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Gone
are the stoical days of Cleveland Browns coaching. Gone are the days of using
running backs and wide receivers as quarterbacks. In are the times of punching
out stupid mascots. In comes Butch Davis. With him Davis brings these
philosophies: hard work, conviction, pride, responsibility, class, character and
success. In his tenure with the Miami Hurricanes, Butch Davis led the Hurricanes
to a 51-20 record with four Big East titles and was 4-0 in bowl games.
Injuries were a big problem last year. With Tim Couch and Ty Detmer gone for the
majority of the season, the Browns were forced to depend on Doug Pederson. With
Errict Rhett gone due to injury, the Browns looked to rookie back, Travis
Prentice, to carry the load. With Jajuan Dawson missing 14 games it was tough to
expect much. The Browns were shut out 4 times, and in 2 other games they managed
only a field goal. There was only 4 times last year that the Browns scored more
than one touchdown. With a healthy starting lineup things should get better.
With Tim Couch back with an offense that he is comfortable with, he should
flourish this season. The Browns have a bounty of young talent at WR. Along with
Kevin Johnson, fresh off of the sophomore slump, is Jajuan Dawson, Dennis
Northcutt, Quincy Morgan, Darrin Chiaverini, and Lenzie Jackson, a young core
that will help Couch have a break out year. Coach Davis has said that he will
use a two tight end system that should help the newly acquired, Ohio State
offspring, Rickey Dudley, spark his career.
After cutting
veteran running back Errict Rhett it appears that Coach Davis will go with
rookie James Jackson at RB. Davis knows Jackson well, since he played for him at
Miami. Travis Prentice will also see his fair share of touches.
Bringing a new staff with him, Davis has seemed to focus on his defense by
bringing in Foge Fazio with his 34 years of coaching experience. He also added
former Minnesota Viking, Dwayne Rudd, to help solidify the linebacking crew
already in tact. He also used the third overall pick in the draft on defensive
tackle Gerard Warren to go with last year’s number one selection, Courtney
Brown. This pick should make the Browns defensive line strong for years to come.
Davis
didn't forget about the offense either. After two seasons of gut wrenching
offense, Coach Davis brought in Bruce Arians, former QB coach for the Colts, to
try and help with Tim Couch’s progress the same way he did with Peyton
Manning. Along with Arians, Davis brought in former head coach of the Redskins,
Terry Robiskie, to strengthen the wide outs. Adding veteran offensive tackle
Ross Verba and having a healthy Jim Pyne back should help Couch get some time in
the pocket and help the running game immensely.
The Browns have their first preseason game
Saturday, August 11, against the Green Bay Packers. Butch Davis looks to get a
feel in a game situation for his young team. He looks to show the NFL that no
longer will the Browns be known as the mistake on the lake. It is time to bring
respect back to Cleveland Browns football; and for my money, Butch Davis is the
man to do it.
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Preseason
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Talk about the Dawgs in our Browns
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Pat
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Coach
Davis appears on Rome...
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