By Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer
DETROIT -- OK, Browns fans, take a deep breath. Now repeat after me: "It's just the first game."
Another deep breath.
"It's just the first preseason game."
One more. 
"It's just the first quarter of the first preseason game for a first-year quarterback."
That's why I'm not going to obsess over every Brandon Weeden throw, fumble and interception. In the Browns' preseason opener in Detroit, Weeden looked exactly like what he happens to be -- a rookie quarterback with a good arm and a lot to learn.
The 28-year-old Weeden opened with a sharp 12-yard completion to Mohamed Massaquoi. I was anxious to see more of Massaquoi, who received raves from Pat Shurmur in training camp. Only Massaquoi left the game with a "head injury." Not a good sign for a guy who has had three concussions in the last two years.
Weeden also connected on a perfect 34-yard pass down the sidelines to rookie Travis Benjamin. Young Mr. Benjamin from Miami looked more like a four-year NFL veteran than a fourth-round draft pick. He showed good hands on passes. He returned punts and kicks. Most of all, he looked fast ... and quick.
Fast running a straight line downfield. Quick making some moves to get open. And on this night, the Browns didn't have many guys who looked fast or quick on the artificial turf of Ford Field.
Jordan Cameron is another who seemed very comfortable on this surface that accents athleticism. He caught a 16-yard pass from Weeden, a 42-yarder from Colt McCoy. Cameron has impressed the coaches almost from Day One of the minicamps, and the former USC basketball player really makes you believe the Browns have found a big-play tight end.
But wouldn't you know it? Cameron came down hard on his back catching that pass from McCoy, and left the game.
Who'd have guessed that the two guys catching the ball making the best first impressions would be Benjamin and Cameron. But both also had strong training camps.
Jordon Norwood also had some nice moments with a couple of catches and returns. He caught the eye of the coaches at the end of last season, and could surprise by taking snaps away from one of the other more highly regarded slot receivers.
If you're a Browns fan, there are reasons to worry -- well beyond Weeden's 3-of-9 passing for 62 yards and two turnovers in his three series. Rookie Mitchell Schwartz and the right side of the offensive line was pushed around. They never could get much of a running game in gear.
Most of the defensive backs appeared a step slow and a little timid. Second string Lions quarterback Shaun Hill had a 114.2 rating. But the Browns also allowed 115 yards on 18 carries in the first half.
The defense has been savaged by injuries: Chris Gocong (Achilles), Phil Taylor (pectoral muscle) are out long-term. The Browns didn't use five of their usual defensive starters, so that may have explained part of the troubles.
But it doesn't excuse the Browns having eight -- that's right -- penalties in the first half. A couple of the flags were iffy from replacement refs. Nonetheless, this would be a good night for the Browns to borrow a chapter from Eric Mangini's old coaching book and have some of these guys run home from Michigan. They had three false starts, an illegal formation, and just looked too sloppy.
As sometimes happens in the preseason, the backup quarterbacks seem superior to the starters. McCoy was 6-of-8 passing for 88 yards, and had a 20-yard run. Seneca Wallace scrambled and found rookie Brad Smelley for a touchdown in the third quarter, the first time the Browns reached the end zone in the preseason.
It's so hard to draw grand conclusions from these early games because the key players are on the field so little. Other starters simply don't play. But playing in a dome does reveal a team's speed, and the Browns still need more of it.
http://www.cleveland.com/pluto/blog/index.ssf/2012/08/cleveland_browns_error-prone_e.html
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