SB Nation - Antwan Peek

Quiet Free Agency Period in Store for Browns?

Chris Pokorny — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 16:01:15 -0000

Former Browns general manager was known for starting free agency off with a bang the past several years. During his tenure (spread over a couple of years), he made splashes with acquisitions such as:

C LeCharles Bentley
WR Joe Jurevicius
DE Robaire Smith
LB Antwan Peek
DT Shaun Rogers
DE Corey Williams
WR Donte Stallworth

Thus far, only Rogers, Smith, and Jurevicius have been productive. Nonetheless, most fans were largely ecstatic at the time of the signings. Even analysts would praise some of the bold moves that Savage made. Savage is no longer here though, and that means the tone of free agency could change dramatically this year under George Kokinis and Eric Mangini.

Will the new duo make a splash right away like Savage did, or just stand by and pick through the scraps after a week or so has gone by? First off, it's important to look at what starting positions from last year we lost in free agency:

Safety (Sean Jones)
MLB (Andra Davis)
OLB (Antwan Peek; Willie McGinest)

These are the positions that may need upgrading, and are not listed above:

RB (Jamal Lewis had a decline in production last year)
WR (Donte Stallworth will stick around, but will JJ be our No. 3?)

I could also make a case for quarterback to be listed, because if our plan is indeed to trade Derek Anderson, then we'll need a quarterback. However, a trade would likely come later on down the road, so it's not an immediate position I expect the Browns to address.

Considering the positions above, here are the top free agents the Browns are either rumored to be looking at, or I would like them to look at with free agency underway (the list is ranked in order to my preference):

1. JIM LEONHARD - S - BALTIMORE RAVENS:

Leonard was very good last year with Baltimore. Because he only started for one year in Baltimore, the Browns might be able to acquire him for cheaper than Sean Jones. It's probably too early to look at someone playing multiple positions, but Leonhard has experience returning punts. If anything happens to Joshua Cribbs, we wouldn't have to carry a backup (like Syndric Steptoe or Gerard Lawson) on the roster merely for insurance purposes.

More important than that though, Leonhard was all over the field last year, showing impressive versatility, especially in the postseason. Jones is an attractive free agent to bring back too, but how confident can we be that his health won't become an issue again? Kokinis knows all about Leonard from Baltimore too.

2. NATE WASHINGTON - WR - PITTSBURGH STEELERS:

This is an interesting one. Washington quietly developed into a consistent threat for Ben Roethlisberger. The past two years, the shining of Santonio Holmes has prevented Washington from being showcased more. Washington has been healthy for every game the past three years, and has Tim Carter speed with much better hands. Born in Toledo, OH, Washington would be the productive third/fourth-receiver we've been missing since losing Dennis Northcutt. The Examiner has a report that the Browns, Titans, and Eagles might be interested in him.

3. DERRICK WARD - RB - NEW YORK GIANTS:

I'm not so high on Ward as a few other people are. The Giants' offensive line was very good, as was Ward last year. However, it almost seems as if the Giants could plug William Green into their system and see positive results.

On top of that, I'm still hopeful that Jerome Harrison can see an expanded role this season based on the fact that Leon Washington was used effectively with the New York Jets last year. Still, with Jamal Lewis' productivity level in question, I can't argue about addressing the position. Doing so in the draft, like many other teams have done the past few years (Indianapolis, Carolina, etc) might prove to be a better option.

4. BART SCOTT - LB - BALTIMORE RAVENS:

The reason I have Scott ranked lower is because I feel this would be an ambitious signing. Scott will be high on many team's radars, and I expect Mangini to make more of a splash in the draft or bring in one of his former linebackers. Scott's production projection also has a lot of variability. Will he turn out like Adalius Thomas did when he went "solo" to New England?

With so much doubt, why did I even bother putting Scott on the list? Because I'm still intrigued with having a solid veteran amidst our linebackers -- someone the rest of our young linebackers can look over to for leadership. Scott might have been more productive in Baltimore's system, but I'd expect his leadership to be superior to Andra Davis'.

NOTE: For the moment, this will be an open free agent discussion thread. Talk about any pending deals with other teams, or rumored deals with the Browns.

Gold Star for Mangini's and Kokinis' First Transactions

Chris Pokorny — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 17:30:53 -0000

As most of you know by now, the Cleveland Browns released several players on Monday. Monday was the first day that teams were allowed to start disposing of their players, and Eric Mangini and George Kokinis made moves towards improving the future of this team. In other words, they didn't get it "wrong".

QB Ken Dorsey: After his performance at the end of the season, I don't think anybody would argue against Dorsey's release (except for Bernie Kosar, perhaps). He was only considered a mentor to Brady Quinn at first, but I think we're past the point of mentoring for him now.
QB Bruce Gradkowski: He had a limited amount of time to show what he was capable of. Unfortunately for Bruce, he failed miserably.

OL Eric Young: These type of guys come and go, with their only real chance of hanging on being if the head coaching position remains consistent.
LB Antwan Peek: By far, this is the toughest cut to brush off, but it was a necessary one. Peek has been plagued by injuries almost more than Courtney Brown was. On top of that, Peek was never a Pro Bowl caliber player in the first place. This cut also means that focusing on OLB in the draft and in free agency remains a high priority, since the chances of Willie McGinest being retained are not too strong.
CB Terry Cousin: The veteran defensive back definitely underachieved last year, as he was not the answer we had hoped for when DB Daven Holly went down. It's good to see Mangini dump him, considering he did take a crack at veteran DB Ty Law last season.
K Jason Reda: Who knows; you might see him back in training camp.
P Mike Dragosavich

SB Nation is in the process of compiling the most complete and accurate list of free agents in the NFL, as many sites have outdated or inaccurate reports. When that becomes available, I'll post it for everybody to see and discuss.

Cut Day Claims First Victims, QB Target Available?

Adam T — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 13:37:15 -0000

Yesterday teams started making roster cuts. I am sure this is no longer a complete list, but here are some of the early names. Since the teams that did the most cutting were the Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions, we probably would not be interested in any of these guys for anything more than depth.

Adam Jones, CB
Bruce Gradkowski, QB
Terry Cousin, CB
Jason Reda, K
Mike Dragosavich, P
Eric Young, OL
Ken Dorsey, QB
Antwan Peek, OLB
Dan Campbell, TE
Jon Dunn, OL
Edwin Mulitalo, G
Leigh Bodden, CB
Dwight Smith, DB

The interesting news from yesterday is that Tampa Bay signed QB Luke McCown to a two-year deal. The deal is worth $14 million with incentives. Many believe this means the Bucs will part ways with Brian Griese and Jeff Garcia. Unless Garcia is insistent on finding a starter's gig, he could be the off season target Angelo brings in for competition.

Cleveland Browns 2008-2009 Season Preview

Chris Pokorny — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 04:28:28 -0000

The Cleveland Browns are entering the 2008-2009 with high expectations. With a successful offense returning, a much-improved defensive line, and the fans more excited than ever about the team, anything short of a playoff berth will be a disappointment.

Now, let's take a look at this year's official season preview, brought to you exclusively by Dawgs By Nature.

Note: Due to page-width issues, click the link below to read the full preview. Also, please use the "Yahoo Buzz" feature in the top-right corner to help promote this piece!

Cleveland Browns Season Preview - 2008-2009 Edition

Offensive Depth Chart

Defensive Depth Chart

Pos	1st String	2nd String	3rd String
QB	Derek Anderson	Brady Quinn	Ken Dorsey
RB	Jamal Lewis	Jerome Harrison	Jason Wright
FB	Lawrence Vickers	Charles Ali
WR	Braylon Edwards	Joshua Cribbs	Steve Sanders
WR	Donte Stallworth	Syndric Steptoe	Martin Rucker (TE)
TE	Kellen Winslow	Steve Heiden	Darnell Dinkins
LT	Joe Thomas	Isaac Sowells
LG	Eric Steinbach	Scott Young
C	Hank Fraley
RG	Seth McKinney	Rex Hadnot
RT	Kevin Shaffer	Ryan Tucker

Pos	1st String	2nd String	3rd String
LDE	Corey Williams	Shaun Smith
NT	Shaun Rogers	Ahtyba Rubin
RDE	Robaire Smith	Louis Leonard
LOLB	Willie McGinest	Alex Hall	Shantee Orr
ILB	D'Qwell Jackson	Kris Griffin	Beau Bell
ILB	Andra Davis	Leon Williams
ROLB	Kamerion Wimbley
LCB	Eric Wright	Terry Cousin	Gerard Lawson
RCB	Brandon McDonald	Travis Daniels
FS	Brodney Pool	Mike Adams
SS	Sean Jones	Nick Sorensen

Positional Summaries

Quarterbacks

Defensive Line

Quarterback controversy? For the first time since returning to the NFL, the fans, the coaching staff, and all of the other players on the team have confidence in the starting quarterback. Derek Anderson is coming off of an unprecedented year, throwing for nearly 30 touchdowns. After leading the Browns to a 10-5 record as a starter last year, he'll have to improve his game this season though. With expectations higher, a tougher schedule ahead of him, and a decision needing to be made about backup quarterback Brady Quinn, Anderson now needs to show that he can enter the ranks of the Peyton Manning's, Tom Brady's, and Tony Romo's.

Meanwhile, Quinn can't feel too good about his situation in Cleveland right now. No matter what a quarterback says, they want to play right away. When he looks around the league, all of the other young quarterbacks -- Matt Leinart, Vince Young, JaMarcus Russell, Alex Smith, Joe Flacco, and Matt Ryan -- have received starting opportunities in their first or second years. Quinn has shown the ability to manage the Browns offense if needed though, and third-stringer Ken Dorsey will continue to remain a mentor for him.

Grade: A

I graded the defensive line a D+ last season. Looking back, that was probably being too optimistic. Robaire Smith was a welcome addition to the Browns at the time, but I can't say I'm too upset about seeing guys like Ethan Kelley and Simon Fraser replaced by two potential Pro Bowlers.

When free agency first hit, the Browns didn't make a single move involving the defensive line. Fans were outraged and confused as more and more of the "higher-rated" free agents were being signed by other teams. Then, out of no where, Phil Savage pulled out his bag of magic tricks with two trades. First, he somehow worked a deal to acquire Packers defensive end Corey Williams in exchange for just a third-round draft pick. Then, he paid a lot for Pro Bowl defensive tackle Shaun Rogers, giving up top cornerback Leigh Bodden and a second-round draft pick. We wanted improvement, and we got it.

The optimism for the defensive line is extremely high now. Some fans are dying to see a pass rush, but the thing I'm looking forward to is Rogers' ability to stop the run. I can definitively remember teams like the Houston Texans running their third-string running back against us for 100+ yards with ease. With the versatile Shaun Smith becoming depth as opposed to a starter, the talent of rotation should improve too to ensure everybody stays fresh for four quarters.

Grade: B+

Running Backs

Linebackers

There were a lot of questions surrounding Jamal Lewis prior to last season. He was coming over from a Baltimore Ravens team where he had looked injury-plagued and on the downside of his career. He answered all of his critics by having a tremendous season overall last year, especially by establishing his role as a "closer" against teams like the New York Jets and the Buffalo Bills. There is still room for improvement though, and that'll have come against the stiffer competition he'll face this year in the NFC East, the AFC South, and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

No matter what he does though, there will always be a concern in the back of everyone's mind if Lewis suffers an injury. Phil Savage decided to stick with Jerome Harrison and Jason Wright as the backups for the second year in a row, but their roles have become a little more defined. If Lewis suffers an injury, Harrison will be the starting running back. Whether Lewis is healthy or not, Wright will be the third-down running back. That boils down to Harrison still being a poor blocker -- something you can't afford in third-down passing situations.

Part of the reason I graded the Browns' backs a C+ last season was due to the question marks at the fullback position. In his first season as a starter though, Lawrence Vickers was more than impressive. And, in training camp and throughout the preseason, Charles Ali has looked like one of the best No. 2 fullbacks in the league.

Grade: B

So, what has changed at the linebacker position this year? Absolutely nothing.

Our starters are still Kamerion Wimbley, Andra Davis, D'Qwell Jackson, and Willie McGinest. Leon Williams is still the backup middle linebacker. Antwan Peek still has the injury asterisk next to his name. The lone differences are the rookie draft picks -- Beau Bell and Alex Hall. While there is a lot of excitement surrounding Hall, until he shows what he's capable of on gameday, it's impossible to evaluate his true value.

I've always been negative towards Andra Davis, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that he is going to have a break out year. I have criticized him for always making his tackles five yards down the field as opposed to in the backfield or closer to the line of scrimmage. Considering that he's had to suffer through running backs getting through the defensive line so quickly though, a change in talent up front can only be beneficial to him. Wearing the defensive headset this year, he'll also be counted on more than ever to be the leader of the defense.

Wimbley's expectations are also high, but I'm still not sold on him. It's frustrating to see that he has yet to develop a solid inside move -- the better left tackles have had no problem defending him if they know he's one-dimensional. I overrated our linebackers last year with a B+; this year I'm setting my sights a little lower (not because we got worse).

Grade: C+

Receivers

Secondary

Clearly, Dennis Northcutt was a better third wide receiver than Tim Carter (last year's candidate) and Travis Wilson (this year's original candidate). Thankfully, due to the talent at the top two receiver positions and at tight end, the third wide receiver shouldn't be an issue for the second year in a row.

Braylon Edwards is coming off of a career year, and now enters this season as one of the most respected receivers talent-wise in all of football. The impact he has on opposing defenses is greater than anybody else on our team -- just look how sorry the offense looked in the preseason when Wilson was starting as opposed to Edwards. Veteran receiver Joe Jurevicius is still with the team, but unfortunately the soonest he'll be able to come back is after Week 6 as he tries to return from offseason surgery. Replacing Jurevicius in the starting lineup is former Patriots receiver Donte Stallworth, who was one of the top free agent receivers on the market this year. Stallworth adds a different dimension than Jurevicius did -- more catch-and-run, with the deep ball sprinkled in.

Without Jurevicius though, the Browns will be in search of a new go-to-guy on third downs. That man has to be tight end Kellen Winslow. While he's had two consecutive solid seasons, you still get the feeling that he's yet to reach his fullest potential. Around Week 6, the Browns also hope to have rookie tight end Martin Rucker available to open up the offensive playbook even further by being able to shift Winslow to receiver more often while still having a pass-catching threat at tight end.

Grade: A

This is the problem area heading into the season, but with a lot of luck, things don't have to turn out so bad.

When you look up and down the NFL, how many teams actually have a dominant secondary? I can probably count them on only two hands, meaning far less than half of the league. The Browns are receiving so much attention because we're playing young players and we traded away our best cornerback in Leigh Bodden. Since when do two young players, paired with two safeties who are in command of their positions, warrant an automatic notation for failure? The risks are certainly high, but until we see what happens over the first several weeks of the season, it's not time to write the unit off just yet.

Sean Jones had his ups and downs last season, but he really seemed to get things going towards the latter part of the season, as did Brodney Pool. Pool's coverage abilities are still questionable, but he knows how to lay the big hit at the right time. Now, we just have to hope he'll be able to deliver those hits still after sustaining several concussions over the span of his career.

At cornerback, Brandon McDonald's starting role is the our only new dimension in reality. When the team traded Bodden, they envisioned cornerback Daven Holly filling one of the starting role, allowing McDonald to become the nickel back. Holly's injury is what triggered the chain of concerns -- and with Terry Cousin and Travis Daniels being the only depth behind the starters, I am concerned if one of them has to start. The signing of a free agent cornerback like Ty Law isn't completely out of the question still if the unit is unbearably bad to start the season. For depth reasons, the secondary suffers a low grade here.

Grade: D+

Offensive Line

Special Teams

I gave the Browns' offensive line a "B" at the start of last season. Again, I completely underestimated our line's capabilities. Rookie left tackle Joe Thomas exceeded expectations, becoming one of the few rookie tackles to actually live up to his potential. Free agent pickup Eric Steinbach anchored the left side with Thomas very well all season long. Meanwhile, Kevin Shaffer was better at right tackle than he was at left tackle, Hank Fraley held his own at center, and the right guard position was held down by either Seth McKinney or Ryan Tucker.

This year, nothing has changed with the exception of a few backups on the offensive line. Considering that the line only allowed Derek Anderson to be sacked 14 times all season and that Jamal Lewis ran for over 1,300 yards, I think it's safe to say that this unit warrants a higher grade.

Grade: A-

Take a look at this quote from last year's special teams preview I wrote, regarding Browns kicker Phil Dawson:

"Phil Dawson is back for another year, but if he's not able to produce some more "clutch" kicks this year, some of the once loyal fans could finally be giving up on him."

Boy, did I unknowingly foreshadow something at the time? Not only did Dawson have several game-winning field gals last season, he improved his leg strength in the offseason and could be in line to attempt more 50-yarders this season. At punter, Dave Zastudil is healthy again after having somewhat of a down year last season.

The X-factor remains Joshua Cribbs. Sorry Deven Hester, but Cribbs by far has you beat as the best all-around special teams contributor in all of football. Any time he touches the ball, he's a threat to take it the distance. Any time he's a gunner, he'll mow down the opposing returner in a flash.

Grade: A+

How The Season Will Go

Schedule

Divisional Finish

REGULAR SEASON

Date	Opponent	Time
9/7	Dallas - Win	4:15 pm
9/14	Pittsburgh - Win	8:15 pm
9/21	at Baltimore - Win	4:15 pm
9/28	at Cincinnati - Loss	1:00 pm
10/5	BYE WEEK	------
10/13	New York Giants - Loss	8:30 pm
10/19	at Washington - Win	4:15 pm
10/26	at Jacksonville - Loss	4:05 pm
11/2	Baltimore - Win	1:00 pm
11/6	Denver - Win	8:15 pm
11/17	at Buffalo - Win	8:30 pm
11/23	Houston - Win	1:00 pm
11/30	Indianapolis - Loss	1:00 pm
12/7	at Tennessee - Win	1:00 pm
12/15	at Philadelphia - Loss	8:30 pm
12/21	Cincinnati - Win	1:00 pm
12/28	at Pittsburgh - Loss	1:00 pm

REGULAR SEASON

AFC North 2008-2009
Place	Team	Record
1	Cleveland Browns	10-6
2	Pittsburgh Steelers	10-6
3	Cincinnati Bengals	7-9
4	Baltimore Ravens	3-13

I predicted that the Browns would win seven games last season, and at the time, that was a high prediction. After winning ten games, look at the respect we earned on the schedule to the left: five nationally televised prime time games. Forget those typical Ian Eagle/Soloman Wilcots- announced games that we became accustomed to the past several seasons: in our first ten games, only two of them will be played at 1:00 pm.

This season, I expect the Browns to rise to the occasion of a tough schedule. It's time for the Browns to become one of the elite teams in the NFL again rather than always being the underdogs. More important than anything else though, it's time to dethrone the Pittsburgh Steelers from atop the AFC North.

BREAKING NEWS: Peek Done for Year, Orr Re-signed

Chris Pokorny — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 16:55:16 -0000

Updating on a story we posted yesterday, it was confirmed today that Browns LB Antwan Peek suffered a torn patella tendon and will be out for the rest of the season. He had surgery Thursday morning to repair the tendon.

With Peek on the injured reserve now, the team went out and signed LB Shantee Orr again. Orr will figure into the rotation at outside linebacker this Sunday, but rookie LB Alex Hall is still scheduled to receive the bulk of Peek's intended reps.

I never thought it'd be possible, but Peek has just about already shattered Courtney Brown's injury record.

LB Antwan Peek Injures Knee Again

Chris Pokorny — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 04:05:14 -0000

What's worse? Sustaining a long-term injury like Gary Baxter, or constantly rehabbing from injury only to suffer another injury as soon as you come back? Believe it or not, Browns LB Antwan Peek has caught the injury bug again -- he's getting injured more than a person with no immune system gets sick.

According to Mary Kay Cabot (through sources of her own) of the Plain Dealer, Peek left practice Wednesday and did not return. The extent of his injury is not yet known, which could potentially yield some positive news in the coming day or so regarding his condition. Nonetheless, this seems all-too-familiar, and the Browns may have to be ready without Peek this Sunday against the Cowboys.

If that's the case, then Alex Hall's rookie debut will be fast forwarded several steps, as he would split time with veteran LB Willie McGinest. As soon as more details come in, I'll try to provide an update on Peek's condition.

On the positive side of things, Derek Anderson, Braylon Edwards, and Jamal Lewis all practiced on Wednesday. Lewis was limited, but he will be worked back into full practices in the coming days, possibly as early as Thursday. The Plain Dealer has an update on what Joshua Cribbs and Brodney Pool did during practice Wednesday:

Cribbs did some individual work in with the receivers, more than just the special teams walk-through he participated in on Monday. Pool, who sat out team drills, also practiced for the first time since suffering a concussion vs. the Giants.

Finally, here are the Browns' team captains this season (two per unit):

Offense: Derek Anderson & Hank Fraley
Defense: Willie McGinest & Andra Davis
Special Teams: Phil Dawson & Joshua Cribbs