DQ Jackson MLB

Fujita when he comes back

Maiava

The above are the only veterans on the team.

You also have the draft choices:

Emmanuale Acho

James Michael Johnson

But the Browns also have the following LBs on their roster:

JoJo Dickson from Idaho

L.J. Fort of N. Iowa

Benjamin Jacobs of Fresno St.

Craig Robertson of N. Texas

Actually, only 1 of the above is a rookie. The others are second year players that were picked up somewhere along the way.

Also....question....what about Marcus Bernard? Can he play the OLB position if need be?

So, the final question, with Gocong's injury: What will the Browns depth chart at LB look like coming out of this? How many will they keep on the roster?

@mike-h said:

We should lure Frank ZOMBO from the Packers. Would you lose your shit Z?

I wouldn't lose my shit, I would buy a shirt!

Zombo

He started last year, made 51 tackles. Was pretty good with the Packers before that.

Zombo

Between the Taylor & Gocong injuries, we may uncover some gems.

We'll see.

Mike

@mike-h said:

Positive: He wasn't very good outside of short-yardage situations.

Negative: There is literally no one else better than him to take his place.

My thoughts exactly but if Frostee has a good year we should be fine.

He impressed a lot of folks at the combine. But, now that the Browns have at least a little depth at every position,

it should pay off handsomely.

His position was useless, I guess it gave him time to concentrate on his weight

The same goes for fujita the guy is barely serviceable and after the 3 game suspension the rookie johnson will be permanently taking his job and fujita knows it...

H&H are under heavy pressure to win now and impress jimmy haslam and having guys like fujita and gocong manning the OLB positions as starters will not help them get there..

They need to take some calculated chances @ OLB and make it pay off big..

@calfoxwc said:

Did I hear right that GoCong is out for the season? Crap. But the Browns will have a couple of guys to step in.

Correct. Like Gocong was Pro Bowl material? Hardly. Not like the Browns run defense was stellar last year. Bring in the young guys.

@badnewsbrowns said:

Fuck it.

Cribbs you're our new OLB.

i say a cribbs/weeden QB tandem.

Cribbs you're our new OLB.

@harry-buffalo said:

Pick out the 3-4 outside linebackers from that number and shoot it back this way.

so an ILB can't play the OLB position? an OLB can't play as a DE? a WR can't play the QB position?

wow. you've got GMs past and present rolling around in their graves.

you're a gem.

@miktoxic said:

well seeing as there were 14 LBs picked before we got JLJ you tell me.

Pick out the 3-4 outside linebackers from that number and shoot it back this way.

@theclevelandsound said:

There goes the run defense.

What run defense?,,,He sucked anyway

Gocong will have surgery, Shurmur said. The procedure could be done as early as Monday.

"I don’t want an injury at any position," Shurmur said. "We just keep moving ahead. ... Nothing can stop the train. We’ve got to keep going."

Gocong suffered the injury during an 11-on-11, goal-line drill. As he tried to defend a touchdown pass to tight end Jordan Cameron, he planted his right leg, then lifted it, grabbed it while the ball was in the air and fell to the ground.

Gocong could not put weight on his leg as trainers helped him onto the cart. He was visibly upset, and starting strongside linebacker Scott Fujita immediately consoled him.

"He’s come so far as a player," Fujita said. "He was rewarded [with a contract extension] last season by the club. He came back this offseason and worked really, really hard. He came into training camp in great shape. He’s making so many plays out here in training camp. It’s tough when you see things like that happen."

Kaluka Maiava and rookies James-Michael Johnson, a fourth-round pick in this year's draft, and Emmanuel Acho, a sixth-round selection, could get chances to fill in for Gocong. Linebackers L.J. Fort and Craig Robertson have also caught the attention of the coaching staff, Shurmur said.

Gocong's injury is a significant blow to the defense. Fujita is suspended for the first three games of the season for his alleged role in the New Orleans Saints' bounty scandal. Starting defensive tackle Phil Taylor suffered a torn pectoral muscle in May and won't be back until late October at the earliest.

"Every year it's something," starting middle linebacker D'Qwell Jackson said. "With injuries or what have you, it's a part of the game that unfortunately you don't get used to it. But every time it happens it's a surprise for everyone. For the guys we do have on deck, guys are going to have to step up -- myself and everyone's going to have to take it to the next level."

http://www.ohio.com/blogs/cleveland-browns/cleveland-browns-1.270107/browns-lb-chris-gocong-out-for-season-with-torn-achilles-tendon-1.324816

---------------------------------------------

Man, this is a blow to our defense... BUT, if there is a positive in this anywhere it's in that this happened kinda early as opposed to later in Pre-Season... we will have time to compensate and figure something out.

@mike-h said:

Gocong out for the year

http://www.ohio.com/blogs/cleveland-browns/cleveland-browns-1.270107/browns-lb-chris-gocong-out-for-season-with-torn-achilles-tendon-1.324816

The Browns can't catch a break

http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2012/08/breaking_browns_linebacker_chr.html#incart_more_sports