For you Brownies out there...

[kdog27]

we don't like that movie or anything

[hammb]

If you didn't hear the press conf. with Crennel, (and I only listened because I was driving and WKNR was on), when he was asked about the Browns' QB situation, he responded something to the effect, " we have 3 QB's, a veteran (read Garcia), A young, experienced one(read Holcomb), and a young one (read McCown)..." I wasn't too happy with those comments because at NO time was Josh mentioned as a possible candidate for the QB job... I.

First of all you're reading the quote wrong '61. They have a Veteran (Garcia), a young experienced one (McCown, who started several games), and a young one (Josh). Holcomb is NOT young (turns 32 this summer), and more importantly, he's a UFA. Kelly declined a few offers this past season, he wants to go somewhere that he thinks he'll get a shot at starting. Personally I think Holcomb is among the biggest jokes ever in the league, he was terrible. Only because Couch was mediocre did Holcomb ever get any sort of name recognition. Funny thing was he was actually worse than Couch...lol. He won't be back with the Browns next season.

[Warthog]

Maybe now that Couch had his arm surgery they will go after him again?

[hammb]

What's your opinion of the dynamic duo of Savage/Crennel? Think they will be able to the the Browns in gear? Any possibility of an Urban Meyer at BG turn around in one season?

I don't expect a huge, immediate turnaround, that is just setting sights too high. However, I wouldn't be surprised if they did have a dramatic improvement on the field. The Browns have more talent, IMO, than your typical 4 win team. They had obviously given up on their coach well before the firing/resignation. Depending on the type of offseason they have (they do have a LOT of cap room), they could make a dramatic improvement, but I would never set my bar of expectations that high.

Savage is the man. I LOVE that hiring. Here is a guy who is a prodigy. He's been on the fast track to NFL power for quite some time now. He's young, and well respected around the league. Detractors will say he was nothing more than Ozzie's "yes" man, but I've read quite the contrary from too many credible sources. Ozzie himself has said that Phil is/was ready for a GM job for the past 2-3 years. I've heard some Ravens fans say they actually believe that Savage was the real genius behind many of Ozzie's selections. Either way you're getting a guy that had a large say in the selection of some serious talent in Baltimore. It pains me to say it, but if not for their awful head coach they could've won multiple superbowls, because they are the most talented team in the league. I mean c'mon, Ogden, Heap, J. Lewis, R. Lewis, Suggs, Reed, etc, etc. That is a sick amount of talent that Savage has had a hand in producing.

Crennel, I'm happy with, but not as excited about the hiring. The problem is you don't know if he's going to be any good. You don't, I don't, and the Browns FO cannot be 100% sure. He has never been a head coach, so you have no base of work to look back upon. He is certainly well respected as a great coach. He teaches & communicates well, and is among the best coordinators in the league. When it comes to hiring a head coach its a crap shoot. You have to interview them and gauge how you think they will do based on that, since none of us were in that interview, who really knows. Great coordinators have made poor HCs, and poor coordinators have made great HC's. It's just difficult to predict.

What I do know is that when I watch NE I see the most well coached team I've ever seen in my life. They are always one step ahead of the opposition. They put every player in a not overly talented roster in the perfect position to best use his strengths. They never put them in a position where the opposition could exploit their weaknesses. They are disciplined and play as a group. (On the whole our coaching staff could learn a ton from watching NE, but I digress...). My opinion on Crennel is that he was a part of that coaching staff, and had a hand in creating that super well coached team. Even though he was not the HC, I find it hard to believe that he didn't learn a thing or two about how to run a team/franchise in his time at NE. On top of that you cannot argue with success. The guy has 5 SB rings! I'm not super excited about Crennel, only because I don't think any of us can really know what we're getting. I am quite happy with the hiring, however.

This should be a very interesting offseason for the Brownies. I expect the cap room that we have to go into many mid-level FAs, as opposed to one or two of the big name guys. If you look back the year before NE won their first superbowl they signed a LOT of FAs. These were the guys like Vrabel who nobody wanted at the time, but they molded them into the team that they are today, and many of these scrap-heap type guys became the cornerstones of that franchise. I don't really have any names to throw out there, as I have not yet studied this year's free agency lists, but I would expect we sign 5-10 FAs; none of these guys will get you excited when you read their names in March, but all of them will excite you when you see them playing together as a group. It's easier to build a team from the depths by going this route than expecting one big name signing to boost you up to the level you want to reach.

As for players currently on the roster, I think you'll see some movement there as well. As I mentioned in an earlier post in this thread, Holcomb is a FA, and is likely gone. Anthony Henry is also a FA, and the old front office treated his agent like crap (there have been ongoing conversations between a reporter at berniesinsiders.com and Ant's agent). Apparently the current FO has yet to contact him, but I hope they do, I'd like us to keep Henry around for awhile. I would look for Crennel to pick a RB, and possibly try to get some draft picks in return for whichever RB they don't want (my inclincation would be Suggs, but his injuries scare me). Courtney Brown will not be back unless he takes a big paycut. He has an outrageous cap number this coming season (something > $10 million, I believe), and he won't be making that money; either he takes a paycut or is gone. Of course the big question is Garcia. On the football field I'd want to keep him. He didn't fit into the system last year, which was apparent (not through just his mouth), but he was still one of our only playmakers. The guy is still clearly the best QB on the team, and you hate to get rid of them. Still, he does not shut up. He whines, and complains, not to his coaches, but to the media. That is contradictory to the team attitude, and is reason enough to get rid of him. Unless Romeo can turn his attitude around, I think Garcia will also be cut.

The final stage of the offseason is, of course, the draft. Obviously they want to trade down to get more picks, but this is a very weak draft, and its unlikely that anyone would be willing to give them good value for that pick. That leaves a couple of avenues. There are only a few really good prospects in this draft and they're either RB or QBs. I disagree with the earlier poster who said this was a weak QB draft. Alex Smith & Rogers are both good prospects, and both are probably better prospects than what Omar will be whether it be the '06 draft or '07. I look for the Browns to probably go with whichever corner prospect they rate higher, however. I don't think that they're ready to make the plunge with a #3 overall QB, regardless of what all the mock drafts have them taking. I'd say Browns fans should be reading up on Pac-Man Jones & Antrell Rolle. Personally I like Pac-Man, although he is a touch small, he's a playmaker. If Charlie Frye slips into the 2nd round, I woudln't be surprised if the Browns took him. He is the next great MAC QB, IMO, and could end up being just as good as Rogers/Smith. This draft is good for 2nd/3rd round OL talent as well. There are some guys who could come in and start right away, but are not elite level talents in that range. Overall this is a weak draft, but I would look for the Browns to look to address their OL & DL after the first round. Crennel has also mentioned the possibility of switching to the 3-4. So don't be shocked if they look at some DL/LB guys who fit into that scheme.

Finally, the part that fits most into this board, you'll notice that I didn't mention Josh's future. Quite frankly nobody knows what's up with Josh. He's got a whole new set of coaches to impress, that could work for or against him. He does have the guy who pulled the trigger on his drafting behind him now, but they don't have much invested in him to force them to keep him around. Josh is a project. I still believe he could be a starter in the NFL, because he has "it", he's a winner who makes all his teammates around him play better; he's also a natural leader. Those are important attributes in a QB. That said he doesn't have all the natural physical attributes to be an NFL QB. He can be erratic at times, and he's on the short side...he'd be among the 5 shortest starting QBs in the league, for sure. He does have the arm strength. In all, he will probably play himself onto the roster or off of it. Its up to him.

[UK Peregrine]

Maybe now that Couch had his arm surgery they will go after him again?

No way man, he's to busy selling cars here to go back to Cleveland.

[Warthog]

hammb,
Wow, great in-depth analysis. Can't argue with much of what you said. maybe I am being too optimistic, but I could see the improvement coming a little faster. The Browns first two picks from last year's draft both missed basically the entire season because of injuries. And there were numerous other players that got hurt this year. With all these guys back healthy, it will be like they had two drafts. So they should have so decent talent coming in.

In regard to the QB situation, I have heard that the Cardinals might be interested in Garcia. And the Cardinals have a disgruntled OL in L J Shelton that they would like to trade. Be interesting if they could work something out. At any rate, I don't think Garcia will take another snap for the Browns.

[hammb]

hammb,
Wow, great in-depth analysis. Can't argue with much of what you said. maybe I am being too optimistic, but I could see the improvement coming a little faster. The Browns first two picks from last year's draft both missed basically the entire season because of injuries. .

That is a good point, something I forgot. Sean Jones & KWII will both be back (hopefully), and after this year's draft we'll be essentially adding 4 players worthy of top 2 round selection. Hopefully both players will bounce back from severe injuries to have good seasons.

I could also see the improvement being a little more drastic, but like I said, I don't "expect" it to be. I don't think it'd be fair to Crennel or Savage to set the bar of expectations at the playoffs. That's just asking for too much. I think we'll see some improvement this year, and greater things in years to come. If we see a drastic improvement this year, then I'll be thrilled.

Also, like I said in my post, I do believe the Browns were more talented than your average 4 win NFL team. In other words, I think simply a change of coach could add a couple wins right off the bat. Those guys had given up on that staff, and they just flat out were not giving their all for them. Hopefully that will change. Unfortunately, I also look for at least one solid contributor who we will hate to see leave to be cut/traded. Just because that's usually the way these sorts of things work. I couldn't name any names, but I wouldn't be surprised if there's at least one player who we fans think is worthwhile to keep around that Crennel & Savage will think we're better off without. Call it a hunch

[FALCON FLIER]

One thing the Browns have in their favor in their rebuilding efforts is that not only do they have the number 3 pick this year in all rounds but in essence they have bonus first and second round picks from 2005. Kellen Winslow and Sean Jones were the top 2 picks from 2004 and Winslow played in 2 games and Jones missed the entire season with injuries so it will be like their first year with the Browns.

It will take some time but if Savage and Crenell have the ability to evaluate talent, which none of the previous people had, it can work. The
Browns are well under the salary cap so they can pick up some veterans that way. It all depends on how well they evaluate talent. They have to be better than what they have had.

[1987alum]

hammb,
Wow, great in-depth analysis. Can't argue with much of what you said. maybe I am being too optimistic, but I could see the improvement coming a little faster. The Browns first two picks from last year's draft both missed basically the entire season because of injuries. .

That is a good point, something I forgot. Sean Jones & KWII will both be back (hopefully), and after this year's draft we'll be essentially adding 4 players worthy of top 2 round selection. Hopefully both players will bounce back from severe injuries to have good seasons.

I could also see the improvement being a little more drastic, but like I said, I don't "expect" it to be. I don't think it'd be fair to Crennel or Savage to set the bar of expectations at the playoffs. That's just asking for too much. I think we'll see some improvement this year, and greater things in years to come. If we see a drastic improvement this year, then I'll be thrilled.

Also, like I said in my post, I do believe the Browns were more talented than your average 4 win NFL team. In other words, I think simply a change of coach could add a couple wins right off the bat. Those guys had given up on that staff, and they just flat out were not giving their all for them. Hopefully that will change. Unfortunately, I also look for at least one solid contributor who we will hate to see leave to be cut/traded. Just because that's usually the way these sorts of things work. I couldn't name any names, but I wouldn't be surprised if there's at least one player who we fans think is worthwhile to keep around that Crennel & Savage will think we're better off without. Call it a hunch

The math certainly works in Cleveland's favor, I think.

You've got a 4-win team that, as you clearly pointed out, gave up on its coach and went into a tailspin. Simply restuffing the HC shirt should be worth a win or two. Add the influx of talent - anticipated FA signings plus Jones & Winslow boosting the '05 draft class - and it's not out of the question to expect 6 or 7 wins. That would be a heckuva turnaround for a new head coach that will be installing an entirely new defense and, in all likelihood, a new offensive scheme as well.

As for Josh, I hope the Browns stick with him. McCown may have more raw talent, but it's obvious to me that Josh has a lot of intangibles that McCown simply doesn't posess.

[UK Peregrine]

Lots of Browns talk today. Since everyone is on the subject, here an interesting read for some of you. The book is entitled "False Start: How The New Browns Were Set Up To Fail" by Terry Pluto. Being that I'm not a Brown's fan, I have not read the book myself, just happend to hear Terry on Fox Sports Radio a month or two ago discussing his book. He made some interesting assertions against the NFL. He stated that the "new" Browns never had a chance, doomed from the start by the NFL and dysfunctional management on the part of the team's new owners. He discussed observations concerning the mismanagement of the team and the NFL's utter disregard for fans, who represent little more to the league than a vast collection of credit cards, to be delivered to advertisers. Check it out sometime or report back if someone already read this book.

[TG1996]

I've got that book, its just somewhere on my list of "next to reads".

On a brighter note for Browns fans, the book "On Being Brown" is a fantastic read!

[Warthog]

I get an e-mail newsletter from Terry each week and I just received the latest. Here is what he says abou the Brown's QB's:

"I like the idea of bringing back Kelly Holcomb. I don't think Luke McCown is the guy, but if the new front office has a different opinion -- go for it. McCown was thrown to the lions with a bunch of pork chops for a necklace when he played in the mess of 2004.

Maybe former Ravens executive Savage likes Josh Harris, who was on Baltimore's practice squad for a while last year and is now with the Browns. Maybe it's someone else. Maybe drafting Akron's Charlie Frye in the second or third round makes sense, especially if the Browns trade down and gain multiple picks.

The Browns have had quarterback chaos in the last three years, with Tim Couch, Holcomb, Jeff Garcia and McCown taking turns. Please, don't send e-mails about bringing back Couch. He has just had surgery on his shoulder, and he has had other arm problems. Let him recover and try it elsewhere.

The Browns need to start fresh with someone new, even if that someone really doesn't play until 2006. Begin grooming him now."

[Falconfreak90]

"He discussed observations concerning the mismanagement of the team and the NFL's utter disregard for fans, who represent little more to the league than a vast collection of credit cards, to be delivered to advertisers">


Nuff said there. Screw the NFL.

I'll continue to invest my hard earned $$$ in THE BOWLING GREEN STATE UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL TEAM.

[Bleeding Orange]

"He discussed observations concerning the mismanagement of the team and the NFL's utter disregard for fans, who represent little more to the league than a vast collection of credit cards, to be delivered to advertisers">


Nuff said there. Screw the NFL.

I'll continue to invest my hard earned $$$ in THE BOWLING GREEN STATE UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL TEAM.

Yeah Freak! We might as well give our money to people who are actually working to earn it, rather than to pile it up. Seriously. Screw the NFL.

If every parent was like Freak, all kids would grow up college football fans and the NFL would go the way of MLS in 10 years. Every kid would be able to screech like a Falcon pretty well, too.

I salute you, Freak!