DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Andrew Berry

It’s sad that we’re already talking of re-tooling and re-shaping the team ... and I get it, Baker sucks. But it’s still depressing. His comments about QB-centric offense is pretty damning at the moment

Yeah, I actually didn't read that at all. I think Berry was very non-committal with how he phrased that. I didn't get a feeling that he's working on getting Mayfield replaced right now, but did come away confident that he wouldn't hesitate to put the gears in motion if Mayfield proves he's not up to the task. I think that's exactly where the coaching staff and FO should be at this point in Mayfield's career and this season.

not fully, no ... but the hints of that decision looming

Everyone has been saying it for a year. The dude can't see. He has shown me no different to date, a one read QB who can't see the field.

I mean what am I supposed to say, he either doesn't or cannot see these underneath defenders, time and time again. The NFL knows it, I know it and maybe now the Browns know it?

Other Short QB's are succeeding with a designed system......can the Browns adapt.....history, distant past and recent says "lol absolute not".

Yeah, to me he’s not really a young QB anymore. He simply can’t make his progressions, for whatever reason. He’s a broken QB and unless it changes quickly, he’s gonna be benched IMO

This. The article was actually very vanilla.

I agree. I was expecting more when I clicked the link.

it used a lot of words to effectively say nothing at all

lol i thought same thing when reading..i'm wtf is this fluff

I really wasn't expecting more. I was actually impressed with the way Berry handled it. You never want your GM to give away his thoughts or future moves. You never want him to commit to any publication his feelings or strategy moving forward.

I know as fans we all want to know more. We want to know what's going on inside the heads of those running the operation. But let's face it, putting that out there in public tips your hand to every other team in the NFL. Do we actually want those in the FO or coaching staff doing that?

I think it doesn’t matter if NFL teams know how you think.

j/c:

I would have rather kept Dorsey, but there is no denying how intelligent Berry is. It's very evident each time he speaks.

I have long ago stopped trying to pick favorites with front office people. I don't care at all if you are from Harvard or are a high school drop out. I don't care if you are a former player or never played beyond anywhere but your back yard.

You are either producing positive results or you are not. If you are not getting it done, and cannot make a compelling argument as to why you should be part of a future team, you need to go.

Dorsey was a pretty good evaluator (though the 2019 draft isn't looking so good right now). Berry is incredibly intelligent and articulate.
Dorsey is gone. Berry may well follow.

Results matter. Period.

Can we get an amen from the choir? Results matter. By the Pigskin Goddess, we need to start by getting good, I mean true "Fear this!" good at some aspect of our game, and to build around it. Won't be BM, won't be the secondary, or LB's. SHOULD be defensive line, and SHOULD be the running game. And we can't seem to dominate in one single area.

Play ball. Just win, baby!

jc...

The way these Browns Wire stories (Senat-Gilbert) are being portrayed by the author, it makes me wonder if the Browns front office (Berry) is doing something wrong in the way the Browns protect their practice squad players.

The NFL rules and the 'ins and outs' of how NFL teams apply these NFL's rules...I'm not sure what is going on. These are new rules and that might be part of problem trying to understand how they are being applied.

Anyone who may have an understanding of how these new NFL rules are being applied, your opinion or clarification would be welcomed.

The most recent story (Garrett Gilbert) is below and the link to the first story (Greg Senat) is below the Gilbert story


Cowboys sign QB Garrett Gilbert off the Browns practice squad 

Jeff Risdon October 12, 2020 10:14 pm ET 
link

  Garrett Gilbert is headed back home to Texas. Cleveland’s No. 3 quarterback is being signed off the Browns practice squad by the Dallas Cowboys, per numerous sources on Monday night.

It’s the second week in a row the Cowboys have poached the Browns’ practice squad. Last week they plucked offensive tackle Greg Senat, who had been on the protected list all year. Senat did play special teams on Sunday for the Cowboys.

Dallas is taking advantage of the window between the end of the game on Sunday and the start of the protection window, which is Tuesday for teams that play on Sunday. Teams can protect up to four practice squad players per week, but they are capable of being signed away in that time frame.

Gilbert had been on the Browns’ protected list every week. He saw limited action for the Browns in 2019, throwing three total passes in five games. He stuck around on the practice squad after the Browns signed veteran Case Keenum to be Baker Mayfield’s backup.

Gilbert played collegiately at SMU after transferring from Texas. He attended the same high school, Lake Travis in Austin, as Mayfield.

The Cowboys have a need for QB depth with Dak Prescott out for the season with his gruesome ankle injury. Gilbert will back up new starter Andy Dalton.

The Browns now have an opening on the practice squad. With just Mayfield and Keenum at QB on the roster, the team should be in the market for a No. 3.


*Greg Senat link...

https://brownswire.usatoday.com/2020/10/...practice-squad/

I think that explains it.

It doesn't seem that a team is able to protect a player in that time frame. Looks like Sunday post game through Monday is a open window with little that can be done.

Nope, they were signed in that window. I think it is just a reporter trying to make his story sound more news worthy.

I think the terms are just generic in nature. You see those words used on here. While the term poaching references illegal behavior, such as poaching animals, there is nothing illegal here.

As for anything Berry can, or is failing to do to protect players, I suspect he would. I don't think it is anything that he or his staff is failing to see.

That's all there is to it.
We likely had word coming that these players were getting signed, but during that window our only option to protect them is to sign them to our own active roster, and that just doesn't make sense for us to do. Sometimes, you just let the player go and wish them well except when they play you.

I think you are exactly right.

Didn't know Gilbert was from Texas. Good for him to go "home" and be on the sidelines, I guess.

I won't belabor the point any longer. The protection designation sounds more like a neon sign that says "hey! my team really likes me, so you should steal me away when the weekly window opens up".

grumble...

From what I understand, you can elevate up to two players to the active roster (from the practice squad) each week. You can do that to any player twice per season without them having to clear waivers when you send them back.

Not that I'm in any position to tell Berry how to do his job, but with only two QBs on the roster, your starter dinged, and another team losing it's QB to a season-ending injury (a team that poached your squad the week before), it may have been a good idea to exercise this option on Gilbert before Dallas signed him.

Same high school as Baker...Lake Travis

Our tackles were more than adequate just prior to them looking absolutely horrible. There's obviously more to it than that (you might've been getting at this by mentioning Callahan). But Stefanski and his O-scheme/philosphy, are a big deal. Put another way, I question whether we'd still be singing Callahan's praises if we were still asking our Oline to do what we were trying to do on offense last season.
That said, tackles were definitely upgraded, but that went hand-in-hand with the scheme change. We were pass-happy with (arguably) average tackle talent... and now we're run-heavy with upgraded tackles. On top of that, both Conklin and Wills (as a rookie) are better suited to the run (not knocking their pass pro, simply stating their strengths or more towards running the ball).

Regardless on your or anyones take based on this article, I don't sense we are retooling or even about to retool.

They have been moving pieces in and out all season. Really hard to find fault with the moves they made starting after the first game when they switched kickers.

Put up another draft to fill some weak spots and it could be off to the races.

Sitting 4-1 is a pretty good place to be.

Also, I don't think Baker sucks..

j/c


A 4-1 record seems like an awful lot of work just to show that the Harvard Boys might have an idea what they're doing...

jc...


Browns shake up the protected practice squad list for Week 6

Browns Wire
Jeff Risdon
Browns Wire
Oct 14, 2020, 10:02 AM

After a couple of recent defections and promotions, the Cleveland Browns protected list on the Week 6 practice squad looks different than the recent editions.

With RB Dontrell Hilliard now on the active roster and both OT Greg Senat and QB Garrett Gilbert on the Dallas Cowboys’ 53-man active roster, the Browns had to find some new players to protect from other teams signing away.

And mix it up they did. The Browns protected list for Week 6:
S Elijah Benton

DT Joey Ivie

RB John Kelly

PK Matt McCrane

McCrane has been a consistent presence, but the others are almost unprecedented.

Protecting Benton, a physically gifted undrafted rookie, could be a sign the Browns think he’s progressing towards the 53-man roster.
link

More info pertaining to these new 2020 practice squad rules..so far, this article gives more info than any other article I've found...

link

New 2020 practice squad rules impact Cleveland Browns roster decisions

by Elliot Kennel, 1 month ago

How do the new practice squad rules impact the Browns?
The 2020 practice squad rules are significantly different than in previous years, due to the fears that COVID might play havoc with NFL rosters and this will affect the way that the Cleveland Browns and other NFL teams shape their final rosters.

First, let’s take some time to explain what the practice squad is, especially since the rules have changed so much. The practice squad is formed only after all NFL teams have reached their 53 player limit. Each team can now sign16 additional players to the practice squad.

Six players can be veterans with any level of experience. They get paid $8,400 a week for 17 weeks of the season, with veterans getting $12,000 per week.

This is significantly different from 2019 when each team was allowed to keep four players with no more than two years of experience.

Thus, a player like Garrett Gilbert would not have been eligible to be a practice squad player in 2019, but he is eligible in 2020. This actually should be a no brainer. Every team would love to have a third-string quarterback, especially in the COVID year, but it’s a wasted roster spot most of the time.

Cleveland’s practice squad does not exclusively belong to the Browns. Other teams can take players from the Browns, and the Browns can take players from the practice squads of other teams. That player must remain on the 53 player roster for three games or more. The main limitation is that they cannot take a player from their next opponent.

Another limitation, new for 2020, is called the “no-poaching rule” which allows the team to designate four players from Tuesday through game day who can not be signed by other teams. However, they can still be signed on Monday, so really it is “limited poaching” rather than “no-poaching.” The NFL wants to ensure that some team does not come up with a way to hide more than its share of talented players. Truthfully, it’s probably a phobia left over from the dominant Cowboy and 49er teams of the 1980s that had peanut vendors who could run 4.3 40 yard dashes.

Another rule change is that teams can give a practice squad player a one-time temporary promotion, creating up to 55 players on the active roster. They then return to the practice squad without going through the waiver process. The idea is that teams might have players who are banged up but not seriously enough to go on Injured Reserve (IR), so it makes sense to have someone come in and fill in for a game. Plus it is a good way to give a practice squad guy some exposure.

The new rules seem to favor having a few veteran “insurance policy” players, like Garrett Gilbert, assuming he clears waivers and wants to come back. You could imagine similar players might be helpful in patching together an offensive line or defensive backfield. The 16 player practice squad league-wide will be vastly more talented than the squads of the past, which were largely made up of undrafted first-and-second-year-players.

Yet it is possible that the Browns could make some waiver claims as well.

This fan is keeping his fingers crossed that Garrett Gilbert will still be in a Browns Uniform. Some other familiar faces, including Willie Harvey, Dontrell Hilliard, Willie Wright and A.J. Green might reappear also.

Andrew Berry's First Browns Draft Paying Off Early
ByJARED MUELLER

https://247sports.com/nfl/cleveland-brow...arly-153660330/


The Cleveland Browns are 5 - 2 due to a myriad of factors including Andrew Berry's work in his first NFL Draft as the team's general manager.

While the team's decision to hire Kevin Stefanski as the head coach and then hire Berry was a questionable process, the end result is turning out very good almost halfway through the season. Stefanski's calm demeanor and detailed preparation helped the team stay on course following a disastrous start to their Week 7 matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Any number of NFL teams, and seemingly all previous iterations of the Browns, would have fallen apart when their second offensive play started with an interception and ended with two of their most important players laying on the ground injured.

Thankfully, J.C. Tretter returned to the game on the following series while Odell Beckham Jr. was lost for the game, and more, after getting injured trying to tackle the defender who intercepted Baker Mayfield's first pass.

That is a lot for any team to overcome. That the Browns were able to overcome that despite Joe Burrow carving up their defense for over 400 yards feels miraculous.

A lot of credit goes to Stefanski, Mayfield, Myles Garrett, and Denzel Ward. Garrett and Ward were the two pieces to the defense that kept Burrow from totally controlling the game following the opening Mayfield interception. As everyone is quoting, Mayfield bounced back from an 0 - 5 start to complete 22 straight passes (not counting the spike to stop the clock) and lead the Browns down the field for the game-winning drive with one minute left in the game.

Stefanski kept his cool, made adjustments on offense, and guided Mayfield out of his early slump and into a glorious victory.

Getting back to Berry and his first time running an NFL Draft, his offensive additions were outstanding in the Week 7 victory.

Jedrick Wills continued his solid to great play, starting at left tackle after spending his college career on the other side. Mayfield was not sacked at all against the Bengals and had a lot of clean pockets to work with. While the Browns run game wasn't great, Wills and the offensive line was able to do just enough to allow the Browns to stay balanced most of the game.

Early in the game, 4th Round pick Harrison Bryant had a key three-yard touchdown and followed that up with a six-yard score early in the 3rd Quarter. Bryant finished the game catching four of the five targets sent his way for 56 yards and two scores.

Donovan Peoples-Jones was the late-game hero. The 6th Round pick didn't have his first career NFL reception until the second half of the game against the Bengals, he ended the day with three receptions for 56 yards and the game-winning touchdown on the 24-yard amazing throw and catch with eleven seconds left in the game.

Bryant and DPJ are two of the top four PFF graded offensive rookies this week:



While defensive tackle Jordan Elliott didn't show up in the box score, he had a few snaps where he was able to push the pocket and make things a little more difficult for Burrow. Presence in the middle of the defensive line will be important to give Garrett good lanes to the quarterback instead of letting the QB just step up in the pocket. Earlier in the season, PFF had high praise for the young lineman:



While his grade has dropped to 54.5 overall, Elliott has shown flashes of the talent that led Berry to pick him late in the 3rd Round.

Unfortunately due to injuries, Grant Delpit and Jacob Phillips didn't play in Week 7. Delpit will miss the entire season due to an Achilles injury so Berry and company won't get to evaluate their 2nd Round pick until next year. Reports were exciting early in Training Camp before the injury. Phillips has struggled with injuries all season and needs to get healthy before a true evaluation. He has shown a glimpse of the talent that made him a late 3rd Round pick but not enough of a sample size to truly judge.

Finally, Nick Harris was almost thrust into duty when Tretter went down but the gritty veteran kept the rookie on the bench. Harris was the team's center throughout Training Camp as Tretter recovered from surgery and counted that time as invaluable for his learning curve. When and where the 5th Round pick sees the field is unknown.

NFL Draft classes are generally best evaluated after three full seasons in the league. With so many variables, it is vital to give a group time to show who they really are. The same is true for Andrew Berry's first NFL Draft class. Will Delpit come back from his injuries? Will Elliott be more than a rotational player? Can Phillips kick the injury bug to be productive? Will Harris find a spot on the field?

Even with that true, in Week 7 the Browns beat the Bengals in part due to Berry's draft. Wills kept Mayfield clean allowing him to complete seven passes to rookie pass catchers for 112 yards and 3 touchdowns. That is a whole lot of impact from a group of rookies.

What are your early thoughts on Andrew Berry's first NFL Draft?

Harrison Bryant is about as smooth as a transition for a 4th rounder that I can recall for us

commenting form article:

Andrew Berry's First Browns Draft Paying Off Early
ByJARED MUELLER

https://247sports.com/nfl/cleveland-brow...arly-153660330/


"While his grade has dropped to 54.5 overall, Elliott has shown flashes of the talent that led Berry to pick him late in the 3rd Round."

last week his grade was 78.2 how would his grade drop to 54.5?

The 78.2 was through Week 2...

j/c:

I thought very highly of John Dorsey. I was furious that Berry replaced him. I will say that I think Berry has done a good job this year.

I really like how he addressed the two OTs. I like that he upgraded the TE position. I think DPJ was an excellent value pick. I am thrilled he extended Hunt. I'm okay w/the Keenun move. I am not a fan of what he did w/the LBer and S units and I wish he could have pulled off a couple of the trades that have went down. Baltimore got much better on D w/Campbell and that dude whose name I can't spell from Minni. Overall, I am pleased w/what Berry and the FO has done this year.