Kokinis Could Be GM Today
January 19, 2009Coast To Coast
January 19, 2009
Boy, that escalated quickly… I mean, that really got out of hand fast. First, you started dropping passes. Then we started booing you and making fun of you. Then we even started mocking your commercial endeavors like 5 hour energy. Then you yelled at us for hating you because you were from Michigan and claimed to have carried the Browns to a ten win season. And then we kept going making you the punchline of all our jokes until you basically became the only one to blame from this season other than Romeo Crennel.
Look, it never should have gotten to that point. You had a tough year. There were some bad breaks. Both your QB’s went down and had tough seasons. Your offensive coordinator seemed to have a sophomore slump as well. You didn’t have anybody to draw attention away from you as Stallworth was out and nobody emerged as a third wide receiver this year. On top of that, Winslow was hurt, which just meant a defense could lean just a bit more in your direction.
At the same time, we paid a lot of money to lose a lot of games this year as fans. We had our hopes up that our ten win season was a starting point, not the mountain top. We thought we had two good options at QB, and we thought we might just be able to challenge for an elusive playoff spot this season. You have to understand that our disappointment was going to manifest itself in an ugly fashion. And sure our drinking really doesn’t make us any more rational as fans.
Still, you dropped a lot of balls that you could have caught. But, oh heck.
Can we just drop this whole… Sorry. Bad choice of words. Can we just squash it? As it turns out, you need us and we need you. We are willing to push aside all the negativity of the last year, and move on to next year in hopes of righting this sinking ship. We know that you have room to improve, but so do we. Deep down, while we aren’t responsible for your play this season, we know that our overwhelming negativity doesn’t really help to fix anything, either.
It is the kind of acidic and self-destructive behavior that has come to define the Cleveland Browns and their fanbase. I think you probably can identify, as you also show some self-destructive behavior at times.
Well, let’s not beat a dead horse. Let’s just see if we can move on and get this team turned around with Eric Mangini and company next year. OK? We will get our self-respect back as a football team and you will gain all the marketability and success you desire in your football-playing life. If you win, we win.
C’mon.
41 Comments
I have a feeling that Braylon is not the type of player that Mangini wants around
Just say you’re sorry, Braylon. That’s all I need to hear.
Would Arizona trade Anquan Boldin for him? Both may be prima donnas, but at least Anquan doesn’t cut his routes short or pull his hands in and forget about trying to catch the ball at the first sound of a defenders’ footsteps–Boldin is tough as nails. Braylon would get to be in a bigger media market closer to L.A., with Fitzgerald taking the tough hits, and Anquan can be the #1 he wants to be without feeling underpaid next to Fitz.
From what I hear Mangini is big on discipline, and Bray Bray might get put in time out…
nope, sorry. do not want. send him and Winslow packing please, and get me some replacements.
I bet Winslow stays
Great article Craig. I agree 100%. kiddicus who are we going to get to replace these guys? It’s not like we have a tone of money under the cap thanks to Savage. It’s also not like someone will just trade us studs for our guys. And our defense is too horrible to draft good replacements for them. As Cleveland fans we always complain when we get rid of someone, and they go eslewhere to be great. I think we give up to soon. Getting rid of Winslow and Edwards wouldn’t be smart. Were we complaining last year when Winslow and Edwards were having pro bowl years? I wasn’t. Winslow may be a loud mouth at times, but I think most of that was because Savage was an @55hole!! Edwards had a bad year, but I think we have to give him another year to see if he can rebound. It is better than rolling with Sindric Steptoe and another undrafted WR. Let’s be honest, Joe J hopefully will be healthy next year, but for how long? Stallworth- YEAH RIGHT! Heiden may never be right again, and Rucker is not proven. Maybe Mangini can get Bray to concentrate. The Browns need to fill some other spots, why do we want to add another one to the list?
mj – interesting proposition! I’d pull the strings on that deal in a minute
What is an at 55 hole?
Jeremy – “As Cleveland fans we always complain when we get rid of someone, and they go eslewhere to be great.”
See Bryant, Antonio… when did that guy learn how to catch the ball?
Braylon had a bad season, but he was far from the only one. The kid has tremendous talent, and is a big target-a tough cover. Immature-yes. Cancerous-no. He needs some serious leadership to guide him, on and off the field.
A serious talent……….and needed by the Cleveland Browns. He’ll turn this past season around.
Trade him ASAP. Trade him for A. Boldin, or L. Coles, or any other unhappy receiver. Trade him for a 2nd round pick. I don’t care. We have too many needs to have that much money wrapped up in a WR that doesn’t want to be here, doesn’t catch the ball, doesn’t run his routes hard, and doesn’t block downfield. You can win without top notch wide receivers, look at the Titans, Eagles, and Ravens. Until the Browns get their salary cap priorities straight (big money to a TE, a WR, and a back up QB while no pass rusher or run stuffer) we can expect more of the same.
Hell, trade him and Donte to the Cards for Boldin and their first rounder, I’m down with that
Dear Braylon: I do not endorse either the tone or content of Craig’s open letter. You are an entertainer. I’m a paying audience member. If your immaturity, fragile ego or undeserved sense of entitlement cause you to seize up on stage, please don’t blame the audience for jeering. We see other town’s entertainers and remember past performances on this stage and expect more. Shut your mouth and try to improve your entertainment value. That’s what they pay you for. I’m actually more than fair, I’m from Cleveland. I don’t care if you’re a pro bowler every year. Secure the ball, suck it up a little when things don’t go your way, and I will be a better audience than you deserve. But don’t blame me for your inept ability to entertain. This is Show Biz. Do something else if it’s too tough for you. We’ll both be happier.
you don’t go around trading guys when they are at their lowest possible trade value….
sell low, buy high….just doesn’t have the same sort of ring to it.
now, if we could get Boldin who is a better receiver than #17 in the first place, then I’m onboard. But Coles?
Wow, I missed this story about Boldin leaving the locker room directly after the win: http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Anquan-Boldin-even-less-valuable-than-previously?urn=nfl,135311
I’d still take him over Braylon b/c he’s an absolute warrior out there, but there may be too much baggage for a new regime in Cleveland to want to take Boldin on.
What makes people think other teams would want to give up anything substantial for Braylon? He is too big of a risk to give up another top player or first round pick.
That said, I bet he has a big year next year. He wants a new contract but won’t get one unless he plays at his 07 level, and he knows that. The dude wants to be a great football player and while he has some problems with his brain, he has so much ability we should give him another chance without hassling him too much
Ricky,
If only Matt Millen were still around. What would Millen have been willing to give up for Bray Bray?
If Braylon catches the ball, the fans will forgive him – its that simple.
What really got me about BE was his comments about his charity efforts “only being in Detroit from now on”…as if a bunch of underprivileged Cleveland kids had something to do with Browns fans criticizing him and should be punished. I don’t mind him staying, but he has A LOT of growing up to do.
It amazes me how the guy had one bad year and we’re willing to let him walk out. I’ve done my share of Braylon Bashinf over the last couple months, but he’s still a good WR. Face it, the entire Browns orginization had an awful year (except Shaun Rogers) and people think Braylon’s the cause of our 4-12 record. I guess it was Braylon’s fault that Sage Rosenfield look like early 80’s Joe Montana against us. Or that Jamal Lewis had a hole a worm could barely fit in when he ran the ball. Or that Gradkowski wasn’t the second coming of Matt Cassell. YES, Braylon did drop an awful lot of passes, and seemed to give up on some plays, but he’s not the reason we were 4-12. Quinn*Edwards ’09!
Jeremy- Right on! Let’s not run the guy out of town just yet. We know he has talent, same with Winslow. Maybe that’s what these guys need is a disciplinarian to come in and drop the hammer. We can’t just give up on the talent because the guys are pouting…Sack UP Boys!!
Or maybe we need AC to come in and “throw the hammer down!”
Sorry wrong subject!
@ Jay – you say Braylon just had one bad year, are you sure he didn’t just have one good year? His stats for 2005, 2006, and 2008 are hardly exceptional.
He’s got tons of potential. But he’s entering his FA year and now is the time to decide if he’s a part of the club’s long-term plans. I’m not willing to let him walk out, but the new regime needs to evaluate all options with him–if they are going to do anything, they would be wise to do it now, before he has the chance to walk. He’s not far enough removed from his one good year for him to have no value, I’d imagine that there are at least a few teams that would take a chance on the potential he showed in 2007… I threw the Boldin thing out there on a bit of a whim, since, like Braylon, he’s a bit of a malcontent and wants out of town, but I think the Browns would be foolish not to shop him and see what his value is–especially with Savage having sold off half of this year’s draft.
The sooner he’s off the Brown’s the better. He kills drives with his drops, and his attitude sucks the energy out of the stadium. Screw him and Michigan.
whats next blockbuster deal quinn winslow and edwards to sd for lt gates and rivers give me a break the guy had an off year he will be fine in 09 o look at that i rhymed maybe ill b the next dr suss
It’s the nature of the beast anymore…
There are like 3 really good wide receivers that aren’t assholes, we can’t get them all.
We’ll keep ’em both and just have to learn.
He’ll make catches, he’s a good player and a good athlete, but the free agent market is football isn’t like baseball, we can’t just go out and buy dudes right now.
it’s funny because for years and years all i heard was people say that we need people who leave it all out on the field and we were missing guys that had an attitude and a swagger. Then we get K2 and Braylon and everyone wants them gone. K2 has done nothing (post self inflicted injuries) but go 110%, play through tough injuries, and been a go to guy on any given play. Braylon had a great season and everyone was happy that we had a good WR, he obviously had a terrible year and now everyone wants to trade him. How you think Boldin is better than Braylon is beyond me, Boldin misses half the year with knee injuries just about every season. Not to mention he’s never put up numbers like he did his rookie year. Don’t trade any of them, keep them, let them be a beast next season, draft Aaron Curry, make the playoffs, then trade k2 if he wants a new contract and extend Braylon.
Braylon Edwards
Receptions-Yds-TDs
2005 – 32-512-3
2006 – 61-884-6
2007 – 80-1289-16
2008 – 55-875-3
Boldin
2003 – 101-1377-8
2004 – 56-623-1
2005 – 102-1402-7
2006 – 83-1223-4
2007 – 71-853-9
2008 – 89-1038-11
Don’t let the facts get in the way, S-Dub.
An off year, Edwards4pres? The anomaly is 2007, not 2008.
You stole my words MJ. One great year every four years does not make a great WR. His numbers are almost Kevin Johnson-esque. This is Cleveland where it snows for half the season. Having a top WR would be a plus but not at his salary. We need to establish a running game and have WR’s that are in tune with that offensive philosophy. We are not trying to build the “Greatest show on turf”. We don’t play in a dome and don’t need soft players. Trade him for anything that would benefit this team.
If we can get better, more productive talent for Braylon, then by all means, trade him. The only problem with that is, you don’t know what ya got til ya got it. I think the Browns are definetley playoff caliper right now. I’ll go out on that limb. They are a playoff team. They are a playoff team without the proper leadership to show all those pieces how to fall into place. I already went on record as backing Mangini, and I’ll stick by my decision. On a side note, I freking LOVE this site, because of the respectable arguments. I feel I can state my mind on the current subject, and at the same time, get enlightened on someone else’s view that could open my eyes on something. So to everyone on here, thanks for being classy Cleveland fans!
Also, i hope they DON’T trade Braylon, cause I really don’t wanna have to go get another jersey. HA!
You guys dont forget that Braylon Edwards lead the league this year in drops. A total of 16, just something I wanted to point out.
mj-to be fair, BE hurt his knee mid year of his rookie season and then had major surgery. Returning his second year after the surgery with 61 catches was not bad at all considering the circumstances. He followed that up with an all-pro season. I still submit that last year was his first really bad year…..those stats cannot be compared to Bolden’s situation in any respect.
You also have to remember that Zona runs a totally different offense that we do, not to mention Warner is a pretty good QB. I hate saying that, but they are in the SB.
[…] know that we’re attempting to reconcile with Edwards before the 2009 season starts. With a Browns team that needs all of the help it can […]
@Randy – I would point out that Boldin missed games due to injury in four of his six years, and has produced at a higher level in spite of his injuries and missed time.
I didn’t begin with the intention to make a case for Boldin, just tossed the idea out there… but I would take Boldin’s toughness over Braylon cutting his routes short and avoiding contact at all costs. A WR like Braylon isn’t a necessary prerequisite to field a winning team–look at this year’s conference championships, only AZ has truly elite WRs–I think he’s more of a luxury, and his downside (immaturity, potential to be a cancer) can easily outweigh the benefits he may bring on the field–particularly for a team with as many holes as we have.
The reason I posted the stats was in response to silly comments like “Not to mention he’s never put up numbers like he did his rookie year” and “How you think Boldin is better than Braylon is beyond me”. I really didn’t mean to sidetrack the thread into a Braylon vs Anquan debate… 😉
No matter, though, it’s all opinion and conjecture. Personally, I jumped off the Braylon bandwagon after the Dallas game this year–that play where he watched the ball sail through his arms and missed what should have been a sure TD catch when he pulled his arms in to avoid contact because he noticed the defender in his peripheral vision, who was too far away to make the play. The final nail in the coffin were his comments about how he resurrected the team last year, and would punish all the local schoolkids that his charity helped because of the boos. Personally, I’ve got a tough time getting behind a guy like that.
@Jeremy – Fair enough. But I should point out that Boldin has produced in other offensive systems (pre-Whisenhunt) and his success hasn’t been contingent on Warner throwing him the ball. In 2003 it was Jeff Blake. 2004 starters were Josh McCown, Shaun King, and John Navarre. Warner started 10 games in 2005, to McCown’s 6. Leinert arrived to start 11 games in 2006 and five in 2007 before Warner reclaimed the starting job.
@MJ good research. I don’t want to argue the fact that Boldin is better than Braylon. He is, I will give you that. The fact of the matter is that Braylon is on our team and Boldin is on their team. I highly doubt they will just give us Boldin for a bag of balls and Braylon. If they would, then I would love to talk to them about some great land in Florida I have for sale. It might be a little swampy, but possibly workable!! HAHA!. JK I just want to see if Braylon is more like 2007, or 2008. I am so afraid that we get rid of him and becomes a stud like ’07. All because we gave up on him after a horrible season. When the previous 4 were pretty decent.
nope, still don’t want. read all 37 of the previous comments (mine included) and although I respect Craig’s opinion (usually) and his writing ability, Braylon can take a hike.
As the numbers above pointed out, he’s a stiff with ONE good year under his belt, acting like he’s the next coming of Randy Moss. I’ll take two Jurevicius’ for one of him. We need smart, headstrong, good route-running WRs with HANDS THAT CATCH BALLS.
@Jeremy – I don’t necessarily disagree with you. I’m not even certain I’d say Boldin is a better WR, they are very different players… Boldin is almost like having a RB at WR, and he’s got toughness that Braylon lacks. On the other hand, if Braylon actually tried and met all his potential, I don’t doubt that he would be on a different level than Boldin (though I’d maintain Boldin’s style of play is more suited for a BAL or PIT type of offense that we should be playing in CLE.) Boldin made it clear prior to the season that he wanted out of there, but was a good soldier all year (at least until the NFCCG blowup.) They’re unlikely to give him a new contract because of how much they’ve got invested at WR with Fitz, and now the emergence of Steve Breaston, so he’s a likely trade candidate… but who knows, this is just us fans speculating… =-)
The thing is, with Braylon approaching his FA year, I’d hate to see the Browns stand pat with him and then watch him walk and get nothing in return–it’s fairly clear that the chances of Braylon signing with the Browns if he has other options available are somewhere between slim and none. I’d like to think that the new regime will make fair assessments of our roster, and then they’ve got a decision to make… has Braylon shown enough to warrant trying to lock him down with a new contract? Or can he bring better value in players or picks via trade? It comes down to what they expect he can do on a team without a defense, a low-end running game, and an unsettled QB situation… and it’s worth noting that Braylon has only not become a locker room problem the one year when all the stars seemed to be aligned. It’s possible that his value may never be higher than it is right now.
@kiddicus I would hardly call Braylon’s career “stiff”esque. Take away this year, and he has been pretty good, considering the circumstances. You are right I would take 2 Joe Jurevicious’s over him too. The fact of the matter is that we don’t have that. We barely have one JJ right now. If we get rid of Braylon now, what does that leave us with? Another argument I have heard is that the WR corpse that the Championship teams employ. Great some are mediocre, but one thing those teams have that we don’t……. GREAT DEFENSES!!! I am by no means saying that Braylon is the best WR. I am saying that he is the best that we have right now. I just don’t see anyone giving us anything of great value for him. Let’s build our defense up. I hear Lito Sheppard could be available. He would look good in a Browns uni. So would Peppers, and so would T Suggs. If we could get one of these guys, then trade Bray for say a high 2nd round pick and turn that into another WR. I like that. Heck why don’t we sign T Suggs and Sheppard. Then trade Bray to Carolina for Peppers. Then we could burn our 5th pick for a stud WR. WOW, sorry for rambling!!!
[…] January 19, 2009 – “Dear Braylon Edwards” […]