DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Trade Mack?

offensive line

Xavier Cooper / Billy Winn

I have to agree that there's a lot more to this than meets the eye. It seems odd nobody has pointed that out yet. Good catch ddub.

If as I believe he broke his fibula then the healing time is 6 months NOT 6 weeks and usually (or it used to) with a hip to ankle cast, not fun and a lengthy recovery.

I think Whitner gets to play here as long as he can. I think Phil Taylor is on a short leash, and Erving is just an insurance Policy for the line. Erving will not unseat any of the starter's day one, but he may eventually replace Grecko, Mack (if he leaves) or Schwartz (probably not).

I think Mack stays and Erving takes over for Grecko after this year, Grecko becomes depth.

I pointed it out. Amazing no one on this board even questioned how his rehab was going. Just thought it was a simple broken leg? Nope.

Funny what kind of idea's we come up with while snorting, shooting, or eating the worm.

I'm not sure why the Erving trade means much for Mack -- it clearly demonstrates we are willing to invest lots of money (and picks) in our offensive line. And that we want depth.

When I watched Erving play (I watched him first in two games at OT before I watched him at C). The first note I made was that he has "perfect choppy footwork for a pull guard". He got moved to Center - but even when I watch him play there, I think his most natural position is LG, and his second most natural position would be RG. I think we start the season with:

Thomas/Bitonio/Mack/Erving/Schwartz

with an outside shot of:

Thomas/Bitonio/Mack/Greco/Erving

However, I think Schwartz will show improvement this year, and we'll go with the first option.

Mack watched us fall apart after he was injured last year. He knew before the draft and Free Agency that we would address center to avoid that again. Erving is by far NO THREAT to Mack.

Mack is a football player and a business man, he will not base any decisions on us having somebody ready to step in if he goes down or decides to leave. Anybody talking about other scenarios is just ridiculous.

It would be, and all honesty here, beyond selfish of Mack to take offense to this selection, he is well aware of how we operate with below avg qbs when we can run the ball and he's well aware of one more year and he can take the high road.

Instead of getting my panties all twisted if I were Mack, I'd view it as a common sense move for the organization. If he's upset, then that sheds light on his own character. I don't think that's reality, but...

IMO This could be the understatement of this thread. Mack needs to show he's 100% ready to go. Otherwise Erving is far from no threat.

Obviously if Mack is still hampered by injury and Erving is the more capable... but Apples to Apples, NO THREAT.

no trade clause in his contract. cant be traded. i am not even sure we could cut him in 2016 without a big cap and dead money hit?

I'm assuming he can wave the no-trade clause.

oh. I get it. your talking now. before the season starts. got to say. never thought of it.

maybe we could get a first round pick off the colts!!!

Yes eo I also hope Mack stays ...

Found the old thread!

'Cleveland Browns center Alex Mack wields power few NFL players possess: Tom Reed'

http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2015/05/cleveland_browns_center_alex_m_12.html

By Tom Reed, Northeast Ohio Media Group on May 30, 2015 at 12:14 PM, updated May 31, 2015 at 7:19 AM

BEREA, Ohio – Alex Mack, sans pads, blocked at an All-Pro level on the first day of voluntary spring practice Tuesday.

Encircled by media members eager to engage the Pro Bowl center on his unique contract status, Mack repelled almost every question, offering little information other than he wants to win and his decision on next season will be made at a later date.

"I'm going to defer,'' he said. "I'll talk about that at the end of the season.''

Asked why he had an opt-out clause built into his five-year, $42 million deal that he can trigger in 2016, Mack replied: "That's an agent question so if you'd like to call him, feel free."

You know the phrase, "smartest guy in the room?" It applies here to the University of California graduate. The 29-year-old possesses a rare commodity for an NFL player: virtual autonomy in deciding his future. In a league where management often holds the upper hand, Mack has become an outlier thanks to the contract he negotiated a year ago with the Jaguars after the Browns chose to use the transition, rather than franchise, tag on him.

His agents Marvin Demoff and Tim Younger crafted a deal – matched by Cleveland – that made Mack the envy of the league because of the freedoms it supplies. The Browns cannot apply a transition or franchise tag on him next spring. They also can't trade him until the 2017 season is underway. If he chooses to remain, his $8 million for 2016 is fully guaranteed come next April.

There are plenty of good players trapped on struggling franchises, sick of losing and all the organizational turnover. Only Mack is in the position to do something about it.

Have others spoken to him about the unusual power he wields?

"I'm going to defer, I'll talk about that at the end of the season," the center said.

Mack is returning from a broken leg that cost him the last 11 games of 2014 and helped cripple an offense that was humming at the time of his Oct. 12 injury against the Steelers.

Browns fans gained a greater appreciation of his importance and why the team agreed to match the Jags' massive offer in Mack's absence.

The club averaged 146.4 rushing yards per game in which he played, ranking third in the league. But without Mack for the first time since the club drafted him in 2008, the Browns finished 17th on the ground at 108 yards. An offense that was top-10 in points per game and total yards ended the season 28th and 23rd respectively in those categories.

"You can't blame everything on the loss of Mack," right tackle Mitchell Schwartz. "It wasn't a steep drop-off. We still kept winning some games, but I think it kind of proved his contract was worth it. He is the best center in the NFL. Sometimes, unfortunately, it takes something like that to understand a guy's value."

Mack's contract also played a role in the team's decision to select versatile offensive lineman Cameron Erving with the No. 19 pick. The rookie figures to start on the right side this season and move to center if Mack opts out.

Has a player who hikes the ball ever commanded as much attention or created such a stir? His injury left the Browns scrambling along the offensive line a year ago. They won't get caught short there again as the addition of Erving means one starter, likely John Greco or Schwartz, will become a depth player. They also have intriguing Michael Bowie returning from a shoulder injury that sidelined him all season.

The biggest benefactor is quarterback Josh McCown in his first season here. There are so many unknowns about this offense, but the line should be excellent with Mack, Erving, perennial All Pro left tackle Joe Thomas and left guard Joel Bitonio, one of the league's most impressive rookies a season ago.

Mack won't lack for motivation. Another big season could mean the opportunity to strike it rich again in free agency. What he really desires, however, is the same thing Browns fans desperately crave.

"I think I definitely want to win games," he said. "It's very important to me."

Maybe a winning season or enough positive signs from the 2015 campaign will keep Mack in Cleveland. Maybe not.

Regardless, the league might never see an offensive lineman with such contractual clout again.




(end)

Knowing he had the transition tag on him, I think Mack portrayed to his agent that an opt out clause would be nice.

The thing I question is, if "winning" is the major factor, then why would he had risked going to the Jags? Seems like the coaching changes is why he wanted the clause worked in, and without surprise, we have a new o coordinator.

Mack, IMO, is as good as gone. He'll have a strong season, make another good contract and hopefully Erving can fill right in and learn from Mack. All JMO

We can't trade him until next season starts, and he can opt out before next season starts.

He does have a No Trade clause....

If Erving cannot beat out Schwartz at RT we're in trouble.

Is Whitner on his last leg already? I thought he signed a four year contract. I see no reason why he should be rushed out the door.

If Phil Taylor can stay healthy and play well this year I wouldn't mind keeping the guy around as long as we don't over pay for him. He told the media that he loves Cleveland and wants to retire a Brown. That's pretty rare these days.

I hope Xavier Cooper can convincingly beat out Billy Winn for play time on the 2nd line rotation. Winn isn't bad, but he's a little too inconsistent for my taste. He'll have a flash in the pan moment once or twice a game, and then is invisible.

One guy to watch is John Hughes. I thought he REALLY stood out last year against the run, in a good way. I could see him cracking the starting lineup next to Danny Shelton.

All I need to understand is that Mack wanted out. So it's very important IMO that we started to build the Oline thru the draft with that in mind.

Totally agree. And that is why Erving was my target in the 1st round...

Did you listen to Mack's recent presser? It sounds, and via his body actions, and looks like he's ready to move on.

I'm pumped we signed a center/versatile player. Can learn the offense and when the spot becomes open next year, hopefully it'll be like we haven't lost a step.

A solid chess move that'll benefit the team when Mack leaves, or will benefit if he decides to stay. Jmo

no tag no trade.

???

He doesn't need leverage, and he certainly doesn't need us for any illusion of it. He will be the #1 Center on the market the moment free agency begins, and any team in need of one that has cash will be lining up to talk to his agent.

he is in the driver's seat.

Even if we could trade him... why on Earth would we?
We saw how much worse things get very quickly when he goes out with nothing behind him.

Well, why would we want to put ourselves right back in that same boat, just with a different guy? It just makes no sense.


You Ride your strengths; you don't sell them off until they're equal to your other weaknesses.

yea. eo is just setting it up so he can say how much he sucked and how much better off we are without him when he is gone. lmao

He can talk about "wanting to win" all he wants..

Agreeing with Jacksonville last offseason proves that's all talk..

He will sign with whomever pays him the most.. And if they suck, they'll talk about how that team is "improving" and other crap agents and media talk up..

me? i think he would have played on the tag if he didnt get the opt out.

If he goes down again to injury the Browns worked on the answer to Mack's departure a year early didn't they? So we're gold right?

if the guy can play. has not played a snap in the nfl so far.

We'll see ... Point being we worked on a answer proactively. I'm good.