2012 Cleveland Browns Preview

2012 Cleveland Browns

I need to begin this preview with a statement that many sports personalities have said, and I have to say I agree with it: “God hates Cleveland”. This can be interpreted in many ways, depending on what, if any God or gods you believe in. But the fact is, there’s something about Cleveland that provides comic relief to sports fans. There are two kind of teams from the Ohio city: losers, and good teams that always manage to find heartbreak and/or despair and/or unfulfilled potential (see LeBron James whole career with the Cavs and 2007 Indians up 3-1 in ALCS). That being said, I have good news and bad news for Browns fans. The bad news is, that this team will be one of those in the “losers” category. The good news is, I just saved a bunch of money on my car insurance at least you won’t have to get your hopes up! I did like the Trent Richardson pick, and I think that there is potential to be found there. However, I disagree greatly with the Brandon Weeden selection, towards the end of the first round. But I’ll get to that. After a 4-12 season, Cleveland is looking for a rebound. It might come sometime soon, but I don’t see it happening this year. Sorry, Cleveland. God might or might not hate you, but someone powerful definitely does.

Offense

I’ll start with the positive, in the form of the beast that is Trent Richardson. The number three pick out of Alabama is a centerpiece to build a franchise around, which not many running backs can be anymore. He should provide a nice spark with his explosiveness and brutality together in one, and if he can stay on the field, can provide ten years of production. He should really hope the O-line can stay upright though. Now...to the passing game. Any time you have Greg Little as your main outside threat, you are basically threat-less. I am somewhat of a fan of Travis Benjamin though. I watched him at the University of Miami (my favorite NCAAF team), and this guy can absolutely fly. Some polishing up is needed but he is a true speedster. There is some talk about tight end Jordan Cameron becoming the next Gronk or Jimmy Graham, sooner rather than later, but those are high hopes. Finally, the quarterbacks. I was not a fan of the Browns selecting QB Brandon Weeden with their second pick in the first round. He is about to be 29 years old, so his upside is limited. I do not think that he is a bad player, but I did not like the pick. Even if he is average out of the gate, what is there to gain from him? I would have rather liked to see the Browns take another weapon, either outside or even on one of the lines to boost that area of the team. Give Colt McCoy one more shot at QB. If he succeeds, great. If not, then they would probably be awful, have a great pick, and either get Matt Barkley out of USC or another signal-caller that you can build a team  around with Richardson for the next twelve years. With Weeden, by the time he grasps the feel for the NFL, he could be 32 years old and near the end of his prime. Not a great deal for a first round pick. Now, if he plays well, then all the best to him. But remember, this is Cleveland.

Defense

The Browns defense actually isn’t too bad, relatively, anyway. They don’t have much of a defensive line, but linebacker D’Qwell Jackson is a tackling machine in the middle of the field. Also, the secondary has some ability, with Joe Haden, Sheldon Brown, and TJ Ward. This unit is by no means a terrifying squad, but they are good enough to keep Cleveland in some games over the course of the season. There’s not much else to say about them. If they don’t play well, then forget about this season, because I don’t think that the offense will be able to put up 20 points a game consistently. Simple as that. Defense and special teams are the substance of this team, and we’ll see if Weeden and the offense are good enough to put some W’s on the board.

Schedule

While the Cleveland Browns finished at an ugly 4-12 last season, I’ll give them some credit. Six of the twelve they lost were one possession games. If they could have pulled out half of those wins, we’re looking at a 7-9 record, which is not terrible by any means. They would have been just two games out of the playoffs! But the fact is, they could not find ways to win those games. Can they do that this year?

Week 1: L vs PHI

Week 2: L at CIN

Week 3: L vs BUF (winnable)

Week 4: L at BAL

Week 5: L at NYG

Week 6: L vs CIN (also winnable)

Week 7: L at IND (still winnable)

Week 8: W vs SD (one of those Charger nap games)

Week 9: L vs BAL (one possession)

Week 10: Bye

Week 11: L at DAL

Week 12: W vs PIT

Week 13: W at OAK (winning streak!)

Week 14: L vs KC

Week 15: L vs WAS

Week 16: L at DEN

Week 17: L at PIT

No. They cannot win close games this year. 3-13 is not pretty. I think they could surprise teams in some games though. They have possible wins against BUF, CIN, IND, KC, and WAS also. Either way, I don’t see too many wins from Cleveland this year. Maybe next year, Browns fans. Next team up: Pittsburgh Steelers.

Bold Prediction: The Cleveland Browns are on the clock. #1 pick next April!