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About the Browns...

1. Could Phil Dawson be back as the kicker in 2011? It is possible. The front office is interested. They know Dawson remains one of the NFL's most underrated kickers. They also know he put his Cleveland-area house up for sale, and believes he was not treated fairly by some of the other previous regimes. Dawson thought his contract would have been reworked at some point in the last few seasons. But in each of the last three years, the Browns had different front offices in charge: Phil Savage (2008), Eric Mangini (2009), Tom Heckert/Mike Holmgren (2010).

2. With Dawson being a free agent and the labor situation unclear, the Browns' only kicker since 1999 believes he will be elsewhere next season. But the Browns seem prepared to make Dawson another offer -- once there is a new labor agreement. Obviously, all of that can change. But Heckert and the new coaching staff do seem to have a real appreciation for Dawson's ability to make kicks in Cleveland's cold temperatures and tricky winds.

3. Another free agent they want to keep is Seneca Wallace. Their sales pitch to the backup quarterback is this: A) We are switching to the West Coast offense, which is your offense. B) We know you and like you. C) You are backing up a young quarterback in Colt McCoy, and you could be needed if he's hurt or some other problem arises. D) This is the best place to continue your career, unless you are given a true chance to start elsewhere.

4. As of now (and it could change with the new labor agreement), the unrestricted free agents are Matt Roth, Alex Smith, Robaire Smith, Nick Sorensen, Porkchop Womack, Billy Yates, Dawson and Wallace. Restricted are Blake Costanzo, Evan Moore, Eric Wright, Abe Elam, Jayme Mitchell, Derrick Robinson, Chansi Stuckey, Jason Trusnik, Lawrence Vickers and D'Qwell Jackson. These lists are all subject to change.

5. The Browns say Montario Hardesty is close to 100 percent after his knee surgery. He would be able to take part in all the minicamps, drills, etc. They know that there is a risk of further injury, but believe he can be a big-time back (especially combined with Peyton Hillis) in the West Coast offense. He was not used much to catch passes at Tennessee, but the Browns believe he can do that here -- much as Hillis did last season.

6. The Browns will look for a running back lower in the draft, or perhaps a veteran in free agency. They know they need depth.

7. The early medical reports on D'Qwell Jackson's recovery from his pectoral surgery are positive. Jackson had surgery on his left pectoral in 2009, and his right one in 2010. It's hard to know if he can stay healthy. But the Browns believe he is better suited for the 4-3 defense than the 3-4 Jackson played starting in 2006. They would not pay big money for a guy who has missed most of the last two seasons, but they do have an interest in bringing him back for the right price.

8. While former Green Bay head coach Ray Rhodes was hired as the defensive "special assistant," the team says coordinator Dick Jauron who will run the defense. Rhodes and Jauron worked together in Green Bay in 1992-93. They are friends and both have the same approach to the 4-3 defense. Rhodes also worked on Holmgren's staff in Seattle from 2003-07. The idea is for lots of experience on the defensive side of the ball.

9. The front office knows with rookie head coach Pat Shurmur calling plays, the defense needs strong leadership. The Browns mention that Andy Reid (Philadelphia), Sean Peyton (New Orleans) and Mike McCarthy (Green Bay) are recent examples of men who became first-time head coaches but also called the plays on offense. Shurmur's play-calling and knowledge of the West Coast offense are two big reasons the Browns say he was hired.

10. The only defensive coach rehired was defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson. He did play for Rhodes in 1995 with the Eagles. But the real reason he remained is the front office was impressed with how he worked with rookies T.J. Ward and Joe Haden. Yes, the Browns are open to adding more help in the secondary, especially another safety.

11. Let's hope this is true about linebacker Marcus Benard. Profootballfocus.com wrote: "[Benard] was quietly one of the league's most productive pass rushers. He had 34 combined pressures in just 255 snaps, a rate of 1 in 7.5 rushes -- almost identical to Clay Matthews' ratio of one per 7.53 rushes for Green Bay. Benard could be next year's Cameron Wake if the Browns decide to play him full time."

12. This from the same Web site on Chris Gocong, projected as the middle linebacker next season: "The transition from a 4-3 OLB to a 3-4 ILB isn't always the easiest one, but Gocong pulled it off. After being a little below average in everything in his last year with the Eagles, he became a dominant force on the Browns defense as a run stopper. He was able to get pressure on 14 percent of his pass rushes, and was strong in terms of pass defense as he only allowed 21 catches all year."

13. I will be speaking at Stow Library on Tuesday at 7 p.m. about my book "What I Learned From Watching The Browns." Admission is free.

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if the Browns can bring back D'qwell.. it would really help IMO. Not sure if he will stay healthy, but we would definitely be an asset to the defense.

Also, is Benard going to be put at DE, or OLB.. I'm hoping DE b/c of his pass rushing ability, but I'm not so sure how he will hold up against the run. I have full confidence in him though and hope that he has a true BREAKOUT season.

I think some of the pieces we have on this team go unnoticed, and maybe our defense isn't really THAT bad. We could put Benard and Jayme Mitchell at DE, Rubin and someone else at DT.. Fujita at OLB. Gocong at OLB. D'qwell at MLB. and keep the secondary as is, with maybe pushing Brown back to safety.

Didn't a lot of people say the reason Gocong struggled in Philly was because he didn't fit in well in a 4-3?

That was the general consensus, yes. Even going back to his draft, he was viewed as a 3-4 tweener type, which is what made it surprising when Philly took him.

So we might lose an LB because of scheme (Gocong), but gain one because of scheme (DQ). I would have liked to see DQ in the 4-3 before these injuries. I don't have a lot of faith that he'll be able to stay healthy.

We should see about bringing back Chaun Thompson, heh

Somewhere in another thread, it was mentioned that Dawson could be back.. so I won't be too surprised if it happens.

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4. As of now (and it could change with the new labor agreement), the unrestricted free agents are Matt Roth, Alex Smith, Robaire Smith, Nick Sorensen, Porkchop Womack, Billy Yates, Dawson and Wallace. Restricted are Blake Costanzo, Evan Moore, Eric Wright, Abe Elam, Jayme Mitchell, Derrick Robinson, Chansi Stuckey, Jason Trusnik, Lawrence Vickers and D'Qwell Jackson. These lists are all subject to change.

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I was laboring under the wrong assumption. I thought that Eric Wright, DQ, Vickers and Mitchell were all URFA? Guess I was wrong.

I don't seem to be hearing much about any teams signing there FA's. Is that because of the ongoing gamesmanship with the CBA?

I gotta believe that comparing Benard to Matthews is a reach.... JMO

On the Gocong thing, lots of guys on here were saying that Gocong was better suited to the 3-4.. Now I don't know what to believe

maybe Gocong got better because he just got better

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I gotta believe that comparing Benard to Matthews is a reach.... JMO

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I think you missed the point. When in the game Bernard is a very effective pass rusher. He pressures the QB at the same rate as Matthews. The difference is Matthews is on the field every play. The only thing that's being compared is how much both players pressure the QB.

Matthews is on the field much more, obviously making him the more valuable player.

Sanders has played 47 games in 7 seasons - D'Qwell 49 games in 5 seasons.


D'qwell has 3 of his 5 seasons with 13 games or more (13, 14, 16). and 2 with less (6, and 0)

Sanders has 2 of his 7 seasons with 14 or more (other was 15), and the other 5 6 or less (6 games twice, 4 games, 2 games, zero games)

In the last 3 seasons sanders played 8 games .. but he also might have had 1 playoff game in there I'm not accounting for. in the last 3 years for us D'Qwell has had 22 games ... and I don't remember if he played in a playoff game for us or not ...

Random thought on Benard and Mathews.

Benard is the better athlete and the one thing about Benard that stands out is anytime you watch this kid, his pure explosion off the snap is fantastic and he has that secondary burst once engaged. Now there are other questions about him that is yet to be answered but there is something there with this kid.

Mathews gets production because of being smart and instinctive with decent athleticism but what makes him special is the way he plays the game. Now what makes him special is his tenacious attitude towards every single snap.

He makes a dozen plays a game from garbage situations, just because he puts himself in position to make a play when most others will have quit because they think the play is over.

Benard reminds me a great deal of Dwight Freeney. If he were to add Mathews approach to his raw athleticism, he would be a force. Ray Rhodes joining the Browns is good news for Benard. Everyone needs pushed and he has a way to push.