DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum cont...The Browns Front Office...ready for prime time?...

I neither like nor dislike their approach, but I can see what they are trying to do and I appreciate the possibilities. There is actually a rhyme and a reason to what they are doing, and I applaud that they are sticking to their plan and working it as best they can.

I think that if their talent evaluations work out, we *could* finally be on our way ... but, unless a number of the rookies magically light it up this year, I think it's going to be a while before we can tell for certain.

I accept that 2016 is going to suck, that it is the price of a complete rebuild - I just hope the freaking owner has the cajones to ignore the media when the mid-season rumblings and discontent begin this season and next, because this approach needs plenty of time to pay off.

I like that they came in with a strategy and followed it. I like that they targeted players with documented production regardless of hype, with strong character. Several of those drafted were players of whom I had never heard, yet when I look at the their production and character, they fit the mold better than players I knew of and wanted.

Whether these players turn out to be good picks remains to be seen, so I'm on the fence with my feet on the like it side and facing that direction.

Asking this now is like asking a surgery patient that hasn't come out from under anesthesia if he's feeling better! LOL

I don't know if in the end I'm going to like this any better than any other approach taken since 1999.

I'm encouraged by somethings like "The Plan" and more importantly, they seemed to stick to it. No panic, no rush to judgement on players.

They got a big bang out of the draft in terms of the number of new/young talent. Some of which we all know just won't work out for various reasons.. As long as the ones from the first three rounds work out, it's a good draft to me.

I like what I see looking at the history of most everyone on the coaching staff.

I like what we saw in the video explaining the trainers and the methods they are employing. (different training for different position groups)

I like how they got rid of players that clearly weren't going to be around when it's time to turn the corner (dansby, whitner)

I'm not happy about them letting some guys get away as FA's. But we've exhausted that discussion so I ain't going there again.

I do like how they picked up some guys in the draft that address some of those needs. At least on paper. Let's see how they work out before judging.

I absolutely love that they didn't fall into the trap of the top 2 QB's. I think both could be good, I didn't then and I still don't think they are real 1st and 2nd pick guys. They were just the best that this draft had to offer, maybe?

Wide Receivers.... FINALLY! someone figured out that you could probably have Brett Favre as QB and if nobody can play WR well, it's just not going to work. Yippee!

The guy that you refer to that said this is like an expansion team may actually be right. That doesn't make it bad, just not what was expected.

The last two expansion teams, Jags and Panthers, did pretty well in their first couple of years, if you go back and remember.

Whoever ran and coached those teams did a fine job.

Maybe ours will this time.. we'll see.

I agree with Purp. How the draft picks pan out remains to be seen, but I like that the Front Office has a coherent plan and has stuck to that plan. Get high character, athletic, and productive guys in to compete and rebuild a culture.

I only hope for two things. That if the season starts badly, that ownership sticks with it for a few years. Don't fire the OC because the offense looks stagnant for the season. And likewise, I hope the Front office doesn't go all gung-ho next off-season looking for a quick fix. You have a plan identified, lets stick with it and let guys develop under the same system for a few years. Early results be damned.

Ii loved what we did this weekend. I was not very high on the top of this draft outside Buckner, Treadwell and Tunsil and Tunsil's woulda been completely removed from my board due to drugs. I liked the QBs but I didnt love any of these guys.

We targeted major production from the big conferences and avoided the projects. We should know pretty damn quick whether or not these guys are gonna make it at this level or not but they took the approach many of us have been screaming for.

Seems like the players we took were the type of guys you want your kids to be. These are good kids off the field. These ar3e guys that make big plays. The tackles we signed are gonna add nasty to our run game.

I also like the fact that Hue and Paul appear to be tied at the hip. This is the relationship that I felt would be vital but easily could be split. I really saw a Plan put together by this think tank and then carried out for 3 days. We drafted guys that make big plays.

We created competition at every position. I loved the fact that Sashi came out and made it clear if you arent Joe Thomas, you better lace them up and win your spot.

I didnt like all these picks but I like what we did.

First I would like to say that in most of the seasons since the rebirth we have played worse than an expansion team. Therefore, if we play like one that should be a positive.

I don't want to say I love or like what the new FO is doing. However, I respect the hell out of what they did in the draft and have done since everyone got here once Hue was signed.

Their approach to getting the coach they wanted and that other teams wanted was a great start. They made the hard sell to Hue and he had options (by options I mean that he could have interviewed elsewhere and didn't), but decided to come here.

Their approach to FA I have mixed emotions about; however, I am of the mind that if the players who left wanted to be here would be here so therefore they did not want to be here. I don't blame them for not wanting to be, but I don't blame this FO for them leaving either.

The approach that this FO took for the draft, I believe, was played out exactly as they wanted it to. Sashi told us that they would trade from 2 if they got blown away with an offer! Check! Sashi said they would move from 8 if on offer blew them away! Check! Sashi said that they would probably not trade away from 32 unless they were really blown away! Check!

Hue said he wanted to address the WR room in this draft! Check!

Sashi and Hue both said they were going to address the QB position in this draft and that the person they picked might not be the popular sexy pick (check), but that they could be better than the 1st and 2nd QBs drafted in the draft (well we'll have to see).

The front office said they wanted to change the culture and attitude of the organization. The way to do that is to get rid of those who do not love, live, eat, drink, and dream football! Check -! (Still have to see about Gilbert). However, every pick they made seemed to be high character guys first, football junkies 2nd, physically gifted and athletic, and in seven of those players all conference the best at doing what they did while in college regardless of the draft experts ! Check and Discount Double Check

So although I may not of agreed with some of the picks chosen by this FO because of who I may have wanted (though I have less knowledge about these players than the three dogs laying around my feet right now ) I firmly stand on the FO side of the fence and believe that we may have gotten it right! Check!!!

I may be wrong we'll have to see, but I have a lot of confidence right now and I not really sure if we loss all 16 games this year if that would change.

I am happy we seemed to have a sense of what we wanted and took shots at making it happen. The FO gets some props for manufacturing extra picks in this and several future drafts. I lost some faves to FA who will be missed. Looking at a losing squad, some folks should be gone, probably more need it sooner. Certainly a number of last year's team remain on notice. We have not seen the UDFA list yet, and we may get some help there. We had so many needs, and FA brought more, that one draft couldn't fix it all. But a framework in place, and coaches who get it and have proven success, may help us turn the corner.

I refuse to judge the FO on the 2016 draft simply because it is not completed; a few picks need to be made future picks. Not sure this was a dynamite class that had huge NFL potential across the board. But we did more than I thought we could. I rate them highly for the picks we got trading down though I hated it. Plenty to question. Enough reasons to find stuff to hate. But this was a real football draft over the loonytoons media circus that we saw last year. I like the focus; not blind homerism in full support, but the FO got my attention.

The jags and panthers got high value cap cuts from other teams. We got the garbage other teams didn't want.

As I have learned over many seasons, a high draft pick does not ensure that player will be any good (gilbert). True players can be found all over the draft and even UDFA. If the FO has determined a better way to find those players than FOs of the past, we will know quickly. I just want to see positive results for once.

I think one thing they might have figured into this draft is how a potential player is doing skill wise. Has the pick peaked in his skills? I thought, for example, JFF had peaked in college, and he was all downhill after the draft. Other players, Gipson, Bademosi, Robertson, Crowell, all became key players on the team and were signed UDFA. Their skills are peaking now.

I know all of that, but I was simply pointing out that us being like an expansion team isn't for sure a bad thing.

I think most people equate expansion teams with the bucs or the 99 Browns. We did beat the steelers that year, though.

Given what was available at 2, I was a bit Luke warm on the trade to 8, but I didn't like Wentz. Given what was available at 8??? No question they made the right decision to move back.

They addressed two of the issues that have been plaguing this team forever. WR and pass rush.

We likely have two top 10 picks next season, which means 4 top 40 picks. Essentially two FULL drafts next year with two 3's.

Even if they don't execute, I find the philosophy to be correct.

I agree...

I would expect that until and unless we actually have a "franchise QB", Sashi, Depo and Hue will be taking another look at the Browns QB situation.

Then, I would say that the draft strategy will be much as it was this year: If you don't see the value, trade down until you do. Eventually, it'll work out.

mac, I'm not sold on this FO or its structure. I've been burned too many times before. I'm not seeing a lot of football experience in the bunch in terms of running a team or drafting experience.

But at the same time, I think it's far too early to question if their plan will work or not. I believe it's far too early to question whether they will have success or not.

Yes, I have questioned whether they made some picks a bit too early. We both know that mid round picks are a gamble and some simply won't make this team. But that's not something that shouldn't be expected or unusual. As a matter of fact, it happens in every draft with every team.

I'm not trying to bag on you or be confrontational, but I believe the title of this thread would be something much better served to be addressed a few years down the road. As of now, none of us really have a clue one way or the other as to the answer of your question.

Well, it's not too early to question it, but it is far too early to declare it.

If NO", then the strategy will be very apparent to the FO...

"The Browns Front Office Ready for Prime Time?"

Now, its a question.

After the trade down to 15, I became slightly encouraged by the pick of a dynamic playmaker. Since Greg Pruitt and Metcalf, its been a long time since we chose someone of this caliber so highly.

Then, what I felt was the slow, painful, submersion into possible farmer 2.0

When we chose Ogbah I figured that there was something out there that wasn't on the Oklahoma State vs. Oklahoma tape and I just needed to go with it -- honeymoon period and all.

So, I'm sitting there. We are armed with a boatload of picks and A BOATLOAD OF FIRST ROUND TALENT sitting in front of us with at least two teams who should be more than willing to deal (Dallas and Kansas City). Reggie Ragland, Jarran Reed, Myles Jack, Noah Spence, A'Shawn Robinson, etc... along with excellent 2nd round talent: Sterling Sheppard, Vonn Bell, Jason Spriggs, Hunter Henry, Chris Jones, Derrick Henry, Nick Martin, etc....

Although I'm sitting there waiting for the front office to pull the trigger, I am also sympathetic to the NFL Channel analysts who have joked about the scene in the Browns war room over the high fiving and chest bumping after the Ogbah pick. I thought our war room looked really weird and the point about celebrating a pick that they had 20 hours to make with nobody in front of them was funny. My problem was that there were all these people in our war room that appeared to be like a LA Lakers celebrity row or a Pete Carroll USC practice. Who were they? Many of them looked like Trendies with their Trendy girlfriends having a chat in between text messages. This is fine, I guess. Unless of course, people in that room needed to adapt, adjust, and think out strategies on the fly because there so happened to be a dramatic shift in the draft which caused very good players to fall into what was easily our pay range.

I may be wrong thinking that we could have easily came away with Coleman, Jarran Reed and Myles Jack, or Coleman, Ogbah, and Ragland, or Coleman, Spence and Ragland, or .....

I may be wrong in thinking we could have easily traded back into the second and still ended up with almost all the picks we ended up with (with just a little luck, just a little, everything would have fallen to us where we gave up the guy we chose in the 6th or 7th for Jack, Ragland, Robinson, Reed, or... (If you need a detailed explanation on this, I can provide it, that is unless the ref deletes it.)

But prime time was chest bumpin, high fiving, and apparently posting selfies on facebook.

I have no problem with allowing time to trust the Quarterback Whisperer with the Kessler pick. If that is who he wanted and we are dependent on him to develop talent and build us a winner, so be it. Where he drafted him? hmm..... So much talent on that board that appeared to slip away in my opinion.

With every snap Carson Wentz takes over the next 5 years Hue and Pep are on the clock. God forbid Wentz becomes elite.

I doubt it. I think they have planned for that possibility by adding picks next year and the following. We are in a position to trade up if necessary. We have two 1st rounders and two second rounders. That 2nd the following year is big IMO in the event we have to offer up that years 1st rounder. At least we will have the 2nd rounders.

Overall, I think we had a solid plan and worked the plan. I like what I see to this point.

I don't recall whether or not I saw that particular incident as I was channel hopping a bit throughout the first round and on NFLN for the 2nd and 3rd rounds. But all the war rooms seem to do this type of congratulating, not just the Browns. Generally speaking, I think this practice is just plain dumb...

The Rams did the same thing after the first pick, knowing they were going to draft Goff for weeks.

Also, there were no guests in the war room. There were only seven people: Haslams (Jimmy and Dee), Sashi Brown, Paul DePodesta, Andrew Berry, Hue Jackson, and one who I don't know (my guess is Ken Kovash).

I was watching that coverage and the commentators did make note of the fact that there were congratulations going around the room on a pick they had so much time on, but it certainly didn't look excessive and there were no "chest bumps". I seem to recall some handshakes when LA took Goff and they had a lot more time than we did to make their decision. No smart ass comments were made about that.

As for people taking selfies, I didn't notice that at all, but even if there was, who cares? Once the pick was made they could take a few minutes off.

In terms of the overall plan and execution I'm a fan. I like the fact that we appear to be laying a foundation for the future and that we're in a great position to build upon it next year. I'm hopefull that RGIII will return to servicable form but would just consider that a bonus and won't put any expectations on it.

This team is actually very much like an expansion team, but more like the Jacksonville, Carolina expansions than what came before or out debacle. Those guys had time and help from the league where we, again had to throw something together in a shorter than average period of time (much like most of our regime changes as our coaching and front office searches stretched on and on...)

cfrs,

Clearly I am a boldfaced liar, on an agenda to make the Browns look bad.

Except, on the coverage I was watching, after the ogbah pick and "getting our man" celebration, many, many more people eventually made their way into the war room. The shot that I am referencing even had (who I believe clearly was) Jim Brown sitting in the background with at least 12 people in the room.

If I lie, about things like this. Then... I'm a bad guy.

bb

Please don't misunderstand. The point that the NFL channel was making is that "we got our man" responses don't make a lot of sense when you had 20 hours to decide on your pick and nobody had the chance to jump ahead of you.

I could care less if Sashi made picks in a speedo.

Sorry, I was watching NFLN and they didn't show the war room:

http://www.nfl.com/videos/cleveland-browns/0ap3000000657861/Browns-pick-Emmanuel-Ogbah-No-32

Also, I am just going off of what was written in this article:



http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2016/05/04/cleveland-browns-nfl-draft-hue-jackson-paul-depodesta-sachi-brown

Furthermore, later shots that I saw of the war room only had a few people.

Not calling you a liar, just telling you what I saw.

Even if there were a bunch of people in the room, it was probably mostly a photo op more than anything else as they knew they would be on camera for the first pick of the second round.

mac

I need to research and see if I can find a pic of the war room with all the people who eventually entered that night. There must be Dawgs out there that saw the video. There were three trendies sitting against the far left wall, Jim Brown and two other people sitting in seats on the far wall against the back, and additional people in the central table area with Podesta and Sashi. I'm not entirely sure Hue was even there at that time. He was in the shot cfrs is referencing.

This is a non-issue.

Guys,

My point is, that we were there with a boatload of picks and a boatload of talent available to us.

I thought it was obvious, not only to me, but to any Brown's fan, that the opportunity at that time was ripe for the stockpiling of picks to produce a huge payoff.

I waited, and waited.

No move. I detailed earlier my reasoning on why I thought there should have been a move -- a move to get back into the second round.

The next shot I see of the Browns war room has a Jerry Jones, Pete Carroll, type of feel to it with a whole bunch of people there who I'm sure didn't have anything to do with the scouting staff. This is a fact.

My point, and I could be wrong, is... how could Sashi think clearly and make the on the fly adjustments to our draft strategy to take advantage of players that (I believe) we could have easily gotten? Was he distracted? I don't know, but I know that war room didn't look like a place where someone could be focused on cutting a deal with someone like Jerrah or any pro for that matter.

I assumed you guys all saw that clip of the war room.

I agree

It detracted from my point.

Or they already knew who they were going to pick after negotiating with teams overnight and it was a photo op.

We have a winner.

I didn't like the shoes Hue was wearing.

Very Distracting.

Yes, they prevented him from getting Ragland or Jack for next to nothing.

he, he, he,

he, he, he, he, he, he,

(color the above he's in purple)

Once again,

This all happened after the Ogbah pick and after the pandemonium for getting our guy. The important clip I'm referencing happened at sometime later in the second round. While we were watching all that talent get picked away.

...jeez

I don't remember the chest-bumping, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen. But he's right in that there were quite a few people in the room and one of them was Jim Brown. He was not celebrating. He was siting next to a female who was much younger than he was.

So, I'll grant you that there may have been a 3 ring circus in there (sans elephants please) but to me that's even more impressive that they got the picks they did. We all may have issues with a pick here or there, but most would agree that it's a pretty decent draft (pending injuries and the bust hammer dropping). If that is the case then it leads one to believe that they had a board and they stuck with it even amidst the chaos. Not bad.

I believe some of the fallout has to do with this FO not doing what some people wanted or expected. Did they follow my wishes or draft who I wanted going into the draft? No.

But I at least understand some of their moves. I actually really liked the first three picks. I understand the plan, at least to date, on infusing a lot of new players to the roster. I believe it will turn out to be an average draft. I understand that mid round picks carry more of a gamble and not every pick will pan out. But that's a reasonable expectation.

I'm not trying to convince myself every pick they made will be great. I'm also not trying to convince myself they all will be awful. I watched the entire draft on the NFL Network. I didn't see anything out of line regarding our war room.

I believe we will reap some rewards and have some failures in this draft. Just as with every NFL draft. The amount of success remains to be seen. I would grade this draft somewhere between a C and a C+ based in my evaluation. But I'm just a fan on a message board. As such, I don't take my opinions that seriously.