Day One: DAYum!

First, I would like to thank my esteemed colleague, Bub, for his concise dissertation. Brevity is the soul of wit. Or something. Anyway I concur.

Now then: Just as I predicted, they took Joe Thomas, Quinn, and Wright. Unfortunately, I can't prove this, since some nefarious imitator seems to have hacked the site and rewritten everything.

Yes, well anyway, when they took Thomas, I was niether overjoyed nor disappointed. I mean, he IS pretty much a can't miss. Please, no comparisons to left tackle busts. Like Ferguson last season, Thomas is a basketball player and track star. He's not a big fat guy. For several years, being able to run over people somehow crept into the priority list for the left tackle, so if you haven't got an extra 30 or so lbs. of lard, you need not apply.

Fifth? Somebody took Levi Brown. Real road grader! 5.4 40. Kamerion Wimbley looks foreward to playing them.

I immediately thought "zone-blocking". Thomas has the tools to do that, although he needs some work in space. If they move Shaffer to the other side, zone-blocking is a lock, because he's too small to be a normal right tackle.

However, there's a lot of salary here, and rather than being moved, it's possible that Shaffer will be REmoved. I mean, with what they're paying Stenbach, and now Thomas...boy that's a LOT if you toss in what Shaffer is being overpaid!

A zone line can get away with one big, slow goon, as in Tucker, his back-up, and the 340 lb. untility backup guy.

By the way, some knucklehead on another team told Thomas they might make him a right tackle. Do you believe that? And no, no southpaw QB.

Thomas is KNOWN as THE best pass-blocker in this draft. He's also a good in-line run-blocker--but the most important thing is that he, right next to Stenbach, can form a nearly impenetrable barrier behind the QB's back.

This does not mean that pressure can't come from the inside or the right, of course, but there the QB can see it. After thinking about it, I decided that this was a good pick. That's the whole left side of the line all set for several years, and instant help. Shaffer's deal is now two years old. Maybe they can get something for him--unless he'll be reasonable and renegotiate. He would be pretty good at running upfield to smash safeties, and although he could be bull-rushed, he's quick enough to keep the bigger guys on the strong side from getting around him.

Well, we'll see. Money matters, ya know. I was thinking about being "Jack Benny" here.

Then, as soon as the guys on NFL radio said "trade" and "Cleveland", I knew it was for Quinn. I said I didn't want to take him third overall, but at number...what--22? THAT's a deal! Now we get to underpay him with an extremely long contract!

Forget the second round pick. The first next year? Ok well that hurts. But this is a QUARTERBACK. Opinions as to his "franchise" potential still differ among my expert sources, but they all agreee that he can start right away, and will be damn good. If that's the bottom line, the first next season is worth it. (Plus, we won't have to PAY that guy!)

Also, I hear more from my ultimate QB guru, Phil Simms: He'd be perfect as-is in a West Coast system. He reads and releases quickly, with deadly short and intermediate accuracy. But he gets inconsistant throwing on the run. I believe that's where the bad deep throws come from, but am not certain. I just have a hunch that if he's planted in the pocket and stepping into it, he's accurate deep, too. But if you saw different, correct me.

The system intended here was a deep-strike, vertical passing game. I remember when Palmer drafted Couch. He did a great job of turning him into a pocket passer, and in his first season, he looked real promising. But it was his arm that destroyed him. That's what destroyed Bernie, too (in the real world).

But I digress. Palmer also refused to alter the scheme even slightly to take advantage of Couch's ablities on roll-outs or in shot-guns, or throwing horizontal, high-percentage passes. I truly hope that this regime is smarter, and makes some accommodations for Quinn's strong suit.

Don't write off Frye and Anderson immediately. I think they'll be given fair chances, and if they can do the job, let Quinn sit and learn. That's the smarter way with any quarterback, anyway, and if you don't believe me, ask any of them. Besides, for all Thomas's talent, he IS a rookie, and it looks like we'll have a whole new offensive line yet again. Whoever's back there will feel some heat for a few games.

Let the other guys have their shots. Hopefully, they'll show some growth and make some nice plays. Then come next season you can trade one of them. (See? Always think down the road apiece.)

Quinn would then come in after mathematical elimination, like I said the other guy should--get some reps to take home for next season.

Now, they got Jason Wright, the cornerback out of UNLV that got in trouble when he was 19. I LOVE that! This guy is a shut-down cornerback; very very fast. He mainly played man, but did some zone, and has the brains to do it. He's a willing tackler, which is important. He can immediately compete to start, but might need to start as the nickel back.

With him and Bodden, this gives the defense two man guys. Grantham must already be plotting and scheming how to use them. Do you know what a line and linebackers can do to a quarterback deprived of his primary and secondary targets? And you can show man and go to zone or vice-versa to mess them up. (Belichick loves that. Moneky-wrenched Manning for years!)

Speed is also good. Just plain speed. This guy has world-class speed, so if somebody gets loose or behind him or somebody else, he can save the TD. And zone corners can be a little slower, but speed makes them much better. They can make a mistake trying to jump a route, and recover fast enough to break it up or at least make the tackle. When they read run, they can close on it much faster.

This one guy totally solidified the secondary. If you count Holly, as you should, the Browns will have three solid-to-exceptional cornerbacks. And I'm telling you right now, DeMario Minter will be at that level as well. And Perry might be okay too--but with these safeties, this team can cover and even withstand a couple injuries.

Note I'm leaving out Baxter. Well, Baxter was hurt BAAAAD.

This was a great politcal move today, also. All the people caterwalling about drafting offensive linemen high would wait until Quinn had a good game for somebody else, then start bashing Savage for not drafting him. So Savage, when he got lucky and he slid that far, took care of that. Who knows what you clowns will come up to bash him with next? But he's bullet-proof on the QB and line haha.

By the way, Quinn had to hang up on the Ravens when the Browns took him. They were working their own trade to move up and snag him. Most likely, Savage knew or anticipated it--he moved at just the right time.

A Browns fan, a Priest, and a Rabbi walk into a bar, and the Priest and Rabbi are buying all his drinks for him. The Browns fan had won a bet by proving that God was vengeful. All the Priest and Rabbi had were books. The Browns fan had X-rays.

LATER!