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Home > Blogs > Dawging the Browns > Archives > 2009 > April
April 2009
Encouraging day for the orange helmets
Somewhere in the blizzard of draft dispatches Saturday, I read something about fans not being all that excited about the Browns’ first-round pick, California center Alex Mack.
I actually thought it was fairly shrewd, even Belichick-esque, so to speak. As was the trade down from No. 5, especially when linebacker Aaron Curry was snatched away one pick earlier by Seattle.
Nothing sexy about the Mack pick, but it’s a building block. And evidence that new head coach Eric Mangini knows the importance of the offensive line and how everything else on offense depends on having one that doesn’t get pushed around.
The tepid reaction is understandable in terms of name recognition. Let’s face it. You have to be some kind of draft fanatic — or some weird Pac-10 fan — even to have heard the name Alex Mack before Saturday.
But you won’t read a bad word about the guy in any of the draft guides. He was clearly the top player at his position.
Now, was he the best pick at No. 21 overall? That’s what can be debated. But who else would you have taken? Ohio State running back Beanie Wells might have made sense. He went 10 picks later to Arizona. Otherwise, nobody’s jumping out at me.
Thrilled with receivers Brian Robiskie and Mohamed Massaquoi in the second round. Robiskie is a known commodity, having played at Ohio State, and I’ve seen Massaquoi (Georgia) on TV enough to think his size and toughness should outweigh any concerns about his speed.
I can’t see Robiskie failing. At worst, he’s Kevin Johnson. Great hands, smart, crafty. He’s the kind of player the Indianapolis Colts usually draft.
Also in the second round, the Browns were able to land Hawaii defensive end David Veikune, and if you’ve seen this guy play, you like him. Simple as that.
Some guys, you see them in some random game or a bowl game and they’re in on every play. Veikune was that guy whenever I saw Hawaii, which ended up being fairly often given my recurring bouts with insomnia.
Would have preferred a defensive player early, but failing that, I thought the Browns did well getting Veikune, even though he makes Mack look like a household name.
All in all, an encouraging day for the orange helmets, I would say. Anxious to see what Sunday brings.
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They need defense, not Crabtree
Texas Tech receiver Michael Crabtree now is said to be off the Browns’ radar at No. 5 because he supposedly acted like a diva on his recent visit to team headquarters.
Curious, but if he acted that way, maybe it wasn’t an accident. Kid’s from Texas. What a culture shock Cleveland would be, to say nothing of going to a team with no recent history of success, another new coach, another new general manager and an absentee owner.
There are better situations for him, I think we would all agree. So maybe coming off this way was a calculated move to play somewhere warmer or more exotic.
Of course, on ESPN Radio this afternoon, Crabtree denied acting like a jerk in the building and claimed no knowledge of how that information came to find its way to a blog post authored by Tony Grossi, longtime Browns beat reporter for the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
The greater need is on defense, anyway, so that’s the direction I expect the Browns to head Saturday, with Boston College defensive tackle B.J. Raji a likely choice, especially now that he apparently did not fail a drug test.
If Raji has the kind of immediate impact Haloti Ngata had with the Baltimore Ravens, the Browns will be well on their way to solving the run-defense riddle that has plagued them since their expansion inception in 1999. Bolstering the defense has got to be their No. 1 priority.
Let’s see … what else?
Oh, the Browns announced today they intend to feed the media at this year’s draft. Food service over the years has gone from steak (1999) to pretty much nothing (2008) at these things. Maybe this is head coach Eric Mangini’s doing. In his previous Browns life, as a ballboy and public relations intern, he was in charge of bringing food to the media, remember.
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Draft cue: What would the Bills do?
Saw where Peter King of SI.com is projecting the Browns to take Wake Forest linebacker Aaron Curry with the No. 5 overall pick Saturday.
That would probably be a fairly safe way to go if Curry is still on the board. Goodness knows, they need linebackers who can influence games.
But they also need more nastiness up front, so I would be leaning toward Boston College defensive tackle B.J. Raji. Last time they passed over a top lineman for a linebacker, they took Kamerion Wimbley over Haloti Ngata and look how that turned out. (Of course, the last time they took a defensive lineman in the top five, it was Gerard “Big Money” Warren, who’s still in the league, by the way, with the Raiders).
That said, the Browns probably can’t go wrong. At least you would hope not, picking this high. (Can’t believe I just wrote that as the names of bust after bust keeping popping into my head, but you know what I mean.)
King’s reasoning: “DT B.J. Raji would allow Cleveland to move Shaun Rogers to DE full time. But Curry, who can play inside or outside LB, is a better sideline-to-sideline fit for Eric Mangini’s 3-4.”
Mangini doesn’t exactly have the magic touch with linebackers, though. See: Vernon Gholston, last year’s first-round bust (so far) with the Jets.
Trades could factor into the equation, of course, but even if Braylon Edwards is sent away, I can’t see grabbing a receiver that high. Too risky.
Michael Crabtree may, in fact, be the next Larry Fitzgerald, but I don’t think Bill Belichick or Bill Parcells generally would draft a receiver with a top-five pick, so that should be the guide. Just ask yourself, what would the Bills do? And I don’t mean Buffalo.
You can piece together a receiving corps more easily than a defense.
Defense wins. Defense is what they need. And defense it should be.
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Kokinis speaks, says nothing
Every year at this time, the Browns trot out their general manager to field questions about the upcoming NFL draft.
One year, Phil Savage sat at the elevated stage as his personnel aide tediously addressed the top five prospects at every position, as if this information wasn’t readily available 100 other places.
Sometimes a hint slips out, such as two years ago when Savage said offensive tackle Joe Thomas might be the “safe pick” for the Browns. They proceeded to take him No. 3 overall.
But those instances are ever-so-rare. Most NFL executives specialize in saying little. The great ones, like Bill Belichick, say less.
Inevitably, somebody writes about how the front office has been hunkered down, deep in study, as if this qualifies as some sort of surprise nine days before one of the most important dates on the football calendar.
Until they trade Brady Quinn and/or Braylon Edwards (both are hotly rumored) for additional selections, the Browns own the No. 5 overall pick and four more, including two in the second round, No. 36 and No. 50.
How GM George Kokinis and head coach Eric Mangini plan to spend these picks is anybody’s guess. Analyst consensus says Texas Tech receiver Michael Crabtree in the first round, but that makes more sense if Edwards — who last season turned into a cross between Steve Holden and Fair Hooker — is dealt to the New York Giants, who seem to want him.
The house organ, ClevelandBrowns.com, offered these non-nuggets from Kokinis (what, you were expecting useful information?) during his Thursday emergence:
On trade possibilities: “If the phone rings, we’re going to pick it up. All teams, every year, you look at every option. You never know what might happen on draft day.”
On the drafting philosophy: “If you’re sitting there on a player and you like him, you take him. If there’s a consensus, which we will have, then you pick him. We’re going to take the right guy for this city, for this team.”
Maybe this explains why the three previous regimes whiffed so often. They didn’t take the right guy for this city and this team. At least it sounds better than saying they didn’t know what they were doing.
Guess you have to give Kokinis and Mangini the same benefit of the doubt previous front offices received, though.
And it would be impossible for them to fare any worse. Right? Right?
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A closer look at the schedule
As we get ready to say goodbye to Braylon Edwards and wonder where all the playmakers went, the good news is that the schedule doesn’t look all that imposing. Hey, a non-Bill Parcells 4-12 team needs all the help it can get, right?
So, as much as I detest it when forecasters attempt to predict what’s going to happen this early based on the schedule, I’ll do it anyway. But keep in mind I did the same thing last year about this time and had the Browns in the playoffs.
1. Vikings at home. Adrian Peterson runs wild as the Browns, after 10 years, are still trying to get their run defense corrected. It will be pointed out that the Browns could have drafted Peterson, who is starting to look like a back for the ages. Loss (0-1)
2. At Denver. Two Belichick tree branches guiding their respective teams. Imagine the hype. Andra Davis, former Browns linebacker, won’t let the Broncos lose, even if they do have Kyle Orton at quarterback. Loss (0-2)
3. At Baltimore. Maybe there’s some magic left in Phil Dawson’s foot, but the Ravens are still the Ravens and their offense is only going to get better. Loss (0-3)
4. Bengals at home. Cincinnati should be much improved. Carson Palmer probably the difference here. Loss (0-4)
5. At Buffalo. T.O. probably has eroded the chemistry just enough at this point that an upset is possible. Brady Quinn hits David Patten for winning TD. Win (1-4)
6. At Pittsburgh. Rivalry? What rivalry? Loss (1-5)
7. Green Bay at home. Seems winnable in April, so why not? Win (2-5)
8. At Chicago. With Jay Cutler at quarterback, the Bears could be a Super Bowl contender. He torched the Browns last season with the Broncos, let’s not forget. Loss (2-6)
9. Baltimore at home. It’s the Monday nighter, so the Browns rise to the occasion here. Win (3-6)
10. At Detroit. Teams probably have similar records at this point, hard as that will be to digest. Browns can win this one. Win (4-6)
11. At Cincinnati. Bengals. Alas, another year of losing twice to your Ohio rivals. Loss (4-7)
12. San Diego at home. Chargers probably need this. Maybe a timely early-December blizzard? Win (5-7)
13. Pittsburgh at home. Thursday night. Short week. Don’t think so. Loss (5-8)
14. At Kansas City. The Chiefs figure to have won about two or three games at this point, so, well, maybe. Win (6-8)
15. Oakland at home. Theoretically, the Browns will be psyched about winning their last two and finishing .500. Win (7-8)
16. Jacksonville at home. That .500 season proves elusive as Maurice Jones-Drew runs wild in the snow. Browns still looking to correct that run defense. Loss (7-9).
There you have it. Head coach Eric Mangini goes 7-9 in his first season at the helm. And since the team only won four games in 2008, he is praised for having the team headed in the right direction. Can’t you just see it playing out this way?
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K-2 chimes in, favors Brady Quinn
Kellen Winslow, now with Tampa Bay, sounded off Thursday about the Browns’ quarterback situation on SIRIUS NFL and here’s how the conversation went:
Host Adam Schein: “Who is the better QB for the Browns this year? [Derek] Anderson or [Brady] Quinn?”
K-2: “I would say Brady Quinn. I love Derek Anderson. Great quarterback. It just didn’t work out. Brady Quinn is coming in, he has tremendous upside. Very calm, very mature and, I mean, give the guy a chance. What’s the big deal? I really don’t get it. This guy is coming in, he has worked his tail off. I bet you he is there working out right now. Just give him a chance. He is a leader, he is coming into his own. I really don’t get what’s the hard decision up there. My choice would be Brady Quinn.”
K-2: “I don’t know if he is the better quarterback, I am just saying I think he is the guy for the future. That is all I am saying. Derek Anderson is a great quarterback. Don’t get me wrong. He’s a Pro Bowler. I just think the quarterback of the future is Brady Quinn. And he has tremendous upside and that’s just my personal opinion.”
Co-host Solomon Wilcots: “Do you think Braylon Edwards will be in Cleveland for 2009?”
K-2: “For some reason I don’t. I know Braylon would love to go to New York. The Giants would fit him to a “T” and he would have so much fun up there. I know he loves Cleveland but New York would be a great fit for him. He’s a city guy and, yeah, I know he would love it there.”
A city guy, Kellen? What is Cleveland, a hamlet? Funniest line was when K-2 said Braylon loves Cleveland. Laughed out loud at that one.
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Stallworth: One disaster after another
It was inevitable, apparently, but now it’s fact: Receiver Dante Stallworth has been charged with DUI manslaughter.
Prosecutors in Miami allege he was driving drunk on the morning of March 14 when he struck and killed a pedestrian on Miami Beach.
What does it mean? Nothing good for the Browns or their fans, unless you’re a member of the David Patten fan club.
Can’t imagine Stallworth playing this season. But, hey, there’s always Patten, the veteran receiver recently signed after Stallworth’s arrest, the trade of Kellen Winslow Jr. and the release of Joe Jurevicius.
Could last year’s free-agent Stallworth signing look any worse? Doubt it.
In training camp, while horsing around with No. 1 receiver Braylon Edwards, Stallworth landed on Edwards’ foot, injuring him. Who knows if Edwards actually ever completely recovered from that, although he couldn’t use it as an excuse for his bad hands, I suppose.
Then Stallworth gets hurt and can’t stay on the field, plays in only a handful of games.
Finally, he kills a guy after a night of drinking on Miami Beach.
As misfortune goes, it’s worse than LeCharles Bentley, the center who snapped a knee tendon and never played again. Or Jeremiah Pharms, the linebacker who Butch Davis drafted in the fifth round who had robbed a drug dealer at gunpoint and never played at all.
Stallworth, 28, is expected to surrender to authorities Thursday morning.
Good grief. Does it ever get easy to be a Browns fan?
DUI manslaughter, by the way, is a felony that carries a minimum of four years to a maximum 15 years in prison.
Oh well. There’s always Patten, right?
