Looking At 2006 In The Rear View Mirror
Outside of Lindsay Lohan's character in her 2006 whiff "Just My Luck" — which nobody saw or cared about — only the Cleveland Browns have had worse string of luck.
The franchise has been playing as poorly as the only other thing we immediately associate with the color brown, and their fortunes did not turn for the better in 2006.
It started with prized free agent center LeCharles Bentley, who blew out his knee roughly 10 seconds after he received a direct deposit for the guaranteed money in his $36 million deal.
Injuries were a consistent theme for the Browns in 2006 and they came in many fashions.
Veteran cornerback Daylon McCutcheon missed all of 2006 with a knee injury, while 2005 prized free agent cornerback Gary Baxter became the first player in NFL history to tear patellar tendons in both knees on the same play. Free safety Brian Russell, and another corner, Leigh Bodden, were also touched up with injuries.
On offense, the Browns also played without top wideout, Joe Jurevicius, for several weeks.
You can't take that many key players off a team and still expect to compete.
But the Browns have failed in other areas; most notably, player drafting. Considering this team has been selecting during the first hour on draft day since they started up again in Cleveland, they haven't harvested many quality prospects.
Player development has also been an issue, as demonstrated last season.
Third-round pick Travis Wilson didn't get much playing time even though the Browns are thin at wide receiver. He only finished with two receptions. Two other rookies, running back Jerome Harrison and guard Isaac Sowells, also should have seen more playing time, but the coaching staff was more concerned with wins and short-term goals.
But it wasn't all sour for Cleveland; they did hit the bulls-eye with linebackers Kamerion Wimbley, who finished with 11 sacks as a rookie, D'Qwell Jackson, who finished third on the team with 93 tackles, and Leon Williams, who is the top backup at the position.
Also, the development of safeties Brodney Pool and Sean Jones came to an end and the result was a fairly good product. Jones had a decent case for the Pro Bowl, leading the team with 111 tackles and five interceptions, along with half a sack and one fumble recovery.
Growth on offense was not as noticeable. The Browns quarterback situation elucidated and now it's clear that neither Charlie Frye nor Derek Anderson are franchise quarterbacks. Free agent tackle Kevin Shaffer is a big waste of $36 million, while supposed star-in-the-making receiver Braylon Edwards dropped many key passes.
The good news was that tight end Kellen Winslow was finally healthy and led the team with 89 receptions.
Using Letters to Breakdown Numbers: Draft History
Since 1999, they have been one of the poorest drafting teams of all-time. Making that fact worse is the detail that the Browns have been calling names in the first hour on draft throughout most of their second term in the NFL.
The Browns have amassed 40 wins in eight seasons with only one winning season (nine wins), meaning that they have had the top pick in the draft twice and have been picking sixth or better five times.
From 1999-2001, the only quality players they drafted were Gerard Warren and Anthony Henry. They had 32 picks in those three drafts, the aforementioned two are the only impact players on any NFL rosters. It should be noted that Warren was largely a bust in Cleveland.
1999 produced: Tim Couch, Kevin Johnson, Rahim Abdullah, Daylon McCutcheon, Marquis Smith, Wali Rainer, Darrin Chiaverini, Marcus Spriggs, Kendall Ogle, James Dearth, and Madre Hill.
Aside from Johnson and McCutcheon, who weren't much more than solid for a short period of time, the Browns came up empty-handed.
2000 produced: Courtney Brown, Dennis Northcutt, Travis Prentice, JaJuan Dawson, Lewis Sanders, Aaron Shea, Anthony Malbrough, Lamar Chapman, Spergon Wynn, Brad Bedell, Manuia Savea, Eric Chandler, and Rashidi Barnes.
This was a real burn job. No starters and the top prize being Dennis Northcutt, who finished his career in Cleveland with 276 receptions.
2001 was a bit better: Gerard Warren, Quincy Morgan, James Jackson, Anthony Henry, Jeremiah Pharms, Michael Jameson, Paul Zukauskas, and Andre King.
I urge you to re-read some of these names. So many of them came and went without so much as even a sound.
From 2002-2004, the Browns hit with Melvin Fowler, Jeff Faine, Kellen Winslow, and Sean Jones. That's four out of 21 — and two of which play for other teams.
By this point, even the law of averages was spitting in the Browns' face.
So let me sum this up: from 1999-2004, the Browns had 54 picks (an average of nine selections per draft) and the only prospects that played well enough for them to keep long-term were Kellen Winslow and Sean Jones. And with Winslow, they discussed out clauses after he pulled a Ben Roethlisberger.
Ouch.
Yes, the Browns have had terrible injury luck. They have also employed a blind, deaf, and dumb scouting staff that has screwed over the foundation of this team for years. The NFL draft is where you build your team and that is largely why the Browns only have 40 wins since returning to the NFL.
A Stroke of Luck
If you believe in fate, karma, kismet, and Meg Ryan movies, then maybe you'll believe that the Browns finally caught a break that can turn their franchise around.
I don't believe in Meg Ryan movies — although "Courage Under Fire" was good — but I do believe that when Brady Quinn dropped slid down the draft board and the Browns traded up to get him, I believe it changed the course of their franchise.
Call it fate, or just call it drafting a quarterback that legitimately has a chance to make an impact, but the Browns will remember this day as the day their fortunes turned.
Without question, the Browns should start him right off the bat. There's no secret; we all know he is going to take over the reigns this season, so there is no reason to throw Frye or Anderson into the job and create a lame-duck situation.
The Browns offense is not your typical 4-12 unit. With the return of LeCharles Bentley, the signing of Eric Steinbach and the drafting of Joe Thomas, the Browns should have the protection in place for Quinn. It's not like he's stepping in behind the Texans line and getting murdered.
In the passing game, Quinn will have targets to work with. Braylon Edwards has apparently matured and is the big-play wideout. Joe Jurevicius is much more reliable as the No. 2. At tight end, Winslow proved to be a premier safety valve for the Browns' quarterbacks last season, and as long as he's healthy, will give Quinn more than enough to work with.
The running game is upgraded, as odd as that sounds, since Jamal Lewis is taking over. The Browns were a terrible rushing team last year and Lewis, even in a mediocre season, had two more rushing touchdowns (9) than the Browns' whole team (7). He is far less hesitant than his predecessors and he is working with a good offensive line.
Quinn is supposed to be the most NFL ready quarterback in this year's class. We will find out shortly.
How's the 25th-Ranked Defense Coming Along?
So after I mashed the Browns for a terrible drafting history, I will complement them for last year's work.
In one draft, the Browns plucked Kamerion Wimbley, D'Qwell Jackson, and Leon Williams. Wimbley and Jackson should start, while Williams will be a top backup. That's how you lay the foundation for future success.
Combine those young studs with tackling machine Andra Davis and veteran Willie McGinest. Two years ago, when the Romeo Crennel first took over the head coaching job and switched the defense to a 3-4, the Browns were short on linebackers. Now this is the defense's strong suit.
Up front, though, the Browns are still inadequate. 39-year-old nose tackle Ted Washington could give out at any second, which would cripple the defense. Orpheus Roye, who at 34 looks like a young sprite compared to Washington, has played 11 seasons in the NFL. Robaire Smith, the other of the three starters, is the only significant addition to this unit — of course, using the word "significant" loosely.
The secondary is also somewhat of a question mark. They get a boost with addition of talented second-round pick Eric Wright, but would get an even bigger shot in the arm if Gary Baxter came back and played well. He probably won't be around at the start of the season.
That throws Wright right into the fire and he'll start opposite of Leigh Bodden. The jury is still out on him, as well.
After a breakout year, expectations will be even higher for strong safety Sean Jones. The bar is also raised for his partner Brodney Pool after the Brian Russell exited via free agency. On talent alone, both are up to the task and could be a very good, young duo.
Four Wins Again?
Here's breaking news: the Browns will struggle this season.
Listen, everybody has to walk before they recklessly ride motorcycles around a parking lot and the Browns are no different. But if they start Quinn from the jump, the Browns should experience a growth spurt in the second half of the season. If they can do that, Crennel's job will probably be safe but more importantly, it will prove that their luck has finally changed and that they have in fact turned the corner on this horrible stretch of losing.
Biggest Weakness: Leadership — This is a young squad who is building their chemistry right now. Who will step up and take the reigns?
Offensive X-Factor: Brady Quinn — Look at Vince Young, Matt Leinart, and Jay Cutler, and the three teams that drafted them last season. Quinn has sparked of optimism in Cleveland and needs to back it on the field.
Defensive X-Factor: Brodney Pool — The Browns gave up 20 touchdowns through the air last season and need to cut that down. Pool has the potential to be a game-changer.
Fantasy Market: Buy Low
Am I going to recommend you draft Jamal Lewis? Yes, I am. Remember, this is a buy low recommendation, and his value is pretty low at this point. On paper, the Browns have a pretty good offensive line and Lewis is one more year removed from a serious ankle injury. Is he still a 2,000-yard running back? No. But he did finish with 1,132 rushing yards and 9 touchdowns last season. Don't expect those numbers to go way up, mostly because his team will be playing from behind more than the Ravens did, but expecting around 1,200 yards and 8-10 touchdowns is reasonable; Reuben Droughns, who is an inferior running back, did it two years ago in a worse rendition of this offense.
"Vegas" Dave Golokhov hosts "THE Fantasy Show" on Hardcore Sports Radio, channel 186 on Sirius Satellite Radio, beginning September. Send media requests, thoughts, love letters, or hate mail to [email protected].
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