Browns 2010 NFL Draft Update: To QB or not to QB?
Written By: Jacob Rosen | Category: Cleveland Browns | Comments: 68
So we are 2-11 and that means it’s time to talk about draft position. Go ahead and read the article from No Logo Needed this morning about why we should be focusing more about winning. It doesn’t matter worth anything in the future since there is no way this team is going to be winning any playoff games as it stands right now. Turnover always occurs from year to year and with 11 draft picks this coming April along with a top ten selection, this could be the most important draft for the team since the selection Tim Couch back in 1999.
Over a month ago, I wrote an article talking mostly about Mike Holmgren coming over to Cleveland, but at the end mentioned some resourceful NFL Draft Web sites. Although Cleveland’s win over Pittsburgh coupled with the continued losses for 1-12 St. Louis and Tampa Bay hurt the team’s current draft status, it is intriguing to look at what players the team could get toward the top of the board. When looking at four of the blogs I mentioned in that story, the main theme for this franchise was whether or not they take a brand new franchise QB at the top of the draft.
Overall, I am highlighting 11 different players that probably encompasses all the possible selections for the Browns at the top end of the first round in the draft. The main theme that divides these players is whether or not they are a quarterback, as four such individuals play that particular position. The majority of these college football players are draft-eligible juniors that are likely to declare for the draft, and time will tell if all are available at our slot.
The QB candidates are simple and easy as Jake Locker, Jimmy Clausen, Sam Bradford and Tim Tebow will all be drafted in some order during the first round of the draft. There are multiple reports on all of these players, but none of them will be playing in this year’s BCS National Championship. In fact, only the lower-rated Tebow will actually be playing in a bowl game as Notre Dame elected not to play in a game while Bradford is hurt and Locker’s Washington team struggled all season. So the opportunities to watch these players are now limited, but the question holds ground for the franchise moving forward.
Is Brady Quinn the future? I am sure that all of us will hear this question hundreds of times between now and anytime before the start of next season, but that main question will dictate how this draft goes. The Browns and whoever is the GM or “Czar” will need to decide somehow if Quinn has taken advantage of his recent opportunities and proven he can be a legitimate NFL starting quarterback. If he has not shown enough yet, the team will also need to figure out some sort of plan for action in determining when the time is right to finally acquire a quarterback that can lead this team to a winning season.
Five other individuals that will assuredly go at the top end of the first round are Gerald McCoy, Ndamukong Suh, Joe Haden, Taylor Mays and Eric Berry. With Suh or McCoy, the Browns could possibly have the most dominant line in the NFL alongside Shaun Rogers and up-and-coming Ahtyba Rubin, but the secondary was definitely been the weak point all year. Mays and Berry both have play making skills as safeties that remind me of Ed Reed back when he played for The U, and could make a huge difference from game one as a Brown. The corner back Haden and line backer McClain on the other hand, were two of the biggest difference makers on the top two teams in the SEC all season.
The final two people that possibly could be mentioned for the Browns are C.J. Spiller out of Clemson and Dez Bryant, the ineligible receiver who used to play for Oklahoma State. Both would add fire power to the offense that respectfully uhh, has no real exciting option for the future. From this list of 11 players total now, I excluded all offensive lineman since the team will probably look in the second or third round for such players.
Here once again are the stats for those 11 players this season, their current schools and where they are current slotted in ESPN’s Scouts Inc. Big Board:
1. S Eric Berry, Tennessee, 83 tackles and two INT’s
2. DT Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska, 82 tackles, 12 sacks and one INT
3. DT Gerald McCoy, Oklahoma, 29 tackles and five sacks
4. CB Joe Haden, Florida, 57 tackles, three sacks and four INT’s
7. LB Rolando McClain, Alabama, 101 tackles, four sacks and three INT’s
9. QB Jake Locker, Wash., 2,800 pass (58.2%) 21 TD/11 INT, 388 rush and 7 TD’s
10. RB C.J. Spiller, Clemson, 201 carries, 1,148 rush, 11 TD’s, 448 rec and 4 TD’s
11. QB Sam Bradford, Oklahoma, 4,720 pass (67.9%) 50 TD/8 INT (from 2008)
13. WR Dez Bryant, Oklahoma St., 87 catch, 1,480 rec and 19 TD’s (from 2008)
18. S Taylor Mays, Southern Cal, 88 tackles and one INT
28. QB Jimmy Clausen, Notre Dame, 3,720 pass (68.0%) 28 TD/4 INT
XX. QB Tim Tebow, Florida, 2,413 pass (65.2%) 18 TD/5 INT, 859 rush and 13 TD’s
What all do you say out there? Is BQ the kid for sure the answer and/or will the final three games tell us something different about his future? Should we try to draft a safety or is it necessary for the team to bulk up the defensive line or look for a skill player on offense? Share your family-appropriate comments down below.
Author: JacobRosen
Jacob Rosen is a weekend author for WFNY, the sports editor for the University of Dayton's Flyer News and the current media relations director of the Akron Aeros. Jacob is an Akron native who majors in applied mathematical economics at UD. You can follow him on Twitter @udjrosen or e-mail him at udjrosen(at)gmail(dot)com.Jacob Rosen has written 252 articles for Waiting for Next Year.
Hard to tell right now whether Quinn is the QB of the future, but I think he should definitely be the QB of next year. He shown strides since he’s been given consistent starts and he’s at the very least serviceable which is quite frankly less than I can say about our secondary.
QB is very far down on the list of needs for the Browns. Berry and Suh are a coin-flip for me as a first pick for the Browns (if given the opportunity to take either) but even if we aren’t in position to get either by draft time, we’d better not take a QB. We have much bigger holes at safety, CB, LB, o-line, d-line, RB and WR than we do at QB.
Where is Colt McCoy?
I’ve seen enough to feel like Quinn should be the QB of next year like EZ said. If a Tebow or someone is around in the early 2nd, maybe we go get him, just in case. (And I think Tebow will be a terrible NFL QB).
But he is white, can play special teams, and has a good motor.
I don’t think Quinn will ever be great, but he may someday be good. However, the biggest reason I don’t want the Browns to draft a QB with their first round pick is that I’m not sold on any of the guys available. Meanwhile, I really like the available defensive players like Suh, Berry, and Haden. The Browns have needs at virtually every position. Therefore, I say take the best player available and go another year with Quinn.
I think BQ is the best option out of the QBs you mentioned for next year. I dont know if anyone coming out this year really “wows” me. Bradford did look good until his shoulder problems. Also, the offensive option in the top 5 dont really wow me either. If we pick there, it needs to be an immediate impact defensive player, such as Berry or Suh. If not, we should be in position to trade down again, though I think anywhere we pick Berry should be there.
Best player available with the first pick, then fill needs from there. That second-rounder will still provide a solid player, and then two third-rounders *should* be decent additions. Ideally, I’d love to package those two third-rounder and move back into the second, but nothing is every ideal with this team.
Hey, we beat Pittsburgh!
Taylor Mays….no, no, no.
He is the second coming of Roy Williams….excellent hitter, worthless in coverage.
@4 – sooooooo trade that top 5 pick for more picks?
I agree.
First step first though is getting a GM/czar to run this show.
@Bobby, Agreed. Don’t want Mangini having the final say on picks. Will result in more Brian Robiskie type picks.
If the Browns have a chance to get Suh or Berry, they’ve gotta take them. After that, I’m not really sold on most of the other players, especially QBs, although Locker and Dez Bryant intrigue me. It’s easy to say trade down, but you have to find someone who’s willing to take the Top 5 pick and the required money that comes with it. If you can’t get Suh or Berry, TRY to trade down and hope we can find a suitor who’s looking for a QB.
Keep Quinn, get a veteran back/up mentor as well as improved coaching to work on his weak points (accuracy), and with a little infusion of talent at WR, RB, TE, and OL (I am looking in the direction of the right side of the line), I think he will be just fine. Now I know the talent infusion on offense sounds like a lot, but a good draft pick here and a good FA there to fill some holes at the top of the depth chart – I actually think a lot of the guys we have now provide good depth but we need some difference makers sprinkled in – especially a franchise RB. All that jibber jabber said, I would concentrate on strengthening the DBs and LBs with our top picks/first line FAs. Again I think we have some decent depth on D too, just need those difference makers at some key positions shut down corner, saftey/destroyer, and a stud LB). While that sounds like a lot, with 11 picks, a few key FAs, cobined with who is around now it can be turned around.
Of course the crux of it all is who is calling the shots, making the picks, signing the FA, and coaching which I believe is the true dilema…So in context of all that, I do belive a small amount of credit should be given to Mangini for making over the bottom 1/3-1/2 of the roster, for whatever it is worth, providing a little bit better depth and talent. Thhe true measure is this next step – 11 picks in the 2010 draft and FA (a few key guys, not all Phil Savage-y selling the farm or Mangini ex-Jet Love, somewhere in between.
Maybe a Tony Pike-type player to be a backup if he slips to the 2nd or 3rd round?
I know this article doesn’t mention anything about DA, and I’m hoping that most people have come to the same conclusion that DA doesn’t have a future with the Brownies, but does someone mind refreshing me on his contract situation? I’m guessing he has a roster bonus due in March-ish and we will try to trade (who’s gonna take him?) him or will release him before we are due to pay it. This leaves an opening on the roster for a QB. Depending on what the organizations decides, this could be our #1, #2, or #3 QB next year. Here’s to hoping it’s our #3, a late round “project” guy (Tim Hiller (local kid from Orville), LeFevour, Zac Robinson?), #2 being Ratty, and #1 Brady.
Forgot to say, I think Quinn should have another year as a starter. If nothing else, it should boost the ability to trade him if the Browns decide they want to go a different way. Either way, not worth drafting another QB, until we know what Quinn really has.
In the article you mentioned Tim Tebow among the quarterbacks to be taken in the first round. No chance. In fact, Tebow will likely be turned into a FB or TE. He’ll be available in the later rounds of the draft. He shouldn’t even be part of the discussion.
No way should the Browns go anywhere near a QB in this draft. It’s next to impossible to evaluate Quinn with the way this coaching staff made a fiasco of the process from Day 1. And as the Mangini apologists are quick to point out, his receivers are the worse in the league, if not the history of the NFL, so how can you get a good read on Quinn.
As far as who the Browns should take, just pick the best defensive player when their pick comes up. They have so many holes it doesn’t matter what position they draft for, the player should be able to step in and play right away. That is, of course, if the coaching staff realizes there is no such thing as a redshirt year in the NFL and makes the draft picks inactive on game days again next year.
If the Browns pick a QB with the first pick I’m done with the team.
You mention that the Browns would have a dominant line, but that leaves holes in the secondary. I would say the giants got to the super bowl with a dominant front seven and a mediocre secondary. With a good pass rush the QB doesn’t have time to pick apart the secondary. It’s much harder to defend someone for 6 seconds than for 3 seconds.
BQ will be the quarterback next year. He really hasn’t wowed us on offense but he doesn’t turn the ball over like DA did. The Browns definitly need to pick Eric Berry if he’s there. The D-line and LB’s have looked great the past few games and this can be attributed to Rob Ryan’s coaching. The safety position needs to be addressed especially with Brodney Pool’s status up in the air.
No to St. Tebow, even if his tears do have magical healing powers. Zero chance the kid is ever effective under center in the NFL. I’m all for another year of BQ, as none of the available QBs mentioned strikes me as a safe enough bet. I’ve said here before and I’ll say again: if we must grab a QB in this draft (not first round), I’d like to see Tony Pike.
An early-round RB is pointless until we shore up the o-line, so forget Spiller, who I’m not totally sold on anyway. No thanks to Dez Bryant early either, as WR is hardly the Browns biggest need. Eric Berry is the guy in my mind, with Suh as a relatively close second. Mays fell off significantly without the host of playmakers that he had in front of him last season. We can always use LBs (especially since we insist on staying with the 3-4, despite the fact that our personnel makes more sense for a 4-3), but not first round unless we trade back substantially.
If we end up in a range that would make Berry and/or Suh available (and we certainly should), then I say stay there and pick. If those guys are off the board come our selection, drop back and collect more choices. And for the love of Cody Risien, can we please address the right side of the o-line?
I agree with the ‘draft the best defensive player available’ idea. We could also try to use some of our 11 draft picks to trade up. I don’t spend my work day scouting NFL talent, so I’m not going to pretend to know the best move to make. Hopefully it doesn’t end up like Courtney Brown did.
scratch Jake Locker off the list…. he is staying
@4 – If Berry or Suh are available, then no, I wouldn’t trade the pick. Both of them are worth taking. If they’re gone I’d be good with them trading down again.
“The QB candidates are simple and easy as Jake Locker, Jimmy Clausen, Sam Bradford and Tim Tebow will”
Ryan Mallett and Zac Robinson for you on Line 2.
Suh will more than likely be gone by the time the Browns pick, but if not, would he even be the right selection for the Browns in a 3-4 defense? Would Suh move to DE? Would we switch back to a 4-3 to accomodate him? I’m not a fan of drafting guys and then teaching them new positions i.e. Veikune. I realize Suh and Veikune are on different talent levels; it would just make me nervous using a 1st rounder on someone who has to learn a new position. What do y’all think?
Tebow will definitely not be a first round pick, maybe 2nd or something but definitely not 1st. And I’m kind of surprised that people are still high on Taylor Mays, even though he had a bad year. He is really bad in coverage although I will admit he could be a really good run stuffer.
A rookie QB wouldn’t really be coming into a good situation and no matter how good the rookie, he would have a very hard time succeed seeing how he would have no proven weapons offensively. I’m in the Suh or Berry camp, this defense needs playmakers.
If we must draft a QB, I wouldn’t mind getting Tony Pike in the 2nd or 3rd round. He is big, accurate, and has a pretty strong arm. He is worth taking a chance on because he won’t have the financial obligations of a first round pick and he might be pretty good
Brady Quinn should stay for one more year; he is showing some progress which hopefully extends throughout the remainder of this awful season. I still like having an experienced QB behind Quinn,that said, Derek has to go and be immediately replaced. On draft day, first round should be used either for SUH; Mays safety from USC or Spiller RB, respectively. We need one of these three in the FIRST ROUND!! No ifs, ands or butts.
If we can get Suh or Berry in the first it’s a no brainer.
But can we please not even joke about drafting QBs. The last thing this team needs is another QB “competition”. Lets solidify Safety, the Right Side of the OL, and RB positions before we begin to think about QB. I think Quinn can do enough to not lose games for a year or 2 with a couple more starts under his belt. I’m just tired of our Comical QB situations over the past 7 years: Couch vs Holcomb, Dilfer vs Frye, Frye vs DA, DA vs BQ… Although Cleveland Browns Football would not be the same without Quarterback controversy
Okay, crazy idea to throw out there. Browns draft Myron Rolle in one of the later rounds. Sure, he’s got the whole Oxford thing to be concerned about, but he’s freakishly gifted, easily the smartest person to ever play defense (at any level, in any sport), and the Clinic could get some use out of him. Maybe even solve their staph infection issues. Kind of like how Alan Page got his law degree when he was with the Vikes.
If nothing else, the Man of the Year award would be ours indefinitely.
I think the pick has to be on the defense, even though the offense has had issues this year. The defense needs a leader. The Browns need their Polamalu or their Ray Lewis. Defense is going to determine the winner in the AFCN and the 1st and 2nd rounds focused on offense last season. In my opinion, getting a RT will improve the offense and that can be done in Round 2, which will also be a high pick (or use some of the remaining 10 picks to move back into the lower 1st if needed).
All that being said, I think it’s either the highest rated safety or linebacker remaining when we pick that fits that leadership/establish-an-identity role.
No QB. If BQ is bad the browns will have a shot at good a QB in the 2011 draft- Ryan Mallet.
I agree that the Browns should take the best defensive player available, preferably Suh since a great defensive line can make up for deficiencies in the secondary. However, they SHOULD also take a quarterback. While I’m not sure if the “top qbs” are worth the early draft pick, this draft will have many qbs worth a shot available in later rounds (i.e. Tony Pike, Dan LeFevour, Tim Hiller). Quinn should start all of next season to see how he handles being the starter from start to finish, but don’t worry about hurting his feelings, you should always have a backup plan.
draft suh, trade rogers for a late first/early second
draft eric norwood in the second
watch qb’s die
Assuming the Browns win a few (that’s a big assumption) but I would love to see them take Spiller — he’s going to be an excellent pro. At it is at a postion of need and would give the Browns 2 playmakers (Cribbs).
Browns fans: Be glad we won’t get the #1 pick. You think I’m crazy? Think about this:
1. Number one picks are EXPENSIVE, wanting multi-year contracts in the tens of millions of dollars.
2. Number one picks aren’t guaranteed to be good (A.K.A. Tim Couch and JaMarcus Russel)
3. We don’t want to deal with a holdout
Also, picking a QB would be the last thing I would do. We need to stick with Quinn (sadly) for another year or two, until we can afford to bring an established VETERAN quarterback (Brett Farve anyone?) to Cleveland.
I’d be more than happy to see Suh or Barry, or even a decent CB. Also, the Browns need to address our TE and WR problem this offseason. We need to bring in a vet, and possibly draft a promising young reciever (not Robiskie).
Come Draft Day, I have no idea what the Browns will do. Heck, they might trade away all eleven picks for a nuclear bomb to drop on Pittspuke, but hey, thats just wishful thinking.
-The Browns Beat the Steelers 09-
Oh, and by the way, the Browns have a really good chance at going 4-12 this year. That wouldn’t be too bad, would it?
No to QB thoughts.
No to QB talk.
No to QB.
I say build on the excitement generated from the Pittsburgh game.
It’s all there is.
And BQ was at least cheerleading well, which helps with the excitement thing.
Get some more talent on D, at least Ryan will know what to do with it.
I’m all for picking up Suh or Berry with the first pick we have, I think the second pick needs to be the BEST RT AVAILABLE. If BQ has more than a turnstyle protecting his right side, he may have more than 2 seconds to find a receiver and make a play. Maybe 2nd round is too high to take a RT, but I think it’s more of a need on the offensive side than RB or WR. We still have James Davis, who may or may not turn into a gem. He was looking decent all preseason. Between Robo, Mo Mass, Stuckie, and Cribbs, none of them are standout but do we need to have another diva WR right now?
DO NOT PICK A QB!…too many great defensive picks to pass up.
It would be insane to take a QB early. In-flippin’-sane.
To the dude talking about having the 1st overall pick…usually the good thing about having that pick is you avoid holdouts, because you can negotiate contracts with players ahead of time. Russel held out big time, but usually that isnt the case
Eric.Berry.Eric.Berry.Eric.Berry.
[...] Cleveland Browns decision will be an interesting one. Do they stick with Brady Quinn to see if he develops or do they jump [...]
I’d say defense, preferably in the order of:
Suh, Berry, McClain, then Haden. Remember, St. Louis is more than likely going to take a QB (Bulger is done). Detroit should take a LT to protect Stafford, but they’re not that different from the Browns in that they don’t always make the obvious pick. Tampa’s going defense. I’m not sure I like taking a LB in the top 5 or 6, but it might just be the right pick. Not sure I like McCoy as the pick, especially if Rubin continues to progress.
Tron -
I don’t think the 2nd round is too early to take a RT. That is a huge area of need and there are usually good ones available since teams focus on LT first.
Forgot to add:
St. Louis is not going to win another game, so put them in front of the Browns. Tampa also probably loses out, so some combo at 1-2. If we go 1-2 over the final three weeks, we’re picking top 4, 2-1 from here on out could drop us all the way to 7, and it’s a hell of a lot easier to trade out from 4-7 than it is from 1-3, look at the history of the draft. So even if we miss out on the (arguably) top two players in Suh and Berry, we still get a top 7 player at a much reduced price. Those talking about free agent pickups, this would be the money we could use.
I like your reasoning, Vince. But remember, Brett Favre is going to be 53 in a couple years. It rarely works out when teams draft a QB high in the first round as the first piece in a rebuilding plan (Tim Couch, JaMarcus Russell, maybe even Matt Stafford).
The Patriots thought they were getting a solid backup when they drafted Tom Brady, and even Pittsburgh drafted Ben Roethlisberger high in the first round after all their other pieces were in place, and he wasn’t even supposed to be the starter right away (they still had Maddox under center).
Let’s get our defensive playmaker, build our lines and make an effort to get some impact free agents.
I didn’t read any of the comments so sorry if I repeat something.
I am an advocate of trading down into the 7-10 slots and picking a defensive play maker, no matter where that position may be. DL, LB, and Secondary (CB or S) are all areas of serious need. McClain and Brandon Spikes would be studs in a 3-4 as outside rush LB’s.
Suh and McCoy would be tremendous additions to our DL, but whose to say we can’t get a great DL in the 2nd or through FA, or if Williams decides to finally step up.
CB and S are even more pressing. Berry is a can’t miss prospect, I’m not too up on the CB’s yet, it’s hard to say until they all declare.
Dez Bryant is a sick play maker. He’s as fast as DeSean Jackson and as big as TO at 6’2 and 220 LBS. CJ Spiller is a guy who could step in and help right away with our glaring hole at RB and we can’t over look Gerhart.
The point is that we really can’t go wrong as far as positions of need, we just have to get the guy who will play for 10 years at a pro-bowl level at least.
Why is everyone so keen on getting “key FAs”? Who expects that browns to win anything next year? Sure, I want to see improvement, but with 11 picks we should let the young guys get experience. Theres too much wrong to be expecting superbowl, so lets not get carried away wanting big name FAs. Also, it could be an uncapped year, so its perfect for getting screwed over buying big time contracts (though I wonder if there will be any huge 1 year contracts by teams with owners trying to win immediately).
how about drafting a coach ….anything, but we don’t need a QB .. how about LB’s which we should have drafted instead of a 1st round Center or a right side of the offensive line
Speaking of Tim Couch, there’s a pretty good chance Charlie Frye will be starting for the Raiders next Sunday.
Which means, if he doesn’t stink up the place, Frye could be starting against the Browns!
Agree with Denny and Jack. I’m getting a either a Berry or a Suh jersey if he comes here, but if we can trade out and get more picks, that works too.
What round do you guys think Dan LeFevour goes? I say trade down with the first pick, adding to our plethora of picks, then take a stab at LeFevour with one of the freebies…then you have options if Quinn really does suck…
A dominant running back is the key to building a great team and Spiller or Royster can be just that. Manning got James in his second year, but the Browns have failed to provide a franchise running back in over a decade. Their Drafts have been erratic and have no direction by getting a big time back that will help the growth of their young and talented offense plus it will help improve the defense that needs to spend less time on the field. They should commit their first 3 picks to the same side of the ball and get the best players that work for the type of offense they are trying to run. It is a fact that there is an uncap year coming up but the Browns still need to make the right moves for the team to win. Browns would be best served to look at picking up free Agents: OG) Max Jean-Giles, RT ) Jeremy Trueblood, NT) Ryan Pickett, WR) Maurice Stovall, LB) Rashad Jeanty, and OLB) Tully Banta-Cain.
Scooter,
I don’t think LeFevour has been under center his entire career. Shotgun offense does not work well in December in Cleveland. I would hope during the combine they would make him prove he can make reads while dropping back before selecting him.
Ramdac, I think we have bigger needs than o-line and RB right now, though.
To say we have a hole in the secondary would imply that we actually have a secondary. We currently have 1 starting-caliber corner in Wright and 1 active player whose natural position is safety (Elam). And Elam isn’t that good of a safety. Outside of that we have McDonald, Adams and Hand Poteat at corner, and Adams and Furrey at safety – neither of whom naturally play starting safety.
Aside from that, I can’t think of a single RB in this draft that’s worth taking in the top 5, when we will be selecting. If Berry is available at our pick we must take him.
The Ravens have managed to create a credible running attack with the remains of McGahee (23rd pick) and Ray Rice (55th pick) and Pittsburgh (last year) had a good running game with Rashard Mendenhall (23rd pick) and Willie Parker (undrafted).
I think we’ve got at least one more win in us between KC, Oakland and an inconsistent Jaguars team. That will put us around 4th or 5th in the draft, presumably too late for Berry and Suh unless there’s a small run on QB’s. If that’s the case, I would love to take Haden and within a few games have him as our #1 CB, Wright as our #2 – where he won’t get pushed around all over the field by bigger top-tier receivers – and McDonald back to his natural nickelback position. A single pick that results in a significant upgrade at 3 defensive positions and gets Poteat out of a Browns uniform.
The Browns should not draft a quaterback if they keep their top five first
round pick. They should should go defense – linebacker, defensive line or
defensive back. I would consider a running back in round 2. Stay away
from wide receiver for the first two rounds. They shouldn’t draft a player
for example defensive end and try to have him become a linebacker.
Tired of “rebuilding” and that is what will happen if we go the QB draft route. Quinn will work. Maybe he won’t be pro-bowl caliber, or hall of fame material, but he won’t be a detriment either. Better to draft those other position you talk about.
If we draft a QB, ughhh, I don’t even want to expound on that. It would be another rebuilding year, no matter the coach.
If Mangini stays, I wish he would just declare Quinn the starter and silence this. Realize his mistake from this past off-season. Move on to new news we need to hear about the Browns becoming competitive again…
Oh, and I forgot to mention; no matter our selection in the draft, I would trade down again. Get a later 1st round pick and a 2nd round pick for it. You can find just as good of players without the high expense and false sense of hope. I would not trade for 5th-6th round picks in any rounds like Mangini did this year. Those are hard-pressed to pan out in most cases.
This years draft should be 80% defense, but get a good offensive weapon early. Keep an eye on Quinn….if things arent working out I would NOT pass on Jake Locker next year if he’s available when the Browns pick. He’s going to be a great one.
I’ve already said no the Qb talk, like everyone else, but I think we also need to say no the RB/WR talk in the first round. The problem with taking any offensive playmaker, is that half our offensive line is, well, offensive. Until we shore up that right side, it doesn’t matter who’s in the backfiels or split out wide. Defense, defense, defense, in the first with a RT in the second or third. Jennings has been a pleasant suprise, plus we still have Harrison and Davis returning. If they also move forward with lining up Cribbs back there, our backfield is set. Get a blocker for the right side and then draft D with the rest of the picks.
Is it too late to trade for Clay Matthews Jr? I think it would be appropriate for father and son to play for the Browns.
I’d trade this year’s #1 pick for a dynamic LB… am I alone?
I think we can get a QB in another round other than the 1st.
Tony Pike of the University of Cincinnati is tall 6-6 225 lbs
and has a beast of an arm. The injury he had was to his non-throwing arm. look up his stats, he was a heisman candidate until he hurt his arm and had to sit out 3 games. UC has a great back up so they weren’t hurried to get Pike back until he was fully healed.
@ Sid – he’s also a bionic man, so when the NFL switches over to cyborgs we’ll have a head start. I like where you’re head’s at.
Quinn stays and plays — at least for another year. If Seattle is looking to trade up to get a QB — then their early No. 1, maybe their second No.1 but certainly a No. 2, should be part of the deal. Throw in a McDonald if you must to make it work. A guy like Toby Gerhart might still be around in the early part of round 2. DA is outright released or traded — maybe to Oakland, where Jamarcus Russell is looking like a Clevelandesque draft call. Get a 4th round pick for him — or anything, really. Get rid of the payroll load. St. Clair is most likely gone. Any way you look at it, this team is going to have at least 15-20 new faces next year. My guess is Mangini will still be here, unless this team implodes in weeks 15-17.
Even if we could get a “Jon Kitna” kinda guy that can help the team get going in the right direction but be willing to help a newbie QB mature to take the raines after a year or two. I don’t think BQ or DA are the answer (and I was a DA supporter) I don’t see any spark in either one as far as being the answer. I was a Bengals fan for years (got tired of Mike Brown) and I’ve seen my fair share of bad QB’s. Carson was given a chance to learn under a decent Head Coach and look where he is (if he isn’t injuried). We will just have to be patient and take some more lumps before the team gets turned around. It’s a crap shoot anytime you draft a QB, but if you look most of the good ones were not taken in the first rounds. There have been a few exceptions lately but the majority of the 1st rounders end up as backups or flops.
My two cents. # 1 pick for the Browns should be (if available) DT Ndamukong Suh. If they can trade smart and succeed in trading some second round picks for another top first round, try to get S Eric Berry. What a double threat that would be on ‘D’. Dream come true for all Browns fans…
The Browns O Line is starting to show signs of being something special (great Offensive Lines take about two/three years to really jell and think/move well together as a unit).
I think pick-up players like Matt Roth (LB) and Evan Moore (TE) are showing signs of possible greatness as well.
Brady Quinn should have had time on the field like Matt Schaub in Houston over the past 3 years, can’t learn without playing time. He show’s he has the brain and the desire to win. I think Quinn is the real thing. His timing needs to get ‘play’ on the field in real game conditions. I know Quinn can throw the long ball. I also know he can run. Massaquoi and Robiskie also need time, (on field with Quinn) I think they have the smarts and physical ability. Cribbs can do anything. Trade some lesser rounds and maybe see whats out there in free agency.
Running backs? Jerome Harrison deserves the opportunity to play as a starter and Jennings has also had some good moments since Lewis has left the building. Have yet to see Thomas Brown RB play. So what is available in later rounds of the draft will be up in the air and at this time guessing.
I didn’t like (early in the year) the coaching concept of designing plays based upon the playing style the coaches were trying to get the players to develop rather then utilizing the talents the players have. Time changes such things and while the Browns are now playing weaker teams, they are playing very well. A complete overhaul would be a very bad choice for 2010, just a lot more fine tuning (give these players some consistency on the field — together).
[...] 10 picks it will be fairly difficult not to get a few solid starters early on in the proceedings. Last time when I wrote about the draft where the Browns projected to be within the top three picks, the main question was [...]