Browns predictions vary greatly

By STEVE KING

How will the Browns do this season?

It continues to depend on the person, or entity. And once again Browns predictions vary greatly.

GO BOLD OR GO HOME: Get Kamikaze II and Shaqnosis at Reebok!

That became apparent again – still, and almost certainly for the foreseeable future and continuing into the regular season – over the weekend and into the first part of week.

On their weekly Saturday morning “Dari and Mel Show” on ESPN Radio, co-hosts Dari Nowkhah and Mel Kiper Kr. both picked the Browns as one of their three NFL teams most capable of going from sub-.500 records in 2019 to making long playoff runs this season.

Then the oddsmakers came out with their lines on the 16 opening-season games and the Browns, who go to Baltimore on Sunday to meet the Ravens, are tied as the second-largest underdogs at eight points. The host Jacksonville Jaguars, who are selling off all their assets as part of a huge rebuilding effort, are also eight-point dogs to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.

The biggest dogs – at nine points — are the Houston Texans in their game at Kansas City against the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs on Thursday night.

So, then, what is it, a deep march into the postseason, or getting a whuppin’ from the Ravens?

Or, perhaps, somewhere in between?

You can find all kinds of “experts” and facts and/or statistics to support all three projections.

What does that prove?

That no one really knows what’s going to happen with the Browns. The local media people mostly are dubious of the team’s chances to do much, while the national guys mostly are optimistic about them.

Most of the other teams in the league do not fall into that category. They are picked almost exclusively to be either good, bad or middle-of-the-road.

So, it will be fun to sit back and see who – which side – is right. You can be sure of one thing, though, and it is that Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski and the members of his staff are gathering up all the negative chatter and using it as motivation for their players to prove all those people – and their predictions – wrong.

Cleveland Browns:

• “Browns RB Kareem Hunt signs 2-year contract extension” (Browns.com)
• Tretter practicing is the center of attention (Browns Daily Dose)
• “Myles Garrett kicks off ‘Tackle Thirst’ campaign, pledging $5,000 per sack to Waterboys & urging fans to join in” (cleveland.com)
• “Browns Trying To Get Ronnie Harrison Up To Speed Quickly” (OBR)
• “Cleveland Browns 2020 season preview: Turnaround hinges on Baker Mayfield” (ESPN)