Three games into the NFL season, the Cleveland Browns offense is a trainwreck, ranking 31st in the NFL in yards gained and point scored. The team is 1-2 after an embarrassing loss to the New York Giants on Sunday.
At the center of those struggles is quarterback Deshaun Watson. On Wednesday, he publicly shot down a potential adjustment the Browns could make by giving him more designed run plays, citing his desire to not take hits and the fact that he’s a quarterback, not a running back:
“I’m not going in there to ask them for more designed runs. … If I don’t have to run, I’m not going to run,” Watson said. “I’m not trying to take any hits. … I’m not a running quarterback, in a sense. I can make things happen, but I’m not trying to run.
“I’m not a running back. It’s not my specialty. They signed me to throw the ball, make decisions and be a quarterback, not a runner.”
Watson currently sits near the bottom in most major passing stats in the NFL. Among starting quarterbacks, he ranks last in passing success rate and ahead of only deposed Carolina Panthers passer Bryce Young in yards per pass attempt (4.8) and QBR (22.5). He is fourth-to-last in completion percentage, fifth-to-last in passer rating and first in sacks taken.
As a runner, Watson used to be a running quarterback, in a sense. Per Pro Football Focus’ college metrics, he gained 1,515 yards on designed runs, out of 1,934 career rushing yards, in his three years at Clemson. Those designed runs steeply declined when he entered the NFL, with no more than 145 such yards in a single season with the Houston Texans and 126 total with the Browns.
Watson has gained only 11 yards on designed runs this season per PFF, with his other 74 other rushing yards coming on scrambles. However, designed runs are mostly used as a changeup at best in the modern NFL, even as the league continues to embrace mobile quarterbacks. Only two quarterbacks in the league have gained more than 50 yards on designed runs this season: Lamar…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/deshaun-watson-shoots-down-designed-qb-runs-as-fix-for-ailing-browns-offense-231643493.html
Author : Yahoo Sports
Publish date : 2024-09-25 23:16:43
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
