Berea, Ohio -- Browns coach Pat Shurmur met his new players only about seven weeks ago, and he's learning things about them every day. Some of those things make him laugh (see Greg Little), and some of those things make him want to cry (see Bengals' quick snap in Week 1 and receiving the game ball from Colt McCoy in Week 2). 
Every game is an adventure, and he never knows exactly what he's going to get from this newly assembled group of players -- especially considering that 24 of them -- or 45 percent of the roster -- are in their first or second year in the NFL.
But coming out of Sunday's 27-19 victory over the Indianapolis Colts, Shurmur learned four things that will help this fledgling team moving forward:
1. Use Hardesty earlier: Shurmur realized he needs to get Montario Hardesty involved in the game sooner to keep Peyton Hillis explosive throughout. Hardesty saw the field only two times before he was thrown into a crucial red zone situation in the fourth quarter with the Browns clinging to a 14-12 lead.
Hardesty struggled, losing 1 yard, fumbling (Joe Thomas recovered) and then gaining 2 more yards to the 2. Hillis then came back in for the crucial third-and-2, an incompletion in the back of the end zone, and the Browns kicked a field goal.
"We wanted to get him in the game," said Shurmur. "I wish we could have gotten him in the game sooner. He needs to play. Peyton is a bruising-type runner that needs relief at times. That's what we'll try to do a better job of next week."
He had no regrets about using Hardesty in place of Hillis in the red zone/goal-line offense.
"Well, I think it's OK," Shurmur said. "Regardless of where you put a player in, you don't want him to put the ball on the ground. Fortunately, we got it. The more critical the situation, the more heightened the awareness from everybody's standpoint. I feel like he's made huge progress in training camp, and for us to win over a consistent time frame, we're going to need him. So I need to play him some."
2. Keep Sheard on the left: After the Bengals ran at rookie defensive end Jabaal Sheard on the right side in week one, Shurmur flip-flopped his ends in Indy, returning Sheard to his more natural left side and moving Jayme Mitchell to the right. In his new spot, Sheard made five tackles -- and hit the trifecta with a sack-strip-recovery in the fourth quarter.
"We flipped the ends, and I think that's probably the way we're going to go with it now," said Shurmur. "Keep Jabaal on the defensive left, offensive right. Watching him compete, we felt like he was more effective playing on the left than the right. I think [Sheard and fellow rookie Phil Taylor] did a good job and they're getting better. I'm seeing improvement each week."
3. Focus on Greg, Josh, Mo: Shurmur identified Little, Mohamed Massaquoi and Josh Cribbs as his playmaking receivers and focused on getting them the ball.
Little caught four passes for 38 yards, Massaquoi caught three for 45 and Cribbs caught three for 41, including a 25-yarder on a third-down bubble screen that led to a touchdown.
"I did like the way Josh, Greg and Mo all performed," said Shurmur. "I felt like it was important to get the ball in [their] hands, and we found a way to do that and I think we got some results from it."
On Little, he said: "He's grown a lot in my eyes. He's one of those guys who loves Sunday. His eyes get real big when the lights are on. He's very excitable. He had his chances [Sunday] and did some good things. We'll try to build on that. He's a very competitive guy. He sees things well. He, like some of the other receivers, comes to the sideline and says: 'Hey coach, we can get them on this. He can't cover me on this.' For a young guy, he gets right in there with the mix with all those suggestions."
On Cribbs, Shurmur said: "He can make big plays, and it's just a part of his nature. The third down, we had time to talk about it on the sideline, and I had one thought in mind, and then we had a quick screen up just to get the ball out, and I said, 'You want it?' And he said, 'Just throw it to me,' and he did it."
4. Dust off Alex Smith: Tight end Alex Smith was hauled Sunday out of cold storage, where he spent most of last season with Cleveland. Smith, a four-year starter in Tampa Bay, played only three games for the Browns last season and was inactive for 11. Shurmur not only loves his blocking ability (he helped spring Cribbs on that 25-yard screen), but also likes his hands. McCoy threw to him five times, and he caught three for 19 yards.
"He's a steady player, and I really have a strong appreciation for what he is," said Shurmur. "He's primarily a blocker, but we threw him the ball a couple times, and he made big plays. In games where you're battling it out for 5-yard chunks, that's when you see a guy like Alex show up, and I think he did that."
Of course, Shurmur might stumble upon a whole new set of ideas this week against the Dolphins while he continues to learn his new crew.
"There were some real good things to build on, and keep in mind that this is a sport that as you go through the season, you try to find ways to improve each week," said Shurmur. "I feel like that's the direction we'll go."
Article source:
http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2011/09/post_95.html
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