June 19, 2013

NFL News: Brian Hoyer contract details surface

May 20, 2013 by 1 Comment

Brian Hoyer was signed by the Browns last week and details of his two-year deal are starting to surface. See, unlike depth-chart speculation, this is actually news regarding Brian Hoyer and the Browns.

So, as you can see, regardless of whether or not Michael Lombardi thinks Hoyer can start in the NFL or not, nobody, including Hoyer’s representation was holding out for starter-level cash. Far be it for me to look down upon on a couple million bucks, but with only $250k guaranteed in 2013, he’s by no means a lock to be on this team as the Browns easily retained flexibility in the deal to move on whenever they deem it appropriate.

Also keep in mind that Jason Campbell’s deal was for two years and $3.75 million.

[Related: Scott Raab on Chris Perez, Browns vs. Klosterman, NHLinCLE and relationships with editors – WFNY Podcast – 2013-05-20]

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Brandon Weeden opens Browns OTAs as No. 1 quarterback

May 16, 2013 by 12 Comments

Despite various attempts to suggest the contrary, Brandon Weeden has opened Cleveland Browns Organized Team Activities (OTAs) as the starting quarterback.

ESPN Clevland’s Tony Grossi reports that Weeden, while he may have merely been given the job due to a lack of serious alternatives and could very well be on a one-year audition, is firmly running with the first team while Jason Campbell and Thad Lewis are second and third, respectively.

“The Chudzinski-Turner offense – a vertical passing game played off a power running game – would seem to be an ideal change for a team that invested first-round draft picks last year in Weeden and Trent Richardson,” writes Grossi.

Earlier this week on WKNR’s Cleveland Browns Daily , Weeden said to host Vic Carucci, “I looked at (receiver) Greg Little walking in and said, ‘What do you think?’ And he’s like, ‘This is fun.’ That’s what we want. We want to go out and have fun. Usually as a receiver and a quarterback, that’s dropping back and slinging it around a little bit. That’s what we’re gonna do. We’re gonna throw the football down the field. We’ve got guys that can go get it. It’s fun to come to work every day.”

With the Browns adding slot recievers Davone Bess and David Nelson, they are giving Weeden the weapons they feel he needs to flourish in an offense that arguably suits his skill set better than the one employed by former head coach Pat Shurmur.

In 2012, the strong-armed Weeden threw for nearly 3,400 yards, but did so with a passer rating of 72.6 with an average of 6.55 yards per attempt. He has been working out for the large part of the offseason, including private work with former NFL quarterback Chris Weinke.

[Related: In 2013 the Browns are betting on defense and hoping for offense]

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Cabot: Jason Campbell Will Have “Legitimate Shot” At Starting QB Job

May 4, 2013 by 12 Comments

Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer informs us this morning that her sources are saying that free-agent signee Jason Campbell will be given a shot to beat out incumbent starter Brandon Weeden for the starting quarterback spot.

“…head coach Rob Chudzinski said: “I feel good about the group. How all that plays out, we’ll see and know in time. I’m excited about Brandon and the progress he’s made thus far, learning the system to the point we are right now, which is still very early.

“I’ve also been pleased with Jason [Campbell] and the role he’s taken on being there.

“We want to give these guys every opportunity to succeed and give Brandon, since you are asking about him specifically, every opportunity to succeed.”

Pressed on whether the team is moving forward with Weeden as the intended starter, Chudzinski said: “We’re going to proceed as we’re proceeding right now.”

“Brandon is getting the reps with the first team and working with the first group. A lot of this will remain to be seen when we get into pads and we get into real football instead of the football where you run around in shorts on air.”

Campbell, as MKC mentions in the article, was 4-2 at the time of his injury in Oakland in 2011 and has a career record of 31-40 as a starter over eight seasons. Weeden was 5-10 as a starter last season, throwing for 3,385 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions for a QB Rating of 72.6, completing 57.4% of his passes. Campbell, an Aubrun product, has 76 career TDs, 52 INTs, and a career QB Rating of 82.5 while completing 61% of his passes in time with Washington, Oakland, and Chicago.

The Browns chose to go in a different direction than drafting a quarterback in the 2013 draft. Assuming that both Weeden and Campbell are both 2013 stopgaps, the team will likely look to the 2014 draft for a longterm answer under center.

If there is a changing of the guard and Weeden doesn’t become the first Browns QB to start back-to-back openers since Charlie Frye in 2006-2007, it will be seven different opening day starters in seven years for the Browns (Frye, Anderson, Quinn, Delhomme, McCoy, Weeden).

Related: One Week Removed, More Browns Draft Thoughts

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WFNY Podcast – 2013-04-01 – Dennis Manoloff talks charities, Weeden and NFL draft

April 1, 2013 by Leave a Comment

WFNY Podcast LogoDennis Manoloff agreed to join me for about 15 minutes to talk sports. I always appreciate the D-Man’s take on things and with a radio voice like his, it’s a crime that he doesn’t have a regular slot on the local shows. Anyway, enjoy.

  • Outside the Lines report on athlete charities being shams
  • The right ways to do charity
  • Brandon Weeden vs. Jason Campbell and heading into year two
  • What the Browns should think about with the 6th pick
  • Trading down and the benefits
  • Dee Milliner and Dion Jordan
  • Projecting corners vs. other positions
  • Free safeties and the blending of the definition of safety

Check out this episode

Listen at Stitcher

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Jason Campbell’s contract for two years $3.75 million

March 28, 2013 by 4 Comments

The cost of taking a chance on Jason Campbell is now known. Many outlets have reported that the Browns’ two-year deal with Campbell is worth $3.75 million. According to Sportrac, the deal is for $1.5 million in 2013 and $2.25 million in 2014.

Far be it for me to call millions of dollars a “cheap deal,” but that’s exactly what this is. Campbell’s previous deal with the Chicago Bears was for one year and $3.5 million. He made $3.1 million in 2010 and $4.5 million in 2011. The Bears reportedly wanted Campbell back and he is rumored to have left a bit of cash on the table in order to choose the Browns and a chance to unseat the current #1 quarterback.

No juicy contract details to break down here like we’ve had an opportunity to do with other Joe Banner deals thus far. Campbell is a guy who needed an opportunity and the Browns presumably told him he’d have a chance to compete for the job. If he wins the job and plays well, it will be an amazingly efficient signing for the Browns at two years and $3.75 million.

[Related: Fun with Numbers: New Browns Edition]

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Fun with Numbers: New Browns Edition

March 28, 2013 by 36 Comments

Kruger jerseyEveryone likes numbers right? Every once in a while I like to see what story the numbers tell. Today I’m going to do a special ‘Fun with Numbers edition on the new Browns and their jersey numbers. Let’s have some fun-

You know that moment when a new player is introduced at a press conference and they hold up his new jersey? Unlike at the draft, when generally they all hold up a number 1 jersey, these are usually the number the player has selected to wear. Yesterday, the Browns confirmed uniform numbers for the 8 players signed thus far in free agency.

17- Jason Campbell. Campbell wore 17 with the Redskins, his first team in the league. In Oakland he wore number 8 and last season with the Bears he wore number 2. The number 17 is quite an interesting one in Browns history. Before Brian Sipe wore it in the mid 70′s and early 80′s, only one player had worn it in team history- Jerry Rhome in 1969. (1000 Woofnie points to you if you’ve ever heard of Jerry Rhome before.) From the beginning of the franchise until 1990, only those two players wore it. Since then, it has been worn by Todd Philcox, Chris Gardocki, Braylon Edwards and Jake Delhomme. (Worn in games. Not counting practice squad or training camp invites.)

Brian Sipe is the team’s career leader in passing yards by the way. He threw for 23,713 yards. That’s a mere 123 yards more than Otto Graham. Otto is still the leader in touchdown passes though, with 174. Todd Philcox has 7 TDs. Delhomme has 2. Just to give Campbell something to shoot for. Second place in touchdown passes for a Browns QB wearing number 17. [Read more...]

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Joe Banner says Colt McCoy won’t be cut

March 28, 2013 by 24 Comments

(Note: an earlier headline said “will compete for starting QB job” and that was speculation based on what Joe Banner said. I’ve updated the headline as such.)

Despite the fact that the Cleveland Browns signed Jason Campbell, the Browns will seemingly not cut loose Colt McCoy, at least not yet. Brandon Weeden will start the off-season at the top of the depth chart, but the Browns are saying right now that the best players will play. If Colt McCoy is the best quarterback, he’ll be the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. At least that’s the message of Browns CEO Joe Banner as he makes the rounds on both ESPNCleveland and 92.3 The Fan this morning.

That’s a pretty good stance on a quarterback – even one with a suspect future – who makes less than $3 million like Colt McCoy. Despite the fact that many Browns fans continue to tell me Colt McCoy has no trade value, as long as he has a chance to put some pre-season performances together, there’s always a chance.

Or maybe Colt McCoy pulls off a miraculous feat and wins the starting quarterback job. Not at all likely, and the Browns aren’t likely to give McCoy much better a chance to win the job than Pat Shurmur and company did a year ago as they anointed Brandon Weeden.

Now about Jason Campbell…

[Related: Cleveland Browns current cap space $28.7 million]

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Jason Campbell to Cleveland makes some sense

March 27, 2013 by 17 Comments

Jason Campbell Football CardThe Browns signed Jason Campbell to a two-year deal yesterday to “add to the pile” 1 at the quarterback position. Is this more like Jake Delhomme or Seneca Wallace? That’s what we Browns followers like to do, you see. We try to put everything in the context of other stuff we’ve seen before. Remember when we were talking about hiring coaches and were forced to endure “logic” about how Chip Kelly was like Butch Davis and Nick Saban because they both were former college coaches? 2 Maybe Jason Campbell is like Jeff Garcia or Trent Dilfer. Or maybe he’s just Jason Campbell and unlike any of those other guys.

Campbell is a guy with starting experience. He’s not at an advanced age with declining skills like Jake Delhomme was when he arrived in Cleveland. He also probably hasn’t had the same level of success at the top end that Delhomme had at points with the Panthers. Campbell has had some pretty excellent statistical seasons.

Campbell also arrives as a more qualified starter than Seneca Wallace was when he was brought in by Mike Holmgren. Still, in terms of accomplishing the goals of bringing in a “system” guy, there are similarities between Jason Campbell’s experience with Norv Turner-style offense and Wallace’s prior Seattle experience with Holmgren.  [Read more...]

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  1. At this point I can’t remember if this was a Holmgren-ism or someone else talked about “adding to the pile” at positions. [back]
  2. Fake rules! [back]

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NFL News: Cleveland Browns sign QB Jason Campbell

March 26, 2013 by 22 Comments

The Browns have said they wanted competition at the quarterback position. On Tuesday night they acquired Weeden’s competition-

Campbell is 31 years old and a veteran of three NFL teams. He played in Chicago last season.

From the Browns-

“Jason is an established leader who has started a number of games in this league and has had success,” said Browns Head Coach Rob Chudzinski. “He brings us a veteran presence and a good set of physical tools. He played in a similar system when he was in Oakland and that will help in his transition.”

“We are excited to have Jason as a member the Cleveland Browns,” said Browns CEO Joe Banner. “He is a veteran player who has been productive throughout his career and will be a good addition to our team.”

From Rotoworld.com-

“Good night, Colt McCoy? Campbell joins McCoy and Brandon Weeden at quarterback, and will likely force McCoy off the roster. The Browns have been admittedly open to dealing either of their top two quarterbacks, but it’s extremely doubtful new coach Rob Chudzinski would feel comfortable with just McCoy and Campbell. Campbell was a disaster in his lone start of 2012, but was contending with a ferocious 49ers’ pass rush behind a pathetic offensive line. Going on 32, Campbell’s elongated motion makes him a tough sell as a starter, but he’s one of the league’s better backups. It’s within the realm of possibility he’ll get on the field this season.”

With Cambell’s experience, I would stipulate that Rotoworld is correct. I can’t imagine McCoy sticking with the Browns this season.

[Related: The Browns and year after year QB envy]

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For Browns QB spot, desire can’t create opportunity

March 13, 2012 by 92 Comments

Regardless of how exactly the process went down this past weekend, the Browns missed their man. What isn’t in question is that the Browns wanted RG3 on the team and he will not be. So like any good co-dependent fanbase, we scour the earth to figure out who we can count on to be the quarterback to take the Browns to the Super Bowl. When one door closes another one opens. Usually. Exactly when that door will open, is another question entirely. That’s the biggest problem for Browns fans is not knowing.

Despite RG3 being an unbelievably exciting prospect, he was going to be an unknown at the NFL level too. That being said, it would have been fun just to know where the team was going if the Browns had landed the #2 pick. That makes the wait much easier as we would have started to see just what the Browns had acquired in Griffin as a player, teammate and man in the community. Now that the air has been sucked out of the room the wait has become excruciating as the potential destinations aren’t nearly as exciting. [Read more...]

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On the Bright Side, The Browns Defense

October 17, 2011 by 24 Comments

The Browns definitely missed Joe Haden yesterday.  Dimitri Patterson gave Raiders receivers a bit too much room and they made some catches in front of him.  That being said, the horror story that could have been written about the day the Browns were without Joe Haden wasn’t written because Patterson proved to be an adequate backup.  You don’t expect a guy to come in and replace a first round talent like Joe Haden.  You assume there will be a dropoff.  The quality of the backup is measured by how much of a dropoff it appears to be.  In this case, Dimitri Patterson did a fine job, I thought.  That’s the way I felt about the whole defense yesterday.

They got gashed badly on the Raiders’ first drive.  McFadden set the tone on the first play as he went for 24 yards.  The Raiders moved methodically after that.  Well, it helps to be methodical when you burn two timeouts on your opening drive, I guess.  The Raiders finally capped the 88-yarder off with a McFadden running score and a seven point lead.  That was really the only meaningful drive the Browns defense gave up all day.  The Raiders scored on a kickoff return and a fake field goal following a fumble.  Other than the one long drive to open the game, the Browns gave up a Janikowski field goal, but there is no shame in that. [Read more...]

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Week 6: The Browns Will Win If…

October 14, 2011 by 9 Comments

The Browns are back, after their bye week, and are sitting at .500. They’ve hopefully gotten the putrid taste of giving up big play after big play to the Titans out of their mouths, but face an equally tough challenge this Sunday as they head out to The Black Hole to face the resurgent Raiders. I remember a plucky young football team who was sitting on the precipice of something good when their owner named Al unexpectedly passed away. That team put a sweet patch on their uniforms, and made a surprise run to the playoffs. Hard to believe it was almost 10 years ago; these Raiders appear poised to do something similar.

brownsraiders

This is going to sound more callous than I intend, but the Browns draw a short straw this week in heading to Oakland for the first Raiders’ home game after Al Davis’s passing. I expect an emotional team and crowd, and it’s going to mean the Browns are going to have to be that much better to beat Oakland in their house this Sunday. Oakland sits at 3-2, and is getting it done with the running game. They are currently second in the NFL with 161.8 yards per game on the ground, whereas the Browns are 25th in the league at stopping the run (124.5 yards allowed per game). Their passing attack is a little less stellar, sitting at 22nd in the league with 219.8 yards per game; the Browns counter with a solid pass defense which is fourth in the league (195.5 yards allowed per game). Defensively, the Raiders struggle a bit more, allowing almost 425 yards a game: 124.5 on the ground (25th) and 299.6 through the air (29th). The Browns’ offense has to come to play on Sunday to exploit those numbers. Without further ado…

The Browns Will Win If…

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The Browns Will Win If…

October 17, 2008 by 9 Comments

Wow, so here we are. Last week’s post was centered on “what it’s going to take for the Browns to avoid getting embarrassed” by the Giants. One 35-14 Eli-drubbing later, the Browns might just have a new season on their hands.

The Browns sit at 2-3, and travel to Washington where the Redskins are most likely angry after losing a trap game against the previously-winless Rams. The Browns have had a short week to prepare. So, have the Browns turned a corner? Was Monday night a fluke? Will they, much like last year, think they are now better than they really are? Without further ado…

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

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