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Browns '07 preview

By Steve Doerschuk for Sporting News
July 15, 2007
The dog years in Cleveland have descended to depths so dreary that reaching .500 would be a howling success. Even after a blockbuster draft that delivered left tackle Joe Thomas and quarterback Brady Quinn, 8-8 is as high as this team can realistically aspire this year.

Coach Romeo Crennel could feel some heat because the Browns turned in an ugly 4-12 flop in his second season. The offense has continued to sputter, and the team yet again will start a season with a new coordinator and starting quarterback.

The hope is Year 3 of the Phil Savage-Crennel regime will be a turning point for the team. A lot of that hinges on young talents such as linebacker Kamerion Wimbley and wide receiver Braylon Edwards becoming dominant players. If Thomas and Quinn perform ahead of the curve, the team could turn it around more quickly.

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GAME PLAN

Offense: Most of the staff is new, starting with coordinator Rob Chudzinski, who wants to install an attack style of offense that maximizes the talents of Edwards, tight end Kellen Winslow and new running back Jamal Lewis. That will mean fewer of the quick outs and dump passes that went nowhere last season and more downfield throws to Edwards. However, a lot will ride on the development of Quinn. The new scheme will rely a lot more on audibles, which will help the Browns when opponents load the box against Lewis.

Defense: Crennel and coordinator Todd Grantham have extensive knowledge of the 3-4 scheme, but the defense unraveled in 2006 after showing promise in '05. Cornerback injuries contributed to the unit's woes; the team was forced to provide extra help deep and adhere to more of a "bend but don't break" philosophy. Improved line depth could help the linebackers excel, and if rookie Eric Wright breaks through early at cornerback, Grantham could be more liberal and unpredictable with blitzes.

SPOTLIGHT PLAYERS

QB Brady Quinn: Last season, Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson didn't prove they could be winning starters. Chances are better than even that Quinn will move ahead of them in training camp and secure the job.

Quinn has the maturity and talent to start right away, and he'll likely be given more latitude than most rookies to call audibles. His transition to the NFL will be helped by the training he received from Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis, who worked with Crennel on the Patriots' staff. Quinn must answer questions about his accuracy and ability to thrive in big games.

RB Jamal Lewis: The Browns have reason to hope Lewis will be an upgrade over Reuben Droughns. Though Lewis might not regain the elite form he showed in 2003, he is bigger and faster than Droughns and still might be able to wear down opponents if the team feeds him the ball. The Browns are counting on Lewis to be a strong inside option.

OLB Willie McGinest: McGinest, who starts opposite Wimbley, isn't the same player he was in his prime with the Patriots, but he was the Browns' best all-around linebacker in 2006. Perhaps just as important, McGinest, 35, was a valuable mentor to Wimbley. This year, he could help free-agent pickup Antwan Peek, who will get plenty of work as the No. 3 outside 'backer. Already a dangerous edge rusher, Peek is expected to improve as a run defender.

C LeCharles Bentley: Whether Quinn assumes the starting job or Anderson retains the role, the quarterback will benefit from better protection up front. And the healthy return of Bentley, who missed all of the 2006 season with a left knee injury after signing a lucrative free-agent deal that offseason, will go a long way in providing more security.

CB Eric Wright: The secondary got a huge lift when the Browns drafted Wright, who has the speed and instincts to start right away. The coaches believe he has outgrown his character issues.

VINNIE IYER'S TAKE

Cleveland is the weak sister in an otherwise strong division. It shapes up as a long season considering the lack of experience at quarterback and problems with the run defense.
Prediction: 3-13 (4th in the AFC North).

FALL FORECAST

Despite a few misses, Savage knows what he's doing with personnel and has systematically worked to straighten out a team that lacked a foundation. There now is enough talent to be competitive, and progress will be reflected in the wins column -- though that won't be tough to do considering the team went 4-12 in 2006.

An 8-8 record is realistic, given the latest infusion of talent and the development of the nucleus. The onus is on Crennel to field a team that looks like it's building toward a playoff run in 2008. If that doesn't happen, Savage will be looking for a new head coach in January.

Steve Doerschuk covers the Browns for the Canton Repository and Sporting News.




Nothing anyone hasnt read to this point, i think. Except hearing that Lewis is "bigger and faster than droughns" I dunno why, I just didnt think he was faster.

But the 3-13 prediction is a little rough. I would guess more like 6-10 or something like that

3-13 record? It is going down this year baby. The Browns are going to kick some a@@. We are going to surprise alot of people this year.

All in all decent article. But true nothing really new. Lots of these articles coming out. Cam hardly wait for training camp to start,

One thing we haven't heard much of lately is the health of Willie McG. Seems he was hampered a lot last season by chronic magging injuries. If he can stay relatively healthy this year he might be able to contribute more than last season.

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That will mean fewer of the quick outs and dump passes that went nowhere last season and more downfield throws to Edwards.

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Interesting comment. But for those of us who watched highlights from minicamp it seemed as if 80-90% of the passes were short dump passes or quick outs.

I don't like being referred to as the weak sister.

He hangs a lot on Brady, assumes too much about Bentley and gives no credit to two QBs who have starting experience and have actually won games behind a non-existent line with no running game within a poor scheme. Other than that, nothing we haven't heard before.

3-13 is pretty hard to do with a decent schedule as of strength wise. If everything clicks it should be a good year.

The offense has continued to sputter, and the team yet again will start a season with a new coordinator and starting quarterback.

You heard it here first! Steve Doerschuk "knows" that we will have a new starter at QB this year. Sorry Charlie.

Give me a break.

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OLB Willie McGinest: McGinest, who starts opposite Wimbley, isn't the same player he was in his prime with the Patriots, but he was the Browns' best all-around linebacker in 2006.

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That's all I need to know about this guy's football knowledge.

'Dra, Wimbley and DQ far outshined him last year. You could make a case Leon Williams had a better year then Willie.

Did I miss somethin, I dont' think Quinn has won the starting job just yet? LOL Anyways, weak sister? 3-13? This guy is on drugs! Ok, I can understand why he would think and refer to the Browns as the weakest team in this division, but to think that we will only win 3 games this season is just crazy. IMO somewhere between 6 and 9 is what I'm thinking.

I have never seen Yahoo! wright a halfway intelligible thing about sports; or at least the Browns.

3-13?

If that happens, screw continuity and clean house COMPLETELY. 3-13 is unacceptable given the fact that we have many winnable games.

EDIT: before my feet are held to the fire, that doesn't mean we'll have a winning record. But there's a difference between being like Carolina or Pittsburgh in a down year, and being a total trainwreck.

I expect to look like Carolina in a down year rather than looking like a trainwreck (as in, we have some weaknesses but we finally have an identity that we stick to and promise for the future). If we look like a trainwreck, how can we possibly keep Romeo around? That's not me with an itchy trigger finger either...you just don't get worse in year 3 of a regime if it's going to succeed.

yea.. when he said McGinnest was the best-all around... cmon now... atleast say Andra Davis..

Doerchuck, or however it's spelled, wrote up the Browns assessment for the TSN season preview I just bought...the McGinest thing was weird. He's okay, he has some knowledge in there, but ehh. I guess he's the one who gets to laugh at us though.

You guys are killing the guy for writing the article because he said 3-13.

If I'm reading it right, he says 8-8 is realistic. Some guy named "Vinny Iyer" is the one that made the 3-13 prediction.

I don't put alot of stock in these articles, becuase they don't follow the team closely enough to really know what they have or lack. For instance this guy says that if Quinn doesn't start then Anderson will "retain the role" . Besides the CF injury when did Anderson have the job??? However, I think this is about a wash with the rest of them, and the predictions are all over the place as well. I say avg. them out and say 6-10 and that is about what we should be.

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Doerchuck, or however it's spelled...

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...is a sports writer for the Canton Repository, a local newspaper in Canton, Ohio. Sometimes he's right on and sometimes he's a goof with an agenda.

Some of the things he says makes him sound like he doesn't really follow the team very closely. I find that odd for a local guy who is a Browns beat writer. His opinions are whatever they are. At this point who's to say who's right and who's wrong?

I just feel for a local beat writer he could be more insightful than he often is.

The Browns will win some games they're expected to lose and lose some games they're expected to win. That's the way it goes with a team on the rise. The key will be the Browns' ability to run the ball and to stop the run. Same as always. Go Browns!!

The 3-13 prediction was by Vinny Iyer, a Sporting News "expert"

Yeah, they did. It's that time of the year again where the fans on this message board call journalists idiots, question their credibility, say they don't know anything about the Browns, and how we will show them--dammit!

They do this every year. Of course, our fans never admit they were the ones wrong and the reporters were right. In fact, they can't even remember what was said just a year later, because they turn right around and start their stupid rants again.

FYI: Vinnie Iyer was the one who said the Browns would go 3 and 13. He is a national guy.

Doershuck wrote the rest of the article except for that brief analysis by Iyer. He does know about the Browns. He is a beat writer for the Canton Repository, meaning he has access to the locker room and some practices. He is also present for all PCs. He also has contacts w/in the team and organization. So....I would say he knows a bit about the Browns........you know....at least as much as you Einsteins.

Can't say i didn't see this post coming.

Doershuck is actually a pretty good reporter and is on at least as much as he is off . I read the guy everyday and he is a pretty big homer for the Browns and gives a lot of slack to the F.O. 8 - 8 ? About right I think . Maybe we will even get lucky and finish out of the basement ??

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This year if the Browns can stay moderately healthy and have just decent luck they could battle their way to .500. I'm not calling it a given or saying it will be easy, but we should be in a position to fight for wins in half the games.

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It won't be a given or easy...........but even if we only go 5-11 or somewhere in between that and 8-8.......I am thinking and hoping that we are in a position to win alot more than "half" of our games.

Understand that I am not saying we will, I am just saying that we should at least be "in the position".

Oh, and Vers, I would take the "OVER" on the Vegas bet, and maybe I am seeing things threw orange colored glasses, but I just don't beleive that 6-10 or 7-9 is unrealistic .

After all.........I REALLY did put $10.00 dollars on the Browns to make the Superbowl, I have the claim ticket to prove it........hell, at the odds they gave, why not, it's only $10.00 and I could win $680.00 .

I know it's not likely to happen, hell, I'd even go so far as to say we don't have much of any chance.........but imagine me IF we get enough breaks to make the playoffs, I would be crazy to be around without any money on the games.......put $680.00 on top of it........I might have to lock myself in a room alone .

I rarely like the idea of firing a coach mid-season, it looks cheap. But if we start 1-5 (I refuse to believe it, at this point), it would depend on how we arrived at that record. I think the only reason you fire a coach in the middle of a season is if he's lost the team.

I don't like it either....and I don't expect to be 1-5...we are better than that.....but at some point you have to do something....and 1-5 would be at or past that point.

I agree....you have to look at how we lost...I suppose there could be circumstance where 1-5 wouldn't call for a head on a platter......but it would have to be pretty overwhelming.

3-13, nice.

I like how he addressed BQ and hi accuracy issues. Im sorry but if you are a QB and you have accuracy issues, you wouldnt be in the NFL. I just think its hilarious when analysts talk about accuracy issues, isnt that 99% of being a QB?

About the record. I find it very hard for us to go 3-13. We were a 4-12 team last year, with several injuries and a lame duck OC, facing a tough schedule.

This year we have a lighter schedule, a new IMO better OC, and an improved roster.

While this doesnt say playoffs. I do think that it breeds a better record. If Romeo is a good coach, he'll improve upon 4-12.

Its just hard for me to believe that with a better roster, a better offensive gameplan and an easier schedule we have to do better...

right? :/

The Browns last year proved a team could win 4 games by accident. By my theory, it's almost a lock they win more than 4.

And more importantly, who really cares? NFL experts when doing their Browns preview every year just go with picking their favorite number under 7 for total wins, and roll with it.

You forgot that we were 4-9 with Frye as the starter and 0-3 with Anderson as the starter.

Anderson will most likely win the starter job. Expect to be 1-5 or 0-6 at the bye week if Anderson gets the job. Then expect Romeo to be fired because anything worse than 2-4 at the bye week this year will cost him his job.

Jesus.........you are as bad as the Timid guys in years gone by.

So tell me........what will the Brown's record be after six games if Frye is the starter?

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Anderson will most likely win the starter job. Expect to be 1-5 or 0-6 at the bye week if Anderson gets the job. Then expect Romeo to be fired because anything worse than 2-4 at the bye week this year will cost him his job.

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If Anderson get's the job it will because he's better than Fry...............therefore I doubt we would fair any better with an inferior QB...lol.........and I'm not calling CF inferior to Anderson (my opinion of both are about the same with a slight adv. going to Fry), but rather going by your own words. Mensa if Anderson beats out Fry it's because he's the better QB for this O, so I doubt we would fair any better under the guy who LOST the job under your scenerio..lol.

I don't think whoever is the starting QB in week one will be the same guy in week 17.

Me neither........just giving Mensa a hard time because all he posts concern how Fry is getting jobbed..lol.

If Frye wouldn't have been so skittish last year, the Browns wouldn't have drafted Quinn. Cream rises, so we'll get to see what Chuck is made of.

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He hangs a lot on Brady, assumes too much about Bentley and gives no credit to two QBs who have starting experience and have actually won games behind a non-existent line with no running game within a poor scheme. Other than that, nothing we haven't heard before.

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This is where I stop reading this thread. Nothin left to say.

Thanks, Cal... to-the point, and right on the money...

I love how every one who thinks Quinn was NFL ready his Junior year thinks Romeo Crennel as a defensive Cord. and Fat Charlie as a Offensive Cord. (Two sides of the ball) They both know what eachother think and know all about Quinn and how he should play, or Quinn knows how he should play under our offense in the nfl.....