Sorry... I'm not meaning to imply he should be on the hotseat, just that there could be a perception of him on one. Cam Cameron and Mike Mularkey are two ex-coaches who can vouch for how a bad season can end up as a one-and-done with your head coaching career. For the record, I think Chudzinski is going to be okay until the new regime hands him their franchise QB, but as hard as he may try to block out the critics or as often as management reassures him, this is a "what have you done for me lately" league. Thus far, he's gone 3-4 and the future looks more like 1-8, not 6-3. If he starts to show signs of doubt or desperation, it can affect the product on the field.
Can anyone remember the last time the *entire* F/O was on the same page and worked as a united front? Honestly. Holmgren / Heckert -- we heard several examples about how one strongly wanted to make another move and the other didn't. Specifically, Holmgren was "rumored" to be behind the QB selections. Heckert was "rumored" to be throwing everything in behind Richardson and Gordon to try to save his job. Heckert / Mangini - obviously not on the same page as one was a lame duck. Mangini / Kokinis - didn't one of them get escorted out for having inappropriate workplace relations and a cocaine addiction? Savage / Crennel - good talent evaluator, good coach, neither ever was on the same page. Savage was giving Crennel 4-3 pieces for his 3-4 and Crennel was playing "favorites" with skill positions. And didn't Savage push the EVP (Schiner) out of the building? Butch Davis - certified megalomaniac. But the last time we had a united front. Probably because he was the only one in power.
I would say so far, they've done a pretty good job assessing talent, actually. They brought two QBs on board because they saw Weeden as a concern. They added Barkevious Mingo in the draft, who looks like a great pure pass rusher. They traded a mid-level pick for Davone Bess, who is third on the team in receptions and yards, despite being a role player. Desmond Bryant looks like a terrific F/A acquisition. Paul Kruger may have been over-priced, but has been solid. I firmly believe there's something we don't know with this situation. As I mentioned in a previous post, Campbell is owns a 0.443 winning percentage -- and he's played on some bad teams. He's completed 60.8% on his career. Boasts 76 TDs to 52 INTs and has a QB rating of 82.4. In his last starting experience (one game with Chicago) he was more accurate and produced a better passer rating that Weeden has this season. On paper, he's a terrific backup QB (and to be honest, a solid starter). Behind the scenes, he's either mailing it in or cannot grasp the offense. His contract does have escalators built around playing time, but I thought Tony Grossi did a good job on ESPN Cleveland of debunking that as a main reason for keeping him sidelined. I want to say the Browns would owe him something like $1.75 million in new money if he started the rest of the year. That's probably worth it -- unless our jailbird owner has restricted company funds for his pending legal issues.
SAS, that is fine that the FO is all on the same page. My problem is that I don't believe that they have the skills to EVALUATE the available talent to build a champiosnship caliber roster. Banners skills are in making the contracts and salary cap work to keep the team competitive. In todays NFL a very difficult thing to do when everyone wants his "BIG" payday. As for Lombardi, tell me when he was the key person in evaluating and selecting the talent to BUILD a championship roster. They have a long way to go to prove (to me) that they understand how to put it all together. EDIT: That's nice that they can find FA's that have proven themselves to be NFL caliber players sign them to cap friendly contracts and improve the roster. I agree that Mingo is a great pick. Yet that is only 1 draft pick and not a combination of picks throughout a single draft or multiple drafts. Until it all starts coming together and their "mater plan" proves a Championship combination I'm not buying in yet.
No TV for the Browns this Sunday . guess I will go for a country cruise and check out the fall foliage while listening to the Browns radio crew . it will be over by the half anyway . KC defense is very good . odds are Flipper wont survive that game anyway and the Phuque tard FO will have to sign a QB . *HELP* *WALL*
That's just it Crex...Hoyer was far from proven, in fact they picked him out of free agency after being on 3 teams in 4 years and left on the scrap heap...Lombardi was in love with the kid coming out of college. Dion Lewis was stuck in a perpetual nightmare 2 year career in Philly designated third stringer and Banner saw something before he left that said he was worth trading Emmanuel Acho to let the kid get his break in the NFL. On these two particular instances, they both seemed to be right...of course we may not know for some time with both injuries... Besides Campbell though, which 2013 off season move is not working in their favor for talent evaluation?
Monday leftovers Here?s how bad it was for the Browns against the Green Bay Packers Sunday and a large clue as to why Cleveland annually resides in the poor neighborhoods of the National Football League. The Packers have something the Browns and other pretenders in the NFL wish they had. It?s called quality depth. And they have in spades. There?s an expression around the NFL when it comes to opportunity. In a game where an injury is just a play away, the rallying cry is ?next man up.? If you are not a starter, be ready because you could be ?the next man up? on any given play. Sunday in Green Bay, the Packers employed three such players and all contributed mightily in the victory over the Browns. In fact, they were a major difference. The Packers, a 3-4 team on defense, entered the game with three of their starting linebackers injured and unable to play. Gone were All-Pro Clay Matthews III, Nick Perry and Brad Jones. A. J. Hawk was the lone healthy linebacker. Off the Green Bay bench came linebackers Jamari Lattimore and rookie Nate Palmer and defensive coordinator Dom Capers improvised by frequently employing a nickel look in the secondary. Lattimore turned in a solid game playing next to Hawk on the inside, making 12 tackles (nine solo) with one sack, a tackle for loss, a pass defensed and got close enough to Brandon Weeden to be credited with a quarterback hit. Palmer had six tackles, half of them solo. Now imagine the Browns, also a 3-4 team, without Jabaal Sheard, Paul Kruger and Craig Robertson. How do you suppose Barkevious Mingo, Quentin Groves and Tank Carder would have done? We?ll never know, of course, but with the exception of Mingo, whose play lately has been substandard, there is no way Groves, a pass rushing specialist, and Carder, more of a special teamer, could have at the very least prevented a dropoff in talent. On the other side of the ball, the Packers entered the game without two of their best wide receivers in Randall Cobb and James Jones. So who steps up and bothers the hell out of the Cleveland secondary all afternoon? Second-year man Jarrett Boykin, who entered the game with only one reception in four games this season. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers targeted Boykin 10 times and connected on eight for 103 yards and a touchdown. Jarrett Who became Jarrett Wonderful (to Packers fans for at least this game) in a hurry. To compensate for the loss of two wideouts, Packers coach Mike McCarthy went to a two tight-end look most of the game until Jermichael Finley went down with an injury. Now imagine the Browns without starters Josh Gordon and Greg Little. Wait a minute. Little isn?t a starter. Davone Bess replaced him a few games ago. OK, make that Gordon and Bess. So that bumps up Little, whose reputation as a solid pass catcher remains in doubt, and Travis Benjamin, whose strength is returning kicks and running reverses. The likelihood of either of them matching what Boykin did is unlikely. Bottom line is the Packers beat up on the Browns despite the loss of some key personnel. The Browns? All you have to do is look at what they did when guard Shawn Lauvao missed the first few games of the season. Oneil Cousin was the next man up and quickly became the weak link of the offensive line. Solidifying the roster with capable replacements should be one of the prime goals for Joe Banner and his minions. The way the game is played today, the injured lists of teams are growing at an alarmingly rapid rate. So who is the player the Browns can most ill afford to lose to serious injury? Easy. That would be tight end Jordan Cameron, whose ability to remain healthy thus far has been a most pleasant surprise. There isn?t a tight end on the roster who can at least equal his production. Lose him and the downhill slide will pick up in velocity. If that?s possible. ~ Once again, tackling has become a big problem for the Browns. When Finley scored the first touchdown of the game for the Packers in the opening quarter on an 11-yard pass, four different Browns had a shot at stopping him before he reached the end zone. Now Finley is a big guy at 6-4, 250 pounds, but there is no way he would have reached the end zone if proper tackling technique has been applied. In order, Finley shook off Robertson, Tashaun Gipson, Buster Skrine and D?Qwell Jackson, who was late to the play to begin with. None of these men extended their arms in an effort to wrap up the Green Bay tight end. In a couple of cases, they attempted to make arm tackles. Arm tackles do not work in the NFL. Never have. Never will. Arm tackling means you are out of position to make the proper play. On several other occasions, the Browns had Rodgers trapped in the backfield attempting to pass and each time, with one exception, he escaped. For a team that prides itself on rushing the passer, that should never happen. Speaking of the pass rush, where is it? Only two sacks in the last two games. ~ The Packers led the Browns, 17-6, early in the fourth quarter when coach Rob Chudzinski made a curious decision that wound up costing his team a touchdown. The Browns had driven down to the Green Bay 31-yard line with about 11 minutes left in regulation and the Browns holding their own. Instead of calling for Billy Cundiff?s third field goal of the evening, which would have made it a one-possession game at 17-9, he went for it on fourth-and-15. It would have been a 49-yard attempt, certainly within his range. Weeden nearly connected with Gordon, open briefly at the Green Bay 3, but the pass arrived late (sound familiar?), giving the Packers? secondary time to recover and knock it away. The Packers took over at the 31 and scored five plays later when Jordy Nelson grabbed a 1-yard toss from Rodgers on a slant in front of Joe Haden. So instead of trailing, 17-9, the Browns were on the wrong end of a 24-6 score. ~ Notebook: Here?s a hint on whom to use as the kickoff returner: On the kickoff following the Nelson touchdown, Travis Benjamin was the return man for the first time in the game. He returned it 86 yards to set up the club?s only TD of the game. Ya think maybe he should do it a little more often? . . . Foswhitt Whittaker, a.k.a. Fozzy, did all right in that department, too, with 103 yards on three returns with a long of 56 yards. . . . Loved those 1929 season replica uniforms the Packers wore. Would love to see the Browns follow suit and play a game in their inaugural 1946 season replica uniforms. . . . Adding insult to injury: Mike McCarthy challenged (unsuccessfully) the spot following the Browns? successful fake punt late in the first quarter. He was already up, 14-0, at the time. Nervy. . . . The Browns have to work on their onsides kicks. After pulling to within 24-13 with 6:09 left in regulation, Joe Haden fell on the ball following the first kick, but Tank Carder was offside. The Browns also recovered the second attempt, but it did not travel the required 10 yards. Posted by Rich Passan
True Irish time will tell w/ Lewis and Hoyer. And I can always count on you for... Spoiler [video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ECUtkv2qV8[/video] I'm still not buying in... Yet Cheers *DRINK*
Jeff Garcia, the 43-year-old quarterback who hasn?t thrown an NFL pass in five years, is interested in a comeback with the Browns. Garcia told 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland that he would be interested in playing for the Browns, who are currently deciding between Brandon Weeden and Jason Campbell as their starter. ?I actually reached out to the Browns and said ?work me out, take a look, I?m open to the opportunity,?? Garcia said, via Keith Britton. The Browns were apparently not interested, which is not surprising, considering the last time Garcia threw a pass in the NFL was in 2008 for the Buccaneers. Garcia (who played for the Browns in 2004) has attempted to stay in football into his 40s and has spent time with the Raiders, Eagles and Texans along with the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League. When we last heard from Garcia he was working with JaMarcus Russell and talking up Russell?s chances of returning to the NFL, but Garcia didn?t sound too high on Russell when speaking to 92.3 The Fan today. Garcia said he helped Russell get into shape early this year and believed that Russell was serious about an NFL comeback, but according to Garcia, Russell ?got soft? after they stopped working together. ?I just don?t know if that fire, that hunger, continued to burn,? Garcia said of Russell. ?That?s the unfortunate thing because that three months that he was with us, he really committed himself.? It sounds like we can safely say neither Russell nor Garcia will return to the NFL.
Yesterday at work I heard the Browns stadium restoration will begin in March. $100 million dollars. Also the new Hilton hotel will begin soon downtown. The city of Cleveland is doing a $600 million restoration that starts this year. This year for me will be a straight up money making year. Plus I get to help rebuild my city. But these 12 hour shifts at the mill is killing me. Only 3/4 weeks to go though. I heard on the radio that Weeden is about to lose his job soon. It also said he is not in the Browns future plans. So why play him? Do what Indy did and suck for a QB. Ship Weeden back to Oklahoma. I think the Browns are now in tank mode. Bad for season ticket holders and fans but its the smart thing to do. We are use to the losing anyway. But it is now time to groom a young QB.
who else got snow last night this morning ? my hair hurts or whats left of it after last nights ..umm ..unexpected fun [:}
Amid a report of multiple teams making trade offers for Brown receiver Josh Gordon (which frankly feels like something that was leaked by the Browns in order to drive up interest and/or price), a league source with knowledge of the dynamics of any deal tells PFT that a trade is ?possible? but not ?probable.? Perhaps the better term would be ?complicated.? Apart from Gordon?s actual or perceived football skills, he was suspended for the first two games of the 2013 season, along with a two-game fine. As we understand it, the two-and-two punishment resulted from negotiations between the NFL and the NFLPA. While Gordon has said he realizes he?s on his ?last chance opportunity,? it?s not known with certainty whether his next violation of the substance-abuse policy would trigger banishment with the ability to apply for reinstatement after one year. Anyone interested in trading for Gordon would be entitled to get to the truth, which very well could be that Gordon has landed in Stage Three of the substance-abuse program, exposing him to up to 10 random tests per month. If he?s in Stage Three, any violation ? from a positive test, failure to show up on time, or diluted sample ? will get him suspended for at least a full year. The risk of a one-year suspension makes it much harder to value Gordon, but it also should increase the Browns? willingness to move him. Team CEO Joe Banner has said that the team has ?no intention? of making any further trades and that the Browns aren?t shopping Gordon. Those answers give him the ability to listen to offers and, possibly, to accept the best one. The best approach, as explained during Tuesday?s PFT Live and Tuesday night?s edition of Pro Football Talk on NBCSN, could be to offer a package that will change if Gordon gets suspended at any point before the draft next May. Either way, we?ll know in six days whether the risk of another Gordon suspension will be carried by the Browns, or by someone else.
*DRINK* One for what ails ya Bluez... No snow here... yet Weatherman says it highly probable this weekend though.
10/22/2013 Brian Tyms (WR) signed to active roster from Miami's practice squad. 10/22/2013 Tori Gurley (WR) waived. 10/21/2013 Jordan Poyer (DB) awarded from waivers via Philadelphia. 10/21/2013 Julian Posey (DB) waived. 10/18/2013 Julian Posey (DB) promoted to active roster from practice squad. 10/18/2013 Tori Gurley (WR) promoted to active roster from practice squad.
