Archive for March, 2011

After pulling off the upset against Baltimore’s Ray Rice with 62% of the vote, Browns running back Peyton Hillis finds himself against Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan in the second round of the voting bracket to see who will be the player to grace the cover of “Madden NFL 12″. Hillis overtaking Rice was the big upset of the first round, so the Browns back certainly has a following. Does he have the staying power, though, to overtake some of the bigger names in the game? The lockout, and the destruction of my own March Madness bracket, has given me [...]

As the Cleveland Browns continue to rebuild, it’s a question that will have to be asked in every draft. Do the Browns use their first-round draft pick to select one player or does the team trade down for additional picks at various positions? It’s a struggle to determine when to make a move like that, though teams like the New England Patriots have turned it into an art form.

In an effort to reduce injuries, league owners approved changes to kickoffs at meetings earlier this week. Here are the changes, according to this Cleveland.com article: The changes move up the kickoff line 5 yards to the 35-yard line and prohibit players on the coverage team from getting more than a 5-yard running start on kickoffs. Kickoffs out of bounds will continue to be brought back to the 40-yard line or at the spot the ball went out, and the two-man blocking wedge was not eradicated.

Cleveland may have a new curse to worry about. Browns running back Peyton Hillis appeared on ESPN with Eagles quarterback Michael Vick to discuss the NFL lockout situation, and the cover of EA Sports® video game phenomenon, Madden NFL 2012. An online ESPN vote will determine which one representative per NFL team will be featured on the game’s cover this year. I haven’t included the link because I don’t want any of you to vote for Hillis. For years, players and teams featured on the cover of the Madden game have suffered through injury plagued, scandal-ridden seasons of disappointment. Fans [...]

It’s not exactly a question that I want to ask, because I don’t really want to even have to consider the alternatives at quarterback for the Browns. Seneca Wallace? A draft pick like Cam Newton or Blaine Gabbert? Colt McCoy has essentially been told that the job is his to lose, but there has been plenty of talk about the Browns using a pick in the upcoming NFL draft to select a quarterback. While I believe the thought of drafting a quarterback with the sixth overall pick is simply smoke and mirrors, it wouldn’t surprise me to see the Browns [...]

Because it isn’t fun agonizing over the lock out/labor dispute/ and CBA constantly – we bring you NFL  jersey tweaks.  The NFL Jersey Tweak is a weekly segment where we showcase jersey tweaks by both myself, and you the reads.  So feel free to send in your own tweak to us at dawgpounddaily@gmail.com. As always enjoy!

Obviously, we all hoped that this wouldn’t happen, but it became evident early last Friday that a new deal would not be reached between the NFL and the union.

On Monday, Browns’ President Mike Holmgren gave his first press conference since the NFL moved into lockout mode. The point was to put on a happy face so we continue buying season tickets, but he also managed to reveal some interesting tidbits of info along the way. For one, he mentioned quarterback Colt McCoy has new coach Pat Shurmur’s playbook in-hand, and they expect him to bring the other players together so they can learn it. Don’t know how much of that is exactly street legal at this point, but it appears the NFL has no problem with it, so [...]

Team president Mike Holmgren has said that the Cleveland Browns are taking a look at quarterback Cam Newton by setting up a private workout with the former Auburn star. As you may or may not know, the Browns are sitting pretty with the sixth overall pick in next month’s draft, which means there will be a plethora of options to choose from.

The NFL jersey tweak, is a weekly column  where we bring you jersey tweaks submitted both by myself and you the readers.  As always we encourage you to send in your tweaks at dawgpounddaily@gmail.com, and as always, enjoy!