Same old Browns.
It’s the three-word phrase that has been associated with the Cleveland Browns since the club returned to the National Football League in 1999. The same old Browns were unable to close out what should have been a road victory against division rivals the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2014 NFL regular season opener, and the same old Browns couldn’t pick up a first down or make a defensive stop against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 3.
The same old Browns would lose at the lowly Tennessee Titans after coming off of a Bye.
First-time head coach Mike Pettine vowed in the early days of his Cleveland tenure that these would not be the same old Browns. The time to prove it on the field is this coming Sunday. A good team and legitimate playoff contender doesn’t drop a game at the Titans.
Let’s see what these Browns are made of this fall.
Cleveland Browns Week 5 NFL power rankings: Pete Prisco
Ranking: No. 24
The senior NFL columnist for CBS dropped the Browns two spots in his latest NFL power rankings despite the fact that Cleveland was off last week. “Can Brian Hoyer keep up the fast start and keep Johnny Manziel on the bench? The defense has to play better,” Prisco wrote.
A defense that was supposed to be the strength of the Browns shrunk in two games against AFC North opponents in September. That is unacceptable, as the Browns could realistically be 3-0. Hoyer has played well, but teams and quarterbacks are only as good as their records. Hoyer is 1-2 as a starter in 2014, and Manziel may get the nod in Week 6 if the Browns fall to 1-3.
Cleveland Browns Week 5 NFL power rankings: Justin Rogers
Ranking: No. 21
Rogers has the Browns moving up NFL power rankings. Cleveland was at No. 22 in his Week 4 list.
Several teams that had been ahead of the Browns suffered defeats in Week 4. The New Orleans Saints are at 1-3 and may be the most disappointing team in all of the NFL. Following their second loss of the campaign, the Buffalo Bills have made a quarterback switch. Perhaps the New York Jets should consider doing the same.
Michael Vick can’t play worse than Geno Smith.
Cleveland Browns Week 5 NFL power rankings: Mark Maske
Ranking: No. 27
Maske has the Browns in the bottom tier of his NFL power rankings, but he sees hope for the team’s future:
“Brian Hoyer has kept the Browns in every game and probably has played well enough to keep the job, and a move to Manziel seems nowhere in sight at the moment. The Browns have some winnable games coming up with the Titans, Steelers, Jaguars, Raiders and Buccaneers on the schedule in the next five weeks.”
The Browns will soon have a winning record if Hoyer is what optimists believe him to be. Cleveland falling to 1-4 or worse, however, will lead to Johnny Football getting a start before November.
Cleveland Browns Week 5 NFL power rankings: Bob Glauber
Ranking: 27
Glauber mentions the Cleveland coach in his latest NFL power rankings: “Mike Pettine hoping for an easier time of it in Tennessee coming off the bye week.”
The Titans don’t have a healthy true NFL starting quarterback on the roster, and the team’s defense was lit up by Andrew Luck and the offense of the Indianapolis Colts. Nobody should expect Hoyer to be as good as was Luck this past Sunday, but the Cleveland offense shouldn’t have much of a problem moving down the field against the Titans.
Cleveland Browns Week 5 NFL power rankings: Mike Florio
Ranking: No. 22
Mr. PFT poked a little fun at the phenom known as Johnny Football in his NFL power rankings: “No Manziel news during the bye week was the best news the Browns could have gotten.”
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Zac has been covering the Cleveland Browns, New York Giants and National Football League for a variety of websites since 2006. He is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America.
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