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Amid all the sporting events that are being cancelled or postponed due to the COVID 19 pandemic, the NFL forges on, or it seems. Word is the NFL is waiting for the final CBA vote to decide if the beginning of the NFL league year will be pushed back. Since my last blog there have been changes in some deadline dates. The deadline for the players vote on the CBA was pushed back to Saturday March 14 at midnight eastern time. The legal tampering period still starts on Monday March 16 at noon eastern time, and the deadline to tag players is now also March 16 at midnight eastern time. The league year will still start on Wednesday 18 at 4:00 pm eastern time. I still think the CBA will pass, but like I said last week barely. I like the sound of labor peace for ten years.

So, if you’re a fan of the NFL off season and all Browns fans are, then all day Sunday and Monday morning will be rumor heaven. It will be fast and furious. Make sure you’re following the right people on twitter and watch out for fake accounts. Look for the blue check mark. I’ll be retweeting any news I hear from my twitter account @ctownthug. Since my last blog the news broke that Christian Kirksey was released. This, with the Schobert release, creates a major hole at linebacker. I hope the Browns are talking to some free agent linebackers, because now that position becomes another need, whether it be in free agency or the draft. I have a feeling they’re talking to a lot of linebackers. The last two players to watch for release are Olivier Vernon and Chris Hubbard. As for Hubbard, he might be a trade candidate. He has two years left on his contract at a very friendly price tag and the free agent tackle market after Jack Conklin is very weak. I’d take a fifth for him in a heartbeat. Remember Andrew Berry worked for a front office that once traded a punter for a fourth round pick.

As for Vernon, his release would create another large hole on the roster, but at 15.5 million that’s too much to pay. The Browns have been connected to Atlanta’s Vic Beasley and the Bills are not picking up the option for Shaq Lawson. The Browns could get both Beasley and Lawson for around 15.5 million. I still think the Browns will go big on one free agent, either in the secondary of the offensive line. The Kirksey release increased the Browns cap to around 66 million, so Vernon’s release would push the Browns cap to over 81.5 million. If the CBA passes, then more money will be added to the cap. As for trades, there maybe more than Browns fans expect. John Dorsey built the current roster using the trade route and I think that’s a real possibility. No, OBJ will not be traded, unless some team makes an offer the Browns can’t turn down.

As of Friday, players are being tagged, resigned or released. The Bears resigned LB Danny Trevathan, leaving fellow Bears LB Nick Kwiatkoski as a possible target. Today the Vikings released DT Linval Joseph and CB Xavier Rhodes. Joseph would be a great addition to the Browns DL. As Friday and Saturday roll on, more of these transactions will occur as teams attempt to get below the cap. This kind of tells me the NFL thinks the CBA will pass and the league year will start on time. Lets face facts, the NFL is the 900 lb. gorilla in the sports room, so they do as they please when it comes to a pandemic. Don’t get me wrong, I applaud the other major professional sports league suspending their seasons, better safe than sorry. But the perimeters for most deals were worked out at the combine and even though team facilities will not be preforming player physicals, they can still be done elsewhere. If a team wants to fly in a big name free agent, I think the owners jet will be available. Keep in mind,the Browns coaches will want to sign players they are familiar with.

As sports fans start to have withdrawals for any athletic event, the NFL can provide a needed distraction for the reality of the current COVID 19 pandemic. As Mike Polk Jr. said in his “factory of sadness” video, “I know there are more important things in life than football, but you’re supposed to be our pleasant distraction from those things.” Even though large amounts of money are going to be talked about during a time when the majority of Americans are really worried about the economy, a little distraction would be nice. So remember, wash your hands, use hand sanitizer and don’t touch your face. Man, all this talk about not touching your face has really made me hot for my face. But anyway, on to the NFL off season and Go Browns.

Lets start with the CBA. The players are currently voting and the deadline to turn in their ballots is Thursday March 12, four days before the legal tampering period in free agency. If it passes, that’s going to be a crazy four days. Last week I was pretty confident it would pass. Extra roster spots, extra game check and extra revenues seemed to be in the owners favor for passage. Add to that, a more lenient drug testing policy. Players will no longer be tested for THC. I think I see comebacks by Josh Gordon and Antonio Callaway in the future. But after seeing the money being thrown around by the networks for broadcasters Tony Romo and Peyton Manning, the players might want to ask for more. I still think it will pass, barely, and the NFL can avoid a work stoppage in 2021.

This weeks Browns news has been hectic on social media and Cleveland sports talk radio. Other markets, like Nashville, are currently playing the “where will Tom Brady land” game. Every NFL discussion on ESPN and the NFL network starts and ends with Brady. Let my networks go. In Cleveland it starts with the decision to let Joe Schobert and Rashard Higgins test free agency. On Schobert, apparently the Browns are going to stress that the defensive line and secondary are more important financially. So paying a pretty good linebacker 10 million is not in their plans. According to the website Overthecap.com the Browns have over 46 million invested in their defensive line, 12.5 invested in their linebackers and over 21 million invested in their secondary for 2020. The defensive line figure includes Olivier Vernon’s 15.5 million and Sheldon Richardson’s 12.5 million. Some Browns fans have suggested signing Cory Littleton to replace Schobert. Littleton is going to demand around 14 million, so that’s not going to happen. Free agents linebackers who might interest the Browns include the Packers Blake Martinez or the Bears Danny Trevathan. As for the draft, Oklahoma’s Kenneth Murray could be there in the second round. But the draft depends on what the Browns do in free agency.

As for Higgins, I just don’t see the Browns resigning him. As I said last week, this draft is loaded with talent at the wide receiver position. Currently the Browns have 31.5 million invested in the wide receiver group. So a draft pick on a late round salary makes more sense. Actually, Kevin Stefanski’s offense is more tight end heavy in the passing game then the wide receivers and currently the Browns have only 3.6 million invested in the TE position. After Beckham and Landry, you really just need someone who can catch about 30 to 40 passes per year. Plus the Browns have Chubb and Hunt who can catch out of the backfield. If the Browns want to go the free agency route at TE, I could see them pursuing Atlanta’s Austin Hooper.

I really think the Browns will spend heavily in the secondary and the offensive line. Of the 21.5 million invested in the secondary for 2020, 6.6 million is invested in the cornerbacks. A safety is still needed and the obvious free agent is the Vikings Anthony Harris. He might be too expensive, but would be worth the big money. Other Viking’s safeties that might interest the Browns are Jayron Kearse and Andrew Sendejo. As for the offensive line, the big news this week concerning the Browns are the two experienced tackles hitting the market. The Eagles Jason Peters and our old friend, Washington’s Trent Williams. Peters was told he could test free agency and Williams was told he could seek a trade. Both are old, Williams 32 and Peters 38. Both have an injury history, Williams hasn’t played in over a year. But both when healthy are far superior to what the Browns have now. If I had a choice, I’d sign Peters. It wouldn’t cost a draft pick (and you know how Browns fans love their draft picks) and would be cheaper than Williams. Currently he is set to make 12.5 million in 2020, so not only are you giving up a pick, but you would have to redo his contract. I’m still drafting a tackle with the first pick and maybe a third pick as well.

If the Browns don’t go big name signing for the offensive line, which I just can’t see happening, then you’re looking at the Buffalo model that I mentioned last week. Sign a bunch of second and third tier guys, draft a couple of tackles and get the right combo. I still think the Eagle’s Halapoulivaati Vaitai is worth looking at, as is the Packers Bryan Bulaga. By the way, in future blogs I’ll be referring to Vaitai as Big V, because I’m really tired of writing out his full name. I want the Browns to sign him just because I want every radio and television guy to struggle with his name. Kind of like former Browns defensive lineman Pio Sagapolutele. So no Jack Conklin, which is fine by me, too much money. As of right now the Browns have 62 million in cap space. I’m trying to find out if the 30 million of carryover from 2019 is included in that or can be added after the league year starts on March 18. If you’re wondering why I’m listing the investments in each position group, it’s because no team wants too much invested in one group. That includes the Browns.

So as all Browns fans await the beginning of the new league year, we can ponder the questions of NFL life and twitter. Where will Tom Brady play? (really don’t care). Will the Browns give up a first round pick to trade for Trent Williams? (oh. hell. no.). Can the Browns somehow magically get Isaiah Simmons and still get two tackles in the draft? ( what are you smoking?). I wonder what the new uniforms are going to look like? ( leave, right now, get out). All I can say is Browns twitter is very entertaining and loaded with future NFL GM’s. Okay, definitely entertaining, no on the GM’s. Just remember, if the CBA passes, all hell is going to break loose in the rumor department. And we’ll finally find out the next home of Tom Brady. Go Browns.

While everyone drools over the performances of this year’s crop of offensive tackles at the combine, lets discuss the new CBA and how it effects the Browns in free agency. First of all, what got the most attention about the new CBA, was the 17 game season and the new playoff system. The owners probably wanted it that way. And while the players are against an extra game, they will receive a larger percent of the revenues and a extra game check. What didn’t get the attention, was how the new CBA affects the salary cap and the franchise and transition tags per team. On Monday March 2, the players will receive their ballots to vote on the new CBA. It should pass considering the league will be adding more players, increased minimum salaries and the fact that over 60% of the players are making below the league average in salary. The 2020 salary cap per team should be between 200 and 204 million if the CBA is approved. Now here’s the fun part, the 2021 salary cap will drastically increase to over 240 million and in three years could be at 300 million. That’s a lot of dead presidents.

Because of the wait for the passage of the CBA, the reps for free agent players are reluctant to discuss any future contracts. That’s why Browns fans haven’t heard any rumors about signing Joe Schobert or Rashard Higgins. If the CBA passes, the money for players in the future years, year two and beyond, will be greater. By the way, it appears Higgins really wants to play for the Browns next year, but it will depend on the money. Unfortunately for Higgins, this year’s wide receiver draft is deep, but more about that later. As for Schobert, Saturday night it was reported that the Browns were going to let him test free agency. Say it ain’t so Joe. It appears the Browns don’t want to pay Schobert the 10+ million his agent is asking for. Likely landing spots for Schobert are Denver or Green Bay. It seems the Browns are going to keep LB Christian Kirksey, but that could change as well. I really am having a hard time figuring this out, if the CBA passes the teams can overpay players this year, because in future years the contracts will look cheap as the cap grows. I’m still hearing the Browns will be active and aggressive in free agency, so we’ll see.

Last week I was excited with the prospect of the Browns signing Titans RT Jack Conklin. I figured it would take 15 to possibly 16 million. This week I find out the Jets are thinking about offering Conklin 18.5 to 19 million per year. That’s a classic example of over payment. Let’s stay with the Titans as an example of the franchise and transition tags. There has been a lot of talk here in Nashville of the Titans using both tags on Ryan Tannyhill and Conklin. One gets the franchise tag and the other gets the transition tag. This would allow the team to hold both players while they work out a deal with Derek Henry, because he’s their number one priority. The old CBA allows the use of both tags in a year. Sounds good right. Well the new CBA only allows the use of one tag per team. The teams can’t use both the franchise tag and the transition tag. So until the CBA passage is decided, teams are at a standstill to tag players.

So as you can see, the price for RT Jack Conklin is way too much, but I still think the Browns can sign a tackle in free agency. The second tier of tackles could include the Eagles Halapoulivaati Vaitai, the Vikings Rashod Hill, the Seahawks Germain Ifedi or Tampa’s Jerald Hawkins. I know these aren’t the biggest names, but they are all young and might be able to fit the new offensive system. Last off season, Buffalo’s offensive line was so bad they signed five second tier linemen and drafted a tackle in the second round. They found the right combo and that allowed the team to trade players for future assets. That’s how the Browns acquired G Wyatt Teller. So no big money spent on a free agent tackle. What are the Browns going to over spend on? Try the secondary. As I mentioned in last weeks blog the Browns have been in contact with the agents for both Denver’s Chris Harris and the Vikings Anthony Harris. Both remain interested, however the agents are waiting for the new CBA. I would over pay for both. Slot corner and free safety are important needs for the Browns.

The Combine. As I mentioned earlier, the deepest position in this draft is wide receiver. A team could draft a WR in the sixth round and still get a verified starter. The talent at this position is so deep. Rashard Higgins better not ask for too much money, he can be replaced by a player who is just as talented. Now lets look at the rookie tackles. Wow what a day at the combine on Friday. All of the big names, Wirfs, Thomas, Wills, Becton and Jones graded incredibly well. Not only did the big names do well, so did some lesser names. Boise State’s Ezra Cleveland, Fresno State’s Netane Muti, Kansas’s Hakeem Adeniji, USC’s Austin Jackson, TCU’s Lucas Niang and UConn’s Matthew Peart. For once the draft is playing into the Browns biggest need. They could take a tackle at pick 10 and still get another tackle in the third round. The Browns could trade down a little and still get a starting tackle. If a certain beast of a player (Simmons) somehow dropped to the tenth pick, the Browns could select that player and still get a starter at tackle in the second round. Not even the Browns could screw this one up right? Right? Okay, they could still screw it up, but the possibilities of them doing that are slim. Right?

Draft Buzz. It’s a forgone conclusion that Cincinnati will take Joe Burrow with the first pick. The Bengals have to negotiate a new stadium lease with the city, so they need a big name to sell tickets. After that it’s starting to get tricky. Washington is letting it be known they might want to take a quarterback at pick number two. Or they might want teams like Miami to think they like QB Tua Tagovailoa to force a trade up. If a QB is taken at two, then teams who are quarterback needy, like the Chargers or the Raiders or the Colts, might get a little antsy. After Tua, the next highest rated QB’s are Oregon’s Justin Herbert and Utah State’s Jordan Love. Love is starting to garner first round buzz because of his big arm. He’s not very accurate, but still has a strong passing arm. Think of Derick Anderson. At pick three, the Lions have to either make the right pick or get the the trade of a lifetime. Their coaching staff is on a short leash this year. At the fourth pick I think the Giants will take the first tackle off the board and I’m hearing they love Tristan Wirfs. His combine numbers will only solidify their feelings.

So, basically, if you’re a Browns fan, four quarterbacks taken in the top nine would be a dream situation. After the Giants, I really don’t see another team taking a tackle in the top nine. Maybe Arizona at eight, but they just signed their LT D.J. Humphries to a three year 45 million dollar contract. So if they take a tackle, it would be a right tackle, possibly Bama’s Jedrick Wills. That would leave the Browns with the choice of Becton, Thomas, Jones or Johnson. Nice choices. As for possible free agents, Atlanta announced they would not be signing TE Austin Hopper. He would make a great target for Mayfield, but I’m not sure the Browns are going to over spend on the TE position. At the cornerback position, besides Chris Harris, the Saints Eli Apple is available and at safety, besides Anthony Harris, there’s Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Tre Boston. I think the Browns will spend big for the secondary, but they still need defensive linemen so Pittsburgh’s Javon Hargrave and the Cowboys Maliek Collins are nice DL depth.

So in summary, if the CBA passes, you’re going to see big name players wait till next year to sign extensions. Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes comes to mind. Why sign this year when there’ll be more cap money next year. The Browns are going to let LB Joe Schobert go in free agency. You have to wonder why two different front offices, John Dorsey and Andrew Berry, didn’t want to sign Schobert. Very curious. So far Browns fans are bashing Berry and DePodesta for the decision to let Schobert walk. I’m going to maintain my wait and see attitude. Browns fans are stilling waiting to see if Olivier Vernon and Chris Hubbard will be cut. If they were, that would add 20 million to the Browns cap money. The Browns will be active and aggressive, but not with big name splashy free agents. I personally think they’ll spend big money on the secondary, safety and cornerback. All this will lead to more twitter meltdowns by Browns fans. Man, the next two weeks are going to be fun. My advise would be to watch how the Browns spend their cap money, not on the individual players, but on the position groups. Remember the legal tampering period starts on March 16 and free agency starts on March 18. The illegal tampering period will begin in full swing when the CBA passes. Have fun and Go Browns.

It’s NFL Combine week. We’ll get to find out the exact height and weight of all the players participating in the combine, as well as their hand size. We’ll see how fast they can run, how much weight they can lift, if they failed a drug test and how they did on an intelligence test. And all this will be done in prime time on the NFL Network. Aren’t you thrilled? As you can probably tell, I’m not. I don’t watch it, but I do read what the experts think. To me the best part about the NFL Combine are all the rumors of free agent signings and trade deals that circulate during this week. It is the beginning of the “illegal” tampering period. Two years ago, former Browns GM John Dorsey worked out the flurry of trades that brought to the Browns Tyrod Taylor, Jarvis Landry and Carlos Hyde. And last year the big trade for Odell Beckham Jr. This year I think the Browns will work on free agent signings.

So far there are rumors the Browns are targeting Titans RT Jake Conklin. Browns ESPN reporter Jake Trotter first reported the Browns are “all in” on Conklin and that would probably take about 13 million per year to sign him. This figure seems about right. Earlier in the week the Cardinals signed their young LT, D.J. Humphries to a three year, 45 million contract. Conklin is a right tackle, so he should cost a little less. The reason Conklin is available is because the Titans didn’t pick up his 5th year option of his rookie contract at the beginning of the season. This isn’t a deciding factor for Conklin to look elsewhere, but it is a reason. Why would the Titans let Conklin get away? The Titans are a little busy trying to secure the services of Ryan Tannyhill and Derek Henry. Plus add to the mix the rumors of Tom Brady coming to the Titans. The Titans are walking a fine line right now with who their future QB will be and how much to spend on a two down RB.

I think the Titans would like to get a deal done with Henry first. Henry told Rich Eisen in an interview during Super Bowl week that his starting point was the deal that Ezekiel Elliott signed with the Cowboys, six years, 80 million. Since then Henry has walked that back. Then you have the Tom Brady rumors. If the Titans start to woo Brady, Tannyhill might just go ahead and sign elsewhere. This is a dangerous dance. Personally I think Brady will stay with the Patriots and will enjoy all the attention he’ll receive in free agency. What does this have to do with the Browns and Jack Conklin? Too much distraction and too much money. Last year the Titans had 89 million wrapped up in their offensive line. They also have to resign OL Ben Jones and possibly Logan Ryan, who made 10 million last year. Again, this is a potential dangerous dance. There is talk of franchising either Tannyhill or Henry. The franchise tag for quarterbacks is around 30 million and for running backs it’s about 12 million. Here’s the problem with these two situations, is Tannyhill worth 30 million and will Henry like being franchised? There could be a holdout in the case of Henry. Titans fans will find out soon enough, the franchise and transition tag period starts on February 25 and ends on March 10.

Of course Browns twitter, the absolute NFL experts, are all bothered because Conklin didn’t play in a zone blocking scheme. The Titans did use zone blocking about 25 to 30 percent of the time and Conklin did play in a similar scheme at Michigan State. He must have been pretty good because the Titans traded up to select him with the eighth pick. Anyway, the Browns have one of the best offensive line coaches in the NFL. If Bill Callahan thinks Conklin can help the Browns, then sign Conklin. Other potential free agent rumors prior to the combine are Denver’s Chris Harris and Vikings Anthony Harris. DC Joe Woods has ties to both players and both would fill positions of need. Chris Harris would play the slot corner and Anthony Harris free safety. Hopefully as the week progresses, we’ll hear more on potential free agents and possible trades.

As for the draft, I want the best available tackle at pick ten. Browns twitter is currently going through a fixation with Clemson’s Isaiah Simmons. First of all he won’t be there at ten, unless he fails a drug test or gets arrested. He’s a top five talent, so it’s not going to happen at the tenth pick. Browns twitter is also concerned that the Browns will trade down from the tenth pick. If one of the three top ten quarterbacks falls to ten, then hell yeah you trade down. But not too far. Depending on free agency, I could see the Raiders at 12, the Colts at 13 or the Falcons at 16 as potential trade partners. The Browns could still get a tackle and acquire some more draft capital. But like I said, stay at ten and get your plug in and play right away LT. Sounds simple right?

Finally, I have to correct something I wrote in last weeks blog. No one likes to admit when they’re wrong, but if I screw something up, I’ll jump right in and own up to it. I wrote that the Browns could have about 5 to 10 million in cap money to carry over from last year. Well, I have since found out it’s over 30 million. That’s a mistake in the right direction. So, with the four players who were cut and the additional 30 million over carry over, the Browns would have over 92 million in cap space. If the current CBA is approved by the players union, that would add an additional 20 million. Aren’t numbers fun? As for the CBA, the sticking point is the 17th game. I’m still trying to wrap my head around how the NFL plans to schedule home and away games with an uneven amount of games. Not every team can play in London every year. Speaking of London, there’s a 33% chance that the Browns will play Jacksonville in London this year. It would be an away game for the Browns, so no loss of home games. So as the league year begins, sit back and enjoy the “underwear olympics”, take any rumor with a grain of salt and Go Browns.

This week, I thought about diving into free agency or possible draft targets now that the coaching staff and front office has all the main components. However, the Myles Garrett story has got me a little pissed. First let me say, what Myles Garrett did was not only a terrible action for the game of football, but also in everyday life. As you know, everyone has condemned Garrett for his on the field behavior of trying to hit Steeler QB Mason Rudolph in the head with his own helmet. And Garrett has acknowledged his actions were inexcusable and has expressed regret and apologized for those actions. The NFL imposed in essence, a six game suspension, it’s stiffest penalty for on the field behavior. One of the best Browns players sat the final six games of the season, damaging the Browns slim playoff hopes. Now that the season is over, there were reports that Garrett would be reinstated after meeting with the commissioner and that’s what happened. The Browns get their best defensive player back for the 2020 off season and the regular season. End of story right? Nope. As a Browns fan you know what’s coming next…..drama.

Myles Garrett did an interview with ESPN and said Mason Rudolph called him the N word while the fight was happening. Forget the fact that Rudolph was the one who tried to rip Garrett’s helmet off of him as they both lay on the ground and after Garrett grabbed Rudolph’s helmet off of him, Rudolph charged Garrett. This is when Rudolph allegedly uttered the phrase “stupid N……”. Every critic of Garrett, mostly from western Pennsylvania, argues Garrett is injecting race into this situation. Or using what Rudolph said as a justification for his actions. Wrong on both accounts. After the game, Garrett told team mates, the Browns coaching staff and GM John Dorsey what Rudolph said, but not the media. He didn’t want anyone to know. At his suspension hearing with the commissioner, he told them in confidence what happened and again did not offer what Rudolph said as an excuse, but as a reason for his actions. So what happens next? It’s leaked that Mason Rudolph called Myles Garrett a racial slur. Why would the NFL want that leaked out? I have a theory about leaks, they are never unintentional. I think the NFL is so afraid of anything racially inspired, that they wanted to get ahead of the story just in case the public found out about it, i.e. TMZ. Now the story is, Myles Garrett is using race as an excuse. Ban him for life.

First of all, Myles Garrett is a very soft spoken young man, who while being an extremely talented NFL defensive end, writes poetry and is an amateur paleontologist. Not your typical dumb jock. Do I think Rudolph used a racial slur? I have no idea, however if I’m going to believe anyone, it’s Myles Garrett. Not because he’s a member of the Cleveland Browns, but because of his nature. It’s just not in his nature and the Cleveland sports media agrees on this, which would be the first time they agreed on anything. I find it strange that’s there is no audio of this, or should I say no audio has been released. It was a Thursday night game between two bitter rivals, with extra video and audio equipment everywhere. Plus add that NFL Films mics players and the YouTube show “Building The Browns” does as well. Has anyone else besides me noticed that the YouTube show’s last episode was the three games prior to the Steelers game? Now there is word that Mason Rudolph may sue Myles Garrett. Fine, lets hear the audio to settle the case. Rudolph says it’s 1000% untrue he said it. If you have to go more than 100% on anything, you’re not telling the truth. Finally, Mike Tomlin is defending his player and is saying what Garrett said is untrue. Here’s a small list of the players that Tomlin has defended. Ben Roethlisberger ( alleged rape), Antonio Brown (alleged assault) and Santonio Holmes (alleged assault). Fine group of guys right? The result will be Rudolph doesn’t sue and the next Browns/Steeler game will be the home opener or a prime time game.

In other news, the Browns released four players today, CB T.J. Carrie, TE Demetrius Harris, G Eric Kush and LB Adarius Taylor. As I mentioned last week, I thought Carrie, Harris and Kush would be in the first round of cuts. Taylor was a special teams player who was forced into the starting line up against Denver and was exposed almost immediately. Takitaki replaced him and responded very well. Christian Kirksey should be in the next round as could Chris Hubbard, although I think the Browns will try and trade Hubbard. The cap savings from today’s cuts is 12.75 million, bringing the Browns cap up to about 62.25 million. I’ve heard the Browns have contacted the agent for Olivier Vernon. Hopefully it’s for a contract restructure and not to inform Vernon the Browns are cutting him. I still want to keep Vernon, but not at 15.5 million. Finally the combine starts next Monday, which means the Browns front office will in gauge in the non legal tampering period. Or as I call it, the “wink wink, nudge nudge, you know what I mean” period. I fully expect Browns twitter to go into meltdown mode when seeing the pictures of GM Andrew Berry talking to other GM’s. Fun times, can’t wait, really looking forward to it, no not really. On to the combine and Go Browns.

It appears new Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski is doing a great job of putting his new coaching staff together. The Browns finally got new DC Joe Woods under contract and there are now reports he’s bringing Chris Kiffin to be the new DL coach. He is the brother of Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin and son of legendary NFL defensive guru Monti Kiffin. Kiffin was the pass rush specialist last year for the 49ers and having seen their pass rush, Myles Garrett must be a very happy man. There were reports that Woods was also hiring Fred Pagac as his LB coach. Nope, the Browns hired Jason Tarver. If you’re a Vanderbilt, fan like me, that name should sound familiar, Tarver was Vandy’s DC the last two years and was fired this past year, as were a few Vandy assistants. I think it was the only way Vandy HC Derek Mason could keep his job.

I love both of these hires. The 49ers probably have the best defensive line in the NFL and even though it consisted of five first round picks, someone had to teach them. I expect big things out of the defensive line for the Browns. Garrett, Richardson, Ogunjobi and Vernon should all flourish. I know a lot of Browns fans want to cut Olivier Vernon to save cap space, I’m not one of them. I’m hoping the Browns can restructure his contract, because 15.5 million for next year is too much. He still can be a very good pass rusher and I would prefer the Browns spend their cap money on quality DL depth. The Browns need to spend big in free agency on the offensive line, linebackers (Schobert) and the safety position. As for Tarver, he has NFL experience as the DC of the Raiders. This will be very beneficial to Woods, having someone on his staff who has called defensive plays before. Experience never hurts. Tarver is probably best known for flipping off the officials twice during a game against the Steelers. I love the guy already.

On the offensive side of the ball, the hiring of Alex Van Pelt became official as did new WR coach Chad O’Shea. There are reports the Browns are hiring former Broncos QB coach T.C. McCartney. He did one heck of a job last year with two young Denver quarterbacks. Remember QB Brandon Allen? I still have nightmares about that game, what a wasted opportunity. The Browns have Van Pelt listed as the OC, however at this time, position titles for Van Pelt and McCartney are fluid. If Stefanski feels comfortable about Van Pelt calling plays, then he’s the OC and McCartney is the QB coach. The best thing about this offensive staff is Stefanski, O’Shea, Van Pelt and McCartney have all been QB coaches. It looks like this staff has the firepower to turn Baker Mayfield around. Now it’s up to Mayfield to follow through.

With the start of the new NFL year right around the corner, lets talk about free agency. The Browns right now have about 50 million in cap space. That’s assuming the salary cap rises 40 million as has been speculated. NFL teams are allowed to carry forward a certain amount of their 2019 unused salary cap so the Browns might have an additional 5 to 10 million. The Browns do have some large salaries which go into effect when the league year officially starts on March 18th, ( the legal tampering period starts on March 16th, but it really starts at the NFL Combine on Feb. 24th). Olivier Vernon, Sheldon Richardson, Odell Beckham and JC Tretter, to name a few, all have large bumps in salary coming. So lets see who the Browns can cut to make a little room on the cap and on the roster. By releasing RT Chris Hubbard, RG Eric Kush, TE Demetrius Harris and CB TJ Carrie, the Browns can save about 20 million. As for Browns free agents, restricted free agents and exclusive rights free agents, I hope they resign, LB Joe Schobert(FA), S Justin Burris(FA), RB Kareem Hunt (RFA), DE Bryan Cox(RFA) and WR KahDarel Hodge(ERFA).

As for opposing team free agents I hope the Browns can sign, lets start on the offensive line. The Colts Anthony Castonzo and the Titans Jack Conklin are two of the higher rated tackles. Castonzo has threatened to retire unless the Colts resign him and Conklin is going to command a contract in the 14 to 18 million dollar range. Washington’s Brandon Scherff, Green Bays Bryan Bulaga or the Eagles Halapoulivaati Vaitai might be better options. If it was me, I’d go all in on Conklin. He’s 25 and coming off a season where he got better as the season went on. As for the safeties, there are quite a few good ones hopefully hitting the market. Vikings Anthony Harris, Broncos Justin Simmons, Bears Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Carolina’s Tre Boston and 49ers Jimmie Ward. The linebacker free agent group is not very deep with the Rams Cory Littleton as the best option. Defensive linemen the Browns could target, Carolina’s Gerald McCoy or Steelers Javon Hargrave. Some of these players have connections to the coaching staff and some are on teams that are in salary cap hell, either over the cap or too close to afford certain players. New GM Andrew Berry said he was going to be aggressive, so we’ll see.

So my free agent wish list would be T Conklin, S Boston and/or S Ward,DL Hargrave and QB Case Keenum. Combine these players with resigning Browns players and the draft and the Browns aren’t that far away. Right now Las Vegas has the Browns win total at 8 wins, which astonishes me. I’ve seen some mock drafts starting to come to a consensuses that the Browns will draft Georgia tackle Andrew Thomas. I would be fine with that, he’s a three starter with two years at left tackle. Thomas, Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs or Louisville’s Mekhi Becton would be able to start day one at the left tackle spot. Browns fans have to hope three QB’s go in the first nine picks of the draft, that will force one of these tackles down to the Browns at ten. Lastly, sad news, team mascot Swagger has passed away. Some people will laugh at Browns fans for being sad about this, but Swagger was part of the Cleveland Browns and that’s all that matters to Browns Fans. RIP Swagger and Go Browns.

Excuse me while a rant a little. I know the expectations for the 2019 Cleveland Browns were sky high and a ton of fans, including myself, got caught up in the hype. Franchise quarterback, stud running back, two star receivers and a defense that looked dominating in the preseason. Then the wheels of the bus flew off, AGAIN. So as Browns fans, here we sit with another redo. Having seen this bus wreck too many times, my natural born Cleveland cynicism has grown through the years, however this has a different feel to it. Because of my age, I’m lucky to have seen Jim Brown play, completely enjoyed the Kardiac Kids and went on the wild ride that was the Bernie Kosar years. So I know what good Cleveland Browns football looks like. I guess I’m more patient than most people, but watching Browns twitter since the season ended has been frustrating. Look, I understand the younger Browns fans have not enjoyed the fruits of their affection. This “win now” expectation will always bite you in the ass, so stop it. By the way, this isn’t a “get off of my lawn” rant. I’m going to try and dazzle you with logic, real logic, not Browns fan logic.

First Jimmy Haslam did the right thing by firing both Freddie Kitchens and John Dorsey. Freddie couldn’t coach his way out of an open paper bag and Dorsey was starting to gain too much control. Besides, he wanted to bring back Kitchens for another year. I thought both would do well in the beginning, Freddie’s lack of coaching ability and organizational skills sent him packing and some of Dorsey’s personnel decisions and the ignoring of the offensive line still makes me shake my head. Enter a slow, well thought out, coaching search. Wait, Jimmy isn’t listening to some homeless guy or other NFL owners or old washed up football guys? Nope, he’s finally going to listen to Paul Depodesta. Hold on a minute, a baseball computer nerd is going to run the once proud Cleveland Browns? No, he’s going to try and provide the necessary information to help find the perfect match for the Browns. I have no idea why the word “analytics” drives fear into Browns fans hearts. It’s also called RESEARCH. Paul Brown had an assistant coach who did nothing but research on opponents. It ain’t a new thing people. The simplest way to explain analytics is for you to look at your cell phone. That’s analytics. All of us use analytics everyday, whether it’s setting up our play list, searching for a restaurant, watching a video, listening to a pod cast or god help us all, going on twitter.

I love how this off season is going so far. Kevin Stefanski seems like a no nonsense type of coach who will bring an offense that plays to the strengths of the players on the roster. New GM Andrew Berry worked his way up the ladder as a scout and then into the front office. No, he’s not responsible for the Browns 1-31 seasons. That’s like saying I’m responsible for Block Buster Video stores closing, because my wife and I stopped renting videos. Sashi Brown and Hugh Jackson bear that responsibility ( not Block Buster, the 1-31 seasons). The next meltdown that came was caused by both Alonzo Highsmith and Eliot Wolf leaving. Highsmith was going to leave anyway and the Browns tried to keep Wolf, but he decided to go elsewhere. That’s life in the NFL, new GM, new people, it happens all the time. I’m glad Berry did it fast, before the NFL Combine, now he’ll have the people he can trust to evaluate talent. But wait, Wolf and Highsmith were at the Senior Bowl, now the Browns have no one in the front office who was at the Senior Bowl. Just a reminder, the Browns new OC, Alex Van Pelt was on the coaching staff for the South team at the Senior Bowl. He got more access to players than the scouts. By the way, the Browns still have a franchise QB, a stud running back and two star wide receivers.

Speaking of the Browns new OC. I like the hire. He was Aaron Rogers QB coach at Green Bay and Rogers was pissed when Packer coach Mike McCarthy didn’t retain him. But wait, Browns twitter says he sucks because he was with the Bengals last year and they went 4-12. See the above reference about Block Buster. So far I’m really liking how this coaching staff is coming together. Stefanski retained both ST coach Mike Priefer and RB coach Stump Mitchell (best beard in the NFL), then hired a top five offensive line coach in Bill Callahan. You have to have at least one former head coach on the staff of a first time head coach. New wide receivers coach Chad O’Shea is a former OC and QB coach and TE coach Drew Petzing was the WR coach with the Vikings last year and has worked with Stefanski. On defense the only official hire has been DB coach Jeff Howard, again formally with the Vikings. The expectation is 49ers DB coach Joe Woods will be the new Browns DC and he already has two assistants lined up. I’m curious to see who the DL and LB coaches will be. Woods was recommended by Wade Phillips which fine by me.

The only question remaining is who will be the QB coach? But wait, Browns twitter says there won’t be a QB coach and Stefanski, a first time head coach will call his own plays. Everyone panic, it’s Freddie all over again. Nope, the Browns will hire a QB coach and Van Pelt will likely call plays. An under the radar hire was Callie Brownson as Kevin Stefanski’s Chief of Staff. She was an intern last year with the Bills and is basically the head coach’s personal assistant. She makes sure the football part of the operation runs smoothly, so the head coach doesn’t have to worry about that. It’s a first for a woman in the NFL, excellent hire Browns.

To all those Browns twitter warriors who are jumping off the Browns band wagon, have a nice trip, don’t let the door hit you where the good lord split you. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not drinking the Browns kool-aid just yet, I’m still in a wait and see mode. 1-19-1 in season openers still looms large for me. But it looks like everyone in the organization is pulling in the same direction for once in the Haslam era. Hopefully they are all pulling in the winning direction. Remember there’s a thin line between hope and insanity. I’m leaning towards hope right now, hope that the Browns don’t drive me crazy for another year. Everyone enjoy the Super Bowl and Go Browns.

Right now I consider the Browns GM search akin to the quest for the Holy Grail. Don’t get me wrong, the extensive, well thought out process is a nice change of pace for Jimmy Haslam. In previous years, Haslam would have taken the advise of some homeless guy and the Browns front office would be up and running. Fear not Browns fans, I have a feeling Jimmy wants to get it right, for once. As of now, the Browns have interviewed the Eagles Andrew Berry, the Vikings George Paton and the Patriots Monti Ossenfort (you forgot about him didn’t you). Here’s where it stands as I know it and it could change at any time.

Andrew Berry interviewed first and as I said last week, worked for the Browns from 2016 to 2018. As Browns twitter melts down more and more every day, some are associating Berry with the 1-31 years. Personally I don’t think that’s fair, we really don’t know how much influence Berry had over GM Sashi Brown or head coach Hugh Jackson. Remember Jackson wanted to send two draft picks to Cincinnati for QB A.J. McCarron, thank god that didn’t happen. The Eagles will not let Berry interview with another team if he does not have control over the selection of the 53 man roster. Carolina wanted to interview Berry for their GM position, but could not guarantee that, so the Eagles denied their interview request. Another positive with Andrew Berry is that he was part of the interview process last year when the Browns interviewed Kevin Stefanski. They hit it off and have kept in touch over the last year. So this tells me Stefanski would be on board with Andrew Berry, remember it’s all about alignment. On the downs side, Berry knows how Jimmy Haslam operates, i.e. impatient, knee jerk reaction to everything, dysfunction. I would be fine with Andrew Berry.

Next up was George Paton of the Vikings. His first interview was a surprise. No one knew he interviewed until it was announced he would interview for a second time last Wednesday. Paton has worked for the Vikings for 14 years and is GM Rick Spielman’s right hand man. NFL teams have been trying to pry him away from the Vikings for years and he’s always denied their requests. It’s a good sign that the Browns not only got one interview, but also a follow up interview. As we have now learned, Paton has decided to stay in Minnesota and declined the Browns GM position. He didn’t do it because of the Browns reputation for dysfunction, but rather he chose to stay with the Vikings. This tells me when Spielman retires, Paton is the next Vikings GM.

Next up is Monti Ossenfort, the forgotten man. The Patriots have always been heavy into analytics and front office alignment. This hire would be right in Paul Depodesta’s wheelhouse. Because the Patriots are so secretive about any front office personnel, the general public knows nothing about Ossenfort. Lets face facts, the Patriots are secretive about everything, it’s the most paranoid NFL franchise. His position right now with New England is head of college scouting. Okay, sounds good, but what about pending free agents? Everyone right now wants to either copy the Patriots or the Steelers, because both are the most stable franchises in the NFL. They don’t make stupid, knee jerk reactions or mistakes. What Browns fans or anyone else doesn’t know, is how his interview went and if he’s interested. What we do know is coach “mumbles” did let him interview, so the Browns got that going for them.

I’m going to throw out a candidate that I think has an outside chance to be the next Browns GM…..Eliot Wolf. Son of long time GM Ron Wolf and current head of Browns pro personnel. He’s handling all scouting and personnel decisions along with Alonzo Highsmith. I think this hire would be great. I know he’s young, but he can always rely on his father, who now lives in Cleveland. The knock on Wolf is he not as knowledgeable in the area contracts. Okay, again he can fall back on his fathers knowledge, a future hall of fame GM. Make Wolf the GM and Highsmith the assistant GM and lets move forward. Obviously, Stefanski trusts Wolf and Highsmith, because they headed the Browns delegation for the Senior Bowl this week. All the candidates are young and have never been GM’s before, but I think a team of Stefanski, Wolf and Highsmith would be just what this franchise needs.

On the coaching front. Former Giants OC and head coach Ben McAdoo interviewed late last week for a offensive position. He’s another case of a guy who’s a better coordinator than a head coach. Immediately, Browns twitter went into meltdown saying if hired for the OC position, the Browns would trade OBJ. Beckham averaged about 1400 yards and 12 touchdowns under McAdoo. Nope, don’t think there’s a trade happening there. Why does everyone want to get rid of Beckham? He played every game, with an injury and still had over 1000 yards receiving. I know, he didn’t show up for OTAs and very little of training camp. But coach Stefanski talked to Beckham on Thursday, so I guess Browns fans will find out about Beckham’s commitment shortly. Pay attention to twitter. Speaking of twitter, Jarvis Landry, (dodge ball king) looks to be all in according to his twitter feed. This is the one guy, who is the barometer of the team, Browns fans need to pay attention to Landry and his twitter account. As for the 49ers assistants linked to the Browns, it sounds like Joe Woods will be the next Browns DC. His contract ends after the Super Bowl and word is he’s already lined up two assistant coaches to come with him to the Browns. The two offensive 49er assistants are a different thing. Running coordinator Mike McDaniels and passing coordinator Mike Lafleur are both in the running for the next Browns OC. The 49ers want to keep both and are currently blocking both from interviewing unless the Browns guarantee play calling responsibilities. 49er head coach and former Browns OC Kyle Shanahan, knows the Browns front office too well.

Lastly, I stumbled across a great free agent tracker the other day. http://www.pff.com/nfl/free-agency. It’s pretty comprehensive and is a must if you’re tracking potential Browns free agents. Of course, we won’t know what free agents the Browns are interested in until they hire a GM. And once they hire a GM, Browns fans might get a hint as to where they are going in the draft. All I know is the 10th pick had better be an offensive tackle. So let the quest continue, not only for a GM, but also for the allusive winning season and playoff appearance. That sound you hear is my wife Karen rolling her eyes and laughing uncontrollably (yes, you can actually hear her eyes roll and it freaks me out every time). Hang tough Browns fans, hopefully the Browns will get this right and I can’t believe I just wrote that. Go Browns.

As I sit here in Nashville, TN. waiting for the AFC Championship game between the Titans and the Chiefs, I am constantly checking twitter for any Browns GM or assistant coaching news. By the way, Titans fans bemoaning the fact that they haven’t been in the playoffs in two years and the Super Bowl in twenty years is really starting to get on my nerves. I had to stop my wife Karen from throwing something at the television this morning. If I hear the phrase “two tone blue” one more time, I may beat her to it. So here’s the latest as I know it, which could change at any moment, the GM search has started and the Browns want to interview three to five candidates. Andrew Berry interviewed this weekend and after that it’s Monti Ossenfort from the Patriots. There were reports that George Paton of the Vikings was asked to interview, but for some reason no time has been set or if he’ll interview at all. Berry, as all Browns fans know, worked under Shasi Brown and one year under John Dorsey. He currently works for the Eagles and they really want to keep him. Ossenfort has been with the Patriots since 2006 and is in charge of college scouting. The Patriots blocked him from interviewing with the Texans in 2018. Paton has just completed his 13th season with the Vikings and considered a rising star. He has turned down interview requests in the past.

I get the feeling that Jimmy Haslam and Paul Depodesta want Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski would like George Paton. This could be the first test of the new head coach’s power within the Browns organization. On the other hand, Stefanski maybe fine with Berry, who knows. One thing I do know, I’m starting to like the new head coach. I watched his press conference and have since listened to him being interviewed on Cleveland radio and came away very impressed. He seems to be a very no nonsense type of a coach, which the Browns really need. As for the coaches currently under contract by the Browns, Stefanski wants to talk to all of them to see who he would like to retain. Consensus among those in the know is that special teams coach Mike Priefer will be retained, which is good thing. Wide receivers coach Adam Henry has left to join the Cowboys and OC Todd Monkin is joining the Georgia Bulldogs. Henry was Beckham and Landry’s coach at LSU, however I’ve heard he’s been a little to chummy with the two, so no great loss. As for Monkin, he got a season of paychecks for basically doing nothing.

The Browns have hired former Miami OC Chad O’Shea as their new wide receivers/passing game coordinator and are interviewing former Denver OC Rich Scangarello. O’Shea worked for the Patriots prior to the Dolphin’s and was fired from the Dolphins because it is believed Miami wants to move away from the “Patriots way” due to the youth on their roster. As for Scangarello, it is believed he will be the next QB coach. He is well versed in the Shanahan run zone blocking scheme. Adam Schefter is reporting the Browns will hire 49ers DB coach Joe Woods as their next DC. If true, this won’t become official until the 49ers lose. Bye bye Steve Wilkes. Woods and Stefanski worked together in Minnesota. Also there might be interest in 49ers run coordinator Mike McDaniels for the Browns OC position, but San Fransico is currently blocking an interview. There are also rumors the Browns are trying to hire someone on offense from the Vikings and are waiting permission to conduct an interview. Again all this information is fluid at this time, so keep an eye on twitter and if you are interested in a great website for Browns news, get a subscription to the Orange and Brown report (@TheOBR), it’s well worth the price.

As for the draft and free agency, my favorite offensive tackle declared for the draft. Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs is perfect for the offense Kevin Stefanski is installing. I would grab him or Mekhi Becton out of Louisville at number 10. As for free agency, the first order of business would be to resign Joe Schobert. Then I would try and sign Titans tackle Jack Conklin, Atlanta’s TE Austin Hooper and Minnesota’s FB C J Hamm and safety Anthony Harris. It will be interesting to watch what happens in Minnesota and Atlanta with the salary cap, both teams are currently over the cap, Minnesota is about 10 million over. As for the Titans, they have to figure out how to sign Ryan Tannyhill and Derick Henry, both are free agents. The Draft Network (thedraftnetwork.com) has a really cool mock draft machine. It will go through the entire draft according to the Browns team needs. Give it a try. . Hoped you enjoyed the games today and GO BROWNS.

As all Browns fans awake this Sunday morning basking in the glow that is the Ravens failure, we are interrupted by the news that the Browns have hired Vikings OC Kevin Stefanski to be the next Browns head coach. Before I discuss the hire, let me assure all Titan fans who are reading this, we Browns fans appreciate what your team did. The worst ending for this nightmare of this season would have been a Ravens Super Bowl win. Now we get back to hoping for a great match up in the Super Bowl and bitching on twitter that the Browns hired the wrong guy. Personally, Stefanski was my second choice, I wanted Josh McDaniels and his head coach experience. But for me this is a wait and see approach. I want to see who they hire as a GM (probably Andrew Berry) and who Stefanski hires as his offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator. Rumors have been flying around that Gary Kubiak or Pat Shurmer will be his OC. I think Kubiak stays with the Vikings and becomes their OC and have no idea what Shurmer would do, but would gladly take (NEED) an OC with head coaching experience. As for the defense, I’ve seen no names associated with Stefanski for DC hires. Maybe Wade Phillips or Jim Schwartz.

Lets look at the positives. The Vikings finished eighth in the NFL in offense and sixth in rushing offense. The Vikes had the eighth highest success rate in red zone scoring. They use the same zone rushing scheme as Kyle and Mike Shanahan. If you watched the 49er/ Vikings game on Saturday, just imagine Chubb and Hunt in that scheme. As for Andrew Berry, he was with the Browns front office prior to John Dorsey, so guys like Higgins and Schobert were picked by that front office and there’s is a better chance they will be resigned. I’m not going to get all negative about this hire, I’ll wait till it plays out. Jarvis Landry is apparently not happy, he deleted all photos from his twitter account except one, which shows him in his car and it says “I gave you 11 days… Na it’s my turn.” Let’s hope Landry comes around, you don’t need a team leader mad at you. Let’s see which players show up for the news conference. Besides that, you have to give Jimmy Haslam credit on one thing, he actually let the entire process play out and didn’t go with a knee jerk reaction, like with Hugh Jackson or a blind recommendation, like with Kitchens. The key is, if this teams structure is truly lined up in a winning fashion, we’ll start to see it as the off season progresses. Assistant coaching hires will go a long way in helping to determine the structure. I hope they retain special teams coach Mike Priefer, because right now other teams are lining up to try and hire him. Special teams was the only part of the Browns that actually improved.

So it’s going to be a marriage of Kevin Stefanski and Andrew Berry. In the end, it sounds like Josh McDaniels demanded too much change and Jimmy couldn’t handle that structure. Maybe McDaniels would have stripped down the roster and gone total rebuild? No thank you, enough rebuilds. So, as Browns fans we’ll spend the next few days complaining on twitter that our hillbilly owner screwed us again. No, hiring Brian Daboll would have been screwing us over. I’ll give this a chance and wait and see. I’m really interested in watching the press conference to see what the new Browns head coach and GM have to say. It looks like Kevin Stefanski values putting the right players into the right position, not calling plays and hoping the players execute the play. So he’s the anti Freddie. Lets see if our new GM can acquire the additional talent to do this, that will determine the Browns success moving forward, as well as game day success. I’m a little cynical right now, but we’ll see. Go Browns.