Have to Score to Win, Cleveland

My overall exposure has been limited to the few teams I've seen, but I have would have to say with great bias and pure self-deprecation that if I had to pick one team in the NFL to deem "most likely to go winless in 2009," my own beloved Cleveland Browns would have to be my choice as having the most realistic chance. There's really only one reason, and it reared its ugly head again on Sunday: this team simply cannot score on offense. Forget scoring, they struggle to get first downs. They mustered only 11 against Baltimore (1 via penalty), and most came in the second half after the Ravens were comfortably ahead by 20+ points.

The Browns defense is mediocre at its best; they can stop the run early in games with fairly consistent success, and their secondary -- while largely suspect -- can usually keep teams out of the end zone. It's been classic bend-but-don't-break. However, since the offense can't run the ball with any kind of consistency and has little pass protection on the right side, it can make for some very short drives. Combine those two factors with the fact that Brady Quinn is attempting to cut his teeth running the sometimes-beguiling playcalls of rookie Offensive Coordinator Brian Doboll, and you have a recipe for offensive ineptitude the likes of which I haven't seen since the Browns were in their first and second years as an expansion team.

This guy is a Browns season ticket holder. Follow the link for the whole sad story.