Miami Dolphins (0-0 SU, 0-0 ATS) vs. Cleveland Browns (0-0 SU, 0-0 ATS)
Week 1 NFL
Date/Time: Sunday, September 8, 2013 at 1PM EST
Where: FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
TV: CBS
By Loot, NFL Football Handicapper, Lootmeister.com
Point Spread: Mia -1/Cle +1
Over/Under Total: 41
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The Miami Dolphins head north to take on the Cleveland Browns in a key opening game to the 2013 regular season. Miami faces a truly pivotal season where the dye will be cast. Either they take a step forward as a contender or remain stuck among the ranks of the mediocre. Cleveland, meanwhile, is looking to get out of a perennial funk after a decade-long stretch of not making the playoffs. Neither team is what you would call a legitimate AFC threat in the big picture, but each squad is on an upward trajectory.
Despite winning only 5 games in 2012, the Browns future doesn’t appear to be too dreary. Brandon Weeden had a rough rookie season, but should improve and has looked good in the preseason. Fans are holding out hope that maybe new OC Norv Turner can get this offense pointed in the right direction. Old Norv has typically done well in getting quarterbacks to realize their potential and should take some pressure off Weeden by spreading the offensive responsibility around to other players--namely 2nd year RB Trent Richardson. Look for Turner to do little things like get more receivers more involved in a meaningful way, while making Richardson more of a pass-catching threat.
Cleveland could be better just by having Weeden and Richardson doing everything they can do to improve from their rookie seasons, which it appears they are doing. In addition to Weeden and Richardson, the roster is filled with a ton of 2nd and 3rd year guys who could upgrade their play, as well. Not having last season’s leading receiver Josh Gordon for the first few games due to suspension doesn’t help. But the Browns also made some nice personnel moves in the offseason, getting LB Paul Kruger, forgotten Buffalo receiver David Nelson, and LB Barkevious Mingo in the draft, among others. New defensive coordinator Ray Horton should be able to have the “D” in better shape for 2013.
Listening to NFL coverage, you hear about a lot of teams that are supposed to be better in 2013. Well, obviously, not all of them will improve--there’s just not enough room at the top. But out of those teams, you have to like Miami’s chances. They added a lot of pieces and have some up-and-comers that should be better with added experience. Chief amongst that group is QB Ryan Tannehill. He threw for 3294 yards last season, despite a 12/13 TD to INT ratio. You’d like to see Miami, with new offensive coordinator Mike Sherman, turn Tannehill loose more and make better use of his athleticism. He could also get rid of the ball a little quicker and make better decisions.
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Miami scored big in free agency by signing WR Mike Wallace, who gives them a legit number-one receiver and a nice 1-2 punch with Brian Hartline coming off a 1000-yard season. Look for Brandon Gibson to play a big hand in the pass attack, but losing TE Dustin Keller for the year in preseason was a major loss. It’s also a little disheartening that Tannehill is trying to jump-start an offense in his 2nd year without his star left tackle and leading rusher in Reggie Bush. Then again, Jake Long wasn’t that great in 2012 and Reggie Bush was under 1000 yards. Maybe some other options, like Lamar Miller and others, can help fill in and make that loss less-noticeable. Still, despite great interior play on the line with center Mike Pouncey, and guards Richie Incognito and Lance Lewis from Chicago, the tackles are iffy, with Jonathan Martin moving to the left side after struggling at right tackle last season. They did sign vet Tyson Clabo, who should help out at right tackle.
If Miami can get the pass game to congeal and get some better play from the back 7 on “D,” this should be a better season. They have a great D-line and an offensive line that might click well. In addition, they have great kicking with big-legged rookie Caleb Sturgis and fantastic punter Brandon Fields. And let’s not forget about Cleveland. There are some solid pieces on offense behind a good offensive line and a defense that has depth, despite the free safety and inside linebacking presence being a bit iffy.
Even the bad Cleveland teams of the recent past are generally stingy at home and they’re facing a team whose biggest question is in fact offense. Even top offenses generally struggle against a home Cleveland defense and Miami is far from that. Just when taking Miami seems like a good idea, a thought creeps in telling us that this might not be one of the crummy Browns teams that we’ve become accustomed to seeing in recent years. Make no mistake--this is one of the toughest games on the board.
Loot's Pick to Cover the Point Spread: Take the Browns getting one point.
