Day-after thoughts on the Browns? pick of Louisiana State linebacker Barkevious Mingo ? 1. The Ray Horton influence was all over this pick. The defensive coordinator believes the best pass defense is a great pass rush. Like the Steelers, his former team, Horton is confident he can find a cornerback later in the draft and develop him into the starter opposite Joe Haden. That doesn?t mean it will be easy, however. I was not an advocate of taking Alabama cornerback Dee Milliner at No. 6. But if Milliner has a Pro Bowl career with the Jets and Mingo turns into the next Kamerion Wimbley this choice will be lamented. Like Mingo, Wimbley was praised for high character and he surely was dependable, rarely missing a game because of injury. But Wimbley never could develop a secondary pass rush move to become an elite pass rusher. 2. I was surprised the Browns stayed pat and didn?t move down. Joe Banner said earlier in the day that he was 65 percent sure the player he wanted would be there at No. 6, and he would trade if he wasn?t. After hearing that, I presumed that player to be Oregon linebacker Dion Jordan, who was taken third by Miami after a trade with Oakland. So when Detroit chose BYU end Ezekiel ?Ziggy? Ansah fifth, I thought the Browns would trade down and acquire the second-round pick they were lacking. Banner later said he had a trade in hand but Mingo was the solid selection. Let?s assume the Browns had the same trade opportunity that Buffalo (No. 8) accepted from St. Louis. The Rams moved up to the eighth spot in exchange for their first-round (No. 16), second-round (No. 46) and seventh-round (No. 222) picks. If the Browns took that deal, they could come back for a cornerback in Round 2 and could?ve taken a more productive pass rusher at No. 16 in Georgia?s Jarvis Jones. 3. So who will be the better NFL player ? Mingo or Jones? Jones led the nation in sacks the past two seasons with 28. Mingo had 12. Jones played outside linebacker in a pro-style 3-4 scheme at Georgia. Mingo will have to make the transition from college defensive end to 3-4 linebacker. The Steelers ran to the podium to select Jones at No. 17. Jones dropped that far partially because of concerns over a spinal stenosis condition but mostly because he timed badly at the NFL combine and in subsequent workouts. Jones, 6-2 ? and 245 pounds, ran a 4.9 40 at his pro day. "When he ran the 4.9, we were happy," Steelers GM Kevin Colbert said in Pittsburgh. "We knew we had a chance. We didn't even talk to Jarvis at the combine because we didn't think we had a chance. This kid, when you watch him play, I don't care what he runs. He's a football player in every phase of the game, and that's what was really exciting." The Steelers are the pre-eminent experts on 3-4 rush linebackers. Colbert?s evaluation of Jones is the single, biggest reason to question ? not blast ? what the Browns did. Perhaps they will both be great pass rushers. We?ll surely be able to compare them moving forward. 4. I would feel a lot better about the pick of Mingo if the Browns had signed a starting-caliber cornerback in free agency. Banner said the team can?t possibly fill all its needs in one offseason. True enough. But they better find a cornerback soon. Or the most prominent battle in training camp will involve Buster Skrine, Trevin Wade, Johnson Bademosi, Chris Owens and Kevin Barnes.
You think that's bad, just wait till they take Kiko Alonso in the 4th round, then they will have mass confusion in the backfield...KeKe and Kiko...
there was an episode of someone systematically voting thumbs down en masse on a couple of users' posts. it was removed as a result.
If that's the case, then I think a more appropriate solution would be to jettison the asshat who systematically thumbed down one individuals post (smacks of stalking) instead of taking away the ability of every other poster who wishes to rate a post either positively or negatively. Without the option of rating a post +/-, then why even have the ability to rate a post?
Or just get rid of the thumbs up and the whole User Karma as well, too. Do we really care anyway if we got a bunch of "thumbs up" or "thumbs down"? Hell, for the most part, I use it as a bookmark so I can figure out where I stopped reading before logging off.
I'm with you Duff as I also use it as a bookmark. However, when you stop to think about it, this type of thinking is what began the collapse of the CBS message boards. Idiots would use the system tools to raise hell and, rather than eliminate the idiots, CBS modified the system to attempt to circumvent them. When I was still working, I have often used the phrase "You can't foolproof anything because fools are so ingenious". I just fear that history will repeat itself here.
I like the Mingo pick, and I don't care that we passed on Milliner. When looking at the draft class it seems obvious that there are plenty more quality CB's than premium pass rushers. I think we can still get a couple DB's that can compete for starting positions later in the draft, and that would not be the case with the pass rushers...It was a good move. I happen to agree with Ray Horton. The best way to help out a secondary is by applying pressure to the QB.... Plus, we all know, if the Browns had taken Milliner, the only thing the Cleveland media would be focused on is the fact that we spent another high pick on an injured player from Bama....
No, not again Murphy?s Law paid another visit to the Browns Thursday night. Yep, that grand old resident of Loserville knocked on the Browns? door in the first round of the National Football League college draft and Joe Banner & Co. couldn?t resist. They answered. Grabbed outside linebacker Barkevious Mingo to further enhance their goal of making life miserable for NFL quarterbacks this season. As if they didn?t have enough pass rushers already in free agents Paul Kruger, Desmond Bryant and Quentin Groves. Add converted defensive end Jabaal Sheard to that corps and now you have a gang of quarterback abusers. It?s official. The club now has a logjam at situational edge pass rushers. Only problem is how to get them all on the field at the same time. Coach Rob Chudzinski believes he has the answer: ?Adding (Mingo) in the mix gives us another pass rusher and a solid rotation. . . . You can?t have enough pass rushers and keeping these guys fresh is the key.? They key word here is rotation. The Browns drafted a player with their first-round pick who will be in a rotation. And they plunked down $44 million for Kruger, who will be in a rotation. Talk about not getting bang for your buck. Beefing up the pass rush is all well and good, but the last time I looked, there are other facets of defense that need to be addressed. Like stopping the run. Mingo is not a run stopper. Neither are Kruger or Groves. They are all situational players. Guys who do one thing well. But that?s it. Sheard, on the other hand, is the unknown quantity. We don?t know whether he can make the successful transition to a new position. I have a problem ? and so should Browns coaches ? with players who are one-dimensional. When drafting a defensive player as high as No. 6, you should look for someone who can play three downs. Mingo is not a three-down player. He is a quick-twitch, high motor guy who does only one thing well. At No. 6, that?s not enough. Not nearly enough. New defensive coordinator Ray Horton, who apparently lobbied a lot harder for his side of the ball in the first round than did offensive coordinator Norv Turner, is a pressure guy. Banner made it absolutely clear, too, in the run-up to the lottery. The Browns were going to make harassment of quarterbacks a priority. Give him credit, albeit grudgingly. He held true to that promise with the selection of the newest candidate for the Browns? Name Hall of Fame. (Fair Hooker, Jubilee Dunbar, Thane Gash, Ben Gay, Earthwind Moreland, Syndric Steptoe and Cleveland Pittsburgh Crosby are already in.) Only problem with that is Banner lost sight of the fact the Browns needed more immediate help on offense. The defense didn?t play that badly last season. The offense was far more inconsistent. Banner, a long-time advocate of trench warfare, had the opportunity to bulk up his offensive line at No 6. Instead of locking in on guards Chance Warmack or Jonathan Cooper, guys who never leave the field, he opted for one who probably will never be a three-down performer. The Browns have a screaming need for guards. They have 60% of what could be an outstanding offensive line and had a chance to substantially elevate that percentage. Instead, Banner fell in love with Mingo?s athleticism. Unfortunately, Mingo is a better athlete than he is a football player. Jarvis Jones, the University of Georgia linebacker taken by the Pittsburgh Steelers (who know how to draft) with the 17th pick, is a football player. He is a playmaker with the stats to back it up. Horton?s biggest challenge now will be getting all these duplicate position players enough playing time. They will be, essentially, part-time performers. I realize situational substitution is still the rage among NFL defensive coordinators, but this is getting ridiculous. These guys are going to be bumping into each other as they trot on and off the field. Mingo?s selection came with mixed reviews. ?I love this pick,? gushed ESPN?s Jon Gruden. Pete Prisco of CBS Sports: ?Mingo has raw ability, but I just didn?t see enough from him last season. I wanted more. And do the Browns have a need there?? How loudly can you say NO? Grade: C- Sports Illustrated: ?Mingo is seen as a great athletic talent, but he?s a project more prized for his upside. However he has the potential to be a devastating pass rusher at the next level. A curious selection, though, for a team that fielded a fairly stout defense in 2012 and is still littered with issues at each level on offense.? Grade: 8.10 SB Nation: ?Before free agency, a pick like Mingo would have been a slam dunk A+ for the Browns. But after giving Paul Kruger a sizable contract in free agency and having Jabaal Sheard, there are only so many snaps to go around. . . . The Browns will have to find a way to get enough plays for Mingo, Kruger and Sheard.? Grade: B NFL.com: ?A really aggressive decision by Cleveland to . . . take Mingo higher than a lot of people had him pegged. The Browns may not be able to play him three downs from the get-go, but his sack totals ought to easily surpass what he did at LSU (4?) in 2012.? Grade: B+ And this harsh assessment from the Web site Walter Football: ?I guess 2012 tape doesn?t matter for the Browns. Barkevious Mingo was awful this past season and flat-out quit in some games. (He) doesn?t even fill a real need unless Jabaal Sheard is dealt, which is confusing in itself because Sheard was one of the top defenders for the Browns last year.? Grade: C- Right now, Mingo and Sheard are projects, the latter because of the position switch. Mingo will not be able to step right in and be a valuable contributor. Someone like cornerback Dee Milliner would have made more sense. At least he is a three-down player. The New York Jets, who picked up Milliner three picks after Cleveland passed on him, should send the Browns a note of thanks for allowing them to select Darrelle Revis? successor in their secondary. Of course there are still six more rounds to go and anything can happen. Let?s see if Banner and his minions can recover from their first-round misfire in the next couple of days. For right now, though, the best grade I can give the Mingo selection is a C. And that?s being generous.
Lyman the Mod ? RUT ROE Rooby Roo . behave yourselves or else the geezer will break out his cain and tap dance on your ass . we got a new Sheriff in town .
============(_) Have a round on the hound here . Tis Friday ! Warning! The following errors must be corrected before your message can be posted: ?At least 60 seconds have to pass between posts. Please wait a while and try posting again. thats annoying as hell
Found this humorous, and it pretty much sums up my thoughts on the Browns First round draft pick... [video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrdHG0Hz2xU[/video]
Spelling is vastly overrated .. i know idiots that can spell Drops banana peel on floor ..Duff slides out the door ..on his Duff
he can cover ..good one Brett Warning! The following errors must be corrected before your message can be posted: ?At least 60 seconds have to pass between posts. Please wait a while and try posting again. Bite me ..paitience my ass ..i wanna kill something ..or the Idiot that implemented this 60 second rule
Racing tonight cancelled Grrrrrrrrrrrrr they tell us the grounds are to wet ? If they would have told me sooner i would have made my way up North to Attica receway park as they are running tonight .must not be to wet up there %*@^ Limaland ..Grrrrrrrrr Well then that means bar stool instead of racing . i would rather be racing ..dammit
Browns acquired WR Davone Bess from the Dolphins in exchange for an undisclosed mid-round draft pick. Bess was nothing more than a sure-handed slot receiver in Miami, catching 321 passes over five seasons but averaging just 10.7 yards per grab and scoring a mere 12 touchdowns in 77 games. It's a low-risk grab for the Browns, who have have Josh Gordon and Greg Little outside but question marks inside in the form of David Nelson. Bess, still just 27, has a good chance to emerge as the Browns' primary slot man this season. He has signed a three-year extension with Cleveland, adding to the one year he had remaining on his previous deal.
