With the first weekend of preseason football in the books, we learned some thing about the outlook of the 2014 Browns, both positive and negative, but many important questions remain unanswered. The difficulty of the preseason remains that no one truly knows whether certain players are flashes in the pan or can be counted on in the regular season. But, this is the first opportunity to watch football since January, so overreactions are abundant and to be expected. I’ll try to avoid reactionary instincts, but when you’ve been trying to analyze pictures of your players to gauge whether or not they are engaging in illicit activities in a bathroom, finally being able to evaluate their actions feels like a blessing. Without rambling any further, lets get into the winners and losers of preseason Week 1.

LOSER: Solomon Wilcots, Bernie Kosar, and us, the fans. If there is ever a time to judge a performance off of just one night, it is the awful color commentary given by Solomon Wilcots alongside Cleveland’s favorite, Jim Donavan. After last preseason’s controversial performance by hometown hero Bernie Kosar and his subsequent firing, the Browns decided to go with Wilcots as a replacement. He’s probably a great guy and I am sure WKYC told him to focus on Manziel to draw in viewers, but to praise a quarterback for remembering to pick up his helmet before he takes the field, as Wilcots did of Manziel, is simply unacceptable. Beyond Manziel-mania, Wilcots simply does not offer much in terms of analysis of the game. So, here’s one man of many’s vote: Bring back Bernie.

WINNER: Brian Hoyer and Johnny Manziel. I strongly considered giving both quarterbacks the “to be determined” designation, but I believe they each played well, given the respective circumstances. Hoyer, alongside the first team offense, did a good job reading his progressions on a few plays, leading to some solid check-downs. His deep throw to Miles Austin, who dropped the pass, was a fantastic deep ball. However, he did have some issues with accuracy on medium to deep throws. In general though, Hoyer had a solid, if unspectacular game. Certainly, he did nothing egregious to have the job taken away from him.

On the other hand, the much-anticipated Manziel took 27 snaps and looked good, but missed some receivers and held the ball in a couple scenarios in which a quick pass was preferable. I am not a big fan of the read option for Manziel – it opens him up for injury and is a designed run which takes away his elite improvisation ability- so seeing that as his third play was disappointing. He did, however, run it again in the third quarter for eight yards, proving it can work in some circumstances. When throwing the ball, Manziel looked good, especially when on the move in play-action passes. But, I feel that I cannot fairly compare his performance to Hoyer’s without seeing him beside the first team offense. Charles Johnson and Willie Snead do not compare favorably to Josh Gordon and Miles Austin. And, nothing compares to having Joe Thomas protect your blind-side.

WINNER: The Entire Starting Offensive Line. Let me go ahead and name them: Joe Thomas, Joel Bitonio, Alex Mack, John Greco, and Mitchell Schwartz. Of all the rookies, Bitonio seemed like the best fit for the scheme being implemented, and that certainly seemed the case on Saturday. He was a force next to Joe Thomas, especially on runs, due to his mobility which allows him to get to the linebackers quickly. On the right side, Schwartz looked solid, especially while run blocking. He still must improve against the pass, though, as he was the reason for both Hoyer needing to scramble and Greco being able to pick up the peel-back block heard ’round the world. At left tackle and center, Thomas and Mack were their usual dominant selves against the pass, but they still are working to perfect the new zone-blocking scheme, it seems.

LOSER: Every Offensive Lineman Not A Starter. This group includes, from left tackle to right tackle, Paul McQuistan, Keavon Milton, Jeremiah Warren, Garrett Gilkey, and Martin Wallace. Abasi Salimu and Ryan Lee subbed in at left tackle and right guard for the last two possesions. As a whole, I pity to quarterback who must trust these men to protect them and anyone who attempts to run behind them. In my notes, on nearly every single play the second line is in, I wrote a tidbit about a lineman getting pushed back or beat. If Gilkey was competing with Greco for starting guard before, I don’t see how that is possible. He got pushed backwards in pass protection multiple times and had many errors in the running game, both due to miscommunication and sheer ineptitude. As someone with high expectation for Gilkey, this game was very unfortunate.

WINNER: Ben Tate and Terrance West. Nothing excites me more than a good zone run behind the new Browns offensive line and Ben Tate executed this in the first quarter to perfection. He excels at making quick reads and exploding through the hole of which his reads have determined. The only play that Tate did not cross the line of scrimmage was stuffed due to miscommunication between Mack and Greco, on the line. When Tate had room to run, he excelled. On the other hand, West took a majority of his handoffs behind the putrid second team line. He made up for this on a couple occasions with a combination of power, unprecedented speed, and juking ability. West’s power and agility shined on the inside zone against eight men in the box in which he cut back, made a defender miss, and put his head down, delivering the blow to two defenders ten yards down the field. In the regular season, he and Tate will combine for a special 1-2 punch, possibly the best combination of backs in the league.

LOSER: Miles Austin. For some reason, the NFL does not allow All-22 coaches film to be seen in the preseason, so it is difficult to judge receivers and defensive backs too harshly. However, Austin’s day consisted of just one catch for thirteen yards, an under-throw from Hoyer, and a particularly egregious drop on a Hoyer deep ball. If Josh Gordon is suspended for an extended period of time, the Browns cannot afford a performance from Austin like Saturday’s. He is their only other receiver on the roster with the size and pedigree of a number one option.

WINNER: Taylor Gabriel. Against the Lions, Gabriel had three catches for 32 yards, although both number would be higher if the quarterbacks would have been more accurate. He stood out to me as a versatile option – two good punt returns and a special teams tackle – who had underrated route running ability and obvious quickness. Of course, Gabriel took a majority of his snaps in the latter half of the game, so it must be determined whether he can get open against starter-caliber corners. But, if I were a coach, I would sub him in a bit earlier this week to see whether he can make an impact.

LOSER: Willie Snead. As a wide receiver, if you can’t catch the ball, you will major issues sticking on an NFL roster. Unfortunately for Snead, in time, his tenure with the Browns will likely come to an end. The reason the Browns signed him was for his hands, not his 4.62 forty-yard time. Snead’s drops were drive-killers that seemingly all came at the worst possible times. It’s been good knowing you Willie Snead and good luck in your future endeavors.

WINNER: MarQueis Gray’s Role. Although Gray was not a name Browns fans needed to know last year, with the addition of the pistol formation and multiple tight end sets, he will have a role that can only be filled by the most versatile players. Gray lines up in the backfield, behind the tight end, as a tight end, at receiver, and likely moved in motion more than any player on the roster. He both pass blocked and run blocked while being the target on five passes of various lengths.

LOSER: MarQueis Gray. He seemed to be all over the field, but Gray did not play nearly as well as he must, in this offense. He caught two passes but dropped two, as well. In the running game, he got knocked back and beat on a few occasions. Despite this, Gray also looked very good blocking on the backside of runs, specializing in a cut-block. Gray needs to play more like he did on his successful plays, catching passes and being physical, rather than the poor plays which overshadowed his performance.

WINNER: John Hughes. Earlier in this piece, I wrote about my excitement for the offensive line, and Bitonio in particular. However, that pales in comparison to the fantastic impression the defensive line left me. Before the season, I believed that the Browns were deep on the defensive line, but I had no idea just how much so. When the second team came in, Hughes, in a dominating performance, made what felt like every single tackle on a run for two quarters. Whether on the play-side or back-side, he fought to pushed the offensive lineman backwards and made a play on the ball. In the 3-4 defense, having an end stop the run is more important than a pass rush, so Hughes should continue to gain snaps.

WINNER: Armonty Bryant. Another young defensive lineman who made an impact, Bryant seemed to come into his own after a season of limited playing time. Against the pass, Bryant looked as if only experience was holding him back. With a lanky frame, he uses his massive arms to swing violently, ripping under linemen, swimming over them, or even throwing them aside, as he did to make the tackle on a couple runs. His athleticism is welcomed as a 265 pound man at a position in which he backs up the massive Ahtyba Rubin. In the regular season, expect him the Browns to unleash him on passing downs.

WINNER: Phil Taylor and Desmond Bryant. Despite playing 13 and 16 snaps, respectively, both Taylor and Bryant shined against the run and created some pressure on pass plays. Both are massive human beings, so pushing them off the ball is rarely possible. Despite Taylor’s massive size, he has great agility which allows him to beat linemen off the ball, thus putting them in an immediate precarious position. Although no one was really worried about whether Taylor and Bryant would perform well, seeing them dominate the line in Mike Pettine’s new defense was wonderful.

WINNER: Chris Kirksey and Craig Robertson. Before Saturday, I was worried whether the Browns had sufficient talent beside Karlos Dansby at inside linebacker, but that will not cross my mind any longer. Kirksey looked fantastic in coverage, shutting down the Lions’ first round tight end, Eric Ebron. However, he is not ready to be a three-down linebacker as he looked like a boy amongst men facing the run. Likely to play the first two downs of a series is Robertson who absolutely dominated against the run on Saturday. He played like a man fighting for his job, as he is. When attacking the line of scrimmage, Robertson always knocked the lineman of fullback backwards, doing all he can to cause chaos in the backfield. I am excited to watch this battle progress next week.

MIXED RESULTS: Paul Kruger, Barkevious Mingo, and Jabaal Sheard. I was excited to see how much these three have improved, but I left the game slightly disappointed. In the pass rush, Kruger shined, coming close on to sacks on multiple rushes. However, he once again looked terrible against the run. He consistently gets up-field, taking himself out of the play, or is blocked by a lineman, never trying to fight it off. Mingo good pass rushing, although even his sack came against a fullback. He needs to get more consistent pressure. Against the run, he still looked below-average, never fighting off blocks. Jabaal Sheard played a weird game. Even when he was out there, he never made a play, for better or worse. In the pass rush, Sheard did not get any pressure on the quarterback, although with his experience, I would expect him to. Against the run, he held his ground better than Kruger or Mingo, but left the tackles to be made by linemen or fellow linebackers. I hope to see more out of all three outside linebackers next game.

Others of Note: I have too many notes to gloss over some people, so here are some others who positively or negatively made an impact on Saturday. Pierre Desir had about as bad as a game as a cornerback can have who did not allow a pass over 15 yards in the air. He needs to improve his tackling, and quickly, at that. Leon Mcfadden also had a rough night at cornerback as he was flagged and allowed two catches. His chances of making the roster continue to dwindle. On the positive side of things, Charles Johnson looked the part at receiver. I believe he will make the 53-man roster due to his athleticism which he showed off on an awesome 15 yard screen play. Tyler Thigen had an awful game as third-string quarterback. A lot of the quick decisions were due to his offensive line imploding, but even when he had time, he was unable to hit the right man. Hopefully, Connor Shaw will get his snaps against Washington on Monday.

On the roster bubble, Dion Lewis severely hurt his chances when he fumbled the ball, a cardinal sin of running backs. Next game, expect Chris Ogbonnaya to get his and Edwin Baker‘s reps. Hopefully, Isaiah Crowell will also get some playing time, although he is not on the four-deep depth chart. Emmanuel Ogbuehi already had low odds to make the final roster, but his performance on Saturday leaves me thinking that it is only a matter of time until he is cut. He could not block consistently, a job that is certainly important for a tight end who did not have a pass attempted to him. On the defense, I do not expect Jamaal Westermann or K’Waun Williams to be around much longer. Both did not have strong games as Williams allowed a couple passes to be completed while Westermann was a sieve in pass coverage, as an outside linebacker.

Some questions remain unanswered, including whether Andrew Hawkins will have a bigger impact. Also, we do not know whether someone from the defensive line trio of Cam Henderson, Jacobbi Mcdaniel, and Calvin Barnett will make the team, as all, but especially Barnett, have enough talnt to be on an NFL roster somewhere. If you have any disagreements, let me know down below in the comment section.