With the Arizona Cardinals and Cleveland Browns playing this weekend, Browns Wire managing editor Jeff Risdon answered a few questions about the team he covers to give Cardinals fans some insight into the team Arizona faces only once every four years.
Here is what there is to know about the Browns in 2019.
What have been the returns on Freddie Kitchens as head coach and Steve Wilks as DC, both former Cardinals coaches?
Kitchens is very unpopular with Browns fans. There is definitely buyer’s remorse. The experience of handling all the things that go on around Sunday have overwhelmed Kitchens and it has stifled his creativity on offense, too.
Wilks’ star keeps rising after a bit of a rocky start. He’s shown the ability to adapt to injuries and suspensions, plugging in unproven players and putting them in position to win. It took him a little time to figure out what he had, but he’s earned a lot of credit for tying it together nicely in the recent upswing.
The Browns obviously have not lived up to some lofty expectations. What happened?
There are many reasons. Kitchens’ inability to handle the team, the drama and the expectations are probably the biggest. Bad offensive tackle play has been a big issue for the offense, right tackle Chris Hubbard in particular. There have been injuries on defense, notably to the cornerbacks. Denzel Ward hasn’t been as good in his second year as he was in his first, and Greedy Williams has disappointed as a rookie. Baker Mayfield had a bad start and the cohesiveness between the offense just hasn’t come together consistently.
What are the Browns’ greatest strengths and greatest weaknesses as a team? How do those match up with the Cardinals?
Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt and the run game is what the Browns do best. Chubb leads the NFL in rushing and he’s capable of breaking off long runs on any snap. The G-C-G combination on the line is fantastic in run blocking, too. Arizona doesn’t impress all that much on run defense so that’s a big point to watch.
As a weakness, the pass protection on the edges is terrible. Greg Robinson and Chris Hubbard are just awful, especially Hubbard. They have tried using TEs to help but they’re not much help. At times, Baker Mayfield handles it well but there are times where the pressure throws him off. The Cardinals can bring some heat off the edge and that’s probably the area where the Cardinals can steal the game.
Cardinals fans know the big names in Beckham, Landry, Chubb, Mayfield and Garrett, but who are other players who have made an impact on this season?
Joe Schobert is one of the best off-ball LBs in the league and he’s emerged as more of a playmaker this year. Sheldon Richardson has stepped up in Garrett’s absence, playing more end but also wrecking from the inside of the DL too. Rookie punter Jamie Gillan, aka the Scottish Hammer, is having an amazing season as well as being a great story.
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