BROWNS TO COMPETE

Each and every year I am slightly guilty of overrating the team's chances, but I'm really starting to believe in this team more and more. There have been some huge upgrades across the board on a team that won 4 straight last year to end the season---while doing it in a fashion that was pretty dominating considering the team's liabilities.


Think about this one for a second: If these guys beat Tampa and KC to start the season (as they should) that will be 6 straight victories. 6 straight is more of a trend than luck if you ask me. Granted, the schedule gets rude after that for a seven game stretch but even if they only get 2 of those games they will still be sitting at 4-5.


Let's not be so quick to overrate the division foes, either. Outside of a gift 6 by a Harrison fumble last year to Cincy, we should have beaten them here in Cleveland. We physically beat up Pitt here in Cleveland and played Baltimore fairly tough before we got the ball rolling last year. Just splitting with these guys will be huge and each of these teams has question marks.



There is a possibility of this team being 4-1 going into the Pitt game with victories over Tampa on the road and KC, Cincy and Atlanta at home. I’m giving us the one loss at Baltimore game 3.



The next stretch is hard at Pitt, at New Orleans, and then home against New England and New York. Having those two in Cleveland is huge, and I feel that both teams (especially NE) are slightly overrated. The bye week comes at a great time in week 8 right after the NO game and before the NE game----imagine Manzere prepping for that one with two weeks LOL.


Then comes at Jacksonville which should be a road win and home against Carolina, which should be another win. The next 3 are road games that are all winnable against Miami, Buffalo and Cincy. We finish off the season in Cleveland against Balt and Pitt for some serious North Coast Offense football. These are the kind of slugfests this team is being built for and I expect to win both those games barring huge injuries etc.


My reasons for this optimism stems from the fact I think the roster has been significantly upgraded at almost every position and has some decent depth for the first time in years. I also believe the roster has been built with good character guys that are smart and tough---guys that buy into the system and believe. This goes a long way in today’s game often being the difference between winning or losing tightly fought games.


To add to that I feel there is some underrated talent on this team. For one, I think Thomas, Rogers and Cribbs are 3 of the best players in football, period. Rogers is getting ready to destroy at DE (as I’ve been calling for since last year) and the Cribbs/Wallace factor is going to keep us from being predictable.


Let’s go over the roster and look at the upgrades---I will keep this fairly short and sweet.


QB Do I really have to say anything?


RB Absolutely the biggest upgrade possible across the board compared to old man Lewis. All these guys can run, catch and block. Harrison is a straight up badass and is going to have a huge year if he gets the totes and stays healthy. People will finally see what I’ve seen in him this season. Hillis and Hardesty are big backs with great athleticism. Davis is still a factor and a very nice player. Throw in the league’s best pure FB in Vickers too.


WR I’m extremely optimistic about the progress of these guys, and with Haggerty emerging as a diamond in the rough things are looking up. MoMass should make huge strides and Robo is going to have the exact opposite of a sophomore slump. There is enough talent here to get by depth wise and possibly supersede all expectations. I like Stuckey as a slot guy and Mitchell’s potential.


TE Huge, huge upgrade here. Watson is having a great camp and Royal is back from hand injury to be a staple in the run game and special teams. Moore is a mismatch machine on backers and used correctly can really be a weapon out of slot sets. Smith is going to have a tough time making the roster and this guy has been a starter before.


OL Another big upgrade just for the simple fact that Mack is in his second year, which is notoriously the biggest jump in improvement for that position. He will play at a Pro Bowl level and follows directly in the footsteps of Manzere’s Mangold recipe.
· However, the line will also be much better on the right side. Lauvao is coming on pretty strong and may hold down the starting RG spot, with most likely Pashos to start at RT. Poke Chop serves as good depth at either spot, so I really like the Browns to have one of the league’s best lines and be dominant from the center to LT. Steiny (the guy who many said sucked and wasn’t big enough last year in camp) is looking great. He and Thomas have developed one of the best player chemistries in the league and Mack has been helped greatly from this. They also continue to grow as a line given the flexibility that Manzere loves so much with guys being able to play everywhere.


DL Quite possibly the team’s biggest question mark by observers but I’m not quite sure it is deserved. Robaire Smith is primed to have another good season and I feel has been really underrated by most. With Rogers tearing it up at end, Rubin should hold down the fort at NT and he has really looked good thus far from reports. He continually gets better. Don’t underestimate guys like Schaefering, either, and guys like Mosely and Coleman buy into the system and add solid depth.


LB This has been addressed ad nauseum here, but I expect this to be a team strength. The flexibility, size and athleticism these guys bring will be great to watch. How about Roth and Big Baby caving in one side of the line? Lots of reason for excitement at LBer, and I expect Jackson to have a good comeback year. There are going to be some good players (Bowens?) who won’t even start, but a good rotation of fresh guys will go a long way.


DB Another huge upgrade. Ward has looked as good—if not better than advertised, and if he can hold down the starting safety position and run with it, we are in good shape. It goes without saying he needs to stay healthy. What really excites me is the 3 headed monster at CB with Haden, Wright and Brown. We also have nice depth there now with Adams, Bmac and Francies (most likely). Adams will still be very valuable at both safety and nickel coverages.


ST’s Should still be very strong and an elite unit in the league. Zastudil’s injury concerns me but Hodges did a nice job last year. To be honest, we should not be paying the Bay Village native what we are, but yet another big mistake by Phillip. Dawson is as good as there is along with Cribbs, and the coverage units are excellent and fast.


There it is. I expect this team to compete in every game and win.