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Cleveland Browns' offense looks a lot like the Cowboys'
9:59 PM Tue, Sep 02, 2008 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz
Tim MacMahon http://www.***BANNED-URL***/blogs/images/email-icon.jpg E-mail http://www.***BANNED-URL***/blogs/images/email-icon.jpg News tips
The Cleveland Plain Dealer's Tony Grossi points out that, like the Browns, the Cowboys have a Pro Bowl quarterback who came out of nowhere, a big WR who puts up huge numbers and an awesome tight end.
And that's only the start of the similarities between the Browns' and Cowboys' offenses. It's almost eerie how similar the units are, right down to their injury concerns entering this weekend's season opener in Cleveland.
Like Tony Romo a couple seasons ago, a lot of folks around the nation were just figuring out who this Derek Anderson dude was when he boarded a plane for Hawaii to make a Pro Bowl appearance in his first season as a starter.
Romo was undrafted and spent three and a half seasons developing and waiting his turn before becoming an instant star. The Browns picked up Anderson off the waiver wire after the Ravens cut their 2005 sixth-rounder (oops!). He rode the pine for most of two seasons before taking over in Week 2 of last season, seizing the opportunity by throwing for five TDs in a shootout win over the Bengals. If you want to nitpick, they both throw too many picks.
Cleveland's Braylon Edwards' breakout season put him in T.O.'s class of receivers. Compare the stats from last season. The 6-3, 215-pound Edwards caught 80 passes for 1,216 yards and 16 TDs. T.O. (6-3, 218) had 81 catches for 1,355 yards and 15 TDs.
The Browns and Cowboys both rely on Pro Bowl tight ends as the No. 2 targets in the passing game. Jason Witten and Kellen Winslow were two of the three NFL tight ends with 1,000-yard seasons last year.
The second receivers are both loquacious fellows who had exactly 697 receiving yards last season. (Donte' Stallworth padded his stats with the Patriots last season by picking on Jacques Reeves at Texas Stadium.) Like Patrick Crayton, Stallworth's season ended with a disappointing performance in a playoff loss to the Giants.
The respective running games feature bruising backs who had a lot to prove last season. Jamal Lewis showed he still had plenty of tread on his tires, banging for 1,304 yards and nine TDs in his first season as a Brown. Marion "The Barbarian" Barber seized the starting job with a 975-yard, 10-TD campaign despite coming off the bench until the playoffs.
The Cowboys' and Browns' offensive lines both got tremendous boosts from guards who signed seven-year deals worth a little loose change less than $50 million. Leonard "Bigg" Davis shut up a lot of critics by overpowering his way to his first Pro Bowl berth. Eric Steinbach didn't go to Hawaii, but you won't hear anybody in Cleveland complaining about his contract.
Cleveland and Dallas feature elite players at left tackle, the line's most important position. Flozell Adams has gone to four of the last five Pro Bowls. Based on his pedigree and performance as a rookie, you can probably pencil in Joe Thomas for about 10 trips to the island.
Each team enters the season without a starting guard. Browns RG Rex Hadnot (knee) and Cowboys LG Kyle Kosier (foot) are out. And the Browns and Cowboys both will be missing their third and fourth receivers due to knee injuries (Dallas' Sam Hurd and Cleveland's Joe Jurevicius) and high ankle sprains (Miles Austin and Josh Cribbs).
I have no grand conclusion to all these similarities, so let's compare the teams' most significant offensive stats from last season (league ranks in parentheses).
SCORING
Cowboys - 28.4 ppg (2)
Browns - 25.1 ppg (8)
TOTAL OFFENSE
Cowboys - 365.7 ypg (3)
Browns - 351.3 ypg (7)
PASSING OFFENSE
Cowboys - 256.6 ypg (4)
Browns - 232.9 ypg (12)
RUSHING OFFENSE
Cowboys - 109.1 ypg (17)
Browns - 118.4 ypg (10)
9:59 PM Tue, Sep 02, 2008 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz
Tim MacMahon http://www.***BANNED-URL***/blogs/images/email-icon.jpg E-mail http://www.***BANNED-URL***/blogs/images/email-icon.jpg News tips
The Cleveland Plain Dealer's Tony Grossi points out that, like the Browns, the Cowboys have a Pro Bowl quarterback who came out of nowhere, a big WR who puts up huge numbers and an awesome tight end.
And that's only the start of the similarities between the Browns' and Cowboys' offenses. It's almost eerie how similar the units are, right down to their injury concerns entering this weekend's season opener in Cleveland.
Like Tony Romo a couple seasons ago, a lot of folks around the nation were just figuring out who this Derek Anderson dude was when he boarded a plane for Hawaii to make a Pro Bowl appearance in his first season as a starter.
Romo was undrafted and spent three and a half seasons developing and waiting his turn before becoming an instant star. The Browns picked up Anderson off the waiver wire after the Ravens cut their 2005 sixth-rounder (oops!). He rode the pine for most of two seasons before taking over in Week 2 of last season, seizing the opportunity by throwing for five TDs in a shootout win over the Bengals. If you want to nitpick, they both throw too many picks.
Cleveland's Braylon Edwards' breakout season put him in T.O.'s class of receivers. Compare the stats from last season. The 6-3, 215-pound Edwards caught 80 passes for 1,216 yards and 16 TDs. T.O. (6-3, 218) had 81 catches for 1,355 yards and 15 TDs.
The Browns and Cowboys both rely on Pro Bowl tight ends as the No. 2 targets in the passing game. Jason Witten and Kellen Winslow were two of the three NFL tight ends with 1,000-yard seasons last year.
The second receivers are both loquacious fellows who had exactly 697 receiving yards last season. (Donte' Stallworth padded his stats with the Patriots last season by picking on Jacques Reeves at Texas Stadium.) Like Patrick Crayton, Stallworth's season ended with a disappointing performance in a playoff loss to the Giants.
The respective running games feature bruising backs who had a lot to prove last season. Jamal Lewis showed he still had plenty of tread on his tires, banging for 1,304 yards and nine TDs in his first season as a Brown. Marion "The Barbarian" Barber seized the starting job with a 975-yard, 10-TD campaign despite coming off the bench until the playoffs.
The Cowboys' and Browns' offensive lines both got tremendous boosts from guards who signed seven-year deals worth a little loose change less than $50 million. Leonard "Bigg" Davis shut up a lot of critics by overpowering his way to his first Pro Bowl berth. Eric Steinbach didn't go to Hawaii, but you won't hear anybody in Cleveland complaining about his contract.
Cleveland and Dallas feature elite players at left tackle, the line's most important position. Flozell Adams has gone to four of the last five Pro Bowls. Based on his pedigree and performance as a rookie, you can probably pencil in Joe Thomas for about 10 trips to the island.
Each team enters the season without a starting guard. Browns RG Rex Hadnot (knee) and Cowboys LG Kyle Kosier (foot) are out. And the Browns and Cowboys both will be missing their third and fourth receivers due to knee injuries (Dallas' Sam Hurd and Cleveland's Joe Jurevicius) and high ankle sprains (Miles Austin and Josh Cribbs).
I have no grand conclusion to all these similarities, so let's compare the teams' most significant offensive stats from last season (league ranks in parentheses).
SCORING
Cowboys - 28.4 ppg (2)
Browns - 25.1 ppg (8)
TOTAL OFFENSE
Cowboys - 365.7 ypg (3)
Browns - 351.3 ypg (7)
PASSING OFFENSE
Cowboys - 256.6 ypg (4)
Browns - 232.9 ypg (12)
RUSHING OFFENSE
Cowboys - 109.1 ypg (17)
Browns - 118.4 ypg (10)
