Here is my contrarian post of the month: I am a little bit
sad to see Dennis Northcutt go.
Is it because he was a great wide
receiver? No. Because he still has untapped potential? No. Because he deserved
to be a lifelong Brown? No.
The answer is simply this: 'Cutt was the most
exciting Browns player since Eric Metcalf. And why
do I watch football anyway? It's the excitement, stupid.
Yes, yes, I know all the
knocks on him. Couldn't break a tackle to save his life. Easily knocked off his
routes and unable to get open consistently. Too quick to fair catch a punt or
prance out of bounds. Questionable hands, no more so than when he dropped the
playoff game-clinching third-down conversion in Pittsburgh. Disloyal comments during his flubbed
first attempt at free agency and on his way out of town this time. Never lived
up to his draft position (32nd overall, ahead of Jerry Porter and Laveranues
Coles).
I don't disagree with any of that, nor with the decision to
let him go. But neither do I hate him with that peculiar venom stored in the
hearts of so many Browns fans. Maybe it's something about this area and guys named Dennis.
Here are the quick counter-arguments to the above. He missed
only 13 out of 113 games due to injury -- not bad for a guy listed at 171
pounds. He was frequently misused as an X receiver (out wide and on the line
of scrimmage, rather than backed off and in the slot). Yes, he dropped that
crucial pass, but he also led the team in receptions and scored two touchdowns
in that game. Some of his comments were questionable, but as a distraction, he's
not even in the same league as the Detroit Diva or Wheelie. Fact is, after his
agent botched his chance to hit the open market in '04, 'Cutt settled down and came to
terms that gave him three more years in Cleveland.
He never made the Pro Bowl, but neither have any of the many other
highly-drafted receivers in the perennially poor Browns offense.
Let's put the arc of his Browns career into perspective. He
was shaky his first two years, with plenty of rumblings that he might not
even make the team in 2002. But he emerged as a key contributor during that wild
ride of a season, leading the team in touchdowns with nine, including a pair of
punt returns. Three particular plays, among others, stand out in memory: a
crucial onsides kick recovery along the sideline and a shifty late touchdown
catch during a comeback win in Nashville, and a bizarre Tim Couch lob in the
Meadowlands, with 'Cutt snaring the tying two-point conversion. In short, the
Browns would not have sniffed the playoffs in '02 without the mutidimensional
threat Northcutt provided.
He led the Browns in receiving each of the next two years,
despite starting only about half the time. On that dreadful 2004 team, he had
seven pass plays of at least 40 yards (second in the league). Then in 2005, the
Mo Carthon offense did him no favors, nor did his penalty-plagued special teams
blockers. His star headed south, and it was no surprise whatsoever that the
Browns made no attempt to retain him when his contract finally
expired.
Still, he ended his Browns career shattering Ice Cube
McNeil's records for punt returns (by 25%) and punt return yards (by 39%). His
average of 10.6 is tied with Metcalf, trailing only Greg Pruitt and Bobby
Mitchell. He's tied with Ernest Byner for 10th in career receptions.
In terms of the new Browns, he has the most combined yardage
and ranks second to Kevin Johnson in receiving and overall touchdowns. He's also
the 11th leading rusher, with 330 yards (7.3 average), including 13 first
downs.
So it's been a mixed bag for Northcutt, but such is often
the nature of excitement. He may very well go down in Browns history as the most
productive player mistreated and/or maligned by his agent, two coaching regimes, and his own fans.
