Football coaches would sooner eat their playbooks than admit to looking past the next opponent.
But in the Cleveland Browns’ case, it’s tempting because their next four have struggling offenses, rookie quarterbacks, coaches on the hot seat or some combination of these factors.
Squaring their record at 2-2 Sunday against the Bears is the obvious priority. But with Baltimore, Detroit and Houston to follow, there’s a chance the Browns soon could be sitting above .500. Cleveland’s next four opponents are 3-9, and each ranks among the league’s bottom seven in total offense.
It’s at quarterback where the Browns figure to have the biggest edge. The Bears are starting rookie Kyle Orton. Baltimore with Anthony Wright, Detroit with Joey Harrington and Houston with David Carr also have QB issues.
You would think Orton was a combination of Joe Montana and Johnny Unitas by listening to Browns coach Romeo Crennel.
“When we faced him in the preseason, the first pass he threw on us was a 47-yard completion,” Crennel said. “So I’m not taking anything for granted about this guy.”
Crennel made his reputation as a coordinator for New England by devising schemes that bewildered even the league’s top quarterbacks. So what chance does a rookie have?
Of course, this assumes the Browns’ defense is up to the task. Only two other teams in the league are giving up more yards per game.
“I don’t know that we’ll just be able to disguise [coverages] and confuse the guy totally,” Crennel said. “Part of disguising is that you have to be able to get into the right position after the disguise is over.
“That’s the main thing we’re concerned about. Disguise is great if you can pull it off, but if you can’t pull it off, get lined up where you need to be.”
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