jiggins7919

One quick tidbit about Hunt that I thought was interesting. Nathan Zegura of Browns Daily has repeatedly said that Hunt looks like a "Cheat Code" and is routinely making people look silly out there. I think I kind of forgot just how special Hunt can be, and maybe I figured anybody would produce in that Chiefs offense, lol. Anyway, Zegura and several other media members that watched OTA's have said how amazing Hunt currently looks, and I can only hope he keeps it together and truly is a changed man.

Yep, totally. I definitely don't want to write off the kid when we haven't even gotten pads on, but I sure would feel better if the early narrative was more optimistic! Go Brownies!

Yes, he can sign with any team but rumor has it that he will only sign with a contender and he's willing to take less money. I read one team not thought to be contending offered him over $11 per year, but he turned it down because he wants to play for Ravens, Browns, or Panthers. My best guess is that he goes to Baltimore, unfortunately. He wouldn't be a rotational player, they had pretty much the best defense, and he knows coaching staff very well. However, he could very easily play for us if he actually WANTS to be rotational. This would allow him to be fresher and provide him with more opportunities to rush the passer on obvious passing downs, something he loves to do.

That was certainly one option, as he obviously played LT in college, but nobody really had Corbett slotted as Tackle from what I understand. He doesn't have the right body style.

We picked two guys I didn't understand, and we picked them early. Austin Corbett and Chad Thomas, 2nd and 3rd rounders respectively. Neither really played last year, and while these picks aren't always going to yield starters, you'd like to see them get on the field a bit more. The funniest thing to me is the eyeball test regarding Corbett and Zeitler. I realize you don't want to judge a book by its cover, but Corbett looks like he should be playing "Magic the Gathering" in the basement of his best friend's mother's house while arguing about which flavor Hot Pocket is the best. Zeitler, on the other hand, looks like he's about to go throw refrigerators over a mountain just for fun. All kidding aside, what scares me the most about Corbett not starting this early is that the pads AREN'T on. I mean, if he's not starting NOW, that means he can't remember plays, assignments, or get out of his own way. He's not even being asked to BLOCK anybody yet and he can't hold down the gig. I remember thinking we wanted Corbett to possibly take over for Tretter at Center, but that's kind of pointless because Tretter had himself a fine year and basically played hurt all season. You don't mess around with your Center when you have a 2nd year QB, either.

I think his $13 million a year salary was too rich for us. We would've been on the hook for it in a trade.

Well, nobody REALLY knows that he's struggling because the pads aren't on, but Corbett was given every chance to cement the starting position left vacant by Zeitler, and by all accounts he simply hasn't done that. I believe I read that Corbett is playing a lot of "2nd team center", and he appears to be a better fit there. Now again, this is without pads, so how much can you really observe? I will say this, most fans I know of were NOT pleased by the Corbett selection, and while Dorsey has proven himself to be a good talent evaluator, there was definitely concern that he tried to be too smart for his own good. After all, the first pick of the 2nd round is a VERY desirable selection, and when you're a team that was literally 0-16 picking there....you don't get cute. You don't draft for depth. You draft a starter at a needed position. I liked Zeitler, a lot. He was extremely physical and that's something I place a very high emphasis on, especially in our division. Here's an exercise for you. Look up images for Corbett and look up images for Zeitler. Zeitler looks like Albino Kong, whereas Corbett looks like the fat kid in high school that hides salami sandwiches in cargo shorts pockets. What does all this mean? Not a dang thing. We're not going to know anything about Corbett until pads come on and he's truly tested. Would I rather him be grabbing the bull by the horn and own the starting role in OTA's? Absolutely, but I also know that Dorsey knows more about football than I ever will, so hopefully he's right once again.

I don't think we have to worry about Baker being sharp. If I was a betting man, I'd say Baker has the vision of that last Raven's drive going through his mind on a continuous loop. He missed that Landry deep out by 2 feet, and then missed a wide open Duke Johnson after Weddle blitzed (and held Duke, but whatever). That one drive is enough to make someone like Baker work even harder. If Baker stays healthy, we have a QB for the next 12-15 years. I really believe it. I can honestly say I never thought it was going to happen for a while there, but we got our guy. The player I was SCREAMING to draft that I didn't think we would. But we did, and it's time to have fun.

I really would have liked to see him with us in his 3rd year. Especially at his correct position and with another DC. He was so terrific in that Broncos game, I won't forget it. Now obviously ONE game doesn't make someone a great player, but he was still amazing and was basically the reason we won. Still, it's fair to say he didn't live up to hype, whether it's fair or not. I totally wish him the best and I liked his fire and passion.

I don't see that playing out at all. We love Ogunjobi and we want McCoy to help fill out our DL rotation. That's how I see it anyway. We also have to keep in mind that injuries happen all the time, and we got gashed by the run too many times last year. We're going to try and stack up our line as best as possible, and signing McCoy would enable us to rotate several QUALITY linemen in and out during the game. Nobody else would have anything like our lineup, and keeping linemen fresh could pay off big time.

I agree, but I find myself wondering WHY the receivers like Landry and OBJ aren't with the team. I mean, isn't that what a leader does? Don't they want to be leaders? Mandatory minicamps start in a couple weeks, so I'm assuming this will all go away.

I always liked Devalve, yet it never seemed like he was a focal point. I remember that TD he caught at the end of the Steelers blowout loss, and I wonder why we never tried to get him the rock more. Maybe he wasn't open? Healthy? I dunno.

Great response, Flugel. I will say there were definitely times when I'd watch Myles and I'd be so frustrated that he repeatedly did his super wide edge rush, only to be nowhere near the play. The other teams seemed to know this and just drifted to the other side. I didn't see a ton of inverted spins, and frankly, his bull rush might be his best move against certain OL. I've always felt the biggest hurdle to Myles' sack numbers was the opposite DE. Too often Myles got double and triple teamed, the QB drifted away from the left side, and Myles wasn't a factor. If Vernon gets consistent pressure, I'm not sure WHAT the ceiling is for Myles. He could be a 16 sack guy if healthy.

Competition is never a bad thing, but I really don't see the point in bringing in another punter when we already have a very good one. It'd be one thing if Colquitt wasn't any GOOD, but the guy has performed admirably, and he only counts for $2.7 million against the cap. Now, that might sound like a lot for a punter, but considering the fact that he's probably the guy that holds for FG's in addition to punting duties, I'd be happy to pay that salary. I just hope we don't cut Colquitt to save a few bucks, that's what concerns me.

Lol, I like this Gipper guy.

Hammer Time?! I love our current punter, but having competition is never a bad thing. The only benefit of having the Scottish Hammer is that every time he punts the ball we could blast "Can't Touch This" through the stadium.

That's kind of Baker's body type. He's not super trim looking, but he's definitely in shape. I saw a brief clip of him in the gym and he was casually chest-pressing 70 pounds in each hand. That's not absurd weight for an athlete, but it's certainly not a joke either. I'll tell you one thing, I never worry about Baker and his work ethic. He literally lives for this stuff.

Well, almost all of them. Remember when Tampa Bay drafted a kicker in the 2nd round? And then cut him midway into the season? Bwahaha!

I believe I heard on Browns Daily that was the plan, but who knows at this early stage in the process. What I certainly love is the potential value we have with this guy. We could develop Desmond Harrison into a viable player, and then develop this guy for next year. Don't forget that Harrison got some incredible experience last year, and he's been healthy for quite some time and is getting the full benefit of an offseason workout. One of his biggest challenges was his raw power, and if he gets that worked out, he's going to have a chance.

It's a fair point, but I've read several times how Mack Wilson didn't "pop" on tape, and that's extremely evident by where we drafted him. I mean, he's a linebacker from freakin Alabama. If he's got a pulse he's drafted before the 5th round, so SOMETHING was wrong with his film. That level of analysis is beyond my scope, but if you're a 5 star linebacker recruit that goes to Alabama, you're getting a ton of coverage, and I'm guessing the scouts didn't like what they saw. On the other hand, I do love the POTENTIAL Mack Wilson has, and if lets that chip on his shoulder guide him the right way, watch out.

*gasp* Oh well, I guess you can't always please everyone. Speaking of YouTube, I did the trial 90 days of their "YouTube Red" (access to all music, downloadable video rights, no ads ever, etc) and it's totally worth the measly $10 a month if you're a YouTube person, or if your kids are too. Ok, back on target. I think what I love the most about Building the Browns is we actually have several interesting players to follow, and I find myself wanting to know more about them as people. It really shines the "human light" on them. This is going to be the longest offseason ever, lol!

If you're not watching this show, you're missing out! It's awesome to have our own media production, and it's not some half-ass deal either. They do a tremendous job and take you within the inner workings of the program. I love it! Youtube has so many cool things to watch...it's very easy to fall into a Youtube vortex and get lost for a couple hours. hahaha Speaking of good Youtube shows, if you guys haven't watched seasons 1 and 2 of "Cobra Kai", you are completely missing out. I honestly thought the show would be a total joke, and I didn't give it a second thought, but when I saw that it basically had the highest review of any show ever on IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes, I gave it a shot. Man, what a show! If you're a nostalgia guy like I am, this show is for you. I mean, who didn't love the Karate Kid when they were young, right? 🙂

That's kind of what I was saying, too. If we can split the first 8 games and stay healthy, I REALLY like how our schedule shapes up in the second half. Although the second half is absolutely loaded with division foes, I don't see that as being the formidable force as it historically was...hopefully. You want to know what our entire season hinges on? I'm not trying to be dramatic, but my honest-to-goodness opinion about the entire trajectory of our team lies on our season opener. We haven't won a season opener since 2004, and that was the only victory we've had opening day since coming back. It's a stat that gets more and more bizarre, and we've lost them in EVERY SINGLE WAY possible (no need to rehash them, LOL). We could very easily start out the year 2-4, no doubt, but I like our chances break even or better in the first half of the season if we can FINALLY win a season opener. On one hand, the scheduling gods gave us a break with having a home game (thank GOD), but on the other, it's against a team that was 9-7 last year. If we don't stop the run, they will beat us. Again, I hate to be overly dramatic, but the season opener is basically going to be the barometer for our 2019 campaign. Win the damn opener, go to New York and beat them up, and then get ready for a Sunday night PARTY against the NFC Champions, Rams. Damn...now I'm all pumped up for football and it's the 19th of April!

I know, I really don't like it. I'd rather have a few more division games early when teams tend to be healthier.

I'm exactly where you are, my friend. Maybe it's because I still remember 2008 VERY well, but I tend to agree with 8-8. The difference with my opinion is I can see 10-6, ESPECIALLY if we split the first 8 games because I think the second half of the schedule lightens up just a bit, but I can also see us winning only 6 games. Now, I’m the first to admit that our team is a much different animal than the 2008 squad, but I’m not sure fans truly remember the amount of hype we had going into the year. Not only did we fail to live up to the hype, we were an unmitigated disaster from the GET-GO. Weird injuries in preseason, cuts that didn’t heal, touchdowns dropped (ahem, Braylon), and every other problem you can think of. We came into that year the darling of the AFC North, and we crapped the sheets IMMEDIATELY. Ok, so referring back to 2008 isn’t very scientific in terms of prognosticating a win-loss schedule. So what else is going on? Three things, and while I’m sure they’ve already been discussed in these 3 pages, I’m going to apologize in advance for not reading every post. Here are my 3 reasons for predicting between 6-10 wins (I know you guys are very excited! LOL) 1. Defense. I do not trust our defense yet, and while I’m excited to get a new DC and new scheme, we have holes at LB, CB, and Safety. Jabril Peppers wasn’t an allstar, but he was starting to play a bit better, and we’re still going to feel his absence. I mean, he almost singlehandedly beat the Broncos for us with his incredible end zone interception and the 4th down sack. We’re still missing that “thumper” style linebacker, and what hurts the most is we HAD HIM in Michael Kendricks, but obviously we had to cut him. 2. Field Goal Kicker. Ok, stop laughing, and hear me out. If we had a stud FG kicker last year, what do you think our record is? I mean, just look at the close games we lost. Pittsburgh and New Orleans were the first two games of the year, and both games basically came down to kicks. What about the last game of the year against the Ravens? We go for it on 4th and 10 instead of kicking the 56 yard FG. Obviously I understand that 56 yards if FAR from a gimme, but if you had a good kicker, you probably go for the kick, right? Heck, we lost to the Bucs in overtime on a 58 yarder. And the weather wasn’t THAT terrible in Baltimore. Greg Joseph has the physical tools to be a good kicker, no doubt. Plenty of leg and all that, but even several of his MADE attempts got between the uprights by the grace of God himself. Remember the “slice kick” he had against the Jets I think? Where it started left and sliced back right? LOL! How about the game-winner against the Ravens? That should NOT have gone in, hahaha. How many extra points and FG’s JUST went through? Until we get a good FG kicker, I can’t predict us to get more than 10 wins, and 10 is the high side for me. 3. Injuries. Now, this is something that applies to every team, and it’s not even fun to talk about, but I don’t even know who our backup QB is going to be. Drew Stanton? I know he’s got a solid starting record, but I don’t think he’s the guy you REALLY want out there if the unthinkable happens. I also don’t put much stock in Denzel Ward’s health. He’s one of my FAVORITE players, and my heart breaks for that kid, but 3 concussions in like 7 weeks is NOT good, especially as a rookie. It’s got to be on his mind nonstop, ya know? How can he NOT be hesitant? I hope I’m wrong, I really do, but for us to maximize our potential, we need our allstars, and he’s so talented…we need him out there in the secondary.