2010 Cleveland Browns Preview

The Cleveland Browns return to action on Sunday when they travel to Tampa Bay to face the Buccaneers. Has Mike Holmgren been able to fix a broken franchise and will this season offer hope or will it be more of the same depression that fans have become accustomed to the last decade?

Here are the main cast of characters for the 2010 Brown and Orange that will answer that question as the season progresses.

Offense

QB - The Brownies hand the ball over to Jake Delhomme this season. The team hopes the 35-year-old veteran who led the Carolina Panthers to a Super Bowl will be a good game manager and has gotten the turnovers out of his system that plagued him last year. Delhomme's backup is Seneca Wallace who came over from the Seattle Seahawks in the offseason. Wallace will likely see playing time right away when the team goes into its wildcat formation and was seen in the redzone during the preseason. The Browns will try to develop Colt McCoy into the team's quarterback of the future after acquiring the former Texas Longhorns star in this year's draft.

RB - The strategy of the Browns this season will be to run the ball. A lot. The Browns completed only 33 passes last season in their 5 wins so you can see what Eric Mangini's thought process is for the team. Run, run, and run a little more. The position took a giant setback when 2nd round draft choice Montario Hardesty was lost for the entire season with an ACL tear. The team still has some depth at running back with the loss.

The feature back this season will be Jerome Harrison who was buried on the bench for years, despite fans protests after seeing his explosive ability during preseason games and glimpses of him action when the games counted. He got the most of his opportunity when got the call last season. Harrison's final 3 games saw him run for 561 yards including a record setting performance against the Kansas City Chiefs. The biggest question mark for Harrison will likely be his durability because of his small frame.

Peyton Hillis does not have a small frame and has won over the hearts of many Cleveland football fans with his throwback runs that remind old time football fans of Larry Csonka and John Riggins. Hillis came over in the Brady Quinn trade with Denver and the Browns likely were impressed that he had already amassed both 100 yards receiving and rushing in signal games during his short career. For some reason Hillis was buried on the Broncos bench despite his productivity and their management probably really regrets the trade after seeing Quinn's "talent" and having to resort to waiver wire in order to fill out their injury riddled situation at running back. Hillis sounds like he has something to prove saying in May:

"I want to show the coaches they got a big steal," Hillis said. "That's just the way I think and work. I feel like I can do just about anything really well, whether it's running or blocking or catching the ball out of the backfield."

So far, the 24 year old is living up to his words.

James Davis, who showed promise in 2009 preseason before going down with an injury, is the third tailback on the roster and is the fastest of the bunch. He has the capability of busting a big run but will likely have to adjust to the speed of the NFL.

Lawrence Vickers will provide the blocking from the fullback position and when he teams up with Hillis the tandem will be one of the most physical backfields in the entire NFL.

TE If you are going to be a good running team you are going to need good tight ends that can block and can catch to keep defenses honest. The Browns boast 4 tight ends on the roster. 29-year-old vet Ben Watson is the most accomplished of the bunch. He is joined fellow veterans Robert Royal and Alex Smith on the 53 man roster. Rounding out the group is Evan Moore who can be a great target for Delhomme with his 6' 6'' frame and soft hands. Last season the 25-year-old only played in 5 regular season games with the Browns after the being claimed off waivers, and still led all tight ends in receptions and yards on the season and was among the team's top receiving targets.

OL If the Browns are going to run the ball successfully like they want to, they will need the offensive line to move bodies out of the way. Having arguably the best left tackle in the game helps matters considerably, and Joe Thomas fits that description. Thomas is joined by a solid group consisting of 2009 first round draft pick Alex Mack who gets the nod under center, Floyd Womack and Eric Steinbach at guard, and John St. Clair filling out the final starting role at right tackle.

WR The wide receivers on the team are a big concern. Mohamed Massaquoi leads the bunch and could have a breakout season if he can become more consistent. The second year player out of Georgia showed glimpses of stardom but will need another wideout to step up so opposing defenses can't key on him and take him out of the game. Josh Cribbs could be that man but it remains to be seen if he can become a productive wideout in the NFL. Cribbs made a great grab in preseason but it could be an aberration. Brian Robiskie will likely be a possession receiver and the Browns are praying that the second rounder out of Ohio State develops into a serviceable option.

Chansi Stuckey and Carlton Mitchell round out the thinnest position of the Browns roster.

Defense

DL Robaire Smith, Kenyon Coleman, and Shaun Rogers will get the starting nod in the 3-4 scheme devised by Rob Ryan. The front 7 of the defense was the most discouraging thing to watch this preseason with opposing quarterbacks having all day to pass and running backs run roughshod over the front 7. Hopefully the addition of Rogers, who was out with an injury during the preseason, will change that now that he is in action.

DL Matt Roth and Scott Fujita will line up on the outside with Eric Barton and Chris Gocong starting at inside linebacker. The linebackers will get a big boost once D'Qwell Jackson returns to action from injury. Expect a lot of different looks at linebacker as the Browns are carrying 11 to start the season. Hopefully at least one of those nearly dozen will be able to rush the quarterback (something we didn't see enough of in the preseason).

Secondary Eric Wright and Sheldon Brown start with first round pick Joe Haden nipping at their heels as the third cornerback. Newly added Derrick Roberson will likely see some time in the nickle package. Brown, despite his advanced age, looked sharp in the preseason and Wright is still maturing into a very solid NFL corner. Haden looked like the real deal in his action in the preseason and should be a joy to watch develop throughout the year.

At safety, veteran Abe Elam starts at strong safety alongside rookie TJ Ward. Mike Adams backs up Elam and will likely see his fair share of action in the defensive backfield.

Special Teams

Josh Cribbs is back again and everyone knows what that means that the Browns kickoff and punt return units will be one of the most explosive in the NFL.

Reggie Hodges picks up punting duties for the injured hometown favorite Dave Zastudil.

"Obviously, it was tough because I love Cleveland," said Zastudil who grew up in Bay Village and has been kicking for the Browns since 2006.

Veteran kicker Phil Dawson looks as strong as ever after a solid preseason.

Outlook

The Browns are a team on paper that can win anywhere from 2-9 games this season. A lot is riding on the first two games against weaker opponents Tampa Bay and Kansas City who could provide a big momentum booster if they are able to get out of the gates at 2-0 which would get a positive feeling in the locker room and optimism around town.

I see Eric Mangini's gang winning 6 games and being a little more competitive but a boring bunch to watch if you like high potent offense attacks like the New Orleans Saints of last year. If you like a throwback team in the mold of Woody Hayes' style of 3-yards and a cloud of dust you should buy a Browns shirt and get ready for a semi-enjoyable season.