We aren't going to be players in free agency because the team wants to get younger through drafting.

Walter Jones used to pull hummers around parking lots for his workouts.

McCoy has shown enough to be given the starting job next year, no question. He threw 6 TDs to scrubs, and 9 INTs (and really, how many of those were tipped balls? 5? 6?) He looked pretty damn good for a rookie who got no first team repst until the week before his first start, and then was rushed back into action after injury.

@speedyd900rr said:

What is with all the personal attacks on Mangini? A month ago everyone was saying how hard this team was playing for him but now that he got fired everyone hates him just like ESPN tells you to. Go figure.

I love Mangini and still think it was a mistake to fire him.

If the Bengals don't take Cam Newton I'll be shocked. He is the ultimate Mike Brown pick (one year starter, Heisman winner, gimmick offense, history of maturity problems).

"28 (25) Browns 5-11 The first year of the Mike Holmgren era could be rough. This team lacks talent across the board. (Walker)"

Absolutely dead on! Of course the rest of the ESPN list is pretty hilarious:

1 (1) Colts 14-2 Their fate might depend on what others have done to narrow the gap. (Kuharsky)

2 (5) Saints 13-3 The Saints should not expect another magical season because every team is different, but they still can contend for the Super Bowl. (Sando)

3 (3) Vikings 12-4 Brett Favre is waiting for a two-hour TV special to announce his return. (Walker)

4 (4) Cowboys 11-5 The Cowboys are loaded and will look to secure a Super Bowl "home game." (Clayton)

5 (11) Ravens 9-7 The defense-heavy Ravens finally believe they have a high-powered offense. Scary thought. (Walker)

6 (6) Packers 11-5 Improved pass protection for QB Aaron Rodgers could go a long way. (Walker)

7 (12) Jets 9-7 With 12 Pro Bowl position players, the Jets are loaded to challenge the Pats. (Clayton)

8 (15) Falcons 9-7 The fortunes are looking up again now that RB Michael Turner is healthy and apparently in great condition. (Sando)

9 (10) Patriots 10-6 Who keeps the Patriots ahead of every other AFC East team? Tom Brady. (Clayton)

10 (2) Chargers 13-3 I'd like the Chargers a lot more with WR Vincent Jackson than without him. (Kuharsky)

11 (9) Bengals 10-6 This is the deepest Bengals team of the Marvin Lewis era. But can it handle a first-place schedule? (Walker)

12 (19) 49ers 8-8 The defense is already strong, and the offense is finally in position to improve -- if QB Alex Smith is ready. (Sando)

13 (21) Dolphins 7-9 It's up to QB Chad Henne to see whether he can compete against the big boys in the AFC East. (Clayton)

14 (14) Texans 9-7 Pass defense might determine the Texans' fate more than anything else. (Kuharsky)

15 (8) Cardinals 10-6 Keep an eye on youngsters Beanie Wells (RB) and Early Doucet (WR) this season. Arizona needs them. (Sando)

16 (20) Giants 8-8 Tom Coughlin must sort out the defensive problems to keep the Giants in contention. (Clayton)

17 (7) Eagles 11-5 Even though the Eagles have tons of talent, their schedule pulls them down. (Clayton)

18 (16) Titans 8-8 The Titans are going to be an offensive football team. (Kuharsky)

19 (13) Steelers 9-7 The first four to six games without QB Ben Roethlisberger could make or break their season. (Walker)

20 (29) Redskins 4-12 New QB Donovan McNabb should add a touchdown per game to the Redskins' offense. (Clayton)

21 (22) Bears 7-9 Do people realize QB Jay Cutler is just 24-29 as a starter? (Walker)

22 (18) Panthers 8-8 Carolina has the NFL's youngest roster and a head coach entering the final year of his deal. (Sando)

23 (17) Broncos 8-8 I'm betting QB Tim Tebow scores a touchdown on opening day in Jacksonville. (Kuharsky)

24 (26) Raiders 5-11 Did the Raiders build a pretty good defense? (Kuharsky)

25 (27) Seahawks 5-11 Immediate expectations for QB Charlie Whitehurst subsided pretty quickly once Seattle hit the practice field. (Sando)

26 (23) Jaguars 7-9 If only the Jaguars resided in the AFC West ... or the NFC West.(Kuharsky)

27 (28) Chiefs 4-12 The Chiefs are hoping safety Eric Berry will provide immediate help. K.C.'s defense ranked 30th in 2009. (Kuharsky)

28 (25) Browns 5-11 The first year of the Mike Holmgren era could be rough. This team lacks talent across the board. (Walker)

29 (31) Lions 2-14 After the 2009 season, the Lions have nowhere to go but up. So does their pass defense, which ranked 32nd last season and allowed 266 yards per game. (Walker)

30 (30) Buccaneers 3-13 How well can a young head coach with a defensive background manage Josh Freeman, a franchise quarterback entering his first full season as an NFL starter? (Sando)

31 (24) Bills 6-10 The only thing the Bills can look forward to is the 2011 draft and a new quarterback. (Clayton)

32 (32) Rams 1-15 The big question heading into camp is whether rookie QB Sam Bradford can earn the starting job by Week 1. (Sando)

Drafting around #10:

At this point in time, in order: AJ Green (WR), Akeem Ayers (OLB), Julio Jones (WR), *top rated 3-4 Dline or any top CB that slips*

He's a 1st rounder and he may even be gone before we pick in the 10-16 range.

We've spent the last 6 years getting 3-4 players and now you want to change it all once it finally started working. Congrats shep, you are officially the dumbest fan.

It's a meaningless end of season game betweeen two playoff non-contenders. Still, the offense was pathetic. It's gotta be a record that we somehow fumbled 3 times on one drive. Hey, even with Butterfingers dropping the ball every other carry he's still averaging 5 YPC. Delhomme was awful and his mere presence allowed the Bills to put 9 in the box on every play and dare him to win with 2 yard outs. If McCoy isn't ready this week, Wallace has to go in.

I think it's time for Daboll to pack his bags. With the way our defense has turned around, our offense is doing them a real disservice.

We struggled against Carolina, who are the worst team in the league, so my hopes are tempered for each game for the rest of the season until McCoy is back.

Every Bucs fan I know HATES this guy.

If you're drafting in the top 10 every year like we do, your high draft picks aren't doing a whole lot for you obviously. I'd much prefer to rip off 5-6 more wins than play for a higher draft pick. Heckert will find his guys regardless of where we draft. The Eagles rarely picked early and he managed to find a load of excellent later picks for them.

We will only play 3 more teams with losing records (Panthers, Bills, Bengals) this year. Dolphins are questionable at this point. That we have 3 wins with the talent on our team is a huge testament to coaching. I figure we'll end with 6 or 7 total assuming McCoy's injury isn't serious.

Here are the rest of the questions on Tuesday Trivia:

1. What unique distinction in history do the Carolina Panthers hold in respect to their relationship with the Browns?

NFL snubbed Baltimore for an expansion team and gave it to Carolina (and Jacksonville) which led Modell to eventually move the Browns.

2. Besides Jake Delhomme what other former Browns QB was the leading passer for a season for the Carolina Panthers?

Vinny

3. The Panthers in their history have had a running back from both Ohio State and Michigan lead them in rushing for 1 season or more. Name these running backs.

Deshaun Foster, Steven Davis

4. What unique distinction does Panthers Head Coach John Fox share with only 1 other person who has been a head coach in NFL history?

Animal name? Ron Wolf

5. Who was the 1st player drafted in Carolina Panthers history?

Kerry Collins

That's it, Just 5 questions.

@tampadawgs said:

I do not want to see EM get fired, but we are 3-7 and there is no way we should have lost the last two games....

I know this team plays hard, but do they play hard for Mangini our do they play hard for Rob Ryan????

our OC is a Retard, when our ROOKIE QB says we need to change the plays, thats a problem.....

We lack elite talent across the board. If the ball bounces in our favor one extra time per game this season we could be 8-2. There's no denying the team chemistry and coaching, but the top tier talent just isn't there to finish the job.

Haven't seen or heard anything about this anywhere other than this thread.

@shepwrite said:

Well, to open this up: Alo dredged up an old thread on the other board to make me look bad. Anybody could do that to anybody who writes about the draft a lot. Alo himself would be an easy target. But so would Kiper, McShay, and all of them.

He could have hand picked from 100 different threads and they all would have said the same thing. Clausen is the man, Dez Bryant rocks, Taylor Mays is a stud, etc. Dez is working out pretty well, the other two aren't. Just imagine our defensive backfield without TJ Ward and Joe Haden. We would be 0-10 right now.

I think the message here is admit your mistakes and move on. You've always had a big problem admitting when you've been wrong. I was straight up wrong about Mark Sanchez and as happy as I am with Mack I'd prefer to have the big time franchise QB. I'd love to see you just once congratulate the Browns on what they did instead of what you think they should have done.

Remember when Jimmy Clausen was supposed to be a top 10 talent and we wers tupid for passing on him 3 times?

@hx214 said:

I asked the same thing about Moore. I wonder if he is a terrible run blocker. That seems to be the only logic that I can think of as to why he isn't on the field all the time.

I also don't understand the lack of production out of Bell. I figured he would be able to step in and at least give Hillis a breather. I wasn't so worried when they dumped Harrison (although I still think he is a great RB) but when they dumped Davis too I was worried the run game would be way to one sided. I still think they need to get that speed back that can turn the corner on a pitch when they are stacking the box.

We had that, it was Jerome Harrison.