@calfoxwc said:

good read.

really like pettine's defensive philosophy and what he expects from his DBs.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/gilbert-making-name-himself-browns-191941029--nfl.html

@tour2ma said:

Sure, back in the 50s/60s it was rare to have a 3 WR set. TEs were very important, even then. And what they did was to have the HB, like a Dub Jones or Ernie Green, line up in what we would call the slot these days. You are right that The Flea had only a few catches. Ernie Green, I believe, was probably third on the team in catches in those 64/65/66 years with Warfield and Collins.

@the-gipper said:

Maybe in your recollection, but not in mine, seeing that I had seen the combination of Paul Warfield, Gary Collins, Walter the Flea Roberts in the mid-late 60s..

And while I was not around to see them, the trio of Dante Lavelli, Mac Speedie and Dub Jones was perhaps the best trio ever in Browns history.

Three WR sets were so rare prior to the 70's that I ignored them. Jones was a HB. If RBs are to be considered, then the trio of Brown/ Collins/ Warfield would be hard to beat.

Roberts only had one significant year as a WR for us. That was the year when he started in place of Warfield who missed nearly the entire season with a broken collar bone (suffered in the College All-Star game). IMO Clif(ton) McNeil, who was also injured much of the same year, came closer to being the 3rd wheel in a trio with Collins and Warfield. And he should have been considering the career he went on to have after leaving the Browns.

@ibleedbrown said:

@canton-mike said:

met him at hopkins when i was flying out to boot camp in 1980. they had just played a game that sunday and he was waiting for a flight to colo.

signed a napkin at the bar for me.

too bad he works for broncos radio. only downer for me about that guy. was and still is a class act. one of my football heros of the day.

Mike

@ibleedbrown said:

Slaughter was a helluva receiver, but over 6 feet tall. Langhorne was also over 6 feet, but Brian Brennan, Kosar's 3rd option, only 5'9". That was the best trio of wideouts the Browns ever had, in my recollection.

Good trio... Sipe had a couple years of throwing to the trio of Warfield, Rucker and Logan. Even with Warfield a tad past his prime, that bunch was pretty damn good.

@nickers said:

The kid sounds more like Webster Slaughter....I cant wait to see how he plays.. Webster was fun to watch. Hell, that whole wide receiver corp was tough back then. These kids are gonna get theyre chance. This to Me is still the weakest position on the team.Everything else looks like it's comming together

A shorter and shiftier wide receiver can probaby outjuke a taller CB and LB everyday. So l imagine the underneath patterns will be there, it's the over the top l'm worried about.

However, Sylvester Stallone is short, and he was great in Over the Top.

@d-bone said:

Good. Several lucky people missed the maiden voyage of the Titanic too.

LOL

@rooster-dick said:

Good. Several lucky people missed the maiden voyage of the Titanic too.

i was just complaining earlier today about the avg. height of our receivers. this shows there is a big place in today's offenses for guys like hawkins.

my biggest question right now is where is benjamin at. i know he was hurt but has he recovered and is he at the OTAs?

@calfoxwc said:

It's going to be an amazing, upbeat Browns team that we haven't seen since '99.

Upbeat '99 lasted like one game? I'm hoping for more than that...