ATENEARS Posted August 3, 2010 Report Share Posted August 3, 2010 Joe here to stay Now that LeBron James has bolted for Miami, CantonRep.com reporter Steve Doerschuk writes that Joe Thomas of the Browns is now the biggest and brightest star in Cleveland. That actually belongs to Josh Cribbs, but Doerschuk writes Thomas is in the discussion of who is the favorite athlete of this heartland’s pro sports fans now that LeBron James is in Heatland. Mention this to Thomas and he says, “I can’t say I really think about it too much. “Josh (Cribbs) is certainly the most well known. He’s certainly the guy that people think about when they think about the Cleveland Browns. I’m comfortable with that.” Point taken, but ... Cribbs has been to two Pro Bowls in his five Browns seasons. Thomas is three-for-three. Thomas is signed through 2011. In 2012, depending how the labor situation pans out, he could become the first Browns player to be slapped with the “franchise” tag, binding him to the Browns for another year. Beef brothers The Cleveland Browns will have one of the biggest backfields this year. The Browns will have a bevy of big backs like Lawrence Vickers and Peyton Hillis. Jeff Schudel of The News-Herald writes how Vickers is a legitimate 250. Vickers has been knocking the numbers off linebackers in training camp. "Having Vick in there is a big plus," said Hillis, who rode the exercise bike during the evening practice Monday. "He's a big back that hits people and loves to block. I feel with both of us in there we can move the pile a little bit and get that tough yardage." Vickers triggered Harrison's success last December. The fullback played so well he thought he should have been in the Pro Bowl. Hillis might help him get to Hawaii this season. Lauvao stands tall Nate Ulrich writes on Ohio.com how Browns rookie offensive lineman Shawn Lauvao has been mature since he was a freshman in college at the age of 17. ''As soon as I went to college, I was on my own. My parents live in Hawaii. My dad got real sick and then from there, they went back to Samoa, so I barely see my parents.'' Lauvao has also adjusted well on the football field. During training camp Monday, he played right guard with the first-team offense for the second consecutive day. ''I think Shawn's been doing a really good job,'' Browns Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas said. ''It's hard for any rookie to be thrown into the fire, getting reps with the ones against the one defense, but he's a really smart kid. He's showing he can pick up the offense very quickly. He's got really nice feet, and he's got a willingness to learn and work hard. I think he's going to be very successful.'' The Browns drafted Lauvao, 6-foot-3, 300 pounds, in the third round (92nd overall) of this year's draft. He finished his career at Arizona State University with 33 consecutive starts, including 17 at left guard, 12 at left tackle and four at right tackle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJ_Browns Posted August 4, 2010 Report Share Posted August 4, 2010 i hope lauvao turns into a solid o-lineman! that would just make the browns line more mean. that would also help the browns to run at will. plus vickers and hillis would add to the front line assault on opposing defenses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. T Posted August 4, 2010 Report Share Posted August 4, 2010 At 6-foot-3, 300 pounds and with good work habits, I think we will be hearing more about Lauvao. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drake54 Posted August 4, 2010 Report Share Posted August 4, 2010 it seems we're starting to get a nice solid core at o-line we could soon have the best line in the league. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowieDawg Posted August 4, 2010 Report Share Posted August 4, 2010 What we need is productivity behind and to the sides! I think we see enough early on to suggest that we have upgrades and imporvement at these spots too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballpeen Posted August 4, 2010 Report Share Posted August 4, 2010 i hope lauvao turns into a solid o-lineman! that would just make the browns line more mean. that would also help the browns to run at will. plus vickers and hillis would add to the front line assault on opposing defenses. I agree. For so long the browns seemed to ignore the O-line position and for so long we couldn't do squat on offense. I think the line is now starting to firm up and think fans who otherwise don't get excited about O-line will see the benefit. If I was a GM picking players for a team, I doubt a draft would pass where I didn't select a Olineman in at least one of the first three rounds. Ok...maybe three out of ten years I might not select one...the point is you can't be to good and you can't have to many good O-linemen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keylime Posted August 4, 2010 Report Share Posted August 4, 2010 it would be huge if we found a young core of OL in Thomas/Mack/Lauavo - one of which is an all-pro and another of which is on his way to being an all-pro. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calfoxwc Posted August 4, 2010 Report Share Posted August 4, 2010 I still say that the oline is the engine of the offense. Without a solid one, the car doesn't go very far. The Browns can be effective running anywhere, to the left, right or up the middle, and that versatility, with the consistent side to side pass protection, makes the entire offense more hard to defend for any defense. This coming season is going to be exciting for this offense, the Browns are terrific on special teams.. and the defense is no longer going to be giving up most of their first downs up and down the field with simple passes to open recieivers. Big surprise for opponents of the Browns THIS YEAR. I also predict that Cribbs and Wallace both run AND throw for a touchdown this year in the WildDawg or pitchouts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJ_Browns Posted August 5, 2010 Report Share Posted August 5, 2010 I also predict that Cribbs and Wallace both run AND throw for a touchdown this year in the WildDawg or pitchouts. now wouldn't that be nice?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich4eagle Posted August 5, 2010 Report Share Posted August 5, 2010 Joe here to stay Now that LeBron James has bolted for Miami, CantonRep.com reporter Steve Doerschuk writes that Joe Thomas of the Browns is now the biggest and brightest star in Cleveland. That actually belongs to Josh Cribbs, but Doerschuk writes Thomas is in the discussion of who is the favorite athlete of this heartland's pro sports fans now that LeBron James is in Heatland. Mention this to Thomas and he says, "I can't say I really think about it too much. "Josh (Cribbs) is certainly the most well known. He's certainly the guy that people think about when they think about the Cleveland Browns. I'm comfortable with that." Point taken, but ... Cribbs has been to two Pro Bowls in his five Browns seasons. Thomas is three-for-three. Thomas is signed through 2011. In 2012, depending how the labor situation pans out, he could become the first Browns player to be slapped with the "franchise" tag, binding him to the Browns for another year. Beef brothers The Cleveland Browns will have one of the biggest backfields this year. The Browns will have a bevy of big backs like Lawrence Vickers and Peyton Hillis. Jeff Schudel of The News-Herald writes how Vickers is a legitimate 250. Vickers has been knocking the numbers off linebackers in training camp. "Having Vick in there is a big plus," said Hillis, who rode the exercise bike during the evening practice Monday. "He's a big back that hits people and loves to block. I feel with both of us in there we can move the pile a little bit and get that tough yardage." Vickers triggered Harrison's success last December. The fullback played so well he thought he should have been in the Pro Bowl. Hillis might help him get to Hawaii this season. Lauvao stands tall Nate Ulrich writes on Ohio.com how Browns rookie offensive lineman Shawn Lauvao has been mature since he was a freshman in college at the age of 17. ''As soon as I went to college, I was on my own. My parents live in Hawaii. My dad got real sick and then from there, they went back to Samoa, so I barely see my parents.'' Lauvao has also adjusted well on the football field. During training camp Monday, he played right guard with the first-team offense for the second consecutive day. ''I think Shawn's been doing a really good job,'' Browns Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas said. ''It's hard for any rookie to be thrown into the fire, getting reps with the ones against the one defense, but he's a really smart kid. He's showing he can pick up the offense very quickly. He's got really nice feet, and he's got a willingness to learn and work hard. I think he's going to be very successful.'' The Browns drafted Lauvao, 6-foot-3, 300 pounds, in the third round (92nd overall) of this year's draft. He finished his career at Arizona State University with 33 consecutive starts, including 17 at left guard, 12 at left tackle and four at right tackle. this is great great......................a tackle is the teams hero an offensive tackle............oh my.......how low can it go.........btw when is brownstown going full throttle in dumping the lazy pos fat gasser Rogers until sanity from the fan base shows do not expect mgt to sell other than shiet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calfoxwc Posted August 5, 2010 Report Share Posted August 5, 2010 Actually, Rich, You keep dissing the oline. but watch the difference in the offense this coming season. then you can email me and say you're sorry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Gipper Posted August 5, 2010 Report Share Posted August 5, 2010 this is great great......................a tackle is the teams hero an offensive tackle............oh my.......how low can it go.........btw when is brownstown going full throttle in dumping the lazy pos fat gasser Rogers until sanity from the fan base shows do not expect mgt to sell other than shiet Considering that Left Tackles are considered by NFL GMs to be a premiere commodity, perhaps only surpassed by the QB position itself, yea, sure an OT can very well be a team's hero. Anthony Munoz is considered the greatest Bengal of all time...and he probably is. How many LT have been drafted #1 overall in years past? (Jake Long, Orlando Pace) Here is the breakdown of overall #1s by position the last 20 years: QB 10, OT 2, DE 2, DT 3, WR 1, RB 1 As you can see, OTs may be given more importance that even WRs and RBs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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