Browns teams of recent years have featured certain repeated stock characters. These include the Illusory Rookie Rushing Phenom (Hill, Prentice, Gay, Green, Barclay, Thomas), the Receiver Who Used To Be A Quarterback (KJ, Frisman, Alston, Cribbs), the Special Teams “Demon” Who Lacked At Linebacker (Lenoy Jones, Brant Boyer, Mason Unck, Kris Griffin) and the Thirty-Something […]
The first bombshell of the Mangini/Kokinis era has fallen, and Wheelie will be soldiering south. It’s sad in a way, because he’s a premiere talent, the best skill position player the Browns have had since, say, Eric Metcalf. (The Detroit Diva is close but has one more year in Cleveland — maybe — to prove […]
So Randy swung his big axe, and the first cut was the Player-Picker-in-Chief himself, Phil Savage. The strained forced marriage of Savage and Crennel in the end devolved into dysfunction all around. Few doubt that the departing duo are both knowledgeable guys, but each lacked certain management skills. Savage’s focus on hands-on scouting became an […]
For the second straight year, Phil Savage has traded away a future pick to load up on draft day. This time, he did it twice. He sent next year’s third-rounder for Dallas’ mid-fourth, used on Missouri TE Martin Rucker. Then, he reacquired the sixth-rounder sent to Philly for Hank Fraley by giving them next-year’s fifth. […]
Before baseball season hits full stride and April Fools Day diminishes the credibility of anything you might read, here’s a quick recap of Browns news since the Pro Bowl. This off-season’s moves could prove enough to send this team over the top. (I might say the same thing about my Detroit Tigers, but time will […]
Some week, huh? We get the Chud drama settling with a reassuring contract extension. There’s Phil Savage’s season-wrapping presser and all its news hooks, including a possible extension for honcho Romeo himself. Then, an intriguing team and media story with Todd Grantham’s ouster. Mel Tucker, the secondary coach, has been promoted to lead the defense. […]
Eagle-eyed fan adogbtown noticed an unpublicized recent change to the six-year, $36 million contract of LeCharles Bentley. The injured center’s deal now ends after next season, after which he would presumably be a free agent. The logical impetus for this move from the Browns’ perspective, is to accelerate the cap hit for Bentley’s initial signing […]
Signed: Nick Sorensen, nominally a safety but in reality more of a special teams player. “Sunshine” does have experience with the Rams and Jaguars, but if they were going to sign a safety to Gary Baxter’s roster spot, I was hoping that Justin Hamilton, who showed some potential as a rookie last year, would be […]
A year and a day after tearing both patellar tendons, the Browns finally shut down Gary Baxter, conceding that his miracle comeback won’t happen this year. Phil Savage’s loyalty to the veteran defensive back, one of his first free agent signees in 2005, may have been responsible for Baxter being cleared to practice in the […]
Dizzy from the swirl of off-season transactions, I find it helpful to create matched pairs. They let me see how Phil Savage has chosen to address certain positions, and whether the net effect is an upgrade. Unmatched outbound players signal a probable positional need yet to be filled, primarily through the draft, but potentially through […]
Browns Plainly gives you the most comprehensive, no-nonsense coverage of the Cleveland Browns, from all the best sources on the web. All in one place. Dave Algase, author of Brown for the Count, provides expert analysis and is a lifelong fan of the team. Dave's unique perspective of the team will provide insights you won't find anywhere else.
