Ace Davis' Weblog

50 turns 51

Ace Davis' Cleveland Browns weblog — Tue, 06 May 2008 12:11:00 GMT

The Browns think they may have landed something of a ringer by drafting Beau Bell in the fourth round. Time will tell, but today is as good a time as any to reflect briefly on another linebacker that the Browns acquired to play inside on their 3-4 defense...(read more)

All right by me

Ace Davis' Cleveland Browns weblog — Mon, 05 May 2008 22:05:00 GMT

As the Browns sort through their impressions of the rookie minicamp, signing seven of the 54 tryout players and dropping six of the recently-signed UDFAs, plus practice squad holdover RB Kory Chapman, it's nice to see my favorite current Brown, Joshua...(read more)

Supersized census a smart strategy

Ace Davis' Cleveland Browns weblog — Sat, 03 May 2008 00:43:00 GMT

Gotta like the idea of inviting a whopping 54 players to try out this weekend's minicamp. Yep, that's in addition to the five draftees and 15 undrafted free agents signed this week. Some of the tryout invitees played for big-time programs and...(read more)

Zahursky's dirty nose

Ace Davis' Cleveland Browns weblog — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 21:08:00 GMT

Beat writer Steve Doerschuk has a nice blog post today, reflecting on some of the undrafted free agents of the Browns' recent past. Relive the brief but unforgotten Browns careers of Bill Duff, C.J. Jones, "Sweaty" Rob Smith, and Clint Stickdorn...(read more)

Cake for four

Ace Davis' Cleveland Browns weblog — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 07:07:00 GMT

Several ex-Browns birthdays today. Each of these guys had good NFL careers, with their best seasons being played for the benefit of other teams. Oddly enough (or is it evenly enough?), their birth dates are separated by exact decades: Tony Peters is 55...(read more)

Mortgaging the future no crisis

Ace Davis' Cleveland Browns weblog — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 02:14:00 GMT

For the second straight year, Phil Savage has traded away a future pick to load up on draft day. This time, he did it twice. He sent next year's third-rounder for Dallas' mid-fourth, used on Missouri TE Martin Rucker. Then, he reacquired the sixth...(read more)

Egregious Snub Publishing Nitwits

Ace Davis' Cleveland Browns weblog — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 01:10:00 GMT

So according to ESPN , the Browns never had a first-round pick before Tim Couch came along. And Baltimore? Well, their draft lineage is the one that includes Ozzie Newsome, Clay Matthews, Eric Metcalf, yes, even Steve Everitt! Granted, more than half...(read more)

Far-flung fields

Ace Davis' Cleveland Browns weblog — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 15:20:00 GMT

This is only tangentially related to the Browns, but I had no idea that Condoleezza Rice used to date Rich Upchurch . Rice: the National Security Adviser during the worst security failure in U.S. history, then the Secretary of State during a precipitous...(read more)

Sweet schedule worth saving

Ace Davis' Cleveland Browns weblog — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 14:26:00 GMT

Courtesy of Browns fan BuckFigBen, here's an outstanding version of the 2008 schedule, with a PDF version here ....(read more)

What's high in the middle...

Ace Davis' Cleveland Browns weblog — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 01:26:00 GMT

When a runner like Jamal Lewis is your workhorse, and your young QB lit it up last year largely because he managed to get the ball out of there promptly, the interior of your offensive line is especially important. See, Lewis has size, but he's not...(read more)

Meet the Browns

Ace Davis' Cleveland Browns weblog — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:59:00 GMT

Before baseball season hits full stride and April Fools Day diminishes the credibility of anything you might read, here's a quick recap of Browns news since the Pro Bowl. This off-season's moves could prove enough to send this team over the top...(read more)

The holdout that backfired

Ace Davis' Cleveland Browns weblog — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 15:26:00 GMT

Brady Quinn's rookie holdout was the worst decision of his life. And given some of the situations this young celebrity has found himself in, that's saying something. If this wasn't perfectly obvious at the time last summer, the new contract...(read more)

The phantom '40s

Ace Davis' Cleveland Browns weblog — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 18:58:00 GMT

The official site's Steve King, whose pieces on Browns history are generally pretty decent, strikes a Browns-versus-the-NFL note in reporting on the league's rebuff of Senator Sherrod Brown's request to have AAFC statistics recognized by the...(read more)

Keep Lewis new with tag?

Ace Davis' Cleveland Browns weblog — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 12:08:00 GMT

The Browns' key free-agent-to-be, Jamal Lewis, will clearly be rewarded handsomely for his outstanding 2007 debut season in Cleveland. But it will be interesting to see exactly how his contract negotiations play out. Lewis will be 29 when next season...(read more)

Todd man out

Ace Davis' Cleveland Browns weblog — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 17:37:00 GMT

Some week, huh? We get the Chud drama settling with a reassuring contract extension. There's Phil Savage's season-wrapping presser and all its news hooks, including a possible extension for honcho Romeo himself. Then, an intriguing team and media...(read more)