McMicah
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Went back and watched each offense play 5-10x to see how our big boys did. Here is my assessment:
Before I start, let me just say they schemed ALOT of naked bootlegs, misdirections, and quick throws to limit the Browns D. That limits my ability to see how they handle sustained blocks. Also some of you are going to complain that the run game wasn’t great. Well the Cleveland D is just really really good. And our ball carriers rarely broke a tackle.
Guyton - B+: That’s not a B+ in the context of his situation, it’s just a straight up B+ as a LT in the NFL…in his first game…against Myles Garrett. It wasn’t always graceful or pretty, but Guyton survived Garrett without too many scars. Garrett legitimately beat him 3x, all around the outside, once hitting prescotts arm as he threw. But he never got beat so bad that Garrett was behind him. He was always in contact, and Dak had room to climb the pocket in two of those reps. There were multiple reps where Smith handed his guy to Beebe so he could help Guyton, and he realized Guyton didn’t need help. In the run game…wow! This dude is awesome. Go watch him reach block and seal a weak side lb on the first play. He’s so fast and strong. I have no notes for him in the run game. He did have one stupid block in the back call.
Smith - A: Best Lineman. Most of the game he was given babysitting duty for Guyton, but he never let a rusher get by. Not even close. He was a wrecking ball in the run game and fun to watch. Beautiful handling of stunts
Beebe - A-: Ok an A- sounds crazy, but this guy has NEVER. PLAYED. CENTER. He had clean snaps, he got the alignments calls right on every play but maybe the all out blitz that ended in a TD to cooks. He kept the pocket clean all game, handled stunts with both Zack and Tyler beautifully, and got decent push in the run game. He also hustled his rear end off, and did a lot of the things we liked about Hoffman playing to the whistle. Get excited about this dude.
Martin - B: This will get me banned I’m sure. Martin was my lowest graded lineman, which sounds insane but that’s how he fell. He gave up the early sack to Dak, and he was on the ground a lot in this game. He still played with finesse, but there were a couple plays he just straight up took a break and if he had kept his block it would’ve sprung a much larger gain. Father Time is undefeated, so consider this the voice in the wilderness telling you guys that Martin is on the decline. I think we saw shades of this last year too.
Steele - B+: Steele also had a B originally, but got a bump at the last minute. He did give up a sack getting beat to the outside, but he played very well in the run game, showed good hustle, and handled Garrett decently when he came over. I think this might be closer to 2022 Steele than 2023 Steele
Special mentions: Leupke is so fun to watch, Ferguson had good and bad plays blocking, TEs as a unit probably grade out as a B-, Leupke as an A-
Hot take: Dowdle is just as good at pass blocking as Zeke, and is the better runner
Before I start, let me just say they schemed ALOT of naked bootlegs, misdirections, and quick throws to limit the Browns D. That limits my ability to see how they handle sustained blocks. Also some of you are going to complain that the run game wasn’t great. Well the Cleveland D is just really really good. And our ball carriers rarely broke a tackle.
Guyton - B+: That’s not a B+ in the context of his situation, it’s just a straight up B+ as a LT in the NFL…in his first game…against Myles Garrett. It wasn’t always graceful or pretty, but Guyton survived Garrett without too many scars. Garrett legitimately beat him 3x, all around the outside, once hitting prescotts arm as he threw. But he never got beat so bad that Garrett was behind him. He was always in contact, and Dak had room to climb the pocket in two of those reps. There were multiple reps where Smith handed his guy to Beebe so he could help Guyton, and he realized Guyton didn’t need help. In the run game…wow! This dude is awesome. Go watch him reach block and seal a weak side lb on the first play. He’s so fast and strong. I have no notes for him in the run game. He did have one stupid block in the back call.
Smith - A: Best Lineman. Most of the game he was given babysitting duty for Guyton, but he never let a rusher get by. Not even close. He was a wrecking ball in the run game and fun to watch. Beautiful handling of stunts
Beebe - A-: Ok an A- sounds crazy, but this guy has NEVER. PLAYED. CENTER. He had clean snaps, he got the alignments calls right on every play but maybe the all out blitz that ended in a TD to cooks. He kept the pocket clean all game, handled stunts with both Zack and Tyler beautifully, and got decent push in the run game. He also hustled his rear end off, and did a lot of the things we liked about Hoffman playing to the whistle. Get excited about this dude.
Martin - B: This will get me banned I’m sure. Martin was my lowest graded lineman, which sounds insane but that’s how he fell. He gave up the early sack to Dak, and he was on the ground a lot in this game. He still played with finesse, but there were a couple plays he just straight up took a break and if he had kept his block it would’ve sprung a much larger gain. Father Time is undefeated, so consider this the voice in the wilderness telling you guys that Martin is on the decline. I think we saw shades of this last year too.
Steele - B+: Steele also had a B originally, but got a bump at the last minute. He did give up a sack getting beat to the outside, but he played very well in the run game, showed good hustle, and handled Garrett decently when he came over. I think this might be closer to 2022 Steele than 2023 Steele
Special mentions: Leupke is so fun to watch, Ferguson had good and bad plays blocking, TEs as a unit probably grade out as a B-, Leupke as an A-
Hot take: Dowdle is just as good at pass blocking as Zeke, and is the better runner
