Johnny Fracaso

I'm sure fans outside of Cleveland are really tired of hearing about the Browns. Cleveland fans are not. To begin the off-season, the news was very negative due to the firing of Chud and the removal of the front office. Then there was the fact that they still didn't have a QB, the owner's side company Flying J getting into legal troubles, and the fact that they only won four games. Again. I liked coach Chud, but looking back at it, firing him was the right move. Pettine fits Cleveland. I don't know what a Brown is supposed to look like, but Pettine looks like a Brown. He brings an aggressive style of play, oozes confidence, and has a good plan in place. I love some of the things that he says about the team. More importantly, he's a good disciplinarian who is respected by the players. Plus Chud didn't believe in halftime adjustments. Wonder why the Browns had so many leads in the second half only to be blown. The other teams made halftime adjustments.

Despite all the criticism the Browns took, they got the right people in place. Aside from coach Pettine, Ray Farmer has done a heck of a job as GM. I love the moves he has been able to pull off in free agency. T.J Ward seemed to want to get out (he was a little offended at the fact that he didn't get the franchise tag; that honor went to Alex Mack, which was a good choice) of Cleveland so Farmer let him. D'Qwell Jackson also had had enough. Can't blame him. Good luck to him. So after losing two really good players, Farmer lured Donte Whitner and Karlos Dansby over. Great players. He also pulled the trigger on Ben Tate, Nate Burleson, and Andrew Hawkins. Post-draft he grabbed Miles Austin. Honestly, I feel like he's the right guy for this job.

That's not to say he's perfect. He's got a little ways to go in terms of drafting. In free agency he gets an A. Drafting grade would be more like a C-minus. After skipping out on Sammy Watkins (in light of the Josh Gordon suspension), the Browns traded down and then up again to grab Justin Gilbert. Okay, he's a really good player, but passing on Watkins and then trading back up after you've traded down wasn't a great move. Next, they trade up to get Johnny Manziel. Bad move, but more on this later. After that, they grab Bitonio who is going to be a really solid OL. They also grabbed Kirksey out of Iowa...not really needed and not a great player. Then they traded up again to grab a RB in West. Finally, they took another CB in Desir who was a great value. He may beat out Buster Skrine for their nickel and dime packages.

Manziel, Kirksey, not drafting a WR at all, and giving up picks to trade up are what give Farmer a bad draft grade. They picked up a bunch of guys after the draft, some undrafted free agents like Connor Shaw, but that is more free agency than draft. So again, points in free agency for Farmer. In such a deep WR draft, though, one should've been picked up. Farmer seems to have had plans of getting Miles Austin, though. Okay, I'll give a pass on that one especially considering he nabbed Burleson and Hawkins earlier. When Gordon does come back, that's a potent receiving core.

Getting to the purpose of this article: Johnny Manziel. Not only did Farmer draft him, but he gave up picks to get him. Manziel has a lot of college accolades, his biggest one coming from beating Alabama which won him the Heisman trophy. He has a Tebow-like following because of his success at Texas A&M. He seems like a great QB with a lot of potential in the NFL. He may become a good QB somewhere down the line, but right now he is not. I hope I'm wrong about all of this.

Let's take a closer look at Manziel. He plays in the SEC, which is great. Out of the six toughest defenses he faced (Alabama twice, LSU twice, Florida and Auburn), he went 1-5. Not only did he have a horrible record against them, but he had some bad performances. He never "carved up the Alabama defense" as a lot of reporters say. A lot of his plays in that game were thanks to Mike Evans, arguably the best WR in the draft. Facing college teams with the most NFL players, he did poorly. What will happen when he faces teams with only NFL players? Red flag.

Manziel is a running quarterback. A lot of what people say make him special is his ability to scramble and make plays. Again, a lot of that credit also goes to a good O-line with NFL players (Matthews went top ten) and a great WR in Evans. He's small and took some big hits in college, some which knocked him out for a drive or two. If he scrambles the way he did in college in the NFL, he's going to get popped. If he's smart, he won't scramble as much as he did in college, which will take away from some of the "magic" he apparently has. Red flag.

As a side note, the NFL is where running quarterbacks go to die. Vince Young (ironically, cut by browns), Michael Vick, RG3, Tim Tebow, Troy Smith, and Dennis Dixon were all running QB's in college. How many of them are great quarterbacks today? How many games lost due to injury do they have? Even though I'm a Buckeyes fan,  Braxton Miller will have the same fate unless he learns how to be more consistent in throwing the ball. Well Aaron, what about Cam Newton and Terrelle Pryor? Cam can actually throw the ball, although his statistics have really gone down once NFL defenses got tape on him. And Pryor, really? He had a few good games in Oakland and that's about it. So did Tebow and Ryan Fitzpatrick. A couple years ago, the Bills went on a big run to start the season. Fitzpatrick was picked up in all fantasy leagues because he was doing so well. I picked him up only to trade him because I knew that once teams got some tape on him, they'd stop him. That's exactly what happened. Same with Tebow and Cam. Despite being a running QB, you have to be able to throw the ball. Manziel can throw the ball better than those guys, but that's not what makes him great. That's why he gets a red flag on that.

Colleges tend to tailor their playbooks to their players, especially QB's. Cam didn't have much of a playbook because he couldn't handle it. He plays in the SEC and let's just say those players aren't the brightest. To the contrary, Andrew Luck had a big playbook because he played at Stanford where they can only recruit smart players. At Texas A&M, the Aggies had a one-read system for Manziel. This means that Manziel would look down one receiver, and if that receiver wasn't open, Manziel had to wing it. There were numerous times when Manziel missed a wide-open receiver on his first read. He wasn't using his progressions which is exactly what you need to do in the NFL. You also need to be able to read a defense and react to what they show you. This is why Manning, Brady, and Brees are great. This built in his instinct to run the football when one player wasn't open. Now once Gordon comes back from suspension, it may actually work out because Gordon is that good. Until then, this is a huge red flag.

There are statistics out there that measure how well a QB does during certain parts of the game. The great QB's don't diminish in the second half. Brady actually plays better in the second half. No wonder he's one of the best. Manziel actually drops off progressively over the game. This is probably heavily due to his lack of size, but I think a lot of that is mental. I don't want a QB who is at his worst in the fourth quarter. Big red flag.

We can't forget about the Johnny Football circus he brings to town. From his attitude to his partying and his network, Manziel has quite a following. He is exciting, polarizing, and interesting. This gets you a circus. I don't want to have to deal with off-the-field issues, especially from my quarterback. I'm not so worried about the national media or the reaction he'll get from fans across the country. What worries me comes from within. Let's say Hoyer starts the season at QB. The minute he throw an interception, loses a game, or any number of unfortunate events happen with him involved, some Cleveland fans will start to chant "we want Johnny" to start. That's why Denver got rid of Tebow. Even the Jets figured it out. The fact is Johnny isn't ready, and Hoyer gives us the best chance to win this year. So unless Hoyer has a horrible year, Manziel and the circus need to understand that the bench is the best place for him. His circus earns him a red flag.

I know it's early, but Wednesday Farmer was quoted saying Hoyer had a "substantial margin" over Thigpen and Manziel. I admit that I've been a Hoyer guy since his second start of last year. Lots of smart NFL analysts are also Hoyer guys, which makes me feel validated. I think he has good training under Brady and Belichick, he fits the offensive system in Cleveland, and he's been a Browns fan his whole life. How would it feel if you were the starting QB of your favorite NFL team growing up? Hoyer also won 3 of the 4 games the Browns won last season. He had a great comeback victory on the road. He is the most accurate passer on the roster and he's got a lot to prove. If he fails, I still think it's worth taking a shot on him.

Why didn't I want Manziel drafted? Five red flags. You have to give me something other than "he wins games." Tebow won games, I don't want him as my quarterback (and neither does any other NFL team). Johnny didn't win the big games he played in: 1-5 against the best defenses he faced. Those are the types of defenses he'll face in the NFL. Any other QB and I would have been happy, but we took Johnny Manziel. That deserves an F grade.

Browns Off-Season: The Draft

I don't really know where to start. The 2014 NFL draft has come to an end. Months of anticipation have culminated into a 3-day event that had many rejoicing, some lamenting, and most people wondering. In a lot of ways, the Browns took some steps back. There were some positions that got some depth added to them. Going into the draft, the Browns had 11 picks. At the end they ended up with 6 draft picks taken this year and 2 additional picks next year.

Here are the draft results:

1 8 8 Justin Gilbert CB Oklahoma State

1 22 22 Johnny Manziel QB Texas A&M

2 3 35 Joel Bitonio OT Nevada

3 7 71 Chris Kirksey OLB Iowa

3 30 94 Terrance West RB Towson

4 27 127 Pierre Desir CB Lindenwood

Many thought the Browns did great the first day and slowly slipped over the course of the next two days. I don't think they did well at all on any day. Their best pick was Desir on the third day, but that was after they had gone after Gilbert with their first pick. What would have made this draft really great was to take Watkins (solving your WR problem) and then picking up Desir who could be good enough to start at CB. Bitonio is also a nice pickup, but I'd give up all the other picks made. Manziel is a horrible pick up. The Browns I think have their reservations as well since they didn't take him in the top 10 when they had 2 chances as well as picking up two more undrafted free agent QB's on Saturday.

So in light of this busy week, here are both the mistakes made during the draft as well as some positives Browns fans can take away. Sadly, due to some mismanagement as well as circumstances beyond their control, the Browns have taken a step back from where they were last Sunday.

Mistakes made during the draft:

Trading down from #4 to #9 and not taking Sammy Watkins in light of the Josh Gordon incident. This was bad. Due to the new CBA that was reached, management can't even inform coaches of things like failed drug tests. Farmer and Haslam knew 2 weeks prior to the draft (however, Pettine did not) that Josh Gordon failed his 2nd random drug test, which will probably result in a year suspension from the NFL. Also, Nate Burleson is injured. He'll probably be back in time for the season opener, but there's no telling what a guy his age who's had multiple injuries now will look like when he comes back from it. So with Burleson and Gordon out, the Browns have lost two receivers they were going to depend on, especially Gordon, this season. Watkins and Evans are the only receivers who can come in and start as true number ones this year. If Gordon ends up not playing another down for the Browns, they will no longer have a standout receiver. Little, Cooper, and Benjamin aren't good enough as 1's or 2's, but until Cleveland picks up another receiver, that's exactly what they'll be.

Trading up to get Johnny Manziel with the 22nd pick. We now have yet another quarterback controversy. With the circus that Manziel brings, most people are going to want him as their starter instead of Brian Hoyer. You can't being in Manziel without the fans wanting him to play. What we've done is drafted Tim Tebow. How many people want that?! Given Manziel is a better QB than Tebow, but that's not saying much. Against the best defenses Manziel faced in college, he went 1-4. He also gets worse throughout the course of the game. Nobody wanted Tebow when he was a free agent. A lot of it was his ability as a QB, but a lot of it was also the fanfare that came with him. Manziel has that, too. So even if Hoyer starts, the second he does something wrong or loses a game, fans will be shouting for Manziel. Then when Manziel realizes he doesn't have the same magic as he did in college and starts to erode, fans will turn on him and want him out. Vince Young probably thinks he's good enough to start, too. No matter what, there's a QB controversy in Cleveland...again.

Not picking up Marqise Lee with the 35th pick. A first round talent, arguably one of the three best receivers in the draft, was available to the Browns at the start of the second round. I like Bitonio, the guy they picked up, but with Gordon out receiver is much more of a need than offensive lineman. Plus they'd be able to get someone in the third round. This could have been a great pickup for Cleveland.

Taking Chris Kirksey with the 71st pick. The player is okay. He has some skills as a pass-rusher. He's got great speed and can be disruptive. He's inconsistent in his tackling, run instincts, and anticipating the snap count. We're also loaded at OLB with Kruger, Sheard, Mingo, and Groves. Inside linebacker, however, is a point of weakness in the Browns D with Robertson. Chris Borland was available as was Shayne Skov and Max Bullough. By trading out later picks earlier in the draft, Cleveland missed out on filling this hole and added another player to an already-deep OLB group.

Trading up to get Terrance West with the 94th pick. By trading up to this spot, the Browns not only gave up another draft pick, but they didn't fulfill their need at receiver. Not to mention West could end up being the 4th of 5th string RB behind Tate, Ogbonnaya, Lewis, and Whittaker. Yes, Tate could get hurt as he's had injuries in previous years. But to give up another draft pick to grab a RB with everyone you already have on the depth chart wasn't the best move.

Not taking a wide receiver. Cleveland ended up taking three undrafted free agents on Saturday, but missing out on a more elite receiver in the draft could really end up hurting the Browns this year. As it stands, Gordon looks to be out for at least a year. Burleson has re-injured the same arm. They cut Davone Bess and Brian Tyms. They now have Hawkins in the slot, Benjamin who's not in the 3-receiver set, Little, Cooper, Gurley, Johnson, and Vernon. There were only 8 receivers last year on the Browns who had more than 100 yards for the season: Gordon, Cameron, Little, Bess, Ogbonnaya, Whittaker, Barnidge, and Benjamin. Two of those are tight ends, two are running backs, and two won't be with the team next year. That leaves Cameron with 917 yards and Benjamin with 105. That leaves 3,098 yards to make up for. We don't just need bodies, we need quality WR's.  

Positives to take away:

Trader Ray isn't afraid to shake things up if he feels it's best for the team. He made a lot of moves, not necessarily wisely. In years past, though, the Browns have just sat by and watched things happen. I believe once Ray gets used to the system and doesn't have so much to prove, he will be a really great GM. There's just a learning curve and this is his first year at this job. As a former coach, I know how difficult it can be that first year.

Two good corners and an offensive tackle were taken to fill some holes. Even though Gilbert was taken too high, he will probably be a solid starter. Desir was a great value pick who should've went in round 2. However, with Haden, Gilbert, and Skrine all competing for spots (Haden has his spot locked up though), the CB position now has some depth to it. Pettine will probably go nickel package a lot, which is why he wanted some good DB's to throw in there.

The Browns are now getting some good free agents. I don't think Farmer is the best drafter, but I give him all the credit in the world for bringing in free agents like he's done. The Alex Mack deal went really well. Cleveland can now pay him less than he really wanted due to the market determining his price tag. Nate Burleson was a nice addition at WR. Andrew Hawkins is a great slot receiver and also took something away from a division rival. Paul McQuistan came out of nowhere to help solidify the O-line, and he came all the way from Seattle. It's nice to take a player from the team who just won the super bowl. His best addition may be Ben Tate, who other teams were also after. Donte Whitner and Karlos Dansby were signed to replace the players lost, but they were still great free agent signings. Chris Pressley and Isaiah Trufant round out the list. That's a very nice group of players.

Making less headlines this weekend are the undrafted free agents Cleveland picked up. Here they are:

Southern Illinois FB Ray Agnew; Cincinnati LB Greg Blair; Alabama State RB Isaiah Crowell; Oklahoma State TE Blake Jackson; San Jose State WR Chandler Jones; Vanderbilt WR Jonathan Krause; Troy QB Corey Robinson; South Carolina QB Connor Shaw; Florida State WR Kenny Shaw; Ball State WR Willie Snead

The Browns have added some nice pieces, but they also now have a QB controversy and a WR problem. With a defensive-minded coach, I don't know how much the offense improves. The defense was a top-5 defense last year so I don't think it needed much tweaking. By bringing in who they did, they have more talent on paper, but we have yet to see how it will play out.

Browns Off-Season: Putting It All Together

It's almost time to see who the new college additions to the Browns will be for the year 2014. With all the hope surrounding the Browns this year, the draft will add to the excitement. There were some last-minute moves made which helped bolster certain parts of the roster including adding QB's Vince Young and Tyler Thigpen as well as some LB depth in Zac Diles. They also picked up a true FB in Chris Pressley. Alex Mack was retained at center which was probably the best move in the off-season. Nate Burleson was signed as a veteran WR and Craig Robertson was re-signed as ILB.

With these new additions, we now have a better idea of what Cleveland's needs are going into the draft.

QB - This need hasn't really changed, although with the additions of Vince Young and Tyler Thigpen, the Browns have already solved some depth issues. They wanted to bring in a veteran QB, and Young will actually compete for the starting job. He's much improved over Jason Campbell although he's not an all-star or anything. Thigpen isn't great, either, but I'll take him over Weeden. Neither Young nor Thigpen played last year so they have some catching up to do. Young showed he was a capable starter for a lot of his career with one great year thrown in there.

These additions, along with Alex Tanney and Brian Hoyer, mean the Browns are carrying four QB's on the roster. Thigpen and Tanney may not stick around, but having three is something not a lot of teams do. Cleveland probably will. With all these QB's, they'll probably only take one QB in the draft. I'm guessing it'll be in the first or second round. Half of the mock drafts have Cleveland taking Johnny Manziel, a move that they'd regret. If they don't take Manziel at 4, they'll probably take Bridgewater, Bortles, or Carr at 26. There's also talk of grabbing one of the last picks of the 1st round, maybe from Seattle, to grab a QB before Houston does assuming they take Clowney with their first overall pick.

WR - The Browns had a busy off-season at this position by signing Andrew Hawkins from Toledo and Nate Burleson who left Detroit. Hawkins is a speed guy similiar to Travis Benajmin. Not only could he impact the WR position, particularly the slot, but also special teams. He has big play capability especially off screen passes or short post-routes. Burleson is past his prime but can still be a solid receiver. Some say he may not make the cut, but having veteran leadership to complement the talented receivers the Browns have will help them get through some tough games.

The other half of mock voters (the ones who didn't choose Manziel at 4) are thinking the Browns will pick up Sammy Watkins. He and Mike Evans may be the only two reasons for Cleveland to take a WR in the first round. I would throw Benjamin into that mix. I'm not as high on Beckham or Lee. Maybe Brandin Cooks at 26 but I wouldn't be mad if they passed on him. So if Cleveland doesn't grab one in the 1st, look for them to do so in the 3rd round where they have two picks.

LG - It's not clear where McQuistan will play just yet, but I'm assuming he'll play RG to help out Schwartz. He was asked to play LT for the Seahawks for a while when their starter got injured. He did a good job, not great. I love taking guards who can play some tackle. That still leaves Greco, Pinkston, and Gilkey fighting for the LG spot. Look for the Browns to take at least one OL in the draft with one of their mid-round picks.

CB - Joe Haden is a top 5 CB in the NFL but needs a partner. By upgrading this position, the Browns will get more time to rush opposing QB's on pass plays. Considering the D-line the Browns have, look for sacks, hurries, and hits to go up. Skrine did improve a lot last year and McFadden is no longer a rookie. If the Browns can grab a starter in the draft, one of the two holes on the Browns D will be filled. Depending on who the Browns take with their first three picks, a CB could be grabbed in the second or third rounds.

ILB - With the addition of Dansby, Cleveland has a borderline pro-bowl player at this position already. However, since the Browns run their sets out of a 3-4, another good ILB is needed. This is the other hole on defense. Robertson was the one always picked on in the passing game. He's just not a true starter. Unless C.J Mosley is available at 26 or 35, look for the Browns to take Chris Borland, Preston Brown, Max Bullough, or Shayne Skov. I think Skov would be a great addition and the Browns could probably get him at 83 or 106 since he's the 4th or 5th ranked ILB.

There are lots of rumors going around out there, so who knows what's a smokescreen and what's real. All I know is that it's going to be a lot of fun watching who the Browns take to bolster up their already-great roster.

Let's go Cleveland!!