Angels 5 Indians 2: More of the Same
April 27, 2010The Browns Passed on Taylor Mays – Get Over It
April 27, 2010
This Browns team has many holes to fill. That theme was used repeatedly when talking about which players the Browns might draft. Team President Mike Holmgren even used it to say that the Browns “really couldn’t go wrong” no matter which positions they addressed through the draft.
After the dust settled from the weekend the Browns found themselves with instant upgrades to the defensive backfield (CB Joe Haden and Safeties TJ Ward and Larry Asante) and potential upgrades to the Running Back pool (Maontario Hardesty) and Receiving corps (Carlton Mitchell). Not to mention the heir apparent dreamy clipboard carrier (Colt McCoy). Yes, they also got a little depth on the O-Line (Shawn Lauvao) and a wild-card in ginormous Clifton Geathers.
The point is that holes remain. The Browns didn’t address the pass rush until their last pick. I highly doubt they are expecting much from Geathers this season, other than a monster field goal kick blocker. They traded away their top sack man the from the last three seasons in Wimbley. Asking recently signed Scott Fujita to become a sack specialist is probably a bad move since Fujita had 7.5 sacks in his four years in New Orleans. Pressuring the QB really isn’t his game. The Browns may not be entirely sure of the future of NT Shaun Rogers either. You will remember that Rogers had his little incident at the airport (if you call bringing a gun there a little incident.) We haven’t heard the last of that situation, but even before Rogers’ packing mistake (see what I did there, it goes both ways!) there were whispers that Cleveland may try to move the massive defensive lineman.
So with cuts happening post-draft, and no cap in place for next season it begs the question- could the Browns add more pieces? One such piece is Adalius Thomas, who was unceremoniously and unsurprisingly dumped by the New England Patriots yesterday. At least one football insider thinks the Browns could be players for Thomas (Adam Caplan). I have a few problems with this line of thought. First, Thomas didn’t do very well in the Patriots’ 3-4 system which makes me wonder how he’d do in ours. Second, Thomas will be 33 when camp breaks. He’ll likely want a deal with some security, and I’m not sure the Browns would be that interested in plugging Thomas in for more than a year or two max. I also doubt that Thomas wants to play for someone other than a contender, and specifically the Jets. His relationship with Rex Ryan is a strong one from their days in Baltimore.
Another name out there is former Jaguar DT John Henderson. Adam Schefter reported that the Browns were potential trade partners for Henderson before the draft, and you would have to assume that if there was truth to that rumor they would be interested in signing him as well. The 31 year old Henderson had a monster game against the Browns last season, recoding seven tackles in the season finale. That’s a good number for an interior lineman. Some of the same questions (about Thomas) linger about Henderson. With Henderson it seems unlikely that he would be blocking anyone’s development, assuming that they wouldn’t be keeping Rogers if they added him. Rubin and Henderson could split time at the NT spot much the same way that Rogers and Rubin have.
A third name that has floated around conversations at WFNY is guard Alan Faneca. The former Jet will be 34 before the season is finished. I don’t see the Browns as a realistic spot for Faneca to land. The Browns have a lot of money wrapped up in the offensive line, and it would take a decent amount of cash to lure Faneca to a non-contender. Signing Faneca would likely mean cutting Womak or John St. Clair. On second thought…
(Photo by Jarrett Baker/Getty Images)
18 Comments
I’m luke warm on Thomas and Faneca, but definitely like the idea of bringing in Henderson. The man is a prescience in the middle and can fill the void we’ll have when Rogers gets suspended.
Another name that may surface real soon is Bobby Carpenter. He hasn’t done much in the NFL, but he’s had guys like Ware, Spears and Ellis in front of him. It may be worth giving him another shot, but we may have to outbid Miami and Parcells to do it.
*presence
Prescience??? Really spell check?
Could Henderson play DE in a 3-4?
Get Faneca in here asap. Jets had the top rushing offense last year and they ran between the tackles like crazy. I’m guessing the dude can still bring it for at least another year.
@BrianRut- I would question whether Henderson has the lateral speed to play DE in a 3-4, but I’m not a scout or coach.
“packing mistake”… I like it.
Tampa Bay was rumored to cut Hovan, a Clevelander. Any interest in adding him to the pass-rush?
I’m not nearly as excited about any of those names as I am about the idea of cutting John St. Clair. If there’s a way to make that happen, I say get it done ASAP.
Any amount of money is worth it if the Browns cut John “El Matador” St. Clair.
Hovan ? I thought he was done before the Bucs got him and that was quite a few years ago.
Bobby Carpenter wouldn’t be a bad pickup. More depth to the LB core and he’s young. I’m really surprised he’s available.
I dont like the idea of Henderson so much. Rubin played great at the NT position at the end of the year and should be the starter. Would Henderson really want to be a back-up in a new position (DT is not NT). If Hovan can play DE I could see him coming in since we have a lot of old injury prone guys there.
Carpenter didnt do well at all in the 34 D… I would be iffy to bring him in, esp. when we have a plethora of players that can play ILB.
last thing- any chance Veikune can move to a DE in the 34. I dont know his size really, and no one knows his skill set seeing as how he didnt play… but we have so many options at ILB that arent him, you would at least expect him to go OLB. If hes big enough I would try him at DE.
I volunteer to play on the Oline if it means St. Clair will be cut. I too can get out of the way of large defenders with ease, and I won’t even ask for more than the veteran minimum! Think of the savings!
“last thing- any chance Veikune can move to a DE in the 34.”
DEs in a 3-4 should be close to or above 300lbs. Veikune is 255-260. So, no.
ya i didnt realy bother to look at viekune’s size/wt. Maybe they just start putting him on Mangini’s or Roger’s diet?
People keep knocking the Browns’ pass rush, but they had 40 sacks last year; that was good for 8th in the NFL and up from 17 sacks in 2008 (2nd last).
Clearly, I’ll take any D-line help we can get, but the Browns got to the QB last year. I don’t think that’s their biggest hole.
Henderson is the only guy I would spend FA money on right now. He has KILLED the Steelers everytime I’ve seen them play.