DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Offseason To-Do List: Defensive Front 7

By Dave Kolonich
OBR Reporter
Posted Jan 24, 2011


The Browns' defense needs some major improvements this offseason.


With the hiring of Pat Shurmur as head coach, team president Mike Holmgren cemented his status as the Browns’ organizational leader. Or, the former Super Bowl winning coach merely finished the work he began a year ago in laying out his vision for the team’s future. In many ways, the marriage of Shurmur to the Browns can be traced through last year’s arrival of general manager Tom Heckert, who has a great deal of experience in finding players qualified to run the West Coast version of offense that Holmgren has envisioned.

The same can be said for decisions made along the defensive side of the ball, as veteran coach Dick Jauron has been tapped to revamp, or possibly reinvent a traditional Browns’ weakness. While not exclusively a Holmgren disciple, Jauron will likely install a defense that is more familiar to Heckert than Eric Mangini’s 3-4 scheme. After all, Heckert’s contributions to recent Philadelphia drafts focused on finding more traditional 4-3 types of defenders.

Of course, aligning all the major components of an NFL franchise was the easy part. And yes, after more than a decade of futile front office direction in Cleveland, this is perhaps the greatest understatement ever uttered. Finally, the overall direction of the Browns has been set in place and more importantly, it appears that a clear chain of command exists.

But now comes the hard part. Despite the presence of what appears to be some badly needed front office unity, success in the NFL is decided by the talent on the field.

In the Browns’ case – particularly among the defense – a talent upgrade is badly needed. Heckert’s recent thoughts seem to foreshadow some offseason changes.

"It's gonna be a challenge, no question," Heckert said. "There's gonna be some turnover. We have some age on the team. We have to get younger."

While many Browns’ followers are lamenting the decision to “blow up” the team’s defense after some modest gains in 2010, the on-field and injured reserve evidence is overwhelmingly apparent. The numbers may have inched forward, but last season’s Mangini-built defense simply lacked playmakers. Built for power, the defense wore down as the season progressed, thanks to a combination of age and injuries.

In a hypothetical sense, the same types of roster turnover would have occurred for another season with Mangini at the helm. Regardless of scheme, the Browns’ front seven is littered with players either ready to test free agency or dip their toes in the waters of retirement.

In fact, it’s possible that only three of the team’s regular front seven starters will return next season.

Along the front line, injuries again short-circuited veteran Robaire Smith’s season. Smith suffered a serious back injury early in the season, which hurt the team’s run defense. Across the line, Kenyon Coleman played on a shaky knee for most of the season, while Shaun Rogers was largely invisible. The only consistent performance found along the defensive line was the play of Ahtyba Rubin. However, thanks to the limited depth around him, Rubin fell apart in December.

Behind Rubin and the veteran starters on the depth chart are a collection of unknown players such as Travis Ivey, Ko Quaye, Brian Sanford, Jayme Mitchell and the scrappy, yet underwhelming Brian Schaefering.

A similar story can be told regarding the team’s linebackers. A midseason injury to Scott Fujita significantly contributed to the defense’s second-half decline in 2010 – particularly against the rush. Fujita’s injury forced Matt Roth into more of a run defense role, which hampered the team’s pass rush. While Chris Gocong played well inside, his veteran counterparts – including Eric Barton and David Bowens – could not be counted on to play significant roles.

Moving beyond the 2010 starters, the rest of the linebacking corps includes situational pass rusher Marcus Benard and a host of special teams players, including Jason Trusnik, Titus Brown, Eric Alexander and Blake Costanzo. Former starter D’Qwell Jackson and 2009 draft pick Kaluka Maiava both ended the season on injured reserve.

Looking ahead to 2011 and a move towards a 4-3 alignment, it’s possible that only Rubin and Fujita are locks to return to the starting lineup. Gocong and Roth are both free agents, while Smith, Coleman, Barton and Bowens will likely not be part of the new regime’s plans. Perhaps the same can be said for Rogers, who is still owed a sizeable chunk of money for next season.

As it stands now, Rubin could greatly benefit from a shift towards a more traditional four-man line. Despite his considerable size, Rubin was often pushed around as a nose tackle. The addition of another defensive tackle could also reduce the wear on Rubin’s body in 2011. As for the linebackers, Fujita should prove capable as a 3-4 outside linebacker – a position he has played in the past – while Gocong could be brought back to play inside. The rest of the roster’s current prospects don’t offer much beyond Benard possibly shifting to defensive end, which in reality, is what he mainly played for most of 2010.

Basic math would tell you that retaining only three to four potential 2011 defensive front seven starters is a frightening proposition. However, I suppose none of us should be too surprised. After all, the 2010 Browns’ defense was largely comprised of veterans on their last legs.

Perhaps even more frightening is the idea that only Rubin, Jackson and Maiava were original Browns’ draft picks.


http://cle.scout.com/2/1042448.html

We need line upgrades and more. We have some sleds that need to be replaced with linemen able to bring better pressure on a regular basis. Not just jailbreak blitz calls, etc. I hope we get closer to the attacking line that has shown quicker mobility to the ball. Classic trade-off of size versus speed. We are perhaps too big and too slow. I think Heckert has made some line upgrades a priority in the past. Hope he works some magic here.

I won't be too surprised if the majority of our draft picks are on the defensive side. I'd say 2 DL and 2 LB at minimum. Plus (assuming the CBA is worked out), I can see a at least 1 DL, LB , and DB each in FA. I have a feeling we're going to try to make a big splash on the offense for one of Rice, Holmes, Jackson, Floyd @ WR.

We will definitely bring in atleast 2 d-lineman, probably 2 DE's, and atleast one LB, probably at the Middle Spot..

I still like Casey Matthews if we can get him in the 4th/5th round.. On dline, I think we can get a solid pick in the 2nd round if we go WR in the 1st..

I just hope we get lucky and be able to sign WRs and RT in free agency. It would allow us to go all out on defense.

Like many , I agree that youth and speed in our front 7 is DEFINITELY needed....Our being able to get to the QB quickly and on a regular basis will Not allow opposing OLs to hold their blocks those critical extra few seconds which allows the WRs & TEs to establish their routes and the QB to pickup the open player....It sounds obvious but those few lost seconds by an opposing Offense will make our Defense that much better....Of course IMHO , an emphasis on proper tackling DEFINITELY can't hurt....I hope Jauron will do that....

I do remember what I heard from Heckert last year and his stance on free agency and it was to bring in the necessary pieces and to fill holes so that when the draft came you didn't have to reach and leave talent on the board. That being said, I'm not sure if they are willing to spend the money on a half of a dozen starters, or even if we COULD considering the whole CBA issue ...

No, thanks to Mangini.

This article, basically makes the point, You are going to have to get used to Mortgaging the future by spending All your draft picks on Lousy Front 7 defense which never wins.

This is because the Loons in the past put you in this position by not developing any talent.

If there is any talent you have, they don't want to stick around so you can't count on their development in the future.

Basically You need to count on a Mortgage of Anything you have possible to get better, meaning draft picks, to just FIELD A TEAM

This article says you need to neglect the offense to return to the glory of another 5 win season, 16 or 18 it doesn't matter.

SO HERE YOU ARE BACK TO 2003, whenever they drafted Kamerion Wimbley
I Say NO , I don't Beleive it,

You have to mortgage everything to get back to last place ? !!!!!!

Disgusting ! ! ! ! ! ! !

on another note. Does this mean they can get Claiborne from Iowa with the #6 pick?

I know they need a 340-360 lb defensive tackle, I'll give you that,

The only reason this happens is because of Stupid STUPID STUPID!! moves like the trade for all the Jets in the draft in 2008.

They Cant re sign anyone, they Dont use their draft picks, They only do STUPID deals with East Coast Teams,
They only collect Also Rans and Sup par talent!

They let EVERY PICK go after 4 years, Pool Jones, now its going to be Dqwell, Harrisson, dozens of examples.

These Minor League Maneuvers are disgusting.


This article is More off season hype,

THINK ABOUT IT! YOU CAN'T ASSEMBLE A TEAM WITH A ROSTER OF PLAYERS AFTER 11 YEARS!!!
E L E V E N YEARRRRRRSSSSS!!

Are you serious?

The drafting of Wimbley was arguably the dumbest move since the return. thing is I actually liked Wimbley but he was a 3rd or 4th round talent. No way do you take someone with no gameday performances over one of the most dominate DT's in college.



Now with all that said, there is a world of 4-3 DT talent out there because most of these guys hate playing in the 3-4. It is why i have no problem with Haynesworth. (They lied to him, he lied to them) He is just more vocal than most about playing in the 3-4. Finding DT's should not be an issue.

Finding talented DE's is an issue for us. There is a league wide shortage of good 4-3 DE's.

Linebacker as I said in the other thread shouldnt be a huge problem. We have 15 linebackers on roster and the league is full of undersized linebackers looking for work as they dont fit the 3-4 defense.

Wimbley was not a 3rd/4th round talent.. He was a first round talent. Link And he wasn't a bad pick. He produced. What more do you want from the guy? For him to play on offense too and score points.. So tired of hearing all this crying about Wimbley vs. Ngata. Get over it.

He was a PROJECT and never ever, no way in the 9 levels of hell should he ever been taken in the first round. This was another case of the Browns outsmarting themselves on draft day. The guy had no pass rush moves, he sucked against the run and we take him top 15.

When you see star potential in a player, you cant blind yourself to everything else. You also cant bid against yourself for that player.

I hope the Browns have learned from their many mistakes.

To ask a dlineman who is use to just rushing the passer, to move to LB.. I think Wimbley has done well. The Browns should have kept him, and moving back to the 4-3, they definitely should have kept him. He had 9 sacks this past season playing for a new team, which ranked 22nd in the league, with the high being 15.5. I'd take that kind of player.

I don't think Wimbley is a bad player (although he was anemic in '07 and '08). But anytime you use a 1st round pick on a player and he is gone after only four years, that is a bad pick.

It also doesn't help that a dominant All-Pro was selected by a division rival the pick before. The pick we traded them.

He's a "bad" pick, yet the Raiders are making it a priority to re-sign him. link

From what I can remember the Raiders didn't pick him.

Good trade for them, bad pick for us.

I think the Browns FO are considering drafting a dlineman in the 1st.. The obvious choice would be a WR, but not sure Heckert and company will go for it...

I can see shurmur pulling for him hard, but with heckerts/holmgrens draft history... not sure if it happens. Defense just MIGHT be the right way to go unfortunately.

I'm thinking we need 4-3 type DL and 4-3 type LB.

who on the team fits that mold?

Subtract that and that is what we need.......

I still want Rogers back for some reason.

I agree that we should see Rogers back next season. I'm a huge Rogers fan, but he is getting a little long in the tooth, and we aren't winning enough to keep him motivated.

Even still, he's a better talent than whoever we would get to replace him, so he'll have to do for another year or two. Also, he's one of the few people on this team that could make a transition to 4-3 easier. Arguably, we could see a marked rise in his level of play when he gets plugged back into a 4-3. We'll see.

The question is how many of those would you be comfortable with as starters? Taking the top 3 or 4 of these, then adding in 1 or 2 via FA (if we have it) and getting another 2 defensive starters / immediate contributors via the draft leaves us with a manageable front 7

Quote:

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Fit
Rogers- Should be more productive in a 4-3, avoiding doubles

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I would love to see Rogers playing to his potential because he has the ability to be one of the best defensive linemen in the NFL.

But, other than his first season with the Browns, Rogers has been playing at a level well below his potential. I think Rogers has wanted out of Cleveland ever since Crennel was fired and has done everything he could to get out.

Might be best for the Browns to move in a different direction...

Seems that, with his size (6'6'' 285), Mitchell is more of a tackle in the 4-3.

CLEVELAND -- ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. thinks he's got the Browns' top draft candidates at No. 6 nailed down.

"I think it's pretty easy to project the Cleveland Browns in terms of what they need and what will be there," Kiper said on a conference call today. "A.J. Green and Robert Quinn would be the two candidates."

Green is the draft's top-rated receiver from Georgia. He's 6-4 and 212 pounds and Kiper said he could play in any offensive style.

Quinn, a 6-5, 268-pound defensive end from North Carolina, is one of the many highly rated defensive linemen in the coming draft. Quinn, a junior, missed the 2010 season after being declared "permanently ineligible" for accepting improper benefits.

Kiper officially lists Green as his choice for the Browns in his first mock draft.

"He's an angular kid, beats you vertically, a good route runner," Kiper said. "He took hits in traffic and didn't give up the football. I don't see any major hole in his game. I think Green translates pretty much to any offense with the skill level he has."

Kiper doesn't buy the theory that wide receivers shouldn't be taken so high in the first round.

"I look back at Larry Fitzgerald. Would you have been shy about taking him? Would you have been shy about taking Andre Johnson? I don't think so," he said. "There's been other examples of guys going pretty early that have done very very well. I don't shy away from it.

"You look at the sixth pick, it's not the first, second or third pick. A.J. Green is worthy of being one of the top guys. He's no. 3 on my board. Julio Jones (of Alabama) I have at 10. It's not like you're taking him No. 1 overall or No. 2. So I don't see the fear at six."

Kiper said if the Browns consider a pass rusher to fit into their expected new, 4-3 defensive front a greater need, Quinn would be the guy.

Quinn was expected to be one of the top three players chosen in the draft until he was ruled ineligible for the 2010 season for accepting about $5,600 in agent-related benefits and travel accomodations.

"f you feel you have to get that pass rusher, Robert Quinn could be a tremendous pass rusher in the NFL," Kiper said. "This kid was unbelievable two years ago. He's gonna be a freakish workout guy. You might feel this kid can be an unbelievable guy.

"He would've been a first, second or third pick had he played this year. You can make an argument for Quinn, no question."

Kiper said a "no-brainer" would be Clemson defensive end DaQuan Bowers, but he expected him to be taken before the Browns' pick at No. 6.

By Tony Grossi, The Plain Dealer

Yea.. I expect Rogers to do extremely well next season the way he shoots gaps.. Expect to hear his name called by the announcers a lot.

The guy's been in the league for 5 years and has 22 tackles.

Let's not go completely haywire here ........

I want Quinn too.. Browns could just go w/ Jonathan Baldwin in the 2nd if they still want a fairly talented WR.

Any chance the league can grant Quinn an exemption to wear #10?

I have a jersey that I can bring back from the dead.

LOL.. I completely forgot about that guy..

Ndamukong Suh...307 pounds.

Darnell Dockett...290 pounds (would play and has played DT in a 4-3)

Barry Cofield...306 pounds.

Gerald McCoy...295 pounds

Kevin Williams...311 pounds

So yeah, there's that.