By Zac Jackson Fox Sports Ohio Posted Apr 16, 2014 Pettine made it sound like his practices will be more like Eric Mangini's practices were in 2009-10 than Browns practices were under the last two coaches. "I'm a firm believer that you make practice harder than a game," he said. 0 Comments Mike Pettine hasn't coached a single game. He hasn't even coached a single practice with the Cleveland Browns. He has handled everything that's been put in front of him with poise, class and even a bit of humor. That won't help the Browns draft the right guys next month or win a single game when the 2014 season starts, but a guy who clearly wasn't the team's first choice, had to deal with the Jim Harbaugh leaks a month after taking the job and saw the team's general manager and CEO get fired just a couple of weeks after he was hired has been pretty impressive in his public appearances while taking on the task of cleaning up a messy situation. Last Friday, I was there when Pettine addressed the 83rd annual Ohio State Football Coaches Clinic. What follows is what's left from my notebook scribbles and observations from Pettine's speech mixed with some things he'd previously said on the record and the way he's gone about the first few months of his "dream job" and newfound responsibility. Though he's previously talked about coaching with a chip on his shoulder and being dismissed by some in NFL circles because he was a high school coach 13 years ago, Pettine's speech wasn't about how he was once sitting where most of his audience sat, or how special his meteoric rise had been. "Football is football," he said. Pettine talks coaching, Browns culture change New Browns coach greets Ohio high school coaches at OSU clinic in Columbus. He talked values, principles and culture -- specifically changing the culture at the Browns and culture being "the foundation" for any successful football program. He started by talking about growing up learning from and eventually playing for his father, legendary Eastern Pa. high school coach Mike Pettine Sr., and how he sees Pennsylvania and Ohio as "very similar states...full of people who love football." He talked toughness (repeatedly) and the importance of setting high standards in any football program. He didn't go much into the draft and certainly didn't touch any specifics, but I thought a couple quotes about his desired traits in players would resonate with Browns fans. "We want guys who love football as opposed to guys who love what football does for them." And... "When it comes to the (NFL Scouting) Combine, there's a reason people call it The Underwear Olympics." He said Ohio and Pennsylvania represent "the heart of football in this country" and said the fact that every Super Bowl ever played has had an alum of the Big 33 game -- the longtime summer all-star game that originated in Pennsylvania and for a long time was played under a Pennsylvania vs. Ohio format -- is something all involved should be proud of. Pennsylvania recently took on Maryland to replace Ohio as its Big 33 opponent. "I don't know the details there, so I won't say too much," Pettine said, "but I'd guess that Ohio winning seven of 10 and the last four probably had something to do with that." Pettine was 0-5 as a head coach coaching against his father at Central Bucks West. "You know that saying, 'Father knows best?' That got really old, really quick," he told the coaches clinic crowd. Their 1999 season was documented by ESPN for a reality series called "The Season". The Mike Pettine Jr. seen by viewers nationwide was "a screamer," a young coach who now says he's changed. "I'll still yell when I have to," Pettine said. "I'm much better at picking my spots. Screaming the loudest doesn't make you any smarter. "From 500-some hours of video, (the producers of The Season) picked the clips that made me look like some raving, screaming maniac...like I was the coach out of Varsity Blues." That drew laughs. "I know I can be an (expletive)," Pettine said. "But not that big of one." Work smarter, not necessarily harder or longer, is also part of Pettine's message to his assistants. He said he was the young coach who'd put in long hours and stretch them even longer, making it a macho or ego thing, wearing two hours of sleep "like a badge of honor." Then the next week would come, he'd evaluate a game and the way he coached it, and in that evaluation he'd come to realize he might have been better off with a good night's sleep "especially at the end of a week." That, too, is something he's passed along to both his assistant coaches and players with the Browns. He said he'll have Browns players wearing computerized wristbands to allow the team to track sleep patterns and make sure players are getting a proper amount of rest. He didn't elaborate on how that might work or be tracked. He said too many coaches waste too many hours during their long days and weeks and that he doesn't want a coach who "comes in at 5:30 a.m., has his first workout, has breakfast, has coffee, flirts with the secretary...then by the time he has his second and third workout later in the day, the guy who came in at 7:30 and just worked has put in (almost two full days)." A self-proclaimed "grinder," Pettine keeps a list of his tasks and priorities and checks them off as he goes. "I'm a checklist guy," he said, adding that he got that from his time as a graduate assistant under Johnny Majors at Pitt in the 90s. He asked coaches to understand that different players respond to different motivational tactics, that even at the game's highest level some need to be coached more closely -- or with more yelling -- than others. He said getting players to know you care is key, and that injecting humor into weekly meetings can help reinforce not only the message being relayed but the relationship between coaches and players. After telling a couple stories about different ways he kept his Buffalo Bills players on their toes last year, he showed that keeping it light in the meeting can be a two-way street by putting up a slide of himself standing in his front yard -- in 1983. There was a skinny Mike Pettine with a full head of hair, wearing an MTV t-shirt and corduroy shorts that didn't come within four inches of his knee. When a reporter approached the big screen adjacent to the coaches clinic stage and tried to snap a photo, Pettine gave him a firm "stop" command. He stopped. Then Pettine talked about how he didn't need that photo "hitting Twitter." Welcome to the big leagues, Coach. Pettine left a comfortable job teaching and coaching in high school to accept a low-level video job with the Baltimore Ravens in 2002, cutting his salary and taking a big risk which led to a low-level coaching job with the Ravens. More promotions followed. As Pettine's status in the football world changed, so did his family status. "I have three wonderful children and unfortunately I live apart from them," Pettine told the coaches clinic crowd. He then said there are two kinds of coaches wives. "There are great ones and then there are ex-ones," Pettine said. "Mine is an ex." He jokingly apologized to the coaches "if you've seen any of the billboards" placed along various highways by the Browns that feature Pettine's image and a quote from his introductory press conference, "We will be the toughest team on the field." There's one not far from Ohio State's campus. "I told them not to make me the face of the franchise," he said of the billboards, which went up shortly after his late January hiring. Winning the Columbus market is and should be important to the Browns. All the major Columbus TV stations were on hand for Pettine's speech, but he didn't speak to the media after. Especially given how engaging his presentation was and that it was his first known appearance in Columbus, that was a swing and a miss. Pettine made it sound like his practices will be more like Eric Mangini's practices were in 2009-10 than Browns practices were under the last two coaches. "I'm a firm believer that you make practice harder than a game," he said. He later said: "If anything, we are going to overpractice situations that win or lose you a game -- third down, red zone, two-minute." He said his goal is to make almost everything a competitive situation in practice to establish a winning mentality. He said "it might be (for the right to be) first in line in the cafeteria, maybe to wear a special black practice jersey, maybe just who gets to pick the music in the locker room. Guys don't care what the reward is. They want to beat the other guys." Like almost everything a still unbeaten coach can say, it sounds good. We'll see how it all turns out. Zac Jackson appears courtesy of Fox Sports Ohio .
The Browns are expected to kick the tires on every quarterback prospect before the NFL draft, and next in line is Alabama?s A.J. McCarron. McCarron is conducting a private workout today for the Browns, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. Although McCarron was a Heisman Trophy runner-up at Alabama, he wouldn?t appear to be an option with the Browns? first pick, No. 4 overall. He would also seem like a reach with the 26th overall pick, which the Browns acquired from the Colts in the Trent Richardson trade. But he could be an option for the Browns with their second-round pick, or with either of their picks in the third round (the Browns have their own third-round pick and Pittsburgh?s, which it acquired in a draft-day trade last year when the Steelers wanted an extra pick to take safety Shamarko Thomas.) The Browns currently have only two quarterbacks (Brian Hoyer and Alex Tanney) on the roster and will almost certainly draft at least one. If the Browns decide to go in another direction in the first round, McCarron could be the choice on Day Two of the draft.
By Ace Davis OBR Special Contributor Posted Apr 15, 2014 More than a dozen others have donned the doomed 80 with nary a counterexample. Since 1972, only busts, breakdowns, or bit players. 2 Comments As the Browns' sensational speedster Travis Benjamin writhed in pain in Kansas City last October 27, his attempt to twist free on a punt return instead tearing up his knee, more than a few fans were dejected but not entirely surprised. Benjamin, after all, is listed at just 175 pounds. His true weight is 170, he acknowledged at a Browns Backers club banquet on March 8. With a body type more greyhound than mastiff, he was hardly expected to withstand the full onslaught of pro tacklers, fall after fall. After surgery and rehab for the torn ACL that ended his 2013 season, he expects to return for this spring's minicamp. In response to a certain obsessive Browns fan/writer, Benjamin also said he's seeking something that may prove crucial to his prognosis as a player: a different jersey number. He wants to switch from 80 to 10. This isn't to make light of an orthopedic trauma. Trotting out numerology risks trivializing a very real injury. No, this is more serious than dallying with digits. The truth is, over the past 42 years, if you suited up for Cleveland wearing the number 80, it became your career's kiss of death. This isn't about an unfixable jinx or unprovable curse. It's about fully airing the facts of a persistent and perplexing pattern. No matter your pedigree, your position, salary, size, or race, it was bound to take place. More than likely, you'd get hurt. Regardless of the reasons, without exception you wouldn't reach pronounced peak potential. Not while wearing number 80 for the Browns. For starters, think Brian Robiskie, Kellen Winslow II, Andre Rison and Willis Adams. More than a dozen others have donned the doomed 80 with nary a counterexample. Since 1972, only busts, breakdowns, or bit players. From Turkey to treachery On September 3, 1972, 84,816 fans filed into Ohio Stadium in Columbus for a preseason exhibition with the Cincinnati Bengals, the team founded and coached by the Browns' legendary exiled namesake, Paul Brown. The first pro game held at the Horseshoe was a back-and-forth battle the Bengals won, 27-21. The Browns also lost an emerging pillar of their defense, third-year end "Turkey" Joe Jones, to a season-ending knee injury in the third quarter. Jones missed the Browns' last playoff team of the decade. He returned in 1973 but was then traded to Philadelphia for washed-up wide receiver Ben Hawkins. Jones' signature moment -- the pile-driving sack of Terry Bradshaw -- came during his second stint in Cleveland, when he wore 64 rather than 80. He had a decent career, but it never matched the promise that made him the 36th overall pick in 1970, 11 slots ahead of teammate Jerry Sherk. The next Brown to wear 80 was Willie Miller, a receiver/returner even smaller than Benjamin. He'd survived two tours in Vietnam, earning a Purple Heart and Silver Star, but the 28-year-old rookie would last just 20 games with the Cleveland squad. Upon recovering from injury, he resurfaced with Rams and caught 50 passes for 767 yards in 1978, remaining in Los Angeles though age 35. A similarly slight skill player named Lawrence Williams returned kicks wearing 80 at the tail end of 1977, his second and last year in the league. The number fell next to the Browns' top draftee in 1979, Houston wideout Willis Adams. The Browns had traded down from the 13th overall pick to 20, gaining a second rounder: offensive tackle Sam Claphan, who hurt his back and was released a year later. San Diego used the Browns' pick on Missouri's Kellen Winslow, who became a Hall of Fame tight end wearing, of course, number 80. As it turned out, Claphan recovered to play 87 NFL games, ironically, all with Winslow on Chargers' electric offense. In contrast, Adams disappointed. It took until the fifth of his seven seasons for him to find the end zone, which he did just twice. His speed kept him on the roster, but he never emerged as a quality starter, even on some pretty thin receiving corps. The next eight players to sport the brown and orange 80 jersey were all receivers or tight ends. Terry Greer, Chris Kelley, Chris Dressel, Vernon Joines, Lynn James, Danny Peebles, Shawn Collins and Tom McLemore averaged fewer than eight games and two receptions as Browns. Only Kelley ever scored, and it was only one point. Then, in the fateful year of 1995, Browns owner Art Modell made Andre Rison the highest-paid wide receiver in history, luring the free agent with a five-year, $17.5 million deal including $5 million to sign. Intended as a bold move to push a playoff team over the top, the Rison contract headlined an off-season of roster resentment, upheaval and restructuring that hastened the franchise's plunge into financial peril. The four-time Pro Bowler started slowly, gaining just 82 yards on nine catches through four games. By mid-season, a team tabbed for Super Bowl contention took a disastrous turn into the rocks. News broke that Modell was moving the 50-year-old Cleveland Browns to Baltimore, and things got ugly. Only a heartfelt home finale kept them from losing their last eight games. Amid the skid and fan backlash, Rison was quoted as "ready to get the hell out of here... Baltimore, here we come." But after posting seven-year career lows in receptions, yards, and touchdowns, the original Browns' last number 80 was released. New era, more despair Upon the Browns' rebirth in 1999, the symbolic futility continued with Ronnie Powell. An undrafted native of Hope, Arkansas, Powell -- unlike the town's more famous product -- would not get a second term. In Week 14 at Cincinnati, Powell gained 45 yards on his sole NFL reception, but then sprained his neck during a fumbled kickoff return, ending his rookie year. He was waived the next preseason. Tight end Aaron Shea was a relative bright spot for the 2000 Browns. The fourth-rounder from Michigan took over number 80 and proved tough to tackle. But after a 30-catch, 302-yard rookie year, Shea's next three seasons all ended the same way: on injured reserve. In 2004, he sold the jersey number to rookie Kellen Winslow II and switched to 83, formerly worn by his ex-Michigan and Browns teammate, Mark Campbell. Like Turkey Joe in the '70s, Shea's career caught second wind wearing another number. He broke a three-year drought with a career-high four touchdowns in 2004. He played six seasons and worked six more for the Browns in sales and player engagement. Some of Shea's starts stemmed from Winslow's well-documented woes. The son of the aforementioned Hall of Fame 1979 trade target was as highly touted as any tight end prospect ever. Butch Davis, who recruited Winslow to the University of Miami before he left to take the Browns' reins, put all his chips on the table in 2004. He gave Detroit his high second-round pick to inch up one slot, drafting the brash 20-year-old playmaker sixth overall. In Part 2 of this three-part feature, Winslow's promising career hits a few bumps, to say the least. The pre-1972 success of the Browns' various wearers of the number 80 is chronicled. The focus then turns to a particularly enigmatic figure at the heart of this number's striking history. Ace Davis is a freelance Browns writer, historian, and fan who began the first Browns blog back in 2002.
By Pat McManamon ESPN.COM The best of the draftable quarterbacks against the blitz last season was Louisville?s Teddy Bridgewater. He completed 70.1 percent of his 117 passes against the blitz, for an average of 11.0 yards per attempt. Teams blitzed him on 27.5 percent of his throws. Second was Zach Mettenberger of LSU (10.4 YPA), and third A.J. McCarron of Alabama (10.9 YPA). No other draftable quarterback had a yards per attempt above 10 against the blitz. When it came to being under pressure, Bridgewater again ranked highest. He completed 53.5 percent for 7.2 yards per attempt. Blake Bortles averaged 7.8 yards per pass, but he completed 50.7 percent. Derek Carr had the poorest percentage under pressure -- 30.9 percent. Johnny Manziel was at 44 percent.
Crex racing was good . no such thing as a bad day at the track for me anymore .It was my GF first time ever . she enjoyed it . she hasn't seen Sprints run yet . that may change her mind when those bad ass boys rip it up this Fri night at Limaland . Limaland opens this Fri night ..NRA Sprint invaders *THUMBSUP*
For Lyman, the Goats still reap the bennies for the RGIII trade, someone is moving up for that #2 again, don't know who but someone will. *SHADES*
ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Josh Gordon senses a change in the wind with the Browns -- and it's blowing in a positive direction. He feels the offseason changes in the front office have instilled a new sense of urgency in Berea and the Browns are poised to win sooner than later. "We know we don't have time to rebuild and it's time to go right now," Gordon said. "Guys are realizing that and that it's now or never and that's the way we're approaching it and hoping for it to happen a lot quicker this year." Gordon, who just turned 23 last Sunday, said the team has received the message by bringing in veterans like Karlos Dansby, Donte Whitner, Nate Burleson, Ben Tate, among others. "We definitely get that sense that (winning) is right around the corner and we have that sense of urgency to get it done now considering the guys we have now," Gordon said. "As many veterans as we have now we feel the pressure is on in terms of getting 'W's' and getting to the postseason as soon as possible. The guys have been waiting for it and ready for it." <A href="http://msn.foxsports.com/ohio/video?related=90182c71-bc7b-4b05-88ad-b50e0cd01f4d&videoId=90182c71-bc7b-4b05-88ad-b50e0cd01f4d&from=shareembed-syndication&src=v5:embed:syndication:" target="_new" title="Josh Gordon on QB draft class, Browns offense">Video: Josh Gordon on QB draft class, Browns offense</A> Gordon likes the possibilities of the Browns offense with the additions of Andrew Hawkins, Burleson, Tate, among others. He also likes the possibility of adding other playmakers to the offense through the draft. "The more guys we have, the more threats we have on offense in the backfield to have a running game and to spread the field and open up a lot of guys down field in the passing game with myself, Nate (Burleson) and Greg Little," he said. "If we were to get Sammy Watkins that would be a great addition to have an electric type of offense would be tremendous." Coming off a Pro Bowl season and a year that saw him lead the NFL in yardage, Gordon doesn't feel any pressure for an encore performance. "I don't feel any pressure," he said. "I just want to be consistent week in and week out and help us to win games." Gordon likes what he's seen and heard from Mike Pettine and he believes the players are already starting to get the message. He believes it will translate into wins this season. "I definitely see that being an outcome," Gordon said. "From the top down, we're all trying to get the point across that we need to win and we need to win now."
I'm not sure what to think...I scored a 14, that's a little higher than I am comfortable with... *HELP*
Bluez I am reluctant to admit I only saw one thing on the list I didn't either know or had actually experienced, and I worked for FW Woolworth in NYC, so..... Geezerdom has arrived here. The flash cubes ???? My only lapse, which may only reinforce my status as a geezer, who has forgotten what that was. Sigh........
The A Mack topic was fun, but now all the air is out of the balloon. Draft Day feels like it may never come. Feeling like Bill Murray in Punxatawnee. Will tomorrow ever come. Anxious to see what the New, New, New, and New again regime will net in that fishing derby.
Reading the Gordon comments: feels like a reaction to last year's lack of focus on winning now, more than anything to hand your hat on for the season ahead, and what frame of reference does he have with so little time in the NFL. I hope he is right, that sense of "NOW" has been absent for so long, I'm not sure I'd recognize it myself. Evidence to support it's presence lies in the moves made thus far, and once the draft is over (allegedly before August) I expect to see more evidence. In the grand scheme of things the biggest change is the owner taking control of this team, and I suspect he will not be patient about putting up W's. I just hope he can strike a balance between knee jerk action, and purposeful change, recognizing that if change was the answer, then we'd be champions, cause we have lead the league in change. May the football Gods allow Cleveland to have found it's leadership team at last, and give Slam the ability to blend action and patience in a mix that fosters success. I desperately want the team to have the "Win Now" mentality, and the FO to support that while balancing it with an eye on the future. In other words, I want it all...........
[h]HAPPY THIRSTY THURSDAY LOUNGE HOUNDZ *DRINK* [/h] Crazy Crex?s Musings? *WRITE* As FA Ends and the draft nears I?ve been looking at the roster and trying to some up with a reasonable idea of what direction Farmer and CO may be headed in the upcoming draft. As I review the FA signings they made and the ones they didn?t, I actually think Farmer is doing a good job of restructuring the roster without blowing it up given all the changes in the front office. Ranking need at each position based on current roster (1 being minimal 5 being most important). This does not mean that I think that they should draft a specific position in a specific round/order based on that need. I would much rather they draft the BPA and build depth if the player doesn?t fit a glaring need. QB: (10) #1 need. The Browns still need a franchise signal caller. Whether it?s at #4, #26 or somewhere in between Farmer and CO have to find their guy. I am still of the opinion that no matter what slot they get the guy, whomever it is, he needs to spend the first season holding a clipboard. CB: (4) Still need a guy to play across from Haden. Trufant adds depth, I?m not convinced he?s much more than a special teamer/nickel back. ILB: (4) Still need an ILB to start next to Dansby and eventually replace him. There are 3-4 prospects that would be an immediate upgrade to Robertson IMHO. S: (3) Gipson provides depth, but after that the talent level is pretty thin. Slaughter is the wild card here as he spent all of last year on IR. RB: (3) Signing Ben Tate helps here, but beyond that there isn?t a solid #2 guy to take over if he gets hurt. Lewis will make a great third down back, but am not sure he's durable enough to cary the work load should Tate go down. Baker IMHO is the wild card as we only saw a glimpse of him last year (I still think he could have gashed Da Bears for 100+) I hope they spend a third round pick to pair with Tate and eventually take over at RB long term. OL: (2-3) Re-signing Mack make OL less of a priority. Though with all the young unproven guys currently signed. A talent upgrade along with getting a replacement for Mack down the road makes this closer to a 3. WR: (2-3) Gordon = Stud! Hopefully Burleson will add a solid veteran presence to the group, but his injury history is of concern. Depending on how the new regime feels about Little, the Browns still need a second WR long term to play across form Gordon. TE: (2) Cameron is a stud. The others are decent blockers with some hand ability. FB: (1-2) The addition of Pressley makes this less of a priority. Ogibannana is just too small to be a true FB. I?d like to see them find a guy that could be a hybrid FB/TE and provide more versatility. OLB/DE/DT: 1 There is plenty of depth and talent at these positions. Mingo is still and unknown quantity though.
