BEREA -- This will be Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel's first start at Huntington Bank Field after playing in London and at Pittsburgh. Gabriel said he is looking forward to his first start at home.
"I am. I'm excited," Gabriel said. "It'll be a lot of fun to start at home and excited to be back here. It'll be fun."
However, the expected weather conditions might not be conducive to any quarterback throwing the ball. The predicted forecast in Cleveland for Sunday is nearly a 100 percent chance of rain with winds blowing between 25-30 miles per hour.
Last week, Gabriel dropped back to pass 58 times, completing 29-of-52 for 221 yards and a rating of 66.3. Gabriel was sacked six times and pressured 16 more times. The Browns chose to run the ball just 17 times.
The recipe for success is likely to be flipping the script and rushing the ball, rather than throwing it a lot, if the conditions are bad. The Dolphins are currently last in the NFL in rushing defense, giving up 168.2 yards a game on the road. Overall, the Dolphins defense is 30th, giving up 389.3 yards a game.
Gabriel is 0-2 since taking over as the starter, losing in London to the Vikings and against the Steelers in Pittsburgh. The Browns have scored a total of 26 points in his starts, dropping to last in the NFL with a 13.7 average. Gabriel is 48-for-85 (56.5 percent) for 411 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions, eight sacks and a 77.1 passer rating in those two starts.
Dillon Gabriel
Dillon Gabriel (Photo: Getty)
Overall, Gabriel is 51-of-89 for 430 yards (57.3 pct.) with three touchdowns and no interceptions. He has been sacked eight times and has a rating of 81.2.
Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees said he thought Gabriel showed progress in his second start.
"There were positive plays, maneuvering in the pocket and being tough in the pocket," Rees said. "Seeing Dillon's toughness really showed through, like it got into a tough circumstance there when you play that team and get behind. You don't want to make it a one, dimensional game.
"It's a tough spot to be put in," he said. "I thought he hung in there, delivered the ball, other misses. I think pressure obviously, can contribute to some of those things, we had a couple of opportunities there. We had a couple of balls that we just didn't connect on."