Imagine being a player for the Cleveland Browns and receiving a report card for the first half of the season.

It's a good thing the players are old enough that they don't have to show the reports to their parents. There would be a lot of explaining to do.

Here are positional grades for the first eight weeks of a 1-7 season:

• OFFENSIVE LINE: Left tackle Joe Thomas may be having the best season of his three-year career, but there hasn't been much help beyond him. Guard Eric Steinbach has been good in pass protection, but he's not a strong run blocker. Rookie center Alex Mack is going through growing pains and you have to wonder if he has the size necessary to deal with big nose tackles. The right side has been a mess with guard Floyd Womack and tackle John St. Clair, both brought in by coach Eric Mangini.

GRADE: D-minus.

• RECEIVERS: Where does one start with this bad group? Braylon Edwards was dropping passes before being traded to the New York Jets. Rookie Mohamed Massaquoi had a good game against Cincinnati, but that's it. Rookie receiver Brian Robiskie has one catch. Joshua Cribbs is on a never-ending mission to learn the position, while Mike Furrey, who looked good in camp, hasn't done much. Chansi Stuckey, acquired in the Edwards' trade, has been non-existent.

GRADE: D-minus.

• TIGHT ENDS: Steve Heiden has nine receptions and Robert Royal eight, which tells you something about the short passing game. It isn't working. Heiden is injured most of the time and nearing the end of his career. Royal is a stop-gap measure. This area misses Kellen Winslow big time.

GRADE: F.

• RUNNING BACK-FULLBACKS: Jamal Lewis, who announced he will retire after the season, has 349 yards on 98 carries, which are poor numbers for a number one back. Lewis has lost a step, but he hasn't been helped by a poor run-blocking line. Jerome Harrison has flashed some skills at times but he's not a No. 1 guy. He has 254 yards on 69 carries. The telling number here is zero - the number of rushing touchdowns scored. Fullback Lawrence Vickers remains a solid blocker, but he needs to be used more on short passes.

GRADE: D.

• QUARTERBACKS: Guess what this grade is going to be. Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn have a combined 44.8 passer rating. Anderson, who may or may not be the starter after getting the call in the last five games, is at 36.2. Mangini can't depend on either of the two to make the easiest of throws. This is as bad as the position has been since the team returned to the NFL in 1999, and that's saying a lot.

GRADE: F.

• DEFENSIVE LINE: This was again supposed to be a strength, but teams are averaging 170.5 yards a game on the ground. Much of the blame needs to be shared by the linebackers, but the line needs more than a few good plays by nose tackle Shaun Rogers. Rogers is playing well but not great (he comes up missing too many times). No one in the group is capable of mounting a strong pass rush. Robaire Smith is getting old and Corey Williams is a forgotten man. Kenyon Coleman, another ex-Jet, hasn't played like Mangini had hoped.

GRADE: D-plus.

• LINEBACKERS: Like the entire defense, this area could use more time off the field, but the inept offense won't oblige. D'Qwell Jackson was having an ordinary season when he went down with a season-ending shoulder injury. Eric Barton, another underachieving ex-Jet, could be done for the season with a neck injury. Kamerion Wimbley has picked up his game and leads in sacks with five. Someone has lit a fire under him. David Bowens, yet another ex-Jet, is a journeyman. The starters on the inside could be rookie Kaluka Maiava and Jason Trusnik, another ex-Jet. Maiava is undersized. Fellow rookie David Veikune doesn't look comfortable.

GRADE: C-minus.

• SECONDARY: Cornerbacks Eric Wright and Brandon McDonald are wildly inconsistent. Neither is close to being a shut-down corner, and both are poor against the run. That's not a good combination. The safety situation is simply bad. Abram Elam, another ex-Jet (do you see a trend here?), hasn't played close to what was advertised. In an AFC North Division that has Troy Polamalu and Ed Reed, Elam looks overmatched. Brodney Pool has his moments, but he misses too many tackles.

GRADE: D-minus.

• SPECIAL TEAMS: Kicker Phil Dawson can't be graded because he's missed five straight games with a calf injury. He's expected back next week. Punter Dave Zastudil is having a strong season with a 44.7-yard average and 25 punts downed inside the opponent's 20-yard line. Cribbs has a sparkling 16.4-yard average and one touchdown on punt returns and a 27.7 average and one touchdown on kick returns. The coverage units are allowing 7.7 yards per punt return and 21.9 on kick returns. That's not bad.

GRADE: B-plus.

• COACHING: Mangini's decision to add so many former Jets has blown up in his face. None has made a noticeable impact. Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll has no feel for his assignment and could lose some of his control. Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan has gotten about all he can out of a bad defense. Mangini's disciplinary style doesn't sit well with players, and you have to question his overall decision-making skills since he is, in fact, the general manager. We learned that when George Kokinis was relieved of his GM duties this week. Mangini inherited a mess, but he's made it worse. He might not be back in 2010.

GRADE: F.

mmclain@tribtoday.com