Browns GM Ray Farmer’s Pre-Draft news conference
By Paul Noel
Browns General Manager Ray Farmer met with the media today to provide his pre-draft news conference. Below is a transcript provided by the Browns from the press conference, and our thoughts on what he said and the answers he gave to some of the interesting questions he was asked by members of the media that were present today.
Opening statement: “Hey, I appreciate everybody coming out. It’s draft time, which seems like the next most exciting time in comparison to the season. We’ve contended all along that we want to build through the draft here. The draft’s important. It’s important for us. It’s important to make the right decisions, get the right guys. Strategically, I would tell you that you plan for Scenario A to happen and, inevitably, that could happen or there are contingency plans, as well, to move on. In that, you think about best player available. You think about what needs you may think you may have to address, but need shouldn’t outweigh taking the best players for today and tomorrow. The things I think are hot buttons in the league now – character’s obviously one of them, guys have existing issues, understanding what they are, understand your risk and your tolerance for risk and when you take risks. Those are all out there. I think we really focus on the idea of continuing to ‘Play Like a Brown’ and add guys to that. I think last year was interesting for us – ‘Pett’s (Head Coach Mike Pettine) first year, my first year, new coaching staff. I think that blend has been a lot smoother this year for how we kind of come about and get together and get everybody organized so that we can make the right decisions for our ball club and how those guys fit. At the end of the day, we really feel good. There are 10 picks. We’ve got two in the first round, three of the top 43. We’ve got four of the top 77. We’re excited about kind of where we’re at and what’s happening. I guess I should take a moment and really thank the scouts. Those are the guys that I don’t even know if a lot of you guys even know who a lot of our scouts are, to pick them out if they were just walking through the building. A lot of tireless effort, singularly focused on improving the football team. I know a lot of times it may seem like those are forgotten warriors, but they’re not. They’re a vital part of the process, and they help us get to where we’re going. I also want to thank our coaching staff…Did a tremendous job this year, as well, of working both with us. I guess I can get to that for a second…Took some liberties this year to kind of change how we did some things during the offseason blending and blurring the line between the scouts and the coaches, having those guys work together on some projects to flush out some of the conversations early on which I thought was a good part of that. Our group and how we kind of come to these answers is really collaborative. At the end of the day, I know myself, (Vice President, player personnel) Morocco Brown, (Executive Chief of Staff) Bill Kuharich, Mike Pettine have spent a lot of time the last several weeks kind of locked behind doors kind of putting the finishing touches on where we think we are in the draft and who we like and, again, what that plan and what that contingency plan would look like moving forward. I think I might have taken enough of the time just kind of catching you guys up as to how we got to where we’re at. If there’s any questions, I’m open.”
Q&A Section
Farmer was asked if he would have known a week away from the draft last year that he would have made the trade with Buffalo early in the first round: “No. I would not have known a week out. That brings up a good point which is interesting. You hear all the information. I can tell you right now – nobody’s saying anything that’s substantial at the moment. They’re just not – all the reports, all of the conjecture, all of the ‘this is happening’ and ‘that’s happening.’ It’s a pretty fluid process. People say when you make calls and you talk to other teams – ‘Hey, we’re willing to go up. We’re willing to go down.’ That does me no good. That doesn’t help, but it’s the reality. I would go up if it was the right circumstance, and I would go back if it was the right circumstance. Those things happen literally much closer to the draft and a lot of times when you’re on the clock. You’ve got to make that in-the-moment decision of, ‘Do I want to do this? Do I not want to do this?’ That’s where all the contingency planning and the preparation comes into play.”
DPD Thoughts: Farmer used this question as and opportunity to try to play down the trade rumors have plagued the Browns in the weeks/months leading up to the draft. If Farmer thinks that his answer is enough to sink that ship then good luck. In my opinion the Browns are very much in the discussion to move up or down depending on the asking price and what’s at stake. Some speculate it’s Marcus Mariota, while other’s believe it could be the Browns and Eagles changing spots. What’s clear to everyone is that the Browns are sitting pretty with their picks and they have the need at QB for them to be in the discussion to move. So regardless of the answer that Farmer gave it will be a wait and see scenario. So mission accomplished.
Farmer was asked if he has a feel of what it might take to move up to select Mariota:“Ironically, you can always look at those charts that are out there. They’re all over the internet. I know we have our own. There are several versions of it. Teams have their own versions. You try to piece that together. The reality is that – this is interesting – a lot of the scuttlebutt that you hear and the conjecture and the noise that’s out there, it changes the complexion of trying to get a deal done. If everybody thinks that you want something, your price just went up. If you’re the guy that’s dying in the desert for thirst and you need a cup of water, your cup of water costs $10,000. Meanwhile, we just gave one to Mary Kay (Cabot) for $1.50. It’s different. I think that’s where it’s interesting is that you hear it, you see it, but then there’s no reality until somebody truly makes an offer or makes a push to get something done.”
DPD Thoughts: The quick answer is yes, the Browns at this point have to know what the price is to up to acquire the player they want (Or don’t want). The really question is will Mariota be available and will ‘said team’ (Speculation: Titans) come down on what the want for the player, or if they can get a better offer. Lets remember that the Browns were in a similar situation when the worked to move up to #2 in the 2012 NFL Draft, but the pick was highly coveted and the Browns were not willing to mortgage the farm on RGIII.
Farmer was asked if taking quarterback Johnny Manziel last year and there being an odd man out enters his mind when it comes to the thought of drafting Mariota:“Every decision comes at a consequence to somebody else. We’ve brought a lot of guys in on 30 visits. We talked to a lot of guys at the combine and different circumstances. The thought process for us – and I told several young men this – is that the National Football League is different than college football. You come into an organization and you make friends and you have friends, but at the end of the day you’re here to take that guy in front of you’s job. That’s what it comes down to. It’s a different way of looking at it, but the reality is, for us, we make the decisions that we think we need to make to improve our football team. Driving competition is a part of that. I do want Player A to compete with Player B, and Player B to compete with Player C. ‘C’ may end of being ‘A’ by the end of the day. Nobody expected it. Nobody anticipated it, but the idea is to drive the competition on our roster. Inevitably, it’s going to come at the demise of somebody. Who that person is I don’t know if anybody can say, but we definitely like the idea of just driving the competition and making the team better.”
DPD Thoughts: The thought will cross his mind but you can’t plan your draft around “Ifs”, and at this point Manziel is a big “If”. Farmer was 100% right and if the Browns won’t to be successful they can’t rest on “Ifs” especially when you have a question mark at the quarterback position.
Farmer was asked if he has seriously considered trading the No. 12 and No. 19 picks to move up and draft Mariota: “Sure. Why not? (with a smile and laughter)”
DPD Thoughts: The quick answer is “you betcha”.
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Farmer was asked where he is in terms of looking at wide receivers and if acquiring wide receivers Dwayne Bowe and Brian Hartline impacts that at all: “Doesn’t impact it one iota. Every position on our roster…If I had to play today, I feel good about if we went out and played. End of the day, I think it comes to, again, take the best player available, move forward, improve your football team and see if you can’t get better with the guys that you bring into the building.”
DPD Thoughts: This seems to be the question everyone is interested in besides the quarterback speculation and the Browns GM pointed that just because they have two new veterans doesn’t mean they won’t add quality talent in the draft. That’s just music to my ears.
Farmer was asked if it is true that the Browns tried to trade Manziel to the Philadelphia Eagles: “No, that’s not true.”
DPD Thoughts: Seems plausible, but I will take him at his word on this one.
On if it is true that Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford would not sign a long-term contract with the Browns if traded to Cleveland: “You’d have to ask Sam. I have had no connection with Sam. I haven’t spoken to him. I do not know the answer to that question.”
DPD Thoughts: Seems like a pile of horse manure, you can say that you never talked to the player, but that doesn’t mean you didn’t talk to his team and agent. Classic smoke and mirrors answer.
Farmer was asked On Twitter trending that ‘Farmer likes Mariota best’ currently: “Again, I don’t know where this stuff comes from. I know last year somebody asked a question about Marcus Mariota and I answered differently than everybody else that I talked about. I guess I was saying, ‘I like him, I like that player’ and then it got to Mariota, and I said, ‘Yeah, he’s good’ or I changed what I said. From that moment on, he’s been ‘my guy.’ I guess it doesn’t really matter what I say, he’s ‘my guy’ so I’m going to leave it at that and let you guys decide when he’s ‘my guy’ and when he falls out of being ‘my guy.’“
DPD Thoughts: I threw this one in here just because it was fun to watch him try and squirm.
These are just some of the many questions Farmer answered during the media section. It’s always important to remember that with a week to go the visits and workouts are not done and over with per NFL policy. And the Browns will be getting everything in line for the draft. They definitely have a plan in place and despite my thoughts and all of the internet and media speculation. Th countdown to the draft continues and the media reports in the final week are always teetering on the boarder of insane and impossible, to down right nutty. But I will close with this, heading into the 2014 NFL Draft there was all kinds of speculation on what the Browns would do with their two first round picks, and in the end they moved all over the board and grabbed the player they coveted and a player that couldn’t be ignored. Of course now we are dealing with the repercussions of both of those picks, but that’s a story for another day.
What do you think of Farmer’s answers to the questions he was asked during his pre-draft press conference?