Getting Up To Speed
Kind of a busy week after the draft, though nothing like the few days prior to it. Now it's to reflect a bit and look at the current scenarios affecting the Brownies.
The draft gets a B from me. Winslow will offer a lot to this offense, Sean Jones should be a contributor (a starter? That's probably optimistic), and McCown seems to be a perfect sort of backup/developmental QB. The trade of that second round pick isn't a huge deal either -- such aggressiveness is better than the usual passivity. But this can not be a great draft because it didn't seem to get the team any viable prospect to help the offensive line in the near future. The Browns are making the same gamble they've made for the last 25 years -- take an average offensive line without much depth and pray they avoid injuries. I certainly hoped this would be the year we could avoid a repeat of that.
Still, the B grade is justified because the draft made sense for the Browns. My biggest beef with the Browns was the starting lineup -- we need players who can really excel, not more depth. And when you take into account the offseason so far things line up pretty nicely on paper. Garcia is a talented guy, and most importantly he's not a stationary QB. Terrell Smith signals the return to a running game that utilizes a fullback (we might even find this will suit the current OL personnel a bit better -- too hopeful?) and by all accounts the dude is a very good blocker. Winslow should provide a slew of options in the middle of the field; I expect him to both make some fantastic plays and to force defenses to account for him in ways that should make life easier for the rest of the offense.
On defense things are kind of murky. Sean Jones is really the only signficant addition. The d-line continues to have the biggest names, but only average performance. this the year the verdict will be rendered on C Browns and Warren. Warrick Holdman seems like a good signing, but his signing is also a signal that some of our younger linebackers are falling short of expectations. We really need Thompson, Bentley or Taylor to take a step up this year. At CB Anthony Henry really proved himself last season, McCutheon is steady but seems to be falling off, and I like the promise Lehan showed. Cris Crocker is okay. Earl Little is our best safety. Griffith has been dissappointing but not a complete bust; there should be plenty of opportunities for Sean Jones to make an impact. Ultimately it is going to come down to how well Dave Campo can assemble these mostly average to above-average parts into an effective unit. IMO their 2004 performance was fairly positive and its reasonable to expect some modest improvement, which would be more than enough to get the Browns back into the black if the offense does its part in 2004.
Now, there are 3-4 big issues confronting the team from now until training camp. They might take a while to work themelves out. Here's my take on them, in the order they are likely to be resolved.
1) Couch. It's really too bad we couldn't have gotten a 4th rounder is 2004 for him. He's obviously going elsewhere. Although Kerry Collins and Kurt Warner are bigger names on the market, Couch is really the only QB who is both young and talented enough to start (as articles like this attest). While Collins would seem to be the best choice for a team looking for a starter, Couch is the best choice for a team looking for a veteran backup who could perhaps start in a year or two. He's also a good choice for a team with a shaky starter. So it makes sense that Green Bay would be interested. And I suspect there may be 1-2 more teams besides Chicago who may show interest as the weeks roll by. But it's a delicate thing now and ultimately it will come down to whether Couch wants to sign with a team. I wouldn't expect much in return, but doo expect something of nominal value.
2) Northcutt. I'va always liked him as a player and said so. In 2002 he was, more than any other player, the reason the Browns had a shot at the playoffs. And he's been, one painful drop aside, the team's money player on 3rd down and easily the best punt returner since the team came back. We all expected him to bolt somewhere else (even if he wound up a 3rd receiver, kind of like Jamel White I guess), but things happened and the player and team are in a weird standoff. Well, I really hope they find a way for Northcutt to remain on the Browns for a couple more years. I'm not that high on our wide receivers beyond Andre Davis and the team needs a guy like 'Cutt. Hopefully without the attitude. Expect this situation to drag on into summer and either Northcutt resigns, or he's traded far away for a 3rd rounder or another player.
3) The OL. The Browns surely need to bring someone else in. Depending on how confident the coaches are in the current roster it will either be a starter or a backup-guy. Injuries are almost guaranteed to happen. A solid starter at left tackle or left guard would be great. A solid backup who could step in at those positions would probably be just as good. It's impossible to get a read on Berea in this regard, but something has to give sooner or later. Larry Allen's name has been floated about but I doubt that's gonna happen. We'll see.
4) Rookie contracts. Whether or not Winslow holds out will be a big issue. Unless other picks in the top 10 sign early we can probably expect a holdout of some sort, but I think he'll get to camp without missing too much. It's the other guys I wonder about given the Browns insistence on 5-year deals. I wonder how that will go over with McCown, a guy who should have a shot at being a starter in two years. Like last year, I think it'd be great for the team's long-term success if they can swing it, but hope it doesn't do more harm than good.
The draft gets a B from me. Winslow will offer a lot to this offense, Sean Jones should be a contributor (a starter? That's probably optimistic), and McCown seems to be a perfect sort of backup/developmental QB. The trade of that second round pick isn't a huge deal either -- such aggressiveness is better than the usual passivity. But this can not be a great draft because it didn't seem to get the team any viable prospect to help the offensive line in the near future. The Browns are making the same gamble they've made for the last 25 years -- take an average offensive line without much depth and pray they avoid injuries. I certainly hoped this would be the year we could avoid a repeat of that.
Still, the B grade is justified because the draft made sense for the Browns. My biggest beef with the Browns was the starting lineup -- we need players who can really excel, not more depth. And when you take into account the offseason so far things line up pretty nicely on paper. Garcia is a talented guy, and most importantly he's not a stationary QB. Terrell Smith signals the return to a running game that utilizes a fullback (we might even find this will suit the current OL personnel a bit better -- too hopeful?) and by all accounts the dude is a very good blocker. Winslow should provide a slew of options in the middle of the field; I expect him to both make some fantastic plays and to force defenses to account for him in ways that should make life easier for the rest of the offense.
On defense things are kind of murky. Sean Jones is really the only signficant addition. The d-line continues to have the biggest names, but only average performance. this the year the verdict will be rendered on C Browns and Warren. Warrick Holdman seems like a good signing, but his signing is also a signal that some of our younger linebackers are falling short of expectations. We really need Thompson, Bentley or Taylor to take a step up this year. At CB Anthony Henry really proved himself last season, McCutheon is steady but seems to be falling off, and I like the promise Lehan showed. Cris Crocker is okay. Earl Little is our best safety. Griffith has been dissappointing but not a complete bust; there should be plenty of opportunities for Sean Jones to make an impact. Ultimately it is going to come down to how well Dave Campo can assemble these mostly average to above-average parts into an effective unit. IMO their 2004 performance was fairly positive and its reasonable to expect some modest improvement, which would be more than enough to get the Browns back into the black if the offense does its part in 2004.
Now, there are 3-4 big issues confronting the team from now until training camp. They might take a while to work themelves out. Here's my take on them, in the order they are likely to be resolved.
1) Couch. It's really too bad we couldn't have gotten a 4th rounder is 2004 for him. He's obviously going elsewhere. Although Kerry Collins and Kurt Warner are bigger names on the market, Couch is really the only QB who is both young and talented enough to start (as articles like this attest). While Collins would seem to be the best choice for a team looking for a starter, Couch is the best choice for a team looking for a veteran backup who could perhaps start in a year or two. He's also a good choice for a team with a shaky starter. So it makes sense that Green Bay would be interested. And I suspect there may be 1-2 more teams besides Chicago who may show interest as the weeks roll by. But it's a delicate thing now and ultimately it will come down to whether Couch wants to sign with a team. I wouldn't expect much in return, but doo expect something of nominal value.
2) Northcutt. I'va always liked him as a player and said so. In 2002 he was, more than any other player, the reason the Browns had a shot at the playoffs. And he's been, one painful drop aside, the team's money player on 3rd down and easily the best punt returner since the team came back. We all expected him to bolt somewhere else (even if he wound up a 3rd receiver, kind of like Jamel White I guess), but things happened and the player and team are in a weird standoff. Well, I really hope they find a way for Northcutt to remain on the Browns for a couple more years. I'm not that high on our wide receivers beyond Andre Davis and the team needs a guy like 'Cutt. Hopefully without the attitude. Expect this situation to drag on into summer and either Northcutt resigns, or he's traded far away for a 3rd rounder or another player.
3) The OL. The Browns surely need to bring someone else in. Depending on how confident the coaches are in the current roster it will either be a starter or a backup-guy. Injuries are almost guaranteed to happen. A solid starter at left tackle or left guard would be great. A solid backup who could step in at those positions would probably be just as good. It's impossible to get a read on Berea in this regard, but something has to give sooner or later. Larry Allen's name has been floated about but I doubt that's gonna happen. We'll see.
4) Rookie contracts. Whether or not Winslow holds out will be a big issue. Unless other picks in the top 10 sign early we can probably expect a holdout of some sort, but I think he'll get to camp without missing too much. It's the other guys I wonder about given the Browns insistence on 5-year deals. I wonder how that will go over with McCown, a guy who should have a shot at being a starter in two years. Like last year, I think it'd be great for the team's long-term success if they can swing it, but hope it doesn't do more harm than good.
posted by Michael @ 2:22 PM
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