BEREA: Browns nose tackle Danny Shelton thinks he has improved, but he’s still not making the impact his coaches desire. They’re not the only ones who want better production.
“They’re expecting more,” Shelton said after Sunday’s practice, “and at the same time, I’m expecting more as well.”
The Browns haven’t been able to stop the run on a consistent basis during the expansion era, and through two preseason games, the trend doesn’t seem to be on the verge of ending.
The starting defense allowed 38 yards on eight carries (4.75 average) on Aug. 12 in a 17-11 preseason-opening loss to the Green Bay Packers. It also surrendered 71 yards on 12 carries (5.9 average) on Thursday in a 24-13 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
Fair or not, Shelton will always be blamed when the defense can’t stop the run, because he’s in the middle of the line and a first-round draft pick who was chosen 12th overall last year to stuff ball carriers and command double teams from offensive linemen.
“That always hits me, and even last year it always hit me,” Shelton said. “I’m always the guy who thinks higher of our defense and thinks higher of himself. I need to be at a certain level, and the defense needs to be at a certain level. When we don’t perform like that, it hurts me.
“I’m glad with where we’re at now because it’s given us a chance to be humbled because a lot of people expect a lot from us. We expect a lot from us. For us to face these two teams and not come out with the outcome, it’s putting more of a chip on our shoulder.”
The next test will present itself in joint practices with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Tuesday and Wednesday in Florida. Then the two teams will face each other in the third exhibition game beginning at 8 p.m. Friday at Raymond James Stadium.
The Falcons’ outside-zone running scheme, employed by former Browns offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, presented problems for Shelton. So did former Browns center Alex Mack, a three-time Pro Bowler.
Shelton, though, expects to make strides against the Bucs.
“They’re more of an offense who’s going to run downhill,” he said. “That’s the type of offense I like playing against, playing real football, facing double teams and getting the backfield. It’s going to be awesome to play against these guys.”
Then again, any style of offense will give Shelton headaches if he doesn’t master the details of his position.
“Getting off blocks, staying in gaps, wrapping up tackles — Day One football things,” Shelton said. “Sometimes preseason can get pretty tough when people are thinking too much or distracted too much. When we finally figure that out, I feel like we’re going to be a dominant defense. But for now, we’ve got to continue to grow and learn from these mistakes we’re making.”
Format for practices
Coach Hue Jackson said Browns and Bucs players will don pads in Tuesday’s practice and shells Wednesday. There won’t be tackling to the ground Tuesday. Each session is scheduled to run from 9:55 a.m. to noon at the Bucs’ facility. Two separate fields will be used.
“We’ll have 9-on-7, team, pass scale,” he said. “We’ll do some situational football. We’ll do a lot of different things to get our team better and help them get their team better.”
Jackson and Bucs coach Dirk Koetter began talking about joint practices shortly after April’s draft. Jackson wants to practice with another team every year.
“I’d like to if we can find a willing partner,” he said. “Anytime you can go against another team, another organization and get a chance to evaluate your team in a different light — we see our guys against our guys all the time — to evaluate them against somebody else is always fun, different and it’s a true evaluation.”
Kicking duel
Patrick Murray has gained a distinct advantage over incumbent Travis Coons in the kicking competition.
“Camp has been going great,” Murray said. “I’m loving every minute of it, especially coming off the injury that I’m coming off of; just to get another opportunity is a blessing. Every day out here, I’ve just tried to put my best foot forward and make the kicks that I’m given. That’s what I’ve done, and I feel good.”
Murray said he was medically cleared in mid-May after undergoing knee surgery and feels 100 percent healthy. He spent the 2014 season as the Bucs’ kicker but said returning to Tampa this week will be nothing more than just “another game, another opportunity.”
Meanwhile, Coons is trying to strike a balance between kicking the ball higher but not too high. He’s worked all offseason on elevating his kicks after having four field goals blocked last season.
“I’ve been getting a little too much [lift], and the wind kind of like takes it away from me,” Coons said. “But that’s another thing that I can work on and get honed in on.”
Roster moves
The Browns signed Josh Boyce and waived/injured fellow wide receiver Dennis Parks.
The New England Patriots drafted Boyce in the fourth round in 2013. He has appeared in 10 games and started three. Boyce, 5-foot-11 and 205 pounds, has nine catches for 121 yards.
He spent most of this year with the Indianapolis Colts until they waived him Aug. 16.
Boyce played with quarterback Robert Griffin III at Copperas Cove High School in Texas.
Parks signed with the Browns on May 20 as an undrafted rookie. He has an injured knee.
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Browns blog at www.ohio.com/browns. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NateUlrichABJ and on Facebook www.facebook.com/abj.sports.