It's hard to say who's feeling more pressure these days, Courtney Brown or the Cleveland Browns organization. Brown made his first appearance of the preseason last Saturday, playing 25 plays against Detroit after undergoing a complicated and risky microfracture surgery on his knee in the offseason.
It's not so much this particular injury and recovery that worry Browns fans and management. It's the fact that Brown has a three year history of injuries and a lack of production on the field that can only be partially attributed to the injury bug. The 1st overall pick in the NFL Draft is supposed to be a star, and as talented and athletic as he is, Brown has not yet been anything close to a dominant player.
The pressure on the Browns as a team has been ratcheted up a bit this past week as it is now official that the 1st overall pick in the 1999 NFL Draft, Tim Couch, is now a backup quarterback. While Butch Davis doesn't have those two drafts on his personal resume, team President Carmen Policy does, and the last thing he wants is to go 0 for 2 when drafting Number 1.
As a fan, I want nothing but good things for Brown. He's a quiet but classy guy who almost never speaks to the media, but the feeling by most observers is that he is well liked and respected by teammates and management alike. His physical gifts are obvious, but it's time to see them translated to productivity on the field. Here's hoping he catches a break this year. Meanwhile Policy sweats bullets.
Check out the Cleveland Browns homepage. A year or so ago they were voted best website for all teams in the four major professional sports.
My official prediction for the Browns season record: 8-8, if we get a few breaks.
Glad to be associated with this group at Sportsblog! More Browns stuff soon.
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