When NFL commissioner Roger Goodell finally gets his way and expands the regular season to 18 games, he can cite Friday night as a prime example of why.
The Browns’ 30-28 loss to the Detroit Lions was an unwatchable debacle, even by the low standards of preseason football.
There were myriad mistakes, misplays and miscommunications, again proving exhibition games are a waste of time - and money - for all fans forced to pay full price as part of their season-ticket packages.
How bad was it? One longtime NFL official, now working as a game-day observer for the league, said he had never run out of room on his penalty/turnover/stoppage spreadsheet until Friday.
“I’m disappointed with how sloppy it was,” Cleveland coach Pat Shurmur said. “Every mistake out there, you tend to see it.
“It’s the way an NFL game goes, it’s push and pull, and give and take. Everybody is playing hard, nothing is different that way. (But) those things that beat teams showed up, and we have to get them corrected.”
That was the case for both squads, giving Shurmur and Lions counterpart Jim Schwartz plenty of film to scold their players about in the days ahead.
The annual “Great Lakes Classic” featured 26 penalties, six fumbles and only 4-of-22 successful third-down conversions. It also had a ton of points - most of them set up by turnovers and rung up by lousy defense.
“We got a couple of short fields, and when that’s the case, you have to punch them in,” said Shurmur, who kept his first-string offense on the field for 34 plays. “We did a good job there, but the efficiency, I don’t think we were quite as efficient (overall) as last week.”
There were some highlights for the home team, many courtesy of quarterback Colt McCoy, tight end Evan Moore and wide receivers Greg Little and Joshua Cribbs.
That quartet led the Browns to 21 points in the first 26 minutes, despite not having the services of starting running back Peyton Hillis, tight end Benjamin Watson or guard Eric Steinbach.
McCoy completed 10 of 18 passes for 96 yards, three touchdowns and a passer rating of 110.2, continuing his rapid growth in the new West Coast Offense.
Even more encouraging, the second-year pro wasn’t intimidated by Detroit’s scary pass rushers. McCoy absorbed - and played through - hard hits to the chest by Cliff Avril, Caleb Campbell and Stephen Tulloch, along with a cheap shot to his left knee by Quinn Pitcock.
Moore hauled in two of McCoy’s three scoring strikes before being “dinged,” while Little had the other. Cribbs chipped in two receptions and drew a 27-yard pass interference call by blowing past Nathan Vasher on a bomb down the right sideline.
“When you put up 21 points in the first half, you’re going to win a lot of football games,” McCoy said. “When we got a short field, we punched it in, which was a good thing.”
The bad, though, far outweighed the good for Cleveland, which blew a 28-13 lead in its home preseason finale.
Lions quarterbacks Matthew Stafford and Drew Stanton shredded its defense for three touchdowns and 165 yards on just 18 combined throws. The Lions outgained the Browns 407-271 and held a 6-4 advantage in scoring drives.
Cleveland guard Shawn Lauvao and safety Brett Johnson were each called for late hits, while offensive linemen Pat Murray and Brian Smith committed holding penalties on the same fourth-quarter play.
Little also spoiled his first NFL touchdown by booting the ball into the stands, but avoided a flag when the officials somehow missed seeing him do it.
Worst of all was the plight of Browns running back Armond Smith - an undrafted rookie from Union College - who ripped off an 81-yard touchdown in the third quarter to put himself in the mix for a roster spot.
Less than a half hour later, Smith had punched his ticket to the waiver wire by losing two fumbles that Detroit turned into two touchdowns.
“Those fumbles in the second half directly led to points, and those were killers,” Shurmur said. “There is a lesson in that, and we’ll clean it up.
“Fortunately, it’s the preseason, so we have time to correct it. We’ve got a lot of things to correct after tonight.”
没有评论:
发表评论