Tag: Cleveland Browns (Page 15 of 57)

Browns appear ready to head into camp with Delhomme as their starter

CHARLOTTE, NC - JANUARY 03:  Jake Delhomme #17 of the Carolina Panthers reacts on the sidelines against the New Orleans Saints during their game at Bank of America Stadium on January 3, 2010 in Charlotte, North Carolina.  (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Eric Mangini said Monday that the Browns’ starting quarterback job is Jake Delhomme’s to lose. Some Cleveland fans may want to throw their Jim Brown bobblehead through their office window after reading that news, while others probably shrugged and muttered, “Well, at least it’s not Derek Anderson.”

Thus far, all of the reports on Delhomme this summer have been positive. Mike Holmgren was looking to add a veteran quarterback who could help provide leadership in the locker room and he found one in Delhomme. Perhaps more importantly, the former Panther has developed a good report with young receivers Mohamed Massaquoi and Brian Robiskie.

Of course, Delhomme has been around long enough to know how to make an impression in OTAs. While his veteran presence has probably been a welcoming sight around Cleveland this summer, the real work is still ahead. This is a player that hasn’t played with confidence in the recent past and his decision-making has been downright brutal over the last year and a change. If the Browns were looking for a savior at the quarterback position, Delhomme isn’t it.

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Robaire Smith latest Brown to get caught with loaded gun at airport

Note to self: Never go to the airport with a defensive linemen from the Cleveland Browns, because chances are they’ll get caught with a loaded gun in their carry-on bag.

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer:

Browns defensive Robaire Smith, who was with fellow defensive lineman Shaun Rogers when he was arrested for having a loaded gun in his carry-on at the airport, is now facing charges for the same thing, the Flint Journal reported today.

But if you’re wondering why Smith didn’t learn from Rogers’ mistake, Smith’s incident happened first.

Smith, 32, was going through security at Bishop Airport in Flint, Mich. on Nov. 6 when a loaded gun was found in his carry-on. Rogers was arrested April 1st after a loaded gun was found in his bag at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. He pleaded not guilty and is awaiting a court date.

Like Rogers, Smith told airport security he forgot the gun was in his bag. The gun was confiscated and he was released pending further investigation. Leyton issued the charge on Thursday, misdemeanor possession of a firearm in a sterile area of a commercial airport. It carries a maximum sentence of one year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

This is outstanding. You wouldn’t even see this kind of story play out in a movie because people would think it’s too ridiculous and unrealistic. Yet this is all true! All of it!

I would have loved to have seen Smith’s face when Rogers was busted with his gun:

“Wait…you too?! Dude, the same thing happened to me like five months ago! Yeah, no, I’m totally serious – same exact thing.”

I’ll pose the same question here as I did when Rogers was arrested: How could anyone forget that they have a loaded freaking weapon on them in an airport? I freak out when I think my toothpaste tube is too big and I have to carry it on a plane, yet these guys completely forget that they’re packing heat. Un-real.


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Is Robiskie ready to shine for Browns in 2010?

Tony Grossi of the Cleveland Plain Dealer compiled a list of five players that he believes may shine for the Browns in 2010 and of those five, I happen to agree with his selection of second year receiver Brian Robiskie.

Brian Robiskie: The second-year receiver dressed for 11 games as a rookie and caught passes in only three of them. If one OTA practice open to the media is any indication, he should at least quintuple his season total of seven catches.

Of all the receivers at last year’s scouting combine, I felt as though Robiskie was the most polished. That’s not to say he was the best, but his route running was superb (which is usually a great indication that a young receiver will make an impact right away in the NFL) and he displayed soft hands during all of the drills.

Neither Grossi nor I are suggesting that Robiskie will be a superstar, but I think the former Ohio State Buckeye could mount a career that resembles former Bill Don Beebe’s. Some of you might be thinking, “Oh, wow – Don Beebe, huh? Wow – great.” But Robiskie could do much worse than to have a Don Beebe-like career. Much worse.


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Colt McCoy not Browns’ first choice in third round?

Pat Yasinskas of ESPN.com shared an interesting tidbit the other day about how Colt McCoy wound up being a Cleveland Brown. Apparently McCoy has Corey Peters to thank for that.

Who is Corey Peters you ask? He was the Falcons’ selection at No. 83 in the third round of last week’s draft and had Atlanta not taken him, he more than likely would have ended up a Brown. That’s because according to Yasinskas, Cleveland GM Tom Heckert was “leaning heavily” towards taking Peters with the No. 85 pick, which was the selection Cleveland used to take McCoy.

What’s interesting about this report is that Mike Holmgren wanted McCoy at No. 85. So had the Falcons not intervened and taken Peters at No. 83, there would have likely been a debate between Holmgren and Heckert over whether or not to take McCoy.

It’s also kind of noteworthy that many draft pundits (including Mel Kiper) criticized the Falcons for reaching on Peters (who had a late round grade) in the third round, yet as it turns out, he was wanted by at least two teams (Atlanta and Cleveland). It’s always interesting to hear how things play out in the war room and this story is no different.


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Browns get great value, take McCoy in third round

One of the many reasons why the Browns hired Mike Holmgren to help turn around their franchise was because he knows the quarterback position. He knows what kind of player it takes to run his offense and he understands value when it comes to spotting players in the draft.

Take Texas quarterback Colt McCoy for example. He has enough talent to have been selected anywhere in the second round, yet he fell all the way to the 85th overall pick in the third. The Browns could have selected him at the top of the second, but Holmgren gambled that McCoy would fall and that’s exactly what happened. Not only did the Browns get great value, but they also took the best player on the board and one that fits their system well.

McCoy isn’t an elite prospect, which is probably why he fell all the way to the third round. He doesn’t have a strong arm, isn’t a real big kid and he was exposed by Ndamukong Suh in the Big 12 Championship Game. But he’s the perfect fit for the West Coast Offense because he reads defenses well, is extremely accurate and makes good decisions.

To be honest, I would have liked McCoy to the Browns at No. 38. So for them to land him at No. 85 represents tremendous value. Again, he’s not an elite prospect, but that could work to his advantage. He has no pressure to start with Seneca Wallace and Jake Delawful ahead of him, so he can learn the offense and mature at a natural pace. Plus, Cleveland fans should love him. He’s a great kid, a hard worker and a winner.


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