The Cleavland Browns Young Stars Demand Respect
By: Ryan Sayler
Name me three good things about Ohio....go.
I will give you
Cedar Point, one of the nations most impressive amusement parks, even though it is boarder line Michigan...or Canada.
Beings as how this is a sports blog, who can ignore the Ohio State Buckeye football program with their gorgeous stadium and successful quarterbacks (Kirk Herbstreit, I'm looking at you.)
After that, I mean, Ohio still gave birth to LeBron James (I know, I know...too soon)
Well let me polish off this depressing list for you, the third good thing in Ohio is now the Cleavland Browns.
Oh you don't think so? Has your team beat both the New Orleans Saints and the New England Patriots this year? Or in other words, the defending Super Bowl champions and the NFL's best team so far this year?
The best part is that the Browns are doing all of this without any superstars, what they do have is; a no-name running back, an unproven rookie quarterback, a nearly absent defense, and one of the NFL's most hated coaches.
However, it has all been enough for the Browns to put together a few impressive (maybe even convincing) victories.
The real story for the Browns has been Peyton Hillis who had a huge game against the heavily favored Patriots. Hillis went off for 184 yards and two touchdowns. So as a fantasy owner, you are definitely going to want to hold on to/get your hands on him.
The much more subliminal story has been Colt McCoy. When drafted, McCoy was told my Mike Holmgrem that he definitely would just be learning this year and not starting. Well, that strategy only lasted so long until a string of injuries and losses led to McCoy taking over for the Browns in week 6 against the NFL's best defense, the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Since taking over the starting job, McCoy has faced the Steelers, Saints, and Patriots. Not exactly a gentle welcoming crew. He has thrown for 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions (all against the Steelers) and has ran for another score.
He has tossed for 529 yards with a 67.6 completion percentage, not bad at all for a rookie. The biggest stat for McCoy through these three brutal games though? 2-1. He has beat the Patriots and the Saints and has lost to the Steelers. Most quarterbacks in the league, veterans included, would kill for that kind of track record this year.
So have the Browns potentially found the future of their offense? I think so, but don't count them out quite yet this year. Granted, they probably won't be wearing rings at the end of the year. However, they play in the incredibly competitive AFC North which means they will have plenty of more opportunities to shock and awe.