Dawg Pound Lounge ,

I wanted to talk to Brad McCoy, the high school coach who changed pro football Monday, but he didn't return a message I left for him.

The last time McCoy spoke to Cleveland reporters, the NFL, the mightiest and most profitable league in American professional sports, changed its medical procedures. It was the only official response they could have made to conform to the imperatives of safety and empathy in a sport in which bravery, no matter how admired, seldom trumps savagery, no matter how deplored, in the end-game.

Brad McCoy had a big megaphone when he told The Plain Dealer's Mary Kay Cabot that his son, Browns quarterback Colt McCoy, never should have gone back into a nationally televised Dec. 8 game at Pittsburgh after receiving a bone-jarring, helmet-to-helmet hit from the Steelers' James Harrison late in the game.

It cost Harrison $73,529, his pay for the one week he was suspended. It cost the NFL a lot of credibility in its campaign to convince fans and former players that it is truly vigilant about player safety.

The feeling here is that the Browns were victims of a "perfect storm," made up of many factors, including a glut of injuries to other players that was occupying the attention of team doctors and trainers, the inability of anyone with access to replays of the hit to intercede in the decision-making about McCoy's fitness, and the pressure of the game- and play-clocks. No Browns medical personnel even saw the hit, not even on the replay board.

The play itself also occurred in something of a gray area. It came after Colt McCoy had taken several steps as he scrambled. He appeared intent on running the ball, forfeiting rules protection afforded him in the pocket, before throwing a pass at the last instant.

Still, the examination procedure was deeply flawed. The Browns dispute the argument, advanced by me among others, that McCoy would have received better medical attention had he been a higher-profile quarterback, such as Drew Brees or Tom Brady. Perhaps a better assessment should be that everyone involved was stressed by the rash of injuries and that effective examination was difficult under the sideline procedures in effect at the time. McCoy, at any rate, did not begin to show concussion-like symptoms until the game was over.

Only 12 days later, the NFL announced a simple, proactive addition to its "concussion protocol." Certified athletic trainers, seated in the press box with access to instant replay, can require further examination of an injured player if they are concerned about his fitness to return to the game. Video replay will be available to medical personnel on the sidelines, too.

No league makes such a substantive change regarding player safety during the season unless it has to. But the public perception of the NFL's safeguards keeps worsening -- with the recent suicide of the great linebacker Junior Seau and the undetermined role head injuries might have had in it; with probable future Hall of Famer Kurt Warner dissuading his own son from playing the game; with broken men, their bodies and minds in ruins, suing the league for overlooking or downplaying the damage they suffered.

It took Dale Earnhardt dying in a racing crash for NASCAR to institute head-and-neck safety restraints. It took a 13-year-old girl getting killed by a flying puck in Columbus for the NHL to string up protective nets. Brad McCoy should be praised as a catalyst for clear and necessary change.

At the same time, he, like most whistle-blowers, rankled the powers that be. Maybe the Browns will let the whole thing go, but they probably consider the elder McCoy a complication his struggling son does not need. The line between pushiness and prudence is not a fine one in pro sports.

In the book, "Growing Up Colt," the elder McCoy preaches his most basic parenting principle: "Prepare your children for the path, not the path for your children." Yet Brad McCoy was the quarterbacks coach for his son in middle school, even though he was also the town's high school coach at the time. He coached Colt throughout high school. He, in fact, spent considerable time smoothing the path.

I can think of worse parenting sins.

Recently, Andre Iguodala, a shaky free throw shooter who swished two foul shots in the final seconds to win an NBA playoff series for Philadelphia, said a teammate told him to think of something he loved before stepping to the line. "So I thought of my son," Iguodala said.

I thought of Brad McCoy when I heard that. It's a compliment.

Duff ..nice article on Brad McCoy . yup he had a Megaphone alright . i really cant shouldnt blame him after reading that article . when it first came out last month i was quite critical of him . i still feel he should have talked behind the scenes with the Browns FO instead of going through the media .it was just another embarassing  black eye this franchise didnt need .

i hope McCoy can stick around as the Browns # 2 . he will make a very good # 2 with his work ethic & team first mentality . i still think that he can win a couple games if called upon . i just wouldnt want him starting for a long period as his weaknesses would be exploited .

Adonis Thomas has skills.  Good vision, balance and speed....I'm not surprised he impressed the Browns enough at his tryout.  I've watched him for a couple years now.  He is explosive. I hope he makes it....The only surprise was that he didn't get drafted.

What are the indicators for a successful rookie QB?

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If you’re a fan of a perennially rebuilding NFL team, there is no better time than early May.

Rookie camps are to some fan bases what Super Bowls are to others – at least depending on the specific franchise’s misery index ranking. In the respective cases of the Colts, Redskins and Browns, there is a considerable reason why fan interest has soared in recent days.

Most reports from rookie camp focus primarily on the positives of a newly drafted player. The practices themselves – shrunken thanks to the league’s new collective bargaining agreement – offer only glimpses of players framed in a gym class environment. As such, every rookie quarterback appears confident, strong-armed and capable of becoming the proverbial face of the franchise.

Of course, veteran fans of such teams – those who draft the likes of JaMarcus Russell, Brady Quinn and Jimmy Clausen know better. At the least, early May offers a sort of temporal sense of halcyon days that could be. At this moment, Andrew Luck is still light years ahead compared to a typical rookie swimming in a thousand-page playbook, RG3 is freakishly fast against fifth-string talent and Brandon Weeden’s still fresh arm can accommodate “cannon” descriptors.

However, the volume of hope attached to each team’s new crop of rookies far outweighs the reality of struggles that will soon ensue. For each of April’s first-round quarterbacks – Luck, Robert Griffin III, Ryan Tannehill and Weeden – will likely begin the 2012 season as starters. Others – such as Brock Osweiler, Russell Wilson, Kirk Cousins and even Nick Foles and Ryan Lindley – could only be a snap away from seeing real action.

Yet, the recent league trend has seen practically all rookie quarterbacks at least become capable starters, while a few have achieved tremendous success. All four of 2011’s first round quarterbacks – Cam Newton, Jake Locker, Blaine Gabbard and Christian Ponder – saw action, while second-round pick Andy Dalton and fifth-rounder T.J. Yates faced off in a January playoff game. Previous years saw rookies Sam Bradford, Matthew Stafford, Mark Sanchez, Josh Freeman, Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco become both entrenched NFL starting quarterbacks and faces of their respective franchises.

It’s obvious that the days of rookie quarterbacks “sitting and learning” have expired. With the intense pressure exerted on both coaching staffs and front offices, rookie quarterbacks now enter the league armed with instant expectations. And while there is no sure individual formula for rookie success, at least there are some team criteria which help to lessen the burden.

1. Run the Ball

Speedy wide receivers and flashy offensive designs are great, but a rookie quarterback’s best friend is a capable running game. Both Ryan and Flacco broke the taboo of a rookie quarterback being able to achieve success thanks to their team’s respective rushing attacks. (Or, if you wanted to go back to 2004, Ben Roethlisberger proved to be the ultimate example.)

Ryan was backed by the Falcons generating over 2,400 rushing yards – with Michael Turner gaining just under 1,700. Flacco’s Ravens put up similar numbers, with the trio of Le’Ron McClain, Willis McGahee and Ray Rice combining for 2,207 yards. Similarly, Sanchez’s 2009 rookie season – in which he threw 12 touchdowns against 20 interceptions – featured a Jets’ rushing attack that combined for over 2,220 yards.

The trend continues with Bradford and veteran Stephen Jackson in 2010, Dalton’s Bengals in 2011 who totaled 1,778 rushing yards and Newton’s Panthers, who compiled 2,408 (706 coming from Newton himself.) While both Ponder and Gabbard could rely on strong rushing attacks (2,318 and 1,970 yards), other internal weaknesses plagued each starter. Finally, in 2009, Stafford and Freeman led offenses that didn’t feature a 1,000 yard rusher. Perhaps coincidentally, the Lions and Bucs combined for 5 total wins – although each team was undergoing a major rebuilding project.

Of this year’s likely rookie starters (Luck, RG3, Tannehill and Weeden), none will have the benefit of an already strong rushing attack. None of the four teams that will likely start a rookie QB in 2012 managed more than 2,000 total rushing yards in 2011 and both Indianapolis (1,594) and Cleveland (1,531) were among the league’s worst units. However, the Browns at least feature what should be an upgrade in Alabama’s Trent Richardson. The other teams’ top 2011 rushers (Donald Brown, Reggie Bush and Roy Helu) may not offer much in the way of support.

2. I Thee Wed

How else can you characterize the relationship between coach and rookie quarterback? In most respects, a new coach is “married” to his rookie quarterback – at least in the sense that future success or failure will be exclusively tied to this relationship. Perhaps no better evidence can be found than in again looking at the same ten quarterbacks over the past few years. For the most part, the quarterbacks who played for stable head coaches achieved more success than those who were in more transient situations.

Both Ryan and Flacco were the centerpieces of Mike Smith and John Harbaugh’s first seasons as head coaches. Each team went to the playoffs – similar to Sanchez’s 2009 Jets (Rex Ryan). All three coaches enjoyed the support – and relative flexibility – of being first-time leaders. In 2011, Dalton’s Bengals were under the helm of veteran coach Marvin Lewis – who had signed a contract extension prior to the start of the season. Newton’s Panthers – led by first-year coach Ron Rivera – enjoyed a similar comfort despite the team’s 6-10 finish. A case could even be made for Bradford in 2010 under Steve Spagnuolo, who at the time was still basking in a relative honeymoon period.

Of the other quarterbacks on the list, Stafford and Campbell were part of rookie coaching staffs that had assumed huge renovation projects. Perhaps the same could be said for Ponder and Vikings’ coach Leslie Frazier and not for Gabbard and the recently deposed Jack Del Rio. Clearly, there is something to be said for both organizational and coaching stability. In 2012, both the Colts (Chuck Pagano) and Dolphins (Joe Philbin) feature new head coaches, while the Browns’ Pat Shurmur and Redskins’ Mike Shanahan return for their second seasons.

3. Keep It Simple

While both the Falcons and Ravens’ coaching staffs strictly adhered to this concept in 2008 with Ryan and Flacco, last season saw a revolutionary leap in how to acclimate a rookie quarterback to the NFL. The Bengals’ coaching staff offered Dalton a skeleton offense after the lockout ended last August, before gradually opening up the playbook as the season progressed. The results were impressive as Dalton never appeared rattled throughout his rookie campaign.

In Carolina, a similar approach was used with Newton, a player who basically ran a high school offense at Auburn. The Panthers’ offense – already a vertical attack helmed by Rob Chudzinski – started simple and finished in a similar manner. Newton only had to make a few reads and was able to rely on both his strong arm and athletic feet to feel out big plays. The results were some 5,000 combined yards of offense and 35 total touchdowns and not a confused and frustrated rookie quarterback.

Perhaps it’s a coincidence, but both Dalton and Newton play for defensive-minded head coaches – similar to Ryan and Flacco in 2008, Sanchez in 2009 and Bradford in 2010. In 2012, only Luck benefits from this – what could be a complete anomaly – although he will soon run veteran coordinator Bruce Arians’ offense. Griffin, Tannehill and Weeden not only inherit offensive-minded head coaches, but also head coaches who like to call their own plays.

Maybe this is another reason why hope tends to peak in May.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported before the draft that Steelers receiver Mike Wallace wouldn’t sign his one-year restricted free agent tender “until he has to.”

While the Steelers have hoped to sign Wallace to a long-term deal, there has been no progress on that front. Schefter reiterated on NFL Live Tuesday that it “may be awhile” before the Steelers see Wallace at club headquarters, and Wallace won’t sign the tender “until he absolutely has to.”

The time for teams to poach restricted free agents has passed, but the Steelers now have to worry about Wallace missing OTA and minicamp action as they install a revised offense under new coordinator Todd Haley.

The Steelers have several upcoming offseason activities, and it doesn’t sound like Wallace is likely to attend any of them.

The time for teams to poach restricted free agents has passed,

So there is no way anybody can swing a deal for Wallace now ? i know they wouldnt trade directly with the Browns but maybe a three team deal could be worked out ?.


Hey its May i can dream if i want to

If your Dog is barking at the back door and your wife / GF is banging on the front door both wanting in . which one do you let in first ?



 


i know who gets in first at my place & why .



WOOF WOOF WOOF !

time to spark some charcoal up here . got me a 22oz porterhouse , baked tater with Butter / sour creme which is about done . jumbo butterfly dinner shrimp & a side salad with Marzetti Ranch dressing .

add mesquite wood chips to the charcoal for xtra flavouring

The Dog.  Because, at least it will shut the hell up once you let it in

The key to this offseason is Brandon Weeden....I'm liking this pick more and more.  I really think the Browns got good one finally.  He seems to have that "extra something" that makes the really good QB's stand out...He definately has a fastball, but seems to know and understand when "touch" is needed....The faster the tempo, or the pressure situation, the better he gets. .  Can't put it into words, but he kinda reminds me of a Kenny Stabler or a Brian Sipe.....Just a total gamer that teammates will "run through a wall" for.....He's going to take over the starting job naturally and with ease...This is really exciting.  The Browns got a strong armed clutch QB!!!  This is going to be fun......Year 3 of H&H, and I think legitimacy has arrived...

Weeden might be the best of all the rookie QB's statistically this season....Like several others, he's going to start from day 1...He has the maturity to handle the transition into the NFL better than any of the other rooks IMO.  ....Plus let's not forget, (I'm sure he won't!),  he's got a helluva running back in Trent Richardson, to really make things manageable.....The downs and distances will be much improved for the Browns this season..

Schwartz is going to be clutch in fixing the right side of that line....He can handle it.  We have the personel to really be dynamic this year...Night and day from what we saw last season...

How can we NOT be excited???  

The Dog.  Because, at least it will shut the hell up once you let it in

It's nice to see everyone in high spirits!

Schwartz is going to be clutch in fixing the right side of that line....He can handle it.  We have the personel to really be dynamic this year...Night and day from what we saw last season...

How can we NOT be excited???  

It's all about tempering expectations, TD.  I am right there with you in liking what I have seen and heard from Brandon Weedon.  Yet, let's not forget he is a rookie regardless and will have growing pains.  I have little doubt he will overcome them in the long haul, but with this schedule he could be the second coming of Joe Montana and it wouldn't make a huge difference.  It's time to bring this man along at a nice steady pace.  Weedon could be the answer for the next five to ten years if too much isn't heaped on him right away.  Luckily he seems to have a great attitude after things didn't work out for him in the minors.  I don't think burn-out will be any kind of factor.  He seems legitimately enthusiastic to be in the NFL and a Brown.  He looks like a true leader that this team will grow visually and verbally confident behind.  Sounds like he is digesting the new system as well as anyone could be expected this early.  He has a good head on his shoulders and is by all accounts very football savy.  Again though it is time to groom a franchise quarterback for real this time.  There is a lot of football to be done between now and December, so let's cut the guy a little slack in May.  And as far as Schwartz goes.....Oh yeah!  Nothing like a line who can not only stay upright but push the defense backwards.  I like that pick a lot.  The fact that he played with Mack can only be a good thing.  A huge wall of a line to fend off pass rushers in greatly in the best interests of developing Weedon.  Glad to know the Cleveland front office finally got the memo that half a OL does not a scoring drive make. 

So there is no way anybody can swing a deal for Wallace now ? i know they wouldnt trade directly with the Browns but maybe a three team deal could be worked out ?.

bluez, the only way Wallace can play for another team at this point is if he signs a regular contract...The Steelers can't even trade him if he signs the tender.

The reason he had a better chance before was that he could negotiate with 32 teams, now he can only negotiate with one.

He will sign his tender in July, which is good for us because he will miss the installation of the new offense..but in the long run it won't make much difference.

Looking like a starting quarterback

Before rookie minicamp this past weekend, Shurmur said rookie Brandon Weeden must earn the starting quarterback job. But as Shurmur reflected on the recent minicamp while speaking to reporters following his speaking engagement, he said Weeden is making a strong case for himself in his pursuit of the starting job.

“There’s no question I think he’s headed in the right direction,” Shurmur said. “He showed us in the first minicamp that he can throw the ball in this league, and now we’ll get a chance to see him interact with the team, the full squad, and see how he does.”

Shurmur stopped short of revealing whether Weeden would take snaps with the first-team offense May 22 when organized team activities begin. But it certainly seems like a safe bet that Weeden will.

“I’ll hold onto that till we talk about that [as a team and as a coaching staff],” Shurmur said. “But he’s gonna be able to compete with those guys to be the starter. So how we choose to do that really is a method, and we’ll just see how it works.”

Shurmur was much more direct in his praise of Weeden’s performance during rookie minicamp.

“I think he’s extremely accurate,” he said. “His strong arm really showed up in this minicamp. There’s something natural about his play. He hadn’t really thrown to these receivers before and to be able to throw somewhat precise routes and be very accurate, that was good to see.

“He throws a very, very -- wow -- it’s a pretty ball. It’s easy for the receivers to catch, and some of the guys he was working with for the first time really performed extremely well because there’s synergy there when you get good quarterback play.”

Quarterback situation

A member of the audience asked Shurmur to compare Colt McCoy and Weeden.

“Colt McCoy is a gritty guy,” Shurmur said. “I think Colt McCoy is a fine football player and can play quarterback in this league. We think Brandon Weeden can do the same thing. Obviously one guy’s a little bit taller than the other. … They’re both guys that I want on this team and I want to see them compete. The best one will play when we play Philadelphia in September.”

So what will happen to Seneca Wallace?

“I think there’s a case to be made that Seneca, Colt and Brandon are all [on the roster] together,” Shurmur said. “We’ll see. I think that’s yet to be determined. But we’re gonna just watch them all compete and interact, and we’ll see what happens.”

Reliable running back

Shurmur touted running back Trent Richardson, the third overall pick in this year’s draft, as a key piece to the team’s future.

“Trent Richardson is 5-9 ½, but he is a full-grown man,” Shurmur said. “I think he’s gonna be a tremendous player here for a very long time. He’s a quarterback’s best friend. When things get a little dicey, you just turn around and hand it to him, and I really believe he’s gonna be a big part of what we do.

“We could tell from the meeting room interaction to the field that he learns extremely well. All that’s in his favor, and I think this weekend helped him.”

New back in mix

Shurmur said the Browns have signed Toledo running back Adonis Thomas, who spent rookie minicamp with the team on a tryout basis.

“He actually came in on a workout basis,” Shurmur said. “It was just a weekend tryout, and [he] impressed us enough where we signed him to our 90-man roster. So he’ll be coming to training camp with us. He did a terrific job and we feel like he’s got a chance to contribute.”

Shurmur said Adonis filled the vacancy left on the roster by Ohio State linebacker Andrew Sweat, who signed with the Browns as an undrafted free agent but decided not to pursue an NFL career.

Phil Taylor update

Shurmur said defensive tackle Phil Taylor will have surgery Wednesday to repair the left pectoral muscle he tore while lifting weights last week.

Third-round pick John Hughes is a candidate to replace Taylor in the starting lineup.

“Unfortunately with what happened to Phil Taylor, John’s gonna have to step it up and be a quicker part of what we do,” Shurmur said. … “We’re not gonna plug him in. He’s gonna have to get in there and compete with the other defensive tackles to win that spot. If he ends up being the guy, he’s obviously not as big as Phil. But I really believe he can create pass rush inside and play well against the run.”

There’s also a chance the Browns could acquire a veteran defensive lineman.

“We’ll continue to look at a veteran really at any position,” he said. “And we’ll know about how it all fits once we can get into the OTAs, and they’re all out there working together.”

Golden opportunity

Rookie linebackers James-Michael Johnson, a fourth-round pick, and Emmanuel Acho, a sixth-round selection, could receive a chance to crack the starting lineup right away if starting strongside linebacker Scott Fujita’s three-game suspension is upheld. The NFL punished Fujita for his alleged role in the New Orleans Saints’ bounty scandal. Fujita has denied involvement and reserved the right to appeal the suspension.

“I do think they did some things in the rookie minicamp that would make you say these guys got a chance,” Shurmur said of Johnson and Acho. … “I wouldn’t say one’s ahead of the other right now.”

Time to step up

This could be a make-or-break year for Browns wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi, who was plagued by injuries and didn’t produce much last season.

“It’s time for him to show us what we know he can do,” Shurmur said. “I think last year he was hampered by injury, which can be tough for a receiver. What I’ve seen thus far in the offseason, it looks like he’s gonna be ready to go.”

Reunion in cards?

Shurmur was asked if the Browns will re-sign left guard Eric Steinbach, who was cut in March after he missed last season with a back injury that required surgery. The Browns and Steinbach couldn’t agree on a restructured contract, leading to his release.

“There’s a chance [he could be brought back],” Shurmur said. “I know he’s out in that free-agent world right now trying to find a home. I don’t know the specifics right now, but I have a strong appreciation for Eric and what he did prior to being here last year. Unfortunately last year, he sustained his injury. So maybe. I couldn’t say yes at this point.”

Tight ends ready

Benjamin Watson suffered three concussions last year and ended the season on injured reserve, but Shurmur said Watson is poised to come back.

“He’s fine,” Shurmur said. “He looks great. He’s ready to go.”

Shurmur expects a significant jump in production from Jordan Cameron, who appeared in eight games last season as a rookie.

“The guy that looks way different is Jordan Cameron,” Shurmur said. “Oh, gosh -- the size -- and he’s had a great offseason. He’s a guy that hadn’t played much football, so I think he’ll make a big improvement this year.”

Uniform change

Shurmur indicated the Browns will wear brown jerseys for at least some of their home games this year. Last season, they wore white jerseys and white pants at home.

“Yeah, there’s a chance we can wear the brown [jerseys] this year,” he said.

Lots of laughs

Shurmur always seems to let loose at this event, showing the luncheon club his sense of humor for the second year in a row. He got big laughs from the following jokes:

• On returning to the luncheon club: “I feel like coming back the second year I’m a little bit more like you guys. I’m a little balder, a lot grayer. Being the coach of the Browns will do that to ya.”
• On the 28-year-old Weeden’s age: “I think he’s older than me. I know he’s more mature than me for sure.”
• On being the last speaker of the luncheon club’s season: “It’s tough to stand here as the last guy. I’m sure you’ve heard some real funny guys, and you’ve probably been inspired and all that stuff. Well, sorry. They didn’t even feed me [lunch].”
• On why the team won’t put the Brownie Elf on its uniforms: “That’s way above my pay grade. I’ll take that under advisement. [Vice president of media relations] Neal [Gulkis] tries to prepare me for all questions. That’s from the warning track in left field right there.”
• On the increase in media coverage over the years: “If there was NFL Network when I was in college, I would have flunked out. I mean Euchre kept me grades down.”

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Any word on Trich and Bweed signing contracts?  I wish they would get them done.  It is supposed to be easy under the new cap.

They are the only two left to sign and the rookie allotment came out today, so hopefully they will be signed shortly. First round picks are by far the most unsigned at this time. Most of the other rounds are merely adding 1-1.5% to last year's signings and getting them done.

Then I would assume they are using the remaining money to sign their first rounders. TRich mentioned last week they were closee, so I don't think it will be long. Once he is done, BWeed whould merely get the remaining allotment and also sign. I am sure they are working between both agents for compensation so that they can get their fair share, since both are first rounders.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Browns defensive tackle Phil Taylor underwent surgery to repair a torn left pectoral muscle today at the Cleveland Clinic, but "everybody's optimistic he's going to have a significant impact on the team this season,'' a league source told The Plain Dealer.

The surgery went well, according to the source, and doctors feel everything's gone better than planned.

Taylor was injured Friday while he was bench-pressing during the Browns off-season program at their facility in Berea.

Browns President Mike Holmgren said that Taylor was going through his regular lifting regimen when the injury occurred and that he was using the appropriate amount of weights for his 6-3, 335 pound frame.

Browns coach Pat Shurmur said Taylor would be out "months, not weeks'' and both Shurmur and Holmgren held out hope he'd return this season.

Depending on the severity of the tear, torn pecs can take about four to six months to heal. In that case, Taylor would be back sometime between September and November.

A similar injury to linebacker D'Qwell Jackson in 2009 caused him to miss the last 10 games, and another one in training camp in 2010 cost him the entire season.

Jackson came back last season to finish second in the NFL with 158 tackles. In Taylor's absence, the Browns are grooming their two rookie defensive tackles, third-rounder John Hughes and sixth-rounder Billy Winn, for significant roles.

The Cleveland Browns say they are headed in the right direction, but Las Vegas isn’t buying it. The Browns are the only NFL team not favored in any of their first 15 games, according to Cantor Gaming. There is no line yet for the season finale at Pittsburgh. Number of games as favorites for the 2012 season:

AFC North

Steelers — 11

Ravens — 10

Bengals — 7 (plus two pick ’ems)

Browns — 0

Other notables

Patriots — 15

Packers — 15

Jaguars — 1

Rams — 2

Source: Cantor Gaming

then get your early bets in to Vegas as i think the Browns will surprise a few teams this season . geeky odds makers

then get your early bets in to Vegas as i think the Browns will surprise a few teams this season . geeky odds makers 

I almost always root for the under dawg...

looks like i am going to lose all 6 games this week in FBB


My pitchers are all falling apart ...2x4 upside the head

my hitters arent hitting enough ..my size 12 boot in there arse

i have scored the most points in three leagues yet somehow have a losing record in two of them ? starting to think the most points scored is vastly ovverated

Colt McCoy doesn’t sound like he’s ready to cede his starting quarterback job to Brandon Weeden just yet.

Outside of a report that the Browns told McCoy that they wouldn’t draft a quarterback in the first round, a report the Browns denied, we haven’t heard anything from McCoy about the team’s decision to draft Weeden. He didn’t address that choice directly in an email to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, but he did send a message that he’s not buying into the widespread belief that the job is going to Weeden.

“I’m a competitor and I’m working harder than ever,” McCoy wrote in the email.

While the Browns say that the competition is open, all the hard work in the world might not be enough to help McCoy. The Browns didn’t take a 28-year-old quarterback with the 22nd overall pick to have him sit on the bench one minute longer than is absolutely necessary. Everything they say that isn’t about the competition is tinged with undertones that Weeden will wind up with the job.

McCoy still has reason to work hard, though. A strong preseason could interest another team in making a deal for him, opening up an opportunity for McCoy that doesn’t include a player drafted to be the Browns’ starting quarterback

bad day around here .

i had to put my buddy of 17 years down today

RIP Cuervoe

sorry to hear that bluez...feel better my friend!

Sorry to hear that Bluez.  My condolences.

i had to put my buddy of 17 years down today

...that sux bro. My bride has a 8-9 year old Lhasa now. Gonna be hell ta pay when that pooch goes.

Hang in there....


gb2

bluez  ~

I feel your pain.  Mine was two years ago for me; and I buried him in the only yard he ever knew.  I didn't know how digging a hole could make me cry so much.

For the next six months I STILL checked for food and water even though I didn't put any out any more. 

I'm so sorry, good pals are hard to let go.


Doug

bluez sorry about your friend.  In almost all cases they are better than dealing with people.  As far as our Browns league, hovering at 4-2 and now waiting for Matt Kemp to come back.  4-2 seems to be my fortay right now which is not a bad thing in 2 leagues and 5-1 in the other..

Number of games as favorites for the 2012 season:

AFC North

Steelers — 11

Ravens — 10

Bengals — 7 (plus two pick ’ems)

Browns — 0

---

 Ouch...

All I can say is...watch out for the Underdawgs