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In Cleveland, hope dies last

Archive for the tag “Cleveland Browns”

20 Mar 2014

Are Pro Days really all that important?

There was much hand wringing earlier this week in certain quarters about the fact that no one from the Cleveland Browns coaching staff has been in attendance for the Pro Days of quarterbacks Teddy Bridgewater and Blake Bortles.

Apparently it wasn’t enough that general manager Ray Farmer and the team’s scouts were in attendance as Bridgewater had a disappointing effort while Bortles fared much better. No, the fact that head coach Mike Pettine, offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan and quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains were not there is just another sign of the Browns dysfunctional ways.

Or so the story goes.

The whole manufactured controversy got us wondering just how important a player’s Pro Day really is in today’s NFL.

Posted in Cleveland Browns and tagged Cleveland Browns

15 Mar 2014

6 Comments

Browns finally getting serious about fixing the running game

The Cleveland Browns agreed to a two-year contract with free agent running back Ben Tate on Saturday.

And, in the process, the Browns announced that they will no longer be content to roll out a repeat of last year’s clown show at the running back position.

After missing his rookie season with an ankle injury, Tate has rushed for 4.73 yards per carry over the past three seasons, showing that he can be effective in the type of offense that Browns offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan likes to run. Tate took over as the starter in Week 8 of last season after Adrian Foster was injured, but suffered four broken ribs in that game, which limited his productivity. But he still finished the season with 771 rushing yards and four touchdowns.

Those numbers may not seem gaudy, but when you put them up against what the Browns did last year in the running game – the single-worst season in franchise history – Tate comes across as a Hall of Famer. Willis McGahee, Chris Ogbonnaya, Edwin Baker and Fozzy Whitaker combined for 739 yards and four touchdowns last season, along with a 2.9 yard per carry average.

That clearly was no longer going to cut it.

Posted in Cleveland Browns and tagged Ben Tate, Cleveland Browns

12 Mar 2014

Brandon Weeden one of Browns biggest disappointments

The Cleveland Browns continued cleaning house on Wednesday, releasing quarterbacks Brandon Weeden and Jason Campbell.

“First and foremost, the Browns would like to thank Brandon and his agent for being true professionals,” general manager Ray Farmer said in a statement. “The circumstances in which he found himself were not easy for him or the team. After discussions with Brandon and his agent, we’d like to give him the ability to pursue other opportunities.”

The moves were not unexpected as neither quarterback is very good. Things went downhill quickly for Campbell after he posted a “moral victory” in his first start and he eventually finished the season with a 1-7 record.

Things were even worse for Weeden, but his demise is more disappointing.

Posted in Brandon Weeden, Cleveland Browns and tagged Brandon Weeden, Cleveland Browns | Leave a comment

11 Mar 2014

6 Comments

Browns being smart – so far – in free agency

The Cleveland Browns had a nice start to free agency on Tuesday, agreeing to deals with inside linebacker Karlos Dansby and safety Donte Whitner.

Both move makes sense and give us confidence that the new regime of general manager Ray Farmer and head coach Mike Pettine may actually know what they are doing. They could undo that feeling with one reported move, which we will get to in a moment.

Dansby comes over from Arizona at a cost of $24 million over four years, with $14 million guaranteed. He had a career year in 2013, finishing with 122 tackles, 6.5 sacks and four interceptions, returning two of them for touchdowns.

Even though he is older than the player he replaces, D’Qwell Jackson, Dansby is a better player and will cost the Browns less over the next two years than they would have paid Jackson. So that’s a win. And while Dansby may be too old to contribute once the Browns get good, you could probably say the same about Jackson.

Posted in Cleveland Browns and tagged Cleveland Browns, Donte Whitner, Karlos Dansby

10 Mar 2014

3 Comments

5 Questions: Cleveland Browns free agency edition

The NFL officially opens free agency on Tuesday at 4 p.m. and with the Cleveland Browns having several holes to fill and even more money to spend, it could be a big week for everyone’s favorite team.

With a new management team in place in general manager Ray Farmer and head coach Mike Pettine, it is a bit of a mystery just what the Browns will do. Will they try to win the off-season? Or will they take a more conservative approach, saving their big moves for the NFL Draft in May?

To get ready for the spending frenzy that may be about to kick off, we brought together some of the best Browns minds on the Internet to look at the situation in the latest installment of 5 Questions in 5 Minutes. This feature previously ran on Cleveland Reboot, but after Dave Kolonich opted for early retirement, he was gracious enough to let us continue the series.

Today’s participants are:

Jeff Rich, a writer at More Than a Fan – Cleveland and co-host of College Football Roundtable and Time & Change. He can be found on Twitter @JRichRadio.

Dave Kolonich, the former writer of Cleveland Reboot. He has also written for The Orange and Brown Report, Scout.com, Fox Sports Ohio and a variety of websites. He can be found on Twitter @DaveKolonich.

Kanicki, the author/proprietor of jimkanicki.com and can be found on Twitter @jimkanicki.

Murray Alexander, a Scotland-based writer at East of Ehlo and The Factory of Sadness. He can be found on Twitter @SadFactory. (He’s also an Arsenal fan, but we’re willing to overlook that.)

Jonathan Knight, one of the leading authorities on Cleveland sports history. He is the author of Kardiac Kids, Sundays in the Pound, and The Browns Bible, among other works. He can be found on Twitter @jknightwriter.

Mike Krupka, a writer for Dawgs by Nature and contributor of college scouting pieces to The OBR. He can be found on Twitter @MikeKrupka.

Read more…

Posted in Cleveland Browns and tagged Cleveland Browns

09 Mar 2014

From the editor’s notebook …

The Cleveland Indians are just 22 days away from the opening of the 2014 season and so far they are only having the good kind of spring training problems.

The Tribe hasn’t had to deal with any major injury issues; the outfield rotation is looking good, particularly left fielder Michael Brantley, who is now hitting .615 in Cactus League play after going four-for-four on Saturday; Carlos Santana is doing what he can in the field at third base; reliever Vinnie Pestano seems to be on the right track to fixing what ailed him last season; and, most importantly, the starting pitching is looking solid.

The top three of Justin Masterson, Corey Kluber and Zach McCallister have quietly gone about their business this spring, and with Danny Salazar expected to make his first start with the regulars on Monday, the rotation is shaping up nicely.

The best part of the rotation may be at the No. 5 spot, of all places, as is it looks like manager Terry Francona is going to have a hard decision to make when it comes time to make the final roster decisions.

03 Mar 2014

2 Comments

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

1 Comment

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

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