Dawg Pound Lounge ,

LOL I actually don't mean that but I couldn't resist.

Dell sux!!

You can get a store bought HP and it will have better components than a custom built Dell...I have a 11 year old desktop that is still running on it's original components for the kids(My oldest received a Dell from her mom's(my ex) parents and it has been to the OSU tech department 4 times in two years), an 8 year old laptop and a 5 year old laptop and they combined have not had half the issues as my current 2 year old Dell that my boss insisted on buying...

As prices drop, the previous two laptops cost me about $2,100 and this idiot spent $2,300 on my current machine and it doesn't even have a video card??? A current machine without a dedicated video card??? Who the hell does that?

Now, if I want to do a customer presentation, I take my old HP so that the video works properly.

My wife's Gateway has better video than this stupid machine.

BTW...last year my second oldest got her first HP and my 3rd oldest just got her first Netbook(not an HP, she hasn't earned it yet at 9 years old)...

I've actually had pretty good luck with Dell.  Had two of them over the past 15 years.


Then again, those of you who frequent porn sites assume the risk. 

I've actually had pretty good luck with Dell.  Had two of them over the past 15 years.

i bought my first & only puter in 2006 ..i paid out the azz for a Dell ..$2.300.00 for a Dell XP Multimedia dual core double  hard drive jabob dohinkey watchamacallit


i have had some issues with it ..i about took a ball bat to it more than once  . i have replaced a video card and am down to one hard drive instead of two . but as long as it keeps working ,..crosses fingers i wont get another one till this thing blows up for good .. yes Dell customer service SUCKED ..I kept getting some  towel head who barely spoke English the first time i called them ..after i raised all holy hell with them did i get a American who worked with me on the issues i was having .

i bought Speedy PC registry cleaner ..best $$$ i have spent .takes care of the porn issues   no issues since i ran it . it runs twice a week ..once again knocks on wood the thing keeps on keeping on .

the sound card in this thing ROCKS ..I bought a nice set of  speakers with a sub woofer at Staples for $ 50.00 . You Tube jams . i have the same SN on  my account there with tons of music .. racing & of course Browns clips .

hey i can now type with two fingers

since when is T.O.W.E.L H.E.A.D A Bad thing ?????????????

if that offends some Muslim .good i could care less about you nut jobs

i bought my first & only puter in 2006 ..i paid out the azz for a Dell ..$2.300.00 for a Dell XP Multimedia dual core double  hard drive jabob dohinkey watchamacallit 

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Bought my 1st (also a Dell, tower) in '90. Sucker cost me 36 hundred...complete with 96 baud modem, 20 meg HD, 5.25" floppy drive, 17" monitor & all the rest of the top end 'bells & whistles' available then  

LMAO!  Chris Perez needs a reality check....Uhhhhhhmmmm "newsflash" Mr. Perez;  Football is the most popular sport in America by far! Oddly enough, that's not just in Cleveland, but nationwide.  Give us break for crying out loud...Sorry that your sport just doesn't stack up with football in the minds of the majority of Americans. Your going to lose to football every single time, especially in Ohio.  Thats just the way it is.  Geez dude, know your place in life before you let fly with stupidity.  The Indians are 2 games over .500 and seem to be fading fast with inconsistant pitching, and no offense at all.....You'd think his concerns would be elsewhere.....

Don't get wrong.  I love baseball.....It's easily my 2nd favorite sport.  I just don't understand Perez jumping on the Cleveland fans and accusing them of "blindly following" the Browns.  How absurd.....


We love our football, and we love our Browns, but we aren't blind.....These have been trying times, but Browns fans, understandibly, have reason to be optimistic this year.  If CP just doesn't get that, i suggest that he do what Bluez allready suggested, and just shut the hell up!


I agreed with him the last time he took a stand, but I think he jumped in WAY over his head on this one....    

I agreed with him the last time he took a stand, but I think he jumped in WAY over his head on this one....  

Same here ..but this time he crossed the line


ya just dont slam Browns fans without some serious backlash


this is coming from a guy who grew up in Florida..err Cuba  ..the biggest bandwagon non pro team supporting state that there is


SHMUCK ....STHU

The Cleveland Browns selected Travis Benjamin, the speedy wide receiver with the fifth pick of the fourth round.

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If you can’t teach speed then Travis Benjamin has earned his honorary master’s degree.

4.36 seconds.

That was his time in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine last February. Benjamin’s time tied Georgia Tech’s Stephen Hill and Stanford’s Chris Owusu for the fastest among receivers. The trio finished tops among all offensive players.

Benjamin can flat fly. Well, I’ll let new Browns quarterback Brandon Weeden describe Benjamin in his own words.

“Yeah, he can fly,” Weeden said on June 5. “We were joking about that, the wind coming this way so when we’re going toward the facility you have to let it go a few steps early because he can go. Downwind it’s not so bad, but if you’re trying to throw into any kind of breeze, you have to let it go and keep it pretty tight.”

At a rookie minicamp practice last May, Shurmur asked Weeden to “let one rip on a vertical and see if (Benjamin) can go get it.” Weeden oblighed. Although the pass fell incomplete, a good first impression was made.

“That guy has another gear,” Weeden said.

“Knowing my speed, I know I could mostly run past anybody so I just work on the little things like coming in and out of my breaks and focusing more on the ball,” Benjamin said on June 12.

After his senior season at Miami, Benjamin finished as one of only six Hurricanes players with more than 2,000 receiving yards and his 3,874 all-purpose yards was good for third-best in program history.

The Cleveland Browns selected Travis Benjamin with the fifth pick of the fourth round. Much has been made about the team’s lack of talent at the wide receiver position. Yet if Benjamin is that fast and that talented, why was he selected in the fourth round?

Benjamin comes in a 5-feet, 10-inches and 172 pounds. According to his prospect profile on NFL.com, “His game is based entirely on speed and quickness. He has a hard time getting off the line of scrimmage if not given a free release, lacking the strength to recover if jammed by a more physical defender.”

Still, Benjamin has that speed and explosiveness this Browns team — especially the offense — so desperately lacks. In the weeks leading into the 2012 season, eyes will be on Benjamin to see if he can contribute right away. The Browns think he could. Not only will he see a lot of reps at training camp, but based on his size, quickness and the man who drafted him, he will also see plenty of DeSean Jackson comparisons.

Browns general manager Tom Heckert was with the Philadelphia Eagles when the team selected Jackson in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft. Jackson’s pre-draft measurables were eerily similar to Benjamin’s: 5-9, 169 pounds and a 4.35 40-yard dash.

Let the comparisons begin.

Jackson has flourished in the NFL. In four seasons, Jackson caught 229 balls for 4,085 yards with 21 touchdowns in a West Coast Offense. He is also dynamic in the return game. He’s fast and proves a difficult matchup for defensive backs, wherever the Eagles line him up.

The Browns need that kind of production from a wide receiver — any wide receiver, at this point — as well as a return man. Last season, Josh Cribbs did not put up the type of return game numbers everyone has come to expect. At wide out and in the return game, Benjamin adds another (very fast) option.

“I think we’ve seen where he can catch the ball in the deep part of the field,” Browns coach Pat Shurmur said on June 12. “It’s nice to be able to run fast but as you’re far away from the quarterback, being able to track the ball is something that you need to be able to do, and I think he can do that. He is a good route runner.”

So far, in essentially helmets and shorts, Benjamin looks good. Is he the Browns’ version of DeSean Jackson. The stars are lining up to answer, yes, he can, but there is still a long way to go before Sept. 9.

“We can’t bump and run in these camps,” Shurmur said. “So I can’t see him against press coverage, but from what I can tell he has the quickness to separate. We’ll know more about all that once we get into training camp.”

Troy Smith's second stint in the rugged AFC North did not last nearly as long as his first.

On Monday, the Pittsburgh Steelers announced that the team has decided to part ways with the Heisman trophy winning, former Ohio State star.

Pittsburgh signed Smith--who spent the 2011 season with the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League--to a free agent contract back in January. However, after the Steelers re-signed veteran backups Charlie Batch and Byron Leftwich to a pair of one-year deals last month, Smith became expendable.

Originally a fifth-round draft pick of the Ravens in 2007, Smith spent three seasons in Baltimore--primarily as a backup--before being released and subsequently signed by the San Francisco 49ers in 2010.

Smith's best shot to emerge as an NFL starter came in San Francisco, where he started six games under former head coach Mike Singletary. However, he completed just 50.3 percent of his passes and had 10 turnovers (six fumbles, four interceptions) while throwing just five touchdowns, and was not re-signed after the season.

Some analysts had predicted that Smith could stick with the Steelers as a developmental project, but it appears that the team has decided to hand that role to 6'5", 250-pound, former Texas A&M quarterback Tyron Johnson.

Smith's release from Pittsburgh could very well signal the end of his opportunity in the NFL. While a quarterback-needy team could show interest in the athletic, multidimensional quarterback some time between now and September, his overall numbers (eight total starts, 51.7 completion percentage, 11 total touchdowns and 14 turnovers) leaves a lot to be desired.

A veritable superstar in college, Smith passed for 5,720  yards, rushed for an additional 1,197 and scored an impressive 68 total touchdowns during his Ohio State career. Smith also set an NCAA record by taking 86.7 percent of first-place votes in winning the Heisman trophy in 2006 and led the Buckeyes to an appearance in the BCS National Championship Game that season.

However, it is beginning to look like Smith may become another in a long list of college legends whose skill sets simply do not translate to NFL success.


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Browns general manager Tom Heckert was with the Philadelphia Eagles when the team selected Jackson in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft. Jackson’s pre-draft measurables were eerily similar to Benjamin’s: 5-9, 169 pounds and a 4.35 40-yard dash.

These numbers also remind me of a certain dependable and capable receiver in one Desmond Howard.  Since when did receivers have to be "Megatron(s)" to be effective in the NFL?  Yes, it comes it quite handily in jump ball situations, but if Benjamin could get separation, he should be able to catch a lot of balls with his speed.  Especially using him as the second or third guy could instill all kinds of fear in defenses.  If it ain't  broke don't fix it.  DeSean Jackson has been a powerful weapon in Philadelphia.  Let's hope Heckert really believes he has the second coming, and not just throwing stuff to see what sticks. From what I have seen of Benjamin I think he could fit the bill.  Unfortunately he wasn't exactly showcased in a prolific passing offense in college. 

A veritable superstar in college, Smith passed for 5,720  yards, rushed for an additional 1,197 and scored an impressive 68 total touchdowns during his Ohio State career. Smith also set an NCAA record by taking 86.7 percent of first-place votes in winning the Heisman trophy in 2006 and led the Buckeyes to an appearance in the BCS National Championship Game that season.

However, it is beginning to look like Smith may become another in a long list of college legends whose skill sets simply do not translate to NFL success.

*Cough* Chase McCoy * Cough*   Coach McCoy, what?

Anybody have updates on the contract situations with Richardson and Weeden?  Haven't heard anything lately.

Duff ..i search everyday for info on both Weeden & TRich contract situation . so much for the new CBA Having all draft picks signed before May 31 . from what i gather its the fourth year that is the hangup on the first round picks not being under contract . i would think that non will miss any time . i am sure that those days are over with .

 

anxious to get this season underway . its the slow time of year where news is scarce .



Goooo Browns !!!




WOOF WOOF WOOF

As long as Benjamin doesnt act like Jackson all will be good . if he starts showboating before scoring . takes plays off .  acts like a total jerk off i will not be happy no matter what he does on the field .  spiking the ball before crossing the goal line is just


he didnt have those issues in college so it shouldnt happen here

Two fishermen were adrift in their rented boat due to an engine failure. While rummaging through the boat's provisions, one of the men stumbled across an old lamp. Secretly hoping that a genie would appear, he rubbed the lamp vigorously. To the amazement of the castaways, a genie came forth. This particular genie, however, stated that he could only deliver one wish, not the standard three.

Without giving much thought to the matter the man blurted out, "Make the entire ocean into beer!" The genie clapped his hands with a deafening crash, and immediately the entire sea turned into the finest brew ever sampled by mortals.

Simultaneously, the genie vanished. Only the gentle lapping of beer on the hull broke the stillness as the men considered their circumstances.

One man looked disgustedly at the other whose wish had been granted. After a long, tension filled moment, he spoke: "Nice going idiot! Now we're going to have to piss in the boat!"

BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Browns DT Phil Taylor believes he will play this season. However, he's been warned not to rush back.

Taylor, who underwent surgery last month to repair a torn chest muscle he injured lifting weights, said he's optimistic about playing for the Browns in 2012. The 335-pounder doesn't have a timeframe for his return, but after there were initial fears he would miss the entire year, he expects it to happen.

"When I'm back, I'm back," he said. "I'm taking it one day at a time. When I think I'm ready to play, I'll be out there."

Taylor was out on the Browns' practice field Tuesday, but not to work out. He visited with friend and former Baylor QB Robert Griffin III, who was at Cleveland's facility to take part in an NFL-sponsored Play 60 event with 150 kids. Taylor and Griffin spent some time together reminiscing about their playing days with the Bears.

"He has a great future," Taylor said of Griffin. "Hopefully not against us. From seeing him for the first time as a freshman in college and moving on up, and get drafted this year, he's changed a lot. He's going to be a great player."

Taylor hopes his next reunion with Griffin is on the field on Dec. 16, when the Browns host the Redskins. For that to happen, Taylor must remain patient as he heals an injury that twice shelved Browns LB D'Qwell Jackson, who missed 26 consecutive games in 2009-10 after tearing pectoral muscles on both sides of his chest.

"I talked to him," Taylor said of Jackson, who made a strong comeback in 2011. "He gave me lots of words of encouragement. He told me not to come back too early and keep my head up and keep working hard."

Taylor is currently limited to range-of-motion exercises and cardio workouts. He was doing bench presses when he injured his chest.

"I really didn't know what happened because it didn't hurt that much," he said. "I thought I just strained it, but obviously after the MRI it wasn't just a strain."

Losing Taylor, who started all 16 games as a rookie and recorded 59 tackles last season, was a major blow to Cleveland's defense. The Browns drafted two inside linemen — John Hughes and Billy Winn — to try and plug the hole left by Taylor's injury. The two rookies are expected to compete with veterans Scott Paxson and Brian Schaefering for Taylor's starting spot.

"We won't skip a beat," Taylor said. "Paxson's right behind me. He's going to do good and they (the rookies) are going to play a lot this year. They're learning. We're all doing drills together. We're watching tape. They're learning quick."

Taylor wants to be a quick healer, but he understands the risks in trying to come back too soon.

"I'm doing good right now," he said. "I'm itching to get back, but I'm not going to rush it. When I know it's time for me to be out there, I'll be out there."

I have seen shady officiating before, but wow!  Did anyone watch that travesty in Yankee Stadium last night?  What a joke!  I've never seen a fan slip a baseball into the glove of the fielder that just leaped into the stands.  You just had to see it to believe it....The Yankee player dives into the crowd and clearly misses the ball.  The fan who actually got the ball hoists it high into the air for the world to see...Meanwhile, as the Yankee player lays on the ground out of view to the umpires, another fan reaches into his pocket, pulls out a different ball and slips into the glove of the Yankee....The oblivious umpire calls the batter out!!!LOL!


Then, the same ump throws Jack Hanahan out of the game for letting him know that he completely blew the call......I've never seen anything like it, but I DO know that that is something that could only happen to a Cleveland team.   They should protest that one....


and nice integrity on the part of the Yankees.....



........just when you think you've seen it all.      

I have seen shady officiating before, but wow!  Did anyone watch that travesty in Yankee Stadium last night?  What a joke!  I've never seen a fan slip a baseball into the glove of the fielder that just leaped into the stands.  You just had to see it to believe it....

---

Might not of been watching as close as you TD...what I saw was the ball going into the mitt & coming back out as Wise fell into the stands. He never had control of it. Saw the fan with the ball but guess I missed the part where another one put a ball back in his glove... & the dumbazz ump failed to see what the rest of the world did

Least he had the nads to admit his mistake after viewing game tapes after the fact...

Protesting the call would be the right thing to do...but they still would of been 2 runs short of a W
 

Robert Griffin III thought he’d end up a Brown

BEREA — Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III looked right at home running around the football field at the Browns’ training facility Tuesday.

Unfortunately for Browns fans, the ultracharismatic “RG3” was wearing the colors of the Washington Redskins, not Cleveland’s familiar orange and brown.

“Once I declared for the draft, Cleveland is the place I thought I would be, just because they had the most firepower when it came to draft picks and trade ability,” Griffin said. “It didn’t turn out that way, and I have no idea why it didn’t, but that was the end result.”

Griffin was in Berea as part of the NFL Rookie Symposium, which included a youth football clinic featuring instruction from every player who was selected by an NFC team in the 2012 draft.

The former Baylor quarterback was the second overall pick by the Redskins, who outbid the Browns to acquire that choice from the St. Louis Rams in a very public duel.

Both teams planned on taking Griffin at No. 2, but Washington’s package of first-round picks in 2012, ’13 and ’14, and a second-rounder was more to the Rams’ liking.

All Good Music Festival


If it was the seventies still i could would do it  . i dont think my body could handle a three day party like this will be .

i am considering heading to the valley for the Allman Bros band which is one of my all time favorites . its been to long since i saw them last .

i saw quite a few shows there back in the daze . its one hot place in the summer . that field really heats up . there is some shade to the right of the stage up on the hill . but i see that there are three stages so maybe there wont be any ? no matter as the Bros take the main stage at 10.00 pm on a Saturday night ..i can pitch a tent for one night .

I agreed with him the last time he took a stand, but I think he jumped in WAY over his head on this one....    

Same here ..but this time he crossed the line


ya just dont slam Browns fans without some serious backlash

Yes, I actually liked his fire the last time...Don't speak ill of the Browns or their fans, otherwise expect backlash..

First and most certainly foremost.

Browns fans get an opportunity to make it to a maximum of 8 home Browns games per year...

Indians are in Cleveland for 82 games...maybe it's just me, but I am not going to make it out to more than 3-5 Indians games per season, which equates in price to 1-2 Browns games(and what I can afford to spend per season on them as well)...I think this is typical fan support in this economy.


The difference in fan support is this over the course of a sellout season:

Browns; 585,600 fans for a season's worth of games
Indians; 3,561,178 fans for a season's worth of games

At current pace the Indians will enjoy 1,509,456 fans coming through their gates in 2012...which any math wiz can tell you is almost 3 times as many Browns fans are capable of hitting the turnstyles down at Browns stadium.

It's semantics in the end...If the only games fans could go to were one weekend day per week, they would sell out EVERY home game, even at Browns ticket prices...

damn its hot ..stupid hot


no sense in this crap

Got word last night from a friend of mines sister that a good buddy of mine had to vacate his home near Colorado Springs . him & his family are okay but they will lose there home to the raging fires out there .

i feel for those affected ..can it rain please to help those poor folks out .


can it rain here to help us out .


Mother Nature is being a real Muther ..quit it ya bitch !!

Mother Nature is being a real Muther ..quit it ya bitch !!

That's it, call her names to make her cry....Why didn't I think of that?



Seriously though, very sad thinking about all those out west going through this trying time. There has got to be a better way to fight these damn fires. With the technological boom, we are still dropping sand and foam...and unfortunately fire fighters...on these thousands of acres fires..

Come on science geniuses, help them out already!

That's it, call her names to make her cry....Why didn't I think of that?

When she acts up like this . its my nature

Disney encourages folks to wish upon a star.
Doing so makes magic happen and dreams come true.
They play that kind of hokey music stuff all day long at Disney parks.
The Cleveland Browns aren’t wishing upon many stars with their 2012 team. In fact, a lot of their hopes are built on hope.
A few are obvious.
The new running back, the new quarterback . . . hopes are high for them. As it should be when players are taken third and 22nd in the NFL Draft. Their talent is evident, and the basis for the hope is real.
But even with Trent Richardson and Brandon Weeden, at this point the Browns are hoping they come through rather than depending they come through.
Because at this point what is there to depend on other than potential?
With one player, the hope for a strong season almost demands somebody ask: If it’s not Disney, does wishing make it so?
That is with receiver Mohamed Massaquoi, a player specifically mentioned by team president Mike Holmgren as a guy who can come through.
“There is no reason to think that he shouldn’t be fine,” Holmgren said. “There is nothing there to tell you this shouldn’t work.”
Holmgren bases that hope on several legitimate factors. Massaquoi was a second-round draft pick who looked good at times as a rookie (34 catches, 624 yards). But in 2010, Massaquoi was on the receiving end of one of James Harrison’s most vicious hits. The Pittsburgh Steeler's brutal shot to Massaquoi’s head gave Massaquoi a concussion and, though he missed only one game, he’s not been the same since.
Last season, he started decently, but got another concussion against Seattle, missed a game, left the next and missed the next. In the season’s final seven games, he caught 13 passes with no touchdowns.
In his three seasons, Massaquoi has 34, 36 and 31 catches.
That hasn’t dimmed Holmgren’s optimism.
“I think he’s ready to have a breakout year,” Holmgren said.
Maybe he will. He could. At 25, he’s still young. But he has to prove he really is past the concussions.
Just like Greg Little has to prove a slimmer physique has improved his hands. That’s another hope, that the receivers don’t drop passes. During minicamp, they did. The Browns hope they don’t during training camp.
The offensive line needed work last season. To shore it up, the team drafted right tackle Mitchell Schwartz. Like Richardson and Weeden, Schwartz has given no indication he cannot step in and play.
If he does and if guards Jason Pinkston and Shawn Lauvao come through, the line could be set for a few years.
But at this point that still starts with ‘if’ . . . because Schwartz has yet to gain any sense of what full speed in the NFL is like.
There is every reason to believe in Schwartz, but it’s still, at this point, a hope.
Defensively the Browns tout their improvement. But how can any team say it’s improved when the other team averages 129 yards per game rushing? Stopping the run is vital for any winning team.
The Browns are hoping to find a player to step in for injured defensive tackle Phil Taylor, who will miss months. His cohort at defensive tackle, Ahtyba Rubin, did not look close to being in good condition at minicamp — unless taking a knee at every break is meaningless.
Sheldon Brown has played good football, and the Browns hope he will do it again. But at 33, the margin for error at cornerback narrows.
The team also hopes Eric Hagg can come through at safety.
All over the field, there are hopes. The team hopes the receivers will make catches, that Weeden will come through, that Richardson will be able to run. It hopes to run the ball better, and stop the run better. It hopes it can replace Taylor, and it hopes that the linebackers play physically like they did in Pittsburgh last season. They hope Brad Childress helps Pat Shurmur and Nolan Cromwell helps Childress, and they hope that the oddities that dogged Shurmur last season were just that, oddities.
About the only things they don’t have to hope for is at kicker and left tackle, where Phil Dawson and Joe Thomas are as dependable as any players in the league.
Not all the hope is unjustified. And every team starts with hopes. But the Browns have hopes all across the field.
It’s what happens when a team struggles. It takes time to acquire the numbers of players to turn “hope” into “depend.” As those players are acquired, it takes a year, two or three to have them grow and jell together.
Yes, if all the hopes pan out, the Browns could be better in 2012.
That would be their Disney story come to life, a veritable "Nemo" swimming up on the shores of Lake Erie.
But it sure is a lot to hope for in one offseason.

The new supermarket near my house has an automatic water mister to keep produce fresh. Just before it goes on, you hear the sound of thunder and the smell of fresh rain.

When you approach the milk cases, you hear cows mooing and witness the scent of fresh hay.

... When you approach the egg case, you hear hens cluck and cackle and the air is filled with the pleasing aroma of bacon and eggs frying.

The veggie department features the sound of a gentle breeze and the smell of fresh buttered corn.

I don't buy toilet paper there any more........

If all goes as planned, Brandon Weedenwill become the 11th quarterback in 14 years to start a season opener for the Browns on Sept. 9.

Put another way, the last quarterback to start back-to-back openers for the Browns was Charlie Frye in 2006 and '07, and he played so poorly against the Steelers in the 2007 opener he was benched in the second quarter and traded to Seattle two days later.

The mission of the 2012 offseason for the Browns was to make the quarterback carousel -- and the losing -- stop. Not surprisingly with all the quarterback changes, they have had only two winning seasons in 13 years.

General Manager Tom Heckert made a strong pitch to the Rams for the second draft pick with the idea of using it on Robert Griffin III. He offered picks 4 and 22 this year plus the Browns' first-round pick in 2013.

When the Rams rejected the Browns offer and dealt with the Redskins instead, Heckert decided to go in a different direction. He bundled three late picks and the fourth pick to move up one slot in a trade with the Vikings so he could draft running back Trent Richardsonfrom Alabama. He held onto the 22nd pick and used it on Weeden, the 28-year-old quarterback from Oklahoma State.

Critics said Heckert could have waited to the 37th pick for Weeden, but he did not want to take that chance. Missing on Weeden would have meant another year of Colt McCoy or possibly Seneca Wallace as the starter -- something the Browns did not want.

Weeden has not been declared the starter yet, but that is definitely in the forecast. He and Richardson are the present and the future for the Browns.

Heckert plus team president Mike Holmgren and Coach Pat Shurmur realize that to close the gap on the Ravens Steelers and Bengals -- all three AFC North teams made the playoffs last year -- the Browns had to get better at quarterback, even if the turn-around from 4-12 last year isn't profound in 2012. Andy Dalton started for the Bengals last year and became the first rookie quarterback in NFL history to win at least eight games and throw 20 touchdown passes. That is something for Weeden to shoot for.

The Browns did not stop at Richardson and Weeden. Heckert used the 37th overall pick on right tackle Mitchell Schwartz. His offseason goal was to make the Browns better at running back, quarterback and the offensive line. He bolstered all three through the draft.

What cannot be overlooked is how important the offseason program and minicamps were, especially on offense. Like every other team last year, the lockout prohibited the Browns coaches from associating with their players. The first time Shurmur met most of them was in training camp. Compounding that was he was the offensive coordinator as well as a first-year head coach of a team that won a total of 14 games in three years.

The defense got deeper in the offseason, particularly on the line with the addition of ends Frostee Rucker (Bengals) and Juqua Parker (Eagles). Rucker will start opposite Jabaal Sheard, who as a rookie last year led the Browns with 8.5 sacks.

Last year's first-round draft choice, defensive tackle Phil Taylor, tore his left pectoral on May 10 while lifting weights. Heckert said he expects Taylor to be ready by late October or early November.

"I'm itching to get back, but I'm not going to rush it," Taylor said on Tuesday. "When I know it's time for me to be out there, I'll be out there."

Losing Taylor a year ago would have been devastating, but the Browns can absorb the injury better because of draft picks John Hughes and Billy Winn.