Kyle Shanahan is Love, Kyle Shanahan is Life.

This is what I continue telling people who do not understand how a Brian Hoyer-led offense with Miles Austin and two sub-5-foot-10 receivers can be so successful. The NFL is frequently called a “passing league” by fans and analysts. And, they are not wrong. The pass-to-run ratio has steadily increased each year since football was created. Although the Browns pass more than they run, they sit a comfortable 25th out of 32 teams in terms of percentage of plays that are passes.

The insistence on running the ball has always been a part of the Shanahan lineage, dating back to when Kyle’s father was the head coach of the Denver Broncos. But, the Browns have been able to rely on the run in any and all situations this year which enhances the play-calling. With Brian Hoyer at quarterback, surrounded by mediocre wide receivers, Cleveland would not be able to play with four or five receiver sets and run an offense predicated on players beating their opponents in one-on-one situations constantly. Therefore, Shanahan has created a system in which one of the league’s top running games is complemented by a play-action passing look that thrives off of misdirection and knowledge of the scheme rather than pure physical ability.

The unprecedentedly fantastic running game combined with the play-action passing game can be linked to the Browns’ bone-crushing, man-displacing offensive line as well as a trio of running backs. The running game flourishes which allows the passing game to work and, subsequently, Cleveland has one of the best performing offenses in the game. It sounds so easy, yet it only works because everyone does their jobs. No one tries to do too much which could cause unnecessary mistakes. Take a look at a few examples from the Browns’ fourth game of the season to see how all the pieces fit together just as Kyle Shanahan planned.

It All Begins Up Front

This is one of the oldest adages in football and it has never proven more true in Cleveland than during the first four weeks of the 2014 season. After dominating the Jurrell Casey-led Tennessee Titans defensive front, Joe Thomas and Cleveland’s offensive line began garnering mass media attention. Pro Footbal Focus ranked the Browns as the best offensive line in the NFL. On the Grantland NFL Podcast and the Move The Sitcks podcast with Daniel Jeremiah, the hosts spent time praising the domination on both run and pass plays.

Check out this pitch play the Browns ran early in the second quarter.

As you can see, the ball is pitched to the right, but the running back, Terrance West, reads the front-side of the line and cuts the ball back to the left, gaining nine yards. The reason this play worked is due to the 100% succesful blocking rate by all offensive linemen, tight ends, and receivers.

The right side of the offensive line is helped due to the middle linebackers flying towards the side the ball is pitched, not accounting for a cutback. On the left, Bitonio drives the nose tackle, Joe Thomas locks up the defensive end, Jordan Cameron takes on the outside linebacker, and, most impressively, tiny Andrew Hawkins knocks the safety out of the play. If a single player misses their block, this run would be reduced to just a couple yards.

Take a look at this exact same play ran later in the game, in the middle of the third quarter.

There are two key differences between this and the prior play. First, rather than the tight end blocking the backside linebacker one-on-one, he comes across the line and kicks the backer out. Also, the middle linebackers no longer fly towards the side the ball is pitched to, but read the cut-back, theoretically making this play much more difficult on the offense. But, the Browns have no worry with their dominant linemen. Watch Joe Thomas bury the defensive end and Joel Bitonio drive a middle linebacker into the defensive backfield. Even Jordan Cameron, not known for his blocking, keeps the second middle linebacker away from Isaiah Crowell, the running back.

It is one thing to have a good offensive line, but it is another to have the best in the league. Would Brian Hoyer be anywhere near as successful if he were not totally confident that he would not get sacked? I highly doubt that. Could Kyle Shanahan run as productive of an offense if he were not able to hand the ball off and guarantee four to ten yards every time? Not a chance. Enjoy and appreciate this group of offensive linemen because together, they make up arguably the most productive line in Cleveland Browns history.

Ben Tate Re-Claims Starting Role

Having a dominant line can supplement a lack of talent at running back, but the Browns do not have to worry about that in the slightest. With Ben Tate out with one of his many injuries, Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell played and looked impressive enough that many people vouched for handing one of the two the starting job over Tate. However, against the Titans, once again, West and Crowell backed up Tate who shined, averaging 5.6 yards per carry.

A growing theory in the NFL is that the running back does not matter. To an extent, that may be true. However, the Browns have absolutely benefited due the change from Willis Mcgahee’s corpse to Tate, West, and Crowell. Certainly, the line has been a huge factor in the running game, but Tate and his fellow backs have made more defenders miss than they are given credit for.

Take a look at Ben Tate’s run on a second down and seven situation early in the fourth quarter.

Either Ray Agnew, fullback, or Joel Bitonio, left guard, should have picked up No. 59, the middle linebacker who is reading the play and has an open lane to the running back. However, Tate sees the linebacker and uses a jump-cut to avoid the tackle and gains seven yards on a play many backs would be tackled at the line. Even with the best line in football, some mistakes, either mental or physical, will be made. It is in these instances in which the running back will be tested to make a play, as Tate does here, picking up the first down.

One of the areas in which Ben Tate shines is his ability to read the defense and make a quick cut, a necessity for a zone blocking scheme. Take a look below at him making a quick read and picking up thirteen yards for a first down.

When Tate gets the handoff, he plants his foot immediately and makes an instinctive cut-back. Check out the right side of the offensive line as well as the center. They manage to drive block the linemen to the right, opening up a massive lane for a cut-back. Also, the linebackers have flowed towards the play-side, making the offense’s blocks on the second level much easier. Tate does a great job exploding through the hole, through traffic, and maximizing yardage.

As time goes on, expect to see Crowell and West more. But, at least for this season, Tate seems to have control of the starting job.

Brian Hoyer’s Best Game Yet

I have been slow to jump on the Brian Hoyer bandwagon, thus far. In the preseason, I predicted that Hoyer would not make it through the whole season as the starter, thinking that Manziel would eventually earn his opportunity. But, in four games, Hoyer has looked better than I thought he would and his future as a starter on the Browns is much brighter. Against the Titans, he had his most impressive game, yet.

Previously, critics have been able to hound Hoyer about being a distributor without a strong arm, but he had a few beautiful throws into tight windows. Check this pass out to Miles Austin on the game’s final drive.

In a straight drop back, Hoyer bypasses his first read, on the left, before moving to Austin and firing a dart between the cornerback and linebacker, a perfect throw. In fact, the look to the left pulled the linebacker to that direction just enough to open up a throwing window. In such a pivotal moment in the game, what this throw takes is one that I did not think Hoyer had the ability to make.

One of the other reasons for Hoyer’s success is a direct result from the impressive pass blocking by the offensive line. No quarterback could possibly be worried about being hit while standing behind Joe Thomas and company. Hoyer stands in the pocket without a care in the world and will take a hit and deliver the football on a rope due to his confidence in his linemen. Check this out below.

As you can see, Hoyer looks completely confident in his offensive line, even when Bitonio allows some pressure. Instead of running, he hits Cameron, in between three defenders, on a post route for 19 yards. Once again, this does not seem like a throw that I believed Hoyer was capable of making.

Going forward, I am not ready to back Hoyer for quarterback during the rest of the season. But, he has certainly played well enough to start without hearing the backup quarterback’s name repeated over and over. As long as Kyle Shanahan can get him on the move using play action and the offensive line continues their dominance, Hoyer should continue to play at this level. But, if any unit falters, I am not sure that Hoyer is skilled enough to make up for the drop in productivity. This should be an exciting few weeks, though, as the Browns play multiple teams with extremely weak defenses that he should take advantage of.

Other Notes

Who Said The Browns Need Receivers? Count me as one of the many people worried about the lack of talent at the wide receiver position. The lack of size between Travis Benjamin, Andrew Hawkins, and Taylor Gabriel worried me as well as the fact that those three along with Miles Austin are not exactly renowned. However, everyone (except, possibly, Austin) has exceeded my expectations. Hawkins runs some of the best and most succinct routes I have ever seen. He looks like a fantastic free agent pickup. Benjamin, previously relegated to return duties, looks like a legitimate threat at receiver. Expect him to receive more targets against Pittsburgh

Jordan Cameron, Where Art Thou? My friend Dan, who I watched the Titans game with, said it best: “If your Twitter bio says ‘Pass Catcher’, you better catch the freaking ball.” Coming into the season, many people thought he would be the Browns leading pass-catcher. Instead, he has not received as many targets as suspects and, especially against the Titans, dropped the ball more than you would from a tight end.

Do you have any thoughts on how the offense has looked throughout the season? Let me know in the comments below!