Browns will answer questions on Sunday

By Zachary Bardou  |   Monday, September 01, 2008  |  Comments( 4 )

Cleveland Browns
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The Cleveland Browns’ winless preseason, a host of injuries to key playmakers and a schedule that pits the team against the NFL’s best have many experts downgrading expectations for last year’s breakout franchise. But in six days, all speculation will finally come to an end and the 2008 Browns will start answering a lot of questions, for better or worse.

The season opener at home against Dallas is going to be a very important game for Cleveland, needless to say. The Browns will face a formidable array of nondivisional opponents this year with contests against the Giants, Redskins, Jaguars, Broncos, Bills, Texans, Colts, Titans and Eagles, so every home game is going to be crucial for a team that went 7-1 on its home turf in 2007. Fortunately, it looks like most of the preseason’s ailing will be ready for Week 1 kickoff.

Derek Anderson has returned to the practice field and should be able to start on Sunday, while primary weapons Jamal Lewis, Braylon Edwards and Steve Heiden are expected to play after missing portions of the preseason.

Unfortunately, Rex Hadnot sprained his knee against the Bears and will join fellow offensive lineman Ryan Tucker on the sidelines, but Seth McKinney should fill the void adequately as he did in eight games last year before going down with a shoulder injury. Defensive end Chase Pittman and valuable special teamers Darnell Dinkins and Kris Griffin also left the game with injuries.

Their status, much like that of Joshua Cribbs and safety Brodney Pool, is unknown at this point. Safety Sean Jones is expected to play. The focus of the next week will be game-planning for Dallas and doing whatever possible to get healthy for the opener.

Fortunately for the Browns, the Cowboys did not escape the preseason unscathed either. Dallas will be without important left guard Kyle Kosier and will likely only have two receivers available who played in an NFL game last season (Terrell Owens and Patrick Crayton). Sam Hurd, Isaiah Stanback and Miles Austin are all unlikely to suit up. The Cowboys will also be without linebackers Kevin Burnett and Anthony Spencer.

With injuries canceling each other out to a certain extent, the effectiveness of the Browns’ full playbook will be of paramount importance. Head coach Romeo Crennel has purportedly kept most of his best tricks up his sleeve this preseason, allowing only his most basic schemes, both offensive and defensive, to be captured on video for the Cowboys and other opponents to study in preparation.

While the Browns seemed to struggle throughout the four exhibition games, many of their most important contributors have been absent and Crennel seems confident that preseason record means nothing. If history is any indication, he’s absolutely right.

The last time the Browns endured a winless preseason, in 1972, they went on to win 10 games and make the playoffs. In order to duplicate that success in 2008, these Browns will have to mend quickly and develop chemistry all over the field immediately to make up for lost time. Moreover, the full playbook will have to prove far more effective than what's been seen in the preseason.

Can all those things happen before it’s too late? Look forward to the answers this Sunday.

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About Zachary Bardou

I am a freelancer journalist, editorialist and blogger from Richmond, VA. I graduated from the University of Richmond in 2002 with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and my work has since appeared in Richmond Magazine, Style Magazine, High Times Magazine, Elmore Magazine, Shoutmouth.com and...
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