I was at the game tonight. Color me unimpressed.
First, for the good. Our o-line and running game were moderately effective. I would like to see our runningbacks be more of a threat to go for more than four yards per carry but that may improve. Additionally, after the first few possessions, our defense really looked good. I can't wait to see it with Haden and Gipson playing.
Now, the not so good. McCown looked, well, like McCown usually looks. He overthrows receivers, sometimes reads the plays completely wrong, but has a killer arm. Manziel was at the best I've ever seen him in a Browns uniform, but, was still not great. He still was overthrowing his receivers pretty badly, and when he scrambles for time, he runs horizontally which throws his linemen under the bus and they get penalties. The latter occurs because the linemen don't know which way to push/pull and they end up getting holding penalties. Guys like Wilson, Rodgers, and Rothlesburger all run vertically to extend plays.
I haven't hidden I am not a big Johnny fan. I think McCown is starting for good reason. But here's the thing, McCown, at his absolute best, is a quarterback that won't win you games but won't lose them for you. At his best McCown reminds me of a stronger, but more interception prone, Brian Hoyer. This gets to what, in my opinion, was most frustrating about tonight's game. For us to win games this season the runningbacks, receivers, and linemen will need to make plays. And outside of a few great plays by our o-line, I really didn't see that. Crowell and West (especially the latter) had some nice short runs, but with a QB like McCown, that won't be enough to make an in-game difference. Our receivers looked mediocre at best. Just overall that was really frustrating to see.
Now, I know this is preseason, and a lot of football is left to be played. Moreover, I think our defense and coaching will be good enough to win us some games. My concern is we will win enough that we don't get a top five pick, but, not enough to have a "moral victory" type season (think the start of last year or the 2007 season) let alone make the playoffs. Go Browns!