The offseason time around Cleveland Browns football is especially tough on the quarterback position.  One thing I have noticed though is that every incoming regime taking over football operations does something differently.  Unlike almost every front office combination, the current staff involving leader Joe Banner has chosen to give a QB time to develop.

This decision to stay on the quiet side and not use draft picks for the position will be a monumental one in seeing which way the Browns move in the future, and either way it seems for the best.

The past 2013 draft class was simply awful, and hearing the Browns traded into the next years draft is fine with me. CBS Sports interviewed a high ranking NFL team executive on the 2013 NFL Draft. “[This is the] worst draft in past 10 years or longer,” the executive said. “When we look back at this draft in five or 10 years we might view it as one of the worst we’ve seen in some time.”  Next years draft is looking to be especially talented at the quarterback position, to name a few; Teddy Bridgewater, Tajh Boyd, Johnny Manziel, Aaron Murray, and A.J. McCarron.

So in the offseason the Browns didn’t draft a quarterback, I should probably stop harping on that one.  Though they did make some free agency moves, but the first one comes in a what seems to be journeyman type player in Jason Campbell.  Campbell does have a small chance to actually compete for the top spot considering he has been “outplaying” Weeden in the first few days of camp – though he is facing the 2nd team defense.  Brian Hoyer, the Cleveland native, will likely take the 3rd string role of Thaddeus Lewis.  In my opinion these free agent additions are nothing more than encouragement for Weeden to step up and take the job outright.

The Browns front office brass is giving Weeden a free pass for his 2012 mistakes, and want to see him emerge as a much improved player.  Chudzinski loves to run deep vertical routes which will remind the second year QB of his days at Oklahoma State.  Some people do not remember that Pat Shurmur, possibly one of the worst play callers in Browns history was calling the plays.  I’d like to mention that as bad as Pat Shurmur called plays on offense, it surely did not help that he was dealing with all rookies.  The way the team listened to him was something Chudzinski should strive for.  My point is that during the times in which Weeden looked his worst, it involved the classic “west coast offense” that almost caused Browns fans to seek therapy in the offseason.  

Its encouraging to see that the Browns want squeeze every ounce of talent out of their players before marking them as trash.  Certain people thought Weeden was on the outs because incoming director of players personnel, now officially GM, thought drafting Weeden was an absolutely disastrous pick.  But actions speak louder than words.  When Lombardi came into Cleveland he was forced to meticulously watch Weedens film tape, and he didn’t do that before he made the claims on national television.  What I am saying is, Lombardi was an NFL Network analyst.  To be an analyst you need to have staunch opinions without much time to prepare.  Who wants to see an analyst say maybe in every sentence?

In my honest opinion it seems very evident that Weeden will be the opening day starter.  Its not because I support Weeden like a fan does, throwing their words out over the internet as battle cries, its because I have seen him play.  No matter the outcome for the 30 year old Brandon, Cleveland made a smart move in waiting to pick up another quarterback.  There is no need to force your moves on the basis of need over value, and no need to botch another QB acquisition.

The 27 year old Hoyer was a two sport star at St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland, playing baseball and football. He had an 8-1 record as a pitcher in 2002 on his way to being the winning pitcher in the State Championships. He had a 16-7 record as a starting quarterback for St. Ignatius while winning a bid on the Ohio Division I All State squad after his senior season.

At Michigan State, Hoyer was redshirted as a freshman, but did earn accolades from the coaching staff on his play on the scouting team. In 2005, he saw action in only five games, completing 15 of 23 passes. 2006 was the season he began to play in most of the games, playing in eight games that season. The 2007 season was his best season at MSU, completing 59% of his passes for 2725 yards and 20 TD’s. He finished his college career in the 2008 season throwing for just over 2,400 yards.

Hoyer went undrafted in the 2009 NFL draft, but signed as an undrafted free agent soon after the draft by the New England Patriots, ending up being Tom Brady’s backup for the 2009 season. He made his NFL playing debut that season during the Patriots 59-0 rout of the Tennessee Titans, leading the Pats offense on a scoring drive ending with a Hoyer 1 yard TD run. The 2010 and 2011 seasons only saw Hoyer play in a total of 8 games, throwing a total of 16 passes.

Hoyer was released by the Patriots in the final cuts of the 2012 preseason, and did not sign with a team until he signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers on November 20th serving as Charlie Batch’s backup for weeks 12 and 13. He was released by the Steelers on December 8th, but was claimed on waivers by the Arizona Cardinals. He played in week 16 in a relief role, and then started in week 17, throwing for a total of 330 yards between the two games.

Hoyer, who has said in past interviews that his dream would be to play for the hometown Browns, is expected to compete for the backup QB job with Jason Campbell.

Jerry’s Take: I am happy that a hometown kid is getting a chance to live his dream of playing for our Browns, but more than likely, he will do so as the third string quarterback. Also, if for some reason he is in a position at the end of training camp to be competing for the starting QB job, it will say more about Brandon Weeden than it will for Brian Hoyer. Let’s hope we don’t have to see that.

As always, GO BROWNS!!

Disclaimer: Mike Lombardi and/or Joe Banner, you might want to not read the below, as this is the opinion of a long-time Browns fan, and it’s not pretty.

So the 2013 version of the NFL Draft has come and gone, and as far as the Browns draft goes, I feel like I hardly heard them draft anyone this year. Oh yeah, because they decided to not use all of their picks, that’s right.

Yes, as you can tell from the tone of the first paragraph, as a lifelong Browns fan who is really tired of losing season after losing season, I am disappointed in this year’s draft to say the very least. Let’s see who they drafted, shall we?

Round 1- Barkevious Mingo- LB/LSU: I actually picked this one before the pick was announced, and I am really undecided on this pick after waiting a couple of days before writing this. I like Mingo, don’t get me wrong, but the guy needs to go to Golden Corral and stay a couple weeks there and do nothing but eat. 237 pounds is just way to thin to be an effective linebacker in the NFL. He does have the speed to get around the O-Linemen, but if he doesn’t get around them, he will get manhandled by a great offensive line.  Grade: B-

Round 2- No pick due to drafting wide receiver Josh Gordon in the second round of the 2012 NFL Supplemental Draft. I was truly hoping the Browns would trade back into the 2nd round to draft a cornerback, but they didn’t. Grade: Incomplete

Round 3- Leon McFadden- CB/San Diego State: McFadden, standing in at a towering 5ft 9in, is, in my very humble opinion, may be too short to be a good starting NFL corner, but he is already better than Buster Skrine, so he should start right away. I hope Leon proves me wrong about the size, as the Browns desperately need someone decent on the opposite side of Joe Haden. McFadden won’t be a guy who gets a lot of interceptions, but he is decent in bump and run coverage, and excellent against the run. Grade: C

Round 4- Traded to the Steelers. Yes, the Steelers. The Browns traded their 4th round pick in 2013 for the Steelers 3rd round pick in 2014. Now I know that not very many great players can be had in the 4th round, but I do not like this trade at all. First off, since when do we trade anything but insults with the Pittsburgh Steelers? With this selection, the Steelers picked up safety Shamarko Thomas from Syracuse. Let’s hope he doesn’t end up the second coming of Troy Polamalu. Secondly, I do not like the whole “waiting for next year” attitude, especially months before the season even starts. Grade: F

Round 5- Traded to the Colts for their 2014 4th round pick. Once again, the “wait till next year” attitude pops up, and we wonder why Mike Lombardi is not liked here. Grade: F

Round 6- Jamoris Slaughter- S/Notre Dame: First off, what a GREAT last name for a safety! Despite a ruptured achilles tendon, suffered in the third game of the 2012 season, Slaughter expects to battle for the starting free safety spot opposite T.J. Ward. In my opinion, Slaughter was not going to be drafted, primarily because of such a devastating injury, so he could have been signed as an undrafted free agent. I just don’t see drafting a player in any round with that bad of an injury. He hopes to be ready in time for training camp at the end of July, so we will see if he is indeed ready to go. If healthy, and that is a big if, he could make an impact on this team in a position they so need. Grade: C-

Round 7- Armonty Bryant-DE/LB/ East Central Oklahoma: Bryant is big, strong, and very, very raw. He only played 8 games in his senior season at East Central Oklahoma because he was suspended for selling marijuana to a police officer DURING practice. Yes, you read that right. If he makes the team, he will have to make a lot smarter decisions than selling pot to a cop. Something tells me that he won’t make the team. Grade: F

Round 7- Garrett Gilkey-G/ T/Chadron State: Garrett was a dominant O-Lineman at Chadron State where he played tackle, but seems to be more suited at the guard position in the NFL. Scouts liked his performance in the Senior Bowl, and he tested highly at the NFL combine. There is no such thing as too much depth at any position, especially the offensive line, so look for Gilkey to make a hard run at a roster spot this summer. Grade: B since Gilkey was projected in the mod rounds, yet the Browns only spent a 7th rounder on him, making this a no risk pick.

Overall, not a great or even good draft, in a year where the Browns front office needed to hit a proverbial homerun.

Overall 2013 Browns draft grade: D+

As always… GO BROWNS!!

It all started with Barkevious Mingo, the 6th pick of the 2013 NFL Draft.  At first some people were upset, considering many thought Dee Milliner should of been the pick.  But Milliner has had multiple injuries that equate to a giant red flag, also he seems to have been given the artificial push from a weak draft class.  In my original article I had the Browns selecting Mingo, with his pro player comparison as Dwight Freeney. One thing that Cleveland defense has not had since the expansion era began back in 1999 was a strong pass rush.   With Paul Kruger on one outside, and Barkevious on the other, the Browns defense will terrorize the opposing teams quarterbacks. Grade: A-

Since the previous regime picked up Josh Gordon in the supplemental draft, Cleveland had no 2nd round selection.  Despite some speculation across the league, Lombardi never elected to trade back into the 2nd round.  Instead they stayed put until the 68th pick in the draft, where they drafted Leon McFadden.  He is not blessed with the most explosive skill set, but his tape looks good.  Leon will be given a chance to win the cornerback position opposite of Joe Haden, but we really need to see him on the field before further evaluation.  Grade: C+

In the 4th round of the NFL Draft the Cleveland Browns, they made history.  They traded down to the Steelers for the first time since 1968, in which the Browns also ripped off Pittsburgh.  In compensation the Browns received the Steelers 2014 3rd round draft pick.  In the next round Cleveland traded out of the 5th round for the Colts 2014 4th round draft pick.  From a business viewpoint, this was an awesome move.  It is similar to giving 5 dollars, and receiving 10 dollars.  Some people are questioning the moves, because in general fans are not the most patient of people.  The 2014 NFL draft has way more talent than this 2013 NFL Draft, and now if nothing changes the Browns will have 6 selections in the first 4 round of the 2014 NFL Draft.  Grade: A+

The last two rounds brought more picks than the first 4, and the odds are against the late round draft picks.  The Browns picked up Notre Dame safety Jamoris Slaughter, and he looks to be a depth draft pick.  In the last round of the draft the Browns elected to go after the diamond in the rough type of players.  What else should they have done?  They went after a DE out of East Oklahoma,  Armonty Bryant, who has had problems with the law and general bad decisions.  He has talent worth sniffing at, and the same goes with Garret Gilkey.  Gilkey is an offensive linemen who has faced a lot of adversity, and now is a member of the Cleveland Browns.  Grade: B

In total the Cleveland Browns exhibited a ton of patience, and Lombardi’s first draft with the team was not as scary as many people thought.  The Browns will have plenty of ammo in the next years stacked draft, and will allow any questionable players to provide answers.  The Browns get a passing grade from me in their first draft in the new regime, and we will see how they look on the field!

With Cleveland’s 5th round selection, the Browns elect trade down to the Colts.  Cleveland receives the Colts 34th rounder in 2014 for moving out of 5th round.

With Cleveland’s 6th round selection, the Browns select Jamoris Slaughter S from Notre Dame.  NFL network calls it an excellent pick.

With Cleveland’s 7th round selection, the Browns selected OLB Armonty Bryant and OT Garret Gilkey.

Our instant thoughts of this pick, and entire draft class grades, will be available within the hour. Keep on clicking BrownsCountry.com!

Barkevious Mingo

The name Barkevious Mingo was not one that was running through the mind of Browns fans. Mingo, a 6-foot-4 241 pound defensive end for LSU brings some much-needed help to the Browns defense. The key that he will fit with the Browns’ 3-4 defense is outstanding. On occasion you see a college defensive end have to switch to linebacker when he enters into the pros.

Many had their mind-set on Dee Milliner, but the Browns must have felt he was to injury prone or that maybe they couldn’t find a defensive back later in the draft. It seemed as though the Browns had very little interest in Geno Smith. Selecting Smith could have been smart, but it would have likely created another quarterback controversy and really the Browns don’t need a quarterback this early in the draft as there are many other needs that need addressed first.

While we don’t know just how good Mingo will turn out to be, it appears he has potential based on his college career. The key to Mingo is his speed and his likely ability to play outside of linebacker. His sack total is not real impressive, but he still has an opportunity to improve that.

Moving forward the focus has to switch to the secondary. The gap at cornerback and safety are not going to go away anytime soon. You have to admit the Browns appear they have made a good pick in the first round. Only time will tell if Mingo is the real deal, but for now there is nothing worthy of complaining about.

The Cleveland Browns have selected outside linebacker Barkevious Mingo from LSU with the sixth pick in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft.

Mingo, 22, was an All-SEC second team pick after the 2012 season at LSU in which he finished with 38 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks. Weighing in at only 240lbs, he is small by NFL standards for a pass rusher, but don’t let his weight fool you, he is strong AND fast, a perfect combination for a linebacker in the NFL. This kid is the monster pass rusher the Browns have needed for years.

The upside of this pick: Mingo is the pass rushing LB that the Browns have needed for years, he is agile and strong. His name begins with BARK, what better place for him to play than in the Dawg Pound?

The downside of this pick: His size could hurt his run defense. He is a raw talent, only starting playing football during his junior year of high school.

I like this pick a lot. I like that the Browns new front office of Joe Banner and Mike Lombardi are hell bent on building an elite defense to compete in the AFC North, and they start the building with Barkevious. Under the direction of new defensive coordinator Ray Horton, I can see Barkevious becoming a Pro Bowl caliber player by his second season.

Welcome to the Cleveland Browns Barkevious!

Here we go Brownies, HERE WE GO!!

With the 6th pick in the 2013 NFL Draft the Cleveland Browns have chosen Barkevious Mingo.  The LSU product is rated as one of the best DL in the draft class.

Our instant thoughts of this pick, and entire draft class grades, will be available within the hour. Keep on clicking BrownsCountry.com!

Adam Schefter- “For former Dolphin WR Davone Bess, MIA and CLEV swapped draft spots in two rounds, including the 4th rd. There were no actual pick given up.”

The Dolphins were marking off Bess to be a higher value draft pick, but the Browns held their ground. This appears to be a great deal for Cleveland.

The Browns have amassed a new identity and spirit on the offensive side of the ball.  They undoubtedly had one of the best supplemental draft picks in years, and most productive rookie wide receiver in Josh Gordon.  Nearly every position has been upgraded compared to the last few years.  Though a big piece has still been missing, some will argue.

Cleveland has not had a veteran wide receiver that played consistent in the slot routes, nor have they had a mentor to lead the young players who need guidance; like Greg Little.  That is why this latest report from Chicago Sun Times sports writer Sean Jensen makes all the more sense.

Sean Jenson via his Twitter:

• #Browns seriously considering a trade for Dolphins WR Davone Bess, according to a league source. Several teams in the mix.
• #Browns obviously have glaring need at receiver and #Dolphins are in pretty solid shape. Davone Bess had 61 catches for 778 yards in 2012.
• WR Davone Bess is a solid player but let’s not get crazy; I’m hearing mid-round picks being discussed.