According to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal, Browns general manager Mike Holmgren is refuting a report from the National Football Post that Jake Delhomme informed the team he has no intention of being a backup in 2011.
The original report seemed fishy as it seemed unlikely Delhomme would voluntarily walk away from the $5.4 million in base salary the Brown owe Delhomme. Jake is no longer a legitimate starter in the League but only a fool would walk away from that kind of money for holding a clipboard and giving Colt McCoy friendly advice. The Browns hold all the cards here.
Peyton Hillis rolled over Ray Rice by getting 62 percent of the vote in his first round matchup. He's now matched up against Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan for the second round.
While Hillis is a 10 seed in the bracket (compared to Ryan's two seed), he has a great shot to upset the young QB.
The Cleveland Browns have a huge fan base filled with people who root for their team with an unsurpassed level of passion and intensity. With their votes, Hillis can pull off another upset.
It would seem to be that at the age of 36, Jake Delhomme would appear to be at the stage of his career where he would make an ideal backup, but it’s starting to look like he either will be brought back to Cleveland as a starter, or he won’t be brought back at all.
Dan Pompei of the National Football Post writes that his Browns sources tells him everyone really wants Colt McCoy to be the starter, but if the work stoppage drags on into the summer, McCoy, a second year player, might not have enough time to learn what he needs to learn and prove to new head coach Pat Shurmur that he’s ready to start. In that case, the team will likely feel more comfortable with the veteran Delhomme.
Bringing him back to Cleveland as a backup is complicated but Delhomme has told the team he has no intention of being a backup. He wants to start and that means he might not be willing to take a paycut, and he’s probably making too much to be brought back as a No. 2.
Dan Pompei of NationalFootballPost.com reported Sunday that the Cleveland Browns may be inclined to start Jake Delhomme next season in place of Colt McCoy if the current NFL lockout extends beyond training camp and into the fall.
There has been much speculation throughout this off season about Colt McCoy and whether or not his development would take a hit due to learning his second offense in just his second season. That seems to be the justification for Jake Delhomme possibly receiving the nod as the organization may want to turn to experience rather than youth due to a lack of practice time.
Many fans want McCoy to remain the starter next season and for obvious reasons. McCoy helped the Browns defeat two Super Bowl caliber teams in 2010 and Jake Delhomme simply played horribly with the opportunities he received. In limited action due to a high ankle sprain, Delhomme only threw two touchdowns opposed to seven interceptions and lacked the big-play ability that the Browns needed.
The Browns team looked revitalized under Colt McCoy at times during the 2010 season and that could be much of the reason why the fans have such faith in the youngster from Texas. McCoy symbolizes a new era in Cleveland Browns football and much of the reason for the team hiring Pat Shurmur was his ability to tutor Colt in his system.
Fans are getting involved in the NFL's labor battle.
A Cleveland businessman is suing the National Football League and its teams, claiming his right to buy tickets through his personal seat license has been violated because of the lockout. Ken Lanci, a self-made millionaire, has asked the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court to overturn the lockout that is threatening the 2011 NFL season.
He is seeking $25,000 in breach of contract from the Cleveland Browns and the same amount from the league and its teams for contract interference.
In a phone interview with the Associated Press, Lanci summed up his complaint:
"It's a fight between billionaires and millionaires. There isn't any sympathy for multi-millionaires. It's just not going to happen. And somebody has to stand up and say, 'Enough's enough.'"
In other interviews he's called out the owners for being greedy and players for being ungrateful for making so much money when many in the country are suffering. But isn't he a millionaire himself? Was this lawsuit filed from a glass house?
I'm so confused. Between the billionaire owners and the millionaire players and the millionaire businessman who is calling out his rich brethren, I don't know who to root for. This is like watching a Soviet Union-East Germany hockey game from the 1976 Olympics.
Since everything I know about the law was learned from staying home sick from school and watching "Matlock," I can't speak to the validity of the lawsuit. However, on the surface it doesn't appear to have much merit. As I understand it, PSLs give buyers the right to buy season tickets. As long as there's a refund policy, where's the breach of contract. (And this ignores the fact that the lockout is still five whole months from canceling games.)
Kudos to Lanci for stepping up and trying to force the NFL's hand, but this isn't the way a lockout is going to end. It'd be more effective if wealthy fans like himself said they weren't going to buy tickets even if a lockout is averted. If enough of that happened, then the league might have to take notice.
Hanford Dixon was once one of the best cornerbacks that the Browns had to offer as he spent nine seasons with the team from 1981 to 1989. On Thursday, Dixon was named head coach of the Cleveland Crush of the lingerie football league.
The Crush will be an expansion franchise this season as the team will begin play at the Quicken Loans arena this summer. Dixon was a standout during his career as he compiled 26 interceptions in 131 games while helping the Browns achieve one of their best decades of football throughout the 80′s.
Dixon will reportedly head the Crush’s open tryouts on Sunday of this week as the team will look to prepare for the upcoming season.
Doug Flutie remembers feeling how his arm was ready to fall off during his one year in the USFL. Nate Newton recalls how he did absolutely nothing but rest for an entire month after playing his two USFL 18-game regular seasons.
And former CFL quarterback Danny McManus can still see the telltale signs of blurry-eyed fatigue that set in on rookies when Week 13 rolled around in Canada with five games still left to play.
For those wondering what the effects might be if the NFL expands from 16 to 18 regular-season games, take it from those who've been through it: It's a grind.
"From week to week, game plan to game plan, there's the physical part, but the mental part of the preparation is what wears a guy down," said Newton, a former star offensive lineman, who began his pro career in 1984 with the USFL Tampa Bay Bandits. "You're going to blow a fuse. It's just bound to happen."
Newton got a taste of playing an 18-game season before going on to become a six-time Pro Bowl selection with the Dallas Cowboys.
McManus, who played for Florida State, spent 17 seasons in the CFL where 18-game schedules have been the norm since 1986.
"You'd see it around Week 13 through Week 16, these guys are just dragging themselves into the locker room," said McManus, who retired in 2006 and is now the head U.S. scout for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. "There's no doubt it's a grind to go 18 weeks. And we used to do it going 18 weeks straight."
Of course, that led to some unorthodox recuperating methods.
"The saying we have up in Canada is we ice from the inside out," McManus said, laughing. "And that's because of a lot of that Canadian beer up there. That's the quickest way to get into the muscles, to ice from the inside out."
These are among the sobering messages from several ex-USFLers and CFLers -- rounded out by Hall of Famer Jim Kelly, who broke in with the USFL's Houston Gamblers in 1984 before starring for the Buffalo Bills -- with firsthand knowledge of playing 18-game seasons.
All agreed the expanded schedules required a big adjustment from players.
And Kelly even wondered whether the NFL is using the 18-game schedule as a ploy in labor talks, which are now on hold after breaking down two weeks ago.
"It's almost like they're holding it over the players so they at least have something to give back," Kelly said. "This is my personal opinion."
Ploy or not, the NFL went into negotiations with a desire to expand its regular season for the first time since going from 14 to 16 games in 1978.
In going to 18 games, the NFL would eliminate two preseason games in exchange for adding two regular-season games with the prospect of generating more revenue.
NFL players have balked at the proposal.
They've complained that an expanded schedule would increase the risk of injuries and, as a result, have the potential of shortening careers, thus cutting into their money-earning potential and reducing their retirement benefits.
Players have also fear how much two more games would cut into their offseasons, which are already filled with mandatory and voluntary minicamps and workout programs from March to June.
The NFL did back off on its proposal in its last offer before talks broke down. The NFL proposed maintaining the 16 regular-season games and four preseason games for at least two years, with any switch to 18 games being negotiable.
Injuries, fatigue and weather conditions -- imagine how many fans would show up to a Week 19 mean-nothing game in January in wintry Buffalo, Kelly wondered -- were among concerns expressed by the each of 18-game veterans.
For Newton, an 18-game NFL schedule would require the league to expand its rosters from 53 to at least 60 players. And teams would be keen in stocking their lineup with at least two capable running backs and two quarterbacks to guard against injuries.
Flutie didn't even complete his one USFL season with the New Jersey Generals. His year ended 15 games in when he broke his collarbone after being sacked by Reggie White. Then again, Flutie's throwing arm was already feeling shot by then.
"I thought I was fine and I was gung-ho," Flutie said, of how he initially felt reporting for training camp. "And then, about four weeks into it, my arm felt dead and there was no break coming. ... You felt like the season should be over, and you're just at the midpoint."
The USFL experience made it easier for Flutie to adjust to the CFL, where he spent eight seasons. And it helped that training camps in Canada last three weeks, and teams only play two preseason games.
"And that's part of the problem in the NFL is they've got them all spring working out," Flutie said. "Then, you go through a long grueling training camp and the preseason games and then try to go 18 games. That's what I think would make it ridiculously difficult."
For McManus, the key in the CFL was players and coaches pacing themselves.
With so little time for preparation, McManus said teams approached the first two regular-season games with a preseason mentality in determining starters and developing game plans.
The CFL game is different from the NFL, and better suited to speedier players. The three-down league has 12-man lineups playing on wider and longer fields, that feature 20-yard end zones.
What's not different, as McManus noted: "Hitting is still hitting"
"Those guys in the trenches, to do that much hitting, you're going to start seeing some more shoulder injuries, head injuries," he said, noting injuries also occur when players get fatigued.
"We get that quite a bit," McManus said. "Guys aren't sure how to run a route or are just jogging through it and someone else on the other side is not jogging through it. That's where we get some of the injuries."
Peyton Hillis has solidified himself as a hero in the eyes of Cleveland Browns fans in just one short season on the shores of Lake Erie. Hillis steamrolled defenders and even found a way to leap over many would-be tacklers on his way to one of the best statistical rushing seasons for any Browns player since reinstatement in 1999. If all of the attention surrounding Hillis’ play on the field wasn’t enough, now he has a great chance to become the next cover man of the infamous Madden football video game.
This is the first year that EA Sports is allowing NFL fans to vote for their favorite players and have a bracket-like format in order to decide who will be on the cover of one of the best annual sports games in history.
Ray Rice of the Baltimore Ravens will be the player against Hillis in the first round of voting as the format of the tournament seeds players from 1-16 on two sides. Rice and Hillis were both listed at 7 and 10 respectively.
The winner of that matchup will then go on to face the winner between Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons and Jordan Gross of the Carolina Panthers.
The Cleveland Browns have one of the biggest fan bases in the world as the teams’ official fan society, the Browns Backers, have more chapters internationally than any other professional fan club.
With all of the fan support behind him, Hillis should have a chance to go very deep into the tournament and maybe even become the next cover man of Madden 2012.
NFL owners say they're making football safer. Browns return man Joshua Cribbs says they're corrupting it.
Owners voted to modify kickoff rules Tuesday during their annual meeting. Kickoffs will take place at the 35-yard line instead of the 30, meaning touchbacks are expected to become more frequent and returns will probably decrease. Players covering kickoffs will also be limited to a 5-yard running start instead of a 10- to-15-yard start.
The changes will take effect in the 2011 season, if games are played despite the league's labor dispute. Cribbs is frustrated, to say the least.
''The more they change it, the more that it almost corrupts the game of football,'' Cribbs said in a phone interview after the changes were announced. ''You'll hear the old [players] say, 'This is not the football I went through.' . . . They're already on our backs about how soft the game has gotten, and I'm gonna be on the NFL's back about how they're making the game soft now. We worked our tails off to get to this point, to play this gladiator sport in front of the world, and I feel like it's just changing too drastically.''
The 1993 season was the last one in which teams kicked off from the 35. There were four kickoff returns for touchdowns and 57 of 40 yards more, according to NFL.com. With kickoffs starting at the 30 last season, there were 23 returns for touchdowns and 113 of 40 yards or more.
Limiting returns should limit injuries. But Cribbs believes owners passed the rule changes to gain leverage in their push toward an 18-game regular season.
''The more we change this great game of football, it's only gonna be a downward spiral,'' Cribbs said. ''Injuries happen in football. If you look at the underlying effect and underlying cause of all these rule changes to supposedly make the game safe, it all stems back to extending our [regular] season [from 16 games] to 18 games. Yes, they're trying to make us safe, but only to add more games.''
In 2010, several teams avoided kicking to Cribbs during the first half of the season, then others capitalized when he was hobbled by dislocated toes. It was the first season in his professional career in which he failed to return a kickoff for a touchdown.
Still, moving kickoffs could hurt the Browns more than other teams because of their success on special teams in recent years. The Browns, whose special teams finished first in 2009 and third in 2010 in the Dallas Morning News' rankings, were reportedly one of six teams that voted against the changes.
''I just disagree with the rule changes because it affects me tremendously and other guys tremendously,'' said Cribbs, the NFL's career leader in kickoff returns for touchdowns with eight. ''I count on [Chicago Bears return man] Devin Hester breaking records and everything, so I can chase him. They count on me breaking records, so they can chase me and vice versa. But without the opportunity, it takes us out of the game sometimes.''
"Any credit given to Art Modell for anything positive he ever did will never be acknowledged by Browns fans. Modell wiped out all good will in Northeast Ohio when he slithered away to Baltimore on a dark and stormy night. He deserves all the enmity Browns fans have for him." - namvet888
Figures obtained by The Associated Press underscore the substantial divide between the NFL and the locked-out players on a core issue: What portion of additional revenue goes to players.
Players' share of incremental increases to all revenues under the NFL's expired contract was about 53 percent from 2006-09, according to calculations by the accounting firm that audited the collective bargaining agreement for both sides.
The NFL has repeatedly said that 70 percent of extra revenue went to players, a main justification for changing the sport's economic system. The league's numbers remove the portion of revenues -- about $1 billion a year -- taken off the top for owners to spend on expenses.
Data prepared in 2010 by PricewaterhouseCoopers and obtained Monday by the AP show that about $3.8 billion of the $7.2 billion in incremental revenue over those four years -- 52.9 percent -- went toward players' salaries and benefits.
The league and players agree on the $3.8 billion; they disagree on how to look at revenues. Setting aside the off-the-top expense credits -- for things such as stadium improvements or NFL Network -- makes the players' take a higher percentage.
The figures from PricewaterhouseCoopers -- calculated last year at the request of the NFL Players Association -- include that upfront money, because it is part of the league's gross revenue.
"The NFL wants to artificially inflate the percentage of incremental revenue going to players by excluding revenues that never go to players," NFLPA spokesman George Atallah said. "League officials ... have been selling a lockout to owners based on misleading and incomplete financial information. They excluded the cost credits to be able to tell owners that player costs are rising faster than all revenues. This is not true."
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello wrote in an e-mail to AP: "Expense credits were used in the last agreements by agreement with the union to cover certain expenses needed to put on the games. The NFL did not exclude anything unilaterally."
Owners locked out the players more than a week ago, creating the NFL's first work stoppage since 1987. That came hours after the NFLPA renounced its status as a union, allowing players to file a class-action antitrust lawsuit in federal court.
The main sticking point throughout CBA negotiations was how to divide the NFL's more than $9 billion in annual revenues. All along, the league has said it needed to rework the CBA because too large a portion of new revenues have been devoted to players' salaries and benefits.
Just before last month's Super Bowl, NFL general counsel Jeff Pash -- the league's lead labor negotiator -- said: "The players have gotten 70 percent of the incremental revenue that the NFL clubs have generated since 2006. They know that's not a sustainable model."
A year earlier, Commissioner Roger Goodell made a similar point during his annual Super Bowl news conference.
That 70 percent figure not only made an impression on owners -- it also made players wonder whether there was, indeed, an adjustment that needed to be made.
"One of the owners' big problems with the deal, as they reported from 2006 forward, is they had the argument that player cost was north of 70 percent, say. When that number was first presented, it caused everyone on our side of the table to sit down. It caught our attention: 'If it is 70 percent, we need to address it,'" said former player Pete Kendall, who has been advising the NFLPA during negotiations.
"It also spurred some discussion and research, and we had PricewaterhouseCoopers look at the numbers," Kendall said last week while at the players' meetings at Marco Island, Fla. "And what they came back with is, the only way the NFL could arrive at that was if they excluded the deductions they take (at the outset). But that is money that came into the league."
According to the figures obtained by the AP:
• In 2005, player costs were $3.32 billion, and all revenue was $6.49 billion;
• In 2006, the first year under the just-expired CBA, player costs rose to $4.1 billion, an increase of $780 million, which is 61 percent of that year's $1.28 billion increase in all revenue to $7.77 billion;
• By 2009, player costs were $4.5 billion, while all revenues were $8.88 billion.
Randy Moss recently stated in an interview with KFAN 1100 in Minneapolis, Minnesota that he would be interested in playing for the Cleveland Browns next season.
The Browns have had troubles with offensive production in recent seasons and Randy Moss has been one of the most productive receivers in NFL History. But, as in many cases, production comes with a price and some unwanted attention.
Moss was a media magnet last season as his departure from the New England Patriots and Minnesota Vikings drama completely overwhelmed the sports world and caused many fans to come to a harsh conclusion about what type of player Moss has become.
As far as the Browns are concerned, Moss may be a valuable weapon if the price and conditions are team-friendly. Moss could serve as a great mentor to some of the Browns younger receivers and even become a deep threat in Cleveland’s west coast system.
Moss may possibly even have some coaching tips for Colt McCoy as he has been on the receiving end from some great quarterbacks in his career (Tom Brady, Brett Favre, Daunte Culpepper ETC.).
The Browns have publicly discussed their willingness to look at players with “character concerns” and Moss may be the type of player that is worth the risk. Although, Pat Shurmur could fall into some hot water if a player like Moss would begin to complain or cause trouble.
In the radio transcript posted on Ohio.com, Moss said “I just like loyalty. I like good people around me, and I want to give that back in return. So with all that said, whoever wants me I guess is where I’m gonna play at to be honest with you.”
The most recent time there was a work stoppage in the NFL was the players' strike in 1987. They walked out to force owners to give them free agency after their contracts ran out.
Ultimately, the players got what they wanted. But to get there, they had to endure the immensely divisive strike, which was broken by the owners' use of replacement "scab" players; four years of partial free agency and other management-friendly rules imposed by owners; decertification of the players union; and finally a huge win in federal court.
By the time a new collective bargaining agreement was reached in 1993, featuring unrestricted free agency for players and a salary cap for owners, many of the players who walked picket lines in 1987 were too old to take advantage of the new system.
Browns cornerback Frank Minnifield was one of them. Minnifield joined the Browns in 1984 and retired after his last season with them in 1992. A successful businessman in his hometown of Lexington, Ky., Minnifield views the current work stoppage with interest. His son, Chase, a starting cornerback at the University of Virginia, will be a draftable player in 2012.
"It's a shame," Frank Minnifield said of the labor dispute. "It happens probably to every generation. I guess it's just part of the evil that's associated with the NFL. You know, money is the root of all evil."
This time, the owners have precipitated the stoppage. They've locked out players and want a deal that is less favorable to the players.
"The owners have such a huge advantage on the players," Minnifield said. "I'm sure we're all amazed [the players] have been able to negotiate to the position where the owners feel they're at a disadvantage. But I don't believe the owners are going to lose that much money."
Minnifield, naturally, sides with the players in this newest scuffle. He said they deserve all the money they can make in their short careers.
"There's just too many kids who get hurt to the point where their life is affected the rest of their lives," he said. "I saw a statistic . . . it was mind-blowing, about how many kids in college are maimed because of football. Then you're talking about a person in the owner's box, just taking a financial risk. That's a different risk than a physical risk."
Minnifield is 51. He played two years in the United States Football League and came to the Browns after surgery to fix a busted a knee. The rest of his injuries in his nine-year NFL career, including a lacerated kidney, were treated without surgery.
"I think anybody that was on the football field trying to win has a [health] problem," he said. "I'm not in no hospital, but I know I played 11 years of pro football. I like playing golf. There are many times I have to say, 'I can't play today,' with something hurting. There's many of those days. That goes on with all of us.
"Some of these guys get through it unscathed, without paying a real heavy toll with their health. But I would say the majority, over 50 percent, when they get to my age will be experiencing some problems they don't even realize. And they're going to need all the money they have to make it to 70. It takes a lot of money to make it to 70."
When Minnifield thinks back to the 1987 strike, the memories are not pleasant. The players walked out after the second game. The third game of the season was canceled. By the fourth week, owners had rounded up whole new teams of "replacement players" -- former college or pro players who had gone on to their life's work as truck drivers, teachers and the like.
Stressed for money, the regulars slinked back late in the week after the second "scab" game -- only to be turned away until the replacements were given a third game. Divide and conquer was a successful strategy for the owners.
The strike tore apart the Browns, Minnifield said.
"It got real ugly," he said. "I think those days are still kind of a little messy for all of us because of how we were all divided. I really believe that it really messed up the chemistry of our team from that point on."
Surprisingly, Minnifield did not begrudge the replacement players from taking his job temporarily. Much stronger emotions were spent on the regular players who broke ranks and crossed picket lines. Eight Browns did that for the third replacement game, including team leaders such as Gary Danielson and Ozzie Newsome.
"It was kind of hard dealing with the fact some guys went back, some didn't, and some guys were financially better off because they went back [versus] the guys who stayed together," Minnifield said. "I think that was tough. We didn't talk about it because everybody would get mad. But I think it affected us for the rest of our careers together.
"We didn't want anybody to go back. We wanted to stay together and whatever consequences there were we wanted to face them as a team. If we were going to have to fight harder because we were behind and lost those three games, then so be it. I don't think anybody was going to accept any reason for crossing the line.
"We had a special relationship. Our whole team was special. We'd go over each other's house. We actually liked each other. There aren't too many [teams] that hung out like we did. It was common to go over somebody's house each week and just eat together. Thanksgiving was unbelievable. After that strike, we didn't do it again. Most of that stuff just stopped. There was a whole lot of guys who were upset that didn't talk about it. We went on with our business. But our relationship was never the same."
The Browns were hurt more than most teams by the disruption. Coming off the AFC Championship Game loss to John Elway and "The Drive," 1987 was to be their year. The strike wiped out Game 3 of the '87 schedule. It happened to be Elway's regular-season return to Cleveland.
Had the game been played and the Browns won, they would have finished with a better record than Denver and earned home-field advantage in the '87 season AFC Championship. Instead, they had to play in Denver. Elway again prevailed in the loss remembered by "The Fumble."
"We would have beat Denver in Cleveland because we were a better team," Minnifield said. "They wouldn't have beat us two years in a row. That was our best team. We were all young kids. We were probably as good as football players in '87 as we were in our whole career."
We have been notified by the Cleveland Browns that we are an officially sanctioned chapter of the Browns Backers Worldwide organization. There will be more news to come!
Due to the lockout, a Cleveland Browns receiver has bolted to the Arena Football League. Rod Windsor, who spent time on Cleveland’s practice squad in 2010, signed this week with the Arizona Rattlers. Windsor remains under contract with the Browns, but with no collective bargaining agreement in place players are free to sign with other leagues. Other more high-profile players in the AFC North such as Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chad Ochocinco and Baltimore Ravens safety Tom Zbikowski have opted for soccer and boxing, respectively.
Before joining the Browns, Windsor played with the Rio Grande Valley Dorados (af2) in 2009. Windsor hauled in 184 balls for 2,364 yards and 59 touchdowns with the Dorados. Windsor was awarded Offensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year. In 2010, Windsor joined the Arizona Rattlers (AFL) and hauled in 193 balls for 2,372 yards and 47 touchdowns. His 2010 performance earned him AFL Rookie of the Year honors.
As NFL.com points out, seems like the Browns are looking at some of the top QB’s on this years NFL Draft, meaning that the team may not be as committed to Colt McCoy as some think they are. Here’s what NFL.com has to say about the team shifting their focus at the QB position elsewhere. The Browns represent one of the most intriguing teams in the top 10 of the draft due to the thinking they could go in several directions with the No. 6 overall pick. Team president Mike Holmgren isn’t tipping their hand, either, telling reporters Monday the team hasn’t ruled out taking a quarterback with their first pick and is “looking hard” at Auburn QB Cam Newton. So while Holmgren refers to Colt McCoy as having “huge upside,” he also leaves us with gems like this when asked about having to perform due diligence with other quarterbacks: ”It’s kind of interesting, isn’t it? We’ll see. I would say, don’t discount anything. …” Which all leads to one big question: Are the Browns committed to McCoy as the quarterback of the future? “I don’t know how they can ultimately be sold on McCoy,” says resident GM and analyst Michael Lombardi. “His injuries down the stretch, his body is not the biggest or strongest, and can he endure 16 games? These are all questions that have to be answered by the new staff (who) have to be comfortable with the answers and see if they can move forward before they do anything else — draft or trade.”
The failure to come to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement has caused the players union to de-certify and the NFL teams to lock out the players.
That might be just the beginning of a dispute between competing sides that makes rivalries like Packers-Bears, Patriots-Jets and, uhh, Browns-Steelers look like touch football games at a family picnic.
The draft is the NFL's marquee off-season event and, in fact, is the highlight of the football year for many fans of perennially bad teams.
And, should the players' plan work, it would diminish the ESPN network's signature event.
Schefter writes, in part:
The NFL Players Association is putting into place a plan that would prevent each top college prospect from attending next month's draft in New York, according to multiple league sources. The NFLPA already has contacted 17 top prospects that ordinarily would have received an invitation to attend the draft and informed them not to go.
Thus, when NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announces the name of the first player selected, the player will not walk on to the stage at Radio City Music Hall as has been the custom. And the player will not be there to do interviews with ESPN or NFL Network. The draft will go on, but not in the manner in which it has been conducted before.
"As of right now, this is 100 percent happening," said one source familiar with the Players Association's thinking. "This is going down."
BEREA, Ohio (AP)—The Cleveland Browns will make full refunds with interest on any tickets sold for games not played in the 2011 season.
Browns president Mike Holmgren said Monday the policy applies to “any ticket that is sold in the stadium, from regular seats through suites and so on.” He added he is “hopeful and optimistic” the season will be played in full.
NFL owners locked out the players on Saturday, hours after the players’ union dissolved and 10 players filed a request for an injunction in U.S. District Court that would stop the lockout.
“It is weird,” Holmgren said of the current labor situation.
He emphasized there won’t be any pay cuts for the coaching staff or any layoffs for team personnel during the work stoppage.
“When we talked about our philosophy and how to handle this, we are going ahead without any of that stuff,” Holmgren said. “If the time comes where all of a sudden, financially, we are getting struck down it probably starts with me. I’ve got to contribute to the pot, although, I will go on record that I am not working for one dollar a year.”
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and lead negotiator Jeff Pash have lowered their salaries to that amount during the lockout.
“Our philosophy is that we are going to keep people working,” Holmgren added. “When I said business as usual … I was really referring to that. We have a lot of good people here working very, very hard doing their jobs and we will continue to do that.”
Colt McCoy’s job as the Browns starting quarterback got tougher Friday when the NFL Players Association decertified, a move team owners responded to by locking out players for the first time since 1971.
Until the lockout ends, McCoy and his teammates won’t be able to practice the West Coast offense new coach Pat Shurmur plans to run. They and their brethren won’t be able to do anything football-related with representatives of their teams. Players are forbidden from entering their training facilities.
Fortunately for McCoy and the Browns, McCoy used a West Coast style offense at Texas. It is one of the reasons Browns president Mike Holmgren drafted McCoy last April.
Holmgren wanted former coach Eric Mangini to win, but Holmgren also wanted a quarterback who could transition to the offense he prefers if he were going to make a coaching change — which he did when he fired Mangini and hired Shurmur.
Jake Delhomme, Seneca Wallace and McCoy all had West Coast roots before last season. Delhomme was signed in free agency, Wallace was acquired in a trade and McCoy was drafted.
Of course, the Browns saw this lockout coming. McCoy has the playbook Shurmur will use, so he at least can study during the lockout, but that obviously isn’t the same as perfecting it on the practice field in minicamps, OTAs and training camp if the work stoppage extends to July.
“I’m already on the hot seat,” McCoy said on the Monday after the Browns lost to Pittsburgh in the final game of the 2010 season.
McCoy was 2-6 as a starter last year. He still has a lot to prove. He should be better in the West Coast, because that offense places such high value on accuracy and being able to hit receivers on short and intermediate passes in stride.
Last season McCoy completed 60.2 percent of his passes, and that includes completing just 50 percent exactly — 35 of 70 combined passes — against the Ravens and Steelers in the final two games.
The Browns are still on the lookout for a QB, and one guy who is starting to get a lot of attention is that of TCU thrower Andy Dalton. The Star-Tribune reports that the Browns will be one of 7 teams to workout Dalton. The Vikings are expected to conduct private workouts with a number of quarterbacks before the draft. Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton already has been mentioned as one quarterback the team will put through a private workout. FOXsports.com’s Adam Caplan reported Friday that the Vikings are expected to bring in TCU’s Andy Dalton for a visit at some point too. Caplan reports that Dalton has private workouts scheduled with the Bears, Chiefs, Browns and Patriots, and that the Bengals, Vikings and Titans also are expected to bring in him for visits. Dalton is expected to be a second-round pick.
ESPN’s James Walker is out with his Draft Needs for the AFC North, and here’s his thoughts on what the Browns could use in the upcoming NFL Draft.
The Browns’ two biggest needs are wide receiver and defensive line, and they could really be 1A and 1B. Cleveland could have a chance to improve both positions with the No. 6 overall pick.
Cleveland’s passing game needs help. Rookie quarterback Colt McCoy had no one to throw the ball to last season. That really showed in the final two games, when the stiff defenses of the Ravens and Steelers put a hurting on McCoy. A legitimate No. 1 threat like A.J. Green could be just what they need in rookie head coach Pat Shurmur’s new West Coast offense.
Defensively, Cleveland is very thin on the defensive line. There are very good prospects this year at defensive end and defensive tackle in the top 10, and the Browns could have their choice of several. Cleveland is switching to a 4-3 defense, where the linemen in the trenches are very important. If the Browns don’t patch up their defensive line, they could get run over this season in this physical division.
Plaxico Burress will be released from federal prison this June after shooting himself in the leg outside a New York City nightclub nearly two years ago. Many would think that the Cleveland Browns should stay away from a player who has been in prison and has been out of the game for a long period of time but according to a fan poll on Bleacher Report.com, Browns fans are willing to forgive if Burress can help the team win.
2,389 Browns fans voted on whether or not they feel Cleveland should pursue Burress once he is released from Prison.
According to the poll, 65.6 % of the audience sampled (about 1,587 votes) wants Cleveland to take a closer look at the former Super Bowl Champion even though his conduct record has not been perfect.
Burress’ former teammate, Tiki Barber, is also looking to come out of retirement this summer but Cleveland has not shown interest in his services.
The Browns are not looking for a quarterback in the first round of the draft, but three teams picking before them and needing quarterbacks could produce a ripple effect on what General Manager Tom Heckert decides, draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said.
Carolina has the first pick in the draft April 28, followed by Denver, Buffalo, Cincinnati and Arizona. In his mock draft released on ESPN.com Wednesday, Kiper has Carolina taking Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert first and the Bengals taking Auburn quarterback Cam Newton fourth.
Kiper has the Browns picking wide receiver A.J. Green from Georgia with the sixth pick. In between Gabbert and Newton, he has the Broncos taking defensive tackle Nick Fairley from Auburn second and the Bills taking defensive tackle Marcell Dareus from Alabama third. The Bills could also use a quarterback.
The way Kiper projects the draft, someone from the group of Fairley, Dareus, defensive end Da'Quan Bowers of Clemson, Green and LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson will be available to the Browns — if the quarterbacks go before the Browns draft.
Kiper in his mock draft describes Green as "a perfect fit. It's hard to imagine the Browns passing on him (especially if they ask Colt McCoy for an opinion)."
A year ago today, the Browns released quarterback Derek Anderson, a move that was expected as the team acquired Seneca Wallace from Seattle earlier in that same week. Days later, the team shipped away former first-round draft picks Brady Quinn and Kamerion Wimbley. They picked up Peyton Hillis and a sixth-round draft pick for the former Notre Dame quarterback and a third-round pick in exchange for Wimbley, one they later used to select Texas quarterback Colt McCoy.
Out with the old, in with the new.
That was a crazy week for Browns fans as some were still holding out hope that Quinn could figure it out. We wanted so badly for it to work, but aside from a show he put on against Detroit (and they are, after all, Detroit) there was very little that suggested he could excel at this level. While the sample size with McCoy is small, he’s given Browns fans more reason to be optimistic than Quinn ever did between the lines.
Hillis was terrific in 2010-11 and instantly became a fan favorite for his rugged style. I do worry, because this is Cleveland and one-year phenoms like Anderson have got us excited only to bring us back down to earth before. Hillis’ style, the same one that we love, makes you wonder how long he can hold up. He sure does take a pounding. But this site is for positive thoughts, so let’s just hope he can repeat his performance again in 2011-12. Plus, we should have Montario Hardesty back in the fold, and if he can get his knee close to where it was, he should be a nice supplement to the running game.
McCoy does little things, and I think we all felt much better about our chances when No. 12 was in the ballgame. Fans want a quarterback like Bernie Kosar so badly in this town that we’re lovedrunk with a rookie that threw six touchdowns and nine interceptions.
But there’s light at the end of the tunnel now. We saw things last year that were encouraging, and those trades a year ago really stamped that a new regime was in town. They then went out and traded for Sheldon Brown and Chris Gocong and drafted young playmakers like Joe Haden and T.J. Ward. Mid-round selections like Hardesty and McCoy, and even guard Shaun Lauvao, gave us an upgrade at positions that badly needed them.
The Browns might have finished last season with the same 5-11 record that we had in 2009-10, but we saw glimpses. The Browns have some players now that look like professionals. Undoubtedly we need more, and hopefully they can get this collective bargaining straightened out so we can fiddle with the roster, but we’re certainly going to have a draft and we can pick up some more pieces there.
The point is, I feel much better on March 9, 2011, than I did on March 9, 2010. That was a tough week for Browns fans as we cut a Pro Bowl quarterback and two first-round picks, but hopefully it was a ‘one step back to go two steps forward’ kind of deal.
The ClevelandBrowns have undergone plenty of changes so far this off-season but Colt McCoy seems as if he will remain a constant at the quarterback position.
The Browns have gone through 16 different quarterbacks since 1999 but the team has never run any sort of West Coast offense, and especially not the kind that Pat Shurmur is bringing in.
Colt McCoy has been knocked ever since his days at Texas about his arm strength. People have said that he doesn’t have what it takes to become an elite quarterback in this league and that after a certain distance his throws become easy to pickoff.
What Shurmur will do next season is focus on what McCoy is good at and utilize him in a way that Brian Daboll and EricMangini did not. The West Coast offense that Cleveland will run consists of many short routes run by receivers and many “fake” routes that are meant to pull defenders into certain area’s of the field.
This will fall right into McCoy’s strengths for two reasons. The first of which is his accuracy. McCoy showed last season that he can put the ball into incredibly tight windows and can pinpoint routes very well. He also showed (with the exception of the final game) that he can make good decisions about when to force the ball or tuck it and run.
The second thing that will help McCoy is the complexity of the new offense. McCoy is a student of the game. Every week in 2010 he prepared like he was going to be the starting quarterback even if he was listed at the third spot in the depth chart. It is that type of education and desire to be great that can help him learn the in’s and out’s.
McCoy’s numbers from last season were mediocre but he did something for the Cleveland Browns franchise that went beyond the football field.
The fans and the organization as a whole are believers that he can take this team to the top and maybe the West Coast offense is exactly the system to help him do it.
Running back Peyton Hillis envisions a winning season and perhaps even a playoff run in the ultra-competitive AFC North. Perhaps Hillis was playing to the fans in attendance at a recent radio appearance, but he also feels strongly about his football team. “We’re bringing winners to the table,” said Hilllis, per the Canton Repository. “We feel like we’re gonna win it all.” Hillis was apparently prompted by radio host Tony Rizzo to give the Browns fans something to feel encouraged about. “Well then I’ll say it,” Hillis said. “We’re gonna win. There’s no doubt about it.” Hillis said he definitely isn’t getting cocky after last year’s breakthrough season as the Browns’ featured running back. “I don’t believe in getting a big head,” Hillis said. “I try to stay as humble as I can be. That’s what the good Lord wants.”
Tiki Barber has officially turned in his required papers to come out of retirement for the upcoming NFL season.
The Cleveland Browns have been involved in almost every feasable rumor during this off season but it seems as if the thought of Barber is one that will not be heard by the team’s front office.
Message boards and articles all over the internet immediately eliminate any thought of Barber coming to the Browns and it is for good reason.
Cleveland is currently in good position with their runners as Peyton Hillis had a career year last season and Mike Bell filled in nicely after Jerome Harrison was shipped to Philadelphia. Monterio Hardesty is also a forgotten factor in the running game after he went down with injury early in the pre-season. Hardesty had over 1,100 yards rushing during his senior year at Tennesse but never quite got the chance to show his ability at the pro level.
Barber may very well have some interested teams whenever it comes time for him to return to the field but it doesn’t look like he will be wearing the orange and brown anytime soon.
The Cleveland Browns have been projected to take nearly 10 different players with the sixth pick in the 2011 NFL Draft but one name has stuck in the minds of more Browns fans than any other; A.J. Green.
Green is a very physical receiver that has shown amazing promise at the University of Georgia. He has also said publicly that he models himself after his former teammate, Mohammed Massaqoui, who is currently with the Browns.
A.J. Green had an amazing season at Georgia in 2010 as he caught 57 passes for 848 yards and nine touchdowns all while missing the first four games due to suspension.
The Browns have not had a wide receiver even come close to that amount of production since Braylon Edwards caught 16 touchdown passes in 2007.
The Browns obviously need help at wide receiver, but is that the biggest team need?
Nick Fairley is still on the board as far as many mock drafts indicate and Fairley was one of the most dominant forces in the entire NCAA last season. Fairley also won a National Championship with Auburn.
The Browns also do not have anyone to be a quality option at the defensive end position as Matt Roth is now a free agent and the team was previously built to run a 3-4 under Rob Ryan.
Cleveland has many team needs when it comes to the draft and this draft is more important than others as free agency is greatly effected by the current CBA.
As the mock drafts continue, one would have to wonder if the Browns could really pass on a talent such as A.J. Green.
Browns cornerback Eric Wright, who received a second-round tender from the Browns on Thursday, is determined to rebound from his poor 2010 season and the sting of death threats from fans according to Mary Kay Cabot of the Plain Dealer. “I went from people expecting me to be a top cornerback in the league to receiving death threats,” Wright said. “It was a lot to deal with.” Wright never reported the death threats to the Browns or police, attributing them to the extreme passion of Browns fans. “I wasn’t fearing for my life,” he said. “As serious as a death threat may be, I wasn’t going to let a few bad apples ruin the whole tree.”
