Hts121

You can't predict at this point how the QBs will be in next year's class. Rewind to this time last year and no one was talking about Wentz, and Goff was pretty far behind Connor Cook on the draft boards. I wouldn't be shocked if we moved back again. It is quite possible that the new regime rated Lynch as even with or possibly better than Goff/Wentz. At this point in the draft process, I like to look back at where the prospects were before all the pre-draft build up began. In other words, how were they rated based solely on their play on the field. The conversation at that point was Lynch v. Goff. Wentz wasn't really in the picture. I'm not saying I like Lynch all that much. It just wouldn't surprise me if the Browns think the drop in his stock is similar to what was seen with Aaron Rogers, who ended the season neck and neck with Alex Smith only to see his value plummet to the end of the first round in the time between the last time he strapped up and the draft. I'm not worried about what past Browns regimes have done. We have cleaned house. All new people. The trade they made yesterday was a 'no-brainer' on any value chart you can find. in addition to the 6 prospects I mentioned upthread, I am going to add Treadwell. All you have been pining for them to draft a WR for the past several years. He is your chance. He will be there at 8.

I think their opinion was that there was no one available ready to roll.... or at least not after LAR takes whomever they are going to take. With 12 picks in this year's draft, I fully expect the Browns to be wheeling and dealing on draft day. Look for them to move up (consolidating picks to get higher for someone they are targeting) or move out (e.g., trading a 4th rounder this year for a 2017 3rd round pick). I can't imagine they will bring in 12 rookies.

Well there you go: CLE trades #2 overall and a 2017 fourth round pick to PHI for #8 overall plus 3rd and 4th round picks this year and 1st rounder in 2017 and 2nd rounder in 2018

If the brass is not in love with whichever of Goff or Wentz is left after LAR picks, I'd do the Philly trade. If the two QBs go 1-2, that guarantees one or more of Ramsey, Bosa, Tunsil, Elliot, Jack, and Buckner being there at 8. If you can walk away with a bevy of picks AND one of the top 6 prospects in this draft, you do it

Even if they did get 4 teams in Europe, which conference would they play in? That would mean one conference has 5 divisions while the other has 4. Not gonna happen. Plus, I don't think the NFL has much interest in expanding beyond the current 32 teams. If a team wants to move, that is fine, but if the league wasn't going to create a new franchise for LA, it sure won't for any city in Europe.

Very hard to get a read on the offense with so many of the 1st teamers not playing. None of the top 4 WRs played and a few of the OLs missed as well. But the 'next men up' on D looked great (although there may have been an effect of the O being thin). Malik Hooker will be our next stud DB. The top 3 OLBs on both sides look more in the mold of Darren Lee than Josh Perry in that they are more quick and athletic than raw power. A ton of potential amongst the young guys on the DL, at least in terms of getting to the QB.

Has anyone ever noticed that the six letters in the initials for our big 3 are all within four consecutive letters in the alphabet? They need a name other than the Big 3. I'm gonna try to make IJKL stick.

Why the assumption that it will be downtown?

Your Facebook friends seem to have a consistent theme for conversations, at least those you report on here. Seems like the injury alone would've warranted the felony charges, regardless of whether the fight could be classified as mutual combat or an unprovoked attack. I looked in the Cleveland thread and didn't see any mention of the fact that Chris Heben's brother recently committed a similar assault on a bouncer in west park, which required multiple surgeries. Not surprising I suppose

Of all people, Triv was on the radio ranting about the people making such a big fuss over a high school fight. I wonder if he knew details about the combatants before giving his opinion.

What is the big deal about the schedule release? You already know who all 16 of your opponents are going to be. Does it really matter in which order you play them?

I'm not sold that Mariota is going to be a long-term solution in Tennessee. I've had my doubts about him since before last year's draft. I actually might like Goff better as an NFL prospect. I really haven't been enamored with any QB prospect since Luck. He is the last one I can recall being truly worthy of a top-5 pick. It seems the QB crops have been watered down for awhile now. It might be because of changes to the college game. Consider the past decade of picks..... 2015 - Winston, Mariota, and the rest look like trash 2014 - Bortles, Manziel, Bridgewater, Carr..... Carr seems head and shoulders above the guys who went ahead of him 2013 - Manuel, Smith and a bunch of other garbage 2012 - Luck, RGIII, Tannenhil, Weeden, Osweiler, RWilson, Foles, Cousins (probably the best year in recent memory) 2011 - CamNewton and three wasted 1st rounders (Locker, Gabbert, Ponder) sandwiched between Cam and Dalton, plus Kaepernick going a few picks later 2010 - Bradford, Tebow, Clausen, McCoy (barf) 2009 - Stafford and then crap (including Sanchez and Freeman going in 1st round) 2008 - Ryan and Flacco and then nothing 2007 - Russell, Quinn, Kolb all wasted picks 2006 - Young, Leinhart, Cutler in the first round 2005 - Alex Smith, Rogers, Campbell in the first (not bad)

As usual, the closer we get to the draft, the higher the stock of the available QBs goes. That's how Christian Ponder, EJ Manuel, and Jake Locker ended up being high first round picks, even though their draft stock started out much lower. If Goff and Wentz weren't in this draft, every QB desperate team would be jockeying for position to draft Paxton Lynch or Connor Cook.

That Magic team won that series because several of their players (Petrius, Turkoglu, Nelson, Alston) got RED-HOT from the 3 point line. We couldn't hold several significant leads in that series. The NBA is like that. Oftentimes, it is simply a matter of being in a groove at the right time. The Cavs will need similar good fortune this post-season. I would love nothing more than for us to grind out way to the Finals and then JR and Kyrie simultaneously go on one of their multi-game tears where they can't miss from beyond the arc.

So it shook out like this last night - 3- Miami 4 - Atlanta 5 - Boston 6 - Charlotte

Ozzie tends to draft BPA regardless of his QB situation. The Ravens didn't have a quality QB prior to Flacco and had quite a bit of success with Ozzie's system of drafting. In fact, we've taken as many QBs in the first round in the past 4 years as he's taken in Round 1 since that franchise came into existence in 1996. The only other time they took a QB in round 1 was the year Terrell Suggs fell to them at 10 and they took Boller later in that first round.

I never realized how much the layout mimics a butterfly

^^Ravens are picking 6 in a draft with 5 elite, 'can't miss' prospects (Tunsil, Bosa, Ramsey, Jack, Elliot). If the QBs go 1 and 2, then he will have his pick of at least 2 of those prospects. He virtually guaranteed yet another stud for the next 10 years. Par for the course, I suppose. ^I wonder if anyone will be looking to trade up to grab Tunsil.

Rams just paid a ransom to move from 15 to 1. Wentz is supposed to be their target. Somewhere in Maryland, Ozzie Newsome is poppin a bottle of the bubbly

Atlanta beat us in the season series last year and we smoked them in the playoffs.

Last regular season game tonight vs. the Pistons, who are ironically locked in as our 1st round foe in the playoffs. Of the starters, it looks like only TT will play (in order to continue his consecutive game streak). Hopefully we can make some quick work of the Pistons in the first round, but it wouldn't surprise me if it turned out somewhat like the Boston series last year.... we win, but with a cost. The Pistons are an aggressive bunch which has given us trouble at times this year. Not to get ahead of myself, but the 2nd round foe is completely up in the air. We would play the winner of the 4 and 5 seeds. The final game of the season will decide the 3, 4, 5, and 6 seeds amongst Miami, Atlanta, Boston, and Charlotte who are all within one game of each other. If Miami beats Boston tonight, then they are the 3 seed and we will only see them if we both make it to the conference finals. If Miami loses and Atlanta beats Washington, then Atlanta has the 3 seed..... and, if Charlotte wins too, Miami drops down to 6.

The first public event is after the RNC?

From everything they have said, they are not building a team with the thought that Josh will be here. Even if he had been reinstated, I doubt that would have affected their approach to the draft. He is too unreliable at this point.

Schefter offering a glimmer of hope this morning. Says the NFL wants 60-90 days of tests without any 'red flags' prior to making a decision.