Written by Chris Hutchison

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February, 2012.  A small house in Uniontown, Ohio, United States, Earth.  A man (who looks strikingly like me) answers his cell phone, the custom ring tone of Smokin' Banana Peels by The Dead Milkmen indicating that it's his boy, Blue.

Man:  Yep.

Blue:  It's me.

Man:  Yep.

Blue:  As you know, I'm in Vegas.  I'm at the sports book at Planet Hollywood, and I want to know if you want me to put that $25 I owe you on anything.

Man:  (big sigh)  I dunno.  What's gettin' good odds?

Blue:  Well, the Browns, for one.

Man:  (perks up)  The Browns?  What are they getting?

Blue:  100 to 1 to win the Super Bowl.  Worst odds here.

Man:  The Colts are getting better odds than them?

Blue:  Yep.  90 to 1.

Man:  That's f***ed up!  What happens when the Browns get Robert Griffin the third?

Blue:  They ain't gonna get Robert Griffin the third.

Man:  Why not?  They've got all the chips.  They've got the position.  If they DON'T get him, it'll be a major f*** up.

Blue:  That's why they won't get him.  You want me to put your $25 on the Browns then?

Man:  Yeah, I guess.  On one hand, it feels like throwing away 25 bucks.  But on the other...

Blue:  They ain't gettin' RG3!

Man:  (sigh)  Yeah, you're probably right.  I hate it when I get my hopes up.  But put it on them anyway.  100 to 1... worst in the NFL... I don't care WHO they draft, no way in the universe are they going to be the worst team in the NFL.

Blue:  Yeah, well, this bet isn't "who isn't gonna be the worst", it's for a Super Bowl win.  You still want me to put this dough on them or make better use of it and buy myself 3 beers?

Man:  That'll really suck for you if you have to pay me $2500 out of your own pocket.

Blue:  You're right.  But that's a chance I might just be willing to take.

Man:  No shit.  I'd gladly pay $2500 for a Super Bowl win.

Blue:  Me too.  But that's not my point.  Last chance to save your money...

Man:  Nope, do it.  RG3.  Championship!

Blue:  Lay off the bath salts, bro.

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Regarding Camp Battles

As the Browns enter Training Camp in this, their Super Bowl season (assuming a 6 win team can get into the playoffs), there is precious little drama as far as camp battles.  There will be a struggle for the backup QB spot between Colt McCoy and Seneca Wallace.  There will be a struggle for the 2 backup RB spots between Brandon Jackson, Montario Hardesty, and Chris Ogbannaya.  There will be battles for the 2nd starting CB spot, the Free Safety spot, the Linebacker spots, and the temporarily vacated 2nd DT spot.

But with the recent addition of Josh Gordon via the Supplemental Draft, the most interesting fight might be at the WR position - a corps which earned universal disdain last year but should provide some interest in 2012.

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Regarding The Wide Receivers

Greg Little - 2nd season/2nd round - North Carolina - 6'2/220 - 23 years old - (jersey #15) - For this season, at least, should be considered the Browns' #1 WR.  His 61 catches for 709 yards was made all the more impressive by the fact that he sat out his 2010 college season, the fact that he had no OTA's or Minicamps to get ready for the 2011 season, and the fact that he had an underwhelming QB duo tossing the ball at/near him.

Greg lost some weight in the offseason to make himself a little faster, and with a year of experience and gunslinger-esque Brandon Weeden now set to start at QB, look for Little to have a 1000+ yard season with 6 to 8 TD's.

Mohamed Massaquoi - 4th season/2nd round - Georgia - 6'2/207 - 25 - (#11) - Pre-Josh Gordon, Mo Mass was in line to be the #2 starter.  Post-Josh Gordon, he's suddenly fighting for a roster spot.  Mo's main deterrent may be his concussion history.  After getting epically leveled/knocked the f out by James Harrison in 2010, he suffered 2 more concussions last year.  And the more you have, the easier it is for you to get them.  Once you get on the concussion train, it's hard to get off.

Still, the Browns were going to rely on him as the only other starting-type WR this year... until Gordon came into the mix.  Now, if the physically superior Carlton Mitchell can finally get his act together, his mediocrity and head issues may very well bump Mo to the curve.  Watch this guy closely to see how much fight he's got him.

Jordan Norwood - 2nd season/Undrafted - Penn State - 5'11/180 - 25 - (#10) - Norwood came on (some) in his last 5 games of last season, getting 191 of his 268 receiving yards.  He is penciled in as the #1 slot Receiver and would have to be pretty unspectacular to not make the team.  If the Browns are gonna populate the field with trees on the outside (Little, Gordon, Cribbs, Mitchell, Massaquoi), they need little squirty guys like Norwood, Benjamin, and Cooper to assault the seams in the middle.

Norwood isn't as blazingly fast as Benjamin, but he is shifty and has at least a little experience on a very young corps.  You can probably count on 400-500 yards for him as secondary/dump-off option.

Josh Cribbs - 8th season/Undrafted - Kent State - 6'1/215 - 29 - (#16) - I highly doubt the FO dumps Cribbs this year, as has been speculated in some communities.  They don't need the bad publicity and there's no doubting that Josh still has high Special Teams value.  But the days of the Great Wide Receiver Experiment are probably over with him.

It's not that he's terrible as a WR - I actually thought he was the 2nd best Receiver on the team last year.  It's just that he's probably not going to get any better at that role at this point, and his value is probably greater devoting him to Special Teams and letting guys with more long-term receiving potential like Gordon get some playing time.  So he'll be one of the 6 WR's retained, but a WR in name only.

Travis Benjamin - Rookie/4th round - Miami - 5'10/175 - 22 - (#80) - When the Browns took Benjamin in the 4th round of this year's draft, many were dissatisfied because they were looking for a starting-quality WR and they got someone who - while super-fast - was more of a role player.  But now that the Browns picked up Gordon as their potential long-term starter, the selection of Benjamin looks a lot better in the sense that they can now use him as a dangerous toy.

Benjamin will play some in the slot.  He'll play some on the outside, testing the speed of opponent's 3rd and 4th CB's.  He'll get his share of reverses/end arounds.  Hell, they might even line him up in the backfield sometimes.  Now that the burden of being the Big Rookie In Town is off him, he can be free to be what his potential allows - a real pain in the ass for the opposing Defensive Coordinator.  There's little chance he doesn't make the team.

Josh Gordon - Rookie/2nd round (S) - Baylor/Utah - 6'3/225 - 21 - (#86) - Browns fans were excited enough to see the rookie tandem of Richardson & Weeden, but last week's bold move to pick up Gordon in the 2nd round of the Supplemental Draft may have moved him to the front of the "interest" list.  The accolades are easy to find for this classic boom/bust prospect - "better than Justin Blackmon", "better than Julio Jones", "like AJ Green"... his potential is scary.  As will be the pressure on him to contribute sooner than later.

I have no idea what to expect from this guy.  You assume it'll be a little while before he's ready for NFL action, but when you watch his playmaking ability (on what limited video you can find), you get impatient to see it come to fruition.  Training Camp will go a long way to determining his early 2012 contribution-potential, thus the reason that so many will be watching him keenly to see why Tom Heckert was so eager to put his neck on the chopping block for the guy.  Weeden should buy Gordon a nice steak dinner for his act of "diverting attention".

Josh Cooper - Rookie/Undrafted - Oklahoma State - 5'10/190 - 23 - (#88) - Are there any WR's on this roster not named "Josh"?  Cooper isn't big, he's not fast, he's not well known.  The best thing he's really got going for him is that he's good friends with Weeden and can be seen as sort of a rookie-season security blanket.

Not to say that Cooper wasn't productive at OK State (71 catches, 715 yards in 2011), just that he's got a bit of an uphill battle to make the team.  Training Camp will be huge for him, and he thus warrants some attention.  My guess is that the Browns will feel safe adding him to the Practice Squad and keeping him as Friend-of-Weeden while not sacrificing a vital roster spot.

Carlton Mitchell - 3rd season/6th round - South Florida - 6'3/215 - 24 - (#18) - Battling injuries and ineffectiveness the last 2 seasons, Mitchell is the official Bubble Boy.  At his size and speed (4.49 forty), he needs to be a lot more productive than 31 freakin' yards for his career.

However, his potential is exactly why he'll get a legit shot, and if he somehow shows that he can make a quantum leap in 2012, he may just supplant Mo Mass on the roster.  I'm sure Heckert drools at the thought of Little, Gordon, and Mitchell gliding around the field as one of the (if not THE) youngest and most explosive WR trios in the league.  So Training Camp/Preseason will be HUGE for this guy.  Fed Ex is littered with guys that were big, fast, and unable to figure it out.

Bert Reed - Rookie/Undrafted - Florida State - 5'10/180 - 24 - (#83) - And now we're into the guys that 98% of the fans know nothing about and are really only fighting to make the Practice Squad.  Reed's another slot-potential guy - little but quick (4.48 forty).  His senior year at FSU was marred by injuries, but he ended up 4th on the Seminoles' All-Time Receptions list, posting 118 receptions and 1324 yards in '09 and '10.  Also has Kick Return capabilities.  Possibly a candidate to supplant Cooper on the Practice Squad depending on his productivity.

Jermaine Saffold - Rookie/Undrafted - Missouri State - 6'1/200 - 23 - (#85) -  Saffold is a guy that also put up big numbers (123 catches for 2221 yards and 16 TD's in 3 years), but you'd better produce if you're from one of the Subdivisions and you want an NFL job.  He's a bit of a tweener - bigger than the slot guys but not as big as the outside guys, but his speed (4.36 forty) makes him intriguing and - again - his production in Training Camp will determine if he gets Practice Squad-ed or not.

Owen Spencer - 2nd Season/Undrafted - North Carolina State - 6'3/185 - 24 - (#17) - When you're 6'3 and only 185 pounds, you is skinny.  But if you can run a 4.51 forty and caught 90 for 1687 in your last 2 years in the ACC, you get a look.  Spencer came out in 2011 and bounced around several Practice Squads (Seattle, Detroit, Minnesota, Cleveland) last year.  Unfortunately for him, he'll be fighting for a spot against guys that are just as tall and fast but bigger - a fact that does not bode well for his make-the-team possibilities.

Rod Windsor - 3rd season/Undrafted - Western New Mexico - 6'2/205 - 27 - (#13) - Windsor has spent time with the Bills and Browns Practice Squads the last 2 years (even made the active roster for the last couple games last year) after having played some in the Arena League.  He's a classic journeyman that doesn't have the speed of the younger guys he's fighting for a roster spot (4.61 forty) and will have to have an exceptional - and I mean adrenaline-pinching - TC in order to catch the eyes of the Powers Who Be.

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Regarding An Overview

When looking at the potentials for these guys, it's clear that Heckert likes 'em young and fast (who doesn't).  Outside of Cribbs (and Windsor), the oldest guy here is 25 (Massaquoi and Norwood), both of whom are the only ones that run slower than a 4.5.  Heckert spent the last couple years eschewing veteran Free Agent help at the position.  Whether that's because they're too old or too slow or too expensive, you tell me, but this area is one where more than any other the Browns are definitely living or dying by the draft.

And maybe it works.  On paper, this unit could undergo a dramatic jump from one of the laughing stocks of the NFL to something quite dangerous.  But there's no experience there, no previous results to cite.  Other than Little (and, to some extent, Cribbs and maybe Mo), none of these guys has done squat in the NFL.  If you combined the career stats of every NFL WR corps, the Browns would undoubtedly still be WAY the hell in last place.

It's unlikely the Browns keep more than 6 Receivers on the active roster, and with Josh Cribbs likely taking up one of those spots, that leaves only 5 for offensive players.  One of those is most certainly Greg Little, another is most certainly Josh Gordon.  I think Norwood and Benjamin take the 2 slot roles, leaving it a war between Mitchell, Massaquoi, and Cooper for the last spot.

I'd guess that they will decide that Cooper can safely be stashed on the PS, so the real battle at this position comes down to Mo Mass vs. C-Mitch for that last spot, and it's really too close to call at this time.  Massaquoi would seem to certainly have the edge going into TC, but he can easily play his way out of that.  He's done it before.  Plus, Mitchell is not only younger but bigger and faster.  Production always trumps potential, but this is Mo Mass' production we're talking about here, not Wes Welker.

So my upset prediction is that Mitchell shocks the world (or at least NE Ohio) and sends Mo packing.

And if that's the case, there really might not be anything between Josh Gordon and an opening day starting job. 

The future may be bright, ye hardy souls of Browns fandom, but you should still have the foresight to fear the early season errors.