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Cowboys @ Browns: Know Thy Enemy

Oh yeah, it's time for Know Thy Enemy and that can only mean one thing: NFL football is about to start for real. Hallelujah! Can I get a witness? There’s nothing like it. But to be ready for the game, you got to know what the enemy has been up to. So I asked ChrisPokorny over at SB Nation’s Cleveland Browns blog, Dawgs By Nature, to give us a preview. He obliged and his preview is below.

Browns Offense

Despite rumblings the past two weeks that Brady Quinn may start against the Cowboys due to a concussion Derek Anderson suffered at the hands of the New York Giants a few weeks ago, that is not the case. Anderson was back on the practice field this week and is scheduled to start. The biggest change for Anderson in training camp seems to be the chemistry with Braylon Edwards. That probably sounds kind of ridiculous considering the pair had 16 touchdowns last season, but the duo has simply been unstoppable in camp. One of Anderson's biggest flaws last year was that he threw his short passes without any touch on them. In his limited preseason action, it was difficult to tell whether or not any true progress had been made with respect to that.

Jamal Lewis is scheduled to carry the load again for the Browns. After a successful debut year last season, Lewis has lost 15-20 pounds and has been praised as being quicker and a little more elusive by the coaching staff. The Browns do have a possible utility running back in Jerome Harrison (much like Felix Jones could be), but he probably won't be used. On third-down pass situations, Jason Wright, the definition of a capable but simply average backup running back, will come in.

The passing game is where the Browns really thrive. WR Braylon Edwards cemented himself as one of the top five receivers in the NFL last season. He missed the final three games of the preseason due to a crazy incident where he didn't have his shoes on during practice and had his heel busted open. The stitches are out now, and that's not the type of injury that will linger or cause a problem with his gameplay. Opposite Edwards this year is WR Donte Stallworth. The jury is still out on Stallworth -- we have high hopes that he'll have a good rapport with Anderson, but at this point we simply don't know. The ideal element that Stallworth will bring to the table is the short catch-and-run factor, with the occasional deep
ball sprinkled in.

The Browns will miss veteran WR Joe Jurevicius' presence on third downs though. He was one of the best third-down receivers in all of the NFL last season, and Stallworth's specialty doesn't fulfill that role. Instead, we may look to talented TE Kellen Winslow a lot more often in third down situations. Winslow has been as unenthusiastic as you can get during preseason games, but his ability to stretch the field from the tight end position can cause matchup problems for whoever is lined up with him.

The offensive line has been hailed as one of the best lines in football now due to our strong left side of Joe Thomas and Eric Steinbach. They are the heart and soul of our offensive line last season, with Thomas defending the league's best pass rushers without much issue. Anderson was one of the least sacked quarterbacks in football and Lewis was one of the top rushers in the AFC, a testament to our solid pass blocking and run blocking.

The weaker side of the line appears to be on the right side. Originally Ryan Tucker was slotted in at right guard, but he suffered an injury during the preseason and may not be ready until Week 2 or Week 3. Then free agent pickup Rex Hadnot was scheduled to start, but he went down in our final preseason game. Now, veteran Seth McKinney is scheduled to start. The world is not over though, because McKinney was our starting right guard during the first several games last season. While he's not as good as Tucker is he proved to be manageable.

Much like the Cowboys, the Browns' offense is very potent. There aren't any significant changes besides the Stallworth/Jurevicius situation. Because Anderson had a 6-0 record at Cleveland Browns Stadium last season, it should be expected that the Browns' offense will be efficient against the Cowboys.

Click the link below to read about the defense and the special teams.

Star-divide

Browns Defense

The starting defensive line is where things get fun for the Browns this year -- it's the first time fans are actually excited about what the unit has to offer. No more years of the underachieving Gerard Warren's, the backups that are starting (Simon Fraser), or the veterans that are past their prime (Ted Washington). The Browns invested this year's 2nd- and 3rd-round picks in acquiring Shaun Rogers from the Detroit Lions and Corey Williams from the Green Bay Packers. With Rogers in the middle of our 3-4 defense, it is possible that for the first time in a long time, we won't
finish in the bottom 10% of the league at defending the run.

Williams is supposed to bring the element of a pass rush to the Browns. We haven't had a top-caliber pass rushing defensive lineman since returning to the NFL, but now it comes down to when the pressure will be generated: will the pass rush only improve against poor offensive lines, or will pressure actually be generated against a team like the Cowboys?

At the linebacker position, the Browns are sending out veteran Willie McGinest and pass-rusher Kamerion Wimbley on the outside of the 3-4. McGinest is past his prime, but is still a team captain on defense and will split time with the often-injured Antwan Peek. Wimbley has a lot of speed, but fans have been disappointed with his inability to be anything more than a pass rusher to the outside. He has yet to show an impressive inside move or the knack to drop back and defend in coverage. At inside linebacker, Andra Davis and D'Qwell Jackson are set to start. Neither are superstars at this point, but Davis will be wearing the defensive mic.

The cornerback situation has been at the forefront of discussion throughout all of camp and the offseason. Our safeties -- Sean Jones and Brodney Pool -- appear fine, though Jones is the playmaker while Pool is more so the hard hitter. We're starting two second-year players at cornerback -- Brandon McDonald and Eric Wright. McDonald has shown a knack for recording a lot of interceptions in limited playing time, but both he and Wright have apparently been coached to keep a lot of things in front of them on defense, as not to risk a big play. That can be very frustrating, giving us the dreaded "bend-but-don't-break" approach if our defensive line can't generate a pass rush quick enough. The depth beyond them isn't worth mentioning -- let's just say that if an injury is suffered, the Cowboys' fourth-string no-name receiver will be a top fantasy player Week 1.

Browns Special Teams

On special teams, kicker Phil Dawson is proving to be automatic. He worked on his leg strength during the offseason, and has already drilled -- and I mean DRILLED -- a would-be career-long 56-yard field goal in the preseason. Dave Zastduil has been looking good on coffin corner punts during the preseason. The big issue we're facing is the possible absence of Joshua Cribbs. He is the best kick returner in the AFC, a solid punt returner, and one of the best special teams tacklers in the NFL. He suffered an ankle injury during the preseason and doesn't want to re-aggravate his injury by playing too quickly in Week 1. Still, the decision is up-in-the-air with him. If he can't play, then second-year man Syndric Steptoe will fill in for him.

 

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lol

he thinks we have 4 receivers

by sublimezg on Sep 4, 2008 12:07 AM CDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

lol

yeah, i got a kick out of that too.

by scottmaui on Sep 4, 2008 1:22 AM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Yeah, I’ve been following the Cowboys news; I know Glenn is gone and Austin/Hurd are out. By fourth-string, I didn’t literally mean the No. 4 receiver — I meant a guy who usually belongs on the practice squad or free agent wire (i.e. in the preseason, usually you only get to your third-string in the fourth quarter).

Dawgs By Nature - Find out why Pittsburgh still sucks.

by ChrisPokorny on Sep 4, 2008 10:04 AM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

understood

know what you mean, it just struck me as funny since we’ve only got 3 healthy for the game…

by scottmaui on Sep 4, 2008 12:23 PM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Living in a dream world

Everyone is all about the Browns this year. But let me be the first to say that they are going to suck, and that I don’t expect them to win more than six games. Yeah, I said it – Cleveland stinks. They benefited from a candy-ass schedule last year and some fortunate breaks. But now they aren’t going to sneak up on anyone, they don’t have any defense to speak of, and they have a host of injury-prone and aging guys they are relying on.

Remember a few years ago when Cincinnati came out of nowhere, led by an explosive offense and opportunistic defense, to go to the playoffs? Then next year they were everyone’s “sleeper”. What happened? Back to back awful years and nothing but disappointment to speak of. Cleveland is headed down the same path, and they are going to get slammed on Sunday.

Dallas, 27, Cleveland 16, and it will only be that close because of a late Browns TD.

by Doc's Sports Predictions Guy on Sep 4, 2008 3:07 AM CDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I dont totally disagree with you

The only point I would make is that if Cleveland’s investment in their defensive line pays off, they will be in a much better position then Cincy was. At least the Brownies know that football includes offense AND defense. They just have to be concerned with which Shaun Rogers they got.

by Impatient on Sep 4, 2008 9:54 AM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Our schedule is tough.
The Bengals made the playoffs and then were horrible.

Automatic sign of failure for the Browns, eh?

What were the fortunate breaks we benefited from last season? Rightfully getting the call correct that Dawson’s field goal went through against the Ravens? Us suffering the “win, but a timeout happened before the kick, then miss after the timeout causing a loss” against the Raiders? The obvious non-call pushout against the Cardinals?

I see the comparison you’re trying to make, but the formula isn’t automatic every time. We’re not projecting Super Bowl in Cleveland either; we’re hoping 9-7 gets us the division.

Dawgs By Nature - Find out why Pittsburgh still sucks.

by ChrisPokorny on Sep 4, 2008 2:56 PM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

9-7 would be tough

considering 10 didn’t get you guys in last year. And your division is tough. We’ll see how Flaaco hangs this Sunday. Could be a blessing in disguise for the Ravens.

Pitt is always a contender.
The Bungles do have some talent.
There’s no telling if another division is going to stick out like the AFC South did last year.

That #38 sure should wrap up!

by Aaron Novinger (Bigrigga31) on Sep 4, 2008 3:14 PM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I'm afraid that your defensive weaknesses

will ultimately break your heart.

In Romo we Trust

by Terry on Sep 4, 2008 3:31 PM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Our defense should be a tad better than last year; people are putting too much weight on the fact that we only lost one starter in our secondary, Leigh Bodden. Bodden was playing injured all of last year and was often not even close to 100%.

I am braced for disappointment though — we’re used to it.

Dawgs By Nature - Find out why Pittsburgh still sucks.

by ChrisPokorny on Sep 4, 2008 5:33 PM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

No need to be tempered, Chris. Our D will be much more than a “tad” better. We turned perhaps the worst unit in all of professional football last season, our defensive line, into one of the best on the team.

I’ll just go on record right now saying the Cowboys won’t score 20. TO doesn’t scare me at all, as our secondary easily handled comparable guys like Moss and Andre Johnson last year, and they have no one on the other side. The Browns run D will be stout w/ a fully unleashed Rogers. The X factor is Witten. If he has a big game we’ll be in trouble. Otherwise, this is a pretty even matchup that will be surprisingly low scoring.

by kwoog on Sep 6, 2008 2:54 PM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Looks like someone picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue.

T-New, shutting down WR's for Dallas since 2003

by APerfectStar on Sep 6, 2008 3:42 PM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Yeah, it’s hard to imagine Dallas not scoring 20. Besides the last three games last season, I think they were averaging about 30 points every game, road or home.

Dawgs By Nature - Find out why Pittsburgh still sucks.

by ChrisPokorny on Sep 6, 2008 4:50 PM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

The Browns were no fluke

I just looked at their schedule and results last year, and if anything it suggests they might have been better than their record. As I expected, the Browns were in a lot of close games, but they actually lost more of the one-score games than they won.

The big problem for the Browns is injuries, as with most teams. They’re pretty banged up for the start of the season. The reasons to be skeptical are whether Anderson can have another strong season (I hope so, since I’ve drafted him in FF) and whether their D is any better at getting stops. There’s reasons to say each will go either way, but I think it’s a mistake to write off the Browns. Pitt got worse along their already porous OL, Cincy is a mess, and Baltimore seems to be in a partial rebuild with no decent QBs. The Browns can win that division.

by grapejoos on Sep 4, 2008 3:46 PM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

interesting game for me

i have jamal lewis, braylon edwards, jason witten & nick folk on my fantasy team!
so i guess i’m wanting a 31-28 win, with edwards & lewis scoring twice each, witten scoring 4 times, and folk nailing a 60 yarder for the win :)

by bkcowboy on Sep 4, 2008 8:32 AM CDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

nice..

I have TO, Witten, Folk, Braylon Edwards, and the Cowboys D..

Pretty sure I’m going to end up trading away either TO or Witten because that’s just too many Cowboys.. I’m such a freaking homer, haha

by sublimezg on Sep 4, 2008 12:50 PM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

thats not too many Cowboys

you’d be a fool to trade any of those guys, they’ll win your fantasy championship for sure.

In Romo we Trust

by Terry on Sep 4, 2008 2:22 PM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Disagree

It is not smart (as a general rule) in a head-to-head system to have that many players on one team, because a bad game will totally kill your chances in any given week. I’m sure you will have some problems on Dallas’ bye week, too.

That said, if you were to load up on any offense like that, Dallas is the one to do. TO and Witten (and Folk) will probably be #1 or #2 at their positions, so make sure you get a lot back if you go that route.

by grapejoos on Sep 4, 2008 3:49 PM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

when will the Cowboys have a bad game?

c’mon grapejoos, you know better than that. ;)

In Romo we Trust

by Terry on Sep 5, 2008 7:21 AM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Olde English Grammar GEEK Alert

Call me obsessive-compulsive, but the grammar in the title of this post is wrong. It ought to read “Know Thine Enemy.” The way to tell when to use Thy vs. Thine is the beginning of the next word. It’s the same rule as for the use of “a” or “an”: if the next word begins with a vowel, then you use the form that tends with the “n” sound.

I know, I know: I hate people like me, too.

by Incredifan on Sep 4, 2008 11:48 AM CDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

So he should just update it to

No yer emeny?

:-)

How Bout Them Cowboys!

by sprprsnmn on Sep 4, 2008 12:07 PM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

always handy

to have an Olde English grammar geek around lol

by scottmaui on Sep 4, 2008 12:13 PM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

far more concerned with Cleveland, then the Grammar

Cowboys better be ready, Cleveland is explosive. If you think they are overated or not, we better be focused.. 2 out of 3 pre-season games with the starters, we looked great on the 1st series, let’s continue that trend..

"If you see me up in the mountains with a lion, I ain't lyin
don't help me, help the mountain lion"

by Wmillion on Sep 4, 2008 12:17 PM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

+1

after taking until week 7 to score a TD in the first quarter last year, I’d love to see them come out and find the end zone on their opening drive of the season.

by scottmaui on Sep 4, 2008 12:21 PM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

meh

i was really expecting a terry and brady quinn comment.

my day is now ruined.

"Popularity is fleeting. Principles are forever."
"Maybe congress should take more vacations, whenever these people leave town, things just seem to get better..." - Jay Leno

by Longhorn on Sep 4, 2008 1:28 PM CDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

sorry to disappoint you Longhorn

Brady Quinn sucks and I hope he gets in the game so we can intercept him all day long.

Happy now?

In Romo we Trust

by Terry on Sep 4, 2008 2:24 PM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I have a bad feeling....

that Cleveland is gonna put up a lot of points against our defense. They have too many weapons.

I also think our offense is gonna kick the crap out of their defense!!

i like baseball too

by bspate on Sep 4, 2008 2:39 PM CDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

thats okay if that happens

especially if the result is the same as it was in last year’s opener. I’ll be happy with a 45-38 win, no problem.

The have an eilte offense and a sucky defense, it wouldn’t be unexpected.

In Romo we Trust

by Terry on Sep 4, 2008 2:49 PM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

let's just say, I am betting the over..

"If you see me up in the mountains with a lion, I ain't lyin
don't help me, help the mountain lion"

by Wmillion on Sep 5, 2008 4:10 PM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

The only reason i'm betting the over (49) is cuz the Boyz are going to ring up 35+ points....

I just hope Cleveland’s good for 14 +…………with Newman out…I see ’em putting up 16-24

A true diehard Cowboys fan since 1975.

"If you don’t take him off the field as a coach, he will just about die out there," Jerry Jones said. "That impacted my decision. It’s a Michael Irvin-type work ethic. That’s what we are talking about with Felix Jones."
- Owner/G.M of the Dallas Cowboys , Jerry Jones

by BoyzRback on Sep 5, 2008 5:00 PM CDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

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