DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Browns have released DE Chris Smith

We talk about building "a culture", a sense of being a part of something bigger than yourself, a team. And we know how Freddie loves slogans like "Go 1-0 this week.", or "We don't run from trouble. We run towards it together.", and so on. What do you suppose the locker room thinks of slogans now?

I heard on the radio last week that a whole bunch of Browns volunteered at a Food Bank event called "Feed The Need" that collected, boxed, and delivered donated food to needy families, and it was while they were there - on an off day - that they heard from the media that Devaroe Lawrence had been released. The report on the radio was that the players were very upset, and that Lawrence was very popular in the locker room. I'm not suggesting we should keep sub-optimum players out of a sense of charity. I know, and I'm sure the players know, its a business. But the Browns must realize that the constant roster churn takes a toll on players emotionally, and undermines Freddie's attempts to build a sense of Team. JMO.

Rooney’s are classy huh .... if t weren’t for the rapist ... I’d agree .....

BR was never charged in any wrong doing aftger being investigated.

And Baker with his obligatory not quite supporting the guy comment.

What?

Chris Smith's Ending in Cleveland Not a Happy One, But the Browns Aren't the Bad Guy

Pete Smith

There has been an outpouring of reaction to the news that the Cleveland Browns released defensive end Chris Smith. The notion that someone is in effect losing their job when they have experienced a tragedy such as the one Smith did three months ago sounds terrible. Smith, now the sole parent of an infant child after losing his partner and the baby's mother in a car accident by drunk driver, is left to pick up the pieces in his football career in addition to grieving and adjusting to life as the child's only parent.

The problem is that the Browns are competing to win games and this is their only option when it comes to adding talent; their roster is limited to 53 active players and they had to release someone else to bring in another player.

It seems cruel, but these are the rules of the sport. There have been arguments made that other players should've been released instead of Smith in an act of compassion. The solution can't be for someone else to lose their job because of this extenuating circumstance. Smith's situation is awful, but everyone is dealing with something. A player that may have gotten their first shot at an NFL roster could be cut, which would also be tragic.

The NFL doesn't have a bereavement exemption for a player in Smith's situation. Maybe it should. The Browns have said they will continue supporting Smith despite the fact he's no longer a member of the team. Part of the problem is it's not entirely clear what that means, so mentioning it makes it difficult for anyone to understand what it means they're providing for him in lieu of his remaining contract. They understand someone losing their job and that can elicit a visceral reaction from people, which it has.

On the field, Chris Smith simply didn't play well. No doubt in part due to this ongoing life-altering loss in his life, he wasn't able to offer the Browns much this season. He was better last year, but he wasn't really a factor then either.

The Browns could theoretically have just retained Smith the rest of the year, opting not to add anyone else to the roster for the remaining four games this season, short of putting players on injured reserve. Not exactly practical or the actions of a team trying to win, but they could have done it.

Smith would have been released after the season for the same reasons he was released during the season. They weren't getting the production they needed, had moved on to younger players and it provided salary savings for next season.

A player like Justin Zimmer, who was signed and had nothing to do with anything in this situation, doesn't get to contribute on an NFL roster with an opportunity to now earn a normal NFL salary as opposed to a substantially smaller one as a member of the Atlanta Falcons' practice squad. He's not making millions of dollars, will get the NFL minimum the rest of the season, but it's a huge increase for him and the family he is supporting.

There are few happy endings in the NFL. Careers are short, teams are cut throat and any money not guaranteed is potentially money that won't be paid. Most players don't retire. They simply stop getting called and move on with the rest of their lives unceremoniously. Chris Smith's situation is commonplace, unfortunately. That doesn't mean people shouldn't empathize. That doesn't make the move seem any less calculated, heartless
And while no one is going to accuse John Dorsey of being particularly sentimental, this isn't his failing either. This is the NFL. Rosters are limited. Contracts aren't guaranteed. Clearly, they should be, so even though Smith would still lose his roster spot, he wouldn't lose any money in his contract, but making that happen is a different conversation entirely.

The Browns as an organization are supporting Smith in the ways they are allowed, but they aren't willing to sacrifice an ability to compete on the football field to do it, nor should they. The one aspect of this that's completely fair game for criticism is releasing a player like Smith while also bringing in players with the respective off field baggage they have. That goes to the people the Browns have representing their organization.

No one is suggesting people should be happy about the situation with Chris Smith, but the Browns aren't the bad guys here.

Which of the rapes are you talking about, the one in Lake Tahoe that he settled out of court or the other one in GA where the victim's family begged the prosecutor not to go to trial due to the emotional stress....even though 3 eye witnesses gave statements supporting the charges and it was proven he had a bodyguard standing watch outside of a bar BR while he did whatever to that poor girl in there? I can't believe anybody outside of pukesburgh would support that pig, especially a Browns fan.

The usual folks ranting earlier this season about Baker and why can't he act like a professional when talking to media? Now here he is and the criticism is still coming. This type of criticism affects credibility, imo.

I don't think there's ever really been any issues with what Mayfield has said at press conferences.

There's just people who don't like Mayfield for whatever reason.

Actually I think he's been doing much better as of late. Hopefully it's a sign of things to come.

I agree, which is kinda the reason for the irritated post.

device,
I disagree with you, but I also never thought it was as bad as some made it out to be.

Which of the rapes are you talking about, the one in Lake Tahoe that he settled out of court or the other one in GA where the victim's family begged the prosecutor not to go to trial due to the emotional stress....even though 3 eye witnesses gave statements supporting the charges and it was proven he had a bodyguard standing watch outside of a bar BR while he did whatever to that poor girl in there? I can't believe anybody outside of pukesburgh would support that pig, especially a Browns fan.

Cool, so you think the police department and DA are crooked? Is that your take?

I think your hyperbole is off the charts.

Do you have any idea the standard it takes to get a rape conviction? From the sounds of it you certainly don't. That's not about anyone being crooked. It's often times as simple as the victim being scared and waiting too long to report it. That destroys any physical evidence that may have been collected.

I suppose him paying off one of the victims doesn't mean anything.

In no interpretation of what I posted can you non-ignorantly come to the conclusion that I said the police department and the DA were crooked. Why on earth are you defending this creep?

And bro ... the rooney’s did not support him ... they were in MAJOR TURMOIL over what to do ... MAJOR ... that’s why they were real close to trading him ...

They never once gave a statement supporting him ... not even close ...

I think your hyperbole is off the charts.

Do you have any idea the standard it takes to get a rape conviction? From the sounds of it you certainly don't. That's not about anyone being crooked. It's often times as simple as the victim being scared and waiting too long to report it. That destroys any physical evidence that may have been collected.

I suppose him paying off one of the victims doesn't mean anything.

Relative to Roethlisberger’s earnings, a settlement in the mid-six-figure range won’t hurt very much, and it could ultimately be even less than what it would have cost to fully litigate the case through trial, especially if Roethlisberger wanted a scorched-earth Cadillac defense.

While Roethlisberger surely admitted to no wrongdoing as part of the settlement, plenty of people will presume that he wouldn’t have paid money if he was innocent. The reality, however, is that the passage of time likely allowed him to view it dispassionately as a business proposition, and to make a smart decision independent of whether he believes he would have been vindicated after spending as much or more on legal fees, with the ever-present possibility that he’d lose at trial and pay a lot more.

You'll buy any excuse to pay off a rape victim won't you?

Sometimes, the other guy in a sales transaction has the upperhand and you have to pony up.

He did. We tried to play tough, and we lost. The smart money would have been to get it done, as we were not and are still not in a position to have told him to take a hike.

Eh,i would say giving someone a 100 million dollars and making them the face of your franchise is support.

Sorry. In sales, when you make the best offer and tell them this offer stands this long, which we did, and they come back after the fact, sorry, that just doesn't work.

We had already moved on to the next guy. You keep dorking around with people like that who just keep shopping your offer, screw them. At some point it is more than signing the player or selling the ink jet printer, it's about being a strong man or woman and ethics.

When I went to HS, Ethics was a half year class you had to take along with Civics. Nobody teaches that anymore, and look at the state we are in.....pitiful.

Heck, not to point a finger, but you don't even know what I am talking about.

As far as negotiations and making a deal, there are some differences of opinion on that. I personally find, as a customer, the idea that I'm not supposed to shop around for the best deal to be preposterous.

Sorry. In sales, when you make the best offer and tell them this offer stands this long, which we did, and they come back after the fact, sorry, that just doesn't work.

I don't recall us putting a time limit on the whole thing. I could be wrong, so don't jump down my throat but please correct me if so. I also don't recall these extended Schwartz negotiations dragging on all that long (a couple of days). I don't believe we had signed anybody in the time it took him to shop around and then come back.

While it's true that the uncertainty of whether or not you have to scramble to replace your starting RT is exacerbated by waiting, that's part of the game and why these FO guys get paid the big bucks. By jerking Schwartz around, we only hurt ourselves. Dorsey seems to have made a career off of ding dongs like the people we've employed in our FOs making dumb personnel decisions.

We didn't "...jerk Schwartz around...". Screwed the pooch? Yes, we did. But we didn't jerk him around.

We made an offer and apparently said "take it or leave it...it expires the second you walk away." The agent called our bluff and lost his client $$$. We ended up losing too.