Cleveland Browns (2008 Season)

[osugrad21]

Canton

Injuries leaving shallow talent pool for Browns
Friday, August 22, 2008
By STEVE DOERSCHUK
STEVE.DOERSCHUK@CANTONREP.COM

BEREA They're simply the best Browns players at their positions in the expansion era.

Expansion era? Maybe you can throw in the Belichick era.

-- Running back Jamal Lewis;

-- Receiver Braylon Edwards;

-- Tight end Kellen Winslow;

-- Return man and secret weapon Joshua Cribbs;

-- Receiver Joe Jurevicius;

-- Fullback Lawrence Vickers;

-- Quarterback Derek Anderson;

-- Right guard Ryan Tucker;

-- Left guard Eric Steinbach;

-- Left tackle Joe Thomas.

At least, one could argue for each statement.

The good news is that they're all on the Browns here and now.
Cont...

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

CPD

Eager to impress: QB Brady Quinn promises to 'have fun' in first start with Browns

by Mary Kay Cabot Friday August 22, 2008, 6:46 PM


John Kuntz/The Plain DealerBrady Quinn won't find all of the Browns' expected regular-season starters in the huddle on Saturday, but enough of the first-string players will give the second-year QB a chance to show his skills against Detroit.


Brady Quinn has been hoping for more time with the first-teamers this preseason and Saturday he's gets more than he bargained for: his first NFL start in Detroit in the Browns' third preseason game.
Of course, he didn't want it to come this way, at the expense of Derek Anderson, who suffered a mild concussion Monday night against the Giants. But now that it's here, he'll take it and run with it.
"Of course I'm excited," said Quinn. "Anybody in my position as a backup would be. You've got to have fun with it. Especially it being my first chance to start, I'm really looking forward to it."
The chance to play three quarters -- the norm for starters in the third preseason game -- is enticing to Quinn. He hasn't played that much in more than 1 1/2 years -- since Notre Dame's 41-14 loss to LSU in the 2007 Sugar Bowl.

"That would be fun," said Quinn. "It's my first time doing that in a while. I should probably start running. I don't know why I'm talking to you guys for so long."

Continued.......

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

CPD

After being lost in a New Jersey swamp, the Browns now know the heat is on vs. Lions

by Bill Livingston Friday August 22, 2008, 6:26 PM



The sunlight fell like a physical blow Thursday. Under a hot sky, the Browns toiled in Berea, atoning for looking bad on Monday night in ways that went beyond the chocolate brown pants, the ones that made them Willie Wonka's favorite team.
After the practice, Joe Thomas, the hulking left tackle, said the Browns got hit by a bunch of plays that happen "maybe once a season."
He was referring to the safety that came when Dave Zastudil punted off the body of a blocker who was being shoved toward him; to an 82-yard touchdown return of the ensuing free kick; to Syndric Steptoe's 90-yard return of the kickoff; and to the subsequent botched handoff returned by the New York Giants 95 yards for a touchdown.

Continued........

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

Quinn finally gets shot to play with first team
Quarterback might go three quarters, but not all offensive weapons will be at his disposal
By Marla Ridenour
Beacon Journal sports writer

Published on Saturday, Aug 23, 2008

BEREA: Brady Quinn will be sitting in the cockpit he's long dreamed of today.
He might not be able to go full throttle because a couple of key wingmen will be missing. But it's a start.
The Cleveland football rock star, er . . . Browns backup quarterback, has been waiting for a chance to play with the first team. Last November, General Manager Phil Savage said directing a high-powered offense behind a rebuilt offensive line was ''a pretty good cockpit to be in right now.''
Because starter Derek Anderson is sidelined with a concussion, Quinn gets his wish this afternoon as the Browns (0-2) visit the Detroit Lions (2-0) for a 4 p.m. preseason game at Ford Field. But Quinn, the former Notre Dame star and 22nd overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft, won't have the Browns' full complement of weapons.

Continued.......

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Link

Browns ready to rebound

August 23rd, 2008 ? No Comments

By BRIAN DULIK Staff Writer DETROIT ?

Just five days after being embarrassed on national television by the Giants, the Browns have something to prove this afternoon, both to themselves and the rest of the football world. Cleveland takes on the Detroit Lions in the annual ?Great Lakes Classic? at Ford Field, where anything less than a solid performance could set off a panic that lasts the rest of the preseason. ?We?re gonna try to do better than Monday night ? and I think we will,? said Browns coach Romeo Crennel, whose team is 0-2 in exhibition play. ?The guys are focused and they?re back down to Earth after what happened. ?I want to see smart football. I don?t want to see the mistakes I saw on Monday night.? If nothing else, Cleveland will have a drastically different look on the field today against Detroit (2-0), which is one of six NFL teams without a loss in the preseason.

Continued......

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Canton

Tough runs in Wright family
Dad got Jason off on right foot
Saturday, August 23, 2008
By STEVE DOERSCHUK
STEVE.DOERSCHUK@CANTONREP.COM

BEREA Jason Wright's father was a linebacker before he was a drill sergeant.

At least, Sam Wright could seem like sarge to the young man who has worked his way into an NFL career.

"My toughness came from my dad," said Wright, who will start for Cleveland at running back in a 4 p.m. preseason game today against Detroit. "He's still tough. He's wider in the upper body than me. I don't think he still works out, but he still has that 'dad strength.' "

Wright tends to be a Browns afterthought. He's a bright player who brings average size (5-foot-101⁄2, 212 pounds), OK athleticism, endless hustle and uncanny efficiency.

Continued......

[NFBuck]

Nothing positive coming from this turd tonight. Just reenforcing the fact that we may very well have the worst secondary in the NFL.

[BuckeyeMike80]

Detroit has given up more sacks the past 2 years than anyone ever has, yet the Browns only get ONE sack....

They better find it quickly, the schedule is a TON tougher especially early on.....

[jlb1705]

The sad thing is, the secondary is really no worse than last year. We've all been waiting for a decent defensive line to stop the run and now we have it. All it's gonna get us this year though is opponents throwing instead of running. I hope the offense is ready to win some shootouts (if they can get healthy).

[NFBuck]

Originally Posted by jlb1705

The sad thing is, the secondary is really no worse than last year. We've all been waiting for a decent defensive line to stop the run and now we have it. All it's gonna get us this year though is opponents throwing instead of running. I hope the offense is ready to win some shootouts (if they can get healthy).

That appears to be the rub, by improving the DL, they may have made the defense worse in a sense by forcing teams to pass more on an atrocious secondary. If this team can't score 30 points a game, .500 might be a longshot.

I hope I'm wrong, but nothing I've seen is convincing me otherwise.

[jlb1705]

I was one of the people beating the drum about upgrading the DL, figuring it would prove to be an upgrade to the entire defense by freeing up the LBs and reducing pressure on the DBs. I stand by that, but damnit, the DBs have to cover at least a little, and the opposing QB has to feel at least a little pressure every once in a while in order for this to start to work. Shaun Rogers can blow up run plays and draw triple teams all day, but if a LB can't beat RB picking up the blitz, or if the DBs can't provide enough coverage to at least make a QB wait for his man to come open, then it won't matter one bit how good the DL is.

This secondary isn't good at all. They are better than they've played so far this preseason though and they will need to step it up a notch.

[Bucklion]

Rogers is a beast, and I think he will play well this year. The ends appear to be of, well, to be generous, significantly lesser value. The ends have to do something...put some pressure on the QB, catch a back or TE off the line, something, anything...or this is going to be a really long year, because the kind of teams thwy are facing, they won't be able to put up 35 a game.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

Lions 26Browns 6
Forgettable day for Quinn
Browns provide him little support in first NFL start
Sunday, August 24, 2008 3:52 AM
By Tony Grossi


THE PLAIN DEALER
Julian H. GonzalezDetroit Free Press
Lions rookie running back Kevin Smith leaps into the end zone over the Browns' Mike Adams in the second quarter.



DETROIT -- Green pants, anyone? How about brown tassel shoes?
However they dress, color the Browns a huge disappointment through three exhibition games.
They lost their third in a row, 26-6 to the Detroit Lions yesterday in Ford Field.
If nothing else, the Browns answered the question: Could they look any worse than they did Monday night against the Giants?
Yes, they could.
There weren't as many boneheaded penalties, emotional lapses of poise or horrendous breakdowns on special teams. But there weren't any offensive highlights, either, in Dublin native Brady Quinn's starting debut. Except for Shaun Rogers' repeated stuffs of rookie running back Kevin Smith, the defense was torn apart again.

Continued.......

[MD Buckeye]

Preseason roundup: Quinn disappoints in first start, Lions beat Browns - NFL - CBSSports.com Live Scores, Standings and Stats

Preseason roundup: Quinn disappoints in first start, Lions beat Browns

DETROIT -- Brady Quinn had some legitimate excuses to explain away his lackluster debut as an NFL starter.

He didn't want any of them.

Quinn barely broke the century mark in yards passing and failed to make a big play, helping the Detroit Lions beat the Cleveland Browns 26-6 in an exhibition Saturday.

The former Notre Dame star, taken 22nd overall last year, had just a few days to get prepared after Derek Anderson was knocked out of Monday night's game and playmakers Braylon Edwards and Jamal Lewis were missing from the Browns' lineup.

Contd....

[ysubuck]

My balloon has officially come crashing to earth after last night.

Unless this team can get through the season with little or no injuries (pretty much impossible in the NFL) then they are sunk. The O line, which was being called one of the best in the NFL a few weeks ago, can't get out of its own way. DA looked lost the other night and Brady Quinn stunk last night. Obviously getting Jamal Lewis, Braylon Edwards and others that are currently out back healthy will help, but Good Lord...

Maybe my pessimism is rooted in years of rooting for Cleveland teams, but I am looking at what appears to be a 6 or 7 win team in what many believed (myself included) was going to be a playoff year.

2 wins over the Bengals.

2 wins over Baltimore.

Wins over Buffalo, Houston, and Tennessee.

That's my guess.