We struggle to send a fax...

Clearly Depo has got this!

This whole thing about working remotely is hilarious to me.

When you only need computers to pick players you don’t need predraft visits. . .

If it were only that difficult.

That was intentional

As opposed regimes in the past who used Lindy's Draft guide.

The should turn it over to us Browns fans...we are use to drafting from our HOMES...lol

This is setting up for another Browns moment ... power goes out when we’re on the clock and we miss out on someone who becomes a HOF player

“The Power Outage”

Dear ownership, please do not fire me if I botch this draft!

Yup.

Seems like a lot of drama. Power outage, just pick up your cell phone and call in the pick, call the NFL and explain the situation, call someone else on the staff to make the deal/pick.

I'm sure everything will be fine. Unconventional, but fine.

It's 2020 and it's unfortunate to see these as concerns by organizations.

I think it's far more them finding excuses they might be able to use to game the system.

I read today that the NFL was planning to conduct a "dry run" draft a few days before the event to make sure everything works and everyone is on the same page.

Yup.
You're all millionaires... drop $4000 and make sure your house has a backup generator connected to your natural gas line.

It isn't rocket surgery.
As for internet... have a cellular hotspot set up.

Make sure your entire team is in on the plan and the details in case you get dropped.
Hell, y'all got money... get several sat phones going.

There are no excuses.

I wonder if Roger Goodell is planning to enlist his wife and kids to boo him when he opens the draft?

NFL To Set Up Safeguards During Virtual Draft

https://www.si.com/nfl/ravens/news/nfl-safeguards

The NFL has installed safeguards to ensure that technical issues don’t happen with the virtual 2020 draft.

League sources say there will be multiple tests of the system prior to the draft, which begins April 23.

One safeguard will be a conference call with all 32 teams that will be in progress throughout the draft. If a general manager is hooked up to that call via landline and his internet connection cuts out, he would be able to unmute the call and announce his pick in a forum in which every other team could hear it.

Email is another option teams will have for sending in picks if there are online connection issues.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh said his team is taking extra precaution to make sure their proprietary information is not compromised. In fact, it's been an ongoing conversation with the team's technology team.

Yes, it’s a big concern. My level of involvement has been every time I read something in The Wall Street Journal or New York Times that talks about how messed up Zoom is or some of these other deals that came out this morning, I immediately text it to our IT people," Harbaugh said. "[Director of football administration] Nick Matteo is one of those guys, and they assure me that we are doing everything humanly possible, and I remind them that that’s what Wells Fargo and all those other places said about our private information.

"I’ve got some real concerns about that, and hopefully we’ll be okay. It’s kind of like that. We’ll see what happens. I really wouldn’t want the opposing coaches to have our playbook or our draft meetings. That would be preferable, if we can stay away from that.”

That was awesome!

Thanks - I'm here all week. Tip your server.

J/C

They are acting like this is the Strategic Air Command.

All have computers. All have phones. Use a lap top that can run on battery power if the power goes out.

All of these people have access to private air travel. Fly them to one hotel Stick them all on the same floor. When they announce their pick, they can stick their head out the door and yell down the hallway who they selected.

Bwahaha

Maybe we can get the Russians to hack into the system and have all the other teams draft scrubs while we get 1st round talent with all our picks.

j/c

The more I think about the upcoming draft, the higher my enjoyment expectations become. No more tedious interviews, hugging the Commish, panning the Green Room, etc. Hopefully the telecast will be confined to the 'experts' opinions and analysis. I believe that I may find this format better than previous editions...

ESPN has Booger McFarland and Trey Wingo as part of their coverage team. . .

The war rooms are no longer at the draft site. Its at Berea or this year somewhere similar with virus precautions.
But the communication to the draft site will be the same just not to OUR GUY sitting there and who brings it up to the commissioner. So only if the phone companies end up messing up with their skype or other way of communication will there be a problem. I think DePodesta has been in Texas this entire time Or is it Arizona??? He has always worked from afar. Now the entire league must do so. I think it comes off without a hitch.

jmho

j/c:

Sorry if this has been covered somewhere else, but does LV get the 2021 draft, with Cleveland being rolled back to 2022?

Thank you kind sir!

I agree. When young you got a blurb under screen saying we selected Greg Pruitt

“Tackles are tackles,” scribbling about Cleveland Browns and Andrew Berry’s press conference
https://www.cleveland.com/browns/2020/04...conference.html

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Scribbles in my Cleveland Browns notebook after listening to GM Andrew Berry’s conference call:

1. Assuming the Browns stay at No. 10 in the 2020 NFL Draft, they probably will have a chance to select one of the top tackles projected to go high in the first round. Most scouts put four in that category, but not all have much experience at left tackle. After signing free agent Jack Conklin to play right tackle, the Browns need a left tackle.

2. That’s why I asked Berry if he was concerned about picking a player high who has had little experience at left tackle. His answer was direct and revealing: “I think the distinction between left tackle and right tackle is really outdated... tackles are tackles.”

3. In the old days, you took the best athlete on the offensive line and put him at left tackle. He’d lined up against the prime pass rusher. But as Berry mentioned, defenses move their pass rusher around the line of scrimmage.

4. Berry explained: “I think the two tackle positions, while they are not identical, they’re pretty close.”

5. What does that mean for the Browns? Many draft experts have Alabama’s Jedrick Wills Jr. rated as the top tackle in the draft. How often has he played left tackle? Never in college, although he did play it in high school.

6. Does this mean the Browns would take Wills? Or how about Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs, rated as the No. 2 tackle by some draft experts. Watching offensive linemen is not my passion. Nor do I know much about the tackle position. With that said, my favorite in the draft is Wirfs, primarily because he played at Iowa where Kirk Ferentz has a program that grooms NFL linemen.

7. Wirfs played four college games at left tackle, 29 at right tackle. In his draft guide, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler wrote Wirfs was “considered interchangeable on the left or right sides. He played mostly right tackle because Alaric Jackson was a better left tackle than right tackle.”

8. The next two players on the list are Louisville’s Mekhi Becton and Georgia’s Andrew Thomas. Both are primarily left tackles. My sense is Berry wants the NFL to know he’s keeping his options open when it comes to tackles in the draft. But he talked about Conklin switching from left tackle in college to right tackle in the pros.

9. I think Berry’s goal will be to draft the best tackle available... period. All that can change with the acquisition of a veteran left tackle who starts. I’m sure the Browns have lots of data and have studied the left/right tackle debate before Berry delivered his “tackles are tackles” pronouncement.

10. Berry also made the point of saying: “The offensive line is always going to be a priority. Not just this year, but every year.” Keep those words in mind as the draft looms.

Pluto should stick to basketball.

I hope Berry’s words about the OL being a priority will hold true. IMO it was Dorsey’s downfall #2 (along with the hiring of FK)

Troll much?



National headliner awards:
Sports column by an individual
First Place: Terry Pluto The Plain Dealer

Judges’ comments:​ Terry Pluto writes with passion and authority and, best of all, a point of view... A strong voice in a sea of chatter.

We've come to the point where if you don't agree w/another poster, you are considered a troll.

Browns new GM Berry prepared for unique, "virtual" draft
TOM WITHERS (AP Sports Writer)
The Associated PressApril 10, 2020, 3:09 PM EDT

CLEVELAND (AP) -- With degrees from Harvard in economics and computer science, Browns general manager Andrew Berry would seem perfectly suited to handle any pitfalls or problems he might encounter in his first NFL draft - a draft like no other.

He's a one-man IT department.

Cleveland's new general manager said Friday he's not worried about the obvious logistical challenges or potential glitches that may arise during the upcoming draft, which has been forced to become a virtual experience for the league due to the COVID-19 global pandemic.

While some football executives and coaches have raised concerns over wireless connections, social-distancing guidelines and even potential hacking during the three-day draft from April 23-25, Berry believes the Browns will be able to handle anything.

''We are going to be prepared and ready to go regardless of the circumstances,'' Berry said on a conference call. ''I feel confident that we are going to have a very high-quality draft. We have a really strong support staff that has been working through a number of creative and effective solutions that we have used already throughout the free agency and draft preparation process.

''I have full confidence that we are going to be ready to go here in two weeks.''

Berry, who came back to Cleveland after one season with Philadelphia, has spent part of the past few weeks separated from his family, which delayed its move to Ohio before the virus outbreak. He's stayed busy with free agency - the Browns have signed nine players - draft preparation and planning with first-year coach Kevin Stefanski for an upcoming season that remains uncertain.

It's been a blur of Zoom meetings, FaceTime calls with prospective players and text messages.

The Browns have done their homework and Berry said the team will conduct several ''dress rehearsals'' before they're on the clock with the No. 10 overall pick in two weeks.

They're planning for every possible scenario - from good to bad to worst.

''We are going to make sure that we are prepared in any decision-making scenario that we have what we need if there was to be a kind of a Armageddon scenario with power, internet access or something along those lines,'' Berry said.

Cleveland's primary need is at left tackle, a position it has only addressed with stopgap measures since perennial All-Pro tackle Joe Thomas retired before the 2018 season.

Fortunately for the Browns, this year's draft is loaded with quality tackles in Alabama's Jedrick Wills, Georgia's Andrew Thomas, Iowa's Tristan Wirfs, and Louisville''s Mekhi Becton. Wills and Wirfs have primarily played right tackle, and there are major questions whether they could handle a switch to the other side, where one of their primary responsibilities will be protecting quarterback Baker Mayfield's blind side.

The 33-year-old Berry, one of the youngest GMs in league history, feels pigeonholing players by their position is an archaic approach.

''Honestly, I think the distinction between left and right tackle is really outdated,'' he said. ''We are no longer in the days of football where teams will have their best rusher and line him up on the defensive right side and offensive left side of the formation. Really, the game is not played that way. From my perspective, tackles are tackles.''

The Browns are set at right tackle after signing free agent Jack Conklin to a three-year, $42 million contract.

Still, Berry's other signings would seem to point toward the Browns being focused on adding a left tackle. However, he warned not to look too closely at his recent record.

''I would not make any assumptions about what we may or may not do moving forward,'' said Berry, who was Browns vice president of player personnel from 2016-18. ''My goal is to make sure that we are adding talent across the roster and adding competition across the roster. That is something that we are looking forward to continuing to do over the next several months.''

NOTES: Berry would not make specific comments on the team's interest in free agent defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, who remains unsigned. ''Obviously, Jadeveon, he is a good football player,'' he said. ''We are going to make sure if there is an opportunity to upgrade the team and we think it makes sense, we are going to be proactive there.''

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/browns-gm-berry-prepared-unique-virtual-draft-190907489--nfl.html

j/c:



Audio Interview.

I agree. I believe Depo lives in San Diego....but he is in Berea more than some think. It's not like he shows up 3 times a year.

And like I have said many times, he can do what he does from nearly anywhere. He can e-mail his spread sheets of info from the office next door or on the other side of the globe just as quickly. A phone call is just as effective as saying come over to my office, I have some questions.

He does what he does. He isn't in charge of any real every day operations that require direct supervision of others.

I am glad we have the guy on our side. He is good at what he does. He is usually the smartest person in the room, and if not, he is smart enough he can carry on a meaningful conversation and learn from the smarter person.

I would still love to have his frequent flyer miles.

I would too.


He is paying for them.

Well, unless he is listed as a independent contractor and he bills the Browns for his expenses.

On a serious note, I don't think that the case at all.

He flies on his dime. When in Cleveland, he may have a home or apartment/condo somewhere, or just check in to a Marriott and make that home for a week or two. Marriott's meet all of my comfort requirements. It a good brand. Very consistent.


Man, if he does that, think of the Marriott points he is racking up! Those are good points to have. With my Marriott card I manage maybe 8 free upgrade and property rooms a year, plus several more rooms at half price.

I don't mind paying around $50 for a nice room at a Courtyard or upgrading to a free room at a Renaissance.

Between going to Cleveland or flying to St Pete to visit her mother, and using the card to chard regular bills, we get a lot of points for rooms. Maybe 10-12 nights a year at some degree of solid discount, to free.

Now, we just need this crud to go away so I can start booking some rooms!

Does anyone realize how easy it is to use zoom? You literally have to be worthless with technology to screw this up.

We have a millenial GM and coach.

We will be fine.

They probably already have their "safe space" waiting for them.

That was hilarious.

I don’t know if you were trying to be funny but you nailed it!

On a side note, I'm still awaiting a call from Berry requesting my participation on the 23rd...

When did you become homeless?

My consultation fees are significant; my opinion....priceless.

Apparently, it's pretty easy to hack into zoom meeting rooms too.

It's difficult to hack into a specific one. People getting in are just trying meeting numbers at random.

It is easy to protect against this. Can assign a password to the meeting, or can force people into a "waiting room" when they connect, where the host has to let them in.

My company uses zoom and we have a partnership with zoom as well. The headlines and security concerns with zoom are overblown.

People found a way to join in zoom meetings by gaming the URL's or just clicking on a public meeting URL and were just trolling by dropping porn in the chat.

That's whole article was hilarious.

Imagine being a Cowboy fan tonight.

::shudders::

...Is being a Browns fan that much better?

j/c...

Prop/Futures bets for tonight's Draft are placed. Can't wait!

The responses. Ha!

LMFAO

Good grief!

Cowboys on the clock. . .

Here we go cowboys