Drinking The Purple Kool Aid

It’s arguable that the Cleveland Browns are the most consistent team in the division. They usually hover between two and six wins, scare nearly no one, but always pull off at least one impossible division upset. They have trouble scoring points and stopping anyone. They have a new football czar who everyone expects will get back into coaching very soon. Add up also the three legit playoff contenders in the division and it looks like apocalyptic doom in Northeast Ohio. Could there be a shocking turnaround for one of the league’s yearly cupcakes?

Watch Out For Eric Mangini in his second year. He didn’t exactly have a banner first year, with many pundits predicting a Scott Linehan-style exit. But consider this: the Browns won their last four in a row. Mangini was bounced from New York primarily because of the Brett Favre disaster. While a raging pain in the ass, he’s quietly a pretty good defensive coach.

Don’t Worry About Mohammed Massaquoi. He emerged as the top receiving threat on a team otherwise devoid of threats. A lot of fantasy players will take a flier on him this season. Trust me: there’s no one else to defend on this team.

Best Case Scenario: Can you say Cinderella? It’s all relative. A .500 year in Cleveland would be cause for absolute celebration and it’s not totally impossible if Jerome Harrison really is the real deal and Jake Delhomme stops throwing picks by the pound. If the AFC North completely collapses, Cleveland has a chance to reap the benefits. 9-7.

Worst Case Scenario: Delhomme is even worse than in Carolina and Colt McCoy is forced to start too early. Shaun Rogers beats Mangini to death during the third quarter of the New England game. Josh Cribbs announces on a live-television event that he’s going to the Dolphins. 1-15.

If They Were A Harrison Ford Movie, They’d Be Six Days, Seven Nights. In this case, Ford is Cribbs, an electric talent who, on another team, could be worth a couple playoff wins by himself. There’s just no one else on the roster here and the script doesn’t help. Where’s a good submarine scene when you need one?