The Browns owned up to a mistake involving quarterback Dillon Gabriel.
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The Browns owned up to a mistake involving quarterback Dillon Gabriel.
The Cleveland Browns admitted making a mistake with Dillon Gabriel during a 27-20 loss to the New York Jets that put their rookie quarterback in a bad position.
Down just one score, the Browns faced a critical fourth-and-one in the second half. But instead of running the ball with Quinshon Judkins, new offensive coordinator Tommy Rees called a pass. Gabriel had some options but was ultimately sacked for a seven-yard loss that ended the important possession.
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2 guys are open in the flat and Dillon Gabriel takes a sack on 4th down.
The Dillon Gabriel era is over. #Browns
âLook as a play caller, thereâs always things you want back,â Rees said on Thursday. âFelt like we put our guys in position to have success throughout the game and then, when you do that and you donât have success, you always look to why and what you can do during the week to help your players have that success. Thereâs going to be a handful of calls that you make that the defense won the rep, and that happens in football throughout a game.â
A reporter pointed out that Gabriel had an open option on the play, and Rees conceded again that they shouldnât have put their rookie quarterback in that situation.
âYeah, I should have run the ball,â Rees said. âI donât want to get into the specifics of the play itself. You can freeze almost any play and say, âHey, this guyâs open, this guyâs open.â I want to make sure Iâm putting our players in the right spot. I made a call, an aggressive one, it didnât work and we got to move on to the next.â
Browns: Dillon Gabriel Grading Out Fine
The Brownsâ offense showed some brief flashes of competency against the Jets. But overall, it was still a sloppy, inconsistent showing from the unit that is averaging just 16.2 points per game this season.
The results havenât been there with Gabriel, who had a few costly misses against the Jets. Still, Rees said the issues havenât stemmed from his decision-making or where his eyes are supposed to be.
âWe always grade that part of them and he grades out pretty high,â Rees said. âLook, nobodyâs going to bat a thousand. I donât bat a thousand calling it. Nobodyâs going to bat a thousand in really anything they do. But I would say he grades out where we want him. Dillonâs prep and where he is mentally for a rookie is really well beyond. Heâs mature in that way and we want to make sure that those things that are happening during the week, we go ahead and execute them on Sundays.â
Browns Working on Getting Jerry Jeudy More Involved
One of the Brownsâ objectives has been to get the ball to Jerry Jeudy more often. Jeudy was a Pro Bowler last season but entered Sundayâs matchup with just 22 catches in eight games.
While the Browns lost, they were able to get Jeudy more involved. He snagged a season-high six catches for 78 yards and his first touchdowns of the year.
âJerry does a lot of things well, and Iâll just say weâre trying to put him in a position to do those things in the right spots, in the right moments,â Rees said. âAnd, you know, we talked last week, when you get your good players going early, usually helps them throughout the game. So, Jerryâs a very talented guy whoâs worked extremely hard, and, you know, he put himself in that position to have success.â
Jeudy and the Browns face the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. Cleveland is a 9.5-point underdog for the matchup.