A History Repeated - A Browns Franchise.

[Roncatto]

BROWNS LOSE THE PLOT AS MIAMI STROLL TO WIN

BROWNS 17 - 34 MIAMI

The Cleveland Browns led 17-6 at half-time and then captiulated in the second half.

Rookie QB Colt McCoy self-destructed throwing 3 interceptions as the Dolphins took full advantage.

The main concern for the Browns is the woeful catching of their recieving core. Key dropped passes all over the field is given McCoy too much to do on 3rd downs leaving the extra possibility of the ball being turned over.

NFL Scoreboard - Cleveland Browns (6-6) at Miami Dolphins (4-7-1)

December 5, 2010 1 2 3 4 F Cleveland Browns 10 7 0 0 17 Miami Dolphins 0 6 8 20 34 Top Performers Cleveland Browns - Stats Miami Dolphins - Stats Tyler Thigpen - 14/26 271yrds 2TD Ronnie Brown - 18 for 116yrds

Team Stats Comparison CLE MIA First Downs 11 11 3rd Down Efficiency 3-13 2-11 4th Down Efficiency 1-3 0-0 Total Yards 445 489 Passing Yards 195 271 Rushing Yards 60 139 Penalties-Penalty Yards 225 3-15 Turnovers 3 2 Time of Possession 24:02 19:58

OperationSports.com

[Roncatto]

AFC NORTH GOING DOWN TO THE WIRE

The playoff picture is looking pretty clear in most areas with just the AFC NORTH and NFC EAST being a lottery for the keen gamblers out there.

With 1 game separting all 4 teams in the AFC NORTH and divisonal matchups approaching, no one can predict the outcome of that division

The Browns, who at the start of the season were looking just to consolodate this year with new faces and a linebacker core being torn up, find themselves on the cusp of a playoff spot.

They play at the Buffalo Bills next week and need the win there to keep their hopes alive as their last three games are all against their divisional rivals.

[Roncatto]

(played the last 4 games back to back to get season done)

fast forward >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Browns 14 - 13 Bills
Browns 13 - 31 Bengals
Ravens 7 - 6 Browns
Steelers 16 - 24 Browns

BROWNS - FINISHED 8-8 - 4th in AFC NORTH.

Although they were expected to finish last in the divsion, no one will be having any complaints with the team after finishing 8-8 in the tightest division in NFL History. In the end both the Bengals and the Steelers made it to the playoffs with 10-6 records but with so many tight games the records could have been so different.

HC Eric Mangini was full of praise for his team:- "I don't remember the last team that won 8 games and finished last in their division, if it has happened at all. Teams have even made it to the playoffs with records like ours and I am very proud of all the guys. We had a tough start with many injuries but we battled on and the hopefully we can bring this mommentum into next season and make a big push into the playoffs."

The big reason for the Browns performances this season was the incredible tenacity of the defense. They were without their 2 star Middle Linebackers for the whole season and at one point they only had 5 fit linebackers for one game. Despite this handicap and finishing last in Interceptions, the team managed to force an incredible 26 fumbles and recovered a league leading 15 of them. If everyone can get fit for next year the defense is already looking good.

ELSEWHERE.......

So the Regular season has finished and the standings are as follows.

NFL Standings - 2011 Season

AFC East	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	PF	PA
Y - Patriots	9	7	0	56.2	4-2	443	349
Jets	9	7	0	56.5	3-3	337	335
Bills	7	8	1	46.8	2-3-1	295	306
Dolphins	5	10	1	34.3	2-3-1	285	304
AFC North	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	PF	PA
Y - Bengals	10	6	0	62.5	5-1	322	284
X - Steelers	10	6	0	62.5	3-3	286	247
Ravens	8	8	0	50	2-4	248	262
Browns	8	8	0	50	2-4	329	318
AFC South	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	PF	PA
Y - Jaguars	12	4	0	75	5-1	399	342
X - Colts	11	5	0	68.7	3-3	412	313
Texans	7	9	0	43.7	3-3	277	330
Titans	6	10	0	37.5	1-5	301	338
AFC West	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	PF	PA
Z - Chargers	14	2	0	87.5	6-0	382	279
Chiefs	8	8	0	50	2-2	314	320
Broncos	7	9	0	43.7	3-1	310	342
Raiders	5	11	0	31.2	2-2	292	348
NFC East	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	PF	PA
Y - Redskins	9	7	0	56.2	2-4	340	348
X - Giants	8	8	0	50	4-2	280	295
Eagles	7	9	0	43.7	2-4	278	293
Cowboys	6	10	0	37.5	4-2	267	326
NFC North	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	PF	PA
Y - Bears	13	3	0	81.2	5-1	365	246
Vikings	8	8	0	50	4-2	342	311
Lions	5	11	0	31.2	1-5	272	396
Packers	4	12	0	25	2-4	309	329
NFC South	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	PF	PA
Z - Saints	13	3	0	81.2	5-1	373	260
X - Falcons	11	5	0	68.7	4-2	337	263
Panthers	6	10	0	37.5	3-3	309	330
Buccaneers	3	13	0	18.7	0-6	215	374
NFC West	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	PF	PA
Y - Rams	9	6	1	59.3	2-3-1	332	318
49ers	6	9	1	40.6	3-2-1	297	281
Seahawks	6	10	0	37.5	4-2	289	337
Cardinals	4	12	0	25	2-4	252	365

OperationSports.com

[Roncatto]

.....and into the playoffs we go...


WILD CARD ROUND:

STEELERS 16 - 28 BENGALS

GIANTS 14 - 20 RAMS

COLTS 10 - 30 PATRIOTS

FALCONS 23 - 17 REDSKINS

DIVISIONAL ROUND:

PATRIOTS 14 - 21 CHARGERS

RAMS 16 - 30 SAINTS

BENGALS 30 - 27 JAGUARS

FALCONS 21 - 10 BEARS

CONFERENCE ROUND:

BENGALS 17 - 27 CHARGERS

FALCONS 17 - 34 SAINTS

SUPER BOWL:

SAINTS WIN SHOOTOUT IN BRILLIANT SUPERBOWL.

Cowboys Stadium was built for occasions like this. 2 top quarterbacks leading their teams and both teams playing exceptional football.

In the end Drew Brees came out the victor and the Saints retain the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

NFL Scoreboard - New Orleans Saints (13-3) at San Diego Chargers (14-2)

February 6, 2011 1 2 3 4 F New Orleans Saints 7 10 7 7 31 San Diego Chargers 0 14 7 7 28 Top Performers New Orleans Saints - Stats Drew Brees - 29/42 400yrds 4TD INT Marques Colston - 6REC 78yrds 3TD San Diego Chargers - Stats Philip Rivers - 24/32 218yrds 4TD Malcom Flloyd - 7REC 86Yrds 2TD

Team Stats Comparison NO SD First Downs 17 18 3rd Down Efficiency 15-21 13-17 4th Down Efficiency 1-1 13-17 Total Yards 560 492 Passing Yards 371 218 Rushing Yards 45 87 Penalties-Penalty Yards 6-44 4-30 Turnovers 2 0 Time of Possession 29:16 30:14

OperationSports.com

[Roncatto]

BROWNS 2011 REVIEW AND POST SEASON

Well HC Eric Mangini was right when he said that the Browns have to be very satisfied with their season. The team battled to 8-8 and with so many injuries and having to throw in a Rookie QB sooner than expected, the team did very well and can have real optimism going forward

Positives -

• Defense - Even though they gave up the 5th most amount of yards, the defense played to the tools they had available and made plays at crucial times. Yes there is room for improvment in the saftey positions but with D'qwell Jackson returning after a year out the defense has already be stepped up.

• The Emergence of Colt McCoy - No one expected to see much of the Rookie out of Texas as he got up to speed with the NFL, but when Jake Delhomme performances began to effect the team, Colt was thrown into the lions den and handled himself really well. A fractured elbow mean't he missed the last 2 games but McCoy finished the season with very respectable Rookie figures

108/223 1555yrds 10TD 5INT 77.1 QB Rating.

• Benjamin Watson - The big tight end out of Georgia Tech had an exceptional season. 66 Receptions for 1017 yards and 4TD mean't he the 2nd most yards in the NFL outside of Wide Recievers (Dallas Clark beat him by 6 yards). He has become potentially the leading TE in the league.

• The Running Game - Jerome Harrison ran for 1233 yards with 10TD and finished 5th in the league overall. With Peyton Hills supporting in goalline situations the Browns finished with 15 rushing TD's (3rd in the league).

Negatives

• The rest of the offense - With McCoy being a pretty accuarte thrower and with a pretty decent offensive line (with the exception of the Right Tackle position), the Browns offense should have done better. Why didn't they? COULD NOT GET OPEN AND WHEN THEY DID THEY DROPPED PASSES! This will be the big focus in training and the scouts will be on the lookout for some quality possesion recievers in the upcoming FA and Draft.

• Fumbles incredible, interceptions poor - Only 7 Interceptions all season and this was due to several factors. Poor saftey play mean't the Browns fairly talented cornerbacks found themselves one on one on many occasions. Also with a linebacker core stretched thin, the focus was more on stopping the play rather than going for the kill.

The coaching staff remained pretty much intact with only Offensive Co-Ordinator Brian Daboll being released and replaced by San Diego's ex- HC Norv Turner to get the situation going.

It was a suprising move by Turner who had only just lost the Super Bowl. In a Statement he said "I got the chargers to their current peak and i felt that their was nothing more I could do with the team. I leave on a high after 4 wonderful years in San Diego. I came to Cleveland because I very much like working with new Quarterbacks and I see a lot of potential in Colt McCoy and hopefully I can help to develop his game as well as the overall offense as a whole. There is a good nucleus here and with a few additions we could have a very potent offense in the years to come."

Re-Signings.

With many of the key players re-signed during the season only a few players were needed to be negotiated with.

Re-Signings :

• D Jackson MLB 5yr $22.05m
• R Smith LE 2yr $5.48m
• C Gocong MLB 5yr $12.08m
• M Roth LOLB 5yr $14.86m
• A Rubin DT 4yr $16.07m
• P Hillis HB 5yr $22.40m

Players Waived:

Marcus Benard LOLB
Floyd Womack RG
Seneca Wallce QB
Abram Elam FS
Oren O'Neal FB
Steve Vallos C
Jason Trusnik MLB
Sam Aiken WR

[Roncatto]

TEAM NEEDS

The team heads into the free agency period and the draft with several priority positions needed.

Right Tackle - Main weak point of the offensive line.

Wide Reciever's - Need people with good hands and able to work the inside channels. Too many dropped passes last year led to too many drives being halted.

Saftey's - Need both a FS and SS to boost the deep coverage that at times lacked. With a quartet of good cornerbacks on the roster, this is vital to complete the pass coverage game.

DE's - Gapping hole here. Need both sides covered here and looking for some big guys in the Browns 3-4 Scheme.

OLB's - Need some speedy guys here as current set solid but not explosive.

Offensive line cover - Guard and Center positons to be looked at for cover.


The Team needs about 10/11 players to give the team real depth. With the Free Agency up and some promising talent in this years draft, the Browns need to be on the ball to get their guys. The good news is they have a decent amount of salary cap space to really develop the team.

[Roncatto]

FREE AGENCY.

Early Doucet - WR - 83 - 5yr $39.37m
Jimmy Graham - TE - 66 - 4yr $3.04m (good speed and potential)
W.T Fairclough - LG - Undrafted Rookie - 35 - 3yr $2.28m - hmmmm
Kroy Biermann - LE - 75 - 5yr $20.59m - Like him as a player
David Vobora - LOLB - 66 - 3yr $2.64m - Backup
Charlie Whitehurst - QB - 71 - 5yr $8.70m - Solid backup to Colt.


DRAFT.

Needed more positions than picks available so traded 1st round for Cowboys 2nd,3rd and 4th.

• Shane Duncan - C - 76 - Great backup across the inner line
• Brandon Sanders - RT - 87 - 6'7" Monster to start straight away on the rightside.
• Anthony Bradley - RE(changed from LE) - 73 - Big inner defensive end team needs.
• Andre Thornton - CB - 44 - Bit of a bust, however at 6'3" and with 91 speed might keep him to how he gets on. Possible backup to Cribbs in return game.
• Korey St. John - SS - 85 - Looks like could be star player. Great attributes and incredible speed.
• Billy Parker - P - 80 - Accurate and can tackle??
• Jordan Bray - FS - 71 - Add's good depth and high potential.
• Shakiel Holder - WR - 77 - Recieving core lacked height....not anymore, 6'7" beast.
• Drew Kramer - RG - 78 - Straight into the lineup.

A very successfull off-season for the Browns. The Offensive line is now stacked and should provide good protection for Colt McCoy. The WR core is now looking good and the saftey situation has been dealt with. Couple of poor signings but we see how they get on.

[Roncatto]

2012 Cleveland Browns Line-up

(* denotes Rookie )

Cleveland Browns - 2012 Depth Chart - Regular Offense

	Starter	2nd	3rd	4th
WR	Antonio Bryant (83)	Mo Massquoi (82)	Josh Cribbs (75)
TE	Benjamin Watson (81)	Jimmy Graham (66)	Robert Royal (67)
LT	Joe Thomas (97)	James Marten (67)
LG	Eric Steinbach (86)	*W.T Faircloth (35)
C	Alex Mack (92)	*Shane Duncan (76)
RG	*Drew Kramer (78)	Shawn Lauvao (72)
RT	*Brandon Sanders (87)	Tony Pashis (73)
WR	Early Doucet (83)	*Shakiel Holder (77)	Brian Robskie (71)
QB	Colt McCoy (76)	Charlie Whitehurst (71)	Jake Delhomme (68)
FB	Lawrence Vickers (86)
HB	Jerome Harrison (83)	Peyton Hillis (81)	James Davis (74)

Cleveland Browns - 2012 Depth Chart - Base 3-4 Defense

	Starter	2nd	3rd	4th
LDE	Kroy Biermann (75)	Robaire Smith (74)
NT	Shaun Rodgers (89)	Ahtba Rubin (77)	Louis Leonard (66)
RDE	*Anthony Bradley (73)	Kenyon Coleman(69)
LOLB	Matt Roth (79)	David Vobora (66)
LILB	D'Qwell Jackson (83)	Eric Barton (73)
RILB	Chris Gocong (76)	Kaluka Maiava (71)
ROLB	Scott Fujita (73)	David Bowens (70)
CB	Joe Haden (85)	Eric Wright (82)	*Andre Thornton (44)
SS	Korey St.John (85)	T.J Ward (81)
FS	Mike Adams (77)	*Jordan Bray (71)
CB	Sheldon Brown (82)	Macho Harris (77)

Cleveland Browns - 2012 Depth Chart - Special Teams

	Starter	2nd	3rd	4th
K	Phil Dawson (85)
P	*Billy Parker (80)
H
PR	Josh Cribbs (99)	*Andre Thornton (71)
KR	Josh Cribbs (99)	*Andre Thornton (71)
LS	Joe Thomas (99)

OperationSports.com