NASHVILLE -- Catching up on the Cleveland Browns as they prepare for Sunday's game against the Tennessee Titans:

Have to admire the immediate gamesmanship Mike Pettine has instilled in his team. Players would rather go through a root canal than discuss their injuries. Asked how a limb is doing, their common response is "we'll see." Friday, Ben Tate said after Pettine listed him as probable that he'd probably list himself as questionable. Expect Tate to start and play a lot.

ProFootballFocus.com ranks players using analytics and its own algorithms, and it has Phil Taylor and Ahtyba Rubin in the bottom three of defensive linemen in stopping the run. "If Phil or Rubes were playing the way those guys are ranking them, they wouldn't be playing for us," defensive coordinator Jim O'Neil said.

The Browns could be the first team in memory to attribute the inability of the bench to get the right substitions on the field -- they lead the league with four 12-men penalties -- to crowd noise at home. Most teams are thrilled with a loud home stadium, and the renovations done in the offseason seem to have made First Energy Stadium louder. Said O'Neil: "It's just communication. Obviously our stadium is very loud. Whether it's coach to coach, coach to player or player to player, we've got to do a better job communicating, especially when we get down towards the end zone where the crowd really gets into it. We're practicing it. We've identified the problem coaching staff-wise, player-wise and we're working it out at practice. I'm confident we'll get that stuff cleaned up."

The Browns have scored a touchdown on eight of 13 red-zone visits, meaning a TD 61.5 percent of the time they get inside the 20. That would be their highest red-zone touchdown rate in any season dating to at least 2001, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

The only team not to turn the ball over this season? The Browns. Through three games, their turnover ratio is plus-4 -- which one would think would be higher given no turnovers by the offense. "We can help out a lot more," Joe Haden said of the defense.

O'Neil was asked during the week who makes the defensive calls. His answer: "It hasn't changed. It's mix and match. I've obviously got the communication device on so I'm talking to Karlos Dansby, who's communicating it to the defense. But Mike and I talk a lot during series. We talk a lot in between series when the offense is on the ball. We build the game plan together. We usually meet the night before the game and talk about specific situations. There will be times where it's, 'Hey, third-down. We're thinking this or this. What do you like?' 'Hey, I'm thinking this or this. What do you like?' 'Hey, let's start this series in this defense.' It's constant communication between the two of us throughout the game, throughout the week. We spend a lot of time watching film together. It's something we're very comfortable with. It's something we're very familiar with just because we've coached together now for six years. We've built the plan a lot together going back to 2009 when we were in New York."

Joel Bitonio has gotten off to a strong start. The guy looks and plays like a natural. He'll have his hands full with Jurrell Casey, however. Expect the Titans to line Casey over the rookie guard often.

Said it yesterday and I'll say it again: If the Browns are to get anything accomplished on the won-lost ledger this season, this game in Tennessee is one they need to win.