The clock reads 0:57 left in the 1st half. The Browns are trailing the Bengals 13-0, and soon-to-be-Pro-Bowl-quarterback Derek Anderson is standing a few yards behind center in the shotgun, barking out signals to his offensive line.

The Browns are this win away from clinching their first playoff birth since 2002, and the fans are screaming for a 1-minute drill rally. The ball is snapped. Anderson steps back, and fires a pass over the middle for Braylon Edwards. But the pass doesn't make it there. Cornerback Leon Hall jumps in front, intercepting the pass and returning it 12 yards down to the Cleveland 20. Two plays later, it's 19-0, and Cleveland fans can't avoid the sick feeling in their stomachs that speaks of the inevitability ahead.

This Week 16 loss in Cincinnati last season sealed the fate of the 10-6 Browns. One week later, after the Browns trounced the 49ers, Cleveland fans all over the country watched Jim Sorgi take over at quarterback for a Colts team that was resting its starters. The Titans squeaked past the Colts back-ups and into the playoffs ahead of Cleveland. The Cinderella story had ended.

A busy off-season ensued for Phil Savage and the Browns. They re-signed Derek Anderson to a 3-year deal, then traded their 2nd draft choice for defensive end Corey Williams from Green Bay and their 3rd draft choice and cornerback Leigh Bodden to Detroit for 2-time Pro Bowl nose-tackle Shaun Rogers. Cleveland was building, and for the first time in a long time, expectations were high.

After a crushing defeat at the hands of Cleveland's arch-rival Pittsburgh to open the 2007 season, Cleveland promptly traded their starting quarterback, Charlie Frye, to the Seattle Seahawks. It seemed the Browns were heading towards another awful season as they threw Oregon State product Derek Anderson into the starting line-up. Expectations couldn't have been lower.

Then something happened. The team nobody expected to win another game was 9-5 and looking to clinch a playoff birth with a win over division rival Cincinnati. The playoffs were no longer a pipe-dream in Cleveland. They were expected.

Four weeks ago, despite an 0-4 preseason record, reaching the playoffs was the minimum expectation in Cleveland. Fans were talking division winner, AFC champs, Super Bowl champs; the sky was the limit for this young, talented team. After a thumping by the Dallas Cowboys, an ugly loss (for the 10th straight time) to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and a crushing blow from the surprisingly 2-0 Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland fans are no longer thinking Super Bowl. They're not thinking AFC champs or even AFC North champs. At this point, they aren't even thinking playoffs. Expectations couldn't be lower.

Honestly Cleveland, what did you expect? Sure, the Browns had some good wins last season, including a shoot-out win over Cincinnati, a great OT win against Seattle, a big home victory over Houston, and a gutsy 8-0 win in the snow against Buffalo. But their other 6 wins came against teams who had a combined 18-62 record. Add in the loss to the 4-12 Oakland Raiders and the Cleveland Browns had one of the easiest schedules in the NFL last season.

Fast forward to 2008 and take note of a different schedule. The AFC North takes on the AFC South and the NFC East this season. No team in either the AFC South of the NFC East had a sub-.500 record last season, combining for an 82-46 overall record. In 2007, the Browns faced the NFC West and the AFC East, who combined for a 54-74 overall record (which included the 16-0 New England Patriots). Last year, Cleveland had to beat bad teams.

In 2008, Cleveland has to beat great teams, and the pressure of doing so with such high expectations is crushing this young squad. Sure, there is plenty of talent on this team, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Braylon Edwards, Jamal Lewis, Joe Thomas, Kellen Winslow Jr.; all these guys are considered one of the best at what they do. Yet Braylon can't seem to catch a pass, Lewis can't find any holes, Thomas can't make any holes or defend his quarterback, and Winslow is getting double covered all day. The Browns are finding out quickly that it's very difficult to perform under the pressures of high expectations.

At 0-3, the expectations are gone. The pressure is off these men's shoulders. Were the Browns to make a playoff push in 2008, even the most die-hard Cleveland fan would have to admit to being shocked. For the first time since the clock read 0:57 against the Bengals in Week 16 of 2007, the Browns can play football without worries. There is nobody left to disappoint, nobody left to let down. It's time for the Cleveland Browns to go out and have some fun.