The Ballad of Nick Harris

ballpeen

@riffer-x said:

Thanks Russ. FYI, I am heading to the Miami game this year in case you happen to do some road games. We are making a weekend of it in South Beach.

Also, sitting in Row D right behind the Browns bench for the Jax preseason game and will be there tailgating.

I appreciate the thought, but if I do anything it would be the Falcons game since it is 100 miles south of where I live in Tennessee. One of the downsides of having season tickets and living nearly 600 miles away from Cleveland is every game is an away game for me, so I miss not catching a game or two that are "away". Between ticket costs, 3 nights lodging per game, gas, meals etc, I tap the budget about as far as I am willing to take it. I am getting older, so the game aside, the trips are starting to become more of a grind than over past years. For the 1st time I am trying to sell off 3 games. The Steelers, Bengals, and Saints. I figure I can watch the Steelers and Bengals games at home on TV since they are night games, which sounds pretty good to me.

It is what it is.

Riffer X

@ballpeen said:

I appreciate the thought, but if I do anything it would be the Falcons game since it is 100 miles south of where I live in Tennessee. One of the downsides of having season tickets and living nearly 600 miles away from Cleveland is every game is an away game for me, so I miss not catching a game or two that are "away". Between ticket costs, 3 nights lodging per game, gas, meals etc, I tap the budget about as far as I am willing to take it. I am getting older, so the game aside, the trips are starting to become more of a grind than over past years. For the 1st time I am trying to sell off 3 games. The Steelers, Bengals, and Saints. I figure I can watch the Steelers and Bengals games at home on TV since they are night games, which sounds pretty good to me.

It is what it is.

I give you mad credit for having season tickets this long and travelling that far. I think you are making the right call to dial it back a bit, as sometimes watching on TV ain't all that bad. Now that I'm in FL, I generally go to one or two games a year down here depending on who we are playing between Miami, Jax and Tampa. Even that is a big deal and costly expense, plus I'm the type that likes to soak the whole football weekend from home between the Buckeyes and all my DFS and FF stuff. Very happy that another season is almost upon us and let's hope it's drama and Covid free.

Westside Steve

https://www.dawgsbynature.com/2022/8/13/23304318/nick-harris-season-is-done-is-it-time-to-make-the-call-to-j-c-tretter

This really sucks. Wills hasn't lived up to his draft position so we'd better hope that Conklin stays healthy.

WSS

Flugel

@westside-steve said:

https://www.dawgsbynature.com/2022/8/13/23304318/nick-harris-season-is-done-is-it-time-to-make-the-call-to-j-c-tretter

This really sucks. Wills hasn't lived up to his draft position so we'd better hope that Conklin stays healthy.

WSS

Good point Steve! Speaking of Wills, it didn't look like he brought the passion to play Friday. Left Tackle is a VERY important position that needs more urgency from whoever is rewarded with the opportunity to play it. If Watson gets to play this year after a long layoff, we're going to need a lot better effort protecting the QB's blind side.

Unsympathetic

IMHO the best conclusion from Pocic PFF stats is that Pocic isn't even average at passpro.. never was [peak 2019] and has been trending downhill for 2 yrs already. That's why in my ideal OL he's best as a backup. "We know who he is"

i'd give Deaton some run with the 1's to see how he does at least at camp.. or if he'll be ready by midseason or something with Pocic starting until then even with his limited athleticism.. Don't ignore the late-rounders, someone named Teller was a 6th. If combine tests were everything.. Dawson Deaton RAS. Deaton's final season was a PFF 70.1 so this isn't implausible.. Riffer, can you share any of Deaton's PFF NFL draft profile?

Dutch Oven · Mar 28, 2022 16 0View on X

@unsympathetic said:

IMHO the best conclusion from Pocic PFF stats is that Pocic isn't even average at passpro.. never was [peak 2019] and has been trending downhill for 2 yrs already. That's why in my ideal OL he's best as a backup. "We know who he is"

i'd give Deaton some run with the 1's to see how he does at least at camp.. or if he'll be ready by midseason or something with Pocic starting until then even with his limited athleticism.. Don't ignore the late-rounders, someone named Teller was a 6th. If combine tests were everything.. Dawson Deaton RAS. Deaton's final season was a PFF 70.1 so this isn't implausible.. Riffer, can you share any of Deaton's PFF NFL draft profile?

Any interest in seeing if Tretter would be interested in signing a one year deal?

mjp28

These guaranteed signing bonuses always kill me, guys can sometimes make as much money as a "working stiff" makes in a decade or occasionally a lifetime....whether they play or not or even get injured and wash out.

What a way for a 20-something to start a working career. How contracts got so far down the road on " guaranteed signing bonuses " and other bonuses like "workout bonuses " and others are to me anyway.....amazing ?

Guaranteed 5 or 6 or more figure bonuses for showing up at camp at a certain weight and lifting weights and make $××,××× or $×××,××× before taking a snap. The wonderful world ? of NFL football. Oh well.....

mjp28

@flugel said:

Good point Steve! Speaking of Wills, it didn't look like he brought the passion to play Friday. Left Tackle is a VERY important position that needs more urgency from whoever is rewarded with the opportunity to play it. If Watson gets to play this year after a long layoff, we're going to need a lot better effort protecting the QB's blind side.

Reminds me of the classic movie "Major League " where the older player wasn't going to hurt himself playing "with/ for a bunch of stiffs" you know take any unnecessary hits if possible. What a way to earn a guaranteed check.....but it happens.

jcam222

If the Browns are smart they are burning Tretters line up right now before TB snaps him up. Having the NFLPA prez was a burden at one time, could be a useful side effect now too.

tiamat63

I'd be curious to see how Pocic does with a pair of pro-bowl guards next to him. I won't pretend the Hawks Oline was/is individually or collectively talented.

In that same mindset, I second Dawson getting some reps with the 1's.

Canton Dawg

@mjp28 said:

Reminds me of the classic movie "Major League " where the older player wasn't going to hurt himself playing "with/ for a bunch of stiffs" you know take any unnecessary hits if possible. What a way to earn a guaranteed check.....but it happens.

This brings to mind Tom Brady, who’s currently taking a 2 week sabbatical from the preseason.

I don’t think HC Todd Bowles gives a rats ass though.

nickers

Wouldn't mind getting Tretter back at the right price... But these other kids look interesting... May as well see what they got....

gumby73

@nickers said:

Wouldn't mind getting Tretter back at the right price... But these other kids look interesting... May as well see what they got....

We see this the same way..

I thought D.Deaton would get reps after Pocic... I learned we had a dude named Brock Huffman from the VT Hokies on our roster..Brock Huffman got reps ahead of D. Deaton getting reps..

Well Excuse me Mr. Brock Huffman & his entire family.. ? This UDFA from Virginia Tech played well & shares the same grad school as Wyatt Teller.. stay tuned.. #trustCallahan

nickers

@gumby73 said:

We see this the same way..

I thought D.Deaton would get reps after Pocic... I learned we had a dude named Brock Huffman from the VT Hokies on our roster..Brock Huffman got reps ahead of D. Deaton getting reps..

Well Excuse me Mr. Brock Huffman & his entire family.. ? This UDFA from Virginia Tech played well & shares the same grad school as Wyatt Teller.. stay tuned.. #trustCallahan

Callahan is about the only coach I trust on this team next to prief...

nickers

@gumby73 said:

We see this the same way..

I thought D.Deaton would get reps after Pocic... I learned we had a dude named Brock Huffman from the VT Hokies on our roster..Brock Huffman got reps ahead of D. Deaton getting reps..

Well Excuse me Mr. Brock Huffman & his entire family.. ? This UDFA from Virginia Tech played well & shares the same grad school as Wyatt Teller.. stay tuned.. #trustCallahan

Yeah the Deaton pick intrigued me the most... And me thinking at the time we took him.. Callahan is seeing something with this kid... I mean hell Drew Forbes was a Dorsey pick whose still hanging around...

Unsympathetic

Deaton shares a school with the Legend of Billy Joe Tolliver! And just like that, Deaton tore an ACL also, IR for him.

Dutch Oven

Most of us were somewhat to very concerned about the DTackle position, and now with the center position being decimated, this team could be very weak up the middle on both sides of the trenches.

Not a great thing for a team who plays outdoors in the North, running the ball and defending the run.

This offense without Watson is not going to run up pinball offensive numbers to make opposing offenses one dimensional, either.

Canton Dawg

If I recall the game last year against the Patriots, Bill B exploited the soft interior of our D Line.

Unfortunately, we move ahead another year and we still have the same issue.

Riffer X

Just wonderful that I still have a gift for being optimistic about certain players and thus jinx them. I'm truly blessed in that regard.

I was at the Jags game for this, sitting in row D right behind the Browns bench. Paid big cake and then witnessed what was probably the worst start to a football game that I have ever seen by any football team. I knew the second I saw that Harris was down and writhing in pain that he was done for the year -- it's the Browns way.

But hey, at least we lost Deaton this week as well....yee haw baby!!!

I highly doubt Brock Hoffman is any more than PS fodder, but word is they have started working Dunn more at center the past few days. I've always liked him since he dominated Ironhead's kid in the playoffs.

Pocic is capable but imo more as a spot starter. He was a nice interior depth signing but not sure about him going the distance. He has had injury issues and his career to this point doesn't jump out via PFF, although he did show nice improvement last season. He is pretty tall for a center at 6'6 (Deaton was 6'5 and Tretter was considered a tall center at 6'4) which is quite a change from the shorter Harris. Bitonio even mentioned it matters in their splits etc.

@unsympathetic below is a snapshot of Pocic's career PFF, along with scouting profiles of him and Hoffman. I think we're going to be very aggressive in camp cuts or even deals involving IDL, C and WR. Word is still out that Hunt or DJ may be moved, Hunt moreso for cap rollover purposes (I'm not a fan of moving either).

1293415670_Pciccontract.png.8fff9a3a008fbd5f83d4779c13f69374.png

Brothers Ethan and Graham Pocic (pronounced po-sick) had great success as college football centers. Graham was a two-time honorable mention Big Ten honoree with their home-state college, Illinois, and now Ethan is having his day as an All-SEC center with an NFL future. The Parade High School All-American enrolled at LSU a semester early, and it paid off when he played in six games the following fall, starting once. He got the full-time gig in 2014, lining up nine games at right guard and three more in the pivot. Pocic received second-team all-conference recognition as a junior, leading the Tigers in knockdowns with 132.5 in just 12 games. He finished off his career with a first-team All-SEC nod in 2016, as well as multiple second and third-team All-American honors.

Overview

Flexible, natural athlete with starting experience all along the LSU offensive line. Scouts say Pocic has the intelligence teams look for from a center and is highly regarded by LSU coaches and teammates in the locker room. Pocic is an excellent "work-up" blocker with the ability to thrive in a running game that operates in space, but his lack of power will produce some extremely challenging matchups for him at times.

Strengths

Five-for-one lineman offering roster flexibility; has played tackle, guard and center
Determined player
Shoots hands inside defenders frame and keeps them there
Shows the hand strength and body control to "ride the bull" against stronger players while remaining engaged
Rapid lateral movement allows him to slide along his gap to pick up blitzers
Pass sets feature adequate base width and solid hand quickness
Fluid combo-blocker who glides easily to his second-level targets with good angles
Patient blocker on second level
Able to wait as long as possible for committing to his block in space
Features good body control and high connection rate on blocks in space
Athletic on pull blocks and screens and able to make blocks well down the field
Smart and makes the offensive calls

Weaknesses

Tall for a center, losing some leverage battles because of it
Athletic ability offset by below-average core strength
Doesn't play with the pad level or leg drive to uproot defenders without help
Gets jarred by power across from him
Upper body strength needs work
Anchor will always be an issue against zero-technique nose guards
Gives into pocket pushers, creating traffic in the backfield
Defenders able to drive through his edge and redirect attempts
Can be quicker into proper positioning for reach blocks
Has difficulty securing zone blocks at times

11643211_Hoffmandraftprofile.png.fc1a1ce8ed02604eac5157fffc4ab62d.png

Strengths

Anchors well and plays with the low center of gravity and natural bend to seal the inside lanes. Has violent hands with hustle to close off bubble screens and lead to flatten linebackers. Nasty demeanor and highly coachable.
Awareness is above-average for his limited experience. Sells trap block and can turn to seal. Fluid getting to and adjust at the second level.
Has average height with a narrow base out of his stance. Needs to get stronger in his lower half to anchor at the point of attack.
Solid positional run blocker who flashes the nasty demeanor and killer instinct scouts covet.
Lone concern is handling the superquick NFL edge rusher. Foot speed and quickness are very good, but not elite.

Weaknesses

A short-area blocker with limited range and doesn't consistently get to the second level. Will play undisciplined at times, especially in space. Lacks a finishing attitude.
Attacks when necessary, though he won't consistently dominate and can lose balance overextending.
Needs to prove his worth in a straight-ahead running game.
Flashes the ability to move his man with his hands, but is not yet consistent in this area.
Not physically imposing and has average overall strength. Upper body gets over his feet too often and he easily loses his balance.

jrb12711

@jcam222 said:

If the Browns are smart they are burning Tretters line up right now before TB snaps him up. Having the NFLPA prez was a burden at one time, could be a useful side effect now too.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2022/08/14/joel-bitonio-wonders-whether-jc-tretter-is-being-blackballed-for-his-stance-on-player-safety/

There's a lot of reasons I can easily understand why Tretter wouldn't re-join the Browns. I doubt he feels we burned a bridge based on being cut, but this organization is turning into a clown car in some respects and it's matter of fact wonky he'd be on the roster with the Watson news looming. Not saying he couldn't join, but there's variables where I understand why he (or the Browns) may not be interested in a reunion.

That being said, I figured TB would be a lock when Jensen went down. Who knows, maybe they are super high on their backup and I have no clue. But there very well be some truth to this article too.