We at Razzball realize that exporting our views across the country has damaging consequences on the blogosphere. To help make amends, we are reaching out to leading team blogs and featuring their locally blogged answers to pressing 2009 fantasy football questions regarding their team. We feel this approach will be fresher, more sustainable, and require less energy consumption (for us anyway). The 2009 Browns Fantasy Football Preview comes courtesy of Browns Gab.
1. Well, the burning question is, who is going to be the Browns’ starting quarterback? If you were looking solely from a fantasy perspective who would you rather have at the helm?
We all know already what Derek Anderson can do, so in the end, I think this team really needs to give Brady Quinn a chance to start, and start long term. Anderson had some gaudy numbers two years ago, but when the competition got better in 2008, his numbers tanked, and his picks went way up. New coach Eric Mangini says it’s an open competition, and it might be, but Quinn has more upside, I think he’ll be the starter, and while he won’t have a lot of 300-yard games, he’ll be okay. I’d rather see Quinn at this point to see if he was worth the pick.
2. The Browns took a step backward last year from their ten win season of just two years ago. Is it going to be a complete retooling with Mangini or do you think they can take a big step forward under his tutelage?
After talking to a number of New York folks that covered the Jets, Mangini does have his good traits, as well as his bad. He can be a good coach, and things really fell apart last season with the Brett Favre fiasco throwing a huge wrench into his plans the day of the first preseason game, oddly enough, in Cleveland.
The Browns talent level is not nearly as good as they thought it was from their 10-6 season two years ago. They are not a very good team on defense, and they really needed to rebuild that part of the roster. Then there’s the WR core, which is not deep, and they are counting on DA or Quinn to be a leader under center.
Overall, they are going to be lucky to win 6-7Â games this year, but it will be a building block, and if they can keep putting together a better roster, in 2-3 years they will again be able to compete in the division.
3. For us fantasy players Jerome Harrison looks like a good option as far as his speed, receiving and cutting ability, but Lewis seems like he’ll continue to get the bulk of the carries. Do you think he will hold up? How do you see the running back situation shaking out?
Lewis is by all the means the starter. Harrison has the potential to be a good change of pace back, but won’t get enough carries to really warrant a start in many fantasy leagues. Lewis has had to carry the ball quite a bit the past few seasons, and seems to be on the downside of his career. Lewis’ better games will for sure be 1 through 8, and after that, you for sure want to have 1-2 backs that can start when/if Lewis slows down.
4. Braylon Edwards is an all world receiver, but he’s had his share of difficulties. With Winslow gone and Donte Stallworth suspended who do you see stepping up to take some of the pressure off of Edwards? Can Edwards return to his insane 2007 numbers?
He won’t have those “insane 2007” numbers, but for sure he should rebound from an awful season a year ago when he led the league in drops. Expect no matter who is throwing to him, he’ll go over 1,000 yards and probably have about 6-8 TD’s. He’d probably be an Ok #2 WR for fantasy, and a pretty good #3 option.
5. What kind of role do you see Josh Cribbs taking on this season? He is a dynamic returner, but how much time will he see in the offense?
A lot of people last season were upset that Cribbs didn’t see more of the ball in the offense, and he’s been pushing for more time with the ball in his hands. Expect to see the team finally give him that shot, and he’s worth a very late pick, as he can sneak in 7-8 TD’s between running and receiving, and even has the arm (played QB in college at Kent) to throw a TD in some formations. I wouldn’t put too much stock in him though.
