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Time for the Cleveland Browns To Bring in a Veteran Running Back
Published: July 23, 2009
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Two months ago, I did a piece pointing out that the Cleveland Browns’ franchise is leaving itself terribly thin at the running back position.
The team has done nothing to address that issue since.
The Browns will start training camp with a 30-something-year-old running back with a lot of mileage, a third-down back, an injury prone lifetime backup, and a sixth-round draft choice on the roster.
The sad truth is that if Jamal Lewis ends up going down for any length of time, which is entirely possible given his age and number of carries under his belt, the team does not have a single running back who has proven he can carry a heavy workload.
It might be time for the team to kick the tires on a few out-of-work veterans who found out that they were not going to command a big pay-day in free agency.
The pickings are slim, so no one on this list is without a wart or two. However, it may be prudent to bring in one of these veterans who have had a track record in the NFL:
2009
Name Height Weight Seasons Team Carries Yards
Alexander, Sean 5-11 228 9 WAS 11 24
Bell, Tatum 5-11 213 5 DEN 44 249
Dunn, Warrick 5-9 187 12 TB 186 786
Foster, DeShawn 6-0 222 7 SF 76 234
James, Edgerrin 6-0 219 10 ARI 133 514
Johnson, Rudi 5-10 225 8 DET 76 234
You can cross Warrick Dunn off, as there is a strong possibility he will be signing with either the Eagles or the Cardinals soon.
Dunn still can be a useful third-down back who can also start in a pinch, but he is at a point in his career where the possibility of a championship is the only thing keeping him from retiring. The Browns just do not give him that opportunity.
Sean Alexander played in only four games for the Redskins in 2008. He is three full seasons removed from his spectacular 1,880-yard 2005 season.
Alexander is still holding out hope for a return to the NFL and wants to show that he has put those nagging foot and wrist injuries behind him.
Tatum Bell was not re-signed by the Broncos in the offseason after playing in just seven games in 2008.
Bell did gain over 1,000 yards in his only season as a featured back in 2006. He has never averaged under 4.1 yards per carry in an NFL season.
It is somewhat of a shock that he has not found a home given his age, at 28-years-old, and success albeit limited, in the league.
DeShawn Foster could be intriguing to the Browns because he has spent his entire career splitting carries with another back. After backing up Frank Gore with the 49ers, he should be hungry for any role he can get with a new team.
Foster is not explosive, but he is a capable veteran who can provide some depth.
Edgerrin James turns 31 before the season starts and has clearly lost a step or two—he just has not admitted that to himself.
However, Edge is a warrior who is looking for a team to help him prove that the rest of the world is wrong.
He will likely wait out training camp to see if some team’s number one back goes down before picking up the phone.
Rudi Johnson was a perennial 1,000-yard back just two seasons ago.
Injuries and salary demands cut short his stay with the Bengals after 2007. He ended up in Detroit and got bitten by a youth movement in 2008.
Johnson is motivated, so he could be a player who some team could catch lightening-in-a bottle (like the Browns did with Jamal Lewis a couple of seasons ago).
With camps set to open in a week, most of these running backs could be desperate to find a job in the NFL.
With the Browns being one of the few teams who are so thin at the position, they could be attractive to a veteran who is looking for a shot to revive, or prolong, their career.
Cleveland Browns-Minnesota Vikings: Week One Preview
Published: July 15, 2009
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This is the first in what will be a sixteen part series previewing the Cleveland Browns foes for 2009.
Week One vs. Minnesota Vikings
The Cleveland Browns open the season at home against the Minnesota Vikings, who went 10-6 in 2008.
The Vikings possess the two things that every NFL team should strive for to be effective. That is the ability to run the football and stuffing opposing teams from carrying the rock.
Adrian Peterson is (not “might be”) the best running back in the game today. Last season, Peterson rushed for 1,769 yards at a 4.8 yards per carry clip.
Peterson can pound teams between the tackles or simply out run defenses to the edge.
He combines speed, power, and cutting ability, along with a ferocity that is rarely seen even in the most viscous of sports.
Peterson is one part Roadrunner, one part jack rabbit, and one part bull-in-a-china-shop.
His backup, Chester Taylor, is more than capable, chipping in 45 receptions while splitting third down opportunities with Peterson.
The main goal for this Browns coaching staff was to improve a porous run defense. The Peterson led Vikings will put the revamped defense to the test.
Minnesota’s defense is rugged as well, leading the entire NFL in run defense in 2008. They were No. 6 overall in total defense.
The middle of the Vikings defensive front is not deemed “The Williams’ Wall” for nothing. Defensive tackles Pat and Kevin Williams are as formidable a duo as there is in the league.
Add defensive end Jared Allen (14.5 sacks in 2008) and a solid corps of defensive backs (led by corner Antoine Winfield) and this is a defensive unit to be reckoned with.
Defensive end Ray Edwards and linebacker Chad Greenway are young and improving, so do not expect a drop-off from last year.
Keep in mind that despite last season’s success, the Vikings defense missed its number one playmaker at linebacker in E.J. Henderson. Henderson should be back to 100 percent after foot surgery.
The one area where the Vikings struggled last year was in the passing game.
The team does not possess the type of wide receivers who will scare defenses.
Bernard Berrian led the team with 45 catches for 964 yards (7 TDs) last season. While Berrian’s 20.1 yards per catch average is impressive, he simply does not get open often enough to be referred to as a number one receiver.
The Vikings have been waiting on wide receiver Sidney Rice to reach his potential. At 6’4”, he is a big target, but poor quarterback play and injuries have stunted his growth.
Third receiver Bobby Wade is a possession receiver at best.
Minnesota is hoping to incorporate first round pick Percy Harvin, a diminutive but explosive player, into the passing game. The guess is that they will shift him around in special packages in order to create mismatches.
The offensive line did yeoman’s work creating space for the run game, but failed miserably at protecting the passer. They surrendered 43 sacks in 2008, which was near the bottom of the league.
To make matters worse, the Vikings lost six-time Pro Bowl center Matt Birk to free agency. Some complained that Birk’s career is on the decline, and that there really isn’t a better option waiting in the wings.
Second year player John Sullivan will get the nod to replace Birk, while it is likely the starting right tackle will be rookie second-round pick Phil Loadholt.
That is a lot of youth for a team with Super Bowl aspirations.
Despite some of the teams’ issues on the line, left guard Steve Hutchinson is one of the games best at the position.
The Vikings will be a playoff team. Whether they are ready to take the next step will depend upon whether they get improved quarterback play.
Sage Rosenfels was signed in the offseason to nab the starting quarterback role from Tavaris Jackson, who struggled again in 2008.
Rosenfels career numbers are mixed. He has shown flashes during limited playing experience in 8 seasons, but his 30 to 29 touchdown to interception ratio doesn’t inspire that much confidence.
The elephant in the room is certainly the Vikings’ flirtation with Brett Favre.
Favre purchased a condo in Minnesota, so it appears as though he will be the team’s starting quarterback.
His inability to commit thus far is becoming mind-numbingly boring.
The real truth is that at age 39, combined with his already shaky decision-making behind center, the addition of Favre does not necessarily put them over the top.
The Vikings will win their fair share of games with or without Favre. To win a Super Bowl, this team just needs a quarterback who can manage the game.
Prediction vs. the Browns
Let’s just say this isn’t exactly the team you want to start the season against if you’re the Cleveland Browns.
At least they do not have to face Peterson on the MetroDome AstroTurf, where he is lethal. But the Vikings running game and defense will just be too much to handle for a team in transition like the Browns.
The best Cleveland fans can hope for is that the team is excited for a fresh start, with a new coach, while playing in front of their home crowd.
That might be enough to keep it close, but it will not be enough to garner a win.
Cleveland Browns: Forging a New Identity
Published: May 7, 2009
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The new Eric Mangini era in Cleveland has begun, and it is evident that there will be changes in more than just the clubhouse culture.
The Browns draft was littered with high academic achievers. The free agency class has brought in a number of intelligent, versatile, and tough-minded veterans who are willing to put the team ahead of their own interests.
But there will also be a big change in the team’s offensive philosophy, or to put it more bluntly, this team might actually have an offensive philosophy.
Brian Daboll, the former Jets quarterbacks coach, takes over the play-calling duties from ex-Browns’ offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski.
Chudzinski was a rising star after the Browns’ lit up the scoreboard in 2007. He preferred to keep teams on their heels with a rather unpredictable offense.
But injuries and inconsistent play mired the teams’ offense in 2008, which fell to 31st in the league. The Cleveland Browns, version 2008, had no offensive identity at all.
Because Daboll is in his first year as a coordinator, there is no real read on him as a play-caller. However, his background as a former college defensive back is unique and might provide some clue.
The guess is that a coach who once intercepted three passes in one college game might have a tendency to play it a little closer to the vest.
As Gen. Robert Neyland of the University of Tennessee once said, “When you throw the ball, three things can happen—and two of them are bad.”
Coach Mangini learned that lesson the hard way after watching Brett Favre throw caution to the wind (as well as ducks in the air).
Mangini would most likely still be on the New York sidelines minus a couple of Favre interceptions down the stretch in 2008.
The draft and the teams’ off-season moves provide a little more insight into the direction of the teams’ offense.
On the surface, the trade of tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. might lead the casual observer to brush it off as Mangini simply removing a perceived bad apple.
But a closer look of the game tape would make it apparent that Winslow was a tight end in name only. The truth is that Winslow treated blocking in the running game as if it were a dive in a snake pit.
Thus, in his place are Steve Heiden and former Bills tight end Robert Royal. Both are wider bodies who are better known for their blocking abilities than pass-catching acumen.
The Browns already had a pair of solid run blockers on the left side of the line in tackle Joe Thomas and guard Eric Steinbach. But the organization has undergone a complete makeover on the right side of the line.
Hank Fraley has done yeoman’s work at the center position for the past two years. However, he is more of a finesse blocker who was over matched against larger, stronger nose tackles (especially in the rugged AFC North).
Alex Mack was drafted to eventually take over the line-calling duties. A lot has been made of Mack’s exceptional intelligence (he won the Draddy Award, considered the academic Heisman).
But Mack is more than just a cerebral football player. He is a physical, nasty, mauler-type center, who is nimble enough to trap and pull in the run game.
In addition to Mack’s numerous college awards, which included All-American and PAC-10 offensive lineman of the year twice, Mack set a school weight lifting record in the clean-and-jerk.
The Browns also added a road-grading offensive guard in Floyd “Pork Chop” Womack from Seattle and former Bears left tackle John St. Clair to man the right side of the line.
With holdovers Rex Hadnot, Ryan Tucker, and Isaac Sowells, there is plenty of versatility, size, and depth on the Browns’ offensive line for the first time in years.
There is no question Mangini wants a ball-control type offense with this group of offensive lineman.
The Mangini regime was even careful to draft wide receivers in the second round who are willing blockers.
Neither Brian Robiskie nor Mohamed Massaquoi put up prolific pass-catching numbers in college. But both come to the Browns with the same reputations: intelligent, good size, smooth route runners, who are not afraid to stick their nose into the fray.
Even Braylon Edwards, for all the talk about his diva-like tendencies, has the ability to show up in the run game.
A big question mark still surrounds who Mangini will choose as his quarterback (Derek Anderson or Brady Quinn). But one gets the feeling that the winner will be handing it off a lot more than they will be putting it in the air.
There is a scary lack of depth at the running back position which may hinder the teams’ plans.
Certainly, Jamal Lewis fits the profile of the bruising running back suited for the smash-mouth attack the team is expected to run. Lewis often clashed with Chudzinski over the latter’s tendency to abandon the run game at the first sign of trouble.
There is some worry that age and wear-and-tear are beginning to take their toll on Lewis. The hope is that other factors played a part in his drop off in production.
Daboll will probably look to employ running back Jerome Harrison as he did Leon Washington with the Jets last season. Both are diminutive scat-backs who can still run between the tackles and catch the ball in space.
Most Browns’ fans were frustrated with Harrison’s lack of use by the coaching staff in 2008. When he did touch the football, Harrison was productive as evidenced by his 7.2 yards per carry and 9.7 yards per catch averages.
Look for Harrison to become a bigger part of the teams’ plans in 2009.
Lawrence Vickers and Charles Ali are both big, capable blocking backs who will help in the running game. Vickers also has the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield.
Mangini and Co. will also get good use out of WR/RB/QB/KR Joshua Cribbs. His 2008 Jets’ staff had a similar weapon in college quarterback turned “slash” in Brad Smith.
Smith did not possess nearly the electricity and toughness that Cribbs brings to the table. There is even talk of using Cribbs on the defensive side of the ball after seeing tape of him blowing up kick returners on a regular basis.
The new staff has made it perfectly clear that they expect concentration and hard work out of the team. Those were virtues severely lacking under Romeo Crennel.
They have gone so far as to make players run laps for miscues, and have even hired referees for mini-camps.
It is equally apparent that the new mantra will be to go back to the basics: stop the run on defense and control the football on offense.
Cleveland Browns Draft Day Rumors: Strictly Homeland Security
Published: April 22, 2009
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Welcome, Browns fans, to the Eric Mangini era.
There are several “hot” rumors floating around outside Cleveland Browns’ headquarters these days.
Unfortunately, the Browns’ front office neither confirms nor denies anything that is going on.
This new regime seems to treat the media as if they are Al-Quaeda operatives trying to secure U.S. national security information—they clearly will not be accused of tipping their hand.
New General Manager George Kokinas held a news conference this week in which he simply answered, “that’s internal business” when questioned about the draft, personnel matters, or the brand of toilet paper used at their training facilities.
That realization has left the local and national media scrambling for stories and instead, have reported on what they think the Browns “should” be doing as an organization.
One trade rumor that seems to have legs is that the Browns will send Braylon Edwards to the Giants for the Giants’ first round draft choice (29th overall) and some combination of wide receivers Steve Smith, Dominik Hixon and/or the Giants’ third-round selection.
The Giants’ interest in the deal makes sense, considering their loss of Plaxico Burress to pure stupidity. The Giants are throwing out feelers to Cleveland and Arizona (for Anquan Boldin).
Whatever team asking for the least amount of ransom for their prima donna wideout wins.
From the Browns’ standpoint, new coach Eric Mangini is trying to clean house of any perceived “bad clubhouse” guys even if it means trading away what little talent remains on the roster (See also, Kellen Winslow, Jr.).
Trading Edwards will create a hole the size of the Grand Canyon in the receiving corps, especially now that Winslow is gone and Dante Stallworth is facing a homicide charge in Florida.
The speculation is that one of two things must happen for this trade to get done:
1) Texas Tech wide receiver Michael Crabtree is available when they choose with the No. 5 pick.
Or
2) The Giants choose North Carolina wide receiver Hakeem Nix for the Browns at No. 29.
The Browns have to know that they are going to need some viable receiving options to replace the quirky, but talented Edwards.
The other pressing need for the Browns is to shore up any number of positions on the defensive side of the ball. They have needs at safety, inside and outside linebacker, defensive end, and cornerback, in no particular order.
The free-agency haul has been limited to stop-gaps and backups. Meanwhile, they are still stuck in a quarterback controversy between Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn
Eric Mangini has given no indication as to which guy he prefers. But there is little doubt that the Browns would like to unload one of them if they can improve their defense with a high draft pick.
Quinn is the media darling of Cleveland and there is a widely held belief that owner Randy Lerner, from a pure public relations standpoint, wants to keep Quinn.
The problem is that there seems to be little trade value around the NFL for Anderson’s services. The general consensus is that the Browns were one year late on pulling the trigger on a deal for Anderson.
Anderson was a Pro Bowl quarterback in 2007, but regressed badly in 2008.
Quinn has very little professional experience to get a good read on. However, just two years ago he was considered the number one or two quarterback in the draft.
The guess is that there are still player personnel evaluators around the league who think Quinn can succeed in the right system.
San Francisco, Washington, Seattle, Detroit, Jacksonville, Houston, and the New York Jets are all looking to upgrade the position. Whether those teams do it in the draft or by trade is a separate issue.
Look for the Browns to move Quinn to one of those teams if they can secure a low first-rounder or high second-rounder. If not, they will try to move Anderson for a third or fourth round pick.
One last rumor for Browns’ fans to keep an eye on revolves around Southern Cal quarterback Mark Sanchez. There is a lot of talk about the Browns taking him with their fifth pick if he is available, but it is more likely a smoke screen to entice some team to trade up in the draft.
Despite trying to throw everyone off their scent, the Browns covet Wake Forest linebacker Aaron Curry. However, if he is gone by the time the Browns pick, they would prefer to move down to garner extra picks.
If they manage to pull it off, look for the Browns to draft USC middle linebacker Rey Maualuga in the middle of the first round and use the extra pick on a safety or center in the third round.
If Curry is gone, that would be their ideal situation. Some in the national media have bought in to the Browns’ interest in Sanchez, and the Browns are hoping whoever wants Sanchez buys what they are selling, too.
There is also speculation that if there are no takers for their fifth pick, Boston College nose tackle B.J. Raji might be the choice (again, that is assuming Curry is off the board). There are rumblings that current nose tackle Sean Rogers would be ideally suited to play the end position in the 3-4 defense Mangini employs.
Because the Browns have so many needs, nothing is off the table. If nothing else, it will make for an interesting draft day for Browns fans.
Regardless, look for Eric Mangini and his sidekicks to keep treating press conferences as if they were trips to the dentist.
