From the Other Sideline: Dawg Pound Daily (Cleveland Browns Q&A)

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We are just hours away from kickoff between the Titans (1-3) and the Browns (1-2) and we want to bring you the most coverage up the upcoming matchup. We recently seek out to our FanSided Network’s Cleveland Browns’ site, DawgPoundDaily.com for their insight of the game.

Jared Mueller is the editor of DawgPoundDaily.com and sat down with us for some Q&A about the Browns and the game. Be sure to follow Dawg Pound Daily on Twitter @DawgPoundDaily.

Titan Sized: Both teams are coming into this matchup with one win. Morale is low with the Titan fan base due to the lackluster performances on the field. What is the morale like in Cleveland?

Dawg Pound Daily: The morale in Cleveland is fairly high. Without Josh Gordon the offense behind Brian Hoyer has looked solid while the defense, which we expected to be the backbone of the team has struggled. If that had been flipped the hope would be far lower. Instead we believe that the defense can improve because they have the talent and the scheme. There is still some trepidation related to the offense but with a great offense line, a stable of running backs, a healthy Jordan Cameron and slot wonder Andrew Hawkins fans have embraced the turnover-less Hoyer. The next 5 games will be huge for the Browns as they play a bunch of teams who are struggling.

TS: Johnny Manziel has seen seldom playing time thus far in his rookie year. Some believe the Titans will see Johnny Cleveland on Sunday. What is the likelihood of that happening and what should we expect?

DPD: I continue to see Manziel sparingly. The Browns know what they have in Hoyer but can spice things up with Manziel. If the Browns are up or down big you may see him late in the games. Right now the Browns are basically setting their tendency with Manziel. If the plan is for a handoff on first down they run Manziel in. That will set up the team for a big player at some time later. They tried it with the trick play last week that was called back due to penalty.

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TS: How much of an impact will Browns’ running back Ben Tate make if he returns from injury against the Titans?

DPD: The Browns running game has been fine to great so far this year with minimal contributions from Tate. What Tate does give is consistency. Terrance West looks good than falls off a bit and gives way to Isaiah Crowell. With Tate his play is solid. He calls himself questionable which means you can expect all 3 backs tomorrow.

TS: Which Titan players are you most concerned about coming into this matchup?

DPD: Because of the Browns struggles against the run Shonn Greene and Bishop Sankey present some concerns. Justin Hunter, a bigger receiver, and Kendall Wright, a speed guy and the reason we drafted Brandon Weeden, both could give our secondary some issues if the past is any indication. That means whether Jake Locker is healthy and playing well will be key. The Browns are an aggressive defense so losing contain on Locker could be a huge problem. Charlie Whitehurst is a career backup for a reason and Zach Mettenberger has a long way to go before he is a weapon.

TS: What are your predictions of the game with a final score?

DPD: Hate to seem overconfident, as the Browns history tells us not to, but I expect the Browns to have a pretty dominate game. They may not score a ton, especially if they are in control, but a win at 24 – 10 seems just about right. After the start to this season nothing would surprise me though.