Duane Brown – a tale of two quarters

The news of Mekhi Becton’s latest injury to his knee hit all New York Jets fans like a Mike Tyson cross to the chin.  Stunned, saddened even devastated are the proper ways to describe their emotional nature after this news broke. 

Just once, when are we going to catch a break?

Spinning off to the optimistic side, the “break” may have already occurred.  Look, like it or not injuries happen.  It’s the NFL – a big boy’s game which is violently physical in nature. 

The “break” could be that this season ending injury came here in the start of training camp – before we even stepped foot on the field for a pre-season game.

Imagine the effect this injury would have on our season if it happened in week one – which was the timing of Mekhi’s injury last year.  The ship may have hit a bump in the current, but it has not capsized.  There is plenty of time to get another player in place to keep the 2022 NY Jets chugging full steam ahead.  

The talk of the town has been, arguably the best free agent tackle left on the market, Duane Brown. 

Ahh….Duane Brown – the 14-year veteran who stands 6’4’’, weighs 325 pounds and is chock full of hope, glory, and bliss in the jaded eyes of all Jets fans.  If you didn’t know who he was, the hype around him would make you think the Jets were flirting with Anthony Munoz in his prime. 

Yes, we know he came into town and was on the sidelines for the Green and White scrimmage.  Yes, we know that he passed his physical.  Yes, we all heard Joe Douglas hinted that the wheels are in motion when talking about a contract.

The question I pose, and a fair question to say the least – at 37-years-old and clearly in the twilight of his remarkable NFL career, is Duane Brown the answer?  Does he make the Jets better than any other option – whether the player is in house or available by trade? 

The truth to this question lies in one place and one place only – the game film.

Breaking down game film is laborious, but it is the true fruit of the vine when making player evaluations.  The process is repetitive – obtain film, watch, digest, re-watch, analyze, notate, compare, assess. 

The process is not for the faint of heart for sure and can lead to some problems down the road:  extensive internet usage, unemployment, loss of connection to friends and family, loss of marriage – the list could go on ad infinitum. 

Being that this whirlwind affair was brewing between Duane Brown and the NY Jets, I wanted to see what all the hubbub was about.  With the expectation of a move looming, there were no days or even hours to spare. 

Personally, I wanted to know what we (possibly) could be getting into.

Constricted by my own personal responsibilities and commitments, I knew that I was not going to have the time to give the true, in-depth analysis that I usually like to do on a player.  So, the alternative was randomly breaking down two seperate quarters of two separate games in the 2021 season. 

No rhyme or reason these games were chosen because I could access them easily.

Now, full disclosure – to be fair, I understand that this is a very small cross-section of the player.  The old adage of “when life gives you lemons, make some lemonade” comes to mind. 

*Time, or lack thereof was my lemon here.  I’m sure you can find some more in-depth breakdowns on Twitter or YouTube (shout-out to Joe Blewitt at Jets X-Factor) if or when he signs. 

For now, here is what I got – one game was really good and the other game not so much:

• 27 total plays reviewed
  • 14 plays deemed GOOD – plays where Brown was effective, used good technique and either won the rep or neutralized his defender
  • 8 plays deemed BAD – plays where Brown’s technique is poor and/or effectiveness was poor – reps that he in essence lost
  • 5 plays deemed OK – really, plays in which he didn’t play a part or offered no real effect on the play’s outcome

Seattle vs San Francisco – Week 13, Q1

16 total plays – 9 pass plays, 6 run plays, 1 penalty

1. RUN:  Down block on DT (in 3-tech).  Great hip/leg drive, sustained block to whistle = GOOD
2. PASS:  3 step drop, end lined up outside wide 9, effective punch and stays connected, stands up the defender, no trouble = GOOD
3. PASS:  Quick hitch to WR on opposite side, no real effect on play = OK
4. RUN:  ISO dive to left B Gap – reach block out on edge in wide 9 – stalemate = GOOD
5. PASS:  WR screen to opposite side, end in 5-tech, good punch but no real effect on play = OK
6. PASS:  5 step drop, effective lateral kick slide and set to neutralize end in 9-tech = GOOD
7. RUN:  ISO dive to right side, down block on DT and walls off very well, but reaches too much and is off balance.  Unable to maintain block = OK
8. PASS:  Speed rush from end in wide 9, excellent power step and anchor, great hand fighting, stuffs rush = GOOD
9. RUN:  Toss sweep to left, protection slides to left, good lateral foot movement, gets to 2^nd level and chips on LB.  Lunges a little and loses his footing – effective nonetheless = GOOD
10. PASS:  Shotgun – kick slide to wide 9 edge, slow to his mark, no anchor/off balance, gets bull-rushed back into the QB = BAD
11. RUN:  zone scheme to right side, protection slides right, reach block inside to DT, good lateral movement & gets head across, turns defender outside and walls off – impressive = GOOD
12. PASS:  Shotgun, wide 9 edge attempts bull rush again, hits his mark and anchors well, stuffs the rusher in his tracks = GOOD
13. PASS:  play-action, protection slides inside, good hand placement on defender, pocket collapses from the other end, effective rep = GOOD
14. RUN:  Zone scheme and his 1^st move is stand straight up, slows him down and he can’t reach on the DT, his defender makes the play in the backfield = BAD
15. PENALTY:  Brown jumps offside = BAD
16. PASS:  3 step drop, end lined up in 5-tech, attempts to bull rush, anchors and holds ground, stops rush = GOOD

Seattle vs Green Bay – Week 10, Q1

11 total plays – 7 pass plays, 4 run plays

1. RUN:  Outside zone scheme to right side, reach block on DT, no real effect on play – OK
2. PASS:  5 step drop, over-commits to the outside, wide 9 defender posts and crashes inside across his face, QB pressure = BAD
3. PASS:  5 step drop, good initial punch, but gives up on the block as QB rolls out to scramble, his defender makes play 7 yards past line of scrimmage = BAD
4. PASS:  Play-action, good mirroring at start, but bad footwork – stance gets too narrow, gets bull rushed back into the QB causing errant throw = BAD
5. RUN:  Down block on DT, gets chip on the LB in the 2^nd level = GOOD
6. RUN:  Engages end lined up in 7 tech, good drive, turns defender out and walls off to create nice running lane = GOOD
7. PASS:  Play-action, good kick, mirrors well initially, defender countermoves with a dip and wins on the outside shoulder, QB pressure = BAD
8. PASS:  Straight speed rush to outside from wide 9 defender, doesn’t hit his mark – bad angle and bad kick slide – allows sack = BAD
9. RUN:  body on body – Good get off and drive, but play busted up in backfield from other side = GOOD
10. PASS:  3 step drop, good set and good punch, no issues here = GOOD
11. PASS:  WR screen to his side, kick set and decoys edge to outside, not really involved – OK

The overall take away from this small little cross-section of Brown’s 2021 season left me lukewarm.  Losing 29% of the total reps studied doesn’t really leave me warm and fuzzy, especially for a Pro Bowl caliber player that he is.  With the notoriety and reputation that Duane Brown carries, I expected more dominance – I did not see that. 

There were flashes – especially in the run game – that I came out fully impressed.  The lateral movement and quickness on tape tells me that he can surely fit with the NY Jets outside zone blocking concepts.  I thought it was outstanding to see him get down the line and across the face of a DT and wall off.  That is high-level.

The areas where I expected to be wowed I was left kind of disappointed.  He labored at times getting to his mark on pass sets.  He showed to be susceptible to the speedy/bendy type of edge rushers & numerous times he was bull-rushed back into the QB. 

This is especially concerning considering the expectation that Brown would be at LT to man the blind side for Zach Wilson.  With edge rushers on the docket such as TJ Watt, Miles Garrett, Von Miller (2X) and Aiden Hutchinson, I’m not sure I’m as comfortable with the idea of Duane Brown as I was before I watched the tape.

Would Duane Brown fit our offense? The answer is yes.  Would Duane Brown be an upgrade over Chuma Edoga or Connor McDermott? The answer is still yes. 

Is Duane Brown the lock, stock, and barrel no-brainer that Jets twitter is making him out be? That has yet to be determined.

Only being able to dive into to 27 reps may play a part in my rationale, but the idea of the name Duane Brown may be better than the product Duane Brown can put out on the field – so, buyer beware.

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