If the first draft under the new leadership is any indication, the Browns will use the last weekend in April to restock the roster, and eschew high-priced, quick-fix free agents. The previous regime had a healthy mix of the two: Gary Baxter, Eric Steinbach, LeCharles Bentley and Donte' Stallworth were signed as free agents; Kamerion Wimbley, Joe Thomas and Brady Quinn were all high-round draft picks.
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' Stallworthputting 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
While the offensive line might not represent a direct draft day decision for your roster, few areas of knowledge can offer a competitive advantage in fantasy football like having a good grasp of the various units of trench soldiers around the league. Over the course of the next couple weeks, I'll break down every NFL team's offensive lines into five tiers: the Crème de la Crème, the Highly Competent, the Serviceable, the Pretty Grim, and the Bunk.
Just six NFL offensive lines made their way into the 2008 group of the Crème de la Crème. If you see a team on this list, rest assured your running game is safe, your quarterback with have decent pocket time, and you might just dig up some big time sleepers amongst these rosters. Consider this your early birthday present. You ride with these guys and you're ridin' in drop top, six-four, tinted windows, top down, AC on style.
Read on for the best six offensive lines in the NFL.
Cincinnati lies on the Ohio River -- and Kentucky lies on the other side. As far as the Bengals are concerned, they could burn all the bridges that connect the two because nothing good seems to happen when their players hang in the Bluegrass State.
Chris Henry lives in Boone County (I pass his house frequently). In his neighborhood, he was accused of punching a 16-year old but the accusations were unfounded. Police also found a stolen car in his driveway ... which was a rental car that had disputed charges on it. All the other stuff he's done has also shed a poor light on his community.
Oh, and Shaun Alexander ... who went to Boone County High School ... now wants to be a Bengal. Why the heck not? Alexander, a born again Christian, would stick out like a sore thumb.
Elsewhere in Northern Kentucky, Chad Johnson is in the middle of a lawsuit over a bogus raffle. It is claimed that Johnson didn't pay up on certain prizes that were raffled off at a comedy club in Newport, KY. Henry also was arrested in Covington, KY for buying alcohol for some underage girls.
Former Bengals Who Got In Trouble While With the Team
Chris Henry: Speeding, marijuana possession, driving without a license, waving a gun at people, providing alcohol to minors, misdemeanor assault and property damage. He once was suspended for eight games for violating the NFL's conduct policy.
Matthias Askew: Arrested (and acquitted) for disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, failure to comply with a police officer's order, obstructing justice
Odell Thurman: Is coming off a two-year suspension for violating the NFL's conduct policy. He was picked up for a DUI in Ohio. He was also accused of assault in Georgia but the complaint was dropped.
This isn't a post as much as it is a running page to document some of the difficulties this Bengals organization has had.
When the Pro Bowl rosters were announced last month, some subset of Browns' fans felt the team was underrepresented. Only wide receiver Braylon Edwards and special teams ace Joshua Cribbs made the team while quarterback Derek Anderson, tight end Kellen Winslow, and left tackle Joe Thomas got shafted.
[Thomas] is the first Browns lineman to be named to the Pro Bowl since tackle Cody Risien following the 1987 season. The last Browns rookie to make the Pro Bowl was linebacker Chip Banks following the 1982 season.
Good Lord, that's a drought. Anderson, Winslow and guard Eric Steinbach are all first alternates, which means that depending on how the rest of the postseason plays out, there could be more changes to the AFC team. And let's be honest, who doesn't want to see Pro Bowl chock full of Browns players?
The past few seasons there would be the occasional story about the Browns, and how head coach Romeo Crennel and general manager Phil Savage were putting together a young, talented team, just a player or two away from turning the corner.
And inevitably, the Browns would win a handful of games, finish last in the division, and end up with a top-10 pick in the April draft.
Not this year, though; Cleveland is off to a 7-5 start -- currently a wild-card team -- and it's all because Crennel and Savage were right: the young players are finally making a difference. Quarterback Derek Anderson has been the story for most of this season, coming on in Week 2 and putting up Pro Bowl numbers since. But there are plenty of other guys who deserve mention.
FanHouser Larry Brown mentioned earlier this week that Browns guard Eric Steinbach thought Pats linebacker Mike Vrabel was "classless" for diving at a players' knees during the final minutes of last week's game. Here's what got Steinbach so worked up:
Yeah, I would say that was a little much, particularly since New England was up by 17 points. Whatever, add it to the list. Vrabel, asked about the incident a few days ago, offered this:
"I'm going to say this one time," Vrabel told reporters at the Patriots' training facility. "I'm sorry that they feel that way. I don't play that way, and I'm sorry they feel that way. We're going to move on."
"It was a classless act, and you can quote me on that," Steinbach said. "The play was already dead. It was long after that. You can say it was only one guy, but that reflects on the team." ... The situation occurred after a spike by Anderson at the Patriots' 10 with 11 seconds left in the game.
Just after Anderson's spike, Vrabel -- an Akron native, Walsh Jesuit graduate and former Ohio State star -- bull-rushed an unsuspecting Thomas, who staggered back a little and watched Vrabel fall down near Thomas' legs. Still tumbling, Vrabel fell into Anderson, whose back was turned by then. Vrabel hit Anderson's legs and tripped him up. ... "To dive for a guy's knees like that [actually, Vrabel hit Thomas in the chest first and then slid down to his knees] and almost take out the quarterback?" said a still-miffed Steinbach. "When the game is already over with? It's unacceptable."
Steinbach has called for the NFL to fine Vrabel for the move, so we'll see what they do. I didn't get a chance to see this specific play, so I can't comment on it, but it sounds dirty from the description. What's worse is that Steinbach says Vrabel's cheap shot is representative of the Patriots' organization. Of course, this wouldn't be the first time someone accused New England of being dirty.
When Eric Steinbach limped off the field during Tuesday's practice it was impossible not to think about LeCharles Bentley. After all, a year ago the Browns' high-price free agent center LeCharles Bentley tore his patella tendon during his first practice with the team. If Steinbach was seriously injured on the heels of Ryan Tucker's drug suspension Browns fans would have justification in believing that their simply cursed.
The Browns may have dodged a bullet, but Steinbach's injury will keep the line from developing some of consistency they need. Tucker was supposed to be the starting right tackle, but he is going to miss the first four games of the season. Now with Steinbach out the Browns are playing with Kevin Shaffer grudgingly learning right tackle while backup Lennie Friedman steps in for Steinbach. So don't expect too much from the offensive line this weekend against the Chiefs.
Who moved to the head of the NFL class during the draft? Find out with FanHouse's team-by-team 2009 Draft Grades.
Training camps are underway, the NFL season is right around the corner, and to get you ready for 2008, 
While the offensive line might not represent a direct draft day decision for your roster, few areas of knowledge can offer a competitive advantage in fantasy football like having a good grasp of the various units of trench soldiers around the league. Over the course of the next couple weeks, I'll break down every NFL team's offensive lines into five tiers: the Crème de la Crème, the Highly Competent, the Serviceable, the Pretty Grim, and the Bunk.
Cincinnati lies on the Ohio River -- and Kentucky lies on the other side. As far as the Bengals are concerned, they could burn all the bridges that connect the two because nothing good seems to happen when their players hang in the Bluegrass State.
When the Pro Bowl rosters were announced last month, some subset of Browns' fans felt the team was underrepresented. Only wide receiver 
While 
When Eric Steinbach limped off the field during Tuesday's practice it was impossible not to think about LeCharles Bentley. After all, a year ago the Browns' high-price free agent center LeCharles Bentley tore his patella tendon during his first practice with the team. If Steinbach was seriously injured on the heels of Ryan Tucker's drug suspension Browns fans would have justification in believing that their simply cursed.
