According to this. Sweet. I was kind of a fence sitter on signing him or Ted Washington, but I've come around. I'll append more to this in a few minutes...
OK--- here's the rest of the post...
It sounds like the Browns are signing, no wait, _have signed_ McGinest. I like him as a player quite a bit and he's still playing very well so age isn't an issue as long as contract length isn't too long. I'd love to see the Browns sign lots of young, promising veterans in free agency but that just isn't possible these days. So getting proven veterans like McGinest would be great as long as Savage drafts well and the team has young talent learning behind the old horses. Which is what the plan appears to be.
Now that we have a LB in the fold, I think it's appropriate to look at the whole offseason to date and why it has been a good one. The last few days they appear to be focusing attention on older veteran players, which are often a mixed bag in free agency. But on the whole the offseason has been full of signing or resigning good, young, and promising players.
- First off, the free agent youth they've signed is all on the offensive line, which should warm the heart of any Browns fan. Bentley and Shaffer should provide years of potential continuity along the offensive line. You could repeat this point everyday for a month and it still wouldn't be enough. Finally!!! Is Shaffer a sure thing? It doesn't seem like it. But look around the NFL and you'd have to admit he is a good starting caliber LT, and still improving by most accounts. And will Bentley live up to that huge contract? We'll probably get what we pay for. I'm not so worrid about the salaries after looking at how much the salary cap has and will increase over the next few years.
- Washington is replacing Jason Fisk, who might be a bit younger but probably at the end of his career. This is a wash on age. And of course Washington is a better player, and seems to have an eye towards coaching. There are no guarantees but you can easily imagine this being a nice benefit after the Browns draft a potential NT next month.
- Jurevicius steps in for Antonio Bryant, who was clearly not wanted by the FO. Jurevicius is older, but it's not really a one-for-one swap since Edwards is moving towards being a true #1. The team probably needs another young WR.
- The Browns are losing absolutely no players they actually wanted to keep. Think about that for a second. And much of their younger talent is signed for a while.
- Andra Davis is signed long-term. Imagine if he had hit the market -- he could have been an RFA (right?) and could have been lost, or been a UFA next season and the Browns would have been in a world of hurt. Instead, he was re-signed while the cap room was there.
- Leigh Bodden is signed long-term. I'm a huge Bodden fan and am thrilled about this. He might not be a #1 CB but he'll be a solid starter for a long time. And the Browns are going to be getting a pretty good deal on this contract.
- Droughns is probably here for the long-term too. You never know with running backs, but the Browns at least have a legitimate starter wrapped up until a successor presents himself. And hopefully Droughns will make sure that isn't even necessary for a few years.
- Roye is resigned. This is a "finish his career" type of signing, but of all the veterans on this team in 03-05 he was clearly the best of the bunch. Roye is playing at a high level, but kind of like the Washington signing this move buys the Browns time to develop some young talent on the DL.
- Winslow is apparently rehabbing well. I have no illusions he's gonna be a game-breaker (though that would be nice), but if he's pretty good that is a huge boost. And don't forget his contract has been extended following the whole motorcycle fiasco, so he isn't going anywhere. If he plays well he's another piece that is signed for a few years out.
All in all it is hard to be very negative about these moves. It goes without saying that ANY signing involves some risk on each side of the contract. The best you can do is take caluclated gambles. This year the Browns have risked a lot of money in long-term deals, but all of them are going to players you'd have to say are pretty good bets to earn their money. And everything else have gone into shorter-term deals to veterans who should provide an immediate benefit. Sort of reminds me of the 1994 Indians, though we can only hope we have a Thome and a Manny on the roster.
Let the feel good stories continue -- Mentor High and Kent State grad Bob Hallen has been signed to backup at guard. The Browns appear to have the East and West Sides covered pretty well. Now we need someone from the south, Parma, Brecksville, etc. I really know nothing about him as a player, but his signing would appear to indicate that Jeff Faine is not in the 2006 plans, unless the team really wants to carry a backup center who can't play guard (I'm not going to believe he can play guard.)
In the same article, NT Jason Fisk was released. He mostly got manhandled in 2005, though he had some better games in the second half of the season. His release would appear to mean that Ethan Kelley is considered a legitimate backup at NT. That seems right.
Apparently the Vikings got a 2006 second round pick for Culpepper. The first media reports I saw yesterday said it was a 2007 pick. Not that I am a stickler for accuracy here...
I guess it should have been obvious, but I am a little suprised that Aaron Shea is going to leave town without much interest from the Browns. Yeah, he was hurt a lot but he was always a pretty good receiver. Hopefully this is a sign that Winslow is on track (please Lord -- it's been two years and I want to see him play already). The Browns will be fine without Shea. Favorite memory of Aaron Shea -- seeiing him at the Harp with his wife and sitting at a table of about 9 other young women. He looked bored out of his mind, which is why I assume his significant other was his wife and not a girlfriend. Oh, and it bothers me not at all if he goes to Pittsburgh -- the more 1999-2004 era Browns they have the better.
One side note about Culppeper -- in the wake of the Love Boat thing of 2005, you can only imagine how that guy is going to be living in an around South Beach. Jeez.
On the other hand, I'm not that excited about a Julian Peterson signing. I haven't had the (dis)pleasure of seeing many 49ers games lately, but {eterson always struck me as being a little soft. Maybe I'm wrong here, but Peterson doesn't seem like the sort of linebacker Crennel has used effectively in the past.