Wilson tells the story of Hall of Famer Jim Brown stepping into the boxing ring with Muhammad Ali, the greatest boxer of all-time.

Not only did Brown, likely the most punishing runner in NFL history, not do well, but he couldn’t even land a single punch on Ali.

To read the entire story, please check out Wilson’s article on “Eye of Football.”

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Yesterday in the Plain Dealer, Mary Kay Cabot shared an in-depth interview where Banner discusses what decisions to expect from the team as it transitions into new leadership. Banner did not have too many surprising answers, but he did make a number of statements that gained my attention.

For one, Banner stated that the team still needs to determine whether or not Brandon Weeden is the quarterback of the future. Let’s all join together for a collective deep sigh and “Here we go again.”

I do believe that Banner has serious doubts about Brandon Weeden. Banner is surely wondering if Mike Holmgren, who likely knew he was a lame duck when Randy Lerner was tossing around the possibility of selling the team, simply wanted to make sure he drafted a quarterback who could stand as the pick that represents Holmgren’s legacy in Cleveland. Holmgren is known as a quarterback guy, so he wanted to draft one that wasn’t named Colt McCoy to be the representation of his entire tenure. If Weeden is good, the Holmgren era has to be looked at as a success. If he’s bad, Holmgren’s time in Cleveland will be scrutinized forever. Banner is now in the position of deciding that fate very early in Weeden’s career.

I believe Weeden has done enough – coupled with Geno Smith looking more like Akili Smith as of late and Matt Barkley’s somewhat pedestrian season – to deserve another season that involves surrounding him with more talent. I expect Weeden to start Week One of 2013 with no true competition behind him and a big name receiver lining up opposite Josh Gordon (Dwayne Bowe is my prediction because he is not quite the best free agent option this offseason and because he is an absolutely perfect complement to Gordon).

Naturally, Banner also talks quite a bit about head coach Pat Shurmur. He says that he has had a nice relationship with Shurmur in the past, and he is not worried about minor mistakes he may have made but rather whether or not Shurmur “has the qualities we’re looking for” in a head coach. Who knows what that really means, but if I were Pat Shurmur, I would not be getting too comfortable regardless of my relationship with Banner. I, and almost every Browns fan, thinks he lacks those aforementioned coaching qualities, no matter what they are.

Although this team is simply not that good and not every misfortune can be blamed on Shurmur, he frankly makes far too many mistakes on the sideline. And the mistakes demonstrate a lack of competence. From shoddy use of timeouts or head-scratching play calling, his mistakes – which seem as “rookie” as the many rookie mistakes this team makes week-to-week – cost the team wins. The Browns lose many games the exact same way. They play tough, but in the end, when they need a good drive or a defensive stop, they just cannot get over the hump. I believe that is a mentality created by the coaching staff.

Banner said in the interview, “You can’t win without a great coach. If you have a great enough coach and quarterback, you can afford to make a few more personnel mistakes.” I don’t think Shurmur has done nearly enough to fit that sentiment, and Banner’s long explanation about what the process would look like if a change were to happen suggests that a change is likely to happen.

Couple that with Banner’s very apparent pride in hiring Andy Reid in Philadelphia, and one can bet he will want to help make a coaching decision yet again. I predict Shurmur will be fired immediately following the season, if not sooner. Candidates to take over next season will include (from least likely to most likely) Bill Cowher, Nick Saban, Andy Reid, Jon Gruden, and some random guy few have ever heard of before.

Banner was equally as unsure about general manager Tom Heckert’s future with the Browns. I truly believe Heckert is a good general manager. He has added many pieces to a roster that, when he started the job, was literally almost pieceless. He has built a solid defensive line, added more talent to the offensive line, and drafted a few skill position players who show promise.

However, there was one quote that summed it all up for me.

“Tom left the Eagles because he wanted more input. It wasn’t a negative thing,” Banner said as part of his response to whether Heckert has a legitimate chance to stick around or not.

Whether his leaving the Eagles was negative or not, Heckert now finds himself in a very similar situation to the one he left in Philadelphia. Many of his ideas would be trumped by Banner and Jimmy Haslam, and that might frustrate him. Banner may very well like Heckert, but I think the two will mutually agree to part ways. Although I would prefer to see him stick around, I believe Tom Heckert is in his final months in Cleveland.

And for my final, most important takeaway from Banner’s interview: this guy is extremely smart. The organization is in good hands, in terms of both ownership and the top of the front office. Browns fans haven’t been able to say that since returning to the league.

Rest easy, Browns fans. Jimmy Haslam and Joe Banner are major upgrades to the team’s hierarchy. This tandem definitely has what it takes to lead this franchise back towards prestige and away from punchlines.

Now they just need to do it.

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Trent Richardson: Richardson is a flat-out physical freak. His ability to stop on a dime to wait for holes to open up, find that new hole, and get right back into full gear is as impressive a skill as I have ever watched out of a college back. The many defenders stuffed into the box to help contain Richardson will likely be Trent’s toughest hurdle to overcome as a rookie. Still, he should step right in and become a 1,000 yard rusher and flirt with 1,500 all-purpose yards in his rookie campaign. Hey, at least for the first time since the Browns returned to the NFL, Cleveland has a dynamic talent that the entire nation wants to watch play.

Brandon Weeden: There has been talk that Weeden was somewhat disappointing in the preseason. I would expect nothing else.  After all, he is a rookie. A rookie who is not so far off from receiving AARP letters, but a rookie nonetheless. Even Dennis Quaid in The Rookie thinks Brandon Weeden is old. Yet I fully expect Weeden to be the starter for the entirety of the Browns’ season, barring injury of course. Weeden’s air-it-out mentality will provide both ups and downs in his first season, but he can throw the ball more than 15 yards down field, which is a major change of pace for the Browns.

With that, however, will come interceptions. As a rookie, he will be fractions of a second late on some of the deep balls he heaves up and 20 interceptions on the season is a fair expectation for him. Despite his high chances of getting picked off, I think Weeden’s play will be strong enough to make Browns fans excited to see what future seasons have in store. He will eclipse the 3,000-yard mark and actually have a season that is not too far off from what a fellow redhead, Andy Dalton of the Cincinnati Bengals, had in 2011. Brandon Weeden is also proud to be an American, where at least he knows he’s free.

Mitchell Schwartz: First and foremost, from one member of the tribe to another, I’d like to say Mazel Tov to Mitchell for reaching the NFL and being named the Browns’ starting right tackle. Schwartz was not a sexy pick, but he will be a productive one.  He will step in as a rookie and provide a major upgrade to the right side of the offensive line. Fellow California Golden Bear Alex Mack will be a great mentor for the rookie and will help Schwartz elevate his level of play immediately.

Josh Gordon: Gordon is a complete question mark, but he is bound to have 400-plus yards simply because the other wide receivers are so pathetic. Mohamed Massaquoi is always hurt, so Gordon will naturally earn more time as the season goes on.  I liked what I saw out of him in the preseason, and Gordon will show glimpses of being a very good NFL wide receiver. However, because of his limited experience, the learning curve for him is very high.

John Hughes: Hughes seemed like a head-scratcher in round three, but he will turn heads as a rookie due to his relentless motor. Hughes will not be a superstar, but he is a nice rotational guy that will add much needed depth to the defensive trenches. The problem is that the injury to Phil Taylor leaves Hughes as much more than a rotational guy. Accordingly, he is going to experience serious growing pains. Expect a couple tackles a game and a forced fumble or two for Hughes in his first season.

Travis Benjamin: I actually loved the Benjamin pick, even though I try not to trust people with two first names. When the Browns selected the Miami (FL) product, there were other wide receivers available who had “No. 1 wide receiver potential,” but the Browns would have been foolish to select one of those players who rarely pan out. Benjamin will never be a star wide receiver, but he will immediately add an element to the offense that I don’t remember ever having: blazing speed. Benjamin can stretch the field in a way the Browns were never able to do last season (or any season for a really long time). Expect Benjamin to become to the Browns’ offense what Devery Henderson is to the New Orleans Saints’ offense. I see about 500 yards receiving and a few deep touchdowns as his projection.

James-Michael Johnson: Johnson adds much-needed depth to the linebacker unit. He has a knack for making plays and has impressed the coaching staff thus far. If he can make a seamless transition to outside linebacker, expect him to start racking up tackles immediately. It seems 50 tackles is a reasonable expectation for Johnson, but he has a much higher ceiling than that depending on the amount of playing time he receives after his recent injury.

The Rest: Ryan Miller will be a nice depth addition on the offensive line. Emmanuel Acho would have stepped in this year as a productive special teams guy, but he has been placed on injured reserve. L.J. Fort and Tank Carder have awesome linebacker names and are going to be forced to play larger roles given the injuries incurred at the position. Billy Winn and Trevin Wade, well, I don’t know too much about them. Production from either is a bonus. However, my bold prediction is that Brad Smelley rises up from the practice squad and earns some serious playing time in his rookie campaign. Honestly, I just want Smelley to be better than he probably is.

The Browns will start the season with 15 rookies, an unheard of amount. Production from the rookies is guaranteed, seeing as they make up more than a quarter of the entire roster. Rather, the rookies better produce, or this team is in serious trouble. I expect the Browns to be a team more like it was two seasons ago; one of the “best bad teams” in the league. They will play hard and be close in a lot of contests, but I don’t expect it to translate to many wins. That being said, the Browns season begins today!

Here we go.

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