Browns FA Rumor Thread - Post Settlement Edition

[peeker643]

On another topic, hasn't Bunkley been a huge bust? Even just for another DL body, seems like at the current market rates, a 5th was a vast overpayment.

They probably would have cut him anyways. I think they pulled a fast one on Heckert, talking both deals simultaneously. Hard to believe Bunkley would be worth a 5th after you see them sign Jenkins. That would be fairly shady between friends if true. Just a slick deal if they didn't just finish a long stint working closely with each other.

ESPN's scouting report heading into last season:

Comment: Bunkley had another solid season in 2009 as an interior defender with the Eagles. He has been a durable, consistent run-stopper over the past four years with power to hold the point. He has excellent initial quickness and body control. He understands how to leverage defenders with improved hand use to maintain body position. Bunkley has developed his pass-rush package; he uses quickness and explosive power to keep interior linemen off balance. Bunkley has developed his overall game, but may not develop into the impact player that his first-round draft status would indicate.

[JCoz]

Yeah I think that's a rather glowing description of his skillset. I'll be happy to find it more truthful than it appears to me at this moment.

Hey I'm rooting for this to work out, and would have been perfectly OK paying him a mil or 2 off the FA market. Just not real thrilled about the price we paid.

Not that it necessarily means anything, but type in his name on google and see what the first or second auto complete suggestion is.

[JacksonDysonJackson]

Yes, Bunkley has been a bust as a 1st rounder.

But, in only giving up a 5th, I like the move. Low risk move that has upside.

I'm not going to cry the blues over giving up a 5th rounder.

[mattvan1]

Come on Tom, I give you a ten on drafting but you are getting a 1 so far in Free agency...Safety depth and a 3rd string RB? Is that all you got?

I am waiting......!!!!

P.S. I see you got your man Mitchell....can't wait to see what the fuss was about.

I can't tell if you're being serious or just a bit tongue-in-cheek. My position is how can you make a huge splash in FA when you don't know what you have on either side of the ball? We're 2 drafts away from being competitive, and only about 5% of the roster has played in either Shurmur's O or Jauron's D.

BTW, that 3rd string RB is actually a 3rd down RB who will probably see 8 or so touches per game and understands all of his pass pro responsibilities. The Browns are doing exactly what they said they would do. I don't see the reason for all the angst, if indeed you have any.

[JCoz]

JacksonDysonJackson) You're probably right. I think my initial feeling was that his value was heavily eroded when they signed Jenkins, and that we got hustled a bit in that regard.

But I would in no way say "only" a 5th. Would have been a bad trade for a 4th. Without question. It's "ok" for a 5th.

[Govbarney]

This John Greco kid might have been a steal.

Matt Williamson of Scouts Inc. said during a May discussion. "John Greco is much better than anyone realizes and will be a starting-caliber guard if they give him a chance, They should be excited about him. He doesn't have a discernible trait where he is a real masher or a wonderful technician or a great athlete, but he is good at all of the above and he really has a nasty streak to him. He is somebody to keep an eye on."

[HoodooMan]

Hearing that Browns have Edwards, Whitner and Young in the books and will be announced tomorrow by 6 pm. Also in final stages of negotiations with a RT, do not have a name at this point.

Did you ever get the name of that RT?

[Govbarney]

Via a MKC Tweet: CB Dimitri Patterson agrees to terms with Browns

Sounds like we found our nickle back

Previous Team: The Eagles

Scouting Report: Patterson has good natural strength and above-average athleticism. He has improved his technique and ability to leverage the ball as a run defender and versus the pass. He has become a more physical player rerouting receivers off the line of scrimmage and tackling in run support. He lacks great pure speed and burst in coverage and is best in Cover 2.

[peeker643]

Via a MKC Tweet: CB Dimitri Patterson agrees to terms with Browns

Sounds like we found our nickle back

Previous Team: The Eagles

Scouting Report: Patterson has good natural strength and above-average athleticism. He has improved his technique and ability to leverage the ball as a run defender and versus the pass. He has become a more physical player .... and is best in Cover 2.

The anti-Eric Wright.

Makes sense.

[Larvell Blanks]

Time to get a FA punter....

ESPNCleveland ESPN Cleveland
The Plain Dealer's Mary Kay Cabot and Tony Grossi reports that Browns punter Reggie Hodges is out for the season with a torn Achilles tendon

[Govbarney]

Time to get a FA punter....

ESPNCleveland ESPN Cleveland
The Plain Dealer's Mary Kay Cabot and Tony Grossi reports that Browns punter Reggie Hodges is out for the season with a torn Achilles tendon

My Money is on Sav Rocca from Australia, only because he spent the last four years punting for the Eagles.

[pup]

Via a MKC Tweet: CB Dimitri Patterson agrees to terms with Browns

Sounds like we found our nickle back

Previous Team: The Eagles

Scouting Report: Patterson has good natural strength and above-average athleticism. He has improved his technique and ability to leverage the ball as a run defender and versus the pass. He has become a more physical player .... and is best in Cover 2.

The anti-Eric Wright.

Makes sense.

A core special teamer early in his career, Patterson took Ellis Hobbs' starting job at mid-season last year only to be routinely burned down the stretch. He's best suited to a dime back and special teams role

Sweet.

[peeker643]

Via a MKC Tweet: CB Dimitri Patterson agrees to terms with Browns

Sounds like we found our nickle back

Previous Team: The Eagles

Scouting Report: Patterson has good natural strength and above-average athleticism. He has improved his technique and ability to leverage the ball as a run defender and versus the pass. He has become a more physical player .... and is best in Cover 2.

The anti-Eric Wright.

Makes sense.

A core special teamer early in his career, Patterson took Ellis Hobbs' starting job at mid-season last year only to be routinely burned down the stretch. He's best suited to a dime back and special teams role

Sweet.

The Eagles didn't play a cover2 under Johnson or McDermott though. If they're going cover2 in Cleveland the safeties will be deeper and the corners will need to be more physical and better tacklers.

And given the Browns personnel it sure seems more cover2 is in the plans which is why Eric Wright wasn't a good fit and Patterson may be better here than in Philly's defense (at least how they schemed it last year).

[Erie Warrior]

Twitter

TonyGonzalez88
This kid Julio Jones is the real deal. He's the best incoming receiver I've ever played with. Come to think of it, it's not even close.

[Erie Warrior]

@AdamSchefter
And another 1 is done: Browns reached agreement with first-round pick Phil Taylor.

[JCoz]

Twitter

TonyGonzalez88
This kid Julio Jones is the real deal. He's the best incoming receiver I've ever played with. Come to think of it, it's not even close.

Saw that, but does it really matter? For a team in our position what we did was the right move without question. Ultimately Heckert will have to back that up with his draft selections, but giving yourself more shots is ultimately going to = more hits on draft day. We weren't in ATL's position, we were in clevelands.

He could turn into Moss and it wouldn't change the fact that getting 2 1sts, a 2nd, and 2 4th's, is a better move for the browns drafting one WR in their current state. Lots of people give way too much credit to people like BB and Reid on actual draft selections. What they really do well, is give themselves more draft picks than anyone else in the league. Their hit % is not greater than many GM's in this league. But when you give yourself 20-30 additional draft picks over a decade than your opponents, that is a real advantage.

[JCoz]

@AdamSchefter
And another 1 is done: Browns reached agreement with first-round pick Phil Taylor.

Bout time.

[e0y2e3]

Actually, until the last few years BB's draft record sucked. It just started to improve a couple of years ago (and looks to have been GREAT over the past few years).

[JCoz]

Actually, until the last few years BB's draft record sucked. It just started to improve a couple of years ago (and looks to have been GREAT over the past few years).

I wouldn't say it sucked, I did a pretty extensive breakdown a while back, and it was better than I thought it would be going into it, but like I said, its a function of quantity rather than a keen eye for talent. But you get folks telling you he's a genius because he picked Cassell and Brady.

And if you really want to dig into it, alot of those really good players he has actually drafted, well they wouldn't pay them, and believe it or not, didn't get compensation for either.

He's done really, really well, in FA and hit some HR's in trades for other peoples players involving draft picks.

[e0y2e3]

I want to say that from like '06-'08 they only had 2 players from that three year run still on the roster last year.

They hit a horrible, horrible, horrible stretch.

Before that was much better. And the quanity thing really went into play from '09 forward when they finally started cashing in on those collected picks they kept trading (although still using a few to keep getting more picks)

[JCoz]

I agree with that. I thought it had finally caught up to him too, they had rested on their vet acquisitions continually bombing picks for that stretch.

[e0y2e3]

And of course now they have one of the youngest, most athletic and most promising defenses in the league.

[JCoz]

Just in time. Go figure.

[Erie Warrior]

If Roth leaves for NE, it will be a big blow for the Brownies.

[JCoz]

How's that?

[Erie Warrior]

How's that?

Losing a top tackler and a guy with some flexibility as a RDE or OLB would be bad. They are not exactly drowning in depth.

Unless you're assuming the rook from Pitt will fill that gap with any success.

[SoulDawg74]

And of course now they have one of the youngest, most athletic and most promising defenses in the league.

SD:

Yep with two mountains of man flesh with Haynesworth paired next to Wolfork.

The steal of the draft was netting Mallet in the third , the perfect clone for Brady physically and the best arm in the entire draft .

He;ll rehabilitate is scatter brain along with Haynesworth in that culture of success .

Plus Chad Ochostinko will have mad production at his old age.

Mumbles was a fuckwad in Cleveland , a walking turd with no personality , but Kraft has changed that miserable bastard into a model worth emulating .


SoulDawg

[JCoz]

How's that?

Losing a top tackler and a guy with some flexibility as a RDE or OLB would be bad. They are not exactly drowning in depth.

Unless you're assuming the rook from Pitt will fill that gap with any success.

Well, I actually have a lot of optimism concerning that kid, I think he will be very good.

Concerning Roth, I'm questioning the value this regime places on flexibility like that, and also questioning how much that matters when dude doesn't seem to have an interest in playing in a 4-3 and wants to get paid.

Has he given indication that he wants to play here, in a 4-3?

[Erie Warrior]

Has he given indication that he wants to play here, in a 4-3?

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/pl ... /matt-roth

Roth, a free agent when the offseason starts, knows that with the team going to a 4-3 scheme, he's a round peg in a square hole. "Right now I kind of like the 3-4 [defensive system]," Roth told the Cleveland Plain Dealer "I feel the Browns are on the right track. But going into my seventh season, I want to play for a winner. I do feel the Browns are right there. They've done a good job. I'm not sure what's going to happen."

Not exactly, but winning can fix some of that. And all defenses incorporate different fronts depending on match-ups and down/distance.

[SoulDawg74]

Has he given indication that he wants to play here, in a 4-3?

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/pl ... /matt-roth

Roth, a free agent when the offseason starts, knows that with the team going to a 4-3 scheme, he's a round peg in a square hole. "Right now I kind of like the 3-4 [defensive system]," Roth told the Cleveland Plain Dealer "I feel the Browns are on the right track. But going into my seventh season, I want to play for a winner. I do feel the Browns are right there. They've done a good job. I'm not sure what's going to happen."

Not exactly, but winning can fix some of that. And all defenses incorporate different fronts depending on match-ups and down/distance.

SD:

Its academic , Mumbles scooped him up days ago , look for him to be like Vrabel in that system and a bonafide star.


SoulDawg

[Govbarney]

Maybe the Browns actually know what they are doing when they passed on Ray Edwards:
http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/ ... ee-surgery

[hiko]

In a 4-3, losing Matt Roth is no loss at all.

[hiko]

And Roth is a Jag, not a Pat:

Matt Roth is heading to Jacksonville.

Roth had been telling people that he was available to whatever team was willing to pay him $3 million, and now Adam Schefter of ESPN reports (and PFT has confirmed) that the Jaguars and Roth have agreed to a one-year, $3 million deal.

A defensive end/outside linebacker, Roth started all 16 games for the Browns last year. He’s likely to be a starter in Jacksonville as well.

Roth was a second-round draft pick of the Dolphins in 2005 and played there until 2009, when Miami waived him during the season and Cleveland picked him up