Indians Outright Gimenez, Reyes and Ambriz, Start to Prepare 40-Man Roster
October 30, 2010Cavaliers/Buckeyes Preview
October 30, 2010
The Cleveland Browns have now defeated the defending Super Bowl champions in three consecutive seasons. From an evening thrashing of the NY Giants in 2008 to the emotional Pittsburgh victory last season and the Saints win a week ago, there have been some pretty impressive positive swings for the franchise at times during these past few years.
Looking forward however, after the team continued that mostly irrelevant streak, it is intriguing to estimate where the team will end up by the end of the season. Currently slated to play four teams with at least five wins currently projected to make the playoffs, it won’t be too easy and the team will have to capitalize on easy opportunities.
So let’s take an overall look at where the team might end up by late December this season, and figure out how that could change for the better. For starters, here is the remaining schedule for the Browns in 2010:
Week 9 – vs. New England (5-1)
Week 10 – vs. NY Jets (5-1)
Week 11 – at Jacksonville (3-4)
Week 12 – vs. Carolina (1-5)
Week 13 – at Miami (3-3)
Week 14 – at Buffalo (0-6)
Week 15 – at Cincinnati (2-4)
Week 16 – vs. Baltimore (5-2)
Week 17 – vs. Pittsburgh (5-1)
Yikes for both the start and the end to that schedule. Sure, Cleveland is lucky enough to host the four best teams all at Cleveland Browns Stadium, but do you realistically expect more than one win at all? I think even one win might be a stretch against those tough teams this season, leaving the team most likely to rely upon the middle of their schedule, those five games against mediocre to bad opponents.
Feeling optimistic, I’m seeing around three wins from that bunch, mostly because of the current helpless nature of the Buffalo Bills and Carolina Panthers. What could certainly help though, is if the Bengals or Dolphins continue to flounder, only leaving another trick play-filled Browns afternoon away from hopefully pulling off another upset victory.
Moving on away from just the schedule, give some credit here to some of the top reports from around the web of the Cleveland football season as it stands today:
“Browns bye-week reflections” [Mike Wilkening/Pro Football Weekly]
“Five questions with PFW Browns correspondent Tony Grossi” [PFW]
“In Mangini I trust;Grading the Browns during the Bye Week….” [Randy Ward/Browns Gab]
“It’s time to reflect on the first half of the Browns’ season” [Nate Ulrich/ABJ]
There’s an optimistic feeling emerging from these reporters and across the fan base about most topics concerning the game: an improved QB depth chart, an up-and-coming running game, consistent defensive line play and an overall ability to close out big games. That’s what has happened at times for the Browns so far this season, but sitting at 2-5 is not always a big sign of how things have gone spectacularly well.
Some of the key items to improve upon are clearly some pieces of the offensive line, sub-par efforts from the wide receivers, stars emerging from defensive backfield and continuing the momentum heading into the second half of the season. Most are generally optimistic as well about the job that Eric Mangini and Mike Holmgren have done in 2010, but there remains much work left to be done this season.
First of all, this quarterback ‘controversy’ is not going away any time soon. As Seneca Wallace pointed out himself earlier in the week, Mangini/Holmgren must make a public decision about who their quarterback will be when all three (Jake Delhomme, Wallace and Colt McCoy) are healthy. That way, the team can work from there and re-define the roles for all three signal callers for the remainder of the season. In my book, this still remains unlikely to happen up until the day before next week’s game against the Pats.
Secondly, something still needs to be done about assuring that the Browns can score with some of the top teams in the league. This has mostly been an issue for every year outside of 2007 since the franchise returned to the lake side, but even applied to the 30-17 victory over the Saints. Cleveland produced just 210 yards of offense that game, with 68 of them coming off a run by punter Reggie Hodges. That cannot continue, and it seems more likely when looking at the numbers that this team could not pull off that upset again. Peyton Hillis cannot carry the Browns alone, so look for someone else to also step up sometime soon.
And in terms of the remaining improvements, who knows what could be done without vast personnel changes. It is true that the organization made some very positive moves over the summer in acquiring Hillis, Benjamin Watson, Scott Fujita and others, but more work still is left to be done to help out those receivers and provide even more talent on the defense. A foundation continues to be laid, however fans must also realize that there is only so much that can be changed throughout the duration of one NFL season, while the draft and free agency could next year could provide yet more purge to the roster to help make this an even more competitive team.
So Browns fans, while the victory over the Saints felt great and could be the sign of better things to come, remain guarded about those thoughts for at least the near future. A daunting schedule begins and ends the second half of the season, and many strategies need to be changed in order for Cleveland to continue improving throughout the year. Overall, optimism is strong about the future of the franchise, and that is deservingly so, but be prepared for possibly yet another 5-11 conclusion to the 2010 NFL season.
—
Photo above via AP Photo/Bill Haber
10 Comments
geez, change the name to dontgetyourhopesup.com. too bad sadtrombone.com is taken.
it’s not like we’re investing our 401k’s on your advice… lighten up francis.
way too early to start planning for the draft. we’re heading to 10-6 gents. we’re winning the division; $10 gets you $600 if you play it. here’s how we get there:
(win) vs New England .. mundane, workmanlike win. 27-20.
(win) vs New York Jets .. shock the world, 24-21, OT. a gastineau roughing penalty plays a role here somehow.
(win) at Jacksonville .. ugly, like 16-14.
(win) vs Carolina .. 24-3. nuffsaid. ex-gf is panthers fan. may bring my talents to maproom for this.
(lose) at Miami .. miami is good.
(win) at Buffalo .. buff is better than you think, 20-19.
(win) at Cincy – theyve given up. 28-10.
(win) vs Balt – big win 35-14. like ’64. eerie.
(win) vs Pitt – cocky browns devastate ben and jerome h. mangini rolls up the score going for 2 after the last touchdown. 52-14. “why did you go for 2 coach mangini?” “because i couldn’t go for 3!!”
blah, blah, blah receivers. mo mass is way better than you think. cribbs is a perfect flanker.
blah, blah, blah secondary. if ryan figures out how to bring pressure with the front 7 vs safety/corner blitzes, theyll be ok.
blah, blah, blah colt. the plan was for him to learn. he’s learning. super. meanwhile we havent seen healthy jake since first half vs bucs (where we were up 14-3 and he had a 105 qb rating). start jake when he’s healthy.
blah blah blah schedule. jets and pats at home. panthers, bills, jags are weak. cincy is checked out. ravens, steelers at home in december. it’s a pretty good schedule for us actually.
so… to the doom and gloom editorial board of wfny… a proposal: when browns finish 9-7 or 10-6 you need to run this in your header for a week: http://is.gd/guA7q
Am I really the first comment on this one? Couldn’t agree more with this post. I’m always amazed that some folks think the Brownies can contend for the division after one season of improvement. Look at BAL & PIT, same front office & philosophy for a decade now. It’s not a coincidence those two clubs have won 3 of the last 10 Super Bowls or something.
lol… let me guess edward..
* you liked the browns to win their first two against tb and kc but thought they’d have trouble against bal and pitt?
* you thought they have a good chance to win vs cincy if they stayed away from turnovers and penalties?
* do you also think they’re a team the must avoid mistakes?
if you want to challenge the assertions i made point by point, have at it.
in the meantime, congrats to both of you on your bold predictions of wins vs buffalo and carolina. i predict the sun will come up tomorrow… i just dont post it here.
😉
I’ll have what Jim’s drinking, it must be especially potent.
I will be happy with 5 wins. I think six is not unreasonable. 7 or more would take an upset or two. I think we can take baltimore at home, I think pittsburg will clean our clocks though.
All in all, it doesn’t matter. Anyone can see we have made huge strides this year, and I truly believe that if we add to our revieving corps during the off season, we will be a wildcard team or better next year. If we can strengthen our pass rush and our recievers, I’ll personally guarantee a 2011 playoff berth under Mangini.
I really like what I’m seeing this year and I think the front office puts the proper emphasis on continuity, something the fanbase never has. Brownies are going places, baby!
@1: see it’s funny because 1) it’s Eeyore and 2) that’s a reposted comment from Frowns
@2: you’re actually second. Probably by milliseconds. Shouldve formed your thoughts faster.
@1: Miami isn’t -that- good.
@0: Clearly, Jacob, we’re going 11-5. Can you say Super Bowl? Cuz I can.
@chris, thats the message. browns (+ lions + rams) (+ maybe bucs + chiefs) will be top 10 teams next year with giants, ravens, jets, steelers, fins.
and it’s not unrealistic.. (i’m drinking the famous grouse lyon.).. to expect the current team to play well and win. it’s not unrealistic to expect them not to suck.
@jim
Bro, that is a pretty POSITIVE outlook, I like it! I too think that the Browns can win each of these games (you had ’em beat New England, Baltimore, New York, and Pittsburgh, but lose to Miami?).
I would like to see Colt Continue to show us what he’s got, however. Jake’s not gonna do anything that Colt can’t, and Jake’s gonna be gone next year.
I’ll be rooting for the AFC North teams to lose this week! Go BROWNS!
you got it nicky. don’t forget– AT mia. pats, jets, ravens, steelers.. at home. it’s time for CBS to assert itself.
hey. all i’m saying. look at this, and there’s only one thing missing: http://db.tt/fRQUbiO .
[…] will be the Browns record at the end of the season? Which teams on the schedule are winnable games? Who will be the quarterback for the remainder of the season: Jake Delhomme, […]