Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

CLEVELAND BROWNS

After the 2009 season the Cleveland Browns decided to bring in Mike Holmgren as general manager and head of football operations. His assignment is to turn this proud but downtrodden franchise around. That will be a tough task considering how bad the Browns were last year, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Not content with what he had Holmgren has already gotten to work. He released Derek Anderson, traded away Brady Quinn, signed Jake Delhomme and traded for Seneca Wallace, and that was just at the quarterback position. Holmgren also signed tackle Tony Pashos, tight end Benjamin Watson and linebacker Scott Fujita, traded away defensive end Kamerion Wimbley and traded for running back/fullback Peyton Hillis. And amid all of that the Browns have a ton of draft picks. Thus, there is a lot going on in Cleveland right now. What it all amounts to remains to be seen but remember Holmgren is a winner, and has plenty of experience in this area. Remember the Seattle Seahawks were nothing until he came along.

Team Strengths:

- Good Leadership (Holmgren knows what he’s doing but will need some time to turn it around. Head coach Eric Mangini is hard on his players but he managed to win five games last year with a group of backups and nobodies)
- Joshua Cribbs (Expect the speedster to be featured in the return game while playing a big role as a receiver, runner and quarterback in wild cat formations. Cribbs can score from anywhere on the field)
- Good Offensive Line Talent (Tackle Joe Thomas is one of the best up and coming players at his position and center Alex Mack looks like the real deal)

Team Needs:

1. Offensive Talent — The Browns need serious upgrades at wide receiver, running back and tight end but more importantly they need to figure out what they’re doing at quarterback. The signing of Delhomme was a head-scratcher. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Browns draft a quarterback in the first or second round this year. Regardless, it looks like a building (re: not good for fantasy football) season on offense in Cleveland.

2. Defensive Talent — Go ahead and see if you can name three of more starters from the 2009 Browns defense. No points awarded if you’re a Browns fan. The Browns need a few playmakers and they need them at all positions.

3. To Stay The Course — With so many moves being made the Browns are a work in progress right now and they will be throughout the 2010 season. Thus, they cannot panic when things go wrong or if they don’t win many games. Holmgren knows what he is doing and will steer this franchise in the direction but it will take some time. Cleveland has a lot of draft picks this year and will get some young and talented players into the system but there will be some growing pains.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS

From Super Bowl champions two years ago to not making the playoffs last year, it was a disappointing season for the Steelers. Pittsburgh isn’t the type of franchise that makes a ton of big moves in the offseason but they have made some. They re-signed safety Ryan Clark, signed safety Will Allen (the Tampa Bay Buccaneers one, not Miami Dolphins) and brought back former players Larry Foote and Antwaan Randle El. But the big work the Steelers need to do is along the offensive and defensive lines. Oh, and then there is that whole Ben Roethlisberger sexual assault thing. He’s shown in the past that off-the-field problems don’t affect his performance too much and Steelers fans are hoping that will be the case this year.

Team Strengths:

-Strong Playmakers on Offense (with Roethlisberger, running back Rashard Mendenhall, wide receivers Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes and tight end Heath Miller, Pittsburgh has a lot of skilled players on offense)
-Strong Defense (the Steelers have one of the best defensive schemes in the league and once they get a few more pieces to the puzzle it will be right back to being the top in the league)
-Good Coaching (with head coach Mike Tomlin and defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau the Steelers have one of the best coaching staffs in the league)

Team Needs:

1. Cornerback — The Steelers addressed their issues at safety by re-signing Ryan Clark and bringing in Will Allen. Neither are perfect, but they’ll get the job done. What Pittsburgh needs to focus on now is improving the cornerback position, which is by far the weakness of that unit. Ike Taylor is the most experienced of the group Pittsburgh has and he’s not all that good. Pittsburgh would be wise to spend a high draft pick on a good cornerback.

2. Defensive End — The Steelers lack a good pass rusher on the line. Last year’s top draft pick Ziggy Hood looks solid but Pittsburgh could benefit from another good end. Pittsburgh did address one of their biggest concerns this offseason by bringing back nose tackle Casey Hampton so adding another end would make an already strong line even better.

3. Offensive Line — Pittsburgh would like to improve the tackle position. Ramon Foster looks serviceable but he is unproven. Plus, considering the issues the Steelers have had along the offensive line recently adding depth there would be a welcome investment.

NFC Needs By Division:  NFC West  |  NFC North |  NFC South  |  NFC East

AFC Needs By Division:  AFC West  |  AFC North  |  AFC South  |  AFC East

Feel we missed something with regards to one of the team’s above, let us know by heading to the Bruno Boys Forum.

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