Hue Jackson

Browns head coach Hue Jackson has had three games with the team's offense. So what have we learned so far?

(Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com)

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Hue Jackson said on Monday that the Browns are just scratching the surface of what they can be. But the truth is, after three games with three different quarterbacks, two different centers and right guards and a bit of shuffling at wide receiver, Jackson's offense has had to scratch in a lot of unforeseen places.

What all that scratching uncovers by the end of the season remains to be seen, but for now, through three games, it has revealed plenty about Jackson's offense.

So what have we learned? Let's take a look:

Big-play potential

The Browns had trouble producing sustained drives in the preseason. Jackson made a point of saying that the offense couldn't rely on the big play alone. Those issues have continued into the regular season, where the Browns are averaging just under five plays per drive. Despite that, they've been in position to win the last two games, largely because of big plays that either score or set up scores.

Formations-R-Us

Prior to coming to Cleveland, Jackson became known for the use of motion and nontraditional formations, and he's continued to use those things with the Browns, causing Joe Thomas to point out during training camp that that opponents would have to cover every blade of grass.

In all three games this season Jackson has split his tackles and tight ends out wide with wide receivers, and he has even run plays with them out wide. He has also shifted wide receivers into and out of the backfield, looking for defensive mismatches.

WRs in space

Jackson likes to get the ball to his wide receivers on the wing and let them create one-one-one. Sometimes, he'll use a second receiver to block, but other times - as was the case with Corey Coleman's second touchdown against the Ravens - he just lets the receiver try to beat his man. You can expect to see Josh Gordon used that way once he returns to the team.

Keeping balance

While Jackson uses a lot of three receiver formations, he has retained a near balance between run and pass plays. It was 26 pass, 21 rush in Week 1, followed by 33-23 in Week 2 and 38-32 last week.

Crowell, who is second in the NFL in rushing yards, hasn't been forgotten late the last two weeks. He had four rushes in the fourth quarter against the Ravens. The only fourth quarter drive where he didn't get the ball was the final drive when the Browns needed to move quickly. Both Crowell and Duke Johnson had their carries split evenly by half against the Dolphins.

Big-play Gary

After Week 1, you had to wonder when - and if - Gary Barnidge would emerge. Jackson's stops in Oakland and Cincinnati featured offenses with dynamic tight ends who were among team leaders in receptions and yards. Barnidge had just two targets and 0 catches against the Eagles.

But he has had 11 targets for nine catches (103 yards), plus a two-point conversion catch, the last two weeks. While Barnidge has often been a safety valve, he has also been a target on quarterback rollouts, allowing him to catch on the move for big gains.

Course correction

Johnson is one of the most dynamic players the Browns have on offense, and although he was targeted 10 times in the passing game through two weeks, he had just six carries. That changed against the Dolphins, when he had 10 carries for 69 yards to go with five catches.

Jackson said Monday that players like Johnson deserve to play, and that he's still learning what this offense can do, especially with the run game.

Adaptable

Designing a game plan for three different quarterbacks in three consecutive weeks surely posed challenges, because Robert Griffin III, Josh McCown and Cody Kessler all have different strengths.

But throwing Terrelle Pryor into the mix shows the adaptability of the offense. Jackson took advantage of Pryor's abilities, seemingly pulling plays right out of Jim Tressel's old playbook at Ohio State. The result was a historic performance from Pryor.

It gives defensive coordinators even more to prepare for. When the Browns finally have Pryor, Coleman and Gordon in the game, shifting Pryor to quarterback won't take their best receiver out of play.