Red Right 88

In Cleveland, hope dies last

Archive for the category “Cleveland Browns”

08 May 2011

Is Art Modell a Hall of Famer?

Does Art Modell deserve to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

The short and easy answer is clearly no.

Of course, there are those who think the easy answer is yes.

Ozzie Newsome is one of those people.

Newsome has a unique perspective on the situation. He spent his entire Hall of Fame career with the Browns playing for Modell, and is currently the general manager of the Ravens – a job that Modell hired him for.

Newsome made news this week when he told Baltimore season ticket holders that Modell deserved to be in the Hall of Fame. Modell hasn’t been a finalist for the Hall of Fame in a decade. He didn’t make the cut to the finalists again this year.

“I don’t know what we can do,” Newsome said. “My biggest fear is once he passes away then he’ll get the opportunity to go in. I don’t think that’s fair. He deserves to be in there He deserves to go in before I did.”

We can understand Newsome’s feelings toward Modell. The two have a relationship that dates back to 1978, Newsome’s rookie year. Modell hired Newsome as vice president of player personnel after he retired and made him general manager in 2002, a position that Newsome has done quite well in. And Newsome is certainly entitled to his opinion

But once you take out personal feelings – on both Newsome’s part and on the part of Browns fans – and look at Modell’s body of work, you realize that, other than being a longtime owner of an NFL franchise, Modell doesn’t deserve to be in the Hall of Fame, even if he hadn’t moved the Browns.

In his book, Things I’ve Learned from Watching the Browns, Terry Pluto lays out a solid argument against Modell. The Browns remained highly competitive in the 1960s under coach Blanton Collier, but once he retired following the 1970 season, the wheels pretty much fell off for the Browns. Consider that:

  • From 1971 to 1995, the Browns were 187-188.
  • The team had 12 winning seasons during that span.
  • The Browns were 4-10 in playoff games post-Collier
  • Modell hired seven coaches during that 25-year stretch and only two left the team with winning records: Nick Skorich (30-24) and Marty Schottenheimer (44-27).
  • After moving the team to Baltimore, the Ravens were 63-64 while Modell still owned the team – but did win a Super Bowl in 2000.

Those are Hall of Fame credentials?

To be considered for the Hall of Fame, Modell would be put in the Contributors wing, which includes, among others:

  • Wellington Mara, former owner of the NY Giants. The team won six titles during his tenure.
  • George Halas, one of the founding member of the NFL and a six-time champion with the Bears.
  • Curly Lambeau, who spent 30 years as a player, coach, general manager and founder of the Green Bay Packers. He won six titles during that time.
  • Al Davis, former AFL commissioner and three-time champion with the Raiders.
  • Lamar Hunt, founder of the AFL. He came up with the idea of shared ticket revenue and made sure the AFL had a national TV contract that each team shared in equally. And he thought of it before the NFL.
  • George Preston Marshall, owner of the Washington Redskins from 1932 to 1969, he is credited with convincing his fellow owners to adopt a standard schedule and play a championship game.

The funny thing is, Al Davis moved the Raiders from Oakland to LA and back to Oakland, he has also sued the league on several occasions.

George Preston Marshall was openly racist – the Redskins were the last NFL team to integrate, in 1962 – and Marshall had the team sing Dixie every year at the season-opening luncheon (even after the team integrated).

Despite all that, they are both more deserving than Modell.

So just looking at Modell’s on-field accomplishments as an owner is enough to keep him out of the hall. But when you factor in that he took the Browns away from Cleveland, that seals the deal for keeping him out.

And the worst part is, he didn’t have to do it.

Modell was a lousy businessman; it’s hard to argue otherwise. Despite owning a team that Financial World magazine ranked in 1995 as the fifth-most valuable franchise in sports, and playing in a league where the annual TV revenue covered the payroll and playing almost every home game before 70,000 paying fans, Modell was constantly in debt. Remember how Modell had to borrow the $5 million to cover Andre Rison’s signing bonus in 1995? (Maybe that’s a memory better left buried).

And while the city of Cleveland certainly played a role in some of Modell’s financial issues – that side of the story is well told in Michael Poplar’s book, Fumble! The Browns, Modell and the Move – the one constant through everything was Modell.

Even after moving the team and receiving a sweetheart deal from Baltimore, Modell mismanaged his finances so poorly that he ended having to put the team up for sale after just three years in Baltimore.

‘The principal reason I sold my team is to put my estate in order and provide for my children and grandchildren so they won’t have to worry a day like I did growing up,” Modell said in a New York Times article in 2003. ”During my father’s time, the Depression was brutal and it wiped out his business, a chain of radio stores. During my time as owner, I’ve done many deals and made millions and lost millions, but this is the first time in my life I’ve been economically free. I’m out of the debt and out of that pressure.

“It’s something every man works for and I worked 43 years for it, to build that for my family.”

So why couldn’t he have done that in Cleveland? Al Lerner clearly had the money as he ended up buying the expansion Browns when they returned in 1999. Why didn’t Modell just sell the team to Lerner, keeping a small stake for himself, and remain what we once thought he was – someone who always had the Browns and Cleveland first on his priority list?

That’s the biggest question and that we will probably never get a true answer to.

Modell was a public relations man when he came out of New York to buy the Browns in 1961. And like any good PR man, he was able to spin his legacy to make it appear more than it really was.

For being an average owner, a lousy businessman and the man who took the Browns from Cleveland, the only way Modell should get into the Hall of Fame is if he buys a ticket.

Sorry Ozzie. You’re still one of our favorite Browns ever, but you are off base on this one.

***

For more on Modell’s legacy and what went on behind the scenes of the Browns move, check out Jon Morgan’s Glory for Sale, Fans, Dollars and the New NFL; Michael Poplar’s Fumble! The Browns, Modell and the Move; and Terry Pluto’s Things I’ve Learned from Watching the Browns.

Posted in Art Modell, Cleveland Browns, NFL, Ozzie Newsome | Leave a comment
06 May 2011

Dreaming of championship bling

It’s been so long since we’ve seen a championship team here in Cleveland that many people probably don’t remember that when a team wins a title they are rewarded with gaudy rings.

But they used to win championships in this town (seriously) and they gave out some cool stuff in the pre-ring days.

The 1954 Indians gave players these sweet cuff links, along with tie tacks and stickpins with the same motif, all cast in gold and set with rubies for winning the American League.

Those are so cool we would have no trouble running out and picking up some French-cuff shirts just so we could wear the cuff links.

These cuff links were presented to Tris Speaker in 1920 for leading the Tribe to its first World Series championship and hitting .388 along the way. (And that led to the Indians wearing the greatest uniforms in the history of forever in 1921).

After the Browns won their third consecutive All-America Football Conference championship, the team gave players these tie clips.

When the Browns, Indians or Cavs next win a championship, they need to remember their heritage and make some of these items available for fans.

We know we’d have no trouble dropping some coin on them.

(Major h/t to Uni Watch)

***

They had to go extra innings, and closer Chris Perez made it more interesting than it had to be, but the Indians beat Oakland on Thursday to take 2-of-3 from the A’s.

The Tribe starters were in a groove in Oakland, as Fausto Carmona, Josh Tomlin and Jeanmar Gomez combined to throw 21 innings in the series, giving up just 14 hits and four earned runs (a 1.71 ERA).

So the Indians are halfway through their West Coast trip and the second-place Royals haven’t made up any ground.

So far, so good.

***

We heard an interesting stat this afternoon on Sirius Mad Dog Radio.

Only three times in major league history has a team made the playoffs after being 10 games or more back after the first 30 games of the season. (We tried to catch the teams Chris Russo named, but he was going so fast we only heard the 1914 Boston Braves).

So we can pretty much write off the White Sox this season (11 games back) and we’ll throw the Twins (9.5) in there as well.

Indian Fever, baby. It’s spreading.

Posted in Chris Russo, Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Indians | Leave a comment
02 May 2011

Tribe turning into the team we need

With no championships since 1964, it’s clear we never get the team we want here in Cleveland.

But when we need it most, a team will rise up, fill us with hope and become the team we need.

In the spring of 1976, the Miracle of Richfield Cavaliers captivated Northeast Ohio for a month as they battled Washington and Boston in the playoffs.

The end of the decade was not kind to the city as it declared bankruptcy, but the Kardiac Kids were there to take the Browns to the playoffs in the fall of 1980 after an eight-year wait, taking everyone’s mind off the financial troubles plaguing the city.

In the mid-’90s, when the Cavs were irrelevant and the Browns were gone, the Indians awoke Gabe Paul’s famous “sleeping giant,” starting a run of six playoff appearances in seven years, with two unforgettable trips to the World Series.

For the past seven years, it was the Cavs, and no matter how things turned out last summer, it was quite a ride.

Now, with the Cavs no longer a playoff team, and no idea when we will see the orange helmets of the Browns on the field again, Cleveland is once again in need.

Can this year’s Indians be the team to restore our hope?

The Tribe heads out west this week for a six-game road trip with:

  • the best record in baseball
  • the best home record in baseball
  • the biggest run differential in baseball
  • the third-best ERA in the AL
  • the second-highest batting average in the AL
  • the highest on-base percentage in the AL

No one saw this coming and we have no idea how long it will last. And we don’t even want to think what it would be like around here if the Tribe was 9-18 instead of 19-8.

But it’s clear after the first month of the season that the Tribe, once again, has turned into the team we need.

***

Lawrence Vickers was surprised the Browns drafted Stanford’s Owen Marecic in the fourth round of this weekend’s NFL Draft. You know, since they share the same position and everything.

We were too, but we figured the Browns were selecting Marecic for special teams play and as a backup.

But Vickers clearly took it a different way.

“Honestly, my first reaction was ‘Wow,’’” Vickers said in a telephone interview with ESPN. “I’m amazed. I was amazed I was still a free agent and wasn’t signed [by the Browns] before the deadline. I didn’t understand it. But at the same time I do understand because nothing has ever come easy to me. So I was prepared for it.

“If they want me, they want me. If they don’t, they don’t. As a man, you have to be prepared for anything. But in the back of my mind I thought I would be in Cleveland.”

Plus Vickers is one of those guys who “gets it.”

“They love hard-working people and that’s what I love about Cleveland: It’s nothing but hard-working people there,” Vickers said. “I am appreciative of everything I have, and that’s why me and Cleveland fans vibe. You will never hear me say anything bad about them, because it’s a mutual respect.”

Vickers has been a key part of the Browns running game the past few years – he should have been in the Pro Bowl last year – and we just assumed the Browns would bring him back. Knowing that Vickers is leading the way for Peyton Hillis against Pittsburgh and Baltimore makes us sleep better at night and we find it hard to believe the Browns would want to turn the position over to a rookie.

***

While we were pleased with the Browns draft, we were a little taken aback by this story from Peter King in his Monday Morning QB column:

When Cal defensive end Cameron Jordan was taking a tour through his new business home – the New Orleans Saints practice facility in Metairie, La. – on Saturday, his cell phone rang.

“Hi,” said the voice on the other end. “Jordan? This is the Cleveland Browns … ” The call was for some biographical information.

“Uh, yeah, this is Cameron Jordan,” he said. “But the Saints already picked me.”

There was an awkward pause, and Cameron Jordan said: “I think you mean Jordan Cameron, you’re looking for Jordan Cameron. That’s not me.”

Cameron Jordan, the 24th pick in the draft, then hung up the phone. The Browns actually picked the right person – USC tight end Jordan Cameron and had phoned him to tell him the good news – and this was the call back to get biographical information from him.

Sounds like the Browns need to tighten things up a bit in the research department.

Posted in Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Indians, Lawrence Vickers, NFL draft | Leave a comment
30 Apr 2011

Browns fill some more holes

We’re not going to pretend that we know much (or anything) about the five players the Browns selected in the final day of the NFL Draft.

We do think the Browns did well, however, as they filled some more needs on the team, although we would have liked to have seen them draft an offensive linemen before the fifth round.

“We picked the best player available at the time at a position without reaching,” team president Mike Holmgren told The Plain Dealer. “That’s the key to a draft. If you can be solid year after year – I don’t think spectacular, but solid year after year – this is a solid way to do it. Then if you hit a spectacular pick, fine. But that’s the way to build a team.”

There’s no way of knowing if any of these guys will actually see the field this fall (or whenever we have football again) but they help the team’s depth, so it is all good.

Here’s what we do know, thanks to Sports Illustrated:

Tight end Jordan Cameron: “After a nondescript college career, Cameron displayed a lot of skill during the week of practices at the Shrine Game and turned in a terrific combine workout. He offers a great amount of potential and could develop into a starting tight end as he learns the position and improves his game.”

“I’ve got a lot to learn, but I’m willing to do so and I’m excited about my future in this league,” Cameron said. “I could add some weight. I’ve got a skinny frame and could get up to 260 and still be able to move pretty well.”

Cameron does have this going for him as well.,

Fullback Owen Marecic is a “throwback who played two ways as a senior and gets the most from his ability. He’s a hard-nosed football player who may never be a star but will help an NFL roster in a variety of ways.”

“I always try to train to be a football player, but fullback may be the place I fit at home best,” Marecic said. “I’m very, very excited to be a Cleveland Brown.”

Cornerback Buster Skrine is a “terrific athlete with elite speed and a great amount of upside. Still developing at the position, Skrine would be most effective in a system that uses him backed off the line of scrimmage. Should be able to contribute as a nickel or dime back during his rookie season and also be given an opportunity to return kicks.”

“Even though I’m undersized, I’m a tough corner,” Skrine said. “I play bigger than my height; I cover well and I’m coachable, which helps me a lot. I just play bigger than what I am. The size thing really doesn’t get to me. I see myself as a player, just like any other player on the field. I go out there, play my game and try to play better than everyone else out there.

Offensive tackle Jason Pinkston “has been a productive blind side protector for Pittsburgh since his sophomore season and has enough skill to play the left tackle position in the NFL. He may move into guard based on his size, but he offers the ability to play in a conventional offense or in a zone blocking system.”

“I’m a hard worker,” Pinkston said. “I love football; it’s my life. I love running the football; I love drive-blocking people. Whatever I can do to help the team win, I’m going to do it.”

Safety Eric Hagg “is a cognizant defender who consistently positions himself to make plays on the ball. He was very productive on the college level and would do well in a zone system at the next level, although his poor speed and limited quickness will be issues.”

So there we are. The Browns ended up drafting four offensive and four defensive players. They seem to have added to the toughness of the team, something that is important when you play in the AFC North.

Their first three picks – Phil Taylor, Jabaal Sheard and Greg Little should all see game action from Week 1 – or whenever we finally have football. The rest, who knows? We can certainly see where they could be contributors on special teams.

“Obviously, we helped our defensive line, which was a concern,” general manager Tom Heckert said. “But we just think we got good football players that will come in and help us.”

Overall we’re comfortable with the draft the Browns had. Plus they still have a second first round pick sitting in their pocket for next year.

Not a bad three days. Not bad at all.

Posted in Cleveland Browns, NFL draft | Leave a comment
30 Apr 2011

Browns think defense, touchdowns

The Browns went back to work on the defensive line in the second round, selecting Pitt’s Jabaal Sheard with their first pick of the night.

According to Sports Illustrated, “Sheard has quietly been one of the better pass rushers in college football the past three seasons and is a defender who continually makes plays behind the line of scrimmage. He’s displayed constant improvement on the field and should be very productive as a one-gap end at the next level.”

Sheard stepped up for the Panthers last year after fellow lineman Greg Romeus went down with an injury, earning Big East Defensive Player of the Year honors with 14.5 tackles for loss, nine sacks and four forced fumbles.

“I’m aggressive. I know how to get to the quarterback. And I’m a hard worker,” Sheard said on a conference call. “I’m always thinking of getting to the quarterback. I want to make that hit that makes the crowd go ‘Ooooo.’ That’s the guy I want to be. I want the kind of feedback from guys saying, “I never want to play against you again.'”

There was also this little thing where he was arrested last summer for allegedly throwing a man through a glass door of an art gallery.

Hey, who didn’t do that when in college?

Sheard will join a the defensive line with first-round pick Phil Taylor and Ahtyba Rubin. According to Ourlads.com (from Terry Pluto), in a 4-3 defense you can put Taylor “over the center and that would make their life miserable. He is intimidating.”

The Browns have made us miserable for years; it’s about time they start getting players who can make the other team miserable.

We imagine the offensive line coaches in Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Cincinnati are already sweating about facing these guys twice a year.

With their second pick in the second round (the one they got from Atlanta) the Browns finally started thinking touchdowns, taking North Carolina wide receiver Greg Little – who didn’t play last season after being suspended by the NCAA.

Little is a former running back who switched to wide receiver his sophomore year. He caught 62 passes for 724 yards and five touchdowns his junior year.

According to Sports Illustrated, Little is a relatively athletic receiver who does the little things well on the field. Sells routes, comes back to the ball out of breaks, and plays with good quickness. Possesses good eye/hand coordination, effectively looks the ball in, and makes the reception in stride. But he lacks a burst and a second gear. He possesses the tools and pass catching skills necessary to be a number two receiver on the NFL level.”

“I think to me, to be accepted as a second round draft pick, while just playing the position completely one full year, I think the sky’s the limit for me right now.” Little said on a conference call. “Honestly, I think I have so much upside to wide receiver, not having played the position but one complete year. I’m just ready to get back at it.”

Overall the Browns did some solid work in the first two rounds. Maybe they didn’t come away with anyone spectacular, but they picked up three players that should be on the field next season. And they have six more picks left in rounds 4-7.

Most importantly, by adding Taylor and Sheard to the defense, the Browns now have five key players who are 24 or younger on the defensive side of the ball – the two draft picks, Rubin, Joe Haden and T.J. Ward.

And that definitely is a good thing.

Posted in Cleveland Browns, Greg Little, Jabaal Sheard, NFL draft | Leave a comment
29 Apr 2011

Browns get defensive with first pick

Well, we didn’t see that one coming.

General manager Tom Heckert put on his Eric Mangini mask and made multiple trades as the Browns bounced around the first round from No. 6 to No. 27 before finally settling at No. 21 and picking Baylor defensive tackle Phil Taylor.

The Browns also ended up with four additional draft picks after all the trading was done.

Heckert said leading up to the draft that there were two players the Browns were targeting and, if they were gone, the Browns would be open to a deal. That appeared to be the case, especially after the Cardinals got their revenge for Derek Anderson by taking LSU’s Patrick Peterson one pick before the Browns.

The Browns picked up five picks from Atlanta – the Falcons giving up their first-, second-, and fourth-round selections this year and first- and fourth-round picks in 2012 – so that Atlanta could take Alabama’s Julio Jones.

The Browns then gave KC the 27th overall pick acquired from Atlanta and the Browns’ third-round selection, No. 70 overall, to move up to 21 and pick Taylor.

So, was it all worth it?

Taylor will pair with Ahtyba Rubin in the Browns four-man front, hopefully building a large wall to bolster the run defense.

ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. wrote that Taylor “showed he can be a disruptive force along the interior of the defensive line. Taylor is a massive tackle who can throw around the center or guards like they’re rag dolls. He’s tremendously powerful and strong and is a great run-stuffing defensive tackle, showing excellent stoutness at the point of attack.

“In fact, Taylor is arguably the best pure nose tackle in this draft … an immovable object along the interior.”

“We really like Phil Taylor,” Heckert told The Plain Dealer. “We think with him and Rubin, we’re going to be tough inside.”He’s a big man who can push the pocket. If your guards or center are undersized, he’s going to run right over the top of them. That’s intriguing for us.”

The consensus seems to be that the Browns really took it to Atlanta with the trade, so they have that going for them.

Two years ago when the Browns moved around the first round they ended up walking away with Alex Mack, who’s the best center in the division. Hopefully they can come close with the selection of Taylor.

The Browns still have eight picks to make in this year’s draft as the team continues to rebuild and get younger. They have two picks in the second round – No. 37 & No. 59 – as well as picks 102, 124, 137, 168, 170 and 248.

And there is still more to come with the second round starting tonight. And plenty of players still available. Da’Quan Bowers anyone?

Posted in Cleveland Browns, NFL draft, Phil Taylor | Leave a comment
28 Apr 2011

Browns are on the clock

We’re confident the Browns know what they want to do with their first pick in tonight’s opening round of the NFL Draft – what’s less clear is what they will do.

With no way of knowing for sure what the five teams – Carolina, Denver, Buffalo, Cincinnati and Arizona – picking ahead of them are up to, it’s hard to guess which players will be available when the Browns pick.

But we know who we would like to see them pick, in order:

  • Patrick Peterson
  • Marcell Dareus
  • Von Miller
  • A.J. Green
  • Julio Jones
  • Prince Amukamara
  • Robert Quinn
  • Tyron Smith
  • Mike Pouncey
  • Anthony Castonzo
  • Da’Quan Bowers
  • Nick Fairley

We like the thought of Peterson joining a secondary with Joe Haden, T.J. Ward and Sheldon Brown. Despite having the reputation of being a smashmouth division, the AFC North is a passing division and the stronger the Browns secondary is the better it makes the rest of the defense.

If Peterson isn’t there, just keep moving down the list. Dareus and Miller will probably be gone, but the good thing is one of these players will be there when the Browns pick and they all fill a need on the team.

***

While we’re doubtful that U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson’s latest ruling will end the NFL’s labor situation, it does open the door for the Browns to get in some valuable work with the players.

We know the Browns want to be a company team and follow the lead of the league office. But it’s time to start looking out for No. 1.

As long as Nelson’s ruling stays in effect, the Browns should get as many players as they can into meetings with the new coaching staff and start going over the playbook and watching film. We understand if the team is reluctant to let any of the players do anything that could result in an injury, but that’s not going to happen in a classroom.

And even if the ruling is overturned on appeal and the players are locked out again, any work the coaches and players can put in now will only payoff when this thing finally gets settled.

Posted in Cleveland Browns, NFL draft | Leave a comment
27 Apr 2011

Oh boy, now we’ve done it

Well, we did it Cleveland – Peyton Hillis is the new cover boy for this year’s Madden NFL game.

Oh crap.

Hillis picked up 66 percent of the vote in the final of the 32-player tournament to easily beat Philadelphia quarterback Michael Vick.

We tried to warn people – the Madden Curse is real. And now it’s going to roll through Cleveland like Godzilla through Tokyo.

And now Hillis is infected with something worse than the cheese touch.

The Browns better hope Montario Hardesty’s knee is OK and we have no doubt general manager Tom Heckert is hastily reordering his draft board now that the news is out.

Of course, there are some heretics out there who think this is OK. Check them out at your own risk here, and here.

***

The Browns are reportedly (emphasis on the reportedly part) in discussions with Minnesota to trade for the Vikings’ first-round pick (No. 12) in tomorrow night’s NFL Draft.

According to National Football Authority, the Browns are targeting two players and, if they land one of them with their own pick at No. 6, they will be interested in trading with Minnesota if unnamed player No. 2 is available when the Vikings go on the clock.

While that sounds good on paper, the cost of the reported deal is steep: the Browns would give up their second-round pick this year (No. 37) and their No. 1 pick next year.

Now, the Browns clearly need all the help they can get. But is adding a second player at the cost of next year’s No. 1 pick – which could be quite high again as the team is working with a new coaching staff installing a new system – a price worth paying?

We don’t think so. If the team was ready to win now and that one extra player would help put them over the top, we could probably get behind the deal.

But as the team is currently constructed, we’ll take a pass. And we expect the Browns to do the same if the Vikings actually do come calling. (h/t to Cleveland Frowns)

***

Congratulations to Clint Dempsey, who scored twice in Fulham’s 3-0 win over Bolton on Wednesday.

Dempsey is now the Cottagers’ top scorer in the Premier League era with 33 goals. He’s also just one of two U.S. players to score in multiple World Cups, scoring against Ghana in 2006 and England last summer.

You can see video of his two goals here.

***

More good news out of Kent State, as the women’s golf team will play in the 2011 NCAA Women’s Golf Tournament from May 5-7.

The Golden Flashes, winner of their 13th consecutive Mid-American Conference team title, will be one of 24 teams to participate in the Central Regional at Warren Golf Course where the Flashes placed second in October at the Notre Dame Invitational.

Kent State is the 11th seed in a regional where UCLA, Duke, LSU and Arkansas are the top four seeds. The top eight advance to the NCAA Championship at Traditions Golf Course in Texas from May 18-21.

Posted in Cleveland Browns, Clint Dempsey, Kent State, Madden Curse, NFL draft, Peyton Hillis | Leave a comment
25 Apr 2011

Should Browns tackle the defensive line?

The Browns need help on the defensive line – that’s no secret – and, for once, luck may be on their side as this year’s draft class is deep in defensive line talent.

If the Browns decide to pick a defensive linemen with the No. 6 pick Thursday night in the opening round of the NFL Draft, the question then becomes: do they go for a defensive end or a tackle to pair with Ahtyba Rubin inside? If they go inside, the top two tackles are Alabama’s Marcell Dareus and Auburn’s Nick Fairley.

We’d be cool with the Browns taking Dareus, who has been described as someone who “can be the backbone of an elite defensive line, and his run defense is the key. Takes momentum blocking – especially slide protection – very well. Strong enough to go against the grain and split gaps. Agile enough to redirect in space and extends the play to the sideline. Blows up piles and can be dominant in power situations.”

Unfortunately, Dareus is expected to be one of the first players off the board.

Less certain is Fairley, who makes us uneasy: “In addition to the late hits, Fairley can be drawn offside and this could be a bigger problem in the NFL when he’s dealing with quarterbacks who have great cadences and can trip up defenders with their snap counts. Concerns about his work ethic have dogged Fairley for a long time; not known to be a gym rat or an exceptionally interested student of the game.”

Does that really sound like someone we want the Browns to take a chance on?

No, it does not.*

***

“Potential major violations”

“failed to deport himself … [with] honesty and integrity”

“violated ethical-conduct legislation”

Not the kinds of things you generally want to hear about your football coach, but that’s what Ohio State is hearing about Jim Tressel after the NCAA presented its notice of allegations to the school about Tressel lying to cover up violations of seven players.

The NCAA also warned that it could treat Ohio State as a repeat offender stemming from the violations involving former quarterback Troy Smith, who took $500 from a booster and former men’s basketball coach Jim O’Brien, who gave $6,000 to a recruit.

Repeat offenders face post-season bans, the entire coaching staff could be suspended and the school could lose scholarships, according to NCAA rules.

Uh-oh, somebody is in big trouble.

Former Ohio State quarterback and current ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit, who had to move out of state because the hoopleheads in Columbus couldn’t handle him telling the truth, summed up the current situation perfectly.

“The Ohio State fan base blindly is supporting Ohio State and Jim Tressel. It’s almost gotten to the point that he beats Michigan, he wins 10 games, he goes to BCS bowl games, they’ll support him no matter what he does as far as the fan base,” Herbstreit told ESPN. “If this would have happened to John Cooper [Herbstreit’s coach], not only would they have fired him, they would have actually lined it up and had a firing squad and fired him.”

Hmmm, you’d think someone who wraps themselves in the cloak of Christianity, like Tressel repeatedly does, would have known right from wrong.

***

Reason No. 152 why we are so very glad the Browns didn’t make the mistake of hiring Jon Gruden as head coach comes from Peter King, writing in his Monday Morning QB column.

King tries to answer the question that has puzzle many of us: why does everyone treat Gruden as some kind of quarterback guru?

I think in the wake of Jon Gruden sitting with quarterbacks and working out quarterbacks and examining their mental and physical games, this has been the common question: If Gruden is so good with young quarterbacks, why didn’t he ever develop a great one himself?

In his second year as Raider coach in 1999, he got the kind of quarterback he felt was best to win with immediately, Rich Gannon. Early in his Buc tenure, he duplicated that with Brad Johnson. Two veteran quarterbacks, both of whom Gruden used to take those teams deep into the playoffs; he won a Super Bowl, obviously, with Johnson. So that became the way he thought best to win big. Later in his Tampa term, it stopped working, and he suffered for it. Gruden’s not going to be one of the patient guys who says, “Let’s take our lumps with the young kids.” He’s going to be a win-now guy.

I also think Gruden likes to be known as the fixer, the guy who wins quicker than the other coaches. He fixed the Raiders, then got the Bucs a championship Tony Dungy never got. Gruden’s not going to be the guy who you want coaching your team for 12 years, but he’s going to be the guy who takes over a pretty good team, gives it shock therapy and a sense of urgency, and has a chance to win quickly.

The last thing the Browns need is a quick-fix guy. They need someone who will build the team in the right way. Gruden is obviously not that guy.

***

*If the Browns do end up drafting Fairley, we are 100 percent behind the pick. If the player is wearing a jersey that says Cleveland on it then we want them to succeed. We just won’t be disappointed if the Browns pass on him.

Posted in Cleveland Browns, culture of lies, hoopleheads, Jim Tressel, NFL draft, Ohio State | Leave a comment
24 Apr 2011

Browns in good hands with Heckert

If for some reason anyone had any doubt the Browns are in good hands on draft day with general manager Tom Heckert calling the shots, today’s story from Nate Ulrich in The Beacon Journal should calm those fears.

The article talks about the system Heckert uses to help determine the players the Browns want to select. He has two players in mind for each of the team’s seven picks; if neither player is available he will look to trade.

“I think this year, there’s a chance we could hit on six guys that are at least playing,” Heckert said in the story. ”If you can get drafts like that, you’re gonna be fine. They don’t have to be all Pro Bowl players. They have to be good football players, and that’s how you build your team. I think if you stick with that philosophy, more of the guys are gonna make the team ’cause they’re not gonna be flakes, and you’re not gonna want to get rid of them. Once you do that, you start building your team, and you’re gonna be good for a long time if you keep drafting well.”

It’s so comforting knowing that, whatever happens come draft day, the Browns are prepared, have a solid plan and will stick to it. We can’t remember the last time we felt this comfortable heading into a Browns draft.

”Tom has an excellent feel for players,” coach Pat Shurmur told the paper. ”I think he’s done the research on so many, he’s got so many ways he can compare a guy. He’s been around the league so long, so he knows what a player is. He knows how to set up the draft. He knows how to pick the players. He knows how to trade around and do what you have to do — the game of the draft.”

If Heckert can come through with another solid draft to pair up with last year’s, the Browns may actually get this thing turned around sometime in our lifetime.

Just be sure to stay away from those quarterbacks.

Posted in Cleveland Browns, NFL draft, Tom Heckert | Leave a comment

Post Navigation

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →