@londonbrown said:

Twitter has been a constant source of Ray Farmer bashing!

That's because of the text message thing, and not drafting a WR last year... both of which are concepts that are over-hyped in mainstream media. First, I'll get over the fact that he was texting during a game... he was probably getting pissed when Shanahan kept running the same damn plays over-and-over even when they weren't working. If I had his # last year, I would've been doing the same. Second, he seems to have an understanding of the WR position and its role in building a winner. All you need is a guy who can run precise routes, catch the ball, and is willing to block... there are literally hundreds of guys capable of doing all three, but it's not easy to find guys who are willing to put in the effort it takes to be disciplined at all 3...

Twitter has been a constant source of Ray Farmer bashing!

@canton-mike said:

Thanks on the correctomundo....yes, 6.....thats a good winning philosophy, btw....

@tour2ma said:

When you don't make a pick beyond Round 4 and end up with as many UDFAs on the roster as we did, then I think it's OK to credit them as part of Farm's "build through the draft philosophy".

Im certainly down with that for the rookie udfa,s.....Crowell - Gabriel & Williams......all part of the draft in my view.....and would have been scores even if we picked em.......

Plus we found/signed a lot of FA's, practice squad and waiver wire guys.....all due to his vigilance in all areas......

@mudfly said:

Mud,

Only correction is there are SIX drafties...Gilbert, Manziel, Bitonio, Kirksey, West, & Desir.

You're right. The upgrade IS significant, yet far too many keep looking BACK rather than FORWARD!

My philosophy...Constantly looking back will slow or stop your FORWARD progress!

Mike

@domcucch1994 said:

Well....

A) IF you're whining about anything beyond recent 'year', then you're being unfair to the FO because they haven't been here for year"s"

Im not sure about this "build through the draft philosophy" you speak of and how it applies.......

the FO is one year in.....our roster has 53 players......last year he added 22 new players........22....

we drafted 5........so, 17 players were found & signed outside of the "draft philosophy".......and in just a few months inside of Farmers hire.....

So.....in 3 months he helped built a coaching staff.....prepped and completed the draft......and located and signed 17 additional players(that MADE THE TEAM)......

Yet....for the first year....thats not enough????......

How can so many people NOT see or appreciate the serious upgrade this team experienced last year......????

@domcucch1994 said:

When you say these jokers - you mean Farmer & Pettine that didn't think Alex Mack was just an overpaid dime a dozen talent we needed to clear cap space for? Just how stupid did they look when we actually had to count on dime a dozen types replacing him? Looks like we NEEDED Mack more than you're leading on here. Farmer and Co also put an end to the dime a dozen mentality that's failed here at LG since Steinbach went under the knife right before 2011 by drafting Bitonio. Isn't it refreshing to suddenly start every play without thinking our only hope is off tackle?

Next, how much did Suh hit Miami's cap up for? In order for us to win that auction, we had to pony up even more cake than that IF he would even consider playing for a franchise that has one of the worst QB situations at this time. We have 2 first round draft picks where many draft experts have one of the top DTs on our doorstep for a FRACTION of the coin Suh will hold Miami's cap hostage with. The difference is Suh is no longer chasing the dream salary while the guy playing for a fraction of his cake will be. Not only that, in our scheme where a DT is constantly facing double teams inside - this coaching staff is constantly rotating guys in and out for fresh legs. I didn't realize the frequency of it all UNTIL I attended the Browns game here in Nashville where you can see all that stuff television doesn't always capture. Again, does a part timer reality warrant the size of Suh's cap hit more than a top DT prospect in this draft?

You can't blame a GM for the deck of cards he's dealt. What you CAN do is appreciate the improvement by 3 wins in spite of an excessive injury volume when 3 teams in our own division made the playoffs. We beat 2 of those teams by 21 points apiece when we were somewhat healthy. That's not as bad of a job as the national media wants it to be portrayed. Wasn't it funny how much some the very SAME national media wanted in on our story when we were 7-4? Let's understand there were land mines all over the place for a rookie GM so some human error was inevitable. A Randall Cobb wasn't going to leave the accuracy and precision of Aaron Rogers whether we drafted the best QB in 2014 or kept Hoyer or signed another one of the less than inspiring QBs available in the FA market. I don't know WHO you feel we are missing out on in free agency. However, an undrafted guy like Crow was averaging over 5 yards a carry all the while Mack was healthy with Bitonio to his immediate left and Greco to his immediate right. Come to think of it, even Tate was near 4.4 yards a carry at that time. I'm kind of glad we have a FO and HC that wants us to be able to run INSIDE of tackle for the first time since 2010. It created playaction perks for the QB while some WRs appreciated uncontested routes that ended up as big plays/completions for our offense. Considering one of our problems with the QB position aside from bad drafting all these years was how often we've made this an easy place to play QB - 2014 was HUGE progress with that when healthy upfront. In Farmer's SECOND year, he can address more oline depth within our 10 scheduled draft picks aside from already landing Michael Bowie (who started at 3 different positions in 8-9 starts for the Superbowl Champions in 2013).

@thenew23 said:

BINGO! These guys are in their SECOND off season & look at not only a change in culture & attitude, but the talent added to our roster in just ONE year. Don't forget Crowell as one of last year's UDFAs & Desir came on well later. I think he may be special.

Yep, I'm having fun riding this train & it's just getting started!

Mike

@xanthros said:

if you think about it, the 'dawgs' are only a couple of solid picks away from being complete.

we need gilbert to be the first round star pick farmer thought (and many other experts) he would be. and the other DBs to stand ground and grow into solid starters in their own right.

get us some LB help and a monster DL (along with more depth later in the draft) and i think the defense can be top 5 for years to come.

I'm glad the league is looking the other way right now because while everyone is crying wolf, we may actually start seeing some real growth around here.

The QB position is still concerning but I myself have faith that they can turn it around whether its Manziel or QB "b" from such and such college...

Too many times the old adage "Defense Wins Championships" comes true. Wouldn't it be nice to see the Dawgs feared once again?

@domcucch1994 said:

What exactly am I whining about?

This whole we gotta build through the draft philosophy has really payed off for us in recent years right?

People need to quit using the past regimes' failures against our current guys...

Yes. It's whining.

@miktoxic said:

What exactly am I whining about?

This whole we gotta build through the draft philosophy has really payed off for us in recent years right?

It does work when you have experienced GMs and coaching staffs making the calls, instead of these jokers..

But hey, maybe they will work out. Hopefully Haslam doesn't clean house if the Browns fail to win more than 6 this year

@domcucch1994 said:

i think you're responding to the wrong thread.

you need to find the whiners thread and post there.

@tim-couch-pulls-out said:

The problem some don't realize is that compensatory picks cannot be traded.

No, but it gives you more freedom to trade some of your own picks to get better talent. The Ravens have been doing it for years. Getting the guys they covet rather than hoping they fall to them.

If you can trade some of your original 7 picks and get an extra 2nd and/or 3rd, you still have the compensatory picks in the later rounds...

@mudfly said:

yes....and it will.....right now they are projecting about 3 picks in the 3rd - 6th range....

there is no set formula....just a group of picks and a committee who decides.....but, based on past years and compared to the other teams, we are looking good....

Then I think its fair to say we are about to get our deposit back. You could argue a case to resign all 3 of those guys, but to what extent? You have to give credit to Pettine/Farmer for recognizing the value of letting them walk and not replacing them through the market. Sheard was a solid guy, but when this team is healthy we dont need him at that price. Cam didn't want to be here, no matter what unless we overpaid. And Skrine, I don't think was ever in their long-term plans based off last years draft.

From what I understand the compensation is based mainly on salaries. Hell they could end up with a complete rebate considering they have used $0 to replace them. I think that is how you build from the draft right there gentlemen. They're keeping the right guys and not panicking in FA. Sheard was a 2nd, Cam a 4th, and Skrine a 5th (I think?) . If Farmer gets a 3rd, 4th, and 5th or better, then he is worth his weight.

So far, weve lost Sheard, Skrine, Cameron, and Hoyer and have not signed any FAs. Id say we'll get at least 3 and one of them will be a 3rd rounder. Unless we sign Clay, then we'd get less...

@htownbrown said:

yes....and it will.....right now they are projecting about 3 picks in the 3rd - 6th range....

there is no set formula....just a group of picks and a committee who decides.....but, based on past years and compared to the other teams, we are looking good....