Training Camp Preview: Cleveland Browns

by John Tuvey - Senior Editor, Fanball.com
Thursday, June 10, 2004
Leading up to the start of Training Camps in
July, Fanball.com is taking a team-by-team tour
with fantasy previews for each NFL squad. We'll
detail the key offseason moves, position battles
to watch, and other things to keep an eye on as
the clubs prepare for the season ahead.

Notable Offseason Moves: The Browns entered the
offseason after sporting the league's lowest
payroll in 2003, but you wouldn't know it by what
they did over the winter.

With question marks covering their organization
like the Riddler's jumpsuit, Butch Davis' primary
objective appeared to be ridding the franchise of
anyone who threatened his authority. One of the
game's top talent evaluators, Ron Wolf, was
brought on and then ignored to the point that he
quit. Carmen Policy left, and the front-office
dominoes continued to fall until Davis was in
complete control of virtually every decision.

It wasn't much different in the locker room, as
the purge that started with Kevin Johnson last
season extended into the offseason. Tim Couch was
ostracized before finally being released, two
members of the already-depleted offensive line
left via free agency, and even punter Chris
Gardocki, one of the club's few bright spots
since football returned to Cleveland, fled for
AFC North rival Pittsburgh. At last count, the
Browns' roster included just six players who have
been with the club longer than Davis… and you
gotta believe they aren't exactly putting down
roots in the community at this point.

Luckily for the Browns, their extensive room
under the salary cap allowed them to outbid
themselves for quarterback Jeff Garcia after
Garcia's dad leaked out word he might sign in
Tampa. Garcia's signing severed any remaining
ties between the Browns and the first draft pick
in "new" Browns history, though Couch wasn't
officially released until it was determined
backup Kelly Holcomb would be ready after
offseason shoulder surgery—and after the hated
Ravens had signed Kordell Stewart, lessening the
chances of Couch coming back to haunt his former
club.

The Browns talked about wooing former Ohio State
star Orlando Pace from the Rams or trading up to
draft Robert Gallery, but ultimately their only
solution to upgrading one of the league's least
effective offensive lines was the addition of
Kelvin Garmon from the Chargers. One step in the
right direction, however, was another free agent
signing, fullback Terrelle Smith. One of the
better blocking fullbacks in the league, Smith
should help keep the Browns from repeating last
season's embarrassing four-for-16 conversion rate
from the one-yard line.

On draft day, the Browns had hoped either safety
Sean Taylor or tight end Kellen Winslow—both of
whom were recruited to the University of Miami by
Davis—would fall to them with the seventh pick.
When the Redskins selected Taylor, the Browns
panicked and gave Detroit their first- and
second-round picks to move up. It may have been
an overpay, but not of Halliburton proportions;
Winslow instantly becomes the team's top
playmaker and—assuming he doesn't hold out and
stunt his development or even miss the first part
of the season—will be the one offensive player
opponents must account for.

Following the draft, and in dire need of some
positive publicity for the organization,
Cleveland acquiesced to wannabee free agent
receiver Dennis Northcutt. Northcutt's agent had
failed to submit the proper paperwork to void the
final years of his contract, costing his client
the opportunity to explore the free agent
market—something Northcutt had talked openly
about during the season. Northcutt initially said
he would never play for the Browns again, but by
the end of May he had $9 million reasons to
change his tune. Not bad for the player Davis
once referred to as just a punt returner.

Defensively, the Browns augmented underachieving
first-rounders Courtney Brown and Gerard Warren
with another pass rusher Ebenezer Ekuban from
Dallas, but their best move may have been
bringing in former Bear linebacker Warrick
Holdman. However, second-round pick Sean Jones,
expected to contend for serious playing time in
the secondary, tore his ACL during minicamp and
will miss the entire season.

Position Battles: With virtually all of the
players on the roster because he hand-picked
them, and with the organization now devoid of
fall guys, Butch's boys will have to step it up
on the field. Garcia has been handed the starting
job, with Holcomb as his backup assuming his
comeback from a torn labrum remains on track. And
though the Browns inked Steve Heiden to a
three-year contract extension, Winslow will walk
into camp (once he signs) as the starter.

Lee Suggs, who performed admirably at the end of
last season, should be the starting feature back
while William Green gets his life back together
and James Jackson rehabs his torn knee ligament.
However, both Green (a Davis draft selection) and
Jackson (U of Miami alumnus) have Butch in their
corner, so Suggs may need to prove himself all
over again.

Quincy Morgan and Andre´ Davis currently sit atop
the Browns' depth chart at wide receiver, but
Northcutt has been told he'll have an opportunity
to compete for a starting job. The club also
likes Andre King and Frisman Jackson, so Morgan
and Davis need to demonstrate they warrant their
starting gigs or the wide receiver position could
turn into a merry-go-round of personnel.

Defensively, Ekuban will need to unseat either
Kenard Lang, who led the team in sacks last
season, or Brown, who has yet to live up to being
the top overall pick of the 2000 draft. This is
potentially a solid three-man rotation at
defensive end; it's also potentially Lang and two
guys whose best days came in college.

Keep an Eye On: Garcia brings a new element to
the quarterback position in Cleveland, as neither
Couch nor Holcomb were known for their mobility.
Garcia's back injury and age notwithstanding,
he'll need every bit of that "escapability" to
avoid defenders playing behind an offensive line
in serious need of upgrade. The status of
Garcia's health, coupled with just how much time
he'll have to locate receivers before tucking it
under and leaving the pocket, will go a long way
towards determining how much—if any—fantasy value
members of the Browns offense will provide.

We'd also love to jump on board the Suggs
bandwagon, but Cleveland's staunch refusal to
address their offensive line woes and the
lingering presence of Green have delayed the
bandwagon's departure. If Green is back in the
picture in August, at a minimum it plants seeds
of doubt in our minds. And if the Browns can't
improve their offensive line play, even Jim Brown
in his prime would struggle—so you can imagine
what that would mean for Suggs.

This is unmistakably Davis' team, so if the
Browns continue to founder he'll have no one to
blame but himself—and quite possibly be back in
the collegiate ranks by the time the 2005 season
kicks off.



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