BEREA, Ohio — For the first time since September of 2008, a season after they finished 10-6, a feeling of optimism is bubbling around the Browns training facility in suburban Berea, Ohio.It might not be to the degree of playoff optimism, not yet, anyway, but a year after going 0-4 in the preseason as a prelude to finishing 1-15, the Browns will carry a 4-0 preseason record into their Sept. 10 season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers at FirstEnergy Stadium.”We understand it’s the preseason, but you have to start someplace,” coach Hue Jackson said. “We’ve accomplished something. I can see something building in our locker room. I like our chances when we get our guys clicking and play good ball. We’ll see where this thing can go.”The Browns’ 2016 season ended with a 27-24 overtime loss in Pittsburgh. A lot for the Browns has changed since then, starting with the hiring of Gregg Williams as defensive coordinator and naming rookie DeShone Kizer as the starting quarterback. Sixty percent of the offensive line is different.The opponent is still the Steelers, though, and that usually spells trouble for the Browns.Steelers’ quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is 21-2 as a starting quarterback against the Browns, with 35 career touchdown passes, 17 interceptions and a 95.8 career passer rating. He is 10-0 against the Browns in Cleveland.Spice was added to this lopsided rivalry on Wednesday when the Browns cut cornerback Joe Haden. Haden, the Browns’ first-round pick in 2010, was not unemployed long. Within hours he signed a three-year, $27-million contract with the Steelers. He very easily could line up against his former team as a starting cornerback.The good news for Haden — and for the Browns since he had so much trouble doing it — is now he won’t have to cover Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown anymore. Instead, that assignment probably will go to right cornerback Jamar Taylor and/or left cornerback Briean Boddy-Calhoun, depending on which side Brown lines up.Myles Garrett, the defensive end chosen by the Browns with the first overall pick in 2017, on draft day announced his intention to sack Roethlisberger. He went on to explain he has no vendetta against Roethlisberger; it’s just that the Steelers are first on the Browns’ schedule.The story for the Browns in the opener and going forward will be Kizer. Kizer, drafted in the second round with the 52nd overall pick, is the only rookie from this year’s quarterback class starting a season opener.”In this sport, the quarterback-head coach relationship can go a long ways and you see a lot of the successful teams have great quarterback-head coach relationships,” Kizer said. “So for us to start off the way we have, obviously we got out there and have had a little success and we continue to grow in that sense. Hopefully this can be something that lasts for 10, 15 years.”Jackson doesn’t want Kizer trying to win games by himself. The plan is to be a strong running team, but for that to happen the Browns have to be leading or at least the score has to be close in the fourth quarter.Last year the Browns had only 350 rushing attempts, tied with the Lions for the fewest in the league, because they were always playing from behind.-Quarterback Brock Osweiler, beaten out by rookie DeShone Kizer, was released by the Browns in Friday, multiple media outlets reported.The Browns acquired Osweiler in March from the Houston Texans in a deal that sent Osweiler, the Texans’ 2018 second-round pick and a 2017 sixth-round pick to Cleveland in exchange for a 2017 fourth-round pick. The Texans had signed Osweiler to a four-year, $72 million deal in free agency after Osweiler had made seven starts with the Denver Broncos in 2015.Osweiler started 14 games for the Texans in 2016, and completed 59 percent of his passes for 15 touchdowns and 16 interceptions as the Texans went 8-6 in those games.The Browns gave Osweiler a shot to be the starter, but after he completed only 12 of 24 passes for 67 yards for no touchdowns and threw an interception in two preseason games, they moved on.Cleveland owes Osweiler $16 million for this season 2017.NOTES: DE Nate Orchard (groin) did not play against the Bears on Thursday in the final preseason game. He is in danger of being cut or placed on injured reserve for the second straight year. He missed the 2016 season because of an ankle injury. … QB DeShone Kizer, though healthy, did not play against the Bears. Four of the five starting offensive linemen were backups. Coach Hue Jackson did not want to risk Kizer behind an inferior line. … QB Brock Osweiler was rested against the Bears and also did not play against the Buccaneers in the third preseason game. … QB Kevin Hogan helped his cause to win the backup job by guiding the Browns to two touchdowns and passing for 180 yards in the second half. … K Zane Gonzalez took a step toward winning the kicking job, but the rookie seventh-round draft pick clanked an extra point attempt off the right upright. Cody Parkey was 2 for 2 on extra points and 2 for 2 on field goal tries in preseason.
