PFF gave some love to our Guards this week

[Jax Dawg]

If you've never been to the site - ProFootballFocus - they have a complicated scoring process that grades all players in every game. This week they gave a positive grade to LG Pinkston saying:

"Unlike his counterpart on the Jaguars, left guard Jason Pinkston (+1.4) actually does seem to have turned a bit of a corner. Pinkston had a negative grade in every game until last week but, on Sunday, posted his second consecutive solid performance. He pulled left to cut block Paul Posluszny on Ogbonnaya’s touchdown run and only gave up one pressure in pass protection – a season low. It’s good to see the Browns start to get some positive returns having persevered with the rookie even though he was struggling."

On RG Lauvao that had even better praise naming him one of the two best Guards of the week in the NFL.

Guards: Evan Mathis, PHI (+2.6) and Shawn Lauvao, CLV (+3.4)
No left guard really stood out with their run blocking this week so the perfect game in pass protection just about pushed Mathis into this team ahead of T.J. Lang. Lauvao gave up a sack and a penalty but had his best game as a pro by some distance as he got the best of Tyson Alualu.

I'm sure these guys' improved play has had a lot to do with the improved running game we've seen the last couple of games. Now the real tests begin - Let's hope they can keep it up through the brutal part of the schedule and finish the season strong. We have enough holes to fill this offseason, it would be nice if Guard wasn't one of them.

[Jax Dawg]

The full stories if anyone is interested

http://www.profootballfocus.com/blog...-team-week-11/

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blo...rowns-week-11/

[Sez.EJ]

I takes some time for an OL to jell. Seems this also comfirms how poorly they had been playing previously. I am glad the light my finally be going on. If they continue like this, it bodes well for the future. Tougher tests coming up, so we will see. I'm not ready to crown them after one good game.

[jnuh]

It would be sweet if these 2 could keep it up. The O-line has been brutal so far this season, or atleast pretty close to brutal. We did however have a rookie and second round pick from a yr ago with little playing time starting. So to expect them to play well out of the gate might have been too much, but maybe they have "turned a corner" and have started to settle into there spots.

Also if these guys do pan out they make Heckert drafts look that much better.

[Brown Warrior]

The line has been damn good for two weeks in a row... and I think McCoy even gets some of the credit (Joe Thomas agrees). He's getting the ball out and attacking blitzes, so they've slowed down. It's symbiotic, along with the improved play by the young guards and Pashos staying in the lineup.

We'll have a good kind of problem with Steinbach's return and a relatively high pick at RT (maybe round 3... but possibly even 2).

[DawgFan]

I agree the OL is doing better, and that Colt is as well, but I have noticed something that may be the reason for both..

The play calling has been for 3 and 5 step drops far more than the 7 step drops we were trying to run earlier in the year. It has allowed Colt to set and fire the ball sooner, which in turn means the OL knows they don't have to hold for 3-4 seconds like before.

It also means that teams are not having the ability to wait and see where the pass is coming from. It is a quick hit offensive scheme that allows the young Browns offense to do simple things instead of worrying about how to maintain a pocket...and allows for less complicated route running for our young WR corp.

Overall, this adjustment seems to me the first sign that our coaches are more than a 1 trick pony.

[TheBestPlayersPlay]

Originally Posted by DawgFan

Overall, this adjustment seems to me the first sign that our coaches are more than a 1 trick pony.

Hopefully the first sign of many! It's somewhat astonishing it took them this long to make such a simple, obvious tweak. Been seeing more shotgun as well, something that was virtually non-existent the first half of the season.

[golfer704u]

Agree with both Dawg and Gabe. It's as much the playcalling helping colt and these young o-lineman as it is them improving. even in the run game. as I stated in my thread from the game. It was finally good to see them call running plays that worked to Obi's strengths instead of just running him into the middle of the line. Even Colt mentioned it in his post game presser that running from the shotgun helped Obi thrive.

[Jax Dawg]

Originally Posted by TheBestPlayersPlay

Hopefully the first sign of many! It's somewhat astonishing it took them this long to make such a simple, obvious tweak. Been seeing more shotgun as well, something that was virtually non-existent the first half of the season.

Maybe Eddie Haskell or whatever Homgren's buddy's name is thought he better start earning that 7 figure salary as WCO expert/consultant and gave Shurms some advice...He probably sensed the natives were getting restless after reading some of the posts badmouthing him here on Barking Hard.

[Enigmatic Evil]

We need, need, NEED these young guards to turn the corner and I've been disappointed all year with Lauvao's game until last week. I thought last week vs the Jags he looked stalwart out there and if he can bring that to the big games we've got coming up than we should be in good shape. We need the offensive line to pull their end and they did last week. I think their play has taken time to turn the corner but I mean you look at how they played against Jacksonville... I'll hope to see continued good play this week against Cincinatti and heading into the final five weeks of the season, maybe our team can finish strong (play wise, if not in the W-L column) to close out the season and we can have many positives to dwell on, not dissimilar to how Mangini ended his first season.

[BernietheKid]

News, Notes and Jason Pinkston
		By The Sports Exchange Posted Nov 29, 2011 Dropped passes and missed opportunities continue to riddle the Browns offense. Injuries could prohibit the defense in weeks to come and a look at starting offensive guard Jason Pinkston. 2 Comments
The Thanksgiving game between the Ravens and 49ers could have been a preview of what Colt McCoy is in for Sunday afternoon in Cleveland Browns Stadium. The Ravens engulfed 49ers quarterback Alex Smith by sacking him nine times. They rendered running back Frank Gore ineffective, which made it easier to tee off on Smith. Protection for McCoy and Cleveland's run-blocking have improved recently. Among the reasons why is the improvement of rookie left guard Jason Pinkston, according to Joe Thomas, the left tackle who has lined up next to Pinkston for all 11 games this season. McCoy was sacked only twice Sunday in the Browns' 23-20 loss to the Bengals, although he was hit another half-dozen times. The Browns' running game averaged 4.5 yards a carry. Pinkston was a left tackle at Pitt when he was selected by the Browns in the fifth round with the 150th overall pick. The plan was 2011 would be a developmental year, but when a back injury in August knocked Eric Steinbach out for the season, coach Pat Shurmur picked Pinkston as the replacement. "It's tough, but that's my job, and that's what they brought me in here to do," Pinkston said. "I can't look at it as, 'Ah, I didn't have time. It's OK to be behind.' I have to do the best I can and learn on the fly and play at a high level to help the guys next to me. They're ready to win now. They can't wait on me." Fortunately for Pinkston, he is bookended by Thomas and center Alex Mack. Thomas has been to four Pro Bowls, and Mack has been to one. They have helped Pinkston learn on the job. "Jason has played well," Thomas said. "He hasn't made any more mistakes than any of the rest of us. He works hard in practice. He's smart. He's getting better every week." Steinbach is recovering well from the back surgery, according to his close friend, Doug Dieken, the former Browns left tackle and current analyst during radio broadcasts. Steinbach plans on resuming his career next season, Dieken said. Don't be surprised if Pinkston ends up playing right tackle next season. Pre-draft scouting reports projected the 6-foot-4, 304-pounder as a right tackle in the NFL, but for now, Pinkston is focused on trying to keep the Ravens in check. "This has been a great learning experience for me," Pinkston said. "I never played guard before. You don't have as much room to make a mistake on the inside. You have to be technique-sound and on point whatever you're doing." Pinkston said the reason there is less room for error for guards is the defensive tackle or in some cases the blitzing linebacker is closer to the quarterback than the ends whom tackles are blocking. A tackle can sometimes adjust to a misstep and loop the end around the quarterback. One false step by the guard, and he's helping the quarterback off the ground. PLAYER/PERSONNEL NOTES TRENDING: Running back Peyton Hillis returned to the lineup after missing five straight games with a hamstring injury. He carried the ball 19 times and gained 65 yards. LINEUP WATCH: Starting linebacker Scott Fujita suffered a broken right hand Sunday. He might miss the game against the Ravens. STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL PLAYER NOTES --K Phil Dawson kicked a season-long 54-yard field goal. It was his seventh of the season of 50-plus yards. --WR Greg Little caught five passes for 57 yards. One was a 3-yard toss from Colt McCoy for his first NFL touchdown. --QB Colt McCoy, after completing better than 70 percent of his passes in each of the previous two games, was 16 of 34 for 151 yards. He threw two touchdown passes and was intercepted once. --RB Montario Hardesty was a late scratch because his calf acted up. He has missed four straight games with the injury. --Rookie DE Jabaal Sheard had a strip sack of Cincinnati QB Andy Dalton to set up a Cleveland touchdown. Scout.com: News, Notes and Jason Pinkston

[OconRecon]

Originally Posted by Brown Warrior

The line has been damn good for two weeks in a row... and I think McCoy even gets some of the credit (Joe Thomas agrees). He's getting the ball out and attacking blitzes, so they've slowed down. It's symbiotic, along with the improved play by the young guards and Pashos staying in the lineup.

We'll have a good kind of problem with Steinbach's return and a relatively high pick at RT (maybe round 3... but possibly even 2).

I still liked the mock draft were we took WR Floyd and that Iowa O lineman in the first round.