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I am seriously considering buying their premium membership this year. Their site is really, really informative.

This site is in their "preview" content, so it should be postable (not premium/pay).

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2013/08/05/32-teams-in-32-days-cleveland-browns-2/

32 Teams in 32 Days: Cleveland Browns
Gordon McGuinness | August 5, 2013

For years the Cleveland Browns have been stuck at the bottom of the AFC North, rarely threatening their divisional foes and not taking advantage of their high draft picks. That’s lead to regime change after regime change, with new head coach Rob Chudzinski taking over heading into the 2013 season.

Chudzinski made some impressive hires in his coaching staff, bringing in Ray Horton and Norv Turner as his coordinators, but the team still faces an uphill battle this year. Stuck in one of the toughest divisions in the league, there may still be some tough days ahead yet for fans at the Factory of Sadness as the team tries to build themselves into something more. That said, they’ll be a fun team to watch in 2013, with several exciting offensive weapons.

Five Reasons to be Confident

1. One of the Best Offensive Lines in the NFL

They’ve built it over a number of years, but the Browns this season will field one of the strongest starting offensive lines in the entire league. It starts with left tackle Joe Thomas, who has never finished lower than eighth among all offensive tackles in terms of their PFF grade since we began grading back in 2008. The good news for Browns fans, however, is that after making do with journeymen like Tony Pashos and John St. Clair, who didn’t perform too badly it has to be said, they look to have a star in the making in Mitchell Schwartz at right tackle. He was at times a little underwhelming in the run game, but his strength was as a pass blocker and the flashes of good we did see as a run blocker make you believe that he’ll form a nice partnership with Thomas. Inside, it looks like they’ll go with Jason Pinkston and PFF Secret Superstar John Greco on either side of the ever solid Alex Mack at center.

2. Focusing on the Pass Rush

With the team switching to a 3-4 this offseason, it became a priority to find some quality outside pass rushers. Their first big splash came in signing free agent Paul Kruger from the division rival Baltimore Ravens, paying him enough that it priced the Ravens out of any attempt at keeping him around. The knocks on Kruger are valid — he loses the edge against the run a little too often and good tackles can make him look fairly average, but it’s hard to argue with how productive he was a year ago. With a Pass Rushing Productivity rating of 12.2 in 2012, he led all outside linebackers, getting more pressure on a per snap basis than the likes of Clay Matthews, Aldon Smith, and DeMarcus Ware. That wasn’t the only move the Browns made, as they used their top draft pick on Barkevious Mingo and, while many wondered if he was big enough to succeed in the NFL, he’s received rave reviews from training camp so far. It’s easier to look good on the practice field, however, and I’m looking forward to seeing how he does in preseason over the next few weeks.

3. Legit Receiving Options

Although he’ll miss time at the start of the season, it’s hard not to get excited about Josh Gordon in the Browns’ offense. He took a couple of weeks to get going after the Browns gave up a second-round pick to select him in the supplemental draft, but when he did he gave Cleveland its first genuine receiving threat since Braylon Edwards — and he even dropped less passes! His blend of size and speed is tough for any defensive back and they’ll miss him at the start of the year. While he’s out, the Browns will have to rely on Greg Little more, a prospect that would terrify most Browns fans in the past, however his ability to hang onto passes improved greatly as last year wore on. In his first 21 games in the league he had 20 dropped passes, but after Week 5 last year he turned it around, dropping just three balls in the remaining 11 games. Instead, he started to look dangerous with the ball in his hands, including forcing five missed tackles on eight receptions in Weeks 13 and 14.

4. Trent Richardson

Though they’ll be happy with the rookie seasons of Schwartz and Gordon, the real jewel in Cleveland’s 2012 draft class was their very first pick. There might have been genuine concerns about his health at times, but when he’s been on the field Trent Richardson has been a joy to watch. Finishing seventh in our rankings with an Elusive Rating of 38.8, Richardson made defenders miss when the ball was in his hands, regardless of if it was as a runner or a receiver. Finishing the year with 59 missed tackles from 318 touches on offense, Richardson has put opposing defensive players on notice that they better come prepared to wrap up well when they play the Browns.

5. T.J. Ward

After showing flashes in his first two seasons in the league, safety T.J. Ward took a significant step forward in 2013, grading positively both in coverage and against the run. It was against the run where he impressed the most, finishing the year as our highest-ranked safety in that regard and his value there is indicated by how good he was when the Browns brought him close to the line of scrimmage. With 17 tackles resulting in a defensive stop on plays when he lined up within 8 yards of the line of scrimmage, he had a Run Stop Percentage of 10.3%, bettered by only three players.

Five Reasons to be Concerned

1. Is Brandon Weeden the Answer?

For many people the biggest question about Brandon Weeden coming out of Oklahoma State a year ago was how old he was and whether or not he would have the time to develop in the NFL. A year into his career and the question still remains, however the bigger question is even simpler — is he even good enough to be a starting NFL signal-caller? On the evidence of his rookie season, it’s hard to say ‘yes’. Finishing his rookie year as our lowest-graded quarterback, even lower than Mark Sanchez, he failed to grade higher than +2.1 in a single game, grading positively in just six starts, and having horrorshows like the season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles. He’s going to get the chance to prove everyone wrong, but he surely needs to make some massive strides in 2013 to keep his job.

2. Where Does Sheard Fit?

The move to a 3-4 will see third-year player Jabaal Sheard move from defensive end to outside linebacker and, like anytime a player is asked to move, it’s fair to question how well he’ll cope. That’s the case with Sheard, however it’s just as fair to question which version of Sheard we’ll see in 2013. As a rookie he struggled more against the run, while impressing as a pass rusher with 55 total pressures. Last year that flipped, with him looking much more solid against the run but struggling to generate much as a pass rusher. At his best, Sheard has shown the ability to be a very good player, though you have to wonder if he’ll see his snaps decrease significantly if he struggles again and Mingo and Kruger prosper.

3. Replacing Sheldon Brown

While Ward and cornerback Joe Haden are players who have impressed in the past, the rest of the Browns’ secondary has its question marks. Chris Owens looks to be the other starter at cornerback and, while he was solid when called upon in Atlanta last season, his career has as many impressive games as it does disappointing ones. It’s not unrealistic to expect an up-and-down season from him as a full-time starter for the first time in his career and it wouldn’t surprise me to see the Browns miss Sheldon Brown, who was a fairly reliable player for them over the course of his career in Cleveland.

4. Brutal Divisional Games

For some of the teams who finished at the bottom of the pile in 2012, there is a genuine chance that they can turn it around and jump up at least a couple of spots in their division with some key acquisitions. For the Browns, it’ll take a pretty incredible turnaround for them to even be the best team in the state of Ohio. That’s not even so much a knock on the Browns, who have done a lot to improve in the past few years, and more a nod to the strength of the AFC North. The North has perennial Super Bowl contenders in Baltimore and Pittsburgh, and the Browns now have to deal with Cincinnati turning themselves into a contender before our eyes.

5. Who Steps Up at Inside Linebacker?

Another key position as the team switches to a 3-4 will be inside linebacker where, if we’re being honest, the Browns are lacking anything of real excitement. They lost Kaluka Maiava in free agency while D’Qwell Jackson struggled last year, as he did in his last full season in a 3-4 back in 2008. Craig Robertson, an undrafted rookie in 2011, had an impressive game to open the year in 2012 but did little to fill you with confidence as the year wore on. This is the type of team who could benefit from bringing in a guy like Bart Scott. He might not be what he once was, but Scott is still good enough to help a team like Cleveland against the run.

What to Expect

Over the past few years, the Browns have made improvements on the field, and have looked like they were on the verge of breaking through a couple of times. Too often though, they have ripped it up to start over — as they have done again this year — and they need to have realistic expectations for how this team will perform as they continue to rebuild.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see them lose all six divisional games given the strength of their opponents, and while that would be disappointing, it shouldn’t be seen as a huge failure. If the Browns come out of this season having been competitive, securing six wins or so and learning whether or not Weeden is the answer at quarterback, that would be a success.

Pretty darn good article. Thanks.

I actually agree w/most of it. I'll point out some things that I don't quite agree with and highlight a thing or two that strikes me as significantly important.

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Finishing seventh in our rankings with an Elusive Rating of 38.8

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This seems to be a trend throughout the article. Lot's of seemingly scientific grades. LOL. Yes, he was elusive in the open field. But, the 3.6 yds. per carry is far more significant that the elusive number.

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it’s hard not to get excited about Josh Gordon in the Browns’ offense.

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Not really. I worry about him being suspended long term. I have learned to temper my expectations w/that guy.

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grading positively both in coverage and against the run.

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This is about Ward. I have to question those grades. Sorry, I ain't buying it. The guy is not very good in coverage. His hips are awful. He gets turned around a lot. He also misses some tackles when he dives at their ankles. He gets faked out at times, too. He does cover the flat well and he does make a lot of really good tackles in run support. I don't think he stinks, but those numbers are whacked. I would love to see their criteria and then watch tape w/them and discuss things. With that said, I think [if he is healthy] he has a big year this year. Horton's defense fits him perfectly.

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The move to a 3-4 will see third-year player Jabaal Sheard move from defensive end to outside linebacker and, like anytime a player is asked to move, it’s fair to question how well he’ll cope.

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I have said this numerous times, but I really think Sheard is a better fit as a 3-4 OLB than he was a 4-3 DE.

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They lost Kaluka Maiava in free agency while D’Qwell Jackson struggled last year, as he did in his last full season in a 3-4 back in 2008. Craig Robertson, an undrafted rookie in 2011, had an impressive game to open the year in 2012 but did little to fill you with confidence as the year wore on.

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What? Maiava stunk. DQ didn't struggle at all. And Robertson was very good against the pass. Don't agree w/that paragraph at all.

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If the Browns come out of this season having been competitive, securing six wins or so and learning whether or not Weeden is the answer at quarterback, that would be a success.

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They are going to give Weeden a shot. They have to. I don't think he is very good, but I could be wrong. You gotta see if he has it or not. I am thinking we win 7 games. I know it gets old, but so much of our won/loss record rests squarely on Weeden shoulders. If he could just play like the 20th--25th best qb, we should win 7. If he plays average, we should win 9. If he plays like last year, 4-6 is the number.

I have to agree with them sort of being forced at giving Weeden a shot. I mean there were no sure bets to fix the QB problem in the draft or FA market. Makes little to no sense to try to answer a question with yet another question. I'm really glad they didn't take a huge gamble there.

They landed Campbell for about even money to what McCoy was going to get this season. HUGE advantage to Campbell there IMO.

As usual, I agree that TRich has to quit dancing in the backfield and commit to hitting the hole earlier, but I disagree with questioning his injury with the broken ribs. Under my scenario of believing the rib injury, I believe hitting the hole quicker can be coached up and if he can stay healthy, we should see much better production from TRich.

I do believe that if he had not had that injury the last 9 weeks of the season, his production would have been much better. So we'll just have to agree to disagree on that one.

Otherwise I really don't see anything we disagree about here. That's the funny thing, we agree when it comes to a lot of football topics, but still seem to rattle each others cages sometimes. Never quite did understand that.

Look, I don't wanna keep harping on this rib thing. I am not saying he faked it. I am saying it wasn't that much of an issue. I played the position. I saw the way he ran. No way in the world was afraid of contact. He never shied away from a hit. He wasn't going down early. It was exactly the opposite. He sought out contact.

His problems were w/instincts and not being decisive enough---although I guess those two are closely related. Hopefully, he just wasn't used to having to hit a hole. 'Bama's OL was dominant.

Of course we agree on many things. I haven't gotten on your case in a long time. But, you sure have seemed to go out of your way to get on mine. Not sure why. But whatever, I am going to keep on, keepin' on.

The good news for Browns fans, however, is that after making do with journeymen like Tony Pashos and John St. Clair, who didn’t perform too badly it has to be said, they look to have a star in the making in Mitchell Schwartz at right tackle

Right about Schwartz but man St Clair was putrid and probably the reason Colt McCoy will never be right.

The knocks on Kruger are valid — he loses the edge against the run a little too often and good tackles can make him look fairly average, but it’s hard to argue with how productive he was a year ago.

Kruger played primarily on pass downs so not sealing the edge on passing downs should not be much of an issue.

T.J. Ward took a significant step forward in 2013, grading positively both in coverage and against the run. It was against the run where he impressed the most, finishing the year as our highest-ranked safety in that regard and his value there is indicated by how good he was when the Browns brought him close to the line of scrimmage.

The day we hired Horton, I said Ward would be a star in this defense and I mean it.

For the Browns, it’ll take a pretty incredible turnaround for them to even be the best team in the state of Ohio.

The Bengals may be the best team in the AFC but I think the Browns has a good shot to step ahead of both Pitt and Baltimore.

Craig Robertson, an undrafted rookie in 2011, had an impressive game to open the year in 2012 but did little to fill you with confidence as the year wore on.

Horsehockey!!! The kid played his ass off all year and made plays. Fantastic instincts for the ball and may become a star if the front does its job. BTW loved the reports of his improved hands as he dropped double didgit sacks.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see them lose all six divisional games given the strength of their opponents, and while that would be disappointing, it shouldn’t be seen as a huge failure.

It would be an epic disaster if we lost all six divisional games and someone should be fired.

I'm not sure how you argue with these stats (about Ward). They watch every play and grade the players on how they performed based on a set criteria. It's not a subjective thing, if the numbers say he did well, he did well.

This particular website watches every play and charts how many times and player is thrown at and the result of the play. Those numbers are unavailable to the non-paying customer.

Are you being serious? Do you really think the numbers they use tell the entire story?

Look, I have seen Ward get completely turned around in coverage. I have seen him struggle in deep coverage. I have seen him out of position in coverage. I have seen him take a few poor angles to the football. I have seen him miss guys in the open field. It wasn't last year, but who could forget the whiff on Holmes on the game winning TD for the Jets a few years ago? I have seen that type of miss quite a few times.

Now, those are all negatives, but I do see positives in him as well. He is good in tight quarters and around the LOS. He is good at blitzing. He covers the flat well. He can pack a whallop and is a sure tackler when guys don't have a lot of space to juke. I also think---and have said several times---that I think Horton's defense perfectly suits him and he should have a big year.

Do you have anything to add beside your "numbers from a pay site" argument. You act like that is holy. So what if it is from a pay site? Seriously? You don't really think that their evaluations mean more than just regular reporters----do you?

Now, I hope people don't turn this into "Vers thinks Ward stinks," like they did about TRich. I don't think he stinks. I think he is pretty good. I do believe that some people on the boards have overrated his performance and I believe that pay site did, too.

99th best player as chosen by his peers find another horse to beat why dont you bring up about mcfadden being are worst db after having been chosen in the 3rd round.
Do not forget my friends from philly but of course You know more than they due.

Excellent post I was dead wrong I thought taylor mays was going to be better you win some you lose some..
Due you think banner will sign him long term or try to play the one year game?

No one was saying he is Ed Reed. But I think he is better in coverage than you think he is. And his play against the run outweighs his average cover skills.

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It wasn't last year, but who could forget the whiff on Holmes on the game winning TD for the Jets a few years ago? I have seen that type of miss quite a few times.

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Last year was his best year, it was only his third year. Is it impossible for a guy to improve?

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Do you have anything to add beside your "numbers from a pay site" argument.

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That was not my argument, but I am not surprised you missed the point. The people that work that site chart every play with a set criteria. How many passes are thrown at a guy, how many TD passes has a guy given up, etc. My comment about the site not being free was to communicate the reason why I don't have those exact numbers because I don't pay for the site. Like I said, I am not surprised you missed the point and I had to explain myself further. Maybe next time I will write it out on a Magna Doodle so it will be more at your level.

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You don't really think that their evaluations mean more than just regular reporters----do you?

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Regular reporters like who? Mary Kay Cabot? Tony Grossi? Peter King?

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Like I said, I am not surprised you missed the point and I had to explain myself further. Maybe next time I will write it out on a Magna Doodle so it will be more at your level.

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LOL..........at least you are consistent w/your scorn and insults.

And where did I say he hasn't improved or can't improve? Keep making crap up.

Your posting fits in perfectly w/what I was saying about "camps." The evaluations of a player/coach, FO, etc have to either be all positive or all negative. God forbid anyone actually talks about both.

Did you answer my question?

LOL.......what a joke. You still didn't answer the question.

I pointed out that play because it is ONE play that should have stuck in EVERYONE'S mind.

I'll stand by my observations. I am so sorry you don't like them. You can come back w/another insult though.

At least I attempted to answer the question. You, on the other hand, avoid the question because there is no example to think of.

It was not much of an attempt. You answered it by turning things around on me. You don't get why I picked that play? Seriously.

I'll answer yours, anyways. I said that as a general statement as how I view most debates. People take sides [camps] and argue only one way. I understand that, but it doesn't make it right.

I felt I criticized Ward fairly. I also pointed out his positives. I also spoke as to how I think he will flourish in Horton's defense. I thought it was an honest and fair post. Yet, you took exception to it. Why?

I took exception not to the fact that you criticized Ward, but the fact that pooh-poohed a very credible site.

Like I said before, I'm not sure how you argue with these stats (about Ward). They watch every play and grade the players on how they performed based on a set criteria. It's not a subjective thing, if the numbers say he did well, he did well.

Stats make up for what our eyes and brain lie about. People often remember the horrible plays because they are memorable, but forget that numerous times a player does something correctly. If the criteria is the same for every player and the observer is unbiased the stats cannot lie.

I am not going to try and change your mind. I am sure their stats have validity. But, their stats don't tell the entire story. There is no way they can.

Anyone else want to chime in here? Seriously guys. Are you telling me they know where he is supposed to be on every play? Do they know how many times he took bad angles or missed when there were numerous tacklers there? Do their numbers address his hips and how he turns and runs w/guys down the field? Etc

I yi yi yi.

Stats are for losers.

This is one example of how that statement holds true. Stats are important, but if they were all conclusive GMs wouldn't watch film to evaluate players. They'd just look up the stats and be done with it.

Not merely to back you up in a debate, you don't really need that, but I did feel you gave an honest and fair evaluation in pointing out both his positives, with a glowing prediction for his future in Horton's defense, and his negatives. And everyone has negatives. Folks in either "camp" can choose to focus on one and ignore the other or have an open mind and realize that there's some good and bad in everyone and that numbers, regardless of how painstakingly calculated, are not going to tell the whole story. Especially in evaluating a player's ability.

While stats don't tell the whole story in football as they do in other sports, I think in this situation they tell most of the story.

For example, if you have the stats on the entire league you can compare players against each other. If a player is in coverage a certain amount of times and is successful a certain amount of times, you can then compare his numbers against others in the league and tell if he is a quality player or not.

So why do GM's watch so much film in evaluating players? What are they looking for that the stats don't reveal?

Stats are creeping into football slowly and aren't used as much as other sports. Once they are accepted the film will be used to supplement what the stats say.

Because there are so many moving parts in football film will always be useful. But in certain certain cases, like this one with Ward, I think the stats are just as valuable and possibly more valuable.

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Anyone else reminded of the old poster who used to purposely misspell every word?

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Pit?

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Stats are creeping into football slowly and aren't used as much as other sports. Once they are accepted the film will be used to supplement what the stats say.

Because there are so many moving parts in football film will always be useful. But in certain certain cases, like this one with Ward, I think the stats are just as valuable and possibly more valuable.

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You are certainly allowed to have that opinion just as we're all allowed to have our opinions. I'll not try to change your opinion but I will say that my opinion is that the stats supplement what the film says and it will always, always be that way.

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I also say it is by no means close to being accurate to use a play from two years ago, when a player was still developing, as some kind of measure as to how that player performs now.

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When I read it I assumed he was using that play as an example of the kind of play in which he sometimes still plays with stiff hips. He even said he used that as an example because he figured EVERYONE would remember it.

It was a good example of stiff hips. Sure he's improved. But he still has issues with those stiff hips though it appears he's learned to compensate for them. On occasion when he doesn't have time to compensate it's still an issue. Not a great one and it doesn't make him bad but it will always keep him from becoming an Ed Reed/Polamalu-type elite player.

He's still good enough for a big contract though so I'm curious to see how that plays out.

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Excellent post I was dead wrong I thought taylor mays was going to be better you win some you lose some..
Due you think banner will sign him long term or try to play the one year game?

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This is a tough situation but what i expect is the tender being used on Ward. we will let him walk and try to get a draft pick for him. The fact bademosi is being used as the #2 SS leads me to think that way anyway.

Tenders can only be used on restricted free agents. The only "tag" we can place on Ward is the franchise tag and I don't see anyone giving up two first round picks for Ward.

I don't see what Bademosi has to do with any of this.

I was referring to the tag and trade. This regime is super high on Bad and I think they are grooming him to be wards replacement

Aren't they also high on Ward? Horton has constantly talked him up. I would be shocked if Ward was playing for a different team next year and Bademosi was the starter.

I dont know, i just get the feeling we will try to get what we can out of him.

I think that this front office/coaching staff is high on ward, but that they need to see him stay healthy before they throw a lot of money his way.

I also believe that the reason we didn't go after a "name" S to play alongside Ward is because they really do like what they see in Gipson and Bademosi, and they want to see what these 2 guys can bring to the position.

Yeah, I think they will probably keep Ward. Provided he can stay healthy. It's a big year for him.

I was pretty disappointed in Bademosi the other night. Been reading a lot about him, but he seemed lost at FS. Very slow to react. Poor instincts.

I do understand he is just learning the position, but I hope Gipson gets healthy and stays healthy.