The Conversation I Want To Have With My Child One Day....

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

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?

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

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

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

"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?