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Written by MC3 Sports Media
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Thursday, 05 August 2010 22:35 |
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 There was no word on whether Namath had been drinking again when he made the prediction.... (ok, I know bad joke....)
Alright, he didn't exactly guarantee a Super Bowl victory a-la January 12, 1969, however when Joe talks Jets Super Bowl, people listen.
Today at Jets practice, Namath praised the team's bravado and said their Super Bowl aspirations were "justified," calling Rex Ryan's group New York's best hope to erase the organization's long Super Bowl drought.
After a morning practice shortened by lightning at SUNY Cortland, Namath said the following:
"This team that I'm looking at today is more suited to be able to follow through with a championship than what we've had out there. I don't know if any of you can remember a team that we've had with this kind of defense or the kind of people we have now in the (skill positions). I never dreamt that it would be a long time coming to get another championship with the NY Jets."
Namath, whose Super Bowl III guarantee in 1968 still resonates with Jets fans, also admitted that this year's team is more confident than his Super Bowl winning team ever was.
"They have more swagger than we had, that's for sure," Namath said. "We have a team we're expecting a lot out of this year."
On a separate note Namath has launched a new site, http://broadwayjoe.tv/, to interact with fans about football and non-football-related topics. According to the site, you'll be able to find Joe's thoughts on the Jets, the Crimson Tide, some of life's lessons and much more...
I'm guessing that he steers clear of any lessons he learned from the January 2, 2004 Suzy Kolber incident.......
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Written by MC3 Sports Media
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 Between now and the September 2nd season kick-off, Danny Hobrock will be previewing all the major college football teams with new teams being released daily.
2009 Season Breakdown
2009 final record (overall, conference): 9-5, 7-1
Bowl Game: Liberty Bowl (L 20-17 vs. Arkansas)
Final Ranking (AP, Coaches'): NR, NR
Conference finish: Conference USA Champions
Offensive rank: 67
Defensive rank: 71
2009 Individual Statistical Leaders
Rushing: Dominique Lindsay, 1,180 yards, 6 TD
Passing: Patrick Pinkey, 2,947 yards, 15 TD, 12 INT
Receiving: Dwayne Harris, 978 yards, 7 TD
Tackles: Van Eskridge, 102 total tackles; Nick Johnson, 98 total tackles
Sacks: C.J. Wilson, 5.5 sacks (5 solo, 1 assisted)
Interceptions: Van Eskridge, 6 interceptions
2010 Season Outlook
Schedule
(* denotes conference game)
Key Matchups
October 9 @ Southern Miss: Finishing third in the East Division last season with a 5-3 conference record, the Golden Eagles could look to take advantage of an expected down year from the Pirates. UCF finished ahead of them in the division, but with their erratic record from one year to the next, this could be a big opportunity for Southern Miss. If ECU hopes to again reign supreme in the division, this is one of the games they may have to win.
October 16 vs. NC State: Granted NC State is no powerhouse football team coming into this season, if ECU can grab this one they'll be in pretty good shape. They lose tons of starters this season so things are a little uncertain as the season gets closer. A win over Virginia Tech, North Carolina or Navy would be nice too, but a solid home win over the in-state rival Wolfpack would be a great start for Ruffin McNeill and his coaching staff.
October 30 @ UCF: The Knights finished second on the East Division last season with a 6-2 conference record. It's been a while since UCF has beaten ECU on the field (2005), but the Knights were conference champs in 2007 at 7-1 and a championship game win over Tulsa. UCF has been extremely up and down in the past few seasons, finishing with a promising record one year, only to drop off the next.
November 26 vs. Southern Methodist: While they won't compete with ECU for the East Division (they're in the West), this is a team ECU may actually play two weeks in a row if the two can manage to win their respective divisions in C-USA. SMU is on the rise with questions abound regarding ECU after losing so many starters.
Preseason Rankings
AP: Not Ranked
Coaches': Not Ranked
Key Losses
Patrick Pinkney, QB; Dominique Lindsay, RB; Sean Allen, OL; Terrance Campbell, OL; C.J. Wilson, DL; Linval Joseph, DL; Scotty Robinson, DL; Jay Ross, DL; Nick Johnson, LB; Jeremy Chambliss, LB; Levin Neal, S; Van Eskridge, S; Matt Dodge, P
Key Returning Players
Dwayne Harris, WR; Willie Smith, OT; Cory Dowless, G; D.J. Scott, G; Emanuel Davis, CB
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Written by MC3 Sports Media
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 Between now and the September 9th season kick-off, Hank Koebler, IV will be previewing all the NFL teams with new teams being released daily.
2009 Season Breakdown
2009 final record (overall, division): 9-7, 3-3
Division finish: 2nd AFC North
Offensive rank (Points, Total Yards, Passing Yards, Rushing Yards): 9th, 13th, 18th, 5th
Defensive rank (Points, Total Yards, Passing Yards, Rushing Yards): 3rd, 3rd, 8th, 5th
2009 Individual Statistical Leaders
Rushing: Ray Rice, 1,339 yards, 7 TD; Willis McGahee, 544 yards, 12 TD; Le'Ron McClain, 180
Passing: Joe Flacco, 3,613 yards, 21 TD, 12 INT
Receiving: Derrick Mason, 1,028 yards, 7 TD; Ray Rice, 702 yards, 1 TD; Todd Heap, 593 yards, 6 TD; Mark Clayton 480 yards, 2 TD; Kelley Washington, 431 yards, 2 TD
Tackles: Ray Lewis, 95 total tackles; Dawan Landry, 70 total tackles
Sacks: Trevor Pryce, 6.5 sacks; Jarret Johnson, 6 sacks
Interceptions: Dawan Landry, 4 INT, 1 TD; Domonique Foxworth, 4 INT, 0 TD; Ed Reed, 3 TD, 1 TD
2010 Season Outlook
Schedule
(* denotes division game)
Key Matchups
September 13 at New York Jets: On offense, this game will be about two teams with young, promising quarterbacks surrounded by phenomenal supporting casts. On defense, you have two blitz-happy 3-4 defenses. The edge here goes to the Jets, as they have a much better defensive backfield.
October 17 at New England: This rematch of the Ravens' wild-card victory might go the other way, as Wes Welker and Tom Brady will be healthy, meaning the Patriots won't have to rely as heavily on their ground game as they tried to do in the playoffs. With Brady's broken finger healed, his passes will have their usual clean, tight spiral, and he will spread the ball among Welker, Randy Moss, and up-and-coming receiver Julian Edelman. Bill Belichick will have his Patriots extremely ready to avenge their early-round exit from the playoffs in January.
December 19 vs. New Orleans: The type of team that the Saints struggled the most against last year were teams like themselves that could both pound the ball for yardage as well as tear you apart in the passing game on offense, with blitz-happy defenses that routinely forced turnovers. With the addition of receivers Anquan Boldin and Donte Stallworth, as well as the return of Derrick Mason and Mark Clayton, the Ravens finally have a full complement of receivers for Joe Flacco to throw to. While the Ravens' defense has shown some age at corner, they still have the pieces at safety and in the front seven to wreak havoc on the Saints' passing offense and shut down their running game.
Key Losses
Dwan Edwards, DE; Samari Rolle, CB; Kelley Washington, WR
Key Returning Players
Josh Cribbs, KR/WR; Mohamed Massaquoi, WR; Jerome Harrison, RB; D'Qwell Jackson, ILB; Joe Thomas, OT; Shaun Rogers, NT
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Written by MC3 Sports Media
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 Between now and the September 2nd season kick-off, Danny Hobrock will be previewing all the major college football teams with new teams being released daily.
2009 Season Breakdown
2009 final record (overall, conference): 14-0, 8-0
Bowl Game: Fiesta Bowl (W 17-10 vs. TCU)
Final Ranking (AP, Coaches'): 4, 4
Conference finish: 1st WAC
Offensive rank: 10
Defensive rank: 14
2009 Individual Statistical Leaders
Rushing: Jeremy Avery, 1,150 yards, 6 TD; Doug Martin, 765 yards, 15 TD
Passing: Kellen Moore, 3,536 yards, 39 TD, 3 INT
Receiving: Titus Young, 1,041 yards, 10 TD; Austin Pettis, 855 yards, 14 TD
Tackles: Jeron Johnson, 91 total tackles
Sacks: Ryan Winterswyk, 9 sacks (6 solo, 6 assisted); Billy Winn, 6 sacks (4 solo, 4 assisted)
Interceptions: Brandyn Thompson, 6 interceptions (1 touchdown)
2010 Season Outlook
Schedule
(* denotes conference game)
Key Matchups
September 6 vs. Virginia Tech: The neutral site game to open the season will likely see stronger support for the Hokies than the Broncos. This will be a tough game for both sides with a high scoring Broncos offense and tough defense taking on the Hokies, who fielded one of the nation's top defenses a year ago and return the last season's 5th leading rusher in Ryan Williams.
September 25 vs. Oregon State: This will be another tough non-conference matchup for the Broncos who are eager to prove they deserve national championship consideration. Like they face Williams in the first week, they'll take on Jacquizz and James Rodgers in this one. How the defense plays against top tier talent like Williams and the Rodgers brothers will go a long way in influencing voters and fans as to whether the Broncos deserve consideration among the nation's top teams. If they stop or contain the stars, or at the very least win both matchups, critics will have little ammo in keeping them out of BCS title consideration.
November 19 vs. Fresno State: The Bulldogs gave the Broncos a run for their money in last year's early season matchup. Ryan Mathews went for 234 yards and three touchdowns and while he'll be off plying his trade with the San Diego Chargers when the two meet this season, Fresno State should have enough confidence to at least put up a fight. Fresno State faced three straight tough losses against Wisconsin, Boise State and Cincinnati after opening 2009 with a win over UC Davis. They mark a potential late-season trap game for the Broncos.
November 26 @ Nevada: Like the matchup the week before, this Friday night matchup will be nationally televised and represents a potential trap for a Broncos team who by this point could be looking ahead to the BCS bowl season with title aspirations. Coach Chris Petersen should, and all indicates are that he would, have his team focused on defeating the Wolf Pack to avoid what would be a crushing late-season upset.
Preseason Rankings
AP: 3rd
Coaches': 5th
Key Losses
Richie Brockel, FB/TE; Kevin Sapien, G; Kyle Wilson, CB
Key Returning Players
Kellen Moore, QB; Jeremy Avery, RB; Titus Young, WR; Austin Pettis, WR; Nate Potter, OT; Ryan Winterswyk, DE; Billy Winn, DT; Brandyn Thompson, CB; Jeron Johnson, S; Winston Venable, S
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Written by MC3 Sports Media
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&q 
It is baseball season, but there are plenty of ways to get your fill of football too. Our own Danny Hobrock is on the beat making his way across the College Football landscape exhaustively covering team after team. These previews will get you up to snuff with everything you need to know about the transition to each 2010 team.
Each team preview covers the team's outlook and projection for the 2010 season. We've got in depth coverage of each team's offense, defense and special teams. We'll cover who's in and who's out, and players from true freshmen to four year starters and pro prospects. Finally, we'll look at strategy and style of play on both sides of the ball, as well detailed information about coaches and players.
Today Danny is previewing the PAC-10 Conference teams - Oregon Ducks, Washington Huskies, Oregon State Beavers, USC Trojans, Arizona Wildcats, California Golden Bears, Stanford Cardinal, UCLA Bruins, Arizona State Sun Devils, and Washington State Cougars. Clicking on each team's logo will take you right to the team's preview.
Check back often between now and the September 2nd season kick-off as new team previews are going up almost every day. Clicking here or on the NCAA Football in the right sidebar will take you to the page containing all the previews published to date.
Pac-10 Conference
         uot;>
- Oregon Ducks
- Washington Huskies
- Oregon State Beavers
- USC Trojans
- Arizona Wildcats
- California Golden Bears
- Stanford Cardinal
- UCLA Bruins
- Arizona State Sun Devils
- Washington State Cougars
Oregon Ducks
Pac-10 Champions
This is assuming that the Ducks offense doesn't lose too much of a step without Masoli. The spread offense requires good reads from the quarterback and either Costa or Thomas must make good decisions for this team to be successful. Costa has been around the program for a while and knows the offense well. While younger and less experienced, Thomas will likely lead this team in the future, whether that begins in 2010 or 2011. Both quarterbacks have their qualities and whichever wins out in the fall will be the key to another Pac-10 title and trip to the Rose Bowl.
The running game should again be the strength of the offense with James returning following a 1,500 yard season as a freshman and Barner, who was also a freshman a year ago, as his backup. They'll run behind a solid offensive line that returns all five starters and features four upperclassmen. On the defensive side of the ball, the pass defense will be interesting to watch this year with depth at the safety position and promise at the corner position. The linebackers may be the strength of the defense, while the pass rush should be strong off the edges.
The Pac-10 is a tight race with several teams entering the season with a legitimate shot at earning a trip to the Rose Bowl. While the Trojans cannot win the Pac-10 or a trip to a bowl game, they'll likely be fired up enough to make as much of the regular season as they can, disrupting their conference rivals' hopes of winning the conference and playing spoiler whenever they can. Oregon enters the season the favorite (arguably), but will by no means run through the Pac-10 the way the Trojans had in the last decade.
Washington Huskies
2nd Pac-10
The matchup with Oregon in early November could hold a lot of weight in how both teams finish in the conference. With USC no longer the dominant force they once were, things opened up last season in the Pac-10 and should do the same this season. Even if the Trojans compete for the conference crown, the days of playing solely for second place seem to be over.
Jake Locker won't be the only asset that the Huskies will send onto the field next season. Washington returns most of their offensive production from last season including their starting quarterback, running back and seven players who caught at least 14 passes. Every single player, and that includes offense, defense and special teams, who scored points last season is back for 2010.
The defense must focus on replacing Te'o-Nesheim's sack production and needs to force more interceptions in the passing game. Putting pressure on the quarterback to disrupt the passing game often goes hand-in-hand with improving pass defense and forcing turnovers, so an improvement in either area should benefit the other. Of course, the Huskies still ranked 93rd in pass defense and forced just eight interceptions despite 10 sacks form Te'o-Nesheim.
All-in-all, though, this looks to be a very successful season for the Huskies. Even if they finish lower than second in the Pac-10, as I have them projected, there seems little doubt that Washington will be in the bowl season come December or January.
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Written by MC3 Sports Media
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 Between now and the September 2nd season kick-off, Danny Hobrock will be previewing all the major college football teams with new teams being released daily.
2009 Season Breakdown
2009 final record (overall, conference): 5-7
Bowl Game: None
Final Ranking (AP, Coaches'): NR, NR
Conference finish: N/A
Offensive rank: 117
Defensive rank: 16
2009 Individual Statistical Leaders
Rushing: Trent Steelman, 706 yards, 5 TD; Patrick Mealy, 673 yards, 3 TD
Passing: Trent Steelman, 637 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
Receiving: Alejandro Villanueva, 522 yards, 5 TD
Tackles: Andrew Rodriguez, 85 total tackles; Stephen Anderson, 83 total tackles
Sacks: Josh McNary, 12.5 sacks (11 solo, 3 assisted)
Interceptions: Donavan Travis, 4 interceptions (1 touchdown)
2010 Season Outlook
Schedule
(* denotes conference game)
Key Matchups
The first three: After Eastern Michigan, Hawaii and North Texas, Army will still have winnable matchups against Tulane, VMI and Kent State. Duke, Temple, Rutgers, Air Force, Notre Dame and Navy, however, will prove harder to come away with victories. Starting 3-0 and taking care of business against Tulane, VMI and Kent State later would give the Black Knights a six-win season and a spot in a bowl game. This is not to say they won't take down a more formidable opponent, but if they slip up early, they'll have to rely on an upset sometime later in the season.
November 20 vs. Notre Dame: This one will be played at Yankee Stadium and will garner a national audience on NBC. The Irish will be favored, but an upset is not out of the question and would give the Black Knights awesome confidence to take into their regular season finale against Navy.
December 11 vs. Navy: The annual rivalry played in Philadelphia is one of college football's grandest traditions. Philadelphia has hosted the game 81 times now and Navy holds the all-time series lead 54-49-7. Following Army's 7-3 run through the 90's, the Midshipmen dominated the last decade, winning nine of the 10 games played including the last eight. Navy will be favored, but the Black Knights should not be counted out coming off their best season in years and returning a good deal of talent and experience.
November 26 @ East Carolina: The Pirates are rebuilding, but many still expect them to represent the East Division in the conference title game. Either way, this one could prove vital to SMU's quest to oust Houston as West Division champs.
Preseason Rankings
AP: Not Ranked
Coaches': Not Ranked
Key Losses
Victor Ugenyi, DT
Key Returning Players
Trent Steelman, QB; Patrick Mealy, RB; Zach Peterson, C; Josh McNary, DE; Mike Gann, DT; Stephen Anderson, LB; Andrew Rodriguez, LB; Steve Erzinger, LB; Donovan Travis, S
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Written by MC3 Sports Media
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 Between now and the September 2nd season kick-off, Danny Hobrock will be previewing all the major college football teams with new teams being released daily.
2009 Season Breakdown
2009 final record (overall, conference): 8-5, 6-2
Bowl Game: Hawaii Bowl (W 45-10 vs. Nevada)
Final Ranking (AP, Coaches'): NR, NR
Conference finish: 2nd Conference USA West Division
Offensive rank: 51
Defensive rank: 84
2009 Individual Statistical Leaders
Rushing: Shawnbrey McNeal, 1,188 yards, 12 TD
Passing: Kyle Padron, 1,922 yards, 10 TD, 4 INT; Bo Levi Mitchell, 1,725 yards, 12 TD, 10 INT
Receiving: Emmanuel Sanders, 1,339 yards, 7 TD
Tackles: Chase Kennemer, 135 total tackles
Sacks: Taylor Thompson, 5.5 sacks (4 solo, 3 assisted)
Interceptions: Rock Dennis, 5 interceptions (1 touchdown)
2010 Season Outlook
Schedule
(* denotes conference game)
Key Matchups
September 5 @ Texas Tech: June Jones begins his third season at the helm with a Friday night matchup against high-scoring Texas Tech. The Red Raiders ranked second in the nation in passing offense last season. The Mustangs ranked 15th. Tech will be on upset alert in this one, especially if the SMU offense continues its development under Jones and the secondary can hold its own against the onslaught of the Tech passing attack.
September 24 vs. TCU: Boy what a shakeup this would be. An SMU win wouldn't have any impact on either the Mountain West or Conference USA, but imagine the confidence a win here would give the Mustangs as they begin the bulk of their conference schedule. TCU posted the sixth ranked passing defense last season, and, while they have lost both starting corners from a year ago (both safeties return), the Horned Frogs will create quite an obstacle for Kyle Padron and the passing game. (Note: The Mustangs managed just 14 points against TCU in 2009.)
October 23 vs. Houston: This may be the matchup that ultimately decides who represents the West in the C-USA Championship. That is, of course, assuming SMU has the season they expect in Jones' third year with the team. To win this one, though, SMU will have to put up more than the 15 points they managed in last year's contest, and, similar to the Texas Tech matchup, the secondary needs to contain Case Keenum and the passing game.
November 26 @ East Carolina: The Pirates are rebuilding, but many still expect them to represent the East Division in the conference title game. Either way, this one could prove vital to SMU's quest to oust Houston as West Division champs.
Preseason Rankings
AP: Not Ranked
Coaches': Not Ranked
Key Losses
Shawnbrey McNeal, RB; Emmanuel Sanders, WR; Mitch Enright, C; Chase Kennemer, LB; Bryan McCann, CB; Rock Dennis, S
Key Returning Players
Kyle Padron, QB; Aldrick Robinson, WR; Kelvin Beachum, OT; Taylor Thompson, DE; Pete Fleps, LB; Chris Banjo, S
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Written by MC3 Sports Media
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Wednesday, 04 August 2010 07:46 |
 Cornerback is the toughest position to play in the NFL, in my mind. They have to read and react to some of the most talented people on the planet. Think about the height, speed, leaping ability, hands, and the ability to turn on a dime that players like Andre Johnson and Brandon Marshall possess. As rare as a combination of those attributes are to find in one human, it's even more improbable to find a man that can mirror those actions in the midst of a moment. Quarterbacks have several options on most plays. They can pick on a mismatch of a slower linebacker covering a speedy pass catching tight end or just dump the ball to the back out of the backfield. If a wide receiver slips or runs a bad route, then the quarterback just goes to his next option. A cornerback doesn't have this luxury. If he slips, bites on a double move, or is just caught out of position, then he will be seen over and over again on the highlight reel of the opposing team.
The type of corner that is labeled a true "shutdown corner" doesn't come along that often. Champ Bailey wore this crown for the last several years. Bailey's time came at the end of Deion Sanders reign as one of the all time greatest shutdown corners of all time. Champ has now passed the crown on, but to whom? Some say Nnamdi Asomugha, the corner out of Cal who plays for the Oakland Raiders. Others say it's the 4th year man out of Pitt, Darrelle Revis.
There's one thing that is for sure, at the moment, only one of them is getting paid like a "shutdown corner". Asomugha, who is entering his 8th NFL season this year, just signed a new 3 year $45.3 million dollar contract. Revis, who has had instant success since coming in the league in 2007, wants to be paid more than Nnamdi. He's even said that he'll be happy with one dollar more than Nnamdi's contract.
There are plenty of others to give you the contract talk. I want to ask the all important question. Is he worth it? We all know that both of these players are Pro Bowlers, and rightfully so. But, is Revis better than Asomugha? Let's dive into the statistics and see what they have to say.
Nnamdi scored his big contract at the age of 28. If Revis gets his deal this season, he would be getting it while playing at least the same level of Asomugha and being 3 years younger. This is a key factor that most people seem to be over looking. The NFL body wears down quickly and you don't have too many prime years in your career. This benefits Revis, seeing how he has had such success so early on. Nnamdi didn't record an interception until his 4th season; he's now played 7 seasons and has only recorded 11 picks. Darrelle who has only played 3 seasons has already recorded more picks with 14 for his career. And Revis is durable too. Revis hasn't missed a game in his career, playing in all 48 regular season games since entering the league. This shows that he's resilient and will play through little nicks and bruises.
Nnamdi's best statistical season came in 2006. He recorded 8 interceptions and had 19 pass deflections. Asomugha has had 1 interception a year since then. His supporters will state that quarterbacks just decide to throw away from him. While this is true, he hasn't been as effective as he was previously when he has been thrown at. The All-Pro only had 3 pass deflections in 2009 in 28 attempts. Revis averages more pass deflections a year (21) than Nnamdi's top year of 18. Asomugha averages only 8 pass deflections a year. Revis had 31 pass deflections in 2009 to go along with his 6 picks. Revis also is a better tackler and plays a bigger role in run support. Nnamdi averages 42 tackles a year and has only had more than 50 tackles in a season once, with 60 tackles in 2007. Revis had a career high with 87 tackles as a rookie and averages 66 tackles a year and Revis and Asomugha have both forced and recovered the exact same amount of fumbles in their careers.
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Written by MC3 Sports Media
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Tuesday, 03 August 2010 14:29 |
 Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Try to fool me a third time, and the next article I write is going to be an explanation why nobody in their right mind should believe you.
Now that the LeBron James media frenzy has finally died down, Favre had the national spotlight all to himself when Jay Glazer reported this morning that the 40-year-old quarterback was informing teammates that he intends to retire. Unsurprisingly, he is also reporting that the Vikings are willing to offer Favre more money to come back this year, as well as more time to make his decision. This is yet another example of the Vikings' willingness to inconvenience themselves and acquiesce to Favre's every whim.
It's bad enough that Minnesota coach Brad Childress publicly berated running back Adrian Peterson for missing mandatory camp, yet has allowed Favre to use uncertainty over retirement to avoid offseason activities for the past two years. But now it's gotten ridiculously out of hand. He has 13 million reasons not to retire, is in phenomenal shape, and is coming off of one of the best seasons of his career. All of the speculation about retirement is merely a ploy to add yet another dramatic chapter to The Legend of Favre once he returns.
Of course, this drama is nothing new for Favre. When he decided in 2008 that he wanted to play again, the Packers decided that they had had enough of Favre's yearly indecisiveness, and they were going to move on without him. They kept him on the reserve/retired list, and when Commissioner Roger Goodell mandated that the Packers activate Favre, they refused to grant him his unconditional release so he could play for the Vikings, and they traded him into the AFC. Unfortunately, Favre has fallen into the laps of enablers ever since then. The Jets' then-head coach Eric Mangini was so ecstatic to have Favre on his team that in the middle of the season he gave his newborn son the middle name Brett. When Favre's injured bicep led to a late-season collapse, Mangini was fired and Favre asked to be released so he could "retire as a Packer". To the surprise of nobody, instead of retiring as a Packer, Favre decided to play as a Viking, where Childress and Co. engaged in the previously-mentioned bending over backwards to keep Favre happy.
Favre is an incurable attention hog, but he alone isn't responsible for this ongoing saga. The Legend of Favre is an intangible product on a barter market of sorts. He provides us with entertainment and gossip fodder, and in return we provide him with the attention he so desperately craves and needs. Like all products, this is subject to the laws of supply and demand. If the demand for Favre's product weren't so high, he wouldn't receive so much attention from it. We're to blame. It's easy to bash the media for devoting such an extreme following to Favre's every move, but Favre articles are consistently the most heavily commented-on pieces on any site. There's a reason for that. Any Favre-related story is guaranteed to attract a ton of attention because of the seemingly insatiable demand for news about him. If ESPN were to grant him a one-hour primetime special called "The Indecision" to announce whether he's returning to football or not, it would probably set ratings records.
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Written by MC3 Sports Media
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 Between now and the September 9th season kick-off, Hank Koebler, IV will be previewing all the NFL teams with new teams being released daily.
2009 Season Breakdown
2009 final record (overall, division): 5-11, 1-5
Division finish: 4th AFC North
Offensive rank (Points, Total Yards, Passing Yards, Rushing Yards): 29th, 32nd, 32nd, 8th
Defensive rank (Points, Total Yards, Passing Yards, Rushing Yards): 22nd, 31st, 29th, 28th
2009 Individual Statistical Leaders
Rushing: Jerome Harrison, 862 yards, 5 TD; Jamal Lewis, 500 yards, 0 TD; Josh Cribbs, 381 yards, 1 TD
Passing: Brady Quinn, 1,339 yards, 8 TD, 7 INT; Derek Anderson, 888 yards, 3 TD, 10 INT
Receiving: Mohamed Massaquoi, 624 yards, 3 TD; Jerome Harrison, 220 yards, 2 TD; Josh Cribbs, 135 yards, 1 TD
Tackles: Abram Elam, 74 total tackles, Mike Adams, 58 total tackles; Eric Wright, 57 total tackles
Sacks: Kamerion Wimbley, 6.5 sacks, David Bowens, 5.5 sacks, Corey Williams, 4.0 sacks, Matt Roth, 4.0 sacks
Interceptions: Eric Wright, 4 INT, 0 TD; Brodney Pool, 4 INT, 0 TD
2010 Season Outlook
Schedule
(* denotes division game)
Key Matchups
October 17 at Pittsburgh: The Steelers may not even have Ben Roethlisberger available, and if they do, this will only be his second game back from his suspension, meaning he will have a lot of rust to shake off. For this reason, this game is the perfect opportunity for the Browns to make a huge statement and show that their upset over the Steelers last year was no fluke. Shaun Rogers should be back from whatever suspension he may face after having a gun in his bag in an airport, so the Browns' pass rush should have no problem hampering Pittsburgh's woeful offensive line.
November 21 vs. Jacksonville: Towards the end of 2009, the Browns started improving drastically, winning their last four games, including upsets over Jacksonville and the then-NFL champion Steelers. The Jaguars will be looking to avenge the loss, but will be hard-pressed to do so. While the Browns are getting better, the Jaguars appear to be rebuilding this year. Containing multi-positional threat Josh Cribbs and quarterback Seneca Wallace will be a tough test for the Jaguars’ defense, especially considering that Cleveland now has threats at the running back position as well. This should be a hard-fought game between the two teams, although neither have a high likelihood of having a shot at the playoffs.
December 12 at Buffalo: This game is a major litmus test for the Browns. If they are progressing on schedule, then they should be able to handily beat the Bills. However, if the Browns do lose to the Bills, then it would be a sign that they are nowhere near as far along in their rebuilding plans as they imagine themselves to be. While this matchup will likely have no playoff implications, it will be extremely telling for the Browns if they struggle against the lackluster Bills.
Key Losses
Mike Furrey, WR/DB; Brodney Pool, FS; Donte Stallworth, WR; Derek Anderson, QB; Corey Williams, DE; Brady Quinn, QB; Kamerion Wimbley, LB; Alex Hall, LB
Key Returning Players
Josh Cribbs, KR/WR; Mohamed Massaquoi, WR; Jerome Harrison, RB; D'Qwell Jackson, ILB; Joe Thomas, OT; Shaun Rogers, NT
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