Browns cut Phil Taylor

Zombo

The lesson of the Phil Taylor experience: When will the Browns think offense?

Sep 02, 2015 -- 6:00am

By Tony Grossi | ESPNCleveland.com

Photo/AP

The Morning Kickoff …

Closing the books: When the Browns “terminated” the contract of nose tackle Phil Taylor on Tuesday, it closed the books on one of the worst trades in the franchise’s recent history. That’s saying a lot.

In 2011, the Browns owned the sixth overall pick of the first round. This was the second year of the Mike Holmgren regime. GM Tom Heckert was flushing out older players left from Eric Mangini’s two-year reign as coach.

Heckert felt he needed bodies to transfuse the roster for new coach Pat Shurmur. New defensive coordinator Dick Jauron needed linemen to convert Mangini’s 3-4 defensive system to a 4-3.

Enter Atlanta Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff, who craved Alabama receiver Julio Jones to pair with franchise quarterback Matt Ryan.

The Falcons were thinking offense. The Browns were thinking defense. The Browns are always thinking defense, defense, defense. It’s an offensive league.

Dimitroff offered five draft picks to move up for Jones – first-, second- and fourth-round picks in 2011, and first- and fourth-round picks in 2012. Heckert bit.

It seemed like the right thing to do because the Browns are never one player away and are always infatuated with more picks and nose tackles and defense. Anything but touchdowns.

In Atlanta, Dimitroff was excoriated for “selling the farm” for Jones. In four seasons, Jones has developed into one of the NFL’s elite receivers, earning two Pro Bowl appearances. On Aug. 29, Jones was made the league’s highest-paid receiver with a five-year extension for $71.25 million, including $47.5 million guaranteed.

(The Falcons made the playoffs in Jones’ first two seasons, losing the NFC Championship to the 49ers in 2012, but have fallen on hard times the last two years, resulting in a coaching change to Dan Quinn. With Ryan and Jones and new offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan – who resigned after one year in the Browns’ madhouse -- they are looking to rebound.)

The Browns wanted Taylor to play next to Ahtyba Rubin in the middle of Jauron’s four-man front. To insure that, they gave up a third-round pick to Kansas City to move from No. 29 to No. 21. That third-round pick turned out to be Justin Houston, a rush linebacker who led the NFL in 2014 with 22 sacks.

Anyways, Heckert blew the Atlanta draft pick windfall on Taylor, receiver Greg Little, and fullback Owen Marecic in 2011; and then on quarterback Brandon Weeden in 2012. The fourth-round pick in 2012 was a throw-in to move up one spot with the Browns’ first, first-round pick in ’12 to select running back Trent Richardson.

It gets worse, of course.

In May of 2014, the Ray Farmer-Mike Pettine Browns – two regimes after Holmgren-Heckert -- exercised the team’s fifth-year option on Taylor’s contract, which ultimately guaranteed him $5.477 million for 2015. Taylor would suffer two knee surgeries in 2014, rendering the 335-pounder a veritable glacier – slow and immobile -- in an ever fast-paced game.

The Browns have plenty salary cap room to eat Taylor’s $5.477 million guarantee. But, still.

Knowing Taylor’s days were numbered, the Browns then were compelled to use their No. 1 pick in 2015 on his replacement, Danny Shelton.

So, another nose tackle.

And the treadmill rolls on.

Johnny’s elbow: Johnny Manziel emerged on Tuesday to say that he received assurance from noted sports surgeon Dr. James Andrews that he doesn’t need surgery on his sore right elbow, that he has experienced elbow tendinitis since his freshman year at Texas A&M, and that he is “sure” he will resume throwing next week and be prepared to serve as Josh McCown’s backup for the opening of the season Sept. 13 against the New York Jets.

“I don’t expect it to go away completely because this is kind of an injury where I will feel a little bit of tightness,” Manziel said. “Your elbow will get sore just from being a quarterback and throwing. That is not anything out of the ordinary.”

So now the Browns have a backup quarterback still “day to day” in recovery from a 73-day stay in a substance abuse treatment center, who has a sore elbow, and is 22 years old, and has never won an NFL game, and is still learning how to read NFL defenses, and is still learning his second offense in two years.

Which begs the question to Pettine: Are you comfortable with that?

“Whoever our two quarterback is – right now we’re hopeful that it’s going to be Johnny – he has to be able to throw,” Pettine said. “We’re not going to roll the dice and go into a game, especially after Josh showed us that he can be a little bit on the reckless side sometimes.

“We’re confident that (Manziel will) be where he needs to be, and like I said before, if we’re not, then we’ll address it appropriately.”

The Browns complete their preseason schedule Thursday in Chicago with Thad Lewis and Pat Devlin handling the quarterback chores.

With roster cutdown to 53 beckoning on Saturday, Farmer and Pettine have to decide whether to keep a third quarterback or add one to the practice squad because of Manziel’s sore elbow.

“To me, you need to have three quarterbacks on campus,” Pettine said. “If we go with the decision to only carry two on the 53 -- and we have not made that determination yet -- I just think three on campus, three or four on campus, is important.”

Names to watch: Oakland Raiders QB Matt McGloin and Chicago Bears QB David Fales. Both have associations with Browns offensive coordinator John DeFilippo.

Local connections: Kicker Carey Spear, of Mayfield High School and the Ohio high school co-record holder with a 61-yard field goal, was waived in the first roster cut.

Spear had made both of his field goals in preseason action, from 47 and 36 yards, and all four of his PATs, but apparently lost his competition against Travis Coons because of producing only two touchbacks on six kickoffs in the three practice games.

“Statistically, it was almost a dead heat, especially when you put all of the practice stuff in,” Pettine said. “I would say that (Coons has) got a slightly bigger leg. Carey was a guy I thought got the ball up in the air a little bit better so you could really compare the kicks, but Travis has a slightly bigger leg, but it was close. It was not an easy decision.”

At the same time, the release of Phil Taylor bode well for Parma Heights native Jamie Meder, who appears to have earned a roster spot as a backup defensive tackle.

“Jamie Meder has stepped up and proven that he can play at a high level in this league,” Pettine said.

http://espncleveland.com/common/more.php?m=49&action=blog&r=17&post_id=48951

miktoxic

i wish all the pundits that hate the brown's draft had a solution BEFORE the draft. most people loved all these picks (even on this board) and then when they turned out to be DOO DOO they all look for someone to blame.

my thought is to trade away all our first rounders from here on out so that way no one can boo hoo anything anymore.

bunch of bitches.

sisky fringo

wish we coulda gotten a bit more outta/for him. we took a loss there--underwhelming underperformance. while wishing post-Browns success is conflicting and bittersweet, I'm almost over it now already.

good luck Phil. wish you well in health and in future endeavors.

Mudfly

@miktoxic said:

i wish all the pundits that hate the brown's draft had a solution BEFORE the draft.

bunch of bitches.

Well.....its simple......all the second guessers apparently were wrong on their first guess.....

Nothing else to do but have a hissy......(Ive had kids, I know how it goes)

@sisky-fringo said:
while wishing post-Browns success is conflicting and bittersweet, I'm almost over it now already..

and...if or when he has success.....the whining and crying will start right back up(10 fold)....and all the babies that cried about what a bad pick he was(4 years after the fact) will just start whining about us cutting him when he looks sooooo good on that other team.....

In summary....if we cut him, we are dumb for picking him....and if he does well, we are dumb for cutting him.......

Riffer X

It is big boy time for this team, no more room for pussies like Taylor.

I said awhile back that he would have to earn a spot, but then I got caught up on the contract ramifications and changed my mind. Then seeing him not play this camp -- I thought the Browns were giving him another pass. Not so, Pett is forming a team to fit his demeanor and oft-injured half asses like Taylor are no longer needed. Give me a Meder any day, I want guys that are hungry for more than the buffet.

Taylor was just a more recent version of Fat Money. Good riddance and bring on the guys who want to Play Like a Brown.

miktoxic

all well and good riff until it's said player that turns out to be all-pro on another team and it will be people like you that question why he was cut.

thankfully when all is said and done given how bad our first round picks have been since '99 we haven't had to worry about that. they've just all sucked ass.

sisky fringo

@riffer-x said:
It is big boy time for this team, no more room for pussies like Taylor.

Cal concurs.

Riffer X

@miktoxic said:

all well and good riff until it's said player that turns out to be all-pro on another team and it will be people like you that question why he was cut.

thankfully when all is said and done given how bad our first round picks have been since '99 we haven't had to worry about that. they've just all sucked ass.

He can have a HOFer career from here on out and I won't bitch about the decision to let him go.

Fat dudes with bad knees and work ethic/entitlement issues generally don't go on to do much else though. He is/was highly overrated by a lot of our fans including myself -- but not anymore.

This is what good teams do. Cut the dead weight losses and move on. We have some good guys on the dline.

The Gipper

@wargograw said:
Big 12 DTs are a joke now.

That is a complete generalization. Gerald McCoy is Big 12...and one of the best.

The Gipper

Who do we think is going to pick him up? Would it surprise anyone if the Steelers or Ravens went after him?

sisky fringo

@the-gipper said:
Who do we think is going to pick him up? Would it surprise anyone if the Steelers or Ravens went after him?

yes.

bengals? not as much.

dawg2fan

@the-gipper said:
Who do we think is going to pick him up? Would it surprise anyone if the Steelers or Ravens went after him?

I hope they do. Then they will find out just like we did when he's not able to stay on the field.

Mudfly

@the-gipper said:
Would it surprise anyone if the Steelers or Ravens went after him?

wouldnt surprise me.....both need serious help on the defense.....especially the stools who are allowing like 207 pts a game so far...

Riffer X

According to DawgsByNature:

Players Terminated

NT Phil Taylor - This is a pretty big stunner, as it seemed like the team could use him in a limited backup role this season to split reps with rookie NT Danny Shelton. It would also seem that this locks up a roster spot for NT Jamie Meder, who has had an impressive past couple of weeks as a backup.

Taylor won't be out any money, as his $5.477 million contract this year is fully guaranteed. There is no offset language on the contract, so Taylor will be able to double dip with whatever team he signs with next.

wargograw

@miktoxic said:

i wish all the pundits that hate the brown's draft had a solution BEFORE the draft. most people loved all these picks (even on this board) and then when they turned out to be DOO DOO they all look for someone to blame.

my thought is to trade away all our first rounders from here on out so that way no one can boo hoo anything anymore.

bunch of bitches.

GREAT post. Grossi's article is so predictable.

wargograw

@the-gipper said:
That is a complete generalization. Gerald McCoy is Big 12...and one of the best.

It's gotten worse by the year and he's been out for going on 6 of them. It's a generally accurate generalization.

wargograw

I'm not really digging this cut but will stick with the trust da staff philosophy. For now.

JAFBF

Couple Vets out . . . (needed) House Cleaning ?

Will not be surprised to see some other Vets moved out, I still think there's a Cancer in this Team somewhere

D Bone

@riffer-x said:
Taylor won't be out any money, as his $5.477 million contract this year is fully guaranteed. There is no offset language on the contract, so Taylor will be able to double dip with whatever team he signs with next.

Cha-Ching......... Well done Mr. Taylor, well done.

Mr. Make-Believe

@riffer-x said:

According to DawgsByNature:

Players Terminated

NT Phil Taylor - This is a pretty big stunner, as it seemed like the team could use him in a limited backup role this season to split reps with rookie NT Danny Shelton. It would also seem that this locks up a roster spot for NT Jamie Meder, who has had an impressive past couple of weeks as a backup.
Taylor won't be out any money, as his $5.477 million contract this year is fully guaranteed. There is no offset language on the contract, so Taylor will be able to double dip with whatever team he signs with next.

Is this accurate? If so, brutal.

Have to think there would have been a better option than simply flushing this money down the toilet.