Cleveland

It’s football time again in Northeast Ohio. The best time of the year. There’s no better feeling than waking up Sunday morning a little hungover and knowing your next 14 hours will be consumed by NFL Football. If you’re lucky enough to be tailgating in the Muni Lot, you live for Sunday home games. Waking up at 5 AM and making your way down Rt. 2 to the Shoreway is your Super Bowl. Your mindset is completely different during football season. For me I need to consume everything in my path whether it be beer, pizza, chicken wings, or Fireball. That’s why there’s always the inevitable 10-12 pound weight gain you’ll see from the months of September to January. But thats OK though, you’ll need that extra flub to handle the cold when tailgating right next to Lake Erie. If you think about it, it’s actually just a safety precaution. You(I) need that added insulation and warmth so you don’t catch a cold (is what I tell myself).

I for one am ecstatic that the offseason is coming to an end. No more training camp QB battles, no more reports of players innocently going to Vegas to enjoy their offseason, no more reports of owners going to prison, no more debate over suspensions because of secondhand smoke, no more radio and TV guys dropping hot take after hot in regards to your rookie quarterback. No more bullshit, no more draft talk, no more wondering about players on the bubble of making the team. It’s the first game of the year vs. your “rival.” It’s time to nut up or shut up.

The Browns enter the 2014 season amid a rocky (understatement) offseason and training camp. With the exhaustive coverage given to Johnny Manziel’s excursions, the Josh Gordon suspension (IF the suspension holds up), the inability to score touchdowns in preseason, and the subpar defensive showings; this season is full of uncertainty but also tons of enthusiasm and optimism. In the first post of this inaugural Bottlegate Season Preview, I’l give you an abridged roster breakdown. Parts 2 and 3 deal with preseason superlatives and awards, predictions, and gambling advice. You won’t find a preview like this anywhere else, I can promise you that.

The road to the Vince Lombardi Trophy starts now.

There weren’t a lot of hype videos to choose from. Be better, Cleveland.

OFFSEASON MOVES

ADDITIONS- The team added RB Ben Tate, WR Andrew Hawkins, WR Miles Austin, and S Donte Whitner. They took CB Justin Gilbert, QB Johnny Manziel, OL Joel Bitonio, LB Chris Kirksey, RB Terrance West, and CB Pierre Desir in the NFL Draft.

LOSSES- QB Brandon Weeden, QB Jason Campbell, WR Davone Bess, G Shawn Lauvao, G Oniel Cousins, ILB D’Qwell Jackson, CB Chris Owens and S T.J. Ward… and maybe Josh Gordon.

ROSTER BREAKDOWN

I’m not going to bore you with positional breakdowns and analysis but a couple things stood out to me when this was released Tuesday.

It’s the most Browns thing ever to release a depth chart and have a player who’s not on the team anymore as your 3rd running back (Dion Lewis) Whoops!
I had no idea Justin Gilbert was the backup kick returner. I wonder if they’ll play him on the kickoff and punt teams too
There’s only 2 players left from our 2013 draft. A first round pick (Mingo) and a 7th round pick (A. Bryant). Thanks Mike and Joe!
I’m not looking forward to our 4 wide receiver set when it’s 3rd and 23 vs Pittsburgh. Yikes. Nate Burleson would’ve absolutely helped out this receiver group.
How is Chris Kirksey going to back up Craig Robertson when he’s only 1 foot tall ?
When Desmond Bryant gets healthy, I LOVE our ability to rotate on the defensive line
Travis Benjamin is our highest drafted Wide Receiver… He was drafted in the FOURTH round.
After his breakout preseaon game, I’m intrigued to see if Isaiah Crowell sees the field at all.
Will Johnny have his own special package? And will it be that Wildcat bullshit or real offensive play calls?

Stay tuned. Part 2 of the Bottlegate preview drops Saturday and will have preseason awards and superlatives. Gambling and Season Predictions will be in Part 3 on Sunday.