Oh what a great time to be a hater. If you haven't heard, Jim Tressel is in some trouble. He was informed of some of his players selling memorabilia, which is against NCAA rules. In the interests of full disclosure, I'm an Ohio native and a Buckeyes fan. However, Jim Tressel is not the devil he is being made out to be by some, especially on Twitter. He's not perfect by any means, and he made a very large mistake, but I'm with Gordon Gee and Gene Smith on this one. He doesn't deserve to be thrown out for this. Should he be punished? Absolutely, and he has been suspended for two games and $250,000 worth of game checks. I would also expect the NCAA to give out some form of punishment as well, so let's not count our chickens before they hatch. There are still a lot of questions swirling around the whole matter, so it's prudent to wait and see what the NCAA decides.
ESPN.com has ranked the top 10 wide receivers in the NFL. I don't think anyone is surprised to see that no Browns made this list. In fact, no AFC North receiver made the list. Pittsburgh's Mike Wallace got some consideration, and rightfully so, after having a breakout year as one of the best young deep threats in the league, but he still has much to improve on. Hopefully for Cleveland's sake he never joins this list, but I think he's well on his way to being the terror of the AFC North for a long time.
ESPN's James Walker broke down how Mel Kiper's latest mock affects the AFC North. I'll be ecstatic if A.J. Green is indeed the pick, as Kiper is now predicting. I'll be even more ecstatic if the Bengals actually take Cam Newton, as I don't expect him to be an effective quarterback in the pros for several years, if ever. The situation in Cincinatti with Carson Palmer is very unfortunate for them, especially considering the lack of a "slam dunk" quarterback prospect in this year's draft and the lack of trades or free agency that might allow them to get a veteran quarterback like Kevin Kolb and use their high draft pick on another need. While the Browns are generally seen as among the biggest losers in a potential lockout, the Bengals are right there with them due to their QB situation.
James Walker also ranked his top 7 players with the most to prove. Peyton Hillis (#3) and Colt McCoy (#1) headline this list for the Browns. Hillis needs to get healthy and work on decreasing his fumbles for next season. Hopefully the return of Montario Hardesty from an ACL injury will allow the Browns' workhorse to stay more rested throughout the season and not have his production slow down as the season goes on. Colt McCoy needs to prove that he can be a franchise quarterback for a full season. The new West Coast offense should get the most out of McCoy's strengths while minimizing his weaknesses. His accuracy, intelligence, and mobility will help offset his lack of elite arm strength and prototypical QB size, but he needs to show that he can be effective over 16 (or 18?) games. A full offseason to bulk up and get healthy will help, but a lack of team activities in the offseason could slow his understanding of the new offense being implemented.
On the CBA front, it appears that progress is being made but the players want NFL owners to open their financial books to public scrutiny. I believe I am in the majority of fans who feel that this is not a ridiculous request by the Players Association. The owners are claiming they are losing money, so they should support their assertion with evidence. If none is supplied, I won't believe them and I doubt the players will either. Hopefully this situation will be resolved as soon as possible.
ESPN.com has ranked the top 10 wide receivers in the NFL. I don't think anyone is surprised to see that no Browns made this list. In fact, no AFC North receiver made the list. Pittsburgh's Mike Wallace got some consideration, and rightfully so, after having a breakout year as one of the best young deep threats in the league, but he still has much to improve on. Hopefully for Cleveland's sake he never joins this list, but I think he's well on his way to being the terror of the AFC North for a long time.
ESPN's James Walker broke down how Mel Kiper's latest mock affects the AFC North. I'll be ecstatic if A.J. Green is indeed the pick, as Kiper is now predicting. I'll be even more ecstatic if the Bengals actually take Cam Newton, as I don't expect him to be an effective quarterback in the pros for several years, if ever. The situation in Cincinatti with Carson Palmer is very unfortunate for them, especially considering the lack of a "slam dunk" quarterback prospect in this year's draft and the lack of trades or free agency that might allow them to get a veteran quarterback like Kevin Kolb and use their high draft pick on another need. While the Browns are generally seen as among the biggest losers in a potential lockout, the Bengals are right there with them due to their QB situation.
James Walker also ranked his top 7 players with the most to prove. Peyton Hillis (#3) and Colt McCoy (#1) headline this list for the Browns. Hillis needs to get healthy and work on decreasing his fumbles for next season. Hopefully the return of Montario Hardesty from an ACL injury will allow the Browns' workhorse to stay more rested throughout the season and not have his production slow down as the season goes on. Colt McCoy needs to prove that he can be a franchise quarterback for a full season. The new West Coast offense should get the most out of McCoy's strengths while minimizing his weaknesses. His accuracy, intelligence, and mobility will help offset his lack of elite arm strength and prototypical QB size, but he needs to show that he can be effective over 16 (or 18?) games. A full offseason to bulk up and get healthy will help, but a lack of team activities in the offseason could slow his understanding of the new offense being implemented.
On the CBA front, it appears that progress is being made but the players want NFL owners to open their financial books to public scrutiny. I believe I am in the majority of fans who feel that this is not a ridiculous request by the Players Association. The owners are claiming they are losing money, so they should support their assertion with evidence. If none is supplied, I won't believe them and I doubt the players will either. Hopefully this situation will be resolved as soon as possible.
Mocking the Draft, one of my favorite sites for draft information, has put up their analysis of the Cleveland Browns' team needs. I think writer "GarrettFalk" is absolutely correct in his assessment of what the Browns should do in the upcoming draft. Wide receiver is the biggest need, with defensive line a close second. As he states in the article, the Browns could get some very solid defensive tackle prospects in round two if they take A.J. Green or Julio Jones in round one.
As always, stay tuned for more news and analysis.
As always, stay tuned for more news and analysis.
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