2012 Offseason: Quarterbacks

[Lee]

Ahh, a breath of fresh air. Thanks for the clean thread.

Now about this Tannehill guy, I'd be ok with rolling with him on our ATL pick if he's projected to be there. I like that he's been under the Holmgren umbrella of coaches. I think if we put him with some studs at WR and RB (4th and 37th picks), then I could sleep at night.

BTW, this is all predicated on Luck and RG3 being gone at 4. I don't want the Browns moving and shaking this year. We need to come out of this draft with our offensive trio for the build, IMO.

I would have agreed a few years ago, but it has been clear to me that the QB and offensive coordinator today is what makes the offense. When you have qb's like Brees and Brady make all stars out of 7th round draft pick receivers, its clear that QB position is more important now than ever. Further RB is just not an important position anymore. I really hope we dont draft one in the first 3 rounds. Outside of Nola picking Ingram in the 1st last year, I dont think a top team in the league has picked a RB in the 1st recently and Ingram isnt even active right now. . (even ray Rice was a 2nd round pick)

 

[Soda]

To be honest, if RGIII is there at 4, I hope the Browns proposition Washington to bid for RGIII. It would be a very good position to be in to have RGIII drop. I can see Washington overpaying for him too. 6 isn't a bad spot to be drafting either, especially if it comes with a couple more picks.

 

[Lee]

To be honest, if RGIII is there at 4, I hope the Browns proposition Washington to bid for RGIII. It would be a very good position to be in to have RGIII drop. I can see Washington overpaying for him too. 6 isn't a bad spot to be drafting either, especially if it comes with a couple more picks.

I wouldnt mind dropping 2 and picking up an early 2nd, but am I the only one that really likes RGIII?

 

[speedyd718]

I would have agreed a few years ago, but it has been clear to me that the QB and offensive coordinator today is what makes the offense. When you have qb's like Brees and Brady make all stars out of 7th round draft pick receivers, its clear that QB position is more important now than ever. Further RB is just not an important position anymore. I really hope we dont draft one in the first 3 rounds. Outside of Nola picking Ingram in the 1st last year, I dont think a top team in the league has picked a RB in the 1st recently and Ingram isnt even active right now. . (even ray Rice was a 2nd round pick)

This is very true, but I don't know if I have the faith in Shurmur to produce the same results that Sean Payton or even Mike Smith have done. Let alone talking about what Bellichick has done with Brady. I just have this feeling (if we mortgage the farm on a guy) that it is gonna come back and haunt us. Holmgren keeps saying he's gonna be hands off so it's all on Shurmur to groom our QB. I just don't want us to pick a guy who could be something and ruin him.

 

[Phills14]

To be honest, if RGIII is there at 4, I hope the Browns proposition Washington to bid for RGIII. It would be a very good position to be in to have RGIII drop. I can see Washington overpaying for him too. 6 isn't a bad spot to be drafting either, especially if it comes with a couple more picks.

I think RGIII is the best pick for us BUT if H&H don't think so, they should absolutely go to Washington and trade down.

 

[Noonan]

It would be great if we could land a QB without using one of our first two picks. That list would basically mean signing Kolb if he gets cut or landing Flynn for less than a first rounder. Neither of those options seems likely.

I think we need to prepare ourselves for the Browns going Defense with the first pick. Heckert loves corners and Morris Claiborne is getting buzz about being a better cover corner than Patrick Peterson last year. I know we need help on offense. A lot of help. But the idea of pairing Haden with Claiborne could make our defense an elite unit very soon.

 

[Phills14]

If we addressed QB somewhere else, I would agree with you. However; i think the long term future of the Browns QB situation will come from the draft.

 

[Soda]

It would be great if we could land a QB without using one of our first two picks. That list would basically mean signing Kolb if he gets cut or landing Flynn for less than a first rounder. Neither of those options seems likely.

I think we need to prepare ourselves for the Browns going Defense with the first pick. Heckert loves corners and Morris Claiborne is getting buzz about being a better cover corner than Patrick Peterson last year. I know we need help on offense. A lot of help. But the idea of pairing Haden with Claiborne could make our defense an elite unit very soon.

I'm prepared. I don't want to reach for a guy just because he is on the offensive side of the ball. If we trade to 6, I take Richardson or Blackmon (if they're there). If they like RGIII, take him. If they don't like any of them, get who they like the most.

 

[Goldin Brown]

Maybe they were just blowing smoke in that end of season press conference, but I got the impression that H&H want to go atleast another season with McCoy. I think they want to continue to build the team and worry about the QB once they feel the rest of the roster is solid. I could see them trading down again this year, load up on talent and maybe add another 1st rounder next year. Then maybe be in position to take a QB high next year if McCoy doesn't impress.

Now, I like RGIII, would be excited if he were a Brown, but I do like the idea of fleecing some team of picks so they can move up and draft him. This team clearly needs a large influx of talent and it may be wise to go ahead and take care of that now and then add the QB as the last piece...or maybe McCoy will just end up being the guy. Who knows.

 

[speedyd718]

Cleveland Browns' draft projections...

Updated at 12:50 p.m.
CLEVELAND -- A dose of news and views on the Browns and NFL ...
.....
* Robert Griffin III: With all due respect to colleague Terry Pluto, who opined on this subject last week, I would not automatically eliminate the Baylor quarterback from consideration with the Browns' top pick simply because he is a product of the one-read, shotgun spread offense.

Baylor coach Art Briles was the coach at University of Houston when Kevin Kolb rolled up similar numbers -- without the rushing yards and touchdowns -- in the very same offense.

In 2007, the Philadelphia Eagles evaluated Kolb, projected him into their West Coast offense, and selected Kolb with the fourth pick of the second round. Kolb was groomed to be the successor to Donovan McNabb, but coach Andy Reid fell in love with Michael Vick along the way and Kolb was traded last year to the Arizona Cardinals.

* Speaking of Kolb: After trading for him, the Cardinals signed Kolb to a five-year contract extension for a reported $63 million, including a guarantee of $20 million.

Kolb proceeded to suffer two debilitating injuries and post a 2-6 record as the starter. Backup John Skelton created a controversy by going 6-2 in place of Kolb.

Kolb is owed a $7 million roster bonus from the Cards in March. There is some debate in Phoenix about if it would be wiser for the Cards to cut their losses, release Kolb and suffer the cap hit rather than invest further in him.

If that happened, Kolb would rise to the top of the list of quarterback options for the Browns. Why?

Kolb was a much better quarterback in the West Coast offense in which he was schooled in Philadelphia. Arizona doesn't run it. Also, Kolb was drafted by Philadelphia partly based on evaluations made by Heckert and coach Pat Shurmur -- the Browns' top two football men. Heckert was the Eagles' general manager, though he didn't have final football authority, and Shurmur was the team's quarterbacks coach.
......

Thoughts? I'm not sure, but I could see this happening. Bringing in a guy to supplant Wallace (a veteran West Coast guy with ties). I just hope if they do something like this that it wouldn't affect drafting a QB.

 

[Biw]

I also wouldn't rule out the Browns taking a project QB like a Foles or even Brandon Weeden in the 2-3 round and then trading for a guy like Matt Hasselbeck. Not optimal but better than getting a Matt Flynn IMO.

I think I'd rather stick with McCoy if it came to that. I don't know if I like Foles.

 

[Sly]

Thoughts? I'm not sure, but I could see this happening. Bringing in a guy to supplant Wallace (a veteran West Coast guy with ties). I just hope if they do something like this that it wouldn't affect drafting a QB.

If we can get Kolb for no picks, I would do it. Going into the draft with our Qb gives us a lot more maneuverability to get as many playmakers as we can in the draft. He's risky, but Kolb is a system guy and, we happen to run that system. Kolb in Arizona is the equivalent to when we had Jeff Garcia and Terry didn't know the WCO, and when Garcia left, he ended up being pretty good with TB and PHI again even though he was past his prime. Kolb did nothing impressive this year, but he's one of the guys I would be willing to take a chance on if we can get him without giving anything up.

I think it even allows you to keep McCoy and/or perhaps draft another project guy later.

 

[The Oi]

I feel like, in that Kolb scenario, you're just picking up another back-up QB. Why replace Seneca? What reason would there be to think that he'd be better than RG3 or perhaps someone we could get next year in (hopefully) the 10-12 range? I don't feel like Kolb has proven he's worth of a starting job on a new team.

I get that we'd be picking him up for nothing...but how important is it to get another QB on this team when you don't have reason to believe he's the future?

 

[speedyd718]

I too would only go for Kolb if he is released and we can pick him up with out sacrificing draft picks. I think a guy who know's what Shurmur is about, would help the offense look more coherent. I agree that some solidifying the QB position, albeit not very much, is better than rolling with what we have right now.

Well, I'm all for ditching Seneca for his comments about not coaching up McCoy. That's bullshit from a team standpoint. There's no reason to hang on to a veteran that isn't going to embrace coaching up young guys. Now maybe I heard that comments wrong, if so someone chime in.

 

[DDJ7777]

I want RG3 to be a Brown so I'm trying not to get my hopes up. I will buy whatever H&H sell me come draft day as they've done a great job drafting so far, except maybe MoHard.