While We’re Waiting… Camp Meyer, C.J. Miles, and Jimmy Haslam
August 4, 2012Jimmy Haslam Represents Possibility and Opportunity
August 4, 2012The Cleveland Browns have sustained another critical blow to their defensive front seven this morning. Reports out of Berea (including from our own Rick Grayshock) indicate that linebacker Chris Gocong was carted off the field after suffering an injury to his lower right leg. Some (including Tony Grossi and Mary Kay Cabot) are speculating that due to the nature of his reaction after planting his foot to change directions that it was his Achilles. The Browns are painfully thin behind Gocong with fifth-rounder James-Michael Johnson and Kaluka Maiava being the most likely candidates. The Browns are already facing the loss of defensive tackle Phil Taylor for significant time this season as well as the suspension for linebacker Scott Fujita, so this was a blow that will certainly cripple the team defense.
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/Darth Vader voice
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
/end Darth Vader voice
What we read about JMJ earlier this week makes me feel a little better, I suppose
LB is the WR of the defense. If they were relying on Gocong before the injuries they had issues. Maybe a veteran LB will be released as teams cut down this summer.
Its not a good sign when the loss of a possibly slightly above average linebacker will “certainly cripple the team defense.”. If that is actually the case, the D would not have been too good with him. I actually don’t think it’s the case. If we can sign a vet free agent for depth, we will not lose all that much. The Taylor loss is much more significant, IMO.
Typo: meant to say, “I actually think its NOT the case….”
Richardson better be ready to play both ways.
With the first pick in the 2013 NFL draft….
The bad gets worse: Gocong is on the IR with a torn Achilles. We need to sign an OLB for the strong side; we have plenty of cap space.
There’s always someone lost for the season in summer camp. There are some veteran 3-4 LBs on the roster bubble of other teams who are tallking to their agents right now about the Browns. Crazy risky to let a rookie LB like Johnson start without any strong veteran presence next to him. Not with the d-line already down a starter. They’ll have to sign someone who might have to start immediately.
for 3 games. this injury just made Fujita an important player on our team. i don’t think we go after a vet (we’ll likely start JMJ/DQ/Maiava now)
also, Heckert looks prescient now in that his defensive drafting selected 2 DTs (for Phil Taylor’s spot now) and 2 LBers (to help make up for Fujita’s 3 games and Gocong now).
now, we just need those guys to be good (as they were mostly middle to later picks)
Like the scout said about Ted Washington a few years ago, Fujita’s retired but doesn’t know it yet. Hasn’t made any impact since a few games in ’09, even when healthy. Omnipresent with the media, invisible on the field. So the LB draft picks weren’t prescient at all, more like a stone cold necessity. This season they’ll need a vet who can play. Heck would have been watching the cuts even if Fujita wasn’t suspended.
I agree, but he’s (Fujita) sadly important to our team as we have no LB depth now with Gocong out.
I don’t know who is going to be cut that would be much of an upgrade honestly. we’ll see.