Thomas Moore feels that trading Duke Johnson would be a mistake, citing his amazing hands and ability to play wide receiver as reasons.
After reading his article, I lean toward Tom's position...I had no idea that Duke's base salary was down to 1.8 mil!
Still, it would be tough to turn down a high draft pick, and Dontrell Hilliard is going to be doing a lot of the same things Duke does.
Elliott Kennel says that Jeffery Simmons' acl tear shouldn't deter the Browns from drafting him 17th overall.
He does back up his case with a ton of evidence, and impressive analytical thinking. He cites average times for healing, a saved roster spot, the fifth year option built into first round contracts---well it was just an excellent article!
Elliott pretty much slapped me out of my delusion that this injured player could slide to the third or fourth round; likely it's 17th overall or nothing for Simmons.
However, that's only if John Dorsey considers Jeffery Simmons head and shoulders above the other choices he will have at that point.
If it's even close, Dorsey will draft the healthy guy, whoever that is.
CBS Sports ranks Simmons fifth among draftable DT's (below Wilkins and above Jones).
Charlie Campbell (Walter Football) has extracted his head about the left tackle thing, and now mocks Ed Oliver to the Browns at 17.
That's right! The guy that CBS Sports ranks second among DT's, and everybody assumes will be gone in the top ten!
Charlie explains this projected slide by saying that the 6'1" Oliver weighed in at around 275 in 2018, and that he can't really get much bigger.
He's been compared to Arnold, but Charlie says that's garbage. Arnold is much stronger.
Charlie expects that Oliver's only role in the NFL would be as a "3-technique" in a 4-3. 3-4 teams would bypass him, as would some 4-3 teams who don't have that specific need.
Wow! That would be cool, because the 2019 Browns need that specific type of Defensive Tackle!
But if not Oliver, Wilkins is generally regarded as kind of neck-and-neck with Simmons, and Wilkins fits any defensive scheme at any inside position.
One guy asked Mary Kay if the Browns might bundle some picks to move up in the first round to trade up for linebacker Devin White.
The easy answer is "hell no!", but trading up for a stud linebacker or defensive tackle could happen. Dorsey has too much young talent on his roster, and needs to get rid of his lower draft picks somehow, as the players he drafts there will be unlikely to make the team.
As I've redundated repeatedly, this draft is very deep in defensive tackles, and Dorsey knows he can get quality players at that position into the fourth round, and maybe lower.
Analytics says that in this situation, you target a different position with your top pick, and collect two DT's later.
...after some more research, linebacker is unlikely.
Cornerback is a possibility, as there should be some really good ones at 17th overall.
I just read an extremely bad article listing the Browns offseason needs.
This blind squirrel hit on "more pressure up the middle", but ignored the run defense. In fact, he suggested that the Browns needed a coverage linebacker!
More offensive tackles. More cornerbacks. I'm surprised this clown left out running backs.
You owe me one for not including a link.
My man Thomas Moore says we should keep an eye on 6'1", 200 lb corner Jordan Brown at the Combine.
Brown is projected as a middle round pick, but Thomas Moore knows his stuff, and (as usual) he's probably correct:
Brown isn't a press/man corner (at least not yet), but he's terrific in off-man and in zone.
Wilks, as far as I can see so far, will run cover 3 if he can. Cover 3 is flexible, and doesn't require press/man coverage at all.
The Superbowl Seahawks ran cover 3 with off-man coverage on the outside.
In off-man, the defensive back just stays "on top" of the receiver. He makes sure the receiver has to break off underneath to get open, so the free safety doesn't sweat deep burns and can be aggressive.
Press-man is more dangerous, as the cornerback can get "burned" deep. The press corner screws up timing and leverages receivers inside or outside, and (ideally) blows up crosses, slants, and outs underneath.
I assume that Wilks will run press-man with Ward and Mitchell, but he's quite comfortable with a guy like Brown.
...Err...you people know that a defense can run press on one side and off on the other, right? It's not rocket science or anything.
Richard Sherman is an off-man cornerback, see? I think Thomas Moore sees Jordan Brown as a Sherman type.
Dan Justik tells us that a couple of Browns mock draft picks are overrated, per a bunch of people.
Well no kidding! They're offensive tackles!!! No knock on Justik here--he's just the messenger here...but DOYEEEEE!!!
This spastic kneejerk obsession with the next Joe Thomas is idiotic in the first place, and it's dumber cubed (to the third power) to project any offensive tackle in this draft class to eventually become better than Greg Robinson!
I'm officially inventing a new word to describe this phenomenon:
"Spasticism".
I hear Cory Kinnon defending Browns fans, as FoxSports listed them (us) in the bottom five in the NFL.
That is just plain idiotic, but Cory asks why, and I will tell you:
1: We drove Art Modell and Bill Belichick out of town.
2: We were primed to do the same thing to Jimmy Haslam up til Dorsey was hired and Mayfield was drafted.
3: The venom, bile, hatred, and (especially) ignorance dominating local media has been just simply amazing.
Cory is mostly right in his defense of we, the lynch-mob, but FoxSports is equally correct.
I can go deeper (again). Don't get me started.
You think Philly and New York are tough media markets?
Generally, Browns fans are knowlegable (compared to other fan bases), and loyal to a fault, so Cory wins this debate.
But YOU PEOPLE aren't knowlegable enough.
You really need to read this Blog.
Dammit.
Sunday, February 17, 2019
Saturday, February 16, 2019
Free Agent Defensive Ends, Strategery, Clowney, Ford, and the Browns
Randy Gurzi lists his top five free agent defensive ends again, and they would all help--at least for one season.
Brandon Graham and Zeke Ansah are up there in years, but this (and Zeke's injuries) should push their prices down.
Plus, they could really luck out: Terrell Suggs is like 75, isn't he?
Randy listed these guys first, because the real (young) studs are Clowney, Lawrence, and Ford.
And it doesn't seem likely that their respective teams will franchise tag them. That (Defensive End) tag is projected to be around 17 million guaranteed bucks.
...I blacked out for a minute but I'm back now: Anyway, the tag is a tool of last resort when applied to a young elite player.
See what happened with Kirk Cousins? The Skins franchised him twice, and his demands became rediculous. He was supposed to take the Vikings to the promised land, wasn't he?
How many of you wanted the Browns to pay that massively inflated salary?
But I digress: If the player is unwilling to accept a contract approximating that kind of money, slapping the tag on him makes it all the more likely that the team will lose him after the franchise season.
You can franchise him again, but a serious raise is built in.
Randy and others feel mildly optimistic about Dee Ford, who Dorsey drafted in the first round.
That will get sticky. The Chiefs are in a great spot to return to the playoffs in 2019, and Ford might like it there.
Unlike in years past, the Browns are a team of choice for homo sapiens free agents, but the Chiefs, Eagles, and Cowboys aren't teams players want to run away from either.
Dorsey drafted Ford, and John does like to mix with his players, but those who think that "loyalty" will influence Ford are misguided.
Those who expect Dorsey to want Ford are on the money. He has a relationship with the player and his agent well-established, so he certainly has an edge.
With all three of Randy's elite young defensive ends, that 17 mil/year franchise number is the ballpark price.
The franchise tag is the average of the top five salaries for a given position. Paul DePodesta (like PFF and Numberfire) would be "expert witnesses" in negotiating the actual contract.
A guy who ranked seventh shouldn't be demanding top five money. A guy who ranked fourth shouldn't expect the median between number three and number two.
Smart players will often trade instant gratification for security. They might accept 14 mil guaranteed in the first year (plus 3 mil in routine bonuses) and 11 mil guaranteed in year 2.
Why? Because even if they suffer a carreer-ending injury in their first training camp, they'll still get all that guaranteed money.
On a four-year contract which an agent proudly says is worth 72 million, the guarantees are often around 42 mil.
If the player earns all his bonusses, he makes 72 mil. If he falls on his face or gets maimed, he makes 42 mil. The contracts are always constructed so that the guarantees (and "dead cap" hits) are front-loaded (like the Collins contract--thank you Sashi Brown).
This benefits the players as well as the teams. Jamie Collins has already been paid his guaranteed money. Jamie is still fairly young, and some team will offer him another 3-plus year contract, front-loaded with yet more guaranteed monies.
Sure, it will be a lot less than what the Browns paid him, but he gets to start over, and make more guaranteed money overall.
One of these top three guys (Ford works for me) could be had for maybe 70 mil over four years, with 40 mil guaranteed, and the whole first year's salary (what the hell 17 mil) guaranteed.
Then 13 mil in 2020, 8 mil in 2021 as salary caps and salaries rise...(this is what Sashi Brown actually did, by the way.)
Dumping Jamie Collins would give Dorsey a safe free agent 2019 budget of around 34-37 mil, so signing one of these top defensive ends to that kind of massive contract would still leave him with around 20 mil for other guys.
As I've repeated repeatedly, John Dorsey probably should target (passrushing) defensive ends in free agency, and defensive tackles and cornerbacks in the draft in 2019.
Gurzi is right: Land one of these top defensive ends in free agency, and with Ogbah in rotation (he has and can play on the weakside too, mind you), this would give Wilks maybe THE best and deepest DE corps in the NFL.
I do like Dee Ford a lot, but check this out: Jadeveon Clowney was the Myles Garrett of his draft class!!!
Clowney didn't do great for a couple seasons, but as Randy points out, the Texans turned him into a linebacker. This would probably have stunted Myles Garrett's growth, as well.
These two players are remarkably similar; I mean like mirror images.
Here, Clowney would be a pure defensive end again! As scary as he's turned out to be with the Texans, he would go apeshit at DE opposite Myles Garrett here!
Clowney also has become a decent linebacker, and Wilks could exploit that. He'd be a curve-ball for opposing offenses.
But bottom line, if Dorsey can bring in Jadeveon Clowney, that's two Myles Garretts on the same defense--scary enough for ya?
The Texans intend to franchise-tag Clowney. as a linebacker for 15 mil, but he has pre-emptively filed a grievance over his designation. He wants the defensive end tag (17 mil).
This gets technical, as Clowney sometimes puts his hand in the dirt, and other times lines up exactly where a defensive end would (except standing up).
Morally, I'm on Clowney's side. The backfield mayhem he causes means more than the label the team stuck on him. If he wins in arbitration, the Texans are less likely to tag him.
Lawyers...
Dan Justik thinks bringing Phil Dawson back would be a good idea.
I thought this was idiotic, until I "heard" Dan out. Phil ought to be cheap, and could both challenge and teach the younger Browns' kickers.
Travis Rodgers cites most of the reasons why the 2019 Browns are ready to sieze the AFC North.
Travis is not only a good analyst, but a good communicator. He doesn't dive as deep as I do, but is no doubt more "readable" for normal people, and gets the important stuff across quickly and clearly (in a light-hearted and entertaining way).
Travis correctly identifies the Ravens (not the Steelers) as the primary threat to the Browns in 2019, and was right about everything else too.
...not that I can't pick at him:
Big Ben is old and beat up, but he's still viable in 2019. And the Steelers will still have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL.
Losing Bell is irrelevant. They did fine in 2018 without him...
Still, Travis is right. Losing Antonio Brown will hurt them, they do have cap issues, and (Travis didn't mention this) the Steelers secondary and passrush aint all that either.
Travis scored an absolute bullseye on the Ravens.
The Ravens should come back in 2019 with a top 5 defense, but Lamar Jackson is a wild card, and the Chargers did shut him down in the playoffs.
"Gimmick" is right. Travis nailed this in some detail:
Lamar Jackson is the fastest quarterback in the NFL, but most analysts don't know the difference between speed and athleticism.
Pat Mahomes is the most athletic QB in the NFL, and Wilson is more athletic than Jackson too.
Lamar Jackson has a big arm, but is not very accurate. He does not (so far) read coverage well, and is not a pocket passer, and...well he's not a real quarterback at all.
Harbaugh will remake his whole offense to make the most of Lamar Jackson, and it will be wild and crazy.
Cam Newton won one Superbowl. Every other quarterback since, and for probably over a decade prior, has had a significantly higher completion percentage.
Those who think Lamar is fragile and will get busted up running the ball are clueless, but those who think he will miss open receivers are correct.
As Travis points out, after what Jackson did to the Browns (which he kinda inflated--it wasn't all that), the Chargers stifled him and his offense with 7 in coverage and a 4-man rush.
You can't do this stuff to Baker Mayfield twice in a row (or even for more than the first half of a given game).
But vs Lamar Jackson? YEP!
Baker Mayfield will "solve" the Ravens defense. Wilks will "solve" the wild and crazy (and not very talented) Ravens offense.
Anyway, maybe nobody but Travis Rodgers and I get this yet, but the road to the AFC North goes through Cleveland...NOW.
New Defensive Coordinator Steve Wilks says most of the same stuff every DC says, but I'm cautiously optimistic that he will actually live up to his hyperbole.
Stopping the run is about lane-discipline, and (I especially liked this), forcing third-and-longs so you can get "exotic"...well every DC wants that, but I never heard a DC actually state it as a "mission statement".
Wilks will of course be aggressive, but stressed "fundamentals" in his statement.
In 2018, the Browns in general blew a ton of tackles. Joe Schobert was maybe the worst offender.
"Fundamentals" is music to my eyes, but Wilks was a DB and DB Coach, and so is "proper angles".
"Negative plays" on first and second downs sounds a lot better to me than what I hear from every other Coach in the NFL.
And he wants his defense to score points...
That's a clue, people!
Wilks will run a lot of zone coverage inside. He's talking about defenders coming foreward to jump slants and crosses...
I have addressed this in the past, and will in the future, but for now suffice it to say that (given his extant talent) Wilks will "man up" on the perimiter and run zone everywhere else.
...Well you can digest what I gave you here, and return for further enlightenment later okbye.
Brandon Graham and Zeke Ansah are up there in years, but this (and Zeke's injuries) should push their prices down.
Plus, they could really luck out: Terrell Suggs is like 75, isn't he?
Randy listed these guys first, because the real (young) studs are Clowney, Lawrence, and Ford.
And it doesn't seem likely that their respective teams will franchise tag them. That (Defensive End) tag is projected to be around 17 million guaranteed bucks.
...I blacked out for a minute but I'm back now: Anyway, the tag is a tool of last resort when applied to a young elite player.
See what happened with Kirk Cousins? The Skins franchised him twice, and his demands became rediculous. He was supposed to take the Vikings to the promised land, wasn't he?
How many of you wanted the Browns to pay that massively inflated salary?
But I digress: If the player is unwilling to accept a contract approximating that kind of money, slapping the tag on him makes it all the more likely that the team will lose him after the franchise season.
You can franchise him again, but a serious raise is built in.
Randy and others feel mildly optimistic about Dee Ford, who Dorsey drafted in the first round.
That will get sticky. The Chiefs are in a great spot to return to the playoffs in 2019, and Ford might like it there.
Unlike in years past, the Browns are a team of choice for homo sapiens free agents, but the Chiefs, Eagles, and Cowboys aren't teams players want to run away from either.
Dorsey drafted Ford, and John does like to mix with his players, but those who think that "loyalty" will influence Ford are misguided.
Those who expect Dorsey to want Ford are on the money. He has a relationship with the player and his agent well-established, so he certainly has an edge.
With all three of Randy's elite young defensive ends, that 17 mil/year franchise number is the ballpark price.
The franchise tag is the average of the top five salaries for a given position. Paul DePodesta (like PFF and Numberfire) would be "expert witnesses" in negotiating the actual contract.
A guy who ranked seventh shouldn't be demanding top five money. A guy who ranked fourth shouldn't expect the median between number three and number two.
Smart players will often trade instant gratification for security. They might accept 14 mil guaranteed in the first year (plus 3 mil in routine bonuses) and 11 mil guaranteed in year 2.
Why? Because even if they suffer a carreer-ending injury in their first training camp, they'll still get all that guaranteed money.
On a four-year contract which an agent proudly says is worth 72 million, the guarantees are often around 42 mil.
If the player earns all his bonusses, he makes 72 mil. If he falls on his face or gets maimed, he makes 42 mil. The contracts are always constructed so that the guarantees (and "dead cap" hits) are front-loaded (like the Collins contract--thank you Sashi Brown).
This benefits the players as well as the teams. Jamie Collins has already been paid his guaranteed money. Jamie is still fairly young, and some team will offer him another 3-plus year contract, front-loaded with yet more guaranteed monies.
Sure, it will be a lot less than what the Browns paid him, but he gets to start over, and make more guaranteed money overall.
One of these top three guys (Ford works for me) could be had for maybe 70 mil over four years, with 40 mil guaranteed, and the whole first year's salary (what the hell 17 mil) guaranteed.
Then 13 mil in 2020, 8 mil in 2021 as salary caps and salaries rise...(this is what Sashi Brown actually did, by the way.)
Dumping Jamie Collins would give Dorsey a safe free agent 2019 budget of around 34-37 mil, so signing one of these top defensive ends to that kind of massive contract would still leave him with around 20 mil for other guys.
As I've repeated repeatedly, John Dorsey probably should target (passrushing) defensive ends in free agency, and defensive tackles and cornerbacks in the draft in 2019.
Gurzi is right: Land one of these top defensive ends in free agency, and with Ogbah in rotation (he has and can play on the weakside too, mind you), this would give Wilks maybe THE best and deepest DE corps in the NFL.
I do like Dee Ford a lot, but check this out: Jadeveon Clowney was the Myles Garrett of his draft class!!!
Clowney didn't do great for a couple seasons, but as Randy points out, the Texans turned him into a linebacker. This would probably have stunted Myles Garrett's growth, as well.
These two players are remarkably similar; I mean like mirror images.
Here, Clowney would be a pure defensive end again! As scary as he's turned out to be with the Texans, he would go apeshit at DE opposite Myles Garrett here!
Clowney also has become a decent linebacker, and Wilks could exploit that. He'd be a curve-ball for opposing offenses.
But bottom line, if Dorsey can bring in Jadeveon Clowney, that's two Myles Garretts on the same defense--scary enough for ya?
The Texans intend to franchise-tag Clowney. as a linebacker for 15 mil, but he has pre-emptively filed a grievance over his designation. He wants the defensive end tag (17 mil).
This gets technical, as Clowney sometimes puts his hand in the dirt, and other times lines up exactly where a defensive end would (except standing up).
Morally, I'm on Clowney's side. The backfield mayhem he causes means more than the label the team stuck on him. If he wins in arbitration, the Texans are less likely to tag him.
Lawyers...
Dan Justik thinks bringing Phil Dawson back would be a good idea.
I thought this was idiotic, until I "heard" Dan out. Phil ought to be cheap, and could both challenge and teach the younger Browns' kickers.
Travis Rodgers cites most of the reasons why the 2019 Browns are ready to sieze the AFC North.
Travis is not only a good analyst, but a good communicator. He doesn't dive as deep as I do, but is no doubt more "readable" for normal people, and gets the important stuff across quickly and clearly (in a light-hearted and entertaining way).
Travis correctly identifies the Ravens (not the Steelers) as the primary threat to the Browns in 2019, and was right about everything else too.
...not that I can't pick at him:
Big Ben is old and beat up, but he's still viable in 2019. And the Steelers will still have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL.
Losing Bell is irrelevant. They did fine in 2018 without him...
Still, Travis is right. Losing Antonio Brown will hurt them, they do have cap issues, and (Travis didn't mention this) the Steelers secondary and passrush aint all that either.
Travis scored an absolute bullseye on the Ravens.
The Ravens should come back in 2019 with a top 5 defense, but Lamar Jackson is a wild card, and the Chargers did shut him down in the playoffs.
"Gimmick" is right. Travis nailed this in some detail:
Lamar Jackson is the fastest quarterback in the NFL, but most analysts don't know the difference between speed and athleticism.
Pat Mahomes is the most athletic QB in the NFL, and Wilson is more athletic than Jackson too.
Lamar Jackson has a big arm, but is not very accurate. He does not (so far) read coverage well, and is not a pocket passer, and...well he's not a real quarterback at all.
Harbaugh will remake his whole offense to make the most of Lamar Jackson, and it will be wild and crazy.
Cam Newton won one Superbowl. Every other quarterback since, and for probably over a decade prior, has had a significantly higher completion percentage.
Those who think Lamar is fragile and will get busted up running the ball are clueless, but those who think he will miss open receivers are correct.
As Travis points out, after what Jackson did to the Browns (which he kinda inflated--it wasn't all that), the Chargers stifled him and his offense with 7 in coverage and a 4-man rush.
You can't do this stuff to Baker Mayfield twice in a row (or even for more than the first half of a given game).
But vs Lamar Jackson? YEP!
Baker Mayfield will "solve" the Ravens defense. Wilks will "solve" the wild and crazy (and not very talented) Ravens offense.
Anyway, maybe nobody but Travis Rodgers and I get this yet, but the road to the AFC North goes through Cleveland...NOW.
New Defensive Coordinator Steve Wilks says most of the same stuff every DC says, but I'm cautiously optimistic that he will actually live up to his hyperbole.
Stopping the run is about lane-discipline, and (I especially liked this), forcing third-and-longs so you can get "exotic"...well every DC wants that, but I never heard a DC actually state it as a "mission statement".
Wilks will of course be aggressive, but stressed "fundamentals" in his statement.
In 2018, the Browns in general blew a ton of tackles. Joe Schobert was maybe the worst offender.
"Fundamentals" is music to my eyes, but Wilks was a DB and DB Coach, and so is "proper angles".
"Negative plays" on first and second downs sounds a lot better to me than what I hear from every other Coach in the NFL.
And he wants his defense to score points...
That's a clue, people!
Wilks will run a lot of zone coverage inside. He's talking about defenders coming foreward to jump slants and crosses...
I have addressed this in the past, and will in the future, but for now suffice it to say that (given his extant talent) Wilks will "man up" on the perimiter and run zone everywhere else.
...Well you can digest what I gave you here, and return for further enlightenment later okbye.
Friday, February 15, 2019
Mass Hysteria in Brownstown. TAKE A PILL!
I just want you young whippersnappers to check this historic necktie party out. Yeah, that Bill Belichick was the dumbest Coach in history!
I lived it. I couldn't believe the venom; the bile aimed at Bill and Art Modell. It wasn't just that the Indians and Cavs got new facilities, while Modell got the finger that forced Art Modell out of town. It was crap like this (and much, much worse) on all outlets 24/7.
Up until last season, it was happening all over again with Jimmy Haslam.
...but I digress: The main reason Belichick was so hated was the fact that he let Saint Bernard (Kosar) go for "diminished skills".
Well, I had been seeing what Bill saw for quite awhile. Bernie got laid low in Kansas City, and suffered major tendon damage in his throwing elbow.
After he came back, his deadly deep accuracy was gone, along with his "arm".
He still had that great brain of his, and could still throw short, but the instant defenses saw he couldn't go deep like he used to, they stacked boxes and sat on all his ins and outs.
He took a ton of sacks. Everybody blamed the offensive line, but the majority of the sacks took over four seconds. He wasn't even throwing it away!
Vinnie Testaverde was the better quarterback at that time. It's just a fact.
Kids, you gotta live in reality. No matter how much you like a guy, or how great he used to be, you gotta see what is in front of you.
Robert Kraft called Bernie Kosar a couple years later to ask him about Bill Belichick. Bernie (per Bernie) told Kraft that he thought Belichick could be a good Head Coach.
Disclaimer: Bill 1.0 had not yet evolved into the Sith Lord. He was a control-freak and micromanager. He hovered over and interfered with his assistant coaches, trying to do their jobs for them.
He evolved past that, and was still a genius. Now, he lets everybody under him do their jobs.
Jeffery Simmons is now off the radar in round one, but some smart (and tolerant) GM will snag him later in the draft (as high as the third round).
You can have a top ten talent coming into your 2020 training camp dirt cheap. That's business analytics. You just have to wait one season.
Randy Gurzi overviews Dawg Pound Daily. While Randy himself and the majority of his writers are terrific, he's got some...well weak analysts.
Jake Burns isn't one of these. In fact, he's awesome. Jake breaks down the best free agent edge-rushers, and includes Patriot Trey Flowers in his top tier.
Interestingly, he puts Dee Ford in his second tier, probably because until 2018, Dee was so-so, ergo hasn't proven consistency.
This is a nice crop--and significanly better than the Defensive END EDGE guys in this draft class.
John Dorsey will be zeroing in on these guys, and be willing to bid extra-high on any who aren't franchised or overpaid early.
That's the market...and yes, analytics.
Now, how much should the Browns pay for OBJ? Zero point zero.
Is Adam Humphries a fit? Sure! And he's a terrific player!
But Landry, Callaway, and Duke can all play that type of slot guy, and two tight ends and Higgins will play the "big" slot in the Monken/Kitchens offense.
Stop grabbing for every player you ever played in Fantasy Football just because you recognize his name. Adam Humphries will cost a lot of money, and a team in NEED of a slot receiver will pay it.
Another of Gurzi's writers wonders about how the Browns signing Kareem Hunt will effect Duke Johnson's status on this team.
It was a pretty bad article. Without bashing or identifying the writer, I will fix it:
1: When Duke Johnson is in the slot (or wide, for that matter), he's not a running back playing somwhere else: He is a wide receiver who can run the whole route tree and go deep. Hunt and Chubb can't do this.
1a: While Freddie has used more big guys, Monken will want to USE Duke Johnson in that role as one of his four (or five) receivers.
2: Hunt is irrelevant until his suspension ends, and that will probably be late in 2019 at the earliest.
3: Hunt and Chubb are very similar talents; and "workhorse" backs. They're also ELITE talents.
To quote "Highlander", there can be only one. No NFL team can pay two top five workhorses, so the plan already is to trade one or the other.
Duke has nothing to do with this.
Kareem Hunt is unlikely to influence Duke Johnson's status at all. Just think of him as playing a different position, ok?
However...Duke's salary and Dontrell Hilliard could have him "on the block".
I don't know how the hell Dorsey dug Hilliard up (as an undrafted free agent), but he's remarkably similar to Duke Johnson.
Hilliard is two inches taller (5'11"), so he has a better catch-radius, and should get bigger/stronger without losing quickness or speed.
Business is business, kiddies.
Duke Johnson's contract is now not "expensive".
The bad analyst thought that Dorsey might dump Duke for a third-day draft pick or something.
I doubt it. John Dorsey and Freddie Kitchens can somehow manage to scrape by if they're "stuck with" Duke Johnson for another season if nobody is willing to pay for him.
This writer, and the one who thought Humphries is a great idea, don't recognize Duke Johnson like Monken will.
I'm neck deep in this crap.
Mayfield (Monken/Kitchens) probably don't see a skyscraper "number one" wide receiver as nearly the priority most of you do, but just in case are willing to give Rodney Williesfield a chance.
They don't think a Joe Thomas is an urgent need either (and anyway they might have one in Rodney Harrisonfield).
Ogbah is a bust (like Dee Ford was).
"Moneyball" didn't work?
Jeez and you think firing Hue Jackson made a bigger difference than firing Todd Haley!?!
I'm an island in a sea of dumbassitude.No offense intended.
Next up: Browns must sign Terrell Suggs.
I give up.
I lived it. I couldn't believe the venom; the bile aimed at Bill and Art Modell. It wasn't just that the Indians and Cavs got new facilities, while Modell got the finger that forced Art Modell out of town. It was crap like this (and much, much worse) on all outlets 24/7.
Up until last season, it was happening all over again with Jimmy Haslam.
...but I digress: The main reason Belichick was so hated was the fact that he let Saint Bernard (Kosar) go for "diminished skills".
Well, I had been seeing what Bill saw for quite awhile. Bernie got laid low in Kansas City, and suffered major tendon damage in his throwing elbow.
After he came back, his deadly deep accuracy was gone, along with his "arm".
He still had that great brain of his, and could still throw short, but the instant defenses saw he couldn't go deep like he used to, they stacked boxes and sat on all his ins and outs.
He took a ton of sacks. Everybody blamed the offensive line, but the majority of the sacks took over four seconds. He wasn't even throwing it away!
Vinnie Testaverde was the better quarterback at that time. It's just a fact.
Kids, you gotta live in reality. No matter how much you like a guy, or how great he used to be, you gotta see what is in front of you.
Robert Kraft called Bernie Kosar a couple years later to ask him about Bill Belichick. Bernie (per Bernie) told Kraft that he thought Belichick could be a good Head Coach.
Disclaimer: Bill 1.0 had not yet evolved into the Sith Lord. He was a control-freak and micromanager. He hovered over and interfered with his assistant coaches, trying to do their jobs for them.
He evolved past that, and was still a genius. Now, he lets everybody under him do their jobs.
Jeffery Simmons is now off the radar in round one, but some smart (and tolerant) GM will snag him later in the draft (as high as the third round).
You can have a top ten talent coming into your 2020 training camp dirt cheap. That's business analytics. You just have to wait one season.
Randy Gurzi overviews Dawg Pound Daily. While Randy himself and the majority of his writers are terrific, he's got some...well weak analysts.
Jake Burns isn't one of these. In fact, he's awesome. Jake breaks down the best free agent edge-rushers, and includes Patriot Trey Flowers in his top tier.
Interestingly, he puts Dee Ford in his second tier, probably because until 2018, Dee was so-so, ergo hasn't proven consistency.
This is a nice crop--and significanly better than the Defensive END EDGE guys in this draft class.
John Dorsey will be zeroing in on these guys, and be willing to bid extra-high on any who aren't franchised or overpaid early.
That's the market...and yes, analytics.
Now, how much should the Browns pay for OBJ? Zero point zero.
Is Adam Humphries a fit? Sure! And he's a terrific player!
But Landry, Callaway, and Duke can all play that type of slot guy, and two tight ends and Higgins will play the "big" slot in the Monken/Kitchens offense.
Stop grabbing for every player you ever played in Fantasy Football just because you recognize his name. Adam Humphries will cost a lot of money, and a team in NEED of a slot receiver will pay it.
Another of Gurzi's writers wonders about how the Browns signing Kareem Hunt will effect Duke Johnson's status on this team.
It was a pretty bad article. Without bashing or identifying the writer, I will fix it:
1: When Duke Johnson is in the slot (or wide, for that matter), he's not a running back playing somwhere else: He is a wide receiver who can run the whole route tree and go deep. Hunt and Chubb can't do this.
1a: While Freddie has used more big guys, Monken will want to USE Duke Johnson in that role as one of his four (or five) receivers.
2: Hunt is irrelevant until his suspension ends, and that will probably be late in 2019 at the earliest.
3: Hunt and Chubb are very similar talents; and "workhorse" backs. They're also ELITE talents.
To quote "Highlander", there can be only one. No NFL team can pay two top five workhorses, so the plan already is to trade one or the other.
Duke has nothing to do with this.
Kareem Hunt is unlikely to influence Duke Johnson's status at all. Just think of him as playing a different position, ok?
However...Duke's salary and Dontrell Hilliard could have him "on the block".
I don't know how the hell Dorsey dug Hilliard up (as an undrafted free agent), but he's remarkably similar to Duke Johnson.
Hilliard is two inches taller (5'11"), so he has a better catch-radius, and should get bigger/stronger without losing quickness or speed.
Business is business, kiddies.
Duke Johnson's contract is now not "expensive".
The bad analyst thought that Dorsey might dump Duke for a third-day draft pick or something.
I doubt it. John Dorsey and Freddie Kitchens can somehow manage to scrape by if they're "stuck with" Duke Johnson for another season if nobody is willing to pay for him.
This writer, and the one who thought Humphries is a great idea, don't recognize Duke Johnson like Monken will.
I'm neck deep in this crap.
Mayfield (Monken/Kitchens) probably don't see a skyscraper "number one" wide receiver as nearly the priority most of you do, but just in case are willing to give Rodney Williesfield a chance.
They don't think a Joe Thomas is an urgent need either (and anyway they might have one in Rodney Harrisonfield).
Ogbah is a bust (like Dee Ford was).
"Moneyball" didn't work?
Jeez and you think firing Hue Jackson made a bigger difference than firing Todd Haley!?!
I'm an island in a sea of dumbassitude.
Next up: Browns must sign Terrell Suggs.
I give up.
Monday, February 11, 2019
Why Dorsey Signed Hunt, DePodesta, Politics, and the Real Incident
I think John Dorsey needs some counseling himself. I would not have signed Kareem Hunt...I don't think.
We have to separate the political and emotional "optics" part of this from the business part.
Hunt has had multiple off-the-field incidents, dating back to college. I haven't dug up details on two earlier incidents, but the fact that he's in counseling for alchohol as well as anger management offers some clues.
Unlike Josh Gordon, I think Hunt can control himself and turn over a new leaf...this isn't about compulsive behaviors or addiction.
Still, he can say all he wants about "that's not who I am, or how I was raised"--this is not a good person.
Knocking down and kicking a woman might be forgivable, but is inexcusable. If my family saw me do something like that, they might beat the hell out of ME--certainly they'd never talk to me again.
I want to see this guy do what Micheal Vick did, and atone by making appearances and talking about violence against women.
Has he apologized to this woman? Has he paid her a big fat settlement?
Various politicians and groups will protest this signing. The Haslams and Dorsey are in for some flak, but...sorry, they'll still sell out every game.
That's reality.
On to business: Hunt is being paid one million bucks for one season. The length of his pending suspension will be at least six weeks, but I suspect will more likely be the entire 2019 season.
Either way, John Dorsey and the Browns can easily control their rights to him through 2020.
Paul DePodesta strikes again!
1: Kareem Hunt is a superstar running back. If you can rent a guy like that for one million bucks, you do it.
2: The (business) risk is zero. Until his suspension ends, he's not taking up a roster spot or being paid. If he does something else stupid, you drop the axe and it costs you nothing.
3: Somebody was going to sign Kareem Hunt. He's too good for 32 General Managers to ignore. (You know how it is: You try not to stare at her ass, but your eyes are magnetized. One of 32 guys in the room is gonna go hit on her, sure as God made little green apples).
It might as well be the Browns.
4: This incident is still fresh in the public's mind right now (which is why he was so cheap). By 2020, it will have faded somewhat; buried under a bunch of more recent scandals and distractions, so...
5: A penitant and rehabilitated Kareem Hunt can resume kicking ass and then get traded for a first round pick or something, see?
A million bucks for a first round draft pick...and he might win us an extra game or two along the way?
That's analytics!!!
Dee Haslam had to have signed off on this, by the way.
Now everybody is getting in on the act. The National Organization for Women and more legitimate groups have a solid case to make, but other clowns are bringing up Saint Colon Kaperdick again, saying what Hunt did was worse than what Comrade Colon did.
Spare me! Colon's horribly misguided act was premeditated, and he's well...err just not a good quarterback.
This incident has cost Hunt a fortune, and taken a big bite out of his carreer. I suppose somebody should kick him around some to show him how that feels, but then maybe he's already been there! For all we know, Hunt was abused, and his anger comes from that!
Sorry. It's just that I sincerely think that people can change, and make amends, and evolve into better people.
Those of you who know my history know that I'm kind of an expert on this.
Nick Chubb is fine. Hunt looming in the background will drive him harder in the short term, and he will cement himself as the Browns' workhorse back.
Hunt is not significantly better than Nick Chubb, you know. He's a little taller, and became a dangerous receiver with the Chiefs, but Chubb can do everything Hunt does.
It's possible that Dorsey would trade Chubb instead of Hunt in 2020, but Chubb is a solid citezen, and younger, and was here first.
Plus, turning 1 mil into high draft picks would be massively more impressive than breaking even on a 33rd overall pick, ya no?
The Kaperdick people are coming out of the woodwork on this. Thanks, guys! These clowns will muddy the water, confuse everybody, and draw attention away from the legitimate criticisms (and the Browns)!
Hmm...I wonder if DePodesta saw this coming, too...anyway thanks to all this piling on, come training camp 2020 everybody will be calling Dorsey, trying to trade for Hunt.
All he has to do is keep his head down and let everybody argue about domestic violence, social justice, protests, collusion, blahblah...I mean it's funny to watch!
Doug Farrar wrote a very thoughtful article on this (more on the political/"optics" stuff), but he ends his article by saying that the downside potential of this move could end in "disaster for one team".
Chuh! Their risk is the vested portion of one million bucks, and people calling them names.
Terry Pluto weighed in here, and mainly said what I said.
Lesmerisis did too.
I just skimmed their articles just now. They were buried under a shitload of "Browns sign Hunt" articles in my searches.
I wrote mine before I skimmed theirs, so we know they didn't raid this post. You can compare this post to their articles. DO SO.
My bad: I finally saw the video for myself.
It was bad, but is being propagandized. This woman clearly made Hunt lose his mind and try to shove her, but a good samaritan interceded--then a whole bunch of people converged to drive Hunt around a corner.
The woman pursues, still blabbering at him. Then Hunt blasts back out of there, and knocks the woman (and a bunch of other people) down.
He was quickly ganged up on and driven back again, but he kinda sissy-kicked the woman as he allowed himself to be driven away from her.
Clearly, Hunt was an asshole, but no: He did NOT brutalize a woman in the way reports of this incident describe.
You people...obviously, this woman got under Hunt's skin, and kept digging deeper.
Hunt could have beat the crap out of anybody in his way, but did not. He could have PUNCHED, instead of shoved, that woman. And if he'd meant business, he could have thrown that good samaritan aside and kicked a field goal with that woman, instead of that silly-ass sissy toe-touch...
Oh certainly he was an asshole and an idiot, but this whole thing is inflated by political correctness and politics.
...I'll find a way to dig deeper into this issue in later posts: Women "maxing out" their protected status..."You can't hit me so I can say whatever I want to you. I can torture you. Haha heehee!"
...but I digress okbye
We have to separate the political and emotional "optics" part of this from the business part.
Hunt has had multiple off-the-field incidents, dating back to college. I haven't dug up details on two earlier incidents, but the fact that he's in counseling for alchohol as well as anger management offers some clues.
Unlike Josh Gordon, I think Hunt can control himself and turn over a new leaf...this isn't about compulsive behaviors or addiction.
Still, he can say all he wants about "that's not who I am, or how I was raised"--this is not a good person.
Knocking down and kicking a woman might be forgivable, but is inexcusable. If my family saw me do something like that, they might beat the hell out of ME--certainly they'd never talk to me again.
I want to see this guy do what Micheal Vick did, and atone by making appearances and talking about violence against women.
Has he apologized to this woman? Has he paid her a big fat settlement?
Various politicians and groups will protest this signing. The Haslams and Dorsey are in for some flak, but...sorry, they'll still sell out every game.
That's reality.
On to business: Hunt is being paid one million bucks for one season. The length of his pending suspension will be at least six weeks, but I suspect will more likely be the entire 2019 season.
Either way, John Dorsey and the Browns can easily control their rights to him through 2020.
Paul DePodesta strikes again!
1: Kareem Hunt is a superstar running back. If you can rent a guy like that for one million bucks, you do it.
2: The (business) risk is zero. Until his suspension ends, he's not taking up a roster spot or being paid. If he does something else stupid, you drop the axe and it costs you nothing.
3: Somebody was going to sign Kareem Hunt. He's too good for 32 General Managers to ignore. (You know how it is: You try not to stare at her ass, but your eyes are magnetized. One of 32 guys in the room is gonna go hit on her, sure as God made little green apples).
It might as well be the Browns.
4: This incident is still fresh in the public's mind right now (which is why he was so cheap). By 2020, it will have faded somewhat; buried under a bunch of more recent scandals and distractions, so...
5: A penitant and rehabilitated Kareem Hunt can resume kicking ass and then get traded for a first round pick or something, see?
A million bucks for a first round draft pick...and he might win us an extra game or two along the way?
That's analytics!!!
Dee Haslam had to have signed off on this, by the way.
Now everybody is getting in on the act. The National Organization for Women and more legitimate groups have a solid case to make, but other clowns are bringing up Saint Colon Kaperdick again, saying what Hunt did was worse than what Comrade Colon did.
Spare me! Colon's horribly misguided act was premeditated, and he's well...err just not a good quarterback.
This incident has cost Hunt a fortune, and taken a big bite out of his carreer. I suppose somebody should kick him around some to show him how that feels, but then maybe he's already been there! For all we know, Hunt was abused, and his anger comes from that!
Sorry. It's just that I sincerely think that people can change, and make amends, and evolve into better people.
Those of you who know my history know that I'm kind of an expert on this.
Nick Chubb is fine. Hunt looming in the background will drive him harder in the short term, and he will cement himself as the Browns' workhorse back.
Hunt is not significantly better than Nick Chubb, you know. He's a little taller, and became a dangerous receiver with the Chiefs, but Chubb can do everything Hunt does.
It's possible that Dorsey would trade Chubb instead of Hunt in 2020, but Chubb is a solid citezen, and younger, and was here first.
Plus, turning 1 mil into high draft picks would be massively more impressive than breaking even on a 33rd overall pick, ya no?
The Kaperdick people are coming out of the woodwork on this. Thanks, guys! These clowns will muddy the water, confuse everybody, and draw attention away from the legitimate criticisms (and the Browns)!
Hmm...I wonder if DePodesta saw this coming, too...anyway thanks to all this piling on, come training camp 2020 everybody will be calling Dorsey, trying to trade for Hunt.
All he has to do is keep his head down and let everybody argue about domestic violence, social justice, protests, collusion, blahblah...I mean it's funny to watch!
Doug Farrar wrote a very thoughtful article on this (more on the political/"optics" stuff), but he ends his article by saying that the downside potential of this move could end in "disaster for one team".
Chuh! Their risk is the vested portion of one million bucks, and people calling them names.
Terry Pluto weighed in here, and mainly said what I said.
Lesmerisis did too.
I just skimmed their articles just now. They were buried under a shitload of "Browns sign Hunt" articles in my searches.
I wrote mine before I skimmed theirs, so we know they didn't raid this post. You can compare this post to their articles. DO SO.
My bad: I finally saw the video for myself.
It was bad, but is being propagandized. This woman clearly made Hunt lose his mind and try to shove her, but a good samaritan interceded--then a whole bunch of people converged to drive Hunt around a corner.
The woman pursues, still blabbering at him. Then Hunt blasts back out of there, and knocks the woman (and a bunch of other people) down.
He was quickly ganged up on and driven back again, but he kinda sissy-kicked the woman as he allowed himself to be driven away from her.
Clearly, Hunt was an asshole, but no: He did NOT brutalize a woman in the way reports of this incident describe.
You people...obviously, this woman got under Hunt's skin, and kept digging deeper.
Hunt could have beat the crap out of anybody in his way, but did not. He could have PUNCHED, instead of shoved, that woman. And if he'd meant business, he could have thrown that good samaritan aside and kicked a field goal with that woman, instead of that silly-ass sissy toe-touch...
Oh certainly he was an asshole and an idiot, but this whole thing is inflated by political correctness and politics.
...I'll find a way to dig deeper into this issue in later posts: Women "maxing out" their protected status..."You can't hit me so I can say whatever I want to you. I can torture you. Haha heehee!"
...but I digress okbye
Sunday, February 10, 2019
I Am the Smartest Cleveland Browns Analyst Alive! Dumbassitude Exposed
Does Baker Mayfield need a mentor? No.
Terry Pluto didn't get the memo about Baker Mayfield's accuracy or the evolution of the NFL passing game. Terry thinks the Browns need a skyscraper wide receiver.
Don't get me wrong, now! A Julio Jones (or Josh Gordon) type is great to have for any quarterback. But with the referees handcuffing defensive backs today, smaller guys are having great success.
Also, accurate quarterbacks do well with or without a skyscraper.
Also, screw the labels: Njoku and DeValve count here.
Also, Higgins and Ratley are 6'1". Perriman is 6'2". Willies (who does still exist, Oblivia) is 6'3".
I wouldn't mind John Dorsey signing the 6'4" Tyrell Williams (if he's affordable), but Terry used the word "need". Baker Mayfield does not need a skyscraper.
Terry's readers' comments echoed this "who can Dorsey get" (at wide receiver) crap.
We really, really need to teach critical thinking in gradeschools (won't happen in Amerika).
Jeff Risdon is clueless about the Cleveland Browns, but here lists six players not invited to the combine who could prove out as good NFL players.
I was especially interested in EDGE Malik Reed and linebacker Ulysees Gilbert.
Jeff compares Reed to Genard Avery. Not really. Reed is slightly taller, and much lighter (not nearly as strong). He's only around 235 lbs., so he's a linebacker or nothing.
Jeff thinks he could go in the top 100, and might be right, as edge-rushers are hard to come by, and this draft is especially weak in that department.
Dorsey might draft him in the 4th round or lower, but not in the top 100. Malik could back up Avery situationally, be an immediate special teams asset, and possibly mature into a real linebacker over time.
Gilbert is a lot more interesting, because he looks like a safety/linebacker hybrid. He excels in coverage, is very fast, and covers a lot of ground.
Gilbert played for the Akron Zips and is 6'1", 227 lbs., so you can see why he fell through the cracks.
Gregg Williams would have been all over this guy, but I don't know if Wilks needs that "safetybacker" like Gregg did.
But Gilbert can carry more weight and has the right instincts. He might grow into a strong safety or a linebacker in time, but for sure, he would be a special teams star out of the gate.
Here are PFF's list of the top ten 2019 free agent linebackers. I personally want Hicks, Mosely, or Barr (almost in that order; "almost" because losing Mosely would hurt the Ravens).
Too bad their current teams and the rest of the NFL get a vote.
John Dorsey is one guy who could land one of these "big ones", (without massively overpaying), however.
Next are KJ Wright and Kwon Alexander, who are still young and have had some ups and downs. I bet John Dorsey reels in one of these five guys.
Dan Justik thinks the Browns would be wise to trade for 36 year old left tackle Donald Penn.
My kneejerk response to this was "hell no!", but, as he often does, Dan made me think about it.
Penn is no doubt in a fighting retreat from father time, but is still a very good player.
This is 2019. As I wrote in my last post, John Dorsey is out to win the AFC North (and more) this season. While in 2018, he wouldn't even think about coughing up draft assets for geezers, he has to consider it now.
I will channel kindred spirit Paul DePodesta here:
1: Your team is already loaded with young talent. Odds are, at least half your 2019 draft picks will not be with the team after training camp 2020.
2: You are in "win now" mode. You are not rebuilding.
3: Therefore, it is time to spend some petty cash and lower-round draft picks on quality veterans approaching their expiration dates.
These are (inexpensive) veterans who can step right in to contribute, and also provide leadership to, and help develop, your young roster.
4: Most of your geezer rentals will be gone in 2020, but they will have won you an extra game or two, and what they passed on to your younger players will remain with them.
Penn would help Desmond Harrison develop...
Dan ass umes that Penn will be better than both Harrison and Robinson (ass uming facts not in evidence). But then, Penn's less than 8 mil cap-hit weighs in here, and DePodesta would tell you:
Robinson is not elite. Harrison is an "experiment" that we are cautiously optimistic about. Hubbard improved, but niether he nor Robinson are "money in the bank".
These are veterans, and not ascending players. We can't count on them.
Donald Penn is still an upper-echelon left tackle. He is insurance.
Either he beats a younger guy out and starts, or he becomes the best swing-tackle in the NFL. He significantly upgrades offensive tackle (no matter what), and helps the younger guys develop.
Of course, how much would Penn "cost"?
If I were Dorsey, I would try to get rid of my lowest picks for Penn, but more realistically my fourth rounder and my sixth...
Rufio strikes again! Like everybody else, Rufio kinda lags behind me (blush-blush), but catches up eventually (in his case without reading and regurgitating my posts here).
It's not rocket science: If you have a mediocre quarterback, you need exceptional wide receivers. If you have a stud quarterback, you don't.
Rufio is way ahead of Cabbott, Pluto, Grossi etc here...DUH, right?
Rufio also points out that today's dominant pass-catching tight ends were generally drafted low. He doesn't offer an explanation for this. He just asks a bunch of "is it because" questions, and leaves it to his readers to figure out.
Fodder for a later post.
Rufio then says that sometimes it takes defensive players time to develop.
Rufio should have left that part out, but then, this is Cleveland. The suburbs include Myopia and Oblivia, and 25% of the population are Memorex Morons.
It's the same for offensive players. It applies to Corbett and Ratley. Defensively, Chad Thomas has already gone down the terlet in many alleged minds, right behind Ogbah.
But I can't pick on Rufio for pointing out the obvious, since, well...the obvious needs to be pointed out here, right?
Thomas Moore disappointed me by implicitly endorsing the mock draft of the biggest wide receiver in this draft (Metcalf) to the Browns at 17th overall.
Metcalf is "raw, but has potential".
Tom: Are you out of your gdam mind!?!
Yes. Tom is out of his mind. Like Pluto, HE thinks that Baker Mayfield desperately needs a receiver he can throw the ball up for grabs to.
You people: I am the smartest Browns analyst alive. You need to accept this reality.
The Browns don't need a project offensive tackle or wide receiver at 17th overall. Baker Mayfield, Freddie Kitchens, and Todd Monken don't need that...
Nevermind just skip everybody else and check with me in re the Browns from now on. A bunch of the other guys are stealing from this Blog as is.
Jeez Tom you broke my heart...eat my dust.
Terry Pluto didn't get the memo about Baker Mayfield's accuracy or the evolution of the NFL passing game. Terry thinks the Browns need a skyscraper wide receiver.
Don't get me wrong, now! A Julio Jones (or Josh Gordon) type is great to have for any quarterback. But with the referees handcuffing defensive backs today, smaller guys are having great success.
Also, accurate quarterbacks do well with or without a skyscraper.
Also, screw the labels: Njoku and DeValve count here.
Also, Higgins and Ratley are 6'1". Perriman is 6'2". Willies (who does still exist, Oblivia) is 6'3".
I wouldn't mind John Dorsey signing the 6'4" Tyrell Williams (if he's affordable), but Terry used the word "need". Baker Mayfield does not need a skyscraper.
Terry's readers' comments echoed this "who can Dorsey get" (at wide receiver) crap.
We really, really need to teach critical thinking in gradeschools (won't happen in Amerika).
Jeff Risdon is clueless about the Cleveland Browns, but here lists six players not invited to the combine who could prove out as good NFL players.
I was especially interested in EDGE Malik Reed and linebacker Ulysees Gilbert.
Jeff compares Reed to Genard Avery. Not really. Reed is slightly taller, and much lighter (not nearly as strong). He's only around 235 lbs., so he's a linebacker or nothing.
Jeff thinks he could go in the top 100, and might be right, as edge-rushers are hard to come by, and this draft is especially weak in that department.
Dorsey might draft him in the 4th round or lower, but not in the top 100. Malik could back up Avery situationally, be an immediate special teams asset, and possibly mature into a real linebacker over time.
Gilbert is a lot more interesting, because he looks like a safety/linebacker hybrid. He excels in coverage, is very fast, and covers a lot of ground.
Gilbert played for the Akron Zips and is 6'1", 227 lbs., so you can see why he fell through the cracks.
Gregg Williams would have been all over this guy, but I don't know if Wilks needs that "safetybacker" like Gregg did.
But Gilbert can carry more weight and has the right instincts. He might grow into a strong safety or a linebacker in time, but for sure, he would be a special teams star out of the gate.
Here are PFF's list of the top ten 2019 free agent linebackers. I personally want Hicks, Mosely, or Barr (almost in that order; "almost" because losing Mosely would hurt the Ravens).
Too bad their current teams and the rest of the NFL get a vote.
John Dorsey is one guy who could land one of these "big ones", (without massively overpaying), however.
Next are KJ Wright and Kwon Alexander, who are still young and have had some ups and downs. I bet John Dorsey reels in one of these five guys.
Dan Justik thinks the Browns would be wise to trade for 36 year old left tackle Donald Penn.
My kneejerk response to this was "hell no!", but, as he often does, Dan made me think about it.
Penn is no doubt in a fighting retreat from father time, but is still a very good player.
This is 2019. As I wrote in my last post, John Dorsey is out to win the AFC North (and more) this season. While in 2018, he wouldn't even think about coughing up draft assets for geezers, he has to consider it now.
I will channel kindred spirit Paul DePodesta here:
1: Your team is already loaded with young talent. Odds are, at least half your 2019 draft picks will not be with the team after training camp 2020.
2: You are in "win now" mode. You are not rebuilding.
3: Therefore, it is time to spend some petty cash and lower-round draft picks on quality veterans approaching their expiration dates.
These are (inexpensive) veterans who can step right in to contribute, and also provide leadership to, and help develop, your young roster.
4: Most of your geezer rentals will be gone in 2020, but they will have won you an extra game or two, and what they passed on to your younger players will remain with them.
Penn would help Desmond Harrison develop...
Dan ass umes that Penn will be better than both Harrison and Robinson (ass uming facts not in evidence). But then, Penn's less than 8 mil cap-hit weighs in here, and DePodesta would tell you:
Robinson is not elite. Harrison is an "experiment" that we are cautiously optimistic about. Hubbard improved, but niether he nor Robinson are "money in the bank".
These are veterans, and not ascending players. We can't count on them.
Donald Penn is still an upper-echelon left tackle. He is insurance.
Either he beats a younger guy out and starts, or he becomes the best swing-tackle in the NFL. He significantly upgrades offensive tackle (no matter what), and helps the younger guys develop.
Of course, how much would Penn "cost"?
If I were Dorsey, I would try to get rid of my lowest picks for Penn, but more realistically my fourth rounder and my sixth...
Rufio strikes again! Like everybody else, Rufio kinda lags behind me (blush-blush), but catches up eventually (in his case without reading and regurgitating my posts here).
It's not rocket science: If you have a mediocre quarterback, you need exceptional wide receivers. If you have a stud quarterback, you don't.
Rufio is way ahead of Cabbott, Pluto, Grossi etc here...DUH, right?
Rufio also points out that today's dominant pass-catching tight ends were generally drafted low. He doesn't offer an explanation for this. He just asks a bunch of "is it because" questions, and leaves it to his readers to figure out.
Fodder for a later post.
Rufio then says that sometimes it takes defensive players time to develop.
Rufio should have left that part out, but then, this is Cleveland. The suburbs include Myopia and Oblivia, and 25% of the population are Memorex Morons.
It's the same for offensive players. It applies to Corbett and Ratley. Defensively, Chad Thomas has already gone down the terlet in many alleged minds, right behind Ogbah.
But I can't pick on Rufio for pointing out the obvious, since, well...the obvious needs to be pointed out here, right?
Thomas Moore disappointed me by implicitly endorsing the mock draft of the biggest wide receiver in this draft (Metcalf) to the Browns at 17th overall.
Metcalf is "raw, but has potential".
Tom: Are you out of your gdam mind!?!
Yes. Tom is out of his mind. Like Pluto, HE thinks that Baker Mayfield desperately needs a receiver he can throw the ball up for grabs to.
You people: I am the smartest Browns analyst alive. You need to accept this reality.
The Browns don't need a project offensive tackle or wide receiver at 17th overall. Baker Mayfield, Freddie Kitchens, and Todd Monken don't need that...
Nevermind just skip everybody else and check with me in re the Browns from now on. A bunch of the other guys are stealing from this Blog as is.
Jeez Tom you broke my heart...eat my dust.
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