Carson Palmer threw for 371 yards against the Browns and lost. That is really hard to do without interceptions, and Palmer had none. Palmer was also the first of a train of feared quarterbacks whom the Browns have to face with their high-risk defense. There is Atlanta's Matt Ryan this Sunday, then Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger, both of whom can...
Carson Palmer threw for 371 yards against the Browns and lost. That is really hard to do without interceptions, and Palmer had none.
Palmer was also the first of a train of feared quarterbacks whom the Browns have to face with their high-risk defense. There is Atlanta's Matt Ryan this Sunday, then Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger, both of whom can extend plays with their scrambling. Then comes New Orleans' Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Drew Brees, who completed a mere 16 of 17 passes in the second half of the big game; the bye week, when flying footballs might haunt the dreams of defensive coordinator Rob Ryan; and finally New England's Tom Brady with his three Super Bowl rings.
"It's like a Pro Bowl quarterback every week," Rob Ryan said. "Most of those guys have been sacked about three times all year. This guy [Matt Ryan] has eight sacks. Hopefully, we'll get some shots in on him."
There is an old saying, "Sometimes you get the bear, and sometimes the bear gets you." It seems particularly appropriate for the Browns' gambling, blitzing defense. At the very least, the mere prospect of facing the Browns jolts the bear out of hibernation.
Baltimore's Joe Flacco had thrown one touchdown pass and five interceptions in his first two games before he suddenly lit the Browns up for three TDs and a 128.7 quarterback rating that was the second-best of his 36 starts.
Cincinnati fans were wondering what was wrong with Palmer and his diva duo of receivers Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco before Palmer put up video game stats last week in the second-most prolific day of his seven-year career.
Fans love Rob Ryan because he is aggressive. There is no "bend, but don't break" philosophy, as there was when Marty Schottenheimer or Butch Davis or Romeo Crennel would play the prevent defense. That scheme usually led to long, methodical scoring drives.
Ryan's defense has the virtue of brevity. It might be a score, it might be a sack, but it won't take long. The Browns had 40 sacks last season. Only seven of the 32 NFL teams compiled more. They gave up 375 points. Only nine teams surrendered more.
Such aggressiveness with the blitz is a dicey proposition. But without pass rushers who can beat individual blockers or command double teams, what is the option? Certainly, the quality of the secondary has been dramatically upgraded by the draft of Joe Haden and T.J. Ward.
"Everybody, [Coach] Eric Mangini, our president [Mike Holmgren], wants us to not blitz when we get beat. The neighbors, my wife's best friend. Sometimes you want to put a string on 'em and bring the ball back," said Ryan.
Eric Wright might be the weak link in the secondary, but Brandon McDonald was far worse as the designated soft spot last year.
"I'm excited with our players," Ryan said. "All players are smart and tough. That was the blueprint in New England for Eric and myself. Some have foot speed and some don't. Some lift a million pounds, and some don't. But put a whole team of tough, smart guys out there, and we can do so much and ask so much of them. Mentally, we do about as much as you can do on defense."
Aggression seems to be hard-wired into the football coaching sons of James David "Buddy" Ryan. Rex, the head coach of the New York Jets, and Rob are both boisterous men who never made a brag they didn't expect to be fact. Rob is just as colorful as his brother, and, remember, Rex proved on HBO's "Hard Knocks" show that he could make a rainbow out of just a few short Anglo-Saxon words.
"My father taught me a lot of things," said Ryan, adding that the biggest was, "The most physical team usually wins."
The lesson was brought home in the mid-1970s. Rob Ryan was a Toronto Maple Leafs fan when the Philadelphia Flyers were winning back-to-back Stanley Cups in their "Broad Street Bullies" incarnation. In their second Stanley Cup season, the Flyers met the Leafs in the playoffs. In four straight games, the Leafs went gently.
Rob knows the word, although it is banned from his playbook.