The Pat's still have Daniel Fells, Brandon Ford, Michael Hoomanawanui, and Zach Sudfeld listed on their roster. They picked up Jake Ballard last year, but i cant find him listed on anything. Could Tebow do it? yeah...but he has some experienced guys ahead of him.
J. Gordon is a joke.....making big time mistakes and not learning from them....he will b done soon if he continues on this path.
TGIF Lounge Houndz 8) I?ll buy the next round. *DRINK* Duff I?ll take a supersized mug of Bluez?s Makers Mark. [video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFK--PFz9DY[/video] Me too *THUMBSUP* Have a great weekend all
Maybe ESPN should bring back Playmakers. Not as a scripted show, but as a documentary. At a time when a prominent NFL player faces apparently significant entanglement in a murder investigation, the league?s newest owner could eventually find himself facing a federal indictment. According to Nate Rau of the Tennessean, Pilot Flying J executive Jay Stinnett stated in his plea agreement that ?senior management were aware of the rebate reduction scheme? that has resulted in five guilty pleas, with possibly more on the way. The document, per Rau, doesn?t identify specific members of senior management. The most senior member of management is Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, the CEO of Pilot Flying J. Stinnett began cooperating with the federal government the same day the IRS and FBI showed up unannounced to search corporate headquarters, and other locations. Stinnett agreed to cooperate with investigators and to testify in any court proceedings. The investigation focuses on rebates and discounts that were not given to customers deemed too unsophisticated to realize they were being shorted. Throughout the process, Haslam has downplayed the extent of the scam and denied any knowledge of it on his watch. Look for the authorities to continue working their way up the Pilot Flying J ladder, prosecuting as far as the evidence will take them ? even if (or especially if) it takes them all the way to the top of the company.
Hello, is this the Police?" "Yes. What do you want?" "I'm calling to report about my neighbor Billy Smith! He is hiding marijuana inside his firewood." "Thank y...ou very much for the call, sir." The next day, the Police descend on Billy?s house. They search the shed where the firewood is kept. Using axes, they bust open every piece of wood, but find no marijuana. They swore at Billy and left. The phone rings at Billy's house: "Hey, Billy Bob! Did the Police come?" "Yeah!" "Did they chop your firewood?" "Yep." "Merry Christmas, Buddy"
CHARLOTTE, N.C. ? On a recent spring morning, Joe DeLamielleure awoke at 5:15 to slip into his New Balance sneakers and walk out of his sleepy neighborhood for a 10-mile trek back and forth to church. The former NFL offensive lineman has been a regular at St. Matthew?s sunrise services for five years, but in April the grandfather known as ?Joe Gump? to his six children began hoofing it to mass. He?s not seeking salvation in the Charlotte humidity and is definitely not saving soles. DeLamielleure is training for a 213-mile walk to raise awareness and money for children in need of prosthetics. ?If it were anybody else I?d say they were crazy,? former Browns linebacker and teammate Dick Ambrose said. ?But Joe is always up for something like this. It?s an incredible idea and he?s the kind of guy who cares deeply about many things.? At an age when the most strenuous activity for the average retired pro athlete is lifting the golf bag from the trunk to the back of the riding cart, the 62-year-old DeLamielleure will walk from Buffalo, where his NFL career started in 1973, to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, where he was enshrined 30 years later. The former Bills and Browns guard played 13 NFL seasons, establishing league rushing records with O.J. Simpson, reaching the playoffs with Brian Sipe and making six Pro Bowls. Then, his life got really interesting. ? He was swindled out of his savings and wore a wire for the FBI to put the man who conned him and others behind bars. ? He started a moving company with his son and mowed lawns on the side to provide for his family. ? He came out of retirement at age 41 to play arena football. ? He railed against the NFL establishment, demanding improved benefits for retired players, and had the former head of the players union threaten to break his neck. ? He rode a bike 2,000 miles to Mexico alongside two former Michigan State teammates to raise money for an orphanage. DeLamielleure had never ridden a bike and made the whole trip without shifting from second gear. ?Joe is like a chipmunk on speed,? said Gerri, his wife of 41 years. ?He?s constantly going in seven different directions, but that?s just who he is. He?s a busy man who has to stay busy.? DeLamielleure chuckles at the comparison to Tom Hanks? character in Forrest Gump. His life has been filled with athletic achievement and unexpected brushes with history. He attended Super Bowl III on a University of Miami recruiting trip when Joe Namath made good on his famous prediction. He played in Red Right 88. He sat in a television studio talking with CNN producers as his former teammate Simpson took America on a slow-speed chase in a white Ford Bronco in 1994. Nineteen years later, DeLamiellerue was sweating under the North Carolina sun, cursing at motorists who litter his training route with cigarette butts and preparing his body for his latest adventure. His feet swell, he said, from years of playing on artificial surfaces, his memory lapses from numerous concussions and the hearing in his left ear has been significantly reduced from countless head slaps courtesy of defensive lineman. But his motivation is unwavering. Six months ago, he met Joey Funderburk, a 20-year-old Romanian immigrant who was born without legs due to a rare birth defect. So inspired by the young man?s story to earn money for a new set of prosthetic legs, DeLamielleure decided to champion his cause. The former offensive guard, who remains at his playing weight of 254 pounds, will begin his walk on July 10 with hopes of reaching the HOF steps 10 days later. ?We?re just a couple of ordinary Joes trying to do something extraordinary,? DeLamielleure said. ?There are kids and wounded soldiers all over the country that need these (prosthetics). This is the perfect opportunity to bring attention to this stuff.? ?That's a true story? His morning workout complete, DeLamielleure sat in his living room, the sound of a train whistle interrupting his conversation with visitors. It is the ring tone on his cellphone which constantly hums with inquires about upcoming jobs and projects. DeLamielleure serves as a celebrity host for Buffalo-area casinos, gives motivational speeches and runs a business -- Joe D Bands -- that markets exercise stretch bands and other fitness products. Steady income aside, Joe D gets paid mostly for being Joe D. His life is a reality show minus the cameras. A natural-born storyteller, DeLamielleure is the ninth of 10 kids from greater Detroit who grew up in his father?s bar filling salt and pepper shakers instead of attending kindergarten. He?s kept a daily diary since 1983. His tales are woven with humor and lack political correctness. He lovingly refers to one set of grandchildren, raised Catholic and converting to Judaism, as ?my cashews.? Nuggets from an afternoon in DeLamielleure?s company: ? On a life spent mostly in Great Lakes cities (Detroit, Buffalo and Cleveland) : ?I was always worried Gary, Ind. was going to get an expansion team.? ? On his replica Hall of Fame bust that sits in a living-room display case: ?When I?m out of town my wife puts it on the pillow beside her to scare away crooks.? ? On his late father?s salty language around men at the bar: ?My dad looked like Archie Bunker and if you took the ?F word? out his vocabulary he was a mute.? ? On Gerri whom he met in first grade: ?I?ve never not known my wife and she?s never not known me and we?re not from West Virginia.? ? On how he got so tough growing up in a large family: ?I slept with two of my brothers and I was a bed wetter. They beat the hell out of me.? DeLamielleure can still recite lineups from Detroit sports teams of his youth, but his idols were his siblings and parents, Joseph and Mary. He takes great pride in knowing the Victory Inn remains family owned. In 1969, DeLamielleure had narrowed his college choices to Michigan, Michigan State and Notre Dame. He leaned toward playing for Bo Schembechler and the Wolverines, but his father objected on religious and phonetic grounds. ?I said, ?Dad, I want to go to Michigan and he said, ?No, I don?t want you to go there cause I can?t pronounce that guy?s name,?? DeLamielleure said. ?Then I said, ?OK, I?m going to Notre Dame. He says, ?No that coach (Ara Parseghian) is a phony, a Protestant coaching at a Catholic School. You go to Michigan State ? Duffy (Daugherty) is a Catholic. That?s how I ended up at Michigan State. True story.? DeLamieulleure?s father had taken his son to the Lions? annual Thanksgiving Day game in 1962 and told him that he would one day play in it. In his rookie season of 1973, DeLamielleure became a member of the ?Electric Company,? the Bills offensive line that helped Simpson set an NFL single-season rushing record with 2,003 yards. The Bills played in Detroit that Thanksgiving and the ?Juice? ran wild for 270 yards. Weeks earlier, DeLamielleure?s father had suffered a heart attack and the rookie figured his dad would not attend the game. But standing outside the locker room waiting for his son was a weakened Joseph. ?I said, ?Dad, what are you doing here? You shouldn't even be here, are you crazy?? DeLamielleure recalled. ?He said, ?Don't you remember what I said in 1962? I wasn't going to miss this for the world.? That?s a true story.? Big families and children are important to DeLamielleure. He and Gerri not only raised their four biological kids, but adopted two boys from South Korea. With all six kids living under one roof and his best earning years behind him, DeLamielleure woke up one morning in 1991 to discover his life savings had disappeared in a business deal gone bad. ?Like kangaroos? The DeLamielleures live in a three-bedroom ranch in a quiet neighborhood on the city?s southeast side. There is no gate in front of the driveway or evidence that an NFL great resides on the premises. The Hall of Famer drives a 2005 Nissan Frontier covered with ?Joe D Bands? placards. He cuts grass with a 12-year-old Toro mower. In a bow to extravagance, DeLamielleure recently drove the family?s 2005 Honda Accord to Northeast Ohio and traded up for a 2010 Honda Accord at Mike Pruitt?s dealership. ?Joe D still has the first $5 given to him for his first communion,? former Browns coach Sam Rutigliano said. Two decades ago the frugal football player nearly lost everything. DeLamielleure, along with 13 other investors, including former Bills teammates, were swindled in an elaborate fraud. The scam left him $135,000 in debt and cost DeLamielleure his two Charlotte-area restaurants. In search of justice, he agreed to wear a hidden microphone to meetings with the target of the FBI probe. The information helped convict Michael Paul Schaefer and associates in 1993. Although the family received several restitution checks, they didn?t come close to covering his losses. DeLamielleure had left a $75,000 position as a national account manager for a garbage container company several years earlier to coach high school football. There was no time to second guess decisions, however. He took multiple jobs to support the household instead of declaring bankruptcy. ?My wife said we?re like kangaroos now: We can?t go backward, we have to go forward,? he said. DeLamielleure continued to coach prep football. He mowed lawns, founded a moving company and dabbled in boxing. He also played for the Charlotte Rage, an arena league team. On May 21, 1992, he fought Charlie ?The Preacherman? Hopkins to a 10-round draw for $3,000 at Charlotte Motor Speedway before heading to practice with the Rage. DeLamielleure made $500 a game, earning extra money as the franchise?s community relations director. ?These kids knew I had played in the NFL,? he said. ?I had a running back cut (block) me and say, ?I?m sorry, sir.? I told him, ?Don?t you ever say that again.?? Rutligliano found him more suitable employment in 1994, adding DeLamielleure to his coaching staff at Liberty University. Fourteen years earlier, the Browns coach had acquired the right guard in what Rutigliano considers one of the best trades in team history. The Browns won their division in 1980 but suffered a crushing playoff loss to Oakland on a day so cold that DeLamielleure didn?t realize he had broken his hand until three hours after the game. His best shot at a Super Bowl ended on Sipe?s ill-advised pass that was intercepted in the end zone with the Browns in field-goal range and trailing by two points. ?The ball whizzed right by my helmet,? he said. ?I wish it had hit me in the head.? DeLamielleure cherished his reunion with Rutigliano in Lynchburg, Va. It was also there where he endured one of his most surreal experiences. CNN had called him on June 17, 1994 for an interview about Simpson, his former teammate turned suspect in the deaths of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman. DeLamielleure sat in a television studio as the world watched Simpson in the back of his Bronco, a precession of police cars and news helicopters tracking his every move. ?I thought he was going to kill himself,? DeLamielleure said. ?I just remember feeling so sorry for the kids who had lost their mother and might be losing their dad.? DeLamielleure has spoken to Simpson twice since that day ? the former Bills legend placing a congratulatory phone call after DeLamielleure?s Hall of Fame induction. The two men made NFL history together in 1973. Forty years later, one serves time in a Nevada prison on charges stemming from a 2007 armed robbery, while the other slowly has regained financial solvency after a bad business decision. ?You talk about the ethics and commitment to doing whatever it takes to survive,? said Cleveland resident Eljay Bowdon, a Michigan State teammate of DeLamielleure and former director of the Secret Service. ?This is a hall-of-famer who . . . wasn?t too good to do anything to make a buck for his family.? Against the wind On a sunlit afternoon, the inspirational source behind DeLamielleure?s latest charitable endeavor wheels into his driveway. Joey Funderburk once walked on his hands to navigate the floors of a Romanian orphanage. Now, he uses them to drive a car. ?Here?s a kid who has had to overcome a lot in his life,? said DeLamielleure as he greeted Funderburk. The 20-year-old possesses a wiry frame with muscular arms. Funderburk is outgoing and articulate, a spiritual kid with a televangelist?s charisma. Before they ate lunch at Chick-fil-A, he bowed his head and asked God to bless their food before adding, ?Thank you, Lord, for sending (DeLamielleure) our way.? The ?ordinary Joes? met in January just two months after Funderburk was fitted for a new pair of prosthetic legs at a cost of $120,000. DeLamielleure was staggered by the sum and amazed how the enterprising youngster raised money selling doughnuts from a stand that he set up in front of stores in Charlotte and Rock Hill, S.C. DeLamielleure became a board member for the family?s non-profit charity, Grace?s Lamp, which assists others with children in need of prosthetics and also deals with adoptions, missions and medical needs. The Funderburks were overwhelmed to learn of the Hall-of-Fame walk idea. ?I like the fact he will do something when he says he will do it,? Funderburk said. ?He?s a Hall of Famer, but he?s not stuck up. He?s humble and he wants to help others.? Not everyone shares that opinion of DeLamielleure and he knows it. He?s made adversaries in football with his outspoken nature and tendency to follow a different agenda. DeLamielleure concedes he was fired in 2000 as a Duke assistant in part because he didn?t get along with some coaches. ?I think I?m a nice guy, but I?m very irritating to a lot of people if you want to go by the book,? he said. A fiery advocate for NFL players who retired prior to 1993, DeLamielleure repeatedly has criticized the league and its players union over what he believes is insufficient compensation. He had toxic relations with former union boss Gene Upshaw, who threatened to break his agitator?s neck. DeLamielleure is among the 4,000-plus players to join the concussion lawsuit against the NFL. ?I said to (commissioner) Roger Goodell and Upshaw six years ago . . . all we need is a livable pension and health benefits, that?s all,? said DeLamielleure who draws $2,828 from his monthly pension. ?None of this would have happened six years ago if they had given us a livable pension. Then lawyers got involved and (there was) talk about concussions and they sign up 4,000 guys -- some people who played one year. My prediction: the lawyers are going to get rich and we?re going to get nothing. ?(NFL Players Association president) DeMaurice Smith is as phony as Upshaw.? The NFLPA did not respond to an email request seeking comment. ?(Hall of Fame tight end) Dave Casper said to me, ?Why do you complain so much? You didn?t plan on getting rich,?? recalled DeLamielleure, who never made more than $200,000 in a season. ? I said ?No, I didn?t, but I didn?t plan on making these guys who are playing today rich beyond belief and their families rich. Why are these guys making all this money and my wife has to work (for benefits)?? Behind the volatility, Ambrose said DeLamielleure means well. ?Some might like to take a wall down brick by brick,? said Ambrose, a Cuyahoga County Common Pleas judge. ?Joe wants to smash through it. You probably wouldn?t want him as a diplomat defusing a war situation. ?But if you have a cause and Joe is behind it, he?s going to be a motivating force. He goes 100 percent just like he did in football.? DeLamielleure is rich in character and contradiction -- a man who grew up in a bar that doesn?t smoke or drink, a former player who says he can produce documentation stating he?s 88 percent disabled that is planning a 213-mile walk next month. Four years ago, a former MSU teammate and Cleveland native John Shinsky looked to raise $1 million for the City of Children Orphanage in Mexico. DeLamielleure agreed to a fund-raising bike trip from East Lansing, Mich., to the orphanage despite never having ridden one. Shinsky, Bowden and DeLamielleure pedaled for 18 days through rain and storms. The former lineman struggled to shift gears so he elected to remain in second regardless of the terrain. ?I marveled at how he got up those hills in Tennessee,? Bowden said. ?I told him he should do it again on a unicycle. We?ll bill it as One Man, One Wheel, One Gear.? The man who protected presidents also recalled another detail from the trip: DeLamielleure was already toying with the idea of walking to the hall of fame. He just needed the right cause. Bowden is accompanying his friend on the Buffalo-to-Canton jaunt. He will coordinate hotels and drive a car along the route to ensure DeLamielleure?s safe passage. Forrest Gump criss-crossed the nation for three years, two months, 14 days and 16 hours to put the past behind him. Joe Gump is walking 10 days to help provide a better future for kids in need of prosthetics. ?(Tennis legend) Arthur Ashe once said, ?You make a living by what you earn, but you make a life by what you give,?? Rutigliano said. ?That is how Joe D lives his life.? JOE DeLAMIELLEURE FILE Age: 62. Hometown: Center Line, Mich. Residence: Charlotte, N.C. College: Michigan State. Position: Guard. NFL experience: 13 seasons with Buffalo and Browns. Career highlights: Selected by Bills in first round of 1973 draft ... Played for the Bills from 1973-1979, 1985 and for the Browns 1980-1984 ... Played in 185 consecutive games ... Anchored Bills "Electric Company" offensive line ... Best known as lead blocker for O.J. Simpson, NFL's first 2000-yard rusher, 1973 ... Selected All-Pro 1975 through 1980 ... Named to six Pro Bowls ... Inducted into Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2003. Source: Pro Football Hall of Fame. -- Tom Reed
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Take a break from the heat, we're talkin' ... About the young Browns . . . Question: Who is the Browns' oldest player guaranteed to make the roster? Answer: Backup quarterback Jason Campbell at 31. Question: Any other Browns players at least 30? Answer: Kicker Shayne Graham (35), but he's not promised a job. Veteran offensive tackle Rashad Butler is 30, but he's missed 30 of 32 games the past two seasons and may not make the team. It's possible the Browns will have only one player at least 30 when the season opens -- Campbell. Starting quarterback Brandon Weeden turns 30 on Oct. 14. The old man of the defense is D'Qwell Jackson, who will be 30 on Sept. 23. Last season, the Browns led all teams with 87 starts by 10 rookies. That probably won't happen this year. Top pick Barkevious Mingo may not start every game because the Browns have several outside linebackers. Third-rounder Leon McFadden has a chance to start at cornerback. But with no picks in the second, fourth and fifth rounds -- there won't be many starts from rookies. The Browns had the NFL's third youngest Week 1 roster with an average age of 26 years, 40 days. They probably will be among the NFL's youngest teams once again. From the end of the season, the message of the new front office -- at least in terms of the big picture -- has remained much the same. The Browns will be young, and they will build through the draft and with selective veteran free agents. The faces of the front office and coaching staff have changed. The approaches to offense and defense have been dramatically revamped. A glance reveals a more experienced and intriguing coaching staff. Rob Chudzinski is a rookie head coach, but he's surrounded by veteran coordinators Norv Turner (offense), Ray Horton (defense) and Chris Tabor (special teams). So I'm not saying it will just be more of the same with a record of 5-11 or 4-12 , along with yet another pitiful offense. But keeping the roster young remains a huge goal. Last year, only St. Louis and Seattle were younger than the Browns. About the Browns . . . 1. I like how Rob Chudzinski and his coaching staff handled Brandon Weeden in the minicamps. They didn't officially name him the starter, but put him in the best position to win the job. They know quarterback competitions where no one is consistently working with the starters is destructive. 2. Baltimore had Barkevious Mingo "high" on its draft board, according to a top executive who'd know. The Ravens really like Mingo's speed and considered the Browns' top pick the type of player who would fit in well with their aggressive defense. That's promising, because the aggressive Ravens/Steelers style is what defensive coordinator Ray Horton wants to play here. 3. Colt McCoy seems secure as San Francisco's backup quarterback behind Colin Kaepernick. Coach Jim Harbaugh told the media: "He has been in that role since he got here. He's doing very well, picking up the system. And a guy that is really serious and focused on being good and doing a good job. He's got a lot of things that motivate him to work hard." 4. Players often talk about respect. And players can cheer for any team or player, especially in another sport. And young players who have been handed millions of dollars aren't the maturest folks on the planet. But Josh Gordon needs to remember he was suspended for two games for flunking an NFL drug test. Why rub it into the faces of the Cleveland fans who were rooting for LeBron James to lose to San Antonio Spurs? It's just a dumb thing to do. 5. I'm not going to dwell on some of the silly Tweets from Gordon and Phil Taylor. But I will say that more and more, I understand why some top Browns operatives told me that they were concerned about the "entitlement mentality" of some of the players. Gordon can be a terrific player if he takes his job seriously. If not, he should remember this front office and coaching staff didn't draft him.
stopper when Gordon was acting like a idiot Taylor decided to join in as well trolling Cleveland fans .
The Morning Kickoff ? The all-time Browns top five: Although the Browns under Paul Brown were ahead of their time in the passing game, their running backs historically elicited the loudest roars in cavernous Cleveland Municipal Stadium. If you count Bobby Mitchell, whom the Browns drafted as a halfback and was converted to flanker after a trade to Washington, the Browns have placed four running backs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Only the Chicago Bears can match that feat, and they preceded the Browns to the NFL by 30 years. Because he only played four seasons with the Browns, Mitchell doesn?t even crack the franchise?s all-time top five at the position. 1. Jim Brown, 1957-65, 12,312 career rushing yards and NFL-high average of 5.22 yards, three-time league MVP, eight rushing titles and nine Pro Bowls in nine seasons. Still the conscience of the position 47 years after he retired, Brown recently rejoined the Browns as a special adviser. At 77, Brown?s stooped gait, the result of a degenerative stenosis condition, belies his amazing durability and power as a runner. Brown played at 235 pounds and could carry defenders for a ride and outrun those 40 pounds lighter. He never missed a game in nine seasons. Brown?s left tackle, Dick Schafrath, once told me, ?I have never seen a ballplayer in my life where every play was 100 percent all out. He never coasted on a play.? In 2010, NFL Network commissioned a ?blue ribbon panel? of experts to rank the greatest NFL players of all time. Inexplicably, Brown finished second to San Francisco 49ers receiver Jerry Rice. 2. Marion Motley, 1946-53, 4,720 career yards, only 1,696 in 54 career NFL games, and 5.6-yard career average. Motley essentially was signed by Brown as a roommate for Bill Willis when the Browns founding coach broke the color barrier in 1946. Motley was 26 when he joined the Browns. By the time the team was absorbed into the NFL in 1950, Motley was 30 and had two bad knees. Yet he led the league in rushing with 810 yards and a 5.8 average. Motley?s 17.09-yard rushing average in a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1950 (11 carries, 188 yards) remains one of the league?s oldest records. Counting his four seasons in the All-America Football Conference, Motley?s career rushing average of 5.6 yards obliterates Brown?s NFL record of 5.22. In 1968, Motley became the second African-American inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He also doubled as a linebacker on goal-line and short-yardage plays. Paul Brown once said he believed Motley would have made the Hall of Fame as a full-time linebacker. 3. Leroy Kelly, 1964-73, 7,274 career yards, two rushing titles, one punt return title and six Pro Bowls. An understudy to Jim Brown for two years, he shared the backfield with Brown one time in a game in 1965. When Brown shocked the city and the league by abruptly retiring the following summer, Kelly stepped in and rattled off three consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons ? when 1,000 yards meant something. In those seasons, Kelly?s average yards per rush was 5.5, 5.1 and 5.0. He was the last Brown to lead the NFL in rushing in 1967. When he retired in 1974, Kelly ranked fourth on the NFL all-time rushing list. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1994. 4. Greg Pruitt, 1973-81, 5,496 career yards, 4.7 career average, three 1,000-yard seasons (14 games). Only 5-9 and 190 pounds, Pruitt was the best ?small? back in Browns history and, in my opinion, possibly the most underrated player in franchise history. Until he suffered a knee injury in 1979, Pruitt was the quintessential ?all-purpose back,? electrifying as a runner, receiver, returner and, yes, thrower. He threw 18 times on halfback ?option? plays, completing eight, with six going for touchdowns. Pruitt popularized the ?tearaway jersey,? made of soft mesh, which allowed him to break away from hand grabs. The jerseys eventually were outlawed, which was OK with Pruitt because he hated them. In one of their most unpopular trades, the Browns shipped Pruitt to the Los Angeles Raiders in 1982. The next year, at age 32, Pruitt led the league in punt returns and earned a Super Bowl championship ring. 5. Mike Pruitt, 1976-84, 6,540 career yards. Greg Pruitt?s knee injury opened the door for the other Pruitt (no relation) to take over as the feature back. Under Sam Rutigliano, Mike Pruitt overcame a fumbling problem and produced four 1,000-yard seasons. His career total ranks third to Brown and Kelly on the Browns? all-time list. History dealt Pruitt a cruel blow in 1980. He could have been the city?s hero. His 11-yard run took the Browns to the Raiders? 15-yard line in the closing minute of the 1980 season playoff game. Pruitt has always believed one more carry would have secured the Browns a win. But the Browns passed, of course, and it was intercepted. Honorable mention: Earnest Byner, Kevin Mack, Eric Metcalf, Bobby Mitchell, Ernie Green
It?s no secret that the rope for late round draft picks and undrafted free agents isn?t nearly as long as it for first round selections. The Cleveland Browns considered dumping defensive end Armonty Bryant when he was arrested for DUI just a week after being selected by the team in the seventh-round of the draft. But the Browns gave Bryant a second opportunity and he doesn?t intend to let it go to waste. The first step was admitting he had to get his act together. According to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, Bryant realizes he has a problem with illegal substances but is working to put the struggles behind him. ?I thought at times I was above the game, and that?s one thing they?ve been teaching us at the symposium ? don?t be above the game,? Bryant said. ?It?s a blessing that I?m even here playing this game and living out a dream of mine. So don?t take advantage of this, and I feel that?s exactly what I did.? Bryant said a speech from former NBA player Chris Herren helped serve as a wake-up call as to what could be in store for his future if he didn?t get back on track. Herren battled drugs throughout college and his professional basketball career in the NBA and overseas before finally getting his life together. In addition, Bryant has been rooming with Browns? first-round pick Barkevious Mingo during offseason workouts and credits him for helping keep him occupied and from getting into trouble. ?He?s just been keeping me focused and just really helping me out through my situation and everything. We go out, go watch a movie, go out to dinner, just get my mind of stuff like that,? Bryant said. It?s good to see Bryant try to get his life together. Assuming he?s already in the league?s substance-abuse program following the DUI arrest he?s only one more incident away from a suspension that could damage his hopes of an elongated NFL career. Hopefully for the Browns and Bryant, it?s an issue they won?t need to worry about in the future.
Photo/AP The Morning Kickoff ? Mingo the magnificent?: The Browns? offseason has been characterized by questionable acts by questionable characters. Desmond Bryant arrived in free agency a month after gaining Internet infamy with a slack-jawed mug shot following an arrest for criminal mischief. Quentin Groves arrived in free agency and within a month was arrested for solicitation in a prostitution sting in Beachwood and Orange. Armonty Bryant arrived in the draft with a rap sheet for selling drugs on his college campus to an undercover officer and then was arrested on a drunk driving charge in Oklahoma a week later. Josh Gordon was slapped with a two-game suspension for violating the NFL substance abuse policy (positive test for codeine, he said) and two weeks later Tweeted about partying with LeBron James on South Beach at 3 in the morning. And then there?s Barkevious Mingo. Drafted for his pass rush potential but also for his impeccable character, Mingo has done and said everything right since the Browns made him the sixth overall pick in the draft. On Tuesday, he was back in T-shirt and shorts, playing with kids on the Browns practice field as part of the NFL ?Play 60? youth clinic. All the AFC rookie draft picks attending the NFL Rookie Symposium at the Bertram Hotel in Aurora participated. It was Mingo?s fourth youth clinic, at least, since Browns minicamp ended earlier this month. Since he was introduced as the first pick of the Jimmy Haslam-Joe Banner-Mike Lombardi era, Mingo has fielded repeated questions about his light weight with patience and aplomb. By now, I wouldn?t have begrudged him an occasional, ?Quit it with the weight questions, already? barb. But when I badgered him again on Tuesday about the prescribed weight coaches wanted him to report at for training camp, he politely answered, ?240ish.? ?Will you eat a few double cheesburgers to get there?? I asked, flippantly. ?I?ll probably eat a lot of double cheeseburgers,? Mingo answered, laughing. ?Really, I?m not that far away (from 240). I just love cheeseburgers.? On the field in OTAs and minicamp, Mingo has displayed breath-taking quickness in drills but hasn?t been able to refute questions about his strength and fundamental tackling ability. ?I?m just looking forward to putting the pads on for the first time and actually measuring up to the older guys and see where I am ? see where I need to get better,? he said. Sometimes I wonder if Mingo is too nice and whether he has the ?dawg? in him to excel in the NFL. Then I consider the incidents recounted at the top of this story and I feel thankful that squeaky-clean players like Mingo still exist. Two ships passing: Among the AFC rookies joining Mingo was Jarvis Jones of the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was their first time on a field together as pros, division rivals, mutual first-round picks, pass rushers playing the same position in essentially the same defensive system. They were defensive rivals in the Southeastern Conference, Mingo at Louisiana State and Jones at Georgia, but never had much interaction until the pre-draft process. Out of football uniform and pads, the physical differences of Mingo and Jones were apparent. Mingo is a tall, cool glass of water, built like a basketball player or long jumper. Jones is shorter and thicker ? a typical Steelers linebacker. At the NFL Combine, Mingo excelled, besting Jones in every timed drill ? by plenty. Mingo clocked a 4.53 40. Jones logged a pedestrian 4.88. On the field, however, Jones over-produced ? 28 sacks over the past two years ? while Mingo had less than half that amount (12.5). ?He?s deceptively strong,? Mingo said of Jones. ?He walked those big offensive tackles back, and he was getting in the backfield, getting sacks, and he just never stopped.? I asked Mingo what was he deceptive at. ?Deceptively strong,? he said, smiling. ?Those guys look at me and think they?re just going to position me. It?s about leverage, not about how strong you are, and about the motor that you have to get what you want. You don?t want to stop till the ball?s down and if you?re doing everything you can, you?ll be OK.? Forever linked: The Browns selected Mingo sixth overall. The Steelers selected Jones 17th. Mingo is the Browns? newest pass rush hope. They?ve drafted only one double-digit sacker in the expansion era (Kamerion Wimbley in 2005). Jones is the latest rush linebacker to roll off the black-and-gold conveyor belt. He follows LaMarr Woodley, James Harrison, Clark Haggans, Jason Gildon, Joey Porter, Greg Lloyd, Chad Brown, Kevin Greene. Jones said the Browns told him they wanted him. But concerns about a stenosis problem persisted, despite positive medical checks at the combine, and Jones? poor pre-draft workouts caused him to fall to the Steelers at the No. 17 pick. ?I think I fell to a great organization,? Jones said. ?I?m blessed to be there. It?s a great opportunity for me and I?m loving it. ?There?s nothing like playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers. You can feel the intensity when you walk into that building. Being a part of this defense is going to mean a lot to me. It?s all about winning.? Mingo and Jones will play the same position in essentially the same defensive system. Browns coordinator Ray Horton was mentored by Steelers coordinator Dick LeBeau and intends to copy the Steelers? zone-blitz attack scheme. Shying from the obvious comparison, Mingo said, ?We?re obviously two different people on two different teams. The only thing we have in common is we play the same position.? ?Me and Mingo are friends,? Jones said. ?I know he?s going to do great. Hope he has a great career. I know he will.? I said to Mingo, ?Who will be the better pro, you or Jones?? ?We?ll see,? he said with a laugh. ?Nobody knows yet.?
Barkevious Mingo is going to be a fan favorite. This kid just "gets" it. I just hope he's not too nice of a guy. Once they tee it up in September, we need him to be a menacing beast on the football field, and I think he will be. It's refreshing to see a talent that knows how to behave off the field. He's a class act, and this team seems to need some of that....Not that I expect the Browns to be made up of a bunch of choir boys, but we certainly seem to have our share of knuckleheads in the fold.
A former Hackensack High School football star who was signed by the Cleveland Browns last month was arrested Tuesday and charged with attempted murder for allegedly punching a man outside a bar in Passaic, authorities said. FILE / DON SMITH / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Ausar Walcott Ausar Walcott, 23, punched the man in the head outside The Palace Gentlemen?s Club on Main Avenue around 3 a.m. Sunday, said Detective Andrew White of the Passaic police. Friends of the victim, Derrick Jones, 24, who lives in New York City, took him by car to the Harlem Hospital Center in Manhattan shortly after the assault, White said. He remained hospitalized in critical condition on Tuesday, White said. Walcott, who told police he has been living with a friend in Maywood, was charged with first-degree attempted murder, second-degree aggravated assault and third degree endangering an injured victim, White said. He was arrested Tuesday morning after he turned himself in to police, and his bail was set at $500,000 cash, White said. He was scheduled to be sent to the Passaic County Jail in Paterson on Tuesday evening. Jones? aunt called police to report the assault later on Sunday, and Walcott was identified as a suspect after an investigation conducted by Detective Sgt. Roy Bordamonte and detectives James Lane, Paul Slater and Alexis Flores, White said. The Browns announced that they had signed Walcott and four other players in a posting on their website on May 13. They issued a brief statement on Tuesday afternoon saying the team was ?aware of the situation.? ?This is a pending legal matter and we will not comment,? the statement said. Walcott?s former high school coach at Hackensack High School, Gordon Whiting, said he was ?shocked? to hear that his former star player had been arrested. Whiting, who is now an assistant football coach at the high school, said Walcott had been working out at the school before his tryout with the Browns last month. ?He is a great kid, a hard-working kid,? Whiting said. ?He was never a discipline problem.? Whiting said Walcott was excited about the prospect of playing for the Browns, and that was a positive role model for Hackensack?s football players when he worked out at the school, telling them to take advantage of the chances they get in life. The news that Walcott had been arrested was ?bringing tears to my eyes,? Whiting said. A roster posted on the Browns? website lists Walcott as a 6-foot-2, 230-pound linebacker. From 2009 through 2012, he played linebacker and defensive end for the University of Virginia Cavaliers, according to a biography posted on the school?s website. He was considered one of the top safety prospects in the country as a senior at Hackensack High School, where he also was a star sprinter and long-jumper on the track team, according to the biography. Walcott was suspended from the University of Virginia football team two years ago after he and two teammates were arrested following an altercation on the James Madison University campus in Harrisonburg, Va. He was reinstated after the charges against him were dismissed, according to news reports published at the time. The Browns? roster lists Hackensack as Walcott?s hometown, but White said he gave police an address in Maywood where he has been living with a friend. The altercation took place outside The Palace shortly after it closed, White said. A man who answered a phone at the club on Tuesday said he did not know about the fight. Walcott?s family could not be reached Tuesday night.
fire at me if you will i honestly dont give a shit but i miss Mangini more than ever after reading about all the idiots that Banner has collected & Heckert signed his share as well . he wouldnt have put up with it . earn your playing time no matter your draft status ..love it ! keep the egos in check ..love it install DISCIPLINE ..really love it make them take a bus ride to a youth camp in a air conditioned bus ..WAHMBULANCE ..Good welcome to the real world rookie . keep those egos in check ! not signing troubled knuckleheads ..kinda love it as i am no choir boy but why put yourself through it ? there is other talent out there that isn't screwed up in the head . good for the lockeroom as well . gimme the Blue collar guys i sooooo respect & love and want on my team . that want to be there do what there told practice hard and play hard . the offense i am sure would have evolved with more talent . he didnt have much to work with . he sucked as a GM but as a HC he was good the kind of guy i would play for . love the tough love approach ! put a foot in there asses make them earn there keep . sounds like Mingo was the right choice froma character standpoint just hope it translates to on the field production . i am done ranting for now *WASSUP*
maybe Banner will sign Hernandez when he gets out of the joint for manslaughter since the Pats released him today after the Boston PD arrested him *WALL*
By Don Delco OBR Browns Reporter Posted Jun 26, 2013 With the current group of Browns tight ends, coupled with the past history of tight end play under the tutelage of Rob Chudzinski and Norv Turner, can something special occur this season? 0 Comments Unless he wins games - a lot of games on a consistent basis - as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns, Rob Chudzinski will forever be tied to the tight end position. It is safe to say he has a special affinity for tight ends. Wait, that didn?t sound right. I?ll explain. Chudzinski started at tight end for three seasons during his time as a player at the University of Miami from 1986-90. His first job in the NFL was the Browns? tight ends coach in 2004. As an offensive coordinator, Chudzinski has helped Antonio Gates and Kellen Winslow put together Pro Bowl seasons. And now, as a head coach, Chudzinski?s offensive coordinator, Norv Turner, shares the desire to utilize a tight end. But do the Browns have a tight end to utilize? To begin, Chudzinski and Turner have a bit of a mentor-prot?g? relationship. Chudzinski served as the San Diego Chargers assistant head coach/tight ends coach from 2009-10 while Turner was the head coach. Chudzinski also spent time in San Diego in 2005-06 as tight ends coach. ?I?m really excited about Norv being part of this staff,? Chudzinski said. ?I think that?s a huge addition and not only for me from a professional standpoint, Norv?s had a real impact on me personally as well and is somebody that just I trust to the nth degree. ?It?s been fun sitting down and going through with Norv talking about, ?Hey, this is some of the things we can do.?? But what can they do with the tight end position? The Browns have six tight ends currently on their roster - Gary Barnidge (6-5, 250), Jordan Cameron (6-5, 245), Kellen Davis (6-7, 265), Dan Gronkowski (6-5, 255), Brad Smelley (6-2, 235) and Travis Tannahill (6-4, 255). Barnidge signed a three-year free agent contract this offseason. He spent the last three seasons in Carolina, two of which were with Chudzinski. ?He has worked hard to develop as both a blocker and receiver,? Chudzinski said. Barnidge?s stats say: blocking tight end. In 62 career games, he has 18 catches for 320 yards and a touchdown. Davis, another free agent signing, is a veteran blocker. As for the rest of the Browns? tight end group: Smelley - blocker; Gronkowski ? not anywhere near the talent level of his brother, Rob; Tannahill - undrafted free agent destined for the practice squad; Cameron ? now there?s potential. Jordan Cameron fits the prototypical receiving tight end that has flourished under Turner (Jay Novacek in Dallas from 1991-93 and Gates) and Chudzinski (Winslow in 2007). If anyone is going to make a huge leap forward under Chudzinski and Turner, the conventional wisdom is it?ll be Cameron. First, Cameron, like Gates, played basketball in college. Cameron first went to Brigham Young University to play basketball. He redshirted in 2006-07, before deciding to give football another try. He played two years at USC and caught 16 balls for 126 yards and a touchdown. In two years in Cleveland, he has 26 catches for 259 yards and a touchdown. So, his experience is limited, but he?s considered the Browns? No. 1 tight end entering the 2013 season and he gets to work with Turner and Chudzinski. This could be a good thing for Cameron?s career. ?Coach Norv Turner is very detail-oriented, and that really helps me as a player separate from a defender,? Cameron told ClevelandBrowns.com. ?They?re proven, so it makes me trust them more and puts confidence in my abilities.? While Cameron has abilities, he also has the ability to get injured. Just earlier this month, ESPNCleveland.com reported Cameron pulled two muscles during the 16-practice spring sessions ? and this was in helmets and shorts. Last year, Cameron dealt with a back issue in the preseason and missed the Browns season finale in Pittsburgh because of a concussion. For the record, many thought Cameron would have a ?break-out? season this time last year. Then again, Cameron didn?t have Chudzinski and Turner as coaches. Back to Gates. In each of the four seasons Chudzinski worked with the former Kent State basketball player, Gates averaged 72.3 catches for 991.0 yards and 9.3 touchdowns per season, compared to an average of 58.8 catches for 726.1 yards and 7.7 touchdowns in six seasons with out Chudzinski. And how can we forget the 2007 season in Cleveland in which the Browns? offense was coordinated by Chudzinski, they won 10 games, averaged 25 points per game and Winslow caught 82 balls for 1,109 yards with five touchdowns. Finally, last season in Carolina, tight end Greg Olsen had career-best numbers in receptions (69) and receiving yards (843) and finished with five touchdowns. Signs point to everything setting up for the Browns to put Cameron in a position to succeed. Now, it is up to Cameron to make the plays. But, if Cameron is to make those plays, it relies on the team?s ability to have a capable NFL starting quarterback in Brandon Weeden or Jason Campbell or Brian Hoyer. Doesn?t it always just go back to the quarterback?
Taking a cue from the New England Patriots, the Cleveland Browns announced they have released rookie linebacker Ausar Walcott, who was arrested Tuesday and charged with attempted murder for allegedly punching a man outside a club in Northern New Jersey. This comes a few hours after the Patriots cut ties with tight end Aaron Hernandez after he was arrested. It's the first time the Browns have made a move with a player who was arrested this year. Linebacker Quentin Groves (solicitation) and defensive end Armonty Bryant (drunken driving) remain on the team after being arrested earlier this offseason. Walcott was an undrafted rookie out of Virginia. According to Elias, he was the 29th NFL player arrested since the Super Bowl. That's an average of one player arrested every five days since Feb. 3.
