Stating the obvious. The Browns are in a bad place regarding their quarterback room.
Currently we have nobody unless you count DTR. Winston was on a one year deal. Watson is not available.
DTR played his way off the team. They may bring him back as QB three.
Tonight the Vikings play the Rams. I really hope Sam Darnold plays his best football.
If Darnold plays well in the Post season. The Vikings will have to consider franchising him at least. That might open up a chance to trade for JJ McCarthy.
If Darnold reverts to poor play and is the reason the Vikings lose. Darnold may become a free agent.
Darnold signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the Vikings, including a $6.25 million signing bonus and $8.75 million guaranteed at signing.
If the Vikings keep Darnold the price will go way up under a franchise tag.
They would listen to offers for J Mac.
The first pick in the draft is the Titans. They are expected to move on from Will Livis a former second round pick in 2023.
Right now Ward is the quarterback most feel will go first.
Sanders is another consideration.
If Ward goes number one. IMO Sanders would be a horrible selection. IMO he is not a first round talent.
The option after Sanders or possible before is Milroe. I would not not take him at two. I would trade back and then take him.
The only guy I would be fired up to get is JJ McCarthy.
You can forget JJ, Bone. As i said last week, Darnold has showed his true self. Vikings would be moronic to trade JJ away and keep Darnold. He is who I thought he was, straight garbage. The ghosts have re-arised.
Well... getting Darnold just got a whole lot cheaper....
I think we should really focus on bolstering the Oline with some talented youth. Our tackle situation is a mess.
I think we saw what competent/mediocre QB play can do for offensive cohesiveness. I would love for us to go back to the original KS/Shanny offense with some additional talent along the line and in the RB room (pretend Nick Chubb isn't on the team during the offseason and go get some fresh blood).
I actually like how our WR room responded to the QB change. We have a decision to make on Moore, unless I'm mistaken.
There is no level of sucking we haven't seen; in fact, I'm pretty sure we hold the patents on a few levels of sucking NOBODY had seen until the past few years.
There is no level of sucking we haven't seen; in fact, I'm pretty sure we hold the patents on a few levels of sucking NOBODY had seen until the past few years.
In a study conducted by the Harvard Sports Analysis Collective, it was found that a team that wins the turnover margin in a game wins 69.6 percent of the time. To demonstrate the relative strength of turnover influence, home teams won “just” 57.2 percent of all games in the same sample. The effect is compounding as well, as teams that won the turnover margin by two or more won 83.9 percent of the time and 90.7 percent of the time when winning the margin by three or more.
The Browns had the worst turnover margin in 2024 than any team in the NFL.
That is one facet of the game that KS wants to win.
His frustration with turnovers goes back to Baker. Then Watson. Then Flacco. Then Winston, and DTR.
Kevin knows the stat line. He knows you cannot turn it over and win many games.
2025 the quarterback room is going to change. An emphasis will be placed during their search for three quarterbacks on finding guys who will not turn it over often.
I agree with him. McCarthy clearly better. Ward over Sanders.
Sanders is not going to be for every team. He IMO is at his ceiling. That is because of how he has been handled, coached, and the level of competition played against.
Sadly everyone from AB to Depo and on down knows about the turnover statistics. Sadly AB keeps giving Stefanski turnover machines for QB's. I certainly hope that you're right and this FO will make that a larger determining factor when signing or drafting QB's. But with them having known the statistics you have shown, they haven't seemed to make that a high priority.
Just over the past two seasons the signings of Flacco and Winston point that out. Both gunslingers in the very context of which that term implies.
Maybe the light bulb will come on and they'll change that.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
I wanted Baker to be our guy. I wanted him to succeed. I am still a fan of his. He came to us and played hard. He was good but not good enough.
Most backups are backups for a reason. Flacco and Winston both first round picks. Both starters. Both played their way out being starters by turning it over.
As a fan when turnovers lose games it is so aggravating. I can only imagine what it is for coaches.
I am near the end of my rope regarding the Browns and quarterbacks. I know the hole we are in right now and how difficult the path ahead is.
At the same time when you look at quarterbacks who shredded college. I mean first rounders who dominated in college. Vince Young, Ryan Leaf, Winston, Mariota, Tebow, Manziel, Case Keenum, Kyle Murray, Bryce Young, Jamarcus Russell, Sam Bradford.
How many bomb in the NFL? It is hard for teams in the NFL to forecast college quarterbacks into the NFL.
Honestly, I don't have an answer as to why that is.
I just want a real franchise quarterback before I die.
And I believe you have described the entire conundrum. Let's be honest. There are very few teams with elite QB's in the NFL. That's a very short list. The odds of any team getting a such a QB period is a long shot. While I am younger than you I'm not that far behind. And I don't really expect to live to be all that old to begin with for reasons I won't disclose. But as for now I'm still doing alright.
But we both have that same desire. I'm hoping the browns somehow hit the QB lottery too.
And I understand what you're saying about the belief of many concerning Baker "Not being good enough". In the grand scheme of things the odds of doing better than Baker were never good to begin with. All one has to do is look around at the QB position of all 32 NFL teams to see what I mean.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
The important element in finding a QB is not purely the guy's skill set. Much of it depends on what you surround the guy with as a team.
Every quarterback has strengths and weaknesses. The team must build around his strengths or a preferable scheme for the new quarterback.
The Browns have fallen short in consistency with their offensive scheme. They draft a quarterback and then try to build around him. This will not work if the expectation is starting and having success before the infrastructure is in place.
Look at the Steelers. They know what works in their offense. It is not just the quarterback. They have a philosophy and hire staff and players that maintain that integrity.
The Browns have built the defense to what they want. They struggled to do the same on offense. I believe it is because they obtained the hot new gadget with all the bells and whistles. Then realize it takes more than just buying it to make it work. There was a reason Flacco and Winston worked in Stefanski's offensive scheme.
Now, they need to find a quarterback like Flacco and Winston who don't excel in turnovers!
My point is they need to find players and staff, not just the quarterback, who work with the organization's offensive philosophy. From the looks of it, it appears the organization as a whole learned this lesson and is moving toward a common theme.
As fans, we must educate ourselves about what works instead of wanting the "eye candy" prize.
The Steelers are an offensive example of ineptness.
They have done nothing on offense but be offensive for years.
They cannot run the ball or pass it.
That's actually really interesting take. Steelers were unbeatable until Big Ben started falling off, and then they dropped off a cliff once he retired. I didn't realize they are the newest shining example of how important the QB position really is.
There is no level of sucking we haven't seen; in fact, I'm pretty sure we hold the patents on a few levels of sucking NOBODY had seen until the past few years.
Sanders has good tape and bad tape. The same with Milroe and every QB in this draft.
The challenge is to find the guy who can process and deliver.
That is where there is a big difference between the NFL and college. In the NFL you don't get away with what you can get away with in college.
In the NFL there are DE's who are faster than quarterbacks. Windows open and close really fast. You don't get away with staring down a receiver. You don't get the time to create behind the LOS.
You have to "see it" process it and throw it to the right guy on time accurately.
In college you get away with extending plays and "creating offense."
I wish I liked a QB in this draft. Instead it is more like if they draft a QB. I will be ok we shall see.
What you describe is the complete opposite of what I see in Sanders
His drops are undisciplined He holds the ball When he throws he has a tendency to throw floaters
He will go 1st round because Travis Hunter is so good at going and getting the ball I wouldn't take Sanders in the first 3 rounds let alone the first 3 picks
And don't be fooled by people saying he took a ton of sacks because of a bad oline Go look at highlights for Sanders and Hunter The oline is actually pretty good in pass protection The majority of his sacks were because of him, not the line
Am I perfect? No Am I trying to be a better person? Also no
Alabama football’s offensive coordinator Tommy Rees discussed how his relationship has grown with Jalen Milroe this season during the Crimson Tide’s Rose Bowl media availability on Thursday.
Milroe’s development as a quarterback helped catapult Alabama into the College Football Playoff. His rapid progression as a weapon at quarterback paralleled the improvements the Alabama football team showed this season.
Rees talked about the importance of the two building a relationship.
“For Jalen and I, the relationship building over months has been really positive,” Rees said. “He’s an unbelievable human being. He’s an unbelievable kid. Like the way he’s able to face adversity, the way he’s able to push through things, the standard he holds himself to, like those things probably started with his parents. He’s done an unbelievable job throughout the season of staying true to that. I think an underrated quality is just the humility he has to want to get better and to want to be the best version of himself. For us as a coach, that’s refreshing because he wants all those things. You’ve got to kind of find ways to lighten the mood every once in a while with players. Can you get him to laugh? Can you get him to calm down? Can you get him to feel relaxed and comfortable? Then I think the thing we’ve been able to do throughout the season is as you start building the system around the quarterback, it gives the quarterback a lot of confidence, and then when they start to have some autonomy in what you’re doing, it gets greater buy-in from the player. I think that’s all part of the growth, and that shows trust and belief in the individual, which ultimately then can help bring the best out of what they have.”
Coming around somewhat on Jalen. Maybe some of that is because I am not a fan of the other QBs coming out (ie. Ward and Jador).
He has the most upside I think - just not sure I could take him at #2, although I think he has way more upside than Richardson (similar profile) and the Colts took him at #4. Love to trade back a bit and get JM at the beginning of round 2. I just think someone else would grab him before that.
I have not yet formed an opinion on Milroe. I really don't start any type of draft process until after the SB. But I will say this. IF this FO likes Milroe, IF they hired Rees with the purpose in mind of his relationship and ability to work with Milroe, you don't wait until the second round. Even though I'm not yet convinced that's the plan it's certainly a possibility. There's a lot of middle ground between the #2 pick and pick #34. Much like yourself I don't think they should take him at #2. But if he's the plan, you trade down and acquire more picks while selecting him with that trade down pick. And there's still a chance he won't be there but that helps mitigate those odds.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
I really won't argue with your theory. My opinion is strictly based on how things stand as of now. If his draft stock increases and this is "their guy", so will my opinion be on how high they should be willing to draft him.
Like I said, I haven't even began the evaluation process so it's somewhat harder for me to go out on a limb over it.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
He has benefitted from where he has played and the competition.
He is an average athlete with an average arm.
What he does well in college is make good decisions and throw accurately.
He has a tendency to bail early from a clean pocket. He has been able to do things in college by creating offense from extending plays that in the pros will not happen.
In some ways he like Teddy Bridgewater. Good college player with good overall talent but nothing elite.
I just do not see as a guy in the top half of the first round. He will get drafted early because of teams in need of a quarterback.
He may be better than I figure. At the same time he looks like a college quarterback.
I would disagree about his accuracy I know most talking heads praise his accuracy But in my personal opinion, Travis Hunter's ball skills make his accuracy look way better than it truly is
Am I perfect? No Am I trying to be a better person? Also no
I wouldn't draft Sanders period!! I wouldn't use a 5th or 6th round pick on him. We've had enough drama and nonsense around here the last few years between OBJ, his father and the DW fiasco. I feel we don't need Deion and his opinions on his son here. I honestly don't think Deion would want his son to play in Cleveland anyway. Let someone else draft him and deal with it. Besides, and I agree with Bone, I don't think he's that good anyway. JMO