Daily Dawg Tags: Defensive Big 3 earns low grade
Spanning the virtual globe to bring you the latest news about the Cleveland Browns and the NFL – these are your Daily Dawg Tags for Tuesday, June 28.
The Cleveland Browns are continuing to prepare for the 2016 season as training camp is just over one month away.
Offseason honors continue to be handed out, and while this provides some optimism about the 2016 season, there are still those pessimistic about the upcoming season.
That and more as we take a look at the news surrounding the Browns and the rest of the NFL from a scorching Monday in Northeast Ohio.
Cleveland Browns:
Cleveland Browns: Defensive Big 3 earn low marks
"The Cleveland Browns invested heavily during the off-season in their defense in an attempt to fix the problems that have continually plagued the team. After finishing near the bottom of the NFL in just about every important statistical category in 2015, the Browns purged numerous veterans – among them starters Tashaun Gipson, Donte Whitner, Randy Starks and Karlos Dansby – and used six of their league-high 14 selections in the 2016 NFL Draft on defensive players."
Joe Thomas named top offensive lineman in NFL
"Joe Thomas will go down as of one of the greatest players to ever wear a Cleveland Browns uniform. He has remained great when the players around him have failed, and has never tried to force his way out of Cleveland. He has made the Pro Bowl in each of his nine seasons, and continues to be recognized as one of the game’s best as training camp approaches."
Hard to get excited about the Cleveland Browns this season
"The Cleveland Indians are 14 games above .500, the Cleveland Cavaliers won their first title in franchise history, and the city’s first in 52 years, and the Cleveland Browns are still the Browns. The team that has gone 87-185 since their return 17 seasons ago. That comes out to be an average record of 5-11 each year."
Cleveland Browns: Can E.J. Bibbs break out in 2016?
"The search for big-play threats on the offensive side of the football is a process which seems to be never ending for the Cleveland Browns. The Browns have been relentless in their efforts to acquire position playmakers on offense for several seasons, and with the possible exception of Josh Gordon, have not yet found a player who has made this desired impact."
Bryant embracing leadership role under Hue Jackson (clevelandbrowns.com)
"Desmond Bryant finds himself as something of the elder statesman in the Browns defensive line room these days. The 30-year-old is entering his fourth season in Cleveland and first under Hue Jackson, whom players and coaches say has brought a new energy to Berea lately. Consider Bryant — who played for Jackson in 2011 during a four-season stint in Oakland — among the many who feel reinvigorated as the team prepares for training camp in late July."
Will the Joe Haden of old return in 2016? (NFL Spin Zone)
"The career of Cleveland Browns cornerback Joe Haden changed in December 2013. Up until that point, the perception had by analysts, followers of the National Football League and Cleveland fans was that Haden was a shutdown CB. Haden earned that reputation by routinely hanging with and stopping some of the best wide receivers in the league."
NFL News:
System guy or star? Josh Norman, Patrick Peterson not the same (NFL.com)
"Is it the talent or the system? That’s the question scouts and coaches routinely debate when evaluating top players across the NFL landscape. In a league full of world-class athletes, evaluators spend countless hours in the film room trying to ascertain whether a player is a transcendent star capable of thriving in any scheme or a “system guy” who needs to play in a specific game plan to produce at a high level."
2016 NFL Schedule: 5 quarterback duels to circle (NFL Mocks)
"Anybody who follows the game of football knows what that is. It’s a matchup where the running backs and the defenses take the week off and it becomes fast break, gun-slinging shootout between two of the best arms in the business. There will be lots of points, lots of yards, lots of lead changes and lots of drama. That is what the fans love and is why quarterbacks are so beloved."
James Harrison says NFL interview should be done at his house (ESPN.com)
"James Harrison says he is willing to meet with NFL investigators to discuss being linked to performance-enhancing drugs in an Al-Jazeera America report, but the Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker has a few conditions for the interview. Harrison wrote in an Instagram post late Sunday that the meeting must take place at his house before training camp begins and that commissioner Roger Goodell must attend the interview."