Kevin Stefanski explains what Cleveland Browns can do to improve dreadful offense
The Cleveland Browns are going into the bye with a 2-6 record that puts them among the worst teams in the league.
The Browns are hoping to get better on offense in the second half of the season and can do so if they make a few tweaks. Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski explained what the offense has to do in order to get better.
"To have success as an offense, you have to be efficient in what you’re doing, and you have to be explosive in what you’re doing. And in order to do that, we have to put guys in certain spots, put them in whatever position it may be at – wide receiver, tight end, running back, if you will, and find ways to maximize their skill set," Stefanski said.
"So, when you’re not having the success that we need to be having and we’re working towards, obviously we’re not doing enough. So, you’re constantly looking at different players, different ways that routes that they can run, run concepts that they can run. So, you have to continue to search for those things so that you can be efficient and then ultimately explosive.”
Browns offense seeking improvement at bye week
The Browns are in a tricky spot. They are trying to get better while also hoping to develop a rookie quarterback all at the same time.
All of the moving parts make it challenging to bring it all together, so that's why the Browns have struggled to win a lot of games this season. If rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel can grow more comfortable with his surroundings, the efficiency will come.
Then, once Gabriel and the offense can knock down the efficiency, that's when the explosiveness can come into play. It takes steps and patience in order for the Browns to get their offense right, so that's why the team isn't performing at a high level.
The team is making gradual and marginal improvements, but they have not been enough to look strong in any given week to win a football game. Both contests the Browns have won so far this season have largely been due to the defense, so the offense needs to pick up some of the slack and help contribute towards winning football.
The Browns are back in action in Week 10 when they visit the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for Nov. 9 at 1 p.m. ET.
The Raiders' Handling of Jakobi Meyers Has Caused a Stir
The Las Vegas Raiders must figure out what, if anything, to do with their top wide receiver, Jakobi Meyers.
Raiders Fumble Meyers Situation
Meyers requested a trade shortly before the season, but the Raiders turned him down. He restated the same desire heading into the Bye Week. Now, the Raiders have less than a week to decide. Raiders legend Lincoln Kennedy is not fond of how the Raiders have handled the whole thing.
“The situation with Jakobi is mishandled in many ways, because if they could have found a way to make it work, here is a receiver who’s already established himself as a receiver and can grow into this offense and be more productive if allowed,” Kennedy said on the Locked On Raiders podcast.
“We’ve seen flashes of it. We haven’t seen consistency, but we saw flashes of it… If we’re going to part ways with him, we’re really starting over again, and this goes back to my original point that I’ve been saying all year. You can’t keep starting over. You can’t keep starting over with new coaches and new players and expect to get anywhere because it just doesn’t happen overnight. You don’t walk onto the field and be like, ‘Oh, there’s my new number one.
“Because this offense hasn’t been consistent throughout the season, we’re still left holding whatever we’re holding in our hands, hoping that we can grip on and maybe get a win or get a collective offense. I don’t know how it happens overnight. That’s why I said this whole Jakobi Meyers thing has just been handled, really handled not well, in my opinion.”
The Raiders must make a decision soon on Meyers' future with the team as the trade deadline is fast approaching. Whether they keep Meyers or not, the addition of veteran wide receiver Tyler Lockett should help compensate for the loss of Meyers.
If the Raiders keep Meyers past the deadline, they will then have him, Lockett, and a healthier Brock Bowers in the mix moving forward. Still, Carroll noted it is too soon to make any assumptions.
"I'm going to need more days, as far as immediately, how much he can help. But he's a tremendous football player. He's got great background, great savvy play-making ability, a real natural sense about understanding how to play the game,” Carroll said.
“He and Brock [Bowers] and Jakobi [Meyers] share a lot of characteristics in how they play the game and how they make things happen and make it look effortless at times. And so, [Tyler] Lockett has been a great performer historically, and I'm thrilled to have him part of the program. I want to see how fast we can move the thing along, see if he can contribute."
