Category: Cleveland Browns (Page 21 of 114)

Browns work out Jared Odrick from Penn State

April 13, 2010 /

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The Cleveland Browns hosted Penn State defensive lineman Jared Odrick for a workout yesterday. Odrick is reportedly flying up the draft charts, and some Browns fans and commentators are worried that the Browns might take him with the 7th pick. Naturally, many of them are bringing up the Courtney Brown disaster.

I have no idea whether the Browns would draft him that high, but we need to keep several things in mind regarding the Courtney Brown comparisons. First, the men are not the same guy just because they went to the same school. That should be obvious, but logic escapes many fans when thinking about their team. Also, they are different types of players. Both are defensive linemen, but Browns was projected as a defensive end in a 4-3 defense where he would be counted on to get to the quarterback. Odrick would be a defensive end in the current 3-4 defense run by the Browns, and his responsibilities would be different. So, throw out all the Courtney Brown and Penn State references when considering whether the Browns would be making a good pick with this guy.

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Joe Haden would still be a solid pick

April 12, 2010 /

After trading for cornerback Sheldon Brown from Philadelphia, most people are assuming that the Browns won’t target Florida cornerback Joe Haden with their #1 pick. That’s probably a good assumption, but I still think Haden would be a good pick if Eric Berry is off the board.

I just watched an interview with Haden on ESPN. He definitely comes across as a good kid. He’s very articulate and seems to be very personable. When you’re picking someone in the first round, the last thing you want is a character problem. After dealing with Braylon Edwards the Browns are probably very sensitive to that issue. If this interview is any indication, Joe Haden shouldn’t be a problem in that area.

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Mike Holmgren is keeping Eric Mangini a head coach of the Browns

January 7, 2010 /

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I have mixed feelings about this. In one sense, Eric Mangini gets the chance to build on the progress made this year. Also, with Holmgren and a GM calling the shots on the roster, Mangini can focus solely on coaching and leave the rest of the stuff to real pros. The Josh Cribbs situation comes to mind, and obviously the draft.

On the other hand, Mike Holmgren might be wasting a year of this doesn’t work out.

One positive is that you have a team president who really understands the offensive side of the ball, and a head coach who has experience as a defensive coordinator. If they can work together, they might compliment each other.

Hopefully, Holmgren is going to have serious input going forward on the offensive strategy. I’d like to hear that he and Brian Daboll spent time together as well. Ideally, apart from bringing in a new offensive coordinator, I’d like to see Holmgren add someone to the offensive staff to help Daboll with the passing game. The Browns need to develop a quarterback, whether it’s Brady Quinn or a new guy, and right now it’s hard to have much confidence in Mangini and Daboll. If they can leverage Holmgren’s expertise, their chances of success will improve.

Cleveland Browns

Josh Cribbs and his agents need to chill out

January 7, 2010 /

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Josh Cribbs is a great player, and he deserves to be paid, but he and his agents seem to be clueless about how to handle his situation.

First, let’s remember that Josh Cribbs is under contract. He signed a six-year deal and he’s asking the Browns to renegotiate. Most people understand that Cribbs has earned a new contract, so Cribbs and his agents have a strong argument in light of his performance, but they’re undermining his argument by going public at this time.

Going back to training camp, Cribbs and his agents made plenty of threats, but in the end Cribbs never followed through on any threats he or his agents made. Now, one day after the Browns hired Mike Holmgren as the new team president, the agents go public with statements that Cribbs was “insulted” by a recent offer from the Browns. Keep in mind that Holmgren is in the process of hiring a new general manager and then making a decision on the head coach. Why are they pushing this now? Why are they making idle threats again? Their timing sucks.

It probably relates to the way they’ve been treated by the Eric Mangini regime. Mangini was certainly running the show during the past season and he’s been stringing Cribbs along.

Pushing the issue now, however, is ridiculous. The agents have little credibility, and they sound foolish by pressing the issue now. One of his agents was just on WKNR and he sounded like an amateur. Also, Tony Rizzo pointed out that Cribbs was on a local news channel last night and seemed confident that something would be worked out. So, what’s the real message? The agent is trying to sound like a hard-ass, but Cribbs has already shown in the past that he doesn’t have the stomach for a fight.

They need to chill out and wait for Holmgren to put together his organization. Until the GM is in place and the coaching situation has been settled, nothing will be decided regarding Josh Cribbs.

Cleveland Browns

Brady Quinn done for the season

December 22, 2009 /

WKNR is reporting that Brady Quinn is done for the season due to a leg foot injury he suffered against the Chiefs. Derek Anderson will start the last two games of the season. The Browns offense has been playing better, and Quinn has done a good job managing the offense, but he’s continued to struggle with his accuracy.

New Browns president Mike Holmgren will need to assess whether Quinn can be his quarterback next season, and this cuts short Quinn’s audition period. That said, Holmgren will probably hire a coach that runs the West Coast offense, so Holmgren has probably seen enough to evaluate whether Quinn deserves a shot. I suspect that Derek Anderson will not be in Holmgren’s plans as he’s not at all suited for the West Coast offense. Anderson is a much better fit for a vertical passing game similar to the offense the Browns ran in 2007 under Chud.

Eric Mangini has to be disappointed. Quinn has been able to manage the offense, and now he has to shift gears for the final two games that might decide Mangini’s fate as head coach.

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