To prepare for Sunday's game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Cleveland Browns, I talked with Chris Pokorny of Dawgs By Nature.
What I wanted to find out was simple: The Browns biggest and strength and their biggest weakness. Here it is:
1. What is the Browns biggest strength?
The Browns' biggest strength is their starting offensive line, particularly the left tackle, left guard, and center. Those players would be Joe Thomas, Eric Steinbach, and Alex Mack, respectively. Teams generally don't generate a pass rush against that side of the line, and even last week, quarterback Jake Delhomme was not sacked by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The right side of the offensive line is much weaker in comparison, but if rookie third-rounder Shawn Lauvao is ready to play after missing last week's opener, that would be a great benefit to the line. The Browns understand their strengths on the line though and can compensate with an extra tight end or blocking back for the right side.
2. What is the Browns biggest weakness?
Although I was pleasantly surprised with the bull rush and tackling abilties that the Browns' linebackers had against the Chiefs, heading into the season I considered it our weakest position. The issue is that the Browns have a lot of "average" players who can all fill a decent role, but there aren't any superstars. The closest one might be D'Qwell Jackson, but he missed the preseason and Week 1 with an injury and probably won't see action against Kansas City. If there's one player to watch for though on the unit, it would be second-year player Marcus Benard. He looks like he could be our best pass rusher; last year he brought down Ben Roethlisberger a few times in a win over the Steelers, and last week he got to Josh Freeman 1.5 times.