Things to watch for in the Cleveland Browns 2nd preseason game.

This evening the Cleveland Browns will be going head-to-head against the Green Bay Packers in their 2nd preseason game of the year. The Browns go into the game having won their first preseason game against the Detroit Lions, but the overall performance had much to be desired by many Browns fans. It is ALWAYS important to remember to not look into the performance of the team or player performances in an extreme positive or negative way. Just because the player or the team has a bad or good outing in preseason, it does not necessarily translate into the regular season. What you want to see going forward is improvement from one week to the next. As you get set to watch the game tonight, here are some things to look for.

Brandon Weeden:

I was somewhat surprised to see that many Browns’ fans and analysts’ have already judged Brandon Weeden based on his 9 attempt performance against the Detroit Lions. Weeden went 3-9 with a QB rating of 19.0. Many have already written off Weeden based on these numbers which would be a huge mistake.

It is not uncommon for a QB to struggle in their first preseason game, especially as a rookie. Overall (other than the interception) I felt that Weeden showed maturity and poise in the pocket. When a pass wasn’t there he threw it away. For example, when the screen pass to Hardesty was not there, Weeden put the ball into the ground. Also some poor route running hurt his numbers such as the poor come-back route by Gordon who demonstrated he has quite a bit of growth to achieve before being ready for primetime. On a side note, it is important to understand that this was the first action Gordon has seen in 18 months so he is bound to be rusty. He will improve as he is brought up to speed.

Expect a more even-handed performance from Weeden against the Packers. It is possible he may even have a great night. The Packers had one of the worst passing defenses last season and come into the game against the Browns banged up. In fact the Packers were forced to cancel a practice this week due to the many injuries They have suffered since the opening of training camp. I expect that the remaining QB’s in the Browns rotation will have similar performances to what they had last week.

Travis Benjamin:

Wide receiver Travis Benjamin had an outstanding game against the Lions. He snagged a 34 yard pass from Weeden on a fade route and also had an excellent kick return.

Benjamin may have shown a glimpse of why the Browns may have selected him over former Hurricane teammate Tommy Streeter who was expected to go before
Benjamin in the Draft.

Expect Benjamin to get more playing time against the Packers due to his performance last Friday and the injury to Mo Massaquoi who will be out due to a concussion. Benjamin has that rare speed and demonstrates an excellent work ethic in camp. He is coming along quickly and may take advantage of the extra playing time.

Offensive Line:

The offensive line struggled against the Lions “wide nine” defensive attack. Specifically rookie RT Mitchell Swartz was beaten off the line often. But Schwartz is a smart player with the skills necessary to succeed. He is not likely to make the same mistakes often. Expect a great deal of improvement from him, along with the rest of the offensive line tonight.

Linebackers:

There are three fresh faces to watch at the linebacker position this year. And with both Scott Fujita’s suspension and Chris Gocong’s season ending injury, we may see one of these players on the field to start the season.

First is Browns Draft pick James-Michael Johnson? He played well in limited action against the lions and has impressed in training camp. Expect to see him a lot against Green Bay. The other two are Craig Robertson who is a second year player out of North Texas, and L.J. Fort an undrafted rookie out of Northern Iowa. Both have caught the eye of the coaching staff and both played well in the Browns preseason opener. Although Johnson will make the final 53 man roster it is not guaranteed that Robertson, or Fort wil. But if they continue to impress, they have an excellent shot of not only making the cut, but being important parts of this defense.

One person who may find themselves struggling to hold his position is veteran linebacker Kaluka Maiava. With these young players performing well, Maiava needs to step up and prove he can be effective in the NFL.

Secondary:

The Browns had a string of unfortunate injuries in the game against the Lions last Friday night including CB Dimitri Patterson. Because of the injury to Patterson expect to see more of second year player Buster Skrine who has confounded expectations since his arrival in Cleveland last year. The second is 7th round selection Trevin Wade who did very well against the Lions’ receivers. He has been impressive in camp and both he and Skrine will likely see extended playing time tonight.

Finally I expect the game to be closer than the Vegas line (Green Bay is favored -4.5). It will likely come down to the late minutes in the fourth quarter again and will likely be decided by a field goal or less. So these are just a few of the many storylines to watch for in tonight’s game. Remember not to take anyone’s performance to be an extreme on either end of the scope either good or bad.

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