It might well be better, given the wave of penalties that has hit the Cleveland Browns last week (10 altogether), to start looking at what changes could be made by the team to address the problem. The Browns lead the NFL in penalties by a wide margin, at 82 that have been accepted (the Browns also lead in having 13 penalties declined) and have had the most presnap penalties, at 41. The Browns also rank No. 8 in having the fewest penalties flagged against them, at 55, which has made the team’s already thin margin of error all the thinner over the course of the season. So the question was put to coach Todd Monken: Why not start making changes to the offensive line, where the bulk of the presnap penalties are happening?
Monken’s answer did not raise much confidence among the Browns faithful, no doubt.
Todd Monken: ‘We Can’t Change Our Starters’
Fact is, the offensive line the Browns are putting out there each week has been the best five guys the Browns have for the job–rookies Spencer Fano at left tackle and Austin Barber at right guard, and new veterans Elgton Jenkins at center, Tytus Howard at right tackle and Zion Johnson at left guard. It’s a much-improved group over last year, but still has its struggles, especially in recent weeks. Both Fano and Barber have appeared to be wearing down lately, and Howard has struggled with penalties all season.
Behind those guys? Well, there is not much for the Browns to change, Monken admitted.
He said: “We can’t change out our starters. I mean, I’m not changing out our starters. I mean, they’re either going to, they’re either going to buy into those types of things and the mental stamina that it takes to hold their water on defense or for us to have discipline offensively. But we’re not going to be the team we can be, because there are starters for a reason, right? If the other guys we thought gave us a better chance to win, they’d be in there.”
Browns ‘Culprits’ Called Out
So, how do the Browns fix their penalty problem? Monken’s answer might be frustrating to fans, and it is likely frustrating to him and the rest of the coaching staff: The only way to fix it is to stop committing penalties. Not an encouraging strategy, but the Browns have no other answers.
Monken did concede that the team openly called out the “culprits” on these mistakes on Thursday.
Said Monken: “Our starters are the starters. We addressed it again today, who the biggest culprits are. And they’re our guys. And they’re like, like we said before, I mean, they’re like our kids. We’re not going to just change out our kids. I mean, we’re not going to change out our players. They’re our best players. We got to get our best players. And we have a very diligent team. We have a lot of guys that love playing football, but the stats are what they are. I mean, we’ve got to look in the mirror and say, ‘at some point, this is it.’ I mean, that we just can’t continue down this road.”
Browns’ Todd Monken Makes Admission on Struggling Starters