Cleveland Browns 2010 Season Preview, Predictions Picks & Odds
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Cleveland Browns 2009 NFL Record: 5-11 Home: 3-5 Away: 2-6
Cleveland Browns 2010 Preview
The Cleveland Browns would like the world to believe that the team that starts the 2010 season is the one that ended the 2009 slate. The team that won four in a row, finished strong, ran the ball, played defense and took some steps to erase a very poor start. That start, though, was 1-11, and it featured some of the worst football played in Cleveland since the team returned in 1999 – which is saying a lot. The Browns were embarrassed in some games and fell over themselves in others. They played listless, lifeless football. Until they somehow found a way to win their final four games. Those games saved a coach’s job but did not prevent significant front office and on-the-field changes. For the fifth time since their rebirth, the Browns are trying to reinvent themselves, now with Mike Holmgren taking over as team president and Tom Heckert as general manager. The hope is that more firm leadership at the top will translate to better performance on the field. It can’t be much worse.
2010 Cleveland Browns Quarterbacks
The Browns overhauled the position, and there are two possible explanations: Holmgren did not like Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson at all, or Mangini did not like the two guys he coached last season. Either way, the Browns start over. Again. Quinn and Anderson were miserable in 2009 and both are now gone. Enter Jake Delhon1me, a 35-year-old trying to save his career; Seneca Wallace, a career backup coached by Holmgren in Seattle; and Colt McCoy, a talented third-round draft choice who is not expected to play anytime soon. Delhomme must show he’s no longer rattled by a poor playoff performance following the 2008 season that carried over to an awful ’09 season. Wallace has never been a full-time starter. Even Holmgren admits it didn’t sound too good when the reality of the position – an aging veteran and a career backup – was posed to him, but he believes the Browns will benefit from Delhomme’s experience and that Wallace is better than a typical backup. That’s the way the Browns will go into 2010.
2010 Cleveland Browns Running Backs
Lawrence Vickers is as good a fullback as there is in the league. His physical lead blocking has improved every season, and he has the ability to run the ball and catch it and do something with it out of the backfield as well. Vickers could benefit greatly if the Browns emphasize the West Coast system more. As for running backs … the Browns have a great fullback. Gone is Jamal Lewis, who never really took to Mangini’s system and physical practices. Jerome Harrison returns as the feature back after gaining 862 yards. Harrison opened many eyes with a stunning 286-yard game against Kansas City, a Browns record. But he has never been a full-time, feature back, and his size (5’9″, 205) indicates he might not be able to take the pounding a 250-carry season brings. The Browns will use Chris Jennings, James Davis, Peyton Hillis or second-round pick Montario Hardesty as the second back. They bring ability, but nothing proven. The Browns have one ace in the hole: Using Josh Cribbs in the Wildcat. Even though teams know what’s coming when Cribbs lines up, he still makes plays.
2010 Cleveland Browns Receivers
Lost in the hoopla over the Browns’ moves at quarterback is the reality that the inew guys don’t exactly have a legitimate posse of receivers to throw to. The team’s leading jreceiver, Mohamed Massaquoi, caught just 34 passes. Brian Robiskie, a second-year player like Massaquoi, could be the other starter, and he had just seven catches. Mike Furrey and Chansi Stuckey also play. This is a position with a lot of question marks and without any true speed to stretch defenses. The Browns did upgrade at tight end by signing Benjamin Watson as a free agent, but Watson left New England and it’s tough to recall the last true standout let go by Bill Belichick. Until Delhomme and the receivers show they can play and contribute, the Browns will see a lot of eight-in-the-box defenses.
2010 Cleveland Browns Offensive Line
The Browns have one of the league’s best left sides ofthe line with Joe Thomas at tackle and Eric Steinbach at guard. Both are strong, hard-working and dependable, and both have the ability to pull, counter and move up front. This is a strength that must be exploited. At center, Alex Mack should be better in his second season. Mack is a good player whose only flaw was being the center selected after the Browns traded the sixth overall pick to the Jets so New York could select Mark Sanchez. The right side of the line is problematic. The Browns will select from a group of guys including Floyd Womack, John St. Clair and Tony Pashos for the two spots there. The line looks very similar to 2009, though – the left side is strong, the right is not.
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2010 Cleveland Browns Defense
The Browns got some good work out of their 3-4 front last season but traded one guy who didn’t really fit when they sent Corey Williams to Detroit. Shaun Rogers returns, but his future is clouded by a lingering weapons possession charge from carrying a loaded gun through airport security. Not wise. That might not matter a lot to the Browns, though, because the coaches like the way Ahtyba Rubin played after Rogers was injured in 2009. Rubin, Kenyon Coleman, Robaire Smith, C.J. Mosley and Brian Schaefering form a unit that can succeed in a 3-4 scheme.
The Browns shocked a lot of people in the offseason when they traded former first-round draft pick Kamerion Wimbley to Oakland. Wimbley was a solid player and even better guy who seemed to be a fit for the Browns for years. He was sent to the NFLs Siberia after one year with Mangini. But Mangini likes “his” guys – Matt Roth, David Bowens, Marcus Benard, Jason Trusnik – and felt comfortable with the team’s depth. They – along with free agent signee Scott Fujita and Chris Gocong (acquired via trade from Philadelphia) – will compete to start. Fujita should start inside with D’Qwell Jackson, with Bowens and Eric Barton pushing them. Bowens is also a candidate to start on the outside. Roth is a key. His signing in the 2009 season really solidified the defense because Roth is a stout, strong guy who can play the run extremely well. He could be a gem found in an ugly season.
The defensive bakcks were pretty woeful last season, even with guys like cornerback Eric Wright and safety Mike Adams playing pretty good football. The Browns made key moves when they traded to acquire cornerback Sheldon Brown from Philadelphia and drafted Joe Haden in the first round. Brown is a legitimate corner who can play opposite Wright and give the Browns a viable tandem. Haden adds to the position’s depth and strength. The Browns lacked a tandem a year ago when Brandon McDonald started. These moves also allowed the Browns to strengthen the safety spot in the draft, which they did when they took T.J. Ward in the sec’ond round. He should back up Abram Elam
Cleveland Browns 2010 Season Prediction
The Browns’ strong finish in 2009 does not erase the bad start, and the Browns were a very, very bad team in 2009. They have responded to a dismal season by reshuffling their quarterbacks and adding no significant impact players at any skill position. The Browns will be better this season because it would be next to impossible to be worse. But they are a long way from being good. This season is about rebuilding with quantity rather than quality. It is about intangibles like playing harder and smarter and showing improvement. It is not about double-digit wins or a playoff push.
We predict that the Cleveland Browns will finish 4th in the AFC North, with a record of 6-10.
Cleveland Browns Betting
AFC North Odds: 20-1 AFC Conference Odds: 60-1 Super Bowl Odds: 120-1
Cleveland Browns Five-Year Win Betting Trends
2005: 6 2006: 4 2007: 10 2008: 4 2009: 5
Bet on the Cleveland Browns
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