Dawgs By Nature

Rufio's Playbook: Pattern Matching in Zone Defenses

2010-02-09T08:00:27Z

Zone defenders play an area instead of a man, right? Not always. Not the good zone defenses, anyway.

Have you ever seen a Browns defender guarding a patch of grass while his teammate has to try to hopelessly guard two receivers? Were you frustrated? If you answered yes, this post is for you.

There are two schools on teaching zone defense. pattern matching, and spot dropping. Spot dropping is exactly what it sounds like: dropping to a landmark on the field while reading the QB's eyes. It is simpler to teach than pattern matching, which requires a lot of study and practice. Pattern matching is basically a set of rules that help zone defenders play a man within their zone, and on some occasions play a coverage that will not look like the original call.

For brevity's sake, I will give a simplified version of these rules and we can see how they apply to a few common pass plays.

A few preliminaries

Releases. The first thing each defender is watching is the initial release of a specific receiver or two. Generally, a receiver's release can be classified as vertical or not vertical.

Some teams have tendencies such that the combination of the releases/stems of the receivers' routes will actually give away the exact play they are running. This is the best thing that could happen for a well prepared, smart defense. If an offense isn't able to run multiple plays from the same stems, a pattern matching defense can effectively predict the future, and that means big plays (sacks, INTs, 3rd down stops).

Even if the receivers' releases don't narrow things down to one play for a defense, the initial releases at least narrow things down. Instead of having to guard 10 routes, a defender only has to guard 2 or 3 and can better anticipate the route.

IDing the receivers. The defense will usually number the receivers 1 to 3 or 4, starting with the widest and moving in for each side of the formation.

Note above that because the RBs are directly over the center, their eventual number will depend on the side to which they release.

Seams. Good offensive coordinators look to do more than put their receivers in good one-on-one matchups, they look to outnumber the opposing defense in a given area. Offensive coordinators want to put their guys in 2 receivers vs. 1 defender, 3 receivers vs. 2 defenders, etc. One of the best ways to do this against Cover-3 defense is to attack the seams as pictured below. Remember, we are playing a Cover-3 here.

Let's take a look at what this might look like on the field. We'll say our team plays a 4-3 defense and the offense is in a 2RB, 1TE, 2WR (pro) formation. Our defense on this play will be a traditional Cover-3 zone.

Pattern matching rules

Strong side CB

The strong-side CB will be keying first the #1 receiver, and then the #2 receiver. If #1 is vertical, the CB must stay with #1. If #1 breaks, the CB must then determine if #2 is vertical. If #2 is vertical, the CB must pick him up, if not, the CB is free to jump the route of #1.

Strong Safety

The SS is first and foremost concerned with the seam on his side. Between the SS and the Sam, one must reroute #2. He could attempt to jam or press #2 within 5 yards, and even simply place his body between #2 and the seam as to re-route him (by making the receiver run around him). The SS will take any underneath break by #1 and hold that route until another receiver crosses in front of him.

Sam Linebacker

The Sam linebacker will first take away any underneath route by #2, and carry him to the ball if #2 releases inside. If #2 releases outside, the Sam looks to cover whichever of #1, #2, or #3 are closest to the Center and then works to a "Hook" zone.

Mike Linebacker

The Mike linebacker will essentially do the same thing as the Sam linebacker, but on the weak side of the formation. He can pay more attention to #1 or receivers coming from the strong side because there is no immediate threat as #2.

Will Linebacker

The Will is taking away any underneath route by #1 weak. He will hold that route until #2 crosses him horizontally, and then he will flow to #2 (if a RB releases to his side). The Will and the Mike must work together to not allow anyone to get into the seam without being rerouted. Note that this is essentially what the SS is doing on the other side of the field.

Weak (Free) Safety

The Free Safety plays the deep center 1/3 of the field. Vs. this pro formation, he is looking at the TE, who presents the most immediate inside vertical threat (remember those seams?). If the formation has two such receivers (such as 1 TE and a slot WR), he is praying one of the underneath guys can reroute one of them.

Weak side CB

The weak side CB uses the same keys as the strong side CB, only for #1 and #2 on the weak side.

All together now

Lets take a look at what this looks like against a few common passing concepts.

Smash

All curls

Four verticals

There you have it, pattern matching.

How to Beat the House: Value in the Draft

2010-02-08T08:00:24Z

If you asked most NFL fans "Where is the best place to draft?", the most likely answer you would get is "as close to the top of the round as you can get". The most talented players are picked first. That is why the draft order is in reverse of the standings. The worse a team is, the more it needs talented players. The assumption would be, the higher the better. You know what they say about assumptions.

What are the odds that this pass was incomplete or intercepted?

val-ue (val'you) 1. An amount, as of goods, services, or money, considered to be a fair and suitable equivalent for something else; a fair price or return.

This more than anything has to be kept in mind. Yes, we all want Jake Long, but isn't Ryan Clady, a very comparable player but 40 million dollars cheaper, a better value? The answer is yes. Always be asking, what is the best value?

What I am going to try and do, is find out what is the best value for a pick in the NFL draft? I am considering all factors. Money, length, and value of player picked. I have gone back over the past ten drafts while researching the Browns drafting habits. Something stood out. What is more important? Having the better choice of player, or having less money tied into an unproven player?

I am trying to find the perfect area in which the return is still high in terms of drafting a serviceable, and hopefully Pro Bowl level player, but the downside is affordable.

I am looking at some different factors. Length of contract, money per pick, and at what point in the draft does the talent level fall off? Some of these factors will be easier than others to prove, and some will be up for debate. At the end of this, I hope to find the best value picks in todays NFL draft.

And here we go.

CONTRACT LENGTH

First, we need to find out how long teams can sign player

For picks 1-16 (first half of first round) a contract can be no longer than 6 seasons.

For picks 17-32 (second half of first round) a contract can be no longer than 5 seasons.

For picks 32 and on, a contract can be no longer than 4 seasons.

This doesn't seem like a huge deal, and personally I don't think it is. In speaking of first round picks, at the end of 5 seasons, you should have a good idea what kind of player that you have drafted. Is the extra season under contract worth the higher draft slot? I don't think so. So the length of the contract is mentionable, but hardly a main factor in drafting.

CONTRACT VALUES

The NFL works off of a slotting system for the draft. In other words, the number one pick is paid the most, pick number two is paid less, pick three less than two and so on. It isn't hard to figure out what a top pick will receive. Take the previous years selection at the same slot, and in a couple extra million, and boom, rookie contract is made.

2007 NFL Draft 15th Pick: Lawrence Timmons (5 years, 15 million)

2008 NFL Draft 15th Pick: Branden Albert (5 years, 16 million)

On the other hand, second round players are given usually around one million dollars per season.

2008 NFL Draft 57th Pick: Chad Henne (4 years, 3.5 Million)

2009 NFL Draft 44th Pick: Pat White (4 years, 4.75 Million)

At what point in the draft does the money amount change from asinine, to a worthy gamble? I have done much research on this. I have gone through almost every teams rosters and salaries trying to figure out what would be a good dollar amount to place on a rookie. When it came down to it, I did the easiest, and in my opinion the most practical, solution I could think of.

I took the 2009 NFL Salary Cap (127 Million) and divided it by 45. Why 45? Because on game day, the NFL allows every team to dress 45 players (46 if you count the emergency QB). So I think that a rookie should be given his fair share.
I took this figure, 2.82 million and inflated it some. After all, this is a first round draft pick that should be counted on play, and play well. This isn't a guy off the street. Most first round picks are expected to be starters from day one. How much do I inflate? I added in $500,000 bonus to be the first round draft choice. 500k may be a large number to you and I, but when you are considering the 127 million dollar cap, it isn't.
I came across a small issue around the '05 NFL draft. The inflation of the draft class was surpassing that of the NFL. So I added in a balloon payment, starting in '06. Every year, I will add in an extra $50,000 to the previous season rookie pick. This is a MINIMAL upgrade every season. 50k was .000397% of the '09 salary cap. Minimal.
This gives us a formula to follow every year for figuring out where we need to set the ceiling of our draft. From '95 on, here is what it would look like. If anyone has ideas on how to tweak this formula, I am all ears.

Now this isn't some sort of hard cap, it should be slightly flexible. After all, if there was a player that was really what we needed, we should be able to jump up an extra pick or two to make it happen. But it can't be much more or we risk getting into a dangerous zone again. The following season the cap number will rise and so will the cap number for our NFL rookie. But, as we discussed above, with every passing season the cap and rookie pay scale increases. These usually increase at closely the same rate, so if everything holds true, our rookie cap will increase with every passing season along with the draft. We don't have to make a new formula every season, it adjusts itself!

Looking back, what would this formula allowed a team to spend on their first choice of the draft? (The latest salary cap info I could find was for '05)

2005: Salary Cap 85.5 Million / 45 Players = 1.9 million + 500k = 2.4 Million per pick
2006: Salary Cap 102 Million / 45 Players = 2.26 million + 550k = 2.81 Million per pick
2007: Salary Cap 107 Million / 45 Players = 2.3 million + 600k = 2.9 Million per pick
2008: Salary Cap 116.7 Million / 45 Players = 2.59 million + 650k = 3.24 Million per pick
2009: Salary Cap 127 Million / 45 Players = 2.82 Million + 700k = 3.52 Million per pick

Where did this figures get us in the NFL draft these seasons?

2005 DeMarcus Ware 5 years, 12 million = 2.4 Million [11th Overall, 1st round]
2006 Broderick Bunkley 6 years, 17 million = 2.8 Million [14th Overall, 1st round]
2007 Jarvis Moss 5 years, 14.95 million = 2.99 Million [17th Overall, 1st round]
2008 Branden Albert 5 years, 15.8 million = 3.18 Million [15th Overall, 1st round]
2009 Brian Cushing 5 years, 18 million = 3.6 Million [15th Overall, 1st round]

So looking at the data, it shows that the highest we should be looking to draft is somewhere around the 15-17 range. The slight pay increase every season keeps us mostly in the same range year in and year out. These numbers are not hard caps, but should be followed as closely as possible.

So, now that we have an idea of what we would like to pay our rookies, what would this do for our teams salary cap? In theory, over time the team would lower its payroll across the board. After all, we aren't paying second, third, fourth, and so on, rounders the same amount we would be paying our first rounders. This would allow our team to have deep pockets in free agency filling the gaps that we missed in the draft, and most importantly keeping the players that turn in to quality players on the roster. We would become self sufficient in a perfect world. If a player decides that he could earn more money elsewhere, our drafting strategy would allow us to either draft replacements ahead of time, or go the free agency route to replace the player at a cheaper price. I know, this is what every team strives for but only a few have become successful at (New England, Indianapolis, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and Philly). This thinking just takes these theories to the next step.

Now that we have a cap at where we should be picking, we need to find the lowest of the value. At what point in the draft does the talent really start to dry up?

TALENT DROP OFF

This was very hard for me to gauge. How do I qualify that a player is good? Is it a starter? I have my opinions on certain players that may not mesh with what you think. I needed to find something more concrete. I needed to find a formula of some sort that is fair to all the players. I decided on this.

From the day that a player is drafted, he has four seasons to reach a Pro Bowl. After all we are trying to find out where the IMPACT players dry up in the NFL draft. Granted, the travishamockery that the Pro Bowl has turned into this season has somewhat hurt this years Pro Bowl, but this never affected my results.
I chose 4 seasons for one reason. As we discovered earlier, 2nd round picks are not allowed to sign anything longer than a four year contract. An Impact player makes an impact during a rookie contract.
Again, this is what I am looking for suggestions on. Does this sound like a decent enough way to establish a floor? Is there some other way you think would be better? I am all ears.

By no means am I saying that a player that doesn't make a Pro Bowl in his first four seasons is not a good player. Example, in the '05 draft, Barrett Rudd was taken with the 36th pick, hasn't reached a Pro Bowl and I consider him a damn fine player. The same could be said for our own D'Qwell Jackson. A damn fine player, but not the IMPACT player that I am looking for. That is why I drew the line. I needed something concrete to prove my point.

So where was the floor? I went back and looked at the '99 draft all the until the '08 draft. I left out the '09 draft because we really still have no idea about these players. Some may say that I should have kept out the '08 and '07 drafts as well. But looking back, I am confident in saying that Ray Rice and LaMarr Woodley are impact players at this level.

Every season looking back, I looked for the final player that matched my criteria above and was in a grouping of other strong players. I did this because I am looking for the talent drop off. After all in the '05 draft Trent Cole was the 146th player. He is a very good player, but he was sandwiched around crap in the draft (Jerome Collins, Dan Orlovsky, Alphonso Hodge, and Jonathon Welsh). I am not looking for how far diamonds fall in the draft, I am looking for what is the last point that the majority of players picked are quality NFL players.

So here in order are the players from '99 to '08.

1999: Pick 41: Dre Bly CB, Multiple Pro Bowls
2000: Pick 40: Ian Gold LB, Pro Bowl in '01
2001: Pick 52: Chris Chambers, WR Pro Bowl in '05
2002: Pick 58: Michael Lewis, SS Multiple Pro Bowls
2003: Pick 56: Osi Umenyoria, DE Multiple Pro Bowls
2004: Pick 44: Bob Sanders, SS Multiple Pro Bowls
2005: Pick 51: Nick Collins, FS Multiple Pro Bowls
2006: Pick 50: Marcus McNeil, LT Multiple Pro Bowls
2007: Pick 46: LaMaar Woodley, OLB Pro Bowl '09 (Original Choice, I could have gone with Ryan Kalil, but he was an injury replacement so I stuck with Woodley.)
2008: Pick 55: Ray Rice, RB, Pro Bowl '09 (Original Choice)

Every draft is different. Some are stronger, some are weaker. These drafts have averaged out to be the 49.3 pick in the draft. Just because I like round numbers, I am willing to round that number up to 50. Once again, good even great players will be found after this pick. Anyone who says different is a fool. This just happens to be a pretty good estimation on where the talent takes a steep drop off. That is what we were after right?

Pick Ceiling: Pick 15 (established in contract values)

Pick Floor: Pick 50 (established in talent drop off)

WHAT THIS TELLS US:

Now that we have found the value potion of the draft how do we get there? Trading down is damn near impossible in todays NFL. Why? Because most teams don't want to pay the huge contracts and give up the high price to trade up. We as a team can control one of these factors.

Here is the NFL trade chart for draft picks. The Browns hold the number 7 pick, according to the chart worth 1,500 points. It would cost the Giants their first (15th worth 1,050) and second round picks (46th worth 440) to even make it close according to the chart.

This is what I am offering. Take 75 cents on the dollar. Ask the Chiefs if they would be willing to trade both of thier second rounders (50th worth 400 points and the 36th worth 540 points) plus their third rounder (68th worth 250 points) for the 7th pick. According to the draft chart, we are only getting 1,190 points for a pick that is worth 1,500. That is only 79% of the value. But we are getting out from under a draft choice that will need to be paid upwards of 8 million dollars a season.

At first glance this looks crazy. We are passing up a chance at Joe Haden or Eric Berry. But we acquiring two picks in the value zone and another third pick. This would give the Browns three choices in the third round (68th, 71st, and 92nd choice.) Could we use one of these to trade back up into the value zone for a third pick? Possibly.

We could also trade a third rounder for a following season's second rounder. This isn't impossible, New England did this twice last year and has three second rounders this season. We should always be trying to get into this zone.

We need to be attacking the area of the draft where we as a team are getting the best bang for our dollar.

New England is the team to really watch. They have done this perfectly over the past two drafts. In the '09 draft they had four draft choices. These four players all had an impact on their season (Vollmer, Butler, Brace, and Chung). This upcoming draft the Pats have three second round choices. They got the Chiefs pick in the Cassel deal, but the rest of the picks were acquired by trading down.

Remember when the trade of Matt Cassel went down and everyone thought that the Pats were crazy to want the second rounder instead of the first rounder from the Chiefs? The Pats were smart enough to realize the danger of picking high. The Pats are the one team in the NFL who have figured this out. The end of the first round, and more importantly (think cheaper) the second round is the best value. When will other teams start putting this together?

I am not saying that this line of thinking is the only way to attack a draft. After all, we as a team must pass on players like Andre Johnson, Joe Thomas and Adrian Peterson's of the world. But for every Andre Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald there is a Troy Williamson and Charles Rogers. For every Greg Jennings drafted there is a Andre Davis. The difference is that an Andre Davis costs 6 million while Charles Rogers costs 60 million.

As a franchise you can remove the most dangerous aspect of a draft pick. Paying through the nose for a crap player. Maybe you fan base wont be excited, but they will when you start winning. Take away the risk, yet keep a decent enough window of success.

No one can predict that any player will ever be a star, let alone in the NFL after 4 years. The NFL draft is a lottery. A crap shoot. Maybe a player played the perfect system. Maybe they have already maxed out their talent. Yes, we like to think that we have an idea what players will be stars (Think Calvin Johnson destroying the ACC) but no matter how many times we say a player is for sure, players burn out.

And there in lies the rub. No matter how sure Mel Kiper and Todd McShay think they know a player, it is a crapshoot. So my question is, why not be responsible and remove the risk that we can?

Grading the Super Bowl Commercials

2010-02-08T08:10:09Z

Yeah, I watched the game. It was pretty good. The Saints story is pretty cool. I like Drew Brees a lot. I cheer for Ohio State grads to succeed, so yay for Will Smith and Malcom Jenkins. But I'm rarely too pumped up about the Super Bowl game. It makes me pissed off that the Browns season has been over for like 6 weeks. I'm a little burned out on football. And I often just find reasons to hate both teams. Reggie Bush and Jeremy Shockey led to my rooting for the Colts. And while Peyton Manning made some incredible throws in the first quarter, and Drew Brees can hit a wide open receiver pretty constantly, I didn't think this was a particularly well-played game. Lots of blown coverages. Bad defenses generally.

So, the highlight of my evening was the half-time show and the commercials. Besides, that's what the NFL is. A little bit of game action, a bunch of replays, and a crap load of ads. (NFL- 11 minutes of actual action per game!)

It was a relatively down year for Super Bowl commercials. None of the funny ads elicited much more than a giggle. None of the movie trailers made me excited for them to come to theaters. None were inspirational or all that motivating. What follows are my grades on the best and worst of the commercials.

You can watch all of the ads here.

Basically, my evaluation of commercials goes something like this:

1.) What was the goal of the ad?

The most common goal is humor. It could be inspiration. Announcement of a new product or service. To make the audience say "wow".

2.) Did the ad meet that goal?

If it was supposed to be funny, was it? What was the reaction of the audience to the ad?

3.) Did the ad relate to the product or service it was trying to sell?

If you spend most of the ad trying to figure out what the heck it is for, it probably was a waste of the company's money to run it.

4.) Do I have a higher opinion of the product, service, or company after watching the ad?

The grades will be by company, so Budweiser/Bud Light and Dorritos will get one grade, even though they seemed like they ran 100 commercials each. The more ad time a company bought, the more I expected of them.

Hyundai - F-

Car commercials are usually pretty lame. Hyundai ran about 5 ads. They were mostly focused on their Sonata vehicle. The general selling point seems to be that it is affordable luxury. But other than that, the only thing in common with the Hyundai ads was that they were all painfully boring.

They tried straight ads, just talking about the car. Boring and a waste.

They tried to be funny, with a little thing about Brett Favre winning the 2020 NFL MVP. The joke was overdone and poorly executed.

They tried to be warm and fuzzy and say that their cars are built by hand. It was just dumb and boring.

I didn't think much of Hyundais before tonight. I won't be buying one anytime soon.

McDonald's - B-

LeBron James and Dwight Howard did a tribute to the classic Jordan vs. Bird ad from about 20 years ago. They did a dunk-off, winner gets a McDonald's lunch. The dunks were obviously fake, but not so crazy as to be fun to watch. It missed the instant classic feel of the original ad. Larry Bird's cameo partially saved it.

Bud Light/Budweiser - C+

Beer commercials used to be some of the most creative and best ads out there. This year failed to live up to that bar.

Apparently, Bud Light leads to an awesome time when it is the foundation of a house, when the world is about to end from a meteor, or when your plane crashes on a remote island.

The best Bud Light ad of the day was the Audio-Tuner. It was fun and very topical. Kinda a throw back to the Wazzzuppp spots from years ago.

Budweiser is so good, that people would work together to form a bridge to get a beer truck to make it into their town. Another ad soliciting not much more than a "meh" was the Clydesdale's life long relationship to a Bull. I feel like I've seen that ad before.

Beer ads are better when they are competing against eachother. Miller didn't make an effort this year and Bud's ads suffered because of it. Damn.

Snickers - A

Big time candidate for Ad of the Super Bowl. Betty White playing football, common, that's funny. If you don't want to look like an octogenarian playing football, you better eat a Snickers. Great message. Well-executed. Really funny.

via graphics8.nytimes.com

Focus on the Family - D

For all the discussion about this ad, nothing was said, nothing happened. Tim Tebow's mom starting telling the story of her experience having Tim and then Tim tackles his mom. What? Wasted money.

Boost Mobile - B

Redid the 80's Bears famous Super Bowl shuffle. With some funny lines and the players looking like they were 90 years old. I liked this one a lot. Had no clue what they were selling though.

Doritos - C+

via videomaker.com

Doritos went for quantity over quality.

The dog collar spot, the fake death, and the Dorito-obsessed ninja-killer-workout-guy were all failures. Near-misses, maybe, but failures nonetheless.

They did have one great commercial though. When the little kid slapped a guy and said keep your hands off my mama, and keep your hands off my Doritos, I laughed as hard as a did at any ads all night.

Coca-Cola - D+

Blah. The Simpsons spot was just boring. I didn't know what it was advertising for awhile. It was long and boring. Same with the guy that was sleep-walking through the African Wilderness to get a coke. Long, unfocused, and uninteresting.

Godaddy.com - D-

Never have been a fan of these ads. I'm all for selling through sex. But these spots weren't very provocative. And now that we all know what godaddy is, it isn't like we are running to our computers to google it. Waste.

Monster.com - C

The chipmunk (or whatever it was) that played the violin. Apparently you have to be a rodent-prodigy to get a job in this economy.

Bridgestone - C

Being able to save a killer whale because your tires are so great is kind of an awesomely-bad concept. Then they through in a lame bachelor party joke and you get that it was all some lame wannabe Hangover reference thing. They followed that spot with a couple ads that were so forgettable, I didn't write anything down about them.

Cars.com - C-

They basically redo their ad about a really great confident guy needing cars.com to have that same confidence in buying a car. Let's try to be more original, ok?

Letterman - B

Letterman, Oprah, and Leno on a couch. That's funny. Should have been better though. Also, too quick.

careerbuilder- B-

Casual day turns into everyone always comes to work in their underwear. Cute, but not as funny as the monkeys they have used in the past.

Dockers - C-

Honestly, I don't know what to make of this ad. It was aired right after the careerbuilder underwear ad and it was about not wearing pants. I thought it was just a continuation of the ad before. If I were Dockers, I'd be pissed.

Dodge- C+

Man's last stand, apparently, is to drive an over-priced Sedan.

Teleflora- D

Talking flowers. Good idea, but wasn't pulled off.

Papa John's - D-

Looked like it could have been filmed by a local news station crew. I mean, if you are going to spend that much money being a major sponsor of the Super Bowl, you think you'd hire someone with a slight creative vision.

Dr. Pepper -D

It wasn't funny when they had Kiss talk about pop. It really wasn't funny when they had Kiss talk about miniature versions of themselves singing about pop.

truTV - B-

Right after the mini-KISS, we get mini-Troy Polamalu. At least this was kinda funny.

FLOTV - B+

Pretty funny. I'm liking Jim Nance more and more lately. And calling a guy out for being whipped and missing the game to go shopping was pretty fun. But the humor almost distracted from the ingenious of the product. Portable, hand-held, live TV? That's awesome.

They had a couple other spots too. I'm intrigued.

CarMax - A-

Animals, like a parakeet, a squirrel, a dog, and a monkey were shocked at the awesome facts about CarMax. Simple, funny, direct.

Miller Hi Life- B

Miller's only effort was pretty good. Just give some local businesses 5 seconds each. Make fun of how expensive these spots cost. Wish they did more of these, actually.

Mortorolla - B

Megan Fox is hot. And this ad was actually provocative and funny.

VW -C

Slug bug, 2010 style.

Denny's - A-

One of my favorite series of ads this year. Chickens screaming in horror because they will have to lay so many eggs because of the great deals at Denny's. I appreciate that Denny's doesn't try to get all classy. The chicken screaming in space was my favorite. Again, simple, funny, and direct.

KGB - D

Does anyone actually think KGB's "service" is useful?

e-trade - B

The talking babies are funny. But we expect them now. And its hard to top what they've done before. The one where the baby is talking to his significant other was great. She called another baby-girl a "milkaholic". That's funny.

Census - F

I didn't get it. Was it supposed to be a Christopher Guest-type thing? It was too short, the awkward humor was confusing, not funny. And I'm not sure what the point of promoting the Census during the Super Bowl is.

google - B

Pretty cute. A love story told through google searches.

Kia - B

Car commercials, again, usually suck. This one was fun and entertaining. Stuffed animals come to life and have a great time in their Kia Sorrento.

NFL- B

They had tons of quick promos for the draft and the like (I keep forgetting they are putting that in prime time... what a stupid move). But I'm really only rating the thanks to the fans commercial that starts with Reggie Bush lifting off and seemingly flying to the endzone in super slowmotion. I hate Reggie Bush, but that was pretty sweet. Feel good ad, all around.

Pop Secret/Emerald Nuts - D+

Human dolphins do tricks for snacks. Blah

Home Away - C

I appreciate the attempt with bringing the Griswolds back. But, common, its been like 25 years since that was funny. Can't we at least try to be original. Also, not sure what they are selling. Renting a home instead of a hotel room? Doesn't seem practical.

Intel - B-

New processor is kinda exciting in a nerdy way. The robot with hurt feelings was kinda funny.

Audi - C+

Green Police arrest people for failing to be environmentally friendly. It succeeded more as a public service announcement than a car commercial. And while I'm not familiar with Audi's green cars, chances are, I'll be unimpressed.

Taco Bell - C+

Chalres Barkley rhyming. Not sure if it was supposed to be a hip-hop style rap or a Dr. Suess style poem.

Sketchers- D

I bought Sketchers once. Worst shoes I've ever owned. That's the only thing I could think of during their 2 or 3 spots.

Awards:

Ad that made me laugh the hardest: Doritos "Keep your hands off my mama"

Ad that made me smile: Snickers "Betty White plays football"

Ad that made me want the product/service: FLO TV

Ad that made me want to learn more: FLO TV

Ad that inspired me the most: None really. Maybe Audi "Green Police"

Most provocative: Motorolla "Megan Fox pictures"

Best campaign: Denny's "Screaming chickens"

Total Fail: Census; Focus on the Family

Movie I now want to see: eh, none really. I guess Shutter Island because Di Caprio is one of the best actors out there today, and I like Scorcese a lot. I'll probably see Alice in Wonderland and eventually Robin Hood. I'm so over remakes and sequels though. Their must be a real lack of talented screen writers these days.

Poll

What was the best Super Bowl Commercial?

Super Bowl Game Thread - Saints vs. Colts

2010-02-07T22:27:36Z

More photos » Lynne Sladky - AP

Are you ready for the Super Bowl?

Browse more photos »

The Indianapolis Colts will battle the New Orleans Saints to determine the winner of Super Bowl XLIV. This game truly features the best of the best, as both of the league's No. 1 seeds will square off against each other. The thing that is so dangerous about both teams is that they are never out of a game. We saw it earlier this season when the Colts stunned the Patriots, and also when the Saints rallied against the Redskins.

New Orleans Saints vs. Indianapolis Colts
Game Time: 6:25 PM on CBS
Line: Colts by 5 | Over/Under: 57

VS

SB NATION GAME THREAD IS RIGHT HERE

Both teams have the leaders at quarterback -- Peyton Manning with Indianapolis and Drew Brees with New Orleans. DE Dwight Freeney will be ready to play, which is a huge lift for the Colts' defense. He'll be countered by S Darren Sharper of the Saints.

The only way I could see this game going south is if one of the backup quarterbacks had to play. Nobody wants to see Curtis Painter or Mark Brunell quarterbacking the Super Bowl.

Yesterday, I mentioned that the open game thread would be at SBNation.com. There is a slight change in that. You may use the game thread here at Dawgs By Nature as you wish. In addition though, I encourage you to stop by the SBNation game thread as well and join in on the fun!

As for my prediction with today's game, I'm taking the Colts. I don't have a good reason why other than the fact that I always root for them and I love watching Manning.

Around the Pound (2/6): Stallworth's Reinstatement, Former Browns in Super Bowl

2010-02-06T23:11:16Z

More photos » Tony Dejak - AP

7 months ago: In this Nov. 6, 2008, photo, Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte' Stallworth runs after a pass reception in an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos in Cleveland. The NFL has indefinitely suspended Stallworth, who killed a pedestrian while driving drunk. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

Browse more photos »

We're just one day away from the Super Bowl, where the Indianapolis Colts will square off against the New Orleans Saints. Preliminary details indicate that SB Nation would like to try out something unique for the game thread of the Super Bowl. Basically, this is how it will work. Because the Colts and the Saints are the two Super Bowl teams, those two blogs will host their own game threads.

All other SB Nation NFL blogs will point their users toward a "cumulative" Super Bowl game thread over at SBNation.com. This means that instead of just commenting with fellow Browns fans, you could be talking to some of the fans from Arrowhead Pride (Chiefs), Big Cat Country (Jaguars), Buc'em (Buccaneers), etc. While this might sound annoying for some of you, if you planned on stopping by the DBN game thread to begin with, I encourage you to at least stop by this thread to take part in this experiment.

Now, onto today's edition of Around the Pound!

Stallworth to be Re-Instated After the Super Bowl

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell confirmed that WR Donte Stallworth will be reinstated following the Super Bowl. The new front office hasn't made a public commitment as to what they will do with Stallworth, but odds are that he will be cut prior to March 20 when he is due a $1 million bonus. That gives the Browns a little over a month to make a final decision.

Former Browns Players in the Super Bowl

From what I can recollect, these are the former Browns players who will participate in the Super Bowl:

Saints

WR Lance Moore
TE Darnell Dinkins
LS Jason Kyle (see Grossi's interesting story on Kyle here)

Colts

K Matt Stover

It's not an extremely impressive bunch, but it's our "representation." Moore was an UDFA with the Browns in camp in 2005, Kyle was taken in the expansion draft, Dinkins was the tight end Romeo Crennel and Jamal Lewis loved, and everyone should remember Stover.

Information on Browns Season Tickets

In summary, season ticket prices will not increase for the 2010 campaign. Additionally, season tickets will now be available in the stadium's "Family Zone."

"Having faced the Browns several times in Cleveland as a head coach, I know what a home field advantage our stadium can provide," said Browns President Mike Holmgren. "We're excited about continuing to build the type of team that our fans can be proud of. I know that they will be an integral part of any success that we have and that is why we are pleased to keep our ticket prices as affordable as possible for our fans."

Off-Beat Notes

It's been discussed here before, but I continue to get infuriated with the stupid and/or disrespectful comments over at Cleveland.com. I know what to expect from there, but any time I read an article, I still scroll down to the comments with the false hope that maybe, just maybe I'll read somebody who will even post an ounce of the insight that can be found in the comments on this site.
I dug the two-hour season premiere of LOST. Before the show started, earlier that day I saw a headline that said something like "read about LOST's brain-liquefying premiere." Brain-liquefying was the perfect term, because that's what I felt like was happening to me upon the initial "what!?!" of the parallel timelines. Upon reading fan theory following the show and checking out Lostpedia.com, watching the show for the second time last night helped me see some of the details I missed the first time around.
How about all of that snow, Clevelanders? There's nothing funner than playing a little football in it; doing it this morning with the wind blowing non-stop for several hours straight doesn't have an affect when your adrenaline is going and you're layered up.

Stampede Blue Interviews Peter King

2010-02-06T21:15:48Z

Brad Wells, who runs Stampede Blue (our Indianapolis Colts blog), has been in Miami with press credentials for the Super Bowl event. He has scored so many interviews this week that it is unbelievable. The one I want to specifically point out is the one he just ran with Sports Illustrated's Peter King.

The interview, which has been transcribed by Stampede Blue, was very entertaining to read, touching more so on topics related to sports media than the actual Super Bowl itself.

Brad: In the two days I've seen you work, you're just a regular guy. You work with precision. I'm wanting to know what you think of how bloggers think of you? Does it bother you? Does it baffle you? What?

Peter takes another sip of his Pilsner Urquell and thinks. It's a long pause before he answers.

King: When I did a bunch of these [online] chats [like the Deadspin one several months ago]…

Brad: Some negative things were said.

King: Yeah. "You’re a know-nothing, fat, piece of shit. You don’t know football. You're totally out of touch with reality. You’re an idiot. You’re gay for Favre." I… I don’t know what to say. I don’t know, I mean, all I can do is try and do my job, and do the best I can.

Wells, who has always been a Peter King-basher in all the years I've been here at SB Nation, came away from his 30-minute interview with King with the following thoughts:

I think back on all the harsh, nasty, hateful words I’ve used to describe Peter King, and I cannot help but feel the bitter tingle of shame. Do I regret writing them? No. I believe in writing as a fan, and a fan’s voice is best written unfiltered and raw. No editing. No holding back; first thoughts in your mind pushed out into the digital world. And, quite frankly, many of the other media people I’ve taken shots at over the years deserve the harsh words. Hell, some of them write their crap to solicit those words. And in meeting several of them here, it has actually made me feel better about bashing them. They deserve it because they are lazy, stuck-up, entitled douchebags.

Not Peter King.

I recommend that everyone read the transcript of the interview (links below). I've always been a big fan of King's and have always wished that he'd get more credit for the work he does.

Stampede Blue Interviews Peter King (Part 1)

Stampede Blue Interviews Peter King (Part 2)

How to beat the House, NFL Edition: Intro

2010-02-05T01:31:15Z

The times, they are a changin'

Every single year it seems like certain teams are good, certain teams suck. I am not talking about the Dolphins going from 1-15 to the playoffs in one season. I am talking about being good. Year in and year out, this team is in the playoff hunt. It doesn't matter what happens, we know that we are going to win at least 9 games and be playing for something on week 17. Every year there are teams that suck. I mean at the top of the draft every year, making horrible additions in free agency and even worse draft selections.

It was eating at me. Every year a handful of teams can be counted on as being in the playoff race. Colts, Pats,Steelers, Eagles and Ravens. It was pissing me off. What did these teams know? What did my team not? Was it luck? (doubtful) or was it something else that I wasn't even thinking of? I needed to know more.

I decided to do some digging. It all started out as a discussion topic between my friends and I. It took off. Instead of sitting around arguing over what NBA player we could take in a fist fight (Tony Parker, in a laugher), it turned into what was making the Eagles good every year. We had two Browns fans (my brother and myself) a Bengals fan, and a Steelers fan (every joke was a Ravens one).

For the past two months we have been tearing down the NFL and more importantly the NFL draft. We went into this with open minds. Nothing was off limits. We tested everything. I do mean everything. Should you take a RB early in the draft? What is the best range to draft a QB? Is it worth drafting a TE? After all, what better way to learn than examine the past?

We all agreed going in, that we needed to start over from the start. My entire life I have heard certain rules of football. Stop the run. Defense wins championships. Never take a kicker in the first round of a draft. We forgot them all. We needed to start with a brand new blank slate. The reason I am stressing this is two fold. One, when I ask stupid questions like "Did the Raiders make a mistake taking a kicker in the first round of the 2000 draft?" you grasp the fact that I am not retarded, I am just checking everything.

Secondly, and most importantly, because we are going to need your help. The reason I am posting these theories and ideas here is because I haven't found another place that has so many knowledgeable and educated fans in one place. I have been on this website for years and have come to respect the knowledge of the members here as much as my closest friends.

We are by no means done. But I want to start testing these theories. I am going to post these ideas and I need everyone here to look at them openly and try and find holes. Are my levels for a player being "good" too high or too low? Are some of my ideas just too crazy to get behind? I am excited to get some feedback and see if these ideas hold water. What more can I add? What am I missing? As of right now, I have at least three more posts planned, and I really hope to add more as I go.

I went in with an open mind, and was blown away by many things that I have found. My mind has been changed on certain things that I have been adamantly against in the past.

IF everything goes as planned, I hope to have my own draft board ready to go, with everything we have learned, for the opening night of the draft April 22nd. Who knows, it may look like Mel Kiper's draft board, but I am guessing it won't be close. Either way, it will be good for a laugh.

I don't know how many of these posts I will be able to do. I have a butt load of data, some which really matters, most of it just the ramblings of a mad man. I will do my best to get these all out in a thoughtful, easily readable manner. So, if you don't mind, on to the first installment of "How to beat the House, NFL Edition."

How far do we go back in getting information?

We can all agree that the NFL has changed, but when? That was our first problem. How far do we look back?

Rules have changed. Coaching philosophies have changed. The game has changed so much that a former Super Bowl winning Head Coach, Joe Gibbs, had a losing record when he decided to return. An offensive genius went from a 124-60 record to a 30-34 record. Don't blame Gibbs, he had no chance.

Blame what you want. College's becoming passing factories in order to compete with the big boys. Today's NFL defenses are filled with speed at every level. Good luck running wide on LB's and DE's that run 4.5's.

We can argue at what point in time this happened, but for myself, I put it at the season of '99. This isn't because the Browns returned in '99, it was because of "The Greatest Show on Turf". It was the second straight season that a passing offense was destroying the NFL (the '98 Vikings with Moss and Carter were a missed FG from a Super Bowl) and had finally punched through and won a Super Bowl.

By no means am I saying that these teams won with the passing game alone. But these teams were using a passing attack as their main weapon. They were using the pass to set up the run. They were zigging when everyone else was zagging. They had found something, they just didn't know what.

Over the following ten seasons many factors changed the NFL.

Personally, I think that the rule changes that the NFL has enforced over the past ten years are the biggest culprit. Quarterbacks receive Presidential-like protection from pass rushers. Intentional grounding rules were changed so QB's could more easily avoid sacks. Last but not least, the most influential ruling of them all; before the '04 season, the NFL instructed officials to pay special attention to illegal contact, defensive PI and defensive holding. No longer were defenders allowed to beat the crap out of WR's and TE's. After 5 yards, the offensive player has a hassle-free route to run. Passing was easier in the todays NFL.

Here is the best example I can give you, see if you can guess the two QB's:

Player A: 59.0 Cmp%, 22-10 TD-INT Ratio, 7.9 YPA

Player B: 62.1 Cmp%, 21-12 TD-INT Ratio, 7.0 YPA

Outside of the higher YPA (7.9 is very good, while 7.0 is good, but not great), the stat lines look very similar. Both of these players played their home games in the same stadium. One of these QB's was considered one of the greatest of all-time and won a Super Bowl in the season mentioned above and also played in that seasons Pro Bowl. The other is considered re-tread and nothing more than a replaceable QB. Give up?

Player A is John Elway in the '98 season. Player B is Kyle Orton this past season. By no means am I saying that Orton sucks. In fact, I think Orton had a very good season. But in ten years a season like the one Orton just had went from being good enough for the Pro Bowl and Super Bowl to not even being good enough to be the 7th alternate in the '09 Pro Bowl.

Ten seasons. Ten seasons of drafts, stats and results to look over. What was making these teams good? What was making teams bad?

The Three B's.

We have looked at the bad teams and the good teams. Many different factors lead to a team being good or bad, but every reason we could think of fell into these three categories (in no particular order).

Bad Leadership****CHANGED****: Teams that consistently make poor decisions. Whether it be hiring a coach with a poor track record, or picking in the draft poorly on a consistent basis. Take the Bills for example, they just fired a coach who had one winning seasons in the 10 years he was a NFL coach and replaced him with a HC who hasn't been a NFL coach in 11 seasons (remember how Gibbs fared when he came back?) and lead Georgia Tech to better than a 7-5 record once in 6 seasons! Does anyone expect the Chan Gailey tour to work in Buffalo? Anyone? This is a great example of poor leadership. Other franchises can swap out HC's and keep winning (Pittsburgh) because of good leadership.
Bad Contracts: This is by far the biggest issue. Teams have a limited resource (money under the cap) yet they use the money in stupid ways. Take the Raiders and Gibril Wilson. Not only do they sign a completely replaceable safety to a nearly 40 million dollar deal, they cut him the following season. That contract stays. Bad contracts=bad teams more than anything else I looked at. Good players can have bad contracts (think Kellen Winslow in Tampa or Reggie Bush in New Orleans).
Bad Luck: This is the only thing on this list that a team cannot control. Every team will encounter this. Good teams overcome it. Bad teams crumble. It happens every season.

It bothers me when someone says a team sucks because a coach is doing a poor job. That category is not a catch all. I am talking about a team that either has zero leadership and direction (think the Bills under Jauron) or have the talent to succeed yet somehow always end up in extended losing streaks and falling below expectations (Cowboys before this season).

Bad contracts are ten times more important, and dangerous, than coaching. Bad contracts can kill a team in one off-season (think Browns of '07-'08). This is the category in which we have done the most work on so far. Bad drafting leads to bad contracts, which leads to bad football teams. Sometimes it is just that easy.

Now you know:

The reason I explained everything is so you can get an idea of what I am trying to do here. Now I need you, the reader, to try and tear this apart. In a friendly way. I need input from you. I want opinions on how to tweak things. I, with help from others, have created formulas for many different things; from how to evaluate a QB, to what should be the highest amount we should be able to offer rookies. I am still trying to figure out the best way to gauge RB's and WR's. Any ideas and thoughts are welcomed and expected.

First a couple of rules.

The Colts are thrown out. They do everything wrong, according to us, yet somehow win. I mean EVERYTHING. This is because of one reason. Peyton Manning. This isn't just sour grapes. Peyton Manning is an outlier. He is on another plane all by himself. No other team, and I mean every single team we looked at, was successful following the Colts lead. Going into this, I always considered Manning the best QB of my time. After this, I now consider Peyton Manning the greatest football player to ever play. That's how far the numbers are skewed by him. As of right now he is already the highest ranking QB in our study. We are talking about a formula that includes longevity yet he has 5-6 years to put even more distance between him and the field. My respect for Peyton Manning went up about 10 fold in the past two months. Building a football team in the mold of the Indianapolis Colts should be franchise suicide. In fact, we believe part of the reason that the Colts had trouble winning under Manning in the early-mid '00s was their asinine roster construction and drafting. At some point in time, Peyton just became too freaking good to let this matter and the Colts haven't looked back. Peyton Manning has become self aware and he will end up killing all of man kind.
Everything I have done, and will do, can change. There have been ideas and thoughts that I have had that I could not convince myself that maybe, just maybe I was wrong. No longer. Open mind. Remember this when I try and explain something that sounds totally foreign to you, because trust me, I will. Consider it a rebirth of football. Without all the crying.
I am willing to explain anything and everything that I put out. If something doesn't make sense, ask me and I will do my best to explain how I got there. I will not be right in every aspect, this is the only thing that I am sure of. After all, this is the brain child of three guys who spend the majority of their free time drinking beer, arguing over who is the greatest playmate, and whether or not we as a group could defeat Hulk Hogan in a 3 on 1 match (no freaking doubt). We are not MENSA members. Challenge us.
Have fun with this, because I have.

You will be shocked to see what I have found. The NFL has changed, NFL teams need to do the same.

We can no longer draft by the old set of rules. We need new ones. Why are we drafting certain positions in the first round even though the numbers show that it is a foolish choice? We are talking about smart people making stupid moves. I am here to try and change this, but I am going to need some help.

Next Post: Where is the best value of the NFL draft?

Eagles hire Phil Savage as draft consultant

2010-02-04T17:46:02Z

Eagles hire Phil Savage as draft consultant

Back in the pro game-- at least temporarily.

Cleveland Browns All-Decade Team: Vote on the Fullbacks

2010-02-03T20:16:19Z

After a brief hiatus from this feature, it's time to resume with who was the best Cleveland Browns fullback of the past decade. There aren't a lot of choices, but there are at least two pretty good candidates to choose from.

The criteria I used for fullbacks was a little more loose than what I used for quarterbacks and running backs. Basically, if you were labeled as a starting fullback for at least a season or two, you're listed.

Previous All-Decade Polls: Quarterbacks, Running Backs

Fullbacks

1. MARC EDWARDS (2000)

When the Browns beat the Steelers 23-20 in the 2000 season, Edwards had a 21-yard touchdown reception from Tim Couch in the first quarter. That's all I remember besides his name; sorry folks!

2. MIKE SELLERS (2001)

Sellers was technically labeled as an "H-Back" for the year he was with us, but I'll put him under the fullback category since "H-Backs" aren't going to be receiving their own category. Note: Similarly, Aaron Shea, who was labeled as both an H-Back and a TE at points of his career, will be in the tight end category.

I really don't have much to remember or go off of regarding Sellers' one-year stay with the Browns. He is currently with the Washington Redskins though and has evolved into a Pro Bowl caliber player.

3. TERRELLE SMITH (2004-2006)

When Smith came to the Browns in 2004, it was a huge addition to the team after his efforts of blocking for Deuce McAllister and company with the New Orleans Saints. Lee Suggs rushed for a career-high 744 yards in Smith's first season with the team. The following year, Smith was the fullback in front of Reuben Droughns. Droughns ran for over 1,000 yards during the 2005 campaign, the first time such a feat had been accomplished on the Browns in 20 years.

The following year, the Browns began shifting their focus toward youth at the position when they drafted Lawrence Vickers. Smith still had a good season and an overall solid three-year stay with the Browns. He was never known for his pass-catching, but his blocks were refreshing as he was basically the Browns' first true fullback of the decade. After the Browns, he played for the Cardinals and was heavily used during the team's Super Bowl run last season.

4. CHARLES ALI (2007-2008)

Ali received the opportunity to start a few games during his time with the Browns when Vickers went down to injury. Although he wasn't necessarily a starting-caliber fullback, I always considered him an above-average fullback. There were even rumors during the 2008 season that the team might be able to trade him to a team looking for a starting fullback.

That was under the Romeo Crennel era. Ali received a shot to make the roster in Eric Mangini's camp, but it didn't happen. I don't think it was indicative of Ali's potential, but rather that Mangini didn't feel he needed two fullbacks on the roster. Ali is currently with the Baltimore Ravens.

5. LAWRENCE VICKERS (2006-2009)

Vickers, a sixth-round draft choice from 2006, ended up being a tremendous pick. When he became the starter in 2007, the same year that Jamal Lewis arrived, Vickers picked up where Terrelle Smith left off in terms of paving the way for a 1,000 yard rusher.

Funny enough, Vickers was often the topic of controversy during his first two seasons with the team. It wasn't because of anything he did, but because of the offensive gameplans. Vickers was known to have pretty good speed for a fullback, and whether he could succeed as a running back in the NFL remains to be seen. Instead of blocking though, we would consistently see the following plays called:

Fullback sweep to the corner on 3rd-and-1
Vickers option pass on 3rd-and-1
Running backs lining up in single-back formation, with Vickers on the sideline

Things changed under mangini this season, particularly at the end of the year when Vickers supposedly bought into Mangini's system. In front of Jerome Harrison, it probably would not be a stretch to say that Vickers was blocking like he was the best fullback in the league.

Another fun fact: Vickers has three career receiving touchdowns; all of them came against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

OTHER FULLBACKS

These fullbacks played for the Browns during the decade but are not up for consideration in the poll due to their lack of tenure or playing time with the team. If you'd still like to comment on them, or if you believe one of them should be the all-decade quarterback instead, sound off in the comments section. (Note: I am not listing fullbacks who were only camp fodder).

R.J. Bowers (2002-2003)
Corey McIntyre (2004-2005)

DECISION TIME

Now it's time to cast your vote in the poll below, and then go ahead and explain your choice in the comments section

Please be aware that the considerations do not include the 1999 comeback season.

Poll

Who do you think is the Browns' All-Decade Running Back?

The Source of the Quinn-for-Marshall Rumor

2010-02-01T16:34:59Z

Depending on how often you surf the Internet, you might have seen "rumors" gaining traction again that the Cleveland Browns and the Denver Broncos are discussing trade possibilities, namely one that would send QB Brady Quinn to Denver for WR Brandon Marshall. Most of the websites reporting this information cite the Denver Post as the source of the rumor.

This is the only mention of Quinn from that Denver Post article:

Because Marshall is a restricted free agent, the Broncos are expected to go through the exercise of tendering him a contract. But that tender will only serve as a mechanism to execute a deal with another club. Baltimore, Miami, Seattle, Chicago, Cleveland (how about Marshall for Brady Quinn?) and maybe the New York Jets are among the teams that may benefit most from acquiring a top-shelf receiver.

If someone finds another, more "concrete" source of the rumor, please let me know. As far as I can tell though, the above paragraph seems like nothing more than author Mike Kils offering his take on teams that would be in need of a receiver. That's not to say the deal won't happen in the future; I just don't see anything specific that should even constitute this as a "buzzing" rumor all of a sudden.

A Look Back: 2002 NFL Draft

2010-02-01T08:00:23Z

Finally, a pick outside the top three. Double Digits!

Much hotter than William Green. Much.

Thanks to Butch Davis leading the '01-'02 Browns to a 7-9 record the Browns were no longer picking in the top three of the NFL Draft. In '02 the Browns had the 16th pick. The Browns had a change atop their power structure. No longer was Dwight Clark masquerading as the GM, he quit. No one mentions it anymore, but Clark was treated like crap on his way out. He was a poor GM, but he wasn't supposed to be there. Davis promoted his personal go-for Pete Garcia to the position of Director of Football Development.

This was Butch Davis ship, and he had full control.

Don't be fooled by the Browns record. We still had holes and needed help on both sides of the LOS. Many mock drafts leading up to the '02 draft had the Browns taking a mixture of the following players:

T.J Duckett, RB Michigan State University. An absolutely massive RB that was billed as a faster more athletic Mike Alstott.
Ashley Lelie, WR University of Hawaii. A pencil thin WR from a run and shoot offense that had questionable hands. Lots to love there.
William Green, RB Boston College. A top 10 talent that had a 10 cent head. He was suspended for smoking weed twice at BC. He was very talented, but very troubled.

The Browns ground game was AWFUL in '01. We ran for 84 yards a game. 1,300 yards for the season as a team. We as a team were outrushed by five players in '01. But instead of drafting offensive lineman, Butch believed that drafting a RB would be able to fix the problems. Someone should have told Butch that no RB can be good if there aren't any holes at the LOS. But this was Butch's show and he was going to do what he wanted, the Browns were going to go with a RB, we just didn't know which one.

We should have known that with Butch's background he was going to go BigEast.

16th Pick, 1st Round, 16th Pick Overall: William Green, RB Boston College

From Peter King of Sports Illustrated:

20. Cleveland. I love William Green. So he had some college trouble. So he smoked pot. So he ticked a few of his coaches with some attitude. Watch the man play. Watch him make reliable, Emmitt Smith-type moves. Watch him maximize his holes.

Good call Petey.

To say that Green had a difficult childhood would be a massive understatement. Both of his parents died from Aids when he was 12 & 13. Green may have been a knucklehead, but the fact that he made it is far as he did was an achievement in of itself. I just thought that should be mentioned.

When William Green played at BC he was good. Six yards a carry good. Staying on the field was his problem. Again, he was suspended twice for weed. Once could be just a college kid doing college kid things. Twice is just a person that loves weed and doesn't care what others think about it. He knew he was being watched, yet he continued to smoke. Should have been a massive "DO NOT DRAFT" flag. Not to Butch.

Once again, Butch gives a middle finger to off the field issues and drafts the more talented player. Never mind that other teams had taken Green off their draft board, we needed a RB. Butch fell in love with talent and he thought he could save any player. No problem was to big for Butch, he wanted talent! Is there any doubt that Butch would have taken Mike Vick this past off season?

For me, this was the first time that I really started to understand that drafting Running Backs with God awful offensive lines (The 2002 starting O-Line was Verba, Stokes, Wolabaugh, O'Hara, and Tucker) was the dumbest thing you could do as a football team. It is putting a band aid over a cannon wound. Not to mention a first round band aid.

Shockingly, William Green struggled as a rookie. He had a 3.7 YPC as a rookie while he amassed a career high 887 yards and a career high 6 TD's. He topped 100 yards three times his rookie season including an awesome, 178 yards in a week 17 win that sent the Browns to the playoffs. His 64 yard TD run was the highlight of the season for me. He struggled (is there a stronger word than struggled?) in the playoffs when he ran for 30 yards in 25 carries. Those are not typos.

In '03 Green started off well. He had two 100 yard games in a three game span. But, the personal problems that plagued him at BC, showed up again.

After the week 7 loss to San Diego, Green was arrested for drunk driving and possession of marijuana. Since he came into NFL with drug issues he was already a member of the substance abuse program. As we all know, a second offense gets the player a four game ban. In his second season, William Green was suspended.

It got worse. During his suspension, Green was involved in a domestic dispute with his longtime girlfriend, Asia Gray. In the altercation, Green was stabbed in the back. The NFL was not happy, and extended Green's suspension all the way throughout the end of the '03 season.

Green never recovered as a football player. He had a '04 season as a back-up and reached an injury settlement in '05 and was cut midway through the season. William Green didn't last four seasons in the NFL.

Career Stats:

568 carries, 2,109 yards, 9 TD's, 3.7 YPC, 45 catches, 277 yards, 0 TD's.

Players we could have drafted: (Yes I know this is stupid and 100% subjective to many factors, but I always like looking back at who we "could have drafted" just for fun.) Lito Sheppard, Ed Reed (*#$@&$*!)

15th Pick, 2nd Round, 47th Pick Overall: Andre Davis, WR Virginia Tech

I remember this pick vividly. This was the first time I dropped a "F Bomb" in front of my Dad and didn't get bitch slapped. He was pissed too. For the FOURTH straight season the Browns took a WR in the second round. This team hadn't taken an offensive lineman higher than a 3rd round pick, but we had taken FOUR WIDE RECEIVERS in the second round in four seasons.

Andre Davis was a sprinter with conerback's hands. He was a crappy WR at Virginia Tech, he was a crappy WR as a Brown. We used a second round pick on a WR that had 63 catches in college. Once again, Butch falls in love with athletes, not football players.

You always hear that Davis should have drafted Clinton Portis, who went with the 51st pick the draft. My contention is the if Portis was drafted by the Browns he would have had a career similar to Green except without the drugs. The Browns, still had no idea how to build a team. Four WR's in the second round showed this.

Andre Davis had two okay seasons in his first two years. He combined in those first two seasons to combine for 77 catches for 996 yards and 11 TD's. After those two seasons he fell off a cliff as a WR as defenses adapted to him. He was a good kick returner. You don't take kick returners in the second round.

Davis was out of Cleveland after three seasons, and has kicked around the league as a kick returner. Shockingly, no other NFL team has ever thought that he was anything more than a 4th or 5th WR and KR.

Career Stats (With the Browns since he is still in the NFL):

93 catches, 1,412 yards, 13 TD's, 21.3 yards per kick return, 1 KR TD

Player we could have drafted: Clinton Portis, Chester Pitts, Anthony Weaver, Deion Branch, Sheldon Brown

11th Pick, 3rd Round, 76th Pick Overall: Melvin Fowler, Center University of Maryland (Traded up from pick 79)

Butch Davis traded Wali Rainer to move up three spots. Rainer was replaced by the signing of Earl Holmes.

Outside of that, Fowler was average at best. Fowler could play both guards and the center position. He was a valuable swing guy that was a back-up for multiple positions. He started 14 games during his three seasons in Cleveland. A nice back-up but was never starter worthy.

Career Stats (In Cleveland he is still in the NFL (Buffalo))

30 games, 14 starts

Players we could have drafted: Akin Adolyele, Chris Hope and Brian Westbrook (Yeah, another Pro Bowl RB)

3rd Pick, 4th Round, 101st Overall: Kevin Bentley, OLB Northwestern University

It was no secret that Butch Davis hated the Browns LB's. He wanted speed LB's like he had in college. That is fine if you have DJ Williams, Jonathon Vilma, Rocky McIntosh, Jon Beason etc. It isn't going to work out so well when you draft the Kevin Bentley's of the world.

Once again, Butch went with who was the best athlete. Bentley had the size and speed to be a good NFL player. Too bad that he just didn't have something much more important, instincts. Bentley was a good special teams player and was able to help out as a reserve when he was asked. He just wasn't they type of LB that made impact plays.

Bentley started 17 games for the Browns (14 in '03 alone) and was no longer a Brown after three seasons.

Career Stats (Only as a Brown, he is still in the NFL (Houston))

128 tackles, 1 FF, 1 INT, 0 sacks

Players we could have drafted: Alex Brown, David Garrard

13th Pick, 4th Round, 111th Pick Overall: Ben Taylor, LB Virginia Tech University

Butch continued his linebacking overhaul. For some reason I liked Ben Taylor. Maybe it was because he was from VT, but I was always thinking that he was going to be better than he was. He never was great, he was just a decent plugger that made tackles 4-5 yards down field. He never made impact plays and was mostly special teams. Sounds an awful lot like Bentley.

He lost an entire season to the dreaded Staph infection in '04 after having a good season in '03 (65 solo tackles in 8 starts). Could he have been a better player if he had never missed that season? Maybe, but his ceiling was probably like a Steven Cooper of San Diego.

He played a season in Green Bay in '06 and was out of the NFL a year later.

Career Stats:

26 starts, 157 tackles, 1 INT

Players we could have drafted: Dave Zastudil, Randy McMichael

24th Pick, 4th Round, 122nd Overall: Darnell Sanders, TE The Ohio State University (Traded up)

I am an Ohio State fan. Always will be. I would have not drafted Darnell Sanders. His college stats were 42 catches for 472 yards. Those are his career numbers. Maybe he was a great blocker, but Butch Davis wasn't a huge fan of blocking TE's. He wanted a TE that could stretch the middle of the field. So why in the hell did he pick Darnell Sanders?

If he wanted a pass catching TE he should have gone for Randy McMichael earlier in the round.

Did I mention that we traded a fifth and a sixth round choice to Oakland for this pick? Not only did we draft a guy who would go on to catch less that 20 passes for us, but we traded up to get him. He was Martin Rucker before Martin Rucker was Martin Rucker.

Anyways, Sanders was let go after two uneventful seasons and spent one year in Atlanta where he did nothing. He was then signed by the Bears but was cut after an off the field incident involving his pit bulls attacking and killing an elderly man.

Career Stats:

18 catches, 118 yards, 2 TD's.

Players we could have drafted: Jarvis Green, Larry Foote, Najeh Davenport (another Miami RB that Butch passed on, did I mention that Davenport had 4.6 YPC for his career? I really think Davenport, given carries, would have been a great RB in this league.)

6th Pick, 5th Round, 141st Overall: Andra Davis, LB University of Florida

Butch kept up the assault on the linebackers. Davis was drafted to be Butch's man in the middle. After sitting behind Holmes in his rookie season Davis exploded with the Browns in '03.

98 solo tackles, 2 forced fumbles, 6 passes defended, and 5 sacks. He was playing like a monster. After that we all know what happened. He was a pile jumper that made tackles 4 or 5 yards downfield. He put up high tackle numbers (60 assisted tackles in '05?) but did little else.

He has always been a whipping boy for Browns fans when pointing out how high tackle totals are a horrible example on how to evaluate a defender. Look at a box score and he looks good, watch a game and he looks invisible.

That being said, Davis was a fifth rounder. For where he was taken, he was a great value pick and helped Butch get some speed into the LB corps. This past season Davis was not retained by the Browns and signed as a free agent in Denver where he had a decent season. Somehow, I was able to hold back the tears when I heard he wasn't going to be a Brown.

Career Stats (Only as a Brown because he is still in the NFL)

450 tackles, 4 forced fumbles, 8 INT's, 8.5 sacks in 7 seasons

Players we could have drafted: Kenyon Coleman (The player taken with the Browns original pick in the Darnell Sanders trade), Aaron Kampman, Jonathan Goodwin, Justin Hartwig, Chester Taylor

16th Pick, 7th Round, 227th Overall: Joaquin Gonzalez, RT University of Miami

A pick I really liked. Gonzalez was the bookend to first rounder Bryant McKinnie, yet he was taken 7 rounds later. He was nowhere as good as McKinnie, but he was worth a gamble.

Shockingly, Gonzalez actually stuck around with the Browns and made 14 starts in his three seasons as a Brown (I don't know if that is a good comment about Gonzalez or a indictment on how poor the Browns offensive lines were.) Once again, even the worst offensive lineman usually have some sort of value to a football team.

Gonzalez made 11 starts for the '04 Cleveland Browns. After the '04 season, Gonzalez was let go and he caught on with the Colts for a season. After that, he was done in the NFL.

Career Stats:

14 starts as a Brown, 11 in '04

Players we could have drafted: Ronald Curry, Raheem Brock, Brett Kiesel, Kevin Shaffer, James Harrison, Bart Scott, Maake Kemoeatu

Draft Recap:

William Green was cut mid-season of his 4th year.
Andre Davis was cut after 3 seasons.
Melvin Fowler was cut after 3 seasons.
Kevin Bentley was gone after 3 seasons.
Ben Taylor was let go after 4 seasons.
Darnell Sanders was cut after 2 seasons.
Andra Davis left as a FA after 7 seasons.
Joaquin Gonzalez cut after 3 seasons.

After 4 seasons, the Browns had 1 player left from this draft. Again, it is almost mind boggling that a team can be so inept at drafting. Plus, again Butch Davis drafts guys that run fast, jump high, and look awesome in their underwear. I refuse to believe that there is a good reason to draft Andre Davis in the second round.

In todays NFL world, first round choices have to be hits. They don't have to be homeruns, but they have to be hits. Butch Davis didn't get this. In his two drafts, Butch Davis drafted two players that both had more red flags than all of China. Butch either didn't care or didn't understand. Did I mention that both players were arrested inside of their first two NFL seasons?

Once again, the Browns were left with a draft that left the cupboard bare in four seasons. So in 2006, the Browns were in a worse place than they were in '02.

Putting these together it has become very clear that the Browns drafts have been fubar'd since the word go. Think of building a football team like building a house. In '99 and '00 Dwight Clark built a garbage foundation. In '01 and '02 Butch Davis has added some paint, drywall and carpet. It doesn't matter if it looks awesome on the inside, the house itself will collapse because it hasn't been built properly.

In the following seasons we would watch this team as it crumbled from the inside out. Other teams that have been successful over this span of time (Patriots, Steelers, Colts and Ravens) have good foundations, hence a winning tradition. The Browns have had none of that. The Browns have been trying to build their franchise ass backwards, and this is becoming more and more obvious with every one of these draft recaps.

I really thought these look backs at the drafts were going to be fun. In reality, they are maddening.

2010 NFL Pro Bowl Open Thread: Go Browns!

2010-01-31T23:44:18Z

More photos » =Name= - AP

8 days ago: Cleveland Browns' Joshua Cribbs (16) and Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson (10) shake hands before the NFL football Pro Bowl Sunday, Jan. 31, 2010, in Miami. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

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The 2010 NFL Pro Bowl is taking place before the Super Bowl this season. Despite the negative response being received by the changes to this year's game, it is receiving more attention from the media than ever before.

Two members of the Browns were named to the Pro Bowl -- KR Joshua Cribbs and LT Joe Thomas. We really won't be able to evaluate Thomas statistically, but hopefully Cribbs is able to put on a nice little show.

AFC Rosters | NFC Rosters

This is the official gameday thread for the Pro Bowl. Any comments about the game should be placed in this thread.

Around the Pound (1/31): Pluto Talks About the Dismal Second Rounders and the Harrison/Vickers Combination

2010-01-31T21:20:48Z

More photos » Keith Srakocic - AP

"Thanks for saving my job." -Mangini

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When the Pro Bowl kicks off tonight, we'll be one week away from seeing this year's Super Bowl between the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints. Both teams definitely deserve to be there as they were the No. 1 seeds in their respective conferences during the 2009-2010 campaign.

In today's edition of Around the Pound, we take a look at Terry Pluto's Sunday column, some notes on former members of the Browns an their coaching careers, and more...

Pluto: Second-Rounders and Vickers' Impact

Pluto had two points to make in his column today. The first one was about the failure the Browns have had in drafting players in the second round. While Mangini's picks from last year are still up-in-the-air and D'Qwell Jackson and Eric Wright were quality picks, the rest of the crop hasn't been too rewarding:

The second round has been a big problem since the team returned in 1999. From 1999 to 2002, the Browns took four receivers in a row: Kevin Johnson, Dennis Northcutt, Quincy Morgan and Andre' Davis. Only Johnson was worthy of being picked that high. ... In 2003, Butch Davis delivered linebacker Chaun Thompson in the second round. Most believed he was a fourth-round or lower talent, and he played like it. In 2004, Davis picked Sean Jones, a so-so safety. In 2005, Phil Savage took a safety that he hoped would be better than Jones, but Brodney Pool has been sidetracked by concussions and inconsistent performances. Savage's biggest mistake in this second-round area was the Williams trade.

In comparison, how has new general manager Tom Heckert fared with his second-round picks?

Here is a list of Heckert's recent second-round picks in Philly: 2009: RB LeSean McCoy (637 yards, 4.1 yards per carry as a rookie). 2008: WR DeSean Jackson (made the Pro Bowl this year). 2007: Kolb. 2006: T Winston Justice (who sat behind three-time Pro Bowl player Shawn Andrews for three years, but started 16 games this year). Beckman's point is, "Why not let Heckert do his job?"

In Pluto's second point, he discusses the impact that FB Lawrence Vickers had on the team's strong running game to close out the season:

Vickers also dueled with coach Eric Mangini early in the season and saw his playing time cut. But he began to buy into Mangini's discipline and paid greater attention to the different blocking assignments. By the end of the season, the Browns believed Vickers was one of the best fullbacks in the NFL.

In the rest of Pluto's column, he talks about how profootballfocus.com ranks the members of the Browns' offensive line on an individual basis. You might be surprised to hear how low Eric Steinbach is ranked.

Another Buddy of Holmgren's Getting Set to Join

The Browns are reportedly close to bringing former Seahawks offensive coordinator Gil Haskell on board as a special adviser to Mike Holmgren. Exactly what would Haskell's job be?

Haskell, 66, is expected to be appointed as an adviser to the Browns president. In that capacity, he may be called on to conduct a thorough evaluation of the Browns' offense and have major input in the direction it takes in the second season of coach Eric Mangini.

Haskell was the Seahawks' coordinator during the successful Shaun Alexander era. If he can provide some input to improve the offensive gameplan next season, mainly with regard to pass plays, then it sounds like another fine addition to the club. I'd like to see the bill for bringing all these guys to Cleveland though. It can't be very cheap to lure so many people with years of NFL experience, on top of Holmgren and Heckert.

Palmer Retiring, Byner to Jaguars

Former Browns head coach Chris Palmer has retired from the NFL. Palmer served as the quarterbacks coach with the New York Giants for the past three years, helping guide QB Eli Manning to a Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots. The Browns were 5-27 during his reign.

Former Browns RB Earnest Byner was unexpectedly fired as the running backs coach of the Tennessee Titans. Considering Chris Johnson's successful season last year, Byner himself remains puzzled with the decision:

"If I'm a boss, I want someone to tell me what they're thinking, tell me about the position," Byner said. "We disagreed sometimes; we agreed other times. Nobody bit their tongue, nobody felt like they had to bite their tongue. … All of us had our opinions at different points. If I'm a head coach, that's what I want."

No worries for Byner though, who quickly found himself a job with the Jacksonville Jaguars a day or so later.

Off-Beat Notes

I'll miss seeing QB Kurt Warner in the NFL. One thing quickly comes to mind though: we're going to see a new NFC West Champion next season. I don't see Matt Leinart being able to lead the offense in the same manner; it should be the 49ers' division to take next year.
On the NFL Network, I've been watching their special on recapping the recent Super Bowls. It's a nice refresher and a way to recap all of the close contests that have taken place over the last decade. The Colts' victory over the Bears was really the last "comfortable" Super Bowl victory.
SB Nation will be represented at the Super Bowl this season:

"Joel Thorman of Arrowhead Pride is going on behalf of SBNation.com, Brad Wells of Stampede Blue is actually taking a road trip from New York to Miami to cover the Super Bowl from a Colts perspective (he stopped in DC recently) and Dave Cariello of Canal Street Chronicles is going down to cover the Super Bowl pretty much the day of the big game."

All three writers should have tremendous coverage on their sites and on SB Nation.com. I'll try to link to some of their special pieces in upcoming editions of Around the Pound.
When I start having dreams about LOST, I know the premiere date is getting close.
We'll have an open thread for the Pro Bowl game later tonight. I don't expect many people to stop by, but if you feel like chiming in a comment or two, feel free to. Joshua Cribbs and Joe Thomas will be taking part in the game.

2009 Season in Review: The Wide Receivers

2010-01-29T02:55:23Z

More photos » Paul Sancya - AP

Don't worry Chansi, Alex will catch you (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

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This is the fourth installment reviewing the 2009 season by position. Part 1- OL; Part 2- QB; Part 3- RB

No position underwent such an overhaul under the Mangini regime than Wide Receivers. At the end of 2008, our depth chart included a stone-handed, hard-headed, physically-gifted jackass, a soon-to-be suspended underacheiver, and a bunch of never-would-be's. Not to mention a supremely talented soilder with a tickicking time bomb for a knee.

Today, I'm not sure if the pass catchers on the team are better or worse. I do know that there is less drama. And the unit looks a lot different. Here's what our WR's did last year and what we can expect in the offseason.

The Players

Braylon Edwards (4 games, 4 starts, 10 catches, 139 YDS, 0 TDs)

Mohamed Massaquoi (16 games, 11 starts, 34 catches, 624 YDS, 3 TDs, -78 DYAR, -23.2% DVOA)

Josh Cribbs, the WR (16 games, 12 starts, 20 catches, 135 YDS, 1 TD, -115 DYAR, -52.7% DVOA)

Chansi Stuckey (11 games, 0 starts, 19 catches, 198 YDS, 1 TD)

Mike Furrey (16 games, 4 starts, 23 catches, 170 YDS, 0 TDs, -44 DYAR, -26.4% DVOA)

Brian Robiskie (11 games, 1 start, 7 catches, 106 YDS, 0 TDs, -37 DYAR, -36.2% DVOA)

Evaluation

It is really difficult to put these numbers in context. For one, except for Massaquoi none of the players had enough playing time or passes thrown their way to have much of a sample size. Also, the quarterback play was so inconsistent or, in my opinion, downright awful for 4/5 of the year, things like catch rate (thanks to DA) and yards per catch (thanks to early season Quinn) aren't the WR's fault.

Some things are hard to ignore. None of our WRs ranked on the positive side of DYAR or DVOA. Stuckey and Massaquoi were both in the bottom ten among qualifying WRs in both of these value stats. And Massaquoi's horrid 36% catch rate on balls thrown his way was 3rd worst among the 89 WRs ranked by football outsiders. Ouch.

But considering where we were coming from at the position, some growing pains were expected.

What we got

After Donte Stallworth had his accident and Winslow was shipped out, I pegged WRas our secondmost pressing need (behind LB) for the draft- regardless of Edwards' status. Mangini responded by drafting two productive, if not explosive, WRs out of big time programs. And when he finally pulled the trigger on an Edwards deal, he acquired another young WR in return in Stuckey. The bottom line is, we have an extermely young WR corps.

I praised the Winslow and Edwards moves. Though I wondered about drafting two WRs so close to eachother, I understood the logic and realized the desperate need we had at the position. But the end result is a lack of top end freakish talent like we had with Winslow and Edwards. Gone is the big play ability of Edwards. Gone is the freakishly good hands of Winslow. Stuckey, Robiskie, and Massaquoi all may turn out to be solid NFL players. But I don't see any of them having the raw talent as their predecessors.

Is Massaquoi a number 1 receiver? Hard to say. There was the argument that Massauoi's best game came when Edwards was the number 1 and coverages rolled to his side of the field. He had 3 solid games, but he was anything but consistent. He made the wrong read (at least compared to the QB) a ton. He struggled to get open. He didn't fight for jump balls. And he showed near-unforgivable lack of effort on some INT returns.

Robiskie couldn't find his way to the field. And when he was on the field, he was a ghost. Effectively erased by #2, #3, and #4 CBs for entire games. Often hailed as the most game-ready NFL receiver in last year's draft, this is really a puzzle. He has good straight line speed, but I don't know if he ever was asked to run a go route- seemingly his forte at Ohio State. Was this another case of Daboll's immaturity/uncreativity? Or just that Robo wasn't as ready as advertised?

Stuckey was so forgettable, despite being here the last 11 weeks of the year, that I have almost nothing to comment on. He had decent output against Detroit and Kansas City, but then, who didn't? Stuckey seems to be depth, and that's about it.

Cribbs-as-starting-WR didn't work out so well. Bad timing, imprecise routes, questionable hands plagued most of the early-season throws to Cribbs. Whats worse, it kept him off the coverage units and seemed to negatively affect his return productivity. By the end of the season, when he lined up at WR, it was to block. That seemed to be appropriate.

Furrey is old, but experienced. He made more of a contribution as a defender than an WR though.

What to look for in the offseason

Think of the 90's Packers, the 00's Seahawks, the late 00's Eagles, the late 00's Jets. Holmgren, Heckert, and Mangini all seem comfortable without a top tier WR. There were some good WRs on those teams, but not the top-10 draft pick type. And not the blockbuster superstar type. There doesn't seem to be a Calvin Johnson or Michael Crabtree in this draft (maybe Dez Bryant), but I wouldn't expect our brain trust to go that way anyway.

That said, I do think we need, at least, a minor injection of talent to the WR corps. Another 2nd rounder seems unlikey, but maybe Holmgren andcompany will find a guy that actually is what Paul Hubbard or Syndric Steptoe was supposed to be. Athletes with NFL promise in the later rounds. Taylor Price and Dexter McCluster come to mind.

With the youth of our current WRs though, maybe a vet is a more practical way to findthat talent. Some potential free agents include (a more complete list can be found here):

Terrell Owens: Always thought this guy got a bad rap. But at this point, he is way past his prime.

Antonio Bryant: I'd be up for this. He is still only 29, and may come at a bit of a discount.

Vincent Jackson (restricted): Top 5 WR. Yes please. But it won't happen- The Chargers would be fools to let him go.

Brandon Marshall (restricted): I'd do it. But I fear the character issues won't mesh with Mangini and Holmgren's "values".

Malcom Floyd (restricted): Yes Please. He's big, strong, fast, good hands. His production isn't eye-popping, but consider all the TDs they gift wrap for LT and Gates in the Chargers' offense. With all the potential free agents the Chargers have, this one may slip through the cracks. Plus, his lowish numbers might mean he won't be too expensive. I'd target him big time.

Around the Pound (1/28): CSU's Proposal for Football, More Additions from Green Bay

2010-01-28T23:32:40Z

via clevelandlodge781.com

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This weekend, Joe Thomas and Joshua Cribbs will be on hand at the Pro Bowl to take part in the event's annual festivities. Many people consider the Pro Bowl to be a joke; as evidenced by the FanPost about it earlier in the week. Over at SBNation.com, there is a special feature on ways the Pro Bowl could possibly be improved.

Another Team to Cheer For?

Could there be a time in the near future that there is another Cleveland football team to cheer for?

Cleveland State wants to know if students would pay higher fees to support a football program.

So, CSU's Student Government Association will conduct a referendum vote April 12-14, asking students whether they would be willing to pay about $4 per credit hour more in general fees. Students currently pay $40 per credit hour -- about 40 percent of which goes toward athletics.

I have mixed feelings, mainly because it would seem difficult for CSU to field a very good team versus the expenses required to start it up at this point; although a good portion of the fees would be financed by student fees. If the Vikings started a football program, they would be "in the 10-team Pioneer Football League, competing against such schools as Butler, Dayton and Drake."

In a best-case scenario, the earliest that CSU could field a team would probably be in 2012, according to President Ronald Berkman.

Holmgren Lures Away More People

Team president Mike Holmgren brought another one of his former staff members to Cleveland yesterday in Mark Schiefelbein, who will serve as the Vice President of Football Operations. Schiefelbein spent 18 years with the Packers; it seems unprecedented that people with such tenure are just flocking to the Browns.

Another Pro Bowler for the Browns

Who could it possibly be!?! Chomps! That's right, if for whatever reason you're in Miami and want to see the Browns' mascot down there, here is where he will be:

Saturday, January 30
8 a.m. – 11 a.m. – Pro Bowl Open Practice at Lockhart Stadium in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
11 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. – US vs. International Pop Warner Game at Lockhart Stadium (open to the public)

Sunday, January 31
4 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. – Tailgate Gate G Parking Lot at Dolphin Stadium
7:30 p.m. – 2010 Pro Bowl at Dolphin Stadium

Off-Beat Notes

So, NBC has just picked up one of Conan O'Brien's pilots, "completely unrelated to Conan's departure." Sure it is. I doubt we ever see NBC actually air Conan's pilot about a Supreme Court Justice.
No need to get into the actual political talk of the State of the Nation -- all I need to say is that I got another good laugh at the absurdity of the annual "stand and clap after every sentence" or "pan to the opposing party still sitting with disgusted looks on their faces" or "see Joe Biden shake his head after every word Obama utters."
Would you buy an iPad? I'd rather just do with a well-functioning laptop.
5 days and counting until LOST. This is bigger than the Super Bowl, folks. ;)

A Look Back: 2001 NFL Draft

2010-01-26T08:00:26Z

Sigh.

Expansion Browns, take 2.

In case you missed them, here are 1999 and 2000.

Two seasons back and the Browns had five combined wins. It was past the honeymoon stage, and the natives were getting restless. On January 11th, Chris Palmer was fired as the Head Coach of the Cleveland Browns. Looking back on it, Palmer was given chicken sh*t and asked to make wedding cake. I don't think that Paul Brown himself would have gotten more than 5 wins out of those teams, the talent just wasn't there.

It took some time, but the Browns decided on hiring Butch Davis, the HC at the University of Miami. I have watched a good amount of football, but I have never, and probably will never again, see the amount of talent that Miami had on their football team under Butch Davis. Look at this roster that Davis left in Miami. Their running backs were Clinton Portis, Frank Gore, Willis McGahee and Najeah Davenport! Their defensive backfield was Ed Reed, Sean Taylor, Antrell Rolle, Kelly Jennings, Phillip Buchannon, and Mike Rumph all first rounders! The fact that Larry Coker only won ONE national title says a lot about him. [Don't forget mad love for the Silver Bullets]

Dwight Clark was kept on as GM, but it would quickly become known that he would have little to no power. The defacto GM would be Davis himself and his own personal do-bitch, Pete Garcia whom he brought in from Miami. Davis was hired late in the game and didn't have much time to prepare for the upcoming draft.

But who cares? We had the greatest evaluator of talent that football had seen in the past 25 years! He was Vince Lombardi and Ron Wolf rolled into one! The Cleveland Browns had their newest great architect for the new decade and it was only a matter of time before we were printing Super Bowl memorabilia.

3rd Pick, 1st Round, 3rd Overall: Gerard Warren, DT University of Florida

In the book False Start, author Terry Pluto gave some awesome insight to the Browns thinking leading up to the draft. The previous regime was in love with Texas Christian University Running Back LaDainian Tomlinson and would have been the pick if Palmer wasn't fired.

But even with holdover GM Dwight Clark, this was the Butch Davis show. Davis had three players on his board, two defensive and one offensive. The offensive player wasn't LT, it was University of Michigan WR David Terrell. Terrell was a huge bust in Chicago and would have done the same here. His two defensive candidates were Richard Seymour and Gerard Warren.

The scouts loved Seymour. He was a high motor guy that could play numerous positions on the defensive line. He didn't have anything that he did poorly and he was strong. He lead a good UGA team in TFL and had zero personal questions. Seymour was a two time All SEC including '99 in front of Warren.

Warren on the other hand was somewhat of a wildcard. At times he flashed amazing potential and was unblockable. He gave himself the nickname of "Big Money" at the University of Florida because he was destined to be a star. His motor was a question mark and his work ethic was even more so of one.

Leading up to the draft, Davis, Garcia and Clark agreed that if he was there at pick number three, Richard Seymour would be the Cleveland Browns number one pick in 2001.

Morning of the draft, Davis had a change of heart. No one but Davis knows why. Some think it was because Davis recruited Warren to Miami but lost out to UF and he now had a shot at hooking the one that got away. No matter the reason, it was Butch's call and he chose "Big Money" Warren.

Warren had a disappointing career in Cleveland. He had decent stats (16.5 sacks in Cleveland), but Warren always let me wanting for more. It seemed that in every game, Warren would have a string of 4-5 plays where he was just destroying the interior of the opposing offensive line. He was a man possessed. Where did that player go the other 50 plays of the game? Why did Warren never have the want to truly be great? Warren is still getting paid in the NFL because he is a rare physical freak. Big, fast and at times nasty.

While I can make excuses for CBrown and Couch, I can't do the same for Warren. Maybe Butch coddled him too much. Maybe he was just lazy. I don't know, but I know that Warren was a major disappointment, and a poor first pick for Butch Davis.

Did I mention that Warren was arrested for gun possession hours after beating Baltimore in '01? Sweet.

He was traded in 2005 to the Denver Broncos for a 4th round draft choice.

Career Stats: (As a Brown, he is still in the NFL)

4 Seasons: 116 Tackles, 16.5 sacks, 4 FF, 4 FR

Players we could have drafted: (Yes I know this is stupid and 100% subjective to many factors, but I always like looking back at who we "could have drafted" just for fun.) LaDanian Tomlinson and Richard Seymour

2nd Pick, 2nd Round, 33rd Overall: Quincy Morgan, WR Kansas State University

Quincy Morgan was a good college WR. He started his career at a JUCO, then exploded on Manhattan (Kansas). He finished his time at KSU with the 5th most yardage as a WR even though he only played there two seasons. His senior season he caught 64 passes for 1,166 yards (18.2 YPC) and 14 TD's.

He wasn't great as a Brown, but he was decent. Not a great trait for a second rounder, but passable. He started 9 games his rookie season and notched 432 yards with 2 TD;'s. His second season was by far his best as a Brown. He notched 56 catches for 964 yards, leading the NFL with a 17.2 YPC and 7 TD's.

In 2004 Morgan was swapped mid-season for notorious head case and uber talented WR Antonio Bryant.

Career Stats:

164 catches, 2,466 yards, 17 TD's

Players we could have drafted: Chad Johnson/Ochocinco, Kris Jenkins, Alge Crumpler, Kyle Vanden Bosch and Shaun Rogers (Drew Brees, Todd Heap, and Reggie Wayne were the three picks before Morgan.)

3rd Pick, 3rd Round, 65th Pick Overall: James Jackson, RB University of Miami

With all the talent that Miami had at running back, we ended up with James Jackson. This guy took the Miami RB job after Edgerian James and left it to Clinton Portis. Only the early Browns would be able to pull a complete scrub from the University of Miami backfield. Once again, our offensive line sucked, but Jackson was nothing to write home about. He stepped in right away and was the starter for the Browns splitting time with Jamel White. To say that he sucked would be a massive understatement. During his rookie season he averaged 2.8 YPC on 195 carries. Wowza that is low. His long run for the season was 22 yards.

His offensive line sucked (Roger Chanoine anyone?) but to not even average 3 yards on almost 200 carries has to be some sort of record of futility. He was traded mid-season in 2004 to the Green Bay Packers, then cut after one game.

Career stats:

325 carries, 1082 yards, 3.3 YPC, 5 TD's, 32 catches, 232 yards

Players we could have drafted: Steve Smith, Kareem McKenzie, Dwight Smith, and Jonas Jennings (Adrian Wilson went the pick before)

2nd Pick, 4th Round, 97th Overall: Anthony Henry, CB South Florida

The best pick of this draft, hands down. Anthony Henry had an awesome rookie season and should have gotten Defensive Rookie of the Year (Kendrell Bell of Pittsburgh got it). He played nickel back (Behind McCutcheon and Corey Fuller) and led the NFL with 10 INT's. He added in a 97 yard INT return for a TD as his signature moment.

From there it was less than awesome. He struggled in man coverage and ways always a pump fake away from being beaten deep or committing defensive PI. He was at his best when he could ball hawk as a nickel back. When he was asked to match up against 1's and 2's, it was a mismatch.

Anthony Henry left the Browns as a FA in 2005. Prior to last season he was traded to Detroit for back-up QB Jon Kitna.

Career Stats (Only as a Brown, since he is still in the NFL):

203 tackles, 17 interceptions, 3 FF, 1 defensive TD

Players we could have drafted: Rudi Johnson, Edgerton Hartwell, and Roberto Garza. Looking back on it, Henry was a great pick in the fourth round.

3rd Pick, 5th Round, 134th Overall: Jeremiah Pharms, LB University of Washington

I just noted that Anthony Henry was maybe the best draft pick since the Browns came back. This one is easily the worst. That isn't a low bar my friends. Here is a quick background on our fifth rounder, Mr. Pharms.

On October of 1999, Pharms was arrested for assulting his wife over an argument over a girlfriend.

On March 14th, 2000, Jeremiah Pharms was involved in a shooting of a local drug dealer. His bloody finger print was at the scene. He was picked out by the victim. One of Pharms old girlfriends car was used in the get away. His DNA, after a prolonged investigation, was proven to be at the scene of the shooting. At the time of the draft, the investigation was still on going.

On December 27th, 2000, Police seized four pit bulls from Pharms house. The dogs were suffering from malnutrition and as the vet called them "all bony prominences". The dogs were never returned to Pharms.

With all of this hanging over his head, the Browns decided to use a fifth rounder on Mr. Pharms.

Shockingly, (I cannot stress the amount of sarcasm I am using here. The guy HAD A BLOODY FINGERPRINT AT THE SCENE OF A SHOOTING!) Pharms was charged in the shooting two months after the NFL Draft.

"This was kind of a shock to everybody, but one of the most horrible things you can do, is jump to conclusions". - Browns Head Coach, Butch Davis

Maybe someone should explain what "shock" means, because Butch and I must have very different ideas.

Needless to say, the Browns cut Pharms before he even put on a Browns uniform. If there was a worst draft pick in NFL history, I am all ears.

Pharms was released from prison and caught on with the New York Dragons of the Arena League. He didn't last one full season. In 2008, Pharms was charged with two felonies, illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and discharging a firearm in a grossly negligent manner that could harm or kill.

Career Stats:

3 felonies, 0 tackles.

Players we could have drafted: Matt Lehr, Ross Hochstein (It was a fugly round, but we drafted the only felon)

2nd Pick, 6th Round, 165th Pick Overall: Michael Jameson, CB Texas A&M University

Dude was really small. Texas A&M had him at 5-11 179lbs going into his final season as an Aggie. He played FS at Texas AM, but he mostly stuck at CB for the Browns. He was mostly a special teamer during his years as a Brown. He only had one start his entire career. He played with the Browns for four seasons. Not the worst return on a sixth rounder.

Career Stats:

17 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT, 1 FF

Players we could have drafted: Cedrick Wilson, Renaldo Hill

3rd Pick, 7th Round, 203rd Overall: Paul Zukauskas, OG Boston College

The thing I always remember Zukauskas was for his blocking on kick returns. He wasn't just an odd shape on returns though, he did start 10 games in 2003. He wasn't great but he was a decent fill in. For a seventh rounder he was a great get. How often can you find a OL that can fill in at all offensive line positions? That was a nice find by Butch.

Career Stats:

18 Starts, 10 in '03

Players we could have drafted: T.J. Houshmanzadeh (pick right after Zukauskas), Kynan Forney, and Marlon McCree

43rd Pick, 7th Round, 245th Pick Overall: Andre King, WR University of Miami

Andre King was more athlete than football player. King played in the Reds and Braves minor league systems. Butch always seemed to go after Miami players or players that he recruited. Usually this wouldn't bother me, but it always seemed like Davis was reaching for the wrong Miami guys.

This being said, King was a decent gamble. He was a great athlete and could have been a good player. He always seemed to make the team for no reason under Davis. He stuck around for 4 seasons even though it seemed that he never made much of an impact. Think of him as an athletic Syndric Steptoe.

Career Stats:

30 catches, 327 yards, 0 TD's

Players we could have drafted: Antonio Pierce, Stephen Neal and Nick Harper

Draft Recap:

Looking back at this draft, I would have to give the Browns a D+. We got an overpaid, off-the-field mess at DT. A WR that was a question mark at best. A RB that sucked big time. Outside of Anthony Henry the Browns got zero playmakers out of this draft. Did I mention that we drafted a player who was arrested weeks after the draft for a shooting that happened before the draft? HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN?!

Davis had a drafting strategy. Draft athletes. It's what makes Davis a great college HC. He can take those athletes, plug them in and destroy a lesser college. In the NFL, everyone has great athletes. Butch never understood this.

Once again, the Browns had another draft at the top of the draft board and we came away with nothing special. If you look at this drafts ('99-'01), it would blow your mind that Butch somehow took this team to a 7-9 record in '01. These horrible drafts set up what was coming in three years, another massive rebuilding.

Too Funny: Braylon Edwards Disses Jets Playcalling

2010-01-25T16:26:41Z

More photos » Mark Duncan - AP

Edwards has his first meaningful catch in weeks and the ego-meter skyrockets.

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In the official gameday thread we had on Dawgs By Nature yesterday, a few of us joked around at what Braylon Edwards would say after "his" Jets were ousted from the postseason by the Indianapolis Colts. As arrogant and annoying as Edwards is, even I didn't expect him to turn on the Jets so quickly...

From Pro Football Talk...

New York Jets wide receiver Braylon Edwards got off to a big start on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts. But after his 80-yard touchdown in the second quarter, Edwards never caught the ball again.

After the game, Edwards hinted that he wasn't pleased with the second-half play calling.

"I don't call the plays," Edwards said. "I just run them."

Edwards also said "We didn't have the same attitude" in the second half, and when reporters asked him if he felt like he wasn't used enough, he said, "I don't know. You have to interview the players and coaches. It just wasn't the same."

Both Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said they thought an appropriate number of plays were called for Edwards, although Schottenheimer added that the Colts shifted their coverage to make it harder to get Edwards open deep.

Asked if he was upset, Edwards said, "No disrespect, but you witnessed the game."

Although Braylon didn't have a huge drop, quotes like these are just as fun to see because they continue to expose Braylon's cancerous presence to a team. After New York fans start hating him, I'd love to see what excuse he and his father come up with for two vastly different cities having such hatred toward this "star" player.

Rufio's Playbook: There Are Really Only Two Kinds of Defenses

2010-01-25T05:59:58Z

OK, to say there are only two kinds of defenses is a blatant oversimplification.

But really, when it comes down to it pass defenses can be classified in to one of two categories:

MOFO (stands for Middle Of Field Open)

MOFC (stands for Middle of Field Closed)

Cornerbacks Lie

There is an old coaching cliché that "cornerbacks lie, but safeties tell the truth", and like many of those clichés, it isn't completely meaningless. This is one of the ways in which football is infinitely complex, yet painstakingly simple: no matter what crazy things the defense is doing underneath, the safeties still often lead a QB to the correct receiver. Because of this, many pass offenses base their reads off of the safeties.

Teams will use different terminologies to describe what the safeties are doing, but almost all offenses will utilize both a pre-snap and post-snap read of the safeties. This means that the QB (and probably the receivers) will look at the safeties once they have broken the huddle and set the formation. They'll be thinking:

"How many safeties are deep? Is one of them occupying the deep middle of the field or are they wider out on the hashes? Are they split evenly? Is one rolled up near the line of scrimmage?"

Again after the snap, while the QB is making his drop and the WR is beginning to run his route, they will probably make the same read again, asking the same questions. What the defense tells you before the snap and what they give you after the snap can be entirely different.

No Safety in the Middle of the Field = MOFO

MOFO defenses are also sometimes called "two-high" defenses. They include Cover-2, Cover-4, and Cover-0 defenses. Basically all this means is that there is no pass defender occupying the deep middle of the field.

Cover 2

Cover 4

Safety in the Deep Middle = MOFC

MOFC defenses are also called "one high" or "three high" defenses. They include Cover-1, Cover-3, and potentially what some teams call Cover-8 (quarter-quarter-half) defenses.

Cover 1

Cover 3

Simple, right? There is someone there or there isn't someone there.

The MOFO or MOFC read will be important to the offense in several situations, but I'd like to highlight it's importance to two "option" routes: the "divide" (or "seam read") route, as well as the "middle-read" route.

Divide and Conquer

The "divide" or "seam read" route is designed to attack whatever coverage the defense plays. The receiver running the route wants to read the seams created by the safeties, and to get between (divide) them. This means against MOFO coverages, he will run a post, right in the deep middle of the field. Against MOFC, he will run a "seam" route:

MOFO: post

MOFC: seam

The Middle Read

The "middle read" route is quite similar to the divide. If the defense is in a MOFO coverage, the receiver will still run a post into the void created by the deep defenders. The difference from the divide is that against a MOFC coverage, the receiver will run a deep crossing route or a square in, in front of the deep defenders:

MOFC: square in

Using either of these routes, the offense can easily figure out what the defense is giving them and take it. They afford the offense flexibility on the fly, even against defenses that are good at disguising what they are doing. At the same time, they are intuitive and allow a lot of freedom to receivers because they allow the receiver to do what receivers like to do: run to open grass.

NFL Championship Sunday: Open Game Thread

2010-01-24T16:49:19Z

More photos » Paul Sancya - AP

Will Brett Favre's magical season with the Vikings lead to a Super Bowl appearance, or will Drew Brees and company advance instead?

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Today is the day that will determine which two teams will face off on February 7 in the Super Bowl. We almost had a rarity in today's NFL era where both the AFC and NFC Championships would have featured the No. 1 vs. the No. 2 seeds, but the New York Jets prevented that by stunning the San Diego Chargers last week. Will Peyton Manning be able to lead the Colts past the Jets' Darrelle Revis? Can Brett Favre lead the Vikings to a Super Bowl in his first season with the team by outshooting Drew Brees' offense?

If you would like to comment on either of the games, whether it be before, during, or after the game(s), please do so here. The brief previews are after the jump.

AFC Divisional: New York Jets vs. Indianapolis Colts (3:00 PM, CBS) [See SB Nation Coverage Here]

When you look at the New York Jets minus Braylon Edwards, you can have an appreciation for how they've been able to win two playoff games thus far against division leaders. Last week, they ended the Chargers' long winning streak on the road. Despite being down a little bit early, the defense held it together and did not allow the height advantage of San Diego's receivers bring them down.

CB Darrelle Revis continues to be amazing for the Jets; you'd think that one of these times, Revis would get beat on even a simple 10-yard pattern or something. Any time a throw goes his way though, it seems to get intercepted or tipped away. Will that be the case for Peyton Manning, arguably the league's best quarterback? Revis should be lined up against Reggie Wayne most of the day, but that could be a problem for the Jets. Manning has no problem not going to a receiver -- there have been times where he's thrown the ball to someone like Dallas Clark almost 10 times in one drive.

Offensively, the Jets have stuck to a sound running game. There entire gameplan revolves around their offense not falling behind by two possessions though, because if they do, odds are that Mark Sanchez will have to put more weight on his shoulders. He's done very well as a supplement to the running game, but if the ground game has to be abandoned, I still have my doubts in him.

These two teams met not to long ago. The Colts had a 14-0 record in Week 16 and were battling the Jets in Indianapolis. The Colts had the advantage in the third quarter, but the Jets were still very much in the game. Indianapolis then pulled their starters and watched backup quarterback Curtis Painter hand the Jets a win. It was a much-needed win for the Jets, but the Colts' coaching staff could care less.

The Jets have had a great run, but it ends today against the the Colts. Colts win by 14.

NFC Divisional: Minnesota Vikings vs. New Orleans Saints (6:40 PM, FOX) [See SB Nation Coverage Here]

I don't think there's any arguing that this is the best NFC Championship match the league could have asked for. Although both teams struggled the last few weeks of the season (compared to their red-hot starts), both teams were unstoppable against two powerhouses in the Arizona Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys last week.

Each team is led by well-respected, team-leading quarterbacks. Brett Favre has had the best passing season of his career, and Drew Brees has been Drew Brees.

The thing you have to appreciate about both teams, and the reason why both teams are so dangerous, is the amount of different weapons/playmakers they have. Since Adrian Peterson's struggles began, neither team has really had a "go-to-guy" (not including the quarterbacks) on offense.

The Saints can get you with any one of Marques Colston, Devery Henderson, Robert Meachem, Jeremy Shockey, Reggie Bush, or Pierre Thomas. The Vikings can get you with any one of Sidney Rice, Percy Harvin, Bernard Berrian, Visanthe Shiancoe, Adrian Peterson, or Chester Taylor.

Both teams feature an array of defensive specialists too, from the Vikings' Jared Allen to the Saints' Darren Sharper. These two teams are so evenly matched on paper that it's hard for me to break down why a particular team will win over the other. I'll ride with the home Saints in a down-to-the-wire comeback effort. Saints win by 4.

Chris' Playoff Record To Date: 3-5

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Feel free to share your own predictions on today's games in this thread as well.

Around the Pound (1/23): Now It's Stan Edwards Making Excuses

2010-01-23T18:21:58Z

More photos » Bill Kostroun - AP

19 days ago: New York Jets wide receiver Braylon Edwards attempts to catch a pass during football practice on Thursday, Jan. 21, 2010, in Florham Park, N.J. The Jets play the Indianapolis Colts in the NFL AFC championship football game on Sunday, Jan. 24 in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

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Welcome to a Saturday edition of Around the Pound. The AFC and NFC Championship games are tomorrow, and both contests should be intriguing match-ups. I'd rather not see the Jets make the Super Bowl, but even with them, almost every hypothetical Super Bowl match should be an entertaining one.

Stan Edwards Buying His Own BS

As if it wasn't annoying enough that WR Braylon Edwards persisted in trashing the Cleveland Browns ever since he the Jets made the postseason, now his father, Stan Edwards, is following in his footsteps. This comes from Tony Grossi's interview with Stan:

[Edwards'] father, Stan, said the relationship between Edwards and Cleveland fans was never going to improve and he is "100 percent sure" the root of the problem lies with Edwards being a University of Michigan graduate in Ohio State country.

[Stan] Edwards does not think his son's history of dropped passes, or the perception of him disrespecting quarterback Charlie Frye in one memorable moment in a 2006 game, or his famous outspokenness, or his off-the-field incident right before his trade are in the same league as the Michigan affiliation.

"There have been [Browns] who played for Michigan (Steve Everitt, Leroy Hoard, Derrick Alexander, Thom Darden) that didn't get the flak that Braylon got. I would agree with that," he said. "But the fact of the matter is there are so many people who didn't like him because he played for Michigan and gave him more crap and actually put our lives in danger on more than one occasion.

"But that's what fans do. Nobody can hold the fans accountable. It's virtually impossible. But Braylon's drops get talked about more in Cleveland because he is from Michigan. You can't tell me anything different."

In the rest of the article, Stan attempts to say that Kellen Winslow had the same problems catching the football and false starting and yet did not receive the same flak that Braylon did. Talk about being blind to reality. These comments come a few weeks after Stan did not make excuses for Edwards or slam the Browns organization. Now the entire family is on the douche-list, and it's not because Braylon played for Michigan -- it's because of comments exactly like the ones presented in the interview.

Cribbs Talks Going Well

In case you missed it yesterday, things are starting to look a little bit brighter in the contract negotiations with Joshua Cribbs. The new front office has stated that a "take it or leave it" offer was never offered. That supposed "offer" was presented, perhaps with that tone, by Dawn Aponte, according to Cribbs' agents. I still wonder whether the verbiage she used/how she handled the situation will be the cause of her soon-to-be-departure.

Either way, a few weeks after the initial "uh-oh," it's starting to look like Cribbs will play for the Browns again for many years to come.

Chudzinski Receiving an Interview in Chicago

Former Browns offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski is interviewing with the Chicago Bears. The Bears are looking to fill their offensive coordinator position. Since leaving the Browns, Chudzinski went back to San Diego as an assistant coach with the tight ends. Current Browns defensive coordinator Rob Ryan praised Chudzinski's abilities:

"That guy is outstanding," Ryan said on "The Waddle & Silvy Show." "There's a great mind right there. ... He does a great job. He had this Cleveland Browns offense clicking just two years ago. He's been fantastic."

Droughns Under Investigation

According to reports, former Browns RB Reuben Droughns is under investigation after authorities discovered an indoor marijuana farm in the spare bedrooms of his residence. Droughns claims he needs it for medicinal purposes. Raise your hand if you believe him.

Off-Beat Notes

I mentioned Ghostbusters 3 a few days ago, and there's another rumor regarding it now: the film could be done in 3D.
That was a fun few weeks of the Late Night saga, wasn't it? Unfortunately, with Conan O'Brien's final show on NBC airing yesterday, the fireworks are probably going to die off for a little bit (at least until September). Ratings-wise, Conan went out with a bang, having a 7.0 rating/16 share on Friday. That is a huge number for the 11:35 pm timeslot. In comparison, Letterman had a 2.5/5. I would love nothing more than for Jay Leno to return to pitiful ratings in March.
I heard reports that one frame or so was released by ABC promoting the upcoming season of LOST. I'll try to stay away from it until February 2. If I see it before that while I'm watching ABC programming though, I'll probably keep my eyes open for a quick peak. If you want to know about it, here is a link though.
Winter ending early? The high could get up to 45 degrees in Cleveland today, but rest assured, we'll be back underneath the 30s with flurries by next week.