Dawgpoundsouth

Yesterday the news broke that the Brandon Aiyuk trade was very, very real. According to reports, it’s down to the Browns and the Patriots. Both teams have presented trade packages to the 49ers, and they have accepted both. It’s now up to Aiyuk to choose his team. If he just wants money, then he’ll probably pick New England. If he wants to win, he’ll probably pick Cleveland. I had heard he wanted to stay on the west coast, so he might be holding out for another team to jump in.

The rumored compensation for Aiyuk is a veteran player and a draft pick. Everyone is assuming the player will be WR Amari Cooper. This could make sense cap wise, but there a lot of moving parts. It makes more sense to trade WR Elijah Moore. The dead money hit would only be about $3 million. That’s doable. Of course, the Browns would have to give Aiyuk a contract extension and I trust the Browns front office to make it a team friendly deal.

If the player is not a wide receiver, then the only other player who makes sense is Wyatt Teller. If the Browns feel comfortable with Zack Zinter and Michael Dunn, then it could be Teller. The Browns offensive line is always the highest paid position group and that will need to change moving forward. The overall cap savings (saving minus dead money) would be around $12 million. Other than Moore and Teller, the money doesn’t fit, i.e. Newsome or Conklin.

As for the draft pick, I hope it’s no higher than a fourth. Some have made this out to be a situation where the 49ers are trying to dump a problem player. I look at it as a future money dump. San Fran is fine this year cap wise, $53 million under the cap. However, in 2025 they might be as much as $38 million over the cap and QB Brock Purdy becomes a free agent after the 2025 season. Watching all the giant contracts quarterbacks are currently receiving, the 49ers are going to have pay dearly to keep him.

Now we wait. Stay safe and Go Browns.

Monday through Friday, I listen to a Cleveland radio station while I work. During tax season, it helps to keep my computer awake so I can access my tax program quickly and it also helps me receive braking news out of Cleveland. Win, win right? The downside is sometimes the show hosts argue and yell at each other over the dumbest topics. If I want to hear yelling and arguing, I’d call my ex-wife. All in all, it’s usually entertaining. However yesterday I had to stop what I was doing to turn up the sound and listen intently. The host started to describe a training camp video of quarterback Deshaun Watson throwing his last pass of the day. Apparently, it went straight into the ground, which resulted in Watson immediately stopping and removing his shoulder pads and exiting the field. The inference of the radio host was to imply Watson was hurt again and the season was over.

This caught me by complete surprise. I’m very knowledgeable about the internet, since I’ve surfed the net since 1992. I watch as many training camp videos as possible, listen to as many interviews as possible, and read as many of my favorite beat writer’s reports as possible. I was shocked. This should be big news. My phone should’ve been going crazy with alerts. What the hell was going on? The host announced head coach Kevin Stefanski would be addressing the media around mid-morning, so I made sure I was going to listen. The first reporter would have to ask about Watson’s setback, right? Nothing. Finally Tony Grossi asked if Watson would be throwing that day, and the coach said he would. Wait just a damn minute, I was told Watson’s arm had fallen off. Shouldn’t he be in a hospital? Of course not, false alarm. Cleveland media panic, over analyzing a nonevent. What a surprise. Shocking.

Look, I understand the health of Deshaun Watson is important to the success of the Cleveland Browns in 2024, but the team just came off a season where they won eleven games with five different starting quarterbacks. None of these guys where the second coming of Bernie Kosar. Watson had a great second half against the Ravens going fourteen for fourteen in that half with a broken bone in his shoulder. They won a game at home against the Steelers with a fifth-round rookie who had one great series, luckily it was the last one. They beat the eventual NFC representative in the Super Bowl with a guy named P.J. Walker and if you knew who he was before the Browns signed him, you must be related. Miraculously won games with a quarterback as old as me (I wish) who kept throwing touchdown passes to the other team. In last game, a throw away game, I don’t even remember the guy’s name who started. Last year the Browns scored 39 touchdowns and were tenth in the league in scoring. I have faith in this coaching staff and in backup QB Jameis Winston and yes, he’s better than Flacco. The Browns can run the new offense with Winston and win.

The big story of training camp should be that Watson is throwing everyday with the number one offense. He’s throwing against air with no pressure, so his stats don’t matter, no quarterbacks’ stats should matter in training camp unless all the passes are incomplete. Then you have a problem. To instantly panic over a brief snippet of a cell phone video is classic Cleveland media. This is the main reason I started The Cleveland Browns Dawgpound South Podcast, to give Browns fans unfiltered, non-agenda, realist news and opinions on what’s going on with our favorite team. I hope you’ll listen and watch. Stay safe and Go Browns.

As I sit here waiting for the videos of players reporting to Berea, let’s do a quick salary cap update because we now know the details of Dustin Hopkins contract extension. It was first reported he was the highest paid kicker in the NFL, but that’s not true, he’s the fifth highest paid kicker in the NFL. And he deserves every penny. According to https://overthecap.com/salary-cap/cleveland-browns, the Browns are $14.6 million under the cap. Hopkins received a three-year extension with 2024 and 2025 having guaranteed money. In 2024 it’s $5,562,500 and in 2025 it’s $2,800,00. His cap number for 2024 is $2,605,500, for 2025 it’s $2,893,500, for 2026 it’s $3,565,500 and for 2027 it’s $4,433,000. There’s a signing bonus worth $3.58 million and there are three voidable years. This extension saved the Browns $937,941 on the 2024 salary cap due to the extension’s makeup.

The Browns have two more player extensions to work on, wide receiver Amari Cooper and linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. As reported by http://@StainbrookNFL, JOK’s extension is at a standstill. “#Browns and LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah have been in talks regarding a contract extension for “some now time,” but the sides are struggling to “see eye to eye” on a number figure. The hope is talks move in a positive direction before the start of the season, per a league source.” I have a feeling this will get worked out after the season starts unless JOK’s representatives shut down talks. Currently JOK’s cap number for 2024 is $2,060,617.

With Amari Cooper, talks are a little more complicated. Both sides have agreed to the money and contract length, but Cooper wants more guaranteed money in the second year. The problem is Cooper is 30 years old and had injuries the last two years. I’ve maintained the Browns should use the contract wide receiver Mike Evans signed with Tampa as an example. His cap number for 2024 is $5,568,000, for 2025 it’s $22,358,000 and there are three voidable years. Here are the contract notes from https://overthecap.com/: “Mike Evans signed a two-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers worth base value of $41 million with $29 million fully guaranteed, and a total guarantee of $35 million. Evans has a full guaranteed salary in 2024 and is due two roster bonuses in 2024. First roster bonus is due on March 18 worth $10 million, and the second roster bonus is due on April 4 worth $11.79 million. Evans has a $6 million guarantee in 2025 at signing with another $6 million vesting on the 5th day of the 2025 league year. An additional $11 million is available through performance incentives and escalators. The contract voids on the last day of the 2025 league year.” Evans is 31 years old, and I think Cooper’s side would be happy with a deal similar to this one.

Finally it appears Cooper will hold out from training camp until he gets his new deal and if he does, I’m not worried about it. He’s a veteran who’s worked with quarterback Deshaun Watson the last two years. On to training camp, stay safe and Go Browns.

In just one week, players will start reporting to Berea and then head to West Virginia. One more week and I can’t wait because this has been the dumbest quiet period I’ve ever seen. Every time I get on twitter (yes, I know it’s called “X”, but that name is stupid), I end up rolling my eyes and shaking my head. Some of the narratives from the national media on the Browns are ridiculous. Let’s start with the show “Unsportsmanlike.” To even suggest the Browns moved to Baltimore because the fans didn’t support the team is beyond dumb. The year was 1995, the Browns had just come off a very successful season where they made the playoffs and won a playoff game against the Giants. Fans were very excited, and the team responded starting 3-1. However, in the off-season rumors were swirling team owner Art Modell was planning on moving the team because the city wouldn’t build him a new stadium.

The city had tried to get Modell on board when they proposed the new baseball stadium. Originally it was supposed to be a dual use stadium, one for football and baseball. But because Model didn’t like dealing with the Indians ownership, so he shot down this proposal. Next, Cleveland city leaders proposed an extension on the “sin tax” that was currently in effect for the building of the Gateway Project, the baseball stadium and the basketball arena. Apparently, Modell didn’t want to wait. You see, Modell was a terrible businessman. He had pinned his hopes of reviving the franchise by signing the best player in the new free agency process, Reggie White. Little did he know, White had no intention of signing with the Browns. After White signed with the Packers, Modell panicked and signed WR Andre Rison. He actually borrowed money to sign Rison because he didn’t have the funds. Think about that, an NFL owner had to borrow money to sign a player. Of course it didn’t work.

On November 6, 1995, Art Modell announced in a parking lot in Baltimore, live on ESPN, he was moving the team. I watched in disbelief. At the time, despite starting 3-1 the Browns were 4-4. But the team was still averaging over 65,000 fans per game. The previous two seasons the Browns averaged 77,000 fans per game. The fans were never the problem, it was all about the ownership. Let’s go back to the show “Unsportsmanlike” and the host who made the ignorant comment that Browns fans didn’t support the team and that’s why they moved, Chris Canty. The last team Mr. Canty played for was…… the Baltimore Ravens. Go figure. This fanbase has always been the best fanbase in the NFL and always will be, bar none. I lived this time in Browns history, I did my part to flood the NFL offices with fax machine messages, (it was a simpler time back then). As a Browns Backer President, (Middle Tennessee Browns Backers), I sweated out those three years without a team and held my club together. It wasn’t easy, but as we go into 2024, it was worth it. Stay Safe and Go Browns.

We’re about two weeks away from the start of training camp in West Virginia. While there really isn’t any breaking Browns news, I’ve noticed quite a few podcasts are starting back up from taking a break and there’s even a few new ones. As an out-of-town Browns fan, I’m very selective about where I get my team news. I don’t want to hear form the rah-rah guys and I really don’t want to hear from those who already have a negative agenda about the Browns. Being a long time Browns fan, I think I trust my own judgement when it comes to the only NFL team I support. As I’ve said many times, I’m neither an optimist or a pessimist, I’m a realist, I know good and bad when I see it. I hope you’ll chose to follow http://@ElfNetwork for your Browns information. We’re Browns fans just like you.

This morning NFL Network was replaying the Browns “Hard Knocks” from 2018. Just a reminder it was quarterback Baker Mayfield and running back Nick Chubbs rookie years. Hue Jackson was the head coach and John Dorsey was the GM. The team was coming off an 0-16 season, yet there was still some excitement among the fans. The season started with a 21-21 tie against the Steelers, breaking a 17-game losing streak. On September 20 the Browns beat the Jets 21-17 breaking a 19-game losing streak. The real fun started after Hue Jackson and Todd Haley were fired and Greg Williams (coach come get some) took over as the interim coach. The team went 5-3 under Williams and finished 7-8-1. Mayfield threw 27 touchdowns breaking the record for the most touchdown passes thrown by a rookie. QB They finished third in the AFC North.

Why am I writing about this? I look at the situation back in 2018 and wonder how in hell did I survive that season. Hue Jackson was one of the worst head coaches the Browns have had with Freddie Kitchens right behind him. Jackson is ahead of Kitchens because he felt Tyrod Taylor and Carlos Hyde were better options then Baker Mayfield and Nick Chubb. John Dorsey did do some good things. He hired Alonzo Highsmith and Eliot Wolf to the front office and used some of the capital in the draft bank to bring in players like Jarvis Landry and Damarious Randall and sign Terrance Mitchell (money mitch). He also made Williams the interim. However, I’ll never forgive him for hiring Kitchens as the head coach the next year.

I think about that team in relation to the 2024 Browns and marvel at how the talent level has increased in the front office, coaching staff and the roster. After an eleven-win season in 2023, the 2024 Browns have the rare opportunity to improve. They’re finally showing a culture that is conducive to winning. They chose consistency while the other teams in AFC North are trying to fill holes. In Pittsburg, they don’t know who will start at quarterback. In Baltimore, they’ve had wholesale changes on their defensive coaching staff. In Cincinnati, no one knows if Joe Burrow will be ready for training camp because he suffered an injury to his wrist that no other QB has ever sustained. Besides the Bengals and the Ravens, NFL experts put the Chiefs (well desired), the Texans (not buying it), the Bills (on their way down), the Jets (give me a break, really?) and the Dolphins (no freaking way) ahead of the Browns in the AFC. Baring injuries or something really strange happening, the Browns are posed to have a really good year in 2024. Keep your fingers crossed. Stay safe and Go Browns.

With the announcement of the resigning of Donovan Mitchell by the Cavaliers, it got me thinking about how it’s a great time to be a fan of Cleveland sports. All three professional sports team are trending in the right direction. The best move the Cavs made was hiring Kenny Atkinson as their head coach. He’s an offensive minded coach who knows how to get the best out NBA big men. As for Mitchell, in an Instagram post he said, “All year I’ve been saying the same sh*t. I say how much I like it but everyday it’s like, Oh he gonna do this, he gonna do that. I’m glad I got this shit done man. I’m glad I got this shit done in Cleveland. Now we can focus—let’s get to it.” Sounds like someone is ready to go.

As for the Guardians, it started with their best player Jose Ramirez signing a “hometown” discount to stay with the team. The hiring of manager Stephen Vogt set the tone for this year. Two years ago, he was a player and last year he was a bullpen coach. He knows bench players don’t like to sit around and wait to play, so he makes sure players play and which keeps them sharp. Because he was a bullpen coach, he knows how to use a bullpen. The Guardians have one of the best bullpens in Major League Baseball.

Over in Berea, the Browns have one of their most talented rosters. Their two best players, Nick Chubb and Myles Garrett, embody how important it is to win for the fans of Cleveland. Garrett won his Defensive Player of the Year last year and it well deserved. This year his focus is to get to the Super Bowl. Nick Chubb is defying the odds and trying to give the front office and medical staff a tough decision week one. He took a $9.9 million pay cut with incentives to play for the Browns in 2024 and told the local media he loves Cleveland. The front office resigned players who wanted to be with the Browns. Za’Darius Smith, Shelby Harris, Murice Hurst and Rodney McLeod. While fans were upset the team didn’t resign Joe Flacco, I’m very happy they signed Jamies Winston. Flacco was asked how he could help Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson to be a better player, and he said he wasn’t there to teach but to be ready to start. While Winston said he came to the Browns to help Deshaun Watson be the best player he can.

National media will always dump on Cleveland and some fans have been programed to think the worst. I tell people I’m not an optimist nor a pessimist. I’m a realist. I believe what I see, the good and the bad and right now things are looking good in Cleveland. Stay safe and Go Browns.

I don’t wager on games, nor do I take part in fantasy football. Never had the desire. I am interested to see what the betting professionals think prior to training camp. Frist some NFL salary cap housekeeping. According to https://overthecap.com/salary-cap/cleveland-browns the Browns have $13.7 million in cap space. I’m still of the belief that the Browns won’t restructure quarterback Deshaun Watson’s contract this year. They can get by without doing it until next year. As for wide receiver Amari Cooper, I still think they’ll get a deal done before training camp. They’ve already agreed on the money for a two-year deal, however the guaranteed money for next year is still the sticking point. He’s 30 years old and the team needs to be careful not to get stuck with an aging player in his second year. Hopefully the deal will be similar to the deal Mike Evans received from Tampa. His cap number for 2024 is $5.6 million and for 2025 it’s $22.3 million.

According to https://www.espn.com/espn/betting/story/_/id/39706974/2024-nfl-betting-futures-super-bowl-59-afc-nfc-championship-odds the Browns Super Bowl odds are 35-1. On this list they would be ninth in the AFC. ESPN has the Dolphins (20-1), the Jets (25-1) and the Chargers (30-1) as six through eight. Sorry I’m not buying any of these teams. The Browns play both the Dolphins and the Chargers, so they could take care of those two in a tie breaker. As for the Jets, no fricking way they should be ahead of the Browns. Ahead of those teams are the Texans (18-), the Bengals (14-1), the Bills (13-1), the Ravens (+900) and the Chiefs (+650). Of these teams, after an entire off-season, let’s see how NFL defensive coordinators handle C.J. Stroud. The Bengals have to hope Joe Burrow is healthy, after all he suffered an injury that no other quarterback has ever suffered. I can’t put my finger on it, but that sound familiar. I’m not buying the Bills; their playoff window seems to be closing fast. As for Baltimore and Kansas City, the Browns play both. It’ll work itself out.

Early week one lines: Ravens @ Chiefs -3, Packers @ Eagles -2.5, Steelers @ Falcons -3, Cardinals @ Bills -7, Titans @ Bears -4.5, Patriots @ Bengals -8.5, Texans -1.5 @ Colts, Jaguars @ Dolphins -3.5, Panthers @ Saints -4.5, Vikings @ Giants -0.5, Raiders @ Chargers -3.5, Broncos @ Seahawks -4.5, Commanders @ Buccaneers -4, Cowboys @ Browns -1, Rams @ Lions -3.5 and Jets @ 49ers -5.5.

Finally it was announced today the dates training camp is open to the public in Berea. Sunday August 4, Tuesday August 6, Thursday August 8, Monday August 12, Tuesday August 20 and Wednesday August 21. These dates do not include practices in West Virginia or the scrimmages against the Vikings. Plan accordingly. If you’ve never been to training camp, go if you can, it’s great. Stay safe and Go Browns.

The Browns and their fans now head into the quiet period, six weeks before training camp starts in July. The main question for the team, will they get a new deal done with wide receiver Amari Cooper. The Browns and Cooper’s agents are talking, so I’m inclined to think they’ll get it done. If I had to wager a guess, it could be either a three-year deal or a two-year deal. If it’s a three-year contract, the Browns would most certainly reduce his 2024 cap number from $23.8 million (according to https://overthecap.com/salary-cap/cleveland-browns) to around $13.8 million. With incentives and cash, Cooper could increase his 2024 salary to $23 million. That’s still a great deal for a number one WR considering the current market. If it’s a two-year contract, then look at the deal Mike Evans received from Tampa, somewhere in the neighborhood of $20.5 million per year.

Watching the videos from minicamp on social media, I’m even more convinced the Browns will have six defensive ends on the final 53-man roster. I wrote an article about it about a month ago. Here’s a link, https://www.fansfirstsports.com/the-fanatical-elfz-network/browns-way-too-early-53-man-roster-post-draft-browns/. My six are Dalvin Tomlinson, Quinton Jefferson, Shelby Harris, Maurice Hurst, Siaki Ika, and Michael Hall. The team can place Jovon Briggs to the practice squad where I think the seven round pick would be safe from other teams. Add to this, defensive ends Za’Darius Smith and Alex Wright can play inside, and Jefferson and Hall can play outside. Some have predicted Ika would be cut, I’m not going to believe that until I see it. It’s way too early to give up on him. Besides, the Browns need a run-stopper to rotate in on early downs and he was a Jim Schwartz draft pick. All in all, I’m predicting the Browns will have eleven defensive linemen on their final 53-man roster.

If you’re wondering about the new kickoff format the league has implemented, here’s a link to an article I wrote explaining the new rules, https://www.fansfirstsports.com/nfl/get-ready-for-the-new-nfl-kicking-format-browns/. There’s a lot of stats in the article, but there’s one I missed, courteous of Baltimore kicker Justin Tucker. This new format was taken from the XFL and in 2023 XFL kickers were involved in 25% of the tackles on kickoff returns. Browns kicker Dustin Hopkins had one tackle on a return last year, one. Then he got hurt in the regular season game in Houston and was out for the season. No thanks. As I point out in the article, the Chiefs are experimenting with using a safety (Justin Reid) for kickoffs. If memory serves, safety D’Anthony Bell was pressed into service to kick off during the Houston game. Dust off those kicking shoes Mr. Bell. Stay safe and Go Browns.

Starting tomorrow, the last of the off-season programs begins, mandatory minicamp. After Thursday, the team won’t convene again until they head to West Virginia. I expect there to be 100% participation, but if someone is missing, we’ll find out Tuesday. They more than likely would be excused. I expect there will be holdouts at two of the other AFC North teams, Cincinnati and Pittsburg. In Cincinnati, both Trey Hendrickson and Tee Higgins will likely not be there and in Pittsburg Cam Heyward might be missing. All are seeking new contracts. It’s a good time to be a Browns fan.

I’m going to pay close attention to the videos of all three phases of the game, offense, defense and special teams. On offense I want to see if there’s more pre snap movement, how the quarterbacks, especially Deshaun Watson, are throwing to new WR Jerry Jeudy and how the tight ends and running backs are lining up. On defense, I’m curious to see where the defensive linemen line up and who’s running with the starters. I also want to see which linebackers run with the starters and how Devin Bush will be used. With special teams, because of the new kickoff rules, I want to see if the team will be using a designated kicker for kickoffs. In Kansas City, the Chiefs are using a safety to make kickoffs. Might not be a bad idea for the Browns to do the same. No one wants to see Dustin Hopkins get hurt again. The last videos I saw last week of kickoff practice, there were defensive ends, Isaiah McGuire and Alex Wright being used.

As for the coaches, I’m really interested in seeing where consultant Mike Vrabel helps out. So far, he’s been with the linebackers and special teams. We’ll get some idea how new offensive line coaches Andy Dickerson and Roy Istvan plan on using one the strengths of this team. Dickerson came highly recommended by previous offensive line coach Bill Callahan and Istvan has other 30 years of coaching experience. He was last with the Eagles who basically run the same offensive line calls as the Browns. I hope new running backs coach Duce Staley or new defensive line coach Jacques Cesarie are wearing microphones. Friery is an understatement.

All in all, I hope for no injuries and a quiet period between Thursday and the start of training camp. We’re 90 days away from week one. Stay safe and Go Browns.

The general consensus among Browns fans, Cleveland’s defense was the best in the league in 2023. In some categories, it was. Those who disagree with this ranking will point out the loss to the Texans in the playoff game as an example that it wasn’t. There are a few notable exceptions to this thinking. Yes, the defense was burned in the first half, but the starting safeties for the Browns were D’Anthony Bell and Ronnie Hickman. Even though the Browns couldn’t stop the Texans, at halftime it was still a ten-point game. Houston got the ball first in the second half and the defense held. The Browns were driving with their first second half possession and then QB Joe Flacco started to throw pick sixes. Two in fifteen seconds. Game over.

During OTA’s, defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz took full responsibility for the wildcard game, saying they made serious mistakes. However, they adjusted at halftime and if not for the offensive mistakes that followed, you never know what could have happened. So, were they really that good? In some ways they were. The Browns defense was top five in forcing the other team to punt and number one in three-and-outs by the opposing team. They rarely let the opposing team into the red zone. Schwartz wants to build on these defensive traits and used a baseball analogy. A great pitcher can have a fantastic fastball, but he’ll need an out-pitch, i.e. curveball, slider or changeup to be a truly great pitcher. The out-pitch Schwartz is referring to is getting better at other areas.

The Browns were the worst redzone defense in the NFL. They allowed a staggering 71% scoring rate when the opponent got inside the twenty. They also were bottom five against the run. The most notable discrepancy is how the defense performed at home versus on the road. They allowed fourteen points at home and 29 points on the road. A lot of those road points allowed were because the Browns quarterbacks kept throwing touchdown passes to the other team. But still, their road performances were lacking to say the least. How do they fix this?

First of all, bringing back veteran players will help. They learned the system for the first-time last year and now have a better understanding of Schwartz’s plan. The defensive line as it’s currently constructed, has versability. Za’Darius Smith, Quinton Jefferson, Alex Wright and Michael Hall can all play both defensive end and defensive tackle. Both Jefferson and Hall have high pass rush win rates for tackles. Also, the linebackers have gotten faster with the additions of Jordan Hicks and Devin Bush. Hicks played for Schwartz in Philidelphia, so he already knows the defense. Because the defense has three very good press-coverage corners (Denzel Ward, Martin Emerson & Greg Newsome) Schwartz may mix in more zone coverages to confuse the opposing offense. The key again this year will be how well the safeties play. Schwartz loves to play three safeties and Juan Thornhill, Grant Delpit and Rodney McLeod will have to stay healthy. If the Browns are smart, and they are, I would have Adrian Phillips, Tashaun Gipson, Keanu Neal and Adrian Amos on speed dial. I’m looking forward to 2024 to see if the defense truly improves. Saty safe and GO Browns.