On a more positive note (at least in MY opinion) . . . LakeErieEls has joined the ranks of L4SN Free Agents. *YAHOO*
I have to admit something. I no kidding shed tears almost every time I see this video. Spoiler [video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8A55T78W28[/video]
I always loved the Carol Burnett Show. Funny stuff. We need that kind of a show back on TV. Hey Dvl, here's a youtube link to their reunion/clip show from a few years back. They use to do a Q and A session before each show and these are the highlights. [video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7aWuk0AZjQ[/video]
Do you have to wear Orange slippers and tap the heels together 3 times too? Cause.............. well I've got the orange slippers.. Tell no one
Ken..SHHH ..Me to . be our secret . then again I bet a few Browns fans have orange & Brown slippers ..shaped like footballs even
You know things aren?t necessarily going too well for the Cleveland Browns when a likely career backup is worried about the team?s recent off-field issues. According to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Brian Hoyer?a soon to be free agent?has admitted that Cleveland?s most recent off-field issues will impact his decision. "I think what happened at the end of the season (investigation into illegal electronic communication) speaks for itself,? Hoyer told the paper on Saturday. ?I mean, you don?t just leave a job to leave. So to say that I was unaware I think I?d be lying to you, but to the extent, I had no idea. I?m just as interested as all of you to see what happens." Hoyer was speaking specifically about former Browns offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan and quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains, both of whom departed the team under unflattering circumstances last month. When pressed about the situation and whether it will impact his decision in free agency, Hoyer did not hold back. "It obviously will, I think,? Hoyer said. ?I?m going to make the best decision possible. To read the stories and see what?s going on, I?m just as interested as you guys are to see where that comes out, especially because when you read it, it has to deal with the quarterback situation and play calling. That?s something that could affect how I feel about it. For me, I?m looking forward to see what comes out of that. Obviously it?s an ongoing investigation, so I?m not going to comment more than the fact that I?m just as interested as all of you are to see where that goes." Hoyer started 13 games in 2014 prior to being benched in favor of Johnny Manziel. While he did lead the Browns to a 7-6 record, Hoyer struggled big time down the stretch. In his five starts before being benched, the veteran threw one touchdown compared to eight interceptions for a 53.8 quarterback rating. Destined to hit the open market, the Michigan State product will look to find a situation where he can compete for a starting gig. As it relates to the Browns, they?re in the midst of one of the most difficult stretches in franchise history (which is saying something). In addition to Johnny Manziel entering rehab late last month, wide receiver Josh Gordon was suspended for the entire 2015 season for violating the league?s substance abuse policy. To make matters worse, the team could be facing a loss of draft picks and the suspension of general manager Ray Farmer for ?Textgate.? Like every Browns free agent, Hoyer might simply be better off moving on from what has become a disastrous situation in Cleveland.
Do Browns need more plays from linebackers? Fred Greetham OBR Senior Reporter The Browns have hard decisions ahead of them as the off-season commences. Gaining consistency and improving the pass rush coming from the OLB's is a task for the Browns personnel department. (The OBR will do a position-by-position review of each of the Browns positions as the team heads toward the 2015 season. The seventh part we?ll look at the linebackers.) The Browns linebacker corps made some strides in 2014, but still needs better play al around. Karlos Dansby proved to be a big addition in free agency as he was missed in the games he was injured. Craig Robertson rebounded well after a less than average 2013 season. Chris Kirksey proved to be a solid draft choice and should only get better and play even a bigger role in his second year. Paul Kruger rushed the passer like he was expected to when signed to a big free agent contract in 2013.. Meanwhile, Barkevious Mingo and Jabaal Sheard had less than spectacular seasons and were disappointing, in terms of rushing the passer. The coaching staff defended Mingo citing his injury and not being asked to rush the quarterback, but you don?t draft a pass rusher sixth overall, to not rush the quarterback. Here?s a capsule summary of each linebacker that was with the team at the end of the season in 2014. Karlos Dansby?Dansby finished second on the team with 93 tackles, three sacks, two passes broken up and an interception, despite missing four games due to a knee injury suffered against the Texans. Paul Kruger?Kruger led the team with 11sacks, the most since a Browns player since Kamerion Wimbley had 11 in 2006. Kurger is only the eighth played in Browns history to reach double-digit sacks in a season. Nine of his sacks came in the final 10 games. He also had 53 tackles, four passes broken up, four fumbles force and one recovered. Barkevious Mingo?Mingo played in 15 games with 11 starts and finished with 39 tackles, two sacks, four passes broken up and a fumble recovery. Mingo injured his shoulder in the preseason and played the whole season with a harness that didn?t allow him full movement in his arm. Craig Robertson?Robertson had a bounce back season with 92 tackles in 16 games with 11 starts. He finished third on the team in tackles and had four passes broken up, two interceptions and a fumble recovery for a touchdown against the Colts on Dec. 7. Chris Kirksey?Kirksey played in all 16 games, starting eight at the weak inside position. The rookie from Iowa finished fourth on the team with 75 tackles, two sacks, three passes broken up and a forced fumble. Kirksey was voted the top rookie during training camp by the local media. Tank Carder?Carder finished third on the team in special team tackles. His biggest play of the season was when he blocked a punt that went out of the end zone for a safety against the Titans in the Browns big comeback win on Oct. 5. Jabaal Sheard?Sheard finished with 44 tackles, the lowest of his four-year career with the Browns. He also had just two sacks, lowest in his career after leading the Browns in sacks in his first three seasons when he had 21 sacks in his first three seasons. He also had three passes broken up. Sheard ranks ninth on the all-time sack list for the Browns with 23, but he is an unrestricted free agent and the Browns have to decide if they plan to retain him. Scott Solomon?Solomon played in the last two games after being promoted from the practice squad and made his presence felt with seven tackles, a sack and a forced fumble. Earlier in the season, he played six games for Tampa Bay and had eight tackles and a sack with a forced fumble. Darius Eubanks?Eubanks spent the season on injured reserve after injuring his shoulder in the preseason. His primary role in the past was on special teams. Keith Pough?Pough spent most of the season on the practice squad, but was inactive for one game on the roster. Summary: The Browns have to decide if Sheard is worth retaining after a sub-par season in 2014. The Browns need Mingo and Sheard to rush the passer like Kruger did in 2014 or decide to look elsewhere, whether through free agency or the draft. Here is a list of some of the potential unrestricted free agent linebackers: Outside: Justin Houston (Chiefs), Jason Worilds (Steelers), Brian Orakpo (Redskins), John Abraham (Cardinals), Sam Acho (Cardinals), Sean Weatherspoon (Falcons), Kroy Biermann (Falcons), Pernell McPhee (Ravens), Lance Briggs (Bears), Brooks Reed (Texans), David Harris (Jets), James Harrison (Steelers), Casey Matthews (Eagles), Dwight Freeney (Chargers), Casey Matthews (Eagles) and Malcolm Smith (Seahawks) Inside: Rey Maualuga (Bengals), Rolando McClain (Cowboys) and Arthur Moats (Steelers) (Next Up: We?ll take a look at the defensive line) theOBR.com Recommended Stories
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- I'm hearing that Browns General Manager Ray Farmer is indeed a target in the texting investigation, just as NEOMG's Mary Kay Cabot first reported. I don't know the extent of the texts that Farmer sent during games, or the content. I do know the Browns have been co-operating with the NFL investigation, and they know rules were broken. And yes, I keep hearing that Farmer was texting someone on the coaching staff during the game -- a real violation, even if the texts were rather meaningless. Assuming Farmer is involved, there are several issues: 1. What will be the penalty? Odds are, he will face a suspension of some type. And yes, the team may lose a middle-round draft pick. 2. The image of the Browns takes another hit -- and a very dumb one. Like most of the NFL's "scandals," you end up asking, "Why run the risk and break this rule? What is the gain?" The same is true of deflated footballs or taping the walk-through of an opposing team during a practice. It makes no sense. 3. Even smart people do nonsensical things. Most explanations sound lame when the person speaking actually listens to their own words. Of all the Browns, Farmer should know better because he has been in the NFL for 15 years as a player, scout and front office executive. 4. What does this mean to Farmer's future here? The temptation is say, "He has to be fired!" After all, these are the Browns. That's what they do. LET'S COUNT THE CHANGES Consider the following recent Browns front offices: 2012: Mike Holmgren/Tom Heckert. 2013: Joe Banner/Mike Lombardi. 2014: Ray Farmer. So if you remove Farmer, you will have the 2015 draft being run by the fourth GM in four years? Is there any wonder why Browns drafts seem to be such a mess? I'm just going to break down the first three rounds of the last three drafts: 2012: Trent Richardson (1), Brandon Weeden (1), Mitchell Schwartz (2), Josh Gordon (2, supplemental draft), John Hughes (3) -- by Heckert. 2013: Barkevious Mingo (1), Leon McFadden (3) -- by Banner/Lombardi. 2014: Justin Gilbert (1), Johnny Manziel (1), Joel Bitonio (2), Chris Kirksey (3), Terrance West (3) -- by Farmer. Heckert was drafting for a West Coast offense (Pat Shurmur) and a 4-3 defense (Dick Jauron). Banner/Lombardi were drafting for a 3-4 defense (Ray Horton) and more of a standard pocket-passing offense with deep throws (Norv Turner). Farmer was picking for a slightly different 3-4 defense (Mike Pettine) and a run-first offense (Kyle Shanahan). Starting over? I really don't want to think about it. In 2015, at least the Browns will have the same defense for a second year -- Pettine's version of the 3-4. John DeFilippo is the new offensive coordinator, and he's not held that job in the NFL. I'm not sure what he'll run. I do know this: When you have different people picking different players for different systems each year -- you lose. Day four of Cleveland Browns training camp in Berea Jimmy Haslam should be careful before thinking about breaking up his management team of Ray Farmer and Mike Pettine. John Kuntz, The Plain Dealer NOW WHAT? Owner Jimmy Haslam has to wait for the league to rule on the texting issue. Is Farmer the only one involved? How many texts were sent? What was the information being exchanged? After that, the question is what should Haslam do? I'm hearing the Browns will retain Farmer, unless there is something revealed that was unknown to them. I also tend to favor keeping Farmer. I know, fans are screaming about last year's draft. The Gilbert pick is clearly Farmer's idea. He did consult with Pettine. Both wanted an athletic cornerback, and they actually traded up (adding a fifth-rounder) to take Gilbert. He had a miserable rookie season, was late for some meetings and practices, finally benched for the final game and left in the clubhouse with Johnny Manziel (also being disciplined) as the Browns lost, 20-10, in Baltimore. Haslam appears to have had some influence in the selection of Manziel at No. 22, so that's not entirely on Farmer. The Browns added a third-rounder in a trade with Philadelphia to move up from 25th to take Manziel, who is now at a rehabilitation clinic. For what it's worth, I wonder if the Browns actually had to trade up to take either player. Hard to know. I do know that most draft services had Gilbert rated as the top cornerback, as I wrote a few weeks ago. And as I've written before, the rest of the draft, along with the undrafted free agents, reflect well on Farmer's judgment. OK, I still don't understand his aversion to receivers. I also expect that to change a bit, although perhaps not by using a first-round pick on someone to catch the ball. The 2014 draft was run by a rookie general manager (Farmer) and a rookie coach (Pettine) with an inexperienced owner (Haslam). That is asking for trouble, and the Browns found it in the first round. TRY AGAIN? This mess shows how Haslam needs to take firmer control of his operation. Clearly, there were problems at the top of his Pilot Flying J organization, as the FBI investigation revealed. Haslam was never charged with anything, but others faced legal action. Now, there are issues with the Browns. Haslam has to look in the mirror for the source of some of these problems. He needs to concentrate on making his front office run well. As for the draft, Pettine and Farmer will have a better idea of the type of players they need after their experience with the 2014 roster. Farmer did unearth some talent in the lower rounds. I also like his key free agents -- Karlos Dansby and Donte Whitner. Yes, veteran running back Ben Tate was cut, but he was relatively inexpensive. Tate's guaranteed money was $2.5 million. Shopping for a general manager at this late date is asking for yet another lousy draft. Yes, they have some experienced front office people such as Bill Kuharich (Executive Chief of Staff), Morocco Brown (V.P. Player Personnel) and others. Virtually all the top people on the football side were hired by Farmer. The last time the same general manager ran at least two drafts in a row was Heckert (2010-12). Starting over? I really don't want to think about it. ?Terry's Talkin' Cavs. ?Terry's Talkin' Indians.
My friend Irish, I guess the point I am trying to make is that I DON'T want to pass on a player like Haloti NGata to draft another Kameron Wimbley. And while Wimbley was a bigger roster hole to fill Ngata (apparently a so called luxury pick at the time, and the player I wanted the Browns to draft all along) as we all know turned into the more impactful player for his career. I know that there are many holes to fill, I just don't want to see the Browns miss another opportunity like that to build that championship caliber roster. p.s. Yes I'm still perturbed about how the Browns went about that draft. *ROSE* *KISSING* *ROSE* *WALL* *WALL*
The Rams are hoping to restructure the final year of Sam Bradford's contract. After back-to-back ACL tears, Bradford's 2015 base salary stands at $12.985 million. Per beat writer Jim Thomas, the Rams would like to reduce that salary and potentially turn whatever is chopped into incentives Bradford could earn back based on performance. Outright releasing Bradford would save St. Louis all of the $12.985 million, but is considered unlikely.
The Cleveland Browns? quarterback situation is decidedly unsettled at the current moment, with the futures of free agent Brian Hoyer and Johnny Manziel in Northeast Ohio both in question at the present moment. One out-of-house option that hasn?t really been discussed a lot is Tampa Bay Bucs QB Mike Glennon, who ESPN?s Chris Mortensen believes could be a solid trade fit for the team heading into 2015. Via Schein On Sports: ?Well, listen. Go out and I?d say, go back and look, even for the cynics, go back and look at some of his past work now. I don?t know how many games he has played in, 20, 21, 19, whatever, his numbers are pretty good. In retrospect, it shows Greg Schiano identified a valuable quarterback. And when you play in the AFC North, man, those big-armed, strong guys, that?s what you win with. Joe Flacco, Ben Roethlisberger. Now I am not saying Glennon is in that category. That?s the type of guy, if I were Cleveland, I?d be looking to see if I could make a play for him. And I think Jimmy Haslam, the owner, knows that Mike Glennon is a guy that they should be considering.? Glennon stands at 6-foot-6, 226 pounds, and has completed 58.8 percent of his passes for 4,025 yards with 29 touchdowns and 15 interceptions over his past two seasons in Tampa (which includes 18 starts).
The Morning Kickoff ? Get it right: The most under-coached position in the NFL is quarterback. Gary Danielson said that to me 29 years ago. It?s still true today. Quarterbacks need so much coaching for a variety of reasons. Start with the fact they play the most demanding position in sports ? mentally, physically and emotionally. They need to be the most mentally tough player on the team. Especially now, young quarterbacks usually come from simplified college offenses that don?t prepare them well for the complexities of the NFL game. Often, they need to be deprogrammed before they can be schooled up. Then there?s the fact that when the season starts, the backup quarterback spends the majority of his time simulating the opposing quarterback on the scout team. This is when quarterbacks can lose their fundamentals. Then all of a sudden, they?re thrown into the fire. The job of coaching quarterbacks is so vast, it takes two people to get it right. ?I always liked the double-barrelled thing,? said Ernie Accorsi, former NFL general manager with the Baltimore Colts, Browns and Giants. Accorsi believed in supporting a young quarterback with an experienced coach and also an experienced quarterback. The coach handled the fundamentals, the veteran tutored the young QB on the mental approach to the NFL game. Which brings us to the Browns. Which brings us to Kevin O?Connell. Out of the box: O?Connell will be announced as the Browns? quarterbacks coach sometime this week. He is 29 and has never coached in the NFL. Nor in college. Nor in high school. O?Connell was a third-round draft pick of Patriots coach Bill Belichick in 2008. One year later, he was beaten out as Tom Brady?s backup by Brian Hoyer, who was undrafted in 2009. O?Connell was waived He was claimed in 2009 by the Lions and then traded to the Jets for a seventh-round draft choice. He spent that season with the Jets. Coach Rex Ryan made him a captain for one game against Belichick?s Patriots. Browns coach Mike Pettine was Ryan?s defensive coordinator and Browns offensive coordinator John DeFilippo was the quarterbacks coach. O?Connell was released the following training camp, and then bounced around with the Dolphins and Chargers before turning to broadcasting and then working with George Whitfield, a certifiable quarterback ?guru,? to prepare college quarterbacks for the NFL combine. One of O?Connell?s pupils was Johnny Manziel ... and, voila, he?s the Browns? new quarterbacks coach. Bruce Feldman, a FoxSports columnist, worked closely for two years with Whitfield and O?Connell and others to research his book, ?The QB: Making of Modern Quarterbacks.? In a recent appearance on Cleveland Browns Daily, Feldman said this about O?Connell: ?Kevin O?Connell might have been the most impressive guy I dealt with in the whole process for over those two years. He?s way mature beyond his years. He?s on top of everything. He?s very well-wired into the NFL. I know he had the chance to be a college quarterback coach at a pretty good level and turned it down. I figured Kevin was either going to be a star as a football analyst on TV or he was going to go into coaching and be a star there.? On Saturday, Hoyer disclosed that O?Connell spent three or four days in Pettine?s first training camp as an observer at practice and in quarterback meetings. What does it mean?: So now the Browns have an offensive coordinator (DeFilippo) who has never been a coordinator in the NFL or called plays before, and a quarterbacks coach (O?Connell) who has never been a coach at any level of football. I?ve seen a lot in 30 years of covering the Browns. But I don?t think I?ve seen a greener combination of coaches dedicated to the toughest position in sports. I?m sure this speaks to the difficulty Pettine had in filling these coaching positions after Kyle Shanahan went nuclear in disclosing the dysfunction in the Browns? 2014 season. It makes you wonder. If owner Jimmy Haslam and GM Ray Farmer could pressure an experienced, hard-headed coach like Shanahan, what chance do DeFilippo and O?Connell have in doing their jobs without interference? We don?t even know who the Browns? quarterbacks will be in 2015. But now we know who will be coaching them. Does anybody feel good about this?
Simple answer: NO! I would also like to take exception to the public flogging of Manziel & Gilbert. Someone tell me how publicly punishing one of their players works better than doing so privately. I don't get it. I just don't. Does anyone think that disciplining someone publicly does anything to instill loyalty, make them more committed to thier team, team mates, and coaches? Dumb, duimb, dumb. If you aren't reaching the guy then half of the blame is on you, or you just have a guy who won't ever listen. Let's for a moment consider that maybe one of the 3 guys you decided to publicly embarass, has some talent, and could be a truly good NFL player. You just gave them another reason to be bitter, treating them like a child, and at the same diminished their value to any team that may have had interest in a trade. Someone tell me the upside. Yeah, it makes some feel good that they punished a guy who they think isn't pulling his wieght, but how does that help the team, or motivate the player. Sitting the guy on the sidelines and tellling him there is "no way" he will get on the field today, punishes him in the same way but doesn't necessarily make him the subject of public ridicule, or the first question in the new conference, where, if you have any class, you say he had some nagging injury but wanted to be there, for his team mates, providing some cover so as to show support for the player going forward, but punishing him for what he has done. The handling of players is an art. Getting the most of a disparite group of players requires a varied approach, fairness and sameness aren't the same thing.
As for Farmer............. Wow! Really? Will the adult in the room, please stand up. Quite a staff we are putting together. A meddlesome owner's dream: not one guy with enough standing in the league to stand up to him. I feel like we playing the lottery purposely taking "long odds" in hopes of a Big Payday. The Oconnell choice rubs me the wrong way, but mainly because it reeks of Manziel influenced thinking. Yeah I know you can argue it's the right way to go so we can find out what Johnny has to offer. My problem is I just don't think he's got enough to offer to skew the coaching choice in his direction, but I know it's a prejudice not a dispassionate evaluation. No he hasn't had enough time to be discarded, logically, but I'd be OK with it tomorrow. Just not a believer.
The massive popularity of the NFL can be attributed to several sources, but any list of them is incomplete without mention of what Ed Sabol did at NFL Films after starting the company in 1964. Sabol?s movies about the NFL became part of the fabric of the game to the point that he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011 and they will be celebrated along with the rest of his life after the sad news Monday of his death at the age of 98. Sabol?s work with the NFL began in 1962 when he doubled the standing bid to film the NFL title game between the Giants and Packers and his company quickly became a hothouse of innovations that have changed the way we watch all sports. They were at the forefront of putting microphones on players and coaches to capture the sound of the game and matching footage to music and the inimitable tones of John Facenda made NFL Films productions stand out in a way no one had seen before. Those production values and Sabol?s sharp eye, later matched by his late son Steve, for ways to make the films gripping portrayals of NFL action proved invaluable as the sport grew over the next five decades. For many of us writing and reading this website, the Sabols? work is a major part of the reason we love the game of football and we send our deepest condolences to the Sabol family and friends in their moment of grief.
Every member of the quarterback class of 2012 has become eligible to do a second contract. With much of the speculation centering on Russell Wilson and Andrew Luck, David Hyde of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel has thrown another name into the mix: Ryan Tannehill. Hyde reports, citing an unnamed source, that the ?framework? of a seven-year contract worth $105 million currently is being discussed. Multiple sources with knowledge of the situation tell PFT, however, that negotiations have not yet commenced. One source said that, while the situation could change, discussions aren?t happening. Another source said that talks haven?t started, but the source expressed optimism that discussions will occur, at the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. Tannehill is under contract through 2015. The team has a fifth-year option that, if exercised, would pay Tannehill in 2016 the average of the 10 highest quarterback cap numbers in 2015. The structure to any new contract would be the key, along with the amounts paid out in the early years of the deal. If the Dolphins believe Tannehill is poised for a breakthrough season in 2015, it makes sense to lock him up now. If they don?t and if he becomes one of the top quarterbacks in the game, it could become much more expensive to lock him up later.
RIP MR Sabol ..very fond memories growing up listening to & watching the marvel that was and still is NFL Films . First John Facenda and his legendary voice then Harry Kalas . not sure who does it now but it will never be the same .
RIP Mr Sabol... His innovative and creative films used to get me through the long off season till opening day. He will be sorely missed.
