Cleveland Browns Update

1: Prior to final cuts, I predicted that the Browns would retain Taylor Gabriel and release fellow lilipution Andrew Hawkins. Younger and cheaper is better, and (ahem) better is better.  But nooooo!  I was right.  The Browns were wrong.

2: Gabe Wright is a passrushing penetrator who needed work vs the running game.  He is disruptive, but overruns plays.  He has shown the ability to take on double teams, but needed to also work on shedding blocks.  He has a great first step and short speed.  He uses leverage well and is strong.

In conclusion, he might not suck.

3: Darius Jackson is a freak athlete with size, speed, and passcatching ability.  He goes down too easily, isn't sudden out of his cuts, and lacks great vision.

In conclusion, he might not suck.

4: RG Jonathan Cooper got a "high quality" 84-plus grade from PFF vs the Bengals.  (The Bengals have a pretty good front seven, in case you don't know.)

One game is not statistically reliable, but this is a good sign.  The Browns just might have nabbed a long term stud for nothing.  If he doesn't fall on his face or get hurt again.  Or something.

5: All of Ogbah's pressures were on stunts identical to those Terrelle Suggs ran against the Browns.  Ogbah was MUCH, MUCH faster though, and this was impressive.

I want to tell the Bengals fans their offensive line doesn't suck.  Ogbah is just really good.  Get it?

6: Terrelle Pryor isn't done yet.  Trust me.

7: RG3 might be.

8: I have given up predicting a remote possibility of a Browns win.  I expect the Bills to beat them.

...which means the Browns might win.

...Nah!

...I just said "nah", which means oknevermind

9: Mason Rudolph is another quarterback to watch.  He plays for Oklahoma State, and is another underclassman who may or may not declare.

His scouting reports are all over the map.  Some guys hate him, while others think he's pretty good.  Everybody agrees that he is big, strong, athletic, and accurate short.  One guy questioned his arm, but I threw him out because he was the only one---so Rudolph has an arm too.

Ok now the hell with everything before 2016 ok?  He was still learning and developing.  If you are scouting his sophomore year, you're a dummy.  That is useful only for contrast, to indicate a rate of growth, and specific areas of mapped improvement.

Here is one of the most objective and fairest reports I've found on this guy.  I can synopsize the other:

Rudolph does run a shotgun spread, but it's more sophisticated than most.  Rudolph sets protections and changes plays.  It's like the one Dak Prescott ran.

In his conference, most defenses run shell coverages, which means they concede short passes, but keep everything underneath to avoid big plays.

This is why most spread quarterbacks don't go deep.

Rudolph is different.  He goes deep plenty, and completes over 52% of his passes over twenty yards (this is actually good, ok?  Over twenty yards, right?)  He averages 63% overall, which initially turned me off, until I found this out:  

Rudolph CAN go deep vs shell coverage because he has exceptional accuracy and touch deep and to the sidelines.  That is an NFL trait.

In his most recent start, it was raining.  Rudolph had a mediocre game.  Per that particular writer, he looked uncertain and shaky.  It was a test NFL scouts needed to see him pass (bad weather), and he failed it, so his stock is falling.

Those who like him say that he's very accurate everywhere, has nice anticipation, extends plays with his legs (and size), and usually gets rid of it quick.

The writer who questioned his arm also said he locked onto his first option and couldn't check down.  EVERYBODY else said he excels at finding his second and third options quickly, shifting his feet and hitting them on time.

Even those who like him put a second round grade on him.  The guy who wrote the linked article had second round grades on Goff and Wentz, but wasn't too surprised they went as high as they did.

He thinks Rudolph is kind of like them.

Rudolph will play in the Alamo Bowl.  If he lights it up, he could go in the first round (if he declares).

I do still believe that Jimmy Garopollo is the higher percentage play, and that the Browns will go after him.  But if that doesn't happen, there could well be other options.

I don't know.  I'm not Hue Jackson.  But it will be fun to watch all these guys, and pretend we know what we're looking at.  All we know for sure is, there will be at least one more quarterback coming in next year, and it could be Rudolph.

...if Bill won't deal Jimmy.