Browns need speed and "home run hitters" on both sides of the ball. WR and RDE are 1 and 1A. DT? We have Rubin and Shaefering, who might be a terrific 3-tech. We can either get a free agent, draft Casey in three... or both. My draft would be:

Green

Brooks Reed or Jabaal Sheard

Jurrell Casey

Best LB (Ideally Mason Foster who can play all three spots)

DL rotation is Reed, Rubin, Casey, Shaefering, Jayme Mitchell, and Benard. Benard and Reed off the edges on passing downs.

LBs are DQJ, Gocong, Fujita, Foster, Maiava, and probably a veteran (Nick Barnett?).

Worth knowing:

The starting corners on the #1 and #2 ranked pass defenses (by opposing QBR) are Sam Shields, Tramon Williams, Ike Taylor, and Brian McFadden. Highest drafted is low 2nd; most are much lower. The Steelers and Packers played in the Super Bowl. Before you say it, Woodson really isn't a cornerback anymore, as pointed out in pre-game. He's a "rover."

How did they do it? Not much of a mystery. They're also ranked #1 and #2 in sacks. Madden said it first but almost everybody in the NFL agrees: The key to stopping the high-powered pass offenses is pass rush, not the rare "elite corners." No matter how good they are, they can only cover one of four or five receivers while a pass rusher covers them all. And even the best can only cover a good receiver for a limited amount of time.

The last team to draft first round corners in back to back years? The Bengals. Both guys are very good. They panned out. But the Bengals ranked below the Browns in pass defense by QBR, #19, and went 4-12. Why? They ranked near the bottom in sacks with only 27.

Point: A lot of top teams would argue that a top 10 corner is never an efficient allocation of draft or cap resources. But two? Well, that's clinically insane.

A lot of mocks have Young and Torrey Smith edging into round one, even into the mid-20s. It's looking more and more like the Browns might have to draft Julio Jones if Green is gone. I just don't see how they come out of this draft without a serious WR.

Frankly, I think for a #1 type guy, you're looking at Green, a dropoff to Jones, then a big dropoff to Smith. Jones, however, is getting Top 10 love from both Kiper and Consensus Draft Services (Kiper has him 10 and CDS 6).

Hillis-iz-Boss said:

Idk when this guy will go, but he is actually more a WCO type WR than Green, Jones, or Baldwin will be. The WCO likes to use guys that can gain yards after the catch but they rely alot on short fast WR's to slip into the linebackers and create miss matches with their feet. I wouldn't be surprised if this was the guy we target to get in the draft (whether it be trading back later in the first or trying to get him with our second pick.

That's really not the case, although Philly is the exception and that's Heckert. The tradition of the WCO is stronger WRs who can get YAC yardage, including John Taylor, Terrell Owens, Sterling Sharpe, Greg Jennings, Roddy White, Mike Williams (2.0), etc.

I'm getting the sense that it's between two very different candidates: The current available WCO OC guru, Childress... and up and comer in the WCO Mafia, Tom Clements.

Because WRs seem to be more readily available, especially ones with spotty records of some kind (Moss, Holmes, Edwards, etc.), they sure as hell don't get traded for high first round picks. I can't remember anything even close.

The Chargers might get a second round pick for him. The Browns would absolutely take A.J. or Julio over him. And I like Jackson a lot, wanted the Browns to draft Rodgers and VJ that year.

I can seriously see him as a Patriot.

I kind of stick to "post WCO" years, since Walsh and Montana, because the challenges and judging criteria changed so dramatically. Quarterbacks are now expected to complete around 65 percent of their passes and throws AT LEAST twice as many TDs and INTs. Nobody came remotely close to those numbers before.

There are guys who have defined the league since then: Montana, Marino, Young, Aikman, Elway, Favre, Brady, and Manning. Just outside of that are Warner and Brees. I fully expect Aaron Rodgers to be included fairly soon, maybe two more years. After three years, he's the highest rated passer in both regular season and playoffs... but needs to do it longer and preferably win something. It pains me, but Roethlisberger has already won two Super Bowls and has to be included in that conversation.

From those finalists, I would pull out Young (shorter career) and Aikman (wasn't asked to do as much) and Favre (played his team out of as many playoffs as into them, no Super Bowl for the last 12, 13 years of his career). I'd keep Montana, Marino, Elway, Brady, and Manning on that list, at least in my humble opinion.

From there? Really a matter of taste. Some remove Marino for never winning the Super Bowl... but I wouldn't.

I wouldn't want to tell Matt Hasselbeck he should be backing up Colt McCoy next year. Not to his face anyway. Carroll's already said he's the locked in starter next year and they want to sign him to a new deal.

He's not ready to be a mentor yet. He just had like 300 yards and 3 TDs in a playoff game, right?

@vaportrail said:

Yes, their win this week certainly had nothing to do with his 127.3 passer rating and 3 touchdowns to 0 interceptions. Good thing they kept the ball out of his hands.

Funny. Sanchez seems to play big when it's needed. Now he needs to become consistent.

Esiason made the point that the four QBs, all first rounders, aren't passengers in the playoffs. Their teams are winning BECAUSE of them. Combined they had 10 TDs and ZERO INTs in the divisional round.

Wow.

@htownbrown said:

So MH was the qb guru last year, PS was that guy last week, and now it might be Musgrave.............hmmmm sounds like we don't even need a qb coach like every other team in the league. Well just in case maybe we should find a DC who also doubles as a qb guru.

Just curious who is gonna get all the credit or blame. I personally just want a guy who knows how to run an offense in general instead of just knowning how to teach qbs to throw spirals........thank you.

Soooo... okay, then.

I think the Jets felt like they had to get fired up for the Pats. I think they're pretty sure they'll beat the Steelers. So am I.

Don't really have a feel for Musgrave as a coach. Looks like he had a hard time holding both OC jobs. On the other hand, he has some really nice experience tutoring QBs. Seems to me like he's been in and out of the WCO. Anybody have a grip on this?

@calfoxwc said:

Thank GOD for Pat Shurmur now. We now have a new coach who says that the offensive line is the most important part of the offense, what I've been saying, is the "engine" is the offense. YAY !

*****************************************************

From Rotoworld:

"Newly Browns head coach Pat Shurmur rated offensive line as the most important part of the offense.

Shurmur was a center during his playing days at Michigan State. Cleveland's 2011 pass blocking graded out above average, though the team has work to do to improve its run blocking. Look for the Browns to focus on rebuilding the right side of their offensive unit in both the draft and free agency. RG Floyd Womack and RT John St. Clair graded out as two of the league's worst starters."

Keep in mind that he said the line was the most important unit and the quarterback the most important individual. He said, "We'll essentially see the team through the lens of the quarterback." In other words, the line is really important to the quarterback... the most important element of any winning team.

All jousting aside... I, too, have liked what he's had to say. In concert with Holmgren's understanding of the QB position and the imminence of passing in today's NFL, Shurmur said you have to be able to run, but you can't win in today's league without being both efficient and explosive in the passing game.

@brownsbacker said:

So are you not a Browns fan anymore because Mangini is gone?

Seriously. Do we have people here who loved Mangini more than the Browns?

Elam had a really nice year. We already lost a safety to a much better defense (Pool)... rather not do it again.

OBR says "league sources" suggest that Fox would be interested in the DC job if he doesn't get a head coaching gig. The only interested team looks like the Broncos and I hear they'll hire Rick Dennison.

I'll start with Grossi (and Florio) suggesting that Ryan looks to be out:

http://twitter.com/TonyGrossi/status/25610428063162368

@the-gipper said:

You think Gabbert is going to be the top QB taken? I agree with Hoorta that the Cardinals are probably the prime candidate to for sure take a QB, but with Luck staying home is anyone out there now worth of Top 5?

Do you think they may want to take Cam Newton?

Or does anyone else think like me and think Newton may be Jamarcus Russell version 2.0?

I've read a number of draftnicks predicting that Gabbert will rise... perhaps even to #1. He's got everything but eye-popping numbers: Size, athleticism, quick release, NFL arm, spins it fast, smart, etc. His completion percentage is nice but he didn't throw a ton of TDs. He'll work out and interview very, very well.

He looks the part. You can watch film and envision him as a very good NFL quarterback. He could go to Carolina, Buffalo, or Arizona. I'm betting Harbaugh is eyeballing him, too... although I'm predicting that Kolb goes so SF.

He was one of the top recruits in the nation coming out of HS, so it's not like he's come out of nowhere, either.

@miktoxic said:

so you're a two year plan guy? period. no matter what?

Nah. Life is a case by case endeavor.

@ravensfan1996 said:

If Hillis can stay healthy through the course of 16 games, and the Browns can find that true #1 receiver, there's no reason not to believe that McCoy couldn't develop into a franchise QB. Montana had Rice and Taylor, but he also had Craig and Rathmann. Give McCoy the pieces, and let him develop with the offense.

TE and RB are really important in a WCO, and we have a back who can really catch in Hillis and a TE in Watson who was among the league's best last year. If the Browns can get a big YAC guy for the #1 WR spot, like Green or Jones, McCoy has to be a very happy man.

Frankly, I think he's pretty happy right now with the commitment to a WCO. The one little thing that might be concerning him is that Heckert and Shurmur both have connections to Kolb. I don't see it happening... I'm just saying.