Posted on Saturday 28 April 2007 by G @ 12:11 pm
What a relief!
I was terrified that they might pick Brady Quinn. #3 is just way too high for Quinn.
Also, I liked Peterson, but that injury changed my mind and had to affect their thinking as well.
Thomas is a stud. He excels against speedy, athletic pass rushers. He will be a huge asset against teams like the Steelers and Ravens who use a 3-4. Mel Kiper called him the most dominating player in college football last season.
Now, with Thomas and Steinbach on the left side of the line, any QB playing for the Browns will have excellent blind-side protection.
I love this pick.
This was a great draft for the Browns. Joe Thomas and Brady Quinn in the first round. I must admit, I wanted Troy Smith to be the franchise QB, but to get 2 of the top 5 guys in the draft is pretty awesome. The Browns have really upgraded their dismal offense from last year. Jamal Lewis is an upgrade over Ruben Droughns, especially when they’re paying roughly the same price for the all-pro Lewis, that they would’ve paid for Droughns.
The O-line now features Thomas, Steinbach, Fraley, Schaffer, and Tucker. In 08, they get the Bentley out of the shop to bolster the middle. Plus they have depth on the line. Other teams actually have to game plan for this offense.
And, they picked a CB, which was desperately needed since they wont be having the services of Baxter, or McCutcheon. They’re still young on the Defensive side of the ball, but the defense was the best part of the team last year.
I love it, CHUUCH!!!!
It’s about the time the Browns got their fanbase excited about a draft and the future. It’s 9 years into the “new” Browns, but they finally seem to be addressing their most pressing problems: offensive line and quarterback play.
I would have been happy with Troy Smith if we had not landed Quinn. I have not been this excited about the Browns since the mid-1980s. This draft has the chance to be as good as 1978 when we landed Ozzie Newsome AND Clay Matthews in the first round.
I think 7-9 has to be our goal in ‘07 and nothing short of the playoffs in ‘08. It would be a minor miracle, but imagine our line if LeCharles Bentley can actually come back to play and regain his Pro Bowl form. We would have one of the premier lines in the NFL. I hope Savage does not deal Shaffer without getting good value in return. We need depth on the line, which is why I was so against dealing Faine last year. He was not a great center, but would have been fine as a guard or certainly a good 2nd stringer behind Bentley.
Lastly regarding Quinn, I hope they let this kid sit for the 2007 season or at least until halfway through next season. Look no further than Tim Couch as the example of what NOT to do in grooming a young QB. I hope they also bring in a decent veteran QB to teach Quinn and then dump Dorsey and either DA or Frye.
The difference here with the Couch era is that the Browns will have a line and some weapons. Quinn should play as soon as he is ready.
Quinn has a better line and some weapons, I agree. But I view Jurevicius and Winslow as his only reliable receiving weapons. Edwards needs to keep his mouth shut and actually hang on to the football before I deem him an important part of this offense that defenses prepare for. And I agree that our running game, even last year’s awful ground attack, was better than what Couch had in 1999 & 2000.
If they don’t let Quinn sit all year, I hope they at least wait until after the bye week since our early schedule is so tough. I would hate to see the guy shell shocked and beat up like a rag doll when you have other quarterbacks on this roster who can be the sacrificial lamb.