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Pete Prisco of CBSspots.com predicts the Browns will go 1-15.

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The CBS article that goes with the prediction...

Cleveland Browns
July 17, 2012 4:27 PM ET

By Jason La Canfora | CBS Sports NFL Insider

Offense
There is no way to sugar coat how pathetic the Browns offense was last season. Inept is not too strong a description. Less than 14 points per game. Only 20 combined passing and rushing TDs. There is no place to go but up for this group, and they will need immediate impact from this rookie class in order to pull it off. The front office focus the past few years has clearly been on the defense and team president Mike Holmgren inherited a roster that was full of recent draft busts on the offensive side of the ball.

Obviously, all of that changed in April, when the Browns took what they figure will be their feature back in Trent Richardson and their long-term starting quarterback in Brandon Weeden. Look for both to start from Day 1, barring injury, and Richardson will be on the field in all situations and will have the ball in his hands a ton. He's facing some of the best rushing defenses in the league, however, in this division, which won't help his learning curve much. Over 16 games he must be one of the more productive backs in the NFL if Cleveland is going to have any chance to compete. The offense will revolve around him, something longtime Browns fans will be familiar with when they think back to the glory days of the franchise.

The unit was devoid of playmakers in 2012. Period. They need to get Josh Cribbs more involved, and Colt McCoy, not suited to the elements there and without any help, stumbled, but it was hardly all on him. No team dropped more passes. And with longtime stalwarts like Eric Steinbach no longer around the offensive line will be under the microscope as well (Richardson should help in pass protection). So no wonder why four of the first five picks were on the offensive side of the ball.

Defense
The good news was on defense, where the investment in recent years was paying dividends. The Browns got better as the year went on and they have developed impact players at each level of the defense. Unfortunately, Phil Taylor won't be able to build upon his fine rookie season up front, as he was lost for the season during offseason training. D'Qwell Jackson is coming off a monster season, and few linebackers were better or more well-rounded a year ago. He can do it all. On the back end, corner Joe Haden is a superstar in the making and the kind of young shutdown prospect every GM covets.

Cleveland will continue to try to sprinkle in others, but the unit jelled under Dick Jauron a year ago, seemingly taking to his even-keeled, more conservative approach. We'll see if they can keep it up in 2012, and how much better they can get, because the offenses in the AFC North aren't getting any worse and were already formidable enough. They'll also be without linebacker Scott Fujita for three games for his "Bountygate" suspension, barring him winning appeal.

Key Changes
Roster Additions: DE Juqua Parker, DE Frostee Rucker

Roster Departures: RB Peyton Hillis, G Eric Steinbach, T Artis Hicks, T Tony Pashos

Staff: Brad Childress brought in as offensive coordinator. Tim Hauck replaces James Harrison (who left for Dallas) as DBs coach.

The Browns are building through the draft, and really don't have another choice. Cleveland is a hard sell these days in free agency and it wouldn't be smart for the team to splurge yet, anyway, given where they are in the rebuild. And yes, it seems like a perpetual rebuild, I know, but having to chase Baltimore and Pittsburgh, and now Cincinnati as well, instills a longview, and GM Tom Heckert needs to continue to have more drafts like 2010, where the Julio Jones trade with Atlanta provided more desperately needed draft picks.

To that end, the biggest move here is, potentially, the addition of Childress. Rookie head coach Pat Shurmur was simply wearing too many hats, trying to coach the quarterbacks and call the plays and essentially run the offense will also fulfill the myriad responsibilities of the head coach. It became clear by midway through the season that he needed help and it would be on the way in the offseason in the form of one experienced former head coach from the West Coast offense or another.

Mike Sherman, who ended up in Miami as its offensive coordinator, was one possibility, and Childress was the other. He knows this kind of offense very well and will be a much-needed set of eyes and sounding board for Shurmur. These men will have to get Weeden up to speed from the get go, because they didn't take him in the first round to have him sit behind McCoy. Hillis is the biggest name to depart the roster, but his 2011 season was clouded by dysfunction and it was clearly time for him to move on, though his 2010 season was something to behold.

X-Factor: WR Greg Little
Little is as raw as they come, but also has exceptional upside and could be the go-to wide receiver this franchise has longed for. He's only been playing the position a few years -- and remember he was ineligible at North Carolina in 2010 -- but has a phenomenal skillset. Of course, learning this position at this level is no joke, and we've seen many a rookie receiver struggle to find his way.

Little must, must, must work on his hands and become a more sure target. The good news is that comes with repetition and time on the Juggs gun. He'll have to learn to think the game most rapidly as well, but, again, that comes with time as well. But he is clearly best positioned on this roster to become Weeden's favorite from the get go, and I suspect a whole lot of passes come his way, particularly in September and October. He was second only to AJ Green among all rookie receivers in receptions and finished strong, catching five balls or more in four of the final eight games for a pop-gun attack.

Little has the physical ability to win battles and he made some nifty plays down the stretch, the kind of efforts that make the quarterback want to keep feeding him. Continued progress from him, coupled with what should be a more sustained running game with Richardson, would go a long way to getting this offense to take a few steps in the right direction.

QB carousel
There was a lot of drama around McCoy at the end of last season, with the probe on the diagnosis of his concussion and some strong words from his father. That's just the kind of year it was for the Browns. McCoy still has designs on the starting job, and while it would likely take a major collapse from Weeden for him to get it, this kid is a fighter and the competition could bring out the best in him. Seneca Wallace is still around as well, and I doubt the Browns carry all three into the regular season, maybe flopping one of the backups for a late-round pick.

Regardless, the interplay between Weeden and McCoy, and how this competition plays out, will be the most watched and talked about issue through training camp, and beyond.

D'Qwell feeling well
Jackson proved just what a stud he could be when healthy ... which led to him getting a huge new deal. Well deserved. But can he avoid the injuries woes that have dogged him before? He is clearly the face of this defense and the man who sets the tone for them. The Browns aren't deep enough at this stage to survive losing too many starters, and as I mentioned, the Taylor injury already stings significantly. Jackson sets everyone else up to succeed and Cleveland needs him on the field as much as possible to continue the defensive resurgence.

Holmgren for the long haul?
The Browns have a 9-23 record since owner Randy Lerner reached deep in his pockets to hand over total control of the franchise to Holmgren in an attempt to finally get things turned around. Thus far, it hasn't worked, and at this stage of his life and his career, there are rumblings around the league about how much longer Holmgren will remain unless the Browns take a leap forward quickly.

The reality is that whether it be Joe Gibbs or Bill Parcells -- or others who have already accomplished it all and are in that retirement age -- these kind of guys rarely are there for the full five years and whenever they go, the organization generally changes greatly in their wake, with the coaching staff and front office reshuffled again. And, as much as Holmgren has always deflected it, questions about him one day returning to the sidelines will continue to be asked as well.

Insider's Take
"I don't see any real hope there. They improved some defensively but that's just not a very good football team. Maybe four wins? They have a long ways to go to compete in this division. From what I hear, Holmgren is committed to all five years and I don't see them firing him. I guess the question is does he come back to coach?"

Xs and Os
By Pat Kirwan | NFL Insider

The Browns are a pure West Coast offense, stemming from GM Mike Holmgren (a disciple of Bill Walsh) through coach Pat Shurmur and offensive coordinator Brad Childress. Drafting running back Trent Richardson will mean more running than usual in a scheme that prides itself in moving the chains with the short passing attack. The Browns surprised a number of people when they didn't take a wide receiver in free agency and held off until the fourth round to grab Travis Benjamin. Cleveland still could find receiver help in the veteran market and may keep a close eye on players from teams like Green Bay and Philadelphia that are already trained in their system. Last season, the Browns simply couldn't score enough points to win and only reached 20 points in two games. Childress will take more shots downfield off play action now that Richardson is the running back. Last year the Browns stuck to the run as much as possible with 53 percent on first down, 40 percent on second down and 19 percent on third.

Rookie QB Brandon Weeden has the arm and intelligence to play early but there really isn't a receiving threat that will dictate coverage, so defenses can disguise what they have in mind for him. There's little doubt the Browns will play lots of catch-up football. Pass protection should be good on the left side but rookie Mitchell Schwartz will need help on the right side. Teams will come after Weeden, who isn't the most mobile QB -- and with the number of receivers that can be single covered blitzing will be a solid option. The Browns will utilize a lot of quick pass from the shotgun to counter the pressure.

Cleveland's 4-3 is underrated in one sense (10th overall) but couldn't stop the run. Teams sat on early leads which inflated the Browns' pass defense numbers. Eleven teams didn't even throw for 200 yards against the Browns but were 8-3 in those games. DC Dick Jauron knew he needed more people upfront to keep players fresh and added three defensive linemen (Frostee Rucker, Juqua Parker and John Hughes) to improve the pass rush. That should help a zone coverage secondary that only managed nine interceptions. Jauron would rather not blitz too often although he did get 10 sacks from non-defensive linemen last year.

This season the Browns pass rush up front could be Jabaal Sheard, Parker, Rucker and Ahtyba Rubin which should reduce the need for pressure calls to some degree. Keep in mind the better the Browns offense plays the more the defense gets exposed.

Draft Recap
By Rob Rang | NFLDraftScout.com Senior Analyst

Trent Richardson is a dynamic interior runner with the speed to turn the edge and pull away. He could teach a clinic on lowering his pads at contact and running through hits. He has soft, reliable hands as a receiver and is among the more physical and attentive pass blockers I've scouted at the position. I gave him a higher grade than I gave Adrian Peterson coming out of Oklahoma.

Later in the first round, the Browns snagged what they believe might be their starting quarterback for the next several years in Brandon Weeden. He has the size, arm strength and intelligence to be successful in coach Pat Shurmur's West Coast offense. He lacks Colt McCoy's athleticism, but Weeden's progression through the offseason program speaks to his maturity and leadership.

Meanwhile, offensive tackle Mitchell Schwartz was characterized as a reach pick as the fifth choice of the second round by some, but he could wind up surprising as a rookie. A 51-game starter at Cal, Schwartz has starting experience at both tackle positions and is one of the few rookie offensive linemen with plenty of experience playing against both three- and four-man fronts.

The rest of the Browns' picks:

1st Round - No. 3 overall - Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama
1st Round - No. 22 overall - Brandon Weeden, QB, Oklahoma State
2nd Round - No. 37 overall - Mitchell Schwartz, OT, California
3rd Round - No. 87 overall - John Hughes, DT, Cincinnati
4th Round - No. 100 overall - Travis Benjamin, WR, Miami
4th Round - No. 120 overall - James-Michael Johnson, ILB, Nevada
5th Round - No. 160 overall - Ryan Miller, OG, Colorado
6th Round - No. 204 overall - Emmanuel Acho, OLB, Texas
6th Round - No. 205 overall - Billy Winn, DE, Boise State
7th Round - No. 245 overall - Trevin Wade, CB, Arizona
7th Round - No. 247 overall - Brad Smelley, FB, Alabama

Hey Pete,

I'll make you a bet.

Prisco beat the anti-McCoy drum for about the last 10 weeks of the season last year ........ then changed his mind after the season.

I would be stunned beyond words if we go 1-15. Given that we have improved so many spots, I don't expect anything like that.

he predicts 4-6 wins and everyone yawns and it doesn't get any buzz. he predicts 1 win and people forward it, tweet it, post it in the DT forum.

it's a rather simple game

WKNR is supposed to have Pete Prisco on today for an interview. No doubt, his prediction for the Browns will be a subject for discussion.

There's a whole lotta good points made in those articles.

Our Defense is Fool's Gold. That stat about our pass defense is right on point, as is the follow-up that says that the more our O scores, the more our D will be exposed.
HOPEFULLY, the additions up front will help that dramatically.

On O, I really believe that it all comes down to the receivers - just as it did last year.
If they can get open and not be single-covered all day, then we can begin to dictate things to the defense. If they can't, it's going to be another 16 very long days taking us into the New Year.

Thanks for the (painfully accurate) read. But this "expert" has us playing last year's misery all over again and the same way. I see too many upgrades and different conditions this season to lock in the past at its worst. Hard to sell this as a "prediction" of any sort. Has Smack Shack insights.
We have another year, a real training camp, some newbies with promise, and I feel better than I have for awhile, but not good by any stretch.
But one win is a hoser's call for about any club in this NFL. Hope somebody chats him up for this.

My thing with the defense was that the passing numbers and rushing numbers didn't quite tell the story.

Our pass defense was ranked very high because the Browns never really had any kind of commanding lead over anyone, outside of the Indy game, and even that game was close, they were always playing from behind. Without a lead, teams aren't gonna take too many chances in the air against us, especially in the second half.

With all that said, the rush defense isn't as bad as the numbers say. Teams could just pound, pound, pound, without having to worry about our offense doing anything.

I still think our rush defense is keeping us from being a legitimate top tier defense, and until that changes, we aren't getting out of the AFCN.

My biggest concern with the whole team is our rush defense. It's the most disheartening thing that can happen to your football team in a game. You just know you aren't going anywhere if your team is constantly getting gashed by the run, especially early in the game. It sets a horrible tone. I don't see how this changes in 2012.

If Hicks and Pashos are key departures, then we did not lose much this off-season.

Trent Richardson should be an upgrade over Peyton Hillis. With TR we can hopefully open play action and with Weeden having supposedly a bigger arm than Colt that should mean the defense staying honest and having to cover down field.

However, TR is a rookie and has not played a 16 game schedule so no one know about durability for the entire season. Guys like Jackson and Hardesty will need to be able to give Trent a rest from time to time and produce during those opportunities.

With the addition of Benjamin and Gordon hopefully our WR corp is upgraded beyond the worst corps in the league.

The loss of Taylor on the Defensive line is going to hurt IMO. And I do believe our Top whatever defense was a little skewed not only because we were playing behind but also we played a lot of crappy offenses last year. (Indy, Miami early on, Jacksonville with Gabbert, Seattle with a 3rd string QB).

All in all I think we can win 4-5 games. If we win only 1 game all season I'll be very surprised and pretty ticked off.

I do like that even with the loss of Phil Taylor (although there are reports that he is coming along very well with his recovery, one report had him possibly being ready to go in 10 weeks) that Heckert went and got some depth for the DL. Maybe that helps the run defense as guys should come in a lot more fresh, without a giant drop-off in ability. One can hope. I hate seeing our team get abused on the run.

1 win is ridiculous though. I honestly don't think with everything you have to weigh in terms of what teams did in the offseason, as well as some other factors that you could predict anybody to only win one game. Even with bad play, and some horrible luck, the Browns last year mustered 4 wins and probably could have tacked on at least 3 more had some things gone in their favor. Hell, even the Colts without Manning won more than a game.

I know it sounds like me being a Browns homer, but I can't see how this team only wins one game. Sadly I can see another 4-5 win season, but even that is a big jump from 1. As bad as we have been since '99 we have not been bad enough to get the top pick since they were assigned to us for being an expansion club.

to win only 1 game, a team has to completely give-up and have no professional pride as the season progresses.

i offer as evidence the 1999 expansion Cleveland Browns. they were the most talent-bereft team the NFL has seen in my lifetime. they went 2-14.

I think the Browns have started to build a nice foundation for the long haul. But its still a ways off.
The o-line while I beleive is still a weakness, from OT to OT it is completely drafted.
They addressed the lack of speed at LB with drafting Acho and JMJ.
Josh Gordon is a indictation that there are a couple WRs that need to step their game up or you are gone.
Other than Ben Watson,what TE can you give you a threat down the seams or be able to block?
I look at the defense,I just don't see that player that plays with a violent streak.
I don't see finishers. Rubin,Sheard,Jackson and Haden have the ability to be All Pro or Pro Bowlers. But each guy has room to amp their games to another level.
Outside of the Jackson,there is concern at LB.
I don't see that guy sets a tempo or radiates violence. Solid players,game changers no.
wheres the ball hawks in secondary? 9 INTs won't cut it.
Special teams will have to actually contribute this year. Give this young offense a short field once in a awhile.
I think the Browns can win 5, but winning some AFC North games is paramount.

Wow, I agree with almost all of that.

This team needs somebody to step up and make an impact. Teams in this league generally don't do well with a whole bunch of "good" players... every team has a fair number of solid NFL players.... to win consistently, you need a couple real threats, a couple serious impact players on both sides of the ball and we either need to draft those or have somebody step into those shoes.

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If the guys they drafted in the last couple of years show up and produce as expected, this is a very solid foundation that could last for 10 years with just tweaks just like the Steelers and Ravens do every year instead of one rebuild after another.

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Not to nitpick, but we need some to produce better than expected. The reasons the Steelers and Ravens are able to plug and play like they have is only partially the result of drafting good players, it's also largely due to putting them in beside Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Troy Polamalu, etc... We NEED a couple players to step up and start playing at that level and all of the sudden our decent draft picks will start to look really good.

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They need to get Josh Cribbs more involved,

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Why? I think we tried the last couple of yrs. to get him involved. He's better now, but not what we need. He would serve best on spec. teams. He might also be the reason we have not tried to hard in FA for a Rec. That's not a good thing.

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Unfortunately, Phil Taylor won't be able to build upon his fine rookie season up front, as he was lost for the season

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Since When? Is this new? Did I miss something?

I think it is just an example of half-butted reporting. He heard about the injury and did not follow up and ASSumed he was out for the year.

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I think it is just an example of half-butted reporting. He heard about the injury and did not follow up and ASSumed he was out for the year.

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bleednbrown...and some Browns fans are "assuming" Taylor will have a quick recover from his pectoral surgery and be ready by mid-season.

Keep in mind, even if Taylor does return by mid-season, it does not mean he will be playing at 100%. He would likely be worked back into the lineup slowly, possibly wearing a harness.

IMO, the best case scenario for Taylor would be playing at 100% the last few games of the year. I don't look for the Browns to take any chances with Taylor's injury.

1-15 is an almost impossible record.

Since the NFL went to 16 games in 1978:

0-16 has happened once.
1-15 has happened seven times.

A total of 8 of these seasons out of approximately 1000 possible team seasons. That equates to less than a 1% chance of this happening.

Is there any rationale to support this sort of epic team failure?

Hell no.

If we lost our starting QB a relatively seasoned young QB with multiple seasons under his belt would step in. If not him a guy who has been in this offense for a decade. This is not a Curtis Painter situation.

We did not change coaches or offensive or defensive philosophies this year. We have guys who know what they're doing. Are we going to have some boneheaded looking offense at times. Sure. But with the line that we have which should be top10 we're putting these young players in a great position to succeed.

My guess is that we win at least 6. I think that's safe. Beyond that not sure. If someone wanted to give me $100 to guess the exact number I'd probably say 7.

Could we win 10? If a lot of things go our way? Absolutely.

It's going to be a fun year at times. I'm confident about it.

I had a guy at work bet me a coffee that the Browns wouldn't win more than 2 games this year....I took him up on that bet.

In fact, I'll go out on a limb, and say the Browns win 2 AFC North games this year. However, I think they still only end up with 5-6 wins, and I'd be ok with that, seeing as we will have a very young team this year.

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1-15 is an almost impossible record.

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held...Prisco's prediction, not mine...

I have cautioned against being overly optimistic given the schedule and experience level, especially on offense.

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Is there any rationale to support this sort of epic team failure?

Hell no.

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held...did you read any of the articles that accompanied the prediction?...cbssports gave their rational in those articles.

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If we lost our starting QB a relatively seasoned young QB with multiple seasons under his belt would step in.

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held...yet to be determined whether McCoy or Wallace, both or neither will be backing up Weeden.

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We did not change coaches or offensive or defensive philosophies this year. We have guys who know what they're doing.

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held...we did add Childress and we do not have a QB experienced in this offense, starting. Weeden has a lot of learning to do, going from his rather simple college offense to this version of the WCO.

I expect Weeden to master the offense, but it will take more than one season to do so, imo.

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But with the line that we have which should be top10

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held...say what?...

I have no idea where you are getting "that" from?

Do we hope to have a decent Oline?...yep.

But, with two young Guards with 1 yr each starting and a rookie RT means this Oline is still very green and in need of experience, which they should get this year, barring injury.

We will see by the end of the year if this is a top 10 Oline...they will not be a top 10 Oline at the beginning of the season though.

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My guess is that we win at least 6. I think that's safe. Beyond that not sure. If someone wanted to give me $100 to guess the exact number I'd probably say 7.

Could we win 10? If a lot of things go our way? Absolutely.

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held...and this would be your "guess" based on what looks like very optimistic expectations.

I understand they're not your predictions...and I'm usually the voice of reason around here....

If I'm faintly positive it's not without good reason.

I did read the rationale and to me it's not written as though describing a team that will win one game in 2012 for the most part.

One of the two QBs that started games last year will be here I'm sure. Neither is about as possible as a 1-15 schedule.

Weeden is going to make some dumb throws. And there's going to be an ugly pick 6 or two in there for sure. I just feel like the amplitude of the offense is going to be noticeably different. Why? Better athletes. Better armed QB. Better moving RT. Quicker RB. A 15lb lighter Little. A rangy big WR2. An off the charts speed guy in Benjamin. This team is going to be mistake prone but it'll be moving not plodding.

We have the top LT in the NFL. We have a top 10 center. We have a RG that I really like. We invested in a RT at the top end of that draft spectrum. I expect him to be able to move laterally as he played some LT and is you...that to me equates to at least a middle of the road RT. LG remains to be seen. We might bring back Steiny. If we roll with Pinkston ok.....but yes right now that's a top 10 OL for sure.

I'd say most here would peg me as a realist instead of a pessimist or optimist. I try to see the truth and I watch far more football than Browns games. Not a lot has to go right to win a few games. Experience tells me this.

This team will win 6 games this year. Beyond that who knows!

I'm excited to see how it all unfolds.

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This team will win 6 games this year. Beyond that who knows!

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held...I hope Prisco is wrong...

...and I sure hope you are right, predicting 6 wins.

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Keep in mind, even if Taylor does return by mid-season, it does not mean he will be playing at 100%. He would likely be worked back into the lineup slowly, possibly wearing a harness.

IMO, the best case scenario for Taylor would be playing at 100% the last few games of the year. I don't look for the Browns to take any chances with Taylor's injury.

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I just want to make sure that Taylor is healthy and back in game shape in time for the playoffs.

http://www.cleveland.com/ohio-sports-blog/index.ssf/2012/07/cleveland_browns_will_win_at_l.html


Mary Kay is predicting between 6 and 8 wins. FWIW.

Oddly enough, here is the image that goes with his article/hit piece.



Weeden with 3500 yards ....Little with 800 yards receiving ..... presumably Richardson would play as well ..... and we'll be 1-15?

That hardly seems possible under any circumstances.