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Led by quarterback Charlie Frye, the streak continues for the Browns since our return to the league, where we have had a new starting quarterback each and every year. Unlike the past though, our coaching staff appears to know what they are doing. Many "experts" around the league are projecting Frye to be one of the lowest-ranked quarterbacks this season. Can you blame them? Most people who are not Browns fans see our situation as a third-round quarterback trying to learn the game, compared to all of the veterans around the league who have been playing for several seasons. It's not a surprise that Frye is an "underdog" quarterback to the media outside of Cleveland, because quite frankly, you can't get respect unless you win football games. Frye's mobility will allow him to do just that, along with three new weapons this year: Joe Jurevicius, Braylon Edwards, and Kellen Winslow. He played sparingly with Edwards last year, but the time was not significant enough.As far as our backup situation goes, we are trying to get by with two guys who haven't shown that they are dependable. Derek Anderson and Ken Dorsey are not veterans and our prone to making mistakes. If Frye goes down, there is no way that we won't sign a veteran to take his place, because we will not win this year with one of our backups.
Looking back to last season, the running back decision at the beginning of the year was actually quite complicated. It was thought that Lee Suggs and William Green would compete for the starting job, but then Reuben Droughns was brought in via a trade. Suggs won the starting job until suffering an injury, and Droughns was named the starter by opening day. And, after a twenty-year wait for a 1,000-yard rusher, Droughns finally broke the streak. However, in doing so, he was only able to gain two touchdowns. The Browns lacked a change-of-pace back, and as Suggs was trying to rebound from injuries and Green was trying to learn how to find a hole, the team selected Jerome Harrison in this year's draft.Everyone saw how well Harrison ran the ball in the preseason, and there's not a doubt in anyone's mind that we can utilize him in a similar fashion that the Cincinnati Bengals effectively used Chris Perry last season. Meanwhile, after Suggs and Green didn't do enough last year, they are both removed from the team now, with Jason Wright as the final running back. At the fullback position, Terrelle Smith will still be a tough blocker, while rookie Lawrence Vickers could turn into a short-yardage back like the Steelers do with Verron Haynes.
If you're looking for the most improve position on the Browns, then this is definitely it. In the draft, the Browns chose to select three linebackers - Kamerion Wimbley, D'Qwell Jackson, and Leon Williams. Although Williams may not factor too much into the defensive aspect this year, Wimbley and Jackson most definitely will. Both men could be starters part-way into the season, but regardless, they'll both see significant playing time every game. The unit could have easily been awarded an "F-" last year for their pass rushing ability, but if that's the case this year, then we've all been had. Wimbley has tremendous speed off the edge, and veteran linebacker Willie McGinest will bring more to this team than people expect.Guess who has been quiet during training camp and the preseason it seems? Andra Davis. He led the team in tackles last year, meaning when the people around him start playing better, it'll force the defense to forget about him. The only concern for the linebacking group could be the indecision the coaching staff may face. During certain times of the game, who should go in? D'Qwell Jackson or Chaun Thompson? Matt Stewart or Kamerion Wimbley?
We can take a sigh of relief for the moment and try to gather ourselves: the Browns will be entering the season with a completely healthy group of receivers and tight ends. Antonio Bryant, who did well with the team last year, is now in San Francisco. He wasn't a bad player, but will we miss his costly drops? No way. One big reason why the Seattle Seahawks made the Super Bowl last year is because they had receivers who were no longer dropping passes. Joe Jurevicius happened to be a starting receiver on that team, but remember one thing: he's a possession receiver. He will not come close to 1000-yards receiving, but he'll make that third down catch at a critical juncture of a game. After Braylon Edwards shocking recovery, he will not be held back heading into the season. Edwards showed solid chemistry with Frye last year and will be starting over Dennis Northcutt very soon. That's not a bad thing for Northcutt either, who is notoriously known for having success in the slot. Travis Wilson probably won't be involved in the offense too much, and the same goes for Josh Cribbs.Part of the reason Cribbs and Wilson will be held out is the fact that Kellen Winslow and Steve Heiden form the best tight end combination the Browns have had since returning to the league. Technically, they had the combination two years ago, but it didn't last long due to an injury to Winslow. The playbook with Winslow seems to have been kept to a bare minimum throughout the preseason, and hopefully that's not the case come the regular season. As for Heiden, we've seen in the preseason exactly how he will be used. Every time he has gotten the ball, he has been wide open. It doesn't hurt having your starter from the past several seasons as your top backup.
This is our biggest concern heading into the season due to injuries. Without injuries, the group would be solid. Unfortunately, if Gary Baxter gets hurt again, we'll be forced to having cornerbacks start that have been burned often during their career. The best we can hope for is Baxter to stay healthy through he first three weeks at least, until Daylon McCutcheon is able to return. Leigh Bodden was battling him for the starting cornerback job entering the season, but at this point, I'd rank him ahead of Baxter. Bodden was one of the few gems that Butch Davis was able to discover. At safety, the Browns really didn't upgrade from last season. Brian Russell is well-liked by the team, and his job does not appear to be in any jeopardy. Sean Jones edged Brodney Pool at the safety position, but both players will see their fair share of time on the field. Teams did not throw over the middle very often against the Browns last year, and attacked the running game instead. If our run defense is indeed better, the safeties will see more plays coming their way and will be depended on to step it up a notch.