How to see Joe Woods? What about Baker Mayfield? Terry Pluto’s Brown Doodles

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Doodles in my notebook thinking back to the Browns’ 33-29 loss to Kansas City.

1. We are already hearing criticism from some fans about defensive coordinator Joe Woods. After all, the defense was supposed to be better. But the Browns still allowed 33 points.

2. Consider the allowed points. Seven were set up by Jamie Gillan, who dropped a snap and then tried to run with it instead of punting. This gave KC the ball over the Cleveland 15. This set up a TD for the winners.

3. Nick Chubb fumbled and he was picked up by the Chiefs on KC 47. The Browns defense eventually stopped KC at Cleveland 25. But it led to a field goal. So two mistakes led to 10 points. I find it hard to blame the defense for this. I guess they could have forced a 3-and-out.

4. The goal of the defense was not to give up the big games. And yes, they gave up a huge one – Tyreek Hill’s 75-yard touchdown with 10:10 left in the game. I have looked at this piece several times. Patrick Mahomes made an unbalanced throw. Cleveland safety John Johnson III lost track of the ball, but it was knocked down. … I do not know. It wasn’t a blown blanket, just a crazy game performed by two gifted athletes.

5. The Browns allowed a lot of short and medium passes on cross roads because they wanted to stop the deep throws. Although Gillan’s mistake was not considered a turnover, it served the same purpose. And the offensive / special teams scored 10 points for KC.

6. Woods wants a defense to create turnovers. The Browns couldn’t do that. He wants to put pressure on the QB. They sometimes did that to Mahomes. Profootballfocus awarded Myles Garrett eight “presses”. This includes a sack and three QB hits. Jadeveon Clowney had four pushes. The problem is, the Quick Mahomes are hard to take down. It’s a bit like basketball against Michael Jordan or LeBron James. You can defend great players quite well, and they always beat you with great plays.

7. The Browns have started eight new starters who weren’t with the team a year ago. They’ve probably faced the best offense in the NFL, and certainly the best QB. The defense is expected to improve during the season. The running defense was excellent, with KC gaining just 73 yards on 23 carries. The longest run was nine meters.

8. A few interesting things about the count: Rookie Malik McDowell replaced veteran defensive tackle Andrew Billings. McDowell (45 snaps) and Jordan Elliott (27) played more tackle than Billings (11). Greedy Williams only played eight snaps.

9. The defense is attacking much better than a year ago. They’ve had just four missed tackles against one of football’s most athletic attacks. In comparison, the Browns’ backers created six missed tackles by KC defensemen, according to Profootball Focus.

10. Having said that, I don’t have a strong opinion on Woods, good or bad. But my God, patience is required. This game was not a defensive disaster, and I feared it given the opponent and playing in Arrowhead Stadium.

11. KC assistant coach Greg Lewis should have been sent off for the scramble on the sidelines with Cleveland goaltender Ronnie Harrison Jr. Both men deserved to be fired no matter who started it. Only Harrison was kicked out. As Cleveland center JT Tretter said, “We can’t let opposing coaches get hold of opposing players.” At the very least, Lewis should be fined.

12. Coach Kevin Stefanski on Harrison: “We keep that stuff internally, but it’s disappointing to lose a starter five times (in the game). … It’s the oldest thing in football … officials always see the second guy. Ronnie needs to be calm and not hit back.

13. What about Baker Mayfield? He was made for this crime. He was 21 of 28 for 321 yards. The big mistake was an interception with 69 seconds remaining. He was hit from behind on the pitch, a play where Mayfield said he wanted to lift the ball out of bounds.

14. Stefanski said, “Baker did a good job in a lot of operating what we were doing in a tough environment. Ultimately he knows he has to deal with the rock and has to throw it over there – I know he was trying to throw it away – but he has to find a way to get some incompletion for us.

15. The Browns had 81, 75, 75, 75-yard TDs in one of the loudest places in the NFL. None of their offensive linemen jumped offside, despite the noise. The offensive was prepared, well trained and disciplined. He delivered 29 points. Right after the game I was disheartened by the loss but encouraged by the team’s performance. With hindsight, this opinion has not changed.

RATHER RECENT TERRY COLUMNS

My post-game KC scribbles

A frustrating loss, but Browns fans should be encouraged

Paul Depodesta, Part 2: How Browns Found a Shared Vision

Jadeveon Clowney & Odell Beckham Jr., pre-game scribbles

Can the Browns beat Kansas City … well … maybe

How Paul DePodesta returned to Cleveland.

Worried about the Browns? Relax, enjoy the season.

Hey Terry: What about the Browns, Odell, coaching, a game without Baker?

Podcast by Terry Pluto on Browns / KC and other topics

What I hear on the Browns roster as the season approaches

GET THE LATEST BROWNS PRODUCTS: This is where you can order Cleveland Browns gear online, including jerseys, t-shirts, hoodies, hats and more.