the biggest thing the oline lacks is experience. even without any additions to the oline lineup in 2013 they will be still be top ten pass protect and top 16 (above avg) in run blocking with either Pinkston OR Greco.

there's no crisis on the OL...i hope the FO continues to focus all FA and draft energy on getting to the opponents QB. shutdown complete corners benefit by allowing blitzes without exposing yourself completely so that should be a priority. passing on Grimes was surprising and on paper appears to be a mistake...but maybe the achilles situation was too risky.

they need another stud OLB, and a high level CB and TE. the rest is serviceable for a playoff run.

@the-gipper said:

Problem is the Browns were losing some game by 34-27. So yes, the D needed addressing.

And to be honest with you, I am not that down on Pinkston and Lauvao. I believe they are fairly serviceable at OG. At least in my mind they are.

Throw Greco in there too. I thought he did a helluva job last year when he got the opportunity to get on the field. Maybe even good enough to earn a crack as a starter this year.

@joeb said:

If we pickup Grimmes all the D needs have been addressed . That OG position going to be hard to fill in the draft seeing that Maybe two OL players will be gone by The six pick . We haven't even began to touch the O needs . All in All I think Jimmy has a game plan .We can see His smiles in his recent article . He thinks we have done well . My thoughts on the Defense being addressed in FA is that the draft going to surprise a lot of people with the offences needs . Of coarse the Browns are not going to get all the best talent in FA but , They did pretty good.

That old Joke about the Pee wee coach only addressing the Defense rings true here . Losing 6 to 3 is no victory . There is still a lot of work to do , and this is going to be a long summer with lots of moves still to be made .

Problem is the Browns were losing some game by 34-27. So yes, the D needed addressing.

And to be honest with you, I am not that down on Pinkston and Lauvao. I believe they are fairly serviceable at OG. At least in my mind they are.

@lumbergh said:

wondering if this guy is still motivated to play hard or if he is now just in it for the money. Have a feeling this guy could be a total burnout and huge waste of cash a la Albert Hanesworth.

Hope your wrong, this is where a strong front office and even better leader plays a big role. Time will tell which one we have if any.

@the-gipper said:

I mean, when we all assessed the Browns needs in the off season didn't we conclude that the following were our primary areas of need:

DE

OLB

FS

CB

OG

These are all primarily defensive needs.[/b]

If we pickup Grimmes all the D needs have been addressed . That OG position going to be hard to fill in the draft seeing that Maybe two OL players will be gone by The six pick . We haven't even began to touch the O needs . All in All I think Jimmy has a game plan .We can see His smiles in his recent article . He thinks we have done well . My thoughts on the Defense being addressed in FA is that the draft going to surprise a lot of people with the offences needs . Of coarse the Browns are not going to get all the best talent in FA but , They did pretty good.

That old Joke about the Pee wee coach only addressing the Defense rings true here . Losing 6 to 3 is no victory . There is still a lot of work to do , and this is going to be a long summer with lots of moves still to be made .

@joeb said:

I shirked the question on The comparative sorry , I just think We can't measure that until we see Weedens performance in preseason . I hate to say this but, Everything is in Weedens hands this year . The truth is if Weeden does bad , The moves look like garbage , If Weeden does good then Banner looks like a genius .I can say "with honesty" That The moves in Free agency are welcome simply because Free agency is fresh and new to Cleveland .

Well, OK, I still disagree that football is like Tennis or Golf where everything depends on one player. There are 25 starters on a football team, including P/K/LS, maybe more.

Yes, a QB certainly if a vital cog to a team's success...but, FYI, teams have won Super Bowls with mediocre or less QBs.

Take the 2005 Steelers. Great team, average QB at the time. He turned out much better later, but that year he was average or below.

The 2002 Buccaneers, the 2000 Ravens, the Redskins with Mark Rypien.

A team's success is not always dependent on the QB. Great QBs can have bad teams around them. Archie Manning e.g., maybe Dan Marino for much of his career possibly others.

Brandon Weeden ain't gonna tackle anyone.

I certainly think we can give a comparative grade to the Browns/Ravens/Steelers/Bengals moves in FA without resorting back to "everything these players do depends on what the QB does". Paul Kruger does not need Brandon Weeden's help to sack a QB.

Brandon Weeden might have won 3-4 more games last year if he had the help of the defense in sacking a few QBs.

The Dallas Game lost late because the defense didn't get a stop. The Philly Game, lost when a LB drops a game winning int. that was right in his hands. The first Bengals game, Browns score 27 points, enough to win. The defense didn't hold up. The Giants game, Browns have big lead, defense falls apart. Defense falls flat against the Redskins. Defense rolled over in Denver.

At least half the Browns losses last year can be attributed to defensive failures. Certainly the offense didn't step up in its share of games...but the offense, nor the QB, by no means was the sole culprit in all those losses.

I mean, when we all assessed the Browns needs in the off season didn't we conclude that the following were our primary areas of need:

DE

OLB

FS

CB

OG

These are all primarily defensive needs.

http://www.rotoworld.com/articles/nfl/42830/309/free-agency-winners

At that time ? How these things work out on the field , I don't know . I'm just peachy happy that the Browns are In the game and not being used as the ball .

@the-gipper said:

OK, interesting. Not really on topic, but decent info.

But, that still begs the question: How do you think the Browns have done so far in FA vis a vis their AFCN rivals?

I think you seem to be implying that they have aced this thing so far, comparatively. Fair to say?

I shirked the question on The comparative sorry , I just think We can't measure that until we see Weedens performance in preseason . I hate to say this but, Everything is in Weedens hands this year . The truth is if Weeden does bad , The moves look like garbage , If Weeden does good then Banner looks like a genius .I can say "with honesty" That The moves in Free agency are welcome simply because Free agency is fresh and new to Cleveland .

@the-gipper said:

1. Signed the #1 Rush Linebacker FA, Paul Kruger

wondering if this guy is still motivated to play hard or if he is now just in it for the money. Have a feeling this guy could be a total burnout and huge waste of cash a la Albert Hanesworth.

Browns come in 2nd behind Cincy if you include the losses the Steelers (Wallace/Harrison) and Ravens (Reed, Lewis) have been through

@joeb said:

Rotoworld has the browns at 21 .

The Browns are a quarterback away from challenging for a top 12 or 15 starting lineup. Fortunately, there is reason to think Weeden stands a chance of improving under new coach Rob Chudzinski, who has a history of maximizing his quarterback's strengths. With Richardson running behind one of the NFL's top young lines, the Browns will play power-ball offense and take shots off play action to Gordon. Tight end may be a position Cleveland seeks to upgrade in April's draft. Ex-basketball player Cameron is long on athleticism, but must be pushed.

Defensive Overview: The Browns have the best young defensive front seven no one is talking about. Criminally underrated Bryant will be Ray Horton's new Calais Campbell at 6-foot-6, 300 with ability to both stop the run and collapse the pocket. Rubin and Taylor each weigh 330-plus and clog running lanes. Rubin is light on his feet and active to the ball. Kruger and Sheard are high-impact bookend pass rushers. Free safety and right corner still need to be addressed. Unfortunately, new GM Mike Lombardi only has six selections in the draft and will pick just twice in the top 100.

Free safety and right corner still a need = Top Two picks in draft . Good offseason A+ That leaves the Browns in the hands of Weeden .

OK, interesting. Not really on topic, but decent info.

But, that still begs the question: How do you think the Browns have done so far in FA vis a vis their AFCN rivals?

I think you seem to be implying that they have aced this thing so far, comparatively. Fair to say?

The Browns are a quarterback away from challenging for a top 12 or 15 starting lineup. Fortunately, there is reason to think Weeden stands a chance of improving under new coach Rob Chudzinski, who has a history of maximizing his quarterback's strengths. With Richardson running behind one of the NFL's top young lines, the Browns will play power-ball offense and take shots off play action to Gordon. Tight end may be a position Cleveland seeks to upgrade in April's draft. Ex-basketball player Cameron is long on athleticism, but must be pushed.

Defensive Overview: The Browns have the best young defensive front seven no one is talking about. Criminally underrated Bryant will be Ray Horton's new Calais Campbell at 6-foot-6, 300 with ability to both stop the run and collapse the pocket. Rubin and Taylor each weigh 330-plus and clog running lanes. Rubin is light on his feet and active to the ball. Kruger and Sheard are high-impact bookend pass rushers. Free safety and right corner still need to be addressed. Unfortunately, new GM Mike Lombardi only has six selections in the draft and will pick just twice in the top 100.

Free safety and right corner still a need = Top Two picks in draft . Good offseason A+ That leaves the Browns in the hands of Weeden .

RAVENS:

Signed #1 QB Joe Flacco

Signed #3 DE Elvis Dumerville

Signed #7 DT Chris Canty

Signed #27 DE Marcus Spears

Signed #56 CB Chris Johnson

STEELERS:

Signed #9 OG Ramon Foster

Signed #17 ILB Larry Foote

Signed #21 QB Bruce Gradkowski

Signed #32 TE Matt Spaeth

Signed #39 WR Plaxico Burress

Signed #45 CB William Gay

BENGALS:

Signed #2 DE Michael Johnson

Signed #3 ILB Rey Maualaga

Signed #4 Punter Kevin Heber

Signed #4 Kicker Mike Nugent

Signed #12 QB Josh Johnson

Signed #14 RB Cedric Peerman

Signed #21 DE Wallace Gilberry

Signed #25 DE Robert Geathers

Signed #28 CB Adam Pacman Jones

Signed #28 OT Dennis Roland

Signed #31 WR Brandon Tate

Remember, these are how these players are rated amongst the Unrestricted FA class, NOT among all players at their position in the NFL.

So? How are you feeling now about the Browns moves after you have seen the other AFCN teams moves?