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... or a warm body. lol

ANDREW BERRY & SASHI BROWN PRE-DRAFT PRESS CON.(26:50)


[video:google]http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/media-center/index.html[/video]

And there shouldn't be.

I agree. I never really doubted it, but with all the chatter, it was making me a bit nervous.

I am pretty comfortable with the FO and where we are. All can change after the draft, but I feel good. We were rushed last year. It was like, "Hello, nice to meet you, lets go pick players".

This year everybody has had time to get on the same page, get to know the players and staff.

http://cleveland.cbslocal.com/2017/04/19...d-andrew-berry/



What We Learned Wednesday From Sashi Brown And Andrew Berry
April 19, 2017 11:00 PM By Daryl Ruiter | 92.3 The Fan



BEREA (92.3 The Fan) – Despite holding the top pick in the NFL Draft Sashi Brown and Andrew Berry didn’t want to show their hand Wednesday.

Mission accomplished.

The Browns’ executive vice president of football operations and vice president of player personnel revealed very little about their 2017 draft intentions during a nearly 30 minute press conference, however it wasn’t completely devoid of useful information.

Here’s what we learned:

– The Browns have an idea who they will take with the No. 1 pick but aren’t telling anyone outside of their inner circle. They also will not negotiate or reveal the pick until it is time for them to call Philadelphia to have the card filled out and handed to the commissioner after they go on the clock next Thursday.

– The view that Myles Garrett took plays off or didn’t give 100 percent in games and will affect his draft stock is more media driven than reality, at least inside their draft room. “I think that sometimes those concerns are a little bit overstated,” Berry said. “The reality is in college football the number of snaps that these defensive linemen have to play on a down-in, down-out basis is usually greater than when they are going to have to play at the professional level. Every prospects is going to have his weaknesses. There is no such thing as a perfect player.” The Browns clearly like Garrett and it is presumed that is who they will select No. 1. Nothing that was said on Wednesday leads anyone to believe otherwise.



– The Browns are done prioritizing the stockpiling of picks for the future over picking players. Brown’s phone is ringing with offers for the No. 1 pick but he seems content to keep it and take the player they want rather than dancing down the board and out of the top 10 for a second straight year. “That would surprise me if we traded down that way this year,” Brown said. He later added when pressed on their anticipated approach next week, “The need to continue to acquiring high-value picks is less intense this year.” Last year Brown orchestrated a total of 5 trades before or during the 2016 draft that netted the Browns an additional 6 picks between 2016-18.

– Brown and Berry realize the magnitude of this draft. It is not hyperbole to say that it will define their tenure and will make or break the franchise for years to come. “This league is too competitive to waste opportunities,” Brown said. “This is an important draft for us. We can get some players that can transform our franchise, and the way we are positioned, it is to some degree the volume of players that can help us. We want to get those right.” This franchise desperately needs elite-level talent. With the Nos. 1, 12, 33, 52 and 65 available, there is no excuse for the Browns not to find that talent next Thursday and Friday night to help extricate them from the football hell they’ve lived in for the better part of 18 years.

– Having more than a year to prepare for a draft should help immensely after only getting just over 100 days to prepare in 2016. Brown revealed that the Browns “have already started on our 2018 draft at some of the pro days” the team attended this spring. “We will feel better about this year just because we have had more time to prepare and work with our entire scouting staff and coaching staff throughout the year,” Brown said.

– Trading up the board hasn’t been ruled out, but doesn’t seem as likely despite the massive arsenal of draft picks they have to play with. Brown restated his philosophy that he prefers to add picks rather than trade them away, however he’s not opposed to it this year considering the volume of assets at their disposal. “We don’t want to get into a habit of turning 2 picks into 1,” Brown said. “We just don’t think that is a good way to do business over time…It does not mean that if there is a player there we might not go take a shot. We think we are positioned to be able to do that without impacting our draft much.”

– The likelihood that Jimmy Garoppolo will become a Brown is diminishing by the hour. Brown said that he doesn’t have New England on speed dial and he doesn’t anticipate trading for a veteran quarterback before or during the draft, even if they have the ammunition to pull such a trade off. Certainly there is a chance that this is the ultimate bluff by Brown, but it appears that the Patriots in fact were not bluffing when they leaked to Adam Schefter last month that they would not make Garoppolo available.

– Although Berry and Brown were complimentary of Mentor, Ohio native and North Carolina quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, even going as far as to say “We were impressed by him,” try not to read too much into that. Brown made it clear he was not interested in discussing his thoughts on specific players, including Garrett, in an attempt to avoid showing his cards.

– The Browns are tired of the narrative that they don’t know what they are doing, aren’t on the same page or are dysfunctional but they’re not wasting time worrying about outside perception. “It is just part of the territory. We don’t get flustered by it,” Brown said about reports they were divided internally about who to select No. 1. Contrary to what some in the national media will lead you to believe, debate doesn’t equal division and those conversations are something Brown not only encourages but believes in. “Even if we all agree on a particular player or a decision, we constantly are pushing each other to think about what we are not thinking about,” Brown said. “Our job really isn’t to agree; our job is to get decisions right.”


Daryl Ruiter | 92.3 The Fan

To me, this allows for the possibility of trading out of #1. Not saying it's going to happen, but not "signing" MG prior to the draft may be revealing...

A distinct possibility, eo. Adds "drama"...

It would be funny if every team made their selection in 1 minute or less. Draft over in 30-35 minutes.

But really, these posts are about the draft. Why aren't they being posted in the draft forum?

An instead of the drama, we would get more player interviews, more talking heads time...and many more commercial breaks. No thanks...

5 things to know from the Browns pre-NFL Draft press conference
Posted 17 hours ago

Patrick Maks - Staff Writer This guy is a paid writer for the Browns official website. Not sure there's anything in this article painting anything rosy. Just pretty much quotes from the press conference. There is the idea that this guy, or someone in the ORG, choose the "5 things to know" out of all that was said. Read at your own risk.

1. Sashi Brown, the Browns’ executive vice president of football operations, made it clear on Wednesday that Cleveland is comfortable with who it might take with the No. 1 overall pick. Just don’t expect him to reveal anything just yet. “Stay tuned next Thursday,” Brown said with a laugh after being asked if they’d reached a consensus with eight days until draft night.
Brown also stressed that nothing is off the table in regards to potential first-round moves but would be surprised if the Browns traded down like they did in 2016. “We have received calls,” he said. “We haven’t resigned ourselves one way or the other. We feel really good about picking at No. 1.”

2. Speaking of the first overall pick....
Myles Garrett, the Texas A&M defensive end who is considered by most draft analysts to be the best player in the draft, is still linked by most to the Browns at that spot. And over the past few months, Brown, Berry, head coach Hue Jackson and others have gotten to know Garrett.
“We spent a lot of time with him, No. 1. We learned a lot about what makes him tick, what motivates him, how he spends his down time, how he spends his time with his teammates,” Brown said.
particularly if it’s us, would be proud to have him.”

3. Best player available or addressing critical roster needs? Vice president of player personnel Andrew Berry, who guides the team’s pro and college scouting departments, said there’s no right answer. “All of that comes into consideration – overall talent, positional value and need on the current roster. It really just depends on the circumstance,” he said.
“It depends on where you are picking in the round and what other opportunities may be available later in the draft, depending on how deep a particular position is. Really, it just depends on the individual situation. I know that is probably not as satisfying as an answer as you hoped for, but it is the truth.”

4. As the Browns search for a long-term answer at quarterback, they’ve met with a handful of the top signal-callers, including North Carolina’s Mitchell Trubisky, Clemson’s Deshaun Watson, Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer and Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes. “All of them are really mature young men,” Brown said, “and I think would handle themselves well.”
Asked further about Trubisky, a Mentor native who grew up rooting for the Browns, Brown described the former Tar Heel as “a positive young man, bright, very competitive” who brings a "lunchbox, blue-collar mentality to the position.”
“We were impressed by him,” he added.

5. The Browns are open to trading up from No. 12 but are not philosophically inclined to do so. Brown outlined that dynamic in broad strokes, saying Cleveland values draft picks because "no matter how prepared you are there is always a lot of uncertainty in the draft."
"Every team misses. We are not going to be different in that regard, “ Brown said. "We like young talent. We've said the draft is going to be the pipeline. We don’t want to get into a habit of turning two picks into one, so to speak. We just don’t think that's a good way to do business over time.
"We have studied this around the league, and it's just our inclination. It doesn't mean that if there's a player there we might not go take a shot. We think we're positioned to be able to do that without impacting our draft much.”

Browns site

Because, as someone has said, this being a FO thread, any and every discussion get lumped in here because some part of it relates to the FO. Great comments, which would have been outstanding in threads on the actual subject matter, get posted in here and buried.

It's the equivalent of starting a thread titled "Browns" which would contain anything Browns related thus eliminating the need for more than one thread. That's kinda happened with this.

It's worse than duplicate threads.

I think that it's a case of not wanting to blow a deal, if another team absolutely loses its mind.

Let's say that the Niners want to trade up from 2 to 1 ...... and are willing to give a fortune in draft picks in return. I think that we would, at least, have to listen. Once you've signed a guy, that possibility goes away.

j/c:


https://twitter.com/AllbrightNFL/status/855643512007794689

I have no real evidence or anything like that, but I never believed any of the reports about "tension". Mainly because I believe they were derived from non only than LaCanfora, the goofball.

jc..

Cleveland Browns have Terry Talkin' how front office has changed outlook -- Terry Pluto

Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer
April 23, 2017 at 6:05 AM, updated April 23, 2017 at 6:08 AM
link


CLEVELAND, Ohio -- "We are on the eve of a really momentous draft class for us."

Those words were spoken by Sashi Brown when the Cleveland Browns vice president discussed next week's 2017 NFL Draft.

The Browns have five of the first 65 picks, including No. 1 and 12 in the first round.

The Browns are an easy target with their Ivy League front office and the dismal showing on the field.

But the fact is any team -- especially a bad one -- would love to be heading into this draft with 11 of Cleveland's picks.

As Brown also mentioned, "it's a double draft."

He means the Browns have two picks in the first round, two picks in the second round.

They can always mess up the picks, and this front office had a rocky start in 2016.

1. You can argue they made a mistake by trading down from No. 2 to No. 15.
What made it look worse is it appears Carson Wentz (No. 2 pick) will be a very solid quarterback with the Philadelphia Eagles. Perhaps better than that.

2. Compounding it was first-round pick Corey Coleman had a rotten rookie year. The receiver from Baylor couldn't stay healthy. He had a hamstring injury in training camp. He missed six games with a broken hand in the regular season.

3. In the second game of the season, Coleman caught five passes. Two were for touchdowns. He was the NFL Rookie of the Week. Then he suffered a broken hand in practice. He missed the next six games.

4. The rest of the year was pretty sad. He caught only 26 passes over the last eight games, one for a touchdown. He longest catch in that span was for 21 yards. He was struggling with the cold weather and learning an NFL playbook. At Baylor, they kept things very basic for the offense. He looked lost at times.

5. If Coleman becomes a productive receiver in 2017, the draft starts to look a little better. That's especially true because second-rounder Emmanuel Ogbah led the team with 5.5 sacks. Only four other rookies had more. He is talented.

6. Not sure what kind of career Cody Keesler will have in the NFL, but he is at least a backup quarterback.

7. I'm not going to sort through all 14 picks. It is discouraging that Ogbah looked like the only selection who could one day be a Pro Bowl player. But it's also true many players need 2-3 years to give a true indication of how they'll perform in the NFL.

8. Despite several mistakes in the 2016 draft, the trades made before that draft played a major role in setting up the 2017 draft. The biggest moves produced picks No. 12 and 52, creating the "double draft" with multiple picks in the first and second rounds.

CHANGING DIRECTION

1. The front office did learn more than a few things from the 2016 draft, followed by the 1-15 regular season. They absolutely disdained free agency in 2016. They spent little, and didn't buy much that helped the team.

2. After watching the Browns lead the NFL by allowing 66 sacks and three quarterback concussions, they spent big to help the offensive line -- a combined $76 million ($34 million guaranteed) for guard Kevin Zeitler and center J.C. Tretter.

3. They signed veteran wide receiver Kenny Britt to a $32 million deal ($18 million guaranteed).

4. A mid-season trade with New England helped position the Browns to sign Jamie Collins to a $50 million deal ($26 million guaranteed).

5. Perhaps some of these high-priced free agents will get hurt or bust out. Perhaps not breaking the bank for Terrelle Pryor will haunt them.

6. The Browns have made it clear they won't spend like this in most free agent periods. But they realized they had to spend now or another complete embarrassment on the field loomed.

7. They also signed Jamar Taylor and Joel Bitonio to contract extensions.

8. I get a lot of contract information from Over The Cap, an excellent site. They say the Browns spent more money in free agency in 2017 ($59 million) than any other year. Yet, the Browns still lead the entire NFL in salary cap room ($61 million). That was also set up by some moves made in 2016.

BIGGEST TEST COMING

1. The Browns recently have had multiple first-round picks and trashed them. In 2014, those selections were Justin Gilbert and Johnny Manziel. In 2012, the picks were Trent Richardson and Brandon Weeden. Now get this, only Weeden is on an NFL roster. He is a backup quarterback in Houston.

2. But the only way for the Browns ever to dig out of this dismal ditch of being the NFL's worst franchise is through the draft. One of the best ways to have good drafts is with multiple picks, especially in the first three rounds.

3. They have 11 picks in this draft. As Brown said, "We are positioned very differently from 2015, so the need to continue to acquire high-value picks is less intense."

4. In other words, Brown was saying the team doesn't need to keep trading down to add picks. He sounds very ready to make Myles Garrett the first pick in the draft.

5. The Browns also have their own first-round pick in 2018, along with three second-rounders next year as some other trades kick in.

6. I don't know if they will draft the guys. I do know this is the right way to go into a draft.

We should have offered more than Pryor's highest bidder did. Who was that again?

This Pryor thing is out of control as is the Schwartz thing.

Bottom line, Pryor tried to take advantage of the club for personal gain. The Browns offered the best contract and he turned it down. He is not and was not a #1 WR. He fell into that position by default because of weak talent and Gordon being suspended. 2. Pryor will be a #2 WR at best in Washington. Crowder is slated to be the #1 WR with Jordan Reed TE being Cousins #2 go to guy. 3. Pryor's main issue that will certainly raise it's ugly head in Washington with his inability to run crisp clean routes. It's true that he will have a better QB throwing to him but those throws will be anticipation throws that Pryor will have to have gained separation and be at the spot.

WR is the second hardest position to learn in the NFL because of the importance of the timing and separation factors. Pryor's limited experience highlights his faults. Now I agree that he has an upside and believe the Browns offered him an overly fair contract but he and his agent way over valued his skills and his deficiencies will be exposed playing in a more up tempo timing passing game.

Now Mack, Schwartz, Pryor and many others are gone - deal with it. Crowell may be the next to go - it's part of the game. I still say they are looking for a trade partner offering a 2nd rounder for Hayden. The FO has a team to run and that involves hard decisions sometimes. If Gordon gets reinstated with Coleman, Britt and a upside rookie the Browns will have a far better receiving corp than last year. If they are considering drafting a WR early it's to replace Gordon not Pryor, he was replaced by Britt.

One final point on the FO and the coaches since that's management inclusive. If the Browns decide to use either the #1 or #12 pick in any manner either through trade, draft, of combination of moving up to select a QB, that player must start by game 5 and be successful of you can expect a whole new management team in 2018. You cannot be coming off a 1-15 season with a defense (especially run defense) that is near the poorest in the league with still some offensive holes (RT, RB, and WR) and be loaded with picks over the next 2-years and waste those picks on unproven reaches at the QB position when you can get 3-4 starters on the worst team in the NFL. The Browns first 4 picks must be day 1 starters and if they are not capable of that then they need to pass and go to the next best available. Heck I'm not even sold on Garrett and there were some articles this weekend (even from former players) questioning his effort. If the rumors are true that the Browns are even considering Trub at #1 instead of Garrett then the talk about Garrett might be on the Browns mind too.

Taking Trub #1 though would seal a new management team in 2018 IMHO. If they really are hedging on Garrett then it's time to trade down and get another 1st rounder next year and another 2nd this year in addition to the trading teams 1st this year to fill even more areas that need attention. This years draft is loaded with blue chip defensive players and lord knows the Browns need help on defense. 2018 is shaping up to be a banner year for QB's so they have the opportunity to position themselves for 2018 and is way more important than way over reaching in 2017. With 2 first round picks in their pocket next year and 3 second round picks, the Browns will have all the ammo they need to get the player they want to lead this team without over reaching. A mistake this year will screw any opportunities for next year because those many holes will still be there.

Never liked Sapp. This quote from the article is a jewel.

"Sapp says Garrett is the favorite to be the top pick solely because of his work at the NFL combine."

Yeah, nobody had him in the first round before the combine.

Sapp was actually talking about measurables, and the article inaccurately summarized that to mean the combine. Sapp was talking about his size and speed numbers.

Now Mac , Mac , Mac ; Everyone ( but you ) knows that Dee is in charge of the Draft !

You worry too much..

Maybe I'm the only one, but I look at this as a good thing. How many regimes have we had where the HC/or former HC dipped their toes in and determined draft picks?

Davis
Mangini
Holmgren trumping Heckert
Pettine wanting Gilbert.
Crennel given the choice between two players

I have no doubt Hue Jackson has been involved in the process and offered his input, but it should be "out of his hands". His job is to coach the players, not select them.

Rely on Andrew Berry and the scouts. Use your advanced analytics tools to help make more informed decisions.

Likely more optimistic than last year...

I want to agree with you here, Memphis, but it is hard to get past the assertion that it is indeed out of Hue's hands. Minimally, Hue must have had significant input into the decision(s)...

I think Hue definitely has input. I just don't think he has control of the selection. Nor should he, in my opinion.

Agreed that final say is not in the coach's hands, nor should it be. I think we are on the same page for the most part...

I wanted to comment about how the FO has handled the draft with a full term under their belts. Obviously the results are yet to be seen and even then there will no doubt be some who love and some who hate the strategy. And even then it will take 3 years to know whether they got it right. . . . . Thats not my point.

I think the FO deserves kudos for hiding their intentions. Would anybody truly claim they know the plan ? How sure is Garret the pick ? Are they staying g at 12 ? Trading up ? Down ? Which qb do they truly love ? If it's not QB and assu.ing we take MG ... What's the target at 12??

I think that uncertainty lends strength to any negotiations if they do trade.

Jmo

Certainly deepens the mystery and adds to the drama. This is a great draft and one of the more "complex" that I have seen...

Buzz off.

Yup..time to tank the season.

That might be one way of looking at it. Especially if you have a viewpoint predetermined to hate whatever they do.

Others might say they played the cards they had and got 3 impactful upgrades while adding another 1st round pick next year when there is a deeper/better QB class expected.

The bottom line is - the Browns could hardly compete with the Bears for Trubisky. Dropping only one spot and guaranteed to get the player 49ers wanted .... I think the guy the Browns would have taken if he fell was Mahomes. But .... it's all speculation.

Wait...wait...wait...

You haven't even watched the draft and the first thing you do this morning is come out bashing the FO?

Priceless.