May 23, 2013

The Cleveland Browns cornerback situation as it exists today

April 30, 2013 by 36 Comments

Joe Haden TJ WardThe 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...]

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Browns’ Young Secondary Still Has Potential Despite Rough Day

September 17, 2012 by 23 Comments

There’s no other way to say it than to say that the young guys were overwhelmed yesterday. Trevin Wade got torched. Buster Skrine seemed overmatched and chasing. Eric Hagg played pedestrian when he wasn’t giving up his own touchdown. Look, it’s difficult to lose your top two cornerbacks in between week one and week two of an NFL season.

No matter how much planning you do to miss Joe Haden during a suspension it doesn’t mean you’ll be prepared. People absolutely crush Sheldon Brown, but there’s just no doubting that he’s the man until someone replaces him. Sunday taught us that there’s still some room for the young corners to grow out of his shadow.

None of this is to say that I’m disappointed that the Browns kept Trevin Wade over other players like James Dockery. I liked Dockery too. He played with aggression and spirit while contributing well on special teams. Who knows? Maybe the Browns don’t give up that punt return TD if he’s still on the squad. [Read more...]

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Allowing Myself To Think (Some) Good Thoughts About The Browns

August 19, 2012 by 22 Comments

It took a second viewing of Thursday night’s blowout victory against the Green Bay Packers for it to sink in, but there were plenty of things to take away in a cautiously optimistic fashion. While I’m on the record (or soon will be) that I don’t think the Browns will be making any drastic moves northward in the standings that will result in making the playoffs or anything like that, I do think the collective processes of drafting good, young players with star potential, developing the current young core further, along with the change in ownership should give the organization and its fans some collective momentum going forward. Here’s a few thoughts as we creep closer to the regular season.

  • We’ve seen it many times how NFL teams have been able to rebuild almost overnight and rise up from a 5-11 or 6-10 record and make the playoffs the very next year. 1 We saw the Browns drop six games by 7 points or less last season (three by three points or less). That was with a green and all-around pathetic offense.
  • Now, I think the Browns have a chance to be a threat with a legitimate running game. We haven’t even seen our best running back yet, and that will go a long way in determining whether my statement above will come to fruition. But, I’ve been impressed with what we’ve seen from both Montario Hardesty and Brandon Jackson thus far. Both have shown an ability to run between the tackles and get some tough yards. Given the injury histories of the three guys at the top of the depth chart, I also hope the Browns will hold onto either Chris Ogbonnaya or rookie Adonis Thomas.

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  1. That is, outside of the coaching/front office carousel that has been the Browns for over a decade now. [back]

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Trevin Wade to start for Browns vs. Packers

August 16, 2012 by 7 Comments

I would assume this has everything to do with the injury to Dimitri Patterson, but Browns’ rookie Trevin Wade indicated on Twitter that tonight will be his first NFL start.

 

Who knows what this actually means? Is Wade starting in the nickel? What this does seem to indicate is that the Browns currently think highly enough of Trevin Wade to give him a look tonight ahead of Buster Skrine and last year’s undrafted holdover James Dockery.

[Related: What We’re Watching: Browns at Packers]

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NFL Draft: Highlights from Remaining Browns Draft Pick Conference Calls

April 29, 2012 by 6 Comments

Just as Rick did yesterday with the thoughts from the first six picks, I’m sharing here some of the conference call highlights from the later NFL Draft picks by the Cleveland Browns.

OL Ryan Miller, Colorado – fifth round, pick #160

(On if the Browns told him where he would play)- “They took me as an o-lineman. I’ll play guard or tackle. One of my better suits is that I’m versatile.”

[Read more...]

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Pick #245: Browns Select CB Trevin Wade

April 28, 2012 by 3 Comments

Finally, it appears that the Browns have taken at least one action step toward fixing its secondary. With its second-to-last pick in the draft, the Browns picked up CB Trevin Wade out of Arizona, the team’s first secondary selection over the last three days.

A small cornerback listed at 5-feet-10-inches, Wade’s strengths are his above average quickness and agility, according to ESPN. He’s got prototypical bulk, but battled through a few injuries over the past few seasons, including a shoulder problem in 2011.

He finished with 52 tackles and 13 pass deflections during his senior campaign, impressive statistics for a guy who is said to have re-committed himself to the game. He lost his starting spot in 2010, but following his characteristics as an outspoken leader and competitor, he worked aggressively to end strong.

In terms of his fit with the Browns, obviously the team needs another starter alongside Joe Haden and possibly Buster Skrine. With more teams than ever passing frequently, Cleveland will need three solid cornerbacks, and we’ll see if Wade can make the team in order to compete for playing time soon.

The Browns also are about to pick at the No. 247 slot here late in the seventh round. Stay tuned by tomorrow for the latest WFNY analysis on this entire draft.

[Related: NFL Draft: Cleveland selections talk about being Browns]

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