Expectations for the Browns Post Bye Week

I was checking out the Podcasts of Tony Grossi over at Cleveland.com and he came forward with some of his expectations for the Browns after their bye week.

First, he mentions Braylon Edwards should see more playing time, possibly as a starter. It has been a decent start for Edwards, and he has proven that he can get open versus the starting cornerbacks in this league. I think Edwards has some of the best big play potential on the team and his increased playing time should yield good results for the team.

Secondly, Reuben Droughns needs to be a huge part of the offense. Droughns needs to touch the ball a lot in order to give him a chance to have breakout performances. Of course if the Browns are down on the scoreboard, the chances of Droughns getting a lot of opportunities is slim. Hopefully the Browns will continue to build Droughns' portfolio in the offense and Maurice Carthon will be in a position to be really aggressive with the running game.

In terms of my expectations, I would hope that the Browns improve on their defensive pass rush. They haven't been able to put pressure on QB's so far this season and whether they need to add more linebackers and corner backs to the pass rush, or whatever, they need to step it up.

Of course, I would also like to see less sloppiness in terms of penalties. This is especially true on special teams. The Browns have shown an ability to really break some plays on punt returns with Dennis Northcutt, but unfortunately two TD's have been called back in the first three games. This trend can't continue. I am not sure what the coaching staff can do to help reduce these mistakes. It is up to the players to be more disciplined in the heat of the game and avoid the illegal blocking penalties that are erasing the explosive play.

Overall, I think 1-2 is a pretty good start considering the newness of everything in the Browns' schemes, but moral victories like keeping it close in Indianapolis will not carry much water with me or the rest of the fans as the season progresses.

The Browns have the Bears this week, and it is one of the more winnable games on the schedule, so we will see what kinds of things Romeo and the boys put into place with the extra week off.