The Cleveland Browns could not continue their winning ways last week as they dropped a game to the Detroit Lions.
It was another rough day for the offense, one that led head coach Kevin Stefanski to make
the switch this week and name rookie Dillon Gabriel as the starter for Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings in London.
Gabriel could have a new left tackle in front of him if Cam Robinson is up to speed after being acquired this week in a trade with the Houston Texans. Gabriel will also have at least one new wide receiver to throw to after Cedric Tillman was placed on the injured reserve list with a hamstring injury.
As for the Vikings, they are coming off a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Dublin, Ireland, and are in the second week of a two-week international visit.
Minnesota looks prepared to start Carson Wentz at quarterback for the second consecutive week, which, coupled with some lingering injuries along the offensive line, could mean that Cleveland’s defense is in for another big day.
On Thursday, Cleveland’s coordinators held their weekly meeting with the press, and here are the key takeaways from what they had to say about the upcoming game against the Vikings.
Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz
While the defense has to do its job no matter who is playing for the Browns, Schwartz still believes the defense can take some of the pressure off Gabriel by doing what they do best:
“I mean, number one, we have to take care of our business, and we have to try to be the best versions of ourselves and not worry about all those other things. But there is a responsibility that goes along with starting a rookie quarterback. It’s up to us to get stops and keep them in position so that he doesn’t feel the need to do too much. Last thing you wanna do with a rookie quarterback is put him in a situation where he’s got to score every time he has the ball, then you’re going to see mistakes.
“So, if we do our part, then that can help but our part is trying to be us, trying to get stops, trying to take the ball away, you know tackle fundamentals, all those things.”
Even though Wentz is no one’s idea of a starting quarterback, Schwartz said the Vikings still have playmakers on offense that the Browns need to be aware of:
“You know, getting (Jordan) Addison back last week really helped them. Obviously (Justin) Jefferson, but (TJ) Hockenson, and you know, I mean (Jordan) Mason’s a good running back. So even though they’ve had some injuries, they still have a lot of talented guys, and you know, he does a pretty good job of getting the ball in those playmakers’ hands, and you know, we’ll have to play our best to come out with a win.”
Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees
With Gabriel being a left-handed quarterback, the Browns may have to flip some things around, but ultimately it may not be a big deal, according to Rees:
“You’re so used to right-handed guys, you even think like, ‘all right, we want this going right’. So, you have to flip your mind a little bit on certain calls and certain things. But we do train our guys to have to do a keeper left, do a keeper right. Do some things that you typically wouldn’t ask a righty to do; we are going to ask him to do that, so you don’t limit what the playbook entails.
So, for Dillon, he’s done all these things. Are there certain things here and there that you got to maybe think about? Sure. But it really doesn’t change a lot in what you’re doing.”
Minnesota’s defense presents a challenge to any quarterback, let alone a rookie making his first NFL start. But the Browns need to focus on the game plan, according to Rees:
“(Minnesota defensive coordinator Brian Flores) does a great job, as everybody knows. Presents a lot of challenges, is very diverse in his scheme, likes to pressure, likes to create havoc, likes to turn the ball over. That’s kind of how he’s made his made his hay here, but he does that versus everyone, right?
“So we just got to focus on our game plan, focus on the tools that we’re giving the quarterback to handle some of those things and allow him to go out there and play fast. We don’t want to slow him down by trying to analyze everything, want him to go out there and be able to play fast and play confident.”
Special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone
Cleveland had another breakdown on special teams against the Lions as they allowed Kalif Raymond to return a punt 65 yards for a touchdown. It appeared that Cleveland defenders let up because they believed the kick had gone out of bounds, which is something that can’t happen, according to Ventrone:
“Honestly, like as a coach, it’s disappointing to see that effort on the play. Grant (Delpit) clearly felt like the ball went out of bounds. He stopped really early in the play, you could hear the crowd, kind of like an uproar. The ball was hit very close to the sideline, no excuse at all to stop on the play though. We got to finish that, and he understands that.”
Kick returner DeAndre Carter was put on the injured list this week with a knee injury, which leaves Ventrone looking for the right combination of returners to use on kickoffs and punts:
“Isaiah Bond is definitely an option (as a punt returner). I think he’s starting to track the ball better, and he’s been catching the ball both off the jugs and off a live foot consistently since he’s been here. So, he works at it, he’s a very hard worker, he’s a smart kid, and obviously has a very good skill set relative to his speed. So, when he gets the ball, he can be dangerous.
“(On kickoffs), we have multiple options back there. We really do. Jerome Ford, Sam (Dylan Sampson), we have IB (Isaiah Bond), all those guys have done a good job. And that’s why it’s so important to be able to get those guys reps, like we talked about.”
The Browns and the Lions kick off on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. Cleveland time from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. Stay tuned to Dawgs By Nature for coverage throughout the weekend and all day on Sunday.
