8 Players Who Need To Be Impact Players
I posed this in the forum but I liked this enough that I want to keep it here as a blog post as well...
Next year is a transitional year for the Browns, no matter how we look at it. There's going to be some learning curve for our roster and there's going to be some bumps in the road. I think these 8 players will be instrumental in the transition for the Cleveland Browns going forward.
ON DEFENSE
D'Qwell Jackson: Injuries have defined his play the last couple of seasons. In order for Cleveland to have a smooth transition into a 4-3 defense, I think that D'Qwell finding his niche and playing some passionate football will be instrumental to the overall health of the defense. We are going to need him to be healthy and we're going to need him to show the brass why he was musing about big money last off-season. It's put up or shut up time for D'Qwell Jackson
Joe Haden: 'Nuff said with this one, right? He emerged as I predicted he would as a starter by the end of last season and I think his play pretty much all but erased the doubts in the minds of many who scratched their heads over his first round selection a year ago. He showed that he will mature into a #1 Corner for this team and his sophmore year is going to be especially important as he will grow into a leader for this football team. Even though he's young, he needs to step up and lead on and off the field.
Ahtyba Rubin: I think with Phil Taylor stealing the spotlight of the D-Line this is a great opportunity for Rubin to keep progressing and exceeding our expectations. To be honest, I did not see him having the season he had last year at this point in 2010. He was one of those 'depth' guys that we were happy to have but we were all expecting more from Shaun Rogers. We got more... from Rubin and I expect more of the same this year. He will have added responsibility with helping Taylor learn the ropes but they're going to need to be a 1-2 punch for Cleveland to thrive. That means we need Rubin to thrive.
Jabaal Sheard: Another player who is arguably overshadowed by the first round pick of this years draft. I think we will need Mr. Sheard to have an impact on this D akin to what T.J. Ward brought to the table last season for us. If he's going to be starting, and I expect that he will be, we will need production. That means sacks for a team that has historically struggled to get to the QB consistently. Jabaal Sheard will hopefully be a name we hear a lot of next season.
ON OFFENSE
Peyton Hillis: I almost feel bad for bringing him up. He's practically the "golden boy" of the Cleveland Browns after his 2010 season. From self-proclaimed "steal of the Brady Quinn trade" to Madden 12 cover athlete. Peyton Hillis PROVED he was the steal on the field for the Browns, having dare I say one of the best seasons I've seen a Browns HB have in the last decade. We NEED that to continue for the team, for Colt McCoy, pretty much for everything. If Peyton Hillis has a down year, it could be a very long season for us fans and for the team. I don't expect any slumps. Hillis will want to prove he isn't a flash in the pan.
Josh Cribbs: I am as sick of the WR talk as everyone else, one name to me must stand above the rest for us next year. It's not MoMass, it's not Robo and it's not Greg Little. For me, it's Josh Cribbs. I am probably one of his biggest defenders on this board but its from what I've seen on the field. I like Cribbs, I don't think he's a game breaker or anything but he's pretty much interchangable between anyone else we've had in the depth chart. We need Cribbs to do TWO things for us. 1) Catch passes and 2) make plays. It doesn't matter how he does that but if he can be consistent in any manner of the word, Browns fans should be happy.
Greg Little: I know I just said that Cribbs has more on his shoulders than Little but that doesn't mean that the Cleveland Browns don't need Greg Little to step in and make an impact immediately. The Browns have been in dire need for a play maker for... a few seasons now at least and 2010 we learned that neither MoMass or Robo really give us any concrete options at Wideout. Greg Little must become that guy. That go-to guy and he's got all the tools in his skill set to become that guy. I think every single Browns fan is hoping that he becomes Colt McCoy's BFF on the gridiron (and I apologize for using that term) because that will be beneficial for everyone. After missing a season, there is musing about his potential but I don't expect Little's learning curve to be as severe as some.
Colt McCoy: The Pistol, The Messiah, whatever nickname you have anointed Colt McCoy, you can't argue that you have high expectations for the kid. I think Colt has come out and impressed me personally with his level of play last season. For someone who wasn't even supposed to see the field in 2010, to get wins over two super bowl calibre teams and lead us to close games in many other situations. Colt showed everyone that he is here to play.
What we need from Colt is progression, his decision making and leadership skills exceeded what we expected but now that we know what we have we need growth. Colt has shown initiative in this off-season, and that's what I want to see from him. However, initiative is great and all but unless there are some results in the form of digits in the win column than people will continue to be critical of Colt McCoy. Time will tell his tale but I hope for all of our sakes he grows into a QB that finally we can be proud of rather than another on the list of QB's we like to shit all over.
Next year is a transitional year for the Browns, no matter how we look at it. There's going to be some learning curve for our roster and there's going to be some bumps in the road. I think these 8 players will be instrumental in the transition for the Cleveland Browns going forward.
ON DEFENSE
D'Qwell Jackson: Injuries have defined his play the last couple of seasons. In order for Cleveland to have a smooth transition into a 4-3 defense, I think that D'Qwell finding his niche and playing some passionate football will be instrumental to the overall health of the defense. We are going to need him to be healthy and we're going to need him to show the brass why he was musing about big money last off-season. It's put up or shut up time for D'Qwell Jackson
Joe Haden: 'Nuff said with this one, right? He emerged as I predicted he would as a starter by the end of last season and I think his play pretty much all but erased the doubts in the minds of many who scratched their heads over his first round selection a year ago. He showed that he will mature into a #1 Corner for this team and his sophmore year is going to be especially important as he will grow into a leader for this football team. Even though he's young, he needs to step up and lead on and off the field.
Ahtyba Rubin: I think with Phil Taylor stealing the spotlight of the D-Line this is a great opportunity for Rubin to keep progressing and exceeding our expectations. To be honest, I did not see him having the season he had last year at this point in 2010. He was one of those 'depth' guys that we were happy to have but we were all expecting more from Shaun Rogers. We got more... from Rubin and I expect more of the same this year. He will have added responsibility with helping Taylor learn the ropes but they're going to need to be a 1-2 punch for Cleveland to thrive. That means we need Rubin to thrive.
Jabaal Sheard: Another player who is arguably overshadowed by the first round pick of this years draft. I think we will need Mr. Sheard to have an impact on this D akin to what T.J. Ward brought to the table last season for us. If he's going to be starting, and I expect that he will be, we will need production. That means sacks for a team that has historically struggled to get to the QB consistently. Jabaal Sheard will hopefully be a name we hear a lot of next season.
ON OFFENSE
Peyton Hillis: I almost feel bad for bringing him up. He's practically the "golden boy" of the Cleveland Browns after his 2010 season. From self-proclaimed "steal of the Brady Quinn trade" to Madden 12 cover athlete. Peyton Hillis PROVED he was the steal on the field for the Browns, having dare I say one of the best seasons I've seen a Browns HB have in the last decade. We NEED that to continue for the team, for Colt McCoy, pretty much for everything. If Peyton Hillis has a down year, it could be a very long season for us fans and for the team. I don't expect any slumps. Hillis will want to prove he isn't a flash in the pan.
Josh Cribbs: I am as sick of the WR talk as everyone else, one name to me must stand above the rest for us next year. It's not MoMass, it's not Robo and it's not Greg Little. For me, it's Josh Cribbs. I am probably one of his biggest defenders on this board but its from what I've seen on the field. I like Cribbs, I don't think he's a game breaker or anything but he's pretty much interchangable between anyone else we've had in the depth chart. We need Cribbs to do TWO things for us. 1) Catch passes and 2) make plays. It doesn't matter how he does that but if he can be consistent in any manner of the word, Browns fans should be happy.
Greg Little: I know I just said that Cribbs has more on his shoulders than Little but that doesn't mean that the Cleveland Browns don't need Greg Little to step in and make an impact immediately. The Browns have been in dire need for a play maker for... a few seasons now at least and 2010 we learned that neither MoMass or Robo really give us any concrete options at Wideout. Greg Little must become that guy. That go-to guy and he's got all the tools in his skill set to become that guy. I think every single Browns fan is hoping that he becomes Colt McCoy's BFF on the gridiron (and I apologize for using that term) because that will be beneficial for everyone. After missing a season, there is musing about his potential but I don't expect Little's learning curve to be as severe as some.
Colt McCoy: The Pistol, The Messiah, whatever nickname you have anointed Colt McCoy, you can't argue that you have high expectations for the kid. I think Colt has come out and impressed me personally with his level of play last season. For someone who wasn't even supposed to see the field in 2010, to get wins over two super bowl calibre teams and lead us to close games in many other situations. Colt showed everyone that he is here to play.
What we need from Colt is progression, his decision making and leadership skills exceeded what we expected but now that we know what we have we need growth. Colt has shown initiative in this off-season, and that's what I want to see from him. However, initiative is great and all but unless there are some results in the form of digits in the win column than people will continue to be critical of Colt McCoy. Time will tell his tale but I hope for all of our sakes he grows into a QB that finally we can be proud of rather than another on the list of QB's we like to shit all over.
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I am not going to add any comments other than to say good stuff.Posted 07-09-2011 at 09:28 AM by Vegasdogg
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