Note: This is a team-by-team look previewing the 2007 season. These are my official thoughts on how I think things will play out.
Last year: 4-12 (fourth in AFC North)
Best addition: Jamal Lewis (RB, Ravens)
Key personnel loss: LeCharles Bentley (C, complications from last year's knee injury)
2007 outlook: If there is one thing Romeo Crennel knows, it's defense. Too bad it's the offense that is still undergoing some major renovation and will most likely lead to his downfall. While no one can fault the Browns for what is happening with Bentley, the offense has a lot of new pieces including OT Joe Thomas and QB Brady Quinn which can't be counted on to produce right away, which mean Crennel will be looking for a new job come January.
The addition of Lewis and G Eric Steinbach should take pressure off the passing game but it won't be enough. And while the defense has some promising pieces, it will be in too many high pressure situations to keep the team in most games. This promises to be another long season for the Dawg Pound.
Key to success: If the Browns want to even think about the playoffs, the young players they have will have to mature extremely quickly. The problem is that the only way to mature players faster is to get them experience, which means this season is probably shot if Cleveland has to rely on Quinn early on. The defense may be adequate, but the entire season hinges on how quickly the offense learns how to play together.
Against Washington: The Browns will not face the Skins this season and the last time the two teams met was in 2004, a 17-13 win for the Browns in Cleveland. Of course Jeff Garcia and Lee Suggs were key components of the offense back then so who knows what will happen when these two teams finally face off again.
Fantasy sleeper: Braylon Edwards. On a team full of offensive disasters as far as Fantasy Football is concerned, the only decent pick from Cleveland may be Edwards. However, buyer beware when selecting Edwards, who has been bothered by injuries and QB's like Charlie Frye. Edwards is definitely worth considering thie year, especially if you fail to grab a top WR earlier in your draft.
Showing posts with label Joe Thomas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Joe Thomas. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Media run amok
Can we believe anything we read or hear at this point? Today I again heard the Redskins have three possibilities with their only Day One selection and while the options were nothing new - draft a player, trade down or trade up - today's hot rumor was the Redskins will probably have a good opportunity to trade down if certain players start to fall such as Brady Quinn or Joe Thomas, but what can we really believe?
Joe Gibbs went on record today saying that no matter who is available, the team is so stacked that a rookie probably won't crack the starting lineup. I don't know if Joe watched the team last year but there are plenty of players that could probably play better than some of the guys we had bumming around last year.
Here's to hoping that something good comes from all of this smoke and mirrors and that come the seventh pick Saturday, the Redskins will have done something smart with their first round selection for a change.
Joe Gibbs went on record today saying that no matter who is available, the team is so stacked that a rookie probably won't crack the starting lineup. I don't know if Joe watched the team last year but there are plenty of players that could probably play better than some of the guys we had bumming around last year.
Here's to hoping that something good comes from all of this smoke and mirrors and that come the seventh pick Saturday, the Redskins will have done something smart with their first round selection for a change.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Just Another Mock Draft: Picks 1-6
To start off my week-long draft rantings, I have decided to break the draft up, starting with the first 6 picks - this is a Redskins blog after all so I at least have to get to their pick in the first day - in Saturday's selection special. But rather than trying to guess who each team is going to pick, I am going to mention why each team should pick the player listed. Oakland is on the clock:
1. Oakland Raiders - JaMarcus Russell, QB, LSU
Aaron Brooks wasn't the answer. Neither was Art Shell. Or Randy Moss. Or anyone else on Oakland's 2006 squad. But with QB being the most glaring hole and with the Raiders passing on both Jay Cutler and Matt Leinart last year, they have to take Russell don't they? Russell came out early with the knowledge that he would probably end up in Oakland so if he is willing to go there, the Raiders should make him the QB of choice.
2. Detroit Lions - Brady Quinn, QB, Notre Dame
Because you can't draft a new general manager, the Lions should look for a QB that can develop some chemistry with all of those receivers the Lions have used their past first-round picks on so that Detroit can hope to win some games in the next decade. And because Quinn is nothing like Ryan Leaf, Detroit should feel confident that Quinn will be their quarterback later on down the line.
3. Cleveland Browns - Adrian Peterson, RB, Oklahoma
Cleveland probably needs a lucky clover more than anything else here in hopes of avoiding the slew of injuries the Browns sustained last year, but Peterson will be a good substitute ... as long as he can - say it with me - stay healthy. With Jamal Lewis only tied to the team for one year, what a perfect opportunity for the Browns to have a grizzled vet teach a young guy the NFL ropes.
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Calvin Johnson, WR, Georgia Tech
Another offensively challenged team, Johnson is the best player in the draft and the Bucs would be lucky to have him fall to him. With Joey Galloway already over the hill in football years and Michael Clayton still trying to figure out what he's doing, the Bucs need some sort of downfield weapon and Johnson is easily the cream of the crop. No matter who ends up quarterbacking the team, they will definitely have an easier time is Johnson is the guy catching the ball.
5. Arizona Cardinals - Joe Thomas, OT, Wisconsin
Unlike the teams ahead of them, the Cardinals arguably only need to upgrade one spot to make a playoff run for this season. The problem is, they need to upgrade the entire offensive line. The place to start is by replacing departed left tackle Leonard Davis and the guy to do it is Thomas. With a solid replacement available here, if the Cardinals want to see Matt Leinart duplicate the success he had at USC, Thomas is the guy they need to start building with.
6. Washington Redskins - Gaines Adams, DE, Clemson
With no pass rush and the defense in shambles, the Redskins need to find a way to pressure the quarterback this year and Adams seems to be the guy who can get that task done. With obvious holes in the secondary as well, Adams could help hide some of those problems by getting to the quarterback quickly. That point is especially important since after this pick we won't hear from the Redskins again until Day 2.
1. Oakland Raiders - JaMarcus Russell, QB, LSU
Aaron Brooks wasn't the answer. Neither was Art Shell. Or Randy Moss. Or anyone else on Oakland's 2006 squad. But with QB being the most glaring hole and with the Raiders passing on both Jay Cutler and Matt Leinart last year, they have to take Russell don't they? Russell came out early with the knowledge that he would probably end up in Oakland so if he is willing to go there, the Raiders should make him the QB of choice.
2. Detroit Lions - Brady Quinn, QB, Notre Dame
Because you can't draft a new general manager, the Lions should look for a QB that can develop some chemistry with all of those receivers the Lions have used their past first-round picks on so that Detroit can hope to win some games in the next decade. And because Quinn is nothing like Ryan Leaf, Detroit should feel confident that Quinn will be their quarterback later on down the line.
3. Cleveland Browns - Adrian Peterson, RB, Oklahoma
Cleveland probably needs a lucky clover more than anything else here in hopes of avoiding the slew of injuries the Browns sustained last year, but Peterson will be a good substitute ... as long as he can - say it with me - stay healthy. With Jamal Lewis only tied to the team for one year, what a perfect opportunity for the Browns to have a grizzled vet teach a young guy the NFL ropes.
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Calvin Johnson, WR, Georgia Tech
Another offensively challenged team, Johnson is the best player in the draft and the Bucs would be lucky to have him fall to him. With Joey Galloway already over the hill in football years and Michael Clayton still trying to figure out what he's doing, the Bucs need some sort of downfield weapon and Johnson is easily the cream of the crop. No matter who ends up quarterbacking the team, they will definitely have an easier time is Johnson is the guy catching the ball.
5. Arizona Cardinals - Joe Thomas, OT, Wisconsin
Unlike the teams ahead of them, the Cardinals arguably only need to upgrade one spot to make a playoff run for this season. The problem is, they need to upgrade the entire offensive line. The place to start is by replacing departed left tackle Leonard Davis and the guy to do it is Thomas. With a solid replacement available here, if the Cardinals want to see Matt Leinart duplicate the success he had at USC, Thomas is the guy they need to start building with.
6. Washington Redskins - Gaines Adams, DE, Clemson
With no pass rush and the defense in shambles, the Redskins need to find a way to pressure the quarterback this year and Adams seems to be the guy who can get that task done. With obvious holes in the secondary as well, Adams could help hide some of those problems by getting to the quarterback quickly. That point is especially important since after this pick we won't hear from the Redskins again until Day 2.
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