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Jim Donovan sizes up the Cleveland Browns heading into training camp

Jim Donovan dropped by the Browns facility Monday to fill in for Nathan Zegura on Cleveland Browns Daily, and we didn’t let him leave without answering a few of our questions.

The radio voice of the Browns since 1999 gave us his thoughts on the Browns’ rookie class, the lack of a wide-open quarterback competition and more in our impromptu interview.

ClevelandBrowns.com: What storyline interests you most when the Browns open training camp?

Donovan: I'm really excited about seeing this draft class play. And I mean play. I'd like to see them on the field. I think everybody was very excited about the draft class last year, certainly at the top of it, but we never really got to see those guys get out there and play. I think this was kind of a common sense draft in the sense that, ‘we have a problem stopping the run, let's go get a guy that can stop the run,’ and so we get Danny Shelton. ‘We need some help on the offensive line because we got thin there. Let's get Cam Erving. We need a pass rusher. Let's get Nate Orchard.’ In seeing all these guys in the rookie class, I think it's important that when you're picking that high and you have multiple picks in rounds, those guys should play, and that's when you know you're drafting well. I think these guys have a chance to play. Whether it's all the time or it's significant times in games. I'm kind of anxious to see all of them and how they fit and I think you're going to walk away from it and say, ‘boy, that draft class in that year was a real launch pad for them.’

CB.com: What do you see as the biggest difference from last year’s training camp to this year’s?

Donovan: I think that overall when you look at the field, you're not as perplexed at multiple positions and you say, ‘do they have enough here, do they have enough there, do they have enough cornerbacks, do they have enough wide receivers, do they have enough at tight end?’ I look at those positions now and say ‘yeah, I think they do,’ and then there are some areas where I think they're really good. I think they're really good in the secondary. I think the offensive line at its optimal health is really good and those are good things to be really good in. I think when I look at the overall scheme of everything, it looks like they have more talent across the field than I have ever seen them have in a long time.

CB.com: How important can training camp be for some of the team’s under-the-radar players?

Donovan: There's always one or two that become the story of camp. I would say last year in a very brief bottle of time that poured out onto the field, I think Isaiah Crowell was late to the party but when he got to the party, you realized, ‘wow, this guy is really so good that you can't hide him on a practice squad.’ But Josh Cribbs I can remember coming out of nowhere and really becoming a significant player for them. There are always one or two guys that kind of bust out onto the scene. I would say Taylor Gabriel last year, K'Waun Williams last year kind of made it very, very interesting. I would definitely look at two guys who always seem to really, whether it's on special teams or a combination of making big plays on special teams and they go out at their regular positions and they do something that makes you turn your head, and you kind of start rooting for them a little bit. You see them late in the game of the first game and then more and more they play, I think that's always fun. I don't know if there are going to be as many here. I think the opportunities for those kinds of guys making the team were better in past years but I think this team, there aren't as many Cinderella stories.

CB.com: Does it feel weird not to have a wide open quarterback competition entering training camp?

Donovan: I think it does. Even when they would designate and say Brandon Weeden is going to be the quarterback, still, Brandon was winning it because of where they drafted him rather than how he played. I don't think you were ever comfortable just saying, ‘that's our guy, we know for sure he's going to be the guy.’ So, yeah, this is very, very different. I really had a very nervous feeling last year when I watched that play out. Brian Hoyer was coming back after the ACL injury. He had a decent first game, not a great second game, not a great third game and one drive in the fourth game and he's the guy. Johnny Manziel had some exciting plays but there were also some holes there. Connor Shaw actually went in and kind of mopped up well. No one really went out and grabbed it, and certainly not the guy that became your opening day starter. You just kind of named the guy because you had to. Yeah, I think this is a little more comforting knowing you have a guy that's been around the block a few times.

CB.com: Did McCown surprise you at all during OTAs?

Donovan: I really had never seen him play a lot, so yeah, I thought he had a great arm. But I thought the first thing that hit me was he was such a great team guy, which is funny to notice in practice but it's also good to notice in practice and you realize it's very real. He roots for everybody. He really does. He roots for the other quarterbacks, he certainly roots for a great play even made by a defensive back against him. I think he's a real team guy. I think he really wants this to work out. Here's a guy that's been around the league for a while, hasn't been on a lot of great teams, but when he comes here I think he takes a look at it and says ‘boy, there's another opportunity for me to kind of become a great story and turn young talent with me guiding it into a winning team.’ I think that's a really good feeling to see him. It's easy to root for him.

CB.com: Where does this defense rank among the ones you’ve seen since 1999?

Donovan: I think by far it's the best. There's no question it's the best. The Browns have at times, I think their defense has played well in games but never been able to finish the game and I realize you can say, ‘well, the offense didn't do enough either,’ but really the Browns defense has been in a position for a number of years to close games out, just make one play and the game is over, and they haven't been able to do that whether it's because they've been on the field too long leading up to that point or they just didn't have the right players in place. I think this team seems to be stocked with enough talent and with enough guys who know how to do it from their past NFL experiences that that's a really good blend. I think they were very close last year to becoming a really good defense. Again, they got a little worn out on the defensive line but I think that's got much more depth to it this year. I think their secondary was right up there at the top of the NFL. I think it's the best defense I've seen them have easily since 1999.

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We're making the playoffs. No doubt.

As I explained earlier...........we have 12 years of proof of McCown's poor performance.

And there is nothing "funny" about that.

Maybe so. I think he is going to become our Steve DeBurgh. A vet QB with very little in his past history who blossoms late in his career.

how many in 16 games make it a rule and not a Exception? i could put up some that forte and Brandon Marshall came bolting out of nowhere to jump in front of a defender that was waiting for the flipped ball to get there. more where the defender just missed getting to the flipped ball.

so how many in 16 games make it a rule and not a Exception?

So, they expanded to include 10 wild card teams from each conference? [checks math] ... that may still be a stretch.

way to avoid a question. how many in 16 games make it a rule and not a Exception?

Playing with Alshon Jeffery, Martellus Bennett, Matt Forte and Brandon Marshall behind a decent offensive line was the perfect situation for McCown. Each of his receivers could fight for the football and take it away from defensive backs even when he threw an inaccurate pass.

There isn't another team in the league that can boast an arsenal of weapons like that. Other teams have incisive players who can break off big plays, but none have the ability to eradicate the need for precision from quarterback position quite like they do in Chicago.

Furthermore, because the Bears had a good running game and receivers who excelled at making plays down the field, McCown's arm strength was less of a factor. He didn't need to force the ball into tight holes over the middle of the field on a regular basis and it didn't matter if his deep passes floated because his receivers would adjust in midair.

The Bears were ranked 27th in rushing last season. Forte had his second worst season averaging 3.9 yds/carry. In 2013, the Bears were also ranked 27th, Forte averaging 4.6 yds/carry. Hardly a "good running game"...

Are you saying that Forte is not a good RB?

Btw---------the Brown's rushing attack was below Chicago's, so what does that say about us?

forte caught 27 pass in those 5 starts and averaged over 5 yards a carry lol.

Thank you, eo.

I trust that you are not using YAC as a rushing statistic...lol

Uh, Browns lack experience!

dont believe me look it up. the bears went from a deap passing team to a dink and dunk to get the most out of mccown too. lots and lots of screen plays. you can get away with that with the huge recievers on the team. they break tackles for yards.

but what ever. mccowns the man. lmao. what was it eo said he loved about him? how he sells the play action. lmao one of the worse in the nfl.

you guys should really watch those 5 starts he had in 2013 and you will see why the stats are inflated.

when i said its going to be like playing in the redzone every play i meant it. its just we dont have near that talent.

Don't need to. You were talking about the "good running game", now you're simply being evasive...

what? you think 5 yards a carry is not a good run game? thats what he had in the 5 game mccown started. how is that evasive?

Yes, you were being evasive in your previous post. My opinion of Forte is that he is a good runner. This does not change the fact that the team as a whole ranked 27th. (Incidentally, McCown averaged 5.3 yds/carry)

mccown is very good at the read option. he reads the presnap defense well. his ball placement is not so good but with the recievers he had it did not matter. once the first read was not there...... he also looks defenders away very well. does not stare the recievers down.

You guys can making fun of anyone who doesn't agree w/you, just as you always have, but the debate is in regards to how well McCown will play.

So, how is McCown going to play better here when we have a worse running game?

This is beginning to remind me of the arguments I had w/you guys about Weeden. How did that turn out?

And BQ. Who was it that said: "So, this is what a franchise qb looks like?" Got any ideas on whom that was, tab?

Ahhh, and I can't forget the immortal Timid Couch. I have always been so far off and you have been so accurate in your analysis.

Keep making fun of me, though. It's not about reality, it is about deception and perception.

Improving defense could make Browns playoff team in 2015

By Ryan Wilson | CBSSports.com
July 21, 2015 11:35 pm ET

It's easy to forget that the Browns were alone in first place in the AFC North on Nov. 11, 10 weeks into the 2014 NFL season. At the time, they were 6-3 with wins over the Saints, Steelers and Bengals and there was no reason to think that the team would implode over the final seven games other than, you know, they're the Browns.

Of course, that's exactly what happened; Cleveland lost six of seven, including five straight to end the season. When it was over, the sheen had worn off the local-boy-makes-good Brian Hoyer story, and the quarterback wasn't re-signed. Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan also left amid reports of friction on the coaching staff. And after a forgettable rookie season, first-round pick Johnny Manziel entered rehab, where he remained for 10 weeks. There was also the matter of a meddling front office, along with continued reports of a power struggle between the coach and general manager.

But despite the annual off-field silliness, the Browns can't be dismissed as a legitimate playoff team next season. This doesn't mean they're the favorites to win the AFC North. In fact, if you're ranking the division, it begins with some combination of the Bengals, Ravens and Steelers in spots 1-3 followed by the Browns. But that's less about the talent gap among the four teams than a) recent history and b) the lack of a proven franchise quarterback on Cleveland's roster.

So while a team without something approaching a franchise quarterback hasn't won a Super Bowl since Brad Johnson and the Buccaneers pulled it off in January 2003, there are plenty of examples of teams lacking a top-10 passer playing in the postseason. And let's be honest: a Browns' playoff appearance -- the first since 2002, by the way -- would be a huge deal in northern Ohio.

So what's the plan? The Browns could take a page from the playbooks of their division rivals -- all of them. In 2004, then-rookie Ben Roethlisberger was forced into the lineup after Tommy Maddox went down with an arm injury in Week 2. That team relied heavily on two things: Pittsburgh's dominant defense and a running game that simplified Big Ben's life. The Steelers went 15-1 and made it to the conference championship. The Ravens did similarly in 2008, Joe Flacco's rookie season, when its second-ranked defense did much of the heavy lifting on the team's way to the playoffs. And you could argue that Andy Dalton has benefitted from some combination of good defenses and explosive playmakers in the Bengals' four consecutive postseason appearances.

In 2014, the Browns had one of the league's youngest defenses (average age: 26.4) but still finished as the No. 11 unit, according to Football Outsiders' metrics. If that group can improve in 2015, coupled with Josh McCown playing at replacement level (basically: something other than the NFL's worst quarterback), the Browns can not only be competitive, they can be in the mix for a playoff spot in late December.

Along the defensive line, Ahtyba Rubin and Jabaal Sheard are gone, as is cornerback Buster Skrine. But 2014 first-round pick Danny Shelton should immediately upgrade the nose tackle position while free-agent signing Tramon Williams can do the same as Skrine's replacement. The Browns used a second-round pick on outside linebacker Nate Orchard, who had 18.5 sacks at Utah last season and will replace Sheard on the depth chart in Cleveland.

Then there are the Browns' other recent selections -- first-round talents who have yet to fully realize expectations. Cornerback Justin Gilbert was taken eighth overall in 2014, but struggled through much of his rookie season. That'll change in 2015, if veteran Pro Bowler Joe Haden, who has been working out with Gilbert, has anything to do with it.

“He is growing up,” Haden said in March. “Justin's a very, very talented player. It's just going to take a little bit of time.”

Gilbert's talent isn't lost on second-year coach Mike Pettine, who also realizes that the transition from college to the NFL is rarely a smooth one.

“We've definitely seen flashes of his ability, and we've seen it in games as well,” Pettine said back in December. “I could make a 20-play cut-up of him where he'd look like one of the elite corners in the league, and I could make another 20-play cut-up where you wouldn't take him until Day 3 of the draft. In this league, it's all about being consistent.”

The point: There's every reason to expect Gilbert to improve from Year 1 to Year 2. The same holds for 2013 first-rounder Barkevious Mingo, the undersized rush linebacker who has been less than 100 percent healthy for much of his NFL career.

“I feel next year will be a good year,” Mingo said in March. “I have the experience under my belt. I know what to expect, and it's the same playbook as last year, so I'll have that as an advantage as well. Now it's just coming down to getting ready to play and putting it on the field.”

But the success of this defense in 2015 doesn't rest solely on the shoulders of these young players. The unit is full of veteran contributors from linebackers Karlos Dansby, Craig Robertson and Paul Kruger, to defensive backs Haden, Williams, Donte Whitner and Tashaun Gipson. Just how good is this group? According to ProFootballFocus' individual ratings, Dansby was ninth among all inside linebackers, Robertson was 18th, and Kruger was 14th among rush linebackers. Among cornerbacks, Haden was 28th and Williams was 34th (with the Packers), while Gipson and Whitner were 10th and 11th, respectively, among safeties.

On the other side of the ball, the Browns have a ton of questions, a conversation that starts at quarterback. McCown was signed this offseason to take the pressure off Manziel, who isn't expected to win the starting job. But there are bright spots, starting with the offensive line (the team used its other first-round pick on center Cameron Erving, who will be groomed as Alex Mack's replacement); a solid running game that features Isaiah Crowell, Terrance West and Duke Johnson, all of whom are 23 or younger; and veteran free-agent wideouts Dwayne Bowe and Brian Hartline.

So while today's NFL is all about offensive firepower, and only teams with a franchise quarterback have a real chance to win the Super Bowl, the road to the playoffs is less restrictive. In 2009 and 2010, the Jets made back-to-back AFC Championship Game appearances with an erratic Mark Sanchez, a very good running game and a great defenses. We've seen that story -- adequate quarterback coupled with strong running game and defense -- play out in subsequent years with the 2011 49ers (Alex Smith's resurgence under Jim Harbaugh), the 2012 Bengals (Dalton was in his second season and Cincy's D ranked 10th), and the 2013 Chiefs (Alex Smith's resurgence continued in Kansas City, which went from two wins the previous season to the playoffs in '13).

And last season's Bills, a team that leaned heavily on journeyman quarterback Kyle Orton while it waited on EJ Manuel to grow into the job, might be the best example what the Browns could look like in '15. That Bills team finished 9-7 and just outside the playoff chase, and they did it with a below-average offense (26th overall) and a stifling defense (2nd overall).

Of course, the Browns play in a much tougher division than the Bills, and, in general, the organization is perpetually finding ways to sabotage itself. That said, if the owner, front office and coaching staff can find a way to mitigate the self-inflicted wounds (which, honestly might be a tougher propisition than Manziel making the Pro Bowl), it's easy to envision a group that starts the season strong but unlike a year ago, doesn't cave down the stretch. And if they can get to Week 15 at 8-6 or 7-7, then anything's possible -- including the playoffs.

Put another way: Qualifying for the postseason ain't the Mt. Everest of professional sports milestones; Andy Dalton has done it four straight years.

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