The Cleveland Browns had a historic defense in 2023, finishing atop the league with the fewest passing yards allowed and fewest total offensive yards allowed.
Cleveland has not been able to repeat that success this season, due to multiple reasons that have confounded the Browns.
According to analyst and former Browns athlete Leroy Hoard, the chief reason is the offense cannot stay on the field long enough to spell their defensive counterparts.
On the “Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show” on Thursday, Hoard said that the defense is being forced to be almost perfect to win football games.
“To me, it looks like the defense is getting worn down and being asked to be way too perfect,” Hoard said, adding, “It’s showing that every time they give up anything, it costs the team, and it’s sucking the life out of them.”
The #Browns defense is getting worn down and being asked to do too much, and this is a team that has lost their identity
That was the assessment from @BigMouthLeroy #DawgPound | https://t.co/CiKB6C6Wpk pic.twitter.com/xra06t5VS8
— Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show (@ultCLEsports) October 3, 2024
Hoard added that the defense has been good through the first four games, but the offensive woes have held them back from being significantly better.
He added that the Browns have lost their offensive identity, abandoning their run-first mentality for a pass-friendly offensive scheme.
The analyst did admit that he was on the outside looking in, meaning that he was unable to know all of the ins and outs as to why the defense and offense were not reaching their potential.
Hoard was a member of the Browns from 1990 until 1995 after the team chose the running back in the second round of the 1990 NFL Draft.
The 5-foot-11 athlete finished with over 3,600 yards of total offense with three franchises during his 10-year NFL career.
NEXT: Browns See 2 OL Return To Practice Thursday
