June 20, 2013

The Browns, analytics, and finding market inefficiencies as an organization

March 5, 2013 by 7 Comments

Banner and HaslamYesterday, I wrote about how I thought that the analytics revolution in Berea would be subtle. Today, I’m going to suggest some practical ways that analytics could be used inside the building to help the Browns. More often than not, it will be supplemental reports to help increase confidence levels in decision-making processes in an effort to reduce the frequency of inevitable mistakes. Put simply, there are so many decisions made in the NFL that you’re going to mess up sometimes. Why not do everything you can to mess up less often?

Teams will need scouts forever, so don’t think that scouts will ever be antiquated. Let’s just say that the Browns decided they desperately needed to find 3-4 linebackers in this draft from rounds three through seven, you know, hypothetically 1 . Wouldn’t it be worthwhile to take all the best 3-4 linebackers, put them in a data set with their heights, weights, various combine stats, NFL years played, NFL dollars earned, and more? Then all of a sudden you’ve applied some filters to an unmanageable list and let your scouts concentrate on a more focused group of players. That’s a no-brainer and most scouting departments do this kind of stuff already, I’m guessing. Add a few more layers of complexity, start getting creative with the variables and that’s where the next competitive advantage comes from. If you’re truly in sync as an organization you’re spending your time becoming an expert with a group of players that you aren’t competing with the whole league to get. That’s what Pete Carroll did. [Read more...]

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  1. Ha. Hypothetically. [back]

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Browns contribute to Deadspin naming Erie PA the NFL’s most tortured TV market

January 10, 2013 by 8 Comments

Many of our friends down in Columbus know what it’s like to not know exactly which games will be on TV every week. I’m sure it’s a pain in the neck, but know that it could be worse. Apparently being caught between the Bills, Browns, Steelers, Eagles and Lions in varied proportions has made Erie Pennsylvania the most tortured NFL TV market according to Deadspin.

Sweet, sweet victory! Fifty-four percent of Erie’s Sunday afternoon games involved one of 2012′s s****y teams, including 10 Bills games (63 percent of Buffalo’s Sunday afternoon games) and nine Browns games (56 percent). Despite being further west, Erie still managed to pick up four Eagles games (33 percent) and four Jets games (29 percent); what’s more, Erie wandered a little close to the Midwest and got hit with three Lions games (25 percent). To top it all off, the city got only nine Steelers games, just 75 percent of the team’s Sunday afternoon total.

I have known people from Erie all my life and I know that it used to be a much stronger Browns market. Obviously the Steelers have made inroads there since the 90s when the Browns were (even more) irrelevant. In all seriousness, this is one of the battlegrounds where Jimmy Haslam can pick up some marginal Browns fans. There is a history of Browns fans in Erie at least historically. Maybe he can find a way to re-ignite it. Plus, if the Browns were a good and exciting team, they would no longer become a knock on the TV.

[Related: Mike Polk blasts Browns coaching search with (tragic) comedy]

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Reports: Browns rebooting head coach search without Chip Kelly

January 6, 2013 by 45 Comments

What a difference two days and a lunch running into dinner makes.

The Browns’ contingency has left Arizona where they interviewed Chip Kelly on Friday among many others this week. According to various reports, including ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, they are heading back to Cleveland to regroup and continue the coaching search with Kelly’s name crossed off the list.

This too, from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, seems to hammer it home.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, who originally reported that the Browns and Kelly were close to an agreement, says that super-booster Phil Knight is pulling Kelly back to Oregon.

So, where do the Browns go from here? Bill O’Brien and Doug Marrone, who the Browns interviewed as well, are now off the board in addition to Kelly. That leaves former Arizona head coach Ken Whisenhunt and Cardinals defensive coordinator Ray Horton as the two candidates the Browns have interviewed that are still in play.

It’s certainly possible that the Browns open the search back up again with several other viable candidates still out there.

[Related: NFL Rumor: Chip Kelly could stay at Oregon]

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NFL Rumor: Chip Kelly could stay at Oregon

January 6, 2013 by 20 Comments

After a back-and-forth 48 hours where he was heading to Cleveland and then to Philadelphia, Chip Kelly could be staying at the University of Oregon, according to at least two reports on Twitter on Sunday morning.

The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane got the rumor mill heated up with his tweet, speculating there’s as much of a chance Kelly stays at Oregon as his reported leap to the NFL. And The Plain Dealer’s Mary Kay Cabot followed up with a report from Michael Lomardi, also a candidate for the Browns executive opening, that Kelly might lean toward staying in school.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport followed up to McLane’s tweet in saying that this could be unlikely, considering the NCAA sanctions the Oregon program is likely to face in the near future.

With Doug Marrone locked into a deal with the Buffalo Bills, it’s likely to be a continued scramble on Twitter for all possible breaking news related to Chip Kelly. We’ll keep you updated with all of the latest reports we see. Stay tuned to WFNY.

[Related: NFL News: Doug Marrone agrees to join Bills]

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Box Score: Bills 24, Browns 14

September 23, 2012 by 2 Comments

Craig already has his recap up on the site, showing again how he’s one of the best in the blogosphere.

Overall, the Browns played pretty well for about three quarters today. They played decently well, enough to be competitive and maybe win. But they were abysmal — as bad as ever — for the first half of the first quarter and the last half of the first quarter. And those are kind of important.

So the Browns are 0-3 for the sixth time since coming back in ’99. The next two weeks aren’t much easier either, as the team heads to Baltimore and then the NY Giants.

Scoring Summary

1st QuarterBUF – CLE
9:04 Buffalo BillsBUF TD Ryan Fitzpatrick passed to T.J. Graham down the middle for 9 yard gain (Rian Lindell made PAT) 7 – 0
5:06 Buffalo BillsBUF TD Ryan Fitzpatrick passed to C.J. Spiller to the left for 32 yard gain (Rian Lindell made PAT) 14 – 0
2nd QuarterBUF – CLE
2:12 Cleveland BrownsCLE TD Trent Richardson rushed to the right for 6 yard gain (Phil Dawsonmade PAT) 14 – 7
3rd QuarterBUF – CLE
10:38 Buffalo BillsBUF FG Rian Lindell kicked a 37-yard field goal 17 – 7
2:27 Cleveland BrownsCLE TD Brandon Weeden passed to Travis Benjamin to the left for 22 yard gain (Phil Dawson made PAT) 17 – 14
4th QuarterBUF – CLE
9:08 Buffalo BillsBUF TD Ryan Fitzpatrick passed to Stevie Johnson down the middle for 9 yard gain (Rian Lindell made PAT) 24 – 14

Passing

Buffalo Bills Comp Att Yds Pct Y/A Sack YdsL TD Int Rating
Ryan Fitzpatrick(notes) 22 35 208 62.9 5.9 1 2 3 0 107.8
Cleveland Browns Comp Att Yds Pct Y/A Sack YdsL TD Int Rating
Brandon Weeden(notes) 27 43 237 62.8 5.5 4 30 1 2 65.7

Rushing

Buffalo Bills Rush Yds Avg Lng TD FumL
Tashard Choice(notes) 20 91 4.6 22 0 0
C.J. Spiller(notes) 4 16 4.0 8 0 0
Johnny White(notes) 2 15 7.5 9 0 0
Ryan Fitzpatrick(notes) 6 10 1.7 7 0 1
Brad Smith(notes) 2 6 3.0 4 0 0
Cleveland Browns Rush Yds Avg Lng TD FumL
Trent Richardson(notes) 12 27 2.3 6 1 0
Chris Ogbonnaya(notes) 1 6 6.0 6 0 0

Receiving

Buffalo Bills Rec Yds Avg Lng TD FumL
Stevie Johnson(notes) 7 61 8.7 18 1 0
C.J. Spiller(notes) 2 42 21.0 32 1 0
Donald Jones(notes) 5 42 8.4 17 0 0
T.J. Graham(notes) 3 24 8.0 9 1 0
Scott Chandler(notes) 2 22 11.0 12 0 0
Corey McIntyre(notes) 1 9 9.0 9 0 0
Tashard Choice(notes) 2 8 4.0 5 0 0
Cleveland Browns Rec Yds Avg Lng TD FumL
Jordan Cameron(notes) 5 45 9.0 18 0 0
Travis Benjamin(notes) 2 44 22.0 22 1 0
Josh Gordon(notes) 3 40 13.3 17 0 0
Trent Richardson(notes) 6 24 4.0 10 0 0
Joshua Cribbs(notes) 1 24 24.0 24 0 0
Greg Little(notes) 2 17 8.5 12 0 0
Benjamin Watson(notes) 4 15 3.8 9 0 0
Mohamed Massaquoi(notes) 1 14 14.0 14 0 0
Chris Ogbonnaya(notes) 3 14 4.7 9 0 0

Kicking

Buffalo Bills XPM XPA FGM FGA Lng Pct Pts
Rian Lindell(notes) 3 3 1 1 37 100.0 6
Cleveland Browns XPM XPA FGM FGA Lng Pct Pts
Phil Dawson(notes) 2 2 0 0 0 0.0 2

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Browns lose as a team to Bills 24-14

September 23, 2012 by 82 Comments

The Cleveland Browns just weren’t good enough today. The defense wasn’t great, but they consistently gave the Browns’ offense a chance to win. The Browns’ offense showed some flashes but either shot themselves in the foot or had some calls work against them. There is no giant goat for this one. This was just a team loss all the way around, from the get go. It was made even worse considering the Bills played the majority of the game without their burgeoning star running back, C.J. Spiller who was injured by Usama Young after a gain.

You won’t win many games in the NFL when spotting your opponent a two touchdown lead and that’s just what the Browns did. The Browns gave up two touchdowns in the first quarter. The Browns’ defense got torched on the first drive. The Browns gave the Bills great field position on the second drive via a Reggie Hodges punt that appeared to out-kick the coverage. That Bills scoring drive was four plays and 49 yards. Meanwhile the Browns had nothing but three and outs in between. [Read more...]

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Week 3 Open Thread: Browns vs. Bills

September 23, 2012 by 31 Comments

 

A huge game in many ways for the Browns moving forward as they host the Buffalo Bills in Cleveland this afternoon. The Browns will look to keep up their offense rhythm from last week’s loss to the Bengals while also hopefully improving a bit on the defensive side.

From the leadership side of things, many are already saying how bad a loss would be for the combination of Mike Holmgren and Pat Shurmur in terms of their future with the franchise. Obviously, we all know Holmgren might be out already when Jimmy Haslam III has his hands on things, but an 0-3 start wouldn’t really give off a great first impression of Shurmur either.

Come join with us in the fun and share your thoughts in the comments as the game moves forward. Check out some links as well after the jump.

More WFNY coverage of Week 3:

– Top Five Non-Essential Things Jimmy Haslam Should Do With the Browns
– Cleveland Browns Film Room: Game 2, Third Down Offense
– Bills vs. Browns – Reader Survey
– Bills vs. Browns – Browns fans predict a 23-23 tie?

Go Browns!

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Bills vs. Browns – Browns fans predict a 23-23 tie?

September 23, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Well, the Browns and Bills matchup ought to be interesting if the WFNY reader survey has anything to say about it (which it doesn’t of course.) If you average the final score predictions, Browns fans who filled out our survey think the Browns will score 23.41 points and the Bills will score 22.66. Depending on how you want to round, that’s either a one point victory or a tie. Have no fear though, Browns fans pretty overwhelmingly believe the Browns will come out on top today. Nearly 62% predicted victory, so what’s going on? Browns fans who predicted victory did so by almost 7 points. Those predicting defeat averaged just over a 9 point loss. Regardless, Browns fans think the team has a chance and could very well win this game.

Here are the rest of the survey results. [Read more...]

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While We’re Waiting … Time for Buffalo and Bad Big Ten

September 23, 2012 by Leave a Comment

While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.

A final preview of today’s home game against the Buffalo Bills: “While the Bills exploded last week, they were terrible in Week 1 against the Jets. Cleveland hasn’t exactly strung together two consistent games on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball either. I think Cleveland’s offensive line will have a little bit of difficulty at some points with the Bills’ front four, leading to a more lackluster offensive performance than we saw last week. On the same note, I expect the defense to improve — after seeing where the secondary failed last week, Dick Jauron will make the appropriate adjustments. Fitzpatrick is an inconsistent quarterback, and he’ll turn the ball over one too many times against Cleveland.” [Steve DiMatteo/Dawg Pound Daily]

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Is this a must-win game though? Well, I guess so in terms of finding a way to finish with more than 4 wins in 2012, as they don’t come much easier than this. “Last Sunday’s game was another loss for the Cleveland Browns. But it kinda felt like a win. Hey, at least it was a positive performance considering the debacle that was the season opener. Now, at 0-2, the Browns need a win as they play host to the Buffalo Bills (0-2) at 1 p.m. Sunday. Pat Shurmur said what we’re all thinking a day after his team lost to the Cincinnati Bengals 34-27. ‘We have to win this game,’ he said. Agreed. For all the good the offense did last Sunday, it was another loss, which was the team’s 48th loss in their last 68 games dating back to the beginning of the 2008 season.” [Don Delco/The OBR]

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Rare stats, penalties and replacement referees all in one post? Yup, you’ve got check out this theory on how home teams might be benefiting from this chaos: “Last week, I hinted that there may be a bias by the officials in favor of the home team, as these less-experienced referees may be more likely to side with the voices of the crowd. That hypotheses certainly wasn’t disproved this week, as 14 of the 16 home teams won, the first time 14 home teams have won in a week since the league expanded to 32 teams. So far this season, there have been 231 penalties against visiting teams and only 188 penalties against the hosts. That ratio — road teams having to deal with 23% more penalties — is far out of line with historical data, which informs us that road teams had 7% more penalties enforced against them than home teams from 2000 to 2011.” [Chase Stuart/Football Perspective]

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I wrote about it yesterday, but here’s the first of a couple of posts I’m going to share that lament the sadness that is the Big Ten in 2012: “The overall OOC record for the Big Ten is not terrible, but what the conference has shown us thus far is that every week is Mighty Ducks week. Because apparently any band of misfits from crappy conferences can unite under the auspices of a drunken has-been coach and give a team from the ol’ Bee One Gee a run for their money. This week was no different.” [Johnny Ginter/Eleven Warriors]

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So really, why is the conference so bad? It’s not like their NFL Draft losses were that much more significant than others: “After almost four weeks of games, which Big Ten teams have impressed you? The list has to be painfully short. At one point in the early games Saturday, Ohio State led UAB 21-15, Wisconsin led Texas-El Paso 23-16 and Iowa led Central Michigan 24-23, with all three of the Big Ten’s opponents holding the ball with a chance to take a fourth-quarter lead. Ohio State and Wisconsin escaped with victories. Iowa wasn’t so lucky. It shouldn’t be surprising that the Big Ten struggled early Saturday, because the conference has underwhelmed all season.” [Frank Schwab/Dr. Saturday]

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Love Paul’s point here about how the Indians starters might just always have been overrated, and this decline isn’t really a drop-off, but simply their actual, depressing talent level: “As frustrating as it is to watch the Indians in terms of stalled development and regression, the appearance of a team that’s going through the motions and is either ill-prepared or ill-equipped to compete at the MLB level is what gnaws at most of the fanbase…at least those that are still watching. Whether that goes back to the coaching staff or the Front Office that assembled the ‘talent’ for said coaching staff to put into the lineup and into the pitching staff is a question that’s been asked before in this space (and in others); but it’s the MAIN question facing this organization going forward. Because it goes back to the “’Nature vs.Nurture’ argument from a month ago in that it has to be asked whether these players are simply flawed and were overrated in expectations for them or if the players (seemingly the whole lot of them) can regress this quickly and this profoundly.” [Paul Cousineau/The DiaTribe]

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WFNY Podcast – 2012-09-21 – Craig and Rick Preview Browns vs Bills

September 21, 2012 by 1 Comment

Two podcasts in one week? Why not! This time Rick and I talked about the Browns, specifically the matchup this week with the Bills. Two inconsistent teams on a collision course at CBS on Lake Erie! (I feel like a hype man now.

  • Mitchell Schwartz vs. Mario Williams
  • Young Browns secondary bounce back?
  • Will Browns stack against Spiller?
  • Which Brandon Weeden will show up?
  • Scott Fujita, L.J. Fort, Playing Time
  • Brandon Jackson, Montario Hardesty, and Chris Ogbonnaya

Enjoy! Tell a friend!

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Bills vs. Browns – Reader Survey

September 21, 2012 by 2 Comments

Last week Browns fans thought the team would lose 24-20 to the Bengals. In the end the Bengals won 34-27. All things considered, that doesn’t seem like an awful prediction. The Browns finished within a score even if everyone scored more than Browns fans thought they would. So this week, the Browns have the Bills coming in. The Bills got torched by the Jets in week one, and torched Romeo Crennel’s KC team in week two. So, it will be interesting to see which story you’re believing about the Browns’ opponent and the Browns themselves.

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C.J. Spiller is on fire and headed to Cleveland

September 17, 2012 by 8 Comments

The Browns’ run defense has been one of the great question marks for the team since before Jamal Lewis was wearing a Ravens uniform running up and down the football field against the Browns. Whether it was because the Browns’ opponents are usually playing with a lead, the defense being on the field too long, or just not being good at stopping the run, the Browns have just struggled with it over the years. The Browns did pretty well in containing BenJarvus Green-Ellis this week against the Bengals as he ran for 75 yards on 21 carries. The task this upcoming Sunday won’t be so easy.

C.J. Spiller didn’t start atop the Buffalo Bills depth chart this season. That was Fred Jackson who went down during a week one embarrassment to the New York Jets. Spiller has filled in admirably averaging 10.1 yards per carry. He had 14 carries for 169 yards against the Jets and 15 carries for 123 yards in beating the Kansas City Chiefs. He has three rushing TDs. He’s also caught five passes for 72 yards.

If the Browns are lucky, the Bills will have a gameplan focusing on the passing game. They’re going to have their work cut out for them against Spiller, it would seem.

[Related: Shurmur on Sunday’s Game Against Buffalo: “We’ve Got to Win this Game”]

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Supplemental Draftee Josh Gordon Runs 4.52 40-Yard Dash

July 10, 2012 by 31 Comments

The worst thing about trying to perform in life is high expectations. That is, unless you can beat those expectations. Whispers around Twitter yesterday had former Baylor receiver Josh Gordon potentially running as fast as 4.4 in the forty yard dash. Unfortunately for the young man who looks to enter the league this Thursday via supplemental draft, he wasn’t able to top the expectations.

The Philadelphia Eagles, Cleveland Browns, Buffalo Bills, and Dallas Cowboys were among the teams confirmed to have attended. Obviously, there were Texans officials on hand, too. In all, 21 teams showed up.

(Adam) Caplan reports that Gordon ran a 4.52 forty-yard dash after measuring in at 6-foot-3 1/8 and 224 pounds. Gordon recorded a 36-inch vertical leap with a 10-foot, 1-inch broad jump. He did 13 reps on the bench.

As people had suggested a team might actually give up a second round draft choice in order to secure Gordon’s talents, that now remains to be seen. You have to think someone will still be willing to part with at least a third rounder for the tall, fast receiver. And given the fact that I can easily come up with that logic, why wouldn’t a team that is notoriously good and wants another receiver with potential on their roster, give up a second rounder that is likely to be much closer to the beginning of the third round than it is to the end of the first round? 1

The Browns know all about coming up short in a bidding war. If they want this guy 2 , they need to take the aggressive Trent Richardson approach and probably just commit and bid a second rounder. If they still somehow miss out on him because a team with a worse record also bids a second rounder, you really can’t fault the team. I am just guessing based on game theory and the number of teams that were at the workout this morning that the Browns’ third round bid won’t be enough. I could be wrong. We’ll see.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if it came down to the Redskins and Browns again? The Browns had more to offer for RG3 and managed to lose that negotiation. The Browns are in the driver’s seat by virtue of winning one fewer game than the Redskins. The ball’s in their court at least with regard to the ‘Skins.

[Related: Browns will check out former Baylor Bear receiver Josh Gordon]

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  1. If you couldn’t tell, I was looking straight at Bill Belichick. [back]
  2. and it is a gigantic if that I have no inside knowledge of whether they want Josh Gordon or not [back]

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What could Trent Richardson’s contract look like?

May 10, 2012 by 1 Comment

The new rookie wage scale is supposed to make contracts easier. Now that we are in the second year of the program, I expect it to be even easier than last year, especially for Trent Richardson who wants his deal done by Friday. Most of the rookies at the top of the first round get their four-year deals fully guaranteed. Last year’s third-overall selection Marcell Dareus agreed to a 4-year $20.4 million deal with the Bills.

The breakdown of that deal looked something like this.

  Salaries Signing Bonus Cap Number
2011  $376,371  $3,335,000  $3,711,371
2012  $1,302,605  $3,335,000  $4,637,605
2013  $2,230,210  $3,335,000  $5,565,210
2014  $3,157,814  $3,335,000  $6,492,814
Total  $7,067,000  $13,340,000  $20,407,000

So without too much trouble the Browns should be able to figure out how to get Trent Richardson’s deal done as long as it doesn’t get too nit-picky in terms of structure. Just assume that Richardson’s deal will be 100% guaranteed and four years long and probably with an option year for the fifth year. [Read more...]

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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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NFL Free Agency: Stevie Johnson signs five-year deal to stay with Buffalo Bills

March 5, 2012 by 5 Comments

The Browns search for a free agent wide receiver is suffering greatly in the lead-up to free agency. DeSean Jackson was franchised last week and according to Adam Schefter and ProFootballTalk Bills receiver Stevie Johnson won’t be available either signing for five years and $36.25 million.

Per Schefter, the contract guarantees Johnson $19.5 million and calls for Johnson to receive $24 million over the first three years of the deal. There’s no detail as to the nature of those guarantees, i.e. whether they are fully or partially guaranteed and how much is to come via a signing bonus. Johnson’s deal could look different once that information comes to light.

Johnson would have been a more likely target for the Cleveland Browns than some of his older counterparts had he reached free agency. Johnson is still somewhat unproven, but at 25 he has put up over 1000 yards in consecutive seasons with the Bills. The Browns have seemed to make maximum effort to sign players in their early to mid-twenties in free agency more than the older guys.

Vincent Jackson (29), Pierre Garcon (25), and Mario Manningham (25), among others become more and more likely options for the Browns as the deadline approaches without word of signings or taggings.

[Related:  NFL Free Agents: The Wide Receivers]

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LeBron James vs. Art Modell Is An Easy One

May 17, 2011 by 27 Comments

I did a segment for a sports radio show called The Sports Insiders out of Buffalo this weekend on WECK 1230.  They wanted me to talk about Cleveland sports in general, specifically the Cleveland Indians and what LeBron James is doing in the playoffs.  The host, Joe Major, read the name of this website to the delight of his two co-hosts who noted that it could easily be a Buffalo Bills website as well.  We talked about the Indians’ start and how it is mostly tied to pitching and that will be the only path for it to continue.  This was obviously before I saw the huge outburst of runs the Tribe offense put up last night.  Eventually, the question came of who scored higher on the Cleveland hate scale between LeBron James and Art Modell.

I answered quickly and easily.  Without a doubt, it is Art Modell by a landslide.  I know we’ve talked about this a few times already since “The Decision,” but it bears repeating as we continue to gain distance from LeBron toying with the city of Cleveland.  LeBron James for all the negative feelings he implanted in us by handling his business in such an awful fashion can never ever do to us by taking himself away from us what Art Modell did by moving the Browns to Baltimore.  Never. [Read more...]

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Time to Forget the Wildcat

March 28, 2011 by 14 Comments

I know it seems like I am really trying to rain on Josh Cribbs’ parade lately, what with my talk about kickoffs, etc.  I still love Josh Cribbs as a player and certainly as a Cleveland Brown off the field.  Unfortunately, I need to say that the wildcat formation is over.  You never want to be the last person sporting your “Where’s the beef?” t-shirt.  At least the wildcat fad will be able to say that it lasted longer than Charlie Sheen’s “winning” catch-phrase, right?  It was a gimmick that worked in Miami for the Dolphins and showed a bit of promise on occasion for the Browns with Josh Cribbs.  That being said, it is a gimmick for teams that have trouble moving the ball in a traditional fashion.

Look at the place where it was most successful.  The Dolphins employed the wildcat in the third game of the 2008 NFL season to provide a spark to the offense with a different look.  In this case, the Dolphins were having trouble generating offense in the passing game between Chad Pennington and receivers Ted Ginn, Greg Camarillo, Davone Bess, and Anthony Fasano.  It helped the Dolphins get to the playoffs where they lost in the wildcard round to the Baltimore Ravens. [Read more...]

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Game 13 Open Thread: Browns at Bills

December 12, 2010 by 118 Comments

The Browns travel to Buffalo this afternoon for what has recently been a Lake Erie Snow Bowl.  The weather is supposed be brutal with rain turning to freezing rain throughout the afternoon.  The Browns are looking to extend a little winning streak and finish off the season strong.  Expect a steady dose of Peyton Hillis throughout the afternoon.  The Bills are 2-10 and are coming off a came in Minnesota where they were soundly defeated.  They have, however, been frisky and competitive now for most of the the second half of the season.  Any talk of .500 or 9-7 is put on hold this afternoon as the Browns look for a solid road win in Buffalo.  You can read WFNY’s keys to the game here and check out Craig’s pre-game intel below.

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While We’re Waiting…Browns Drive for 8-8, Snow Bowl, and Cavs Roster Flexibility

December 11, 2010 by 9 Comments

While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.

Browns Drive for .500: “To even entertain the thought of this team finishing at .500 or better is more than enough to consider the 2010 season a success. It will make a Browns fan’s head explode to think about the close games the Browns lost this season, but making these final four games count will allow us to still consider this season a success. To finish at 8-8 or even 9-7 would provide plenty of momentum heading into the off-season, and should do more than enough to silence the rumblings about Eric Mangini’s job security.  The Browns are about to embark on a quest that begins in Buffalo this Sunday. It’s a quest that can finally help this team transcend into respectability. The path won’t be easy, but a .500 season sets this team up for what could be a memorable 2011.” [Steve DiMatteo/DawgPoundDaily/NFL Blog Blitz]

[Read more...]

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