Browns Struggling
Aug 24, 2008
Author: DawgBones.com

Though we are only into the 3rd pre-season game the whispers of concern about the 2008 Cleveland Browns have turned into a quiet conversation after their 26-6 defeat at the hands of the Detroit Lions this past Saturday. The loss came on the heels of a mugging the team endured just 5 days prior at the hands of the New York Giants.

The Browns were the sheik off-season pick by many "so-called" experts. Coming off a 10-6 campaign in 2007, key additions to the offense in WR Donte Stallworth, defensively in DT Shaun Rogers and DE Corey Williams, 5 prime time games and returning 6 Pro Bowl players. The 2008 season was to be the Browns coming out party and it still may be, but right now it looks like it may be anything but that.

The Browns of course may be thinking all they need to do is show up and the "magic" of the 2007 season will show up as well. Unfortunately for the Browns they will sneak up on no one this year and have a schedule as tough as they come.

This team appears to have been buying into all the off-season hype. They talk as if they are better, but have yet to show that through 3 pre-season games.

The offensive line has appeared to regress this off-season. Hard to believe that they wouldn't be better in year 2, but they have not shown that they are. At this point they have caused starting QB Derek Anderson to miss nearly 2 full pre-season games by not blocking well, the direct result leading to injury to Anderson. It appears that the line has gotten slower and worse, not faster and better. Some of that is the loss of veteran Ryan Tucker. Clearly G Rex Hadnot is not Tucker and the line is missing his leadership and toughness. The Browns and fans alike are praying Tucker can make it back and soon from off-season hip surgery.

The young cornerbacks, Eric Wright and Brandon McDonald have looked out classed in the pre-season. Some of it could be the scheme, but a lot of it is the player. Wright has looked confused at best and McDonald, especially against the Lions, was physically out matched. It would be one thing if defensive coordinator Mel Tucker was having these guys play man to man, bump and run and they were getting beaten like drums, but he's not. They are playing soft zone, cover 2, 3 and 4 and still looking bad doing so. When you are already playing safe, keeping things in front of you, and you are struggling it is not a good sign.

The days of keeping things in front of you, not allowing the big play and waiting for the opponent to make a mistake are long gone. Someone may want to tell head coach Romeo Crennel that this is the NFL, the best players in the world play here and being a professional is not like being an amateur. Amateurs practice until they get it right, professionals practice so they never get it wrong.

Of course the Browns have had a rash of injuries this off-season to key contributors on the team. Willie McGinest, Braylon Edwards, Brodney Pool, Sean Jones, Jamal Lewis, Derek Anderson, Joshua Cribbs, Antwan Peek and Tucker have all missed pre-season games. In 2007 the team was blessed with good health and depth never became an issue, the same can not be said now.

We know it's only pre-season and over the past few years the eventual Super Bowl champion has not faired well in the pre-season, but that was because they were not playing their starters at all. The same can't be said for the Browns.

There is also the philosophy that Crennel is sand bagging, not wanting to show the rest of the league what is in store for them. Trying perhaps to get an edge anyway he can. Maybe, but we are talking about a coach with a career record of 20-28 and no playoff appearances. Do you think he's honestly sand bagging? Isn't the old adage, you will play how you practiced? Well through 3 pre-season games in 2008 the Browns have not "practiced" well at all.

Maybe when all is said and done all the expectations and hype around this team are unwarranted. Maybe they are not ready to take the next step and the tougher schedule this year will spawn a worse record and no playoffs. Perhaps they can flip a switch when the Dallas Cowboys come to Cleveland on September 7th to start the season and all will be right in the world. Maybe, but we wouldn't hold our breath and neither should you. This team has some major holes and needs to get healthy very fast, not a recipe for success.

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