Cleveland Browns

I am not here to be a judge of character. I am here because I want the Browns to be a stable football franchise that competes, wins, and does so consistently. If you haven't read Don Banks most recent piece as he discusses the Pilot Flying J scandal, Jimmy Haslam, The Browns, and how the NFL isn't planning to strip him of ownership, I suggest you do so here. Every year, each of us feels a sense of excitement that grows with the thought of summer. Longer days full of sunshine; warmth; outdoor activities and social gatherings: When the NFL team owners convene at a Boston airport hotel on Tuesday for their one-day spring meeting, the matter of Haslam's Pilot Flying J company being investigated by the government for a scheme involving diesel fuel rebate fraud will be the elephant in the room. In a league that covets stability and cringes at the effect that bad publicity can have on its reputation and bottom line, Haslam will naturally find himself in an unwanted spotlight among his 31 league partners. Here in Hawaii the first summer swell on the south shore arrived over the weekend. While surfing and wave size / location is never consistently predictable, every year right around Memorial Day ( plus or minus 10 days ) a south swell arrives to the islands due to changes in the weather patterns in the southern hemisphere. It arrived this past weekend and topped nearly 20 foot on Friday! That size is both massive and rare for the south shore of Hawaii. That it didn't stop these 20 foot beasts from rolling in: one, after another, after another; set, after set, after set, for the entire weekend. They are expected to continue throughout the week, but still be around 10 feet next weekend. As Browns' fans our only predictable swell has been bad luck. Much like Don Banks discusses below; a once great franchise has somehow miserably and dramatically been predisposed to failure; time and time again; swell, after swell, after swell. No warm sandy beaches and hot bikinis or big waves and cold beers, not for Cleveland Browns fans: In the relatively short but tortured history of the re-incarnated Cleveland Browns, every dark cloud appearing on the horizon has generally presaged a darker and more ominous one, leading the team's fans and even the organization itself to develop an almost instinctive, reflexive flinch when it comes to the potential for bad news and the consequences of poor decisions. That being said, many Browns fans actually believe things are getting better. I personally believe the product on the field and the coaching staff surrounding it may be among the most solid gleams of hope we've had since the return. I believed things were really turning around, finally. Not just because of new coaches, but because it all starts with the stability, vision, and guidance from the owner. And although I was initially upset by the Banner and Lombardi hire, I was more than willing to give them a fair chance because I believed Haslam would no longer allow mediocrity inside the Browns organization. But just when things seemed to be getting better, the Pilot Flying J rebate scandal and FBI investigation hit Browns fans and the NFL like a massive, unpredicted 20' south swell. Questions flooded the media and message boards as fans reacted. What was going to happen to Haslam? Did he know? How could he not know? Is he being charged specifically or is it just the company or individuals in it? The FBI is involved and they win like 99% of the time, this is bad right? I am not a lawyer. I do no pretend to be one. I listen to the information out there. I read. I check the sources. I reflect. I ask more questions. I read some more. While no one within the league office is taking the possibility of a felony conviction against Haslam's company lightly, sources quickly point out that Haslam has not yet been personally charged with any wrongdoing, and say the Browns owner and former minority owner of the Steelers remains a

Cleveland Browns: "A pressing problem: The Browns and the media" (FS Ohio) - "Only the Cleveland Browns could grant a writer unprecedented access to the team’s draft preparation, then wind up reading a story about how paranoid and defensive the team is. Think about it." "Cleveland Browns lack identity at QB" (Morning Journal) - "The more the Browns say that Brandon Weeden is their guy, the more they keep bringing in other quarterbacks ... you know, just in case. So far the backup quarterback roster in Berea includes Jason Campbell, Brian Hoyer, Thaddeus Lewis, two clerks from a Pilot Flying J truck stop in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., and Charles Ramsey." "Weeden still has to like his chances" (AFC North Blog) - "Cleveland Browns quarterback Brandon Weeden told The Plain Dealer that he wasn't given any advance warning that the team was going to sign Brian Hoyer, and that he hasn't been told of Hoyer's role." "Eyes on Berea: Week One OTAs" (ESPN Cleveland) - "The skinny – The Browns held their first OTA with both rookies and vets this week. Over the next three weeks the Browns will hold practices Tuesday through Thursday and the media will only be allowed to view the final day of each week." NFL: "Seahawks DE Bruce Irvin suspended 4 games" (AP) - "Seattle Seahawks defensive end Bruce Irvin was suspended for the first four games of the 2013 season on Friday after the league announced he violated the NFL policy on performance-enhancing substances." "DE Dwight Freeney to join Chargers" (ESPN) - "The San Diego Chargers made a move to bolster their pass rush Saturday, agreeing to a deal with defensive end Dwight Freeney." "Broncos reportedly gain 2013 cap space in Manning contract" (NFL.com) - "The Denver Broncos reportedly gained some salary cap flexibility over the next two years from the alterations made to quarterback Peyton Manning's contract last week." "Which offensive rookies will make the biggest impact in 2013?" (CBS Sports) - "This wasn't the sexiest draft for youngsters on the offensive side of the ball: one quarterback taken in the first round, a heavy run on offensive linemen, the first year since 1963 with no running back taken in the first round, and a slew of wide receivers who all have question marks."

The 2013 NFL Draft class lacked the kind of excitement at the top that we saw back in 2012 with Stanford's Andrew Luck and Baylor's Robert Griffin III. The 2014 class of draft-eligible prospects will certainly generate more buzz than this year's group. Here are my top 25 draft-eligible prospects for the 2014 NFL Draft: 1. Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina If Clowney were eligible for the 2013 NFL Draft, he would have likely been the No. 1 overall pick. In fact, there was some debate in the media whether Clowney should sit out the 2013 college football season in order to not allow the potential for injury to risk his draft stock for 2014. As the top recruit out of high school, Clowney has lived up to the hype since stepping on the field for the Gamecocks. During the span of his two years as a student-athlete, Clowney has 21 sacks. The only three players with more sacks during that stretch have either graduated or left early for the NFL. Last season, he was tied for third in the nation in sacks (13.0) and second in tackles for loss (23.5). 2. Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville With the prototypical size (6'3" and 220 pounds) for the position, Bridgewater has all of the tools to be successful at the next level: a strong arm, intelligence, toughness and mobility. Bridgewater, the Big East Offensive Player of the Year, led the Cardinals to an 11-2 record and a win over the Florida Gators in the Sugar Bowl. The sophomore completed 68.5 percent of his pass attempts last year and finished with a 27-to-8 ratio of touchdowns to interceptions. 3. Taylor Lewan, OT, Michigan Lewan was a first-team AP All-American last year with Luke Joeckel, who was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2013 draft, and has the prototypical size (6-8 and 309 pounds) and athleticism to play left tackle at the next level. 4. Jake Matthews, OT, Texas A&M As half of college football's best pair of bookend tackles last season, Matthews will move to the left side this year to protect Johnny Football's blind side. Some believe Matthews has the potential to be even better than Joeckel. Matthews' father Bruce was a 14-time Pro Bowler and a first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee. 5. Anthony Barr, OLB, UCLA A converted running back from his first two seasons at UCLA, Barr flourished as a pass-rusher and finished second in the nation with 13.5 sacks in 2012. In addition, he finished tied for seventh with Texas A&M's Damontre Moore in tackles for loss (21.0). With continued development, Barr has the potential to be a top-five pick in next year's draft. 6. Bradley Roby, CB, Ohio State Tied for third in the country in passes broken up (17) and seventh in passes defended (19), Roby was a second-team AP All-American as a sophomore and has the chance to be the top cornerback selected in the 2014 draft. 7. Marqise Lee, WR, USC Lee, who is also a sprinter and high jumper on USC's track team, had a monster season as a sophomore as he posted his second consecutive 1,000-yard season. Lee, the Biletnikoff award winner, led the nation in receptions (118), finished second in receiving yards (1,721) and scored 14 touchdowns. 8. Cyrus Kouandjio, OT, Alabama Playing left tackle for the most talented offensive line in the country, Kouandjio was a five-star prospect coming out of high school. Although he tore his ACL in the middle of his freshman season, Kouandjio made big strides ("leaps and bounds" as ex-teammate Chance Warmack called them) in his sophomore campaign. 9. Tajh Boyd, QB, Clemson Boyd, the ACC Player of the Year, made nice strides as a junior. His completion percentage increased to 67.2 percent (from 59.7 percent), his yards-per-attempt average increased to 9.12 (from 7.67) and his rating increased to 165.6 (from 141.2). 10. C.J. Mosley, LB, Alabama If he declared early and entered the 2013 draft, Mosley would have likely been a first-round pick last year. Along with Jarvis Jones and Manti Te'o, Mosley was a first-team AP All-American selection

Congratulations to DBN member ShowMeOnTheDoll for winning our previous caption contest. The results for our first caption contest of the season are listed below. Tonight, our caption contest features Cleveland Browns running back Trent Richardson at organized team activities last week. FYI -- the person with his back to the camera in the picture is running backs coach John Settle. ------------ Previous Contest Results: Winner: "What do you mean Flying J shorted me on my rebate?" - ShowMeOnTheDoll Runner-Up: "Sweetie we have to study tonight, the backups aren’t throwing the ball straight into the ground this year." -HenryDawg

A few days ago, Chase Stuart from Pro Football Perspective put together some data on how often each team in the NFL spent tied, having a lead, or trailing against their opponent. The data comes from the 2012 season, which obviously falls under the Pat Shurmur era, not the Rob Chudzinski/Norv Turner/Ray Horton era. Hopefully, those three minds, coupled with the talent added in the offseason, will flip things around for Cleveland. 2012 Browns On average, the Browns would be behind in a game by 1.9 points. The Browns held a lead for 30% of the time, ranked 24th highest in the NFL The Browns were tied 18.8% of the time, ranked 22nd highest in the NFL The Browns trailed 51.2% of the time, ranked 7th highest in the NFL Unfortunately, the final bullet point is the category where you don't want to be ranked high. Would it be nice to be like New England, who only trailed 17.7% of the time?

According to Daryl Ruiter of 92.3 The Fan, former Cleveland Browns linebacker David McMillan was shot and killed on Saturday: Former #Browns LB David McMillan (selected 5th round 2005 draft) was shot & killed Saturday in Atlanta #RIP — Daryl Ruiter (@RuiterWrongFAN) May 19, 2013 Thoughts out to the family of former KU & Cleveland Browns DE David McMillan who was killed last night in Atlanta. He was a great teammate. — Joseph Potts (@TopSpeedLLC) May 19, 2013 I should note that as of this post, no local Atlanta newspapers or television stations seem to be reporting the news; the only source so far appears to be Ruiter, so there is a slight chance that the report could be erroneous. If it stands as true, may McMillan rest in piece. UPDATE: Ruiter responded to our question by tweeting to us, "sadly my report is 100% true." McMillan was a 5th round pick by the Browns in 2005 and played for the team for three years. He was released before the start of the 2008 regular season He was mostly a backup, recording 8 career tackles, but was always known for generating a good pass rush in the preseason. McMillan's NFL career ended after his stint with the Browns.

In the 2013 NFL Draft, there were a total of 11 players who were drafted from the state of Ohio, which put them in a tie for 6th place among states in the USA. The leaders were California and Florida, each of which had 27 players selected. Note that these figures do not include undrafted free agents. Here were the players who were born in Ohio and drafted to the NFL: QB Zac Dysert (Ada) - Broncos, 7th Round RB Le'Veon Bell (Groveport) - Steelers, 2nd Round RB Kyle Juszczyk (Lodi) - Ravens, 4th Round RB Spencer Ware (Cincinnati) - Seahawks, 6th Round TE Travis Kelce (Cleveland Heights) - Chiefs, 3rd Round OG Eric Herman (Toledo) - Giants, 7th Round OG Hugh Thornton (Oberlin) - Colts, 3rd Round OT Brian Winters (Hudson) - Jets, 3rd Round DE Cornellius Carradine (Cincinnati) - 49ers, 2nd Round LB John Simon (Youngstown) - Ravens, 4th Round DB Micah Hyde (Fostoria) - Packers, 5th Round As for which states the Browns' draft picks were born in, here you go: OLB Barkevious Mingo (Louisiana) - 1st Round OT Garrett Gilkey (Illinois) - 7th Round DE Armonty Bryant (Texas) - 7th Round CB Leon McFadden (California) - 3rd Round S Jamoris Slaughter (Georgia) - 6th Round

Prior to the start of free agency, I flirted with the idea of the Cleveland Browns signing the best available offensive guard, Louis Vasquez. The Browns did not end up adding any prominent guards in free agency or the draft. It was not a top priority, but it would have enhanced an already-promising unit. Just how promising is the perception about the Browns' offensive line? Back in January, we posted a link to rankings from Pro Football Focus, which ranked Cleveland as having the NFL's 5th best offensive line. Last week, Evan Silva of NBC Sports compiled his own rankings and gave the Browns almost just as high of a ranking at No. 6 in the NFL: 6. Cleveland Browns (5)2012 Run Block Rankings: 14, 202012 Pass Block Rankings: 5, 12LT: Joe ThomasLG: Jason PinkstonC: Alex MackRG: Shawn LauvaoRT: Mitchell SchwartzSuper Sub: G/T John GrecoOverview: An immobile rookie quarterback and injured tailback didn't help Cleveland's rate stats last season, but this is one of the most promising young lines in the league. Perennial All-Pro left tackle Thomas is the group's elder statesman at age 28. Pinkston, 25, Mack, 27, and Lauvao, 25, form an athletic and physical interior. Pinkston and Lauvao are backed up by Greco, a 28-year-old who can play both guard positions and blocked effectively in ten 2012 spot starts. Last year's 37th overall draft pick Schwartz was a top-three pass-protecting right tackle as a rookie, according to Pro Football Focus' ratings. If new coach Rob Chudzinski can work some Derek Anderson magic with Brandon Weeden, this Browns offense could take off in 2013. Denver, which was the team that added Vasquez, was up at No. 3 overall. Last week at Browns OTA's, Jason Pinkston made his long-awaited return to practice, but will have to work his way back into the starting lineup. Also, in a unique twist, Shawn Lauvao saw some reps at left guard, with John Greco at right guard. There are a couple of undrafted free agents (such as OT Chris Faulk) who could have a lot of promise, too, which would strengthen the depth of this unit tremendously. Besides Pinkston's scare last year, Cleveland's offensive line was very healthy in 2012. Side note: The two pass- and run-blocking numbers from Silva's report are 2012 rankings from PFF and FO. It is interesting how PFF has the Browns significantly higher in both categories than FO.

Browns owner Jimmy Haslam‘s Pilot Flying J company is being investigated by the government for a scheme involving diesel fuel rebate fraud. Many have expressed concerns that Haslam’s legal issues will impact his ability to continue to own the team. Haslam has taken a “regretful and apologetic” stance in his talks with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. When the NFL owners meet this week in Boston Haslam’s legal problems are expected to be addressed. Don Banks of Sports Illustrated reports the NFL has said it would not ask Haslem to step aside while the investigation continues, but Haslem is believed to have three or four family members with a stake in the team’s ownership, and could deal with a suspension or a recusal by temporarily transferring the team to either one of his two grown daughters, or perhaps even his 82-year-old father, Jim Haslam, the founder and patriarch of the family business and a still very-active former University of Tennessee football player and member of the school’s 1951 national championship team. The NFL is also not ready to lump Haslam’s legal plight in with that of a former NFL owner, ex-49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr., who pled guilty to a federal felony charge of bribing former Louisiana governor, Edwin Edwards in 1998, receiving two years of probation, a $1 million fine and a year’s suspension from then-NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue. The key distinction in how the NFL views the two cases at this point is this, league sources say: DeBartolo was involved in an individual criminal matter, as opposed to being found responsible for a corporate act of illegality, as Haslam would seem to face. DeBartolo admitted to his role in the bribery, and even voluntarily recused himself from control of the 49ers in December 1997, just before being indicted by a federal grand jury. Haslam has repeatedly proclaimed his innocence and maintains the rebate fraud was the act of a small group of rogue employees who bent the rules for their own financial gain. He has promised to make restitution with interest to companies who have been cheated, and to put in place a chief compliance officer to restructure and oversee the company’s rebate program. But for now, at least according to league and team sources, the idea of Haslam having to change his long-term status in team ownership in reaction to the fraud case seems unlikely.

Browns defensive coordinator Ray Horton has enjoyed installing the team’s new 3-4 defense and working with the players.