This week's observations about Cleveland's pro teams.
The Browns may want to use the no-huddle attack a little more on Sunday, if Jake Delhomme is healthy enough to take over behind center.CLEVELAND, Ohio -- This week's observations about Cleveland's pro teams, as Terry's talkin'...
About the Browns ...
1. When Browns coaches talk about their two quarterbacks, the one clear advantage that Jake Delhomme delivers is the ability to run the no-huddle offense, which the Browns fell in love with at the end of last season. Eric Mangini and the defensive coaches hate facing the no-huddle, because it gives them little time to substitute between plays. When the Browns use it, the no-huddle fits into the power running game scheme because it means the defense is being physically worn out by the quick rhythm of plays.
2. Brady Quinn ran the no-huddle well last season when he took over after the bye week. While Quinn's passing continued to attract discouraging words, his ability to keep the team lined up correctly and make the right calls to set up the running game was part of the reason they gained 800 yards on the ground in the final four games. Based on what the Browns saw of Delhomme in the preseason and in the first game, they believe the veteran can do the same -- and throw the ball better than Quinn.
3. Why didn't they use the no-huddle with Seneca Wallace? Because it is so different from the West Coast offense that was the norm for Wallace's pro career before he arrived in Cleveland. This offense is a major adjustment for him -- while it's much closer to what Delhomme used in parts of his long career. So they didn't go to the no-huddle with Wallace. Nor is it a sure thing they will use a lot of it in Sunday's game against Atlanta.
4. What Wallace brings are fleet feet that stay out of sacks and keep passing plays alive. While he doesn't run for big gains, he stays away from major losses. He also developed a chemistry with Ben Watson and Joshua Cribbs, who became two of his favorite receivers.
5. Watching video with Mohamed Massaquoi, the coaches have been stressing that the receiver needs to do a better job of getting open. Yes, Wallace sometimes bolts out of the pocket a bit early and dumps a short pass to Watson or a running back. But when Wallace has scrambled, Cribbs has done a good job of running toward the quarterback to present a good target. That's not always been the case with Massaquoi.
6. By far, Watson has been the favorite target of the quarterbacks -- 28 passes have come his way. Next are Cribbs and Peyton Hillis at 19 each, followed by Chansi Stuckey at 15 and Massaquoi at 14. Watson has impressed the coaches with his knack for getting open quickly.
7. The Browns believe Atlanta will try to run the ball early, believing they can break down the Browns' defense. Atlanta leads the NFL in running plays -- 149. By comparison, the Browns ranked No. 9 at 113 rushes. Atlanta is averaging 3.9 yards per carry, compared to 4.1 yards for the Browns. The Falcons have a good quarterback in Matt Ryan, but they are absolutely sold out to the run.
8. It would be nice if the Browns could get a decent performance from Shaun Rogers, who looks out of shape after missing all of training camp with a leg injury. He had two false start penalties last week, and only three tackles in three games. This happened in Detroit when Rogers became discouraged. He got heavy and his performance suffered. It is possible the Browns may trade him, although that would leave them with Athbya Rubin as their only real nose tackle.
9. Rogers was on the field for 33 of 66 defensive plays in the victory over Cincinnati. That tied Brian Schaefering for the most on the defensive line. Others were Kenyon Coleman (18), Robaire Smith (22) and Rubin (23). While he is a linebacker, David Bowens (24 snaps) sometimes acts like a lineman.
10. Despite the $15,000 fine and negative publicity that rookie T.J. Ward received for his late hit on Bengals' receiver Jordan Shipley, the Browns are confident that the safety will continue to play aggressively. He knows the play was a poor one because it drew a penalty in the end zone -- but Ward also knows that hard hitting is what made him a second-round pick. It's also why he made the Oregon team as a non-scholarship walk-on, so he's not about to suddenly become timid.
11. One of the strengths of the defense is a lot of movement before the snap, designed to confuse opposing quarterbacks and receivers in terms of when and where a blitz is coming from ... and how their coverages work. Video study revealed that some of the young players have been tipping off their coverages too early.
12. Opposing teams have been using the no-huddle to try to negate all the pre-snap movement. But not all teams are comfortable with it. The Browns' goal is to make a couple of defensive stands when teams use the no-huddle, forcing them back into the standard offense.
Peyton Hillis has proven effective whether he's running up the middle or to the right or left side of the offensive line. He's pretty good relating to Browns fans, too.About Peyton Hillis ...
1. After the Browns picked up Peyton Hillis from Denver in the Brady Quinn deal, Eric Mangini told the running back: "We didn't get you to be another guy. Someone is going to get 1,000 yards this season. It's wide open who will be our featured back, and you will get a chance." The coaches have been reminding Hillis of that early in the season.
2. According to the Web site profootballfocus.com, Hillis was on the field for 65 of 68 snaps against the Bengals. And 75 of his 102 yards came after his initial contact, meaning Hillis is a beast to tackle. At Baltimore, he played 49 of 59 snaps.
3. Here's a surprise: Hillis has gained more yards (93 in 19 carries) off right tackle and end than he has from the left end (53 yards, 13 carries), where the Browns' line is supposed to be stronger. But running over left guard Eric Steinbach and center Alex Mack has produced 71 yards in seven carries. What do all these numbers mean? Hillis is running and gaining yardage from all over the field, a tribute to the line. And that's why he's hard to defend.
4. Hillis was one of the best high school players in Arkansas history. As a senior, he rushed for 2,631 yards (10.1 yard average) and 29 touchdowns -- nine were on runs of more than 50 yards! He was ranked the No. 2 high school fullback in the nation as a senior.
5. In college, Hillis was used at everything from tailback to fullback to tight end to special teams on coverage and as a return man. "He was dominant on kickoff coverage," according to the Arkansas media guide. As a sophomore, he averaged 10.3 yards per punt return and 27.3 yards on kickoffs for Arkansas. He played next to a pair of running backs who became first-round draft choices (Felix Jones and Darren McFadden). So he often played fullback. He also caught 49 passes as a senior, 118 in his career. He average 4.7 yards rushing, 959 yards in 203 career carries.
Ryan Hollins has the skills of a solid big man (although J.J. Hickson might wish he was a little more precise in his shot-blocking), but it's up to coach Byron Scott to help him find some consistency.About the Cavaliers ...
1. When Ryan Hollins had 14 rebounds in the Cavs' preseason loss to Washington on Thursday, there was a reason for smiles. Hollins never had more than nine in a game last season. He's a legitimate 7 feet tall and 240 pounds with excellent leaping ability. He did the high jump, the long jump and triple jump for the UCLA track team, along with playing center for the Bruins in the winter. But he has been a poor rebounder in his three-year NBA career. He started 27 games for Minnesota last season, averaging only 3.3 rebounds in 23 minutes. Even in college, he averaged only 4.8 rebounds in 22 minutes as a senior.
2. Coach Byron Scott has Anderson Varejao and the 26-year-old Hollins as his two centers. Yes, J.J. Hickson can play the spot, but he's better suited for power forward. In fact, power forward also is Varejao's best spot. So if Hollins can develop into a decent rebounder, it can be a real bonus. The Cavs picked him up along with impressive point guard Ramon Sessions in the Delonte West deal with the Timberwolves.
3. As for Hickson, he can be an impact player. Because Scott wants to run, Hickson can be very effective finishing on fast breaks. His jumper is not hopeless, and he's working at it. But what makes him effective when he catches the ball on the wing is his quick and powerful drive to the basket. He'll draw a lot of fouls. In the first two preseason games, Hickson has 33 points and 17 rebounds in 51 minutes. He is 15-of-20 at the foul line.
4. Flip back to last season. Hickson played 47 minutes in the first three games of the Boston series, scoring 29 points. But in the last three games, a grand total of nine minutes. It was as if former coach Mike Brown forgot about him. Hickson and Daniel Gibson -- two draft picks by former GM Danny Ferry and current GM Chris Grant -- will have major roles with Scott.
5. I thought 2009 second-rounder Danny Green could bloom, but so far it's discouraging. In 42 preseason minutes, he's 2-of-10 shooting with five points, five turnovers and five rebounds. He also looked lost in the scrimmage at Akron last week. He'll probably make the 15-man roster, but he's done nothing with this opportunity.
Jason Donald was far from the only defensively challenged Indian when it comes to assessing Tribe players who need more work with the glove before the 2011 season.About the Indians ...
1. It's hard to find accurate stats to reflect a team's fielding because it's so much more than errors and fielding percentage. You need to figure range into the equation, and some other nuances. The stats from Fangraphs are not the baseball gospel, but they do match what most of us saw last season -- namely, the Indians had the worst defensive team in the American League.
2. Of the 14 AL teams, the Web site ranked the Tribe dead last at shortstop and centerfield. Asdrubal Cabrera's rating was hurt by his lack of range. Jason Donald (nine errors in 47 games) simply played poorly in all areas when Cabrera was injured. Luis Valbuena had four errors in five games at short.
3. In center field, Trevor Crowe ranked low for his lack of range. Michael Brantley's rank was barely average, and he didn't throw out a single runner all season. By contrast, Shin-Soo Choo threw out 14, and Crowe had nine assists.
4. The entire infield was bad. Third base was 11th, and that's because Jhonny Peralta played there the first half of the season. Jayson Nix and Andy Marte played 96 games at third and had 25 errors! Nix had 16 in 51 games, so the Indians had better not be serious about him becoming their regular third baseman.
5. Second base ranked 12th. Valbuena had little range, and Donald was erratic. Only Nix (zero errors in 28 games) was OK at second. First base also was a disaster at No. 13, mostly because Russell Branyan played 51 games and was -- by far -- the worst ranking first baseman in baseball for those who were at the spot for at least 50 games.
6. The only spots where the Indians were above average were right and left field -- both ranked No. 6 -- and catching, where coach Sandy Alomar deserves credit for turning Lou Marson, Carlos Santana and Chris Gimenez into the No. 2-ranked catchers in the league.
7. Early this week, I wrote about the Tribe's draft woes and how it's the draft that is the key to middle-market success. A very impressive approach to the topic comes from Jon Steiner, so check him out at waitingfornextyear.com