The breakout year Browns receiver Mohamed Massaquoi expected this season hasn't come close to happening.
The Ravens' Fabian Washington tips a pass out of reach for Browns receiver Mohamed Massaquoi during Sunday's game in Baltimore. It was the only ball thrown Massaquoi's way all day.MO MASS or NO MAS?
Mohamed Massaquoi inherited the No. 1 receiver role after the Browns traded Braylon Edwards last year. After co-leading the team with 34 catches last year, Massaquoi was looking forward to 2010 being a breakout year for him. So far, it hasn't happened.
Week 1, Tampa Bay: 2 receptions, 46 yards, 41-yard TD
Week 2, Kansas City: 1 reception, 9 yards
Week 3, Baltimore: 0 receptions
— Tony Grossi
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- In Cincinnati, the Bengals are searching for answers as to why their pass offense is so stagnant. Receiver Chad Ochocinco said he's not trash-talking until their offense starts clicking. He and Terrell Owens have combined for 34 catches through three games.
Here, the Browns are warbling about running the ball. The fact that Mohamed Massaquoi, their No. 1 receiver, has three catches in three games doesn't seem to faze them.
Massaquoi was thrown to one time in Baltimore. It was high and wide. Coach Eric Mangini said that light workload was the result of a run-oriented game plan and the "reads" of quarterback Seneca Wallace on the 24 pass plays that were run.
"The thing you can't do, especially against Baltimore, you can't force an issue for the sake of forcing an issue," Mangini said Wednesday. "You have to understand where the ball needs to go, make sure it's delivered on time and move the chains, and I think we did a really good job of that throughout the course of the game. We had some more running plays, which I think is always a good thing."
The last time the Bengals played in Cleveland, Massaquoi had a breakout game as a rookie -- eight catches for 148 yards. Playing opposite him was Braylon Edwards, who was shut out. It proved more than a symbolic passing of the torch.
Edwards got into a fight outside a night club later that night and was traded to the Jets three days later. Massaquoi inherited Edwards' role as the No. 1 receiver.
After leading Browns wideouts with 34 catches as a rookie, Massaquoi vowed in the off-season to have a breakout year. But it has been stalled as the Browns again go through growing pains offensively.
"It's early. It's very early," Massaquoi said Wednesday. "If this was week 11, 12, 13, 14, it might be a different conversation, but it's still early. My time will come."
There's been a lot of talk about what's keeping the Browns' passing game grounded. A lot of fingers have been pointed at the receivers, particularly Massaquoi. Is he getting open? Is he running the right routes? Is he doing everything he can to come down with the ball? Should the routes be shortened to take advantage of his run-after-catch ability? Are coverages rolling to him exclusively without having to worry about a receiver with Edwards' talent?
Bengals coach Marvin Lewis was asked about the latter point.
"Receivers can't control what unfolds on Sunday. It's probably one of the positions that has the least control," he said on a conference call. "Those guys have to have the patience, the mental toughness to work through some things.
"This is a young, talented football player. Yeah, things have changed a little bit. Braylon was the guy that you were going to work coverage to a little bit more. Now it's changed a bit. And probably for the betterment of the football team, I would say, overall.
"That's the positive move I think they made there. They wanted to not suppress the young players anymore. I think that's a good thing for the football team. We've had to make steps like that here. I think this is a fine player. And at the end of the year, just judge him on how he plays through the year."
Massaquoi has one catch in five passes thrown him in Wallace's two starts. Wallace opened the practice week for Cincinnati still working with the first team in place of injured Jake Delhomme.
"We just have to try to find him as quarterbacks, me or Jake," Wallace said. "We have to make sure we go through our reads and try to get him the ball. It's nothing that he's doing. We just have to make better decisions at times and try to get him the ball."
Mangini said that Massaquoi has improved as a player in his second season.
"The numbers aren't there, but he's made strides in a lot of areas," he said. "I don't think it's just purely numbers based. Would he love to have a lot more catches? Yeah. Would we like those numbers to be different? You want all your guys to have a lot of catches. It's a function of getting the opportunity and when it comes taking advantage of it."
Massaquoi said he doesn't campaign during a game to get passes thrown his way.
"No. You want to stay within the game plan," he said. "Last game we didn't have any turnovers. We were moving the ball effectively. You don't want to take away from the game plan, don't want to become a distraction."
He didn't say it, but Massaquoi saw Edwards operate a lot differently when he was ignored in the passing game. Massaquoi won't voice his frustrations. Not yet.