Previewing the Cleveland Browns' Week 2 Preseason Game vs. Packers

The Cleveland Browns won their first preseason contest, against the Detroit Lions, by a score of 19-17, despite inconsistent play during the minimal reps given their starters.

This week, against the Green Bay Packers, we're set to see those starters play at least the full first half of the game, which will give everyone a better indication of just where the Browns stand with the regular season less than a month away.

Here are the three biggest things you should watch for in the Browns' Week 2 preseason game.

Brandon Weeden

Brandon Weeden's preseason debut was rocky, but that's not surprising for a rookie quarterback. On 15 plays, Weeden went three-for-nine, for 62 yards, one interception, one fumble and one sack.

However, many of Weeden's mistakes were of the small, fixable kind, ones that are not worth worrying about this early. What we need to watch for this week is if he's made those fixes and, with extended playing time, begins to sharpen his overall game.

One can certainly make the argument that all three of the Browns' backup quarterbacks outplayed Weeden against the Lions, but yet again, it must be noted that none of those quarterbacks played against first-team defenses.

The only way that Weeden can improve as a professional football player is to get as much time on the field as possible. Watch for how he reacts to pressure (particularly blitzes), how he reacts to the overall speed of the game, his decision-making and, of course, that arm of his.

We got a mere glimpse of Weeden last week. This is our first real, extended look at the Browns' starter under center, and it will likely inform how we can expect him to perform, at least through the early weeks of the regular season.

Stopping the Run

We all know about the Browns' issues in 2011 when it came to stopping the run, and the hope is that this year doesn't result in more of the same.

However, it's hard to tell how that will pan out. In last week's game against the Lions, the Browns' starting defensive front seven were without a number of key players as they nursed injuries of varying severity. Not on the field were defensive tackles Phil Taylor and Ahtyba Rubin, defensive end Frostee Rucker and linebackers D'Qwell Jackson and Chris Gocong.

As a result, the Browns gave up a total of 198 yards and a touchdown on the ground off of 33 Lions rushes, an average of six yards per carry.

This week, the front seven will be a mixed bag of starters and second-teamers yet again while injuries again sideline Taylor, Rucker, Jackson, Gocong and now linebacker Scott Fujita, who is trying to heal his left leg.

In their place will be defensive end Emmanuel Stephens, linebackers Kaluka Maiava, L.J. Fort and James-Michael Johnson and defensive tackle John Hughes. Parker appears ready to play, however, after having missed time with a pelvic injury.

The Packers were horrendous running the ball in their first preseason outing, with just 51 yards on 22 total carries. They averaged just 2.3 yards per carry and had just three rushing first downs.

Though Green Bay signed free-agent running back Cedric Benson this week, he will not play against the Browns as he is just getting his footing with his new team. So it stands to reason that yet again, the Packers won't have success on the ground.

However, if the Packers are able to carve up the Browns' defensive front despite not having much of a running attack to speak of, that doesn't bode well for Cleveland's chances to improve against the run in 2012.

With so many injuries in that front seven, having above-average depth is extremely important for the Browns right now. If they cannot handle what is (let's face it) a minor test on Thursday, then they'll need to get back to the drawing board—and quickly. There's no two ways about it—the Browns must stop the run this year.

Josh Gordon

Rookie Browns receiver Josh Gordon showed very clear signs of rust last week against the Lions, catching none of the three passes thrown his way. He's had trouble with his route-running and drops despite showing flashes of his skills in training camp since joining the Browns after they selected him in the supplemental draft.

Gordon didn't play college football in 2011 after being kicked off the Baylor football team and transferring to Utah, where he was forced to sit for a year per NCAA rules. Similarly to teammate Greg Little, who was in the same situation last year, Gordon has even more catching up to do than the typical rookie receiver.

With Weeden playing the entire first half, expect Gordon's targets to increase. But that doesn't necessarily mean that he'll pull them all down, if last week's performance was any indication.

For a rookie like Gordon, who has been out of the game for so long, even improvement in small increments is a positive thing. If he can work on sharpening his routes and learning how to gain separation from NFL-level defenders, he will be a force on the Browns' offense this year.

But clearly, this will take time and of course, practice. As long as Gordon doesn't look worse than he did last week, he's on the right path.

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