Dawghouse Blog

February 2007 - Posts

• Staph, +Blather

  Who is in charge in Berea? The whole staph infection thing has been really bothersome. And now, a LONG time after the first couple staph infections occurred, we get that news that the Browns have had some sort of treatment sprayed throughout the facility to address the staph issue. I suppose there are plenty of scientific and medical reasons why that wasn't necessary to be done earlier. But the fact is that there is a clear perception that the Browns facility is somehow gestating staph -- and that is my perception, a fan who isn't privy to the NFL player scuttlebutt, and certainly not a prospective free agent considering signing a contract with the Cleveland Browns. It's only going to take one free agent to sign elsewhere and say, "I didn't consider the Browns because of the staph issue" and the Browns offseason is sunk. Heck, it might not even take that much if players privately say such things amongst themselves. And in the meantime, is there any member of the Cleveland media who is pursuing this issue? Merely getting a comment from the Browns front office is not enough. What about the players? What are agents thinking? What are other teams saying about the Browns staph issue? How much is it going to affect the offseason? And who's heads are gonna role if it does? Are the Browns ahead of or behind where they were last offseason? I'd say they are behind. Losing Bentley and Baxter is a killer, and still having so much uncertainy at QB (to put it modestly) is inexcusable. The saving grace is having more promising young talent than a year ago, and that's where the hope in 2007 rests. Best Browns news I've heard in the last 4 months from Phil Savage: Offensive and defensive lines are the priorities. Now lets see what actually gets done about it. NFL junk: I don't get why JaMarcus Russell is everyone's #1 pick. I had heard NOTHING about him prior to LSU beating ND in a bowl game. And other a a big arm I don't see the attraction. Didn't he have a wildly up+down year? He sounds like Kyle Boller coming out -- big arm and not much else. Of course, I certainly hope he goes off the board before the Browns pick as that will be the equivalent of moving up a spot for free. Russell may be an interesting prospect, but he's not a top 5 or even top 10 pick. And I'd take Brady Quinn over him if forced to choose. Norv Turner to the Chargers. Translation -- Phillip Rivers will be a popular fantasy pick. Turner seems to have that effect in fantasy leagues, for reasons not at all clear. Heard Trivassano the other day following a chat with Randy Lerner. We can all rest easy that Triv now believes Randy is a "good guy" and will "get things turned around." That might be all well and good, but the fact that Triv needed a meaningless bull session with Lerner to come to that conclusion just proves how clueless Triv is regarding the Browns. He is, in fact, pretty clueless about all Cleveland sports these days. In the meantime I have to admit that WKNR's Kenny Rhoda has improved markedly over the past year or two, though that sort of sports radio is still difficult to take in anything but brief doses. The concensus for the Browns' top pick has boiled down to: WR Calvin Johnson, RB Adrian Peterson, OT Joe Thomas, or one of a couple D-lineman. The offensive guys are tought to pass up, but I'd pick the best of the linemen on either side of the ball. You just can't build a winner without very good young players on the lines. Does anyone care about ESPN anymore? I must be showing my age... but Sportscenter and even the web site have grown increasingly irrelevant. The internet-at-large kicks ESPN's butt. If the Browns don't draft Adrian Peterson, what about considering Ahman Green as a FA? Sure, he's on the downside but he would be a nice complement to keep Droughns fresh. Arrowhead Stadium is getting a corporate renaming. It's cool that the Browns still have a non-corporate stadium name, although I wonder how long that will last. Last offseason I wrote about the Texans that "The re-signing of David Carr will set back that franchise 4-5 years, easily". Now the Texans are shopping David Carr and hoping to get a third round pick. I guess the fact they are parting ways this offseason instead of next is to the Texans' credit, but they are still going to pay the a large price on the cap for at least another year. And a third round pick -- are you kidding me? There is no way they get anything for Carr. The only way he gets onto another NFL roster is if he's released and signs a modest contract with his new team. And the best he can hope for is a shot at being a starter again. Personally I don't think Carr is worth a try out, but the Ravens, the Dolphins, the Cowboys, the Panthers, and the Jaguars all make possible destinations for varying reasons. The near Super Bowl MVP Domanic Rhodes got a DUI, potentially hurting his free agent value. He blew a .09, .01 above the .08 legal limit. Say what you want about the wisdom of driving after drinking anything, but .09 is not "drunk" in my book. Cav Note: If the Cavs don't throw money at Sasha and Andy it would both shock me and be a monumental mistake. Anyone with eyes can see those guys are the future of the core players around LeBron. Sasha in particular is exactly the type of player who will kill teams in the playoffs. Posted Feb 22 2007, 04:53 PM by MikeB with 3 comment(s) Filed under: Browns

• 2006 Conclusions, Offseason Priorities

  I'm not going to do it -- I'm not going to rehash the 2006 season in detail. Who wants to relive that? All I can do is render a personal verdict on a few things. Forgive me for a paucity of evidence... it's just not worth going into painful detail. The number one priority for the Browns in 2006 was to determine if Charlie Frye was the real deal or not. At this point we need to be able to answer the question, "Is Frye the guy to build around?" On this point the season was a failure. Frye was spotty, his arm strength was a hurdle he often couldn't overcome, and his instincts and competitiveness could only partially overcome the holes in his game. Phil Savage, it appears, still has some faith in Frye, but it's not unlimited. I'm a bit harsher. I think Frye proved himself to be capable, but also that he's a ways off from being a starter. He doesn't have the phycisical ability to overcome his lack of experience and the undeveloped mental side of the game. What he needs most is time. I think a couple years on the bench could do wonders for him. The health of Winslow and Edwards. Edwards seemed to pass with flying colors on this count (it's other areas that are concerning). Winslow struggled healthwise but made it through. That is to his credit. But it does mean he's likely to struggle with some nagging injuries in his career and, most significantly, it's doubtful he will ever develop into a true downfield threat. But still, the fact that these guys made it through the season without serious complications is a postiive sign. Development of the defense. This was dissappointing due to injuries and the inability for Ted Washington to give the team anything at nosetackle. As a result, the defense struggled statistically but did get some promising performances from Sean Jones and Kameron Wimbley. Pool, L. Williams, and D. Jackson showed enough promise that they could emerge as significant starters or contributors. Some of the backup DBs and DEs made plays and could hold down roster spots in '07. So it was far from a disaster. But the team still faces a crisis on the DL as the aging Orpheus Roye is the only solid starter, and there are gaping holes at DE and NT. The likely career-ending injuries to Gary Baxter also leaves the team down a starter at CB. All this means the Browns will have to invest a lot of effort merely reloading this offseason. Certainly the holes along the DL have to be the highest priority here. Offensive line make-over. LeCharles Bentley and Kevin Shaffer were supposed to start a new era for the Browns OL. Shaffer played solidly but unremarkably. And Bentley of course was hurt and is likely a non-factor for 2007. Perhaps more alarming is the continued struggles of Cosey Coleman and, to a lesser extent, Joe Andruzzi. Ryan Tucker, the teams best OL the past couple seasons, spent the year hurt with a mystery illness that leaves his status uncertain as well. The verdict -- 2006 was a failure. Hank Fraley's competent presence and Shaffer's OK play, though not up to many fans expectations, were the only things keeping the line's performance from being a total disaster. As it stands, Fraley has to be resigned or replaces, and the team needs at least 2 more new starters in '07. Coaching. A failure. The lack of wins is one thing, but not the biggest factor. The true failures came from the lack of organization on offense and the inability to be creative enough to generate a couple touchdowns a game. But mostly, losing creates problems. No coach in the league can keep a team together when only winning a handful of games. So to recap: Charlie Frye -- fail Winslow and Edwards health -- pass Defensive developement -- mixed OL -- fail Coaching -- fail There are some obvious conclusions that can be reached. Crennel I'm willing to give another year to -- I think any head coach deserves three years. But he's obviously gotta prove the team is headed in the right direction in 2007 and win at least 7, and probably 8 or 9 games. Frye needs to sit on the bench. A veteran QB needs to be acquired to start. The offensive line desperately needs new talent, especially on the interior. The defensive line desperately needs new talent. The Browns ought to spend their high draft picks on OL and DL prospects. That's it. It's not very exciting but it's exactly what the Browns need if we're going to build on the positives of the 2006 season. Posted Feb 06 2007, 05:00 PM by MikeB with 2 comment(s)