Taking a Look at the Browns Defense

This column was first published on LandLoyalty.com on September 21, 2010.

I’m trying to stay positive with the Browns.

It’s hard. But it’s good for my health to find some silver lining in this 0-2 start. We’ve lost two games that many Browns fans thought we could, and should, win when the NFL schedule was released back in late April.

The offense has looked bad. They’ve looked terrible. They’ve looked sluggish. They’ve looked hopeless. They’ve looked incompetent. And more. They’ve looked every synonym of bad you can think of.

But the defense hasn’t been too bad. Really.

Overall, the Browns have allowed 33 points. The 16.5 points per game allowed is 12th in the league. However, two of those touchdowns can be pinned square on the shoulders of the quarterbacks.

In week one against Tampa Bay, Ronde Barber returned a Jake Delhomme interception all the way down to the three-yard line. You’re putting your defense in a huge hole there. That score isn’t their fault.

Last week, Brandon Flowers took a Seneca Wallace pass the other way for a touchdown.

So those 33 points shrink to 19 points. A touchdown and four field goals in two games. We can live with that.

Josh Freeman and Matt Cassel aren’t exactly Joe Montana and Johnny Unitas. Point conceded. Still, the Browns have allowed just 170.5 passing yards per game, which is eighth best in the league.

The secondary is much improved, and Joe Haden and T.J. Ward have shown glimpses of why they were selected so highly in last April’s draft. Ward leads the team with 22 stops, while Haden has six tackles and showed, at least on special teams against the Chiefs, that he is an exceptional athlete at this level.

Sheldon Brown’s interception was encouraging in that he ran step-for-step with Chris Chambers. Chambers isn’t as fast as he was when he entered the league in 2001, but he can still scoot a bit. Eric Wright is a solid NFL cornerback.

The front seven needs an injection of youth and athleticism, but Ahtyba Rubin has been steady while Shaun Rogers has chipped in his whopping two tackles. I like Rubin, and he’s still only 24. Marcus Benard has given all you can ask for from an undrafted free agent. With 2.5 sacks, he’s applied some pressure to opposing quarterbacks.

That playmaking ability that the secondary has is lacking up front, but as a whole they’ve been steady.

Steady doesn’t sound like much, but other that the offensive unit in 2007, no other unit in recent years has earned the designation of “steady”.

There are a lot of young athletes on the defensive side of the ball that are encouraging to watch. As a Browns fan, I’m looking forward to seeing how they pan out.

And unfortunately after just two weeks, I’m also looking forward to 2011 NFL Draft.