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ESPN.com has issued their power rankings going into Week 1 of the 2006 NFL season and the Cleveland Browns sit at #27, down four spots from where they were picked in their offseason rankings. The whole center fiasco undoubtedly had something to do with the fall from #23. Here’s the short blurb that was written about the Browns going into the season.

If Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow Jr. can get healthy and stay that way, the Browns will actually have some weapons on offense.

The Browns finished with six wins last season and, Bentley injury aside, could still finish this upcoming season with a .500 record, in my opinion. At least for the early part of the season, the defense will be ahead of the offense and will need to carry them until Frye and the rest of the offense can gel with one another. As long as Frye stays healthy and the Browns build on their year of experience under Crennel last season, an 8-8 season is reasonable.

Starting defense OK

The first-team allowed the first touchdown after a long Bears’ punt return started them deep in Browns territory. The Bears were able to drive down the field on them on their second drive but the defense held them to a field goal. Gary Baxter didn’t start due to injury and Leigh Bodden and Brian Russell were held out so they could rest for the opener. Their secondary played rather poorly, but with Pete Hunter and Daven Holly as your starting corners, there really can only be room for improvement once Baxter, McCutcheon, and Bodden are all on the field together.

Green inactive

One of the more interesting inactives for the Browns was running back William Green. Green is battling Lee Suggs, who played sparingly, for a roster spot. Was Green hurt or is he part of an upcoming trade and the Browns didn’t want to risk injury?

Rookies who shined

Kamerion Wimbley once again showed flashes of his superb athleticism, making three tackles and getting to the quarterback on a couple of occasions. Although they weren’t recorded as sacks or fumbles, he caused the QB to drastically hurry his throws on a few plays. The Browns’ second and third-team defensive units were below average in the game, but a couple players stood out. Rookie safety Justin Hamilton exhibited some good run-stopping ability and seems to be a player who is isn’t afraid to still his nose in on plays. Look for him to be a viable option as a backup safety this season. Another rookie, nose tackle Baba Oshinowo, made a couple of nice tackles at the line of scrimmage.

Backup QB

Derek Anderson has outplayed Dorsey so far for the #2 quarterback position, but neither really stands out. If Frye were to go down, having either of these two guys step in behind center would hardly make me feel comfortable. Billy Volek could soon be available.

Overall assessment

The first-team offense’s performance, or lack thereof, was a little concerning and was a step back from how they did last week against Buffalo. But you have to give the tough Bears defense a lot of credit, they are tops in the league. Bottom line: the offense has a long way to go. The defense? Once they get their starting secondary back, which will be soon, they should be in decent shape.

It was a rough go for Charlie Frye and the rest of the first-team offense as the Browns fell to the Bears 20-7 in their preseason finale Thursday night. Frye was 1-of-4 for 8 yards in his two series. The first-team offense was totally stifled by the Bears defense, which is one of the best, if not the best, in the NFL. Attempting to run the ball was like running into a brick wall. And when he tried to pass, Frye barely had any time to throw in the short six plays he ran.

Their only score came with Derek Anderson under the helm when he threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Frisman Jackson at the end of the first half. Anderson, 11-for-22 for 76 yards, 1 TD, and 1 INT, wasn’t great but surely outperformed Ken Dorsey, who finished 2-for-7 for 18 yards. Frisman Jackson led all Browns receivers with 40 yards on four catches. Jason Wright and Jerome Harrison each had 32 yards on the ground on seven carries.

Outside linebacker and rookie Kamerion Wimbley looks like he might be the type of pass-rushing force the Browns have been in search of for the past several seasons. Already with two sacks in the preseason, the young defenseive end turned linebacker has shown the ability to get to the quarterback and has made life extremely difficult for offensive blockers. The transition for Wimbley has seemed all too easy as he has been able to pick up the nuances of his new postion rather quickly.

“I think it gets better every game,” Wimbley said. “I don’t know if I’m at a 10, but I’m getting there. As every game goes by, I feel a little bit more comfortable. When I’m out there I don’t feel pressured.”

As impressive as Wimbley has been so far in the preseason, he has made some mistakes, not uncommon for a player making a postion switch for the first time. However, the rookie is doing a good job of learning from those mistakes and is using them to make himself a better player.

Wimbley has the advantage of sitting back and learning from Willie McGinest, one of the league’s best at his position. He’s almost in a perfect situation here in Cleveland. Wimbley is a very humble guy and doesn’t look to be in the spotlight. His role with the Browns is ideal, where he can take his time learning his new position without too much pressure being put on him. Being a full-time starter will come eventually for Wimbley but with the way he’s been progressing and improving, that day could come a lot sooner than expected.