I'm a little late to the discussion, but I have to agree with SAS on drafting another WR. You can't go into next year counting on #1 Gordon staying cleaan, and Coleman not getting injured. History dictates we draft a WR. Not saying he's got to a first rounder, but we gotta get some backup talent, even assuming Gordon comes back looking good this year, I don't trust him, probably won't ever fully trust him again. As for QB, has anyone considered Kasum from Minny, or maybe Bridgewater or Sam I am Bradford? Looks like there are a number of guys who are playing this year who'll be looking at options for next season: Manning, Cousins, Kasum/Bridgewater/Bradford..... How do we feel about those options, and what the hell let's throw in McCarren, and maybe Alex Smith, and who wouldn't love to have Colin Kaepernik. Regardless of who we might want to bring in, we still need to draft one IMO, but the list for next year goes way beyond the draft choices, and may weil turnover the applecart relative to when QBs are drafted this year.
Well, here's to dreaming about Gordon's return this Sunday. Just one win......is that too much to ask? Pssst......SAS......He even made Weeden look good once (and only once)
One at a time... I agree 100% this team roster will/should be run as if Josh Gordon is not on it. Tomorrow that could very well be the case. We have seen what the roster looks like without him and Coleman, which tells us we SHOULD get the combination of the following: (1) Free Agent and (1) 1st/2nd round evaluated talent or (1) first round AND (1) second round talent and pray to the Gods that Gordon lasts for the year because you need to give both draft picks time to develop. Next: Veteran QB QB, I have a theory. If this regime withstands the off season onslaught of fans calling for their heads (and I believe they will), then they know this is their one and last chance to turn 2018 into a season worth watching. They will be forced to spend money on a veteran QB..I believe they will go after a proven one, which would lead to either Kirk Cousins or Eli Manning. Sam Bradford is proven, it's proven that he can't stay healthy. Keenum has been an ultra bright spot, and I think the Vikings will reward the QB that lasted a season healthy and one of the best in the league. So, group Bradford/Bridgewater/McCarren into the unproven category...not only based on ability, but also ability to stay healthy, which is something this team cannot afford to deal with. Colin Kaepernik, if he were considered a viable solution, he would already be here. Alex Smith, I won't even ponder in the this scenario as he is a guy with top 15 talent and I don't think the Chiefs will ultimately part ways with him based on the younger unknown. If anything, they would pay his last year of salary as a buffer to allowing the young kid play. That way if he isn't showing the promise you hope for, you still have Alex and can sign him to an extension. Until Alex Smith is no longer considered the best option to win, I don't expect Andy Reid to allow him to move on. Now, once that happens and his release imminent...then he goes into the first group with 1a) Kirk Cousins, 1b) Alex Smith and 1c) Eli Manning Finally: Rookie QB I don't think anyone should be surprised when the Browns do NOT take a QB in the first round of this draft...and there are three reasons 1) Talent, I'm not sure any of these rookies deserve to be taken #1 overall. Evaluations will need to be processed, but on the surface there are a lot of questions to overlook if you decide to make the move at #1. 2) This regime's life will depend on making 2018 successful, that will mean a veteran QB being brought in and getting as much help around him as possible, hence the use of the top picks on non QBs 3) Basic Need, when they bring in the veteran, the need ratio drops like a 20 ton boulder into the bottom of the Atlantic. As far down as you all are on DeShone Kizer, if he is the backup, then he is extremely valuable having started 15 games in this system...more than any other QB on the roster no matter what you do in the off season. There is one single wild card in this entire scenario.... Peyton Manning IF he were to be hired, it would give Haslem an excuse to blow up the entire regime, in which case all bets are off. It changes the landscape completely depending on how much power Manning is given. As it stands right now, I don't expects large scale changes, so I believe the above to be the most likely scenarios to play out...and the most likely to help this team to succeed I might add.
Actually, I hope we sign whomever is the cast-off from Minnesota. My guess is they keep Bradford and Bridgewater, so Keenum would be our guy.
If Hue survives, put A.J. McCarron in ink as our next QB. Personally, I want the cast-off from Minnesota, Alex Smith, or Colin Kaepernick - in that order. Eli Manning is a long shot - probably only a reality if Peyton takes the Team President job (also a long shot). Kirk Cousins is going to command an extremely high salary, have multiple suitors, and - while his stats are great - has he really elevated the players around him?
Yes Vernon Davis as the #2 TE has been elevated......have you hard of Ryan Grant who is having a career yr and Doctson who is having a healthy bounce back yr
I would agree with your assesment Irish. The proven guys are Cousins, Manning and Smith, if available. I sincerely doubt Manning will be available, given the firing McAdoo, making Manning the starter again. That leaves Cousins and Smith (another long shot). Cousins would be costly, yes, but none the less the best guy. As for the 2nd tier, McCarren, Bridgewater, Kasum, I am wishy washy on any of them. Of the three, I think McCarren has the most years (to lazy to verify), and from a mentoring standpoint, he knows Hue's offense, and shouldn't cost too much. It also makes the possibility of benching him a manageable one, should Kizer or ________ (our latest draft QB), show signs of life. If it's a shot at getting "the guy", I might be more inclined to go with one of the other guys, but Bridgewater's injury prone history scares me, so I'd be more comfortable with Kasum. In the Proven category, Cousins is the only "long termer", with either Manning or Smith approaching the end of their careers. So Cousins would be #1, as a QB solution, whereas Manning and Smith are more likely "bridge guys" to give a couple seasons, and help us develop any/all young guns. The larger picture is "any" of them is a quatum leap from where we are today, and have been since 99. Give me 2 or 3 years of solid QB play and lets build a team.
Interesting thoughts here, especially about castoffs from Minny. Depending on how the week to week saga of Keenum goes, I think they will cut Bradford loose. He can't stay healthy. Not sure the Browns would get much out of him if he's on IR all the time. As for Kapernick...no way. To much baggage, and would be a weekly distraction. I'm also retired Air Force, and every time I see kneeling during the National Anthem it flat pisses me off. Just my opinion. Rok
I don't want guys who donate hundreds of thousands to youth organizations on my team either. He was only kneeling to be more respectful to the flag than sitting, at the recommendation of Nate Boyer, former Green Beret.
The Cleveland Browns' next general manager will inherit a mess. It's a good mess, as messes go -- one that should make this job quite appealing for a talented evaluator. There are many reasons why this job should scare GM candidates, starting with ownership -- it's not even clear whether the next GM will be able to hire his own head coach. And for all the draft choices the Browns recently made who might stick for the future, the blue-chip difference-makers are in extremely short supply (no Browns players made our recent list of top 25 players under 25 years old). Despite the obvious talent void, this job still carries appeal. Here's a look at seven selling points that make this position appealing: Low benchmark for success The Browns posted a 1-27 record during Brown's two seasons on the job. They were 10-22 under previous GM Ray Farmer. They have gone 37-91 in the past 10 seasons (since 2008) for a league-worst win rate of .289. There is really only one way to go, and that is up. The next GM is not trying to succeed Ron Wolf, George Young, Bill Polian or some other Hall of Fame-caliber team builder. The next GM in Cleveland will look like a rousing success if the Browns even approach .500 over the next season or two. That is a low bar to clear for earning whatever job security can exist in the NFL. "If you ever did win there, the town would love you forever," an evaluator said. Unreal draft capital The Browns own two first-round picks, three second-rounders, one third-rounder, two fourth-rounders, as many as two fifths, two sixths and as many as two sevenths -- and that is in the 2018 draft alone. The first-rounders include Cleveland's own, which could be the No. 1 pick overall, plus a first-rounder acquired from the Houston Texans, whose season fell apart after Deshaun Watson, J.J. Watt, Whitney Mercilus and others suffered injuries. The next GM in Cleveland will inherit a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity from a draft-capital standpoint, with the potential for two top-10 picks, including the top overall choice. The outgoing Browns regime proved that owning lots of draft choices does not necessarily equate to finding the types of game-changing talents that teams covet. For example, Myles Garrett might be the only 2016-17 Browns draft choice with elite potential (and even that is in question among evaluators after Garrett has missed multiple games to injury). The next GM will not be assured success simply because the team owns all those draft choices, but there will be an outsized opportunity to use the draft for team building. Hard-core fan base The Browns are highly relevant in Cleveland, win or lose. Fans care. Drumming up interest isn't going to be a problem. Whereas some GMs must focus, at least some, on reconnecting with an apathetic fan base, the Browns' next GM can focus more on building the roster. That is what every GM wants to focus on. This is a football job, in other words. Young roster Elias Sports Bureau has the Browns with the NFL's youngest roster by average age, with a league-low three players in their 30s. There are 21 players who are not yet even 24 years old (only San Francisco has more, with 22). The next GM will not be inheriting tough decisions regarding a long list of declining veterans. This is a chance to start fresh. Cap flexibility With so few veterans on the roster, there are few veteran contracts eating up salary-cap space. The next GM will have maximum flexibility. This is a bad thing in some ways because it means the Browns haven't had players worthy of expensive deals. It's a good thing from a flexibility standpoint. No commitment to lower-tier QB The Browns do not have a good quarterback, which is bad. They also are not financially committed to a bad one, which is good. The next GM isn't stuck with a lower-tier quarterback earning upper-tier money. That was the case for Chicago when Ryan Pace took over as GM while the team lacked flexibility with Jay Cutler, for instance. The AFC North's future minus Ben There have been strong and even dominant teams in the AFC North for years, but the landscape could be changing. Ben Roethlisberger has already talked about retirement and could be on his way out of Pittsburgh sooner rather than later. Baltimore is locked in with Joe Flacco for the time being, but Flacco is not a top-tier quarterback and it would not be shocking if the Ravens moved on from him in the next couple seasons. Cincinnati could be starting over with a new coach.
Unreal draft capital, young roster, cap flexibility, no commitment to lower-tier QB... Thanks, Sashi!!
I imagine he's either: Hunched over his computer, brow furrowed and eyes twitching trying to re-watch Josh Gordon highlights to prove he wasn't open on a couple of routes and/or Kizer threw a catchable ball. Or in euphoric shock at the news and can't sync up brain/fingers to communicate the glee he feels that Cleveland seems to be circling the drain with a lame duck head coach. Either way, looks something like...
21-7 Biggest lead of the season. Glad we fired Sashi and got all those good players in return. #sarcasm #ItWasFixedTheWholeTime #TanksHue
