Browns Issues Deeper Than Just a QB

Earlier this month the Browns’ brain-trust stated there would be an open competition for the starting quarterback spot and that Colt McCoy would not be labeled as the starter from day one of training camp, he would have to earn it. That’s fine by me. I think competition breeds excellence. Personally, as our quarterback depth chart stands right now, I think McCoy wins that battle. But there is a proverbial wrench being thrown into the mix, and it comes by way of the NFL Draft in April.

The Browns are sitting very pretty with the #4 overall pick, as well as the #22 pick in the first round thanks to the brilliant draft day trade of 2011 with the Atlanta Falcons. Sure, Julio Jones is a very talented player, but we managed to get a pirates bounty for an unproven rookie coming out of college, and it affords the Browns what they need most, more talent.

There is currently quite a bit of talk that the front office is very high on Robert Griffin III from Baylor University. The Heisman winner is ranked as the #2 quarterback in the draft (no surprise there) and many pundits have him going #2 overall. RGIII’s ascent has been rapid, I am sure many football followers had barely heard of his name before his unbelievable college season this past year. And I have to say he impressed me quite a bit with his ability to throw the ball down field with great accuracy. But I want to state this right now; I am vehemently against trading up to the #2 pick o take RGIII.

The Browns need to look at this draft realistically. Are the Browns just a quarterback away from being a playoff contender? The answer is most definitely NO. I know that quarterbacks are the keys to the offense, but the Browns have so many holes that no one quarterback can make those holes look smaller. This was a team that was 28th in the NFL in rushing yards per game at less than 100, and was tied for the NFL lead in dropped passes by receivers. I just do not see how a rookie quarterback can come in and succeed with those two areas so glaringly lacking. The dropped pass issue MUST be fixed, that is inacceptable. The rushing game was hampered by injury to both the stable of backs and a few offensive linemen, but nonetheless needs to provide more support to whoever is the quarterback in 2012.

On defense the Browns took a substantial step forward in my opinion, only twice did they give up 30+ points, and were consistently in each of the divisional games they played. The passing defense finished 2nd in the NFL, while the rush defense was almost dead last. My point in outlining the deficiencies on both sides of the ball is to reiterate that a quarterback, especially one unproven at the NFL level, is not the answer in this draft for the Browns. Not with the quarterback likes of Matt Barkley, Aaron Murray, Tyler Wilson, E.J. Manuel, and Geno Smith coming out of school in 2013.

I have been on the Justin Blackmon bandwagon for a few years now it seems. And his performance in the Fiesta Bowl against Stanford only reinforced the way I felt. 8 receptions, 186 yards, 3 touchdowns. He looks every bit of the real deal. My only concern is that he will be gone before pick number 4. The Browns top priority should be Blackmon at number 4. If, however, he is gone by then here is the scenario I am hoping for:

Trade – the possibility to trade down is there, although that might make most fans cringe. I am not saying trade down to the middle of the round, but trading down a few spots and taking either Trent Richardson (RB from Alabama) or Morris Claiborne (CB from LSU) would provide an instant playmaker on one side of the ball. Note also, with the likely impending departure of fan favorite Peyton Hillis, Richardson would fill a huge need.

Stand pat – the Browns could also stay in the #4 spot and take either Richardson at four, or reinforce the offensive line with either of the two top rated tackles Ryan Kalil, or Reilly Reiff. I am not huge on taking offensive lineman that early however, especially not when you have your cornerstone left tackle, Joe Thomas, locked up for a long time.

Depending on which side of the ball the Browns go with in their first pick, which opens up possibilities for their second pick later in the first round. It would be my preference to target a linebacker with this pick, namely Courtney Upshaw from Alabama or Vontaze Burfict from Arizona State. Last year in the draft we addressed the defensive line with two solid picks, and this year the focus should be on the line backing corps which desperately needs speed and tackling presence. I would also target a linebacker here because I firmly believe that if we do not get Blackmon with the #4 pick, either Michael Floyd, Alshon Jeffery, or Kendall Wright will be around for our pick early in round 2, and those three wide outs are just a tick below Blackmon but still very talented.

With all of that said, trading up in the draft would go wildly against Tom Heckert’s draft pedagogy as he comes from the “trade down and stockpile draft picks” school of thought. With a plethora of picks, and early picks at that, I feel like this is a perfect time for the Browns to address their biggest need, and that is talent. The Browns lack talent in a few key places, and that probably cost them 3-5 wins in 2011. Put talent around the core you have; give Colt one more shot with a playmaker wide receiver; and if it does not work in 2012 then bring in a quarterback in 2013 with a skill position talent already around him.

Weekend Rants

Brown and Out…

Another weekend, and yes, another Browns rant coming at you…
It is absolutely astonishing to me that our coaching staff cannot seem to find any continuity in our offense. You do not have to be an NFL expert to realize the Browns lack “playmaking” talent on offense, nor do you have to be an NFL expert to realize that Josh Cribbs is easily the best playmaker on our team. Which, makes it befuddling when you look back and realize he only touched the ball on Sunday during kick or punt returns. Mindboggling.

At this rate, the Brownies are headed towards another top ten draft pick, and unless their offense miraculously wakes up, more likely a top 5 draft pick (here’s hoping Atlanta continues to lose so we end up with two first round draft picks in the top 15-20)…Here is what the Browns should do with both of those picks; draft the best player available. I am not bemoaning the front office, yet, I understand they have only had two drafts, and both classes have produced very solid results. However, they cannot continue to trade down, stockpile draft picks, and take offensive lineman. Nor, should they package those two first round picks we do have, for the number one overall pick to take Andrew Luck. It is so clearly obvious that it would not matter if the Browns had Aaron Rogers at quarterback; we lack playmakers at skill positions which are what teams like Green Bay, and New England, and Pittsburgh have.

With that said, here is my Browns 2013 draft wish-list: 1) Justin Blackmon – he won the Belitnikoff as a sophomore, and has been nothing short of a beast for the #3 Oklahoma State team that should be playing for the national championship (more on that to come). 2) Trent Richardson – look I know we have Hillis, and Hardesty, but Richardson is one of those freak, once in a lifetime, Adrian Peterson type running backs that do not come along every year. 3) Morris Claiborne – LSU has a tremendously deep talent pool at defensive back, and Claiborne is only a junior, but he is a ball hawk, and putting him next to Joe Haden would be a lethal tandem for a long time. 4) Dont’a Hightower – it is grossly obvious that we lack linebackers that can make plays (proven by our awful rush defense) and Hightower can play any of the linebacker spots with his athleticism. 5) BJ Cunningham – here is a guy who probably will not go in the first round, but the WR from Michigan State proved all year why he will make his living on Sunday afternoons. Buckeye fans probably remember the torching he put on us: 9 catches for 154 yards and the Spartans only touchdown.

Chop It Up…

It is clear that we have a flawed system. We know this, and have for years, but this year might be one of the worst whack jobs the BCS has laid on us ever. We can start in the BCS National Championship game; clearly LSU deserved to be there, but how a team that finished second in its own division, and did not even play for its conference championship, and lost to LSU at home, makes it into the game is tough to explain. In my mind, if Alabama does win this game, there should be a split national champion because LSU proved through its body of work that it was the best team in college football. Oh by the way, Alabama did not beat a top ten team this year, while LSU beat three top five teams.

But wait, there is more! The biggest snub has to be Boise State. The #7 team got hosed so bad they are playing in the MAACO Las Vegas Bowl. Maybe MAACO can paint over the car wreck that is the BCS. Even worse, two teams ranked lower than Boise State, and outside of the top ten (Va Tech #11, and Michigan #13) will face off in the BCS Sugar Bowl yet Boise State, South Carolina, Kansas State, and Arkansas who are all ranked higher than Virginia Tech and Michigan failed to receive a BCS bowl invite. And two teams ranked outside of the top 14 will play in the Orange Bowl thanks to the automatic tie ins, which means we get to see #15 Clemson, losers of 2 of their final 3 games, play #23 West Virginia who won the highly touted Big East. Hope you sense the sarcasm.

The reason for these choices and snubs is simple. To the BCS it is all about selling tickets, hotel rooms, merchandise, and plane tickets rather than putting the teams that deserve it in these games. Did Michigan and Virginia Tech have good years? Yes. Will they have large fan bases that travel well? Sure. But that should not be the reason the #7 team in the nation has to go play a pre-Christmas bowl game.

Let us hope that this will be the year that brings the BCS to its knees. I would not even care if players from Boise State, Arkansas, South Carolina, or Kansas State sold all of their stuff and pocketed some extra money. It would just be the money their schools are being swindled out of by the BCS’s gluttonous system.

No Need For Luck

Sunday’s win for the Browns, over the Jacksonville Jaguars, was the first step Colt McCoy took in telling the front office “I can do this.” Sure it was an “ugly” win, and yes he did have the interception in the red zone, which is an absolute no-no, especially when you are a team that already struggles to score period. But, McCoy rallied, himself and the troops, and brought the team back and threw what would eventually be the game winning TD to Josh Cribbs.

I have said all along that it is difficult to judge or compare McCoy to a west coast offense quarterback because the Browns simply do not have the weapons for him to throw to, and at times this year they have not had the offensive line either. McCoy currently ranks 20th in the NFL in passing yards, and of the 19 quarterbacks ahead of him, only 3 have fewer interceptions throw on the season. And, four, have doubled the amount of interceptions he has thrown. He (McCoy) takes care of the football; his red zone interception against the Jags was his first red zone INT of the season.

With all of that being said, he made up my mind on Sunday. It may have been ugly, or a struggle, or not flashy, but he proved that, if we get him some weapons on the outside, he can be a viable quarterback, and he can win you games. It has been a struggle, but McCoy has slowly gotten his completion percentage up to 60% on the season. Clearly, that pales in comparison to the staggering 72% clip that Aaron Rogers is completing, but, has him completing the second highest percentage in the division and only 3 percentage points behind Ben Roethlisberger.

There are a few signs of hope, mainly Greg Little, and Josh Cribbs, but it is clear that the Browns lack speed, size, and reliability on the outsides. Greg Little is showing that he has 1st round talent, but still shows inconsistency (see the deep ball down the right side in the 1st half that Little should have caught) and that is exactly NOT what the Browns need. Cribbs, on the other hand, has impressed me with is improvement as a receiver. We know he is electric on special teams, but the knock has always been he is unpolished as a receiver. This year he looks like a legitimate wide receiver, and he proves ever week that the more you get the ball in his hands the better the results on the field.

The Browns have two first round draft picks in the next draft, and there is some serious talent coming to the NFL, especially at the wide out position. The Browns would be best suited to use those picks on talent that can come in and help this team right away, as opposed to packaging them both for the first overall pick and taking Andrew Luck. It would not matter if we had Andrew Luck or Aaron Rogers right now, they would not have the necessary weapons to stand out in this offense. The improvements are there, but the Browns need talent at skill positions, and they have two chances to improve those positions in the first round.

Just Another Day in the Life of a Browns Fan..

I am sick of hearing it. I refuse to listen to it. If one more person tries to tell me about their cities “bad luck” or “agony” when it comes to sports, I will lose it. I spent Sunday at a bar (the only place I can go to watch my Browns play) with friends from around the country who, because their teams were not playing at the time, sat and watched the Browns unimaginable loss to the 1-7 Rams with me. So, before I get to the game, these were our conversations:

Friend from San Diego: San Diego has the worst sports luck, but nobody cares because we have the best weather. Response I wanted to reply with: Oh really? I am sorry you have teams that make it to the AFC Championship games multiple years, and I am really, really sorry that you have the best weather. Please save it!

Friend from Minnesota: Minnesota has had some pretty bad luck, I mean, look at the Twins, Vikings, and Timberwolves. Response I wanted to reply with: Please! You were a play away from going to the Super Bowl two years ago; the Twins won a world series in the 1990s, and let us not forget the Minnesota Lynx won the WNBA Championship this year! (Ok, ok, I know, yes I did reference a WNBA team, but seriously they won a championship, that is more than anything a Cleveland team has won in six decades!)

As the game unfolded, I proceeded to tell my friends about all things that have gone wrong in Cleveland sports, and to save myself, and Cleveland friends from an intense spike in blood pressure, I will not go into any details (if you want to know more, Google it or something). Here we go, for the Browns you have the Drive, the Fumble, Red Right 88, and that meltdown against the Steelers the only time we have made the playoffs since we returned. The Indians, probably had one of the best teams in baseball history in the mid 1990s, managed to blow a 2 out lead in the last inning of the 1997 world series, and lost in Game 7 in extra innings, and managed to blow a 3-1 lead in the 2007 ALCS to the Red Sox, who then went on to sweep the Rockies in the World Series. The Cavs have the “shot” by MJ to sink the higher seeded Cavs in the first round of 1989 playoffs, and I need not go any further into the recent memory of Cavs fans.

With all of that said, I sat and watched the Browns play, maybe, one of their most complete games of the season, and yet, they still managed to not find the end zone. The coaches pulled out the trick plays, wide receivers made plays, Colt McCoy was accurate, and still the Browns could not score a touch-down. Thankfully, Phil Dawson, the team MVP (yes I know, he is our kicker), was spot on from four different points kicking field goals in a windy Cleveland Browns Stadium from 44,32,29, and 43 yards, respectively.
And then, when it looked like the Browns had positioned themselves perfectly to have Dawson kick his fifth field goal of the day, and take the lead late in the fourth quarter, it happened. I have said it before, and I am sure I will say it again; it was one of those “only in Cleveland moments.”

It would have been Dawson’s shortest field goal of the day, two yards longer than an extra point attempt. A chip shot, as they like to call it. I sat there at the bar, with my temporary Browns fans friends, about to watch the Browns get a nice win, and all I could do was watch in disbelief, as the snap rolled and bounced to the holder, who somehow managed to control it and hold it, and then as Dawson managed to get the kick off, only for it to be deflected wide left with two minutes to go in the game.
Now, it is not entirely absurd that a snap is bad, it could happen to any team in the NFL. But then you realize that the Browns long snapper is a Pro-Bowler, one of the best in the NFL, and you watch the slow motion replay you see that somehow, some way, the Browns left guard, who should probably try out for Dancing With The Stars because he has to have the quickest feet in America, managed to deflect the snap with his leg, you realize how absurd this actually was. Bad snaps are one thing, but I have never seen a lineman deflect a snap with his leg on a field goal attempt.

I could not even be mad. I mean, sure, I was mad, but then I remember, “It’s the Browns, and I’m a Cleveland fan.” I have become so engrained with stuff like this, that I almost expect it to happen. The Cleveland Browns are clearly the poster child for Murphy’s Law.

So I do not want to hear it anymore, from anyone other than Cleveland fans. Please spare me from your, “it has been a couple of years since we won a championship” talk, or, “man my teams have really bad luck.” I do not, no, I cannot take it anymore, and if you don’t believe me, come join me this Sunday at the bar, and watch a Browns game with me (yes, I will be there, just like all the other weeks, in my jersey rooting on my team). I guarantee you will leave saying, “Man my team ain’t so bad after all.”

Bye Week Blues..

So the Browns have a bye this week, which means I'll have absolutely nothing to do on Sunday, except of course, listen to CBS analysts drool over the Patriots vs. Jets game. But I digress, since the season is a quarter of the way through, I decided to look at where the Browns are and make my assessment.

2-2 is nothing to scream about, and honestly it would look a lot better if the week two win had come against a Peyton Manning led Colts, but a win is a win and you take them however you can get them.

Through four games it look like Heck&Holms hit a home run in last years daft, and pair it with their first draft it looks like not just a solo homer either. In 2010 they took Haden, Ward, Hardesty, and McCoy, all of whom started week 4 for the Browns. This year they weren't flashy but solid in adding Taylor, Sheard, Little, Marecic, Pinkston, and Skrine. Right there is 10 players who we have all seen on the field this year.

As I just stated, the 2011 draft wasn't flashy, we didn't get that big, shiny name everyone thought we would with the 5th overall pick, but we may have made the best trade in Browns history. The trade the brass pulled off with the Atlanta Falcons was what might make the Browns a great football team. Instead of taking Julio Jones we added 4 draft picks, including another 1st round pick in 2012. That should have Browns fans really excited! (I'll get back to this later)

Looking at stats, here's something I found really interesting...
Here's the stat lines for two AFC North quarterbacks:
1) 49%, 973 yards, 7 TD, 3 INT
2) 58%, 984 yards, 6 TD, 3 INT
Quarterback #2 is the starting quarterback for your Cleveland Browns and quarterback #1 is Joe Flacco. Everyone wants to judge McCoy and wonder if he is the franchise quarterback, but it's clear to me, given those stats that he can be. Flacco has many more weapons at his disposal on the outside than McCoy does.

Those stats bring me back to the two first round draft picks point I had earlier. It's easy to see the browns need a wide receiver who can make catches in traffic, win jump balls, and stretch a defense. And it is hard not to like Justin Blackmon out of Oklahoma State University. He is 6'1", 215 pounds and has the best hand in college football. Don't believe me? He won't the Belitnikoff award last year, as a sophomore! I know the front office has said they like the wide outs we currently have, but it would be hard not to like Blackmon lining up with Little on the outsides.

And since I'm on next years draft, and we have two first rounders, if you haven't seen LSU's defense play yet, you need to! I would love to see cornerback #17, Morris Claiborne, lining up opposite Joe Haden for years to come!

Ok, back to this years team..

Browns fans have been all in a tizzy with this Peyton Hillis situation, and the fact that he hasn't been rushing for large amounts of yards. The fact is, and all of us Browns fans will have to get used to this, that the days of grinding out yards for four quarters are gone! Holmgren is a west coast guy, Shurmur is a west coast guy, they throw, a lot! Those short, quick passes are like glorified hand offs.

It is nice to have a guy like Hillis who can drain clock when you have a lead, but those methodical, boring drives we've come to know and love are over! It's almost like we were brainwashed watching the old regimes, and that's what we've come to know. But that is not what Shurmur does, he throws, and throws some more. Luckily for us, Peyton Hillis has better hands than most of our receivers so we can continue to find ways to get him the ball!

With all that said, this team would probably look a lot more fluid offensively had the lockout not hijacked the new coaching staffs training camp work. We are getting to the point now where the coaches would have been by preseason had they been able to work with the players on the playbook over the summer. I feel like coming out of the bye week, the offense, should look much better from here on out. Which is good, because starting week 12 we have to run the gauntlet. We'll find a lot more out about this team in the final 6 game of the season.

Just Win Baby

It was one of those games that you should win. At home, against a team that hadn't won a game yet, and traveling into a raucous environment. But for 55 minutes it looked like, well, something you would typically see out of a Cleveland football team.

It was one of those frustrating ones to watch. And it looked like opportunity slipping away from us. The defense had done it's part, playing twice as long as the oppositions defense, and giving the team a chance to win. But the offense, that's what was so frustrating, and it took a huge blow before the game even started. Peyton Hillis was sent home with strep throat a couple hours before the game started, and you could just hear the whispers swirling around this on, "it's the Madden curse." On top of that, the wide receivers were non existent for the first three quarters and Colt McCoy was struggling to get the offense going.

Down 16-10 late in the 4th quarter I felt myself getting that mad feeling knowing what could have been if the Browns would have played to their potential. Then even more angry realizing we were about to lose to a team that was 0-for-the-year, on our home turf. Embarrassing, no excuse, unacceptable, just some of the thoughts running through my mind. Then I took a deep breath, realized I am a Browns fan, and began to accept it.

When we got the ball back on our own 20-yard line with less than 3 minutes to go needing a touchdown to win, there was no reason to believe we could gain 80 yards in that amount of time with the way our offense had been playing.

But as I watched with those thoughts spiraling in my head, my speculation about Colt McCoy began to come to fruition. I liked the Browns decision to draft McCoy, despite the fact he was "undersized" an lacked the "prototypical" arm strength coming out of college, I liked him because he won. He left the University of Texas as the all time winningest quarterback in NCAA history.

Sunday, he proved that. He struggled, the receivers struggled, the whole offense struggled throughout the day. But, when it mattered most, when his team needed it the most, he rose up to the challenge, he took the pressure, and his team, and put it on his shoulders. His numbers at the end of the day weren't flattering: 19/39, 210 yards, 2 td, 1 int, 71.5 passer rating. But the one thing that trumps all of those statistics is Ws.

And rookie wide out Greg Little put it best after the game, "I think the greatest statistics in the league are wins and losses. I don't think Colt cares about his completion percentage. You win the game, so that's all our team cares about anyway. He just stayed composed and made a lot of good plays. He was just very vibrant and upbeat and you could see that pouring out of him in his eyes. He made it happen for us."

That look in his eyes? That is the look of a winner. Someone not afraid to be "the guy" with the ball in his hands with the game on the line. And for the first time in as long as I can remember, the Browns seem to have found that guy.

That's Life....as a Browns Fan

Every season on Cleveland’s gridiron usually starts in the dumps. Whether it be lousy front office, or player injuries in preseason camps, and not to mention the fact we have to look up at the Steelers and Ravens all year. Ugh...

But this season seemed to have a little bit of momentum behind it. For one, we were all football starved for the length of the summer, so there was just general excitement to get the players back out on the field. Add in the fact that the Browns, until the last 5 games of the season, have a considerably light schedule, and a new coach who scores points is now manning the sidelines. The 2011 season seemed like a chance for the Brownies to make some noise from day 1.

We got to open up at home against a Cincinnati team starting a rookie QB and a rookie WR, and then catch an Indianapolis team that will bewithout the best quarterback in the NFL in week 2. I was getting giddy at the thought of my Brownies being 2-0 to start the team. For the first time in a long time the Browns were favored in their week 1 matchup, and not just favored because they were the home team, they were 7 point favorites over the Bengals.

I was brimming with excitement at my opportunity to see the Browns start the year off with a win for just the second time in thirteen years. And as the game continued on and the Browns clung to a 3 point lead, the defense had been making plays, Joe Haden looked every bit the part of a first round draft pick out there swatting balls, and our two rookie defensive lineman were holding their own. And then, in the fourth quarter, it happened…

Nothing new in the life of a Browns fan. Just another one of those, “that can only happen in Cleveland” type plays that you rarely see in football. The Bengals had broken the huddle early and rushed up to the line of scrimmage and somehow manage to snap the ball before the Browns could even get out of their defensive huddle. It resulted in the Bengals rookie wide receiver walking untouched into the end zone for the go ahead score. And just like that the game had slipped away. Bye- bye lead, good bye optimism, hello same old song and dance.

I still watch every game and root for the team to win, that will never change. The sad part is this team is actually a decent group, and they have a chance to win games this year. But Sunday the entire team, coaches, and players, were not prepared. You cannot win games committing 11 penalties, and you certainly cannot win games when your players are confused about the play call. The Bengals may have been sneaky about it, but you get a week to prepare for different personnel looks.

Oh well, there’s always next year, right?