Maybe it's the best time of the year for fans whose team went 5-11 in the last season and is 14-34 over the past three campaigns.
Like Cleveland Browns fans.
The NFL Scouting Combine is at full-go in Indianapolis, and that only fuels speculation about the NFL draft on April 28-30.
The Browns' needs are multiple, and the combine continues their process of trying to sort things out.
One urgent area of need for the Browns is at defensive end. Chad Reuter writes for The Sports XChange/CBSSports.com that the combine features numerous competitions between players hoping to improve their draft positions.
Reuter writes that one of the most intriguing competitions is to become ranked as the ......
Top-rated defensive end:
Da'Quan Bowers (Clemson) vs. Robert Quinn (North Carolina)
Quinn's medical issue (surgery on benign spinal tumor in high school) aside, both players have top-five talent but must display the athleticism necessary to be feared pass rushers in the NFL.
Bowers needs to be fast and agile in testing to get rid of the "not explosive" label, while Quinn looks to refresh teams' memory of his prowess chasing quarterbacks after sitting out all of the 2010 season due to NCAA suspension for accepting benefits from an agent.
Sports Illustrated SI.com's mock draft apparently has Bowers topping Quinn. It has the Carolina Panthers taking Bowers with the first overall pick in the draft.
The Browns own the sixth overall pick. SI.com has another defensive end entering the equation, Alabama's Marcell Dareus.
In fact, SI.com has the Browns picking Dareus. Don Banks writes:
The Browns could make the riskier pick, taking North Carolina defensive end Robert Quinn, who didn't play at all last season after being ruled ineligible for taking more than $5,600 worth of gifts and benefits from agents. Or they could make the safer bet and select Dareus, who's a disruptive and penetrating force who would fit nicely in either a 3-4 defense or the 4-3 scheme the Browns are switching to this season.
The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com continues its Browns coverage with Tony Grossi and Mary Kay Cabot reporting from the scouting combine in Indianapolis.
Grossi writes "Tony's Take" and a story on Browns president Mike Holmgren's thoughts on the combine and on Colt McCoy being the Browns quarterback. Cabot reports that NFL Network analyst and former Browns personnel executive Mike Lombardi says Colt McCoy needs to become stronger.
And, Bill Livingston comments about the Browns designating place-kicler Phil Dawson as their franchise player, and that the franchise needs stability.
The Browns might watch Louisiana State offensive lineman Joseph Barksdale at the combine, writes Nate Ulrich for the Akron Beacon Journal.
James Walker writes about Browns coach Pat Shurmur for ESPN.com.
Browns cornerback Joe Haden is studying the Browns' new defensive system, by the Akron Beacon Journal's Nate Ulrich.
Some "can't-miss prospects," by Scott Kennedy for Scout.com and FoxSports.com.
ESPN.com's John Clayton on 10 things to watch at the combine.
The Browns will closely watch defensive ends at the combine, Jeff Schudel writes for the News-Herald and Lorain Morning Journal.
More on what Mike Lombardi had to say about the Browns and the NFL, by Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal.
The "top 10 scouting combine sleepers," by Doug Farrar for Yahoo! Sports.
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