Who the hell is this guy?

[hiwaygal]

He sounds like a shill for Holmgren/Shurmur.

There is no doubt that the Cleveland Browns are having a tough season. It is easy and convenient to vent one’s frustrations at head coach Pat Shurmur, though some choose to focus their blame on GM Tom Heckert and team president Mike Holmgren.

Perhaps citing the notion that this team is “the same old Browns,” fans are understandably frustrated.

But that doesn’t mean anyone needs to jump to any rash decisions. Firing Shurmur after one season and cleaning house accomplishes nothing.

One of the main reasons the Browns didn’t bother signing any major free agents this past offseason was because a) they wanted to truly understand what kind of personnel they were dealing with and b) the organization knew this wasn’t a playoff-caliber team from the start.

If you are truly looking for someone – or something – to blame for yet another losing season for the Browns, look to the recent draft classes before Heckert, Holmgren, and Shurmur even arrived in Cleveland.

It’s common knowledge that great teams are built through the NFL Draft. Without quality draft picks on a yearly basis, a team is destined to live in perpetual mediocrity, which is something the current Browns are trying to escape. Judging by the last two draft classes (handled by Heckert and his team), with picks that included cornerback Joe Haden, safety T.J. Ward, quarterback Colt McCoy, defensive tackle Phil Taylor, defensive end Jabaal Sheard, and wide receiver Greg Little, the Browns appear to be on the right track.

Now take a look at the results of the three previous Browns drafts before Heckert arrived:

2009: C Alex Mack (1st), WR Brian Robiskie (2nd), WR Mohamed Massaquoi (2nd), LB David Veikune (2nd), LB Kaluka Maiava (4th), DB Don Carey (6th), DB Coye Francies (6th), RB James Davis (6th)

2008: LB Beau Bell (4th), TE Martin Rucker (4th), DT Ahtyba Rubin (6th), WR Paul Hubbard (6th), DE Alex Hall (7th)

2007: LT Joe Thomas (1st), QB Brady Quinn (1st), CB Eric Wright (2nd), CB Brandon McDonald (5th), DE Mel Purcell (6th), DE Chase Pittman (7th), WR Syndric Steptoe (7th)

It’s nearly impossible to build a winning team with draft classes like that. The only players still with the Browns are Joe Thomas, Ahtyba Rubin, Alex Mack, Mohamed Massaquoi, and Kaluka Maiava. Of those five players, though, only Thomas, Mack, and Rubin can truly be considered big contributors on the team.

That is the situation that Heckert and Holmgren inherited in 2010. Since that time, they have done a commendable job dealing with a lack of quality personnel. After shedding almost all of the aging veterans of the Eric Mangini regime, this team has essentially started from scratch, finally aiming to properly build itself through the draft.

It’s the worst thing in the world for Browns fans to hear, but this current front office needs time and, most importantly, your patience. Give Tom Heckert the chance to produce another solid draft, this time with two first-round picks. Should those picks pan out, the Browns will take another step towards truly competing in the AFC North.

First of all, IMO the draft is a crap shoot. So to still have 4 players from 2007-2009 is pretty damn good. Three of them are starters and will be (or are) pro-bowlers. Considering the slim pickings we had with few draft picks at all just adds to the level of success. Were these drafts GREAT? No, but I wouldn't say Heckert has been infallible either (can someone say Greg Little?).

Second, WTF is the bullshit about not signing free agents 'cause they "wanted to see what they had". Seriously? Did they not pay any attention last season?

And yeah, we ALL knew this team wasn't a playoff contender this year, but...that's not a reason to not try to fill some holes the "experts" should have known we had!

Third - Heckert is good (even with the miss on Little). And his reputation was just that...he's a good talent evaluator. So is it really fair to conclude his drafts were oh-so-much better (5 starters out of 2 years, one who wasn't supposed to start VS. 4 players from 3 years).

Shurmur sucks and needs to be fired. Period. I'm all for continuity but sometimes if you know someone is just that bad, you cut your losses and move on. Continuity for continuity's sake is stupid.

edit: forgot the link: http://dawgpounddaily.com/

[Enigmatic Evil]

The bulk of the articles on that site seem to be written by a Steve DiMatteo: Per the website

Editor and lead writer Steve DiMatteo has a Bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing from Ohio University and is doing his best to put it to good use. He originally comes from Painesville, Ohio but is currently living in Columbus where losses are still as big of a bummer and wins are just as sweet as they are when he’s back at home.

So the guy's basically pumped 10G+ into a writing degree, he's probably as qualified as you or I am to make any of these calls (and a lot of us already have, like Flugs, constantly reminds us of the Ghosts of NFL Draft Past) but a Browns fan none the less, I dunno about the stooge for Holmgren part but his other articles have this forced sense of optimism as well, maybe he's just, y'know, an optimistic guy?

Lets not forget, we wouldn't HAVE so many starting rookies, 2nd yr players etc if we didn't have to clean house from the Mangini favorites and old veterans as well. It's not like Heckert's draft was SO GREAT we HAD to start these kids, hell no, we don't HAVE anyone else! Literally.... THATS the reason, I didn't need a creative writing degree to figure that one out.

[hiwaygal]

Yeah EE, I read his bio too 'cause I thought maybe he had some REAL credentials like he was a former staffer on a football team somewhere or had been a sportswriter for years and really knew his stuff.

But it looks to me like he's either really good at developing a website, or he paid someone to develop it so he could write shit about the Browns. Not that he has any more credibility than anyone here.

I was kinda hoping someone would say, oh yeah, this guy is great! He's got a really good reputation in C-town with all the local sports outlets, etc, etc, etc.

[next2nothing]

I can't wait for FA and the draft.

[King of Kings]

I LOL'd.

Originally Posted by hiwaygal

Second, WTF is the bullshit about not signing free agents 'cause they "wanted to see what they had". Seriously? Did they not pay any attention last season?

Unfortunately it is the battlecry of the H/H/S sycophants. All I have to say is 1: They've been here a year, they should be well aware of what they had heading into offseason and 2: If it takes these guys two years to figure out what they have then they really, REALLY need to meet the unemployment line. It does NOT take two years to figure out what you have and what your needs are. Shit, competent GM's and HC's know exactly what a team needs BEFORE THEY EVEN INTERVIEW FOR THE JOB. It's called doing ones homework.

It's funny to me in a sad sort of way. Scott Pioli can walk into Berea two years ago and lay out EXACTLY what the Browns would need to do with a step by step plan of how to get there, who they should keep and who needed to go, the progressions that would be made and so on. As did Josh McDaniels. As did Eric Mangini. Yet.... It takes this superstaff TWO YEARS to figure all of that out? Really?

Originally Posted by hiwaygal

Third - Heckert is good (even with the miss on Little). And his reputation was just that...he's a good talent evaluator. So is it really fair to conclude his drafts were oh-so-much better (5 starters out of 2 years, one who wasn't supposed to start VS. 4 players from 3 years).

I don't know where people are getting this greatness out of his drafts honestly. He, like Savage trades away a ton of draft picks every year, reaches for mediocre players and really his sole claim to fame so far is Sheard and Haden out of a draft volume of 22 picks. I REALLY don't get this guys justification that we're in great shape because of Heckert.

It's especially laughable he includes Greg Little as a hit yet considers MoMass a miss. They're both misses. But hey, let's compare real quick shall we?

2007-2009: 20 draft picks, 4 hits, 1 S/T demon(Maiava), 1 decent backup CB(B-Mac).

2010-2011: 22 draft picks, 2 hits, 3 we'll see's and 17 wastes.

Yeah.... That's an improvement aye? No dice.

That is the situation that Heckert and Holmgren inherited in 2010

I LOL'd. This guy lives in fantasyland. What they inherited was 22 draft picks over two years and about $50 million dollars in cap space, neither of which have been properly utilized. They in fact inherited the PERFECT situation to make a large turnaround in year two of their tenure and instead squandered it away and made this team no different, except we have 21 year old trash instead of 28 year old "trash" to teach an effective system to the rookies.

[hammertime]

haters.

[hiwaygal]

Originally Posted by hammertime

haters.

Okay, I had to laugh at that!



Yep, I'm a hater now!


KoK - I was trying to simplify things a bit by ONLY considering the draft picks over the past 4 years that WE STILL HAVE. It kinda simplifies things.

I don't think Heckert is great (and certainly not worthy of some of the accolades we all were hearing and throwing around several months ago). But, I think he's better than almost anything we've had since 99.

Mangini was not hired to be the talent evaluator and therefore he did the best he could, tried to make this team better instantly by bringing in people who he knew and who knew his system, and did what he could to get some leverage out of what he was left with (4 draft picks). He did okay (we got Alex Mack)...but that wasn't supposed to be his job, so I'm not going to evaluate him on that. He did what I would expect any new HC to do who was left to find his own talent.

Heckert is good, okay...but not great. At least, we haven't seen greatness yet.

[YtownBacker]

Bottom line is the guy is entitled to his opinion but his opinion carries about as much weight as any of ours.....................maybe less.

As with most sportswriters filling space gets to be more important then actual news or relative fact. the team sucks and the fact is everyone along the way has had a hand in this mess and the light at the end of the tunnel may be another oncoming train. The only constant is Lerner.

[golfer704u]

Originally Posted by YtownBacker

Bottom line is the guy is entitled to his opinion but his opinion carries about as much weight as any of ours.....................maybe less.

and once again I'll just mourn the death of real journalism........

[jnuh]

Everyone seems very quick to give up on Greg Little and throw him to the curb already. He still hasn't even finished his rookie year! The kid didn't play at all last season, and was only converted to a WR the year before. WR's generally take 3 years to break out in the NFL ... and a lot of them show nothing in year one. I don't think Little will be a HOFer, but I do think he could be a very physical number 2 WR if we can get a true number 1. Im not saying he is great I am just saying lets not give up on the kid just yet.

[Thaid_Up]

One of the main reasons the Browns didn’t bother signing any major free agents this past offseason was because a) they wanted to truly understand what kind of personnel they were dealing with and b) the organization knew this wasn’t a playoff-caliber team from the start.

Had to laugh at this one because I've said that almost verbatim in 2 or 3 different threads. College education be damned!

[nickers]

Originally Posted by golfer704u

and once again I'll just mourn the death of real journalism........

Real Journalism died with Hal Lebovitz