Revisiting jWAR with the 2015 Tribe
March 12, 2015Grantland blasts Browns for McCown signing
March 12, 2015The Browns have been quiet for much of the free agency period, but today they announced that they are bringing back quarterback Thaddeus Lewis. According to Yahoo Sports’ Rand Getlin, Lewis signed a one year contract with the Browns. His addition continues the overhaul in the quarterback room for the Browns. Earlier this offseason, the Browns signed Josh McCown to replace Brian Hoyer in the quarterback depth chart.
Lewis was part of the Houston Texans for five games last season, only being active for two of those games. However, he did not get any playing time with the Texans. His last start was with the Buffalo Bills in 2013, where he started five games and threw for 1,092 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions. He played for the Browns for two season from 2011 to 2012 and only received one start. His one start for the Browns came in the Browns 2012 season finale at Pittsburgh. The team lost the finale with Lewis throwing for 204 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
The connection with the Browns for Lewis is two-fold. He played with the Bills when Head Coach Mike Pettine was the defensive coordinator there. Lewis played at Duke in college, where the Browns’ Senior Offensive Assistant Kurt Roper was his offensive coordinator and quarterback coach from 2008 to 2009. Lewis adds another bizarre wrinkle into the Browns seemingly never ending quarterback quandary.
30 Comments
Well I stand corrected in the silly thought that the FO wasn’t working hard at landing impactful guys. Welcome back Thaddy!
Dripping sarcasm aside–and an honest question–if we are three days into free agency following another losing season with major question marks (the usual mess of a QB situation, Josh Gordon drama, holes on the lines and other key spots such as TE, WR, LB and sitting on a giant pot of untouched money)–and Banner and Lombardi are running the show, what would be the reaction?
I’m guessing it would range on a scale of pitchforks and molotov spirals into the Berea HQ to neck vein and forehead vein popping, profanity laced diatribes. As an expat, I’m away from ground zero, but I don’t see the outrage. Do people simply trust Farmer & co that much more? Hate Banner & Lombardi that much more? Care generally much less? All of the above?
But beyond that, we’ve got Thad freaking Lewis. What are doing on the internet— we should be celebrating life! I feel like we finally won.
“Lewis adds another bizarre wrinkle into the Browns seemingly never ending quarterback quandary.”
More likely they’re shutting down all the talk about getting a QB in the draft.
he’s an OTA arm (I think)
Maybe. Perhaps the Browns aren’t that keen on Conner Shaw? Hmm…
By chance do you happen to know the terms of Thad’s contract? That may tell the story.
Joe’s on top of it. 1 year deal. No money or guarantees announced (yet). Guessing non-guaranteed and he won’t make it past first cuts in August (if he even gets that far).
In other news every bit as exciting, I just exercised my six-month option on a Plain Dealer subscription. Gonna pop some corks tonight, baby!
Don’t count him out mgbode…he’s “proven that he can start in this league”!!!
He’s even proven he can win games* in this league.
*as long as those games are against the Dolphins. 2-0 versus Miami. 0-4 versus everyone else.
I like this straw man you’ve constructed. Looks sturdy. For a straw man.
If you don’t see the outrage, you’re not looking very hard. Lots of folks are presently losing their minds over this. As for the rest of us, I (for one) took the same stance when Lombanner was here. I don’t think it has anything to do with who’s in charge, and I just generally don’t get the angst over a team NOT doing something in free agency. There are about 4 teams that are making waves in free agency, which means there are about 28 teams not making waves. The fact that a team is not making waves does not mean that they’re “doing nothing.” Signing a free agent is not as simple as going to Amazon and plugging in a credit card number.
This isn’t the QB you’ve been looking for.
http://stream1.gifsoup.com/view7/2738731/jedi-mind-trick-o.gif
“Signing a free agent is not as simple as going to Amazon and plugging in a credit card number.”
The Jets disagree.
Obviously no other factors at play there.
Only factor in play with them is being a wreck of a team that spends recklessly.
Seriously I don’t know how people bring out the pitchforks on Dan Snyder so quick and just let the Jersey Jets slide on by.
hi CB … CB perrish cox (49ers) visits today & TE charles clay is on his way as well … miami placed transition tag on clay … the browns will have to offer him more than $7 million a year & miami can match the offer.
man , i still some some decent DT’s still out there as well … melton , knighton ,fairley , raji & wilfork.
i do trust in farmer , but man , i wish they would do something of significance … anything.
Gotcha. I thought you were saying “if the Jets can do it, the Browns can do it.”
Yeah, Snyder takes a lot of crap, but the Jets are a much crapper team for the cash they spend.
If the Jets and Redskins have taught anyone anything it’s that building your NFL team through FA and selling draft picks gets you nowhere fast.
….now in the NBA and MLB, different story.
Of course the Browns have taught the rest of the NFL if you draft horribly and have a constant rotating door of GM, Coach and Coordinators you also get nowhere, but very very very very sloooowly.
Totally agree. I can’t think of one high-dollar move made this year that I wish the Browns had made. (Suh comes close, but not “danger close.”)
LMAO !!
DO SOMETHING EXCITING, BROWNS!!! THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE FUN!!
http://www.reactiongifs.com/r/rdlol.gif
This might be but they keep doing it and I like their chances more then anything the Cleveland Browns have done the last 16 years!
I LOVED Knighton (living in Denver, I heard an awful lot about him), but now I’m getting a little scared. The Broncos passed on him (OK, they have limited cap room), then his old DC now head coach of the Raiders passed on him (uh-oh). Rumors of being out of shape. That’s not encouraging. Still might be worth a shot, but my hopes are low low low.
I’m starting to think that part of the strategy here is to give Grossi a stroke – is anyone against this? I really think he is starting to lose it. If they go into camp without signing a FB, Grossi might be a casualty.
hi ELD … all those big DT’s look like they’re out of shape … but wilfork is an excellent athlete. i am very puzzled as i look at what we thought might be the strength of our team last year & then injuries hit just about everyone … who do we keep ? you looks at all the guys we still have NOT counting p.taylor & rubin & we still have a decent group of guys.
Well I wasn’t intending on offering straw men (just a bit of sarcasm)—but I think there are legit questions.
As for the noise level, I do know this as a constant: Commenters on WFNY, two years ago and a year
ago were livid with Lombanner. I do recall you being measured (and I was too for the record). I do, however, think that based on that constant measure in the equation, people aren’t as outraged. I also think that’s it’s not an all or nothing thing with me, you don’t have to buy a Revis—but sorry, there are too many holes in the roster, and I think some key free agents need to be signed. It’s not as easy as Amazon, but it’s doable (see Browns last year). Key veterans, mid level guys, starting caliber.
I think it is because everyone is drinking deeply from the Kool-Aid well of “building through the draft is the only way to do it right.” This despite the Browns sitting out Free Agency Frenzy for 7-8 years and blowing 10-11 first round draft picks in that same timespan. When you are a team this bad who rolls from offseason to offseason with roster holes big enough to swallow the Deathstar I think you need to come up with a new gameplan, and despite cries that the Pats, Steelers and other “top tier” organizations don’t build through FA, they also don’t screw up their draft picks and they resign their talent.
But whatever, let’s just keep doing the same thing over and over and eventually the outcome will be different.
Spot on. Was just talking about this yesterday. I have no problem with that philosophy of course assuming they can actually draft capably ( which we all know they can’t). That aside, it doesn’t mean that one completely sits out suiting tier 1 and 2 starting caliber free agents. Marlon Moore, Thad Lewis and Brian Hartline ain’t cutting it going into the draft. Hope they have a trick or two for us today.
Any small dollar moves they could’ve made to fix some crap around this dump?
It’d be nice if they could have signed a decent veteran receiver, and maybe a veteran QB that could start and maybe take a mentor role to a bunch of very young guys. They probably should have tendered offers to some key restricted depth players to make sure they get draft picks if anyone takes them. Oh well. Guess you can’t have anything you want with a front office that does NOTHING. It’s too bad they aren’t bringing in anyone else, either, now that the big names have been overpaid.
If he starts this year it’s gonna screw the legendary Couch jersey all up.