2011 NFL Predictions: Browns Historically Awful Offense Will Get Worse

Would you rather watch the Cleveland Browns offense or paint dry?

That is the question dividing America tonight as they analyze just how weak the unit is shaping up to be.

Fans were fired up with the way rookie QB Colt McCoy came in and performed admirably. They thought they finally had a franchise QB after dealing with Derek Anderson, Brady Quinn, Jake Delhomme, Tim Couch, Charlie Frye and Ken Dorsey in the past decade.

A closer look revealed a different story.

He led the team to impressive wins over the New Orleans Saints and the New England Patriots in his second and third career starts. Yet he threw for a combined 248 yards and zero TDs...doesn't exactly scream dominating performance.

He didn't collect a victory for the rest of the season including a three-game sweep at the hands of the other teams in the AFC North.

Analysts assumed the Browns would bolster their lackluster receiving corps in both free agency and the draft.

They were right about one of them.

For some inexplicable reason the team completely omitted the position during the free-agent frenzy and ignored the fact that multiple solid players were available at a clearance price tag.

They drafted Greg Little out of UNC in the second round and he is expected to start right away. Early reports from The Cleveland Plain-Dealer suggest he has been dropping balls left and right in camp. We'll see if he can iron out the problem before the season begins. 

Mohamed Massaquoi is supposed to be the No. 1 guy, but he's yet to practice as he deals with an injured bone in his left leg. The timetable for his return is still very much up in the air.

New head coach Pat Shurmur claims he will be incorporating Josh Cribbs in the offense more, but that's not the first time we've heard a coach say that. He is simply not the crisp route runner to create decent separation. Expect him to be used in random Wildcat formations and a handful of plays a game. Nothing more.

Other than that, the 29th ranked receiving corps of 2010 is just fine.

The big story of the Browns last year was the emergence of RB Peyton Hillis. The 2012 Madden cover boy had a breakout season as he hurdled past the competition. Yet his body really began to breakdown during the last month of the season.

In the last three games he ran for a combined 107 yards, with zero TDs and a terrible 3.1 yards per carry average. The combination of teams figuring out how to defend him with the lack of a backup spelled doom.

The addition of Brandon Jackson gives them a formidable No. 2, but it remains to be seem if Hillis can adjust to the more aggressive formations defenses will be using on him.

The best part of the unit is an offensive line anchored by Eric Steinbach and Joe Thomas. They are terrific blockers and can take a lot of credit for the success of the running game.

Having said that, the run game only ranked 20th in the league despite the illusion of a much better performance.

Any way you slice it the Browns took a side-step offensively this offseason and are counting on McCoy to take a humongous step in his second year.

Is it possible to average less than the 16.9 points a game they did in 2010?

Very possible.