May 18, 2013

Jim Brown: Michael Crabtree’s Holdout is “Totally Ridiculous”

October 2, 2009 by 13 Comments

jim-brownNever one to hold back his opinion on any matt- especially those pertaining to the game of football, Cleveland Browns legend Jim Brown recently appeared on the Sirius XM airwaves to discuss a few issues.  The one getting the most press today is his take on NFL rookies.  Specifically, wide receiver Michael Crabtree and his continued holdout from the San Francisco 49ers.

Needless to say, Mr. Brown is not a fan…

You’re going to lose a year of playing football to try to get more money than you can get this year, which you’ll never make up? And you don’t realize that your legacy will be based upon how you perform, not how much money you made? … $1 million more without a tax plan and a life management plan won’t make any difference anyway. [Read more...]

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Trading Down Looking Better by the Day

August 12, 2009 by 24 Comments

alex-mack-jersey1Chris Rock has a bit where he throws digs at people who want to be rewarded for things that they’re supposed to do.  He uses lines like “I take care of my kids,” or “I ain’t never been in jail.”  I always think of that bit when I talk about how the Browns should be given a pat on the back for having all of their rookies in camp before August 1st.

But the more and more I look at it, having Alex Mack, Brian Robiske and Mohamed Massaquoi all in camp by day one was quite the feat.  Look around the league.  If the Browns would have stuck with their fifth-overall pick, sure they may have wound up with a player that has more potential (and star power) than Mack, but would said player be in camp as we near the first week of the preseason?

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While We’re Waiting…O-Line Battles, Mike Brown’s Playbook, Chasing the birds

June 13, 2009 by 5 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.

Alex Mack

Spotlight is on the offensive line this Browns minicamp: “The competition on the offensive line is heating up. Rookie first-round pick Alex Mack played exclusively with the first team Friday morning. Incumbent starter Hank Fraley has played mostly with the starters in the practices open to the media and did so again in the evening. But the first session may be an early sign that the rookie is starting to close some ground on the veteran. Also, left guard Eric Steinbach practiced with the second team behind Rex Hadnot. Browns coach Eric Mangini says he doesn’t have a timetable on determining his starting five up front.” [James Walker/ESPN]

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WFNY on the NFL Draft

April 24, 2009 by 4 Comments

tysonjacksonWith the start of the NFL Draft 24 hours away, we thought it would be beneficial to point you all to a few different places that have featured WFNY’s thoughts on that No. 5 selection.

Dan Labbe was kind enough to have me partake in the Browns-based roundtable over at Cleveland.com, where we discussed players like BJ Raji, Aaron Curry and Mark Sanchez (among others).  The entire piece can be read here.  The Eugene Monroe addition is my own.

Also, DP and I took part in representing Cleveland over at TheScore.com, answering a few questions on the entire Browns off-season.  Unfortunately, we were limited to only “three or four” positions of need.  Check it out here.  DP went a little “Rock” with his first answer. 

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NFL Trade Rumors: Hey, Look. New York Wants Braylon Edwards

April 21, 2009 by 20 Comments

braylon-trade-watch1Late last week, Giants quarterback Eli Manning took a pro-Braylon Edwards stance as his team looks to fill the role vacated by the recently-released Plaxico Burress.  And with the NFL draft four days away, one of his teammates is jumping aboard the “who’s going to catch the ball” bandwagon.  Enter defensive lineman Justin Tuck:

“He can lock down one side of the field when he’s playing his best football,” said [Justin] Tuck. “He has the same kind of factor that Plaxico (Burress) has, a big strong receiver who can down the field in a hurry and stretch a defense, which has the ability to open up our running game.”

Tuck claims that he actually spoke with Edwards three weeks ago but did not discuss a potential trade.  Right.  The Giants lineman also claimed that he and Edwards go “way back” to their days where Notre Dame played Michigan, which makes sense.  At least until I read this: [Read more...]

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Kokinis Press Conference Yields Little

April 16, 2009 by 8 Comments

george-kokinisMost of us were fairly confused when we caught wind that Browns GM George Kokins was planning to hold a pre-draft press conference. It wasn’t like he was going to waltz in with a full color draft board and phone records of all of his staff. But given that he did not have too much to say during his introduction, it was good that he got out in front of the media to answer a few questions.

The OBR set the scene pretty well. A tight-lipped GM that offered very little in terms of detail, but did attempt to address any questions that were asked.  A few takeaways…

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NFL Mock Draft Review: 02/11/08

February 11, 2009 by 41 Comments

With the NFL Draft approximately two months away, I felt it would be a good time to test the Mock Draft waters.  There is no doubt that the Browns should be looking to bolster the defense as we head in to 2009.  But with only a small amount of cap space, George Kokinis and Eric Mangini will be forced to find an instant impact type player with the fifth overall selection.

Last year, Mangini selected former Ohio State Buckeye Vernon Gholston.  While many rookies flourished this past year, VG was obviously not one of them.  His career is still ahead of him, but the Browns can ill afford to select someone that will be considered a first-year flop.  To get a rough estimate of whom the Browns will be looking at come April, I decided to poll 20 separate Mock Drafts.  Some are main stream (ESPN, FoxSports).  Others range from team-specific blogs all the way to sites that specialize solely on the NFL Draft.  The results of this groundbreaking research are encapsulated in the very high-tech pie chart below. [Read more...]

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Brian Hartline Going Pro

January 15, 2009 by 10 Comments

Brian HartlineRedshirt junior, Brian Hartline has declared himself for the NFL draft.  After a season that saw his numbers fall, Hartline has decided not to try to improve his draft position in his senior year.  The real story of Brian Hartline’s future potential is really tough to predict.  In 2007 while catching passes from Todd Boeckman, Hartline was very productive with 52 receptions for 694 yards and 6 touchdowns.  This year, while playing primarily with Terrelle Pryor, Hartline’s production fell off to 21 receptions for 479 yards and 4 touchdowns.

But I don’t think Hartline is making a bad decision in declaring for the draft.

In Doug Lesmerises’ article on the topic he spoke to an NFL scout and an NFL draft analyst who both said they would advise Hartline to stay for his senior season to improve his draft standing.  I understand what they are saying with the early exits of other top name wide receivers like Michael Crabtree, and Jeremy Maclin, but I still don’t think they are right. [Read more...]

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Report: Chris “Beanie” Wells to NFL

January 8, 2009 by 29 Comments

Chris Beanie WellsWe mentioned last week that Ohio State’s Chris “Beanie” Wells may have simply been delaying the inevitable with his “undecided” answers.  Not even 72 hours after the end of the 2009 Fiesta Bowl, we get word that Wells (along with Texas Tech’s Michael Crabtree) will declare for the NFL Draft.

Wells issued a statement Thursday saying the move is in the best interest of his family.

The Post thinks that Wells will challenge recently declared Knowshon Moreno for first back taken in the draft.  I personally think that a lot of people will be intrigued by Iowa’s (23-year old!) Shonn Greene – though he’s not exactly Craig Krenzel when it comes to academics.  I also know that a lot of Browns fans would love to see either Wells or Crabtree in the Orange and Brown come next season, and while I’d love to have either of them, running back and wide receiver are definitely not positions to address with the fifth overall selection in the upcoming draft.

Sources: Wells, Crabtree, Maclin to Declare [National Football Post]
Ohio State RB to Enter NFL Draft [WKYC]

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