Sunday, April 26, 2009

NFL Draft Review

Boy was I wrong. None of the guys I listed in my last draft were drafted by the Browns. Neither Brady Quinn and Braylon were traded. GM George Kokinis and Head Coach Eric Mangini made a flurry of moves during draft day. We traded our 5th overall pick to the NY Jets for the 17th overall pick, their 2nd round pick, and 3 reserves from the NY Jets. We then traded down two more times to the 21st pick. I was initially shocked and mildly disappointed with our selection of C Alex Mack of California. I thought the Browns should have taken LB Rey Meualuga or LB Clay Matthews, because of our need of LB. The Browns thought otherwise, and all in all I am starting to make some sense of what the Browns did.

1st Round- Alex Mack, C, California- This was a tough pick to understand at first, but it makes some sense. Mack was the best rated C in the draft, he broke his right wrist during the season, and he continued playing with his left hand. He is nasty, tough, strong, hard working, and he is great at anchoring the line. He is a safe pick and can contribute immediately.

2nd Round- Brian Robiskie, WR, Ohio State- This was another head scratching move to me when it initially occurred. With Rey still on the board I thought we should have taken him, but we went with the OSU wideout. I think Robiskie can be a very solid #2 WR in the NFL. He is smart, has great hands, has some speed, and can run routes very well. This means he can contribute immediately and fill our need for a possession receiver. He can fill the role that Joe Jurevicius had (3rd down receiver, reliable hands).

2nd Round- Mohammed Massaqoui, WR, Georgia- By this time, I started to see what the Browns were trying to do. They were concerned about the depth at WR, and they wanted to get 2 good WR's who could contribute quickly. Massaqoui has great height (6'1), great speed, improving hands, a hard worker, elusive, and can go across the middle. He sounds like a good slot reciever, and he will complement the deep threat of Braylon, and the sure hands of Robiskie. He played with #1 overall pick Matt Stafford at Georgia, and he has a lot of experience. I like this pick a lot.

2nd Round- David Veikune, DE, Hawaii- Finnally, the Browns take a DE that they will convert to LB. I liked this pick because Veikune offers good size (6'2 260 lbs.), is a hard worker, has a nasty streak, has quickness, and great strength. He can compete for a LB position in our 3-4 defense. He sounds a little like Rey, which I like...

4th Round- Kaluka Maiava, LB, USC- We took a USC LB, just not one of the ones I listed! Maiava is tough, strong, and fast. His weakness is his lack of height (5'11), and his short arms. Maiava seems like a good candidate to be on our special teams and could see some time on defense during the game.

6th Round- Don Carey, CB, Norfolk State- After addressing our LB and WR problems, we went to shore up our secondary. He is a smart, somewhat quick, and solid tackler in the secondary. He saw time at both S and CB, and he could serve that purpose with the Browns. The only problem I have is his lack of height (5'11), and average leaping ability. He seems like a solid backup for our secondary and could see some time with Mike Adams at S.

6th Round- Coye Francies, CB, San Jose State- Here is an extremely quick athlete, who has pretty good cover skills, but he struggles against the run. He is not that aggressive, and has some character problems (he was kicked off Oregon St. and was arrested on weapons charges in 2007 but they were later dropped). Francies will probably serve as a solid backup, and he adds youth to our secondary.

6th Round- James Davis, RB, Clemson- The Browns decided to go back to offense, and they used their last pick on Davis. I thought getting a RB was important, and good RB's can be found late in the draft. Davis has good vision, good blocker, and hit the hole with authority. His weakness is that he does not have great speed, and he isn't that elusive. Davis sounds like a good workhorse, 3rd down back, and maybe he could develop into a guy who can take 10-12 carries a game. With the aging Jamal Lewis, and the unproven James Harrison, the pick of Davis makes a lot of sense.

The right side of our offensive line is in some trouble with the underachievement of G Rex Hadnot, and the injury problem of T Ryan Tucker. With Mack as our starting C, Hadnot and Hank Fraley can battle for the RG position, and Tucker can play RT (he started one game at RT last year versus the New York Giants, we all know how well that went). John St. Clair and Floyd Womack will provide depth for the line as well. We solidified our line, found an anchor, and we saw how important a good offensive line was to an offense (anyone remember 2007?)

When I actually sit down and think about this draft, it might not have sexy names, but they filled a lot of holes on the roster. We acquired DE Kenyon Coleman, and S Abram Elam, in trading the 5th pick, and both will provide solid depth, as they are familiar with Eric Mangini (they played for him last year). We saved a lot of money by not selecting at the 5th pick, and I didn't feel that there was anyone we could use at the 5th spot. We got an extra 2nd rounder, and we began to use it on our defense.

The 2 LB's we got are quick, strong, tough, and good workers. We got rid of our two slowest LB's (McGinest and Andra Davis), and we are replacing them with strong and fast players. We still have LB's Leon Williams, and Beau Bell to work with, free agent Eric Barton (played with Mangini), along with stud D'Qwell Jackson. If our coaches can develop more moves from Kamerion Wimbley, we could really have an improved LB's corps.

Now I know I spoke highly of Rey Meauluga, but after thinking about it long and reading more scouting reports, I came to notice that he has 3 red flags. Durability, character issues, and inability to drop back in coverage. Rey does not change directions quickly enough, and is not fluid in his movements. He has faced disciplinary action more than once at his time at USC, and he was once arrested on suspicion of battery. He did have a calf and leg problems that he dealt with this past year as well. While I love his "kill em all" attitude, he could be a real wild child, and pose problems for the team. Also, the New England Patriots worked him out numerous times, and they passed on him twice. Remember the Patriots lost Mike Vrabel in the offseason, and they could have used a LB....

Before Saturday could you name our #2 WR? Syndric Steptoe. That scares me a lot right there. I think our need for LB was magnified by the fact that Aaron Curry was in our reach, and we really didn't concentrate on the fact that we needed to replenish the depth at WR after cutting Joe Jurevicius, and the impending legal problems of Donte Stallworth. We added a potential possession and a slot receiver which compliments the vertical threat of Braylon, and our short passing game very well. Both receivers that we drafted are experienced, hard working kids, who can contribute pretty quickly.

The last three picks of the draft addressed our needs at S, RB, and CB, and they will provide good depth for us. All three guys are pretty durable, and have a lot of experience. These guys might not pan out to be Pro Bowlers, but if they serve as solid backups/special teamers, then we will have found good value.

We had 8 draft picks in this draft, and we added a lot of young talent to our team. We won't know how well we did, but I am content with our draft. We filled our needs of LB, WR, CB/S, most of our picks are smart, tough kids, and none of these guys have character concerns except Francies. 2-3 of our picks could be starting for the Browns this year. If I had to grade our draft I would give it a solid B. These guys are starting to sound like "football players"......

Thanks for reading and go Cleveland!

-Raz

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

NFL Draft Preview

Hello everyone. I am going to dedicate most of my thoughts today to the upcoming NFL Draft that will take place this Saturday. As most of you know, the new regime of Eric Mangini and George Kokinis have kept the lid shut on what their plans are for the draft. My friend and I have a subscription to the Orange and Brown report, and these guys really give out great bits of information. What I will right today will be facts I have heard from these guys, and my own opinion of what I think could happen. Here we go:

The Browns hold the 5th pick in the NFL Draft. This draft does not have any star power names in it, but there is a lot of depth with good players. The Browns probably feel that the money they will be paying the 5th overall pick is not worth the skill set they are drafting. Not many teams are looking to trade up, and I feel that the Browns if given the opportunity would definitely trade down. With this said in mind, the Browns have shown "genuine" interest in USC QB Mark Sanchez. This is why you hear so many trade rumors about QB Brady Quinn. Quinn fits in with the short passing game that Eric Mangini uses, so why would he trade him. He hasn't seen much of Quinn, so whats the point of drafting Sanchez? Your better off drafting someone else or trading down than getting a QB. Why are the Browns showing interest in Sanchez? I believe that they are trying to bait a team to trade up for their pick. Will it work? Who knows, but I would be shocked if we drafted Mark Sanchez.....

The player that the Browns want the most is LB Aaron Curry. He is a tough linebacker who makes all the tackles, and has can play the run well. He is intelligent, has great character, and he won the Butkus Award (best linebacker) his senior year. He will fit our need at LB. The problem is he will probably be gone by the time we pick (the Chiefs will probably take him at #3). IF Curry is there at #5, the Browns will draft him for sure. Now if this happens, should we still trade Braylon? Yes we should, if you can get a 1st, 3rd, and a WR for him do it. He said when he got drafted that he really didn't want to play here, last year he said he didn't feel liked here (catch a pass, it might help you), and he is in the last year of a contract. There are several good WR's in this draft that will be available in the latter part of the first round (Harvin, Maclin, Nicks, Britt). Now if Curry isn't there, and Sanchez isn't a possibility who do the Browns take? Here are some names we could take at the 5th pick:

Michael Crabtree, WR Texas Tech- I think the only way we draft this guy is if we trade Braylon. Many reports have surfaced that the Browns do have a deal in place for Braylon (1st and 3rd and player from Giants), but the guys at the Orange and Brown Report can't confirm this. If Curry is gone, and the Browns can't trade down a few picks, I expect that the Browns will have the Giants on speed dial, and work out a trade. Crabtree might not be as fast as Edwards, but he runs routes much better, is a team leader, and has great hands. These are all qualities Edwards lacks, and it would be a great fit for our shorter passing style.

Brian Orakpo, DE/LB Texas- I like Orakpo as a defensive end, but as a linebacker I am somewhat scared. He is an incredibly strong guy, fast, elusive, and a hard worker. The problem with Orakpo is that he will be converting from DE to LB, and we know how well that has worked out for Kamerion Wimbley. I read a scouting report on Orakpo on the Orange and Brown Report, and they are also somewhat skeptical of him. Apparently his stats were padded at Texas as they recorded more QB pressures than he deserved. They believe he will be a good DE, but he might struggle at the point of attack as a LB, and might not be able to develop pass rushing moves. The Browns biggest need is a pass rushing LB, and if Orakpo struggles at the point of attack, he doesn't sound like a fit. A lot of mock drafts have Orakpo going to the Browns, but this is because we have a need for LB. He isn't worth the 5th pick, especially since he is such a high risk, and this is why I believe the Browns are trying to trade down and get LB who fits their needs.

Eugene Monroe, OT Virginia- Now this pick would have a lot of Browns fans scratching their heads and mad. I would be happy with this pick because we have a very weak right side of our offensive line. Monroe has great size 6'5 310 lbs, who is agile, can protect the QB, hard worker, and is a very smart player. We saw in 2007 how important an offensive line could be to a team. Monroe would play RT for the Browns and fill in for the released Kevin Shaffer. He would help solidify our offensive line for the next 5-10 years with Joe Thomas on the left side. This pick seems unlikely, but we all saw the effect that Joe Thomas has had on our offensive line.

Now if we trade down, or trade Braylon for a draft pick later in the first round, here are some names to consider:

Rey Maualuga, LB, USC- I would love to have this guy on our team. He has good size (6'1 260 lbs.), speed, and just wants to kill opposing offenses. The Browns need scary guys like this on our defense. He should be available from picks 6-20. He would fit our need of LB, and bring some serious toughness to our defense.

Clay Matthews III, LB, USC- This is another LB I would love to have. He has amazing size for a 3-4 defense (6'4 240 lbs.). He has a motor that never stops, a nasty demeanor, good lineage (father player for the Browns), and is very tough. Again he fits a need, and he should be available near the end of the 1st round.

Brian Cushing, LB, USC- Another USC LB could be a possibility for the Browns. Out of all of the USC LB's, I am the most skeptical of Cushing. He has good size (6'2 243 lbs.), was productive at USC, is very strong, and tough. The problem with Cushing is that he is injury prone, and not that fast. We need a quick LB to attack the QB.

Robert Ayers, DE, Tennessee- Ayers might be a DE, but he could transfer to a LB in a 3-4 defense because he is great at the point of attack, is good in pursuit, great tackler, and can shed blocks. He checks out as a good character, and he too should be available later in the first round. I would like this pick as well.

Everette Brown, DE, Florida St.- This guy on the surface might look like another Kamerion Wimbley, but if you take a closer look he might actually be a good fit. He has a wide variety of moves, very athletic, fast, tough worker, strong, and can close in on the QB quickly. Again, he should be available in the middle of the first round. I would rather have the three guys I listed above, but Brown would be a pretty good fit as well.

Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri- If we trade Braylon, and we take Curry at #5, this is the guy we could draft with the 1st rounder we would get with Braylon. He has great speed, good hands, and great upside. He is a threat anytime he touches the ball, and he would give our offense much energy. He can be used as a special teams guy, and he is versatile. I like Maclin, but only if we get a LB before him. Also, a knock on Maclin is that he might not fit with our short passing game, since he is better at running deep routes.

Hakeem Nicks, WR, UNC- Again, Nicks would be the guy we draft with the first round pick if Braylon is traded. He has good size (6'0), great hands, runs routes very well, tough, runs across the middle of the field, and is a team player. He would be a fit for our offensive passing game as well. He should be available in the end of the first round. Hicks would be a great pick, and I like him a little more than Maclin

Louis Delmas, S, Western Michigan- He would help fit the need of the departed S Sean Jones. He is tough, good in coverage, physical, productive, and a great team leader. The Browns could use an enforcer type safety, and he would be a good fit. Delmas should be available at the end of the first, beginning of the second round. I would like Delmas a lot because if you think about it, Mike Adams is our starting safety right now......

Again, not a lot of information has been released, and I am trying to be logical in who the Browns might take. There are a lot of "if's" in this draft. There will be some sort of activity going on, and I am excited to see what will happen. If I had to make a prediction, I say we end up trading Braylon, drafting Crabtree, and either Maualuga/Matthews/Ayers/Brown/Cushing with the other 1st round pick we acquire. Well I know this is a lot of information, but I hope it made you a little less confused on what the Browns could do.

Notes

-Congrats to Mike Brown for winning 2009 NBA Coach of the Year. He has done a great job trusting his assistants (Chris Jent, John Kuester), and his players.
-The Cavs looked very good in Game 1, and they should continue their dominance over the Pistons. People should appreciate the fact that the Pistons have gone to the Eastern Conference Finals for the past 6 years. They are one of the few teams to win a championship without a superstar player.
-I hope Ben Wallace's leg continues to improve, because his inside presence will be huge in the coming rounds. We need his defense and rebounding to combat the Dwight Howard's, Al Horford's, Pau Gasol's, and Andrew Bynum's. Our front line is going to be key in the playoffs.
-The Indians seem to be improving a little bit, and their offense is seeming to click. They scored 22 runs on the Yankees on Saturday.
-The bullpen is a big concern of mine as Jensen Lewis (8.10 ERA), and Rafael Perez (16.71 ERA) seem to be lost. Its sad that the Carl Pavano pitches well against his former team, but the bullpen blows it.
-Jon Meloan is was acquired in the Casey Blake deal, and has a 4.32 ERA in the minor leagues. Maybe its time we give him a try.
-Cliff Lee rebounded well after his 2 horrible starts. He seems to have better command, and is getting ahead in the count early.
-Travis Hafner continues to be steady as he is batting .286 with 4 homers and 8 RBI's. If he continues this, our offense will be much more potent and stable.

Well folks, thats about it. Thanks for reading and go Cleveland!

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

16 More Wins

Hello everyone. Here are some of my quick thoughts.

Cleveland Indians
-Man this team has gotten off to a bad start. 1-7 won't cut it. Pitching has really killed us as we have allowed an average of 8 runs a game. Cliff Lee has struggled to find his command as he is 0-2 with a 9.90 ERA, Fausto is 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA, and Scott Lewis is on the DL.
-Travis Hafner has looked somewhat good so far, he has hit 3 HR and 6 RBI already. He looks like he cut some weight, and his swing is starting to come back. He is vital to our teams success.
-We need to get some legitimate starters in our rotation. Carl Pavano just isn't going to cut it, Lewis is hurt, and Reyes (your 5th starter) has the teams only win. Compare our pitching to the Rays rotation: Matt Garza, Andy Sonnanstine, James Shields, Scott Kazmir, and David Price. Look at the Red Sox: Dice K, Lester, Beckett, Bucholz, and Brad Penny. Yanks have CC, Burnett, Wang, and Pettitte. Do you really think our rotation matches up with these guys?
-Our hitting really hasn't been too big of a problem. I am excited to see some of our youngsters come up at play in the coming months.
-Eric Wedge's leash is starting to become tight, and he needs to start winning if he wants to keep his job. One year he has a good season, the next a bad one, this team flip flops too much. We need consistency, and our team is too good to be 1-7. This team has great potential, and they need to start playing like men.

Cleveland Browns
-I really have no idea what the Browns are going to do in the upcoming draft. They want "football players", I am not sure what you mean by that.
-At the #5 pick, we can go any different direction. WR Michael Crabtree, QB Mark Sanchez, LB Aaron Curry, OT Jason Smith, OT Eugene Monroe DE/LB Brian Orakpo are all names that have been mentioned.
-I think the Browns are trying to bait a team to trade for the #5 pick. I don't really believe LB Aaron Curry will be there, neither will OT Jason Smith, Orakpo isn't worth the 5th pick, if we don't trade Edwards we have no need for Crabtree. Where do we go?
-I believe the Browns want to trade down, and collect more draft picks. They don't want to pay a player #5 money, especially if that player does not fit a need. If we do trade down, pay attention to these names: DE Robert Ayers, OT Michael Oher, S Louis Delmas, LB's Rey Meualuga, Clay Matthews, and Brian Cushing and WR Jeremy Maclin. These are all guys that the Browns have brought in for workouts.
-The Browns should keep Brady Quinn. We haven't really seen much out of him, and I want to see him for a whole season before we trade him. He fits our short passing style very well, he is a competitor, and he doesn't make dumb mistakes.
-If the Browns are offered a 1st and 3rd for Braylon, they should trade him. He is unhappy here, he is in the final year of his contract, and he cannot catch a pass. We aren't going to be Super Bowl contenders, so you might as well trade away an unhappy player. Should we trade him, we should use our 5th pick on Crabtree, and depending on where the 1st round pick is, draft the best available LB or S. After that, go after an OT, S, RB, and LB.
-I will give a more extensive preview on the draft in a future blog.

Cleveland Cavaliers
-Congrats on getting homecourt gentlemen. It has been truly a great season, and we are 16 post- season wins away from a championship. If we don't win a championship, the season means nothing. LeBron talking about the heartbreaks we've had in Cleveland, and how it motivates the team is just awesome.
-Detroit will be a tough opponent in the first round, but I think we can handle them. PD's Brian Windhorst made a good point in that they have a rookie head coach in Michael Curry, crumbling team chemistry, no main scorer, and they run a very simple offense. The Pistons fell apart yesterday at home versus the Bulls. They needed to win that game to avoid playing the Cavs, and they didn't make it happen.
-According to RCF insiders, Ben Wallace should be ready for the playoffs this weekend. He is vital in our success, as he will give us a tough interior presence with our 2nd unit. When he came back, Wallace looked like he had fresh legs. He meshes will with the smooth inside/outside game of Joe Smith.
-The Cavs need to win game 1 at the Q, and game 3 in the Palace. By winning the first game, you establish yourself in the series, and its hard for a visiting team to win game 2. If you win the first away game, then the Pistons will just fold in game 4. My prediction Cavs in 5.
-This is going to be a very tough playoff run. We have to beat Detroit, Hawks/Heat, Celtics, and Lakers 4 times each to win the championship. My hope is the Lakers will get upset in the West, and the Cavs propel themselves to a championship against a weaker team (Nuggets).
-If the Cavs win every post season home game, we win a championship, its that simple.

We have a very exciting month coming up with the Browns draft, the Indians season in full swing, and the Cavs playoff run. I will do a Browns draft preview, some more Indians talk, and Cavs playoff thoughts. Thanks again for reading and go Cleveland!

-Raz