Dawg Pound Lounge ,

Brady Quinn is a free agent...  What about Derek Anderson?

Hello Bluez:  Nice article about the state of the Browns. 


I want the Browns to grab Blackmon in round #1, if he isn't there then
they either need to grab the best Offensive tackle, or maybe drop down a few 
spots and get an extra draft pick, preferable a 2nd round pick at least.

Who knowns, maybe the Browns could drop down a few spots, still get
Blackmon, and then still have 2 more 1st round, and 2 second round picks.

Wouldn't that be great.   I believe Blackmon is a prioroity because it is
a big need, the talent at WR drop a great deal after Blackmon, and I am
not real excited about the free agents prospects being better than Blackmon
after he gets a year under his belt.    I am still glad we traded down last year
for more draft picks.   I am against picking RGIII. 


What do you think?               

The only Quarterback I would agree for the Browns to draft this year would be
for Sanford's "LUCK".  But I wouldn't trade the farm for him.  I would however
consider the Browns trading both of their 1st round picks, for the Colts 1st & 2nd round picks.

Another thought might be the Browns signing Peyton Manning should the Colts draft Luck,
and then decide to cut Manning.    DON'T BELIEVE THEY HAVEN'T THOUGHT OF IT>       

$5 Million an inch.

penis****-inch-half.html">http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new...-i
nch-half.html


more reason to wear a helmet . 


Ooops wrong head

Another thought might be the Browns signing Peyton Manning should the Colts draft Luck, and then decide to cut Manning.    DON'T BELIEVE THEY HAVEN'T THOUGHT OF IT>  

Everyone has thought about adding him... But there is no way on God's beautiful green earth that Peyton Manning will come to Cleveland.

We should not use a 1st round pick on a QB this year, there are still way too many holes fill.  I am a fan that would still like to see the Browns win sooner than later, but drafting another high profile QB and ruining him just like the rest is not the way to go about it in my opinion. 

Super Bowl prediction - rematch of the Harbaugh bowl, this time Baltimore LOSES in excruciating fashion to the 49rs who win their what 6th or 7th?    anyway that's the way I see it...

Bux, first of all, why would you want a high priced 37 year old QB, who is coming off 3 neck surguries?   At last report, he still couldn't even grip the ball effectively,  let alone throw with velocity....Everybody is just going to have to wait and see on Peyton....His career might be over....but there's no reason to kick Cleveland with your emphatic notion that Manning wouldn't come....We would be an instant contender with a healthy Peyton Manning.   And money talks....

We'll find out whats up with Manning on March 1.....I think the Colts owe him big bucks if he's still on the roster.


 

We should not use a 1st round pick on a QB this year, there are still way too many holes fill.  I am a fan that would still like to see the Browns win sooner than later, but drafting another high profile QB and ruining him just like the rest is not the way to go about it in my opinion. 

I bet the Panthers are glad they aren't so pessimistic....The Browns haven't ruined any QB's man.... They haven't had one to ruin!!!

How many games has Brady Quinn played in since he left Cleveland?   I mean look at the guys they have had in here.   Are you telling me you think Tim Couch or Derek Anderson would have been great if they hadn't been ruined by Cleveland??? Give me a break....Couch had never seen a real playbook.  Anderson threw over 50 int's at Oregon State....There's never any guarantees...    They flopped as NFL starting QB's....I'm sure other teams (you know, the one's that know what the hell they are doing) were thrilled when Cleveland took Couch #1 overall....They were jumping for joy when Savage traded everything for Quinn...Everybody knew he wasn't accurate enough.

Just because our late 3rd round project QB can't get it done, doesn't mean we should quit trying.....Without a franchise QB the team has no hope....With "no hope" how do you expect them to win games?  If you really want them to win sooner than later,  you should want them to get a real QB as priority #1.....

They should do what they gotta do to get RG3....

His career might be over....but there's no reason to kick Cleveland

Not kicking Cleveland, just being realistic...

I bet the Panthers are glad they aren't so pessimistic....

I think that every Browns fan should be a little pessimistic at this point.  How many years of this BS should fans of a team that have a massive following have to deal with the failure on the field.  Have they improved? Slightly...We are all optimistic at the beginning of the season only to be let down in one way, shape or form. I understand it was a new coach on a shortened training camp, but good old Fritzy poo pissed down his leg more than once this season.

Just because our late 3rd round project QB can't get it done, doesn't mean we should quit trying

That is part of the problem, how do we know if Colt McCoy can get it done?  Is it because they have surrounded him with so much talent that there is no explanation for failure?  
I won't disagree that a great QB will improve everyone around him. But to gamble on a guy like RGIII (not only to take him at #4, but talking about trading with STL @ #2) is not good business.  TD, you and I among others can argue all day about whether or not he is the guy for the job in Cleveland. But the truth is that there are alot more pieces that will have a greater impact than RGIII.

With "no hope" how do you expect them to win games?

There is always hope, until about halfway through the season when most start to realize that this is the same Browns franchise.



TD, I really enjoy your perspective on almost everything you post.  I love signing on and reading what other Browns fans have to say and gather any other information they might have.  But to attempt to be optimistic 100% of the time is just draining.  

It doesn't seem to matter who the coach is, or even who the management team is.  If something drastic doesn't happen in the next year, this team will be remain where it is when Holmgren leaves in another 2 years.  It will be below average when he came and below average when he leaves, because he WILL bail.

Now you can sit here and say that I am not a true Browns fan because I am "bad mouthing" them.  But I as well as many who have posted on here in the past are fed up with the same crap year in and year out.  "Wait till next year" they all say, well I am waiting and will continue to wait.  I have just run out of patience at this point.  I want the Browns to be a superior franchise because the fans and the city deserve it.  I am sure that you understand that you are not the only passionate Browns fan on this planet.

However, if the Browns do draft RGIII (I certainly hope it is at #4 and they don't trade with the Rams and give up more picks to do it) and he is successful, I will declare you the ultimate master of this domain and I will place that in my signature. You can archive that, mark it down or do whatever.

I certainly hope you don't take my response the wrong way because I truly respect others' opinions and whether you believe it or not and I am a Browns Backer and will be until the day that I die, or until they move the franchise to LA (bad joke).

I wouldn't even watch the Browns if I felt the way you did Bux...It's like you really think that's there is NO way this franchise can turn it around...Thats sad.  I understand it.  I have family members that feel the same way you do.   But it's still sad.....I'm not saying we have to win the SB!  I just want to have a fun season.....It would be nice to play in a December game that meant something other than draft positioning ......If this current Cleveland team had a real QB, the entire "negative" perception of Browns football that is embeded in folks like yourself and throughout the land,  would be history....The Cleveland Browns would be returned to relavancy.....Is that asking too much?   

I'm as tired of the losing as anybnody is Bux...You know that.   It makes me ill....But ya gotta believe that it can change.   If we had an Eli Manning or Ben Roethlisberger, or Aaron Rodgers  we would percieve the entire franchise in a different light...

The Rams were the worst team of the 90's.....Then they found Kurt Warner and finished the decade with a world championship....Do I even have to mention how horrible the New Orleans franchise always was until they got Brees?   Franchises can turn it around my friend...and you know what it takes to do it...

First of all, I have watched every televised game since I can remember with the hope of pulling out a win.  If I can't be at home or the bar to watch, I make sure it is DVR'd.

Despite your perception, I do think they can turn it around.  But it starts by not only making good decisions in the draft but also in free agency as well as coaching hires.  While the drafts have been better the last two years, managment has failed in my opinion to bring in the players that can make a difference.

I would love to see a guy like RG3 come in and tear it up with the pieces we already have in place and make a couple of key additions. And I don't want to sound like the people that say, "Well he can't even take a snap from under center" or "Look at the defenses he went up against in college".  The fact is that he is a smart kid with a heck of an arm, great speed and he can probably learn some of these things.  I am just questioning whether there are other needs that need to be addressed first.

Who knows, maybe we can get lucky on a couple later round picks like every other good team seems to do. 

We can all relax now, the Browns just hired Nolan Cromwell as a special offensive assistant.  All is well, Cromwell, that is...Former Holmgren homey and was the WR coach in St. Louis when Fritz Pat ShUrmUr was there.  

Maybe there is a coach from the Colts that we couldn't get so we settled on one from the Rams.  I know I am being negative again.

 

I think it was Bluez who asked about the college all-star games (just can't remember when & where) but here are the dates in case any of our DPL draft scouts are interested:

Jan 16, 2012 - College football all-star game season is upon us. For NFL Draft types, it means the first chance to pick out prospects, while college fans must count it as the last actual, on-field activity until like two entire months from now. (For everyone, it means we get to see helmets with mixed-and-matched helmet logos arrayed in every direction. That's probably the highlight.)

While the smaller games offer only one or two players the non-fiend has ever heard of (don't come crying to us once you realize you've missed your last chances to enjoy Jacory Harris and Stephen Garcia, dear reader, though G.J. Kinne appears to be attempting to play in just about every game), the East-West fields a roster that should be largely familiar to most fans, and the Senior Bowl is a legit college all-star game. Albeit one without juniors.

The Mobile classic includes Russell Wilson, Kellen Moore, Devon Still, Courtney Upshaw, Quinton Coples, Kendall Wright and Joe Adams already, with full rosters soon to be announced.

The five biggest college all-star games of the next two weeks:

Casino Del Sol College All-Star Game

Jan. 16 at 6 p.m. ET on Fox Sports; Tucson, Arizona

Casino Del Sol game rosters

Coaches: Houston Nutt and Pat Hill

NFLPA Collegiate Bowl

Jan. 21 at 3 p.m. ET; Los Angeles, California

NFLPA Collegiate Bowl rosters

Coaches: Dick Vermeil and Tom Flores

East-West Shrine Game

Jan. 21 at 4 p.m. ET on NFL Network; St. Petersburg, Florida

East-West Shrine Game rosters

Coaches: Bobby Ross and Brad Childress

The Battle of Florida

Jan. 21 at 8 p.m. ET on Fox College Sports; Boca Raton, Florida

Battle of Florida rosters

Coaches: Bobby Bowden and Howard Schnellenberger

Senior Bowl

Jan. 28 at 4 p.m. ET on NFL Network; Mobile, Alabama

Senior Bowl rosters

Coaches: TBA

Fritz Pat ShUrmUr

What's with the capital letters in the last name Jake?

You putting some up-rights in his name so that he can remember what the endzone looks like so he can get the team to head in that direction?  Only problem with that is that there are two sets of up-rights and one of them brings to mind Roy "Wrong-Way" Riegels.  Maybe you can put an arrow or something in there.     

Duff ..thanks for the college bowl update . i wont be watching as its on NFL Network  

only 20 % of the country gets it . they really need to expand the NFL Network to the cable companys .

Greedy clueless &%* Morons

Nolan Cromwell ?  he played safety for the Rams . that figures as i am sure he is a offensive genious

 

they had better hire a proven offensive cordinator to help out the puppet . what makes them think this year will be any different than last year ? he needs help big time . he shouldnt have gotten the HC Job in the first place .



is it Beer Thirty yet

There is evaluation, then there is evaluation. With this Browns team, one needs to look past the obvious, going beyond the inconsistency of the team and look at those players which make up this Browns team. In part-two of our "Breaking Down The Browns", Fred Greetham beats the RB's to the hole.

4 Comments

The Browns just finished another double-digit loss season and questions abound throughout the roster. Are the Browns heading in the right direction? Do the Browns have a core to build around?

The OBR is breaking down the Browns current roster position-by-position. The second in the series is the breakdown of the running backs.

Running Backs (Peyton Hillis, Montario Hardesty, Chris Ogbonnaya, Owen Marecic, Armond Smith, Eddie Williams and Brandon Jackson)

The running back position was viewed as a position of strength of the Browns as the Browns headed into the 2011 season. Fresh off being named to the cover of Madden 2012, Peyton Hillis was expected to provide the lion’s share of the offense. He was coming off a career year where he rushed for 1,177 yards with 11 touchdowns. He also was the team’s second-leading receiver with 61 receptions and two touchdowns.

Then the Madden curse seemed to strike. Hillis sat out the third game of the season with strep throat and things went downhill from there. He pulled a hamstring against the Raiders and missed close to half of the season. He finished strong in two of the final three games, but his season ended far shy of his 2010 season with 587 yards and three touchdowns. He also was far less involved in the passing game with 22 receptions for 130 yards.

Many of those following the Browns think it’s a foregone conclusion that Hillis will leave via free agency this off-season. The Browns and Hillis’ agent broke off talks mid-season, but Hillis said in his final interviews of the season that he wanted to finish his career with the Browns. Pat Shurmur said he and Hillis had ‘a very good conversation’ in their season exit meeting.

The Browns brain trust Mike Holmgren, Tom Heckert and Pat Shurmur refused to address the Hillis situation and sound as though they are willing to let him test free agency. If that happens, it is unlikely Hillis will return as a suitor might come close to what he is seeking in compensation. However, even if he doesn’t get the offer that he’s hoping for, many times a player will take a similar offer with a new team just to save face.

With the uncertainty of Hardesty, it is likely the Browns would like for Hillis to return, but they will not break the bank to sign him. If Hillis truly wants to remain with the Browns, the ball likely will be in his court.

Hardesty is hardly a player that can be depended on to carry the burden after missing most of his two NFL seasons with injury. After missing the 2010 season with an ACL injury, Hardesty was slow in getting his knee into shape heading into the 2011 season. After he finally started to play, he strained his calf, which ended up holding him back for much of the remainder of the season. He finished with 266 yards on 88 carries for a 3.0 average per carry. Hardesty’s longest run of the season was just 19 yards. He caught 14 passes for 122 yards. Hardesty has yet to score an NFL touchdown and has not shown what Tom Heckert saw in the former Tennessee standout enough to trade up in the 2010 draft to select Hardesty in the second round. Heckert even admitted he hasn’t yet seen the player he drafted. He did say in the season wrap up that he is looking forward to seeing a healthy Hardesty play next year. I think all Browns fans are, as well, but with his injury history in college, it’s hard to go into the season counting on Hardesty to be the feature back.

Ogbonnaya is an intriguing story (See Don Delco’s story ‘The Curious Case of Chris Ogbonnaya’). He was signed off the Texans’ practice squad after Hillis and Hardesty went down and literally stepped right into the lineup with only a couple of days practice. He had the Browns biggest rushing game of the season when he rushed for 115 yards against the Jaguars. He had 90 yards against the Rams. Ogbonnaya had the Browns longest runs of the season from scrimmage with a 40-yard burst against Jacksonville and a 28-yard run against the Steelers. After Hillis returned, Ogbonnaya was the third down back, but rarely carried the ball the rest of the season, just four times in the final five games. He finished as the second-leading rusher with 340 yards on 76 carries and a touchdown. His 4.5 average was the highest among the Browns running backs. He also caught 23 passes for 165 yards.

Brandon Jackson was signed as an undrafted free agent from the Packers after starting 13 games for the Super Bowl champions. However, he suffered a turf toe injury in the preseason and spent the season on injured reserve. He was signed to be the third down or change of pace running back. Jackson is expected to return fully healthy for the 2012 season.

Armond Smith made the roster coming out of training camp as an undrafted free agent. He might have been the fastest player on the roster, but when injuries happened to Hillis and Hardesty, the Browns turned to Ogbonnaya, rather than Smith. He carried the ball three times for two yards in his action in the early season. Smith’s biggest claim was when he broke an 80-yard run for a touchdown in the preseason, but he also fumbled the ball away twice in the same game. Smith spent the majority of the season on the Browns’ practice squad.

Owen Marecic was drafted in the fourth round to be the starting fullback. Marecic suffered two concussions during the season and ended up with four carries for eight yards. He also caught five passes for 31 yards. The Browns chose to let Lawrence Vickers leave via free agency and drafted Marecic. Vickers led the way for Arian Foster in Houston and the Browns missed his lead blocking greatly. Marecic should improve his blocking, but he has a way to go. It is concerning that he has already had two concussions in his rookie season.

Eddie Williams was on the practice squad as the backup fullback and was activated after Marecic went down with a concussion and Alex Smith went to injured reserve.

Bottom Line: The Browns should re-sign Hillis to give them stability at the position. If Hillis leaves via free agency, the team must sign a number one free agent to replace him such as Matt Forte or Michael Bush. Otherwise, running back would be a high priority for the Browns in the draft as Hardesty and Jackson cannot be counted on to be the feature back. They could use one of their top three picks on a back if they don’t re-sign Hillis or another back. Ogbonnaya showed enough promise in his limited action to be in the mix.

(Next: A look at the wide receiving corps)

Jake i have looked everywhere for the Cromwell hiring and cant find it . do you have a link ?

Jake i have looked everywhere for the Cromwell hiring and cant find it . do you have a link ?

Here you go bluez.


He was just hired as an offensive senior assistant though. Not even a position coach...this hire is irrelevant.

I have heard rumors of Mike Sherman and Brad Childress being possible candidates for the OC job.  Who do you guys think should be brought in?