DawgTalkers.net Forums The Archives 2015 NFL Season The NFL Draft 2015 Browns Select Duke Johnson with the 77th pick

I was a little confused when I first heard his name called, but the pick makes some level of sense. Terrence West showed some questionable worth ethic and maturity issues last year, so adding Duke Johnson hopefully pushes him harder, along with giving us fantastic depth. I'm hoping to see Duke step right in and return punts and kicks, as well as provide a viable receiving threat on 3rd downs.

Do you copy and paste I Love this pick about every guy the Brown's drafted this year?

I can't take you seriously. Would you show me some of your posts prior to the draft where you stated you loved all of these guys?

Thanks in advance.

I didn't say I didn't like it. However, I have noticed that you have said the same thing over and over and over about so many of our picks.

Therefore, if you loved ALL these guys so much, you most assuredly pimped them BEFORE the draft, right?

Somehow, you latest response tells me that that is not the case.

I'm kind of in the same boat as Pastor, Vers. I can see where you're coming from, though. Some of us are looking at these picks already feeling optimistic about the direction of the team and focusing on the good. We went 7-9 with shoddy QB play and a boat load of injuries. Despite what a lot of people make out, our receivers weren't really what was holding us back (besides Gordon being out of sync.)

We didn't pick any of the guys I was highest on, but honestly I was kind of looking at those players in a void. If I had been looking for players who fit Farmer's/Pettine's stated philosophy and desires, I'd probably have come to the same conclusions they did. Tough, competitive, versatile, love the game: I see those traits, particularly in our first five picks. We also picked guys that appear to have upside. There may have been more polished players available, but we're not at that point in our development as a team. Until we have that QB, we're not adding the finishing pieces who may help us now, but don't have as much growth potential. Without someone to reliably get them the ball, we'd be wasting a pick on a receiver. We've gotta be who we are.

Good post, but I just don't agree w/it.

I really don't get not taking a good WR because our QBs aren't good. There are two reasons for that:

1. We need WRs to make plays on poor passes. Think of all the BS passes Brett Farve threw. His WRs bailed him out over and over. And Farve makes our guys look like punks. Good WRs can help a qb.

2. Why would we not want to have a good WR here when we obtain our future QB? Why stick a rookie qb w/poor WRs?


We went 7 and 9 w/shoddy------------and good QB play. In many of our losses, he played like crap. You guys are all over that. In many of our wins, Hoyer played well. You can't deny that. And, I don't think McCown is as good as Hoyer.

You also fail to recognize that we had a very good OC here last year. Many of you will disagree w/that, but you can't convince me otherwise. We now have an unproven OC and a QB coach who was never in the NFL before. They might be great, but what are the odds of that?

I think most of success on offense last year was because of three reasons:

1. Shanny's play design and to a lesser extent...his play calling.

2. The stellar play of the OL.

3. Hoyer got rid of the ball quickly. In fact, he got rid of the ball at "in time."

I understand a lot of you don't wanna hear that stuff, but it is what it is and we've danced this dance so many times before.

+10

Top 1. There are jump balls and there are bad throws. Brett threw the former, Hoyer the latter. You can't catch balls 5 yards out of bounds, or ten yards over/underthrown. Hoyer had some good throws early, but he also had some terrible ones.

Top 2. What great receiver did we pass on? The one's that weren't there when we picked? The one with more red flags than Josh Gordon, Justin Blackmon, and Dez Bryant combined? The one that is soft and didn't want to come here? Agholor, but I don't see him as a big catch radius, bail out your QB guy and he went early. Josh Gordon should be back next year. We have Bowe and Hartline to be our move the chain guys, Gabriel and Benjamin can take the top off, and Hawkins is our quick, inside, anklebreaker, YAC guy. We picked up a project in the 4th with Anquan Boldin potential (probably won't reach it I'll admit, but it was the 4th.)

Bottom 1. Play design I'll give you, but being able to design plays doesn't make you a great coordinator. He couldn't adapt after Mack went down. The Offense definitely seemed to quit at the end of the year and I lay the majority of that on him. Some of the blame goes to Pettine, and he's taking more of a role on offense this year. We'll see how that works. You can blame Johnny for the O-line laying down, but Shanny should not have allowed it.

Bottom 2. I agree. The O-line is why we won. It'll be the reason we win this year. Erving will be an upgrade and we will have depth on the interior with Greco if we have another injury.

3. For him to get rid of the ball quickly, don't his receivers have to be getting open? Or was he just chucking it to well covered receivers?

Someone said this guy reminds them of another James Jackson...Hope not.

This was my argument for going WR in the 1st, instead of taking another OL that high. We really could have taken a different OL in the 2nd round, and had a real difference making weapon at WR.

Sadly, the "texting" GM will never take a high ranked WR, even when he has no legitimate WR threat on the team he is the General Manager of.

Let me say I have nothing against any other posters on here, I have been a browns fan since 1965, I love this team, always have always will, I prefer to look at things my way I don't tell others how to look at things my way because you have your way, I will tell you if you haven't noticed that my glass is always half full others prefer theirs half empty, I am always positive towards my Browns others prefer to negative, its ok you follow this team your way but please let me follow the Browns my way without crucifying me ... God Bless

Well said, Pastor. Something we all should keep in mind...

LOL............And how about letting me be realistic w/out crucifying me, Pastor? What was that crap you said? Son of the devil? Heathen? Possessed by evil spirits?

And you have the nerve to post that because I ask you to provide proof of how much you loved these guys BEFORE the draft?

And you know what............you never even got suspended for those hateful statements. Pfffttttt........

About the only thing they have in common is that both were drafted in the third round. I know a lot questioned the pick at the time as being to soon. Proved to be true. I think Duke was drafted at the right spot. JJ did not have the production that Duke had. I think it is a good pick. Time will tell.

Well Vers. to be honest, I'm the same way. If we draft 'em then their the best, if not then they are just the rest. I luv 'em cause they are Browns. Kinda like kids, when their yours, it's just special. I know we need to keep an open mind about everything, I guess that's what we have you for

Hope you are right. This is too high a pick for a 3rd down back. I hope this guy will become our punt returner AT THE VERY LEAST.
As bad as we were last year in the return game, "if" he can be adequate with kick returns, he is well worth the pick.

I don't think they drafted him to be a third down back/return man. I think he will be mixed in with West and Crowell and some 2 back sets, since he can do several things well.

SB, the one thing going for us this year compared to last is competition. I thought Tate would have been agitated when Farmer drafted West and signed Crowell. When they let Tate go, both West and Crowell realized if they play nice it is an easy ride. Here comes "the Duke!" Duke was pissed he sat around until the third. He ain't wanting no bench time. I'm really looking forward to this training camp battle!

Vers if I remember right you took those things out of context, and even at that I said I was sorry and asked you to forgive me ... you need to chill man

Duke Johnson is why Lamar Miller declared early for the draft...As even though Miller was an elite college back, the team was really moving forward with Duke...

I like Duke Johnson a lot more as a 3rd round pick than Terrance West as a 3rd round pick...

Just think West is a pedestrian back...perhaps a notch higher...but certainly nothing higher...his maturity and ownership is lacking...

Duke can make some plays...I'm really excited to see him and Crow run the ball...Hopefully West improves as well

That all sounds good bugs, but can he also be used as a return guy?
Like many on this board said, it would have been better if we had no return man last year and just let the opponent kick the ball where they wanted. Absolutely embarrassing!

Danny Shelton would be an improvement over the guys we had back there last year lol

That was pretty funny.

He may be good.
For now, I'll remember that he is not Sammie Coates, and Not Sean Mannion, who could have been selected, with that pick.

If I recall correctly.

As that opportunity is past, I hope this kid Blows UP;
in a good way.

nice reply coach

Evidently Duke got ready for the NFL by working with a couple of OK type RB from his alma mater.

(Sure it's fluff, but it's the off-season)

Duke Johnson wants a ton on his plate during rookie season
http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/arti...f6-9ad7d336c812

Running back Duke Johnson showed the electricity he displayed at the University of Miami on his way to becoming the program’s all-time leading rusher early Friday during the Cleveland Browns’ rookie mini-camp.

On a flare pass from quarterback Connor Shaw, Johnson caught the spiral near the sideline, juked past two diving linebackers and bolted up the field for a significant gain. Coaches and offensive teammates were hooting and hollering as Johnson quietly went about his business.

These are the types of plays, and attitude, general manager Ray Farmer and the Browns coaching staff had in mind when they selected Johnson in the third round of the 2015 NFL draft.

“I want to give us another dimension on offense,” said Johnson, who was drenched in sweat after a sweltering May day in Cleveland. “It could help us out with mismatches, when need be. I think I came out here and showed what I can do, and I had fun with the guys.”

Johnson wants to do it all in Cleveland – return kicks and punts, carry the ball as much as possible and even split out wide as a receiver now and then. Listed at 5-foot-9 and 210 pounds, Johnson is slippery for would-be tacklers and, just as Farmer described him, he’s short, not small.

For as much as he wants on his plate as a rookie, Johnson’s also keeping his list of rookie goals short. Just one word, actually.

Win.

“There’s no better feeling,” Johnson said. “That’s why we play the game. And if that means me playing special teams punt protector, I’m all for it.”

In order to bring a winning attitude, Johnson has sought out help. Coming from such an esteemed college football program like “The U,” the Miami native has his fair share of former Hurricanes mentoring him.

Johnson has worked out with former Browns running back Willis McGahee on the Coral Gables campus, and he’s been in touch with former All-Pro Redskins running back Clinton Portis, who tweeted Cleveland got a steal in Johnson shortly after he was picked.

But the most instrumental of Miami’s famed running backs has been retired Indianapolis Colt and four-time Pro Bowler Edgerrin James.

“He told me about taking care of my body, staying healthy,” Johnson said. “But mainly, being able to take coaching and being on time.

“The things that majority of those guys did after leaving college and going to the next level; I’m really hoping I can have a career like they did.”

Johnson has also been in touch with Browns second-year running back Terrance West, who reached out to him.

“Just like myself, he’s ready to compete and fight for the starting job,” Johnson said. “We understand at the end of the day, we all are just going to come in and make each other better.”

With Johnson already aboard and busting his tail in Cleveland, the Browns’ running backs room is now oozing with young talent.

By reaching, do they mean when West was laughing on Twitter when we selected DJ?

Now there is an objective article that wasn't written by a bozo.........right guys?

I did introduce the article as follows:

(Sure it's fluff, but it's the off-season)

What makes you think I was only talking to you? What does the word "guys" mean in your world?

Well, it could be because you replied to me ......

However, I am sorry if my phrasing upset you. It was more an attempt at a joke rather than some disparagement.

Didn't upset me at all. Why would it?

I was simply pointing out how so many people on this board jump down an author's throat if he writes something negative about the Browns and then ignore pure crap writing if it is positive.

Sorry if you have a problem w/that. Wait, I frankly don't give a crap if you do.

Alrighty then .....

So, your thoughts about the article - other than "it was written by a bozo"??