DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum What's your ideal Off-Season?

Coaches, FA, and Draft... also who do you want to see leave or be re-signed (and dont say Braylon because it isnt happening)

Don't if this should be posted here or not, but I would like to hear everyone's opinions.

I want to start by saying the perfect off-season would include the return of a 100% healthy LeCharles Bentley.

Northcutt, we know is gone. I would like to think Stewart will be out the door as well as Coleman. If we can get anything for Thompson in terms of draft picks I would take it, but it likely wont be much so he may be around for 1 more season. Druzzi may be done, but I look for him to play next year (back-up). I believe Russell will be back because Pool still has a lot to learn at FS. Fraley has to be re-signed with the uncertainty of Bentley's return. If he does return, Fraley could still play center while Bentley moves to guard if the coaches wanted to take that route.

There are a lot of free agents that I have my eye on. I would love to bring Steinbach, Adalius, and Clements to Cleveland. It would be a dream to land all 3. If so, we have sured up LG, gotten another talented LB, and some quality DB help.

In the draft, there are 2 possiblities I would happy with.
1st - Thomas taken in round 1 and Okoye and Ramirez in round 2 and 3 if both fall. Okoye could easily be selected in round 1 and ramirez in 2, but I'm praying this happens. Throughout the rest of the draft, address DB and DE and choose a WR late in hopes of finding a Colston type talent.
2nd - trade first pick after Thomas is taken by Detroit to a team desperate for Calvin Johnson or a QB. Take either Branch, Peterson, or Lynch in Round 1 and then LT Arron Spears in Round 2. Spend the rest of the draft picking defensive players at DE, DB, Rushing LB, and NT if Branch is not selected.

Also, the perfect off season would include the maturity of superstar talent Braylon Edwards.

With these changes, I think we will have made substantial strides in turning the train wreck around. With o-line improvement, Frye or Anderson may shine and we find out QB. If Peterson is not selected, Harrison and Wright IMO should get the majority of the carries. If both QB and RB fail us next season, we have top two priorities for the off-season in 08.

Nothing by name except our own players, mainly positions.

In FA: 2 guards, Fraley, 2 DL. MAYBE a budget corner, maybe a RB. Nothing bank breaking in those two cases.

Draft: QB, O-Line, D-line. I don't care which order. If we draft Thomas at #3 and have to trade back into the first to get, say, Troy Smith (if he's not gonna fall, and I don't think he'll fall)? DO IT.

Those moves would dramatically improve this football team.

Coaching-wise, ideally we get an OC out of the Denver system. Hell, Alex Gibbs has never been an offensive coordinator but he might make a damn good one given his offensive line successes in Denver and Atlanta.

Or we get someone out of the Cinci system, their WR coach?

This all assumes we can't find a coordinator who's proven. Mike Mularkey seems like the only proven coordinator who might be on the outs.

mine is very simple...

1. Sign some OL/DL
2. Get 11 out of 12 back from IR before training camp
3. Get a new O-cordinator before Feb
4. Let Cutt Coleman Stewart Russel Mckinley walk
5. Resign hank the tank and Holly
6 Draft some OL/DL

this is gunna be another 6 pager.

1. get an experienced OC in here that will better use out talent.
2. draft BPA minus calvin johnson in the first and bpa at position of need the rest of the way.
3. bring in a veteran qb.
4. get depth on the o-line and corner positions through FA

My Ideal Off-Season

Re-Sign:

Nat Dorsey
Hank Fraley
Simon Fraser
Brian Russell
Mason Unck

Sign:

Kris Dielman, LG, San Diego
Terdell Sands, DE, Oakland
Asante Samuel, CB, New England
Tully Banta-Cain, OLB, New England

Draft:

Browns get lucky and trade 3rd Overall to New England for 22 and 28 Overall.

Browns then trade 28 Overall, Derek Anderson, and next year's 3rd round pick to Carolina for 14th Overall.

1a) Marshawn Lynch, RB, California
1b) Troy Smith, QB, Ohio State
2) Arron Sears, LT, Tennessee
3) Manuel Ramirez, RG, Texas Tech
4) Kareem Brown, DE, Miami
5) Paul Soliai, NT, Utah
6) Jordan Kent, WR, Oregon
7) Nick Jones, C, Georgia

Depth Chart:

QB: Troy Smith, Charlie Frye, Ken Dorsey
RB: Marhsawn Lynch, Reuebn Droughns, Jason Wright
FB: Terrelle Smith, Lawrence Vicker
TE: Kellen Winslow, Steve Heiden, Darnell Dinkins
WR: Braylon Edwards, Jordan Kent, Josh Cribbs
WR: Joe Jurevicius, Travis Wilson
LT: Arron Sears, Nat Dorsey
LG: Kris Dielman, Isaac Sowells
C: Hank Fraley, Nick Jones
RG: Manuel Ramirez, Fred Matua
RT: Kevin Shaffer, Kelly Butler

DE: Orpheous Roye, Kareem Brown
NT: Ted Washington, Paul Soliai
DE: Terdell Sands, Simon Fraser
OLB: Kamerion Wimbley, David McMillan
ILB: Andra Davis, Leon Williams
ILB: D?Qwell Jackson, Chaun Thompson, Mason Unck
OLB: Tully Banta-Cain, Willie McGinest
CB: Leigh Bodden, Daven Holly, DeMario Minter
FS: Brodney Pool, Brian Russell
SS: Sean Jones, Justin Hamilton
CB: Asante Samuel, Daylon McCutcheon

K: Phil Dawson
P:Dave Zastudil

**** Notice: I am not an Ohio State fan, so my choice of Troy Smith is not a homer choice. I just feel he will be a very good NFL quarterback, despite his small stature.

MIne would go something like this <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

1. Sign Steinbach, Terdell Sands, Samuel, and or Deilman
2. Trade our third to Atl for their 1st. and Shuab and Draft best available OL/DL
3. draft If trade works out RB in second If not draft AP in first draft OL/DL in second, third and sixth. Fourth and fifth draft DB and DE/OLB.
4 Seventh draft Troy Smith because I am not a HOMMER!!!! <img src="/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

j/c

cant really just say "sign asante samuel" or "sign steinbach". i mean, the bigger names are gunna want a winning team unless they get serious cash

Oh man, we have so many needs,,Oline, Dline, Secondary,.... it hurts my brain to think about it..

Mostly, I would like it to be like this:

In FA:

Steinbach,,,,, Get him and pay him what he wants...He's worth it.

Any Good CB we can find. We are good at Safety I believe,,,But Bodden and maybe Holly are all we have that are worthy.... and Holly is still a ? in my eyes,,,he needs to show up in camp this summer... That'll tell the story. if Cutch can come back, that takes a little pressure off... But he's getting older so we either gotta get someone else or hope that Minter is good.



We also need a couple of guys to compete along the Dline.. and if possible, more depth on the Oline.

Draft:

If he's there, Thomas, if not, Branch then take the BPA the rest of the way.. (your asking today, so I'm answering with only what I know today,,, with time, I may change my mind)

I'd feel terrific if we picked up some depth at LB, CB, OL and DL with the rest of the draft...

I'll live with the RB's we have and hope we can land a good one next season.. but it's something I want to see happen..

It's just my opinion, and I know we have lots of holes, but to me, the Oline is the biggest concern.. like I said,,,,JMO.

1) I would like to see a WCO style OC. I think Frye would be much better in that type of system.

2) Resign Russell and Fraley. Good NFL players are worth having around, espically on a team that has 16 players or so remaining from the Savage/Crennel Hiring. There is no reason that Holly should not be back.

3) Sign DL/OL/CB in FA. (Sands, Dielman/Stienbach, Samual) would be wonderful pick-ups. I would also look at which QB's become available during FA, and sign one, if someone of interest is available.

4) Draft Priorities OL/DL/RB/CB. Keep going after the weak areas until they are no longer weak areas.

5) Work to develop those players who were late season pick up or red-shirts. Do we have something in Sowells, Matua, Harris, Harrison and Wilson that may emerge next year. Figure this out before the draft, not after.

6) I have stated my draft preferance of Thomas, Peterson and Branch. Do your research and figure out which one would fit best. Don't reach for picks (Sowells) or pick players that are not an immediate need (Wilson). Identify FA quickly and see if there is something that can be developed. I would consider trading down even if it means one of these players are not available for an additional 1st, 2nd or 3rd round picks.

j/c

All of the above and start the 2007 season with no one on IR!

1. shut down corner
2. wide receiver with hands
3. decent qb or rookie qb
4. upgrade on lines
5. improve our special teamers

Move the team to the CFL where we would have a chance.

1) Everyone have a healthy off season

2) The Browns pick up a lot of O-line and D-line.. adds lot of competition.. gives us good depth like the FO did last year with our LB's...

Nice first post <img src="/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

LOL

<img src="/images/graemlins/saywhat.gif" alt="" />

Its not really my first post, but I am expressing my frustration at yet another losing season.

Ideal Offseason?

Any changes that, come September, will allow us to effectively and consistently both Run the Ball and Stop the Run, even when the opponent is expecting it and planning for it.

I don't care about the details of how it happens, but it's for certain all I want to see.
I don't care about pass rush or receiving or this or that coach or scheme.
I just want the two most basic parts of any good team to finally show up in Cleveland...and not in the form of the current week's opponent.

<img src="/images/graemlins/plthumbsdown.gif" alt="" />

Sign a starting guard and a starting quality DE in FA.

In the draft have the guts to take Russell if available..then draft a guard in round 2 and a dt/nose in round 3.

gonna write before reading, so I'm not influenced by other Dawgs.

My ideal offseason:

1. Clean up the administration of Browns Inc. That would start with a gutcheck/braincheck by Randy Lerner. After professing to be a "Browns fan first and foremost," he's the one Browns fan out of all of us who actually is empowered to make changes in the way our beloved franchise operates. I'd like to see him sit down with Romeo and Phil... and finally truthfully evaluate what we have, what we need, and what we need to fix... in the office, as well as on the field.

If Romeo feels uncomfortable with organizing/running an O, get him the kind of dynamic, savvy OC who can take over this offense, and redesign it to work efficiently with the players we have/will get. I'd hope that OC would have a thorough knowlege of AFCN Football, and would design an O to compete well against our division foes. Run/Stop the run. Ball control passing.

If Phil wants to spend the bulk of his time in scouting/player eval, change his title to Director of Pro Personnel, hire in an administrator to handle the stuff Phil hates, and set down the distinct job duties. In stone. Every minute that Phil spends signing requisition forms for office supplies is a moment he's away from bringing in the players we need.

2. Drafting for future dominance on both lines. Having the troops to win the trench warfare can make ordinary skill players execute above and beyond their individual potential. If you can at least hold your own on the lines, you can compete in the NFL. If you dominate, you'll win. If there are even just a couple of truly talented skill players on your roster, you almost immediately become playoff material. San Diego is a good example.

3. Instill a culture of excellence and professionalism. Challenge the players to look within themselves for areas of improvement. Set an atmosphere in which the veteran players truly mentor the young, and one in which the players police themselves. Football players are Human Beings, first- and humans will only rise to the level that's expected of them. Raising the standard on such a basic principle will have sweeping and lasting effects in your organization.

_______________________________________________________


On purpose, I stayed away from "X's and O's," specific players/positions of need, etc. That's because the player aspect of football is always fluid, and will change from year to year, depending on the flow of players to and from the roster. The kinds of changes I want to see effect the entire organization, and are not dependant upon who's name is on a locker or office door. Fix the foundation of this team, and the "x's & o's" will virtually take care of themselves.

The Browns have been a featureless, foundationless expansion team since The Return. We were screwed by Art, Al and the NFL when we did come back. We continue to be screwed by refs, rules, TV and public opinion. We will continue to flounder until we begin to stand for the kinds of things that made us great years ago.

That begins with taking a cold, honest look at our reality, and then getting to work on it. Step One: realize that you only have yourself to rely upon. Step Two: realize that NOONE else wants or needs to see the Browns succeed. Step Three: use those first two realities as motivation to cram your success down their collective throat. Hard. Repeatedly. With malicious intent and extreme prejudice.

...and all the while, doing it with class.

Just like Paul Brown.

.02

# 1, hire a qualified experienced HC, one who has a proven track record and is extremely organized. Until this happens, we will NEVER get to, much less move to the second round of the playoffs. Rac must go in order for that to happen, so why wait, get the new guy in here ASAP, don't WASTE another season and draft on a looser. <img src="/images/graemlins/saywhat.gif" alt="" />

Figure out a way to get a decent CB in there and this is my plan as well..... doesn't have to be a "shut down" corner, just a solid corner....

IMO.. we don't really need corners...

1) Bodden
2) Holly
3) Minter

The Browns do well getting UDFA, or getting other teams castoffs.. thats one spot that the Browns usually do well with when it comes to analyzing talent..

Just one thing... while Holly did an admirable job, I still wouldn't want him as much more than our Nickle Back right now.... and yes, you're a UGA pimp, but Minter still has exactly ZERO experience at this level and has proved he is just as capable as his experience. Not something I would count on.

I would try for a free agent CB, but if not I would grab the first one outside of round 1 that I could find that would be able to step in right away.... but make sure it's the kinda guy that enjoys coming up in run support.... that way if Minter & Holly step up and take the lead spots, we can still shift the kid to being a backup at both CB & Safety and then (hopefully) we've fixed our depth back there for quite a while.

Did Wimbley have NFL Experience? what about D'Qwell Jackson? or how about Leon Williams? It doesnt matter obviously.. if someone has the talent.. they can perform.. Minter is no exception.. Not letting the guy get pt is equivalent to wasting a 4th round pick... no?

I almost added that yesterday but didn't feel like typing....with 33 mil or whatever it is....we can probably buy one of those too. <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

My ideal offseason?
Get the parts and pieces in place that make the Browns more than just competitive.
Get some bonifide OG's on the line..
Make a solid decision on RT and Center.
Get a starting CB opposite Bodden
Get a Dline in place.
Get a vet QB that can produce.
Get the right SYSTEM/SCHEMES in place and get players who FIT THE SYSTEM..

True, but we didn't go into the last offseason counting on them and we didn't even head into camps counting on them... they were the guys we picked up to augment the guys we weren't sure about... they then showed that to be a wise move in camps.

The point is that we still don't know about Minter as he hasn't even practiced with the team, so he hasn't even shown he belongs...much like a D'Qwell or Wimbley or Williams right after the draft. They were here, but we had no idea what we had with them. So the prudent move is to grab another as insurance.

I mean, we're talking about the spot on our team where we had guys as our 1st & 2nd string starters who were lucky to get practice squad spots back in August. So, when I look at that and then I look at Bodden and his ankles, Daven Holly and a complete unknown at this level in Minter.... you better believe I want at least one more brought in. Our depth was more than tested last year, and I don't want another year of relying on Ralph Brown's.