May 21, 2013

Browns’ unexciting draft low on fun, but high on strategy

April 28, 2013 by 69 Comments

Joe BannerSometimes punchlines are just too easy. The low-hanging fruit dangling mere inches from the blades of grass. The Browns traded two straight draft picks and you would have thought they’d done this as a part of their M.O. for decades and decades. “The Browns are on the clock… you know to trade another pick!”

Hilarious.

Yes, the Browns have traded in the draft in recent years from Mangini’s masterful trade down and awful second round to Tom Heckert’s Julio Jones trade out with the Falcons with results that are still up for debate depending on Brandon Weeden and others. Make no mistake, though, this draft executed by Joe Banner, Mike Lombardi and Rob Chudzinski was very different than either of those. [Read more...]

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Browns fans are very familiar with ugly season-ending games

December 26, 2012 by 14 Comments

So who is the backup for the backup?

As Scott told us today, Thad Lewis, recently called up from the practice squad, got the first team reps today in Berea. That’s right. Not Brandon Weeden with a bum shoulder. Not Colt McCoy, also with a bum shoulder. Thaddeus Lewis. Just a reminder, Lewis is a 25-year-old from Duke with a much-heralded arm and some decent athletic ability. He’s been with the Browns since Pat Shurmur arrived having originally been with the Rams via undrafted free agency in 2010.

Although not the exact same scenario, this reminded me of another season-ending game against Pittsburgh when the Browns had no healthy quarterbacks left and signed Bruce Gradkowski to play. Obviously this is a bit different because Thad Lewis has been with the Browns, played with them in pre-season and has been in practice all year. Regardless, let’s take a trip down memory lane and remember what that final day of the NFL season was like. [Read more...]

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Jimmy Haslam Represents Possibility and Opportunity

August 4, 2012 by 5 Comments

Now that it has sunk in that the Browns have a new owner, I am extremely happy at the prospects. There are no guarantees that Jimmy Haslam is going to do this thing right, but it represents opportunity for Browns fans to have something that most didn’t even think possible a few short weeks ago. These newly owned Browns have potential for something new and different that hasn’t been seen on the North Coast since forever and a day (at least.) Browns fans can realistically think about possibly having a healthy top-down culture with real leadership.

I was really happy when Randy Lerner outsourced himself to Mike Holmgren. That wasn’t me being some kind of blind “In Holmgren We Trust” type of guy, but I considered him the best possible option given the Randy Lerner ownership. It is true that Mike Holmgren had never served as a team president before and his time as a general manager was stained by his removal from the position in Seattle. Still, I saw an owner floundering with stranger configurations in Berea than a kid re-arranging his room for the first time without the help of his parents. [Read more...]

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McCoy vs. Weeden makes for a good history lesson

July 30, 2012 by 21 Comments

One of the things we talked about most last year at this time was the maturity of Colt McCoy. He got the team together for “Camp Colt” down in Texas. He spent a weekend throwing with Brett Favre to try and improve his game. He had the support of his teammates in camp and did all the big interviews with the national writers that came through town. That was last year. This year, Brandon Weeden has filled that role.

Even as Pat Shurmur hasn’t named a starter, there’s no questioning it. Weeden, not McCoy, was the first to head out to the crowd to sign autographs after practice. McCoy went out later to big applause, but only after Weeden had finished. While McCoy was making fans smile, Weeden was smiling into a host of cameras and microphones. And as Colt McCoy headed in for the day, Weeden wolfed down an Uncrustables before sitting down with ESPN’s John Clayton for a one-on-one interview.

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Colt McCoy Through the Lens of Brady Quinn

May 18, 2012 by 70 Comments

Browns fans are understandably terrified of a QB controversy. The days of Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn (not to mention Charlie Frye) will do that to you. I’ve already been on record that I think it is a possibility that Colt McCoy might beat out Brandon Weeden, at least initially, because of his experience in the Browns’ offense. Still, despite all the moving parts and an ultimate desire to win ASAP, some Browns fans are so bitten by the Brady Quinn past that they think the only option is for Colt McCoy to be gone.

They might be right. I might be missing the boat completely on this thinking that this mix of quarterbacks can coexist. It does seem similar to Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn in some ways. On the one hand you have the somewhat smaller guy with questionable arm strength with Colt McCoy and Brady Quinn. On the other you have a guy who fits the stereotypical QB mold in terms of height and ability to hurl the ball like Derek Anderson and Brandon Weeden. And other than that, there just isn’t much similarity between the controversies of the past and potential conflict now.

One of the biggest problems with the D.A. vs. B.Q. situation was that Browns fans kept echoing the sentiment that “we need to see what we have in Brady Quinn.” That phrase became so common at one point that it made me want to scream just because everyone was using the same exact phrase. Is there anything worse than a localized cliché that peppers sports talk radio and website comment sections? I digress. The current situation with Colt McCoy is totally different than when we had to see “what we have in” Brady Quinn. [Read more...]

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The Best Browns Since 1999 – Left Tackle

February 14, 2012 by 4 Comments

No big surprise here.  Joe Thomas dominated the voting.  The numbers above show the summary after votes for 2nd and 3rd were added in as well, but rest assured Joe got nearly every single 1st place vote before his backups were voted on. [Read more...]

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POLL: Who are the Best Browns Players Since 1999? Offense

January 30, 2012 by 54 Comments

A fun little project we are undertaking here and at Cleveland.com to come up with the best Browns players the team has had since 1999. Today we are doing offense first.

Enjoy this little trip down memory lane!

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When They Miss the Playoffs, the Browns Really Miss the Playoffs

January 12, 2012 by 17 Comments

We all know that the Browns and their 4-12 record missed the playoffs, but it had me thinking.  Are there even any influential players left in the playoffs that are former Browns?  Obviously guys playing special teams for San Francisco are important like Blake Costanzo are important, but I’m excluding guys like that.  I mean like real, bona fide starters and difference-makers.  I think the list says an awful lot about how the Browns have drafted since 1999.

One of the best names on the list that my Twitter followers helped me come up with is New York Giants guard Shaun O’Hara.  He debuted with the Browns in 2000 after being undrafted out of Rutgers.  He ended up in New York via free agency and even at 34 years of age he would have been a welcome addition to the Cleveland Browns roster.  Another Shaun… Rogers that is is active down in New Orleans for the Saints.  The Browns are fine with big dudes on the defensive line and they willingly waved goodbye to “Big Baby” because of the financial situation involved.  Other than those two, maybe Vickers?  Lawrence Vickers is playing in Houston and has probably been massively overrated by Browns fans.  Still, to think they couldn’t still use him on this roster is most certainly false.  So that’s three players. Anyone else? [Read more...]

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Confidence in Holmgren and Shurmur Were Keys to Joe Thomas Extension

August 23, 2011 by 21 Comments

It hasn’t been easy for Joe Thomas since being drafted by the Browns in 2007.  The four-time Pro Bowler has achieved a lot in that time almost in spite of the team and organization that drafted him out of Wisconsin.  Consider that he was drafted by Phil Savage to play for Romeo Crennel.  After Phil Savage and Romeo Crennel were shown the door unceremoniously amid organizational upheaval, Eric Mangini was brought in.  The George Kokinis debacle followed shortly as the team struggled, seemingly from ownership on down.  Mike Holmgren was hired, Mangini, eventually fired, and all of a sudden Joe Thomas is playing for a third head coach as he begins his fifth year in the league.  As a superstar offensive tackle that could basically write his own ticket to whichever team he wanted to go to if he ever hit free agency, it says a lot that Joe Thomas signed on the dotted line yesterday for the next seven years and $84 million with somewhere in the neighborhood of $40 million guaranteed.

Joe Thomas didn’t even bother to step into the media tent to speak to reporters today in front of a podium.  He finished signing autographs – among the last Browns players to come off the field – and stood in the end zone of the practice field.  What else would you expect from a guy who spent his own draft day fishing with his dad?

How did Thomas come to sign with the Browns long-term?   [Read more...]

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Breaking News: Eric Mangini Has Been Fired

January 3, 2011 by 65 Comments

Whether it is fair or not will probably be debated for a long time, but we finally have word that Eric Mangini is out of a job in Cleveland.  

Mike Holmgren reportedly made the move this morning, in a meeting with Mangini who has two years left on his contract with the Browns.  

Mangini leaves behind a mixed legacy with two 5-win seasons of work that will appear sub-par in the record books.  He will also leave some with the negative images of Randy Lerner fumbling a major organizational hand-off.

Eric Mangini was fired from his previous head coaching position with the New York Jets on December 29, 2008.  Mangini was then interviewed and subsequently hired by Randy Lerner and the Cleveland Browns on January 7, 2009.  This was on the heels of Lerner’s housecleaning sweep of head coach Romeo Crennel and general manager Phil Savage. [Read more...]

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Appreciating Randy Lerner by Comparison

December 16, 2010 by 58 Comments

To derive happiness from the shortfalls of others is really very unbecoming in life.  Then again, the yin and yang are important because without ups, there could be no downs and without unhappiness there could be no such thing as happiness.  

You know; elementary philosophy and all that.  

As the Browns head into “The Battle for Ohio” this week against the 2-11 Bengals, we shouldn’t waste any pity on them or their fans.  They probably don’t want it even if we felt like giving it to them.  The Browns are 1.5-point underdogs as I write this, so it isn’t like Browns fans have a whole lot to crow about other than a better record on the way to also missing the playoffs.  None of this means that I can’t muster a bit of a back-handed compliment for Randy Lerner as I think about Mike Brown’s reign over the Bengals. [Read more...]

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Jurevicius v Browns to Come Back to State Courts

April 1, 2010 by 3 Comments

Regardless of how much Randy Lerner has attempted to make fans forget about the previous regimes, the news wire continues to ensure that the embers are still warm.  The latest bout of reports that lead back to the days of Phil Savage and Romeo Crennel came across last night as Joe Jurevicius’ lawsuit against the Browns will officially be sent to state courts.

If you recall, former Browns receiver – and Cleveland native – Joe Jurevicius opted to levy lawsuits against the teamas well as the Cleveland Clinic after he fell victim to a staph infection in his right knee that essentially ended his career.  One of several Browns players to acquire the infection through the last few seasons, Jurevicius claimed that the team simply did not provide the proper precautionary measures.  The player vehemently claimed that the lawsuit was not as much about money as it was for the rest of his teammates and future players who could fall victim to shoddy prevention.

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NFL Rumor: George Kokinis Back to Baltimore?

March 2, 2010 by 9 Comments

george-kokinisFormer Browns general manager George Kokinis has been spending a lot of time with members of the Baltimore Ravens front office, signaling the possible return to his former team following the 2010 NFL Draft.

Kokinis was the first casualty of Randy Lerner’s complete revamp of the Cleveland Browns front office.  Rumored to be not suitable for the position, Kokinis was relieved of his duties in Berea.  This lead to a legal battle as the team could not say that Kokinis was “fired,” as much as no longer filling the capacity of the general manager position.

Since the initial decision by Lerner, the team has hired a president of football operations in Mike Holmgren and a general manager in Tom Heckert.  While other front office positions have also been established, the silence regarding Kokinis was deafening until this past week when the two sides announced that the grievance was “amicably resolved.”

If Kokinis does in fact return to Baltimore after his brief stint in Cleveland, he will be the second former general manager to land on his feet with another NFL team.  Earlier this month, Phil Savage was named as a consultant with the Philadelphia Eagles for the 2010 Draft.  Savage spent last season as a television analyst for the University of Alabama football program. 

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(h/t PFT - Image via Associated Press)

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While We’re Waiting… BCS Buckeyes, Heckert on Tebow, and Phil Savage Returns

February 5, 2010 by 24 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

erin-andrews-jim-tressel

Big Ten Predictions for 2010: “Don’t get me wrong, it’s a big if.  But if a team from the Midwest earns a spot to the BCS National Championship Game in Glendale, Arizona, it will have what it takes to get the win.  It’s no secret that the team in the best position to make the MNC is Ohio State, who will almost certainly open the season in the Top 3 in the polls.  If the Buckeyes can handle an early out of conference showdown against a ranked Hurricanes club, and run the table in conference, they’ll be primed to return to the big dance.  If they get there, they’ll get even.” [Law Buckeye/Rivalry Esq.]

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The Perfect Personnel Man: Phil Savage

January 5, 2010 by 28 Comments

phil-savageI know this is a crazy theory. I know this will never happen. But indulge with me if you will.

Mike Holmgren has ridden into town on his white horse to save the city’s storied franchise. He takes over a team with no General Manager and a coach who at one time seemed all but certain to get the ax, but now has the players and many of the fans calling for one more year. One thing is for sure – Holmgren will be bringing in a general manager and a personnel staff that he is comfortable with.That means if somehow Eric Mangini survives the firing squad, he will no longer be in charge of choosing his players.

It’s beating a dead horse, but it bears repeating. The way Owner Randy Lerner botched the structure of the organization last January is mind-boggling. Who hires a coach before a GM? Then that hand-picked GM is sold a bill of goods that was worthless. He found out he didn’t have any real power in the organization, and was fired halfway through his first season on the job. The bottom line is that we should have never gotten to the situation we are currently in. [Read more...]

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Former Browns GM Savage Not Loving The Browns Changes

October 28, 2009 by 21 Comments

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Thanks to The OBR’s Twitter we have this from Phil Savage-

“You don’t take a lot of solace in watching a place you leave go downhill further,” he said. “But they took what we did have going there and they just dismantled that even further. We left two quarterbacks behind that both seem ruined right now. They traded a lot of players out of there. I feel for the guys we brought in because they’re good players and good people and they’re stuck in a situation and can’t get out for at least the time being.”

I would disagree about one thing in his statement. He implies that the current management ruined both quarterbacks. I maintain that Anderson was ruined long before Savage was fired. He is what he is. As for Quinn, he may be ruined in Cleveland, but there is still hope for his career. We certainly don’t have a large enough sample size to accurately call Quinn ‘ruined’. [Read more...]

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NFL Trade Rumors: A Laundry List of Browns

October 20, 2009 by 17 Comments

Abram Elam, Eric ManginiWith the trade deadline approaching at 4PM today, it may be worth listing the members of the Cleveland Browns that could be on the move.  Typical NFL seasons have little action around this time despite flurries of rumors.  But as we have all seen, this is far from a typical season.  Two first-round draft selections have been traded, our backup quarterback took over three games in, and the only accolades received were due to our punter getting a slew of chances to down balls inside of the 20-yard line.

With that said, here’s a quick list (in no particular order) of who could be on the move within the next six hours… [Read more...]

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Browns Release TE Rucker, Add Greg Estandia

September 23, 2009 by 28 Comments

estandia-ruckerWith the tight end continuing to be an integral part of the Browns “offense,” the team has decided to part ways with second-year end Martin Rucker.  His roster spot will be filled by former Jacksonville Jaguar tight end Greg Estandia. 

[Read more...]

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No More Whinging Browns Fans

September 22, 2009 by 46 Comments

At least not yet, if you please.  The Cleveland Browns hit rock bottom last year like a drug addict or alcoholic.  Braylon Edwards dropped every pass thrown his way.  Derek Anderson seemed on the verge of tears as we booed him.  Brady Quinn got a chance to start and got hurt.  Kellen Winslow acted like a baby in another wasted year of injuries on his way to getting his agent to make him the richest tight end in the land.  Romeo Crennel was curing his problems with challenging plays, by refusing to ever challenge another play as he continued to pout over the loss of Maurice Carthon, whom he refused to fire.  As all this was happening Phil Savage was sending profane emails to fans while failing miserably at managing anything but his scouting operation.  Like a drug addict, the Browns have been sent back to rehab and his name is Eric Mangini.

[Read more...]

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Which Team Will be the Next 2008 Browns?

August 27, 2009 by 20 Comments

I know it must seem like ages ago, but does anyone remember how much fun 2007 was with this Browns team?  We were watching the team go 10-6 with Derek Anderson at the helm.  We thought that this team was finally on the precipice of something meaningful.  We thought the team had a chance to go to the playoffs.  Between injuries, bad coaching and serious regression the team followed up that 10 win season with the 4-win stinker that we all remember so clearly.  So that got me thinking.  What teams are set up to fail miserably on the heels of success they had a year ago just like the Browns did to us a year ago?

One of the keys to failure last year for the Browns was regression of Derek Anderson.  Yes, Braylon Edwards dropped some footballs.  Still, I am figuring at least one or more of the QBs that stepped up a year ago for one of these other floundering teams will end up being much less successful this season.  First, let me lay out some groundwork.  When the Browns had their 10-6 season that was on the heels of a 4-12 season meaning a 6 win differential.  The teams with the highest win differentials that year were as follows. [Read more...]

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