EDITORIAL BY GRAYDON FOX

Prizes:

1st Place: $25 Amazon gift card

2nd-5th Place: $10 Amazon gift card

If there are ties, a random drawing will determine the winner.

Top 5 Winners:

1. Kimbroughd (500 points)
2. Wesley Mericle (350 points)
3. Michael Tress (350 points)
4. Ramirolozano112 (350 points)
5. Sportguru1980 (350 points)

Overview:

On Thursday, August 9^th, the Cleveland Browns will be on the road to take on the New York Giants in the opening week of the 2018 NFL Preseason.

The Crowd:

“The Crowd” is projecting a final score of Giants 23.7 – Browns 18.6 with an over/under of 42.3.

2017-18 Statistics (32 total teams):

Yards per game:  Giants 314.2 (21^st) > Browns 308.9 (24^th)

Points per game: Giants 15.4 (31^st) > Browns 14.6 (32^nd)

Turnover margin: Giants -3 > Browns -28

Yards allowed per game: Browns 328.1 (14^th) > Giants 373.2 (31^st)

Points allowed per game: Giants 24.2 (27^th) > Browns 25.6 (31^st)

Summary:

The Browns are coming off a miserable (0-16) season and claimed their place as the second NFL to ever go winless.  Cleveland’s general manager John Dorsey completely overhauled the roster this offseason bringing in quality starters in Jarvis Landry, E.J. Gaines, T.J. Carrie, Tryod Taylor, Demarious Randall, and Mychal Kendricks.  The Browns selected Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Baker Mayfield with the first pick in the NFL draft and cornerback Denzel Ward with the fourth pick.  Ward has drawn rave reviews in the early portion of camp and could star in a completely revamped secondary.  Other draftees Antonio Callaway, Nick Chubb, and Austin Corbett are all expected to make an immediate impact.  The uncertainty surrounding star wide receiver Josh Gordon is cause for concern because his dark past is well documented.  I expect a huge jump from Myles Garrett who struggled to stay healthy in year one. The Browns (-176) ranked 32^nd in the NFL in point differential in 2017.  The Browns will be much improved this season and step one is taking care of the football.

The Giants finished last season with a (3-13) record and were last place in the NFC East.  The Giants are a much more talented team than their record indicated and they were decimated by injuries.  Eli Manning enters his age 37 season after completing 62% of his passes for 3,468 yards with 19 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.  The Giants used th second overall pick in the NFL Draft to select Penn State star running back Saquon Barkley who should provide an immediate boost to a backfield that has struggled for years.  Barkley is an offensive dynamo who will make a huge impact in both the running and the passing game.  Odell Beckham returns from a season ending injury and will likely become the highest paid receiver in the NFL soon.  The Giants offense was brutal without the home run ability of Beckham.  The signing of left tackle Nate Solder should help to solidify the offensive line that was in flux for much of last season.  The Giants need to improve from within as they have too many overpaid veterans who aren’t playing to their capability.  I loved the trade for linebacker Alec Ogletree who was the heart and soul of the Rams defense.  The Giants (-142) ranked 31^st in the NFL in point differential.

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