I believe I would go with: O = Ozzie Newsome (make any QB look better) D = Bill Willis (He would make a better Eric Turner in today's NFL)
Bengals A Cautionary Tale? Jared Mueller 5:48 AM While teams often build their teams to compete with the top of their division, could the Browns be using one of the AFC North's top teams as a cautionary tale? Since the 2011 NFL Draft, the?Cincinnati Bengals?have had only one losing season, last year at 6-9-1. Since the 2011 NFL Draft, the?Cleveland Browns?best season had seven wins. On the field, there is no comparison between the two teams. The Bengals have competed for division titles while the Browns have competed for high draft picks, dysfunction awards and the loss of hope among fans. Even this morning an OBR alumni, the awesome Don Delco, showed the frustration common among fans: Fine because it's still June. I don't because I'm too old, too beaten down and too grumpy from 30+ years of being disappointed by that team. ? Don Delco (@DonDelco) June 29, 2017 While most teams try to build themselves to compete with the top of their division, which for the Browns has been all three of the other teams, it seems like the Browns may need to instead use the Bengals as a cautionary tale. Maybe they already have. With former Bengal Offensive Coordinator Hue Jackson as the Head Coach, the link between the two teams will always be easy. There isn't the same link, currently, between the Browns and either the Ravens or Steelers. So why are the Bengals, with their consistency over the last few years, a cautionary tale? First, let us start with character. The Bengals are known to take chances on players with character red flags, so much so that it was widely assumed they would be the team to take a chance on RB?Joe Mixon. The sense you got from Bengals legend Anthony Munoz when he had to announce the pick was one of anger and frustration. If you know Munoz, you understand why this kind of pick doesn't fit for him. The Bengals should have known as well. Their history includes arrest after arrest including?Adam Jones?who they just keep no matter what. On the field, these character issues also seem to crop up, sometimes at the worst times. Jones and?Vontaze Burfict?cost the Bengals a playoff win, against rival Steelers none the less, with personal fouls. The Browns have already shown that they are not very interested in character issues. So far, the new regime's biggest "risk" addition was?Caleb Brantley?in the 6th Round. After the pick, Sashi Brown made it clear the team was willing to cut Brantley if anything changed for the negative in his criminal case.? While not stated, one can assume that the Browns, and Hue in particular, are cautious about players based on their character after what the Bengals have experienced over the years. So far so good on learning from the Bengals mistakes. Yet, some would say that any good team should mitigate their risks with character players. That this isn't unique to the Browns nor can we directly correlate the Bengals mistakes and the Browns direction when it comes to players. Fair. So how else can the Browns use the Bengals as a cautionary tale? You may have wondered why the Bengals record is noted "since the 2011 NFL Draft" at the start of this article? Andy Dalton! Dalton and Head Coach Marvin Lewis have been two of the biggest constants during the Bengals successful run yet are also a warning. While Lewis has been okay as a coach, his inability to adjust, to hold his players accountable and to motivate seems to limit his team. Based on Jackson's personality and short history, none of these three seem like a concern. Dalton on the other hand is. Under his watch the Bengals had made the Playoffs in 5 straight years, ending last year, but have never made it out of the Wild Card Round. While there are a lot of reasons this has happened, as noted above discipline and Marvin Lewis are two of those, Dalton is the big cautionary tale for the Browns. The Bengals have been very patient with Dalton, for good reason. He has thrown for over 3,200 yards every season since entering the league and, for those who believe in "QB Wins" as a stat, is 56-35-2. However, Dalton's been the head of one of the best, and at least for a season THE best, roster in all of the NFL and still can't get it done. His failures in big games is closing in on legendary at this point, yet the Bengals have stuck with him. For Browns fans, competing for the division for 5 out of 6 seasons seems like a dream but for the franchise it should be a warning. The Browns are trying to build the best roster in football. They have stockpiled picks, started re-signing some of their own studs and have made quality additions in free agency and trades. With loads of picks still coming in years to come, the Browns could bat .500 on their picks and still boast one of the top rosters in the league. Just like the Bengals have under Dalton. Not good enough! At the quarterback position, the Browns have added 3rd Rounder?Cody Kessler?and 2nd Rounder?DeShone Kizer. Kessler reminds many of Dalton in stature and football IQ while Kizer, who blows Dalton out of the water physically, shares being a 2nd Round pick with the red-headed Bengal. With Kessler and Kizer, the Browns need to find a balance between patience and aggressiveness. Kessler showed some positive signs as a rookie but has a long way to go while Kizer's college tape is full of concerns but his upside is through the roof. The Browns need to let both have a chance to show what they can do without rushing a decision on the future of the position. Few QBs are great early, even if a few have team success. Mr. Sure Thing,?Andrew Luck?has a less than 60% completion rate in his first 5 years in the league. Kessler and Kizer need time. Yet, the Bengals should teach the Browns to not settle at the position. Dalton's struggles to lead the best roster in the league could have been mitigated by the team drafting either?Teddy Bridgewater?or?Derek Carr, something I recommended for both the Browns and the Bengals. The Browns ended up with the Johnny Manziel drama while the Bengals are still stuck with Dalton. Does that mean the Browns should draft a QB next year, in the 2018 NFL Draft, if Kessler and Kizer don't light it up? No, see note about it taking time and the team needing patience. On the other hand, after two (more) seasons as a starter, either Kessler or Kizer should show enough to prove whether they have the upside to be a part of carrying a roster or the downside of being the Dalton anchor to one of the best rosters in the league. The Bengals have been at or near the top of the AFC North since Dalton arrived in the 2011 NFL Draft. The Browns have been the worst team in the division every single one of those seasons. Yet the Browns should use the Bengals as a cautionary tale.
Remember, this is "today"... In this age, he would be suspended for most of his career because of off field issues..the GOAT that never was...
That's a good one Lyman...I'd agree with SAS that Jim Brown is a no brainer, but he was before my time, and I'd prefer to stick with players from my generation that I truly witnessed. If I could, I might just skip the offense and take these two guys: (#29)HANFORD "TOP DAWG" DIXON and (#31) FRANK "MIGHTY" MINNIFIELD But since that's not rule, I'd have to say Dixon for the defense.... On offense, I truly think this guy would be a nice fit in the slot for our current offense, and of course he's a legendary special teamer; ERIC METCALF
Ozzie would have been my choice had we not just drafted Njoku...Clearly, I'm banking on our ascending rookie TE becoming a truly elite force in this league...
You guys will just have to trust me on Otto. Ten seasons in pro football, ten championship game appearances. Can't and won't argue about Jim Brown = GOAT. But, nine seasons, one championship. Why? Because he didn't have Otto.
Well, most of the "usual" names have been thrown out there so I'll go a bit different of a route...... Kicker and tackle (killing two birds with one stone) with kicker being a weakness since the departure of Phil Dawson and our O-line being a disaster last couple of years. Great D-lineman who commanded double teams and could still get sacks and was the younger brother of William "The Refridgerator" Perry. And he had a sandwich at McD's named after him (The MDP).....
10 seasons, 10 championship appearances, and 7 TITLES!!! you will get no argument from me. Otto was clearly "THE MAN" in his NFL days...I think he also played pro basketball... I considered Micheal Dean. Nice call Doug. Who could forget the McDonalds samich? lol! He would have been my pick after our shutdown CB's. Perry was no joke. Since he left, we haven't had a DT anywhere near that quick. MDP was a better player than his more famous brother. Complete play wrecker. Bud Carson loved him. To this day, I'd say Perry was as fast off the snap as any Defensive Tackle I've ever seen...
Hello Lounge Houndz *HI* Long time since I've had a chance to stop in. Been a busy summer here. A few short notes on my thoughts after the draft and prior to training camp. QB: I'm interested to see how Kessler has progressed. I'm probably one of the few that still thinks Osweiler can fill the #2 role and push Kessler for the starting gig. I also like having a veteran on the roster should the need arise. I know many are excited about Kizer, I hope the Kid doesn't see the field in the 2017-2018 season. I don't care that he's seen glued to Hue's hip pocket, that's where he should be. Learning and absorbing everything he can while holding his tablet all season. WR: Can Coleman ever get and stay healthy? Let's hope that someone can step up. TE: Young and athletic. Could be fun to watch. OL: Should be a very solid group. I have a feeling that the young Defense is going to both excite and frustrate us. I think that the front seven is a much strong and talented unit as a whole, but the secondary still scares me. I have a feeling that they may end up giving "big" plays that cost us a close victory or three. We'll all see how it is coming together in a few short weeks.
Ok... My first and Immediate thought was O = Otto Graham - Agreed Automatic Otto was the first player I thought of here. I don't think any QB in today's game could ever hope to stand up to the beatings as this guy took and play at a championship level year in and year out. D = Clay Matthews - My favorite Brown of all time. Side note: I recently met a former O-lineman that played for the Miami Dolphins (w/ Dan Marino) and asked him how he liked playing against the Browns Defense. He showed me this nasty scar under his chin and said that was MDP welcoming him to the NFL
I see where 247Sports (CBS) in their "way too early 2018 mock draft" has our Browns drafting in the #1 overall spot . . . Again. {sigh}
Oh Jesus. In that case... O: Joe Thomas Does he count? Can I clone him? Move him to the right side? If not, I guess... Braylon Edwards? Josh Cribbs? D: D'Qwell Jackson? ... seriously... why am I even still a Browns fan? For Browns fans, we ought to be able to pick "which bust would you bring back if they lived up to 100-percent of their potential". That's a much easier list: O: Johnny Manziel D: Courtney "The Quite Storm" Brown
