Cleveland Browns Quarterback Position

[Otsego Mar]

If Brees is that vet, I'm all in. But I wouldn't mind sticking with Johhny.

 

[AZ_]

No, I've probably heard the same things you've heard. Just some under the radar talk and nothing specific. I honestly don't anticipate him being traded.

Just trying to make sense of why we were interested in Thad Lewis at all even for a camp arm.

Connection to Kurt Roper.

 

[Amherstcavsfan]

http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/stats/_/id/13606/thad-lewis

Just so people stop talking about how Thad Lewis basically isn't an NFL QB.

 

[TwoPistols]

Right now, I want Thad Lewis as the day 1 starter

 

[AZ_]

Misleading numbers to suggest that means he's a pocket passer. I'd love to see the tape on those TDs out of curiosity to see if those were throws he was making off his athleticism, extending plays, or if he was in shot gun, 4 step drop back, and driving the ball into tight coverage.

Because the latter is something he's shown he can't do on a consistent level.

Look at his production last year alone. He played in 9 games, and only threw for 4 TDs? His passing percentage was high, because he dinks and dunks a lot.

Let's just argue for right now, and assume RG3 will never be the athlete he was his rookie season. The way he gets hurt, it's obvious he has to adjust his game, take less hits, and make more throws from the pocket.

He's shown he's pretty bad at that. Does that mean I wouldn't take him over Johnny, who I think is completely hopeless? Of course not.

He's worth a look, but it's really hard to sit and think RG3 has a very bright future ahead of him at this point.

Can't live on athleticism alone in this league at that position. Huge difference between him and Wilson.

The thing is RG3 can actually throw the football too, it's just he doesn't read defenses well, he can't stand in the pocket, and deliver quick and precise throws.

The numbers aren't as misleading as your blanket generalizations that he can't win from the pocket.

He's obviously proven he can do that. There are a myriad of reasons as to why he struggled last season, and I'll concede that wasn't an impressive display.

But overall, concluding he's not a pocket passer for no other reason than you disagree with the numbers he's put up there doesn't hold any water.

I don't need him to be the athlete he was. He'll always be naturally athletic and gifted in that regard as it relates to other QBs around the league.

Just need him to be the smart, efficient guy he was through much of his first two years in the league.

 

[MoGottiFor3]

 

[Man Called X]

The best part is if Lewis becomes a starter, we don't have to add another name to that poor jersey. It's about to hit the floor.

 

[Phills14]

For this exercise I'm going to assume Winston is taken number 1 by Tampa Bay and Tennessee does not want to pick Mariota. So my question is this, who is in the market for Mariota and what can they pay?

Here are the teams ahead of the Browns at 12
TB: Taking Winston in my scenario

Tenn: Believing in Mettenberger they aren't interested in Mariota. Will they trade down? They can probably get the best player in the draft, Leonard Williams and any trade down scenario basically eliminates that possibility, so no?

Jacksonville: Bortles- not interested. Trade down possibility

Oakland: Derek Carr- not interested.

Washington: Mariota is a lot like RG3 in terms of readiness and style of play. Why would they want him? Probably the 'trade up' spot for a team that wants MM

NY Jets: Geno Smith and Ryan Fitzpatrick- neither of those guys should stop the Jets from taking Mariota. Probably the leader in the club house here but I have doubts if they are interested.

Bears: Just paid Cutler a ton of money but they can get out of it in 2 seasons I believe. Not the worst idea for them to take MM here if he's on the board. Unlikely but it's possible.

Atl- Matt Ryan- Not interested

Giants: Eli Manning- Not interested

St Louis: Nick Foles- Not interested

Vikings: Teddy Football- Not Interested

Browns.

So there are 3 teams ahead of the Browns that could possibly take Mariota (Tenn, Jets, Bears) and 2 teams that are probably trade partners (Jacksonville, Washington). If Tennessee wants him then it's over and not worth talking about anymore. So let's assume they pass on him. That leaves 2 guys in the top 11 that could possibly want Mariota. Jets are a real possibility while the Bears are a remote one. The Jets would not be in a position to trade but more than likely be patient and wait for MM to fall to them on the board at 6. The Bears, if MM fell on their lap would think about it but i can't see them trading up.

So if the Browns want him they have to get to 5 if not 3.

Who behind them would be in the market?
New Orleans: Brees is 36 and it would be smart for them to look to the future. But really, would they trade up for him? They have 2 1st rounders 13 and 31 but I don't see a burning need for them to trade up.

Houston: Hoyer/Mallet/Savage. Again no burning need but they could kick the tires

KC: Talk is about Alex Smith and his future but he signed a big contract extension so are they going to give up a ton to get him?

Philly: Popular talk but Kelly has doubled down on his comments about not mortgaging the future for any QB. Ok, signs point to no he's not going to move up

Arizona: Restructured Palmer's contract and there is nothing behind him. So maybe?

Denver: Manning is at the end of his rope. They have Osweiler. Is he their guy after Peyton?

The whole point of this exercise was to see who REALLY is the competition to move up. Everyone says it's going to be an RG3 deal in order to move up to get MM but really you had Cle and Washington going super hard after him. This year, I don't know if you have anyone that wants him THAT bad so if the demand isn't there the price won't be there. And of the real contenders for trade up scenarios (Cleveland, New Orleans, KC, Philly, Arizona) who can match the offer Cleveland can put with just this year's 1st rounders? No one can put a stronger package together than Cleveland can. No one has the pressure to get him as much as Cleveland does.

The only question I have is this, would Jacksonville and/or Washington be willing to go all the way down to 12 and still get a guy they like? If the answer is yes and Tennessee does not take MM then Cleveland IMO, if they want him, can easily get him.

 

[bcort]

I feel like MM would just be another disaster if he went here.. he's nowhere near ready to play. His footwork looked slow and cumbersome at the combine (don't know if he did a pro day and it looked better). He took something like four snaps under center last year... I do think he has the maturity and intelligence to be a good quarterback.

 

[AZ_]

Marcus Mariota is absolutely in play at #12.

Absolutely agree with Phills.

 

[AZ_]

I feel like MM would just be another disaster if he went here.. he's nowhere near ready to play. His footwork looked slow and cumbersome at the combine (don't know if he did a pro day and it looked better). He took something like four snaps under center last year... I do think he has the maturity and intelligence to be a good quarterback.

I think his footwork is raw, but I'd never thought I'd see it described as slow.

 

[Soda]

My main concern with Mariota was a concern I had with Manziel. Expectations will be high and he will be the most popular player on the team. Fans will want him playing yesterday and if that doesn't happen, the chorus of boo's will rain down. He won't be ready (likely) in his first season, so going in prematurely will be detrimental to he and the Browns' success. This is the toxic cycle, IMO.

 

[AZ_]

My main concern with Mariota was a concern I had with Manziel. Expectations will be high and he will be the most popular player on the team. Fans will want him playing yesterday and if that doesn't happen, the chorus of boo's will rain down. He won't be ready (likely) in his first season, so going in prematurely will be detrimental to he and the Browns' success. This is the toxic cycle, IMO.

The good part of this is that Mariota is infinitely more ready to play at this level than Manziel was/still is.

His offensive system may not be as conducive as you'd like, but he'd benefit greatly from having a wide receiver core that excels at separating on short/intermediate passes and giving QBs a nice window to throw to.

It would be a process, as with any rookie QB. But Mariota presents pretty intriguing value at 12 if he's there.

 

[I'mWithDan]

My main concern with Mariota was a concern I had with Manziel. Expectations will be high and he will be the most popular player on the team. Fans will want him playing yesterday and if that doesn't happen, the chorus of boo's will rain down. He won't be ready (likely) in his first season, so going in prematurely will be detrimental to he and the Browns' success. This is the toxic cycle, IMO.

To a certain extent sure but I also think Johnny’s persona made things much worse (in terms of overall pressure from the fan base / franchise to play him). It is hard to “wait” when you have a bunch of also rans in front of someone AND the player waiting on the bench is a gigantic cult figure.

Mariota is a soft spoken, head down worker who will most assuredly be loved right away by teammates. He’s openly admitted he has a lot to learn and has talked pretty candidly about the transition he needs to make in the NFL. His self awareness is what makes me personally want him, given all his physical tools. That’s usually the recipe for success. A humble, talented guy, who just wants to play football, typically succeeds at the next level. He’s one of the few top QB’s who seems willing to go through the process and not rush to immediately get on the field, which certainly shows some maturity.

Now with all that said, someone in the organization still needs to come out and show an unwillingness to play him early. There are obviously situations that merit throwing a guy in the fire but if you have player / staff on the same page (i.e. bring him along slowly) usually that staves off the people calling for the backup. Will it stave off everyone? No, obviously not but I think we can stop gap for a year and let him adjust to an NFL system. Our defense will be good enough to win games next year and then you hope you can take the leap in 2016, ala San Fran with Kaep. We’ll see.

 

[Soda]

Now with all that said, someone in the organization still needs to come out and show an unwillingness to play him early. There are obviously situations that merit throwing a guy in the fire but if you have player / staff on the same page (i.e. bring him along slowly) usually that staves off the people calling for the backup. Will it stave off everyone? No, obviously not but I think we can stop gap for a year and let him adjust to an NFL system. Our defense will be good enough to win games next year and then you hope you can take the leap in 2016, ala San Fran with Kaep. We’ll see.

I agree. I think Pettine is the voice that should say it, as well. Problem with that is saying that publicly will lose him some of the support he has across the fanbase and, thus, torches will be lit.