(No Longer) Joe Woods’ Defense

[Lee]

I just purchased firejoewoods.com

Head over for nuanced Browns takes every Monday until this season is over in early December

If true, buying that website is incredible.

 

[Ohdang]

The Browns were third in the entire NFL in defense before injuries hit.

The offense committed three turnovers and nine penalties worth 88 yards lost. The Cardinals recovered all their own fumbles.

But simply being not healthy enough or playing well enough to beat the hottest team in the NFL doesn't appease a furious fan base.

He's had 2 games where he wasn't absolute dog shit. I was hoping I was wrong about him but it doesn't appear to be the case.

Please, let's not have another die on the hill for Hoyer situation here, it's okay to be wrong sometimes

 

[Randolphkeys]

Please, let's not have another die on the hill for Hoyer situation here, it's okay to be wrong sometimes

Hoyer = Still on an NFL team because he wasn't the "terrible mentor" some claimed.

Manziel = trash and embarrassing.

Everyone here was wrong to want Hoyer benched for Manziel, and you are lucky to still be in my incredible presence nearly a decade later. Savor that taste on your filthy swarthy tongue.

 

[adam81king]

Those that want Joe Woods gone, assuming you mean the offseason, who do you want to replace him with?

 

[ajz20]

You know the season has gone horribly in the wrong direction when we are discussing a guy who could not even make it in Canada and another player that has battled just to stay in the NFL as backup and third stringer. Nothing against Hoyer, he unlike Johnny was a professional, but come on.....

 

[I'mWithDan]

Most of the issues I personally see manifest in the secondary. Slow recognition, miscommunication, taking bad angles or getting greedy / lazy with their eyes.

Woods deserves some blame but if anyone is getting fired, it should be whoever is working with the DB’s. We have invested (2) 1sts, (2) 2nd’s, a 5th in a trade and 2 good sized free agent contracts in the secondary. Isn’t that EASILY the most capital spent on a single position group?

This collection of talent should be performing like one of the leagues best but is instead blowing coverages like prime Jenna Jameson. The Cardinals and Chargers games were both littered with “you can lead a horse to water” moments, in some of the coverage calls.

I’m sure it is easier to blame Woods but Howard’s seat should be just as warm as well. Some of the stuff is so damn sloppy, like guys giving up TD’s in zone because they are getting caught looking inside on 3rd and long, at an area that isn’t even their assignment. Lots of stuff showing up on film in the secondary that screams the coach isn’t doing a good job drilling assignment or communicating scenario responsibilities.

 

[FrontPageNews]

Those that want Joe Woods gone, assuming you mean the offseason, who do you want to replace him with?

Depends on who’s available. I think the dream scenario right now is zimmer if the Vikings move on from him.

 

[2 For The Brew]

You know the season has gone horribly in the wrong direction when we are discussing a guy who could not even make it in Canada and another player that has battled just to stay in the NFL as backup and third stringer. Nothing against Hoyer, he unlike Johnny was a professional, but come on.....

Fair point, but which QBs since 1999 have been clearly better than Hoyer? He’s had a better career than our three #22 overall picks combined. Sad!

 

[Randolphkeys]

You know the season has gone horribly in the wrong direction when we are discussing a guy who could not even make it in Canada and another player that has battled just to stay in the NFL as backup and third stringer. Nothing against Hoyer, he unlike Johnny was a professional, but come on.....

Hoyer shouldn't have come up at all, we agree. But I'm not apologizing or taking an "L" on any of my Johnny/Hoyer takes. History is still on my side.

Back to Woods. After the Chargers game he said he would simplify the calls:

Browns defense gets ‘wind knocked out of our sails’ for second straight week

Just like the Chargers a week ago, the Cardinals gave the Browns defense all sorts of trouble on Sunday

www.cleveland.com

After reviewing film last week, Browns defensive coordinator Joe Woods pointed to technique issues and a lack of execution. He thought perhaps too much had been in the game plan against the Chargers, “so we really worked on it this week just in terms of having a tight menu to make sure we can execute.”

So this is a problem - the coverages are still being blown when other layers are simplified. At some point, it's on the players to apply what is learned in the film session.

I'm hoping the mental mistakes end and the layers which decoy the QB return.

Losing JOK is an absolute disaster for what has gone wrong so far at the second level of the defense. I don't know how long it will take to mask his absence.

 

[Vee-Rex]

 

[kriegs]

It's pretty easy and sometimes lazy to blame the coach when things go bad. The issues with big plays seem to mostly come down to safties playing their zone assignments poorly. To me, it's mostly a player issue so far and we haven't even been that bad once you account for injuries/opponents.

I've seen people argue Woods sucks because we blitzed a bunch this past game. Why not? Their center and offensive line leader was out for the game. I thought it made sense to take that approach, it just didn't work out because Kyler is Kyler. It's what makes guys like him and Lamar such a headache. The game is really in their hands most of the time.

With JOK out, I think we need Harrison and/or JJ3 in the box more and Delpit more in those deep zones. I guess we will see!

I'm glad we finally have coaches that plan week-by-week based on the opponent.

 

[Randolphkeys]

With JOK out, I think we need Harrison and/or JJ3 in the box more and Delpit more in those deep zones. I guess we will see!

Good stuff, and this especially intrigues me. My biggest concern for the defense is 4-6 weeks without JOK rather than mental errors of the past.

I wonder if Woods is considering more Lacounte. The team isn't making splashy turnovers and the logic behind JJ3 as a pure free safety is being correctly questioned.

 

[Bkerr02]

Good stuff, and this especially intrigues me. My biggest concern for the defense is 4-6 weeks without JOK rather than mental errors of the past.

I wonder if Woods is considering more Lacounte. The team isn't making splashy turnovers and the logic behind JJ3 as a pure free safety is being correctly questioned.

JJ3 would be suited better in Harrison’s role.

 

[kriegs]

Good stuff, and this especially intrigues me. My biggest concern for the defense is 4-6 weeks without JOK rather than mental errors of the past.

I wonder if Woods is considering more Lacounte. The team isn't making splashy turnovers and the logic behind JJ3 as a pure free safety is being correctly questioned.

Also in Woods defense, you can only play so many box safeties. I've seen him get criticized for JJ3 and Harrison never being used in the box when their old teams used to use them there at a much higher %. I get that in theory, a bad coach could force a square peg through a round hole, but you can only play so many safeties around the LOS.

I think that people forgot somewhere along the way that JOK is basically a box safety himself. Playing him and JJ3 together around the LOS is a pretty light front.

At some point, if these guys all suck in two-high it's a player eval issue and not a Woods issue. I really hope it turns around!

Losing an elite player is obviously bad bad bad, but I think the log jam of players we seem to have that can fill this role can help backfill it relatively well. Fingers crossed. We don't play a legit dual-threat QB again until 11/28 (we all know who), so hopefully JOK can get healthy by then. Those are the QB matchups we really need him for.

 

[J_J]

It doesn’t make sense for JJ3 to play deep instead of playing more in the box. I saw a stat that JJ3 has played in the box with the Rams which he excelled much better. Wonder if pairing with Lecounte eventually with JJ3 would be better off. Definitely rather have Delpit as free safety than JJ3. I’m worried that our coach is not realizing how to use our players effectively.