The St. Louis Rams, formerly of Cleveland, brought home the hardware last season. The Baltimore Ratbirds, another former tenant of Cleveland, are just one win away from being the next big cheese that stands alone.The Browns, the team left (well, actually, re-born) in Cleveland has only two regular season certificates of participation to show for their…ah..err..efforts. A 5-27 record for the expansion Browns has left the team red-faced. Not surprising when considering the 14 or so injuries and the use of multiple quarterbacks during the season. Quarterbacks who included Spergon Wynn, a rookie from Southwest Texas State – yeah Southwest Texas State – who had a 50 percent completion percentage there as a senior. Then there are wide receivers Kevin Johnson and Dennis Northcutt. Now that is pathetic. So just how far are the Browns from playoff contention? Well, if you’re picking up radio signals in Solar System X (hypothetical, just like this column), 36 light years away, you’ll hear they are a damn good team. Back at the mother planet, I’ll look to teams like the Saints for answers.The Saints won three games in 1999. Heck, the expansion Browns beat them, albeit with a hail mary from Tim Couch to Johnson. In 2000 the Saints turned it around, going 10-6 in the regular season, and winning their first ever playoff game. The Saints, like a lot of quality teams, are strong in the trenches, spending high draft picks on offensive linemen Willie Roaf, Kyle Turley and Chris Naeole. On the defensive line, Darren Howard, Joe Johnson, Norman Hand and La’Roi Glover make up the best front four in the league.This is where the Browns have to make a significant improvement. Steve Zahursky, a former tight end at Euclid High School, is not pictured next to right tackle in the NFL’s dictionary. Everett Lindsay is nothing more than a backup at right guard. On the defensive front, Courtney Brown is an all-world end, but the line lacks run-stuffers in the middle. Now it’s time to play, Dwight Clark, and make some personnel decisions. First, Dwight, get some meat on that O-line. Best shot at right guard is via free agency – Will Shields, Pete Kendall and Ross Verba all fit nicely. Right tackle is a little thin this shopping season, although some teams will need to cut some players off their balloon or else the salary cap will burst it. As for the defensive front four, there are a quality bunch of fat boys that could be acquired as late as the fifth round in the draft.As for the running back, there also needs to be a significant upgrade. Errict Rhett is not Jim Brown or even Kevin Mack and definitely not the answer, but he may have to fill the void for another season. Corey Dillon, Robert Smith, Tiki Barber or Charlie Garner would fit nicely via free agency. Dwight, I would consider throwing a lot of coins at these guys.As a reward for the Browns’ dismal season, they have the No. 3 pick in the entry draft. That is better than being the first for a third straight year – that would be some kind of record. Right now the draft is looking like this: San Diego – Michael Vick, the next new-age quarterback, Arizona – best defensive prospect, Cleveland…who should it be? Rumor has it the front office has a fancy for David Terrell, a very talented receiver from that damn school up north. And why not? At 205 pounds, 6-foot-3 and sub-4.4 speed, Terrell does a cool mini-Randy Moss impression. Although there are much bigger needs for the Browns than a wide receiver, the biggest need is a playmaker and that is what Terrell is. The Buckeyes know this first hand. Ole Miss running back Deuce McAllister is also a possibility if the Browns can’t sign a premier free agent factor back. Deuce is a spectacular athlete who had a disappointing season but is a playmaker like Terrell.Well, if the off-season goes somewhat like that, and the Browns remain in good health, anything is possible. Remember, they were 2-1 and beating Oakland 7-0 before the roof….no…the sky caved in.
Travis Sawchik is a junior journalism major who recommends www.brownstng.com to any Browns fan.