Dan Gilbert Backs Casinos for Ohio
March 12, 2009Preview: Blue Jackets vs. Penguins (Game 68)
March 12, 2009We all know that Joe Jurevicius is gone now. The Browns had a press release that I am sure everyone has read. Now, the time is right for the WFNY staff to get long-winded and hit you with a marathon of varying opinion about Joe Jurevicius’ departure. It says a whole lot about how sentimental Browns fans are that we even decided to spend this much time talking about a 3rd receiver at age 34 who missed all of last season. Either that or it shows just how desperate we all are to cling on to anything. Well enough. I am editorializing before my editorial section so here. First up is me introducing myself in the third person.
Craig’s opinion is:
Joe Jurevicius is gone and that is sad. At the same time, we know that this is the NFL. The overall health of the team is maybe a 30-40% factor of success and failure in a given season. Given that knowledge, there isn’t a lot of time for feel-good stories. If we’ve learned nothing from the last few years, shouldn’t we have learned that? It makes for a nice story to talk about LeCharles Bentley, Joe Jurevicius and even Gary Baxter who we were rallying around because he seemed so dedicated. At the end of the day, if there is a good chance the dude isn’t going to play or isn’t going to play long, he isn’t good for an NFL roster.
Now maybe the Browns brass is wrong about Jurevicius and he will contribute in a meaningful way for one more year. Given his history over the last few years, is there any way any of you would be able to justify him playing for anything more than the veteran minimum? Is there any reason to spend more than the veteran minimum for a guy who is MAYBE going to play one year? That money could (and should) go to undrafted free agents who might have the chance to be special for years to come. Joe Jurevicius didn’t make a difference this past year and only a fool would wager more than the veteran minimum that he would be a difference maker this year either. And it pains me to say it, but it is the truth.
DP had this to say:
I wrestled with the Winslow trade. I could at least weigh pros and cons with that one. With this move, I see no pros whatsoever. First and foremost, purely as a fan of the team, getting rid of JJ is a slap in my face. The guy came home, because he wanted to play for his hometown team. He is probably one of the most–if not THE most–loved players on this team. Nope. See ya. Don’t let the door hit ya where the Good Lord split ya. To me, this smacks of the Chicago White Sox’ 1997 “White Flag” trade: that team was not that far out of a playoff spot, but traded away all of their big names for prospects at the deadline.
Obviously, that’s apples and oranges, here, but the message is the same: the new brass is telling both the team and the fans that they don’t think they can win this year and that they need to start over. Which not only contradicts what Mangini said when he was hired, but basically means we’re going to suck for a season or two MORE before anything changes. And, rather than letting us fans have a guy that we can admire and rally behind as his career comes to a close, we get to watch Syndric Steptoe lineup at the #2 receiver position. Kokinis: “Joe’s done a lot. I know what he means to this team.” Clearly he doesn’t. These guys better be Jimmy Johnson reincarnate (what?) on draft day… that’s all I can say.
Todd Dery is on record:
Joe Jurevicius was a good solider from the day he set foot in Berea. He was one of the few who actually wanted to play here and fulfill his dream of finishing his career in front of family and friends. Unfortunately for Joe, his knee gave out on him and the Staph infection bug caught him and robbed him of the second half of what was a lost 2008 season. After sitting out a full year, with a new coach and renewed optimism (or at least that is what we all thought there should be), JJ would come back to be that key third down possession receiver for either Derek Anderson of Brady Quinn, especially in the wake of the Kellen Winslow trade.
But seriously folks, what else did you think was going to happen? Jurevicius was a loyal Romeo Crennel supporter who even went to owner Randy Lerner to support his embattled coach towards the end of last season. Couple that fact with the uncertainty of his knee, you just knew ManKok was going to cut the cord with the veteran wide-out.
Am I crushed over this? No, because I fully expected this to happen. Kokinis and Mangini vowed to change the culture in Berea and purge the roster. What is odd is that Jurevicius told the media in a statement that he offered to take a “steep pay-cut” to keep his “dream alive” of putting a bow around his career in his home town. Mangini and Kokinis are not ones for sentiment.
In the meantime, the Browns have a major hole with guys who can catch the ball.
Scott, a penny for your thoughts?
The portion of his release that I take issue with is that after “extensive conversations,” they were “unable to reach an agreement.” To me, this reads that the team wanted Jurevicius to take a pay cut and he would not. Given that he went through countless surgeries due to staph that he acquired (one of the many), he obviously felt that he deserved a full paycheck. The flip side of the coin is that he was a Savage/Crennel guy, so all deals that were on the table last season no longer existed.
Eric Mangini claiming that he knows what football means to this area obviously only runs so deep. There’s a good chance that Jurevicius never regained full strength. He was undoubtedly on the tail end of his career, as he planned on retiring a Brown. However, this regime does not have the wiggle room or salary cap space to be doing favors. I get that. A class act on and off of the field. But it sounds like it was something that had to be done from a business standpoint.
Another fan favorite bites the dust… What Jet receivers are still out there to fill his roster spot?
Rock doesn’t just talk basketball…
I don’t have a whole lot to say about this. I liked Joe a lot, and I loved having him on the Browns. It was nice having guys on the team in whom wearing the orange and brown actually meant something a little more than just a paycheck. However, this is a business, and if you get too caught up on sentimentality, you can end up hurting the team’s chances of winning in the long run. I have no idea whatsoever what kind of shape Joe is in and what his knee looks like, but when he says he was willing to take a steep pay cut to stay here, and the Browns management still cut him, that hurts. A lot.
The Browns sorely missed Joe’s abilities on the field and his leadership off the field last season, and I was looking forward to getting that back. Now, the Browns are shockingly thin in terms of people who can catch the ball. So, from my position as armchair quarterback, I don’t like this move. I’m not exactly sure at this point what kind of team identity the Browns are going for. They got rid of Winslow (who supposedly wanted more money) and they got rid of Jurevicius (who supposedly was willing to take less money). Perhaps the common bond is simply the injuries. Maybe at this point the Browns’ new leadership is finally trying to do something about this franchise’s awful history with injuries.
Regardless, as has been my stance from day one, I’m not going to get too worked up over anything until I see what the product looks like on the field, because yes, that’s the only thing that really matters to me. If the Browns show improvements this year, then I can handle the sentimental loss of guys like Winslow and Jurevicius. However, with every questionable move, the leash I am willing to give Kokinis and Mangini grows shorter and shorter. For now, I will suffer the slaps to the face if it makes the Browns a better team. The bottom line is, I’m going to miss Joe and I hope succeeds this year wherever he winds up.
30 Comments
I don’t understand, if JJ says he’s healthy and has 1 more year left in him, and was willing to take a pay cut, what’s the issue? Joe was absoutely one of my favorites on this team, the dude loved being in Cleveland, Loved suiting up for the Browns, and when he was on the field, was a first down machine. Who the hell is whichever QB (another issue) going to throw to?! Stallworth-less? If the “injury” issue is the common bond to cutting ties, why is that guy still employed? What did he play, 4 games last year? This is just really upsetting news to me. I understand the business side, but I’m tired of the rebuild mentality, especially when it wasn’t suppose to be a rebuild effort.
Good points made by all on what is a difficult issue for Browns fans. I must say, though, that Rock’s take had me nodding my head the entire time I read it. Much love for JJ, and it would have been nice to see him back out there in the brown & orange, but it IS a business. At the end of the day, I want to see a better team after all of this–and moves like this only increase my demands for improvement.
Most importantly, best of luck to Joe, whatever he does from here on out. Truly a class act.
“I don’t understand, if JJ says he’s healthy and has 1 more year left in him, and was willing to take a pay cut, what’s the issue?”
Thats the thing… we don’t know that all three of those things are true. Remember, LeCharles Bentley said that he was ready to go last year and was picked up by no one.
im still gonna wear your jersey, joe jurevicious.
the dude was a true fan, and a true competitor.
*raises glass*
So a 3rd receiver who might or might not play this year being cut equals rebuild?
Also, I expect something to happen with Stallworth before the season starts. I can’t imagine they will just let him walk onto the field with the current contract.
Rock said it best- we’ll have to wait and see if these moves translate into wins. As long as they’re not changing the uniforms to include green pants, let Man-Kok do whatever they feel is necessary to win in 2009.
If green pants would help this team win, so be it.
I loved JJ’s character, but his bad luck was the undoing of his planned retirement in cleveland. Sure he’s a great guy, but just because he’s willing to take a pay cut, doesn’t mean you are going to use up a roster spot on a guy who’s got MAYBE one year left who’s coming off a knee surgery and staph infection. I really wish that didn’t happen to joe, but unfortunately for him and us, it did. one thing i’m noticing with all these free agent signings, is that while Mangini and Kokinis aren’t signing any big name free agents, they are signing (in ever increasing numbers) a lot of guys who while they aren’t superstars, they’re fairly solid. I agree with Rock’s take that perhaps they are just trying get rid of as many injury-prone or recently injured players as they can. Sort of like rebooting to clear out some of the bugs in the system. maybe they have a plan as far as the receiving corps goes. maybe they have some trades or draft picks they have their eyes on who can give us some offensive weapons, and hopefully some new competition will inspire braylon to look over his shoulder enough to catch a ball.
I have no problem with this, as they are clearly in the middle of a REBUILD (there, I said it). BTW, how do we decide someone is good for the team “in the locker room”? Did Joe help school Braylon and Kellen in how to keep from being distractions? Assist Steptoe in precise route-running? Sometimes it seems we say this about a player because Grossi says it is so, which might only mean that a guy is always willing to give a reporter a quote. I admired him as a player, but what we saw at the end of the Crennel regime was a team ready for a cold scalpel and a butt kicking. JJ was brought in as a complimentary player. He’s virtually done. Turn the page.
Craig, I don’t think *just* cutting JJ signals a rebuild, but cleaning house certainly does. Winslow, Davis, Jones, JJ, etc. while not Pro-Bowlers (with one exception, of course) were all starters when playing. And, there haven’t been commensurate new players brought in.
Honestly, I guess I don’t care that they’re rebuilding when I look at it logically. What I’m ticked about is that they told us they wouldn’t have to, and yet here they are doing it.
It frustrates me that Mangini and Co. are working so hard to “clean house” of the old Browns. I know this team has a lot of improving to do, but they are not as bad as that 4-12 record indicates. I feel like Mangini and Co. are deliberately setting up a storyline of how bad last year’s team was so they can brag about “improvement” when the team goes 5-11 this year. Oh well.
Harv 21 FTW…
He wasn’t going to play this year probably. He made too much money. I don’t understand you guys sometimes. The FO makes a good football move an you criticize it? Aren’t they doing whats best for the Cleveland Browns here?
I didn’t see a ton of people crying when Baxter was cut because he couldn’t play, or Bentley. Oh, but that was ok because we went 10-6 the season before and were going to the playoffs that year? Either applaud when a good football decision happens or just choose to hate everything that is done in the off season and DON’T cheer during the season.
Third receiver is gone. Boo hoo. yes, it sucks that he was a local and wanted to play for the team and retire near home, but it’s a business.
#s 13 and 14: Let’s frame it this way: if JJ HAD agreed to take a paycut and they STILL had cut him, would that change things?
For me, the fan in me is sad to see him go. And while it might be a good football decision, my distaste for the move comes from the signal it shows.
Also, to those who call him the “#3 receiver” name me two others who are a ton better on this roster.
I hate to see him go, but I understand it’s a business. But if you’re going to trade a TE who is like our #2 receiver, then cut the guy who you can depend on as a reliable 3rd down option, you better bring someone else in.
Seems like we might be passing the ball 5 times a game with the way we’re treating out receivers.
Doe this mean that Cribbs is finally our legitimate third receiver, like he should’ve been during the Crennel era? This move definitely seems like a positive for the Browns; I’ll go on record as saying this team WILL have a better record than last year (and perhaps make the playoffs). My only concern is if we do not pick up a decent corner b4 the season starts.
If Joe is not with another team next year, I can easily envision him sitting in the stands with all of us fans enjoying a football game (notice I didn’t say the Browns, I said football). Thats just the type of guy he seemed to be, and that is why I will miss him.
This was part of a statement from JJ:
“I know there is still plenty of good football left in me,” Jurevicius said in the statement. “So please don’t throw any dog biscuits my way when I return to Cleveland Stadium.”
It is just business, but I do feel for the guy.
The front office is in a lose-lose on this one from a PR persepective. But it is always best to cut the classy fan-favorite early and give them a chance to latch on to another team. The low-brow move is to wait and cut them in camp, which doesn’t give the player a chance to latch on somewhere.
@S-Dub… I agree with you. There were a lot of varying opinions and statements in our piece. Don’t think all us writers are always on the same page. I am sad from a fan perspective, but I don’t begrudge the front office this move.
Wouldn’t you all rather have another NY Jets castoff or Steptoe as your backup receiver rather than a thirty-four year old veteran team leader? I mean, if the guy was willing to take a paycut but not one that would take him down to the lowly veteran bottom minimum who needs him right? I’d much rather collect the over 30 year-old former NY Jets drecks that Mangini is picking up and lining their pockets rather than former hometown heroes.
Guys-please, all this talk about rebuilding and not winning for 2/3 years is not plausible. Mangini doesn’t have 2/3 years to waddle around and claim rebuilding-he needs to and should show a competitive team from the get go.
Joe J., plain and simple, was the man. I remember watching an interview with him a few weeks back where he was saying that he wanted to get back out there on the field because of us fans, and that his motivation was passing the Muni lot everyday and seeing the Faithful. The guy is a hometown boy who would pour his heart and soul out for the orange and brown because of the love of football and the love of cleveland. His loyalty, leadership, and determination will be missed. And for all those “its a business,” I disagree. I think its more than a business, its a culture, and Joe was certainly a huge part of this; someone the fans could relate to. Mangini/Kokinis is definitely not on my good side right now. Best of luck to Joe, i’ll still wear your jersey proudly.
Joe Jurevicius should not have been let go. This is a guy who means a lot to the fans and to the rest of the locker room, and that’s something that doesn’t show up on the stat sheet or on wins and losses.
The fans in the city of Cleveland, as starved for a championship as we may be, are built on something deeper than simply winning. If we were only about the W’s, we’d have given up years ago. We’re built on a blue-collar work ethic, and a genuine pride in ourselves, regardless of what anyone else may say about us. Joey Jurevicius embodied both of these (no wonder… he’s a Cleveland guy).
I don’t know if I blame Mangini/Kokinis or not, but this was a bonehead move. Best of luck to Joe, and thanks to all he’s given us.
Come on. We were 4-12 last year! Who on this team is really untouchable? Do we really know what Joe brought to the locker room? If the team is turning over, who knows if his locker room leadership would have had the same impact. Bottom line is do it on the field.
If Joe was 30 and coming back different story. HE’S 34 AND COMING OFF OF MAJOR SURGERY(S). We do love the blue collar types from our area that want to play here, but is he the best option for this team to improve?
One of the great things about being fans is that we all have our opinions, but the fact that so many are bent about a receiver who was at the end of his career when he came here makes me glad those fans aren’t running the team.
As fans we do relate to players because they represent our team, but it also shows why I will never own a jersey with a players’ name on the back because I root for the team no matter what name is on the back. #17 will always be Brian Sipe to me just as 82 will always be Ozzie and 19 Bernie, but unless that jersey is retired, the name on the back is temporary, and the colors will endure.
Good luck Joe, thanks for your contribution.
I graduated with Joe from Lake Catholic, class of ’93’ It was cool watching him play then and now. It was even cooler to see my daughter walk around in his jersey. I have pics of him from highschool in a scrapbook… oh those were the days. I understand it’s a business and all but what was one more year? i mean seriously guys do you see us in the playoffs next year… i sure as heck don’t. I love my brown and orange and devote every Sunday to this team even here in Florida… there is a whole group of us that does. Yes we get attached, shouldn’t we? Other teams have guys who devote their careers to their teams, why can’t we? Oh and Dave… i own a #19 Kosar and an #84 Jurevicious but no more, i’ll stick with my simple Cleveland Browns t-shirt and hat.
He’s a 34 yr old receiver whose as fast as a slow TE, we saved $3mill in cap space, and LeCharles said he was healthy enough to play for another team AND that teams were calling him even. I liked Joe and wish he wouldn’t have gotten hurt because he could’ve helped us A LOT last year. But he did get hurt and it’s time to move on.
@#23 -“someone the fans could relate to”
I don’t relate to any of these guys… They average millions in income…. get away with tons of nonsense socially… live in a small class of society… I can’t believe anybody even believes this….
Joey, if you are reading this I am crying, I loved you and this makes me absolutely sick!
I was sure going to try to give this new regime a chance…………………I am shaking my head