@theclevelandsound said:

I believe Hood is asking for starter money and he may end up a #3 or #4 guy here.

I disagree. I think he'll be a #2 at worst. They have enough 3 and 4 guys, they added the depth all over the roster, now it looks like they want to sign starters. Depth isn't needed anymore. (<-- depth is always good, but this isn't a depth signing)

Hood isn't a shutdown corner, nor a ballhawk, but he is a good corner who could start for most teams in the league. Definitely for the Browns. He's really good at returning after he makes an interception. He's only 27 years old, too. I really like this signing, and I think it gives the Browns two, young, solid to good corners to go along with the additions at safety and depth at CB. The secondary should be much improved. If the pass rush improves, I think the Browns will have a good defense.

I think every position has been upgraded, but playoff-caliber might be stretching it. I think they're solid at all positions not LB or RB, and above average on the offensive and defensive lines. I think CB is a concern, and I'm not too sure if I should expect a great running game. With the offensive line I think it'll be sufficient. The biggest concerns of mine are QB and pass rush.

Wonder if this would've even been an issue if it had been someone like Brad Laich. I doubt it.

Stupid, though.

TheJokersWILD said:

The only problem I have with getting a first from the Jets is that I think they will have a winning record next season and if we do get their first it would mid to low first round. Edwards was the 3rd overall pick and has proved he can live up to the billing AND is in the prime of his career. If they get Edwards I would want their first plus a couple of legit players Revis or Rhodes would have to be included in the deal.

Yeah, I think they'll have a mid first round pick at best (or worst, depending on who you're rooting for, haha).

That being said, no way they give up Revis or Rhodes and a first. Heck, I would be happy to get Revis straight up.

@choco said:

which is why we're getting offers left and right for his services....

Not sure what you're saying here. You seem to be laughing at my comment, then you say something that supports it. The Browns are getting offers because teams see the potential he has. He has the talent to be a top 5-caliber WR, whether he uses his tools to the best of his abilities is up to him.

EDIT: I know what you're saying.. why are we trading him if he has that potential.. he probably doesn't have the work ethic of the attitude that the new regime want on this team. Simple as that. Players who are better than Edwards have been traded (and released) because of these issues. Specifically, Terrell Owens. One of the best WRs of all time, statistically, will have played for four different teams. It's not all about talent, potential, what you've done on the field. I know that you know this.

mz. said:

I doubt we'd be signing him to start or nuthin'...

Will Ty Law sign to be a backup? I was thinking that this was an issue last year. I don't know if he started last year, however. I was just thinking that this was an issue last time he was a FA.

31 year old RB, no prime game left in him, albeit a solid back, for a 26 year old WR who has the talent to be a top 5 WR in the NFL and is a #1 WR on the majority of teams? This is the dumbest trade ever, unless something else is involved. Next year's first would be great, but I think they can get a player out of this.. who, I'm not sure.

@shepwrite said:

I think DA fits SF's offense, but I've never heard a peep that they're interested.

Orton is what he is: A very good backup or a bottom ten starter.

SF is going to use the short to intermediate passing game. They're going to be a run-first team and try to win the turnover battle and beat teams primarily with their defense. Doesn't sound like a DA team to me.

Anyone can be good with Denver's offensive line, Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal. The Bears' offense isn't exactly passer-friendly. I don't even think their current offense would be passer-friendly if it had good WRs.

@oldcrow1945 said:

It's too bad the Raiders drafted Russell last year. I think Al would really appreciate DA. For the reasons you stated.

I was kind of expecting a deal to the Raiders even with Russell there. In case he continues to struggle. But it never happened. They went after Garcia instead.

Yeah. I think DA can actually be a pretty successful QB in the right system. Unfortunately for him, there really aren't too many teams like that at the moment who need a QB. The Raiders are one.. I don't think Garcia is a great fit there, either. I really thought SF or Minnesota would go after him. Or Denver, after the Cutler trade.

Completely off-topic, but while we're on this subject, I think Chicago is a terrible fit for Jay Cutler. I think there is going to be some real disappointment in Chicago next year.

Doubt Denver wants Smith. He's not a starter and they have enough average/below average defensive linemen.

DA won't be going to SF or Minny either.. SF has two first rounders next year and would probably rather have a young guy out of the deep QB draft next year than a guy who appears to have hit his ceiling already. Minnesota needs a game manager. Actually, SF really just needs a game manager too, but they seem to be somewhat happy with Shaun Hill.. I think DA needs to go to a team where he can throw it. I don't see him as a game manager at all. I would say Carolina, but they just signed Delhomme to a big deal for some reason. I don't think the market is good for DA right now. Not as a starter, anyways.

Edwards to the Bears would be a great fit, but they have little to trade. The Giants are done dealing for Braylon. The Jets.. I could see it happening, but considering how much they gave up to get Sanchez I doubt they'll do it. Oakland, can put nothing past Oakland. It wouldn't surprise me.

D'Qwell will look much better with better talent around him and on the defensive line. He's a very good player.

I'm sure someone would give Fraley a look.

As far as I know he's only had one injury. Everyone in Denver's backfield was injured last year.

He's very talented.. he's a two-back system guy IMO. Not really a short yardage guy.

Aloysius said:

I get passing on Orakpo. There were concerns about his ability to transition to linebacker, which were pretty much validated by three 3-4 teams passing on him. On top of that, there were the durability issues.

But I think there has to be some limit to the "quantity over quality" argument. If you think a guy's the best player in the draft, I don't think you can pass on him. Sure, accumulating some average starters and good depth is great, but it doesn't justify passing on an immensely talented, high character player who'll be the leader of your defense for the next ten years. And from what I gather, the Browns weren't going to do that.

Being solid at all positions is better than being great at a few. Depth is important. It's good to see that they're building the team like they want, instead of building it how the fans want.

@legacy-fan said:

I have to disagree. The only bling Curry was wearing on draft day was a 10 year old cancer survivor from St Judes. The guy is a class act.

I wasn't sure if Curry was or not, like I said. The point remains the same. If bling at the draft classifies someone as a diva, then there are a lot of divas. Nothing has been confirmed about Crabtree being a diva and I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt until he proves otherwise.

@hoorta said:

Ya know what I took from that? Crabtree is a Diva. Check. Anyone else notice the 20+TW carat Bling he was wearing on draft day? The guy is gonna want to get paid, and big time. Any bets that's he's going to hold out for a mega contract?

In all fairness to Crabtree, I think there were a lot of players wearing bling. I think Aaron Curry was one of those guys, too, and he's considered the opposite of a diva, but I'm not sure on that one. There were many.

@earl34 said:

He's a system QB. After the likes of Andre Ware, David Klingler, Kliff Kingsbury, etc.....no one really wants to take a shot. The one thing I do like about the kid is that he makes quick decisions. I think his arm is average and his athleticism is minimal otherwise. That said, Colt Brennan stuck with the Redskins last year and he was a similar QB.

He has some things working for him. If he had a stronger arm he would've been drafted. He has a pretty weak arm. That being said, he's accurate and makes quick decisions as you said. Unfortunately, his defensive competition was below average and his offense was such an efficient college offense that it's really tough to get a read on how good his decision making is.

I do think he's better than Brennan, so Harrell should be able to make the team at least.

Edge isn't an option.. as others have said, too old and the team is trying to get younger. If a FA RB is looked at or picked up, my money is on one from Denver. They just drafted Moreno, and they currently have 11 RBs on their roster. I wouldn't be surprised if Peyton Hillis were released. He's not a fit at all in what McDaniels is going to run. He's an ex-fullback who was forced into the starting RB role when Denver had an entire stable of RBs injured.

If Ryan Torain, Selvin Young or Peyton Hillis are released, I think they'd get some major interest from a lot of teams. Young isn't an every-down back, but is a very good backup. Torain was being groomed as Shanahan's next starting RB I do believe, and was apparently looking very good before his injury. But I think McDaniels is going a different route with the signings of Correll Buckhalter, JJ Arrington, LaMont Jordan and the drafting of Moreno. No way they keep all their RBs.

My two cents..

I always thought Doss did pretty well with Indy.. then he kind of moved around a bit and never really found a permanent home. He didn't even have a job there for a while. He was on the sidelines at OSU games instead of NFL games for a while. Definitely wouldn't hurt to bring him in for a look, but from the way it looks it doesn't look like he'll land a starting job.

Sucks, too, 'cause I have a Doss jersey in my closet. He's one of my favorite Buckeyes..

Going to address a couple posts in this thread at once here..

Drafts don't need to be flashy to be good. The Browns didn't see a pick at 5 that they thought would be worth the money involved, so they traded down a couple times and added more picks to provide depth. Good move. They picked the best center in the draft (probably the best center that's come out of college football since Nick Mangold). Teams should be built from the inside out. What have Kokinis and Mangini done? They drafted what looks like a great center to solidify the center (or guard) position for years to come. The offensive line looks like it will be very good. On defense, they added a very solid 3-4 DE in Kenyon Coleman. He'll either start, or share time. I think he'll start. That gives them good depth and a pretty good rotation of 3-4 ends. The defensive line should be solid, at worst.

Off the lines now.. WR was probably the biggest position of need. They're apparently keeping Braylon, who is a #1 when he catches the ball. I'm hopeful that he will in a contract year. They signed two guys who should compete for #2 eventually, although I think Robiskie gets it right away. He's technically sound. I think he would fit better opposite a burner, but he'll be a very good possession guy. Massaquoi is a very good blocker, he's big, and he can jump. Good red zone threat, solid third WR. He needs to work on his drops. They added a RB for depth in James Davis, a guy who is thick and is a good cutback guy. He racked up a lot of yardage and scores at Clemson, despite Clemson having a terrible offensive line. With a good line, I think he could be good as a backup, but likely a third RB.

In the secondary, the new regime added a starter in Abram Elam and a whole lot of depth. The corners are still a question mark IMO, but if they progress they should be decent.. nothing spectacular in the secondary, but it certainly won't be worse. Elam makes them better, Wright is solid, McDonald can be solid. Corey Ivy is a very good depth player, Poteat I'm not too sure about.

I will admit that I was hoping for a little more at the LB position in the offseason. Eric Barton is a good addition and led the Jets in tackles last year if I'm not mistaken. He's not a pass-rusher, which is still a big need, but is a good tackler. Upgrade. Veikune prefers the OLB position, but will probably be a backup this year. He has good potential. Wimbley obviously needs to step up, and he'll have the opportunity with the upgrades made on the defensive line. Inside linebacker is still a question mark.. and the biggest need on defense.

I'm not a Browns homer, not even a huge fan, but I like what they're doing. They're building solid depth at all positions and will address the game-breakers when they have good depth. Sorry for the long-winded post. Some people need to think about what's going on instead of assuming that since the Browns didn't get a big name that they're failing. A lackluster season was coming no matter what they drafted or signed, so it's good to see that they're building for the future instead of unrealistically trying to win now. If you expected playoffs this year, you need to watch more football.

EDIT: I got a position/player mixed up.. I thought Barton was an OLB when I made this. He's not. So that means the Browns did better in the draft/FA than I originally thought. I thought ILB was a question mark when it was addressed with the signing of Barton.