The Browns signed undrafted rookie wide receiver Arceto Clark and undrafted rookie running back Dennis Johnson to their practice squad, the team announced this morning. The Browns also released undrafted rookie wide receiver Jasper Collins, a University of Mount Union product, from their practice squad. All eight spots on the practice squad are now filled. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound Clark spent training camp with the Seattle Seahawks and had five catches for 48 yards in the preseason before being waived Aug. 31. He is a Mississippi State University product. The Browns waived the 5-7, 193-pound Johnson, a University of Arkansas product, on Saturday. Johnson spent the preseason with the Houston Texans and tallied 33 carries for 129 yards (3.9 average) and one touchdown to go along with five receptions for 31 yards. The Browns signed the 5-10, 180-pound Collins to their practice squad Sept. 2 after the Miami Dolphins waived/injured him because he was dealing with a hamstring problem.
It has been said, written and proffered by those much wiser than you and I that football games are won and lost in the trenches. That relatively small piece of turf, artificial or otherwise, on a football field where the down and dirty meet around 150 times a game is the determining location for the final outcome. Win the line of scrimmage and chances are you most probably win the game. It?s as simple as that. That, obviously, is lost on the coaching staff of the Browns, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. If the performance of the offensive line in Sunday?s 23-10 loss to the Miami Dolphins in the season opener is any indication of where this team is headed, gird yourselves. It?s going to be a long, bumpy road. This is not a good line. It?s not even close. And a majority of the blame for that must be placed on those most responsible for what we saw against the Dolphins. Want names? Let?s start with Joe Banner, who seems more than willing to step up and take the heat. While running the show in Philadelphia, the Eagles were known for having strength in the trenches. Rarely did a college draft go by and the Eagles pass on linemen. That was one of the main reasons the Eagles were so successful. Then there?s Mike Lombardi, the personnel guru on whom Banner leans heavily. He knew there was a problem at the guard position for the Browns. And yet, he did nothing in the draft of free agency, unless you consider selecting Garrett Gilkey in the seventh round doing something. Yes, it?s the responsibility of the coaches to coach those who make the final roster. But there is just so much the coaches can do if the talent level falls far short of expectations. After the line?s awful performance against the Dolphins, particularly on the right side with unacceptable performances by Mitchell Schwartz and Oneil Cousins, one gets the impression this could eventually turn out to be the norm rather than a blip on the radar. Cousins was downright awful at best. How he made the roster is a head scratcher. A tackle by trade, he had never played guard. And it showed. Schwartz, on the other hand, was dominated by All-Pro Cameron Wake. But he is good enough and smart enough to correct his mistakes. Cousins is a lost cause. Did he cost the Browns the game? No, but he was a significant contributor. His performance makes one (OK, me) yearn for the quick return of Shawn Lauvao. And that?s not meant as a compliment for Lauvao, who had problems all last season. But he's better than Cousins. ?(Cousins) is the best we?ve got and Oneil will make the improvements and he will get better,? said coach Rob Chudzinski after the game Sunday. It sounds as the coach is trying to rationalize the situation. If Cousins is the best the Browns have, batten down the hatches and hide the children. You can blame Brandon Weeden all you want for the mess against Miami. Sure, the quarterback had a terrible game. With any kind of help from his offensive line, though, the results might have been different. We?ll never know. The argument can be made that it?s just one game. Maybe so, But when you play only 16, the importance of winning and losing takes on a whole new meaning. Unless the Browns make significant changes on the offensive line, the Dolphins game will seem like the norm. ~ If memory serves, Chudzinski, or was it Norv Turner, who said the goal for Trent Richardson was at least 300 carries this season. After his 13-carry game against the Dolphins, the burly running back is on pace for 208. It?s almost as though he?s not considered one of the most important pieces of the offensive puzzle. Hard to believe, but the last time Richardson touched the football against Miami was the last play of the third quarter. It was his fifth ? and last ? carry of the half. The final 27 play calls of the game by Turner were passes, although the Browns trailed by only three (13-10) at one point. Why is Richardson being shackled? Is there something wrong with him? Or are the coaches afraid he might get hurt if he?s on the field too often? Maybe that?s the case with only rookie Bobby Rainey behind him as the front office goes brain dead when it comes to running back depth. There is no reason Richardson should get anything less than 18-20 chances per game to run from scrimmage. And he should get another five to six touches through the air. His underuse is inexcusable. If he?s too tired to play, go out and get some more running backs. ~ And then there?s tight end Jordan Cameron, the lone bright star on offense Sunday. Nine catches, 108 yards, a touchdown and no injuries. That last stat is important. As long as he?s able to stay on the field, this is the kind of production we can expect to see. His injury-prone past, however, lurks around every corner as he plays the game hard. He had better stay healthy. He?s the only receiving threat at the position. Combine that with the uncertainty at wide receiver and you can see how vital it is he stays healthy. ~ Didn?t defensive coordinator Ray Horton promise a more aggressive, blitz-happy defense this season? If it was there against the Dolphins, I missed it. There was relatively little blitzing ? and if there was, it was ineffective ? and it seemed as though the Browns played a loose zone on most third-down plays with Miami quarterback Ryan Tannehill finding most of the holes in those zones. The Cleveland offense, as bad as it was, still needed the defense to get the ball back. Failure to do so enabled the Dolphins to stretch the lead out to 10 points in the fourth quarter and kick it into desperation mode for the offensive coaching staff. ~ Final thoughts: We?ll see just how good the run defense is (only 20 yards against Miami) in the next two games. Up next, Ray Rice and the Baltimore Ravens, followed by Adrian Peterson and the Minnesota Vikings. . . . Blame Weeden for only one of his three interceptions. Two deflected off the hands of Greg Little and Cameron right to ex-Brown Dimitri Patterson. And at least four of his incompletions bounced off receivers? hands. . . . Maybe it was expected, but Joe Haden nevertheless deserves credit for rendering Mike Wallace almost invisible with only two meaningless catches. . . . One for 14 on third down? Shame on you, Norv Turner.
With visions of 7-9 dancing in our heads (mine too), we were again suckered, hoodwinked and bamboozled into thinking that our Sundays would be filled with anything but mostly unwatchable football. 2 Comments Purely because I want to (again) go on the record - and NOT because I delight in being that guy that told you so, but.... I told you. But here we are again, mere hours removed from yet another deflating Browns' season opener - one that was artificially propped up by MONTHS of breathless talk about "vertical" shotgun offenses and attacking defenses - all wrapped up in the energy of new ownership and a seemingly competent front office. With visions of 7-9 dancing in our heads (mine too), we were again suckered, hoodwinked and bamboozled into thinking that our Sundays would be filled with anything but mostly unwatchable football. That the Browns resembled anything but what they have been for years is an indictment of another blustery offseason. Of course all of us, media and fans are guilty of yet again taking the bait to some degree. Most of us (not me this time), let our guards down enough to be swayed by the only remaining news(y) entity in town, completely forgetting that the Cleveland Plain Dealer and every other media entity that feeds off it now exists to do the following: Get people to click on its ads. And to do so, they pumped thousands of effusive words of praise upon what was and still very much is a 5-11 football team. Regardless of how enticing those words sound - "attack, attack, attack" and the like, we are all still watching a 5-11 football team operate. After Brandon Weeden dissected a sterile Rams' preseason defense, those frenzied clicks seemed to signal the dawning of a new era of Browns' football. Or at the least, our collective interest was peaked just enough to allow that glimmer of hope. Of course, since sports journalism long ago left town, that hope is readily supplied by our main Browns' "news" source, the one that happily convinced us that: 1. Brandon Weeden has evolved from the kind of nervous quarterback who locks onto one receiver and then rifles a touch pass with the grace of a dancing elephant. 2. O'Neil Cousins is actually the team's "best option" at Right Guard. 3. Mitch Schwartz is a solid pass protector. 4. The Browns have real depth at wide receiver. 5. You haven't seen defense until Ray Horton shows it to you. 6. Buster Skrine is a fiery competitor and such. And let's not get started on that draft the hastily constructed front office virtually skipped back in April. The obvious point here is that no one cares about a 5-11 team. To the PD and resulting media's credit, the sales job that was executed this offseason was stunning. But all is not lost - in what could very well be another lost season. In order to maintain interest - or at least a curiosity - in the Browns, we'll always have the following from our PD friends: 1. Brandon Weeden on the Hot Seat! 2. Let's complain about Cornerbacks. 3. The great Cousins/Gilkey debate. 4. Teddy or Tajh? 5. Jim Brown returns (again). 6. Jimmy Haslam on Trial. And we'll all click on each of the above. Anyway, it would be extraordinarily pessimistic to suggest that the Browns' 2013 season is already over. As I have suggested countless times over the last several months, the Browns possess a good deal of young, talented players. The current coaching staff is likely the most competent of the expansion era and there were still a few positives to take away from the opening day loss. However, it's far easier to view this season from an adjusted perspective. While the Browns are nowhere near the team recent headlines tried to establish them as, they are also not as bad as the team that struggled to score 10 points and couldn't stop Brian Hartline. Somewhere in between lies the kind of reality that you just can't read about anymore
neither did i Lym . doesent mean i dont agree with it . or maybe the clunker of a opener where the " new " Browns resembled Shurmurs Browns was to fool everyone into thinking that nothing has changed and we will see the new Browns this Sunday agaimnst the Rats ..yeah thats it *SORRY*
Even the ever optimist that I am... Sunday was deflating!!! I'm envisioning a lot more fishing on Sundays this football season and ALOT less time devoted to watching what the Browns TRY and pass for football!! *WALL*
The more I read, the worse it seems. Didn't get to watch the game so I've been reading and watching whatever the net can provide, to get a better sense of how bad we were. Bluez you've tried to be fair, but the sound of air leaking out is unmistakeable. They did a masterful job of selling us the "New Browns" once again, and I wanted to believe. I just don't and I flog myself for being capable of believing the hype we were fed. I want this "new" management team to "do something". We're playing the best guys we have just waves the white flag, and after one game I sure dont want to feel like our owner and his team have accepted what they have put together, with an eye for 2014, when it's September. Yet I feel that is what I am hearing. I believe we have some real talent in our coaching ranks. I believe we have a higher level of on field talent than we have had in recent years, so why am I watching "the same old Browns"? It's a pretty package you've put together Mr Haslam, but peel away the shiney wrapping and the same turd lies within. Do someting!
i have never been more dissapointed in them than i was this past Sunday . that is saying something after all we have been through since 95 . energy ? exciting offense ? BARF!! It looked like the puppet had never left the building against the Fins *WALL*
Browns first-round OLB Barkevious Mingo (bruised lung) has been medically cleared for contact. Mingo is expected to practice this week and make his NFL debut against the Ravens Sunday. It's a boost to a front seven that turned in a dominating performance in Week 1, limiting Lamar Miller/Daniel Thomas to 17 yards on 18 carries and sacking Ryan Tannehill four times. Mingo will come off the bench behind Paul Kruger and Jabaal Sheard. Great can he play CB ? NO he can't . he was a "luxury" draft pick which made no sense at the time . we have total MORONS in the FO between Lombtard & Banner
that would also work but according to Chud who said that Cousins is " the best we have " ..28 Mill in cap space and these nimrods cant or will not find a guard or a corner or even a safety *WALL* sorry for being negative here but dammit
That's the most alarming statement made IMHO... Here, I found a better guard than Cousins: Spoiler No apologies necessary!!!!
Hi Lounge Houndz... *DRINK* I think many of us all share your frustration Bluez *WALL* To me Lombatard and Banner are doing everything they can to get rid of Weeds, because he's not "their guy" :| If the FO wanted a winning team they'd do everything they can to make Weeden succesful by giving him an O-line that could open up holes for T-rich and give the QB time to find his target and make the throw. My guess is Lombatard is targeting Teddy Bridgewater...
If this were true, the man should be castrated!!! I for one would jump for joy in getting Bridgewater, it has nothing to do with this young prospect. It has everything to do with the premise of finding ways to lose to get him. IF he wants Teddy that bad, go up and get him!! Give up #1s in 2014, 2015 and 2016...along with 2013 2nd, (2) 3RDS AND (2) 4THS...THAT WOULD GET ANYONE'S ATTENTION.
Exactly Irish... *BRAVO* It is difficult for me to believe somewhat otherwise at this point. The FO has really done little to NOTHING since they took over, to truly address the lack of O-line depth especially at guard. If Cousins is "the best option" I'd rather they started Gilkey, *HELP* *HELP* I know that this team can be very competative even with Weeden at QB, even if he's not "starter" material. He just needs the front 5 guys to play well. I really ge tthe feeling that the FO isn't doing the absolute best job it can to give Weeden the best chance to succeed.
How long will a 190lbs QB last ? i dont get the love for him . yes he is talented but also small i am all for casterating the FO ..Whips out my trusty US Army boot knife i kept after i got out ..its still very sharp *CRAZY*
This: http://static.foxsports.com/content...Scouting-Pic-Inside_20120125123021757_0_0.JPG So you want to be the GM that passes on him because of his build? The talent is too great to ignore. Think Andrew Luck when evaluating him bluez. Besides, I read somewhere that his playing weight is over 200lbs this year...Something like 210...so if his skill doesn't fall off, he should be just about the right size to excel.
all i can think of is that its only week two and were talking draft already . we done threw dirt on Weeds .. Takes the fifth of Makers off the top shelf and glug glug glug ..mutters when does it end ?
