Blog: Browns Fans Have to Like What They're NOT Seeing

I've always viewed the Browns pre-season as a mixed bag--obviously I'm happy to see them playing again (especially after this off-season), but what can you really glean from preseason football? 

Starters are in only a fraction of the time, usually against the other teams most basic coverages and what you actually see are guys who will either end up playing on the special teams or selling insurance.

I for one, have been happy for what I haven't seen this preseason ...

As in, I haven't seen anyone running around camp with no shoes and getting hurt ... no one's been fined $1,700 for taking a water bottle from a hotel ... no one's sitting on a bus for 10 hours to attend an out-of-state football camp ... and head coach Pat Shermur isn't flipping a coin to determine who'll start at quarterback.

In fact the biggest story may be that the Browns, after lo these many years, may finally may have their man. Certainly, it's very in his career, but Colt McCoy has been impressive. From his accuracy, mobility and pocket awareness he's displayed so far to his emerging leadership qualities, Colt is proving to be, well, the real McCoy (OK that was bad but I'm sure I'm not the first writer to use that).

So far, what you're also not seeing are Browns defenders looking totally overmatched and overwhelmed. Linebacker D'Qwell Jackson, despite being out the majority of the last two seasons, looks like he was born to play in Dick Jauron's new 4-3 scheme. The secondary's solid and D-Line, as evidenced by rookie Phil Taylor's domination in the Eagles game, looks like it will at least hold it's own if not occasionally dominate.

Of course we haven't seen much of Peyton Hillis this pre-season--unless it's the cover of year's Madden 12. Quite frankly, he has nothing to gain from playing right now and will be best served to save his energy for the season.

(Now is the part of the article where I temper my enthusiasm by realizing that the Browns are paper-thin deep on both sides of the ball, and that's true.  Any significant injuries to any of the starters can make for (another) long season).

But at least it seems like this team has a plan, which I think you can most definitely see.  Mike Holmgren and the rest of the brain trust have been (so far) pretty adept at drafting talented guys that fit their system.  Certainly they don't have enough of them right now but you can sense, or at least I do, that their building toward something.  Lord knows, since the Browns have come back we've seen more rebuilding than we care to admit, usually leading to nowhere. 

Call me crazy, but I think this plan is leading to somewhere. And that's something we'd all like to see.