DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum The Brown's Future...

offensive line, defensive line, running back, wide receiver, and punter.

every one of those is a question mark as to whether we upgraded or not. changed players yea but.......

j/c

I am going to avoid this thread as it is simply utter nonsense...

I never put a score to it but I would say its fair. Of course here comes the everything is wonderful crowd to tell us about how great we will be and that the Bozo's are being unfair.

Of course when they look at the Browns they see a team led by a 1-10 QB and go bla, after their done laughing about the remarks being made that we will minimize the QB spot.

I concur also that Text has been great at finding undrafted talent but his top picks leave quite a bit to be desired in terms of impact. We need play makers and we DO NOT have them. The biggey is QB though we really suck there....

Hello 2-14

We got a Pro Bowl punter, our future is promising...

At this point, nobody knows a damn thing about any of it, regardless of what they think they know, how they stack the facts, and regardless of recent history. My second grade science text book stated factually something to the effect that if Lake Erie kept getting polluted the way it was, it would be a dried up mud pit by the year 2000. This article is equally valid.

The Jaguars ranked lower than us?

I don't understand how.

They have Blake Bortles, and a ton of young and promising looking talent on their offense.

If these are based off of potential over the next three years, I would think the Jaguars have a chance to be in the top half of the league.

I'm not surprised the Browns are ranked so low.

No QB, no proven tightend, no star wide receivers (though I think our top four this year will be just fine).

Find a QB = Get respect (and more importantly, wins).

Not sure why you used that example? Do you see that word "if" in there? It's a good thing that people recognized that polluting our rivers, lakes, streams, and oceans was a bad thing.

The problem did not go away because it was neglected and/or ignored. Things got better because they recognized the problem and addressed it.

Maybe the Browns should take the same approach rather than just acting like there isn't a problem and we will magically become winners one bright, sunny day.

Have you ever watched Blake Bortles play?

There were three writers who were part of the panel.

Just wondering if you think they were wrong about the first round draft choices? TRich, Weeden, Taylor, Mingo, Gilbert, and Manziel. Heck, Mingo is the best of the bunch and I just read he might not keep his job this year.

What about those Pro Bowlers we had from a couple of years ago? Who were they? Haden, Joe T, Gordon, Cameron, Mack, and Ward? Is that right?

3 of the 6 are gone and a fourth apparently wants out.

Who are best players? Joe, Joe, Gipson, Dansby, Kruger, Whitner, Bitonio, and Mack. How many of those guys are young and have a lot of years left?

And I know you agreed about the qb position, but man, it cannot be emphasized enough. You can't win w/out one.

So no, I don't think they are bozos for writing that piece. I might not agree w/it precisely, but it's not really that crazy or ridiculous.

They hit the nail on the head about the lack of continuity.

My favorite drum to beat.

Smooth insert.

Look, I think if we get a qb that can really play........our prospects will sky rocket. We'll overcome a lot of past mistakes like TRich, Weeden, Taylor, etc because we did score on some later round guys as well as even a few UFA's.

Gotta get that QB, though.

J/C

We're a huge question mark with questionable QBs in a QB driven league. I'm surprised that any of you would be surprised.

I hope McCown can do well, but I'm not betting against statistics. All these cinderella people usually regress to the mean, or also known as their career average. McCown is not a long term answer, and the book doesn't look good on Manziel.

I mean the guy was a rookie last year, on a very bad Jacksonville team.

You take his performances with a grain of salt.

That was my point exactly, they have recognized the problem and are addressing it. The result of that has yet to be seen. Perhaps cherry picking my response isn't as effective at making your point as you believe it is.

Fluff piece... Filler when nothing else is happening to report on. Besides, they don't know anything more than we do. And we don't know nothing.

Just to add to this point...
It seems as though the writer thinks it's impossible for the Browns to address a known problem. He is assuming the Browns will continue to pollute the lake. And if they carry on as is, they should be ranked low.

The bottom line is we just don't know. This is slow-season writer's fluff.

J/C .... Oh no! We lost the ESPN Writers' Opinion Poll. How terrible.

IIRC, Last year, ESPN picked us as the worst team in the league coming into the season. They'll jump on board again, like they did last year, and jump off again if we run into problems like we did last year later in the season.

If only fans of the Browns were as patient.

Patience is for the weak and the fans of other teams.

Browns Mailbag: Why are the Browns in better shape now than they were last year?

Posted 2 hours ago

Andrew Gribble Senior Staff Writer

Either Browns’ fans are flooding the beaches of North Carolina, or the franchise’s footprint is expanding within the borders of the Tar Heel State.

We’ll assume the latter as we tackle multiple, North Carolina-based questions in this week’s mailbag.

Let's presume that similar articles by the hometown press for the other 13 teams that finished below .500 are saying the same kind of hopeful, "reason to be optimistic" things about their franchises. Are there any reasons in your opinion why the Browns are any better off than the other cellar-dwellers? -- Doug S., Wilson, N.C.

In 2015, the Browns don’t want to be better than just the other seven teams that finished in last place within their respective division. The goal, plain and simple, is to win the AFC North and reach the playoffs for the first time since 2002.

With that in mind, there’s no sense in explaining why the Browns should be better than the Raiders, Jets, Titans, etc. Instead, here are four reasons why the team is in better shape now than it was at this time last year.

1. The WRs are deeper and have more diverse skill sets

At this time last year, the player who wound up finishing second on the team in receiving, Miles Austin, hadn’t practiced. Uncertainty about Josh Gordon’s status hung over the team. Because of a slew of injuries and overall depth issues, Andrew Hawkins didn’t work in the slot, where he typically does the most damage, because he was spending a lot of time at outside receiver. This year, the Browns appear to have enough depth at the position to make for some very difficult decisions when it’s time to cut down the roster. Recently signed free agents Dwayne Bowe and Brian Hartline have typically joined Hawkins with the first-team offense. Taylor Gabriel was one of the stars of the offseason workout program and has lofty goals for 2015. Travis Benjamin, Vince Mayle, Marlon Moore, Rodney Smith and more will be locked in a heavy competition for repetitions as the team’s fourth or fifth options at the position. For what the Browns may lack in a big name at the position, they make up for it with a bevy of options.


2. The O-line can survive an injury or two

The Browns had one of the NFL’s best offensive lines when they were at full strength last year. When Pro Bowl center Alex Mack suffered a season-ending injury, the dropoff was even worse than initially anticipated. That’s why a player such as first-round pick Cameron Erving was coveted and why Michael Bowie, a starter on Seattle’s 2013 Super Bowl team, was snagged off the waiver wire. The availability of both, coupled with the return of all five starters from last season’s full-strength offensive line, will allow competition to bloom at training camp. At full strength, the Browns will have a player they believe would start for most teams serving as the offensive line’s sixth man.


3. The defensive line has more talent, experience at its disposal.

Similar optimism was found at this position group last season, but injuries ultimately decimated a unit that was running on fumes by the end of the year. Injuries are a part of football and it’s foolish to assume the Browns’ D-line will skate through 2015 without any adversity, but there’s reason to believe this area of the defense can survive a similar rash of bumps and bruises better than it did last year. And, in turn, there’s reason to believe it will help the Browns be so much better than last in the NFL in rush defense. Ahtyba Rubin is the lone departure from 2014’s core group, while veteran Randy Starks and first-round pick Danny Shelton were added to the mix. Like the wide receivers, this will be one of the most-watched and discussed position groups at training camp because the cuts will be hard to make.


4. It’s Year 2 for Mike Pettine and the majority of his assistants.

This is a big deal, and Pettine hasn’t danced around it.

“I think back to a year ago and I don't know if I had any idea what I was doing,” Pettine joked in a recent interview with Cleveland Browns Daily’s Nathan Zegura. “I just feel so much more comfortable and I think we all do as a staff and as a team. I think it's just true with anything, when you go through something for the first time, it's a feeling out process. ‘Oh, hey, this is new, let me log those notes down for next year.’ There's just such a comfort zone now. We all know this is a people business, and as you get to know the people you work with better, hopefully those relationships improve and you become more productive.”

Which member of the rookie class has shocked you the most in regards to performance during mini-camp and OTAs? -- Erin P., Strongsville

I’m going to go a little off the grid with this one. Instead of picking one of the players who was drafted, I’m going with undrafted free agent defensive back De’Ante “Pop” Saunders. He’s got a tough road to make the 53 because of the Browns’ depth in the secondary, but he made a number of noticeable plays throughout OTAs and mini-camp. How he performs on special teams and how capable he is of playing multiple positions will go a long way toward potentially making the team.

Once Karlos Dansby is gone, do you think we have two capable inside linebackers to step up currently on the roster? -- Jordan J., Akron

Who do you see at ILB and do you know where I can buy a Duke Johnson Browns jersey? -- Chris L., Berlin Heights

Easiest question of the week.

First off, Dansby may take offense to you already wondering what life without him will be like. Without the injury, he likely would have been Pro Bowl bound last season. He’s the youngest 33 I’ve seen on the football field and takes immaculate care of his body. He’s got a lot left in the tank.

In the event Dansby is unavailable, the Browns will do what they did last year and use Craig Robertson and Chris Kirksey full-time rather than platooning/matching personnel with what the offense is running. There’s also Tank Carder, who was a standout during the offseason workout program and could have an expanded role this season. Seventh-round pick Hayes Pullard and Darius Eubanks have also looked promising.

As for the Johnson jersey, there don’t appear to be any for sale just yet online, but you’re free to customize one to your liking.

What are the odds on seeing Connor Shaw in the mix for the starting or No. 2 quarterback position? -- Mark S., Oberlin

The Browns really like Shaw and he performed well throughout the offseason workout program, but he’ll enter training camp as the No. 3 option at the position. That’s how the repetitions were divided throughout OTAs and mini-camp, as Josh McCown took all of the snaps with the ones and Johnny Manziel went second. The competition never ends, though, and as offensive coordinator John DeFilippo said a couple of weeks ago, “there are 86 days or something like that until we kick off against the Jets. Eighty-six days in the NFL world is an eternity.”

Terrelle Pryor brought in for WR Position only??? Sure. Rumors have it 2 pt. conversions, TE and possible emergency QB along with WR. What you got? -- Ken D., Rocky Mount, N.C.

Pryor is here to play wide receiver. He declared his position change before the Browns even made the waiver claim for him. Talking about situational plays, emergency roles, etc., will be something to discuss if he first shows he can be an asset to the team as a wide receiver.

Link

Yeah, I bet Gordon is really going to light it up this season.

Based on what the Brown's did last year, the off season, and the schedule this year These guys probably think they could be more right then wrong with their predictions. I hope their wrong.

Depending what he's lightning up, I'd say there's a great chance of that lol!

j/c:

Why couldn't this article have gone in the "Browns Roster Ranks #14" or the "Browns Over/Under" threads? What's the point in starting another thread discussing the Browns' personnel?

They are?

By signing Josh McCown and drafting Johhny Rehab?

I do agree with the "sky is always blue in Cleveland crowd" in that nobody knows the future of this team, but fans love to read this type of stuff so it will always be written. I'll say this, who on this board or any other Browns fan for that matter, that if a gun was put to their head, would not have the Browns at the bottom of their list? Look at the turmoil, record, 2 clueless owners, horrible presidents/GMs/coaches, below average starting QBs...ect Come on it's easy to place the Browns even 5, 10 or even 20 years from now. They don't learn!

Your point is well taken, and as a broad and general statement it may seem (and possibly be in fact) true. But right now, we don't know. Right now, I see many similarities between this team and the 2000 Ravens, (minus the four years of coaching & FO continuity.) The 2000 Ravens, (like the 2015 Browns,) were building toward something, they were coming off a mediocre season (8-8), they had pieces in place, particularly on defense and along the O-line, and they had a running game. They also had a questionable receiving corps and a veteran QB that was brought in to manage the game, show leadership and not crumble under the pressure of a long season. And they were becoming a team of believers. Also, like the 2000 Ravens, we don't know where this season will take us, or at what point we will be considered a contender or an up an coming team. Also, it needs to be noted here that the Ravens didn't draft Flacco until 2008.

Personally, I see us as an up an coming team right now, but that's JMHO.

Right now, you don't know $#!% about how either one of those moves will work out. And those two QBs aren't the only moves they've made to better the team. So yes, in the broad spectrum, and in specific areas, they are.

I won't argue the fact that we need a franchise QB, we've needed one since Bernie, (and I'm not a Bernie fan, so if you ask me, we needed one then too,) but the fact of the matter is, this is the most talented team we've had, possibly since the mid '80's. I don't believe that the fact that we need a franchise QB is lost on the coaches or the FO. What I do know is, every time we have brought a QB in here without quality supporting pieces around them, we have destroyed that QB. I won't comment on the quality of those QB's to begin with, but I will say I feel much better about bringing a young QB into this situation that into any of the situations in every previous season since the move. I fully expect them to bring in someone, be it next year or the year after, should Manziel prove to be a bust.

I will say that I am sick of the experiments: I want them to just get us a guy with brains, size, accuracy and a strong arm. I firmly believe someone like that, inserted into the team we are building, will be set up for success. We just have to find him, (if Manziel proves not to be the answer.)

OL we have lost nobody and added a couple, at the very least with Mack healthy we are the same or better..

Same with DL, we have lost nobody and added a few, plus those who may come back healthy.. at the very least we are the same or better...

Running back, we lost Ben Tate.. big deal... Our top 2 backs are going into their 2nd year and we added a change of pace back.. don't see how we aren't at least the same or better...

Punter, we added a pro bowl punter.. probably better.

WR.. I'll give you this one, no real way to know if we got better at WR or not. My guess is last year, in their 3 year projection, they had Josh Gordon returning.. now they probably figure him gone forever, which is a negative.

Funny thing is our two biggest losses were Skrine and Cameron and neither of those position groups are mentioned as having regressed...

I know that previous FO's have made some HUGE blunders drafting, there is no getting around that. However, I'm not ready to admit that about Gilbert, West or even Manziel at this point in time. When Joe T. goes, he goes. There's no getting around the fact that it's bound to happen sooner rather than later, but I expect us to find our next LT, (assuming we keep this FO and coaching staff around for a while,) with relative ease. He may even be on the team right now in Erving or he may be drafted next year or the year after. Same goes for Haden, Mack, Dansby, and so on down the line. The point being, I do believe with this current regime, we stand a decent chance of solidifying the draft and recruitment processes, and are already putting into place the foundations for quality "next man up" and "home grown" talent that good teams need to be successful year after year.

Good teams, and their core players are usually a mix of early year players and veterans, and as far as I am aware, there is no known formula for what that mix is, so the maturity rate of that core group, (in my mind,) is far more dependent on the stability of a workable and successful system than on the timing of the process in general.

This season will say a very great deal about how successfully they are implementing this process.

As much as it pains people, I'd say this guesstimate is pretty close. Any time your coaching staff best explanation for your upcoming season is "We will minimize the QB position", it speaks volumes about the future. Until we find an answer at the QB position, we're going to rank low.

And acquiring an OC who is a rookie can't be helping matters.

They can be wrong if this FO addresses the QB position properly and our rookie OC blossoms into some beautiful flower. But as things stand today, they're not far from being right.

well i would say that they think getting rid of players still learning and just coming into there prime and replacing them with players in there 30s isnt looking good three years from now?

Josh McCown is the best this front office could come up with at the QB position. Let that sink in for a bit.

In my best Jim Mora impression...

Future?? Future????

Who else was there and available? Michael Vick? Would you have wanted them to give up everything for broken knee Sam Bradford?

Let that sink in for a bit...