The first game of the 2019 preseason is now in the books and there a few things to look back on. The first thing is that no one overreacts. It was preseason game number one, the coaches wanted to see the players compete and make plays. That was accomplished last night. With that being said, let’s look back at somethings that stood out in the 30-10 loss to the Browns.
The Good
- CB Jimmy Moreland– The seventh round draft pick showed the play he has been showing since rookie mini-camp. Moreland finished with 6 total tackles, three pass breakups, and two forced fumbles. Moreland play so much bigger than his size indicates. Moreland will be hard to keep off the field and will certainly push the starters or more likely Fabian Moreau.
- LB Cole Holcomb– The fifth round draft pick showed his ability last night. Holcomb’s best strength is he is always around the football. The goal line stand that the defense had was in part to Holcomb running 40 yards down field and push a Browns receiver out of bounds.
- WR Darvin Kidsy– Out of the receiving corps Kidsy had the best showing. Kidsy showed really good hands making some tough catches. Kidsy did have a fumble that ended Dewayne Haskins first drive, but the catch he had before the fumble was impressive. Kidsy needed to show that to keep his chance of making the team alive.
The Bad
- The Offensive Line– This goes without saying but the offensive line did not play well. While known starters Morgan Moses, Brandon Scherff, and Chase Roullier did not play, Geron Christian and Ereck Flowers played extensive time. Each of the two had holding penalties. There were times were miscommunication led to running backs trying to block defensive lineman and sometimes just free rushers at the quarterbacks. Coach Bill Callahan has a lot of work to do, especially with the likelihood that Trent Williams will not be returning to the team.
- Tackling– Even with pads on during training camp, players are not taking players to the ground. Last night there were numerous missed tackles, especially in the secondary where players completely whiffed on tackles. This needs to be addressed for this team to be able to compete in the regular season.
- Communication– Some of the reasons for the other two bad topics were communication issues. The quarterbacks, running backs, and offensive line missed blocking calls while linebackers and secondary messed up coverages that left open receivers.
The Ugly
- Opening Drive– While the defense only had a few starters playing (Shaun Dion Hamilton, Jon Bostic, Ryan Anderson, Fabian Moreau,) the Browns led by Baker Mayfield and the starters marched right down the field for a quick touchdown. The Browns even went hurry up on the drive and the defense did not offer much resistance. However you could tell the Browns were trying to score to prove a point and they did.
- Dewayne Haskins– First round pick Dewayne Haskins had an up and down day. Haskins came out strong with some good passes that showed arm strength. On other series he played too fast and that led to two bad interceptions. This is on par to what Haskins has shown in camp. Tremendous ability and talent, but makes rookie mistakes. Another plus Haskins showed was his mobility in the pocket and escaping downfield when needed. All this proved is that Haskins needs more time to learn and develop.
- Injuries– This is not an ugly thing at all, the team came out of the game completely healthy. Linebacker Shaun Dion Hamilton was reported to have a chest injury, but he looked just fine after the game. Health is a win for the team.
