Kordell Stewart will need to pick up Kevin Gilbride's offense quickly.

The NFL has missed both the Browns and the Cleveland fans. "The Dawg Pound," it seems, had become as much a part of football as a touchdown. There will be tremendous excitement with the opening of a new Cleveland Browns Stadium.

As for the team, the first thing you have to look at is the job the Browns did putting it together. Carmen Policy and Dwight Clark make a very formidable front office. Head coach Chris Palmer has chosen a lot of coaches from the college ranks to be part of his staff. I think it's important today to have a young staff of coaches who can communicate with the younger players.

The Browns decided to build the team beginning with their offensive and defensive lines. I think that was a great move. The first expansion pick was guard Jim Pyne, then they went and signed free agents Dave Wohlabaugh, Lomas Brown and Orlando Brown.

And the Browns' strength is their offensive and defensive lines. The players have familiar names and should perform very well. It doesn't take veterans long to communicate with each other because, unlike rookies, they have been around the game and understand what they are all about.

Given that rundown on the new Browns, here are my three keys for both them and the Pittsburgh Steelers, their rival and opponent in the first Sunday night game on ESPN:

Pittsburgh Steelers
1. Kordell Stewart: It's like a broken record. Stewart again has to learn a new offense. He's very excited about what new offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride can do. So much of what the Steelers can do depends on how fast Stewart can grasp Gilbride's offense. Gilbride will help out Stewart tremendously. I hope they can work together for three or four years.

Jerome Bettis will always be a force; the question is how healthy will he be for the game. He should be far from 100 percent, so I don't expect to see him for 60 minutes. The new kid who is exciting and could be fun to watch is rookie receiver Troy Edwards, who set records at Louisiana Tech. Hines Ward is a pretty exciting player. But Stewart needs to get them the ball.

2. Pressuring Ty Detmer: I expect the Steelers to be aggressive and go after Detmer. Again, you are talking about a Browns team that has just been assembled. You can't forget that. I don't care how many veterans the Browns have on their offensive line; they still haven't played a long time together.

The best way to test the line is with immediate pressure. In every third-and-long situation, I expect the Steelers to go after Detmer. They can afford to attack Detmer because the Browns don't have much offensive speed. Even though the Steelers play a three-man line, they can beat people one-on-one if given that opportunity. Everything starts with Joel Steed at nose guard. Also, Orpheus Roye had a terrific camp, and they expect big things from him.

3. Creating opportunities on defense: The Steelers should be able to cause turnovers and capitalize. This is a good matchup for the Steelers defense, which is the strongest unit in the game. They could have one of the best defenses in football this year and one of the fastest defensive teams the Steelers have had in a long time.

Chad Scott coming back at corner is a big upgrade for them, as is Travis Davis at free safety. With Scott, you have a corner who can take away the team's best receiver and make big plays outside. Then, they have active, quick linebackers like Levon Kirkland, Jason Gildon and Earl Holmes. Watch for Pittsburgh's defense to shine and give Stewart and the offense some good field position.

Cleveland Browns
1. Protect Detmer: The Browns should be very efficient on their offensive line. Against an aggressive Pittsburgh defense, it will be important for the offensive line to know what is going on. How will the line function together?

It's a lot easier when you have a veteran like Detmer on offense because teams will try to do things to rookie Tim Couch that they wouldn't do with Detmer. He's not going to be fooled. It's a question of execution vs. deception. But Detmer is physically limited. He's somewhat small and doesn't have the best arm. He's very bright and efficient, but at some point you need to make plays with your arms and your legs. Couch can do that, but do you take a chance of sticking a rookie out in the first game and have the Steelers go after him?

So the offensive line is critical. Detmer has to be conscious of the fact he can't come up with a lot of long-yardage situations and allow Pittsburgh to come after him. First down becomes so critical for the Browns.

2. Get after Stewart: The Browns defensive line has a lot of experience. Ends Roy Barker and Derrick Alexander combined for 19-plus sacks last year, and veteran tackles Jerry Ball and John Jurkovic are solid in the middle.

Because Bettis shouldn't be 100 percent healthy, Stewart will be the Steelers' offensive focal point. Pressuring Stewart will a quality pass rush will be the key to the Browns' defensive effectiveness.

3. Deliver on big plays: Not only will the defensive line need to attack Stewart, but the entire front seven will have to step up and allow the cornerbacks to make some plays. You are talking about a new team, so it will require coordination to create turnovers and scoring opportunities.

Corey Fuller will have to make a big play in the secondary, whether it's knocking down a pass or getting an interception. Then, on offense, the skill-position players have to play efficient and well. The Browns don't have a speed burner who can run away from the defense. But clutch receptions in key situations from the likes of Leslie Shepherd or Kevin Johnson can make the difference.

Former NFL quarterback Joe Theismann works as a game analyst for ESPN's Sunday Night Football.