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Lombardi: Haden struggled in camp


shepwrite

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Exactly. That's why we didn't need to make Haden the first Top 10 corner since 2005.

 

The Texans had an actual need and filled it really well with a pick in the 20s.

 

Did you see our pass coverage the last 5 years? It had not been a pretty sight. Even with Wright and Brown, we needed serious help at CB and drafted a guy who should be able to fix that hole for many years.

 

I have news for you: it does not matter where someone is drafted, only if they can play the game. By all accounts, he can play the game. He was a starter on a powerhouse SEC team and shutdown every big-name reciever he faced in college, which is a good indicator of talent.

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You realize the Texans just lost their starting CB, Dunta Robinson, and had to replace him, right? It's not like they have strong depth at that position. Guess what, we do. Wright and Brown should start and if Haden started from day 1 in front of either of them I would be very worried about our skill level at the position. Rookies usually don't start in front of vets, but I guess you are conveniently ignoring that.

 

And the Jets have Darelle Revis and Cromartie 2 of the best in the game yet they drafted a CB in the first round.

 

I dont understand how Shep preaches that the NFL is a passing league (which I agree to an extent) but doesnt see the need to be able to stop it.

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You kind of made my point. It's a very active debate... and a good one. Lombardi was just the jumping off point. Hell, OBR's cover story was about "Haden's Issues." We're ALL looking for things to dissect and discuss.

 

Some hated the pick, some didn't. That's always worth revisiting!

 

It isn't really an active or hot debate, when half the responses are people telling you that you're method and sources are cracked.

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And the Jets have Darelle Revis and Cromartie 2 of the best in the game yet they drafted a CB in the first round.

 

I dont understand how Shep preaches that the NFL is a passing league (which I agree to an extent) but doesnt see the need to be able to stop it.

 

You can't really stop it, given the NFL's desire for it to be a passing league... you just have to keep up. There's a reason there's only one Revis and then everybody else.

 

But I agree with Gruden, who said pass rush is going to be the key to at least muting the big passing games. Like the Saints got all over Favre... and the Saints don't have any superstar corners.

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You can't really stop it, given the NFL's desire for it to be a passing league... you just have to keep up. There's a reason there's only one Revis and then everybody else.

Wrong, Asomugha is just as good if not better than Revis, but Revis gets the NY/national press. Every coach would love to have a guy like that, hence the Haden pick. Remember who drafted Revis? Oh yeah, Eric Mangini.

 

But I agree with Gruden, who said pass rush is going to be the key to at least muting the big passing games. Like the Saints got all over Favre... and the Saints don't have any superstar corners.

 

Wait, do you need a superstar CB or not? You just said Revis can stop a passing game, and then say you don't need good CBs. Hmm....

 

Pass rushing didn't make the Vikings lose in the NFCC, Favre deciding not to scramble for 4 yards with 10 yards of free space in front of him lost it (and a ton of fumbles).

 

 

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If anybody still questions that Lombardi has a hatred for everything browns here is further proof. Almost every team in the NFL has yet to sign draft picks, yet he feels a need to write an article about the Browns starting camp without 3 players signed.

 

 

 

Browns rookies report, but three aren't signed

 

Posted by Mike Florio on July 23, 2010 10:32 AM ET

On Monday, Browns coach Eric Mangini expressed optimism regarding the possibility that all of the team's draft picks will be signed before Friday, the day on which they report in advance of training camp.

 

But Friday has arrived, and three of the rookies have not yet been signed.

 

First-round cornerback Joe Haden, second-round safety T.J. Ward, and second-round running back Montario Hardesty don't have contract. Per the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the team was working as of Thursday night to get them signed.

 

Their presence isn't critical; camp doesn't open until next week. Still, today's the day the season begins for the rookies -- and a trio of fairly important draft picks may not be present

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If anybody still questions that Lombardi has a hatred for everything browns here is further proof. Almost every team in the NFL has yet to sign draft picks, yet he feels a need to write an article about the Browns starting camp without 3 players signed.

 

 

 

__________ rookies report, but three aren't signed

 

Posted by Mike Florio on July 23, 2010 10:32 AM ET

On Monday, ______ coach ________ expressed optimism regarding the possibility that all of the team's draft picks will be signed before Friday, the day on which they report in advance of training camp.

 

But Friday has arrived, and ________ of the rookies have not yet been signed.

 

First-round _________________, second_________________, and third round ______________don't have contract. Per the ______________________, the team was working as of Thursday night to get them signed.

 

Their presence isn't critical; camp doesn't open until next week. Still, today's the day the season begins for the rookies -- and a trio of fairly important draft picks may not be present

 

 

The only thing I can think is that this is essentially the equivalent of a "form letter" you send out in business. Right the same story for all 32 teams, just insert the respective team name, coach name etc. just as I have done above.

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The only thing I can think is that this is essentially the equivalent of a "form letter" you send out in business. Right the same story for all 32 teams, just insert the respective team name, coach name etc. just as I have done above.

 

pretty much.

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And the Jets have Darelle Revis and Cromartie 2 of the best in the game yet they drafted a CB in the first round. I dont understand how Shep preaches that the NFL is a passing league (which I agree to an extent) but doesnt see the need to be able to stop it.

 

Umm cuz the Jets are smart... So are the Browns for drafting Haden.

 

If Haden started over Wright or Brown right away.. how sad would that be if he could walk in and take a vet's job like that. It would be a sad testimony on our secondary. and all the offseason work to make it better. That we drafted the top corner out of college who gave up ZERO td's his whole college career to be the #3 or #4 is awesome.. He can work on taking the vet's job once he masters the system and the nfl.. Not to mention.. some people seem to think we only need to cover 2 recievers on pass plays.. HELLO.. 4-5 reciever sets are pretty normal in our division now. Pitts, Cinci, and Balt ALL added multiple recievers in the offseason. We need a BUNCH .. a WHOLE BUNCH of great corners to be a great defense. We get Wright, Brown, Haden, B-mac and the improved safeties... Will be interesting.. Pray for some DL help and a pass rush and this could be very good.

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The Browns have been badly embarrassed when the defense fightgs like crazy, and on third/foutyth down, the opposing

 

offense simply passes to an open receiver for a first down anytime the game was on the line.

 

The Browns secondary had them laughing when they went back to huddle.

 

HAD to fix that problem.

 

Shep gets all wrankled and goes cross eyed again when the Browns don't draft a qb "god" in the top of the first round.

 

I didn't like the choices this past year... but wouldn't be afraid to bet that the Browns get one early next year, and let him sit

 

for a year.

 

The greass isn't greener on the other side of the fence.

 

With the talent available, the Browns probably had to pay too high a price

 

to trade down.

 

I'm with Holmgren, Heckert and Mangini. You had to fix the secondary.; and they DID.

 

 

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No matter how strong a pass rush we had, it seemed there was ALWAYS a wide open receiver. Strengthening the coverage also allows a Dline to play more aggressively, plus we may just see some coverage sacks. This year's defense could be VERY interesting. Personally, I would have been disappointed had they NOT taken Haden.

Mike

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Haden on defense? It's a slam dunk

Rookie trying to earn a starting job

 

By Nate Ulrich

Beacon Journal sports writer

 

Published on Sunday, Jul 25, 2010

 

 

Cleveland Browns first-round draft pick defensive back Joe Haden runs during rookie minicamp at the team's training facility in Berea in April. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta)

People laughed at Marcus Berry when he pointed at a short, skinny kid named Joe Haden and declared the boy would one day become a first-round NFL Draft pick.

 

They're not chuckling now.

 

About four years ago, a football coach from Georgia Tech became one of those naysayers when he took a recruiting trip to Haden's old stomping grounds — Friendly High School in Fort Washington, Md.

 

When the coach questioned Haden's athletic ability, Berry, a former physical education teacher and offensive coordinator for Friendly's football team, knew how to put his visitor's doubts to rest. Berry ordered Haden to demonstrate a basketball stunt he had flaunted in gym class the day before.

 

''So he stands at half court — he's on the left side of the court,'' said Berry, who's now director of player personnel for the University of North Carolina's football team. ''He throws the ball up underhanded, and the ball hits off the back wall and bounces toward the basket. He goes up, catches the ball and windmills it right in front of the rim.

 

''Now at that time, he was like 5-foot-9, 5-10, and the coach was like, 'Get out of here.' I was like, 'Joe, do it again.' So Joe did it again.''

 

Haden's phenomenal athletic ability allowed him to make a successful transition from a standout prep quarterback to a starting cornerback at the University of Florida, the school he chose over several other suitors, including Georgia Tech. Now Haden, whom the Browns selected with the seventh overall pick of this year's draft, hopes his talent will again help him prove his skeptics wrong, this time during his rookie season in the NFL.

 

Barring contract negotiations that could delay his arrival for the first full-squad practice of Browns training camp Saturday, Haden, 5-11, 190 pounds, will receive another chance to show he belongs. Although Haden has yet to sign with the Browns, his agent, Malik Shareef, said his client has no intentions of holding out.

 

More important, though, Haden is expected to compete against veteran cornerbacks Sheldon Brown and Eric Wright for a starting job during the next few weeks.

 

''I just want to show the coaches I can play, honestly,'' Haden said. . . . ''In training camp, I'm just going out there and trying to prove that I deserve to be here and deserve to play.

 

''Of course, I'd love to start. Being a football player, you want to be out there on the field. You want to be a starter.''

 

Accepting change

 

By the time Haden's career at Friendly ended, he had set a Maryland public school record with 7,371 passing yards and tied another with 80 touchdowns. As a senior, he threw for 2,783 yards and 38 touchdowns and ran for 899 yards and 13 touchdowns.

 

But after he graduated from high school early and enrolled at Florida in January 2007, Haden switched positions. Florida's coaches discussed Haden playing quarterback or receiver, but Tim Tebow and Percy Harvin stood in his way on the depth chart. Therefore, Haden was encouraged to try defense.

 

Although he played safety during his final two high school seasons, cornerback was foreign to him. Haden, however, adapted quickly and became the first true freshman in Florida history to start at corner.

 

''He learned well. He's a smart kid,'' said Chuck Heater, Florida's co-defensive coordinator who served as cornerbacks coach when Haden joined the Gators. ''He had never played over there, and [with] so much of cornerback, there's a dimension you can't teach on a chalkboard. You learn as you play it.

 

''Every week was a new experience for him. He played very well as a freshman for us. But yeah, he did learn fast and by his third year, he really matured into a special player.''

 

Haden started all 40 games in which he played for Florida. In his three seasons with the Gators, he compiled 218 tackles, 31/2 sacks, eight interceptions, 34 pass breakups, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He had 10 tackles in Florida's 24-14 victory over Oklahoma in the BCS National Championship Game in January 2009.

 

''It was definitely a big transition at first, especially going from quarterback to cornerback,'' Haden said. ''You're running the whole team and then you go out there on an island playing against those receivers.

 

''I was just playing off athletic ability at first. And even today, I just still got so much to learn 'cause this is my fourth year now playing corner.''

 

Born to battle

 

Haden, though, is not new to competition or perseverance.

 

He was the starting point guard for Friendly when it won two state basketball titles. He also added a football state championship while leading Friendly to a record of 14-0 during his senior season. And, of course, there's the national title he helped Florida capture.

 

Haden acknowledges his family's role in his development. He is the oldest of five boys, and two of his younger brothers — Josh (played for Boston College last season, but plans to transfer) and Jordan (committed to Florida) — are following his path on the football field. Their father, Joe, is a personal trainer and former professional bodybuilder.

 

''You always had somebody to play with,'' Haden said, recalling his childhood. ''You always had somebody to compete with, running with, racing with.

 

''I had to probably be the toughest 'cause I had to keep control of the four younger ones under me trying to always knock me off. They were trying to show they were real tough.''

 

Haden will need his competitive instincts to kick in during training camp if he wants to secure a starting job.

 

He's known as a physical corner — he attributes his knack for tackling to roughhousing with his siblings — but his speed has been questioned time and again in recent months.

 

This past March, he produced disappointing times — unofficially 4.57 and 4.60 seconds — in the the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine. But Haden said he was hindered by a strained back at the combine, and his times reportedly improved to 4.43 and 4.47 at Florida's pro day a few weeks later. He also said he yielded a time of 4.41 in a private workout with the Browns.

 

''[The Browns] would have never taken him where they took him unless they had a documented fast time on him, which is what happened,'' Heater said. ''I don't think that's an issue.

 

''If you look at all the measurables, the explosive, fixed drills, the vertical jumps and the standings long jumps, and even the 40-dash for that matter, he was always in the top five of any guys we'd ever had [at Florida].''

 

In addition to proving he's fast enough to thrive at corner, Haden must also convince the Browns he can master their coverages. During organized team activities and minicamp earlier this summer, Haden, like most rookies, encountered some mental obstacles while learning a new system.

 

''I really like the way that he's approached things,'' Browns coach Eric Mangini said after his team's final minicamp practice. ''I think that the volume of information has been new. I'm not saying he didn't have a large volume in college, [but] it's different. He's done a good job, and he's been put in a lot of spots where he's had to adjust and there's been hiccups as well along the way.''

 

Berry, though, remains confident in Haden. He recalls how Haden silenced his critics when he was in high school, and he believes it will happen once again.

 

''Physically, I don't see too many being better than him,'' Berry said. ''I'm not saying he'll be one of the best corners in the league his first year out, maybe not even his second year out. But by the third year, he's so competitive and he's so gifted athletically, that I can see him being one of the best five or six corners in the league.''

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couple tweets from OBR within the last 2 hours

 

"Browns making progress in talks with Haden."

 

"Browns and Haden reps haggling over guaranteed comp"

 

"Both parties working to get the rookie in camp before vets report"

 

"TheOBR has learned Browns offer approx 5% more than 2009 #7"

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Wow...this thread is a carbon copy of threads at the fag board....

 

Your schtick is old shep....really...really old.

 

 

Chances are everyone got sick of him over there so he decided to try his luck back here. He MIGHT be a browns fan but hes still a troll. Nothing he says make's any sense and he only opens his mouth to get everyone riled up. In his eyes any conversation is better then no conversation. The best thing we could do is just ignore him and stop giving him the attention he tries so hard to get.

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Even before the combine there was worry. I agree there is game speed and practice speed and it's still WAY early to discuss anything of this nature. Training camp hasn't even started. Slow points of the off season dredge up reports of this nature.

 

um, people thought he was going to run one of the fastest 40's at the combine...Deion and crew were excited when he first stepped to the line...

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Chances are everyone got sick of him over there so he decided to try his luck back here. He MIGHT be a browns fan but hes still a troll. Nothing he says make's any sense and he only opens his mouth to get everyone riled up. In his eyes any conversation is better then no conversation. The best thing we could do is just ignore him and stop giving him the attention he tries so hard to get.

 

Holy cripes, what the hell was THAT??? What are you responding to?

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ryan's defensive schemes, safety blitzes in particular, would've succeeded more often last year had we had a legitimate secondary. that's why we gave up so many big plays.

 

Don't get me wrong: We definitely needed to upgrade our secondary. I knew we were gonna sign somebody and draft a couple guys. I just wouldn't have gone with the #7 for a corner.

 

Cal, I don't think we had a legit shot at Bradford and Holmgren wasn't enamored with Clausen, so I don't disagree that it wasn't going to happen this year. I would've definitely taken Clausen at #38... but I don't think passing on him at #7 was crazy. That might be too much of a reach.

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Shep, did you watch Kareem Jackson in college and conclude he was just as good as Haden? It seems odd that you'd conclude that based on reports from mini-camp -- Holmgren & Heckert didn't evaluate him based on his press clippings.

 

I didn't say he was better. I said he's very good and will be a quality starting corner... like Kyle Wilson and Joe Haden, probably McCourty. I just think seven was too steep of a price.

 

Hey, I think Haden will be good. I sure as hell hope so.

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By the way, James Walker, the ESPN AFC North guy, says he was at Browns camp and Haden looked a step slow and unsure of himself. I think we can piece together the notion that the kid was not awesome. Doesn't mean all that much... but it is what it is.

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By the way, James Walker, the ESPN AFC North guy, says he was at Browns camp and Haden looked a step slow and unsure of himself. I think we can piece together the notion that the kid was not awesome. Doesn't mean all that much... but it is what it is.

 

 

For the millionth time: he was practicing with no pads, no contact, and no knoweldge of the playbook. Give it a rest.

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