I would've rather we waited until next year to take a QB and get a shot at Matt Barkley, but I like Weeden. Strong arm, super accurate, he just needs to be ready to step in and start next year or else he's going to be in his thirties before he ever has a chance to contribute.

Playing musical QBs is not going to help the Browns. Fix the O-Line and receivers after picking up Richardson, Shurmur.

Eddie_Dean_NY: Playing musical QBs is not going to help the Browns. Fix the O-Line and receivers after picking up Richardson, Shurmur.

There are still some great O-linemen available in the second round. Jonathan Martin and Cordy Glenn fell out of the first round and should be available for the Browns at 37. What they'll do about finding a WR is beyond me unless they wanna take a risk on a guy like Ryan Broyles in the middle of the draft.

CavalierEternal: Eddie_Dean_NY: Playing musical QBs is not going to help the Browns. Fix the O-Line and receivers after picking up Richardson, Shurmur.

There are still some great O-linemen available in the second round. Jonathan Martin and Cordy Glenn fell out of the first round and should be available for the Browns at 37. What they'll do about finding a WR is beyond me unless they wanna take a risk on a guy like Ryan Broyles in the middle of the draft.

We can only hope for some good lineman, or we'll get to find out how tough the 28 year-old really is pretty quickly.

You think they'll keep Wallace as the backup and trade McCoy? Or vice-versa?

Eddie_Dean_NY: CavalierEternal: Eddie_Dean_NY: Playing musical QBs is not going to help the Browns. Fix the O-Line and receivers after picking up Richardson, Shurmur.

There are still some great O-linemen available in the second round. Jonathan Martin and Cordy Glenn fell out of the first round and should be available for the Browns at 37. What they'll do about finding a WR is beyond me unless they wanna take a risk on a guy like Ryan Broyles in the middle of the draft.

We can only hope for some good lineman, or we'll get to find out how tough the 28 year-old really is pretty quickly.

You think they'll keep Wallace as the backup and trade McCoy? Or vice-versa?

I think McCoy stays. He's still under contract through 2014 and we're not paying him sh*t. Seneca, on the other hand, not only makes more than McCoy but was also recently outed for being a huge sh*tbag and refusing to tutor McCoy on the WCO in order to try and better his chances of becoming the starting QB.

I liked the Weeden pick. Get someone decent to compete with McCoy, maybe it makes him better, or Weeden can transform into a serviceable QB.

Also, if CE is not biatching about the Browns, no one should.

I Have The Touch of a Shocked Monkey: I liked the Weeden pick. Get someone decent to compete with McCoy, maybe it makes him better, or Weeden can transform into a serviceable QB.

Also, if CE is not biatching about the Browns, no one should.

We're bringing the guy in at 28 years old. Assuming he steps right in and performs well enough to stick around, we could potentially still have the guy at QB for a decade. That may not be Brett Favre-level longevity, but it's still plenty long enough to become a staple with the team and potentially bring them back to relevance.

To put it in perspective, Troy Aikman only played eleven years. I would not complain about only getting ten out of Weeden.

CavalierEternal: I Have The Touch of a Shocked Monkey: I liked the Weeden pick. Get someone decent to compete with McCoy, maybe it makes him better, or Weeden can transform into a serviceable QB.

Also, if CE is not biatching about the Browns, no one should.

We're bringing the guy in at 28 years old. Assuming he steps right in and performs well enough to stick around, we could potentially still have the guy at QB for a decade. That may not be Brett Favre-level longevity, but it's still plenty long enough to become a staple with the team and potentially bring them back to relevance.

To put it in perspective, Troy Aikman only played eleven years. I would not complain about only getting ten out of Weeden.

And its not like an older guy can't step in and be great right away. Look at Kurt Warner.

Still waiting to see who takes Fleener.

CavalierEternal: I Have The Touch of a Shocked Monkey: I liked the Weeden pick. Get someone decent to compete with McCoy, maybe it makes him better, or Weeden can transform into a serviceable QB.

Also, if CE is not biatching about the Browns, no one should.

We're bringing the guy in at 28 years old. Assuming he steps right in and performs well enough to stick around, we could potentially still have the guy at QB for a decade. That may not be Brett Favre-level longevity, but it's still plenty long enough to become a staple with the team and potentially bring them back to relevance.

To put it in perspective, Troy Aikman only played eleven years. I would not complain about only getting ten out of Weeden.

Here's hoping you're right. You're the only Browns fan I'm hearing from right now that is staying this positive. All the local fan club guys are grumbling their way through Facebook about Weeden. But they biatch and moan every year anyway. I'm more excited about Richardson right now myself.

SilentStrider: CavalierEternal: I Have The Touch of a Shocked Monkey: I liked the Weeden pick. Get someone decent to compete with McCoy, maybe it makes him better, or Weeden can transform into a serviceable QB.

Also, if CE is not biatching about the Browns, no one should.

We're bringing the guy in at 28 years old. Assuming he steps right in and performs well enough to stick around, we could potentially still have the guy at QB for a decade. That may not be Brett Favre-level longevity, but it's still plenty long enough to become a staple with the team and potentially bring them back to relevance.

To put it in perspective, Troy Aikman only played eleven years. I would not complain about only getting ten out of Weeden.

And its not like an older guy can't step in and be great right away. Look at Kurt Warner.


He's going to start this year unless to completely sh*ts his pants in the preseason. There's no way they'd bring in a QB pushing 30 and have him sit behind Colt McCoy for a year. I just hope they get him someone to throw to, otherwise the fans here are going to be screaming at the top of their lungs for Colt McCoy by week five.


Eddie_Dean_NY: Here's hoping you're right. You're the only Browns fan I'm hearing from right now that is staying this positive. All the local fan club guys are grumbling their way through Facebook about Weeden. But they biatch and moan every year anyway. I'm more excited about Richardson right now myself.

I'm very excited about Trent Richardson. Giving up the late rounders we did was totally necessary to make sure we didn't get leapfrogged for Richardson, regardless of the Vikings fans going, "LOL U GOT FLEECED". We're going to be lucky to win five games with our schedule this year but at least our offense should finally start improving instead of regressing like it did last season.

Meh...congrats if you prove me wrong, but I still think the Browns come away as the biggest losers of the first round this year. First for giving up two extra picks to move up one freaking spot & pick Richardson (greatest RB since Sanders, huge drop-off to 2nd best RB, had lotsa extra picks, etc), and then for reaching on Weeden (who would almost certainly have been there at #37). Like I said in the other thread, this is a team that has a lot of needs and I just don't see how drafting a running back, even a potential game-breaker, and pretty much moving laterally at QB is the best way to get competitive in the AFC North.

Harv72b: Meh...congrats if you prove me wrong, but I still think the Browns come away as the biggest losers of the first round this year. First for giving up two extra picks to move up one freaking spot & pick Richardson (greatest RB since Sanders, huge drop-off to 2nd best RB, had lotsa extra picks, etc), and then for reaching on Weeden (who would almost certainly have been there at #37). Like I said in the other thread, this is a team that has a lot of needs and I just don't see how drafting a running back, even a potential game-breaker, and pretty much moving laterally at QB is the best way to get competitive in the AFC North.

To compete in the AFC North, you have to be able to pound the ball first and foremost. If you don't have a back who can match up against the Ravens and Steelers defenses, you're going to fail. It's how the Bengals got to the top of the division a couple years ago and how the Steelers and Ravens have consistently dominated the division (Pittsburgh's recent pass-first reinvention not withstanding). I don't think there's any question that Richardson was the RB we needed.

Weeden is a better Quarterback than McCoy. He's bigger, he's got a stronger arm and he's crazy accurate. The obvious concern is his age and I don't think that's going to be a huge factor since he's going to be almost guaranteed to step in and start on day one instead of sitting back to be "mentored". Again, my big issue with the Weeden pick is that it takes us out of the running (which we'd probably be winning) for Matt Barkley at the top of the draft next year.

CavalierEternal: To compete in the AFC North, you have to be able to pound the ball first and foremost. If you don't have a back who can match up against the Ravens and Steelers defenses, you're going to fail. It's how the Bengals got to the top of the division a couple years ago and how the Steelers and Ravens have consistently dominated the division (Pittsburgh's recent pass-first reinvention not withstanding). I don't think there's any question that Richardson was the RB we needed.

I have to respectfully disagree with your assessment of what it takes to compete in the North; first & foremost, you have to be able to stop your opponents on defense, which the Browns have struggled to do (and which the Ravens, Steelers, and now Bengals have all been good at). Look, honestly speaking and even as a Ravens fan, I'll be happy for you the other long-suffering Browns followers if Richardson does end up being a perennial all pro, but looking at the rest of the situation in Cleveland I just don't see how he (or any RB) is the answer right now. He's still playing on a team that needs a lot of help on defense & doesn't have a viable passing threat.

As far as Weeden, aside from him being 3 years older than McCoy, the other knocks I've seen on him are that he's not particularly mobile and his accuracy drops off when he does leave the pocket. That could get painful for him (and the fans) in this division.

I'm just saying, even if you support the move to get Richardson, I think Cleveland is much better off taking Hightower, DeCastro, or Reiff with the Weeden pick. Heck, even Harrison Smith or Nick Perry there makes more sense to me. And I really, really don't see how Weeden wouldn't have been waiting for them at #37 either way.

Harv72b: CavalierEternal: To compete in the AFC North, you have to be able to pound the ball first and foremost. If you don't have a back who can match up against the Ravens and Steelers defenses, you're going to fail. It's how the Bengals got to the top of the division a couple years ago and how the Steelers and Ravens have consistently dominated the division (Pittsburgh's recent pass-first reinvention not withstanding). I don't think there's any question that Richardson was the RB we needed.

I have to respectfully disagree with your assessment of what it takes to compete in the North; first & foremost, you have to be able to stop your opponents on defense, which the Browns have struggled to do (and which the Ravens, Steelers, and now Bengals have all been good at). Look, honestly speaking and even as a Ravens fan, I'll be happy for you the other long-suffering Browns followers if Richardson does end up being a perennial all pro, but looking at the rest of the situation in Cleveland I just don't see how he (or any RB) is the answer right now. He's still playing on a team that needs a lot of help on defense & doesn't have a viable passing threat.

As far as Weeden, aside from him being 3 years older than McCoy, the other knocks I've seen on him are that he's not particularly mobile and his accuracy drops off when he does leave the pocket. That could get painful for him (and the fans) in this division.

I'm just saying, even if you support the move to get Richardson, I think Cleveland is much better off taking Hightower, DeCastro, or Reiff with the Weeden pick. Heck, even Harrison Smith or Nick Perry there makes more sense to me. And I really, really don't see how Weeden wouldn't have been waiting for them at #37 either way.

The Browns defense has been steadily improving over the past two years. Last year, we had the second best pass defense and gave up the fifth fewest points in the NFL. I'm fine with waiting until the middle rounds to look for linebackers, safeties, etc. We should continue to improve on defense and be more defensively competitive against the rest of the North this season.

You're right about Weeden's mobility issues, though, which is why I think we absolutely have to address the offensive line tomorrow night. Cordy Glenn, Jonathan Martin and Bobby Massie are still out there and I'd love to have either of the three. I would've preferred waiting for Weeden until the second round, yes. I'm just saying that I don't have an issue with having Weeden at Quarterback.

On a sidenote, I kinda worry about how Weeden is going to be assessed this year, especially by the fans. We're entering one of the most brutal schedules I can ever remember us playing. The fans are obviously already against him at this point, so how are they going to react when he loses thirteen games this year just like Colt McCoy would have done? I said it before, there's really no hope for us to have a decent season this year which is why I wanted the Browns to wait to readdress the QB position until next spring when we'd be sitting at the top of the draft board looking at Matt Barkley. I can already, unfortunately, see Brandon Weeden ending up a victim of circumstance in this whole mess just because he got thrown in at the wrong time.

The Browns don't get to claim the title as worst decisions in football history until they beat the Ottawa Rough Riders, who once drafted a dead guy.

CavalierEternal: The Browns defense has been steadily improving over the past two years. Last year, we had the second best pass defense and gave up the fifth fewest points in the NFL. I'm fine with waiting until the middle rounds to look for linebackers, safeties, etc. We should continue to improve on defense and be more defensively competitive against the rest of the North this season.

Statistically you're right, but a big part of why they ranked so well against the pass & in scoring is that teams would build up a quick lead & then do nothing but run the ball against the NFL's 30th-ranked run defense. Like I said, I honestly hope that both these guys do well & that Cleveland can put together some good seasons in the near future, but at least at this point it's tough to pick a team to rate below them in this year's first round. You are right about some good O-line prospects falling to the second round, though, so it's still possible this turns into a good draft overall.

/I guess you could say Oakland has had a worse draft so far.

unyon: The Browns don't get to claim the title as worst decisions in football history until they beat the Ottawa Rough Riders, who once drafted a dead guy.

The Celtics did it in BB with the top pick.


/ok, he was almost dead

The Browns led the league in dropped passes. Must have been the QB's fault. The right side of the offensive line is swiss cheese. Must have been the QB's fault.

Weeden might be a great QB. He might not be. It doesn't matter when they don't put anybody around him to block or catch the ball. There's not a QB in the league who could win more than 6 games with that supporting cast.

Why take him at 22? Who would have taken him through the end of the first round? Nobody. So you could trade up the end of the 1st or very early 2nd to get him, but no you waste a pick on this guy when you could have gotten a RT or WR or even traded down.

I am neutral on Weeden as a player, but disgusted at the Browns for taking him at 22. What a complete waste. The Browns have effectively used five of the thirteen picks they had going in and they haven't done anything at all to address their two biggest needs. All they did was replace the RB position, and got a short-term QB that provides a marginal-at-best upgrade which is not what you want out of a first round pick.

Triumph: unyon: The Browns don't get to claim the title as worst decisions in football history until they beat the Ottawa Rough Riders, who once drafted a dead guy.

The Celtics did it in BB with the top pick.
[upload.wikimedia.org image 195x262]

/ok, he was almost dead

To hell ye shall go.

Since "suck for luck" is done, I am going "Sparkly for Barkley."

No, that title goes to allowing Art Modell to move the team to Baltimore.

has all the tools for success

cept

non collision sport players

can't tolerate the hits

ever spar with a boxer

or wrestle with an mma

don't

dang sure: has all the tools for success

cept

non collision sport players

can't tolerate the hits

ever spar with a boxer

or wrestle with an mma

don't

Worst haiku ever.

Also, judging by the guy's picture in the article, he's apparently 28 going on 40. I'm looking forward to the Ginger QB Battle of Ohio when they play the Bengals this year.

CE, I'm happy you're staying positive about this and all, but I really want some of whatever you're smoking.

I thought we had a very clear trio of needs with our first three picks, and at three very deep positions that would make them obvious. I can live with giving up chaff to ensure getting Richardson. But we needed offensive line and receiver support. Not that we won't still get those things, but the WR we pick up at the start of the third round is not going to be Stephen Hill quality. And QB BROWNS isn't going to get by with an army of Greg Littles.

So, as I said, I'll take whatever you've got. If you can make picking Scott Bakula from Necessary Roughness into a positive, more power to you. At least you realize we're headed for another 4-win season and will realistically be in line for an actual starting quarterback next season. So we can have *yet another* QB controversy.

/I think I'm getting a jersey that says "QB BROWNS."
//number 19.
///tear.

WTF with a 29 year old SYSTEM QUARTERBACK? Hello? Andre Ware? Tim Couch?
Why not a wide receiver or a right guard on offense or someone to stop the run on defense?

Seems like if you're going to invest the #3 pick in a RB, you should also make sure he's got an OL that can open holes for him. Oh well, thanks Cleveland for letting DeCastro fall to the Steelers.

I hate to agree with a Ravens fan, but I agree with Harv72b. I think they got suckered on the trade up to 3. Even if they didn't, they have too many holes to fill and a line with Thomas and Kalil would be pretty damn nasty, so its not like they really would have lost anything. Especially considering the devaluing of RBs because of platooning. He could be good enough to be a feature back, but with no blocking, he isn't gonna go all that far.

I think Weeden was a bit of a reach, but not a terrible pick. His age will motivate him to bust ass and his
Presence will light a fire under McCoy's ass.

Oh, and the 4th & 5th rounds are where you find some depth and improve on special teams. To me, they are somewhat important enough that I wouldn't get rid of both.

vonschiller: CE, I'm happy you're staying positive about this and all, but I really want some of whatever you're smoking.

....., but the WR we pick up at the start of the third round is not going to be Stephen Hill quality. And QB BROWNS isn't going to get by with an army of Greg Littles.

/I think I'm getting a jersey that says "QB BROWNS."
//number 19.
///tear.

Unless I'm thinking of the wrong guy most mock drafts have us getting Hill at 37 - so if before the draft started you heard we were going to get Richardson, Hill and Weeden most people would have been damn happy. The fact that we took Weeden first and Hill second doesnt really change the fact that we probably got 3 starters in positions of need.

Would rather have taken Reiff than Weeden. We do not need another QB.

CavalierEternal: I would've rather we waited until next year to take a QB and get a shot at Matt Barkley, but I like Weeden. Strong arm, super accurate, he just needs to be ready to step in and start next year or else he's going to be in his thirties before he ever has a chance to contribute.

They are still going to have a shot at Barkley. I don't see the Colts taking another QB next year.

At least the Browns have 1965 season ticket prices. Cheapest seats are 190 for the season with no PSL. Wife and I are tempted to get them after the preseason (about 150/seat maybe) if they don't sell out (it's the Browns, catch the excitement)

CavalierEternal: We're bringing the guy in at 28 years old. Assuming he steps right in and performs well enough to stick around, we could potentially still have the guy at QB for a decade. That may not be Brett Favre-level longevity, but it's still plenty long enough to become a staple with the team and potentially bring them back to relevance.

To put it in perspective, Troy Aikman only played eleven years. I would not complain about only getting ten out of Weeden.

Good luck with that. Being QB in Cleveland is a career death sentence, until they learn to actually spend money on quality linemen. Weeden will be lucky if his body is intact when he's 32.

He might be a great NFL QB; however, he would have been there in the second round. The Brown reached to get him and did not get DeCastro who was right there. If Little is still the #1WR, TR will face 9 in the box on every down, and the right side of the O-line will still be a turnstile.

Eh, 27-32 or so are a physical peak for an athlete. So it isn't that stupid of a pick

CavalierEternal: To compete in the AFC North, you have to be able to pound the ball first and foremost. If you don't have a back who can match up against the Ravens and Steelers defenses, you're going to fail. It's how the Bengals got to the top of the division a couple years ago and how the Steelers and Ravens have consistently dominated the division (Pittsburgh's recent pass-first reinvention not withstanding).

Wrong. The running game only compliments a good passing game.

The Steelers have dominated the division with one of the best QBs in the NFL not named Brady or Manning. Ben's YPA is around 8.0. Any RB's job is easy when the defense must respect the QB so much.
The Ravens have the best (arguably) running back in the NFL in Rice, but they have generally been behind the Steelers due to Flacco. Last year they got over the hump though with a better defense than the Steelers.
The Bengals best years were during Palmer's best years. Last year the Red Rifle wasn't complemented at all with a good running game (Benson is old, 3 YPC), and they were mediocre. Defense was just above average.
(Also the AFC North had weak schedules, especially the Bengals & Browns. Stats are over-hyped.)

But even before the running game comes defense. Steelers & Ravens tie here, and the Bengals are a distant third. Browns are at college level ineptness here.

The Vikings have had a consistently great running & run defense game the past 5 years. How do they measure up to Green Bay (Rodgers), Chicago (Cutler), and Detroit (Stafford)?

The NFL is measured by the pass and pass defense. The Browns have sucked at both for 15 years.

I like the picks. The Browns need play makers and they took some chances to get a couple. Worst case they made the wrong picks and we stink again for another couple seasons which is pretty much the norm anyway. At least try to take a shot and make something happen. Get some lineman in the 2nd round and let's start pounding the ball.

This guy got injured playing baseball? Totally good sign for an NFL QB with a turnstile on the right side of the O-line.

Now we're going to try to trade Colt? Wow.

I don't get this pick when we could have had a young rookie next year, and get some weapons this year.

Who am I kidding, we'll still get QB #20 next year. It wouldn't be football season in Cleveland without a QB controversy between two mediocre guys who don't have anyone to catch the ball.

machoprogrammer: Eh, 27-32 or so are a physical peak for an athlete. So it isn't that stupid of a pick

Doesn't that factor in experience as well. When you get draft a 22 year old by the time he is 27 he has 5 years experience but still can physically perform at his peak for several years. 5 years in this guy will already start to decline.

Browns won't be able to keep Richardson healthy he has had multiple knee surgeries and other issues. Alabama team doctor is Dr. James Andrews (yep, *that one*). Browns do not have the caliber of sports medicine care involved with the team.

Weeden has shoulder issues (that is what pushed him out of baseball) and related issues due to being a pitcher (shoulder and elbow damage that any normal 20+ year old pitcher would have).

Browns have zero history of keeping players with these type of red flags healthy and have done nothing to improve that area of the team.

Love Richardson, hate Weeden pick. Given their druthers Heckert and Holmgren would have taken a position player at #22, but I believe Lerner wanted Weeden badly enough that they reached for him. Rieff or Decastro was the smart move at 22. Ugh. This is why we can't have nice things.

I still can't believe they gave up so many picks for Richardson.

babysealclubber: I still can't believe they gave up so many picks for Richardson.

And they didn't even do that since Richardson would have been there at 4. The trade was completely pointless since the Vikings were going to go with Kalil anyway. I gotta give the Vikings front office props for that one, they acquired a bunch of picks and still got the guy they should have picked.

AdmirableSnackbar: babysealclubber: I still can't believe they gave up so many picks for Richardson.

And they didn't even do that since Richardson would have been there at 4. The trade was completely pointless since the Vikings were going to go with Kalil anyway. I gotta give the Vikings front office props for that one, they acquired a bunch of picks and still got the guy they should have picked.

You don't know that. The Browns obviously believed the Vikings had another team ready to trade up for the pick and grab Richardson. Given how highly rated he was it is entirely plausible. While I don't love giving up those picks it was well worth it to get the guy they loved. It's not like they were going to find thirteen starters in the draft. Only downside is that they have less ammunition to move up today or tomorrow if they wanted to.

Let's focus on the real travesty, which was taking Weeden at 22.

I'd have gone with the "trading away two later picks to move up one spot" as the Browniest. The Vikings were not going to take an RB.

DrewCurtisJr: machoprogrammer: Eh, 27-32 or so are a physical peak for an athlete. So it isn't that stupid of a pick

Doesn't that factor in experience as well. When you get draft a 22 year old by the time he is 27 he has 5 years experience but still can physically perform at his peak for several years. 5 years in this guy will already start to decline.

True, but if they want him to start right away, that would be the time to draft him. A 27-32 year old rookie would do better than a 22 year old rookie (assuming same level of talent and team, of course).

GoodyearPimp: I'd have gone with the "trading away two later picks to move up one spot" as the Browniest. The Vikings were not going to take an RB.

It was three picks, and the Vikings weren't the only other team participating in the draft last night, were they?

Sounds like Browns are probably going to trade McCoy which would make Weeden the go to guy.

Come to Oakland, Colt. Carson Palmer isn't going to get any younger