Statistically speaking

Having fun with the Browns’ roster . . .

It currently consists of 90 men and right now has a small degree of fluidity. Some pieces and parts, usually those who are nothing more than training camp fodder, are released occasionally and replaced by others who eventually will become pieces and parts who will be released.

When training camp begins in late July or early August, the degree of roster fluidity will intensify as the coaching staff begins to seriously break down how it wants that roster to look by the start of the regular season.

The breakdown right now: 43 men on offense, 43 men on defense and the remaining four are special teamers (two placekickers, a punter and a long snapper).

Further breakdown:  The offense has four quarterbacks, seven running backs, 11 wide receivers, six tight ends and 15 offensive linemen; the defense has 13 linemen, 12 linebackers and 18 defensive backs.

That’s a rather large preponderance of players in the secondary, which probably will lead the team in roster cuts with no more than 10 eventually surviving. Next hardest hit most likely will be the offensive and defensive lines with nine making the cut on offense and seven, maybe eight on defense.

With the team offensive philosophy skewing heavily toward the running game, it wouldn’t be surprising if all but two of the seven running backs stick and five of the 11 wide receivers are trimmed.

Sixty-one will survive entering the regular season in September – 53 on the regular team and eight more on the practice squad, which means 29 names currently on the roster will disappear before the Sept. 12 season opener in New Jersey against the New York Jets.

Of the 90 men on the roster, 24 are rookies. That’s 26.7%. Eleven more have one year’s experience, 14 have two years, 10 have logged three years and 11 more have four years.

So of the 90, 70 have no more than four years’ experience in the National Football League. That’s a whopping 77.7%. In other words, three of every four members on the team is relatively inexperienced.

The average age of this team is 25.5 years, which has to put it near the top of the list of youngest NFL teams.

On the low end of the age range is rookie running back Duke Johnson, who won’t be 22 until the third game of the regular season. On the opposite end, we find (surprise!!) quarterback Josh McCown, who will be 36 on the Fourth of July.

The other graybeards are linebacker Karlos Dansby (33), defensive back Tramon Williams (32), defensive lineman Randy Starks (31), and offensive tackle Joe Thomas, guard John Greco and wide receiver Dwayne Bowe, all 30.

The tallest Brown? Tie at 6-6 with Thomas, fellow offensive lineman Andrew McDonald, tight end Gary Barnidge and defensive lineman Desmond Bryant. The Smurf award goes to wide receiver Andrew Hawkins at 5-7.

Who is the beefiest? Rookie nose tackle Danny Shelton at 339 pounds. Wideout Taylor Gabriel is at the other end of the scale at 167 pounds. He's sort of a half Shelton. 

Will Mack be back?

So Alex Mack has chosen to keep Browns fans prisoners with regard to his future plans.

Will the Pro Bowl center remain with the club after the upcoming season? Or will he bolt?

His contract forces him to play at least one more season with the team that drafted him seven years ago. It also permits him to leave following this season as an unrestricted free agent should he choose to.

There are those who say, “Who can blame him?” if he opts to depart. After all, playing for one of the losingest teams in the National Football League can be awfully depressing.

The Browns’ front office, while hopeful Mack will choose to remain loyal, must be more pessimistic privately. Why else draft Cameron Erving in the first round of the recent college football draft?

Sure, he was an offensive left tackle at Florida State. A very good one, too. But when the Seminoles’ starting center went down midway through last season, Erving moved over and played the pivot as though he had played it his whole life.

Speculation immediately rose that the selection of Erving was insurance against Mack departing Cleveland following this season. Understandable deduction. Basically, General Manager Ray Farmer was hedging his bets on Mack’s decision.

If Mack stays, Erving is locked into a position that suits his strengths better. And if Mack leaves, the rookie merely shifts over to anchor the offensive line. Win-win.

But that does not answer the main question. What will Mack, whose departure with a broken leg in game five last season coincided with the demise of the Cleveland offensive line, finally do?

He partially answered that the other day at the club’s organized team activities session in Berea. “I’m going to defer,” he told reporters. “I’ll talk about that at the end of the season.”

He said he has not made up his mind. “No,” he insisted. “Absolutely not, Let’s play the games. Let’s see how the season goes. I’m really not interested in talking about that until after the season.”

So it appears as though how the Browns fare this season will factor into his Mack’s decision. “I definitely want to win games,” he said. “It’s very important to me. No one likes losing. Across any job, anything, at all times. It’s tough without a doubt.”

And what else will it take? “What you always do,” Mack said. “You just want to come out here, play the games, play well and win games. That’s what every person in this building’s goal is.”

So all the Browns need to do, at least according to Mack, is win. Win more than they lose. Beyond that, he was vague, if not non-committal.

Okay, let’s break this down and figure out how much of a chance the Browns have at equaling Mack’s standards regarding his future with the club.

Defensively, they can’t be any worse at stopping the run than they were last season, when they were the NFL’s caboose in the category. Adding top draft choice Danny Shelton and free agent Randy Starks and larger doses of health can’t hurt.

Dropping opposing passers, another huge problem last season, ostensibly got better with the drafting of outside linebacker Nate Orchard, who will join fellow Utah alum Paul Kruger in an effort to improve those numbers.

The secondary, which didn’t get picked on nearly as much because opponents were so successful on the ground, should be that much stronger than last season if we are to believe Justin Gilbert is a reformed young man in the commitment category.

Now then, let’s take a look at the offense, where Mack is expected to be a vital contributor. Let’s start with quarterback.

Mack will be snapping the ball to either Josh McCown or Johnny Manziel. Stop for a moment and think about that. One is journeyman who defines the very term. The other is a question mark at best.

The most important position on the offense, if not the entire team, is in the hands of, no matter who wins the starting job, the worst – by far – quarterback in the AFC North. If not the entire NFL.

With the exception of a brief period when he excelled a few years ago with the Chicago Bears when Jay Cutler was injured, McCown and mediocrity have traveled hand in hand down the same path.

And Manziel is a puzzlement wrapped in an enigma. No one, maybe not even him, knows what to expect from him when the Browns gather in Berea for training camp later this summer.

Maybe he can recapture his glory days at Texas A&M when he won the Heisman Trophy and became the darling of the college football crowd. Maybe he can overcome a substance abuse problem that required a long stay at a treatment facility.

There is always the possibility that maybe he can’t.

Now let’s look at the running game. Second-year running backs Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell, if they don’t suffer the sophomore jinx, should provide the Browns with a strong running game, especially now that Mack is back.

The addition of third-round choice Duke Johnson can’t hurt, especially in the passing game, where the return of the screen pass is highly anticipated.  The addition of Johnson definitely improves that position.

Up next the wide receivers corps. Not exactly a group that excites.

With Josh Gordon down for at least one year, the Browns own what might be the most non-threatening group of pass receivers in the entire NFL. There is not a single deep threat, unless you consider little Taylor Gabriel and brittle Travis Benjamin.

The addition of free agent Dwayne Bowe and Brian Hartline will not improve the speed. Both men are possession receivers. So are Andrew Hawkins and rookie Vince Mayle. The Browns might lead the NFL in possession receivers.

The tight ends will not be a major factor in the passing with the departure of the brittle Jordan Cameron. Good blockers in Jim Dray, Rob Housler and Gary Barnidge. That’s about it.

As for the offensive line, it should be one of the best now that Erving, a strong candidate to open at right tackle, has arrived. That move should push Mitchell Schwartz inside at guard, where he can be more effective.

The Cleveland offense, clearly bucking the NFL trend toward the forward pass, will be run centric. Their entire success on that side of the ball will be predicated on that phase of the game.

As for the special teams, it cant get any worse than last season for the return teams. The punter is boringly mediocre. And the Browns still can’t find a reliable placekicker.

Summing up: A good defense that can get better if the offense can stay on the field, an offense that most likely will be extremely one-dimensional and might have trouble remaining on the field and special teams that won’t excite anyone.

Now factor in a schedule that includes the tough NFC West (as opposed to last season’s weak NFC South) and only four games against teams that had losing seasons last season and you have a formula that mitigates against a winning record.

Mack hints he might stay if the Browns win games. He didn’t say how many, but one gets the impression it had better be more than last season’s seven.

Bottom line: He’s gone.

The final grade is in

Last year, Browns General Manager Ray Farmer entered the National Football League’s college draft with 10 picks. After a series of trades, he made just six selections.

This year, Farmer entered the lottery with 10 picks again and, after a series of trades, doubled his fun, ending the three-day event with a dozen new Brownies. And what an interesting group it is.

It includes a wide receiver (this is not a typo), a couple of tight ends (one undersized), two defensive linemen, three candidates for the secondary, a pair of linebackers, a running back and an offensive tackle. He hit every major position on the roster except quarterback. The man earned his keep.

It took him 13 attempts, but the stubborn GM finally pulled the trigger on a wide receiver when he (with no apparent weapon pointed at him) wrote Vince Mayle’s name on a piece of paper and submitted it for the league’s consideration.

The big wide receiver from Washington State, benefiting from a pass-heavy offense, led the PAC-12 in receptions and yardage, but developed a reputation for dropping passes, which might be considered understandable when you average 12½ targets a game. Just what the Browns need . . . another pass dropper. Shades of Greg Little.

Why he waited this long for a wideout is known only by Farmer, whose cache tilted slightly toward the defensive side of the ball with seven selections, ranging from a run-stuffing nose tackle with the opening selection to a surprising final pick as the draft wore down.

The GM wisely chose Oregon cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, who probably would have been a first-round pick had he not torn up his knee preparing for the Rose Bowl late last year. The talented 5-9, 195-pound All-America might miss the entire 2015 season, but was worth the late-draft gamble.

Chances are he’ll be fully healthy and ready to compete for one of the starting jobs by the time the 2016 season rolls around. Talents like Ekpre-Olomu are worth waiting for. His selection helped elevate the final grade.

Following a very strong first round with nose tackle Danny Shelton and offensive tackle Cameron Erving, and so-so results in rounds two and three with edge rusher Nate Orchard, running back Duke Johnson and defensive end Xavier Cooper, Farmer went to work on the rest of the roster.

In fourth-round strong safety Ibraheim Campbell and seventh-round inside linebacker Hayes Pullard III, Farmer clearly went for the aggressive type, one of coach Mike Pettine’s favorite attributes. Both have a nose for the ball and are not bashful tacklers.

Farmer, however, did not solve the dilemma at tight end. Malcolm Johnson and Randall Telfer, both sixth-round picks, are solid blockers with hands more suited for that aspect of the position.  The undersized (6-1, 230) Johnson might be utilized as a fullback in heavy packages on short-yardage plays or goal-line situations.

That means Cleveland's tight ends this season will not be option 1, 2, 3 and probably 4. There are no pass-catching tight ends on the roster. One less thing opposing defensive coordinators have to be concerned with.

Cornerback Charles Gaines, another sixth-rounder, should find his value on special teams

Shelton, Orchard, Campbell and Pullard definitely will be Pettine’s favorites with their belligerent approach to the game. The big question is how well each player’s particular talents translate to the pro game, Orchard in particular.

The moves that enabled him to rack up 18½ sacks at Utah last year will not work against NFL offensive linemen, who will be much larger and a whole lot quicker than the ones he faced on the collegiate level. Barkevious Mingo arrived in Cleveland with a similar reputation as an edge rusher and  failed to deliver.

Last season, Farmer’s six picks produced three starters in running back Terrance West, left guard Joel Bitonio and outside linebacker Christian Kirksey. First-round selections Justin Gilbert and Johnny Manziel failed miserably and fourth-round cornerback Pierre Desir watched most of the season.

This year, both first-rounders will start. So will Orchard. The other nine picks, barring a surprise, will either play complementary roles, play on special teams or, in a couple of cases, fail to make the team by the time the regular season commences.

Some teams get lucky when middle- and late-round picks surprise and become starters. The Browns have not been one of those teams for a very long time. One who has a chance is Ekpre-Olomu and they might have to wait until next year to find out.

Campbell, a possible heir apparent to Donte Whitner at strong safety, and Pullard, who could push Craig Robertson to start next to Karlos Dansby at inside linebacker, are brash overachievers and have a chance to break the mold.  

Overall, Farmer was headed for a final grade of C+ until he figured out that Ekpre-Olomu was worth the final pick even though his contributions will be delayed. That elevates the final grade to a B- and that’s being charitable.

Wronging a right

Well, that didn’t take long. The euphoric feeling following the Browns’ selections in the first round of the National Football League college draft Thursday night gave way Friday night to puzzlement.

After Friday night’s journey through the second and third rounds, it’s time to admit I have no idea what label to pin on Ray Farmer’s philosophy with regard to the annual lottery.

He was all over the place Friday night. Just when you expected him to zig, he zagged. When you thought he would certainly select what appeared to be an obvious choice, he went in a completely different direction.

There had to be several huh!, what-in-the-world-is-he-doing moments among the faithful.

The Cleveland general manager mystifyingly sidesteps every opportunity to draft a wide receiver. In doing so, one can only assume he is satisfied with his current corps of receivers. He shouldn’t be.

He had a chance to draft big Jaelen Strong of Arizona State or Minnesota tight end Maxx Williams in the second round and, after trading down eight spots, selected Utah defensive end Nate Orchard, who projects as an edge rusher. Strong went to Houston early in the third round and Williams to Baltimore in the second.

In the third round, Farmer turned his nose up at big Auburn wideout Sammie Coates, later taken by the Pittsburgh Steelers, and added Miami of Florida running back Duke Johnson to the roster. A late third-round trade with New England netted Washington State defensive end Xavier Cooper.

Farmer and his minions have no clue that the key components to the offense, the quarterbacks and receivers, are substandard. They obviously haven’t received the memo that the NFL has turned into a passing league.

It’s almost as though they believe Josh McCown and Johnny Manziel have been provided with the necessary tools to function in a winning manner. No they haven’t.

There are absolutely no threats at tight end. And there is no one of size on the flanks who can stretch a defense and open up the running game. They do not exist on the roster.

Johnson’s arrival will help the running game to a certain extent, particularly the passing aspect, which was a dismal failure last season. But he is not an every-down back. He’s a change-of-pace guy. He’ll do nothing more than complement Isaiah Crowell and Terrance West. Third-round picks should be more than part-timers.

Farmer, who seems to be concentrating on bolstering the front seven of his defense, needs to step back and take a very long and very realistic look at what is clearly the worst offense in the AFC North. It won’t scare anyone.

Orchard, who compiled an astounding 18½ of his 25 career sacks last year, most likely will slide into the spot vacated by Jabaal Sheard, who bolted for New England in free agency. Sometimes, football people can be blinded by statistics that don’t tell the whole story.

Did Orchard all of a sudden become a pass-rushing demon? Where was he the first few years of his tenure at Utah? Maybe he’s one of those football players who seem   to get better as he matures. We’ll find out later this year.

Cooper’s selection merely adds depth to an area of the team that, if it can stay healthy, might be the strongest on the team. But enough already. Time to address the weakest skill position on the team that isn’t quarterback.

This year’s crop of wide receivers in the draft is stronger than last season’s excellent field, but time is running out. Still left are Florida State’s Rashad Greene, Tre McBride of William & Mary, Justin Hardy of East Carolina, Maryland’s Stefon Diggs and Tony Lippett of Michigan State.

Surely, one will be available when the Browns have consecutive picks midway through round four Saturday. If Farmer makes a move in that direction, a small celebration is in order. Don’t hold your breath.

Good start

Say hello, Browns fans, to your new nose tackle and new offensive right tackle who will be your starting center in 2016.

Say hello to Danny Shelton and Cameron Erving – two intelligent selections for a change.

In making common-sense picks with his first two cracks in the first round of the annual National Football League college draft Thursday night in Chicago, Cleveland General Manager Ray Farmer went trenching for talent and struck it rich.

It was a statement that indicates the GM realizes his two lines needed help. Resisting – or least seemingly resisting – the temptation to trade up in order to address the skilled areas of the team, it appears he finally gets it.

Shelton, the boulder-sized defensive tackle from Washington, can’t help but improve the team’s shocking inability to stop the run and, at the same time, improve the interior pass rush.

His entrance on stage with Commissioner Roger Goodell provided the highlight of the evening. Dressed in his native Samoan garb, the academic All-America bear-hugged the much smaller commissioner, then joyously lifted him off the floor for a few seconds.

With this addition to the roster, the Browns’ annual slide to the bottom of the league while defending the run should stop.

The wide body 6-2, 335-pound Shelton, whose short-area quickness is his greatest asset, is a shorter version of Haloti Ngata, who tormented Cleveland offenses for many years with the Baltimore Ravens before being traded to Detroit in March.

He should have no trouble supplanting Phil Taylor in the middle of the defensive line in coach Mike Pettine’s 3-4 hybrid scheme, mainly because Taylor can’t stay healthy. Look for Taylor to move outside.

Shelton is not your standard two-down run stuffer who trots to the sideline on third down. Asked by the NFL Network’s Deion Sanders what the Browns should expect from him, he replied, “The best defensive tackle. The best run-stopping defensive tackle. The best pass-rushing defensive tackle.” In other words, he stays on the field.

His ability to penetrate on obvious passing downs enabled him to record nine sacks last season at Washington. With Shelton on board and a healthier defensive line overall, it will be difficult for the Browns to land again at the bottom of the league’s rankings against the run.

The selection of Erving, another smart move, was to a certain extent made out of necessity. His versatility – he has played all five positions along the offensive line – will allow the Browns to move him into the pivot when Alex Mack leaves following the 2015 season.

So while it appears as though the Erving selection was a hedge against Mack’s departure, that is hardly the case. He is considered the second-best interior lineman in this lottery and should fit in nicely, giving the right side of the offensive line some needed toughness.

For right now, though, look for him to start at right tackle, moving Mitchell Schwartz inside at right guard where he should be more effective. No need to worry about Erving’s pass protection skills. He was good enough to play left tackle and protect Jameis Winston’s blind side at Florida State.

In selecting Erving, Farmer passed up Kentucky’s Bud Dupree, an edge rusher who went to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Central Florida wide receiver Breshad Perriman, who was grabbed by the Baltimore Ravens.

Nevertheless, it was somewhat gratifying he did not overdraft for a wide receiver after the last of the top three wideouts fell off the board two picks after the Shelton selection. The Trader Ray Farmer of last year's draft was missing in action.

So now with two vital areas addressed, the GM goes back to work Friday night in rounds two (pick No. 43) and three (pick No. 77), where the wide receiver situation should finally be addressed. Jaelen Strong of Arizona State and Missouri’s Dorial Green-Beckham are still on the board.

So are outside linebacker Randy Gregory from Nebraska, Alabama safety Landon Collins, offensive tackles T. J. Clemmings from Pittsburgh and Oregon’s Jake Fisher, Virginia outside linebacker Eli Harold, Minnesota tight end Maxx Williams and cornerback Jalen Collins from LSU. All are need positions.

If Farmer is as successful in the next couple of rounds as he was Thursday night, then the uniforms won’t be the only things new in Berea.

Farmer needs to look at the big picture

Good to be back on the planet. Not much on the interstellar news front.

Now then, what’s new? Oh yeah, the college draft is Thursday and the Browns still have two selections in the first round.

That, in and off itself, is a minor miracle given Ray Farmer’s predilection of playing trading games with his fellow National Football League general managers. And wouldn’t you know it, rumors persist Farmer has a deal or two he’d like to make.

His main target, according to those rumors, is Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, with whom has had a love affair (strictly professional, of course) the last two years. And he’d like to continue it in Cleveland.

Unless the Cleveland GM is willing to surrender both of his first-round picks (Nos. 12 and 19) in an effort to get into position to draft Mariota, Browns fans will have to settle for Josh McCown and Johnny Manziel as the club’s quarterbacks this season while Mariota lands elsewhere.

There are those who fully endorse shipping those first-round picks and a whole lot more for the opportunity to select Mariota. That would be insane and only add to the blunders this team has made in the draft for the last 16 years.

Surrendering all those picks is too stiff a price to pay for a quarterback whose success – albeit one that helped him win the last Heisman Trophy – was predicated on a system that is 180 degrees the opposite of a pro style scheme.

The Browns, who need help in a multitude of areas, can ill afford to take such a gamble. Too many holes to fill elsewhere. Like the right side of the offensive line.  Or the secondary. Or the pass rush. Or the run defense. Or the secondary. Or the receiving corps.

If Farmer overcommits for just one position, he will surely disrupt the integrity of the roster. Football is a team game and right now, his team needs far outweigh the needs of one position.

Granted, McCown and Manziel are not the answer at quarterback. But improving the other moving parts of the offense and defense should help to erase any notions the GM has to weaken his team and hone in on Mariota.

There are too many terrific college players who do not write the word quarterback on their resumes to consider. This is a deep draft. Deeper, some say, than last year’s.

The most important area for Farmer to address is the trenches, where most games are won and lost. Win the battles up front and the likelihood of winning games grows exponentially.

The Browns, despite their predictable protestations, are a fragile football team.  They say they like where they are entering the lottery. All teams say that at this time of the season. And then you break it down. So let’s do that.

First the offense. The Browns have a decent offensive line that generally does a good job protecting the quarterback, but needs help on the right side, especially with the running game.

As for the ground game, second-year backs Isaiah Crowell and Terrance West had their moments in their rookie seasons, but need to become more involved in the passing game. If not, opposing defenses will ignore them and take dead aim on the quarterback.

The receiving corps is somewhat better than last season, but that’s not saying much since last season’s group might have been the worst in the entire NFL. Adding veterans Dwayne Bowe and Brian Hartline will not offset the season-long absence of Josh Gordon.

Farmer must fix that offense to take pressure off a defense that spent too much time on the field last season. The receiving corps, after being blatantly ignored last season, must receive more than token attention. McCown and Manziel need someone to rely on and that someone is not on the current roster.

If it’s coach Mike Pettine’s intention to play smashmouth football on offense, the run game needs to be addressed. As it stands now, it is anything but smashmouth worthy. This offensive line is not physical enough to be awarded that label.

Now the defense. Help is needed just about everywhere. It all starts up front with the plug uglies. Shut down the run and your chances of winning dramatically rise. Last season, the injury-riddled Cleveland defensive line shut down no one.

It didn’t help that the pass rush ranked among the lowest (27^th) in the NFL. Outside linebacker Paul Kruger had more than one-third of the team’s 31 sacks. That’s got to improve.

The secondary, statistically speaking, caught a break last season, ranking in the top 25%. That’s because the opposition enjoyed too much success running against the Browns and didn’t need to put the ball up as often.

As for the special teams, the Browns need a return specialist, a new placekicker and a punter. I know, Captain Obvious.

Last season, no one stepped up in the return game and helped win the field-position battle. The punt game was erratic, while the club had to change placekickers in the middle of the season.

There is a ton of work Farmer needs to do with this team. If he believes otherwise, he is fooling only himself. Check out this season’s schedule. It is ridiculously more difficult than last season’s softie.

If Farmer honestly thinks mortgaging the future for a quarterback who won’t pay dividends for at least a couple of seasons is the road down which to travel, then he’s punching a ticket for his departure from Cleveland after just two seasons in the GM's chair.

And then they start all over again. 

Third time charm for Francona?

Observations after watching the Indians play 16 exhibition games in Goodyear, Ariz., the past month . . .

First of all, let’s get one thing straight. This team, despite Sports Illustrated’s hair-brained notion the Tribe will win the 2015 World Series, will not win the 2015 World Series. It won’t get to the World Series.

It is a club with just enough flaws that playing extremely competitive and representative baseball will carry it a long way. It is not abundantly loaded with talent.

Their greatest strength is their manager. Terry Francona’s ability to squeeze out the maximum amount of talent from his players cannot be emphasized enough. They love playing for him.

There is something about Francona that transcends the normal manager-player relationship. Maybe it’s the fun-loving, loose clubhouse he runs. Then again, it might be the profound respect he shows his players.

Whatever it is, Francona’s success in his first two seasons with the Tribe is a testament to his prowess as a manager. Working with one of the (comparatively) lowest payrolls in baseball and nothing more than marginal talent, his Indians have won 177 games and surprisingly qualified for the playoffs in 2013.

It’s hard to figure out why SI believes the Indians will do something they haven’t done since 1948. The starting pitching is all right, not great; the defense should be better than last season, but that’s not saying much because last season’s defense was mediocre at best; and there is virtually no scary power.

Breaking that down . . .

The starting rotation of Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Trevor Bauer, Zach McAllister and TJ House is adequate. Yes, I know Kluber is coming off a Cy Young season. And I know the light turned on for Carrasco the second half of last season. Both are late bloomers who should be able to continue their success.

But that’s where the success stops. The unpredictable Bauer is inconsistent, McAllister was slated for bullpen duty at the beginning of spring training and House is just getting started.

Francona and pitching coach Mickey Callaway (another team strength) have absolutely no idea what they are going to get from Bauer on a game-to-game basis. This season, though, they know he will not beat himself as he has in the past with walks. His control has been superb.

But by hitting the strike zone with more accuracy, he has been prone to surrendering home runs.

The monster back-to-back-to-back shots he gave up to Jorge Soler, Javier Baez and Kris Bryant in the fourth inning of the March 10 exhibition against the Chicago Cubs were awe-inspiring from a Cubs standpoint. They traveled an estimated 1,300 feet.

McAllister arrived in camp and was penciled in for bullpen duty based on his success there last season. But after the failures of Danny Salazar and Josh Tomlin in camp, the big right-hander was returned to the rotation and earned a spot with some solid pitching. The question is whether he can carry over that success to the regular season. The brass is hopeful he channels the success of Kluber and Carrasco.

The club’s biggest strength, without question, is its bullpen. Cody Allen anchors an eight-man pen (yikes!) that features five righties (Allen, Bryan Shaw, Scott Atchison, Anthony Swarzak and Austin Adams) and three lefties (Nick Hagadone, Marc Rzepczynski and Kyle Crockett). All throw hard.

It gives Francona, who uses the bullpen more than any other major league manager, all kinds of opportunities to mix and match. If the starters can get through six innings with the lead, advantage Cleveland with that bullpen.

As for the offense, don’t expect any 30-home run hitters. But don’t expect slumps, either. First baseman Carlos Santana (getting better defensively), right fielder Brandon Moss, left fielder Michael Brantley and catcher Yan Gomes can provide some pop and are consistent enough hitters to withstand prolonged slumps.

Yes, I know Santana’s batting average has slipped the last couple of seasons, but he also owns perhaps the best batting eye on the team and draws a lot of walks.

The key to the Tribe offense this season, though, will be how the top of the batting order performs. Center fielder Michael Bourn and second baseman Jason Kipnis, coming off poor seasons, need to improve.

Bourn, whose on-base percentage screams for him to bat much lower in the lineup, had a terrific spring, spraying the ball all over the field. He still needs to work the pitcher harder for walks. Kipnis, healthier than last season, has lost some weight and looks quicker.

Francona needs to turn them loose on the basepaths. The Indians rarely tried to steal bases in spring training. Bourn, recovering from hamstring problems, tried only once and was gunned down. He used to be one of the best base stealers in baseball. Both men also looked better in the field.

So where are the Indians hurting? Third base defense and lack of a power right-handed bat.

Lonnie Chisenhall, who swings a nice bat, is not exactly a butcher with the glove at third base, but he’s close. He seems to have a problem with balls hit right at him, something you’d think would be easy. Most of his errors this spring were of that variety.

Chisenhall has no trouble diving into the hole and toward the foul line and displays a fairly accurate arm. His inconsistency has to alarm Francona.

As for a right-handed bat, I thought the signing of 27-year-old free agent Jerry Sands was a terrific move. The big former Dodger, who can play all three outfield positions and first base, had a solid spring. It included one of the longest home runs ever hit at Goodyear Ballpark, an estimated 470-foot shot over the batter’s eye in center field.

Francona chose instead to keep Ryan Raburn, perhaps hoping to recapture some of Raburn’s heroics from the 2013 season. But two sub-par seasons in the last three for the soon-to-be 34-year-old Raburn should serve as a warning sign.

Mike Aviles and David Murphy are back, too. Not a big fan of Murphy’s, but love Aviles’ versatility. Must be fun for him to report for a game, not really knowing where he’ll play, but knowing the fans are going to receive a solid performance. You’ll find the ultimate utilityman anywhere in the infield or outfield at any given time.

The 2015 Indians will be classic overachievers and seriously challenge the Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals and Chicago White Sox for the championship of the well-balanced American League Central Division, but fall agonizingly short.

Look for the slightly weakened Tigers, who have dominated the division the last several seasons, to come back to the field; the Royals to sustain the great run on their way to the World Series last season; and the vastly improved White Sox to hang in there until September.

It very well could wind up in a four-team race down the stretch with pitching the deciding factor. But Cleveland’s pitching, which provided the impetus for a strong finish last season, will fall short this season with a tired bullpen the chief culprit.

Miscellaneous: Best addition has to be Moss, whose power bat should produce at least 25 home runs this season. Plus, he’s versatile enough to play right field and first base. That’s what Nick Swisher did the last two seasons before injuries disabled him. Swisher, great in the clubhouse and on the bench, has been a huge disappointment on the field. Two bad knees did not help the situation. . . . Jose Ramirez provides a solid glove and adequate bat to hold down shortstop until Francisco Lindor is ready. . . . Francona has more pitchers (13) on the team than batters. . . . Roberto Perez had a nice spring and there should be little dropoff when he gives Gomes an occasional rest behind the plate. . . . Look for Salazar to join the rotation once he gets straightened out at Class AAA Columbus.

Getting lucky in more ways than one

The National Football League chickened out with regard to its punishment of Browns General Manager Ray Farmer Monday.

A four-game suspension, to take place the first four weeks of the regular season, and a $250,000 fine is not even a slap on the wrist. It’s a slap on a fingernail.

Bad boy, bad boy, Ray, for texting the bench during games. Naughty, naughty. You knew better even though you were a rookie GM, but just couldn’t help yourself. We’ll let you off this time. You don’t even have to go to a corner and think about what you did. No, this timeout will cost you just the first four games of the season.

It’s official. The NFL is getting soft.

What the league should have done is hit Farmer – and the Browns – where it hurts. Suspend him immediately and restore his active status five weeks from now or the day after the draft, whichever comes first. That would hurt big-time.

The most important part of Farmer’s job is how – and whom – the club drafts and shaping the roster. The lottery is the lifeline of most NFL teams. Farmer, by virtue of his suspension during the regular season, now has the opportunity to plunge forward with his draft plans.

To deny him the ability to formulate those plans is a much more severe punishment than missing the first four games of the regular season. The Browns are also fortunate they didn’t lose a draft choice. And the bonus is Farmer now is free to do his job.

If it were any other GM caught breaking the NFL’s rules, especially those in the club’s division, Browns fans would have screamed bloody murder. 

The club was extremely fortunate this time. But by slapping Farmer's fingernails, the NFL also set a dangerous precedent that will be hard to argue if another general manager tries to do the same thing down the road.

No excitement in free agency

Peggy Lee once asked the musical question, “Is That All There Is?” The same can be asked of the Browns’ front office with regard to how they have handled this season’s free agency.

Is that all there is, Ray Farmer and Mike Pettine, when it comes to improving your team? Do you honestly believe the 2015 Cleveland Browns have been improved with your foray thus far into the free-agent market?

Do you in your heart of hearts think the addition of quarterbacks Josh McCown and Thad Lewis and wide receivers Brian Hartline and Dwayne Bowe will improve your offense? Or that cornerback Tramon Williams and defensive tackle Randy Starks will help the defense?

The only thing you accomplished with those signings is increase the average age of your team. Nothing wrong with signing veterans, but when those veterans are clearly on the downside of their careers, that’s a problem.

The whole idea is to grab young veterans, those in their mid- and late 20s, when they are in their prime and still have several seasons left to make valuable contributions. And there were several of the unrestricted variety out there who could have helped.

Only one problem. It didn’t take long for Farmer and Pettine to find out some of their primary targets preferred to play elsewhere. Or more negatively put, anywhere in the National Football League but Cleveland.

They found that out the hard way when tight end Jordan Cameron, one of their own, shopped the Browns’ offer and found a willing partner in the Miami Dolphins and couldn’t say yes fast enough. The Dolphins will find out soon enough that Jordan is an injury waiting to happen.

And where do fading players who have been released and find out practically nobody wants them wind up? That’s right. Cast your eyes to the shores of Lake Erie. That’s where the team with about $45 million in salary cap space plays.

Of course, the spin doctors at 76 Lou Groza Blvd. trumpet the arrival of the above retreads as though they give hope for the immediate future. Some fans will buy it. The more sophisticated ones know these moves were of the Band-Aid variety and cringe at what lies ahead.

The Browns need truckloads of help on the offensive side of the ball and all the so-called smart folks in Berea could come up with were players who, for the most part, were no longer wanted and dropped from their respective teams.

McCown epitomizes the term journeymen. He is not better than Brian Hoyer. Lewis is training camp fodder. Hartline is, at best, a possession receiver with marginal speed. He’ll be this season’s Miles Austin.

Bowe, who agreed to terms with the Browns to a two-year contract Thursday, is a classic underachiever. He should have thrived the last two seasons in Kansas City in coach Andy Reid’s offense and failed badly. He did not score a touchdown last season and played in every game.

The signing of Williams, who just turned 32, is a clear sign the Browns are not exactly sanguine about the immediate future of Justin Gilbert. Last season’s No. 1 pick in the college draft saw free agent K’Waun Williams take many of his reps last season.

The Green Bay Packers, wanting to get younger in the secondary, released Williams, whose claim to fame is he has started every game in his eight-season career. And most corners begin to fade quickly in their early 30s.

The Browns allowing a much younger Buster Skrine to escape in favor of Williams is a head scratcher. Skrine’s sharp improvement last season helped the Browns’ secondary put up some decent numbers.

The signing of Starks is another puzzler. Yes, the club was last in the NFL last season at stopping the run. But that was because the line, expected to be the strength of the defense, battled injuries all season and did not play one game with the group the club had counted on coming out of training camp.

Starks is an old 31. This will be his 12^th NFL season. He brings savvy and not much else. If he survives training camp, he will be nothing more than an occasional contributor.

Last season as a rookie general manager, Farmer was significantly more successful, bagging safety Donte Whitner, linebacker Karlos Dansby, wide receiver Andrew Hawkins and running back Ben Tate.

Whitner and Dansby were vital contributors throughout the season from a playing and locker room presence. Hawkins was the club’s best receiver. Tate was released midway through the season with the emergence of rookies Isaiah Crowell and Terrance West.

Now stop and think about the new free-agent signings, then ask yourself one question: Have the Browns improved themselves enough at this point to at least match last season’s victory total of seven? If the answer is yes, ask another question: Where?

Do you really believe they are improved with maybe the worst starting quarterback in not just the AFC North, the entire AFC, but the entire league? And probably the worst pass receiving corps? Not to mention their best tight end is now in Miami.

Yes, the offensive line is solid on the left side and at center. But the right side is clearly suspect. It is a highly overrated line, especially in pass protection.

If the answer is no, they have not improved themselves, welcome to the land of reality. Only an optimist with tunnelvision sees nothing but a bright future out there for the team in arguably the toughest division in the NFL.

Then factor in that this season, the Browns play the eighth-toughest schedule in the NFL. Last season, they played the sixth easiest, which included the extremely weak NFC South. This season, it’s the extremely tough NFC West.

So by virtue of what Farmer has done in free agency, it is easy to see why conspiracy theorists think the Browns are positioning themselves to once again wind up in the top three in the 2016 college draft when high profile quarterbacks Cardale Jones of Ohio State and Connor Cook of Michigan State are expected to be on the board.

Both are local kids, Jones from Glenville High School and Cook, who played at Walsh Jesuit High School.

Bottom line for the 2015 season: Farmer, who has 10 picks this season, had better have a hellacious draft.

Money unwisely spent

Holy crap, the Browns are paying Josh McCown roughly $5 million a year to mentor their young quarterbacks? What a waste of money if that’s the case.

No, $5 million a year does not buy you a mentor. It buys you a starter. And I don’t for a minute buy into the notion that mentoring means starting games and helping the kids along the way.

The role of mentoring belongs to the quarterbacks coach. He’s a coach. That is part of his job. A starting quarterback has enough problems during a game without concerning himself with sharing his on-the-field experiences. He can share his thoughts maybe the next day, but I wouldn’t call that mentoring.

The role of trying to help Johnny Manziel and Connor Shaw become quality National Football League quarterbacks belongs to new quarterbacks coach Kevin O’Connell just like Dowell Loggains was supposed to do last season.

It wasn’t Brian Hoyer’s job to mentor Manziel and Shaw last season. Some reports last season indicated he wanted nothing to do with that. And who could blame him? He had enough to worry about as a starter. It’s no different with McCown, although he begs to differ.

“If you can give of yourself to others to help somebody else in your journey, I think you’ll find so much more peace in life,” he said in a statement after signing his three-year contract.  “And so that’s my approach when I head into a quarterback room and is just ‘What can I give back to the guys around me to help us be better?' ''

All well and good, but how does that translate into helping Manziel and Shaw develop? The only thing McCown can deliver is 12 seasons of distinctly mediocre quarterbacking. Do as I say, not as I perform.

The newcomer also says he understands how unkindly a certain segment of Browns fans perceive him. “I don’t back off of it or shy away,” he told the Northeast Ohio Media Group. “I understand people’s frustration.

“But my mind-set is to come in here, grow and improve as a football player and help this team win football games. When I’ve been able to operate in a system that’s organized and been around a while like I did in 2013 with the Bears, I’ve been able to play at a high level.” He was 3-2 in relief of the injured Jay Cutler that season and living off that short spurt of success.

A high level for what, five games? That’s five games in 12 seasons. You mean that high a level? Repeating, five games in a dozen seasons.

Other than that, McCown has been a well-traveled journeyman whose results have been abysmally below average. By comparison, Hoyer played at a high level for the Browns for the first five games last season.

So if that’s the barometer by which McCown judges his talent, then the Browns have not only made a mistake by giving this guy around 5 mil a year, they have made a colossal mistake.

What he had in Chicago during that five-game span that he won’t have in Cleveland were wide receivers like Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall, a tight end like Martellus Bennett and a running back like Matt Forte. The Browns wish they had talent like that.

Now let’s see what McCown does – and he will because no one is going to beat him out of the starting job unless General Manager Ray Farmer has been holding back and has one more veteran on his radar – with the likes of two running backs in their second season and a wide receivers corps that ranks near the bottom in the NFL.

As for playing at a high level “in a system that’s organized and been around a while,” he certainly didn’t do his homework when it came to the Browns, who are working with their sixth different offensive coordinator in six seasons. Somehow, that little nugget escaped his eyes.

Some critics, including yours truly, believe that using Browns and organized in the same sentence is an oxymoron. The instability factor has resided in Berea for way too long.

It’s time for the Browns to stop making moves such as the one with McCown and really try to become relevant in the NFL for the first time since Marty Schottenheimer was the head coach. Aim and shoot high, not low.

That’s not asking too much, is it?