BEREA, Ohio--The Jonathan Cooper experiment is apparently over. The Browns waived Cooper on Tuesday as Alvin Bailey returns to the active roster on Wednesday when his roster exemption expires. Bailey was suspended the last two games by the NFL. ?Cooper joined the Browns via waivers from New England prior to Week 6. He appeared in five games with the Browns and started the past three games at right guard. The Browns were hoping that Cooper could regain the form that helped him be the seventh overall selection in the 2013 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals.? Hue Jackson said the Browns wanted to give Cooper an opportunity to see what he could do in game action. "That is what he is here for to get another opportunity and we will see if he will go out there and do what he is capable of doing," Jackson said. "That is what this league is about ? opportunity, a chance, and when you get one you have to make the most of it. Hopefully, if that is his opportunity this week, he will go out and play well.? So they kept Bailey ???? FACE PALM ..Ya cant polish a turd and Bailey is phuquing turd ! *WALL*
I think it is more of an indication of what Cooper is, than Bailey... I also believe it is a testament to what needs to be done this offseason. If this team wants to make any strides in 2017, they must find a rock at center and upgrade at least one of the two right side positions. If they fail to do that, then this team will continue to fail into next season on an epic scale. We can't give up 9 sacks per game and expect to win... Looking back, I am still in shock that we managed to pull that one out. It came down to the Chargers not wanting it enough to beat the worst team in football in 2016..which we certainly are.
Browns defensive tackle Jamie Meder was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his blocked field goal last Saturday that preserved a lead and led to the Browns getting their first win of the season. Meder blocked a field goal by Chargers kicker Josh Lambo with 3:49 left, and Lambo then missed another field goal as time expired. There was much rejoicing as the Browns improved to 1-14. Meder, who grew up near Cleveland, is in his third year with the team and has played in 14 games this season. He broke into the league with the Ravens in 2014 as an undrafted free agent out of Div. II Ashland.
Happy Holidays Lounge Hounds. Just wanted to extend my best wishes to all for a happy, healthy new year. I think of all of you as part of my dysfunctional extended family, with all the fights and name calling and affection and commiserating, in varying measures, just like my own family. Cheers all. Raise a glass or two, and plan to get home safely. Happy New Year.
I was surprised at just how much that one win mattered to me. I had checked out mostly, and was working Saturday, so didn't even check scores, like I normally do. Got home and was tied up with all the holiday preparations, and didn't even look at the TV, so when my son came home at 11pm, and said "hey I see the Browns won", I was completely taken by surprise. The lift it gave me was unexpected. I realized just how much I love the Browns, as much as I try to "not care", clearly I do, and my soul was brightened by the win, beyond anything I would have expected. Thank you Browns, for that special Christmas gift. Browns fan forever, I guess.
Browns quarterback Robert Griffin III returned to practice Thursday and is on track to start Sunday?s season finale at Pittsburgh, Browns coach Hue Jackson told reporters. Jackson said he?ll talk again with Griffin and the team?s medical staff before making a final decision but said Griffin will start if he doesn?t suffer any setbacks. Griffin suffered a concussion in last Saturday?s win over the Chargers. He cleared the NFL?s concussion protocol in time to practice Thursday. As was the case last week, Jackson said he won?t hesitate to play rookie Cody Kessler if Griffin struggles. On Wednesday, Jackson said the 1-14 Browns are playing to win and focused on the present even though they?ll lock up the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft if they lose.
Editor's note: Tony Grossi covers the Cleveland Browns for ESPN 850 WKNR. Takeaways from Browns practice and interview sessions ? 1. Pryor hedging on staying?: Free agent-to-be Terrelle Pryor consistently has pledged allegiance to coach Hue Jackson and staying with the Browns beyond this year. On Thursday, there was a little caveat added. ?I have the utmost respect for Hue, but at the end of the day, it?s got to make sense for both sides,? Pryor said. ?Like I said, I love to play for Hue. I played my hardest. I?m getting more experience as I go. I would love to play for him longer, but at the end of the day, it?s got to come down to what my agents felt is right for me.? Pryor said it was the decision of his agents ? Drew and Jason Rosenhaus ? to put off detailed contract talks with the Browns until after the season. As long as he stayed relatively injury-free and piled up some numbers, it could only improve Pryor?s leverage in talks. As things stand, Pryor has 70 receptions for 913 yards and four touchdowns. There?s something symbolic in the 1,000-yard figure, and reaching that in the final game in Pittsburgh could only enhance Pryor?s leverage. Last year, the Rosenhaus brothers parlayed a 1,031-yard, 10-TD season by Jacksonville?s Allen Hurns into a reported $40 million deal over four years. The contract was broken done by analysts to average closer to $8 million over five years, however, with the team being able to walk away after two years. At the end of the day, Pryor is going to get paid by somebody ? if not the Browns. 2. RG3 in the cockpit: Robert Griffin was cleared from concussion protocol and will make his fourth start in row Sunday in Pittsburgh, barring an unforeseen setback. Jackson again was asked why he would play the veteran Griffin over the developing rookie Cody Kessler in the season finale. Jackson?s response: ?I think Cody?s still a young player who?s learning the NFL. Has done some good things and will continue to grow. I don?t think me playing Robert is any indication of what he?s done. The more I can see of Robert the better evaluation I can make of him.? 3. New line forming: If everything stays the same, the Browns will sport a three-fifths new offensive line in Pittsburgh. The plan is for Anthony Fabiano to start at center, Austin Pasztor at right guard and Cam Erving at right tackle. The point is to improve the protection in the middle of the line and somehow learn something new about Erving at tackle. ?Any situation that we?re not sure about, now is the time to find out as much as we can before the season?s over, so that we have some idea of what we have,? Jackson said. Fabiano was an undrafted free agent with the Ravens who came to the Browns? practice squad in September, was waived, and then returned a month later. Since December, the Browns have been practicing him at center. Fabiano has never played a game at center, but he?s from Harvard. Sound familiar? He would be the fourth player to start at center for the Browns this year, following Erving, John Greco and Austin Reiter. Reiter made one start against Washington and suffered a torn ACL. ?Austin spent all last year on the practice squad with the Redskins then came in and had a great game,? Fabiano said. ?I?m just going in with the mindset if I?m starting I?m going to try to have a game like Austin did.? 4. McCown?s farewell?: Josh McCown reiterated to media that he intends to fulfill the final year of his Browns contract. Trouble is, it doesn?t sound like the Browns will bring him back. ?Josh is one of my guys,? Jackson said. ?If he wants to play, I?m sure he?ll continue to, whatever that is for him in the future. We?ll make all those decisions going forward. I have a real respect for Josh McCown.? It?s possible that McCown could return in 2017 ? as a coach. McCown intends to pursue coaching, but only when his playing time is exhausted. He may opt to play elsewhere. But when he?s ready to coach, Jackson said he?ll have a place for him. ?I already told him if he wants to coach he can coach for me anytime he wants. He?s made of the right stuff. He?s going to be a rising star in this profession if that?s what he chooses to do,? Jackson said.
On the outskirts of a small town, there was a big, old pecan tree just inside the cemetery fence. One day, two boys filled up a bucketful of nuts and sat down by the tree, out of sight, and began dividing the nuts. "One for you, one for me, one for you, one for me," said one boy. Several dropped and rolled down toward the fence. Another boy came riding along the road on his bicycle. As he passed, he thought he heard voices from inside the cemetery. He slowed down to investigate. Sure enough, he heard, "One for you, one for me, one for you, one for me ...." He just knew what it was. He jumped back on his bike and rode off. Just around the bend he met an old man with a cane, hobbling along. "Come here quick," said the boy, "you won't believe what I heard! Satan and the Lord are down at the cemetery dividing up the souls!" The man said, "Beat it kid, can't you see it's hard for me to walk." When the boy insisted though, the man hobbled slowly to the cemetery. Standing by the fence they heard, "One for you, one for me. One for you, one for me." The old man whispered, "Boy, you've been tellin' me the truth. Let's see if we can see the Lord...?" Shaking with fear, they peered through the fence, yet were still unable to see anything. The old man and the boy gripped the wrought iron bars of the fence tighter and tighter as they tried to get a glimpse of the Lord. At last they heard, "One for you, one for me. That's all. Now let's go get those nuts by the fence and we'll be done...." They say the old man had the lead for a good half-mile before the kid on the bike passed him.
The Browns are one loss away from clinching the first overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft, but coach Hue Jackson said no one on the team will play on Sunday like a loss is a good thing. Jackson said that the Browns want to beat the Steelers on Sunday and improve their record to 2-14, even if that risks losing the first overall pick to the 49ers, who can also finish 2-14 and would get the first overall pick over the Browns on a tiebreaker. ?Our players work too hard in the locker room and they put it on the line,? Jackson said, via Cleveland.com. ?We have to put it on the line. That?s what sports is all about. I said before, whether it?s the first pick, second pick, or third pick, they?re all going to be good players there. We?ll get good players on this team. I assure everybody that as we move forward, but what I think is most important is finishing the season the right way for these guys.? Teams have been accused of losing intentionally to earn the first overall pick, including two years ago, when the Buccaneers didn?t seem to be trying to win in Week 17 when a loss earned them the top pick. But this year, Jackson sounds committed to trying to win, even if a loss might be better for the long-term success of the franchise.
Editor's note: Tony Grossi covers the Cleveland Browns for ESPN 850 WKNR. Play to win: The attitude of Browns fans has made a disturbing change in recent years. A long-lost generation used to say, ?I don?t care if they lose all the rest as long as they beat the Steelers.? Now I hear this sentiment: ?It would be just like the Browns to beat the Steelers and blow the No. 1 pick in the draft.? What does it say about our youth that they would put a greater value on the abstract hope of one better draft slot than a victory over the hated, slimy Steelers? What in the wide, wide world of Turkey Jones is going on here? Actually, it started before the Pittsburgh game. As the Browns stretched their winless streak to 14 games, I sensed anxiety about winning a game and losing pace with San Francisco for the No. 1 pick. For some, the joy of beating the Chargers in a dramatic finish on Christmas Eve was muted until the 49ers also won, keeping the 1-14 Browns ?ahead? of the 2-13 49ers in the draft order. This maniacal obsession with the No. 1 draft pick would be understandable if a franchise quarterback ? the reincarnation of Peyton Manning ? were available in this year?s draft. But he does not exist. The top player in this year?s draft is either Texas A&M pass rusher Myles Garrett or Alabama defensive lineman Jonathan Allen. Neither is so significantly superior to the other to sacrifice winning games for the chance to draft him. Either would be worthy of the first pick, so why the intense desire to lose? Sickening: The sentiment to ?lose ?em all? is so prevailing among fans that reporters posed the question this week if it would be better for the Browns, long-term, to lose to the Steelers and wrap up the No. 1 pick. ?Oh no, we are trying to win a game,? said coach Hue Jackson. ?That talk, we don?t even get into. Like I said before, these guys have worked so hard that every chance you go out there, you are trying to win. All of that will take care of itself on how it all unfolds. First pick, second pick, third pick, there are good players every year. We are going to be at the top of the draft regardless of how we finish. We will be fine that way.? Quarterback Robert Griffin said, ?Nobody can see it the way we see it because we are in it. We are experiencing it. We are the ones that have to go out every single week and put it on the line. For us to end 2-0, it means something to us for this organization, for the young guys going into to the offseason to feel the experience of winning again. I think that is important.? As usual, Terrelle Pryor was most passionate about the subject of winning v. losing. ?I would hope -- whether you?re playing for first pick or second pick -- I would hope you don?t sacrifice a win over a pick. Geezus, this thing?s about winning,? Pryor said. ?It?s not about going into business. Sometimes it turns into a business and sometimes [a team] may tank to get the first pick. I?m not talking specifically the Browns. I would hope that isn?t the thing. Then I?m playing this game for the wrong reasons. ?I play this game to win. That would be sickening and sad if we were playing for that. For me to put my body out there to lose. I hope that?s not the case. I don?t believe it is. "You?ve got guys going out there putting their body in harm?s way possibly and we?re going out to lose on purpose? I don?t agree with that.? Worsening the culture: I think it became easier for Browns fans to root for losses because of the message sent ? or perceived ? from the new front office. From the beginning, winning in 2016 wasn?t the primary focus of the New Browns Order. Owner Jimmy Haslam lowered expectations in training camp, saying the team was in the midst of a ?multi-year rebuilding process.? Somebody sold Haslam on the idea of going backwards as a necessary step to going forward, and he bought it. Good, rising veteran players were allowed to leave in free agency as part of an extreme roster purge. The chance to draft a possible franchise-changing quarterback at No. 2 overall was flippantly traded away for future draft choices. Rookies and second-year players were not only entitled roster spots, they were given starting jobs without earning them. The Browns sat on $50 million of salary cap room, content to let obvious holes fester into major areas of weakness. The team subconsciously felt the lack of urgency to win and losing became a self-fulfilling prophecy. A belated deadline-beating trade for Patriots linebacker Jamie Collins was so out of character, it seemed more like a headline grab than a serious attempt to add a building block to the roster. Naturally, Collins probably will walk away in free agency. It took the Browns 14 games to add a punt returner who could actually field a punt and run with it. The New Browns Order professed to be enamored with ?changing the culture? of a losing organization. Ultimately, it worsened it, to the point where even its fan base was infected. Beating the Steelers wasn?t as important as ?winning? the No. 1 draft pick. Thus became the Season of Shame.
Justin Gilbert ranks among the most fortunate backup players in the NFL. After all, the cornerback was traded from the Cleveland Browns to the Steelers to start the season. From 1-14 to AFC North champ and potential for more. He went from playing for a team that has not had a winning season in nine years and just two in the past 19, to one of the most successful franchises in the NFL over that time. Sunday, Gilbert hopes to get more playing time against his old teammates than he has all season with the Steelers as Mike Tomlin rests a gaggle of regulars. One thing he won?t do, though, is feel sorry for his old team. ?Ahh, no, not really,?? Gilbert said. Gilbert may be the only Steelers player who can truly understand what it?s like playing for the Browns. They drafted him eighth overall in 2014, a high pick they earned by going 4-12 in 2013. He played in 23 games over two years in Cleveland but started only three before the Browns shipped him to the Steelers, where he remains their No. 4 cornerback. ?It?s just a different feeling,?? Gilbert said of playing for a consistent loser. ?You try to block it out and focus on each week while I was there and try to win that game. Then, at the end of the season look back and reflect on what kind of season it was. But during the season I really didn?t think about it too much.? The Browns avoided the ignominy of becoming the second NFL team to go 0-16 when they beat San Diego at home on Christmas Eve, which rendered Sunday?s game even less meaningful for both teams. At least if Cleveland had a chance to go 0-16, or win its first game, there would have been a tad more drama. ?I mean, that?s good for them that they got that win last week,?? Gilbert said. The Steelers have not had a losing season since 2003, and no one is left from that 6-10 club (James Harrison spent several early weeks on their practice squad). It?s hard for them to fathom the kind of misery that the Browns experience year after year after year. They do not just compile losing seasons in Cleveland, they produce dreadful seasons. This will be the eighth time in the past nine years they will have won no more than five games. If the Steelers beat them to finish the regular season 11-5, it will equal the combined victories for Cleveland over its past three seasons. Can a veteran Steelers player feel for the Browns players and what they?ve gone through? ?No,?? replied Cam Heyward, who played at Ohio State. Can he at least imagine what they and their fans have gone through? ?No,?? he said again, then laughed. ?I thought losing four games in a row was bad but that other stuff is way worse. It?s hard to have that many losses through multiple years. ?I hate to be mean, but that?s a lot of agony to go through year in and year out. I?m glad they have a basketball team, and the baseball team did pretty well. They won a game last week, but we want to keep them from getting a win on us.? Winning the NBA championship in 2016 and the American League pennant no doubt lifted the spirits of many Cleveland sports fans, but it did nothing for the Browns. Hue Jackson might some day point to his first season as Cleveland?s coach and compare it to Chuck Noll?s 1-13 first season as coach of the Steelers. He became the sixth Browns coach since Mike Tomlin was hired by the Steelers in 2007. They have had 10 coaches since Bill Cowher was hired in 1992. They have had 18 coaches over the period in which the Steelers have had three. Nothing seems to work for the Browns ? new coaches, new management, new ownership, new franchise, new stadium, new uniforms. ?I dream at night sometimes about what it?s going to be like when we turn this thing around,?? veteran Browns tackle Joe Thomas said last week. I really really want to throat punch Farmer .. Gilbert who I hope loses a phuquing leg today to a undersized dirt bag of a drunken affluent no class little weasel of QB to Erving .. *ROSE* *KISSING* *WALL*
While much-maligned Browns owner Jimmy Haslam has been preaching continuity during another lost season, after years of making constant changes in the coaching and front office ranks, a management shake-up is hardly out of the question. Browns coaches have deep concerns with the direction of the personnel department, according to numerous team and league sources, and will discuss the matter with Haslam soon. While coach Hue Jackson is not planning to request the removal of top football man Sashi Brown, or the influential analytics department he has built, the sources said there will be a strong push to ownership to reconsider the flow chart. The coaches would like a proven, old-school talent evaluator involved in player selection to provide checks and balances with the current setup. Frankly, the issue should be no surprise after a one-win season when their bevy of draft picks have provided little production. Plus, several former players who were cut or not re-signed are thriving on more successful clubs. There are deep concerns, with the team still lacking a quarterback and this 2017 draft pivotal for the future, that merely letting the same process unfold this spring could bring dire consequences. Hiring a former general manager to oversee player evaluation is seen as imperative. It remains to be seen how Haslam or the football operations department receives this. Coaches are aware of Haslam's sensitivity to change given his almost yearly reboots. They will encourage any addition to be someone who can coexist with those in place -- however na?ve that may prove. Ironically, the organization had at least three former high-ranking officials from other NFL franchises on staff prior to last year's draft, when they were part of the latest Browns purge. As reported months ago, the front office also has some concerns with Jackson's staff -- defensive coordinator Ray Horton in particular -- and there could be a movement to urge the coach to alter his staff. Cleveland won its first game last week over San Diego, but lost Sunday to the Steelers, 27-24 in overtime, and has won only four games since Thanksgiving of 2014.
This is a non story, Haslem publicly made a statement that they will be moving forward with the current front office and coaching staff. If they add another person to the front office, in the form of a "football guy", it will only enhance what they have already. You must have a combination of minds, even with the analytical process in place. They can get explanations from a football person as to the "why" something may not work despite the numbers. I for one am just thankful this dreadful experience has come to an end and look forward to this offseason to get better...Let's get started!
Well we did everything we possibly could to make sure the Pittsburgh Steelers did not lose today...Please. Please. Please dear lord, let this be rock bottom....
I think that will depend on who they choose as franchise QB...once they figure that out things will clear up or become more cloudy
