Category Archives: Cleveland Browns

Adding Hoyer makes things interesting, to say the least

May 16, 2013 – 8:16 pm

BEREA, Ohio – Thursday was the third day of Browns OTA practices and the first open to the media. It was a beautiful, sunny day that featured a practice with a noticeably faster tempo than has been seen in Berea recently, Brandon Weeden operating the first-team offense and head coach Rob Chudzinski answering a question about the quarterbacks and the possibility of adding another by saying, “all of that remains to be seen.”

And, yes, what happens from here very much remains to be seen.

Multiple reports early Thursday evening said the Browns have signed Cleveland-area native Brian Hoyer, who was released by the Arizona Cardinals early this week.

Again, the Browns are three days into OTAs. And they’ve decided to add a quarterback who’s now on his fourth team in nine months. That says something — maybe a lot — about what the decision makers have seen from Weeden and Jason Campbell in minicamp and the first three days of OTAs. We know zero about the team’s plans for Hoyer at this point, but you don’t sign a guy a week into OTAs to be a third-stringer.

That makes what remains to be seen pretty interesting. When it comes to not having a certain starting quarterback, interesting doesn’t usually mean good.

Perpetually interesting, these Browns. For 14 years now — minus Derek Anderson’s three magical months in 2007 and Tim Couch’s periodic flashes of brilliance in the back half of 2002 — this franchise has searched for anything resembling an answer at quarterback, and that’s why the people calling the shots for this franchise have changed so much.

This new group has now added another to the mix. If there wasn’t really a quarterback race before — and there probably wouldn’t have been had Weeden been anything resembling good from now through August — there is one now.

To this untrained eye, the best quarterback on the field at Thursday’s practice was Campbell, the veteran signed in March to his fourth team in five seasons. That opinion means nothing; really, one May practice means nothing in the grand scheme, especially with a new staff installing new things and still on what has to be a nametag basis with its players.

But now a new guy joins the mix; a guy who, like the other guys, has played a little and has done little to indicate that great things are ahead. We don’t know how they’ll try to spin it, but the Browns certainly have a quarterback question and might have a full-fledged quarterback competition on their hands, one that brings back bad memories of Anderson vs. Charlie Frye and Anderson vs. Brady Quinn and — I guess — Colt McCoy vs. Seneca Wallace, if that ever really happened.

Here’s what Weeden said not long after Thursday’s practice when asked how he’d felt out there: “My third day was not as good as my first two days. Day One and Day Two, I was making completions everywhere.”

Here’s what Weeden said when asked if he thought he’d be the starter: “I’m approaching it that way. I’m approaching it that I’m going to take the next step and be that guy.”

The team’s latest move suggests, at very least, a dissenting opinion.

Stay tuned. As always, it promises to be interesting.

By Zac | Also posted in NFL | Tagged , , |


T.J. Ward hosting youth football camp Saturday

May 16, 2013 – 6:34 pm

AKRON – Browns safety T.J. Ward is hosting a football camp Saturday, May 18 for boys and girls aged 7-14.

The camp will take place at Lakeview Stadium on Graham Rd. in Stow. Ward will be on hand interacting with campers and will sign autographs upon conclusion.

Staff from MKU athletics, a local athletic training center, will assist with instruction at the camp.

Registration opens at 8 a.m. Saturday. The camp runs from 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Cost is $50 in advance, $75 day of camp. Campers can pre-register through the MKU Athletics website.

 

By Zac | Tagged , |


McFadden’s OTA absence shouldn’t last

May 16, 2013 – 3:26 pm

BEREA, Ohio – Rookie cornerback Leon McFadden is absent from the Browns first week of organized team activity (OTA) practices this week due to an antiquated NFL rule, but his absence isn’t expected to be a long one.

Browns Head Coach Rob Chudinski said McFadden will be back next week, and that’s good news for both the team and for McFadden.

NFL rules prohibit rookies whose schools are still in regular academic session from attending OTAs. In some past cases, players have had to miss the entire OTA period. The rule does not apply to full-squad minicamp, which most teams hold in June to conclude this portion of their offseason.

Under the new CBA, teams get 10 OTA days that most use over three weeks, then wrap up with a three-day, full-squad minicamp in either the first or second week of June. The rule used to keep Ohio State players out of OTAs, but Ohio State switched from quarters to semesters for the 2012-13 academic year.

McFadden’s absence is glaring because the secondary is arguably the Browns’ weakest area at this point; it certainly seems to be the thinnest. A third-round pick last month, McFadden should get snaps immediately and compete for a starting job. Buster Skrine worked opposite Joe Haden Thursday in the first practice open to the media.

Undrafted rookie running back Robbie Rouse (Fresno State) is also absent from OTAs due to the academic calendar issue.

By Zac | Also posted in Draft 2012, NCAA Football, NFL | Tagged , , , |


‘One tough dude,’ Cribbs signs with Oakland

May 15, 2013 – 6:36 pm

We knew the Browns and Joshua Cribbs were going to part ways, and after several false alarms it has happened.

Cribbs has a new team, the Oakland Raiders. He signed a one-year deal on Wednesday after a prolonged and strange free agency courtship that included plenty of suitors — and plenty of concern about the knee Cribbs had scoped after the Pro Bowl.

As recently as this week, Jets general manager John Idzik said publicly that his team’s medical staff believed the knee “wasn’t there yet.”

The Browns weren’t one of the suitors for Cribbs. Even though they never gave a straight answer as to why, it’s understandable. The Browns are new again at the coaching and administrative levels, and Cribbs was fazed out of the offense last year, became eligible for unrestricted free agency in March and turns 30 in June.

He’s not the same player he once was, but for a long time he was darn good.

Cribbs’ eight kickoff returns for touchdowns are tied with Leon Washington for the most in NFL history. He was also good covering kicks, and there was never any question about his work ethic or his desire to win. He never shied away from sharing his feelings in public, and his desire for a new contract in 2009 caused a stink, in part because the team stunk then.

He ended up getting his desired extension at a salary that wasn’t as big as advertised. The team got its money’s worth.

The best three players of the “new” Browns era are, in some order, Phil Dawson, Joe Thomas and Cribbs. Dawson and Cribbs both left via free agency for Northern California this offseason.

Signing a one-year deal with the Raiders means Cribbs needed a job. The Raiders figure they’ll get their money’s worth, too, and see what’s still in the tank. Even if Cribbs never gets to play in a playoff game, his journey from skinny Kent State quarterback to undrafted utility man and top-level return man has been a remarkable one.

Someday, he’ll go into the Browns’ Ring of Honor (or whatever the people who are running the team at the time call it). That his exit now is nothing more than a simple line in the daily NFL transactions says a lot about the fleeting, unforgiving nature of the NFL.

To say the least, it’s a tough business. Here, Cribbs will be remembered as one tough dude.

By Zac | Also posted in Kent State Golden Flashes, MAC, New York Jets, NFL | Tagged , , |


A stroll down (rookie minicamp) Memory Lane

May 10, 2013 – 9:01 pm

BEREA, Ohio – Maybe I’ve just reached the age where I appreciate having a cold one and talking about the good old days, but that’s for a different discussion and a different day.

Walking into Browns rookie minicamp on Friday afternoon got me in that mood. Not for the cold one, per se, but for some storytelling.

I think I’m good at that.

For whatever reason, the little we got to see of Friday’s introductory practice reminded me of the same practice back in 2005. That was the first year of the Romeo Crennel-Phil Savage Browns. Top draft pick Braylon Edwards was the star attraction, but there was a buzz about just about everything and everyone.

That happens when everything and everyone are new. Charlie Frye was a gamer, remember?

Anyway, for some reason I remember watching the receivers in that practice when I wasn’t watching people I’d never seen before, even though at the time all of us were employees of the Cleveland Browns. Edwards brought flash and a certain confidence, but this is before it was over the top. He was all taped up; he didn’t write on the tape. There was no bling; just a white jersey, orange helmet and orange shorts.

He burst in and out of cuts like a No. 3 overall pick should. Terry Robiskie coached him every step of the way.

I learned a lot of new words from Terry Robiskie over the years but that, again, is for another day.

Also in that receivers line was a skinny, undrafted kid with long hair who ran terrible, rounded-off routes. He wouldn’t catch the passes thrown right to him, but he’d make the crazy catches. He was out of place. He was intriguing.

His name was Joshua Cribbs, and the time he was known as the quarterback from Kent State. Also in that line was an undrafted little guy from Toledo named Lance Moore.

He didn’t cut like Edwards. He didn’t explode like Cribbs. He was sure of himself, though, and he caught everything.

I guess I always think of those three guys when I watch a rookie minicamp. I’ve seen enough of them to know there’s not much to watch. I’ve seen enough of them to know that the coaches are watching something, looking for something, remembering everything. It’s a starting point.

Point is, there are 49 players in this camp this weekend with the Browns. Most of them won’t ever even make it to a real training camp practice, let alone the real thing. There might only be four or five guys who ever play in an NFL game. There might be as many as 10 or 12, some of whom will play in lots of real NFL games.

Some really big ones, too. That’s the Browns hope, anyway.

That’s what they’re watching.

Moore’s only crime in his time with the Browns was being an undrafted rookie longshot the same year Cribbs was. He was undersized and not experienced enough to get on the field right away, and so before long he went away. The Browns loss was the Saints gain.

If you’re still reading at this point, you’re aware of what became of the Cribbs kid and the Edwards kid.

Career catches: Moore 309, Edwards 359, Cribbs 107.

Career touchdowns: Moore 36, Edwards 40, Cribbs 20.

If you think Moore would have ever caught even 75 passes with the revolving door of mediocre Browns quarterbacks, you’re crazy. He may not have caught 7.

It’s all about the right situation. And the right impression. Forty-nine guys come with crazy dreams; it all has to start somewhere.

“You look at these guys and you look at them seriously,” Browns coach Rob Chudzinski said after practice. “You never know. You just never know who they are, where they come from or what they have inside. Ultimately, that’s really what helps them succeed.”

A quick glimpse around the practice field Friday confirmed what I already knew, that Barkevious Mingo is awfully skinny. Not as skinny as Cribbs was eight years or so ago, but skinny.

He’s just getting started. His camp-reporting weight is something to talk about during rookie minicamp. His game is speed and quickness, for now, and eventually he’ll have to figure out how to get free once tackles get their hands on him.

For now, he’s going to get coached and be watched, closely. Just like Edwards was.

Maybe this weekend, or maybe in the next few weeks, some player a lot less heralded and currently a lot less scrutinized than Mingo will emerge. Maybe a few of them will.

The Browns will look at them all. Because you just never know.

Thanks, again, for coming to Story Time with Uncle Zac.

By Zac | Also posted in NFL | Tagged , , , , , |


And the third-best team in Major League Baseball is???

May 9, 2013 – 10:44 pm

SI.com ranks the teams in Major League Baseball.

Guess who’s third?

The answer is here.

Hint: They were 13th a week ago.

By Pat McManamon |


Haslam apologizes to media, but not to crowd at banquet

May 8, 2013 – 8:43 pm

No real reason for being blog AWOL lately, other than it’s just been that way.

But Jimmy Haslam’s appearance to apologize to Cleveland fans through the media at the National Football Foundation banquet Tuesday night will bring any mouse out of hiding.

Because Haslam’s every action speaks to the seriousness of his situation. He is facing not just a federal investigation for fraud, but several lawsuits against his company for allegedly cheating businesses out of rebate money.

The amount of money is significant, the way Haslam’s employees talked about people in the FBI affidavit disgusting.

And Haslam is in major defense mode.

He has taken to giving media “appearances” where he states his case, tries to argue he’s doing all he can to make amends, then politely declines to take questions.

Tuesday night he spoke to a large gathering of local sports fans at the banquet, but said nothing about Pilot Flying J’s situation.

Then backstage with the media he apologized for making the situation a distraction to Browns fans.

Why not say it to the public at large?

What he’s doing publicly comes across as a larger public relations plan to deflect negative attention. Here’s the poor CEO, the guy who proudly said he was very involved in his company, wronged by the people he hired and trusted. Who knows? The defense might work; it’s worked for some, but it didn’t for Kenneth Lay.

It’s not like this approach is going to influence the FBI.

Haslam’s situation was serious the minute the FBI and IRS walked in to Pilot Flying J headquarters in Knoxville, Tn. He knows it. And even though the NFL has said nothing about it, the league knows it.

Finally, too, national folks are starting to climb on board the reality train.

Peter King of Sports Illustrated opined on Twitter that he gives Haslam a 39.61 percent chance of being Browns owner in a year. No word on whether he was joking, but King did ease some minds by saying Haslam’s situation would not lead to the team moving.

Then an article on CBSSports.com by Mike Freeman quoted an unnamed team official, presumably from another team, saying: “This is more worrisome than people know.”

The story goes on to say that the investigation and ongoing lawsuits could be financially crippling to Haslam. There’s no telling, but it sure does seem challenging.

Haslam, of course, did assure folks that Chad Pennington, from Koxville, had told the owner he was excited that the team had acquired Davone Bess. And he made it clear that the intensity in the Browns offices is ramped up this offseason.

And, of course, he dropped a few “candidly” references into his statement. Nine of them.

Candidly.

By Pat McManamon | Tagged |


AFC North getting richer in NFL Draft

April 26, 2013 – 11:01 pm

Two days in, I think all four AFC North teams have to be pleased with what they’ve accomplished in the NFL Draft.

You’re supposed to love your own draft, I know. But these teams have added pieces and filled needs without huge reaches, desperate trades or interesting, um, logic.

The Browns haven’t had a spectacular two-pick draft. But they’ve had a solid one, adding pieces at key position and resisting the urge to chase a quarterback who isn’t ready or mortgage future selections. The Browns are building assets, slowly, with an eye on 2014 and beyond.

The Bengals are ready to compete for the division title. They might have scored a big-time runner in Gio Bernard on Friday, a night after adding Tyler Eifert to the pass-catching mix and the pick before they got a tantalizing project of a pass rusher in Margus Hunt. Safety Shawn Williams should come game ready; he’ll need to.

There are pieces in place for a big season (or few seasons) in Cincinnati. It’s still about beating the Ravens, first, and playing like the Bengals belong, not like they’re always trying to prove that they do.

The Ravens traded up in the second round to get Arthur Brown, who must have had medical concerns to drop that far. He plays linebacker, by the way, and the Ravens just lost one of those, right? The Ravens track record says it was a gamble worth taking. They’ve added three defensive players in looking to reload, not rebuild, a defense that finally took a back seat to the offense last season — and the Ravens won a Super Bowl.

The Steelers are still the Steelers. They still need to protect Ben Roethlisberger and they still have age and money issues, but they filled needs Friday with Columbus native Le’Veon Bell at running back and an absolute flyer at receiver in Markus Wheaton, who isn’t Mike Wallace – who is? – but can be an instant impact guy.

Once upon a time, not so long ago, the Steelers got Wallace in the third round, too.

The Browns are playing for the future and drafting to eventually keep pace with the quarterbacks their division rivals have; eventually, too, they’ll get one of their own. The Steelers are trying to maximize the years their quarterback has left. The Bengals need their quarterback to be ready for the big games and big expectations ahead.

I really, really like what the Bengals have done in this draft. They — the Browns, too — need to do it every year since the Ravens and Steelers pretty much have for a long time, with few exceptions (and fewer in Baltimore).

The Ravens finally found a quarterback, and they’re the team everybody is chasing. Come fall, we’ll see if the Bengals are ready to be division royalty and if the Steelers can show that last year was simply that one year they have every now and then.

By Zac | Also posted in Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bearcats, Draft 2013, NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers | Tagged , , , , , |


Cost probably too high for Browns to chase QB

April 26, 2013 – 1:44 am

Traders up. The real fun in the NFL Draft starts Friday evening.

The Browns picked early and shut it down early on Thursday; with no second-round pick as ammo, they knew there was no way they’d buy back into the first round, even if they wanted to.

But what about the second round — and specifically for a quarterback? And specifically for West Virginia’s Geno Smith, who remains on the board?

How much it would cost remains to be seen. “Too much” is probably the answer.

The great part about this three-day draft format is four months of pure speculation turns into 18 or so hours of more speculation, usually centered around a few players. Smith is certainly this year’s “buzz” guy, not just because quarterback is always the buzz position. Mike Glennon, maybe the most NFL-ready quarterback at January’s Senior Bowl, and Matt Barkley also could get early second-round attention after E.J. Manuel went to Buffalo and became the only QB picked in the first round.

That pick was, um, interesting.

The chances the Browns, currently holding pick No. 68 in the third round as their next selection, go up and get Smith (or another quarterback) are slim. The Browns would almost certainly have to give up a 2014 first-rounder to get into the top of the second round, and in case Smith’s long wait in the green room Thursday night during the first round didn’t remind Browns fans of Brady Quinn, making such a trade would.

Jacksonville picks first Friday, at 33, followed by San Francisco and Philadelphia. The first two will take plenty of calls based on the value of their picks in this format, firstly, and also from quarterback-seeking teams based on fact that the Eagles, at very least, showed interest in Smith in the pre-draft process.

There’s a little thing called a trade value chart that every NFL team uses, to some extent, anyway. The numbers and values on the chart aren’t absolute — and there might even be multiple charts — but they do provide either a baseline or a ballpark figure on perceived trade value.

During Thursday’s first round, it was a good market for teams coming up and a bad one for teams looking for a potential trade down. On Friday, at least early, it will be the other way around.

The chart says Jacksonville’s pick is worth 580 value points. That’s too much for a 2014 first-round pick as the Browns don’t expect to be a playoff team and this year’s 14th pick was worth 1,100 value points; their pick at 68 (250), even coupled with a second-rounder next year, probably comes up short.

About that 580, well, that’s actually low. The value on Jacksonville’s pick would go up because it’s an extremely valuable pick as the first pick of the rest of the draft. The Browns would either have to give next year’s first-rounder (not happening) or put together a package that includes either Jabaal Sheard or Phil Taylor, plus that 68th pick and some other combination of things to swap in a package that leans Jacksonville’s way.

The Jaguars will answer the phone because they need lots of players. The Browns need too many themselves to give away valuable picks, especially in multiples. Despite what they’ve said, you still have to believe they are willing to part with one of their young defensive linemen as they transition to a 3-4, and it might be Sheard after the selection of Barkevious Mingo.

Thirty-one other teams know that, too, which probably drives down his value. And these hypothetical deals revolve around value.

If the Browns are really in the quarterback market and are interested in New England backup Ryan Mallett — and again, it’s purely a hypothetical at this point — it’s possible the Patriots asking price came down when they acquired the Vikings third and fourth round picks late Thursday night.

Then again, it’s just as possible that New England would want a second-rounder next year. Same story. Mike Lombardi has the number if it gets to that point.

As for Smith, if he gets past the Eagles at No. 35, how far does he slide? The Cardinals at No. 38, Jets at 39 and Raiders at 42 could be interested. The Jaguars and 49ers will anxiously await their calls. The Bengals, holding pick No. 37 and needing a running back and a safety, could be interested in selling their pick and trading down.

The Browns figure to be active in seeking a chance to either move up into the second round and/or acquire another third-round pick. Unless we’re all missing something with Geno Smith, it just seems the price for the Browns to be involved will be too high.

By Zac | Also posted in Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals, Draft 2013, NCAA Football, New England Patriots, NFL, West Virginia Mountaineers | Tagged , , , , , |


Offering a guess (or 3) on the NFL Draft

April 24, 2013 – 11:21 pm

The 2013 NFL Draft is here. And nobody seems to be certain about much of anything, starting with the No. 1 overall pick and continuing through the top 10.

That includes me. I have a feeling though, based on what I’ve read and heard and the needs/shape of the teams in the top five (strictly a feeling), that the top five is going to include the three highly-regarded offensive tackles and two pass rushers, Dion Jordan and Ziggy Ansah.

That would leave the Browns at No. 6 with the chance to take cornerback Dee Milliner, hope a trade-down scenario (that a team wants to come up for a quarterback or even a guard) exists…or do something we’re really not expecting, even when we’ve spent four months hearing nothing and knowing less about to what to expect from this new Browns administration.

So, what we have Thursday night is good television.

In Milliner the Browns would be addressing a short-term need and adding (they hope) a long-term answer at a key position; in a way, they’d be going the safe route and hoping for a splash. Maybe you’d like more than your potential No. 2 corner out of the No. 6 pick in the draft, but not having enough good players or many real strengths is one reason the Browns keep picking in the top 10 (but never in the top two, as Browns luck and mismanagement would have it).

It’s a passing league and almost everybody needs help in the secondary, which is why it would scare me just a bit if Milliner is still there at No. 6. That’s also why the Browns might be prioritizing pass-rusher as they switch, again, to a 3-4 defense and try to figure out a way to stop the run and put all the good quarterbacks that show up on their schedule every year on their backs when third down comes.

If Jordan and Ansah go before the Browns pick, trying to work a trade down and then, later, targeting a Jarvis Jones or a Barkevious Mingo makes sense. Even if the top five goes differently than I currently have it pegged — and there’s a darn good chance it does — I still like the trade-down scenario for the Browns best.

As the Browns begin Rebuild 7.1, they just have too many needs to pick at No. 6 and then wait 60-some picks before picking again. Same for the thought that made its way through the Twitterverse Wednesday night that the Browns would trade up to No. 3. That would be great for getting the guy they want — and bad for filling their long list of other holes.

Twitter is a lovely place to visit this time of year, by the way.

If tackles Eric Fisher, Luke Joeckel and Lane Johnson all go in the top five, the Browns chances of trading down figure to decrease unless they go way down — and that’s fine, too. If I had a vote, I’d say the more picks, the better. In this draft, and especially for the Browns, there’s help to be had in rounds two, three and four, too. I see needs at corner, safety, tight end and both linebacker spots. If I was in charge or even had a seat without shouting distance of the man in charge, Joe Banner, I’d be wanting help at receiver and somewhere along the way a big and fast inside linebacker, too.

I’ve come around in my thinking, based partly on everything I don’t like about this year’s draftable quarterbacks, and I think the Browns best bet is to continue building talent at other positions and wait a year (or even two) to get the quarterback they’ll eventually need to really compete. I’m convinced That Guy is not here now, but I still think given the situation that Brandon Weeden should get another year and that this new staff’s best bet is to coach him up and try to maximize what he brings to the table.

If the Browns take Geno Smith (or E.J. Manuel, or Ryan Nassib) at No. 6, they’ll be in position to get Jadeveon Clowney next year. And that’s really too much to think about right now — and at least until, say, Oct. 15.

I honestly can’t remember a draft with this much uncertainty at the top. If you’re a fan of drama, this is good. If you’re a fan of the Browns, root for one of those offensive tackles to slip. If you’re a fan of the Browns and a fan of Milliner, sit tight. You just might get him.

All we know is that sometime Thursday night, the newest new Browns are going to add a face and provide the rest of us at least a glimpse at their desired direction. And when that player gets to town, one of the first things he’ll be asked is what he thinks about Jimmy Haslam’s trouble with the FBI.

The Browns, well, they’re the Browns. With a little (overdue) luck, they’ll use this weekend to take a step towards leaving that forgettable recent past behind.

By Zac | Also posted in Draft 2013, NCAA Football, NFL, West Virginia Mountaineers |