There's no point even talking about the Buffalo game, except to mention that a few individuals (like Ogbah) showed continued improvement.
Hue Jackson might get stubborn about his pet project quarterback, but I think that's DOA. I know that Kessler has had two concussions, but has now been cleared for three weeks.
Even Hue has to throw in the towel on project number one. I know he hates that, because it means he has failed to resurrect the Pro Bowl rookie.
Terry Pluto is wrong about RG3 not being the same player physically (I don't know what he's looking at), but has to be right about his confidence.
Terry didn't like all the short passes, but that's what you do in arctic cold and swirling wind. It had nothing to do with spoon-feeding RG3'S ego. You go deep in that mess, and it might not come down in the right zip code.
As we all know, the bright side is coming: The off season and the draft. The Browns can at least win that, right?
There goes Black Cloud again jeez. THESE GUYS have only been here for ONE off season, BC. It is IRRATIONAL to expect the same results from a completely different group of people.
Objective analysts disregard everything that happened prior to this front office, coaching staff, and group of players.
It's fine to say they are the worst team in football and wear paper bags over your heads. That's happening right now, so it's not irrational.
There is no reliable history for THESE guys, since you can't judge a draft until AFTER three years. But you can look at the free agents Berry brought in, and pretty much give the man an A-plus for Calhoun, Collins, Cooper, Reynolds, Cam Johnson, Reiter, etc.
You can also look for some early indicators from this draft class. Drango and Ogbah are doing well, and for Drango, that's a nice suprise. If you pan the three other wide receivers because the Browns run a lot of two back or two tight end sets, and because the coaches are reluctant to bench Pryor or Coleman, or because you think all wide receivers enter the NFL playing like seasoned veterans, you are a dumbass.
Ditto for Shon Coleman. He needs work, like MOST offensive linemen not picked in the first round.
In general, that's why only mentally impaired people judge a draft before the end of season one.
Kessler is another one. No need to wait on seeing his floor. He is a really good backup at worst, which is really good for when he was drafted. Yeah yeah, Dak Prescott I hear you/agree, but 31 other teams screwed that one up too. The Cowboys themselves tried to trade up for Connor Cook before settling for Dak. Quit raising the bar--even the Seahawks miss one here and there good grief!
Thanks to the Eagles collapse (despite the greatest quarterback in history), as it stands, the Browns have eighth overall to go with their first overall.
Colin Cowherd seems to think that Jimmy Garopollo is Andrew Luck, and that Bill Belichick can rebuild his team in one offseason by trading him.
That's because this looks like a weak quarterback class. Indeed, Jimmy looks better than all of them. In fact, I went back over JG's predraft scouting reports, and think that draftable rookie would rank at least in the top three in this draft.
With his subsequent training and experience, he's the best bet here. If Bill trades him, he'll set a high price.
Colin, however, overestimates the market. Consider, if you would, Matt Barkley, Tom Savage, Russell Wilson, Dak Prescott, Teddy Bridgewater, Kirk Cousins, Derrick Carr, and no doubt a few I missed. I read all those scouting reports, and some of them looked worse than the ones on these guys. Savage's was...well, savage. They savaged him. Sorry.
Garopollo was a Belichick pick and a Brady understudy. He looked good with a strong supporting cast for all of two games. His contract expires in one year, and he will back up a Brinks truck when it does.
The potential draft picks will be locked up for four years, with a fifth year option, and will be much cheaper. Most have better physical tools. The fact that while Tom Brady has only missed time due to injury once, Jimmy couldn't last through his second start, is also a red flag.
I know, it sounds like I don't want the guy. I do. But Cowherd should probably not apply for any GM jobs if he thinks somebody will cough up half their draft for him.
Unfortunately, the Browns will have competition. The Bills are one likely suitor, but there will be at least two more. There will be bidding, so the price will likely get inflated.
UPDATE: Matt Barkley is probably as good as he is, and the Bears might realize this, even if nobody else does. If they're dumb enough to trade for Garopollo now, the Browns should trade for Barkley instead. This is amazing.
If I'm Sashi, I pretend I don't care, and wait for the other teams to make their pitches. I would consider using the second first round pick and some junk, but the price could well get just too high.
It's not about Bill Belichick. It's about how desperate and silly the other bidders become. Remember the RG3 bidding war? That was rediculous, and I wanted Mike Holmgren fired when I found out he matched Washington's offer. Everybody else wanted him fired for not bending over even farther good grief!
I admit: At the time, I thought Griffin would be great myself. But I wouldn't give up that many high draft picks for ANYBODY.
So I keep going over the draftables again, trying to figure out if there might be a Cousins, Prescott, or Savage here.
Think. Heading into his final college season, Barkley was expected to be a potential number one pick. But he had a bad season, and fell off the map. Everybody except ME laughed at the notion that he could ever be a real starter, even several years later. How assenine.
The Browns don't need an instant starter. They will not be contenders in 2017. They have Kessler. Griffin isn't quite off the ventilator yet. Hogan is being massively underrated.
If the Garopollo thing doesn't work out, you guys can have your tantrums and burn Sashi Brown in effigy for not trading away the team's future for him, but count me out.
Of all the quarterbacks, Mitch Trubisky is the only one I'd consider using the top pick on. He is almost 23 years old, and while he lacks playing experience, he's mature, dedicated, and mechanicly polished.
Coming from a spread, if he does enter the draft, he should sit for a season, but he has it all. If he were one year younger, and had ten more starts, he'd probably be considered "worthy" of the first overall pick.
He completes 60% in third and longs, and coming from behind late in games. That's very telling, and rare. He handles pressure well. He has the mental hardware. He can take a punch.
I have a hunch that my pal Bub will say "Nooo! Take the freak defensive end one man wrecking crew! We can get a good quarterback still in the top ten! This is the best player in this draft!" (Note: Garrett. Not the other guy. Garrett.)
Well, that's why I want Garopollo. I want that freak too.
But Watson? Kizer? Trubisky won't be there, and he is just plain better. You can improve accuracy and touch, but only so much. And it's much, much harder to come through in the clutch if you're not already wired that way.
Trubisky could be another Tom Brady. He's the only one in this class who shows these traits. Maybe Hue can find a Savage or Prescott in the junk pile I don't know, but even he has to cross his fingers and pray.
And Trubisky is a quarterback. And Black Cloud is wrong. The Browns won't draft first overall again. You can have two Ogbahs instead of a Garrett and an Ogbah. "Pretty good" works for passrushers. Not for championship calibre quarterbacks.
Well, let's hope they can land Garopollo, and that his injury was a fluke. Then we can all be happy.
No comments:
Post a Comment