Cleveland Browns
NFL Breakout Team 2008 - DefenseAugust 17, 2008
DE: Tamba Hali, 3rd yr, Kansas City Chiefs
Excellent run-defender who now gets a shot at more sacks playing on the right side.
DT: Amobi Okoye, 2nd yr, Houston Texans
Amazing natural power; could one day reach the level of a Warren Sapp.
AFC North 2008 Predictions and AwardsAugust 1, 2008
1. Pittsburgh Steelers
They return essentially the same defense that ranked No. 1 last year, plus they have several promising new weapons on offense.
2. Cleveland Browns
The trendiest pick in football this season. A division title is within reach, but what happens if Jamal Lewis or one of the defensive backs goes down?
3. Cincinnati Bengals
It’s nothing but chaos here. There’s enough talent for a playoff run, but that hasn’t seemed to matter the past two seasons.
4. Baltimore Ravens
Too much transition taking place for a team with this kind of quarterback situation.
Click cont. to see All-AFC North team and division awards
Cleveland Browns 2008 Preview ReportJuly 28, 2008
They don’t know how it happened. You know….it just sort of…did. Really fast. The Cleveland Browns fell in love. Her name is Success.
It’s hard to say exactly when the flame was ignited. A few years ago the Browns entrusted power in GM Phil Savage and then hired Patriots defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel to be their head coach. That’s when they first met Success. But the two didn’t fall in love right away. Not even close. In fact, they didn’t even like each other.
After going 6-10 in Crennel’s first season, the Browns and Success hardly spoke. When Cleveland went 4-12 in ’06, fans weren’t happy and the media was questioning Crennel’s future. Savage’s job didn’t seem all that secure either. In those times when the Browns did cross paths with Success, the interaction was cordial at best. Sometimes, the two sides were even acrimonious towards one another.
Still, friends always suspected that there might be something between the two.
Top 27 NFL Offseason AcquisitionsJune 11, 2008
1.) Jared Allen DE TRADE 6-6 270 4 Chiefs Vikings
Contract: 6 yrs, $78 million with incentives ($31 million guaranteed)
Traded with a 6th round pick in ’08 for a 1st round pick, two 3rd round picks and a 6th round pick
The Hope: The high-motor Allen builds on his league-leading 15.5-sack performance from a year ago.
The Caveat: The Chiefs labeled Allen an “at risk” player, thanks to is two DUI’s while in Kansas City.
The Reality: Without approving drinking and driving, the fact of the matter is Allen already served a two-game suspension and has been a model citizen over the past year and a half. His legal woes are behind him. On the field, he may very well…
NFL Draft in ‘04 and ‘05: Night and Day DifferenceApril 11, 2008
Yesterday, Eric Kuselias, filling in as host of the Mike Tirico Show, brought attention to the stunning difference between the success of the top 10 picks in the ’04 NFL draft versus the success – or lack thereof – of the top 10 selection in the ’05 draft.
Take a look at this:
1st pick
’04: Eli Manning, SD (NYG) – Super Bowl champion.
’05: Alex Smith, SF – Injury prone and anything but secure.
2nd pick
’04: Robert Galley, Oak – OK, so ’04 wasn’t flawless. This is the only disappointment.
’05: Ronnie Brown, Mia – Just one 1,000-yard season in three years, tore ACL in ’07.
3rd pick
’04: Larry Fitzgerald, Ari – You could argue he’s the best WR…
