Comparing Cleveland Browns to 2016 Superbowl Teams

Ok stop laughing.  I know I know...Look it's not that funny!  No it isn't!  Did I say that?  "Compare" doesn't mean "same as" am I the only literate guy in Cleveland?  Jeez!

If I can get you to shut up for a minute, we both know that the Cleveland Browns are a long way from the Carolina Panthers, and only a little closer to the Denver Broncos (well they are closer shaddap!)

But if we want to get there, we need to use a model as a rough target.

The Broncos have surprised a lot of us.  All I heard all week was about Peyton Manning and his popgun arm, and Tom Brady with all his weapons.  I bought it too.

In reality, Peyton Manning doesn't have the same arm as he had before, but has enough.  Tom Brady is merely mortal when he has zero time, and Wade Philips can screw even him and his receivers up.

I got roped into the hype (shame on me), because I forgot that Denver's defense is about the best in the NFL, and Belichick or no Belichick, the Pats defense is a little above average.  Owen who?  Owen Daniels two touchdowns.  No kidding the safeties were too scared of the outside receivers!  Who Peyton can still throw to, contrary to the hype!

And I thought the Cards vs Panthers would be a slugfest.  But look at that!  That was CARSON PALMER throwing all those interceptions!  I knew the Panther D was tough, but holy---

Ok I digress.  We must start here with the coaches.  The coaches are who: 

1: Allow Cam Newton to be Cam Newton.

2: Designed the plays that got Owen Daniels open for touchdowns.

3: Make the most of the talent on their respective teams.

The Cleveland Browns have just assembled their own coaching staff, so there can be no conclusive comparisons.  I can, as I compulsively do, look to histories to extrapolate how things should go, but it's still guesswork.

Having said that, Hue Jackson isn't Butch Davis (or Marvin Lewis, for that matter), and his assistants are experienced and capable.  

Jackson is known to be adaptable and creative (not just another copycat blockhead), and in this respect is like the Superbowl coaches.

The final statement here has to be I think he can I think they can...

Next is the GMs and talent guys.  This is another inconclusive.  I think they will...

Now the meaty part: Talent.  This is where I put a bunch of you into seizures, because you're not rational or objective and I'm not black cloudy enough:

Quarterback: Newton is in a class by himself right now, but Peyton Manning no longer is.  For now I'm compelled to use Josh McCown for the Browns, and based on the performances of Manning (with his great receivers and dominant ballhawking defense) and McCown in 2015, Josh McCown was better.  With munchkins and a terrible defense, and always coming from behind.  Yes.  He.  Was.

Cam Newton makes both of them look sick, though.

Running back:  Since Arizona lost, I'm happy to exclude David Johnson, who makes everybody else look sick.  But Crowell and Duke are comparable to the other guys.  Cut the crap.  You have seen Crowell do what they did.  He has proven it, when he gets the blocking.  I'm sorry I know I'm supposed to say every single part of the Browns comparatively suck to achieve your twisted version of objectivity, but I'm not running for office so I'll stick to reality.

Wide receivers.  Since Gordon and Pryor are still Browns, I will include them.  In order to mollify you, I will toss the two in a blender and pour out a "pretty good" X-receiver to go with the microbes and Hartline.

That crew is better than Carolina's.  That might not be true when they get Kelvin Benjamin back, but is true right now.  Without Greg Olsen, Cam Newton would have had some real migraines this season leaning on Crotchery, Ginn, and Brown (although Brown has a great future ahead of him!)

Benjamin is the Browns Ginn, except he runs better routes and gets open more.

Denver's wide receivers are better.  Significantly better.  So stipulated.

Tight end: Barnidge is better than Owen Daniels.  I can't figure out what happened to Vernon Davis, but there it is.  Greg Olsen is better than anybody but Gronk.  

Offensive line: The Browns offensive line is better than Denver's and maybe better than North Carolina's too.  Per the PFF ratings so shut up.  They'll be better than that, too, with a more appropriate blocking scheme.

PFF, by the way, doesn't blame offensive linemen for sacks when quarterbacks hold onto the ball too long.

Both of the Superbowl Teams have better front sevens.  Both put constant pressure on quarterbacks, blow up runs, can cover, etc.  The Browns do have some bright spots, but it's hard to pin down how bright until we see them in a Ray Horton system.  But still, no way this current crew can be that good.  Happy now?

The Browns healthy secondary (with Gipson) is in the ballpark with the Superbowl secondaries.  In another effort to appease the ropes and torches, I'll say they're a little worse.

Understand here that I'm talking about raw talent, and not how they were used, or the fact that nobody in Denver can cover for eight seconds either see?

So, if your brain didn't shut down when I said McCown was better than Manning last season, you now know that the Browns don't have to rebuild their whole team after all.

I said front seven because with today's varied fronts defensive line and linebackers overlap so much.  Des Bryant is a very good player.  Armonte is a hybrid coming into his own.  We look forward to Shelton.  Because this unit doesn't match up to those, it doesn't mean they suck.

Wattilnextyear is right: One Von Miller, or even a Demarcus Ware, could change everything for an otherwise sound but unspectacular unit.

Unfortunately, quarterback has to come first, and unless Bryant or Orchard or even Mingo blossom, or Kruger comes back, or even Solomon (never forget: in Ray Horton's system), the Browns probably won't have a guy like that in 2016.

But they've got a lot more than most fans think.

Deal with it.

1: Nowhere close

Cleveland Browns: No long-term solution at quarterback, another new coach, seven seasons of at least 11 losses in the past eight and one playoff game (one!) since 1999. The Browns arrow isn't close to pointing up, not even in a league where one-season turnarounds are possible. --Pat McManamon

Now that Pat got his two cents worth (literally) in, how did the Browns do against playoff teams?

Hammered by Seattle, almost beat Denver and Kansas City, lost 34-20 to Arizona, stomped by the Steelers twice.  Pretty bad, but that bad?  Take a pill, Pat!

In the article I clipped this from, the Baltimore Ravens were rated much higher.

I can't seem to find intelligent life anywhere around here.