Cleveland Browns

By ChrisPokorny I was pleased to be joined by Ed, our New York Giants affiliate, who has the pleasure of running Big Blue View, to preview Monday's game. We did a question-and-answer segment in the preseason, so I tried as best as I could to differ the questions a little bit this time. Enjoy!

By ChrisPokorny I saw a quote from head coach Romeo Crennel over on the OBR that made me laugh. Maybe I'm just confused as to what he's trying to refer to: Crennel said Anderson might need to go back to taking what the defense gives him, like he did in 2007. Link

By ChrisPokorny Louis Leonard / Corey Williams: Combined, the pair jumped offsides four times (two a piece). Not only does that give the other team an automatic five yards if they so choose to accept the penalty, it gives them four free plays. In a way, they are the most costly penalties of all for a defensive p...

By ChrisPokorny CLEVELAND BROWNS (0-3) WEEK 3 CINCINNATI BENGALS (0-3)VS. Date:September 28, 2008Location:Cincinnati, OH Time:1:00 p.m. ET Stadium:Paul Brown Stadium TV:CBS Favorite:Bengals by 3½ Kevin Harlan, Rich Gannon Quarterback Running Back Offensive Line Linebacker

By ChrisPokorny Where does that leave the Browns then? We are giving Derek Anderson one more shot. He has not shown any sign of needing to be our quarterback of the future for the first three games of this season. Bringing up last season's struggles toward the end of the year do not affect that -- last year was An...

By ChrisPokorny So, where should I go with the breakdown of this game? The Derek Anderson / Romeo Crennel replacement storylines are so hot right now, perhaps I can offer a take on some of the other issues that happened with the game. So, for the majority of this review, I'll try to hold off "extensive" discus...

By ChrisPokorny CLEVELAND BROWNS (0-2) WEEK 3 BALTIMORE RAVENS (1-0)VS. Date:September 21, 2008Location:Baltimore, MD Stadium:Browns Stadium TV:CBS Radio:WMMS, 100.7 FMOver/Under:38½SBN Coverage:Baltimore BeatdownAnnouncers Quarterback Running Back Offensive Line Linebacker

By ChrisPokorny Romeo Crennel: It's not the 0-2 record that has him under fire. Instead, it's the fact that the most remedial, yet most critical, aspect of the game -- time management -- is severely lacking for the second week in a row. This week, it was more of a problem because there was a high percentage chan...

By ChrisPokorny In order for the Browns to beat the Steelers, we're going to need more contributions from Cribbs than just kick and punt returns. We're going to need him on offense too. In the national spotlight, there's no better player than Cribbs to alleviate the pressure facing the rest of the team. Hopef...

By ChrisPokorny For the second year in a row, the Cleveland Browns did not fair off too well in their season opener (which also happens to be at home). All offseason, we wanted the schedule makers to give us the same respect that other contenders in the league were being given. For the first game, we laid a big eg...

By ChrisPokorny DALLAS COWBOYS (0-0) WEEK 1CLEVELAND BROWNS (0-0)VS. Date:September 7, 2008Location:Cleveland, OH Time:4:15 p.m. ET Stadium:Browns Stadium TV:FOX Favorite:Cowboys by 5½ Buck/Aikman Quarterback Running Back Offensive Line Linebacker

By ChrisPokorny So, what has changed at the linebacker position this year? Absolutely nothing. Grade: D+ Offensive Line Special Teams Take a look at this quote from last year's special teams preview I wrote, regarding Browns kicker Phil Dawson:

By ChrisPokorny Chris: "Imagine you're the Browns. Knowing the Cowboys' defensive strengths and weaknesses, what area of the defense should the Browns attack (run vs. pass, a certain player, etc.)?" Chris: "The Browns were 6-0 at home under Derek Anderson last season. Who do you anticipate winning the gam...

By ChrisPokorny Every year, it's fun to predict the very first offensive play of the Cleveland Browns NFL season. 2007 (Pittsburgh): Jamal Lewis rushed to the right for 2 yard gain. 2004 (Baltimore): William Green rushed to the right for 1 yard gain. 2001 (Seattle): Tim Couch passed to Kevin Johnson for 28 ya...

By ChrisPokorny One final note to catch up on: Crennel is deciding not to sign another quarterback after Anderson's injury. That means the team is down to just two quarterbacks. Many fans originally speculated that Anderson may have suffered a significant shoulder injury when he was driven into the groun...

By ChrisPokorny Cribbs flashes a strong arm (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Cabot) Day 24 of training camp (WTAM, Knott) Training camp report: Day 24 (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Cabot) Don't forget to check out my first 53-man roster projection, which was posted before Friday's training camp report.

By ChrisPokorny Only 53 men can make the make the Cleveland Browns final roster, meaning a lot of players are fighting for their jobs on a daily basis. Here is my first official roster projection for the 2008-2009 NFL season: PosFinal RosterPlayers CutQBDerek Anderson Andra Davis Phil Dawson

By ChrisPokorny Now, bring on the New York Giants. The Browns don't play for awhile again -- until next Monday to be specific. Against the defending Super Bowl champions, it'll be a better test to see our starters get a quarter and a half to a full half of action.

By ChrisPokorny I'm sure many of you were in attendance at Cleveland Browns Stadium Friday Night to catch the team's only training camp practice of the season on the shores of Lake Erie. You couldn't have asked for better weather -- the sun was going down just as practice started so everyone was in the shade,...

By ChrisPokorny First few minutes is general NFL news now...Quinn Pitcock retiring after one year, first-round draft picks signing, etc.Caller asks what the team should do if Quinn says "play me, or trade me" next year. Hosts say the Browns should reply "you shouldn't have held out in your rookie year".Willie...

By ChrisPokorny Sunday's practice was a little light compared to the past couple of days. We're under a week away from the team's practice at Cleveland Browns Stadium, meaning the excitement continues to build day-by-day. Eric Wright bringing swagger, glow (Official Site, Jackson)

By ChrisPokorny Browns morning practice notes (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Cabot) Can Browns pay Sean Jones? (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Cabot) Saturday morning in Berea (OBR Forums) Saturday PM: Who practiced, who didn't (Orange and Brown Report)

By ChrisPokorny Browns training camp postcard (Sports Illustrated, King)Adventures in the decleating zone (Orange and Brown Report)Cleveland Browns training camp, Day 2 (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Grossi)First hit energizes Smith (Official Site, Jackson)Camp report: Winslow ready for an encore...

By ChrisPokorny As for Grossi though, he recaps a recent interview with Cleveland Browns tight end Kellen Winslow. Among the topics that Winslow discussed: his contract situation from earlier in the offseason: I want to be here with Romeo [Crennel, head coach] and [offensive coordinator Rob] Chudzins...

By ChrisPokorny Worst Attribute: Against the Steelers - The same criticism that was brought up in the running back preview for Jamal Lewis applies to Edwards. Despite Edwards' Pro Bowl season last year, guess which team his two least productive games came against? The Pittsburgh Steelers. In two games ve...

By ChrisPokorny Even the fullback situation heading into this season seems to be in good shape after determining that are quarterback and running back depth were good enough for passing grades. With only two fullbacks on the roster right now (excluding players that are labeled as "tight end" with the pot...

By ChrisPokorny Worst Attribute: Facing the Steelers - I don't care what he did when he was with the Baltimore Ravens. As great at Lewis was last season for the Browns, he failed to deliver against the Steelers. Take a look at his stats against Pittsburgh last year:

By ChrisPokorny A year ago in the OTAs and minicamp, Anderson and Quinn were completing 60-65 percent of their passes in drills, etc. Ken Dorsey was tops in the low 70s. They all struggled to learn the new offense. Now, Anderson is in the high 70s, Quinn approaching 75 percent along with Dorsey.

By ChrisPokorny Colvin pointed out his history with Browns coach Romeo Crennel, who was the Pats D-coordinator during part of his tenure there. Here's your Tuesday Link Collection: Five simple reasons the Browns should trade Derek Anderson (Bleacher Report)

By ChrisPokorny In two combined games against the Browns, Thurman was in on 16 tackles, had half of a sack, and had an interception. He wasn't a hit-or-miss player as a rookie either -- he was, in my opinion, the only young defensive player that has had a solid impact as a rookie for Cincinnati in several years....

By ChrisPokorny LB, Beau Bell via www.cleveland.com • How quickly will new linemen Corey Williams and Shaun Rogers adjust to the Browns' defense? • What about the Derek Anderson-Brady Quinn debate? Should every pass from each be scrutinized or should the media wait for training camp to do that?

By ChrisPokorny Last season, we faced three of our division rivals within the first four weeks of the season. The same holds true this season, as we face the Steelers, Ravens, and Bengals, respectively, from Week 2 to Week 4. After a bye in Week 5, we'll have another big test in the defending Super Bowl Champio...

By ChrisPokorny I've been a little behind on the news and nuggets the past several days because I was waiting for something more significant to happen with the Browns. Unfortunately, nothing too earth-shattering has come about, so I'll recap what happened over the past week: Haggans Leaves: It doesn't l...

By ChrisPokorny The Cowboys hired former Browns defensive coordinator Todd Grantham on Thursday, reports the organization. Grantham was let go from his contract by the Browns a few weeks ago and replaced with defensive backs coach Mel Tucker. Grantham will serve as the Cowboys' defensive line coach -- t...

By ChrisPokorny Browns offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski will interview for the Baltimore Ravens head-coaching position, General Manager Phil Savage said Thursday. I think the Browns will sign Crennel to an extension and retain Chudzinski.

By ChrisPokorny Offensive Line The 49ers are giving up 3.33 sacks per game. The Browns are giving up 1.2 sacks per game. Frank Gore is underachieving compared to what he did last week. Jamal Lewis is having his best season in years. You tell me which offensive line has the edge here?

By ChrisPokorny The Bengals didn't do a whole lot to beat the Browns 19-14. In fact, just about the only thing they did was not drop the interceptions Derek Anderson threw in the two-minute drill to close out the first half. This game was all about Anderson making questionable decisions all game long. Whether...

By ChrisPokorny Offensive Line It's really funny when you look back at my gameday preview from Week 2, because the Bengals were favored in the first five categories, including the offensive line. Things have definitely changed over the course of the season. On paper, Palmer has only been sacked a few more t...

By ChrisPokorny About once a year, I will watch a Browns game and three hours later, I almost get a "that's it?" type of feeling. That's what happened this past Sunday against the New York Jets for the most part. Up until Jamal Lewis' fourth quarter run, which energized the entire city of Cleveland, I felt like...

By ChrisPokorny For those of you that are confused why so many national media reporters have projected the Browns to finish in the cellar of the AFC North again, re-watch last night's game, particularly the efforts from Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson, and you'll see why. The Browns were so sloppy last nig...

By ChrisPokorny The Browns defeated the Chiefs in their first preseason game of the year by a final score of 16-12. Although the score didn't show it, the Browns clearly dominated the game overall with all three units. Before I get into too much analysis in the introduction here, let me jump right into my note...

By ChrisPokorny This is the official gameday topic for the first preseason game of the year, featuring the Kansas City Chiefs against the Cleveland Browns. All comments regarding the game should be posted in this topic. Last, but not least, GO BROWNS!!!

By ChrisPokorny Exp: 3 yearsThere's no questioning that Anderson did a much better job than Frye did at knowing when to get rid of the ball to prevent a sack last season. However, despite the fact that Anderson may perform better than Frye behind a poor offensive line, I believe the edge shifts back to Frye wi...

By ChrisPokorny Ranked as the 32nd wide receiver by Scott Wright, it seems like the Browns are interested in Steptoe's ability to return punts. His timed speed is only 4.59, but he has been praised for having quickness, similar to Dennis Northcutt. Steptoe, with a solid training camp, will probably be the ty...

By ChrisPokorny The draft is less than 24 hours away now, and all of the buzz regarding potential trades has already begun, including an interesting one involving the Cleveland Browns. According to ESPN's Ed Werder, the Oakland Raiders are considering a trade that would send our third overall pick of the...