Breaking Down: Cleveland Browns

2007 Record: 10-6, 2nd in AFC North

Head Coach: Romeo Crennel, Career Record of 20-28. Some, including myself, would argue that Bill Bellichek was largely an average coach until he stumbled upon Tom Brady. Could the same have happened for Romeo Crennel last year. After two down season, his seat getting hot and no sign of hope, Derek Anderson turned the Browns around for at least a little while. Now it is up to Romeo to build around an offense that suddenly blew up a year ago. Can he build a defense to match?     Grade: C

Special Teams: Joshua Cribbs developed into the second most exciting return man in football last year with four returns for touchdowns. Of course, that year has convinced Joshua Cribbs that he needs more money. It does not appear to be leading to a holdout though. Veteran Phil Dawson hit 87% of his kicks last year, but did miss a PAT. Dave Zastudil returns as the punter.     Grade: B+

Defensive Line: Robaire Smith is the only returning member of last years line. He had four sacks last year, which was just 1/2 sack short of a career high. He is good against the run, but is not enough of a threat in the passing game. Corey Williams comes over from Green Bay and moves from inside a 4-3 defense to the outside in a 3-4 defense. Which all should mean little. He will stay in the down-technique and play the run. The pass rush will come from the outside linebackers. Shaun Rogers was also added. He comes from Detroit and is also making a change from 4-3 to 3-4. It could be harder for him, as he is a true nose tackle now. The extra weight he carries often could help him, I guess.     Grade: B-

Linebackers: Veterans on the left, youth on the right. Romeo Crennel finally makes a Parcells move by bringing one of his guys into his system. In this case, Willie McGinest. He should be a great leader on the defense if he can stay on the field. He has missed games the past couple of seasons and his numbers are down. He is still an upgrade at this position. D’Qwell Jackson starts on the opposite side and he played very well there last year. Nagging injuries are an issue for him. Inside the greatest compliment paid to Andra Davis lately is that he is the only member of the defense not replaced by Romeo. His numbers were down last year though and he may finally be looking over his shoulder now at youngsters Leon Williams and Beau Bell. Kamerion Wimbley is the other inside man and while his incredible talent is evident he also struggled at times last year.     Grade: B+

Secondary: Eric Wright was considered a huge risk when Cleveland took him in the second round last year, because of off the field issues. While he has kept his nose clean, his play did not necessarily justify the risk or the hype. Hopefully he continues to mature as both a player and man. He starts opposite another sophomore corner in Brandon McDonald. McDonald came with less money and hype but played every bit as well. This could be an exciting corner combination for years to come. Veteran Terry Cousin comes over from the Jaguars to play the nickel position. The Browns are nearly as young at safety with Sean Jones and Brodney Poole. Jones showed signs of being a ball-hawk and Poole looked impressive when he was able to get the ball in his hands.     Grade: C

Offensive Line: The Browns had the sixth best rushing average in the league and did a fine job of protecting Derek Anderson. If offensive tackles won awards Joe Thomas may well have been the rookie of the year last year. He, nobody else, was the biggest boost to this offense in years. Kevin Shaeffer is the RT. At Guard Rex Hadnot and Eric Steinback did a fine job of run blocking. Hank Fraley is a good center with some injury issues.     Grade: B

Receivers: In the conversation for best corps in the league. Once a QB showed up in Cleveland, Braylon Edwards showed what a special talent he is. Sixteen touchdowns last year he may just be starting to show his capabilities. Edwards will benefit by having a deep threat on the other side in the person of Donte Stallworth. He’s become a bit of a journeyman the past few years, but is a perfect fit in this unit as he is the deep threat to Edwards possession receiver. Joe Jurevicius moves to the slot which is suitable to his skill set. He could be the kind of player he was in Seattle a few years ago when he caught 10 TD’s. Kellen Winslow topped a thousand yards last year and 80 receptions the past two. Of some concern though is that he had just 50 yards per game in the final month and no touchdowns.     Grade: A

Running Backs: Jamal Lewis looked rejuvenated at times last year. 1300 yards was his highest total since his 2000 yard season in ‘03. No signs of slowing down either as he topped 100 yards in three of his last four games. Jason Wright appears to be the favorite backup as he averaged 4.6 yards per carry last season. Jerome Harrison figures to make the squad as well, though is more likely to contribute on special teams.     Grade: C+, I’d like to see a more sure backup for a 29 year old running back.

Quarterbacks: Derek Anderson was not supposed to be the answer. While he did have 29 touchdowns to only 19 interceptions last year, the final four games tell a worrisome story for Anderson. Only five of his touchdowns came while the Browns were trying to make the playoffs and he threw six interceptions in that same span. Twice in the home stretch he had QB Ratings of less than 60. Unless Anderson is able to regain his mid-season composure we may just see Brady Quinn this year. While many think Quinn fell in the ‘07 draft, I am actually of the opinion that he would have been a third round pick had he played his college ball anywhere other than South Bend. It will be interesting to see if moving from Weis to Crennel systems is as smooth as some think it should be. Former Miami star Ken Dorsey will make the team as well.     Grade: C+

2008 Forecast: The Browns have a tough schedule this year and are not going to catch anybody by surprise. That said I think the Browns have far superior weapons on offense to anybody in this division and are comparable with anybody in the league. One question mark is Lewis’ age, which did not seem to cause an issue. The bigger issue is which Derek Anderson shows up more often. He gets the benefit of the doubt as he was good far more often than bad last year. Many QB’s struggle the first time they face a playoff run, some do better the next time. The defense has some good young talent and a good coach with some solid new additions.

Predicted Record: 11-5