SOME DIFFERENT THOUGHTS FROM A DIFFERENT KIND OF WRITER

By STEVE KING

The Canton Repository’s Steve Doerschuk, who has been covering the Browns since the expansion era began in 1999, is as good of an NFL beat writer as there is.

He’s smart, savvy, witty, knowledgeable and objective. He writes what he thinks, and he thinks a different way than most beat guys. Instead of covering the angle, or even the topic, that most others are doing, he takes the road less traveled, or not traveled at all. It makes for a different – and fascinating and thought-provoking — read.

Doerschuk is the guy who wrote the Browns’ stories in the 2018 edition of the annual Street and Smith’s Football Guide, the longest-running and best football prospectus available. Doerschuk writing for Street & Smith’s is a good fit – two all-stars combining forces.

Here is the lead to Doerschuk’s analysis of the Browns in Street & Smith’s, entitled, “Browns should improve, but just how much is way up in the air after much-maligned draft”:

“The good news is that the Browns are in position to match or exceed their win total from the last three seasons combined. The bad news is that they were 3-13, 1-15 and 0-16. The psychological scar is hideous enough to make anyone wonder how the team can start looking good without an exceedingly long operation.

“Possibly, a healing will have been expedited by an aggressive infusion of veterans via trades and free agency, fortified by a robust cap surplus and driven heard by new general manager John Dorsey. The development of three first-round picks from 2017 and arrival of four more top-40 selections in the latest draft means living with growing pains. They are pains worth enduring if those high picks can actually play. Dorsey quickly became the face of the franchise, operating with a blue-collar boldness that appeals to a fed-up fanbase.

“Dorsey’s mantra has become, ‘Let’s rebuild this sleeping giant.’

“This is more of a coma than sleep. The Browns needed a strong-handed giant shaker.”

So, what is Doerschuk’s bottom line? What is the summation of his thoughts on the Browns for 2018?

I’ll have that for you – plus something else – in my next post.