The Browns begin their quest to come off the list

 So it's only fitting that he is one of two NFL players being honored by an American Dairy Association Mideast-sponsored display at the Ohio State Fair. Yes, Thomas and the Bengals' Chinedum Ndukwe have been sculpted out of butter. The two play key roles on their respective sides of the ball: Thomas has been protecting quarterbacks' blind sides well enough to make the Pro Bowl all three years he's been in the league. Last year, Ndukwe, a strong safety, had 91 tackles, third on the team.

So it almost makes sense to carve them out of butter, as both play positions with no, ahem, margarine for error.

The sculpture is part of an exhibit that has been part of the fair since 1920. So alongside Thomas and Ndukwe are the traditional cow and calf, carved of a ton of butter, according to an account in today's Columbus Dispatch.

Watson should secure the No. 1 job in this offense, and with Joe Thomas the lack of other quality receiving options, he could be a favorite of quarterback Jake Delhomme's.

This offense could rank near the bottom of the AFC, and this position has never been a huge contributor in an Eric Mangini-led team. Evan Moore  displayed some receiving ability, and given his youth as well as Watson's injury history, he could factor if Cleveland decides to build try out the youngster.

Only the strong survive, and then they embark on a long season to try Shaun Rogers  to justify the four to six weeks of hell they all endured.

The commonality with baseball is that optimism fills the air. Every team is 0-0 and believing it can be the one hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in February. Hope is more realistic in the NFL. Last year, the New Orleans Saints were the ninth team in the past 11 seasons to appear in a Super Bowl for the first time.

The list of teams never to appear in 44 Super Bowls is now down to four -- Detroit, Houston, Jacksonville and the Browns football jerseys.

The Browns begin their quest to come off the list on Saturday when coach Eric Mangini puts his roster of 80 players on the field for the first practice of the season open to the public.

There's less drama this summer -- absent a so-called open competition for the starting job -- but no less focus on the passers. Newcomers Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace were the hand-picked choices of new President Mike Holmgren to take over for the stale duo of Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn.

Holmgren likes Delhomme's leadership, experience, savvy and his body of work -- except for a miserable 2009 campaign. Holmgren likes Wallace's intangibles, too, and promises his arm strength and accuracy will surprise those who never saw him play seven seasons in Seattle. Holmgren also was the one to figuratively stand on a table in the draft room and "suggest" to GM Tom Heckert to select Texas record-holder Colt McCoy in the third round after Heckert's targeted pick (Kentucky defensive lineman Corey Peters) was nabbed two notches earlier by Atlanta.

How the coaches acclimate all three new quarterbacks in camp and preseason will be something to watch, as will be the plight of Eric Mangini-product Brett Ratliff.