Browns Rumors

Will Burge of the Bleacher Report wrote a good article on the various rumors floating around about the Browns.  I can't find anything at all wrong with it, which is rare.

In particular the pursuit of Sam Shields rumor is just too obvious not to be true.

Will's verdict on the rumor that the Browns actually liked Derrick Carr best and would try to draft him at 26 was false, and I tend to agree.

Will felt that this is another smokescreen, but it could be much simpler.  Some clown like me could speculate about it in his blog.  Some other clown with a wider audience could steal it from him, writing it as an actual prediction.

Several other pundits could repeat this.  Then some bigshot reads all this and calls some people they think are Browns insiders to ask about this.  These people might say "It makes sense", or "Could be", and here we go!

The only reason Ray Farmer would leak this deliberately would be if he wants one of the top three quarterbacks, and wants to discourage anybody from trading ahead of him to pull the rug out from under him.  I still consider the aforementioned rumor mill explanation more likely, especially since I DID propose it myself in an earlier posting,

This isn't to say that Ray Farmer doesn't like Carr.  I jumped off the Carr wagon due to his below 50% completions on passes over 20 yards, and his lower percentage under pressure.

But then Geno Smith had some statistical flaws.  EJ Manuel looked better, but not perfect.  And Carr did excel at the Senior Bowl, all day every day during practice, and then in the game.

On the other hand, I've now learned that he personally was really putrid in his Bowl game.

So I just don't know.  But I agree with Will:  I doubt that Carr would be there at 26.

I'm encouraged by recent mock drafts which seem to have Bridgewater or Bortles for them at four.  I keep hearing the "There's no Andrew Luck" mantra repeated, but if Ray Farmer believes in somebody, it won't matter what more glorified versions of me think--he'll take him.

I'm a little surprised and pleased to hear that the (probably true) reporting that Rubin will not be released.  Doug Dieken emphasises leadership a lot, and I guess he knows what he's talking about.  Rubin seems to be the leader of the defensive line.

Others, including my man Terry Pluto, keep talking about sack numbers, and I keep reminding everybody that this is a 3-4 defense.  Rubin is making a lot of money for a guy who doesn't get sacks, but he can play any of the three line positions, he's been Mister Reliable, and he's still young.

He also gives the coaches a lot of flexibility.  Kitchen has developed into a good nose tackle, and Hughes can do that in a pinch, but Rubin has more range and is quicker.  Taylor and Rubin can each be moved around to find the best matchups.

Will is right, though: It's still possible that Rubin could be released during training camp.  I said p o s s i b l e.

The guy nobody talks about on the defensive line is Billy Winn, who is just all over the place making plays, and is only going to get better.  The Browns might have the best 3-4 DL in the NFL.  Here's the one unit on the team they can ignore.

If Joe Banner was ready to let Alex Mack walk, I'm gladder than ever that he's gone.  How can you not value the center?  The guy who makes all the line calls, blocks linebackers in space, takes on nose tackles are you kidding me?  Next to the left tackle, the center is the most important position on the offensive line!

When the Browns drafted Mack rather than Clay Matthews, everybody bashed that move.  Not me.  While I would have been just as happy with Clay, I understand how important center is.

Cody Norman thinks the Browns should draft Watkins at four.

I agree that would be awesome, but it would be a wasted pick.  The draft and free agency are flooded with wide recievers right now.  Two number ones would indeed be scary, but a number one reciever is not a need at all.

If the Browns didn't need guard(s), better TE depth, now two ILB's, cornerback, fullback, maybe running back, and--oh yeah quarterback, Watkins would be a great pick at number four.

Cody talks about Watkins taking pressure of Gordon and Cameron.  He would, but that's not the job.  The number one (Gordon) beats double coverage with an accurate quarterback.  HE takes the pressure off the number two, who beats single coverage.

Watkins on this team is redundant.  He'd make bigger plays than the other alternatives, but the difference he would make over a Baldwin or somebody else overall could be downright negligable.  There is only one football.

It's even possible that a guy like Baldwin paired with Gordon could be better.  Baldwin makes catches even with cornerbacks glued to him.  Taking him down is just an ordeal.  He'll be doing a lot of downfield blocking in the NFL.

I believe that Ray Farmer will draft Bortles or Bridgewater at four, or else trade down.  With Watkins on the board, somebody without a Josh Gordon will absolutely be a dance partner, if a QB-hungry team isn't.  Keep up the speculation, Cody!

Vic Carruci has it right.  Make the most of this very deep draft.

It's still possible that my dart hit the mark, and Guiton or Murray (if not Carr) will be the quarterback, in which case Farmer could trade down--perhaps more than once--and literally fix everything in one bold move.

In re that, please for God's sake stop reciting that mantra!  Yes you CAN fix everything in one offseason!  The Browns just sent five guys to the Pro Bowl, for crying out loud, and there are only 22 starters on a team!

They not only have a ton of cap space, but they're compelled to spend most of it on free agents.  They don't need to replace all seventeen other guys you knuckleheads!  Which defensive linemen do you want to kick to the curb?

Jackson's release does make ILB a bigger priority.  I still insist that Roberts was partly a victim of Horton's system, which has some Tampa 2-like elements do it.  He's a good run-and-hit linebacker.  But I stipulate that yeah I'd like somebody good enough to put him in a depth/situational role.

The trade-down scenario could put Ray in position to nab CJ Mosely, and there are more DQwell Jacksons to be had down the list.  Mosely is to this class of 3-4 ILB's what Watkins is to the wide recievers.  I loved Jackson like everybody else, but CJ would be an improvement.

And no, and inside linebacker doesn't need to be huge.

Bortles, Bridgewater, or trade-down.  That's my final offer.  For now.