Offtopic

Just a side note -- if you haven't been reading about all the stuff going on in the Middle East lately, you really should check it out. There are a lot of potentially big things happening. From the protests in Lebanon to the sudden announcement that Egypt will have (sort of) democratic elections, there's definitely something in the air. At this point you could say that a few Arab countries have a better chance of becoming a full-fledged democracy before the Browns could contend for the AFC championship. But, you know, damn it, I'm crossing that Browns/Rest-of-world blogging line I've drawn for myself. Still, if you have the inclination check it out and make your own judgments.

Griffith Next?

I've been harping about RObert Griffith for the past couple years. I think he always, ALWAYS goes for the big hit instead of making a sure tackle, and he generally is a liability in coverage. Even though I will even admit he wasn't too bad this past season. Well, it sounds like I will get my wish as the Browns seem poised to release him. Fair enough. I hope Sean Jones is ready to roll. That, or the Browns will be drafting DBs, which wouldn't be a bad idea anyway.

On an unrelated note, did you see the Rams are considering trading Pace? For the past 3 years people on the BI boards have gone on and on about a Pace trade with the Browns. It ain't happening, but I almost wish the Giants would acquire him just so I wouldn't have to hear about a potential deal with the Browns anymore.

Also of interest is this mock draft by a former Browns scout. He has the Browns picking OT Alex Barron after the top two QBs are selected with the first two picks. Sounds okay to me.

Let the Turnover Begin!

First it was Warren who could seek a trade. Now it's William Green.

And Faine has been read the riot act that his starting job is not certain.

Go Savage Go!

Best quote:

Savage declined to say if Crennel's mandate for high character players was driving the effort to trade them.

"I think that's for other people to interpret," Savage said.

And Lee Suggs sounds like he'll be the starting back. ("We feel like he can be a very productive back in the league.")

And the Browns have talked with Jay Fiedler's agent.

....OK, in order....

Warren can either stay or go as far as I'm concerned. If he stays he might not fit perfectly into a 3-4 scheme, but he'll be extremely motivated to produce and get the big bucks with another team next year. And if he goes that probably means the Browns get something of value in return. I'd say this is a win-win.

Green may not go anywhere, and if he does the Browns won't get squat in return. In many ways, Green's problem has been the same as Warrne's -- motivation. Except Green hasn't lacked for reasons to be motivated. I wonder if Savage will release him if a trade is not possible. I'd say that is 50/50.

Faine, expected to be an anchor on the line, has only succeeded in being anchor-man in beer drinking competitions. It doesn't help that after two seasons in the NFL he still looks/plays undersized at times. My guess he'll probably wind up beating out Fowler in camp. If that happens it will be good for the Browns. Savage and Crennel appear to be putting the pressure on a guy who needs it.

I am huge supporter of Crennel's character-driven approach and have not problem saying that it would be better to lose a game or two each year than to put up with a bunch of punks on the team.

Jay Fiedler. I'm a little torn over him. A couple weeks ago I was thinking that, of all the FA QBs to be available, Fiedler might be a guy that was attractive to a team like the Browns. I've always been reluctant to get excited about him, but maybe that is the point. And really, Fiedler brings a lot to the table that the Browns need. He's started for a ball-control team for five years and had a winning record. He's a real pro. He won't command a ton of money, but it might be a significant investment. He's still got a few seasons left in him. He'd be a good fit for a couple years while the roster turns over. Aside from Fiedler the player, you have to like what Savage is doing here -- being upfront about his interest in another player and putting some pressure on Holcomb to make a quick decision before or in FA. And suggesting that he and Crenell have the right idea for this franchise, which is to stick with a solid-if-unspectacular veteran QB for now while the rest of the team is put in order. Heck, that last point is almost cause for rejoicing after the last 5-6 years.

Let the Turnover Begin!

First it was Warren who could seek a trade. Now it's William Green.

And Faine has been read the riot act that his starting job is not certain.

Go Savage Go!

Best quote:

Savage declined to say if Crennel's mandate for high character players was driving the effort to trade them.

"I think that's for other people to interpret," Savage said.

And Lee Suggs sounds like he'll be the starting back. ("We feel like he can be a very productive back in the league.")

And the Browns have talked with Jay Fiedler's agent.

....OK, in order....

Warren can either stay or go as far as I'm concerned. If he stays he might not fit perfectly into a 3-4 scheme, but he'll be extremely motivated to produce and get the big bucks with another team next year. And if he goes that probably means the Browns get something of value in return. I'd say this is a win-win.

Green may not go anywhere, and if he does the Browns won't get squat in return. In many ways, Green's problem has been the same as Warrne's -- motivation. Except Green hasn't lacked for reasons to be motivated. I wonder if Savage will release him if a trade is not possible. I'd say that is 50/50.

Faine, expected to be an anchor on the line, has only succeeded in being anchor-man in beer drinking competitions. It doesn't help that after two seasons in the NFL he still looks/plays undersized at times. My guess he'll probably wind up beating out Fowler in camp. If that happens it will be good for the Browns. Savage and Crennel appear to be putting the pressure on a guy who needs it.

I am huge supporter of Crennel's character-driven approach and have not problem saying that it would be better to lose a game or two each year than to put up with a bunch of punks on the team.

Jay Fiedler. I'm a little torn over him. A couple weeks ago I was thinking that, of all the FA QBs to be available, Fiedler might be a guy that was attractive to a team like the Browns. I've always been reluctant to get excited about him, but maybe that is the point. And really, Fiedler brings a lot to the table that the Browns need. He's started for a ball-control team for five years and had a winning record. He's a real pro. He won't command a ton of money, but it might be a significant investment. He's still got a few seasons left in him. He'd be a good fit for a couple years while the roster turns over. Aside from Fiedler the player, you have to like what Savage is doing here -- being upfront about his interest in another player and putting some pressure on Holcomb to make a quick decision before or in FA. And suggesting that he and Crenell have the right idea for this franchise, which is to stick with a solid-if-unspectacular veteran QB for now while the rest of the team is put in order. Heck, that last point is almost cause for rejoicing after the last 5-6 years.

D-Line in 3-4

I was just reading Ace's comments on this article regarding the Browns bloated D-line and the switch to the 3-4 and figured I'd throw in my two cents.

Can any of our defensive lineman cut it in a 3-4 scheme? It is going to be tough. I think we are likely to see Crennel run a mixed scheme where the 3-4 might be the base defense, but traditional 4-3 packages are still used often. That's what New England has been doing for years, so it would make sense that Crennel would use something similar. Still, you can count on some major turnover in the group including Gerard Warren, Courtney Brown, Kenard Lang, Ebenezer Ekuban, Orpheus Roye and Alvin McKinley.

Warren is the most commonly mentioned candidate for nosetackle, but I don't really see it. He seems more of a one-gap player to me, and I don't know that he can be enough of a presence at nosetackle. But in terms of salary he really won't cost the Browns much this coming year. He's either got to play nosetackle or he's gonna get traded. I think the more often Crennel wants to run a 3-4 the more likely Warren gets traded.

C Brown seems to be in line to be moved to LB and occasionally lineup on the line and rush the passer. I can see him doing quite well in this role, but it's by no means a guarantee. And Brown will have to take a big pay cut to stay with the Browns. It might be in his best interest to get cut and sign with another team as a regular DE. Personally, I hope he stays and we get to see him bowl over 3rd-down RBs on his way to the quarterback.

Lang has been a decent DE. And he will probably be able to play DE in a 3-4 and still be reasonably effective. But his pass rushiing skills would not be used much and I'm not sure the cost/benefit ratio will be in the Browns favor. But I bet he sticks around for at least another year and does fine.

Ekuban might be the odd man out. He wasn't bad at DE. But I don't recall him being a force against the run. He isn't that cheap either.

Roye would seem to be the only automatic of the bunch. He's played in a 3-4 before and has been able to do anything the Browns asked of him in a 4-3. Unless Savage has problems with his salary, I think he and Lang will play end.

McKinley is cheap and played pretty well the last two years. Can he play nosetackle? Don't know. He would probably backup at end pretty well though.

Who else? Michael Myers is another guy who could stay, but he's the type of guy who will have to fight it out in trainiing camp before solidifying a spot.

UPDATE: Looks like Warren is on the way out. Which probably means Romeo feels playing a 3-4 all/most of the time is doable. I wonder what the Browns think they can get for him -- if they really don't have a need for him they won't have much leverage, but if multiple teams have interest he could garner a 3rd or even 2nd rounder. Maybe it will open up some opportunities for the Browns to swap draft picks as well.

Mid-Feb Action

Lots and lots of news, so much I'm wishing I had a lot more time to write about it all. I'm also wishiing I hadn't lost my Blogger password and changed my email address, making it damn near impossible that I was ever going to be able to post here again. Thankfully, my memory did not fail me. Anyway...

The Titans purged a lot of veterans, including WR Mason, CB Rolle and, perhaps of interest for the Browns, RT Fred Miller. Not sure how much interest the Browns would really have in a guy like that (Tucker is already a fine RT), but you never know. At the very least, it's probably a good thing the FA market has another quality veteran for some other team to lavish money on, while hopefully the Browns get a better price on a guy they could use.

Matt Hassellbeck resigns with the Seahawks, shortly after LT Walter Jones did the same. That's amazing, really, since Jones has been a holdout for a couple years and the Seahawks were facing 3 players becoming FAs. Now Shaun Alexander will be franchised. If I am the Seahawks, I wouldn't even bother working out a deal with Alexander. Why would you? RBs break down so fast and the guy is kind of strange to begin with. From a distance, it looks like the Seahawks managed the situation perfectly.

The Browns, meanwhile, have announced they want to resign Anthony Henry, Lewis Sanders and Kelly Holcomb. Those all sound like good moves to me. Henry is a very good corner IMO. He isn't a franchise CB but he is capable of blanketing leading wide outs and has a nose for the ball. It'd be nice to have him long-term if the team can get the right deal. Sanders, on the other hand, is a guy who has always been interesting physically but couldn't stay healthy. I thought he looked particularly good in emergency duty last season. Is he a starter? Probably not, but he could be if someone goes down and seems like a gamer who will be affordable. Finally Holcomb. It sure looks like the plan will be to start Holcomb for a year or two with another veteran backing him up and maybe even competing as a starter. That is a wise course of action. There's no point in bringing in either a high-priced FA or a rookie. This team needs one thing from the QB in 2005 -- steady leadership.

C Brown has stated he'd be willing to move to LB in a 3-4. Sounds good to me. Obviously Brown is slated to get a huge pay cut or get released. I'd have to think the team could come to an agreement though as long as Savage and Crennel thought he could make the switch. I think he can, and playing off the line might even help him avoid injuries.

Draft -- my current line of thought is 1) trade down, 2) pick Mike Williams, 3) pick Derrick Johnson. And please don't blow a #3 on a QB. Williams and Johnson are probably not worth the #3, but there aren't a lot of other options the seems like they are either. Nevertheless, things will change, and so will my opinion. Except for the first option, of course.

Also, the combine starts up this week. It is impossible to tell what players the Browns are going to be interested in, but I've been reading Savage's comments leading up to this week and he seems optimistic that the scouting staff is on-board with his process. Since there's nothing else to really go on, I'll just take those comments as a positive sign and leave it at that. Hopefully the Browns unearth a couple players this week.

And finally -- I'm rooting hard for Lebanon to find a way to be it's own country. But that is not the blog I write!

All This News

Garcia Gone
I can't say "we hardly knew ya" cause, frankly, I think we knew far too much about Jeff Garcia, and despite being a battler on the field, the guy was a jackass the rest of the time. It's a shame too cause I had some high hopes for him in Cleveland and really thought he'd be a noticeable upgrade over Couch/Holcomb since he was so much more mobile. But he seemed more interested in battling the gameplan than beating the opponent, and most of his mobility was spent off the field shuttling between various West Side bars and women's bedrooms. Garcia's 2004 presence in Cleveland may ensure Butch Davis never gets another head coaching gig in the pros, and may relegate him to seond or third tier college programs as well.

Robiskie Not
Robiskie must be a pretty good guy to stay employed in Cleveland. I mean, it's almost automatic that a new regime wants its own people, and for Robiskie to stay on in any capacity despite having no particular ties to Crennel is somewhat remarkable. I guess it means one of three things: 1) Robiskie is a good asset, 2) Crennel doesn't know what he is doing, 3) Crennel would like someone else, but figures Robiskie can hold the spot for a year.

Jeff Davidson to coach the O-Line
This guy sounds pretty good. It's a ncie story since he's got Ohio roots and he really wants to be here. Besides that, Romeo had some flattering things to say about him in terms of his philosophy in run blocking and pass protection. Music to my ears. Also, the fact that Belichek considered him to fill NE's OC position is another nice recommendation.

Todd Grantham a possible D-coordinatorGood things: The texans sucked last year, but their defense was promising in the years prior. They have experience running a 3-4. He seems to be well regarded, and is rumored to have turned down the Dolhins DC job cause he was hoping to get the job in Cleveland.

Bad things: The Texans sucked last year. Grantham was the D-Line coach and, well, the job of the D-Line in a 3-4 is basically to eat up blockers and keep the linebackers free. I was never a defensive lineman, but that doesn't seem to be the most complicated position to coach. (Am I seriously mistaken here?)

Off-Season Jockeying

Kind of a bummer than Crennel didn't get his first pick for defensive coordinator, Eric Mangini. On the other hand, sometimes stuf like this works out for the best, and perhaps Manging wasn't very excited about the prospect of spending a year traversing the road to a 3-4 defense. Whatever happens, it sure does sound like there will be some major roster turnover on defense. And when you figure there is likely to be a lot of new faces on offense, we are looking at a whole new team in a year's time.

It's getting closer and closer until there is a full-on mock draft frenzy. This CNNSI mock is just the latest to predict the Browns will take a QB. Call me crazy, but I just don't see it happening with Savage and Crennel. Crennel is a defensive guy, and Savage has kind of made his mark building a great Baltimore defense. That doesn't mean they are definitely picking a defensive player in the first round, but at a minimum I think they will take the best-player-available approach. LB Derrick Johnson, CB Antrell Rolle, OT Alex Barron, or maybe a WR seem like possible choices right now. Trading down would still seem to be the most preferable option though.

Mangini Next?

I've been quiet on who the Browns hire as a defensive coordinator as the papers have speculated Patriots assistants Eric Mangini or Pepper Johnson are the leading candidates. It's very hard to judge what assistant coach would really help the Browns defense, especially since there are so many factors involved. But now that the Browns have shown who their first pick is, I'm hoping Mangini takes the Browns offer. The obvious up-side to Managini -- that the team won a Super Bowl despite having a secondary beaten up by injuries. The potential downside -- is the playing-soft approach in the secondary really the only way to go these days? If it works, I have no complaints, but it can be a painful way to lose football games. (Then again, there are few pleasant ways to lose.)

In other news... it looks like almost all Browns assistant coaches are hitting the road. That's expected and probably a fine thing. The only potential loss may be tight ends coach Rob Chudzinski, who lead a fairly impressive group of tight ends.
The only guy who may stay is Robiskie. Personally, I am against his staying almost soley because the players like him. I'm a firm believer that most athletes don't know what is best for them in regards to a coach. It is better to have a guy who is respected than a guy who is liked, and I'm not sure Robiskie is respected enough. But who knows, maybe Robiskie could be instrumental in getting the new staff up to speed. But based on what we can see of the situation it seems best for Robiskie to work elsewhere and let Crennel bring in someone new to the team.

AARP = Blood Sucking Parasite

People talk about potential benefit cuts as if they would be war crimes. The unspeakable truth—unspeakable because hardly anyone speaks it—is that benefit cuts are inevitable, because the baby boom's retirement costs will force them.

ALso from the same article: "We ought to nudge these programs back toward their original purpose as safety nets—and not retirement subsidies." Holy crap, did I just read something that made sense?

And about Bush: "Obscuration may actually be Bush's aim." Exactly -- I think Bush is merely proposing a meaningless change that is barely passable in Congress just so he can get the forces of change moving an inch. Will it be the start of something meaningful? Beats me. But anything is a start of something, in this case. If Bush's proposal passes and is a huge failuer, then great -- maybe it will motivate the country to seek out a real fix.

OK, I am done with the Social Security blogging. Do we have a defensive coordinator yet? Are we resigning Anthony Henry or what? There are many, many issues at hand that are more readily addressed.

AARP Continues to Advocate Culture of Dependence

I apologize for so much off-topic blogging, but it just may continue so long as I see stuff like this: Smaller Fixes Could Bolster Social Security - AARP. I mean, you see a link like this and you just have to click on it. But before you do, let's play the Predict What the Article Will Say game.

If you were the AARP, responsible for making sure the government pays huge subsidies to America's top 40% age bracket, what do you think you would say about Social Security, the governments largest subsidy to America's top 40% age bracket. And consider that the current president is going around telling everyone that the program is going to run out of money in the coming decades. Well, let's see, you might say:

• There's hardly anything wrong with the current program
  
• Except it doesn't have enough money!!!

And that is exactly what the AARP has to say.

I f*cking hate the AARP when it comes to this sort of lobbying. How freaking ballsy it is to claim that the only problem with Social Security is that it doesn't have enough money. Duh!!! That IS the freaking problem -- Social Security is too expensive to maintain as is.

So, Chief Executive Officer William Novelli, please answer me the following:

Why is it fair that a person under 40 pay taxes on all of their income to support expanding benefits for older Americans?

• Considering that Americans are living longer and healthier, wouldn't it be fair to increase the age Americans are eligible to start receiving benefits?
  
• How about taking the average age of death for men and women, subtracting 12 years, and saying that is the age people can get benefits? Wouldn't that fairly introduce a degree of cost control to the system?
  
• What is the alternative -- just endlessly increasing funding as people live longer?
  
• Don't you think Social Security should adapt fairly for everyone involved -- both the people receiving benefits and those who are paying into the system?
  
• Do you think the example of other developed nations with more ambitious entitlement programs is something Americans should emulate or try and avoid?
  
• Do you realize that an average 30 year-old would have to pay about 25% of their income to Social Security taxes and into their own retirement savings in order to comfortably retire? Is this a good thing or a bad thing to you?
  
• Do you think that as medical procedures and drugs get more advanced and more expensive that Medicaid and Social Security should increase benefits at the same rate?
  
• Is there a quantitive standard of living and a quantitive baseline of medical care that AARP believe all retirees should get? What is it? For instance, should Medicaid pay for very advanced and cutting edge medical treatment?
  

I can't stand it. I think the nation's older segment is basically stealing from the rest of the country, and it's to the detriment of everyone. It is creating a culture of dependence, and that breeds stupidity and selfishness where otherwise rational people will vote for things that benefit themselves even though it obviously is unfair to other segments of the population. And the AARP is leading the way, ignoring all mathematics and demographic realities. AARP, don't you freaking get it? It's not about getting all you can. It's about getting what is just and what is fair. Didn't your parents teach you this when you were little?

Romeo + Silas

Anyone else think Crennel sounds almost indistinguishable from Paul Silas when you hear him on the radio?

So Long Mr. Childress

The verdict will be out on Romeo Crennel for quite some time, but the verdict on Brad Childress came in late in the 4th quarter last night when the Eagles, down by 10 points, raced down the field at a snails pace and score a touchdown. While some might credit Childress for getting his team within a field goal, I would condemn him for all but giving the game away by wasting so much time from the clock. What a joke. Instead of being in a hurry-up offense, McNabb was insisting the Eagles get into a huddle, and it wasn't one of those snappy huddles either. Then, after the Eagles scored and were fortunate to get the ball back with under a minute left, Childress and the Eagles promptly tried 3 times before they were able to give away the game for good. First, McNabb dumped a pass off to Westrbrook the Westbrook chose to catch even though his team had no time outs and he had no chance of gaining any yards, much less getting out of bounds. Then in the ensuing rush to call the next play it became clear that Childress had only called one play in the previous huddle cause the Eagles had no idea what they were doing. Jeez, a six-year old would have called two plays in the previous huddle, even if the second one was "T.O., you just go long on the next play." Then, finally, mercifully, McNabb tosses the predictable INT to make the Eagles offensive offensive performance official. Brad Childress, I am really, really happy you are not coming to Cleveland.

Some might say McNabb had a good game cause he threw for a lot of yards, but he didn't. He was out of sync all night, rarely threw a ball where his receivers could catch it and run, and generally looking like he was throwing with a broken bone in his hand. McNabb never ran for a significant gain either. Even when his team should have been taking some chances, he rarely threw downfield and there was never a play call that attempted to take advantage of his mobility. Two weeks ago McNabb made Mike Vick look like a high school kid playing NFL QB. This week, the Patriots made McNabb look like a college kid trying to get by in the Super Bowl. And Tom Brady, despite a game where he didn't seem to have the deep-ball accuracy he usually does, came out looking like he always does -- a winner.

Finally, is it not 1000% utterly astounding that Bill Freaking Belichek is now considered next to God Himself? I don't think I will ever fully comprehend it. Intellectually, yes, I get it and it makes sense. But emotionally, no, it's just too unlikely to fully believe.

It's Official: Crennel the Man

Following a post-game interview with Crennel, Marv Albert on the radio actually said "the Cleveland Patriots win their third Super Bowl in four years." With Belichek leading the team, and Crennel on the way to the Browns, it almost feels that way... minus the thrill of victory anyway.

But at least we have a coach and it seems likely all the rest of the pieces will fall into place very quickly over the next few days. Lots of off-season fun to come.

Potential Carthon Fallout

If Carthon really does become the next Browns OC is should end any shred of possibility that Jeff Garcia will remain the Browns QB next season. Which also means the team will almost certainly be in the market for a veteran QB.

A related matter may be Antonio Bryant, who was jettisoned to Cleveland last year for the measly price of Quincy Morgan. Where does Carthon fall on that trade? Did he like Bryant? Did he prefer Morgan (scary thought)? I'm still of the mind that Bryant is a fine receiver, though more of a #2 or #3.

On an unrelated but iintersting note, I've read that Norm Chow will be interviewed for the OC position in Tennessee. Chow is obviously a highly touted college assistant, but he runs a pretty wide open offense at USC. That would be quite a change of philosophy for Jeff Fisher and the Titans.

Campbell Mired in Red

Jane Campbell, Even an idiot like me could have seen this coming. Now I get to say it -- I told you so.

We should all be saying a prayer that a competent politician emerges to run for mayor. I'd take just about anyone as long as they knew what they were doing. Somebody convince Tim Hagan to move to Cleveland.

Roger Brown early on the Big Money Bandwagon

Let the record show that Roger Brown has all but predicted that Gerard Warren will have a breakout season on 2005. I hope so. But it is awfully early in the offseason for the annuall Gerard Warren Will Have Breakout Season news articles.

Carthon in Cleveland?

Maurice Carthon wo be the Browns offensive coordinator? That's what this article suggests. I don't know jack about Carthon, but this sounds promising to me. Let me explain why. I know the Cowboys offense hasn't scared anyone recently and it's probably not the most impressive thing a guy could have on his resume. But the Cowboys ran a pretty conventional, more ground oriented attack. They weren't very successful but they were more and more effective with Julius Jones running as the 2004 season wore on. If Crennel is seeking out an ofensive coordinator with that type of track record it's an indication he is serious about playing more physical and more run-oriented football. It's not going to be exciting, but it will good for the long-term health of the Browns. And, to stretch this a bit further, maybe it will result in the Browns getting that o-line and defense this city deserves.

Also in the same article: "One coach slowly climbing the ladder with New England is Josh McDaniels, the former Canton McKinley High School quarterback."
Wow. This kid was the QB on a fantastic McKinley team, although he himself didn't seem like a very good quarterback. In fact, I always had the impression the only reason he was the QB was because his father Thom was the coach of the team. Anyway, good luck to him and I'm shocked he is now, of all things, the _quarterback coach_ for the Patriots. Amazing. Maybe he was a much better QB than I had thought!

Some Offseason Rumors...

Jerry Porter to Baltimore. Makes a lot of sense from Baltimore's perspective, and I generally like Porter. Some people think he's about to become a dominant receiver, but that seems a stretch. While it's true he had a fantastic second-half (he made himself 4-5 more million bucks, maybe more), he's also gotten shut-down with regularity over the last couple years when he was a starter. Let's fact it -- the Ravens have to get someone to be their #1 receiver. Porter would be a very good signing, but I'll take my chances that Porter's development is a bit deceiving, and that the Ravens offense and Kyle Boller won't exactly be a well oiled machine.

Matt Hassellbeck to ? The Browns are very likely to need a starting QB, and Hassellbeck is a promising player. But for the life of me I can't see him in a Browns uniform. First, he's now known as a West Coast offense QB, which is very unlikely to be the offense in Cleveland. Second, he's going to command a lot of money, and I'll be very surprised if the first thing Savage wants to do is committ the team to a big-time contract at the QB positon. Third, it's not clear that Seattle will let him go; it would make sense for both team and player if he stays.

Drew Brees to ? Why would he leave SD after the year he had? Why would SD leet him leave when Rivers is a complete unknown? I'm not buying this one either.

Verba is going to hold out. This could happen, but after the offseason Verba has had so far, he is really going to take a beating in the press duriing a hold-out. If Verba is in the long-term plans for the Browns, or if they view him as a true left-tackle, then Verba will get a nice salary increase out of it. But if they want to move him back to guard and that's it, then a holdout seems much more likely. Regardless, I'll didlike the dude if he holds out -- he came to Cleveland because the Browns paid him more than anyone else would. He also said when he came that he thought he could play tackle, and he might get the chance with the Browns. Well, he got his chance and has played pretty well. But to consider a holdout in this situation seems stupid because Verba said in the press he knew all of this could happen. If you want a contract extension, fine. But that's not the same as a holdout.