Is Mississippi Running Back Dexter McCluster the Next Chris Johnson?

Mississippi’s running back sensation Dexter McCluster dominated Oklahoma State in the Cotton Bowl on Sunday rushing for 182 yards and two touchdowns and he was named the Offensive Player of the Game.

Breaking onto the scene just after the midway point of the college football season on October 24 against Arkansas when he ran for over 120 yards and had one receiving touchdown, McCluster became a force in college football.

Following his breakout game, McCluster followed it up with rushing performances of 186, 282, and 148 yards.

Drawing comparisons to the Tennessee Titans superstar running back Chris Johnson, McCluster is a similar mold in running style using shifty moves and pure speed, but he is also comparative in size (McCluster is 5’8″ 170-pounds, Johnson is 5’11” 190-pounds).

McCluster will obviously need to pack on a few more pounds once he gets to the NFL, but he has easily helped his overall draft position in the last seven games in his senior year with Ole Miss.

While Johnson was running for East Carolina, he too had a slow start to his senior year, but halfway through the season he broke out and finished his final year in college rushing for over 1,400-plus yards and he too helped his draft stock.

Originally projected to be a late second or third round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, Johnson also showcased his blazing speed at the NFL Combine tying the all-time mark in the 40-yard dash by running a 4.24.

McCluster is in the same boat as Johnson once was, but he is projected as a fifth round pick, which should now change with his bowl game performance and he will most likely light up the NFL Combine too by showing off his speed.

He will now be on the radar of many NFL teams and he could possibly be projected to be selected in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft.

McCluster finished his senior year at Mississippi with 181 rushing attempts for 1,169 yards (6.45 yard per carry average) and eight touchdowns. Also, he had 44 receptions for 520 yards and three touchdowns.

Finally, he is the only player in SEC history to rush for over 1,000 yards and have over 500 yards receiving in the same season.

The NFL is waiting and there are many team salivating at the chance to have McCluster on their offense.

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Cleveland Browns’ Rob Ryan On Board For a Possible Defensive Scheme Switch

Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator Rob Ryan is on board if new team president Mike Holmgren decides to switch the defense from a 3-4 to a 4-3 scheme.

Having coached with teams for which each defense was in a 4-3, Holmgren has more comfort in that system, rather than current head coach Eric Mangini prefers, which is the 3-4.

For his part, Ryan said it would be easy for him to make the transition to a 4-3.

“It would take about one second,” Ryan told CBSSports.com. “I’ve coached in every system. I know everything there is to know about coaching defense.”

Even though Ryan’s job could be on the line if Holmgren decides to bring in his own coaching staff, Ryan remains focused on the job at hand; getting a defensive plan set for the season finale against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Cleveland Browns Stadium on Sunday.

A pending defensive scheme switch would also put many players’ future at risk, since they have never been in a 4-3 at the NFL level.  This includes linebackers D’Qwell Jackson and Kamerion Wimbley.  Other players may benefit from the switch, like defensive linemen Shaun Rogers and Corey Williams.

Regardless of Holmgren’s decision, Ryan’s versatility in working with both schemes makes him an asset to the team, especially with the performance he has managed to get out of many unknown and journeyman players in 2009.

If the Browns are to be successful in the future, and find the right draft choices to fit Holmgren’s vision, a change of defenses is inevitable, but how soon is the real question Browns fans are pondering right now.

 

(Article also posted on Dawg Scooper)

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Josh Cribbs’ Contract: Browns President Mike Holmgren Approves New Deal

Cleveland Browns President Mike Holmgren has made his first move of the New Year and that is to approve a contract extension for playmaker Josh Cribbs.

Cribbs, who was announced as the kick returner who will represent the Browns and the AFC in the 2010 Pro Bowl earlier in the week, has finally let his hard work and play speak for itself.

Now he will get a big payday because of his unselfishness, his abilities, and his team-first attitude.

“Holmgren already gave the word to the coach and to the organization here,” said Cribbs.

“I’m trying to get it done as soon as possible,” he said. “It’s going to get it done. I’d prefer it be done before the end of the season, by tomorrow.

“But I’ve waited this long, and it’s for a reason. Just think what it would’ve been if I had gotten it before everything I did this season. Everything works out for a reason.”

Holmgren, who will officially take over the Browns football operations on Monday, Jan. 4, has made his first correct decision as President, and the fans couldn’t be happier.

Details were not released regarding the length of Cribbs’ extension or how much more money he will receive, but in all honesty, whatever the Browns pay him will not be enough, because you cannot put a price on his talent and heart.

Cribbs is the Cleveland Browns, and now it looks like he will probably retire as a Cleveland Brown, too.

 

(Article also posted on Dawg Scooper)

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Cleveland Browns’ Restricted Free Agents: No CBA in 2010 Helps a Lot

As of right now, if the NFL cannot get a new Collective Bargaining Agreement in place, then the NFL’s 2010 regular season will not be a capped year.

One would think that not having a salary cap would mean that the richest of the rich NFL owners would pick up every big name free agent player that is on the market, kind of like how the New York Yankees operate every year in Major League Baseball.

This is a possibility, but unless a player has been in the league for six years, that player will not be an unrestricted free agent during an uncapped year.

Under an uncapped year, any NFL player who has not been in the league for six years will be a restricted free agent, unlike a capped year, where players are eligible after only being in the NFL for four years.

This means that all the players who have been in the NFL for four years now will not be able to cash in on a big payday in an uncapped year, which is unfortunate for those players who deserve a big payday.

The Cleveland Browns will be one of the few teams that will luck out in an uncapped year because they will have six starters who would have been unrestricted free agents in a salary capped year.  Those players are: linebacker D’Qwell Jackson, running back Jerome Harrison, fullback Lawrence Vickers, linebacker Matt Roth, safety Abram Elam, and safety Brodney Pool.

Of those six players, the Browns may have only been able to retain a couple of them, but now they will have the chance to match any offer made. Or, if they decide not to match the offer within a week, then the Browns will be compensated with one or two draft picks.

New Browns’ President Mike Holmgren may not have an interest in retaining most of these players anyway once he finishes his evaluation of the current roster at the end of the season.

However, regardless of what Holmgren decides, if another team really wants one of these players, then that means more picks to add to the Browns’ already NFL-leading 11 picks in the 2010 NFL draft.

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The 2010 NFL Pro Bowl Snubs

Every year there are many talented NFL players that get chosen to represent their team in the Pro Bowl based on individual performances.

Unfortunately, there are many players that make the team just based on popularity even though they do not have as strong of a statistical performance as other players who get snubbed from playing with the best of the best.

The following is just one journalists’ opinion on which players got snubbed from going to the annual game.

(Sorry in advance to all the offensive lineman out there.)

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Jerome Harrison Sends Cleveland Browns a Message: I’m Your Running Back

Cleveland Browns running back Jerome Harrison is sending the Cleveland Browns front office, including new President Mike Holmgren, a message.

The message says that he is the Browns’ featured running back of the future and there is no need to bring in another rookie or veteran running back in the offseason.

Over the last several weeks, there have been many articles written speculating what the Browns will be doing in the offseason at various positions, including running back.

The last two weeks Harrison has open many eyes in the organization and around the NFL and there is now no need for the Browns to pursue any more help at running back with Harrison, Chris Jennings, rookie James Davis (currently on IR), and Josh Cribbs running from the Wildcat formation.

He has 434 rushing yards on 73 carries with four touchdowns in the last two games against the Kansas City Chiefs and the Oakland Raiders.

Coming into the 2009 season, the Browns considered cutting former starter Jamal Lewis before the season began, but stuck with him due to Harrison’s less-than-stellar pass blocking.

Bad call.

Harrison did show up earlier in the season versus a very stout Cincinnati Bengals defense when Lewis was injured, and Harrison still managed to run for over 120 yards.

But once Lewis recovered, Harrison was once again buried in the depths of the benched for the older and much slower Lewis.

There were even a few weeks when Harrison was in his street clothes because he was inactive.

Now look who is laughing.

Last week against the Chiefs, during halftime, head coach Eric Mangini told the team that Cribbs could no longer be the only playmaker on offense and that someone needed to step up and contribute.

Harrison said that he would and did he ever, with over 200 of his 286 rushing yards coming in the second half of the Chiefs game.

Granted Harrison has rushed for over 400-plus yards against two of the worst run defenses in the NFL, but remember he ran well against the Bengals too and that shows he can do it against better defenses.

Regardless of Harrison’s blocking issues in the past, he is getting better and it is something that can be improved with good coaching and the increased playing time Harrison is receiving.

At the end of the 2009 season, Harrison’s original rookie contract will expire, but with the last two weeks in the books, President Holmgren might have to add Harrison’s name to the list right next to Cribbs’ for players who deserve new contracts for 2010.

 

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Cleveland Browns QB Decision, Pt. I: Steps To Move On with Brady Quinn

Going into the final two games of the 2009 season, Cleveland Browns President Mike Holmgren, who is known as a master of evaluating quarterbacks, will be looking closely at what he has in Derek Anderson but unfortunately will not be able to evaluate Brady Quinn who is in Injured Reserve with a foot injury.

Browns fans, especially in the Bleacher Report community, are very torn as far as what the Browns are to do in the 2010 NFL Draft in regards to drafting another quarterback.

This article is part one of a two in what I would do if I was Holmgren and I was making the decision in this very important quarterback quandary for the Browns in 2010.

I am one of those fans that would rather have the Browns run with Quinn for another season in order to give him a full offseason and preseason knowing that he is the starter going into the 2010 regular season.

But I also have Quinn on a short leash already and in order to have Quinn grow and mature more as a quarterback there are several steps that need to occur for this process to happen, if Holmgren decides Quinn is the answer.

 

Step One   Holmgren needs to bring in a veteran backup quarterback who can help mentor Quinn, while he is the starter.

A guy like the Seahawks’ Matt Hasselbeck would be a perfect fit, because he has pretty much worn out his welcome in Seattle, but he is Holmgren’s “guy” and would serve the Browns better in this mentor role for Quinn and if Quinn struggles he still has enough of his game left to step in a start for another couple of years.

Step Two   In order to help Quinn succeed he needs a solid veteran starting wide receiver a la a Joe Jurevicius-type player who can also help mentor the young group of receiver that are on the Browns’ roster.

Texans veteran receiver Kevin Walter will be a unrestricted free agent after 2009 and would be an ideal fit, if the Texans do not retain him.

Step Three   The Browns need to add a starting tight end who can block and catch passes. Evan Moore has been a pleasant surprise, but he is still young and not a starting caliber tight end yet.

Some here on Bleacher Report have said that the Dolphins Anthony Fasano would be a great fit in Cleveland especially if Quinn is retained as the starting quarterback since both he and Fasano were teammates at Notre Dame.

Step Four A true starting running back needs to be found, whether the player is currently on the roster remains to be seen, but a No. 1 is needed.

Whether it’s Jerome Harrison, moving Josh Cribbs to running back, a rookie picked in the draft, a free agent, of even rookie James Davis who has been on IR since early in the season is all in question.

It could even be a running back by committee, but this position needs stability and consistency which the Browns haven’t had since they came back into the NFL in 1999 with the exception of only a couple seasons (Ruben Droughns in 2005 and Jamal Lewis in 2007, 2008)

Running backs that may fit with the Browns are Clemson’s CJ Spiller, Titans free agent LenDale White, possibly cut back in the Saints’ Reggie Bush, a trade for Raiders back Michael Bush, and a few others.

A small in between step, which I will call Step 4a—Re-sign fullback Lawrence Vickers  to a long term deal since 2009 is his last year on his rookie contract and he has been instrumental in the Browns’ running game since he became a full time starter in 2007.

Step Five Finally the Browns need to draft a good third string rookie in order to begin developing him for the future just in case Quinn does not work out beyond 2010 and/or to be the second string quarterback on the depth chart because a veteran quarterback doesn’t get any younger.

My choices would be either Cincinnati’s Tony Pike or Ole Miss’ Jevan Snead.

Holmgren may want to draft a quarterback of his choice who might be the future face of the Browns franchise and he did help find Hasselbeck who the Packers originally drafted in the sixth round of the 1998 NFL Draft.

Please stay tuned for part two of this article which will look at the opposite end of the Browns’ quarterback decision that Holmgren may choose to go with for the future of the organization.

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Chansi Stuckey Has the Browns Getting the Better End of the Braylon Edwards Deal

Cleveland Browns Chansi Stuckey has become a featured wide receiver on the Browns offense.

Coming over to the Browns as part of the deal that sent wide receiver Braylon Edwards to the New York Jets, Stuckey came to Cleveland with linebacker Jason Trusnik and two 2010 NFL Draft selections.

Even though Edwards was able to play and start with the Jets the weekend immediately following the trade, Stuckey did not get too much playing time until after being in Cleveland for several weeks, in order to learn the system and get comfortable with his new surroundings.

During this time, many Browns fans began to think that Stuckey was a lost cause in the trade.

Stuckey was an undrafted free agent out of Clemson that Browns coach Eric Mangini invited to Jets training camp when he was coaching there in 2008.

Surprising many coaches and players, Stuckey made the team and got some playing time during his rookie year, ending with 32 receptions for 359 yards and three touchdowns.

In the first three games of the 2009 season, Stuckey was slowly trying to make his way into the starting lineup of the Jets as their No. 2 receiver on the team, but when news came up that the Browns were shopping disgruntled Edwards, the Jets jumped at the chance to get a true No. 1 receiver as a weapon for their franchise quarterback Mark Sanchez.

Too bad for the Jets, because Edwards has not been the big playmaker they had hoped and he continues to drop many passes.

Stuckey on the other hand has fit into the Browns’ offense nicely since he started getting more playing time in week 10 against the Detroit Lions.

Against the Lions, he caught five passes for 76 yards and a touchdown, which was a 40 yard bomb from quarterback Brady Quinn.

He may not be a true No. 2 receiver in the NFL, and with Mohamed Massaquoi still struggling as the No. 1 receiver, Stuckey has fallen into the slot receiver role (No. 3 receiver) very nicely.

He has great hands and, over the past few weeks, always seems to place himself just beyond the first down marker on third down plays.

The Browns still may need a true No. 1 receiver, but it looks like they will have a solid No. 2 receiver in Massaquoi and a solid No. 3 receiver in Stuckey for years to come.

Of course, this is all pending new Browns President Mike Holmgren’s evaluation of the roster, but with Trusnik and Stuckey both producing, it is now safe to say that the Browns easily got the better end of the Edwards trade.

Also, there have reports coming out of New York that the Jets may not even resign Edwards to a new deal and just let him walk to free agency.

If that turns out to be the case, then thank you Jets for two good role players and two rookies to be named later for free (if they let Edwards go)!

Edwards may have the bigger numbers on the stats side of things compared to Stuckey for the entire season, (Edwards has over 600 yards and Stuckey over 300 yards for the year) but here is a look at both players’ stats since Stuckey became more of a part of the Browns’ offense in week 10:

Stuckey has 17 receptions for 184 yards and one touchdown.

Edwards has 15 receptions for 237 yards and one touchdown.

Pretty close numbers, but Stuckey is not a locker room menace.

 

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Cleveland Browns President Mike Holmgren May Be Targeting Packers Front Office

With Cleveland Browns owner Randy Lerner officially announcing his newest holiday gift the week after Christmas in president Mike Holmgren’s hiring, many reporters and writers have been speculating what moves Holmgren will make once in office.

The obvious moves will be paying Josh Cribbs more money and deciding on what to do at the quarterback position and with head coach Eric Mangini, but what has not been talked about is what Holmgren will do with the vacant general manager position in the front office.

Hard-core Browns fan speculate that their beloved Bernie Kosar will take the role and get trained at the same time, but in reality, that will probably not happen because Kosar is more of a consultant to Lerner than anything else.

Holmgren may look to one of his former teams in the Green Bay Packers where he still has several ties within their front office.

Two guys who Holmgren may consider for the Browns’ general manager could be one of the Packers’ two Co-Directors of Football Operations, John Schneider and Reggie McKenzie.

Another name may be Lake Dawson, who was with Holmgren in Seattle and now is the head of pro personnel for the Titans.

Schneider has a history with Holmgren going back to 1992 when both were with the Packers. He was an intern for former Packers general manager Ron Wolf, but quickly moved up the ranks.

His greatest skill is Schneider’s extensive knowledge of professional and college sports personnel. He was also in charge of the NFL personnel department as vice president of personnel in Washington when Marty Schottenheimer was at the helm.

McKenzie does not have much history with Holmgren, but will also be considered since he was head of pro personnel for the Packers since 1997, until his recent promotion to Co-Director of Football Operations.

McKenzie work for both former general manager Wolf and current general manager Ted Thompson both of whom still have relationships with Holmgren.

Dawson is more of a dark horse since he is younger than the other men (37), but he has shot up through the ranks rather quickly and he was Holmgren’s director of personnel in Seattle in 1999.

The Packers may also lose more of their scouting department than they may want since some of their scouts may want to take a promotion to come to the Cleveland to build up the scouting and personnel departments for the Browns.

Many speculations and no one really knows what Holmgren is planning, but it will make for some exciting articles and news in the next several months.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

If Browns President Mike Holmgren Wants To He Can Fire Eric Mangini “With Cause”

The Cleveland Browns’ newest holiday gift, new President Mike Holmgren, has many big decisions in the coming months in order to get the team on the path of becoming a contender once more in the NFL.

His many decisions include: getting Josh Cribbs a new deal, figuring out who the quarterback is, establishing a front office staff and scout team, and analyzing the current coaching staff—to name a few.

Currently, Holmgren is standing by his statement that since he was a coach too, he understands the challenges faced and also said any coach needs more than one year to effectively implement his system.

Remember, when Bill Parcells was hired in Miami, he had a similar scenario and he fired former Dolphins coach Cam Cameron after only one year as the head coach.

The problem in Cleveland is that Browns owner Randy Lerner is already playing too many former employees that were fired before their contracts were up (Phil Savage, Romeo Crennel, etc.).

A theory is that Holmgren needs to sit down and talk to former general manager George Kokinis, who has just filed a claim against the Browns who fired him in the middle of this season.

Kokinis was fired “with cause,” but in the reality of the situation he will win his claim unless Lerner and Holmgren sit down with him and negotiate a settlement.

A settlement is the most likely outcome in these types of cases, but more interesting would be if Holmgren talked to Kokinis to try and find “cause” to fire Mangini so that the Browns would not have to pay yet another former employee.

The language in Kokinis’ contract clearly stated that he would have final say on the personnel matters, but from all the reports, it appears that Mangini took complete control over the roster and all personnel decisions by disregarding Kokinis’ power and taking control himself.

Mangini overpowering Kokinis’ control of all personnel matters is a violation of Mangini’s own contract since there is no language regarding final say on personnel matters. As long as a settlement can be reached with Kokinis, then “cause” can be found against Mangini.

Whether or not Holmgren really wants to keep Mangini remains to be seen, but if he wants to get rid of Mangini, then he may just have enough ammo to find “cause” for firing him so that he will not have to get paid the remainder of his contract.

(Please note: That this is not a plee for Holmgren to fire Mangini, just an investigation that was done by this journalist to see if “cause” could be found if a firing was to occur.)

 

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