FanHouse BrodneyPool

Troubles continue for the Browns safety Sean Jones, who will be forced to have arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, but will not be placed on the injured reserve.

Jones recorded five tackles in the Browns debut against the Cowboys, but couldn't push aside the swelling in his knee that has plagued him all preseason.

Coach Romeo Crennel made the announcement today and said that Jones will not be placed on injured reserve and that the Browns plan to have him back this season.

Jones first suffered swelling in the knee in the preseason opener against the Jets and experienced it again the following week against the Giants. Jones sat out the final two preseason games, but suffered the swelling again after Sunday's 28-10 loss to the Cowboys.

The Browns are already shopping for another option at safety, with Jones out and Brodney Pool still recovering from a nasty concussion.

Fellow safety Pool might return from a concussion this week, meaning Mike Adams would start in place of Jones. If Pool is still out, Adams and Nick Sorensen would be the starting safeties.

The Browns will have to get some things together fast as they play face a team that some consider the AFC favorite after the Tom Brady injury, the Pittsburgh Steelers, on Sunday night.

Training camps are underway, the NFL season is right around the corner, and to get you ready for 2008, FanHouse previews all 32 teams, "heat index" style. We'll rate each club in 10 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

Quarterback: A year ago at this time,Charlie Frye was the man. That lasted about 10 minutes into the Week 1 Steelers game before Derek Anderson came on in relief, and, well, you saw how things turned out. Anderson led Cleveland to 10 wins, and made the Pro Bowl, but faces pressure to exceed last year's surprising performance. I think he'll be fine, but if he falters, Brady Quinn will be eagerly awaiting his shot. Heat Index: 7

Running backs: Jamal Lewis was left for dead, at least in the professional sense, when the Ravens decided to "move in another direction" last offseason. Lewis signed a short-term deal with the Browns and proceeded to rush for more than 1,300 yards. He now has a new contract and will run behind one of the most underrated o-lines in the AFC. Heat Index: 7

Receivers: Prior to Donte' Stallworth putting out a hit on No. 1 wide receiver Braylon Edwards, these were some of the best pass-catchers in the conference. Actually, Edwards should be fine, and even with Joe Jurevicius on the mend, it's a talented group of big-play threats. And although he listed as a tight end on the depth chart, Kellen Winslow in No. 1A after Edwards. Heat Index: 9

And it gets worse. Yesterday, I wrote that the Cleveland Browns' secondary was on pace to give up 80 touchdown passes this season. Head coach Romeo Crennel's first big free-agent signing, cornerback Gary Baxter, has been injured during most of his three-year Cleveland career -- he's played in eight of a possible 37 games -- and the news just keeps getting more depressing.

Not counting cornerback Gary Baxter, who still is rehabbing knee injuries from last season, three Browns defensive backs are dinged: safeties Brodney Pool and Mike Adams, and cornerback Leigh Bodden.

Apparently, Pool's injury is the most serious. The third-year, second-round pick suffered a concussion last week against the Bengals but hasn't progressed enough to play against the Raiders (Pool could've used some Jon Kitna/Mr. Miyagi action, I guess). Pool was injured on a helmet-to-helmet hit on Cincy's Glenn Holt, and was fined $5,000 for his troubles.

The more immediate issue, though, is who will be in the Browns secondary in Oakland tomorrow. Backup Mike Adams -- he of the injured wrist and shoulder -- will step in for Pool, and Bodden will also likely play. But after that, it's slim pickins'. Lucky for the Browns, Lane Kiffin insists on sticking with Josh McCown, who through two weeks has looked like, well, Josh McCown. So there's your silver lining.

The Browns' defense is on pace to give up 80 touchdown passes this season. Unless you're the Bengals, that's not good. Predictably, head coach Romeo Crennel wasn't all that psyched at the prospect of shattering such a dubious record:

'I don't think there are ever any legitimate reasons for giving up touchdowns, particularly the number we have given up in two games,'' Crennel said. ''It's not very good and we're going to have to do a whole lot better.''

That's an understatement. Last year, Cleveland surrendered 20 touchdowns through the air, and according to Football Outsiders, the pass defense ranked 15th. Surprisingly, the Browns are only the fourth-worst pass defense this season, ahead of the Jets, Saints and Giants.

Part of the problem is the secondary: safeties Brodney Pool and Sean Jones are long on ability but short on experience. Rookie cornerback Eric Wright has been forced into duty because Gary Baxter is recovering from knee injuries. Plus, the inability of Cleveland's front seven to generate a pass rush -- the team has two sacks in two games -- doesn't help matters.

Things should get better before they get worse -- the Browns face the Raiders this week, and the Ravens the next. But on October 7, the team travels to New England. If something doesn't give -- an improved Browns pass defense, or a regressing-to-normal Patriots' offense -- those 80 predicted touchdowns could be a conservative estimate.

Part of the deal with having a bunch of young, athletic players on the field is that they inevitably go through NFL growing pains before (hopefully) fully realizing their potential. That's the case in Cleveland right now, with just about every position.

Other than linebacker Kamerion Wimbley, who has apparently been NFL-ready since the 8th grade, the Browns have a roster full of guys long on talent but short on experience. Two of those players -- starting safeties Sean Jones and Brodney Pool -- had a few breakdowns during last week's Steelers debacle.

Brodney Pool took over as the starting free safety when Brian Russell was let go in free agency, and the coaches' film review gave him no tackles in Sunday's opener. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw a career-high four touchdown passes, and strong safety Sean Jones looked extremely agitated after Santonio Holmes' 40-yard scoring catch.

Cornerback Leigh Bodden admits to missing Russell's on-field leadership, but recognizes that athletically, Pool is very capable, it's just the above-the-head stuff that the third-year safety needs to work on.

Defensive coordinator Todd Grantham threw a little support Pool's way:

'I think the further you move away from the ball, the more visible it is for everybody to evaluate you ... When you have 60 plays in the game, and you play 57 of them good, and there's three you'd like to play better, well, those three plays get magnified.''

Fair enough, but the Browns face the Bengals today, so things won't get any easier against "FUTURE H.O.F. 20??"