Joe Woods Needs to Change His Defensive Game Planning or Get Relieved of Duty

I don’t want to feel like I’m in a total echo chamber. I don’t like Joe Woods. I don’t think many people do after the disaster that took place in Foxborough. I’ve been a critic of Joe Woods in many on-air appearances, and I’ve given him his flowers when flowers need be thrown his direction. However: I’m always a realist. When it doesn’t work, I really don’t care about opinions and “oh but what if it works next week?” Well, let me be VERY CLEAR with you here.

"It. Won’t. Work.“

"One time is a mistake, two times is coincidence and three times is a trend.”

Yes, I’m borrowing from Goldfinger and Ian Fleming as well as a bit of the financial world here. However, what I am saying is true. Three games (and certainly more than three games) we can look at Joe Woods and objectively say, Joe Woods’ defense is an abject failure.

Game One: 2021 Wild Card Playoff at Pittsburgh

You were spotted 28 points. TWENTY-EIGHT POINTS. You allowed them to close the gap to 12. You gave the entire city a collective heart attack as they thought they about to re-live the 2002-03 Wild Card Game famously where the Steelers tradition of a playing the Styx classic song “Renegade” while the whole stadium waves their dreaded yellow towels in the air originated. 

I fully thought that was going to happen. Somehow, your offense scored enough to ward off Pittsburgh at Heinz Field allowing the team and us fans to exercise some playoff demons. Though the Browns won, your defense gave 37 points to Pittsburgh. 27 of those coming in second half! GOOD TEAMS AND MORE IMPORTANTLY GOOD COORDINATORS DON’T LET THAT HAPPEN. There’s more where that came from too.

Game Two: 2021-22 Season Week 1: at Kansas City

Not a game you were spotted but the Baker and the offense came out SWINGING. You were up 22-10 at half and the offense was answering any scoring from Mahomes and the Kansas City offense. The one play that was a microcosm of the collapse in this one was an answered prayer from Mahomes to Tyreek Hill. 

A play that should have no business existing any film room to break down why Patrick Mahomes is so good. You had that man solved in the first half. You simply CANNOT let things like this happen. It’s plays like this that drive fans insane. This loss was all Joe Woods’ fault. Soft zones and prevent defense just isn't how things get done around the NFL.

I understand why they exist but they don’t work anymore, people at the NFL level can have Olympic caliber speed. (Which is no joke either, coming from both a Browns fan and as an avid fan of Track and Field.)

Game Three: 2021 Week 8 vs Pittsburgh

Shout out Pat Friermuth for a great play here, he deserves a lot of credit for making that play. That’s what stars do and he’s a star in the making I think. Sure, you gave up 15 points which is enough to get you by on most teams in most weeks but this is a game where you simply didn’t take advantage of being aggressive. 

Big Ben doesn’t have an arm left yet you played deep quarters (for those not hip that’s Cover Four aka Prevent defense), Cover Three and Deep Thirds and soft zones again which allowed Ben to take advantage of short passes where he didn’t have to use his arm a lot. You don’t do that against a QB who’s taken a beating in his younger years, doesn’t have an arm and literally is a slug getting out of the pocket. 

You might say, “well, it worked.” You LOST. So, no, it didn’t work. Do not pass go and do not collect $200 for saying that and trying to champion that. You allowed Big Ben to own you YET AGAIN in your own building. The Steelers literally GAVE YOU that game. Yet, you went and blew it. Unacceptable.

“So what is all this to prove?” 

That’s a question you may ask. Well, I just identified a trend. It’s simply this: Joe Woods needs to be let go at season’s end or fired. What he’s done isn’t working. You have all the pieces you want yet you can’t utilize them the right way and when they need to be utilized to the best of their given ability. I’ve simply had it. This doesn’t highlight (err… lowlight incoming if not ready, avert your eyes) the games where teams threw up 47, 37 and most recently 45 on you. Those in my eyes were or should’ve been competitive games (one out of those three was and you took an L).

That’s just one the many issues with this Browns team as they sit at 5-5, far below the expectation they set for themselves. Your championship window is NOW. You have to make changes to win NOW. Because in my eyes, if you don’t take advantage of this window, I don’t know when the next one will be. So, Browns Execs, do us a favor and get Joe Woods out of here. I’ve had it, most fans I’ve heard on the local sports radio stations and most fans I’ve spoken with are getting sick of it.