What was going through Van Gogh's mind when he cut off his ear, and why cut off that ear? When your microwave is defrosting something, why does it suddenly stop even though there's time left? Who would win a steel cage match between Brigitte Nielsen, Tyra Banks, Janice Dickinson, and Tawny Kitaen? Who is Charlie Frye?

To me, these are some of life's subtle mysteries. And while we may never find the answers to the first three questions it looks like we'll find the solution to the fourth.

Frye is the new leader of a rag-tag outfit pretending to be the old Cleveland Browns. The team jettisoned has-been starter Trent Dilfer after he made it clear that he had no intention of mentoring Frye, a third-round pick out of Akron. That leaves the youngster in the hands of Rip Scherer, Cleveland's quarterback coach who has been in the NFL as many years as Frye, two.

I was pretty high on what the Browns accomplished this offseason. But then the Cleveland Curse kicked in. The offensive line, which the organization has spent so much money on over the last two seasons, started to crumble when Pro Bowl center LeCharles Bentley blew out his knee on the first play of the preseason. It's been a revolving door at that position since then.

If this team is going to turn the corner it will need some of its high draft picks and big free agent signings to perform beyond even their lofty expectations. And it will need a little luck.

Here's Doc's 2006 Cleveland Browns Preview:
2005 Record: 6-10 (4-4 home, 2-6 road)
2005 Rankings: 26th offense (23rd pass, 25th rush); 16th defense (4th pass, 30th rush)
2005 Against the Spread: 6-10 (3-5 home, 3-5 road); 4-10-2 vs. total (3-4-1 h, 1-6-1 r)
2006 Odds: 100/1 to win SB, 40/1 to win AFC, 10/1 to win AFC North, 6.5 wins O/U
2006 Strength of Schedule: 14th (.512 opp. win %)
Key stat: Cleveland was last in the league in scoring last year with 232 points (14.4 points per game).

Returning starters: 12 (6 offense, 6 defense)
Key acquisitions: Joe Jurevicius, WR (from Seattle); Kevin Schaffer, OT (from Atlanta); Ted Washington (from Oakland); D'Qwell Jackson, LB (draft); Willie McGinest, LB (from N.E.); Kamerion Wimbley, LB (draft); Lennie Freidman C (from Chicago).
Key departures: LeCharles Bentley, C (injury); Bob Hallen, C; Trent Dilfer, QB; Antonio Bryant, WR; Chris Crocker, S; Jeff Faine, C; Jason Fisk, DT; Kenard Lang, LB; Kyle Richardson, P; Aaron Shea, TE; L.J. Shelton, OT.

Offense: With Reuben Droughns and Terrelle Smith, the Browns have the most underrated halfback-fullback combo in the league. The line may be suspect in the passing game, but they should be able run block just fine. They aren't overly big (average weight: 308), which means that they may try more trap blocking and sweeps. Kellen Winslow and Braylon Edwards both appear fully recovered from their maladies. Edwards saw his first action in Buffalo last week and responded very well to getting hit. Cleveland had the third-fewest first downs per game (15.1) last year. They need to string some drives together to protect the defense, and then they just might find themselves in some games.
Defense: I just don't think they have the linebacker depth to pull off the 3-4. Fortunately, McGinest is the perfect teacher for rookies Jackson and Wimbley. The secondary is intact and actually added depth. Now, part of the reason Cleveland was so good against the pass in 2005 was that they were so easy to run on. They brought in Washington to clog the point of attack, but entering his 16th season you really can't expect too much from Mt. Washington. This preseason the Browns have been solid on third downs. Teams are converting only 34.9 percent of their opportunities.
X-factor: Edwards and Winslow. Just ask Detroit what happens to your franchise when your top draft picks don't perform up to expectations. These two have to help ease the burden on Frye.
Outlook: Cleveland isn't in a position to challenge for the division title this season but they should be good enough to jump up and bite some unsuspecting teams. Denver on Oct. 22 and Kansas City on Dec. 3 come to mind. The Browns ended 2005 on a 2-9 ATS slide, but they won three of their last four games.

Questions or comments for Robert? E-mail him at robert@docsports.com or check out his Insider Page here.