9/3/11: Another quarterback who has looked very, very good this preseason is Colt McCoy. McCoy gets a new offensive coordinator and head coach in Pat Shurmur who will put in a west coast offense scheme that figures to suit McCoy’s strengths and Greg Little is proving himself to be a very talented young receiver. They have a lot of holes, but with a weaker schedule, they could easily be this season’s Tampa Bay, a young team that beats who they’re supposed to and gets better as the season goes on. 

3^rd round pick Colt McCoy took over week 6 as the starter, as a rookie, after 5 weeks of Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace. He lost by a lot in his debut against the Steelers, but after that, he had 4 straight strong performances. The Browns beat the Saints and the Patriots in consecutive games, and then came within 2 minutes of an overtime tie with the Jets, and then hung within 4 points of a Jaguars team that was in first place in their division at the time. McCoy was being called a right handed Steve Young.

However, McCoy got hurt and didn’t return until week 15. He wasn’t the same. The Browns lost in his first game back to the lowly Bengals and then McCoy threw a combined 6 interceptions in back-to-back losses to the Ravens and the Steelers. The Browns finished 5-11. Whether McCoy hit a rookie wall or he never recovered from that ankle injury, something was different with him after he returned.

Luckily for Browns fans, McCoy is no longer a rookie and his ankle is most likely 100% right now. He’s the undisputed starter for a franchise that almost yearly has quarterback battles in camp. He should have a very solid year as the starter. He played put in a lot of work in the offseason and is a natural fit for new Head Coach Pat Shurmur’s West Coast Offense. He played very well in his first preseason game. He has a chance to be this season’s Josh Freeman.

Speaking of someone who wore down late, Peyton Hillis averaged a mere 3.9 yards per carry in the 2^nd half, another possible reason why McCoy wasn’t the same when he came back. It’s a lot harder to play quarterback if the defense doesn’t fear your running game. Hillis is expected to be given less of a load this season with 2010 2^nd round pick Montario Hardesty and free agent acquisition Brandon Jackson shouldering some of the load.

Up front, former first round picks at left tackle and center respectively, Joe Thomas and Alex Mack are among the best in the league at their position. However, the other 3 offensive line slots are a little bit more of a question. Eric Steinbach and Tony Pashos remain starters at left guard and right tackle respectively. Steinbach, once one of the best in the league at his position, had a very poor year last year. Pashos, meanwhile, is often injured and fairly mediocre when healthy.

At right guard, 2010 3^rd round pick Shawn Lauvao takes over for free agent departure Pork Chop Womack. Lauvao, a surprise 3^rd rounder, struggled as a rookie last year. The Browns do have two players in John Greco and Jason Pinkston who could be interesting for them up front. Team president Mike Holmgren specifically traded for Greco from St. Louis and given his track record, that means Greco could end up being a diamond in the rough for them at guard. Pinkston, meanwhile, is a 5^th round pick rookie who could play guard or tackle for them. Still, this offensive line could be a lot better.

The Browns traded down from the 6^th slot in the draft to get 5 picks, 2 of which were in the first 2 rounds this year, with one being a 2012 1^st rounder. The Browns were not a piece away from a title or anything, so it was a smart move to get 2 early picks this year and an early pick next year. However, doing so cost them a chance to get Alabama’s Julio Jones, who could have been the solution to their wide receiver problems. The Browns will hope Greg Little, who was drafted with the 2^nd round pick from Atlanta, acquired in the deal that sent Jones to Atlanta, can be what Jones could have been for them, a #1 receiver.

Little certainly has a lot stacked against him. He was suspended for the entirety of the 2010 season, a season that was supposed to be a breakout season for the physical freak from North Carolina. Combine that with the lockout and he went close to 2 years between organized team activities. He has plenty of talent, and experience with the West Coast offense in college, and I really would have liked his chances as their #1 receiver had we not had a lockout, but he does have a lot stacked against him as a rookie.

The Browns better hope Little can overcome the odds, because, other than him, McCoy’s options are pretty limited. Brian Robiskie and Mohamed Massaquoi are former 2^nd round picks going into their 3^rd year, that magical year when all young receivers seem to break out, but neither of them have done anything in their first 2 years in the league to suggest much upside is even there, especially Robiskie.

McCoy’s most reliable target is probably Ben Watson. The former bust in New England finally came into his own last year after signing a 3 year deal with the Browns, catching more balls, 68, than he had in his previous two seasons combined, 51. He and McCoy had great chemistry in the few games McCoy played last year, but he’s still just a tight end and you need talent at wide receiver to win in this league.

 

I had the Browns as a potential sleeper team right around the time the lockout ended. I liked Colt McCoy at quarterback and I thought they could have been this year’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with an easy schedule. They had a lot of money to work with in free agency as well. However, they did next to nothing in free agency and they still don’t have the front 7 to be a competitive team in this league.

On their defensive line, the Browns have two of their early draft picks. Phil Taylor was drafted with their first round pick from Atlanta (after they moved up a few spots to get him). He will start at defensive tackle for them. 2^nd round pick Jabaal Sheard, meanwhile, is penciled in at defensive end as a starter. Both are talented players, but, as with most rookies, they’ll be hurt by the lockout.

Next to Taylor inside is Ahtyba Rubin, a talented run stuffer. However, while both Taylor and Rubin are stout against the run, neither offers much of an interior pass rush. I would have preferred to see the Browns draft a more traditional pass rushing under tackle in place of Taylor. A more traditional pass rushing under tackle would have complimented Rubin better. They don’t even have a talented 3^rd down pass rusher in reserve.

The situation is even worse at defensive end. The Browns are transitioning to a full time 4-3 this year. However, their rush linebackers from last year can’t play defensive end for them. Matt Roth left as a free agent and Marcus Bernard, the team’s leading pass rusher with 7.5 sacks, is too small to be an every down end in this league. He fits better as a nickel rusher in a 4-3. Their pass rush was already bad last year, with a mere 29 sacks. Other than Benard, no one had more than 3.5 sacks last year for them. Changing schemes, especially with a shortened offseason, isn’t helping.

Jabaal Sheard will start at one defensive end spot, not necessarily because he’s ready to do so, but out of necessity. On the other side, they may force Marcus Bernard to start, though he’d be better as a pure nickel rusher. If not Bernard, then it will be Jayme Mitchell, a former reserve end of the Minnesota Vikings. Like John Greco, Mike Holmgren specifically traded for Mitchell. Holmgren has found diamonds in the rough before, but I have my doubts with Mitchell.

At linebacker, things don’t get much better. D’Qwell Jackson is the only above average linebacker they have and he’s missed 26 games in the past 2 years since leading the league in tackles in 2008. He’ll start in the middle, but is no guarantee. Chris Gocong and Scott Fujita will start around Jackson. Both are marginal players. If Jackson gets hurt, the Browns will have to hope 2009 4^th round pick Kaluka Maiava can step up in his 3^rd season as they cut veterans David Bowens and Eric Barton in the offseason. To this point in his career, Maiava has not shown much for Browns fans to be excited about.

The secondary is really the strength of the defense. Joe Haden wasn’t even a starter for this team’s week 1 last year, but, by the end of it, he proved himself to be one of the best young cornerbacks in the game. The 7^th overall pick in 2010 could give Devin McCourty a run for his money as the best cornerback in the 2010 draft class this season. Haden allowed just 2 touchdowns to 6 interceptions and allowed a completion percentage of 53.2%. The only qualified cornerbacks that allowed a lower quarterback rating against last year were Asante Samuel and Tramon Williams.

Unfortunately for the Browns, Haden isn’t nearly as valuable to them as he could be because opposing quarterbacks can just throw away from him. Veteran Sheldon Brown will start opposite him. In stark contrast to Haden, Brown had the 3^rd highest quarterback rating against. Only Mike Jenkins and Eric Wright were worse. Brown surrendered 7 touchdowns to 2 interceptions and allowed a completion percentage of 63.9%. He’s 32 years old so he’s not going to get much better.

Unfortunately, the Browns don’t have much to push Brown and he’s really only starting by default. 5^th round pick Buster Skrine is expected to be the nickel back for them though he could get beaten out in camp by free agent acquisition Dmitri Patterson. That’s how thin their cornerback depth is. Patterson was terrible for the Eagles as a starter after Ellis Hobbs went down. He was exiled from Philadelphia after they traded for Dominique Rodgers Cromartie and signed Nnamdi Asomugha.

At safety, TJ Ward was a huge surprise as a rookie last year. Though widely considered a 4^th or 5^th round prospect, Mike Holmgren took him in the 2^nd and Ward lived up to it. He’s not great in pass coverage, but he’s a very good run stuffer as a strong safety. Free safety is the bigger issue. Two mediocre players, Usama Young and Mike Adams will battle it out.

Given that, it wouldn’t surprise me if rookie 7^th round pick Eric Hagg ended up in the starting lineup before season’s end. I thought Hagg was a nice pick when they got him, but obviously if he ends up in the starting lineup this year, you know something went wrong. He wasn’t regarded much higher than a 5^th round pick anywhere and guys like that don’t start as rookies unless they really surprise or a situation gets really desperate at a position.

Overall, I think this team is a year away. They have a better situation at quarterback than they’ve had in many years and Mike Holmgren has this team in the right direction. I trust his leadership. However, the talent simply isn’t there in the receiving corps and the front 7. They also have holes in the secondary and on the offensive line. They won’t be awful, but I think they’re going to endure another losing season in Cleveland.

Quarterback: B-

Running backs: B+

Offensive line: C

Receiving corps: C-

Run defense: C+

Pass rush: D

Pass coverage: C+

Coaching: C+

Projection: 11-5 2nd in AFC North