May 20, 2013

Marcus Benard, Auston English and Antwuan Reed placed on IR

August 29, 2012 by 4 Comments

The Browns waived injured players as a part of their initial roster cut down to 75. Three of those players cleared waivers today and made it to the Browns’ injured reserve.

Marcus Benard (DE) Placed on IR (dislocated elbow).
Auston English (DE) Placed on IR (undisclosed).
Antwuan Reed (CB) Placed on IR (undisclosed).

Obviously the most disappointing of those for Browns fans is Marcus Benard. Benard has been productive for the Browns in the past and should have had a good opportunity to contribute again this season at times rotating with Jabaal Sheard, Frostee Rucker and Juqua Parker. After dislocating his elbow in the last pre-season game it won’t happen.

[Related: From April: What if the Browns had some good luck?]

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Browns Make Next Wave of Cuts, Awarded Player

August 27, 2012 by 6 Comments

The Browns had to cut the roster down to 75 today. After yesterday’s cuts, which were offense heavy, we expected to see some defensive players let loose today.

The players asked to bring the playbook to the coach’s office were Marcus Benard, Auston English, and Antwuan Reed. Additionally, Chris Gocong and Emmanuel Acho were put on IR with Phil Taylor being placed on the PUP list.

Additionally the Browns were awarded defensive lineman Ernest Owusu off of waivers from the Minnesota Vikings. He is a 6’4″ defensive end out of California. He was an undrafted free agent in camp with the Vikings. At Cal’s pro day the 277 pounder registered a 40 time in the high 4.7s which turned a few heads.

[Related: Will there be a tailgating crackdown in Cleveland?]

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Browns Preseason Game #3: Winners and Losers

August 27, 2012 by 50 Comments

Who caught your eye? Did someone stand out? Who blew it? That’s what were interested in this morning. Winners and losers.

Kind of the opposite of last week.

We could name an awful lot of losers from this past weekend. But let’s start with the positives-

WINNER: Josh Gordon. Three catches for 50 yards, and a highlight reel play over Nnamdi Asomugha. Well, highlight reel for the Browns last season anyway. That’s how you draw it up though. The rookie had his best week of practice, and it spilled over to the game. Good for him, and good for the Browns if he keeps developing. [Read more...]

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Pluto: Brandon Jackson Standing Out So Far

June 3, 2012 by 3 Comments

Cleveland sports scribe Terry Pluto is out this morning with his usual Sunday column, and has quite a bit of information in there about the Browns. Leading off this week, he shares some inside details from Browns intel about a surprising back so far:

“2. But another running back also has impressed, the forgotten man from 2011. Not Montario Hardesty. He’s back, too. The player who has stood out to the coaches is Brandon Jackson, the veteran from Green Bay who signed a free-agent contract with the Browns last season. Jackson injured his foot in training camp and missed all 2011.

3. In 2010, he rushed for 703 yards and caught 43 passes for the Packers. In 2010, Profootballfocus.com rated Jackson as the No. 6 receiver among NFL backs as he caught 48 of 57 passes. …

4. Jackson isn’t a great back, but he’s a solid one. He’s 28, but he isn’t beat up, as he was mostly a backup with the Packers. He’ll be paid $1.65 million this season.”

Of course, as Pluto mentions, Trent Richardson’s arrival entirely changes the complexion of the backfield situation this season, but Jackson appears to be the No. 2 ahead of Montario Hardesty for now. Also in the column, Marcus Benard, Brandon Weeden and Greg Little all are the recipients of additional praise.

[Related: Keeping Perspective on Browns Rookie Camp Storylines]

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What if the Browns had some good luck?

April 6, 2012 by 24 Comments

We all know the Browns were bad last year. I think most of us also know that the Browns were pretty unlucky as well. I believe that you make your own luck to some extent by dealing well with adversity. The Browns certainly didn’t do that last season. Regardless, there’s almost no denying the bad luck. Peyton Hillis’ injuries and off-the-field incidents were unlucky (or cursed if the Madden Curse is your thing.) Marcus Benard crashed his vehicle and took away the Browns low-priced sacks leader. Brandon Jackson. Remember him? He was supposed to be the versatile second running back. Eric Steinbach wasn’t supposed to miss the whole season either.

It got me wondering what a season of good luck would look like. Obviously you can’t count on any of these things with a straight face. Betting on hope isn’t a plan that ends in success very often. Then again, it would be nice for the Browns to have a season where luck landed them somewhere north of their natural state of success dictated by contingency plans. [Read more...]

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NFL Free Agency: Browns reportedly will not tender Marcus Benard

February 25, 2012 by 1 Comment

According to a report by ProFootballTalk the Browns will not tender their restricted free agent OLB / DE Marcus Benard.  What this means is that he will be unrestricted and free to sign anywhere on March 13th.

While it is somewhat surprising to me, it doesn’t necessarily mean that Benard won’t be back.  If the Browns had tendered Benard, I believe the price tag would have been somewhere between $1 and $2 million.  Considering Benard’s recent past, the Browns could be betting that he won’t find many suitors to drive his price up. If that comes to pass, they can invite him back to camp on a “prove it” basis.

For reference, the league minimum for players in Benard’s experience level is somewhere in the $700,000 range.  If the Browns bring him in on that deal, they will be giving him a raise over what they paid him last season.

You’ll also remember the Browns willingly paid out the rest of Benard’s deal after he got hurt in a three-wheel motorcycle accident. It was wondered aloud by many if the Browns could have gotten out of paying Benard, but they didn’t seem to even explore it, showing some serious goodwill to the player.

Of course this could also be setting the stage for the Browns to take a run at one of the premier pass-rushing players available in free agency.

[For more: The Varying Reactions to the Marcus Benard Motorcycle Accident]

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The Best Browns Since 1999 – Linebackers

February 22, 2012 by 8 Comments

Inside linebacker hasn’t been a position of strength overall for the Browns since 1999.  They’ve had some solid players and some very good players, but they’ve lacked a superstar.  Still, in Browns fans minds the choices were pretty clear.  D’Qwell Jackson scored over 2700 first place votes while Andra Davis came in a distant second with 661.  Davis crushed the competition with 1568 second place votes with Jackson taking 720 and Chris Gocong scoring 485 votes. [Read more...]

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POLL: Who Are the Best Browns Since 1999? Defense

February 1, 2012 by 18 Comments

Things get interesting today.  Certainly a bit more interesting than they were with some of the special teams categories.  Just FYI there were some difficulties creating these categories because of the various switches between the 4-3 and 3-4.  For example, for the purposes of this poll Kenard Lang is a defensive end, while Kamerion Wimbley is an outside linebacker.  David Bowens and Matt Roth are also listed at outside linebacker too because that’s what they played when they were here.  Marcus Benard was a tough one because he is a DE now, but he certainly made his noise (so far) as an outside linebacker.  I’ve already probably said more than you care to know.

Even though I’ve already beaten this into the ground, I’d also like to point out that I made Chaun Thompson an outside linebacker because that’s what I remember most, despite the fact that I believe someone tried to put him inside at one point.  Regardless, if you are voting for Chaun Thompson… Nevermind. I don’t want to sway the vote. [Read more...]

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Projecting the Browns Pass Rush

December 19, 2011 by 17 Comments

Yesterday in the loss to the Cardinals, Jabaal Sheard scored two sacks to bring his total for the year up to 7.5.  That’s a great start to a Browns career.  He passed Michael Dean Perry to stand alone as the second most prolific rookie sacker behind only Kamerion Wimbley who had 11 in 2006.  Sheard has had some growing pains at times this year, but it appears that he is getting more and more comfortable.  Early on in the season Sheard seemed to get caught running too far upfield or was pretty easily corralled to wherever opposing offensive tackles wanted him to be.  As the season has progressed, he’s mixed in some moves to impose his will.  On one play in particular yesterday, Sheard didn’t get to the QB, but I was impressed as he carried the tackle upfield and spun back inside where he had a lane to the QB from an angle that he was likely to be able to surprise him.  That should mean good things for the Browns’ pass rush heading into Sheard’s second season.

Interestingly enough, 7.5 sacks also gave Sheard enough to match last season’s team leader.  That was none other than Marcus Benard.  Benard is one of the tough luck situations for Browns fans this season.  Probably due to the lockout and a lack of communication between players and their new coaching staff, Benard put on weight for the switch to the 4-3 from Mangini and Rob Ryan’s 3-4 defense.  Benard must have thought that the switch from linebacker to defensive end would require some additional mass, much to the dismay of the Browns’ coaching staff.  That slow start was amplified to eleven when Benard shortened his season with a crash of his three wheeled vehicle on the freeway. [Read more...]

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Browns Say Goodbye to Brian Robiskie

November 2, 2011 by 56 Comments

Yesterday the Browns cut bait with yet another second-rounder from the 2009 NFL draft.  First it was #52 overall David Veikune after he was beaten out by undrafted player, Marcus Benard.  Now Brian Robiskie.  The 36th overall pick was cut loose after a pretty disappointing career in Cleveland for a guy who was thought to be one of the more “NFL ready” prospects in the draft.  At the time he was selected, the big controversy among Browns fans was that the team selected Robiskie with USC linebacker Rey Maualuga on the board.  As we all know, Maualuga ended up going to the Bengals where even with some interesting off-field moments it is safe to say he has clearly been a better player.  Now, all the Browns have left from a second round where they had three picks is #50 overall, Mohamed Massaquoi.

The Brian Robiskie story is still yet to be told, of course.  We’ll have to see if he is able to go somewhere else and perform.  After watching him the last couple years and seeing him in camp this pre-season, I have my doubts about him being able to become much more than a reserve.  Many people including this writer preached patience with Robiskie because it routinely takes three years for a wide receiver to get it going in the NFL.  The Browns apparently have no patience left.

This summer as the Browns were getting to work, the expectations and opportunity for Robiskie were high.  The Browns were starting a new offense with Pat Shurmur that was supposed to be more friendly to receivers than the previous one run by Brian Daboll.  Robiskie also had a chance to shine with the early injuries to #1 receiver Mohamed Massaquoi.  What transpired was Robiskie getting muscled at the line of scrimmage by Sheldon Brown constantly and other names like Greg Little and Jordan Norwood ended up grabbing the available spotlight. [Read more...]

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The Varying Reactions to the Marcus Benard Motorcycle Accident

October 13, 2011 by 18 Comments

I don’t know how the rest of you feel about Marcus Benard and all he went through (put himself through) over the last few days.  Certainly it was a race to get all the details as quickly as possible in the local media.  John Telich ran ahead of the pack on that one like it was a double marathon trail run that he so diligently trains for.  But after the details are all known and after the Browns put him on the IR it strikes me as odd with some of the angry, punitive reactions toward Benard.

I understand a feeling of disappointment that someone that the team and its fans were counting on would put himself and his career at risk.  There is certainly a part of me that looks at his actions on some level as potentially being irresponsible, immature and yes, possibly even stupid.  Still, I would tend to avoid calling it stupid because it just seems harsh.  It seems like adding insult to injury with no net benefit to anyone.

A friend of mine seemed particularly hot and bothered by it yesterday and wanted the Browns to make an example of Marcus Benard by cutting him.  Something about that just didn’t seem quite right to me.  I think the Browns could potentially be within their rights to cut bait, but there is a part of me that believes in organizations maintaining some level of fairness and compassion. [Read more...]

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Browns Report – 8-10/2011 – Fiery McCoy, Greg Little, and Tight Ends

August 10, 2011 by 5 Comments

The Browns haven’t really started preparing for Green Bay as of yet.  They are still working on just learning what will become the Cleveland Browns playbook, regardless of what the other team appears to be.  Tomorrow the coaches will let players know how much the team plans on going with the first teams, and they will start to work more specifically on things that pertain to playing against the Packers and their style.  The Browns’ game against Green Bay on Saturday at 7:30 PM will be televised locally on WKYC Channel 3 as it has been in years past.  Additionally, the game will be featured on NFL Network for you out-of-towners that have it.

Colt McCoy continues to impress with his leadership ability and even flashed a bit of competitiveness as he challenged Brian Robiskie to do better fighting for a pass that was broken up by Buster Skrine.  Robo was jawing with the defense a little bit on the way back to the huddle as they accused him of pushing off.  To add further insult, McCoy made it pretty obvious that he expects his receivers to do everything in their power to try and snatch those timing throws away from the defense.  After practice, when asked about what kind of training camp Robiskie is having, Shurmur replied that Robo has been very “steady.” [Read more...]

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Post-Draft Browns Thoughts on Greg Little and Undrafted Free Agency

May 9, 2011 by 22 Comments

It is May.  The draft has come and gone.  Has the glow of the draft-day trade by Tom Heckert worn off yet?  In some senses, it will be a long year watching the Atlanta Falcons to see how Matt Ryan performs with his new weapon Julio Jones.  Ryan threw for just over 3700 yards and 28 touchdowns in 2010.  Add Julio Jones to Roddy White, Tony Gonzalez and Michael Jenkins.  That isn’t even to mention a nearly 1400 yard rusher in Michael Turner.  The last few sentences are exactly the reason why it is so ponderous to hear ProFootballTalk say that Julio Jones and Greg Little will forever be inextricably tied to one another in the NFL.

The Browns used the second round pick acquired from Atlanta to select Greg Little.  From that standpoint, it seems highly logical.  They both play the same position.  The Browns seemingly passed on Jones directly, as he was the only logical pick left on the board that high, at least according to most people.  But is it fair to make the comparison? [Read more...]

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Pluto: Browns Still Interested in Dawson

February 21, 2011 by 6 Comments

It was seemingly a foregone conclusion that the future of the Cleveland Browns did not include one Phil Dawson.  The veteran kicker, entering free agency, has been the lone mainstay of the Browns since returning in 1999 and has long been a fan favorite despite his asymmetrical role on the football field.

However, in his latest “Talkin’” column in Sunday’s Plain Dealer, Terry Pluto says that the Browns are not moving on just yet and are interested in bringing the underrated player and his right foot back for another round.

“The front office is interested,” writes Pluto. “They know Dawson remains one of the NFL’s most underrated kickers. They also know he put his Cleveland-area house up for sale, and believes he was not treated fairly by some of the other previous regimes.”

[Read more...]

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Marcus Benard Off to a Good Start

September 20, 2010 by 21 Comments

Lost in the horrendous start to the season for the Browns is how well Marcus Benard is playing.  We were watching in horror and mockery a season ago when David Veikune was inactive for games after being drafted in the second round.  When Veikune was finally cut before he could be listed inactive for multiple games in his second season, the Browns’ depth at linebacker was listed as one of the reasons.  Veikune was marginalized by players like 4th rounder Kaluka Maiava and undrafted free agent Marcus Benard.

For however foolish you might think the Browns look for drafting and failing to convert Veikune from a defensive end into a linebacker, isn’t it funny they don’t get credit for Benard?  Benard played DE in college at Jackson State after taking a circuitous route because of bad grades in high school.  Now that he is with the Browns, all that matters is that he is producing well above any expectations that ever could have been imagined for him when he was sitting behind both Maiava and Veikune on the depth chart a year ago. [Read more...]

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While We’re Waiting… Benard Emerging, OSU’s Speed, and AC Talks Cavs

September 14, 2010 by 7 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

What David Veikune should have been? ”The Browns have been looking for a pass rusher and maybe Marcus Benard is going to fill the bill. Benard got to the quarterback twice and was credited with 1.5 sacks last Sunday against Tampa Bay. Benard started at outside linebacker and had three tackles, including one tackle for a loss and two quarterback hurries.

He combined with Scott Fujita for a sack and then had a solo later in the game. Benard has only played in seven NFL games and he has five sacks, including 3.5 in the final six games of 2009.” [Fred Greetham/The OBR]

[Read more...]

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Browns vs. Bears – What We’re Watching For…

September 2, 2010 by 11 Comments

We’re turning that final corner. Rounding third and heading home. Just trying to escape this post with no major injuries (with the speed at which Scott types, a hand injury is always a concern). Seriously, though, this game is all about one thing: STAYING HEALTHY.

brownsbears

It’s going to be tough to really go deep on things we want to see, as we can’t really expect a ton of playing time for the starters in this game, and I suspect most people will be more interested in what the gentlemen wearing scarlet shirts and gray helmets will be doing. But, that doesn’t mean this game will be devoid of things to watch for. So what are we, your intrepid WFNY commentators, watching for tonight? Let’s find out.

What We’re Watching For:

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Cleveland Browns News and Notes

August 19, 2010 by 3 Comments

Today, some quick hitters from around the net, and the recesses of my mind.

On “The Turnstile” John St. Clair- Seems that the only Browns lineman on the right side able to go right now is the one that I least want to see over there. Brent Sobleski of the OBR wrote a piece critiquing the line play (subscription required) in last week’s game against the Packers and had this to say about St. Clair-

A favorite whipping boy for some fans, St. Clair had a solid first effort. Although somewhat lumbering at times, St. Clair was able to get to and effectively block on the second level. He was only beaten clean once when he missed his punch. As a result, the defender had a clear path to the quarterback. The result? Seneca Wallace’s athleticism took over, he rolled to his left, and threw a strike to Brian Robiskie for a 13-yard a touchdown. As an potential starter, St. Clair may be ideal since he plays over his toes, he does not have a naturally deep kick step and he struggles on angles at times. Even with those attributes, St. Clair was not a liability against Green Bay.

[Read more...]

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Browns Players React to Beating the Steelers

December 11, 2009 by 21 Comments

Pittsburgh Post Gazzette Browns WinThe Browns did it.  They have done something that they could not do during Romeo Crennel’s entire tenure.  They did something that they were only able to once under Butch Davis.  After 12 straight losses – many thanks to the NFL Network for reminding us during each drive – the Cleveland Browns have finally beaten the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Sure, it may be a down year for Pittsburgh, but doesn’t that almost make it that much better?  If this team is going to win any game this year, to have it be the one that is not only against a team that they have not beaten in six years AND to have it be the game that effectively knocks them out of the playoffs is something that this team can add to their admittedly barren resumé.

And given that this team has had little to be excited about for the entire season, one can put their respective life savings on the fact that the entire Browns locker room was ecstatic about last night’s win. [Read more...]

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