2007 was the "season of dreams" for the Browns…as long as you are ok watching somebody else play in the post season on TV of course. However, ten wins is still ten wins and a higher sense of moral around town is in order. This week we'll hand out season grades for the team. Today is the offense while the defense/special teams grades will be out later this week. Enjoy.
Quarterbacks:
Charlie Frye started the year as the starter and after a horrific quarter and a half against Pittsburgh, was shown out the door faster than you can shove out a "slump buster" on a Saturday morning after a rough night at the bar the night before. Needless to say, neither was pretty. However the biggest shock of all was the emergence of Derek Anderson this year. Anderson was 10-5 as a starter and kept rookie Brady Quinn on the bench while throwing 29 touchdowns. Sure, as evidenced by his 19 picks he could toss up a few passes a game that make the average fan throw up in their dawg masks, but there is no doubt he's been the best passer since the Browns came back in 1999. In fact, a justifiable argument can be made that Derek was the team's most valuable player of 2007.
With both Anderson and Quinn, the Browns will potentially be entering next season with an impressive strength of having two quality quarterbacks 25 years old or younger. Third stringer Ken Dorsey also served a valuable role as mentor to both quarterbacks, in particular Quinn.
Grade: B+
Running Backs:
When Jamal Lewis was acquired via free agency last spring many observers figured this was a desperate move by a desperate player who found a team desperate enough to take a chance on him. Who could blame the naysayers? Lewis, at 27, looked like he was on the wrong side of his career due to being over worked for years in Baltimore thanks to way too many carries run behind a declining offensive line. Even fantasy football owners resisted Lewis until about the 5th or 6th round in most 10 or 12 team leagues over the past couple years.
What happened instead was a hungry Jamal showing up to training camp in his best shape in years. Lewis also looked as quick and powerful as ever as he ended up being the workhorse the Browns have sorely lacked for decades (!). Jamal became just the second Browns back to rush for more than 1,300 yards in a season and totaled 11 touchdowns despite missing two games due to injury. He has also been credited greatly for his locker room leadership by many of the young players on the team. Take that naysayers!
Backups Jason Wright and Jerome Harrison also performed will when called upon in both spot duty as well as injury replacements for Lewis in mid-season. Fullback Lawrence Vickers also excelled this year as a run blocker and was even named "all-pro" on some publications teams.
Grade: A-
Wide Receivers:
For football fans in Cleveland, 2007 may have been the year of the Braylon. This is a guy who made a remarkable comeback in just a year's time. Last year it seemed Braylon Edwards was on his way out of town…if not, at least out of favor with fans and the organization for on and off the field issues. There was even a rumor on draft day for a trade with Minnesota that involved Edwards and a third rounder for the Vikings' top pick. Braylon was looking like another typical first round wasted pick for the franchise.
Instead Braylon rededicated himself both on and off the field. He set up college scholarship programs totaling up to $1 million for inner city kids from his own pocket. He even starting going along with the crowd at home games to "Hang on Sloopy" and spelling out O-H-I-O with his arms as the song played during game breaks. Most importantly, Edwards was fully recovered from the ligament damage suffered during his rookie season and he turned into the receiver GM Phil Savage envisioned when he drafted him as his first draft pick. Braylon finished the season with a club record 16 touchdowns, 80 catches, and 1289 yards receiving.
The rest of the receiving corps left a lot to be desired. Joe Jurevicius was a reliable target, but his age is starting to catch up with him a bit. Number three receiver Tim Carter was a complete bust after coming from the Giants in a trade for Reuben Droughns. Travis Wilson, a third round pick in '05, wasn't active for a single game all season.
Grade: B
Tight Ends:
What more needs to be said about Kellen Winslow? The guy followed up his team record tying 89 catch season with 82 more catches for 1106 yards. Winslow has performed so well over the last two years that he's caused most Browns fans to catch amnesia as far as his first two injury plagued years are concerned. I know he'll never be as explosive a player as he was when he came out of "the U," but maybe there is something to his statement that 90% of Sgt Winslow may be still be better than anybody else in the league?
Yes, Winslow is rumored to be due for another surgery this offseason as he once again played the season out injured. Somebody promote this guy to Staff Sergeant already!
Backups Steve Heiden and Darnell Dinkens both did adequate jobs in roles that mostly required run blocking.
Grade: B+
Offensive Line:
The '06 offseason started with a bang as the Browns made a splash by signing guard Eric Steinbach on the first night of free agency. After the Jamal Lewis signing, Lewis told the media that Phil Savage promised he wasn't done re-stocking the offensive line. Savage kept that promise on draft day when he selected left tackle Joe Thomas with the third overall pick. Both Thomas and Steinbach elevated the Browns offensive line from the bottom of the league to one of the league's best.
The rest of the line stepped up as well. Hank Fraley, Ryan Tucker, and Kevin Schaeffer all performed at an above average to very good status most of the season. Fraley maintained the consistency he provided from the season prior while Tucker and Schaeffer both benefited from playing new positions on the line at right guard and right tackle.
Grade: A-
Outlook:
The 2007 proved to be an astronomical year of improvement for the Browns. While this offseason is expected to focus primarily on shoring up the defense, they still have some areas in which to improve for '08. A lot of fans seem to be eager to run Derek Anderson out of town to open up room for Quinn. The logic in that is up for debate. However, the offense's real pressing need is to find a wide receiver to compliment Braylon Edwards in the passing game. Another possible area to address could be at running back if the team can't reach an agreement with free agent to be Jamal Lewis.