One more time

For their stellar performances in the 51-45 win over the Bengals last week, Derek Anderson and Jamal Lewis were named the FedEx Air & Ground players of the week. Anderson was also named AFC player of the week.


Don't look now, but the Browns offense is ranked 6th in the NFL in scoring, 7th in total yards, 8th in passing yards, and 9th in rushing yards and 5th in kick return average. Unfortunately, the defense is the exact opposite: 31st in points allowed, 32nd for total yards allowed, 30th for passing yards allowed, and 29th for rushing yards allowed. Of course the offensive explosion by both teams last week definitely skewed the numbers.


If you want to relive the game one more time, check out these great highlights from NFL.com.

The Browns are at the Raiders on Sunday, one of the few teams in the league that have been as bad as the Browns the last couple of seasons. Cleveland looks for back-to-back wins in the same season for the first time since 2003 when, coincidentally, they beat Oakland. The Raiders meanwhile have lost 11 in a row. I haven't seen them play this season, but know that Lamont Jordan is running the ball well and has had good games against Cleveland in the past. Oakland had the number 3 defense last year and has a lot of speed, as well as a few pro bowl players on the roster. Oh, and Gerard Warren too. "Big Money" was acquired in a trade with Denver near the end of the preseason, and will likely start this Sunday.

What a difference a week makes!

Last week at this time, I didn't want to talk about, write about, or even think about the Browns after their horrible performance against the Steelers. I was shocked at how badly the team and especially Charlie Frye looked. It seemed that it would be another long miserable year, and it still might.

After making the unprecedented trade that sent Frye to Seattle just days later, the Browns named Derek Anderson their starter, Brady Quinn the backup, and re-signed Ken Dorsey to hold the clipboard. Honestly, I think that this is the QB lineup that the Browns wanted all along, but Anderson's poor performance in the preseason didn't give them justification to trade Frye. Plus, there were differences of opinion within the organization, as Romeo Crennel preferred Frye's experience, while offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski preferred Anderson and his strong arm. After Frye's performance against Pittsburgh, in which he looked tentative and confused, the Browns had the justification they needed to trade him, without a huge backlash from the fans. Still, its unbelievable that a guy could win a QB competition, start week 1, and get benched and traded before week 2.

In steps Derek Anderson as the #1 QB on the depth chart for the first time in his career, and what an entrance he made. He threw for 5 TD passes, over 300 yards, and was named AFC offensive player of the week. Actually the entire team looked great--Jamal Lewis ran for 200+ yards, the offensive line opened big holes and didn't surrender a sack, and Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow had career days and finally lived up to their first round draft status.

I live in Cincinnati, and I can't remember the last time I enjoyed going into the office this much on a Monday morning. Those Bungles fans that were so cocky last week have been very humble this week. The talk radio in Cincy has been hilarious as well, as it seems the entire city is hopping off the band wagon and calling for Marvin Lewis to be fired. All in all a great week to be a Browns fan.

If the offense can play half that good the rest of year, and the defense can get a little bit better, this will be a very enjoyable season.

The case against drafting a QB

As I've said before, I hope that the Browns don't draft a quarterback in the first round, for a couple of reasons.

First, taking a QB is risky, as they tend to have a high probability of being a bust regardless of their college resume. Taking one early in the first round only means that a team must spend millions in guaranteed money before they know if they have a bust. An analysis on ESPN.com's Page 2 shows that since 1989, QBs drafted in the first round have been busts 53% of the time. I don't like those odds, and the Browns have been anything but lucky lately. This team cannot take the risk of wasting millions of dollars and several more years of mediocrity with so many other glaring needs.

Second, Charlie Frye (or possibly Derek Anderson) has not been given time to establish himself. The team committed to Frye as their QB of the future just 2 years ago, and it is too early to give up on that. True, he has won only 5 of his 18 starts, but Peyton Manning only won 4 of his first 18. In order for a young QB to be successful he needs time, a healthy, semi-talented offensive line, and a stable offensive system in place. Frye hasn't had any of these. I don't love Frye, but he's not the worst QB I've seen either.

Draft needs

Looking at the team following the recent free-agent acquisitions, I think the biggest team needs, in order are:

1. Offensive line--free agency made it better, but still no stars.
2. Defensive line--same story. Could use a young end and dominate nose tackle.
3. Cornerback--what seemed to be the strongest spot a year ago has been devastated by injury.
4. Running back--Jamal Lewis is a big question mark and is only signed for 1 season.
5. Quarterback--Neither Charlie Frye or Derek Anderson looked like the answer last season, but between the awful line and change in offensive coordinator even Peyton Manning would have looked bad.
6. Wide receiver--Braylon Edwards is talented, but a distraction last year. Joe Jurevicius is solid but probably only has a few years left. Travis Wilson barely saw the field last year and Tim Carter has yet to live up to his billing.

At CB & DL there are no players worthy of being drafted #3, so unless the Browns trade down, its likely they will take one of the "fab five": QB JaMarcus Russell, QB Brady Quinn, RB Adrian Peterson, OT Joe Thomas, and WR Calvin Johnson.