Dawgs By Nature

Daily Dawg Chow (5/17/12)

2012-05-17T10:30:05Z

Cleveland Browns:

"Browns have NFL's largest rookie pool" (AFC North Blog) - "It comes as no surprise that the Cleveland Browns have the largest rookie pool. With 11 draft picks, including two first-rounders, the Browns were allowed to spend $9.7 million to sign their selections."
"Browns heading in the right direction?" (Springfield News-Sun) - "The Cleveland Browns say they are headed in the right direction, but Las Vegas isn’t buying it. The Browns are the only NFL team not favored in any of their first 15 games, according to Cantor Gaming."
"Ozzie Newsome: Poise and accuracy are the keys to a QB's success" (ESPN Cleveland) - "Ozzie Newsome’s visit to Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse on Monday night was mostly a stroll down memory lane in his former life as the great Browns tight end who spanned the eras of quarterbacks Brian Sipe and Bernie Kosar."
"Pressure point: Browns" (AFC North Blog) - "Examining who faces the most challenging season for the Cleveland Browns and why."

NFL:

"Writing's on the wall for McNabb" (ESPN) - "There is one franchise that would seem to be a perfect fit for Donovan McNabb, a place where he knows the system, the personnel, the expectations and the playbook, and he wouldn't have to mentor anybody."
"Arbitrator hears arguments on NFL player penalties" (AP via Yahoo! Sports) - "Arbitrator Shyam Das heard arguments Wednesday from NFL and players union lawyers on whether Commissioner Roger Goodell can discipline players for actions that occurred before the league's current labor agreement was signed last August."
"Police: Seau's garage burglarized" (AP via SI.com) - "A bicycle stolen from Junior Seau's Oceanside home days after the former NFL star's suicide has been recovered, police said."
"Drew Brees 'frustrated' by talks" (ESPN) - "Drew Brees says his contract negotiations with the New Orleans Saints have become 'extremely frustrating.'"

Colt McCoy: "I'm a competitor and I'm working harder than ever"

2012-05-17T03:40:06Z

Go ahead and read into or scrutinize this one line as much as you would like:

"I'm a competitor and I'm working harder than ever."

That is the quote that Cleveland Browns quarterback Colt McCoy told the Cleveland Plain Dealer in an e-mail. The quote, published in a report Wednesday morning by Mary Kay Cabot, is significant because it represents the first public remark made by last year's starter since the team stunningly drafted Brandon Weeden with the 22nd overall pick in the draft.

The front office has not declared a starting quarterback yet, but they the writing is pretty much on the wall that Weeden is "the guy" moving forward. Questions originally arose as to whether the Browns would try to trade McCoy, but heading into OTA's next week, they'll have Weeden, McCoy, and Seneca Wallace all on the roster. And, even if there isn't a big-time competition going on, what approach should McCoy take moving forward? Should he concede the starting role to Weeden and be content with being a backup? Or, should he give 100 percent and verbally convey the fact that his intentions are to remain the team's starter?

Obviously, you want your players to be ambitious, but the quarterback position is somewhat of a different story in cases. Wallace caught flak last year for not being too supportive of McCoy, even though he wasn't considered a legitimate candidate to be the team's new starter. If the same case holds true for McCoy heading into this season -- that he isn't a legitimate candidate to start -- would you have a problem if he acted like Wallace did last year?

NFL's Top 10 Players Under Age 25

2012-05-17T03:10:52Z

Anyone who has taken a look at the NFL's countdown of the top 100 players knows that the list is...kind of a joke. For a fresher spin on things, though, NFL.com analyst Daniel Jeremiah took a look at the top 10 NFL players under the age of 25. When I saw the article headline, the first thing I asked myself was, "would any member of the Browns be on the list?" Note, this list would not include players from April's draft. Think of your answer, check out the article, and then look after the jump.

I didn't think anyone from the Browns would crack the top 10 (but believe me, I definitely triple-checked to make sure Joe Thomas was over the age of 25, even though I knew he was), and sure enough, I was right. There were only two names that surprised me on the top 10. The first was center Maurkice Pouncey:

Pouncey has put together two dominant seasons for the Steelers and established himself as the top center in the NFL. The Jets' Nick Mangold and the Panthers' Ryan Kalil are both outstanding but neither possesses Pouncey's combination of size and athletic ability. He has the strength to anchor in pass protection and the power to create movement at the point of attack in the run game. He is outstanding at the second level. He can adjust and pick off linebackers with very little effort. He should be the top player at his position for a very long time.

Maybe it's my hate for the Steelers, but I disagree. Pouncey is a good player, but I don't think he should be in the same tier as the other players in the list.

The other name that surprised me was Matthew Stafford. He definitely deserves to be up there; I was just stunned that the guy is still only 24 years old. Brandon Weeden, sadly, will never be eligible for this list since he is already 28 years old.

Which members of the Browns were closest to being considered? The top candidates would have to be wide receiver Greg Little (22), DL Jabaal Sheard (23), and CB Joe Haden (23). Little was no where near a big-time threat last year, and Sheard was explosive but not "Jason Pierre-Paul-esque." Haden made the list as one of Jeremiah's "just missed the cut" players, and that sounds about right.

Phil Taylor Has Surgery Wednesday; Browns Reportedly Optimistic

2012-05-17T02:15:21Z

Yesterday, we asked Cleveland Browns fans if they thought the team should attempt to sign a veteran defensive lineman in light of the injury to Phil Taylor. The original worst-case scenario for Taylor was that he would miss the entire 2012 NFL season. The second-year defensive lineman had surgery at the Cleveland Clinic on Wednesday, and according to a report by Mary Kay Cabot of the Plain Dealer, things went better than expected:

Browns defensive tackle Phil Taylor underwent surgery to repair a torn left pectoral muscle today at the Cleveland Clinic, but "everybody's optimistic he's going to have a significant impact on the team this season,'' a league source told The Plain Dealer.

Granted, it's not like we should suddenly expect Taylor to be ready for training camp or something like that, but maybe there is a chance that he will be able to return to action some time in September. In that case, Taylor wouldn't really miss very much time.

Hat tip to The Licensed Optimist for posting about this optimistic news as a Fanshot.

Daily Dawg Chow (5/16/12)

2012-05-16T10:30:06Z

Cleveland Browns:

"Browns' Weeden is showing his confidence" (AFC North Blog) - "No one knows how Browns rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden will react when James Harrison is bearing down on him or when Ed Reed is baiting him into a throw."
"A Farewell to Armond Smith" (WFNY) - "I don’t know if it is unique to Cleveland that Armond Smith could be such a big topic of conversation, but it sure feels that way. Smith was cut in favor of Adonis Thomas yesterday after apparently getting beat out in rookie camp with shorts on."
"Blogger Blitz: Browns' run defense" (AFC North Blog) - "It's going to be a challenge for the Cleveland Browns to absorb the loss of defensive tackle Phil Taylor, who tore a chest muscle last week. I explain the impact in this week's Blogger Blitz video."
"Ozzie Newsome, unplugged at Fleming's, blames Browns offense for losing 'the Drive' game to John Elway" (ESPN Cleveland) - "I’ve known Ozzie Newsome for over 25 years, have interviewed him a thousand times and stated his case for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in three closed-door selectors meetings before he was enshrined."

NFL:

"Guest column: Surviving life after the NFL" (ESPN) - "Former NFL linebacker George Koonce recently submitted to Marquette University a doctoral dissertation on transitioning from life outside the game. This column represents his personal experience, as told to NFC West blogger Mike Sando."
"Jones-Drew skips OTAs, wants contract extension" (AP via Yahoo! Sports) - "Maurice Jones-Drew was a no-show again. The Jacksonville Jaguars running back skipped the first day of organized team activities Tuesday, and coach Mike Mularkey said the three-time Pro Bowler wants a contract extension."
"7 strong hunches for 2012 season" (SI.com) - "The NFL is both beloved and exalted in the pantheon of spectator sports because absolutely no one knows what will unfold from week to week."
"Welker: I signed $9.5 million franchise tender" (AP via Yahoo! Sports) - "New England Patriots receiver Wes Welker said Tuesday he has signed the $9.5 million tender offer that came along with being designated the team's franchise player."

Former Browns RB Jerome Harrison Out for 2012; Panthers Claim Armond Smith

2012-05-16T03:00:09Z

Last season, we reported that it was discovered that former Cleveland Browns running back Jerome Harrison, then a member of the Detroit Lions, had a brain tumor and needed to have surgery. Harrison had surgery to remove the tumor and is "progressing" according to his agent, via the Detroit Lions official website. With that said, Harrison isn't progressing well enough to be under consideration to play during the 2012-2013 NFL season, as the Lions placed him on the Reserve/Non-Football Illness list.

The Lions had to declare that Harrison would not be eligible to participate in the 2012 regular season or postseason for him not to count toward the 90-man roster while on the Reserve/Non-Football Illness list.

We continue to wish Harrison the best on his road to recovery.

In other running back news, the Carolina Panthers signed running back Armond Smith off waivers from the Browns. Smith joins a crowded backfield in Carolina, where DeAngelo Williams, Jonathan Stewart, and Mike Tolbert are the team's top three backs. Should the Panthers trade someone like Stewart, maybe Smith will have a shot at making their final roster.

Shurmur Praises TE Jordan Cameron; Did he Bulk Up?

2012-05-16T02:00:15Z

We're going to milk this luncheon for everything that head coach Pat Shurmur talked about. One of the topics that was brought up was the production of the tight ends, specifically how Benjamin Watson was after landing on the injured reserve with a concussion last year. Then, based on the context of the article at the Akron Beacon Journal, it would seem as though Shurmur, unsolicited, decided to talk about tight end Jordan Cameron, a fourth-round pick from 2011 who only caught 6 passes for 33 yards.

"The guy that looks way different is Jordan Cameron," Shurmur said. "Oh, gosh -- the size -- and he’s had a great offseason. He’s a guy that hadn’t played much football, so I think he’ll make a big improvement this year."

The Browns worked Cameron into the lineup last year after injuries to other tight ends. I'd like to think that Cameron is going to come on and be a "beast" all of a sudden, but there still seems to be a logjam at the position. If Watson is still the starter, he is going to eat up a lot of snaps. We all know about the potential I think Evan Moore still has. Alex Smith was the team's most-favored blocking tight end last season. The team kept four tight ends last year, but what if they decide to keep two fullbacks this year (i.e. Owen Marecic and Brad Smelley)?

The thing that stands out is that Shurmur mentioned Cameron's size. I'm guessing the guy didn't get taller in the offseason, so does that mean he really bulked up? Last year, Cameron was listed as being 6-5, 245 lbs. Not including Dan Gronkowski, he weighed less than the other three tight ends on the roster. Maybe the coaching staff gave Cameron a mission to bulk up this offseason and try to beat out Smith during the offseason programs. It'll be interesting to see how Cameron looks when full squad camps commence soon.

Should the Browns Sign a Veteran DT, or Stick With Rookies?

2012-05-16T00:34:16Z

When the Cleveland Browns drafted defensive tackles John Hughes and Billy Winn in the third- and sixth-rounds, respectively, it seemed as though they would contribute as depth players right away. Now that starter Phil Taylor is projected to miss a significant amount of time, and possibly the entire season, should the Browns give those rookies a chance at starting, or bring in a veteran to help replace Taylor for the year?

Last year, when the Browns lost Eric Steinbach during the preseason, they inserted Jason Pinkston, a fifth-round draft pick, into the starting lineup for the entire season. That might be easy when you've got veteran Pro Bowlers like Joe Thomas and Alex Mack beside you, but what happens when you're asked to step in on a defensive line that is young and struggled to defend the run in 2011?

At a luncheon in Canton on Monday, head coach Pat Shurmur talked about the possibility of Hughes contributing right away, and whether they would consider bringing in a veteran player:

"Unfortunately with what happened to Phil Taylor, John’s gonna have to step it up and be a quicker part of what we do," Shurmur said. … "We’re not gonna plug him in. He’s gonna have to get in there and compete with the other defensive tackles to win that spot. If he ends up being the guy, he’s obviously not as big as Phil. But I really believe he can create pass rush inside and play well against the run."

"We’ll continue to look at a veteran really at any position," he said. "And we’ll know about how it all fits once we can get into the OTAs, and they’re all out there working together."

If the Browns do decide that they would like to bring a veteran in, there isn't a very large field to choose from. You've got Albert Haynesworth, but I'd give a definite "no thanks" there. Former Broncos defensive tackle Marcus Thomas, 26, was looking for a multi-year deal from Denver but did not get it. Denver appeared to move on from him based on the way they drafted, but Cleveland seems more like a fit for a guy wanting a one-year deal. A veteran run-stuffer like Kelley Gregg is available, but has traditionally played in a 3-4 defense.

The two most attractive options to Cleveland might be Fred Robbins and Tommie Harris. Robbins was with the Rams the past two years, meaning he had some overlap with Shurmur. Likewise, Harris was with the Bears with Dick Jauron was there, so there's some overlap there too. Both players are at the closing stages of their career, but could probably help out in defending the run.

What do you think? Should the Browns sign a veteran defensive tackle to be a part of the rotation, or should they stick exclusively with the youth movement in this case?