DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Cleveland Browns get 'D' free agency grade from ESPN insiders

And hopefully, not have to allocate so much money in the early part of the first round Although we moved outside the top 10 this year!

That's progress for Cleveland.

Browns owner Jimmy Haslam confirms Ray Farmer sent texts, but says he fully supports embattled GM

"Ray's smart. He works hard. I think he understands football. He's been in football all his life. He relates extremely well to players. He knows it not only from a personnel standpoint, but from the way a game should be run and managed standpoint


http://www.ohio.com/blogs/cleveland-browns/cleveland-browns-1.270107/browns-owner-jimmy-haslam-confirms-ray-farmer-sent-texts-but-says-he-fully-supports-embattled-gm-1.566114?%3F%3F=

Not trying to nitpick, but the team as a whole had only a half a good year. I can't blame everything on Hoyer.

I could list all the things I think may have contributed but that would bore ya..

you would be a hoyer apologists if you tried.

I'm okay with our free agency so far.

I like Bowe/Hartline. Wish there were better options, this is a rare FA with little options at WR. I'm fine with Starks and Williams, don't care about age or $$$ on those deals. Not going to hurt us long-term in any way. McCown, I don't really understand that type of $$$, we'll see. But I kind of see him as Hoyer without the drama.

No problems with any of the departures. Skrine, take the yellow flag with you.

I certainly won't say there weren't other contributing factors. I'm neither anti-Hoyer nor a huge Hoyer supporter. The run game went south after Mack's injury. When Gordon came back he was more of a handicap than a help. I'm certainly one who understands there were other factors.

However, I will also say there were things that solely rested on Hoyer's shoulders that also went south. Hoyer's deep balls were never usually good. He simply didn't have the arm strength needed. Some looked more like WR's waiting for punts rather than a WR making a catch. This was something that was noticeable early on though.

What I saw that noticeably stood out to me was that Hoyer's footwork got progressively worse. Something that over time you would expect to do just the opposite. You expect progression in this regard, not regression. His overall mechanics just seemed to go downhill.

Now I do understand that with a diminishing run game it put more weight on his shoulders. But I also understand this FO not wanting to make a big commitment to someone who from appearances, seems to be going backwards.

+ 1. I think Skrine got paid a lot so that's why I'm okay seeing him go. He's the highest paid nickel corner in the NFL lol, unless maybe the Jets planning to trade him for a pick or in a deal for a pick(s)? Who knows, but Jets as of now have the best trio of corners and maybe they fully intend going into regular season with that. I also don't fully get the McCown money but if the offense is going to be back to running hte ball at-will, heck maybe even JF can play starter and do decent.

...

"D" is reasonable grade, we didn't make any splash signings or spend a ton of money - but the front office made it clear that would be the case. I too am okay with FA, it provides some stop gaps at some positions.

His statements to me suggests that he knows Farmer was a former player and understands how things are run, not the way you state it as if he was telling Farmer to override Pettine.

I "THINK" he understands football??????
Hilarious.

j/c every time we get a good grade... we stink it up. every time we get made fun of... we do well. I'll take the grade.

A "D"... That's an improvement, so I"m not complaining.

All the other free agency threads are locked, so I thought I'd put this here:

Eagles sign Miles Austin

Saw that earlier today. Did we still have him signed? Will we get a compensatory pick for him? Sad to see him go. He could at least push the young guys in camp....

His contract is pretty low, so if we got any picks for him they'd be very late. Austin was gone the minute we signed Bowe.

I wish Austin the best. He was a very key piece to what offense we had last year until he thought it'd be a wise choice to try to hurdle someone. The fact that he stuck around with the team, attended meetings and traveled with the team even after being sidelined with the injury is a testament to the man's character.

Again, I wish him NOTHING but the best!

+1

If we still had him signed then the Eagles would not have been able to sign him.

Obviously there were more teams interested in Josh, just may have not been reported. However he was the consensus top free agent QB.

He was? That's news to me.

Yep, its called google. amazing thing

Free Agency thread locked so, for your viewing pleasure:

Ravens sign Matt Schaub lol!

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/03/31/ravens-sign-matt-schaub/

This would make a lot more sense if Kubiak was still around.

Just basic interview on the site, thought I'd post it.

Joe Thomas interview

Outside of an occasional University of Wisconsin basketball highlight, Joe Thomas hasn’t watched sports since the NFL playoffs concluded. He’s completely unplugged himself on his property in Wisconsin. Besides checking in briefly with new offensive coordinator John DeFilippo, Thomas has even kept his cell phone away from sight.

Thomas stopped by the Browns’ facility last week for a Play 60 event and sat down with ClevelandBrowns.com

Q: How important will Alex Mack’s return to the offensive line be?

Joe Thomas: Well he’s obviously a huge part of our offense. Being the center, right in the middle of the offensive line, he’s the one that makes all the calls on the line. He gets everybody lined up in protections and in the run game. He’s a huge part and obviously he’s the best center in the NFL. His loss (to an injury) last year really hurt us. Having him back will be a huge boost for the entire offense.

Q: There has been a lot of turnover on the Browns’ offensive coaching staff this year, but not on the offensive line. Coaches Andy Moeller and George DeLeone are both back. How important is that continuity with your position coaches returning?

Joe Thomas: I think it’s really important. The offensive line is all about cohesion and communication. That starts with the offensive line coaches and it trickles down to the players. Having the same guys teaching the same coaching methods is going to be a huge thing for us. For a guy like Joel Bitonio, I think that’s really important. As a young player it’s important to get your feet under yourself and have some consistency early in your career.

Q: What are your expectations of Mike Pettine in year two?

Joe Thomas: I’m really excited coach Pettine is back for his second season. I think he kind of surprised everybody in the NFL with the job he did in his first season. He proved that the job is not too big for him. He proved that he was definitely ready to be an NFL coach. I think he’s going to make big strides in his second season. And I think you are going to see that in our win/loss record. He does a great job with his steady approach. He’s not a roller coaster guy. He’s very blunt. He tells you how it is. I think those are great attributes to have as an NFL coach.

Q: What are your initial thoughts on what wide receivers Dwayne Bowe and Brian Hartline will bring to the Browns?

Joe Thomas: You look at those two guys and they are two different receivers. They both are really going to help us and fill a void and a need. Dwayne is a big, fast, physical receiver and he’ll be a guy that can take a top off a defense. I think Brian is going to do a great job with a lot of the underneath stuff. He’s going to be a great compliment in the slot to Andrew Hawkins.

Q: How else are you spending your off-time?

Joe Thomas: Well from February to April the most important thing, no matter what the pundits on ESPN tell you, is to get away from the game, mentally refocus and to spend time with your family. Because once April starts, it’s pretty much a grind all the way until the end of the season in January. It’s important to be refreshed and recharged.

Nice that they didn't ask him about the QB position. Don't need to put him on the spot like that. I mean really, what's he going to say... "We need one." done.

I'd rather have Schaub than McCown.

That's an...interesting opinion.

Interesting? How so?

Show me career numbers that make it so "interesting?" Thanks in advance.

Schaub has been in a heavy downward slope the last few years. Last year he threw 10 passes, and 2 of them were intercepted. It's unfair to totally judge McCown just on last year because he was doomed without an OC.

McCown is still an acceptable backup. Schaub has a dead arm.

Biased and inaccurate, but at least it was "interesting" to see how well you falsified the truth.

What did I falsify?

I asked you to provide career numbers. You completely ignored that and posted some crap about Schaub only throwing 10 passes this past year and that he has a dead arm. You then blamed McCown's poor showing on the team he played for. That is the same team that cut his ass after just one year.

You wanna keep going w/this?

You seem like an angry person. In most of your posts. Relax.

Yes I do, because I fail to see how Career numbers are indicative of anything other than Schaub USED to be a good QB. So fair enough, I ignored posting the career numbers because they don't prove anything worthwhile.

But if you wish, Schaub has been a much better career QB. His career numbers are very good. McCown's aren't.

Angry person? That is an insult.

I was suspended for calling Memphis a liar after he said I was a liar when I clearly was NOT lying.

Wonder if you will be suspended for calling me a name?

Btw-----why do you stalk me? Inferiority complex? Control issues? Lack of self esteem? Whatever it is..........it's creepy.

Okay.......at least you are honest, unlike most around here.

Let me ask you this..........what makes you think McCown is better based on his career numbers and most importantly [according to your most recent logic] on what he did last year?

I didn't call you a name. I said you seem like an angry person. Post after post, you prove it.

What is creepy is your seeming anger.

I am not angry at all, but thanks for your concern.

Weird.

Statistically, he put up numbers similar to the last year Schaub started, so statistically, I have little hope.

However, I've watched a few games he played. His arm still looks strong and the offense just looked really poorly designed. It seems like it's unfair to say that, making it a cop out, but really McCown got a raw deal in Tampa. It was a poorly designed fit from the start.

I'm mildly optimistic that with the line that he'll have in front of him, McCown will look competent.

I like that you took the time to present a logical argument. I did not like the sarcasm of you saying me preferring Schaub over McCown as "interesting," as if it was ludicrous.

I will let it go. Let's hope you are right and McCown plays well.