Tag: Cleveland Browns (Page 30 of 57)

      Daily Six-Pack: NFL Preseason Saturday

      August 15, 2009 /

      Six games highlight Saturday’s preseason action in the NFL. Below are six things to keep an eye on tonight in the NFL.

      1. It’s the start of a new era in Detroit.
      Word out of Lions camp is that rookie Matthew Stafford is way ahead of the curve when it comes to first-year quarterbacks. Even though Detroit would love to see veteran Daunte Culpepper take the majority of the snaps behind a brutal offensive line this season, it appears that Stafford has made quite the impression and it may be hard for the Lions to keep him on the sidelines. Today when the Lions host the Falcons in both teams’ preseason opener, Detroit isn’t going to overact to Stafford’s performance either way. If he goes out and throws two interceptions in two series, they’ll shrug it off as a learning experience. If he throws two touchdowns on his first two pass attempts, the team will chalk it up to preseason luck and hope the live game experience will be valuable in his development. The point is that it’s only preseason and chances are, his performance won’t be an indication either way of how well he’ll fair in Detroit. The key is that the Lions can officially put their disastrous 2008 season behind them today, and Stafford represents the future.

      2. Cutler makes his Bears’ debut.
      You’ll be hard pressed to find a Chicagoan who isn’t thinking playoffs (or even Super Bowl) after the Bears acquired quarterback Jay Cutler from the Broncos this offseason. You’ll have to excuse Chicago fans for their budding enthusiasm because, you see, they’ve been waiting a long time for a quarterback of Cutler’s ilk to pass through their great city. Sure, the Bears still don’t have the greatest set of receivers and there are still question marks surrounding the offensive line, even after the offseason addition of Orlando Pace. But none of that will matter once Cutler lines up under center tonight against the Bills and riffles his first completion, because the Bears finally have their quarterback.

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      NFL

      Stallworth suspended for 2009 season

      August 13, 2009 /

      According to a report by ESPN.com, the NFL has suspended Browns receiver Donte’ Stallworth for the entire 2009 season without pay.

      In a letter to Stallworth made public Thursday, commissioner Roger Goodell said, “I believe that further consequences are necessary” in addition to the punishment handed down by the legal system.

      “There is no question that your actions had tragic consequences to an innocent man and his family, and that you have violated both the Substances of Abuse and Personal Conduct Policies,” Goodell said. “In that respect, you are clearly guilty of conduct detrimental to the integrity of and public confidence in the NFL.”

      “Your conduct endangered yourself and others, leading to the death of an innocent man. The NFL and NFL players must live with the stain that you have placed on their reputations,” Goodell said.

      People are immediately going to compare this suspension to the one that Michael Vick will receive (four to six games) and think that Goodell was harder on Stallworth than he will be on Vick. But don’t forget that Vick already served 23 months in jail, so that plays into the length of his suspension.

      Then again, even though the 30 days Stallworth got for killing a pedestrian was light, he has showed remorse from the moment of the accident and has accepted his punishment. Vick, on the other hand, lied from the get-go about his involvement with dog fighting and, at least in some people’s eyes, has yet to show much remorse. He lied to Goodell, lied to Falcons owner Arthur Blank, and lied to the public. So why should he only get a four or six game suspension while Stallworth is suspended 16 games? It’s an interesting debate.

      Either way, Stallworth’s career is definitely in jeopardy. It’s highly doubtful that he’ll ever play for the Browns again and given his age, (lack of) production and durability concerns, other teams may pass on him as well.

      NFL

      Training Camp Notes: Browns no-huddle, Bob Sanders, JaMarcuss Russell

      August 12, 2009 /

      Cleveland Browns:
      Eric Mangini says that the Browns’ quarterbacks have been running the no-huddle since the first day of OTAs and every day during training camp. Mangini wants to create more tactical advantages this season to keep defenses guessing, which was a foreign concept to Romeo Crennel and Butch Davis when they were head coaches in Cleveland. (Cleveland Scores)

      Indianapolis Colts:
      Jim Caldwell says it’s only a matter of time before Bob Sanders is healthy again, although the head coach admitted that the safety’s knee problems could keep him out of the Colts’ season opener. (Indianapolis Star)

      Oakland Raiders:
      Beat writer David White says that JaMarcus Russell continues to follow good practices with bad ones and that the third year quarterback still has timing issues with his receivers. Still, with Jeff Garcia battling a calf injury, Russell’s starting job appears to be safe for now. (San Francisco Chronicle)

      Houston Texans:
      Rookie linebacker Brian Cushing will miss the next 2-3 weeks with a sprained left LCL injury. Cushing is expected to miss Houston’s first two preseason games, but the team is hoping that he’ll be healthy enough to play in the third. Zac Diles will fill in at strong-side linebacker while Cushing is out. (Houston Chronicle)

      New York Jets:
      The Jets have increased their contract offer to Leon Washington and reportedly are now willing to go as high as $4.5 million a year for the running back. No word yet on if Washington will accept the deal. (New York Daily News)

      NFL

      Top 5 Active Special Teams TD Leaders

      August 8, 2009 /

      Donte HallSome NFL players are just electrifying to watch when they return kicks. Some are even more electrifying when they are on your fantasy team, or if your D/ST gives you six points for a kick return score. Here is a list of the top five (or so) active players in this very department:

      1. Dante Hall, St. Louis Rams (12)—He’s lost a step or two, but between 2002 and 2004 while with Kansas City, this guy was positively money on returns. You just couldn’t kick the ball to him without that nagging fear of a big return. In 2003, Hall had 4 TDs, including a 100-yard kick return and a 93 yard punt return. Just sick.

      2. Devin Hester, Chicago Bears (11)—Those 11 returns were in just TWO seasons, 2006 and 2007, as Hester’s focus in 2008 was more as a receiver. But 11 TDs in two seasons is amazing, and consider that he also returned the opening kickoff of Super Bowl 41 all the way.

      3. Allen Rossum, San Francisco 49ers (8)—He’s played for five different teams, but that doesn’t make him any less dangerous to defend.

      4. Antwaan Randle El, Washington Redskins (6)—He only has one return TD in the last three years while with the Redskins, but still very dangerous as a return man and a receiver in the open field.

      4 (tie). Steve Smith, Carolina Panthers (6)—He doesn’t return kicks anymore, but why should one of the game’s perennial Top 5 receivers be relegated to kickoff duty anymore?

      4 (tie). Joshua Cribbs, Cleveland Browns (6)—Only 26 years old this season, Cribbs has been one of the lone bright spots on a struggling Browns’ team his first three seasons.

      Source: Pro Football Reference

      Bullz-Eye Sports Channel, Fantasy Football, NFL

      Browns’ Edwards returns to practice

      August 5, 2009 /

      Browns wideout Braylon Edwards practiced for the first time in training came on Wednesday, after missing six practices with an undisclosed injury.

      From the Cleveland Plain Dealer:

      Edwards had missed the first four days and six practices because of an undisclosed injury, believed to be on an ankle, that occurred off the field prior to the June minicamp.

      Edwards reported to camp a day late and then failed to pass the team’s physical. By appearing on the field this morning, it means the club’s medical staff cleared Edwards to practice.

      If you’re Edwards, you have to be concerned with the way your contract year has started off. As the article notes, he reported to training camp late after head coach Eric Mangini told him to be there a couple days earlier so that he could take a physical. Then of course he fails his physical, yet nobody knows what the injury was. (Some speculate that he hurt his ankle playing basketball, while others believe he faked the injury in some kind of unique holdout attempt.)

      If Edwards wants someone to pay him like a No. 1 receiver (whether it’s the Browns or another team), then he better start making a better impression. (Catching the ball would help too.)

      NFL

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