Behind Hillis and McCoy, Cleveland Browns face promising future

In the AFC North, where seemingly all the talk is about either the Baltimore Ravens or Pittsburgh Steelers, the Cleveland Browns have been able to scrape together a 2-1 record three weeks into the season. It’s still pretty early to talk about anything substantial for the team, but at least signs of hope for the future are there.

After a 27-17 loss to Cincinnati in Week 1, the Browns were able to regroup and win 27-19 over a Peyton Manning-less Colts team. This past Sunday, they beat the Dolphins on a Mohamed Massaquoi touchdown from Colt McCoy with 43 seconds left in the game. Now, heading into October, they sit tied at the top of the division.

Cleveland’s offense hasn’t been anything outstanding, but they have certainly done their part. Quarterback McCoy hasn’t recorded a 300-yard game yet, but he has passed for at least one touchdown in each of his three games. In total, he has thrown for five TDs and 634 yards.

Similarly, running back Peyton Hillis hasn’t had any jaw-dropping games like he occasionally did in 2010, but he has still been an offensive weapon. Although Hillis missed the game against Miami with strep throat, he has 151 rushing yards and two touchdowns in two games, along with 53 receiving yards. The Browns are currently in talks with Hillis, a fan favorite, to sign a multi-year extension to keep him in Cleveland for as long as they can. At the young age of 25, he could be productive on this team for a while.

The Browns’ defense is certainly not receiving the praise they deserve considering all the talent on the team. Rookie Phil Taylor and Ahtyba Rubin have been very good defensive tackles in the new 4-3 scheme, and D’Qwell Jackson is also playing well as middle linebacker. The most impressive part of Cleveland’s defense, however, is the secondary.

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Granted, they have only been tested against Andy Dalton, Kerry Collins and Chad Henne – not the most fearsome quarterbacks – but the Browns have only allowed an average of 200.3 passing yards in three games. Sophomores T.J. Ward and Joe Haden have played a big part in Cleveland’s forcing opposing offenses to run. Sheldon Brown has also provided some veteran support.

A new coach has certainly had some effect on these improvements for the Browns. Pat Shurmur has done well so far in his first head coaching job. He was hired from the Rams last year after Browns president Mike Holmgren saw how Shurmur did developing first-overall draft pick Sam Bradford in St. Louis. Bradford ended his rookie season with 3,512 passing yards, the second-most ever after Peyton Manning set the record in 1998 with 3,739. Shurmur’s offensive background has helped McCoy be more effective than he was last season, so far.

But despite the similar record, are the Browns really near the Steelers and Ravens right now in terms of competitiveness? The short answer is no. While the Browns do have competent players at the quarterback and running back positions, their receiving corps doesn’t have any deep threats. Rookie Greg Little has shown promise with the looks he gets, but he needs more involvement to be considered a more serious threat. He hasn’t topped 40 receiving yards in a game yet.

While the defense has done well, it’s still far from perfect. Through three games, the front seven have surrendered a lot of rushing yards, an average of 128.6. The run needs to be suppressed if the Browns want to have a more legitimate defense overall. In a division filled with great offenses that involve running backs like Ray Rice, Cedric Benson and Rashard Mendenhall, Cleveland will stand no chance if they allow these rushers to go loose.

It’s promising for Browns fans that their team has a less demanding schedule this season (Cleveland plays against the NFC West and AFC South divisions this year) but it’s hard to think that even their winnable matchups will come easily. Worst case sceneario, all of these games just give more experience to McCoy, Hillis and other developing players.

With that in mind, placing Cleveland in front, or even equal to Pittsburgh and Baltimore, may still be considered a stretch, but at least their working toward something.

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