Three Questions 1. Will a quarterback controversy be a distraction? It could. Taking Manziel was the right move. It could turn into a national media circus and the Browns need to take control of this situation all season. This won’t be an easy task. If Manziel winds up playing well, the spotlight will get even brighter. 2. Can coach Mike Pettine win with the Browns? A number of coaches have failed with the Browns. This is a team with a lot of holes to plug and a rookie coach will have his hands full. Pettine has a solid background, but he’s never been in charge before. Taking over a franchise with a plethora of losing seasons is going to be a monumental task. Pettine ultimately may be successful, but winning immediately will be tough. 3. Will Gordon’s situation be an issue? If Gordon wins an appeal and sees his suspension reduced to, say, four games, the Browns will reap the benefits. If he loses the entire season, it will hurt in many ways—especially the daily updates which could affect the team. Gordon is an amazing playmaker and has a bright future. Whether that future continues in 2014 is another story. The sooner this problem gets solved, the better off the Browns will be. over eight more times than taking it away is not good enough. The Browns must be more aggressive in forcing fumbles and intercepting opposing quarterbacks. The lack of big plays on defense last season hurt the Browns in a number of different ways. Pettine is likely to alter that with his hardcharging approach. Defensive Player to Watch As the sixth overall pick in the 2013 draft, the Browns had high hopes for Mingo. He played well at times; he struggled at other times. That’s part of being a rookie in the NFL. Now entering his second season, Mingo is primed for a huge improvement. He had one sacks in each of his first three games but managed just two sacks the rest of the season. In the offseason, Mingo put on some eight to improve strength and agility. A new coaching staff will be an adjustment for Mingo, but through the beginning of training camp, he has looked strong. Mingo is loaded with talent and he showed that early last season. If he find more consistency, the Browns will be rewarded with the all-around stellar player they took sixth overall. Browns Special Teams After two subpar seasons, kicker Billy Cundiff bounced back to connect 21-of-26 field goals. Cundiff also converted all 32 extra point attempts. He needs to improve his distance on kickoffs, however, because field position is vital throughout an NFL game. Punter Spencer Lanning struggled to find consistency, especially pinning teams deep. Lanning punted the ball 84 times for a 43.8 average. Travis Benjamin could be a difference-maker on special teams but he’s coming off an ACL injury. Before Benjamin was injured, he averaged 11.7 yards per punt return and scored on a 79-yarder against the Buffalo Bills on Oct. 3. In that game, he set a franchise record with 179 yards in returns. The Browns need better production on the coverage units and would benefit greatly from takeaways in that department. TEAM ROSTER BROWNS DEPTH CHART OFFENSE QB Brian Hoyer Johnny Manziel RB Ben Tate Terrance West FB Chris Ogbonnaya Ray Agnew WR Josh Gordon, Miles Austin Nate Burelson, Andrew Hawkins TE Jordan Cameron Gary Barnidge C Alex Mack John Greco DEFENSE RG Joel Bitonio Paul McQuistan LG John Greco Garrett Gilkey RT Mitchell Schwartz Joel Bitonio LT Joe Thomas Paul McQustan LDE Ahtyba Rubin Billy Winn RDE Desmond Bryant John Hughes LOLB Paul Kruger Christian Kirksey ROLB Barkevious Mingo Jabaal Sheard LILB Craig Robertson Christian Kirksey RILB Karlos Dansby Tank Carder CB Joe Haden, Justin Gilbert Isaiah Trufant, Buster Skrine S Donte Whitner, Tashaun Gipson Jordan Poyer, Johnson Bademosi SPECIAL TEAMS K Billy Cundiff P Spencer Lanning KR Travis Benjamin
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