Kyle Orton Hears - A Who?

The Id and I - Where those other "jurassic journalists" come to learn their trade!

(About Grady Sizemore being a baseball god, Hoegaarden being THE beer of choice, and the Brownie Elf taking the Notre Dame Leprechaun in a mascot cage match, along with a great many other things...)

The Cleveland Browns have finished their pre-season with bonafide bang over the Chicago Bears with a 16-6 win at Soldier's Field and a sound, if somewhat meaningless, 3-1 exhibition record. But the real story is not the scores, or the records, but how this lastest crop of Cleveland Brownies handled themselves in Coach Crennel's new system. Very well, it would appear, as the Dawgs seem to - finally - be playing as a cohesive football unit; something they never could seem to do under the Butch Davis regime of doom.

General Manager, Phil Savage, is the real deal and the Cleveland football equivalent of Mark Shapiro in regards to evaluating talent. They obviously don't need any focus groups to tell them how to do their jobs, do they...? And I don't need any focus groups to tell me that Charlie Frye is looking like the steal of the draft, either!

I'll be honest, I've said this before, I was "jones'ing" big time for the Browns to pick Purdue quarterback, Kyle Orton, in the April NFL draft - but the more I see of Charlie Frye, the more I like him. He's not flashy, but he's got the talent, the intangibles - and the fabulous Mr. Frye has that "gritty MAC football mystique" you need to succeed out on the grid iron in the 21st century National football League. I still think Kyle Orton will be a Band-Aid blessing in disguise for the banged-up Chicago Bears ...but, for once, it's nice to see the Brownies end up with the better prize - rather than the "year's supply of Rice-A-Roni" after winning big on Plinko!

So what does this all boil down to for the Cleveland Browns this season...? Well, let's not print those Super Bowl tickets just yet, kids. Realistically, we're still far away from that lofty goal if not at least headed down the right road. But if everything "goes our way," we could be looking at a "coach of the year" award for Romeo Crennel and the rest of the Fat Albert gang. Here are my AFC North predictions:

Cincinnati Bengals: 11-5
Pittsburgh Steelers: 9-7
Cleveland Browns: 7-9
Baltimore Ravens: 6-10

Other than that, bring on the Bengals! Yes, I've got a feeling they'll win the division and, yes, I know that the Ravens have a ravenous defense, but I'm just not sold on them as much as other people - but we will see.

Fantasy football 101: "Smiles, everyone ...smiles!"

I've already had one draft and I've got my second one tonight. Depending on your league rules and scoring, it may vary a bit, but it's hard to argue with LaDainian Tomlison or Shaun Alexander being your # 1 pick. With the the 9th pick out of a ten-round league, I managed to snag Bills running back, Willis McGahee, and then Kevin Jones (RB, Lions) with my 2nd round pick. I might get "thrown to the Lions" if Joey Harrington and company cough up a big hairball, but that's what this game is all about, boys. Here are a few other players who are on my radar this fantasy footaball season:

Julius Jones - RB, Dallas - "Fast as lighting if Drew Bledsoe doesn't blow the offense."

Michael Jenkins - WR, Atlanta - "Former Ohio State standout and Michael Vick's main target."

Roy Williams - WR, Detroit - "Best young wide receiver in the league, and I ain't Lion!"

Larry Fitzgerald - WR, Arizona - "A touchdown-catching endzone magnet!"

Dallas Clark - TE, Indy Colts - "Minus Marcus Pollard equals double the touchdown fun."

Mike Nugent - K, NY Jets - "How can you go wrong with a guy that chugged a beer bong with Brutus the Buckeye at Ohio State!!!"

Well, that's all I've got for you, folks. Go out with this knowledge and do what you will... I am off to Ray's Place for some much-needed "rest and recreation" and a double atomic cheeseburger and an ice-cold Hoegaarden on draft.