If it's possible for an NFL exhibition game to have a "storybook ending" then I guess that's what happened Saturday afternoon in Detroit, when hometown hero Braylon Edwards made a great catch of the winning TD pass thrown by Browns rookie QB Charlie Frye in the last minute of the game. That was a look at the future of the franchise, but I'd have to say I was encouraged by the look of the present as well.
The one thing that has screamed at me from watching eight quarters of exhibition football by the Browns is that this team is getting better coaching than they have had for the last six years. Now I realize that this is akin to saying that someone is more team-oriented than Terrell Owens, or has more tackles than Gerard Warren, but it has already manifested itself in so many ways.
The bar is set pretty low in Cleveland these days. Success will be measured against Butch Davis, and the hapless expansion teams that preceded him and against a 4-12 team from last year, not against the 2005 Patriots or other playoff teams. It wasn't quite as bad last year as in 1999, when we would go to games hoping only that the sun would shine while we were getting pasted by four touchdowns. In some ways though, it was worse. We weren't an expansion team any more, but who could tell the difference? Some NFL experts see the Browns talent as the worst in the entire league, and in terms of the presence of identifiable "star-quality" players, especially on the defensive side of the ball, I'd have to agree (Andra Davis excepted).
But everything is new this year. Romeo Crennel has already vaulted over that low bar by having a personality. He shows a refreshing candor and humility to go along with the credibility that arrived with his five Super Bowl rings. Phil Savage soared over the bar set by previous talent evaluators by not utilizing a 2005 draft choice on a holder for extra points. And I'm not worried about the owner. He's a super guy, and he grew up wearing Browns pajamas for heaven's sake. Oh yeah, he's a billionaire. He just needed good football people to tuck him in at night, and I think they might finally be here.
G.M. Phil Savage has upgraded the talent to a level not seen since pre-expansion (I know, low bar). The offense is about 50% revamped, with three new offensive linemen, a new QB in Trent Dilfer, and Reuben Droughns at running back. Relative newcomer Antonio Bryant and rookie wideout Edwards will contribute to the new look. The 2005 defense will only vaguely resemble the team of last year, with Andra Davis, Daylon McCutcheon and Orpheus Roye the key returning starters, and a new 3-4 system in place.
The most striking difference to me so far about the 2006 version of the Browns (outside of the 2-0 record) is the offensive philosophy and play calling of coordinator Maurice Carthon. They're running the ball outside on pitch sweeps, they're running effective draw plays, they're throwing to the fullback and the tailbacks, they're throwing quick slant patterns to wide receivers, they're throwing the ball coming off their own goal line, they're showing a bit of creativity and unpredictability. I know, most NFL teams do most of these things, but they were rarer than Halley's Comet under Butch Davis.
The run defense has been pretty pitiful so far, at least when the first teams have been on the field, and I fear that even the vaunted genius of Romeo Crennel might not be enough to counteract the talent shortage on the defensive line overall. Cornerback worried me even before the injury to Gary Baxter and the onset of McCutcheon's migraine problem. But I really like what I've seen of Sean Jones at safety, and I like the long-term prospects of a secondary with Brodney Pool, Baxter, Jones, McCutcheon and Antonio Perkins, along with Michael Lehan, Leigh Bodden and Michael Jameson as backups. Add one more cover corner and you look pretty good for a few years.
The linebacking is fairly solid in the middle with Davis and Ben Taylor, who are both strong tacklers. The outside guys Chaun Thompson and Matt Stewart/Kenard Lang are still big question marks.
I like the fact that Savage's draft picks all look like players. Edwards (1st) and Frye (3rd) have already shown their stuff enough to generate some excitement about the future, though we've seen exactly one play from safety Pool(2nd). (If nothing else, he had guts to throw himself kamikaze-like into the Giants' wedge on the opening kickoff of his first NFL game, resultant concussion notwithstanding).
Less noticeable were the early hints that David McMillan(5th) has some excellent speed and pass rush skills, and Nick Speegle(6th) the rangy, athletic outside linebacker has already impressed Crennel enough to be listed on the second team. Another 5th-rounder, defensive tackle Andrew Hoffman recovered a fumble in the Lions game and Antonio Perkins (4th) had an interception and a punt return that got him mentioned in a positive way.
Some free agent acquisitions by Savage that look like they have a good opportunity to make the team include OSU Buckeye Simon Fraser at defensive end (currently running second team), linebacker Orlando Ruff who has looked very good in limited action, and everyone's pre-season darling, Kent State's Josh Cribbs, who has been nothing short of a sensation on kickoff returns through two games. Most surprisingly, he has excelled on coverage as well, making several tackles on the kickoff coverage team.
The signing of Fraser and Cribbs and the drafting of Frye gives me hope that the new regime may have a better appreciation of the fan appeal that can be generated by having local players on the roster than their predecessors did (note to Savage: think A.J. Hawk in 2006!).
I know it's a small thing (insert exhibitions-are-meaningless cliché of choice here) but the team has managed to win both its games, and it was obvious that Crennel wanted very much to win them, as evidenced by his leaving Frye in the Lions game till the winning TD was on the board. Saturday afternoon in Detroit, the team had a noticeable spring in its step, a bit of crispness, especially on offense, that we haven't seen in six long seasons of miserable football here. Whether that translates to five or six or seven or eight victories this season matters less than the level of effort and pride and professionalism that we see on the field this year in the guys with the orange hats. All indications I get from Romeo Crennel and Phil Savage and Randy Lerner, and now some early returns from the orange hats, have me daring to hope that they've turned it in the right direction.
Posted by dan at August 22, 2005 05:18 PM