Training camp starts tomorrow. That got me thinking a little more than usual about the Browns.

Question no is asking one: Can the Browns actually beat teams over .500 this year?
Although the Browns won 10 games in 2007, only one (Seattle) was over a team with a record of .500 or better.

The game against the Seahawks was only possible thanks to 14 fourth-quarter points and a 364-yard passing day by Derek Anderson. Hardly encouraging.

So, whatever will the Browns do this season considering their opponents had a .546 winning percentage last season. As a wise man often says, not so fast my friend.

That schedule is good for seventh toughest in the league. Guess who has the hardest and third-hardest schedule based on 2007 winning percentage. That would be the Steelers and Ravens, respectively. And what then about the Bengals? Their opponents have the same 2007 winning percentage as the Browns.

Question no one is asking two: Can Jamal Lewis do it again?
Lewis had something of a career resurgence in his first season with the Browns, rushing for 1,304 yards and nine touchdowns.

In the three years prior to last season, Lewis averaged 1,015 yards per season, so last season was something of a spike. Look a little deeper in his stats, and there's a more disturbing picture. Lewis got more than half (789) of his yards in the last seven games last season. On the Browns side of the field, Lewis got 901 of his yards (69 percent). Yes, it's true he gets a lot more attempts (57 percent) on the Browns side of the field, but there's still a case here.

Let's compare Lewis' stats with another running back whose team uses a similar blocking scheme and one main running back (which is a little rare today). The closest match Thomas Jones of the Jets. While they're certainly different runners, the circumstances are similar.

He had 1,119 rushing yards in 15 games last season. The yards were dispersed fairly evenly. Fifty-seven percent of his yards came on the Jets' side of the field.

The point here is (I think I'm making one), is that while Lewis had a good 2007, the Browns will need him to become much better on the opposing side of the field. That will take even more pressure off Anderson, who completed only 52.5 percent of his passes on the opposing side of the field.

Under the microscope: Defensive coordinator Mel Tucker
With all the fuss about the a stellar offense and the additions on the defensive front line, Tucker's transition to coordinator has been underplayed.

Tucker is being given the task of improving a defense that gave up 23.9 points and 359.6 yards per game last season.

Coming into his fourth season with the Browns, Tucker was the defensive backs coach until replacing the fired Todd Grantham. Tucker's only coordinator work came at Ohio State from 2001-04, which he shared with Jim Heacock.

Fortunately, head coach Romeo Crennel has such a strong background on defense that it shouldn't matter too much. Still, outside of being able to develop players in the secondary, Tucker is an unknown.

Biggest impact from an offseason acquisition: Defensive lineman Corey Williams
Williams has been vastly overshadowed this offseason by defensive tackle Shaun Rogers. Don't forget the Browns traded Green Bay a second-round pick for Williams.

Williams, who will be 28 at the start of the season, is in the prime of a career that has seen steady improvement. He's had seven sacks each of the past two seasons and will be Cleveland's top pass rusher along the defensive line.

Question no one is asking three: How will safety Sean Jones perform in a contract year?
Terry Pluto of the Plain Dealer wrote the other day about Jones being the leader of the Browns' secondary. He briefly touched on Jones' contract running out at the end of the season. Equally important, to me at least, is that he mentioned that Jones is something of an introvert.

While it's not fair for me to judge the mental prowess of another person, it makes you wonder a little how Jones will do with a possible big-money contract looming. A lot of players seem to flourish in a contract year so hopefully Jones will be the same way. It's also a little confounding that Jones' impending free agency is rarely mentioned considering the team seems to be openly negotiating with tight end Kellen Winslow.

Notes…
If you subscribe to the Beacon Journal, you probably saw a nice page previewing training camp Sunday. Well, since I like you, I converted that page online here. Whatever stories beat writer Marla Ridenour or columnist Patrick McManamon write about training camp, you'll be able to find them there, or the usual places on Ohio.com

Speaking of McManamon, he wrote this column wondering whether or not the Browns should have gone after defensive end Jason Taylor. By the way, make sure you're checking out Pat's blog. It's always filled with good opinions, a laugh or two and (if you're lucky), a picture of Adriana Lima.

The Browns made a couple roster moves.

Rich Passan of Scout.com wrote about one of my all-time favorite Browns, center tackle Cody Risien. As a youngster, I met Risien. Probably at a mall or a car dealership. Possibly a pet store, I don't recall. What I do remember is that glorious mustache. Risien owned one of the most underrated mustaches in the history of mustachiodom. He was a pretty good offensive lineman as well.

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