Browns revamp scouting department Fred Greetham 11:38 AM The Browns announced that they have revamped their scouting department under Executive Vice President of Football Operations Sashi Brown BEREA, Ohio-- The Browns announced a restructuring of their personnel department under Executive Vice President of Football Operations Sashi Brown and Vice President of Player Personnel Andrew Berry and Chief Strategy Officer Paul DePodesta. The Browns announced six promotions and a new hire within their player personnel department. The following six members of the department have taken on new titles: Ken Kovash - Vice President, Player Personnel Mike Cetta ? Director of Scouting Kevin Meers - Director of Research and Strategy Chisom Opara - Director of Player Personnel Dan Saganey - Director of Scouting Bobby Vega - Director of Scouting Additionally, the Browns named Glenn Cook, who spent the previous four years in Green Bay?s player personnel department, as their new Assistant Director of Scouting. ?We feel really good about our department as a whole and the extensive collaboration we have established in our everyday work,? Brown said. ?Our intent has been to assemble a group committed to creating strategic and comprehensive processes that help us make the best decisions possible for building our football team. We are excited about the high caliber individuals within our football operations, the quality of their work and their passion for football.? Kovash has been with the Browns since 2013 and spent the past three seasons in Cleveland?s player personnel department as the director of football research. His first three seasons in the NFL were with the Dallas Cowboys, where he worked as the team?s senior analytics manager. ?Ken is an intelligent, critical thinker,? Brown said. ?He provides valuable leadership and input to our decision-making process and will continue to be a key component to our personnel department.? Cetta joined the Browns scouting department in 2013 as an intern. He was hired full time in 2014 as a department assistant. In his new role, he will help direct systems and processes that support the Browns scouting department. ?In Mike?s three years with our organization he has worked extremely hard and has proven that he can have a positive impact on our scouting process,? Brown said. ?He?s another smart, diligent and collaborative worker that has a bright future with our organization.? Meers has been with the Browns for three years and was a football research analyst the past two seasons. Meers began his career with the Browns as a football research intern in 2013. He will work closely with DePodesta. ?Kevin?s inquisitive nature, his intelligence, and his tireless work ethic make him a perfect fit to lead our research function,? DePodesta said. ?We look forward to him helping us in many different areas.? Opara enters his 12th season with the Browns and will also work directly with DePodesta. He joined the team in 2005 and was an area scout for the first nine years after breaking into the NFL with the Baltimore Ravens, where he was a player personnel assistant. A former wide receiver at Princeton, Opara signed with the Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2003, was waived at the end of training camp but landed with Baltimore one year later in the player personnel department. ?We?re thrilled to add Chisom?s expertise to the broader player personnel function,? DePodesta said. ?His deep background in scouting and his ability to work across many different lines will make a huge impact on the organization.? Saganey is in his eighth year with the Browns, most recently serving as a manager in the player personnel department. He tracked player movement around the league, conducted advance scouting of Browns? opponents, helped prepare the staff during pro free agency and was also involved in the evaluation of college prospects. A position coach at Harvard for two seasons before he joined the Browns in 2009, Saganey is a native of Norfolk, Massachusetts, and an alum of Colby College in Waterville, Maine. ?It was very important for us to be able to retain Dan,? Brown said. ?He has a diverse background in that he?s coached on the college level and has worked in our personnel department for seven seasons. He knows our league and knows our division especially well. We look forward to him leading our scouting efforts on the pro side.? Vega has been with the Browns for 12 seasons working in different capacities within the player personnel department. A scouting assistant in his first two seasons with the Browns, Vega was elevated to a college-area scout in 2007, evaluating prospects from small schools from Maine to Florida before taking on mid-Atlantic responsibilities and eventually taking over as the club?s Southeast scout in 2009. A four-year letter winner at The College of Wooster, Vega will move to Cleveland after residing in Monroeville, N.C. ?Bobby has been one of the most respected college scouts on our staff for some time,? Brown said. ?He understands our vision and we really value his input. In his role as director, we will look for him to provide leadership and efficiency in our college scouting process, enhancing our opportunities to pick the best players.? Cook joined the Packers in 2012 and held a variety of responsibilities in the Packers? pro personnel department. An alum and former graduate assistant at the University of Miami, Cook assisted in the evaluation of college and professional players, prepared advance scouting reports of upcoming opponents, conducted tryouts during the season and evaluated pro day/draft prospects during the spring. ?We are fortune to be able to add Glenn to our personnel department,? Brown said. ?He is a highly-regarded, bright scout that has been a part of a very successful scouting environment in Green Bay. He will bring a fresh perspective to our group and we are excited to have him on our staff.?
I know it won't shock anyone that I'm feeling optimistic about the Browns. I' was a huge advocate for RG3 back when he was coming out of Baylor and can't wait to see how this offense looks with him and Corey Coleman on the field....I've heard that Hue Jackson likes things up tempo on offense. How many years have I been ranting about our lack of tempo on offense?...So it's truly difficult for me not to love what I've seen and heard so far. Almost EVERY great team in history has been rock solid at head coach and QB, and our team added the two best prospects for those positions (IMO) that were available....What's not to like? Also we seem to have a GM that understands and values the WR position. Granted, it would have been hard to be worse at the job than Ray Farmer, but the vibe really feels good for a change in Cleveland.....These guys have a plan and they are executing it. What we see as fans seem to actually make sense. It that's not a welcome change than I don't know what is.... Haslam swung and missed on his first two organizational regimes, but he didn't just stand pat, and this time it feels like he got it right.......Only time will tell, but as the resident optimist around here, I'd say things are certainly headed in the right direction....
I don't think RGIII will make or break the 2016 version of the Browns, but I do think Hue gives him a great chance to see his potential reached. What that potential is will be the answer we are all craving. I wasn't as big a fan coming out of college, but he impressed me his rookie year and I have been a fan ever since. He will need to mature and become more patient as well as be more careful in the open field to succeed, but I think he has a high ceiling. If he can return to form in 2016, then the Browns will be able to grow exponentially in other positions over the next couple of years with the position settled. That is my hope...
Tony Grossi ESPN Cleveland ?FacebookShare ?TwitterTweet ?PinterestPinterest @EmailEmail ?print ?comment Editor's note: Tony Grossi covers the Cleveland Browns for ESPN 850 WKNR. Chill: On the verge of its first major professional sports team championship in 52 years, Cleveland is a frazzled mess. A glorious NBA Finals rematch of the Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors begins Thursday in Oakland. And I?m already hearing enough gnashing of teeth and cracking of knuckles to drown out the cacophony of the 17-year cicadas invading Northeast Ohio. Fans and media are too worried about the traditional kick in the stomach they have come to expect than to enjoy the journey on which the Cavaliers have taken us. It is understandable. It is also sad. Seemingly, we can?t revel in the moment for fear of another humongous letdown. I caught a whiff of this when I Tweeted my hope for the Warriors to complete their comeback from a 3 games-to-1 deficit in the Western Conference finals and defeat the tottering Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 7. These responses were typical: Grossi the Warrior fan. Sad. said Tony Grossi in his Warriors Pajamas Angst-ridden Cleveland sports fans wanted OK City to win the West because the Cavaliers would have home-court advantage over the Thunder, but not over the Warriors. I could care less about where Game 7 of the Finals is played because there won?t be a Game 7. And if there is, no worries. They?ve got this. Respect: Cleveland is a fantastic, passionate sports city, but it has a fatal flaw -- an utter inability to respect the opponent. Cleveland fans deride true champions because they are so envious of them. So they ridicule John Elway and Michael Jordan and every other Hall of Famer who has outperformed the local sports heroes with championships on the line. Last year, Golden State was lucky to beat the Cavaliers, say Clevelanders, because the Cavs were injury-riddled and not at full strength. And when the Warriors ripped off an NBA-record 73 regular-season wins -- against nine losses -- Cleveland fans jeered that it means nothing if the Warriors don?t win the championship. So the Warriors made it to the Finals again and Cleveland fans want to believe the NBA rigged it in favor of Golden State to pump up TV ratings, or something. I?d rather see the Warriors as the Cavs? opponent in the epic Finals that will break the Cleveland?s 52-year championship drought. Why? Because they are the defending champions and one of the greatest teams in NBA history. Be the best? Beat the best. And, yes, Golden State scoring machine Steph Curry is the NBA?s current brightest star, professional sports? best role model and Madison Avenue?s most valuable pitchman. Curry has taken over from Tiger Woods -- in his prime -- as the one person in professional sports that would cause me to drop everything and watch him on TV. He drew me back to the NBA. I didn?t watch an NBA game for years until Curry captivated me in the All-Star Weekend three-point contest in 2015. I want to see Curry -- the very deserving two-time NBA most valuable player -- perform on this Finals stage because I have the utmost confidence in the Cavaliers prevailing. But Cleveland fans and media deride Curry for demonstrably chomping on his mouth guard, for beating his chest when he makes a clutch three-pointer or foul shot, for allowing his 3-year-old daughter Riley to invade Golden State postgame press conferences. Why can?t Cleveland fans respect Curry as the best showman in the NBA today? Good lord, he is so fun to watch. Been there?: The sports quote ?act like you?ve been there before? has been attributed to Paul Brown, Vince Lombardi, Bear Bryant and other coaching greats. I would like to offer that advice to Cleveland sports fans and some media as the Cavaliers? championship run concludes. But then, most Cleveland sports fans and media, in fact, haven?t been there before. Most have never seen a Cleveland sports championship and don?t know how to act as one unfolds. So, here are some tips: * Curry is going to chomp on that mouth guard and is going to bury a bunch of threes and beat his chest and howl. Don?t hate him for it. * Draymond Green is going to cheap-shot some Cavalier and probably will get away with it. It is not an NBA conspiracy to get the Warriors a second straight title. * The Cavs will not win every game. It will not be the end of the world when they lose. * It is going to be a fun Finals. Enjoy the ride. * Above all, respect your opponent. They?re pretty good, too.
Well Lyman, for what it's worth, even I'm not "convinced" about RG3 yet.... I think he's somewhat humbled by the Redskins experience, but the guy is still smart and accurate and athletic and IMO there's no reason why he can't be an elite QB in this league, in the right situation. Hue Just might have it for him right here .....I really think it was a bad deal for him in Washington, after he hurt his knee. Credit Cousins for taking advantage... I know it seems bizarre to think a guy that had everything blow-up on him in one dysfunctional organization is going to "right the ship" by going to another dysfunctional organization, but I think he has a real connection with Hue Jackson, and Cleveland's situation is somehow the ideal situation for Robert Griffin....So many things went wrong over there for RG3. He's not completely innocent, but this is his chance to redeem himself for whatever "wrongs" he had in that fiasco, and erase it from people's memories... and honestly, that's what I expect to happen here...But of course, I don't expect anybody to be "convinced" about RG3 in Cleveland yet...Let's face it, They could add Tom Brady and nobody would be "convinced" it's gonna work here...Give him some time to gel with these young WR's....Lot's of room for optimism IMO...
I hope & pray that RGIII Is not the diva RGME he was with the Skins . if he has his head on straight he can be special . his pocket presence was lacking in Washington . can that be taught ? Can he lead ? lets just I hope so . I do feel good about the new staff . but I will hold my enthusiasms until I see them on the field . I have 6 wins penciled in . don't ask me where there coming from *DONT_KNOW* But I will be there this year just like the last 50 years I have been pouring my heart & soul into this franchise . until then Gooo CAVS!!
Gary Barnidge underwent sports hernia surgery on Thursday. The surgery will sideline him for the rest of the offseason program, but he should be ready to go when training camp opens. Coming off a breakout season, Barnidge will remain a focal point of new coach Hue Jackson's offense, especially in the red zone. He is a solid TE1 despite this surgery.
The Browns' receiving group lacks reliable pass catchers. Their No. 1 wideout might be a rookie and their second wideout might be a former quarterback, which isn't exactly optimal. In fact, their leading pass catcher is probably going to end up being tight end Gary Barnidge, who just underwent surgery. There's still a chance, though, that a star receiver could come back to save the Browns' unit. According to Jim Brown, who currently advises the franchise, suspended wideout Josh Gordon is finally on the right path. "I've talked with Josh twice on the phone, and the last time I talked with him he sounded very motivated and I think he was in rehab and feeling good about it and discovering some things about himself," Brown told Cleveland.com. "He really seemed ready to take responsibility for himself." Gordon, who failed another drug test in April, is eligible to apply for reinstatement on Aug. 1. He hasn't played in a game since 2014. This spring, he was spotted hanging with Johnny Manziel -- whose own issues make Gordon look like a model player. More recently in April, Gordon was spotted in Los Angeles using a Hot Box Detox. Don't worry, it's not what it sounds like. It's actually an infrared sauna where Gordon did some yoga, as TMZ wrote about here. So it seems like he's preparing for his eventual return, which -- again -- could happen this season if he's reinstated in August. Unlike Manziel, Gordon at least has a realistic chance of playing in the NFL again. One reason why? He's damn good, and the Browns certainly need talented players. Back in 2013 -- his last near-full season -- Gordon caught 87 passes for 1,646 and nine touchdowns. He's also only 25, which gives him a shot of making it back and performing at a high level. "His way of expressing himself, the responsibility he was taking made me feel really very motivated about his chance of getting back," Brown said. The NFL, though, isn't obligated to let him return. And given his history, the league might be hesitant, especially if he messes up again. In 2014, Gordon served a 10-game suspension for violating the substance-abuse policy. Then, he missed the 2015 season due to a failed alcohol test. Despite those issues, Brown thinks the Browns will happily take Gordon back, if that day ever comes. "If he adheres to the demands that the league put on him, and he carries that out," Brown said, "I'm sure they'll be very happy to have him back." Cleveland.com's entire article is worth a read, as Brown also spoke out against about the NFL's policy on marijuana, saying, "it makes hypocrites out of people."
RIP to "The Greatest" Muhammad Ali, who was renowned as much for his wit and principles as his fighting prowess, died Friday night at age 74, a family spokesman said. The boxing legend popularly known as ?The Greatest? died at a hospital in Arizona, where he had been treated for respiratory issues. ?After a 32-year battle with Parkinson?s disease, Muhammad Ali has passed away at the age of 74,? spokesman Bob Gunnell said in a statement. He said the funeral would be in Louisville, Kentucky, Ali?s hometown.
Pat McManamon ESPN Staff Writer ?FacebookShare ?TwitterTweet ?PinterestPinterest @EmailEmail ?print ?comment It's no great secret the Cleveland Browns have a steep climb toward respectability. A 3-13 team is basically starting over with a new coach, new approach, new quarterback and new roster. This reboot smells like a makeover, with an emphasis on the future. The Browns have acquired extra picks in each of the next two drafts. This year, though, seems tough. ProFootballFocus.com made that more than clear in its annual ranking of team rosters, which ran as an Insider piece todayInsider. The Browns, per PFF, have the second-worst roster in the league. Only the 49ers are ranked lower. One year ago, the Browns were ranked 14th in terms of overall talent. To drop from 14 to 31 means there were significant changes, or that PFF overrated the Browns a year ago.? The rankings are based on two years of data, with extra weight given to the most recent season. Some extra analytics are figured, and voila ... roster rankings. In an interesting twist, cornerback Joe Haden is not listed as one of the Browns' best five players. That honor goes to left tackle Joe Thomas, guards Joel Bitonio and John Greco, running back Duke Johnson and tight end Gary Barnidge. One telling comment: "Thomas remains the best left tackle in the league, but there is precious little proven talent anywhere else on the roster." Positions that need upgrading include inside linebacker, where Demario Davis was added, and center, where Cameron Erving will be given the first chance to start. The caveat for PFF: The rookies. The Browns drafted 14 players, and many were given high grades by PFF. So the analytics site admits that the team could improve quickly -- if the picks work out quickly. Until then, though, PFF states "it is an ugly looking roster."
Posted by Michael David Smith on June 6, 2016, 2:22 PM EDT manzielfarmer AP The G.M. who drafted Johnny Manziel says his team should have been ready for the unique challenges associated with bringing in a rookie who?s already a superstar. Former Browns General Manager Ray Farmer said today on ESPN that an NFL team that?s going to draft a player who?s already famous even before he arrives needs to be ready to deal with the fallout from that, and he suggested that the Browns weren?t ready. ?The club has to be prepared to handle the player regardless of their celebrity, regardless of their position, regardless of what they?re required to do,? Farmer said. ?The responsibility is born by both the club, and the player. When the club doesn?t follow up on its end, it makes it that much easier for players to get off track.? Farmer said Manziel had celebrity status stemming from his days at Texas A&M, and the Browns hadn?t seen a rookie with that kind of fame. ?It?s celebrity. . . . This player had unique celebrity that I don?t think the league has seen,? he said. ?That brings a whole new element of how you try to handle the person.? Manziel is now out of the league and facing accusations of a litany of off-field issues, ranging from domestic violence to excessive drinking to trashing a house he rented. ?I?m concerned for the person more than I am the player,? Farmer said. If the person doesn?t get help, he?s done being a player. :! ..IDIOTS !! all of them
Browns repaired alumni relations continues to be under construction Jun 6, 2016 Tony Grossi ESPN Cleveland ?FacebookShare ?TwitterTweet ?PinterestPinterest @EmailEmail ?print ?comment Editor's note: Tony Grossi covers the Cleveland Browns for ESPN 850 WKNR. Construction zone: There is a lot of reconstruction going on with the Browns. Their headquarters facility is undergoing another multi-million-dollar renovation. Their organization is undergoing another regime change in football operations. Their team is undergoing another major change in offensive and defensive systems. But there?s something else, too. They are rebuilding relationships that for whatever reasons were blown asunder in the four years of the Haslam Family ownership. You can throw money at the other things to make them better. But relationships need a personal touch. And that?s how the Browns apparently are approaching the sensitive issue of repairing relations with their alumni. Coach Hue Jackson has been the visible lead in trying to reconnect the Browns? alumni to the team. He invited former running back Earnest Byner to serve as a ?guest coach? at OTA practices. He re-opened the doors of the facility to Browns alums and somehow got estranged former quarterback Bernie Kosar to respond to an invitation to talk to the team. He empowered franchise living legend Jim Brown with more access to current players and more responsibility as a club ?special advisor.? The Browns also previously announced they would dedicate a statue to Brown outside FirstEnergy Stadium this season. Welcome back: Relations with Browns alumni soured soon after Jimmy Haslam purchased the franchise from the Lerner Family Trust in 2012. Alumni perks, such as complementary game tickets and regular meeting places in the stadium, were reduced initially under former CEO Joe Banner and then cut more sharply under former President Alec Scheiner. The alumni department was reorganized and suffered budget and personnel cutbacks. Alumni felt disenfranchised from the team. A letter to Haslam authored by 1970s linebacker Dick Ambrose, now a judge of the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, outlined alumni complaints that Haslam seemed oblivious to. Ambrose and others believe that co-owner Dee Haslam has initiated improved alumni relations as a priority as she becomes more involved in the organization. The creation of an Alumni Advisory Board has improved communications, Ambrose said. The board includes Ambrose and former players from different eras: Greg Pruitt, Ernie Kellerman, Hanford Dixon, John Thierry, Jamel White and Dave Wohlabaugh. The board has had informal meetings with Jackson, who has impressed the alumni with his desire to bring former players back to the fold. Ambrose said that in an informal visit to club headquarters on Friday, he felt welcome for the first time since Haslam purchased the club. ?It felt like we belonged. It hasn?t been like that for a long time,? Ambrose said. ?I think there is a big difference with this head coach, more so than with any head coach since [the Browns] have been back.? What?s to come: Beyond game-day amenities that had been taken away, Browns alums would like to see former players be considered for meaningful roles with the organization. The Browns aren?t shy about rounding up former players for team charity endeavors. But the only former players the organization employs are Brown, special advisor; Doug Dieken, the team?s long-time radio color commentator; and Kevin Mack, a one-man alumni relations department. ?We all agree Kevin needs some support there,? Ambrose said. ?If you want to get real about running a top-notch alumni department, you have to properly staff it.? The fact that Kosar was replaced in 2014 as preseason TV analyst by Solomon Wilcots, a former Cincinnati Bengals player with NFL Network, was a symbolic blow to Browns alums who remained in Northeast Ohio long after their playing careers. Ambrose is encouraged about the positive turn taken recently in Browns alumni relations. But he thinks more can be done. ?I just think if we take some positive steps toward developing more ties between current and former players, that would be a big step forward,? Ambrose said. ?The continuity between past and present is important. ?And for me, it gives the guys an opportunity to see there is life after football in the town you play, which to me would encourage players to stay here after their playing careers. If we get more opportunities for the former players to get more involved in the current organization, that would be the right thing to do.? Every NFL team has challenges in dealing with its alumni. The Browns should take special care of theirs. The return of the Browns as an expansion franchise in 1999 was based on the ?our name, our colors, our history? mantra of former Cleveland Mayor Michael White. Back then, the glorious Browns tradition was all the new franchise had. Seventeen years later, that?s pretty much still the case.
When our lawn mower broke my wife kept nagging me to get it fixed. But, I always had something else to take care of. Finally she thought of a clever way to make her point. I found her seated in the tall, unmowed grass, busily snipping away with a tiny pair of scissors. I watched silently for a short time and then went into the house. I was gone only a minute, and when I came out again I handed her a toothbrush. I said, "When you finish cutting the grass, you might as well sweep the driveway." The doctors say I will walk again, but I will always have a limp.
My wife was hinting about what she wanted for our upcoming anniversary. She said, "I want something shiny that goes from 0 to 165 in about 2 seconds." I bought her a bathroom scale. And then the fight started......
After retiring, I went to the Social Security office to apply for benefits. The woman behind the counter asked me for my driver's License to verify my age. I looked in my pockets and realized I had left it at home. I told the woman I would have to go home and come back later. The woman said, 'Unbutton your shirt'. So I opened my shirt revealing my curly silver chest hair. She said, 'That silver hair on your chest is proof enough for me' and she processed my Social Security application. When I got home, I told my wife about my experience at the Social Security office. She said, 'You should have dropped your pants. You might have gotten disability too.' And then the fight started...
I rear-ended a car this morning . . . the start of a really bad day! The driver got out of the other car, and he was a DWARF!! He looked up at me and said 'I am NOT Happy!' So I said, 'Well, which one ARE you then?' That's how the fight started.
The Browns have cobbled together a potentially mismatched mashup of football personnel, and a strong emphasis on analytics and sports science possibly conflicts with coach Hue Jackson?s more old-school, qualitative-over-quantitative approach. The first sign of a schism already has emerged, over the issue of padded practices in training camp. ?Honestly, they got kind of mad at me,? Jackson told reporters on Tuesday regarding the sports science staff, via Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. ?I?ll be very honest with you. We had a very candid conversation where they said, ?Hue, you might want to double-check your padded days schedule.? I told them, ?No.? I know how to take care of a football team. I get a feel for when the guys, when we?re pushing them a little too far and we need to reel it in.? It makes sense, because ultimately there?s only one way to prepare football players to play football well. ?We?re only going to build our football through playing football and good football teams play football, real football,? Jackson said. ?They line up and they go after each other and they come out and they do it again the next day and somewhere in there, Coach Jackson?s got to be smart enough to say, ?OK, that might be enough. We need to pull off.? That?s part of being the head coach as well and it?s part of having a sports science team. I?m sure they?ll give me all the statistical data that you can to forewarn me, but I?m going to trust my instincts on that one and see if we can get our team to be the best that they can be.? One definitely low-tech, non-scientific method for getting the team to be the best it can be will include the use of a siren. ?The siren is not for the health ward to come,? Jackson said. ?It?s not for that. It?s just for, we?re going to put the ball down and it?s kind of everything goes. We go after it. You?ve got to teach your team how to play football. That being said, it?s also about being smart. We?ve got to be smart because we?re not trying to get any guys injured. . . . We?re not trying to do that, but I don?t know any other way to get better at playing football other than playing football the way you truly play football. I think I?ve broached that with our players. I think they understand it and I think they?re accepting of it because, again, at the same time, they understand it?s what it?s going to take to get us to where we need to be.? Surely, there will be other differences of opinion between the sports science employees and Jackson. It?s a safe bet that Jackson will consistently be the rock to the sports science scissors.
