Members Only: Cleveland Browns Fan Club

[QuikSand]

Start by telling why you are here. Why are you rooting for the Browns? Demonstrate your bona fides.

Then, have at it.

[QuikSand]

For me: I grew up near Cleveland, and while I was somehow a fan of the Miami Dolphins (they were the best team when I became a football fan, had a great helmet, and had players named Csonka, Mercury, and Griese... I presume that was it) but definitely "followed" the hometown team fairly closely. So, I was there for the Greg Pruitt tear-away-jersey years, lived in the Kardiak Kids (Brian Sipe) era, saw them post two 1,000 yard rushers in the same season, and died along with the faithful after "the drive" ended yet another promising run during the Kosar era. Since then, it's been an obvious comedy of errors, but I have remained interested. I do root for the laundry a bit.

Now, I am somewhat optimistic by the turn toward "moneyball" thinking (somewhat overblown, I reckon). It's not the first time I have declared new optimism for the team... but I find myself more intrigued than ever, at this level. They have cleaned out a lot of veteran contracts, they have a ton of cap space, and have a new front office philosophy... it's basically the closest the NFL has ever seen to an "Empty Cupboard" approach that many of us FOFers have loved forever. So, I'm in. I'm on board. Let's get it done.

[QuikSand]

Basically, in this year's draft... I like the moves, even if not the picks. I think it is generally wise for an NFL team to be thinking about their early picks in the framework of "how many good options are we going to have, will that allow us to trade down to get more value?" (as opposed to "what guy can we zero in on at all costs?")

So... good for them sticking with the stud pass rusher prospect rather than the QB, probably being saved from themselves on Trubisky, and then targeting some value in the late first round. I'm not exactly sold on Peppers (especially there) but they clearly had him in mind. The TE seems like a value pick... they're correct to think about Barnidge as not part of the long term answer there, sadly. Kizer? I don't know... but given the framework they're in, and that some people have him as a high-upside guy, I guess I don't hate it. With pick 30 I'd hate it, but in the mid/late 2nd, okay, fine.

Keep making good depth picks, let's fill up that roster, and let's see things start coming together. And in next year's draft you could easily have picks at, say, 1.6 and 1.14 or so. There you have pretty big building capital again.

[QuikSand]

From NFL.com:

Cleveland Browns

Draft picks: Myles Garrett (No. 1 overall), Jabrill Peppers (No. 25 overall), David Njoku (No. 29 overall), DeShone Kizer (No. 52 overall), Larry Ogunjobi (No. 65 overall)

Day 1 grade: A
Day 2 grade: A-
Overall grade: A

The skinny: Instead of picking a quarterback on Day 1, the Browns took a potential starter in the second round in DeShone Kizer. It's a good long-term investment worthy of the pick. Larry Ogunjobi is a very quick tackle who will earn the respect of interior offensive linemen in a hurry; I'll be interested to see if he can play three downs. Picking Myles Garrett as the difference-maker on defense made a world of sense. When looking at the second first-round pick, however, one has to remember that the Browns passed on Carson Wentz to acquire the pick. They did get an excellent safety in Jabrill Peppers. He'll be a team leader for the Browns with the athleticism to handle nickel and safety. Njoku is a playmaker, and they picked up a 2018 first-round pick in a trade on Day 1. That's a great night for Browns fans.

[BYU 14]

Hopefully you rented a small room for meetings QuikSand

Seriously though, I think the Browns had the best draft I can remember in years and I am glad they were not seduced to go for one of the top 2 rated QB's, both of whom I think are longshots as franchise guys, when they had so many other needs.

Their patience paid off when Kizer fell, and he is a guy with just as much upside as Trubinsky IMO, just needs a lot of coaching. Hopefully Osweiller will be adequate while Kizer learns and the fans will be patient.

[larrymcg421]

I've always liked the Browns because they were my dad's favorite team (he was born there). I lived right outside Cleveland (Euclid) for a year and loved the passion of the fans there. The Dolphins will always be my #1 team, but I always want the Browns to do well.

[claphamsa]

I grew up in Cleveland, and have tons of Browns fans friends on FB from my youth...they HATE this draft. I find it hilarious, but im a Bengals fan.

I love the Jabril Pepper Josh Gordon comparisons.

[NobodyHere]

Can I join the thread if they're my 3rd favorite team?

[Hammer755]

I grew up a Browns fan in southeast Ohio, closer to Pittsburgh than Cleveland. It was fun to be part of the Dawg Pound in the heart of Steeler country in the late 80s and early 90s. But the Brownies moved to Baltimore while I was in college, leaving me initially without a team, then no real connection to the Tim Couch franchise. I arrived in Houston in 2002, the inaugural year of the Texans, and my allegiance gradually shifted. Any remaining Browns sentiment in my system was eliminated when they drafted Johnny Manziel.

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

So... good for them sticking with the stud pass rusher prospect rather than the QB, probably being saved from themselves on Trubisky, and then targeting some value in the late first round. I'm not exactly sold on Peppers (especially there) but they clearly had him in mind. The TE seems like a value pick... they're correct to think about Barnidge as not part of the long term answer there, sadly. Kizer? I don't know... but given the framework they're in, and that some people have him as a high-upside guy, I guess I don't hate it. With pick 30 I'd hate it, but in the mid/late 2nd, okay, fine.

I get the Njoku pick, but even if you don't think Barnidge is the long term answer it still seemed a weird time to release him unless you're projecting a locker room issue. His contract had no new guaranteed money, and who are you going to sign with the $2.8m?

As a pseudo-ND fan who laughed uproariously when Kizer was being talked about as a potential #1 overall pick I agree... I don't think it's the right organization, but he does have the tools and if you have that much extra draft capital and aren't trading for Garoppollo why not take him for a year and see if he fits?

Originally Posted by BYU 14

Seriously though, I think the Browns had the best draft I can remember in years and I am glad they were not seduced to go for one of the top 2 rated QB's, both of whom I think are longshots as franchise guys, when they had so many other needs.

What do you think about a team that traded 2 first round picks to take the 3rd/5th best QB prospect?

[stevew]

I can't figure out the Barnidge move but I'm guessing there's some sort of accounting move at play here. Probably advances dead money vs this year's cap and helps them meet a spending limit while not actually costing them any real money.

As far as the Browns go, I'd much rather go to a Browns game than a Steelers one. Ample parking places and it's kinda easy to get out of town now. Pittsburgh is a real pain unless you have a premium parking pass.

[Qwikshot]

There was never a time I recall where the Browns were good; not always inept but never good.

I don't think this draft is that great. They had a no-brainer 1st overall pick but I don't think Peppers will be anything special and Kizer is a project. They blew it by not getting a good QB last year and there wasn't anything as promising this year.

Plus they kept trying to get Jimmy Grap and the Patriots rebuffed. Even then, I don't think you were getting something special.

I don't know if they have an offense that can do anything. But they have a lot of draft picks in the future. But like the Sixers, draft picks doesn't always equate with success.

[QuikSand]

I confess that it is pretty frustrating to watch them groom and develop a guy like Terrelle Pryor into an NFL-ready receiver and a (perhaps modestly) plus player there, just in time to see him walk off into a free agency contract elsewhere. I'm glad they didn't overpay him just to prove a point, but that is a fairly Browns thing to do - just wish he'd taken one of those FOF style contracts (heh), three years with incentives as gratitude for getting a legit shot when nobody else would offer it.

[QuikSand]

Pete Priscop from CBS sports:

Cleveland Browns

For all the criticism of the analytics crew in Cleveland, they had a heck of a draft. Aside from trading down to get Michigan's Jabrill Peppers in the first round, they added a lot of really good players. They had a lot of picks and did some good things. They got the top player in the draft in Myles Garrett with the first pick, and then continued to do a nice job. Tight end David Njoku was a nice add with their third first-round pick. This draft, though, will be defined by how well second-round quarterback DeShone Kizer develops. If he is their starter for a long time, this will be a great draft. Right now, it's a damn good one.

Grade: A

[Groundhog]

I don't really have a "team" in the NFL, I just enjoy watching games. Because of the Cavs though I tend to follow the Browns more than other teams, and use them in Madden (...to blow up and rebuild...). I know zilch about college players, but from what I've read it seems most places grade their draft at least as a positive overall, but from there it varies between OK to excellent.

I'm rooting for Kizer. QB is the one position where I actually read up on prospects pre-draft (to be accurate, 5 mins before the draft), and Kizer was the QB that intrigued me the most. I just hope they don't throw him out there year 1 to get eaten alive.