McNabb Trade Affect on Cleveland?

As most of you know by now, the Eagles have traded Donavan McNabb to the Redskins for a 2nd round this year and a conditional 3rd/4th next year. I am glad this trade is finally complete because now we don't need to listen to the we should pay a king's ransom to get McNabb. That's right Charlie, I'm talking about you. However, this a potentially large impact on the draft for the Cleveland Browns.

Bradford is a lock at 1 as far as I'm concerned. National experts are projecting that because the Lions just traded for Rob Simms, (I wonder if he'll get crap because he went to Ohio State playing in Michigan) the Lions will take themselves out of the LT business. I'm not sure I buy it. Jeff Backus is an old LT and could surely move inside with an upgraded LT. I suppose the thinking is that with Simms at LG there is nowhere to put Backus. I say if you have the opportunity to grab a 10-year LT you do it. Not to say they shouldn't pick Suh or McCoy at 2, but I think they still discuss LT. If it is true however that they pick their choice of Suh/McCoy at 2, we could be in trouble. Tampa Bay will take the best DT available and will take Suh or McCoy. If Suh goes 2, McCoy will go 3. At this point its Stafford, Suh, McCoy and our friend the Redskins are up at 4.

Here is where McNabb haunts us again. How has Donavan haunted us the first time? We drafted Tim Couch while we watched McNabb turn himself into a perennial probowler in Philly. With McNabb on board in our nations capital, Washington WILL pick a LT. At this point we're looking at Okung going to the Skins.

The Chiefs likely will also go LT with 5, because Scott Pioli does not like the thought of drafting a safety this early. So say they go Bryan Bulaga/Trent Williams.

Now come the Seahawks who also traded for a QB this offseason because they don't want to get stuck drafting Jimmy Clausen. So take Clausen off the board. Now Pete Carroll a defensive guy is looking at the 3rd rated LT or the best defensive back. Having just released Deon Grant, the Seahawks need a Safety as well as a replacement for Walter Jones at LT. I would not be suprised to see them take Berry here. Lets hope McCoy falls to this point, I think the Seahawks jump on McCoy if hes around.

And now we're screwed.

If this happens, the Browns have alot of options. DE, CB, RB, WR, LB, S, QB (NOOOOO), OL?

It this happens I think the Browns try desperately to trade down. I'd be thrilled to pick up an additional 2 or 3 to move down a few spots and land Earl Thomas, CJ Spiller, Brandon Graham, Devin McCourty, Kyle Wilson, Rolando McClain... the list goes on. The problem is I don't like any of these guys at 7.

One thing is for sure, this years draft is going to be fun.

SUPERBOWL!!!!

Trade Chatter: Donovan McNabb

me: i still have a feeling oooo oooooooo that were gonna end up with mcnabb on draft day

by draft day*

Eric: haha no way jack!

me: don't see us going into this year with wallace and quinn and a rookie

i like wallace as a backup

solid starting experience

Eric: i dont see getting mcnabb

too costly

me: maybe holmgren thinks higher of him

11:33 AM did the same thing taking hasselbeck to sea from gb

Eric: i can see us w quinn wallace and ratliff

me: well that will be fun winning 4 again

Eric: yea but that cost him a 6!!!! hasselbeck was not a multi probowler

me: id rather start wallace then

Eric: we'll see maybe he does

me: Quinn blows

11:34 AM haha

me: if we keep qbs as is id rather start wallace

i dont see us being finished though

Eric: i dont know ill be fine with whoever

11:35 AM me: i wont be fine with quinn

Eric: not ideally but we're not going to mortgage the draft to get a starter for next year

me: hes a joke

Eric: im fine with quinn

me: no

he cant play

Eric: if holmgren thinks quinn is alright then im cool w it

me: he doesnt

Eric: he hasnt thrown a ball yet

me: hes watched his tape

11:36 AM youre dellusional

youve seen his throws

Eric: he watched tape of dabolls **** head offense

me: hes innaccurate, doesnt spin the ball well

Eric: ive seen him make some good throws, ive seen wr drop the ball and ive seen him make some bad ones

me: doesnt matter

youre high

look at his numbers

Eric: right

in a BAD offense with terrible handed WRs

me: only thing brady does a DECENT job of is limiting turnovers

11:37 AM look how many he threw behind too

dont be a fan and be realistic

Eric: yea there were some misses, but im saying if holmgren starts the season with quinn, you have to think hes comfortable with it

me: you really think he can win us a game?

Eric: so then i will be too. he knows alot more than me

me: ok ill go out on a limb then and say its only march and quinn will not be starting

11:38 AM Eric: i dont know if he'll go out and win us games, but if no one can for less than a 2nd rd pick thats fine

me: ok but holmgren does not like what he sees in quinn

Eric: if the options are quinn or giving up our 1 or 2 i want quinn for another year

me: why else would we be looking at mcnabb?

Eric: HE WILL DEMAND A F***ING 1!!!!!!!

me: id give up a conditional pick next year for mcnabb

Eric: a 1!!!!

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

me: i wouldnt give a 1 and you know that we wont give it up

11:39 AM Eric: right so that means NO mcnabb

me: its negotiations

theyre not gonna be like well do it for a 3

Eric: which means no clear cut starter, which means quinn is starting which means hes a better option than wallace

which means we look for a qb next year

me: wallace would beat out quinn right now

Eric: u think reid gives up mcnabb for anything less than a 2?

11:40 AM me: quinn couldnt beat out DA DA DA

Eric: hehe

i think we just need to trust in MH

me: id be comfortable giving a conditional 3 or 2 that can move up to a 1 based on production/wins in 2011

Eric: no!

me: i know you keep saying that

but youve read as i have that HE DOESNT LIKE QUINN

Eric: i will not give up a 1 for a qb that can only play a few more years

if we give up a 1 i want a good qb a franchise qb for 10 years

11:41 AM me: ok well id do it for a 2 this year

Eric: he never said he didnt like him, he said hes looking for a better qb

nope

a 2 this year is a 1 any other year

me: alright well agree to disagree

11:42 AM final points: 1. wallace is better than quinn, brady sucks

Eric: haha, im not going to say wallace is better than quinn, thats my point, if quinn is starting i wont go yelling that wallace should be

thats my point

11:43 AM bc whoever is starting, mh thinks hes the best chance and i trust him

me: 2. without QB were going nowhere, and i agree that we dont want to throw away the future for an aging QB, and my point is thats why we havent made a deal yet, bc MH does kno what hes doing and is talking eggles down

11:44 AM Eric: the eagles will NOT take a 3 for mcnabb. if its more than that, im out

which is why a deal will NOT be done and mcnabb will NOT be a brown

me: haha

i still think something will happen

11:45 AM hes old

he cant command a high pick compensation

Eric: hes the eagles best chance to win!

me: plus hes got injury history

Eric: yes i know! haha which is why i wont give a 2

me: they were 2-0 with corn on the kolb last year

Eric: we were 10-6 with DA

11:46 AM me: would you give both 3's?

teams completely different

it was a fluke

Eric: id give a 3 and rogers

me: ok now were talking

Eric: literally maxed out there

me: listen to this deal

11:47 AM

me: they could use DQ

Eric: i dont want to give up dq

me: id give up DQ for a deal involving mcnabb

youre high

haha

whats so good about DQ

Eric: ud give up dq, rogers and a 3?

11:48 AM me: no

i said maybe swap out rogers

maybe dq a 3 and a 5

Eric: and bring back some of those ice cubes

me: we have 4 5s

haha

they have to start at a 1

Eric: yea id do dq and a 3 and a 5

me: thats not gonna happen

id rather give up our 1 for b marshall than D Mac

Eric: ur high, they really will not trade him for less than a 1

11:49 AM me: ok ive never said id give our 1 for him

Eric: i dont give up our 1 for almost anyone

unless its a player who is a probowler and under 25

if nothing else we must commit at least 1 terrorist act!

me: haha

11:50 AM what about this... rogers and swapping 1sts

11:51 AM Eric: where are they?

me: like 20

range

maybe 22

Eric: eh

on draft day id do it if certain people were off the board

id do it at their pick if someone i like alot is still on the board

like graham or spoon

me: maybe ill call MTC today and talk to tim and pat

11:52 AM i think theyre pretty firm it will take a 1 to get mcnabb though

Eric: yea u should, yesterday they were talking about mcnabb and starting with a 1 offer

me: yeah

Eric: they think it takes at least a 1 to get him

me: but if we throw players in there

Eric: but if berry is there at 7 not a chance i trade it

me: maybe?

Eric: eh, u should call

11:53 AM me: one of the funniest faces is al rokers on seinfeld "INTERESTING!"

Eric: hahahaha

yup

11:54 AM me: i like our approach though

11:55 AM starting qb aside i like the addition of wallace

pretty risk free acquisition

at worst much better #2 than weve had

11:59 AM Eric: yea

and someone who knows the system

12:00 PM hes ken dorsey but can play

me: ok so youre gonna say you trust in MH, if he gives up our 2 for mcnabb, youre out on him?

12:01 PM Eric: i just think its too much

considering the type of player we can get at 2

me: look at kurt warner and brett farve

they played til 40s

Eric: uh huh

me: no reason d macs gonna only play 3 years

12:02 PM Eric: i dont see mcnabb being as good as late

me: i think it could be a steal

Eric: for a 2?

i dont know

12:03 PM me: http://www.nfl.com/players/donovanmcnabb/careerstats?id=MCN017517

stop undervaluing this guy

he can play

hes big time

BIG TYMEEEEEE!

slappa da baise

12:04 PM Eric: haha, im not saying he cant play but i think the player we could get at 2 is better long term, for building a team, id take spikes over mcnabb

there are some GREAT qbs in next years draft

me: i agree but draft is a crap shoot

you draft potential

dmac is proven

12:05 PM Eric: right but potential of a young player weights heavy against the injury potential of a proven old man

me: no way

youre so wrong!

hahahha

12:06 PM Eric: i didnt say outweighs, just something u need to think about

me: how many of our 2nds have not panned out

i thought about it

still would take dmac in a second for our 2nd rd pick

Eric: and again this year is not like most years, this years 2nd is a first in most other years

me: still doesnt matter

Eric: does to me

12:07 PM me: what team do you work for?

easy!

guarantee you this

Eric: mike eruzione i play for... ...the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!

me: i ask any host on sirius they make d mac for browns second rd pick trade

no brainer

12:08 PM Eric: probably they would

me: we still have 11 other picks

Eric: is florio on, he has no insight, he just posts news from other people

me: so you think long term brandon spikes for example would do more for us than mcnabb for say 5 years

lol

12:09 PM he plagiarizes

Eric: im saying you cant assume we have mcnabb in his present state for 5 years

me: of course hes probably a drooling vegetable but I think thats only common sense

12:10 PM eric, avg nfl career is 3 years

our second rounder might be gone anyways

Eric: for 1st round picks?

u think the avg 1st round pick spends 3 years in the nfl?

me: why are you back on 1st rounders

i said 2nd

i would not give up our 1st for mcnabb

12:11 PM Eric: haha because thats what the browns 2nd round pick is this year

me: ive consistently said that

Eric: this is a deep draft

me: no

Eric: yes

me: youre high

Eric: your low

me: overvaluing this draft

Eric: haha

me: wow

Eric: 38, you think that spikes in last years draft makes it to round 2?

me: no

Eric: thank you

me: he dropped this year bc he didnt play as well

plus everyone else is better

12:12 PM Eric: im saying that the guys who are going in the top 10 in round 2 are first round talents

not knocked down bc of character issues or anything

me: you could say that most years

Eric: but true 1st rounders

no you cant

so you're saying this years draft is not better and deeper than last years

12:13 PM me: ill tell you this, i would be stoked if we trade our 1st, 3rd and next years 1st for don mcnabb

oh my god

mike florio is an idiot

12:14 PM Eric: THERE YOU GO GIVING UP A 1 AGAIN!!!!!

me: wildcat? thats your best breakdown of seneca wallace [florio]?

im joking

Eric: Charles: ive consistently said that

ur nuts

Quarterback Speculation

So the more I think about the quarterback situation in Cleveland, the less I like what I think. DA is as good as gone. (Good, get outta here, scram, who needs you, beat it! I'm sorry baby, I didn't mean that... Sometimes I just get so scared, scared of being a nobody.) Looking ahead, I do not feel comfortable with only Brady Quinn and Bret Ratliff on the roster.

I also do not feel comfortable with drafing a rooking QB, especially outside of the first round and if we draft a QB at 7, that will send me into, well, crazy.

So looking at possible solutions that may be available via Free Agency or trade here are my initial thoughts.

Chad Pennington - I actually would really like to see Chad in Cleveland. He has had success in NY and Miami and is apparently pretty familiar with starting for a little bit til someone else gets his shot. At this point in his career I do not see him being an expensive singing and even if he is, who cares, its about to be an uncapped year. He would be an instant upgrade and would offer some veteran leadership and stability to the offense.

Donovan F. McNabb - Great QB and would be a great addition to the Browns. Well acquainted with Heckert, McNabb would surely be a huge upgrade at the most important position. However, I'm not sold on bringing him in for the high cost it would take to get him. Charlie and I talked about giving up the 2nd rounder for him, but I'd rather see us draft a player that can play for 6-7 years and not a great QB on the downside of his career. Obviously its a different story all together now (its a different story) if we were in contention and just needed a QB (See Minnesota).

Kevin Kolb - McNabb's repalcement in Philly could also likley be had for the right price. If Holmgren and Heckert decide he is what is advertised in Philly, I'll buy it, but until then, I think I'm out on this trade. Again it would take valuable draft picks that I think we desperately need to take a QB that has not done a whole lot on the field in Philly.

Matt Hasselbeck - Not a chance in hell I give up anything for the former pro-bowl QB, but if he gets cut, I'd give him a smell. (You can smell me, without the Hennigans!) An obvious upgrade with ties to Holmgren. The big guy thought enough of him to acquire him from the Packers.

Michael Vick- My guess is Vick wants nothing to do with a stadium full of barking drunks and the home of the Dawg Pound. As a player, I like Vick but don't see him helping the team at QB like he once could.

Jason Campbell - If he were to get cut in Washington, which I am not assuming will happen, I would bring him in in a heart beat. A young QB with a good arm who might be a good QB under the right system and a guy like Holmgren.

Jeff Garcia - Hahahahaha, I hate him, so no. Only thought about him that are positive are TO's famous "looks like a rat" statement.

So it will be interesting to see what transpires in Berea over the next month or so as we look to fix the underperforming QB situation in Cleveland. Finally I feel like there is some hope, and as Morgan Freeman says in Shawshank Redemption, "Hope is a great thing, maybe the best of things."

So heres to hoping!

Eric

Our Best Butch Davis "GUUUUUT Feeling" On What Will Happen This Offseason

There is a lot of uncertainty heading into the first offseason without a salary cap since 1994. It is difficult to predict what will happen without a salary maximum. There is also no minimum. (Sorry Jaguar fans.) It has been speculated that the owners known for being more hands-on, like Jerry Jones and Dan Snyder, will approach this season as a one year window to spend whatever it takes to build a championship caliber team. Although I have never seen him quoted, it has also been speculated in the past that if we ever got to an uncapped season, Randy Lerner would do the same and spend, spend, spend to bring a championship to Cleveland. Say what you want about him but you have to give Lerner credit so far for hiring a proven football guy in Mike Holmgren and allowing him to have total and free reign to run the football side of the organization. Our front office is now stacked. We still may see changes to the coaching staff between now and training camp. Lerner is not being cheap when it comes to paying executives and coaches. He's still paying Romeo Crennel, Phil Savage and his scouts while dishing out who knows how many millions to Holmgren, Heckert and company.

Although it comes second in the process, I have to say that I am more confident than ever in our front office's ability to run a successful draft. It's hard to say which direction they will go in the draft, but I feel like we'll have done a better job at identifying needs and the talent available at every position and go into draft weekend with a plan that will work.

The real mystery is what the impact will be on free agency. Players across the league that would normally be slated to hit the open market as unrestricted free agents are now restricted, meaning they are a lot less likely to move. Teams also have multiple franchise and transition tags to use to keep players off the market. Teams in salary cap trouble can use this year to cut dead weight and save money without having to worry about the salary cap ramifications. This is why Donte Stallworth was immediately released and Derek Anderson has little to no chance of being retained next season with a $9 million bonus due next month.

We could see some owners looking to purge their rosters of high priced talent and see some decent names hit the open market. Maybe some unexpected big names. We could see some ridiculous overspending on these players. Similarly, we could see trades consummated that we might have never seen pulled off in years past because, again, there is no salary cap to worry about.

Berea has been quiet lately. Usually we already have an idea of who we are targeting in free agency at this point, but nobody really knows this year. To avoid being skittish, I'm going to go out on a limb and make some predictions for this offseason. I have a feeling that either Donovan McNabb or Matt Hasselbeck will be our starting quarterback next season and I'm leaning towards the former. I also believe that Chris Mortensen may be on to something when it comes to Julius Peppers coming to Cleveland. Although Peppers is somewhat overrated, he is athletic and versitile enough to transition from 4-3 DE to 3-4 OLB with relative ease. He is a natural pass rusher and can be dominant when he is motivated. Who better than Rob Ryan to get somebody fired up. I have nothing to base my predictions on other than having a GUUUUUT feeling that once free agency starts we will all be pleasantly surprised. Nobody saw the Kellen Winslow trade to kick off free agency last year coming. Randy Lerner has already invested so much that I think he is really going to try to take advantage of 2010 and allow Holmgren to assemble a winner now as opposed to waiting.

Theres a good chance I will be completely wrong but I just woke up this morning feeling a little extra optimistic and hopeful than normal. Just imagine the Plain Dealer headline: "Eagles Castoff McNabb Lead Browns to Super Bowl Victory." Picture Jim Donovan's radio call: "Brees in the shotgun, he's got Colston to his left, Bush split out wide right with Shockey, back to pass, and PEPPERS HITS HIM AND KNOCKS THE BALL LOOSE! He's got it at the 40, 45, 50, 45, 40, run Julius, run! 15, 10, 5, TOUCHDOWN! And that will do it, Cleveland, your Browns are SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS!!!" And think how excited Doug Dieken will be: "Whoahoho! Well!... (silence)"

The 2010 is going to be a blast and it all begins with the Scouting Combine in a couple weeks!

-Charlie