It's showtime

The practice games are now over for the Romeo Crennel Browns. Cleveland's 3-1 preseason record following Thursday's 16-6 win over the Bears is wiped away. Charlie Frye's great camp and preseason now means nothing if he can't answer when called upon, as Luke McCown wasn't able to last year.
Will Green's resurgence, Reuben Droughns' nice game Thursday, Antonio Bryant's dominant camp. It was all for practice. Sept. 11 against Cincinnati, it starts for real.
Unlike previous years, I get the sense the Browns actually have some strong bricks with which to build their foundation. There's still a lot of work to do, and, unlike some radio callers, a 3-1 preseason isn't giving me AFC Championship Game delusions about this year. But suddenly, the prospect of having the Browns be a perennial playoff team within several years isn't so far-fetched as it was during the bungling Dwight Clark/Carmen Policy and Butch Davis regimes.

We know the weaknesses. The defense's slow transition to the 3-4 scheme. The wounded cornerback corps. The field goals of Phil Dawson, suddenly as nail-biting as Bob Wickman's saves. But I've identified a few areas that give fans hope. Dare I say, they might even be considered strengths.

1. Offensive Coordinator Maurice Carthon
After years of clueless and unimaginative play-calling by Bruce Arians and Terry Robiskie, it looks like Crennel has come aboard and found the right man to direct his offense. Carthon has shown an ability to be creative, mixing his calls and giving the opposing defense different looks. On Thursday's lone touchdown drive, he showed simple can be beautiful, playing Droughns' up-the-middle runs against basic out-pattern passes from Frye to Antonio Bryant. The drive covered 80 yards and ended with a Droughns touchdown plunge.
Being a good coordinator is like being a good pitcher. It's not about how hard you throw or how spectacular your playbook is. It's about giving your opponent different looks in different locations and keeping him off-balance. Carthon appears to understand that.

2. The Browns' big receiver corps
Watching last night's game, it struck me just how big the Browns' receivers are. Dennis Northcutt is probably the only small receiver the Browns have. Bryant and Braylon Edwards stand between 6'-2" and 6'-3". Josh Cribbs and Frisman Jackson are even larger, to the point where I'd almost classify Jackson as a hybrid wide receiver-tight end.
That makes the quarterback's job easier. The Browns receivers can win a lot of jump balls other receivers couldn't. Passes Frye or Trent Dilfer would otherwise have to zip into coverage, they can lob overhead to many of these receivers and let them pluck it out of the air. That was demostrated on Frye's game-winning touchdown to Edwards in Detroit.
Imagine when/if they get Kellen Winslow back. The receiver corps will be even bigger and more skilled. That's why, to this day, I still feel the urge to find Winslow and kick him in the pants for riding that motorcycle.

3. Charlie Frye
Crennel can't resist getting more looks at his young quarterback, who appears to be a blossoming star. He was admant that Dilfer would start Thursday's game, then sprung a starting assignment on Frye just before the game to see how he would react. He took to it like a fish to water, and Crennel couldn't bring himself to take him out of the game until late in the third quarter, an almost unheard-of length of time for a quarterback to play in the final preaseason game.
Crennel is wise to hold Frye back and start Dilfer in the regular season. But I've done a 180 on the need to have a veteran backup to Dilfer in order to further protect Frye. He might be capable of being the first arm out of the bullpen, and once he gets the nod, he might take the job and run with it.

4. Crennel's strong-but-diplomatic coaching style
The seeds for last year's debacle were planted in the preseason, when Butch Davis and then-quarterback Jeff Garcia decided they didn't really like each other. Garcia publicly complained about not getting enough playing time to familiarize himself with the offense, and instead of taking his quarterback aside and trying to discuss the matter, Davis' solution was to take a spiteful machete to Garcia's playing time, lifting him after one series in the all-important third preseason game.
Crennel appears to have let his players know he's the boss without belittling them, humiliating them, or cutting off his nose to spite his face. Frye deserved a longer look, so Crennel started him Thursday, but he did it in a way that didn't make Dilfer feel like garbage. All throughout Thursday's game, Dilfer was visible, interacting with Frye and Carthon, even though he didn't strap his helmet on once.
Crennel is trying to develop a team culture centered around learning and mutual respect, one where the veterans are as valued for their ability to teach younger players as they are for actually playing. It looks like it's working.