Special Edition: As a Browns fan living in Chicago, I recently attended the Bears’ preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals and got a chance to tackle this question in real life. We won’t cover anything else as we wait for the first week of the season to arrive.

Question: So, are the Bears going to be any good this year?

A thoughtful and long winded answer: Honestly, I see a lot of the 2008 Browns written on the Bears this year.

Sitting in a Chicago bar with Bears fans you can feel it in the air. Everyone is in on the edge of their seat. It’s like they are watching one of those movies where a car almost drives over a cliff, but at the last second stops and is left balanced on the edge, teetering back and forth. Bears fans are holding their breath in suspense as they wait for the car’s passenger to shift just slightly the wrong way, causing the car fall over the edge.

This is what happened to the Browns in 2008.

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Our own Bernie Dawkins already has a great post regarding Jim Brown’s letter to the Cleveland Browns organization, including the full letter itself, but I wanted to chime in with a few brief thoughts of my own:

The Ring of Honor ceremony that the Browns are putting together is meant to pay tribute to some of the best players in team history. While just about anyone in that Ring of Honor would be honored to just be considered for such a thing, Browns legend Jim Brown saw the nomination another way. Though some of his anger stems from the fact that he was fired from his position as an executive advisor, and was instead offered $100,000 to  simply be a team ambassador, Brown’s letter declining the invitation to the ceremony is just plain odd.

There’s no question that Jim Brown is one of the greatest – if not simply the greatest – players in NFL history, but it is unfortunate that in recent years, he has taken to using his influence in such a way that he comes off as an instigator and a man seemingly out of touch with the way things work. Brown has always moved to the beat of his own drum, but from everything we know about the situation, it is mightily unfair to hint at racism on the part of the Cleveland Browns. He can be upset about his firing, but a letter like this gives a younger generation a much different impression of one of the NFL’s biggest legends.

Follow Dawg Pound Daily or me (@steve_dimatteo) on Twitter and we can talk about Jim Brown’s letter, the Browns themselves, or anything else that’s on your mind.

It has been a summer of letters in the city of Cleveland, and they haven’t been real lovey-dovey. No, these letters have been bitter, angry breakup letters. First,  there was Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert’s scathing post breakup letter with LeBron James, and now Jim Brown’s racially charged letter to Cleveland Browns President, Mike Holmgren.

The first letter I loved – the second not so much.

Below is Brown’s letter to Holmgren, sprinkled in with some commentary.

Mike,
I would hope that you would take the time to read my agreement with the Clevelend Browns. I had no contract, but I was asked to write a job description so that my duties would be clear.

So let me get this straight. Mike (Holmgren) was supposed to read a contract that didn’t exist? That sounds damn near impossible.

That job description included two things that I think are important. As Executive Advisor to the owner, my job was to use my intelligence, and my logic to advise Mr. Lerner.

Well, that certainly explains some things, doesn’t it?

The second most important thing to me was a clause in that agreement that stated that I answered to noone except Randy Lerner.

Whoa! This handshake agreement between Lerner and Brown was far more complex than one might think –  if there’s clauses and all.

 What Brown failed to mention is that these clauses were denoted by air quotes in this contract that did not exist.

These two things were highly important to me because I truly believed, with my educational background, having been a Cleveland Brown for 9 yrs, and having a pretty good knowledge of football, that I could contribute in a valuable way to the organization.

At 74, here’s how Brown could “contribute in a valuable way”:  Smile, maybe shake a few hands, and proudly represent the Browns and the city of Cleveland as one of the game’s all time greats. Not by running your mouth and stirring the pot, or giving advice on football matters.

When you called me for a meeting in your office, there was no conversation about that agreement, no conversation about my duties, no conversation about what I felt, no conversation about my relationship with the players, no conversation about my relationship with the coaches, no conversation about my relationship with the head coach, and no conversation about my community work. Ultimately there was no conversation about anything that I felt was related to my job.

So basically, they sat there staring at each other for two hours, with Brown unwilling to give “the man” the satisfaction of even the slightest blink.

Your ultimatum to me was that you would offer me the opportunity of being that of the greeter, that of a mascot, that of a person that would represent special events by his physical presence, and for those things, I would receive a salary of $100,000. All of those things that you offered me would be controlled by you.

So Brown was offered $100 K  to dress up in a costume, say hello to people and  represent the organization at special events?  – and he turned it down?  Sign me up for that gig.

After that 10 minute meeting, I went to my office with a feeling that I was just fired by the Cleveland Browns, because in my mind, there would be no way on this earth that you would expect me to go against everything that I’ve ever stood for in my whole life.

Like choking a golf partner? Or going all Elin Woods kinds of crazy and smashing in the windows of your spouse’s vehicle?

Not wanting to get into a public debate, I left my office and went home. I never spoke to the media, or any of my friends at the Browns, because I truly didn’t know what to say to them. I thought that was the reponsibility of the Browns. I wrote you and Randy a note, and said I did not accept that proposed position, but if I could do anything meaningful for the organization, I would consider it.

Meaningful contributions to the organization, he says? See above.

 I took that position, because of my respect for the Lerner family, and everyone that I had worked with in the Cleveland Browns organization.

The Lerners giveth, and the Walrus taketh.

I was able to study your press conference and found your statements to be consistent in the way that you value me, and I observed the comments of the key players that sat by your side, and here was the impression I got: Your most powerful statement about me was that, and I must laugh, one monkey don’t stop the show.

I’m disappointed it took Brown this far down in the letter to play the race card. Clearly, age is starting to catch up with the old guy.

 The two players that were with you, one of them made the statement that he was overwhelmed to be honored, and the other started talking about a subject that was highly important, and that was the pension plan, and the improvement that he would hope would happen, but stated that he was there to discuss the Ring of Honor.

I was happy to hear Joe DeLamielleure bring up the pension plan, because right now Mike, I am working with everything I have in my power to be an advocate for a better pension plan and health care services for all the retired players.

Well, at least Brown has more time on his hands now to pursue this very worthy cause.

If you, in your position of tremendous power with the Cleveland Browns, would become an advocate of those two goals, you and I could walk side by side.

Holmgren’s the President of the Cleveland Browns, not God. His focus is the direction of the organization, Jim. Use that intelligence and logic.

But in my conclusion, I’ve never danced in the end zone, I always gave the ball to the referee, so you should know I don’t dance.

Dammit, quit trying to make Jim Brown dance, Mike. He was a terrible actor, not a dancer….Oh, I get it. This is about Brown not bowing down to “the man”. 

 Also Mike, I don’t hang out on the Westside of town. I’m an Eastside guy. I play my golf at Highland Golf Course.

I assume the point Brown is trying to make is the idea that he plays his golf on public courses rather than private ones. Why he felt the need to include this in his letter, I have no idea. I imagine it’s somehow connected to racism, but I’m not sure. All I know is if I was pulling in between $250 – $500K a year to give advice to Randy Lerner, I’d be playing  only the finest courses that Ohio had to offer. Social injustices be damned.

I don’t go to the Hall of Fame ceremonies, except on occasions, like when Gene Hickerson was inducted, and I felt very proud to be with Bobby Mitchell and Leroy Kelly in showing our respect for his great contribution, and for helping us become great players.

Jim Brown doesn’t go to the HOF ceremonies. Except sometimes.

 I don’t have any trophies in my home on display.

Probably a lie.

I don’t claim to be the best at anything, and I emphatically do not need validation from any man, so I will not participate in your Ring of Honor.

How dare Mike Holmgren think that Jim Brown would participate in a ceremony honoring him as one of the organization’s greatest players ever? The nerve of the Walrus! Only Jim Brown can validate the greatness of Jim Brown.

Mike, there’s only one thing that I control in life, and that’s being a man.

Well, it’s certainly not his mouth.

So let me end with a little humor, because as you say, one monkey don’t stop the show, and as I say “Willie Lynch missed a few of us”, and there will be no Buck Dancing.

And with this racially charged conclusion, Brown comes full circle and loses any shreds of credibilty that he had left in Cleveland.

From #32
Monique Brown

It’s a shame Brown is choosing to go out this way in Cleveland like that other guy. Hopefully, he comes to his senses and decides to attend the Ring of Honor ceremony in the home opener against the Kansas City Chiefs on September 19th.

Don’t hold your breath, though, because Brown still sees the world in black and white.

Eric Mangini announced yesterday that during the Browns’ fourth and final preseason game against the Chicago Bears, Colt McCoy and Brett Ratliff would play the entire game. This means we can close the book on Jake Delhomme for the 2010 preseason.

Even though these games don’t count, you’d have to say at this point that he was pretty marvelous.

His final stats through three games were: 38 / 48 for 345 yards, with 2 TDs and 0 INT. He completed 79% of his passes, and finished with an average QB rating of 109.9. He also fumbled 3 times, but lost only 1.

Jake was playing against #1 defenses in the majority of his field time, but a few disclaimers should be applied to data above…

One, it’s the preseason and the games don’t count (worth saying twice), so teams experiment and do things they might not do in the regular season.

Two, in the preseason teams tend to baby injured players and hold them out the meaningless games. Being healthy for the real games is the priority, so Jake might have dodged a few bullets along the way, Clay Matthews Jr. being just one example.

Three, Delhomme managed to carve up the Packers in one series which is nice, but he also earned the stats above against the Rams and Lions; not exactly the Ravens and Steelers.

Lastly, Mangini and Brian Daboll have reputations for concealing game plans to gain a completive advantage. Delhomme’s stats might have been a product of trying to confuse future opponents rather than a preview of how the Browns are actually going to attack people. We know they want to be a running team for one, so putting too much stock into what we’ve seen so far could be dangerous. Plus it’s the preseason.

That being said, let’s compare Delhomme’s cumulative numbers from this preseason to his past preseasons with the Carolina Panthers. Maybe this would clue us in to what type of regular season we can expect from him.

Overall, Delhomme played seven seasons in Carolina. Two of those seasons were by any definition, good (John Clayton might beg to differ – see his QB ratings for this season). Two seasons were simply mediocre, and two were bad. One season (2007) was completely lost to injury so it won’t be compared to anything.

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There are times when I want to contact someone within the Arizona Cardinals organization and say, “Don’t fall into the trap! This is Derek Anderson we’re talking about here!” But that’s just because I like the Cardinals. Other times – which is most of the time – I’m perfectly willing to sit back and get ready for the implosion that will ensue.

Anderson was the starter in the Cardinals’ preseason game against the Chicago Bears last Saturday, which was a 14-9 win for the Cards. The former Browns quarterback completed 7 of 12 passes for 94 yards and a touchdown, giving him a quarterback rating of 111.1. Anderson was given the starting role after Matt Leinart was underwhelming at the position, earning him a demotion and paving the way for Anderson to attempt to destroy the Arizona Cardinals.

Browns fans have seen this before from Anderson. He shows initial glimpses of promise, especially in situations with little to no pressure, and begins to endear himself to fans by providing a spark to an offense with his cannon arm. The spark, however, does not last. It is soon doused by poor decisions, which includes interceptions and an inability to put a soft touch on short passes.

Sure, Anderson was a Pro Bowler in 2007, but much of that success was achieved in the first half of that season. He rode that success through a disappointing second half that saw the Browns lose important games to the Cardinals and Cincinnati Bengals that helped put an end to the team’s playoff chances. While no loss can be pinned on one player, the quarterback does inherit more criticism than most, and Anderson had plenty of issues.

Through three preseason games, the Browns are enjoying reliable play from the position in the form of Jake Delhomme. Should he falter during the regular season, it’s at least better than being strung along by Anderson. He could very well go on to do big things in Arizona, but Cardinals fans shouldn’t count on it. And for once, Cleveland fans will be the ones who can finally sit back and feel bad for another team.

Well, I guess it would be wise to bet the over the next time our Cleveland Browns meet up with the Detroit Lions, but that’s neither here nor there after last night’s 35-27 loss in the third and most important preseason game of the year. Disregard the loss for that matter, too, because as I’ve said time and again this preseason, the final score of exhibition football is irrelevant and besides the point.

So what did I come away feeling good about following the Browns third preseason game against the Lions?

Well, at least in regards to our offense, several things.

For starters, Jake Delhomme continues to impress me and pacify some of my initial fears I had about him lining up under center. Delhomme once again looked in command of the offense as he turned in another strong performance in the Motor City. Delhomme continued his promising trend of being accurate and efficient with the football as he completed 80 percent of his passes for 152 yards, 10 passing first downs, and a 6 yard touchdown pass to fullback Lawrence Vickers. Delhomme also did not throw an interception, which he hasn’t done up to this point in the preseason.

Now if you told me before the preseason that Jake would have no interceptions through 3 preseason games, I probably would have assumed that you were banking on him either to not participate at all in the first three exhibition games or for offensive coordinator Brian Daboll to run the ball on every single play of every single Delhomme series.

But, alas, that has not been the case and my foot has been pleasantly inserted into my mouth during these first couple looks at Delhomme in live, game action. Jake just continues to trend towards a  positive season as he appears to be doing an excellent job of reading defenses and accurately distributing the football.

I hope this is change we can believe in, but we really won’t know for certain until the games count and the pressure is coming from all angles. As of right now, though, I’ll more than take what Delhomme has given us at the QB position up to this point, and that’s veteran leadership, stability, efficiency, and knock on wood – zero interceptions!

I’ll also more than take what I saw from the right side of our offensive line against the Lions with the return of rookie guard Shawn Lauvao to the starting lineup as well as our first glimpse of offseason acquisition, tackle Tony Pashos. As Steve alluded to in his first half recap of the game, our unheralded third round lineman out of Arizona State more than held his own against the second overall pick of the draft, defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh of Nebraska.

Meanwhile, I was also quite pleased with what I saw out of the 6-6, 326 pound Pashos, who immediately appeared to be a significant upgrade over former starter, John St. Clair. Pashos looked to be every bit the aggressive mauler we hoped he would be at right tackle as he did an excellent job in clearing some holes for our running backs for solid runs,  first downs, and even a goal line rushing touchown by Peyton Hillis. Even after just one game, I think it’s safe to say that Pashos makes a big difference at right tackle , and I’m cautiously optimistic that he and Lauvao can combine to solidify what everyone expected to be a very weak right side of the offensive line.

Meanwhile, another position group that continued to trend in the right direction versus the Lions had to be our wide receivers.

Second year wideout Brian Robiskie continued to show signs of developing into the sure-handed, possession type receiver we envisioned him to be coming out of The Ohio State University. Robiskie caught 3 passes for 30 yards from Delhomme against a very weak Lions secondary (Dre Bly is a starter, for goodness sakes!), but still, included in these receptions was a strong grab in traffic off a slant for a first down and a great adjustment on a back shoulder stop fade for a 23 yard gain. He’s not there yet, but he’s on the path towards respectability, which is a great thing considering Robiskie’s uninspiring rookie campaign.

His second year draft-mate Mohamed Massaquoi also made his presence felt as he returned to the lineup after missing last weeks game against the St. Louis Rams with a hamstring issue, catching two passes for 36 yards, with one being a 4th and 2 conversion on a hitch from Delhomme and the other being a nice 21 yard catch and run on a slant from Wallace.  So it’s good to see that both our second year wideouts are showing signs of developing into a potentially formidable pair of targets.

But what’s really been a pleasant surprise is the emergence of return specialist/Wildcat QB Joshua Cribbs into a legitimate wide receiver. Now don’t get me wrong: Cribbs still has a long way to go, but he’s definitely shown great progress the past two games as he’s caught 8 passes for 97 yards and a touchdown.

The highlight of those grabs came against the Lions Saturday night when he hauled in a 31 yard pass from Delhomme down the left sideline. On this play, Cribbs demonstrated his tremendous athleticism as he reached back to snare a deep ball while keeping both of his feet inbounds for what was a very impressive play by any wide receiver, let alone a converted college quarterback. In addition, Cribbs has done an admirable job blocking downfield throughout the preseason, which has been pretty understated at this point.

In large part, the play of the trio of Robiskie, Massaquoi, and Cribbs after three exhibition games has given me reason to believe in a position I wholeheartedly did not believe in prior to the preseason. We may not have a legit, #1A type wide receiver, but we have a couple of guys that have the potential to be a collectively effective, and maybe even dangerous, unit of a Delhomme-led Browns offense.

Each has to continue to develop and perform the roles that are expected of them. Massaquoi has to be able to pop the top off of opposing defenses from time to time, in addition to excelling in the short to intermediate passing game that will most likely dominate the Browns offense this season. Robiskie, as I said before, has to become a polished, possession type #2 WR that can make the tough grabs in traffic  and find the open holes in zone coverage schemes. And Cribbs? We’ll he’s got to be Josh Cribbs, an athlete that has truly “spoiled us’”with his talents the past couple years. He has to continue to refine his receiving skills as the season progresses, and Daboll has to continue to find ways to get this gamebreaker the ball in space and against mismatches.

Speaking of Daboll, I loved how he incorporated an uptempo ”sugar huddle”  for the majority of the game. It certainly would be to our advantage if we are able to set the tone on offense, which all serious teams are able to do in the NFL. It was promising to see Delhomme look comfortable running this uptempo style.

With that in mind, I absolutely hated how Seneca Wallace was inserted at quarterback towards the end of the first drive by the offense. It completely screwed up the positive tempo established by Delhomme, and I hope this was the end of that experiment. There’s plenty of ways and situations that Wallace can be incorporated into a game, but this was definitely not the ideal time for that.

Since I’ve unexpectedly started to trend towards the negatives of the third preseason game, another thing that was less than ideal against the Lions was our defense. In particular, I’m pretty worried about what I’ve seen so far from our linebackers. Collectively, our second level hasn’t been looking particularly strong and looks especially vulnerable in pass coverage.

Offseason acquisition Scott Fujita looked downright awful in space against the Lions, as did David Bowens his first time out. I’ll give the latter a break considering it was his first game action of the year, but I gotta say that Bowens looked very big and very, v-e-r-y slow on D. Meanwhile, inside linebacker Chris Gocong took a step backwards against the Lions as he struggled to get off blocks and find the ball carrier, as did Eric Barton and pretty much the rest of the linebackers the Browns threw out there.

I was expecting more out of this unit heading into the season, but obviously the loss of D’Qwell Jackson has a lot to do with the collective struggles of the linebackers so far. We need him back and healthy ASAP, just like we also desperately need another creative season out of defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, who absolutely must find ways to get pressure from a unit that was perceived as being the most versatile position of the Browns defense heading into the preseason.

And I don’t mean to sound like a broken record, but  Abe Elam absolutely has to step up and start making plays from the safety position, both in run support and pass coverage. Elam continues to be the sore spot of the secondary, which is a shame considering that rookies Joe Haden and T.J. Ward seem like they’ve been getting better every week and both appear like they’re going to have a positive impact on the secondary as the regular season progresses. I’ve been waiting for something to click with Elam, but it just hasn’t up to this point in his Browns career. Until it does, teams are going to continue to exploit him, especially through the air.

I hate to be a pessimist, so I’ll end with something positive and revert back to the offense.

If Jake Delhomme is our most important offensive player heading into this season - which he most certainly is  –  then I’m going to  have to say that our most dangerous offensive weapon (at least up to this point) has to be our white running back. Now many would suggest the notion of being screwed if that’s the particular case for a team like it is for our Browns, but I don’t think it’s near as terrible as it may sound.

If there’s one thing we’ve learned about Hillis this preseason, it’s that he’s very tough and versatile in the backfield. With that in mind, Hillis appears to be the perfect complement in the offensive system that the Browns hope to operate under Delhomme, and that’s a system which hopes to be grounded into in a powerful running game offset by a short to intermediate passing game in which versatility is pretty much a necessity for  both the receivers and running backs.

Against the Lions, Hillis once again displayed his ability to pound the ball as he carried 7 times for a tough 26 yards and a score, and flashed the coveted versatility he brings out of the backfield as he caught 4 passes for 40 yards. At least as of right now, it looks like the Browns new front office made out like bandits in the trade that sent Brady Quinn to Denver in exchange for Hillis and some draft picks.

So, I’m OK with having a crazy white running back as our most dangerous offensive weapon, at least for the time being.

And here’s some other things that didn’t quite fit in, but somehow found a way in after all:

• It’s exciting to think that we still have rookie running back Montario Hardesty waiting to be unleashed. If he can stay healthy, we might be loaded at running back.
• Joe Haden’s coverage is getting better every week.
• Matt Stafford is going to be way better than I thought he would be coming out of college. He throws one of the nicest, tightest spirals in the league.
• Calvin Johnson is going to be every bit as good as everybody predicted he would be. Big, fast, strong, athletic: he’s everything you want in a WR.
• We used to have a bum receiver from Detroit that dropped a lot of passes. I’m glad his ass is gone.

And that’s all I got for now. Hopefully, this last preseason game against the Chicago Bears goes by pretty quickly, because I’m more than anxious to see if the many positives we’ve seen out of the Browns this preseason can translate over when the games count and the score really matters.

Here are some thoughts on the Browns’ 24-14 halftime lead against the Detroit Lions:

- It was great to see the entire Browns team and some some players on the Lions, especially Dre’ Bly, come onto the field and show such support for Nick Sorensen when he was injured late in the second quarter. You can just tell that the attitude is completely different this season, especially when it comes to the chemistry among these teammates.

- How about those rookies? Shawn Lauvao got the start at right guard, going against the Lions’ Ndamukong Suh and held his own. Both Joe Haden and T.J. Ward made a few good plays in the secondary. Wide receiver Carlton Mitchell took the ball on a perfectly-executed reverse, even though he was lit up at the end of the play. Even second-year players like Brian Robiskie (having his second impressive preseason game) and Mohamed Massaquoi look much improved.

- Browns fans haven’t been treated to such an effective offense in years. Even though this is still preseason, the third game is about as close to regular season action as you will see, which is very encouraging for the team. Jake Delhomme has great control of the team, and it is obvious that his leadership qualities have already made the signing worth it.

- The defense, however, has been concerning. If you blinked, you would have missed the Lions’ three-play opening series that resulted in a touchdown.  Other times, Detroit made it look too easy going up and down the field, as quarterback Matthew Stafford had far too much time to find the numerous holes in the defense. The bend-but-don’t-break defense started to come together, forcing a turnover (which led to an Eric Wright touchdown) and a few punts, but the unit will have to play better against teams that aren’t the Lions.

- Josh Cribbs is no doubt in mid-season form, torching the Lions on returns but also looking sharp at receiver, including a magnificent 31-yard catch during the final two minutes of the half.

- If the Browns are going to compete with the better teams in the league, they have to cut down on the turnovers, especially those deep within their own territory. Jerome Harrison fumbled once again, this time late in the second quarter with the Browns leading 17-7, but the return touchdown cut the lead down to 17-14. With Peyton Hillis playing so well and Montario Hardesty no doubt itching to get involved, Harrison needs to be more careful with the ball.

- Speaking of Hillis, he has continued bowling over would-be tacklers, turning a couple busted plays into gains. The combination of Hillis and fullback Lawrence Vickers is going to be fun to watch, especially around the goal line. If you’re looking for a new jersey, Hillis might be your guy.

Ok, so by now we have already heard about the possibility that rookie QB Colt McCoy is on the “bubble,” and unless he performs well in this weekend’s game and the following one,  could be cut from the final 53-man roster. It’s crazy if you ask me, but more on that in a moment.

No, the shocking/head-scratching news today comes from head coach Eric Mangini, who in typical Mangini fashion, offers us nothing but yet so much:

That’s something that we will talk about as the cuts get closer…I’ve kept four as a head coach and have been on teams that have kept four as an assistant coach. I have also been on [teams that only kept] two.

It’s pretty clear who the first two QB’s are going to be (Jake Delhomme, and Seneca Wallace) which will be a nice change from year’s past when controversy constantly surrounded the top two.  However when we examine McCoy and Brett Ratliff, things become dicey.  On the one hand you have Mangini’s guy, Ratliff, and on the other you have President Mike Holmgren’s, McCoy, battling it out for the third QB spot.

Now if this sounds kind of amusing to you, then good. But isn’t it nice to finally know who our starting QB is before the season starts for a change? Anyway, the point I am making is this: was it not the plan all along to let McCoy sit for a year or two years and learn the system under both Delhomme and Wallace? Isn’t McCoy the guy who Holmgren pulled rank on, so he could get “his guy” in this past season’s draft? Isn’t Colt McCoy only a rookie and a 3rd round pick (though not a high pick, but one you would hope to get some production out off)?

All of this being said, isn’t it a bit too early for a certain Browns beat writer to be questioning if a 3rd round quarterback, who was supposed to sit for a season or two , is really on the bubble? Not to mention, this same reporter also thinks WR Carlton Mitchell is on the same bubble.  The answer to all of this question is: YES. Yes it is.  So everyone, please take a deep breath, and know that in all likelihood Colt McCoy will be on the team this upcoming season.  That isn’t to say that we cannot revisit this question next year if things do not improve, but that’s a question for the summer/fall of 2011.

*Also, in unrelated news, the Browns picked up DL Travis Ivey off of waivers from the Miami Dolphins.  Now you may ask yourself, who is Travis Ivey?  Good question.  He’s this guy: - Once I found out the Browns picked this guy up, I just had to get this picture in a post any way possible.

On October 13, 2008, Derek Anderson played the best football game of his professional career. He dominated the defending Super Bowl Champion New York Giants to the tune of 310 yards passing and 2 TDs, in front of a national TV audience. The Browns won 35-14 in the surprising blowout on Monday Night.

Anderson then went on to have an awful season. He lost the starting QB job a month later and finished the season on injured reserve. The Browns finished with a 4-12 record.

So October 13 should serve as a whispering reminder for fans: Everyone at the NFL level has the talent to play a good game, but you aren’t a good player until you do it consistently. Last week’s performance against the Rams showed the Browns have some work to do.

On paper, the Lions look about as bad as the Rams, but they defeated the Browns last time they played too. So as the Browns prepare to measure themselves against another struggling franchise, consistency should be the first thing on everyone’s mind.

Here is what’s on Detroit’s mind heading into this game:

So far the Lions are 1-1 in the preseason. They lost to the Steelers 20-7, and defeated the Broncos 25-20.

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It seems odd to even suggest it, but the question is now out there: is rookie quarterback Colt McCoy at risk of not making the Browns’ final roster? After complete 5 of 12 passes for 25 yards and two interceptions in the first two preseason games, Tony Grossi of the Plain Dealer has suggested that McCoy needs to play well in the final two games in order to make the final roster.

With Brett Ratliff as his competition for the third quarterback spot, it never seemed likely that McCoy would miss out on making the team. Even though he has struggled through the preseason, he is still just a rookie with a lot to learn. It is likely that McCoy won’t even see real action for at least a couple seasons, giving him the time he needs to develop as a capable starter in the NFL. Plus, president Mike Holmgren apparently pulled rank to draft McCoy in April’s draft, so it is highly unlikely that McCoy is not on the team when it opens the regular season.

Also, imagine the unstoppable tornado of flak the team would receive from the fans if the potential quarterback of the future was cut.