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Tony Pashos zipped open his oversized brown equipment bag, shifted his shoulder pads to one side and dropped in his orange helmet. On Sunday, he’ll finally get to wear it. Cleveland’s jumbo starting right tackle will make his season debut this week aga…
The Cleveland Browns needed to find more depth at right tackle going into the 2010 season, so they went out in free agency and found veteran Tony Pashos, who would hopefully help solidify the right side of their offensive line. One the left side of the…
The LeBron James fiasco this offseason prompted many Cleveland fans to state that, “Cleveland always has been, and always will be, a football town.”
With that being said, Saturday night officially kicked off the return of the Browns to the minds and hearts of their fans around the world, taking on the Green Bay Packers in their first 2010 preseason match-up.
Notable players who were absent from the Browns’ lineup included starting cornerback Eric Wright, linebacker D’Qwell Jackson, offensive lineman Tony Pashos, and rookie running back Montario Hardesty.
Cleveland’s critics have blasted them this offseason for signing a “washed-up” Jake Delhomme, drafting a “system quarterback” Colt McCoy, having no established wide receivers, a linebacker corps of “unknowns,” and having a rookie secondary—so how did they match up against the Green Bay Packers?
There is hope once again in Cleveland.
The Browns are putting their trust in new team president Mike Holmgren to lead the team to the promised land. Head coach Eric Mangini likely saved his job after he led the Browns to four consecutive victories to finish off the 2009 season—but don’t expect Mangini to stick around much longer if the Browns start 1-11 again.
Here is a look at what the Browns will be sending onto the field on both sides of the ball in 2010, plus my prediction for where they’ll finish the year in the AFC North.
Offense
This offseason the Browns had a complete makeover at the quarterback position with the departures of Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson. The new starter is former Carolina Panther Jake Delhomme, who lost his job in Carolina after throwing just eight touchdowns to 18 interceptions in 2010. The Browns also drafted Colt McCoy, but don’t plan on playing him this season.
The Browns look like they could have one of the better running backs in the league in Jerome Harrison, but the question is whether or not he can last a full season. To help soften the load on Harrison, the Browns traded up in the draft to select Montario Hardesty who could be very good if he stays healthy.
The Browns leading receiver in 2009 was rookie Mohamed Massaquoi but he finished with only 34 catches for 624 yards and three touchdowns. The hope is that the team will get better play out of Brian Robiskie, Joshua Cribbs, and Chansi Stuckey this season. The Browns also drafted Carlton Mitchell out of South Florida in the Sixth Round of this year’s NFL Draft.
The offensive line is the best unit on this side of the ball. The Browns have one of the best left tackles in the game with Joe Thomas, who has played in the Pro Bowl in each of his first three seasons. The Browns added tackle Tony Pashos to possibly take over right tackle spot from John St. Clair. Center Alex Mack was outstanding in his rookie season and it won’t be long before he is considered one of the top centers in the NFL.
Defense
The Browns are anchored in the middle of the defensive line by veteran Shaun Rogers, but it’s likely he will be suspended for part of the season after getting caught with a gun at Cleveland-Hopkins Airport. The Browns are hoping to get a little more out of veteran ends Robaire Smith and Kenyon Coleman.
The Browns added linebacker Scott Fujita from New Orleans this offseason, and he should team up well with D’Qwell Jackson on the inside. Cleveland traded away Kamerion Wimbley to the Raiders and are hoping that Matt Roth can bring the pressure from the outside. The Browns also traded for Chris Gocong from the Eagles—he should be a solid backup to both Roth and veteran David Bowens.
The Browns’ secondary figures to be much better this season after selecting corner Joe Haden in the First Round and safety T.J. Ward in the Second Round of this year’s draft.
Haden is expected to battle newcomer Sheldon Brown for the starting corner job opposite of Eric Wright, while Ward is expected to start opposite of Abram Elam at safety.
Prediction – 4th AFC North
It’s hard telling exactly what to expect from the Browns this season, as they are still weak in a number of areas. The key will be the play of Delhomme, if he gets things figured out, this team should be much more competitive this season.
Check out where the rest of the teams in the NFL stack up in our 2010 NFL predictions . If you plan on betting the NFL this season, be sure to stop back each week to check out our live NFL odds page.
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On December 22nd, 2009 Mike Holmgren became the new president of the Cleveland Browns. “The Big Show” is an established football mind and brings respectability to a team that has been everything but.
Owner Randy Lerner gave Holmgren full authority of the organization and he started with hiring Tom Heckert to be the new GM and decided to keep Eric Mangini as head coach. Browns fans could finally relax knowing their beloved franchise was in good hands.
During free agency, the Browns brought in veterans Jake Delhomme (QB), Scott Fujita (LB), Tony Pashos (RT), Ben Watson (TE), Alex Smith (TE) and Bobby Engram (WR). The Browns also traded for veteran players Sheldon Brown (CB), Chris Gocong (LB), Seneca Wallace (QB) and Peyton Hillis (RB).
It’s well documented that Holmgren believes that the most important position on the football team is quarterback. He didn’t like what he saw in the Quinn-Anderson tandem so he quickly removed them from the team. Delhomme and Wallace swiftly replaced them.
Wallace is a career backup and Delhomme who was once a pro-bowler had his worst season of his career last year when he threw 18 interceptions in 12 games before being benched. Some Browns fans were in disgust over the move but most said that Holmgren must have a plan.
But I ask, what if Butch Davis had made that move?
The Browns have had many different heads of the organization since they came back into the league in 1999 but none of them have been as established as Mike Holmgren. If any other previous president would’ve gotten rid of the hometown boy who never got a fair chance—otherwise known as Brady Quinn—for a 35-year-old quarterback coming off his worst season of his career, the fans would’ve been screaming for their heads.
So is the optimism warranted? Should Browns fans have faith that times have changed?
Or should Browns fans be reminded once again of the curse on Cleveland sports?
We’ll have to wait for the season to start to figure those things out. Until then—In Holmgren We Trust!
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