SB Nation User Blog: Bernie19Kosar

A look back: The Dawg Pound

Bernie19Kosar — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 00:56:40 -0000

Every week I am going to try and put together a look back on a piece of Browns history. Some weeks it will be a player. Some weeks it will be a specific game. Hopefully they are all entertaining. What better place to start then with the most well known seating section in all the NFL?

Hanford Dixon and Frank Minnifield had no idea how deep their impact on a fan base would be.

The Dawg Pound didn't start in Cleveland, it was born in Kirtland, Ohio. Lakeland Community College was the location of the 1985 preseason camp of the Cleveland Browns.

Most people have heard the saying of a QB playing "cat and mouse" with a defense. Making calls and audible's based on what the defense is showing, etc. Dixon and Minnifield had an issue with this. They didn't wan't to be known as mice. The decided they wanted to be the Dog in the fight. This lead to the defensive players barking when they made positive plays in camp.

The fans caught on. As soon as the defense made a good play on defense, not only were the defensive players barking at one another, but the fans watching camp would start to bark. The ground work was laid.

Before the Browns first preseaon game, Dixon and Minnifield hung a banner in front of the east end zone bleachers. These bleacher seats were the cheapest seats in the whole stadium. These were the centerfield seats when the Indians played home games. They were cheap because you didn't really get a seat. It was a wood bleacher that was 6" by 21". It didn't really matter, you never sat down anyways. It was the only section of the stadium that didn't have an overhang for protection of the elements. These bleachers were close to the field, the fans being held back by only a small chain linked fence.

The fans embraced it. I don't know if it was because the Browns finally had some sort of mascot, or it was just a badge of honor to be a ticketholder of a Dawg Pound seat, but it became synonymous with being a Browns fan. I am sure we have all heard tales from other Browns fans about what they saw/heard/did in those bleachers. The fact that these were the "cheap seats" gave the team a blue collar feel. Being Cleveland, that feeling was well received. You attend sporting events now, the close seats are always filled by suits and people on their cell phones, waving into the camera asking if their kids can tivo the game so they can see themselves when they get home. That wasn't the case in the Pound. You were amongst other fans that understood football and knew what it meant to be good fans. It didn't matter if you knew the people around you, you knew they were Browns fans and that they thought Pittsburgh sucked. What else do you need for a friendship?

(Personally when I went with my father as a 10 year old, I was told on numerous occasions "don't tell your mother" when I asked if I could eat a milkbone or give Sam Wyche the bird during pre-game warm-ups. Rules were relaxed in the pound. Yes, I heard profane language and listened to men say that they would do vulgar things to opponents mothers, but there was no army of ushers to ask anyone to quiet down or leave. It was allowed because this is what you signed up for when you saw a game in the Dawg Pound. Why does an entire stadium have to be PG? If you take a child to a NFL game, they should be ready for some adult words. *Rant over, thank you*)

It was a dump. Seats sucked. Standing on concrete in freezing temps made you appreciate cardboard more than you ever expected. But to me, it was the greatest experience I ever had at a live sporting event. I saw the Browns win in OT over the Minnesota Vikings in freezing temperature. Wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

I have only seen one game in the "new" Dawg Pound. It just wasn't the same for me, but in all fairness, nothing will ever be able to match the mystique of the Pound.

What was your favorite Dawg Pound moment/story/game? Am I crazy, or does the new pound just lack something?

Who is your least favorite Steeler?

Bernie19Kosar — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 07:39:01 -0000

It's Steeler week. I hate the Steelers.

I hate that their city is so unimaginative they have to use black and urine as the colors of all of their sports teams.

I hate the fact that their mostly front running fans believe that they have more championships than the Cleveland Browns.

But I want to know, who is your most hated Steeler of all-time?

Here is a quick run down of my favorites, in no particular order:

1. Terry Bradshaw

Best picture of Mr. Bradshaw I could find.

You may now know him as the fun loving moron on FOX's pregame. Or, you have probably been beaten over the head by the fact that he won four Super Bowls. For his career, he went 22-17 against the Browns while posting a 75.6 QB rating in those games. I hate Bradshaw because I think he was behind the wheel of a team that possessed a great running game and a great defense. It allowed an average QB (212 TDs to 210 INT's career) to be hailed as a great and almighty savior. Ask a Steeler fan to name the greatest QB of all-time and I am willing to bet a horrible tasting Iron City Beer that they will try and work Bradshaws name into the conversation. Save your self the trouble and close your hand in a drawer.

2. Jerome Bettis

Anyone seen these two guys in the same room at the same time?

Hey, did you guys know that Jerome Bettis is from Detroit? If you don't, then you didn't want a single minute of any 2006 NFL Playoff coverage. Plus, I think that chunky campbells soup tastes like crap (Well, during Steeler weeks I do, other weeks, I totally get down on the chicken noodle. But not Steeler week bitches! I fast like Olajuwon!) I hate the fact that Bettis can screw up a coin flip. I REALLY HATE the fact that Bettis has more rushing yards than Jim Brown (even though it took him 74 more games. Yeah, 74. That would be if Jim Brown played almost 5 and half more 14 game seasons. Yet, if you look at the NFL leaderboard, this fat ass is ahead of Jim Brown.) For Bettis' career he went 13-9 against the Browns and had an average of 74 YPG against us.

3. Hines Ward

I wish this was DBN's logo.

We all knew this douchebag was on this list. We have gone over the reasons on why Hines Ward is a coward and dirty player ad nauseum. If you need more info on this boob search the archives. On to the stats, Ward went 20-17 against us while averaging 67 YPG. He only has 8 TDs in those 37 games which actually suprised me. The only thing I like about Ward is that he hates the next player on our list.

4. Ben Roethlisberger

I am 99% sure that this is not photoshopped.

The newest, greatest Steeler QB (He wins games!). Once again, we have touched on ~~Crash Test Roethlisberger~~ Big Ben. It drives me nuts that every single time this guy has a hang nail it is DEFCON1 in the Roethlisberger household. Was he not hugged enough as a kid? I'm glad to hear that the Steeler locker room is tired of his act, because I as a Browns fan have had my fill of Big Ben's injury fiasco's. Did I mention that he likes to bang ugly chicks? For God sakes man you're a NFL quarterback that is paid over 100 million! Even that fat dude that convinced chicks he was Big Ben was able to hook up with a model! Oh yeah, stats. He has a 14-8 ratio on TD/INTs and averages 223 YPG. Meh.

5. Jeff Reed

I don't know if he is the most hated Steeler, but I know he thinks the show Jersey Shore is cool.

This dude is the best. First of all he is a kicker. Second of all, the dude has the worst case of beer muscles that I have seen in quite sometime. First of all he tackles like this (fast forward to :23 seconds in) and this (2:35 in). Did I mention that this tool has been arrested for assulting police officers, and vandalizing a bathroom in a gas station because they were out of paper towels? All this anger from a kicker who tackles like a woman. I think that Phil Dawson would destroy him in fisticuffs. Did I mention that he is a kicker? He is 23 for 27 on kicks against us.

6. Rod Woodson

Man, I hope my HOF bust has a pornstache.

He played for the Steelers and Ravens, so that kind of makes him a jackass. He then he said something so gross that I had to make sure I got his quote correct, word for word. In his Hall of Fame speech he said the following:

And I hope again, the voters get this right, by putting Art Modell in the Hall of Fame. He belongs there. You can boo him because you disagree with him moving them. But you can't disagree with what he did as an owner.

Burn in Hell Woodson.

Also receiving votes: James Harrison, Franco Harris (It was incomplete!), Greg Lloyd, Kevin Greene, Levon Kirkland, Amos Zeroue (I hate his cookies), Tommy Maddox, Kordell Stewert, Stallworth and Swann (overrated), Joey Porter (I'm glad someone shot him i the ass) and Troy Polamalu.

Did I mention that I hate the Steelers?

Poll

Who is your most hated Steeler?

Browns add another TE, not a RB

Bernie19Kosar — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 22:33:12 -0000

Browns add another TE, not a RB

PFT is reporting that the Browns will not sign DeDe Dorsey.

Instead they have signed Evan Moore, a pratice squad player out of Stanford.

This will give the Browns 2 running backs (Harrison and Jennings) and 4 Tight Ends (Estandia, Royal, Moore and Gaines).

This offense will look odd Sunday. Let's hope that Harrison and Jennings stay healthy.

Why have the Browns never had a running game?

Bernie19Kosar — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 04:48:49 -0000

I have made some of these points in other threads, and this is very long, so I apologize ahead of time.

Even in todays pass first NFL, teams still need to run the ball. I believe that there are three main components to a successful run game. In order, they are;

Offensive Line Play
Quarterback Play
Running Back

I know this sounds odd. How can the running back only be third on that list? My belief lies in the fact that if a team has an above average line that is able to control the LOS and decent quarterback play, most running backs would be successful. I think it is more important to have a talented QB than a talented RB, so I ranked it higher in importance. You could make a very effective case that those two should be switched, but it is my belief. Please understand that I am not saying that all running backs are plug and play. I would love to have Chris Johnson as our running back. I don't think he would be having the same season he is having in Tennessee, but I think he would still be explosive. I will touch on this further on Monday with another fanpost. I will link to it when I finish.

I have gone back to 1999. I compared the offensive line starters, the QB performance (I am using QB rating as a comparision stat. I don't think it is the greatest tool to use, but for this excersise, I think it is good enough), and finally looking at the leading rusher for each season. I am hoping to find out why the Browns have had such a hard time getting a ground game going.

1999

Browns

Offensive line; (LT, LG, C, RG, RT)

Lomas Brown, Jim Payne, Dave Wohlabaugh, Scott Renberg, Orlando Brown

That is fugly.

QB Play:

Tim Couch finished with a 73.2. (I would kill for a Browns QB to put up a 73.2 this season. That is how far we have fallen. I am pining for the days of Tim Couch. Kill me now.)

Leading Rusher:

Terry Kirby. He finished with 3.5 YPC for the season. Just for comparision sake, Jamal Lewis is getting 3.5 YPC this season. For his career, Kirby was never anything special. He got 100+ carries five times in his career. In those five seasons, he went over 3.8 YPC once. Yeah, that is not so hot.

Conclusion:

I don't think that anyone really expected much out of the Browns this season. We had a horrible roster and little chance of getting anything going. I think Barry Sanders would have had a hard time running behindthat offensive line.

2000

Offensive line:

Roman Oben, Steve Zahursky, Wohlobaugh, Everett Lindsey, James Brown.

One returning starter from the previous season. Even from a crappy unit, that sort of turnover is never a really good thing.

QB Play:

Tim Couch had a 77.3 rating. He only played half the season because of injury. Doug Pederson filled in and had a 56.6 rating. Yeesh.

Leading Rusher:

Travis Prentice

Prentice had 3.0 YPC for the season. He was the Browns 3rd round pick (63rd player overall) Prentice was a bad NFL back. He lasted in Cleveland for one season, his rookie season. After that he went to Minnesota for one season where he had 13 yards on 14 carries. You read that right. We wasted the 63rd choice on Travis Prentice. I just puked.

Conclusion:

Travis Prentice was a bad NFL back. The fact that he never caught on elsewhere shows that. The fact that the Browns wasted a third round pick on him makes me want to cry. The Browns offensive line was another mostly patchwork line. If a team is starting from scratch every year in the run game, a run game is never going to develop.

2001

Browns

Offensive line:

Oben, Ross Verba, Wohlobaugh, Jeremy McKinney, Roger Chanione

60% new starters. In three seasons the Browns have had 13 starters on the offensive line. This is the third season since the return. The fact that the Browns didn't have a single buildling block on their offensive line is a huge red flag. Verba is the only player on this line that was maybe league average.

QB Play:

Tim Couch goes for 73.1 rating. Nothing special. Approaching bust status.

Leading rusher:

James Jackson

James Jackson was a rookie out of the "U". He averaged 2.8 YPC. But he was really, really talented. Butch Davis told me so. He was the 65th pick in the 2001 NFL draft. How many crap running backs did we draft in third rounds? It isn't hard to figure out why this team has stunk for so long when I look back at old drafts.

Conclusion:

The revolving door at offensive line was still in motion for the Browns. The earliest draft choice that the Browns had used at this point on an offensive lineman was the final pick in the sixth round in 2000. In the 2001 draft Paul Zukaukas was taken in the 7th round. To expect a brand new franchise to be able to function without addressing a main need year in and year out was, IMO, THE reason that the Browns struggled so badly out of the gates.

2002

Offensive Line:

Verba, Barry Stokes, Wohlobaugh, Shaun O'Hara, Ryan Tucker

Again 60% turnover. Granted, this group was far and away the best group, but still to have 3 new starters year in and year out kills the continuity of an offensive line.

QB Play:

Tim Couch had a 76.8 rating, Kelly Holcomb had a 92.9 rating four games. Maybe you guys heard of this, they had a QB controversy.

Leading rusher:

William Green, rookie out of BC, had a 3.7 YPC. I have a hard time judging William Green. He had talent, but he always seemed to be lacking a certain urgerncy when it came to hitting a hole. He always seemed to be waiting in the backfield. For his career he averaged 3.7 YPC for his career. Jamel White had 106 carries and posted a 4.4 YPC in 2001.

Conclusion:

This team still couldn't run the ball when it mattered. In the playoff game, we ran the ball 28 times for 38 yards. I wanted William Green to be a good back, but with his off the field issues and crap offensive line, he never was more than a average at best RB.

2003

Offensive line:

Stokes, O'Hara, Jeff Faine/Melvin Fowler, Zukauskas, Tucker

Only Ryan Tucker returned to his position from the previous season. I couldn't make this stuff up. Faine was the first offensive lineman taken in the first two rounds since the Browns returned. It is a pattern at this point. Offensive lines cannot be made with band aids and retreads.

QB play:

Kelly Holcomb played 8 games with a 74.6 rating and Couch played 8 games with a 77.6 rating.

Leading Rusher:

William Green only played in 7 games. He averaged 80 YPG. He still was at 3.9 YPC which isn't awesome, but was the high water mark for his career. James Jackson, Lee Suggs, and Jamel White all started some games the rest of the season with only Suggs having an impact (5.2 YPC in only 50 carries).

Conclusion

William Green struggled again. The line was once again musical chairs. How can we expect a rushing game to get going when the most important aspect of the running game is in complete and total flux year in and year out?

2004

Offensive Line:

Verba, Enoch DeMar, Faine, Kevin Garmon, Joaquin Gonzalez

Again. 60% turnover. By the way, DeMar was undrafted. Garmon and Gonzalez were both 7th rounders. Yes, sometimes you can find a great offensive lineman late or undrafted. These, aren't those kind of guys. Another patchwork group.

QB Play:

Jeff Garcia came in and put up a 76.7 rating. Outside of his stint in Detroit, it was the worst of his career.

Leading rusher:

Suggs and Green split carries with Suggs having an edge even though William Green started 12 games to Suggs 4. Suggs followed up his great finish of '03 with a pretty normal '04. Suggs had a 3.7 YPC while Green had a 3.6 YPC. I think both of these backs are comparable. For Suggs I think that injuries really robbed him of his explosion and a real shot at being special. He averaged 4.0 YPC for his career. Running behind a garabge OLine, Suggs and Green did pretty decent with this season.

2005

Offensive Line:

L.J Shelton, Joe Andruzzi, Faine, Cosey Coleman, Tucker

80% turnover from the previous season. Shelton, Tucker and Faine are all prett decent offensive lineman. Coleman was on the backside of a decent career. This was the best offensive line since the Browns return. that isn't saying much.

QB Play:

Trent Dilfer put up a 76.9 rating. He was benched though in favor of rookie Charlie Frye, a grudge that he still arries with him today. Let it go Trent. You Trent freakin Dilfer. Frye came in went for a 72.8 rating. Not to bad for a rookie.

Leading rusher:

Finally! A 1,000 yard season. Ruben Droughns gave the Browns the best RB that he had since '99. If you don't remember, Droughns had a 1,200 yard season in '04 with the RB factory that is Denver. He was then traded to Cleveland for some crappy defensive lineman. Droughns came in and ran for 4.0 YPC a full half yard lower than his season before in Denver. 4.0 YPC is the second highest mark for a leading rusher for the Browns in the '99-'09 decade. Seriously.

Conclusion:

The Browns rode Droughns. He ran hard and faced a lot of tough fronts with a rookie QB. He had a nice season. that being said, the Browns running attack still ranked 24th in the NFL. Reason was that the Browns only had Droughns. Our second leading carrier for the season was Trent Dilfer. Think about that. A QB that played in 11 games had the second most carries for the Browns at 20. A nice season for Droughns, but still a poor season for the Browns.

2006

Offensive Line:

Kevin Schaffer, Joe Andruzzi, Hank Fraley, Coleman, Tucker/ Kelly Butler

Once again the Browns have 60% new starters. Fraley was needed because LeCharles Bentley went down. It was a good move that was cut down by some horrid luck. It's Cleveland. We should have seen it coming.

QB Play:

Charlie Frye started 13 games and turned in a 72.2 rating. Derek Anderson came off the bench and helped out with a 63.1 rating in 3 starts.

Leading rusher:

Ruben Droughns was cooked. Maybe it was the previous seasons workload catching up or maybe his carriage finally turned back into a pumpkin, but he came up with a 3.4 YPC. Jason Wright was the back-up and he gave a 3.0 YPC. That is really, really, ugly.

Conclusion:

The Browns had added some decent lineman. Fraley was good ceonsidering what most expected and Schaffer was playing out of position, but was a definite step up over Shelton. Still another season with continuous line make overs is not a good thing.

2007

Offensive Line:

Joe Thomas, Eric Steinbach, Fraley, Tucker/ Seth McKinney, Shaffer

As good as it has been in Cleveland. Yes the line had 80% new starters at new positions, but the Browns added two pro bowlers. Anytime you add in two pro bowl level players it is a great move. Plus the Browns kept the three best lineman from the previous season.

QB Play:

Derek Anderson bloomed right before our eyes. He had a 82.5 QB rating and went to the Pro Bowl. By far the best season that the Browns have had out of a QB in a long, long time.

Leading Rusher:

Jamal Lewis had the second highest YPC of his career in '07 with a 4.4 average. Jason Wright also chipped in with a 4.6 YPC on 60 carries. For the very first time since '99, the Browns had a rushing game that could win games.

Conclusion:

The pass game led by Anderson, Edwards and Winslow was allowing the Browns to run the ball effectively behind a much improved O-Line. I still think that Jamal Lewis was very close to the end of his career, but the other two factors of the run game were working so well, even a RB on the backside of his career could go for great numbers. For the first time the Browns made a real effort to bolster the offensive line and it showed.

2008

Offensive Line:

Thomas, Steinbach, Fraley, Rex Hadnot, Kevin Schaffer

For the first time in over 10 years the Browns didn't replace more than one starter from the previous season. Hadnot was brought in and was named the starter after Ryan Tucker had his off the field issues and drug suspension. Fraley fell off and went from decent to well below average. the left side was still one of the best in all the NFL.

QB Play:

Browns had 4 starting QBs this season. One stunk more than the other. Just for the sake of keeping everything uniform, here are your stats. Anderson, 66.5 rating. Quinn, 66.6 rating. Dorsey, 26.4 rating. Gradkowski 2.8 rating (that isn't a typo).

Leading rusher:

Jamal Lewis once again was the leading rusher for the Browns. He averaged 3.6 YPC. His backup Jerome Harrison averaged 7.2 (7.2!) on 34 carries. Once again we see a RB that didn't have much of a back-up to take some of the weight of Jamal's shoulders. We saw the same kind of thing happen to Droughns. How can a RB stay fresh when he is on the field at all times? Don't forget that Jamal Lewis was playing with some of the worst QB play that anyone had seen in quite sometime.

Conclusion:

This is why I think that QB play is so very important to running the ball. Adrian Peterson couldn't have done much on this seasons team. The QB situation was a complete garbage fire. Plus Lewis was asked to do waaay to much. He was a 29 YO running back that was asked to carry an offense. Chester Taylor had 100 carries in 2008 behind Adrian Peterson. Bad situation with an aging RB. Asking for trouble.

2009

Offensive Line:

Thomas, Stienbach, Alex Mack, Floyd Womack, John St. Clair.

Another season, another 3 starters. The Mack pick was the right move. As for the other two, I am not sure that they are any sort of step-up from the previous season.

QB Play:

Don't look if you're easily gagged. Quinn, 66.7 rating. Anderson, 36.2 rating. By the way the QB rating for an incompete pass is 39.6. In other words if DA does nothing but throw incomplete passes, he would have a better passing rating than he has now.

Leading rusher:

Jamal Lewis is getting 3.5 YPC. He sucks. We know this now.

Conclusion:

This is the worst offense I have ever seen.

I had no idea the amount of turnover our offensive line has gone through over the years. 9 out of 10 seasons the Browns have added at least two new starters from the previous season. I have gone back and looked at successful running teams (Denver and Tennessee). These teams have used multiple draft picks on lineman, and have for the most part kept starters from season to season. This isn't a fluke. Quarterbacks have come and gone with those two teams, yet they always seem to be in the hunt. No matter if it is Steve McNair, Billy Volek, Kerry Collins, or Vince Young. Broncos rolled with Griese, Plummer and Cutler.

The faces could change on the O-Lines, but it was never a full swap out. these teams and front offices planned for these changes. Tennessee would lose Brad Hopkins as a LT. They planned ahead and drafted Michael Roos in the second round the previous season and let him get his feet wet as a RT as a rookie. In 2005 Justin Hartwig leaves as a FA, the Titans replace him with All-Pro Kevin Mawae. It is a plan that is laid out and followed.

The Browns have shown a pattern to always rip out guts and start new every season. We have the best LT in the game. Stienbach is a vey good guard who has struggled at times this season, but I believe is a player that can be counted on in the future. Mack is a stud that i think will get better in ever season. RG and RT will have to be addressed. I hope whoever is in charge of next seasons draft will use our second rounder on an offensive lineman.

What do you think has been the Browns major flaw in developing a run game?

Poll

What has been the biggest hold-up in the Browns developing a running attack?

Posnanski is not a Mangini fan. Again.

Bernie19Kosar — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 07:59:43 -0000

Posnanski is not a Mangini fan. Again.

Joe Posnanski of Si.com rips into Mangini and Mangino in one article.

What an "uncapped" season will mean

Bernie19Kosar — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 07:34:59 -0000

The NFL is perfect. That is my opinion. My reasoning is simple. It doesn't matter how big "my" city is. It doesn't matter what television deal my team has. This all could change. We have all heard it. If the NFLPA and the Owners do not hammer out a new collective bargaining agreement, or CBA, 2010 could be an uncapped season. Money will be flowing and players will be striking it rich. Jerry Jones and Dan Snyder will be buying anything that isn't nailed down.

Right? Not exactly. There is a ton of interesting side pieces to the mythical uncapped season. I have laid out some issues that will hopefully give fans a better idea what the "uncapped" season can mean to the NFL.

Free Agency:

This has been discussed before, but I think that I should touch on it again. Under the current deal, if a player accrues 4 NFL seasons, the player could be eligible for free agency. Without the new CBA, that number then jumps from four seasons to six seasons. That takes out a massive chunk of players that would be free agents. Players from the 2005 NFL draft that signed 5 year contracts (Braylon Edwards) or guys from the 2006 NFL Draft that signed 4 year contracts (D'Qwell Jackson) would not be available. Great for those teams, but it thins out the rest of the market. Other players that this effects is DMeco Ryans, Eric Wright, Sidney Rice, Steve Smith, LaMarr Woodley, Elvis Dumervil amongst many others. The free agent class starts to look a little thin.

Tags:

As of now, your team can only use one tag every off-season. Franchise (the average of the top 5 players at the position) or the rarely used transition (the average of the top 10 players at a position). That's it. If the uncapped season happens, every team will be allowed to use three tags. So even if a player has put in six seasons, the team has three tags in which to keep its veteran players. This, further dries up the already thin market. It is quickly looking like it isn't the cash grab that so many fans, players and agents envisioned.

No Salary Cap/No Salary Floor:

There is a reason why many players are clamoring for a new CBA to be reached. Desmond Clark, a decent player, but not a superstar, has laid out the reasons in his own words. Teams like the Jaguars and Lions, two teams that have had issues selling tickets this season, may not see a reason in paying for lesser players. Today, a fourth year veteran is paid a minimum of 510k. Next season, why should an owner who is struggling to sell tickets, pay ten back-ups 5.1 million (510k x 10 players)? In stead he can sign ten players from the UFL or off the street for 100k. A minor move like that would save an owner over four million dollars and it would cost 10 players a job, just because of time served in the NFL.

Who should the NFLPA be listening to? The Mario Williams type player who could be on the verge of a major pay day, or the hordes of Blake Costanzo's? After all, the majority of NFL players do not get paid the "big" dollars. The salary floor has stopped the NFL from having Florida Marlin like situations. Without it, there would be nothing stopping an owner from cutting all costs.

Final Eight Restrictions:

This is where it really starts to get funky. Imagine for a second that the final eight teams in the playoffs this season are the Pats, Steelers, Colts, Chargers, Cowboys, Vikings, Saints and Cardinals. Since these would be the "final eight" teams the NFL would not allow these eight teams to sign any free agents, UNTIL they lost a player of their own.

For example. Let us assume that the Browns decided to sign free agent Steve Breaston. The Browns signed Breaston for 4 years and 25 million. The Cardinals would then be allowed to sign ONE free agent and only for 25 million dollars. Other teams would use this info, and bid against the Cards knowing that Arizona had no wiggle room.

This clause of course was to discourage owners to splurge to try and fix that final hole to win a Super Bowl. Sounds good if you are a Browns fan, but if you are a Pats fan this should scare the hell out of you. Granted these teams will have all three tags to use on players, but some players would be left hanging.

Draft:

It is widely believed that this will be the last cash grab for draftees. Many agents, owners and players think that the days of the 50 million dollar bonus for a number one pick is nearing its end. That means that this years draft will be full of underclassmen that may not be ready, but enter anyway to make sure that they get a piece of the pie. Don't be suprised to see a lot of juniors make the jump even if they are thought to be only 2nd or 3rd rounders.

I really hope we never see an uncapped season. I think that if the owners get a taste of an uncapped season, we as football fans will never get it back. After all, why would Jerry Jones share his wealth with Green Bay? The NFL could be headed for a baseball type system. I personally think that baseball is ruined. I have lost all love I had for the sport. No longer can I watch as my favorite players are sold to the highest bidder. Why such a stupid system is in place when a much better, equal, fair system has turned the NFL into the king of all American sports? Let us hope that cooler heads will prevail and a CBA will be reached before the dreaded "uncapped" season is here.

Poll

Do you think the NFL will have an uncapped 2010 season?

Yes

175 votes

No

223 votes

398 votes | Poll has closed

Matthew Stafford Mic'd up for the Browns game.

Bernie19Kosar — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 04:08:29 -0000

Matthew Stafford Mic'd up for the Browns game.

I don't know about you fellas, but I love the Mic'd up segments. This one is pretty cool because you really hear how hurt Stafford was at the end of the game.

I didn't think he was going to be a very good QB coming out of UGA, but the kid has balls.

Dwan Edwards fined 5k for Cribbs hit

Bernie19Kosar — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:19:25 -0000

Dwan Edwards fined 5k for Cribbs hit

Brady Quinn 10k
Dwan Edwards 5k

Seems about right to me.

Holmgren being interviewed right now?

Bernie19Kosar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 03:23:36 -0000

Holmgren being interviewed right now?

Please, please, please, please, PLEASE!

Another day, another person trashing the Browns.

Bernie19Kosar — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:55:04 -0000

Another day, another person trashing the Browns.

Here are the best quotes:

"It had nothing to do with my play at Cleveland. It was one of those things where I really wanted to get out of there, because I didn't like how things were going, how things were being run there. I'm just a big guy on character and how things are supposed to be played out, and it wasn't a good situation for me. It was to a point where football wasn't even fun for me. It was terrible to me."

and,

"I don't want to go into it specifically. The owner is a good guy, and the organization in years past, but now they've got some people in there that's not running it the way it should be, I've never experienced football [like that]. I came from two good organizations in Philly and Arizona, and I'd never seen football handled the way it was when I was there."