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http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2011/06/fullback_lawrence_vickers_bewi.html

Fullback Lawrence Vickers bewildered by Cleveland Browns' selection of Owen Marecic
Published: Saturday, June 04, 2011, 2:29 AM Updated: Saturday, June 04, 2011, 2:30 AM

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Free-agent fullback Lawrence Vickers isn't angry about the Browns' evident decision to replace him with fourth-round draft pick Owen Marecic of Stanford. He just doesn't understand it.

Vickers wasn't given a contract tender by the Browns before the owners' lockout. He hasn't spoken to new coach Pat Shurmur or General Manager Tom Heckert about his future.

When the team selected Marecic on the third day of the draft, "I was like, 'Wow,' but at the same time I laughed. I don't know what their plans are," Vickers said. He spoke publicly about his future for the first time in a phone interview.

"I'm not disappointed because I understand business totally," Vickers said. "In business, you've got to make decisions that are for the business.

"If it is the end of me, kudos to Cleveland. I'm not angry. My own personal goal was to be in one spot for my whole career. I love Cleveland. I wanted to be like Kevin Mack, who spent his whole career there.

"If it is my departure in Cleveland, I'm going out with a bang. The team is on the rise.

"Am I mad at Tom or even Mike [Holmgren]? No. I'll see them. I'll shake their hands."

The Browns have never articulated their plans at fullback in their new West Coast offense. After drafting Marecic, Heckert said of Vickers, "When the league starts [after the lockout], we'll see."

Shurmur has said that every back in his offense needs to be able to catch the ball. If Shurmur and his staff determined that Vickers was not a good fit in their offense, Vickers said they made a mistake.

He said he was known as a versatile fullback as a rookie in 2006 coming out of Colorado, which ran an offense copied from Mike Shanahan's West Coast system with the Denver Broncos at the time.

Vickers had more than 500 yards rushing and receiving in his career at Colorado.

"I am a West Coast fullback. That's what they don't understand," he said.

He said he became typecast as a "knockout fullback" the past two years because that's how he earned playing time.

"I was on a team where they don't even use a fullback," he said of the Browns' offense under former coach Eric Mangini. "Mangini's era wasn't really a fullback era. I played just on [the belief that] 'this person has to be on the field.' Everything I got wasn't given. I took it. Our offense was based on New England's. They don't even have a fullback."

Vickers' reputation as an explosive lead-blocker actually began in Romeo Crennel's last two seasons in 2007 and '08. He paved the way for successive 1,000-yard rushing seasons by Jamal Lewis, who was running on bald tires and leaking oil. In 2009, when Lewis went down with concussion symptoms, Vickers' crushing lead blocks helped Jerome Harrison amass 561 yards in the final three games.

"Maybe if I wasn't knocking people out, maybe I'd still be known as a versatile fullback," Vickers said. "Anybody that watches football knows. The last two years, I haven't caught the ball. I wasn't a part of the offense. So I made a way for me to be on the field. That's what a football player does. Anybody that can make his presence on the field without the ball is a helluva guy.

"I played in the West Coast offense at Colorado. When I first came to the NFL, my first carry was at tailback. In [former coordinator Rob Chudzinski] Chud's offense, look at how many passes I caught [23 in two seasons].

"People have short-term memories. I forgive them for that. What I've done for you lately is knock people out. That's only because that's all that was left for me to do."

Vickers is not worried that the traditional fullback position seems to be on the endangered list in the NFL as teams load up on multiple-receiver sets and spread the ball through the air.

"I don't care where you are, you can pass the ball all over the place. Come November and December, you're going to have to run the ball eventually," he said. "Green Bay ran the ball even in their pass offense.

"I think people are getting away from the stud fullbacks because there aren't too many left in the league. But if you have one, you keep him."

Vickers said he won't give up hope of returning to the Browns until he is told, "Vickers, it's over." But he's not blind to the obvious.

"I just hope I don't have to come to Cleveland in a different uniform because it's gonna be bad [for the Browns]," he said. "Those [Browns linebackers] are my guys. They know they will come with it and I will come with it. It's gonna be one of those all-time Cleveland games."

I do think Vickers gets a bad rap for his hands here. He was asked to catch the football from Anderson who was likely to throw the ball anywhere in a 10 foot radius at 90mph to a back coming out of the backfield.

Roger Craig would have had a tough time catching passes from DA.

I really really hope we find a way to keep Vickers for about 3 more years. Let Marecic play special teams, learn the system and make him self effective for spot duty and in case of injury.

Vickers is a WCO FB.

And peen can't convince me otherwise!

This seems like a classless act, totally uncalled for. I wonder what the story is. It must somehow be strike related, having to do with an inability to communicate with players. I can't believe Holmgren & Co. would outright dis a player like this who has done nothing but good things for this team.

I'm only speculating, maybe he wants too much money? I would love to have Vickers back, but the front office obviously doesn't.

I'm all in favor of keeping Vickers myself. Just because we didn't throw to him doesn't mean he can't catch it and is there a better lead blocker in the league?

I'm wondering if the question of money has even come up at this point. If it has, and money is indeed the issue, it would seem that Vickers would be aware of why it's unlikely that he'll be retained.

I like Vickers and hope he stays but last year wasn't a great selling point for him. he was injured at the end of the year and his play just wasn't all that impressive at the beginning of the year. In the middle, he was fantastic.

A lot of these guys weren't happy with being tagged last year and they were very vocal about it. I cant remember if Vickers was one of them but I know both Elam and Matt Roth were butt heads about it.

Personally I think if you are going to use the FB then you better have 2 of them. With the linebackers you face in the afc north, you need 2. Hell in short yardage, I would use 2 FB sets with Hillis running behind them.

Vickers has been a rock in our muddled crappy offense...its a shame if we let him go.

Didn't the Packers carry two full backs?

Packers carried a couple. Jets had 2. We used to carry 2 all the time until Vickers showed he was so durable. I just don't think you can take on Ray Lewis, James Harrison, Ray maualuga without a little help.

Well Marecic played middle linebacker and fullback in college so maybe going against those guys will be similar.

I think they re-sign Vickers and keep two FB's the more I think about it.... To play FB you have to have a certain mentality, and Vickers has that seek blood and kill mentality that teams want. He's not scared on ANYONE!

Nor is the new guy....word is he is a savage.

I doubt Vickers stays.

We may offer him a half ass contract

I really hope Vickers stays. Go ahead and keep two fullbacks. Vickers was a big part of Hillis' sucess last year. He deserves to stay.

The way I see it, FB's don't last as long as your average RB due to the punishment they have to take on every play. So, the FO drafted Vickers replacement....but they'll try to keep Vickers 1-2 more years to make the transition smoother. And like everyone has already said, the FB is an important piece in the WCO....how can you only have ONE FB on the roster? You need two.

Bring Vickers back!

yea.. they'll offer Vickers a contract.. but probably a year or two extension.. i'm sure he'll take it though.

My curiosity mainly revolves around the lack of communication. Is it strike related? If so, there's nothing to be done about it. If not, at least let the man know the team's intentions. If he stays or goes, isn't so much the issue, as much as it is about letting him know what he can expect in the near future regarding housing and a job. Personally I'd like to see him stay, though I can see a case being made for bringing in a young stud at a cheaper price, (if money is actually an issue).

On a side note; I can still see you coming up out of your seat when we drafted a FB in the 4th round

Actually the pick didn't bother me.

I know the kid can catch, and being a 2 way player at a major college tells me he is tough as nails and can be a Manster on special teams.

I don't see him as a one dimensional like Vickers.

I can see him being every bit the goon Vickers was as a blocker(that type of blocking is mostly attitude) as well as adding to the O and being a stud player in the kicking game.

It wouldn't surprise me if at some point down the road we didn't try him at backer.

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It wouldn't surprise me if at some point down the road we didn't try him at backer.

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It would absolutely astonish me if he ever sees the field as a LB.

He is as slow as death. He runs a 4.91 40. There is no way in hell that he fits a Dick Jauron 4-3 that emphasizes speed at LB.

Personally I'd like to see him stay, though I can see a case being made for bringing in a young stud at a cheaper price, (if money is actually an issue).


Money is a issue.

Not the amount of money. It boils down to the value for the dollar.


Vickers doesn't bring much to the table other then blocking.

You don't see Vickers flying down the field to rip the head off a returner. You don't see him making catches or grinding out tough yards let alone breaking a tackle and gaining some yards. You see him make some great blocks.

You don't need highlight blocks. You simply need blocks.


We will be a better team when we replace Vickers with somebody who can actually provide a weapon to the offense.

If the objective is to see monster blocks.....sure....keep Vickers.

If the objective is to start scoring more points, look somewhere else.

The problem that the Browns have is we expect rookies to come in and play and play at a high level.

The Steelers expect rookies to provide depth, learn, then play at a high level when their names are called, usually in Year 2 or 3. At that point they're much better prepared mentally and physically and have been groomed by watching another player play the position well. They know exactly what they're doing.

Vickers could man the position for the next year or two. If he needs a break from taking on Steelers, Ravens and Bengals LBs for a series or two he can get it. And if he goes down we don't have to eliminate half our offensive sets.

You'd have to convince me that it makes sense to depend on one player, a rookie, to man that position.

I agree with that. And the team has said he's a fullback.

Also, if the team wanted to keep Vickers they could have tendered him a contract because under the old CBA he was a restricted free agent.

They tendered Evan Moore, Eric Wright, and D'Qwell Jackson (and signed him to an extension). If they wanted to keep Vickers they would have made it as difficult as possible for other teams to get him.

I love Vickers and I wish we were keeping him. I think he can catch but has just never been given the opportunity to show it. I just don't think he is in the future plans of this team because everything the team has done shows that he isn't. (Not tendering him a contract, drafting a fullback who played in the West Coast in college, etc.)

I think people are just talking themselves into Vickers staying because they like him and the way he plays, but if you put that aside it is very clear that he is just as gone as Matt Roth, Abram Elam, and Chansi Stuckey.

You'd have to convince me that it makes sense to depend on one player, a rookie, to man that position.

He will have to do that.

Look, I can't help it if you and a few others have a man crush on Vickers or the FB position.

Call us traditionalists.

We like collisions and physically dominating the opponent. You like watching sissies try and run away from people. It's okay. Both ways can work.

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The Steelers expect rookies to provide depth, learn, then play at a high level when their names are called, usually in Year 2 or 3.

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But if they have a rookie who is capable of playing right away, he does. For example, Mike Wallace and Maurkice Pouncey.

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If he needs a break from taking on Steelers, Ravens and Bengals LBs for a series or two he can get it.

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So on the 45-man gameday roster you carry two fullbacks? That seems like a waste considering fullbacks don't usually play all that much anyway. I'd rather reserve that spot for an extra defensive back or linebacker.

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You'd have to convince me that it makes sense to depend on one player, a rookie, to man that position.

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You must not know much about Marecic. He played both offense and defense full time at Stanford. So he knew the offensive and defensive playbooks, stayed in shape, and attended team meetings. And maintained a 3.87 GPA (the highest on the team) at Stanford. If there was a player who could handle playing as a rookie (as if there has never been a successful rookie fullback) Owen Marecic is probably that guy.

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We like collisions and physically dominating the opponent.

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Owen Marecic never did any of that...

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Harbaugh is so taken with Marecic that the coach recently wrote a 900-word prepping-for-battle tribute to him—peppered with quotes from Ralph Waldo Emerson and Ernest Hemingway—and read it to the team before the first day of practice. A sample passage: "Now is the time to think of only one thing, that which I was born for. The thousand times that I've proved it meant nothing. Now I am proving it again."

In his office Harbaugh keeps one of the several helmets Marecic has cracked while at Stanford. At Harbaugh's request Marecic signed the helmet, along with words he lives by: TODAY GIVE ALL THAT YOU HAVE, FOR WHAT YOU KEEP INSIDE YOU LOSE FOREVER.

Marecic doesn't get what the big deal is. "These things happen," he says of the busted helmet. "I don't see the glamour in it." To others, it's obvious: It's just the kind of relic that would look at home in Stanford's Hall of Fame.

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SI.com

Did Mike Wallace start right out of the gate? I don't think he did but I could be mistaken.

Most 1st rounders are asked to start as they usually have a high level of talent at a position of need. It's a tribute to the Steelers team that they don't always start there.

I know all about Marecic and I've watched his highlights and read stories about him. I also watch plenty of Stanford games out here.

The FB position is arguably the most physical position in football. And this level of athlete and LBer is much higher than anything he would have experienced in the Pac-10 last year.

I want two FBs on the roster on game days and I want the backup FB to be a big time contributor on special teams. Why is that hard to fathom?

Lastly, why didn't Harbaugh draft him? Just a seeming incongruity with his statement that you highlighted above.

I like the pick and I like him as a player. I also like Vickers as a player and right now he's in the prime of his career. I'd like to keep 2 FBs.

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Lastly, why didn't Harbaugh draft him?

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We don't know what was going on in the 49ers draft room.

Also, I don't think most teams had Marecic going in the 4th round.

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I want two FBs on the roster on game days and I want the backup FB to be a big time contributor on special teams. Why is that hard to fathom?

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Or just have your starting fullback play special teams (as Vickers has). And if he gets hurt sign a fullback to replace him (like the Eagles did when Leonard Weaver got hurt and they signed a pretty good fullback in Owen Schmitt). Fullback is not a hard position to fill.

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I really really hope we find a way to keep Vickers for about 3 more years. Let Marecic play special teams, learn the system and make him self effective for spot duty and in case of injury.

Vickers is a WCO FB.

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jc..

I agree with Held...

Will the Browns rely on an unproven rookie at FB leading for Hillis...or one of the top blocking FBs in the NFL, leading for Hillis?

The Rams did have a FB on the roster in 2010, though they called him a RB...Mike Karney, 5-11, 254 lbs...he had FB type production.

Regardless of the type of offense Shurmur runs, there will be times when the power running game will be needed.

I can see the Browns taking Owen Marecic, due to his versatility, knowing that he may someday be playing the FB position. He also could be used as leverage in the Browns contract talks with Vickers.

I hope the Browns keep Vickers, knowing he is one of the best lead blockers that Hillis could have.

Great Held.....now you have Mac agreeing with you.



I had no doubts before....I rarely do to be honest, but now I know it's a slam dunk in the face rather than just a dunk..

did I miss it? did the article say he wouldn't be resigned or offered a contract?

I mean yeah, it really looks like the handwriting is on the wall for him, but then again, it could be a barganing ploy..

I'll wait and see. I'd like a lot of folks, I wanna see him remain here.

Other RFAs on the team were tendered. Vickers, Elam, and Roth were not.

The 2011 salary cap was $128 million. I can't see it dropping all that much. The tender for players with 5 years and right of 1st refusal plus a pick in the players original round was $1.26 million.

That's a pretty tiny percentage of the salary cap.

If the Browns wanted these players back, they would have tendered them.

Our offense sucked; Vickers never did. Keep him to make stuff happen. Nobody will be standout in every assignment skill; if I was looking to bet the house on a reliable and proven place to build the next step up, Vickers is the man. How about a TWO FB set beyond the WCO. These two could be real hard to stop for pounding ball. He is a class act IMO.

jc

if he was on a winning team, Vickers would be a Pro Bowler EASY!