Deep Breaths

The Browns have had bad losses before, but Sunday's loss to the Bengals has been particularly hard for me to come to terms with. It was SUCH a bad game for this team. First off, it seemed obvious that the many vaunted draft picks over the past few years are not going to be stars in the NFL. William Green, I'm sorry, is just not going to be more than a decent back. There seems to be no way Gerard Warren will be a dynamic force at tackle. Couch obviously has some major limitations. Quincy Morgan is a space cadet. Courtney Brown is okay but doesn't have the hunger that the defensive end position requires. I don't think Kelly Holcomb is necessarily the long term answer at quarterback either. I'm wonder who the Browns "core" players are for the next 4-5 years. There aren't many players you can confidently say will be here for a while barring injury. Here's my picks...

• Kevin Johnson -- Still the best offensive talent on the team that, on paper anyway, should have a lot of it. He and Northcutt are the only players who know what "find the soft spot in the zone" means, and KJ has better hands and is durable.
  
• Andra Davis -- I think he's shown enough that he'll be a pretty good starter. He makes mistake, but he's tough and aggressive, and he makes an impact.
  
• Jeff Faine -- He's a brawler who's been a lot of fun to watch. I still have some questions about him -- he's gotten toasted pretty badly at times -- but let's give him the benefit of the doubt. The plays he has made have earned him that much.
  
• Anthony Henry -- If you asked me after last year I would have said no, but he's played well this year. Unless the Browns spend some high picks on corners, Henry is likely to stick around and play good ball.

Andre Davis -- kind of a quiet performer who seems to rise up to the challenge when he gets a chance for a big play. He won't be a star but he is a consistent performer.
...and that's it, those are the only guys I'm confident will be on the team for a long time. There are, of course, lots of maybes like Ben Taylor, Quincy Morgan, Holcomb, Phil Dawson, Jamel White, Michael Jameson, and Shawn O'Hara. A couple veterans would fall in this group as well except their contract situation is too difficult to predict.

Can this team make the playoffs this year? Sure, but the turn around has to start immediately or else. I think a loss this weekend ends all realistic chances. Looking at the roster I would say there's a large group of mediocre players who have to start performing up to and perhaps beyond their capabilities -- the D-line, the o-line, W Green specifically.

It sure would be nice to see the offense, thought to be so dangerous but amazingly meek so far, overcompensate for its slow start and deluge someone with points. There weren't many signs of that happening last weekend. Actually, the offense was last seen in the preseason. At little of that could go a long way. Where is C.J. Jones? Where is Qunicy Morgan on a long pass? How about Nortcutt sprint around and between some defenders? And how about William Green giving someone a stiff arm? Last season the Browns went to New Orleans and showed everyone they could play with a supposed "play off team." This is the week they have to do it again. There's a lot of signs pointing against them right now, but as we know, anything could happen. Only one thing is for sure -- don't believe anything Butch Davis says.