Will Weeden's Protection Be Lost Without Jason Pinkston Or Is John Greco Just As Able To Protect Him?

Written By Larry M. Glicken "LG"

One thing Browns fans have to notice is the time Brandon Weeden has had to throw the football. The Browns came into the 2012 N.F.L. season with an offensive line that left a lot of questions about Weeden's safety.

Then out of nowhere the Cleveland Browns offensive line stopped being offense and came together and played like a unit that has been together for years. They were able to protect there no so young rookie quarterback giving him time to stay on his feet and complete passes, something Colt McCoy never got last season. Weeden has had twice as much time to get rid of the ball than the line provided last season.

This week the Browns lost Jason Pinkston who has blood clots in his lungs, he was  fortunate the medical staff caught them in time otherwise Pinkston could have died. It is likely the Browns have lost Jason Pinkston for the rest of the 2012 season. Treating blood clots requires a lot of blood thinners and it is unlikely Pinkston will return to battle this season if at all. Now that Pinkston is out the Browns will use John Greco at the left guard position. Will Greco be able to provide the same protection as Pinkston did in his starting position?

I think Greco is a capable guy who has plenty of N.F.L. experience playing different spots on the offensive line.He played last week coming in and out off the bench. Greco should be able to play and give Weeden the same type of protection he is used to getting. If the Browns don't protect Brandon Weeden, the team could have trouble. Weeden tends to panic and make mistakes when he feels the pressure. He has gotten somewhat better at handling the pressure, it could be because the Browns offensive line has done an excellent job protecting him over the past couple of games.

If that protection breaks down it could bring back the panicking Brandon Weeden we saw in the first couple of games. I don't think the line will miss a step with Greco taking over for Pinkston. The line should be able to protect Weeden just as well as we saw in the Giants & Bengals game. If they do the Browns could get their second win in a row against Indy this weekend.

Lets hope the medical professionals can take great care of Jason Pinkston and he has a full recovery and is able to return to the N.F.L.. He is facing a serious health problem that is life threatening and we should all include the big man in our prayers.....

Larry Glicken is the owner of www.clevelandsports360.com and the host of the Cleveland Sports 360 Show, an online streaming sports video show at www.streamingsportstalk.com