DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Browns News and Notes:

Most of the contracts are up after 2022.

Jarvis
Tretter
Conklin
Bitonio
and Ward and Mayfield's 5th year options.
Maybe Greedy if he comes back healthy...

The two big ones up after this year are Teller and Chubb. With Teller's age (young) and the O-line franchise tag being ridiculous (same tag regardless of what position), he would be my main extension target as is.

Hopefully we extend Chubb, too, but the RB tag is what... 6 million+ less than the O-lie tag.

Anyway...

Is OBJ going to be ready to start the season or will they hold him out?

We better sign the cop.

Just sayin.'

Great to see Delpit out there doing stuff.

j/c...

It doesn't seem like a huge sample size for his stats, so it's hard to gauge if this will be better or worse than Parkey.
At any rate, there isn't a move that AB and the rest of the FO makes that I don't trust at this point.
Whoever they end up deeming the starter this year--I trust the decision and the analytics that goes into it.

I'm assuming kickers are one of the more important positions from an analytics standpoint. It's not like there's a multitude of other factors like offensive scheme or playbook; it's isolated. Show up do your job consistently.
The lack of other variables should let analytics step in and pretty conclusively determine who is the best option.

And hey. Nothing wrong with a little competition. Should drive both kickers on the roster to work harder.
Even if we stick with Parkey, can't hurt to give him a little extra motivation along the way, right?

Kickers can improve exponentially from year to year because they go to kicking school and increase their leg strength and technique like crazy. Let's hope this guy is one of the guys who did that. The Jets have Sam Ficken who is not exactly Justin Tucker and this guy doesn't seem to be better than him.

The Cleveland Browns were awarded kicker Chase McLaughlin off of waivers on Monday.

Cleveland has yet to make a corresponding transaction, but it would appear that kicker Matt McCrane’s days in Cleveland could be numbered after spending most of the 2020 season on the team’s practice squad.

https://www.dawgsbynature.com/2021/5/10/...lin-off-waivers

If anyone ever needs any more evidence that the Browns face an uphill battle, an un-level playing field, because New York, (and the NFL offices are in NY, and Massaschusetts, plus Connecticutt are in the same area as New York,
It's that the NFL's pseudo propaganda network espn, spends so- much time trying to advertise the idea of getting Baker Mayfield out of Cleveland.

1. They spent months trying to schnooker the Browns' opinion into taking the wrong QB #1 overall in 2018, pushing Sam Darnold.

2. They've spent this preposterous last whole week plus pushing this idea of moving Mayfield to another team for Aron Rogers, who is 37.5 years old today,
and doesn't want to play football.

New York and Bspn never spent any time trying to talk Roethlisburger out of Pittsburgh, never spent any time trying to talk Elway out of Denver, and never any time trying to talk Marino out of Miami.

They Hate middle America, they hate Cleveland, and will never have your best interests in mine. Don't ever listen to them.

Los Angeles, Miami, the East Coast, are only interested in demanding you serve their best interests at your expense.

While I agree overall, that the national media doesn't respect Cleveland or our teams I think you are overstating (imagine that) the situation. You can tell how much the big market teams are fawned over on just about every broadcast.

I will grant you that this whole Rogers for Mayfield non-story is completely disrespectful of Mayfield. It makes just as much sense to ponder Rogers vs. Allen in Buffalo or, Rogers vs. Jackson in Baltimore. But no energy is being given to that.

The solution is to win on the field. That's indisputable. And no amount of media bias can prevent it.

I don't think the league office is involved in it. JMHO.

Yet 2 of the three examples you cite are Elway and Roethlisberger?

Historically, it seems as if Baker thrives when he is being disrespected.
Makes me optimistic for his upcoming season.

Kickers also don't seem to progress in their kicking technique/performance in a straight line. Seems like many guys have to suck for a little bit once they hit the pros before they start to do well (my take/opinion)

I get that, just surprised we used up a waiver claim on him. that is unless we see something we can develop to upgrade from Parkey.

Also need a K on the ready in case the #1 guy gets knocked out for a week because of covid or a covid exposure.

We kept a K on the practice squad all of last season, and I expect we will again this year, We probably just liked this guy better than the guy we let go.

I wonder if last year’s kicker on the PS was due to the concern over Covid ... I guess we’ll find out this year!

You don't claim a guy on waivers if all you care about is a camp leg. This guy will be given a chance to compete for a roster spot.

j/c...

or the guy was brought in is because we were not happy with our backup kicker. Lets face it. Every team needs a backup plan or 12. We are not Happy with our choice of backup kicker so we made a change.

I'd cut him too if he showed up in a Steelers jersey.

There's a CBSsports.com article about it with the headline:

"Chase McLaughlin hits the open market"
https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/football/news/chase-mclaughlin-kicker-hits-open-market/

In his defense, for his career he is:

12 of 12 under 40 yards
6 of 11 40-49
4 of 5 >50

and 31 of 32 extra points

https://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/3150744/chase-mclaughlin

By Coincidence, right after I posted the previous, I happened back to listen to a January 28th ish, locked on, (so only 3 and a half months ago), and midway through the whole narrative was, "Media! stop trying to trade DeShaun Watson Qb, Texans, for Baker and a bunch of other picks".
(They never clamoured to get Brees out of New Orleans.)

The team deemed McCrane wasn't going to beat Parkey, so they go with the new guy.

Even if this guy can't, we still need two camp legs to be able to run full special teams practice. Parkey can't do all the kicking in camp.

I wonder the same about the Hammer. Have we brought in a 2nd punter?

There is no real hurry there. After rookie camps and mini camps, there are always a few guys cut loose who simply don't need any more looks. We can bring in a guy at that point to help carry the practice load and give some new guy a bit of exposure around the league, and with us in the event the Hammer gets hurt.

The Hammer really struggled last year. Pro Football Focus graded him at 59.9 for the season, the 24th ranked punter in the NFL. Dude needs to turn it up a notch this year.

I think he was dealing with a groin injury for a good part of the season. Hopefully, he's healed up. I also agree with Ballpeen that they might need another camp leg for punt return/cover drills.

I thought the same thing but can't find anything on it? Google is to the point where you'd have better luck throwing a dart at a set of encyclopedias though.

https://medina-gazette.com/news/241455/j...ence-in-year-2/

He had Covid before the season, and then pulled his left groin muscle a few weeks into the season.

Thanks. I knew there was something going on. Wake up call for a young player... injuries happen, inconsistency will rear it's ugly head from time to time. He's got all the tools, now he knows the NFL is no walk in the park.

j/c...

Browns’ Delpit on track in recovery from torn Achilles: ‘I'm feeling good’
By Aaron Wilson
May 14, 2021

https://sportstalk790.iheart.com/content...m-feeling-good/



Houston Sports News
Browns’ Delpit on track in recovery from torn Achilles: ‘I'm feeling good’
By Aaron Wilson
May 14, 2021





Grant Delpit is a natural safety, a ball-hawking centerfielder who high-points the football like a wide receiver and blitzes like a linebacker.

Now, the Cleveland Browns’ 2020 second-round draft pick is looking to recapture his All-American and Jim Thorpe award winning form from his LSU days. Delpit is on track for a full recovery from a torn Achilles tendon that cost him his entire rookie season when he got injured in training camp.

Encouraged by his medical progress and offseason training regimen, Delpit has set his ambitions on winning a starting job and making an impact after being sidelined last year on injured reserve.

“I’m feeling great,” Delpit said this week in Houston. “I’ll be 100 percent when the season comes around.”

When healthy, Delpit is capable of covering a lot of ground, making a ton of plays on the football and tackling crisply. At 6-foot-2, 213 pounds, the former Lamar High School and IMG Academy standout has run the 40-yard dash in 4.39 seconds.

At LSU, the two-time consensus All-American recorded 199 career tackles, 17 ½ for losses, seven sacks and eight interceptions and was a starter as a true freshman.

“Football comes natural to me,” Delpit said. “I’ve got to get the opportunity to get back on the field and build the trust with the coaches, the trust in the staff. With the pieces we have, I’m looking forward to camp coming around. I can’t wait to get on the field.

The Browns are regarded as a team on the rise under coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry. Delpit can become a large part of a team that’s poised to compete for a playoff spot.

“We have all the pieces,” Delpit said. “It’s on the players to put it all together. We’ve got the best staff.”

Born in New Orleans, Delpit and his family moved to Houston after being displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

That life experience made him want to help Jessica Johnson, a single mother of two children who experienced severe issues with her home, including busted pipes and major water damage, during the winter storm and power outage that severely impacted Houston and the state of Texas.

Delpit provided repairs to Johnson’s home and met the family this week.

“We are so excited, blessed and honored,” Johnson said. “We had a hole in the roof of the ceiling. Water was just pouring out. It destroyed all of my cabinets. Another pipe burst under my kitchen sink two days later and it flooded out my kitchen and my living room. I’m so honored and grateful through God’s grace that people have supported me.”

Delpit, accompanied by Elizabeth Hannah-Lloyd of The Goldie Legacy nonprofit organization and his financial advisor, Mickey McGill, was happy to meet the family and give back.

“It’s a blessing being a blessing,” Delpit said. “I have great people around me like Elizabeth and Mickey. It was grea to come out here and be able to give back. My family went through a lot with Hurricane Katrina. I know families go through hard times, so it was great to be able to give back to a strong person like Ms, Johnson.”

Yes, indeed it is. I hope you achieve all your dreams, young man, because you certainly appear to be cut from the right kind of cloth. As a Browns fan, it makes me proud to have players like this on the team.

J.C. TRETTER'S ROLE AS NFLPA PRESIDENT BECOMING PROBLEMATIC FOR BROWNS....

The NFLPA has reached a victory of sorts in their pushback against players attending voluntary workouts and OTAs. Teams have been willing to modify their offseason programs in order to get most of players’ attendance for at least some sort of workout or OTA-like activity. These concessions made by NFL teams have led to high attendance rates in the camps, where a new plan has been agreed upon. Some teams are seeing 70-plus players attend the newly negotiated portion of their workouts.

NFLPA President J.C. Tretter wrote about the topic on Tuesday, saying that less than half of NFL players attended the four-week Phase 1 “and players on more than half the teams in the league have negotiated new rules for the remaining voluntary workout periods.’’

He went on to talk about how team leaders have been able to get the program shortened to nine weeks, decrease the workload and intensity by lowering the number of practices, converting them to walk-throughs and doing away with 11-on-11s.

The Browns have agreed to an all-virtual Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the program for veterans, but plan to have an in-person Phase 3, which comprises 10 on-field OTA practices over the next three weeks, starting next week.

Despite the Browns’ willingness to adjust their offseason program, which was already collectively bargained and agreed upon, Tretter says he plans to stay away. He told Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated that he and most of his teammates will still not attend the voluntary practices because the leadership council believes “most guys feel good about where they’re training at and what they’re doing.”

What that means for the Browns’ ability to practice in the coming weeks depends on who shows up and who stands by Tretter. Having the president of the NFLPA on the team has complicated things for the Browns and now could affect their progress as a team. The Browns have a ton of new faces, especially on the defensive side of the ball, and surely would benefit from 10 OTA practices, if at the very least just to get acclimated with the system and coaching staff.

https://brownswire.usatoday.com/2021/05/...B852e2cimJZbdgs

It seems it's always a problem for some when employees don't volunteer to do things that are voluntary.

If they’re volunteer camps then that’s what they are. If the league and teams don’t like the set up they need to change it. Until then it is what it is.
With that I hope that the newer members of the team, via draft or FA, show up and get to know their coaches and teammates and such. Guys like Bitonio and Tretter and the like have been here. They’re pros. They know what it takes to play in the league. They know the team culture as it stands now. Would it be nice to have them there with everyone else, sure. But it’s not required. My guess is they’ll show up in shape and ready to roll. Those that skip the voluntary OTAs and such, if they show up unprepared come mandatory camp, it’ll be noted. Not just by the fans but by those that sign their paychecks. They’re only hurting themselves. This team has the depth of talent that’ll make the undisciplined unnecessary.