The QB protection rules are lame until the playoffs become about who still has their QB standing after week 17.  They're really just a symptom of the inflated importance of the position so anything that reduces that power and takes away from the passing game would be what I'd like to see rather than just playing QB knockout all season long.

I don't think you have to have a "great" QB to get to or even win the Superbowl.  Do any of these guys really qualify as "great"?  From just the past decade:

 

Rex Grossman?

Jake Delhomme?

Rich Gannon?

Brad Johnson?

Kerry Collins?

Trent Dilfer?

I don't think you have to have a "great" QB to get to or even win the Superbowl.  Do any of these guys really qualify as "great"?  From just the past decade:

 

Rex Grossman?

Jake Delhomme?

Rich Gannon?

Brad Johnson?

Kerry Collins?

Trent Dilfer?

 

Well, clearly Jake Delhomme qualifies.  If only we could get him.

Sure, an average QB can get you there.  But if you want to win it, you are going to need to combine that QB with a dynamic running game and a defense for the ages (Dilfer, Johnson).  But I think the key is that a great QB can bring you the sustained success necessary to have a winnin team year in and year out.  Then again, maybe winning year in and year out is a pre-requisite to being considered a great QB

lol

 

Sources: Plain Dealer removes Tony Grossi from Cleveland Browns beat

By JOEL HAMMOND

2:16 pm, January 25, 2012

 

It appears a Twitter slipup has, at least in the short term, cost a Plain Dealer reporter his post on the newspaper's most popular beat.

Tony Grossi, who has covered the Cleveland Browns for the newspaper since 1984, has been removed from the beat, according to two sources. The move comes after Mr. Grossi sent what he called an inadvertent tweet on Jan. 18 that read, “(Team owner Randy Lerner) is a pathetic figure, the most irrelevant billionaire in the world.”

 

http://www.crainscleveland.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120125/FREE/120129905

 

 

 

OOOPS!

Al Lerner was part owner of the Browns when Modell moved the team to Baltimore.  Al Lerner sold his share of the Browns for a higher price on account of he and Modell engineering the move to Baltimore.  Then, the NFL allowed Al Lerner to become the owner of the new Browns.  The NFL owners are a bunch of creeps and so was Al Lerner.  All of them sold us out.

Can someone explain this to me?

 

http://www.cleveland.com/naymik/index.ssf/2012/01/the_cleveland_browns_stadium_i.html

 

Cleveland Browns Stadium is about to put a big hit on the city: Mark Naymik

 

"The city is allowed to use the stadium 8 days a year. The city wastes most of them, depriving itself of revenue that could be used to help maintain the stadium. The city should ask for more days and actually use them. Perhaps it's time to get the neighboring Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum or a concert promoter involved to hold big concerts."

 

Maybe I am misreading something. The city spends $300 million to build this stadium, yet is only allowed to use it 8 times a year? How can I build something at my own expense but not be allowed to use it? How can I own something but not be allowed to use for that matter? Who then gets to make these decisions, Lerner?

 

Maybe I'm just too tired - overdid the Dortmunders last night, folks - but I am a bit baffled by this.

Yup. The city got a bad deal. 

Can someone explain this to me?

 

http://www.cleveland.com/naymik/index.ssf/2012/01/the_cleveland_browns_stadium_i.html

 

Cleveland Browns Stadium is about to put a big hit on the city: Mark Naymik

 

"The city is allowed to use the stadium 8 days a year. The city wastes most of them, depriving itself of revenue that could be used to help maintain the stadium. The city should ask for more days and actually use them. Perhaps it's time to get the neighboring Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum or a concert promoter involved to hold big concerts."

 

Maybe I am misreading something. The city spends $300 million to build this stadium, yet is only allowed to use it 8 times a year? How can I build something at my own expense but not be allowed to use it? How can I own something but not be allowed to use for that matter? Who then gets to make these decisions, Lerner?

 

Maybe I'm just too tired - overdid the Dortmunders last night, folks - but I am a bit baffled by this.

 

Eight times a year? 

 

I assume this does not include the Browns games themselves, though the coincidence of the number makes me wonder.  In any case, the Browns use the stadium at least eleven times a year:  eight regular season home games, two exhibition games, and an open to the public practice.

 

I've never heard of more than one concert a year, so the "eight times a year" is apparently not an issue.

How many concerts are so big that they can't fit in the Q? I would guess there aren't many bands/tours/music festivals that draw that big of a crowd, and if you don't need the space, why not have it under a roof in case it rains.

There are a million things we, the city, the f'ing owners of the property, could do with that empty stadium and its property, especially in the Spring and Summer.

 

Nightly festivals.

Huge parties.

Protests/rallies.

Movie nights.

Club team sports.

Beer or wine tastings.

Light shows.

Amusement park.

Roller rink.

 

Christ, turn it into a homeless shelter like in Florida. Just do something, anything with this property when it's not in use.

Hired Help: Cleveland Browns name former Vikings coach Brad Childress offensive coordinator

By Associated Press, Published: January 27

 

CLEVELAND — Pat Shurmur brought in a close friend to help him fix Cleveland’s broken offense.

 

Shurmur hired former Minnesota coach Brad Childress as his first offensive coordinator on Friday, reuniting two coaches who spent seven seasons together on Andy Reid’s staff with the Philadelphia Eagles.

 

The Browns confirmed Childress’ hiring with a release that did not include any quotes.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/redskins/person-familiar-with-decision-cleveland-browns-hire-brad-childress-as-offensive-coordinator/2012/01/27/gIQAOjMyVQ_story.html

The World Series of Rock was a recurring, day-long and usually multi-act summer rock concert held outdoors at Cleveland Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio from 1974 through 1980. Belkin Productions staged these events, attracting popular hard rock bands and as many as 88,000 fans. FM rock radio station WMMS sponsored the concerts. ...more...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Series_of_Rock

I remember the promotions, but I did not attend.

 

 

Read this instead: http://www.clevelandseniors.com/people/belkin.htm

 

Now back to the Browns. Did ya' hear they hired a new OC? Anyone? Anyone?? Bueller? Bueller?

Yes lol, I forgot to post it earlier yesterday. Im not sure what I think. I heard he never called plays. First he was a QB coach, then an offensive coordinator, but one who didn't call the plays. Then a head coach as we all know. So im not really sure what to expect.

It's gotta be better than what we saw from Shurmur this past year, no?

I'm not a very big "combine guy".  I think player evaluations should focus on what they did on the field.  Too many draft busts are what they call "workout warriors"..... prospects that come in and measure out well both in terms of physique and speed, strenght, etc.

 

That said, I was VERY eager to see what RGIII measured out at.  I wasn't buying his 6'2 listing in college.  Well..... he measured out at 6'2 3/8 WITHOUT shoes..... which I assume, in turn, means he is going to be every bit of 220lbs (given his frame).  I think this solidifies him as the #2 pick and we will have to trade up to get him.

 

Related news.... the Canton Repository is saying that the Browns will jump in the Matt Flynn sweepstakes.

speaking of learner, shaw sez he lost around a 10th of his personal net worth on aston villa last year. of course like any rich the real money is spread around within the family, but still thats not good news for the browns:

 

Randy Lerner's Aston Villa soccer team, which is a lowly 15th in the Premier League, reportedly had a record loss of $85 million last season -- $19 million of it in compensation for coaching changes.

 

Well.... looks like RGIII will be playing in the nation's capital and the Skins paid quite the bounty to move up 4 spots.  I have to admit I'm kind of glad we don't have to hear the non-stop chatter about whether or not we should pull the trigger.

I wouldn't feel comfortable with losing 3 first round picks and a 2nd in order to get RG3. To get him, we'd have to beat that. What would it have been? 3 1st round picks and two 2nd round picks?

Not worth it.  Get McCoy someone to throw to, and a better O-line, and we will have a decent team.

totally agree. too many holes to fill and get mccoy some more beef up front and someone to throw to and lets see what happens.

 

start with chargers big fa wr vincent jackson, he might come if he gets a good deal.

Chicken and egg debate.  Good QB play can dramatically improve the play of your OL and WRs just as much as a good OL and WRs can enhance the play of your QB

^ Id say not in this particular case. You can have the best QB in the world, and they wont be able to do anything with the line we had last year, and the WR's on top of that. Mccoy was getting sacked while still taking his steps. He never even had a chance to set his feet. Guy was consistently running from defenders. On top of that you have WR's who cant run routes or catch a ball. And the running game was terrible which added more pressure on McCoy

 

The browns have loved to change QB's and Coaches over the years. Look what it has got them. Nothing. I think its time to say, maybe its not the coach, maybe its not the QB. Its the rest of the freaking offense!

C'mon dude lol, you act like McCoys passes were always on the money. He's right in saying a good QB makes EVERYONE around him better, in McCoys case this isn't true :-D. I like the kid but let's be honest here, he had the same shid line his rookie season but enjoyed more progress. The fact is in his 2nd year kinda since he got injured he regressed for most of the time he played, when he did have time to set his feet it didn't change the results. People are not even confident in saying he will be an ok QB let alone good, that's a problem. His first year, it seemed like he had better accuracy and pocket awareness, last year he had few. RG3 would have energized this whole fanbase but in reality, his stock was overpriced seeing as what STL wanted/received from WAS. He might be one hell of a player (which I think he will) but if he somehow doesn't, it sets that franchise back almost a decade. IMHO, if we want to be a decent team for now and years to come then stick with McCoy (he could prove me wrong) or if we want to be an Elite team, we need to go after a QB this year or the next. Oh yeah and **** the Rams -__-

Finally, the QB carousel has come to a halt, and it appears the FO will finally try to build an actual "team".  10 different starting QB's on opening day in 12 years, we didn't need the 11th different one in 13 years.

 

Stop blaming the QB, and build a GD team.

Are the Browns allowed to get good players? I know they will draft Trent Richardson and he will be a bust. They should at least try to get a #1 wideout, I have no idea who that would be but they need someone.

They better not draft Richardson at #4. 

 

I'm pretty happy that the Browns didn't throw three first rounders at St. Louis for RGIII.  As much as I like the kid's potential, I think that's too much to give up. 

^ Id say not in this particular case. You can have the best QB in the world, and they wont be able to do anything with the line we had last year, and the WR's on top of that. Mccoy was getting sacked while still taking his steps. He never even had a chance to set his feet. Guy was consistently running from defenders. On top of that you have WR's who cant run routes or catch a ball. And the running game was terrible which added more pressure on McCoy

 

McCoy was getting sacked and the run game was so terrible last year because teams were stacking the box with 8 or 9 guys and coming from all directions.  5 linemen can only block so many blitzers.  At some point, the QB has to be able to read the hot routes and punish the defense for doing that.  Teams don't blitz Peyton Manning like that because he makes them pay.  It is a guaranteed 10-15 yards each time.  I'm not sure if it was McCoy or Shurmer's system, but not once did I see him beat a blitz by getting rid of the ball to the open man.  On occasion, he was able to use his feet to scramble away, but that is a risky proposition playing at this level to bank on each time.

They better not draft Richardson at #4. 

 

I'm pretty happy that the Browns didn't throw three first rounders at St. Louis for RGIII.  As much as I like the kid's potential, I think that's too much to give up. 

 

Well, it's either him or Blackmon, IMO. Blackmon showed #1-type speed in shorts and can obviously catch, but I don't think the Big XII plays defense well and there's where I can agree with you about RGIII; if he fell to them @ 4, great but don't mortgage the house for a Big XII QB.

If we're at #4, the obvious choice is Morris Claiborne. He's a guaranteed hit, and will immediately establish us as having one of the best secondaries in the entire league, with Joe Haden and him together. Blackmon would not be a bad choice given our extreme need at WR. Richardson is not even on the map at 4.

Well, now RB is our #1 need, imo.

Well, now RB is our #1 need, imo.

 

They still mustn't take Richardson at #4.

RBs can be found in a lot of places...look at Arian Foster.  I would not go RB in Round1

Not to say we need to draft a RB #1, but in terms of needs, I think that's the most important thing right now.  If we already had a great QB/receiving corps in place we could get by with a crap run game, but not with what we have.

They didn't even make Hillis an offer.He signed a $3 M one year deal as an insurance policy in KC.

 

We have 3 Offensive linemen. As of right now that is our most pressing need.

Someone explain the point of cutting Steinbach's $6 mil salary for cap space if the Browns aren't using their cap space?  I get a lot of their moves (not signing Hillis, not trading a half decade of 1st round picks for RG3) but this one is baffling.  The guy was always a very good player here.

I'm becoming somewhat concerned about the Browns' apparent sense of ennui regarding the offseason. I know Heckert is on record as saying he wants to build through the draft, so I'll wait and see, but I'm not getting the warm and fuzzies right now. I know Hillis was a problem last year, but I saw that as a combination of a couple bad decisions on both sides and some injuries. Given that we have so many holes to fill, I would have thought giving Hillis the same kind of contract would have been a no brainer.

I can understand all of the moves individually, but collectively they have me scratching my head. If this was year one of a regime I could understand it. But year 3? And to the above mention question, what are they going to spend this money on?

Not bringing back Hillis (or even making him an offer) was a mistake IMO.  They will regret it.  However, people forget that we do have Brandon Jackson coming back this year and he is a decent option at RB.  I expect them to add somebody too..... I like the rumors of Ben Tate from Houston (the Texans just signed Foster for BIG $$).

 

Someone explain the point of cutting Steinbach's $6 mil salary for cap space if the Browns aren't using their cap space?  I get a lot of their moves (not signing Hillis, not trading a half decade of 1st round picks for RG3) but this one is baffling.  The guy was always a very good player here.

 

"Was"... yes.  But I don't have much confidence in a 31 yr old 6'6 offensive lineman with a significant lower back injury.  Very low chance he returns to prior form.  The discomfort will probably be with him for some time.  The Browns did want to bring him back, and might still, but at a lower price.  Steinbach wants to test the market first.  The Browns seem to really like Pinkston who played better than expected last year and don't be surprised if they make a play for a FA like Ben Grubbs.

I hope they dont continue to try to make Hardesty their guy and not realize that maybe he wasn't the best draft pick. The guy is terribly injury prone, and does not even do that great while healthy. Time to move on.

 

Dont forget we also need a FB since we threw a great one away for no reason.

http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/article-1/Browns-sign-Frostee-Rucker/4b534dd0-b553-4c74-8555-bf5683edea13

^ Vickers was only a 'great' FB in terms of highlight reel blow-up blocks, and he wasn't consistently great at those, either. He was adequate and had a great attitude, but this staff, even under Mangini, has been obsessed with finding a more agile FB with hands - thus, Marecic. In theory. Vickers was released again, btw. I was confused at the time as well, but it makes sense.

 

Releasing Steinbach: Makes sense if, and only if, they either re-sign him for less money or they spend the money on other SIGNIFICANT free agents. I'm all for being conservative, but freeing up 6+M kind of obligates them to do something. Personally, I think he could play well for 2-3 more years. He was healthy at the end of last year after being on IR for awhile.

 

Hillis: I would have re-signed him if I wasn't sure about getting Tate or wasn't planning on drafting Richardson. Tate is the best option IMO. Rumor is a third-rounder for Tate. Works for me.

 

Frostee Rucker: Good signing. Although he's not much of a pass-rusher, he has good run defense, and we stole him from Cincy. Win-win. If everyone is healthy, we have a defensive line I'm confident in calling 'good'.

 

And we need offensive linemen...big time. LG, RT have nobody who can start reliably. The other positions are pretty much safe - Pinkston can't play tackle in the NFL except in a pinch, but he makes a decent guard. I thought he did well given how he was thrown to the wolves last season, for a 6th rounder.

 

Needs: QB (maybe?), RB, WR, LG, RT, possibly LB?

 

 

 

 

Dont know much about Frostee Rucker but by the way you described him, sounds like a good move. The Browns defense was #2 in passing yards allowed but #30 in rushing yards allowed. We desperately needed someone who could help stop the run.

The Ravens just lost OG Ben Grubbs to the Saints for 5 yrs/36M. Pretty much what Steinbach got when he was picked up in FA three years ago, and at the same age, I think. That eliminates the best available replacement for Steiny, but at least he's out of the division.

Right, releasing Steinbach only makes sense if you plan on using that cap space or you have a better player on the roster.  Neither are true.

^^The best available replacement was the guy from the Saints, Carl Nicks, but he signed with Tampa.

 

I'm not sure about the Rucker signing.  Seems like more of a rotational player than anything else, although the NY Giants certainly showed you can never have too many DE's in this league.  Rucker is a run-stuffer.  Problem is, Sheard already plays the left-side run stuffing position and it was no secret he was/is much more comfortable there than on the speed-rush right side.  Given Rucker is 6-3 285, which is kind of squat for a DE, I would think the Browns may envision him playing some DT on passing downs.  We still need that speed rush DE to collapse the pocket from the QBs blind side.  I will say that I did like the way the Bengals DL played last year.

...and I thought the Indians had a disastrous off season.

 

 

Jaysus H, that draft better go our way.

I like Riley Reiff,  the OT from Iowa.  He's somewhat of a reach at the 4 and won't be there at the 22.  If someone falls in love with Blackmon and we can trade down a few slots, that's the ideal.  Then grab Stephen Hill from Georgia Tech or Floyd from ND to add another WR.  At 37, Minnifield is nearly as good as Claiborne at CB.  I'd like to see Steinbach come back, but that 6M can go a long way to getting us another free agent at OG or WR.  If we sign the WR, grab a guard with that 22 pick instead.