Sunday, July 14, 2013

Browns Ranked 30th. Uh-huh.

This one is too easy.  Any objective analysis of any team begins with the quarterback, and that's where the current edition of the Browns have questions.  To win a championship, you need a franchise guy, and the Browns don't know if they have one.  Ok so stipulated.

But the Browns DO know that they have at least a competant quarterback in Jason Campbell should Weeden fail.  And we're not talking about a championship here, but about ranking this team 30th.

Even if you ONLY consider the quarterback, you still can't get away with ranking this team that low!

Where to rank the other units is debatable, but where would you rank the running backs?  And I mean not just TRich, but the four guys behind him?  30th?  Huh?

How about the tight ends?  Yeah I get that can Cameron stay healthy?  Nobody but Chud and I seem to like Barnidge so I'll let you be wrong about him.  But I think it would take some mental gymnastics to pound this unit down to 30th.

Wide recievers?  Again debatable.  I believe they'll be one of the best groups in the NFL, but I assume that even the permabashers would have a hard time getting them into the bottom third, no matter how much torture their alleged logic can endure.

Offensive line?  Defensive line?  Outside linebacker?  Can you somehow manage to put any of these below the middle?  

Sure, we wonder if Robertson can hold up inside, and have questions about starting corner and free safety.  But there are some pretty bad safeties and cornerbacks in this league, you know?  And we're talking about a ranking.  Are only two starting cornerbacks and free safeties in the NFL going to be worse than Gipson, Bademosi, and whoever plays cornerback?  Why?  Because of their undrafted status?  Because they're Browns?  Oops!  Think I nailed it!  It's because they're Cleveland Browns, so you demote them.

What about coaching?  How many overall staffs do you think are better than this one?

New system.  Maybe they consider that.  I mean it would be smart of them to consider that, but I doubt it.  The new system is tailor made for their second-year quarterback and the two fastest recievers.  It also turned a pretty good 4-3 defensive line into and extremely talented and deep 3-4 version.

Turner's system is also much less complex than Squarepeg Shurmer's West Coast, and the Browns will run a lot.  The transition won't be anywhere near as difficult as a rookie gunslinger trying to master the most complicated offense in football, and not being allowed to do what he does best.

Where the hell is the logic here, when you can go position-by-position across this young, talented, improving roster and (if you're being honest with yourself), and have a hard time putting any of them in the bottom third of the league?   I mean, even if you default a cornerback and the free safety to the worst starters in the NFL?  Even if you call Robertson the worst inside linebacker?

Thirtieth?  

That's a joke.  YOU STAND CORRECTED.

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