Happy Saturday Lounge Houndz... Fixed it for ya Irish Here's what coach Mike Pettine is saying about Browns today On Hoyer?s most distinct traits: ?You talk about the ?it? factor, that?s one, but I think he?s a better passer than people have given him credit for. The one thing that jumped out at me this camp was his accuracy. Having gone and worked the quarterbacks out, and then it was nice to come back here and Kyle and Dowell put the quarterbacks through the exact same drills that we did when we went out and worked the quarterbacks out. It was nice to see that, to be able to compare him to those other quarterbacks, and the one thing that really jumped out to me was how accurate he is with the football.? http://www.ohio.com/blogs/cleveland...pettine-is-saying-about-browns-today-1.485024 OH yeah and the shiny new QB gets one of these... Spoiler In Farmer we must trust
You could be right Lym...BUT, I am more convinced they will try to trade down and gain another draft pick than anything else. If they could trade down with the Falcons to #6 and gain their 2nd rounder...They could still attempt to fix their QB at #6 and then take 2 WRs for the price of one (both comparing in talent to Blackmon) in the 2nd... 1. Texans Clowney 2. Rams Watkins or OT 3. Falcons either of the OTs or Mack, take your pick on which one the Falcons are reportedly trying to trade up for 4. Browns (don't shoot me)...Manziel 5. Raiders one of the 3 that the Falcons don't take or Watkins 6. Jaguars Bridgewater or Bortles #37 (from Atlanta) Davonte Adams #39 Kelvin Benjamin What looks better for the Jags? Bortles, Adams and Benjamin? or Watkins and Garoppolo or McCarron?
I can tell you all this, and Lym your gonna stop hating me so much, IF Hoyer is 100% healthy and looking back to normal after his injury. AND more importantly, their evaluations show him above all other QBs in this draft... I am 100% on board with passing on a QB until rounds 5 or later. I would MUCH rather surround this team with more talent than have to worry about a QB..I simply am convinced that both Manziel and Bridgewater will be successful at the next level. If we already have a guy on this team that this regime is convinced of the same thing, so be it, I am happy with that. I just don't want to pass on one of the two if Hoyer isn't above those guys at this stage of his career.
1. I don't hate you. I simply strongly disagree with you. 2. You predictably forgot Bortels. IMO, he will end up having the best NFL career of the three. Question: IF the browns select Bortles at #4 . . . are we going to have to put you on a suicide watch?
HAHA, I will be behind whomever is chosen at #4 and every other pick. The second that name is called, they are a Cleveland Brown... If Farmer believes what you do about Bortles, I am man enough to admit my mistake. I don't want to prove ANYONE wrong..I would be MUCH happier being wrong with a Championship caliber QB on the Browns, than being right about one of the others and still not having one on this team... (Edit I don't care if the best QB in 2014 through 2029 is Bridgewater, Manziel, Bortles, Carr, McCarron, Mettenburger, Keith Price, Casey Pachell OR BRIAN HOYER... As long as that QB is a member of the Browns, that is all I care about...not being right about my pre-draft evaluations.
In a poll of 20 NFL personnel executives, eight predicted Texas A&M QB Johnny Manziel will be a "hit" in the pros, while the other 12 guessed "miss." NFL people have a hard time projecting Manziel with any confidence because there have been so few successful quarterbacks like him. At 5-foot-11 3/4, he'll become just the eighth sub-6-foot QB drafted in the last 28 years. "He typifies the SportsCenter generation," said Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff. "As far as being reminiscent of anyone in the past, to me he's of a different generation of quarterback. It will be interesting to see how his career plays out." In another poll of 17 personnel men conducted by the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Manziel received eight votes as the top quarterback in the 2014 draft. Blake Bortles got four first-place votes, while Teddy Bridgewater and Derek Carr each got two.
The Cleveland Plain Dealer expects Greg Little to "be fighting for a roster spot" in 2014. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported in February that Little was "almost certainly" going to be released had Cleveland's old front office hung around. The Browns have three draft picks in the top 35, and we fully expect one to be devoted to a wide receiver. Cleveland has Josh Gordon locked in at X receiver and Andrew Hawkins in the slot, but no Z receiver (Little's old position).
An NFL executive told ESPN Redskins reporter John Keim that Kirk Cousins "at most" is worth a third-round pick. Speculation of a Cousins-to-Cleveland trade hasn't gone away deep into the pre-draft process, and may continue into Thursday based on Cousins' history with new Browns OC Kyle Shanahan. The most likely outcome remains Cousins toting the clipboard for at least one more year behind Robert Griffin III in D.C. There are increasing signs pointing to the Browns drafting a quarterback high.
When Browns G.M. Ray Farmer openly gushed about receiver Sammy Watkins, it became clear that Farmer hopes someone takes Watkins before the Browns pick at No. 4 ? unless Farmer has gone next level with his smokescreening. Assuming Farmer was engaging in a more basic misdirection, the question becomes who do the Browns want, if they don?t want a wideout? Despite a glaring need at quarterback, the Browns could be planning to take a tackle. Even with Joe Thomas anchored on the left side and center Alex Mack in place at big money for the next two years, Super Bowl XLVIII established conclusively the importance of having quality pass blockers on each side of the line. The idea of the right tackle being more of a road-grading run blocker than an athletic bookend to the blind-side protector could be on the verge of becoming obsolete. So that puts the Browns in play for Greg Robinson (pictured), Jake Matthews, or Taylor Lewan. And it could mean that two or three tackles could be gone by the time the Raiders pick at No. 5, just like last year when three of the first four picks were tackles. Then, the Browns can draft their next quarterback with the 26th pick in round one ? or perhaps trade back up into the teens to get him.
Because I respect Irish and his opinions so much, I thought I would go back again and watch some more tape on Johnny Manziel to see if I could find something . . . anything . . . that would ease my pain should the Browns end up selecting him at #4. After five to six hours of painstakingly watching Texas A&M tape, I have changed my entire opinion and am now off the Sammy Watkins bandwagon. Spoiler Mike Evans at #4 ! ! !
Yeah, I love Evans Lym...I wouldn't be disappointed in any of these picks: *Johnny Manziel *Teddy Bridgewater Sammy Watkins Mike Evans *If, this regime does NOT evaluate Brian Hoyer ABOVE these QBs at this point of his career. I think each and every one of those four players would elevate the Browns offense from their own unique way. Kyle Shanahan would have many things to work on from May 8 to start of training camp to utilize his new toy, no matter which one the Browns choose. (Edit You should have started listening to me sooner than 3 days before the draft though...I have to go back and find it, but I had Mike Evans rated #6 overall months ago...ahead of Mack and Robinson...only behind the above 3 mentioned, Jake Matthews and Jadeveon Clowney...
I remember it! I've had Evans and Beckham both over Watkins since the beginning. And only Evans as worth a Top 10. Beckham might be my second-favorite player in the entire draft.
I think they plan on holding you down and water-boarding you with that JF kool-aid they've been drinking until you give in. %)
Haha, I have been beaten down...I simply can't argue my personal evaluations any more. We are 3 days away and I am mentally capable of just waiting until it all goes down...Then we can start blindly endorsing whomever they choose to go with.
The Morning Kickoff ? Back to the future: Ray Farmer is about to embark on his first NFL draft as a general manager. He has no past performance chart. The immediate future of the Browns is in his hands. His boss, Jimmy Haslam, has called this ?THE crucial offseason for the Cleveland Browns.? How will Farmer do? If he could do as well as Ozzie Newsome did in his very first draft, the Browns will soon be in the Super Bowl. The similarities, parallels, coincidences ? call them what you will ? between Farmer and Newsome and the teams they represent are eerie. The obvious is both are African-American GMs who also played in the NFL. Newsome was promoted to the GM job of the Baltimore Ravens in 1996 after a seismic shakeup. Art Modell moved the former Browns to Baltimore, and fired coach Bill Belichick and his top personnel aide, Mike Lombardi. Farmer was promoted to the GM job of the Browns in 2014 after a seismic shakeup. Haslam fired coach Rob Chudzinski, and then fired CEO Joe Banner and ? there?s that guy again ? Lombardi. In the year before Newsome took over, the (former) Browns acquired a first-round draft pick from the San Francisco 49ers. In the year before Farmer took over, the Browns acquired a first-round draft pick from the Indianapolis Colts. Newsome went into his first draft as GM with picks No. 4 and No. 26 in the first round. Farmer goes into his first draft as GM with picks No. 4 and No. 26 in the first round. What would Ozzie do?: Heading into the 1996 draft, the Baltimore Ravens had a lot of needs coming off a 5-11 season, but running back stood out as No. 1. Lawrence Phillips, a player with character issues, was the top running back in the 1996 draft. ?We had brought Lawrence Phillips to Baltimore,? Newsome told me. ?He, (coach) Ted (Marchibroda) and our running backs coach and I and Mr. Modell went to dinner. We came away thinking, ?You know what? Despite some of the issues, he could be a good player for us.?? On draft day, the Jets held the first pick and took USC receiver Keyshawn Johnson. The Jaguars went second and took Illinois linebacker Kevin Hardy. Arizona held the third pick. ?They were holding, waiting,? Newsome said. ?As a matter of fact, they wrote ?Lawrence Philips? on their card to try to get us to trade up to take him. But we stood firm and when we got to our pick, I told Art, ?The highest-rated guy is Jonathan Ogden.? Ogden was a mammoth, athletic freak of an offensive tackle from UCLA. However, the strongest unit on the Ravens was offensive line. ?Art said, ?I thought we need a running back?? Ted was saying, ?We need a running back.? But (Ogden) was the highest-ranked guy,? Newsome said. ?So why do all the work, and go against what you?ve done? That means all the work you do is for naught.? At No. 26, Newsome said he was comfortable drafting for need. The highest linebacker on the Ravens? draft board after Hardy was Reggie Brown, who went No. 17 to Detroit. After Brown, the next linebacker on Newsome?s board was Ray Lewis of University of Miami. ?(Linebackers coach) Maxsie Baughn had worked out Ray and just raved about the workout,? Newsome said. ?Even though Ray did not fit the height/weight/speed, he was a ?football player.? It was a need and at that point he was our highest-rated guy, so we took him.? Because of the Ravens? strength at offensive tackle, Ogden played left guard as a rookie, and then had 11 consecutive Pro Bowl berths at left tackle. In 2013, Ogden was voted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Lewis played 17 seasons at inside linebacker, making the Pro Bowl 13 times and earning NFL defensive player of the year honors on two occasions. He retired after the 2012 season and will be eligibile for the Hall of Fame in 2017. The Ravens won the Super Bowl following the 2000 and 2012 seasons. Newsome said that 1996 draft was responsible for both championships. It is also why over the next 18 years, Newsome never strayed from selecting the top player on his draft board when his turn came up. ?Exactly,? he said. ?It?s one of the reasons I still have a job today. Once you set your board, all you?re doing at that point is picking the highest player on your board. It?s all a matter of doing your work. So when you get in the heat of battle, why change? Why let emotions get in the decision?? Learn as you go: Newsome said that nobody knew how he would do as GM when Modell gave him the job. He was the ultimate on-the-job trainee. ?I had been in draft rooms for five previous years,? Newsome said. ?I had gotten an understanding of the mechanics of the draft by watching and listening.? But nothing prepared him for the crazy things that can happen on draft day. ?As much as those picks worked out, it?s what I did in the second round that was more beneficial to me, because I made a mistake,? Newsome said. ?I made a trade to move up in second round to get a tight end. The player (Jason Dunn) got picked the spot before us.? Ever since, Newsome?s trades were contingent on the player he wanted being there for his selection. Another lesson: ?I took a cornerback (DeRon Jenkins) who wasn?t a very good tackler with that pick. Now, 18 drafts later, don?t even talk to me about a cornerback that can?t tackle.? So Newsome made two all-time great picks in his first draft, and learned a couple valuable lessons, too. Farmer should be so lucky. The Browns should be so lucky. We all should be so lucky.
Here's the thing... The Browns are gonna draft Johnny Manziel at #4 in a few days. When that happens, not only will Irish, showstopper and myself by the only ones who called it, but everyone else is going to have to reconcile this deep-seeded, irrational hatred for him because he'll be your new QB. How will you guys handle the quick turn-around from such visceral hate to complete acceptance or even -- yikes -- excitement?
