Oh yeah, the Browns

With the Indians having given up not only on this season, but next season too, and the NBA season still months away, perhaps it's time to turn our attention to the Browns, who open training camp tomorrow. (Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to stop watching the Indians, even if I should. And I'm sure I'll have something to say about the Victor Martinez trade that is no doubt going to happen sometime in the next eight hours.)

As we all know, the Browns were terrible last season, except for one shining moment in which they dominated the then-defending Super Bowl champion Giants. Romeo Crennel is gone, and Eric Mangini is now calling the shots. Brady Quinn and former Pro Bowler Derek Anderson are still in a quarterback controversy (I think it'll be Quinn, but it makes sense to let them duke it out in the preseason). Braylon Edwards is hurt, Donte Stallworth is suspended indefinitely after killing a man with his car in the offseason, and Kellen Winslow is gone, so who knows who they'll have to throw to. Brian Robiskie just signed, so all the draft picks are in the fold. The o-line is a little bit up in the air, but we know Joe Thomas and Eric Steinbach will be there, and first-round pick Alex Mack figures to compete for the center spot. Jamal Lewis turns 30 next month, but he's coming off the first back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons by a Browns running back in a very, very long time.

The defense has a few new parts (C.J. Mosley, Kenyon Coleman, Abram Elam, Eric Barton), and some guys who hope to recover from an injury-plagued 2008 (Robaire Smith, Shaun Smith), but there really aren't any big changes to last year's squad.

Basically, the Browns seem to be hoping that guys stay healthy, young players develop quickly, and Mangini makes a big difference over Crennel. Could happen, I guess. If they go 8-8, I'll be pleasantly surprised.