Trench football is back in Cleveland. Above, from the top left corner down, you have Pro Bowler offensive lineman Joe Thomas at left tackle, Eric Steinbach at left guard, newly acquired free agent journeyman on the offensive line John St. Clair, newly acquired free agent offensive lineman Floyd "Pork Chop" Womack, and our first College Draft pick last weekend, Center Alex Mack.
Football is won and lost on the line. In the trenches. Our offensive line got beat up last year, especially on the right side. It was too imbalanced. The opposing blitzes were unstoppable. The running lanes for Jamal were quick to close, and the pressure on our quarterbacks was relentless. Hank "the Tank" Fraley has had an awesome career and is still a good Center, but he has lost a step and cannot continue to play that many downs. Thomas and Steinbach played very well last year, however, most opposing blitzers stayed away from the left side of our offensive line. Too often, our runs were telegraphed because of the imbalance up front.
The acquisition of Alex Mack will help take some pressure off Fraley. For those who have any doubt about the value of Mack, watch the video at the following link:
Womack is one tough cookie. He is not on his last season. And St. Clair was the anchor of the Bears' offensive line for years. Their collective experience will add real depth to our offensive line.
Everything on offense depends on the guys in the trench. Those Browns are significantly better now than they were at the end of last season. You can bet that our offensive statistics will improve accordingly this year.
Smash-mouth football; we like it.
Go Browns!
-Clayton
Devo's Cleveland Browns
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