The Complexity of the Browns’ Secondary Problems
October 19, 2010Source: Manny Harris to Nab Cavs’ 15th Roster Spot
October 19, 2010The NFL’s trade deadline is today at 4pm. If MLB and the NBA have anything on the NFL, it’s drama surrounding each sport’s trade deadline. There just aren’t as many big time trades in-season in the NFL as there are in baseball and basketball. That being said, we’ve seen more the last couple years than we have in some time. Especially here in Cleveland.
The Browns may have already made their trade deadline deal in last week’s running back swap, but there are no guarantees with this group of decision makers. Last year the Browns sent Braylon Edwards to the Jets in-season. This year it was Jerome Harrison. Could there be another trade in the wind?
There are certainly positions of need on the team. WR comes to mind, as well as help in the secondary. It seems unlikely that Holmgren and Heckert would deal for a player trying to make an immediate impact on a season in which the team is 1-5. It would be more likely that they would make a smaller deal in order to get additional draft picks, or a young player that they would need to develop.
So who would the Browns look to give up? Perhaps the better question would be who might other teams want. The name that jumps out like a sore thumb is Shaun Rogers. Rogers has been limited with injuries this season, but if healthy (and motivated) can be a force in the middle of a defense. Given Rubin’s development, Rogers just may be expendable. He isn’t the only one though.
The Browns broke camp with a ridiculous amount of LBs. Chances are that the Browns wouldn’t part with guys like Matt Roth, who is a relative bargain for the production he brings. Or Marcus Benard who leads the team with 3.5 sacks. But a veteran like Eric Barton might be available for a contending team in need of help at LB (like say Green Bay) and willing to part with a draft pick or two. Even though he is a former Jet, and a Mangini favorite, the Browns would be foolish not to listen to offers.
Will any offers come? Maybe not. But this team has certainly surprised us with moves the last two years.
22 Comments
Interesting, seeing as a lot of what I have heard from fans seem to think Eric Barton is basically the weakest of our 11 on defense.
I would love to get anything for him at this point.
Because the last thing the Browns need is to acquire a competent veteran receiver. We couldn’t use that at all.
Seeing that this season is pretty much over already I’d love for them to unload some of these guys and really stock pile some picks in the upcoming draft. Probably won’t happen but we need to get as much as we can out of what we have available.
@2 – I wouldn’t mind them going back and picking up Bobby engram again. He’s older than dirt but he can’t be much worse than what we have currently.
The Browns could trade just about anyone and not notice but Rogers should have been traded in the off-season and he should now. I don’t know if a WR like Vincent Jackson is the right kind of guy but after 5 games I’d have to take the risk. The real issue came in the off-season when the Browns passed on a whole plethora of WR possibilities. You have to question the judgment based on how anemic the WR corps looked.
I understand not wanting to jump too quickly on an impact receiver for just this year, but how do we get through the remainder of the games this year without one? We are just too weak there to field a fully competitive team. On the other hand, who’s available? And are they worth the trade cost? That’s the problem that Heckert and Holmgren have.
@Stin: agree, no reason not to call Engram. If Colt will play, nice to give him one receiver who knows what to do and where he should be.
Rogers is playing about half speed. Might be injury, conditioning, or someone just not understanding the plight of the big man. If it’s a physical issue, we’d be smarter keeping him for next year. We need to collect impact guys, not dump them, and his impact will be magnified if we improve the rest of the d-line .
Here is a question – Is anyone opposed to bringing Shawne Merriman in after he gets healthy and is waived by the Chargers?
I think ANY kind of improvement in the WR corps would be nice. Engram would be nice.
I just disagree with the notion that the season is over. Part of building a championship franchise is showing improvement from year to year. If you don’t improve in the Win/Loss column, you won’t have a chance to grab free agents looking to play for a winner. The perfect example is the New England Patriots. They became so good that players were willing to take pay cuts to play for them.
If, and this is a big if, the Browns were to finish the year 8-8, free agents would look at the team as a franchise on the verge of success. If the team finishes 5-11 or worse, the team will continue to look like a place where careers go to die. This is also a good argument for starting McCoy the rest of the year. If he looks good, free agent receivers may see Cleveland as a team on the rise. If they go back to Delhomme, and he looks average to good, free agents will say, “so what?”
Or trade Shawn Rogers to the University of Georgia for WR AJ Green.
I wanted the Browns to trade for Haynesworth and just Rubin, Rogers, and Haynesworth along the line. We could generate pass rush and effectively stop the run. But, won’t happen.
I do think the Browns should call the Saints about one of their WR’s. They have Colston, Roby, Henderson, Moore, and Meachem. I think that Roby or Henderson could be had for fairly low draft picks or even Rogers. Roby and Henderson both would step in and start on this team and both could stretch the field for Cribbs, MoMass, Robo, and Stuckey. Watson would even benefit. We’ll see.
Dallas, NYG, and New Orleans should all be called about WRs. Anyone know anything about Devin Thomas? Hes on the trade block in Washington.
Help the secondary, please. Every time I see a touchdown throw against the Browns, it seems like the name “Wright” is on the back of the defender’s jersey.
If a taker could be found for Rogers or Eric Wright, I say pull the trigger. Draft picks, once again, should be the priority for this team. Rogers is declining, or at the very least incapable of staying healthy. Wright would be worth keeping around, assuming he’s aware that he’s going to get nothing close to CB1 money from us this offseason. Even if he stays, though, DB is once again an area of need in the draft.
@13: Our secondary needs some help, but our defense has been the one consistent bright spot this season. I would definitely shore up the o-line or the WR corps before anything.
I agree with Chris. If anything, the Browns defense has been great this year at keeping an anemic offense in the game. Sure, Wright has been burned, but if the browns could put up more than 14 or 15 points per game (their current average – good for 2nd to last in the league), the occassional defensive breakdown wouldn’t matter as much.
Most of the time, I just think the defense is so gassed by the end of the game, that they crack under the pressure of constantly being put in bad spots by the offense. If the Browns could put one more touchdown on the board per game, they would be tied for 12th best in the league with atlanta and new orleans.
Draft picks!
If we trade, get picks. H&H appear to know what they are doing in this area and we are done this year.
We want draft picks!
@16 – for sure, our D is on the field WAY too long. When you have a horrendous offense that can’t throw the ball, that will happen I suppose. We are 1 dimensional in running/Wildcat and every team we play knows this.
McCoy did get some yardage out of what we had there, so maybe putting the kid at QB could open up some passing plays. With no real WR threat, he did pretty good with what was given to him to throw to. Assuming McCoy can continue getting some yards through the air, our D might get more than a 3 & out to rest.
The LOGO is not a DOG.
Why couldn’t we have been the team to trade a third round pick for Randy Moss? Instant help, also could have taught the young guys a thing or two
19….
What is the logo then? An orange paint swatch?
The ‘logo’ or thing that can represent the team visually has been the ‘dog’, ‘elf’ or a helmet. Take your pick, they all work. Has the team ever said what the official logo is? B/c they are more than happy to sell merchandise with all the dog, elf or a plain helmet if you will buy it.
And since we have the Dawg Pound, you can see how the dog kinda works in this situation.
@Bryan, because you’re assuming Moss would have been happy or at least satisfied playing here. See Randy Moss, Oakland Raiders.
He’s got money, he’s been around forever, he’ll probably go to the Hall of Fame. About the only thing he doesn’t have is a ring, and the Browns sure seem like the best option for that, right? Not the Pats or a team that made the NFC championship game last year.