AFC North Preview Part IV: The Cleveland Browns.

For the final part of this series we will take a look at the Cleveland Browns. Not only because this team is the one that we focus on most as fans, but because it will be the hardest team to predict in regards to their potential success in 2012. This team has made the most changes due to a poor 2011 season finishing with a 4-12 record. Out of the 22 starting slots (not including special teams) the Browns could have as many as 6 of those slots being filled by rookies which will make the teams performance hard to predict. This is especially true when at least three of those slots are skill positions such as quarterback, running back, and wide receiver. But we will take a closer look at the team and attempt to figure out what we can expect from Cleveland in the upcoming season.

Free agency was quiet for the Browns. In retrospect after seeing the direction the team went in the draft, we now understand why. The main focus of the Cleveland Browns during this period was along the defensive line. They released defensive end Jayme Mitchell and signed Frostee Rucker and Juqua Parker to help beef up the defensive line depth which is the one area in which the team struggled in terms of the defense last year. The defense did lose long time player safety Mike Adams in free agency which is an area that the Browns did not really address in free agency or the draft leading one to believe that they feel comfortable at that position, but only time will tell if the Browns are solid in depth at that position.

The big changes for the Browns came in the draft. Armed with 13 selections the Browns came away addressing some of their major problems on offense taking 9 athletes. They selected Alabama running back Trent Richardson (3rd overall), and Oklahoma State quarterback Brandon Weeden (22nd overall) in the first round attempting to make their offense more explosive. They also boasted the depth at offensive line taking both Mitchell Schwartz (California), and Ryan Miller (Colorado) which will hopefully help their 1st round selections success.

Having Richardson automatically gives the team an immediate threat on offense. Adding speedster WR Travis Benjamin (Miami) also gives the Browns a deep threat. The question really is can Weeden make the transition from a “quick read” offense to the West Coast offense? The success of the Browns will rely on that question.

However, Brandon Weeden will not have to have a Pro Bowl type season for the Browns to have success in 2012. The two keys will be the continued success of the defense building on what they did last year as a top ten unit, and the effectiveness of the running game. Looking back on last season, if the Browns had just one more touchdown a game, they would have had a much different record. With a solid running game and good defense, Weeden will only need to be a good game manager and take care of the ball minimizing his turnovers. And Weeden appears to be very good with his accuracy surrendering very few interceptions considering the amount of attempts he had at Oklahoma State, so asking him to make smart decisions in the pocket is not a stretch.

If the Browns can do those things they will make considerable improvement in 2012. I do not see this to be a playoff team yet, but could finish as well as 9-7 in this upcoming season (although 7-9 is likely more realistic). The team will likely also make strides within their division possibly going .500 in the AFC North, maybe even 4-2 with some lucky breaks.

Overall this team will start to resemble a real NFL team this year and not just the equivalent of an NFL social welfare case. Despite the wins or loses this will be an exciting team to watch on both sides of the ball. This may be the year that this team starts to be considered as legit.

What do you think?

Michael W. Youngman--Lead Analyst AFC North
Michael is the Lead Analyst for the AFC North Report and the Cleveland Browns Report. He has written many articles that have been featured by playerpress.com, cantonrep.com, FoxSports.com, and of course this site. Michael has also written a book titled “The Dayton Project” published in 2008 by PublishAmerica. He makes his home in the Hall of Fame City of Canton Ohio with his wife Lisa and his two children Joseph and Jennifer. To learn more, visit his Website