Early top 10 ranking for defense

10.02.2008

A perfect 10?

No, but the Browns will gladly take it.

Don't look now, but the Browns defense of first-year coordinator Mel Tucker is ranked 10th overall in the NFL this week in average yards per game allowed, 313.0.

The Browns were not ranked anywhere close to that at any point in 2007. They were 23rd -- their high-water mark of the season -- after the first week. Their 365.0 yards given up wasn't the tops on the year, but it was close.

From that point on last season, the Browns;' top ranking was 30th. That came after the last game, when they had their lowest yardage yield overall, 359.6.

They were dead-last -- No. 32 -- in 11 of the 17 weeks, and next-to-last four times.

Their worst yardage yield of 448 came, not surprisingly, in Week 2 after the 51-45 shootout victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. That started them off on a stretch of 10 straight weeks in which the average exceeded 400 yards.

The Browns are ranked 10th this season in pass defense, giving up an average of 187 yards per contest. The best they were last season was seventh after Week 1. After that, they could do no better than 24th. That happened twice, including in the final rankings, when they were allowing 230.1. They were 30th or worst 10 times.

Their best yardage yield was 159 after the opener.

In run defense, they are currently 22nd, surrendering an average of 126 yards per game. That may not sound like much until you consider that their best ranking last year was 27th. That, too, came twice, including in the final rankings, when their average was a season-low 129.5.

Rankings by yards have been an official NFL statistic since 1971. During the previous 34 seasons, the Browns have finished in the top 10 overall defensively just eight times. None of those seasons were in the expansion era, which began in 1999. The last time it occurred was 1994, when they were seventh.

They did as well as second in 1984.

Their top mark during the expansion era was 15th in 2004. They were tied for 16th the next year.

In pass defense, the Browns have finished in the top 10 a total of 13 times, three of which have come in the expansion era (fourth in 2005, fifth in '04 and seventh in '03). They did as well as third twice, in 1972 and '84.

Against the run, the Browns have finished in the top 10 a total of six times, none of which have come in the expansion era. Their top mark has been No. 27 last year and in their playoff season of 2002. In the expansion era, they been last twice and 29th or higher on six occasions.

"They've been hanging in and they've been fighting," Browns head coach Romeo Crennel said of the defense. "I think that the fact that they were able to get some turnovers helps them as a unit.

"To this point, they've been pretty decent on getting their hands on the ball (they forced five turnovers in last Sunday's 20-12 win over the Bengals, and have forced eight on the season), so that's a plus and hopefully that will continue."

But yardage yields -- or even turnovers -- don't necessarily win or lose games. Points do. And in that regard, the Browns are doing better than last year as well. They are tied for ninth, giving up an average of 19.5 points per game. Last year, they finished 21st at 23.9.

When looking at this year's average, what happened in the third quarter two weeks ago against the Baltimore Ravens must be taken into the consideration. The defense was charged with giving up 14 points at the start of the quarter in a span of just 50 seconds, but the unit really can't be blamed -- at least not totally -- for that.

The offense threw two interceptions, one of which set up the Ravens at the Cleveland 12 (they scored a TD in four plays). The other was returned 32 yards for a score.

Take away those 14 points and the Browns defense has given up just 64, or an average of only 16 per game. That would rank them sixth.

In the end, though, wins are all that matter, and the Browns are struggling to get going there with just a 1-3 mark. But if an offense that's ranked last in average yards per game can get untracked and realize some of its potential explosiveness, and if the defense can just keep doing what it's doing, then things could get better -- maybe even a lot better -- record-wise for the Browns over these last 12 games.