May 16, 2012

NFL Draft: Vikings say Browns weren’t alone targeting Richardson

May 1, 2012 By 7 Comments

It has certainly been far less of a talking point for Browns fans, but the compensation used to move from four to three certainly could have been used elsewhere in the 2012 draft had it not been used to grab Trent Richardson. It is possible that those picks could have been used in the pursuit of Kendall Wright or one of the other receivers in a first round trade-up scenario. Alas, the Browns used those picks to ensure they landed Trent Richardson. Now the Vikings say the Browns were wise to do so.

But Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman told the Pioneer Press that if the Vikings didn’t trade down with the Browns, they might have traded down with some other team that wanted Richardson.

“We did have offers on the table, I can tell you that. I’m not going to tell you who or what. But I will say Cleveland did the right thing,” Spielman said. “We definitely would have looked at some of the other options.”

Granted, Vikings GM Spielman is unlikely to say the opposite even if it is true. The only thing worse in GM circles than fleecing a fellow GM would be to show your seven-deuce off-suit as soon as you bluffed the other GM into giving up the pot and laying his cards down. So take it for what it is. I don’t know if the Vikings really would have traded out of Matt Kalil territory. It would have been interesting to see it play out that way in another space-time continuum or something. In this one though, on the heels of missing out on Robert Griffin III, I’ll just be happy the Browns got the best running back prospect and potentially one of the most dynamic offensive weapons in the 2012 draft locked up.

[Related: A few additional Browns post-draft thoughts]

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ESPN Cleveland: John Hughes was in demand

April 30, 2012 By 85 Comments

The John Hughes pick has been slammed pretty universally ever since it occurred during the Browns’ 2012 draft. Hughes was even the subject of some pretty negative and difficult questioning by Kevin Kiley during his late (he overslept) appearance on their show this morning. Now the other sports talk station, ESPN Cleveland, has dug up some info that could shed some light on why they Browns made their pick and felt lucky to get Hughes. Will Burge has the report.

A league source tells ESPN Cleveland that Hughes would have been selected before the end of the 3rdround if the Browns had not selected him. The source said that Hughes had been fielding calls from multiple teams indicating they would select him with their third round pick. The Browns just pulled the trigger first…

It seems as though Heckert had a right to be concerned. The source also said the New Orleans Saints, who owned the #89 pick in the draft, were going to take Hughes if he was there. The Saints ended up selecting Regina defensive lineman Akiem Hicks, who is almost the exact same size as Hughes.

Maybe this explains why Tom Heckert was so dismissive of questions surrounding the pick and how much of a “reach” it might have been. It is certainly a compelling report, and if accurate just goes to show how much difference there can be between draft experts in the media and the front offices of NFL clubs who must make the picks.

[Related: A few additional Browns post-draft thoughts]

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A few additional Browns post-draft thoughts

April 30, 2012 By 52 Comments

We’ve all weighed in on any number of details with regard to the draft this weekend and today, but I do have a few more things I wanted to discuss. None of these things are sourced, but these are the conclusions I am left with after draft day.

Colt McCoy will not get a fair shot to win the QB job this year. I’m not even saying he should get a “fair shot” either because the Browns have seemingly decided that the ceiling just isn’t high enough. Colt McCoy didn’t make the throws last year, but I am still not sure if he couldn’t or if he wouldn’t. Well, I know that he wouldn’t because he was king of the dump-off.

All that being said, I think it is possible that Colt McCoy could be better prepared to play QB for the Browns in the offense this season than Weeden. Regardless, I don’t think Colt will get the same chance as Weeden will be getting all the attention of the coaching staff in full groom mode. [Read more...]

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WFNY Weighs in on the Browns 2012 NFL Draft

April 30, 2012 By 91 Comments

As I get further and further along in my life as an NFL fan and critic, the letter grade thing the day after the draft starts to irk me a little bit. So, instead of just doing letter grades, I tried to put some questions together that are hopefully a little more nuanced. In the end, nobody knows if any of the players from this draft will actually work out. All you can grade on is the effort, strategy and implications immediately thereafter.

Note on comments: We’d like to do something different on this post. Please copy the questions (They’ll be in copy/paste format at the bottom) and give us your take in the same format that we used. Regular comments are allowed, but it’d be nice to have everyone weigh in using the same questions.

1. On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the best) what is your perception of the Browns’ 2012 draft?

Jacob: I’d give it maybe a 5. I was not particularly happy about the value we got throughout in picking Brandon Weeden early, choosing Mitchell Schwartz over other options and then the bonehead move of John Hughes. You can’t get a good draft rating when you botch up three of your first four picks. [Read more...]

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Peter King: Richardson “Not a bad trade by Cleveland”

April 30, 2012 By 45 Comments

Peter King is giving everyone a pass on the deal that the Vikings and Browns made to move up from four to three.

I’ve been hearing GM Rick Spielman of the Vikings took advantage of a Browns team that didn’t want to risk losing Trent Richardson, which is true. I’ve been hearing Browns GM Tom Heckert got snookered into throwing fourth-, sixth- and seventh-round picks. That’s a load of crap. This is the easiest Monday Morning Quarterbacking to do (hey, that’s trademarked!) after the draft.

There’s no way Heckert could know what real offer Spielman had on the table. Spielman, as it turned out, had talked to Tampa Bay about the pick, but the Bucs were never seriously interested in it. But Heckert had no way of knowing that at the time. General managers making vital decisions for the long-term cannot sit there and say, “I wonder if Spielman really has something, or if he’s bluffing.” They have to make decisions on the fly. The Browns kept the top five picks of a vital draft intact and got the guy they wanted, Trent Richardson, and still had 10 picks to work with. I don’t castigate Heckert. I applaud him.

At 11a, you’ll be seeing the WFNY discussion of the Browns draft wherein most of us feel the same way. There are certainly things to be critical of the Browns at times, but using their well-earned bullets to ensure they got the biggest potential difference-maker this Browns team has drafted in a decade isn’t one of them.

[Related: NFL Draft: Holmgren Urged Browns First-Round Trade with Vikings]

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NFP: Mitchell Schwartz is “tough, nasty”

April 27, 2012 By 3 Comments

I don’t know anyone who would love to be called nasty, except when talking about football players. These are the kinds of adjectives you want to hear about prospective offensive linemen though. The National Football Post is using them for the newest member of the Cleveland Browns Mitchell Schwartz.

Schwartz is a tough, nasty kid who loves to get after it in the run game and finish opponents through the whistle. He played left tackle at Cal and will be asked to move to the right side in the NFL. However, he’s a great fit to handle the power side because of his ability to gain leverage, stick through contact and hold the point of attack vs. the pass.

At this point, it would just be nice if Schwartz would help us forget names like Pashos and St. Clair. Reminding Browns fans of Ryan Tucker wouldn’t hurt either.

[Related: Video: Browns get their tackle, taking Mitchell Schwartz]

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Video: Browns get their tackle, taking Mitchell Schwartz

April 27, 2012 By 19 Comments

As Kirk let us all know earlier, the Cleveland Browns got giant many Mitchell Schwartz. He is a 6’5″ 320 pound monster who Mike Mayock called a “plug-and-play” right tackle. Of course the Browns could have gone with either offensive line or wide receiver with their second rounder. I guess the Browns feel their chances of getting a receiver are still good later. But let’s learn more about Mitchell Schwartz.

The talk about Schwartz is that he might have been a bit overmatched at times as a left tackle for Cal. He played two years with Alex Mack, incidentally. He isn’t known for his athleticism and certainly has some room to improve technique types of things. On the positive side of things he is from a football family. His brother Geoff plays offensive line for the Carolina Panthers. He is known for his work ethic and maturity according to most NFL draft sites. While he played left tackle at Cal out of necessity, he has always seemingly projected as a right tackle in the NFL among front offices and draft gurus. [Read more...]

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Craig and Rick Make a Browns Bet

April 27, 2012 By 14 Comments

Yesterday before the draft even started, Rick and I engaged in a friendly bet. It is so friendly in fact that we never even discussed any kind of payoff. Still it is an interesting one.

The Cleveland Browns will line up against the Washington Redskins in week 15 next season in Cleveland Browns stadium. On December 16th, to be exact. Here’s the bet. When those teams go into the game, who will be favored in Vegas? I say the Browns will be and Rick is betting that the RG3-led Redskins will be. [Read more...]

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Weeden on McCoy: “It’s out of my hands.”

April 27, 2012 By 8 Comments

When Brandon Weeden was asked by Mary Kay Cabot about Colt McCoy and the trade rumors, Weeden wisely stayed out of it. Paraphrasing him, Weeden said that he hasn’t talked to Colt or run into him yet. He said that it was a management decision and totally out of his hands.

Weeden and Trent Richardson met the media today in Berea and much of the talk focused on the newest Browns quarterback Brandon Weeden. Of course his age was addressed as well as his past with baseball.

[Related: Schefter: Browns Told McCoy No QB in First Round]

 

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Browns took the risks and we’ll see about the rewards

April 27, 2012 By 57 Comments

The good news is that there is nothing to talk about with regard to the Trent Richardson pick at three. The Cleveland Browns paid a price and they got a guy they absolutely wanted and needed to help kick-start a mostly dead offense from 2011. Yes, the Browns paid with some lower round picks to make it happen, but this is Heckert’s M.O. to a large extent. It is a strategy that I mostly agree with too. If you don’t always want to be subject to the actions of others, you need to control your own destiny. Sometimes that means getting Phil Taylor. Other times that means getting Montario Hardesty. Both times it leaves me confident that at least Tom Heckert got who he wanted. That brings us to Brandon Weeden.

Brandon Weeden is a guy that the Browns obviously wanted. The only question is how much? Did they want him more than Michael Floyd (13th to the Cards) and Kendall Wright (20th to the Titans?) Nobody knows for sure, but I would bet the Browns wanted Floyd if they could have found a way to get him. I would also bet the same with Kendall Wright. Additionally, we can say conclusively that the Browns wanted Brandon Weeden more than they wanted Riley Reiff who was selected with the pick after the Browns at number 23. We can also say conclusively that the Browns wanted Brandon Weeden more than they wanted to roll the dice going forward with Colt McCoy. [Read more...]

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Browns Select Trent Richardson #3 in the 2012 NFL Draft

April 26, 2012 By 45 Comments

The Cleveland Browns traded with the Minnesota Vikings in order to get it done. In the end, they just needed to trade a bit extra to ensure they got their guy. Their guy turns out to be Trent Richardson, the No. 1 running back on the board out of Alabama.

Richardson shouldn’t be unfamiliar to Browns fans. We’ve been talking about him ever since the team failed to trade for RG3.

So Trent is the guy. The Browns have a guy to hand the ball to this upcoming season even with the departure of Peyton Hillis.

They may have needed a trade to make sure they kept Richardson away from teams like Tampa Bay, but there’s no doubting one thing. The Cleveland Browns got the guy they wanted.

Barring any trades or other moves, the Cleveland Browns have a bit of a wait until they get to pick again at No. 22 with Atlanta’s first round pick.

Click here to see the rest of WFNY’s coverage of Trent Richardson.

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The Relief of the Arrival of Draft Day

April 26, 2012 By 76 Comments

I really did feel like something of a dummy when the Redskins won the trade battle for the rights to draft Robert Griffin III. I bought into a player and knew that the Browns had the weapons to make the trade happen. When they failed to get it done, I was sad for myself even as I could see some positives for the Browns for not giving up as much as the Redskins did. I was almost more upset that I spent so much time talking about a guy who would never become a Cleveland Brown. That was back when the pre-draft hype was actually fun. Somewhere along the line this turned from being really fun to causing stress and consternation, if not being just downright annoying.

You can figure out exactly where it happened for me because I started reminding myself that this was supposed to be fun in the posts. I lied to you all and said I was still enjoying myself. It’s like when you go bowling once per year and you’re really excited for it. You rent your shoes get a pitcher of beer and play a few games. Then because you haven’t bowled a lot your shoulder starts to groan a bit. Those energetic skips down the lane turn into chores. You’re still bowling and that should be fun, but the beer is low in the pitcher and nearly room temperature. It’s just over. You’ll remember only the fun parts nine or ten months later when you decide that it would be really fun to go bowling again, but if you thought really hard about it you’d actually remember the sore shoulder, warm beer and the strange smell of chemical shoe spray. [Read more...]

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Mortenson: The end of the NFL Pro Bowl could be near

April 26, 2012 By 19 Comments

I honestly don’t know anyone who watches the Pro Bowl. I mean like really watches it.  According to Chris Mortenson (by way of PFT,) the Pro Bowl gets good TV ratings and makes money, but it could be all over.

The idea for getting rid of the Pro Bowl entirely has picked up steam in recent years, and Chris Mortensen reported on ESPN Radio this morning that there’s talk of suspending the Pro Bowl as soon as this year: There might not be a Pro Bowl at all at the end of this season.

Obviously it won’t be missed by too many people. It will probably most be missed by guys like Derek Anderson and Browns center Alex Mack. With no actual game, there won’t be guys bowing out to avoid injuries. Without Pro Bowl alternates we never would have had to hear arguments for Derek Anderson that included mention of his Pro Bowl (when he filled in for the real Pro Bowler, Tom Brady.)

The only downside is that we won’t get any more Alex Mack touchdown scampers either.

[Related: The Relief of the Arrival of Draft Day]

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NFL Draft Rumor: Bills want to trade up for Kalil

April 25, 2012 By 31 Comments

It’s the night before the draft and the rumors are flying. The Buffalo Bills apparently feel they’re very close with their signing of Mario Williams and re-signing of Stevie Johnson this off-season. Why else would they be willing to trade up for a single piece – even a presumed powerhouse – like Matt Kalil?

While the old draft trade chart is admittedly outdated, it’s at least worth a look here. Per the old chart, Buffalo’s Nos. 10 and 41 overall picks equate to 1,790 “points.” The third overall pick is worth 2,200 points, and No. 4′s value is 1,800 points. So the Bills could get just shy of the fourth pick based on the old points system.

So there it is. If I’m the Vikings – or even the Browns should Kalil fall to #4 – I am going to hold out for more than just nos. 10 and 41 overall. Assuming that the old draft value chart is out of date, that would mean that the Browns’ pick is actually worth more because the rookies will be slotted from a salary standpoint.

[Related: The Relief of the Arrival of Draft Day]

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Chris Perez, Carlos Santana and fun with captions

April 25, 2012 By 9 Comments

Last night on the WFNY Facebook page I posted the following picture, asked for captions and told everyone to “keep it clean!”

(Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

Greg Pennypacker ‎
“hey chris…this crowd thinks we’re going to win this game easy…”
“make it close?”
“make it close.” [Read more...]

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