Jordan Cameron's 42-yard completion
Situation: 1st and 10 at PIT 47 – 12:15 left in the second quarter, Browns trailing 3-0
Formation: Single-back, three tight ends, one wide receiver
Play call: This "trick play" is something the Browns perfected in training camp, catching their own defense off guard several times with it. Brian Hoyer misdirection play-action, trying to sell that the Browns are running the ball to the right.
Reaction: The three tight end formation changed the mindset of the Steelers defense. They were thinking run all the way and forgot about the speedy Cameron (red circle). The Browns' Pro Bowl tight end makes it look like he made a bad block on the play, and that he's just an extra body lost in the shuffle. Once Pittsburgh realized it was a pass play, it was mass confusion. And they keyed in on Travis Benjamin (black circle) as the only receiver. "Defenders are pointing and yelling, 'You got him! You got him!' Guys are kind of crisscrossing," Cameron explained. Cameron sneakily jogs over towards the right sideline, hoping nobody sees him.
Result: Hoyer purposely underthrew the pass to Cameron, who was standing alone without a Steeler 20 yards near him. "Don't drop it," was the thought running through Cameron's head. He didn't. It ended up being a 42-yard gain and the momentous play that really got the Browns kick-started to their biggest blowout win over an AFC North opponent since 2003.
Jordan Cameron's 51-yard touchdown
Situation: 3rd and 1 at the CLE 49 – 9:40 left in the second quarter, Browns leading 7-3.
Formation: Single-back, three tight ends, one wide receiver.
Play call: A passing play on third-and-one. "It was a gutsy call," said Cameron. Troy Polamalu (blue circle) started creeping up because he anticipated a running play. The eventual Hall of Fame safety locks his eyes into the backfield, leaving Cameron for a one-on-one matchup. "We got the look we wanted," Cameron said.
Reaction: Andrew Hawkins (black circle) runs a post corner route to occupy the other deep safety, Mike Mitchell. Polamalu (blue circle) is running around aimlessly. Cameron makes a move towards the middle of the field. "I attacked the defenders leverage and beat him inside," said Cameron. Attacking a defenders' leverage basically means that Cameron had the linebacker's hips turned. He recognized he had an opening up the seam and Hoyer, in turn, lofted the football where only Cameron could come down with the pass.
Result: The 51-yard touchdown had the Dawg Pound rocking, and it was a scoring play Cameron will never, ever forget.
"That was the first touchdown I scored in front of my son, Tristian," Cameron explained, and the picture below is the tight end pointing to his five-year-old. "My parents were there, too. It was a proud moment as a father. Going against the Steelers and the way they've kind of been bullying us the last 10 years, it was huge for the city, huge for our team and the momentum of this program. I was so happy for the city of Cleveland."
