Giants try to pick up a free agent receiver and other pre draft notes
It seems that the reports hold some truth at least: The Giants want to swing a deal with the Browns to get Braylon Edwards, who is another talented but "difficult" to work with receiver. Edwards may have some problems working with new Browns and Ex Jets Head Coach Eric Mangini, which seems to be the main issue right now. The Browns want a #2 and a #5 pick in this draft, plus receiver Steve Smith. The Giants countered with the two picks plus receiver Dominik Hixon. What some people are missing is that Edwards isn't Burress. He's two+ inches shorter and 15 pounds lighter. Can he play the same "Jump Ball in the End Zone" game? Sure he can. But if Hixon also goes in the deal the Giants would still need to get another "taller" wide out in the Draft or Via Free Agency to help stretch the defensive backs.
I'll cast my vote for Brian Robiskie early, or Ramses Barden late. I prefer to see a team built through the draft rather then through free agency. To pick up one, two or three players that is is one thing, but there is no way you can get 20 players through free agency without going past the salary cap, at least this year. Now let's see if there still is a salary cap next year. Seattle Seahawks GM Tim Ruskell seems to agree with me that "there isn't really a franchise player in this draft." He told the Sporting News this weekend "(At #4), you think of who will make an impact on your team as quickly as possible-except for a QB. That guy your going to groom."
Right on Tim! Every team i've ever seen play that continually won in post season did so because a G.M or a scouting director took the time to build the team through the draft and not through trades and free agency.
Things are heating up for next weekend at the NFL Draft. We will bring you the latest news all week and from the draft both days.
Our Blogs are at: nflbiz.blogspot.com, and nfldraftmag.blogspot.com
Our websites are www.footballreportersonline.com and to order our NFL Draft Guide (E-Book-PDF) please go to www.gridirondraftguide.com
Last Thursday on our Internet radio show/ podcast at Football Reporters Online was our 2 Hr. mock draft show. This week we have out 2 Hr. Preview show Thursday night at 9pm eastern, and our 45 min. Day one wrap up sunday morning at 12:30 am, plus a two part total recap on Monday the 27th at 7:30 eastern (pt.1) and Thursday the 30th at our regular 9pm eastern slot (pt. 2). The Shows can be heard at www.blogtalkradio.com/Football-Reporters or on iTunes at Keywords: Football Reporters.
On Saturday and Sunday we will team up with Sports Business Simulations, Black Athlete.com, and Consensus Draft Services to bring you all the NFL Draft coverage you could need. I would love to hear from you at : askdrfootball@gmail.com or at 1-866-478-5982.
Showing posts with label Cleveland Browns. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cleveland Browns. Show all posts
Sunday, April 19, 2009
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Wednesday, May 2, 2007
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Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn Arrives At Cleveland Brows Headquaters - AP
Browns welcome Brady Quinn home
By TOM WITHERS
AP Sports Writer
AP PHOTO/TONY DEJAK
Cleveland Browns' Brady Quinn , right, arrives along with his girlfriend, Lindy Slinger, at the Cleveland Browns facility, Sunday, April 29, 2007, in Berea, Ohio.
BEREA, Ohio — Brady Quinn stepped out from behind the black limousine's tinted windows into brilliant Sunday sunshine. He wore blue jeans, a zippered windbreaker and a Browns baseball cap. He was dressed casually, if not for the occasion.
"I think he was just worn out from wearing that suit all day yesterday," said tackle Joe Thomas, Quinn's new teammate.
One day after his stunning slide in the first round became the biggest story of the NFL draft, Quinn began a new chapter in his storied football career.
Passed over by 20 other teams, Quinn was introduced at a news conference by the Browns, the team he dreamed of playing for as a kid and the one who passed over him to take Thomas at No. 3 before trading up to select Notre Dame's golden-armed quarterback.
Quinn spent four agonizing hours Saturday waiting in the wings at Radio City Music Hall for his name to be called. With national TV cameras trained on him sitting backstage, he smiled and tried to make the best of an awkward situation as team after team chose other players.
Booed at first, the draftniks on hand in New York began to sympathize with Quinn as the clock painfully ticked on.
"It's the Notre Dame quarterback thing, love 'em or hate 'em," Quinn said.
The biggest day of his life quickly became a nightmare for the 22-year-old, who ran around his backyard as a boy pretending he was Browns iconic QB Bernie Kosar slinging touchdown passes in front of an imaginary Dawg Pound.
But just when it couldn't get bleaker, the Browns saved Quinn. They gave Dallas a second-round pick this year and first-round pick in 2008 to move up and take Quinn with the 22nd pick.
Now, it's Quinn's turn to save the Browns, who have been mostly luckless losers in the eight years since their expansion return.
He's ready for the challenge.
"I'm accustomed to coming into a new situation and changing the attitudes and the way people think," he said. "I want to change the way people feel in the fourth quarter when there are two minutes left and we have the ball at the 20. I think it's a big thing that people don't understand.
"You have to keep believing. It's never OK to lose."
Quinn's free fall through the first round may have damaged more than his reputation. It likely cost him more than $25 million in guaranteed money, a fact he dismissed as easily as sidestepping a blitzing linebacker.
"If you are successful in the NFL, you're going to make money," he said. "It's not a big deal. I'm not a guy who comes from a lot of money. I'm a blue-collar, hardworking kid and for me it's a dream to be drafted in the first round."
Quinn came to Sunday's affair not thinking he needed to dress up. But when he saw Thomas, who skipped a draft-day trip to New York to go fishing, in a pinstriped suit, Quinn broke out a sport coat, slacks and tie.
His decision to change delayed the news conference.
"We thought it would be his girlfriend getting ready," joked general manager Phil Savage. "We made you wait yesterday, and you made us wait today."
Quinn will be looked upon as a savior in Cleveland, expected to carry the Browns back to greatness.
He's used to the heavy lifting. As Notre Dame's starting QB for four years, every move he made was scrutinized by the school's worldwide fan base. There may be no tougher job in college football - other than coaching the Fighting Irish - than quarterbacking them.
Quinn feels his pressure-packed collegiate career will serve him well.
"Notre Dame prepared me as best as it could have," he said. "When you look at the aspects of playing nationally televised games and the competition week in and week out. I was dealing with the media from Day 1. Obviously, there were times in my career where we started losing and that's when you feel the heat.
"I've been through the fire and adversity, and that's a positive for me."
Another plus was playing under coach Charlie Weis, who before going to Notre Dame helped develop Tom Brady into a Pro Bowl quarterback and Super Bowl champion as New England's offensive coordinator.
Although the Browns are months away from possibly naming Quinn their starter, Weis believes it's a foregone conclusion.
"I don't think this guy has to go to a program and be groomed for a year," Weis said. "If there was ever a quarterback who was ready to go for the last two years, it's him. He's got hammered in the last two years by me so he can take it by anybody."
Not long after being picked by the Browns, Quinn was whisked to Cleveland in one of owner Randy Lerner's private jets. He arrived at the team's headquarters late Saturday night, weary from a long, emotional day.
But when he walked through the front doors for the first time as a Brown, all the anxiety and embarrassment he may have felt in New York were replaced by a soothing calm. Quinn knew he was home.
"It felt amazing," he said. "In the draft, after I got passed by the Browns, I didn't think they were going to come back and get me.
"Once I got here, it felt real."
By TOM WITHERS
AP Sports Writer
AP PHOTO/TONY DEJAK
Cleveland Browns' Brady Quinn , right, arrives along with his girlfriend, Lindy Slinger, at the Cleveland Browns facility, Sunday, April 29, 2007, in Berea, Ohio.
BEREA, Ohio — Brady Quinn stepped out from behind the black limousine's tinted windows into brilliant Sunday sunshine. He wore blue jeans, a zippered windbreaker and a Browns baseball cap. He was dressed casually, if not for the occasion.
"I think he was just worn out from wearing that suit all day yesterday," said tackle Joe Thomas, Quinn's new teammate.
One day after his stunning slide in the first round became the biggest story of the NFL draft, Quinn began a new chapter in his storied football career.
Passed over by 20 other teams, Quinn was introduced at a news conference by the Browns, the team he dreamed of playing for as a kid and the one who passed over him to take Thomas at No. 3 before trading up to select Notre Dame's golden-armed quarterback.
Quinn spent four agonizing hours Saturday waiting in the wings at Radio City Music Hall for his name to be called. With national TV cameras trained on him sitting backstage, he smiled and tried to make the best of an awkward situation as team after team chose other players.
Booed at first, the draftniks on hand in New York began to sympathize with Quinn as the clock painfully ticked on.
"It's the Notre Dame quarterback thing, love 'em or hate 'em," Quinn said.
The biggest day of his life quickly became a nightmare for the 22-year-old, who ran around his backyard as a boy pretending he was Browns iconic QB Bernie Kosar slinging touchdown passes in front of an imaginary Dawg Pound.
But just when it couldn't get bleaker, the Browns saved Quinn. They gave Dallas a second-round pick this year and first-round pick in 2008 to move up and take Quinn with the 22nd pick.
Now, it's Quinn's turn to save the Browns, who have been mostly luckless losers in the eight years since their expansion return.
He's ready for the challenge.
"I'm accustomed to coming into a new situation and changing the attitudes and the way people think," he said. "I want to change the way people feel in the fourth quarter when there are two minutes left and we have the ball at the 20. I think it's a big thing that people don't understand.
"You have to keep believing. It's never OK to lose."
Quinn's free fall through the first round may have damaged more than his reputation. It likely cost him more than $25 million in guaranteed money, a fact he dismissed as easily as sidestepping a blitzing linebacker.
"If you are successful in the NFL, you're going to make money," he said. "It's not a big deal. I'm not a guy who comes from a lot of money. I'm a blue-collar, hardworking kid and for me it's a dream to be drafted in the first round."
Quinn came to Sunday's affair not thinking he needed to dress up. But when he saw Thomas, who skipped a draft-day trip to New York to go fishing, in a pinstriped suit, Quinn broke out a sport coat, slacks and tie.
His decision to change delayed the news conference.
"We thought it would be his girlfriend getting ready," joked general manager Phil Savage. "We made you wait yesterday, and you made us wait today."
Quinn will be looked upon as a savior in Cleveland, expected to carry the Browns back to greatness.
He's used to the heavy lifting. As Notre Dame's starting QB for four years, every move he made was scrutinized by the school's worldwide fan base. There may be no tougher job in college football - other than coaching the Fighting Irish - than quarterbacking them.
Quinn feels his pressure-packed collegiate career will serve him well.
"Notre Dame prepared me as best as it could have," he said. "When you look at the aspects of playing nationally televised games and the competition week in and week out. I was dealing with the media from Day 1. Obviously, there were times in my career where we started losing and that's when you feel the heat.
"I've been through the fire and adversity, and that's a positive for me."
Another plus was playing under coach Charlie Weis, who before going to Notre Dame helped develop Tom Brady into a Pro Bowl quarterback and Super Bowl champion as New England's offensive coordinator.
Although the Browns are months away from possibly naming Quinn their starter, Weis believes it's a foregone conclusion.
"I don't think this guy has to go to a program and be groomed for a year," Weis said. "If there was ever a quarterback who was ready to go for the last two years, it's him. He's got hammered in the last two years by me so he can take it by anybody."
Not long after being picked by the Browns, Quinn was whisked to Cleveland in one of owner Randy Lerner's private jets. He arrived at the team's headquarters late Saturday night, weary from a long, emotional day.
But when he walked through the front doors for the first time as a Brown, all the anxiety and embarrassment he may have felt in New York were replaced by a soothing calm. Quinn knew he was home.
"It felt amazing," he said. "In the draft, after I got passed by the Browns, I didn't think they were going to come back and get me.
"Once I got here, it felt real."
Friday, April 6, 2007
0
Brady Quinn Visits The Cleveland Browns
Irish QB the latest to visit Browns
By JEFF SCHUDEL
Special to The Inde
http://www.indeonline.com
Window shopping for the NFL draft can be a dizzying experience for a team as lowly as the Browns.
Former Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn visited Berea Thursday at the invitation of the Browns, one day after running back Adrian Peterson of Oklahoma and former LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell were in town.
Any of the three could make the Browns better instantly, and since the Browns have the third choice in the draft April 28 they are guaranteed at least one of them will be available when they make their pick.
None of the players were made available to the media during their visit. All three spoke at the NFL Combine in February and all three had positive things to say about the possibility of continuing their football career with the Browns.
Quinn in fact, has had to explain over and over that while he would love to play for the Browns, he would be happy playing for any team. Quinn made it sound like he was pushing the Browns to draft him when the Dublin, Ohio, product said on national television he would like to play for the Browns.
“I basically said I was a fan when I was younger and I definitely do have a desire based on where I live because of where they are in the draft,” Quinn said. “I think economically that would be a good situation right now with them drafting in the third spot. But that’s where it stops.
“I’m not biased toward any team based on where I live. Whatever team I go to play for I’m going to be happy to play for.”
Quinn was one of the top-rated players in the country until the Fighting Irish played LSU in the Sugar Bowl. Russell was the better quarterback that night because the Tigers were the better team.
“I don’t think one game necessarily makes a career for someone,” Quinn said. “It doesn’t take away from the fact that we lost. We played terrible in the second half – not only myself but as a team. We didn’t do enough to get a win.
“Any time that’s how you end your career, that’s how you end your last game going into the NFL, of course people are going to harp on that. That’s what everyone can think about and write about. That’s their last memory.”
Quinn had a strong Pro Day March 4 and with it improved his standing in mock drafts around the country.
Browns general manager Phil Savage says NFL draft boards do not fluctuate like those of analysts who make a living writing draft guides. The interviews of Peterson, Russell and Quinn this week were more for the purpose of making sure they are sound physically and to reaffirm the opinion the Browns already have of the respective players.
Russell and Savage are from Mobile, Ala. When Russell was 14 he attended a football camp run by Savage, who worked for the Ravens at the time. When Savage returned to Baltimore, he told Ravens G.M. Ozzie Newsome that Russell had a stronger arm than any quarterback on the Ravens’ roster.
Savage saw Peterson twice in less than two months before Peterson visited Wednesday – once at the scouting combine and once at the Oklahoma Pro Day. He was impressed both times and said Peterson’s injury history – a shoulder, ankle and collarbone – would not disqualify the Browns from taking him.
Savage has said the Browns will take an offensive player with their first pick. The Browns were 31st in the league offensively last season and 30th in scoring.
By JEFF SCHUDEL
Special to The Inde
http://www.indeonline.com
Window shopping for the NFL draft can be a dizzying experience for a team as lowly as the Browns.
Former Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn visited Berea Thursday at the invitation of the Browns, one day after running back Adrian Peterson of Oklahoma and former LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell were in town.
Any of the three could make the Browns better instantly, and since the Browns have the third choice in the draft April 28 they are guaranteed at least one of them will be available when they make their pick.
None of the players were made available to the media during their visit. All three spoke at the NFL Combine in February and all three had positive things to say about the possibility of continuing their football career with the Browns.
Quinn in fact, has had to explain over and over that while he would love to play for the Browns, he would be happy playing for any team. Quinn made it sound like he was pushing the Browns to draft him when the Dublin, Ohio, product said on national television he would like to play for the Browns.
“I basically said I was a fan when I was younger and I definitely do have a desire based on where I live because of where they are in the draft,” Quinn said. “I think economically that would be a good situation right now with them drafting in the third spot. But that’s where it stops.
“I’m not biased toward any team based on where I live. Whatever team I go to play for I’m going to be happy to play for.”
Quinn was one of the top-rated players in the country until the Fighting Irish played LSU in the Sugar Bowl. Russell was the better quarterback that night because the Tigers were the better team.
“I don’t think one game necessarily makes a career for someone,” Quinn said. “It doesn’t take away from the fact that we lost. We played terrible in the second half – not only myself but as a team. We didn’t do enough to get a win.
“Any time that’s how you end your career, that’s how you end your last game going into the NFL, of course people are going to harp on that. That’s what everyone can think about and write about. That’s their last memory.”
Quinn had a strong Pro Day March 4 and with it improved his standing in mock drafts around the country.
Browns general manager Phil Savage says NFL draft boards do not fluctuate like those of analysts who make a living writing draft guides. The interviews of Peterson, Russell and Quinn this week were more for the purpose of making sure they are sound physically and to reaffirm the opinion the Browns already have of the respective players.
Russell and Savage are from Mobile, Ala. When Russell was 14 he attended a football camp run by Savage, who worked for the Ravens at the time. When Savage returned to Baltimore, he told Ravens G.M. Ozzie Newsome that Russell had a stronger arm than any quarterback on the Ravens’ roster.
Savage saw Peterson twice in less than two months before Peterson visited Wednesday – once at the scouting combine and once at the Oklahoma Pro Day. He was impressed both times and said Peterson’s injury history – a shoulder, ankle and collarbone – would not disqualify the Browns from taking him.
Savage has said the Browns will take an offensive player with their first pick. The Browns were 31st in the league offensively last season and 30th in scoring.
