Metcalf Up the Middle

Lots happening in Browns town today. With less than 24 hrs before cut down day, there have been two notables (so far) that have been cut: O-Lineman Ryan Tucker and DB Rod Hood. For a list of other to get the axe so far click here or here (full NFL) The Plain Dealers Tony Grossi has a more meaningful podcast (10 min) breaking down last Saturdays game against the Titans and throws out his two cents on Quinn vs DA and players on the bubble. (read more) Cleveland Browns Brodney Pool, Jerome Harrison and Rex Hadnot (thank GOD) return to practice: ( read more ) Report: Cleveland Browns Tucker released: ESPN Cleveland's Mark "Munch'' Bishop reports ( read more )

From across Northeast Ohio..... Post game video ( read/view ) Browns Bullet Points from WFNY ( read ) Initial Reaction: Browns 23, Titans 17 from No Logo Needed ( read ) Pluto's scribbles ( read ) Titans vs Browns box score/gamebook [pdf] With both Quinn and DA having decent games, will Mangini prolong the madness? ( read more )

Quinn to Win!!! Lineup changes: Adams starts at safety, Rubin at nose, Hall at OLB. Inactives include Rogers, Harrison, Pool, Tucker, Bowens, Brown Wimbley and Mosley team for a sack. Mack starts at center for the second straight week. Cribbs lots of time with the 1st team offense and effective. Quinn looks good so far but they have to settle for a FG. (at least we moved the ball and there were no sacks) Quinn 7/9 for 74 yrds, picking up the blitzs well, what's DA gonna do? DA trips ref, night not starting off well. Sure would be nice to see how Rodgers would affect the pass rush. Blocked FG....NICE. DA in and another screen play. Is it just me or does Quinn not seem to hook up with Edwards like DA does? DA misses a short pass yet again. Get used to the def pass interferance w/out a pass rush. Titan turnover to kill the first half. Titans 7-3 at halftime. Anderson is 4-of-5 for 54 yards. Quinn is 7-of-9 for 74 yards. 3rd quarter starts with DA marching down the field. Edwards with ...

Well the Tennessee Titans visit Cleveland at 7:30 tonight for what should be another dismal QB show by the Browns. As of 9:20 am there is still no word on who is starting at QB, Anderson on Quinn. I once embraced the idea of giving both of these guys as many reps in the preseason games as possible, but since neither has pulled ahead in the QB battle, just give the helm to Quinn and lets move on already. There is two weeks until these games start counting, so lets give the starter some additional reps with the first team already! Mary Kay-Cabot of the Plain Dealer seems to feel that this whole QB battle is a smoke screen to not divulge too much game film of either QB to Minnesota for our regular season opener. If that is the case, Man-Genius is Man-Tarded. If he thinks this will give us a better shot against the Vikings on Sept 13 he is surely a resident of Wonderland (or EVIL). As many of us know, the third preseason game is where the majority of the first-teamers will play into th...

Just some things to look over until later this week. The Cleveland Browns signed FA DB Tra Battle , OL Corey Hilliard & TE Nate Jackson . Not only a QB controversy but now a RB controversy? Read More No word yet on who's starting at QB against the Titans. (Go figure) Mangini gives lecture on penalties. Read More Training camp ends tomorrow (8-26). Special teams making some headlines after Detroit game ( NoLogoNeeded.com ) Braylon needing an energy drink with ginseng ( WaitingForNextYear.com )

Some notes/thoughts as I watch this evenings match-up: Cribbs could go-all-the-way. GET HIM A NEW CONTRACT!!!!!!!!! DAMN YOU ELAM, way to help your Kent St buddy! Jamal Lewis wont be starting by seasons end. Massaquoi looks sharp for a rookie. Anderson looks confident and ACCURATE in the pocket. I wish i would have bought a 50% off ticket. O-Line still looks shaky Kevin Smith looks much quicker than I recall last year. STILL ABSOLUTLEY NO PRESSURE ON THE QB, however the 2ndary looks descent. Stafford reminds me of Dorsey, has this guy every seen a football before? Would he be this bad if he weren't missing his top 3 WR's? YES I cant believe we're still moving the ball. The boys look much more focused and sharper, nice. Brady can't get a rythym with all these penalties. Ratcliff just plane sux, doent he know the system? He makes Stafford look like one of the Manning Bros. I hope none of our starting O-line guys goes down for a long period of time, geesh. JAMES DAVIS YOUR...

Matt Stafford has been given the nod to start on Saturday. Who's starting at QB for the Browns? Well maybe Mangini is taking a play from Romeo's playbook and will flip a coin during tomorrow's pregame warm-up. Eric Steinbach found it hard to belive that Jerome Harrison's 72-yard touchdown run against Buffalo last season was the last time the offense scored a touchdown. read more Concerns heading into the game are: No clear-cut starting quarterback.... DUH No clear-cut No. 2 receiver. Right now with Cribbs or with Quinn taking a liking to Furrey, i'm fine with either. No clear-cut starting center. Lets be honest its gonna be 1st Rd pick Alex Mack. A No. 1 receiver coming off a drop-filled season. All we can hope for is that the number doesn't expand. A starting running back who will turn 30 next week. Ok, Jamal has heart but he just can't hit the whole like he used to. Unless our line kicks it up a notch (which I don't want to get into rig...

After painfully making it through about 3 quarters of last Saturdays preseason game against Green Bay, there was one thing that made me fill with disgust other than the list of 1000 other issues with our Browns. The defense. I've been tinkering with how to present my/our frustration with these 11 people that take the field each Sunday over the past 10 years. My feelings are that it pains me more than anything to watch the stifling defense that Baltimore makes me cringe more than every time someone brings up the former Browns owner that rhymes with Fart Hotel . The bust draft pics ( Courtney Brown and a google of others), the ruptured Achilles tendon ( Jamir Miller ), the overpaid free agents that were to be more mentors than players ( Willie McGinest ), and the players that were good but just not good enough to get us over the hump ( Andra Davis ). Well anyhow, the obvious fad is implementing the 3-4 defense, the Patriots use it (or used if you read on) Green Bay is now using it...

I caught the following on a CBS Browns message board earlier today and thought I would share. Normally I don't take much from these, but there are several good points made. Enjoy..... I just got to see his press conference from yesterday, and it sure sounds to me like he has no intention of letting either Anderson or Quinn establish any kind of rhythem at all. Expect a similiar QB rotation to what we endured last Saturday night.....WHY? I understand that he wants to play the match-up game, but how can a QB get the feel for the offense if he's yanked every other drive? The two quickest to reason ideas would be: 1. Both quarterbacks are extremely talented and choosing one over the other is like picking Tom Brady over Peyton Manning . 2. Both quarterbacks are extremely un-talented and it's like having to pick between Alex Smith or Akili Smith. Personally, I have two views on the situation: 1. Mangini wants to create as much value as possible for Derek Anderson so he...

BEREA, Ohio -- The Browns continued to rework the bottom of the roster. On Thursday, they signed guard Patrick Murray and linebacker Robert McCune. Murray was buried on the Denver Broncos' depth chart and was waived by the team on Wednesday. McCune was a fifth-round pick of Washington in 2005 and last played for the Baltimore Ravens. To make room, the Browns waived offensive lineman Branndon Braxton, a Youngstown native, and receiver Edward Williams. In other news, coach Eric Mangini declined again to name his starting quarterback for Saturday's preseason game against Detroit. by Tony Grossi/Plain Dealer Reporter Thursday August 20, 2009, 1:20 PM Not to much to talk about here, the Mang Man may be looking to add depth or he already know who will be getting cut after Saturday's game.

What to look for during the Browns Preseason game against the Detroit Lions Who will be starting at QB? Will the browns go 8 games in a row without scoring an offensive touchdown? Will Alex Mack get more time against a first team defense? Will Jamal Lewis look any better than the 29 yr old legs that carry him? Will we see the trio of Edwards, Furrey, and Cribbs with the first team offense again? Yes the Lions are a much weaker team as our last opponent (Green Bay), however the talent level is much stronger and the team will have some depth this season. This will be the first home game for the rookies so plan on some mental miscues by the youngsters as there adrenalin runs wild. Some other players that seem to have fallen off the map recently are: RB James Davis, WR Brian Robiskie, C Alex Mack. Can these rookies find there groove again and show some highlights for the home crowd? The Cleveland Browns have also signed free agent running back Chris Jennings. In turn, the team waived l...

BEREA, Ohio -- The Browns preseason game Saturday against Detroit will be televised, after all. The club announced it has reached an agreement with WKYC Channel 3 on remaining tickets to avoid a blackout. Approximately 4,800 tickets were available as of this morning, but the Browns and the station agreed to share the cost of the half-price seats. There was no word from the club and what will be done with the unsold tickets. The Browns have not had a preseason or regular-season game blacked out since the 1995 season after then-owner Art Modell announced his intent to move his franchise to Baltimore. by Tony Grossi/Plain Dealer Reporter Tuesday August 18, 2009, 2:38 PM In some additional moves the Browns waived LB Ruud and picked up WR Paul Raymond . Exactly how many receivers do we need? From the looks of it Edwards, Cribbs and Furrey will be the starting three wideouts. The question is will Cribbs or Furrey be playing slot? As anyone who breathes air knows that Brett Favr...

By no real shock, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has suspended Cleveland Browns WR Donte Stallworth. "Your conduct endangered yourself and others, leading to the death of an innocent man," The NFL and NFL players must live with the stain that you have placed on their reputations." From Stallworth: "Commissioner Goodell called me this morning," the statement read. "Obviously, I am disappointed, but, as I said previously, I accept the Commissioner’s decision. Regardless of the length of my suspension, I will carry the burden of Mr. Reyes’ death for the rest of my life. I urge NFL fans not to judge NFL players or me based on my tragic lapse in judgment. I am a good person who did a bad thing. I will use the period of my suspension to reflect, fulfill my obligations, and use this experience to make a positive impact on the lives of those who look up to NFL players." Goodell held a hearing with Stallworth, his representatives and union officials Aug. 5. H...

Well the Browns are about 6000 seats short of selling out for there 1st home preseason game on Aug 22nd so there stellar marketing team came up with the novel idea of having the remaining tickets 50% off. This does not bode well at all if our Brownies have another sub par season with no real inkling of any improvement. Could 2010 bring blackouts during the regular season for N.E. Ohians? 50 percent off all Lions tickets!

While searching for noteworthy news from the Browns I fell upon the following note from ESPN's AFC North Blogger James Walker: I really question whether the Browns can pound the ball up the middle as much as they would like this season. Cleveland's running game hasn't looked stout so far in the trenches. In fact, most of the team's best runs in camp are coming on the outside. The push from the offensive line inside just doesn't seem to be there consistently and starting tailback Jamal Lewis often is stopped a couple of yards or less into his runs. I have to caution not to read too much from practice. But this will certainly be something to monitor in preseason games. Yes this is only preseason, but when Mangini wants to install a clock consuming run first mentality, its going to be hard to keep the chains moving when you are getting 2 and 3 yards per rush (if that is the case) and going for third and longs on each possession. Sound familiar? In the last three...

Ok, new coaching regimes offer hope, new game plans, new players, new ways of doing things, and new rules. TO ANY CURRENT AND FUTURE BROWNS PLAYERS: IF YOU WANT TO KEEP YOUR JOB AND/OR NOT GET CUT, TRADED, OR THROWN ON IR, DON'T TALK BACK TO THE COACHES AND DON'T THINK THAT HAVING YOUR AGENT TALK SMACK WILL KEEP YOU CLEAR OF ANY BACKLASH FROM ERIC MANGINI. CASE IN POINT: Shaun Smith: Punched Brady Quinn last December, most recently got into a heated argument with defensive coach Bryan Cox. Less than 12 hrs later, he was cut. He has since been signed by Detroit. Syndric Steptoe: During practice last Saturday, he laid out for a ball, fell funny, and hurt his shoulder. Steptoe was put onto the IR. The following day Steptoe's agent called out Head Coach Eric Mangini for allowing players practice during the rain outside. Cleveland Browns coach Eric Mangini has disputed an agent's claim that reserve receiver Syndric Steptoe suffered a season-ending injury because of...

Check out Plain Dealers Mary Kay Cabot and her rundown of the event: http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2009/08/quick_hits_from_cleveland_brow.html

The Cleveland Browns today signed offensive lineman Fred Weary, the team announced. Originally drafted in the third round (66th overall) of the 2002 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans, Weary has started in 43 of the 63 games in which he has appeared during his seven-year career (2002-2008), all at right guard. The 6-4, 307-pound Weary was a four-year letterman (1998-2001) at Tennessee where he earned All-American and All-Southeastern Conference first-team honors as a senior. Born September 30, 1977, the Montgomery, Ala., native attended Robert E. Lee (Montgomery, Ala.) High School. This could be why the Browns recently released DL Shaun Smith (Not to mention punching QB Brady Quinn during the off-season). With the injury to Hadnot this past week, and the team with a run first gameplan, depth and flexibility on the O-line are key for this team to succeed this coming season.

A league source has informed some local media that Syndric Steptoe is now out for the year after tearing his labrum during Saturdays practice. He will most likely go on the I.R. What is a labral tear? A shoulder labral tear is an injury to the cartilage in the shoulder joint. The shoulder is a ball and socket joint. The ball is the end of the arm bone (humerus). This ball fits into the bowl-shaped socket of the shoulder (glenoid). Cartilage lines the socket to keep movement smooth. When the cartilage tears it is called a shoulder labral tear. Well this should allow someone like David Patten, Jordan Norwood, or Paul Hubbard a small sigh of relief. It may allow them now a much better chance of making the team.

by By Mary Kay Cabot Saturday August 08, 2009, 4:26 PM Browns third-year receiver Syndric Steptoe was carted off the field during Saturday's rain-drenched practice with an apparent arm or shoulder injury. The Browns are not confirming or commenting on injuries during training camp. Steptoe, who tweaked something in his upper body during the week and subsequently dropped three passes, has been working as a reserve receiver and kick returner. The Browns seventh-round pick in 2007, Steptoe started five of his 16 games last season, catching 19 passes for 182 yards. He also returned three kickoffs for an average of 20.3 yards and two punts for an average of 11.5 yards. Syndric is far from a "game changer" but as I stated in previous post, he does bring a little experience and can play a part in KR/PR game. For someone like David Patten/Paul Hubbard/ or UFA Jordan Norwood, this could be there ticket to making the final roster come regular season. Lets keep our finger...

The Cleveland Browns released veteran defensive lineman Shaun Smith Saturday morning, the AFC North blog has learned. The move represents the first significant cut of training camp under new coach Eric Mangini, as Smith has been a solid contributor in the defensive line rotation in Cleveland for the past two seasons. Smith signed a four-year deal with the Browns in 2007. He had his best year in Cleveland two years ago, when he recorded 62 tackles and two sacks while helping the Browns to a 10-6 record. Last season Smith recorded 36 tackles for the Browns. by ESPN.com's James Walker Nothing really shocking here, as you can see by his lack of production for '07 to '08. Only a matter of time now when not only the Browns but other teams start sharpening there blades for the chopping block.

Buccaneers coach calling out Kellen Winslow Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Raheem Morris isn't cutting his new guy any slack. Tight end Kellen Winslow (notes) came over to the team in the off-season in a trade of a second- and a fifth-round pick to the Cleveland Browns and Morris has been on him since before he came to camp. Morris is apparently expecting Winslow to "step up" and be a leader, but he's not seeing it just yet. "I'm also starting to get an idea of the problems he's had," Morris told reporters. That's gotta make a guy love his new boss, right? "If he does something good, I'll tell him my bad." Source: Pewter Report

The knee injury suffered by Browns OG Rex Hadnot during Thursday's practice is reportedly a torn ACL. The Browns, as predicted, are being secretive about the injury. Hadnot is expected to miss the entire season, which leaves Ryan Tucker and Pork Chop Womack to battle for the right guard job. The injury may also save Hank Fraley from the chopping block. Aug. 7 - 8:13 pm et Source: Profootballtalk at NBCSports.com UPDATE 8-9-09: Hadnot for opener? A source said Rex Hadnot , who suffered a torn left medial collateral ligament in practice Thursday, could be ready in time for the opener Sept. 13 against the Vikings at home. Mangini declined to comment on the report in The Plain Dealer that Hadnot has a torn MCL. At first, it was feared he might have a torn anterior cruciate ligament and be lost for the season.

On a slow day (although the day is still young) here is just a reminder and update on whats going on in the world of the Orange and Brown : Whispers from sources are saying that Rex Hadnot has had not a minor but serious knee injury. It's probably safe to say that you can put an I.R. next to his name. Don't miss Family Day at Cleveland Browns Stadium on August 9. Family Day includes the "Brown and White Scrimmage", which will allow Browns fans of all ages see the team take the field at the stadium. The "Brown and White Scrimmage" is a free, non-ticketed event. The fun starts at 10:30 a.m. on Tailgate Terrace and Alfred Lerner Way - where Browns fans of all ages can enjoy music and inflatables. Gates to the stadium open at 11 a.m., with the "Brown and White Scrimmage" set to kick off at 1 p.m. The first 25,000 fans entering the stadium will receive a free commemorative roster card. Tony Grossi's blog: Cleveland Browns QBs not scoring...

Around 3:30 today reports were surfacing that Rex Hadnot who seemed to be making a new home as the Browns new starting left guard was whisked away on a golf cart today as his leg was rolled up on during practice today. What happened: Can't say for sure. Why is that: The Browns do not comment on injuries Hadnot started 15 games for us at RG last season, and he does have the ability to play 3 different spots (LG, C, RG) so this could be a big blow to the flexibility of the offensive line this season. Hopefully this is just an MCL sprain like Vikings QB Tarvaris Jackson , but again this is the Browns we're talking about here.

I was watching Sports Time Ohio's "Training Camp Daily" and a good point was brought up that I had only just started pondering. How may WR's do we need? Who is getting cut/traded/or put on 1 of a number of physically unable to perform lists? For most of training camp really only a handful of names have surfaced, some for good reasons and others well, read the previous post. Lets start with what I have heard thus far; Mike Furrey : A former arena league star, once part of the greatest show on turf (won Superbowl with the Rams and played with Torry Holt and Issac Bruce). Then moved to Detroit where he caught 98 passes for over 1000 yards just two years ago. Now he comes to a run first offense with a team full of young talent and a starting QB dilemma, or will he be the Browns version of Wes Welker? KEEPER Donte Stallworth : Lets just not go there, Moving on. GONE David Patten : Ah yes, the 35 yr old speedster now in his second stint with the Brownies. I have to b...

In his interview after practice he dismissed any notion that his time away was a form of discipline by coach Eric Mangini. "Just the opposite," Edwards said. "In fact, I thought he was taking care of me." Its a contract year for him, so he's looking to cash in, so what does he do, he's shows up to camp a day late. I'm guessing this was Mangini's first shot to show what happens to players who don't do as they are told. More at: http://bit.ly/xzs31

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