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Browns Team Report
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Posted: May 13, 2007

Steve Doerschuk
For Sporting News



Not drafting a running back places a monster burden on Jamal Lewis' broad shoulders. Lewis would have been handed the ball at least 15 times a game even if the Browns had drafted Adrian Peterson. By adding no runner in any round, the forecast for Lewis expands substantially. Spring workouts indicate Lewis is healthier than he was during last season with Baltimore. Both Lewis and coaches are fired up about the possibility the former superstar can be his old self behind a line that has added the best tackle in the draft, Joe Thomas, and the best lineman in the free-agent market, Eric Steinbach. Both of Lewis' backups, Jason Wright and Jerome Harrison, are young players with upside. Lewis, on the other hand, still is young enough to at least hope he can run as well as he did in 2003, when he rushed 500 yards in two games against Cleveland. Coordinator Rob Chudzinski comes from the Chargers, who got LaDainian Tomlinson rest by developing Michael Turner. Chudzinski hopes Wright or Harrison can produce enough to help keep Lewis fresh.

SCOUTING REPORT: D'Qwell Jackson proved as a rookie he can be a competent starting inside linebacker. But a serious case of turf toe marred the end of his rookie year. And now he must prove he can become more than just a quality journeyman who lasts eight to 10 years. Jackson vows to add more big plays to his repertoire. To do so, he must compensate for his below-average size and average athleticism by building on the superior instincts that got him drafted high in Round 2 and made him a rookie starter. But because no one will outwork him or prepare better consider him a better-than-average starter with Pro Bowl upside.

POSITION BATTLE: The Browns didn't spend the No. 3 overall draft pick on Thomas for him to sit and learn. They intend him to provide an immediate and palpable upgrade on the offensive line. He has the physical and mental maturity to do so. But to play Thomas at his natural position of left tackle, incumbent Kevin Shaffer must be benched or moved. Shaffer had a so-so 2006 as a first-year Brown, but he signed a $36 million contract with the understanding he would be a long-term left tackle. Shaffer didn't convince many that he can achieve his goal of being a Pro Bowl left tackle, but head coach Romeo Crennel has told him he is the starter and that Thomas must beat him out. Thomas is more powerfully built and more athletic than Shaffer. Shaffer is a proud overachiever with a chip on his shoulder, though.

DEFENSIVE ENDS ANALYSIS: C+ Orpheus Roye, 34, is an effective workman who takes care of his body and should have at least one good year left. Roye is big, strong, athletic and sure of himself. He is well versed in the heavy lifting required of the left end on a three-man front and is powerful enough to play the nose. Robaire Smith is a big journeyman who is new to the Browns but familiar with coordinator Todd Grantham and should be a good fit on the right side. Top backup Simon Fraser is a better pass rusher than run defender. He has the long body and arms to bat down passes and has a nonstop motor. He is a third-year pro who keeps improving.

Steve Doerschuk covers the Browns for the Canton Repository.

As for not taking a RB in the draft, well it was either Peterson or nobody going in... IMO.. so we chose nobody and I'm glad we did.. I still see Lewis getting 15-18 carries per game. With Harrison, Wright, or both, getting the rest... Trying to run Lewis 25-28 times a game will only land him on the IR...

I saw some of what made DQ special last year, a few times he shot some gaps and put some good hits on for negative yardage... My guess is as he gets more comfortable with the defense and the system, you'll see more of that.

Thomas will start.. is that really news to anybody?

The D-Line is still the big question mark this year and I think one of the big keys to our success is going to be our ability to stop the run... If we can be at least middle of the pack against the run, we can win some games this year...

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Trying to run Lewis 25-28 times a game will only land him on the IR...

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I agree 100%
he has some wear and tear . he has been around for a little while and has alot of carries .But in the article for what it is worth they said this.... Spring workouts indicate Lewis is healthier than he was during last season with Baltimore

Which hopefully is true can J.Lewis is a punishing back , we all know from having to play him 2 times a year since 99.

D.Q. , Hopefully he can grow into something special . I doubt he will ever get to the same level Wimbley is on but we just need a good Linebacker who can Tackle and Stop the Run .

Quote:

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The D-Line is still the big question mark this year and I think one of the big keys to our success is going to be our ability to stop the run... If we can be at least middle of the pack against the run, we can win some games this year...

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Beside the draf picks and how they turn out ,To me this is the biggest question on this team how the D-Line will do with stoping the run and opening holes for the rush . If they can step up I think this will be a big thing for the team .

I see no reason why Harrison & Wright can't spell him effectively. They've both shown flashes of ability but their chances on the field during the season last year were severly hampered by the play of the O-line. It's a whole new story this year. I expect both of these guys and Vickers to spend time running and catching the ball so there should be no reason for Jamal to carry 25-30 times a game.

The linebackers need to become feared this year and the D-line is going to have to step up and make a statement. It's a veteran line with Roye, Big Ted & Robaire in there so they're going to need to play that way. I like the way Simon plays... hoping to see something from one of the rookies... With the addition of Peek and some decent line play we may have a pass rush. You're right though, we have to stop the run to win, bottom line.

Hearing Lewis is healthier than last season makes me feel 10X better about him.

He will make or break our season if we're even going to consider playoffs being beyond a pipedream. If Bentley comes back healthy, no doubt in my mind he goes over 1500 yards.

I don't think Jerome Harrison got on the field nearly enough last year. Whenever he was in he seemed to get yards that Droughns could only dream of. Of course, his lack of pass blocking skill killed him.

I had a dream last night that our O-line was pushing opposing defenses off the ball (most notably the Bengals) and Jamal Lewis punished them in a Browns win.

Then again, in that dream the QB was #9 and not Quinn, so I'm not sure how valid my dream could be, but I've dreamed right before.

If the dream had # 9 @ QB, hopefully it was a pre-season game with the second team 0... Or maybe it was partly a bad dream...

I think it will take time for the 0-Line to jell... All of pre-season and 4 to 6 games of the regular season...Lots of change again... Little familiarity...

I'll feel better when we start to see "it" happening... Go Browns make it happen…

I hope to see a lot more Vickers.
He and Lewis could really batter a defense if what we heard last year is true.
My hope is Harrison can explode this year with the improvements on the OL.
Wright is kind of a wild card as far as I am concerned.
I think he is an OK RB, just a little vanilla as far as I am concerned.
Not a huge back like Lewis or Vickers, not a quick back like Harrison or Barclay.

Harrison showed flashes of brilliance in pre-season but Wright did so during the regular season. But, as far as I'm concerned, neither have stepped up enough to really guage what they're really capable of. I hope that, behind an improved o-line, they will wage a hell of a battle in training camp for the #2 position. May the best man win and be a stud.

I don't normally call people names,,,, but in this case,,,

His name should be DORKschuk.

Exactly how many holes were the Browns supposed to fill with the draft... What an idiot

I thought this article was pretty well stated. I don't think Doerschuk was saying that we made a mistake in not taking a RB, I think he's just stating the obvious.

That is, all we really have is Jamal and some back-ups in Jason Wright and Jerome Harrison. They need to carry the load and do it with effectiveness.

I don't think one person on here can claim that if Jamal doesn't play up to par it won't hurt our season. We all know it will. So the fact that we didn't take a RB, while yes, DUH, we can't fill every spot we want to in the draft, he's just making a point that Jamal will have to play effectively.

As for everything else, I think our young LB's are gonna be some tough tough competition next year. I really like Leon Williams and what he showed and I also believe that he can beat out Andra Davis for an ILB spot.

I think Kamerion needs some help on the opposite side and hopefully we'll get that with Antawan Peek, but what'll really help is some D-Line effectiveness.

The D-line I was really pulling for this draft but we didn't get it. That's ok though, I know we had a lot to fill and this draft was amazing. But the D-Line is more than just run D. They free up the LB's which is KEY. I hope we get more of that this year. Robaire could be a huge help, time will tell.

I'm also not totally sold on Shaun Smith, he looks good on paper, good height, weight, etc. You can have the intangibles, but if you don't know how to use them you could be in trouble. I hope Shaun is to the NT position as Matt Schaub was to the QB position. Someone with a ton of upside and ability.

JMHO

I don't remember much about when Williams played early on except for the Raiders game. It was 4th and 1 in the fourth quarter when Roye stopped Jordon for a 2 yard loss. Williams was right behind him as he took him down. That is where I really thought he was going to turn out just fine. I don't know if or when he will become a starter but he will get serious playing time.

This was a good article that was very accurate. People bash Steve, but he had some inside info on this one.

I really liked the Lewis signing. One of Savage's better FA moves. He can do a lot of things at RB and he can carry the load. We'll address the position next year. But, for now........getting Lewis was the best move Savage could have made, and I am including the draft.

DQ: I ain't as thrilled as most w/this guy. I saw him being completely taken out of too many plays. I hope he improves.

Joe: Shaffer should be considered the starter, but I can't see him holding Joe off. Joe is too good. Plus, all young LTs struggle. Joe needs to get the experience so he will be ready when the team is.

Roye: I used to watch the DL a lot at TC. Roye was the best. And this was when Courtney and company were there. He was the most professional and hardest working. He is bigger than he looks on TV. He is very strong and plays w/good leverage. He is a true professional, and it would really help if he could stay healthy this year.