ballpeen

At least that is all I can figure since it is pretty common with all teams and all officiating crews.

I like those. They only pop on the local ad slots. The national buys still show up. With 2 teams, which local ads should they show, and those ads don't pay enough to get national exposure. I don't want to see some local Baltimore ad selling gutter guards. Going with the Zen is better than showing an old Indian head or lighthouse test pattern. Some of you older folks know what I am talking about. For you younger folks, TV stations signed off at 1AM or so. If you turned on the TV, all you saw was a test pattern or just static fuzz. They would usually sign back in at 6AM...some sort of farm report was usually on the air. Corn is up. Pork Bellies down

Just a general reply. People give Hunt way too much cred.

No doubt. If anything we will try to add picks like we have. We may try to move up some on draft day, but it won't be for a 1st rounder. Maybe try to move back in to the 3rd, or something like that. On draft day we may move up some

Exactly. You can't do it all in a day. It' a process that extends over several years, and you have to move from position to position. A coach and fans think about this year. A GM has to project out 2-3 years. You don't replace Bitiono when his contract expires, or he retires. You have to move on that a year or two before that happens. Being a day late usually doesn't work.

I know we just signed a back from Indy, another player, i can't remember the position. At this time of year you are mostly looking to update the practice squad and bottom end of the roster with future in mind.. Building a roster from the bottom up might not be sexy, but it is just as important as building from the top down. If you can replace your weakest players and improve, you just got better. Roster building isn't just about bringing star quality player.

Chubb is a great player, but Depo isn't a goofball. Come on man, you are a smart guy.

I don't. I want to draft York when we did, and we did. I still think he will be a good kicker in the league, but he wasn't ready for whatever reason, and he still might not. Like any position, there are no sure things. Kickers face more internal pressure than anything, and if that becomes a problem, sometimes those are hard to shake. I played golf to a 2 handicap when I was in my mid 20's through mid 40's, but there were a couple of holes on a couple of local courses that i took some high numbers, and never could get that out of my head and no matter what I did, I just couldn't play them to par. Bogey was a win, and I usually doubled them...or worse. Once that gets in to your head, it's hard to shake. That said, Hopkins is exactly what we need. The ball comes off true. He's going to miss some kicks but if he does I am to the point you just shrug and know its going to happen to the best of them. The added bonus is he came in advertised as having a somewhat limited leg, but he has hit a few in the 53 or so yard range. Sure, if a guy can hit a 62 yard FG, that's great, but you don't really expect that. If your kicker hits it solid and it comes up a yard short from 55, then he gave it the best chance he could. That is all you can ask. It's not like a kicker can turn his leg from a 4 iron to a 3 iron to get some added distance. Just strike the ball true and you get what you get. Coaches know the average true kick distance and the gray area distance his kicker might be able to make.

I can believe it. If you can bottle him up in the pocket with pressure, that would be the ideal. That is better than having 1 defender playing more or less neutral football unless Jackson starts to run, and even then, they have to be able to run with the guy. If the DB's don't give him good targets and we apply pressure, that is the ticket, and this D can do that a good amount of the time. I don't buy it when people say Jackson can't throw. I do agree he isn't the best at hitting tight windows, especially under duress. Keep the guy sweating. We may or may not get the sacks, but we stand a good chance at having a shot at a few picks if the pressure gets him chucking the ball two feet high or wide to either side. I think we have a very good chance if we can limit rushing yards, no matter who runs the ball AND don't allow Andrews to go nuts on us. I think Schwartz will have a very specific plan on how to deal with Andrews. At least I hope so.

I thought I kind of, sort of said that. No matter who you are, you have a preference when given 2 options. I think nick does better when he is moving a few steps towards the line when taking the hand off and he is closer to the line when getting the ball. Either way, i think we are picking at nits here. It's more about what Watson likes. We need to do that

I will add that Stefanski might be out of his comfort zone to some degree as well. I think he likes the QB under center a good deal of the time. Obviously you have to do that some. You can't just go under center if you want to sneak the ball or run the ball. There has to be some degree of variable to what you want to do offensively.

Georgia was a pro style offense. Let me be clear. It's not so much that Nick can't play that way. It just seems he preferred not. I think the biggest discomfort level is Watson playing under center. I think he likes to start processing the reads as soon as he touches the ball and not lose the time it takes for him to turn and get in to his set.

No doubt we will have to have somebody a good portion of the time acting as a spy on Jackson. That or the ends will have to subdue a bit and play some contain of the edge.

Maybe both. I think some is due to Stefanski not trying to match Cubb';s game to Watson';s game, or the opposite. Watson doesn't like to work under center and Chubb likes the QB under center. No right or wrong with either, but is is what it is.

I know. I have said that. Watson will be a better QB without Chubb than if Chubb is in the game. I love Nick Chubb the player. He is everything you want. I have heard 100 cases in the Cedartown courthouse annex.it was part of my territory for 10 years .It's part of my life..but, it is what it is, Nick and Watson don't play compatible football.

I am not saying Ford is a proven commodity. I am just saying he is the lead back and should be for a while. Hunt was a FA for a long time. Nobody signed him. I don't buy this idea he was just waiting on us to sign. If he had any kind of decent offer, he would have signed. He is a football player. Where else is he going to make $800,000 a year or whatever his minimum might be? I do like Hunt. he will be a good back with Watson at QB where I don't think Chubb was. Hunt is a good stand a take the handoff back where Chubb need a running start so to speak. We drafted Ford to end up the lead back....the time is here. No doubt it will take several games to gain the confidence...then we find out. As you said, the Titans are as good against the run as we are, the raves are tough, and so are the Niners. I could take a while, then we find out if he is the guy or not.

Thank you. I was going to say something similar.

Watson looked real good. The big reason was he played out of the gun a high percentage of the time. That is his comfort level. This may not be popular around here, but Watson will probably play better without Chubb as the back. Chubb and Watson don't play compatible football. Chubb likes his QB under center and Watson likes the gun.

Ford is the lead back and should be. He played well.

Not only that, free agency was different back then. Teams could protect maybe 35 players. You didn't have as manytop players changing teams which also lead to continuity. Back then I weighed a lot less, hadn't lost hair, and felt pretty good. But, that was back then...lol

Just a few thoughts on the above posts. First, i think you blow way out of proportion exactly what Depo might have to do with the gameplan. I don't think Depo sits there with a red pen like a teacher crossing out this, this, and this and telling them to insert this, this, and this. Plus, reporting to them on Friday is way late to change a game plan since the plan has already been communicated and practiced by the team. Art Howe? I am sure there was resistance. That was what, 25-30 years ago? It was a new concept then. He was an old time baseball guy. I am not sure using Art Howe is some sort of proof since every team uses the analytic process today and Art Howes method as been buried for 15 or so years now. This isn't a dig at anybody, so don't take my comment personal, but I think we have a lot of posters stuck in the past and they aren't paying attention to what is happening in sports across the board. On another board i got ripped maybe 15-20 years ago when I said the NFL was headed to a spread type RPO system. My proof was for people to go to any HS football game and that is all teams were running. In turn the colleges had to do that. In the end, the NFL was going to have to change. Well, here we are. Look at the QB's of today v the QB's of 10 years ago. The change has happened. JMO

And McGahee's was while still in college...bowl game. Nick has already had a serious injury to that knee. I don't know how many times you can repair a knee, but it can't be unlimited. Next year is Nicks last year on the contact. If he is medically clear we can cut him or play him. If not, we can IR him for the year and pay him around $12 mil or try to work out an injury settlement and release him. Either way, I seriously doubt Nick plays for the Browns again. Maybe not for anybody. I was going to say probably, but didn't want to do that. As for Watson, no doubt it is best if he starts playing like a top 10 QB. If not, we took a shot and it didn't work out. I wouldn't say it was a bad bet when we made it. People may not have liked us signing him, but nobody can seriously say they ever doubted his skill level based on what he had done in the NFL before. I do know that if we fire Berry or Stefanski, I doubt I renew my season tickets. I might if we keep Schwartz and bring in a full spread O type coordinator. Watson played it well at Clemson and in Houston. If that is all he can play well, then we need to play him in that.

I don't disagree, but just like Sanders, Chubb isn't playing football this season. But no doubt that sanders had a lot of 1-2 yard carries. You just had to keep handing him the ball, waiting for that 60 yard run.

He very well might. Ford might do the same. Nobody knows at this point. Heck, both might end up sucking ass.

I like Hunt as well, but he did lose a step last season. He is good, but isn't going to carry a team. I agree with something you said. Browns fans are pretty good and not wanting to be impressed. lol The reality is Chubb is done for this year for sure, and there is a good chance for good. He is like Joe Thomas, you aren't going to replace the guy. As fans, we have to move on and accept whatever the replacement can give because for many, no matter what the player brings it just isn't going to be good enough.