DaBrowns41

Final NFL Mock: Spiller Slides; Browns and Eagles Swap Picks

2010-04-21T23:57:00.001-04:00

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. Despite former top 15 pick Adam Carriker being traded to Washington, St. Louis grabs their franchise guy.

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, despite the acquisition of Corey Williams and Kyle Vanden Bosch, 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. With the acquisition of Donovan McNabb, you can bet that Washington is going to protect their new veteran quarterback.

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) – Eric Berry, S, Tennesse- Seattle needs help in the secondary, and Berry is the best player available, while playing a huge position of need. 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.

7. Jacksonville (7-9 trade up with Cleveland) – 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.

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. While Gailey is said to prefer more mobile quarterbacks, you cannot pass on a guy with Clausen’s ceiling.

10. Cleveland Browns (5-11 trade with Jacksonville) Dan Williams, NT, Tennesse- The key component to running a 3-4 defense is the nose tackle position. Although it is currently filled by Shaun Rogers, many believe that Rogers will be traded on draft day as he is aging, and is rumored to not want to be in Cleveland. Worst case scenario is that Rogers would be retained, and play the 5 technique, while Williams would play nose tackle. Williams is excellent value 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) – Earl Thomas, S, Texas- Miami’s biggest problem is on the defensive line, but they are equally as bad at the free safety spot. Thomas is just slightly below the talent of Eric Berry who Seattle grabbed at pick number 6. Thomas’ speed allows him to cover a lot of ground, and he’s very aggressive like a ball hawk.

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) – C.J. Spiller, RB, Clemson- Spiller is a quick runner who’s also very effective between the tackles and out of the backfield. Houston was 30th in the league in 2009 in the rushing department, and with a quarterback as good as Schaub, they could be a stud rusher away from being a legit playoff team. Spiller gives them a dynamic at the running back position that they have never seen before.

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) – Devin McCourty, CB, Rutgers- After losing Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown, the Eagles are desperate for a speedy corner opposite Pro-Bowler Asante Samuel. Their cornerback depth is weak, and McCourty is a player who can step in right away and play in the number two spot. He can cover speedy receivers down the field, and isn’t too bad against the run either.

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) – Javhid Best, RB, California- With all of the better cornerbacks already selected, the Vikings look to replace Chester Taylor as Adrian Peterson’s backup runner. Best can catch the ball well out of the backfield and is elusive, much like Taylor, only he’s a bit quicker. In a league where many teams are running with two backs consistently, this move makes sense considering the better members of the secondary are already off the board.

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.

St Louis: Still Going Quarterback

2010-04-21T00:11:00.001-04:00

With the draft just under 48 hours away, the St. Louis Rams cut ties with, injury-prone, Adam Carriker. Carriker was the 13th pick of the 2007 NFL out of Nebraska. Many thought Carriker to be the ideal 3-4 defensive end, while still being a guy that could shut down the run and get to the passer as a 4-3 under tackle. Carriker was sent to the Washington Redskins for a seventh round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft.

So did dealing Carriker make room for Ndamukong Suh as the first overall pick in the NFL Draft? Perhaps it did. The Rams were 27th against the run last season from a yardage perspective. However, stats also show that they weren't as bad against the run as most would think. Profootballfocus.com has them as the 14th best rush defense last season. The secondary and pass rush seemed to be the biggest problem in St. Louis.

However, Suh is a phenomenal pass rusher as well, and warrants the first pick overall for virtually any team. Don't forget that a successful pass rush helps out the secondary significantly. However, will one defensive tackle solve all of their defensive problems? Most likely not.

The debate since the end of the college football season has been Suh vs. Sam Bradford or Jimmy Clausen. Until the middle of February, most everyone had Suh as the first overall pick, being the best pick available.

The million dollar question is "Why wouldn't St. Louis draft a quarterback?". Many teams in St. Louis' position on draft day generally don't have the offensive situation that the Rams are 'blessed' with. You may ask me why I think they are 'blessed' despite being one of the most ineffective offenses in 2009, and I'm here to tell you why.

First off, not many teams drafting number one overall have a franchise running back like St. Louis has with Steven Jackson. Jackson is coming off of his 5th consecutive 1,000 yard season. Two of the last four seasons that Jackson has played 15 or 16 games, he's rushed for over 1,400 yards. He still eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark despite playing in only 12 games in 2007 and 2009. He's a workhorse running back who can carry the load.

The next thing to look at is the offensive line. While young, they have two potential bookend tackles. Jason Smith was drafted #2 overall in the 2009 to take over at the left tackle spot for Alex Barron who has disappointed in pass protection, and even worse with penalties. However, Barron is a very stout run blocker and could switch to the right side, while giving the left tackle spot to Smith, who looks to be a dominate pass blocker at the next level. The Rams didn't get to see much of Smith as he went down with an injury in the middle of the season.

Don't forget last off-season's free agent acquisition of reliable veteran Jason Brown, and the Rams have a respectable offensive line. The guards are what will hold the Rams down, but the Rams should look to find guard help in the second or third round of the 2010 NFL Draft.

The last aspect to look at are the wide receivers. Donnie Avery will be in his third season after having a solid year in 2009. Last season, rookie Brandon Gibson also made a small splash as a number two wide out after Laurent Robinson went down. Gibson had just five drops after being thrown at 64 times. The problem was the quarterback last season for the Rams. The last big piece of the wide receiver corps is Laurent Robinson who showed promise in his first few games after grabbing 13 passes. Robinson could be a very promising wide receiver. He a very good size and speed combo as well as hands of glue.

When you look at it, the Rams are in a very good position to draft a quarterback at number one. Many teams that are drafting with the first pick don't have a franchise running back, or a potential franchise left tackle. Looking at the Rams options of Jimmy Clausen and Sam Bradford, it's hard to tell which one they'll choose, however, it's looking like Bradford will be the guy.

Don't rule out Suh completely at number one overall, but with quarterback being the most important position on the football field, and given the Rams somewhat promising offense, they're in a good position to grab their franchise quarterback.

First Round Mock

2010-03-27T00:01:00.000-04:00

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.

Cleveland Browns current Off-Season Summary

2010-03-16T00:06:00.001-04:00

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.
__________________

Who are the hardest players to place in mock drafts?

2010-02-20T03:04:00.002-05:00

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.

Senior Bowl Risers/Fallers

2010-02-02T09:33:00.002-05:00

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.

Post Deadline for Declaration Top 150 for April

2010-01-19T15:53:00.001-05:00

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. 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

Updated, and expanded to Top 100

2010-01-10T16:03:00.001-05:00

West Coast Offense and the effect on the Browns

2009-12-23T21:30:00.002-05:00

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.

DB41's Early Top 60 Draft Rankings

2009-12-07T12:03:00.001-05:00

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

The Browns can score... Touchdowns?

2009-11-28T01:29:00.001-05:00

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.

Browns Can't Afford to Draft a QB

2009-11-05T14:00:00.001-05:00

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.

Cleveland: Looking Ahead to the 2010 NFL Draft

2009-10-28T13:13:00.001-04:00

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.

Derek Anderson or Brady Quinn?

2009-10-14T20:34:00.001-04:00

Really, the only thing worth discussing with the Cleveland Browns is the quarterback situation. It seems year in and year out that there's always a "controversy" with the Browns.

1999- Tim Couch/Ty Detmer
2000- Tim Couch/Doug Pederson
2001-2003- Tim Couch/Kelly Holcomb
2004- Jeff Garcia/Luke McCown
2005- Trent Dilfer/Charlie Frye
2006- Charlie Frye
2007- Charlie Frye/Derek Anderson
2008- Derek Anderson/Brady Quinn
2009- Brady Quinn/Derek Anderson
2010- ????

You'd think that one day the Cleveland Browns would find a quarterback worth something... But then again, we are the Browns.

Focusing on the current controversy at hand, I am working on showing why Derek Anderson (so far) isn't much better, if at all, an option to help the Cleveland Browns offensively. As noted in my recent blog, the offense as a whole is just plain terrible. Let's look at some statistics:

Derek Anderson

22 total first downs- 14 pass-8 rush
5/18- Cincy- 14th against the pass

9 total first downs- 1 pass- 8 rush
4/16- Buffalo- 28th against the pass

Brady Quinn

11 total first downs- 10 pass-1 run
3/14- Denver- 4th against the pass

17 total first downs- 10 pass-5 run-2 penalty
3/12- Minnesota- 11th against the pass

This is what's confusing.

Sure against Cincy we did pretty well. They a solid defense against the pass.

Buffalo was a disaster (I know there were drops, but considering the drops and drive killing penalties BQ had, I considered it a wash).

I left out the Baltimore game because it's not completely fair to judge either QB considering the circumstances. Some could argue that Baltimore changed their coverage to more of a bend but not break because of the huge lead. Either way, 3 interceptions by Anderson was obviously not helping his cause as "being a better option".

So BQ combined for 28 first downs, 20 of them passing compared to DA's 29 first downs, 15 have been through the air.

Third down conversions, there hasn't been much difference. BQ was around 23.8% converting on 3rd down, and DA is around 26.2% converting on third down. And BQ's play was against much tougher defenses AND he didn't have much help in the run game. Some argue that the run game has been helped because of DA's arm. I call BS. The running game has been helped because of Jerome Harrison against Cincy's mediocre rush D, and Jamal against Buffalo's terrible rush D. I don't think that DA starting against Denver and Minny would have yielded a different or more impressive outcome.

I just don't see how "taking chances" is so much better, when we aren't completing passes and converting any differently. The chances DA takes are usually ones that aren't in the Browns' favor, consistently throwing into double, sometimes triple coverage. Quinn is the exact opposite being more hesitant to throw down the field and checking down too much.

I think these stats just go to show you how it's not necessarily on the QB's, compared to the rest of the offense.

So DA fans, let's not act like he's doing anything much better, if at all. And BQ fans, don't get excited because BQ wasn't doing that well, but he wasn't doing terribly either, especially given the circumstances.

Cleveland just needs to figure out what they want to do. Coach Eric Mangini already stated "We're not looking to move Brady Quinn." and "We get calls all the time that we listen to. Brady is a Cleveland Brown and that's not anything we're looking to do."per the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2009/10/brady_quinn_says_home_sale_doe.html

Derek Anderson has already proven that he cannot be the quarterback of this football team and win football games consistently. Anderson specializes at beating up on teams significantly inferior, as in 2007 he threw 19 of his 29 touchdowns against teams who drafted in the top 9 of the 2008 NFL Draft. Against playoff teams, Anderson was significantly worse, turning the ball over on many occasions, and often hurting his team more than helping him. Opening up the 2008 season, Anderson started with embarrassing losses to Dallas, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore, all statistically top defenses, which only reinforced the argument that he can't succeed versus great teams.

All in all, if Cleveland wants to be smart financially, I understand. Let DA start a few more games, then give Quinn the rest of the season so he can't hit escalators. But it's piss poor management like this in Cleveland that gives us 2 winning seasons in 9 years.

The Cleveland Offensive Mystery

2009-10-12T22:24:00.001-04:00

As I sit here and think about the Cleveland Browns win over Buffalo, I wonder "How the hell did that happen?".

Our starting quarterback Derek Anderson went 2 for 17 with 23 yards and an interception, against the leagues 3rd worst pass defense. Not to mention, the Bills were missing 2 safeties and a cornerback, which should have made things easier. After this performance, by Anderson, and his ever so fantastic 3 interceptions in one half of football against Baltimore 2 weeks prior, I can only question what he's doing that is so much better than Brady Quinn.

Brady Quinn struggled in his first 2.5 games, and there is no doubt in my mind that there is a lot of improvements that need(ed) to be made. In his first start against Minnesota, he completed 21 passes out of 35 attempts for 205 yards had a touchdown, and an interception. He struggled on 3rd downs converting on just 25% of his passes, however was a victim to 6 drops in the game. 2 of the drops came on one drive by tight end Robert Royal, while he had another 3rd down drop. Joshua Cribbs had a drop on 2nd down in the 2nd quarter, and Mike Furrey had 2 drops in the game. Another problem was the running game. Jamal Lewis doesn't scare anybody. He dances to the line of scrimmage and doesn't hit the hole like 2003 Jamal Lewis does, which is expected with all of the carries he's had over his career. Minnesota's defense is 10th in the league in points against. They are very good, especially against the run. At halftime, the score was 13-10 Browns and it looked promising. Brady's one interception, it was a mis-communication with Braylon Edwards. Based on the coverage presented, Braylon ran the wrong route (one of many reasons he's a Jet now). He ran a seam despite being covered by the corner and having the safety over the top. The pass was thrown to the outside, where only Braylon could have caught it... had he ran the right route. Because the lack of first downs, however, the defense just could not hold AP any longer. He was held to 26 yards in the first half before exploding for 154 more in the 2nd half. The defense couldn't handle being on the field so much. Quinn's worst play of the game was him trying to scramble and throw on the run, in which he fumbled the ball trying to throw it, counting as a sack, and a fumble. Other than that, for his first start in 2009, against a top defense, his play wasn't as bad, given the circumstances.

Brady's second start was against the Bronco's, who have surprised many critics this season despite losing potential franchise quarterback Jay Cutler (trade), and the Brandon Marshall debacle. The Broncos are currently the best defensive in points against, and rank no worse than 6th in yards against in rushing, passing, and overall. For a first year 34 team, they've handled the transition very, very well. The Browns, once again, were in this game at halftime with the score being just 10-6, in Denver's favor. Quinn had a slightly worse game, throwing for just 161 yards on 31 attempts and 18 completions. However, once again, he can't get anything going for him on the ground, with Jamal getting 14 carries for 38 yards. He relies on his receivers to make plays, and his offensive line to block. One big problem for Quinn was the blocking from the right side of the line. Elvis Dumervil sacked Quinn 4 times, and twice on one drive. The worst part is that we were very close to our own end zone, and it was very close to being a safety. John St. Clair needed help, and we didn't adjust. Quinn and the offense struggled to convert on third downs yet again, converting only 21% in this game. Once again, the defense struggled in the 2nd half, and couldn't handle being on the field. The fatigue started to set in. On a crucial drive, Alex Mack fumbled the snap which hit Brady's ankles. Quinn tried to dive on it, and was too late, and we turned the ball over within the 5 yard line of our own field practically handing Denver points. Given the circumstances, Quinn played average. Last year, Denver was Quinn's first start and he played a very good game against them, only to lose thanks to a very poor defensive effort and dropped passes by Kellen Winslow. In the Denver game, the Browns had 4 total drops all by Cribbs, Royal, and one by former Brown Braylon Edwards. The Browns went on to lose 27-6.

Brady's third start was against the division rival Baltimore Ravens. It was Quinn's first start against a division rival. The game started out with an interception by Quinn on the first drive, leading to a Willis McGahee touchdown. The interception was all on Quinn as he didn't get enough air on the 10 yard out, which is a throw that he's always struggled with, even in college. After a few run, run, pass, punt drives by the Browns, we started to find ourselves in a hole, being down 20-0 against the division rival Ravens. Quinn was 6/8 for 34 yards and an interception in the first half. Yet again, the Browns struggled to run the ball against a great rush defense team, and we struggled to throw the ball down the field.

Being down 20-0, Coach Eric Mangini wanted to provide a spark and opened up the 2nd half with Derek Anderson under the helm. Anderson's first drive, he threw an interception. He had about 8 yards to throw the ball in front of the receiver, threw it behind him, and it was picked off. A few drives later, Anderson see's Braylon Edwards down the field, and throws it into triple coverage. Braylon was clearly covered and he took a chance. That's the 2nd interception. Anderson leads us down the field on a solid drive getting us a field goal, providing some home for Cleveland to get a legit offensive touchdown for the first time in 9 games dating back to 2008. A drive later, Anderson throws yet another terrible pass behind the receiver, being intercepted. 3 interceptions in one half of football. The Browns went on to lose the game 34-3, and Cleveland was a mess. Keep in mind the Ravens defense is 12th in points against per game, and cause fits for many offenses.

Coach Mangini was quoted saying "What Derek did out there was impressive", speaking of the drive in which we got 3 points, and named Anderson the starter against the Bengals the following week. After 3 three and outs out of 4 drives, Anderson and the Browns took advantage of a Brodney Pool interception and drove the ball 39 yards down the field for the first "real" Browns touchdown in over half a season. That cut the Bengals lead to 14-7 after the Browns defense struggled early against the potent Bengals offense. Keep in mind the Bengals defense is 9th in points against, but are very suspect in the passing game, and only had 1 interception on defense through 4 games (J. Joseph). The next drive, Anderson leads the Browns to the Bengals 8 yard line for a potential game tying touchdown. Instead, he throws an interception, negating everything the offense did that drive. Luckily, the defense gets a stop, and Anderson hooks up with rookie wide receiver Mohamed Massoquoi for a 20 yard pass and a 13 yard pass. Jerome Harrison, the backup running back is in for an inactive Jamal Lewis, had a field day against the Bengals, and really loosened up the defense for Anderson, running for 121 yards on just 29 carries. Unfortunately, after scoring another touchdown, the offense could do very little. A big problem with Derek Anderson is his incomplete passes. When the pressure is on, he struggles to complete passes, especially short balls. Long story short, Anderson completes just over 50% of his passes, throws a touchdown, and an interception, and the Browns lose in a heartbreaker in overtime. The defense really stepped up in the 2nd half, allowing the Browns offense to try and come back. Josh Cribbs was really on his game with numerous nice punt and kick off returns allowing the Browns offense to start on at least their own 30 yard line seven times, including twice inside Bengals territory.

Finally, we get to the Buffalo game. You already know what happens. The Browns won a football game. It's true. But how did they do it while only completing two passes? As stated at the beginning, Anderson completed 2 passes on 17 attempts for 23 yards and an interception. At one point in time his Quarterback Rating was 4.9. Keep in mind under 75 is below average. Anderson threw two more incomplete passes and his rating actually raised to 15. How funny is that? I can tell you how the Browns won this game: Buffalo didn't want to win. Buffalo had 13 penalties in the game. They also had 3 turnovers, one in which proved to be very costly when wide receiver Roscoe Parrish fumbled the ball on the Buffalo 16 yard line, allowing the go ahead field goal. The only thing Cleveland really did well other than punting the ball was rushing. Jamal Lewis ran with a full head of steam.... and the Bills have the 29th ranked rushing defense in the league. Prior to yesterdays game, the Bills had the 3rd worst pass defense in the league as well, and despite missing two safeties and a starting cornerback, they made Cleveland look silly. Now, even as Derek Anderson's biggest hater, I will admit that there were about 4-5 passes that should have been caught that were not, one specifically by tight end Robert Royal that should have been 6 points. However, no matter what quarterback is playing, 2/17 and 23 yards with a turnover is unacceptable. As a quarterback, you need to make adjustments. The Cleveland defense played very well despite all the 3 and outs. But can you really give congrats to defense when they are playing a team that scores just over 15 points a game, and has an offense almost as bad as it's own teams?

Regardless, the Browns won that game, and it's nice to see as a Browns fan. It is also true what they say: there is no column for "Pretty" in the standings.

So what is the real problem with the Browns offense? Derek Anderson hasn't made a difference in the same amount of playing time that Quinn has had. Many Derek Anderson fans said that if this offense didn't improve with Anderson in there, than it's not necessarily Quinn's fault.

However, because of this win, many people seem to think that Anderson is a much better fit than Quinn, even though in less attempts, Quinn has more yards, less interceptions, a better QB Rating, better Yards Per Attempt, and the same amount of touchdowns.

It's unfortunate for Quinn who, while he didn't play well, didn't really get a fair chance. As soon as Anderson was noted to start against the Bengals, the coaches made a few offensive changes. They started playing Hank Fraley at right guard instead of Floyd "Porkchop" Womack, who had become a liability, they gave rookie wide receiver Mohamed Massoquoi a chance to start games instead of Mike Furrey and Josh Cribbs who both had many drops in the first 3 games, and most importantly, they put in a running back who hits the holes, and gets quality yardage. What happens if you give Quinn what was given to Anderson? Maybe Quinn gets time to throw the ball. Maybe the defense respects the run and has to put more men in the box. Maybe he gets an option to throw to that doesn't drop the ball as often (perhaps not the case as Massoquoi dropped 2 passes yesterday).

The play-calling has been very suspect by offensive coordinator Brian Daboll. Daboll is a rookie coordinator who is, obviously, learning the ropes. Prior to Braylon's departure, the wide receivers ran 5-7 yards routes, while Braylon ran a 15-20 yard route. Braylon being a very, very good receiver, was covered over the top with a safety roughly 80% of the time. Remember, with the lack of a running game, and the ineffectiveness of an offensive line, teams could rush 3 and 4 guys and get into the backfield, leaving more options to cover the already below average wide receiver corps in Cleveland. Add in the fact that we are running consecutive wildcat runs up the middle in the red zone, and drawing up poor running plays, and you have a recipe for disaster.

Another problem is the lack of adjustments made by the coaching. In the Denver game, Quinn was sacked 4 times by one player. After the 2nd sack, you need to make an adjustment and put a tight end next to the offensive tackle (in this case John St. Clair), to help out with the blocking. Was that adjustment ever made? No. Yesterday, we had Buffalo putting 9 men in the box (surprising right?), and we have a quarterback that can throw the ball down the field, and what happens? We run right up the middle. Somehow it worked for us (it was Buffalo), and it's not nearly as bad as what it could have been.

I think the biggest issue I have with the lack of adjustments is the fact that we are making a blocking tight end run a 10-15 yard route 60% of the time he runs routes. He's usually running a route 85% of his plays as well, and he has roughly 7 drops on the season, already. His drops have been very costly as well, a few of them on third downs, and 1 that would have been a touchdown. Not to mention, we are struggling to protect our quarterbacks, so why are we trying to keep a running back that struggles to block back to help, when we can keep the tight end out, and use a running back that's good at catching out of the backfield to run a route.

Hopefully Coach Mangini will give Brady Quinn a chance before he trades him off, however. You simply can't judge an NFL player after 5.5 games, let alone an quarterback. Imagine if we judged Eli Manning after just a few games. How about Drew Brees, and even Peyton Manning? Especially with the lackluster talent around him. Even Charlie Frye got 19 starts. Ryan Leaf got numerous starts, as did Akili Smith, Cade McNown, and numerous other first-third round quarterbacks.

I suspect that a big reason to pull Quinn was to prevent him from getting his bonus. Cleveland isn't a playoff bound team, and it would be silly to play a QB 70% or more of the snaps and pay him significantly more money if it won't benefit you. Recent speculation has been that Brady Quinn could be leaving Cleveland as early as this week, but most likely it'll be at the end of the season.

Personally, I don't want to let go of a promising young quarterback until we are sure that he's not the future. It's apparent that Anderson is not a franchise quarterback and he needs A LOT of help, and playing bad defenses to succeed in Cleveland. We also can't afford to pay Anderson's 7.45 million dollar base salary next season, which is significant compared to his 1.45 million base salary from this season. Quinn is only to make 700k this year and next, and is an experiment and we'd be foolish financially to get rid of him, as well as mentally considering he is a talented, hard working player. Could Brady Quinn bust? Definitely, but it's way too early to tell.

Overall, getting off the Brady/Anderson talk, this offense is scary to watch. I almost feel that an SEC offense can put up more points on some teams than this putrid Browns offense. Hopefully we'll start to see progression, but it's unlikely with the lack of wide receivers, running game, and quarterback play.

Hindsight 20/20? We'll find out.

2009-05-13T03:07:00.005-04:00

So we've got the media all down our backs for a "horrible" draft we had. Peter King had nothing good to say. Dave-Te Thomas had nothing good to say, as well as many others. So what do they think we could have done better?

Personally, while I lacked excitement about our draft, I can't be upset, as I felt we received some pretty solid players, including in our trades.

What exactly went down?

#5 Pick- Browns fans stood up watching Cleveland on the clock. Some of us wanted Orakpo, Raji, Crabtree, Sanchez, and most of us wanted to trade down. Most of us got what we wanted. We sent pick #5 overall to the New York Jets for safety Abram Elam, defensive end Kenyon Coleman, quarterback Brett Ratliff, along with picks 17 overall (First) and 52 overall (Second).

What would I change?
- The only thing differently I would have liked is a 6th or 7th rounder to add another camp body. New York Jets select Mark Sanchez, bust... I mean quarterback, USC. However, I loved this trade. We don't have to pay for a top 5-10 pick, and we add a quality starter at defensive end, a #2 quarterback, and a starting strong safety. Great move.

#17 Pick- The Cleveland Browns trade pick #17 overall to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for pick #19 overall (First), and pick #191 (Sixth). Tampa Bay selected Josh Freeman, quarterback, Kansas State.

What would I change?
- I think we could have received a 4th/5th rounder from Tampa Bay. They really wanted Freeman, and we just played the nice guys, and said, "sure, just give us a 6th or something, and you can have it".

#19 Pick- The Cleveland Browns trade pick #19 overall to the Philadelphia Eagles for pick #21 overall (First), and pick #195 (Sixth). Philadelphia selects wide receiver Jeremy Maclin.

What would I change?
- Absolutely nothing. We weren't ready to pick, and we added a late round pick. The Eagles knew that the Lions weren't going for Maclin, but wanted to grab him right away, just in case we were looking at him.

#21 Pick- The Cleveland Browns select center, Alex Mack, University of California. Mack is a versatile center. Mack is a hard working, intelligent player. He's got outstanding leverage, and finishes every play. Most importantly for offensive lineman, he's durable. He doesn't have many negatives about him, which is fantastic.

What would I change?
- First, let me say that we needed a center/guard badly. I'm not disappointed with this pick, however, Eric Wood, Antoine Caldwell, and even Max Unger were guys that we could have had in a later round or two. Chris Wells, Evander "Ziggy" Hood, Clay Matthews III, Vontae Davis and even Donald Brown (who I am not that high on), could have all been better picks at #21. However, we made our offensive line much stronger. I'm hoping that we will start Hadnot at center for a year (his natural position), and give Mack work at guard. I don't want to overwhelm him too much. His sophomore year he can take over at center.

Pick #36- The Cleveland Browns select wide receiver, Brian Robiskie, Ohio State. Robiskie is an excellent possession receiver, with great hands. He runs very crisp routes, and would have been a 1st round pick, had the Buckeyes had a true quarterback to throw to him.

What would I change?
- Wide receiver is a need for us. I wouldn't change it a bit. He compliments Braylon very well, and we need another option for Brady Quinn.

Pick #50- The Cleveland Browns select wide receiver, Mohammed Massoquoi, Georgia. Massaquoi is a wide receiver who does his best work in the middle of the field, underneath the secondary. However, he has a huge problem with dropped balls. Out of 81 balls thrown to him his senior season, he caught 41 of them. I believe only 13 or so were deflected. Now the difference isn't necessarily drops, but he's obviously not working as hard as he can to catch the football.

What would I change?
- We really need cornerback depth, an outside linebacker, a right tackle and a running back. Phil Loadholt, while not the best left tackle in college, fits the right tackle spot perfectly. He's an excellent run blocker, who has a great reach and will do well in pass blocking. Paul Kruger is a 6'4 265 pound monster edge rusher. Kruger absolutely ate up Alabama in his bowl game, and was very underrated the entire season for Utah. Kruger on the other side of Wimbely could make offenses cry. Sean Smith is a corner/safety from Utah who has a ton of upside. He's a large (6'4 215) guy who can make tackles and plays very well in man to man. He could have been used as a nickel back or compete for the starting safety position.

Pick #52- The Cleveland Browns select defensive end/outside linebacker, David Veikune, University of Hawaii. Veikune is a hard working power rusher who has good speed. He's a tough hitter, and plays contain very well.

What would I change?
- I like Veikune a lot. However, I question his ability to learn the playbook, drop back in coverage, and overpower NFL tackles. Loadholt, Kruger, Smith, and William Beatty were all available, and I think we could have gotten better value. Jarron Gilbert and Shonn Greene were also available.

The Browns had a late start to day two, lacking a third round pick. It wasn't until the 4th pick in the 4th round did we have a selection.

Pick #104- The Cleveland Browns select linebacker, Kaluka Maiava, USC. Maiava is a quick hitting linebacker who was a special teams guy for 3 years in USC. He got a lot of playing time and was USC's 4th best linebacker (which isn't necessarily a bad thing as they were talented).

What would I change?
- Maiava is undersized to play in this 3-4 defense, in my opinion. He's going to be a great special teams player, but won't see much playing time unless we switch to a Tampa 2 defense and he becomes a weak side OLB. Vaughn Martin, defensive tackle, Western Ontario, Shawn Nelson, tight end, Southern Miss, or Lawrence Sidbury Jr., outside linebacker, Richmond would have all been better choices. Vaughn Martin is one of the most underrated players in the draft. He's a big guy who would be a great nose tackle in a 3-4. He absolutely over powers people. He's going to have a great career in San Diego. Sidbury Jr. is a project edge rusher with good upside. Shawn Nelson is an athletic tight end with very good hands. We don't know who we really have at tight end with Rucker, and an aging Steve Heiden.

Pick #177- The Cleveland Browns select cornerback, Don Carey, Norfolk State. Carey is a speedy guy with good cover skills. He's not well known because of his smaller school play, but he's a sixth round project.

What would I change?
- I would have looked at Bear Pascoe, tight end, Fresno State. But you can't go wrong with a project guy who has a history of hard work. He's a perfect Mangini guy.

Pick #191- The Cleveland Browns select cornerback, Coye Francis, San Jose State. Francis is a taller, more athletic guy who did well in zone coverage and returning kicks.

What would I change?
- Mangini took a bit of a chance here as Francis has had a small character issue. He's not a bad person at all, and he's another great project pick.

Pick #195- The Cleveland Browns select running back, James Davis, Clemson. Davis is a hard runner, very hard. He's a tank to take down, and is great right up the middle.

What would I change?
- Not a thing. I don't think he's an every down back. Most 6th round running backs aren't. However, with an impressive training camp, he could find his way past the practice squad and onto the 53 man roster with his ability to split the middle of the defense. He's a tough guy to bring down, however is extremely poor in pass protection. He's a 2nd-3rd round talent who slipped due to a poor 40 yard dash time, and because his production declined thanks to Clemson's switch to a zone blocking scheme which they just could not excecute at all in 2008. I think Davis was a steal. But don't be surprised if he doesn't fare well as a Brown. He's a 6th rounder, but he's also a hard working kid who's a Mangini guy.

Overall, I think we got solid value in our draft, but we got a lot more projects than I think we needed. Veikune is a guy who the Browns want to make into an OLB/ILB. Maiva is a special teams guy who should not have been draft so high, and Massoquoi is a huge risk with his poor hands.

If I were George Kokinis, my draft would have played out like this:

#21- Chris "Beanie" Wells, RB, Ohio State- This is not my Ohio State bias. He's just not as injury prone as people make him out to be. He missed 3 starts in 3 seasons. Those 3 starts were all in his junior season as Ohio State. He missed the 2nd half of the Texas game with, what I believe was a concussion. 3.5 games I guess you could say. However, he's a perfect north/south runner that the Browns need in the AFC North. Clay Matthews Jr. is the other player I'd have considered along with Beanie.

#36- Brian Robiskie, WR, Ohio State- After Braylon, there's no telling who our wide receivers could be. David Patten is injury prone and is a better slot receiver, Josh Cribbs isn't a full time receiver, Syndric Steptoe is afraid to catch the ball in the middle of the field, and we traded Kellen Winslow who was our most efficient pass catcher.

#50- Paul Kruger, DE/OLB, Utah- Kruger is a tough, physical pass rusher who makes offensive tackles pee themselves. He comes at you hard, and is a very hard worker that fits the mold of a 3-4 outside linebacker better than most in the draft.

#52- Sean Smith, CB/S, Utah- Smith is a versatile guy, which is important in our secondary. If we have an injury at safety, he can step in and we probably wouldn't miss a beat. However, he's a tough corner who jams receivers at the line and can take a hit from a runner coming at him.

#104- Vaughn Martin, DT, Western Ontario- I'm not confident that Shaun Smith will be on this team much longer, and I don't know if Rubin is a guy that can play nose tackle consistently if Rogers needs a breather. Martin is a guy who could probably step in right away and contribute, and maybe let us experiment with Shaun Rogers at defensive end. He's a power guy who controls centers which forces the running back to look elsewhere for a hole.

#177- Bear Pascoe, TE, Fresno St.- Pascoe is a physical tight end who is in the Steve Heiden mold. He's an efficient run blocker, and he's not too shabby with the hands. He's a tall guy who'd be a great red zone talent.

#191- Don Carey, CB, Norfolk State- I loved the Carey pick. I think he slips a few more spots from #177.

#195- A.Q. Shipley, C, Penn St.- Shipley is a smaller, more athletic center, but most importantly very smart. He'd be a guy who could come in and start in a season or two.

I know I didn't address the offensive line until the last pick, but I think with our free agent signings we could wait another season before drafting a more quality center, right guard, or even right tackle. I think people undersestimate St. Clair at the right tackle spot, and I truly think Tucker will stay healthy all season. If he doesn't we still have Womack to play right guard and Hadnot to play center. Regardless, there's a reason why I'm not the Cleveland Browns general manager, and hopefully we'll prove all the members of the media wrong who doubt us. We've got a lot of talent to play with and we'll see how Mangini and Co. handle these athletes. Perhaps the Browns can become a playoff team in 2 years or less, however, it's quite possible that we end up back at the bottom of the AFC North.

I'm sometimes an optimist, so I'm thinking the former.

Defensive Line: The Difference Maker

2009-05-08T16:34:00.001-04:00

A little over a year ago, I posted a blog about the defensive line, and how important it is to the 34 defense. As some may know, I am in belief that with lack of defensive line play, there is little success with the other 8 defenders. With injuries to Robaire Smith, and Corey Williams, our defensive line remained inadequate and did not perform to expectations. Regardless, even if the two were healthy, we still lacked quality depth to fill all positions as the defensive line in a 34 requires a bit of rotation.
Robaire Smith is expected to be at 100% come training camp time, as is Corey Williams. However, the Mangini Administration went out and addressed the defensive line even more, knowing the depth issues we have. What first needs to be known is that Mangini's defensive ends are different from Romeo Crennel's. Mangini prefers smaller, more athletic defensive ends who still have the strength to demand double teams. Crennel threw in DE's in which were big, slow, but explosive off the ball. Either way works, as long as you have the right personnel, which we have not had since we instituted the 34 in 2006. Our returning defensive lineman are: Louis Leonard, Melila Purcell, Shaun Rogers, Ahtyba Rubin, Shaun Smith, Robaire Smith, Santonio Thomas, and Corey Williams. Along with those guys, we have the additions of Kenyon Coleman, C.J. Mosley, and undrafted free agent signing Adam Hoppel. The addition of Kenyon Coleman, alone, makes this defensive line 5 times better, and Mosley adds a bit of youth, but experience and is a guy familiar with Mangini's 34. Here's a little introduction to our two newly acquired DE's that I expect to make the final roster.

Kenyon Coleman: Coleman is going into his 8th year as a pro. He was taken by the Oakland Raiders who let him go after he played in one game in 2002, as he did not fit into their system well enough for them to keep on the team. The Dallas Cowboys signed him in 2003 to be a depth DE for their newly installed 34 defense courtesy of Bill Parcells. Coleman played special teams, earning playing time on the defense at times for next 3 years, in which he continued to make the team as a rising player. After raking up 30 tackles (25 in which were solo) in 2006, without starting a game, the Cowboys realized what kind of impact he made for their defense and their rotation. 30 tackles for a DE receiving half the playing time one usually gets means that he's making plays, even when not necessarily being asked to. However, he became a free agent, and the New York Jets signed him right away scooping him up for their newly installed 34 defense, courtesy of new Browns head coach, Eric Mangini. Coleman has started 29 of his last 32 games for the New York Jets, and was a huge part of a defense that, in 2008, was 7th in the NFL in rush defense. Coleman's strengths are that he gets of the ball quickly. Some DE's are taught to basically stand up their man, while creating enough of a push to force another blocker on them, so that the LB's are free to roam. While Coleman did that well, he also got into the backfield to force the play in whichever way it favored the defense being run, or making a tackle for loss (TFL). I fully expect Coleman to start for this team come September. He's got all the tools we need, and while he's not young (30 years old), he's not going to be a stopgap player, and he'll be able to at least contribute to a rotation for 4-5 years.

C.J. Mosley: Mosley is going into his 5th year as a pro. He was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in which he spent just one season with. He was traded at the 2006 draft to the New York Jets for QB Brooks Bollinger. Mosley isn't your typical 34 DE. He's a bit on the short side at 6'2, and lacks the necessary burst to be a legit starter. However, he's a solid rotational guy who won't hurt you when he's in. He does a very good job at holding up OT's while sometimes needing a guard to come and help, however, he tends to take plays off. He is a hard worker, and Mangini plans to work with him to improve his motor so that he can be a consistent player that does his job on every play. He's a good, young, developmental talent who will see plenty of time on the field for the Browns.
Now, I'm predicting that Purcell/Thomas and Hoppel will be gone come the start of the season, and even at that, we'll still have a DE rotation of Williams, Robaire, Shaun Smith, Leonard, Coleman, Purcell/Thomas (whichever one stays) and Mosley. Our NT depth will be Shaun Rogers, Ahtyba Rubin, and Shaun Smith. Leonard can also play NT if needed. I really like where this defensive line is headed. The defensive line is, in fact, the key to the 34 defense. If the defensive lineman don't take up space, and even penetrate, then the linebackers cannot get free to make the plays in the backfield or at the line of scrimmage. See, our problem the past few years has been that our DE's don't occupy blocks OR penetrate. They tend to get hooked on an offensive tackle, and stood straight up, allowing a guard, or center free to block a linebacker, along with a fullback still left leading the way for a running back to go up the hole. This is the reason why our secondary gets quite a few tackle opportunities. Regardless to what people think, our LB's aren't able to do their jobs either. D'Qwell may register more than 100 tackles in a season, but how many of those are beyond the line of scrimmage, because our ILB's can't get in to make a play? The DE's are even more important to the OLB's. Even though Kamerion Wimbley does need to be stronger, he's still not able to rush the passer because the DE on his side isn't doing his job. That DE should be occupying either the guard and tackle, or the tackle and the tight end. A guard and tackle is ideal, as Wimbley should have no problem getting off the block of a tight end. However, Wimbley always gets wrapped up with an OT, and 1) has trouble getting around to the QB, and 2) has trouble maintaining contain on his side against the run (which is CRUCIAL for an OLB).

Overall, if the defensive line are the first part, and most crucial part of the 3 way chain which is the 34 defense. If the defensive line occupies blocks, or can even penetrate the offensive line, the linebackers can make their plays at or behind the LOS on run plays, or blitz from any angle to make the quarterback get the ball out faster, or sack him. If the quarterback is pressured, the secondary isn't covering receivers for 6-8 seconds while the quarterback has enough time to read the sunday paper, prior to completing his pass. Our secondary, despite lack of depth, isn't as bad as it's made out to be. We have two very promising, young cornerbacks in Eric Wright and Brandon McDonald who would love to have the front seven pressure the QB. It'll make the secondary's job ten times easier, and will make our defense much less predictable.