While We’re Waiting… It’s all about the youngsters

While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.

Grading the rookies– “17. Tyler Zeller, Cavaliers: C, 7.9 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.4 APG in 64 games. Forced into a starting role by virtue of a season-ending injury to Anderson Varejao, Zeller has found himself in water that’s simply too deep. He’s a legit 7-footer, but not particularly strong. He’s a comfortable mid-range shooter, but hasn’t been a very successful one. And he’s the “backbone” of what’s been one of the worst defenses in the NBA. His effort and attitude can’t be questioned, but that’s not always enough to make for a useful player.

Areas for improvement include basically everything that involves strength: isolation defense, rim protection and his back-to-the-basket offense, to name three. Some of that might never come, which makes it all the more important that he becomes a knockdown face-up shooter. The rebuilding Cavaliers aren’t in a huge hurry and should allow their Zeller project time to play out.” [SI.com]

—-

“The hardest position on the field to fill is the quarterback, and it’s also the most important. Jason Campbell raises the bar of “acceptable” quarterback play for the Cleveland Browns in 2013, and this bar is the measuring stick with which Brandon Weeden and anyone else will be compared. Jason Campbell is capable of providing a stabilizing presence and competent hand to guide the offense, and anything like the roller coaster of the 2012 passing game will no longer be acceptable.

To be clear: if Jason Campbell is the best quarterback in Browns 2013 training camp, it proves that Brandon Weeden does not possess the skills necessary to start in the NFL, and Joe Banner/Mike Lombardi can focus on finding someone who is capable of playing at a high level while Campbell stewards the ship. Campbell is not similar to the cases of bringing in a Drew Stanton or Chad Henne, who have never experienced success at the NFL level; it’s more of a comparison to Alex Smith, Matt Moore, or Matt Hasselbeck. Campbell fits the Browns offense and can keep the wheels turning until the franchise quarterback is in place.” [Finney/Dawgs by Nature]

—-

“Also, it seems that some, maybe most, criticize every signing by the Browns. I don’t have the space to go through every argument, but Paul Kruger was better last season and will be better this season than anybody on the Browns roster at getting to the quarterback. The Browns wanted a more aggressive, attack style defense, specifically geared to pressure opposing QB’s and Kruger fills that role. Kruger’s pre free agency price tag was estimated at $10-$12 million, he’ll average around $8 million a year. Overpriced? No, its called market value. His experience within the division and in the playoffs seemed to make the Browns value him higher than former Detroit Lions sack master Cliff Avril.

The signing of defensive lineman Desmond Bryant solidified what, in my eyes, was already the strongest unit on the team. The rest of the signings are for depth and to push current players to the limits of their potential. I don’t understand the mega backlash at the minor free agent signings. I wrote it before and I’ll write it again, Super Bowl teams are rarely bought- case in point the Philadelphia Eagles. They were supposed to be the Dream Team and only won one more game than the Browns last year. Look at the Eagles roster and look at the Browns roster – does that seem like comparable talent to you? The teams most often in the playoffs and considered a perennial playoff contender – like the New England Patriots, the Green Bay Packers, and as much as it sickens me to say the Pittsburgh Steelers – make shrewd, but few moves in free agency and build their teams through the draft.” [Burkart/AFC2NFC]

—-

“Bring on the Yankees: Ever since the 2013 schedule was announced people in Cleveland complained about the fact that the New York Yankees open up the Tribe’s home slate and never return throughout the season. I’m still trying to understand the problem with this. Yes, the opener is a sellout and you would have sold it out anyway, but when is the last time the Yankees played a meaningful game in Cleveland? It seems like the past few seasons by the time they arrive to C-town, the Indians were already out of contention. We may as well see the ‘Yanks when it means something. On top of that, New York is banged up right now with no Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson or Mark Teixeira expected by April 8. Play them now, before they figure things out as they typically do come season’s end. Plus, it’ll be fun seeing Travis Hafner in pinstripes for the Cleveland opener…pretty fitting.” [Camino/WTAM.com]

—-

“The context was that going into the 2011, the usual suspects in Cleveland media were pounding the table for drafting ‘a playmaker.’ As though it’s a position. As though the line of scrimmage just takes of itself. As the coaching and game planning and play calling don’t have an effect on ‘plays’ being ‘made.’ Draft playmakerz. You can’t escape it if you’re a Browns fan. You may hear ‘quarterback driven league; get a QB’ more these days and while both are laughably simplistic, ‘draft playmakers’ is never completely out of most conversations.

Anyhoozles, I suspected that drafting a ‘playmaking’ WR was a dicey proposition and personally, I was fed up with the ongoing problems finding a right tackle and wanted it fixed with a high pick. So I set out to see if we could find trends from past data.” [Kanick]