There are a few reasons he wasn't drafted, like two drug suspensions, and getting booted out of Texas for them. He was out of football for two seasons, but returned to dominate low-level competition for one season.
He's had weight issues: He's had trouble keeping his weight up. After an illness, he weighed 279 lbs at the Senior Bowl, then in the 290s at the Combine.
Everybody he's dealt with, including the very Texas coach who kicked him out, love his character, work ethic, and talent.
With so little experience, Harrison is obviously raw, but has absolutely elite physical tools.
He's a real longshot to start at left tackle in 2018, but not so much in 2019 and beyond, as he is now THE most talented left tackle on this roster. I'll bet he's here to stay.
He's a former star basketball player, and moves like one. He blew the speed and agility drills up. He's 6'7" with lots of room on his frame for Hans and Franz to pump him up.
And I said longshot--not no shot in 2018. He is that talented.
The first rookie practice didn't mean much, but the highlights were fun to watch.
Baker Mayfield went right after Denzel Ward several times. Ward should have had an interception, and knocked at least a couple more down, but Baker burned him a few times with pinpoint passes too. (I guess Denzel's arms were too short!)
While Mayfield had some misses due to his unfamiliarity with all the receivers, his footwork and release were impressive. He can't run with Tyrod, but he can dance like Fred Astair.
The real star here was Antonio Gallaway! I take back some of what I said in comparing him to Corey Coleman; he's just as sudden and quick as Coleman.
He caught a touchdown bomb. I'm not sure that was over Ward's head, but I think so. Perfect pass---a trailing corner has no shot to stop that without interference.
Some people seem to have the impression that Denzel Ward "has a lot to learn", and will lose his lunch money to the wiley Antonio Brown in game one.
First, he played for Ohio State. Second, he is a press/man cover corner. At least 75% of the time, he just ignores everything and everybody else and stays on top of one receiver.
AB will no doubt have some dirty tricks ready for the kid, and will probably make some catches (Brown burns everybody). But he won't run away from the kid.
That's where Antonio Brown does the majority of his damage. He catches shorts and intermediates and turns them upfield for massive gains.
On "Takes by the Lake", Doug Lesmerisis interviewed four fans with very different opinions on the draft, and the state of the Browns. I only listened to the first very smart, technically savvy Denver attorney, (I know this because she agreed with me on everything), and most of a guy who didn't like the draft.
I won't knock this guy, but since this is a "slow news day", I'll paraphrase some of his comments and respond to them:
1: He preferred Josh Allen to Baker Mayfield. He cited the bad weather and AFC North and the usual stuff, and felt that with just a little work on his feet and mechanics, Allen should be fine.
I can't say anything without repeating myself yet again, but I have no choice:
Dorsey can't gamble at quarterback or first overall, and Allen was a projection. And you can't pick a quarterback based on physical attributes while ignoring psychology, decision-making, accuracy, production, etc etc etc (etc cubed).
2: This guy wanted Chubb over Ward. So did I. But when he sticks to that after Gregg Williams explained it, he became unreasonable. Gregg Williams knows what he's doing, and it's his defense.
3: He hated the Callaway pick. He doesn't want to worry about off the field stuff. He just wants to focus on the games.
The object of playing those games is to WIN them. Callaway can win games, and you rarely find guys like that in the fourth round.
It's worth repeating this: Callaway is a terrific punt and kick returner, and might well play the other side of the kicks and punts as well.
He's the instant front-runner for these roles, so even if he's a third or fourth receiver initially, he can still make a major impact in 2018.
This guy's opinion is based on emotion, and that's rarely a good thing.
A lot of people called Sam Darnold the "safest" pick, but Baker Mayfield was.
The vast majority of pundits think that in 3-5 years, Darnold and Allen will be better than Baker Mayfield.
They're almost certainly fulla beans. Baker Mayfield will remain Baker Mayfield. You can't learn to think at lightspeed under pressure. You can refine leadership skills, but you can't learn charisma. You can refine your mechanics and improve your accuracy, but only so much.
Check out darts! Do you know how much precision the best ones have? I personally became pretty good at darts, but no matter how much I practiced, I kinda stagnated at "pretty good".
The best of them are born with it. Like Baker Mayfield. These other quarterbacks will never be as accurate as Mayfield is now.
Only Josh Allen has a stronger arm. Darnold is merely bigger. Rosen is merely taller. Allen is also the best runner. None of these are nearly as important as the elements I've listed.
Nobody seems yet to have passed up Drew Brees or Aaron Rodgers. They've gone up against a lot of prototype quarterbacks, but at the end of the game? They deliver!
Baker Mayfield is like them. The most important inches are those between their ears.
I need to revisit the Tim Couch story here:
Tim came out of college with chronic tendinitis in his right elbow.
While it's true that Head Coach Chris Palmer, much like Hue Jackson, refused to adapt his offense to Couch's skill-set in any way whatsoever, and he was forced to start for an expansion team immediately, Couch did an amazingly great job, until he got injured (thanks again, Chris).
Everybody says that Couch was subsequently "pounded out" of football, and certainly he took a sload of hits.
But in reality, the tendinitis got worse. He tried to adjust his throwing motion to compensate, and there went his shoulder too.
Tim Couch's right arm just kinda wrecked itself. Tim was one super-tough SOB. He took that lickin and kept on tickin, but he couldn't overcome that tendinitis.
I salute Tim Couch. If not for that damn elbow, he could have overcome bad receivers and coaching and been a great quarterback.
For you whippersnappers, this is why I sometimes call Hue "Hue Palmer". He did this to Kessler and then Kizer.
Hue isn't even as good as Chris Palmer, because at least Palmer tried to run the ball, and did allow a few short passes.
DeShone Kizer isn't done yet, and if you judge him by his rookie season, you need a brain transplant. I doubt that he'll ever be an elite quarterback, but he'll become a great backup, and probably a top 15 starter eventually.
That kid didn't deserve the crap stew he got.
Other writers are finally catching up to me on the real "politics" in Berea.
If Hue Jackson was indeed the "point man" in Todd Haley's recruitment/hiring, it was a matter of self-preservation.
The only reason Hue was retained was because Haslam didn't dare fire him, after firing all those other coaches after 1-2 years.
If that sounds idiotic (1-31?), that's because it is. But Jimmy would have been pillaried and crucified anyway.
Now, he's fishing for a new stadium, or a major face-lift on the old one. Now, he can say "see? I'm patient! I want continuity!"
It's bizarre and irrational, but that's how you gotta handle the media and unwashed masses: If Haslam had fired Hue Jackson, he would have no shot at a new or renovated stadium.
...amazing.
Anyway, Haslam probably told Hue "I've got to fire somebody after you went 1-32, but I don't dare fire another Head Coach...yet. So I have to fire Sashi instead.
"But you blew it. Not Sashi Brown. I'm bringing in John Dorsey as a GM. This is your last chance. You need a good offensive coordinator, and to let him do his thing. You will be a figurehead and front-man, and let your three coordinators do their jobs.
"You can take credit for all the good stuff, and blame them for all the bad stuff, and possibly salvage your career."
LaCanfora et al are already predicting an in-season firing of Hue Jackson (deducing that Haley will succeed him).
They're close...I mean they've obviously read my own previous posts...but they missed again:
They're assuming that the Browns will not win many games early, giving Haslam a good excuse.
They're wrong. The Browns now have quarterbackS, and coaching, to go with a sload of talent, and they can go toe-to-toe with any team in the NFL.
Plus, why would Haslam bother to fire Jackson in-season, since nothing would change? Hue Jackson is really a great front-man!
You people!
Todd Haley might indeed be the crown prince, but you don't kill the king in the middle of a war.
Hue Fisher is probably a GMF after this season, even if "he" engineers a turnaround. Because HE JUST PLAIN SUCKS as a Head Coach and offensive coordinator (with anything less than ideal talent for his system).
It's even possible that he sticks around, since he's so likeable and entertaining. But Todd Haley makes that doubtful, since other teams will be recruiting him as a Head Coach...even if the Browns only win like 6 games. Jackson or Haley? No contest!
Todd Haley is abrasive, abusive, and not a "people person". He is the opposite of Hue Jackson personally. This matters.
Haley has the brains and discipline to (again) be a Head Coach, but could alienate his team (he's all-stick, no carrot).
Just like with quarterbacks, this matters.
But I presume that Haley will have evolved a tad (like Belichick did after Modell fired him), since this was the reason the Steelers cut him loose.
Sorry I got too deep into the future here, and overextrapolationalized, but just make a note and review this post one year from now ok?
Right now, the Browns are in excellent shape coach-wise, from the ground up (well except at the top, but Hue can't screw things up anymore).
Tyrod Taylor won a lot of games with a LOT less talent around him on offense, and even with weaker defenses than he will have here in 2018.
Baker Mayfield is more accurate and decisive (read "processing speed"), but he's not the dual threat that Tyrod is, and lobbing bombs in Josh Gordon's general direction is a luxury he's never had before.
Since Tim Couch, the Browns have never had quarterbacks like they have now.
You people: If Tyrod Taylor had been here in 2017, the Browns would have won at least five games!
Probably more, because the Browns 2017 roster was superior to the roster Tyrod was stuck with in Buffalo!
All this is obvious! All the Browns lacked was a quarterback! All Tyrod Taylor lacked was a team why tf can't you comprehend this!?!
And look at the Bills now! They have A J McCarron as the nominal starter (at 5 mil/year), and Josh Allen!
JFC do you think Sashi Brown didn't deliberately sabotage that Hue Jackson-inspired trade attempt for McCarron late last season?
I couldn't fathom the utter idiocy of that proposed trade in the first place, and am 100% confident that this was Hue Fisher in Haslam's ear persuading Jimmy to override Sashi Brown.
It was idiotic, and I'm almost positive that Brown "screwed it up" deliberately. They should build a Sashi Brown statue. I'm pretty sure that Dorsey thanked him, too...good grief:
MKC and the pundits were taking AJ McCarron as a potential franchise quarterback!!!
Then they bashed Sashi for his "incompetance" for not getting the paperwork in on time give me a break.
You people! Njoku, the Colemans, DeValve, Tretter, Zeitler, Collins, Schobert, Ogunjobi, Brantley, Ogbah, Peppers, Kindred, Boddy-Calhoun, Drango, Garrett, Coley (and don't cash out on Nassib just yet either) and you bash him?
Dorsey just drafted five players in rounds one and two, three of which were courtesy of Sashi Brown, and I guarantee you that
I've read punditry suggesting that the McCourtey trade was only the beginning of a "purge".
Nah. Every single Sashi Brown draft pick or free agent signing (well okay almost all of them) will stick around.
While I think John Dorsey did a good job with free agents, a great job in the draft, and a good job with undrafted guys, I don't expect a "purge".
Some pundits think that the Browns young roster just got even younger, like this is a major problem.
This is frankly astonishing to me.
Quarterback is critical, and Tyrod is here.
The Sashi Brown picks are entering their second and third seasons (excluding free agents like Tretter, Zietler, Coley, Collins etc (squared).
As I've pointed out already, Denzel Ward is ready to rock. Callaway is an instantly lethal special teamer. Chubb is ready. Avery...wow what a freak!
The hell with this "youth" paranoia. These pundits keep trying to dig up dirt.
On this planet, Njoku will be better than he was in 2017, Gordon should be lethal again, Landry and Duke won't get worse, Tyrod won't regress...
Why tf can't you see the obvious?
That's ok. I'll simplify it:
Game one v the Stoolers:
1: Taylor doesn't thow any interceptions, and gets first downs with his legs.
2: Haley hammers them with runs "when they expect it".
3: Taylor shocks the world by throwing a couple long bombs to Gordon (which he catches).
4: Denzel Ward holds Antonio Brown to under 100 yards (maybe less since Big Ben aint...well...Baker Mayfield.
5: (Ideally) Damarius Randall is Williams' "angel", and blasts Ebineezer Bell before he can do too much damage.
6: The Browns defense in general was decent in 2017, but ought to be much better in 2018, sans this off season, and owing just to the inevitable development of young players.
7: Todd Haley.
8: These 2018 Browns are THE most talented team in the AFC North. They will go to Pissburgh in game one expecting to win.
...If there is any doubt about that, "backup" Baker Mayfield will erase it.
...I'll have to get into that later...okbye.The
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