The Plain Dealer tried to drum up some enthusiasm for a "Jeff Faine returns to Cleveland" storyline, but it just can't be done. Sure, the center position for the Browns has been a disaster since Bentley went down. But it was also a disaster before Bentley arrived! Faine is just one of the cast of characters to have manned the position. Sure, Faine is decent some of the time. He's a good puller and is sort of like another guy we used to have, Dave Wolaubaugh. But he got used far too often the past few years. And it's hard to see how the Browns would be better off with Faine than Fraley or Friedman.
For all the excitement around the center position, I'm relatively at ease about it. The guys we have now seem capable at least. We might not see above average play for the firt week or two, but once those guys get settled I'm expecting the team to be in decent shape. I'm pretty happy that both Fraley and Friedman could play guard as well because it's at guard that I think the Browns are most vulnerable to injury or a drop-off in play from Coleman or Andruzzi. Whatever happens, the line at present does at least have enough depth to withstand _one_ injury. It doesn't sound like much, but compared to years past it's not that bad.
So what'd gonna happen Sunday vs. the Saints? I think the Browns win. But, unfortunately, this is no sure thing. Some thoughs:
- Frye needs to look the part. Just like last year, he doesn't need to win the game or make a ton of big plays. But he must make good decisions and throw good balls.
- And Frye ought to follow the most underrated law of pro football: When in doubt or when a play breaks down, throw deep.
- I'm not worried about Droughns. Isn't that nice?
- We have two guys who play much better when it matters in Frye and Jurevicius. Hopefully they connect more than a few times.
- This is, if you think about it, Kellen Winslow's big debut. He's no longer a rookie, and he's been around the team for so long he should know exactly what's going on. We know he's going to be a presence. Hopefully that presence will extend to the stat sheet. I know I'm excited to see how he'll do. And, somewhat to my surprise, am rooting for the guy.
- Our linebackers looked good in the preseason and there is a tone of promise there. But they didn't look that great in covering running backs coming out as receivers. That's where Reggie Bush scares me.
- Of course, the news that Bush will also return punts means Zastudil may kick conservatively. That might be a good idea.
- But overall, I'm skeptical of Bush. I wonder if he can get to the outside, and whether he can gain tough yards when nothing else is there. The whole country will be waiting for him to bust a big play, and thuse all eyes will be on the defense. Especially the backside defenders who'll have to sit back and prevent big cutback lanes from opening up.
- Yeah, watching Faine collide with Washington will be entertaining. Faine will surely be one-half of a double team.
- Is Joe Horn fully healthy? If he's not, that should help our injured secondary. Still, the Saints don't have recognizable names behind Horn. Devery Hendersen is getting a little hype as the #3 WR. And I've never heard of Marques Colston. Hopefully Ic an still say that Sunday afternoon.
- OSU grad and Westlake resident Kevin Houser is the Saints longsnapper.
- Drew Brees seems like a great quarterback to get a guy like Bush the ball. Brees is sort of like a Tom Brady-lite. He throws a good ball, hits the open guy, and has no problem dumping off to the open guy. Which means he can't have time to throw all afternoon.
The keys to me are simply 1) Stop the run, 2) Deny Bush the ball and hit him hard when you can, 3) sitck with a conservative offensive gameplan and occasionally throw deep.
A few thoughts about the Steelers/Dolphins game last night:
- Willie Parker looked really good. He's still fast, but he ran with a bit more power than last year. I think the Steelers are in a good shape as long as Parker is suiting up.
- Culpepper '06 still looks a bit like Culpepper '05. I just don't think he can play very well when the pressure is on, but we'll see.
- Charlie Batch is officially a "solid backup." And, of course, he's got the best job in all of sports now -- good backup, plays sparingly, will have a very long career, hometown hero, and under little or no pressure. Oh, and makes a good buck considering.
- Hines Ward wasn't smiling for much of the night. What gives?
- Heath Miller is going to be a big beneficiary of Randle El leaving town. That long TD pass and run was a little flucky, but expect Miller to collect a fair number of 25 yard rumbles.
- For this night, the Steelers appeared quite capable of defending their title. The defense in particular seemed ready to roll.
The Dolphins didn't really look bad either. The defense played well until the Heath Miller blown coverage. The offense looked pretty good at times, but hte o-line broke down a lot and
Predictions for this weekend's games in the NFL... and yeah, i wrote this on Tuesday but am not getting around to posting it until Friday, so it's hard to claim too much credit for the Thursday night game. Not that it matters much. Freaking Steelers.
Thursday, Sep. 7 Miami at Pittsburgh. Steelers find a way, but with Roethlisberger destined not to play it wouldn't be shocking for the Dolphins to win this. I just don't think Culpepper is ready to face the Steelers defense.
Sunday, Sep. 10
Atlanta at Carolina. Falcons have no answer for the Panther offense. Baltimore at Tampa Bay. Tampa makes a statement.
Buffalo at New England. New England wins but it could be an ugly game.
Cincinnati at Kansas City. Cincinnati looks like a juggernaut.
Denver at St. Louis. Denver controls the pace, and the Rams offense doesn't show up.
New Orleans at Cleveland. Bush is bottled up, and Saints don't have the receivers to take advantage of Browns secondary.
N.Y. Jets at Tennessee. Titans exceed everyone's expectations.
Philadelphia at Houston. Houston scores the upset.
Seattle at Detroit. Seattle wins with defense.
Chicago at Green Bay. Bears win easily.
Dallas at Jacksonville. Jaguars remind everyone they were a contender in 2005.
San Francisco at Arizona. Cardinals will start the season on a high note.
Indianapolis at N.Y. Giants. Giants win, Colts thin roster is exposed.
Monday, Sep. 11
Minnesota at Washington. No one should win this game, but the Redskins are at home.
San Diego at Oakland. A great chance for Rivers to start on a positive. But a loss would be killer.