Brad Seely, who mentored fine Browns' special teams the last two years, has helped make the 49ers' units among the best in the NFL. Plus, addressing an incomplete report on Peyton Hillis. More Browns links.
Oakland's Jacoby Ford returned a kickoff 101 yards for a touchdown during the Raiders' 24-17 win over the Browns on Oct. 16.CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Browns' special teams have been good, bad and in-between.
And, the Browns are 3-3.
The San Francisco 49ers' special teams have been strong and consistent.
The 49ers are 5-1.
The Browns visit the 49ers on Sunday. Chris Tabor, in his first season as the Browns' special teams coordinator, is still trying to blend his players into cohesive, reliable units.
The 49ers' special teams coordinator is Brad Seely, who was the Browns' coordinator the last two years. He was named the NFL's Special Teams Coach of the Year in 2009.
Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal writes about the Browns and 49ers' special teams:
Entering Sunday’s game, the host 49ers are ranked second in the league in kickoff returns with an average drive start of 26.1. The Browns are a respectable fifth with 23.6. Ginn is averaging 31.8 yards per kickoff return and 13.7 yards per punt return.
He returned a kickoff and a punt for a touchdown in Week 1 when the 49ers defeated the Seahawks.
San Francisco’s top talent on special teams does not end with Ginn.
Punter Andy Lee is tied for first in the NFL with a net average of 44.4 yards and kicker David Akers also ranks among the league’s best, tied for fifth with 22 touchbacks. Akers is also 13-for-15 on field goals this season with a long of 55.
As a team, the 49ers are ranked 15th in average drive start allowed (21.1), while the Browns are second from last (24.9).
“It’s gonna take a year or two to get certain guys in place,” Browns return ace Josh Cribbs said. “Before Seely came, we were a pretty good special teams unit. We had the guys here. Now that he’s gone, it’s been a huge turnover. A lot of people have left, Nick Sorensen, Blake Costanzo, a lot of key members in the core special-teams unit have left. So that’s what happens with the coaching changes. So, you’ve got Tabor now and he’s building a whole special-teams unit from scratch.”
Plain Dealer and cleveland.com Browns coverage includes Tom Reed's feature story on the comeback of 49ers lineman Alex Boone, the former Lakewood St. Edward and Ohio State star; Tony Grossi's story on Browns running back Peyton Hillis, who looks forward to getting back on the field; Mary Kay Cabot's Browns Insider; Grossi and Cabot preview the Browns-49ers game, via a David I. Andersen video; video of Hillis talking with the media after Wednesday's practice, by Andersen; a Starting Blocks poll on the Browns-49ers game; and, much more.
The full story, please?
The Browns still consider Peyton Hillis their featured running back, Jamison Hensley writes for ESPN.com.
Some Starting Blocks commentary on Hensley's report is in order. First, let's establish that both Hillis and Montario Hardesty have been running behind subpar blocking, and they're also hampered by a passing attack that has limited big-play ability -- often enabling opposing defenses to key on the line of scrimmage.
But, in the interest of fairness, Hensley needs to tell the whole story.
He writes:
If the Browns had made the decision that Hillis didn't fit into their plans or offense, this would be the time to make the shift to Hardesty, who is coming off a 95-yard game against a tough Seattle run defense.
There has been much criticism of Hillis for his ordinary rushing average of 3.5 yards a carry. Hensley didn't write that it took Hardesty 33 carries for the 95 yards; 2.9 yards per carry. Hardesty's rushing average for the season is 3.3 yards. The case can be made that Hillis and Hardesty have done about as well as can be expected given the other circumstances.
Hensley also writes:
In Hillis' four starts, the Browns are 1-3. In Hardesty's two starts, the Browns are 2-0.
Hensley again ignores the full story. The Browns are averaging 11.5 points a game in Hardesty's two starts. Seven of those points came on the late-game touchdown drive for a 17-16 win over the winless Miami Dolphins. Hardesty didn't run the football once during the drive, though he made a key pass catch on a fourth-down play that kept the drive going. We won't get into the differences in the pass-catching and blocking abilities of Hillis and Hardesty.
Hillis has made four starts. In the two games (including the 27-19 win over winless Indianapolis) when he was healthy and indeed the featured back, the Browns averaged 22 points. He started in the 31-13 loss to Tennessee, but actually got one less touch than did Hardesty.
Hillis started but played only briefly due to a pulled hamstring in the 24-17 loss to Oakland. Seven of the Browns' points against the Raiders came at the end of the game, when Oakland was simply focused on stopping the big play.
Nothing against Montario Hardesty, who has shown glimpses of being a fine back. Sometimes, though, it seems that not all of the facts are addressed in analyses of Peyton Hillis' play.
Goal to goal
Coach Pat Shurmur wants the Browns to run the football, writes Scott Petrak for the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram and Medina County Gazette.
Compliments for the Browns defense, in Sports Illustrated SI.com's team power rankings.
Browns quarterback Colt McCoy compliments Boise State QB Kellen Moore, who is set to pass McCoy for the most career wins by a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) quarterback.
Peyton Hillis wants to play and not talk about his contract status. By Stephanie Storm of the Akron Beacon Journal.
Pat Shurmur looks for balance from his team. By Matt Florjancic for clevelandbrowns.com.
Josh Cribbs and Peyton Hillis' quotes from Wednesday, on clevelandbrowns.com.
A Browns-49ers preview, on CBSSports.com.
An interview with former Browns wide receiver Braylon Edwards, who may or may not be able to play for the 49ers against the Browns, as he continues to work his way back from Sept. 18 knee surgery. By Eric Branch for SFGate.com.
Source: http://www.cleveland.com/ohio-sports-blog/index.ssf/2011/10/cleveland_browns_am_links_53.html
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