Sorry for the delay. Crazy past 5 days, for a variety of reasons. Anyway…here goes.

There aren’t a lot of comments to make about the game. The starters didn’t play very much. And you can’t make too much of the game since the Browns played so poorly. I think the Eagles talent had a lot to do with that, but the Browns look like they’ve got a ways to go. At halftime, coach Pat Shurmur looked like he was about ready to kill all 90 of his players. You rarely see a coach so frustrated in the preseason.

OFFENSE

QB

FOLES – Another good game. 12-19-146. 2 TDs, 1 INT. Let’s start with the pick. Foles moved to his right to buy time. He then went deep to Mac, who was initially open. Nick wasn’t able to step into the throw and the ball didn’t have the kind of zip needed to get to Mac before the DBs closed in. It did travel 58 yards in the air so this wasn’t some lollipop throw. The problem is that Foles must know what he can and can’t do in the NFL. The pass was picked off. Poor decision compounded by physical mistake. If you’re going to force a ball into coverage, do that when you’ve got the arm to make it work. Foles has a good, but not explosive arm. Can’t do things like this. Overall he had a good showing. Both TD passes came in the Red Zone. Foles had some pressure on him, but didn’t panic. He was able to move and extend plays when needed. He still hasn’t been sacked in the preseason. I think he generally made good decisions with the ball. He faced a starting defense and more than held up. The first couple of drives were slow: INT, punt. The next 5 drives resulted in 2 TDs, a field goal, a punt, and a missed FG. Once he got going, Foles was very good. There was no running game to speak of. The team had 7 carried for 1 yard in the 1st half. It was Foles or bust. He used 8 different receivers and spread the ball around nicely. The offense was only 1 of 5 on 3rd downs, but 2 of the plays were downfield throws. One was the play where Damaris couldn’t get a second foot down for the TD. The other was a pass to Chad Hall that was underthrown and broken up. Foles was 2 of 2 in the Red Zone.

EDWARDS – After his first play, Edwards played pretty well. The first play of the game was a pick-6 that got nullified by a highly questionable penalty. Trent was under pressure and panicked, throwing a short pass right to a DB. Dumb, dumb, and dumb. This is a huge no-no for a veteran QB. He absolutely has to know better. The penalty gave the ball right back to Trent and he led the offense down for a TD. After that drive (and even during it), the offense became old school WCO and focused on ball control. Edwards finished 14-17-127. He had a 20-yd connection with Brackett. The rest of the passes were short throws based on moving the chains and keeping the clock running. That was a nice, efficient showing by Trent, but the first play was a critical mistake that must be focused on. The whole point in having a veteran QB is so that he won’t panic under pressure. Some may compare this to Kafka’s mistake in the PIT game, but that was slightly different. It was the PS opener. You can forgive a player for being rusty in the opener. Trent was playing in Game 3. Had a chance for a TD, but put the ball behind his receiver on slant and DB broke it up. Short pass that should have been a score.

RB/FB

LEWIS – “Busy game”. Had 5 carries. Only got 4 yards, but the Browns played the run well (with some help by D Bell). Highlight was catching a short TD. Lined up like a wing back and ran a short arrow route. Easy play. On one of the runs Lewis ran through a tackle attempt low and then used a stiff arm to fight off a different defender. He’s not tall, but this isn’t a weak, finesse runner. Good balance, strength. Had a run up the middle late in the half when he dodged someone in the backfield and then kept going right up the middle. Only got 4 yards, but made something out of nothing and also didn’t try to go wide. Trusted the design of the play, an inside run. That shows discipline. Long play of the night was a 22-yd screen. Got the ball on the right side and made a couple of defenders miss, then burst upfield. Had a poor chip block on Juqua Parker that led to Foles getting hit.

B BROWN – Another good game as a runner. 7-18. Stats aren’t great, but he passed the eyeball test. Blocking is a whole other story. He is behind in this area. Bryce must get better if he wants to get on the field. Made mistakes on a few plays. I don’t think this is a question of size, strength, or effort. Simply needs more practice.

POLK – Another good game, going 6-39. Had an impressive 20-yd run. Just before that had an 8-yd run that he almost turned into a big play. Lost his balance as he went through traffic. The 20-yd’er was nice. Got good blocking on the left side and was able to get out wide. The run came late in the game and Polk showed his FBI (football IQ) by slowing down as he got near the sideline and then cutting back to the field. Only added a yard or two, but kept the clock running. Jon Runyan would be proud. You have to be impressed that such a tough, physical runner can still be so focused and smart. Knows how to move the chains and do the little things. If only he was a bit faster. Did get beat on a pass play and his rusher was able to pressure Trent into an incompletion. Showed good awareness on bad snap by Vandy and was there to recover it.

HAVILI – Good on STs. Quiet on offense.

IGWENAGU – Played a lot. Lead blocking is okay. Good effort. Needs technique help. Caught a short pass and then put a good move on a tackler. Turned that into a gain of 10. Also had a 7-yd catch. May have shown enough to help earn a PS spot, where he could help out as a TE, H-back, or FB.

TE

BRACKETT – Good game. Led the Eagles with 3 catches. Had a 20-yd’er, a short TD, and another short catch. The long one came on a corner route. Brett found a hole in the defense and made a good catch. The TD was a backside TE dump screen. Surprised we ran that play vs CLE, who we face in the opener. Didn’t see that coming. Brett had to fight to get the score, diving for the goal line. Stretched just far enough to break the plane. This game showed off his athleticism and potential as a receiver. Blocking is still a major issue. He’s made good progress, but must continue to get stronger, more physical.

FORD – 2-16 as a receiver. Solid job as a blocker.

WR

MCNUTT – Another quiet game. Not good. 1-13 as a receiver. Showed that he could take a big hit on that play. Had another pass come his way, but the ball went through his hands. The pass was high, but catchable. For a guy fighting for a roster spot, you need to make that catch or a spectacular effort. McNutt did block well. He’s definitely physical enough for the NFL right now.

D JOHNSON – Terrific game. 2-58 as a receiver. Just missed a really impressive TD. Got behind Sheldon Brown and Foles hit him with a pass in the endzone. DJ got one foot down cleanly, but the other was out. Play was ruled a TD initially, then correctly reversed. Forget the result. The play showed good hands, awareness, and body control. Those are key traits for NFL WR. Caught a short pass and put a wicked move on a defender. It was so good that a second defender missed as well. Turned that into a gain of 13. Got behind Sheldon on another pass and was able to make a legal grab. The pass was underthrown, but DJ turned around and got his hands on the ball as he fell backward to the ground. Odd looking. Again, good hands, awareness, and body control. Did all of this at full speed. That was good for 45 yards. I was surprised he got behind Sheldon so easily on both plays.

Also good as PR. Had a long of 30. 3-28 after that. Bobbled the first punt for half a second, but was smooth after that. Quick and elusive. Good burst. I love the fact he doesn’t hesitate. Plays fast.

HALL – 1-10. Had another play where he was open down the middle, but Foles didn’t get the ball up enough and a defender knocked it away.

HAMLER – 2-18. Nothing special.

T JONES – One pass came his way. No catches.

AKPLA – 2-18. At times, looks like an NFL receiver. Not consistent, though. Also lacks NFL athleticism. Best catch was a diving grab near the sideline. Had to really extend for the ball. You see plays like that and get excited, but then he’ll look pedestrian at other times.

OL

D BELL – Bad vs PIT. Better last week. Big step back this week. Ugh. Played some with the starters. I think the coaches were hoping that would help bring out the best in him. It didn’t. This isn’t about talent. He’s just a head case right now. No confidence. Thinking too much, which causes him to play slow. Had to execute a reach block to the inside on a run play going away from him. Got beat and the DT made a TFL. Dennis Kelly was able to make this block in the NE game and it sprung the RB for a big gain. Bell is a mess in pass pro. The discouraging part is that he’ll have a bad block, then follow with a good one, and then go right back to a bad one. There is no consistency. There is no rhyme or reason to his play. I’m not so sure he’s safe to make the team right now.

DUNLAP – Good game. Good in pass pro. Less effective on plays where he has to get to the 2nd level or block in space.

VANDERVELDE – Not a good showing. Played both LG and C. Struggled at both. Went on Twitter and apologized for his performance. CLE had some quick DTs that got the best of Vandy. On plays when Vandy was able to lock on, he anchored well. Too often he was reaching as they went in or out, using quickness to beat him. Lowlight was a bad snap in the 4th. We recovered, but the 5-yd loss threw off a GL series. Also hurt that he snapped the ball early on 3rd down. Trent wasn’t expecting it. He did get the ball, but then ran out of bounds.

REYNOLDS – Played RG. Best game of the preseason. Got beat early on by quick DT with good pass rush move. That got me worried, but Dallas settled down and played well. He’s still not ideal on the 2nd level, but had a couple of good blocks on the move. Overall did a good job in pass pro. Used his hands well. Locked on and anchored well. Very much helped his cause.

GIBSON – Disappointing preseason. Just hasn’t looked anything like I expected. Veteran player with athleticism, but hasn’t played to his potential. Simple example. Run play at beginning of 4th Q. Play goes to his side. DT is right there. Gibson allows the guy to cross his face and the DT gets an easy TFL. Mike knows he can’t let that happen and should have the talent to stop it. Didn’t.

KELLY – Started at RT and played much of the game. His best game so far, which is encouraging. Showed good feet. Had some really good moments in pass pro. Got pushed around a couple of times. Must set stronger (and not be so upright). Was able to re-set after being pushed back on one play. That’s important. You can give ground, but never want to be on “roller skates” the whole way back to the QB. Got beaten off the edge a couple of times, but was able to use his hands to ride the DE wide or at least slow him down so he didn’t go free to the QB. Again, important. Not all blocks will be clean. You must learn the tricks of the trade to keep your QB from taking big hits (as much as is possible). Does a good job of blocking on the move. I’m sure Howard Mudd loves him for that reason. Can get to the 2nd level and block a moving target. Kelly needs work, but is showing progress. Good sign.

DJ JONES – Good game. #3 LT. Looks comfortable in pass pro. Has pretty good feet. Isn’t smooth, but does a good job of mirroring the rusher. Plays with good balance and stays under control. Can get beat by a good burst, but will use his hands to stick with the rusher. DE tried an inside move in the 4th and Jones just drove him into the scrum. Did get beat by the RE on a pass play. DJ blocked him cleanly at first, then the DE used a power move and pushed him aside after getting him off balance. Can be a good run blocker. Gets to the 2nd level and uses his hands well to mash on LBs.

VALLOS – Backup C. Pretty good game. Really looks the part of a Mudd linemen. There are times when he blocks well and you think that he could be a good backup C/G. Good in pass pro. Keeps his feet active and helps the DTs. Not a watcher. Finds someone to block. My biggest beef is that that Steve’s athleticism isn’t as functional as it needs to be. Jason Kelce is a terrific athlete. You watch the game and see him make athletic blocks. Vallos is much more inconsistent in that regard. Doesn’t stand out as a blocker on the 2nd level. He gets up there just fine, but the athleticism goes away as he goes to make blocks. Reaches too much.

MCCULLOUGH – #3 LG. Lacks NFL athleticism. Good effort. Simply struggles at times in pass pro.

WELCH – #3 RT. Lacks the footwork for OT in the NFL. I do wonder if some team that likes to run the ball would consider him at OG. Has a good frame. Tough. Uses his hands well. Limited athlete with poor feet. Works his butt off, even when he’s beat.

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DEFENSE

* Offside penalties were an issue. I didn’t chart all of them, but they happened to multiple guys. Dumb. At least it is a fixable mistake.

DL

LANDRI – Great game. Absolutely a disruptive force. Affected multiple run plays with penetration, drawing a holding call on one. Chased down outside run play away from him and made the tackle. Highlight was his sack. CLE had the ball in the RZ. Tried to run a screen. Derek fired off the ball and blew through the too casual effort of his blocker. Hit Weeden as he turned around the ball came loose. Eagles got it. Great play. I’m sure the Browns OL is like “how the hell did this guy get no FA looks from 31 teams?”.

JENKINS – DE and DT. Good push on some pass plays. Bounced a run out wide that allowed pursuit to make the stop.

TAPP – Involved in a couple of big plays. Beat Joe Thomas for a strip sack in the 1st Qtr. Used a good burst and then fought off the block with his hands. Hit Weeden and knocked the ball loose. CLE recovered. Seeing Tapp beat Joe Thomas, a very good LT, was impressive. Earlier Tapp did recover a fumble after Rau knocked the ball loose from a RB.

GRAHAM – Best game in a while. Had 1.5 sacks. Got full sack on 3rd/short. Lined up tighter than usual and fired to the inside. Cleanly beat the OL and was on Weeden almost instantly. He and Hunt shared a QB sandwich on another pass play for the half sack. Hit the QB on other plays. Was disruptive multiple times. Looked fast off the ball. Still played with good power.

DIXON – Just looks lost. I don’t think Dixon fits the system. I know the argument is that he’s our biggest DT and a good run stuffer. The problem is that he’s not been a good run stuffer this summer. There are moments when the light is flickering, but then it quickly goes off. There was one play in the game that I hated. Dixon came off the ball. He was doubled. He let up and the C then blocked him alone, with marginal effort. I actually said aloud “that’s disgusting”. I’ll be highly disappointed if they keep Dixon.

COX – Starting UT. Didn’t play all that much in this game, though. Gets a little better each week, but still has a long way to go. Does one thing well on a play. Might fire off the ball quickly. Might use his hands well. Might stay low and get good push. The trick is getting him to do them all so he can start winning 1-on-1 matchups consistently. You see flashes of his talent, but someone new to football would think Derek Landri was the coveted player and Fletch was the guy rejected by 31 teams.

HUNT – Another strong showing. Had 1/2 sack that he had to share with Graham. Continues to be a disruptive force off the edge. Almost as impressive, he’s getting better and better on STs. Standout guy on KO coverage. Love seeing that. He’s not just a pretty boy pass rusher. Tough guy willing to do the dirty work.

THORNTON – Terrific game. Stat sheet says 1 tackle, but that doesn’t come close to telling the story. The poor RG who had to block him was overwhelmed on many plays. Ced drew at least one holding call. Could have had a few. Played with excellent power. Had one play where his helmet was ripped off. Ced didn’t respond well and drew an unnecessary roughness call. On the next snap he got the better of the RG and drew a holding call. That’s good revenge. Consistently pushed the pocket and was a pain in the butt for the Browns offense. Had one run play where he went low and got the RB by the feet. Just missed a TFL. Runner got back to the LOS. Really good showing.

OGBU – Big step forward. Used a spin move to get free and hit the QB. I thought Ogbu used his hands well to fight off blockers. Battled double teams. Held his ground. Doesn’t look like roster material yet, but looked more comfortable in the Wide-9. Showed progress. Tough guy with good motor. Highlight moment came when he got in the backfield. Wasn’t able to sack Weeden. Didn’t give up and he got a second shot…but missed. I’m sure Ollie’s teammates gave him heck about that. 1 play, 2 misses.

TROTTER – Got a hustle sack on the play where Ogbu missed Weeden twice. Trotter chased him out of bounds for a short loss. Trotter was in on 4 tackles. Terrific effort player. I don’t know that he’s got the upside to even make the P-squad, but I love 3rd stringers who come in and play as if their life depends on it. That’s the only chance they have. Even if Trotter is done with the NFL shortly, he can be proud of the way he played.

X BROWN – Got snaps at DT and DE. Lacks burst.

CURRY – Another good game. He’s had a hard time living up to the PIT showing, but Vinny has been impressive in the other games. Credited with 4 tackles. Didn’t get a sack, but showed good speed off the edge on pass plays. Has clearly shown that he’s a good run defender. Can beat blocks on plays that come at him. Fast enough to make pursuit plays when the ball goes away from him. Browns tried to block him with a TE on 3rd Qtr run play. Vinny tossed the guy aside and stopped the RB for no gain. A couple of plays later he blew up a trap play by knocking back the pulling OG and then getting the RB. Just like Hunt, this isn’t a pretty boy pass rusher. Tough guy. Good football player.

LB

KENDRICKS – Impressive. Had just 2 tackles because of limited snaps, but once again was fast and active. He was in the right spot to make plays.

RYANS – Quiet game.

ROLLE – My son had a down game. No Funyuns or pudding for a week. Also not allowed to watch Lifetime movies with Claire Forlani in them. The funny thing about Rolle’s performance is that he actually looked good at times. He must made some costly mistakes that way overshadowed the good stuff. Got called for an offside penalty. Can’t have that from a LB. Got lost/picked on a pass play and left a crossing receiver wide open for a big gain. Mis-played a couple of runs that came at him. Gap integrity is crucial for good LB play. You can’t guess/take chances. Did have 3 solo tackles. Showed good speed and range in the open field. Played in the #2 Nickel as well as the base.

CHANEY – Didn’t play a lot. Was the #2 WLB and played in the Nickel. Had 1 tackle. Looked okay. Just wasn’t out there enough to stand out and show that he’s ready to push for a starting job.

JORDAN – Good game. #2 SAM. Not credited with any tackles, but did play well. Highlight moment came on a busted play. QB rolled to Jordan’s side. There was a RB/FB out there. Akeem had to decide to go get the QB or stay in coverage. He chose the third option and stayed between them. Didn’t want to let the QB lob the ball over him for a big play, but also wasn’t going to let Weeden run for 10 yds. Very smart by Jordan. Did stick with the RB as he saw a pursuing DE get close to Weeden. Jordan has had that kind of summer – smart, technically sound. He hasn’t made a ton of huge plays, but he’s reliable. He gets in the right gap on runs. He covers the right guy on pass plays. He makes smart decisions on broken plays. He’s playing like a veteran.

CLAYTON – Typical. Up and down. Had 3 tackles, TFL, and broke up a pass. Covered well. Still isn’t a good run player. Drives me nuts to see how lost he is in the box on run plays. Looks like me at a salad bar.

RAU – Good game. Really impressive showing. Had 3 solo stops. Had a TFL and a FF. That’s good stuff. Just as impressive, he was instinctive. Read his keys and flowed to the ball under control. Takes good angles when he does pursue. Easily his best game of the summer. Casey Matthews injury meant extra playing time and Rau took advantage of it in a big way. Tackled well. Ran the defense. There was a play when the coaches were slow to make the call. Rau was frustrated with them and you could see him yelling, waving his arms. He didn’t look flustered (panicky). Rau just wanted the call so he could run his D. He finally got the call, made it, and got his guys in position. That was subtle, but impressive. I don’t want to over-hype him after one game. I loved what we saw, but the Browns offense is a mess. I do think Rau opened some eyes (certainly mine). Let’s see what he does vs the Jets before we figure out what to do with him.

SIMMONS – Quiet game.

MOTEN – Quiet game.

S

JARRETT – Another solid showing. Let’s put things in perspective. JaiJar isn’t doing anything special. He’s not flying around at 100mph blowing up runners and receivers. He’s in the right spot on plays. He is assignment sound. He is playing with confidence. He no longer looks lost on plays. JaiJar had 2 tackles. Did a solid job in coverage. Highlight moment for him came on a PR. Unleashed a big hit on Josh Cribbs that caused Cribbs to take out another Brown. That was a flat out impressive play.

THOMAS – Good game. Had 3 tackles, broke up a pass. Gave up a TD when he tripped in the endzone and the ball came to his guy. Thomas is flying around and stands out when watching tape. He’s aggressive in run support. He covers pretty well. Plays fast. The PBU came on a pass into the endzone. Thomas read it well, got a good break and went up high to get a hand on the ball. That’s good stuff. Wasn’t some lucky play where the ball came right to him. Saw crossing receiver catch short pass and Thomas closed quickly, then wrapped up, and slung him to the ground forcefully. I love the way he plays. No hesitation. Aggressive, confident.

CB

BOYKIN – Good game. Had some passes come his way. Credited with 2 tackles, 1 PD. Showed very good recovery speed on crossing routes. That’s how he got his PBU. Covered well on most plays. Gets more confident each week. He’s starting to figure out the pro passing game. Played mostly in the slot. He is really pushing Joselio.

MARSH – Good game. Has really come on this summer. Eagles are mixing him in and Marsh is showing good progress. I love the fact he can be physical or turn and run. He can play left or right. Has some time in the slot. Comfortable with it all. Had 1 tackle. I don’t know that I’d want him to start anytime soon, but I’m not scared of the idea like I was back in the spring.

HUGHES – Solid game. Gave up one completion at least on a slant to his side. Had good coverage and quickly made the tackle.

C HARRIS – Made his one Eagles play, picking off a tipped pass. Didn’t play until late in the game.

LINDLEY – Shocking to say, but he is playing well and could push for a roster spot. Had a deep ball come his way, but had pretty tight coverage and the pass was incomplete. Tackled TE after short pass in his area. Looked like the knocked the ball loose, but the play was ruled over. Broke up a pass and had a pair of stops.

K THOMAS – Had 2 tackles.

BONNER – Played late. Had 1 tackle.

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ST’s

HENRY – Punted from CLE 43 and 46. One was downed deep, the other a touchback.

MCBRIAR – Pinned CLE deep with good punt from their 43.

HENERY – 2 of 3 on FGs. Short miss. McBriar was the holder, which is noteworthy because he had holding issues late in his career with Dallas. Had 2 touchbacks on KOs. Other 4 were returned.

MISC

* Damaris was 4-58 as PR with a long of 30.

* Keenan Clayton blocked a punt that set up a score. He was unblocked on the play.

* Boykin had KORs of 24 and 25 yds, nothing special. Bryce Brown had a chance in the 2nd half. Poor blocking limited him to just 20 yards.

* Mardy Gilyard had a good tackle in kick coverage. He returned a punt, but for no gain.

GAMEBOOK