How Can Cleveland Browns Avoid Becoming Armpit of the AFC North?

Before I begin in earnest, let me first discuss the word "armpit" in this context.

An armpit, even at its most springtime-fresh, is still an ignored, oft-avoided area, simply because it has the potential to turn into the source of a rancorous odor in the blink of an eye. There's just nothing glamorous about an armpit, even if it is pristine.

That would be the Cleveland Browns, even when things aren't going so badly.

But when they are, it's quite the stink that emanates from the team. It's the kind of smell that lingers long after the offending parties have moved on, the kind of stink that makes one think things can never turn around for the Browns long enough to truly clean things up.

However, Cleveland isn't doomed, no matter how many fans or outside observers think this is the case. After all, the Browns are still in the middle of a rebuilding process that was designed to take many seasons to complete, and it's going to take time before this effort can be deemed a success or a failure.

Things move quickly in the NFL—so quickly that three seasons ago feels like 10, especially with how easily a dominant team or a star player can slip into irrelevance. A slow-moving rebuild can certainly try fans' patience.

But the opposite happens as well—just look at last season's San Francisco 49ers, a team that had eight straight seasons at .500 or worse and ended 2011 with a 13-3 record and a trip to the NFC championship game.

Sure, it's a stretch to say that the Browns can turn things around that drastically in 2012, but even if they fail to do so, it doesn't mean that 2013 needs to be a mess as well.

They have a clear path, one that team president Mike Holmgren and general manager Tom Heckert have explicitly outlined every time they speak to the media, and as long as they stick to it, that's a good sign for the Browns. Consistency, after all, is one hallmark of a successful NFL team.

It's not about strategy nor game planning that's kept the Browns in the AFC North's basement—it's personnel.

Some of that can be blamed on the powers-that-be, others can be blamed on the players. You only have an idea of what kind of player you've brought onto the roster; and only when you've seen him on the field, and how he fits into the entire system, can he be called a stud or a dud.

So many factors come together when building a roster. The salary cap dictates much of what a team can or cannot do, draft positioning—and number of picks—is another factor and there's still the stigma of being a loser that the Browns clearly still struggle to overcome.

That stigma is certainly a major issue when it comes to the willingness of top-tier free agents to come to Cleveland.

It's not the small market, it's not the prospect of having to play teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens twice a year (in fact, that's a prospect I fully believe players should find compelling)—it's the worry that being part of a team viewed to be a perennial loser might diminish their overall value in the league.

I'm not a fan of this thinking, because I think that players should embrace the challenges posed by joining a struggling team and work hard to turn around the franchise—especially if they believe they're so talented at their positions.

But without attracting big-name free agents, the Browns can still make major strides toward improvement. This year's draft, in which Cleveland has 13 total picks, is a great opportunity to continue its rebuild with hand-picked players who ostensibly should be perfect fits.

As long as they handle the picks intelligently, they could pull in not just start-worthy rookie playmakers, but also roster depth at a number of positions.

Offense is clearly the team's top priority. Say what you will about quarterback Colt McCoy (because I have), about his arm strength and accuracy—those things very well may be true, but the fact that we don't truly know that yet makes him worth the benefit of the doubt.

McCoy has played in just 21 games in his two years with the Browns. Now that he's been named the team's uncontested starter, it appears he will be under center for the team in all 16 of its regular-season games this year.

More time on the field—and working within the Browns' West Coast offense—will undoubtedly benefit McCoy, as will a bona fide offseason when he can get in sync with his receivers (a luxury he didn't have last year, thanks to the lockout).

Those receivers represented much of McCoy's (and later, Seneca Wallace's) offensive problems last season. Drops, ill-preparedness and injury all combined on a near-weekly basis to stall out the Browns' passing game before it could ever get truly started.

Of course, the lack of a dedicated, No. 1 wide receiver is also a huge issue, and the Browns must address it in the draft if they are going to have any hope of turning things around this year. That means one of their two first-round picks should go to a wide receiver, whether that's Justin Blackmon or Michael Floyd at No. 4 or Kendall Wright or Stephen Hill at No. 22.

Yes, it's a deep draft class at receiver, but the Browns, as an organization, need a first-round caliber playmaker. That's not to say they won't use one of their other, many picks on a receiver in a later round (I think they should), but to ignore this most-important area early on would be a mistake.

The problem is that the Browns have so many offensive needs to address, and though they have the picks to fill many of those holes, they can't obviously be filled by first-round talent.

Right tackle, wide receiver, running back—that's just for starters. And when it comes to receivers and running backs, that's plural, as in more than one.

It's not to say the Browns are done making moves in free agency, of course, but high-end receivers—and especially a starting right tackle—aren't going to be found at this stage in the game. So, again, it's about drafting intelligently and properly ranking their priorities that will determine how successful the Browns will be in 2012 (and beyond).

A bad draft this year, and it's back to the drawing board in the next, without any guarantee they'll have anywhere near the 13 picks they have this season.

It's hard to use the phrase "make or break" when it comes to this year for the Browns, simply because it has felt that way for so long, but with 13 picks, it is going to be quite the reckoning come 2013 if Heckert, Holmgren and Pat Shurmur mismanage the draft.

Putting together a winning team isn't rocket science, though it seems like it. Physics, psychology, a little luck and a ton of football acumen all come together to determine how well a team will perform.

The Browns are still trying to get these ducks in a row. For now, they must stay the course when it comes to their rebuilding plans, draft to meet their most immediate of needs and hope for improvements on the field that are more monumental than incremental, while not giving up if they look more like the latter.

Cleveland has work to do, to be sure, and they're still just over halfway through the process they embarked on when bringing in Holmgren. If the plan fails, then it's time to worry, then it's yet another rebuild, another offensive system, another defense, another coaching staff—and another step back.

But for now, the Browns aren't doomed. They hold their fate in their hands, to be sure, and the chances to succeed are just as great as their chances to fail.

If they do the right thing in April, perceptions will slowly change, the stink will start to lift and perhaps, for once, they'll soon be seen as the league's most improved franchise rather than the embarrassing family member no one likes to invite to the party.

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