Red Light District

Not Browns news, but... This is the stupidest thing I have heard from City Hall in at least a few weeks. It's probably the dumbest thing the mayor has embarked upon since picking a fight with Browns tailgaters. Or since the tiem she pleaded with business owners to "adopt a trash can." Seriously, Campbell has NO sense of proportion or any idea how to use the mayor's power to good effect. Why the hell is the MAYOR talking about a couple TRAFFIC LIGHTS??? Doesn't she have bigger fish to fry? Doesn't she have bigger problems to solve?

I am not saying that the city should or shouldn't do it. Just that this something a subordinate should be doing without any fanfare. A freaking mayor should not waste the time, breath or political capital to propose such things. What a waste.

Election Weekend

Pretty cool what's being reported out of Iraq. Who knows how things will play out, but we should all be very happy to see a country like this be able to go to the polls. And it has been nice to see "The News" be forced to report good news -- because that's what the overwhelming majority of the news coming from Iraq has been the last two days. Let's how it's a sign of better things to come and that in 10 years the country is arguing about policy.

And for me, it's back to the Browns, who should have a head coach in 7 or 8 days and, soon after that, lots of new faces to discuss. We can also look forward to some hilarious insight from Roger Brown.

iRAQ

Election "amid vows by insurgents to "wash" the streets with "voters' blood.".... screw those people. Maybe I am a stupid and pompous American and am dead wrong on this, but I really don't care -- anyone who is complaining today (Sat/Sun) about what's going on in Iraq is very mistaken. Even if you think the whole deal in Iraq was a horrible mistake you should still be rooting for this country to become something it deserves to -- a free society. Just for one day can we hope for the best? I mean, we can argue about everything else come Monday morning, right? Yeah, yeah, I am naive about this. I am also a die-hard Browns fan.

The Crennel Set

I am really amazed how public the Browns apparently imminent hiring of Romeo Crennel is. I guess it's a result of the fact that there are no other NFL teams in need of a head coach. That is a great thing in that the Browns haved no obstacles in the way of getting the best candidate. But the lifelong Clevelander in me can't help but think that we will look back on this time period as particularly painful if the Browns pick the wrong guy. But who has time for such worries.

As far as speculation that someone _other_ than Crennel could be the Browns first choice, I think we can safely conclude that the Browns are not interested in Russ Grimm as head coach. Jim Bates is out too. And only the Eagles OC Brad Childress could be a dark horse. For what it is worth, Childress has maybe earned a closer look with the Eagles dominant offensive performances the last two weeks.

Super Bowl Set

What happened to the Steelers? Just about everything I feared might happen but didn't think really would. Well, Ben looked every bit the rookie, the offensive line didn't quite open the holes it needed to, and Tom Brady played flawlessly. And that last thing is probably the most significant. I already knew Brady was a great QB, but he continued a perfect postseason when I didn't think he'd quite be able to.

The Eagles also won but I don't think we learned as much about them. The Falcons aren't a bad team, but Mike Vick is a bad quarterback. A great athlete, but a very bad quarterback. It looked like he'd never stepped on a practice field let alone studied a defense.

Super Bowl prediction -- I just don't know. I'm inclined to go with the Pats but it should be a good game to watch either way.

My Picks

I'm picking the Steelers over the Pats despite the fact that there are a lot of things in the Patriots favor today, namely that the Steelers are starting a rookie QB who has played like a rookie recently. And that the Patriots have the coolest QB in the league in Tom Brady. And that the Pats finally have a very good running back in Corey Dillon. After the Pats manhandling of the Colts, nobody would be shocked to see them continue rolling the competition.

The Steelers, however, don't play the same kind of game as the Colts. Far from it, in fact. So what will put the Steelers over the top? Nothing fancy, but I expect the Steelers to be able to run the ball well because the O-line is among the best and Bettis and Staley both are bruising runners who are tough to stop for a loss. As great as Peyton Manning has been this season, the Colts last week played right into the Patriots hands by all but abandoning the running game. The Steelers won't make that mistake, and it will ultimately pay off when Big Ben winds up having a better day than Manning did last week. And I think it's worth nothing that Brady has not played mistake free football this season either, and the Steelers defense is one that could force some turnovers.

In the NFC it is easy to see how Atlanta might win this game because Vick and Dunn are both great talents. But the Eagles are just solid all around and it's tough to see them having a let down. If Atlanta can win in the trenches it wouldn't suprise me to see the Falcons in the Super Bowl, but that is not a sure thing and I'll go with the Eagles. And besides, Mike Vick is kind of a punk.

Let the Mocking Begin

Kiper has published his first mock. It goes something like this...

1. 49ers - Alex Smith (QB-Utah)
2. Dolphins - Cedric Benson (RB-Texas)
3. Browns - Aaron Rodgers (QB-Cal)
4. Bears - Ronnie Browns (RB-Auburn)
5. Bucs - Carnell Williams (RB-Auburn)
6. Titans - Adam Jones (CB-West Virginia)
7. Raiders - Dan Cody (DE-Oklahoma)
8. Cardinals - Travis Johnson (DT-Flordia State)
9. Redskins - Braylon Edwards (WR-Michigan)
10. Lions - Heath Miller (TE-Virginia)
11. Cowboys - Shawne Merriman (DE/OLB-Maryland)
12. Chargers - Derrick Johnson (OLB-Texas)
13. Texans - Mike Williams (WR-USC)
14. Panthers - Jammal Brown (OT-Oklahoma)
15. Chiefs - Antrel Rolle (CB-Miami)
16. Saints - Thomas Davis (OLB-Georgia)
17. Bengals - Erasmus James (DE-Wisconsin)
18. Vikings - Shaun Cody (DL-USC)
19. Rams - David Pollack (DE-Georgia)
20. Cowboys - Troy Williamson (WR-South Carolina)
21. Jaguars - Alex Barron (OT-Flordia State)
22. Ravens - Roddy White (WR-UAB)
23. Seahawks - Darryl Blackstock (OLB-Virginia)
24. Packers - Channing Crowder (MLB-Florida)
25. Broncos - Matt Roth (DE-Iowa)
26. Jets - Carlos Rogers (CB-Auburn)
27. Falcons - Brandon Browner (CB-Oregon State)
28. Chargers - Roscoe Parrish (WR-Miami)
29. Colts - Bryant McFadden (CB-Florida State)
30. Patriots - Justin Miller (CB-Clemson)
31. Eagles - Justin Tuck (DE - Notre Dame)
32. Steelers - Alex Smith (TE - Stanford)

Put aside the fact that the real draft will look very different. There are a few things that are significant as far as the Browns are concerned.

1. There are no offensive linemen worthy of the #3 pick. Unless the Browns trade down, we aren't getting a left tackle in the first round. We will all have to pray we get some OL talent in the 2nd and 3rd rounds.
   
2. There are not, in fact, any concensus top 10 picks yet. There are guys that seem like they will be, but you'll be hard pressed to find any consistency between the various rankings and mock drafts. This is a good thing if you have faith that Savage can find the most talented guys in a pool of seemingly equal players.
   
3. If Alex Smith and Aaron Rodgers become concensus top 5 picks, a trade down with the Cardinals would make some sense, though Denny Green does not have a history of selecting QB's early. Maybe the Raiders. Maybe even the Seahawks if Hassellbeckk bolts, though that would be a pretty low first round pick.
   
4. If the Browns make the rumored move to a 3-4, some players would seem to be more likely picks -- Derrick Johnson and Shawne Merriman. If Crennel becomes head coach, however, I would expect he'd bring his defense with him, which means playing 3-4 only occasionally thoughtout a game.

Well, it's still a bit of a bummer with Leinhart not in the draft, but look at the bright side -- if another team really wants a QB, there is now only two guys they'd realistically pick in the top 5, and after that only Charlie Frye is considered a possible first-rounder.

Tim Couch

Didn't think I'd ever hear it, but there are a lot of fans thinking that bringing back #2 would be worth a try. Kind of amazing considering the 5 years he had in Cleveland. But frankly... the Browns are going to need a QB, and there aren't going to be a lot of choices out there. We will either wind up with Holcomb, a downside-of-the-career veteran (my pick: Brad Johnson), somebody else's backup, an overpriced free agent (Matt Hassellbeck) or a rookie. Or Tim Couch. I'd probably take Couch on a one or two year deal and worry about developing the rest of the team that so sorely needs good football players.

Don't get me wrong, Couch is not and won't ever be a world-beater. But he would be competent, which is frankly all we need for now. And if 2004 proved anything, it was that the Browns biggest problems haven't been at the quarterback position.

2003
120/203, 1319 yds, 7 TD, 6 INT, 77.6 Rating - Tim Couch
193/302, 1797 yds, 10 TD, 12 INT, 74.6 Rating - Kelly Holcomb

2004
144/252, 1731 yds, 10 TD, 9 INT, 76.7 Rating - Jeff Garcia

But of course, all this speculation is far-fetched until it's proven that Couch is healthy (not a sure thing), we get a head coach, and we get an offensive coordinator who thinks Couch can play for him.

Bates?

Big thread going on at the Watercooler over at BerniesInsiders.com. The jist is the Savage would hire Bates if he had his pick, and apparently a lot of reliable sources back it up via Hal Lobowitz. OK... looks like the HC search will take a lot of twists and turns before all is said and done. I still like Grimm, but I who knows how his interview went -- I imagine it'd have to go quite well to beat out lots of guys with more actual coaching experience. So Crennel makes sense. And Bates, really, he makes a lot of sense too since he has a very good track record and ties to Savage. I wouldn't be dissappointed with him either. The way things are going it is feeling like the Browns will have a coach within a week. And it probably won't be whatever guy I'm thinking it should be, and I won't really care cause we're gonna sink or swim with Savage's decisions.

Pete Is Gone

Pete Garcia finally gets the boot. That was only a matter of time, and I don't think anyone will miss him in Cleveland. But to be honest I don't know that we could ever really tell what it was Garcia did. He had Davis' ear though, and it's probably safe to assume he's as culpable as Davis for the drafting miscues the last three years. He did seem to be a pretty regular guy in the few times I've read or heard him speak. See you later Pete....

QBs

Looks like Joey Harrington may be the next QB to get the Tim Couch treatment. If the Lions do follow through on this it will be a good decision -- Harrington just is not very good. But anyhow, the really interesting news in this article is that Mike McMahon is not in the Lions future plans either. I know McMahon was a favorite of Butch (due to the Big East connection, I guess) and it's not in fashion to give him any credit these days, but really McMahon is an interesting young QB. I thought he looked very good in mop-up duty vs. the Browns in preseasons past and he'd make an intriguing pick-up for some NFL team if the Lions cut him loose. Same could be said for David Garrard too, though I don't know his status.

If Garcia gets released that will open up all sorts or possibilities for the Browns, including drafting a QB early (try not to cringe). I guess I would favor keeping Holcomb for a year or signing another veteran (Brad Johnson is my preference, even though he can be a stiff) to start for a year, and then work hard to find a young guy to develop. Maybe McMahon or Garrard could be that guy. It probably isn't McCown. Or maybe the Browns find a later round draft pick, hopefully someone from a big school who was steady if not spectacular.

And, while we are on the subject of yong QBs, let me just reiterate that David Carr sucks bad. Maybe it is the Chris Palmer influence. But he is bad. And he could use a haircut.

Bernie on Triv's Show

Bernie was on Triv's show yesterday during drive time. I know not everyone likes Trivasanno but in this case he asked Bernie questions that I don't think anyone else has ever asked, and he got straight answers. In particular, Bernie gave his side on why he didn't wind up with an official role with the Browns in 1999: it was Carmen's show, and Carmen was not the type of guy who wanted to share the power or the spotlight. Bernie also somewhat dissed the whole Jimmy Johnson coaching tree which has produced a lot of high profile assistans who didn't make it as head coaches. And as for his current role with the Browns> For now, just a consultant but Bernie said he "feels like he is back" and maybe something more official will come of it. Cool.

I'm not crazy necessarily about Bernie being a GM or anything like that, at least without filling some other roles first, but overall it was really nice to hear the guy talk straight about the Browns. He obviously was not a big fan of Butch Davis even from day one and didn't try and hide it. He was upfront about Policy without being impolite. He came out and said he thought the Browns needed to solidify the quarterback position longterm during this offseason, most likely through the draft. He didn't talk around stuff too much. The Browns could probably use a little more of that.

Waiting for the Man

It seems like the Browns have interviewed about 100 guys for head coach. That is pretty nuts considering the team has barely had a GM for over 3-4 days. But overall it seems like the search has proceeded well and, whatever the outcome, the Browns seem to be doing due diligence and interviewing just about all the viable candidates out there.

My preference is still Grimm, then Crennell and it's be entertaining to see them fight over the job, assuming they can get past their beer bellies.

Moon Dance

What is the uproar about? Watching Moss I didn't even realize what he was trying to do, and it lasted all of a few seconds anyway. I'm not a big fan of touchdown dances, but as far as they go this one was pretty harmless. And at least it was funny, which is much better than the usual "WORSHIP ME" stance that so many players pose.

4 Guys

There seems to be a lot written now about a few players that were previously considered to be among the Browns better ones.

Jeff Faine -- The running game looked improved with Melvon Fowler playing center. I guess it did, but it wasn't like the Browns were tearing it up offensively in those games. But I have wondered just how good Faine really was this season -- there were plenty of times that, if you just watched Faine on a few plays, you'd see him get turned around or seem to have poor leverage and get moved out of position. And that is kind of alarming. Going into his third season we should be very confident that Faine is the incumbent starter and something of a rock on the offensive line. He is neither. And since he was a mid-first round pick, insanely high for a center, I think it's safe to say he's well on his way to bust status. Hopefully it's not too late for him to turn it around. And hopefully the regime change in Berea somehow motivates the dude. Oh yeah, word that he is both Ross Verba's drinking buddy and is on a fitness-freak diet that has caused him to lose power and weight.... those things seem contradictory to me, unless it's an all-beer diet.

Antonio Bryant -- His argument with Holcomb during the Houston game was considered a red flag by some that the dude is a loose cannon and ready to combust. I don't know. I mostly like the guy on the field and am reluctant to critcize him much since Bryant is clearly better than Quincy Morgan when it comes to playing football. If the guy can be a contributor for another season I'd say the Browns at least got something positive from that deal. But still, Bryant does have some Morgan-esque tendencies when it comes to route running and he doesn't seem to bring it every single play like a good NFL player should. I'm still in his corner though.

William Green -- a lot of press recently about how the Browns should dump him. I agree -- the Browns should pursue trading the guy for a mid-round draft pick. Green's baggage worries me less than his general sluggishness and seeming lack of desire. He has some talent, but I doubt it will ever manifest itself on a consistent basis. And hopefully Savage can extract something in a trade that the team can parlay into a real football player.

Jeff Garcia -- I've been thinking the team might as well keep Garcia for another year but, like a lot of other people apparently, have changed my mind. I keep hearing and reading how Garcia or his girlfriend are telling people they want out of Cleveland. Fine. That means the Browns have no quarterback of the future on the roster. Fine. I guess they keep Holcomb and sign someone else. I'd pick Brad Johnson, and hopefully the team can develop a QB.

Crennel the Fav?

He is, according to Mort.

I guess this is a bit surprising, but certainly not shocking. And the more I consider it the more sense it makes. I like the Grimm fantasy the most still, but Crennel is probably a much safer choice. And, most importantly, he is tough and known as an open and fair guy who makes good calls on gameday.

Also, please don't hire Childress. The Philly offense wilts almost every year around Thanksgiving, and the dude looks like BASIC programmer. Geez, at least hire a PERL programmer.

Grimm and Childress?

It sounds like Russ Grimm and Brad Childress are the leading candidates for the HC position, with Mike Nolan may be in the mix. Some thoughts...

Russ Grimm -- Sounds like a great candidate, but there's been little indication of how he is regarded by Savage, Collins, or Lerner. But I have more respect for the Steelers organization than any other in football and if the Steelers saw fit to make him "assistant head coach" to keep him around a little longer, then that's as good a recommendation as you're gonna find. And the fact that he's an offensive line coach for a team that has usually had a very good offensive line.... well, that seems to be a good thing for a Browns organization that has traditionally had a substandard offensive line. But we don't know what Grimm thinks about the rest of a football team, and that's where he might not cut it as a HC. Still, judging by what I know right now, he'd be my pick. And frankly, I don't think you need to be a great offensive or defensive mind to be a great head coach. Think about this too -- Grimm is currently coaching for a team that could win a Super Bowl, could potentially become the next Browns head coach and could get elected to the Hall of Fame in a few weeks. That'd be a pretty good month.

Brad Childress - Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator. Supposedly he is very close with Savage as well. My enthusiasm about him is tempered because the Eagles offensive output was mixed until Owens got there. But the offense was never _bad_ even when Koy Detmer and AJ Feeley were quarterbacking a while back. The Browns aren't like to have great talent for while so if Childress is the guy you can bet it's because the Browns FO really respects what Childress managed to do when times were tough. And the dude has been around enough that the team would be in good hands with him. He or Grimm would be solid picks.

Mike Nolan - defensive coordinator for the Ravens. The Savage connection is definitely there. You have to like the Ravens defense over the past 6-7 years. I think if he gets the job it will be solely on the basis of Savage's preference. And no one could complain if the Browns wound up with another branch off the Raven's tree as HC.

But Grimm seems like the guy. Hell, just LOOK at him -- he's big and tough, just the type of dude you want to see leading your team into battle on a cold day on the lakefront. Compare that to Childress' mug shot and it's no contest. Not to mention the name Grimm just sounds cool too.

Comments On

Thanks to Ace Davis for the suggestion to add comments. Back whenever I started writing here I don't think Blogger allowed comments, at least not unless you wanted to pay them for the privilege. So today I took a look at the admin screens and was pleasantly surprised at all the free functionality Blogger now offers. So now comments are on (and I will now know just how few people read this thing!). I read a lot of blogs where people rag on Blogger, but personally it has served me quite well and it still seems to be a cool service IMO.

Savage On-Board

As I'm sure you have heard, Phil Savage is the new GM. Good. I'm excited
about the guy's track record in picking talent in the high rounds of the
draft. I'm a little concerned that he hasn't been in much of a GM-type role
before. But we will have _years_ to discuss the guy's strengths and
weaknesses. Hopefully he is able to show his strengths right off the bat in
the April draft, or even before that by resolving some key roster issues
that are staring the Browns in the face. A couple quick thoughts:

- Maybe I am wrong and hindsight allows me to say this, but the Ravens
drafts for the past 7 years haven't been as revolutionary as all those
Pro-Bowlers would suggest. Guys like Terrell Suggs and Ed Reed were very
highly regarded by you average ESPN-watcher, but inexplicably dropped on
draft day. By the time the Ravens chose them it was almost a no-brainer.
That doesn't take away much credit from what a guy like Savage was able to
accomplish (lots of teams, afterall, passed on a guy like Reed) but it
should be a reminder that it took the Ravens a lot of good fortune to draft
so well.

- I don't think the Ravens have traded down as long as Savage has been
around. And I'm struggling to think of many later round gems the Ravens
have drafted. There are definitely a few, but I wouldn't say rounds #3-#7
have unearthed anymore pleasant surprises than the average NFL team. Those
things considered, I wonder if Savage is likely to try and trade down in
the upcoming draft.

Anyway, all Browns fans should enjoy a beer (I recommend Guinness) and
celebrate the fact the Browns have at least got a bona fide talent
evaluator calling the shots now. Lerner and Collins apparently got a solid
guy in what was becoming a rather scary GM search with fewer candidates
being available than we all expected. There will be lots of time to second
guess, but I'm willing to give it a day or so. ;)

Phil'n the GM Spot

Wow, I'm working on a long, detailed analysis of the Browns offseason needs and key upcoming decsions (starting with the GM and coach) but it looks like events are moving faster than I can write it all down -- Grossi reports Phil Savage is the frontrunner on the basis that most other candidates are unavailable. This, only 36 hours after the last game of the season. Amazing.

I'll try and elaborate later, but one of my theories is that the sexier the GM hire, the less succesful the GM is likely to be. For instance, Ozzie Newsome would probably wind up a dissappointment. Randy Meuller, on the other hand, would probably do quite well. There's just something about this town and Browns fans that make it so. What about Phil Savage?I don't know. My guess is expectations for a Savage reign would only be modestly high, so that probably bodes well. But I have to wonder if he's really got all the qualifications necessary for the job (he's primarily been a scout). He certainly would fall into the "first-time GM" category.

--

And, oh yeah, I'm annoyed the Browns beat Houston, even if it felt good to watch.