The Browns are gearing up to face Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, who will return Sunday from a high ankle sprain.
BEREA, Ohio - Now that Bears quarterback Jay Cutler has been named the starter for Sunday's game at FirstEnergy Stadium, the Browns are gearing up for him and his high-scoring offense.
"No disrespect to (backup) Josh McCown, but Jay Cutler is a different monster, and we’re definitely going to be prepared for him,'' said Browns safety Tashaun Gipson. "Anytime you’re dealing with who I perceive is one of the more elite quarterbacks in this game -- Cutler, he’s arguably a top-10 quarterback in this game -- I think that amplifies the situation.''
Regardless of who's at quarterback, linebacker D'Qwell Jackson stressed that the Bears -- second in the NFL with 28.3 points per game -- will provide the Browns with their stiffest challenge to date -- and the Browns are coming off a 27-26 loss to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
"This is probably the best offense we’ve faced this year,'' said Jackson. "Getting Cutler back, he’s going to come in with a ton of confidence, and they’re playing at a high level right now. (Receiver) Alshon Jeffery is having a remarkable year, and Brandon Marshall, he is who he is.
"It helps to have a two-headed monster on each side of the ball and then a beast behind you, meaning (running back) Matt Forte. Studs everywhere, even the tight end position with Martellus (Bennett), so we've definitely got our work cut out. This is probably the best offense, balance-wise that we’ve faced all year.''
Bears coach Marc Trestman opted for Cutler over the hot-handed McCown, who beat the Cowboys 45-28 on Monday night to earn NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. McCown (3-2) threw four touchdowns and no picks in the game to run his totals to 13 and one, but Trestman planned all along to reinstate Cutler when he recovered from his high ankle sprain.
"This decision was made a long time ago,'' said the former Browns offensive coordinator, "and that was when Jay was ready to play, he would play. And that's how we planned to do it. I look at it like Jay is our quarterback and when he was ready to play, he was going to play. That was the same view I used a month ago. And there's no change today."
Cutler -- 2-0 against the Browns -- returns amid controversy over whether Trestman should've stuck with McCown, who climbed to No. 3 in the NFL with a 109.8 rating.
"There's not a debate in this building,'' said Cutler. "That's where my concern lies. (McCown's) played really well. I'm happy for him.''
While McCown has thrown only one interception this season, Cutler has thrown eight against his 13 TDs, a fact that hasn't been lost on the Browns defensive backs.
"Cutler’s definitely going to put some balls up for us to make chances, so I’m definitely excited that Cutler’s playing,'' said Gipson. "I think we’ve got a great game plan for those guys and this offense, and when the ball’s in the air, we’re just going to be situated and make plays on the ball.''
Last season, Cutler defeated the Arizona Cardinals - and their defense under current Browns defensive coordinator Ray Horton - 28-13. But Horton's unit limited Cutler to 146 yards on 12-of-26 passing with one TD and no interceptions for a 76.8 rating. The Bears also scored on a fumble return and an interception return.
“For me, playing him the last couple of years, to me it’s his feet,'' said Horton. "You know how strong his arm is, and he’s a smart quarterback and all that, but when you watch his feet, and the ability to throw off the wrong foot, to get the ball out quickly, I’ve been impressed. Because he’s smart, strong-armed, everybody knows that, but to me, it’s his ability to move in the pocket and to get the ball off, sometimes on the wrong foot.”
In addition to Cutler, the 12th-rated quarterback in the NFL (88.4), the Bears possess the most formidable receiving duo in the NFL: Marshall (1,090 yards) and Jeffery (1,193 yards). The Bears also have the NFL's fourth-leading rusher (1,073) and second-leading receiver among backs (518) in Forte; and one of the league's best tight ends in Bennett.
"This team is a lot like Detroit in that they have weapons at every position,'' said Horton. "Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery have the most catches in the league. I think they have the most combined yards in the league. They’re both, in our mind, No. 1 receivers. Then you put in a Matt Forte coming out of the backfield, the quarterbacks are playing hot, so they present a challenge that you can’t double everybody.
"You can’t roll up (coverage) to one guy, because then the other guy’s open. What we plan to do is kind of what we’ve done. Roll things through. Mix them up. Jam them at the line. Get off the ball. Blitz them. Play some soft zones and make the quarterback, again, try to beat you. Because the wide receivers, the back and the tight end are all pretty good.”
The Browns will try to limit Forte coming out of the backfield after surrendering 12 pass for 153 yards to New England's Shane Vereen last week.
“They’re different-type backs in that Matt Forte is probably the premier screen-catcher in the game, meaning behind the line of scrimmage, and probably the best contact runner in the game, meaning hard to knock him down,'' said Horton.
"There are different types of backs in the league, whether scatbacks, which Vereen is, vs. Matt Forte being a more balanced all-around runner, hard to get on the ground because he has a low center of gravity. He’s probably a better screen runner, so it presents to us a different challenge. We’re well aware of I think what his specialty is as far as the screen game.”
Added Jackson: "(Forte's) deadly whether he’s catching the ball or running the ball. So we got some things lined up for him that we think we can take advantage of. but at the same time, you can’t stop a guy like that, you can hope to contain him. He’s that good.''
The defensive backs are also prepping for Marshall and Jeffery, who stand 6-4 and 6-3, respectively.
“I have a great deal of respect for those guys, big guys, physical, can make all the catches, but also I have a great deal of respect for what we can do on the back end,'' said Gipson. "It’s going to be an interesting matchup. Whether it be Joe (Haden) against Marshall or Joe against Jeffery, Buster (Skrine) against Marshall or Jeffery, I think that our guys are going to be able to hold up well.”
Regardless of who's at quarterback, the Browns' defense is seeking redemption from the past two weeks, when it surrendered the game-winning touchdown passes in the final seconds of both games -- one with 40 seconds remaining against the Jaguars and two in the final 61 seconds against the Patriots.
"I know speaking from the defensive side of the ball, we definitely feel like we've got a lot to prove,'' said Jackson. "We felt like we played pretty good for three quarters (against the Patriots) and then that last five minutes of the game it just swung back and forth and we've got to do a better job of when we have a lead, we've got to hold onto it and not give it up.''