Archive for May, 2011

It still hasn’t completely set in that Browns running back Peyton Hillis is on the cover of Madden ’12, but EA Sports has offered another glimpse that it’s all too gloriously real by releasing the actual design of the cover today. It features Hillis in a couple of action poses, of course, but it also contains images of the Cleveland skyline and Cleveland Browns Stadium in the background. The design looks great, and it’s still amazing to consider that a member of the Cleveland Browns – a team mired in ineptitude for so many years – was able to nab [...]

It’s no secret that the Browns have a lot of needs right now. Once this lockout ends, the free agency period will begin and one has to assume that the Browns will be active in finding players to plug those holes. But who could the Browns target? The team has money to spend and impact players will be available, players like defensive end Ray Edwards and Glenville graduate Donte Whitner. These would obviously be great additions to the Browns but, as ESPN’s James Walker suggests, the real challenge will come in convincing these types of players why they should join [...]

Wide receiver Josh Cribbs has let it be known that a third “Camp Colt” will be taking place June 9-11 at Colt McCoy’s alma mater, the University of Texas.

This lockout continues to feel like an enormous fight between parents, and the fans are just the children in the middle of it all. This time, the NFL has cancelled the rookie symposium, a summer event that allows rookies to meet current and former players while, more importantly, getting the opportunity to learn about life skills, the culture of the league, what situations they may find themselves in, and the issue of money.

Last week, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the NFL’s owners, granting them permission to continue their glorious two-month lockout. Our beloved Browns players can’t work, and maybe it’s time they started looking at the want-ads. These guys need their paychecks, especially since according to them, they’re suffering irreparable harm without them. So what if the players just up and decided to all go out and get new jobs? What if they walked right into Roger Goodell’s office and said, “Forget you silly man, we’re taking this, to the streets.” — (Of course I picture them saying “this” [...]

Eagles quarterback Kevin Kolb caught a bad break in Philadelphia when Michael Vick made his comeback by running away with the starting job while Kolb was hurt. That came after Kolb had to wait his turn while Donovan McNabb wore out his welcome in Philadelphia. With those setbacks, it’s time for Kolb to move on to another team. All of that doesn’t mean that other teams in the league wouldn’t want to utilize Kolb’s services. Two of the potential suitors on Friday were considered to be the Arizona Cardinals and the Cleveland Browns. The Browns were deemed as a possible [...]

One of these days, the Cleveland Browns will put a statue of a team legend outside the stadium. The only question is, who do they choose? Despite recent history, there are a number of worthy candidates, with older generation players like Jim Brown and Otto Graham coming to mind. That being said, Tony Grossi believes it shouldn’t even be a debate: the founder and first head coach, Paul Brown, should be the first to get a statue. Who do you think should be the first to get a statue outside Cleveland Browns Stadium? And now, some links for you on [...]

Maybe it’s just a residual effect of LeBron James’ departure from the team. Maybe it’s just shocking to consider that there are players in Cleveland who truly want to support the other teams in town. Either way, Josh Cribbs and Joe Haden are becoming the go-to ambassadors among the Cleveland sports teams, showing up in full team apparel at a number of games and, since they’ve got plenty of time on their hands these days, functions like the NBA Draft lottery.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Cleveland Browns expect draft picks Phil Taylor and Jabaal Sheard to contribute immediately, as the revamped 4-3 defense is mighty thin up front. It’s also not so surprising that the Browns will be looking for added help on the defensive line through free agency, whenever that period finally begins. One surprise that will be welcomed will be a solid first year for this 4-3 defense. For that to happen, the Browns will need Taylor and Sheard to contribute in much the same way that Joe Haden and T.J. Ward were able to [...]

Browns head coach Pat Shurmur is kind of like Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Darth Maul fight scene in Star Wars: Episode I. Obi-Wan is forced to sit behind a forcefield as he watches his master, Qui-Gon Jinn, get killed by Darth Maul. Now, I’m not saying the Browns are being killed without Shurmur’s help, but he does have to sit and watch the team conduct workouts without him. The best that he can do is say, “I think it’s terrific…Some of our players have obviously taken leadership roles in making sure the guys get together, some of our key players, and [...]