I'm glad Jimmy Haslam wasted no time taking a fire-hose to rumors of yet another wholesale upheaval. Clearly, he's learned that Browns' fans and commentators watch too much unReality TV and too many Soap Operas, and are olympic calibre conclusion-leapers.
Jimmy fired his first largely-inherited crew after the first season, therefore after the team failed to go to the Superbowl a season later, he would fire everybody again. After all, he has already proven that he is a meddlesome control freak by forcing Ray Farmer to draft Johnny Manziel, right?
I heard these guys on 92.3 (Chris it's a legitimate question Fedor mostly) pointing out the late-season collapse, Johnny's idiot party, Gordon's suspension, and veterans like Dansby and Whitten "throwing team mates under the bus" as evidence of incompetancy.
Another guy --and I can't pick on him too much-- questions both of Farmer's first round picks. This guy wasn't a reactionary gossip like Fedor, and stipulated that Gilbert and Manziel had the talent to be drafted where they were. But he suggested that Farmer needed to change something about the vetting process.
After all, these guys (and we know this because the old veterans squealed on them) lacked focus and dedication. Shouldn't Farmer have spotted this?
A fair question. But Johnny had had a whole college season to refine his con in order to elevate his draft status. Now, as we see, his first name should be Barak, because two days after saying he didn't work hard enough and would do better, he throws a big party the friday before the final game.
And I don't feel good about his future at all. Johnny is like me, and I know me. I have to really love doing something to be good at it. When I "buckle down" to something that requires real work, I can't sustain it.
And Johnny loved football when it was simple, and he could just run around and create things. Now here comes Kyle Shanahan with his Bible-sized playbook and all these check-down and read rules, and he has to learn all that crap.
It's just not fun any more.
Oh, but he knows what to say. He'll say some more good stuff to appease his voters shortly, and his diminished army of Johnnyites will go into the offseason confident that he will buckle down and do his homework and come back next season transformed into Russell Wilson.
I won't say this can't happen. I just doubt it. Not unless he can get himself to love the work part of it, the way Peyton Manning and the aforementioned Wilson do.
As for Gilbert, I'm not worried at all. Cornerback is far less complex.
Nor is the fact that Buster Skrine has emerged as an elite corner taken into account. Gilbert is big and tall, and not as well suited to the slot corner position as the smaller guys, so he couldn't sensibly be started out inside like most rookie cornerbacks are.
He had to dislodge Buster, and he couldn't get it done. He knows that he'll have to come back next season better than Skrine to claim that job. He knows it will take all he's got, and I believe he'll do what he has to.
What Whitner and Dansby are saying, Chris Fedor, about the rookies is a GOOD thing. Pettine can't publicly denounce players, or he'll lose the trust of the team. But old vets like these guys can and should take it to the streets when nothing else works.
Do you think Gilbert confronted Whitner over this? No way. He probably walked up to his locker and said "I hear you." And Whitner probably said "good."
What really happened to derail this train? A few things, beginning with Alex Mack. To my own surprise, his loss instantly deprived the quarterback of time to throw and stifled the running game. I had no idea the guy was that good, or that critical.
Farmer deserves credit for paying the price to hold onto him, doesn't he?
The defenses started holding onto the interceptions that Hoyer had been throwing all along, but it was mostly the loss of that one guy in the middle of the offensive line. Hoyer and Manziel rarely had time to throw, and were constantly in second and third and long situations.
The defensive line was all but destroyed by injuries, and Gipson went down. Because of the depletion of the defensive line, there was less rotation, and the players got less rest. They wore down. And the hits kept on coming, too.
I've also heard a rumor that Hoyer's shoulder was actually injured much sooner than advertized. I have yet to confirm that, but it sure would explain a lot.
As for Ray Farmer's potential termination, permabashers can point at the two first round picks, but they conveniently leave out the fact that the Browns now have two first round picks again--and if you call Gilbert a bust after one season, you are an idiot.
Undrafted Free Agents include Crowell, Gabriel, K'Waun Williams, and Glen Winston. Bitonio, West, and Kirksey are studs who will only get better. Desir was a starting quality steal. All this with extra first and fourth round picks in the upcoming draft.
Veteran free agents Whitner, Dansby, Hawkins, Dray...what the hell are you looking at that you'd consider firing a guy that did all this in one offseason? Because of Manziel and Gilbert? Really?
What next? The only thing I'm sure of is that the braintrust knows as well as I do that it can't trust Johnny Manziel. I'd guess that they'd like to retain Hoyer if the money is right, but other teams will have something to say about that.
They have to draft a quarterback again. They will target Mariota, and they've got the ammunition to move up and get him if there's a deal to be had.
It would certainly cost them both first round picks this year and then some, up to and including next year's first rounder, but I doubt they'd balk at that price. All they need is the other end of that deal.
I heard you when you said "Oh god no, not another quarterback!" But there's really no choice. They can't trust Johnny, and in reality they can't trust Hoyer either--unless he really was injured for several games.
Mariota has been compared to RGIII, but that's wrong. Mariota is much bigger and taller, and has a lot more starts in college. He's proven that he can pass from a pro-style pocket.
But the team has other needs? Name them. Well, we see depth at center, I reckon. Wide reciever?
They should cut Gordan, really? Seriously? Well, maybe he is a permanent bone-head, but I doubt it. It's more like he's a kid.
They'll let him have the offseason to get his act together. They'd like to keep him more now, because his suspension cost him his sixth game. That means that after next season, he can be a restricted free agent. It would cost another team a first round pick to sign him away.
He just cost himself a lot of money, in addition to the game-check, because no team in it's right mind will pay that price for a guy with two strikes in the drug program, and with his history.
All he can do now is work like he did as a rookie, play up to his potential, and hope Ray Farmer respects that enough to pay him for it.
He may have been a knucklehead, but he's not disruptive or a criminal. He may be immature, but he's not stupid (no he's not listen to his interviews.)
And if he pulls his head out, he's the best THE BEST wide reciever in the NFL, and you don't cut him until he comes back one more season and lays an egg.
He's not being paid that much, and there's little risk.
Jimmy Haslam, thanks for listening to the veteran players and your common sense and not firing everybody to appease the lynch-mob. Ray Farmer thanks for not cutting Josh Gordan because Johnny got him too drunk friday night.
The suspension was punishment enough.
He was suspended. Not enough? You want him on the rack? Tie him to a stake and burn him?
Oh yeah...ah say we oughtta haing him! Ahh, shaddap.
This just in: Manziel calls the party report bullcrap. If I jumped all over him based on something some jackass just made up, I apologize. I was part of the lynch mob.
This just in: The report came from LaCanfora. That means Johnny is telling the truth and the whole thing is bullcrap. LaCanfora...Adam Schefter he aint.
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