5 things the Cleveland Browns must do to find success in 2015

Dec 21, 2014; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Josh McCown (12) reacts as he is sacked by Green Bay Packers outside linebacker Clay Matthews (52) in the second quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Manning-USA TODAY Sports

Josh McCown will enter the 2015 NFL season as the fourth-oldest starting quarterback in the NFL, trailing a few guys you may have heard of – Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Drew Brees.

The rest of the top 10 includes Carson Palmer (if his knee is healthy), Tony Romo, Eli Manning, Philip Rivers and Ben Roethlisberger.

The comparison ends at age, though, as that group of quarterbacks have, on average, started 175 games in their career, while McCown has only made 49 starts.

“We just look back to when (Josh) was in Chicago, when he had a pretty good supporting cast around him, and he was able to be more than functional.” – Head Coach Mike Pettine

The Browns are hoping that McCown can increase that number by 33 percent this fall after making 16 starts, and for that to happen the offensive line needs to keep McCown clean.

While McCown was certainly part of the problem last season in Tampa Bay, when a team goes 2-14 like the Buccaneers did it is clear that the quarterback is not the lone issue.

Related: Browns 2015 Position Preview – Offensive Line

McCown was sacked a career-high 36 times in just 11 games with Tampa, explaining, at least in part, why he completed just 56 percent of his passes and threw 14 interceptions. Compare that to 2013, when McCown took just 11 sacks in eight games (five starts) while with the Bears. That same year, McCown threw for 1,829 yards, 13 touchdowns and just one interception.

Given the time to throw McCown, like any quarterback, will perform much better, which is good news for the Browns as Cleveland clearly has a better offensive line than Tampa’s, with Pro Football Focus ranked Tampa’s offensive line as the 25th-worst in the NFL last season.

Keeping McCown upright and avoiding long-yardage situations on second and third down will allow the Browns to utilize Terrance West, Isaiah Crowell and Duke Johnson in the ground and pound offense.

“I don’t think he’s ever been at a place where we feel as confident taking some of the pressure off him during a game in terms of running the football,” offensive coordinator John DeFilippo told the team’s website. “I don’t want to speak for Josh, you can ask him that, but that’s the striking, glaring thing that’s going to be there for Josh.”

Making McCown be just a piece of the offense, rather than the focus, can only mean good things for the Browns.

Next: Win in the AFC North