Looks like Gocong might be done for the season with an injury during today's practice.

 

Let's see what the MRI shows. He's an OK linebacker. Sorry to lose anyone to injury, but I think he's replaceable by one of the young LBs (Emmanuel Acho, James-Michael Johnson, Kaluka Maiava) or by a free-agent (Gary Brackett, Stephen Cooper, E.J. Henderson, Reggie Torbor)

 

Brackett: http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/story/2012-03-09/indianapolis-colts-cut-joseph-addai-gary-brackett-and-dallas-clark

Cooper: http://www.rotoworld.com/recent/nfl/638/stephen-cooper

Henderson: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1268408-5-teams-that-should-consider-ej-henderson

Torbor: http://www.buffalorumblings.com/2011/8/25/2384638/buffalo-bills-reggie-torbor-ir-kirk-morrison

 

Of those, I like Brackett the best and Henderson next. But I suspect Henderson will stay with the Vikings. Cooper and Torbor are probably finished, career-wise.

 

EDIT: I'm also wondering what role Marcus Benard could play? He showed more ability at outside linebacker in 2009 -- 7.5 sacks but only 28 tackles as he played only to defend in passing situations. Then he was moved to the defensive line in the 4-3, where I think he is too undersized (6-2, 256#). Then he got hurt last year in a motorcycle accident.... http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2012/05/marcus_benard_appreciates_new.html

Understandably, Colt doesn't sound happy about Shurmur's decision....

 

http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2012/08/cleveland_browns_quarterback_c_18.html

He sounded pretty professional in his comments.  I like him a lot personally and while I obviously don't think he's an all-pro talent, I also don't think he's gotten a completely fair shake here.

Just playing around with some new uniform ideas. Make your own at  http://uniforms.riddell.com/football

If the uniforms are to change, I am keeping my fingers crossed for the inclusion of some gray (darker than the options on that ^ site).  I like the way it goes with the brown, orange and white.  If done right, I wouldn't be opposed to a large dose of it.

I definitely like the addition of grey, but lighter. I'd love to see them emulate (the other) OSU in that regard. Where they do use brown in the uniforms, I like Freethinks idea, but would like it even more if they went for an even darker, mocha type color.

 

Oh, and keep the orange helmets of course!

 

 

 

 

 

I prefer the classic look like it has always been.

^Which one?  The changes haven't been all that dramatic, but there have been changes over the years.  I would, too, keep the same general look, but I would just add the gray to spice things up a bit.  It could even be suttle, like through trims, added stripes, or outlines of numbers and names.  Or it could have more emphasis, such as gray (alternate) jerseys or pants

 

I think the helmet should stay the same (Orange with brown and white stripes) and I don't like any proposals for logos I have seen.  I hate the Elf and the 'Dawg' really is only supposed to symbolize the defense.

NO LOGOS. That would be terrible and I think the fans would be pissed. The helmet cant change in my opinion.

 

And yeah, their have been minor changes, but nothing major.

 

Every game is Throwback Jersey game for the Cleveland Browns!

Those 2005 orange uniforms sure were.... not my favorite.  I wasn't a big fan of the solid brown pants either.  I'm not opposed to subtle changes either.  I'm with you guys, don't touch the helmet.  I suppose they could stick a number on it... but I like it plain. 

 

I love on game days, when the broadcast shows the opposing teams logo beside an orange square.

Those 2005 orange uniforms sure were.... not my favorite. 

I'm so happy I missed most of that season (was out of the country most of it)

 

I love on game days, when the broadcast shows the opposing teams logo beside an orange square.

:clap:

 

I like the 1946 white Jersey with the orange shadow, but otherwise I really like the uniforms the way they are.

I like the elf, and the dog, but not on a helmet.  No logo on the helmet please.

I had to shut off 92 the fan today. I swear that this nation is a bunch of crybaby drama queens and Cleveland is their capital city.

 

Everybody is ready to light the Cuyahoga River on fire again over Trent Richardson's sore knee. Let's worry about it when there's something to worry about. Even then, RB is where we actually have some depth. I know that TR is a rare talent. So let's see what the story is when there's actually a story.

 

As for the other stuff (Gocong, Haden, Taylor, Fujita, etc), at least it could be as exciting as watching the 1980s San Diego Chargers! (all offense and no defense -- for those of you born after 1985).

What, you don't enjoy listening to hours and hours of rapid fire conjecture???  Seriously though, sports radio can really drive me nuts.

 

 

So what's the deal with adderal?  I know that it's used to treat ADD, but what is it on the NFL banned substance list for.  Is it something that can be abused?  Is it something that can boost your performance?  I read about a Giants player getting hit for the same drug.  It would seem like something might be going on.

Adderal can be used to combat fatigue so it is considered a performance enhancer.

2012 1st round pick Trent Richardson is on his way to Florida for 'minor surgery' to clean out his knee and will likely miss the preseason

 

2011 1st round pick Phil Taylor has a torn pectoral and will miss 6-10 games, maybe more

 

2010 1st round pick Joe Haden looks like he is going to be suspended for the first 4 games for having adderal in his system

 

Sounds like it might be smart to shut down and quarantine Joe Thomas until the opener.

I had to shut off 92 the fan today. I swear that this nation is a bunch of crybaby drama queens and Cleveland is their capital city.

 

Everybody is ready to light the Cuyahoga River on fire again over Trent Richardson's sore knee. Let's worry about it when there's something to worry about. Even then, RB is where we actually have some depth. I know that TR is a rare talent. So let's see what the story is when there's actually a story.

 

As for the other stuff (Gocong, Haden, Taylor, Fujita, etc), at least it could be as exciting as watching the 1980s San Diego Chargers! (all offense and no defense -- for those of you born after 1985).

 

Recall what I was saying several weeks ago....the Cleveland fanbase has come to identify with the role of victim so strongly that many feel they should wallow because that's what Cleveland fans do.  I don't like it, and I'm not trying to attack anyone personally or the City of Cleveland.  I'm just offering my observation of the many mood swings in the Cleveland sports world.

 

I hesitate to offer up predictions before I've seen a preseason game, but on paper the Browns looked like a 5-win team with Richardson and Haden for 16 games.  Maybe they steal one from Cincinnati, maybe they catch Pittsburgh asleep at the wheel, but no more than 2 wins in the division.  Look at this schedule:

 

WK1: Philadelphia - Loss

WK2: @Cincinnati - Loss (the Bengals D-line will likely be very healthy in WK2, meaning a long day for Weeden)

WK3: Buffalo - Hard to say.  Will be a tight contest, but I'll give it to Cleveland.

WK4: @Baltimore - Loss

WK5: @NYG - Loss

WK6: Cincinnati - Loss.  The Bengals play better vs. the Browns in Cleveland.

WK7: @Indianapolis - Win

WK8: San Diego - If San Diego has no running game like last year, it could be a big win for Cleveland.

WK9: Baltimore - Loss

WK10: Bye

WK11: @Dallas - It won't be December yet, so the Cowboys hold on.

WK12: Pittsburgh - Loss

WK13: @Oakland - Palmer was never that consistent vs. CLE.  Could get interesting esp. if OAK has underachieved & locker room is imploding.

WK14: Kansas City - Win

WK15: Washington - Win

WK16: @Denver - If Manning is still playing in WK16, Denver wins.  Their defense is underrated, mostly b/c of Tebow.

WK17: @Pittsburgh - L unless the Steelers have homefield throughout locked up.  Unlikely in AFC considering the Pats' routinely easy schedule.

 

I only see four wins (Buffalo, Indianapolis, Kansas City and Washington).  San Diego and Oakland are possible wins.  If the Browns win one of those battles, that puts them right at five wins.  Fans should be concerned about Richardson's long term health, and if he is to miss significant time this season, they should be angry with Browns mgmt. for trading up to acquire a major health risk.  The Browns in 2012 won't go far no matter who's healthy and performing.  They don't have enough talent at TE, WR, RB or Safety.  They can't stop the run and can't rush the passer.  Frostee Rucker should help that, but I still don't see the Browns as a team that can play 60 minutes of football.

 

WK8: San Diego - If San Diego has no running game like last year, it could be a big win for Cleveland.

 

 

I think SD RB Ryan Matthews is going to have a breakout year. He averaged 4.9 yds/rush in a  "bad" year for 2011.

A team starting this many rookies might peter out toward the end.  16 games vs 10 they're used to.  We better get those wins early.

richardson knee surgery today - ugh.

 

Just to be clear from what I heard, he is having a loose and very small peice of cartilege removed.  Very minor procedure which will have him out 2-4 weeks, back in time of the opener... maybe sooner.  It is the same knee he had cleaned up before the draft but the loose cartilage is not related to that surgery.

 

^^Starting a lot of rookies in the NFL has traditionally meant an improvement.  Probably because there is a very good reason so many rookies are starting - i.e. the team had some major holes to fill.  But over the last decade or so, some of the most dramatic improvements in offensive production have been on teams which started 4 or so rookies.

I would not count on beating Buffalo.

 

And teams that start lots of rookies tend to start poorly, not end poorly. Rookies often have a hard time adjusting to the speed of the NFL at first, but the game gets slower the more they play.

I would not be surprised at all if the Brown start 0-6.  There are too many rookies that are going to have to start, and the start of the schedule is too rough.  I think they win the next 3 after that though, just enough to get everyone excited before falling apart as the aforementioned rookies hit a wall.  The later bye week will help, but not enough.  6-10 is the best they can do I think.

^ I would take 6 wins right now...I think we can all agree somewhere between 4 and 6 wins sounds right for this team.  Next year they better be .500 or better! 

Reports from camp are that Josh Gordon is already tired, but I hope to be wrong about the petering-out thing.  And I do expect considerable improvement this year because we have all these guys.

Gordon has what is often called "camp legs".... anyone who has ever been through a training camp at any level knows what that is like.  His muscles just haven't yet adjusted to the grueling workout, but they will.

 

And teams that start lots of rookies tend to start poorly, not end poorly. Rookies often have a hard time adjusting to the speed of the NFL at first, but the game gets slower the more they play.

 

I don't know what the long term trends are, but that wasn't the case last season with notable starting rookie QBs Cam Newton and Andy Dalton.  Rather than them adjustring to the NFL, it seems like the NFL adjusted to them.... especially Cam whose numbers were significantly down over the final 8 games of the season.  Another consideration is that none of these rookies has been through a 16 game schedule before and it is more likely that they did not adequately prepare their bodies for the rigors of an NFL season.

Teams that start bad usually finish better because 1) they can't be worse 2) the competition softens/doesn't take them seriously and/or 3) guys who are still fighting to play good football (typically young players) are getting more opportunities and are making an impact.  I'm with KJP.  Young teams that have been out of the playoff hunt since September play better in December. 

 

I like Stevie Johnson a lot, and they have talented players all over that Buffalo defense.  I just think they still have holes scattered across the roster, which will make them mediocre in a number of things.  One place they're definitely mediocre is quarterback.  I couldn't believe Buffalo wanted Fitz to start after how horrible he was in Cincinnati in 2008, led alone sign him for $60 mil.

Recall what I was saying several weeks ago....the Cleveland fanbase has come to identify with the role of victim so strongly that many feel they should wallow because that's what Cleveland fans do.  I don't like it, and I'm not trying to attack anyone personally or the City of Cleveland.  I'm just offering my observation of the many mood swings in the Cleveland sports world.

 

Forgive us for not being excited and optimistic.  I mean it's only been, what, almost half a century since our last championship.

 

And it doesn't help when outsiders (national media, for instance) goad us on and antagonize.

Teams that start bad usually finish better because 1) they can't be worse 2) the competition softens/doesn't take them seriously and/or 3) guys who are still fighting to play good football (typically young players) are getting more opportunities and are making an impact.  I'm with KJP.  Young teams that have been out of the playoff hunt since September play better in December. 

 

I like Stevie Johnson a lot, and they have talented players all over that Buffalo defense.  I just think they still have holes scattered across the roster, which will make them mediocre in a number of things.  One place they're definitely mediocre is quarterback.  I couldn't believe Buffalo wanted Fitz to start after how horrible he was in Cincinnati in 2008, led alone sign him for $60 mil.

 

The word is he played hurt all last year

 

 

well there is a nice start to ps:

 

browns 19

lions 17

 

http://mobile.cleveland.com/advcleve/db_96780/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=mbPErJny

 

 

Except all the injuries. Hopefully none are too serious. And although our fourth team players won, our first team lost, even though they didnt play much. Still nice to get the win though.

Except all the injuries. Hopefully none are too serious. And although our fourth team players won, our first team lost, even though they didnt play much. Still nice to get the win though.

 

Yeah, winning doesn't mean anything to me.  Did you see that Weeden's QB rating was 19?  Lots of key injuries to backups who are replacing some key starters, scary stuff.  Mohamed Massaquoi has a "head injury".  The the running game was mostly Colt McCoy.  Penalties, penalties and more penalties.

 

On the bright side, Travis Benjamin looked great on that pass play and kickoff return.  Jordan Cameron looked really good too.... then hurt his back.  I'm really hoping that these injuries are not serious. 

If anyone was expecting more than just noting some potential out there for Weeden, then you are wishing for too much.  It was his first time against real defense.  He completed a few nice passes.  Thats fine in my book.

If anyone was expecting more than just noting some potential out there for Weeden, then you are wishing for too much.  It was his first time against real defense.  He completed a few nice passes.  Thats fine in my book.

 

I'm not freaking out.  There were some flickers of good, but plenty of reminders of the hardships of rebuilding.  If anything, I suppose it is a reality check.  We also know that preseason means nothing, nothing and nothing.  One year they looked great against Green Bay in the preseason... Green Bay was great in the regular season and the Browns stunk.  It's the injuries that worry me.

yes the win shows some depth and talent at least.

My first article covering the Browns!

 

Travis Benjamin Isn't Just the Cleveland Browns' Burner

By Ken Prendergast(Contributor) on August 12, 2012

 

Travis Benjamin may be more than just a glamorous and glitzy speedster for a town that loves the grit and grind of a bulldozer. The fourth-round pick from pastel Miami was among the standouts in the Cleveland Browns’ first preseason game.

 

But perhaps his two best accomplishments were not what many observers had expected from the 5'10" wideout. After all, he is expected to make plays like the 36-yard reception from Brandon Weeden or the 33-yard-kickoff return at the end of the first quarter.

 

Instead, on Benjamin’s first “unexpected” play, he caught a 12-yard pass from Colt McCoy on a comeback route with 0:22 left in the first quarter. On 2nd-and-7 from Detroit’s 32, McCoy heaved the ball to his right, slightly overthrowing it. Benjamin leaped high in traffic and snared it for the first down. It showed he’s not limited to the perimeter game or serving as a stretch-the-defense decoy to distract defensive backs from covering the Browns’ talented cadre of tight ends and running backs on underneath routes.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1295040-travis-benjamin-isnt-just-the-browns-burner

My first article covering the Browns!

 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1295040-travis-benjamin-isnt-just-the-browns-burner

 

Nice going!

The Browns look terrible.  Weeden hasn't been accurate even on simple patterns.  The entire team has been even more sloppy than expected in the preseason.  i put more stock into preseason than most because there are several things to be observed about the men on the field.  I didn't see improvement from the Lions game to the Packers game, in fact, I seen regression in regards to discipline.  The Browns don't look comfortable letting Weeden throw the ball, which should scare Cleveland.  For a team to trade up for a guy and then put him on a leash as tight as the Weeden is on does not speak well for his acclimation to the NFL game thus far.  That or he just isn't accurate and they want to work on it before exposing too much game tape.

It's preseason! They don't look terrible to me. Yeah, they have to clean up the penalties, but it's preseason. Weeden looks like a rookie just like Andy Dalton did last preseason. Also, preseason or not, they beat the Pack 35-10.

 

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/08/21/andy-dalton-continues-to-take-his-lumps/

It's preseason! They don't look terrible to me. Yeah, they have to clean up the penalties, but it's preseason. Weeden looks like a rookie just like Andy Dalton did last preseason. Also, preseason or not, they beat the Pack 35-10.

 

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/08/21/andy-dalton-continues-to-take-his-lumps/

 

Andy Dalton didn't have nearly the amount of preparation for preseason that Weeden had due to last year's lockout, and Weeden went to a bigger school in what used to be a strong conference.  Weeden is taller with a stronger arm, therefore the NFL game suits him more naturally than Dalton.  Andy was never as inaccurate as Brandon has been on short and intermediate routes.  If you watch Weeden vs. the Pack, almost every throw is behind the receiver.  His throws aren't where NFL quarterbacks are paid to place them.

 

The Packers looked awful in several facets.  They couldn't stop turning it over, and they didn't look like that deep of a roster.  The defense gave up as many points as physically possible last season, and they don't look any better outside of that pass rush.  The fact still remains that the Browns aren't a good football team.  They look soundly outmatched on offense once again, even against atrocious defenses like Detroit's and Green Bay's, despite all the upgrades.

 

The best part about that article you linked is the comments section.  Damn near every single one had disparaging comments for Dalton, the Bengals, and Cincinnati.  Most said that the Bengals would be the worst team in the league in 2011 and have the #1 pick in 2012.  Some said that Dalton was a mistake and a bust.  It's evident how unpopular the City of Cincinnati is amongst sports fans when you skim comments sections attached to articles written by national writers.  Cleveland faces a similar circumstance, and was even bashed out of nowhere in the reply section of that Dalton article.  Hopefully Weeden can enjoy a similar experience of proving the doubters wrong.  I'm not a Weeden skeptic, I just don't like what I've seen from him OR the Browns coaching staff in relation to the Cleveland passing offense.

The Browns look terrible.  Weeden hasn't been accurate even on simple patterns.  The entire team has been even more sloppy than expected in the preseason.  i put more stock into preseason than most because there are several things to be observed about the men on the field.  I didn't see improvement from the Lions game to the Packers game, in fact, I seen regression in regards to discipline.  The Browns don't look comfortable letting Weeden throw the ball, which should scare Cleveland.  For a team to trade up for a guy and then put him on a leash as tight as the Weeden is on does not speak well for his acclimation to the NFL game thus far.  That or he just isn't accurate and they want to work on it before exposing too much game tape.

 

While I take the hate with the requisite grain of salt it deserves, this is simply not true.  Weeden was 12-20 against GB with two of those misses accounted for by drops on balls which hit the receivers squarely in the hands.  The recievers hang on to those drops and he is at 70% completions.  Not understanding why Weeden wasn't 'bombing away' against GB shows an utter lack of understanding of preseason strategy, the defensive sets GB was in, and Shurmer's offense (not saying I'm a huge fan of the latter).  He certaintly didn't look like a future HOF'er, but he looked more like that than your predetermined evaluation

He also threw what should have been another interception.

I'm not sold on Weeden, but Thursday night's performance was more encouraging than discouraging as far as I'm concerned.  He clearly has a very strong arm.  And the Browns are clearly running a pretty vanilla offense at this point in the preseason.  I think things will change a bit when the season begins and teams also have to respect the running game with Richardson.

 

And if not, Matt Barkley will be there next year tantalizing the new faces in the front office. 

Question for Browns fans:  what are you reasonably expecting in terms of record this year?  (Full disclosure:  I'm a Bengals fan, and expect the Browns to be somewhere in the 4-6 win range this year.) 

The Browns look terrible.  Weeden hasn't been accurate even on simple patterns.  The entire team has been even more sloppy than expected in the preseason.  i put more stock into preseason than most because there are several things to be observed about the men on the field.  I didn't see improvement from the Lions game to the Packers game, in fact, I seen regression in regards to discipline.  The Browns don't look comfortable letting Weeden throw the ball, which should scare Cleveland.  For a team to trade up for a guy and then put him on a leash as tight as the Weeden is on does not speak well for his acclimation to the NFL game thus far.  That or he just isn't accurate and they want to work on it before exposing too much game tape.

 

While I take the hate with the requisite grain of salt it deserves, this is simply not true.  Weeden was 12-20 against GB with two of those misses accounted for by drops on balls which hit the receivers squarely in the hands.  The recievers hang on to those drops and he is at 70% completions.  Not understanding why Weeden wasn't 'bombing away' against GB shows an utter lack of understanding of preseason strategy, the defensive sets GB was in, and Shurmer's offense (not saying I'm a huge fan of the latter).  He certaintly didn't look like a future HOF'er, but he looked more like that than your predetermined evaluation

 

I evaluated what I've seen from the Browns thus far this preseason, and I wrote my thoughts on this thread.  That is not hate and shouldn't be labeled as such.  You said it yourself, the offensive gameplan has been poor in both games.  The Browns have a rookie under center and need to find out what he can do against other teams before the season starts.  Vanilla offenses are fine in the preseason, but the Browns aren't doing themselves any favors by not giving Weeden more opportunities to refine some parts of his game that the team will need come September. 

 

The receivers helped Weeden quite a bit on a number of throws despite the drops.  Brandon threw several balls behind his receivers against Green Bay, and generally the ball wasn't where it's supposed to be in order for the receiver to complete the catch and make a play.  Wide receivers are often vilified over poor route running.  If fans are going to blast receivers for being incomplete in the passing game, they should also hold QB's accountable for not hitting their target.

 

Predetermined opinion?  Again, I watched the Browns play a couple games, then made my observations. 

^Its preseason...I don't expect a rookie to look sharp. He made some good throws and he made several bad throws. Preseason means nothing. Coaches work on situations during games. I read Shurmur and Childress designed plays to see how Hardesty and the line would respond to running plays where the defense blitzed more guys than they could block. Most team run base defenses and offenses. NFL coaches do not like showing too much during preseason. This is why you don't see Weeden throwing bombs. It's hard to assess anyone during preseason.  Jake Delhomme tore up a few games during preseason. The infamous 2008 Lions went 4-0 in preseason and then lost 16 straight. I'm realistic...I expect 4-6 wins out of this teams; however, I'm not going to get too upset over some mistakes during preseason. Also, you said you didn't see improvement from the Detroit game? Hmmmm...they ran the ball extremely well. The offensive line manhandled the Packer's front seven(Alex Mack had his way with B.J. Raji), the defense forced turnovers and they didn't give up 100 yards rushing. That's improvement to me.

Are we watching the same Brandon Weeden, or even the same Browns? I think he's put balls in low-risk places that required the receivers to make adjustments to the ball in some cases. The most notable was the pass to Josh Gordon which Weeden made the right call in throwing it underneath his route that forced Gordon and the defender to come back to the ball. If Gordon did that, it could have been a completion. Since he didn't, it was nearly an interception. As time goes on and Weeden, Gordon and other players will learns these nuances of the pro game.

 

That being said, I thought Weeden settled into a nice groove, and was playing a good rhythm passing game with his receivers, backs and tight ends. It was very encouraging to me considering these were only his second and third quarters he's ever played in the NFL. Do you remember how other quarterbacks have played in their first games in preseason, or in the regular season? I'm sure you can cite some quarterbacks who have done well. I'm sure I can cite more who have not done well.

 

There were some dumb penalties (Oneil Cousins isn't long for this team) but I had a good time watching the Browns the other night. I was encouraged to see the defensive performance, the defensive line's rotation working, the secondary play better (Hagg is making me feel more comfortable) and those two undrafted linebackers (Fort and Robertson) are blowing my mind! Their speed, tackling and leadership is breathtaking. It's what I've wanted for the Browns since we had Andra Davis.

 

Are we forgetting that this was the Green Bay Packers whose offensive second team is better than most other teams' first offensive team? And yet, the only time the Packers scored a touchdown on us was when we gave them a short field to work with after the Hardesty fumble. Cheers to Hardesty for recovering from that fumble -- his first since high school.

 

I though it was a fun game to watch.

 

Just remember, it's only sports.

I'm feeling pretty good after Thursday... but like others have said, the preseason means nothing.  I heard one of the ESPN Cleveland radio hosts say that Peyton Manning's Colts were 4-20 something in the preseason.  Can anyone verify that?  That says a lot to me.

 

I remember the Browns had another very strong showing against the Packers in preseason, I think with Delhomme at the helm.  How did that season turn out?  I'm hoping for 6+ wins.  Most importantly, I am hoping for a team that looks feisty and competitive, even in losses.

That diving touchdown for the chiefs just makes me want to spit at Hillis.  It looks like he really did pack it up and turn it off last year.  I still don't want to believe that is what he did, but it's getting harder to buy.  He owes Colt McCoy a big "i'm sorry", in my opinion.