Receivers like touch Hogan has on passes

DeShone Kizer might be strong enough to throw a football hard enough to decapitate the Jim Brown statue outside FirstEnergy Stadium, but unfortunately for him and the Browns, much more goes into being an NFL quarterback than having a rocket arm.

Kizer, after going 0-5 as a starter, has been benched for the game with the Texans on Oct. 15 in Houston in favor of Kevin Hogan.

Not all, but some of the nine interceptions charged to Kizer can be attributed to him throwing passes too hot to handle. There are more examples, but a short pass bounced off the hands of Duke Johnson and was intercepted by Ravens safety Eric Weddle on Sept. 17.

Two weeks later in a game against the Bengals, a pass bounced off the hands of Browns receiver Kenny Britt and was intercepted by Clayton Fejedelem.

“Hogan has a little bit more touch,” Britt said in the locker room after practice Oct. 12. “Kizer is going out there and it’s a straight laser.

“I don’t play quarterback, but there are some throws that you can’t always throw as fast as you want. There are some throws that you have to use touch, and that’s something that you probably develop over time. I’m

not too sure because all I do is catch the ball.”

Britt said he should have caught the pass nine yards beyond the line of scrimmage in the Cincinnati game, but he said it got to him faster than he thought it would.

Britt isn’t the only Browns receiver to notice a difference in the way Hogan and Kizer throw a pass. Kasen Williams said virtually the same thing.

“I personally like both their releases and how they throw,” Williams said. “I’d say Kevin has a little more touch on his throws. I feel like Kizer always puts it in the right spot. He always gives you the opportunity to make a big play. Kevin

does the same.

“I like them both as a quarterback. That’s just from me being here for a month. DeShone throws it harder. The more touch the quarterback has, the easier it is to catch because it’s not coming at you real fast, but sometimes you need that fastball to fit into tight windows. Both are necessary in specific situations.”

Kizer, in an interview after the 31-28 loss in Indianapolis, didn’t answer directly when asked whether he throws the ball too hard.

“It goes back to timing,” Kizer said. “Every route requires a certain ball and every situation the defense gives you requires a certain ball for a receiver

to come down with it. It’s on me to once again evaluate that defender, evaluate how we’re running our route and make sure that the ball is exactly where it needs to be.”

Kizer has completed 81 of 159 passes. His 50.9 percent completion percentage is the lowest in the league. Hogan has thrown only 38 passes in three games, but he has connected on 26 of them for a 68.4 percent completion rate.

Kizer has been at quarterback for 48 possessions and produced 46 points — six touchdowns and one field goal. Hogan has put up 31 points — four touchdowns and a field goal — in 10 possessions.