Yeah that's my error so I deserved it. I was reading through this page when the Torrey Smith drive happened and didn't realize I hadn't switched back. I didn't want to come off like I was taunting or anything. I actually liked what the Browns did this season. You guys truly need a QB though. The QB you had today (why is his name slipping my mind, Daniels?) is probably the best unless Manziel improves. Good luck going forward. P.S. I fully expect the Ravens to get trounced by Indy next weekend
Beach, good to hear from you. BUT..... I disagree. He has to go now. Manziel throws a big party on Friday night, which caused him our trio of chuckle heads to miss a Saturday walk through. The staff of this team absolutely needs to make a stand. Who is the ax going to hit? 1st Round QB? Nope, regardless that I think he's a dope, I think we need to look at him a little harder before we show him the door. 1st Round CB? Nope, he's a kid that does not have his head on right. He's immature, but he's not breaking laws. He needs a shot across the bow. Supplementary selected WR that is one unauthorized dose of cough syrup away from being banned from the league? Yup. This assclown has all world talent, but he's a waste. He is probably in the top 5 guys in the game today talent wise, but I bet you a beer that he is out of the league before the beginning of the 2017 season. Another sad story for A Football Life. Hopefully we can trade him off, but I doubt we could find a suitor willing to give us any better than a 6th for him. I was actually kind of in their corner until now. How do you throw/attend a party on Friday night knowing you have an early walkthrough the next morning? Professionalism. The point is that discipline is a serious problem on this team. Jackwagon Johnny is not making anything better, but he's the QB, so you know that he won't get axed. Gilbert is the only one of the three that I actually want on this team.
If the organization chooses to keep all three, then one man needs to stand up and say that it was his call. None of this "collective decision" crap. Whoever is leading the argument to keep them, or makes the call needs to stand up and own it. If it works out, then we should all applaud. But when it does not (because it won't) then we need to know exactly who made the call.
OK, I've had some time to think about this...a shower to wash off the 2014 season and this is what I came up with... Manziel didn't throw a party, he threw a team building get together to start the gelling process. The Browns simply took advantage of it to gain another season from Gordon..All of these guys are going to come into the 2015 season as a coherent unit playing together as one.... THAT is what I CHOOSE to believe at this time...
I think we are all in agreement that we want Bulaga from GB! He is a mauler, young and one of the best RT's in the league. At 26 he will be around for a while if we sign him. That would give us 4 pro bowl lineman out of 5. We then could move Schwartz to guard where I think he is best suited. Bulaga doesn't have any problem with any rushers. Since I'm a line 1st guy he is the one I would throw the money at! The only problem with that is I don't see Rodgers and GB letting him go. He only makes 3.8m. He will get 7-12m from someone. That or the Packers will franchise him. The other thing is that GB is in salary cap trouble. Bulaga, Nelson and Cobb are free agents. If I'm them I would sign Bulaga and try to sign 1 of those WR's. That's where we come in. They cant sign all 3. Cobb is the cheapest and youngest. 1.5m at 25 years old. I think they will resign Bulaga and Nelson. Signing one and franchising the other. Then we can show Cobb the money. He could be our #1 or #2 if they bring back POTHEAD, LAZY F$#@! I would rather bring in a RT than draft one. Especially the caliber of Bulaga!
Thanks for all the good wishes. My son has gotten himself into some serious legal issues. In my heart I do not think he is guilty of what he is accused of but I guess one can never really tell anymore. At the moment, I can only hope for the best but prepare for the worst. We are in a wait and see mode right now so, to keep busy, I turn to my love of football and the Cleveland Browns. You will probably find me on the Free Agent thread for the foreseeable future when I have the time to post.
I just read on Yahoo that Haslam is not happy with Gordon, Manziel and Gilbert and he said knuckleheads will not be tolerated on the Cleveland Browns! I hope this means Gordon is traded! get something I don't care what it is for him. it also said the last regime tried to trade him but couldn't find a suitor for him. Don't cut him but please try to trade him 1st. Kurt Schilling tweeted to Manziel that to be great it must consume your waking hours! I don't think he has that in him. Gilbert is a bust! I blame Farmer for not doing his due homework on these 2 before he drafted them. But Schilling is right! Does Manziel like Gordon have it in him to be great? From what I've seen so far in his pro career I don't think so! Enough about the past. I'm going to the FA thread and lets chat about the future!
BALTIMORE, MD The Browns further penalized disciplined rookies Johnny Manziel and Justin Gilbert by forcing them to spend the entire game Sunday in Baltimore in the locker room. They didn?t want them infecting the team further. And after the Browns gave a supreme effort behind third-string rookie quarterback Connor Shaw and a valiant defense, only to lose 20-10, to the Ravens, owner Jimmy Haslam used a rare media appearance to lash out against Manziel, Gilbert and Josh Gordon, who wasn?t even allowed to make the trip. ?I think this is the ultimate team game,? Haslam said, ?and I think a player who can?t show up for meetings, can?t make practice, can?t make weightlifting, disrespects himself. But more importantly, I think what these young guys miss, they disrespect the team, the staff, the fans. ?There?s a lot of people in our organization whose livelihood depends on how well we do. We?re not going to tolerate people that are irresponsible no matter what round they?re drafted in. ?We?re going to give them a chance. They?re young kids. Hopefully, they?ll grow up. We?re going to work with them. But if they can?t grow up, if they can?t be responsible to their teammates and the coaches and our great fans, they then won?t be with the Cleveland Browns.? Manziel was disciplined for not appearing at a scheduled treatment for his hamstring injury Saturday morning before the team left Cleveland. A team security official found Manziel at his apartment after failing to reach him by phone. Gilbert, who was blasted all week by teammates for wasting his first season, was made inactive for the game for reportedly being late for a team meeting on Saturday in Baltimore. Gordon was suspended and sent home from the airport when he failed to appear for the team?s Saturday morning walk-through. Coach Mike Pettine said he would not discuss the three players? situations out of respect to ?the guys that played their hearts out?guys that do it the right way.? Pettine said, ?I?ll have plenty to say on it tomorrow.? Haslam spent more than an hour before the game on the field talking with GM Ray Farmer. After the game, Haslam said ?absolutely? Farmer and Pettine would return, despite the season turning south. The Browns? fifth loss in a row completed their nose dive to 7-9, wrapping up a losing season for the seventh year in a row. This one was an even bigger letdown because the Browns were 6-3 after their big win in prime time in Cincinnati on Nov. 6. ?I think they?ve done a goods job,? Haslam said. ??Listen we?re all disappointed. We were 7-4. Didn?t think we?d be 7-9. I think it?s real positive how hard the guys played today, when you tyink how many guys we had hurt, we?re playing our third-team quarterback who?s never taken a snap in a live game and we got toe to toe with a team that?s made the playoffs seven of the last eight years ? in their facility. ?Guys played hard and did a good job. We?re happy with what Ray and Mike did. I know ? they want to get better next year. We?re going to go to work on that tonight.? It sounded as if the Browns? determined effort in losing to the Ravens surely convinced Haslam to stay the course. ?One of the head coach?s main jobs is to get the team to play hard,? Haslam said. ?It?s a long season. Pet?s done a great job of keeping the locker room together, keeping them playing hard. I can?t imagine having more distractions than we had this week. Guys came out playing with one arm behind their back and had a helluva fight.? Shaw drew praise from teammates and coaches for his gritty play under extremely tough circumstances. Promoted from the practice squad this week to make an emergency appearance and his first NFL start, Shaw held a 10-3 lead after three quarters. ?He?s tough and made some plays and left a couple there,? Pettine said. ?But I think given the circumstances we put him in, he?s a tough kid and he showed a lot of why he was successful at South Carolina.? Shaw made two first downs on his first series before losing the ball on a fumbled exchange with his center. He put together a field goal drive in the first half ? converting a fourth-and-2 pass to Andrew Hawkins to keep it alive ? and stunned the Ravens with an 80-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter. A 49-yard connection with Taylor Gabriel on a broken play set up Terrance West?s 2-yard touchdown run. ?The first drive, I convinced myself I could play in this league,? Shaw said. ?I thought I did a good job of taking charge of the team.? Shaw finished with better numbers than Manziel managed in his six quarters? of work previously ? 14 of 28 for 177 yards, four sacks, on interception, a 55.2 rating. West had 94 yards and one TD on 18 attempts. But Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco wore down the Browns with two TD passes in the fourth quarter and the Ravens? defense swarmed Shaw into underthrows at the end to secure the win. Coupled with San Diego?s loss to Kansas City, the Ravens (10-6) earned the AFC sixth playoff seed. Shaw?s performance was lauded by all. No doubt he will be back in the mix in 2015. But with Brian Hoyer?s contract running out and Manziel deep in the doghouse, the Browns admit they have no clue about the future of their quarterback situation. ?Clearly, quarterback?s an important position in the NFL and we?ve got to figure it out,? Haslam said. ?If you look at the Browns, they?ve struggled at quarterback. We know that?s a position we have to addres. Ray and his team will go to work on that tonight or tomorrow. straight from the rumor mill ..if it is in deed Manziel a few veterans have said they will request a trade out of town .. they just don't like him ..jeesh I wonder why
There has to be some deeper meaning to this, right? Right? In light of today?s 20?10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, which, combined with a fortuitous Chargers loss to Kansas City, enabled that city?s stolen team to cruise once again to the playoffs, it?s high time we all confront the absurd reality of being a Browns fan. Let?s get philosophical for a second, rather than wasting our time delving into injured defenses, third string quarterbacks, or partying rookies with the decision-making capabilities of beer-addled college freshmen. We?ve had 15 years to talk about those sort of things, and nothing ever changes. Let?s stare into the darkness together. The agony is a given, what?s interesting is the search for meaning in our pain. Obviously, in this sort of situation, we should turn to tens of thousands of years of mankind?s greatest thinkers and philosophers. Because it?s self-evident that I don?t qualify. The first step, clearly, is to look to mankind?s major religions to try to understand what it means to be a Cleveland Browns fan. Unfortunately, I find little written about being a Browns fan in my Judeo-Christian heritage outside of the ridiculously applicable Book of Job. Which might work as a template. The notion that we are facing down the wrath of a vengeful God with an inexplicable focus on one fan group has some appeal, particularly if it?s the result of a bet with one of Satan?s minor demons, say, Art Modell. But, I frankly tend to prefer my God to be more of the New Testament?s creator, less the sort of Type-A God who micro-manages Josh Gordon into deciding that Saturday walk-throughs aren?t a big deal. So, I?m not necessarily thinking that we?re in midst of Book of Job 2: The Slappening. Moving on, the Buddhist notion of karma isn?t applicable here, whatsoever, unless we?re all somehow due to be reborn as Patriots fans. I don?t know enough about other religions to find anything there, but I figured I would have heard about it if they said anything about being a Browns fan. Turning to philosophy, I painstakingly examined most of mankind?s great thinkers. For instance, a Google search for ?Socrates? and ?Cleveland Browns? didn?t turn up anything helpful, nor did Neitzche, although that ?whatever doesn?t kill you makes you stronger? claim of his would have us all able to lift semis with our less-dominant hand by now. It wasn?t until I read about the philosophy of existentialism that I found a set of beliefs which matched my innate sense of what it means to be a Browns fan. Existentialism, in my limited understanding, is based somewhat on the notion that we are what we do, based on our reaction to the absurdity that life presents. To quote from the foremost authority on anything that I have to look up, Wikipedia: The notion of the Absurd contains the idea that there is no meaning in the world beyond what meaning we give it. This meaninglessness also encompasses the amorality or ?unfairness? of the world. This contrasts with the notion that ?bad things don?t happen to good people?; to the world, metaphorically speaking, there is no such thing as a good person or a bad person; what happens happens, and it may just as well happen to a ?good? person as to a ?bad? person. Because of the world?s absurdity, at any point in time, anything can happen to anyone, and a tragic event could plummet someone into direct confrontation with the Absurd. That is freaking it! Right there. Whether you?re a good person or a bad person, the very act of being a Browns fan puts you on a collision course with the Absurd. But it?s how you react to it that defines who you are. This is the meaning of being a Browns fan. Therefore, I choose to look on being a Browns fan as a test. If confronted by the Absurd, if I can continue to be a good person and face it down with humor and good-natured use of hard liquor to dull the pain, then I?ve essentially become who I want to be. Others may chose to react by fighting back in some way, or by rejecting their own core natures as Brown fans. That defines who they are. Being a Browns fan gives one a chance to create oneself and define who they are independent of their past and their heritage. Whoa. I can?t wish myself to be a fan of a winning Browns team - I don?t control that and it would not be authentic - but I can control how I react to year after year of losing. I choose to react by hosting a website dedicated to the Cleveland Browns for most of my adult life. So now we know two things: 1. The act of being a Browns fan my be best expressed by expressed by existential philosophers like Kirkegaarde, and, 2. I am hopelessly, irredeemably, unfortunately, and almost morbidly stupid. God help us all. Those compelled by unseen and powerful forces can follow Barry McBride on Twitter at @BarryMcBride or can write to him at barrymcbride at gmail dot com.
It's Hangover Monday again Lounge Houndz *WALL* *ROSE* *HELP* @= Even at 7-9 the feelings I have after the season are not much different if not a bit worse than in seasons past. Sure hope they get things turned around... [video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLIaISHu2Mo[/video] Guess we'll see how serious these rookies are about turning their attitudes around. It's a good thing I found out Duff's old secret still location. Spoiler Gotta few recipes I'd like to try. *DRINK* p.s. Lym hope things work out for the best.
Johnny Manziel was at it again, falling on his sword for another screw-up and vowing to quit acting like ?a jackass.? But even Manziel knows his words are wearing thin. ?There?s nothing I can sit here and tell you that?s going to do any good,? he said Monday. ?It?s about action. It?s about being accountable and doing what I?m going to say, instead of looking like a jackass.? Manziel said he did not arrange a party on Friday night attended by teammate Josh Gordon, but rather was out with three friends from Texas who were staying with him. He said he overslept and missed treatment for his hamstring injury and the team walk-through on Saturday morning. Manziel reportedly was fined by the team and further disciplined by being confined to the locker room during the Browns? 20-10 loss to the Ravens in Baltimore. Manziel denied that he Tweeted during the game and said the retweet that appeared on his Twitter timeline was ?an accident.? The incidents occurred less than a week after Manziel admitted he didn?t take his first NFL season seriously enough and pledged to earn the trust of everybody. ?There?s not a bit of doubt in my mind that I?m serious about everything I?m talking about,? Manziel said. ?But at the same time, you can talk and say this all you want, but when your actions don?t reflect that, and you make a conscious decision to put yourself in the position that you stay out too late and not wake up the next morning, it?s going to cause a lot of trouble. ?I brought this on myself. I brought these cameras. I don?t think it?s fair to myself, not fair to anybody in this locker room, the distractions that I brought at a point in time. I?m sorry to these guys who are veterans in this locker room and know what it takes. I?m having to learn the hard way. At the same time, I?m either going to learn or I?m going to find something else to do.? He said, ?It?s time to look myself in the mirror and really hold myself accountable and start making some deals with my life, and these problems that are occurring every now and then, they?re just bumps, and things in the past have kind of caught up with me. Just as I?ve done with things in the past, I need to start doing every single thing in the right way in everything. And if I don?t do that I?m going to be exposed. Manziel believes coach Mike Pettine will give him a chance to compete for the starting quarterback job in 2015. ?I think I did grow up, and then I took a step back. It?s the same story with me,? he said. ?Let?s take one step forward, but then we?re taking two steps back. ?Now it?s in my court. It?s what do I want to do and what do I want to be known as? Do I want to be known as a guy who was in this league for 2 years and doing something else with his life, or do I want to come in here and compete and give this thing a fair chance and work my ass off and be the player I know I can be and be the person and player that I know I am? Now am I going to put the time in? Am I going to do what I need to do to be successful. That?s what it comes down to."
What was that Johnny? All I heard was blah blah blah.......... By the way, the season is over. in case you were thinking of throwing a party for the boys.
Hello everybody; I would like to share a personal experience with my friends about drinking and driving. As you know, some of us have been known to have brushes with the authorities from time to time, often on the way home after a "social session" with family or friends. Well, two days ago, this happened to me. I was out for an evening with friends and had more than several beers followed by a couple of bottles of rather nice red wine and vodka shots. Although relaxed, I still had the common sense to know I was slightly over the limit. That's when I did something I've never done before - I took a taxi home. Sure enough on the way there was a police roadblock, but since it was a taxi they waved it past and I arrived home safely without incident. This was a real surprise to me, because I had never driven a taxi before. I don't know where I got it, and now that it's in my garage I don't know what to do with it. So, anyway, if you want to borrow it give me a call. Happy New Year, and be safe out there?
At his season-ending press conference Monday, coach Mike Pettine conceded the Browns' quarterback situation is "muddy" and "very much a question mark." Brian Hoyer is a free agent and Johnny Manziel was atrocious in seven quarters of action. "The sample size on Manziel was not very big, and on the surface not very encouraging," Pettine said of Johnny Football. Pettine also praised UDFA Connor Shaw, who demonstrated "toughness" in Cleveland's Week 17 loss to Baltimore. Under rookie GM Ray Farmer, the Browns inherited two first-round picks from the Mike Lombardi-Joe Banner era. They used them on Manziel and Justin Gilbert, a project cornerback who earned minimal playing time as a rookie.
Veterans within the roster believe things are turning around in Cleveland and next year will be even better. BEREA, Ohio?According to some of the Browns key veteran players, there is a bright side to this year?s season. Several of the Browns veterans spoke up as the season ended on a five game losing streak talking about the future. ?It?s very frustrating, but progress was made,? Donte Whitner said. ?I?ve been assured that we are going to bring guys in and get guys off this bus that don?t really want to be here and do what they are supposed to do.? In the midst of Josh Gordon being suspended for the last game and Justin Gilbert being inactive for being late to a team meeting and Johnny Manziel missing a scheduled treatment, Whitner said he?s confident the organization will figure it out. ?I don?t know what is missing, but we are gong to get a few more guys that really want to win and want to do things right,? Whitner said. ?We?re going to get some guys out of here that don?t want to do it.? Joe Thomas said he thinks the organization will finally get it right. ?It?s part of the NFL,? Thomas said. ?Everyone has bad apples. I?m looking forward to this time next year when we?re talking about the playoffs and all the (positive) things.? Andrew Hawkins agreed. ?Obviously, it didn?t end the way we wanted it to end,? Hawkins said. ?We got off to a hot start. I think we have a great core of guys. It?s something to build on, and we?ll go into the offseason to get better.? Hawkins led the Browns with 63 receptions for 824 yards (13.1 avg.), including two touchdowns. Paul Kruger had the best year of his career with 11 sacks and he feels the team is headed in the right direction. ?We?ve overcome a lot of difficulty,? Kruger said. ?We showed ourselves that we have to be a consistent team each week or else you?re going to have an average record. That?s what we?re working on, to become a great team, and that takes a lot of effort form a lot of individuals. That?s where we are headed.? Notebook Coordinators to return: Pettine was asked if he expected to make any changes to his coaching staff. It sounds as though he intends to retain offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan and defensive coordinator Jim O?Neil. ?At this point, I anticipate the vast majority of the staff back,? he said. ?There might be a change or two, but I?m going to get away and talk to the coordinators as they do an evaluation of their own and compare notes and see if we need to make any changes.? Cameron Unsure: TE Jordan Cameron will be a free agent and he?s unsure if he?ll be back with the Browns. ?We?ll see,? Cameron said. ?There are a lot of things that have to go into it. It?s not just me wanting to come back. There are a lot of situations that have to go in my favor. I really haven?t given it a lot of thought. It?s really up in the air.? Cameron had three receptions for 41 yards, including a long of 30 yards. He finished the season with just 24 receptions for 424 yards (17.7 avg.) with two touchdowns after his Pro Bowl season in 2013 when he had 80 catches for 917 yards and seven touchdowns. Cameron missed six games on the season, one with a shoulder injury and five due to a concussion. Disappointing Finish: The Browns finished 7-9, which is the tied for the third-best record since the team returned to the NFL in 1999. It is the best record the team has had since 2007 when they finished 10-6. However, finishing on a five-game losing streak hurts. ?This one stings like they all have,? Pettine said. ?I think some people preseason would have said a seven win season is heading in the right direction. But as competitors, as I?ve said a bunch of times, it?s a ?what have you done lately? business and lately, we haven?t been very good.? Joe Haden just finished his fifth-straight losing season. ?It doesn?t get any easier,? Haden said. ?This year, I?m excited that we were 7-4, but I think we ended on a positive note. We have players that really love the game and trying to win. I?m ready to be on a winning team. ?I?m ready for us to turn this thing around and get it going.? OL Joe Thomas, who also hasn?t had a winning record since his rookie season, thinks things will be better next year. Kruger Finishes Strong: LB Paul Kruger had his best season in the NFL and finished with 53 tackles and 11 sacks. Against his former team, Kruger had five tackles, including the sack and a forced fumble. Kruger sacked QB Joe Flacco to take the Ravens out of field range near the end of the first half. Flacco fumbled the ball but the Ravens recovered after a 22-yard loss. ?I?m happy with the success that I had, but I think there are a lot of things I can do to get better and overcome some of my shortcomings,? Kruger said. ?I want to build on my pass rush and just have to get better overall.? Kruger had 4.5 sacks in his first season with the Browns in 2013 after having nine sacks with the Ravens in 2012. theOBR.com Recommended Stories
The Browns signed seven players from the practice squad to reserve/futures contracts. Browns sign seven players BEREA, Ohio -- The Cleveland Browns on Monday signed seven players to the to the reserve/futures list. General Manager Ray Farmer made the announcement. The Browns signed the following players, each finished the 2014 season on the club?s practice squad: Pos. Name DL Calvin Barnett OL Karim Barton WR Kevin Cone DB Kendall James DL Jacobbi McDaniel LB Keith Pough DL Christian Tupou
A source tells the Cleveland Plain Dealer that Browns OC Kyle Shanahan is on the 49ers' list of head coaching candidates. Shanahan is going to be on the list for a lot of HC vacancies. A talented game-planner and offensive schemer, Mike Shanahan's son was handcuffed this year by Brian Hoyer. The Browns still averaged 23.2 points per game for the first nine weeks before myriad issues and injuries torpedoed them. Kyle has also had mostly successful stints guiding the offenses of the Texans (2008-09) and Redskins (2010-13). His experience with pre-injury Robert Griffin III would be interesting for the Niners as they try to get Colin Kaepernick pointed upward again.
Coach Mike Pettine said Josh Gordon is at a "crossroads" with the Browns. "It's not the ability, but at some point you get tired of using the word potential," said Pettine. "This offseason for him puts him squarely in a crossroads with us." Pettine went on to say that he wants Gordon to remain with the team, but only if he's accountable for his actions and takes his job seriously. Expect the Browns to dangle Gordon in trade talks this offseason. We can't see Cleveland flat-out cutting him. He'd still likely fetch a third-round pick.
