Tag: Martin Emerson

All-22 review: Jaguars’ concerning red zone sequence vs. Browns

All-22 review: Jaguars’ concerning red zone sequence vs. Browns

The Jacksonville Jaguars have started the season winless following this past weekend’s defeat to Cleveland at home, 18-13. 

This was yet another game where the Jaguars had opportunities to score but failed to produce.

One painful sequence stood out from the game: a goal-to-go situation late in the first half, during which Jacksonville had to take two timeouts and settled for a field goal due to a mix of communication issues and poor execution. 

Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson and quarterback Trevor Lawrence addressed these issues in their respective post-game press conferences. Pederson pointed to situational awareness with the play clock running down.

“It can’t happen. It just can’t happen,” Pederson said.

Lawrence pointed out the team’s red-zone struggles as the Jaguars scored touchdowns on one-of-four trips inside the 20-yard line, noting some key plays from that key first-half drive and that they must do better in these situations.

“It’s just little details. We were in the red zone twice close, inside the 5-yard line and didn’t score,” said Lawrence, who completed just 14 of 30 pass attempts for 214 yards. “You can’t do that in this league. You’ve got to take advantage of those opportunities.”

Jaguars Wire took a closer look at what happened in this specific goal-to-go sequence and how it displays bigger problems for Jacksonville’s offense, a combination of mixed assignments and head-scratching decisions by personnel and coaching alike. 

What led the Jaguars to goal-to-go 


To set the scene, it was the second quarter of the game with the Browns up 10-0 following a field goal on their previous drive. The Jaguars took possession with 9:52 left in the first half.

This drive began with a play-action to draw Cleveland’s linebackers to the line of scrimmage and get Jacksonville tight end Brenton Strange open on a deep backside post. The route concept worked. 

However, wide receiver Gabe Davis was forced to block defensive end Za’Darius Smith and predictably got beat on the edge, forcing Lawrence to bail on Strange and complete a negative check-down play to Christian Kirk.

Jacksonville proceeded to pick up positive yardage on its next four plays: A 10-yard pass to Davis, a three-yard 3rd and 1 rush by running back Travis Etienne Jr., a 20-yard follow-up scamper by Etienne, and a three-yard run by running back D’Ernest Johnson.

Then another negative play occurred. As JP Acosta of SB Nation pointed out, this was a single-back stick concept that nearly turned into a disaster for Lawrence. Cleveland cornerback Martin Emerson almost secured the interception but dropped it while falling to the ground. 

The pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage by linebacker Jordan Hicks. Still, it was on a line toward rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr., who needed to turn his head around quicker given how quickly the throw left Lawrence’s hand. This play was designed to create an easy third-down situation, and it nearly turned into a turnover.

Facing 3rd and 7 at Cleveland’s 35-yard line, Lawrence took off for a 33-yard gain to give Jacksonville first and goal at the two, marking one of the Jaguars’ biggest plays of the game. 

The field goal that should never have happened

The following three-play sequence encapsulates the issues Jacksonville currently faces offensively.

Before a first and goal run, Pederson is forced to call timeout due to the play clock running down, the first discombobulating domino to fall as the Jaguars were within five yards of the goal line. Lawrence took the blame for it.

‘The clock was rolling and it was after a big play. We didn’t have the urgency getting out of the huddle, getting up to the line and seeing the play clock,” Lawrence explained. “I own that one, and we took the first time-out.”

On first and goal, Jacksonville came out with 12 personnel – two tight ends, two wide receivers and one running back – and motioned Thomas right to left before the snap. 

The play-call was a dive between the tackles against an eight-man box. Center Mitch Morse did not climb to the second level to block Browns linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, while left guard Ezra Cleveland only brushed him on his combo block.

Owusu-Koramoah filled the A-gap and recorded a tackle for loss on Etienne.

The next play is an example of a lack of executing assignments by one or multiple players, something that has plagued the team throughout the Pederson era, especially since the Jaguars began a 1-7 slide in Week 13 of last season. 

The Jaguars came out of the empty shotgun with 11 personnel – one running back, one tight end and three wide receivers. Lawrence discussed this specific play when asked about the red-zone issues Sunday afternoon.

“You look back at the drive earlier in the first half [when] we had the two time-outs … I think I missed Brian who was open, and then after that had to scramble,” Lawrence said.

It is good to see the franchise quarterback admit a mistake on a specific play like this. However, it did not help that his offense played from that specific formation in this area of the field, an empty look without additional blocking help.

While the play design and execution were good to start, Lawrence bailed from the pocket as he anticipated but did not necessarily face pressure, resulting in another missed opportunity for the Jaguars. 

Then, before third and goal, the Jaguars burned another timeout to avoid a delay of game penalty, a clear indication of poor communication which Lawrence verified post-game.

“It’s just communication. We’re getting in, getting in late, we’re trying to figure it out,” Lawrence said. “Obviously [tight end] Evan [Engram] went down today before the game, so some things changed, but it doesn’t matter. There’s no excuses. You’ve got to perform and you’ve got to be able to adjust.”

On third and goal after the timeout, the offense once again came out of 11 personnel. The formation is trips left with Thomas motioning left to right pre-snap to create doubles. 

Thomas and Strange run a bench concept to the right, while Davis and Kirk run crossers from the left. The issue here is that the play has Johnson chipping before running a delayed angle route to work from the right side of the field to the left.

As you can see above, there are no open receivers against the Browns’ Cover 1-hole defense, forcing Lawrence to attempt a tight window throw while Davis was not looking, which ended up behind the receiver and fell into the turf.

The initial pressure forced Lawrence to take an extra hitch and navigate the pocket, potentially delaying the pass’ delivery.

If anything, this is not an ideal play selection in this situation against this coverage, especially in a condensed field zone and against a Browns defense that is known for shutting down quality offenses.

After starting the sequence two yards from the goal line, the Jaguars settled for three points, four yards removed from the plane.

What to make of the goal-line sequence

This sequence and overall drive displayed a key element that Jacksonville is missing: An offensive identity. 

It has been difficult to decipher what the Jaguars’ offense is supposed to be or what they want to lean on through two games. Jacksonville’s apparent lack of vision for its offense is costing the club games, and casting a shadow over the strong performance of its defense to start the season.

Inconsistent play-calling and play choices in critical situations have been detrimental, whether it be on goal-to-go, third downs or even early downs. The Jaguars have also abandoned their successful under-center play-action passing game at times.

There are communication issues, missed assignments and a lack of discipline displayed on tape on numerous occasions dating back to last season.

Each factor was apparent in Jacksonville’s biggest missed opportunity against Cleveland, the above drive. 

The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell: Inside the NFL’s press coverage revolution

In this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” the guys get deep into a new press coverage revolution in today’s NFL.

Over the last few seasons in the NFL, a lot of coaches and executives have tailored their defensive schemes in one specific fashion — an increase in press coverage from their cornerbacks. Not only the old-school aggressive press-man coverage we all know, but also mirror-match press man coverage, where a cornerback trails the receiver through his route as the route is declared.

Why? Because NFL offenses have found all kinds of ways to beat the old Seattle Cover-3 stuff from a decade ago with 3×1 and 2×2 receiver sets, and the route concepts inherent in those deployments. Now, if you’re rolling out that “Country Cover-3,” your defense is going to be in trouble.

There’s also the element of quick game in the league, which has increased in recent years. When the quarterback is throwing out of zero- to three-step drops, there are times when edge defenders simply don’t have time to get to the quarterback before the ball comes out. So, logic dictates that if you can’t disrupt the quarterback in the timing of the down, you need to disrupt the timing of the receivers’ routes, forcing the quarterback to delay his reads and throws, and giving those pass-rushers that extra split millisecond to get home.

In this week’s edition of “The Xs and Os,” Greg Cosell of NFL Films and ESPN’s NFL Matchup, and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire and the USA Today Sports Media Group, investigate the NFL’s changes in press coverage, and the players who do it the best, including...

  • L’Jarius Sneed of the Titans;
  • A.J. Terrell of the Falcons;
  • Martin Emerson Jr. of the Browns;
  • Patrick Surtain Jr. of the Broncos;
  • Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner of the Jets; and
  • Joey Porter Jr. of the Steelers.

You can watch this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell” right here:

You can also listen and subscribe to the “Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…

…and on Apple Podcasts.

Anatomy of a Play: How Matthew Stafford’s vision led to Puka Nacua’s 70-yard touchdown

Matthew Stafford’s 70-yard touchdown pass to Puka Nacua against the Browns was a result of Stafford’s football genius, and Sean McVay’s belief.

The Los Angeles Rams, who went into their Week 10 bye with a 3-6 record, have won their last three games since then, and quite out of nowhere, are currently second in the NFC West, and are currently eighth in the NFC playoff race. It’s a new iteration of the offense orchestrated by head coach Sean McVay and personified by quarterback Matthew Stafford, and last Sunday, these Rams blew out the Cleveland Browns’ outstanding defense with 399 total yards in a 36-19 win. Stafford completed 22 of 37 passes for 379 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 110.1.

The most explosive play for the Rams in that game was Stafford’s 70-yard touchdown pass to receiver Puka Nacua with 4:08 left in the first quarter. As impressive as the play was (we’ll get to that in a moment), the interesting was how it came about because McVay and Stafford collaborated on a certain look they expected to see from Cleveland’s defense.

“That’s a check that he ended up making up where I’m saying, ‘Shoot, what the heck am I supposed to do? You know, you’re playing quarterback and you’re doing our job,'” McVay said of his quarterback. “But it just goes to show you what a special player he is to be able to say, ‘Hey if we get a certain look and I recognize it, how would this be to try to attack the back end of the coverage contour and what protection?’ And I’m sitting there saying, ‘That’s a pretty good idea. I should have thought of that earlier in the week.’ And he made it come to life. And then Puka being able to finish for a 70-yard touchdown was big early in the game. But Matthew’s a baller. He had another great game, and he’s going to continue to play really well for us.”

When Stafford was queried about the play, there was only so much he was willing to disclose.

“Can’t give away my secrets,” he said. “No, but that was something actually that we had talked about, Sean and I had talked about. I kind of wanted to try to get to something like that if I could feel that one coming and was able to bounce out back into the shotgun. Obviously, Puka did a great job of kind of late hands[ing] that thing, not letting the linebacker know the ball was coming and then finishing it off with the touchdown was huge, big momentum play. A team like that that’s holding teams to 100 and whatever it is, 15, 20 yards passing, anytime you can get 70 in one play is a huge one. It was great to get that one done.”

Here’s the play, and let’s get into how it may have popped open.

The Rams were in a 3×1 set with tight end Tyler Higbee to the right formation, Nacua in the slot, and Cooper Kupp wide. Nacua flew into his seam route off the snap, and caught the ball 21 yards downfield while linebacker Sione Takitaki tried to keep pace. Takitaki didn’t do a horrible job here, but Stafford made one his patented ridiculous Matthew Stafford throws, and that was that.

Now, I don’t know exactly what the check was here — what the look Stafford saw was — and I probably wouldn’t unless I talked to either McVay or Stafford with a bottle of truth serum handy. But there’s one thing to know about Jim Schwartz’s Browns defense — Schwartz likes to send defensive backs in blitzes from either side, and he did so on this play. Safety Juan Thornhill blitzed from the play side, and safety Grant Delpit did so from the other side. The Browns had inverted Cover-2 on the back end, with cornerbacks acting as the deep defenders.

Stafford saw something similar with 9:20 left in the first quarter. The 3×1 motion was to the other side after receiver Tutu Atwell motioned to it, but you’ll notice that Delpit and cornerback Martin Emerson were blitzing from each side. Notice also that with this defensive look, linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah was responsible for extending out as the flat defender to the offensive right side. Stafford still got the ball to Nacua on that side.

My guess is that when Stafford saw a defensive back in a blitz look again, he took note and recognized that the underneath defender to that side — whoever was playing linebacker depth — would have to take the flat right away. On the 70-yard pass, the responsibilities changed because it was a 3×1 to the right side. Now, Emerson was responsible for the flat, and Takitaki had to take Nacua wherever he went. Which was exactly what happened, with cornerback Kahlef Hailassie giving help up top. And that gave Nacua the room for his release.

It’s always nice when your quarterback has a rocket arm; it’s even better when he’s also a rocket scientist. Stafford’s vision of what Cleveland’s defense would do, and McVay’s trust in Stafford’s football intelligence, set up the most explosive play of the day for the resurging Rams.

6 Browns who are having Pro Bowl seasons at the midway point

The Cleveland Browns could send more players to the Pro Bowl this season than this past season.

The Cleveland Browns sent just four players to the Pro Bowl this past season and have a chance to send a few more after this season ends.

While areas of the team have yet to fully break out, there are a few positions where the Browns clearly have some of the best talent in the NFL – particularly on defense. There are still a lot of games left in the season, but so far these players are the Browns’ best opportunities to have representation in the Pro Bowl.

Here are the top five predictions, plus one honorable mention.

Second-Year Review: Analyzing the Cleveland Browns’ 2022 NFL draft class

Martin Emerson Jr. headlined the 2022 NFL draft for the Browns. But how is the class as a whole doing just over a year in?

The bye week offers teams a chance for introspection, free from the looming presence of impending opponents. Self-scouting is pivotal to teams as they assess their weaknesses and tendencies, especially during the bye week. The Cleveland Browns desperately needed to do it, especially with injuries to their offensive stars Nick Chubb and Deshaun Watson. It’s also a good time for fans and media members to look at the bigger picture. I thought I’d spend this time looking at the Browns’ 2022 NFL draft class, headlined by cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. 

The Browns are becoming a real football team. In years past, we as fans, would be assessing a rookie class where half of the players would be forced into starting roles. The Browns are still performing a baptism by fire with 4th-round rookie Dawand Jones, who is playing fantastic. However, most rookies are sitting on the bench and learning how to be professionals. Successful teams always boast of developing four-year plans for their drafted players.

The Browns are finally establishing themselves as a real organization with a slow and deliberate onboarding of their young players. Only three players in the Browns’ 2022 draft class are playing significant snaps currently.

Let’s take a look at how that draft class is doing one year in at the bye week.

Studs and Duds: Stars shine brightly in Browns win over Titans

The Cleveland Browns stars shined bright in this installment of studs and duds.

The Cleveland Browns showed their resilience as the defense, led by defensive end Myles Garrett, dominated the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. Last week, the Browns’ season seemed lost after the Nick Chubb injury, but today the team is riding high off a 27-3 win. The offense had a hard time getting started but found its footing in the second quarter.

Deshaun Watson looked accurate and in rhythm for the first time in a Browns uniform. He had the offense humming both through the air and on the ground. In some respects, he finally looked like the player the Browns sacrificed so much for. The Browns will need to keep Watson confident to build upon the recent success. Watson still has streaks of reckless plays when trying to play hero ball.

His attempt to avoid a sack by throwing a backward pass to Elijah Moore was one of the dumbest things I’ve seen a Browns quarterback do during a game. The Browns cannot have their quarterback lose composure like that again.

On defense, the Browns continued to lock down opposing offenses. The Titans scored 3 points but had the most sustained success of any of the Browns’ opponents. The Titans were able to get into the red zone multiple times on Sunday. The Browns had not given up a red zone possession before the game. So while the Titans left the field with only three points, that’s more points than the Bengals or Steelers got from the red zone. The Browns’ defense has been outstanding to start the season.

Every week they make up the majority of the stud list, and this week is no different. The stars on this team are playing like stars.

PFF’s 10 highest-graded Browns defenders against the Commanders

Who stood out the most according to PFF on defense for the Browns?

The second preseason game is in the books as the Cleveland Browns fell to the Washington Commanders 17-15 on Friday night in Cleveland. The starters that did play showed why fans are excited for the upcoming season. Overall the defense showed up both from a starter standpoint and some of the young depth pieces that saw playing time.

The biggest standout from the defensive side was undrafted free-agent safety Ronnie Hickman Jr. He received the highest grade on the defensive side from PFF. All in all the top 11 graded players on the defensive side received a grade of 70 overall or higher, here are the top 10 graded defenders for the Browns.

Martin Emerson Jr. tagged as breakout candidate by ESPN’s Bill Barnwell

Barnwell believes the second year player could take another step forward

There were plenty that were surprised last year when Andrew Berry and the Cleveland Browns selected cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. as their top pick in 2022. But that surprise didn’t last long as Emerson Jr. was thrust into the starting lineup early due in part to injuries and he never looked overwhelmed.

Now ESPN’s Bill Barnwell believes Emerson Jr. can take another step forward in 2023.

“Most notably [Emerson] limited Mike Evans to 31 yards on nine targets in a November victory over the Buccaneers. He finished the season with a 77.6 passer rating allowed in coverage.”

Emerson Jr. is such a physical player that he thrives against bigger-bodied wide receivers like Mike Evans. He has had a good showing in training camp so far as well and with the addition of Jim Schwartz, Emerson Jr. is poised to break out in 2023.

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Cornerback Martin Emerson named Browns breakout candidate by PFF

Will Emerson be able to build off a strong rookie campaign?

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There was some surprise when the Cleveland Browns used their first pick in last year’s draft on another cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. The move turned out to be a wise one as Emerson impressed during his rookie season with his strength and physicality in man coverage.

PFF released their breakout candidates for the AFC and Martin Emerson earned the nod for Cleveland.

“Another rookie cornerback, Emerson played a significant role for the Browns all season, as he finished the year with the seventh-most snaps among first-year cornerbacks. And he also quietly put together an impressive season. He earned a 72.5 PFF grade, which ranked 23rd among cornerbacks, and he forced an incompletion on 20% of the passes into his coverage, the ninth-best rate at the position.”

The AFC is loaded with great quarterbacks and passing attacks and the Browns will need Emerson and the rest of the defensive backs to be up to the challenge in 2023. The team has shown us with their moves that they believe they are Super Bowl contenders this year and Emerson will need to play great to help make that happen.

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How did the Browns’ rookies grade in Year 1?

A look back at the 2022 Browns rookie class.

After trading back and trading multiple picks to Houston for Deshaun Watson the Cleveland Browns ended up picking nine players in the 2022 NFL Draft. Fans were surprised when the team traded out of the second round completely and shocked when they decided to take corner Martin Emerson with their first pick.

Around the NFL writer Nick Shook released his grades for all of the AFC North’s rookie classes. Overall Shook graded the 2022 class for the Browns as a C plus. Let’s look over Shook’s grade and his comments as well as some thoughts of my own about the rookie class. This class takes a step forward in 2023 and will be important if the team wants to make the playoffs.