Browns' defense is latest concern

After two lackluster performances in the preseason, players aren't panicking.
BEREA (AP) -- Now that the quarterback dilemma has been solved, the Cleveland Browns have turned their attention to fixing another messy problem: the defense.
Following a 38-31 loss Friday night to the Green Bay Packers, Browns coach Butch Davis said he was "disgusted" with his team's defensive effort.
"The tackling was about as poor as I've seen," said Davis, a former defensive coordinator.
The pass coverage wasn't much better. And the Browns' defensive front put little pressure on Packers quarterback Brett Favre or his backups.
Green Bay needed just 3:38 to go 78 yards for its first touchdown, shredding Cleveland's starting defense the same way Tennessee did a week earlier.
On the clock
There's still time to fix things, but with the Sept. 7 opener against the Indianapolis Colts getting closer by the minute, time has become an issue.
The Browns, though, aren't worried -- yet.
"I would say, concerned about it," end Kenard Lang said. "If it keeps going, you have to stop and think about it."
So, when does it become a problem?
Lang laughed and then presented a scenario that would not be so funny to Browns fans.
"Oh-and-three, 0-4, 0-5, and they're running the ball for 200 yards a game," he said. "That's when it's really a problem."
It may be one already.
The Browns have yet to improve on a defense that ranked 21st overall in the NFL last season. Cleveland was 27th against the run and 15th against the pass.
Things were supposed to be better, but so far, it's been more of the same. Green Bay rolled up 421 total yards last week. In the first half, the Packers converted 7-of-11 third downs.
"Of course we're disappointed," said safety Earl Little. "But it's never as bad as it looks. We watched the film, guys were flying around and giving great effort. If we weren't doing that, then there really would be a problem."
Offseason changes
Davis demolished his defense following the Browns' 36-33 playoff loss to Pittsburgh last season. He fired coordinator Foge Fazio and brought in Dallas coach Dave Campo to run his defense.
The overhaul continued when linebackers Jamir Miller, Earl Holmes, Dwyane Rudd and Darren Hambrick as well as cornerback Corey Fuller were released.
With Andra Davis promoted to middle linebacker earlier this week, the Browns have a linebacking corps -- Davis, Ben Taylor and Kevin Bentley -- that has yet to start an NFL regular-season game.
"We may be young, but we can all play," Taylor said. "We're out to prove that to people this year."
Bentley, the most outspoken of the trio, said the group is getting better every day.
"I'm never going to say, 'We're where we need to be,' " he said. "We could've just won the Super Bowl, and I'll still be telling you we need to do some things better. As long as you continue to improve, that'll help you win more."
Perhaps the biggest disappointment has been the play of Cleveland's defensive front of Lang, Gerard Warren, Orpheus Roye and Mark Word. Courtney Brown has yet to make his debut following offseason knee surgery.
New system
In Campo's system, the front four has to control the line of scrimmage in order for the linebackers to roam freely and make plays.
Roye has been the lone standout, while Warren, the No. 3 overall pick in 2001, hasn't recorded a tackle in two games. Davis, though, insists Warren is making plays.
"Down on the goal line, he had some unbelievable penetrations," Davis said. "Sometimes you can't measure everything statistically."
Andra Davis says there's a legitimate reason why the Browns haven't looked good on defense. They've stayed mainly in their base 4-3 package, choosing not to show many blitzes, stunts and coverages so teams can't plan for them.
"We're going to be all right," he said. "We're very vanilla right now. We're not showing anything."
And the second-year linebacker isn't worried, either.
"We got two more weeks," he said.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.