Browns insist change in signal calling not issue
Browns safety John Johnson III served as the team’s on-field defensive signal-caller Sunday for the first time this season, an adjustment coach Kevin Stefanski insisted had nothing to do with busted coverages in the 47-42 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
Communication breakdowns led to Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams being left wide open for touchdowns of 72 and 42 yards.
So did changing which player called the defense contribute to communication issues that allowed Williams to run free?
“It did not,” Stefanski said as the Browns (3-2) prepared for Sunday’s home game against the Arizona Cardinals (5-0).
Johnson called plays for the Los Angeles Rams last season, when their defense ranked No. 1 in the NFL, but Browns defensive coordinator Joe Woods had given the responsibility to the linebacking corps in each of the first four games this year. In Week 5, Johnson’s helmet featured the green dot, meaning he had been designated to relay the play calls of Woods to the rest of the defense.
Starting middle linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. entered the season as the defensive signal-caller. When Walker missed three games with a hamstring injury, Malcolm Smith handled the duties. Walker returned to action Sunday but played just 55 of the defense’s 75 snaps (73%). Slowed by an abdominal injury, Smith logged three snaps. Johnson played all 75 downs.
“It was something we had really been talking about back since the spring,” Stefanski said of assigning Johnson the green dot. “With Anthony Walker being injured and with Malcolm Smith not feeling 100%, we just felt like it was the right move to have John, who’s out there for every rep, and we know he can do it and we know he had done it, so just felt like last week was the time to have him do it.”
Rookie linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-koramoah said the Browns have plenty of defenders who can handle the task.
“It’s an important job to being able to call the defense like that,” Owusu-koramoah said. “There wasn’t a drop off [with Johnson doing it]. He’s a great guy. He’s a smart guy. He understands the defense as much as [the linebackers] do, so I would say it was pretty much the same.”