How the defense could save the Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns have long been a bastion of despair, especially in the last two years, but they finally have a semblance of hope through defense. Since 2016, Cleveland has invested heavily in this choice for this unit – and now it is starting to pay off.

Although the Browns have a 0-1-1 record before their Thursday night game against the New York Jets (and no win since Christmas Eve 2016), their defense has played well against two of the best fouls in the league .

How do they do it?

Having talented defensive line players makes everything easier

When the Browns chose Myles Garrett with the first pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, they were hoping for a dominant force that could change the game. Until now, he seems to live the hype. After a promising but short rookie season, Garrett had a great start to the season.

He recorded two sacks and two forced fumbles against the Pittsburgh Steelers, including a shoulder bag that allowed the Browns to be in first place. Unfortunately, the Browns could not use it. They went three times and left the Steelers 39-yard line.

Here is the first bag Garrett had against Pittsburgh.

Once he confirms that the Steelers pass after the fake play, he rips right, speeds up, turns the corner and flips Roethlisberger for a bag. Agility for a man of his size (6'4, 272 pounds in the NFL combination) is unreal. Garrett finally got this bag against Ben Roethlisberger.

His second bag against the Steelers was a little easier. Pittsburgh fired right guard David DeCastro across the offensive line, a tough block to go, certainly, and Garrett passed by for the backpack.

Garrett did not do much against the Saints (there was only one tackle), but his presence will always open the way for others.

He is not the only young Browns defensive lineman to play this year. Larry Ogunjobi, their third-round selection of the 2017 draft class, had a big game against the Saints. Ogunjobi ended the match with two sacks, two defeats and two quarterbacks against one of the league's best offensive lines.

His speed, disruption and athleticism make it a perfect fit to replace Danny Shelton's shots in the aggressive agendas of defensive coordinator Gregg Williams' tempo. Shelton was a good player for the Browns, but he was a stuffy nose-up – that's not the type of player they were looking for, which led to his trade with New England.

Here's a perfect example of how Ogunjobi fits the defensive style of the Browns.

Max Unger is a talented center and Ogunjobi gives him the impression of not belonging to an NFL group. His ability to cross the front of offensive linemen allowed him to create games in the backfield on Sunday.

The two bags of Ogunjobi in two weeks gave life to the defense of the Browns. The Browns rank 11th for stretch marks adjusted by attempt (ANY / A) and 12th for opponents. Last season, Cleveland was 28th in opposing ANY / A and 32nd in the opposing evaluation. They now have an inner disruptor to accompany Garrett.

And do not forget Emmanuel Ogbah, their second round choice of 2016.

Ogbah missed the first two games of the season with an ankle injury, but in 2017, he scored 14 tackles on the line or in the scrum, tied for sixth in the league. Cleveland is ninth in percentage of bags until now this season they were 20th last year. It is a testimony of the players they met and a strong coordination between Williams.

Gregg Williams's program withstood two weeks

Williams has made many saves and has had various successes throughout his career, but he seems to have begun to understand how to use this group of Cleveland defensemen in his second year with the team. The Browns have greatly improved their ability to defend close goals. In 2017, it was easily one of the weakest parts of their defense.

The size of the sample for this year is low, but the fact that they have not been completely torn is promising. Josh Hill and Jesse James are not exactly the best in the world, but the improvement of the Browns is still remarkable:

2017: 125 targets, 89 catches, 868 yards, 10 TDs, 54.3 yards per game

2018 11 targets, 7 receptions, 84 yards, 0 touchdowns, 42 yards per game

Williams also found better places to bring warmth with blitzes. Take this bag by T.J. Carrie's cornerback of their match against the saints.

If this blitz seems a bit complicated, you're right. There's a lot going on this one game – but it's the perfect counterpoint to what the Saints have called. Let's see the responsibilities of the players.

The blitz was the most exciting and explosive part of the game, but the responsibility for linebacker coverage was equally important. New Orleans has two receivers in the middle of the pack and the Browns have three linebackers sitting on the cover.

Two of the linebackers (the yellow arrows pointing upwards in the photo) must leave the middle of the field against potential threats where the New Orleans crossing force is (side three receivers). The third (the yellow arrow pointing down) waits in an area to cover possible crusaders that the saints could send. It was not perfect when Jamie Collins had to cover a bit for Genard Avery to let in the receiver, but the cover was good enough to force Drew Brees to keep the ball for an extra second.

Cleveland has confused hell on the left side of New Orleans' offensive line. Garrett slipped two holes inside, Jabrill Peppers dismissed the left tackle as she rushed to the field and Carrie was able to go home due to the space created by Garrett and Peppers. The view of the end zone is unpleasant – Carrie is not even on the screen before he flies to explode Brees.

The Browns start to click as a defense. As the cliché says, the defense wins the championships (ignore the last two Super Bowls) and the Browns finally have a unit that seems to be a force in the AFC.

With North AFC winning this year, why not the year of the Browns?