Tag Archives: Pittsburgh Steelers

MONDAY MORNING DUMP

Regardless of how they got here, the Browns are at .500 through 4 games at (2-2). Now what do they do moving forward will give us a better idea if they’re a good team, an improving team, a lucky team or still a bad team.  We’ll start to get an answer to that debate starting this Sunday when they host their arch rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have beaten the Browns in 28 of the last 32 games.

Kudos to Chris Tabor’s special teams as they played a big part in the Browns historical comeback win yesterday at Tennessee. Tank Carter’s blocked punt was a momentum changer, and the fact they were perfect on all snaps for punts, field goals and extra points and they made all their kicks is huge. Plus their punt and kick coverage teams were outstanding.

Brian Hoyer TD Signal vs Ravens

 

Brian Hoyer is now (5-2) in 7 career starts for the Cleveland Browns. Of those 5 wins, he has led 3 game winning drives in the 4th quarter.

More Hoyer – he’s thrown for 1,008 yards with 6 touchdown passes and only 1 interception so far this season. That’s good for a 97.7 quarterback rating.

 

The Browns have outscored their opponents so far this season 67-30 in the second half of games.

While it is a victory Monday and as Mike Pettine pointed out in week #1 this is a Pass/Fail business, the Browns head coach can’t be happy with the way his team has started their road games (outscored 54-13 in 1st half), their inability to stop the run, the poor play of Joe Haden, Justin Gilbert and Buster Skrine and the horrendous tackling we’ve seen through 4 games.Joe Haden beat by Steve Smith vs Ravens   9-21-14

The Browns defense, which was supposed to be its strength entering this season, is ranked 30th in run defense in the NFL at (152. Yards per game) and 28th in pass defense at ( 269.3 yards per game).

Having said all that, the Browns are only 1 game out of first in the AFC North.

Taylor Gabriel has been the biggest surprise for me amongst the wide receivers. The undrafted rookie from Abilene Christian has been a big play guy for the offense, averaging 19.4 yards per catch on 10 grabs.

If you’re looking for the strength of this Browns football team, look no further than the offensive line. Joe Thomas, John Greco, Alex Mack, Joel Bitonio and Mitchell Schwartz are the main reason Brian Hoyer has been able to do what he’s done, as well as the running game. The team is averaging over 143 yards per game on the ground with a 4.5 average on every carry regardless of who the running back is.

(4-15), that’s the combined record of the Browns next 4 opponents with 3 of those 4 games at home. No less than 3 wins in the next 4 games is acceptable if this squad wants to be considered a good team and a playoff contender.

 

BROWNS OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR KYLE SHANAHAN ON BRIAN HOYER, THE NO HUDDLE OFFENSE AND IF HE’D PLAY JOSH GORDON THIS WEEK IF ALLOWED

On if he planned to go to the hurry up offense against Pittsburgh or if it was just a matter of how the game was going:

“No, it was something we’ve planned for a while. We’ve been planning since the summer. It’s something we wanted to go to at some time in that game. We kind of planned on going to it in the first half. We just didn’t stay on the field long enough, so we opened up the second half with it.”

 

On if he’s surprised by how effective it was:

“We thought it would be good. It was a little better than anticipated. It was something that got them off-balance, tired them out a little bit. It tired us out too. When you do that that much, you get a little sloppy on both sides of the ball, but it ended up working out well for us – got some points, got us going.”

 

On if he can condition and train to be more of a no huddle team at this point:

“Yeah, you definitely can. You’ve got to do whatever it takes to score points. I think it’s different based on what fronts and coverages you go against every week. It’s different based on what you’re trying to accomplish with the no-huddle. I thought we did a really good job running the ball. It opened up a lot of bootlegs for us and things like that, which got us some easy completions. I think going to it in the second half made us avoid third down a lot because our first and second down plays were so good.”

 

On what he can do in a more conventional offense to be as good as they were in the second half:

“I think the key in the second half…well, we struggled in the whole game because we weren’t good on third down in the first half or the second half. What helped us with the no huddle was the plays we did were so good that we avoided third down. In the first half…we didn’t have a lot of success in the first half. That was obvious, but I thought that was because we didn’t do anything on third down. We got one third down in the first half, and on that third down, we scored. On the opening drive, we converted a third-and-one. We went all the way down really to the two-yard-line. It got negated by a penalty, and then we didn’t convert a third down the rest of the half. When you don’t convert third downs, it’s hard to have drives. I thought our running game did well, but we were punting. When we went to the second half, we went no huddle a lot. I think we had two third downs I want to say, out of the first 23 plays. We were one-of-two on them. Actually I believe we were zero-for-two on them. To me, what helped us wasn’t necessarily the success of the no huddle. It was the success of running the ball to where we didn’t have to face third down because we struggled on third down all game.”

 

On averaging 6.1 yards-per-carry against Pittsburgh and if that’s expectation for him or something that’s surprising:

“I’d like to say that we expect to run for six yards-per-carry every time, but I don’t think that’s been done before over the course of a year. It’s setting the bar a little bit high, but I would love for that to be our goal. Every time we call a run play we expect all 11 guys to block. We’re trying to score on every play. You rarely do, but our goal is to score. We’re not just calling runs to get three yards and stuff. We’re trying to be as explosive in the run game as in the pass game. I was excited for the guys because they made a big commitment to it – to working hard in the run game. I was excited for them to have some success and see it work. Hopefully we can work off it this week.”

 

On if the success they had in the no huddle had more to do with how well they were playing or with a vulnerability they saw in Pittsburgh:

“It’s both. It’s something we did when I was in Washington also. It’s just a package you can always go to. A lot of it has to do with what (defensive) fronts we’re going against and everything. Philly did have some success with them in the preseason, but this is a totally different type of no huddle so it really doesn’t relate. It was more about the looks we thought we would get and whether we thought those plays would be good against them. It worked, and so we stayed with it. If it didn’t, we probably would have got out of it.”

 

On what his take is on wordy play-calls, how long his play-calls are and if they can be streamlined:

“It all depends. The more words that you put in there, the more the other 10 guys don’t have to memorize. You don’t just make things wordy to make it harder for people. You make things wordy to make it easier for the other 10 guys. If you ever have a quarterback who’s really struggling with it then you make it easier and you put more on the other 10 guys. You like to put the most on the quarterback for him to repeat after the coach. I’ve got to be able to say it. Then if he can say it, it makes the other 10 guys jobs a lot easier.”

 

On if the process of getting all those words in affects the pace of the whole offense:

“It hasn’t for the last seven years, and everywhere else I’ve ever been it hasn’t. I don’t think it’s too big of a deal.”

 

On if he’ll be able to throw WR Josh Gordon right into the mix if he’s allowed to come back after the NFLPA votes on the NFL drug policy:

“Yeah, if Josh is able to play this week, I’d like to get him out there. I think he would help.”

 

On his thoughts on RB Terrance West and RB Isaiah Crowell’s performances on Sunday:

“I thought they did a good job. We expected for West to get some carries with Crowell being our third back. Then when (RB Ben) Tate went down, they kind of flipped roles where West was our main guy and Crowell was (the second back). I thought they had some really good runs. They got a little bit tired going into the no huddle just like the other 22 guys on the field did. There were a couple of times where we didn’t block it. We blocked it for about negative three. West had one where we blocked it for about negative three and he picked up 20. We did a hell of a job making some guys miss. They didn’t hit every hole right. They had a couple that they miss. That’s expected from rookie backs. It’s expected from any back. I just hope they get better this week and learn from some of the success they had last week and some of the mistakes they made also.”

 

On if he likes where the offensive line is:

“To have the success we did, I was obviously pretty happy with. At times they did real well, and then there were a few things that we missed that they know from. We do it over and over every week. I think they’ll get better from it throughout the year. Going into that game, they were good at the stuff we were expecting. They missed a couple of looks that we weren’t expecting. The more reps they get, the more they get playing in it, the more they’ll be able to adjust to that. I feel we’ll get better as we go. Just stay healthy. You have continuity. That’s the main thing with having those guys out there.”

 

On how he thinks running backs coach Wilbert Montgomery has done with the backs:

“I think Wilbert has done a great job. I never knew Wilbert until we brought him in here. I’ve known of him from being a fan of his when I was younger when he was a player. I’ve known him from just being a coach and what he’s done with the Rams and Baltimore. He demands a lot out of his players. He does a hell of a job. He works as hard as anyone I’ve been around, and he’s a real good person also.”

 

On if he has the mindset that it’s going to be a shootout against the Saints and if he maybe doesn’t want to give them the ball quickly:

“Not really. I’ve got a lot of respect for their offense and everyone else does too, but if you think that way, you’re not going to call a game right. You’ve got to call a game to put your players in a position to win, a position to be successful. If you worry about what the other offense is doing, you’re not doing what’s best for your players. I try to not think about that stuff and just take it one step at a time. Whatever the scoreboard says, I’ll adjust to that, but you don’t really go in thinking anything like that.”

 

On if he thinks that sometimes QB Brian Hoyer gets in trouble when he hurries himself:

“At times, I think all quarterbacks are like that. You’ve got to keep your same rhythm throughout a game, and by rhythm I mean just the tempo of your drop and your feet and going through progressions. You don’t want to speed anything up and force it. If people are taking somebody, relax, hitch up and go to the next one. If someone double-teams a guy, it opens up a hole somewhere else. You don’t have to force it in there. Sometime when you have max-protection and you don’t have as many people out on a route, that can happen, but if you can get five eligibles out on a route or at least four and they’re playing zone, someone is going to be open. Whoever they take away,  it opens up another area, and you’ve just got to progress.”

 

On if he saw Hoyer’s comfort grow from the first half to the second half:

“Yeah, I think everyone’s did. When you start running the ball like that, it opens up a lot of things. It got us a lot of bootlegs and stuff like that – a lot of people more open than usual. Whenever you can have success going down the field like that and scoring some points, it helps everybody, coaches included.”

 

On what points he’s emphasizing to Hoyer this week in terms of facing Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan:

“In terms of going against their defenses, just really to not get too set on anything you see on tape. You never know what you’re going to get from Rob. I’ve faced him a lot being in Washington while he was in Dallas. He’s got a hell of a scheme. Everything you see on tape makes sense. He does a lot of stuff. I’ve learned if you work on all that stuff too hard, you’re probably not going to see it on Sunday. It could be a whole different thing, so you’ve just got to be able to go out there, relax, know your plays, go through progression. If you see something you haven’t seen before, don’t panic. We’ll come to the sidelines. We’ll talk about it and always be ready to adjust.”

 

On if they still would have kept Crowell if he didn’t have the game he had against Chicago:

“That was a decision…you’ve really got to ask someone else, but I know there were a bunch of guys battling for that third spot. Going into that game, we had two guys who were locked in and it could have gone any way for that third spot. He wasn’t locked in at all. He did well which helped him. It wasn’t just the guys on the team; they’re competing against other people in the league who are getting let off of other rosters. For him to have a good game like that, it definitely made it an easier decision for the people who make it to keep him.”

 

On if he’ll have a package for QB Johnny Manziel available for this week:

“As far as a Johnny package, like I said last week, a package is running our offense. Johnny is not a wildcat quarterback. If our starting quarterback gets injured or something like that, then your backup quarterback comes in. You hope he can run the offense and execute it. There are obviously plays that Johnny would do that Brian wouldn’t, but that usually has to do with the health of your quarterback and how the game is going.”

 

On if it really has more to do with Hoyer’s health and he wouldn’t put Manziel in as just a change of pace:

“Probably not, but that always depends on what you’re going against – what the looks are – how everything is going as a whole. There are really no absolutes, but week in and week out, it has to do with what I see on tape with who we’re going against.”

 

On if the third down play near the goal line where Hoyer turned the wrong way on a handoff would have been a first down if he had turned the right way:

“Yeah, it was third-and-one. I think we would have gotten a first down.”

 

On if they would have scored:

“Possibly. We were on the seven-yard-line. I just wanted to a yard. I think we would have had a good chance to get three tries from the six. I can’t say if we would have scored or not, but hopefully, I think we would have at least got the first down.”

 

On if has showed the players film of the Redskins winning at New Orleans two years ago:

“No, players don’t care (laughs). I really don’t care either, just like you guys don’t care (laughs). All that matters is that we how do this week.”

 

On it being a big deal:

“It was. It was fun for about 15 hours, and then I had to go on with the rest of my life.”

 

On if the game plan would be drastically affected if Browns TE Jordan Cameron can’t play on Sunday:

“Yeah, it affects how we look at everything. When you put together a game plan, a third down package, everything you do it affects it – who you want to get the ball to with matchups and stuff. I’m used to being in this situation. A lot of times you never know who’s going to be up, so you’ve got to have plans for both and make sure when it is a game-time decision and things like that that you’re not depending on the decision. You’re ready for it and you can go either way.”

PODCAST – THE RODA REPORT ON 92.3 THE FAN

Here’s my weekly conversation with 92.3 The fan’s Andy Baskin and Jeff Phelps discussing the Browns/Steelers game, injuries to Ben Tate and Jordan Cameron, Josh Gordon and the NFL and NFLPA Drug Policy conversations and more.

http://cleveland.cbslocal.com/2014/09/10/roda-report-gordon-waiting-goodell-explaining-browns-ailing/

92.3 The Fan Logo

PODCAST – INSTANT ANALYSIS – STEELERS 30 BROWNS 27

The Browns put up a great fight in thesecond half in Pittsburgh but came up short in a week #1 loss to the Steelers, here’s my breakdown of what went down in the “Steel City”.

Shaun Suisham GW Filed Goal vs Browns 9-7-14

POSITION BREAKDOWN – BROWNS AT STEELERS – RUNNING BACKS

Both teams now feel they have a feature back. The Steelers with Le’Veon Bell, last year’s second round pick out of Michigan State and the Browns with free agent signee Ben Tate who comes over from the Texans.

Bell and his back-up Legarrette Blount, are lucky to be playing because both are facing marijuana possession charges, and Bell also has a possible DUI charge to deal with. The Steelers, who could have suspended one or both, have decided to wait for due process to play out, thus allowing both running backs to play in the opener. Another reason the Steelers are probably letting both play is because the only other running back they have on the roster is rookie 3rd round pick Dri Archer from Kent State.

Bell racked up over 1,200 yards rushing and receiving last season in Pittsburgh while Blount accumulated over 700 yard rushing in New England. The two combined for 15 touchdowns last season. So Pittsburgh has its starter and a solid back-up, plus a rookie with 4.2 speed in Archer that offensive coordinator Todd Haley and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger can use. That’s a pretty good trio.

The Browns were led in rushing last year by Willis McGahee, but he only gained 377 yards and reached the endzone just twice. The Browns as a team only rushed for a total of 4 TD’s all of last season. So new G.M. Ray Farmer signed Ben Tate to be his feature back and then drafted Terrance West in the third round out of Towson to be his back-up. The third stringer is undrafted rookie Isaiah Crowell. Tate gained almost 800 yards playing for the injured Arian Foster last year in Houston and scored 4 touchdowns in 14 games. Now he gets his chance to be the Browns every down back running behind the better of the two offensive lines in Kyle Shanahan’s offense.  He must hold on to the football and stay healthy for this free agent signing to be a success, something that Tate has had problems with in his career.

Even with the lessor of the two O-Line’s, I like the Steelers running backs better because they’ve got two healthy starters and a speedster to mix in as a change of pace.

RUNNING BACKS  ADVANTAGE – PITTSBURGH

POSITION BREAKDOWN – BROWNS AT STEELERS – LINEBACKERS and SECONDARY

In years past this was an easy pick as the Steelers defense dominated because of its linebackers in Dick Lebeau’s “Blitzburgh” scheme. The pressure Pittsburgh’s LB’s would put on opposing quarterbacks allowed Troy Polamalu to do whatever he wanted and Ike Taylor was able to cover the opposition’s top wide out.

That is not the case anymore.

The Steelers linebackers are average at best, and Polamalu and Taylor are older and slower. That is not a good combination for the “Black and Gold”.

How bad are the Steelers linebackers? They drafted one in the first round in Ryan Shazier, and he’s starting on the inside! Mike Tomlin doesn’t like to start rookies on defense, or anywhere. That should tell you something.  Last year’s first round pick, another linebacker in Jarvis Jones, underperformed based on the front office’s expectations and the other two starters, Jason Worilds and Lawrence Timmons have also been disappointments, even though Worilds led the team in sacks last year with 8. They are a downgrade from Steeler linebackers of the past.

Pittsburgh brought in Mike Mitchell to replace the ancient Ryan Clark at safety and that is an upgrade. However, without pressure and creating havoc in the backfield from the Steelers linebackers, Polamalu, Mitchell, Taylor and fellow starting corner Cortez Allen can be exposed by good passing attacks.

The Browns feel they’ve upgraded the middle of their linebacking core with the addition of veteran Karlos Dansby. He’s more of a play-maker than D’Qwell Jackson was, but doesn’t have many years left.

Barkevious Mingo 1

2013 First Round Pick Barkevious Mingo

Last year’s number #1 pick Barkevious Mingo will be called upon to sack the quarterback. That’s why he was drafted. He’s very suspect against the run, so he has to make up for that with double-digit sacks this year.

Last year’s biggest disappointment was free agent linebacker Paul Kruger. He did not provide the pass rush that the Browns were expecting and needs to step his game up a lot or he’ll lose playing time to another guy that Jim O’Neil is hoping will get after the quarterback, Jabaal Sheard. The last starter right now is Craig Robertson on the inside, but for how long? He’s OK, but rookie third round pick Christian Kirksey was impressive in camp, in the preseason and is a better cover guy than Robertson, so don’t be surprised if the rookie from Iowa leap frogs Robertson and eventually becomes the starter.

Joe Haden is the best player on the Browns defense. When he’s at his best he can take away a quarter of the field and cover the opponent’s top receiver. It’s the other corner position the Browns were worried about so they passed on a much needed wide receiver at #4 and then at #8 in the draft, and selected defensive back Justin Gilbert to plug in opposite Haden. This has the potential to be an outstanding tandem even though Gilbert struggled at times in the preseason.  The Browns believe he has the size, speed and instincts to be a top flight cover corner. This also moves Buster Skrine inside to cover the slot guys and it will benefit the team immensely, as Skrine was often picked on last year by opposing quarterbacks on the outside and beaten badly or flagged for a penalty.

The strong safety position will be led by hard hitting veteran Donte Whitner. He was brought here in free agency to replace T.J. Ward because of his experience and leadership, as well as delivering the big hit to make receivers think twice about coming into his area. The Browns also feel Whitner is a good compliment to free safety Tashaun Gipson who led the team with 5 interceptions last year.

The Steelers front office feels the linebacking core will take major steps forward this year with Shazier using his speed to make tackles and Jones his pass rush ability to sack the quarterback, but I’m not as sold on this group, especially when you compare it to what they’ve had in the past.  Also the secondary has been a major problem for the Steelers for a number of years now and it’s just getting older. Yes the Steelers are using the same scheme, but do they have the players to make it work? Add in that Joe Haden is the best defensive player either of these two teams have, and the Browns have upgraded their talent and now have some depth, while it’s not a huge edge, I give the Browns linebackers and secondary the slight nod over the Steelers.

LINEBACKERS and SECONDARY ADVANTAGE – CLEVELAND

POSITION BREAKDOWN – BROWNS AT STEELERS – QUARTERBACK

This was the easiest breakdown to evaluate with these two teams.

In Ben Roethislisberger, you’ve got a 2-time Super Bowl winning quarterback who’s as healthy as he’s been in years. He also has admitted to working out more this off season to come into this year in the best shape of his career. Plus he owns the Browns, posting a 17-1 lifetime record against them.

Brian Hoyer In Game Close Up

The Browns send out a career back-up in Brian Hoyer who’s coming off ACL surgery, and maybe some playing time for a first round rookie in Johnny Manziel. Hoyer and “Johnny Football” looked average at best in the preseason, and they’re running a new offense that both are not 100% comfortable with. They’re only hope is to have Ben Tate have a big game on the ground so they can use some play action passes to maybe make a big play.

 

For the Steelers, even if “Big Ben’s” O-Line struggles, he’s used to that and knows how to handle it. He will adjust, mix in the hurry up offense to keep the Browns defense off balance and find a way to make plays with his arm and his feet.

Enough said on this QB comparison.

 

QUARTERBACK ADVANTAGE – STEELERS

 

PODCAST FROM 92.3 THE FAN – KEYS FOR THE BROWNS TO BEAT THE STEELERS IN WEEK #1

Here’s my weekly appearance with Baskin and Phelps on 92.3 The Fan talking about the keys for the Browns, if they’re going to pull off the week #1 upset in Pittsburgh.

The Roda Report on CBS Cleveland – click here –  

 

POSITION BREAKDOWN – BROWNS AT STEELERS WIDE RECEIVERS and TIGHT ENDS

The wide receivers are the worst in the league without Josh Gordon, who is suspended for the entire season. This is the biggest problem on the Browns roster.

At tight end Jordan Cameron has put up some nice numbers, but can he stay healthy for a full season and will he be able to shake the double teams that will be coming his way with Gordon out of the line up?

This is the one area where Ray Farmer has failed miserably so far as G.M. of the Browns. He chose not to select a receiver in any round of a deep wide receiver draft. Instead he tried to fill it through free agency with the signings of Andrew Hawkins (12 catches – 0 TD’s last year), Miles Austin (24 catches – 0 TD’s last year) and Nate Burleson who did score a touchdown last season, but he was cut. The rest of the receiving core is made up of LaRon Byrd, Marlon Moore, Jonathan Krause, Taylor Gabriel and Travis Benjamin who all failed to reach the end zone last season or didn’t even play in the league. That is why this unit will be ranked 32nd out of 32 teams in the National Football League!

The Steelers do have a big time receiver in Antonio Brown, but after that, they have some question marks as well. In the last three years Pittsburgh has lost Hines Ward, Mike Wallace, Emmanuel Sanders and Jerricho Cotchery to retirement or free agency. Brown will still put up some big numbers, but will he get any help from second year wide out Markus Wheaten, rookie Martavis Bryant and free agent pick-ups Lance Moore and Darrius Heyward-Bey?

The one compliment to Antonio Brown for Ben Roethlisberger will be a healthy Heath Miller at tight end. His combination of blocking, moving the chains on third down and being a favorite target of “Big Ben’s” in the redzone will help the Steelers passing attack immensely.

Because of Antonio Brown, veterans Moore and Bey and the potential of Wheaton and Bryant, along with Roethislisberger’s ability to create and make big plays and having his security blanket in Miller healthy, the Steelers passing game should be fairly potent at times this season.

 

WIDE RECEIVER and TIGHT ENDS ADVANTAGE – STEELERS

POSITION BREAKDOWN: CLEVELAND BROWNS vs PITTSBURGH STEELERS – DEFENSIVE LINE

Just like I would with the Brown offensive line, I would take their defensive line over the Steelers 10 times out 10. Regardless of who starts, the Browns have seven players they can rotate without skipping a beat and also keep everybody fresh for crunch time in the fourth quarter.

Ahtyba Rubin is one of the most underrated players in the NFL. Mix in Desmond Bryant, Billy Winn, Phil Taylor, John Hughes, Ishmaa’ily Kitchen and one of the players who stood out in the preseason, Armonty Bryant, and you have a group who has the potential to be one of the best D-Line units in the AFC. But to be considered an elite unit, they must improve their run defense, which ranked just 18th in the NFL last season.  Also they must tie up O-Linemen to enable the blitzing linebackers, corners or safeties to get to the quarterback, but again the potential for this to happen is there.

The Browns defensive line is definitely one of the strengths of the 2014 Cleveland Browns.

The Steelers defensive line has been poor the last few years because of big swing and misses in the draft and players getting old. But that didn’t stop G.M. Kevin Colbert from trying to hit a homerun or two in this year’s draft. He went out and selected Notre Dame defensive end Stephon Tuitt in the second round and he is expected to start. Another draft pick was used on a mountain of man from Tennessee, defensive tackle Daniel McCullers who stands 6’7 and tips the scales at 352 pounds.

Those two young guys will be called upon to join underachieving vet Cameron Heyward, as well as Steve McLendon, Brett Krisel and newly acquired free agent defensive end Cam Thomas. The fact that Pittsburgh drafted two D-Linemen in the first six rounds, signed a free agent and brought back an ancient Brett Keisel at the end of training camp, tells you how bad they were at these positions and how much of a question mark these guys are to start the season.

Without production from their front three, the Steelers linebackers, which are also below average for Pittsburgh, will continue to be ineffective putting pressure on the quarterback and in turn will put an already questionable secondary in jeopardy.

For the first time in a long time the Browns are better in the trenches on both sides of the ball than the Steelers, but will it be enough to help Cleveland post a win in Pittsburgh for the first time since 2003? Will see!

 

DEFENSIVE LINE ADVANTAGE – BROWNS