CLEVELAND, OHIO (TheOBR.com) - Good morning, Cleveland Browns fans!
THE DAILY BLOVIATION
Two weeks ago, the Browns came off a walk-off win over the Steelers, flew to New Jersey to play a one-win team in the rain, and lost 17-12. Fred Greetham's piece this morning is titled "Browns Must Learn the Lesson of the Jets Loss." Chris Easterling calls the Titans "the ultimate trap opponent." Jared Verse, for his part, doesn't believe in trap games. "Every team has a 'Dawg,'" he said.
My paranoia about all things, but particularly positive expectations about the Browns, has been well documented. Pick any random edition of this Massive Morning Missive, and you’re sure to find something that will make you nod to yourself and say out loud, “Yep, he’s paranoid.” Also, “How much coffee does this guy drink?” 27 years of this, my friends. 27 years. And the answer is “a lot.”
So, it makes sense that I believe in trap games. I've watched this franchise step in more than a few. I'd also point out that the last time these teams met, last Dec. 7 in Cleveland, the Titans jumped out 14-3 in the first quarter, Tony Pollard ran for a career-high 161 yards, and Tennessee won 31-29.
So before anybody pencils in 5-2, let's take a walk through Nashville.
THE INFIRMARY: This time of year, injury reports might be the best clue as to how a team is trending. The Titans are healthier than we are, which isn't saying much, because almost everybody is. Their Thursday injury report has seven names. WR Calvin Ridley (hip) went from limited Wednesday to not practicing Thursday. Pollard sat Thursday and Tyjae Spears sat Wednesday, both listed as rest. Safeties Kevin Winston Jr. (quad), who has missed the last two games, and Tony Adams (ankle) were limited both days. Linebacker Dorian Mausi is practicing fully on his way back from injured reserve. Ridley is also on the trade block, per Titans On SI, at a "career-low 13.5 receiving yards per game." So, factor that in accordingly.
Our list is longer. Quincy Williams missed Thursday with a neck injury, and Mike Rutenberg wouldn't say whether he'll play. Of all the weeks for that to happen, it's the one where Quincy faces Robert Saleh, his old head coach with the Jets. Carson Schwesinger, Grant Delpit and Elgton Jenkins came back as limited participants, per PFT, and Mason Graham is expected back. Friday's reports, with game statuses, come out this afternoon.
THE JORDAN ELLIOTT SITUATION: On Oct. 15, after an argument with left tackle JC Latham at practice, Elliott was sent off the field and went to his car in the players' lot to get his gun. Defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers talked him down. A source told NFL Network's Mike Garafolo the gun never left the parking spot. The Titans released Elliott on Tuesday, and Saleh confirmed the details Wednesday, calling it "a call for help more than a criminal act," per ESPN. The Titans notified the league, which is reviewing it, per the Tennessean.
On the field, the Titans lose a run-stopping tackle who followed Saleh from San Francisco, though he'd already been inactive for the Colts game. In Ask the Insiders, Tdfcpny is asking whether Elliott will ever play again. I don't know. He spent four years here after the Browns drafted him in the third round in 2020, and the football is the least important part of this one. I hope he gets the help he obviously needs.
THE TITANS OFFENSE: It's bad. The Titans are last in the league in total offense at 236.3 yards a game and tied for 31st in scoring at 14.0, per their own site. They're 32nd in time of possession at 24 minutes a game, 26th on third down and 29th in red zone touchdown rate, per Pro Football Reference. They beat the Colts while getting outgained 399-186.
Two tendencies jump out. First, timing. Easterling found the Titans have played opponents even, 20-20, in the first quarter, then been outscored 62-3 in the second. The Browns have been outscored 44-6 in the first quarter, and the second is our best. The first quarter on Sunday could be interesting. Prepare to grimace, but know better times soon follow.
Second, the ball comes out fast and short. Cam Ward was sacked 55 times last year, tied for the league lead. This year the line has allowed only 10 sacks, but Ward has just 10 completions of 20-plus yards and one of 40-plus, per Titans On SI, which blames offensive coordinator Brian Daboll's "milquetoast scheme" about as much as the quarterback. Our defense has 19 sacks, second in the league. Something has to give there too.
CAM WARD: The first overall pick in 2025 is 4-19 as a starter, and AP notes he narrowly avoided becoming only the second quarterback of the common draft era to lose 20 of his first 23 starts. Per Pro Football Reference, the first was likely the world-famous Steve DeBerg.
Ward has 998 yards, four touchdowns, four interceptions and a 39.5 QBR, 29th in the league. Against the Colts he went 11-for-22 for 102 yards, his lowest total in any game he's finished. Saleh: "It's not all on the quarterback... But he is the face of the offense and he's got to play at a higher level." Ward: "We still know we are behind the eight-ball."
Todd Monken was kinder Wednesday. He said everyone tells him Ward is "there early, super diligent, highly competitive. That's a great starting point for a franchise quarterback." Cleveland is the last city on earth that should snicker at a young quarterback's rough second season. But I'd like our pass rush to make it rougher for one more Sunday.
CARNELL TATE: This is the Titan I've watched most, because he was a Buckeye. The fourth overall pick leads Tennessee with 29 catches for 344 yards in five games, and he caught his first NFL touchdown against the Colts, part of a six-catch, 70-yard day. Saleh is gushing: "He looked juicy right there... He just looked like a top five pick." Monken, who first met Tate when he visited Georgia as a recruit, said Wednesday that "he's wired like the guys we drafted." If I'm Rutenberg, Denzel Ward spends Sunday afternoon wherever Tate is.
THE DEFENSE: This is the realm of the Titans that can actually beat us, especially given the situation with the Browns' anemic running game. Saleh brought his attack-style front four, and Monken says they're "a lot like us." The centerpiece is Jeffery Simmons, the defensive tackle Ben Solak picked for Defensive Player of the Year through six weeks. He has four sacks and six tackles for loss, and he moves around the interior, so both our guards will see him, including rookie Austin Barber in his seventh NFL start. Tytus Howard faced Simmons nine times with Houston, and his advice was simple: "He has no weaknesses in his game... You have to bring it to him and don't back down... you just have to stand ten toes."
Against the Colts, Tennessee had six sacks and three takeaways. Simmons had two sacks and forced and recovered a fumble, and Jermaine Johnson II added two more sacks. This defense allows about 21.5 points a game, which isn't the reason the Titans are 1-5. The Browns’ line has allowed a league-high 24 sacks. Not crazy about this matchup. If that offensive line is going to gel, now would be a really good time.
THE THIRD PHASE: John Fassel's special teams won the Colts game with a blocked punt returned for the go-ahead touchdown, a 58-yard Chimere Dike punt return and four Joey Slye field goals, including a 56-yarder. The Jets game turned on a special teams mistake too. Please hang on to the ball.
So that's the Titans. They can't move the ball, they play defense like they mean it, they block punts, and their best young player is a Buckeye getting better every week. That's the exact profile of a team that beats you 13-10 in a game you were supposed to win. They've also lost four straight at home, and they're desperate.
Verse is right that it isn't a trap game. It's just a game, and the Browns have to show up for the first quarter of it this time around. A good sign would be if they could prevent the Titans from scoring on their opening drive, which has been a challenge for the team all year.
QUICKLY: In Rams Watch, Puka Nacua left practice Thursday with a calf injury, with Davante Adams already out six to 10 weeks. And Cleveland lost a TV icon: Bob "Hoolihan" Wells died at 93. If you grew up in Northeast Ohio, Friday nights belonged to Hoolihan and Big Chuck. Thanks for all of it.
Have a good one! GO BROWNS!
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WRAPPING UP
When not figuring out ways that his first-place team might lose due to his rampant paranoia, Barry McBride is the Publisher and Founder of the OBR and bloviates this nonsense every morning. You can follow him on Twitter @barrymcbride or write him at barry@theobr.com if you are so compelled.
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