Browns finish preseason undefeated with 25-0 win over Bears
August 31, 2017Ohio State starts low, topples Indiana in season opener, 49-21
September 1, 2017Happy Friday everyone. I’m not commenting on the Browns’ fourth preseason game at all, but I am finally weighing in on the Joe Haden release and signing with the Steelers. Before I get there, however, I want to tell you about Patreon. I don’t know if you’ve noticed what’s happening in the sports media landscape, but it isn’t a lot of profit. WFNY is a labor of love and it needs the support of its audience to stay alive. Thanks so much to all those who continue to support. I met a Patreon supporter yesterday and it’s so cool. So please consider it if you like what we do here. Now, about the Browns.
Is this another miscalculation by the Browns’ front office?
Sometimes it feels like Sashi Brown and his crew outsmart themselves. That’s how it felt with the ultimate loss of Mitchell Schwartz. That’s the way I felt with how the Terrelle Pryor situation worked out. Now that Joe Haden is a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, I’ve got that sinking feeling once again.
Before we get to the Browns, let’s talk about what it is that Joe Haden got from the Steelers. Haden’s deal included a $5.75 million signing bonus and salary of $1.25 million. That $7 million is all that’s actually guaranteed to Haden, and that’s all he’s likely to earn from the Steelers via this deal. There’s almost a zero-percent chance that Joe Haden sees the $9 million salary in year two of the deal, let alone the $10 million in year three. Most likely the Steelers cut or keep Joe Haden next season by ripping up the old deal or taking the cap hit of $3.8 million to say goodbye.
Back to the Browns, that $7 million is reportedly the same amount the Browns wanted Joe Haden to play for in Cleveland after unsuccessfully finding a trade partner. It’s just so hard to believe that the same team that managed a fifth-round pick for first-round buster Cameron Erving couldn’t find a willing taker for Joe Haden even with an $11 million salary. Granted, that salary is a bit hard to place in a capped league. Granted, a team that wanted Haden could presumably just wait and try and sign him later. Still, the Browns’ job is to find someone who wants to take him and get anything in return. They seem to have failed to do that. Or did they?
The timing of everything, including the rumors that the Browns were shopping Joe Haden heavily, followed by the rumor of asking for a pay cut, followed by the release of Joe Haden, makes me think. The Browns offered him a pay cut meaning they wanted to keep him. When this all went down with a rare Browns fan-favorite, it seems to me that the Browns didn’t get what they wanted at all in this situation. In their handling of the deal – not finding a trade partner and then not getting a salary reduction – they end up watching a former Pro Bowl player who is beloved by Browns fans everywhere released and signed by the team’s most historical and hated rival.
It’s quite obviously not at all what they were going for and they put themselves in a position where a historically popular Browns player likely called them out, asked for his release, got a classy exit, and put himself in a position to embarrass the team twice a year.
I’m not saying that’s how it’s going to work out. I’m not convinced that Joe Haden is ever going to be the Pro Bowl caliber player that we came to love. I consistently discuss the Browns and their moves as if I’m judging the front office as a poker player. In yet another case where they had a chance to play poker, it seems like they lost this hand.
I like the players they’ve drafted and signed in free agency. I love the new offensive line, the Jamie Collins trade, and subsequent signing. I’m not saying this front office is a disaster or all bad. I am saying, however, that they’re showing a consistency in personnel dealings and it’s not good. There’s a striking similarity in the losses of players like Joe Haden, Terrelle Pryor, and Mitchell Schwartz. In all those cases the Browns had a sense of reality, presumably wanted to keep each of them, and yet managed to watch all three exit for very reasonable dollar amounts. You can congratulate them for not overpaying guys, I guess, but until we can congratulate them for keeping key talent and winning football games, you have to keep these guys on notice.
Manchester Orchestra has graduated to a new level…
This might as well be a personal email to Andrew. We’ve discussed music for the better part of a decade now, but sometimes we need to spend extra time convincing each other of things. Manchester Orchestra is one where I think we both like them, but I like them more recently than Andrew does. I think this video of one of their new songs will prove my point that they’ve taken a leap forward, even from their early stuff that I love to a ridiculous degree.
126 Comments
I’m afraid his price is puns, but his appetite is insatiable.
This is the worst thing you could have ever said to me. VT fans hate WVU even more than we hate our supposed rival, UVA.
Trade me for a 4th round draft pick?
I’m sorry, in a parallel world, a just world, this would have triggered Bode’s Participation Trophy uptick .. .and that’s it.
hi TIM … LMAO !!!!
But it’s layered! In addition to the pun, it alludes to a previous clever comment of yours! Layers, Harv! Layers.
Besides, I’m pretty sure that you wanted to uptick it, but decided it was more worthy of a response, even if a faux critical response. I take your reply as an uptick. In fact, I’m going to uptick it myself, which will serve as your proxy vote.
I wonder what G_O get’s flustered about…
Steelers CB’s from current depth chart vs Browns CB’s:
Artie Burns – 75.9 PFF Grade = Average
Ross Cockrell – 79.1 PFF Grade = Average
William Gay – 82.9 PFF Grade = Above Average
Coty Sensabaugh – 49.9 Grade = Poor
BBC – 61.3 Grade = below avg
McCourty – 72.1 = Average
Taylor – 82.0 = Above average
Not a lot of variance there.
fine. Me too
This seems to be the direction. They will be tested with Brock. We won’t overpay someone to keep them, unless we get a 2nd round pick to do it?
We actually have no idea what that tastes like.
I’ve been pretty clear on what I think about the Browns CBs.
Wasn’t taking a shot at you there. Was genuinely curious what the PFF comparisons would be. I thought they would favor the Browns actually.
Much higher for Cockrell than I would have thought. Others not too surprising. Pat hopes this is a rebound year for Downtown Abbey.
http://i.imgur.com/IuBKILC.jpg
Gay is listed as 2nd string on the depth chart, and Burns is a 2016 1st round pick. Not a lot of glory there.
Yes.
I believe the interpretation is asking if a CB4 worth $7m?
This is where the Browns lose me, if the reports are accurate. I agree, he is probably a CB4 and not worth $7m, but supposedly the Browns would have kept him for $7M. Either that report is wrong and the Browns were asking for a bigger paycut or they knew he wasn’t going to take it and were just posturing for the offset.
Alternate theory: Haden taking a pay cut to $7m would have allowed an easier time to trade him because it would have changed the cap math.
well done , MARTY !
If they told Haden they were going to cut him if he didn’t take a paycut with the intent of trading him, then we have a big problem in the FO.
Latest roster cuts…
RB Brandon Wilds (injury designation)
WR Josh Boyce (contract terminated)
WR Mario Alford
WR Richard Mullaney
WR Rasheed Bailey
TE Taylor McNamara
TE Nate Iese
OL Kitt O’Brien
DL Karter Schult
DL Brandon Thompson (contract terminated)
LB B.J. Bello
LB Ladell Fleming
CB Trey Caldwell
CB Channing Stribling
CB Alvin Hill
S J.D. Harmon
S Christian Bryant
OTHER MOVES
CB Howard Wilson played on Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform (PUP)
Why would they tell Haden?
Well, they paid for the 2nd round pick. Brock just came along with it and they figured they’d try to get something out of him because his contract was guaranteed for the year anyway. But I’ll admit this one is breaking new ground a bit. Nobody is sure how much to value a pick in terms of dollars just yet.
If the Browns get to that point, Sashi will know what to do.
Traders gonna trade