Jake Delhomme Steals the Show in Practices

The Cleveland Browns' organized team actvities are well underway, and thus far at voluntary practices, coaches, teammates and fans have been wooed by newly acquired, veteran, 35-year old quarterback Jake Delhomme, formerly of the Carolina Panthers. So much so that head coach Eric Mangini said recently that Delhomme reminds him of future hall of famer Brett Favre.

Let's not get carried away here, especially considering that Jake is coming off his worst season in his career which resulted in him losing the starting QB position in Carolina. It is refreshing, however, to finally have some stability and confidence at the quarterback position. The Browns have had so many starting QBs in the last decade that it has become a joke. Delhomme plays for one reason only, as he says, and that is to win football games. He is like a kid in practice; exuberant and driven. His rapport with his teammates on both sides of the football is something that we have not seen from a quarterback in Brownstown since Bernie Kosar.

Welcome Jake. Use the opportunity you have been given to bring some pride back to your career and to the Browns. Mentor Colt McCoy for the future. We are behind you.

Go Browns!

Devo's Cleveland Browns
http://www.clevelandbrownsweblog.com
Twitter: CKDC and TheDawgPound

Meet Your New Cleveland Browns Draft Picks

The 2010 NFL Draft is now over, and our Brownies have 8 new additions.

1st round - 7th overall - Joe Haden - cornerback - Florida. No big surprise here; it was either going to be Haden or safety Eric Berry, and Berry was off the board by the time the Browns selected.

2nd round - 38th overall - T.J. Ward - safety - Oregon. We have no difficulty with spending two early picks on the secondary, as our pass defense needs serious help. Some wonder why the Browns passed on Taylor Mays, however, it is believed that Mays has some maturity and personality issues of concern.

2nd round - 59th overall - Montario Hardesty - running back - Tennessee. Hardesty has really good explosive pursuit through the gaps; similar to Jamal Lewis many years ago. This is a good pick as the Browns' backfield is cluttered but not certain.

3rd round - 85th overall - Colt McCoy - quarterback - Texas. A wonderful selection and the highlight of the Draft for Cleveland. NFL Network rates this selection as one of the 10 best value picks in the Draft. Colt can take his time learning the system (he will not be playing this season) while not breaking the Browns' piggy bank. McCoy is the potential future face of the franchise.

3rd round - 92nd overall - Shawn Lauvao - offensive lineman - Arizona State. This fills a major need in our roster, especially on the right side. By all accounts, this is a safe pick and one that can translate into playing time on the gridiron virtually right away.

5th round - 160th overall - Larry Asante - safety - Nebraska. The Browns, going into the Draft, had one of the shallowest secondary units in all of professional football. We cannot fault Holmgren and Heckert for adding major depth to that area of the roster.

6th round - 177th overall - Carlton Mitchell - wide receiver - Florida. This was another real value selection, as some pundits had Mitchell going as high as the late fourth round. We desperately need more depth at the receiver position, and Mitchell has a chance to follow in the footsteps of Massaquoi who had a great rookie season last year.

6th round - 186th overall - Clifton Geathers - defensive end - South Carolina. This guy is a monster, in size and in tenacity. We like this pick a lot. Our 3-4 defensive scheme requires bigger, stronger defensive ends who can hold their own against the run but still cause havoc for opposing quarterbacks. Clifton is athletic and strong as an ox.

Welcome to our Draft picks. Now let's get down to business. Go Browns!

Devo's Cleveland Browns
http://www.clevelandbrownsweblog.com
Twitter: CKDC and TheDawgPound

Cleveland Browns' 2010 Regular Season Schedule Released

Browns fans:

The NFL has released the 2010 regular season team schedules. Could this finally be the year that the Browns win a home opener; we play the lowly Kansas City Chiefs in week two as our first home contest of the campaign. We have some opponents at home that we fans do not often have an opportunity to see in action, including QB Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons. We also have some matchups at home that will bring some passion to the table given off-season moves made by the Browns, such as the game against the Carolina Panthers, newly acquired veteran QB Jake Delhomme's former squad. Cleveland has no prime time games this year for the first time in several seasons, however, we do have some games at home against primo opponents like Rex Ryan's New York Jets and Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. We also finish the season with a flurry of three storied AFC North rivalries including the final game at home in January against the Steelers. Further, we play Drew Brees and the Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints on the road.

This is certainly not an easy schedule. Some commentators rank it somewhere around the 10th hardest in the League. But we have a real chance at getting out of the gate strong against two relatively weak opponents - the Tampa Bay Bucs and the Chiefs.

September 12 - 1 pm - at Tampa Bay - CBS

September 19 - 1 pm - Kansas City Chiefs - CBS

September 26 - 1 pm - at Baltimore - CBS

October 3 - 1 pm - Cincinnati Bengals - CBS

October 10 - 1 pm - Atlanta Falcons - Fox

October 17 - 1 pm - at Pittsburgh - CBS

October 24 - 1 pm - at New Orleans - CBS

October 31 - BYE

November 7 - 1 pm - New Englans Patriots - CBS

November 14 - 1 pm - New York Jets - CBS

November 21 - 1 pm - at Jacksonville - CBS

November 28 - 1 pm - Carolina Panthers - Fox

December 5 - 1 pm - at Miami - CBS

December 12 - 1 pm - at Buffalo - CBS

December 19 - 1 pm - at Cincinnati - CBS

December 26 - 1 pm - Baltimore Ravens - CBS

January 2 - 1 pm - Pittsburgh Steelers - CBS

Go Browns!

Devo's Cleveland Browns

http://www.clevelandbrownsweblog.com

Twitter: CKDC and TheDawgPound

Wide Receiver Dez Bryant may be Sleeper Pick for Browns in Draft

The vast majority of the chatter surrounding this coming Draft for the Browns has been around the quarterback position and the secondary. But another pressing need for Cleveland is at the wide receiver position. Massaquoi was a real treat last season, but he, Robiskie and Stuckey need some more help in addition to the odd line-up by Cribbs.

The Browns could be very interested in wide receiver Dez Bryant of the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Here are some highlight clips of Bryant from last season: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sXYiZjT038.

Dez has good bulk at 225 pounds. He is 6 foot 2 inches tall. He remains under suspension because of violating NCAA rules by failing to fully disclose his relationship with former NFLer Deion Sanders. Trouble seems to follow Bryant around like a dark cloud, however, his raw talent cannot be ignored. He was considered for the Heisman trophy in 2008. That year, Bryant won the wide receiver trophy at the College Football Performance Awards; he tallied 87 catches for nearly 1500 yards and 19 scores. He has also returned two punts for touchdowns. In October 2009, Bryant was ruled ineligible for the remainder of the season; prior to the suspension he was considered by many to be the best receiver in college football and a Heisman contender.

Dez has bowl experience as he played in the Insight Bowl in 2007 and the Holiday Bowl in 2008. He played his high school football in Texas. He was an All-American second-team freshman in 2007.

With the addition of Sheldon Brown to Cleveland's secondary in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles, combined with the fact that safety Eric Berry will very likely not be available for Cleveland unless we trade-up in the Draft, and the reality that cornerback Joe Haden has not exactly lit many sparks in Brownstown, it is possible that Cleveland may consider Bryant in the first round. Then again, there has recently been rumours that the Browns may package a deal to offer the Rams for the first overall pick in order to get our franchise quarterback of the future, such as Sam Bradford. Who knows, folks. At least we get kept on our toes!

Go Browns!

Devo's Cleveland Browns
http://www.clevelandbrownsweblog.com

Twitter: CKDC and TheDawgPound

Browns Acquire Cornerback Sheldon Brown from Eagles

The secondary of the Cleveland Browns, one of the weakest in the NFL and a big reason why we lost 12 games last season, just got a lot more respectable. In a trade that involved three players and some draft picks, Holmgren and Heckert made their biggest move yet since arriving in Brownstown by acquiring veteran cornerback Sheldon Brown from the Philadelphia Eagles. Perhaps the surname is a sign.

Brown is one of the better cornerbacks in the League. He just turned 31 years old in March. He is 5'10" tall and weighs 200 pounds. This is a second round draft pick (59th overall - quite high for a cornerback) who has played his entire career with a perennial playoff team. He knows what it means to win and to play in pressure situations.

Over his career, Sheldon has amassed 423 tackles, 7 sacks and 19 interceptions. His reputation is as a fearless and passionate player who likes to hit hard. In fact, Brown is responsible for one of the hardest and best known hits in professional football in the last decade. The hit that Brown levelled on Reggie Bush of the New Orleans Saints in the 2006 NFC Divisional Playoff Game made the cover of Sports Illustrated. It also was a key moment in the game as it prevented Bush from catching a pass. Bush was nearly knocked out cold; and many sports commentators and football analysts pointed to Brown's crushing blow as the hit of the year.

Sheldon undoubtedly becomes one of the Browns' leaders on defense and certainly our most proven player in the secondary. His addition will make us stronger and give us a chance to win more football games.

Welcome to the orange and brown, Sheldon.

Go Browns!

Devo's Cleveland Browns
http://www.clevelandbrownsweblog.com

Twitter: CKDC and TheDawgPound

A Profile of Marcus Benard

On March 17, the Cleveland Browns re-signed linebacker Marcus Benard. We were delighted to hear that news.

Before the regular season started last year, my son and I visited a day of training camp in Berea. Marcus, nicknamed "King Kong" by his teammates, really impressed us with his tenacity. He also showed some class afterwards in agreeing to stick around to sign some autographs including one for my son on his new Browns training camp hat.

When Marcus was promoted from the practice squad to the active roster last November, we knew that he would make an impact if he got a shot. And he did so. In just 6 games that Benard saw action on the field, he accumulated 3.5 sacks and 14 tackles. We won 4 of the 6 games that Marcus played in. We lost every game but one that Benard did not play in - the win over the Bills in Buffalo in week 5 by a pitiful score of 6-3.

Benard is 6 feet two inches tall and weighs nearly 260 pounds. He is 24 years old. He played his college football at Jackson State at the defensive end position. To watch some highlights of Marcus' dominance in college, click on this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vp4c4ZkOpYk.

We hope that Marcus sees regular action in 2010. With D'Qwell Jackson back, our linebacker core should be strengthened this season.

Go Browns!

Devo's Cleveland Browns

http://www.clevelandbrownsweblog.com

Twitter: CKDC and TheDawgPound

Mike Holmgren Confirms that the Cleveland Browns WILL Draft a QB

No big surprise here for Cleveland Browns fans; Mike Holmgren recently confirmed in an interview he gave at the NFL owners' meeting that the Browns will draft a QB this year. With the release of both Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn and the acquisition of back-up QB Seneca Wallace from Seattle and veteran passer Jake Delhomme from Carolina, Cleveland has no choice but to do so.

Give us your thoughts on who that should be, and how early (which round) the Browns should target their quarterback pick.

The guy currently getting a lot of attention in Cleveland media circles is Tim Tebow of the Florida Gators. The reason is that the likes of Jimmy Clausen (Notre Dame) and Sam Bradford (Oklahoma) will very likely be gone in the first round, and it is not anticipated that the Browns will try to trade-up far enough to be in a position to select one of those fellas.

But there are plenty of other good quarterbacks who will be on the board in the third and later rounds: Dan LeFevour (Central Michigan), Colt McCoy (Texas), Jarrett Brown (West Virginia), Tony Pike (Cincinnati), Zac Robinson (Oklahoma State), Jevan Snead (Ole Miss), and John Skelton (Fordham).

Tell us who you would go after, why and when.

Devo's Cleveland Browns

http://www.clevelandbrownsweblog.com

Twitter: CKDC and TheDawgPound