DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Trent Dilfer gives Browns love...(yes, that Trent Dilfer)

ESPN.com

It says you can embed the field but I don't know how. So here's the link.

He said we are pretty darn good and coachable.

cant believe it..

He has a point, we're about 4 players away from being a very good team. We have depth, leadership, and experience.

We still need:

#1 WR
OLB
Domiating D-linemen
Ball hawk at safety

1 good offseason can fix those holes.

The dominating d-lineman and ball hawking safety are already on the roster. They just need to continue developing.

I think two wide outs are needed, as well as the OLB. One, preferably two d-linemen are needed, and Colt needs to keep developing.

This team isn't far away!

I'm not sure we need to fill holes as much as we need to start looking forward to reloading with developed talent.
Every team is always going to have holes, and you're going to get new holes every year as players come and go for whatever reason... but we need to be able to back-fill with home grown talent.

A few more studs certainly wouldn't hurt, however

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I think two wide outs are needed

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I'm watching STO right now and Reggie Rucker just said he knew back in spring that we needed recievers..Basically said they were not very good.

nordawg

Just think, we're probably going to get a 2 year off season.

I think an agreement will get hammered out before the start of next season.

We need
RT
back up LT
DE
Back up NT/DE
OLB
ILB
2 DBs
1 or 2 WR
back up RB

also, the following are free agents:

Vickers
Roth
Gocong
Jackson
Stuckey
R.Smith (Should retire)
Dawson
Zastudil (we have Hodges)
Elam
Wright
Wallace
Barton (maybe retire)
Bell (who cares, accept Hardesty is a ?)

So, we need a lot more than 4 players. Perhaps, our team right now has only a few holes, but we're one injury away from Mike Bell starting at RB, Paul McQuistrian starting at LT, Derrick Robinson starting at NT (or DE).

I definitely agree. I just don't think a stud safety or right tackle is needed. I actually thought Pashos played pretty well, but I have a feeling he will be cut this offseason. Two years in a row he's been hurt.

I can guarantee there will be a 2011 draft.

Of that list, I see us re-signing the following:

Vickers - Pay The Man.
Roth
Gocong
Stuckey
Dawson
Elam -- at the very least, for insurance
Wright - really? Eric Wright is a FA already?? wow, time flies.


No way we make an offer to Jackson - at least not right away, and not big money - and there is actually a better bet that he will go to a 4-3 team.
Barton - I doubt it, but we *may* throw a one year vet minimum deal at him just to give us depth insurance at least through camp.
Bell - if we do, it'll be cheap - if we don't, I don't see it as a big deal right now... hopefully he changes my mind on that
Robaire - another candidate for a one year deal, but I wouldn't bet on it happening. Kinda sad, I always liked him as a player for us.

One reason would be money..... the NFL Draft is the second biggest event in the NFL calendar, trumped only by the Super Bowl; but it is an event whose build up drives revenues, hype and merchandising for MONTHS ahead of time and a long time afterward.

Pundits and columnists starting to show us some love . . . This CBA problem could not happen at a worst time. Just when we start showing that we may be a few players away (one year).


Then there is the whole 2012 Mayan thing . . . sheesh.

Key Questions and Answers about the CBA
By National Football League

Q. When does the CBA expire should there be no extension to the agreement?
A. In March of 2011.

Q. Will there be a college draft in 2011?
A. Yes.

Q. What is the “Final League Year” in the current agreement?
A. The “Final League Year” is the term used in the CBA to refer to the last year of the agreement. Without a further extension of the CBA, the “Final League Year” would be the 2010 League Year, which begins on March 5.

Q. What are the differences between the “Final League Year” and any other “League Year?”
A. The principal differences are that in the “Final League Year” there is no salary cap and there are substantial additional restrictions on player free agency and reductions in player benefits.

Q. Are current player benefits affected in the Final League Year?
A. We expect current player benefits to decline in the Final League Year. The union agreed that in the Final League Year, clubs would be relieved of their obligation to fund numerous benefit programs. Examples include second career savings (401K), player annuity, severance pay and performance-based pay. The total league-wide contributions to such plans in 2009, the last capped year, were in excess of $325 million or more than $10 million per club.

Q. Are retired player benefits affected in the Final League Year?
A. Commissioner Goodell has stated in a letter to the NFL Alumni Association Board of Directors that there will be no reduction in pension or disability payments to retired players during the Final League Year (2010). Since at least the fall of 2007, NFL owners have consistently agreed and planned that they will not reduce the funding for pension or disability benefits for retired players. Nor will they reduce funding for the 88 Plan during the Final League Year.

Q. What determines an unrestricted free agent in the Final League Year (2010)?
A. In capped seasons, a player whose contract has expired becomes an unrestricted free agent if he has four or more accrued seasons. In the Final League Year (2010), a player whose contract has expired becomes an unrestricted free agent only if he has six or more accrued seasons. An unrestricted free agent is free to sign with any club with no compensation owed to his old club.

Q. What determines whether a player is a restricted free agent in the “Final League Year?”
A. In capped seasons, a player whose contract expires becomes a restricted free agent if he has three accrued seasons. In the Final League Year (2010), a player whose contract expires becomes a restricted free agent if he has three, four or five accrued seasons. The first refusal/compensation rights of restricted free agents remain unchanged in the Final League Year.

Q. In addition to the right to designate a franchise (or transition) player each capped year, can clubs designate additional players in the Final League Year?
A. Yes, one additional player can be tagged. In capped years, a club may designate a franchise player or a transition player. In the final league year (2010), a club may designate one additional transition player. A transition player must be offered a minimum of the average of the top 10 salaries of the prior season at the player’s position or 120 percent of the player’s prior year’s salary, whichever is greater. A transition player designation gives the club a first-refusal right to match within seven days an offer sheet given to the player by another club after his contract expires. If the club matches, it retains the player. If it does not match, it receives no draft pick compensation from that club.

Q. What is the Final Eight Plan?
A. During the Final League Year, the eight clubs that make the Divisional Playoffs in the previous season have additional restrictions that limit their ability to sign unrestricted free agents from other clubs. In general, the four clubs participating in the championship games are limited in the number of free agents that they may sign; the limit is determined by the number of their own free agents signing with other clubs. They cannot sign any UFAs unless one of theirs is signed by another team.

For the four clubs that lost in the Divisional Playoffs, in addition to having the ability to sign free agents based on the number of their own free agents signing with other clubs, they may also sign players based on specific financial parameters. Those four only will be permitted to sign one unrestricted free agent for $5.5 million (estimated) or more in year one of the contract, plus the number of their UFAs who sign with another team. They also can sign any unrestricted free agents for less than $3.7 (estimated) million in year one of the contract with limitations on the per year increases.

In the case of all final eight teams, the first year salary of UFAs they sign to replace those lost cannot exceed the first year salary of the player lost with limitations on the per year increases.

Q. Is there an Entering Player Pool in the Final League Year?
A. There may be. The CBA provides that the league has the unilateral right to keep or eliminate the rookie pool in the Final League Year.

Q. Is there a Minimum Team Salary in the Final League Year?
A. There is no Minimum Team Salary in the Final League Year. The Minimum Team Salary in 2009 is $107,748,000, meaning each team is required to allocate more than $107 million to player costs (not including benefits). The team salary cap in 2009 was $123 million.

Q. Are there individual player minimum salaries in the Final League Year?
A. Yes, but they rise at a rate somewhat slower than player minimum salaries rise in capped years.

Q. Do any player contract rules from capped years remain in place for the Final League Year?
A. Yes, some rules like the “30% increase rule” are still in effect in the Final League Year for player contracts signed in capped years. That rule restricts salary increases from 2009 to 2010. For example: a player with a $500,000 salary in 2009 would be limited to annual salary increases of $150,000 ($500,000 x 30%) beginning in 2010.

Isn't it funny how many of the arrogant broadcasters who hate us actually say nice things about us when we do something worthy of saying nice things?

I just wanted to add that
Stuckey and Wright will be RFA's,

But with Vickers and two starting LBers with Roth and Gocong as proirty re-signs.

Who is this ball hawking safety? It sure as hell aint Elam nor Ward. They have had more balls bouncing off their head than Andy Dick.

I wasn't thinking about the "ballhawking" part. I've been having some concentration issues. I don't think a ballhawking safety is needed. Just someone who's good in coverage.

same page there is a "AFC north grades" by mark clayton
He is ranking us as the 3rd best team in the AFC NORTH and gives us a B. Saying how we are getting better but Mangini will still be fired at the end of the season...(wtf?) how can u rank a team B after ranking the 2 teams ahead of us as the possible super bowl winners? and say the coach of that team won't have a job at the end of the season? crack head.
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=5785522

Needs:

WR (1st Round)
OLB/DE (2nd Round)
ROT (3rd Round)
CB/FS (4th Round)

But bottom line:

Offense - 2 WR's, 1 ROT

Defense: 2 DE's, 2 LB's, 1 FS, 2 CB's

Now it's impossible to address all of these, but a couple could be gotten in the draft and maybe another one or two can be done in FA.

I'd like to see a change of pace back, like Greg Pruitt was to Mike Pruitt, Cribbs is that somewhat with the Wildcat formartion, but we need something to give Hillis a breather. We need him healty going down the streach and ready in the 4th qtr.

Mourg,

I guess it depends on how you define "ballhawking." Ward has, on a number of occasions this year, placed himself in great position to make a play on the ball. More so than any other player on the team. He needs to be able to catch those balls, but he's certainly shown the instincts in several occasions.

Part of that, certainly, is scheme. That one on the opening play of the Baltimore game was designed to get a pick-6. He's got to make that play. He's also been beat a few times, but not as much in the past few games. He continues to get around the passes though and get his hands on them.

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College Football is going to really cash too. Their teams will be stacked in 2011 since some underclassmen will not bother going pro after this season.

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Can you imagine that 2012 draft? How important would draft picks be then? You'd be getting potential first-round talent in round 2 and 3 maybe. UDFA would be HUGE ...

Hillis and Vickers Demand Respect & Command Respect! Nice to get the love. Especially from the talking heads I love to hate.

The original poster's list of needed players included only needed starters (I think). If you take the backups off your list, there's not that much difference in what you two are saying.

The list of free agents is interesting. I looked up Hillis' contract status. He is slated to become a free agent at the end of next season -- and he is making about the minimum.

For some reason I don't think Hillis will play for the minimum when he signs his next contract.

I don't know where I get these flashes of the future. They just come to me like a dream.

I like what Bruski did tonight. He threw the challenge flag and challenged the Browns to win this weekend.