QB Kizer showing improvement despite statistics, Jackson says
Believe the game BEREA— not the numbers.
That’s the way Browns coach Hue Jackson believes rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer’s performance Sunday in a 31-7 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals should be viewed.
“He played aswell as he played all year,” Jackson said Monday. “With the exception of missing a couple of [pre-snap reads] and protection[calls], he playedlightsout. Hedidn’t take sacks. Hethrew the ballaway. He didn’t have turnovers. So that’s improvement.
“I think he’s doing some good things. No one would know that just because we’re 0-4, and at the end of the day, he does understand his job is to win football games and to help this teamwin, and [Sunday] I think he did all that he could in the time that he played. We’ve got to continue to get better around him.”
Kizer fifinished 16 of 34 passing for 118 yards and no touchdowns withan interceptionfor a ratingof 43.5. He ranfifififififive times for 10yards and took one sack. His receivers dropped fifififififive passes, according to ProFootballFocus.com, including fifilm, the one that deflected off wide receiver Kenny Britt and was intercepted. Per PFF, Kizer’s adjusted completion percentage, which factors drops and throwaways, was 75, much better than his actual completion percentage of 47.
“It is about what can we do from Monday to Friday to Saturday [ in practice] to start completing more balls because quite frankly, it is unacceptable to be at the percentage that we are at right now,” Kizer said.
The Browns’ recordof 0-4is the biggest disappointment, though.
Jackson insisted he isn’t concerned about Kizer’s confifidence as the 21- year-old second-round draft pick tries to lift a rebuilding team. Kizer insisted heembraces the challenge.
“I have total confidence in DeShone,” Jackson said. “That’s why you guys seewhen hecomes offff the fifield him always talking to me. We’re always going back through the series, talking about things ’cause there’s a lot to educate in a quarterback in this situation, too. It’s keeping his confifidence up, it’s keeping himmoving forward, it’s keeping him seeing the right things and not all the sudden seeing the rush or flflinching. I see none of that in him. He has truly, truly gotten better over the last four weeks.”
Jacksonwas asked if allowing Britt to play when he’s not productive sends the wrong message to the rest of the team.
“I totally agree, but we have a couple guys down,” Jackson said, alluding to receivers Jordan Leslie and Sammie Coates being sidelined with hamstring injuries. “Trust me, our guys know, based on performance, if you’re not getting the job done, we’ll stick the next guy in there, but you have to have the next guy to stick in there.”
Britt dropped two passes against the Bengals ( 1-3) and has eight catches for 121 yards and a touchdownon 23 targets this season. The Browns signed Britt in March to a four-year, $32.5 million contract, which includes $17 million guaranteed.
Benching Britt?: Debut in the works:
Rookie defensive end Myles Garrett will practice today, Jackson said, a sign the Browns are preparing the No. 1 overall pick to make his NFL regular-season debut Sunday at homeagainst the Jets (2-2). Garrett has missed the fifirst four games with a high-ankle sprain.