Fans of Ohio State football are used to 10 win seasons and if a Buckeye coach put together a couple of 9-4 seasons they would be on the hot seat and many would be calling for his head. For those that think the good people of Ohio are spoiled by this football success they can rest easy because we also cheer on the hapless Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns. I myself have been a Browns fan since I was a wee little tot watching my grandfather cursing the name of Mike Phipps while the Steelers beat us year after year. In my lifetime, the Browns have really only had one period of continued success during the 1985 - 1989 timeframe when Bernie Kosar was at quarterback. I could go on about many things but I think the best way to describe it is there is only 4 teams that have never made it to the Super Bowl. Only two of those teams were in the league prior to 1995 - the Detroit Lions and the Cleveland Browns. Since the team was brought back in 1999, the management has been abyssmal especially in regards to personnel decisions. I could complain all day about how Butch Davis cut the heart out of an up and coming franchise or how the GMs repeatedly have let good talent get away and get little in return. The hope is all that has stopped with the addition of Mike Holmgren being put in charge of football operations.
Last years teams was an interesting mix of frustration and excitement. Most of the year was frustration as they muddled their way to a 5-11 finish. Excitement was the way they finished, winning their last 4 games. These games were won with a combination of an overmatched but gritty defense pared with an offense that couldn't throw but had a great offensive line. The last 4 games were won by the Browns just lining up on offense and saying, "We're going to run the ball down your throat. Try to stop us." The amazing thing was none of them could. The fact they did it with a set of unknown running backs was even more amazing.
Two years ago it was thought the Browns potentially had two great NFL quarterbacks. Last year two things were evident -- the Browns didn't have a receiver on the team that truly was NFL caliber and the people throwing to them couldn't hit them if they did. One of the first things Holmgren did was ship off both quarterbacks (Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn) to other teams and bring in two veterans quarterbacks, Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace. I doubt either quarterback will lead the team to dominance in Cleveland as their history suggests otherwise. Bringing them in still was a good move considering Quinn and Anderson had lost the fans support during the last two years and everyone needed a fresh start.
That brings us to the NFL draft. The Browns are much better on offense than many think because the engine of any offense is the line and they are solid. The defense was overmatched many times last year but the issue was mainly in the secondary. It is obvious the coaches feel the same way as their first two picked were CB Joe Haden and S T.J. Ward. I like the Haden pick because the Browns are in desparate need of a cover corner. I question the pick of Ward because it seemed like a bit of a reach with the 38th pick.
They traded up at the end of the second round and everyone thought they would take Colt McCoy but instead took RB Montario Hardesty. I'm not sure they needed to trade up to get him but I'm guessing the coaches rated him highly and didn't want to take a chance. This makes sense due to the departure of Jamaal Lewis and will give Jerome Harrison a bit of relief if the Browns are forced to run in 2010 like they did in 2009. Hardesty seems to have elusive moves and should be good in a West Coast style offense.
After the Hardesty pick many Browns fans were upset as they wanted a QB. Holmgren's patience wore off as Colt McCoy was still on the board when their turn came in the 3rd round and they took him. Without this pick many fans would be unenthused about the draft. With this pick the fan base is energized as the hope is he will be the leader a few years down the line. Hopefully the coaching staff can resist the pressure to put him in early but if Delhomme and Wallace struggle we may see McCoy. I personnally hope they let him learn the system for a year before throwing him in the fire.
The rest of the picks were:
OL Shaun Lauvao - Adds great depth to a good offensive line.
S Larry Asante -More depth to the secondary and insurance as Ward is a bit injury prone.
WR Carlton Mitchell - Adds some desperately needed speed to the receiver corps. A bit of a project.
DL Clifton Geathers - Adds needed bulk inside. Potentially big upside.
I like what the Browns did this year. If things work out as I see them, the offense will be mainly run oriented as the receiving corps still isn't top quality and unless Delhomme surprises, I doubt anyone will mistake the offense with the Colts next year. The defense should be much improved due to the additions in the secondary and teams will find it much tougher to pass on them in 2009. I am still worried about the run defense but they can't address everything in one year.
The 2010 draft is done and as always it provides hope for the future. Perhaps in 3 years we will look back on this draft as the one that turned things around to get the Browns to the Super Bowl and perhaps not. In the meantime we will all be anxiously awaking the start of practice and the next season to begin.
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