Pick6;1016389 wrote:Lets remember that if this were to happen, it would be against the Cardinals.

You mean a team that is clearly better than the Browns and fighting for a wildcard spot? I venture to guess that McCoy wouldn't be lighting it up against them either. Unfortunately, McCoy hasn't had that statement/breakout game that everyone has been hoping for.

Believe me, I don't want to use a 1st round pick on a QB but it's looking like it's pretty much going to be a necessity. I'd rather bolster the defense further but they NEED that franchise QB. The Browns have, by FAR, the worst QB in this division. Between his performance on the field and his daddy whining to the media opening up a HUGE can of worms and smearing egg on the franchises face, I think Colt is gone.

I liked what I heard from Heckert yesterday. He stayed the course on building through the draft but also finally admitted that they had to be "more active" in free agency." Now I know he won't go crazy in FA, which is good, but he could add some key pieces WR/O-Line that would impact immediately. He's going to have to do that if he wants to catch up with these division opponents anytime soon.

Pick6;1016329 wrote:I'm just not a fan of drafting a QB high. Too many busts. These same people that say this is one of the best QB classes in a long time are the ones saying Jamarcus Russel, David Carr, etc are worthy of very high picks. If anything, I'd rather the Browns go out and trade for a proven back up.

You don't need an elite QB to win in the league. I believe surrounding an average player with a good supporting cast is greater than a great player with a shitty supporting cast. Look at Joe Flacco, Matt Hasselback, Mark Sanchez, Rex Grossman (lol), Trent Dilfer, etc, etc. All of these guys have had teams that won games because they had a great supporting cast.

In contrast, I have only seen one QB, Peyton Manning, win with a shitty overall team. Maybe you could throw Kurt Warner in there.

Mark Sanchez - Round 1 Pick 5
Trent Dilfer - Round 1 Pick 6
Rex Grossman - Round 1 Pick 22
Joe Flacco - Round 1 Pick 18

BR1986FB;1016838 wrote:I liked what I heard from Heckert yesterday. He stayed the course on building through the draft but also finally admitted that they had to be "more active" in free agency." Now I know he won't go crazy in FA, which is good, but he could add some key pieces WR/O-Line that would impact immediately. He's going to have to do that if he wants to catch up with these division opponents anytime soon.

This is all I would be asking for. No need to throw huge contracts at primadonas like Desean Jackson. The fact they didn't make these type of signings this season shows they were not looking to compete. I wonder if Heckert would have made some moves this off season, if they had an actual off season.

I'm not even sure whos available in FA that I think we should go and get. Looking at the list, nothing really excites me.

like_that;1016874 wrote:This is all I would be asking for. No need to throw huge contracts at primadonas like Desean Jackson. The fact they didn't make these type of signings this season shows they were not looking to compete. I wonder if Heckert would have made some moves this off season, if they had an actual off season.

I'd like to see them go after a Bowe, Colston or V-Jax type. I'd rather see them get an established WR versus use a high pick on a rookie (Blackmon). Blackmon is a great talent but the only current "keepers" I see at WR are Norwood & Little and Little has been shaky.

Grab a free agent WR and come back and grab another with the 3rd rounder (Broyles?). Steelers didn't seem to have a problem finding talent at the position in the 3rd round and later (Wallace/Brown).

Use the high pick on your franchise QB if they fall around 4th or 5th and don't have to trade up.

Where I think Heckert has shined in the previous offseason was through trades. Look at the trade that netted Sheldon Browns and Gocong. I would think he would be trying to make another shrewd move like that this offseason.

BR1986FB;1016879 wrote:I'd like to see them go after a Bowe, Colston or V-Jax type. I'd rather see them get an established WR versus use a high pick on a rookie (Blackmon). Blackmon is a great talent but the only current "keepers" I see at WR are Norwood & Little and Little has been shaky.

Grab a free agent WR and come back and grab another with the 3rd rounder (Broyles?). Steelers didn't seem to have a problem finding talent at the position in the 3rd round and later (Wallace/Brown).

Use the high pick on your franchise QB if they fall around 4th or 5th and don't have to trade up.

I'm not a Bowe (headcase) Colston (injury pussy who is extremely inconsistent) or a V Jax (one issue away from being suspended for a year) plus I highly doubt any of these WRs will be available. All resigning with their current teams.

Also don't get the Broyles love. Dude is nothing more than a slot guy in the NFL. Lacks speed, explosiveness, quickness, and jumping ability. Good route running only gets you so far. I watch him and I see Chansi Stuckey.

Commander of Awesome;1016881 wrote:Where I think Heckert has shined in the previous offseason was through trades. Look at the trade that netted Sheldon Browns and Gocong. I would think he would be trying to make another shrewd move like that this offseason.

I was thinking about Sheldon Brown and if they get a RDE, an impact OLB (no secret that I want Burfict) and a corner opposite of Haden, slide Brown into the safety spot opposite Ward so TJ can cheat up and support the run, this defense might be pretty damn good next year. They could move DQ to OLB but I think Burfict would be the more effective pass rusher.

Commander of Awesome;1016884 wrote:I'm not a Bowe (headcase) Colston (injury pussy who is extremely inconsistent) or a V Jax (one issue away from being suspended for a year) plus I highly doubt any of these WRs will be available. All resigning with their current teams.

Also don't get the Broyles love. Dude is nothing more than a slot guy in the NFL. Lacks speed, explosiveness, quickness, and jumping ability. Good route running only gets you so far. I watch him and I see Chansi Stuckey.

Sounds like an NFL reciever to me. Im not familiar with Bowe's character, what has he done that makes him a headcase?

He was suspended back in '09 I believe for 4 games.

Browns GM Tom Heckert: “We’re Closer To Where We Want To be”

By DARYL RUITER, 92.3 The Fan Browns Beat Reporter

December 15, 2011 6:48 PM

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Browns general manager Tom Heckert / (Photo by NFL Photos)


Reporting Daryl Ruiter

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Peyton Hillis, Cleveland Browns, Colt McCoy, Pat Shurmur, Tom Heckert, D'Qwell Jackson, Phil Dawson

BEREA (92.3 The Fan) – A day after president Mike Holmgren met with the media, Thursday was general manager Tom Heckert’s turn to sit down with reporters.

The informal conversation with Heckert was a more general and a broader look at where the team is and his thoughts with the offseason just over three weeks away.

The number one question.

The elephant in the room.

Where are the Browns on Colt McCoy?

“We’ll have to really, really look at it after the season,” Heckert said. “He’s done some good things. He really has but the whole evaluation will be done afterward – not just him but everybody.

“We just haven’t sat down and done that.”

McCoy has been hamstrung by a lack of protection up front, receivers who can’t catch and a lack of a steady runninggame this season.

“Quarterbacks are going to get sacked, that’s part of the deal,” Heckert said. “Receivers dropping balls that’s a big thing. That’s obviously not good. You weigh all of that but that’s part of the process. Are there things Colt can do better? Yeah and are there things we could have done better catching the ball blocking better? Yeah.”

The Browns lead the NFL with 38 drops this year led by rookie Greg Little, who is tied with Roddy White of the Falcons for the league lead in them, with a dozen.

With all of that in mind, there’s no way that the Browns can fairly evaluate McCoy yet – right?

“No,” Heckert said. “I disagree with that. Yeah, I disagree.”

“We’ve seen a lot of Colt. I don’t think we need to see much more. We’re good.”

Can they bring in a new starting quarterback next year or if they do, does that mean they are starting over again?

“Teams have done it this year,” Heckert said. “I don’t think it’s impossible so I disagree that you’d be starting all over again. If that ever happened I don’t think that would be a big deal.”

Heckert made clear the Browns’ desire to re-sign linebacker D’Qwell Jackson this offseason.
“You can pretty much say he is going to be here,” Heckert said.

Jackson missed 26 games the last two seasons due to pectoral injuries but has returned with a vengeance leading the team in tackles here in 2011.

They also would like keep kicker Phil Dawson in 2012.

“We would like to have Phil back,” Heckert said. “Once the deadline passed where we couldn’t sign franchise guys, I haven’t really talked to him. I haven’t asked him, but I think he’s enjoying it, more so than I got from him last year.
“We would love for Phil to be back.”

Peyton Hillis is another question that needs answered. Quite frankly Heckert isn’t sure.

“It’s unfortunate that he has been nicked up a little bit,” Heckert said. “Obviously he can play, we know that. He’s done it. He did it last year but that’s not the issue.
“We’ll have to decide which direction we want to go.”

Heckert remains steadfast in his approach to building the team through the draft and not so much in free agency.

He will get another opportunity to do that in April.

The Browns are in line for another top 10 pick combined with the first and fourth round picks from the Falcons they received in the Julio Jones trade earlier this year.
Heckert said that he has zero regrets about making the deal with Atlanta last April.

The Browns already have defensivetackle Phil Taylor, receiver Greg Little and fullback Owen Marecic thanks in part to that trade.

“I’d do it again tomorrow,” Heckert said. “And Julio’s a great player. We love Julio Jones. That never was an issue. Now, obviously we have to do something with the picks (we got).”

The Browns have a lot of holes offensively and it’ll be tough to fill them just with the draft and Heckert knows it.

“It’s not going to be easy,” Heckert said. “I think free agency’s got to be a part of it. If the right person’s there, we’ll try to do some of that. It’s not easy to do, fill all these holes. I don’t think we have as many holes as we did last year. But we have a lot of picks to do it.

“I’m not against free agency. There’s some guys that we really like in free agency that we’ll try and go after. We really will.”

&#8220rogress” has been the big buzz word this season. The team is headed for a sixth 10-loss season in seven years and the last two have come as a result of the personnel that Heckert has assembled.

Youth, injuries and a first year head coach are all factors this season but Heckert see’s positives among all the negatives that have been focused on by fans and media alike.

“Obviously not in wins but I think so,” Heckert said. “It’s hard for me to sit here and to say that we’ve gotten tremendously better in areas just because of the stats and the wins and losses but I do think we like the guys we have and they are only going to get better.”
Unfortunately fans don’t want to hear that.

Aside from the McCoy issue, the other question that Browns fans want answered is how close is the team to being watchable again – a contender?

“That’s a tough question to answer,” Heckert said. &#8220ittsburgh, Baltimore – they’re going to change just like we’re going to change next year. I think we’re getting closer to where we want to be. We obviously got younger and we’re going to get even younger next year with a lot of draft picks.

“As a team we are getting better.”

The largest and most glaring problem for the Browns, which Heckert admitted, is the overall lack of playmakers – especially offensively.

On that side of the ball, it’s hard to argue that they have a single one.

“Obviously we want playmakers and so we have to get some somewhere,” Heckert said. “We need some playmakers. It doesn’t have to be receiver, it doesn’t have to be running back, we just need to score points and get some people that defenses are afraid of.”

That is the understatement of the year.

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I trust Heckert to get the right FAs, and make the right draft choices. The record doesn't show it, but this team is better than they were when he took over.

royal_k;1016931 wrote:I trust Heckert to get the right FAs, and make the right draft choices. The record doesn't show it, but this team is better than they were when he took over.

They are definitely younger.

BR,
You mentioned that Wallace and Brown were great value picks, and you are correct. But to me, the reason they are so good now is because they had a great mentor in Hines Ward who taught them how to play the position. If the Browns could get that type of veteran, maybe Little could turn into the receiver we all hope he could be. He does have the physical tools to be a stud.

Fred Garvin;1016955 wrote:BR,
You mentioned that Wallace and Brown were great value picks, and you are correct. But to me, the reason they are so good now is because they had a great mentor in Hines Ward who taught them how to play the position. If the Browns could get that type of veteran, maybe Little could turn into the receiver we all hope he could be. He does have the physical tools to be a stud.

Not that I'd suggest the switch but did anyone else notice how comfortable Little looked in the backfield on the play that they used him at RB? I know that was his former position but he just looked smooth back there.

BR1986FB;1016958 wrote:Not that I'd suggest the switch but did anyone else notice how comfortable Little looked in the backfield on the play that they used him at RB? I know that was his former position but he just looked smooth back there.

I thought the same thing. He looked like a natural.

BR1986FB;1016958 wrote:Not that I'd suggest the switch but did anyone else notice how comfortable Little looked in the backfield on the play that they used him at RB? I know that was his former position but he just looked smooth back there.

They have 3 games where they can experiment with some things. I would like to see more of him at RB to see how it goes.

If all goes well this Sunday, expect a few more injuries so they are left with Cribbs and Little in the backfield running the veer option.

Looking more and more like McCoy is out Sunday.

Writerbuckeye;1017071 wrote:Looking more and more like McCoy is out Sunday.

I'll be surprised if we see him again this year. I think there has to be a full week of no symptoms so if he's still showing symptoms as of Sunday that rules out the Baltimore game. Would they put him back in for Pittsburgh?

Ben Watson and Owen Mareric are out as well. A FB from the PS played with the 1s today whihc Mary Kay thinks means that someone is going on the IR to make room for him.

Commander of Awesome;1017116 wrote:Ben Watson and Owen Mareric are out as well. A FB from the PS played with the 1s today whihc Mary Kay thinks means that someone is going on the IR to make room for him.

Probably Watson

EDIT: They did IR Watson to make room for Eddie Williams

This is what Browns fans do this time of year: Looking at the remaining schedules, if the Browns fall flat on their faces on Sunday they will end up 4-12. Every other 4-9 team has a winnable game on their schedule (TB plays Car). The Browns will have the 4th thru 8th pick (how is that determined?). Kalil is projected to go 2nd. Blackmond should tempt a team. This past week indicates that if they draft high enough, Barkley or RGIII will be in Berea next year.

Poor Colt. I really like the guy but, ughhhhh......


Good luck to Seneca Wallace!


Get well Colt.