2011 Record: 4-12

Predicted Record: 7-9

Head Coach- Pat Shurmur

OFFENSE
West Coast Offense, coordinated by Brad Childress

Quarter Back

 

 

1st. Brandon Weeden (R)
2nd. Colt McCoy
3rd. Seneca Wallace
4th. Thaddeus Lewis

Brandon Weeden is now the starting QB. I like him. Great arm. He can play. I think he’ll be a Matt Schaub-level QB.

Colt McCoy will be the backup…probably. If they keep him, which I think they should/will. He’s better than Wallace, and has more room to grow.

If they don’t keep McCoy, Wallace will take over. He has plenty of experience.

It wouldn’t shock me if they dump one of them in favor Lewis.

Running Back

1st Trent Richardson (R)
2nd Montario Hardesty
3rd Brandon Jackson
4th Chris Ogbonnaya
Fullback: Owen Marecic, Brad Smelley (R)

Trent Richardson obviously has serious potential. I’m in the crowd that didn’t like taking a back with the 3rd pick, but he can play. Marecic will likely be his blocker despite a disappointing  rookie year.

I’m not ready to give up on Hardesty. He played last year after a torn ACL. He lost a lot of speed. I think he can get back to his potential.

Chris Ogbonnaya will take his spot if he doesn’t improve.

Brandon Jackson returns after missing all of last year. He was Green Bay’s RB in their 2010 Super Bowl campaign. He’s still not very good though. T-Rich is the only lock to make the team.

Wide Receiver

 

1st. Greg Little
2nd. Josh Gordon (R)
3rd. Mohamed Massaquoi
4th. Josh Cribbs
5th. Travis Benjamin (R)
6th. Jordon Norwood
7th. Carlton Mitchell

The wide receivers have potential to definitely improve after a really bad 2011 season. Going into last season, Massasquoi and Brian Robiskie were the projected top two WR’s, now Massa is 3rd, and Robiskie is out of the league.

I think Greg Little has a great year. He can play ball. He didn’t play at all his last year at North Carolina. He still put up solid numbers fetching the ball from Colt McCoy. Just needs to catch the ball.

Josh Gordon is a good athletic rookie taken in the Supplemental Draft. I think he’ll put up similar numbers Little did last year. He didn’t play last year, but he did practice with the Utah squad.

Nobody else will do much though. Benjamin is the fastest player on the team. It’ll be interesting to see how they use him. Cribbs had a career year last year at WR (which isn’t saying much). Norwood will play.

Tight End

1st. Benjamin Watson
2nd. Jordon Cameron
3rd. Evan Moore
4th. Alex Smith

The tight ends are mediocre. Watson is a middle of the road player. Cameron is a former basketball player project going into his second year.  Hopefully he’ll show something. Evan Moore can’t block worth anything, but an okay receiver. Alex Smith is an okay blocker.

Nothing impressive.

Offensive Line

LT- Joe Thomas
LG-  Jason Pinkston
C- Alex Mack
RG-  Shawn Lauvao
RT- Mitchell Schwartz (R)

Depth: John Greco, Ryan Miller, Oniel Cousins

Should be one of the strengths of the team. The depth is….pretty inexperienced. We’re banking on them staying healthy, which was an issue last year with losing Eric Steinbach for the season, and a nagging injury with RT Tony Pashos.

Joe Thomas is an elite LT. Not much needed to be stated. Has been to the Pro Bowl in each season in the league.

Alex Mack is also a dependable center, making the Pro Bowl in 2010.

Mitchell Schwartz is the promising rookie RT taken with the 37th pick. Started each game all four years.

Lauvao and Pinkston will hopefully open up enough holes for Richardson.

DEFENSE
4-3 defense, coordinated by Dick Jauron

Defensive Line

 

 

LE- Jabaal Sheard
DT- Ahtyba Rubin
DT- Scott Paxson (filling in for injured Phil Taylor)
RE- Frostee Rucker

Depth: DT John Hughes (R), DE Juqua Parker, DT Billy Winn (R), DT Brian Schaefering, DE Marcus Benard

Solid, but like the O-line, needs depth. Having a major injury to promising second-year DT Phil Taylor  didn’t do us any favors.

Jabaal Sheard has major potential after finishing his rookie year off strong. Rubin is also very dependable. Paxson is projected to start, but the rookies Hughes and Winn will potentially get major time.

Linebacker

LOLB- Chris Gocong
MLB- D’Qwell Jackson
ROLB-  Scott Fujita

Depth:  Kaluka Maiava, James-Michael Johnson (R), Quinton Spears, LJ Fort (R)

Our linebacking core is bad, and they should feel bad. D’Qwell Jackson is really good though. Had an excellent 2011 season after being mired with injuries.

Gocong and Fujita aren’t anything to write home about. Fujita will miss the first 4 games due to suspension from his involvement with Gregg Williams and the Saints. Maiava is projected to start for him, but the rookie James-Michael Johnson could take that away.

Defensive Backfield

CB- Joe Haden
CB- Sheldon Brown
FS- Eric Hagg
SS- TJ Ward

Depth: CB Dmitri Patterson, CB Buster Skrine, S Usama Young, S Ray Ventrone, CB James Dockery

Joe Haden’s an obvious stud. The best player on  the defense.

Sheldon Brown is still pretty good. Probably his last year as a starter. I don’t think Patterson or Skrine will take much away from him this year.

TJ Ward is a beast. Eric Hagg has potential. A 7th round pick out of Nebraska last year. Has been a good value.

Usama Young is bad, but he went to Kent State, so he deserves a spot on the roster.

ST

 

 

K- Phil Dawson
P- Reggie Hodges
LS- Christian Yount
KR- Josh Cribbs
PR- Josh Cribbs

Phil Dawson returns for his 14th season with Browns. Will likely be his last. Doesn’t have the distance that he once had, but is still as dependable as you’d hope for in a kicker.

Reggie Hodges returns after a season ending injury in camp last year. A pretty solid punter. He’s a punter, so who cares.

Josh Cribbs has stunk the last two years, being nowhere near worth of his contract. With that said, it’s the last year of his deal. That might help his productivity. Travis Benjamin will be his backup if he misses time.

Christian Yount will be the snapper after cutting former 2007 Pro Bowl snapper Ryan Pontbriand midseason last year.

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