Cleveland Browns fans are fed up. Their team is like that guy who always has a hot new business idea but can never keep an actual job. Change for the sake of change is the theme in Cleveland these days. Really, it’s been the theme since the franchise’s resurrection in 1999.

With head coaches serving more like one-term senators (Chris Palmer ’99-’00, Butch Davis ’01-’04, Romeo Crennel ’05-’08), the Browns have averaged roughly a 5-11 annual record in their second act.

Perhaps this last change––the firing of Crennel––was necessary. Yes, the former Patriot defensive coordinator got this promising young team to 10-6 in ’07. But last year’s 4-12 disaster revealed an unsettling softness permeating throughout the club. The Browns were being guided by a grandfather figure when, what they needed, was an ironfisted patriarch. Insert Eric Mangini. Owner Randy Lerner interviewed the 38-year-old just one day after he was suddenly fired by the Jets.

The prompt hiring of Mangini was met in Ohio with stone silence. That’s because the new ironfisted patriarch has a reputation for being more like a mysterious uncle: cold and distant. The media abhors Mangini’s obfuscation of all information. The Jets locker room these days, now under the direction of affable head coach Rex Ryan, has the milieu of a liberated nation. And now life has become very business-like for the Browns. A popular story this past offseason was how the new head coach asked all the rookies to “volunteer” to bus 10 hours to his football camp in Connecticut in between what many suspect have been illicitly-long OTA’s. Mangini, by the way, flew to Connecticut (though he bussed back).

Mangini’s “screw you, I’m in charge” attitude––mastered by tutor Bill Belichick––is an attitude that works for head coaches with winning pedigrees. But not for coaches with a 23-26 career record. (Belichick, who coached this franchise from ’91-’95, learned this when he himself was fired by the Browns after a 36-42 record here.)

More discerning to Cleveland fans than Mangini’s attitude is the fact that he may not actually bring much change anyway. After all, he is a former Patriots defensive coordinator, replacing Crennel, another former Patriots defensive coordinator. And Mangini’s partner in power, new GM George Kokinis is also a repeat of his respected predecessor, Phil Savage (Kokinis worked with him in Baltimore). Nameplates have changed, but the modus operandi, perhaps, has not.

Then again, Mangini and Kokinis have wasted no time reshaping the club in their own distinct image. It’s expected that 13 new veterans will be on the roster in Week 1, as well as at least six of the eight members of this year’s draft class. But why aren’t people impressed?

For one, fans are deeply skeptical after last year’s disappointment. Believing in the Browns feels a lot like believing in the American auto industry right now. For two, none of Cleveland’s moves have actually been that impressive. The Browns had two overriding weaknesses to address this past offseason: a declining rushing attack (ranked 26^th a year ago and headed by 30-year-old Jamal Lewis, whose production plummeted in ’08) and their non-existent pass-rush (17 sacks last season, tied for the second fewest in the NFL). Even in all their changes, the Browns literally did nothing in these two areas over the offseason.

Instead, Mangini stockpiled former Jets: defensive ends Kenyon Coleman and C.J. Mosley, outside linebacker David Bowens (a tepid pass-rusher, at best), inside linebacker Eric Barton, safety Abram Elam and cornerback Hank Poteat. With the exception of Coleman and Mosley, all are middle-tier fillers replacing slightly better middle-tier fillers (Bowens replaces retired Willie McGinest, Barton replaces Andra Davis, Elam replaces Sean Jones, Poteat replaces Davin Holly/Terry Cousin.) Those of you still reading this paragraph are asking the same question most Browns fans have been asking: who cares?

But it would be smug for anyone to impulsively scorn Mangini and his staff. After all, you don’t think they realize their team needs a pass-rusher? You don’t think they didn’t carefully evaluate every prospect in this year’s draft? They did, and their decision was to lay the foundation for the passing game instead. After several trades down, the Browns drafted center Alex Mack in the first round. They then snatched a pair of receivers in Round Two: Brian Robiskie of Ohio State and Mohamed Massaquoi of Georgia. This might not be a bad move considering prospective franchise quarterback Brady Quinn and cornerstone left tackle Joe Thomas are both entering their third season.

Of course, until positive results show up, the long-term potential of Cleveland’s passing attack still classifies as just another hot new business idea. And that’s something Browns fans aren’t listening to anymore.

Offense

The sooner Mangini declares Brady Quinn his starting quarterback, the better off this team will be. The Browns need a quarterback controversy like Drew Carey needs another 20 pounds. Every day that Quinn shares practice reps with Derek Anderson is another a half-day of wasted opportunity. Quinn needs all the work he can get.

Anderson was an effective starter in the first half of 2007. But once teams got some film on the former sixth-round pick, he floundered. Anderson does not play well with defenders in his face, and his somewhat-robotic mechanics can make him alarmingly predictable (hence the 24 interceptions in his last 21 starts).

Quinn received so much media attention his first two seasons that it’s easy to forget he started only three games during that span. Quinn is an accurate passer with innate pocket awareness. Cleveland’s new offensive coordinator, Brian Daboll, worked as a receivers coach under Charlie Weiss in New England. Being well-versed in the brand of offense that Weiss’s Notre Dame pupil has ran should allow for an excellent working relationship.

Left tackle Joe Thomas ensures that Quinn will receive the kind of blindside quarterback protection that most offensive coaches would give a limb for. Thomas has excellent feet. As long as he handles bull-rushes, he can neutralize opposing edge-rushers on. Left guard Eric Steinbach is also superb in pass protection. Right guard Rex Hadnot is decent in this sense, assuming he can curtail some of the meltdowns that marred his ’08 season. If he can’t, slow but tested ex-Seahawk Floyd Womack could get a look. Whether it’s Ryan Tucker or John St. Clair at right tackle, the Browns should get a crisper pocket than they had with Kevin Shaffer. New backup tight end Robert Royal can lend pass-blocking help if need be.

Of course, pass protection won’t be easy if the Browns pose no threat on the ground. Mangini and company believe that last year’s anemic rushing attack was largely a product of feeble interior blocking. In response, they drafted Cal center Alex Mack in Round One. The 311-pounder is expected to beat out honorable but deteriorating veteran Hank Fraley. Mack’s ability to move the line of scrimmage should allow Steinbach to regain his prowess at the second level.

But someone still has to run behind these guys. With his next carry being the 2,400^th of his career, it’s questionable whether 30-year-old Jamal Lewis is still the right man. Lewis is like a rhino: punishingly powerful, but only when charging with full momentum straight ahead. The only thing slower than Lewis’s second step is his first, which is why first time play-caller Brian Daboll will have to hesitate any time he thinks about a run to the outside.

Lead-blocker Lawrence Vickers can help clear lanes, but only in traditional formations. The Browns desperately need speedy, sprightly backup Jerome Harrison to entrench himself in a regular third-down role. Harrison is the only runner this team has who can make people miss. If he continues to flounder in the passing game (especially protection), sixth-round rookie James Davis, a longtime friend and fellow Frederick Douglas High School alum of Lewis, will get a shot.

Cleveland’s receiving weapons dissolved over the offseason. Polarizing tight end Kellen Winslow was shipped to Tampa Bay. Free agent bust Donte Stallworth drove drunk and killed a pedestrian, resulting in an indefinite suspension that will likely end his career. Joe Jurevicius continued to battle knee problems and was let go. The only major contributor to return is Braylon Edwards, and he’s in the final year of his contract and constantly being mentioned in trade rumors.

Edwards, who has led the league in drops each of the past two seasons, must recapture his No. 1 status in order for this passing game to have any teeth. But for Edwards to be a physical, playmaking possession target that few players in this league can emulate, someone must fill Winslow’s void. Steve Heiden is a crafty veteran tight end but coming off knee surgery. He still might be capable of doing just enough to discourage defenses from zeroing in on Edwards, but regardless, the Browns still need something from their second-round rookie wideouts Brian Robiskie and Mohamed Massaquoi. Robiskie is the more polished prospect, but he could also be the more natural slot option. Either way, he’ll play immediately.

If Massaquoi isn’t ready by Week 1, either veteran Mike Furrey or David Patten, or return specialist Joshua Cribbs, will see action. Furrey and Patten are excellent route runners with prolific seasons in their past. Cribbs’s versatility demands special attention from defensive coordinators.

Defense

It’s obvious to everyone that Cleveland won’t be able to rush the passer in 2009. In order to improve on their 17 sacks of last season, either Alex Hall (a seventh-round pick a year ago), David Bowens (a journeyman veteran) or Kamerion Wimbley (a gifted former first-rounder whose sack total has dropped in each of his three seasons) will have to suddenly come to life. Hall’s suppleness makes him a Mangini favorite, but his callowness makes him a situational backup. Bowens doesn’t create momentum-changing plays. Wimbley, as a pass-rusher, is as predictable as the days of the week.

Cleveland’s leading sacker last season was nose tackle Shaun Rogers, who had 4.5 in the first nine games and zero in the last seven. It’s unrealistic to expect Rogers to constantly capsize double teams on first and second down and then reach the quarterback on third. So, unless Mangini and his new defensive coordinator, Rob Ryan, concoct some magical blitzes or complex alignments that allow a 12^th man to sneak on the field, quarterbacks will continue to complete over 64 percent of their passes against the Browns.

This puts a considerable strain on the secondary––particularly the young corners. Both third-year pros Eric Wright and Brandon McDonald offer impressive lockdown abilities, but both can be inconsistent. Wright is the more physical of the two, but McDonald is probably the more fluid. Last season, the young corners were aided by the deep coverage of rangy free safety Brodney Pool. Pool is moving to strong safety, where he’ll have to be a stouter tackler in order to fulfill his playmaking potential. It remains to be seen whether Mangini will use new free safety, Abram Elam, in the same safe deep coverage. It’s likely that Elam––who, by the way, had some issues in deep coverage with the Jets last year––will be used more as a rover.

New nickelback Rod Hood is a physical man-to-man defender who’s good enough to push for a starting job. Though in this scheme, he must prove he can play zone. Veterans Corey Ivy and Hank Poteat are both well-versed in the slot, and safety Mike Adams has good all-around experience for a sixth man.

For all the concern about the pass defense, it’s on the ground where Cleveland has been gashed before. If Shaun Rogers performs to his abilities––and, for the most part, he has thus far––then it’s inexcusable for the Browns rush defense to rank anywhere near the bottom half of the league (last year it ranked 28^th). Right defensive end Corey Williams has been worth nowhere near $16.3 million in guarantees, though a sore shoulder could explain his wretchedness at getting off blocks. Williams will start ahead of nimble ex-Jet C.J. Mosley and 31-year-old Robaire Smith, who’s coming back from a torn Achilles. Kenyon Coleman will bring the intrepid energy to left defensive end that Shaun Smith, now likely a backup nose tackle, brought only sporadically in the past.

It’s hard for inside linebacker D’Qwell Jackson to be more prolific as a tackler (he led the league in tackles last season) but improved play up front could at least enable the 240-pounder to make more stops near the line of scrimmage. Jackson’s sideline-to-sideline speed compliments the north-south power of Eric Barton. Leon Williams has been a serviceable nickel linebacker inside, but now finally on the cusp of fully blossoming, the fourth-year pro could lose his playing time to second-round rookie David Veikune. The former Hawaii defensive end may take awhile to master the foreign inside linebacker position. But Williams has no reason to relax, considering the Browns also drafted Kaluka Maiava in Round Four.

Special Teams

Cleveland’s special teams has fine ball handlers. Kicker Phil Dawson has remarkable range, both on field goals and kickoffs. Punter Dave Zastudil has one of the stronger foots in the game (though he could stand to improve his placement). Return ace Joshua Cribbs is a threat to score on both punts and kicks. Cribbs is also a leader on both coverage units (though, to his chagrin, he’ll likely be removed from that role this season).

Bottom Line

The Browns are starting over…again. Much to the dismay of Dawg Pounders, this puts them in line for another sub-.500 season. It’s not inconceivable that this team could suddenly emerge as a wild card contender, but a putrid rushing attack and absent pass-rush make it highly unlikely. Those wanting the glass to be half-full can figure that even if losses pile up, the development of Brady Quinn and the passing game could, in the long haul, make 2009 a successful season.

Predicted: 4th AFC North