Cleveland Browns 2011 Super Awesome In-Season Thread

• iclfan2

  

  Writerbuckeye;646749 wrote:Color me unimpressed -- with basically everything Holmgren has done so far.
  
  Losing Seely was just stupid. You find a way to keep one of the best special teams coaches in the league.
  
  And Jauron? Sorry, not impressed again. We've moved too slowly on a lot of these hirings and lost out on some better choices, I think.

  
  Seely leaving was terrible. However, I think Jauron is a good hire, and I think it is a benefit that he has HC experience. I don't think we were "slow", if someone wanted to come here they would have. Who wants to coach this rag tag team of players? The OC is gonna be the biggest joke, imo, because no one wants to come in here and not call the plays.
• Ironman92

  

  He'll probably be an improvement.
• mucalum49

  

  Just reading speedofsand's East-West game post. What would you think of the Browns drafting Jeff Maehl? I think he'd be a solid mid-late round pick. He's been reliable for 2-3 years at Oregon. Probably fit in well in the WCO.
• Art Modell

  

  I think Holmgren has made some good hires this off season. Thoughts?
• OQB

  

  I would be happy drafting any of those slot guys in the later rounds of the draft: Sanzenbacher sp?, Maehl, Cecil Shorts...all of them would be a great fit in a WCO.
  
  As for my thoughts Modell, I think he has made some good hires and some that make me say we will wait and see....but as for you you could care less about the Browns, but just like to get us riled up on our threads.
• BRF

  

  Ca-pwned is trying to be nice since he just got released from The Basement.
• OQB

  

  I wouldn't want to go back down there either......
  
  
• DaBrowns41

  I love Jeff Maehl. Has good speed, runs routes well, is a very smart player, and probably the best blocking wide receiver in the draft. I'm talking Hines Ward blockage.
  
  I think he's a 3rd-4th round guy. His interviews will get him drafted higher. Just a great overall person, and very good player.
• Writerbuckeye

  

  mucalum49;647444 wrote:Just reading speedofsand's East-West game post. What would you think of the Browns drafting Jeff Maehl? I think he'd be a solid mid-late round pick. He's been reliable for 2-3 years at Oregon. Probably fit in well in the WCO.

  
  I'd be thrilled if they could get him in the 3rd or 4th round. He is a consummate receiver; runs precise routes and blocks very well. Oh and he has exceptionally good hands.
• like_that

  

  BRF;647564 wrote:Ca-pwned is trying to be nice since he just got released from The Basement.

  
  Don't let him fool you. He already received a troll point in this thread, and is already trolling in the other cleveland thread.
• Sonofanump

  Commander of Awesome;646634 wrote:Browns special teams coach Brad Seely has left the #Browns, league source said, presumably for #49ers, whom he's been talking to today. This sucks, I liked him, thought he was an excellent STs coach.

  
  Fuck, fuck, fuck! Not sure what else to say.
• OQB

  

  Browns hired Chris Tabor as their special teams coordinator...Tabor spent the past three seasons as Chicago's assistant special teams coach. Under Tabor, the Bears ranked among the league leaders in nine special teams categories, including total return yards and kickoff return yards. He also worked with Devin Hester, one of the NFL's top return specialists.
  
  Well the staff is getting put together, next focus will be Free Agency and the draft.
• Commander of Awesome

  

  OrrvilleQB;653760 wrote:Browns hired Chris Tabor as their special teams coordinator...Tabor spent the past three seasons as Chicago's assistant special teams coach. Under Tabor, the Bears ranked among the league leaders in nine special teams categories, including total return yards and kickoff return yards. He also worked with Devin Hester, one of the NFL's top return specialists.
  
  Well the staff is getting put together, next focus will be Free Agency and the draft.

  Seems like a good hire, glad to know we didn't get an idiot (see Mo Carthon/Brian Dumboll) to coach our STs.
• Commander of Awesome

  

  I really wanted to post this it the SB forum, but didn't want rock to cry his little eyes out this early in the morning, looking out for his mom who has to put up with him.
  

  Dissecting Steelers Fans
  
  
  By Don Delco
  OBR Browns Reporter
  Posted Jan 25, 2011
  
  
  
  
  Winning breeds fair-weather fans, and the Steelers have their fair share
  
  8 Comments
  
  
  Last week I took questions from students in a high school mass media class. I was there to talk about my career in sports media. During the Q&A session, one student asked if I had any experience as a color commentator.
  
  I had to explain to the young lad that they tend to give that job to ex-ballplayers or ex-coaches. I decided to give him an example.
  
  “Do you know who Austin Carr is?”
  
  “No.”
  
  “Well, are you a Cavs fan?”
  
  “I used to be.”
  
  I finished explaining who Austin Carr is and who actually gets jobs as color commentators. But his comment stuck with me.
  
  “I used to be.”
  
  I realized I just interacted with a fair-weather fan. This time last year, those types of fans infected Cleveland and Quicken Loans Arena. He was one of them. The Cavs were the hot team, with the game’s hottest player and everyone was a fan of the wine and gold. They came out of the woodwork.
  
  Why is this relevant? The AFC Championship game happened last Sunday. The Steelers earned their third Super Bowl berth in six years. If you thought it was bad before, brace yourself Browns fans. Steelers fans will be everywhere and that can be credited to those aforementioned fair-weather fans, who are typically the loudest and most obnoxious. I’d be willing to bet a good number of the Cavs fans from the last few years also root for the Steelers.
  
  That’s too bad because if you break down the Steelers — sans the fair-weather fans — there is a lot to like.
  
  I like the Rooney family. What’s not to like? They have owned the Steelers since the franchise was founded in 1933. Patience and consistency have been their hallmark. Whether you like to admit it or not, they have become a model NFL franchise. It is easy to be envious of the ownership stability the Steelers have shown for almost 80 years.
  
  But what I love most about the Rooney family happened on Feb. 10, 1996. That day, 25 owners voted to approve Art Modell’s request to move the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore.
  
  Pittsburgh and Buffalo voted against the move.
  
  I like Mike Tomlin. What’s not to like? Since he became the Steelers third head coach since 1969 he is 47-22 overall, won a Super Bowl and now he is making his second appearance in four years. Cameras catch his passionate antics on the sidelines during each game and it appears he exudes the right mix of a player’s coach and a disciplinarian. It is easy to be envious of his head coaching style and successes, considering the Browns are on their fifth head coach in 12 season.
  
  I like (some) Steelers fans. But be careful. Since the team has had so much recent success, those fair-weather fans are everywhere. They are the cocky ones. They are the ones that foster Browns fans hate of everything black and gold. Any team that has sustained periods of success will see an influx of fair-weather fans. The Cavs saw that surge. The Steelers are experiencing it now.
  
  But if you get a true Steelers fan alone, away from his peers and in a one-on-one situation, you’ll find the similarities are quite abundant. He (or she) became a fan because of stories told by family elders. Their early memories are full of family and friends getting together on Sundays to watch and root on the Steelers. As they get older, the Steelers bring together those same family and friends and when there is nothing else to talk about, they share in the commonality that is Steelers football.
  
  Why are the Browns so popular even though the team’s last great era was in the mid-80s? Since they returned in 1999 it has been one losing season after another. Yet the Cleveland is and always will be a Browns town just like Pittsburgh is and always will be a Steelers town.
  
  Despite the losing, Browns fans have fond memories of yesteryear, of family and friends gathering to watch or heading to the stadium with those family and friends. Browns fans root for the team today because their fathers did it and their fathers’ fathers did it. Finally, talking Browns is something that bonds the people and families of northeast Ohio.
  
  In other words, true Cleveland and true Pittsburgh fans are very similar.
  
  The older I get, I encounter and interact with more true Steelers fans. I’ve come to realize they aren’t much different than Browns fans. Well, except for the fact they have experienced Super Bowls.
  
  I truly respect what the Steelers franchise has accomplished. I hope one day the Browns can mirror their success.
  
  Congrats to the true Steelers fans on another Super Bowl berth.
  
  And GO PACKERS!
  
  

  http://cle.scout.com/2/1042718.html
• Nate

  I know Shurmur is probably going to be calling the plays but have the Browns decided on an OC? If so, I missed it.
• Commander of Awesome

  

  No, we haven't hired an OC yet.
• Nate

  Are there any names even floating around? I'm sure it's not going to be a big name hire since Shurmur will probably have all the say.
• mucalum49

  

  No OC has been announced yet. According to ESPN Insider on Sunday they said the Browns may poach the Bears coaching staff again and hire Mike Tice as the OC. He has most recently been their offensive line coach and a former Holmgren assistant.
• mucalum49

  

  Nevermind he never coached for Holmgren but is cut from the same Bill Walsh WCO mold.
• OQB

  

  I'd like us to get a real QB coach and just "promote" him with the OC title.....we need to be able to develop talent...and the last 10 years we haven't really been able to do that.
  
  Just look at the elite teams in the NFL....you can take an average player who nobody knows, and turn them into a stud. Look at the numbers Rivers put up in S.D. with not one big name receiver....The Steelers just plug and chug with all their positions and still win....the Patriots....who in the heck was Danny Woodhead before this year....The Colts had tons of injuries and were still able to win games and make the playoffs......I see one common thing between all of these examples, Franchis QB's and good assistant coaches, who get their players ready to perform at the NFL level.
  
  The Brown's assistant and positional coaches have not been the best, and I think that showed with the lack of development they have done with the draft picks.....now recently we have finally gotten some young pro bowlers in which we drafted, but you have to be consistent and if we get an elite WR coach....I believe we can have a lot better WR core than we have had in recent years.
• thedynasty1998

  

  The common theme is the franchise QB. Do the Browns have one, is what we need to find out. I just don't want the Browns to give McCoy 3 years to prove his worth in the NFL and find out he doesn't have it and then have to draft another QB. I hope he has "it" or they look in the draft for one.
• Commander of Awesome

  

  thedynasty1998;654165 wrote:The common theme is the franchise QB. Do the Browns have one, is what we need to find out. I just don't want the Browns to give McCoy 3 years to prove his worth in the NFL and find out he doesn't have it and then have to draft another QB. I hope he has "it" or they look in the draft for one.

  
  It takes time for QBs to develop (see Peyton Manning 27 ints his rookie yr). I also dont see any QB in this years draft with what you call "it" factor, what ever the hell that means. Might as well say the guy's a "winner". I think Locker has the potential that could turn into a good QB (that what you mean by "it" lol).
  
  Also see guys like Palmer or Caulpepper. Both at one point in their careers were top 5 QBs in the league. Then fell off the cliff in one offseason.
• Sonofanump

  mucalum49;653941 wrote:No OC has been announced yet. According to ESPN Insider on Sunday they said the Browns may poach the Bears coaching staff again and hire Mike Tice as the OC. He has most recently been their offensive line coach and a former Holmgren assistant.

  
  Interesting, having two former HCs as Coordinators under a new HC.
• OQB

  

  Count Holmgren under that category as well.....3 possible former head coaches as your coordinators and president. Sounds like a great opportunity for shurmur.
• Y-Town Steelhound

  

  Sonofanump;654187 wrote:Interesting, having two former HCs as Coordinators under a new HC.

  
  I'd have no problem with that. When coordinators become head coaches in the first place there's usually a reason for it. Regardless of their success as a head coach, they often have some level of success at the coordinator position to get that job in the first place.
  
  Again, I bring up Dick Lebeau. Probably the greatest DC of all time.....horrible head coach. I especially think with hiring someone who's never been a head coach, it's helpful to have that experience/advice available with making the transition.