Last Year:
If you are a Browns fan, then you know what the value of one second means. From a heart-breaking last second loss to Kansas City in week one, to a last second Hail Mary pass win in Jacksonville, then finally to a loss in a wild card game against Pittsburgh that fell about one second short. Last year Cleveland played in a number of tight games, having ten of their sixteen games decided by five points or less. A late emergence from first-round-pick William Green helped revive a ground game for Cleveland which had been non-existent all season. With the help of him, and other unknowns such as Kelly Holcomb and Jamel White, the Cardiac Kids flipped the digits of a season before, to finish with a 9 ? 7 record. By taking baby steps, this team has returned to its form of a contender and is making strides towards the Super Bowl.
What we learned from Last Year:
The most important thing that the Browns couldn?t do last year was control the game. Even though William Green really showed great signs of development late in the season, this team didn?t really have much of a ball control offense throughout the year. They averaged 4.0 yards a carry last year, 23rd in the league, and they will need to get a better ground game if they want to have more success. Why this hurts so much is because it puts pressure and fatigue on the defense consistently. Not only that, the lack of a running game forces Cleveland to throw the ball more often than they would like. This inconsistency can be seen in Cleveland?s performance of their games in the first half versus the second half.
Look at this:
Against Baltimore, 0 points in the first three quarters, 21 points in the 4th quarter.
Against Tennessee, 7 points in the first half, 21 points in the second half.
Against New York Jets, 6 points in the first half, 18 in the second half.
Against Jacksonville, 0 points in the first half, 21 points in the second half.
Against Pittsburgh, allowed 17 points in the first half, and only 6 in the second half.
Against Indianapolis the defence allowed 0 points in the first half, and 28 in the second half.
Against Pittsburgh the defence allowed 7 points in the first half, and allowed 29 in the second half.
They can?t seem to get consistent play from either the offense or defense for a whole game. This teams problems don?t stem from effort though, they stem from fatigue. It also comes from an unbalanced attack. If the offense scores points only through the air, it doesn?t give the defence time to recuperate. It takes its toll on the receivers as well if they are running patterns on every down. Running the ball effectively would help take pressure off of the receivers and would allow this whole team to be more efficient.
The next thing to notice on this team is their excellent passing attack. The stats may not be eye-popping as this team ranked in the middle of the pack last year, but what is impressive is their ability to complete passes when the pressure is on. This team has depth at QB with two very similar quarterbacks, as well is a lot of depth at receiver. Jamel White is a brilliant third down back who creates match up difficulties for opposing defences as a receiver, and is also very quick as a runner. Once again a solid running game should only improve this aspect of the offense.
The defence has shown ability to play at a high level. The questions have just come up about consistency. On the defensive line Gerrard Warren has said that he is going to stop partying, and will try to mature. He?s been fairly quiet in his career to this point, but he would be a nice addition to Courtney Brown, Orpheus Roye, and Kenard Lang. The secondary has done well in the past as well. Anthony Henry had an off year, but has proven in the past to be a good starter. He led the league in interceptions in 2001. Robert Griffith coming back healthy will be very noteworthy for this team, but the problems here don?t lie in talent, rather with the amount of time they spent on the field.
What has changed?:
One of the quietest drafts this year, the Cleveland Browns are an example of what most teams should do in the draft. Their running game was poor two years ago, so they drafted William Green. The offensive line struggled to block for the running game last year, so they drafted a couple of guys this year. They lost all their starters in their linebacking corps from last year, so they drafted a linebacker. Nothing genius, but most teams don?t do it. They drafted players to fill holes on this team, not players to fill holes on their bench. Most teams will just draft the best player on the board regardless of where they need help. First round pick Jeff Faine should have a positive impact on the running game.
A big question mark on this team will be their linebacking corps. Gone are Jamir Miller, Earl Holmes, Dwayne Rudd, and Darren Hambrick. In are a group of young guys that few people have yet to hear about. The key to this year?s defense will be Dave Campo. Numerous Browns? players have said that the new defensive system is ?linebacker friendly? meaning that it should be able to aid the team?s linebacking weaknesses, if there are any. Dexter Coakley really developed in that system; maybe it will work the same wonders for Cleveland.
The most significant change for Cleveland this year will be their running game. William Green should continue to improve behind a better offensive line. He showed that he can run with power between tackles, and he can also run with speed on the outside. The running game is crucial to this team?s success. This is a team on what I like to call ?The Super Bowl Bubble?. They can play good defense, and they can definitely play offense. They?ve played in a lot of close games, and won most of them. That shows this young bunch can handle pressure situations, and they also have a lot of character. If all the pieces fall into place for them and the team remains healthy they could make a run.
O/U 8.5:
People have looked at this team as a sleeper team for a couple of years now; this could be the year that they break out. I still don?t get the feel that teams take them as a serious contender maybe because they get many of their wins late in games. Nine wins is definitely not out of reach for this team. The Cardiac Kids are a year older now; maybe now we can call them the Cardiac Teens. In that case I?ll give them four wins in their division, leaving about 5 against out of division opponents: Colts, @49ers, Raiders, Chargers, @Patriots, @Chiefs, Cardinals, @Seahawks, Rams, @Broncos. Have a close look at this over.
Fantasy Sleeper:
William Green is not going to be a guy most people will grab for right away but mark my words, he will have a break out year. Butch Davis has always wanted to have a solid running game as part of his complete breakfast, and now he has the chance to do it. They drafted a center to help him out, the passing game is clicking on all cylinders, and that will only open more holes up for William Green. He should be this year?s Deuce McCallister.
If you are a Browns fan, then you know what the value of one second means. From a heart-breaking last second loss to Kansas City in week one, to a last second Hail Mary pass win in Jacksonville, then finally to a loss in a wild card game against Pittsburgh that fell about one second short. Last year Cleveland played in a number of tight games, having ten of their sixteen games decided by five points or less. A late emergence from first-round-pick William Green helped revive a ground game for Cleveland which had been non-existent all season. With the help of him, and other unknowns such as Kelly Holcomb and Jamel White, the Cardiac Kids flipped the digits of a season before, to finish with a 9 ? 7 record. By taking baby steps, this team has returned to its form of a contender and is making strides towards the Super Bowl.
What we learned from Last Year:
The most important thing that the Browns couldn?t do last year was control the game. Even though William Green really showed great signs of development late in the season, this team didn?t really have much of a ball control offense throughout the year. They averaged 4.0 yards a carry last year, 23rd in the league, and they will need to get a better ground game if they want to have more success. Why this hurts so much is because it puts pressure and fatigue on the defense consistently. Not only that, the lack of a running game forces Cleveland to throw the ball more often than they would like. This inconsistency can be seen in Cleveland?s performance of their games in the first half versus the second half.
Look at this:
Against Baltimore, 0 points in the first three quarters, 21 points in the 4th quarter.
Against Tennessee, 7 points in the first half, 21 points in the second half.
Against New York Jets, 6 points in the first half, 18 in the second half.
Against Jacksonville, 0 points in the first half, 21 points in the second half.
Against Pittsburgh, allowed 17 points in the first half, and only 6 in the second half.
Against Indianapolis the defence allowed 0 points in the first half, and 28 in the second half.
Against Pittsburgh the defence allowed 7 points in the first half, and allowed 29 in the second half.
They can?t seem to get consistent play from either the offense or defense for a whole game. This teams problems don?t stem from effort though, they stem from fatigue. It also comes from an unbalanced attack. If the offense scores points only through the air, it doesn?t give the defence time to recuperate. It takes its toll on the receivers as well if they are running patterns on every down. Running the ball effectively would help take pressure off of the receivers and would allow this whole team to be more efficient.
The next thing to notice on this team is their excellent passing attack. The stats may not be eye-popping as this team ranked in the middle of the pack last year, but what is impressive is their ability to complete passes when the pressure is on. This team has depth at QB with two very similar quarterbacks, as well is a lot of depth at receiver. Jamel White is a brilliant third down back who creates match up difficulties for opposing defences as a receiver, and is also very quick as a runner. Once again a solid running game should only improve this aspect of the offense.
The defence has shown ability to play at a high level. The questions have just come up about consistency. On the defensive line Gerrard Warren has said that he is going to stop partying, and will try to mature. He?s been fairly quiet in his career to this point, but he would be a nice addition to Courtney Brown, Orpheus Roye, and Kenard Lang. The secondary has done well in the past as well. Anthony Henry had an off year, but has proven in the past to be a good starter. He led the league in interceptions in 2001. Robert Griffith coming back healthy will be very noteworthy for this team, but the problems here don?t lie in talent, rather with the amount of time they spent on the field.
What has changed?:
One of the quietest drafts this year, the Cleveland Browns are an example of what most teams should do in the draft. Their running game was poor two years ago, so they drafted William Green. The offensive line struggled to block for the running game last year, so they drafted a couple of guys this year. They lost all their starters in their linebacking corps from last year, so they drafted a linebacker. Nothing genius, but most teams don?t do it. They drafted players to fill holes on this team, not players to fill holes on their bench. Most teams will just draft the best player on the board regardless of where they need help. First round pick Jeff Faine should have a positive impact on the running game.
A big question mark on this team will be their linebacking corps. Gone are Jamir Miller, Earl Holmes, Dwayne Rudd, and Darren Hambrick. In are a group of young guys that few people have yet to hear about. The key to this year?s defense will be Dave Campo. Numerous Browns? players have said that the new defensive system is ?linebacker friendly? meaning that it should be able to aid the team?s linebacking weaknesses, if there are any. Dexter Coakley really developed in that system; maybe it will work the same wonders for Cleveland.
The most significant change for Cleveland this year will be their running game. William Green should continue to improve behind a better offensive line. He showed that he can run with power between tackles, and he can also run with speed on the outside. The running game is crucial to this team?s success. This is a team on what I like to call ?The Super Bowl Bubble?. They can play good defense, and they can definitely play offense. They?ve played in a lot of close games, and won most of them. That shows this young bunch can handle pressure situations, and they also have a lot of character. If all the pieces fall into place for them and the team remains healthy they could make a run.
O/U 8.5:
People have looked at this team as a sleeper team for a couple of years now; this could be the year that they break out. I still don?t get the feel that teams take them as a serious contender maybe because they get many of their wins late in games. Nine wins is definitely not out of reach for this team. The Cardiac Kids are a year older now; maybe now we can call them the Cardiac Teens. In that case I?ll give them four wins in their division, leaving about 5 against out of division opponents: Colts, @49ers, Raiders, Chargers, @Patriots, @Chiefs, Cardinals, @Seahawks, Rams, @Broncos. Have a close look at this over.
Fantasy Sleeper:
William Green is not going to be a guy most people will grab for right away but mark my words, he will have a break out year. Butch Davis has always wanted to have a solid running game as part of his complete breakfast, and now he has the chance to do it. They drafted a center to help him out, the passing game is clicking on all cylinders, and that will only open more holes up for William Green. He should be this year?s Deuce McCallister.
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