It’s been a crazy preseason here on the shores of Lake Erie. The reason for the lack of a post last week wasn’t because I raised the white flag after the Browns’ rough outing against the Eagles; it was because we had no electricity and I totally missed the game.
Anyhow, tonight is the Cleveland Browns’ last preseason game. For the second preseason in a row, the Browns will be ending their preseason against the Chicago Bears.
The fourth preseason game is always fun to watch because the guys on the field are fighting hard to either make the roster or build a solid game film resume to show other teams looking to fill spots on their roster. There won’t be any guys pulling a Todd Pinkston and dropping a pass because they don’t want to get hit or any guys running out of bounds instead of grinding out another yard. Instead, the field will be filled with desperate, intense guys who don’t want their lifelong dream of playing in the NFL to end this weekend when final cuts occur. Gotta love it!
Barring another unforeseen power outage, I’ll be watching tonight’s game. As I watch, I’ll be focusing on two players who will play tonight and should have a major impact on the Browns’ season.
The first of these players is Montario Hardesty. Browns fans may recall that Hardesty took the field in last year’s preseason finale against the Bears, looked great in some limited action, and then proceeded to suffer a season-ending injury. Hardesty came to Cleveland with a history of injuries that was almost as long as his history of accomplishments at the University of Tennessee, and many Browns fans were worried that he would succumb to injuries in Cleveland as well. I was at that game, and the stadium was as deathly still as a morgue when Hardesty was taken off the field. Let’s hope history does not repeat itself again this evening, especially considering the uncertain status of Brandon Jackson. Another season in which Peyton Hillis is the Browns’ only reliable rushing threat–sorry, Mike Bell, you didn’t count in 2010–will mean another season in which Hillis ends the year beaten down and injury-ridden.
The second player on whom I will be keeping a close eye is Jason Pinkston. Eric Steinbach’s season-ending injury has left a gaping hole at left guard, and Pinkston has been given the first shot at replacing him. While I personally believe the Browns should sign a veteran offensive lineman such as Nick Kaczur to replace Steinbach until it is proven that Pinkston can handle the job, a strong performance from Pinkston tonight could go a long way in dispelling my doubts about his suitability to handle the position.
Good luck to all of you who are preparing for last-minute fantasy drafts, and GO BROWNS!
