There are not many positive things to take from the Browns’ 24-9 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.
In fact, the only two may be what Browns wide receiver Terrelle Pryor said, and how head coach Hue Jackson addressed it.
In the locker room after the game, in which Cody Kessler suffered a concussion, Pryor called out the offensive line for its inability to protect the quarterbacks.
Good for Pryor for saying what he did!
The line needed to be called out. It should have been called out. It has done a pathetic job all year in that regard. The quarterbacks have been beaten to a pulp because the line can’t pass block. And the run blocking isn’t any good, either.
It’s good that a player said publicly what everybody in the Western Hemisphere has said publicly, that the line stinks and that it needs to get a whole lot better for this team to have any chance all to win a game this season, or in any season going forward.
Like many of his teammates, Pryor was used to winning in college. He succeeded as a quarterback at Ohio State because he played behind great offensive lines. He knows how important that is to a quarterback.
So when he sees this mess of a line, he makes him angry and frustrated. The Browns may not be able to do much about the problem for the rest of this season – there are only five games left, so the team is what it is – but they had better make fixing the line a priority from the moment the offseason begins. And they have plenty of high picks in the 2017 NFL Draft and plenty of money to spend in free agency so as to be able to get the job done.
Now as for Jackson, I like the way he publicly admitted in Monday’s press conference that he did not like Pryor calling out his teammates to the media, and told him so. Good for Jackson. As head coach, that’s what he needs to say, ad do.
He told Pryor that it’s the coach’s job to speak for the team in situations like that. If a player has something negative to say, he should keep the comments in-house, or in-gut, which means he doesn’t say them at all.
Jackson went on to say he had a good conversation with Pryor, and that he understands he can’t do that again. It can tear apart a team. Words mean things.
But I still like the fact Pryor did it. He showed some real spunk, heart and a passion for winning, and those are all good things. He cares deeply about this team.
