Pluto loves him some Haden!

[sofakingwhat]

He loved the draft.



1. I spent some time watching T.J. Ward on YouTube and doing some research. The Browns had him rated as the No. 2 safety in the draft, behind Tennessee's Eric Berry. The Oregon product is a fierce tackler, bringing back some memories of former Brown Eric Turner. He had 10 tackles against Ohio State, and delivered some memorable hits on Buckeyes quarterback Terrelle Pryor.
2. Oregon usually kept Ward "in the box," near the line of scrimmage to help defend the run. He was the heart of the Ducks' defense because he played with such passion. One NFL scout told me: "If Ward were bigger, he'd be a great linebacker. He crushes people."
3. You can also see why the 5-foot-11, 208-pounder gets injured, as he fearlessly throws his body around. The reason he wasn't a second-rounder on most scouting reports was his extensive history of knee surgeries, etc. He also was limited to only eight games this season because of a high ankle sprain. The Browns are counting on the fact that Ward played 13 games as both a sophomore and junior.
4. In the end, it will come down to this: Does Ward remain healthy? If so, he could be an impact player, worthy of being picked No. 38. If not, they will be easily second-guessed. The Browns did not think he'd last until they picked in the third round.
5. The coaches obviously were unhappy with the tackling in the secondary, which is why they also drafted Nebraska safety Larry Asante. He is much the same as Ward, a safety who played close to the line and defended against the run. As John Mayor emailed: "It seems the Browns have three safeties [Abe Elam/Ward/Asante] who are considered in-the-box safeties. Having safeties that come up and support on the run is great, but I would think they also need a safety that can cover." Mayor raises a good point, which makes me think Michael Adams or even newcomer Sheldon Brown will see some time at safety -- or at least covering slot receivers.
John Kuntz / The Plain Dealer
The power of rookie running back Montario Hardesty was apparent in the Browns' first mini-camp for the new players, as he stiff-armed Royce Adams in an authoratative manner.
6. You don't need to be trained by Paul Brown to know Montario Hardesty is a pro-caliber running back. He had a monster senior year at Tennessee, rushing for 1,345 yards (4.8 yards per carry). At 5-11, 225, he is a power back with a surprising burst of speed. He tends to make one quick move, then put his shoulder down and run with a purpose. The Browns see Hardesty joining Jerome Harrison and Peyton Hillis to form a backfield that can play a ball-control game, especially in bad weather. Some of the Browns compared him to Thomas Jones, who was let go by the Jets and signed by Kansas City.
7. A pro scout told me: "He has an excellent spin move to break open. I like his vision, he picks holes well. He falls forward when tackled. He is very underrated as a receiver, does a good job in that area. I also think he's a decent blocker. I like how he fights for every yard, and he's a good kid. Like with Ward, if he stays healthy, he'll be a good player."
8. The Browns traded up, dealing their third-round pick and two in the fifth round, to grab Hardesty at No. 59. That still seems like a lot to trade up from No. 71. Supposedly, New England and one other team was considering Hardesty late in the second round -- but who knows? Hardesty has had multiple knee surgeries, but was healthy last season. The success of the picks will be determined by whether Ward and Hardesty can remain on the field on Sundays.
About first-rounder Joe Haden ...
The cornerback made an immediate impact when he was given some blitz formations to study, and the next day, he was called to the blackboard to diagram them. He was correct on every X and O.
This email from Paul Berne also was revealing about the defensive back from Florida:
"Joe Haden was on my plane [one of those little regional jets where there's one class of seats]. I saw Joe in the hallway after we landed and greeted him with 'Mr. Haden welcome to Cleveland. We're delighted to have you here and I'm sure you'll be a great success.'
"He gave the most cordial and polite response that could be imagined. He thanked me, mentioned how excited he was to be a Brown. When I asked him if he would mind if I took my picture with him with my cell phone to send to my son -- he not only agreed, but as I fumbled with using the camera, he showed me how to use it then leaned in for the picture.
"I know Mr. Haden has enormous skill and ability. If what I saw of his character is any indication of that playing ability, he will in a short time prove to be the best defensive back in the league."
About third-rounder Colt McCoy ...
John Kuntz / The Plain Dealer
Colt McCoy's accuracy is already becoming a talking point at the Browns' mini-camp.
The pro scout mentioned this about the Texas quarterback:
1. "Colt will discover that playing in Cleveland is a much different deal than Texas. That stadium is cold and windy, which is why you'd rather have a quarterback with a stronger arm. Colt is a smart, tough guy -- he can figure it out. But it will take a while for him to adjust."
2. "I worry about his durability, especially if he keeps hanging on to the ball too long -- as he did at Texas. When he gets thrown down, he seems to really feel it because he's not that big (6-1, 212)."
3. "I like his accuracy. I like how he can move around in the pocket and quickly set his feet before he throws. I like how he played in a big-time program at Texas. I like him better than [Tim] Tebow and [Jimmy] Clausen. By taking him in the third round, the Browns made a smart move because they don't have to rush him. I expect him to play in the league for quite a while, the question will be if he can start for a good team."

[OconRecon]

Really, 6-1, 212? I think I missed that stat.

Quinn looked small next to DA:

Brady Quinn (QB)
Height: 6-3 *
Weight: 235

I'm pretty sure Harrell's size was a concern:

Graham Harrell (QB)
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 223

And Colt is smaller than both?

[Tobalaz]

Like I've already said about injuries.
So many other tams are able to draft a guy with an "injury history" and get several productive injury free years out of them, but we never seem to.
I'm starting to think our medical/ training staff doesn't know dick and pray to god H3 brought in their own guys. Hell, with so many "young" coaches, they might not have an idea how to balance their time on the field to keep these guys healthy.
Could be a combination of the two.
Whatever it is, we need to figure it out so these "injury prone" guys can stay healthy and we can stop whipping out the "bust" stamp after 3 seasons.

[Enigmatic Evil]

Originally Posted by Tobalaz

Like I've already said about injuries.
So many other tams are able to draft a guy with an "injury history" and get several productive injury free years out of them, but we never seem to.
I'm starting to think our medical/ training staff doesn't know dick and pray to god H3 brought in their own guys. Hell, with so many "young" coaches, they might not have an idea how to balance their time on the field to keep these guys healthy.
Could be a combination of the two.
Whatever it is, we need to figure it out so these "injury prone" guys can stay healthy and we can stop whipping out the "bust" stamp after 3 seasons.

Based on some of the digging around I did online, trying to find out about the whole Kellen Winslow situation. It seemed our Medical staff AND the facilities we have played a big role in Winslow's desire to get out of dodge. He got infections twice from inadequate sanitary conditions of the facilities. Don't know if you blame the staff in that circumstance but it certainly can't be just the janitors fault or anything like that.

I would hope it was something H3 has looked into and addressed...

[hiwaygal]

I could be wrong (and I'm too lazy to go looking for it)...but didn't we hire some new medical/training staff just after Holmgren came on board? I seem to remember something being posted here.

[AdaM]

Originally Posted by Enigmatic Evil

Based on some of the digging around I did online, trying to find out about the whole Kellen Winslow situation. It seemed our Medical staff AND the facilities we have played a big role in Winslow's desire to get out of dodge. He got infections twice from inadequate sanitary conditions of the facilities. Don't know if you blame the staff in that circumstance but it certainly can't be just the janitors fault or anything like that.

I would hope it was something H3 has looked into and addressed...

Do a little research on staph infections. Its not because of unsanitary facilities, thats something some people just spit out by default because so many staph infections occurred. There is staph EVERYWHERE. Even on your keyboard, right now. Some people are just unlucky and get it.

[Enigmatic Evil]

Originally Posted by AdaM

Do a little research on staph infections. Its not because of unsanitary facilities, thats something some people just spit out by default because so many staph infections occurred. There is staph EVERYWHERE. Even on your keyboard, right now. Some people are just unlucky and get it.

Fair enough. I'm just going off of what I read and for the most part it was a 'he said this, he said that' kind of thing. Very one sided from what Winslow's feelings are. Can't really discount it, but I've also read that more players than Winslow have gotten infections from the Browns facilities.

Not really pointing the finger so much as I'm hoping this was something H3 looked into, and apparently they've already addressed the issue.

[Greythan]

Different era I know, but Sipe was miniscule. Brees is probably not 212 sopping wet.

Point is that McCoy, to be successful, will have to understand he has to use throwing lanes and make sure he gets rid of the ball.

[AdaM]

Originally Posted by Enigmatic Evil

Fair enough. I'm just going off of what I read and for the most part it was a 'he said this, he said that' kind of thing. Very one sided from what Winslow's feelings are. Can't really discount it, but I've also read that more players than Winslow have gotten infections from the Browns facilities.

Not really pointing the finger so much as I'm hoping this was something H3 looked into, and apparently they've already addressed the issue.

Yeah KW blamed cleveland for his infections but the truth is you can and will find staph in every single NFL lockerroom.

[Danamal]

Originally Posted by AdaM

Yeah KW blamed cleveland for his infections but the truth is you can and will find staph in every single NFL lockerroom.

Cleveland does seem to have something in the water when it comes to the dreaded staph,I can remember as a kid Jerry Shirk almost died from staph and every so often it creeps up in Cleveland's locker room,Could just be a coincidence but we seem to have more cases than most teams.

[Alo]

I don't think Harrell's size was an issue. If anything, his ht/wt worked against him because he already was maxed out at a decent size - he wasn't going to get bigger in an NFL weight room and add some juice to his arm, like Tom Brady did.

I'm hoping that McCoy can add ten pounds of muscle and work on his arm speed, thereby maximizing his arm strength potential. He bulked up between his sophomore and junior years, which significantly improved his arm strength. Hopefully, there's still some room for growth.

[Shep]

I agree a lot. Brady is the perfect example: He was skinny and, worse, not very strong at all. There's some improvement in arm strength simply in getting stronger... IF that was a problem.

Like you said, McCoy got kudos for having more arm later in his career after hitting the weights a little. I agree that he has another 8-10 pounds to add. With some tutoring, he can improve the arms speed as well and reach his max.

Originally Posted by Alo

I don't think Harrell's size was an issue. If anything, his ht/wt worked against him because he already was maxed out at a decent size - he wasn't going to get bigger in an NFL weight room and add some juice to his arm, like Tom Brady did.

I'm hoping that McCoy can add ten pounds of muscle and work on his arm speed, thereby maximizing his arm strength potential. He bulked up between his sophomore and junior years, which significantly improved his arm strength. Hopefully, there's still some room for growth.