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In Cleveland, hope dies last

Archive for the category “Cleveland Browns”

03 Mar 2014

Browns take small gamble by transitioning Alex Mack

Good news out of Berea on Monday as the Cleveland Browns placed the transition tag on All Pro center Alex Mack.

If the Browns don’t reach a multi-year deal with Mack, he will play the 2014 season under a salary of $10.039 million.

The only downside to tagging Mack rather than working out a new deal now is that other teams can still make him an offer once free agency begins on March 11. If that were to happen, the Browns would have five days to match any offer for Mack.

The risk of that happening seems small, however, as the Browns have the second-most cap space in the NFL, so it would be difficult for another team to create an offer that the Browns would be financially unable to match. And throw in the fact that by using the transition tag, rather than the franchise tag, the Browns would not receive a draft pick compensation if Mack were to leave, and it seems like the Browns have plenty of motivation to keep Mack in Cleveland at least through the upcoming season.

Posted in Cleveland Browns, Liverpool and tagged Cleveland Browns, Liverpool

02 Mar 2014

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From the editor’s notebook …

Now that the calendar has turned to March, the NFL is gearing up for the start of free agency on March 11. And with more than $57 million in cap space, the Cleveland Browns have the opportunity to be buyers.

With several holes to fill on the team, the question is where the Browns will plan to spend their money. Resigning Pro Bowl center Alex Mack should certainly be a priority; as well as Pro Bowl safety T.J. Ward.

Ward’s case is particularly interesting in light of the news on Sunday that the Buffalo Bills may not be able to reach a deal with safety Jairus Byrd and that Byrd may become an unrestricted free agent.

Posted in Cleveland Browns, Liverpool and tagged Cleveland Browns, Liverpool

28 Feb 2014

Browns can keep Ahtyba Rubin. Question is, should they?

There was much talk on Friday in Browns Town that the Cleveland Browns might, possibly, could be thinking about releasing defensive lineman Ahtyba Rubin.

It all started with a report from Pro Football Talk, who cited a “league source” (i.e., former Browns general manager Mike Lombardi) as saying that Rubin may find himself in the sites of Ray Farmer as Rubin enters the final year of a four-year contract that is scheduled to pay him $6.6 million this season ($8.2 million against the cap). That figure puts Rubin just behind the likes of Ndamukong Suh, Gerald McCoy and Geno Atkins.

None of this is set in stone, of course, and it comes off as a case of “if the Browns were to release someone, then Rubin could be the likely choice.”

We can see both sides of the issue on Rubin.

Posted in Cleveland Browns and tagged Cleveland Browns | Leave a comment

26 Feb 2014

Browns begin reshaping the defense, release D’Qwell Jackson

In a move that was surprising only in the sense that it happened today rather than say, next week, the Cleveland Browns released veteran inside linebacker D’Qwell Jackson on Wednesday.

Jackson was due a $4.1 million roster bonus on March 15 as part of the five-year contract extension he signed two years ago that included $19 million in guarantees. When you add the bonus in with his $3.93 million salary, that means the Browns would have had more than $8 million invested in Jackson for the upcoming season, followed by salaries of $7.73 million and $7 million in the following two years, entirely too much money to tie up in a player who is getting ready to hit the wrong side of 30.

The Browns reportedly tried to work out a restructured deal to keep Jackson in Cleveland, but ultimately he decided to try his luck elsewhere.

Jackson is a solid, if not spectacular player, and after missing most of 2009 and all of 2010 with injuries, it is a testament to him that he was able to get back on the field for the Browns the past three seasons.

Posted in Cleveland Browns and tagged Cleveland Browns | Leave a comment

24 Feb 2014

All you can do at this point is laugh

It doesn’t matter that the NFL off-season is in full swing, with the combine winding up in Indianapolis, free agency set to begin in a few weeks and more than two months of draft hype staring us in the face.

It’s still open season on the Cleveland Browns and the smoldering ruins of the former front office.

The latest report comes courtesy of Pat Kirwan at CBS Sports, who cites an unnamed league source as saying Browns CEO Joe Banner wanted offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan and defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil to report directly to him rather than to head coach Mike Pettine.

Oh, brother.

Posted in Cleveland Browns and tagged Cleveland Browns | Leave a comment

23 Feb 2014

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Browns need to take serious look at Dri Archer on draft day

As the Cleveland Browns continue to try and rebuild an offense that has averaged just a little more than 16 points a game for the past six seasons, there is a dynamic playmaker sitting in their backyard that would look good in Orange and Brown.

We’re talking, of course, about Kent State running back Dri Archer.

Archer had a solid weekend at the NFL combine (for what that is worth), bench pressing 225 pounds 20 times and running official 4.26 in the 40-yard dash (holy crap!). And while that may not have been fast enough to break Chris Johnson’s record of 4.24, it’s still pretty darn fast.

Posted in Cleveland Browns, Kent State, Liverpool and tagged Cleveland Browns, Kent State, Liverpool

17 Feb 2014

From the editor’s notebook …

Nothing is ever concrete until a player signs a new deal, but it is encouraging to hear reports that the Cleveland Browns are working to resign All Pros Alex Mack and T.J. Ward before they hit free agency next month.

The season-long fear was that the Browns would let Mack and Ward walk in free agency because they play positions that then-CEO Joe Banner did not deem worthy of a big-money contract. But now that general manager Ray Farmer is running the show, things may be different.

Say what you will about Ward and Mack – we know they have their detractors – but they are very good players (especially Mack, who has yet to miss a game in five seasons in Cleveland) and they both seem to get more credit from outside of Cleveland than they do closer to home. If the Browns are serious about getting better, they are the kind of players the team needs to keep.

The Browns also have numerous other holes to fill across the roster and it seems counter-productive to create more problems for yourself by not signing two of your best players and creating even more holes. You also don’t want to run the risk of letting them hit free agency, where all it would take is one desperate team to throw a bunch of money at them, and having them walk away.

Posted in Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Cavaliers, Liverpool and tagged Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Cavaliers, Liverpool | Leave a comment

12 Feb 2014

Never underestimate the power of a good day in Cleveland

It’s a beautiful day
Don’t let it get away
It’s a beautiful day – U2

When we woke up this morning we were afraid that Tuesday’s blockbuster news from the Cleveland Browns had only been some beautiful dream.

But then we realized that it was true, Jimmy Haslam really had rid the Browns of general manager Mike Lombardi (and CEO Joe Banner) and we knew it was going to be a beautiful day.

The day only got better with the news that new general manager Ray Farmer is not only talking with Pro Bowl cornerback Joe Haden about a contract extension, but Farmer may also value Pro Bowl centers and Pro Bowl safeties more than Banner.

The news was so positive surrounding the Browns that the good vibes spread far beyond the walls of 76 Lou Groza Blvd. in Berea.

11 Feb 2014

2 Comments

Jimmy Haslam finally resolves his biggest mistake

It may have taken longer than we would have liked, but Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam finally made a move on Tuesday to fix the biggest mistake of his tenure with the team.

In relieving CEO Joe Banner of his duties and replacing general manager Mike Lombardi with Ray Farmer on the football side, Haslam sent a clear message that it is time to stop hoarding salary cap money and draft picks and start putting the Browns back on the right path.

“The purpose of these moves is to unify our team with one, unequivocal goal: Provide our fans with the winning organization they have long deserved,” Haslam said in announcing the moves.

That quote right there should fill Browns fans with hope that a better day is coming.

Posted in Cleveland Browns and tagged Cleveland Browns

05 Feb 2014

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Browns fighting never-ending perception battle

When Jimmy Haslam bought the Cleveland Browns and brought Joe Banner to town to run the organization, the duo talked about how they were going into this with eyes wide open.

We were a bit skeptical at the time if that was true or not, because you really have to be here to understand the scrutiny placed on the Browns – Cleveland’s only sports team that is a topic of conversation 365 days a year.

But if Haslam, Banner and the rest of the crew in Berea didn’t realize what they were getting themselves into, the past month certainly has driven the point home. Ever since the Browns decided to fire head coach Rob Chudzinski after just one season on the job the franchise has been criticized in a way that we haven’t seen since the Bill Belichick-era in the early 1990s.

Posted in Cleveland Browns and tagged Cleveland Browns

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