1999 record: 2-14, last place in AFC Central.

Last five years: Last year was the inaugural season for the Cleveland expansion franchise.

Coach: Chris Palmer (2-14 in one year with Cleveland, his first as an NFL head coach).

Playoff past: Since the expansion Browns retained the history of their predecessors, at least in the eyes of the league, the team is 4-10 in postseason play since the merger. That record includes a pair of painful losses in the AFC championship games of 1987 ("The Drive") and 1989 ("The Fumble"). The last time a squad bearing the Browns name appeared in the playoffs was 1994, when Cleveland earned a wildcard berth but then was defeated in a divisional round game. This is a franchise rich in playoff tradition, but a team that remains several years removed, in all likelihood, from its first postseason berth in its second incarnation.

Outlook

It only took one season for the Cleveland Browns to break the mold and start all over again in trying to turn the expansion franchise into as big a success on the field as it has been off it. Surveying the models of the last two expansion teams last summer, Cleveland opted to follow the lead of the Carolina Panthers, a club built for immediate gratification.

Courtney Brown adds much-needed youth to the Browns defensive line. (AP)

But after winning only two games, and finishing statistically dead last in the league in offense and defense, Cleveland officials decided their initial approach was the real Mistake by the Lake. In a dramatic but much-needed about face, the Browns have now adopted the approach of Jacksonville, an organization that in 1995 embraced the notion of building for the long haul. The result is a team significantly greener than a year ago, but a roster that features promise, not the broken promises of the 1999 inaugural squad.

Of the 85 players on the camp roster this summer, 55 have one season or less of NFL experience and only three players are 30 or older. Cleveland opened the '99 season with eight veterans aged 30 or older and the experiment was a disaster even early in camp when players like offensive left tackle Lomas Brown chafed under coach Chris Palmer's disciplinarian techniques. Only six of the 22 starters from last year's team have returned and the average age of the roster has been reduced from 28.6 years to 25.2 years.

Long gone, and good riddance, are many of the veteran players Browns officials gambled would be locker room leaders in 1999, but whose egos and pettiness made them unworthy of the leadership mantle bestowed on them.

"We might have put a little too much pressure on ourselves to meet the expectations some fans had for us," said team president Carmen Policy. "We have enough veteran football people in our front office that we should have realized the error of our ways. But bringing football back to this great city, getting caught up in the emotion of it all, probably blinded us a little. You still build a successful franchise through drafting well and developing players. And that's exactly what we plan to do now."

Certainly, having the top overall choice in the last two drafts has helped provide Cleveland two cornerstones, one on each side of the ball. In his second season, quarterback Tim Couch bulked up physically and stood up mentally, in essence becoming the leader of the entire team. Defensive end Courtney Brown, who showed flashes of greatness in his Saturday night debut, won't be as vocal as Couch has been of late, but will lead by example.

For the Browns to make a quantum leap, though, will require more than leadership alone. The team has one of the poorest assemblages of skill-position players on offense last year seen in the NFL for the last 20 years. This year, Darrin Chiaverini should develop into the complementary wideout Kevin Johnson needs to get open more often and import tailback Errict Rhett clearly is an upgrade for the running game.

Palmer is a coach whose system characteristically elevates the players in it. That wasn't the case in '99, though, when veterans like Leslie Shepherd simply tuned out the head coach early in the season. This time around, Palmer, one of the good guys in the league and a coach who deserves the chance to complete the task with which he was charged, should have an attentive audience.

"We all believe we're better," Couch said. "We're a deeper team and we're a hungrier team and we have people here now who want to play the game."

Whether that translates into more victories in the team's second go-round remains to be seen. The Browns, after all, could double their '99 victory total and still fall well shy of the expectations of their rabid fans. But at least this year represents a much fresher start than last season, and down the road the new direction should pay off.

Schedule preview: Let's look at the bright (relatively speaking) side. At least the Browns will be home for Christmas Eve, since the league scheduled the team's "bye" week for the final weekend of the season. That means, of course, Cleveland must play 16 straight weeks without any respite. So even if the team is improved, there's likely to be some physical erosion from going through the entire 16-game schedule with no letup. After that, the NFL did Cleveland no favors. The team faces two road trips of three games each and opens up against Jacksonville.

1999 offensive ranking: No. 31 overall, No. 31 rushing, No. 29 passing.

1999 defensive ranking: No. 31 overall, No. 31 versus the rush, No. 11 against the pass.

Key players lost from 1999: OT Lomas Brown (released), CB Ryan McNeil (to Dallas), DE/LB John Thierry (to Green Bay), CB Antonio Langham (released), SS Marquez Pope (released), RB Karim Abdul-Jabbar (to Indianapolis), WR Leslie Shepherd (to Miami), QB Jamie Martin (to Jacksonville).

Key additions for 2000: DE Keith McKenzie (from Packers), OT Roman Oben (from Giants), RB Errict Rhett (from Ravens), DT Orpheus Roye (from Steelers), FS Percy Ellsworth (from Giants), OG Everett Lindsay (from Ravens), WR David Patten (from Giants), LB Marty Moore (from Patriots).

Rookies to watch: In the opening preseason game Sunday night, all eyes were on defensive end Courtney Brown, the first player selected overall in the draft, and he played well enough in his debut to reinforce the notion he will be a force as a rookie. The top rookie on the field, though, was third-round wide receiver JaJuan Dawson, a physical player who doesn't have great speed but does possess a knack for creating natural separation from a defender. Brown will start at left end, Dawson will get plenty of playing time and fifth-rounder Aaron Shea is likely to win the No. 1 job at tight end. The disappointments so far in camp have been wide receiver Dennis Northcutt, a second-round pick, and third-round tailback Travis Prentice. An electrifying player in college, Northcutt looks tentative. Prentice seems to lack a top-end gear.

Offensive line: No group was more representative of the folly of Cleveland management last year than this group, a collection of overpaid underachievers that provided little return on a very pricey investment. Left tackle Lomas Brown groused all season and, even before the eye injury that now threatens his career, right tackle Orlando "Zeus" Brown did not play well.

The unit has been revamped for 2000, with only center Dave Wohlabaugh and left guard Jim Pyne returning in the same spots they held down a year ago. The key to improvement is Roman Oben, a four-year starter with the New York Giants will play left tackle and protect Tim Couch's blindside. The downside is, Oben probably isn't as good a player as what the Browns shelled out to lure him from New York in free agency. Right guard Everett Lindsay, on the other hand, was a relative free agency bargain and brings the unit some blue-collar toughness.

Wide receivers/tight ends: Despite the temptation, Cleveland resisted in going after some of the top-name free agents this spring. The result is a youthful receiver corps, but one that will only get better in time. Kevin Johnson was all-rookie in '99, ringing up 986 receiving yards and nine TDs, and surprising Darrin Chiaverini very quietly caught 33 balls as a starter over the last six games. The two nicely complement each other and should remain the starters on a unit that will be much deeper in 2000.

Providing that depth is free agent David Patten, the stickout player of camp to this point in time, and third-round pick JaJuan Dawson. A former Giants return man, Patten has all but nailed down the No. 3 spot and he'll work out of the slot. But he shouldn't get comfortable because Dawson, a run-and-shoot wideout at Tulane, has nifty skills. Dawson isn't very fast but he knows how to get open. The big-play addition is supposed to be second-round selection Dennis Northcutt, but he's looked overmatched in training camp.

Running backs: The Browns may have erred in not attempting to sign one of the better backs in free agency, but coaches are convinced journeyman Errict Rhett can reach back in time and be a 1,000-yard rusher again. It's been five years since Rhett posted those kinds of numbers in Tampa Bay, so their faith may be misplaced. But what Rhett will give them is an inside force who won't mind carrying 20-25 times a game, but probably won't do any better than his career average of 3.5 yards per attempt.

Fullback Marc Edwards is a prototype, a solid blocker who will catch the ball well out of the backfield. The Browns hope third-round tailback Travis Prentice develops, but he has looked ordinary in camp.

Quarterbacks: Not many rookie quarterbacks come in as immediate starters and throw more touchdown passes than interceptions, but Tim Couch did in 2000. Despite taking a horrendous beating behind a porous offensive line, Couch rarely looked rattled and impressed teammates as a tough customer. The surprise was that Couch proved more mobile than Cleveland officials felt he was when they drafted him. Of course, most times, he needed to be. An accurate passer who does not have great deep arm strength but does possess nice touch, Couch should take another step toward stardom in 2000.

Behind him is brainy Ty Detmer, a solid backup who knows where to go with the ball and rarely makes a mental mistake. The coaches love the arm strength of No. 6 pick Spergon Wynn, but for now he is a developmental type.

Defensive line: Cleveland spent big dollars this year to lure Orpheus Roye from Pittsburgh and Keith McKenzie from Green Bay and, of course, paid a $10.031 million signing bonus to No. 1 pick Courtney Brown. The result should be a deeper, more diverse, more productive front line. Brown will start at left end but it is McKenzie, deemed a situational player only by the Packers, who has been the bigger standout in camp. The knock against McKenzie is that he wears down when used extensively, so the Browns will have to monitor his stamina as the season goes on.

Brown has bulked up to 279 pounds and not sacrificed any quickness. Pencil him in for about 10 sacks as a rookie. Originally signed to play end, Roye will move inside to tackle and will join Stalin Colinet or Darius Holland there. Roye should give the Browns some inside pass rush push and an active defender who plays a one-gap style pretty well. Derrick Alexander is a pretty nice third end, a former starter in Minnesota who still plays the run tough.

Linebackers: This could be the developing strength of the defense, especially if the 'backers are better protected this season by the linemen in front of them. The guy who gets most of the ink is Jamir Miller, who had 4 1/2 sacks in 1999 and deserves more pass rush opportunities. But the two young players who are really coming on are middle linebacker Wali Rainer and strongside player Rahim Abdullah. The former was forced into the starting lineup when anticipated defensive boss Chris Spielman had to retire because of a neck injury. Rainer is a step slow, but is tough as nails and stops a lot of plays between the tackles. Abdullah has gained 25 pounds this year, seems to have matured a great deal in the offseason, and possesses great range. Both of the kids will only get better. The Browns are looking for some depth at the position and will scour the waiver wires late in training camp.

Secondary: The Browns used five different starting quartets last season and, if nothing else, should be a more stable group this year. The best of the bunch is vocal cornerback Corey Fuller, who returns to his more natural position after having to move inside to free safety the middle of the '99 campaign. Fuller is loud, audacious and physical, a guy who likes to gets his hands onto a receiver and redirect his route.

He'll be joined by Daylon McCutcheon, an afterthought early in camp last year, but a tiny-but-tough cover guy who ended up starting 15 games. The addition of free safety Percy Ellsworth from the Giants will bring a steadying hand to the young secondary. Marquis Smith, a physical specimen who hits big but blows too many assignments, is the strong safety for now. If he continues to "bust" coverages, though, the Browns will go to Tim McTyer, a less talented by headier player. The staff also likes Earl Little as a third corner or "nickel" guy.

Special teams: Punter Chris Gardocki averaged 43.8 yards and is strong on kickoffs as well, but he will drive too many punts low and allow some long returns. Still, it would take something unexpected for him to lose his job. The placement situation is another story. Phil Dawson only got 12 field goals tries and made eight of them, but isn't very accurate beyond 40 yards. Patten will probably handle the kickoff return chores. The hope is that Northcutt will get beyond his early problems and become the punt return specialist.