CLEVELAND, Ohio — Few things went right, obviously, for the 2011 Cleveland Browns during their 4-12 season.

Two rookie defensive linemen, however, did provide some optimism for the team’s future.

First-round draft pick Phil Taylor showed promise, playing alongside solid veteran Ahtyba Rubin.

Defensive end Jabaal Sheard, a second-round pick, was even better, emerging as one of the Browns’ few playmakers on either side of the ball.

Mike Wilkening of ProFootballWeekly.com writes the Browns rookie report, including:

DE Jabaal Sheard — Sheard finished his first NFL season in fine form, recording another sack and six tackles. Sheard led the Browns this season with 8½ sacks, the second-most by a Cleveland rookie since sacks became an official statistics. Like fellow rookie Phil Taylor, Sheard started all 16 games on the Cleveland defensive line.

DT Phil Taylor — The Browns’ first-round pick recorded 59 tackles and four sacks in 2011, showing considerable potential. He made two tackles in Week 17.

Plain Dealer and cleveland.com Browns coverage includes Tony Grossi’s story on Browns coach Pat Shurmur beginning his search for an offensive coordinator; video, by David I. Andersen, of Tony Grossi and Mary Kay Cabot discussing the offseason ahead for the Browns; a Starting Blocks poll asking what the most important offseason move for the Browns would be; “Bud Shaw’s Sports Spin;” and much more.

Goal to goal

The Browns’ problems lie with their offense. By Dave Hackenberg of the Toledo Blade.

The top job for Pat Shurmur is to bring back some hope for the team, writes Chad Conant for the Marion Star.

The Browns should keep Colt McCoy as their starting quarterback, Tom Misson writes for newsnet5.com.

Game-by-game review of the Browns’ season. A Bleacher Report slideshow.

Why the Browns shouldn’t pursue Peyton Manning. By Steve DiMatteo for the blog “Dawg Pound Daily.”

There’s not much to expect from a Mike Holmgren/Tom Heckert press conference, wriites Craig Lyndall for the blog “Waiting For Next Year.”

Browns players are still optimistic about the future, despite the 2011 win-loss record, writes Fred Greetham for Scout.com’s Orange and Brown Report.

Leave your comments on the news below.

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Cleveland Browns’ fans, we have all been here before. We start the season off wholly optimistic and as the season goes on we slap a smile on our faces and continue to cheer on our team, but have that sinking feeling in our stomachs as that “losses” column grows. The Browns ended the 2011 season 4-12. Nothing really good can be said about this. We are Browns’ fans and the most passionate and loyal in the league, but it is truly impossible to find something great to say about this season.

So, what can the Browns do to make 2012 a great season? Which playing position needs the most improvement? The three positions that really need work are quarterback, wide receiver and right offensive tackle.

For the time being, we can put the right offensive tackle to the side and talk about quarterbacks and wide receivers. The Browns’ two main quarterbacks are Colt McCoy who is still battling the symptoms of a concussion, and Seneca Wallace.

Colt McCoy was the starting quarterback throughout most of the season and Seneca Wallace finished out the last three games after McCoy was injured. Neither had a stellar season. Wallace has far more experience, but went 0-3. McCoy went 4-9. Honestly, it doesn’t seem like we need another quarterback, but to simplify things for the quarterbacks that we have. Personally, I would like to see Wallace start and give him a receiver that can handle the ball.

This brings us to wide receiver. We have our main receivers as Josh Cribbs, Greg Little, Jordan Norwood and Mohamed Massaquoi. All of these guys are talented in their own right, but all have also missed some monumental passes this year that they simply should not have missed. You can have the best quarterback in the game, but if the wide receiver is missing his passes, he is going to be ineffective. So, it seems like the Browns need to work on the wide receiver position. It would be nice if they would get their hands on Justin Blackmon from Oklahoma State. That would be a Browns’ fans’ dream. Even if they cannot, they need to work with their current players and get them into better shape for next season. These guys are in the NFL, so they obviously have talent, they just need to start showing it and bringing it to every game.

R. Elizabeth C. Kitchen is a lifelong Browns fan who grew up in a household of Browns’ fans. She was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio and still lives there. Regardless of the trials and tribulations the Browns have been through, she remains loyal, albeit honest about her home team. Follow Rose on Twitter @Rose_Kitchen

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The Cleveland Browns are now the proud owners of a 4^th pick in the 2012 NFL draft. This gives the Browns a decent chance to pick up a good player in the draft. But, what do they go after? Fans are getting really tired of hearing, “there is always next year,” so the Browns really need to choose well so that 2012 can be “the year” for the Browns to at least make it to the postseason.

The Browns need a receiver. Holding the record for most drops will not get them far in 2012. Right now they need to do what needs to be done to get Oklahoma State’s Justin Blackmon.

In the 2011 season, the Browns’ best receiver – Greg Little – only had two touchdowns and caught 61 passes for 709 yards. So, while a lot of folks are yelling for a new quarterback, and I am not saying that we have awesome quarterbacks, it is evident that our receiving end is in desperate need of attention.

The Browns could go for quarterback Robert Griffin III and probably have a better chance at getting him with a number four pick. However, you can have the best quarterback in the game, but if your receivers cannot catch a ball, a great pass really means nothing.

We also have to look at the overall youth of the Browns’ team. This is a very young team, and in the 2011 season, they had a handful of rookie starters. This could have certainly had an impact on the game because so many guys are learning the NFL level of playing at one time. Do we really want another year of a rookie quarterback, regardless of how great he is on the college level?

“We don’t want to sit here and keep trying to grind with bringing in a young quarterback and having to go through those growing pains,” Seneca Wallace said. “You guys have been hard on us all season long and what we need is to win and win now.”

He isn’t wrong. The Browns need a winning 2012 season. No more of this “next year” stuff. They need players who will catch passes and make touchdowns.

R. Elizabeth C. Kitchen is a lifelong Browns fan who grew up in a household of Browns’ fans. She was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio and still lives there. Regardless of the trials and tribulations the Browns have been through, she remains loyal, albeit honest about her home team. Follow Rose on Twitter @Rose_Kitchen

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

That’s all for today.

Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.

Photo By Gene J. Puskar, File/APCleveland Browns quarterback Colt McCoy missed the final three games of the regular season with a concussion after a hit by Pittsburgh’s James Harrison on Dec. 8. The Browns finished 4-12 in 2011.

By TOM WITHERS

Associated Press

BEREA — The growing pains were agonizing, the mistakes numerous, the progress difficult to spot.

The Cleveland Browns had another one of those seasons.

Losing, though, has its rewards in the NFL, which compensates its worst teams with high draft picks to help them get better. After going 4-12, the Browns, with one of the league’s youngest rosters, will have the No. 4 overall selection in April and Cleveland fans are already frothing at the chance to bring in a college star like Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III to be their savior.

As he packed his bags for the offseason Monday, Browns cornerback Sheldon Brown issued a warning to that line of thinking.

“My thing is, if you’re dependent on a draft pick to come in here and change your life, then you’re kidding yourself,” he said. “This game is too hard.”

It certainly has been for the Browns, who haven’t made the playoff since 2002. They’ve lost at least 11 games in each of the past four seasons and a minimum of 10 in eight of the past nine. Green Bay (15) won more games this season than the Browns (14) have won in the past three seasons — combined.

And consider this stat: The defending Super Bowl champion Packers outscored the Browns 560-218.

So while some think Griffin, the Heisman Trophy winner, is the answer to all of Cleveland’s prayers, Brown believes the Browns already have the players they need to win consistently.

“The guys here have to step their game up to another level because they’re experienced,” he said. “Most rookies get hurt because they get tired and they don’t understand the speed and the strength of this game at the professional level. So I’m never sold on high draft picks.”

It was a turbulent first season in Cleveland for coach Pat Shurmur, who because of the NFL lockout didn’t have an offseason to install his new West Coast offense or get to know his team on the field. He made his share of mistakes, but Brown, who was previously with Shurmur in Philadelphia, is confident Browns president Mike Holmgren hired the right coach.

Shurmur has his detractors, but there’s no denying that the Browns, who went 0-6 in the rugged AFC North, played hard for him.

“He did a tremendous job,” Brown said. “Everybody thinks it’s an easy job, everybody wants to sit in a room and say, ‘I can do this better, I can do that better.’ He dealt with the situations to the best of my knowledge, the best he could, and he kept this football team fighting. And for me, that’s how I judge a head coach.

“If a football team goes out there and competes week in and week out, through thick and through thin — and it was very thick this year — but we didn’t quit. So that tells me that the leader is in place.”

Shurmur will discuss his rollercoaster rookie year Tuesday, and Holmgren and general manager Tom Heckert are scheduled to meet the media Thursday, when they’re sure to be grilled about the team’s tricky quarterback situation.

Colt McCoy made 13 starts this season, but missed his final three games with a concussion. The Browns have a better sense of what McCoy is, and there’s a strong argument to be made for sticking with him in 2012 after investing so much time into his development.

But if the Browns — particularly Holmgren — don’t think McCoy can take them to a Super Bowl, they may look for a starting QB in free agency, a trade or the draft. With Stanford’s Andrew Luck expected to go No. 1 overall to Indianapolis, the next best choice could be Griffin, who resurrected Baylor and would be counted on to do the same with the Browns.

Brown, for one, isn’t counting on Griffin to ride in to the rescue.

“I’m definitely not, and if you are, you’re crazy,” he said.

Crazy would describe Cleveland’s wild season, which included costly injuries, endless drama around running back Peyton Hillis, dropped passes, and tough losses. The Browns lost six games by seven points or less, dropping their final three by a total of 13 points.

But close doesn’t put anything in the win column, and kicker Phil Dawson, whose 13th season with the Browns may have been his best, said the near misses can only help if players learned something from them.

“We were in a lot of games. It’s death by inches, though,” said Dawson. “Are we that close, or is that just the nature of the league? It depends on your personality, how you’re going to view that. In my little world, if my plant foot misses the spot by a quarter-inch, I miss the kick.

“That will probably tell you how I look at it. Everybody looks at themselves critically and figure out how they can improve. If we do that, now these close games are coming out in our favor. Hopefully that’s the way guys respond to it.”

Brown, too, thinks the Browns are nearing legitimacy.

“We’re very close,” said the 10-year veteran. “It’s one or two plays each game. You just have to find the playmakers and they just have to understand the sense of urgency and make the play.”

That sounds like a broken record, but Brown said he hasn’t felt this way before — not with the Browns.

“I didn’t tell you this last year,” he said. “I thought we were way off last year.”

The Browns put their franchise tag on Dawson this season and may do so again. The 36-year-old said he had a positive exit interview with team management and was encouraged by Heckert’s recent comments that the team would like to have him back. It would be hard to imagine the Browns not re-signing him.

Dawson has served his time — hard time — in Cleveland. The Browns have gone 68-141 during his tenure, and Dawson would hate not to be here when things finally get turned around. After waiting so long, he would hate to miss out on the good times.

“I don’t want to be Moses,” he said. “I don’t want to lead the people right to the edge and not get to go in. There’s going to be so many things, I can’t prioritize them at this point. We just lost to the Steelers 20 hours ago and that still hurts. I need to get home and eat a burrito.”

Hopefully, it will go down easier than this season.

Gotta run!.

By Tom Withers,

Associated Press

9:18 PM Monday, January 2, 2012

BEREA — The growing pains were agonizing, the mistakes numerous, the progress difficult to spot.

The Cleveland Browns had another one of those seasons.

Losing, though, has its rewards in the NFL, which compensates its worst teams with high draft picks to help them get better. After going 4-12, the Browns, with one of the league’s youngest rosters, will have the No. 4 overall selection in April and Cleveland fans are already frothing at the chance to bring in a college star like Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III to be their savior.

As he packed his bags for the offseason Monday, Browns cornerback Sheldon Brown issued a warning to that line of thinking.

“My thing is, if you’re dependent on a draft pick to come in here and change your life, then you’re kidding yourself,” he said. “This game is too hard.”

It certainly has been for the Browns, who haven’t made the playoff since 2002. They’ve lost at least 11 games in each of the past four seasons and a minimum of 10 in eight of the past nine. Green Bay (15) won more games this season than the Browns (14) have won in the past three seasons — combined.

And consider this stat: The defending Super Bowl champion Packers outscored the Browns 560-218.

It was a turbulent first season in Cleveland for coach Pat Shurmur, who because of the NFL lockout didn’t have an offseason to install his new West Coast offense or get to know his team on the field. He made his share of mistakes, but Brown, who was previously with Shurmur in Philadelphia, is confident Browns president Mike Holmgren hired the right coach.

Shurmur has his detractors, but there’s no denying the Browns, who went 0-6 in the rugged AFC North, played hard for him.

Shurmur will discuss his rollercoaster rookie year today, and Holmgren and general manager Tom Heckert are scheduled to meet the media Thursday, when they’re sure to be grilled about the team’s quarterback situation.

Colt McCoy made 13 starts this season, but missed his final three games with a concussion. The Browns have a better sense of what McCoy is, and there’s a strong argument to be made for sticking with him in 2012 after investing so much time into his development. But if the Browns — particularly Holmgren — don’t think McCoy can take them to a Super Bowl, they may look for a starting QB in free agency, a trade or the draft.

Cleveland’s wild season included costly injuries, endless drama around running back Peyton Hillis, dropped passes, and tough losses. The Browns lost six games by seven points or less, dropping their final three by a total of 13 points.

Gotta run!.

Cold. Windy. Miserable. That about sums up my experience at the Cleveland Browns game on Sunday, January 1. In addition to a good dose of Cleveland winter, the Browns unfortunately fell to the Pittsburgh Steelers by the score of 13-9.

Coming into the game I honesty was not expecting much. A win against the Steelers would be a fantastic way to end a mildly disappointing season while a loss would guarantee a better draft pick. (Am I really justifying a loss here?)

I was looking for a competitive football game, and based upon the final score it would appear the win could have gone either way. When taking a look at the final stats, the Steelers played poorly but the Browns were simply awful.

Quarterback Seneca Wallace completed just 16 of 41 attempts for a total of 177 yards on the day. He threw no touchdowns and was picked off once.

On the other hand, Joshua Cribbs had a career game netting seven receptions for 91 yards. Unfortunately, that was the lone bright spot for the Browns. For one of the only players that is passionate and wants to be on the field as much as possible, embraces and interacts with the fans, and genuinely loves Cleveland, he deserved all of his success in the game. I just wish it were enough to contribute to a win. One guy cannot do it all.

Peyton Hillis, who may have played his last game in Cleveland, carried the ball 10 times for 30 yards.

For the Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger was only marginally better than Wallace going 23 for 40 for 221 yards. His decision to play with a lingering sprained ankle did not make much sense, especially with the playoffs right around the corner.

Isaac Redman racked up 92 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown. As the only touchdown of the game, it broke up the field goal battle between Phil Dawson and Shaun Suisham.

Dawson was 3-3 on the day hitting from 26 yards, 45 yards, and 49 yards on the day. Suisham was 1-1 in extra points and 3-2 in field goals hitting from 19 yards and 29 yards.

When all was said and done, the Browns fell yet again and finished the season with a 4-12 record. But in true Cleveland style—Just wait until next year!

More Cleveland Browns Commentary from this Contributor:

The Cleveland Browns’ experience: A fan’s take

Cleveland Browns lose to Cardinals in OT, QB debate begins: A fan’s reaction

The benefits of being a die-hard Cleveland Browns fan this season: A fan’s perspective

Cleveland Browns prepare for tough game against Baltimore Ravens: A fan’s view

Cleveland Browns release Pro Bowl veteran Pontbriand in favor of rookie Yount: A fan’s reaction

Sources:

All data provided by NFL.com

Paul Rados is an avid Cleveland Browns fan and a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Follow him on Twitter @PSRados or leave him a message on Facebook. For a complete look at his freelance work please visit his Blog.

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Read More: Troy Polamalu (SS – PIT), Seneca Wallace (QB – CLE), Phil Dawson (K – CLE), Isaac Redman (RB – PIT), Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns

The Pittsburgh Steelers scored 13-straght points and maintain a 13-9 lead over the Cleveland Browns heading into the fourth quarter.

Pittsburgh opened the half taking the ball down to the the Cleveland 11-yard line before having to settle for a Sean Suisham field goal and then finally cracked the end zone for the first time when Isaac Redman ran the ball seven yards for six. The play capped a seven-play drive as the Steelers took advantage of good field position after Troy Polamalu intercepted a Seneca Wallace pass.

Seneca Wallace bounced back and moved the Browns into the red zone on their next drive by throwing to Josh Cribbs and then running the ball himself for 20 yards. But after taking a sack on third and long, the Browns settled for a 49-yard field goal by Phil Dawson.

Redman has handled the running back duties admirably for the Steelers, putting up 70 yards on 17 carries. Wallace leads the Browns with 44 yards rushing but has completed just 7 of 20 passes for 102 yards.

For more on the Cleveland Browns, go to Dawgs by Nature. You can also head over to SB Nation’s main NFL hub at SBNation.com/NFL.

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I’m not sure if anyone has experienced as rapid of a rise, or as steep of a fall, as Peyton Hillis. The Cleveland Browns running back has gone from a 2010 season in which he experienced career-best numbers to a tumultuous 2011 season that saw him having a great deal of trouble just getting on the field.

Hillis spent the first two years of his career buried on the depth chart at running back with the Denver Broncos. He gained a total of 394 yards over his first two seasons in the NFL before he was traded to the Cleveland Browns. In a case of being the right player at the right time on the right team, Hillis had a breakout 2010 season. He gained 1,177 yards on the ground and ran for 11 touchdowns.

His tough, bruising running style made him a fan favorite in Cleveland quickly, and the fans awarded him a special honor as a result. When the makers of the Madden NFL video game put to the fans a vote on who they wanted as cover player, Browns fans rose to the occasion. In an upset over more accomplished players such as Michael Vick and Aaron Rodgers, Hillis was selected to be on the cover.

However, times would soon turn tough for Hillis. Coming off the 2011 NFL lockout, Hillis was entering the last year of his original rookie contract. Believing that he had earned a new, more lucrative, extension, Hillis entered into contentious negotiations with Browns management. While it’s not known what Hillis was eventually offered for an extension, he never accepted it. Eventually the Browns decided to end negotiations until the season was over.

Hillis’ 2011 season has been a largely forgettable one. Plagued by slowly healing injuries, Hillis has had trouble fitting into an offense that has completely changed since the Browns hired a new head coach earlier in the year. As a result, Hillis has played in only nine games this season, accumulating only 557 yards and three touchdowns.

Recently, in an interview, Hillis stated that he believes his poor 2011 performance is a result of the “Madden Curse,” a well-known supposed curse that befalls players who have graced the cover of the video game. Prior victims of the curse have included Michael Vick, Dorsey Levens, and Shaun Alexander.

It’s not surprising that Hillis would blame the video game curse rather than taking full responsibility for his poor play. Hillis has spent a lot of time in the locker room in the first half of the season talking to the press discussing how unhappy he was with his contract situation. It infuriated his teammates so much that they eventually forced a private meeting with him to attempt to straighten out his attitude.

Whether or not you believe in this curse in Hillis’ situation depends on how you view the player himself. Is he a victim of circumstance (the lockout), nagging injuries, and a change in the coaching staff and philosophy? Or did he let his 2010 success go to his head and, instead of focusing on his play, spend too much time in 2011 whining about his contract? Time will tell. Until then, I personally believe that Hillis was a curse unto himself.

Julie is a long-time NFL fan who does not believe in the Madden NFL curse. Success in football is sometimes a curse unto itself. In any case, she supports the Cleveland Browns’ decision to stop negotiating with this particular running back.

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What do you guys think about this.

Plain Dealer’s Cleveland Browns beat writer Mary Kay Cabot hosts News and Notes with Colt McCoy, Peyton Hillis, D’Qwell Jackson, and Greg Little before they play the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday at Cleveland Browns Stadium.

What are your opinions.

Not much else going on in the NFL world today.

Read More: Tony Pashos (OL – CLE), Dimitri Patterson (DB – CLE), Peyton Hillis (RB – CLE), Kaluka Maiava (LB – CLE), Mohamed Massaquoi (WR – CLE), Jordan Norwood (WR – CLE), Shawn Lauvao (OL – CLE), Colt McCoy (QB – CLE), Owen Marecic (FB – CLE), Quinton Spears (LB – CLE), Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns

As the Cleveland Browns prepare for their regular season finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, they’re still hoping to get a few players healthy.

Wide receivers Mohamed Massaquoi (foot) and Josh Cribbs (groin) returned to full participation in practice on Thursday, joining fullback Owen Marecic (ankle), guard Shawn Lauvao (ankle) and cornerback Dimitri Patterson (hand), who returned to full participation on Wednesday according to Dave Bryan of Steelers Depot.

Bryan also said that defensive lineman Scott Paxon (hand, calf), running back Peyton Hillis (elbow), linebacker Kaluka Maiava (hand) and linebacker Quinton Spears (head) were limited in practice while quarterback Colt McCoy (concussion), wide receiver Jordan Norwood (concussion) and tackle Tony Pashos illness were all held out of practice.

For more on the Steelers, please visit Behind the Steel Curtain, SB Nation’s Steelers blog. For the perspective from the other side, please visit SB Nation Cleveland and Dawgs by Nature, SB Nation’s Browns blog.

That’s all the news for today.

Joe Thomas – a left tackle for the Cleveland Browns – will be heading to his fifth straight Pro Bowl. He will also be starting for the game. Josh Cribbs and D’Qwell Jackson have been named as alternates.

“It’s a tremendous honor any time you get named to the Pro Bowl,” said Thomas. “For me to represent the Cleveland Browns for a fifth time is kind of hard to believe. It never gets old.”

Many are surprised that Thomas, let alone any of the Browns, made it into the Pro Bowl. With their record this year. This may give the Browns some confidence though and this could help them heading into the Pittsburgh Steelers’ game.

Thomas will get a chance to play with the best in the league again in Honolulu. He will join tackles, Jake Long of the Miami Dolphins and D’Brickashaw Ferguson of the New York Jets.

Joe Thomas has been a dedicated member of the Browns’ team over the last five years. He has been a starter and while the Browns’ offense has faltered on many occasions, he continues to go back out there and give it his all. He will need to maintain this level of play for the AFC team in the Pro Bowl. Of course, he will have more help with this set of teammates, but he is also competing against the best of the best. The Pro Bowl truly is a whole other level of play.

On quarterback for the AFC, they will have Tom Brady of the New England Patriots, Philip Rivers of the San Diego Chargers and Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The AFC wide receivers will be Wes Welker of the New England Patriots, A.J. Green of the Cincinnati Bengals, Mike Wallace of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Brandon Marshall of the Miami Dolphins.

The AFC is looking pretty solid. Looking at the NFC, the matchups are pretty even and Thomas and his teammates have a definite chance to bring a win.

R. Elizabeth C. Kitchen is a lifelong Browns fan who grew up in a household of Browns’ fans. She was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio and still lives there. Regardless of the trials and tribulations the Browns have been through, she remains loyal, albeit honest about her home team. Follow Rose on Twitter @Rose_Kitchen

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Cleveland Browns perennial Pro Bowler Joe Thomas was once again named a starter in the Pro Bowl.  Thomas if the first Browns player since Jim Brown to make the Pro Bowl in his first five years.

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