plenty of excuses available for a slow start. There's the lock-out, new coach, new offense, #1WR from last year still not playing, #1 & #2 RB's out last night, etc, etc.

But instead of a slow start, he's looking like the man. Last night, against what many say is the #1 D-line in football, he showed toughness, leadership, and threw for 3 TD's and no INT's.

Keep it up Colt, we're behind you.

NFL Stats: by Player Category

http://www.cleveland.com/pluto/blog/..._only_add.html

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- OK, I'll just say it.
After two preseason games, it appears the Browns have the right combination of a coach, an offense and a quarterback.

This is not to turn Pat Shurmur into another Paul Brown or Colt McCoy into the next Bernie Kosar. But Shurmur's West Coast offense fitted to McCoy's accurate passing and fast-thinking were on display in the first half of the Browns' preseason game with Detroit.

Look at that pass into the corner of the end zone, caught by Evan Moore for a 21-yard touchdown. And that deep throw to Joshua Cribbs that led to a pass interference penalty -- McCoy making sure it could only be caught by Cribbs.

That quick toss to Moore for a 2-yard touchdown. And that soft touch of a pass to rookie Greg Little for a 13-yard touchdown.

McCoy put up 21 points on the scoreboard, playing all but the final series of the second quarter. He was 10-of-18 passing for 96 yards. Compared to last week's opener against a Green Bay defense that was so passive and bland that McCoy seemingly had six weeks to throw -- this was a much tougher assignment.

The second-year quarterback impressed because he had no Peyton Hillis (hamstring injury) in the backfield. Last year's leading receiver -- tight end Ben Watson -- also didn't play. The Lions also pressured McCoy, knocking him down five times in the first half after throwing a pass.

But coming off his 9-of-10 performance in last week's preseason opener, McCoy had another impressive night throwing the ball. He rarely seemed confused about who is the best target. When no one was open, he threw it away. He had two passes dropped, and there was no real running game while he was on the field.
Without Hillis (Montario Hardesty also was held out), Detroit paid no attention to any play fakes to Brandon Jackson. The free-agent acquisition from Green Bay had only 19 yards in eight carries. To be fair to Jackson, the offensive line had some rough moments, and Jackson's best attributes are blocking and pass-catching.

It will be critical for the Browns to work on their running game next week in Philadelphia, especially if Hillis and Hardesty play. No matter how effective the passing game, you still must run the ball with authority in the cold weather of the AFC North.

Meanwhile, the Browns looked rather sloppy in other areas. They were flagged for seven penalties in the first half. The offense had an illegal formation on the Lions' 8. Moore jumped offside on the Lions' 3. Rookie Buster Skrine was flagged twice for being offside.

When it comes to the defense, it's hard to evaluate. They had four starters missing -- two linebackers, two safeties. Jabaal Sheard stood out by forcing and recovering a fumble and with some significant pass rushes. But the defense still seems to lack some needed speed. D'Qwell Jackson did have some very good plays at middle linebacker.

Despite the penalties and some other mistakes, the Browns still seem ahead of where you'd imagine at this point -- especially on offense as McCoy continues to deliver the ball to the right receivers at the right time.

[Flugel]

Originally Posted by OconRecon

Another solid performance by McCoy. There are plenty of excuses available for a slow start. There's the lock-out, new coach, new offense, #1WR from last year still not playing, #1 & #2 RB's out last night, etc, etc.

But instead of a slow start, he's looking like the man. Last night, against what many say is the #1 D-line in football, he showed toughness, leadership, and threw for 3 TD's and no INT's.

Keep it up Colt, we're behind you.

NFL Stats: by Player Category

Second preseason test only adds to optimism for Cleveland Browns' new attack: Terry Pluto | cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- OK, I'll just say it.
After two preseason games, it appears the Browns have the right combination of a coach, an offense and a quarterback.

This is not to turn Pat Shurmur into another Paul Brown or Colt McCoy into the next Bernie Kosar. But Shurmur's West Coast offense fitted to McCoy's accurate passing and fast-thinking were on display in the first half of the Browns' preseason game with Detroit.

Look at that pass into the corner of the end zone, caught by Evan Moore for a 21-yard touchdown. And that deep throw to Joshua Cribbs that led to a pass interference penalty -- McCoy making sure it could only be caught by Cribbs.

That quick toss to Moore for a 2-yard touchdown. And that soft touch of a pass to rookie Greg Little for a 13-yard touchdown.

McCoy put up 21 points on the scoreboard, playing all but the final series of the second quarter. He was 10-of-18 passing for 96 yards. Compared to last week's opener against a Green Bay defense that was so passive and bland that McCoy seemingly had six weeks to throw -- this was a much tougher assignment.

The second-year quarterback impressed because he had no Peyton Hillis (hamstring injury) in the backfield. Last year's leading receiver -- tight end Ben Watson -- also didn't play. The Lions also pressured McCoy, knocking him down five times in the first half after throwing a pass.

But coming off his 9-of-10 performance in last week's preseason opener, McCoy had another impressive night throwing the ball. He rarely seemed confused about who is the best target. When no one was open, he threw it away. He had two passes dropped, and there was no real running game while he was on the field.
Without Hillis (Montario Hardesty also was held out), Detroit paid no attention to any play fakes to Brandon Jackson. The free-agent acquisition from Green Bay had only 19 yards in eight carries. To be fair to Jackson, the offensive line had some rough moments, and Jackson's best attributes are blocking and pass-catching.

It will be critical for the Browns to work on their running game next week in Philadelphia, especially if Hillis and Hardesty play. No matter how effective the passing game, you still must run the ball with authority in the cold weather of the AFC North.

Meanwhile, the Browns looked rather sloppy in other areas. They were flagged for seven penalties in the first half. The offense had an illegal formation on the Lions' 8. Moore jumped offside on the Lions' 3. Rookie Buster Skrine was flagged twice for being offside.

When it comes to the defense, it's hard to evaluate. They had four starters missing -- two linebackers, two safeties. Jabaal Sheard stood out by forcing and recovering a fumble and with some significant pass rushes. But the defense still seems to lack some needed speed. D'Qwell Jackson did have some very good plays at middle linebacker.

Despite the penalties and some other mistakes, the Browns still seem ahead of where you'd imagine at this point -- especially on offense as McCoy continues to deliver the ball to the right receivers at the right time.

Precisely put & thanks for sharing the article Ocon!

There were some disappointing drops early. However, unlike when we had Dilfer or DA starting here - we had a QB that believed in himself enough to overcome that stuff. And even better, the teammates are the first people to witness and experience such a leadership quality. As we've seen the hard way, you can't go plastic faking competant leadership. It's either there or it isn't. The teams with the RIGHT QBs say "so what" when an important pass is dropped because they know they got a guy that will get the ball there again and again and again. Of course it will be up to the coaching staff to have the right guys on the field and to have their fundamentals polished to minimize those drops.

[BernietheKid]

McCoy Growing In Offense
		By Fred Greetham OBR Senior Reporter Posted Aug 20, 2011 QB Colt McCoy continues to play well in the Browns new offensive scheme. Just as McCoy has flourished, TE Evan Moore has developed into a prime-time option for the Browns. 3 Comments
CLEVELAND—When you sort through all the mess in the 30-28 loss to the Lions in the Great Lakes Classic, there were some bright spots to take from the game. After all, the two teams combined for 26 penalties and 211 yards. Colt McCoy showed that he is continuing to grow into Pat Shurmur’s West Coast offense. McCoy went 9-of-10 for 135 yards, a touchdown and a 152.1 rating against the Packers. Against the Lions, he was 10-of-18 for 96 yards and a 110.2 rating, but he threw three touchdowns to give him four in two games. McCoy’s first two passes of the game were dropped. The offense played without four players who are projected to be starters in Peyton Hillis, Ben Watson, Eric Steinbach and Mohamed Massaquoi. McCoy is 19-of-28 for 231 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. The most impressive stat is turning opportunities into scores. The Browns turned a turnover created by Jabaal Sheard at the Lions’ 34 into a touchdown when McCoy hit Evan Moore for a touchdown on the short field. In the second quarter, after a short punt and a return by Jordan Norwood to the Lions’ 21, McCoy hit Moore again on the first play for a 21-yard score. “He did a good job,” Pat Shurmur said. “He executed like you’d expect the quarterback to execute. He’d tell you he has a few throws he’d like to do better. “We got a couple of short fields and when that’s the case you have to punch them in,” he said. “We did a good job there.” McCoy’s third touchdown pass of the half was to rookie Greg Little after an impressive 83 yard, 10 play drive. One of the concerns is the injury to Moore, who left with a head injury. Moore missed time last season with a concussion. “He can really run and catch the football,” Shurmur said. “He’s improved as a blocker, but his real value is as a pass catcher.” Shurmur said he is being evaluated and just used the term ‘dinged’ in describing his injury. Scout.com: McCoy Growing In Offense

[DawgFan]

McCoy is looking the part all right, and with Ben Watson and MoMass still not even on the field, he is missing two of his top weapons. Add in the fact the Marecic is still getting his legs under him and dropping passes, and last night was without Hillis as well....I have a big bottle of koolaid sitting here and am about to start swigging!!!

[Brown Warrior]

Me, too, Dawg. We needed some guys to separate from the group (double entendre not originally intended) and it's looking a little more like Little and Moore every day. Har.

Watson's job is safe. Cribbs has teased that he might "get it" in this offense. Even without a catch last night, Norwood added to his resume with a nice return and he looks set. Massoquoi returns to practice tomorrow. The pieces are coming together.

Grossi made the point that the team could still use some speed at WR. If a personnel switch happens, look for a burner (like Avery) who can gradually work his way into the rotation.

But the most important sentence of all, the one that proves Pluto gets it, is about the fit between coach, system, and QB. That's what this whole crazy league is about. Whatever's second is a ways down.

[Flugel]

Originally Posted by Brown Warrior

Me, too, Dawg. We needed some guys to separate from the group (double entendre not originally intended) and it's looking a little more like Little and Moore every day. Har.

Watson's job is safe. Cribbs has teased that he might "get it" in this offense. Even without a catch last night, Norwood added to his resume with a nice return and he looks set. Massoquoi returns to practice tomorrow. The pieces are coming together.
.

Cribbs was HUGE yesterday. He set up the first TD with his reception ending as 1st and goal from the 3 yard line. Then he had 2 steps on some corner that drew another first and goal. BTW, did anyone seen the Cribbs decleat that defender with a totally legal block where he got his head and shoulders in front of the guy he went crackback on? Watch it again tomorrow mornign on the NFL channel. This guy is a TOTAL football player that is FINALLY getting fulltime preparation to play WR without multitasking it with punt gcoverage unner, kickoff coverage, direct snaps, etc. I'll guarantee Holmgren said something along this line: "hey, this guy didn't play WR in college so if we want him to be good at something - he's got 5 other tasks showing me he's terrific at EVERYTHING he's been best/well trained for. I paid him now you train him." Remember the 1st time he tried to field a punt? It was a disaster that led to many people sayign we couldn't replace Northcutt as a punt return guy. A little training toward the right guy and we UPGRADED Northcutt as fate would have it. If we held him to the first eye ball test we would have never confirmed we had to get this guy the ball in open fields as a punt rteurner too and it would have ben a HUGE shame on us.

I'm glad we're not playing Evan Moore at TE when he's so helpful lining up where a slotback/or wingback often lines up 1 yard over and 1 yard back from the hip of TE. I believe he scored from that position. He's also lined up outside on occasion in the same 2 point stance Harbaugh had him in at Stanford as a WR. This guy isn't hear to block defensive ends or set the edge; but I do think he will block corners and Safeties when/if we need him to if someone else catches the football.

It's really beginning to look alot like Heckert and Holmgen knew what they were doing in thinking there's guys ready to emerge without throwing a monkey wrench into it all and bringing in some guy for more money at less upside than a person like Evan Moore, Josh Cribbs or Little has in store for us. I'm also one that's remained excited about what a better environment can do for MoMass. There's some feeling like this can be the case for Robiskie too - he showed promise at the close of 2010 so let's see where it goes.

BTW, Jordan Norwood was in Philly on the practice squad when Heckert was there so his background bears a strong resemblence to that of Danny Amendola who also wopre blue jeans to games in Philly while he got paid to practice with them. THIS is where we get into the grey area of WRs showign up as delayed GOOD investments at the NFL version of Walmart prices.

TODAY on paper don't these names look a whole lot more intriguing than they did a few months ago: Josh Cribbs, Evan Moore, Jordan Norwood, Brian Robiskie, MoMass and Greg Little.

Then there's a guy like Castille who either lands on the practice squad or he makes one of the names above a surprise cut. This might not be fair just yet but I haven't seen or heard Haggerty is generating the same type of excitement he brought last year. The GOOD news there is it could be because our unit is looking a whole lot better in comparision.

Alex Smith and Ben Watson give us a nice 1-2 punch at TE while Cameron is a project the brass seems happy about at this time.

[Vegasdogg]

Originally Posted by Brown Warrior

Cribbs has teased that he might "get it" in this offense

Dude come on! The most productive WR we have seen so far this preseason is probably Cribbs. He is either catching 1st downs, TD's, drawing interference penalties, or drawing coverage as was the case in Little TD last night.

Tease my ass. He is the most productive WR out there. Shit mofo.

[Brown Warrior]

He's doing great, Veg. I'm really encouraged. I do think Little, Cribbs, Norwood, and eventually Massoquoi are going to be the four primary WRs... and then there's the wild card, Evan Moore, who probably ends up our #1 receiver if he stays healthy.

We may do nothing... but if we add something, it'll be speed. Like Avery.

[Dan in Florida]

Originally Posted by Brown Warrior

We may do nothing... but if we add something, it'll be speed. Like Avery.

Pardon my ignorance, how would we acquire an Avery? I know nothing of this. Thanks.

[Brown Warrior]

He may be one of the odd men out in a very crowded WR competition in St. Louis: Alexander, Sims-Walker, Amendola, Gibson, Pettis, Salas, Gilyard, and Avery are competing for 5 or 6 spots... and the first five seem like locks.

Avery is coming off an injury and would be on that lock list otherwise. He probably would've been their #1 WR last year. Not saying we will pick him up, but he knows Shurmur's offense and he brings speed we lack at WR outside of Mitchell, who feels like anything but a sure thing.

I could see Little, Cribbs, Norwood, Massoquoi, and Avery. Only five because of Moore being a hybrid.

[Brown Warrior]

By the way, Greg Gosell (LOVE that guy) tweeted some really nice stuff about Colt. Said he watched the film and there's just a ton to like about how he sees the field, gets through his progressions, looks off safeties... and he said he has a quick, compact release and great accuracy.

[Dan in Florida]

Thanks Shep