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It just keeps getting better for the Browns

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  • saw that after I posted...sorry for the double post everyone!!!

  • BEREA, Ohio -- Cleveland rookie cornerback Coye Francies, incensed over a prank, threw a bucket of ice and at least one errant punch during a skirmish in the Browns' locker room.

    As the team returned from practice Friday, a soaking-wet Francies, apparently the target of some hazing, stormed into the locker room carrying a water bucket full of ice. Before he could be stopped, Francies tossed the ice on cornerback Brandon McDonald, hitting him with cubes and covering the floor.

    Francies flung some ice in the direction of safety Mike Adams before heading toward safety Abram Elam's corner cubicle. Francies then swung at Elam before Pro Bowl nose tackle Shaun Rogers grabbed him by the back of the shirt and escorted him out a side door.

    "Welcome to the Browns locker room!" wide receiver Braylon Edwards hollered as players rushed over to check on the commotion.

    The incident happened while the locker room was open to reporters. The Browns (0-2) play at Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.

    "Calm down, man," Rogers told Francies as he pushed him outside.

    Later, when Francies returned to the locker room, still apparently upset, a team equipment aide diverted him into a side equipment room to give him more time to calm down, the Akron Beacon Journal reported. When he returned, linebackers D'Qwell Jackson and Eric Barton and defensive back Brodney Pool visited him at his locker.

    Francies later said the incident was not serious.

    "We were just playing around, having some fun and games, know what I'm saying?'' Francies told reporters. "That's pretty much it. It was all fun and games.''

    Asked if he was sticking to that story, he replied "Absolutely,'' with a smile, according to The Plain Dealer of Cleveland.

    McDonald also said the fracas was the result of fun and games that got out of hand.

    "We were just having a little fun with some of the young guys,'' McDonald said, according to The Plain Dealer. "It was all in good fun, but [Francies] got a little aggressive. [Rogers] made sure it didn't get out of hand. We took care of it and we're moving on.''

    The Browns dropped their first two games with second-half collapses in both. But despite the slow start, defensive coordinator Rob Ryan senses that Cleveland's players are determined to turn their season around.

    "I know our guys are ready to fight," he said. "They're starting to care for each other. We're coming together. I can see it."

    @alporcini said:

    "Welcome to the Browns locker room!" wide receiver Braylon Edwards hollered as players rushed over to check on the commotion.

    That doesn't sound good.

  • Thanks everyone for bringing this into perspective for me.

    I agree with a lot of you and thought this kid has some fire! Good!

    And the idea of Shaun Rogers leading him off did give me a laugh.

    I just really think this kid needs to be able to play more!

  • Chickenwang said:

    What's the Mangini fine for this one?

    I doubt he does anything.....let the players handle it... usually the longest league vet acts as judge with a couple of associate justices...who would that be...Dawson???

    The players handled it and will continue to handle it. I agree with a earlier comment...I think it was a good thing.....unlike last year when it didn't appear anybody stood up to stop BQ from getting popped in the kisser...even though that wasn't rookie hazing.

    @ballpeen said:

    The players handled it and will continue to handle it. I agree with a earlier comment...I think it was a good thing.....unlike last year when it didn't appear anybody stood up to stop BQ from getting popped in the kisser...even though that wasn't rookie hazing.

    What if that was the players' version of handling it?

    Dennis

  • @alporcini said:

    "Welcome to the Browns locker room!" wide receiver Braylon Edwards hollered as players rushed over to check on the commotion.

    That doesn't sound good.

    @reginabrownsfan said:

    That doesn't sound good.

    Nope. Apathy is what it sounds like. How much can this be chalked up to a lack of cohesiveness and petty BS bickering?

  • don't eff with Coye Francies

    dude got kicked out of Oregon State for packin heat.

  • @ballpeen said:

    The players handled it and will continue to handle it. I agree with a earlier comment...I think it was a good thing.....unlike last year when it didn't appear anybody stood up to stop BQ from getting popped in the kisser...even though that wasn't rookie hazing.

    What if that was the players' version of handling it?

    Dennis

    @dencyguy said:

    What if that was the players' version of handling it?

    Dennis

    What....talking to him??

    I don't see much need for mangini to get involved.

  • don't eff with Coye Francies

    dude got kicked out of Oregon State for packin heat.

    @lumbergh said:

    don't eff with Coye Francies

    dude got kicked out of Oregon State for packin heat.

    No doubt he ain't one of those dudes who takes too kindly to dissing, whether it's a joke or not.

    I'm going out on a limb here and saying I bet he listens to gangsta rap.

  • @lumbergh said:

    don't eff with Coye Francies

    dude got kicked out of Oregon State for packin heat.

    No doubt he ain't one of those dudes who takes too kindly to dissing, whether it's a joke or not.

    I'm going out on a limb here and saying I bet he listens to gangsta rap.

    @riffer-x said:

    No doubt he ain't one of those dudes who takes too kindly to dissing, whether it's a joke or not.

    I'm going out on a limb here and saying I bet he listens to gangsta rap.

    he tweeted that he's into yodeling

  • @dencyguy said:

    What if that was the players' version of handling it?

    Dennis

    What....talking to him??

    I don't see much need for mangini to get involved.

    @ballpeen said:

    What....talking to him??

    I don't see much need for mangini to get involved.

    No, I was asking whether or not letting Quinn get popped was the players' way of handling it...kind of a joke (sort of)...ah, never mind.

    Dennis

  • spray the whole team down with a power washer (especiallly mangooey) and tturn em loose against the flying rats

  • A little more to the Francies story for those who are interested (dating to the third week of Feb.): http://www.nfl.com/combine/story?id=09000d...mp;confirm=true

    After hard lessons in college, CB Francies insists his past is history

    Thomas George By Thomas George | NFL.com

    Senior Columnist

    INDIANAPOLIS -- Coye Francies joined the last batch of performers at the combine on Tuesday, the defensive backs. At 6-foot, 185 pounds, he was more wiry than most, a little more agile, a bit stronger. He tied for second among all cornerbacks with 24 bench press reps.

    "I did OK," Francies said. "I could have done better. I enjoyed myself. The big thing: no injuries."

    The on-field book on Francies: a cornerback and kick returner. Aggressive, tough, fluid hips, good ball skills. Solid awareness in coverage. Nice closing burst. Super open-field tackler.

    NFL scouts say that he entered the combine a projected second- or third-round pick. After his 40-yard dash times of 4.56 and 4.62, they believe he could slide to the fourth or fifth round. His pro day workout at the San Jose State campus on March 20 is largely about his 40 time. If he scoots faster, he will once again ascend.

    Francies has been forced to rise before.

    Every player at the combine had a story to tell, a football tale mixed with woe and merriment, an account of family and for some, rebuilt reputations.

    The Coye Francies story reaches a step or two beyond.

    After two years of junior college football, he joined Oregon State. But he was dismissed from the team by OSU coach Mike Riley for gun charges in June 2007, even though those charges were later dropped. He transferred to San Jose State, sat out the 2007 season and played his senior year there.

    Francies explained: "I was in a car with teammates returning from a bar and grill in Portland. We were pulled over on a traffic stop and there was a gun in the car."

    Francies met with several NFL teams at the combine who demanded more explanation. This is what one executive from one of those teams told me: "We asked him why he had the gun and he told us that it was not his, that it belonged to his teammates in the car and he took ownership of it because he didn't want them to lose their scholarship. An incredible story that I am not sure anyone would buy. So you took the blame and lost your scholarship? Even with that, the kid did a nice job in the interview. And obviously, he paid the price for it all."

    Riley called San Jose State coach Dick Tomey and gave Francies a strong endorsement despite the incident. Tomey met with Francies.

    "He wrote up a contract," Francies said. "Coach Tomey had in there that I had to maintain a 2.7 grade point average. Miss no classes. Late to no practices. Late to no meetings. No altercations or any other incidents. Do that and I would have a scholarship the next semester. He wrote it all out. I signed it. When I transferred, I started out with nothing. My first two weeks on the campus, I lived in my car. I met a couple of players who let me move in with them. I had grants and financial aid to get through school. And I kept my end of the bargain. I kept my word. It all worked out. I was really blessed.

    "I learned a lot of things: to value every moment, every opportunity. Be more appreciative of the Lord's blessings. Be really aware of your surroundings and the situations you put yourself in. Any situation can harm you and your loved ones. I realized how decisions you make not only harm you but also those that love you and those you love. My mom, that was the hardest thing. She was just hurt. She didn't say too much. That hurt me more than anything."

    His mother, Beverly Richardson, and stepfather, Paris Richardson, his first coach, said they raised Coye to value education first. To respect others.

    Reached by telephone on Tuesday at her home near Sacramento, Beverly Richardson said, "He was 19 when that happened, young, and made a mistake. We all make mistakes. As a mother, I made mistakes. Athletes are under the microscope. I told him to pray, move forward, put it behind him and learn from it, to understand the importance of making good choices. Sometimes you can correct mistakes. Sometimes you can't. He has had an opportunity to correct his. He has done that. He is doing that."

    Donald Northcross created "The OK Program" in 1990 in Sacramento to help African-American children develop leadership and social skills. Northcross said he was stunned when Francies ran afoul. He was equally surprised to learn that teams at the combine asked Francies if he had ever been involved in gangs.

    "Coye was in the program from the sixth to the 12th grades," Northcross said. "He volunteered to join; gang members don't volunteer to get into such programs. I am a retired sheriff's deputy. I have worked with thousands of kids. I know a bad young man, I know a good young man. He's a good one. I imagine that teams after they met him at the combine understood that."

    Whatever happened in that car and whoever brought the gun, Francies paid a steep price. Among the 12 NFL teams that wanted to know more about this player at the combine were the Ravens, Raiders, Colts, Steelers, Seahawks and Browns. Some placed him at a board, popped in video of his 68-tackle, three-interception senior season and asked him to describe what he was doing on a particular play, the origins of the play and how could he have done his job better. Others asked more about his story. His football story.

    By most accounts, he did OK.

    "I'm very competitive, I'm striving to do better and I'm a very hard worker behind closed doors in the weight room," Francies said. "I had a negative situation occur, but I'm a good person who's 22 now, a lot wiser. I am someone who loves football and had it taken away before and knows what that means, someone who wants to get better every day as a football player and a man.

    "Will I run a faster 40 at my pro day? Lord willing, yes. I think at the combine I showed them some of the best of both worlds I have at corner. I'm a larger corner who is strong but also quick like the little ones. I'm durable and I think I can add on another five pounds and play effectively with it. I think my future may hold a career in football. I am humble enough to realize that I am not sure if I will be drafted high, low or at all. The only thing I know about my future is that if I am blessed with a long life, I will be an excellent father to my daughter, Areyana, who is 2. Beyond that, I pray for an opportunity in the NFL. I'll make the best of it. I'll be OK."

    http://www.nfl.com/combine/story?id=09000d...mp;confirm=true