Mike Vick Goes for Two, Maclin Loses to Mono

The voting for the Madden '12 cover has come down to a final four battle. On one side, the number three seed, Eagles quarterback Mike Vick, is taking on the number nine seed, Vikings running back Adrian Peterson. On the other side, the number one seed, Packers QB Aaron Rodgers, is taking on the number ten seed, Browns RB Peyton Hillis. If Vick wins the overall voting, he will be the first player to be on the cover of Madden twice, and in two different uniforms. Vick appeared on the cover of Madden 2004, and fell victim to the Madden Curse, breaking his leg in a preseason game. While some Philly fans have been wary about voting for Vick due to concern for the curse's reach, Vick pointed out on his Twitter account that there is no curse for being on the cover twice. Others argue that an injury would be negated by the lockout, should it extend into the regular season. Whatever your position on the curse, it would be good to have an Eagle on the cover of the newest Madden game. The last Eagle to grace the title's cover was Donovan McNabb on the Madden 2006 game. McNabb was later injured in a game against the Dallas Cowboys, and was replaced by backup QB (and Rutgers alum) Mike McMahon. The Eagles ended with a 6-10 record that year, so vote as your superstition dictates.

Meanwhile, wide receiver Jeremy Maclin is currently recuperating from an illness similar to mononucleosis. Though he lost 15 pounds, the receiver says he's gained about half of it back, and plans on joining Michael Vick and other key Eagles players in southern New Jersey for Vick's informal practices, meant to keep the team sharp. Let's hope it doesn't aggravate anything, or cause any injuries, especially while locked out of the team health plan.

Ben Watson Receives Praise

In ESPN's latest positional power rankings, Browns tight end Ben Watson earned a single solitary vote as the seventh-best tight end in the NFL. In an earlier ranking, Peyton Hillis also earned a single solitary vote to be placed among the top ten running backs. I don't think any Browns fan is surprised to see these two earn some praise, as sometimes it seemed that they were the only bright spots in an otherwise depressing year. As James Walker says in his AFC North blog, Watson may be in position to have an even better year next season in Pat Shurmur's West Coast offense.

In other Browns news, DT Nick Fairley and QB Colin Kaepernick have both worked out for the Browns. Fairley may very well be gone before our first pick and Kaepernick is projected to be a second rounder, which might be earlier than Holmgren wants to draft a quarterback to develop. However, gathering information is a good thing, and hopefully the Browns staff can glean some useful nuggets of knowledge from these workouts.

I apologize for not posting as often as I have been, hopefully I'm back on track now and I hope you'll stay tuned for more Browns news, updates, and opinions.

Patrick Peterson or Cam Newton in Cleveland?

It's time for smoke screens, deceptions, and misdirections. Cam Newton, the mercurial quarterback from Auburn, has been discussed by Mike Holmgren. Patrick Peterson, some say the best player in the draft, is working out in Cleveland today. Holmgren wants a home run hitter, and either of these guys would fit that bill. Newton's upside would create as much buzz in Cleveland as any player in the draft, and his strong arm and athleticism can create those home runs that our chief wants. Patrick Peterson is a very good, very athletic defender, but he also has the ability to return kicks or turnovers for a touchdown. That would be quite the home run.

Will either of these players land in Cleveland? I doubt it. It's easy to get caught up in the latest rumors and get excited about them, but every team is allowed to bring in 30 prospects for private workouts and it would be silly for the Browns to not get a workout with a potential high pick. I personally doubt that either Cam Newton or Patrick Peterson will be available for the Browns' first pick, but this is the time to gather information. The draft is inching closer and who knows what can happen, every year there is a surprise or two or fifty. All I know is that it's going to be fun.

Buckeyes and Browns News and Insights

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.

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.

Keeping up with the Browns

Image courtesy of SI.com.

With a lockout looming ahead of us, the Browns have not been standing still. The recent extensions to the existing CBA have not allowed free agency to kick off, but there has still been much to do. And for once I'm not even talking about the draft!





Backup quarterback Seneca Wallace was signed to a three year deal worth $9 million. I'm hoping this means that Seneca is fine with being the backup to starting quarterback Colt McCoy, but we shall see. His familiarity with Mike Holmgren and the West Coast offense surely contributed to this deal, and he could prove to be a good mentor to Colt McCoy.





D'Qwell Jackson was signed to a one year, incentive-laden contract that could be worth up to $4.5 million if he reaches his incentives. I'm all for incentive-driven contracts, it's a win-win situation for the team and it inspires the players to play their best. If Jackson is ineffective, he earns very little money. If he is a difference-maker, he gets every penny of that $4.5 million. What's not to like?





Cornerback Eric Wright was given a second-round tender by the Browns. To me, that means that despite his terrible season in 2010, the Browns are confident that Wright can get right and return to his previous form. GM Tom Heckert has expressed confidence in Wright and a desire to retain him. Wright himself has stated a desire to finish his career in Cleveland. I hope he is still here next year, and can return to form as one of the league's better cover corners. With Sheldon Brown's age starting to creep upwards, a tandem of Wright and young Joe Haden might be seen in Cleveland for a long time. If nothing else, we can at least be very sure that we have the most confident secondary around.





TE Evan Moore also received a second-round tender by the Browns. The two tender offers given by the Browns likely mean that Moore and Wright will be back, because I doubt too many NFL teams will want to give up a second-round pick to sign either of these players. Moore, when healthy, has shown that he has excellent receiving abilities and could be a great target for Colt McCoy in his development.





If you're interested in the ongoing CBA discussions, here is an article at WFNY that might suit your fancy. It's a two-parter, with the first part being linked to in at the top of that page.





While this is a football blog, I can't ignore the Buckeyes. They capped off their impressive regular season with a flurry of 3-pointers and buried Wisconsin (and everybody's favorite coach Bo Ryan). Jon Deibler (also known as 3-bler) has hit 17 of 20 three-pointers in the last two games, and has also led the team in fired-up snarls after a big make. He reminds me of a miniature Wally Szczerbiak with his pin-point shooting and exuberance, and I love watching it. This team will be fun to watch in the Big Ten tournament and the Big Dance. Go Bucks!

What Has the Combine Done for the Browns?

Julio Jones may have been one of the biggest winners from this year's Combine. If the Browns are unluck enough to miss out on A.J. Green, then Julio Jones might be the best thing to happen to the Browns in a while. His 4.39 40-yard dash and 11'3" broad jump (best in the Combine this year) are eye-popping when you consider that he is 6'3" tall and weighs 220 lbs. Wow. His numbers certainly qualify for "physical freak" status, and the fact that he did all of this with a broken bone in his foot is just icing on the cake. His draft stock right now is probably as high as it has ever been and the Browns could certainly do worse. His strength and speed mean that he should be able to get yards after the catch and he is not afraid to go across the middle of the field. This is important for a budding West Coast offense.

Marcell Dareus is another player that has helped out his own cause. In a deep defensive draft he has been able to seperate himself from most of the rest, and he could go anywhere in the top 5. His impressive size (6'3", 319 lbs.) and his athleticism (sub 5.0-second 40) have helped him, while the other top tackle prospect, Nick Fairley from Auburn, came in much smaller than anticipated and hurt his own stock. Dareus has also shown versatility in stopping the run as well as rushing the passer, which means he could be a good fit anywhere, especially next to Ahtyba Rubin in the Browns' new 4-3 defense.

J.J. Watt has not been generally seen as a high first rounder, but he was solid in nearly every drill and, at 6'5" tall and 290 lbs., has great size for a strongside defensive end in a 4-3. He has a great motor and is well-rounded as a player. If he somehow falls to the second round I believe he would be an absolute steal, but I doubt he does. If the Browns trade down in the first round he would fill a big need for a team that lacks quality 4-3 defensive linemen.

From what I can gather, Patrick Peterson helped his stock but not a lot. He was already seen as the consensus best defensive back in this draft, and he maintained that billing. He's big, fast, strong, and has excellent coverage abilities. Because he didn't blow the doors off of the Combine, he could potentially slip to the Browns at #6, but I see less of a need for him now that the Browns have given Eric Wright a second-round tender. Peterson would undoubtedly be an upgrade, but the Browns have much bigger holes to fill.

Since the Combine, Mel Kiper has updated his illustrious Big Board. After the top 5 his Big Board is Insider-only, but there was some movement in the top 5 that might reflect who might be available for the Browns at pick number 6. Patrick Peterson claims the top spot, while Nick Fairley fell to the second spot. Da'Quan Bowers, Marcell Dareus, and Von Miller round out the rest of the top 5. Some notable absences are any receivers or quarterbacks. A.J. Green may still be available, and top QB prospects like Cam Newton and Blaine Gabbert might be used as leverage for the Browns to trade down and acquire more picks.

As always, we'll keep monitoring the Browns, the draft, and the looming lockout. A one week extension to the CBA has reportedly been agreed upon by all parties, so we will see what happens. Stay tuned.

Combine Readings

Sadly, the NFL Combine is over. Now we get to spend the next couple of months dissecting everything that went on and endlessly discussing how it impacts Player X's draft stock. We'll probably all be wrong, but it's fun. Here's some links to Combine reports that should be pretty interesting:

Behind the Steel Curtain, a Steelers blog, put out this review of the Combine. Credit goes to Chris Pokorny of Dawgsbynature.com for pointing me to it.

This mock draft from writer Jon Dove at Mockingthedraft.com shows how the Combine may have impacted the draft order. You can compare it to his earlier mock draft to see who the winners and losers were.

ESPN has of course covered the Combine in detail. If you missed Todd McShay, one of ESPN's draft experts, on Sports Center, his big winners of the Combine are Julio Jones (put up impressive numbers despite a broken bone in his foot), JJ Watt (finished top 5 in every drill), Marcel Dareus (impressive showing), and the whole defensive liine group in general.

Waiting For Next Year has excellent coverage of Cleveland sports, and they've been covering the Combine as well. Take a few minutes to comb through their stuff because there's plenty of good information there.

As always, stay tuned. There's more to come.

Browns Roundup

Photo courtesy of Cleveland.com.

For the first time in a while, it feels like it's actually been a busy week in the football world. Labor negotiations are ongoing, and some progress has reportedly been made. The NFL Combine started yesterday, franchise tags have been thrown around all over the place, and some free agents have already changed teams. It's a fun time.

The Browns have not been standing still while all of this is going on. Longtime Cleveland kicker Phil Dawson received the franchise tag, which will keep him in brown and orange for at least one more year.



Josh Cribbs was involved in a PR uproar involving less-than-beloved Lebron James.



Mike Holmgren has been in the news for his comments about quarterbacks and the team's draft needs. Holmgren still has his support fully behind young Colt McCoy, but he will also be meeting with other quarterbacks in the draft. This will help him gauge their value in potential trade-downs. He is also well-known for selecting a quarterback at some point in nearly every draft he's been a part of. Holmgren also wants "a home-run hitter." To me, that means A.J. Green and I would be ecstatic if that came to pass. However, Green is hardly the only "home-run hitter" in this year's draft.


It's getting to be a busy time in the NFL, so check back soon for more updates and news.

Browns Draft Strategy?

Photo courtesy of cleveland.com.

If you hadn't noticed already, I love to talk about the draft. The strategies, the rankings, the projections, the massive overload of numbers, statistics, measurements, and Wonderlic Tests is fascinating. So today we're going to take a look at potential draft strategies for the Browns.

Best Player Available (BPA)
This strategy is probably most often used by teams that are winning organizations and are drafting lower in the first round. They often don't have any glaring holes in their roster, which gives them the luxury of stockpiling talent and figuring out how to best utilize that talent later. The Patriots seem to be masters of this strategy. This is also a good strategy for teams that are extremely bad and have many gaping holes to fill, so they might as well grab the best player that will make the most impact. For example, see Lions (2009 draft) and Rams (2010 draft). Both teams had (and have) many holes to fill, but they each took the best player on their draft boards. If you're in a hole, you've got to start digging somewhere, right?

Drafting for Need
This strategy is most useful when a team has just one or two weak spots to fill, and they take the player that best fills that weak spot no matter where they are in the draft. This strategy can often lead to "reaching" for a pick that a team may have been able to acquire later, or it can lead to endless trading down to stockpile picks and still get the player that fills the one weakness. Former Browns coach Eric Mangini appeared to use this strategy in the 2009 draft. The coaching staff had decided that center was an area of need, and instead of taking the best player available (which wouldn't have filled that particular need) or reaching for center Alex Mack, the Browns traded down in the first round, acquired more assets, and still were able to draft Mack as the 21st overall pick.

In addition to these two main strategies, there are endless combinations and permutations of these plans that a team will use depending on their needs, the current draft class, and the preferences of their coach and general manager.

Now that we all understand what could happen, what do we all think will happen? With Eric Mangini calling the shots, it appeared that he preferred to draft for need. We don't have a long history to look at, but that seemed to be his strategy with his selections of Mack in the first round, Brian Robiskie and Mohamed Massaquoi in the second round, and rush linebackers later in the draft. Based on the production of most of the players from that draft, I think it's safe to say that many of them were reaches that Mangini took based on need.

With GM Tom Heckert, coach Pat Shurmur, and president Mike Holmgren at the helm, I think the Browns will be taking a BPA-oriented strategy. In the 2010 draft, with Mangini, Heckert, and Holmgren, BPA happened to line up pretty well with team need as the Browns took Joe Haden, Montario Hardesty, T.J. Ward, and Colt McCoy in the first three rounds. I believe the selection of Colt McCoy in the third round is very important, because the Browns selected the best player left in the draft at that point despite having just brought in Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace. I believe this shows just who was calling the shots in 2010, and how they are likely to decide in 2011 and beyond. The 2010 draft also shows a lot of balance between offense and defense, and Tom Heckert's past drafts in Philadelphia also seem to be very balanced in that regard.

I'm usually a supporter of departed coach Eric Mangini, but I will admit that Tom Heckert is a better draft decision-maker for the Browns. For this year's draft, taking the best player available is our best option at pick #6. The draft is still too far away to have a really good idea of what's going to happen in picks one through five, but those picks will have a huge impact on who the Browns choose. In my opinion (as well as ESPN's Scouts Inc.), the top four prospects in this draft are Patrick Peterson, A.J. Green, Da'Quan Bowers, and Nick Fairley, in no particular order. After that I believe there is a clear drop-off to the second-tier . If any of those top four players fall to the Browns' pick at #6, it would be wise to snatch him up immediately. If more than one of them are still available (a distinct possibility), then there will be decisions to make. Personally, I would rank them on my draft board with A.J. Green first, Da'Quan Bowers second, Nick Fairley third, and Patrick Peterson fourth. Their talent levels are all extremely high and difficult to differentiate, but this order gives more priority to positions of need for the Browns.

If the worst-case scenario comes to pass and the top four are off the board by the time the Browns' pick rolls around, then I would suggest trading down a few picks while aiming to take somebody like Julio Jones or J.J. Watt. This strategy would basically mirror Mangini's 2009 draft strategy. To extend the comparison even further, we could dangle Blaine Gabbert and/or Cam Newton (if either or both are available) in front of teams like San Francisco, Tennessee, Washington, Minnesota, or Miami. Much like Mangini dangled Mark Sanchez in front of the Jets, Heckert and Holmgren could potentially entice a QB-needy team (and there are plenty) to take the 6th pick off of our hands in exchange for their first rounder and a late-round pick or two. If there are no takers, then I would advise taking the best player remaining from the second-tier choices. Marcel Dareus and Robert Quinn would be likely picks at this point. However, I don't expect it to reach this point. If the top four prospects are gone, then at least one of the highly-rated quarterbacks will still be around to use as a pawn in Holmgren's chess match.

Another factor to consider, as discussed here by Mike Mayock of NFL Network, is the extraordinary depth of quality defensive linemen in this year's draft. The Browns could probably find a capable starter in the second round or perhaps later, while wide reciever talent in this draft doesn't seem to offer the same options. However, with the NFL Combine in a week and a long time until the draft, much could change. That's one of my favorite parts of the draft experience. Stocks can rise and fall repeatedly, because of the combine and pro days and character reports and injuries and so many other factors, anything can happen.

As always, stay tuned for more Browns coverage. Also, I reserve the right to change my mind about any of this stuff for any reason. I'm a fickle sports fan and I always remember the last highlight film I saw the best. Youtube has already managed to make me change my mind three times today, so it promises to be a fun couple of months until all of this gets sorted out once and for all (for a year, that is.)

Chiefs being Active

There was a little bit of Chiefs news yesterday. Adam Scheffter reported that the Chiefs were going to meet with free agent Shaun Rogers.

Rogers is a defensive tackle that recently was released by Cleveland. Defensive tackle represents a position of need for the Chiefs. Rogers is a big body, being listed at 6'4" and 340 pounds. When current Chiefs defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel was coaching in Cleveland, Rogers made the pro bowl and posted very good numbers with 76 tackles and 4.5 sacks.

Age is of some concern as Rogers is 32 years old. There also seems to be some character concerns. Rogers in the past has been suspended by the league for violating the leagues substance abuse policy. Also there have been some legal issues regarding a loaded gun in luggage at an airport and a sexual assault charge. Rogers posted the following on twitter last night:

Let's see...had a good dinner @ capital grill w/ Romeo & anthony pleasant...those 2 good men 4sho
Osfoora for iPhone • 2/16/11 0:01

The two men he is talking about are Chiefs DC Crennel and Chiefs Defensive line Coach Anthony Pleasant.

Also yesterday the Chiefs announced the completion of their 2011 coaching staff with the hiring of Jim Zorn as quarterbacks coach. Zorn previously held the same title last year for the Baltimore Ravens, but was fired this offseason.

Zorn has also served as a qb coach for the Seahawks and Lions. He was head coach of the Washington Redskins for 2 seasons, compiling a 12-20 record. Ravens QB Joe Flacco has gone on record saying he was upset by Zorn being fired.