The latest rants and raves from the Dog Pound.
The Big Boys Up Front – 10/30/07
The offensive line has gelled into the unit this team has longed for.
Derek Anderson doesn’t get the pass off as consistently. Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow don’t get to make the plays. Jamal Lewis and the resurgent Jerome Harrison and Jason Wright don’t get holes they need.
Without a cohesive offensive line, this is what the Browns would give fans on Sundays. Now, that isn’t the case, as Phil Savage went out and made some moves to bring in the right pieces. Cleveland would be no where near their 4-3 mark without the big boys up front.
Everyone knows Joe Thomas, the simple Wisconsin boy who the Browns made the third overall pick. He has stepped in marvelously at left tackle – one of the most crucial spots on the field. Hopefully Thomas will be anchoring the line for years to come.
Eric Steinbach was one of the “big money” acquisitions in the off-season, signing with the Browns after starting all but one game in his four years in Cincinnati. The Browns swiped him from “The Jungle” and bought him into “The Dog Pound,” as he should prove to be durable and reliable from the left guard position.
Captain Hank Fraley was traded to Cleveland from Philadelphia at the outset of 2006 for a draft pick. That move is working out well for Cleveland, as Fraley has proved versatile and is the center they have been looking for since they thought they had a quality guy in Jeff Faine.
Seth McKinney was an afterthought for the Dolphins when he signed with the Browns in spring 2007. Today he is another flexible lineman who can play center or guard and is a mainstay on offense.
Right Tackle Kevin Shaffer has been a foundation on the team since joining in 2006. Throw in the experience of Ryan Tucker and Lennie Friedman and the youth of Nat Dorsey and Isaac Sowells, and this is the deepest unit on the Browns.
The biggest difference between this crew and the onslaughts from the past, are their past experiences. Thomas is obviously a rookie, but Steinbach blocked for Rudi Johnson who had three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons behind him. Fraley protected Donovan McNabb and Michael Westbrook in one of the best offenses in football prior to joining the Browns. McKinney was one of the only durable presences on the Dolphins’ offense until injuries plagued him the last couple years. Shaffer was apart of a line that reaped Atlanta the top rushing attack in the NFL two years running (2004-05).
This line, which has only given up 13 sacks, is the foundation of the offense. Anderson, Lewis, Edwards, and the whole bunch don’t get it done without this underappreciated, yet quietly accomplished squad.
Quarterback Controversy? – 10/23/07
What is the destiny of the Browns behind their two young quarterbacks?
After the bye week, there isn’t much to report on the Cleveland Browns.
Although, what may expand into a recurring theme from here on out, is the potential quarterback controversy that is emerging.
This subject was alluded to in the last Browns Bark and could really become a major topic of discussion.
Let us start with what is already known:
Charlie Frye is an afterthought after he was groomed to be what Phil Savage and Romeo Crennel hoped was the next Ben Roethlisberger. Derek Anderson has led the Browns to a 3-3 record – far better than anyone expected. And he has proven to be an effective NFL quarterback so far with this opportunity, throwing 14 touchdown passes to this point.
Brady Quinn, the most talked about draftee from the 2007 class, is sitting on the bench waiting for his shot. Much was made of his holdout and the timeframe to when he will see the field.
What isn’t known to this point is when that time will come. This is a larger topic than what was been discussed to this point. Anderson is still young and, if primed properly, could make a name for himself in this league. But Quinn has the paycheck, the hype and was predicted to take over this team by October.
Now, with November creeping up, Anderson is in this offense’s driver seat.
This really will be interesting to watch as this season advances. Obviously if Anderson drops like Bernie Kosar on a QB scramble, Quinn will get his shot. But it would be hard to imagine the front office pulling the rope on Anderson if the team continues to play well. The latter would lead to a Quinn learning the ways of the NFL, without throwing him into a blazing fire with no water remotely close ala Frye and Tim Couch.
This will be an intriguing matter, (but a nice “problem” to have), even through Training Camp 2008.
Youth Paying Dividends in Cleveland – 10/16/07
Browns parading their young talented offense, with possibly the best yet to come
It’s hard to win in the NFL without a durable left tackle, a versatile tight end and a big playmaking receiver. The Browns have all three.
Joe Thomas, Tackle – the third overall pick in 2007 has shown promise and has brought talent and stability to an offensive line that hasn’t had much of either in quite some time.
Braylon Edwards, Wide Receiver – his 552 receiving yards and seven touchdowns rank him as the third best receiver in the NFL. And he has dropped the attitude.
Kellen Winslow, Tight End – the premiere tight end in the NFL, ranks as the seventh best receiver in the league with 506 yards, two touchdowns and one dropped attitude.
What do these three have in common? They are three of the most talented youthful players at three very crucial positions. They play with passion, and they want to win. And most importantly, they play for the Cleveland Browns.
And the ever-important position of quarterback might have another young star in the making that hasn’t even seen the field of play yet.
When will Brady Quinn get some action? Pending the play of Derek Anderson and the overall record of the team, it could be later rather than sooner.
If the Browns begin to fade from this pleasantly surprising first six weeks of the season, Quinn will join his fellow youngsters on offense. Anderson will serve as trustworthy insurance behind Quinn, once he is ready to take over the team.
The interesting thing is the Browns are a .500 club with a favorable schedule the rest of the way. If this team could continue to improve, is it ridiculous to say playoff push? If this happens do they go with Quinn or Anderson?
Wait a minute. Back up a bit. Let’s come back to Earth and save the playoff talk. Anderson is alongside the playmakers this year, as this team will continue to make strides. Quinn will get his feet wet in 2007 at some point to prep him for a much anticipated 2008 season.
Will the Real Cleveland Browns Please Stand Up? – 10-8-07
Through five games, they are still searching for identity, but showing signs of improvement
Game 1: An absolute slaughtering from arch-rival Pittsburgh
Game 2: An offensive shootout where unlikely Derek Anderson outshines Carson Palmer and the Bengals.
Game 3: A “typical” Browns game where it appears they are going to earn a solid win only to blow it in the very last minute.
Game 4: Browns impress as they roll against AFC contending Baltimore.
Game 5: Loose 34-17 to the best team in football, but notable that the final score is the closest margin of victory for New England thus far in 2007.
The Browns have played every kind of game in the young season. The difference is, for the first time since returning, there looks to be glimpses of improvement.
Supposedly Derek Anderson is the second-best quarterback on this team, and he has fared better than any Cleveland QB since 1999. Anderson is getting the ball to playmakers Lewis, Edwards and Winslow, and they are locating the end zone. The offensive line is preventing Anderson from eating turf and showing hints of, dare I say it, a cohesive unit.
The defensive side still needs some work as the line has shown their age and proved slow and horrible against the run, and the secondary is still prone to the big play. But the linebackers are a different story. 2006 draftees, Leon Williams, D’Qwell Jackson and Kamerion Wimbley, earned starting spots and are playing better than originally advertised with 89 tackles among them.
There is still a lot of work to be done, but with Miami coming into town Sunday and a bye week following, the Browns could be 3-3 with a week off to recuperate, get healthy and assess what this team needs to do to win some more ball games, because it can and will happen this season.
They earned big wins over division rivals who they will play again, and their only really tough non-conference test the rest of the way is Seattle. The Browns have shown that they can be a .500 club this season, which would be a massive victory for this franchise.