MTD says Browns will win 9, make playoffs
Posted June 3rd, 2008 by Dan
Blog friendo Matt Miller of Mocking the Draft got bored so he picked every game of the upcoming football season. That's right, all 256 regular season games. Here's how he put it for Cleveland:
Cleveland Browns
Wk Matchup
1 Dallas Cowboys L
2 Pittsburgh Steelers L
3 at Baltimore Ravens W
4 at Cincinnati Bengals W
5 Bye
6 New York Giants L
7 at Washington Redskins W
8 at Jacksonville Jaguars L
9 Baltimore Ravens W
10 Denver Broncos W
11 at Buffalo Bills W
12 Houston Texans W
13 Indianapolis Colts W
14 at Tennessee Titans W
15 at Philadelphia Eagles L
16 Cincinnati Bengals L
17 at Pittsburgh Steelers L
Total 9W-7L
It's hard to argue with much of it, but winning six consecutive games could be difficult. Mike Florio, of Pro Football Talk (and apparently Sporting News), doesn't agree. I wouldn't put too much stock in what Florio has to say. He's great at being the beneficiary of republishing someone's work. I wouldn't expect much of a knowledgeable opinion from the guy.
Notes…
In yet more Browns ranking news, Pete Prisco of CBS Sports says the Browns have the sixth best offensive line in the league. Fair enough.
If you're into such things, Madden 2009 ratings have been released. As a team, the Browns were given an 88. That's good for sixth best in the AFC behind New England, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Jacksonville and San Diego.
June 3rd, 2008 at 9:15 pm
I think the 9-7 or possibly 10-6 is perfectly reasonable, but a few things dont add up with Matt's assessment, while we're tossing around opinions.
-Pittsburgh regressed this offseason, losing yet another top-flight O-lineman to free agency. Cleveland improved dramatically toward the end of the season and added major pieces to their team in the offseason. No way do the Steelers sweep the Browns again. At the very least it's a split, and I would argue that after a week 16 home game against a Cincinnati team that looks to be in disarray and will likely be around the 5-11 mark again, the Browns will be rolling into Pittsburgh with the division crown on the line in week 17, where they nearly beat the Steelers last season with no defense.
-As I said above, I doubt Cincy is much better, if not worse, than last season, so a sweep is likely there. That team is a mess, and their defense could actually be worse this year.
-I dont see the Browns taking down the Colts, even at home. Barring major injuries to guys like Manning, Addai, or along the defensive front, I would argue that Indy is the co-favorite in the AFC along with New England.
-I'm not ready to concede the Giants game at home, coming off a bye, and on MNF I believe. Let's be honest, the Giants were a good team that got very hot in the playoffs last year and overachieved when they beat New England. I dont see Eli Manning playing out of his freaking mind again, and with guys like Strahan and Toomer a little too close to retirement, I'm thinking New York struggles to make the playoffs in a tough division like the NFC East. I like the Browns to take this one.
… There will be unforseen losses and upset wins throughout the season, and I realize this is just one person's hypothetical, but my take on the season looks like this:
Cleveland Browns '08
1 Dallas Cowboys L
2 Pittsburgh Steelers W
3 at Baltimore Ravens W
4 at Cincinnati Bengals W
5 Bye
6 New York Giants W
7 at Washington Redskins L
8 at Jacksonville Jaguars L
9 Baltimore Ravens W
10 Denver Broncos W
11 at Buffalo Bills W
12 Houston Texans W
13 Indianapolis Colts L
14 at Tennessee Titans W
15 at Philadelphia Eagles L
16 Cincinnati Bengals W
17 at Pittsburgh Steelers L
Total 10W-6L
…And home field for the first round game.
June 3rd, 2008 at 9:17 pm
Oh, and Mike Florio is an idiot…
June 4th, 2008 at 8:45 am
If the Browns can stay healthy in the secondary, not just at CB, I think they can go
1 Dallas Cowboys L
2 Pittsburgh Steelers W
3 at Baltimore Ravens W
4 at Cincinnati Bengals L
5 Bye
6 New York Giants W
7 at Washington Redskins W
8 at Jacksonville Jaguars L
9 Baltimore Ravens W
10 Denver Broncos W
11 at Buffalo Bills L
12 Houston Texans W
13 Indianapolis Colts L
14 at Tennessee Titans W
15 at Philadelphia Eagles W
16 Cincinnati Bengals L
17 at Pittsburgh Steelers W
I have them going 10-6, losing a few games they should win and vice versa. I agree with what Josh says, but for some reason the Browns have trouble with the Steelers. Who knows why.
The games that could change the season are:
Jacksonville
Buffalo
Philadelphia
Don't ask me why, just a feeling.
June 4th, 2008 at 10:06 am
Just for the sake of record keeping, I also said 10-6 here before the draft. No changes in my opinion.
June 4th, 2008 at 8:06 pm
I really like our chances in the division with Pittsburgh losing some ground as I stated above, Baltimore looks ancient on defense and they still havent solved their QB hole, and Cincinnati will lead the league in arrests for the 6th year in a row and that's about it.
I think 5-1 in the division is a real possibility, and those games will be critical since the rest of the schedule is so ridiculous. The Browns will make or miss the playoffs depending on their division record…
June 5th, 2008 at 10:03 am
Florio contradicts himself in that article.
He predicts the Steelers will be knocked down a peg or two and The Browns won't get to the playoffs. Who's left in the AFC North, Balt or Cinci to win?
This guy is an idiot.
That said, I think 9-7 might be enough to win the division, certainly 10-6 will do it. No wildcard for the AFC north this year, for sure.
That's why Phil traded picks for proven players, no time to develop people, this year is the time to win the division.
June 5th, 2008 at 11:33 am
Well said Josh and JoeyG.
I'm not sleeping on the Bungles as much as most, though. Even if they don't have Chad Johnson, they'll have Houshmai'mtoolazytolookitup. He missed this part of camp last year, too, and is the better receiver (that's right, I said it). They also added some to their defense.
Now, that's not to say they're going to win the division, but I think they're going to be better than people think. You know, 6-10 instead of 5-11.