Browns, what would YOU do?

[Charlie Brown]

Lots of teams change or alter uniforms to boost sales and in hopes that a new image or fresh look will spark the teams at least a little, it's part of pulling out all the stops. Maybe it helped (slightly) for the Broncos and Bucs in 1997 boosting some team pride and excitement, but prerequisite to that is some established competency and success which comes from effective management.

And I don't think it matters that Lerner sold to Halsam. Modell wasn't the original owner of the Browns either, and he no longer owns the Ravens -whoopdedoo.

There is no "nucleus" left from the Broncos old teams of the past, and no the FO has not remained the same either. Turnover is inevitable, says Father Time.

The Browns aren't an animal born to a mother but the product of a couple of men involving contracts, paperwork, etc. all subject to decisions for change like any other business. The franchises are all artificial so there's nothing truly "unnatural" about moving or forming an expansion.

That said, it really doesn't matter that the Browns were reincarnated as an expansion --the names and uniforms are completely superficial elements. Because people are what really comprise a team, the true problem at the deeper level concerns the people running the organization and the way it's been run over the years, If it had been competent and stable from the outset, the team would have become more competitive, and winning makes ALL the difference and erases any notion about an identity crisis.

This team is not under a supernatural curse nor is it unfixable, and they can still field a competitive unit and give the people of Cleveland something to cheer about --so long as it's run successfully from the top down. Maybe John Dorsey is the answer? I know Parcells was a consultant, but I think they really need him to run the whole show as head coach and GM. If he wasn't too old and retired maybe he would. A smart, hardassed, no-nonsense disciplinarian of that caliber would definitely turn it around in short order and restore some pride and dignity to the franchise.

Like I said, you are playing pretend. You are sitting here saying:

“Teams change owners, teams get rid of coaches, you could just convince yourself that all the changes to this team actually are just natural changes over time.”

The answer is that they are not. I know what happened and you do as well. The real Browns are in Baltimore. The team in Cleveland is a replacement team that began play in 1999. Prior to 1999 that team did not exist and there is no “restoring pride and dignity” when there never was any.

That “pride and dignity” organization went to Baltimore. The proudest moment of this franchise was making the playoffs one year only to lose to Pittsburgh - the sole playoff appearance in their history.

As for your "there are no snakebit teams". The team in Cleveland plays in a division with three perennial playoff contenders. They are the odd man out in that they have only made the playoffs once in their entire history and that one time was a loss. They have been in playoff contention only twice in their history. They are a perennial failure. They have an owner whose only goal is to make a profit. The only reason he "updated the jerseys" was because he wanted to boost the jersey sales. That same year, he decided to allow naming rights to a stadium that previously had never had naming rights. That same owner was investigated and his company was found guilty of cheating their customers.

It isn't rocket science to see what kind of individual this person is. The entire organization from the top to the very bottom is a sham. It is a money-making scheme. Said team will never succeed because they are failures, their owner is a failure, their coaches are failures, and because they are all failures and the fact that nobody has anything to worry about because they will still make money, said team will always be a failure. Businesses that do not care about their product and only care about making a profit will never find success. Sure, they will make money. But they will never have the success that matters.

Everybody knows that and everyone avoids said business because of that. The only reason anyone goes to said business is because they are thrown some of the ill-begotten gains.

[-Rod-]

I've read the Browns are consulting with Bill Parcells to evaluate this draft's QBs. That's an interesting information because Parcells has his well-known rules for drafting QBs.

https://www.ndtscouting.com/marino-applying-bill-parcells-rules-drafting-qb-2018-class/

Hall of Fame head coach Bill Parcells is a renown talent evaluator and adopted a list of seven criteria that he used when considering quarterbacks in the NFL draft. That criteria is as follows:

1. Be a three-year starter
2. Be a senior in college
3. Graduate from college
4. Start 30 games
5. Win 23 games
6. Post a 2:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio
7. Compete at least 60-percent of passes thrown

As the article indicates, Baker Mayfield is the only top QB to meet all 7 criteria. Mason Rudolph also fulfilled the 7 rules, but he is not considered a 1st-round QB like the others. So, we can imagine Bill Parcells will try to sell the John Dorsey and the Browns on Baker Mayfield.

If we combine that with the fact that former GM Scott McCloughan said back in October that Baker Mayfield was his favorite QB in this class, comparing him to Brett Favre, there is a strong chance the Browns will try to get Mayfield. McCloughan is also working with the Browns as a draft consultant.

http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2018/02/how_will_scot_mccloughans_love.html

In an interview with the Doug Gottlieb Show on Fox Sports Radio in October, the former Redskins and 49ers general manager revealed that Mayfield was his top choice from this rich quarterback class -- and even compared him to Hall of Famer Brett Favre, with whom McCloughan spent six years in Green Bay.

"He reminds me of a shorter version of Brett Favre," McCloughan told Gottlieb."Tough guy. He can throw it. And he's very confident, and he's not afraid whatsoever, whatsoever. He's a battler. I know saying Brett Favre's a big name, and I was around him for a while, but this guy has talent."

If we look just at GM John Dorsey, I think Josh Allen is his type of QB. Dorsey tried to get Paxton Lynch in 2016 and traded up for Patrick Mahomes in 2017. He wants QBs with size and arm strength. That's also what Hue Jackson wants, since he gives plenty of importance to bigger QBs with height and hand size. Allen has ideal size for a QB and the golden arm to make any throw in the weather conditions of that division.

My belief is that John Dorsey might be leaning towards Josh Allen, but McCloughan and Parcells will try to sell him on Baker Mayfield. Hue Jackson will probably bang the table for Josh Allen and Todd Haley might join him, considering his success with a bigger QB like Ben Roethlisberger.

[EddieMac]

Man if I was the Browns...although I am not sold on cousins... with their cap space...grab him....now you draft barkley and maybe Nelson at 4 or see if buffalo will give up their 2firts for it and load up... they could have a solid team in one draft... finally.