Looking Ahead To Lions/Browns 8-22

It may only be the preseason, but the Browns need to score an offensive touchdown in this week’s game.

The preseason isn’t about winning or losing, because the record doesn’t matter, but it is about demonstrating that good football is on the horizon. Cleveland failed to show that last week versus Green Bay.

Last week’s game was a debacle I won’t dwell on any more than I have to, but I will point out it was the seventh game in a row the team did not score an offensive touchdown.

The last time the offense produced six points was at Buffalo Nov. 17 on a 72-yard run from Jerome Harrison. Tragically, Harrison barely touched the ball again after that.

Above all else, though, the Browns need to LOOK life a professional, NFL football team. It was very disheartening to see what amounted to “the same ol’ Browns” last week, going through the motions, causing stupid penalties, and generally looking worse than a high school football team.

Head coach Eric Mangini stresses smart, mistake-free football. That didn’t happen last week. While I don’t expect the Browns to look like Super Bowl champions, I do expect them to look better than Freshman Football.

It’s going to be make-it or break-it for Derek Anderson this week. He has to come out looking comfortable in the pocket and make good decisions, or anything Mangini says about not making a decision will look twice as foolish as it does today.

On the other hand, Brady Quinn can’t come out and wet the bed, either. Quinn will have to make sure any mistakes made on that field aren’t his, or the drama continues for another week.

On the defensive side of the ball, this line has to prove they can put pressure on the quarterback without having Shaun Rogers on the field. If they can’t, it’s going to be a long year.

Abram Elam also can’t get smoked this week like he did last week by Donald Driver. The corners have to at least look like they know where the ball is being thrown, even if the receiver beats them to it.

As for the coaching, it’s too early to grade Mangini in any kind of meaningful way, but I know I don’t want to see offensive coordinator Brian Daboll throw another backwards pass on third down again—EVER.

The object on third down is to move the ball forward, and this backwards trickery strategy is for high school. Don’t do it in the pros on third down, you end up looking stupid when it fails.

My expectations for last week were very low, yet I was still let down. As for this week, I don’t care if the Browns lose, as long as they look like they showed up for the game, I’ll be happy.