CLEVELAND, OHIO (TheOBR.com) - Good morning, Cleveland Browns fans! Friday has finally dawned, and we prepare ourselves for the inevitability of having to wake up early to watch the 9:30AM kick between the Cleveland Browns and Minnesota Vikings, an erstwhile Cleveland Browns home game with a long commute.
Thankfully, we can all adjust our schedules to support the NFL's ambitious goal of becoming an international sport. I'm sure that losing a home game and being bleary-eyed as the Browns play is considered by all to be a small price to pay if the result is that the NFL makes even more money through overseas expansion. Yay, maximizing profits! Yay, Roger Goodell!
Sigh. Alright, enough complaining from me. I really prefer 1PM starts because it gives me a chance to nap between bloviating and sitting on my butt watching football. I have to recharge between strenuous bouts of sitting.
THE DAILY BLOVIATION
First among many subplots involving the Sunday game is the fact that the Browns are starting a new rookie quarterback. The NFL is a league built around its star quarterbacks, so this latest adventure is dominating the storylines this morning.
Adding to the everyday concerns surrounding the start of a new quarterback with minimal NFL experience is the nature of the defense he will be facing. Brian Flores runs a very complex defense, full of pre-snap disguises and other traps for young quarterbacks to fall into. He will be merciless, but the Browns are confident in Gabriel's ability to "process" and execute this offense. His mobility and quick release will help him navigate an unknown situation at the tackle position.
However, that quick release must be smart. What Flores is showing the quarterback pre-snap may not actually be what the quarterback is dealing with.
The Browns' starting offensive tackles may be experienced veterans Cam Robinson and Jack Conklin. They might be Cornelius Lucas and Thayer Munford. The Browns are certainly not giving away their plans as they try to get Robinson ready to help and go "day-to-day" with Jack Conklin. Either way, Gabriel will have to be prepared to adapt as Flores tries to lure him into mistakes.
Likewise, for Carson Wentz, his offensive line is a mess, with right tackle Brian O'Neill (knee), center Ryan Kelly (concussion), and left guard Donovan Jackson (wrist) all likely to be out. The situation is even worse than that for the Vikes, because backup center Michael Jurgens is struggling with a hamstring. All these points lead to the conclusion that the Browns' ferocious pass rush will make Carson Wentz's life absolutely horrible on Sunday morning.
Exacerbating the Vikings' challenge is that it will be tough for them to rely on the running game to blunt the Browns' pass rush. The Browns have been devastating against the run this year. According to the NFL, as relayed by the Associated Press, the Browns have hit opposing ball carriers 62.5% of the time before they reach the line of scrimmage. Through four games, it's been nearly a decade (2017) since an NFL team has achieved that sort of run-defense success.
That's why, to me, the game will turn on the play of the Cleveland Browns' cornerbacks, particularly Myles Harden and Denzel Ward.
Without adequate time to allow deep plays to develop for Wentz, and facing a shut-down rush defense, the Vikings will likely be forced to rely on a short, quick-release passing game to have much luck against the Browns. To my small brain, this usually means that a priority will be placed on disrupting the Vikings' timing on pass plays and creating momentary hesitation for Wentz.
Beyond blitzing, this would generally mean some press coverage at the line of scrimmage to screw up the receiver's timing and playing linebackers and/or safeties in the flats so that Wentz might hesitate to throw to his receivers. All of which gives the Browns' rushers a little more time to reach the quarterback. Slot corner Myles Harden needs to maintain the level of play he achieved last week against primarily Jalen Nailor and (on occasion) Adam Thielen.
Justin Jefferson
Vikings WR Justin Jefferson (Photo: Getty)
This all means that Vikings WR Justin Jefferson is that much more of a threat downfield if the rush doesn't reach Wentz. Jefferson didn't get the yardage commonly associated with him during the first three games of the year, but he caught ten passes for 126 yards last week against Pittsburgh (another team with a halfway decent pass rush). Denzel Ward will likely have the lion's share of match-ups against Jefferson, and this contest will have a significant impact on the outcome of what's likely to be a low-scoring game. Watch for Jefferson to line up inside on key passing plays.
There are a lot of moving parts at work this weekend when Minnesota's offense is on the field against the Browns' defense. The Browns' defensive backfield will need to communicate exceptionally well and avoid issues similar to the ones they experienced last year against the Chargers. One single broken play could make the difference in this one.
Have a good one! GO BROWNS!
Newswire Bloviation Archive
OBR Daily News Ticker
OBR BROWNS GOODIES
BROWNS VIDEOS
Browns 3D- Cleveland Browns' Carson Schwesinger and other rookies getting the national love - (youtube.com)
BROWNS ARTICLES
How Cleveland Browns Coaching Staff Can Best Position Dillon Gabriel for Success - Pete
The Cleveland Browns Young Core Can Set Them Up For Success - Jack
Cleveland Browns News and Rumors 10/2: No. No Mimes. Please Stop. - Barry
Cleveland Browns Quarter-Season 2026 NFL Mock Draft and Players to Watch - Sam
Cleveland Browns Joe Flacco Accuracy Charting Week 4 Update: Why The Browns Switched to Dillon Gabriel - Sam
PFF Report Card Grades and Data from the Cleveland Browns Week 4 Loss to the Detroit Lions - Sam
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Conklin
Jack, your Insiders article
Mike Hall Jr: Throw us a bone, please
What if Gabriel is Good, but not Great...
THE WATERCOOLER
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Thursday Night Football
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LiveWire Thread for 102 - Twitter, Video, Articles
Joe Flacco 33rd in RTG, Cam Ward 32nd.
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THE LIFT
Positive news from the world of sports and beyond...
'The metal detector has gone off': Perseverance rover's find is a shiny new clue in the search for life… - (space.com)
After Kentucky schools banned phones, students checked out more library books - (goodgoodgood.co)
NASA's Artemis 2 Astronauts Say They're Fully Ready for Historic Flight to the Moon - (goodnewsnetwork.org)
Man's Best Friend Recognized as Dog of the Year For Saving Him from a Bear Attack - (goodnewsnetwork.org)
I can only imagine what life must be like for junior high and high school students in this era of smartphones and social networks. The usual social pressures and associated nastiness must be turned up to eleven for today's youngsters. That is why I'm not steadfastly against schools banning phones from usage during school hours. It turns out that there's a side benefit as well - kids read more. Reading books is a good thing, even if you have to use old-fashioned "paper", which is how books used to be delivered. I actually held some of these in my hands when I was younger. Amazing, but true.
WRAPPING UP
When not inspiring mime hatred, Barry McBride is the Publisher and Founder of the OBR and bloviates this nonsense every morning. You can follow him on Twitter @barrymcbride or write him at barry@theobr.com if you are so compelled.
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