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Cleveland Browns: Should Expectations Be Downgraded?

By Justin Blum

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The Cleveland Browns have improved from last season but there are still many questions surrounding the team.

Recently a friend intimated that maybe I would like to back off of my lofty expectations for the 2015 Cleveland Browns. That is, after watching their abysmal performances in their first two preseason contests and also game four.

Well let’s see.  The offensive line, the strength of the team looked poor. The running game was average and their tight ends were spotty. The wide receivers did fairly well. Cleveland’s defensive line has been pretty solid up front but looks weak on the edges. This past preseason, both LB Christian Kirksey and LB Tank Carder played well but their secondary is so depleted due to injuries that of course, they’ve struggled.

So in short, the 2015 Cleveland Browns looks just like every other Browns team since 1999. This is very disconcerting to be sure. In fact, the best thing about Cleveland’s preseason was Johnny Manziel when he was able to play. He might actually become a quality backup quarterback.

Even though these Browns look pathetic so far, I still think they will win at least as many games as they’ll lose.

The football season is long. A lot changes during a long season. Teams can gel and grow and improve tremendously over the course of a football season. Just look at Ohio State last year. They struggled early and even lost to a weak Virginia Tech team. By the end of the year they were unbeatable.

The Browns will fight in every game due to character. Cleveland selected 12 players during the NFL Draft earlier this year and a majority of them were captains in college. The reason Ray Farmer drafted a bunch of high character players is for times like now. Farmer passed up on guys in the draft that maybe were more talented, but weren’t high character guys. Repeatedly, Farmer went after the guys that did more with less and essentially “played like a Brown.”

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Farmer wanted players that were smart and loved to play football. He sought players that hated to lose, were highly competitive and passionate about the game. As the 2015 Browns struggle through the next month or two, they’ll become a true team and get good. Of course, it’s possible that the team will have distractions that derail the team. Hopefully there won’t be any more stories of coaches or players behaving badly.

The Browns open the season on the road against the Jets. With a quarterback situation similar to Cleveland’s, the Jets need help from their running game. However, the Jets don’t have an offensive line like Cleveland has. This game is extremely important for the Browns.

If they pull out a victory in week one, they could build momentum heading into two back to back home games against teams that had top five picks in this past years draft. If Cleveland can capitalize on what should be three of the easiest games they will play this year, look for this group to seize the opportunity and build on a fast start.

Remember preseason just ended and Browns coach Mike Pettine played very simple, vanilla football on offense and defense. The Jets are going to see a different football team than the one we’ve all watched the past few weeks. They are going to see the new version of the Browns– the talented, competitive Cleveland Browns. The Jets are going to lose to the new and improved Cleveland Browns!

Next: Cleveland Browns Locker Room Upset Over Roster Cuts?

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