Miller still MIA, but the linebackers will be okay

The nfl offseason is as much fun as the real season, maybe more so. It's like fantasy football except there is never an actual game to spoil the imaginary strenths and weaknesses of the team. For instance, i have pondered what it will be like for the Browns to start Bentley/Thompson at one WSLB, Davis/Boyer at MLB and Taylor/Gardner at SSOLB. In my mind, they are not so bad, yet in reality -- there is no reality, and in fact there is almost no evidence to make a prediction on. Whatever, anyway I am near convinced of a few things--

• Our young linebackers are going to perform well, and you don't need the rumors of other teams trying to trade for them to think that. It is reasonable to think that 2 of the 3 drafted guys last year will make a positive impact. It helps that they are all faster than the veterans they'd replace.
  
• Ben Taylor will make a fine starter, maybe even a very good one. He looked tough in camp last year, and it's too bad he had the injuries he did. All the comments coming out of Berea suggest that Taylor will be ready to shine this year.
  
• Kevin Bentley will be okay. I generally liked what I saw of him last season despite a few obvious screw-ups. There will be more mistakes this year, but also some big plays. Like Taylor, injuries slowed him down, but he did make a strong push in the early season to supplant Rudd.
  
• Davis made a fine INT against Pittsburgh, but we really didn't see too much of him last year while Earl Holmes was entrenched in the middle. The opportunity to start is there this year, as Davis is clearly the most likely candidate. We will learn a lot about Davis during the preseason.
  
• Chaun Thompson is going to play. He might not start, but there is no reason to think he won't get significant playing time on passing downs. It'd be foolish to predict too much out of Thompson, but he's a good enough athlete that he'll make some plays.
  
• If our defensive line rebounds from last year's lame performance (can it be that hard to do?), that only helps the LB corp. If we are to believe Davis is following the "Dallas mold" then these young linebackers fit the profile of being both aggressive and fast. It will be up to the defensive line to hold it's end of the bargain.
  

Nothing is happening with Jamir Miller. In fact, I think it's likely Miller doesn't play this season and hopes he and his Achilles will find themselves with better market conditions next year at this time (which is likely, if he wants to play of course). In any event, voluntary "quarterback school" in a week seems to be a safe bet for a "make or break" date for Jamir. Nobody fret; while it sure would be nice to have Miller circa 2001 back, he probably is not the same player. And the defense has had such a turnover it's possible another player will emerge as a leading pass rusher (I'm serious -- Word? Thompson? Andra Davis? Why not? Hell, C Brown?).