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The Cleveland Browns have claimed OL Chris Barker via waivers from New England. To make room on the roster, the team has waived DL Gabe Wright.

Barker is 6-2, 305 pounds and is entering his second NFL season out of Nevada. Originally signed by Miami as an undrafted free agent in 2013, Barker has appeared in six regular season games, all with the Patriots. He spent all of last season on New England’s practice squad. Baker is a native of Covina, Calif.

Wright appeared in five games last season and recorded four tackles and one pass defensed.
http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/arti...f4-5a0e8b036180

Wright was a goner, but getting a linemen from New England sounds weird.

Dudes been around for 5 years yet only played 1 season and 1 practice squad. Wonder what we saw in him?

The only team to show interest in Kapernick has signed our old bud, Austin Davis...

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2017/06/05/seahawks-sign-austin-davis-not-colin-kaepernick/

Did they really have any interest though?

I don't see Seattle bringing in any QB with actual starting experience.

You know.. might mess with the "team chemistry" and.. stuff.

I believe honestly there was "some" interest as they just simply wouldn't have wasted their time nor took the hit on "being open to signing the guy that noone wants to" and etc via the public's eye.

I think the interest was extremely minimal though. Microscopic even.

So the Jets cut David Harris and will cut/trade Eric Decker.

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/19559886/new-york-jets-release-lb-david-harris-cut-eric-decker

They are in full blown tank mode (similar to us last year).

If I were a contending team I'd be calling about Matt Forte and trying to get him for a late round pick.

We don't have a Jets thread, but did anyone see that video with Leonard Williams and Darron Lee?

Also, Marshawn Lynch's press conference today was highly entertaining.

I am hoping we are interested in Harris and Decker.

The Jets are a freaking mess. It's beyond embarrassing at this point. They are even worse than we are.

They are selling out for Darnold.

lol, watch Darnold pull an Andrew Luck and not come out after his third year......... That's the risk with that kind of thing. Same with that guy Rosen. And Josh Allen has a bad season.

I have figured they're planning on doing what we're doing, but i also figured in the draft they would have traded down, DePodesta style. Guess Jamal Adams brought too much to the table.


It's just risky giving up seasons for guys you have no idea will come out (or for guys who still are relatively inexperienced)

There is no way you pass on Adams, even at a few spots higher...

Harris and Decker are two good players. It's a dumb strategy.

Say what?

Those are two solid players. WTF going there in NY?

We need to get on Decker. Immediately. I'd love to have him. Even David Harris would be someone I think we should least look into.

But still, WTF Jets? People want to rip us for not signing Mack when he didn't even want to be here at all and Mitchell for whatever reasons, but look what's happening there. I want Decker. I want him badly. I'd feel a lot better about or WR core with him as a piece in it.

Harris doesn't really fit. We just traded Demario Davis for the same reasons.

The Jets are tanking. We did the same thing last year. We re-signed none of our own free agents and played young guys.

The Jets are tanking/rebuilding and Harris is 33. Decker is 30. This is the fallout when you take that approach. See Cleveland 2016.

Harris would be a MLB here. I think we all know the importance that position has in this defense.

Weren't the Jets trying to acquire Steve Smith?????

That type of signing would basically nullify any thoughts about the motion of deliberate tanking. Perhaps they had a shift in direction.

In any case, wow a total mess.

Anonymous executives trash the Browns’ investment in offensive line, and not flipping Osweiler

http://www.dawgsbynature.com/2017/6/8/15...ipping-osweiler

It’s often interesting to see what other executives have to say about the Browns...but this time, it almost sounds like jealously more than anything.

Over at ESPN (insiders), Mike Sando posted an article with an offseason report card for every team in the NFL, based on feedback from 15 executives. These things are always interesting to read, knowing that the cited quotes come from people actually working for other organizations.

While there has been quite a bit of praise for the Browns this offseason, this report card, in which the Browns received a C- (tied for 26th worst in the NFL), is quite negative. Let’s take a look at some of the anonymous quotes, starting with one coach from another team absolutely destroying the club for what they paid OG Kevin Zeitler

"Zeitler won't have to do s--- for the Browns on a third of their plays because he's a guard and he'll be on air, and they paid him $12 million a year. It is like paying a defensive tackle. You don't do it. How many points did Zeitler have [in 2016]?"

That’s probably the first time I’ve heard anyone trash the signing of Zeitler, but to me it sounds like a coach who is more jealous than anything. Every Sando said, “That is a harsh assessment and not necessarily fair.” It didn’t stop there — an “evaluator” from another team said the following:

"Our fans are going apes--- that we haven't signed a bunch of offensive linemen. Our head coach believes we can just scheme around it."

I almost have to wonder if that came from someone in Cincinnati. Moving on to another topic, Sando says that the Browns’ inability to flip Osweiler since the trade “did not go over well.” Here is what one executive said on the situation:

"I think they still will flip him. I think they are going to pay even more of his salary where he is only, say, a $2 million player, and then they will trade him for something. This is Plan B. Plan A was to take his salary down to $8 million and trade him right away. Plan C is that he is on their team or they just outright cut him. That could very much happen."

There was one positive that Sando relayed, and that was the fact that the Browns hired Gregg Williams to be their new defensive coordinator.

Teams pay OL big money in FA all the time.

"How many points did Zeitler score in 2016?" Sounds like a KOB/Throw Long quote...

Love to know who the source of that mumbo jumbo is, so I can laugh at them.

Judging by the content of the quotes, it's probably Ryan Grigson. He tends to say really dumb stuff.

Sounds like the exec's don't like that fact that moneyball seems to be working and they look foolish.

You've actually regressed in your football takes bro ... that is nothing close to MONEYBALL ... we highly overpaid for him .. HIGHLY OVERPAID ... and I'm OK with that .. its the nature of FA ... and we have a ton of cash ...

The money we threw at him and the two safeties and even Britt shows me that MONEYBALL is not a big part of the equation ...

And dude .. this regime has won 1 football game .. maybe we oughta wait til they chalk up their 2nd victory before we start crowning them the future of football .. ...

PS .. i believe we just signed out first FO guy that is an actual grass roots football guy .. kinda odd football guys are extinct yet we just hired our first grass roots one ..

I don't think you know what Moneyball is. It is finding an undervalued asset and exploiting it. In the book Moneyball one of the things Billy Beane identified as being undervalued was on-base percentage.

It seems like our front office has identified future draft picks as an undervalued asset. One could also argue us signing offensive linemen is a "moneyball" move because veteran offensive linemen are a known entity, whereas young offensive linemen struggle adjusting to the NFL because they mostly play in the spread in college.

peen, where is the evidence that anything is working? We won one game last year. Where is the evidence that other teams look foolish?

A couple of weeks ago, I said that some "positive posters" are just as bad as mac. Being one-sided and not being open-minded is not such a good thing.

I am not bad-mouthing what the Browns did in FA. I do think that is a lot of money to pay a guard and I thought we had two good ones, but maybe Greco is hurt. I don't know. I would have preferred we signed a RT, but I'm not complaining. At least we addressed the OL.

No offense to you guys who argue over what moneyball is or isn't, but who freaking cares? What matters is if the moves are good or bad and if the team is good or not.

Arguing over definitions seems weird.

Can you give them just a bit of time?

Who?

Hmmmm...........he's not answering. Does anyone have any idea who he is talking about? peen? Diam? cfrs? The FO? I really have no idea.

Uh, demand much? I posted at 7:55 pm. Your post was 8:07 pm.

Here it is: How about we let the front office have more than 1 year?

You have a problem with that?

I was confused because your post made no sense to me.

I did not rip the FO. I think I even said that "I am not bad-mouthing what the Browns did in FA."

I have been praising them lately and have said things are trending up. Thus, I didn't know what the hell you were talking about.

What I did address is peen's comments about what we are doing seems to be working and other teams looking foolish. I guess my point was similar to yours. How about we wait awhile before we evaluate them.

Does that help you understand, arch? Or, were you simply trying to start another fight w/me?

Yes, that helps.

Hey bud, I don't look for fights.

I know what it is. It is also taking your shots in FA. It isn't simply finding value players on the cheap.



You also have to condider that NFL teams do have a spending floor they have to meet on a 3 year average. My guess is we were under that floor and had to spend some money this year or simply send a check to the NFLPA.

In baseball, I don't think there is a floor. I know there is no ceiling.

If anything, they don't want it have any signs of life. I've said all along GMs want this gimmick "money ball" and baseball guru to fail. If this project works for Cleveland, I imagine GM salaries taking a hit too. If Browns get close to .500 in two to three seasons...booommm!!!!!

From what the Jets are doing, it appears some owners think there is some merit. Cleveland sucked so long it wasn't as big a sell to the fans. Teams such as the Jets I wonder. Being New York they'll get a lot more national attention. Media loves reporting misery!!! One can hope attention moves to New York taking focus off Browns. Cleveland kept that honor far to long! Rightly deserved I might add!

I was supporting your argument.



The cap floor has never been a concern for any team in the NFL. Even if a team doesn't spend to the floor they just split the money evenly amongst the players on their team. There is no real penalty.



The floor is the ceiling.

Mike Sando doesn't strike me as either Einstein or a Harvard Grad.

I agree .. that's all that matters ... there's many ways to skin a cat .... BUT cfr is so WRONG I have to respond one more time ... he just makes crap up as usual ... then I'll leave him to his one line BS responses ..

MONEYBALL is about value ... his signing was no where near us getting VALUE .. we way OVERPAID for him ... he's NEVER been to a Pro-Bowl yet he is the HIGHEST PAID GAURD IN FOOTBALL .. how is that value? ... the only reason there was no bidding war is because we made an offer that blew everyone else away ... that's NOT VALUE ...

Go ahead cfr, peen ... mislead everyone with BS because your so dug in on your stance when it comes to this that u will defend it to the death .. me, I'll judge based on what there doing ..

Peen ... just like vers here ... i said in another thread .. before we start anointing thee guys .. how about they rack up a 2nd victory first ...

AND ... i have zero problems with the Zietler signing .. think is was a GREAT signing .. I also am ver y encouraged about the things this FO is doing .. they have given me hope .. but HOPE AIN'T SQUAT ... am very hopefuls the fruits of their labor will pay off .. but until it does .. I'd hold off on starting their busts ...