SB Nation User Blog: DaytonDogg

FIRST GUESS ON 2009 DEPTH CHART.... DEFENSE

DaytonDogg — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:06:05 -0000

Continuing with my last post on the offense, here is what I expect to see on the defensive depth chart, as of now. I have a little more knowledge of the style and scheme of the defense Mangini plans to run than I do of the offense. And while I still am concerned that it will be a Patriots/Crennel style, bend-but-don't-break 3-4, instead of a attacking Ravens/Steelers style attacking 3-4, again, I think the improvement from how our depth chart ended in 2008 in obvious.

1. Shaun Rogers

2. Corey Williams

3. Kenyon Coleman

4. Shaun Smith

5. Robaire Smith

6. C.J. Mosley

7. Ahtyba Rubin/Santonio Thomas

First, I don't think we are going to carry 8 DLs in a 3-4 scheme. Rubin and Thomas are my favorites to win the 7th spot. Luis Leonard and Melila Purcell will also be in this battle. Rogers is the anchor of this defense and hopefully he and Mangini put their drama behind them. Williams needs to improve if he wants to stay a starter, and may find himself on the bench by the time the games start to count. Robaire Smith has a tough injury to come back from, but assuming he can, the top 6 linemen make a decent enough rotation that we can expect better run stopping than last year.

OLB

1. Kamerion Wimbley

2. David Bowens

3. Alex Hall

4. David Veikune

5. Leon Williams

I still really like Wimbley, Hall and Wiliams. And I like Veikune. I think these are the types of super athletic pass rushers that can rack up sacks in the right scheme with the right coaching. I hope Mangini and Ryan can make the most out of them. Bowens is blah, and is, less old than Willie McGinest, so I guess that's an upgrade.

ILB

1. D'Qwell Jackson

2. Eric Barton

3. Beau Bell

4. Kaluka Maiava

Barton and Jackson are solid enough. They'll both rack up a lot of tackels, hopefully at least a few of them will be before the ball carrier has gained 5 yards. Overall, I'm a little disappointed with our moves at this position (and LB in general). Who knows what Bell and Maiava can do. Maiava has a lot to learn and Bell was a ghost for 98% of his rookie year.

1. Eric Wright

2. Brandon McDonald

3. Corey Ivy

4. Hank Poteat

5. Corye Francis

6. Don Carey

I like Wright a lot. I also like McDonald more than most. I think he can be a #2 and I think he was blamed for a lot of plays last year that had more to do with luck, coaching and blown Safety help than it did with McDonald's ability. Still, I think Ivy and Poteat are going to threaten his playing time at first, but McDonald's youth and ability should fend them off and keep the two vets in nickle and dime situations. Fracis seems like a high upside guy that fell into our lap--- a Phil Savage type pick. ("We got 2nd round talent in the 6th round!!") With the players in front of him, he can ease- let him impress on special teams and learn as a dime back before seeing the field in pressure situations. Carey seems destined for special teams and from what I've read, could be a Safety convert before all is said and done.

1. Brodney Pool

2. Abram Elam

3. Mike Adams

4. Hamza Abdullah

5. Nick Sorensen

Hopefully Pool can stay healthy. With only Elam as an addition, we remain pretty shallow at Safety. Safety, like TE, is not a position I like investing a ton of resources in, but its also something you can't ignore. Adams and Sorensen were nice surprises at the end of last year, only in that they didn't totally suck. Still, I don't want them seeing the field for long stretches.

OVERALL: Underwhelming. I am happy with the depth at DL and CB, even OLB. I also think Wright and Rogers are probowl caliber. It seems like we are missing a playmaker though, either at LB or S. As with the offense, there is a clear upgrade in talent and depth from the end of 2008, but the success of the unit will be up to the creativity with the coaches and the execution of the players. With a new staff and so many new parts its tough to guess any level of success.

Hope you all liked these two posts. It was helpful to me, to get an idea on what our team looks like after the FA signings and the draft. GO BROWNS.

First Guess on 2009 Depth Chart.--- OFFENSE

DaytonDogg — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 16:38:17 -0000

It is way too early for this, but our roster has gone through some serious changes since the Mangini/Kokinis regime took over. I took this idea from Grossi over at the PD, but I wanted to make one that is more thorough and more thought out.

1. Brady Quinn

2. Derek Anderson

3. Grahm Harrell

First, we have no real clues on who Mangini likes, but to the extent that Anderson doesn't have incriminating photos of him, I don't think a reasonable football mind will pick DA come training camp. DA had a good year in 2007, sure, but he still wasn't accurate, still had terrible games, and that was a year in which every thing aligned for him (health and productive seasons from every other offensive position, playing against bad defenses with low expectations, etc.) Quinn has the most upside and all the intangibles. Mangini seems to love these types of qualities and I think Quinn will grow on Mangini quickly. I put Harrell over Ratliff as 3rd stringer. Obviously Ratcliff has a leg-up in knowing Mangini and the system, but I think he will be reduced to the practice squad after the other three learn the system. Looking at Ratliff's mediocre stats at Utah, and the fact that he hasn't seen any action in 2 seasons under Mangini tells me any other discussion about Ratliff is a red herring. Even if Ratliff makes the team, I can see Harrell making the team too, assuming DA is traded.

1. Jamal Lewis

2. James Davis

3. Jerome Harrison

To me, this is one of the weaker units on the team. I am way down on Lewis. I was when we signed him, and I think his contribution to our 07 success was overrated. And despite him being in such "great shape" last year, he looked like he was nearing the end of his career as a starting RB. Still, he is going to get carries on this team because of his reputation (however undeserved) and because of a lack of other good options. I put Davis ahead of Harrison for two reasons. First, Davis is a more traditional all around RB that will be a more natural replacement for Lewis on 1st and 2nd down. Harrison, instead can be used in a variety of other roles, including a 3rd down and change of pace back. Second, Harrison doesn't seem to be all that durable compared to Lewis or Davis.

1. Lawrence Vickers

2. Charles Ali

Not much to say here. Solid and young at this position. Anyone know how much our OC likes to use FB as a blocker vs. 2 TE or 3 WR sets?

1. Robert Royal

2. Steve Heiden

3. Martin Rucker

Again, I wonder how many 2 TE sets we can expect to see in our new system. Each of these three guys should be able to be a very solid receiving threat and Royal and Heiden are both above average blockers. I'd like to see Rucker's playing time be consistent and increasing as the season goes on. He is the future of this position on this roster.

1. Joe Thomas

2. Floyd Womack

3. John St. Clair

4. Ryan Tucker

Ryan Tucker could is the key to the puzzle that is the right side of the OL. If healthy and able, Tucker is one of our top 4 linemen, and he could compete with Womack and St. Clair for the RT job. Given that Womack and St. Clair are pretty decent options, Tucker may find himself as more of a RG candidate anyway. Thomas is an elite LT, no worries there.

1. Eric Steinbach

2. Ryan Tucker

3. Floyd Womack

4. Rex Hadnot

5. Alex Mack

Steinbach had a rocky 08. Hopefully he can put that behind him and stay healthy and effective in 09. Again, Tucker has a spot here if he doesn't win the RT job, and we might need him more at RG anyway. Hadnot could be the odd man out. I didn't mind him, but he was very average. UPDATE- I added Womack to the Guard picture, I didn't realize he played both G and T in his career. I guess I just figured he was a T because he was signed right after we let go of Shaffer. This makes it seem like Hadnot is even more on the outside looking in, but it also makes Womack a good candidate as our 6th lineman. It also means Mack probably can start at C.

1. Alex Mack

2. Hank Fraley

Mack is going to start right away. I think the only thing that would keep that from being at C is if there is a hole at RG. Fraley is serviceable at this point and has 2 more years left on his contract, but he is aging and couldn't play Guard. Mack, on the other hand, could play RG for a year and then take over for Fraley and take over the line calls next season. Again, Tucker seems to be the key to this puzzle.

1. Braylon Edwards

2. Brian Robiskie

3. David Patten

4. Mohammed Massaquoi

5. Syndric Steptoe/Paul Hubbard

Both BuckeyeBrad and I have harped on how important it was to get Steptoe out of a position where he would have to be playing significant downs. This was achieved with the second round picks of Robiskie and Massaquoi. Robiskie should, at the least, fill the Jurivicious/3rd down/possession/red zone role. He also has a knack for some outstanding catches and has the size and straight-line speed to become a deep threat of sorts. I'd love some jump balls thrown his way with defenses' bigger corner covering Edwards. If Robiskie is as mentally prepared and smart as all the reports say, he could have a big rookie year. Edwards is an enigma of sorts. He seems to have all the talent and usually the right intentions. On the other hand, he has a huge weakness in on the field abilities (his hands- potentially a fatal flaw) and its questionable how much this is related to his major character weakness (lack of focus). All said, he is a elite talent and hopefully some humility, maturity and work ethic comes from the 2008 struggles and a new coaching staff. If all goes right, this would result in Edwards prospering as a #1... again.

Overall thoughts: we are counting on some rookies (at RB, WR, OL) at some key spots and some bouncebacks from bad 2008 campaigns (Edwards, Steinbach, Lewis). Bottom line, its hard to say Kokinis and Magini haven't greatly improved our depth and talent (especially at WR, OT, C, and QB) I don't know anything about the offensive system the Browns plan to run, but I do know that the with the talent/depth upgrade and hopefully a healthy year from at least one of our top 3 QBs, we can expect major improvements to an awful 2008 offense.

THIS WAS UPDATED ON 4/29 at 11AM

Joe Pos led All-Time Indians having good season

DaytonDogg — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 15:16:36 -0000

Joe Pos led All-Time Indians having good season

Posnanski is the manager of the All-Time Indians in a historical baseball sim league. Other notables in the league include Bill James (Red Sox) and Curt Schilling (Pirates?).

Anyway, the Indians are in 1st at the start going into September. Pos links to the league and you can look at the standings, stats, and other detail. I found it a fun waste of a few minutes.

Castro: Choo's arm is sore.

DaytonDogg — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 14:47:36 -0000

Castro: Choo's arm is sore.

~~Left elbow soreness.~~

~~The article mentioned he may just DH for S. Korea or not play at all, but the decision is the Indians' to make.~~

The above is from the original AP report- found here.

CastroTurf says two things materially different:

1.) its Choo's triceps that is sore, not his surgically repaired elbow.

2.) It is Choo and the S. Korea team that has the final say, not the Indians.

""Right now, we're in the process of getting the complete info as to the problem he's encountered," general manager Mark Shapiro said this morning. "From there, we'll determine whether or not we object.""

Eight of the 104 DID NOTHING WRONG

DaytonDogg — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 15:49:28 -0000

Eight of the 104 DID NOTHING WRONG

I saw this on ESPN last night and debated making its own FanShot, but that other thread is pretty bogged down by other side issues.

"At least eight players, the source said, had results from their 2003 drug tests that were consistent with then-available over the counter supplements not banned by baseball until 2005."

Sullivan at Baseball Analysts likes Twins as AL Central favorite

DaytonDogg — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 16:10:10 -0000

Sullivan at Baseball Analysts likes Twins as AL Central favorite

Basically says that Minnesota is younger and more room for error and aren't relying on bounce back from two over-30 guys coming off injuries (Hafner and Martinez).

Training Camp Invites

DaytonDogg — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 18:45:47 -0000

Training Camp Invites

LaPorta
Brantley (article says he'll play some 1B, interesting)
Huff
Edell (why haven't I heard much about this guy?)
Hodges
Head
Mills
Brown
Aubrey (already announced)

Evaluation time

DaytonDogg — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 20:29:09 -0000

With almost all of our remaining games against teams over .500 and with a QB with only 1 game under his belt; with a 3-6 record including 1-4 at home and losses that mean we will lose a bunch of tie-breakers, it looks as if this season is over from a playoff or championship perspective. Now, this is football. Every game should still be played with one goal: victory. But even a frantic 7-0 record would merely get us back to 10-6 and hoping for help.

It is evaluation time. We must look at what we have and what we need to see from those on the roster as we continue through the second half of the season. What are you going to be looking for? These are my thoughts:

QB: I want to see Brady Quinn take every snap from here on out. Barring injury, I think he will. I really like thinking of Anderson as a backup. After something like 25 or 30 games, DA proved he is not a starting-caliber NFL QB. Quinn looked good through one game, lets see how he continues. I'm especially interested to see if he can throw the deep ball. Regardless, I'd like to bring back Anderson as a backup next year, unless we can net a early 4th rounder or better for him.

RB: I said before the season I thought Lewis was on his last leg. He often looks tired and old. It puts the Browns in a tough spot. In a way, I think he could still be effective as a guy that could get 10-15 carries a game. However, he wants 25-30 carries a game, and there is a common line of thinking that he is more effective the more he gets the ball. Maybe thats true, but I tend to think it is BS. In fact, where was he the last two games when we had a lead in the 2nd half? Yesterday in the second half, Lewis: 9 carries, 11 yards. Yuk. How can you sustain long, time-wasting, back-breaking, point scoring drives with that?? That was against a terrible run D too. Against Baltimore his second half was slightly better: 9 carries, 29 yards (3.2 YPC), still not good enough. I like Harrison and agree with the idea of getting him more touches. Split the carries between him and Lewis and you might have something. But Harrison must have a hard time with some of the intangibles, because it seems like we only have him in with special plays designed for him. Wright is a third down back, I guess, because he can pass block better than Harrison. Bottom line, unless Wright shows me something in the next several weeks or unless Harrison becomes an all around back, tailback becomes a high priority.

TE/FB: position of strength, all around. I'd love to see some Rucker. Heiden is the all around beast. Winslow has great hands (last play against Denver was the exception). Dinkins blocks very well. I like Vickers and Ali.

WR: This is a tough one. Edwards has all the physical tools, except the hands. Maybe he could play safety or linebacker? I still am happy with him as a number 1 WR. Hopefully Stallworth can stay healthy the rest of the year. I don't feel like he has shown us his value yet. Steptoe got a shot as a starter and didn't show us much. Cribbs isn't particluarly big or fast, so its tough to see him as a full time WR. Plus, he is so valuable as a part time running back/wild cat back/special team player/blocking WR and occaisionally pass catcher, I don't think I want to change him into a full time slot receiver anyway. Seems like we could use a better slot WR than Steptoe, but I guess I'll be watching to see what he does in that role now that he doesn't need to be starting.

OL: I really like the O-Line if everyone is healthy. I like having McKinney, Schaffer, Friedman as our 6, 7, and 8 guys. If Steinbach comes back strong and Tucker's injuries aren't career threatening, I like the idea of keeping this whole unit. I'll be watching Hadnot, but he has really stepped after a slow start. Fraley is solid. Thomas is a beast.

DL: Not sure what to think of this unit. First, its the best group we've had for awhile. I'm not sure if Courtney Brown/Gerrard Warren were ever on the field playing well at the same time. But with the amount we invested in the line, its hard not to be a little disappointed in the run defense and lack of pressure on the QB. I tend to blame the linebackers more for this. But Corey Williams has yet to fully adapt to the 3-4 and Robaire and Shaun Smith can't stay healthy. Luis Leonard is blah. Rogers is a beast and defensive player of the year so far. He is the only guy that can be counted on to get multiple pressures on the opposing QB in a game. He has exceeded all my expectations.

LB: they suck. Fire them. All of them. McGinist is old, like really old. He flat out whiffed on Cutler once last night, he did the same thing with Falco last week. He gets run around and through more than any linebacker should. he can't take on blocks and can't run around them. He's done. D'Qwell Jackson is ok. He seems a little small for middle LB in a 3-4 and he makes tackles, but the runner always seems to gain another 2-6 yards after Jackson makes his initial hit. Really, the guy has like 200 tackles the last 2 years, but can you remember the last time he drove a guy backwards, hit a guy hard, stood a guy up? I can't. Andra Davis has a little McGinist's problem (old and slow) and a lot of Jackson's problem (gets dragged along by offensive players). I want to see Beau Bell. Is he healthy? I believe I was excited about a player named Leon Williams once, but I have seen no evidence that he is still on the team. Kamerion Wimbley STILL only has one move. The creativity of blitzes is non existent. I'd love to see Wimbley come from the middle of the field or to do a stunt or something. Same with Hall, although its hard to be down on a 7th rounder that has done so much good on defense and special teams.

DB: At times they look like the strength of the team, other times the weakness. I want to see McDonald keep getting shots. He can be a good starting corner in this league, this past week aside. Wright is as close to we've had to a shutdown corner in a long time, if you ask me. The guy is good. Real good. But teams have found two ways to exploit our corners. One: lineup your big WR on the side of the field McDonald is on and just throw jump balls (DENVER GAME.) Or let your speedy slot WR burn our nickle back (WASHINGTON GAME). These tactics are particularly effective against us because Wright and McDonald don't cover based on who is out there, but based on the side of the field. It probably has its advantages, but it allows the offense to choose the matchups it wants, and we've been burned because of it. I like Pool and Jones. Just want them to stay healthy, because we don't have any depth. Adams is ok, I guess Sorenson would be ok too, but only if they don't have to play any extended time. We certainly need another safety. But I'm going to be watching McDonald very closely. Do we need a #2 corner so that McDonald can play nickle back against slot receivers (whcih he excelled at a bit last year, if memory serves) or do we need a nickle back only.

Specialists: Cribbs- unhumanly good football player. Dawson- stills got a good leg on him. Zastudil- solid. Pointbriand- cool name, and solid.

Its time: Anderson vs. Quinn- who starts vs. Cincy?

DaytonDogg — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 17:31:04 -0000

Once DA's contract was extended (a move I questioned at the time, but accepted) I thought it was useless to talk about a move at QB. DA was our #1, Quinn was our #2. However, as training camp got underway, and we had our2008 Season Outlook I said something like: After four games, if DA has a QB rating under 90 and the division was slipping away from us, Quinn needs to be considered. Well, now its 3 games in. We are 0-3, including losses against 2 division opponents, and another division game coming up this week. We find ourselves 2 games behind Pitt and 2.5 behind Balitmore. And Anderson's QB rating? 43.5

43.5. That is about as bad as you possibly can be. It is the worst in the league.

Now, the excuses:

1) tough defenses- Dallas, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore are all top defenses, and its hard to put up great numbers against these teams. Maybe my goal of 90 was too high (although I never considered that he couldn't maintain half of that number).

2) injuries. The line has been banged up, as has the #2 and #4 WR.

3) drops/Braylon sucking. This would have certainly helped his numbers, if not changed the complection of the Dallas game. (I did not see any egrigious drops against Baltimore)

4) Play calling. (?)

Consider me not persuaded. Put simply, Anderson looks a lot more like the QB that laid an egg in Cincinnati last year than he does the guy coming out of nowhere in week 2 to lead the Browns to 10 wins last year. He still has no touch on the short throws, so when he isn't throwing deep (because of playcalling, lack of protection, etc- things that every QB must deal with) he turns into a major liability. He throws into coverage like nobody I've ever seen and he has been hesitant (negating his other strength of getting the ball out quickly). We are left with the worst of all worlds: an indecisive gun slinger who has no touch and makes bad decisions when he finally makes them.

I'm NOT a Brady Quinn fan. I have yet to see him throw the ball down field more than 15 yards with any authority. But as of the last INT against Baltimore yesterday, I finally believe that Brady Quinn gives us the best chance to win right now.

Thoughts?

Perspective on Grady

DaytonDogg — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 19:22:45 -0000

Perspective on Grady

Turns out, he is really really good.