ORLANDO, Fla. -- Browns coach Mike Pettine, speaking to reporters for an hour at the NFL Annual Meeting AFC coaches breakfast Tuesday, said "it's a possibility'' the Browns will start a rookie quarterback in 2014, and he's looking for one who has that "it factor.''
Here are some quick notes from Pettine's comments:
• He said he'll attend all of the private workouts of quarterbacks, including Johnny Manziel, Teddy Bridgewater and Blake Bortles and "it's a big list.''
• For now, the schedule of private workouts contains quarterbacks only.
• He called Fresno State quarterback Derek Carr "the best natural thrower in the draft'' and added, "don't bet against family history (referring to his big brother, David, a former first-round pick).''
• He said he won't attend the Pro Day Thursday of Manziel. Neither will Browns general manager Ray Farmer, offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan or quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains.
• He called Manziel "a gifted playmaker. The play starts when he makes the first guy miss.'' He said he doesn't think there's any reason that Manziel can't play in structure.
• He described Clemson receiver Sammy Watkins as "an explosive playmaker, plays violently, has passion, loves the game.'' They interviewed him at the NFL Scouting Combine.
• He said Bridgewater is "NFL-ready, extremely accurate, cerebral, has a calming presence and quiet confidence.''
•He said of Bortles: "If you draw me an NFL quarterback, that's probably who you'd draw.''
• On South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney: "He's a freakish athlete. As a defensive coach, I don't think I'd be too sad to turn in the card on Clowney at No. 4.''
• He said it's possible that the Browns will draft two quarterbacks.
• On top draft prospect Khalil Mack, the linebacker from the University of Buffalo: "He's an explosive athlete, can play on and off the ball, plays violently.'' He said his current strong crop of linebackers wouldn't preclude him from drafting Mack.
• He said the team will discuss free-agent quarterback Mark Sanchez, who is set to sign with the Eagles. He said he really likes Sanchez and was with with him when he took the Jets to the AFC Championship Game as a rookie. "I have a great relationship with him.''
• He said former Bills defensive end Alex Carrington, who visited the Browns last week, is still a possibility. Carrington started three games for Pettine last year before tearing his quadriceps and undergoing surgery.
• He acknowledged that the Browns "kicked around'' acquiring cornerback Darrelle Revis, but "I don't know how serious it ever got.'' Revis ended up signing with New England.
• He stressed that if a quarterback is the best available player at No. 4, the Browns will take him. If not, they can draft one later, and that even a later-round pick will have a chance to start. He used third-round pick Russell Wilson of the Super Bowl champion Seahawks as an example.
• He said running back Ben Tate can "absolutely'' be the Browns' featured back and that he's not concerned about his durability.
• He said Paul Kruger and Barkevious Mingo have "flashed the ability'' to disrupt the quarterback, and it's his staff's job to get them to do it on a consistent basis. He noted that Mingo has some "technique things'' that have to be cleared up.
• He said Karlos Dansby was the team's top target at inside linebacker and Donte Whitner was the club's top target at safety. He said the goal was to get tougher up the middle of the defense. As for Dansby's big playmaking ability, he said he's "really figured it out'' at this later stage in his career.
Quote: You're ability to read between the lines is truly astonishing.
You get that he doesn't like Bortles from this:
Quote: "If you draw me an NFL quarterback, that's probably who you'd draw.''
Actually, I got that from that, too. In coach speak, you never talk bad about a player. You, instead, praise what you can... in this case, the best he could say is that Bortles looks the part. What he didn't say is anything about his ability/inability to play. I also think that it is somewhat telling that the reported blurbs for Manziel & Bortles are rather abrupt, whereas the others are praising more than one thing.
Yup, it is reading between the lines at its finest, but that's what we do on message boards
Browns is the Browns
... there goes Joe Thomas, the best there ever was in this game.
The only things in this article worth anything is that we are going to have private workouts with the QBs. If you read the draft forum you know there is some debate over Bridgewater and if we would have a private workout with him. Also, we met with Watkins, not that it means a thing.
What Pettine said was meaningless. IF the public can actually get a feel for which QB Pettine likes in the draft then he's doing a terrible job for us and should be locked in a room to keep him from tipping our hand.
I have to say "butt rustled" is now my favorite, new expression.
And now to get it back on topic, if we want to talk about something, we should talk about how he left Sheard off the list when he was celebrating the play of Mingo and Kruger.
Quote: And now to get it back on topic, if we want to talk about something, we should talk about how he left Sheard off the list when he was celebrating the play of Mingo and Kruger.
Actually I don't see his comments on both Mingo and Kruger as "celebrating their play"......
Seems to me since both Kruger and Mingo especially were designed acquisitions for pressuring and getting to the QB, his comments would indicate they've shown "flashes of it" but need work to have more consistency at it. And you can see that as it pertains to his comment regarding Mingos technique.
I would think leaving Sheard out of such comments would be a good thing.
JMHO
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Browns coach Mike Pettine and other key members of the staff will soon begin their Tour De Quarterback to determine which -- if any --of the top college prospects is worthy of their No. 4 overall pick.
The cross-country journey will include private workouts with all of the big-name quarterbacks in the draft such as Teddy Bridgewater, Johnny Manziel, Blake Bortles and Derek Carr. It will also feature a host of second-tier quarterbacks, which is likely to include Eastern Illinois' Jimmy Garoppolo and Georgia's Aaron Murray.
General manager Ray Farmer, offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan and quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains will also attend the workouts, but owner Jimmy Haslam will not.
"We're getting ready to embark on a little bit of a tour to go out and work out a lot of these quarterbacks,'' coach Mike Pettine said Tuesday at the NFL Annual Meeting AFC coaches breakfast. "Having a guy like Brian Hoyer, who's proven himself as a starter even though the sample size is small, we feel good about where we are. That way, if the right quarterback for the Browns is there at No. 4, we'll turn the card in. If that's later in the draft, it's later in the draft.''
Whether they find their man in the first round or third, where Super Bowl winner Russell Wilson was unearthed, the Browns are likely to draft a player they hope will become their quarterback of the future. Not landing a veteran quarterback in free agency such as Matt Schaub underscored the importance of finding one in the draft.
"We're doing our homework on all these guys and we’re going to log a lot of miles here in the next couple weeks and hopefully we can find that quarterback that’s going best serve the Cleveland Browns,'' said Pettine. "It’s a position that’s important for us and we're putting a lot of work into it. The fourth pick, there’s going to be some outstanding players available. But. …if that best player is a quarterback, we’re in a position to take him. And if it’s not, it’s a deep enough class that we could pursue that option later in the draft.''
Pettine revealed that list of private workouts currently includes only quarterbacks and that "it’s a big list. This is a deep and varied quarterback class. That’s the interesting thing. You have pro-style offenses in college, like what Bridgewater did. You have Manziel at Texas A&M, which is pro style, but there’s a different element to him. All the skillsets. Then you have guys a little bit more (from the) spread type. But there’s more than just the first three. There are some other guys down the line that are impressive on their college teams.''
He said it's conceivable that the Browns starting quarterback could come from the second tier of prospects and not drafted high. The Browns also have the No. 26 pick in the first round and the No. 35 pick at the top of the second round.
"You saw a guy like Russell Wilson that was taken where he was taken and very quickly found his way in the lineup,'' said Pettine. "Once guys are in, where they were taken and how we acquired them, that disappears. If we get an undrafted free agent quarterback and he comes in and wows everybody and ends up being the starter, then he'll be the starter.''
He acknowledged that "it's a possibility'' that he'll start a rookie quarterback this season and that he wouldn't hesitate to do so.
"I was part of Mark Sanchez starting and taking us to the AFC Championship Game with the Jets,'' said Pettine. "I was part of Joe Flacco actually coming out of training camp as the third (quarterback) in Baltimore. The original plan was not to start him. He ended up basically on very short starter's reps. He ended up being the starter and took us to an AFC Championship Game, so I think when you build the team around them and you minimize the importance of that position, you can be successful with a rookie.''
He noted that it's also possible that the Browns would draft two quarterbacks to stockpile their quarterback room, which currently includes Hoyer and inexperienced Alex Tanney.
"I don’t think we’d hesitate to add that player, whether it’s a second quarterback if we’ve already taken one,'' said Pettine. "I don’t think Ray (Farmer) would be against that at all.''
He emphasized that he's looking for intangibles more than anything when he crisscrosses the country.
"The nice thing about the system Kyle runs is he’s gotten it done with some different types, so we’re not as locked in to a specific type,'' said Pettine. "I’m looking for a guy that’s got that ‘it’ factor – not necessarily starting with the physical talent first. (We'll) do a lot of homework from a background standpoint, talking to guys, people they’ve played with, coaches, just trying to see who has that ‘it’ factor. You see a lot of guys that have the physical talent to play and there’s just something missing. I think you’ve seen a lot of guys that have overcome not having a huge arm, not being the fastest. They’ve overcome it with the intangibles.''
With that in mind, Pettine provided a mini-scouting report on the top four quarterbacks:
* Bortles: "He has all the measurables. If you look at him, if you said draw me an NFL quarterback, that's probably who you'd draw. I think the thing that's impressive about him is his ability in crunch time in a lot of tight games, a lot of come-from-behind wins, you can see he's confident, can make all the throws, I think he's a better athlete than some people give him credit for.''
* Bridgewater: "I think he's extremely accurate. You can tell he's a very cerebral quarterback. He understands the game very well. Understands coverages, that kind of jumps off the tape at you. To me, he seems very unfazed by things. He plays very well under pressure. He's a guy that's NFL-ready. It doesn't seem to be to big for him. He kind of has that calming presence out there. Some quarterbacks get real emotional, get real fired up and he's not that. He kind of has that quiet confidence about him.''
* Manziel: "Gifted playmaker. The play starts when he makes the first guy miss. That's exciting to watch, but to transition to the NFL, he'll have to be able to play in structure, his fifth-step, his foot hits the ground that he can execute a throw. I don't think there's any reason to think that wouldn't happen and I think he's capable of doing it, but when you have that ability to improvise like that, that's what makes him special and maybe separates him from other guys.The questions that people have are if you try to force him to be that classic pocket quarterback, will that affect his ability to make those plays that he’s made? I think the kid understands that.''
* Derek Carr: "I think he's the best natural thrower as far as arm strength in the draft. Very physically-gifted. And a lot of times it's hard to bet against the family history as well (he's the younger brother of former No. 1 overall pick David Carr). You're talking about like a Jake Matthews that it's the old 'don't bet against the genetics.' I think he certainly falls into that category as well.''
As for bringing in a veteran quarterback such as a Rex Grossman to compete with Hoyer, Pettine said, "That’s a fluid situation. You just kind of monitor who’s available. We don’t have a game until September, so I don’t think we’re in a huge rush. But if there’s one we think will help us, we’ll explore that option. Quarterback is just a hot topic.''
Quote: "Having a guy like Brian Hoyer, who's proven himself as a starter even though the sample size is small, we feel good about where we are. That way, if the right quarterback for the Browns is there at No. 4, we'll turn the card in. If that's later in the draft, it's later in the draft.''
I love that phrase; never heard it before and I plan to use it at least several times yet this week! The who is performing the task is then a "butt rustler" by extension. Conjugation is my life. Thanx fer the new phrase.
"Every responsibility implies opportunity, and every opportunity implies responsibility." Otis Allen Glazebrook, 1880
Quote: "Having a guy like Brian Hoyer, who's proven himself as a starter even though the sample size is small, we feel good about where we are. That way, if the right quarterback for the Browns is there at No. 4, we'll turn the card in. If that's later in the draft, it's later in the draft.''
While we can all debate who that target is, this does indicate that they do believe one of the top rated QB's ranked as worthy of our pick at #4.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Cleveland Browns have been the butt of jokes for many years, but first-year coach Mike Pettine is not laughing.
It is easy to poke fun at an organization that drafted Tim Couch, William Green and Brady Quinn. And Courtney Brown and Gerard Warren. And ... you get the point.
The Browns are also known for firing Bill Belichick, who has emerged into one of the best coaches in NFL history. Pettine is Cleveland’s fifth coach over the past seven years, following the bad legacies of Romeo Crennel, Eric Mangini, Pat Shurmur and Rob Chudzinski. Cleveland has not been to the playoffs since the 2002 season, and the Browns have not won more than five games in a season since finishing 10-6 in 2007.
Yes, there is more.
Jason Campbell, Brian Hoyer and Brandon Weeden started at quarterback for the Browns last season. Hoyer at least gave Cleveland a glimmer of hope, and was 3-0 as a starter, but sustained a season-ending knee injury. Running back Trent Richardson was traded after two games. Chudzinski and general manager Mike Lombardi were fired after one season.
Nevertheless, Pettine is optimistic Cleveland will turn things around and make a playoff run this season. That would be nothing short of a miracle considering the team’s consistent struggles, although Pettine doesn't believe it would take divine intervention.
"I wouldn’t call it a miracle," Pettine said at the NFL owners meetings. "Some people in Cleveland might think that. It’s hard to really get to that point when we’re still right at the infant stages. We haven’t even had access to the players yet, but we want to build that culture, that mentality, that we approach every game we prepared well, we’re going to go win, and have more than every opportunity to win. One game at a time is a cliché for a reason. I don’t think you can caught up with before the season we’re going to win 10 or 11 games. You prepare to go 1-0. If you win it, you prepare to go 2-0."
Okay, the Browns making a playoff run sounds like another feel good offseason story, but there are plenty of reasons to believe this could be the year.
Cleveland receiver Josh Gordon, tight end Jordan Cameron, cornerback Joe Haden, center Alex Mack and offensive tackle Joe Thomas were Pro Bowl selections last year. Gordon led the NFL in receiving yards (1,646) and had nine touchdowns, while Cameron had 917 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.
Mack received the transition tag, which allows any team to negotiate with the center, but gives Cleveland an opportunity to match the offer.
In addition to the returning talent, Cleveland signed running back Ben Tate, safety Donte Whitner, receiver Andrew Hawkins, and linebacker Karlos Dansby during free agency. Cleveland could select a quarterback during the NFL draft, which would add to the impressive talent the Browns already have.
Last season, Kansas City, San Diego, Philadelphia, Carolina and New Orleans made the playoffs after missing the postseason in 2012. The Chiefs finished 11-5 in 2013 after a 2-14 record the year before.
Cleveland finished 4-12 last season, and Pettine wants his squad to be on the list teams that made the playoffs after a subpar year.
"That’s the reason we brought in guys from other organizations who have won, to change that mentality and change that culture," Pettine said. "You look at the NFL, and you look at the number of teams, it’s an average of more than four a year that make the playoffs that didn’t make it year the before, or you have how many consecutive years of a team going from worst to first? The players have to understand that and realize that and ask ‘Why not us?’ Sometimes overcoming the mental is more important than the physical.
"I think that’s what we’re progressing toward, and that’s why we’re excited about this draft. We have a chance to make a huge impact on this roster. You can’t be in the NFL and talk about reclamation projects. We’re in the win now (business). When you look at it as a slow process, you’re doing yourself, your fans, your team, your staff a disservice. The way the league is structured, the promotion of parity, I think things can turn very quickly."
- - - - - - -
Anwar S Richardson is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at NFLAnwar@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @AnwarRichardson
One thing I have noticed about a lot of teams that turn it around from a losing culture: in the turnaround season, they turn it around early, and they fly with that momentum.
One thing that has almost been consistent since our return is losing early in the season. I really hope that we go up against a good team early on in the season (i.e. first two games) and just metaphorically punch the gorilla right in the face.
I really agree with him that mentality has a ton to do with it...and lately, we haven't been mentally tough.
Blue ostriches on crack float on milkshakes between the sidewalk titans of gurglefitz. --YTown
I love the fact that he that he doesn't give a rat's patootie about any stigma attached to the Browns or any past perceived (or real) culture of losing, that winning will be the culture moving forward. Period. End of story.
"I am undeterred and I am undaunted." --Kevin Stefanski
"Big hairy American winning machines." --Baker Mayfield
Pretty stupid article written by Mary Kay outside of the comments by Mike. Here are some highlights:
Quote: "We really liked Barkevious coming out of LSU a year ago, so he’s a guy that has freakish ability,'' Pettine said at NFL Annual Meeting AFC coaches breakfast Tuesday morning. "But he’s got some technique things that need to get cleaned up.''
Quote: "(Kruger) had a special year in Baltimore when they won the Super Bowl,'' said Pettine. "A lot of people think he took a step backward last year. We’re looking forward to getting with Paul and seeing what makes him tick and seeing if we can get him going.''
Quote: "Jabaal Sheard is a guy that’s kind of under the NFL radar,'' said Pettine. "We use the phrase ‘play like a Brown’ – guys that are relentless and passionate, productive – I think he really epitomizes that. He’s a guy that plays that position violently. I’m very much looking forward to getting him in.''
I'm not sure what those words mean, when thinking of the Browns since 1999 to today.
Today's players would have to go back to the years when the Browns got close to making it to the Super Bowl to find examples of a team of players who busted their tail to win...but fell just short of their ultimate goal.
"Play like a Brown" has not been defined yet by the teams from 1999 to today.
If we define "Play like a Brown" in the context of winning a championship, we have to go back to 1964...or about 20 yrs before the oldest members of today's Browns were born.
I don't put a lot of stock into "the talk" that each new coaching staff and regime has to say. A lot of people can say stuff that looks good on paper.
I'm far more interested in their results. I'll hold onto my opinion until I see results rather than try to base it on how people look or what people say.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
Quote: I don't put a lot of stock into "the talk" that each new coaching staff and regime has to say. A lot of people can say stuff that looks good on paper.
I'm far more interested in their results. I'll hold onto my opinion until I see results rather than try to base it on how people look or what people say.
Bingo....Well said, I was just thinking after reading a few of these feel good stories, that enough is enough, been there heard that, dont wanna read it or hear it, just win.....I dontr care if your popular with the media, I dont care if your popular with the senior citizens, I dont care if you like cats or dont like cats, just win....WIN
Quote: .....I dontr care if your popular with the media, I dont care if your popular with the senior citizens, I dont care if you like cats or dont like cats, just win....WIN
I won't discount the importance of wins, but "being popular" carries its' own importance to the PR of a team and therefore to its' financial bottom line...
When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the losers...Socrates
Quote: I don't put a lot of stock into "the talk" that each new coaching staff and regime has to say. A lot of people can say stuff that looks good on paper.
I'm far more interested in their results. I'll hold onto my opinion until I see results rather than try to base it on how people look or what people say.
Bingo....Well said, I was just thinking after reading a few of these feel good stories, that enough is enough, been there heard that, dont wanna read it or hear it, just win.....I dontr care if your popular with the media, I dont care if your popular with the senior citizens, I dont care if you like cats or dont like cats, just win....WIN
You say that, yet you come into a thread that you know is going to contain just that kind of rhetoric from our new coach. Not sure what else you would expect our new coach to be saying this time of year. We all want to win
![[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]](https://i.imgur.com/hfMNC7T.jpg)
Love it He gave em something to talk about!!!!!!!Yeah. 
![[Linked Image]](http://www.dawgtalkers.net/uploads/small-gator-chomp.gif)
