Joe Haden: “I’m going to be ready for whatever”
October 30, 2015Paul Bunyan? Little Brown Jug? Your Big Ten Trophy Power Rankings
October 30, 2015With the NFL trade deadline just one week away, the Around the NFL crew at NFL.com and Greg Garber at ESPN.com gave their input on a handful of trades they would like to see go down before the clock hits zero on deadline day. One among that list of trades, from writer Marc Sessler: Browns cornerback Joe Haden and center Alex Mack to the Jacksonville Jaguars. All the Browns would get in return? The Jaguars’ first-round draft pick in 2016.
From Sessler:
Cleveland can’t afford to let talent walk out the door, but it’s time to make a stand for the top overall selection. Mack is likely to leave the Browns after this season anyway and showed enough interest in Jacksonville to sign an offer sheet with the Jaguars two seasons ago. Haden is a genuine talent at cornerback, but the Browns don’t have much else to offer. With two first-rounders, the Browns can throw in additional picks to get into the No. 1 spot and take Cal’s Jared Goff. The Jags get better on both sides of the ball while the Browns nab their franchise arm: Everybody wins.
Mack, as you’ll recall, signed a five-year offer sheet to head down south in 2014. The Browns matched in order to keep him in Cleveland. Haden, meanwhile, has been a fan favorite since being drafted by the Browns in 2010, signing a big extension last offseason. The Browns “don’t have much else to offer,” so why not give away two Pro Bowlers, right?
With the Jags’ first-round pick, Sassler thinks the Browns could assemble enough assets to move up to draft California Golden Bears quarterback Jared Goff, perhaps with the No. 1 overall pick. Thanks to teams like the Washington Redskins, we have seen what the cost is to move up in order to take a quarterback—Jacksonville’s pick would simply be a piece of the puzzle.
If you think this is bad, get a load of this one from ESPN.com: “Cleveland Browns tackle Joe Thomas to New York Giants for defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul and a fifth-round draft choice”
From Greg Garber:
Eli Manning has already won more Super Bowls (two) than his older brother Peyton (one), but he’s looked a little frazzled recently playing behind, from left to right: Ereck Flowers, Justin Pugh, Weston Richburg, Geoff Schwartz and Marshall Newhouse.
That’s about to change.
The timing of this is marvelously fortuitous. It would have been easy to send seven-year veteran Will Beatty — the Giants’ best offensive lineman — to the Browns for the most consistent tackle in the game. Beatty, who is coming off a pectoral injury, hasn’t taken any snaps this year but should be ready to play by Week 10. But we’re going to go the extra yard(s) and send the unfortunate Pierre-Paul the Browns’ way. He, too, is looking at a possible Week 10 return after his disastrous, hand-wrecking fireworks accident back on July 4. The Giants, clearly irked with the irresponsible behavior of their one-time franchise player, just signed him to a contract for this season that includes a low-rent base salary and is heavily laced with incentives.
Thomas, drafted with the No. 3 overall pick in 2007, has been voted to each of the eight Pro Bowls he’s been eligible for. Problem is, the 6-foot-6, 312-pound security blanket has been protecting a ragged cast of no fewer than 16 quarterbacks, including Brady Quinn, Colt McCoy, Phil Dawson, Seneca Wallace, Thaddeus Lewis and Jason Campbell.
This year, Thomas’ one-day Hall of Fame brilliance has seemed almost irrelevant. Josh McCown and Johnny Manziel already have been sacked 26 times in seven games and, meanwhile, the Browns’ defense collectively has all of 12 sacks.
The disappointed Giants wonder if, without a complete right hand, JPP is reduced to the player who averaged just over four sacks in 2012 and ’13. The Browns take the glass-half-full view, hoping that the 26-year-old can play going forward like he did in 2011 and 2014, when he produced 16.5 and 12.5 sacks, respectively.
Trade a Hall-of-Fame-bound left tackle for a guy with questionable decision making who just so happens to have one-and-half-hands? Marvelously fortuitous? Got it. Oh, and dynamite addition of Phil Dawson among the quarterbacks.
The other five trades the Around the NFL crowd discussed include the Bears trading Jay Cutler to the Texans (ESPN has him going to Washington), Chicago moving Matt Forte to the Giants, Detroit sending Calvin Johnson to the Panthers (ESPN prefers New England), San Francisco trading Vernon Davis to Denver, and the Buccaneers sending Doug Martin to Carolina.
Tis the season for throwing listicles at a wall and watching those pageviews roll in. Brace yourself, folks.
54 Comments
The jags have a top 15 nfl qb under the age of 25 who is playing crazy good this season, this is why us Browns fans will never get a good team, instead of realizing we are the worst we will just attempt to bash others to make ourselves feel better
If you’re trading the best left tackle in football get me draft picks. That’s right picks. Start with a 1st rounder,a 3rd and a 5th. Haden gets me two picks and Kruger and Mingo a couple of mid rounders. Mack as well. That’s 8 picks. Get me a new GM. One that can judge talent. Your butt better know what you have in Johnny football. We need to get difference makers for both offense and defense. Figure if Gordon is a football player as well. I’m getting too old waiting for next year. My love affair started in 1957 and I don’t have many next seasons left.
If Bortles can make a similar jump next year to what he made this year, then he’s on his way to being at least a capable NFL QB. He’s smart, personable and he works hard and wants to improve.
OTOH, he doesn’t have an elite arm and his decision-making isn’t quite where you’d like. Again, he should rise to the level of capable or even to “pretty good”.