I like Sam Bradford, but so do the Rams. A second-rounder for that guy would work for me, but not for them.
And then, there's those injuries. The guy could be over them, or he just might not be made for football.
I don't see how Josh McCown is better than Brian Hoyer.
Sanchez is a real possibility.
Nick Foles? Ah! It's true that Chip Kelly can't run the offense he wants to run with Foles, and that he knows he could work with the kid he recruited in college (Mariota). Mariota could run his dream offense immediately--although Kelly would almost certainly tailor it to the pros somewhat.
But Kelly doesn't have much ammo, and couldn't compete with the Farmer in a trade war. He's got the motive, but his means and opportunity are questionable.
Pat Kirwan recently posted a mock draft having the Eagles give up their first and second this season, their first next season, and Leshaun McCoy for the fourth overall pick to nab Marcus Mariota.
Then, Pat says, they could deal Nick Foles.
Wait a minute: once things fall into place (and I still think people will be fighting over the second spot to grab Mariota), how bout this:
Kelly trades Nick Foles for the Browns' 19th overall pick, and uses that as part of his trade package?
Some would say "that's too much" for Nick Foles. I don't think so.
Foles already has a bunch of pro experience, and never in all that time has he sucked. He was lethal at first, then as defenses got a bead on him, he came back down to earth somewhat--but never ever sucked.
New quarterbacks starting out great and then coming back down is a typical pattern. Defenses "solve" what he does best, and he and his coordinator must adapt to this. Sometimes they don't or can't, and you've got a bust. When a quarterback can deal with defenses taking away from them what they do best, you have a guy with a future.
The knocks on him coming out of college were all about his feet. Especially one report I read knocking his deep accuracy. That's baloney. He loses accuracy when he throws on the run or while being hit.
He's still a slowpoke, but with the Eagles he often bought himself time shifting around, and even occasionally scrambled.
Foles is already solid, and still getting better. He is, at this time, expected to be the starter for the Eagles in 2015. So hell no, #19 is not too much for him.
Of course, if Kelly makes something like Pat's deal instead, the price goes down. Chip will have given up his leverage.
Foles doesn't make a lot of money, so Chip would feel no urgency to get rid of him. However, Foles now knows he can be a starter and would be unhappy. Further, the changes Chip would make in his offense to build it around Mariota would make the big pocket passing statue a terrible fit.
Other teams would be in the hunt for Foles, of course, but still Farmer might be able to get him for a second rounder. Concievably, Manziel could be part of this, as he fits Kelly's ideal system as well. (I doubt it but...)
And put me in the Nick Foles fan club. He would come to Cleveland as the presumptive starter--although Pettine would insist on an open competition. Nick Foles is still young, but is a proven veteran on a contending team.
While I like Mariota too, with him we'd be looking at either an offensive overhaul or a year on the bench behind a journeyman.
With Foles, the Browns would still have #12 overall, and either #19 or the second-rounder.
I'll go further: Manziel could still surprise us, but trust me: With Nick Foles in the mix, the base offense would be pretty much as Tony Grossi assumed it would be: A West Coast variation. The deck would be stacked against the shrimp scrambler.
Kyle Shanahan didn't want a "Johnny package", but hopefully the new guy is more open-minded. Foles is now a veteran, and can forego perhaps 20% of the first-team reps.
Let Manziel do some good things, and now he's trade bait.
Nick Foles-such a deal! I'll go to war with Big Ben or Big Bird with this guy. Ray?
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Saturday, February 21, 2015
Cleveland Browns Combine and Draft Stuff
First off, quit talking about shrimp slot recievers, because the Browns are eyeball deep in them.
Speaking of which, Kevin White did indeed clock a shockingly low 40 time. Mike Mayock (a former defensive back by the way) had this guy rated the best wide reciever already.
Jim Miller (a former quarterback by the way) still likes Amari Cooper better. Amari turns out to be a shade under 6'1" and didn't run quite as fast, but is a polished, super-reliable guy in addition to being a home-run hitter himself.
Mayock bases his ranking White ahead of him on potential, as he stipulates that at this point Cooper is a little better.
It's possible that the Browns could get one of the two at 12. It's also possible that somebody could trade ahead of the Browns to steal him. It's also possible that Ray Farmer himself could trade the pick...
Oh stop it! There are some really good recievers left. The Browns could upgrade/fix several positions, and still get a really good wide reciever. Call Manziel a miss for now, but not Gilbert. You'll see. I think.
Not stating an opinion here. I'd love either of these guys. Just sayin, if not...ahhh, shaddap!
One of the "wide recievers" who will go later is Devin Funchess. He's a 6'5", 237 lb. monster. He clocked slow for a wide reciever but fast for a tight end. He was used as a move tight end before he was a reciever, and projects to that role in the NFL.
Pat Kirwan points out that a tight end who walks a linebacker or safety outside the box before the snap is better than a blocker.
Since the Browns will probably lose Cameron, they could get this guy in the second round or lower.
Well, maybe if they have another second round pick...
The main thing is he's big and he catches passes, and if you put a linebacker on him he can score from anywhere. That works pretty good.
Jameis Winston seems to have pulled ahead of Mariota. He's a pro style quarterback and the vocal leader some coaches want.
Mariota is more soft-spoken and has almost zero experience taking snaps from under center. Some who call him a "nickle and dime" quarterback are full of crap. He can and has gone deep quite a bit.
Athletically, Mariota made Winston look like an old lady. In fact he clocked a low 4.5 and jumped out of the gym. If he weren't a quarterback, he might be a lethal wide reciever.
But Winston has abundant pro-style tape and a bunch of come-from-behind wins, and the athletic stuff is secondary.
The red flag on a spread/option quarterback isn't the physical act of taking the snap and the proper drop. It's the fact that he often turns his back on the defense, then turns back around.
He sort of takes a mental photo as he takes the snap and turns away. He sees a cornerback with inside leverage and a safety leaning right, and he knows where his guys will be and which to throw to when he turns back around.
Except when he turns back around the cornerback has forced the one reciever into a crossing pattern, and now he has to find him again. And the safety who pretended he was going to double-cover the other guy is now running with that guy.
This is where some guys will try to force the throw anyway, and others will freeze and get confused.
Mariota is a smart guy, but that's not the same thing. He's used to standing there and watching everything develop, and nobody even knows for sure if he can process things quick enough to do what Winston does.
But as Phil Savage says, if you draft Mariota, you need to adapt your offense to him at first. And, as Pat Kirwan points out, look no further than the last Superbowl to see two quarterbacks who ran more than half their plays out of the shotgun.
Chud let Cam Newton hit the ground running by building elements of Cam's college offense into his own. The Browns now have a young, new offensive coordinator who seems like he'd give that a shot.
Manziel? Well, he fits that scheme himself.
I've heard that Hundley doesn't show good anticipation. He seems to wait to see an open reciever before he'll throw, and that just can't work in the pros.
It could be corrected, but is a really bad habit which many quarterbacks keep backsliding into. Mariota and Winston have done better, and this is the main reason why Hundley isn't regarded in the same class. "Anticipation" and "throwing the reciever open" are critical.
Mariota could slide. He could be in range, and Ray might go get him.
If he and his scouts feel that Mariota has a decent chance to eventually become a Brady or at least a Wilson, he really has no choice. The Browns have a good head coach and a lot of talent, and they probably won't draft very high again. Not even with Hoyer at quarterback. Nor will they have two first round picks again.
Look at every playoff team that even advanced, and every one of them has an elite quarterback. If you don't have that guy, the odds against your ever even reaching a conference championship are microscopic.
And no. There's no such thing as a sure thing. Luck was unique. Even RGIII went off the rails.
As for Mariota's mellow personality, Pat Kirwan mentioned how, when the quarterbacks were throwing, Mariota said something to the other quarterbacks and cracked them up. Pat sees him as the loosest and most relaxed of the bunch, and says that a quarterback like that in a tough game makes his team "loose".
Pat also points out that Amari Cooper was one of the recievers running routes for the first group of quarterbacks. This group was pretty bad, but Pat says Cooper made every quarterback look good.
He adjusted to bad throws so smoothly it looked like part of the pattern. Cooper is so smooth, he doesn't even slow down to change directions--just sort of explodes sideways.
Pat also says that Hoyer might well find out that nobody will offer him more than the Browns are, and there's a good chance he'll be back.
Duh.
What Savage said about adapting the offense to the quarterback is valid, but so is letting him sit while a veteran runs things.
I hope Mariota is all that, and that Ray can get him, and has a bunker to hide in if he doesn't start immediately and carry the team to the Superbowl as a rookie.
Speaking of which, Kevin White did indeed clock a shockingly low 40 time. Mike Mayock (a former defensive back by the way) had this guy rated the best wide reciever already.
Jim Miller (a former quarterback by the way) still likes Amari Cooper better. Amari turns out to be a shade under 6'1" and didn't run quite as fast, but is a polished, super-reliable guy in addition to being a home-run hitter himself.
Mayock bases his ranking White ahead of him on potential, as he stipulates that at this point Cooper is a little better.
It's possible that the Browns could get one of the two at 12. It's also possible that somebody could trade ahead of the Browns to steal him. It's also possible that Ray Farmer himself could trade the pick...
Oh stop it! There are some really good recievers left. The Browns could upgrade/fix several positions, and still get a really good wide reciever. Call Manziel a miss for now, but not Gilbert. You'll see. I think.
Not stating an opinion here. I'd love either of these guys. Just sayin, if not...ahhh, shaddap!
One of the "wide recievers" who will go later is Devin Funchess. He's a 6'5", 237 lb. monster. He clocked slow for a wide reciever but fast for a tight end. He was used as a move tight end before he was a reciever, and projects to that role in the NFL.
Pat Kirwan points out that a tight end who walks a linebacker or safety outside the box before the snap is better than a blocker.
Since the Browns will probably lose Cameron, they could get this guy in the second round or lower.
Well, maybe if they have another second round pick...
The main thing is he's big and he catches passes, and if you put a linebacker on him he can score from anywhere. That works pretty good.
Jameis Winston seems to have pulled ahead of Mariota. He's a pro style quarterback and the vocal leader some coaches want.
Mariota is more soft-spoken and has almost zero experience taking snaps from under center. Some who call him a "nickle and dime" quarterback are full of crap. He can and has gone deep quite a bit.
Athletically, Mariota made Winston look like an old lady. In fact he clocked a low 4.5 and jumped out of the gym. If he weren't a quarterback, he might be a lethal wide reciever.
But Winston has abundant pro-style tape and a bunch of come-from-behind wins, and the athletic stuff is secondary.
The red flag on a spread/option quarterback isn't the physical act of taking the snap and the proper drop. It's the fact that he often turns his back on the defense, then turns back around.
He sort of takes a mental photo as he takes the snap and turns away. He sees a cornerback with inside leverage and a safety leaning right, and he knows where his guys will be and which to throw to when he turns back around.
Except when he turns back around the cornerback has forced the one reciever into a crossing pattern, and now he has to find him again. And the safety who pretended he was going to double-cover the other guy is now running with that guy.
This is where some guys will try to force the throw anyway, and others will freeze and get confused.
Mariota is a smart guy, but that's not the same thing. He's used to standing there and watching everything develop, and nobody even knows for sure if he can process things quick enough to do what Winston does.
But as Phil Savage says, if you draft Mariota, you need to adapt your offense to him at first. And, as Pat Kirwan points out, look no further than the last Superbowl to see two quarterbacks who ran more than half their plays out of the shotgun.
Chud let Cam Newton hit the ground running by building elements of Cam's college offense into his own. The Browns now have a young, new offensive coordinator who seems like he'd give that a shot.
Manziel? Well, he fits that scheme himself.
I've heard that Hundley doesn't show good anticipation. He seems to wait to see an open reciever before he'll throw, and that just can't work in the pros.
It could be corrected, but is a really bad habit which many quarterbacks keep backsliding into. Mariota and Winston have done better, and this is the main reason why Hundley isn't regarded in the same class. "Anticipation" and "throwing the reciever open" are critical.
Mariota could slide. He could be in range, and Ray might go get him.
If he and his scouts feel that Mariota has a decent chance to eventually become a Brady or at least a Wilson, he really has no choice. The Browns have a good head coach and a lot of talent, and they probably won't draft very high again. Not even with Hoyer at quarterback. Nor will they have two first round picks again.
Look at every playoff team that even advanced, and every one of them has an elite quarterback. If you don't have that guy, the odds against your ever even reaching a conference championship are microscopic.
And no. There's no such thing as a sure thing. Luck was unique. Even RGIII went off the rails.
As for Mariota's mellow personality, Pat Kirwan mentioned how, when the quarterbacks were throwing, Mariota said something to the other quarterbacks and cracked them up. Pat sees him as the loosest and most relaxed of the bunch, and says that a quarterback like that in a tough game makes his team "loose".
Pat also points out that Amari Cooper was one of the recievers running routes for the first group of quarterbacks. This group was pretty bad, but Pat says Cooper made every quarterback look good.
He adjusted to bad throws so smoothly it looked like part of the pattern. Cooper is so smooth, he doesn't even slow down to change directions--just sort of explodes sideways.
Pat also says that Hoyer might well find out that nobody will offer him more than the Browns are, and there's a good chance he'll be back.
Duh.
What Savage said about adapting the offense to the quarterback is valid, but so is letting him sit while a veteran runs things.
I hope Mariota is all that, and that Ray can get him, and has a bunker to hide in if he doesn't start immediately and carry the team to the Superbowl as a rookie.
Saturday, February 14, 2015
Bad Browns Analysis
Robert Reidell of the Bleacher Report wrote a pretty assumption-laden article entitled "Five Free Agents Who Won't Be Signing With the Browns".
First on the list is Brian Hoyer. You see, Hoyer said that the text-gate thing might influence his decision. This means that he'll leave the team because the GM texted a coach.
Maybe not, but he'll leave because he was insulted. They've said that they don't know if the starting quarterback is in the building. How much can the guy take? It was so utterly disrespectful of DeFelipo not to anoint him the starter after his outstanding late-season performance!
Jeeez! Brian Hoyer wants to get PAID, and will sieze on every chance to gain leverage. So will the Browns! Even if they'd made up their minds to give Hoyer another shot already, they wouldn't say so!
And Brian understands this--it's business. He knows damn well he sucked later on, too, and so do all the other General Managers!
Hoyer is more likely to sign with the Browns than anywhere else (assuming they make a decent offer). No other team will see him as more than a bandaid or a backup. Few other teams can offer him a real opportunity to start.
He's not going to leave over some text messages either-- some of you people need to get a life.
Next is Buster Skrine. The reason? He said he was going to test free agency. To this writer, that means he's already made up his mind to leave.
No, Robert. It means he wants to solicit some offers so he can make more money. And this is standard procedure for almost every free agent.
Julius Thomas check. Peyton Manning duh. Jeremy Maclin check. Philly probably keeps him. Suh check. He probably wants a proven contender, and I don't want him here anyhow.
Look, this man should be in prison. I saw him trying to break Jake Delhomme's neck after the whistle blew in a preseason game. He had an arm around his helmet and was trying to twist his head off as the two sat on the ground.
Quit confusing toughness with psycopathy. You don't have to be vicious or dirty to be tough. Let the Steelers have him.
But I digress:
As bad as this article was, it reminds me of some problems Ray Farmer will have. Few front-line free agent wide recievers will want to come to a team on which the GM has texted coaches HAHAHA!
No, but seriously, the quarterback issue is a problem. Farmer can bid with any other team, but a wide reciever will be reluctant to sign on with a team on which the quarterback is ? Further, the Browns intend to run the ball a lot.
They could have better luck with a tight end, though. A tight end is a quarterback's best friend, and any quarterback will check to him when they're in trouble. Jordan Cameron did what he did here with every quarterback. Tight end is different.
Defensive players won't mind playing in a Mike Pettine defense. Offensive linemen and yes, quarterbacks will consider offers. They have the three smurfs, a running game, and are certain to somehow get a bigger reciever or two during the offseason.
For the quarterback, it's the same reasons as Hoyers: A Sanchez or whoever else would see a chance to start again.
For good Browns analysis, Terry Pluto does it all the time. He points out that the same LaCanfora who wrote the gossip-laden hit piece on the Browns vs. Shanahan wrote one a year ago bashing the hell out of Shanahan.
NOW all of a sudden he's the hero. Rhona LaCanfora may never find anything good about the Browns. Which is fine. If he did, I couldn't believe that either.
Terry's conclusions on the matter are pretty much identical to mine, which is how I know he's a genius.
YOU STAND CORRECTED.
First on the list is Brian Hoyer. You see, Hoyer said that the text-gate thing might influence his decision. This means that he'll leave the team because the GM texted a coach.
Maybe not, but he'll leave because he was insulted. They've said that they don't know if the starting quarterback is in the building. How much can the guy take? It was so utterly disrespectful of DeFelipo not to anoint him the starter after his outstanding late-season performance!
Jeeez! Brian Hoyer wants to get PAID, and will sieze on every chance to gain leverage. So will the Browns! Even if they'd made up their minds to give Hoyer another shot already, they wouldn't say so!
And Brian understands this--it's business. He knows damn well he sucked later on, too, and so do all the other General Managers!
Hoyer is more likely to sign with the Browns than anywhere else (assuming they make a decent offer). No other team will see him as more than a bandaid or a backup. Few other teams can offer him a real opportunity to start.
He's not going to leave over some text messages either-- some of you people need to get a life.
Next is Buster Skrine. The reason? He said he was going to test free agency. To this writer, that means he's already made up his mind to leave.
No, Robert. It means he wants to solicit some offers so he can make more money. And this is standard procedure for almost every free agent.
Julius Thomas check. Peyton Manning duh. Jeremy Maclin check. Philly probably keeps him. Suh check. He probably wants a proven contender, and I don't want him here anyhow.
Look, this man should be in prison. I saw him trying to break Jake Delhomme's neck after the whistle blew in a preseason game. He had an arm around his helmet and was trying to twist his head off as the two sat on the ground.
Quit confusing toughness with psycopathy. You don't have to be vicious or dirty to be tough. Let the Steelers have him.
But I digress:
As bad as this article was, it reminds me of some problems Ray Farmer will have. Few front-line free agent wide recievers will want to come to a team on which the GM has texted coaches HAHAHA!
No, but seriously, the quarterback issue is a problem. Farmer can bid with any other team, but a wide reciever will be reluctant to sign on with a team on which the quarterback is ? Further, the Browns intend to run the ball a lot.
They could have better luck with a tight end, though. A tight end is a quarterback's best friend, and any quarterback will check to him when they're in trouble. Jordan Cameron did what he did here with every quarterback. Tight end is different.
Defensive players won't mind playing in a Mike Pettine defense. Offensive linemen and yes, quarterbacks will consider offers. They have the three smurfs, a running game, and are certain to somehow get a bigger reciever or two during the offseason.
For the quarterback, it's the same reasons as Hoyers: A Sanchez or whoever else would see a chance to start again.
For good Browns analysis, Terry Pluto does it all the time. He points out that the same LaCanfora who wrote the gossip-laden hit piece on the Browns vs. Shanahan wrote one a year ago bashing the hell out of Shanahan.
NOW all of a sudden he's the hero. Rhona LaCanfora may never find anything good about the Browns. Which is fine. If he did, I couldn't believe that either.
Terry's conclusions on the matter are pretty much identical to mine, which is how I know he's a genius.
YOU STAND CORRECTED.
Friday, February 13, 2015
Rhona LaCanfora
Sid Fercosi on NFL Radio referred to the Browns as "a train-wreck". I guess he never saw a train-wreck. It's more like a fender-bender.
Oh, please--these guys treat this this gossip-mongering muckraker (Lacanfora: King of unnamed sources) with the same respect as Adam Shefter. I guess if some of these clowns heard of you somewhere, they'll believe everything you say.
When Jimmy Haslam responded to Rhona's wildly distorted bashing of him and the organization, nothing he said surprised me. Sure, he's the one under attack, so what's he supposed to say? But I believe Jimmy, because LaCanfora doesn't live in the same zip code as a hard fact.
An important part of information analysis (and good reporting, for that matter) is the evaluation of sources. Past reliability is the most important criteria. If a guy is always wrong, you stop listening. Why don't these talking heads get that?
Irrationality drives me nuts. It's irrational to think Ray Farmer sending text messages is the end of the world. It's rediculous to think Haslam forced Farmer to draft Manziel to sell jerseys. It's irrational to say "same old Browns" when the owner has been here for two years and the head coach and GM for one.
Pat Kirwan on NFL Radio said of Josh Gordon "Most guys I know would have just cut him". Now I know why Pat never won a Superbowl, because that's irrational too! Why cut a guy who is under contract but costs nothing, and isn't even in the building? Why cut that guy when he could come back in 2016 and tear up the NFL again?
Sam Ingro of Buckeye State Sports is rational. As the title of this article says, the Browns can't let past mistakes influence the upcoming draft.
In this article, he specifically refers to the possibility of trading up for Mariota. Sam's got a bead on the irrational permabashers here. "Oh no not another first-round quarterback! That never works!"
Oh, bullcrap. Farmer may well have whiffed on Manziel, but that was his first and only try. Quinn, Weedon, etc. have nothing to do with Ray! He reportedly would have tried to grab Marcus Mariota last season had he come out, and now the guy has another year of experience under his belt.
If he was wrong on Manziel (and that's still an "if"), does that mean he will always be wrong on quarterbacks? If you think that, you're not thinking at all.
Ah, I can hear you: "Too many other needs". Well, that's not irrational, anyway. But be specific and do some math:
They don't (in reality) need a running back, the need to upgrade the offensive or defensive lines is far from urgent (unless you think Phil Taylor and Alex Mack are dead instead of injured)...
There's a bumper-crop of very good free agent wide recievers, and some tight ends too. Offensive and defensive linemen, for that matter, and even some hybrid passrushers.
With Mack and Taylor healthy, this team as it is probably would have made the playoffs last season, and those two will be back, ok?
What we're talking about for Mariota (if that's even possible), isn't the whole draft. It's three first rounders. If Mariota--even a year down the road--can be like Big Ben or Big Bird, that's a deal worth making. He's a quarterback!
Ray still has lots of picks, and I like the fact that he traded his lower picks last season rather than draft guys he was going to have to cut. It was rational. It's how Bill Belichick restocks his own roster nearly every season.
Bittonio. Kirksey. He could still land three guys like that! And this draft is like the last one for wide recievers too!
What? He won't draft any wide recievers this year because he didn't in his first draft?
Here's another part of analysis: Look for patterns. For a pattern to exist, you need more than one event. Verily, you need a minimum of three. Ray Farmer could do anything in this draft.
I'm off the rails here. YOU STAND CORRECTED.
Oh, please--these guys treat this this gossip-mongering muckraker (Lacanfora: King of unnamed sources) with the same respect as Adam Shefter. I guess if some of these clowns heard of you somewhere, they'll believe everything you say.
When Jimmy Haslam responded to Rhona's wildly distorted bashing of him and the organization, nothing he said surprised me. Sure, he's the one under attack, so what's he supposed to say? But I believe Jimmy, because LaCanfora doesn't live in the same zip code as a hard fact.
An important part of information analysis (and good reporting, for that matter) is the evaluation of sources. Past reliability is the most important criteria. If a guy is always wrong, you stop listening. Why don't these talking heads get that?
Irrationality drives me nuts. It's irrational to think Ray Farmer sending text messages is the end of the world. It's rediculous to think Haslam forced Farmer to draft Manziel to sell jerseys. It's irrational to say "same old Browns" when the owner has been here for two years and the head coach and GM for one.
Pat Kirwan on NFL Radio said of Josh Gordon "Most guys I know would have just cut him". Now I know why Pat never won a Superbowl, because that's irrational too! Why cut a guy who is under contract but costs nothing, and isn't even in the building? Why cut that guy when he could come back in 2016 and tear up the NFL again?
Sam Ingro of Buckeye State Sports is rational. As the title of this article says, the Browns can't let past mistakes influence the upcoming draft.
In this article, he specifically refers to the possibility of trading up for Mariota. Sam's got a bead on the irrational permabashers here. "Oh no not another first-round quarterback! That never works!"
Oh, bullcrap. Farmer may well have whiffed on Manziel, but that was his first and only try. Quinn, Weedon, etc. have nothing to do with Ray! He reportedly would have tried to grab Marcus Mariota last season had he come out, and now the guy has another year of experience under his belt.
If he was wrong on Manziel (and that's still an "if"), does that mean he will always be wrong on quarterbacks? If you think that, you're not thinking at all.
Ah, I can hear you: "Too many other needs". Well, that's not irrational, anyway. But be specific and do some math:
They don't (in reality) need a running back, the need to upgrade the offensive or defensive lines is far from urgent (unless you think Phil Taylor and Alex Mack are dead instead of injured)...
There's a bumper-crop of very good free agent wide recievers, and some tight ends too. Offensive and defensive linemen, for that matter, and even some hybrid passrushers.
With Mack and Taylor healthy, this team as it is probably would have made the playoffs last season, and those two will be back, ok?
What we're talking about for Mariota (if that's even possible), isn't the whole draft. It's three first rounders. If Mariota--even a year down the road--can be like Big Ben or Big Bird, that's a deal worth making. He's a quarterback!
Ray still has lots of picks, and I like the fact that he traded his lower picks last season rather than draft guys he was going to have to cut. It was rational. It's how Bill Belichick restocks his own roster nearly every season.
Bittonio. Kirksey. He could still land three guys like that! And this draft is like the last one for wide recievers too!
What? He won't draft any wide recievers this year because he didn't in his first draft?
Here's another part of analysis: Look for patterns. For a pattern to exist, you need more than one event. Verily, you need a minimum of three. Ray Farmer could do anything in this draft.
I'm off the rails here. YOU STAND CORRECTED.
Sunday, February 8, 2015
Farmergeddon
The stunning revelation that Ray Farmer was texting during games has sent shock-waves through the universe. Last week, a man is burned alive. Children are being crucified and buried alive. Now this!
For years to come, each of us will know exactly where we were when we found out that Ray Farmer himself was the texter. Those scars may never heal.
It goes without saying that Farmer must be fired, if not imprisoned for a long time.
Sorry I can't keep this up. If I do I'll be a moron all day.
Sure, Farmer should have known better and shouldn't have done it. League rules aside, he went into personnel instead of coaching, and has to leave coaching to the coaches.
But if you refer back in my blogs, I suggested why he did it. When Bernie Kosar referred to "non-football people" making football decisions, he could not have been referring to former NFL linebacker Ray Farmer.
That's why when Ray watches games, he imagines himself on that field, and analyzes things as he did when he was a player.
He got frustrated with some of the things Shanahan ordered. He got so ticked off that he couldn't restrain himself. If he had punched Kyle in the mouth, I would be excited about it, but all he did was text.
Suspend him. Fine him. Otherwise big deal.
And he probably felt under attack. Manziel had Ray's name on him, and when the party boy started, Kyle ran the exact same offense that Hoyer did. I have almost zero doubt that Ray felt he was deliberately undermining Manziel, and just couldn't stand it.
YardBarker makes a big deal out of Hoyer's statement that he was interested in where the investigation would lead. By the way, he never used the word "dysfunction".
Behind the scenes, players, coaches, and front office people are rolling their eyes at the firestorm an errant text message has unleashed.
Look, you can bash him for the Manziel pick, but you need to cool your jets even on Gilbert, whose physical talent is off the charts. His free agents and the rest of the draft are outstanding.
He'd be a fool to cut Gordon. He will cost zero and not take up roster space.
Even on that, everybody has lost their damn minds. The season is over, and he and some teammates had some drinks on a plane. It's the NFL that's being rediculous about this whole thing.
It's getting downright silly when a guy can't drink a little in the offseason, and when a GM texting sounds like a rape accusation.
I'm glad Johnny checked into rehab, because he was rediculous with his partying. I don't know if it will do any good, but it might. If he's not drinking, he'll need a hobby. If we're lucky, it will be football.
Those who say he lacks NFL talent are full of it. He might still lack an NFL brain, but we don't know that yet.
Terry Pluto, as usual, wrote the best article about Farmergeddon and the state of the Browns.
This blog entry must conclude this way:
Put down the magnifying glass, and look at this on a 1:1 scale. It's simply not that big. So now put down the ropes and torches. Go home and sober up.
For years to come, each of us will know exactly where we were when we found out that Ray Farmer himself was the texter. Those scars may never heal.
It goes without saying that Farmer must be fired, if not imprisoned for a long time.
Sorry I can't keep this up. If I do I'll be a moron all day.
Sure, Farmer should have known better and shouldn't have done it. League rules aside, he went into personnel instead of coaching, and has to leave coaching to the coaches.
But if you refer back in my blogs, I suggested why he did it. When Bernie Kosar referred to "non-football people" making football decisions, he could not have been referring to former NFL linebacker Ray Farmer.
That's why when Ray watches games, he imagines himself on that field, and analyzes things as he did when he was a player.
He got frustrated with some of the things Shanahan ordered. He got so ticked off that he couldn't restrain himself. If he had punched Kyle in the mouth, I would be excited about it, but all he did was text.
Suspend him. Fine him. Otherwise big deal.
And he probably felt under attack. Manziel had Ray's name on him, and when the party boy started, Kyle ran the exact same offense that Hoyer did. I have almost zero doubt that Ray felt he was deliberately undermining Manziel, and just couldn't stand it.
YardBarker makes a big deal out of Hoyer's statement that he was interested in where the investigation would lead. By the way, he never used the word "dysfunction".
Behind the scenes, players, coaches, and front office people are rolling their eyes at the firestorm an errant text message has unleashed.
Look, you can bash him for the Manziel pick, but you need to cool your jets even on Gilbert, whose physical talent is off the charts. His free agents and the rest of the draft are outstanding.
He'd be a fool to cut Gordon. He will cost zero and not take up roster space.
Even on that, everybody has lost their damn minds. The season is over, and he and some teammates had some drinks on a plane. It's the NFL that's being rediculous about this whole thing.
It's getting downright silly when a guy can't drink a little in the offseason, and when a GM texting sounds like a rape accusation.
I'm glad Johnny checked into rehab, because he was rediculous with his partying. I don't know if it will do any good, but it might. If he's not drinking, he'll need a hobby. If we're lucky, it will be football.
Those who say he lacks NFL talent are full of it. He might still lack an NFL brain, but we don't know that yet.
Terry Pluto, as usual, wrote the best article about Farmergeddon and the state of the Browns.
This blog entry must conclude this way:
Put down the magnifying glass, and look at this on a 1:1 scale. It's simply not that big. So now put down the ropes and torches. Go home and sober up.
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