DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Our New & Improved Secondary!!!

http://espn.go.com/blog/afcnorth/post/_/id/12544/the-big-question-browns-starting-safety

The Big Question: Browns' starting safety?

Will the Cleveland Browns go with a rookie starting safety this season?

Rarely is an NFL coach stumped by a football question.

But after the Browns took cornerback Joe Haden in the first round of the NFL draft, coach Eric Mangini was quizzed on his starting safeties, which caused some hesitation.

"It's a ways away," Mangini said. "So I can't really say that definitively right now."

Over the next two days, the Browns drafted a pair of safeties -- T.J. Ward of Oregon and Larry Asante of Nebraska. The Browns are hoping one of these players matures quickly and earns a starting role this season alongside veteran Abram Elam.

Safety was arguably Cleveland's biggest need entering the draft. It was a major reason many projected Eric Berry or Earl Thomas to land with the Browns in the first round.

Berry was a target for Cleveland at No. 7. But when he went off the board at No. 5 to the Kansas City Chiefs, the Browns turned their attention to Haden. It also forced Cleveland to look very hard at safeties in the second round.

Some draft experts felt the team reached for Ward at No. 38. But Ward was a player the Browns really liked.

"When I looked at him and spent time with him he reminded me a lot of Lawyer Milloy," Mangini said. "I think he's got outstanding instincts in the running game. He’s one of these guys that can navigate through traffic and it's almost like the blockers don't exist. Very rarely does he miss tackles."

The Browns selected Asante in the fifth round. He has similar skills to Ward in terms of being an aggressive hitter at safety. Right now, Ward is the favorite to be the Week 1 starter. But both rookies will have plenty of opportunities to impress Cleveland's coaching staff in training camp.

"Just like with the other guys, he will battle at safety for playing time," Browns general manager Tom Heckert said of Asante. "We do think he is a good player. He played at a big-time level of competition, which is always a nice thing to have."

With opposing quarterbacks on the schedule such as Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Joe Flacco, Ben Roethlisberger and Carson Palmer, the Browns need at least one of these rookie safeties to be fast learners.

I like all our picks, the only thing I wished is we traded down a few spots, because I think all of these guys were picked high by a few spots. But in the long haul no one will remember that if they turn out to be solid pros.

But for the guys we got it is night and day from what we have had back there for years! Maybe since we got back. We have always had 1 good guy and a few bad guys, so it all evens out and you never see the true talent of the stud.

Now we have 2 very good corners and the other guys look solid too. I feel allot more comfortable now then I did last year with McDonald.. and Poole always hurt.

Quote:

---

These kind of posts I agree are sad in the fact a fan PRESUMES to KNOW a player personally and takes his Opinion on a player to a personal level.

---

Some folks do the same damn thing with Coaches...