Tag: Cleveland Browns (Page 6 of 57)

      Browns unwilling to part with the No. 22 pick to move up in NFL draft?

      March 4, 2012 /

      When the Cleveland Browns traded the No. 6 overall pick in last year’s NFL draft, they received quite the haul from the Atlanta Falcons (who used that pick to select Alabama wideout Julio Jones). And now the Browns seem unwilling to part with one of the key pieces from that deal in order to move up in this year’s draft.

      According to a report by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Redskins continue to be the “frontrunner” to acquire the Rams’ No. 2 overall pick. That’s apparently because the Browns are unwilling to part with the No. 22 overall pick, which they acquired from the Falcons last year in the Jones trade. (Cleveland also owns the No. 4 overall pick this year.)

      The Redskins are reportedly willing to part with both their 2012 and 2013 first-round picks in order to move up to the No. 2 spot, but don’t want to trade their second-rounder.

      A deal with the Dolphins, meanwhile, appears to be “dead in the water” according to the Post-Dispatch. After losing out to St. Louis in the Jeff Fisher sweepstakes, Miami isn’t too eager to make any deals with the Rams. The Seahawks aren’t a realistic trade partner either, as the Rams don’t want to deal with the prospect of facing Robert Griffin III twice a year from here on out.

      Thus, it appears as though the Rams’ best two options remain the Browns and the Redskins. And if Washington were willing to part with two first-round picks, it would behoove St. Louis to make a deal with the Skins. But per the above report, Washington’s unwillingness to part with its second-rounder is “unacceptable” to the Rams, so you get the feeling that this storyline will only get more intriguing the closer we get to April’s draft.

      NFL, NFL Draft

      2012 NFL Draft Report: Rams have decided to trade the No. 2 overall pick

      February 28, 2012 /

      ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that the Rams have already had discussions with multiple teams about the No. 2 overall pick, which they’ve decided to trade.

      According to sources, the Rams already have had trade discussions with the Cleveland Browns (No. 4), Washington Redskins (No. 6) and Miami Dolphins (No. 8), each of whom is scheduled to pick in the top eight in April’s draft.

      The Rams, who already have quarterback and 2010 top pick Sam Bradford, also have discussed a potential trade with teams outside the top 10, according to a source, but it will be challenging for one to surrender enough compensation to vault to the second overall pick.

      Schefter says the Rams are seeking a deal similar to what the Chargers got in exchange for Eli Manning in 2004. San Diego selected Manning with the top overall pick and in exchange received two first-round picks, a third-round pick and a fifth-round choice.

      Considering the team that would be trading with the Rams would likely take either Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin III, it’s entirely realistic that St. Louis could land a haul like the one the Chargers did back in ’04. It just depends on which team they decide to trade with.

      According to the 2012 NFL Draft trade value chart, the No. 2 overall pick is worth 2,600 points. So in theory, the Browns could trade the No. 4 overall pick (1,800), the No. 37th overall pick (530), and the No. 68th overall pick (250) and get pretty close to that 2,600. (Although again, I’m just saying this in theory. Cleveland could trade away its first and third this year, plus a second and sixth next year if it didn’t want to part with most of its 2012 draft.)

      The Rams-Browns trade connection makes the most sense in my eyes. The Browns could acquire their quarterback in the future by moving up to the No. 2 spot and they would still have the first-round pick that they acquired from Atlanta last year. Thus, even though they could potentially part with two middle-round picks this year, they still have a chance to land to two impact players in the first round. Or, they could always parlay that second first-round pick (No. 22 overall) into a couple of mid-round selections if they wanted to trade down in efforts to recoup the picks they gave to the Rams.

      The Rams, meanwhile, could move down two spots and still have an opportunity to select wide receiver Justin Blackmon with the No. 4 overall pick. Assuming St. Louis wants Blackmon and Minnesota doesn’t take him at No. 3, by trading the No. 2 overall pick the Rams could essentially still land the player they want and acquire more picks in the process. It’s a win-win situation for Jeff Fisher and Co, who have a golden opportunity to re-stock a St. Louis roster that is severely devoid of talent.

      External Sports, NFL, NFL Draft

      Trouble in Pittsburgh?

      January 28, 2012 /
      Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin argues a call with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in the background in the AFC Wild Card round at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on January 8, 2012 in Denver. Pittsburgh lost in overtime 29-23 to Denver. UPI/Gary C. Caskey

      As a Browns fan, it’s annoying to watch the rock-solid organization in Pittsburgh that produces consistent winners for the Steelers. The Rooney family knows how to run a football team. They find great coaches and stick with them. Continuity is one of their greatest advantages over teams like the Browns who change regimes every couple of years.

      With that backdrop, it’s a little surprising to see Art Rooney II interject himself so directly into team affairs with the decision to not bring back offensive coordinator Bruce Arians. Ben Roethlisberger isn’t happy.

      “When I get back, I’m going to go up to Mr. Rooney’s office and ask him what he wants from me, what he wants from this offense, because I think that’s a viable question for him,” Roethlisberger said. “He’s our owner and our boss, so I really would like to know kind of what he wants and where he sees our offense going because I’d like to tell him where I see us going.”

      Roethlisberger said he thinks Arians was building one of the NFL’s best offenses, and he’s surprised that Arians won’t get to continue doing that.

      “We feel like we are really close to being an elite offense,” Roethlisberger said. “For your leader to be gone is kind of a shocker, but you’ve got to be ready for whatever the Rooneys and coach [Mike] Tomlin decide it our next step.”

      The Steelers have had some problems, mostly with keeping Big Ben healthy. There’s a feeling in the organization that they need to get back to running the football. But this team had a lot of success with Arians, who basically unleashed Roethlisberger and let him become an elite quarterback with his improvisation skills.

      We’ll see how this plays out. The Steelers will have quite a bit of turnover, particularly on defense, as the team is getting older. Now we’ll be seeing some changes on offense as well.

      NFL

      Mike Holmgren addresses Colt McCoy concussion controversy

      December 14, 2011 /

      Mike Holmgren addressed a restless Cleveland media today in a press conference about the controversy surrounding the Colt McCoy concussion from last Thursday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, basically calling the criticisms “unfair.” McCoy had suffered a brutal hit from linebacker James Harrison that led to a one-game suspension for Harrison by the NFL.

      The Browns did an internal review of the events following the hit on McCoy with NFL officials and representatives of the NFLPA yesterday. Holmgren disclosed that the Browns did not give McCoy a concussion test on the sidelines before he was put back into the game by head coach Pat Shurmer. The Browns did give McCoy the test after the game and McCoy passed that test, though he did complain about bright lights which obviously raised some red flags. It was only later that he experiences serious symptoms.

      Holmgren said the review covered what happened on the field after the Harrison hit. The training staff was already swamped with several other Browns players who were hurt, so they didn’t see the hit on McCoy. When they went out onto the field, McCoy immediately complained about his hand, so they focused on that. He was not knocked out and he was responsive as he discussed his hand, so they didn’t see anything that would make them concerned about a possible concussion. This was also the case on the sidelines as McCoy continued to communicate with them about his hand.

      The problem is that they didn’t see the hit, so they didn’t realize that this situation warranted a closer look and a possible concussion test. Many Browns on the sideline did not see the hit as well according to Holmgren, and nobody thought to go to the trainers and explain that they might want to take a closer look. This was the communication breakdown that led to McCoy going back into the game. The trainers told head coach Pat Shurmer that McCoy was good to go, so Shurmer sent McCoy back in. Perhaps Shurmer made a mistake here by not stopping and asking if they were sure considering the severity of the hit, but everyone needs to remember that the game was on the line, the Browns were on the 5-yard line with a chance to take the lead against the Steelers. Shurmer had other things on his mind, and McCoy looked fine to him as well.

      Holmgren has taken a lot of heat from the Cleveland media on this one, which I think was an overreaction. Holmgren made a good point that even the NFL observer at the game didn’t intervene. Perhaps the protocol going forward needs someone from the NFL or the teams whose responsibility includes making sure that players subject to these kind of hits to the head get the concussion test. That would have solved the problem here, and I think this might be a step considered by the NFL in lieu of an independent neurologist.

      Meanwhile, Holmgren’s relationship with parts of the Cleveland media is deteriorating rapidly. The writers at The Plain Dealer continue to treat him pretty well, but talk radio (as usual) is dominated by angry hosts who blow every controversy out of proportion. The antics of Peyton Hillis and comments by Josh Cribbs get endless airplay and hosts dwell on the last 11 years of misery in Cleveland. The pathetic state of the Browns offense and the 4-9 record hasn’t helped Holmgren’s case, but the facts are clear – the Browns have focused on defense in the past two drafts and have gotten some very good players. There was no offseason yet the Browns installed a new offense with a rookie head coach. Colt McCoy is young, and the offense has been suffered important injuries in the backfield and on the line.

      We all know that Mike Holmgren knows offense, so most rational fans are willing to give him time to build something. But the talk radio crowd is ginning up resentment, and Holmgren’s combative news conference will only fan the flames in Cleveland. He chastised the media for arguing this was the “same old Browns” with their problems in the front office, as Holmgren took serious offense to that statement.

      Holmgren made some very good points, but I think the Browns can use some common sense help in the PR area. Holmgren explained that he waited to talk to the media until the Browns had all the facts and met with the NFL and NFLPA, but they could have easily sent out a press release earlier in the week explaining this approach, and they would have avoided much of the unnecessary drama.

      News, NFL

      Sunday Evening Quick-Hitters: Reactions from Week 10 in the NFL

      November 13, 2011 /

      Every Sunday evening throughout the 2011 NFL season I’ll compile quick-hit reactions from the day that was in football. I vow to always overreact, side with sensationalism over rationalism, and draw conclusions based on small sample sizes instead of cold, hard facts. It’s the only way I know how to write…

      – Carlos Rogers is having a resurgence in San Francisco? People left this guy for dead coming out of Washington and all he’s done this year is be the Niners’ best cornerback. He clinched the Niners’ win over the Giants in my eyes. San Francisco had just taken a 20-13 lead early in the fourth quarter when he picked off Eli Manning (his second of the day) deep in Niner territory. A couple plays later Kendall Hunter raced 17 yards for a touchdown in order to give San Fran a 27-13 lead in an eventual 27-20 victory. The Niners have been getting big plays like that out of their defense all season. They obviously proved today that they’re for real.

      Buffalo Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (L) and head coach Chan Gailey talk on the sideline against the Dallas Cowboys in the second half of their NFL football game in Arlington, Texas November 13, 2011. REUTERS/Mike Stone (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      – Do you know who’s not for real? The Buffalo Bills. I have zero confidence that they’ll turn things around, party because of their defense and partly because of Ryan Fitzpatrick. Everyone knew Buffalo’s defense would be overmatched most Sundays and they have been. And everyone knew Fitzpatrick was only going to lead the Bills so far. He was brutal last week and even worse today. It’s struck midnight on this fairytale, which is a shame because I could watch Fred Jackson run all day. Dude is siiiick.

      – The Cardinals parted with a starting cornerback in Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, a second-round pick in 2012, and $65 million in order secure Kevin Kolb as their starting quarterback this season. And John Skelton has two of their three wins on the season. Incredible.

      – If you looked hard enough, you probably saw the Ravens’ loss to Seattle coming. Baltimore just swept Pittsburgh and had to travel cross-country to play a Seahawks team that is usually competitive at home. I figured the Ravens would suffer a letdown but the fact that they didn’t lead at any point today was a little jarring. With losses to Tennessee and Seattle as well as a near loss to Arizona at home, it would appear as though John Harbaugh’s team plays down to its competition.

      – Speaking of the clock turning Midnight, it’s probably about time the Bengals come back to earth. Don’t get me wrong: they fought hard today against Pittsburgh and gave the Steelers a game until the end. But cornerback Leon Hall looks like he’s out for the season and I just don’t see Cincinnati being able to finish this race on top. That said, the Bengals certainly have something to build off of. Andy Dalton was poised today and A.J. Green is a freaking star in the making.

      – Does anyone else feel like the Houston Texans are the NFL equivalent to the Clemson Tigers? You keep waiting for both teams to eventually crash and burn and yet, both keep winning. Granted, Clemson did lose to Georgia Tech a couple of weeks ago and almost dropped its second game to Wake Forest on Saturday but still, you get the point. I keep waiting for the Texans to eventually stumble and they keep racking up double-digit wins without Andre Johnson. Finally, it would seem, we’ll get to see Houston in the postseason.

      Atlanta Falcons head coach Mike Smith coaches from the sideline during the second half of their NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints in Atlanta, Georgia November 13, 2011. REUTERS/Tami Chappell (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      – If you’re one of the people who is defending Mike Smith’s decision to go for it on fourth and one from his own 29-yard line in overtime, let me remind you that it’s simple risk vs. reward. If the Falcons pick up that first down, they still have at least 40 yards to go to get into field goal range to possibly win the game. If they don’t pick up the first down, well, we saw what happened when they didn’t. It was a stupid call by a head coach that was simply trying to get lucky. Smith and Mike Mularkey played not to lose the entire game and all of a sudden they decide that they’re going to take a big risk. It was just a stupid decision by a team without a true identity.

      – Saint Peters of Joseph, Chris Johnson is alive.

      – Huge win for the Saints today but there’s still something off with the boys from Naw’lins. They managed to squander a 10-point lead in under five minutes and if it hadn’t been for Mike Smith’s stupid decision to go for it in overtime, who knows if they would have walked out of the Georgia Dome with a victory. I have no doubt that they’ll win the NFC South because the Falcons still don’t know what they are offensively. But I’m not sure if the Saints can go into Green Bay in the playoffs and win a huge game on the road. Again, there’s just something off.

      – You can always count on Michael Vick to mail it in when his team is seemingly out of playoff contention. Granted, his receivers didn’t do him any favors by dropping the ball multiple times in the first half and he was without DeSean Jackson, who was benched after missing a team meeting. But Vick looked completely turned off by the thought of playing football today. In a lot of ways, he is the exact same player as he was in Atlanta and Philadelphia is now paying for his shortcomings as a player. (UPDATE: Apparently Vick played with two broken ribs, which he sustained on the game’s second play. Thus, I take back what I said about him mailing it in. Any player that stays in a professional football game with two broken ribs has a bigger pair than I do. Well done, Mike.)

      – Tim Tebow threw eight passes, completed just two of them and was the winning quarterback today in Kansas City. I don’t even care what his numbers are outside of the fact that he’s now 3-1 as the starter. I just want to sit back and watch guys like Phil Simms’ head explode that Tebow keeps winning. These talking heads want to debate about whether or not Tebow will ever be a good passer. That was never a debate. People have said from the start that his motion is too funky for him to be a good passer and yet these media members keep boasting about how he’ll fail. And yet…3-1 as a starter. I love it. Nobody can explain how the dinosaurs became extinct and how Tebow is winning. Tim Tebow: #winning.

      – I realize the Niners are a very good football team but leave it to the Giants to beat the Patriots on the road and then erase a lot of the good vibes that have surrounded New York the past week by losing today. Freakin’ Giants.

      – The NFC South is now a one-team race. The Saints are clearly the best team in the division, as the Falcons are still suffering an identity crisis and the Bucs are just plain bad. Tampa Bay’s front office thought it could get by without making any significant upgrades in the offseason and figured the team would just win 10 games again. Whoops. Turns out Josh Freeman is going to need more help, Bucs.

      – This comment was made by one of our regular readers, Jester of the Apocalypse, earlier this week. He’s a huge Browns fan and was commenting on my Week 10 preview in which I wrote, “this is a game [vs. the Rams] the Browns should win.” Said Jester: You underestimate my Brownies knack for clutching defeat out of the jaws of victory . . . How absolutely, positively appropriate given the debacle that happened in Cleveland today.

      – Even after their performance today I’m still not sold on the Cowboys. Outside of their miraculous victory against the Niners in Week 2, they still haven’t beaten a team of substance. I realize the Bills have a winning record but they’re on a downslide. Three weeks ago the ‘Boys were pummeled by a Philadelphia team that has clearly given up on the season and their other losses have coming against New England, Detroit and the Jets. That said, Dallas still has games against Washington, Miami, Arizona, Tampa Bay and Philadelphia and thus, the playoffs are still well within their reach. I’m just sayin’ I’m not sold. And this is coming from a guy who predicted them to win the NFC East this year.

      Chicago Bears cornerback Tim Jennings (26) runs with the ball after intercepting a pass thrown by Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford during the fourth quarter at Soldier Field on November 13, 2011 in Chicago. The Bears won 37-13. UPI/Brian Kersey

      – Wow Matthew Stafford was bad today. Granted, he was playing with a fractured index finger and 25-30mph wind gusts but still – wow. Two of his four interceptions were taken back for touchdowns by the Bears, who are now suddenly 6-3 on the season following two huge wins. If Chicago’s offense line can continue to play as well as it has, there’s no reason to believe Lovie Smith’s team won’t make it as a Wild Card.

      – All I want for Thanksgiving is for Larry Fitzgerald to have a quarterback willing to throw him the ball every down. Because his seven-catch, 146-yard, two-touchdown performance today proved once again that he can completely take over a game if he gets enough opportunities.

      – One week later, the Steelers finally get their big defensive stop to preserve a win.

      – Two of the Seahawks’ three wins this year have come against the Giants and Ravens. And yet, they lose to the Browns, 6-3. The NFL is a funny league.

      External Sports, NFL

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