Cleveland Browns – Off-Season Team Needs
The Browns, by all accounts, were the worst team in the NFL during the 2009 season. It’s a miracle that Eric Mangini is still eating off his Browns salary. But for a team in crisis, there sure is a lot of talent on this roster. Now it’s soccer czar Mike Holmgren’s job to marshal that talent and create winning ways.
What went wrong in 2009: Don’t be fooled by the Browns’ 5-11 record. The Browns began the 2009 season 1-11 before winning their last 4 against the Steelers, Chiefs, Raiders, and Jaguars. The Browns’ other lone win? Against the Bills. The Steelers were okay last season, but they were clearly a shell of their previous Super Bowl-winning form. The other 4 teams? Come on, you seriously can’t tell me that none of those 4 teams scares you.
The Browns defense ranked in the bottom half of the league in both run and pass defense. But don’t let those numbers fool you. The Browns defense ended up on the field probably more than any other team this year. I’ve had a chance to watch the Browns a few times this year, and it was their woeful offense. The Browns generated the third fewest 1st downs in the league. And on top of that, the Browns converted just 32.6% of their third-down chances last season. I’ll tell you what the Browns couldn’t do on offense. They couldn’t run the ball. They couldn’t pass the ball. They couldn’t get a solid quarterback game. They couldn’t open the receivers. They couldn’t protect the quarterback. They couldn’t move the chains. So what exactly did this offense do right? Well, they have a talented offensive line (Joe Thomas, Eric Steinbach) and that’s about it.
But don’t get me wrong. It’s not like the 2009 edition of the Browns defense was anything comparable to the 2000 Ravens or anything. They had their own share of problems. They had trouble stopping both the run and the pass. And at times, the Browns were a lot like a high school team on the field. However, there is much more talent on this side of the ball. Shaun Rogers, D’Qwell Jackson and Kamerion Wimbley are guys you can build a defense around. Even Eric Wright has some talent and it could be a resounding no. 2 cornerbacks for the Browns. It’s really going to take someone like Mike Holmgren to put this talent together into a useful defense.
Who might be leaving: Well, Derek Anderson, Rex Tucker, Jamal Lewis, Hank Poteat, Hank Fraley, Brodney Pool, and Rex Hadnot (among others) are all out. Shaun Rogers also reportedly wants to be traded. Now there are complaints that Brady Quinn is gone too. When a team is that bad, as I said before, there are no secure jobs for the players.
Biggest team needs: Other than quarterback and receiver, the Browns are at least mediocre everywhere. This gives the Browns the luxury of truly taking the best player available going into the draft. Ideally, the Browns would love to have one of the top two quarterbacks (Jimmy Clausen, Sam Bradford) in the draft. However, assuming both quarterbacks are off the board at no. 7 picks, Eric Berry can drop here. Gerald McCoy may fall here. If neither of those two players is available, the Browns can look for a guy like Joe Haden or Dez Bryant here. While neither player had a great combination, both are clearly top-tier talents who could give an immediate injection of life to defense or offense, respectively.
The Browns have already signed Seneca Wallace, Tony Pashos, Antonio Bryant, Scott Fujita and, starting today, Ben Watson. There are also some complaints about the arrival of former Panther Jake Delhomme in Cleveland. Even if Delhomme comes to town, all of these signings are good, but not great. The Browns still face needs at receiver and quarterback after letting go of Donte Stallworth and Derek Anderson (not that either player played spectacularly well in 2009, if they played at all). Since the Browns have yet to make a serious play for any of the big-name quarterbacks or receivers in free agency, it has to be assumed that the Browns will address these needs through the draft. Keep your radar on guys like Dezmon Briscoe, Tony Pike and Damian Williams come draft day.