The 60th season in the NFL may be known as the “season of change.” Mike Holmgren and Tom Heckert will now roam the front offices as the new Team President and General Manager respectively. The team will have a set of new quarterbacks this season including Jake Delhomme, Seneca Wallace, Colt McCoy and Brett Ratliff.
The team selected Colt McCoy (85th overall) in the draft. McCoy, the most successful college quarterback in history, was selected after Florida CB Joe Haden (7th overall), Oregon Safety T. J. Ward (38th overall) and Tennessee RB Montario Hardesty (59th overall). In free agency, the Browns picked up Delhomme, LB Scott Fujita, C Eric Ghiaciuc, T Tony Pashos, TE Alex Smith, CB DeAngelo Smith and TE Ben Watson.
Look for the team to use the Wildcat formation more often this season utilizing WR Josh Cribbs, a former Kent State QB in the mix in the same offense. It had been said that the team was switching to the West Coast, but all indications are that the team will stay pat. On the defensive side of the ball, the team seems to be focusing on their backfield with the selection of CB Joe Hayden, DB T. J. Ward and Nebraska Safety Larry Asante.
Look for your Cleveland Browns to make an impact in the NFL in 2010 so make sure you get your tickets to the game!
2008 Season
The Browns have a new head coach, Eric Mangini, a new (old) wide receiver in David Patten and a record they would love to forget. That being 24 consecutive quarters without a touchdown.
The 2008 Browns went through their stock of quarterbacks, losing them all to injury (Derek Anderson, Brady Quinn and Ken Dorsey) and had to hire Bruce Gradkowski in the middle of the season. The team finished with an abysmal 4-12 record and Head Coach Romeo Crennel as well as General Manage Phil Savage were fired.
New Defensive Coach Rob Ryan will keep the 3-4 defense but states that he will employ schemes from his dads famous 46 defense the Bears used to get the 1985 Super Bowl. Ryan said that the sack total from last year (17) will be increased and sees two Brown stalwarts Shaun Rogers and D’Qwell Jackson as the two guys who can help him turn the defense around. “They sky”s the limit for that young man,” Ryan said on the Browns web site. ‘A blind man can see his talent.”
Past Seasons
With the acquisition of 2-time Pro Bowl selection, defensive tackle Shaun Rogers, and the re-signing of Pro Bowl quarterback Derek Anderson, the Cleveland Browns look to regain former glory in this 2008 season after finishing with a 10-6 record the previous season. Successful Head Coach Romeo Crennel was signed to a two-year contract extension on January 29th, two weeks after defensive coordinator Todd Grantham was fired to be replaced by Browns’ defensive backs coach Mel Tucker. Offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski also agreed to a 2-year contract extension keeping him in Cleveland until at least 2011. Fans anticipating a great 2008 season are purchasing tickets fast.
The Cleveland Browns’ extensive franchise history began in 1946, when owner Arthur McBride made the team one of seven football teams to make up the All-American Football Conference. McBride originally chose to name the team through a newspaper contest, with the person with the winning name to receive a $1000 war bond (World War II was occurring at the time). Although the winning name was “Panthers,” the Cleveland Browns get their name from their beloved first coach, Paul Brown. Over the years, the Browns have had the luxury of playing with some of the greatest players in NFL history, including QB Terry Bradshaw and Hall of Fame fullbacks Jim Brown and Marion Motley. The Cleveland Browns’ incredible franchise accomplishments include 24 playoff appearances, 18 division championships, 14 league title appearances, and 5 NFL Championships. The Browns have a solid fan base in Cleveland, with fans coming out every year to buy tickets to see their home team play.
