Willie McGinest, the three-time Super Bowl champion with the New England Patriots, is planning on calling it quits after the 2008 season.  The Browns signed him to a three-year, $12 million deal in 2006, but he was never able to perform at his highest level.  In that regard, the signing ranges over on the “bust” side of the meter.  He has only registered seven sacks and 107 tackles in 27 games, but that is not entirely his fault (let’s try and place the blame on the defensive line, as it was previously constructed).

McGinest is well-versed in the 3-4 defense, and has a close relationship with coach Romeo Crennel.  In his final season, McGinest might actually be a much bigger influence off the field, as he will be able to mentor rookie linebacker Beau Bell.

The Browns rookie camp definitely went well for the following seven players, as they were signed to the team on Monday:

Nathan Bennett, OL, Clemson

Nate Hughes, WR, Alcorn State

Mil’Von James, CB, UNLV

Damon Jenkins, CB, Fresno State

Asa Matthews, LB, Northern Colorado

Xavier Mitchell, LB, Tennessee

Austin Scott, RB, Penn State

It would be nice to see if the Browns can once again work some magic out of UNLV and unearth a potentially serviceable cornerback in James.  The team is currently at the 80-player limit, with cornerback Daven Holly expected to sign a new contract any day now.  Therefore, someone is about to be without a team once again.  By the way, I am utterly blown away by the fact that the team released Craig Hormann, a quarterback out of Columbia…makes you wonder if management has a clue, you know?

Gerard Lawson, an undrafted cornerback signed by the Browns, was a teammate of Derek Anderson at Oregon State in 2004, and had his locker right next to the current Browns quarterback.  And yet, even he was blown away by the emergence of D.A. in 2007:

“Back in Oregon, we were like … ‘D.A.?’”

It’s understandable; after all, Anderson was a sixth-round pick cut by the Baltimore Ravens.  But it sure would be nice to have the backing of some former teammates, like “We always knew he could do it,” instead of “Huh?”  For being such a laid-back guy, one has to think this universal lack of support perhaps motivated him further.  Also, try not to take Lawson’s quotes out of context - he still called Anderson “a great guy to be around.”

If Lawson manages to crack the Browns’ roster, one will most likely find him patrolling the field on special teams.  With the secondary thin, he can also play cornerback and safety.

In an article that can be found right here, James Walker addresses the Browns’ quarterback situation going into next season.  For the most part, there is little I can disagree with, and it contains little that Cleveland fans don’t already know, such as the fact that no matter what Derek Anderson does, there is no way he can be more popular than Brady Quinn.  However, there was one paragraph that did catch my attention:

It’s a popularity contest Anderson will never win, not even with his 3,787 yards, 29 touchdowns and spot in the Pro Bowl this past season. He was even booed at home when returning from injury in the Browns’ season finale, because it took Quinn off the field in his only action last season.

I remember that final regular season game (against the 49ers) because I was there.  I also remember it being ridiculously cold, and it took a while to gain back feeling in my toes after I neglected to wear an extra pair of socks that day.  I also remember going to the bathroom at halftime and finding that a woman was in the men’s room, and she actually ended up going to the bathroom in one of the stalls.  The more inebriated of the fans waiting in line did not seem to mind too much.

But that’s besides the point.  The point is that Walker pretty much makes Cleveland fans out to be ignorant brutes for booing a guy who got injured.  Granted, there were some collective groans coming once Anderson entered the game again, but the real boos came in the first quarter of that game when he threw an awful interception.  Fans were becoming privy to the quarterback’s struggles in the second half of the season and one has to take into account that everyone was still bitter about that Bengals game only a week before.

It was a game against the lowly San Francisco 49ers and it was probably a foregone conclusion that the Browns were going to win.  Besides, once the lead was established, what would have been the harm to treating the fans to a glimpse of Quinn?  With the Colts tanking later that night (as we were all fairly sure they would), there were no playoffs to be had anyway.  It would have been nice for Quinn to truly get his feet wet, rather than playing just a series and leaving more speculation about his potential capabilities as an NFL quarterback.  It would have only been one half of football against a garbage team, but at least it would have been something.

Yes, it is true that Anderson put up great stats and earned a spot on the Pro Bowl roster, but by now Derek’s troubles in the second half of the season is common knowledge .  Browns fans wouldn’t mind a gun-slinging quarterback, as long as he is smart about who he is throwing to.  Year Two of the Anderson era will be interesting, because what will happen if he makes the right adjustments and puts up a solid full season?  Do they keep Anderson for the long haul and trade away the potential talent that is Quinn?  Walker has something right when he says the two probably won’t last together beyond this season.  When I think about the situation, I consider that Anderson has at least shown flashes of brilliance in the NFL.  What has Quinn accomplished?  And just how many big games did he win at Notre Dame, especially those against teams like USC, LSU, and Ohio State?

At the beginning of April, I wrote a little something about Beau Bell, then a linebacker for UNLV, making a pre-draft visit to the Browns.  He was on Phil Savage’s radar for quite some time, and to make sure he was the Browns’ guy, Savage traded the team’s 122nd overall pick and their fifth-round pick (155th overall) to the Dallas Cowboys for the 104th overall pick.  What the Browns are getting is an inside linebacker prospect, described by Savage as a “powerful tackler.”  He is listed at 6-1, 239 pounds and was named the 2007 Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year.

The one knock on Bell is his slight injury history, which certainly kept some teams wary of him.  He had a groin injury during his sophomore season, and a left ankle sprain that ended his junior season early.  However, his senior season was one to remember, and he finished his career at UNLV with 323 total tackles and 10.5 sacks.  Despite his medical history, Bell was able to solidify himself as one of the top inside linebackers in the draft.  That was enough to convince Savage to move up and secure his services.

Bell is a hard-nosed, gutsy player that will give it his all on every down.  At the very least, he is expected to make a contribution on special teams, but there is no reason why he cannot begin to challenge for a spot in the inside linebacker rotation that includes Andra Davis, D’Qwell Jackson, and Leon Williams.  With the decrease in production from Davis and the overall mediocrity of the position, Bell should be able to make an impact sooner rather than later, especially with his presence against the run.  It should be beneficial for him to learn under Davis for a season, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Bell playing more and more as the season progresses.

It really is hard to argue with this pick, even with his injury history.  In the continued efforts to improve the defense, the linebacker corps remained a particular area of concern and it was worth it to take a chance with such a motivated player.  Eric Wright was a solid pick from UNLV, so let’s hope the trend continues.

I’m going to level with you: I did not watch the NFL Draft this weekend.  At all.  In other words, I never saw the picks the Browns were making until after the fact.  I do, however, have a good reason for this.  I spent the weekend at home and was driving back to school on Sunday, so I was actually unable to watch any of the Day Two festivities, although I have never been particularly fond of listening to Mel Kiper, Jr. for two days in a row, so I guess I should refrain from calling them “festivities.”  His mystique wears off quickly, and by the time the first round is over, I am usually wishing for him to crawl back to wherever he is from and pop up again next year.

Nevertheless, through some trades, the Browns were able to draft five players between the fourth and seventh rounds.  Those players were:

Beau Bell, LB, UNLV (4th round, 104th overall)

Martin Rucker, TE, Missouri (4th round, 111th overall)

Ahtyba Rubin, DT, Iowa State (6th round, 190th overall)

Paul Hubbard, WR, Wisconsin (6th round, 191st overall)

Alex Hall, DE, St. Augustine (7th round, 231st overall

With each wonderful passing day, I will be sure to bring more information on each of these new Browns, starting tomorrow with Beau Bell.

Let’s say your girlfriend/wife wants to have a nice day with you Saturday - go for a walk, see a movie, go out to dinner, whatever - and she gives you one of those We-never-do-anything-together looks.  Don’t make matters worse; go out with her, because Browns fans will not be missing much when it comes to Saturday.  And the same goes for the ladies that peruse this site as well; if your boyfriend/husband is itching for some time together, grant him that.  What I’m trying to say is, don’t get your hopes up that the Browns are going to be making any moves on Day One of the NFL Draft.  Phil Savage and Friends seem content to just stay the course on the first day, and that means making zero picks until the fourth round, which is on Day Two (capitalizing it makes it so much more epic).

In other words, go enjoy the nice weather on Saturday.  Who really wants to watch ESPN flex its muscles and embark on such a monumental ego trip anyway?  Even the suspense of the first overall pick has been stripped from us, so don’t feel bad trying out a few flea markets with that special someone on Saturday.  Just be ready for Sunday.

The Fan-Sided network continues to add new members to its expanding, happy family.  We now welcome Who Dat Dish, a New Orleans Saints blog.  The lead blogger over there is Dashmir Keca, and he is looking to offer NFL fans a unique perspective on the Saints, a team looking to rebound after a disappointing 2007 season.  Either way, it’s going to be a great blog, so be sure to check it out.

Unfortunately, in the past few weeks, I have not been as active as I would have liked to be on here.  But fear not, because this is by no means a dead blog.  I only have aspirations of going up, up, and away.  Maybe we can all frolic together in the clouds…or not.  With the draft next weekend and some things behind me personally, I can now once again commit myself fully to this wonderful endeavor.  Thanks for sticking with me.

Sunday, September 7th - vs Dallas Cowboys, 4:15 PM - FOX

Sunday, September 14th - vs Pittsburgh Steelers, 8:15 PM - NBC

Sunday, September 21st - @ Baltimore Ravens, 4:15 PM - CBS

Sunday, September 28th - @ Cincinnati Bengals, 1:00 PM - CBS

Week Five - BYE

Monday, October 13th - vs New York Giants, 8:30 PM - ESPN

Sunday, October 19th - @ Washington Redskins, 4:15 PM - CBS

Sunday, October 26th - @ Jacksonville Jaguars, 4:05 PM - CBS

Sunday, November 2nd - vs Baltimore Ravens, 1:00 PM - CBS

Thursday, November 6th - vs Denver Broncos, 8:15 PM - NFL Network

Monday, November 17th - @ Buffalo Bills, 8:30 PM - ESPN

Sunday, November 23rd - vs Houston Texans, 1:00 PM - CBS

Sunday, November 30th - vs Indianapolis Colts, 1:00 PM - CBS

Sunday, December 7th - @ Tennessee Titans, 1:00 PM - CBS

Monday, December 15th - @ Philadelphia Eagles, 8:30 PM - ESPN

Sunday, December 21st - vs Cincinnati Bengals, 1:00 PM - CBS

Sunday, December 28th - @ Pittsburgh Steelers, 1:00 PM - CBS

More to come on this later…