The Cleveland Browns were a slow-motion car wreck on offense last season, but new coach Rob Chudzinski has promised to flip the script with a wide-open passing game.
Josh Gordon already has seen a difference.
"Defenses will be shocked to say the least with how much we're running downfield," the wide receiver said, per the Akron Beacon Journal. "I've never ran this much as a wide receiver ever in my life, and that's a good thing. And not just me, everyone from the slot guys to running backs, everyone's got passing plays in the system."
We mentioned the Browns this week as one of five teams set for wholesale changes on offense. Coordinator Norv Turner prefers an aggressive passing attack that challenges defenses with deep strikes downfield, which certainly sounds unlike anything we've seen out of Cleveland in recent days.
The pressing question comes at quarterback, where second-year starter Brandon Weeden struggled to make a difference last season. Weeden obviously is a better fit for a shotgun-oriented attack than last year's precision-based West Coast outfit. Still, without better decision-making, it won't matter what Weeden's receivers are doing.
Gordon's promising rookie season is a source of optimism. So is one of the NFL's better offensive lines. And it doesn't hurt that Cleveland has committed to replacing a predictable, sleep-inducing scheme with an attack-style offense, but until we see production from under center, it's all talk.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
