Last season the Cleveland Browns started hot going 6-3 but finishing 7-9, including losing their last 5 games of the season to miss the playoffs. The Browns had large hype prior to the season for last season to be the year of Johnny Football and they would make the playoffs however that did not happen.
The Browns quarterback position, was supposed to be a star, but they had 4 players start at least 1 game at QB. The Browns drafted former Heisman trophy winner Johnny Manziel with the 22nd pick in the draft. Johnny Football’s immaturity followed him from College Station to Cleveland and he had a bad year partly because of his off the field issues. Johnny Manziel went 0-2-0 in his 2 games started throwing for 175 yards throwing 2 interceptions and no touchdowns. Brian Hoyer was the “star” QB went 7-6-0 in the 14 games he played in, starting in 13, he threw for 3,326 yards with 12 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
In the off-season the Browns made plenty of changes as they got rid of Brian Hoyer and Jordan Cameron, instead bringing in arguably an upgrade even though they are different positions in Dwayne Bowe over Jordan Cameron. They also brought in former Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Josh McCown.
After the season Johnny Football announced he would enter rehab. In this writer’s opinion he has matured tremendously since leaving rehab. That will be one of the biggest questions for him and the Brown’s this year though, if the Browns go on a 4 game losing streak and nothing is going right, they are losing by 25 points each game, scoring only a field goal, will he start resorting to his old ways of partying? In the first preseason game, he scored a rushing touchdown and didn’t do his trademark money sign.
Last season the Cleveland D was 9th best in the NFL. In the draft this year the Browns front office looked to improve that D, taking Danny Shelton a defensive tackle out of the University of Washington. As well as Nate Orchard a defensive end from Utah in the first two rounds.
Questions:
The Browns this year are filled with questions, from the QBs all the way to the CBs. One of the best CBs in the NFL Joe Haden is still there but Buster Skrine one of the Browns best CBS left this year, which will leave a hole on the field. As well as who will be the starting running back this upcoming season, with Isaiah Crowell, Terrance West and a bevy of other players competing for the starting spot.
Team MVP:
The Team MVP will probably be Joe Haden expect him to have a big season trying to prove he was worth that 5 year 65 million dollar deal that they gave him after the 2014 NFL Draft. He has to prove himself this year and he will rival the top corners in the game like Darrelle Revis and Richard Sherman.
Reason for Optimism:
Browns fans can be optimistic because Johnny Manziel seems like a changed man, and seems like he can actually help a team win football games. Thus far this preseason the Browns are one of the only teams in the NFL it seems like to have no injuries, so if they can stay healthy that will be a key and a definite reason for optimism. Another reason for optimism would be the future, if they have another bad season, chances are they get another top 10 pick to help build for the future. They can have that Cinderella role, this year nobody really expects them to do much but they can hang with the best of them and possibly pull some upsets along the way this year. The offensive line is great this year, if they can keep whoever is behind center standing up they have a lot better chance than if they did not.
Reason for Pessimism:
Addiction is a disease that people battle for their entire lives and Johnny Manziel was an addict, he will see the signs of his addiction everywhere he goes, even when he’s trying to do his job, so if he falls off the wagon that could spell trouble for the entire season. As well in the preseason thus far the offense has only scored 13.5 points, which is good for 29th in the NFL. Most games can’t be won with 13 points, especially against the good teams like the Ravens and Broncos who they face on back-to-back weeks, in week 5 and week 6. They are also 0-2 in the preseason thus far.
The AFC North is a pretty good division, last year it wasn’t but this year will probably change that. The only team the Browns might be able to beat are the Cincinnati Bengals and even that’s not for certain. This team could very easily fall apart both from an injury front and on the field, losing focus at any moment. As yours truly previously stated this team is fine thus far on the injury front they are not being held together by metaphorical duct tape but they could fall apart at any moment and send this once hopeful season off the rails.
If Johnny Manziel plays well, the media will all go to him and want to find every little grain of information on him, which could distract the team. If he doesn’t do well and he has off the field issues again, the media will be 10 times worse, every news outlet won’t be talking about the Browns playing well if it happens they will be talking about Johnny Manziel making out with celebrity A or drinking thousand dollar champagne with (insert celeb name here). That kind of things will undoubtedly distract the team, and have an impact on the field, maybe a negative one. That stuff will happen even if Johnny Manziel is vanquished to the practice squad, which probably won’t happen but it would be even worse if he was. Josh McCown’s been ok, during his career but he has never been one of the best QBs in football and will all the problems the Brown’s have they would need an Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson to come in and sometimes single handedly win football games.
Predictions:
The season for the Browns will be an interesting one they open at Metlife Stadium against the New York Jets, before they have their home opener against 2nd overall pick Marcus Mariota and the Tennessee Titans. The season could very much be a similar one to last year where they open hot, playing some not very good football teams and then falling apart. Or this season could make Lebron not the only thing desirable in terms of sports in Cleveland; they could if Johnny Manziel and the offense clicks they could make the playoffs for the first time since 2011.
One thing is for almost certain if they slip into a big hole at the beginning of the season Mike Pettine’s seat will warm and with every mounting loss it will get hotter and hotter before they eventually show him the door. However if they play well he will be loved for as long as they are playing well. The Browns end of the season is going to be an absolute gauntlet that makes or breaks this team, they play the 49ers at First Energy Stadium, in Cleveland which will undoubtedly be a tough game. The very next week they have to fly to Seattle and play the defending Eastern Conference champions in one of the loudest stadiums in all of sports, in the Seahawks. Then they have to fly back to the Midwest where they face a pretty good Kansas City Chiefs team, which is well coached and has Pro Bowl talent on both sides of the ball. In week 17, they stay at home to play Big Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are a really dangerous team on both sides of the ball.
Going through their schedule this writer seems them starting out hot, taking down their first 4 opponents to start 4-0 but everything going downhill from there. In yours truly’s opinion, they lose the next 4 games against the Ravens, Broncos, Rams and Cardinals to go to 4-4, and start the mumbling of Mike Pettine’s possible firing. They then get back on the right track going 3-1 over their next 4 to cool Pettine’s seat off a bit, and going to 7-5. Then they go 0-5, losing to the Bengals, 49ers, Seahawks, Chiefs, and Steelers to end the season at a disappointing 7-10 and causing Mike Pettine to lose his job.