The Cleveland Browns – much like the Cleveland Indians before them – are doing things in free agency.

And, just like the moves that the Tribe made, it remains to be seen if the new acquisitions are going to make a difference as the Browns continue to rebuild the team and try to become a relevant player in the AFC North Division.

By focusing their efforts on the defensive side of the ball with Paul Kruger, Desmond Bryant and Quentin Groves, the Browns brought in players at key spots to give new defensive coordinator Ray Horton options for his defense.

“I think if we keep building the defense the way we are, it’s like that pyramid system where you keep stacking blocks on top and you get to the top and you’ve got that pinnacle of players or player that’s your leader,” Horton said on the team’s website. “One of those guys is D’Qwell (Jackson), and I think bringing Paul Kruger in, that’s another where he’s been there and done that. That adds instant credibility in the locker room, on the field, for the opponents that the Cleveland Browns are going to get quality, good football players.”

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The considered word on the street is that the Cleveland Browns will be "aggressive" when free agency opens for real late Tuesday afternoon.

Well, thanks as usual to the working class journalists who brought you that pithy bit of analysis. Left undefined though is what does it mean to be "aggressive" and it is that very definition that will be the difference between whether this team continues to occupy the 8th circle of Hell for another decade or finally graduates to a few lesser levels on its march toward real honest-to-goodness mediocrity.

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The AFC North is a harsh mistress; after all, it’s not known as the NFL’s Group of Death for nothing.

(OK, maybe we’re the only one that calls it that. But it should be known as such).

And that’s a lesson that Browns CEO Joe Banner learned during the fall and one that he needs to remember as the Browns get ready for the official opening of free agency on Tuesday.

The NFL has done a great job of promoting the annual Scouting Combine to the point that fans walk around for days afterward talking about 40 times, loose hips and tight ankles.

That long weekend in Indianapolis also gets fans and the media so jazzed up that many are already working on mock drafts (sometimes multiple ones) projecting which players will be selected by which teams when the NFL Draft kicks off on April 25.

It is such an exciting time that some seemingly forget one important step, which is that no one knows who the Browns will need to draft until after we see what they do in free agency.

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Josh Cribbs is one of those athletes that it's both easy to like and dislike at exactly the same moment. The liking part stems from the passion and work ethic he's brought to a Cleveland Browns franchise that lacked both, from the management ranks on down. The disliking part comes from the near constant disingenuous way he goes about making sure everyone knows how much passion and worth ethic he's brought to a Cleveland Browns franchise that lacked both.

Cribbs has always been viewed as a local kid though he didn't grow up in Cleveland. He played quarterback at Kent State when they sucked (which until last season was always) and while his pure athleticism revealed him to be a unique player, he carried himself away from the field as a highly entitled big fish in a small pond and had got himself involved in some off field issues (marijuana) that caused many to question his character.

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