The Fun Was (Almost) Back in Browns' Town

Random observations after taking in the Browns’ 23-20 overtime loss at the stadium Sunday…

Who is Mohamed Massaquoi, and why are we just now hearing about him? It’s not just the fact that he caught eight passes for 148 yards. It’s the way he caught them. While being hit. While being held. Juggling and concentrating and refusing to be denied. If it was near him, he was gonna catch it. Braylon who?

Jerome Harrison…Jamal Lewis. Jerome Harrison…Jamal Lewis. After Harrison’s 121-yard day as the featured back, what’s to decide?

Staunch defender of letting Brady Quinn make mistakes and learn on the job that I have been, I must admit that Derek Anderson looked more comfortable, more in control than Quinn has. And his teammates looked more willing to play for him. I just wish Anderson would step up and be great, or at least very good. Show some swagger and don’t ever look back, D.A. Cleveland turns its lonely eyes to you.

Josh Cribbs is a force of nature. Simply a remarkable return man. He piled up 203 return yards on the day -- 58 on one kickoff, along with punt returns of 39 and 50 yards. There is an electricity in the air when he drops back to return a kick. People expect something big to happen. Add that to what he does defending on special teams, as well as playing receiver and occasionally carrying the ball on offense, and you have your team MVP.

Kudos to the offensive line. Cincinnati can bring pressure up front, and the Browns’ blockers did a pretty decent job. A friend of mine who played on the line for the Browns 20 years ago said he watched rookie center Alex Mack most of the day and came away favorably impressed. I’ll take his word for it.

Shaun Rogers? Two blocked kicks? That was impressive. Took four Bengals’ points off the board, all by himself. And the final one, on an extra point that would have given Cincinnati a one-point lead at the end of regulation, spelled H-E-A-R-T, in capital letters.

Eric Mangini may have lucked his way into a promising situation. If so, good for him. But he found something in the trifecta of Anderson, Harrison and Massaquoi. They were very good Sunday, all three of them, playing positions where -- let’s face it -- nobody was doing anything before that. That can turn a season around. I don’t see the Browns winning a ton of games, but I think they could win a representative number now. Couldn’t say that before yesterday.

Randy Lerner should put on jeans and a jacket, tell his front office staff to do the same, and then spread out and sit among the fans some Sunday. Wear disguises if need be. They need to see and hear for themselves how loyal and hopeful and forgiving Browns fans are. My son and I sat in the southwest corner of the stadium, and the fans were as entertaining as the game. They were knowledgeable. They were funny. They were passionate. They were loud. But, most of all, they were dedicated. They shouted criticisms when it was deserved, and rose to their feet as one and cheered wildly when the guys in the brown jerseys did something right. They exchanged barbs with Bengals fans seated in the same area. One guy had the audacity to stroll through our section wearing a Steelers jersey, and was greeted by a good-natured chorus of boos as he laughed and cooperatively egged his critics on. The atmosphere was fun and upbeat. It’s something you can’t appreciate watching a game on television. These people deserve better than what they’ve been given over the past eleven seasons. Lerner and company should give it to them.

It wasn’t a win. But it wasn’t a total disappointment, either. Fans were upbeat filing out of the stadium. The Browns looked like a professional football team for the first time all season. It’s about time. Thankfully, we came away with the hope there are more such times just ahead.

A Look at the Browns' Offseason Activities

While Clevelanders wring their hands about what Danny Ferry should do next to improve the Cavs, or what Mark Shapiro should do now to improve the Indians, Browns GM Phil Savage has somehow been flying under the radar as he has quietly added some key players to a team with high expectations for next season.

Think about it: You know the Browns are better. But you also haven't been giving it much thought, preoccupied as we all are with the other teams in town. Well, don't look now, but Savage has taken the Browns' newfound status -- and 2008 schedule -- seriously with some shrewd moves.

Start with the most significant of all. Faced with the prospect of losing Derek Anderson and forcing Brady Quinn into the starting role prematurely, Savage preempted other suitors and locked up Anderson with a three-year deal. I wrote about it in my May 16 post. It's a solid move because Anderson responded so well when given the opportunity last season. Nobody expected the Browns to click like they did, and few honestly expected it to be with Anderson at the helm. I know I didn't. When someone steps up and performs the way Anderson did, they deserve the trust and confidence that comes with it. I remain curious about what Quinn will contribute when his time comes, and I suspect it could be very good. But I have a good feeling about Anderson, and am intrigued to see what 2008 will bring.

If signing Anderson was offseason move number 1, then signing Jamal Lewis to a new three-year deal was move 1a. What's not to like? Here's a guy who has rushed for more than 9,000 yards in seven seasons. He's never gained fewer than 900 yards in a season. Doesn't exactly make you long for William Green, does it? Lewis showed up, suited up, and plowed his way to more than 1,300 yards (fifth in the league) and nine touchdowns in his first season in a Browns uniform. Running behind a revamped offensive line, Lewis helped propel the Browns rushing attack to 118 yards a game, tenth in the league. Gone are the days of Browns fans lamenting the lack of a running game.

Suffice it to say that having Anderson and Lewis on board stabilizes an offense that got even stronger with the signing of Donte Stallworth. Here's a legitimate NFL receiver, a complement to Braylon Edwards' emergence as a true number one guy. Joe Jurevicius wanted a reduced role, as his body can no longer withstand the rigors of a starting position. Stallworth's still can, and he's a solid option as the number two wideout, with excellent speed. Opposing defenses will have to pay attention to him, which will open things up for Edwards and Kellen Winslow. Stallworth has his doubters, in part due to reports that he is in the NFL's substance abuse program. CBSSports.com's Pete Prisco has already labeled Stallworth as the Browns' most overrated player -- this without having played a snap in the orange and brown -- because of his "inconsistency." Well, 279 catches and 31 touchdowns over six seasons will fit into the Browns' offense very nicely, I think. And with Jurevicius still around -- not to mention Josh Cribbs -- the receiving corps is that much better.

Shoring up the offense, Savage added Rex Hadnot to an already formidable offensive line. He was a sixth-round pick by the Dolphins in 2004 and has missed only one game in his career, logging time at guard and center. And that's the key. His versatility enables Romeo Crennel to use him at multiple positions on the interior line. That's already become important, because Ryan Tucker went down early with a hip injury that threatens his availability for training camp this summer. The projected line during organized team activity practices this month included Joe Thomas at left tackle, Eric Steinbach at left guard, Hank Fraley at center, Tucker at right guard and Kevin Shaffer at right tackle. The addition of Hadnot, and the offseason re-signings of Seth McKinney and Lennie Friedman, give the Browns veteran depth up front.

On the defensive side of the ball, trades in February and March brought defensive linemen Corey Williams from Green Bay and Shaun Rogers from Detroit. There's no question the duo will immediately upgrade the defensive line. Williams and Rogers had seven sacks apiece last season, and Rogers has recorded 29 sacks in his seven-year career. Williams will likely pair with Robaire Smith on the ends in the Browns 3-4 scheme, while Rogers will share time with Shaun Smith at the nose tackle position. Crennel has said, however, that Rogers may also see time at defensive end.

Continuing to focus on the defense, Savage quickly tried to offset the loss of cornerback Daven Holly to a season-ending injury by signing veteran Terry Cousin to a two-year deal. Cousin has appeared in 156 games, with 68 starts, in 11 NFL seasons. He'll likely backup Eric Wright and Brandon McDonald and see time in the Browns' nickel packages. Cousin's experience includes a Super Bowl XXXVIII appearance with Carolina, one of six teams he played for before signing with Cleveland.

As for the draft, Savage claimed linebacker Beau Bell from UNLV and tight end Martin Rucker from Missouri with his remaining top picks, both fourth-rounders. Bell had 320 tackles during a four-year career at Las Vegas and earned 2007 Defensive Player of the Year honors in the Mountain West Conference. He's known as a hard hitter, something the Browns felt was lacking on defense last season. Rucker's numbers improved each year at Missouri, capping off with an All-American season that included 84 catches, 834 yards and eight touchdowns his senior year. He caught 203 passes during his four years with the Tigers.

In all, it's been a productive offseason for the Browns, one that was needed considering the schedule they'll be facing in the fall. Non-division foes include: the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants, plus Dallas, Washington, Jacksonville, Indianapolis and Tennessee, all of whom finished above .500 last year; Philadelphia, who was 8-8; and Denver and Buffalo, both of whom were 7-9. The Browns were 10-6 a season ago, and the road to that record or better won't be as easy this season. But the new additions to the roster give them a much better chance to enter the ranks of the NFL's elite in 2008.