Acta on Carrasco: “He has the stuff to be one of the best guys in the AL.”
February 18, 2011WFNY Podcast: Cavs Trades and Spring Training
February 18, 2011Last year we thought we’d introduce ourselves to Mike Holmgren by offering a report of each position group. The reports contained a ‘Roster Upgrade Advisory System’ not unlike that of Homeland Security. This year, even though the big show has been around for a year and has Tom Heckert in house, we thought we’d give the reports another shot. Previous reports: OL, DB, ST, RB
Continuing Disclaimer: NFL teams looking to add pieces this offseason are in a bit of a quandry due to the pending labor issues that could halt free agency all together.
Evaluating 2010
Again much like last year, I’m also taking a look at the linebackers. This year’s post has a bit of a wrinkle: with the new coaching staff there has been talk of a switch back to the 4-3, which completely adjusts the needs of the linebacking corps. It also means there is one less starting spot needing to be filled, which makes the current shape of the roster a little deeper.
With all of that in mind, I changed my original ranking of “Elevated” down to “Guarded”. I will do my best to explain my reasoning behind that switch, but keep it in the back of your mind that my original intent was to list the upgrade need as “Elevated,” and that I was on the fence for a few days before deciding to downgrade the need. In other words, if you disagree, make an argument in the comments.
Starters: Matt Roth, Scott Fujita (OLB); Chris Gocong, Eric Barton (ILB)
Reserves: David Bowens, Marcus Benard, Jason Trusnik, Titus Brown, Blake Costanzo, Eric Alexander, Kaluka Maiava, Steve Octavien
NAME | TOT | SOLO | AST | SACK | TLOSS | FF | BK | PD | INT | YDS | AVG | LNG | TD |
Matt Roth | 86 | 59 | 27 | 3.5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Chris Gocong | 75 | 50 | 25 | 2.0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Eric Barton | 66 | 47 | 19 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Scott Fujita | 51 | 36 | 15 | 3.5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 16.0 | 16 | 0 |
David Bowens | 40 | 26 | 14 | 0.5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 94 | 47.0 | 64 | 2 |
Marcus Benard | 28 | 18 | 10 | 7.5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Jason Trusnik | 24 | 21 | 3 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Titus Brown | 11 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Blake Costanzo | 7 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Eric Alexander | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kaluka Maiava | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Steve Octavien | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The two biggest impact additions from last off-season were clearly Scott Fujita and Chris Gocong, as both started and were important cogs. Fujita’s impact was felt after he suffered and injury and was put on IR, as it was clear that his heady play and command of the system were one of the big factors for the Browns’ solid play during the middle stretch of the season that saw them beat New Orleans and New England, and take the Jets to the wire. With Fujita back healthy in 2011, two of the three starting spots in the 4-3 should be set between he and Gocong. We’ll talk a bit more about that below.
With the system switch, guys like Matt Roth and Marcus Benard become interesting prospects: Roth because he was more of a traditional DE coming out of Iowa, and Benard because he is a pure pass-rusher who doesn’t play much in other situations. Without the need for that 3-4 edge rusher anymore, what do the Browns do with those guys? Roth probably could transition back to a pure DE, and Benard could try, though his size and lack of run-playing skill may be prohibitive there.
The one thing we’ll see as we look at the contract situations and the needs below is that the Browns are currently top-heavy and bottom-heavy in terms of their roster depth at linebacker: they have two starters to pencil in for 2011, and their special teams and backup quotient is solid. So, really, what they need is to identify one more starter, and pad the roster with some depth.
Under Contract
(alphabetical)
Eric Alexander – 2011: $640,000; 2012: Free Agent
Marcus Benard – 2011: Exclusive Rights Free Agent
Titus Brown – 2011: Restricted Free Agent
Blake Costanzo – 2011: Restricted Free Agent
Scott Fujita – 2011: $2.4 million, 2012: $3.65 million, 2013: Free Agent
Chris Gocong – 2011: $1.7 million, 2012: Free Agent
D’Qwell Jackson – 2011: Free Agent
Kaluka Maiava – 2011: $480,000, 2012: $565,000, 2013: Free Agent
Steve Octavien – 2011: $480,000, 2012: Restricted Free Agent
Matt Roth – 2011: Free Agent
Jason Trusnik – 2011: Free Agent
The Browns did also sign Auston English to a future/reserve contract back in January.
There are a lot of free agents there, but the two most important guys for continuity’s sake (Fujita and Gocong) are both here for at least one more year. That’s key. There are plenty of depth/special teams guys there, so really the Browns just need to find that last starter, and maybe pick up one more depth guy.
Browns Roster Upgrade Advisory: Guarded
Again, I have to throw the caveat out there that I was on the fence between “Guarded” and “Elevated”. As I said above in the contracts section, two of the three starting spots are pretty solid with Gocong and Fujita. Who knows if D’Qwell Jackson can come back from his pectoral troubles of the last two years, but if he does he will be cheap. And, there is some possibility that in the 4-3 he will be more effective at his slightly lesser size, as he’ll be less likely to be taking on as many offensive linemen from play to play. But, much like I said with Montario Hardesty yesterday, counting on Jackson isn’t something you can really do.
My perception is that Fujita, given his size and speed, is your strongside backer. Chris Gocong can probably play the middle, but both guys have shown the versatility to play inside and outside. So, the Browns do have that luxury that they can go after the best option as a third start—either middle or weakside, IMHO—and have a solid starting corps. For the purposes of this discussion, I’m going to assume the Browns are looking first and foremost to find a starter at the WLB position, and then some depth.
There are some decent names out there in free agency that would instantly make the Browns better, but with the flux of the CBA and the fact that a lot of those guys probably aren’t going anywhere, it will make it tough for the Browns to go out and score one of these guys. None the less, there are some intriguing names:
Chad Greenway (MIN), LaMarr Woodley (PIT), Tamba Hali (KC), David Harris (NYJ), Stephen Tulloch (TEN), Paul Posluszny (BUF), James Anderson (CAR), Rocky McIntosh (WAS), Thomas Davis (CAR), Barrett Ruud (TB), Takeo Spikes (SF)
Any one of those guys could come in and start for the Browns, and with the versatility of the other two penciled-in starters the Browns would have a solid linebacking corps. But again, free agents can’t really be counted on this year. That said, the Browns brought in both Fujita (FA) and Gocong (trade) last off season, so if the CBA issues get worked out, it’s possible they could go that route again.
On the other side, let’s look at the draft. Per Scout.com, the highest rated LBs coming out of college are:
OLB
- Mark Herzlich, Boston College
- KJ Wright, Mississippi State
- Thomas Keiser, Stanford
- Mason Foster, Washington
- Lawrence Wilson, Connecticut
- Doug Hogue, Syracuse
- Ross Homan, Ohio State
- Quentin Davie, Northwestern
ILB
- Quan Sturdivant, North Carolina
- Colin McCarthy, Miami (FL)
- Josh Bynes, Auburn
- Kelvin Sheppard, LSU
- Nate Irving, North Carolina State
- Chris White, Mississippi State
- Casey Matthews, Oregon
For their part, Scout doesn’t have any of these guys in their top-30 players, so it looks safe to say the Browns won’t be going linebacker in round 1, and probably not in round 2, either. That said, there appears to be a lot of depth to be had here in the middle rounds of the draft.
With two seasoned starters and some very good options out there on the FA market—such as it is—the Browns should be able to upgrade this position with some ease, and the need, given the two guys that are already here, isn’t as dire as maybe it was last off-season.
But, again, I could be persuaded otherwise.
19 Comments
von miller, aldon smith, and my sleeper pick, akeem ayers? plenty of 1st round linebacking talent. i think you’ve made a typo, DP?
I must admit that most of the places I looked had Von Miller and Aldon Smith (and alsoguys like Robert Quinn, for example) as a DE. I haven’t seen him play enough to really know if he was being considered a DE or an OLB. Given the Browns departure from the 3-4, I erred on the side of leaving DE projects off as OLB options.
Miller
Miller and Aldon Smith will probably both play 3-4 OLB. They wouldn’t fit well in the 4-3 at all. Akeem Ayers is more of a mid- late first round guy IMO. Much bigger needs than LB. Need DL help badly. WR and RT are still big needs. Don’t need to reach for a LB like Ayers (which I’m not sold on at all) in the first round.
Aldon Smith could play DE but he’ll probably go around 20 so the Browns would have to trade down to get decent value for him.
Disagree here, DP, I say need is “high.” An effective 4-3 defense requires a smart, playmaking MLB who can run. No one on the current roster fits that description.
epending on how players fall. wouldn’t at all be surprised if, round by round, our draft goes something like: Round# 1)DL 2)MLB 3)DL again 4)WR or RB 5)QB.
Harv…
I agree with your draft order if you move QB to 4 and remove the WR pick. If you’re going to pick a WR at round 4, you might as well wait until the draft is over and take an UDFA.
Does WFNY plan on doing one of these articles for QBs? I hope the Browns continue to select middle round QBs. I worry that we’ve fallen for McCoy with very little evidence. Sure, he looked good in flashes, but with no clear-cut QB of the future, they need to keep drafting.
What about Greg Jones, ILB from Sparty? I think he was an All American 2 years, and B10 Def. Player of the Year last year. I also know he’s pretty small, but has a big motor and is from Ohio, so he’s used to the weather (not that it really matters for LBs).
@7: Especially once there was tape on him, he started to struggle. Granted he had no real options… but that’s just it. There’s very little to go on, so we can’t afford to fall in love quite yet.
Matthews in the 3rd please 🙂
I’m more concerned about the LB position than RB or even OL. There’s just so many question marks imo. Outside of Fujita (who is coming off an injury), I don’t have a lot of faith in anyone. And as mentioned above, lacking a serious MLB will most likely turn a good squad into a below average one.
@7 – Agree completely on pursuing mid/late round QBs. And that’s not as a knock on McCoy. Guy deserves his chance. If I were in charge of a team, even if I had Manning or Brady, I’d still regularly grab a second (now third, I guess) day QB that I liked.
@NJ – I agree completely. I think we have 1 starter on the roster (Fujita). I don’t trust DQ to not DQ himself. Gocong is too slow for the MLB spot.
Now, if GB trades Barnett for a low draft pick or releases him, then maybe we have something. I just don’t think Woodley (wasn’t he franchised?), Greenway, Harris, or Ruud get away from their current teams.
(Barnett is not on the list but GB now has 3 highly paid MLB with Hawk, Bishop and Barnett. Nick is the oldest of the group therefore the likeliest to be relocated)
I thought I heard that the Jets put the franchise tag on David Harris?
Gocong did just fine last year. His play stepped up later in the season and he was just fine at MLB in Philly. But, I wouldnt limit it to MLB right now. It depends and who’s the BPA when they are picking. I cant have a “draft plan” because you dont know when the value will be. It looks like Casey Matthews will be there in the 4th or 5th and I would love to get him. I do agree with guarded here because its not a huge need (like DL is) tho quality depth is needed.
@bobby – “he was just fine at MLB in Philly”
what? really? for one thing, he played almost exclusively at OLB for Philly’s 4-3 defense. sometimes Jim Johnson (RIP to the defensive wizard) had him lineup inside in a pseudo 3-4 look, but that was rare.
secondly, he had 51 tackles his rookie year and that fell off to 30 tackles each of the next 2 years. that’s while starting at least 11 games a year and playing in all 16 every year.
if those are the stats our 4-3 MLB we might as well just bank on a lost season for our defense.
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/G/GocoCh99.htm
oh, also, I don’t think anyone’s saying LB is as much of a concern as DL. that and WR are our biggest concerns. but, LB is next on the list.
@13- from what I’ve heard both Harris and Woodley have been franchised.
mgbode- he replaced Bradley at MLB after he got hurt his last year in Philly. I found this exert about Gocong before his last year in Philly-
Starting Strong Side Linebacker: Chris Gocong
Chris Gocong is expected to develop into a better pass rusher as the right outside linebacker and defensive end hybrid.
Gocong has had to work on his pass coverage and showed great improvement through the season. Pass rushing, run stopping, and coverage are dynamically challenging for one person to master at this level.
The expectations and need from Gocong is increasing his play making. That’s the story of the linebackers. More than looking for his first NFL interception, Gocong needs to get to the quarterback more than twice and force more than one fumble.
Gocong did record his first NFL touchdown in 2008 when he recovered a fumble in the end zone against Dallas in their first meeting.
Gocong is a similar athlete to Bradley. He’s a big linebacker at 6’2″, 263 pounds. He also has average linebacker straight-line speed being in the 4.7 40 yard dash range.
His explosion is evident with his 39-inch vertical leap which would surpass even the best mark in the 2009 draft by Aaron Curry at 38 inches.
His 10′ 3″ broad jump would have tied him for second in this year’s combine just behind Curry again at 10′ 4″. Gocong also ran a 4.08 20-yard shuttle that would have ranked him first among 2009 linebacker prospects.
Gocong was second to Gaither in sacks recorded last season with two. He needs to put up seven to ten sacks this season and jar the ball loose in the process. An interception or two would be nice, but if he can get to the quarterback, he will be a success.
http://www.footballsfuture.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=356945
This is a blog from when Gocong was made MLB. The idea I guess is that Gocong cant cover but is good against the run and is a good pass rusher (coming from a DE in college).
All in all, I think he’ll be good enough starting full time at either MLB or WLB. We still need another starter in the LB core, and 3 on the DL so I bet Gocong will be starting.
O and last note- he played well enough in Philly that he was resigned by them… and a month later traded here.