Cleveland Browns Articles and News

[paddio]

Paddio, what is your conservative prediction for this team in wins this season? I am thinking 6-7 if everyone stays healthy.

7-9

[Sack]

4-5

[FireEricWedge]

4-5

Nobody asked you, Sack.

8-8. This is the year we take the first step towards the Super Bowl!

[Sack]

4-5

Nobody asked you, Sack.

8-8. This is the year we take the first step towards the Super Bowl!

No one asked Bling and he's a moron Cowboy fan! 8 wins...hilarious. Delhomme couldn't do that last year with better teammates and better weather!

[Bling]

4-5

Nobody asked you, Sack.

8-8. This is the year we take the first step towards the Super Bowl!

No one asked Bling and he's a moron Cowboy fan! 8 wins...hilarious. Delhomme couldn't do that last year with better teammates and better weather!

How did I get brought into this Sackless? I just ask a basic question to Paddio and you start jumping me? Once your Redskins beat us I will listen to your shit. Until then, I say good day.

[paddio]

Very good to get him in before camp...he will push for the starting spot and he will get his carries this year.

Cleveland Browns agree to terms with second-round RB Montario Hardesty

Mary Kay Cabot, The Plain Dealer


CLEVELAND -- The Browns have agreed to terms on a four-year deal for second-round running back Montario Hardesty, a league source told the Plain Dealer.

Maximum value of the deal is $3,372,750, with a total of $1,572,750 guaranteed, the source said..The signing bonus is $1 million.

That leaves only two unsigned Browns draft picks, first-rounder Joe Haden and second-rounder T.J. Ward. Rookies reported Friday but the first full-squad practice is not until Saturday.

The Browns later announced that Hardesty had signed a long-term deal. Hardesty, who worked primarily with the first-team offense in OTAs and minicamp, started 19 of his 49 games at Tennessee. In his final season, he rushed for 1,345 yards and 13 touchdowns. The Browns felt so strongly about Hardesty's ability that they traded a third-rounder and two fifths to move up to draft him.

He'll challenge Jerome Harrison for the starting job, but the two will likely split time.

[paddio]

One to go!!! Let's get them all in before Friday!!!

Cleveland Browns agree on a four-year deal for second-round safety T.J. Ward
Mary Kay Cabot, The Plain Dealer

CLEVELAND -- The Browns agreed on a four-year deal for second-round safety T.J. Ward today, a league source told the Plain Dealer.


Earlier in the day, the Browns signed second-round running back Montario Hardesty. That leaves first-round cornerback Joe Haden as the only unsigned draft pick heading into the opening of full-squad training camp on Saturday.

On draft day, Browns general manager Tom Heckert said of Ward, the 38th overall pick out of Oregon, "We think he's a really, really good football player. He's a super tough kid and makes a lot of plays in the run game. We think he can cover...He's not strictly a box guy. We think he runs well enough and he's athletic enough that he can play both.''

Ward worked with the first- and second-team in minicamp and will challenge for a starting job this season.

[paddio]

Five key storylines as the Cleveland Browns open training camp: Tony Grossi analysis
Tony Grossi, The Plain Dealer


BEREA, Ohio -- Training camp is pro football's version of baseball's spring training -- minus the idyllic backdrop of swaying palm trees, ocean breezes and tranquil exercises on the field.

Football camp is physically demanding and mentally taxing. The heat is stifling and unforgiving. Same with the coaches, for that matter. The daily drills are tedious. The hitting can be violent, the tension sometimes unbearable.

The theory of NFL training camp is that whipping a group of men into a unit with one unified purpose builds camaraderie and character. In short, camp begins with a roster and ends with a team.

Only the strong survive, and then they embark on a long season to try to justify the four to six weeks of hell they all endured.

The commonality with baseball is that optimism fills the air. Every team is 0-0 and believing it can be the one hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in February. Hope is more realistic in the NFL. Last year, the New Orleans Saints were the ninth team in the past 11 seasons to appear in a Super Bowl for the first time.

The list of teams never to appear in 44 Super Bowls is now down to four -- Detroit, Houston, Jacksonville and the Browns.

The Browns begin their quest to come off the list on Saturday when coach Eric Mangini puts his roster of 80 players on the field for the first practice of the season open to the public.

Here's a look at what to expect:



Most anticipated position battle: Jerome Harrison vs. Montario Hardesty.
hardesty-practice-jg.jpgJoshua Gunter / The Plain DealerA promising combination of size and speed, Montario Hardesty will be given plenty of chances during training camp to prove whether he's feature back material.

Yes, everyone knows that more than one back will play. But somebody has to be "the guy" -- the bell cow, the one to set the tone early in games, the one fantasy leaguers fall in love with. Harrison endeared himself to fans and teammates last year when he morphed into Barry Sanders in the final three games. Some believe Harrison's surge should not be a surprise because he had similar production at Washington State in the shadows of Pac-10 star Reggie Bush.

But if the Browns' new hierarchy totally believed in Harrison, they would have:

• 1. locked up Harrison to a long-term contract instead of giving him a one-year tender; and

• 2. would not have traded three draft picks to move from the third to the second round and select Hardesty in April.

Hardesty was a two-time captain at Tennessee, universally respected for his work ethic and playing through injuries. His three knee surgeries at Tennessee scared away some teams, but the Browns feel, evidently, he has more to offer overall than Harrison.

Hardesty was one of the "stars" of the off-season. The question is whether he can continue to impress, and stay healthy, when the real hitting takes place.
delhomme-horiz-jk.jpgJohn Kuntz / The Plain DealerJake Delhomme offers a body of work to prove he's a viable NFL quarterback this season. Then again, he also offers evidence of struggling through a poor 2009.



Why the quarterbacks dominate attention: Because it's been the most glaring problem position on the team since rebirth in 1999.

There's less drama this summer -- absent a so-called open competition for the starting job -- but no less focus on the passers. Newcomers Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace were the hand-picked choices of new President Mike Holmgren to take over for the stale duo of Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn.

Holmgren likes Delhomme's leadership, experience, savvy and his body of work -- except for a miserable 2009 campaign. Holmgren likes Wallace's intangibles, too, and promises his arm strength and accuracy will surprise those who never saw him play seven seasons in Seattle. Holmgren also was the one to figuratively stand on a table in the draft room and "suggest" to GM Tom Heckert to select Texas record-holder Colt McCoy in the third round after Heckert's targeted pick (Kentucky defensive lineman Corey Peters) was nabbed two notches earlier by Atlanta.

How the coaches acclimate all three new quarterbacks in camp and preseason will be something to watch, as will be the plight of Eric Mangini-product Brett Ratliff.



Dominant storyline nationally: Mangini's future.
mangini-adams-gc-vert.jpgGus Chan / The Plain DealerThe Browns' fast finish in 2009 earned Eric Mangini another chance to prove what he can accomplish as a coach without the burdens of the front office. Will he take advantage this fall?

Despite winning his last four games, Mangini is appearing at, or near, the top of every pundit's "coaches on the hot seat" list entering 2010. Technically, Mangini's contract runs three more years through 2012. But when Holmgren completed weeks of research and two days of intensive meetings with the coach, he announced Mangini "will return as head coach of the Cleveland Browns in 2010."

Holmgren later sought to diffuse the significance of the statement's wording, but that was like trying to squeeze the toothpaste back into the tube. The four wins in a row undeniably saved the jobs of Mangini and his assistants and raised expectations for 2010. The question now is how many wins do the Browns need for the Mangini program to continue beyond this season.



Storyline that won't go away: Will Holmgren return to coaching?

Holmgren is 62. Two current NFL coaches are older -- the Giants' Tom Coughlin (63) and the Cowboys' Wade Phillips (63). When owner Randy Lerner recruited Holmgren to take over all Browns executive operations, the offer included coaching, if he desired. Holmgren has tried to lay to rest rumors of a return to the sideline, but every once in a while he re-opens the door.

In his most recent national interview, he told USA Today, "I think there is that possibility [of coaching again]. But really not until I think I have accomplished what I need to do here."

The fact that Holmgren surrounded himself with four assistant coaches from his previous NFL posts and gave three of them unfamiliar roles in the organization certainly gives him a jump start on building a new staff.

In all fairness, Holmgren has repeatedly endorsed Mangini and has also been intrigued with the task of mentoring -- if not re-inventing -- him. But it remains to be seen how Holmgren stomachs the helpless feeling of being responsible for the football product while not being able to do anything about it on game days.



The deep, deep background on why the rookies will play: Heckert brought them here and wants to see them in action.

There is always a natural, even healthy, friction between a general manager given the "top football authority" label and a coach. GMs want to see their draft picks develop. Coaches know they have to win games to preserve their job and they generally favor playing veterans over untested rookies.

Now that the season is starting, the dynamic between Heckert and Mangini will be interesting to observe. All parties held hands and sang "Kumbaya" during the draft, but rumors have since leaked out that Mangini's draft would have looked different from Heckert's if the coach were still in charge of those decisions. The way their responsibilities are divided, Heckert has control over the selection of the 53-player roster and Mangini has control over who plays where and how often on game days. Disagreements are inevitable. The bottom line is wins and losses. Wins are currency to coaches.

[paddio]

Three Goals for Training Camp

By The Sports Xchange


The Browns have some of the following goals at the top of their list when training camp rolls around...



Identify a starting running back: Jerome Harrison rushed for 561 yards in the final three games of 2009. What the Browns must determine is whether that was a fluke or whether Harrison is the compact reincarnation of Jim Brown after 3 1/2 years of obscurity. Until he carried the ball 106 times in the last three games, he carried it a total of 165 times in 44 games.

Ultimately Harrison probably will earn the starting job, but he was a restricted free agent and ended up signing his one-year tender. If the Browns were truly enamored with him they might have tried signing him to a longer deal.

Harrison weighs 205 pounds, so there has to be concern about whether he can take a pounding for a full season. Training camp will not reveal the answer, but it will give coach Eric Mangini and his staff the chance to compare Harrison to rookie Montario Hardesty. Hardesty got the bulk of work in minicamp and looked sure of himself. He can catch the ball out of the backfield, which is important in the Browns' offense. Harrison can catch it, too; he tied for the team lead with 34 catches last year.



Settle on two safeties: No position on the defensive side of the ball is more unsettled than safety. Four different players started at free safety last season -- Brodney Pool, Mike Adams, Hank Poteat and Mike Furrey. Pool, Poteat and Furrey are no longer with the Browns.

General manager Tom Heckert Jr. used two of the Browns' eight draft picks on safeties -- one on second-round pick T.J. Ward and one on fifth-round pick Larry Asante. One of the rookies should end up starting. Mangini said he would be comfortable with both rookies starting, but that seems unlikely because first-round pick Joe Haden is a projected starter at right cornerback.

The mystery player at safety is Abe Elam. Elam was the key player acquired from the Jets on draft day 2009 when the Browns sent the fifth pick of the draft to Mangini's former team, which the Jets used on Mark Sanchez. Elam did not play particularly well last season. He was taken off the field in nickel situations. He will take a firmer grip on one of the safety jobs if he improves. Veteran Mike Adams has the inside track on the other spot until Ward or Asante beats him out.



Fix the offensive line: Specifically, the Browns have to settle on a right guard and a right tackle. The other 60 percent of the line is firm, but it was evident in minicamp Mangini will be using August to decide which combination to the right of center Alex Mack works best.

The candidates are Tony Pashos and John St. Clair at tackle. Floyd Womack and rookie Shaun Lauvao were used at guard. Mangini could also use Pashos at guard and St. Clair at tackle.

Last season the right side of the line was a weakness. The Browns did not try to re-sign Rex Hadnot, who started six games in the second half of the season. Interestingly, the run offense worked well with Hadnot at right guard and Womack at right tackle.

[paddio]

Cleveland Browns' training camp roster has plenty of new names: Tony Grossi analysis
Tony Grossi, The Plain Dealer



CLEVELAND — The Browns may not have changed coaches this year, but the roster never stays the same.

When Eric Mangini leads his players onto the field Saturday for the first practice of training camp, they will include 40 -- exactly half the roster -- who were not with the team during the 2009 summer camp.

That figure includes several players who joined the Browns during the 2009 season, such as Matt Roth, Jason Trusnik, Chansi Stuckey, Blake Costanzo, Evan Moore and others.

The large turnover is attributable to other factors.

The team Mangini inherited in 2009 needed ample upgrading and it is natural for roster turnover to continue in a coach's second year. Plus, the addition of President Mike Holmgren and General Manager Tom Heckert resulted in an overhaul of the team's college and pro personnel departments. New men in charge results in new players.

How many will take on prominent roles in the 2010 season remains to be seen. As camp begins, we are projecting as many as 10 new starters among the 22 on offense and defense.



Defensive line

Coach: Bryan Cox.

Currently on roster (12): Titus Adams, Kenyon Coleman, Kwaku Danso (r), Clifton Geathers (r), Swanson Miller (r), C.J. Mosley, Shaun Rogers, Ahtyba Rubin, Derreck Robinson, Brian Sanford (r), Brian Schaefering, Robaire Smith.

Projected starters: Coleman, Rubin, Rogers.

Questions: How long, if at all, will Rogers and Smith be suspended by the NFL for recent gun-related incidents at airports? . . . Will Rogers be moved to end to make room for emerging run-stuffer Rubin at nose tackle? . . . Could raw prospects Danso and Geathers develop quickly enough to make the final roster, or are they bound for the practice squad?



Linebacker

Coach: Matt Eberflus.

Currently on roster (12): Eric Barton, Marcus Benard, David Bowens, Titus Brown, Blake Costanzo, Scott Fujita, Chris Gocong, D'Qwell Jackson, Kaluka Maiava, Matt Roth, Jason Trusnik, David Veikune.

Projected starters: Roth, Bowens, Gocong, Fujita.

Questions: Have the acquisitions of Gocong and Fujita pushed Jackson down the depth chart? . . . Will Barton play again or will last season's neck injury end his career? . . . Will Veikune improve enough to make the impact expected from a second-round pick? . . . Has Roth put his demand-to-be-traded attitude behind him? . . . How will the coaches mix and match the inside-outside combinations available to them?



Secondary

Coach: Jerome Henderson.

Currently on roster (15): Mike Adams, Larry Asante (r), Sheldon Brown, Chris Chancellor (r), Abram Elam, Coye Francies, Joe Haden (r), Gerard Lawson, Brandon McDonald, Chris Roberson, DeAngelo Smith, Nick Sorensen, Ray Ventrone, T.J. Ward (r), Eric Wright.

Projected starters: Brown, Wright, Adams, Ward.

Questions: Which of the rookie draft picks will develop into a starter the quickest? . . . Is McDonald's roster spot in jeopardy? . . . Can Ward stay healthy throughout his first NFL camp? . . . Will Francies reappear on radar in his second season? . . . Are there any signs of Brown, 30, slowing? . . . Does Haden have the speed to stay with NFL receivers?



Quarterback

Coach: Carl Smith.

Currently on roster (four): Jake Delhomme, Colt McCoy (r), Brett Ratliff, Seneca Wallace.

Projected starter: Delhomme.

Questions: Will the change of scenery alone be enough to eradicate Delhomme's 13-month turnover problem? . . . Could Wallace threaten the starting job, or is he ticketed for backup and gimmick roles? . . . How will the coaches parcel out playing time in the four exhibition games? . . . What does Ratliff need to do to preserve his roster spot? . . . How realistic is it for McCoy to play as a rookie?



Running back

Coach: Gary Brown.

Currently on roster (six): James Davis, Montario Hardesty (r), Jerome Harrison, Peyton Hillis, Chris Jennings, Lawrence Vickers.

Projected starters: Hardesty, Vickers.

Questions: Can Hardesty beat out the rushing machine that Harrison became in the final month of last season? . . . What does Harrison have to do to permanently win over his doubters? . . . Will injuries play no role in the Hardesty-Harrison competition? . . . Can Hillis, who missed a couple weeks of off-season practices with an undisclosed illness, fight off the quicker Davis and Jennings for a roster spot? . . . What should we expect in Year 2 from 2009 camp phenom Davis?




Wide receiver

Coach: George McDonald.

Currently on roster (nine): Jake Allen, Josh Cribbs, Bobby Engram, Johnathan Haggerty (r), Mohamed Massaquoi, Carlton Mitchell (r), Brian Robiskie, Syndric Steptoe, Chansi Stuckey.

Projected starters: Massaquoi, Cribbs.

Questions: Will anyone emerge as a No. 1-caliber playmaker? . . . How much improvement will Robiskie show from his disappointing rookie season? . . . What does Engram have left at age 37? . . . Has the 6-4 Allen been overlooked as a potential contributor? . . . Is Haggerty a viable threat to earn a roster spot? . . . Is Mitchell? . . . Can Stuckey emerge as a Wes Welker-type slot receiver? . . . Could Massaquoi benefit the most from the new quarterbacks?




Tight end

Coach: Steve Hagen.

Currently on roster (five): Joel Gamble, Evan Moore, Robert Royal, Alex Smith, Benjamin Watson.

Projected starter: Watson.

Questions: How much impact on defenses will Watson's presence have? . . . Can Moore expand on the unexpected instant impact he made last year? . . . Was Royal's poor 2009 season a mirage or the norm? . . . If it continues, can he make the team?



Offensive line

Coach: George Warhop

Currently on roster (13): Casey Bender, Paul Fanaika, Scott Kooistra, Shawn Lauvao (r), Alex Mack, Pat Murray, Tony Pashos, Joel Reinders (r), John St. Clair, Eric Steinbach, Joe Thomas, Floyd Womack, Billy Yates.

Projected starters: Thomas, Steinbach, Mack, Lauvao, Pashos.

Questions: Can Lauvao unseat Womack at right guard? . . . How much better will Mack be in his second season? . . . What does St. Clair need to do to make the team? . . . Is Steinbach's job really in jeopardy or has he proved to the coaches he's the most dependable left guard? . . . Is the 6-7, 320-pound Reinders a legitimate prospect or just a big man? . . . Who's the backup center?



Specialists

Coach: Brad Seely.

Currently on roster (four): Phil Dawson, Reggie Hodges, Ryan Pontbriand, Dave Zastudil.

Projected starters: Dawson, Pontbriand, Zastudil.

Questions: Will Dawson put his contract concerns behind him once again? . . . How healthy is Zastudil at the beginning of camp?