Browns defense vs. Bengals defense. This is a little tricky because the Bengals are a 4-3 where the Browns are now 3-4:

LDE

Rubin/Winn/Sanford

vs.

Dunlap/Hunt/Gilberry

Advantage; Browns

NT:

Taylor/Kitchen

vs.

Peko/Thompson/Black

Advantage: Push, Peko and Taylor offset...if you include Huges and Winn for depth, it is Browns...but they are not listed as NTs.

RDE:

D.Bryan/Hughes/A. Bryant

vs.

Michael Johnson/Geathers/Moch

Advantage: Bengals

Bengals have at RDT:

Geno Atkins/Still/Chappelear vs. Browns front 7 Overall taking Bengals with 4 DL, and Browns with 3, I think it is a basic Push.

LOLB:

Kruger/Groves/JM Johnson

vs.

Harrison/Maybin/Joiner

Advantage: Browns. There was a reason the Steelers got rid of Harrison and why the Browns far preferred Kruger over him.

MLBs:

DQ Jackson/Robertson/Fort/Carder/Rau/Moten

vs.

Maualaga/Sheffer/Campbell

Advantage: Hard for me to tell with the difference in the scheme. Go with a Push

ROLB:

Sheard/Mingo/Adams

vs.

Burfict/Porter/Rey

Advantage: Mingo will be better than anyone here. even though in some minds Burfict overachieve. Browns.

LCB:

Haden/Bademosi/Miller

vs.

Kirkpatrick/Newman/Miles

Advantage: Browns

SS:

TJWard/Slaughter/Richardson

vs.

Mays/S. Williams/Miles

Advantage: Push. Mays has played well.

FS:

Hagg/Gipson/Tunstall

vs.

Nelson/Iloka Sands

Advantage: I don't honestly know. I would imagine that a simple experience factor should give the Bengals the edge.

RCB:

McFadden/Skrine/Owens

vs.

Leon Hall/Pacman Jones/Ghee

Advantage: Again, experience give the Bengals the edge

Here is Browns vs. Bengals Offense:

QB:

Weeden/Campbell/Lewis

vs.

Dalton/Skelton/Johnson

Advantage: Dalton slight advantage over Weeden. Campbell over Skelton. Still slight edge to Bengals

WR1:

Gordon/Nelson/Cooper

vs.

Sanu/Jones/Tate

Advantage: Browns here. Sanu is good. Gordon is better.

WR2:

Little/Bess/Benjamin

vs.

AJ Green/Hawkins/Hamilton

Advantage: Bengals. There may be no receiver in the league better than Green.

RB:

Richardson/Hardesty/Lewis

vs.

Green-Ellis/Gio. Bernard/Scott

Advantage: Browns

FB/H-back:

Marecic/Smelly/Gronkowski

vs.

Pressley/John Conner

Advantage: Bengals. They have John Conner....and The Terminator has his back, no?

LT:

Thomas/Cousins/Faulk

vs.

Whitworth/Roland/Hawkins

Advantage: Browns

LG:

Pinkston/Greco/Hauptman

vs.

Wharton/Boling/Sullen

Advantage: Bengals

Mack/Cave

vs.

Robinson/Cook/TJ Johnson

Advantage: Browns

RG:

Lauvao/Shaw/Alford

vs.

Zeitler/Pollack

Advantage: Bengals

RT:

Schwartz/Butler/Miller

vs.

Smith/Collins/Fragel

Advantage: Browns

Browns vs. Ravens Defense:

LDE:

Rubin/Winn/Sanford

vs.

Chris Canty/Jones/ K. Lewis-Moore

Advantage: Browns

NT:

Taylor/Kitchen

vs.

Cody/B. Williams

Advantage: Browns

RDE:

D.Bryant/Hughes/A.Bryant

vs.

Ngata/Spears/D. Tyson

Advantage: Ravens (though, is Ngata a DE or NT...again a positioning issue)

LOLB:

Kruger/Groves/James M. Johnson

vs.

Suggs/McPhee/Simon

Advantage: Ravens. (though, question...how could Suggs and Kruger have played the same position when together in B-more?)

LILB:

Robertson/Carder/Rau

vs.

J. McLain/R. McClain/ Carr (the "Die Hard LB position)

Advantage: Push. are the Die Hard boys any good?

RILB:

DQ Jackson/Fort/Moten

vs.

Arthur Brown/Bynes/McClellan

Advantage: Browns. Arthur Brown has not yet built his Crazy World.

ROLB:

Sheard/Mingo/K.Adams

vs.

Dumerville/Upshaw/Adkins

Advantage: Ravens. Dumerville...whether a DE or LB was a catch.

LCB:

Haden/Bademosi/Miller

vs.

Webb/C. Brown/A. Jackson

Advantage: Browns

SS:

TJ Ward/Slaughter/K Richardson

vs.

Matt Elam/Ihedigbo/C. Thomas

Advantage: Browns

FS:

Hagg/T. Gipson/Tunstall

vs.

Michael Huff/O. Brown/A. Levine

Advantage: Ravens...assuming Huff is as good as advertized.

RCB:

McFadden/Skrine/Owens

vs.

Corey Graham/Jimmy Smith/C. Johnson

Advantage: Experience factor give this to the Ravens

K.

Shayne Graham

vs.

Sam Koch

Advantage

P

Lanning

vs.

Justin Tucker

Advantage

LS

whatever.

Here is Browns vs. Ravens Offense:

QB:

Weeden/Campbell/Lewis

vs.

Flacco/Tyrod Taylor/Hanie

Advantage: Super Bowl MVP gets the advantage. Ravens.

WR1:

Gordon/Nelson/Cooper

vs.

Torrey Smith/Reed/Streeter

Advantage: You know, I am wondering how good these Ravens WRs are gonna be without Boldin. Browns.

WR2:

Little/Bess/Benjamin

vs.

Jacoby Jones/Doss/Thompson

Advantage: Ditto Browns.

RB:

Richardson/Hardesty/Lewis

vs.

Rice/Pierce/Rainey

advantage: Push as good as Rice is, this year I think TR will be every bit his equal.

TE:

Cameron/K. Davis/Barnidge

vs.

Dickson#/Pitta#/Silvestro # Dickson and Pitta are RFAs, and theoretically could be elsewhere

Advantage: Ravens, if Dickson and Pitta return. Otherwise, Browns.

FB:

Marecic/Smelley/Gronkowski

vs.

Leach/Juszcyzk

Advantage: Ravens, pretty clearly.

LT:

Thomas/Cousins/Faulk

vs.

McKinnie/Mims/Dever

Advantage: Browns

LG:

Pinkston/Greco/Haumptman

vs.

Osemele/Harewood

Advantage: Not sure about Osemele's capablity. At one time he was highly rated. Not sure. So: PUSH

Mack/Cave

vs.

Gino Gradkowski/Jensen/Shipley

Advantage: Browns

RG

Lauvao/Shaw/Alford

vs.

Yanda/Wagner/McClain

Advantage: Probably Ravens

RT:

Schwartz/Butler/Miller

vs.

Oher/Reid/Cornell

Advantage: Having a movie don't make you better. Browns

Now, Browns defense vs. Steelers defense:

LDE:

Rubin/Winn/Sanford

vs.

Ziggy Hood/Woods/Hagans

Advantage: Browns

NT:

Phil Taylor/Kitchen

vs. McClendon/Ta'amu/Fangupo

Advantage: Browns

RDE:

Des. Bryant/Hughes/A. Bryant

vs.

Keisel/Heyward/N. Williams

Advantage: Steelers, maybe, because Keisel/Heyward are know factors. But I am still not sure about some of the positioning along the Browns front 7. If Sheard plays here, it is at worst a Push, maybe advantage Browns.

LOLB:

Kruger/Groves/James Michael Johnson

vs.

Woodley/Carter/Robinson

Advantage: PUSH

LILB:

Robertson/Carder/Rau

vs

Foote/V. Williams/Spence

Advantage: Steelers

RILB:

DQ Jackson/Fort/Moten

vs.

Timmons/Sylvester/M. McFadden

Advantage: Browns

ROLB:

Sheard/Mingo/K.Adams

vs.

Jarvis Jones/Worilds/Garvin

Advantage: Browns....again, not sure of positioning. here

LCB:

Haden/Bademosi/Prince Miller

vs.

Cortez/Gay/Van Dyke

Advantage: Browns

SS:

TJ Ward/Slaughter/K. Richardson

vs.

Polamalu/S. Thomas/Cromartie-Smith

Advantage: Browns. Yes, this in not "Once Upon a Time"

FS:

Hagg/T. Gipson/Tunstall

vs.

R. Clark/Golden/Green

Advantage: Steelers. Experience advantage to Clark here.

RCB:

Leon McFadden/Skrine/Owens

vs.

Ike Taylor/C. Brown/Hawthorne

Advantage: Steelers. Same here experience advantage over unproven rookie/2d year players.....though with a word of caution...older is necessarily better. By mid season...this could perhaps turn

K

Shayne Graham

vs.

Suisham

Advantage

P

Lanning

vs.

Butler

advantage:

LS

Yount

vs.

Warren

I give the above to the Steelers, simply because they are bringing in more experienced players. We fans have no idea if the Browns new kicker/punter will be able to do what their predecessors did.

Of course, it is way, way early, but I thought I would post this "Dueling Depth Charts". I am taking the Browns three deep depth chart and putting each position therein up against the depth charts of the other teams in the AFCN. I obtained these up to date charts from Ourlads. I will go position by position. State which team you think has the advantage. I will start with the Browns vs. Steelers offense:

Browns vs. Steelers offense:

QB

Brandon Weeden/Campbell/Lewis

vs.

Roethlisberger/Gradkowski/L. Jones

Advantage: Steelers....at least with their proven starter obviously. Browns backup is better...unless L. Jones becomes something.

WR1:

Gordon/Nelson/Cooper

vs.

Sanders/Wheaton/Burris

Advantage: I think this is a Push...though, with a big year, Gordon could blow this out.

WR2:

Little/Bess/Benjamin

vs.

A. Brown/Cotchery/J. Brown

Advantage: So far to Steelers, though not by much

TE:

Cameron/K. Davis/ Barnidge

vs.

Heath Miller/Spaeth/Paulsen

Advantage: Steelers, experience factor of Miller a clear plus for them

RB:

Richardson/Hardesty/Dion Lewis

vs.

J. Dwyer/L. Bell/Redman

Advantage: Browns. If L. Bell is what the Vag and others think he is, it could be closer...but still edge to TR

LT:

Joe Thomas/Cousins/C. Faulk

vs.

Mike Adams/Beachum/Farrell

Advantage: Browns, clearly

LG:

Pinkston/Greco/Hauptman

vs.

Ramon Foster/J. Malecki/ Mike Golic

Advantage: Browns. Foster ain't much

Mack/Braxton Cave

vs.

Pouncey/Madsen

Advantage. very slight edge, if any at all to Steelers

RG:

Lauvao/Jarrod Shaw/Alford

vs.

DeCastro/Cheadle/Emberate

Advantage: On paper it is Steelers. But DeCastro has yet to play much if at all. So that edge may or not be what people think.

RT:

Schwartz/Butler/Miller

vs.

Gilbert/Whimper/Joe Long

Advantage: Browns. Schwartz could become one of the best RTs going.

FG/H-back:

Marecic/Smelley/Gronkowski

vs.

D. Johnson/W. Johnson

Advantage: Push. Marecic is not likely to keep starter job...and that is why a "winner" cannot be picked here.

Give your scores