Red Right 88

Looking to see where the Browns rank

While it becomes clearer each week that the Browns are getting better, we thought we’d take a look at a few key positions to see how the players stack up against the rest of the league.

Running back Peyton Hillis is 12th in the NFL in rushing yards (726) and yards per carry (4.8). He’s third in the league with eight rushing touchdowns. If he keeps up his current pace, he’ll finish with 1,290 yards (9th best in team history) and 14 rushing touchdowns (tied for 5th best in team history).

Add in his pass catching, Hillis is on pace for 60 catches for 455 yards, and he could finish the season with 1,745 yards from scrimmage.

Not bad for a guy the Browns got for Brady Quinn.

Turning to the receivers, tight end Ben Watson is 10th in the league among tight ends with 36 receptions and eighth in yards with 434. At his current pace he will end up with 64 receptions which would be tied for 14th best in team history.

As for Mohamed Massaquoi and Brian Robiskie … well … we knew they were bad but when you go into the numbers it’s much uglier.

Massaquoi is 85th among wide receivers in receptions (15) and 89th in receiving yards (181). Robiskie is 106th in receptions (9) and 115th in yards (81). It’s worse when you compare them to other second-year receivers, as Massaquoi is 18th in receptions and yards, while Robiskie is 20th in receptions and 22nd in yards. That’s out of 28 players.

Let’s just move on.

The news is better in the secondary, as safety T.J. Ward is 12th in the league in tackles and No. 1 among rookie defenders. Corner back Joe Haden is third among rookies with his two interceptions.

That brings us to quarterback Colt McCoy. While he doesn’t have enough game action yet to be included with the league leaders, if you project his four-game performance over nine games, the numbers look pretty decent.

McCoy’s projected total of 1,651 yards would put him 21st in the league. His 64.5 completion percentage would put him in a tie for sixth place with Tom Brady.

And while his 85.2 quarterback rating would only put him 21st in the league, he would be ahead of Carson Palmer, Mark Sanchez, Sam Bradford, Donovan McNabb, Brett Favre, Jimmy Clausen and, of course, Derek Anderson.

Not bad for someone who was expected to even get into a regular-season game this year.

So what does this all mean? Probably not much, but it helps fill the time until Sunday rolls around again.

And, boy, is it ever a nice change to look forward to a Browns game again.