Tag: Mike Holmgren (Page 5 of 9)

      Browns officially put Brady Quinn on trade block

      March 10, 2010 /

      According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Browns have had trade discussions with other teams about quarterback Brady Quinn. Schefter doesn’t share any other details than that, so it’s unclear at this point which teams would be interested in the former first round pick.

      It’s clear by the offseason reports that the new brass in Cleveland isn’t satisfied with its quarterback situation. The Browns traded for Seneca Wallace earlier in the week and released Derek Anderson on Tuesday, so with Quinn on the block Mike Holmgren could be gearing up to make a trade for a veteran quarterback.

      But whom will he target? Donovan McNabb is the first name that comes to mind, but it sounds like the only way the Eagles will part with the veteran QB is if they can acquire a first round pick in return. Unless they trade down, it’s hard to see Holmgren giving up the No. 7 overall pick to acquire an aging McNabb.

      Another name that makes sense is Matt Hasselbeck, whom Holmgren is obviously very familiar with. Rumor has it that the Seahawks have contacted the Eagles about a possible trade for either McNabb or Kevin Kolb and if one of them were acquired, Hasselbeck would then become expendable.

      All of this remains a long shot right now (the Eagles maintain that they want to keep McNabb and Kolb), but this news about Quinn being placed on the trading block opens the door to several possibilities.


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      NFL

      Browns sign Fujita, Pashos – is Troy Smith on the way?

      March 8, 2010 /

      The Browns signed a pair of free agents over the weekend, inking deals with linebacker Scott Fujita (three years, $16 million) and right tackle Tony Pashos (three years, $10.3 million).

      The signing of Fujita probably signals the end of Eric Barton’s short tenure in Cleveland. The former New Orleans outside linebacker will play inside in Eric Mangini’s 3-4 defense and should do well at that position. While he’s an unspectacular player (i.e. he’s not going to make a ton of highlight reel plays), Fujita is fundamentally sound and plays the run extremely well.

      Pashos will replace John St. Clair, who struggled mightily last year. With the Browns ready to transition to a power running game under Mike Holmgren, Pashos is a good fit because he’s a mauler in the run game. He is coming off an injury-plagued 2009 season, but has been durable over his career and should be healthy by the time camp opens.

      Another interesting Browns-related nugget is that Troy Smith’s agent said on Monday that his client “would crawl from Baltimore right now to be able to play in Cleveland.” The Browns are looking for quarterbacks and Smith was tendered at the low level, which means he could be had for a fifth round pick. But is he a fit for the West Coast offense? It might be worth it for Holmgren to part with a fifth rounder to find out.


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      NFL

      Browns involved in trade talks for QBs?

      March 4, 2010 /

      According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Browns have been in discussions with multiple teams in regards to trading for a quarterback.

      According to a league source with knowledge of the situation, the Browns are discussing quarterbacks “on different levels.” It appears the Browns have concluded they are more apt to upgrade the quarterback position through trade rather than free agency.

      Since President Mike Holmgren and General Manager Tom Heckert joined forces to take over Browns operations, they have talked of improving the offense in general and the quarterback position in particular. They naturally have been linked to passers on their former teams — Matt Hasselbeck of Seattle, and Donovan McNabb or Kevin Kolb of Philadelphia.

      The Browns are expected to soon part ways with Derek Anderson, who is owed a $2 million roster bonus on March 19. There is also the possibility that Brady Quinn could garner some interest in a trade.

      Given Holmgren’s history with the West Coast Offense and Heckert’s relationship with Philadelphia, the Eagles are a logical trading partner for the Browns. But it’s unlikely that the Eagles would part with Kolb and it’s even more unlikely that Holmgren would trade the No. 7 overall pick for McNabb. So are the Eagles and Browns actually a fit in the end? That’s debatable.

      If the Browns do wind up making a move for a veteran QB, it would be surprising if Quinn weren’t involved in the deal. Holmgren won’t part with his top pick unless he can get a first rounder in return, thus it makes more sense that Quinn would be one of his biggest bargaining chips.


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      NFL

      Are the Browns targeting Joe Haden?

      March 1, 2010 /

      Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes that Florida cornerback Joe Haden could be a perfect complement to Eric Wright in the Browns’ secondary. ESPN’s Mel Kiper agrees.

      ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. predicts the Browns will take Haden in his current mock draft, compiled before the Combine.

      “Joe Haden makes the most sense, in terms of value,” Kiper said on a conference call. “We don’t know if he’s going to be Darrelle Revis [of the Jets] or [Oakland’s] Nnamdi Asomugha. They’re the two best cover corners in the NFL right now. They didn’t [get drafted] in the top 10. But Haden will.

      “Haden has potential to be an elite corner. He’s a complete corner, effective on the blitz, outstanding in coverage.”
      “I haven’t done a lot of work on him yet, but obviously he’s highly regarded, so we’ll look seriously at him,” Browns coach Eric Mangini said at the Combine.

      Browns General Manager Tom Heckert has studied him enough to be impressed.

      “He’s a heckuva football player,” said Heckert. “He’s one of the top corners, if not the top corner in the draft. He’s played at a big-time program and they won a lot of games. He’s going to go early.”

      Some people absolutely love Haden and say that he’s the safest pick in the top 10. Others, like the NFL Network’s Mike Mayock, believe he’s a borderline top-ten pick and that there’s some concern about Haden’s forty time. (Haden ran a 4.34 in high school, but Mayock says that he might only run a 4.52 or 4.55.)

      That said, there’s no question that Haden is the top corner in this year’s draft and reminds me of Darrelle Revis. He racked up a ton of experience playing against top competition while at Florida and he has the ability to be a shutdown corner if he can develop. While having a good forty is important for defensive backs, it’s not everything and I doubt that teams would pass on him just because he ran a slower time (although if molasses beats him, then there could be a problem).

      He seems like a perfect fit for the Browns.


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      College Football, NFL, NFL Draft

      Quinn or Anderson to be gone this summer?

      January 28, 2010 /

      As Mike Holmgren enters his first offseason with the Browns, one of his biggest question marks is what to do at quarterback. With the way head coach Eric Mangini couldn’t make a decision regarding the position last year, Holmgren will have to decide whether or not to get rid of Brady Quinn or Derek Anderson, if not both and completely start over under center next year.

      Holmgren recently spoke about the topic on WKNR earlier this week:

      “Right now, I don’t know the situation quite well enough. I’ve been busy doing other things. Everyone knows that position is the most important position on a team. Is the quarterback of the Browns here already? Maybe. If not, then we’ll have to go free agency or draft. We’ll see.”

      That doesn’t sound like a man that’s settled on any decision, making the quarterback position an interesting dilemma this offseason for Holmgren and the Browns.

      Quinn was an utter disaster earlier in the year before Mangini replaced him with Anderson. But the unthinkable happened and Anderson was actually worse than Quinn was, forcing Mangini to once again start the first round pick.

      Much like the entire team, Quinn played better down the stretch and actually looked like he started to gain confidence. But for the second time in two years, Quinn finished the season on IR after he suffered a season-ending foot injury in a win over the Chiefs late in the year.

      Holmgren is making a wise decision by not committing to either quarterback, seeing as how neither of them have stepped up and grabbed the reins of the position. Chances are that Holmgren doesn’t view either of them as the long-term answer at quarterback and therefore, he might look to draft or acquire a signal caller this offseason. If he drafts a QB, he could part with either Quinn or Anderson and have the other one start until the rookie is ready to play.

      We’ll see how Holmgren approaches this topic over the next couple months.


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      NFL

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