DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum HOW THE CLEVELAND BROWNS CAN COMPETE IN 2017

Trading down is not what's wrong. Picking the wrong/bad players is what's wrong. There are talented players all throughout the draft, we just suck at knowing who they are.

Whitner is playing with the Redskins.

j/c:

I think the FO's refusal to re-sign Gipson was huge. Not many people talk about it, but our FS play has been putrid and a big reason why our D is so bad.

Gipson is a good player and is young. He is the type of guy you can grow with. Not keeping him was a fail by the FO.

Is this true?

*Google search*

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/W/WhitDo20.htm

He is indeed playing for Washington.

Either way, my point still stands. We let Ward go and signed a guy to replace him that is no longer with the team. That leaves a huge hole on the roster.

"Ward never got the opportunity to meet with new coach Mike Pettine and state his case. Meanwhile, they applied the transition tag to center Alex Mack to retain the right of first refusal."

Link

Tashaun Gipson spent the first four years of his career in Cleveland. And that's apparently all Gipson could handle. When given the chance this offseason to sign with another team, Gipson bolted for Jacksonville, signing a five-year, $36-million contract with the Jaguars.

His reason for wanting to join the Jaguars instead of staying with the Browns might just be the most Browns thing ever. According to ESPN, Gipson said he left Cleveland for Jacksonville because he wanted "to start winning." And that might be a new low for the Browns -- when Jacksonville, of all places, is viewed as an upgrade.

Yep, Gipson joined a team that's won 19 games since the beginning of the 2011 season because he wanted "to start winning." The Jaguars haven't earned a playoff spot since 2007. They haven't won at least seven games in a season since 2010.
The Browns have actually won 23 games since 2011. No, they haven't earned a playoff berth since 2002, but they did win seven games in 2014. Yet, in Gipson's eyes, he viewed the Jaguars as a team that's better equipped to win.

He's probably right. The Jaguars offensive core of Blake Bortles, Allen Robinson, and Allen Hurns is promising. And, the team just experienced an offseason of spending, acquiring Malik Jackson and Chris Ivory. Considering the Jaguars are situated in the porous AFC South, there's an actual chance they'll compete for the playoffs in the near future.
As for the Browns, well, they just experienced an offseason of losing. Wide receiver Travis Benjamin left for the Chargers. Center Alex Mack joined the Falcons. And right tackle Mitchell Schwartz bailed for the Chiefs. The Browns also cut ties with Johnny Manziel on Friday, but that should hardly be classified as a loss for the team.
Now, they're reportedly involved in the Colin Kaepernick sweepstakes. And, Kaepernick reportedly wants to join the Browns -- a desire Gipson probably can't understand.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/tashaun-gipson-gives-most-browns-reason-ever-for-joining-jaguars/

Vers, I view Gipson as another Mack. He just wanted out. refusal I think is too strong of a word. I think he wanted out and the FO said "we like you, but if you don't want to be here..." Don't know for sure but it's what I hear in my own lil head. I wish we could have kept him, I liked him a lot.

I don't think we refused to sign him so much as it was a mutual agreement...

wasn't that like two FO's ago? so Ward and Whitner both play for the skins? I thought Ward was a Bronco?

I doubt we even offered Gibson anything. He had pretty much universal acclaim from every coaching staff that's been here. Horton loved him as a UDFA. But I think he never shook that perception in the FO. I think everyone always saw him as a udfa, jag. Ironically that's the team he plays for now.

He also said he wanted to stay.

http://www.chroniclet.com/browns-notes/2...-t-reached.html

So he wanted to stay. . . until he didn't.

It doesn't matter what front office it was. The article that this thread is based off of basically says the way we can get good is to re-sign our good players and draft good players (*shocker*).

The reason we currently have crappy players is because we create holes where there shouldn't be holes. We let Ward go, signed Whitner, released Whitner, and now have no one. Ward is currently starting for one of the best defenses in the league.

True if Art would have just let Brown finish his movie who knows how good we'd be now.

Jacksonville was supposed to be good this year.

I haven't paid an awful lot of attention, but early returns on Gipson weren't great in Jax ... he certainly hadn't lived up to the money, at least early in the season

I don't want to get in the back and forth of who wanted to stay vs who didn't again. Because to me, a guy not wanting to be here is not a good excuse. It's actually a worse indictment on the state of where the Browns are at.

The bottom line is that he is gone and the Browns are worse because of it.

If the theory is to build through the draft and keep your better players, well............you gotta keep your better players and not create even more holes in an already weak roster.

We didn't draft Gipson.

LOL.........you never cease to amaze me.

He's just a guy who hit the jackpot elsewhere...5 years at $36,000,000. He's got four more tackles than Ed Reynolds - who just started playing recently.

The evidence of our biggest problem spans multiple regimes:

Brady Quinn
William Green
Brandon Weeden
Phil Taylor
Brian Robiske
Muhammed Massiqoui(SP?)
Justin Gilbert
Johnny Manziel
Bark Mingo
Trent Richardson
Greg Little
David Veikune

That's just 1st and 2nd rounders...if half of those guys panned out, our situation would be much different. 9 of 12 are no longer in the league...two are special teamers...one a backup QB who has bounced around. You couldn't make that story up if you tried.

To answer the thread title question:

» HOW THE CLEVELAND BROWNS CAN COMPETE IN 2017

I guess it depends on what 'compete' means? Playoffs? SB? For me thats what NFL teamz when they say compete. If that is the goal for 2017 then imho they can't compete.

However the Browns can improve next year with:

o improved QB play

o upgrade on the DL specifically Base 34 DE i.e. 5-Tech

o Improved Edge rush

o Upgrade at FS and SS

Thwy should be able to address some of the areas above through the 1st 2 round of the draft where they have 4 of the top 40 prospects.


Some off the top prospects will be Browns nexr year: Allen, Garret, Adams, Hooker, Tim Williams, etc.....could be

What a pathetic list and that's not even all of them.