Browns camp is open, and for a change there are no critical position battles hanging over Berea. Assuming everyone remains healthy, the Browns can proceed through training camp doing more fine-tuning and less exploratory roster surgery than usual.
Here are three questions that need to be answered before the season opener against the Cowboys on Sept. 7:
1. Who steps up in the seconday? I wrote about this in a recent column, and the consensus seems to be that safety Sean Jones needs to become the leader of a young, promising group that will have to grow up on the job. I like Eric Wright and Brandon McDonald, but opposing offensive coordinators are going to pick on them until they can prove they can stop No. 1 wide receivers. A strong showing against Terrell Owens and the rest of the Cowboys' receivers could go a long way toward boosting this unit's confidence.
2. Can Derek Anderson keep it up? Anderson had virtually no pressure when he inherited the starting job in Week 2 last year. The Browns had given up on Charlie Frye and Brady Quinn was nowhere near ready for the lineup. Anderson posted a great season, with no small help from Jamal Lewis, his receivers and a vastly improved offensive line. This year Anderson is the man and has Quinn, the second most popular guy in Cleveland behind someone named James, looking over his shoulder. If Anderson gets off to a fast start, Quinn remains a quiet understudy. But if he struggles, the cries for "Bra-dy! Bra-dy!" will come early and often.
3. Will the O-line hold up? Talent and health haven't been synonymous with Browns offensive lines since 1999, but they fielded one of the league's best young units last year and remained largely injury free. There is little reason to believe that with Joe Thomas and Eric Steinbach leading the way the unit can't dominate most defensive fronts again, but if injuries happen the result could be crippling for the offense.
-- John Dudley