Browns Offseason 2011: Colt McCoy, Peyton Hillis Can Help Offense Shine

The Cleveland Browns had an average offense this past season. There were days when it looked unstoppable, and days when it looked like the same pitiful offenses run under Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson.

However, Peyton Hillis was a big constant. Consistently, Hillis would fall forward for extra yardage and create plays when they seemed dead. The Browns were far from a horrible offense, but just barely.

One of the things that set the Browns back was inconsistent offensive line play. During the beginning of the season, when Tony Pashos was playing RT and Shawn Luvao was playing RG, the offense seemed to be running on all cylinders.

Cleveland was staying in games and had great QB play from backup Seneca Wallace. They even performed well in their first game with the Steelers.

After that, however, the line spiraled into mediocrity. John St. Clair replaced the injured Pashos and all heck broke lose.

The Browns need to acquire a new RT first and foremost, in order to make this offense better. There will be starting RT prospects deep into the draft, so it should not be a first priority.

Another thing that hampered the Browns was yet another quarterback carousel. They said Jake Delhomme was their starter, then decided Seneca Wallace should have a shot and after both of the two “starting” quarterbacks went down, they finally decided on McCoy.

If the new coaching staff wants any credibility from day one, they should choose a QB and stick to him. McCoy looks like he can be that guy; the coaching staff either needs to get behind him or throw him under the bus.

Don’t play patty-cake with the fans. That may one of the reasons Mangini lost his job, he was so hesitant to hurt a player’s feelings that he would wait until game day to make a decision.

The running game, while a huge step up from years past, also needs a No. 2 guy. Hillis can’t do it alone, as has been shown by a near-collapse at the end of the regular season, when he looked tired.

Every team in the NFL has the Browns offense pegged as a “one-trick pony,” and in short, it is the truth.

Hillis was the only constant on the otherwise unspectacular offense. He consistently brought his “A-Game” and it showed. The Browns need a speedy, change-of-pace back who can spell Hillis and create offense by himself.

This was one of the criticisms of Mike Bell. He could spell Hillis, but he never created any offense by himself, he wasn’t a good complement because he was essentially the same RB, except less explosive.

A speedy, pass-catching RB with good field vision would be ideal, but that's asking a lot.

I personally feel like a guy in the Maurice Jones-Drew mold would be perfect, and there is such a player in the draft who is expected to go in the fourth round, University of Pittsburgh Running Back, Dion Lewis.

If the Browns want to keep their running game strong, they have to avoid giving the ball to Hillis so he can run the same two routes. To do this, they need a playmaker in the passing game.

This comes as a surprise to nobody, as the Browns leading receiver was TE Ben Watson with 763 yards. Without a receiving threat, the Browns cannot be effective, this is why drafting a great WR in this year's draft is important.

Alternatively, the Browns may be able to add a second-tier free agent receiver, or trade for a veteran like Steve Smith of the Panthers.

That is not to say however, that all of the receivers should be scrapped. In Mangini’s system, possession receivers like Robiskie and Massaquoi were being asked to be “big play” receivers, and to “go long.”

Not exactly their forte. Also, these players were playing a peg higher on the depth chart than they should’ve. Mo Mass is not a game-changing receiver, however when he played across from Braylon Edwards, he showed much more poise and potential.

Since then, it’s been a downward spiral for him. Robiskie has not had much more luck, although he stepped up at the end of this season and showed that he does have what it takes to be an NFL receiver in some capacity.

The offense needs to be able to stay on the field and allow their defense to rest. The offense last season had a lot going for it, but it did a terrible job of staying on the field.

The Browns need to be able to control the tempo and pace of the game. Teams like the Jets and the Ravens dominate in time of possession, and their defenses play better as a result.

Colt McCoy has shown he can lead the huddle, now it’s up for Holmgren, Heckert, Shumur, and whoever (if anyone) the OC is, to continue to bring in and develop talent.