DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Browns Team Report: TSN

It is a new one, but nothing really new.

If TSN says were NOT trading Anderson......then it MUST not be true.

Anyway, here goes:

Inside Slant

The weeks leading up to the draft are described as "the silly season" by Browns general manager Phil Savage. Given the situation of having no draft picks in the first three rounds, doubtless rumors will sprout about the Browns trading Derek Anderson for a high draft choice to a team in need of a quarterback.

Savage has been consistent with his message all along -- Anderson is not for sale, at least not until next winter. It is unlikely the Browns will go through 2009 with Anderson as the starter and 2007 first-round draft choice Brady Quinn as Anderson's caddy, but that is certainly the plan for this season, as much as Quinn doesn't like the idea of watching again.
Anderson will have to lose the job in training camp to not be the starter in the season opener in September, and even then it might not be enough to relegate him to the bench.

Anderson was not exactly John Elway or Peyton Manning in preseason last summer. In fact, he played so poorly Charlie Frye was declared the starter against the Steelers in the season opener by default. Frye was yanked in the middle of the second quarter and Anderson went on to have a phenomenal season.

Ironically, Anderson might have been considered trade bait at this time had Frye been just mediocre against the Steelers. Mediocre might have been enough to get Frye another week, and then there is no telling what Frye would have done against the Bengals the following week. Anderson threw five touchdown passes in that game and in three others he threw three touchdown passes.

As tempted as Savage might be to acquire a first-round pick, he believes Anderson is more valuable to the Browns in what the organization expects to be a playoff season. The Browns have glaring needs on defense, particularly at outside and inside linebacker, but no one at those positions can have the impact in a game a quarterback can have.

Savage still has faith Quinn will be the Browns starting quarterback at some point. After all, he did give up the fourth pick in the second round last year and his first pick in 2008 (22nd, it turns out) to get Quinn. But no matter how enticing the rumors become, when the draft is over Derek Anderson.

Notes and Quotes
--Coach Romeo Crennel said there are no plans to re-sign offensive tackle Nat Dorsey. On paper, the Browns appear thin at tackle after starters Joe Thomas and Kevin Shaffer, but guards Eric Steinbach and Ryan Tucker have started at left and right tackle respectively.

--Crennel said he or someone else from his coaching staff will visit LeCharles Bentley at the facility where Bentley is working out on his own in Arizona. Bentley has not played in two seasons while recovering from a torn patellar tendon. Crennel expects Bentley to participate in the offseason program beginning in mid-May.

--Gib Shanley, radio voice of the Browns from 1961-84, died at the age of 76. Shanley called the Browns last championship when they beat the Colts 27-0 on Dec. 27, 1964.

--With a glut of starters and former starters at guard -- Steinbach, Tucker, Rex Hadnot and Seth McKinney -- one might think Crennel is tempted to let Tucker and Shaffer compete at right tackle while Hadnot and McKinney compete at right guard. But that won't be the case. Tucker will head to training camp as the starting right guard, Crennel said.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "We had as much excitement when this thing went down with Shaun Rogers -- and knowing we had Corey Williams on board -- than we did last year on draft day when we got Joe Thomas and Brady Quinn. I think everyone inside the building feels great about what we've done." -- Browns general manager Phil Savage on reshaping the defensive line.

Strategy and Personnel

Nothing has to be done immediately, but the Browns to decide what to do, if anything, concerning defensive back Kenny Wright. Wright is free on bond after being arrested in Pearland, Texas, on charges of misdemeanor unlawful restraint, a misdemeanor charge of evading arrest and a misdemeanor charge of marijuana possession.

Pearland police reported investigating a disturbance involving Wright and a woman. He took off on foot and was quickly tracked down.
The Browns are not commenting on the situation.

Wright, 30, was a non-factor in 2007. He played in seven games and started one. He made three tackles and had three special teams tackles.

The Browns might eventually release Wright, but for now they are down a defensive back after trading Leigh Bodden to the Lions.

TEAM NEEDS/OFFSEASON STRATEGY

1. Outside linebacker: Looking for pass-rush help remains a top priority. The Browns have tried in free agency, but they did not make any commitments after visits from free agent outside linebackers Clark Haggans, Travis LaBoy and Darryl Blackstock. Kamerion Wimbley had only five sacks last season after recording 11 as a rookie in 2006. A sack threat from the opposite side should help.

2. Inside linebacker: Inside linebackers Jerod Mayo from Tennessee and Beau Bell from UNLV were among players making pre-draft visits to the Browns. Bell could still be available when the Browns pick in the fourth round, according to pre-draft prognostications. Heading into the offseason, stopping the run and improving the pass rush were made priorities.

3. Cornerback: The first three corners are set with Eric Wright, Daven Holly and Brandon McDonald, but that is not enough to go into the season. The Browns are apparently done shopping in free agency, so help is likely to come in the draft. The Browns could take two DBs with their four picks.





LINK

On trading Anderson, in different words . . .

http://www.kffl.com/team/13/nfl

Browns | Team likely won't trade Anderson to move up in NFL Draft
Fri, 11 Apr 2008 08:17:12 -0700

The Associated Press reports Cleveland Browns general manager Phil Savage said during a radio interview Thursday, April 10, that it was unlikely he would trade QB Derek Anderson or any other players to move up in the NFL Draft. The Browns do not have a pick before the fourth round. "To go up and try to get into the first day, it would have to be a player who would be very attractive to us," Savage said. "I don't think it would involve certainly any players we have on our current roster. It would probably involve more picks for next year, something in the future."

Longest offseason ever . . . .

Nah ... we have Tucker and the amazing ... legendary ...... incredible ...... and stupendous Issac Sowells .........

What more could we need?

Quote:

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This will make a few people happy... pretty much a waste of a spot. It does seem like we're thin at tackle, and Tuck ain't gettin' any younger.

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Yeah, but with Dorsey here, he doesn't exactly make us thick at Tackle

True and true, YTown & Daman.

to me the gist of the article is;
Nat Dorsey = gone
Peek > Haggans, Edwards
A.J. Davis = prospect

Well, Here is the next update, not alot new again, but something to read between now and the draft:

Team Report: Inside Slant

It seems the Browns just cannot get away from staph infections, no matter how hard they try. Each time another one occurs, it raises links to past issues the team has done its best to eradicate.

The most recent to encounter a staph infection after surgery at The Cleveland Clinic is wide receiver Joe Jurevicius. Fortunately for the Browns and urevicius, his condition does not appear as serious as those that have affected several of his teammates.
The infection appears under control and will not prevent Jurevicius from participating in the organized team activities beginning next month or veteran minicamp in June. As long as those events go well, Jurevicius should be fine for training camp.

Jurevicius had what the Browns described as a routine clean-out on his right knee soon after the 2007 season ended. Reports from Berea said everything went smoothly and that Jurevicius was rehabbing his knee to get ready for the offseason conditioning program, but about 15 days later, an infection surfaced.

It is unknown where Jurevicius contracted the staph infection, but he had to undergo another operation to clean it out and apparently the doctors caught it in time before the infection became worse.

"Joe had his knee scoped in early January," Browns general manager Phil Savage said. "At some point following that procedure, he acquired an infection from which he is recovering. He has been rehabilitating here in Cleveland and is expected to take part in the team's offseason activities. It's a non-story."

Four other Browns have been contracted staph over the last three years. Team and medical officials are at a loss to explain where the infections originated, nor do they know whether there is a common cause.

No infections were reported last year and it seemed the problem was over. Prior to 2007, wide receiver Braylon Edwards, tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. plus former Browns safety Brian Russell and linebacker Ben Taylor developed staph infections after surgeries at The Cleveland Clinic. All four resumed playing after the infection was eradicated. Russell had to deal with two staph infections in 2006.

Of the four, Winslow's was the most serious. He ended up losing 30 pounds after a staph infection set in following his knee surgery in 2005. He did not even look like the same player the Browns drafted in 2004. He was weak and gaunt. Recovering from the staph infection was as much a part of his rehab as recovering from the actual surgery.

LeCharles Bentley suffered a staph infection in August of 2006, about a month after surgery at The Cleveland Clinic to repair a torn patellar tendon. He has not played since the injury and has had numerous follow-up surgeries to clean out the infection.

The Bentley staph infection has haunted the Browns since it developed. Bentley signed a six-year, $36 million contract in 2006 to play for his hometown Browns after four seasons in New Orleans. Soon after signing the contract, he was filming a commercial and when he pulled on the Browns jersey he was overcome with emotion.

Since the staph infection and subsequent problems the relationship between Bentley and the Browns has been strained. His original contract was torn up. He will be a free agent after 2008.

The Browns' training facility in Berea was treated last year with a chemical agent designed to kill off or prevent staph infection before players would have the chance to come in contact with it. It is important to note that, by doing so, the Browns were not taking blame for any of the staph infections.

Jurevicius' situation could be totally unrelated to anything connected with the Browns' facility or Cleveland Clinic.

Jurevicius, 33, is in his third season with the Browns and 11th in the NFL. He says the 2008 season will be his last.

Jurevicius caught 50 passes last season -- 34 of them for first downs. He will have difficulty matching those numbers this season. He started 12 games and played in all 16 last season. This year he is projected as the third receiver behind Edwards and Donte Stallworth.

DRAFT STRATEGY

By the time the Browns are finally on the clock in the 2008 draft, 121 picks will already have been made, teams will be elated with the players they got or dismayed with the ones they missed and experts will be into a second day of dissecting the hits and misses of the 31 other teams.

Those who have followed Phil Savage since he took over as Browns general manager in January 2005 might be looking for him to pull off a draft-day shocker as he did last year. The Browns traded a 2008 first-round pick and 2007 second-round pick to the Cowboys to draft Brady Quinn. But there will be no fireworks this time, Savage says. The Browns do not have a pick until the fourth round, 122nd overall, and Savage says he is content to stay there.

Savage traded the Browns' second-round pick to Green Bay for defensive lineman Corey Williams and his third -- plus cornerback Leigh Bodden -- to the Lions for defensive tackle Shaun Rogers. Both trades were made on the first day of free agency.

To use Savage's term, the Browns have lowered their radar in the draft this year. When they finally do get to start picking, they will concentrate on inside and outside linebackers, cornerback, possibly a safety, tight end, an offensive tackle and running back if one rated highly tumbles.

With only four choices, the Browns do not have enough picks to satisfy all their needs. If ever there was a time when a team is going to follow the "best player available" mantra, this is it. But one thing is clear: This will be a defensive draft for the Browns.

"I can't even create a circumstance in my mind where we would get in the top 63 picks," Savage said. "We've kind of eliminated that from our thought process. We're going to watch the draft like any observer of the NFL would.

"We're going to monitor the situation and see how our board holds up going into the second day. All of our preparation has been beyond the second round. I think it would be foolish for us to jump in the water that we haven't put a lot of time in on. Obviously there would have to be a chain reaction for us to even get in the third round. Right now we're kind of content sitting where we are."

Since the end of the 2007 season, Savage has said he will not trade quarterback Derek Anderson. If there is a way for the Browns to make a pick in the first round, it would be by dealing Anderson, who last year won 10 games and threw 29 touchdown passes. But Savage has been adamant about not trading Anderson. He said he would be surprised if some team calls him on draft day and proposes a deal.

"We put it out there enough that he's our quarterback for 2008, going in as the starter, getting to build off what he did last year," Savage said. "We're going forward.

"When that schedule came out, the first thought I had was thank God we've got two quarterbacks because it's going to be a challenge every Sunday. I don't think anybody's going to call. They pretty much know that he's off the table for this year."

The Browns play the seventh-toughest schedule, based on opponents 2007 combined record of 140-116. They play five games in prime time.

In the past, Savage has explained away second-day failures by saying picks in rounds four through seven are "hit and miss" and the chances of hitting on a pick are 50-50. Savage did have more success on the second day in the last two drafts with linebacker Leon Williams in the fourth round in 2006, fullback Lawrence Vickers in the sixth round in 2006 and cornerback Brandon McDonald in the fifth round last year.

"We put a lot of time into day two and I think it's going to pay off for us. We've got four cracks at it right now," Savage said. "We're hoping to find two players that can really be of help to us and two that can help us down the line.

"Over the years, we've tried to rank players one through what have you - it usually ends up being 150. We're tried to put our attention from 40-120. We feel like our four players will come from that range on our board."

Savage made a point to say the Browns' draft board is tailored to the type player the Browns need, so their top 150 will differ from say that of the Steelers, Ravens or Bengals or an objective site such as NFLDraftScout.com.

Savage said, going back to his days in the scouting department with the Ravens and including his three drafts in Cleveland, his fourth-round pick has averaged out to be 56 on his draft board. The fifth-round pick has ranked 74th on average, the sixth-round pick 99th and the seventh-round pick 114th. It is for that reason Savage is confident he can find two players to improve the Browns this year without trading away picks in 2009.

Team Report: Notes and Quotes

--The Browns last appeared on "Monday Night Football" in 2003. They will be on MNF three times this year -- at home against the Giants Oct. 13, in Buffalo Nov. 17 and in Philadelphia Dec. 15. They also host the Steelers in a Sunday night game Sept. 14 and the Broncos in a Thursday night game Nov. 6.

--This will be the Browns 10th year since returning to the NFL and they will open the season at home for the 10th time. They are 1-8 in season openers.

--Everything the Browns do from September through the 15th game could lead up to a dramatic final game. They close the season in Pittsburgh on Dec. 28. They could break the jinx before then in the home game Sept. 14. Coach Romeo Crennel is 0-6 against the Steelers.

--CB Daven Holly has not signed his tender of $1.417 million. General manager Phil Savage says there are no hang-ups, but when Holly does sign it will be for one year and not a multi-year deal.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "I term these last three weeks or so the Three-D Zone. If it doesn't start with a 'D,' if it's not draft related, Dorothy related who is my wife, and if it's not death-related, then I'm not really interested in it at this time of year." -- Browns general manager Phil Savage on preparing for the draft.



LINK

I have taken the liberty to highlight a couple of things I thought stood out to me.

I know it's slow right now but I bet things pick up as next week progresses towards the draft.

anyway, enjoy the read even if you don't get much out of it.

1. Tim Carter isn't on the team anymore

2. We have 3 WR's competing for the fifth WR spot. There's enough depth there now to not make it a priority.

3. Injury-wise/depth-wise, I'd be more concerned if one of our D-Linemen, Safeties, corners, or linebackers went down than I would if one of our WR's went down.

the BIG picture right now is that for 2008 the Browns need about a handful of players for special teams, rotation and back-up in case of injury. IMO you hit the main areas of need for those type of players. Fortunately those types of players can be found in rounds 4-7 and walk-ons at camp. Another source is from players currently on the roster. That's why in an earlier post I mentioned A.J.Davis. He is the type of player currently on the roster that could be the next McDonald or Holly. The DL could still be the area of greatest concern.

The Browns offense would take a huge hit if Edwards went down. Stallworth isnt going to command double teams like Edwards if he has to be the go to WR. Again, JJ will have to start and JJ himself dont want that much playing time. Maybe Sanders can step it up this year. Although, I have seen mocks with Michigans Arrington slipping to the 4th or 5th round. That would be an upgrade over any WR the Browns have right now in the 4th or 5th spot (Im not considering Cribbs). It would also be nice to have Arrington or another WR to have a year of this offense under his belt if JJ does retire next year. Then WR will not be a concern. Even if the Browns draft a safety, LB, or CB with the 4th and 5th, it could still be an area of concern next year.

Im not saying that Im not 100% for getting a WR over these other positions. What I am saying is that if a WR was the BPA, I would like to see the Browns take that player. I would not be upset at all if the Browns go all defense in the second day of the draft.

When Romeo got a ring in NE, they were plugging in UDFAs, due to all their injuries, to reach the SB. Also, is David McMillian finally ready to see the field? I think he would see playing time if Wimbley gets hurt. Wimbley is the only LB on the roster that if he got hurt, his backup would be a significant downgrade. Chaun Thompson could have stepped in but he isnt here. Could a second day pick make the roster over McMillian. I doubt Savage kept him around this long just because he drafted him.

I think just about everyone agrees that if a starting Safety goes down, thats going to hurt big time. I dont know what Sorenson can do for a defense.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Official logo for the Dawg PoundThe Dawg Pound is the name of the bleacher section behind the east end zone in Cleveland Browns Stadium, the home field of the Cleveland Browns. It is known for having the most-rabid fans in the National Football League.

According to Hanford Dixon, then a cornerback with the Browns, Dixon himself gave his defensive teammates the name "Dawgs" to inspire them before the 1985 season.

The Sporting News's "Illustrated History of the Cleveland Browns" (1999) said the Dawg Pound started during the 1985 Training Camp at Lakeland Community College in Kirtland, Ohio. Dixon and fellow cornerback Frank Minnifield started the idea of the pound by using the dog-versus-cat relationship between the quarterback and the defense.

"We had the idea of the quarterback being the cat, and the defensive line being the dog," Dixon said. "Whenever the defense would get a regular sack or a coverage sack the defensive linemen and linebackers would bark."

This attitude carried into the stands at the training camp, where fans started barking along with the players.

Dixon and Minnifield then put up the first "Dawg Pound" banner in front of the bleachers before the first preseason game at old Cleveland Stadium.

The bleacher section had the cheapest seats in the stadium, and its fans were already known as the most vocal. They adopted their new identity whole-heartedly, wearing dog noses, dog masks, bone-shaped hats and other outlandish costumes.

Contents [hide]

[edit] Notoriety
Dawg Pound fans quickly developed a reputation for misbehavior as well as vociferousness. Team officials banned the carrying of dog food into the stadium, as bleacher fans would shower the visiting team with Milk-Bones, along with other objects. Dawg Pound fans also consumed hefty amounts of alcohol, even sneaking a keg into the stadium inside of a doghouse. Eventually, the team lined the Dawg Pound with security personnel and had spies monitor the section from above to look for violations of ground rules.

On at least one occasion, Dawg Pound rowdiness had a concrete impact on the outcome of a game. In the fourth quarter of a 1989 game against the hated Denver Broncos, the rain of batteries and other debris coming down from the bleachers was endangering the safety of the players. To move the action away from the east end, referee Tom Dooley had the teams switch sides. That put the wind at the Browns' back. The Browns won on a Matt Bahr field goal that barely cleared the crossbar.

At the final game at Cleveland Stadium in 1995, members of the Dawg Pound ripped the bleachers from the stands, throwing them onto the field.

"Here We Go, Brownies, Here We Go!", followed by "Woof! Woof!" is the unofficial chant of the Browns.


[edit] The new Pound
When Cleveland Browns Stadium was completed in 1999, team officials named the sections in Cleveland Browns Stadium's east end the Dawg Pound. The new Pound differs from the original in having two decks, but like the Dawg Pound of Cleveland Municipal Stadium, the new stadium's Dawg Pound seats are all bleachers.

The new Pound also has official recognition from the team. The team trademarked a Dawg Pound logo, which it uses on select fan memorabilia. This logo was created by NFL Properties and is the only such logo developed for an NFL fan base by the league . It features a Browns helmet-clad dog gripping a football in its jaws surrounded by the words "DAWG POUND" in a stencil font.

The establishment nature of the new Pound, as well as the more-sterile atmosphere of the new stadium, originally turned off some veteran fans. Yet the fans at the new stadium quickly proved their rambunctiousness.

There has also been a slight backlash against the Browns organization by some in the old "blue-collar" fan base. This has resulted from what was originally a player and fan movement - the Dawg Pound - having been made "corporate," by the Browns organization, including trademarks, copyrights and an official "Dawg Pound symbol" (seen at the top right of this article). Also, the more sterile, corporate atmosphere at the new Cleveland Browns Stadium (as opposed to the near anarchy at the old Cleveland Municipal Stadium in the 1960's-1990's) has been viewed by more traditionalist Browns fans and Dawg Pound season ticket holders as tarnishing the history and traditional passion of the fanbase.

In a crucial late-season 2001 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Browns were driving toward the east end zone for what would have been the winning score. A controversial call on fourth down gave the Jaguars the ball. Browns' receiver Quincy Morgan had caught a pass for a first down on 4th and 1. After Tim Couch spiked the ball on the next play, referee Terry McAulay reviewed Morgan's catch, claiming that the replay officials had buzzed him before Couch spiked the ball. (NFL Rules state that once the next play is completed, the officials cannot under any circumstances review any previous plays.) Upon reviewing the play, McAulay determined that Morgan never had control of the ball, thus the pass was incomplete, and the Jaguars were awarded the ball. Fans in the Dawg Pound began throwing plastic beer bottles and other objects on the players and officials. McAulay declared the game over and sent the teams to the locker rooms. NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue then called to override the referee's decision, sending the players back onto the field, where the Jaguars ran out the last seconds under a hail of debris.


[edit] Dawg Pound fans
Current ticket prices for the Dawg Pound are $40 per game, and usually require purchase of season tickets. Since construction of the new stadium the Dawg Pound is populated with more affluent attendees compared to the generally blue collar fan base that made the Municipal Stadium's Dawg Pound famous. Even Hank Aaron has been known to sit in the Pound.[citation needed]

The most-famous Dawg Pound season-ticket holder is probably John Big Dawg Thompson (he had a name change to include his nickname), known as the "Canine-in-Chief." Television cameras often showed the offensive-lineman-sized man in his dog mask and No. 98 jersey, although recently he has undergone gastric bypass surgery and lost considerable weight. In 1995, Thompson became an unofficial spokesman for Browns fans fighting the move of the team to Baltimore. He testified before the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary and appeared on Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher.

Everybody knows this but it's fun to read.

I completely agree with your first sentence.

Quote:

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BPA for team need.

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Peen will be glad it's not him this time.

BrownToTheBone, don't take offense at what I'm about to say because it isn't really aimed at you. But I keep hearing Savage being quoted as saying "BPA for the Browns" as though it's a third option in how to draft.

There are two.

There is Drafting BPA, and there is Drafting for Need.

If you draft BPA then you are drafting the Best Player Available regardless of position.

If you draft for NEED then you are drafting for a specific need (position).

That's all there is.

The funny thing about BPA for team need, or "Best player or the Browns" is it sounds like a mix of the two approaches. It is not.

Drafting BPA for team need is simply drafting a specific position for need. It's drafting for Need. Of course it only makes sense that you'll draft the best player you can get to fill that need. The term "BPA" need not even be mentioned. I'ts a given. A no-brainer. It's a given even when a team is said to be drafting strictly for need. Strictly for need, sure, but they're going to take the best player they can to fill that need. BPA?

I think Savage pulled a fast one on everyone when he was asked if he would draft BPA or for Need and he answered "The BPA for the Browns". That seemed to calm everyone that he wasn't drafting for need but rather BPA. Drafting for need has always had the conotation of a team desparate to "reach" to fill a need.

But "BPA for the Browns" IS drafting for need. With the addition of the "BPA" in that phrase it makes it sound like a third option. Draftng BPA, or Drafting for Need, or Drafting BPA for the Team. But the third option, teh one that Savage gave, is the same as the second one. It's simply drafting for Need. And yes, you take the best player available to fill that need. duh!

Someone please tell me the difference in drafting "BPA for the Browns" and "Drafting for Need". Please. I hate being this stupid if in fact I am. OR someone please reword what I'm saying if it's coming across as unclear to the majority.

Except on rare occasions, in the later rounds, Savage has been drafting for Need since he got here. Yet he gets tagged as one who drafts BPA.


Peen, does it read any better when it's not aimed at you bro?

IMO "BPA for the Browns" is different than need. If you are purely drafting for need you will draft the best player at whatever position you need the most even if he is a much worst player than some other players of different positions. In BPA for the Browns that is not the case. Now lets say that we really need a running back and we need an inside linebacker, but not nearly as much. The top running back left is not very good, but the top inside linebacker left is very good. Then there is the best player left in the draft, a left tackle. Our left tackle is all-pro. If you are drafting purely for need you take the running back. If you are drafting BPA you take the tackle. If you are drafting BPA for the Browns you take the linebacker because he will have a better impact because he is a better player than the running back and fills a bigger need than the tackle.

You have to find an area that is between the two in order to help your team. I highly doubt there is a team that drafts purely BPA or need; it is all in between.

So, your time to select arrives and there are two players of relative ability to choose from. One plays a position of need and the other is in a position that is stacked. Which do you choose? Logic dictates that it is the area of need unless there is a player available that falls for some stupid reason and becomes a bargain.

When it's time to pick the players that are still available are usually of relatively equal or lesser value. Again logic dictates that you don't reach too far down. Most teams have multiple needs anyway, so the concept of selecting the BPA in and area of need is not too far fetched in my opinion. Does that make sense?

areas of need: anywhere on the defense.
If Phil chooses a WR, a RB, a TE or tackle I can see the logic. If he picks a QB or guard I'll wonder what he's smoking.

Quote:

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If Phil chooses a WR, a RB, a TE or tackle I can see the logic.

---

I see zero logic in picking a WR. We alrady have three guys competing for the fifth WR spot in Sanders, Steptoe, and Wilson. I think Sanders should win.

I can't say I'd be mad if Phil drafted a WR. The only position I really would be upset if Phil drafted someone at would be QB. You never know what kind of gem can fall to us, and there's nothing wrong with having some solid depth. I think we're pretty set at OL as well, but QB would be the only position I can pretty much guarantee will not be selected.

I think the focus will be all defense, and wouldn't be surprised if all the picks went that way. CB, DL, LB then S.

I would like to see a young RT prospect to be brought in for down the road. Tucker and Schaeffer are not spring chickens. There have been some pretty good OLmen found in the later rounds of the draft.

KING

Yeah, that's what I'm saying. We have a lot of depth at OL, but I can't be too upset if Savage would bring in a RT. Same was WR. JJ basically is saying this will be it for him, so if a diamond in the rough can be find, I'll take it.

Have to agree with Dubs...drafting the BEST PLAYER AVAILABLE for the Browns means what?
It means the player that fits the Browns need...
Which isn't a QB..or a LT...
It means something the Browns really need...in this years case..a CB/LB...thats the biggest needs right now..

Some people can't grasp around the idea that BPA always takes in to account needs to some degree....because you are correct, we won't draft a qb.

I don't think anybody here who says our basic drafting style is BPA says it is some concrete method with zero felxibility, yet the needs guys always bring up some crazy scenario.

I will say the better a team gets, the more they can swing to needs based drafting...especially early looking for potential immediate help.

I think the deeper in the rounds a team goes, it almost reverses...bad teams look for needs late and BPA early and good teams search the best value available late and needs early since there is a good chance nobody is going to do much in the short term.

Case in point this year....I would place the odds pretty low whoever we draft in round 4 is going to step in and do much.

Shoot...we are getting to the point it is conceivable a 4th rounder can't even make the team.

The days of drafting 7 and keeping 7 are over for a while.

Well considering we're starting out in the fourth..we want this guy to make it..
We need corners and I can us getting two this year.

And..and if its one of the TE's thats been mentioned..that would be just as big for next year..

A few of those TE's do look good as do some of the corners.

I don't really care which we select assuming they are who we want and have rated high enough, which i assume we will.

I too hope a few of these guys make it...and why not.....make it big.

My comment before was only to say it isn't beyond reason 4th and 5th rounders are no longer a lock to make the squad.

All we have to do is go back and start listing 4th and 5th rounders over the last 8-9 years....some of those guys couldn't make this club out of camp.

Think what you want....other teams scout as well...and any way you cut it, it is a 4th round pick.

You can hold out hope the guy is going to step in a be great. For myself, I will go with the odds that are based on years worth or 4th round picks and their success to flop ratio league wide.

I too hope the guy turns out to be a good player. I am just not going to hold my breath.

I feel sorry for this guy whoever he is because there are going to be a whole bunch of fans who somehow expect the guy to replace a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd rounder.

Remember....He is a 4th rounder...a late 4th rounder.

For some perspective...

Lee Suggs
Kevin Bentley
Luke McCowan
Issac Sowells
Antonio Perkins


Those are 4th rounders

When I look at our linebackers and our secondary I see absolutely no reason why a 4th rounder or even an UDFA couldn't come in and compete for a starting role.

I think we are being overly optimistic if we feel we can get a 4th rounder that will start.

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but a 4th round guy is a 4th round guy for a reason: Talent (or lack thereof).

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While this may be the norm, it isn't always accurate. There are some hidden gems who come from systems or smaller schools where their talent doesn't show. These are types of players who have a better chance of being found with extra effort. I feel that we will be doing ok if we can find a raw talent who may not be able to play right away, but contribute (other then special teams) as the season goes on. I think McDonald is a very good example. I have not heard this, but I believe the reason we let Bodden go was in part how McDonald was able to step up.

Look, I know that this will be an unpopular opinion but we are in a position where we cannot afford to miss on picks this year. And Phil knows it. In the past, when we've had 7 full rounds, we could somewhat afford to tinker around with our Day 2 picks and "experiment" a bit. But this year is different. We still have needs to fill. As I said, Phil and his staff are working just as diligently as they normally would, but they're focusing on guys that most teams are considering afterthoughts. Maybe I put too much faith in Phil, but I believe he will make the most of our picks this year. His goal is to find two guys that can help this year and two more that can help in the future. And I bet he does just that. Perhaps, odds aren't in our favor, but the deck has never been stacked like this before. JMHO.