DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Alex Mack Opts Out

Right. Because we weren't going to franchise tag him two years in a row.

But he got hurt in his franchise year, he would have either gotten a deal done, a real deal before that time or we would have had leverage after because he was rehabbing.

There was no way to know he would get injured.

I agree that the transition tag was dumb.

I'm not sure if the transition tag was inexcusably dumb until we drafted Irving, which an inexcusably dumb draft pick.

I would like Bell and some other Buckeye signings. Zeke could make us forget Crowell easily IMO.

Spend some to keep your pair if we can.

Think he is going to Atlanta.

So best of luck Alex, hope you do well over there

Rumor is he's going there for less money than the Browns offered him.. somehow the FO will still get accused of "letting him walk"..

Yes, I'm an idiot.

Screw that. He's been trying to get out of Cleveland for years now. I hope the Atlanta oline is the 2nd worst in the league (always hoping the steelers have the worst) and I hope Mack's play is one of the reason's it's so bad.

Less money but more guaranteed (or so I heard).

Mack has to see the panthers and Buc's d line twice a year a piece.

it might get ugly.

One fan wishes him well, one wishes him ill.... I'm of the mind that I really don't care what he does now. Succeed or fail it makes no difference. He's no longer occupying a Browns uni. Players are just bodies in uniforms. I have no allegiance to them. They sure don't have any to the fans. He's gone so.... NEXT.

5 year deal at least 3 years of guaranteed money 9 mil a year.
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000...-with-alex-mack

Woulda coulda shoulda, he's gone. Time to find a center. Sign one or draft one it's now a huge need.

We need a RT actually.

Thomas
Bitonio
Erving
Greco
?

Sign Smith. Still a line that can be solid.

And we need a center. I don't think moving Erving to C will improve his strength or mechanics, natural position or not.

Replacing Mack w Irving would be a bigger dropoff than replacing Larry Fitzgerald with Brian Robiskie.

I like the idea of signing Wisniewski, A lot cheaper than Mack and I really don't see that much of a dropoff.

We need both. Sign Smith and draft best center still available at 32.

Oline reboot...gee how shocking. We had our chance to draft oline last year. Now we have to draft oline this year. Guess it doesn't matter because our stellar veteran QB holds the ball too long.and can't stay healthy so we'll only need to protect the rookie or the next fresh meat up.

So, we have no one to throw the ball, no one to catch the ball, question marks on who can run the ball, and only 60% of a line that can block for the ball.



I'd say we've got them right where we want 'em.

If you:



then this:


doesn't matter that much.

Interesting strategy.

It's more likely that somehow the peeps on here will say he was overrated and the new guys are smart for not spending a lot of money on free agents.

Have you studied the NFL centers?

This FO will/should have 3-5 years to take us to the upper echelon. While their master plan may not be evident, we have no choice but to go with their decisions...

I didn't realize Sashi and Haslam were new to the organization. Gee, thanks for the information.

I pencil in Erving as the OC this coming season with a backup plan of moving Greco to OC and getting a RG or OC/OG in the draft. It's also a good year for OT's in the draft...

Hey, that's a good call. Erving probably is better at calling plays than blocking.

we are going to be a total trainwreck this year.

2/5 of our OL which rank top 5 at both positions in the NFL are gone

we couldn't land a deal with Benji

it seems like players around the league have no interest in the Browns.

We don't need a center at 32. We need to sign Wiz and wait and see if Cam lives up. We did kind of move him all over. Center is his spot. He has the quickness for the position.

Now, do we need to draft a center? I agree, we do. To me that is a nuts and bolts position. You don't have to have the best, you just need good. I'd say we can start looking come round 4 and draft a guy who can play.

My thinking is come December I will be pining for the good old 3-13 season we just finished.

Last year I thought we didn't have much talent and optimistically predicted 4-12. I am guessing we have even less talent for this upcoming season but will still enjoy the predictions of Erving and Shaw leading us to the playoffs.

superbowl - "trainwreck" was being kind. I guess build through the draft does not include keeping the guys you drafted. We hit on so few draft picks we can afford to keep the good ones.

You're just being testy. That is the direction I would go, and I have also included Plan 'B'. What else would you like to critique?

I'm just at a loss..

I guess the 50 million in cap space is not enough to sign all of our free agents.

It was unrealistic to think we were going to keep all four of Mack, Schwartz, Gipson, and/or Benjamin. But losing all four is inexcusable.

It really is;it sets us back a year or two. Perhaps they know something we don't. Is the FO planning to hold a presser?

Agreed. Keeping two would have been doable, one would think. Less that 12 hours into free agency and we have 4 more holes than we started the day with.

Look at the positives, I suppose. We'll be racking up more comp picks and we are definitely respecting the salary cap.

Alex Mack signs with Falcons: 'It was time to start a new chapter in my life'

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Center Alex Mack signed a five-year deal with the Falcons, saying he chose Atlanta over the Browns because he needed a fresh start.

"This was an extremely difficult decision,'' Mack said in a statement. "After careful consideration, I concluded it was time to start a new chapter in my life. Over the last seven years, I have established friendships with teammates, coaches, and staff that will last a lifetime. I certainly will miss the Dawg Pound!

"I am VERY thankful and grateful for the opportunity and privilege to have played for the Browns organization, and I did my level best always to represent the team well. I'm particularly thankful to Jimmy and Dee Haslam --and to the fans and the city of Cleveland as a whole--for the way they embraced and accepted me. I wish the entire organization good luck and much success in the future."

The deal is worth about $47.5 million and averages about $9.5 million year, making him the highest paid center in the NFL. Peter King of Sports Illustrated reported that Mack took about $500,000 a year less to go to Atlanta, where he'll be reunited with former Browns offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. But NFL Network reported that the guaranteed money in the deal was the turning point.

The Browns also lost receiver Travis Benjamin to the Chargers, signing a four-year deal worth $24 million, including $13 million guaranteed and $18 million over the first three years. They also are losing right tackle Mitchell Schwartz to the Chiefs. Safety Tashaun Gipson chose Jacksonville in the early evening.

But the departure of Mack is a huge blow.

"We knew we needed to add an established presence along our offensive line," said general manager Thomas Dimitroff in a statement. "Alex is a three-time Pro Bowler and is an ideal scheme fit for our offense. We understand the importance of solidifying the center position and we have been able to do that today. We are pleased to be able to add Alex to our roster and believe he will be an anchor to our line."

Mack's return was 'on the table' until it wasn't
Mack's return was 'on the table' until it wasn't
Browns center Alex Mack is close to a deal with the Falcons, a source tells cleveland.com.

Mack was hoping to become the highest-paid center in the NFL and the first one to average about $10 million a year.

The Browns have 2015 No. 19 overall pick Cam Erving to step in at center and are also looking at Jaguars free agent center Stefen Wisniewski, who was drafted by Hue Jackson in Oakland in 2011.

Mack voided the final three years of his contract Wednesday, but his return to the Browns was still very possible, his agent, Tim Younger, told cleveland.com.

Mack, 30, had three years remaining on his Browns contract at $8 million a year, including $8 million guaranteed. But in the deal originally worked out with Jacksonville in 2014 and matched by the Browns, Mack could opt out after the 2015 season, which he did.

Essentially, Mack played under a two-year contract worth $18 million guaranteed.
Thanks to broken fibula and ligament damage in his ankle that cost him the final 11 games of 2014, that works out to $857,000 per game for his 21 starts over the past two seasons.

The Browns now have to regroup, beginning with the vital center position and right tackle.


http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ss...art_river_index

Nicely chosen words, Alex, but somehow they ring hollow. Your leaving tells us all we really need to know...

Just in time to send my season ticket payment that is due in a week. On the plus side, I may be able to move up a lot more rows than usual this year.

It is completely inexcusable.

I don't know if anyone saw Schwartz's brother tweet:
"So proud of my brother on his deal with the Chiefs! Went through some nonsense today, and ended up in a great spot."

We pulled the contract offer apparently. This front office is not starting off on a good note IMO.