Tag: Olivier Vernon

Olivier Vernon tore his Achilles, will miss the postseason

Vernon had 8 sacks in the final 8 games

Monday’s medical update brought some bad news on Browns defensive end Olivier Vernon. He will be out for Sunday’s wild-card game, and potentially much longer, in Pittsburgh after tearing his Achilles tendon.

Vernon left Sunday’s win over Pittsburgh with a lower leg injury. He was on the field for several minutes and unable to put weight on his left leg as he left for the locker room with trainers.

Coach Kevin Stefanski indicated in his postgame press conference that Vernon would have an MRI on the injured ankle. The results were not positive for the veteran to get back on the field for the postseason. t

Vernon has been great over the second half of the season, bagging eight sacks and a safety in the final eight games, including one on Mason Rudolph on Sunday.

In other injury news, rookie wide receiver and punt returner Donovan Peoples-Jones suffered a concussion during the game. His status for the Sunday night wild-card game is not yet determined.

Browns PFF grades in Week 16 pass the eye test of losing to the Jets

Outside of Olivier Vernon and Sheldon Richardson, the PFF grades are deservedly low

The Pro Football Focus grades for games don’t always pass muster with the eye test. The PFF evaluators sometimes see things with different eyes than the fans or the media. It’s often neither right nor wrong, just different.

Not in Sunday’s Browns loss to the New York Jets.

The PFF game grades for Cleveland reflect the game notes and rewatch observations. In essence, Olivier Vernon, Sheldon Richardson and Joel Bitonio played well, David Njoku should have played more, Nick Harris had a terrible debut start, and Sheldrick Redwine probably shouldn’t play again.

First, the good…

Vernon and Richardson were the two highest-graded Browns on either side of the ball. Vernon earned his 88.0 overall with eight QB pressures, one sack, three tackles and impressive all-around play at end. Richardson also fared quite well at DT, posting an 81.7 grade. That was brought down by a missed TFL opportunity, but Richardson dominated the Jets aligned across from him consistently.

Bitonio was the top Dawg on offense with a 75.8. That marks the lowest “best” for the Browns offense all season, even in the dismal early-season losses to the Ravens and Steelers.

David Njoku was the only non-lineman to top 70. The tight end played just 31 snaps and was effective as both a receiver and a run blocker. His grade would have been much higher if not for a blown assignment in one of his two pass protection reps. In a game where both Austin Hooper and Harrison Bryant scored in the low 50s — a grade that feels too high for Bryant — Njoku needed more run.

Bryant wasn’t the only rookie to earn a low grade. Nick Harris bottomed out with a 50.6 in his first start at right guard. His pass-blocking grade of 28.9 brought back bad memories of Shon Coleman’s regrettable Browns era. Jets DT John Franklin-Myers dominated Harris off the snap on passing plays.

Then there’s Redwine. In just 12 snaps he earned a putrid 26.8 grade. There was some hope the second-year safety could build off a solid performance against the Giants in Week 15 but he bottomed back down to the unacceptable level of play he showed earlier in the season.

[lawrence-related id=57018]

4 quick takeaways from the Browns win over the Giants

Here are four quick takeaways from the Browns’ impressive win over the Giants.

The Cleveland Browns passed their Sunday night test in New York. The Browns defeated the Giants in a methodical 20-6 win in Week 15 to end the Sunday action.

The Browns improve to 10-4 with the win, the team’s first 10-win season since 2007. It was not a blowout but the outcome wasn’t really ever in doubt after halftime.

Here are four quick takeaways from the Browns’ impressive win over the Giants.

Giants vs. Browns: A revenge game for many

A Week 15 matchup between the New York Giants and Cleveland Browns will be a revenge game for many — probably more than you realize.

The New York Giants will be entertaining some old friends when the Cleveland Browns come to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey this Sunday night.

Additionally, the Browns are going to see some familiar faces on the other side of the ball as well.

In fact, there are quite a few cross-connections here in Week 15.

Snap count notes: Browns went big on defense in win over the Titans

Stefanski’s fingerprints were all over the snap counts on both sides of the ball

The Cleveland Browns held Derrick Henry, the NFL’s leading rusher, to just 60 yards on the ground in Sunday’s 41-35 win over the Tennessee Titans. They did so by going big on defense.

Faced with injury issues in the secondary, Cleveland DC Joe Woods opted to roll with extra defensive linemen instead of playing deeper reserves at safety. It’s reflected in the snap counts.

The starting foursome on the defensive line all played more than safety Karl Joseph, who started in place of injured Ronnie Harrison but was on the field for just 42 of the 72 defensive snaps. Reserve DE Adrian Clayborn played 40 snaps, just two fewer than Joseph. That’s behind starters Olivier Vernon (72), Sheldon Richardson (54), Myles Garrett (52) and Larry Ogunjobi (43). Rookie DT Jordan Elliott also played 23 and Vincent Taylor saw 13 reps.

B.J. Goodson played the most of any linebacker with 54 snaps, equating to 75 percent. Malcolm Smith was next at 36. No. 3 safety Sheldrick Redwine played 29.

The offense was more on course with what’s been the norm under Kevin Stefanski and Alex Van Pelt, though it’s worth noting No. 3 WR Donovan Peoples-Jones (41) out-repped No. 2 TE Harrison Bryant (39). Credit Stefanski’s smart aerial assault gameplan against the Titans defense for that peculiarity.

Running backs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt has almost an even split. Chubb played 36 of the 72 snaps, with Hunt one behind at 35. D’Ernest Johnson played two.

Ja’Marcus Bradley saw action on 11 offensive plays in his call-up duty as the No. 4 wide receiver.

Kendall Lamm played exactly one snap on offense. The reserve offensive tackle caught a touchdown pass in his one play. That’s efficiency.

It doesn’t happen often that the two teams run the exact same amount of plays, either.

5 Takeaways from the Browns Week 12 win over the Jaguars

On Baker Mayfield, the return game, the pass rush and more

https://embed.sendtonews.com/oembed/?SC=QfXHPXR12V-1053835-7498&format=json&offsetx=0&offsety=0&floatwidth=400&floatposition=bottom-right&float=on

It’s Victory Monday for Browns fans everywhere, and that is a cause for celebration. In beating the Jacksonville Jaguars, 27-25, the Browns elevated themselves to 8-3 and the top of the AFC Wild Card race after Week 12.

Yet the way the team played on Sunday in eking past a 1-10 team starting its third-string quarterback and without several regular defensive starters, it’s hard to feel celebratory about Cleveland. In that spirit, I rewatched the broadcast feed of the game on Monday morning to make sure my snap judgments on Sunday held up.

Here’s what I took away from the Browns’ win over the Jaguars.

Olivier Vernon wins AFC Defensive Player of the Week

Browns DE Olivier Vernon wins AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his 3-sack performance in Week 11

Olivier Vernon stepped up impressively in Week 11, and the Browns defensive end was duly rewarded for his efforts in Cleveland’s 22-17 win over the visiting Philadelphia Eagles.

Vernon was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his three-sack effort against the Eagles. One of those sacks of Eagles QB Carson Wentz resulted in a safety that was critical to changing the flow and momentum of the game, giving the Browns a 12-7 lead when the Cleveland offense had been struggling.

He is the second Browns player to win the honor in 2020. Myles Garrett captured the Week 4 nod. Garrett missed the Eagles game after a positive COVID-19 test, making Vernon’s performance all the more impressive.

[listicle id=55469]

Stepping up in place of Myles Garrett a common theme for the Browns defenders

Olivier Vernon, Denzel Ward, Sione Takitaki and others all stepped up to cover the hole with Garrett out due to COVID-19

One of the biggest takeaways from the Browns’ 22-17 win over the Philadelphia Eagles was how reverent the Cleveland players were to Myles Garrett after the game.

Garrett missed the game after testing positive for COVID-19 late in the week. The NFL’s sack leader was a leading contender for Defensive Player of the Year and a darkhorse MVP candidate.

Fortunately, several of his defensive brethren stepped up with big games. Olivier Vernon bagged three sacks. Denzel Ward picked off one pass, broke up four others and created a pick-six for LB Sione Takitaki with a superb QB hit on Carson Wentz.

They all talked about stepping up to replace Garrett and honor their missing cohort.

“We all missed Myles,” Vernon said after the game. “We wish he could have been out here playing. At the end of the day, everybody played as a team, made the stops when we had to and made the big plays when we had to.”

Takitaki, who was a captain for the game, praised the line for its outstanding game even without Garrett.

“We knew that Myles was going to be out and I feel like those guys are like, ‘Let’s get it going. We are going to make sure that we are going to hold our own.’ I feel like they went out today and proved it”, Takitaki said in his Zoom.

Ward focused more on the team mentality that carried the Browns to the win, but he too missed Garrett.

“Definitely looking forward to getting Myles back whenever we can. He is obviously a big addition to our team. Guys stepped up today and made plays.”

Then there’s Baker Mayfield. The quarterback offered his own flavor on the situation, dropping his weekly hip-hop quote in the process.

“Yeah, obviously that is not a one-man job to fill those shoes. I know that is probably the most cliché thing, but it is just the truth. We had a ton of guys step up. When they knew that Myles was out, they knew they had to get funky on the field, and just like an old batch of collard greens, they just played well together,” Mayfield said.

Garrett could return in Week 12 if he can clear COVID-19 protocols in time.

[lawrence-related id=55373]

Studs and Duds from the Browns win over the Eagles

Olivier Vernon and Denzel Ward highlight the Browns studs

https://embed.sendtonews.com/oembed/?SC=iQ6NFpcQRZ-1046390-7498&format=json&offsetx=0&offsety=0&floatwidth=400&floatposition=bottom-right&float=on

Cleveland scored an impressive victory over a division-leading team on Sunday. The Browns vanquished the NFC East-leading Philadelphia Eagles, 22-17, in a rainy FirstEnergy Stadium setting, improving to 7-3 in the process.

The Browns received key performances from several players in the win. There were also some unsavory performances that need to get cleaned up, as is expected in a game where style points were optional.

Here’s who stood out as studs and duds from the Browns in the Week 11 win.

Studs and duds from the Browns Week 8 loss to the Raiders

Last week it was hard to find many duds in the win over Cincinnati. This week, the “studs” column is a dairy farm with no bull.

A 16-6 loss in a windy, wintry mix isn’t what anyone in Cleveland wanted from the Browns as they enter the bye week. But that’s the cold reality of what happened on Sunday in the lethargic loss to the visiting Las Vegas Raiders.

Last week it was hard to find many duds in the win over Cincinnati. This week, the “studs” column is a dairy farm with no bull.

Here are the duds and a couple of Browns who didn’t play poorly in the Week 8 loss to Las Vegas.