Cleveland Browns: Realistic Outlook for 2011 NFL Season

Mike HoagJun 7, 2018

The Cleveland Browns, one of the most storied franchises in NFL history, have become one of the most embarrassing since the inception of the new Browns franchise in 1999. Failure to stay the course or failure to be on the right course can be attributed to rampant mismanagement in all facets of the organization.

After two seasons as head coach, Eric Mangini was released last winter. Browns’ President and football Czar Mike Holmgren has taken the reigns and installed like-minded individuals taught and tested with the same philosophies he learned and practiced for so many years.

After 11 years of uncertainty and change, there looks to be an organization in place in Berea that is not only on the same page, but is pointed in the right direction.

What does that mean for you, the Browns fan, for the 2011 season?

General Manager Tom Heckert has made the stance of the Browns organization during the free agency period abundantly clear: Take no chances.

Unlike other previous success models of team building in the NFL, such as the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints, the Browns’ management has elected to undergo a pure youth movement to revitalize and build a consistent winning ball club in Cleveland.

In citing those franchises it's important to realize every model is not the rule. Other organizations such as the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens and Green Bay Packers have built championship and perennial winning teams through the youth movement method.

This offseason saw the departure of the veteran stopgap players Eric Mangini had brought in from the New York Jets. Following a successful draft in 2010, Heckert has drawn many praises for the talent he acquired again this past April. However, the praises for Heckert seemingly stop right there, at least for now.

Large majorities of the NFL media along with a significant portion of the Browns fanbase are in an uproar at the lack of activity from Heckert and the Browns in the free agency market.

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Heckert is definitely under fire right now.

To exacerbate things further, there is the removal of head coach Eric Mangini and installment of Mike Holmgren acolyte: Pat Shurmur.

New coach… New system… Not again…

With every regime change comes a period of adjustment. The NFL Lockout did the Cleveland Browns no favors in preparing for the upcoming season. However, through this negative came a positive: Sophomore quarterback Colt McCoy came into his own in the offseason through the organization of team activities aimed at absorbing and implementing the new playbook from first year Coach Shurmur.

Strength of, or lack thereof, schedule.

I’ve always been skeptical when assessing the strength of a team’s schedule in the preseason. There are always unknowns when transitioning from one season to the next. Rating a schedule based on the success of last season is not only skewed but downright incorrect. With that in mind, it can be said that the Browns have an apparently “easy” schedule going into this season.

An offense ready to emerge?

The vaunted West Coast offense is coming to the Midwest. Rookie head coach Pat Shurmur is coming off an excellent season as the offensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams. His philosophy and schemes are said to better suit the talent level within the organization and it has already played to the strengths of practice squad member wide receivers Jordan Norwood and Johnathon Haggerty. The run and catch, pass to set up the run method will, if executed, be a valuable addition and breath of fresh air from last season’s run-run-pass “excitement.”

Rookie wide receiver Greg Little is showing no signs of rust from his suspension during his senior year at North Carolina and is competing for a starting position at wide receiver. Little, along with Cribbs, are ideal weapons in this scheme and will look to exploit underneath routes in the defense, catching the ball in space and racking up yards after the catch.

But, who is going to get them the ball?

Colt McCoy’s development is a crucial piece to the mystery that is the Cleveland Browns in 2011. With all successful franchises on the mend, the play of a young quarterback turns out to be the defining factor. The Atlanta Falcons drafted quarterback Matt Ryan in 2008 and subsequently visited the postseason. With a “full” offseason to prepare as the Browns starting quarterback, the play of Colt McCoy will decide the success of the Cleveland Browns.

Supposed Defensive Decline?

Intricate pass defense coverage and unique blitz packages are some of the things that were instilled in Cleveland under defensive coordinator Rob Ryan. Last season saw a jump in the Browns overall scoring defense to 13th best in NFL. The main and resonating smudge on this performance came in week 17 to close the season: The Browns allowed 41 points to rival Pittsburgh Steelers to finish the season. It's worth noting that by Week 17, the Browns, specifically Eric Mangini, had seemingly given up and it showed with their uninspired play on that day.

Complications with personnel in Ryan’s 3-4 front coupled with a lacking of suitable personnel for his packages hampered its effectiveness. However, there are some major ball players on the Cleveland Browns defense. Veteran Scott Fujita and Sheldon Brown, second-year standouts Joe Haden, T.J. Ward and Ahtyba Rubin, rookies Jabaal Sheard and Phil Taylor, along with returning linebacker D’Qwell Jackson, if healthy all pose a threat to opposing offenses.

With simplicity comes predictability.

The defense will not benefit from the elaborate blitz packages from Ryan’s 3-4 defensive schemes of years passed. Rather it will rely on sound technique and coaching as well as the skill level of the players within the system. This may prove to be a problem considering a lack of depth and experienced players currently on the roster.

The Browns may surprise this season with a winning record due to a growing chemistry and ease of schedule, but are likely playing for the future in 2011. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens have a stranglehold on the AFC North division and it is going to take much more groundwork to uproot them.

A true test of the new system and management will likely not come until 2012. By then, Heckert will have had three seasons to bring in personnel and an entire season will have passed under his new coaching regime’s system.

Until then Browns fans, believe against belief and hope for the best.

On any given Sunday, a team can be better than the rest.