Archive for July, 2009

  As training camp approaches, we can finally see some light at the end of the off-season tunnel.  Could this be the year that the Browns finally win a home opener?  We would be interested to hear your thoughts. 2009 is the 11th straight year that the Browns have been given a home opener to the regular season.  We begin the campaign against the Minnesota Vikings at Cleveland Browns Stadium on September 13. The abysmal record of the Browns at home openers is probably well known to everyone who frequents this website:  1-9 since 1999.  Last year, the game seemed [...]

Josh Cribbs has declared that, although he will report to Training Camp at the beginning of next month, he will not play a single game for the Browns this season unless he gets a new contract or unless significant progress is made towards a new contract.  In other words, a new contract or else… This ongoing display of croc tears by Josh is apparently over his upset about the 4-year contract that Devin Hester signed with the Bears (which reportedly gives Hester $15 million guaranteed and as much as $40 million maximum).  So what?  Hester is the best returner in [...]

As a brief follow-up to Steve’s recent post about Derek Anderson being ready for training camp in terms of having recovered from his calf injury that had him sidelined earlier this off-season, it is important that we put the issue of dropped passes into a wider perspective. There is no doubt that Braylon Edwards in particular dropped an awful lot of footballs last year – in fact the highest in the League according to most statistics trackers (remember that dropped passes tend to be less reliable stats compared to other more official NFL figures throughout the season).  And of course [...]

Consider me as thrilled for Derek Anderson in a Browns uniform as I would about getting bamboo shoved under my fingernails.  I do not wish any athlete to be hurt, but I certainly can wish for one to stop plaguing the Browns as a starter.  I’m all for Anderson being the backup, but the Browns insist it is an open competition between him and Brady Quinn. Apparently, the calf injury that sidelined Anderson for the minicamp in June has healed and he is ready to compete for the quarterback job in the upcoming training camp.  This is good news for [...]

The Cleveland Browns have signed four of its eight draft picks.  Under contract as of yesterday are linebacker Kaluka Maiava (4th round), cornerbacks Don Carey and Coye Francies and running back James Davis (the latter three players from the 6th round). The Team will now be working hard to get the other four draft picks signed before the July 24 reporting date:  Alex Mack (our first pick in the Draft) and second rounders David Veikune (linebacker), Brian Robiskie (receiver) and Mohamed Massoquoi (receiver). Of the four draftees under contract thus far, we are attracted most to Davis.  This guy could [...]

Now that Donte Stallworth is out of the clink, we thought that we would take this opportunity to express our sentiments about the whole ordeal with unbridled bluntness.  A final word, so to speak. The Sentence Anyone who says that Stallworth is just another professional athlete  who bought justice should talk to Vick.  Anyone who criticizes Stallworth for buying his 30-day jail sentence by paying the Reyes family off should consider what s/he would do if in the same predicament.  Anyone who thinks that the 30 days is insulting should research the matter before yapping.  Sentencing for DUI manslaughter is [...]

The latest news in the Donte Stallworth debacle is that he was out drinking with WR Braylon Edwards the night that he killed a pedestrian while driving intoxicated.  Rather than continuing to go on and on about this night in March, I would rather point out two things that stuck out to me with these newest developments: 1) Why did Stallworth go back home, take a quick nap, and decide to go out to breakfast only a few short hours later?  I suppose the drunk cravings for breakfast could have been too strong at that point, but once home, what [...]

This is just a reminder letting all of you know that the FanSided network has its own forums, including one specifically geared toward the Cleveland Browns.  It would be great to get this going, so it can be a place for all Browns fans to talk and let loose about the greatest NFL franchise there is.  Yeah, I said it. So, check out the Browns’ forum, sign up, and sound off about whatever you want.  Right now, the most recent post is about the Browns’ lowly ranking in ESPN’s 2009 Ultimate Standings. If all goes according to plan, we should [...]

Perhaps the wild card among the Browns’ new coaching staff is offensive coordinator Brian Daboll.  At 34 years young, the Ontario native is a rookie in that position.  He comes to the job without the pro experience and family genes of defensive coordinator Ryan and without the reputation and longevity of special teams coordinator Seely.  Daboll also takes over from Rod Chudzinski, whom Bleacher Report named recently as one of the very worst offensive coordinators in the NFL in 2008: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/89558-nfl-the-best-and-worst-coordinators-of-2008/page/2. Daboll played high school football in New York State.  He attended the University of Rochester and was a letterman as [...]

                  Thanks to Steve, we have learned of ESPN’s 2009 Ultimate Team Standings.  After you choke on your morning biscuit seeing the Browns ranked 114th of 122 professional sports teams and 4th from the bottom among NFL teams, you might be wondering how ESPN defines “affordability”.  I sure am. http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/postedsports/archive/2008/12/06/nfl-toronto-s-bills-ticket-prices-more-expensive-than-any-other-nfl-city.aspx The above link is just one of many current sources which establish that the Browns have the second lowest average ticket price in the entire NFL – only the Bills are cheaper.  Having been to both stadiums several times (my delusional friend is [...]