[ESPN.com ~ James Walker] Cleveland Browns building for long haul

 

 

Feed: ESPN.com - NFL Nation Blog
Posted on: Friday, April 29, 2011 12:12 AM
Author: James Walker
Subject: Cleveland Browns building for long haul

 

BEREA, Ohio -- The Cleveland Browns had an opportunity to make an immediate splash Thursday with the No. 6 overall pick in the NFL draft. Instead, Cleveland general manager Tom Heckert and president Mike Holmgren opted for longevity instead of immediate gratification. First, they traded their sixth pick to the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for five draft picks. Then, the Browns moved back up from No. 27 to No. 21 to select Baylor defensive tackle Phil Taylor in the first round. Cleveland also gave up its third-rounder (No. 70 overall) to the Kansas City Chiefs to make the move. Although Taylor is not the huge splash the Browns' faithful had hoped for in this draft, credit Cleveland's regime for thinking about the big picture. In all, the wheeling and dealing gave the Browns four additional picks over the next two years. That totals an astounding 18 picks in the next two drafts, giving Cleveland a chance to infuse youth and talent into a struggling franchise. "We thought if something was really, really intriguing to us to add more players, we'd do it," Heckert explained of the deal. "We're not saying we're one player away. There were some good players there [at No. 6], but it turns out what we got in return we feel very good about." Heckert admitted Thursday night what we already knew: Cleveland has a long road ahead to build its roster into a contender. But credit the Browns' front office for making that honest assessment. The Browns are not close to supplanting the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North, and they're not going to make a run to the Super Bowl this season. But this trade helps put Cleveland in position to build a solid foundation. Cleveland got off to a good start with the 2010 draft. The Browns drafted cornerback Joe Haden in the first round, safety T.J. Ward in the second and quarterback Colt McCoy in the third. All three players developed into starters. Last year's draft was the first of the Holmgren-Heckert partnership. Both are proven winners with a lengthy track records and experience. They are eager to acquire additional picks and are confident their front office and scouting staff knows what to do with them. "Tom Heckert is the real deal," Holmgren said recently. "The people that work with him, our personnel department, they do their jobs and they do them very well. If I put on my coach hat for a moment, that's a real encouragement to Pat [Shurmur] and the coaches." In Taylor, the Browns feel they drafted a potential starter at No. 21. The team cut former Pro Bowl defensive tackle Shaun Rogers this offseason, and the 337-pound Taylor fills a huge need with Cleveland switching to a 4-3 defense. He recorded 87 tackles and 2.5 sacks in two years at Baylor. The AFC North is arguably the most physical division in football, and the Browns hope defensive tackles Ahtyba Rubin and Taylor will prevent Cleveland from getting gashed up the middle of the defense. The Ravens (Ray Rice), Steelers (Rashard Mendenhall) and Cincinnati Bengals (Cedric Benson) all had 1,000-yard running backs last season. "I'm a great run-stopping defensive tackle, and I get a good pass rush as well," Taylor said Thursday night. "I played in the 4-3 my whole college career." "We're going to be very tough inside," Heckert added. With the Atlanta trade, the Browns will have two second-round picks Friday and a chance to add more building blocks. "We have an opportunity in this draft to get more good players," Browns head coach Pat Shurmur said. "We're one more player better, and that's the approach. If you don't sense the excitement in my voice, it's there. We really feel we got a good player."

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Will The Browns Apply A "Peterson" Principle In The Draft?

When the NFL Draft commences on 04/28/2011, Cleveland Browns fans everywhere treat the event with a curious mix of anticipation, hope, and fear. Hope in the event that this will be the draft that fans can point back and say, "this is when the team began to turn the corner.". Fear that the organization will squander high draft choices on players such as David Veikune, Travis Wilson, or William Green (I realize that there are other players I could have listed, but I wanted to give some other names from the painful draft past a quick trip down memory lane...).

The NFL Draft is an inexact science. Trying to project college players into professional football is something that even the best of teams will sometimes miss upon. Unfortunately for Browns fans, the misses have been more common than the hits.

Looking back at last year's draft, the Browns were able to acquire Joe Haden, T.J. Ward, and Colt McCoy. If Montario Hardesty is able to return from injury, the 2010 draft is one of those benchmark drafts that quality NFL teams routinely use to make them into championship contenders.

Tom Heckert is a solid talent evaluator who has done his homework. Unlike last season, Heckert and Mike Holmgren are on the same page with new head coach Pat Shurmur offensively, while also being on board with new defensive coordinator Dick Jauron. The Browns are moving to a 4-3 scheme under Jauron, unlike the 3-4 scheme espoused by Eric Mangini and Rob Ryan that Heckert and Holmgren were not familiar with in their previous organizations.

If I had the opportunity to make the first round pick, this is how I would proceed:

1. Trade down for extra picks - if Cameron Newton and Blaine Gabbert are still available, I believe the Browns will have opportunities to trade down. Picking up extra picks is always my first prerogative.

2. The top player on my wish list? DT Marcell Dareus of Alabama. Until the Browns are able to effectively stop the run, they will be an also-ran in the division against the Steelers and Ravens. I look for Dareus to be taken in the first two picks, more than likely by Denver.

3. More than likely, Dareus will not be there. My second choice? CB Patrick Peterson of LSU. Arguably the best player in the draft, Peterson could take the other cornerback spot opposite Joe Haden, allowing Sheldon Brown to move to safety with T.J. Ward. The secondary would immensely improve. While not providing any help to the defensive line, shoring up the secondary can only help in the Browns' quest towards respectability - being able to slow down the passing games of the Steelers, Ravens, and Bengals would be a big step.

4. OLB Von Miller would be my third selection. I do not believe he will be there. My concern is Miller may be best suited for a 3-4, but I am sure the Browns could put Miller on the field in a weakside linebacker spot to rush the passer. Again, I do not believe Miller will be there for the Browns to pick. Look for Miller to be Buffalo's selection at third overall.

5. I have never been a fan of taking wide receivers high in the NFL Draft. Year in and year out, wide receivers can be (and usually are) found in the lower rounds. Think of the top receivers in the division (Hines Ward, Mike Wallace, Derrick Mason, Chad Ochocinco, Terrell Owens) - none of them were first round draft choices. With that being said, if none of my top players are available, I would prefer the Browns select WR Julio Jones of Alabama over WR A.J. Green of Georgia. Green may be the more acrobative receiver, but I prefer Jones for his downfield blocking skills.

6. While I believe both DT Nick Fairley of Auburn and DE Robert Quinn of North Carolina are good players who could help the Browns, both carry some risk. Again, I would prefer to trade down a few spots and gain some picks, versus taking a risk. Dropping down a few spots, and taking DE J.J. Watt of Wisconsin or DT Corey Liuget of Illinois may be preferred.

The NFL Draft will start around 8pm. I will have a beer in hand, watching the events unfold, with high hopes the Browns will be selecting another player more along the lines of Joe Thomas than Gerard Warren.

ESPN's Outside The Lines: Tim May & Chris Spielman on Jim Tressel & NCAA

Minnich's Thoughts From Ohio State's 2011 Spring Game

Before the news broke on April 25, 2011, regarding Ohio State's and Jim Tressel's NCAA violations, Ohio State fans were actually reviewing this past weekend's spring game. I figured I would offer up some thoughts contrary to the torch-bearers and pitchfork carriers employed by ESPN.com.

Having attended multiple Ohio State spring games in the past, I have often cautioned Ohio State fans not to put too much stock into the performances, positively or negatively. For example, for every 1996's spring game hero Joe Germaine, there is a (fill in the spring game year) of Bam Childress. In other words, strong performances do not necessarily translate into strong performances in the fall.

With those thoughts in mind, here are some quick thoughts I have as they relate to Ohio State heading into summer conditioning.

1. The quarterback position is still in flux heading into fall camp ~ Joe Bauserman may have the vote of the coaches at the moment, but it would be premature to pencil Bauserman in as the starter against Akron on September 3rd. Yes, I remember what I wrote up above. I would also suggest that coaches have reassured fans that Bauserman knows the offense the best, but his performance in the spring game certainly belied that reputation. Braxton Miller is raw, but his mobility behind makeshift offensive lines in the spring game gave fans the impression that he could improvise the offense enough until Terrelle Pryor's return in October. Taylor Graham has the strongest arm, but arguably the weakest mobility. Kenny Guiton had equal times good and bad in the spring game, as did Joe Bauserman. This position may not be decided until a few games into the season, in my estimation.

2. The running backs and tight ends will be vital parts of Ohio State's passing offense ~ Every Ohio State fan who has clamored for Jim Tressel to throw to the tight ends, this is your offense. With DeVier Posey's pending suspension, and the visible inconsistencies of Corey "Philly" Brown displayed in the spring game, Ohio State will need to involve both Jake Stoneburner and Reid Fragel more in the passing game. Running backs Jordan Hall and Jaamal Berry both showed signs of being capable slot receivers who could pose challenges for opposing defenses.

3. The offensive line's lack of depth is a major concern ~ In February 2010, I wrote about how I could not understand why Ohio State did not pursue other offensive linemen beyond Andrew Norwell and Matt James in the state of Ohio. The spring game showed how precarious Ohio State's offensive line depth is going into the 2011 season.

4. The defense looks to be good as usual ~ Yes, I know that the Gray team lost in Coach Tressel's convoluted scoring scheme. With most of the secondary nursing injuries, Ohio State's defense was facing an uphill battle going into the final spring practice. All Jim Tressel wanted was to get players out of the game with no injuries - with the exception of Johnathan Hankins, nobody was injured, which is a good thing. The defense will be fine this upcoming season.

5. Now Ohio State needs to work without "The Tat 5" ~ While I respect the coaching staff using Mike Adams, DeVier Posey, and Daniel "Boom" Herron in spring ball, the fall camp needs to be devoted to the players who will be able to play against Akron. Am I suggesting giving no reps to Adams, Posey, Pryor, etc? Absolutely not. But I am suggesting that it does Ohio State no good devoting valuable coaching time to players who cannot help in meaningful games on Saturdays.