One week down...but even more offensive questions for Browns

I wrote last week that Browns fans had lots of questions leading up to our week one match up against Tamp Bay. But we also thought it was a winnable game. There was a sense of optimism going into that game...it was a game we could win and we were hopeful some of our "emerging stars" would show up. Now we have more questions.

1. The Big One: What's up w/ Delhome's ankle? It doesn't look good. And in typical Mangini fashion, we're not being told anything. That can only mean bad things. Look for Senaca Wallace to start at QB this Sunday. In fact, why wasn't he inserted into the lineup during the second half last Sunday? Jake looked hurt...really hurt.

2. How good is Delhome anyway? The preseason Delhome didn't show up on game day. The Jake the Snake that managed the game so well, made smart decisions in the passing game, and gained the confidence of players and fans alike didn't show up. Some people are saying that he started off good...referring to a few good passes, mainly the 41-yard TD strike to Mohamed Massaquoi. Sure, that was a pretty nice toss and catch, but Jake looked nervous before that throw. He under threw several receivers during the first quarter. Then came the interception right before half-time. What a mess! A veteran quarterback was brought to a struggling team for a reason--to NOT make poor decisions. We had the lead and would have been happy with a field goal. Jake needs to tuck that ball and accept the sack. After that pick, the entire offense seemed to fall apart.

3. Are the fumbles going to stop? The team had slippery paws during the preseason and we blamed that on nerves, weather, and what they ate for breakfast. A Mangini team is a disciplined team: no turnovers and no penalties. But the fumblitis continues. Even sure-handed Cribbs let one go, luckily it wasn't scooped by the Bucs. Of course Hillis' two fumbles were worse. One got away and led to a Bucs' score. Although he looked pretty good catching passes out of the backfield and pounding the line in the ground game, he has to secure the ball if the Browns are going to trust him with touches.

4. Speaking of the ground game, how are they dividing those touches? At first, I really liked the Hillis pound attack. He had some tough runs and some impressive hits. But where was our hero of last year, Jerome Harrison? He had nine carries! I think he could have been snuck into the offense a bit more, even while keeping the Hillis experiment alive. A few change of direction runs, or screen passes in the backfield could have kept Tampa Bays already weak defense on edge. But that would take better offensive direction.

5. How well is Daboll running this offense? Again, at first it looked good. We had a ground and pound game with Hillis, and confidence in the passing game...we even tossed in a Cribbs-to-Wallace gadget play. But after the first interception, the offense looked bland and scared. Daboll didn't make any half-time adjustments. He didn't trick Tampa Bay at all with his play calling. I could go on and on. If he keeps this pussy-footed play calling up, he might not make it to week 17.