I’ll gratefully give the Canton Repository’s Steve Doerschuk the benefit of the doubt by assuming he didn’t have his tongue firmly implanted in his cheek when he wrote, “But who needs [ESPN football analyst Mel] Kiper when you have Ace Davis?”

To Doerschuk, it may have been just a smooth transition in his story on fans’ opinions about the draft. To me, it’s an an endorsement worth more than Al Gore’s.

Meanwhile, Tony Grossi of the Plain Dealer reports on the Browns’ “maddeningly elusive” main need, a premiere left tackle, by focusing on Robert Gallery and Orlando Pace. As Carmen Policy put it, “To get the starting left tackle would take something dramatic.”

At this point, the Browns seem to have continued their disheartening pattern of addition by subtraction. Most of the positive news remains to be seen. It’s too early to judge the off-season personnel moves until the job is complete, but the progress to date is woefully underwhelming. Let’s review the list of recently departed and arriving Browns:

FAREWELL:

P Chris Gardocki

RB Jamel White

OL Shaun O’Hara

OL Barry Stokes

CB Lewis Sanders

WELCOME:

QB Jeff Garcia

QB Todd Husak

FB Terrelle Smith

DE Ebenezer Ekuban

PROBABLY LEAVING:

QB Tim Couch

DE Tyrone Rogers

WR Dennis Northcutt.

But, hey, at least my other team, the otherwise embarrassing Detroit Tigers, helped themselves immeasurably with their off-season additions. It’s no secret, but in their financial structures, the two sports couldn’t be more different. Reminds me of that classic George Carlin routine…