Jared Wickerham - Getty Images
6 months ago: PITTSBURGH, PA - DECEMBER 08: Rashard Mendenhall #34 of the Pittsburgh Steelers dives with the ball in front of Joe Haden #23 of the Cleveland Browns during the game on December 8, 2011 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)
Pro Football Focus is doing their season review, and yesterday they touched on the NFL's cornerbacks. As always, the statistics they look at are subjective. Browns cornerbacks Sheldon Brown and Joe Haden were ranked in the top ten when it came to opposing quarterbacks having low completion percentages when throwing at a particular cornerback.
5th Best: Sheldon Brown - targeted 76 times, 35 passes completed (46.1%)
9th Best: Joe Haden - targeted 85 times, 42 passes completed (49.4%)
Many people have argued that the reason the Browns' pass defense was "ranked" so high was because team's chose to run the ball at them so much. That is true to an extent, but I think you also need to look at things like this and realize that it's not like quarterbacks were torching these guys when they did throw. The top two players on the list were Darrelle Revis and the recently-toasted Ike Taylor.
PFF also listed a bunch of negative categories for cornerbacks. Funny enough, former Brown Eric Wright was near the top of those lists. Wright was thrown at 120 times this season, 2nd most in the NFL (with a 62.5% completion rate against him). Wright also ranked 6th in the league in most yardage given up by a cornerback.
0 recs | 87 comments
Go somewhere else, Morris Claiborne.
johnf34 - January 13, 2012
I think the point of the draft is trying to pencil in starters. Can you pencil in Claiborne as a Starter at CB for the next 5 years? I would say yes. Griffin III at QB? No idea. But not the same kind of lock at #4! How about Richardson? Probably. He’s a beast. Blackmon? Probably. Browns fans have wanted immediate results for 15 years now. I believe in Heckert’s philosophy of BPA.
That’s why it’s easier to draft defense than offense too. But what do we need in the AFC North? A badass defense FIRST! We’re top 10 right now, what is wrong with making us shutdown and going offense with our other 2nd round pick. Then our 3rd. McCoy might work? He had nothing to work with this year.
gentryholdem - January 14, 2012
Ike Taylor did have a pretty good season, he just happened to have a horrible game against the Broncos in the playoffs.
Roger Dorn - January 13, 2012
Yes. Many here don’t seem to get that even the best CBs sometimes have bad games or, even crazier, sometimes get outplayed by the offense.
TheDriveStillHurts - January 13, 2012
That’s a bold statement.
Brownie's Year - January 13, 2012
But a true one.
Simmsinns - January 14, 2012
On a side note that matters not at all. In my Madden 12 franchise (Over 3 seasons) Brown had about the same stats boost yearly compared to Haden/Ward as you just illustrated in real life, I only user control MLB on D & let the CPU control the rest. Brown had more picks & more passes defended than either Haden/Ward all three seasons & yes our Browns were the champs all three seasons!!!
Groza - January 13, 2012
I would never control MLB unless he was in direct vicinity of the ball carrier. Always use a DE pre snp.
SpecialBrownie - January 13, 2012
I opt for safety. I blitz hard off the edge unless I need to cover someone. Brian Russell set sack records for me in Madden 06. Interestingly enough, Andra Davis led the team with interceptions.
Doc's Kid - January 13, 2012
FS, I let the computer do the dirty work up front and ball hawk for INTs.
North Coast Flea - January 13, 2012
FS is fun and so is DE.
bross09 - January 13, 2012
Well I average about 18 sacks a season with DQ & have not kept the roster completely same as our real roster, I upgraded the team by getting a 92 RT, two 89 OLB’s & signed a few big name FA’s to trade for draft picks which gave me two 90+ DB’s & an 91 RG. The CPU dose a pretty good job with the rest of my D since I don’t play online, I just focus on getting DQ the D MVP & having Hillis/Hardesty pull off a Foster/Tate type season while Little gets the O ROY.
Groza - January 13, 2012
Ditto. It was fun having a NT lead the NFL in sacks.
Brownsbacker488 - January 14, 2012
Oh but didn’t they know Haden sucks?
North Coast Flea - January 13, 2012
Actually I am impressed with Sheldon Brown’s numbers. I was wrong about him. Maybe Claiborne wont be a consideration.
champion64 - January 13, 2012
Brown wasn’t bad, it just seemed like he got picked on more than Haden.
dirtyjoe - January 13, 2012
Here in Philly he was always picked on, but you cant deny those stats. They threw at him and he played well this year
champion64 - January 13, 2012
I would throw at Brown over Haden.
rufio - January 13, 2012
All day.
jlsclarity - January 14, 2012
And twice on Sunday.
jlsclarity - January 14, 2012
I would mostly throw at him on Sundays.
Adrock2099 - January 14, 2012
I am with you – I think I have been underrating him as well. I do know that Haden was usually locked on the number 1 guy – which I think may explain why Brown was slightly ahead of Haden.
realmccoy - January 13, 2012
I don’t think he’s bad, he’s just on the wrong side of 30.
North Coast Flea - January 13, 2012
That’s why I like taking some fliers on guys like Skrine and Patterson. Eventual replacement when Brown is too old.
Roger Dorn - January 13, 2012
i thought he was too old. Again though you cant deny that stat. Maybe they dont look CB
champion64 - January 13, 2012
I’d like Skrine to get more playing time on defense and as the full time punt returner this upcoming year. I’m pleasantly surprised by Sheldon’s numbers, as I was one who thought he was pretty much done as far as coverage was concerned – always liked his tackling ability.
chitown browns fan - January 13, 2012
Good depth too.
HenryDawg - January 13, 2012
Bingo. I’d like if if we used free agents this way. Don’t make a big splash in signing them, have them fill in as decent starters, draft talented but raw guys behind them who can take some time to develop and add immediate value on ST.
rufio - January 13, 2012
Patterson was fantastic this season. Great on ST and was a really good tackler as well, IIRC.
Bernie19Kosar - January 14, 2012
Yup. And a good improvement over Eric Wright. The FO seemed to know what they were doing there.
TheDriveStillHurts - January 14, 2012
And if he sucks next year, we’ve been grooming Skrine behind him and giving Skrine the best chance to succeed.
rufio - January 15, 2012
I seem to remembera while back, Brown was saying that he’s passing on (teaching) knowledge to haden & other DB’s. We picked him up for his veteran skills and leadership. He’s done all of that and can still play, just not as fast as Joe can, he’s got about 2 years tops left in him.
J. W. - January 14, 2012
Brown is quietly good. He also looks worse because when he isn’t good, he gets burned and often is burned badly.
bross09 - January 13, 2012
Keep in mind, Haden is covering better receivers than Brown…something to add nuance to their numbers
APV - January 14, 2012
I would like to say the same, but how much longer will Brown stick around? We might need to find a younger guy to replace him. Maybe if Skrine continues to improve we’ll go with him, but could he become a legitimate #2 CB?
Brownsbacker488 - January 14, 2012
What about the Chase Minnifield? His dad played some pretty good foosball for the Browns!
Suppa Bob - January 16, 2012
didn’t suck as bad as the QB’s we faced
The Licensed Pessimist - January 13, 2012
Yeah like Ben Roethlisberger twice, Andy Dalton twice, Matt Schaub, Matt Hasselbeck, and Alex Smith. They all sucked this year.
notthatnoise - January 13, 2012
Joe Flacco burn!
rufio - January 13, 2012
John Skelton
HenryDawg - January 14, 2012
Dalton, Hasselbeck and Alex Smith are middle of the road at best.
Roger Dorn - January 14, 2012
and I would argue Alex Smith is in the bottom half.
Roger Dorn - January 14, 2012
He’s having a very good season. Of course he isn’t negatively impacted by the diminishing returns that Brady or Brees or Rodgers have been, but he’s doing a great job of what they ask him to do.
rufio - January 15, 2012
I’d kill for a “middle of the road at best” QB on the Browns.
Simmsinns - January 14, 2012
I mean, it would be an improvement for sure, but that doesn’t reflect on our defense as positively as it may seem.
Bad QBs faced: Gradkowski (1st Bengals game), Kerry Collins, Chad Henne, Jason Campbell/Kyle Boller, Charlie Whitehurst, Blaine Gabbert, John Skelton,
Average QBs faced: Hasselbeck, Alex Smith (generous), Flacco twice, an injured Sam Bradford, Andy Dalton in 2nd Bengals game
Good QBs faced: Schaub and an injured Roethlisberger twice
Roger Dorn - January 14, 2012
I just don’t think that’s any worse than most other teams.
notthatnoise - January 14, 2012
It has to be. We didn’t face any of the top QBs in the league.
Roger Dorn - January 14, 2012
and we also had some fortunate timing with injuries to opposing QBs
Roger Dorn - January 14, 2012
How many “top” QBs are there though? Maybe 5? Plenty of teams don’t face those guys.
notthatnoise - January 14, 2012
Brees, Brady, Rodgers, and Manning are the only truly elite QBs I can think of in the league right now. And Manning was out all year so that leaves 3.
Brownsbacker488 - January 14, 2012
I think Romo is elite.
Bernie19Kosar - January 15, 2012
I agree. I don’t think he deserves a lot of the flack he receives. The team screws him over a lot.
SpecialBrownie - January 15, 2012
Romo seems too inconsistent to be elite, in my opinion. I don’t watch the Cowboys much but it seems like when I see him play he’ll make some really great throws and some awful throws.
Legoman0721 - January 15, 2012 via Android app
I think he’s a really good QB, but I don’t think he’s on the Brees, Brady, Rodgers level.
Simmsinns - January 15, 2012
I can agree with that. But if you asked me who would be #4 on my list, I could make an argument for Romo.
Bernie19Kosar - January 15, 2012
That’s fair. If Manning is never able to play at his old level again, I might agree with it.
Simmsinns - January 16, 2012
Eli is elite. Phil Rivers, despite his “down” season is elite.
Roger Dorn - January 15, 2012
The other half of the analysis would include some of the receivers he’s faced. Then again, I doubt that would make Haden look good.
Brandon Marhsall, A.J. Green, Mike Wallace, Larry Fitzgerald…. I think that’s it. Help?
BuenosAires_Dawg - January 14, 2012
That’s a bit tougher because Haden wasn’t always primarily assigned to the number 1. He only played half the time on Fitz and Wallace.
Roger Dorn - January 14, 2012
And they never had him match the #1 WR of the opposing team 100% of the time. I want to get a closer look at how Jauron did it, but even in games where he would follow people around he would just align on the left a couple of times per game IIRC.
rufio - January 15, 2012
Well you also have to count that two of those guys played us twice. Anquon Boldin is no slouch. Many people on this board think Reggie Wayne is really good.
I’m not trying to say our competition was top notch, or that it didn’t affect the numbers at all. I’m just saying I don’t think it was bad enough to make bad corners look this good. Ok, maybe our pass defense wasn’t actually the second best in the league, but I think it was still probably top ten.
You can’t fault guys for doing their job. Shutting out weak opponents isn’t an indication that they wouldn’t have done the same to good players. In fact, they did a pretty good job on the chances they got against good players.
notthatnoise - January 14, 2012
Basically, you can’t take these rankings as a negative indicator, which is what TLP is trying to do.
notthatnoise - January 14, 2012
Reggie Wayne is good, but may just not be elite without a great QB.
But on the whole point, I do agree with what you are saying.
bross09 - January 14, 2012
4 of those were wins and the other an OT loss. Jason Campbell and the Raiders were pretty damn good until him and their RB went down.
HenryDawg - January 14, 2012
Yum, some toast Ike Taylor with some jam. Oh wait, forget the jam.
macdowellm03 - January 13, 2012
I was really surprised how Brown performed through the second half of the season. I was all over him last year when he looked slow, old and lost sometimes…
That said, I think he’s seen the crest of his career. I wouldn’t mind seeing another experienced CB brought in through free agency. Too lazy to look up which CBs are up for FA next year, but I have faith in Heckert.
I really like the idea of focusing on offense in the draft and using FA to supplement the D.
LocalMan - January 13, 2012
I like Patterson and Skrine a lot. If the FO wants to supplement the D with FAs, I would hope we’d end up getting an OLB, a RDE, and a FS.
chitown browns fan - January 13, 2012
I agree, those should be our top priority when it comes to FA.
crazyL80 - January 13, 2012
Mario Williams?
HenryDawg - January 13, 2012
I’d be happy with Cliff Avril.
C.b.I - January 13, 2012
avril would be nice..
'thedrive'ruinedmy9thbirthday - January 13, 2012 via Android app
I’d take him, too.
chitown browns fan - January 14, 2012
I wouldn’t complain.
chitown browns fan - January 14, 2012
I am surprised by Brown’s numbers. I feel like he did worse, but maybe that’s because he got beat for a few big plays, rather than a bunch of small gains. I wonder how many of Haden’s completions were tackled immediately.
BiggieBrown - January 13, 2012
Haden had some horrible plays this year.
Brownie's Year - January 13, 2012
So does everyone except JT.
notthatnoise - January 13, 2012
No comment.
Brownie's Year - January 13, 2012
Sophmore jinx.
OldTimeDawg - January 14, 2012
And if this is the worst we will see him play, then I’ll take him on my team any day.
OldTimeDawg - January 14, 2012
He had some health issues this year and only missed one game that I know of. Played on a bum knee all year and still excelled. Plus he’s just a good freakin guy to have in Cleveland. I love guys who embrace the city and the Browns culture. That’s worth a lot in the intangible department.
HenryDawg - January 14, 2012
cough cough MCCOY cough cough
Brownsbacker488 - January 14, 2012
The difference being Haden had a mostly very good year while McCoy had a mostly bad year.
rufio - January 15, 2012
So did Ike Taylor.
Simmsinns - January 14, 2012
Every corner has bad games. Even Revis had 1 or 2 bad games.
Roger Dorn - January 14, 2012
Can’t find a CB in the league who doesn’t occasionaly get burned. Haden looked fantastic as a 2nd year corner. Only complaint I have on Haden is he needs to work BOTH the WR & the ball. A lot of plays he just turns and gets the INT. Part of the problem is our poor run defense this year. That’s why I want a stud DE to play the right side.
gentryholdem - January 14, 2012
This is not directed at you specifically, but I wonder if anyone has stats on which side of our defensive line gave up most of the rushing yards.
Legoman0721 - January 15, 2012 via Android app
Football outsiders should.
Bernie19Kosar - January 15, 2012
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