Joe Haden | WaitingForNextYear

The hypocrisy of drugs in sports

June 8, 2013 by Ryan Jones 13 Comments

In the last 24 hours Chris Perez has been arrested for possession of pot, and Josh Gordon has been suspended for testing positive for having codeine in his system that was from cough syrup prescribed by his doctor. Go back to last fall and we can add Joe Haden to the list of high profile Cleveland athletes that have had drug related off the field issues after he served a four game suspension for testing positive for Adderall in his system.

As a fan, all of these events upset me because I want my favorite teams to have their best players on the field at all times. By getting suspended these guys let their teammates down, themselves down, and whether they know it or not they let their fans down. [Read more...]

Filed Under: General Tagged With: Adderall, browns, Chris Perez, drug testing, HGH, indians, Joe Haden, Josh Gordon, Marijauna, nfl, Steroids

It’s Time for Fun with Numbers…

May 13, 2013 by Rick Grayshock 12 Comments

Everyone likes numbers right? Every once in a while I like to see what story the numbers tell. Today, ‘Fun with Numbers’ checks in on the Indians, Cavs and Browns. Let’s have some fun-

Let’s start this piece off with the hottest team in the Majors- the Indians!

23- The Indians have hit 23 home runs since April 29th, best in the majors.

.839- The Indians OPS with 2 outs this season, best in the majors.

.750- The Indians winning percentage since April 20th, also best in the majors.

.600- The Indians winning percentage against the AL Central (9-6). To be the division champs you have to beat the other teams in your division.

.200- Even when he is slumping, Mark Reynolds has been pretty fantastic. The last 7 games Reynolds is only hitting .200 with 10 strikeouts, but has made a big difference with 6 RBI on just 4 base hits including 2 home runs.

3- Carlos Santana is one of three catchers in the top 10 in batting average. His .336 average is good for 7th, right behind catchers Joe Mauer (.341) and Yadier Molina (.343).

14- The Indians are in the midst of a brutal stretch playing 14 games in 13 days. They have won 8 of the first 10 games in this stretch.

20- Following a day off on Thursday, the Indians begin a 20 game stretch without a scheduled day off until June 6th. Eleven of those are home games. [Read more...]

Filed Under: General Tagged With: Barkevious Mingo, browns, Carlos Santana, cavaliers, indians, Joe Haden, Mark Reynolds, Paul Kruger

The Cleveland Browns cornerback situation as it exists today

April 30, 2013 by Craig Lyndall 36 Comments

The Browns have a lot of cornerbacks on the roster, believe it or not. Everyone knows about Joe Haden and Buster Skrine at this point, but let’s go over the rest to see just how daunting a task it might or might not be to field a starting backfield with these guys. Remember, the Browns need a starter on the outside opposite Joe Haden and then will need to decide who best fits the needs as depth, nickel and dime coverage situations.

Of course, this is just what’s currently on the roster. There’s still time for free agency, post-draft trades, and also post-draft cuts. The best cuts usually come when a decent player is about to get paid like an elite player and gets cut ahead of a bonus. Not sure which players fall into that category but Browns fans will remember clamoring for the team to sign Eric Winston who was cut loose by the Texans as he was about to be owed $5.5 million in base salary.

Anyway, the here and now includes the following… [Read more...]

Filed Under: Browns Tagged With: browns, Buster Skrine, Chris Owens, Joe Haden, Johnson Bademosi, Josh Aubrey, Kent Richardson, Kevin Barnes, Leon McFadden, Prince Miller, Trevin Wade

NFL News: Dee Milliner claims he won’t miss training camp

April 24, 2013 by Craig Lyndall 5 Comments

A storyline that seems to have appeared almost out of nowhere in the last week or so was questions surrounding the health of one of the top corners in the 2013 NFL draft, Dee Milliner. It seems that a story like this comes out every year, and it’s always a bit suspect to try and figure out where it came from and what agenda it might be serving to potentially push a pick down the board a bit. According to a report by Clark Judge at CBS, Milliner is telling anyone who will listen that he’s fine.

“I’m doing great, and I didn’t miss any time with the injuries,” he said. “All of them are minor. I don’t even how all this got started, but I’m not really worried about it. Whatever teams takes a chance and picks me, I’ll go out there play for them and play on. (What teams should know is that) I’ve been fine, I had minor surgeries and I missed no games.”

We don’t know if Milliner is truly the top corner on the Cleveland Browns’ official draft board, but we do know with a high level of certainty that corner has to be up there in terms of draft need. We also know that if they happen to pick as high as number six without trading down, Dee Milliner could and should seemingly be a potential candidate for the team to pick there. As Clark Judge points out, Milliner is a popular match for the Cleveland Browns in mock drafts all over the Internet.

So we’ll see if the injury news or subsequent rebuttals have any impact on the Browns’ draft thinking tomorrow. When our own TD wrote about it, it was a consideration that represented a 30% swing in likelihood that he thought the Browns would consider Milliner.

We have heard his stock had been dropping over the past week, but these injuries could potentially add to his slide. NFL teams however, have had access to this information for a while now. The Browns still need a corner desperately and Milliner is still the best on the board.

If asked for a percentage of whether the Browns will take Milliner at six, I originally gave it 65% chance. After these latest injury reports, I would lower it to 35%.

Filed Under: Headlines Tagged With: 2013 NFL Draft, browns, Clark Judge, Dee Milliner, Joe Banner, Joe Haden, Michael Lombardi, Rob Chudzinski

Dee Milliner: Joe Haden and I could form the best cornerback tandem in NFL

April 12, 2013 by Scott 18 Comments

I really think we can. Not to be cocky or anything, but I think we’d be two really dynamic players who could go out and do great things for this defense. Oh man, that would be awesome. I think we’d make a great combo and we’d accomplish some great things together. [...] I study the top cornerbacks in the league to see what techniques I can put into my arsenal. I’ve watched film of guys like Champ Bailey, Darrelle Revis, Patrick Peterson and Joe. Joe has great fundamentals and he’s definitely going to be one of the great DBs in the game. I really enjoyed meeting him. I definitely think we’d be a playoff contender.

— NFL Draft hopeful Dee Milliner, in a phone interview which was transcribed by Mary Kay Cabot, when asked if he could form the best cornerback tandem in the league if the Browns select him on April 25. With the sixth-overall pick and a weakness in the defensive backfield, the Browns are forcasted by many to be looking at the Alabama product. In a recent edition of ESPN’s Sports Science, Milliner received one of the highest grades in the history of the study.

[Related: WFNY NFL Draft Day Contest]

Filed Under: Headlines Tagged With: 2013 NFL Draft, browns, Dee Milliner, Joe Haden, NFL Draft, NFL News

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

April 1, 2013 by Craig Lyndall Leave a Comment

Dennis 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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Subscribe on iTunes

Filed Under: Podcast Tagged With: Brandon Weeden, Browns, Dee Milliner, Jason Campbell, Joe Haden, T.J. Ward

I don’t feel like it, but let’s talk Browns

February 27, 2013 by Craig Lyndall 51 Comments

People are always talking about the Browns, it seems. Usually I’m one of the ones talking the most, but I don’t really feel like it right now. So to prove it to you, I’ll talk Browns just enough to tell you why it’s kind of boring to me right now.

Brandon Weeden’s name has been in the news because nobody can predict the future. Really, that’s what it comes down to, right? Brandon Weeden is under contract for the upcoming season. He didn’t play well enough for the Browns to not consider alternatives at the quarterback position. The Browns don’t know how all the pieces will land between the draft and free agency, so they’re not in a position to make guarantees. Frankly, unless they have one of the top seven to ten quarterbacks in the league on their roster, they shouldn’t be making anyone any guarantees anyway. So, it is natural to not have much to talk about regarding Brandon Weeden. He might earn the job. He might not. Depends on how he plays and who he ends up competing against. So what is there to talk about? [Read more...]

Filed Under: Browns Tagged With: Andrew Luck, Brandon Weeden, browns, Joe Haden, Mike Lombardi, RObert Griffin III

Browns Joe Haden on Michael Lombardi criticism, “People make mistakes!”

January 18, 2013 by Craig Lyndall 11 Comments

Joe Haden is far more established than first-year pleasant surprise receiver Josh Gordon. Gordon tweeted earlier “uh oh” upon hearing that Michael Lombardi had been hired for the Browns personnel department. Joe Haden apparently feels much more secure in his spot with the Browns. He seems more forgiving too of some of the pre-draft rhetoric out of Mike Lombardi that maybe Joe Haden wasn’t fast enough.

“@rickdosky: @marykaycabot #Lombardi also said @joehaden23 was too slow to play in the NFL!” People make mistakes!

Haden had an up and down year because of his problems off the field and the NFL’s substance abuse program. On the field, Haden was exactly as good a player as anyone could have expected him to be. It is pretty entertaining to see these players address the various opinions that Lombardi had about them when he was a commentator on TV.

If you ever doubted that players read and listened to their critics, this is a very valuable lesson. They’re not only reading hateful tweets after rough games like Josh Cribbs. They’re paying attention to the next-day draft graders.

So Joe Haden’s opinion is a very mature one that all people make mistakes. Let’s just hope his statement doesn’t apply to Joe Banner a few years from now with regard to hiring Michael Lombardi.

[Related: Browns Josh Gordon on Michael Lombardi, “Uh oh.. Am I in trouble??”]

Filed Under: Headlines Tagged With: browns, Joe Haden, Michael Lombardi, Tom Heckert

Cleveland Browns 2012- Winners and Losers

December 31, 2012 by Rick Grayshock 28 Comments

I thought today we would eschew the typical gameday winners and losers piece, and just move to a season long winners and losers. Beware of low hanging fruit. Let’s try to be a little insightful or creative with these.

WINNER: Mitchell Schwartz. The second round RT played every snap of every game his rookie season I believe, and was effective doing it. There was a learning curve to the job of course, but Schwartz was up to the challenge and performed well as the season progressed. I challenge anyone not on the Schwartz bandwagon to recall the parade of fail the Browns have had at RT the last ten years. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Browns Tagged With: browns, Joe Haden, Mitchell Schwartz, Sheldon Brown

Browns NFL Draft Needs: Guard or Defensive Playmaker?

December 20, 2012 by Jacob Rosen 90 Comments

To keep up the flow of roundtable conversations this week, I bring to you a discussion I’ve had with long-time friend and occasional writer Jordan Marks, who blogs for Dawg Pound Daily. We tackle the major NFL Draft needs of the Browns and a number of prospects that could be a good fit. Let’s hear your take in the comments.

Jacob: Copied below is a lil spreadsheet of some NFL draft big boards — I picked eight different ones. You’ll see the top 19 guys; the clear players that separated themselves from the rest of the pack.

Position breakdown: 1 QB; 1 WR; 5 O-linemen; 2 LB; 2 CB; 4 DT; 4 DE

Joe Haden: Browns are getting used to winning

December 10, 2012 by Scott 8 Comments

It feels good, haven’t done this since Florida [college]. It’s a different feeling, it definitely feels good. Like I say every week, now we have to get ready for the Redskins. They’re a challenging opponent. Everybody is just feeling it. We are getting used to it and I like it a lot. [...] You know you have the ability to beat the team. It’s just the thing about going out and doing it and now we are doing it. It just comes to the point where you know at the end of the day that you have somebody next to you that is going to make a play for us to win. That’s all there is to it.

– Cleveland Browns defensvive back Joe Haden following the team’s 30-7 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. This is the third-consecutive Browns win, Cleveland’s longest winning streak since 2009.

Filed Under: Headlines Tagged With: Browns, Joe Haden

Three Keys: Browns-Raiders

December 2, 2012 by Kirk 2 Comments

This afternoon, a pair of 3-8 teams will square off in Oakland. The Browns are fresh off their 8 forced turnover effort against the Steelers that snapped a 2-game losing streak, while the Raiders lost big to the Bengals 34-10 to extend their losing skid to 4 games. Heavy rain has hit the Oakland area over the last couple days, so field conditions are expected to have a palpable effect on this game. Here’s three things I think the Browns need to take care of if they hope to take home a win from the west coast.

1. Win the turnover battle – In the five games that the Browns have won the turnover battle (8th in turnover margin in the league), they are 3-2, including the last minute losses to Indianapolis and Philadelphia. Likewise, Oakland is 1-8 when they don’t win the turnover battle (25th in turnover margin). This is an opportunistic defense that has playmakers at every level now. While the eight turnovers last week won’t soon be duplicated, it’s not a stretch to think the Browns can find a way to pick off two Carson Palmer passes. The Raiders are pass-heavy, and Carson has thrown 12 interceptions this season. With Joe Haden in the defensive backfield, the Browns are now 3-3. Can they push over the. 500 mark with him? [Read more...]

Filed Under: Browns Tagged With: Brandon Weeden, browns, Joe Haden, Trent Richardson

Haden: Browns Are A Top-Five Defense

December 1, 2012 by Kirk 6 Comments

Fresh off of eight turnovers forced against the Pittsburgh Steelers last Sunday, the Cleveland Browns’ defense is feeling pretty confident. The Chronicle-Telegram’s Scott Petrak shares with us just how confident, from the mouth of one of their biggest playmakers, cornerback Joe Haden.

“I would say we’re one of the top five defenses, for sure,” Haden said Thursday. “We have people who can play their position, are really good at it and everybody’s established now and they understand what’s going on.

“We have playmakers at every level. And when we’re all healthy and everybody’s doing their thing, we’re up there with the best.”

The Browns face the Raiders in Oakland tomorrow afternoon.

Filed Under: Headlines Tagged With: browns, Joe Haden

NFL News: Haden, Skrine say they plan to play Sunday

November 23, 2012 by Jacob Rosen 1 Comment

The news keeps getting better from Berea as the week rolls on: Now, cornerbacks Joe Haden (oblique) and Buster Skrine (concussion) both say they plan to play on Sunday against the Steelers in Cleveland.

Yesterday, Haden remained limited in practice while Skrine improved to being limited after not practicing on Wednesday. Both continued to practice again on Friday. Reports indicated that head coach Pat Shurmur echoed Haden’s sentiments, saying that the star corner should be good to go against Pittsburgh, who will be starting third-string QB Charlie Batch.

Fourth cornerback Dmitri Patterson (ankle) did not practice again, however, on Friday. But, Browns fans should rejoice that they’ll have at least their top three corners — including Sheldon Brown — ready for Sunday’s rivalry game when the status of two of those guys was very much up in the air earlier this week.

Filed Under: Headlines Tagged With: Browns, Buster Skrine, Charlie Batch, Dmitri Patterson, Joe Haden, nfl, Pat Shurmur, Pittsburgh Steelers

Johnson Bademosi named Browns’ fourth captain

November 23, 2012 by Craig Lyndall 3 Comments

When Buster Skrine went down with a concussion this past weekend while filling in for Joe Haden, the Browns had to turn to the bench once again. Johnson Bademosi (every color commentator’s worst nightmare) was the man up and he did pretty well. Bademosi made the team as an undrafted player from Stanford this season because he could play special teams. Now, he’s been named the fourth captain for the Browns’ biggest rivalry game this weekend against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“He’s been an outstanding player on our special teams and then, he stepped in and played some corner for us on Sunday,” Browns coach Pat Shurmur said. “I think it’s pretty impressive when you have veterans like Phil Dawson, Joe Thomas and D’Qwell who bring to me potential captains and they include rookies, which makes sense because we have so many playing, but the fact that they see leadership in these guys is outstanding.”

Whether Bademosi is effective and a part of the team for the long haul remains to be seen. The NFL is a fickle existence. Look no further than previous starting safety and former seventh round draft pick Eric Hagg who hasn’t seen much of the field since being benched early on this season.

[Related: Steelers vs. Browns Reader Survey]

Filed Under: Headlines Tagged With: Buster Skrine, Eric Hagg, Joe Haden, Johnson Bademosi, Stanford

Black Friday Fun With Numbers

November 23, 2012 by Jacob Rosen 1 Comment

For your Black Friday enjoyment, I bring to you a special edition of Rick’s usual numbers post. Some of these might be scarier than normal, so hopefully this is not read with a heaping pile of leftover turkey in your mouth.

Cleveland Browns

12.7-24.6 – Average score of the 27 Steelers-Browns games since the 1999 season. Cleveland is just 4-23 in those games, after starting 2-2 in their first two years back.

20-63 (.241) – Overall record by the Browns in all division games, including playoffs, since returning in 1999. The team is 50-85 (.370) in all other games.

25.61 and 0.504– The Browns rank 30th in the NFL with just 25.61 yards per drive and 31st with 0.504 punts per drive this season. The league averages, respectively, are about 31 yards and 0.4 punts per drive, according to Football Outsiders. [Read more...]

Filed Under: General Tagged With: Alonzo Gee, Anderson Varejao, Big Ten, Braxton Miller, browns, Carlos Hyde, cavaliers, College football, Fun with Numbers, J.J. Hickson, Joe Haden, Kyrie Irving, Michigan Wolverines, NBA, nfl, Ohio State Buckeyes, Pittsburgh Steelers, Portland Trailblazers, Tristan Thompson

NFL News: Skrine, Cooper more involved in Thursday’s practice

November 22, 2012 by Jacob Rosen Leave a Comment

Some positive news from today’s Browns practice: cornerback Buster Skrine and wide receiver Josh Cooper each saw increased reps as they battle their respective injuries.

Skrine (concussion) was a limited participant Thursday after not practicing on Wednesday. Cooper (knee) was a full participant after being limited the day before.

In other notable injury news, Joe Haden (olbique) and Ahytba Rubin (calf/back) both remained limited participants in Thursday’s agenda. Defensive backs and special team guys Dmitri Patterson (ankle) and Ray Ventrone (calf) both did not practice again.

I’m certain we’ll hear more as the week continues, as Haden and Rubin will likely be the focus of more questions as Sunday’s Steelers game approaches.

Filed Under: Headlines Tagged With: Ahtyba Rubin, Browns, browns injuries, Buster Skrine, Dmitri Patterson, Joe Haden, Josh Cooper, nfl, Pittsburgh Steelers, Ray Ventrone

Game 10: Browns-Cowboys Open Thread

November 18, 2012 by Jacob Rosen 82 Comments

Can the Browns knock off the inconsistent Cowboys in Jerry World, even without Joe Haden?

The odds obviously seem thin, but Pat Shurmur’s squad should be well-rested after last week’s bye. The Cowboys, on the other hand, come off a much-needed, emotional victory over the Philadelphia Eagles that kept their early playoff hopes alive.

Stay tuned here at WFNY for commentary and analysis throughout afternoon. Share your comments in this open thread.

Here’s all the latest WFNY coverage from the week on this old-school matchup: [Read more...]

Filed Under: Browns Tagged With: Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Joe Haden, nfl, Pat Shurmur, Tony Romo, Week 10 NFL

NFL Report: Joe Haden out for Cowboys game

November 18, 2012 by Jacob Rosen Leave a Comment

After not practicing all week, Browns star cornerback Joe Haden was likely a doubtful player in today’s game at Dallas. This morning, ESPN’s Adam Schefter has the latest report on his status due to his lingering oblique injury:

Browns CB Joe Haden is OUT.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 18, 2012

Expect possible big games now for Miles Austin and Dez Bryant as Tony Romo’s main passing targets this game. All-Pro tight end Jason Witten also could make some more big plays over the middle. After entering the day as 7.5-point underdogs, this only hurts the Browns chances as the 2-7 road team today.

Update at 11:45 a.m. – The official Cleveland Browns Twitter account just sent out all of the inactives for today’s game:

#Browns inactives vs. Dallas: Patterson, Haden, B. Jackson, Ventrone, Marecic, R. Cameron & Shaw. Skrine is expected to start for Haden.

— Cleveland Browns (@OfficialBrowns) November 18, 2012

Nothing too surprising in this update. Obviously, Haden’s loss is the biggest as the Browns are 0-4 without him this year and have allowed 10 of their 17 opposing passing TDs in those four games.

Filed Under: Headlines Tagged With: Adam Schefter, browns, Dallas Cowboys, Joe Haden, nfl, NFL Injuries, Tony Romo

NFL Report: Haden sits out practice again, status for Sunday uncertain

November 16, 2012 by Rick Grayshock Leave a Comment

Cleveland Browns CB Joe Haden did not participate in practice on Friday. Haden was injured in practice on Wednesday and sat out Thrusday with the oblique injury.

His status for Sunday’s game is certainly in jeopardy.

Pat Shurmur said that Haden “felt better” today, but they will wait and make a game-time decision on him.

Filed Under: Headlines Tagged With: browns, Joe Haden, NFL injury