A No Brainer for the Browns

For those who, like myself, bleed Brown and Orange every Sunday afternoon from late August through late December (and sometimes January, if we’re lucky), the NFL Draft has become almost like a national holiday. A chance to briefly take a break from Major League Baseball and the NBA, to find the smallest glimpse of hope that perhaps this is the year that our beloved Cleveland Browns can turn it all around. The time of year when we can all put on our respective GM hats, and speculate as to which over-priced, over-hyped young prospect the powers-that-be might select.

The problem, as always, is that the Browns need help everywhere. They could use a Running Back or a Quarterback, they could use help throughout the Offensive and Defensive Lines, they could use help in the Secondary and at Linebacker…to put it bluntly, the Browns have more holes to fill than Justin Timberlake at an after-Grammy’s party. The fortunate thing is that once again the Browns have the honor of selecting in the top 5 (the 5th time in 9 years we’ve had such an honor), and will no doubt have the opportunity to find a premier player at any one of those positions.

So which direction will the Randy Lerner, Phil Savage, and Romeo Crennel decide to go on April 28th? Since the Browns will draft either #3 or #4, depending on the coin flip with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, they will have any number of different options to go with. Personally, I believe there is an obvious choice as to which player they should be thinking about drafting, and if he’s available, cannot afford to pass him up.

That still won’t stop me from laying out the rest of my top 5, in order, as to who I would like to suiting up on the shores of Lake Erie next season (Note: this is assuming that we could choose whomever we want, regardless of draft position, although I do make note as to whether or not I believe each player will be available. Also, I’m assuming that the Browns continue the status quo and lose - this time the coin flip and will draft #4).

So without further ado, here is my Top 5:

5.) Calvin Johnson, WR, Georgia Tech – According to most “experts”, Johnson is the biggest guarantee in the entire draft. True, Wide Receiver is not the most pressing of needs for the Cleveland Browns, but Johnson is #1 on Mel Kiper’s and Scout’s Inc. big board. He is 6’4, 225 who is fast for his size (with a 4.4 – 40), and is compared to Terrell Owens in ability without all the baggage. The Buccaneers are expected to take him with their pick, so he probably won’t be available at #4, but if he is, he’ll be tough to pass up.

4) Alan Branch, DT, Michigan – Most recent mock drafts that I’ve seen project the Browns to take Branch with the first pick. Romeo Crennel is a defense-first guy and will no doubt want to shore up his 3-4 Defense with a dominant run-stopper who can play either NT or DE. Branch is big at 6’5, 330 pounds, but has one huge flaw – he’s from Michigan and I don’t think I can handle the Browns selecting another Wolverine in the first round (or another defensive lineman for that matter). The Browns need some serious help on the D-line, though, and Branch would be a perfect fit.

3) Adrian Peterson, RB, Oklahoma – Peterson has most people in the Dawg Pound salivating. He’s 6’1, 220 lbs, and runs 4.46 – 40 yard dash, with a great combination of size, power, and speed. Reuben Droughns has been a durable back, but adding Peterson will give the Browns that #1 type back that they’ve passed up on in previous drafts (see Tomilinson, LaDanian). So why do I have him at #3? He hasn’t shown any signs of durability, having suffered injuries in all 3 of his years at Oklahoma (shoulder, ankle, and collarbone). A guy with that kind of injury history will have the Cleveland Clinic salivating instead of the Pound. With Peterson’s injury history, combined with Cleveland’s, is he somebody we would want to gamble on? I say yes.

2) Brady Quinn, QB, Notre Dame – JeMarcus Russell is almost definitely heading to Oakland with the #1 pick, which leaves Quinn playing the 2007 role of Matt Leinert. He could (and should) go in the top 5, but could get passed up by Detroit and the Browns which would most likely send him down to the Texans at #8. Most in Cleveland don’t like Quinn, mostly because he played at Notre Dame and secondly because he never won the “big game”. All valid points, but at 6’3, 224 lbs with good size and a great arm, he doesn’t have too many flaws as a Quarterback. Let’s not forget that Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Carson Palmer didn’t have great college resumes, all of which Quinn is compared to (and I would argue that each of those QBs had better players surrounding them). Not to mention he is an Ohio boy. Plus, Romeo Crennel and Charlie Weis are close; so don’t think that he won’t get a long look.

But the player that the Browns need the most:

1) Joe Thomas, T, Wisconsin – Understandably, Browns fans are desperate for a winner. However, for the amount of analysis that is debated every Monday through Sunday during the regular season, the fans have an unusually short attention span. What is the #1 complaint that all Cleveland loyalists have had since the return in 1999? That is a rhetorical question, of course, because anyone who has wasted 5 minutes watching the Browns knows that the answer lies with their pathetic Offensive Line. But many fans, including myself, get excited about the possibility of bringing in a franchise Running Back or a franchise Quarterback, or a big-time Wide Receiver, and forget that ultimately the battle is won and lost in the trenches. True, he’s not the “sexy” pick, but he’s the #2 overall player according to Scouts, Inc. and we can finally get that big-time left tackle that can anchor our line for the foreseeable future. This is the Browns #1 need and if he’s available, they HAVE to take him.

Now, everything depends on what the Detroit Lions do. Like I said, JeMarcus Russell will go #1 to the Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay will probably take Calvin Johnson at #3. The Lions have a need at Quarterback and on the Offensive Line, so they will most likely take Thomas or Quinn with the #2 pick. Ideally, the Lions take Brady Quinn, which is one less decision for the Browns to have to make, and drop Joe Thomas right into our lap at #4 (Adrian Peterson is almost guaranteed to be there for us).

I would look no further than the New York Jets as a team to mirror. Last year, they made the smart pick at #4 by drafting D’Brickashaw Ferguson (T, Virginia) and then they used the #29 overall pick for Nick Mangold (C, Ohio State). Both started as rookies and anchored a revamped line which led them into the playoffs. I’m not saying they’ll make the playoffs next year, but finally with that big left tackle in Cleveland, the Browns will take a huge step towards getting there.

Now all they have to do is fire Romeo Crennel and hire Marty Schottenheimer (but that’s topic for another blog).

Cure for the February Blues

I know its been a few weeks since I’ve posted something here, but a healthy dose of work combined with my inability to put the “Kick Return” game behind me, has kept the creative juices from flowing. But after a few weeks off, I can't keep quiet about the joy and pain that is the 2006-2007 Ohio State Men's Basketball team…

I hate the month of February for sports!

Actually, let me start by explaining something about myself – I have a serious love-hate relationship with the game of basketball. I’m not entirely sure why this is (it’s probably because I’ve never been that good at playing the game…my Dad and Brother have the market cornered in basketball talent in the family), but I have little to no patience for it - and anyone who has watched a game with me knows what I’m talking about. Whether I’m playing or watching, I become completely and utterly irrational and uncontrollable, ultimately leading to embarrassing myself to some heightened degree (example: I’ve been thrown out of a Church league Basketball game before – a memory I would very much like to forget). Point being, no other game gets me more frustrated than hoops.

Anyway, I digress back to my original point.

February is the worst month in sports. It means the end of football, baseball is still a few weeks away from pitchers and catchers reporting to Spring Training, the NBA is pointless to watch until May, and (until the arrival of Thad Matta at Ohio State) college basketball sort of lies in the weeds until March. But this February is different. Greg Oden, Mike Conley Jr., Daequan Cook, Ron Lewis, Jamar Butler, Othello Hunter, Ivan Harris, and David Lighty have saved what would be and has been historically a depressing month.

I love this team! Sure they can be frustrating to watch. Sure they rely way too much on the three-ball. Sure from one game to the next they can look completely different. And sure it seems that with each game, a new weakness is exposed, but they’re starting to show some signs of consistency and I believe are poised to make a serious run in the tournament.

Here are some of my likes and dislikes of THEE Ohio State Buckeyes:

Likes

Greg Oden – I know this is incredibly obvious, but I love turning on ESPN every day or reading countless articles and blogs that mention how good Oden is and can be. He and Kevin Durant are the faces of college basketball.

NBA talent – It is normally believed by most of the college basketball world that a team that has a serious chance at making the Final Four and ultimately winning the NC has to have NBA caliber talent - the more, the better (which is what made the 1998-1999 team that went to the Final Four so special – sure Scoonie Penn was great, but only Michael Redd went to the NBA). The current Buckeye squad has at least 3 NBA players – everyone knows Oden will be one of the 1st or 2nd picks in the Draft, but Daequan Cook and Mike Conley Jr. will also play at the next level. 3 NBA ready players on one team is scary for anyone to face.

Who Will Step Up Today? - When needed, this team has 6 different players that can step up at any crucial time in the game and make a play. Oden, Conley, Cook, Lewis, Harris, and Butler have all made big plays down the stretch during their current 8-game win streak.

Another Out-right Title? – If things go according to plan, the Buckeyes will go into the February 25th game against Wisconsin with a 25-3 record and a what looks to be a shot at their 2nd consecutive OUTRIGHT Big Ten Title. That would be an incredible accomplishment (in a league that hardly ever has an outright champ)!

Dislikes

Where’s the Effort? - At times this team can look bored. They have a tendency to put the game on cruise control in the second half, usually leading to a too-close-for-comfort game. The last 4 games they’ve done this (hell, the last 8 games they've done this), only to turn it on defensively and shut the opposing team down in the final 5 minutes. They can't do this in March if they want to win.

Veteran Pampering – This team is so deep and has so many playmakers, that there aren’t enough shots to go around - a fact that Ron Lewis, Jamar Butler, and Ivan Harris have complained about on several occasions. Butler had a tough time taking a back seat to Mike Conley Jr. (although he’s somewhat come around as of late), while Ron Lewis and Ivan Harris have verbally complained about their lack of minutes. Suck it up boys and play like a team.

A Must Win - They need to beat Wisconsin on February 25th. All 3 of their losses came to Top 10 teams on the road, which is a convenient excuse, but they have no real signature wins. Sure they beat a good Indiana team, and sure they beat a tough Tennessee team, and sure they beat Michigan State twice, but a win against Wisconsin will go a long way to giving them the confidence they need going into the tourney (plus it will all but guarantee them a #1 seed).

Do I think this team has what it takes to win the National Championship? Definitely. They have more talent riding the bench than probably 60% of the Division 1 teams have in their starting line-up (probably a slight exaggeration, but whatever). If they can start playing like a team that actually likes each other (and when Greg Oden has a chance to start using both of his hands) nobody – save Florida – will want to play Ohio State.