To say the Cleveland Browns have taken their fans on a roller coaster ride of emotions through the first seven weeks of the NFL season would be a gross understatement.
From Josh Gordon's drug suspension to Brandon Weeden's thumb injury to the trade of Trent Richardson to the emergence of Brian Hoyer and back, Browns fans have went from burying their team to praising it to burying it all over again ... and we're not even in November yet and they still haven't even played the hated Pittsburgh Steelers once.
it's hard to believe that, just two weeks ago, the Browns had first place in the AFC North all to themselves after a thrilling 37-24 home win over the Buffalo Bills on a nationally televised Thursday night. They were 3-2 overall. The defense was outstanding and the offense was starting to find itself.
Two weeks later, you hear fans talking of "tanking" the season to draft a quarterback prospect after back-to-back blowout defeats at the hands of the Detroit Lions at home and the Green Bay Packers on the road. Keep in mind the Browns are still only 3-4, still tied for second in the AFC North and still, technically, in contention for a playoff berth.
Through seven games, this longtime Browns fan and observer can identify at least five players that have underwhelmed with their individual performances and are on the fast track of being replaced next season, if not sooner. Yes, one of those five is the suspect everyone expects, so we'll save him for last.
1. Greg Little, WR -- Why does it seem that, in the expansion era of the Cleveland Browns, whoever is in charge always seems to draft wide receivers that are inconsistent in the one area an NFL wide receiver needs to be consistent in, which is catching the football? From Braylon Edwards to Quincy Morgan to Andre Davis to Dennis Northcutt to Travis Wilson, the Browns have specialized in drafting receivers who couldn't catch a cold if they were stranded naked in Siberia, let alone catch a football on a consistent basis. Some were worse than others. We can safely add Greg Little's name to that list, although it's been on that list ever since he joined this team as a second-rounder in 2011. Little's drops have been highlighted this season because the team was without No. 1 deep threat Josh Gordon for the first two weeks, which meant he was expected to be the Browns' top wideout. Instead, his inconsistencies were on display with no one else to shield him. And, while hands would be an issue alone, he's also had issues with running the right routes, talking to the media and even off-the-field issues concerning traffic violations. After a particularly bad game at Baltimore in Week 2, Little was stopped down in the Flats section of Cleveland after running a stop sign and cited for that, driving under suspension and change of course. He had just $472 in fines the week before after he was caught with an expired license plate and driving 81 in a 60. He's been demoted to kickoff returner, and he even lost his gig doing that after some ill-advised returns out of the end zone during the nationally-televised win over Buffalo. His miserable day Sunday was exacerbated by a drop in the end zone on a slant on fourth down on the Browns' final offensive play of the game. They've shopped him this season, but with no takers, Little may have to play out the string knowing that this is his last chance to make a good impression on a group of gentlemen who not only did not draft him, but may not have even wanted to draft him had they been in charge in 2011.
2. Buster Skrine, CB -- Many Browns fans wanted to see Buster Skrine replaced as the starting cornerback opposite Joe Haden after a miserable 2012 season. Teams repeatedly targeted the undersized Skrine, and receivers continued to beat him for receptions. And when Skrine wasn't getting beat, he was getting whistled for pass interference penalties. He was whistled for nine penalties last season, making him one of the most penalized players in the NFL last season. However, other than a flirtation with free agent cornerback Brent Grimes, who wound up signing with Miami, the Browns braintrust seemed content to go with Skrine, free agent signing Chris Owens and fourth-round draft pick Leon McFadden to lineup opposite shutdown corner Joe Haden this season. After a miserable first two games, Skrine's play improved the last few weeks and had been getting noticed by the Cleveland-area media. Unfortunately, all it took was a wet field and a Jacksonville Jaguars undrafted castoff named Jarrett Boykin to unravel all of that goodwill. Skrine was repeatedly victimized by Boykin, who came into the game with six career catches and one catch this season, and perennial All-Pro quarterback Aaron Rodgers on Sunday's 31-13 loss. Boykin finished with eight catches for 103 yards and his first-career touchdown. According to pro-football-reference.com, Skrine has been whistled for five penalties through seven games this season, including a costly pass interference infraction in the fourth quarter that led to Boykin's lone touchdown. At 5-foot-10, 160-pounds, Skrine is too small and short to hang with the bigger receivers in the NFL. Hopefully, the Browns braintrust has seen enough to know that they can't rely on him as a starter next season and be more aggressive in bringing in some upgrades in the defensive backfield.
3. Craig Robertson, ILB -- For five games, Robertson -- an undrafted rookie in 2012 out of North Texas -- was a perfect fit for defensive coordinator Ray Horton's 3-4 defense. Lining up next to tackling machine and 8-year veteran and captain D'Qwell Jackson, Robertson had been playing very well. Then came the Lions game, where Reggie Bush and Matthew Stafford exposed Robertson as someone who can't cover very well and who's tackling kills are suspect. Robertson was viewed as the main culprit defensively in their 31-23 loss to Detroit two weeks ago. And, it didn't take long for Rodgers to exploit him Sunday. It was Robertson who was the first player to whiff on Jermichael Finley's game-opening 10-yard touchdown reception, in which four Browns missed tackles on the big tight end in the open field. Robertson is third on the team with 28 tackles and has added two sacks, but his play has stood out like a sore thumb on a defense that has been gashed for 31 points in back-to-back weeks. Robertson may be a good special team guy or a good change-of-pace guy. However, the Browns may be in the market to find someone a bit more talented to line up next to Jackson on the inside next season.
4. Mitchell Schwartz, RT -- Last season, the second-round pick out of Cal got off to a slow start, but quickly showed the fans why then-GM Tom Heckert and then-president Mike Holmgren felt he was worth the 37th overall pick. Schwartz became, arguably, the best right tackle the Browns had ever had during the expansion era and led many fans to believe that the offensive line was one of the team's strengths. That was before this season. Schwartz has been miserable this season. Some fans thought it was exacerbated by playing with an inexperienced right guard in Oniel Cousins for the first few games, especially in the 23-10 season-opening loss to the Miami Dolphins. However, with regular starter Shawn Lavauo returning in the Buffalo game, Schwartz's play hasn't gotten any better. He's only been whistled for two penalties this season, but he's been abused by the left-edge pass rushers this season. Plus, the line has regressed in run blocking this season, which was supposedly a Schwartz strength coming out of college. Current general manager Mike Lombardi was very critical of the Browns' entire 2012 draft as a TV analyst, which included the drafting of Schwartz, so it's clear they wouldn't hesitate to replace him. They were also heavily rumored to be interested in former Jaguar tackle Eugene Monroe, who wound up being dealt to the Ravens, and Monroe would have stepped right in and replaced Schwartz. You can say that the sacks are the result of Brandon Weeden holding on to the ball for too long, but Brian Hoyer, who had a much quicker release, was sacked six times in two full games under center, so it's not just the quarterback's fault.
5. Brandon Weeden, QB -- I saved the most obvious choice for last. You won't find very many people in Cleveland defending Weeden at this point, with 90 percent of the fanbase ready to see if journeyman Jason Campbell can do better under center. Weeden entered this season knowing that the new regime did not draft him with the 22nd overall pick last season, nor did they particularly want him. With new head coach Rob Chudzinski, who turned journeyman Derek Anderson into a Pro Bowler here in Cleveland in 2007, and offensive guru Norv Turner coming to town, most people expected the big-armed Weeden to do well in the vertical-based attacking offense they were bringing. Most experts chalked up Weeden's struggles last season to playing in an offense he was ill-suited for, the West Coast offense favored by outgoing coach Pat Shurmur and Holmgren. Many believed that, if Weeden couldn't succeed in the Chudzinski-Turner offense, he wouldn't succeed anywhere in the NFL. Well, through seven games, it looks like the experts were right. Making matters worse for Weeden was injuring his thumb late in the Week 2 14-6 loss to Baltimore and watching third-stringer Brian Hoyer -- a Cleveland product -- succeed in his place. Weeden's play has regressed since coming back from the injury. Barring a miracle, it looks like the Browns will have a new quarterback next season, whether it's a rookie draft pick or a healthy Hoyer or a free agent who's not on the team currently. Weeden may have one last game to show the Browns and their frustrated fanbase that he's worthy of another shot, and against the defensively-tough 7-0 Kansas City Chiefs, that doesn't appear likely. While Jason Campbell isn't necessarily an upgrade, you can only stomach two ill-advised, "bone-headed" (as he called it) underhanded tosses per season. Weeden did it in back-to-back games. Who knows, maybe there is a surprise in store between now and Oct. 29 (the NFL trade deadline) and Nov. 5 (the start of the Browns' bye week).
These five Browns should realize that the clock is ticking on their respective careers. All five, at this moment, will be and should be replaced next season if this franchise wants to take the next logical step. It's up to Little, Skrine, Robertson, Schwartz and Weeden to prove that they belong.
Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!
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