A Playoff Season for the Browns?

Sunday is the day that football fans on the North Coast have waited for since the beginning of the year.  The Cleveland Browns play their regular season opener at home against the Super Bowl contending Dallas Cowboys.  The campaign is looked upon with great anticipation since the brown and orange had arguably their best season since coming back to the NFL in 1999.  Of course, the zealots that follow the Browns feel last season’s improvement will be followed up with similar results in 2008.  That may not be the case.

It is very possible that the Browns could be a better team in 2008, but have a worse record.  The prediction here is 9-7, but that could win the division.  The biggest thing is how this team plays within the AFC North.  If they can win four of the six division games, and one win must be against the Steelers, they will make the playoffs by virtue of winning the division.  Let’s face it; the AFC North is not exactly filled with the Lombardi Packers or the Steelers of the 1970’s.

The Bengals are in chaos.  Chad Whateverhisnameis is still promoting himself, and their defense is still suspect.  They also just released their starting running back, offensive tackle, and cornerback from last year to cut payroll.  They still have Carson Palmer and T.J. Houshmanzadeh, so the offense will put up some points, but many experts are predicting Marvin Lewis to lose his job after another losing season in ’08, and I can’t say I disagree with that assessment.

The Ravens are in rebuilding mode as well.  They will be starting a rookie quarterback, Joe Flacco, on Sunday.  Granted, it will be difficult for Flacco to perform worse than Kyle Boller has over the past few years, but he will still have growing pains.  That leaves the Steelers and the Browns as the main contenders for the division crown.  Many Browns’ fans are worried about the schedule, but remember that based on last year’s records, Pittsburgh has the league’s toughest slate.  So, both teams have the same problem.

The “woe is me” crowd is losing sleep about the difficulty of this year’s schedule, but really so much can happen throughout the season that could make the slate easier.  The NFL is a league of attrition, for the most part; the teams with the best records have the least amount of injuries.  Therefore, a December game that appears to be tough now may not be when it is played due to several key players being on the sidelines.  Of course, that could happen to the Browns too, as witnessed in the pre-season games.

The Cleveland Browns are not an elite team as of yet.  They have weaknesses at linebacker and in the defensive secondary.  They haven’t built up the depth that goes with being an upper echelon team in the AFC.  However, they are good enough to win the AFC North.  The Steelers are the same as the Browns, although losing All-Pro guard Alan Faneca leaves them with a weakened offensive line.  Their defense is questionable as well.  If the Browns succeed within the division, they will celebrate a division title and a playoff spot in 2008.

JD