The Cleveland Browns have hired 55-year old Brad Childress to serve as the new offensive coordinator.  He coached 7 years with the Eagles (4 as the offensive coordinator) and he was the Minnesota Vikings’ head coach for five years.  Childress compiled a 39-35 (52.7%) record during the regular season and he was 1-2 (33.3%) in the post-season.  The crazy thing about this hiring is that head coach Pat Shurmur still wants to call the plays and he was awful at it last season.  The Browns averaged 95.7 yards rushing (3.7 ypc), 193.1 yards passing (72.8 QB Rating) and 13.6 points per game last year with Shurmur calling the shots.  The Browns only scored more points than the Chiefs and Rams last year.  Childress is a much better offensive coach than Pat Shurmur is, so the Browns should force the issue and tell the head coach that the offensive coordinator is going to call the plays.

The Cleveland Browns had an outstanding draft last April.  The Browns wound up with five starting players in 2011 out of this draft class and all 8 of the picks could be starting for them at some point down the road.  Here is a look at the rookies and how they played in 2011:

23-year old DT Phil Taylor was the Browns’ first round pick after they traded down with the Falcons.  Taylor played in all 16 games for the Browns last year and he had 59 tackles, 4 sacks, 3 tackles for a loss, 1 forced fumble and he defensed 1 pass.  Taylor will continue to team with Ahtyba Rubin, giving the Browns a very solid set of DTs for the forseeable future.

22-year old DE Jabaal Sheard came to the Browns in the second round and he was a beast as a rookie.  Sheard played in all 16 games for the Browns last year and he had 55 tackles, 8.5 sacks, 7 tackles for a loss, 5 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery and 2 passes defensed.  The sky is the limit for Sheard, who led the Browns in sacks as a rookie in 2011.

22-year old WR Earl Little came to the Browns in the second round of the NFL Draft and he caught the most passes on the team in 2011.  Little played in all 16 games for the Browns last year and he caught 61 passes for 709 yards (11.6 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  He also carried the ball 3 times for 15 yards (5.0 ypc) for the Browns in 2011.  Little could have a breakout year in 2012 if he gets a little more consistent in actually catching the football.

23-year old TE Jordan Cameron was one of the Browns’ 4th round picks.  He played in 8 games for the Browns last year and he caught 6 passes for 33 yards (5.5 avg).  He still showed enough near the end of last season to lead the Browns to believe that he can be a productive player down the road.

23-year old fullback Owen Marecic came to the Browns in the 4th round last April.  He played in 14 games for the Browns last year and he carried the ball 4 times for 8 yards (2.0 ypc).  He also caught 5 passes for 31 yards (6.2 avg) last year.  Marecic also helped the team on special teams.  He returned 4 kickoffs for 46 yards (11.5 avg) and he made 3 tackles.  Marecic does the little things well, so he will be busy again in 2012 and beyond.

22-year old CB Buster Skrine came to the Browns in the 5th round and he is a player with a nice upside.  He played in all 16 games for the Browns last year and he had 18 tackles, 1 interception and he defensed 2 passes.  He also returned 3 kickoffs for 72 yards (24.0 avg) as he was a good special teams player for the Browns.

24-year old OG Jason Pinkston came to the Browns in the 6th round.  He played in 16 games (all starts) for the Browns as the starting left guard.  He did a solid job and he will certainly head into the 2012 season as the starting left guard of the Cleveland Browns.

22-year old safety Eric Hagg was a 7th round pick of the Browns.  He played in 10 games as a rookie for the Browns last year and he had 11 tackles, 1 fumble recovery and 1 pass defensed.  Hagg did most of his work on special teams early in the year, but he got to play D late in the year.

GRADE FOR 2011:  A-

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  A+

It’s hard to evaluate the QBs of the Cleveland Browns.  They started three guys on the O-Line that should have been backups, they didn’t have much of a running game and they didn’t have any good WRs.  It should come as no surprise that 24-year old QB Colt McCoy didn’t improve much in 2011.  He played in 13 games (all starts) for the Browns last year and he completed 265 of 463 passes (57.2%) for 2,733 yards with 14 TD passes and 11 INTs (74.6 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 61 times for 212 yards (3.5 ypc) last year.  The Browns were 4-9 (30.8%) in McCoy’s starts at QB last year.  McCoy has now played in 21 games (all starts) for the Browns in his first two years with the team and he has completed 400 of 685 passes (58.4%) for 4,309 yards with 20 TD passes and 20 INTs (74.5 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 89 times for 348 yards (3.9 ypc) with 1 TD run so far in his NFL career.  Colt McCoy is 6-15 (28.6%) as the starting QB of the Cleveland Browns.

31-year old Seneca Wallace started the last three games of the 2011 season for the Browns and they were 0-3 in those games.  Wallace played in 6 games (3 starts) for the Browns last year and he completed 55 of 107 passes (51.4%) for 567 yards with 2 TD passes and 2 INTs (65.4 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 7 times for 70 yards (10.0 ypc) last year.  Wallace has now played in 62 games (21 starts) so far in his NFL career and he has completed 452 of 764 passes (59.2%) for 4,808 yards with 31 TD passes and 18 INTs (81.5 QB Rating).  Wallace has also carried the ball 68 times for 293 yards (4.3 ypc) with 1 TD run so far in his NFL career.  Wallace is now an identical 6-15 (28.6%) in the NFL as a starting QB, just like Colt McCoy.

The Cleveland Browns left it all on the field last Sunday against the Steelers and they fell just a tad short.  Seneca Wallace only completed 16 of 41 passes for 177 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 INT.  He also carried the ball 3 times for 44 yards (14.7 ypc) in this game.  Peyton Hillis only carried the ball 10 times for 30 yards (3.0 ypc) in this contest.  WR Josh Cribbs (7 rec, 91 yards) and TE Evan Moore (4 rec, 39 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Browns.  The Browns finished up with 72 yards rushing on 15 carries (4.8 ypc) and they also completed 16 of 41 passes (39%) for 168 yards as they had possession of the ball for 20:49.

The defense was bending but no breaking for the Browns last Sunday.  LB D’Qwell Jackson (13 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss), DT Ahtyba Rubin (9 tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 QB hit) and DE Jabaal Sheard (6 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack and 1 QB hit) led the way for the Browns’ D in this game.  CB Joe Haden (4 tackles, 1 fumble recovery) and safety Eric Hagg (3 tackles, 1 fumble recovery) also made huge plays in this game for the Browns.  The Steelers finished up with 161 yards rushing on 36 carries (4.5 ypc) and they also completed 23 of 40 passes (57.5%) for 199 yards in this game.  The Browns finished the 2011 season with a 4-12 record.

This is like a mini Super Bowl for the Browns.  They have a chance to really screw things up for the Steelers if they play injured players like Ben Roethlisberger, Maurkice Pouncey and LaMarr Woodley.  The Browns could take a page from the Steelers’ book and play dirty with James Harrison’s knees being their first target.  The Browns have lost five games in a row.  The Steelers have won five of their last six games including a win over the Browns just three weeks ago, 14-3 in Pittsburgh.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Browns have the ball:  The Browns are likely going to come out running the ball with Peyton Hillis in this game.  The Steelers are giving up 101.7 yards rushing per game and 4.1 yards per carry so far this year, so the Browns could have success on the ground.  I also look for the Browns to get Josh Cribbs heavily involved in this game running, catching and maybe even throwing the ball this Sunday.  Seneca Wallace has been efficient in the last couple of games.  If Wallace has time to throw the ball, he’s likely going to make some plays down the field to WR Earl Little and TE Evan Moore.

When the Steelers have the ball:  The Steelers are likely to come out running the ball with Rashard Mendenhall and Isaac Redman against a Browns’ D that is giving up 146.5 yards rushing per game and 4.4 yards per carry so far this year.  If the front seven can slow the Steelers’ running game, they can force a gimpy Ben Roethlisberger or an ancient Charlie Batch to have to beat them with their right arms.  The Browns will likely take a few shots on Big Ben, so he might not last long in this game.  But, the Steelers have solid WRs in Antonio Brown, Mike Wallace and TE Heath Miller, no matter who plays QB.

PREDICTION:  STEELERS 20, BROWNS 17

27-year old LT Joe Thomas has been elected to the Pro Bowl for the fifth time in his first five years in the NFL.  He has played in 15 games (all starts) for the Browns and he has played in 79 games (all starts) in his first five years with the Browns.  Thomas is not only consistent, but he is probably the best offensive tackle in the entire NFL.  LT is one spot the Browns are not going to have to worry about for a very, very long time.

Make no mistake, head coach Pat Shurmur lost another game for the Browns last Saturday with his very poor decision making and play calling.  Seneca Wallace played a decent game as he completed 19 of 33 passes for 147 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT.  He also carried the ball 1 time for 5 yards.  Peyton Hillis was on his game as he carried the ball 24 times for 112 yards (4.7 ypc) against a very tough Ravens’ D.  Earl Little (4 rec, 40 yards) and Evan Moore (5 rec, 35 yards, TD) led the way for the Browns in the passing game.  Josh Cribbs was also very productive for the Browns in this game as he returned 1 punt for a 84-yard TD, he returned 5 kickoffs for 119 yards (23.8 avg) and he caught 2 passes for 28 yards (14.0 avg).  The Browns finished up with 117 yards rushing on 25 carries (4.7 ypc) and they also completed 19 of 33 passes (57.6%) for 139 yards as they had possession of the ball for 27:42.

The defense wasn’t too good against the run, but they were solid against the pass for the most part.  LB Kaluka Maiava (7 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss), LB D’Qwell Jackson (7 tackles) and DT Ahtyba Rubin (7 tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 QB hit) led the way for the Browns in this game.  CB Sheldon Brown also had a solid game with 3 tackles, 2 passes defensed and 1 interception in this game.  The Ravens finished up with 162 yards rushing on 37 carries (4.4 ypc) and they completed 11 of 24 passes (45.8%) for 122 yards in this game.  The Browns are now 4-11 on the year.

The Cleveland Browns have lost four in a row and seven of their last eight games coming into this weekend’s game with the Ravens.  The Browns lost 24-10 to the Ravens just three weeks ago.  The Ravens got whacked hard 34-14 last Sunday Night in San Diego by the Chargers.  The Ravens need this game, so don’t look for them to take it too easy this weekend against the Browns.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Browns have the ball:  The Browns are going to try to be balanced in this game.  Peyton Hillis will likely have a heavy workload tomorrow against a Ravens’ D that is only allowing 90.0 yards rushing and 3.4 yards per carry.  The Browns need Hillis to get his fair share of yards in an effort to slow the Ravens’ pass rush.  The Ravens have 45 sacks already this year and OLB Terrell Suggs (13 sacks), so they are going to be coming after Seneca Wallace.  The Ravens had trouble covering WRs last weekend, so look for Wallace to try to attack them down the field to Earl Little and Mohamed Massaquoi.

When the Ravens have the ball:  The Browns have to gang up and stop Ray Rice and Ricky Williams.  It won’t be easy.  Ray Rice rushed for 204 yards in the first meeting with the Browns.  The Ravens are going to be without WR Anquan Boldin in this game, but they still have guys to throw to.  Torrey Smith and Lee Evans have a lot of speed, so the Browns’ corners are going to get challenged.  The Browns better hope that DE Jabaal Sheard and the rest of the team can get a lot of pressure on Joe Flacco.

PREDICTION:  RAVENS 24, BROWNS 14

The Browns have signed 25-year old Dan (Rob’s brother) Gronkowski.  Gronkowski played in 12 games for the Broncos last year and he caught 8 passes for 65 yards (8.1 avg).  He has now played in 14 games in his first two years in the NFL and he has caught 9 passes for 69 yards (7.7 avg).  Gronkowski is more of a blocker than a pass catcher, so he will help in the running game a lot more than the passing game for the Browns the last couple of weeks of the 2012 season.

The Cleveland Browns have lost 25-year old linebacker Titus Brown for the rest of the season as he has been placed on the Injured Reserve List due to a knee injury.  Brown played in 10 games for the Browns this year and he had 5 tackles and 1 sack.  He has now played in 27 games in his first three years with the Browns and he has 17 tackles and 1 sack.  This is a bad break for Brown, as he was in line to see more action at LB the last couple of weeks of the 2012 season.