XMas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa all in one for you CLEVELAND BROWNS FANS!!!

By: Jerry "J-Rocc" Mires

Cleveland Browns fans everywhere, if you haven't yet done so, you really should be busy right now firing off cards and letters in thanks to one Daniel Snyder, owner of the Washington Redskins. Thanks to his organization, Browns fans everywhere wont find themselves even MORE miserable for the next 5-7 years... and in no thanks at all to 95% of the local media here in Cleveland.

Usually, I refrain from referencing other broadcasters or stations, unless its in a positive way (such as bringing to the forefront a great book, or column written by a local author/columnist). However, the majority of the Cleveland sports media should be ashamed of themselves for the way they fawned all over RG3, and attempted to steamroll Browns fans and followers everywhere into lemming-like agreement with their chosen target of todays' affection (not to mention tomorrows regret!).

The FM station in town should have just renamed themselves RG.3(s) BIG FAN, as I mean it, goofs on all day parts of that station (minus a select few) COULDN'T THROW THEMSELVES AT THE RG3 ALTAR FAST ENOUGH!  

I heard host after host around town (and read blog after blog, and tweet after tweet, blah blah blah) rail against the Browns if they had any notion of taking anyone not named RG3, and some even after the Skins-Rams trade, blasting the Browns for not trumping Washington to get the almighty RG3... 

They were willing to trade any and all that it took to get what some of the local "media" claimed as the once in a lifetime talent that is RG3.. He is NOT ONCE IN ANY LIFETIME first off, he is a good college quarterback who took center stage after the real QB jewel of the draft not named Andrew Luck (Read that: Matt Barkley) decided not to join in on the fun...

He is also a good quarterback who lived in an offense unlike most of the NFL and has never taken snaps behind center, and the list of all world college QBs who threw for 1 million college yards, but who didn't translate to the NFL is long enough that you don't risk your draft for the next 3 years, and smart teams let other teams make that move... 

[That's what most teams allow us to do in the draft every year, Cleveland takes Mel Kipers' picks who flop, while Pittsburgh takes the great players ESPN doesn't mention at all late in the 1st rd who always become All-Pro talents!]

They hung up on any caller who didn't want him, said anyone who didn't agree with them knew nothing about football, proceeded to make themselves sound like newbie fan boys with the loudest microphone, as if the more often and the louder they say it, the more true it becomes...

As I said on the show over and over the last month, however good RG3 pans out to be next year and beyond in the NFL... that is not how good he would have been if his path went through Cleveland. This team is in no position to make that move, and by the sheer luck that someone out there dumber than people wanted us to be made the Rams a "Herschel Walker" deal, we are spared finding this out first hand!

The Browns are now spared (for once) making the chowder head moves of the draft, and can focus on using the entire spectrum of our draft picks/options on filling the multiple holes remaining on our team.

We can now add starters on the offensive and defensive lines, bring in some more pieces on defense (perhaps Clairborne from MSU at 4, if Kalil goes at 3? Or how about Melvin Ingram if he falls to us at 22? Mike Adams and/or Devier Posey in Rds 2 or 3?), grab a WR prospect to pair along with a free agent WR or 2... With perhaps as many as 10 picks once the compensatory picks are dished out, the Browns have a chance to add youth, depth and talent.. NOT TO MENTION AT LEAST 3-5 STARTERS to a young team, and really kick start this rebuild right in the ass!

If the Browns get RG3... none of these options are on the table, nor the 1st round draft pick for the next 3 seasons...

Let that sink in...

If you think things are bad now, imagine what happens if everybody touting RG3 just happened to be wrong about our 2012 draft, you know, because its not like that has ever happened to us here in Cleveland before right? We've never been wrong in the top 5 of the draft, have we?

We have? Oh, well in that case...

This week Cleveland, don't fret, and don't moan about RG3.. Trust me, in the immortal words of Rick James and Dave Chappelle: "It's a celebration Cleveland, Enjoy yourselves!" (Wish I had more hands, so I can give Dan Snyder 4 thumps up!!!)

Thoughts on the Quarterback Quandary

By Brett Crow

1. This year in the NFL Draft, the St. Louis Rams have arguably the most enviable spot. With the franchise quarterback (Sam Bradford) already in hand, they have no use for Robert Griffin III, clearly the player who will go at number two in this year’s draft.

This allows the Rams to trade the second pick in this year’s draft and receive a treasure trove of picks. It’s highly rumored that the Redskins are looking to give up their first round pick this year (#6), their second and third round picks this year, and a first round next year. This has them slotted as the favorite to make the trade at this point.

2.  Rams are at least looking for a deal similar to the New York Giants and San Diego Chargers deal that happened for Phillip Rivers and Eli Manning. The Chargers got two first round picks, a third, and a fifth rounder for Eli.

The Giants have won two Super Bowls with the quarterback they traded for, and is considered an elite talent in the league, despite that talk being almost non-existent before his second Super Bowl championship.

The Cleveland Browns have the most to give to the Rams, but may not be the most willing. The Browns could easily eclipse an offer that the Washington Redskins make, simply with the fact that they have two first rounders this year that they could offer, as the known value of a pick is always greater than the perceived value of next year’s pick. However, the Browns may not be the most willing.

3.  Personally, I think drafting Robert Griffin is a win-win situation.

Once drafted, I think the Browns have secured a true franchise quarterback. Even if we have a bad season in the 2012 - 2013 campaign, the Browns will have a high value draft pick in next year’s draft, which is one of the more anticipated quarterback heavy drafts in recent years.

And can the value of a franchise quarterback really be figured out? The quarterback is the most important position in all sports for a reason.

4.  In regards to free agency quarterbacks, the best Browns could hope for is Matt Flynn, currently of the Green Bay Packers. There are some who believe that the Packers will use the franchise tag on him, and then trade him to the most willing suitor.

However, this isn’t likely to happen. The Packers have better use for the franchise tag then a back up quarterback, and tagging him would severely hurt their chances at trading him. The Browns have gone on the record of saying that there was a limit to what they would spend on Flynn, along with Packers GM Ted Thompson allegedly acknowledging the ‘bad business’ of tagging a quarterback they mean to trade away.


5.  The only thing that troubles me with Cleveland and it’s quarterbacks, is that the Browns have no clue how to treat them or evaluate them. And for an organization that features quarterback molders such as Pat Shurmur (Sam Bradford, Kevin Kolb), Mike Holmgren (Brett Favre, Matt Hasselbeck ), Tom Heckert (Kevin Kolb), and Mark Whipple (Ben Roethlisberger), that’s a frightening prospect.

The saying “too many cooks spoil the broth” comes to mind.

Now that we’re bringing the ‘Kick Ass Offense’ of Brad Childress, what should we expect now in the development in our quarterbacks?

6.  The staff wasn’t willing to pay to keep Jake Delhomme around, a presence to mentor a young quarterback and left Colt McCoy with Seneca Wallace. Seneca has gone on record of saying he isn’t willing to mentor, that it isn’t his job.

So knowing this, why would Holmgren bring Seneca into the organization in the first place? If I had to guess it was because he thought he was a good veteran quarterback who could start if need be. Or possibly even someone he could mold the way he did in Seattle with Matt Hasselbeck.
 

7.  So my bottom line for the ‘Quarterback Quandry?’ I prefer we draft Robert Griffin. However, I am scared for his development in Cleveland, and I’m not sure he will develop properly here in this system. I think he has all of the skills and intangibles, and has a bright future in the league. 


8.  Matt Flynn is what I secretly hope for, but am not seeing happen. Especially if you can get him at a fraction of the price that you would have to pay for Griffin. Flynn is very gifted and has been privileged to get to learn under Aaron Rodgers. The only risk is that he only has two starts throughout his career.

Getting Flynn also won’t cost us our whole draft. It leaves available to draft other needs. Which is why the Dolphins will be going hard for him aswell, if not the Redskins too. Joe Philbin is the current head coach for the Miami Dolphins and was the Packer’s offensive coordinator.

9.  Quarterback can not go unaddressed this year. Either we need a big free agent signing or to draft a quarterback. The fanbase of Cleveland has been less supportive year after year and that’s reflected in the falling attendance.

From being in 7th in average stadium attendance in 2006 and 2007 (72,334 and 73,000 respectively), the Browns have since fallen to 18th for this past year with an attendance of 65,859. And that’s at home. The Browns do even worse on the road with attendance, not being a marquee team that draws an audience to see them when they play opposing teams in their house.