May 25, 2013

While We’re Waiting… Buckeyes Take Down #2 Michigan

January 14, 2013 by 10 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.

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What a huge, shocking win for the Bucks: “The jury has been out on the Ohio State Buckeyes. But after weeks of deliberations in Central Ohio a verdict has been reached. The Buckeyes are for real. Jumping out to a 29-8 first-half lead, Ohio State withstood a furious second-half rally by No. 2 Michigan to hand the Wolverines their first loss of the season, 56-53. Michigan, the lone remaining unbeaten, was attempting to become the No. 1-ranked team in the country for the first time in 20 years.” [Kyle Rowland/Eleven Warriors] [Read more...]

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NFL Trade Rumor: Browns seeking Houston’s RB Ben Tate

March 14, 2012 by 34 Comments

Business might have just picked up in Berea. After being relatively quiet all day, Twitter has burst with reports that the Browns are engaging the Texans to get Ben Tate. While there isn’t a lot of activity around this rumor just yet, it fits perfectly with Tom Heckert and the Browns’ M.O.

From Auburn, Ben Tate is 23. He is 5’11″ tall and 219 pounds. Most importantly he is on a four-year $3.337 million contract that won’t see him hitting free agency until 2014.

In 2011 he carried the ball 175 times for 942 yards behind a stout Texans line. Unless you think all that production is tied directly to Lawrence Vickers, (I kid!) this is exactly the kind of move you’d like to see the Browns make. Tate would come in and provide an option that would keep the Browns away from Trent Richardson in the draft and allow them to take the best player available without worrying about a gaping hole in the backfield behind the QB.

No word yet on what the Texans might be seeking in return.

[Related: Where's all the Browns' Money?]

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NFL Free Agent News: Lions tag Avril, Texans sign Foster

March 5, 2012 by 11 Comments

The Detroit Lions used the franchise tag on Cliff Avril taking one of the best DE off the free agent market.

The Houston Texans signed Arian Foster to a five year deal, which may have shut the door on their chances of keeping DE Mario Williams. Houston reportedly won’t have the cap space to use the franchise tag on Williams, which would be around $22 million. The Texans have other free agents to worry about as well, and may find themselves on the outside of the Williams sweepstakes.

This is obviously good news for those Browns fans wanting the team to make a splash in free agency and find a dominating pass rusher to line up opposite Jabaal Sheard. While most fans would point to the offense as the biggest problem area for the Browns (and rightfully so) it would be hard to fault the team for taking a chance on an elite pass rusher. These players don’t hit the market in their prime very often.

[Related: NFL Free Agents- Defensive Ends]

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What Would it Cost for Matt Flynn if He is Franchised?

January 9, 2012 by 55 Comments

One of the options for the Browns this off-season should they choose to address quarterback in free agency is Matt Flynn.  Flynn has only started two NFL games as Aaron Rodgers’ backup, but his most recent start was a record-setting performance that set the world abuzz.  That can tend to happen when you throw for 480 yards and six touchdowns in a football game.  For reference, this weekend in his playoff game against the same Detroit defense, Drew Brees put up 466 yards and 3 touchdowns.  That says a lot about the defense that Matt Flynn went up against.  Anyway, that’s a different discussion.  Let’s assume that the Browns do want Matt Flynn and they have to deal with the Packers who franchise him in order to trade him.  What might the price tag be?

First of all, the price tag for franchising a QB is, um, really high.  Going into this past season, Jason La Canfora had estimated that the cost of franchising a QB would be $16 million.  So assume that to franchise Matt Flynn will be somewhere in the same ballpark.  The acquiring team will be on the hook for that, but in all likelihood it will lead to a new long-term contract that will be pricey.  But what we are really looking for is what the potential acquisition cost could be for the Browns.  There are three obvious examples, Matt Schaub, Matt Cassell and Kevin Kolb. [Read more...]

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Cleveland Browns Film Room: Week 8 Pass Protection or Have a Little Help From My Friends?

November 10, 2011 by 30 Comments

Each week Almost nearly each week this season, we’ll take a seat in our very own WFNY Browns film room and break down a little tape from the previous week.  Do enjoy.

Whole lotta people questioning the pass protection this week. From our own Scott to LeCharles Bentley, to Daniel Wolf from National Football Authority, questions are being asked. And with good reason. Colt McCoy has been beaten to a pulp the last few weeks. It really is surprising that he hasn’t gotten hurt.

Sacked 4 times, and hit countless others against the Texans, it made me wonder what was going on. Then I hear Pat Shurmur say in Monday’s press conference that the Texans only brought more rushers than the Browns had blockers once. Is that possible?, I thought out loud. It seemed the Texans were bringing 15 people on every snap. Well, the tape doesn’t lie. And Shurmur was most certainly correct, the Texans didn’t bring more rushers than the Browns had blockers on every pass. It just seemed that way. [Read more...]

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Week 9: The Browns Will Win If…

November 4, 2011 by 25 Comments

First and foremost, can anyone out there run the ball? The Browns need you. Strap on your pads. Conversely, the Texans are coming into this game with a finally-healthy-looking Arian Foster. Gack. The Browns’ defense continue to struggle against the run–and apparently throws to the tackle-eligible–but is also still keeping the team in games long enough to illustrate that their offense if just garbage. Progress?

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The Texans are seventh in the league in yards per game, and are scoring almost 26 points per game. It’s going to hinge on the Browns’ defense’s ability to keep them in check. Houston is also fourth in the league in rushing yards per game. D’oh! Cleveland is catching a possible break with WR Andre Johnson questionable with a bum hamstring, but even still they have their work cut out for them. Without further ado…

The Browns Will Win If…

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What Do You Want to See This Weekend Against Houston?

November 3, 2011 by 33 Comments

Forget the stupid statements like “I want to see the Browns win!”  We obviously all want to see that, despite the fact that the Browns are 11 point underdogs heading down to Houston.  Obviously we’d love to see the Browns come out and play like we haven’t seen them play this year and win against a legitimate playoff contender and division leader.  Beyond that, the game within the game, what would you like to see?

In case you haven’t noticed, this is a rebuilding season as the Browns figure out what they have and more importantly what they don’t.  They’ve rolled the dice and won like on the defensive line.    They’ve also rolled the dice and lost like thinking the receivers on the roster from last year were going to develop quickly or at all.  (See Robiskie, Brian)  So, we all know where they stand now.   The best thing that could happen to this team is that they start to figure out how to play together.  Here’s what I want to see without sarcasm.

Jordan Norwood period.  Josh Cribbs seems disenchanted and discouraged.  Massaquoi and Little have shown spots, but remain inconsistent targets for Colt McCoy.  Jordan Norwood seemed to provide the first big target for McCoy since he was able to check down incessantly to Peyton Hillis week one against the Bengals.  It is ironic that a guy as little as Norwood could be a “big target,” but it isn’t surprising that the quickest guy on the field might be able to get open against a nickel corner, linebacker or safety. [Read more...]

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While We’re Waiting… Tressel Chestbumps, Steelers SB Rings, and K2 Haunts Houston

June 10, 2009 by 4 Comments

While We’re Waiting aims to be the round-up of the recent WFNY-esque information for your morning viewing. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email in the sidebar. 

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Score a TD in a war zone?  Boom, Chestbump from Tress: “This was too good pass up. I don’t know the full story behind this picture. I could easily infer one, but it almost doesn’t need a back-story. It just is. Nothing further must be said about it.” [Our Honor Defend via OSU Athletic Dept]

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NFL Draft: Beanie Wells Disputes Injury Rumors

April 22, 2009 by 5 Comments

Beanie WellsIn what could possibly be the quickest way to ever mention a potential injury, Peter King buried a sentence on former Ohio State running back Chris “Beanie” Wells in his latest MMQB that claimed teams are “scared off” by a potential foot injury.  Given Wells’ injury history and the fact that many consider this to be his biggest risk, a forefoot injury would not be something to boost the draft stock of the Akron, Ohio native.

Thankfully for Wells’ wallet, it appears that these rumors are completely unfounded and that old No. 28 is ready to go. 

“Beanie was examined by [orthopedic surgeon] Dr. James Andrews in January and was given a clean bill of health,” said agent Adam Heller. “There are no issues with the toe and he’s 100 percent. He rushed for 1,200 yards and has since posted the best broad jump at the combine and a 4.38 in the 40 at his pro day.”

[Read more...]

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Brady Quinn: Waiting For Next Year…

November 26, 2008 by 26 Comments

Brady Quinn

Remember that finger that could not be damaged any further if Quinn were to play?  Well, it appears that it has been damaged further.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Browns quarterback Brady Quinn will miss the remainder of Cleveland’s season with a broken right index finger he made worse by playing on Sunday, according to several reports.

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Open Thread: Browns vs Houston Texans

November 23, 2008 by 42 Comments

Not too much time to provide a long opener, folks.  Quick hits: Brady’s finger is appartently “okay” enough for him to suit up.  Thankfully, Kellen Winslow will also be active to provide Quinn with another target.  In fact, only notable inactives are Shaun Smith and Travis Daniels, meaning that all of the guys we talked about here and here are good to go.

Three point favorites at home, which means that Vegas thinks this one is pre-tay even.  Hopefully, after the 4:15 PM mark, we can talk about how this win was actually a win…instead of, you know… last weeks final score.  Oh, and here’s to a week of dramaless Browns talk too!  Wishful thinking, I know.  The OBR’s Brian Tarcy thinks we pull it out by one…

Follow along in the comments, folks.  Go Browns!

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The Browns Will Win If…

November 21, 2008 by 7 Comments

I stared at my computer for about 45 seconds before starting to type this lead. What to say? Do I make a “Quinn’s broken finger” joke? Go with something about TK NK relative to Monday night’s game? How about a tasteful Phil Savage [bleep] you joke? In truth, thinking about it just made me tired, and made me decide to write a lead that has nothing to do with anything at all.

It seems like we always end up playing the Texans every single year, and it is usually a game between two teams circling the drain. The Browns are coming off a took-years-off-of-my-life win against perhaps the only NFL team with worse mojo than Cleveland. Can the Browns tackle Steve Slaton? Will Sage Rosenfels fumble a few times trying to get that extra yard again? Will Jerome Harrison get *gasp* 5 touches?? Without further ado…

The Browns Will Win If… [Read more...]

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More Cribbs on Sunday?

November 21, 2008 by 10 Comments

This team never stops amazing me.  Just not too much in the good way.  Why is it that it takes a huge play from someone that should have been on the field more to begin with for the coaches to finally say, “Hey, this guy may actually be pretty good!”

In the case of Jerome Harrison, I have a feeling that even his 11-plus yards per touch will still find him on the bench in key situations.  But in the case of Josh Cribbs, it only took 12 weeks for some play-callers to wake up and smell the coffee. 

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Kellen Winslow: Sprained Shoulder, Day-to-Day

November 19, 2008 by 7 Comments

After taking a nice shot from Buffalo’s Paul Posluszny this past Monday, Kellen Winslow underwent an MRI to check out any potential damage to his shoulder.  The results of said imaging revealed that the tight end does in fact have a sprained shoulder and will be considered day-to-day with the Texans game coming up this weekend.

He’ll likely hit the injury report tomorrow as “questionable,” but Romeo Crennel did not rule out his Pro Bowler playing this weekend.  Stay tuned on this one, as well as the injuries to Jerome Harrison (hamstring), Sean Jones (ankle), Shaun Rogers (shoulder, neck), Shaun Smith (calf), Lawrence Vickers (ankle), Corey Williams (shoulder) and Jason Wright (neck).  All of those named did not practice today, which makes me wonder who the offense actually got to play against in 11-on-11 drills…

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So…We’re Not Alone With DB Woes

October 1, 2008 by 6 Comments

It’s a fairly slow news day today if you couldn’t tell.  The Browns are coming up on a bye week, the Indians are d-u-n, and the Cavaliers are just getting underway.  But that doesn’t stop us from perusing other teams.

Hamza Abdullah, Tyron Brackenridge, Courtney Bryan, Therrian Fontenot, Nick Graham, Terrence Holt, Daren Stone, and Michael Waddell each got look-sees as the Texans prepare for their 2008 home opener against a Colts team that features pass-catchers like Reggie Wayne, Marvin Harrison, Dallas Clark, and Anthony Gonzalez.  It’s a must-win game for both teams; the Texans are 0-3 and the Colts are 1-2.

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