Cleveland Browns

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.

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

Starting at 5 a.m. on Sunday morning, FirstEnergy Stadium welcomed thousands of athletes, fans, event staff and volunteers. They arrived to get ready for the 7 a.m. start of the 36th Annual Cleveland Marathon.

When it comes to fantasy sports, a player's opportunity can be nearly as important as his talent and Chris Ivory should finally get the opportunity to showcase his talent in 2013. Although Ivory led the New Orleans Saints in rushing in 2010 as a rookie with 716 yards, he has been buried on the team's depth chart over the past two seasons behind Mark Ingram, Pierre Thomas and Darren Sproles. In fact, he has played in only 12 games over those two seasons combined. In the offseason, the New York Jets traded their fourth-round pick to the Saints for Ivory, who agreed to a three-year deal with the Jets. With Shonn Greene leaving in free agency, Ivory will compete for touches with Mike Goodson, Bilal Powell and Joe McKnight. Of those backs, Goodson is Ivory's biggest competition when it comes to workload. Considering that Goodson was recently arrested, however, it's possible that his days with the Jets are numbered. Speaking of Goodson's arrest, teammate Willie Colon recently said (via the NY Daily News): "It's one of the things where it's zero-tolerance with stuff like that. It's sad. Mike could have been huge for us." Whether or not Goodson is given his walking papers, Ivory should still lead the squad's backs in touches. Over the past three seasons, Ivory has been highly productive when given the opportunity. Carrying the ball 256 times during that span, he has rushed for a total of 1,307 yards, which is an average of 5.1 yards per carry. Ivory has been little used as a receiver with the Saints, though, as he has caught only three passes in his career. As a big back (6'0" and 222 pounds), Ivory has scored eight touchdowns for the Saints. With the Jets, he should get the short-yardage and goal-line opportunities as well. Considering the team's low-powered offense (2012: 30th in total offense, 28th in scoring offense), however, there may not be many goal-line opportunities. The days of Mark Sanchez under center appear to be numbered and it's possible that the Jets start Geno Smith, their second-round pick, at some point this season. Whether it's the turnover-prone Sanchez or the inexperienced rookie under center, it would make sense for the Jets to go with a ground-and-pound approach to limit the turnovers. With RB2 upside, Ivory is a nice value from where he is currently being drafted. Based on current average draft position (ADP) data from Mock Draft Central, Ivory is the 28th running back, on average, off draft boards recently. Fantasy Strength of Schedule Based on the cumulative fantasy points allowed by their opponents from Week 1 to 16, Ivory and his fellow Jets' running backs have the league's most favorable schedule in both standard-scoring and point-per-reception (PPR) leagues. In the fantasy postseason (typically Weeks 14, 15 and 16), the Jets face the Raiders, Panthers and Browns, respectively. - Resources: Fantasy RB Strength of Schedule | 2013 Jets Team Schedule Projection: (Rushing) 245 Attempts, 1,176 Yards, 8 Touchdowns; (Receiving) 5 Receptions, 45 Yards - More 2013 Fantasy Football profiles and projections See where Ivory is listed in our 2013 fantasy football rankings: 2013 Re-draft Running Back Rankings (Standard Scoring) 2013 Re-draft Running Back Rankings (PPR Scoring) 2013 Dynasty Running Back Rankings 2013 Fantasy Football Overall Cheat Sheet (Standard Scoring) 2013 Fantasy Football Overall Cheat Sheet (PPR Scoring) To keep track of our updates: (1) follow us on Twitter, (2) LIKE us on Facebook and/or (3) add us to your Google+ circle.