OhioStatePride2003;875114 wrote:Brown has had a killer preseason, but I think Kaluka Maiava has done an admirable job filling in for Gocong. Brian Smith, although a rookie, has done a decent job with his playing time too. I agree though, we need depth at LB, RB, DL and now - I'd say OL.

Maiava has been a pleasant surprise. Seems to play above his actual size (high motor guy). Agree on the O-Line statement.

I really like Kaluka Maiava. I think he can be a solid LB, even though he's only 6'

From a personal stand point I'd love to see Archie Donald make the team but I haven't heard much about him and I'm thinking he doesn't stand much of a shot.

[h=1]Sorting out the facts as the Cleveland Browns wind down preseason preparation: Tony Grossi analysis[/h] [h=5]Published: Sunday, August 28, 2011, 2:50 AM Updated: Sunday, August 28, 2011, 3:04 AM[/h] By Tony Grossi, The Plain Dealer The Plain Dealer
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John Kuntz, The Plain DealerPeyton Hillis hasn't gotten a lot of run so far in the preseason, but Tony Grossi says that will almost certainly change once the games are played for keeps.
BEREA, Ohio -- In NFL preseason, nothing is as good or as bad as it seems. Then again, team deficiencies don't get magically corrected simply by turning the calendar to the regular season.
As the Browns head into their final week of preseason practice, their injury list poses new hurdles for the coaching staff. Issues of sloppy play abound, while decisions on the makeup of the final roster wind down.
Here's a primer on frequently asked questions about the Browns with the season opener fast approaching.
1. What's with all the injuries?
Currently, seven key players could open the season unable to play or having played no more than a quarter in the preseason. This is a theme throughout the league. Blame it on the four-month owners lockout.
While the new collective bargaining agreement softened the practice schedule in the name of player safety, the dead period broke up the off-season training routine, leaving the players more vulnerable to injuries.
2. Is the depth at linebacker a concern that no longer can be ignored?
Yes. Weakside linebacker Chris Gocong hasn't played in a preseason game because of a neck stinger. Backup middle linebacker Titus Brown will miss a few weeks with a high ankle sprain. Those injuries leave Steve Octavien as the most experienced backup on the roster with 18 career NFL games.
The Browns need to bring in a linebacker who has experience in the 4-3 defense at more than one position.
3. How is the receiving corps breaking down?
Brian Robiskie probably held down a starting spot with a good outing Thursday night. When healthy, Josh Cribbs appears to be the other starter. Rookie Greg Little would join the mix in three-receiver sets.
Mohamed Massaquoi hopes to practice this week for the first time after reporting to camp with a fracture in his left foot. Carlton Mitchell's broken finger set him back a few weeks. Jordan Norwood has had his moments and Demetrius Williams is not out of the picture.
4. Are the special teams getting enough attention?
Three breakdowns occurred in Philadelphia. League-wide, kickoff units are still grappling with the controversial rules changes. The Browns have not used league record-holder Josh Cribbs at all and are still breaking in Richmond McGee, who has never punted in a regular-season game.
[h=4]Related stories[/h]

• Key questions for Browns: Pluto | Hey, Tony!
• Kickoff rules deflate NFL excitement: Livingston
• Sloppy preseason is lockout's fault: Shaw

It's safe to say this area of the team will suffer from the philosophical differences of the new regime. The former coaches were obsessed with special teams. The present regime -- starting with President Mike Holmgren at the top -- simply devotes more time, energy and resources to offense and defense.
That's the way it's going to be. While special teams rarely win games by themselves, no matter how dominant (see: 2004-08 Bills, 2009-10 Browns), it's important to note that bad special teams can submarine a season (2010 Chargers).
5. Why don't the Browns run the ball more in preseason?
If the game in Philadelphia were played in the regular season, the Browns would have dialed the run more to stabilize an offense out of synch. Peyton Hillis looked like he could have had a big game smashing through the center of the Eagles' defense, but he carried only three times (for 18 yards).
"Believe me, there's reasons for doing what I'm doing," coach Pat Shurmur said. "We have the ability to run the football here. I'm trying to use the preseason as a way to develop the team, and you really need to develop the passing game as well as the running game. I think that's important for the preseason, especially for a bunch of guys that have only been together for less than a month."
6. Are there more problems on the offensive line than meets the eye?
When this unit struggles as it did in Philadelphia, everything on offense gets out of whack. Colt McCoy doesn't have the natural ability of Michael Vick to make plays on his own when his line fails him, so it has to be consistently good.
Left guard Eric Steinbach figures to open the season still nursing a back injury. Steinbach's absence enabled the Browns to force-feed rookie Jason Pinkston with the No. 1 unit. Pinkston has responded well enough for the Browns to commit to him to open the season.
Considering that right guard Shawn Lauvao played sparingly as a rookie, that puts two untested guards in the starting lineup. Lauvao, though, has had a very good camp.
7. How will the final roster shake down?
Here's one guess, with the caveat that we may see two to four new players added after the final cuts:
Specialists (three): Phil Dawson, McGee, Ryan Pontbriand.
Quarterbacks (two): McCoy, Seneca Wallace.
Running backs (five): Hillis, Montario Hardesty, Brandon Jackson, Owen Marecic, Armond Smith.
Wide receivers (six): Robiskie, Cribbs, Little, Massaquoi, Norwood, Williams or Mitchell.
Tight ends (four): Benjamin Watson, Evan Moore, Alex Smith, Jordan Cameron.
Offensive linemen (nine): Joe Thomas, Steinbach, Alex Mack, Lauvao, Tony Pashos, Pinkston, Branndon Braxton, John Greco, Steve Vallos.
Defensive linemen (eight): Jayme Mitchell, Phil Taylor, Ahtyba Rubin, Jabaal Sheard, Derreck Robinson, Marcus Benard, Brian Schaefering, Travis Ivey.
Linebackers (six): Scott Fujita, D'Qwell Jackson, Gocong, Brown, Kaluka Maiava, Brian Smith.
Cornerbacks (six): Joe Haden, Sheldon Brown, Dimitri Patterson, Buster Skrine, James Dockery, Ramzee Robinson.
Safeties (four): T.J. Ward, Usama Young, Mike Adams, Ray Ventrone.

http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2011/08/sorting_out_the_facts_as_the_c.html

I'm nowhere near as optimistic as this guy. Possible? Yes. Likely? No. Also disagree on the "defense looks solid, as usual?" comment.

[h=1]Colt McCoy, Browns Poised To Shock AFC North[/h] August 25, 2011 1:09 am



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Colt McCoy began his college career at the University of Texas in 2005 — the team Vince Young led to a national title — and was promptly given red-shirt status.

As the probable backup to incoming true freshman quarterback Jevan Snead in 2006, McCoy had to prove he was deserving of leading the Longhorns. By the opening game in the fall of 2006 against the North Texas Mean Green, he had won the starting job, and he did not disappoint. On his second-ever pass attempt in college, he hit wide receiver Limas Sweed on a post route for a 60-yard touchdown.

Over the next four years, McCoy would break numerous school records and finish his career with a college record 45 wins, and is the only quarterback in college football history to win at least 10 games in each of his four seasons.

His rookie season in a Cleveland Browns uniform began in 2010 as it should: His first start coming in Pittsburgh against the Steelers and their top-flight defense. He performed admirably, considering what he had at his disposal. His final line — 23 of 33 (69.7%), 281 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT, 80.5 QB rating — was good enough to give Browns fans hope for the future. He hasn't been given the key to the city of Cleveland yet, especially after going 2-6 as a starter, but McCoy will prove this year that he has what it takes to be the outright leader of the team, and put himself in the same conversation as the elite quarterbacks in the league.

Looking ahead to the 2011 season for McCoy and the Browns, there is a lot of excitement building around the team. Each time he finds tight end Evan Moore or rookie wide receiver Greg Little, he inches his way closer to the love that the city of Cleveland longs to give him.

In his first preseason game against the defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers, he led the offense down the field on its first drive and hit WR Josh Cribbs for a 27-yard score. He led another touchdown drive at the end of the first quarter, culminating when RB Peyton Hillis pounded it in from the Packers' three-yard line on the third play of the second quarter. He left after that, finishing 9 of 10 (90%) for 135 yards and 1 TD, with a 152.1 QBR.

McCoy played the majority of the first half against the Detroit Lions in the Browns second preseason matchup. He led three touchdown drives — all passing touchdowns — of the five he was on the field, and ended his day after throwing a beautiful corner route to Little for a 13-yard TD. Most of you will argue that it's just the preseason, and that those games mean nothing. While that is largely true, to see him gain confidence from his fellow players and the coaches on the sideline will give him the confidence needed to lead Cleveland to more victories in 2011, and eventually to the playoffs.

He won't do it alone, however. The defense looks to be solid as usual (pending a few nagging injuries), and the offensive line seems to be coming together. But the unit most-improved so far has to be the receiving corps.

With the rookie Little bringing athleticism unseen since Braylon Edwards left, the ever-improving Brian Robiskie, and the emergence of Jordan Norwood as a slot receiver who can get open down the field, the accurate McCoy will have plenty of opportunities to spread the ball around. And with the new kickoff rule by and large eliminating the threat of Cribbs on special teams, he should become a better option as a receiver, as well.

As for the tight ends on the team, Moore is becoming a favorite target of McCoy. He has only 28 catches in his two-year career, but many believe he will break out this season and become a viable threat in the passing game. That fact alone will make McCoy's job much easier. Having a reliable outlet he can go to on 3rd and 5 with the game on the line will vastly change the prospect of some close games the Browns would otherwise lose.

They have the mentality of a winning team, and that's a trickle-down effect that starts with management.

Team president Mike Holmgren is where it begins. He has always been a catalyst for leadership, no matter where he's been over his football career. The organization is beginning to see the fruits of that leadership, as he has brought in coaches who will echo his expectations, and has drafted players who have shown a high work ethic on and off the field.

This team will not finish the season at 13-3, or even 11-5. In fact, since an over-achieving 10-6 season in 2007, the past three seasons have seen them struggle to a 14-34 record. And they will certainly have their work cut out for them in 2011.

What is realistic? Can they match their 2007 performance and actually make the playoffs?* The first half of their schedule is manageable, and they could easily be 5-3 or 6-2 going in to the week 10 showdown at home against the up-start St. Louis Rams.

However, they finish the year having to face Baltimore and Pittsburgh twice, with a game at the Arizona Cardinals thrown in the middle in Week 15. In a three week span, they will travel from Pittsburgh to Arizona to Baltimore before ending the regular season at home against the Steelers. That will be no small task for a young team who will have scratched their way through nearly an entire football season before-hand.

If they draw even with the Ravens and Steelers, they could very well find themselves on their way to the post-season. It should be noted that they haven't beaten Pittsburgh since week 14 of the 2009 season, and have an 0-6 record against Baltimore since beating them twice during the 2007 season.**

The bottom-line is this: New head coach Pat Shurmur and his West Coast offense fit McCoy perfectly, and this team will be improved dramatically from a year ago. They are showing signs that greatness is around the corner, but have a long way to go to achieve that. Should they end up with another top-10 draft pick in 2012, heads — and coaches — may roll right out of Cleveland. Shurmur may be safe no matter the outcome, but Holmgren expects the best from everyone involved in this organization, and will accept nothing less.

---------------

*In 2007, Cleveland missed the playoffs despite their 10-6 record when Tennessee beat Indianapolis on the final week of the regular season. They both featured 10-6 records, but a tie-breaker went to Tennessee based on them having a better record within their division.

**The Browns have never beaten Pittsburgh and Baltimore in the same season.

http://www.footballnation.com/content/colt-mccoy-browns-poised-to-shock-afc-north/8276/

Why would Robiskie be starting over Greg Little? That doesn't make much sense to me. Also I don't see Mitchell getting cut. Grossi isn't very bright, in fact he emailed my cousin the other day and said "who is this Dockery guy and where did he come from". How do you follow the freaking team every day and not know about this guy? Dude is a moron.

DanielWolfNFL Daniel Wolf


RT @DMurph_BrownsPR: #Browns waived following: K Anderson, J Fletcher, D Hagan, J Haggerty, B Johnson, J Nunez, T Weatherhead, J Wolfert

Some teams may get a jump on getting rosters down by releasing more players today and tomorrow. It will be interesting to see if any of them catch Heckert's eye.

Writerbuckeye;875745 wrote:Some teams may get a jump on getting rosters down by releasing more players today and tomorrow. It will be interesting to see if any of them catch Heckert's eye.

The players that SHOULD be of interest will be when they cut down from 80 to 53 but from what we've seen, so far, I doubt many of those are picked up either.

http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2011/08/cleveland_browns_receivers_moh.html

Massaquoi returns to practice today.

^^Mitchell also was practicing today.

I think Massaquoi will have a very good year in this offense.

He's shown signs of being a very good NFL WR--just not a #1

I think Maybe MoMass, Little, Cribbs, Norwood, and Mitchell/Robiskie could be a pretty decent wr corps, along with their TE's (Watson, Moore, Cameron and Smith)...doesn't look amazing right now, but I think it could be doable for now and surprise some people...and hopefully Hillis and Hardesty can keep the running game going to help out Colt.

zach24oz;875975 wrote:I think Maybe MoMass, Little, Cribbs, Norwood, and Mitchell/Robiskie could be a pretty decent wr corps, along with their TE's (Watson, Moore, Cameron and Smith)...doesn't look amazing right now, but I think it could be doable for now and surprise some people...and hopefully Hillis and Hardesty can keep the running game going to help out Colt.

Like I said before, whether it's two 5 yard receptions or one 10 yarder, it's still moving the chains. WR corps, in this offense, don't need to be exceptional...just efficient.

http://chronicle.northcoastnow.com/2011/08/28/browns-analysis-injuries-sure-to-impact-roster-decisions/
A look at the possible 53 man roster by next saturday. Do the Browns really need to have 4 TE's? I think they could afford to let Smith go and keep the other 3. I can see them adding a couple OL, DL, LBs, and maybe a RB? I like Smith's speed and I know he has that long TD run, but Quinn Porter has looked a little better to me. Maybe there's a way they can keep one and the other on the practice squad?

zach24oz;876004 wrote:http://chronicle.northcoastnow.com/2011/08/28/browns-analysis-injuries-sure-to-impact-roster-decisions/
A look at the possible 53 man roster by next saturday. Do the Browns really need to have 4 TE's? I think they could afford to let Smith go and keep the other 3. I can see them adding a couple OL, DL, LBs, and maybe a RB? I like Smith's speed and I know he has that long TD run, but Quinn Porter has looked a little better to me. Maybe there's a way they can keep one and the other on the practice squad?

Supposedly on the new Browns depth chart, Porter is above Smith. I think he has looked better as well, and hasn't put the ball on the ground like Smith did.

Porter does look like the better running back right now, but maybe they want to hang on to Smith because of his speed...can work on his ball security. He could be a return specialist if not getting carries.

I really think Carlton Mitchell can be a very good option for the Browns. Great character and high motor. He's fast and built like a tank.

Not sure why he never saw more action under Manigini..

Robo is a guy I like on this team.. He brings great hands and high IQ to the WR spot. He may not be that electric playmaker, but if you get the ball near him, it's 99% likely he'll catch it. Every thing you want in a possession/3rd down type of receiver. #3 type of slot guy.

MoMass I think has the makings of a very good #2. Can stretch the field and isn't afraid of going over the middle. He showed good production when he was the #2 while Edwards was here, but his production slipped as a #1 (albeit, his QB's sucked as did the talent around him)

Josh Cribbs seems to have improved quite a bit as a WR. You can really tell he's put a lot of work into it. He could thrive in the WCO because he can let his vision/playmaking ability take control on short routes.

Greg Little will be the best of the bunch, IMO. He's got star written all over him. Big, strong, fast, physical. He'll lay you out on a block, go over the middle to get a tough catch, and burn down the sideline to beat single coverage. People forget that he played RB in his sophomore season at UNC, he's still learning how to play WR at a high level and he's 22. I also think he brings some "personality" to an overall bland group of guys.

The TE's are VERY good. Watson and Moore are going to be a great duo.

Not sure if anyone saw it but ESPN had Herm Edwards on with his picks for most impressive/most disappointing teams and most impressive/least impressive players this preseason.

Most impressive team: Detroit Lions
Least impressive team: Tampa Bay Bucs
Least impressive player: I forgot
Most impressive player: Colt McCoy

BR1986FB;876275 wrote:Not sure if anyone saw it but ESPN had Herm Edwards on with his picks for most impressive/most disappointing teams and most impressive/least impressive players this preseason.

Most impressive team: Detroit Lions
Least impressive team: Tampa Bay Bucs
Least impressive player: I forgot
Most impressive player: Colt McCoy

It really does look like Detroit is going to break out this year. While I have nothing but disdain for anything from the state north of Ohio, this does give me hope for the Browns.

I also like that so many non Browns-related commentators have taken a liking to what McCoy is doing. It reinforces my view that he's going to be the QB for a long (and hopefully very successful) time.

I see Veikune got cut by the Broncos today.

So it sounds like the player who made the "I'm just doing my time in Cleveland and then moving on" comment was Greg Little.

My take on the week one match-up with the Cincinnati Bengals..

http://www.brownsgab.com/2011/08/29/week-one-preview-keys-to-victory-against-the-bengals/

Very optimistic. I'll believe an opening day win when I see it.

BR1986FB;876667 wrote:
So it sounds like the player who made the "I'm just doing my time in Cleveland and then moving on" comment was Greg Little.

When was this said?

BR1986FB;876667 wrote:I see Veikune got cut by the Broncos today.

So it sounds like the player who made the "I'm just doing my time in Cleveland and then moving on" comment was Greg Little.

WTF? If he said this, he's pretty stupid.