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Browns Can Start a Strong Finish in Jacksonville

2010-11-19T10:27:00.001-08:00

November 19, 2010
Jack Bacevice

The heartbreaking loss to the Jets is in the past and the Browns now sit at 3-6. While the playoffs are out of the question now, that doesn't meant there isn't still plenty to play for the rest of the season. The Browns have played exciting and competitive football all year and a strong showing over the final seven games could really help this team turn into a playoff contender for 2011. These next five game provide an excellent opportunity to get some new experience. The last four games the Browns went in as underdogs. They played very tough, very smart, football and managed to go 2-2 against more talented teams. Now the Browns come into a stretch where they will be favored in some games. They also will be playing teams where just hanging with them and hoping to win at the end will not be enough.

Sunday the Browns face a Jacksonville team that may be the stiffest test of the next five games. Jacksonville is 5-4, but they're lucky to have 5 wins. The Browns are on the road, but they should go into Jacksonville and be able to move the ball well against a weak defense. On the flip side, the Browns defense should be able to contain Jacksonville. The Jaguars are a very efficient offense, but they don't strike me as a big play team. The big play is what has hurt the Browns defense this year. Facing a team that isn't equipped to strike that way should work in the Browns favor. After facing great defensive coaches like LeBeau, Ryan, Belichick, and Williams, the Jacksonville defense shouldn't be a problem for Colt McCoy to handle.

After that, the Browns face the Carolina Panthers. This 1-8 squad is now starting a quarterback who wasn't even on the roster a week ago. He was a stay at home dad. Then comes a 5-4 Miami team that would rank as the toughest opponent in this stretch if not for their very serious quarterback issues. Next is 1-8 Buffalo. The Bills play hard but the Browns should be able to simply out-talent them. (The Browns could also out-talent the Panthers, but the Panthers don't really play hard, or competent, football so that shouldn't even be necessary.) Finally, the eternally dysfunctional Cincinnati Bengal finish this favorable stretch of schedule.

I think the Browns are the better team in all 5 of those games. I think the Browns are the better coached team in all 5 of those games. I think the Browns clearly have the better quarterback in three of those games (Panthers, Dolphins, Bills), and by the end of the season McCoy could be considered better than David Garrard and Carson Palmer as well.

This are some great opportunities for a number of individual players as well.

Peyton Hillis can confirm to the NFL that he is an elite running back in this league for the next few years with some more big games in this stretch. In terms of age, Hillis is right at the beginning of the NFL prime for a running back. There's no doubt that he is the Browns running back, but Peyton can serve notice to the league that he is a top-10 guy with a strong finish to this season.

Joe Haden should garner even more playing time with Sheldon Brown nicked up and Eric Wright struggling mightily. Haden needs to get used to shutting down opposing receivers in a starting role. It's experience he can rely on next year when I imagine he will be a starter from Day One and the Browns should be a team thinking playoffs from the start of camp.

Colt McCoy can't officially be anointed the franchise guy in a place like Cleveland until we see him succeed in some inclement winter weather. He will get that chance against still defenses in Weeks 16 and 17 vs. Baltimore and Pittsburgh. In the meantime, McCoy can continue to gain valuable experience and confidence, both in himself and from and with his teammates, in these next five weeks prior to those final big games.

Mohammad Massaquoi and Brian Robiskie need to prove they can be viable receivers at the NFL level over these next five games. It's likely the Browns will target a receiver in the first round of the draft, particularly if they think they have their quarterback in Colt McCoy. (Personally, I am already having dreams of A.J. Green, Massaquoi's former Georgia teammate.) Massaquoi has done enough, when you also consider 2009, that a strong finish this year could solidify him as an NFL number 2 receiver. Robiskie just needs to prove he can produce at the NFL level. If he can't, he could be on the bubble to even make the team next year.

Shaun Lauvao is going to have the opportunity to start the rest of the year will Billy Yates (who was playing very well) going on IR. The Browns already have two elite offensive linemen who are very young in Alex Mack and Joe Thomas. Additionally, the Browns have what I think is one elite veteran in Eric Steinbach and one very strong veteran in Floyd Womack. Lauvao can show he is both the final piece to the 2011 puzzle on the offensive line, and that he can be part of a core with Thomas and Mack of a dominant offensive line for the next 7-10 years.

Finally, there is Eric Mangini. He has put himself in position to assure the 2011 coaching job will be his with some very impressive wins over New England and New Orleans on the road. Now he just needs to get the win total. There is obvious progress on this team. If they stay the course and keep improving, there is absolutely no reason not to retain Mangini in 2011. However, with the way the schedule finishes up and the talent some of these players have already displayed, a 5-11 record won't cut it because that means a 2-5 finish. On the flip side, a 4-3 finish (or better) for a 7-9 overall record (or better) should guarantee a Mangini return.

Reacting to Browns Over Pats

2010-11-08T15:33:00.000-08:00

November 8, 2010
Jack Bacevice

That was a spectacular win.

There is credit abound for this one. Brian Daboll, who I can't remember if I have criticized him in this blog or only in my personal conversations and in my head, was great this week. His game plan was wonderful, and his play calling was outstanding. The outstanding execution by the players only speaks to how well Daboll had them prepared for this week.

Rob Ryan used a brilliant defensive game plan to confuse, stymie, and befuddle one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history in the middle of an MVP-candidate-quality season.

Eric Mangini, who I have been a fan of since his time in New England, brought it all together and got a big time win over his former mentor and the best team in the NFL record-wise heading into Week 9.

Peyton Hillis and Colt McCoy's contributions were obvious.

So what does this win mean? Here are a few thoughts I have going forward:

1) The Browns are definitely playing playoff caliber football right now, but the playoffs are still highly unlikely. The AFC is very strong this year, and it may end up like 2007 when a 10 win team (the Browns, if you forgot) missed the playoffs. I believe 10 wins won't even guarantee the playoffs this year. The Browns would have to finish 7-1 to get to 10 wins. That's a tall order for the best of teams. No team in the league opened the season 7-1 this year. It isn't that the Browns aren't playing well enough right now, it's that they dug themselves too deep a hole starting 1-5.

2) Colt McCoy has earned the right to start the rest of the season. It also seems very likely he will prove to the franchise the he is the guy for the future and there is no need to grab a quarterback early in next season's draft. McCoy is the young kid. He gives the team athleticism and playmaking. He also provides the Browns with the best chance to win right now. McCoy may start here for the next ten years. He has looked that good.

3) Eric Mangini is showing why he should keep his job. The program he has is working. The Browns are beating teams with superior talent. To a man, they play hard and disciplined football. Mangini and his staff deserve a ton of credit for that.

4) Peyton Hillis is having a Pro Bowl level season. He is only 24 and may continue to improve. Montario Hardesty, assuming he can be healthy, would add another big time playmaker to the offense. It's not out of the realm of possibility that Hillis and Hardesty could form the best backfield in the NFL next season.

5) The offensive line is very good, particularly with Floyd Womack at right tackle. The left side has been a strength since Phil Savage paired Joe Thomas with Eric Steinbach in 2007. Alex Mack has quickly turned himself into an elite NFL center in 24 career games. The Browns ran all over the Pats yesterday, and McCoy had plenty of time in the pocket. He was sacked 0 times, threw under pressure twice, and threw the ball away just once. That's a credit to the big guys up front.

6) The defense may lack a superstar, but it makes up for that deficiency with disciplined play, excellent schemes, and about 20 guys who can be trusted to play on any down.

7) If the Browns pick around 15th in 2011 and can hit a home run, or at least a solid double, with a few guys in the first few rounds, this team could very well be poised to really compete for the division title next season. Perhaps even more than that.

8) The foundation is there for a very good football team, from the backing of the front office to the coaching to the players on the roster. Maybe the playoffs won't happen this year, but the foundation is there to be a good team for many years to come. There are a lot of reasons to be happy about being a Browns fan today.

Browns Thought

2010-11-06T11:36:00.000-07:00

November 6, 2010
Jack Bacevice

This isn't a major post, I just want to go on record with my thought right now, prior to the New England game. I think the Browns have a much better chance against the Jets than the Patriots. I think the Jets are really overrated. Assuming no major injuries befall the Browns, and the Jake Delhomme doesn't somehow end up starting the Jets game, I am picking the Browns to beat the Jets next week right now. I want to get the pick in just in case the Browns do upset the Patriots tomorrow (which really could happen). I want to be clear I won't be riding the back-to-back upset high picking the Browns to beat the Jets. I really do think the Jets are not that great and am picking the Browns to beat them regardless of tomorrow.

Okay, I think I sufficiently beat that into the ground.

Browns Bye Week Overview: Part 5, The Defense

2010-11-05T18:39:00.000-07:00

November 5, 2010
Jack Bacevice

The Browns defense in the first half has been a tale of two, um, I dunno what to call it cleverly. Let's say it's been a tale of what they do against the run vs. what they do against the pass. That matches up pretty well with the Browns defense experiencing the best of times (vs. the run) and the worst of times (vs. the pass).

The front seven has been pretty good overall. The defensive line has been solid despite at times resembling a MASH unit. However, Ahtyba Rubin has played very good football this season. He may be able to man the middle of the Browns 3-4 for years to come. Rubin is only 24 years old. A good nose tackle can be effective for a looongg time (see Gregg, Kelly; Hampton, Casey) because the biggest thing they need to do is plug up space. Often that is best accomplished by... occupying a lot of space. So being really big helps. Rubin, listed at 330 lbs., is big.

After sitting out training camp, Shaun Rogers is starting to round into form. He had his best game of the year against the Saints where he singled handedly created a pass rush on many plays, sometimes as the only down lineman. It's obvious that with key players getting up there in years, such as Rogers (31) and Kenyon Coleman (31) and Robaire Smith (32 and allegedly contemplating retirement), the Browns will need to get younger up front in the immediate future. For 2010 though, this group is more than solid.

The linebackers have been a unit that features roughly 7 guys (that count does not include special teams stud Blake Costanzo) who play big roles on Sundays. None is a superstar, but all are very effective and smart. When you have seven guys who are all quite capable and are all smart enough to always know where to be on every play, you can find yourself with a pretty good linebacker group. Credit needs to go to both the players and the coaches for putting in the work off the field to making sure this is a smart group. Two guys really standout to me in this group going forward, Chris Gocong and Matt Roth.

Gocong has been very solid in the middle of the defense for the Browns. He has made plays against the run and the pass. At a listed weight of 263 lbs., Gocong has nice size for a 3-4 middle backer. At 26 years old he has a lot of good years ahead of him.

Roth is an absolute monster. He may be the most powerful player on the team. Listed at 6'4" and 275 lbs., he is a large man to be standing up on defense. Roth has done well pressuring the quarterback and playing against the run. At 28 and with his skill set, Roth is right in his prime and playing at a high enough level to be starting for a very good, playoff caliber defense. At 28 years old I see no reason he can't sustain this high level of play for at least 3 or 4 more years.

Scott Fujita has proven to be a very shrew and solid offseason addition. It's impossible for an outsider to really measure how much Fujita's intelligence on the field helps the defense as a unit, but judging from the aforementioned mentally sound play of the linebackers it's safe to say Fujita is having a major positive impact there. While being (I imagine) something of a coach on the field, he has also found time to be productive with 44 total tackles, 3.5 sacks, 2 force fumbles, and a pick.

Marcus Bernard also merits a quick mention. He seems to have a great knack for getting to the quarterback. Being only 25 years old, he can at the very least help as a situational pass rusher here for the forseeable future and perhaps even develop into a high quality 3-4 linebacker.

The secondary has not had anywhere near the success of the front seven. I'd prefer to focus on the positive though. T.J. Ward and Joe Haden.

Ward was a pick questioned by many as a reach (myself included). I'm happy to report I was as wrong as could be. Ward seems like a major find. He hits hard and always seems to find himself around the ball, regardless of whether the play is a run or pass. The biggest criticism I have of Ward through 7 games of his career is he drops interceptions. Even THAT is a veiled compliment, since it points out he manages to get in position to intercept passes and still manages to break them up. I thought his hit on Jordan Shipley was one of the dumbest plays of the year, but mostly because of the situation. It was 3rd and goal and when Ward made contact with Shipley the ball had already hit the ground (at least I am pretty sure it did). I certainly don't think it was a "dirty" play and I am quite certain there was no intent on Ward's part to do anything except make a good football play. Regardless, Ward is a playmaker. He could be big time here, for a long time.

Joe Haden has not had the immediate impact of Ward, but that isn't to say he hasn't had an impact. He seems to improve each week. He plays one of the most important positions in the NFL. Cover skills are only going to become more important as the league moves more towards protecting players and into a pass friendly league (which the NFL already is, pass friendly I mean). I think Haden will move into the starting lineup in the 2nd half of the season and won't relinquish the job until the tail end of this decade at the earliest.

Can you tell I'm optimistic?

Browns Bye Week Overview: Part 4

2010-10-29T10:35:00.000-07:00

October 29, 2010
Jack Bacevice

Time to take a look at the offensive line. While the tight ends, an important part of the blocking, have done well blocking as well as receiving (covered by yesterday's post), the linemen have been somewhat up and down this year. Part of it has been the constant state of flux on the right side of the line. Shaun Lauvao and Tony Pashos were widely expected to start on the right side. Lauvao hasn't been healthy all year, and while Pashos showed talent when healthy he battled healthy issues before an ankle issue against Pittsburgh put him on IR.

Floyd Womack is a very capable right side offensive lineman, either at guard or tackle. I like him a lot. I have hopes of the bye week allowing Shaun Lauvao to get fully healthy, catch up, and overtake Billy Yates. That'd set up a right right side of Lauvao at guard and Womack at tackle. Assuming Lauvao is as good as he was advertised in the preseason (notably by the Cleveland Plain Dealer) the right side could solidify, as long as those two stay healthy.

The left side is anchored by the best offensive lineman in the NFL (an opinion shared by Scouts.inc), Joe Thomas. Yes, he had a bad game against the Falcons. You could argue that Joe Thomas isn't perfect, he's human and he's due a bad game occasionally. You could also argue that Joe Thomas possesses superpowers. He knew Colt McCoy is the quarterback for this team. He knew he didn't want Jake Delhomme or Seneca Wallace to suffer serious injuries. He knew that high ankle sprain would keep them out and allow McCoy to move in while creating no long term problems for Wallace and Jake. He knew John Abraham could create those injuries. So he knew what he had to do for the long term health of this team. So the dude is Anthony Munoz ability crossed with Confuscius type wisdom.

Maybe I'm giving Joe too much credit.

Eric Steinbach and Alex Mack continue to play excellent football. Alex Mack is going to be a Pro Bowler, maybe even this year. He will be a multi-time Pro Bowler, in my opinion. Joey is 3-for-3 in making Pro Bowls in the NFL. The importance of the offensive line is unquestionable in the NFL, and those who ignore it often pay a steep price in the loss column. It seems every day some NFL writer somewhere points out the folly of having a poor offensive line. In fact just today Mel Kiper pointed to Dallas's weak offensive line as the downfall to its season:

http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/insider/columns/story?columnist=kiper_jr_mel&id=5740744

(Note: ESPN Insider access required)

Going forward the line should continue to be a strength for the Browns. Even without Pashos, the Browns will get Lauvao back and paired with Womack that should create a solid right side to compliment the superb left side of the line. There is some depth still there with Billy Yates (better than I thought he would be), Steve Vallos (I've liked him since his days at Wake Forest), and even - gulp - John St. Clair (much more valuable as a back-up than a starter since, he just isn't good enough to start anymore).

Frankly, this offensive line is good enough to be on a solid playoff team. The rest of the offense just needs to make like Heinz tomatoes and ketchup.

(I am hilarious)

Browns Bye Week Overview: Part 3

2010-10-28T11:31:00.000-07:00

October 28, 2010
Jack Bacevice

First of all, let me pimp myself a little bit. Check out this article:
http://espn.go.com/blog/afcnorth/post/_/id/19553/thought-of-the-day-finale-browns-or-bengals
I'm Jack from Cleveland! It's almost like I'm a real writer!

Ok, seriously though. Let's take a look at the Browns receivers and tight ends through the first part of the season. It's been a tale of two positions really. The receivers struggles have been well documented. The tight ends have played well though.

Let's begin by praising the tight ends. Ben Watson leads the team in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. In fact, Ben Watson is the only player who has receiving touchdowns. Meanwhile, Evan Moore has a touchdown of his own and leads the team in yards per reception with 22.4. That helps Moore to sit at third on the team in receiving yards despite having exactly one-third of the total receptions as Peyton Hillis, who is fourth in receiving yards on the team. Oh, and here's some more praise for the tight ends. The running game has been very effective this season. That's a part of the offense where the tight ends are integral. The goal line rushing, which often includes third tight end Robert Royal, has been extremely effective. An evaluation of this group is pretty simple. These guys are getting the job done week in and week out. Really this is one of the strongest positions on the team.

The wide receivers have been the polar opposite. Nominal number 1 WR Mohammad Massaquoi has just 9 catches in 5 games and 2 quarters. Nominal number 2 WR Brian Robiskie has been even worse with just 8 catches and an embarrassing 7.6 yards per reception. Eww. That being said, I think both of these guys (particularly Massaquoi) may benefit from a switch to Colt McCoy. Last week for the first time in (as far as I can remember) ever, Brian Robiskie led the team in receptions. Sure, Colt only threw the ball 16 times but Robiskie did catch one-third of the completions. I think the real beneficiary from a move to McCoy could be Massaquoi. Supposedly, Seneca Wallace isn't comfortable looking to Mohammad's side of the field. McCoy also appears to have the best vision when it comes to knowing where to go with the ball and hangs in the pocket best of the three quarterback (as a rookie!). The Patriots weakness has been their secondary and it is possible Massaquoi could get a breakout game on November 7th after two full weeks working with Colt.

Some of the receivers have actually received (pun totally intended) a bum rap. Josh Cribbs has managed 14 grabs for a shade over 13 yards per catch. Not great but respectable for a number 3 receiver. He also is the only wideout with two grabs of 20+ yards. (Conversely, the previously praised tight ends Watson and Moore have 5 catches of 20+ yards, each.) Chansi Stuckey is really getting it bad being lumped in with the failures of this group as a whole. Supposedly the number 4 receiver, Stuckey is 2nd on the team with 21 catches and 213 yards receiving. True, he has 0 TDs and averages a paltry 10.1 yards per catch. At the same time, he has come up with some really clutch plays. Stuckey has 14 first downs in 21 catches, second only to Watson's 18 first downs in 30 catches. Stuckey has a better ratio than Watson with 2/3rds of Stuckey's grabs going for first downs. Only Evan Moore has a better ratio on the team, with 7 of his 9 grabs going for first downs. The receivers have gotten a terrible rap, but if I had to grade them all, I'd give Massaquoi a D, Robiskie an F, Cribbs a B-, and Stuckey a B+. Assuming a standard grading scale that's a GPA of 1.75.

Okay, that's pretty terrible.

This group, particularly Massaquoi and Robiskie, really need to step it up in the 2nd half. At least one of the two has to step it up big time, then the other underachiever can be demoted. Regardless, the Browns need a lot more production from the receivers. This is sort of the wild card of the second half. If the Browns receiver can make a major improvement, it's very possible the team (and the team's record) will follow. Even a minor improvement might turn some of these close losses into close wins.

The tight ends have been great. The receivers have... not. Overall though, this is a progress report. The tight ends still need to keep doing what they are doing to secure an excellent season. The receivers are in trouble, but there is still time to salvage their school grades... er... year... um... I mean season. Whatever. Pick it up receivers.

Browns Bye Week Overview: Part 2

2010-10-27T09:42:00.000-07:00

October 27, 2010
Jack Bacevice

Now it is time to look at the running backs. Going into this season the Browns had reason to be optimistic with a pair of H-Backs, Montario Hardesty and Jerome Harrison, expected to lead the rushing attack with Lawrence Vickers blowing open holes. The plans sort of came to fruition. Lawrence Vickers is blowing open holes. However another H, Peyton Hillis, has been the lead back while Montario Hardesty is on IR and Jerome Harrison was sent to Philly. Beside single handedly bringing back the white tailback, Hillis has been punishing defenses and is on pace to rush for over a 1,000 yards this season. (Trivia question: Who was the last white running back to rush for 1,000 yards in an NFL season? Answer at the end of this column)

In addition to jettisoning Harrison, the Browns also said goodbye to James Davis this week. So the current running back depth chart reads 1) Peyton Hillis 2) Mike Bell 3) Thomas Clayton (really?) My quick thoughts...

Hillis is the kind of player you have gotta love. The dude works his butt off and has a knack for finding success. He has rushed for 460 yards and 5 score, while also adding 193 yards and a TD receiving. Not only is he a very solid starting running back, but it seems he has a very bright future here. In 2011, when Montario Hardesty returns (fingers super crossed) the Hardesty/Hillis combo could conceivably (3 C's!) form the best running game in the league. I love how Hillis is constantly finding a way to contribute. He is a threat every time he touches the ball. He even completes passes, er, pass. I love Hillis!

I don't love Mike Bell. Don't even like him. I have LeSean McCoy is one of my fantasy football leagues. I had Mike Bell as a handcuff. Just prior to his being traded to the Browns, I cut Bell. Not because he wasn't McCoy's clear number 2, but because after paying close attention to him and watching a few Eagles games, I determined even if McCoy were hurt, Bell was worthless. He just isn't very good. I didn't have a problem with trading Harrison. Hillis clearly seems the better back right now, and Jerome was a malcontent. I would have much rather grabbed a draft pick for Harrison and let Davis be the number 2 back. The Browns had different views. They brought in Bell and cut Davis, replacing him with some dude who sounds like a George Clooney Character's brother. Tom Clayton isn't your running back, he's your lawyer.

So as long as Peyton Hillis gets the majority of the carries the rest of the year, and all the leftovers go to Josh Cribbs, Colt McCoy/Seneca Wallace, and maybe even one or two for Vickers, the running back situation should be solid.

Tomorrow I'll look at the receivers/tight ends, so check back!

Trivia answer: In 1985 New England Patriots running back Craig James (yes, the college football analyst) rushed for 1,227 yards becoming the last white running back to rush for over 1,000 yards in an NFL season. Want even more Hillis/James similarities? Both were born in January (Hillis Jan. 21, James Jan. 2). Both were 7th round picks (Hillis 227th overall, James 187th overall). James was 24 when he ran for 1,227. Hillis currently is???? 24.

One final thought: Go Cavs!

Browns Bye Week Overview: Part 1

2010-10-26T09:38:00.000-07:00

October 26, 2010
By Jack Bacevice

I'm back. Again. Did you miss me? Of course you did. I am awesome. As for where I have been, I've been nowhere really. Just kinda been lazy. I've got plenty to say though as the Browns enter their week off. Let's look at this thing position-by-position for starters:

Quarterback: Well all three quarterbacks who opened the season on the Browns roster have started games. Their opening day depth chart order: 1) Jake Delhomme 2) Seneca Wallace) 3) Colt McCoy. The order in which they have positively impressed me this season: 1) Colt McCoy 2) Seneca Wallace 3) Jake Delhomme.

Before I get into each quarterback individually, I have one comment about them as a group. These guys are very professional and mature. When Mangini came in two years ago, he wanted to purge the locker room of all malcontents and "me first" players. When Holmgren took over the organization about 11 months later, the biggest similarity between the Mangini and Holmgren philosophy was that both put an emphasis on good people, high character guys. All three players, in what has been a tough 7 games for the quarterbacks, have put the team first. They all seem to have supported each other well. You can criticize the on field performance of each one, but their preparation and personality off the field has been impeccable.

Now, to look at each of the three quarterbacks individually.

Jake Delhomme opened the season as the starter and played nearly one healthy half. Additionally he has played two halves one a bad ankle. Delhomme is mature, and has had a pretty damn good career in the NFL. When the Browns signed him, I didn't like it. When he had a strong preseason, I was preparing the happily eat crow. As it stands now, Delhomme has played about 6 quarters of football. He has been hurt. He is 35 years old and on a team that should already be thinking about 2011. Realistically, I don't think he should be an option unless someone else is injured for the rest of the year. I just don't see how playing Delhomme helps this team out. We can't even be sure he gives this team it's best chance to win. It's possible he gives the Browns the third best chance to win out of three quarterbacks. Delhomme has had a great career and made plenty of money. If he wants to keep collecting checks, he would probably still be solid as a veteran backup. Otherwise, he may want to consider broadcasting/coaching/spending-time-with-his-family in 2011 and beyond.

Seneca Wallace took over after Delhomme pulled up lame. Wallace is younger than Jake, and could have a nice future here as a number two quarterback for the next few years. Wallace is exactly who I thought he was. A very capable backup who should not be the starter on a good team. He has a great attitude. He is team first. He is always well prepared. He can make some plays. He is pretty smart with the football. He carries himself like a professional. A good backup is extremely important in the NFL today. Wallace was solid when he started some games this season.

Colt McCoy got an opportunity he was never supposed to get this season. After a rash of ankle problems, McCoy has started the last two games. At the very least, he has shown enough to intrigue. He has played solid football against two very good teams. He has done so with a weak receiving corps, and an offensive line in flux. Allow me to beat a dead horse, but the number one thing you have got to be impressed with is what is going on with McCoy between the ears. He is smart with the football and very composed. Mentally, he is the anti-Derek Anderson. The biggest reason an NFL team DOESN'T want to throw a rookie out there at quarterback is you kinda don't want to screw the kid up in his mental development. There is such an enormous mental side to the NFL, and the quarterback does more thinking than any other two players combined. McCoy has also shown decent zip on his short and intermediate throws. Veterans have been impressed with his leadership and poise. We may have found a long term answer at quarterback. I stress "may." McCoy did what he did against Pittsburgh and New Orleans, both on the road, with only two real weeks working with the starters. He didn't even get many reps with most of the guys he is playing with during camp. Give him two more weeks, for four total weeks, with the 1s while preparing for New England and we could see an even better Colt McCoy for the rest of the season. The Browns have so many other holes, and will likely have a pretty high pick. It'd be great if taking a quarterback wasn't necessary. McCoy has given me hope for the future.

Check back tomorrow when I take a look at the running backs.

Excited

2010-08-16T10:09:00.000-07:00

Should we be excited? This is a tough one because its only been 1 preseaon game and we still just barely sqeeked it out. BUT, that win was really fun to watch. In my eyes, the offense looked very good, a million times better than last year, and we may have something to look forward to in that area. Delhomme looked crisp and confident in the pocket and was hitting his passes with perfect precision, something we are not used to in Cleveland. And our recievers seemed to be more confident as well, running good routes and giving Delhomme good targets. Seneca Wallace looked a little sketchy with his first couple passes, but when he needed his ability to roll out and throw on the run, he sure showed everyone that he has no problems there. When the next couple series rolled around he seemed to settle down and throw the ball really well, obviously hitting a big touchdown. Then there was Colt McCoy, and I think everyone who was thinking, why are we not giving him a chance? Now you have your answer, he is just not ready and wont be for a while. Lastly with the offense, the running backs look solid, as long as Vickers is there to block and Harrison and Hillis are healthy, I dont see any reason why we will struggle running or stretching out and recieving.

Defense on the other hand had its moments. We are probably all praying at night that Eric Wright never gets hurts again. Sorry Haden, but you got picked on by a very good Quarterback and a veteran reciever and it let your rookie colors fly in the wind. TJ Ward also had a bad coverage play or 2,especially when Haden blitzed and he needed to drop back into coverage and got burned, but he shook it off and flew around hitting people for the rest of the time. And, Sheldon Brown, nice hit on Grant. If we can tighten up that secondary a little bit, we should be doing alot better this year compared to last year.

Last but not least, Josh Cribbs. I wish we would have got the pleasure of some Cribbs explosion on saturday but it seems like we will just have to wait. We all know what he can do returning the ball, but I really wanted one or two wildcat play with Seneca on the field so we can get a feel of that duo together. There is always this week for that.Looking forward to and exciting season!

Browns Camp Kick-Off

2010-07-31T08:23:00.000-07:00

July 31, 2010

Time to check in with the Browns as the first year of "The Big Show" begins...

Offense

Sure Starters: Jake Delhomme, Lawrence Vickers, Mohamed Massaquoi, Ben Watson, Alex Mack, Eric Steinbach, Joe Thomas

Possible Starters/Sure Contributors: Seneca Wallace, Montario Hardesty, Jerome Harrison, Peyton Hillis, Josh Cribbs, Brian Robiskie, Chansi Stuckey, Floyd Womack, Tony Pashos

Somewhere from Possible Contributors to Won't Make Roster: Colt McCoy, James Davis, Chris Jennings, Jake Allen, Bobby Engram, Johnathan Haggerty, Carlton Mitchell, Evan Moore, Robert Royal, Alex Smith, Billy Yates, John St. Clair, Shawn Lauvao, Scott Kooistra, Jason Capizzi, Pat Murray, Joel Reinders

Camp Fodder/Warm Bodies: Brett Ratliff, Thomas Brown, Jed Collins, Syndric Steptoe, Joel Gamble, Casey Bender, Paul Fanaika

Quick Take: This offense is going to run a lot. Both out of necessity, and out of playing to its strength. It is unclear which of those two reasons will be primary. The running game could potentially be very good, while the passing game will likely be very weak. A lot of guys can run on this team. Harrison, Hardesty, and Cribbs will all get multiple carries per game. In addition, Joe Thomas and Friends are likely the strongest unit on the roster. Alex Mack was a top-10 center last year, and could mature into a top-5 NFL center this season. If, and it is not that big of an "if," Mack can become a perennial Pro Bowl-type player, a pair of perennial Pro Bowl offensive linemen who are comfortably in their 20s is a great foundation to build an offense on. The seemingly annual "Is Eric Steinbach Starting?" stories are ridiculous. Steinbach is not an NFL youngster by any means, but he isn't old either. He has a well cemented reputation as a very good NFL starting guard. He is a very good NFL starting guard until we have actual-regular-season-game evidence otherwise.

On the other hand, the most optimistic thing to say about the passing game is that it has no where to go but up. Ben Watson was a very good, and somewhat underrated, addition. Between Smith, Moore, and Royal there should be enough depth to create a solid tight end position. As far as the wide receivers go, well, to keep this post short, let me just throw this out there: Josh Cribbs is a potential starter at receiver. Josh Cribbs is undoubtedly a better runner than receiver at this point in his career. I emphasize that Josh Cribbs is a potential starter at receiver. Think about that.

Thomas Brown fans may be dismayed to see him on my "Camp Fodder" list. However, and I am still waiting on Elias Sports Bureau for exact numbers but, running backs assigned number 59 in training camp have an extremely poor history of making the regular season roster.

Defense

Sure Starters: Shaun Rogers, Sheldon Brown

Possible Starters/Sure Contributors: Kenyon Coleman, Robaire Smith, Ahtyba Rubin, David Bowens, Scott Fujita, Chris Gocong, D'Qwell Jackson, Matt Roth, Jason Trusnik, Joe Haden, Eri Wright, Mike Adams, Abe Elam, T.J. Ward

Somewhere from Possible Contributors to Won't Make Roster: Clifton Geathers, Brian Schaefering, Titus Adams, Kwaku Danso, Derreck Robinson, Eric Barton, Marcus Benard, Titus Brown, Blake Costanzo, Kaluka Maiava, David Veikune, Coye Francis, Gerald Lawson, Brandon McDonald, Raymond Ventrone, Larry Asante, Nick Sorenson

Camp Fodder/Warm Bodies: Keith Grennan, Brian Sanford, Swanson Miller, Chris Chancellor, Matterral Robinson, Chris Roberson, DeAngelo Smith

Quick Take: Notice the number of "Sure Starters" versus "Possible Starters/Sure Contributors"? Mangini values versatility on defense, and this roster reflects that. None of the groups are superb, with the secondary the most likely to develop into a dominating position if (and this is a fairly big "if") at least two of the rookies break out and have very big years with absolutely no drop off from the anticipated production of the other veteran contributors. On the flip side, none of the positions can be pointed at as a major weakness. Shaun Rogers willingness to move to defensive end, a move I think he can be sold on and I also think is in the team's best interest, can help unlock this defense's potential by allowing Rogers to be a monster pass rusher while making room for a solid run stopper in Rubin to move into the lineup. None of the top, of I dunno, eight linebackers are superstars. Nevertheless, all are solid and will contribute. All will make plays from time to time. D'Qwell Jackson and (if he is healthy) Eric Barton will be the only contributors at linebacker who cannot comfortably line up either inside or outside.

The David Veikune pick seems worse and worse every time I have to think about it.

Overall: There is reason for optimism that this franchise is moving in the right direction, but it is unlikely they can contend this year. However, the games should be interesting and the product should be much improved from the first 12 games of last season. There is plenty of reason to be excited about the Browns, but temper any Super Bowl talk unless you are referring to a few years down the road.

Jack Bacevice

Why Not, Cleveland?

2010-07-29T08:57:00.001-07:00

Why Not, Cleveland?

I have been following Cleveland sports for my entire life and I always have the same question going through my mind, why not, Cleveland? What I mean by this, is why do the big name players not want to come here, or, why do Cleveland teams not try to get them here? For example, we have the whole summer Cavaliers fiasco and Tracy McGrady, Allen Iverson and Shaq are still on the market and we have not made any serious attempts at acquiring any of these players. Why not? What does Cleveland have to lose now? We can pretty much guarantee that with no big names and no great talent that by the end of the season, the seats will be empty. Sure fans will come in the beginning to show support with Mr. South Beach gone, but without a winning team, that is just temporary. So how long do we have to wait until Cleveland becomes one of those places that really try to win?

Let’s switch this over to the Cleveland Browns. Why did the Browns not go after T.O? Is it because of the off the field issues, or even the on the sideline issues? WHO CARES! He is a good football player at a position that we really need a veteran player with some talent. Instead, now we have to play against him 2 times this year, along with Ocho and Antonio Bryant. That should be entertaining. I say you have to fight fire with fire and Cleveland always seems to fight fire with lollipops and cotton candy.

I guess in the end, maybe someday, we will realize that you need to do what all the other teams do to win a championship, obviously, because everyone else finds ways to win while we sit back and wonder, why not, Cleveland?

Adam Stokes

What The Fans Expect of The Browns In 2010-2011

2010-07-14T12:26:00.000-07:00

By: Brian Murtaugh

The Cleveland Browns have suffered some dismal seasons over the last several years and fans all over the world are getting tired of seeing hopeful off-seasons turned into on the field disasters. Success for the Browns can be measured in several different ways in 2010-2011. Here are the top five things that I feel the organization and the fans will be looking for when Cleveland takes the field this year.

#5 Continued Progress In the Running Game:
The Browns finished off last season with four consecutive wins and the running game was a huge part of their success. James Davis went down with an injury early in the season just as the Browns were beginning to scratch the surface of his talents. Unfortunately for Davis, Jerome Harrison took over the role as the featured back for Cleveland and blew the opposition away. Harrison rushed for a total of 570 yards over the last three games of the year which included a 286 yard performance against Kansas City. Now that Monterio Hardesty is also in the mix with the other running backs, Browns fans will expect the running game to be effective every single week.

#4 The Chatter About Eric Mangini Will Cease:
The only way your job is safe as an NFL coach is if you win games consistently. Unfortunately for Eric Mangini, winning was not something the Browns did very often until the final quarter of the season. Talks of Mangini getting fired were all over the sports world after last season ended but new president Mike Holmgren was quick to endorse Mangini whenever he took over operations for the Browns. If the Browns become a team that can win consistently in 2010-2011 then the talks of Mangini being on the hotseat will cease and Cleveland will have time to focus on other pressing matters.

#3 The Defense Will Improve:
The Browns defense of last year definitely had its ups and downs. Coach Ryan sometimes looked lost roaming the sidelines but after all was said and done, the Browns were still ranked 22nd in points allowed per game. Now don’t get me wrong, 22nd is not nearly good enough for a team to be a consistent winner but compared the 32nd (dead last) overall rating in yards allowed per game, it doesn’t seem too bad. The Defense made great strides over the last few games of last season and many people expect them to continue to improve. Off-season acquisitions like Joe Haden, Sheldon Brown, and Scott Fujita can only help when it comes to shutting down opposing offenses.

#2 Jake Delhomme Will Make Smart Decisions:
Lets face it, Jake Delhomme was not brought in to be the savior of the Cleveland Browns franchise. Delhomme was simply brought in to be a mentor to a young Colt McCoy and to manage the football game. Even though Jake is coming off a terrible season, the Browns seem confident in the fact that he can be the same guy that took the Panthers to a Superbowl a few years ago. The Browns expect Delhomme to be a leader in the locker room while making smart decisions with the football on the field. If Jake can manage to do both of those things, he will have a successful tenure in a Browns uniform

#1 The Fans Expect A Better Product On The Field:
Cleveland has been suffering through sports seasons for far too long. The Indians have not panned out to much over the last few seasons and LeBron basically tore the whole city in half with his decision to go to Miami. That leaves the Browns and the endless stream of optimism that follows them heading into week one of every year. The Browns do not have to make the playoffs in 2010-2011 in order for this season to be considered a success. Cleveland has to put a good product out on the field every week and give the city a team they can be proud of. If the Browns can remain competitive and in a playoff hunt into the second half of the season, it will give the organization and the city a much needed boost.

A Tale of Two Mikes

2010-06-03T21:55:00.000-07:00

By Bert Daniels

Recently, Mike Ditka was quoted regarding loyalty, “It’s all gone, completely gone. Replaced by selfishness and greed.” (CNNSI)

The tough, old school coach was not careful in the interview and let the chips fall where they may. I could feel the disgust radiating from Ditka and sort of liked the clarity in which he spilled his guts. Loyalty has been a long time issue with me in all of pro sports and certainly pro football. The outright lies college coaches tell their team hours before a deal to coach in the NFL is made is indicative of the dearth of loyalty on the gridiron today. Players have no clue to what loyalty really is. They can spout about loyalty to teammates all night long, but as soon as something better comes along they forget the team thing and prove Ditka’s assessment true, by diving into “selfishness and greed”.

But players come and go. There is always a younger, stronger guy coming, and he will replace you soon enough. Players get cut, traded, shopped and treated like meat aged too long, so I guess players sort of get a bye on this one.

Not so with coaches though. The longer you coach, the better you potentially become. There are only a handful of good, playoff winning coaches in the NFL and only a sprinkle of them are of Superbowl winning calibre. They come to a team as a learner and through experience at the fans expense some become skilled craftsman at managing an NFL team, game and city. The average NFL fan is loyal to the nth degree. We expect some loyalty in return.

Mike Ditka. Loyalty.

Mike Holmgren. Not so much.

Holmgren let his guard down as well in an interview recently when asked about coaching again, "(The) odds become less and less the longer I'm here, if it takes awhile to fix this." (USA Today, June 2)

Cleveland is simply a steppingstone for Mike Holmgren. I didn’t want to believe it. As a loyal Browns fan now for far too many decades to admit, I wanted to think Holmgren was the real deal. That he wanted to practise his profession with my team. That he was all about our storied franchise on the lake and wanted to be a part of her history.

Nah. He just wants to build his resume to coach again, and dang it, if this rebuilding thing takes a while he might not even get a chance to coach again.

Watch your back Eric Mangini.

After giving it a lot of thought, here is the Browns draft in review...

2010-05-10T09:53:00.000-07:00

By: Jeremy Poe

The old saying that where there is smoke, there is fire proved to be nothing more than just an old saying in the inaugural Holmgren draft party. After ridiculous rumor after even more ridiculous rumor, it seemed as though the Browns were poised to drop a bombshell into Cleveland's version of the Super Bowl...the NFL Draft. However, what seemed to be a potentially explosive move by the Browns brass in acquiring the number one pick from the Rams turned out to be a mere smoke bomb. And I'm pleased to say that I'm glad it wasn't C4!

The Browns stuck to their guns at #7 and took what they felt was the best player on their board. I cannot fault them for doing so. Until Joe Haden steps onto the Cleveland Browns Stadium grass, we won't really know whether that is true. However, on the surface it seems to me as though they may have reached a bit for the former Gator. Not to mention that cornerback may not have been as pressing of a need after acquiring Sheldon Brown from the Eagles.

For months I had been saying on this very site that I believed that Rolando McClain was exactly the type of player that the Browns defense desperately needed. Sure enough, he goes one pick later to the Rrraiders! Being someone who hates all the draft grades that people give out as if it is an elementary school math test, I will just say that I feel the choice of Joe Haden was decent, but not great.

T.J. Ward? I'm not saying he won't be a good player but does anyone remember hearing his name mentioned at any time during the Rose Bowl? This pick was average at best for now. Hopefully I look like an idiot a couple of years from now when he is voted to the Pro Bowl.

I have to say I love the choice of Montario Hardesty as their other second round pick. Yes Jerome Harrison had a freakish finish to last season but the jury is still out on whether he can do it for an entire season, let alone for multiple seasons down the road. I remember that Hardesty was one of the most highly recruited backs coming out of high school. He battled a lot of injuries his first few years in Knoxville which kept him from becoming a household name. But, he did have a monster season for a pedestrian Tennessee team. He is a big, physical runner with breakaway speed and has decent hands out of the backfield (check his stats!). The NFL has adapted to a two-back system and although he might not be the electric open-field runner that Buffalo drafted, you heard it here when I say that Hardesty will be the best back to come out of this draft in the next 5 years!

The only other significant draft choice the trio of Holmgren, Heckert, and Mangini I have saved for last and certainly not least. The biggest splash of the Browns draft was by far choosing the tough little kid from Texas in Colt McCoy. He is the absolute perfect fit to run a west-coast offense which leads me to believe that Brian Daboll will most likely be shown the door at the end of the season so that Holmgren and his staff can install his system with a new coordinator. McCoy is deadly accurate, has excellent mobility out of the pocket, and has an itchy trigger finger-like release which suits the west-coast offense best. His overall arm strength may need improvement and that causes some concern seeing as how he will have to play in some extremely adverse weather in the middle of winter in Cleveland. Despite this, the choice of McCoy was in my opinion a great pick for now and hopefully in the next 5-10 years.

The other choices were nothing to get excited about, but overall on paper the Cleveland Browns had a decent draft. Let's hope it turns out to be more than that!

Now that the hype is over...

2010-05-06T20:41:00.000-07:00

By Bert Daniels

The three grades that really matter are, talent, coaching, execution. Obviously if the game plan that a coaching staff develops is good but the team lacks the talent to execute it, the losses pile up. Good players stinking up the place by poor execution of a good game plan, yields the same end result, losses. As well, decent players executing a flawed game plan will rarely bring a win. Two of the three grading out good and your season is 8-8 at best with an easy schedule. If all three areas graded high it might yield a playoff run. So after the hashing and re-hashing of the draft, the grades that really matter are overall talent, coaching and execution.

Coaching. D-. Don’t forget Browns fans, NOTHING has changed since the Browns were a one win team last fall. (before the “win streak at season’s end) Lord Holmgren is not coaching. We still have the same generals we had when everyone was yelling for heads to roll. Did you forget the putrid offensive game plan? Did you forget teams making the defence look like a high school freshmen trying to tackle Jim Brown in his prime? The only reason it’s not an F is special teams.

Execution. We can only go on last year, so again D-. If it were not for the four game win streak at seasons close, I would have to grade an F. I have no confidence that an aging veteran, a backup and a rookie at QB will execute any better than BQ or DA did. (Well, maybe I should take that back. At least they can’t be any worse.) Receivers? Ho hum. Not impressed. I’m just not falling for the false sense of security a decent draft brings in the area of execution. Today’s outstanding draft picks are tomorrow’s rookies. And like it or not, almost all rookies play like rookies. Once in a great while a rookie plays like a veteran and executes well. But almost always they play like they are lost in a game too fast, too complicated and more painful that college ever was. On top of that, these players are now spoiled rich kids.

Talent. Until proved wrong, C. I think last year the talent was average for the NFL. But poor execution of an ugly, simple, predictable game plan took a team with middle of the road talent to D- level. So in come the wonders of the 2010 draft. Do they lift the talent level? In come the off season acquisitions by trades, free agent signings and such. Does this lift the talent level? Maybe. But until a quality, innovative, exciting game plan appears, the talent is stuck with the old, “It’s hard to soar with eagles when you run with turkeys”, axiom. I still remember watching the Browns in the first ¾ of the season, and only woke out of my dazed boredom when Josh Cribbs lined up in the wildcat formation. That was the only time I ever saw execution of a well constructed, (and admittedly borrowed) innovative coaching call, by a talented player working for a raise.

There is however one amazing curve to the grade scale. It is the winning curve. Players can play better than the talent they possess, and execute simple plays flawlessly when they smell a win. Confidence is a great thing. Maybe a full grade and ½ improvement in all areas would come should a win or two come early in the year.

Grading the Browns 2010 Draft

2010-04-27T07:37:00.000-07:00

April 27, 2010

It seems there are two things everyone does nowadays: a mock draft and grading their favorite team's draft. Well I missed out on the first one, but not the second! So here we go....

Joe Haden, CB (7): I have already addressed what I view as the Browns mistake in the early part of the draft. (What I didn't address is how glad I am the Browns did not move up to select Sam Bradford, let's just say I am glad and leave it at that.) In terms of grading the pick of Haden at 7, I have to give the Browns a good mark. Haden was the best corner available in this draft. He has all the physical tools you would look for in a cornerback and he was highly productive in college. Furthermore the Browns strengthened last year's most glaring weakness, the secondary. With the prevalence of three wide receiver sets Haden will have plenty of opportunity to make a contribution this season even if he does end up the third corner. Similar to recent good first round selections Alex Mack and Joe Thomas, Haden feels like a guy you can plug in for the next ten years. Grade: B+/A-

T.J. Ward, S (38): The Browns certainly had a need at safety. The draft is about getting the best player at the best value, or put another way, getting the best possible player with the latest possible pick. There are three big questions about the pick of Ward: 1) Can he stay healthy over, not just the course of the season, but to have a real NFL career? 2) Could the Browns have drafted him later? 3) Was he really the best safety available at 38? The reality is right now the answers to all three questions are "who knows?". To make the Browns look best with this pick, the answers they would hope for are 1) Yes 2) No 3) Yes. However, the answers of 1) No 2) Yes 3) No are very much in play. At the very least, it seems like there are a few too many questions around T.J. Ward to give this pick a very high grade. That being said I really hope he turns into the enforcer in the secondary the Browns seem to be projecting. Grade: C

Montario Hardesty, RB (59): The Browns gave up three picks to move up for Hardesty, which has to be taken into account when grading this pick. Remember the value component of reviewing a draft. Like Ward, Hardesty has injury questions. However the questions are not as serious as those surrounding Ward. The next running back drafted was Joe McKnight in the fourth round. Hardesty would not have fallen that far. It's hard to say how much later the Browns could have grabbed him. He was very productive in the SEC and he didn't have the best supporting cast in the conference. He fills a need and was definitely the best running back available when he was taken. Some people are down on this pick, but I think it was pretty solid even considering what the Browns gave up. Grade: B

Colt McCoy, QB (85): The Browns being able to get McCoy at 85 improves the value of the Hardesty pick, at least to me. Thank God the Falcons took that tackle from Kentucky. McCoy has a lot more upside and may turn out to be the steal of the draft. Even if McCoy turns out to be just a marginal starter, he is still a steal at this point considering the value of quarterbacks in the NFL today. It has been written ad nauseum how the Browns are the best fit for McCoy and he doesn't have pressure on him coming in as a third round pick and blah blah blah. I agree with all of it. Great pick, even if Tom Heckert didn't want him. Grade: A

Shawn Lauvao, G (92): From the pick I liked the most to the pick I liked the least. Actually, that's not even right. This is the only pick I actually disliked. The Browns very well could have gotten Lauvao in the 5th round. He is too short to ever be anything but a guard in the NFL. I admit, I don't know anything about him beyond what I have read, but he was given a pretty low grade by every outlet I have seen. My biggest problem is there were two offensive linemen on the board who seem clearly better than Lauvao, Mike Johnson from Alabama and Bruce Campbell from Maryland. Campbell has loads of potential at tackle and can certainly play guard if needed. Johnson was an All-American guard on the National Champions and at 6'5" has the height to play at tackle if necessary. Both Campbell and Johnson had much higher grades than Lauvao. Campbell and Johnson are viewed as guys who can start and perhaps will develop into really good players. Lauvao is viewed as a guy who may develop into a fringe starter. This was a bad pick. Grade: D-

Larry Asante, S (160): Asante is another safety who probably figures to be more of a special teamer, at least initially. He hits hard and was productive at Nebraska. He could develop into a starter someday. At the very least he will provide depth at that aforementioned position of great weakness from 2009, the secondary. In addition he should be very good on special teams. There really isn't a lot to complain about with this pick. Grade: B

Carlton Mitchell, WR (177): At the time Asante was picked, my only real complaint was that Carlton Mitchell was on the board. That was addressed when the Browns grabbed Mitchell with their next pick. A guy with prototypical size and decent speed, Mitchell was viewed by many as a Day 2 (Rounds 2 and 3) level pick. He didn't play in a pass first offense at South Florida nor is USF a big time team. So Mitchell has a lot of room to develop. If he doesn't, well it was only a 6th round pick. If he does the Browns look like geniuses. This pick is low-risk high-reward, which is exactly what you want at this point in the draft. Great value. Grade: A

Clifton Geathers, DL (186): Geathers is a physical monster. Just enormous. His mere size alone should be enough to warrant him a spot on the roster. He could develop into a solid 3-4 defensive lineman. I imagine he could give quarterbacks fits swatting at balls at the line of scrimmage and using his Stretch Armstrong abilities to get a hand on them from 27 feet away. Another low-risk high-reward pick. Kind of like the Asante pick, there really isn't anything to dislike here. Grade: B+

It's been said a million times you can't properly evaluate a draft until three years down the road. You can evaluate if a player was taken too high or too low though. It is a team-by-team evaluation. Basically, if a team grabs a player that it almost certainly could have had at its next pick, it took the player too high. Take Joe Haden. Some analysts claim the Browns reached because Haden should have gone somewhere in the teens. That is an improper evaluation. The issue for the Browns is, would Haden have been there for their next pick? In this case at number 38. The answer is absolutely not. So Haden was not a reach. Sometimes that evaluation method needs to be tweaked on a situational basis. For example, the 49ers picked at 11 and 17 in the first round. They took Anthony Davis at 11 and Mike Iupati at 17. Could they have had Davis at 17? Probably. But if they wanted both Iupati and Davis, could they have grabbed someone else at 11 and then taken Davis at 17 and Iupati with their next pick which was 49th? Almost certainly not. So if Davis and Iupati were their guys then there is no reach.

My point being, that is how you can grade value in the days after the draft in an accurate manner. I think the Browns had one super major reach (Lauvao) and one kinda maybe a reach (Ward). I can forgive a kinda maybe a reach pick. The Browns may well have had to move somehow to get Ward at a proper value, but moving in later rounds costs a lot less than moving in round 1. They then were able to move to get Hardesty, which I thought was a good pick, and still got two major bargains with McCoy in round 3 and Mitchell in round 6. Finally I have to consider what I think was the Browns biggest mistake, not trying to move up to 5 to get Eric Berry. While they may have made some sort of offer or known with certainty the Chief were not going to accept any trade that wasn't ridiculously lopsided, the Browns claim they didn't explore the scenario and whether or not that is true I can only take them at their word. I have to knock them down a peg for that (in my opinion) major blunder.

Browns Overall Draft Grade assigned way to early to mean anything and ultimately meaningless anyway: B

Jack Bacevice

Haden Quickly Endears Himself to Cleveland

2010-04-23T13:26:00.000-07:00

April 23, 2010

Joe Haden is a big fan of the biggest star in Cleveland. According to Cleveland.com:

"Haden, taken seventh overall, hopes to connect with [LeBron] James and even joked about asking The King to hook him up with Cavaliers season tickets.

"Haden says he wants to take James out to dinner and will try to convince him not to leave as a free agent. Haden says if James leaves Cleveland 'it might break my heart.'"

Perhaps no draft pick in Browns history has so quickly said exactly what would endear himself to Clevelanders the most. I now pretty much love Joe Haden.

Jack Bacevice

Quick Second Round Browns Thought

2010-04-23T12:54:00.001-07:00

April 23, 2010

Just a quick thought on what I think the Browns should do with their second round pick. I think they should make an offer to swap second round picks with the Rams but offer nothing better than this years later 6th rounder. If the Rams do it, take McCoy. If they don't, stand pat. Take McCoy if he falls to you. If not, take the best player available to the Browns. Don't take Clausen. I think McCoy will be a solid NFL starter, but not a superstar. Of the group of players still available for the top of the 2nd round (Sergio Kindle, Nate Allen, Taylor Mays, Colt McCoy, Everson Griffen, Carlos Dunlap, Charles Brown, Arrelious Benn, you get the point) someone is going to be a multi-Pro Bowl guy. A few of those guys will have really good NFL careers. It may be smarter to just let the chips fall where they may.

Also, if a real talent falls in the second round, the Browns may want to consider moving back into the back of the second round in order to grab a falling talent. There is a lot of depth in the talent in this draft. The Browns could really improve their franchise with some smart moves and good picks tonight. It is a huge evening for the Browns franchise. Stay tuned.

Jack Bacevice

2010 Draft Round 1

2010-04-23T09:48:00.000-07:00

April 23, 2010

Well I chose not to do a mock draft because everyone else does one and I didn't think I could put the proper time in. That doesn't mean I don't have thoughts on the draft. I have a lot of thoughts. Here are some:

The NFL pisses me off by moving the draft to prime time. Seriously, it sucks. I love the draft, but it isn't more important for me to watch then say my favorite basketball team playing a freaking playoff game, or even a regular season April game for my favorite baseball team (even if they do suck). Most people who are into football enough to watch the draft probably enjoy other sports as well. In late April, we have meaningful major league baseball where it is too early for any team to be out (except the Pirates) and NBA Playoffs and NHL Playoffs. Sorry NFL, but most sports fan can't watch the draft in prime time. As a sports fan I am extremely angry the NFL took the draft and put it in prime time. Commissioner Roger said they did it so more fans could experience it. Bullcrap. The Commish has got to be way to smart to really think that, right? The NFL Draft, for all its awesomeness, is still an ancillary event. It is second to actual games that matter. In late April, sports is offering fans tons of games that matter. Those games are played at night dude. Plus, how many fans who wanted to watch the draft were missing it because of their super busy Saturday afternoons? If you do have a job that requires you to work then, it is quite likely you may have to work on Thursday and Friday nights as well. Moving the draft to Thursday nights sucks. It just pisses me, and I am sure a bunch of other people, off.

Joe Haden will be a really good player and I am going to immediately compare him to Joe Thomas. Joe Thomas is awesome. He is probably the best left tackle in the NFL. He is well on his way to a Canton-style career. The Browns picking him was a mistake. This is not a knock on Joe Thomas. It has absolutely nothing to do with Thomas. It's just Adrian Peterson was available. AP is good enough to give you a puncher's chance every week. Thomas will always shut down the opposition's best pass rusher, but some else still has to throw it, or otherwise score touchdowns. Joe Haden will probably be awesome but the Browns made a big mistake by not moving up two spots and grabbing Eric Berry. According to the PD, the Browns didn't even explore the option. Big mistake. Safeties are big time in the NFL today. Bigger than corners. Don't believe me? Ed Reed and Troy Polamalu and Nnamdi Asomugha and Darrelle Revis. Those are the two best safeties and two best corners in the NFL. The two best safeties are better players. They can impact the game a lot more. A top corner can shut down a top receiver, yes, but an opponent can just avoid throwing at a top corner. Top safeties fly all over the field and make plays in every aspect of the game on every down. Safeties are more valuable. It isn't the conventional thinking, but it is the reality. Haden may be an Asomugha/Revis, Berry may be a Reed/Polamalu. This is in no way a knock on Joe Haden. I would just much rather have the best safety over the best corner.

That being said the Browns did majorly improve their defense by taking the best cover guy in the draft. Now the Browns have three very good cover guy with the acquisition of Sheldon Brown and holdover Eric Wright. Maybe Brown can play some safety, I don't know. Regardless, when teams spread the field, the Browns now have excellent personnel to combat that. In addition, with three high quality cover guys our crazy DC is able to unleash more crazy blitzes and crazy looks for the opposing offense to deal with. Mangini said something about the pick of Haden to the effect that you can never have enough good corners. In this passing driven league that is so true.

Don't even consider Jimmy Clausen just grab Colt McCoy. He is a little small but he is no midget. He has a good enough arm and is very accurate and competitive. He isn't a diva. I don't think he showed up at Texas in a limo. He did win game a lot of games when he got to Texas (not so much with Clausen in South Bend). McCoy can bide his time for a year or maybe two tops on the bench and be ready to start for the Browns in 2011 or 2012. He is accurate and will take care of the football. His teammates will like and respect him. I don't care about his size, McCoy is the guy.

One last thought...

Denver, what were you thinking? Regardless of my thinking that Tebow is not going to ever be a good NFL quarterback, but couldn't Denver have grabbed him in the second round sometime? The Draft is about taking the best possible player at the latest possible time. Sometimes you have to move up, but you want to move up as little as possible. Sooooooooo, couldn't Tebow be had in round two? Just saying...

Jack Bacevice

Browns Trades, Arrests, and Thoughts

2010-04-02T13:28:00.000-07:00

April 2, 2010

Shuan Rogers was arrested for having a gun (I imagine in his carry-on bag) when trying to board an airplane. Athletes and guns have been a baaaaaad combo lately. Rogers case is different then some others in very important ways.

Plaxico Burress: He was not licensed to carry a hand gun and he discharged his weapon in a night club. So, to recap, Burress could not legally have his weapon and he brought it into an environment where a bunch of hormonal intoxicated people are hanging out late at night.

Gilbert Arenas: I can't remember if he had a license for his weapons. I guess some details were blocked in my mind by the shock of finding out Gil pooped in his teammate's shoe (yes, this actually happened). He did however bring guns into the locker room to threaten a teammate. The threat may have been in jest, regardless it was a very, very bad idea.

Delonte West: Delonte was merely traveling on his motorcycle, so not in any situation where having a gun is somehow more dangerous due to the circumstances. Delonte, however, did not have a license to carry the weapons.

Shaun did have a license (unlike Delonte). He was not brandishing the weapon (Arenas). He did not bring it into a public place on his person where a number of intoxicated people would be there to make poor decisions while probably having a few beverages himself (Burress). What Rogers did was first class dumb but not really anything too awful. He didn't really bring the gun in a place that inherently heightens danger. I am pretty sure he is a proud American, not a threat to our nation. Yes, what Shaun did was illegal and he has to face the consequences. He isn't a bad or dangerous guy because of this. He just did something really stupid. Not even stupid like getting really drunk and making an ass out of yourself. More like stupidly forgetting to tie his shoe. It's just that instead of tripping he violated a serious gun law. He seemed very contrite and aware of how dumb his mistake was when he spoke to the media. Rogers will be punished, but don't worry about some sort of major suspension or anything. I would be surprised if Rogers got a penalty from the NFL greater than a one game suspension.

On the Eagles trade:

The Browns clearly won this deal on talent. Sheldon Brown was available because he wanted a new contract and Philly didn't want to give him one. Randy Learner has never had a problem dipping into his considerably deep pockets for the Browns. Now with no cap the team is really taking advantage. Sheldon will get a new contract and will seriously upgrade the secondary immediately. Going into last season, Scouts Inc. gave Brown a 75 overall grade, good for a tie as the 22nd best cornerback in the NFL. Considering 64 corners are NFL starters, that's pretty solid. For comparisons sake, Eric Wright (a solid number two corner in my opinion) graded a 70 going into this season. Brown didn't hurt himself, with 51 tackles and a career high 5 picks. In addition the Browns add Chris Gocong who should at the very least be in the mix and very well may start at OLB. He was a productive linebacker in Philly and at the very least represents an upgrade over the talented but raw Alex Hall. Giving up 4th and 5th round picks is a small price, especially considering the Browns wealth of draft picks. If there is a guy they really want, they can grab him with one of their other picks in the first three rounds.

Now, with Sheldon Brown on one side and Eric Wright on the other the Browns are much much stronger at the cornerback position. Brandon McDonald, in my opinion, can still be a very good nickel corner if the Browns choose to keep him. I think it is now even more imperative that the Browns do what needs to be done to get Eric Berry in the first round. A secondary with Brown, Wright, Elam, and Berry could be very formidable. Brown may have only two or three good years left in him (he may also have four or five, who knows) but this is a move to improve the team right now. I like it a lot.

Jack Bacevice

DaBrowns41's First Round Mock Draft

2010-03-26T21:02:00.000-07:00

1. St. Louis (1-15) - Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma- Despite the fact that Suh is the best overall player in the NFL Draft, the St. Louis Rams are in a position offensively where they are a franchise quarterback away from becoming solid at the very least. With Steven Jackson running the ball, young receivers with potential, and bookend tackles to look forward to, the Rams simply cannot pass up on Bradford who is extremely accurate and smart.

2. Detroit (2-14) - Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska- This is a no-brainer for Detroit. Suh is the best overall player in the draft, and while they may not want to pay top dollar for yet another top 5 pick, he’s just a can’t miss prospect. They need a lot of help on the defensive line and Suh is their guy.

3. Tampa Bay (3-13) - Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma- Like the Lions, this is another no-brainer considering McCoy is just about on the same level as Suh. With the Buccaneers finishing 2009 being 5th worst in the NFL in sacks, and worst against the run, they need a big time presence in the trenches.

4. Washington (4-12) - Russell Okung, OT, Oklahoma State- The Redskins were tied for 4th most in the league in sacks given up to young quarterback Jason Campbell. On top of that former Pro-Bowl left tackle Chris Samuels is being forced into retirement due to a neck injury. The athletic, and quick footed Okung is the right fit in the nation’s capitol.

5. Kansas City (4-12) - Bryan Bulaga, OT, Iowa- Kansas City’s biggest problem offensively was the fact that they just couldn’t keep their 60 million dollar man on his feet. Scott Pioli’s ties to Kirk Ferentz and the dominance of Bulaga make him a prized possession and the franchise left tackle of the Kansas City Chiefs.

6. Seattle (5-11) - C.J. Spiller, RB, Clemson- Despite the emergence of 3rd year pro Justin Forsett, Seattle still averaged a measly 97.9 yards per game on the ground. With new Executive VP/Head Coach Pete Carroll at the helm, one should know how you can never have too many good tailbacks. Spiller is a quick runner who’s also very effective between the tackles and out of the backfield. While Forsett may be in the same mold to an extent, the NFL is becoming a league in which you almost need to have 2 good backs to succeed, and being an offensive guy, Pete Carroll pulls the trigger on Spiller.

7. Cleveland (5-11) - Eric Berry, S, Tennesse- Cleveland needs help all over the place, but the fact that they had a wide receiver playing safety for most of the season goes to show just how desperate they are in need of a true safety, especially a play maker and game changer like Berry. Berry is thought to be in the mold of Ed Reed, and certainly didn’t disappoint anybody with his combine performance. Berry could go sooner, but safeties aren’t usually coveted in the top 5, and sometimes not even the top 10, but he’s the real deal.

8. Oakland (5-11) - Bruce Campbell, OT, Maryland- This really is an obvious pick considering Raider quarterbacks were sacked 3rd most in the league with 49. Campbell is a physical freak, who displayed his athleticism in the combine. As long as Al Davis is running the show, you can always bank on him reaching on a physical specimen like Campbell. With the failure of Robert Gallery who was a former top pick, the Raiders are in dire need for a true stud at left tackle.

9. Buffalo (6-10) - Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame- Buffalo’s quarterback problems just never seem to go away. They’ve plugged in numerous starters over the years, and none of them seem to pan out. While they could use a lot of help on the offensive line, they just can’t pass up on a potential franchise quarterback in Jimmy Clausen who did a fantastic job in combine interviews and really pushed the “maturity” issues aside. Clausen comes from a pro-style offense in Notre Dame in which he put up big numbers without a lot of help.

10. Jacksonville (7-9) – Dez Bryant, WR, Oklahoma State- The Jaguars really need a receiver that can make plays like Bryant can. Despite not playing much in 2009, Bryant’s physical skills are ideal for a true #1 wide receiver in the NFL. Any quarterback would love to have a strong, physical receiver like Bryant who can also make plays after the catch. Jacksonville gets their future stud wide receiver here.

11. Denver [from Chicago] (7-9) – Rolando McClain, ILB, Alabama- Denver could go a couple different ways here, but with a newly installed 34 defense, a signing of Justin Bannan to play some nose tackle, and the need for a Patrick Willis type linebacker in the middle, they grab McClain here. McClain can do it all. His weaknesses are very limited, as there are no glaring weaknesses. He’s the best sideline to sideline linebacker in this class who can cover as well as be a key in the run game.

12. Miami (7-9) – Dan Williams, DT, Tennessee- Some people may question this pick, but when you’re running a 34 defense, the nose tackle is the biggest key to success. I personally believe much of the average play of the linebackers in Miami was due to the fact that they do not have a defensive line that can eat up blockers and take up space, forcing the line backers to get mauled by the offensive lineman who are able to get to the 2nd level. Williams is a 1 or 2 gap DT and is absolutely dominant.

13. San Francisco (8-8)- Joe Haden, CB, Florida- After Haden’s disappointing forty time at the combine, he slips a few picks, but not too far. Haden is still the best cornerback in the 2010 NFL Draft. He still has great change of direction, and terrific ball skills, as well as being a very physical corner. San Francisco could really use an upgrade at the cornerback position after giving up 226 pass yards a game, which was the one of the worst in the league.

14. Seattle [from Denver] (8-8) – Derrick Morgan, DE, Georgia Tech- Seattle had just 28 sacks in 2009, and lack have a big problem getting to the quarterback. Derrick Morgan is the best pick at the 14th spot, being an excellent pass rusher who’s also stout against the run. He’s an athletic player who can be a game changer. Seattle gets to use their second 1st round pick to get another defensive stud, just like last season when they drafted linebacker Aaron Curry.

15. New York Giants (8-8) – Brian Price, DT, UCLA- With the loss of Fred Robbins, defensive tackle becomes the number one need for the G-Men. Brian Price is a dominant defensive tackle who just blows up plays in the backfield. He can get to the quarterback, and disrupt the backfield better than any other defensive tackle not named Suh or Gerald McCoy. The Giants get a bargain here with Price.

16. Tennessee (8-8) – Kyle Wilson, CB, Boise State- Best pick available here, and a huge need filled for the Titans drafting the speedy Wilson who has seen his stock rise quite a bit since the beginning of the 2009 football season. Wilson is a guy that can come in immediately and make an impact for a team who was 2nd to last in the NFL against the pass.
17. San Francisco [from Carolina] (8-8) – Mike Iupati, OG, Idaho- Iupati is one of the best offensive guards in the last few NFL Drafts. He’s also quite versatile as he can get work at right tackle and potentially even left tackle. The 49ers are in dire need of a dominating offensive guard for Gore and Company to run behind. Iupati fills that hole.

18. Pittsburgh (9-7) – Trent Williams, OT, Oklahoma- Pittsburgh quarterbacks were sacked a total of 50 times last season. The Steelers have had offensive tackle woes for quite awhile now, and this is the year they look to fix it with Williams filling in the left tackle spot. With Rashard Mendenhall looking to take control, the Steelers will want a big tackle in there to push the pile and open up holes for the big running back, while keeping their two time Super Bowl winning quarterback off the ground.

19. Atlanta (9-7) – Sean Weatherspoon, LB, Missouri- Weatherspoon is the type of player that all 32 football teams should have on their team. He’s a defensive leader who can go sideline to sideline and make tackles. On top of that he’s one of the better coverage linebackers in this draft and is a no brainer here for the Falcons who have a huge vacancy at the SAM linebacker position.

20. Houston (9-7) – Earl Thomas, S, Texas- Houston has some holes to fill in the secondary, and with Earl Thomas falling to pick 20, he’s an obvious choice to fill the free safety position currently manned by John Busing. Thomas also may be able to translate to the NFL as a cornerback, which is another big need for the Texans with the loss of Dunta Robinson, who’s been disappointing in his last two seasons.

21. Cincinnati (10-6) – Taylor Mays, S, USC- It’s hard for the Bengals to pass up on the athleticism and potential of Mays. Cincinnati lacks that intimidating safety in the defensive backfield, despite the signing of Roy Williams, who has regressed significantly. Mays has a high ceiling, and with proper coaching could become an elite player in the NFL.

22. New England (10-6) – Jason Pierre-Paul, DE/OLB, South Florida- New England lacks that feared pass rusher on defense. Adalius Thomas is regressing, as he had the highest tackle/missed tackle ratio of last season, and has slowed down quite a bit. New England’s coaching staff can develop this physical freak into an effective outside linebacker in the 3-4 defense.

23. Green Bay (11-5) – Kareem Jackson, CB, Alabama- Charles Woodson had an excellent season for Green Bay, but he’s aging, and they still need another cornerback as Tramon Williams is strictly a nickel guy. Jackson is a speedy corner with quick hips who isn’t afraid to make a tackle and is very instinctive. Jackson could take over as a dominant number one corner in the NFL one day, especially if he spends more time with Woodson.

24. Philadelphia (11-5) – Daryl Washington, LB, Texas Christian- Washington is a hard-nosed linebacker who plays well sideline to sideline. Washington is also quite versatile and could realistically play all 3 linebacker positions in a 43 or 46 scheme, and with Philadelphia not having a true weak side linebacker, and an unreliable veteran in Trotter, Washington is a no brainer.

25. Baltimore (9-7) – Jared Odrick, DT, Penn State- Baltimore lost Dwan Edwards, and has an aging defensive end in Trevor Pryce. Odrick fits as a 3-4 defensive end or a 4-3 defensive tackle. He’s a powerful guy who plays well laterally and is excellent at the point of attack. Baltimore getting Odrick would make the transition to outside linebacker much easier for Paul Kruger, who is going to be asked to play a bigger role in 2010.

26. Arizona (10-6) – Brandon Graham, DE/OLB, Michigan- Arizona lacks a true pass rusher at outside linebacker, and both of their starters are over age 33. Graham’s stock has really risen after the Senior Bowl, and even more so at the combine posting a nice forty time, and 31 reps on the bench. Graham is a steal at the end of the first round and is looked at as a potential elite pass rusher in the form of Dwight Freeney.

27. Dallas (11-5) – Anthony Davis, OT, Rutgers- The Cowboys need help on the offensive line. Flozell Adams is regressing, and it’s too hard to tell if Doug Free can man the left side or not. Davis’ hopes are at left tackle, but I’m not 100% sold on his ability to protect the quarterback. His best fit is on the right side as a mauling right tackle, while the Cowboys keep Free at left tackle.

28. San Diego (13-3) – Ryan Mathews, RB, Fresno State- San Diego just let go their future Hall of Fame running back in LaDainian Tomlinson, and have only Darren Sproles back to the team. Even with LT last season, they were the 2nd worst in the league in rushing yards per game, and need an impact player at the running back spot. Mathews is an every down back who can run well between the tackles, and has the speed to get outside and break a long run and be a number one running back for the nest 5-7 seasons.

29. New York Jets (9-7) – Carlos Dunlap, DE, Florida- Dunlap is a bit of a question mark when it comes to motivation and preparation issues, but is top 15 talent if coached up. What better defensive mind to go to than Rex Ryan? The Jets need help at defensive end and Dunlap could play 3-4 defensive end effectively. He fits the mold of Calais Campbell in that he can rush the passer while still holding the point of attack allowing the linebackers to make plays.

30. Minnesota (12-4) – Devin McCourty, CB, Rutgers- With the Vikings injuries at cornerback, they need to draft one early. Cedric Griffen tore his ACL against the Saints, and Antoine Winfield has a nagging foot injury that kept him from performing up to his usual self last season. Griffen will most likely start the season on the PUP list, and the Vikings lack depth. McCourty is a speedy corner who can cover the burners of the NFL and potentially be a number one corner.

31. Indianapolis (14-2) – Charles Brown, OT, USC- With Tony Ugoh being a disappointment, the Colts are in need of a left tackle that can protect Peyton Manning and give them a few more shots at winning a Super Bowl ring. Brown is an agile tackle with long arms. He’s more of a finesse offensive tackle who doesn’t over power people, and is only mediocre in the run game. Brown would be able to fit right in protecting Manning’s backside.

32. New Orleans (13-3) - Everson Griffen, DE, USC- The Saints have a glaring need at defensive end opposite Will Smith who had 13.5 sacks in 2009. They get good pressure on opposing quarterbacks, but with a standout guy like Griffen, they can get better against the run, and penetrate the backfield much easier. Griffen is stout against the run, and is excellent with contain.

Tim Tebow, in Buckeye Country??? I Got a Feeling...

2010-03-21T14:44:00.000-07:00

By: Jeremy Poe
Flashback three years to the 2007 NFL Draft...

Phil Savage, then the GM, struck a deal with the devil, no not Satan himself, but close ... yeah, that guy, Jerry Jones. Savage, upon pulling off what seemed to be an improbable feat by acquiring two of the top five talents in that year's draft, stated in his press conference afterward that this was the day that put the Cleveland Browns back on the map! Not only had he passed on home-grown golden boy Brady Quinn to take bassmaster Joe Thomas with the 3rd overall pick, but later returned with the golden-domer in his other hand.

Now after a three year rollercoaster ride, the beloved and beleaguered franchise we pour our hearts, tears, and beers into has returned to the station.

With Quinn now sent packing for the land of Coors, an over-the-hill defeated former super bowl quarterback, and a largely unproven and undersized signal caller later, the Browns continue their Where's Waldo? hunt for a franchise QB.

Within the last week, there has been a lot of rumbling about a Tim Tebow-Mike Holmgren football marriage set to take place with one of the Browns second round draft choices. Who would've ever imagined the possibility of one of the most hated college football stars in Buckeye country making his professional home amongst those same group of "haters." They say keep your enemies closer, but whoa! That's REALLY close!

In mulling this possibility over in my head, the more I think about it, the more reasons pop into my head that say this is exactly what is going to happen.

1. They signed a 35-year-old veteran has-been quarterback

2. They don't have a young QB to groom after trading Quinn.

3. Tebow is a winner!

4. Delhomme was signed to a 2 year deal, allowing time for Tebow to learn.

5. They also traded for Seneca Wallace, a viable backup QB in case the Ragin' Cajun doesn't hold up.

6. Tebow is a winner!

7. Tebow is extremely intelligent, is very athletic, and is a born leader.

8. He thrives on the big stage, and handles the pressure of the media with class and professionalism.

9. Tebow is a winner! (sorry Browns, enough said!)

As much as I personally could not stand all of the praise and accolades that Tim Tebow received as a Florida Gator, if he can be the guy that finally gets this once dominant football powerhouse back to its glory, all will be forgotten by any of us faithful Buckeye lovers!

Obviously, there is the possibility that the Browns use the 7th overall pick on Sam Bradford if he falls or move up to get him, but that is not likely. The St. Louis Rams are said to be targeting him with the #1 overall pick seeing as how they also don't have a young QB to build around. So Browns fans, start reserving your #15 jerseys now!

Browns, Delhomme, Draft Picks, Stuff

2010-03-15T21:48:00.000-07:00

March 16, 2010

Well the Browns did a lot of stuff. I guess it is time to discuss it.

Quarterback: Well, the Browns got rid of Brady Quinn. My opinion of the handling of Quinn is well documented here. What is less documented but still clear is my belief that Delhomme is done. Well, now the 2010 QB depth chart is Jake Delhomme, Seneca Wallace, and Drafted Quarterback X. (Betting Ratliff is gone, not really going out on a limb here.)

Well it happened. I also continue to not be the team general manager, or coach, or assistant coach, or towel gather-er. So, I guess I can't do a damn thing about it. Just look forward.

So here is what I think, if the Browns are lucky Delhomme will be a "C" quarterback this year. He could be a D-minus though. If he is, Seneca Wallace comes in. Wallace is a nice, solid B as a backup. He is probably a C-minus tops as a starter. This isn't good.

So what about drafting a QB? Well, it has to happen. Sam Bradford would be nice. He is probably the best quarterback in this draft. He will probably not be available to the Browns. That being said, may as well take the best DB available at 7 (Eric Berry!, or Joe Haden). Whatever DB spot the Browns don't take in the first round they should address in round two. Hopefully, the Browns can get Berry because the cornerback crop is deeper in my opinion. Also I think Berry is going to be a big time Pro Bowler. So when do the Browns take a QB? I think that leads us to the Wimbley trade...

Kamerion Wimbley: This trade wasn't shocking, because you can see the point. It was surprising. I personally would not have given up Wimbley for a third rounder. However, OLB is probably where the Browns had the most depth. Matt Roth, Jason Trusnik, David Bowens, Scott Fujita (if necessary), and David Veikune (if he is allowed to play) can all log time at OLB. Roth definitely played like a very good starter late last year. Trusnik seems to be at least a passable starter, if not better. OLB isn't a weak spot. Wimbley, while good, never lived up to his status as a first rounder. That doesn't make him expendable alone. What does is the minor drop off if he gets traded.

Now with 3! third rounders, I think the Browns take a quarterback in the third round. Personally, I am high on Tony Pike who could be had in third round perhaps. I also like Dan LeFevour in the third round.

Would I rather have Delhomme and rookie QB X or Quinn and Wimbley? Well, I say Quinn and Wimbley. That doesn't matter though. I can't do a thing about it either way.

Of course, there is more to talk about soon. This is just my quick take for tonight. Check back if you want to read more of my thoughts.

Jack Bacevice

Current Browns Off-Season Summary

2010-03-15T21:06:00.001-07:00

The 2010 Cleveland Browns off-season has taken a huge turn in the last few weeks. The Browns got started immediately by giving up the rights to wide receiver Donte Stallworth. Stallworth missed the 2009 season after being suspended by Commissioner Goodell for a drunk driving incident in which a pedestrian was killed. Shortly after Stallworth was released, Holmgren sent defensive end Corey Williams to the Lions for a 5th round pick in 2010. Williams will go back to his undertackle position in which he succeeded in Green Bay in a short time as a situational pass rusher.

A few days later the Browns made a surprising release of veteran Hank Fraley, who served as a viable option playing center and some guard since 2006. Following the Fraley release, we witnessed the inevitable departure of Derek Anderson, who was due a roster bonus of 2 million dollars on March 19th, to go with a 7.45 million dollar salary in 2010 had he stayed. To make up for the loss of Derek Anderson, we traded a conditional 2011 NFL Draft pick for quarterback Seneca Wallace who is a 7 year year veteran out of Iowa State who's spent his career in Seattle, most of it under Holmgren. The following move was the releasing of tight end Steve Heiden, who's had a quietly productive career with Cleveland since 2002.

Throw in the signings of Scott Fujita, who's brought in more for his experience and leadership abilities, as well as mauling right tackle Tony Pashos, and you've got a pretty boring off-season involving mostly average players. With the exception of Fraley getting released, there were no true surprises. Seneca Wallace was a small surprise, but being a Holmgren guy who's filled in nicely for Hasselbeck when injured, it wasn't a huge deal. However, it's a question whether or not Holmgren thinks that Wallace can be a 16 game quality starter. The most exciting signing has been tight end Ben Watson, who can catch the ball well (despite a mediocre 2009 season), and has enough speed to do damage in the middle of the field. Watson is like a poor man's Kellen Winslow.

Here's where things started to get interesting. Jake Delhomme was brought in to Cleveland last Wednesday to work out and show the management that he could still throw the ball well, and has gas in the tank. Coming off of an 11 start, 18 interception performance in Carolina, which he was recently released, teams were a bit skeptical on the 35 year old veteran who's best year came in 2004. Delhomme passed the workout, but left Cleveland without a deal in place, stating that he would be visiting the New Orleans Saints to try out for a backup role behind Super Bowl winner Drew Brees. Delhomme also left New Orleans without a contract, in which Holmgren jumped on and signed him to a deal for a base salary of 900,000 with 7 million dollars available in incentives, providing he starts and hits the escalators.
The Delhomme move made many speculate the fate of Brady Quinn. Could Delhomme have been brought in for veteran leadership, or is Holmgren hoping to start Delhomme and develop a young quarterback in which is drafted, or even Wallace? It was all up in the air, until it was announced on Sunday that quarterback Brady Quinn was traded to the Denver Broncos for running back/fullback Peyton Hillis and 2 draft picks. In what Holmgren stated in his press conference on March 15th, Heckert, Holmgren, and Mangini made a "collective decision" in that Brady Quinn wasn't what they looked for as the quarterback in the 2010 NFL season. Holmgren stated that the Browns "couldn't go into the season like we entered the 2009 season", meaning that there was no need for a quarterback controversy or to start out the season with either Derek Anderson or Brady Quinn.

To add to the quarterback drama in Cleveland, former first round pick Kamerion Wimbley was traded to the Oakland Raiders for a 3rd round draft pick in 2010. Wimbley has been very disappointing since racking up 11 sacks in his rookie season with Cleveland in 2006, only averaging barely over 5 sacks in each of his last 3 seasons. The move was somewhat surprising considering Wimbley's name was not one that was brought up often, if at all, while speculating trades in the Cleveland Browns off-season.

So what do all of these moves mean, and how will they effect the Browns? To be honest, it's extremely hard to tell. If Delhomme starts in 2010, what Jake do we see? Can we see a guy that completes 60% of his passes or better, as well as 7+ yards per attempt? If we can, that could mean good things for Cleveland. But the chances of a 35 year old quarterback putting up those numbers with virtually no talent around him are quite slim, which make the signing questionable. I could understand if we had some talented wide receivers, and a consistent running game. If we had a potential playoff team that just needed an experienced quarterback, then this move may make more sense, but when you're starting fresh with a team, you don't bring in a 35 year old quarterback coming off of a horrendous season, despite having one of the best rushing games in the league, to help turn around your team.

Losing Wimbley may not hurt as much as we thought, and getting a third round pick out of him was a steal for this draft. Had this been any regular draft, then it may be questionable, but there will be a lot of starting talent around in the 3rd round, and Wimbley just didn't seem to grasp the 34 outside linebacker position. Like I said earlier, the Scott Fujita signing seems more of a veteran presence, and locker room leadership guy. He's always been a hard worker, and is a smart player, however, he's in no way a long term option. Tony Pashos should step in right away at right tackle, despite being poor in pass protection. Either way, he'll be an upgrade over the terrible John St. Clair who had one of his worst seasons of his career.

The signing of Ben Watson, is my favorite as he is a guy that can stretch the field from the tight end position, and was under utilized in New England simply due to the fact that New England has so many targets for Tom Brady to get the ball to, which made him expendable in New England's eyes.
The Browns will not miss Corey Williams, who should have never been traded for in the first place, especially for a second round draft pick by Phil Savage. He is a situational pass rusher who got more of his sacks coming off the bench in Green Bay than actually starting. Savage made the mistake of thinking that he could just plug in a semi-talented defensive tackle to play in a 34 defensive system to play defensive end. I was baffled by the move in the first place, and Williams will not be missed. Derek Anderson will not be missed for obvious reasons. 2 completions against the Buffalo Bills in 2009, despite them missing 3 starters in the secondary in that game is just uncalled for, whether you have talent to throw to or not.

By far the biggest question mark is the trading of Brady Quinn. Many Cleveland fans were convince after just 12 starts that he was a terrible quarterback and would never amount to anything. It's very possible that it's true, and he did not play much better than Anderson at times, but he was a young guy who did show improvement, most notably not throwing any interceptions since coming back from the bye week in 2009, until the last game of the season. Before you say "hey, he threw 2 against Baltimore", you have to recognize that in that game, both of those interceptions came off of passes that were right to the wide receiver which were dropped and tipped up into the hands of Raven defenders. Quinn showed improvement, and it seems a bit unfair not to give him a chance, which makes this move quite bold for Holmgren. It's very possible that Quinn goes into Denver and starts, and succeeds with a solid offensive line, running game and legit wide receivers to get the ball to. On the flip side, it's very possible that Quinn falls on his face and the Holmgren trade looks genius.

It's too early to tell where all of these moves will take the Browns, and it's quite possible that there will be many more moves. With 12 draft picks on the table for the 2010 NFL Draft, we could trade for players, or we could trade up in the draft to obtain better positions to draft starters and potential starters. It appears that nobody is safe in Cleveland, and that Holmgren is ready to clean house and start completely fresh. Whether or not that decision is a wise one is, obviously, yet to be determined. Let's give it 3 seasons to find out.
__________________

More Browns Thoughts

2010-03-11T21:32:00.000-08:00

March 12, 2010

Following up my wildly successful return to this site (3 comments and counting!) the Browns keep doing free agent stuff so I need to throw out some opinions...

Jake Delhomme: In 2006 the Indians signed a "starting pitcher" from the Tigers to fill out their rotation. His name was Jason Johnson. He had a long history of sucking. He had sucked for awhile. He sucked. Yet he had pitched in the big leagues for a few years (I don't remember how many, something like 5). He had sucked every year. He had one season that was below average. That was as good as it got. Below average. He was basically DA without the one inexplicable great year. The Indians gave him a few million dollars. The Indians are cost conscious. Instead of promoting a decent AAA arm on the cheap and hoping he treads water they signed Jason Johnson for some number of millions (3.5 million according to baseballreference.com). Do you know what the Indians got for 3.5 million dollars??? 14 GS, 3-8, 5.96 ERA. Oh and the word is everyone is the clubhouse hated him. Should this have surprised the Indians? Well, In 2005 JJ was 8-13 with a 4.54 ERA. Crappy but not horrible. In 2004 JJ was 8-15 with a 5.13 ERA. Pretty awful. Oh and the Tribe was coming off of 95 wins and a chic pick to win it all in 2006. Why didn't they? Well injuries. But moves like signing Jason Freaking Johnson to a 3.5 million dollar deal didn't help! I would have gone out and pooped the mound for like 5 grand. Bad, bad, bad, bad signing.

What does this have to do with the Browns?

Delhomme.

No, he is not Jason Johnson. Jake Delhomme is actually a pretty solid QB, historically. For a solid stretch (2003-2006) he was an upper echelon NFL starter. That's something! I mean this guy was not Jason Johnson. He was legitimately good. This is all in past tense. His numbers were d-d-d-decent in 2008. He was also covered by the NFL's best running game and threw like 47 interceptions in the Panthers' 2nd round home playoff game against a 9-7 Cardinals team.

That is a red flag.

He then came out this year and went 178-321 (55%) 2015 yard and 8 TDs to 18 INTs!

He also turned 35 last month.

The proverbial bed has been pooped.

So what is with the Jason Johnson digression? Well it is two-fold. 1) I consider Jason Johnson one of the worst moves ever made by a team I rooted for. I have thought a lot about it. For like 4 years. It was horrible. Unjustifiable at the time. Proven to be moronic. I am still bitter about it and like to vent. 2) Delhomme signing would be comparably stupid, at least on the level of "obviously bad." (It would never compare to the sheer puktastic Johnson signing. At least Delhomme was decent at some point. Also, he probably won't sign for anything near 3.5 million.)

Stay away from Delhomme.

Justin Fargas: In a perfect world, Fargas would be 27. The world isn't perfect so he is 30. However, the Raiders haven't run him ragged for the past 7 years. (827 total carries, only 2 seasons of 200 or more) Fargas has size and speed and can compliment Jerome Harrison well. He sort of reminds me of a poor man's Thomas Jones, right down to the under use earlier in the career helping to allow success in their 30s. At least I hope so for Fargas. He also would probably be willing to get paid like a poor Thomas Jones.

I think he would be a good pickup.

Ben Watson: Pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease bring this guy in (if the price is not ridiculous). He can catch passes from the tight end spot and comes from a winning organization. The Browns tight ends next year are... glorified guard Robert Royal and.. uh.. Steve Heiden? I wish. 2006 Steve Heiden with 2006 Jake Delhomme would be a great combo. Too bad it is 2010. Martin Rucker? No, no. Greg Estandia? Or however you spell it. Michael Gaines? What is your plan? Get Ben Watson!

Brady Quinn: Trading Quinn for a 4th rounder, as ESPN.com suggested could happen, would be really dumb. Quinn is cheap. He is young. There is a very real chance he could still develop into a solid NFL player. He did not thrown 10 more INTs than TDs last season (like Delhomme). In fact, he had more TDs than INTs! He is not that bad. He is at least 76 times better than DA and 4 teams supposedly want him (proving that intelligence and the ability to evaluate history and assimilate it into your thoughts and opinions have pretty much nothing to do with becoming an NFL GM).

Apparently Donovan McNabb and unproven-Tom-Heckert-fave Kevin Kolb are not available for anything less that the number 7 pick in the draft.

The free agent crop sucks at QB.

Even if you think Quinn sucks, he beats the reasonable alternatives.

He could still be decent.

Give Quinn a chance. A real chance. With a whole offseason and no QB competition and everything. Maybe he sucks. The thing is we don't know yet!

Mangini let DA start like 5 times or something after it was crystal clear he sucked. Based on that a guy who might not suck deserves at least a season.

Jack Bacevice

Browns Thoughts

2010-03-10T12:31:00.000-08:00

March 10, 2010

It has been a loooooooong time since I checked in. For that I apologize. I could make an excuse, but I learned long ago that excuses are like a******s. Everyone has them and they all stink. So without further ado, let me get into some thoughts on the Browns offseason thus far.

Josh Cribbs: Signing Josh to a restructured deal was a good move. The deal is fair. The NFL is uncapped for the foreseeable future. A big time fan favorite and legit Pro Bowl talent is happy. Also, the Browns sent a message to other players: if you perform well we are willing to work with you. I like this move. I like it a lot.

Free Agency: Scott Fujita and Tony Pashos were very good signings. Both are starting caliber players. Both are pros without off field problems. Both have starting experience on winning teams (we last saw Fujita starting for the Super Bowl champs). Both are veterans, but hardly too old (Fujita 30, Pashos 29). Both signed reasonable 3-year contracts. Fujita will start in the 3-4. Kamerion Wimbley, Matt Roth, and D'Qwell Jackson are my best bets to join Fujita. With Jason Trusnik, Eric Barton, and David Bowens providing really strong depth the linebacker position could be a real strength for Cleveland this season. A 1-5 nickel package with Shaun Rogers, Wimbly, Fujita, Roth, Jackson, and Trusnik should do a really good job of getting to the quarterback.

Pashos is a mauler with good size that can be plugged right in at right tackle. He is Ryan Tucker like. I don't think he is as good as Tucker, who was a hell of a player, but he has a similar skill set and isn't far behind what Tucker once was. Last year the right side of the offensive line was a hodgepodge of an aging Hank Fraley, overmatched John St. Clair, injured Rex Hadnot, and overwhelmed Floyd Womack. Adding Pashos is an upgrade. Right now, it looks like Pashos will start at right tackle and Womack at right guard. That is a lot of beef on the right side of the line, the side teams like to run to. Womack and Pashos are at least average starters. St. Clair was far below average and his deficiencies impacted the play of whoever played right guard. Now a line of Joe Thomas, Eric Steinbach, Alex Mack, Floyd Womack, and Tony Pashos is a very good group with no obvious holes for opponents to exploit.

Update (4:35 EST): Jake Delhomme is set to visit the Browns according to Cleveland.com. Jake Delhomme sucks. Getting rid of Derek Anderson for old man version of Jake Delhomme is like cleaning a blood stained white shirt with grape juice. It is not a good idea.

Quarterbacks: DA is thankfully gone. I have always found it completely classless to boo a player when he is hurt on the turf. I don't blame Anderson for being upset about that. I don't blame him for lashing out. I also don't care. DA is so maddeningly inconsistent. When he is bad he is abominable. He is good just enough that he can fool someone into letting him play. This is actually a bad thing because he eventually poops the bed and throws 17 picks in a row or something. He can throw the ball a mile. That's nice. There is more to playing quarterback in the NFL than throwing a ball far. Which ever teams signs Anderson, I feel bad for their fans.

Word on the street is Cleveland is shopping Brady Quinn but not necessarily looking to trade him. It sounds like they are letting the world know he is available but not just desperate to dump him or anything. I would still like to see Quinn actually get a full year to play quarterback. Since being a first round pick in 2007 Quinn's career has been derailed by 1) a stupid hold out 2) a coaching change 3) a season ending injury 4) an inexplicable benching in favor of Derek Anderson 5) another season ending injury. Now he has some experience and has had a little bit of success in the NFL. Just a little. He is also dirt cheap in 2010. He is still only 25. I think it is worth giving him one year to see what he can actually do. If he sucks, the team will draft high again and can take Jake Locker or some other top quarterback prospect. For the love of God I just want to find out about Quinn.

Seneca Wallace was a nice addition. He cost very little (A 2011 7th round pick that could become a 6th if he plays a certain amount. Not sure how a labor stoppage would impact this deal.) Wallace is a fine backup, a good teammate, and a good athlete. I don't really think he should start, but he was a nice addition.

Draft: I think the Browns need to take the best secondary player available at number 7. Hopefully, Eric Berry falls that far. The latest mock drafts from both Mel Kiper and Todd McShay on ESPN.com have Berry going to Kansas City at 5. If Berry isn't available, the Browns should take Joe Haden at 7. Slow 40 time be damned. He has proven his worth on the field for 3 years and the Browns desperately need a shut down corner to bookend with Eric Wright.

I also like the trade of Corey Williams to add a 5th rounder. 5th round picks can often turn into decent players. Tony Pashos was a 5th round pick. The Browns really can't whiff on a high draft pick this year (see: Veikune, David). The Browns pick 7th, 7th in round two, and twice in round 3. On a team like this, it is imperative that the first two picks are both starters. The two third rounders should also be guys who can help this year. With all these later picks (including 1/8th of the entire 5th round) the Browns have plenty of picks to take guys for a year or two from now. Those first four picks should be guys who can help from Day 1 of 2010.

Jack Bacevice

Who are the hardest players to place?

2010-02-20T00:12:00.001-08:00

Every off-season, NFL scouts are all over the country finding new talent, and watching old talent. They are looking for that diamond in the rough, the guy that they can draft in the 6th round and turn into a star. Some teams reach for players, while other teams pass on players that seem to be too talented to drop, and for unknown reasons. Most notably, in the 2003 NFL Draft the Cleveland Browns selected a linebacker out of a win-less West Texas A&M school in the 2nd round, despite the fact that he was rated as a 6th-7th round prospect at best. On the flip side, the 2005 NFL Draft featured former Michigan standout Ernest Shazor who some believed would be a 2nd round pick, only to watch him not be drafted and sign as an Un-Drafted Free Agent with the Cardinals. You can see that it's hard to place some players, and each player has their reasoning. So who are the hardest players to place in this year draft?

#10- Brandon Spike-ILB-Florida

Brandon Spikes had a very solid career with the Florida Gators. Prior to the 2009 season, many people had him pegged as a top ten linebacker for the 2010 NFL Draft. Statistically, Spikes didn't have a bad 2009 season after being named a First Team All-American for the 2nd straight season. However, many scouts are wondering just how well he can get off blockers, and if his hips are fluid enough to drop back in coverage, while also being a dominant presence inside the box on defense. On top of that, some character concerns are raised following the Georgia/Florida game, in which he was seen gouging out an opponents eyes. I've seen Spikes go as high as #10 in mock drafts, and as low as #65 in mocks. I have him right in the middle, around the top half of the 2nd round, probably in the 40 range. He is definitely a difficult player to place.

#9- Dexter McCluster-RB/WR-Ole Miss

Dexter McCluster is a talented player, and there's no doubt about it. However, prior to the end of the 2009 season, not much was being said about him until the bowl game, and then the Senior Bowl. Many people had McCluster as a 5th-6th round running back/wide receiver with high upside, but hold his size (5'8 165 pounds) against him. McCluster's speed is elite, and his catching ability is great. However, he's too small to really be an effective #1 or #2 receiver, so he'll have to be a running back? Right? Honestly, I have him as a 2nd round pick with the 3rd round as his floor, mostly because he's a guy that just needs to get touches. He's a utility player who will get the ball whether it's in the slot, the left side of the field, the right side. Whether it's in the air, or whether it's on the ground, he's going to find a team that wants to utilize his speed and cutback ability, along with his great hands.

#8- Jevan Snead-QB-Ole Miss

Jevan Snead is one of the most confusing declarations for the 2010 NFL Draft. After throwing 20 interceptions in 2009, and having a 54.4% completion percentage, Snead decided to forgo his senior season and enter the NFL Draft. What makes Snead such a hard player to place is knowing what kind of talent he has. He's got a very good arm, and while he could work on his accuracy, it's not terrible. So what happened? Was it immaturity? Was it a lack of intangibles? Right now, I have Snead as a 5th-6th round player, but he's a guy that has the talent to go into the 2nd round, as hard as it is for me to say it. Poor decision making can be improved as he gets groomed in the NFL, as well. I've seen some mocks have him as a 3rd rounder and a few having him as a 6th-7th round pick.

#7- Mike Williams-WR-Syracuse

Not many people really know much about Mike Williams, other than that he has the same name as a former Detroit Lion wide receiver who was a bust in the NFL. Mike Williams is one of the most talented players in the draft. Had he been able to play in 2008, and finished the 2009 season, he could easily be a 1st-2nd round draft pick. However, character issues have marked red flags all over him. After finishing 2007 with sixty catches and ten touchdowns, he became suspended for 2008 for theory of academic dishonesty. After coming back in 2009, he played seven games and had 746 yards off of 49 receptions. He left the team in the middle of the season in fear of being suspended. He flat out quit on his team. He was to be suspended for breaking team rules after he was involved in a car accident off the field. Prior to that he was suspended against Akron for undisclosed reasons. It's too hard to pin where this guy could go with owners like Al Davis out there. Some teams want talent and will disregard character issues. However, I think he'll end up in the 4th round strictly based on talent.

#6- Colt McCoy-QB-Texas

Colt McCoy has all the stats that NFL owners love to see. He throws for a very high percentage (70.6% in 2009), and throws quite a few touchdowns. Questions about his footwork, the system he played in at Texas, as well as his throwing motion are big concerns. The killer is the injury he suffered in the National Championship game from Marcel Dareus. McCoy is poised to throw at the combine, but if he can't, then NFL scouts will only be able to judge what he did at Texas and question whether or not they can improve him. If he can throw, and he throws well, he could end up being a late first round pick. If he can't throw, I could see McCoy slipping to the bottom of the 2nd or top of the 3rd round if not later.

#5- Toby Gerhart-RB-Stanford

A heck of a season Gerhart had in 2009, after rushing for 1,871 yards and 28 touchdowns. Right after his bowl game, he started moving into the first round of a lot of mock drafts. It seems some of the talk has cooled, however, and many have him as a 2nd rounder, and I've seen him as low as a 5th round pick. Personally, I have him as a 3rd-4th rounder assuming he runs a 4.58 or lower at the combine. Rumor has it he's been working on his forty time for over a year and that he could run in the 4.4's. However, I'll believe it when I see it. He's powerful, but he's a one dimensional north/south runner who ran behind a mauling Stanford line and behind Owen Marecic, his very underrated fullback. I think Gerhart is talented, but not 2nd round talent. If he runs in the 4.4's, I'll reconsider, and maybe be a little less hard on him.

#4- Jonathan Dwyer-RB-Georgia Tech

Many believed that Dwyer was a top 5 pick over a season ago. His combination of speed and power made him a hot commodity. However, his stock seems to be slipping based on the fact that maybe his speed still isn't good enough. Many people also question his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, and run efficiently outside the tackles. I've seen Dwyer as early as pick number 11, and as far down as a mid-2nd round draft pick. Personally, I think he's right in the middle, probably between New England's pick at 22 and San Diego's pick at 28. I'm one of the few people that think he excelled in a triple offense that limited his abilities, but we'll see.

#3- Terrence Cody-NT-Alabama

Terrence Cody is one of the hardest guys to place in this draft, simply because we don't know what he's fully capable of. Is he strictly a two down nose tackle with weight issues? Or can we believe that he's been working hard after losing 60 pounds prior to 2008? Laziness is commonly associated with Cody, but perhaps we don't know the entire story. Nick Saban wouldn't let him play 3rd downs because of his weight issue, so one would question his drive. One thing we don't have to question is his size and strength. He clearly demands double teams, and can be dominant and very hard to block. But where is his value necessarily? I've seen him as high as #12 overall and as low as the top of the 3rd round. I've got him around pick #42 or so, with potential to move up if he can have some good interviews and have a good combine.

#2- Bryan Bulaga-OT-Iowa

Bulaga is one of the bigger question marks, and it's not because of his talent. It's because of the depth of offensive tackles, and because of his arm length. The combine is going to answer a big question in his arm length. Many have reported that his arms may only be around 33-33.5 inches long, which is just an average at best size. Anybody that knows offensive tackles knows that arm length is an integral part of success. While it's not that you cannot be successful, but it's definitely not ideal. I've seen Bulaga as high as pick #6 overall and as low as the middle of the 2nd round. That's a big jump. Right now, I think that with his talent, drive, and hard work ethic, he's a mid-1st round player, probably around pick 14 or 15.

#1- Tim Tebow-QB-Florida

The hardest player to place in Mock Drafts is easily Tim Tebow. His throwing motion, and footwork is a huge question mark, but his intangibles most certainly are not. You can't help but wonder what NFL team owner doesn't want this guy strictly for ticket sales and leadership ability, but how high is too high to draft for such a big risk? He's a guy that may not even play quarterback in the NFL, and could be suited for a halfback or even tight end. I've seen people who still believe Jacksonville will take him in the first, and personally, I have him as a 2nd, strictly because a team will reach for him. As a quarterback, his talent level is a 4th or 5th rounder. As a football player, his talent is a 2nd rounder. It's too hard to say where this guy is going to go, and he's by far the hardest player to place in mock drafts for 2010.

Browns-Titans Connection

2010-02-12T03:58:00.001-08:00

In Erie, PA I have a unique view of NFL football.

As you've read in a previous blog, Erie is pretty equidistant from Cleveland, Buffalo and Pittsburgh so we have fans of all teams wandering around.

The Steelers are the evil empire to both Browns and (to a lesser extent) Bills fans and we've always shared a common bond. Both of our teams are from cold weather towns that are struggling economically and their respective teams are the center of their sports universe.

I know Cleveland has the Indians and Cavaliers and Buffalo has the Sabres but having visited both cities extensively, I can tell you that Browns/Bills football to their respective fan bases is EVERYTHING.

So, there's always been a kindred spirit there.

Lately I've been talking to a RABID Titans fan named Ellen and she knows her stuff. I've been very impressed by her sports knowledge and she loves the Titans as much as I love the Browns. She went into great detail about how she showed up at every Tennessee playoff game during their last Super Bowl run starting with "The Music City Miracle."

I could feel her pain as she was talking about how the Titans came up just short in the big game and it reminded me of how the Browns have been close but no cigar in my time as a fan.

When you think about it, both franchises have been equally star crossed (although the Titans have a tad more success since they've actually gotten to a Super Bowl).

Similarities?

-If Ellen is any indication neither fan base has any love for the Steelers. I suppose that goes back to the Luv Ya Blue Houston Oilers days when they regularly fell just short in AFC Title games to Pittsburgh. Even to this day a Titans/Steelers game is a heated affair.

-Both franchises were moved. Cleveland went to Baltimore and then was replaced with an expansion team. Houston was a gypsy for many years before settling in Tennessee.

-The 2 organizations just can't seem to find a QB lately. They get good play for a little while (Kerry Collins 2008 for Tennessee and Derek Anderson 2007 for the Browns) but mainly the position is in flux.

-Their best years always seem to be behind them. Tennessee had it's best chance to win a title with Steve McNair (R.I.P.) and Eddie George and Cleveland with Bernie Kosar and Kevin Mack/Ernest Byner.

-Both of them are usually the bridesmaid and not the bride in their own divisions. Tennessee always seems to be looking up at Indianapolis and Cleveland continually chases Pittsburgh.

I'm sure you could come up with more on your own. Maybe we as Browns fans have some more kindred spirit friends than we originally thought.

To the state of Tennessee, let me speak for Browns Nation when I say:

"WE FEEL YOUR PAIN."

The conversation I want to have with my child one day....

2010-02-04T04:09:00.001-08:00

Let's suspend reality for a moment and assume that I had a child born this year. I'm not going to say boy or girl because rabid Browns fans come in both genders. Since I am not married, engaged or currently dating a woman that is pregnant, I'm not going to have a child born this year but please go with me on this one.

The year is 2020. My child and I are watching Browns football. They are enjoying the game as usual. Because the Browns are winning as usual. They've really never known a time when the Browns weren't good. Kind of like a child born in the 40's or 50's. They really didn't know that Browns football was anything but stellar (that is until they grew up and then experienced the 70's and beyond).

But I digress.....

My child tells me that "Wow, I just love the Browns. They're awesome. The best team ever."

Me: "Yes but I remember a time when it was painful to watch a game. They were nearly unwatchable. The offense couldn't run or pass. The defense couldn't stop anyone. They kept making bad draft choice after draft choice. Their free agents didn't usually work out and they changed management teams as often as I change socks."

Child: "No way. Coach Mangini is the best coach in the league and with Tom Heckert drafting and picking free agents, they are awesome. Plus Mr. Holmgren always keeps everyone in line."

Me: "Yeah, I remember when they were all hired. I didn't like Coach Mangini at first but I came to realize he was a good coach but just too overwhelmed when he began in 2009. He needed help from people that really knew what they were doing and Tom Heckert and Mr. Holmgren really gave him a lot of support and what he needed. The team used to struggle to win 4 or 5 games a year and they rarely beat Pittsburgh back then."

Child: "They had trouble beating Pittsburgh? That team is terrible. They never even get that stadium half filled."

Me: "Yeah, it was reversed back then. Pittsburgh was winning championships and going to the playoffs like Cleveland does now."

Child: "I don't believe you. There is NO way that Pittsburgh was any good and that the Browns were that bad. Now Daaaaadddddd.....stop talking. The Super Bowl is about to start and you know I don't like to miss anything the announcers say about the Browns."

Wouldn't that be a nice conversation to have in 2020? I may not have a child to have that conversation with in 2020 but I hope that some father and child are having that exact dialogue 10 years from now.

How sweet would that be?

Billionaire backed Browns will produce championships

2010-02-03T21:00:00.000-08:00

By Adam Doc Fox

Since the death of his father in 2002, the fans have negatively viewed Randy Lerner as a man who inherited ownership, as opposed to one that sought out and wanted it. Based on his consistently horrible hirings, the City of Cleveland has been left thinking Lerner is no more than a spoiled boy playing with dad’s big toys.

But Randy Lerner’s been learning, evolving.

After studying at Clare College in England, Lerner became immersed in the business side of soccer. In 2006 (after only owning the Browns for four years!), Lerner bought a 65% share of the football (soccer) club, Aston Villa. One month later, after naming himself Chairman of the Board, Lerner had an 85% share in the club.
Under the Lerner reign, Aston Villa went from 16th place in the league in 2005-06, to 11th, then 6th, and his club is currently points off securing a place in the world’s most prolific soccer tournament, the Champions League. Now with Villa finally rolling, Lerner can now focus his attention on his inherited Cleveland Browns.

Based on the past eight years of his ownership, no one is quite ready to believe or have much faith in Lerner. However, Lerner entered a maniac English sports league with over a hundred years of tradition (if you think the New York media is tuff, try London), and is doing quite well. How? Spending money and understanding people who truly know the sport should be making the decisions. Lerner paid to bring in players and coaches that knew that game, and they brought success to “The Villains.” He now knows that same formula will work in the NFL.

Lerner doesn’t want one or two humans running his organization (e.g., Savage/Crennel or Kokinis/Mangini). He now realizes he needs a multi-pack. The Browns have stolen a coach from Seattle, a GM from Philly, a president from Miami, and now, the only thing missing is money.
Sure the draft will be relied upon, but if it’s an open market, now that Villa is bringing in money and doing well, Lerner will be cutting checks just like the one he wrote to secure Holmgren in Cleveland.
Life is running out on Randy Lerner, and he will soon have to make the Browns a winner, even if he has to buy a team, to fulfill the promise he made to his now deceased father, that he must make the Browns a championship team once again.

By Adam Doc Fox

What do the Browns Take the Tape to First?

2010-02-03T14:03:00.001-08:00

By: Curious Browns Fan (Jeremy Poe)

What will be interesting this offseason is what the point of emphasis will be for the new regime to concentrate on in improving this football team. They obviously have a grocery list of needs that they must address and an equal amount of ways of going about doing so.

Do they cement the rest of the offensive line? Do they find a franchise quarterback and then build around it? Is the mediocre linebacking group and/or secondary in dire need of upgrade?

In one man's opinion, the first order of business should be to find a leader on each side of the ball by targeting not A quarterback, but THE quarterback that is going to lead this offense, and then search for THE inside linebacker (a la Ray Lewis) that will quarterback the defensive side of the ball.

In constructing any team in any facet of life, what is vital to its success is having leaders in the sports arena, in the workplace, or on the battlefield in which the members can all feed off of. In pro football, the best teams all happen to have a strong, intelligent leader that they can depend on to take them where they desire to go, the Super Bowl. Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and yes Ben Roethlisberger (sorry Browns fans!) have been at the forefront of all the success the Colts, Patriots, and Steelers have had in the last decade. Defensively, Ray Lewis, Michael Strahan, and yes Troy Polamalu (sorry again!) have been crucial parts of their teams' success.

The Browns will enjoy (sarcastic) another decade of futility if they do not find the correct leaders this time around. Let's hope and pray that regime #4 isn't Carmen Policy, Butch Davis, or Phil Savage reincarnated. Based on Mike Holmgren's track record and particularly high-standing in NFL circles, one can only feel that in 5 years, all of that will be forgotten.

It Will Be Nice To Be Rid Of Winter.....But

2010-02-02T18:04:00.000-08:00

I'm looking forward to the Super Bowl but then we don't have a meaningful football game to watch until September.

I used to get really excited for the draft and while I'm still into it, it's just not the same now that they've shifted round 3 into day #2. I used to like to start the draft at noon and then veg out in front of the TV all day on Saturday. The new format is just not the same to me but maybe I'll feel different this year.

Post Super Bowl up until game 1 of the NFL season is the worst sports time for me. I like the Indians and Cavs and I sort of like March Madness when it hits the sweet 16 and beyond, but nothing compares to meaningful Browns games. If I don't have meaningful Browns games to watch then any meaningful NFL game (outside of Steelers games) will do. Ok, if the Steelers come up on the losing end of a game they really needed, I can get into that.

I can actually get into ANY game the Steelers lose but you get my drift.

I wish I could manufacture the same level of excitement that I get out of the Browns in specific and the NFL in general but nothing compares.

When you think about it, Colts fans have had a pretty damn good run. Playoffs? It's not a matter of whether you're going to see a playoff game as a Colts fan, its a matter of how deep your team will go.

To a certain extent Steeler fan and Patriots fan have had a similar run.

We as Browns fans? We're just hoping to see football in January.

No, our goals are simpler than that.

We want to see a game that means something in NOVEMBER.

And now we wait once again.

As happy as I'll be to get rid of the snow, I still have to navigate the spring with a brief break for the draft, the long summer, and then finally it's Browns season again.

16 games and realistically only about 7 or so have any meaning for us fans with the state of the team. What's that? A little over 2 months of football to be excited about? Throw in random news during the offseason and the draft and maybe, just maybe you can squeeze 3 months of meaning out of a Browns campaign.

It just goes to show.

Being a Browns fan is NOT for wimps.

Senior Bowl Risers/Fallers

2010-02-02T06:54:00.001-08:00

Risers

Offense

Jeremy Williams, WR, Tulane- Despite not having the ideal size and speed combination, Williams made the most of his Senior Bowl opportunity. Starting with 1 on 1 drills on Tuesday’s first full pads practice, he showed his ability to get in and out of his cuts, and separate from the defensive back. He also showed an excellent ability to come back for the ball, rather than letting it come right to him. Following a solid week of practice, he caught 6 balls for 82 yards, while also having a 27 yard scamper on the ground. Again, because he’s not extremely fast, he could slip into the 3rd round, but he’s a guy that could step into a team right away and get quality playing time.

Dexter McCluster, RB/WR, Ole Miss- 3 carries for -1 yards in the Senior Bowl doesn’t keep me from thinking that McCluster helped his stock immensely this week. He showed more promise in the passing game than anything, pulling a nice double move on Javier Arenas and making a diving catch. Also, on Tuesday he had a great quick slant, in which Arenas was burned. He caught 3 balls for 30 yards in the Senior Bowl, while also having a costly fumble, but the important thing is that he showed his versatility even more. You can put him in the slot, in the backfield, or returning kicks, and he’s going to produce, which is why I think he’s going to be a hot commodity in the 2nd round.

LaGarrette Blount, RB, Oregon- Blount has had a rough year following the Boise State game. After being suspended for most of the season, Blount came back strong in his last two games, despite getting limited carries, averaging around 6 yards a carry with a pair of touchdowns. This week he showed good vision in practice, and continued that in the game for a 14 yard touchdown that he bounced to the outside. Blount’s character issues may push him down to the 3rd or 4th round, but he could be a steal. Coming in at 245 pounds, he also seemed to be in great shape.

Dan LeFevour, QB, Central Michigan- While I don’t see LeFevour as a 2nd round pick like Corey Chavous, I think he did move up a round, possibly 4th, in the draft. LeFevour really did all he could to make a smooth transition to playing under center, as he ran a shotgun spread offense for 4 years at Central Michigan. He made several nice throws in 7 on 7 drills, a couple in which he squeezed in between defenders. He’s always been able to make plays on his feet, while also throwing on the run, which may make a team covet him a bit more to put him in the bottom of the 3rd round, but most likely middle of the 4th.

Defense

Brandon Graham, DE/OLB, Michigan- Graham just had a great week, and really showed scouts that he wants to be a top 15 draft pick. Despite a lack of ideal size, he embarrassed some of the offensive tackles this week. He showed a great display of power and finesse, which threw the tackles off. He just adjusted to the blockers very well, and knew what moves he needed to put on to get to the QB. He had 2 sacks and a forced fumble in the North defenses dominance of the Senior Bowl. Graham may have pushed his way into the top 20 after this performance.

Dan Williams, DT, Tennessee- Other than Graham, I can’t think of another defensive lineman that helped themselves more. Williams just proved doubters wrong about him gaining those 15-20 pounds this season, and he played a great Senior Bowl, following an effective week. In double team drills he did a great job of holding the point of attack, and also showed that he can be both a 1 or 2 gap player, making him more versatile. Right now he looks like he could be a dominant NT in either a 34 or a 43. He’s a top 20 pick in this draft.

Kyle Wilson, CB, Boise State- What we knew about Wilson was that he was fast. However, he showed an excellent ability to break on the ball and also get physical at the line. His best trait is his breakaway speed. He baits quarterbacks to throw it his way, so that he can jump in for a deflection, if not a pick. He’s very versatile as he can play safety as well as corner, and he was great in one on one’s this week. He also has a lot of value as a kick returner for teams and may have pushed himself into the first round.

Sean Weatherspoon, LB, Missouri- Weatherspoon is a guy that’s very underrated. Many people have him as a first round pick (albeit a late one), but don’t really know why. The reason why is because he’s a phenomenal athlete who can do it all. He’s a defensive leader and very vocal, and that’s another great trait. One of the best things about Weatherspoon is his ability to cover as a linebacker. The Senior Bowl showed that he also has an uncanny ability to read and react, much like his defensive teammate Daryl Washington, who also excelled for the North defense. Weatherspoon should be a lock for the first round.

Jared Odrick, DT, Penn State- I really liked what I saw out of Odrick. Being a Big Ten follower, I’ve enjoyed watching Odrick for the last couple of seasons, and he just seems to be getting better. He’s a great space eater because he’s very strong, and he showed that in the double team drills, as well as in the game for the North defense. He was a big reason that the North defense held the talented South running backs to just 30 yards on the ground. There’s no reason why Odrick would slip out of the 1st in any other draft. However, he could make it to the early 2nd because of the depth of DT, among talent in general in this 2010 NFL Draft.

Daryl Washington, LB, TCU- Daryl Washington may be the linebacker that’s going to rise the highest. In the NFL today, you have to be able to excel in coverage being that we’re evolving into a passing football league, and Washington may be the best cover linebacker in the entire draft. Washington’s worries were that he didn’t get off blocks and may not be physical enough due to his size, but he showed nothing but physicality in this one, even making a great tackle off of a nice coverage sack on Tebow. Washington may be able to slip into the first round, assuming he’ll have a good combine, however, size may be of a bit of a concern for some teams.

Fallers

Offense

Tim Tebow, QB, Florida- Tebow struggled in practice his first day fumbling snaps, and really struggling to get the hang of being underneath a center. In no pressure throwing drills, he struggled to have accuracy when putting zip on the ball. His most accurate passes were lobs going for 15-20 yards. In a few 7 on 7 drills he had a couple tipped balls that appeared to be nowhere near the wide receivers. He’s got a slow throwing motion, and bad footwork, really struggling in 3 and 5 step drops. His touch is another aspect of his game he needs to improve to become a quality quarterback at the next level. He really needs a good amount of work to really prove that he deserves to be higher than a 3rd round draft grade.

Tony Pike, QB, Cincinnati- Pike is a guy that I’ve never been high on. I honestly see him as a Derek Anderson like player, who was bailed out by solid offensive talent, and playing mediocre or worse defenses. Pike has a decent arm, but lacks the touch you need as a QB in the NFL. His footwork is very poor and he’s another shotgun/spread offense quarterback that seemed to struggle a lot under center just like Tim Tebow, unlike his counterpart, Dan LeFevour. Pike should be a 5th round pick, as a developmental guy, with a 4th round ceiling.

Mike Iupati, OG, Idaho- After Mike Mayock hyped Iupati up as a guy that can play all 5 offensive line positions, he sure disappointed. Excelling in the run game, Iupati really showed his weakness in the passing game while playing RG lined up against Geno Atkins. On one drive he should have been called for blatant holds twice. Atkins got the best of him almost every passing play, and he just embarrassed Iupati. However, Iupati played pretty well at offensive tackle, which is confusing because his calling seems to be offensive guard. I think he’s still a first round draft pick, as he is a versatile guy, with long arms who excels in the run game, but if he plays like he did Saturday in the NFL, he could bust easily.

Taylor Price, WR, Ohio- Price just did not have a good week overall. He was consistently getting jammed at the line of scrimmage, rounded off his routes, and dropped a few balls. Despite having a few balls thrown at him, he had 1 catch for 8 yards in the Senior Bowl, and really struggled with getting separation from corners. Lacking top end speed, he really needed to show a display of soft hands and crisp route running, and he failed to do that. He’s still a guy that could go fringe 4th round.

Defense

Taylor Mays, S, USC- Let it be known that I’ve never been a Mays fan. For 2 seasons, I’ve had people try to convince me how great of a player he is and I just don’t see it. This week didn’t help his cause. Tuesday’s practice was just ugly for him. He won’t be playing corner, so it may be unfair to rate his man coverage, but he grabs all over players when he knows he’s been beat, and he struggles to turn back for the ball. Watching the game, I saw no improvement on wrap up tackling. He had Bell for a 6 yard gain, and instead he just put a shoulder into him, allowing Bell to stay on his feet to pick up 5 more yards. He had a great interception, but that one play doesn’t make up for all of his faults during the week. I think a team is going to grab him in the first simply because he’ll most likely have a great combine, but I think he could easily slip into the 2nd round with guys like Earl Thomas evolving as true play making safeties.

Javier Arenas, CB, Alabama- Arenas already is a shorter cornerback at 5’8, so he’s already going to shoot down the boards, however, he’s always made up for it in speed. In practices, he just could not cover speed receivers and got in trouble a couple times trying to sit on a WR’s route. He did poorly trying to break on the ball, and while he made a few nice tackles and shows a lot of heart, just doesn’t look like a guy that can make a significant impact in the NFL. I’m saying he ends up a 5th-6th rounder, with a potential bright future as a special teamer.

Brandon Lang, DE/OLB, Troy- One of the most disappointing players for me this week was Lang, who I was a fan of for the last couple seasons. He showed poor burst, and only seems to have one move when pass rushing. He seemed to really struggle against stronger offensive lineman, and had trouble adjusting to the quicker offensive tackles. Lang could be a good later round project for a team, in the mold of Larry English, who got significant playing time this season with San Diego.

Terrence Cody, NT, Alabama- The biggest problem with Cody is the weight he came in at. Showing up to the Senior Bowl at 370 pounds really raised some eyebrows, and not in a good way. Being overweight limits the snaps he’ll get in the NFL, making him less likely to be taken in the first round. Character issues because of potential laziness will be on the back of the scouts’ minds. Cody slips to the middle of the 2nd round, despite being a great run stuffer.

Trevard Lindley, CB, Kentucky- Lindley was one of my personal disappointments. I really thought he’d come in and really show that he can be up there with guys like Kyle Wilson and Perrish Cox. Instead, Lindley failed to be physical at the line, didn’t look back for the ball, and at times gave way too big a cushion for receivers, which got exposed in one on one drills and a few times in 7 on 7’s. For a guy that’s as physical as him, I was surprised to see a lack of push at the line, which is why he’s going to need to have a great combine to get back into the bottom of the 2nd round.

Holmgren, Mangini and Cribbs

2010-02-01T16:17:00.001-08:00

"Five Years" is the two words that keep playing in my head. 5 years, of course, is the length of the Mike Holmgren contract. He has 5 years (maybe less) to prove that he is the "serious, credible, leader" that owner Randy Lerner sought after the team was reeling following the Chicago game. Now he's here and Browns Nation largely seems excited because many folks seem to feel that while Holmgren has never been in a "Czar-Type" role like he is here, he still is someone that has been there, done that and is the right man to lead the Browns back to respect. I didn't care whether or not he retained Mangini and I don't care what he does about Cribbs.

Did I have my opinion on Mangini? Do I have one on Cribbs?

Yes.

But I'm taking more of a overall "give Holmgren his 5 years" approach. When you bring an "expert" in of the caliber of Holmgren you just get out of his way and let him implement things as he sees fit. Keep Mangini and his coaching staff? Sure. Play hardball with Cribbs? OK. The die was cast on this team being molded in a different way once Randy Lerner uttered the words "serious, credible, leader."

Mike Holmgren obviously saw and heard enough to give Mangini and his coaching staff one more run at it. For whatever reason, at the moment, he doesn't think that Cribbs is worth what Cribbs and his agents think he's worth. That's his call because for all intents and purposes, from a football standpoint, this is HIS team.

Do I agree with these 2 moves? I'm on the fence about the Mangini decision. The team looked good the last 4 games while looking completely inept the first 12 (yes, I feel that the Buffalo win was still inept). Did the light go on for the coaching staff and team? Or will they revert back to ineptness? We've seen this before. Whenever it looks like the Browns are going to turn the corner and make a serious long term run, they regress. Remember 2003 after the playoff run of 2002? Remember the 2008 season after 2007's 10-6 mark? However, the past doesn't equal the future. I hope not.

As far as Cribbs goes, he's only scratched the surface as to how the team could utilize him. Putting aside his kick returning abilities for the moment (which are the greatest in NFL history), let's talk about how he runs, or specifically how he RUNS OVER people. He is like a freight train when he gets into the open field and there are a lot of ways that Mangini and his staff could use him. In fact, with no Josh Cribbs on the roster, there is no 4 game win streak at the end of the year and Eric Mangini is probably looking around to see if there are any defensive coordinator openings.

I don't have a problem with Cribbs renegotiating his contract. That's his right. Football players are all 1 play away from their career being over. If he feels he's worth more and the team will pay him, then so be it. Teams don't have a problem with getting rid of a guy when he's no longer productive and not paying the non guaranteed portion of his deal, so why shouldn't a player try to get as much as possible if his market value goes up?

I do understand that you are potentially opening up a can of worms whereby other players might want to come in and redo their deals but it is what it is. Josh Cribbs market value has GONE UP whether the team wants to pay it or not. It's up to Mike Holmgren whether or not he wants to pay the additional money it's probably going to take to retain Cribbs.

That brings me back to what I originally said about "5 years."

Holmgren has got several decisions to make in a short amount of time. He's already decided on Mangini. Cribbs will come to a resolution one way or the other soon. There will be many others. Some will sit well with fans. Some won't. Doesn't matter. This is now Holmgren's team. This is now his chance to implement his plan to get the Browns to the Super Bowl. I say, leave him alone to do it.

We don't really have a choice anyway, right?

For all the Mock Drafters- Updated Top 150

2010-01-19T15:47:00.000-08:00

Here's a tool for the Mock Drafters around here. My personal Top 150 for the 2010 NFL Draft in April. Many changes still to come following Shrine Bowl, Senior Bowl, and NFL Combine held in February, as well as Pro Days.

1. Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska- 6’4 300
2. Gerald McCoy*, DT, Oklahoma- 6’4 297
3. Eric Berry*, S, Tennessee- 5’11 203
4. Jimmy Clausen*, QB, Notre Dame- 6’3 224
5. Rolando McClain*, LB, Alabama- 6’4 260
6. Russell Okung, OT, Oklahoma State- 6’5 305
7. Joe Haden*, CB, Florida- 5’11 190
8. Derrick Morgan*, DE, Georgia Tech- 6’4 270
9. Anthony Davis*, OT, Rutgers- 6’6 325
10. Dez Bryant*, WR, Oklahoma State- 6’2 220
11. Trent Williams, OT, Oklahoma- 6’5 315
12. Brian Price*, DT, UCLA- 6’2 300
13. C.J. Spiller, RB, Clemson- 5’11 195
14. Sam Bradford*, QB, Oklahoma- 6’4 225
15. Bryan Baluga, OT, Iowa- 6’6 312
16. Carlos Dunlap, DE, Florida- 6’6 290
17. Earl Thomas*, S, Texas- 5’10 195
18. Dan Williams, DT, Tennessee- 6’3 325
19. Jerry Hughes, DE, TCU- 6’3 257
20. Jason Pierre-Paul*, DE, South Florida- 6’5 262
21. Aaron Hernandez, TE, Florida- 6’2 250
22. Everson Griffen*, DE, USC- 6’4 280
23. Johnathan Dwyer*, RB, Georgia Tech- 6’0 230
24. Arrelious Benn*, WR, Illinois- 6’2 220
25. Mike Iupati, OG, Idaho- 6’6 330
26. Jermaine Gresham, TE, Oklahoma- 6’6 258
27. Sean Weatherspoon, LB, Missouri- 6’2 246
28. Taylor Mays, S, USC- 6’4 225
29. Brandon Graham, DE, Michigan- 6’2 260
30. Terrence Cody, DT, Alabama- 6’5 360
31. Mardy Gilyard, WR, Cincinnati- 6’1 189
32. Jared Odrick, DT, Penn State- 6’5 295
33. Brandon Spikes, LB, Florida- 6’3 251
34. Golden Tate*, WR, Notre Dame- 5’11 195
35. Patrick Robinson, CB, Florida State- 5’11 193
36. Sergio Kindle, LB, Texas- 6’4 255
37. Bruce Campbell*, OT, Maryland- 6’7 310
38. Brandon LaFell, WR, LSU- 6’3 210
39. Navorro Bowman*, LB, Penn State- 6’1 230
40. Nate Allen, S, South Florida- 6’2 205
41. Vladimir Ducasse, OG/OT, Massachusetts- 6’5 330
42. Daryl Washington, ILB, TCU- 6’3 235
43. Rob Gronkowski, TE, Arizona- 6’6 265
44. Ricky Sapp, DE, Clemson- 6’6 240
45. Ryan Mathews, RB, Fresno State- 5’11 220
46. Perrish Cox, CB, Oklahoma State- 6’0 197
47. Eric Norwood, LB, South Carolina- 6’1 253
48. Javhid Best*, RB, California- 5’9 200
49. Darrell Stuckey, S, Kansas- 6’1 205
50. Damian Williams*, WR, USC- 6’1 210
51. Tim Tebow, QB, Florida- 6’3 245
52. Arthur Jones, DT, Syracuse- 6’4 293
53. Charles Brown, OT, USC- 6’6 290
54. Brandon Ghee, CB, Wake Forest- 6’0 190
55. Jon Asomoah, OG, Illinois- 6’6 315
56. Dexter McCluster, RB, Ole Miss- 5’8 170
57. Maurkice Pouncey, OG, Florida- 6’5 318
58. Chad Jones, S, LSU- 6’3 218
59. Anthony Dixon, RB, Miss St.- 6’1 235
60. Greg Hardy, DE, Ole Miss- 6’5 240
61. Colt McCoy, QB, Texas- 6’2 215
62. Kareem Jackson, CB, Alabama- 5’11 195
63. Jermaine Cunningham, DE, Florida- 6’3 251
64. Demaryius Thomas, WR, Georgia Tech- 6’3 229
65. Amari Spievey, CB, Iowa- 6’0 190
66. George Selvie, DE, South Florida- 6’4 250
67. Joe McKnight, RB, USC- 6’0 192
68. Dominique Franks, CB, Oklahoma- 6’0 192
69. Jordan Shipley, WR, Texas- 6’0 190
70. Syd’Quan Thompson, CB, California- 5’9 190
71. Reshad Jones, S, Georgia- 6’2 212
72. Tyson Alualu, DT, California- 6’3 290
73. Sean Canfield, QB, Oregon State- 6’4 214
74. Devin McCourty, CB, Rutgers- 5’11 190
75. Danario Alexander, WR, Missouri- 6’5 215
76. Toby Gerhart, RB, Stanford- 6’1 235
77. Donovan Warren, CB, Michigan- 6’0 190
78. Sean Lee, LB, Penn State- 6’2 236
79. O’Brien Schofield, OLB, Wisconsin- 6’3 243
80. Kyle Wilson, CB, Boise State- 5’10 190
81. Tony Washington, OT, Abilene Christian- 6’7 205
82. Corey Wootton, DE, Northwestern- 6’6 281
83. Kyle Calloway, OT, Iowa- 6’7 315
84. Morgan Burnett, S, Georgia Tech- 6’1 210
85. Lamarr Houston, DT, Texas- 6’2 300
86. Mike Johnson, OG, Alabama- 6’3 305
87. Jason Worilds, DE, Virginia Tech- 6’2 262
88. Eric Decker, WR, Minnesota- 6’2 215
89. Darryl Sharpton, ILB, Miami (Fl.)- 6’1 235
90. Anthony McCoy, TE, USC- 6’5 245
91. Tony Pike, QB, Cincinnati- 6’6 225
92. Lindsey Witten, DE, UConn- 6’5 260
93. Dekoda Watson, LB, Florida State- 6’2 228
94. Dezmon Briscoe, WR, Kansas- 6’3 200
95. Selvish Capers, OT, West Virginia- 6’5 298
96. Myron Lewis, CB, Vanderbilt- 6’2 205
97. Jeremy Williams, WR, Tulane- 6’1 205
98. Jerome Murphy, CB, USF- 6’1 190
99. Jacoby Ford, WR, Clemson- 5’10 185
100. Riley Cooper, WR, Florida- 6’3 215
101. Dennis Pitta, TE, BYU- 6’5 248
102. Alterraun Verner, CB, UCLA- 5’11 180
103. Vince Oghobaase, DT, Duke- 6’5 305
104. Javier Arenas, CB, Alabama- 5’9 195
105. Ed Dickson, TE, Oregon- 6’5 243
106. Trevard Lindley, CB, Kentucky- 6’1 185
107. Larry Asante, S, Nebraska- 6’1 215
108. Thaddeus Gibson, DE, Ohio State- 6’2 245
109. Charles Scott, RB, LSU- 6’0 232
110. Colin Peek, TE, Alabama- 6’6 255
111. Harry Coleman, S, LSU- 6’2 205
112. J.D. Walton, C, Baylor- 6’3 304
113. Austen Lane, DE, Murray State- 6’7 270
114. James Starks, RB, Buffalo- 6’2 210
115. Ciron Black, OT, LSU- 6’5 322
116. Montario Hardesty, RB, Tennessee- 6’0 215
117. Roddrick Muckelroy, LB, Texas- 6’2 235
118. Rashawn Jackson, FB, Virginia- 6’1 245
119. Micah Johnson, ILB, Kentucky- 6’2 258
120. Major Wright, S, Florida- 6’0 204
121. John Skelton, QB, Fordham- 6’5 255
122. Antonio Brown, WR, Central Michigan- 5’10 181
123. Garrett Graham, TE, Wisconsin- 6’3 250
124. Jason Fox, OT, Miami (Fl.)- 6’7 314
125. Rodger Saffold, OG, Indiana- 6’5 305
126. Brandon Lang, DE, Troy- 6’4 255
127. Geno Atkins, DT, Georgia- 6’1 290
128. AJ Edds, LB, Iowa- 6’4 245
129. Ben Tate, RB, Auburn- 5’11 218
130. Zane Beadles, OG, Utah- 6’4 305
131. Kam Chancellor, S, Virginia Tech- 6’4 230
132. Rennie Curran, S, Georgia- 5’11 225
133. D’Anthony Smith, DT, Louisiana Tech- 6’2 298
134. Sergio Render, OG, Virginia Tech- 6’3 313
135. Jevan Snead, QB, Ole Miss- 6’3 220
136. LeGarrette Blount, RB, Oregon- 6’2 240
137. Pat Angerer, LB, Iowa- 6’1 235
138. T.J. Ward, S, Oregon- 5’11 200
139. Koa Misi, DE, Utah- 6’3 263
140. Justin Cole, LB, San Jose State- 6’3 240
141. Tony Moeaki, TE, Iowa- 6’4 250
142. Boo Robinson, DT, Wake Forest- 6’2 295
143. Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, CB, Indiana (PA)- 6’1 205
144. Linval Joseph, DT, East Carolina- 6’6 322
145. Kevin Haslam, OT, Rutgers- 6’7 295
146. Freddie Barnes, WR, Bowling Green- 6’0 205
147. Chris Brown, RB, Oklahoma- 5’10 200
148. Jamar Chaney, LB, Mississippi St.- 6’1 240
149. C.J. Wilson, DE, East Carolina- 6’4 276
150. Kurt Coleman, S, Ohio State- 5’11 197

Holmgren and Heckert's First Draft As Members of the Cleveland Browns Should Look Like This!

2010-01-12T10:41:00.001-08:00

By: Optimistic Browns Fan (Jeremy Poe)

Based on taking the best player available, where each player is being projected to be taken, and if we are going strictly by where the Browns are slotted in the draft, all trades aside, here is how the inaugural first half of the draft of the Holmgren-Heckert-Mangini tandem should go.

"With the 7th pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns select Rolando McClain, ILB, Alabama."

If Eric Berry (FS, Tennessee) were to slip into the Browns lap at #7, then they would be insane to pass on him. Others for consideration would be Trent Williams (OT, Oklahoma) to sure up the right side of the offensive line in solidifying the run game and pass protection or Taylor Mays (SS, USC) to play in the box in run support a la Troy Polamalu.

"With the 7th pick of the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns select Brandon Graham, OLB, Michigan."

Depending upon whether Braylon Edwards' production while a member of the New York Jets warrants the picks the Browns acquired in the trade to be upgraded, if so then here would be my next choice.

"With the 25th pick of the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns acquire Jordan Shipley, WR, Texas from the New York Jets."

Others worth considering with those two picks are Jerry Hughes (OLB, TCU), Sergio Kindle (OLB, Texas), and Desmond Briscoe (WR, Kansas).

Again, assuming the conditional pick acquired from the Jets upgrades to the second round, that would leave the Browns with one choice in the third round. Here is what I would do.

"With the 7th pick of the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns select Javier Arenas, CB, Alabama."

Other conceivable choices could be Perrish Cox (CB, Oklahoma State) or Jared Odrick (DT, Penn State).

In selecting Rolando McClain, the Browns will have found a leader in which to build a defense around (think Ray Lewis!). Not only does McClain have the size at 6'4 260, but he is an outstanding tackler and has exceptional speed from sideline to sideline. He really lays the lumber on opposing ball carriers and can provide a pass rush. Add in the fact that he was the captain of the #1 defense in the country and is a national champion gives him the pedigree the Browns are longing for on their football team. He is the player Mangini is looking to lead his defense. Having a solid veteran like Eric Barton to tutor him will only benefit his growth and adjustment to the NFL.

In choosing Brandon Graham, they will have discovered a natural pass rushing machine that they can flank the aforementioned McClain with (think Terrell Suggs!) and play opposite former first rounder Kam Wimbley. He is also stout in stopping the run and that is Mangini's first and foremost priority on defense. Graham is eerily similar to Steelers All-Pro Lamarr Woodley in not only the university they attended, but also in their size and the aggressive way in which they play the game. Graham would be another dawg in the kennel for Rob Ryan to unleash on his opponent. Having Wimbley, Graham, Roth, and Bowens on the outside is a pretty darn good quartet.

I know drafting another wide receiver in the second round of the draft doesn't sound all too appealing to Browns fans, however, the versatility that Jordan Shipley can bring to your football team cannot be overstated. He is a big-game player that has stick-em' hands in traffic, is an accomplished route runner, and has gamebreaking speed in the open field. With the ball in his hands, he is a threat to take it to the house on any part of the field and at any time. Shipley is also a dangerous threat on kick and punt returns which could take some of the load off of Joshua Cribbs' back and allow him to be utilized more in the offense. If the Browns can add a consistent veteran receiver to allow Massaquoi and Robiskie to develop, playing Shipley in the slot a la Brandon Stokley will only provide whoever is behind center with more weapons to go in to games with guns blazing. Jordan Shipley would instantly become a fan favorite among Browns fans, believe that!

And last but not certainly not least, another interesting talent the Browns might be wise to select in April's draft is Javier Arenas. Arenas has the athletic bloodlines being the cousin of recently troubled NBA star Gilbert Arenas, let's just hope those are the only bloodlines he has with his more famous relative. Arenas, Javier that is, can bring versatility similar to that of the previously mentioned Jordan Shipley. He is versatile in that he is an excellent cover corner suited for the nickel and dime packages in the NFL and is also an equally if not more lethal return specialist than Shipley. The key in drafting for the NFL, any general manager will tell you, is value. Considering the Browns average pass defense and strong emphasis on winning the special teams battle, a player like Javier Arenas will certainly provide the Cleveland Browns with the most value they could hope for out of a pick in this round of the draft.

Do you disagree? Let me know what you think...

Top 100 for April... updated.

2010-01-10T13:04:00.001-08:00

1. Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska- 6’4 300
2. Gerald McCoy*, DT, Oklahoma- 6’4 297
3. Eric Berry*, S, Tennessee- 5’11 203
4. Jimmy Clausen*, QB, Notre Dame- 6’3 224
5. Rolando McClain*, LB, Alabama- 6’4 260
6. Russell Okung, OT, Oklahoma State- 6’5 305
7. Joe Haden*, CB, Florida- 5’11 190
8. Derrick Morgan*, DE, Georgia Tech- 6’4 270
9. Trent Williams, OT, Oklahoma- 6’5 315
10. Dez Bryant*, WR, Georgia Tech- 6’2 220
11. Carlos Dunlap*, DE, Florida- 6’6 290
12. Brian Price*, DT, UCLA- 6’2 300
13. C.J. Spiller, RB, Clemson- 5’11 195
14. Terrence Cody, DT, Alabama- 6’5 360
15. Jerry Hughes, DE, TCU- 6’3 257
16. Anthony Davis*, OT, Rutgers- 6’6 325
17. Earl Thomas*, S, Texas- 5’10 195
18. Dan Williams, DT, Tennessee- 6’3 325
19. Bryan Baluga, OT, Iowa- 6’6 312
20. Jason Pierre-Paul*, DE, South Florida- 6’5 262
21. Sam Bradford*, QB, Oklahoma- 6’4 225
22. Everson Griffen*, DE, USC- 6’4 280
23. Johnathan Dwyer*, RB, Georgia Tech- 6’0 230
24. Arrelious Benn*, WR, Illinois- 6’2 220
25. Sergio Kindle, LB, Texas- 6’4 255
26. Jermaine Gresham, TE, Oklahoma- 6’6 258
27. Sean Weatherspoon, LB, Missouri- 6’2 246
28. Taylor Mays, S, USC- 6’4 225
29. Brandon Graham, DE, Michigan- 6’2 260
30. Aaron Hernandez, TE, Florida- 6’2 250
31. Mardy Gilyard, WR, Cincinnati- 6’1 189
32. Jared Odrick, DT, Penn State- 6’5 295
33. Brandon Spikes, LB, Florida- 6’3 251
34. Golden Tate*, WR, Notre Dame- 5’11 195
35. Patrick Robinson, CB, Florida State- 5’11 193
36. Mike Iupati, OG, Idaho- 6’6 330
37. Bruce Campbell*, OT, Maryland- 6’7 310
38. Brandon LaFell, WR, LSU- 6’3 210
39. Navorro Bowman*, LB, Penn State- 6’1 230
40. Nate Allen, S, South Florida- 6’2 205
41. Vladimir Ducasse, OG, Massachusetts- 6’5 330
42. Daryl Washington, ILB, TCU- 6’3 235
43. Bruce Carter*, LB, North Carolina- 6’2 225
44. Rickey Sapp, DE, Clemson- 6’6 240
45. Arthur Jones, DT, Syracuse- 6’4 293
46. Jon Asomoah, OG, Illinois- 6’6 315
47. Eric Norwood, LB, South Carolina- 6’1 253
48. Kris O’Dowd*, C, USC- 6’5 305
49. Darrell Stuckey, S, Kansas- 6’1 205
50. Damian Williams*, WR, USC- 6’1 210
51. Javhid Best*, RB, California- 5’9 200
52. Anthony McCoy, TE, USC- 6’5 245
53. Charles Brown, OT, USC- 6’6 290
54. Brandon Ghee, CB, Wake Forest- 6’0 190
55. Trevard Lindley, CB, Kentucky- 6’1 185
56. Dexter McCluster, RB, Ole Miss- 5’8 170
57. Maurkice Pouncey, OG, Florida- 6’5 318
58. Marvin Austin*, DT, North Carolina- 6’3 305
59. Anthony Dixon, RB, Miss St.- 6’1 235
60. Greg Hardy, DE, Ole Miss- 6’5 240
61. Colt McCoy, QB, Texas- 6’2 215
62. Jordan Shipley, WR, Texas- 6’0 190
63. Jermaine Cunningham, DE, Florida- 6’3 251
64. Tim Tebow, QB, Florida- 6’3 245
65. O’Brien Schofield, OLB, Wisconsin- 6’3 243
66. Javier Arenas, CB, Alabama- 5’9 195
67. Owen Marecic, FB, Stanford- 6’1 244
68. Adrian Clayborn, DE, Iowa- 6’3 284
69. Von Miller, DE, Texas A&M- 6’3 240
70. Donovan Warren, CB, Michigan- 6’0 190
71. Reshad Jones, S, Georgia- 6’2 212
72. Kai Forbath, K, UCLA- 6’1 192
73. Sean Canfield, QB, Oregon State- 6’4 214
74. Ryan Mathews, RB, Fresno State- 5’11 220
75. Danario Alexander, WR, Missouri- 6’5 215
76. Dennis Pitta, TE, BYU- 6’5 248
77. Tony Washington, OT, Abilene Christian- 6’7 205
78. Sean Lee, LB, Penn State- 6’2 236
79. Darryl Sharpton, ILB, Miami (Fl.)- 6’1 235
80. Kyle Wilson, CB, Boise State- 5’10 190
81. Harry Coleman, S, LSU- 6’2 205
82. Ed Dickson, TE, Oregon- 6’5 243
83. Kyle Calloway, OT, Iowa- 6’7 315
84. Barry Church, S, UCLA- 6’1 220
85. J.D. Walton, C, Baylor- 6’3 304
86. Mike Johnson, OG, Alabama- 6’3 305
87. Colin Peek, TE, Alabama- 6’6 255
88. Eric Decker, WR, Minnesota- 6’2 215
89. Rashawn Jackson, FB, Virginia- 6’1 245
90. James Starks, RB, Buffalo- 6’2 210
91. Tony Pike, QB, Cincinnati- 6’6 225
92. Toby Gerhart, RB, Stanford- 6’1 235
93. Stanley Havili, FB, USC- 6’1 225
94. Dezmon Briscoe, WR, Kansas- 6’3 200
95. Anthony Costanzo, OT, Boston College- 6’7 290
96. Mike Pouncey, OG, Florida- 6’5 320
97. Jarvis Jenkins, DT, Clemson- 6’4 305
98. Quan Sturdivant, LB, North Carolina- 6’2 235
99. Thaddeus Gibson, DE, Ohio State- 6’2 245
100. Ras-I Dowling, CB, Virginia- 6’2 200

10 Quick pre playoff thoughts

2010-01-09T12:51:00.000-08:00

10 Pre-playoff quick thoughts
By Bert Daniels

#1 I agree with Jack Bacevise’s Gruden Hypothetical. Prez Mike played it really safe… for himself. With this hypothetical Mike can’t lose even if the Brown do.

#2 To remove Josh Cribbs’ potential points from the 2010 scoreboard is devastating to this team at this time. He was all the offense Cleveland had for most of the season. Yes, hopefully the progress made offensively will continue but game changers like Cribbs are few and far between. Like NFL record book few and far between The message Big Mike is sending is a bad one. Players don’t want to come to Cleveland. They must be paid to come here. I guess Mike is going to be tight with the check book. Hmm, #1 saves money, #2 saves money… I think I sense a pattern developing.

#3 The winning streak must be put into and kept in perspective. Bad teams were who we beat. The Steelers were a bad team too that day. I reserve the right to not jump on the Mangini bandwagon just yet. Let’s see him beat a few good teams or win a few games we should not.

#4 I hate all throw back uniforms except the Patriots. Honorable mention goes to the Bucs.

#5 Shanny in DC. Who gives a hoot? Unless Elway is reincarnated there will be no glory in the District of Columbia.

#6 Teams that scare me in the playoffs.
· New England
· Dallas
Either one of those teams in prime time make me nauseous.

#7 So, what about the Brownie’s QB woes? My money is on DA going, this will save some bucks, and I would further bet some saggy old veteran will be brought in to begin as Quinn’s backup. Can you say Hasslebeck? One year left on his contract, but many NFC blogs report he is all but g-o-n-e from the SeaTac area. Can you smell another Mangini training camp QB controversy?

#8 Wide outs for Cleveland. Develop and wait or open the check book Mike. But since you won’t do it for a playmaker like Josh Cribbs, I guess we will wait and therefore continue to see balls thrown 15 yards from the nearest receiver, and dazed high school type looks from QB’s and receivers alike.

#9 The future is interesting for Cleveland. Probably a better one than recent past we endured, but still with a few annoying elements to keep us cautious. However, to assume this is the trail that leads to the Lombardi Trophy is premature, very much so. If the Gruden Hypothetical is correct, then we are in for a long, long season in 2010.

#10 I did see improvements that were nice. With #3 above in perspective, a tribute to success must be acknowledged. I sincerely hope the best for the current crop of Browns. They have endured one wicked year which they eventually were rewarded by churning out a four game winning streak. You made us cheer, and mostly you restored hope. Thanks guys.

Mangini Back In 2010

2010-01-07T13:05:00.000-08:00

January 7, 2009

Did you miss me?

Sorry I have been gone. I have been on something like a vacation. Regardless, I am back.

So is Eric Mangini, for 2010 at least.

I think it's the right move. I am in the pro-Mangini camp. I just wish George Kokinis were still here so I could shout "ManKok" at will. I still do yell "ManKok" at will, it's just weirder now. Anyway, if you hate Mangini and think he should have been gone allow me to make my best argument for why Mangini returning in 2010 is the right move. I call it the Gruden Hypothetical.

There are two coaches of note out there with Super Bowl rings. One of them 1) has a long and good history with new SuperBrown Mike Holmgren, 2) grew up a die hard Browns fan, and 3) will NOT coach in 2010. That's Jon Gruden. If Mangini had been fired and Holmgren brought in "his guy," Holmgren couldn't have turned around and fired "his guy" after 2010 is Gruden decided he wanted to return to the sidelines in Cleveland. Other than Gruden, there is no one out there who 1) is clearly better than Mangini and 2) makes sense with Mike Holmgren. (Note: Cowher and Holmgren makes no sense together. There would be an inevitable battle of power. That's a bad thing.) So if you can't get Gruden right now, Mangini is the best choice. Also it leaves the door open for getting Gruden for 2011.

So that's my Gruden Hypothetical. Essentially that you can't get Gruden for 2011 if you hire someone else for 2010 and Gruden is the best guy out there for this team. None of this matters if Mangini wins in 2010. I also think he just might find some success in 2010.

Let me be clear, I do not think the Browns are going to the playoffs in 2010. I do think 8-8 is a real possibility, 8-8 while moving in the right direction no less. I'll have more thoughts on the Browns off season in the not too distant future.

Oh, one last quick thought: $1.4 million per season for Josh Cribbs? Really Mike? Give Josh $4 million per year, make him happy, make the fans happy, and make sure Josh stays in a Browns uniform. Just do it already. This is just stupid.

Jack Bacevice

Welcome to my world

2010-01-01T21:20:00.000-08:00

By Bert Daniels

Dear Mike Holmgren,
Welcome to my world. The world of Cleveland Browns football. Our world is partially populated by people who really need to get a life because their happiness depends upon two single letters of the alphabet, W and L. I and the rest of planet Browns feel sorry for that type of fan, but like it or not, they exist. Other more balanced fans make up the bulk of our population, but we are no less passionate about our favorite team. You see Mike, life is tough for the blue collar fans of planet Browns. A good game on Sunday does not earn a better pay check or provide health insurance. A win does not cure cancer or settle domestic disputes. Somehow though in the midst of a life that is filled with hard things it is really nice to enjoy a game that inexplicably has woven itself into the fabric of American life. Don’t argue with me Mike that this should not be so. Don’t start comparisons that pull on our heartstrings and make us feel like heels because we watch football and football makes life a bit more or less miserable. This is the reality of our world and you are now president of our world. Sure, if you do a good job we still breathe polluted air tomorrow and if you do a lacklustre job and laugh all the way to the bank we will exhale that same carcinogenic air. Life goes on and we really aren’t changed if the truth be told.

But never underestimate the value of our team to us. I’m sure you think you can dismiss that last statement because you think every fan base makes the same claim. Immediately you probably recall those fans of the frozen tundra as unique and hold special memories for you forever. They were different than many and most fan bases. Seattle, well... whatever. Give Cleveland a chance. Your legacy in Green Bay began to rust with Favre’s departure and eventual entry into Viking country. If Rogers leads the Pack to the Promised Land, the rate of decay corroding the Favre/Holmgren Superbowl win and era will accelerate much to the delight of hurt and dismayed Packer fans.

I assure you that if you take this role as president of our world seriously, and deliver a Superbowl to Cleveland, you will never be forgotten until the modern era of the NFL is replaced by a future modern era.

It won’t happen unless you take this presidency as more than a job. You didn’t take the job for the money. You didn’t take the job for the joy of setting yourself up to be scrutinized and chewed up in the media weekly. You took it because you have a pride to accomplish something that no one else has been able to do, that is to deliver a Superbowl to Cleveland Brown fans. Disagree? Then you don’t get it. Get out of town butthead.

Get it, and you have a legacy that will be inseparable with one of the most amazing fan bases in all of North American professional sports. This is what keeps you guys in the business. This is your chance at 80 to 100 year immortality. After that, who cares?

Learn the culture of planet Cleveland. Never ever look at ‘Red right 88’ or ‘the drive’ or ‘the fumble’ with your eyes again, look at them with your heart and learn to grieve with us. Learn to like players like we do. Bill ‘the genius and makes me puke’ Belichick made a football decision and threw a player named Bernie Kosar under the bus. X’s and O’s, forty yard dash speeds, and all that jazz be danged. Most Browns fans liked Kosar. He was a Browns fan. He overachieved with his ugly passing, and ran like a drunk stork. But he was a winner and he was a Brown. If you do your job, based on X’s and O’s and can’t or won’t see the intangible of guys like Kosar, you will have little success in Brownstown. You can do it, remember the kid spoken of earlier, Brett Favre. You throttled him, cursed him, loved him and won with him. He was rough as a cob, but you saw a winner, and win you did. You have to do that again. That same intangible Farve had, that our Kosar had, that Ozzie Newsome saw in the personnel that dotted the roster of his Raven championship team, you must find for your Browns. It is not only about talent. No one is foolish enough to think talent does not matter. I remember the Martyball draft days and a LB called Mike Junkin that was a bust of huge magnitude. So I do not mean that type of talentless decision, but your Browns must have a few special overachievers. Those possessing the intangible of being a winner. That’s right, “your Browns.” You signed on the dotted line and now you have inherited the whole history.

No, it’s not a new day, or era. When the Art Modell stole the Browns from our world and went to another planet, Cleveland fans refused to dawn a new era. Stubbornly and with no give, the name, colors and records stayed in Cleveland. You are not the hope for a new tomorrow, you hold the hope of a history that remains entrenched in fable, lore and hope. You belong to something bigger than Mike Holmgren. Something that was before you and will be after you. Your only hope to not be another failed and nearly forgotten name is to become a Brown within and without and fit into our world.

Don’t distance yourself from this role. Sure, your position is closer to the ownership than players on the field. Unlike the uncluttered hall between you and your new best friend Randy Lerner, you will have several layers between you and a playbook and headset. If you hire a coach to blindly run your west coast offense and not learn and understand the AFC North, you are not really our man. You’re just another disappointment to be semi forgotten. Don’t bring in a bunch of aging and mediocre Seattle leftovers. Get players who have character and want to build a future, to be part of a legacy, not guys trying to earn one more million before retirement.

Some inhabitants of our world think life sux without a Superbowl appearance or win. Poor folks... they really do need to get a life, but a little happiness for the rust belt wouldn’t hurt. A smile on the face of a hurting auto workers and the inner city kid who plasters his wall with Brown’s stuff would be good. That’s who we are. That’s who you are too.

Sorry dude, your President of a world now. This is your job. Screw us over and we will speak of you with the same venom as we say the name “Modell”. Become a Brown and bring us a winner and you will forever be one of our Browns.

Do You Believe in Magic...errr Mangini?

2009-12-30T14:17:00.000-08:00

By: I'm jacked to be a Cleveland Browns fan right now (Jeremy Poe)

The question I have for all of you die-hards out there in Believeland is do you believe Mangini should and will stay? I want to know what the overall perspective is on Eric Mangini around the city of Cleveland and in the hearts of Browns fans across this great nation.

As far as my take on the Mike Holmgren-Eric Mangini situation, let me break things down for all of you. With anomalies such as the Dolphins, Ravens, and Falcons of last year aside, it requires a lot of planning, time, and evaluation along with a little stroke of luck in order to build a successful NFL franchise.

After having been under the laid back regime of Romeo Crennel, players were not exactly laying the red carpet out for the new boss in town who rules with an iron fist in Eric Mangini. The contrast between the two camps were such polar opposites that it was going to take much more than a couple days for holdovers to adapt to the new system. It appears as though maybe the players were resisting Mangini's style so much it was almost like that of a pipe about to burst from too much pressure, figuratively speaking. Then it seemed as though Roto-Rooter (shout out to the blue collar Cleveland Browns fans) came to the rescue from out of the darkness, again figuratively speaking of course.

However, as the season has progressed, we have begun to witness somewhat of a metamorphesis of this football team in not only production and victories, but also in their passion and discipline. They are the fourth least penalized team in the league, they have committed less turnovers of late, and are forcing more out of their opponents. Sure, it can be argued that the current roster is playing for jobs next season, but their success cannot be totally dismissed as being the sole purpose for their recent excellence on the gridiron.

Could it possibly be that Mangini and his staff's philosophies have taken time to sink in and are now being put into action? Is it possible that now with Mangini's imprint on this organization set that all the team needs to do is infuse it with talented, intelligent football players? This is where Mike Holmgren and his potential front office staff come in.

The other question is can Mike Holmgren and Eric Mangini coexist? On paper, one would likely have to answer that with a NO. Holmgren has been making his name in the West Coast offensive scheme, while Mangini prefers more of a run-dominated, playaction pass offensive system. Mangini's philosophy seems to fit the AFC North division more than Holmgren's background in the NFL. But, at the same time, Holmgren has had undoubtedly more success in the league than Mangini has had so far in his brief head coaching career.

So, in the end it all comes back to whether these two proud football men can compromise for the betterment of the Cleveland Browns. For the sake of this franchise, here's hoping that they can.

Cleveland Browns 2010 Draft Thread

2009-12-26T06:23:00.000-08:00

The Cleveland Browns 2010 Draft Thread gives you the fans a place to discuss all the latest Cleveland Browns mock draft 2010 talk and rumors. What are the Browns highest 2010 draft priorities,who should be picked where and when? Should the Browns trade down on draft day, should they pick a QB and when should a QB be drafted? Lets get the discussion started, there is no sign up process just use the comment box below (or click on comments to begin). We will keep this thread accessible from the main page all the way up to the Cleveland Browns next draft.

Browns Mix Blog - Cleveland Browns 2010 Draft Articles Archive:

Cleveland Browns Number 1 Pick Talk

NFL 2010 Mock Draft - Top 60

Don't Draft Tebow

Browns Can't Afford to Draft QB

Browns Draft 2010

West Coast Offense and the Effect on the Browns

2009-12-23T19:28:00.001-08:00

With the announcement of the Mike "Walrus" Holmgren in Cleveland, there's been much talk about the offense that will be run. Holmgren has always ran the Walsh West Coast Offense, while at Green Bay with Brett Favre, and Seattle with Matt Hasselbeck. What does all of this mean though? What is the West Coast Offense, and what's the difference between what we run now and what we will be running? I'm going to break down all of that in the following.

The West Coast Offense (WCO) is an offensive system loosely based on the Air Coryell system established by the Hall of Fame coach Don Coryell. Bill Walsh perfected the system that emphasizes more passing than running. Originated in the 1960's by teams like the Chargers, Raiders, and even Coryell's own Cardinals (St. Louis at the time), the Air Coryell is a system that has been greatly used by teams more and more each season. It was Bill Walsh who perfected what is now called the WCO.

What Personnel is Required for the WCO?

Quarterback- A quarterback in the WCO is supposed to be an efficient passer. A guy that can complete 62% of his passes or better, that specializes in throwing the short-intermediate routes, and can get the ball out quickly after the snap. He needs to be an accurate passer that's also very smart and can make quick reads. In the WCO, the 3 step and 5 step drops are heavily utilized in a quick striking passing game that keeps the defense on it's heels, constantly forcing them to make quick adjustments at the line. A 7-step drop is also something that has to be utilized occasionally to keep the defense honest. Faster linebackers and safeties make it nearly impossible to stick with 5-step drops for an entire game, so often hitch routes, hitch and go's along with crossing patterns are utilized in a 7-step drop. When a defense begins playing up, and compensating for the short patterns over the middle, the offense can catch the defense sleeping and hit a deep route. Scrambling ability for a quarterback is also a plus.

Runningback- A runningback in the WCO needs to be a guy that can catch the ball out of the backfield, and is more a speed runner. A guy that can also hit the hole quickly and be effective between the tackles. Pass blocking isn't as big of a need because of how quickly the QB should be getting the ball out, but it's still something that'd be a bit of a luxury.

Wide Receivers- This is a position just as important as the quarterback. Possession receivers are crucial in the WCO. The WCO requires wide receivers that can catch the ball in traffic, over the middle while having a run after catch (RAC) ability. On the other spectrum, it's crucial to have a deep ball receiver so that the defense can't creep up and shut down the short game. So speed on the outside is a big plus to keep a safety over the top of a WR, and open up the middle of the field. Finally, perfected route running. If the receivers aren't on the same page with the QB and doesn't run crisp routes, then you can kiss any sort of efficiency out the window.

Tight Ends- Another crucial position of the offense, just like the wide receiver position, you need a tight end that can be physical and fight for the ball over the middle. Guys like Jason Witten, Jeremy Shockey (NYG days), Antonio Gates, etc. are all perfect WCO tight ends. Blocking isn't always a strong suit, more just a luxury, as well. RAC ability is nice to have, but glue fingers is the most important part. A TE that can catch everything thrown his way is a HUGE weapon in the WCO.

Offensive Line- The offensive line isn't as complex as the rest of the offense. Agility is the key. Finesse blockers, usually quicker, and a bit lighter are what makes a WCO offense line great. Think Zone Blocking Scheme, but more simple.

Do the current Browns have the personnel for this?

This is yet to be decided. The WCO offense an easy offense to run. However, many people proclaimed that Brady Quinn would be an ideal candidate for a WCO, coming out of Notre Dame. Quinn was very efficient at Notre Dame, and had physical wide receivers and tight ends in a quick striking offense. He flourished with those weapons, while having quicker running backs at Notre Dame. Can he be successful at the NFL level? It is yet to be determined, but he definitely has the skill set to be successful. Quick slants, crossing patterns, flag patterns, etc. over the middle of the field is something that Quinn really did well with in college, and he definitely has the ability. However, he can't be expected to be perfect in his first season running it, as it is a big change in what he's doing right now (assuming he's the QB in 2010). As of now, I'm saying that we have the QB for the WCO. I don't see any options in the draft that would be better than Quinn.

At the runningback position, we are finally finding out what Jerome Harrison is capable of. Harrison is a runner who hits the hole very quickly, can turn a play to the outside and burn linebackers with his speed. He's also very effective out of the backfield as a pass catcher. As of now, I'm saying that we could have a runningback for this system. However, don't rule out C.J. Spiller as he is a game changing RB, and would be available in the first round.

At wide receiver, we have Mohammed Massoquoi, Brian Robiskie, Josh Cribbs, and Chansi Stuckey, along with Mike Furrey (who's seen time at safety as of late). This is the scary part. Massoquoi is not a physical receiver. Often in one on one coverage, he struggles to make a play on the ball. To add to that, his route running is piss poor. Brian Robiskie is still to be decided. He hasn't seen much playing time as his practices have been terrible, and he is struggling to pick up the current offense. He is a more physical receiver, that offers limited RAC ability, but could be a guy that would be utilized heavily in slants and crossing patterns. His route running was very solid at Ohio State, however. Cribbs is just not a wide receiver that can be counted on. He's very special for the Wildcat, reverses and on screen plays, but his forte is special teams, and most likely always will be. Stuckey is a quicker receiver that I cannot see as being a reliable option. This is a big no for having personnel.

At tight end the Browns have had a revolving door. Starting the season Robert Royal was the tight end, followed by a bit of Steve Heiden. Following him was Greg Estandia, then Michael Gaines, and finally Evan Moore. Royal is not an option for the WCO. He's strictly a blocking tight end, with very unreliable hands. Steve Heiden is at the end of his career. While he has excellent hands, it's going to be more of a question as to whether or not he can stay healthy. Estandia and Gaines most likely won't be on the roster next season. The big story here is Evan Moore who just became a Brown in the last 5 weeks or so. His hands have showed quite a bit of promise. Consistency is going to be the question. If Moore can keep it up, he may be able to develop into a nice TE for the Browns. But for now, I'm going to say that we do NOT have the personnel.

Our best offensive lineman in Joe Thomas fits perfectly into this system, protecting the blindside, as does the aging Eric Steinbach. Rookie Alex Mack is also a finesse blocker who's quite athletic as well. The biggest question is the right side. Floyd "Porkchop" Womack is a big question mark, and John St. Clair isn't worth a twinkie. The most important part of the offensive line is in place and ready to go. We just need to find a right side to complete this line and make it a top 5 offensive line in the NFL. We're 3/5 of the way there on the offensive line.

This could be a move in the right direction for the Browns. A quicker offense that is also quick hitting would be a very efficient offense that could keep the defense off the field and eat up time of possession. We have a RB that can excel in counters and traps, and I believe we have a QB that can make the quick throws, and has the intangibles to make smart decisions for us. It's all about execution.

The biggest thing to understand is that this young offense will need time. We also need to hope that we can finally have an off-season with zero QB controversy. We need a QB that can take all the reps in training camp, and learn this offense as quickly as possible for the best success.

Dang it! I don’t know what to think!

2009-12-22T19:06:00.000-08:00

By Bert Daniels

Ever since the Browns beat the Steelers I can’t get this sh*t eating grin off my face. Everything is up in the air, probably starting over again next year with a new... well ...new everything. QB hurt, RB maybe a one week wonder, or the real deal; wide outs inconsistent and unproven. On and on, but I’m still sporting a smug little grin.

However, I don’t have a grip on some stuff. I don’t know what to think.
· Defence superb against Pittsburgh, but miserable at KC.
· Quinn wins 2 in a row, but still looks bad sometimes. Embarrassing really.
· Do I sense Manwienie has something good beginning to happen? Is the team is responding?
· I like the idea of Holmgren as Prez/czar, but as soon as the media mouths started to toss Marty ‘stunk up Detroit’ Mortinwig’s name along with Holmgren’s... I get a knot in my gut.
· The West Coast offence!?! Here? Buddy Ryan used to call it the ‘dink and dunk’. Buddy also said Middle East countries that make trouble with the USA should become ‘a parking lot’. I like Buddy. I’ll cut his son some slack for the old man’s sake. (see 1st bullet)
· If Manwienie stays, its “Oh crap”, if he goes and we don’t get one of the big name free agent coaches it like, “Oh crap”, if we get one, and after reading Don Banks of SI and his report on the pitiful performances of superbowl winning coaches with a new team, its, “Oh crap” again.
· DA will finish out the season now that Quinn is hurt. What if he runs the table? He’s capable. I want the Browns to win and DA to do well, but next year we gotta go in a different direction than the see saw we’ve been on.
· Randy Learner is has impressed everybody as wanting to win, deeply caring, and committed to Cleveland. But something sticks in my craw. If he is such a good owner, why in the world does he not pay Josh Cribbs? For crying out loud! The kid is an A-#1 top notch rising star that is the one and only bright spot in a dismal era. He is a good human being too. Quality individual. Like the ESPN countdown segment says, “C’mon man!” By paying Cribbs he would send the players a message. Work hard, be a team player, excel, beat the odds, be a Brown through and through and you will be rewarded.

The message Learner is sending now... “No matter how much of a positive asset to this organization you are, even to the point of getting into the NFL record books, it doesn’t matter. I’m too busy to with zillion dollar stuff and other interests to notice your outstanding, record breaking year. I’ll reward you all in good time. Now to an unproven super star that hasn’t proven anything that holds out, I’ll pay them, but you guys who have earned your respect the hard way, by earning it, you’ll have to wait”

C’mon man!

AFC North mourns the lost of cousin Chris Henry

2009-12-19T16:34:00.000-08:00

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry was a member of the AFC-North. His death has been felt all over the NFL and the AFC-North. This division has lost a cousin to say. Henry a member of the Cincinnati Bengals is also in away related to every team in the AFC-North except the Pittsburg Steelers. Chris Henry has gone to Heaven to join the father of the Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals, and Baltimore Ravens. These teams were all founded by the late great Paul Brown. So you see we are family. It is important that these teams share in the lost of this great football player. While these teams battle for the prize of winning the divisional title and making the playoffs it is important is to put football aside for a moment to show human feelings and family values. As the lost of Henry came early in his life it is important to see him for the changes he had made in his life. Everyone if honest enough would have to agree there is things we have done in our life we are not proud of. It is great to see the AFC-North come together in a family way to share the loss of a young football player. May our prays go to the Henry family. Chris Henry will be missed by the Cincinnati Bengals and the NFL. Since he is gone look at the good in Henry not the worst. Chris have fun playing for Paul Brown's football team in heaven.

By Jackie Dean Miller, I

Browns Take Sunday Off, Here Are Some Thoughts

2009-12-13T10:11:00.000-08:00

December 13, 2009

With the Browns spending Sunday at home relaxing and relishing their huge upset of the Steelers, I figured this is as good a time as any for me to throw out some Browns thoughts.

Josh Cribbs continues to show that the Browns need to take care of this guy and give him a new contract. In addition to doing a phenomenal job on returns and running the football in the Browns 13-6 upset, Cribbs said all the right things about how important this game is both prior to the game and immediately afterward. Did you catch his interview on the field right after the game? Could this guy show more love for the fans? Is he also on the payroll in the P.R. department? Give the guy a raise already.

The Browns may not be able to get Ndamukong Suh, as I advocated they do last week. Suh could go number one and almost certainly won't fall past Tampa Bay. The Bucs are now ahead of the Browns in draft order by virtue of winning against Pittsburgh. That's fine though. There is a lot of talent in this draft. Plenty of good players are at the top who can come in and contribute right away (Eric Berry, C.J. Spiller, Rolando McClain, Joe Haden). The Browns can trade down as well and still get good quality outside of the top-10 and add a pick similar to last season. I think Suh is the best player available in this draft, but defensive line is not one of the Browns biggest needs. The thing is the Browns have lots of needs so if Suh or perhaps Berry are not available, the Browns may be better served by identifying a later first round pick who could turn into a real player (Taylor Mays, Navorro Bowman, Brandon Spikes, Jahvid Best, Jermaine Gresham, and Jonathan Dwyer are just some of my potential-late-first-round favorites) and adding an extra second round pick. A little advice for Cleveland though. If you add a second round pick by trading down, try to grab a guy who you may actually allow to dress in his rookie year. This may seem like common sense, but I point to David Veikune.

Brady Quinn may not be the answer for the next 10 years, but I think he has shown enough that the Browns should feel comfortable going into 2010 with Brady as the starter. He has shown flashes and won a big game against a rival. Brady also takes care of the football. He is playing with a weak supporting cast. He is still young and inexperienced and could grow. While all of that is true, the biggest thing to me is how difficult it is to project quarterbacks properly and the ridiculous sum of money a high quarterback draft choice commands. You are very likely to take a bust at quarterback in the first round and stil pay the guy a ton of money to suck (See: Russell, JaMarcus; Leinart, Matt; Smith, Alex; Boller, Kyle; Grossman, Rex; you get the idea). The investment doesn't make sense right now with so many holes on this roster.

Chris Jennings has played reasonably well thus far and the coaches seem to really like him. This is good for the Browns to find a UFA who can at least give some contribution, but it is not so good for James Davis. Through the preseason and really up until his season ending should injury, Davis looked like he could have been a major steal in the 6th round. Now his future in Cleveland is up in the air. I'd like to see him make the roster next year and get some sort of chance. If the Browns do draft a running back with a high pick, which is a real possibility, Davis may be squeezed out. Especially if the Browns retain Jerome Harrison. Jerome has had an up-and-down year but he has made some very good contributions.

Thursday's game was the second straight good performance against the run, holding the opposition to less than 100 yards on the ground. Pittsburgh is a solid running team and the weather dictated pounding the football on the ground. The Browns were successful in large part because of good days from reserves Corey Williams and Ahtyba Rubin. Both were pressed into the starting lineup due to injury. The defensive line has talent and depth. That's why even though the Browns should take Suh if they get an opportunity because he is the best player available, no tears need be shed if the Browns can't get him because this is a solid and deep group on the defensive line.

Hopefully, this victory can propel the Browns to a solid finish. Strong finishes can only help the offseason momentum. All of the above can carry into next year. Sure, maybe a December finish means nothing to a team come next September, but it certainly can't hurt.

The other hope is that no games are blacked out. If fans are going downtown that's good for the economy and, ask any fan who suffered through the miserable weather on Thursday, it's really satisfying to be in the stands when the Browns win.

Jack Bacevice

To: Ohio-Born Steelers Fans

2009-12-10T20:51:00.000-08:00

By Adam Doc Fox
When I see a Stillers fan within the state lines of Ohio, the first free state (meaning the first state to outlaw slavery) of our great Union, I always ask them, “From what part of Pittsburgh are you?” They always have the same “can someone please help me justify my answer” response that always repeats, “I’m not from Pittsburgh, I’ve just always liked them.”
Then I ask them who they rooted for in the beginning of the Cold War, followed by, if they were alive, who they sided with, Mussolini or Franco, circa 1940?
The point being, frontrunners are always the frontrunners towards fascism, human inequality and injustice. Ok, I understand, we are talking about sports here, not war. But we are talking about sports in the most historically progressive state in our great United States (please visit the Freedom Center in Cincinnati or Edison’s home in Milan for further support).

The reign of the human (in this case, Stillers fan), that can only be number one through their currently good sports team, is over. Your dad used to beat you (after he beat the dog) when the Stillers lost, and that is tragic. You’re still responsible for your actions. Your mother sold prescription pills on East 99th with an old torn-up Bradshaw jersey on… how horrible. It’s not how you came to like the Stillers, it’s the fact that now, even after an infinite amount of wins, you still have no identity. Your boss doesn’t like you (you’re actually about to get fired), your womb-less girlfriend just dumped you, and your football team, the one thing that made you feel victorious in life, has just pulled a “two chicks, one cup” on your face.

So what now? Leave the city of Cleveland and the state of Ohio. Please go try out Pittsburgh, so your mouth can be stained with the coal–infested pollution that has lead the natives to look so disgusting.

The Browns have 8 championships… and you will be forever, Gollum-like, trying to catch our perfection.
By Adam Doc Fox

2010 Cleveland Browns Draft (What They Should Do...)

2009-12-09T13:02:00.001-08:00

By: Jeremy Poe

Round 1 --- Rolando McClain, LB, Alabama

Why Rolando McClain you might ask? It is becoming evident very quickly that the Browns lack a true leader on the defensive side of the ball, a quarterback of the defense if you will. If you look at the top defensive units in the National Football League, what do they all have in common? Yes, they all have that one guy they all feed off of, the great ones (if lucky) have two or more. The Pittsburgh Steelers have James Harrison and Troy Polamalu, the Baltimore Ravens have Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, and yes, the Cincinnati Bengals have one "in waiting" in Rey Maualuga. In order to compete in the rugged AFC North, you must be able to run the football and also stop it. Our beloved Cleveland Browns have not been able to consistently do either of the two, hence their obscenely abysmal record since returning to the league in 1999.

Now having said that, the reason I chose Rolando McClain is this...

1. He is the captain of the #1 ranked defense in Division I college football

2. He is a 6'4 260 pound hard-hitting, intimidating linebacker who will likely also be a 6'4 260 pound hard-hitting, intimidating, "national champion" linebacker

3. he is easily better than any linebacker the Browns have had in 10 years

If and that is a very strong "if", Brady Quinn is considered a potential franchise QB by season's end, then it is time to find that franchise linebacker to lead the defense in the same way. This will give the future front office a much clearer picture of the team and how to build it. Do me a favor future football czar... DRAFT ROLANDO McCLAIN!

Maybe...Just Maybe We Have Found Ourselves a QB!

2009-12-09T12:27:00.000-08:00

By: Jeremy Poe

With all the turmoil of injuries, front office uncertainty, and losses continuing to mount, the puzzle full of middle pieces may have finally found a corner piece off of which to build upon.

Following the last couple of weeks, QB Brady Quinn has shown his toughness and wherewithal to press forward in the teeth of adversity. Despite the lack of "proven" talent with which to work, he has hung in and made some things happen that were previously nowhere in sight.

With four games remaining, there is still plenty to prove. Having said that, I believe it is on Quinn and Quinn only to not only prove he is the leader of the franchise on the field, but also in the locker room. It is absolutely paramount that he take ownership of this team as being his and refrain from leaving it up to the coaches to make the decision. That is what teams look for in a franchise signal caller, not a "deer in headlights" saying it is up to the coaches when deciding on whether he or lame duck Derek Anderson should start.

Having a franchise player to build around is a good start. The future football head honcho whoever it may be and/or Mangini and his staff must maximize his potential by utilizing Quinn according to what his strengths are and what he does best and then put him in a place to excel and then build upon it. Adding a quality right tackle and go-to tight end can only help. Oh, yeah and a defense too!

Browns, Brady Quinn Show Proof of Life in Chargers Loss

2009-12-07T12:33:00.000-08:00

December 7, 2009

They lost again, yes. At least Brady Quinn and the offense played reasonably well against a good defense. This was a positive stride the fans could actually see. You could even believe that with D'Qwell Jackson, Eric Barton, Shaun Rogers, Kenyon Coleman, and Brodney Pool the Browns may win that game. The offense's second good game in three weeks actually gives hope that there is somewhere to go from here. This team does not need to be completely blown up. In fact, I have come up with yet another fearless plan for the Browns 2010 draft. I believe it will help move the Browns forward on the right track. Please indulge me...

1) With that super high first round pick, draft Ndamukong Suh. I have been a major proponent of grabbing one if the two game changing safeties, Eric Berry or Taylor Mays. After watching Suh a few times in the last few weeks, including in the Big 12 Title game, I am convinced he is the guy. He may even live up to the absurd contract he will receive as a the first, second, or third pick. He projects as either a 4-3 tackle or a 3-4 end. He is a monster with a motor. Draft Suh and Cleveland's starting defensive line next season is Shaun Rogers, Suh, and Kenyone Coleman/Robaire Smith. (Why no Corey Williams? I'll get there later.) That a unit that can eat runners alive and pressure the quarterback. Suh will be a 3-4 end capable of getting 10 sacks. Both Rogers and Suh will demand at least a double team on every play. That will open things up for Kamerion Wimbley and whoever else plays the other outside linebacker spot next season. (I'm a fan of Matt Roth). The improved pass rush helps our weak secondary and the entire defense is majorly upgraded. Oh, but the offense has been the bigger culprit this season? Funny you mention that. I have an idea...

2) Trade back into the first round and draft C.J. Spiller. This is probably the toughest of my proposals to pull off. I also think it is the most critical. Adding a game breaking back can instantly add wins to your total (See: Peterson, Adrian; Johnson, Chris; Forte, Matt [rookie year only]). Spiller will probably go in the top half of the first round. The Browns will need to give up value to get up there. They can probably do it with 2011 1st and 3rd, but I don't want to do that. Here is what I'm thinking would be an ideal scenario. Trade the 2011 2nd and 5th and Corey Williams to Carolina. The Panthers don't need a back and won't be interested in Spiller. They do need defensive tackle help and they will have to tack a quarterback high in the near future. Since a top pick in either 2010 or 2011 at the latest is already going to be reserved for a quarterback, the Panthers need to stockpile picks. I think they could end up picking in the 11-15 range. They may not be in love with any quarterbacks available there. They don't need a running back. The trade could be done. Maybe it's going to take more. Maybe two 2nds (2010 and 2011) or maybe next years 2nd and 3rd, or even next year's first. If the price is anywhere shy of ridiculous, make the trade. Get Spiller. You can then either trade the rights to Jerome Harrison (restricted free agent I believe) for another pick, or let him walk. You come to camp with Spiller, James Davis, and Chris Jennings as your backs. That's not bad. That's a lot of young powerful runners. Of course, the Browns need a lot more than a running back on offense. Allow me to continue.

3) Take your very high 2nd round pick and invest in the right side of your offensive line. A great line can keep an offense competitive even if the skill players suck. As I have said before, the Browns are three-fifths of the way there. The investment in offensive skill players (Massaquoi, Robiskie, Quinn, Spiller[proposed]) dictates a need to make sure they are protected. Spiller is the perfect running back for this Browns team, if you have a road grader on the right side. Spiller is a speedster. On the left you have Joe Thomas and Eric Steinbach. Both are hyper athletic and quick for their positions. You can pull them on quick tosses to the left, or pull them right and send Spiller that way. They key is, you need a big nasty tackle to hold down the right side of the line. You may be able to get away with Rex Hadnot/Porkchop Womack/Free Agent Guard X on the right side if the tackle position is strong. Traditionally teams reach for left tackles in round one. There is no reason a top right tackle can't be had early in round two. Bruce Campbell (6'6" 312, Maryland) and Bryan Bulaga (6'6" 311, Iowa) could both be available here.

What if they aren't? Plan B. Look to take a good right tackle in round three (you have two picks there). Possibilities include Selvish Capers (6'4" 293, West Virgina), Tony Washington (6'6" 300, Abilene Christian), Kyle Calloway (6'6" 318, Iowa), and one of my personal favorites and I think a big time sleeper Ciron Black (perhaps a reach in the 3rd, 6'4" 327, LSU). As it is, my advocacy for round three is best defensive back available and best tight end/wide receiver available. If you switch it up and a good tackle isn't available at the top of the second round, at least not one worth the pick, take the best available defensive back or wide receiver/tight end. Possibilities include: Patrick Robinson CB/FSU, Golden Tate WR/ND, Arrelious Benn WR/Illinois, Javier Arenas CB/Alabama, Rob Gronkowski TE/Arizona, Nate Allen S/USF, Brandon LaFell WR/LSU, Chad Jones S/LSU, and the potential of a surprise fall of a talented player (see Rey Maualuga 2009).

Where does this put the 2010 Browns? Well, you would have a discount quarterback who has at least shown flashes in Brady Quinn. A strong offensive line with Thomas, Steinbach, Mack, Womack/Hadnot/Free Agent X, and a highly picked right tackle. Your running game should be solid with a game breaker in Spiller plus bigger backs James Davis and Chris Jennings. A receiving corps of Mohamed Massaquoi, Brian Robiskie, Chansi Stuckey, Josh Cribbs, and a potential 2nd or 3rd round pick should be solid. Spiller's game breaking ability will also help Quinn, who loves to check down. If he checks down to Spiller he has a guy who can make the first defender miss with some consistency and turn some of those 1-yard dump offs into 15-yard gains.

On defense you have one of the meanest and toughest defensive lines in football with a healthy Shaun Rogers and ubertalent Ndamukong Suh. These guys keep blockers off of Kam Wimbley, Jackson, Roth, Trusnik, Bowens, Barton and whoever else may play linebacker. The better run defense and improved pass rush only makes coverage easier. Hopefully some help opposite Eric Wright can be found at corner either with an early round pick or a solid free agent. The defense could be okay.

Right there you have the makings of a team that can at least compete every week. If you can find a way to get Spiller without giving up your 2011 first rounder you can either A) use that on a quarterback if you decide Quinn isn't working out after giving him a full season with decent weapons, or B) if Quinn does look like the guy draft a play making linebacker or defensive back.

Do I think the Browns can/will do all of this? No. No I don't But I can wish can't I? My favorite team is 1-11. Wishing is all I have.

Jack Bacevice

DB41's Early Top 60 for the NFL Draft

2009-12-07T09:04:00.001-08:00

DaBrowns41’s Top 60 2010 NFL Draft Prospects

1. Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska- 6’4 300
2. Gerald McCoy*, DT, Oklahoma- 6’4 297
3. Eric Berry*, S, Tennessee- 5’11 203
4. Jimmy Clausen*, QB, Notre Dame- 6’3 224
5. Rolando McClain*, LB, Alabama- 6’4 260
6. Russell Okung, OT, Oklahoma State- 6’5 305
7. Joe Haden*, CB, Florida- 5’11 190
8. Derrick Morgan*, DE, Georgia Tech- 6’4 270
9. Trent Williams, OT, Oklahoma- 6’5 315
10. Dez Bryant*, WR, Georgia Tech- 6’2 220
11. Jake Locker*, QB, Washington- 6’3 225
12. Brian Price*, DT, UCLA- 6’2 300
13. Jerry Hughes, DE, TCU- 6’3 257
14. Terrence Cody, DT, Alabama- 6’5 360
15. C.J. Spiller, RB, Clemson- 5’11 195
16. Anthony Davis*, OT, Rutgers- 6’6 325
17. Ryan Mallet*, QB, Arkansas- 6’7 240
18. Carlos Dunlap*, DE, Florida- 6’6 290
19. Bryan Baluga, OT, Iowa- 6’6 312
20. Cameron Heyward*, DE, Ohio State- 6’6 285
21. Sam Bradford*, QB, Oklahoma- 6’4 225
22. Everson Griffen*, DE, USC- 6’4 280
23. Taylor Mays, S, USC- 6’4 225
24. Dan Williams, DT, Tennessee- 6’3 325
25. Sergio Kindle, LB, Texas- 6’4 255
26. Jermaine Gresham, TE, Oklahoma- 6’6 258
27. Sean Weatherspoon, LB, Missouri- 6’2 246
28. Johnathan Dwyer*, RB, Georgia Tech- 6’0 230
29. Brandon Graham, DE, Michigan- 6’2 260
30. Aaron Hernandez, TE, Florida- 6’2 250
31. Mardy Gilyard, WR, Cincinnati- 6’1 189
32. Jared Odrick, DT, Penn State- 6’5 295
33. Brandon Spikes, LB, Florida- 6’3 251
34. Jason Pierre-Paul*, DE, South Florida- 6’5 262
35. Patrick Robinson, CB, Florida State- 5’11 193
36. Colt McCoy, QB, Texas- 6’2 215
37. Arrelious Benn*, WR, Illinois- 6’2 220
38. Brandon LaFell, WR, LSU- 6’3 210
39. Navorro Bowman*, LB, Penn State- 6’1 230
40. Nate Allen, S, South Florida- 6’2 205
41. Mike Iupati, OG, Idaho- 6’6 330
42. Javhid Best*, RB, California- 5’9 200
43. Golden Tate*, WR, Notre Dame- 5’11 195
44. Rickey Sapp, DE, Clemson- 6’6 240
45. Arthur Jones, DT, Syracuse- 6’4 293
46. Jon Asomoah, OG, Illinois- 6’6 315
47. Eric Norwood, LB, South Carolina- 6’1 253
48. Kris O’Dowd*, C, USC- 6’5 305
49. Darrell Stuckey, S, Kansas- 6’1 205
50. Damian Williams*, WR, USC- 6’1 210
51. Tim Tebow, QB, Florida- 6’3 245
52. Anthony McCoy, TE, USC- 6’5 245
53. Charles Brown, OT, USC- 6’6 290
54. Brandon Ghee, CB, Wake Forest- 6’0 190
55. Trevard Lindley, CB, Kentucky- 6’1 185
56. Bruce Carter*, LB, North Carolina- 6’2 225
57. Maurkice Pouncey, OG, Florida- 6’5 318
58. Marvin Austin*, DT, North Carolina- 6’3 305
59. Toby Gerhart, RB, Stanford- 6’1 235
60. Greg Hardy, DE, Ole Miss- 6’5 240

Browns Extinguish Offensive Signs of Life; Fall to 1-10

2009-11-30T07:13:00.000-08:00

November 30, 2009

I had a hell of a weekend. One of my best friends got married to the most wonderful girl. In Chicago. I was honored to be in the wedding party and flew out of Cleveland on Friday morning, at 8 AM. I spend the weekend living it up on Central time and used a series of about 8 acts of kindness/miracles to make my flight back to Cleveland scheduled to leave O'Hare airport at 10:38 AM Central time because I wanted desperately to catch as much of the then 1-9 Browns as I could because I love the Browns. When I landed in Hopkins I had slept for about 14 hours since I woke up Wednesday morning and slept 0 of those hours in a bed that had sheets. Only about 3 of those hours were in a real bed. At this point I had also last slept in a bed at about 10 AM Central time Saturday morning, and it was an air mattress. On Sunday I slept for about an hour on a couch sitting up with my tux still on. I was tired, but I was determined to watch the whole Browns game. I did. I should have just gone to bed. This is what I saw...

Brady Quinn looked like absolute poop. I took DA to task constantly on this site and BQ deserves the same treatment for his crappy day on Sunday. He was forever throwing to his receivers back hips, or shoes, or over their heads/way out in front of them. The few deep throws he did make were waaaayyyyyy off target. The only redeeming thing Quinn did do was protect the football. Quinn had many bad throws, but never really but the ball in jeopardy. (Unless a football can feel pain since Quinn repeated threw it into the turf.) The closest Cincy came to a pick was a ball that went off of a receiver's hands. I still think Quinn is much, much better than DA. However, Quinn is going to have to make massive strides over the last 5 games in order to show he could be the quarterback of the future. Yesterday he looked like an average back-up, at best.

The receivers were not particularly good. Too many bad routes. Too many drops. Too few good plays. You're telling me Brian Robiskie can't crack the game day roster on this group? Really? Why? Afraid he is going to blow a big block or something that could help the Browns lose and miss the playoffs by one game? What could he do that is so much worse? This guy was picked 36th overall 7 months ago. Why do you now hate him so much Mangini? Why?

The running game may preempt the quarterbacks, receiving corps, and porous right side of the offensive line that is most in need of an offseason upgrade. The Browns had a few decent runs, but for the most part the running game was maddeningly inconsistent and had way to many 0 and 1 yard runs. This couldn't have helped the passing "attack."

Speaking of the offensive "attack," Brian Daboll's playcalling was absolute putrid. It's a joke, really. For those of you scoring at home, that's Well Called Games by Brian Daboll: 1, Horribly Called Games by Brian Daboll: 10. Not very good. Not only is the first year offensive coordinator's playcalling mortifying, but Daboll is showing no improvement. A coordinator should be able to take the talent he has an maximize it. Even the Browns talent deficiency isn't this bad. Daboll almost seems to minimize the talent he has at times. He will probably be gone after this season. (Perhaps Charlie Weis will be available, but that's best left to another column.)

The defense wasn't bad. They weren't exactly stellar either. The Bengals ground game gashed the Browns repeatedly. The tackling was poor. Cleveland couldn't get off the field on too many long Cincy third down attempts. Oh, and the Browns lost their best defensive player for the years. One the one hand, maybe it could be a blessing in disguise to give your 350+ pound star nose tackle who resides on the wrong side of 30 the last 5 games off in a season going no where in a spectacular hurry. On the other hand, you never want to see a player recovering from a serious leg injury. Especially a player like the aforementioned 350+ pound nose tackle on the wrong side of 30.

Overall the game was very ugly and depressing. The Browns are steamrolling towards another top two pick. Usually those players end up overpaid, even if they are good. Awesome. If you find yourself depressed about the state of this franchise, that's because it is depressing.

Jack Bacevice

The Browns can score... Touchdowns?

2009-11-27T22:29:00.001-08:00

Opening up the day this previous Sunday, I woke up a bit late, having to get ready for a Thanksgiving with a different side of the family. My other half was awake and already watching the game and said "Baby! Brady scored a touchdown!". You know... Typical chick thing because they all love Quinn's dashing good looks, along with his 12 pack abs and amazing biceps....... I should stop shouldn't I? So following that statement, I looked at her and called her a "dirty liar". I mean, that couldn't be possible couldn't? I go down for some laundry, and come back up the stairs a few minutes later hearing her screaming in excitement and said "We scored again!". I see the replay, and I rub my eyes thinking that this couldn't be true. 17 points for the Cleveland Browns and it's only halfway through the first quarter? It was true.

Cleveland opened up with a 9 play drive lasting 3.5 minutes scoring a field goal. I mean, hell, I'd have been excited if I saw that. Field goal range for the Browns. INSTANT WIN! After the ensuing kickoff, I then watch the defense give up a 63 yard pass to Calvin... I mean Bryant... No, I mean Kevin Smith... You know... The running back. Yeah... Luckily, Detroit only gets 3 points out of it.

A 13 yard kickoff return later and Brady Quinn proves to Derek Anderson and all of his haters that he, in fact, CAN throw the long ball, hitting Mohamed Massoquoi in stride for a 59 yard touchdown on the first play of the drive. Stunning, right? Following that, the Browns defense played like they did against the Ravens for a drive forcing a 3 and out, allowing Quinn and Co. to come back on the field. After a few small pickups, Quinn hits newly acquired wide receiver Chansi Stuckey down the field for a 40 yard touchdown. That's a total of two touchdowns in the game so far for the Browns offense who scored I believe all of 5 touchdowns in it's first 9 games of the season. I mean, this is some record setting stuff, right?!

Browns kick off giving the Lions the ball at the 32, when Eric Wright (Eazy-E) picks off a deep Stafford throw only to return it 47 yards giving Cleveland the ball at the Detroit 13 yard line. After an a Jeff Backus unnecessary roughness call, Cleveland starts at the Detroit 6. This couldn't end up being 3 touchdowns in one quarter of play.... could it? Indeed it was. After a Jamal Lewis 2 yard scamper, Quinn hits Joshua Cribbs for a 4 yard touchdown. So not only did the Browns get 3 touchdowns, but they got them through the air. We haven't had a QB throw 3 touchdowns in a game since November 11th.... of 2007, when Derek Anderson threw 3 touchdowns against the Pittsburgh Steelers. (Which ironically enough ended up having a similar outcome with the Browns defense blowing a big lead). The Browns are now leading 24-3. This is exciting stuff, right?! Well, who'd of thunk it, that the Browns defense could fail? On the next 3 Lions drives, they score touchdowns, now making it squared at 24 for the day. The Browns drive down the field and kick a field goal with 4 minutes left in the 1st half, and go into the half up 27-24. Man. What a first half for the offense. They score over half the touchdowns that they have in the previous 9 games of the season. Brady Quinn provided sparks of life for the offense, making very nice throws, while still being the victim of a few dropped touchdown catches.

So what went right in the first half for the offense? Pretty much everything, right? The difference was that the offensive line was holding their blocks, and Quinn was making his reads. He was patient with the ball, and found his open receivers, while not forcing the ball and making accurate throws. Yes... We were playing the Lions who's defense is was 26th against the pass prior to the game (they are now dead last). But it's a spark right? Perhaps it's momentum so that this offense can continue to improve.

The second half wasn't nearly as fun to watch offensively as the first, but on the bright side, we only had 2 three and outs in 5 drives, which isn't bad at all, especially considering that we are used to 6-7 three and outs a game. The Browns were only able to muster up another touchdown in the 2nd half, on a 2 yard pass to newly acquired tight end "Ross" Michael Gaines. (Ross is his given birth name, and Randy Lerner has given him permission to put it on the back of his jersey. Reebok is currently buying out all 71 "Gaines jersey's, and reprinting ones to say "Ross" on the back).

Unfortunately for the Browns, the defense continued to give up points only contributing positively in the 2nd half with a sack and an interception, and a forced fumble, that Detroit recovered. Despite the Browns success with the football (34:46 to 25:14 with time of possession), the Browns defense just could not keep the Lions out of the end zone. The heartbreaking part of the game was the final 2 plays. The "last" play of the game, Matthew Stafford threw the ball into the end zone, which was intercepted to end the game. Unfortunately, Hank Poteat was literally hugging his man in the end zone, resulting in a defensive pass interference call giving Detroit the ball on the 1 yard line, as the game cannot end on a defensive penalty. On that play, C.J. Mosley hit Stafford hard, injuring Stafford's left shoulder. Because of the rule, an injured player must sit out for one play... That is of course a timeout is called. Eric Mangini called a timeout to gather his defense to instruct them on what to do in this situation. This let Stafford come back in for the last play, in which he completed a 1 yard touchdown pass to rookie Brandon Pettigrew who was virtually uncovered. With the extra point, the game was over, and the Detroit Lions won the game by a score of 38-37, most likely saying "At least we're not Cleveland" on their way to the locker rooms.

Ok. I may have made up that last part.

Regardless, the story here today was that the Browns proved that they could, in fact, score not just points, but touchdowns. The offense looked great, despite dropping a few very easy catches that would have turned into 6 points easily. This had to be a huge boost for Brady Quinn and the offense. An offense that has looked no more than anemic put up big numbers on Sunday and was a big boost for the fans, the coaches, and most importantly the players. On third downs, the Browns were 10/19, or 52% completion, which is well beyond what the NFL average is (around 42%). The Browns had an 8.8 yard per pass average as well, which is also well beyond the NFL average (around 7.8-8.0). 16 passing first downs which trumps the average of around 12-13 a game, was also a big positive for the passing game. There really wasn't much the Browns couldn't do offensively on Sunday. Overall, the offense gets an A in my book for performance. Sure you want to take the defense that you played against into account, but when your offense has been as bad as the Browns this year, you look at any positive you can. The biggest test comes the next 3 weeks as the Browns travel to Paul Brown stadium to face the much improved Cincinnati Bengals defense, and then come back home for a 2 game stretch against two teams that get to the quarterback and force turnovers in San Diego and Pittsburgh. If we can muster up 2-3 passing touchdowns in each game, I'd say that we may very well be improving.

However, the most important portion of this blog is that my other half did end up forgiving me for repeating that she was a "dirty liar", and at the end of the day, while the outcome wasn't what I wanted, we were still smiling at the fact that the Browns offense actually proved that they can score... touchdowns.

Don't draft Tebow

2009-11-24T11:33:00.000-08:00

By Bert Daniels

Now that the Browns have been beaten by the worst team in the league – in my estimation that officially demotes the Browns to the worst team in the league. As of right now I believe it is not premature to say, “Don’t draft Tim Tebow.”

The NFL and its media machine continue to try to make fans believe that the “prototype” QB is a fleet of foot hybrid. Part QB, part RB, and part WR. We were told the Michael Vicks of the football world would soon be the rule not the exception. The jury is still out on Vince Young. Four wins does not a revolution make. Remember the Steelers experiment with “Slash”? Shoot, I remember back in the day Randal Cunningham and a few other “running QBs” all were suppose to transform the league. But every blasted one of them were always considered to be maturing as a QB when they stayed in the pocket and passed downfield 1/10th of a millisecond before the defence smashed him into the turf.

Fast forward to the current elite teams in the league. Colts. Eli’s big brother is mobile, but not a scat back. He is a classic passer. Giants. Well, maybe not quite elite, but pretty darn good, and Eli ain’t a runner either. Patriots. Brady is a pure passer, not a runner. Saints; passer. Chargers; passer. Big Ben is mobile, not a runner. Shoot, look in our own history. The best Cleveland QB’s in my cognizant lifetime were Sipe, and Kosar. Sipe was not a running QB and Kosar was darn near immobile, but he too almost took us to the big dance.

The Browns need a QB who is a mobile passer.

Back to Tebow. He is an exceptional young man on and off the field. IF he enters the draft, he will get taken by someone who will use him in a way to showcase his talent and IF he makes it into a starting lineup, he will eventually transform into a passer or he will end up in Canada playing for someone like the Saskatchewan Rough Riders.

Why go the route of waiting for a QB to become a pure passer when you can get a pure passer right off the bat or develop one already in the stable? Maybe pull a Patriot type magic act and draft a kid late and work on him a while. But with Brady Quinn’s performance against Detroit, maybe he has shown the stuff to build and hope on.

The Browns could go ahead and draft Tebow for trade bait and hope there is a team willing to trade several wily veterans for the hope and prayer Tebow offers.

Browns May Have Lost, But There's Hope!

2009-11-24T07:44:00.000-08:00

November 24, 2009

So by now I am sure you aware the Browns lost again last Sunday. 38-37 to the only franchise that is arguably worse than Cleveland's. On a ridiculous finish. Fine. Get over it. The Browns are going nowhere anyway. Progress is important. Granted, the defense seemed to have a major regression on Sunday. It was probably their worst game of the season. However, they have at least shown signs of improvement at times this year. So the defense hasn't been my main concern.

The offense, on the other hand, has been unspeakably pathetic all season. Even when the unit sort of had one good day against Cincy, the game was rife with bad decisions and blown assignments and crappy technique and... you see where I am going with this. Sunday the offense finally looked like professionals. Granted, it was against a terrible defense. You can only play the team on the schedule. This season the Browns offense has mostly been shooting itself in the foot before the opposing defense could shut them down. Bad decisions on passes, drops, poor blocking, bad route running, bad play calling, and much more had plagued this offense all season. For the first time all year, fans didn't see a bevy of self-inflicted mistakes on offense. It was actually fun to watch. Weird.

So yeah, they lost. It was a really crappy, bad loss too. Losing after time ran out to a rookie quarterback and a team that was 0-16 a year before. Ugly. Fine. Don't focus on that. Focus on things like...

... Brady Quinn appeared he could be a legitimate NFL quarterback. The game against the Ravens just 6 days earlier saw Quinn look confused and over matched in every way. He couldn't make any throws. It wasn't the Ravens defense in as much as Brady was just bad. You really had to question whether he even had the ability to be successful with good players around him. Brady pretty much put the Ravens debacle to rest. He threw the ball all over the field, and he threw it well. Brady threw short, deep, out routes, crossing routes, check downs, touchdowns. You name it and Brady did it, except interceptions. Chris Jennings even dropped a beautiful ball that wold have been a touchdown. There were plenty of correct audibles, reads, and protection adjustments. Quinn was smart. He took care of the football. He took what the defense gave him and put points on the board. He finally played as advertised back in 2007. Brady firmly put himself back in the race to be the Browns starting QB in 2010. That's good because it would be one less player that the Browns need, and they need like 35.

Wait there's more.

Chansi Stuckey and Jason Trusnik both played solid games. Neither one is ever going to be a star, but they both at least made some very positive contributions. Trusnik may never be more than a reserve linebacker. He at least looks like he will be a good reserve linebacker. Stuckey had a very nice game and flashed ability to perhaps be a number two receiver.

Mohamed Massaquoi also had a big game. He made plays that forced the Lions to pay attention to him and open things up for other players on the offense. Forcing the defense to pay attention to Massaquoi was probably nearly as big a part of the passing game's success as the solid blocking.

Speaking of the solid blocking, hey there was solid blocking! Not only did the Browns do a nice job of giving Brady time when the Lions didn't blitz, but when the Lions did blitz the Browns helped, chipped, shoved, bumped, or did whatever else it took to slow the rush and give Quinn enough time to make a play. It wasn't just the line. It was the tight ends and the running backs and Quinn adjusting protection and proper line calls. It was the total package of blocking. It was great.

So yeah, they lost. They played one of the league's worst teams. The manner of losing was horrible and heartbreaking. Fine. So what. This season has been so bad you need to take any silver lining you can. Take the offensive performance and run with it. It showed progress and was actually fun to watch.

Jack Bacevice

Wouldn't 8-8 be great?

2009-11-21T10:41:00.000-08:00

By Bert Daniels

Wouldn't 8-8 be great? Repeating a worn out practice of Browns fans, I was daydreaming of "Next Year". As I plugged the hopes of a football Czar and the possibility of a proven, winning coach into my fantasy, I thought with free agent signings, a couple of impact players taken in the draft, a new attitude with hopes of success, I dreamed that maybe we could go 8-8! Gee wiz, 8-8. Who'd a thunk it that Brown's fans would be fantasizing about a .500 season? That's like wishing to take your buddy's grandma to the prom when he is taking a supermodel.

But that's where we are at. Hoping for mediocrity. Come to think of it, a touchdown would be nice. As much as I hated Trent Dilfer's well publicized trashing of the Browns, I have to admit that he must have a point about the Browns' organization if things are this bad. For crying out loud, they can't score a touchdown or get a first down unless it's Josh Cribbs on a wildcat or gadget play. Jamal Lewis backs into the line at this point of his career, and Brady Quinn throws successive passes 10 yards out of bounds, and while needing 8 yards for a first down the ball is thrown 3 yards. Receivers drop the odd pass that reaches them on target providing they made the correct reads and actually run in the direction the pigskin is going to land.

Blame has got to be laid on the only consistent presence since the beginning of Browns part II. Front office.Coaches, players, coordinators, schemes, themes and philosophies have all come and gone and the result is way, way below average. Like red "F" below average. The front office have put the Browns in the un-enviable position as league laughing stock. If the Cleveland Browns want to be 8-8 the front office has to make it happen. Now, Randy (on the job learner) Learner doesn't design plays or directly draft the high paid busts, so don't even go there with me. But VP's, assistant to's, director of, chief this, head of that, are the decision makers that everyone calls Randy Learner or the front office. These are probably all good God fearing, salt of the earth, moms and dads, who deserve a chance to make a living, but... They have consistently delivered a red "F" product. I hope the forthcoming football Czar has the authority to re-assign these folks to duties they can find success. As football decision makers - I'm sorry, nah, not so much, going in a different direction.

But dream with me Browns fans. A coach that actually attracts free agents. An offense that actually executes rather than should be. Two touchdowns in a, a dare we say it... game. Running through the endzone and into Dawg pound imitating a Lambeau leap. Field position. The red zone. Going for it on 4th down for winning reasons, not nothing left to lose. A rested defense. Trick plays and wildcat offense formations that are a rarity rather than a staple. More than one kickoff in a game. Ahh. Someday, 8-8! 8 wins in a season! Then dreaming about "Next Year" might include the "P" word!

2009-11-18T11:36:00.000-08:00

The Athletes Formerly Known as the Cleveland Browns
By: Jeremy Poe (Disgusted Browns Fan)

What once was regarded as one of the quality, well-ran organizations across the professional sports landscape has now become only a tiger and a trapeze artist short of a Barnum and Bailey Circus act.

ESPN and many other media outlets that cover the world of professional sports frequently characterize the beloved Brownies as one of the NFL's most historical and storied franchises the league has ever had. What lies just under the surface is the fact that almost all of the significant names and games for which they are best remembered are just that, historical. The last of those names, Bernie Kosar and Ozzie Newsome, are nearly two decades removed from their legendary careers wearing the brown and orange.

Now ten years after their long awaited return to the football landscape, the Browns find themselves essentially back to "square one," maybe even worse. Only this time, they don't have the expansion franchise stigma to fall back on. The recent reincarnation of this once proud football powerhouse was set up to fail almost from the start with inexperience running rampant throughout the organization. New owner, rookie general manager, and a rookie coaching staff to go with a mostly rookie football team with a few mediocre castoffs from other organizations did not suit the Browns glorious and triumphant return to the shore of Lake Erie. much at all. Because of this, they continue to spin their wheels while desperately searching in vain to recapture the success they once had and are beginning to feel their stranglehold on the Cleveland sports scene gradually slip with every bitter defeat each Sunday.

The common thread in the failure of regime after regime that is brought in to reverse the misfortunes unfairly laid upon this proud midwestern town is the owner, Randy Lerner. The utter lack of stability in the front office attributed to Lerner's failure to lure a candidate with a proven football pedigree such as Mike Holmgren, Bill Cowher, or even Mike Shanahan has retarded the development of his organization. He is an absolute novice when it comes to football knowledge which makes the acquisition of someone who has that knowledge and has proven to be successful all the more paramount and crucial. Before deciding on who should coach these players, a solid front office has to be put in place. Next, that front office has to (emphasis on "has to") develop an identity or plan as to what type of football team they want to build whether it is a run-oriented offense with a smash-mouth, physical defense like the Browns' divisional opponents or a pass happy offense with a fast, playmaking defense similar to the current Denver Broncos. Then, that is when the front office should seek the coach that they feel fits the structure of their identity or plan. Doing this will make drafting and the free agent process a much clearer picture for that front office to execute.

With that being said, it has to make one wonder whether former Browns players such as Tim Couch who have been labeled busts by many would have had more productive NFL careers had they either come to a more well-ran organization in Cleveland or been in another organization. Currently, there are questions being asked as to Brady Quinn's potential "bust" status with the continued mess this team is in. This writer personally does not believe that guys like Tim Couch or Brady Quinn are busts because they were put into extremely adverse situations unlike Ben Roethlisberger or Joe Flacco who were drafted by teams with immense talent around them. These so-called "busts" had to be good football players at some point in order to be worthy of NFL careers.

The team formerly known as the Cleveland Browns need to take a page out of the Cleveland Cavaliers' book. Before the Lebron Era and Dan Gilbert's purchase of the team, the Cavaliers were an NBA afterthought in which no one paid them any attention. For years with the exception of the late 80s and early 90s, they were a dismal franchise that suffered through a half-empty arena on most nights with players other teams no longer wanted. Even after winning the NBA draft lottery in 2003 and drafting the Chosen One, Jim Paxson's infamous botching of the Carlos Boozer free agency was on Gund's watch.

However, since Dan Gilbert's acquiring of the franchise, we have seen their first NBA Finals apperance although it was a brief one, and we have also "witnessed" the arrival of one of the NBA's all-time great players in Shaquille O'Neal. Why has this all been able to occur you ask? The stability at the top with Dan Gilbert, Danny Ferry and the front office deserves a lot of the credit, okay you too Lebron!

I sincerely conclude that the only route your Cleveland Browns have to gaining any type of success what-so-ever is by gaining new ownership. Therefore, as loyal, dedicated, and misrepresented fans of this team, it is your duty to begin the demand that Randy Lerner sell the team (not move it!) to someone who cares and knows what to do about it. Thanks!

Mangini has to go!

2009-11-17T17:00:00.000-08:00

By James Alan

The only bright spot on this entire team is Rob Ryan. He has the defense playing like an NFL team, but even a great NFL defense can't play 50 minutes of a 60 minute game and expect to win or play well in the forth quarter.

At this point the only person Mangini hired that looks good is Rob Ryan. Fire Mangini, put Ryan in as head coach till the end of the season, and then go get Chucky (Jon Gruden) to coach the team. At least Gruden could see potential in the offense that I don't believe anyone else in the country could see as he sat up there in the booth praising a miserable Brady Quinn.

Mangini has been lost since he got off the plane from New York earlier this year and took the job. Mangini has locked down the Browns since he took over by forbidding any of the players and coaches to talk to the press, and when he talks to the press he is evasive and misleading. I think we are learning why Mangini is so secretive. It's obvious he doesn't know what he is doing as a coach. Even a fool is thought wise until he opens his mouth to reveal otherwise.

The problem Mangini hasn't learned is that on the football field the problems display themselves very quickly. He didn't learn it in New York where he played Farve when Farve should have been on the IR list (got fined this season for that infraction), didn't pull Farve when his performance suffered, and ended up loosing out the season. Why Randy Lerner didn't see these signs is another story.

If Mangini is still here at the start of next season I'm afraid there won't be many Browns fans to support him or the team.

Browns Inspired by 40 Year Old Virgin Fail to Score

2009-11-17T06:54:00.000-08:00

November 17, 2009

(Author's Note: I apologize for the rambling of this article. I apologize for the repetitive nature of this article. I apologize for the incoherence of this article. I apologize for failing to address the defense at all. The defense wasn't bad last night. I am just too angry to think clearly about the Browns right now.)

Pathetic doesn't do that game justice. Putrid doesn't either. It's like we need to invent a whole new word. Let's just think about the comedy of errors that led to last night's we-need-to-invent-a-whole-new-word game...

The Running Game...

The Browns draft William Green to be the running back. He has half of a good season. Then Butch Davis inexplicably decides Lee Suggs might be better. Lee Suggs basically has one knee. Crappily inconsistent running game ensues. William Green's, um, let's call it, "off field troubles," didn't help. The Browns decide to acquire Reuben Droughns. He has one statistically good season but for the most part forgets to score touchdowns. The next season Reuben gets better at scoring touchdowns but worse at everything else. He didn't even get that much better at scoring touchdowns. So the Phil Savage decides his old friend Jamal Lewis could be the answer. As a result the Browns pass on Adrian Peterson. Jamal, coming off of two bad years and surprisingly not getting younger (weird, I know), actually has one last hurrah and a very nice 2007 season. Phil Savage is convinced Jamal is getting younger and signs him to an extension. Jamal is not getting younger. He is over the hill. He was below average in 2008. He has had his moments in 2009. November 16, 2009 was not one of those moments. The Browns did draft James Davis in the 6th round. Maybe he was a steal. No one has any idea since he hurt his shoulder and is done for the year. Jerome Harrison is Eric Metcalf Lite. So the Browns play Chris Jennings. Jennings was so highly regarded coming out of Arizona that every team in the NFL passed on him for the entire draft. Nice. The Browns best running threat is therefore Josh Cribbs. He is a receiver. He also can't get a new contract. Nevermind that Mangini claims he wants high character guys who are good football players. Josh Cribbs only has a team first attitude. He is also the best special teams player in the NFL. He is a weapon on offense. He refuses to hold out when most NFL agents would be locking him inside of his house. Oh, and he does things like show up for a former coach's son's Parent Night at a local high school to stand by the kid in place of his late father. Josh doesn't tell anyone because he doesn't want to detract any attention away from the high school players. Josh is the kind of jerk who does incredibly nice and selfless things like that. Mangini apparently hates those kind of jerks. So he refuses to rework Josh Cribbs deal as of yet. Then Josh gets hurt laying his body on the line (again) when his team has to score about 4 points per second for the rest of the game in order to tie the Ravens. Does this ramble have a point? Yes. The Browns have no running game. Which doesn't help...

The Passing Game...

If you can call it that. The Browns drafted Brady Quinn in the first round in 2007. The pick Cleveland traded to get Brady Quinn would turn into Felix Jones. I'm sure he wouldn't have helped our running game anyway. Quinn was going to have weapons too. Former first round picks Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow would be there to catch Brady's passes. Also the Browns added veteran glue hands Joe Jurevicius. Wait there's more. There is a talented guard in Eric Steinbach. There is also fellow first round pick Joe Thomas. He only turns into the best left tackle in the NFL. (And the Browns only got him by passing on Adrian Peterson. Even when the Browns do something right they do it wrong.) So wait a minute, the Browns have a plan. It might actually work out. Holy Crap! Brady Quinn did not go to the Josh Cribbs School of Team First Decision Making. He holds out. He can't win the job out of camp. Incumbent Charlie Frye is the starter. He plays for about 48 seconds against Pittsburgh in the opener. Things do not go well. Enter Derek Anderson. Anderson is the former Oregon State quarterback who did not complete better than half of his passes until his senior year in college. That senior year he completed just over half. The Pittsburgh game does not go well. You know what does go well though? Most of the rest of the season. It went great until the end when Anderson played like he had piranhas gnawing at his groin. The Browns fail to make the playoffs thanks to a late season bed crapping. Things seemed to be on track though. Edwards, Winslow, Anderson, and Thomas all made the Pro Bowl. That's your starting quarterback, number one wide receiver, tight end, and left tackle. All four are in their early 20s. Things are looking up. Wait though, it's the Browns. Even when something goes right, it goes wrong. Anderson's 2007 mirage hides the fact he is still woefully inaccurate. 2008 makes that clear. It also makes a few other things clear. Braylon Edwards does not have hands that you would call reliable. Kellen Winslow is not a soldier but a malcontent. Joe Thomas is awesome, but left tackles rarely run the ball or catch the ball or score touchdowns. So Cleveland jettisons Winslow and Edwards. They keep Anderson. He is even worse without weapons around him. It is impossible to tell is Brady Quinn has any potential. He has been yanked in and out of the lineup and has as many weapons as a Quaker. I haven't seen a franchise fail so miserably at developing a first round quarterback since Butch Davis met Tim Couch. Quinn isn't really helping himself. He hates throwing deep. He seems to really like getting sacked. He has regressed. Coaching is part of it, but Quinn needs to play better. For a guy who is supposed to be a smart quarterback who takes care of the football he makes a lot of dumb decisions and turns it over a lot. Does this rambling paragraph have a point? Yes. The passing game sucks.

(Author's note added 5:47 PM EST: Check out the following YouTube clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-A8DD2kDLs

Start watching at the 2:01 mark and continue to the 2:28 mark of the YouTube clip. It's a metaphor. The mentally challenged deputy represents Brian Daboll. The Sheriff sitting on the desk represents Browns fans. The "poopie" is the offense. I think it sums up the Browns season pretty well.)

So what can be done?

I have no idea, but I will offer some ideas.

Fire Brian Daboll. He is clearly a failure as an offensive coordinator. He had 15 days to prepare for Baltimore. He had already prepared for Baltimore once this year. The Browns scored 0 points. The Browns gained 160 yards of offense. Cleveland has the worst offense in the NFL, by a lot. The lack of talent is a problem, but the horrendous play calling may actually be worse. Brian Daboll makes me long for the days of Maurice Carthon. Think about that sentence for a second.

Pay Josh Cribbs. It's the right thing to do.

Try to get some consistency out of Brian Robiskie and Mohamed Massaquoi. Really any sort of consistent production from one of them would be encouraging. Some sort of coaching would probably help. Brian Daboll does not provide coaching. Fire him.

Find someone who can run the ball. If Jamal is running okay then use him. If he is not abandon him for the afternoon and use Harrison and Jennings. Find some way to run the football. With a running back. Please. I don't really know how the Browns can do this. They have to keep trying though.

Find someone who can evaluate talent. Hire that man. Let him run the draft. The Browns desperately need help on offense. In my opinion there is top talent available on defense at the top of this draft. I am not as sold on the top offensive players. The Browns may have to take one anyway. Get the number one pick (which seems inevitable) and trade down to around 15ish. Draft Arrelious Benn or C.J. Spiller or Sam Bradford or Tim Tebow or someone on offense who is available around there. Acquire either an additional second and third or a first next year and a third this year. Add more talent on offense.

Go to your place of worship. Pray that Braylon can catch 55 passes as a Jet in 2009. If you do not believe in a higher power than ask a believer to pray on your behalf. It will take a miracle for Braylon to get there. The Browns need the extra second round pick.

Draft a whole slew of offensive players. Hope you hit on half of them. The stable of skill players on offense basically needs to be rebuilt from scratch.

Improve the offensive line. Thomas, Steinbach, and Mack are fine. The right side needs to be less horrible. In the draft or free agency that area needs to be improved.

Find an offensive coordinator who can get the most out of Massaquoi, Robiskie, and James Davis. Whatever that may be.

Did I mention fire Brian Daboll? Well I will mention it again. Fire Brian Daboll. He may be a fine quarterback coach. He has no idea when it comes to playcalling. None. A raccoon with a head injury could gameplan a defense to stop Brian Daboll.

If all of that fails, watch the Cavs.

Jack Bacevice

Browns Look Ahead: 2010 Part 2

2009-11-12T07:50:00.000-08:00

November 12, 2009

Earlier this week I took a look at the offense. Where the offense is now, what they need to do the rest of the year, and where the team should go in 2010. Today I will do the same with the defense. In terms of potential free agents and draft picks the same rule apply as the first part of this look ahead.

Defensive Line

Where are they now? Actually they aren't in bad shape. Shaun Rogers is the best player on the defense and Kenyon Coleman and Robaire Smith have been very good at the end spots. Problem is they are all on the wrong side of 30. Ahtyba Rubin has been a solid guy off the bench. Corey Williams has played well, particularly in pass rushing situations. This unit is pretty decent, but maybe a little long in the tooth. Just a little.

What about the last 8 games? Keep doing what they have been doing. The D-Line had maybe it's best game of the year against Chicago as a unit. It didn't help much with the final score, but it's still good. If the Browns are going to be competitive in the second half of the season the defensive line is going to have to be a big part of it. Considering the problems in the secondary and the injuries at linebacker, the defense is going to have to lean heavily on the guys in the trenches.

And 2010? Add a good young player or two. Either in free agency or the draft. If the Browns have a high first round pick there are some elite defensive line prospects who could probably play defensive end in the 3-4 if need be. The Browns don't need a new starter for next year though. However, it'd be nice to see the team add a younger player who can start in 2011 or 2012.

Potential Defensive Line Draft Picks: Gerald McCoy (8.5); Ndamukong Suh (9.5); Arthur Jones (6.5); Marvin Austin (7.5); Jared Odrick (7); Terrence Cody (8); Gene Atkins (5.5); Vince Oghobaase (6); Brandon Deaderick (5); D'Anthony Smith (5.5); Tyson Alualu (5); Carlos Dunlap (8.5); Everson Griffen (6); Brandon Graham (6.5) Corey Wooten (5.5)

Potential Defensive Line Free Agents: Tony Brown (5.5); Ryan Pickett (4); Vince Wilfork (7.5); Brett Keisel (7); Richard Seymour (8)

Linebackers

Where are they now? Hurting. D'Qwell Jackson and Eric Barton are done for the season. However, Kamerion Wimbley has rediscovered his knack for getting to the quarterback last seen in 2006. After totaling 9 sacks the last two seasons, Wimbley has 5 sacks in the 7 games he has played. He has consistently pressured the quarterback. David Bowens has been okay and he has some versatility with the ability to play inside and outside. Kaluka Maiava and Jason Trusnik appear to be special teams guys that are acceptable for depth but probably not ideal as starters. They do still have time and potential to grow. Alex Hall gets spot time. The Browns appear to have little interest in playing David Veikune.

What about the last 8 games? Continue to get production from Wimbley. It will improve his confidence as well as help a continued improvement in his game. It also gives the fans something to watch. Maybe play David Veikune. The guy was a 2nd round pick. I know he is transitioning from hand-in-the-dirt defensive end to stand up linebacker, but football is football. Let him play and learn on the job. Play Maiava, Trusnik, and Hall and see if you can get more development out of those guys. Don't lean to heavily on any one of them. Use David Bowens to fill in where ever a linebacker is needed, inside or out. He's a hard working veteran and he can help these you guys along while continuing to be productive on Sundays. He has been the most pleasant surprise of the free agents we signed this off season.

And 2010? Get Jackson healthy and sign him to a long term deal. Wimbley and Jackson give you two good linebackers for next year. Figure out what is going on with Eric Barton, but consider an upgrade regardless. It could be Veikune, it could be a free agent. David Bowens is best as the 5th linebacker. He has versatility, size and strength, and veteran savvy. If a playmaking linebacker falls to the Browns in the draft, they shouldn't hesistate to pull the trigger but it needs t be a good value pick (think Rey Maualuga). After Wimbley and Jackson the position needs an overall upgrade in talent. However there is enough talent here that linebacker doesn't need to be a top priority in the draft. Adding a solid free agent may be more wise.

Potential Draft Picks: Rolando McClain (9); Brandon Spikes (8.5); Sean Lee (7); Micah Johnson (7.5); Daryl Washington (2.5); Jamar Chaney (5); Darryl Sharpton (4); Navorro Bowman (7); Sergio Kindle (9); Bruce Carter (6.5); Sean Weatherspoon (7); Jerry Hughes (7.5); Rod Muckleroy (7); Eric Norwood (5); Antonio Coleman (6); Brandon Lang (7); Ricky Sapp (6.5); Jermaine Cunningham (6); George Selvie (7.5)

Potential Free Agents: Tully Banta-Cain (4); Gary Brackett (5); Keith Bullock (7); Thomas Davis (6); Elvis Dumervil (9); Thomas Howard (5); Derrick Johnson (7); Aaron Kampman (8); Shawne Merriman (9); Barrett Ruud (8); DeMeco Ryans (8.5); Jeff Ulbrich (7); Mike Vrabel (3)

Defensive Backs

Where are they now? They are not talented enough. Eric Wright is a number 2 corner playing as a number 1. Brandon McDonald is a number 3 corner playing as a number 2. Brodney Pool has had his moments, but you really want him to be your second best safety. Abe Elam should not be more than your second best safety. Mike Adams is a very good 5th DB with his versatility and special teams ability. He can cover okay in man and okay in zone and tackle okay. He seems quite selfless. Our 6th defensive back is a wide receiver. That should tell you all you need to know about the depth on this team.

What about the last 8 games? The Browns need to give Coye Francies some playing time. Physically he is impressive. Brodney Pool has had a few very good games this year and it'd be nice to see more out of him. Eric Wright has been rather productive, although he gets beat too often for a number 1 corner. That doesn't mean he can't be an important player on a good defense. He needs to continue to grow and improve. I like his competitive nature. Brandon McDonald is really a nickel corner. I still think he'd be a really good slot corner. Play with Wright and Francies on the outside and McDonald in the slot more. I'd like to see how that works out.

And 2010? The secondary is the unit on defense most in need of a playmaker. Brodney Pool is a free agent and it is hard to say what will happen with him. There are some really talented guys coming out this year. particularly if a few juniors leave early. Defensive back needs to be a major focus of this draft. I would like seeing the Browns grab the best defensive back available with their first round pick. A major upgrade in free agency is unlikely. A lot of the guys we have can be complimentary players in a good secondary, but none of them can be the star. Got to upgrade the talent. Have to. I know the offense has been horrible, but upgrading the secondary, at least in the draft, is perhaps even more important.

Possible 2010 Draft Picks: Eric Berry (10), Taylor Mays (10), Earl Thomas (9), Nate Allen (6), Kurt Coleman- as a later rounder (7), Myron Rolle- as a later rounder (8); Joe Haden (9); Patrick Robinson (9); Donovan Warren (7); Javier Arenas (6); Syd'Quan Thompson (6); Perrish Cox (7.5); Brandon Ghee (7); Trevard Lindley (6); Kyle Wilson (5.5); Jerome Murphy (7); Alterraun Verner (6.5); Myron Lewis (7.5)

Possible 2010 Free Agents: Dre' Bly (3); Leigh Bodden (5); Anthony Henry (2.5); Richard Marshall (5.5); Terrence McGee (6.5); Carlos Rogers (5); Fabian Washington (6); Will Allen (5): Oshiomogho Atogwe (7.5); Daniel Bullocks (4); Josh Bullocks (5); Ryan Clark (7); Daniel Manning (6); Bernard Pollard (6); Ko Simpson (5); Adrian Wilson (7.5)

What is the bottom line of my 2010 Look Ahead? The Browns need help. A lot of it.

Browns Look Ahead: 2010

2009-11-10T10:45:00.000-08:00

November 10, 2009

ESPN.com NFL Insider Adam Schefter is reporting the Browns will start Brady Quinn against the Ravens on Monday night. It appears the Browns are looking forward to 2010, which is wise, and if Quinn were benched back in September purely for salary cap reasons then you could argue the Browns started looking towards 2010 quite some time ago. Trading Braylon Edwards certainly supports that notion. Considering how craptastic the club has been this season it also looks like the right idea. Earlier this year I wrote my first articles for brownsmix.com, season preview articles. It turns out I was waaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy overly optimistic. I remain undeterred. In fact, I am going to give you an way to early preview on 2010 by looking at where the Browns are, what they need to do the rest of the year, and what they need to do in the offseason. I'm going to write this from the point of view of what I think the Browns should do as of today. Not what I think they will do. Obviously, if Brett Ratliff starts the last 6 games and completes 83% of his passes for 1500 yards with 17 TDs and 1 INT I would change my tune. Anyway, here we go...

*Available free agent data from fftoolbox.com
*Available players rated by me on a 1-10 scale on how happy I would be to see them on the Browns based on the role I hypothesize for the player, 1 I am angry and think it is stupid, 5 I am neutral, 10 I am overjoyed. Rating in parenthesis following the player's name.
*Draft picks include juniors who could potentially declare for the draft

Quarterback

Where are they now? Pretty much nowhere. DA isn't viable for next year. He very well may end up out of the league. He's been that bad. At least he is rich.

What about the last 8 games? Try to figure out what you have with Brady Quinn. If you find something that works try to roll with it and see how you can parlay that into more success for BQ. If something isn't working, move on and try something different. Don't worry about winning too much. You're screwed anyway. Season is over. Make Brady throw deep. Put games on his shoulders. See what he's made of. This organization has screwed around with a well compensated (although not as well as he could have been) former first round pick QB for two-and-a-half seasons and no one really has any idea what kind of NFL QB he can be. Really it's a crapshoot. The Browns have 8 games to try and figure it out. That means do as much as you can with him. At the very least find out if he can be a viable backup next year.

And 2010? This really depends on Brady. If he appears to be doing really well in the last 8 games, you could say BQ is my QB in 2010 and bring in a veteran backup who won't challenge for the job. You could also draft a QB later in the draft as insurance if BQ's results are positive but ultimately inconclusive. If BQ looks like the journeyman type, you could draft a QB high and sit him behind BQ for a year or start that guy if he beats out Quinn in camp. If Quinn looks like career backup you could sign a vet to start. If Quinn is awful you could sign a vet and draft a guy somewhere. This is really open ended.

Possible Veteran QBs to sign to Start in 2010: Kyle Boller (3), Jason Campbell (4.5), David Carr (2), Kellen Clemens (3.5), Brodie Croyle (2.5), Daunte Culpepper (5), Tarvaris Jackson (5), Jon Kitna (2), Kyle Orton (6.5), Chad Pennington (7- If healthy; 1- If not healthy); Troy Smith (5, only because he won the Heisman at OSU, let's be honest)

Possible Veteran Backups if Quinn proves to be starter worthy: Charlie Batch (5), Kyle Boller (6), David Carr (6), Kellen Clemens (7), Brodie Croyle (5), Daunte Culpepper (5), Jon Kitna (4), Josh McCown (3), Chris Redman (3), Troy Smith (6), keeping DA (-62)

Possible High QB Draft Picks: Jake Locker (7.5), Jimmy Clausen (4), Sam Bradford (8), Colt McCoy (8), Tim Tebow (6- even though I hate him), Jevan Snead (6.5- In 1st round, 8- 2nd or later), Tony Pike (6.5)

Possible later QB Picks: Tim Hiller (6), Dan LeFevour (6), Zac Robinson (5), Daryll Clark (3), Ryan Perrilloux (1.5), Matt Grothe (7), Todd Reesing (2)

Running Back/Fullback

Where are they now? Well Lawrence Vickers is the fullback now and will be next year I'm sure, even though he can be a free agent. So that's that. Jamal Lewis is kinda like someone in the earlier stages of dementia. He has his good days and bad days. He says he is retiring after this year. Regardless of when he retires, he's going to end up in Canton. Jerome Harrison has shown flashes for some time now, and he had that one 100-yard performance which was nice. James Davis looked like a 6th round steal in preseason, but he never got it going in the regular season before getting knocked out for the year. Chris Jennings is a UFA the coaches seem to be high on, for whatever that is worth.

What about the last 8 games? Give Jamal the ball enough for a proper send off. If he is running well feel free to keep feeding it to him. Let Jerome Harrison work in the change of pace back role. He could be valuable there in the future as a 7 carries/3 catches per game type of guy. May as well let him get used to it. Give Chris Jennings enough playing time to try to get a read on him.

And 2010? Assuming Jamal retires, or is released, the position is Davis, and Jennings with Harrison a free agent heading into next year. Probably going to want to resign Harrison and bring in a veteran running back who can challenge for the starting job. Maybe a later round rookie as well. If James Davis didn't get knocked out for the year, he could have been positioning himself with the inside track to start for next year. Alas, Blake Costanzo happened. Draft a back in the later rounds and add an experienced guy in free agency. Bring in five backs and let them fight for three roster spots.

Possible Free Agent Pick-Ups (Bold names mean I think we have no chance in getting the player): Mike Bell (8), Chris Brown (6), Ronnie Brown (9), Samkon Gado (5), Le'Ron McClain (4), Ryan Moats (7), Jerious Norwood (6), Willie Parker (3), Adrian Peterson- Chicago (3), Kolby Smith (5.5), Darren Sproles (7), Pierre Thomas (9), Leon Washington (5- with Harrison, 8- if Harrison leaves as a FA), LenDale White (7), DeShawn Wynn (5.5)

Possible Draft Picks, non-first round: Evan Royster (6), Joe McKnight (5.5), Montario Hardesty (5.5), Toby Gerhart (7), Ben Tate (7), Chris Brown (5), Keiland Williams (7), Charles Scott (7), LeGarrette Blount (6.5)

Wide Receivers

Where are they now? Mohamed Massaquoi, Brian Robiskie, and Chansi Stuckey make up a top three that has upside. Mike Furrey is a solid veteran. Josh Cribbs may not be much of a traditional wide receiver, but he is amazing with the ball in his hands. Syndric Steptoe is out for the year. Donte Stallworth is suspended.

What about the last 8 games? Try to develop Massaquoi, Robiskie, and Stuckey as much as possible. See if any of them can get a rhythm with Quinn. Start Massaquoi and Robiskie every game. Use Stuckey in the slot. Furrey is good, but he isn't a long term answer. Use him as a fourth wideout though. He can help Quinn succeed with his excellent hands and knack for getting the first down. Get Cribbs the ball whenever possible.

And 2010? Massaquoi, Robiskie, Cribbs, and Stuckey will all be back. There is room for another wideout. It's always good to have good wideouts. (For another seemingly obvious observation the Browns might not be aware of, it's always good for your playoff hopes to win football games.) This team could go with Massaquoi and Robiskie/Stuckey as 1 and 2 next year, or sign or draft a player to start and play Robiskie and Stuckey as 3 and 4 WRs. Furrey is probably gone.

Possible Free Agent Starting WRs: Steve Breaston (6), Chris Chambers (5.5), Mark Clayton (5), Braylon Edwards (kidding, he's never coming back), Vincent Jackson (8), Brandon Marshall (6.5- if insane, 9.5- if sane... so 6.5), Josh Reed (5.5)

Notable Possible WRs in the Draft: Dez Bryant (8.5), Arrelious Benn (9), Brandon LaFell (7), Eric Decker (7.5), Mike Williams (6), Damian Williams (7), Mardy Gilyard (4- 1st or 2nd round, 5- 3rd round, 8- 4th round or later), Jacoby Ford (4), Jordan Shipley (8)

Tight End

Where are they now? Right now the Browns have two really good, older number two tight ends in Steve Heiden and Robert Royal. They are better than number two tight ends actually, but not quite number ones. Let's call them 1.5 tight ends. Greg Estandia and Michael Gaines also take up space on the roster.

What about the last 8 games? Use Heiden and Royal to help develop other players. Heiden can make Quinn's life easier. He's a sure handed short to intermediate range receiver. Royal is a good blocker who can help the running game a lot and help with edge rushers. I proposed giving the bulk of the WR playing time to two rookies and Chansi Stuckey, so the veteran TEs will be necessary to give Quinn an environment where he can succeed. That is key in trying to figure out what kind of player the Browns have in BQ.

And 2010? Another TE is needed. It has to either be a solid veteran, or a rookie who will be ready to start by 2011- at the latest. You need another guy because, even though I think Heiden and Royal will still be valuable next year, these guys are no longer 20-somethings who can easily play every down and they don't have the talent to make up for their advanced years. Someone needs to be added to the mix.

Possible free agent quality tight ends: Anthony Becht (6), Alge Crumpler (4.5), Anthony Fasano (6.5), Randy McMichael (4.5), Tony Scheffler (7), Alex Smith (4), Matt Spaeth (7)

Possible TE draft picks outside of the first round: Garrett Graham (8), Ed Dickson (7.5), Dennis Pitta (5), Mick Hoomanawanui (5), Nate Byham (6)

Offensive Line

Where are they now? About 3/5ths of the way there. Joe Thomas is the best left tackle in football, and 24 years old. Eric Steinbach is an excellent guard with many good years ahead of him. Alex Mack seems to be settling in as the starting center for the next 10 years. This unit really is two solid-to-good players from being one of the league best offensive lines. The problem is the right side isn't very good right now.

What about the last 8 games? Keep Joe, Eric, and Alex healthy. Continue to get growth from Mack. Wish Thomas well in his annual January trip to Honolulu.

And 2010? Bring in a right guard and right tackle. The best way to do this might be to plug in a solid free agent at right guard and draft a right tackle in a higher (not first) round. If the Braylon trade turns into a 2nd rounder from the Jets the Browns should consider using one of the two second round picks on a right tackle. Cleveland is in an interesting position. They have two very young offensive linemen, one who is excellent (Thomas) and one who is solid with potential to get a lot better (Mack), along with a very good offensive lineman who probably still has at least 4 or 5 years left at a high level (Steinbach). Grab the right guy at right tackle and this unit could be very good for a very long time. Screw it up, and we're going to be stuck where we are now with a weak right side.

Potential offensive linemen in the draft: Anthony Davis- T (8.5), Sam Young- T (6), Jon Asamoah- G (7), Mike Johnson- G (8), Mike Iupati- G (6), Ciron Black- T (9), Vladimir Ducasse- G (6.5), Zane Beadles- G (5)

Check back later this week for my look ahead at the defense. Also, don't forget to read Keet Bailey's excellent looks at the 2010 draft.

Jack Bacevice

Application for Browns GM (click here)

2009-11-09T13:06:00.000-08:00

Hiring Process by Adam Doc Fox

Do you have what it takes to be the General Manager of the Cleveland Browns? Answer the questions below to find out! Keep track of your points.

Drafting:

1. You are an Olympic sprinter looking to join a relay team. As future captain and fastest human, you get to choose the team that will join you. Who do you pick?
A. Team Johnny--- Probably the fastest group in the nation. They work hard, come from the best universities, and have no attitude issues. 3pts.
B. Team Freddy--- Average speed guys, average grades in school, and usually show up on time to practice. Off the track, they are role models and great citizens to all that see them. 2pts.
C. Team Doc--- No one has ever heard of this team. However, you have a hunch that this group of guys might just save the day. Chances are the fans of your relay team will hate these guys, but you like your hunch. 1pt.

Public Image:

2. Bad, semi-nude pictures of you have appeared all over the internet from an all night drink fest back in your younger college days. Do you…
A. Admit you were once dumb and young like everyone else, swear that those days are long gone, and assert that this will have no bearing on the focus of your current life and job. 3pts
B. Feel confident that no matter what pictures are on the internet, six inches is six inches, and if they want to put those photos on Sportscenter, then so be it. You call a press conference to trade drinking stories with the reporters. 1pt.
C. Acknowledge the mistakes of your past. During a TV interview, your troubled past makes Barbara Walters cry and the public feel sorry for you. After the show, you find David Letterman’s dressing room and ask him for some dating advice. 2pts.

Quarterback Care:

3. How would you react to this situation: There are many valuable plants in your garden. However, your rose bush, which could lead you to many ribbons at the state fair, is most valuable to you. Unfortunately, for the last eight or nine years, your rose bush has had no protection from bugs and animals. Do you…
A. Realize nature is nature, and even though your neighbor offers to put up a fence around your plants, you still do nothing. Eventually a weaker rose bush sprouts up and you can’t decide what rose to take to the fair--- not that it would matter after the bugs ate through both of them all year. 1pt
B. Understand a little preparation could help out your plant. You build a little wall around your rose bush and that gives your plant time to grow. 2pts
C. Realize a quality rosebush takes a lot of factors to win a prize. You build a fence, spray the plant, water it often, and remove all other competitive roses—as you can only take one rose to the fair championships. 3pts

Being A Team Boss:

4. In the army, you’re a commander of some fifty troops. During a war, you are ordered to attack a hill and take it over. You decide to send twenty troops to the right to flank the enemy as you bring 30 soldiers through the front. What would you prefer…
A. As the flanking troops are approaching the hill, the 2nd in command decides he wants to give the orders. Although you are supposed to be in charge, you listen to him anyway. The 2nd in command sends one soldier at a time towards the hill, and they are mowed down and killed one by one until you have no troops left. 1pt.
B. Before the battle starts, many of your soldiers are ill. Instead of lying to other generals about them having swollen testicles, you bring in great doctors and comfort the soldiers while they’re sick. As a result, the troops recover and want to fight for you, thus taking the hill and the battle. 2pts.
C. Through your non-stop effort to recruit the best special forces on the planet, taking the hill without casualties is effortless. You have created such a tight core that not even war could tear your platoon apart. 3pts.

Please add up your score and compare it below.

0-4pts: You would make a great GM for the Cleveland Browns. You show great ineptitude when it matters most and have a general overall cluelessness towards your everyday approach.

5-7pts: Although it seems you have some intelligence, unfortunately for this position, that is a job hindrance.

8-12pts: Way overqualified. Instead of leading a team, city, and hope itself towards utter ruin and demise, you would probably make everyone happier than a 16yr. old boy leaving a Tijuana strip club.

Application prepared by Adam Doc Fox

Browns Didn't Lose!

2009-11-09T08:01:00.000-08:00

November 9, 2009

Do you realize we just had a Sunday where the Browns didn't lose??? Wait, that's not all. We're guaranteed two Sundays in a row without a Browns loss! Incredible! Here are some things you may have noticed this past Sunday...

The Browns offense was a whole lot more productive than usual. Yes, the 2009 Browns are more productive on offense by not playing. I'm not even joking a little.

Derek Anderson didn't miss a five yard crossing route by throwing it at the ground ten yards behind the receiver.

In fairness, Brady Quinn also didn't hold the ball for 96 seconds and then check down to Robert Royal two yards behind the line of scrimmage on 3rd-and-12.

The Browns receiving corps only dropped three passes!

Josh Cribbs still outscored the offense.

All right, in seriousness, let's discuss this week. First of all, let me implore Browns fans to make sure this game isn't a blackout. Screw the team, this is about the fans. We cannot allow a black out on Monday Night Football! When the Browns are down by 37 at half, just leave and go to a bar. It'll be good for the downtown economy. I'll even give you some recommendations:

Gateway Winking Lizard (Food until midnight, I think, and $4.25 32 oz. Bud Lights, I think, regardless it's good food and beer)

Gateway Pannini's (Visit Angie, she's an awesome bartender and the food is good)

Corner Alley at East 4th and Euclid (Throw bowling balls in frustration while you watch the Browns 2nd half ineptitude on huge TVs at at the end of your lane)

Blind Pig on West 6th (Lots of TVs to watch the Browns fail or catch a basketball game if one is on, and great deals on food and beer)

McNulty's Bier Market/Bar Cento on West 25th (Delicious beers and awesome food late night, until 2 AM I believe)

Seriously. Get crappy tickets. Watch crappy football for a quarter. Avoid the blackout. Then enjoy some great bars. Want more suggestions? Let me know, I got tons more great bars. I didn't even mention some of my absolute favorites. Now back to the Browns...

Who is going to be the quarterback against the Ravens? DA? Brady? Cribbs? Ty Detmer? Does it matter? Actually, yes. Even the staunchest DA supporter has to admit the guy is a mess right now. He's shell shocked. He can't complete passes or move the ball with any efficiency. Eric Mangini is either watching completely different games on Sunday and on film, or he is just lying when he says "Derek gives us the best chance to move the ball." Move what ball? When has he moved the ball this year? 5 weeks ago against Cincy? The one touchdown against Chicago where we ran the ball every single play?!?!?!? Derek Anderson through the month of October was the worst quarterback I have ever seen. Ever. I have seen a lot of awful quarterbacks. That was the worst. There is no reason to play him. Mangini claims the emphasis is reducing turnovers. That certainly points away from DA. Of course, this whole quarterback thing has made no sense at all, so who knows.

Now, since Brady has sat so long he is now much more cap friendly for next season. Let's play him. He cannot be worse. He played 10 quarters against three of the NFL's best defenses in 2009, and he was much better than DA has been. This team needs A LOT of help on offense. No one is going to look great on this team. Brady will at least get some time to develop in games, and now the Browns can keep him next season because he is going to be relatively cheap. It can't possibly get worse. At least there will something intriguing to watch if Brady plays.

I just feel bad for the defense. They have actually played pretty decent football, they are just on the field forever. They get tired. Ryan has done well as the DC. He brings pressure and runs coverages in a way that confused opposing quarterbacks at times. He's intense. He's entertaining. I like him, and I like what he is doing. While the offense seems far, far away from being a solid unit, I think the defense is solid now. I think they are a playmaker or two away from being pretty good. Well, that and maybe spending less than 45 minutes per game on the field.

It'd be nice to see some development out of Mohamed Massaquoi and Brian Robiskie, and there is no reason they shouldn't get every chance to play. This season is over. Massaquoi has certainly shown flashes and it'd be great to see more consistency out of him. Robiskie needs a chance to make some plays. A precise route runner with good hands, which is kind of what Robiskie's game is supposed to be, should benefit from Quinn over DA. The last 8 games are all about next year. No reason to pretend otherwise.

It looks like David Veikune is going to have to get playing time. D'Qwell Jackson is out for the year and Eric Barton is hurting. The Browns only have so many linebackers. Let's see Veikune and Coye Francies play on defense. It can't hurt, and unlike quarterbacks there really isn't a potential long term downside to throwing them right into the fire. Let them play.

Root for Braylon Edwards to get 55 grabs in New York. Turning that third round pick into a second rounder would be very good. Second round picks are often very talented players who can develop into real impact guys. The Browns are already heading for a top 5 pick and then a pick in the 33-37 range. It'd be nice to add the Jets 2nd, probably in the 45-55 range. LeSean McCoy, Phil Loadholt, DeSean Jackson, Ray Rice, LaMarr Woodley, Steve Smith (NYG), Eric Wright, LenDale White, Marcus McNeil, Greg Jennings, Lofa Tatupu, Nick Collins. These players were all drafted since 2005 in the 45-55 range. It works out to about 2-3 players in that range each year becoming pretty good. The Browns want the Jets 2nd. Braylon needs to make it happen. Root for that.

Finally, hope for a miracle. Maybe the Browns will be competitive on Monday night. Maybe they will score (gasp!) two offensive touchdowns. Maybe Brady gets the start and has a decent game and gives you reason for hope at the QB position. Maybe Shaun Rogers and Kam Wimbley sack Joe Flacco 2 times each. Maybe Jerome Harrison rushes for 70 yards. Maybe Massaquoi and Robiskie combine for 8 catches and 100 yards. Maybe you will see some reason for hope. This season has been very depressing. You have watched a lot of wretched football. On the chance the Browns show something worthwhile, don't miss it. Buy tickets. Don't let this game get blacked out.

Jack Bacevice

Browns Can't Afford to Draft QB

2009-11-05T08:08:00.001-08:00

There's much speculation as to who is going in the top 5 and top 10 in the 2010 NFL Draft. As always, there are a few QB's that shoot up the draft boards because the need for QB is so high. This year, junior QB's Jimmy Clausen and Jake Locker are both being hyped up to be top 5-top 10 picks in the 2010 draft, assuming they come out because of the potential situation with the CBA, and with the weak QB draft. With the Browns looking to have a top 5 pick after starting the season 1-7, many people speculate what they need for their team.

I can tell you one thing: We can't afford to reach for a quarterback.

So our quarterback's right now haven't been able to do anything. They turn the ball over 3 times as much as they score touchdowns. Derek Anderson misses a wide open tight end that's 4 yards in front of him, on a regular basis, while throwing at players feet often.

Of course, it's not all the QB's is it. No, it's not nearly all on the QB's, and even as a Derek Anderson hater, I have to be unbiased and see how many drops this offense has, as well as how many fumbles they have. Toss in the terrible passes, and it's just a recipe for disaster. Would a great QB help this team? Sure, but not as much as you'd think. Besides, there aren't any great QB's in this draft. There are just some talented kids who are athletic and have big arms.

But no matter how athletic somebody is, and no matter how far they can throw the ball, it doesn't mean that you have to reach for them. There are so many things to judge quarterbacks on: throwing power, accuracy, touch, intelligence, as well as intangibles. You also like to see QB's have 25-30 starts in college and have a winning career if you're going to draft him in the top 10, which neither Clausen or Locker have. So what gives?

The biggest reason why the Browns can't afford to take a quarterback is because there are no play makers on the offense. The best thing about this offense is our offensive line with Joe Thomas, Eric Steinbach, and the emergence of Alex Mack. However, Floyd Womack is less than impressive, and every time I see a DE or OLB getting into the backfield, who else do I see chasing the guy but John St. Clair after getting beat so often. But other than Mack, Steinbach, and Thomas, who is there?

Well, there's Joshua Cribbs... kind of. What does Cribbs do for a QB? He's a below average wide receiver and his only role is potentially in the backfield, while running the wildcat while our QB is lined up as a WR. So who else?

Jerome Harrison? He's actually a solid player. But we never get to see him play. Harrison has only showed great things when he gets in the game (unless he's staying in the backfield to block), and he never plays. It's puzzling, really. Either way, he's not enough of a play maker to make defenses afraid and game plan around him.

Mohamed Massaquoi? Well, after his 8 catch 148 yard performance against the Bengals, he really hasn't done much. He did have 5 catches for 83 yards against Pittsburgh. So I guess the talent is there. The problem with Massaquoi is that he gets taken out of games too easily. He's inconsistent as well, just like at Georgia. One game he'll have 10 catches for 150 yards and 2 TD's, and then he'll have 4 drops in another game, just like after the Cincy game, he had 4-5 drops the following week against Buffalo.

Twinkle toes... Er, I mean Jamal Lewis? He's reportedly done after this season (Thankfully!), and even if he wasn't, he struggles to run through a hole that a train could fit through at times. Not to mention, with defenses not needing to drop back many people because of how ineffective our passing game has been, they get to stack the line.

Who else do we have? That's just it... Nobody.

Let's look at some history, shall we?

I'm going to look at some of the more successful 1st Round QB's over the last 10 years, compared to some that haven't been successful. See if you can find the trend.

Successful QB's

Joe Flacco (Baltimore)- Flacco came into Baltimore last season with Willis McGahee, Derrick Mason, and Todd Heap as offensive weapons, plus Ray Rice was drafted.

Matt Ryan (Atlanta)- Ryan came into an offense that just signed the former standout that played behind LaDainian Tomlinson in Michael Turner. Add Roddy White who was a 1,200 yard receiver prior to Ryan (with Joey Harrington throwing him the ball), and Ryan also had Alge Crumpler who was usually good for 700-800 yards and 7-8 touchdowns.

Jay Cutler (Denver)- Cutler came into the Denver offense led by Jake Plummer. He got the pleasure of playing with the now retired Rod Smith, and a very talented Javon Walker who was a 1,300 yard receiver prior to injury. Sprinkle in a little Brandon Marshall and add in Shannahan's zone blocking scheme that makes lanes that even my grandmother could run through, and you've got a recipe for success.

Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay)- Rodgers was drafted in 2005 to take over for Brett Favre who many thought would retire following 2005... Well Favre lasted until 2007, letting Rodgers learn from one of the best QB's of the last 20 years. Add in Greg Jennings acquired in '06, along with Donald Driver, and an efficient Ryan Grant, and you've got talent.

Eli Manning (New York Giants)- Manning was drafted in 2004 getting the pleasure of playing with Pro-Bowler Tiki Barber, along with a great WR duo in Amani Toomer (1,000+ yard receiver annually) and Ike Hilliard. That wasn't it, he also had Jeremy Shockey who some would swear had stick 'em on his hands earlier in his career. A season later, Brandon Jacobs was drafted as well.

Philip Rivers (San Diego)- Rivers came into San Diego waiting his turn to hand the ball of to the best RB in the league from around 2002-2007, and throw the ball to a top 3 TE in the league . Antonio Gates and LaDainian Tomlinson in their primes were as big of play makers as you could get.

Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh)- Despite having a terrible offensive line, Big Ben got some great treatment in Pittsburgh coming into a team that featured Jerome Bettis at RB, along with Hines Ward and Plaxico Burress at WR's.

Carson Palmer (Cincinnati)- Palmer went into Cincinnati with the play maker formerly known as Chad Johnson. Not only did he have Johnson, but he had a underachieving Peter Warrick who still made a few plays here and there, but most importantly he had a 1,400 yard rusher in Rudi Johnson.

Donovan McNabb is the only one of these QB's not to start out with a stud offensively.
___________________________________________

Unsuccessful QB's

(Disclaimer leaving out Vince Young, Brady Quinn, and Matt Leinart for lack of opportunity)

Jamarcus Russell (Oakland)- Had Justin Fargas in 2007 who had a solid season rushing, but has never been consistent. Not much else.

Alex Smith (San Francisco)- Had rookie Frank Gore offensively, along with a slightly above average Brandon Lloyd.

J.P. Losman (Buffalo)- JP's rookie year he didn't play because of Bledsoe, but McGahee rushed for 13 TD's and had a great season. JP gets about 8 starts in 2005, but McGahee's YPC goes down, and overall play went down. Eric Moulds was the top option for Losman as well, which wasn't terrible, but he wasn't nearly the same Moulds from 1998-2002. Not to mention a terrible offensive line.

Byron Leftwich (Jacksonville)- Leftwich had a very young line to work with, but had a fantastic rusher in Fred Taylor. However, he had nobody to throw to, if he could stand upright.

Rex Grossman (Chicago)- Grossman only started 6 games out of his first two seasons with a team that had Anthony Thomas and Thomas Jones in each of those seasons, both who were solid rushers. However, there were no WR's, TE's, or an offensive line for that matter. The season that Rex Grossman played decently, he had a 1,200 yard rusher, a pass catching TE, and a veteran receiver in Muhsin Muhammed, and a good pass catcher in Berrian.

David Carr (Houston)- Houston being an expansion team, they weren't expected to have any players, and they didn't. Carr spent most of his time in Houston on his back, attempting to hand the ball off to former Buckeye Johnathan Wells (2.7 YPC), and throwing the ball to Corey Bradford and Billy Miller. The Texans got him a RB in Domanick Williams, and a stud WR in Andre Johnson, and they went 7-9 in 2004 in just their 3rd season in the NFL. Once Williams faded away, the only option that Carr had was Johnson... If he could stay on his feet long enough to get it to him.

Joey Harrington (Detroit)- Harrington went to a Detroit team whose #1 wide receiver was Az-Zahir Hakim. Need I say more?

Patrick Ramsey (Washington)- Ramsey had a mediocre Stephen Davis as his #1 RB, and 1 year wonder in Rod Gardner as a WR. Ramsey's 2nd season his leading rusher was Trung Canidate who rushed for just over 600 yards. His only true option was Laveranues Coles, with an inconsistent offensive line.

Michael Vick (Atlanta)- Vick was a different type of quarterback. However, he didn't have any options on offense when drafted either. Atlanta's best WR then was 35 year old Terance Mathis. There was no more running game as Jamal Anderson was washed up.

Akili Smith (Cincinnati)- Smith didn't play much his rookie year when he had Corey Dillon and Darnay Scott. Scott emerged as an above average receiver for the Bengals for a few seasons, until he missed the 2000 season with injury. Smith started 11 games in 2000 with a bad offensive line, inexperienced, and lackluster WR's, but at least had a great running game. Unfortunately, just a running game wouldn't do it. He only started 2 more games after that season.

Tim Couch (Cleveland)- I think we know how this one turned out. Expansion team QB. His best receiver was Kevin Johnson. Terry Kirby was his leading rusher. Couch got sacked so much that I'm pretty sure that his life is permanently scarred for life.

Cade McNown (Chicago)- McNown had the oh so amazing (sarcasm off) Curtis Enis and James Allen as his first two RB's in the league. Marcus Robinson had a 1 hit wonder season in McNown's rookie year, as Bobby Engram also stepped up, but those WR's weren't enough.

All of these QB's either had one playmaker or less, while all of the successful guys usually had a solid OL, along with 2 playmakers at least.

Jason Campbell is the only QB that busted and it doesn't make sense considering he has Clinton Portis, Chris Cooley, Santana Moss/Laveranues Coles, etc.

Daunte Culpepper was a very solid player (yet inconsistent), prior to tear his ACL, MCL, and PCL. Since that accident, he hasn't been the same.

Chad Pennington was somewhat the same way. He had a great season going with 22 TD's and 6 INT's, but injuries just killed him in the long run, and now he's starting to rebound.

Since 1999, there have been 26 first round QB's. 8 of those QB's are doing well for their teams. Brady Quinn, Leinart, and Young all haven't gotten true opportunities, which still shows 15/26 QB's failing that were drafted in the first round. Those 15 guys were also drafted without hardly any talent around them.

Point is, if you want to use a first round pick on a QB, you've got to make sure he has offensive talent around him. Make sure that he can get the ball to play makers, otherwise these young QB's try to do too much, and they get so much pressure on them, and they buckle.

We just need to give Quinn a season as he's very cheap (700k base salary in 2010), and see if he can develop. If we can't, we'll move on after that. But we have a great opportunity to shore up the defense and improve big time. Especially because we have a passionate defensive coordinator that loves the game, and loves the hits and plays.

Adding onto my last blog about defensive talent, this draft is just too good to pass up on the defensive talent, especially guys like Suh, Berry, and McCoy.

So recapping, the three big reasons I don't want a QB for the Browns are:

1) We have no play makers that can support him, and we only have half a line to keep him on his feet. We can't support raw talent with nobody to help him out.

2) The QB's potentially in this draft class (which there's no guarantee that they come out), are still not worth top 5 or even top 10 picks in my eyes. They are talented, but very raw, which is scary.

3) There's too much talent defensively in this draft. Rob Ryan will be like a kid at a candy store wanting to grab one of everything. There are tons of defensive lineman, and tons of pass rushers, with a limited amount of offensive talent.

-Keet S. Bailey/DaBrowns41

Kok Out, Man Stands Alone

2009-11-03T08:04:00.000-08:00

November 3, 2009

So George Kokinis was escorted out of the building and out of the nightmare 2009 season yesterday. Okay. Weird. Rarely does a GM take the fall after 8 games. It takes a long time to evaluate the work a GM does. Of course, Kok wasn't your typical GM. It was widely assumed that Kok, handpicked by Man(gini) after Man was hired, was little more than Mangini's right hand yes man. That assumption was apparently confirmed by Kokinis's ouster.

I suspect another suspicion will be confirmed on November 16th when we see Brady Quinn at quarterback. The suspicion being that Quinn was benched in order to avoid escalators in his contract that paid him approximately another $11 million if he took 70 percent of the snaps this season. Derek Anderson has been historically bad. He has the lowest quarterback rating this late into the season since 1981 (Marc Wilson), and the fewest yards passing with a minimum of 80 attempts since 1981 (Vince Evans). (Stats taken from ESPN.com, citing STATS LLC) Consider that for a moment. Last time someone had a QB rating so low (Marc Wilson) he still managed to throw for more yards than DA. Last time someone few for so few yards (Vince Evans) he managed to have a better quarterback rating. DA manged to be historically awful in both ways. My head hurts. Derek Anderson is absolutely awful.

Does Kokinis have a legacy? He nominally presided over the 2009 draft and pulled the trigger on the Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow trades, which impact the 2010 draft. It seems unlikely he really did even that though.

Fans who complain about Randy Lerner can take heart that he appears to be as upset as the rest of us about the state of this team. My Dad was watching local TV coverage of the Browns last night. He told me Doug Dieken pointed out that the Browns could have 3 or 4 Pro Bowlers (Joe Thomas, Shaun Rogers, Josh Cribbs, Dave Zastudil) and are still this awful! What's the deal? Why can't the Browns parlay the talent they do have into something resembling competitiveness? The blame has to lay at the feet of Mangini. Kokinis is out, but don't feel too bad for him. I'm sure he will be well compensated for not showing up in Berea every day. Maybe now someone will give him a chance to actually be a General Manager...

Jack Bacevice

The Past May Bring Back the Good Times

2009-11-02T20:50:00.000-08:00

From 1985 to 1990, the Cleveland Browns reached the playoffs every year. The reason that this is relevant is because during those six years, Ernie Accorsi was the Browns' General Manager. Most recently, Accorsi was responsible for putting together the Giants team who beat the undefeated Patriots to win the Super Bowl just two seasons ago. If Randy Learner lets him run the team, he both reconnects with the past and makes a brilliant move.

This came at the perfect time. The current season may be gone, yet this gives Accorsi the second half of the year to get his people in Cleveland and build a foundation for the revival of the Cleveland Browns. This shifts the power of the team over to an experienced, credible GM, something the Browns have not had since returning. The bottom line is that football teams ran by Ernie Accorsi are winners. He will hire the right people and make the right moves. It is only a matter of time before the Cleveland Browns are back on top of the AFC North.

~Sef Gold

A Cleveland so GM-Less

2009-11-02T17:22:00.000-08:00

How could he be so Dr. Evil? Multiple sources report that Cleveland Browns GM George Kokinas will now need to update his resume and join the millions of Americans in search of a job. In addition, rumors are floating around that the Director of Football Operations was also shown the exit door. These front office move are necessary for Randy Learner to clear the way to hire a, "strong, credible, serious leader," to essentially run the team.

This move shows that Randy Learner is serious about his pledge to improve the quality of football in Cleveland and produce a winning team on the field. The order in which the major personnel were hired was backward. Usually a team hires the Director of Football Operations (the person in charge of the team), then a General Manager, and finally the Head Coach. It is about as clear as mud whom the big hire is going to be. At least moves are being made.

~Sef Gold

Gross

2009-11-02T07:42:00.000-08:00

November 2, 2009

I took a week off from brownsmix.com to focus on the Cavs and some school/work stuff and because the Browns disgust me. I do have one positive comment leftover from the Green Bay game: Andre Knott does a great job as the radio sideline reporter. Every time they went to Andre he had a great statistic, fact, or insight. Really nice job. Otherwise, the Green Bay game sucked.

You know what else sucked? The Bears game. Here is the defense giving a valiant effort, holding Chicago the field goals, keeping Cleveland in the game. Jamal Lewis had a nice day running the ball, 16 carries for 69 yards is solid. Even Harrison and Cribbs helped the run offense. Rob Ryan's defense did a great job bringing pressure and confusing Jay Cutler. Kamerion Wimbley continued his productive season. He had a sack and forced Cutler forward in the pocket multiple times. Additionally, our defensive line had a strong day so when Cutler was forced up in the pocket, there were big guys there to sack him. The defense has inferior talent in some places, particularly the secondary and the middle linebackers decimated by injury, but the D-Line and the outside backers have done a great job. So they gave up 30 points, yeah, but the Defense was not the problem yesterday.

Let's talk about the problem. Derek Anderson. He's like the housing market in late 2008 and early 2009. You keep thinking it can't possibly get worse, and then it inexplicably does in a way no one anticipated. This happens like 7 times per game with Anderson. He can't get worse, there is not way, and then he does. From what I hear he is a really well liked guy, and that's good and important. There is life beyond football for the guys we watch on Sunday. Derek also has an amazing cannon of an arm. He'd probably be one of the top five players in a Saturday morning flag football league. From time to time Anderson makes a play that is very, very good. He almost exclusively follows that up with 8-12 plays that make you want to throw feces at your own television screen. Throwing poop around you're own house is entirely counterproductive, but watching DA play football can make you a little crazy. There is no way the decision to sit Brady for this long while DA was this miserable is completely motivated by money. It would appear Brady is going to start the rest of the season. Of course, who knows? I can understand the logic behind most of Mangini's decisions, whether I agree with them or not. At least I can see where he's coming from. The quarterback position makes no sense at all. The only way you can make anything out of it is when you factor in the bonus Quinn gets if he takes too many snaps.

Here is the one scenario that could make sense: After a protracted and, in hindsight totally unnecessary and pointlessly elaborate, quarterback competition, Mangini decided Brady Quinn is the better quarterback. Brady Quinn gets the start. The Browns start 0-2 and ManKok quickly realizes this team is going nowhere. It's already time to think about next year. If the team can avoid paying Quinn his playing time based bonus, they would save a lot of cap room and improve flexibility, which is important since ManKok has decided that the team is going nowhere. So after a poop first half against Baltimore, Mangini pounces and yanks Quinn for DA. DA throws three picks, but does move the ball better, so Mangini says he's going with DA. DA has a solid game the next week against Cincinnati in a loss, and follows that with a historically bad game, but a victory! ManKok is covered for playing DA. Things get worse with DA though. He is incredibly bad. ManKok is not surprised. There are blind people living in the wilderness who can plainly see DA sucks. Mangini constantly looks constipated on the sideline because he can't push a 6'6" turd wearing number 3 out of his system. He's got to keep him in to make Brady more reasonably priced. Then he will have half a season to evaluate Brady and he can decide if 1) Brady is worth committing to for next year or 2) Brady is not good enough to start but he is reasonably priced and ManKok can draft a QB and Quinn's salary will make keeping him on as the second quarterback is financially reasonable. Either that or ManKok has been watching something else on Sundays.

It's too bad for a lot of these guys what has gone on this year. Jamal Lewis is winding up his run to Canton, and he has had some solid games this season. He is so despondent, he is ready to retire after the year. If he does retire, Jamal should feel safe working on his Hall of Fame speech. Josh Cribbs is at worst the third best player on the team, yet DA makes about 79 times what he does. Shaun Rogers and Joe Thomas continue to be Shaun Rogers and Joe Thomas and their efforts and talents deserve some wins. Kamerion Wimbley remembered how to consistently get to the quarterback and make an impact rushing the passer. Mohamad Massaquoi is showing some promise. Mike Furrey will do anything at any time in order to try to help the team. Alex Mack is progressing and looks to be a good fit. Dave Zastudil should get serious Pro Bowl consideration.

There are so man problems beyond the quarterback situation. No one, with the possible exception of Furrey, catches the ball with any consistency. The running game has it's bad days, and those days are quite bad. The offense lacks playmakers. The defense is too easily gashed for big plays. Without the threat of a passing game, it's very difficult to sustain a running game and control the clock. It's unclear whether Brian Daboll understands an offense needs to get ten yards for a first down or, if he does, whether he knows any good, or mildly sensible, play calling strategies to get that task accomplished. There is a lack of overall talent in the secondary.

If you don't know what else to do, watch the Cavs.

Jack Bacevice

Mid-Season Meltdown

2009-11-01T20:37:00.000-08:00

At least Brodney Pool got an interception. In addition, Dave Zastudil currently leads the NFL in number of punts inside the 20-yardline. On the lighter side of things, Rob Ryan’s sideline tirades have been the most entertaining aspect of each game. Maybe Ryan should be considered for head coach. After another thrilling, edge of the seat offensive performance, Ryan’s words to Jay Cutler should be repeated to the O.

With the quarterback merry-go-round working as well as a car without oil, the question has to be asked when Brett Ratliff is going to get his chance. Ratliff could not possibly be any worse. True, everything is not DA’s fault. There were the ever-common dropped passes, fumbles and miscommunication on routes. Add that with a cool pick six and the result is nothing short of dynamite. The defense once again played well enough to keep the Browns in the game and special teams has been the highlight of the season. The bye week could not have come at a better time.

Rumors are swirling that Randy Learner is going to bring in a person to oversee the entire football side of the organization. This position would be similar to Bill Parcells’ job in Miami and would be given to a person with comparable credibility. This might be the Browns’ best move they have made since returning. Someone like Bill Cowher could come in and instantly improve the atmosphere and attitude. With the bye week coming at the halfway point in the season, the Browns have two weeks to figure out how to produce a better second half of the season. Lets hope they come up with something.

~Sef Gold

Browns Draft 2010

2009-10-28T14:52:00.001-07:00

As a Browns fan, October is never too early to look at the next years NFL Draft. In the case this year, it's looking like the Browns are due for yet another top 5 pick.

So first we need to establish the needs of the Browns. We'll start with a roster analysis.

Quarterback: Brady Quinn/Derek Anderson, Brett Ratliff
Runningback: Jamal Lewis, Jerome Harrison, Chris Jennings/James Davis
Fullback: Lawrence Vickers
Wide Receiver: Mohamed Massoquoi, Brian Robiskie, Mike Furrey, Joshua Cribbs, Chansey Stuckey, Ray Ventrone
Tight End: Steve Heiden, Robert Royal, Greg Estandia
Offensive Tackle: Joe Thomas, John St. Clair, Billy Yates
Offensive Guard: Eric Steinbach, Hank Fraley, Rex Hadnot
Center: Alex Mack, Hank Fraley, Rex Hadnot
Defensive Line: Shaun Rogers (NT), Kenyon Coleman, Corey Williams, Robaire Smith, CJ Mosley, Ahtyba Rubin (NT)
Linebackers: Kamerion Wimbley, D'Qwell Jackson, Eric Barton, Alex Hall, David Bowens, David Veikune, Kaluka Maiava, Jason Trusnik, Blake Constanzo
Safeties: Abram Elam, Brodney Pool, Mike Adams, Nick Sorensen
Cornerbacks: Eric Wright, Brandon McDonald, Coye Francies, Anthony Madison, Gerard Lawson, Hank Poteat
K: Phil Dawson, Billy Cundiff
P: Dave Zastudil
LS: Ryan Pontbriand

So looking at the base roster, we have glaring needs at: QB, RB, WR, TE, DE, OLB (1), ILB (1), S, and CB.

We're not sure what's going to happen with Quinn and Anderson, but as of now, it looks like we're going to need a quarterback with our first pick...

But here's the deal. If we're drafting in the top 5, we've got some big names to look at. Players like Eric Berry*, Ndamukong Suh, Gerald McCoy*, Carlos Dunlap*, Joe Haden*, Rolando McClain*, Dez Bryant*. On top of them, we've got QB's moving up in the draft boards like Jake Locker*, Jimmy Clausen*, and Sam Bradford*.

So many people debate what we need to draft, and why. I'm a big fan of drafting Best Player Available (BPA), in correlation with need. Basically what that means if you take the best player available in a position that you still need. So if you have Peyton Manning, and Jake Locker is the best player, go to the next best player overall, in a position that you need. There are many teams that still draft based on need, which can be bad at times because you can reach for a player.

Here's my rank of those players listed in terms of overall talent.

1) Eric Berry
2a) Gerald McCoy
2b) Ndamukong Suh
3)Rolando McClain
4) Jake Locker
5) Carlos Dunlap
6) Dez Bryant
7) Joe Haden
8) Jimmy Clausen
9) Sam Bradford

Bradford to me is a 2nd round pick now because of the 2nd shoulder injury in one season. I'm not taking a chance on him. But for now some experts have in as a top 15-20 pick.

So looking at this, we see how big a need for quarterback is potentially (assuming Quinn doesn't go back in, or he goes back in and shows no improvement), as well as DE, and S. Safety isn't a HUGE need for the Browns, but it's pretty big and it's important to have a play maker like Ed Reed, Polamalu, Bob Sanders, Brian Dawkins, etc.

If I'm sitting at #1 with that top 5, I have a tough choice to make. I have to weigh out all the positives and negatives of drafting each player. So what am I getting when drafting these players?

Eric Berry- With Berry you get a play making safety. He's easily the best defensive player in the nation, and possibly the best overall talent in the nation. He's as close to NFL ready as a player will get as well, especially this year working with former defensive coaching juggernaut Monte Kiffin. Berry has a game changing ability, sort of like Ed Reed. He's not the biggest guy (5'11 205), and he won't knock anybody out, but he's one of the most fundamentally sound players in the draft. He's got excellent hands, as well as instincts and pass/run recognition. He can play cornerback, safety, and even a little linebacker. He'll rush the passer, he'll drop back into a middle third in coverage, or he'll cover a teams best receiver man on. This is a guy that teams just cannot pass on. Remember Eric Turner? Yeah, he's that good, if not better.
NFL Comparison- Ed Reed

Ndamukong Suh- (Pronounced En-dom-ah-ken Soo) Suh is an absolute monster against the run. He's very strong and has a very high motor. He's one of the few DT's in the NCAA that rarely takes plays off, which is very important for the NFL. He's got excellent hand usage, maintaining that important separation with the linemen so that he doesn't get pushed and pulled around. He dominates offensive guards and centers being double teamed often. You just can't run up the middle against this guy. His pass rush skills are very solid as well, but not the greatest. The best part about him is his ability to play in space, as well as his versatility. He could play 34 NT for a few plays, and play 34 DE.
NFL Comparison- Ty Warren

Gerald McCoy- McCoy is on the same level as Suh, except their roles are reversed. McCoy is an elite pass rusher. He's very stout against the run as well, but his pass rushing skills are what causes teams to have to double him up, which is perfect for a 34 defense. He's got quick feet and uses his hands very well, again maintaining that separation that defensive lineman need to do. McCoy is quite strong, and is a space eater with great lateral movement.
NFL Comparison- Richard Seymour

Rolando McClain- McClain is a linebacker who makes his presence felt when you are on the opposing sideline. He's a big hitting linebacker at 6'4 254 pounds who is one of the most fundamentally sound tacklers in the nation. He wraps up and puts players on the ground, rarely missing tackles, especially in the open field. His instincts are fantastic when it comes to play recognition, and he's a very difficult linebacker to block. He's very good at shedding blocks and is an all around linebacker. He's a leader on the field, and an academic player as well as an Honor Roll student. Last season he was a finalist for the Butkus Award, and it'll be hard for him not to win that this season being the leader of the nations 2nd best defense.
NFL Comparison- Patrick Willis

Jake Locker- Locker is quite the athlete. When he hurt his hand in 2008, he wanted to play safety for the Huskies defense. Jake Locker is a quarterback who has a weak supporting cast. He has to make a lot of plays on his own as there is not much of a running game or wide receiver support for him, which is why it's hard to look at his stats as telling the true story to his collegiate career. Locker is a big armed guy who can make all the NFL throws, while also being elusive and evading defenders trying to bring him down in the backfield. His problem is that he struggles with touch, and short/intermediate passing (sound familiar?). However, with Locker, he's shown improvement each year according to the coaches, and has developed as quite the leader. Locker is only a junior, so he may stay for his last season instead of opting for the NFL.
NFL Comparison- Donovan McNabb

Jimmy Clausen- Clausen is the prototype NFL QB. Like Locker, he can make all the throws. He's a strong armed QB who's accuracy down the field is fantastic, and his intermediate game is very good too. He puts good touch on most of his passes, and doesn't force the ball. He's a good decision maker in the pocket, and can evade the rush if needed. His production hasn't been the greatest at Notre Dame, which is something many people are skeptical of, but his overall mechanics are the best out of any quarterback potentially coming out in 2010.
NFL Comparison- Aaron Rodgers

Looking at these guys, I find it hard to believe that none of them will be available with our pick. But if you had the #1 pick, who would you take? All of these positions are a substantial need for our beloved Cleveland Browns. So how do you make your choice?

For me, it's easy. I like both Clausen and Locker a lot. However, quarterbacks are much bigger projects in the NFL, compared to 34 DE's and safeties. With the lack of support our offense could give a rookie QB, I'm hard pressed to take a young QB just to ruin him because he has no WR's, no RB, no TE, and no blocking from the right side of the line. I personally don't believe that every single QB we've had in Cleveland was absolutely terrible. I feel like had most of these QB's had some sort of running game, or even wide receivers that could run crisp routes and catch, or even a line that blocked, they'd all be at least average.

What I'm getting at is that I don't want a quarterback this year. I know that we're just going to rush him in, because we have no other option. Mangini doesn't like Quinn because Quinn questioned the playcalling (even though it was deservedly so), and Derek Anderson can't be on this team next year because he's due to make 7.45 million dollars. If we pay DA that much next year, I'm going to crap a brick. He's barely worth the 1.45M that he's making this season. So who do I want?

That comes down to Suh, McCoy, and Berry. All 3 are positions of need, however DE may be the bigger need. If we grab Suh, or McCoy, we can have a stout rush defense with Shaun Rogers, Suh/McCoy, and Kenyon Coleman, along with our linebackers. If we draft Berry, we can have a player that's actually feared in the secondary. Teams throw the deep ball on the Browns more often than most teams because our safeties are slow, and struggle in coverage, zone coverage more specifically. With Berry back there, we keep teams from throwing in the 5-15 yard range, and taking less shots down the field. Not to mention we still get good run support.

My pick is Eric Berry. It's really a no brainer. In Cleveland, we need football players, not projects like Clausen and Locker. We've always reached for need, and it's turned out to be bad. We reached for Gerard Warren (Ladainian Tomlinson, Richard Seymour), we reached for Courtney Brown (Lavar Arrington, Chris Samuels, Jamal Lewis), we reached for Kamerion Wimbley (Haloti Ngata), as well as William Green (Ed Reed). That's just the gist of what I'm saying. Sure hindsight is 20/20, but there's no question that we reached. We took players that we needed over positions that we needed less, but had better value.

Eric Berry needs to be in Cleveland in 2010. We've got 11 picks. If Braylon Edwards gets to 55 catches with the Jets, we could add another first day pick and grab more talent. Like I said, we need football players and talent, not projects. We aren't New England, Indianapolis, or Pittsburgh. We can't take chances on guys like Lawrence Timmons, Brandon Merriweather, etc. and try to develop them. We need football players.

Keet S. Bailey

Sixteen Not Sixty

2009-10-26T09:06:00.001-07:00

Too bad football games are not 16 minutes long. If that were the case, the Browns would have escaped with their second victory of the season. The other 44 minutes were not as appealing and featured a complete mess on every side of the ball. Correction, at least special teams played well. When taking out the field goal drive, the offense produced a whopping 73 total yards of offense. Even Eric Wright, one of the best young DBs in the league, was on the wrong side of the highlight reel.

For all of the progress the past three weeks have shown, a major setback occurred yesterday. Sure, the flu bug and the loss of the 2008 NFL tackles leader certainly did not help the situation. In addition, the reluctance to put the ball in Josh Cribbs’ hands on offense begs the question of what is going on? With the exception of Kaluka Maiava playing decent in his first career start, the rest of the team simply did show up.

Hopefully this game says more about Green Bay being an emerging team who is on their way to the playoffs this season. With the Bears also coming off a bad loss, next week should be interesting. Now is the time for the Browns to ask themselves if they would like to build a foundation for next season or simply try to get the first pick in the 2010 draft. If they are building something, next week is the time to show it. Whatever the goals of the team are, they need to produce some kind of progress against a mediocre Bears team. If not, it might be time to simply watch basketball.

~Sef Gold

Unconfirmed Reports Say Browns Have Stomach Flu...

2009-10-21T19:59:00.000-07:00

October 21, 2009

... From watching their game film.

Seriously though, let's all hope the players get well. The flu is poopy.

Anyway.

The bad news keeps flowing. D'Qwell Jackson, one of the best players on the team, is out for the year. Crap. The Browns are 1-5. Eek. DA continues to start. Really??

Okay, okay. Let's move on. This season is lost. While we all look forward to October 27th (Cavs v. Celtics!) Let's look at what we can take from this year and build on for next year. It's important. Turnarounds happen in the NFL all the time.

Joe Thomas is an absolute franchise left tackle. He's paving a road to Canton. This isn't really news. He kinda showed this off the first two seasons of his career. It's still worth mentioning because it's important for next year along with...

The O-line isn't bad all things considered. Joe Thomas, Eric Steinbach, Alex Mack, I'll take that for the next five years. We just need to shore up the right side (Is shore spelled right? Is that even the right term? Ah whatever, F--- it). I think the team should spend a high draft pick (not a number 1 though) on a right tackle. If we get a number 2 in the Braylon trade and end up with double deuces (two second rounders) I think one should be a right tackle. Let's get bookends here. A great O-Line is a HUGE help to winning games. We're three-fifths of the way there. The problem is if one man fails on the O-Line everyone fails. We can build this team though. We're not that far on the O-Line. Speaking of the line...

Shaun Rogers alone keeps the D-Line Decent and frankly not far from dominant. Rogers is probably one of the top two or three defensive linemen in the NFL. Sure, pass rushers who get a lot of sacks get a lot of credit as stars, but I'm talking every down guys. Rogers is just an absolute beast up front. The D-Line has been okay this year. If you got another really good player next to Rogers though, you'd really have something. Rogers already commands a double team every play, and triple teams at times. Get an end who commands a double and you're occupying the entire opposition's O-Line. It will open the door for...

Kamerion Wimbley who can apparently sack the quarterback again. He's done an awesome job this year. He missed last week, before that he had 4 sacks in 5 games and had consistently rushed the passer and played as a complete linebacker. If I were ManKok I'd seriously consider extending Wimbley NOW. He has another year on his contract, but an extension would lock him in longer at a cheaper price. If he isn't a star, at least he is a complete player who is very coachable and a quality person off the field and would be a solid starter. If he is as good and productive as he has appeared thus far this season the Browns may have a real force off the edge at a good price for a few years to come. The guy has talent. He has been a productive NFL player. Even his two "down" years (2007, 2008) weren't awful. He has learned to play a more complete game at linebacker (remember he was a defensive end at Florida State). He's someone worth rolling the dice on with a solid (not huge) contract extension. Speaking of extensions...

Pay Josh Cribbs now. This is getting absurd. The best chance the Browns have at a touchdown is a Cribbs kick return followed by a Cribbs punt return. Cribbs in the "Flash" package is probably in the top five. He's also one of the best punt and kick coverage guys in the NFL. Cribbs may also be a solid third wideout in the league. He's certainly a decent fourth wideout. Who knows, maybe he can play some safety?? A special teams ace like this is Jim Tressel's dream. Let's try a little JEOPARDY:

ANSWER: Indianapolis Colts; New England Patriots; Pittsburgh Steelers; Baltimore Ravens

QUESTION: Who are teams that would NEVER let Josh Cribbs get away?

ALEX: Correct!

So hey Browns fans. Those are some things to be positive about.

If you enjoy, or mildly don't hate, my writing, check me out on cavaliersmix.com. I will be finishing up my season preview this week and when the season begins (October 27th!!!!!) you will hear from me regularly.

Jack Bacevice

World’s Best Football Players Aren’t In NFL: Reserve Teams Would Change That

2009-10-21T13:34:00.000-07:00

By Adam Doc Fox

The current quarterback of your NFL team should be, at the very least, the 32nd best QB in the world. That’s what the coach is implying, right, that even if thirty-one other teams have better field generals, he has found through the draft, free agency, or blind luck, the 32nd best player. We all know, however, that’s not the case.

Not only is the world is too big with too many amazing athletes to really conclude you have one of the tops in the world, but (here’s the point of the article) the NFL has no real farm system or reserve league to allow the fans and teams a chance to see any upcoming or hidden talent outside of college football or the joke Canadian league.
If the Patriots didn’t gamble and throw a usually meaningless sixth-round pick at Tom Brady, the man who threw 5 TDs in one quarter last week would have never existed. It’s time to create a fail-safe, so that in America, in your own city, you can view/support/follow a team full of players that are above the collegiate talent, that perhaps haven’t been given a fair shake, and/or are just Rudys and Tomlinsons waiting to happen.

The NFL Reserve League

I. Policies and Procedures

A. There will be thirty-two reserve teams, corresponding exactly, in the same cities, as the current NFL teams. If you want a reserve team, get an NFL team first. This isn’t about reaching out to new markets or trying to encompass a wider audience. It is about developing Browns (for example) players in the City of Cleveland, with its established fan base. No one wants to root for the Browns reserve team playing in Knoxville (who aren’t even called the Browns, but called the Johnny Warriors). All team names will be kept the same except “B” will be added to the end. The Steelers B will be playing the Browns B on Sunday, for example.

B. The reserve teams will play the exact schedule as their NFL senior team. When the Browns travel to Pittsburgh to beat the Steelers, the reserve team will travel as well. Teams will decide whether the reserves play on Saturday or Sunday, at the same stadium, and whether they play before or after the NFL team.

C. Every NFL rule will be followed without exception (Ok, except salary cap issues will have to be lowered.) No shortened fields, walls, no outlawing fair catches, etc. It will be good classic football without the capitalistic interference.

II. Team Player Pools

A. The Reserve Draft will take place a week after the NFL draft. Players may be drafted from any college, high school, and/or from any league around the world.

B. College players or younger players may skip the NFL draft, at any age, and go play for any reserve team that offers the right price. They will have to play a minimum of two years for that reserve team. At the end of that period, the player can be sold to the parent NFL team or to another NFL team. The player would get half of that sale price.

Bottom Line: The NFL does not have the capacity to ensure all of the very best players are on the field for all 32 teams. Do you know how many college players go undrafted and unsigned? A reserve league would benefit 1) the fans---you can go root for the Browns, take your family and it doesn’t cost much, have good seats, and see growing talent along with witnessing a football performance above the college level, and 2) the teams--- coaches can create game experience in their system for the players and try out QB battles on the reserve team and not make the fans have to endure a three year decision making process.
If nothing else, if your senior NFL team sucks, at least you could watch some form of winning from your reserve team. And a wining mode could carry over when those young guys finally make it to the NFL.

By Adam Doc Fox

Measure of Truth

2009-10-19T16:31:00.001-07:00

Throw records out the window. Turn off the hot water in the showers. The six days leading to the game have become known as rivalry week. This is generally the time when a team digs deep, formulates a game plan and finds any way it can to come out on Sunday ready to battle. A special teams touchdown combined with causing four turnovers on defense was simply not enough. Even when the play calling strayed from the usual run it up the gut, a nice wildcat-featured drive did not end in the desired result of putting something on the board. Another drive that produced a touchdown was the offensive highlight of the day.

This was the week where the Browns had the opportunity to make a statement. They had just shed the winless monkey a week after an overtime thriller and those two games seemed to be pointing to an improving future. Sunday’s game was a true measurement of where the team was stood in comparison to an established organization. While the Browns certainly did not end their day like the Titans, they could not do anything at the end of the game to get back in it. Their final five drives netted 45 yards, two punts and three turnovers.

This has been the Cleveland Browns story of the season. They have great special teams and a defense that will allow them to stay in the game. When the offense goes in to sloth-mode and does little to move, the result will not be positive. Maybe the fact that the Browns are tied for most passes dropped in the NFL is a part of the problem. All of the fans that wanted to see Braylon leave got their wish and yet dropped passes are still happening. While the Browns are showing sings of improvement, there is still much to be desired. With a desperate Green Bay team coming up this Sunday, let’s hope the improvement can go from baby steps to real progress.

~Sef Gold

Oh Pittsburgh...

2009-10-19T11:51:00.000-07:00

October 19, 2009

That was an ugly one.

It's frustrating to watch the Browns fail against Pittsburgh again and again. And again. Nevertheless, I watched the whole game yesterday (with the help a Bloody Mary, okay four). It was pretty ugly. Josh Cribbs had another great all around game. That's about all of the positive I saw.

(Allow me to rant about Josh Cribbs situation for a moment. As I watched him yesterday making plays on offense, returns, and kick and punt coverage, I actually became quite angry at the Browns for not taking care of this guy. He really does put his body on the line every time he lines up with his style of play. He is also our best chance at scoring. Not to mention, when he doesn't get in the end zone on special teams he is giving the Browns excellent field position to squander. Compared to similarly valuable NFL players Josh Cribbs is woefully underpaid. He wants to stay here! Extend his contract before he changes his mind.)

Anyway...

Anderson had another crappy game. He fumbled twice and threw one pick. He was inaccurate generally. When he did make a nice throw, his skill guys often thanked him by promptly dropping it on the ground as it DA had thrown them a bucket of poop. DA made plenty of bad plays all on his own, as he often does. He also made some really nice plays where the supporting cast didn't do it's part. It's too bad. The Browns only lost by two scores, and were in the game (at least on the scoreboard) well into the second half. Maybe if the receivers are hanging on to DA's passes the outcome is different. Maybe the Browns lose 27-21. Who knows. Pittsburgh turned the ball over 4 times. That's the kind of thing the Browns needed to have happen in order to have a chance in this game. Unfortunately, the Browns matched turnover for turnover.

Shaun Rogers played with the flu, and still played well. He commanded double and triple teams and still managed to push the pocket and own the middle of the field. No matter for Pittsburgh. Since it seemed Rogers alone would hold the Pittsburgh running game to average, Ben Roethlisberger just threw the ball all over the field. He threw for nearly a quarter of a mile.

With the exception of Josh Cribbs, the Browns did not run the ball well. That didn't help. Jerome Harrison was okay, but used sparingly. Jamal Lewis struggled. The lack of a running game made Anderson's job even harder. The Steelers were able to focus on the pass and blitz DA plenty. DA does not have a good history when under pressure. Yesterday was no exception. His two later fumbles were painful to watch, yet oddly predictable. In fact, neither fumble surprised me in the least. I didn't even really react to either one. That's just par for the course for DA.

Minus Wimbley, the defense still got pressure on Ben sometimes. I'd like to think if our best pass rusher had been able to play the Browns may have held Ben to only 350 yards passing. The defense did make a great fourth down stop on the Steelers deep in their own territory late in the first half. However, the referee decided that the Steelers were close enough so they got the first down, eventually getting three points.

There really wasn't a lot more to take from this game. It wasn't good. Mohamed Massaquoi proved Braylon Edwards was expendable for the Browns. He managed 5 catches for 83 yards and I believe three drops. Pretty much a Braylon-like game at about a third of the price. So that's something. Otherwise, the Browns proved they are ready for the April draft. They need the talent infusion.

Jack Bacevice

Update (3:59 PM): Copy/paste the following link to see a very classy move by Braylon Edwards. http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/10/braylon_edwards_keeps_clevelan.html

A step in the right direction

2009-10-12T16:43:00.000-07:00

The Cleveland Browns earned their first win of the year!Some say it was an ugly win,and a hard game to watch.I could watch that all year,I'm proud of our defense and special teams unit.Jamal Lewis ran well and looked like a passionate player fighting for his job.There were so many positives out of this week.

Buffalo did shoot themselves in the foot all game,but I was impressed with the Browns determination to win.They seemed to have more desire and an improved chemistry as a team.How about the special teams unit!?Great punting,great coverage,great returns and a couple field goals which were the only points in the game for the Browns.

We won by six points thanks to our special teams,and thanks to our defense for holding the Bills to 3 points.Mike Adams had an outstanding game,he downed the ball twice within a couple yards of the goal on punt coverage.He also made some nice plays on defense.

Besides Adams,some of the key players in the game were Dave Zastudil with some great punts,Jamal Lewis who broke the 100 yard mark,Josh Cribbs was great as always,and Alex Mack is working his butt off and making leaps and bounds in the right direction.The offensive line as a whole played well.

The trouble area was the passing game.D.A. went 2-17 for 23 yards and a pick.There were alot of balls that went off the hands of receivers.There was also a very strong whirling wind in Buffalo.Coach Mangini defends D.A. saying most of those balls should have been caught,and maybe so.

My argument would be that a good QB can put a touch on his passes,especially when passing to rookies,tight ends and a receiver whose only been with the team for two days.I understand there was wind involved,but D.A. looked like he was trying to win a dodge ball game!I think the team has made improvements over the last couple weeks,but I'm not convinced D.A. is the reason why.Prove me wrong Derek!

The bottom line is that overall the Browns are improving.Next week brings a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.The Steelers started off the season looking like a Super Bowl hangover,but are starting to gain a little steam.Hopefully the Browns will come out with the heart they played with last week,and stop the Steelers dead in their tracks.

The time is now to turn this season around,but it's going to take more than defense and special teams against the Steelers.We need to move the ball someway,somehow.I don't care if it's D.A.,Quinn,Cribbs or all three,but this game is crucial to stay alive this year.I hope the QB and receiving corps can watch the tapes of our defense and special teams unit from last week and find some inspiration for a must win against our rival foes.

By Jeff Fox

If Only We Played Buffalo Every Week

2009-10-12T10:23:00.000-07:00

October 12, 2009

It was a much needed victory. The 0-16 season has officially been averted as well as the possibility of tying the franchise record for consecutive losses next week against the Steelers. Allow me to share some thoughts on the game.

Derek Anderson went 2-17 for 23 yards. After the game, the following occurred to me. If Brady Quinn were to start next week, Derek Anderson would have won the starting quarterback job by throwing 3 interceptions in a half and then lost the job by winning a game. The hypothetical situation would be the perfect metaphor for how the Browns have handled the QB situation since 1999. I know I have been a huge Brady Quinn supporter, mostly because I am not a DA fan and I still think Quinn is a "maybe," but DA was waaaaaaay better than his numbers indicated. Granted, that's a low bar to clear. I actually thought DA played a pretty decent game. To say the offense was plagued by dropped passes would be an understatement. Many Anderson passes hit receivers in the hands, or Robert Royal in the face mask, and were dropped. DA's deep ball to Royal down the seam that clanged off of Robert's head was a beautiful ball in a whirling wind. DA also did something he rarely does, and needs to do a lot more of, he protected the football. I know he threw one INT, but that looked a lot more like a miscommunication than a poor decision. Last week against Cincy, DA also threw one pick but the Bengals D let DA off the hook on two or three mroe throws that easily could have been intercepted. Not the case this week. DA made good decisions and kept the ball out of risky spots. So what if his statistics mostly seemed like an ode to futility. He got the most important statistic for a quarterback, a win.

There were plenty of other good performances. Let's start with the offensive line. Jamal Lewis had holes to run through all day despite facing eight in the box from Buffalo most of the afternoon. Also, when DA did drop back to pass the pocket held up very nicely. The penalties were kept to a minimum. John St. Clair, who I have much criticized, had his second consecutive very good game. Joe Thomas continues to be Joe Thomas, which is outstanding. Same for Eric Steinbach. Alex Mack did a good job and really looks to be settling in for a nice long career on this offensive line. Hank Fraley also had a very good day. You have to celebrate a guy like Fraley's unselfishness and willingness to help a first round pick take his job, and then you can't help but be happy to see a guy like that come out and have a good game at guard like Hank did yesterday. So what if the Bills aren't the Steelers or Ravens on D, you can only block the guy in front of you. The Browns to a man did a great job of that yesterday.

Speaking of blocking, how about that running game? Jamal Lewis was excellent despite no threat of a passing game. DA is going to be a lot more productive than he was yesterday. If Jamal can run like he did yesterday for the rest of the season, the Browns are going to be in a lot more football games. Jamal is also going to get of 1,000 yards if he keeps this up. Not only did his hard running lead to an extra yard or two on his short runs up the middle, but he showed the speed to get around the corner and break off nice gains when he could get through the first wave of defenders. When Jamal has been healthy this year he has run the ball very effectively. You have got to like that.

I know I keep saying pay Josh Cribbs. But did you see the Plain Dealer article yesterday? He wants an extension so he can play his whole career as a Brown. This is one of our best players and maybe the best special teams guy in the league. Yesterday he was a major factor in the dominating special teams performance and managed a 31 yard run on his only touch on offense (I know, he had a drop). PAY JOSH CRIBBS! EXTEND HIS CONTRACT! THIS IS THE TYPE OF PLAYER AND PERSON THAT DESERVES TO BE TAKEN CARE OF BY THIS FRANCHISE! MAKE A FREAKING DEAL WITH HIM!

Sorry, back to the game. Let's stay with special teams. I have never seen a punter have a better game than Dave Zastudil had yesterday. That was incredible. My dad has been watching football about 30 years longer than I have. He agreed with me, he too had never seen a punter have a better game than Zast did yesterday. It was incredible. Dave should absolutely be named the NFL's special teams player of the week. You can't overstate how much his punts helped the Browns finally get a win.

Someone had to down those great punts. Mike Adams, please take a bow. Adams wasn't only good on special teams. He was also very, very good on defense. He was good in coverage. He tackled well. He made plays. He can play man coverage, he can play zone coverage, he can tackle, he can help in run support, he plays excellent special teams. Very nice Mike Adams.

Sticking with the defense the pressure on Trent Edwards was great yesterday. You have got to credit the defense and Rob Ryan for dialing up the right blitzes and schemes. Kamerion Wimbley continues his productive 2009 with his fourth sack in game number five. Wimbley was in the backfield all day. Shaun Rogers also did his usual excellent job. Corey Williams provided good pressure when he was on the field. The roughing the passer call on Williams in the end zone was completely bogus. The whole front did a really good job yesterday. The Bills O-Line looked overmatched. They had nine false starts. That's amazing.

The secondary was good too. Not really surprising that the D played well when you hold the opponent to three points. Brodney Pool continued to do good things, although he didn't have the same impact he had last week. He did play a solid game. Eric Wright had a stupid, inexplicable, indefensible pass interference call on third down when he just leveled Josh Reed about 12 minutes before the ball arrived. Otherwise though Wright was good. We should periodically bench Brandon McDonald. He responds really well to it. He had another nice day yesterday. Mike Adams I already addressed. I don't remember Abe Elam getting beat yesterday, I also don't remember him making any plays, so I assume he played well enough.

Of course there were negatives about yesterday's game, but for now who cares. If you want a recap of all that went wrong look to any of the National Media's stories. ESPN.com termed the game a "battle of ineptitude." I still saw a lot of good (see above). At the very least, the Browns got to be on the right side of the scoreboard this week. ManKok removed one of the monkeys from their backs. Tony Grossi said it best in today's Plain Dealer, "A win is a win is a win."

Jack Bacevice