Browns do well vs. Falcons

Ah, what a relief! The Browns avoid a winless preseason and look pretty good in doing so against a pretty good Falcons team.

Good things: By far the most important thing -- the defense got penetration. Warren made a couple decent plays. Courtney Brown looked superb, including nearly getting a sack and forcing an interception on another play. If Brown can contribute like this he might approach what we've always hoped for him. The first-team secondary didn't really get beat. Holcomb's passes were sharp and he hit KJ perfectly in stride on the opening play. Green ran hard and you can tell he's starting to dial it up. KJ, Nortcutt, and Andre Davis looked very good. Faine did get beat on a Couch sack, but most of the time he handled his guy. Even Couch looked very good going 7 for 8 until he was sacked and stripped of the ball. I think Couch is back into things and it looks like he'll be ready if Holcomb goes down. McKinley looked great again and he could no doubt start if needed.

Bad things: It was an uneventful game for the linebacker. The most impressive were Boyer and Unck, and that can't be a very good sign. Andra Davis and Taylor both missed tackles on Warrick Dunn. And, of course, Verba left with an arm injury. This could be devastating, though initial reports said it was a hyper-extended elbow and x-rays were negative so I'm hoping for the best. The running game struggled on many plays, though Green and Jackson ran hard and the Falcons strength is in their front 7.

Who makes the team, and who gets cut? Well, C.J. Jones looked good again and he can count on a spot. Contrary to what Ace Davis said a couple weeks ago, I'm starting to wonder if Unck can make this team as he looked pretty good at time. Kevin McLeod had an awesome special teams tackle. There's gotta be 1 or 2 DBs who make it, but it's hard for me to really differenciate between them.

All in all, it was very nice to see the team apparently round into shape. While this was by no means a dominating performance, it was nevertheless a very encouraging one and now it's not hard to imagine this team competing well with the Colts next week.

For me, I won't be posting until next Tuesday. Viva Las Vegas...

Boller in Baltimore

Sounds like it is close to happening. I guess that's a good thing for the other AFC North teams, but it's not like there's a huge drop-off from Redman to a hot-shot rookie.

Another Put-Down Before Last Tune-Up

Oh man, Sportsline is predicting 6-10 for the Brownies. I suspect we will see plenty of predictions like this, and they are not unreasonable either. Remember the Chiefs last year -- best player in the NFL in Priest Holmes and they were a .500 non-playoff team. We can't win without a half-way decent defense.

Tonight the Browns face an Atlanta team adjusting to the loss of their star QB. Doug Johnson will do okay this season, but in his first start it's a good opportunity for the Browns D to apply some pressure to a quarterback. They haven't really done it yet and now is the time -- remember, we're just ten days away from the opener vs the Colts and Manning/Harrison/James.

I'll be watching:

• Warren -- he's got to show something again and build off of last week.
  
• C Brown -- just play for a while, build some confidence. One nice pass rush would be nice.
  
• Bentley and Taylor -- these guys have been nearly invisible thusfar. I'll be looking for an indication that they're starting to get comfortable to make some plays.
  
• McCutheon and Henry -- adequate play would be fine. I don't want to see McCutheon miss a tackle or Henry be grossly out of position.
  
• The injured guys: Griffith just needs to get on the field, Jamel White needs to touch the ball a couple times, Andre Davis needs to run some routes and hopefully have a pass thrown his way.
  
• The backup DL -- McKinley, Word, Rogers, Claybrooks, etc. will have to contribute a lot this year. I'm not terrible concerned if these guys play the run well tonight; it'd be better to see them attack effetively on passing downs.

Fantasy draft recap

Fantasy draft last night was interesting. I apparently am drastically underestimating Holcomb and Green (and am happy to report that). Green went in the middle of the second round, Holcomb in the 5th or 6th. Both players could definitely live up to those draft positions, but it was surprising to see Holcomb get drafted well head of a guy like Bledsoe. KJ and Northcutt also went in my league, more or less where expected.

My draft? Well, no Browns for on thing; I did not want to overpay for the home team. Our league allows playing 3 WR each week, and I think excellent WRs are actually more scarce than excellent RBs. So with the 7th position I was able to more or less stick to my strategy -- draft one great RB, at least 3 great WRs, a top-flight TE and take a chance at QB in the later rounds.

1. Marvin Harrison - I went with Harrison because I didn't think he'd last until my next pick at #14.
2. Travis Henry - Was very happy Henry was available here as I was considering selecting him in the first.
3. Tony Gonzalez - I really do like him better than Shockey this year. I hope I'm right.
4. Hines Ward - Crazy on the wide outs here... at this point in the draft it was either pick a QB or a WR as the remaining RBs were not worth the draft position. Ward will, I think, see the ball a ton this year.
5. Koren Robinson - I'm not sold on Robinson but his potential was too much to turn down.
6. Chad Johnson - I would have been happy with Johnson as my 2nd WR. Some of my guys above have the same bye weeks so, again, I thought WR was a better pick than a crappy RB.
7. Troy Hambrick - One of the last starting RBs available, and the only one with a chance to excel. Hopefully I only spot start him.
8. Tom Brady - My theory -- NE is gonna pass a ton because they have no worthy running backs.
9. Matt Hasselbeck - Not sure if Hasselbeck or Brady will be my starter. One of them should put up good numbers.
10. Michael Pittman - Taking a flyer that the dude isn't in jail.
11. Anthony Thomas - Taking a flyer that the Bears and Thomas give me 1 or 2 good games this year. Long shot.
12. Marc Bulger - A third QB and a decent chance he could be my starter if Warner goes down. I think Bulger could put up big numbers again is given a shot.
13. Raiders D/ST - They have good cornerbacks. Traditionally the Raider score well defensively, although they weren't anything special last year.
14. John Carney - Eh, it was him or Vinitieri. I went with Carney only cause he kicks indoors and seemed to be ranked higher. I usually add/drop kickers and defenses anyway.
15. Patriots D/ST - Taking a chance that the Pats preseason defense translates into a great regular season.
16. Santana Moss - No idea what I was thinking. Actually, our league allows selecting only four running backs so I had to go WR or TE. Maybe Moss and the jets will do something.

I was happy with the first 5 or 6 rounds of the draft. After that, I was hoping to get Onterrio Smith or Holcomb. Unfortunately both went in around the 5th and I had to scramble for a second running back and take chances on Pittman and Thomas. I'll be scouting the waiver wire for a 2nd RB. All in all, my team is obviously overly reliant on the receiving core. Every year, each team feels like theyhave wide receiver depth, but I think my team actually has 4 guys who could be top 15 players. I hope that positions me well to handle injuries or to make some significant deals later on.

Fantasy draft countdown

I have my fantasy draft tonight. It's a 10-team "traditional" scoring league and we start 1 QB, 1 RB, 1 RB/WR, 2 WR, 1 TE, 1 K, 1 D each week. To some extent, I'm clueless about this year's draft because there are so many players with both huge potential and serious question marks. But on a few things I have some thoughts, especially the Browns...

1. William Green seems to be a consensus top 20 back and he should be. Despite not having the best numbers last season, Green still showed plenty and has the potential to be a top 10 back this year. He's going in rounds 2-4, and I think round 3 is about right. Since my league is full of Cleveland-area players it wouldn't be shocking to see him go ahead of the good-but-not-great RBs in the second round.
   
2. Kelly Holcomb is a big wildcard. He could go in the 6th or as late as the 16th. I think he's a 9th rounder, which means he's among the better backups. Even amongst Browns fans I don't see anyone gambling on Kelly being their starting QB. But it's always nice to draft a player who may wind up besting your starter down the stretch.
   
3. Quincy Morgan is a big sleeper. He's more of a #3 receiver than a #2 at this point. While everyone expects the Browns to score points, there are a lot of undetermined things affecting how much Morgan will get the ball. Holcomb is a bit of an unknown but I'd think it would help Morgan see more deep balls. Green's emergence is likely to reduce the amount of passing overall. The team's poor defense may result in the offense playing from behind, which would seem to increase the passing. Then the fact that there will be 4 or 5 nice receivers on the roster means Morgan will have competition for catches. And of course Morgan's penchant for the occasional drop or somewhat boneheaded play makes it hard to really rely too much on him. I think he'll go before Holcomb in most draft though, which means he's an 8th round pick.
   
4. Kevin Johnson is a true sleeper this year. If the Browns wind up passing more than they want (and it is likely) then KJ will get more catches than expected. Holcomb seems to attack wherever the defense is softest, and now that KJ is the #2 guy he may see some better matchups. Plus he's got fantastic hands. KJ will drop but he will be a nice #3 receiver as a 9th rounder.
   
5. Northcutt will make a big fantasy impact if there are injuries to other wide outs and he continues to be electric returning punts. Draft him in the 13th and hope things play out. Really, Terry Glenn or Ah-Zahir Hakim are not going to make your season but a guy like Northcutt could.
   
6. Andre Davis is a bit like Northcut for different reasons, namely that Morgan gets hurt or is benched and Davis builds on a nice rookie season. Also, remember Davis looked good early with Holcomb at the helm last year. I'd pick him ahead of Northcutt if he is healthy. Right now health is a question. 11th or 12th.
   
7. Jamel White is a late draft pick, or will go undrafted (which is criminal). I'd personally rather have White than most team's backups cause he'll play 3rd downs all the time, and if he is pressed into starting duty that means a ton of playing time. Take him over all the other guys on the RB sacrp heap, guys like Marcel Shipp, etc. White's a 14th rounder.
   
8. Lee Suggs is listed here because people are actually drafting him. Don't. There's been talk of him being the goalline back, but it seems increasingly unlikely. Besides having a shoulder injury and not playing, William Green and Jamel White seem to do quite well in goalline packages. And how many 1-yard touchdown runs is a Browns RB really going to get this year? While Suggs may prove to have some value, he's more like a free agency guy late in the year if circumstances dictate.
   
9. Tim Couch is not getting drafted, though one could make a case for taking a flyer on him. As far as backups go, at least he'd inherit a good offense. But it may be hard to excel with all the baggage. If you have space at the end of the draft it;s worth considering anyway. But it's like betting double zero in roulette... and it only pays 3-1.

For non-browns.... Shockey seems over-rated this year; I'd rather have Gonzalez.... Hines Ward or Burress? I don't know which is better.... Chad Johnson seems to be among the better WRs, even with Kitna at the helm.... The Raven offense looks ugly, and if the defense doesn't dominate even Jamal Lewis may not have a very good year... Tommy Maddox is not a fantasy starter... I'd draft Bulger if he was available late... No Jets WRs seem worthwhile... Plummer is a backup, and not a good one at that... Of all the top RBs, Shaun Alexander's massive talent and inconsistency make for a tough combination... I wonder if Corey Dillon is in the doghouse... A lot of fantasy seasons will depend on players from the Saints and Seahawks and that is just nuts... After you look around the league it's clear that the Browns have a good shot at someone having a fantasy breakout season... I want to root for Favre and the Packers, but O-line and health questions temper my enthusiasm... Onterrio Smith is worth taking a gamble on... Josh Reed is not...

Gerard is still news, Jones has to make team

I'm hoping for the best from Gerard Warren -- and let's face it, the Browns have a lot rising on him this season -- but I'm not buying this stuff yet. I know he had a decent game against the Lions and it's a big relief to see him make an impact, but it's not like he was a world-beater out there. He's got to show up consistently when it counts. If he's not a Pro-Bowler, fine. But he has to be considered a consistent force around which the rest of the defense can play.

It isn't really news that C.J Jones will likely make the team, but that fact that Antoine Burns was waived is. Burns looked pretty good in preseason action -- tall with speed. I'm a bit surprised he did go until the final cut, but I have to admit I couldn't follow his performance closely enough to really see all his strengths + weaknesses, but my guess is that he wasn't going to contribute much on special teams and that is a necessity from any 5th or 6th receiver. C.J. Jones has shown nice skills on kickoff returns and I suspect he could return punts if given the chance. I think Jones will be a big asset on this team to back up Davis and Northcutt -- no more pressing KJ in to duty returning punts.

Nate Hybl got cut too. Josh Booty has quietly developed into a decent back-up so Hybl was unlikely to get a roster spot. But he did look ok in mop-up duty so it's possible he'll be back on the practice squad or catch on elsewhere.

Are You Ready? The Browns Aren't, Not Yet Anyway

Nice article by the always reliable Patrick McManamon in the Akron Beacon Journal today. I don't want to harp on Tony Grossi too much cause he's sometimes fantastic, but McManamon's article is a great example of a reporter giving measured criticism while still reporting what happened, as opposed to quoting hearsay and trying to perhaps influence events. Bottom line in the article? The "Browns aren't close," there's lots of work left undone mostly on the defensive side of the ball and, perhaps, there are some things left to be desired from a coaching standpoint. It's all wrapped up with the dead-on accurate, if not exciting, statement: "What's the prognosis for the season? That's a tough one. The preseason indicators are not good -- mainly because the defense hasn't stopped anybody. But like the stock market, the indicators can be misleading."

Oh yeah, I've been posting/not posting at weird times due to a lot of offline time lately. The viruses going around have definitely slowed things down. What can you do...

Some random notes:

1. Something tells me Tommy Maddox is in for a rough season. He hasn't looked too good in the preseason and with a struggling running game defenses are going to be waiting for Maddox to soft-toss balls.
   
2. Jake Plummer last night on MNF -- I've never really seen him as a star and last night didn't change my mind, despite the occasional impressive throw. His arm strength looked great but he screwed up enough for the fans to boo him; it could be an interesting season there.
   
3. Former Steeler 1st-round bust Troy Edwards may get cut from the Rams. If so, he may stay on the scrap heap. Kind of crazy -- just a few years ago Steeler fans were happy how he'd caught so many balls as a rookie. Too bad the Steeler brass figured out how to draft wide receivers after that...
   
4. More entertainingly, Cleveland favorite Akili Smith got cut from the Packers. That guy is rich due to his big rookie payday, but he's still a moron. Seeya Akili. I'm telling you, bad things happen when you lead your team to victory on the road and proceed to give the finger to the home-town fans.... Akili did it in '99 in Cleveland, Couch in 2002 at Baltimore. Who's next?
   
5. Despite my initial reaction, Gerard Warren wasn't too bad Saturday night. Still, a couple pressures does not a Pro Bowler make. Hopefully it's a start though.
   
6. I think Vinny will play decent QB for the Jets. Pennington doesn't make or break the team. And that team is not so great with either guy playing.
   
7. Ryan Kuehl is hurt for the Giants. So is Ignatius grad Dan O'Leary. In fact, all the Giants long-snappers are hurt.
   
8. The whole AFC North could stink. I'd probably rate it from top to bottom as Steelers, Browns, Bengals, Ravens. The Steelers offense will struggle and the defense isn't great, but they are the most complete. The Browns D looks terrible but they'll fight it out with anyone. The Bengals will be bad, just not as bad as they traditionally have been, and they'll win a few for the new coach. The Ravens offense is well below par and the defense will regress. 9-7 might win this division.

Peter King keeps the hits comin'

SI's Peter King weighs in a bit on the Browns in his weekly column. He usually has an entertaining read, but at least once a column he writes something that reminds you he's a blowhard who paints in the broadest possible strokes. One of the dumb things he says this week is that Gerard Warren, in addition to playing poorly in the preseason, is a defensive end. Hey, I understand making an occasional mistake, but you're a NFL reporter about to call out a slacking player in national publication the least you can do is get the player's position right. He also states that in the Browns first preseason performance Couch's performance was "a disaster" --- that was the game where Couch, despite going only 4/8 for 17 yards, bascially did nothing wrong while Holcomb did only somewhat better. King should know that if you don't watch the game you can't accurately report on it. Of course, maybe that's why he spends so much of his column talking about Starbucks coffee and field hockey instead of the NFL.

Barbecue, Tim, and Bafflement... last week of the pretend games.

A barbecue sauce named after Kelly Holcomb and now hitting store shelves is made in Pittsburgh. Screw that. Then again, why do people in Pittsburgh like to invest in pro sports players who burn them? As recently as a couple years ago there was still a popular downtown spot named after former Steeler Rod Woodson even after Woodson won a Super Bowl with the Ravens.

Elsewhere, The Lake County News-Herald makes the point that we should be concerned that Couch looked so bad. They're right, but I'm willing to give it a week or two. What Couch is undergoing is kind of a complete rebuilding -- and this past week was part of the demolishion of his former "starter" status. Looking so bad against the Lions should, at least, prove to everyone that the guy has to reset his mind and work his butt off to be a good backup. It's been said many times, but being a backup can turn a good player into a very good one, especially mentally. Couch was/is a good player who seemed to lack a certain mental even-keeledness (sp? hehe). Well, now here's a chance to develop that. If I were Davis I'd have Couch run the scout team in practice an regularly try and emulate all kinds of different offensive schemes. Just like in baseball you treat a relief pitcher's arm (and mind) differently than a starter's, now it's time for the coaches to change Couch's approach to reframe his mental outlook and learn another part of the game. While Couch's initial backup performance was not good, it alwso wasn't surprising. Let's give it a couple weeks, hope Holcomb isn't injured in the early season, and take it from there.

The headline writers had a good time saying that Earl Holmes is "baffled", but read the article and it's not so bad. I think deep down Holmes knows the defensive changes were a convergence of age and money, but as a highly paid (and still highly capable) veteran he's not going to endorse that kind of strategy.

Oh yeah, first cuts are right around the corner...

Ace speaks

Ace Davis has some interesting thoughts on the game Saturday, not to mention first-hand experience since he was at the game. A few years ago I believed that one could watch the game just as well on tv at home as at the game, but it's not true.... you just don't see plays develop on television. TV gives no sense of how a secondary is really playing, how roll-outs, screens, short outs get stopped or become big plays. How routes off the ball change the outcomes of a play. Etc. Anyway, some of Ace's most interesting points...

That James Jackson and Jamel White looked good. I thought White was just getting back into the swing of things, but Jackson certainly made some nice runs. I agree whole-heartedly that skill positions will be a strength of this team, but it won't be a surprise.

"If Mason Unck makes the final roster, head for the hills." Hehe, couldn't have said it any better. I don't think there's any freaking way Unck makes the team though. At least I sure as hell hope not.

"C.J. Jones looks like a keeper." No doubt. The only way that dude gets cuts is if he is hurt or, for some strange reason, the team goes for more height if Andre Davis' injury lingers. But given Dennis Northcut's fragility, having a guy like Jones would seem to be invaluable.

Ugly game

Well, things did not go so well tonight vs. the Lions. Oh well. I would have been nice to see the offense move the ball a bit better, though Holcomb did engineer a nice TD drive on the second posession. After that, though, it was kind of slow going. William Green didn't play. Jamel White looked like he was shaking off some rust tonight. Anyway, I'm not too concerned about this game. I really think the team just needed to go out and play a game without a QB battle going on and worry instead about fundamentals. The results were not so great tonight but it's preseason, and with another game to go I think the team will be okay... but that doesn't mean we'll be good.

The defense is a huge concern. I still think it will round into shape to be average or slightly below. That should keep games close and exciting. But the way the secondary has gotten killed and the lack of a pass rush are ominous signs. Lang needs to get his act together.

The poor rushing performance tonight, however, really is worrisome. I know Green didn't play but there's not reason for the Browns to get only a measly 59 yards on the ground tonight. I thought things looked good last week vs. Green Bay. Early tonight Jackson has some nice runs and early things went well. I'm optimistic the OL will do it's job, but if there's one thing to take from this game that is perhaps a bit unexpected, this is it.

Couch was not sharp tonight. I'm tired of making excuses for him, though obviously it was a long week for the dude. Still, fumbling your first snap is kind of like throwing an interception in the first pass of your career....

Oh yeah, you think CJ Jones made the team? Catches a TD and, much more importantly, had a very nice kickoff return. He's gonna be the 6th receiver.

Did Warren get a tackle tonight? I don't think he did. He didn't suck completely, but c'mon. He's gonna get booed after the first few games at this rate. People thought Couch got it bad...

Stuff we already know

The Cleveland Browns web site is talking up Faine and they should -- he's looked really good. I've been trying to watch him closely and about 80% of the time he's won the battle. Occasionally he's gotten beat of the ball or knocked offbalance and out of a play, but it looked against Green Bay that such things were happening far less frequently. Without a doubt the dude is a great run blocker. In fact, I really think we will see an effective rushing attack with Faine, Tucker and Verba leading the way. Hopefully the presence of Holcomb will keep defenses from blitzing relentlessly and allowing the OL to mesh when it comes to pass-blocking. It's pretty exciting to this Browns fan that we FINALLY have the makings of a good offensive line, and talent at the skill positions to boot.

Butch says he'd like to get Courtney 20 plays this weekend. Yes, that would be nice but I don't see it happening. Maybe in the last preseason game. In fact, if I were Butch next week I'd play C Brown the whole 2nd + 3rd quarters and maybe even the 4th. That's pretty much the test for Courtney IMO.

While Andre Davis is practicing I'm wondering if they'll hold him out of this weekend's game. I would, or only put him in for a very limited amount of action. I'd also sit Jamel White. I really don't see it being with the risk of these guys playing on a leg they feel less than 100% confident in.

Oh yeah, John Clayton says Holcomb is a more mobile QB than Couch. He must mean that Holcomb gets rid of the ball and makes decisions faster. Or maybe he's better at side-stepping a blitz? If so I haven't really noticed a difference there.

Andra in the Middle

Yeah I know this happened a couple days ago but I really haven't been able to comment yet -- I've had severe electrical blackout and virus issues of late. Anyway, this is an obviously correct decision. Davis has been one of the few defensive players who has looked really good this preseason. He's big and fast, and he looks like he'd make a strong leader -- if you caught a glimpse of him Friday night with his helmet off you know what I mean.

Unfortunately the other linebackers on the team have not looked so good. Ben Taylor has played the best of the group and occasionally he made an impression against Green Bay. Bentley really has done nothing that has caught my eye yet. Gardner has made a negative impression; maybe he'll look better playing on the outside. I can't say I remember seeing Boyer much, but at least we know he's a servicable player.

Finally, Chaun Thompson deserves special mention -- this guy has played unbelieveably poorly so far. He's got good size and speed, but he just doesn't look like s football player sometimes. I wonder if he is unable to move laterally or what. So many times you see Chaun running hard at weird angles or trying to turn himself around to catch a ball carrier who has accelerated around him. These are all very bad things. I'd say his number one problem is in positioning himself -- he seems to get turned around a lot and is rarely square to the ball carrier or line of scrimmage. On the other hand, there is still some definite promise. He does bring back memories of Jamir Miller in the way he carries himself like a DE playing LB. He definitely has good straight-line speed. And it's not hard to envision him being a good pass rusher, possibly lining up at end on third downs. But as of today, he does not look like a big contributor this season. And that's bad news for a defense in sore need of some positive surprises.

It's Kelly

OK, it's Kelly. That's good. I think every Browns fan should be relieved that Butch stuck to his word that this was an open competition. Holcomb seemed to get the edge in all the publicized competitions of late, but more than that it sounds like many of the players preferred him. If that's the case, then this is 100% the right decision.

Also nice to see is that Couch had admirable words about the decision. He's gotta be upset and maybe a little bitter, but he seems to realize that the only path to NFL stardom now begins with him being a good teammate and getting ready to play if/when his number is called. Who knows, maybe he is even receptive to learning something from the experience.

Now we can resume the important day-to-day matters of the last two weeks before the season starts, like -- what's up with Andre Davis's knee? That could hurt this team, though I think they could afford to have him sit for a couple weeks; better he is healthy later. WTF is up with Warren? Right now he deserves a benching far more than Couch. A LOT more, considering the play of Alvin McKinley. Haven't seen Ben Taylor get in on many playes yet -- he seems to be the least active of the "new" linebackers, but maybe that is due to the position he plays.

So Who Starts?

Hehe, it's not an easy decision after tonight. Holcomb looked good -- one nice scoring drive, one stalled drive, one quick, long screen pass td, and one INT. Couch played only two drives -- a long td drive, and an end-of-half stalled drive. Once again, going by stats Holcomb wins but watching the game it wasn't quite that simple. Half of Holcomb's stats came on William Green's long screen pass touchdown (nice play by Kelly, but Green made it a TD), and I think 10 of the 12 plays Holcomb was in were pass plays (some looked like audibles). Couch's offensive plays were more conservattive (abou 50/50) but the guy is a fighter -- the crowd booed him and he responded by taking the team down for a TD in a drive full of stalls and penalties. You can't ignore that. I think both players showed their best and worst tonight. Holcomb -- he's a gunner and drives will either have some big plays or the offense will be off the field quickly. Couch -- less downfield throws, more running, and he pick his spots so drives will either be long and productive or will stall out with a 3rd down throw short of the marker.

Frankly I could go either way and it will make sense. Both these guys will be productive in different ways. I think Holcomb is going to be around the NFL for a long time. Couch, if he stays postive no matter the result of this battle, could go on to much better things. I think the coaches are going to go with Couch though -- as nice as Holcomb has played, something tells me that the offense that Couch tries to run looks more like what Butch has in mind. But this will be interesting....

Other stuff -- Warren didn't do much, Faine seems awkward pass blocking, Andra Davis MUST start -- he's great, Lehan looked great again, CJ Jones is not the answer returning kicks -- more quickness than top-end speed, McCutcheon seems to have lost a little something. And the most important stuff -- the team ran the ball well (great news) and got no pass rush (bad news).

Green Bay Thoughts

The QB race supposedly gets decided tonight. I think it all depends on whether Couch plays decently after he enters the game to a chorus of boos.

C Brown will sit out. There continues to be a dearth of good feelings around this guy. That sucks.

I'm gonna watch Warren closely tonight. He needs to show up.

Young guys I like: Lehan (looks fact, active), C.J. Jones (don't see how he doesn't make the team), Faine (he looked like a beast on some plays, beat badly on others).

I think this is the last time Gardner suits up as a starter. Andra Davis has looked noticably quicker, if not any more effective.

Lewis Sanders has not looked bad at all. Last year he just looked lost. I don't think he's a difference maker but he might be solid.

McCutcheon, on the other hand, doesn't look like he's recovered from last year's injury. Or, if it's not that, something else is wrong cause he looks like a different player than in 2001.

Jameson is another guy -- he was, literally, hit or miss last week. I'm hoping the defense play well enough overalll so we can really see what a guy like this can do. He's fairly aggressive, anyway.

My vote for QB.... it's tough, but I'll go with Holcomb and hope Couch handles it well (which is definitely not a sure thing). I really believe the backup QB is more likely to finish the year as the #1 guy anyway, either due to injury or ineffectiveness of the starter. And I wouldn't mind seeing Couch resurrect his career with a good off-the-bench performance later in the year. He probably win over most of the idiots too.

Suggs Takes Five

Lee SUggs picks up a five-year deal. Since he has been injured, Suggs has threatened to sit out the year unpaid and re-enter the draft next year, presumably healthier and more highly rated. But I think the Browns had him over the barrel on this one since in either case he'd be at least 4 years away from free agency. This deal with SUggs is particularly nice since he does have the potential to someday be a difference maker.

Of course, now the question immediately becomes will he play this year? That will remain a mystery for another week or two. The team has suggested he'd make a good short-yardage back. LB Michael Josiah got cut once Suggs was signed.

Madden 2004 Shafts the Brownies

Madden 2004 Shafts the Brownies
I know the Browns were probably not as good as a few non-playoff teams last year, but the fact remains they finished 9-7, were in 15/16 games, and were certainly among the most entertaining teams in the league. So the new Madden 2004 video game, which despite being only a game is huge business and reflects the state of the league nicely each year, ranks the Browns as the second-worst team in the league!! WTF?!?! Granted, there is not an insurmountable gap between the worst teams and the mediocre teams, but these ratings are pretty absurd. Even if you think the Browns will not be as good as last season there's no way the finish ahead of only the Cardinals. No way.

overall/offense/defense
Bengals - 81 83 79
Bears - 82 81 84
Bills - 85 86 84
Broncos - 84 86 82
Bucs - 88 84 91
Browns - 80 81 79
Cards - 78 77 77
Chargers - 83 83 84
Colts - 83 87 78
Cheifs - 84 88 79
Cowboys - 81 78 85
Dolphins - 88 85 91
Eagles - 87 87 86
Falcons - 84 86 83
Giants - 85 85 84
49ers - 86 88 85
Jags - 82 83 82
Jets - 84 86 82
Lions - 80 80 80
Packers - 87 89 84
Panthers - 82 80 84
Patriots - 86 85 87
Raiders - ?
Rams - 87 91 81
Ravens - 82 80 84
Redskins - 82 81 84
Seahawks - 84 85 84
Saints - 83 88 78
Steelers - 86 86 85
Texans - 80 81 80
Titans - 85 86 82
Vikings - 82 85 79

On the Defense

Poor play from the defensive-line.... quarterbacks unable to do much.... an inability to do anything in the running game... the Browns are not alone.

But seriously, the defense is cause for some concern. It is, by a large margin, the most worrisome thing about the two pre-season performances so far. The D-Line has ben unable to generate much of a pass rush, and that is a very bad sign. While I have faith that there will be SOME pass rush, it's pretty clear that this team will not have a defensive line that strikes fear into the hearts of opposing quarterbacks. Lang, Roye, Warren, McKinley, Brown, Word and 2 others appear to be the guys. Roye and McKinley seem to be playing up to their potential. Lang remains a bit of a mystery. Warren kind of scares me -- if he is anything less than an above average player this year it's really going to hurt. The rest, we'll take what we can get. The point that I'm getting at is an obvious one -- that without some pass pressure this young defense will get beaten regularly and is unlikely to make many big plays. So.... say a short prayer. It's very early and we're still a month away from the games that count.

Tonight's game

Not much to choose from. The starting offense and defense both looked bad. I thought our linebackers got pushed around and our d-line wasn't aggressive enough. Couch did little -- short passes, lots of pressure, a couple drops -- but, really, not one pass down the field that treatened the defense. I know he didn't have much time to work with but I'm a little tired of finding reasons. Holcomb looked marginally better -- a couple okay completions, a long defensive interference penalty, and KJ funbled would-be TD. More distressingly, the running game floundered early with Green not looking much like a threat.

On the plus side -- Lehan looked great I thought. Crocker got in on some plays. Faine had some good moments. CJ Jones, we'll see. And Alvin McKinley is the freaking man!!!

Chaun Thomspon looked aggressive and prety fast -- but not effective, yet anyway.

Goodnight.

Ben Gay Sighting!

Well, sort of. It seems training camp phenom C.J. Jones went to school with Ben at Garden City Community College before going to Iowa. "Ben was the best running back I've ever seen. He was so fast and so talented," says Jones. "I couldn't believe he came here right out of Garden City. I have no idea where he is right now." We do know where C.J. Jones is, though -- here in Cleveland making the team. I'm looking forward to seeing how Jones handles returning kicks in the preseason -- he seems plenty fast enough to do it well.

That reminds me, though -- I need to get the Ben Gay Online archive site up...

Did you see this? I'm not so sure this is a good idea, and that is coming from a guy who has had a few incidents down at the stadium. What is wrong with telling the usher about an incident? Doesn't the person-to-person system work anymore? If a nearby fan is acting badly enough to get kicked out, then it's not so hard to walk down the stairs and tell the person in the yellow coat.

Jameson got his contract extended 2 more eyars to 2005. Sounds good I suppose, but we don't know how he'll play as a starter yet. It would be nice if he excelled and we could part with Griffith next offseason. Then we draft another OL or a starting DB.... ok, I'm getting ahead of myself now.

Offense, starting slowly

IMO, Tony Grossi has done pretty good job reporting through the Browns interesting offseason and QB situation. He seems to be tempering his own inclination towards negativity with this coaching staff too (just my impression). Usually this time of year I'm scouring bulletin boards looking for the training camp scoop, but this year there just is not a lot of important info out there that Grosi isnt covering. The memebers at BerniesInsiders probably disagree with me strongly but Tony's been spot-on so far. Anyway, today he gives everyone a few words to live by the next month:

It's a long preseason. But soon, the coach will choose his quarterback. And then the personality of this offense - and the running game - will emerge.

He also reminds everyone that a preoccupation with who will be the starting QB is likely to skew everything this preseason -- the team may pass the ball more, and the offensivel line may not round into shape as quickly as hoped. Those are kind of scary things; I really hope Butch doesn't try and evaluate the QBs by running an unrealistic gameplan.

Yesterday also marks the first depth chart of the year -- big news after many months of offseason speculation. No H-back? Barry Stokes a second-team tackle? Yep, for now. It's gonna change a lot but it's interesting to see how the coach's line 'em up right now.

Jamel White started practicing again. If I were Butch I'd leave him out of this week's game or play him sparingly. Let Green get a little rhythm, let Jackson take his lumps, give McLeod some carries to see what he can do.

Actually, James Jackson is kind of an interesting story this year. He's in the last year of his contract and might not have made the team had Suggs been healthy. Besides a handful of nice runs he never showed very much as a starter, but this year he is playing to continue his career -- either with the Browns or with someone else next season. This preseason watch him closely -- he has some talent and could be feeling a sense of urgency. And of course it will be a nice thing to have yet another effective RB in the stable this year.

Brown Gets Action, Griffith Sits

Hey this is great news regarding C Brown. One step at a time though. I'm telling ya, he's going to be treated the way the Cavs treat Z.

The injury to Robert Griffith will create some intriguing exhibition games, and it will likely affect the defense during the first month of the season. Primarily the injury sucks cause Griffith needs to play well this year. I don't know if Campo's defense is much different for the safeties than Fazio's, but after last year Griffith probably needed as much time as possible in the preseason. Now it is likely he'll still be getting comfortable with the defense and his many new teammates during the first part of the year. But on the flip side we will all get to see what Jameson can do. I think he'll prove to be very talented. The questions are leadership and chemistry and about those I'm not sure Jameson can help. Presently there is no veteran likely to start the first two preseason games at DB or LB.

Receivers

Andre Davis is hurt. Hopefully he'll only be out for couple days, but it's a reminder that our depth at WR is as fragile as anything else in the NFL these days. Keep an eye on whether 'Dre is practicing this week.

Northcutt, on the other hand, is healthy. And he's in the last year of a contract. Now that the team has signed its rookies they will take a stab at resigning Dennis. It will be a tricky negotiation since he's not a starter but has value beyond a backup due to his electrifying punt returns and occasional carries. He's also shown he's somewhat injury prone. The incentive is there for Northcutt to want some long-term security, but there's also the replay of the Jets'Coles cashing in with the Redskins this past offseason... I think it will be a tough negotiation.

Peter King Eats in Cleveland

So SI's Peter King writes his annual "postcard from camp" for the Browns.... this should be interesting.

He starts off saying he's "very happy that they kept the Browns name here." Hey Peter, you may not have noticed but pretty much everything except the old players and owner are here, including the building from which you are writing this article. Whatever. I'll admit it straight off -- Peter is a jerkof talking about whatever catches his undiscriminating eye -- usually its Miami, Parcells, the Jets, Favre, the Patriots. Perhaps another annoying thig, King visited with Len Pasquarelli from ESPN.com and Pete Prisco from CBS Sportsline -- nothing like getting a unique view of the team guys, eh? No wonder all the national writers say the same things over and over again.

What else... he thinks Earl Holmes will be hard to replace cause he was such a great run stopper... that Couch will be named the starter even though Holcomb is better, though he says so without ever saying what he thinks actually _should_ happen... that William Green looks ready to go... and that Andra Davis is a nice guy. Oh yeah, and that "I die and go to training-table heaven when I get fed by the Cleveland Browns."

Hey, while we are at it, let's look at Pete Prisco's CBS Sportsline camp article. He focuses on William Green, a wise decision since the Brown's season is probably more dependent on Green than on the current Couch/Holcomb fixation. He doesn't say much other than the obvious -- that Green played well late last year and should be good this year. Come to think of it, hopefully that is all there is to know.

Scrimmage Notes

Just got back from the Browns/Bill scrimmage at CBS. It was a pleasant couple hours, though it's admittedly tough to tell much from the stands. They announced 37,000 but it was probably under 30. Still, a nice crowd for was what essentially a practice.

First off, neither QB looked really sharp. I'd say Holcomb performed a bit better, but really both were pretty average. Couch started things off with a sluggish first 12-play "drive" and the Bills' defense definitely got the best of that battle. I think Couch bungled a snap, and there was a couple times he wasn't real crisp throwing the ball. The next drive Holcomb moved the ball a bit better as William Green started to find some running room. Holcomb had a few intermediate-length passes completed along the way to a TD and looked pretty good. Couch's next drive ended in a TD pass as well. Holcomb wrapped things up with a pretty pass to the front corner of the endzone to Johnson for a TD. Overall, however, the offense looked sluggish with penalties and sacks, and even a Quincy Morgan dropped pass for what would have been a long gain. Holcomb's drives were more successful though his best gains came on plays where he really just seemed to lob the ball out and hope the receiver made a play -- it worked a few times, but his balls often seemed underthrown to me. It wasn't a great day for quarterbacks. Without sounding biased, I think Holcomb got the better draw as he came in for what was the second series for each of the 1st and 2nd team offenses. As a result, he got somewhat better blocking and definitely got more effective rushing plays. Nevertheless, Holcomb "won" the day.

Faine got killed on his first play. He held his own on subsequent plays, though I never saw him really drive a defender. He played with the second-team.

Kevin Johnson showed he has amazing hands. Morgan didn't. Northcutt caught a nice pass but fumbled it.

William Green didn't have any really nice runs, but man, he looked ready to play as he was cut and had a nice hope in his step. I'd really like to seem him build momentum over the next month. He dropped his only chance at a pass reception.

Alvin McKinley is awesome; for a defensive tackle he gets himself in on a lot of plays.

Andra Davis got in on lots of tackles. Gardner was active but didn't really do anything special.

CJ Jones made a few nice catches right off the bat on the second-team's first drive with Couch at the helm. He looked like a cross between KJ and Northcutt.

Kalvin Pearson made some highly aggresive tackles. That's his style, and hopefully NFL Europe improved his coverage skills. He's a keeper.

McCutchenson missed a couple tackles; he doesn't seem to be anywhere near the tackler he was before he got hurt last year.

Chaun Thompson made a tackle and got a big cheer. He seemed pretty fast, but obviously wasn't real in tune with things yet.

Gerard Warren got a sack. He was excited afterwards and as he kind of danced around my only thought was, "man he looks big this year." Roye looked good. Lang didn't make much noice.

Henry got a gift-INT and there's nothing wrong with that. Little tried to pick off a ball and instead gave up a reception. Nobody got toasted badly though the defense gave up plenty of short gains.

The team overall did not win the scrimmage; the Bills 1st and 2nd teamers played better, especially their defense. The longer things went on though the better the Browns performed. That's about what I can remember right now.

Practice Vs. Bills Underway

Um, all I know is that Bledsoe reportedly burned the secondary for an 80-yard TD to Moulds on the first play of the morning scrimmage.... not a real good sign. Then again, it's gotta get better from there, right?

Draft picks Thompson, Crocker, and Lehan are all apparently practicing too.

Garay Takes the Fifth Too

OK, so all draft picks, except for the injured Lee Suggs, have now been signed to 5-year contracts. I give credit to Policy for sticking to the team's position -- all the picks came through in the last five days. If most of these players pan out, the team will be in a somewhat better cap position in 3-4 years (though it's nowhere near enough to offset the burden of C Brown's contract).

Garay is an interesting prospect -- one of those guys who would have had a much higher profile if he wasn't injured so much in college. He's probably not going to offer much other than a little depth this year, but you never know. In his own words, Garay "can do anything anybody else in the league can do." There's reason to believe he can really play, unfortunately it goes along with long list of injuries.

The speculation that the team intentionally had a "draft high/sign long" (draft sleepers + projects higher than expected, sign them to longer than usual contracts) strategy is probably going to be more widespread now. Who knows? If they did, it is pretty ballsy and would represent an amazing confluence of great scouting and shrewd business dealings. The verdict won't be in for a couple years, but I think the ratio of risk to reward is in the Browns favor. For instance, if Thompson really does turn into a good or great player the Browns will get his services at least one more year than expected at a bargain price. And when it comes time to renegotiate an extension after a player's 3rd or 4th year there will be no competition to drive up a player's salary to absurd levels. I, for one, will be rooting hard for Chaun Thompson to develop into an All-Pro type player and for the Browns to reap big rewards on the playing field and the salary cap. Man would that be nice.

Give Me Five

[I wrote this at about 8:30 AM... freaking Blogger has not been nice to me today and it isn't here until now, sorry.]

Lehan signs for five now as well! With Crocker + Lehan now signed, that leaves DE Garay as the only unsigned rookie. RB Lee Suggs is also unsigned, but it sure sounds like he'll start the year on the PUP list. The means James Jackson likely makes the team, and William Green is sure to get lots of carries. Now we don't know how these players' careers will progress, but what a coup for the Browns front office. It looked pretty bleak a week ago, but eventually I guess it became obvious that the players had more to lose by not signing.

Today the Browns hold joint practices with the Buffalo Bills and tomorrow there's a scrimmage at CBS. Two years ago this weekend was the turning point for the reestablished Browns as they had an eye-opening performance that boosted everyone's confidence (except the Bills, anyway). Don't expect that to happen at tomorrow's scimmage. The Brown's objectives tomorrow are probably to gauge specific areas of the team as well as to get the veterans a little contact in preparation for the preseason. Specifically the coaches should be looking at 1) the offensive line -- how will the guard positions shake out? How does Faine handle his first game situation? 2) linebackers, of course, 3) DL -- a solid performance against the run would be nice. 4) Quarterbacks -- this truly marks the start of the competition. If Couch struggles or Holcomb shines, it will set up an intense pair of preseason games in the next two weeks.