Grant Delpit on the Secret of Browns Defensive Success: "Pass Rush"

When safety Grant Delpit was asked about the secret to the Cleveland Browns success on defense, he stated it plainly. "Pass Rush." Myles Garrett is arguably the best defensive end in the NFL, but until the Browns bult up the rest of the defensive line, success on that side of the ball has been inconsistent and infrequent.

It would've been easy to tout his own play since Delpit has been one of the best safeties in the league through two weeks, but he provided the simple, honest answer to why the Browns defense has been dominant through two weeks.

"Pass rush. Pass rush. You know, teams have to chip our ends a lot and it gives us an opportunity to be tighter in coverage on the back end. It helps us out a lot, the D-line."

The game of football is pretty simple. Teams that can protect their quarterback and put consistent pressure on the opponent's have a distinctive advantage. The Browns defensive line has been outstanding through two games.

The talent infusion combined with the addition of Jim Schwartz as defensive coordinator has been a great fit. Schwartz has been able to put players in position to succeed in no small part because he has enough talent to cover his bases.

The impact players to this point in the secondary were on the team last year. And while coaching and scheme changes have been streamlined, Delpit points to the real reason for their improvement. The defensive line is night and day from last season.

There are a limited supply of people on the planet that possess the combination of size and athleticism of premier defensive linemen. Myles Garrett is the pinnacle in that regard and now they have players like Za'Darius Smith and Dalvin Tomlinson to supplement him. Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, Shelby Harris and Maurice Hurst help to fill out the rotation, allowing the Browns to stay fresh and play more reps at full speed.

That has allowed the secondary to play fewer coverages because they are less concerned with trying to confuse the quarterback to slow down their processing. The pass rush takes care of that. With less to think about, less to rep, they can hone in and master those looks.

Some of the best defenses have been the most basic because they have the talent to do it and execute it at the highest level. The Legion of Boom operated almost exclusively out of Cover-3. Opponents knew what was coming and they still couldn't stop it.

Schwartz has utilized man coverages, some Cover-2 and Cover-3 looks, but the talent up front and the different ways he can deploy them allow the secondary to shine. The talent on the front end has covered up some miscues on the back end and vice versa.

Teams can never have too much pass rush. The Browns are currently dominating the line of scrimmage and generating consistent pressure on the quarterback, which is helping Grant Delpit to play the best ball of his career.