CLEVELAND, Ohio -- This is a story about hope and fear.

Let's start with the good part -- the hope. The Browns hoped Robert Griffin III would perform as he did in their 24-13 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night. They are pleasantly surprised at how quickly Griffin is grabbing on to Hue Jackson's offense. The Browns are demanding he get rid of the ball faster than at any point in his career.

It gets technical, but he usually averages at least 3.0 seconds before he throws a pass. It's 2.5 in the preseason, a significant improvement to keep him from some of the hits he used to take in the pocket. They also are teaching him how to use his legs as a weapon, but don't try to be hero. Forget being tackled ... slide.

As Jackson said, "You have to be out there playing, not standing next to me. I think he's gotten the message, and he's handled it right."

Griffin had runs of 22 and 14 yards against Atlanta. He could have gained more ground. He also could have been hit hard and hauled off in a cart.

For all the praise given Mike and Kyle Shanahan when they coached Griffin to a superb 2011 season in Washington, they also exposed Griffin to taking a ridiculous beating in their read-option offense.

This is not about making Griffin a pure pocket passer. Look at Jackson's offense. Griffin sometimes is in the pocket, and often he rolls out. Both of those long runs were called by the coach. But Griffin also knew to hit the ground before the defense hit him.

"He did a good job protecting himself, something we've worked on since he's been here," said Jackson.

Griffin has connected on passes of 50 and 49 yards to Terrelle Pryor in the preseason. Talk about exceeding expectations, that's been Pryor's performance so far. It's obvious Pryor and Griffin are responding to the faith and coaching they are receiving from Jackson and his staff.

On a radio interview, I heard Pryor quoting receivers coach Al Saunders: "Coach said we're supposed to plow our own land." That means take care of your own business.

Jackson called Pryor's 50-yard TD catch "a heckuva play" and said the same about Gary Barnidge's 29-yard TD reception. He also said, "Both (passes) were where they needed to be and they went to the right people. That tells me Robert is growing."





ABOUT THE DEFENSE

Heading into training camp, the Browns knew there would be problems with a defense ranked No. 29 in points, No. 27 in yards and No. 30 against the run in 2015. Veterans Karlos Dansby, Tashaun Gipson and Donte Whitner are no longer with the team. A lot of young players have been brought in.

Here's are some of the trouble spots:

1. The run defense has been awful. Fans have been watching this for years. Opponents run right at the Browns, and not much is done to stop them. Atlanta had 78 yards rushing in the first half, mostly against the Browns' starters. For the game, it was 224 yards rushing (498 overall).

2. I'm not going to bury you with any more stats. The run defense was awful in the 17-11 opening loss to Green Bay. Quarterbacks in both games were not looking to throw with the same intensity as in the regular season.

3. In the preseason, teams tend to play basic defenses. That's why pass rushing can be iffy without using creative blitzes. But run defense is a basic. That's why the Browns are worried.

4. Jackson did have more hitting in his training camp. That's why the missed tackles have been discouraging. Jackson called it "a sore thumb."

5. Carl Nassib has been noticed for his pass rush. He had a sack, forced a fumble and batted down a pass. The rookie from Penn State has real promise. He will be important. But he is not a run stopper.

6. The coaches keep saying stopping the run falls on far more people than tackle Danny Shelton. That's true. But I wish the 2015 first-rounder made more of an impact.

7. Derrick Kindred had some nice moments at safety. I like the rookie from TCU. I also like projected starters Jordan Poyer and Ibraheim Campbell. I don't know enough about Horton's defensive schemes to guess if they are also to be faulted vs. the run.

ABOUT THE FIRST ROUNDERS

Haunting the Browns are two huge swing-and-misses at the top of the draft:

1. Barkevious Mingo was the No. 6 pick in 2013. He's had injuries and trouble making the switch from a thin 4-3 defensive end at LSU to 3-4 outside linebacker in the NFL.

2. Now, Mingo is fighting for a spot on the roster. He is playing some inside linebacker. He does seem to be effective on special teams. But it's clear this coaching staff is not sure where to play him in his fourth season.

3. Justin Gilbert was the No. 8 pick in 2014. I thought Gilbert was awful against Atlanta, missing some tackles and generally looking timid. Remember Jackson rarely says anything negative about a player. But he said this about the corner: "He didn't play as well as Justin can play. He'll continue to work in practice and clean up some of the things he needs to get better at."

4. It's too early to sound the alarm about Shelton, but I'd like to see more. Shelton was the No. 12 pick in 2015. So the Browns used the sixth, eighth and 12th picks three years in row on defense. Only Shelton is likely to start. The other two are fighting for roster spots. That's a big reason the defense has problems.

5. Here's who played the most snaps on defense: Emmanuel Ogbah (49), Tracy Howard (46), Nassib (43), Gilbert (39), Kindred (34), Dominique Alexander (34) and Shelton (29).

6. Other than Nassib, inside linebacker Chris Kirksey looked good. For being on the field for 39 snaps, Ogbah (1 tackle) didn't show much. He was much better in the opener against Green Bay.

7. To be fair, it's obvious the Browns are sorting through a lot of players. Most are extremely young. But just as there are real reasons to be encouraged by Griffin, Pryor and the offense, the defense is a mess right now.

ABOUT THE BROWNS

1. Jackson wanted to get his running game into gear, and the Browns ran for 102 yards in 20 carries. That's a healthy 5.1 average. Griffin led the way with 36 yards. Isaiah Crowell (28 yards, seven carries) and Terrell Watson (28 yards, four carries) both had some strong runs. I really do like Watson and expect him to make the team.

2. Alex Mack was in town with Atlanta. I still hear reports of how the Browns "allowed" him to leave, etc. Mack was headed out the door. He had the option to leave in his contract. The veteran center had been here since 2009 and was worn down by all the losing and coaching changes. I don't fault him. But I also don't believe the new regime had any chance of keeping him.

3. Cameron Erving had a much better blocking day than in the opener in Green Bay. But he had a horrible snap over Griffin's head. He also had a few other shotgun snaps that sailed high, but were snared.

4. Erving has to get his long snapping under control. A lot of Jackson's offense is run from the shotgun, so Erving simply has to improve or he won't keep his job.