1: After further analysis, I now think that Paul DePodesta and Sashi Brown did want to hire Sean McDermott over Hue Jackson, and that Jimmy thought he knew better.
I think this because I strongly suspect that Sashi Brown was the writer's source.
2: We have to take former bosses talking up former employees with a grain of salt, but MKC's fluff piece on Steve Wilks includes some detailed quotes that offer insight into this guy.
3: While everybody who reads this Blog (or comprehends football) knows that wide receiver is not a need for the Browns, I do expect John Dorsey to draft one at some point.
And maybe a defensive back, and maybe even a center.
I'm hoping that Dorsey can wheel and deal a little in this draft, because no way can ten rookies make this roster. He needs to move up or trade into the future to max out what he has to work with.
A draft pick is a terrible thing to waste.
4: Elliott Kennel wants us to know that the next contracts for Baker Mayfield and Myles Garrett will change the salary cap structure (as in eat up a ton of dough).
Pat Kirwan on NFL Radio pointed out even during the 2016 (Wentz trade-down) draft that the Browns were building up a "balloon payment", assuming that the majority of their highest picks worked out.
This is why Elliott suggests that the wild free agent spending spree some of us were anticipating might not materialize.
Corey Coleman crapped out of that class, but Njoku and Schobert did not, and they will be elite free agents when their rookie contracts expire.
Elliott kept his article as simple as he could to keep it within our limited attention spans, but he could have gone a lot deeper.
Sashi Brown DID build a core of talent--all at once. This core includes Tretter, Zeitler, and Collins.
Here in reality, Sashi Brown (DePodesta) did a great job.
Elliott is right in suggesting that dumping Jamie Collins (and adding 9.25 mil to the salary cap) would be a good idea.
Pat Mc Nanoman did a great job of addressing this issue: Jamie Collins has actually played very well as a Brown, and Wilks might use him differently than Gregg Williams did.
However, that's irrelevant: Dorsey has to dump him to get that 9.25 million back.
Pat mentions Genard Avery in the article itself, then writes that the Browns have no viable replacement for Collins.
Wow.
Some New England writer compared the Browns to the Pats, and thought he...
It's idiocy, really--but I had to give you the link so you could see for yourself:
The Cleveland Browns under Dorsey AND Brown have operated like the Patriots.
If you click that link, you'll be confused.
Niether Sashi Brown nor John Dorsey "paid for depth". Tretter, Zeitler, Randall, Mitchell etc are NOT "depth". They're top-notch starters.
This writer also opines that veteran depth trumps rookie depth...but that using/developing rookies is critical.
Click that link-then read this:
The writer no doubt thinks that signing Tretter and Zietler for big money to start is non-Belichickian, but Belichick signed Randy Moss, Corey Dillon, and a bunch of offensive and defensive linemen as free agents.
This writer doesn't understand what "don't pay for depth" means. Tretter, Zietler, Randall, Mitchell, Robinson, Hubbard etc are starters.
This writer stresses the development of younger players, but also stresses the importance of veteran depth. He somehow contrives to suggest that the Patriots have the Browns beat on both sides of that.
In reality, since 2016 the Browns have been operating just like the Patriots in both the draft and free agency, and John Dorsey himself describes this well-worn strategy of his.
Elliott Kennel (I really like this guy!) came up with yet another terrific article: This time on how well Rodney Higginsfield and Rodney Perrimanfield played (with Mayfield).
Naturally, I've been pointing this out for several weeks, but Elliott gets deep into the numbers, and actually charts their improvement over the course of their respective seasons.
Elliott points out that Landry and Callaway weren't nearly as impressive, and that for some reason the two statistically superior receivers played a lot less.
Kennel isn't an armchair coach, and wasn't criticizing. Landry's leadership and savvy matter, and Callaway needed experience, after all.
As for Landry's drop in production, I can help Elliott out there:
Landry ran a much more limited route tree with the Fins, and much shorter routes on average. He was a very easy target to hit, and was rarely lower than the second option.
Todd Haley used him more conventionally, and Freddie Kitchens didn't change that.
Also, right from the start, Baker Mayfield is a cut above Tannehill and his substitutes, as he sees the whole field, and hits whoever is open (deepest), period.
Even when Callaway and Njoku were dropping passes, he never stopped throwing to them.
I admire Jarvis Landry for not going all Antonio Brown over not monopolizing all the passes for the first time in his carreer. Hell, the guy has tried to recruit Beckham Jr and Brown himself! That's a team player! (and kind of bonkers btw).
Anyway, in this article Elliott Kennel backs me up: Wide Receiver is NOT a position of need for the Cleveland Browns.
Terry Pluto wrote a nice article on John Dorsey and his relationship with the Haslams (and DePodesta...and analytics).
'Nuff said there, but at the end of his article, Terry said he expects Greg Robinson to be re-signed. So do I. He also said the Browns top two needs are (outside) linebacker and defensive tackle.
Terry thinks the Browns felt that Ogunjobi's partner wasn't big enough. Coley is 6'1", 307 lbs.
But Terry might accidentally have a point, as Wilks might have some philosophical differences with Gregg Williams.
Williams differs from a lot of defensive coordinators, as he likes gap-shooting athletes all across the defensive line, and tries to blow runs up in the backfield.
Most 4-3 coaches have the right DT play in the guard/tackle gap, and the other one shaded to the center's right or the right guard's left, and engaging them (playing 2-gap).
As everybody points out 6 times per day, the 2018 Browns ranked 29th vs the run, and it certainly had something to do with Gregg's aggressive scheme, and Trevon Coley (color him gone by the way).
There are a number of scary defensive tackles in this draft class, and the bigger run-stuffers will go much later than they should, as everybody wants the next Aaron Donald.
And then there's that Ravens backup nose tackle they probably can't afford to bid for.
There are also a bunch of (real) linebackers. (Ok, I mean that 3-4 outside linebackers aren't true linebackers.)
The prevalence of 3-4 defenses has sort of devalued real linebackers, so you can often get really good ones into the 4th round and beyond.
John Dorsey found Genard Avery in the 5th round! That was amazing, too, because he's a great passrusher who fits a 3-4 as well as a 4-3.
Really, the toughest nut to crack here will be a not-Garrett edge-rusher.
You can't put the 6'1" Avery's hand in the dirt, and this is a 4-3 anyway.
One analyst suggested that part of Ogbah's problem as a passrusher has been the fact that Gregg Williams lined him up inside instead of on the edge a lot.
He could be right. Wilks and the new assistants could resurrect Ogbah by using him more conventionally.
I'm starting to suspect that Gregg Williams outsmarts his own self sometimes, ya no?
Wilks, for example, might have wanted to keep Carl Nassib.
Just in the Senior Bowl, there are several options at defensive end. Big guys. Light/fast guys. I don't know which Wilks will want yet.
Speaking of which, Gregg Williams usually stuck with four defensive linemen in nickels, and sometimes even dimes.
Wilks might be different, and delete a big guy immediately (but line Avery up like James Harrison).
Wilks blitzes even more than Williams does.
As crazy as it sounds, Wilks also "gambles" more. He doesn't line his free safety up as deep as often as Gregg does (no "angel").
I wonder how Wilks will use Peppers and Rodney Kindredfield. Both can do everything a linebacker does, except defeat 320 lb blockers.
For all we know, the new defensive Coordinator will just put Peppers at WIL and Kndred at strong safety (just spitballin...cuz I might do that, and as you know I am a humble genius -blush-blush).
Bucky Brooks mocks left tackle Jonah Williams to the Browns at 17th overall. I respect the hell out of this ex-player and scout, and moreover his rationale for this pick, but...
Kitchens is the Head Coach, Monkens the Offensive Coordinator, and Mayfield the quarterback.
You can say that Mayfield and Kitchens made Robinson look better than he really is, but...who cares? I mean, are defensive coordinators going to "figure out" Gregg Robinson or something?
Then there's Desmond Harrison, who might have been built in a laboratory somewhere (or geneticly engineered) to play left tackle in the NFL.
Greg Robinson never (to this day) lived up to his lofty draft status, but in 2018 proved to be a decent left tackle, and there's no reason to expect him to regress.
Harrison will challenge Robinson in 2019. The raw, underweight kid disappointed in 2018, but did get a lot of experience. Greg Robinson isn't in this kid's zip code athleticly.
So I just respectfully submit that Bucky Brooks is wrong. He seems to be ignoring the offensive system, the quarterback, and the emerging talent at the position.
Ok you have hung with me here to this point, so I want to reward you by teaching you how to analyze and filter what you hear/read:
Allegedly, John Dorsey and Jimmy Haslam went to Hue Jackson's office to tell him that he was fired.
When Hue (this is incredible in/of itself) asked why, Dorsey allegedly said "you've lost the team".
This part is credible. The blunt answer would be "because you suck". Dorsey would have tried to spare Hue's feelings.
Allegedly, Hue said "get the fuck out of my office!"
And the writer helpfully provides some "close game" stats in between "You lost the team" and "Get the fuck out of my office!"
...remember, Haslam was allegedly standing there? The guy who didn't fire him after his 0-16 season...after the 1-15 season?
And he says this to Dorsey, who sat next to him and said that Hue didn't have "real football players" (an obvious LIE meant to support Hue Jackson)?
And where did this writer get his information? It would have had to come from Haslam, Dorsey, or Jackson, right?
Hue Jackson is obviously the most likely suspect, given his pattern of blaming others for his failures and "editing" history--but no responsible analyst would deem him credible.
I've seen this before. To this day, Art Modell is demonized, and it's bullshit. He was DRIVEN out of Cleveland. Muni Stadium was an atrocity, but Cleveland built new facilities for the Cavs and the Indians, and gave Modell the finger.
Talk radio was full of Modell-bashers 24/7. HE was accused of "meddling" too.
I couldn't believe it. 5 AFC Championship games. The Drive. The Fumble. Somehow, Art Modell got blamed for those! And the "last straw"? He hired BILL BELICHICK!!!
Art Modell was colorblind, and was at the forefront of blowing up the bullshit color-barrier in the NFL. Ask Jim Brown (and his predeccessor).
Modell bailed out the Cleveland Clinic, and generally was too charitable for his own good, and that's why he was in bad shape and HAD TO move his team out of here! He was BROKE!
Art Modell was DRIVEN out of Cleveland, for no rational reason. If YOU PEOPLE (and the City Government) hadn't forced that move, the BROWNS might well have won the Superbowl the very next year!!!
Back off. Take a breath. Pull Jimmy down off the cross (and put him out if he's on fire already).
Think. With. Your. B R A I N.
You people...
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