Wolf Walks
And the wheel keeps on turning... Ron Wolf exits the Browns, following Carmen Policy. This ain't too surprising on football terms but it adds Butch's volume of troubling episodes. The promising addition of Wolf was pooh-poohed early on by Davis, who seemed to go out of his way to announce the Wolf had absolutely no input on any offseason moves. Which causes one to wonder, why wouldn't Davis just remain mum? Why say something negative about a well-respected guy like Wolf? Nobody is quite saying it, but a reasonable person would have to conclude that 1) Wolf was Policy's idea, and 2) Butch and Policy weren't getting along so well.
Whatever. I'm getting numb to this sort of crap. One thing is clear though -- this more weight is put on Butch's shoulders and the team will sink or swim with this guy. That's curious for a guy who's hasn't had a real great NFL track-record. But he has shown flashes of promise, mostly in his first two seasons. And now there's no one else left to take the blame or reap the rewards.
I think the events of the past week have a potentially large effect on the upcoming draft, the 2004 season and everyone's expectations. Basically, it's time for Butch to win. The Browns must clearly be a team on the rise in 2004, and be a team to be reckoned with in 2005. Anything less and all of this sound and fury will have been a waste.
Considering this, I think it's unlikely that we draft someone who won't be an immediate performer. That means a guy like Roethlisberger is very unlikely IMO, despite some buzz to the contrary. This is almost certainly the perception within the NFL too, making a trade down on draft day less likely (since any trading partner would likely be moving up to get a QB).
But since the pressure is on Davis, we may also see some bold moves in the draft. A trade up for Gallery would cause celebrations throughout the region. More likely, we will see Northcutt and Couch moved for whatever picks they can get. Those picks may be parlayed to a trade up to get a player in the 2nd or late 1st rounds, meaning the Browns could walk away with two true impact players. For this to happen, getting a nice pick for Northcutt would be fantastic.
Whatever. I'm getting numb to this sort of crap. One thing is clear though -- this more weight is put on Butch's shoulders and the team will sink or swim with this guy. That's curious for a guy who's hasn't had a real great NFL track-record. But he has shown flashes of promise, mostly in his first two seasons. And now there's no one else left to take the blame or reap the rewards.
I think the events of the past week have a potentially large effect on the upcoming draft, the 2004 season and everyone's expectations. Basically, it's time for Butch to win. The Browns must clearly be a team on the rise in 2004, and be a team to be reckoned with in 2005. Anything less and all of this sound and fury will have been a waste.
Considering this, I think it's unlikely that we draft someone who won't be an immediate performer. That means a guy like Roethlisberger is very unlikely IMO, despite some buzz to the contrary. This is almost certainly the perception within the NFL too, making a trade down on draft day less likely (since any trading partner would likely be moving up to get a QB).
But since the pressure is on Davis, we may also see some bold moves in the draft. A trade up for Gallery would cause celebrations throughout the region. More likely, we will see Northcutt and Couch moved for whatever picks they can get. Those picks may be parlayed to a trade up to get a player in the 2nd or late 1st rounds, meaning the Browns could walk away with two true impact players. For this to happen, getting a nice pick for Northcutt would be fantastic.
posted by Michael @ 10:24 AM
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