Projecting the Browns' final roster

by rufio on Jun 12, 2008 1:20 AM EDT Comment 23 comments

This is probably way too soon. But Lost is done for the season, the Celtics are going to win the Finals in 5-6 games, and I am curious as to how the final roster will look without LCB. If this has already been done, I apologize.

QB: This is pretty set.

1. DA

2. BQ

3. Ken Dorsey

RB: You have got to think the 3 we had last year can all beat out the likes of Austin Scott.

1. J. Lewis

2. Jason Wright

3. Jerome Harrison

FB: I like Vickers' versatility, will Ali's special teams play get him on the team? I say no.

1. Lawrence Vickers

TE: K2 is a pro bowler, Heiden is solid in all aspects of the position, we didn't trade up for Rucker to cut him, Dinkins is the odd man out

1. Winslow

2. Heiden

3. Rucker

4. Kolomona Kapanui (practice squad)

WR: Braylon, JJ, Donte', Cribbs...then what?

1. Edwards

2. Stallworth

3. Jurevicious

4. Cribbs

5. Wilson

6. Hubbard (practice squad)

7. Lance Leggett (practice squad)

OT: Joe Thomas = mancrush.

1. Thomas

2. Shaffer

3. Nat Dorsey

4. Isaac Sowells

OG: Soooo glad we have depth.

1. Eric Steinbach

2. Ryan Tucker

3. Rex Hadnot

4. Lennie Friedman

OC:

1. Hank Fraley

2. Seth McKinney

DL: This looks so much better than last year. I am ignorant to practice squad rules and regulations, but the 5 and 6 spots are up for grabs between Rubin, Louis, Purcell, and Pitman. One will have to be on the practice squad.

1. Shaun Rogers

2. Corey Williams

3. Shaun Smith

4. Robaire Smith

5. Ahtyba Rubin

6. Leonard Louis (Practice Squad--is he eligible again?)

7. Chase Ortiz (practice squad)

OLB:

1. Wimbley

2. Peek

3. McGinest

4. David McMillan

5. Alex Hall (Practice Squad)

ILB:

1. D'qwell (p.s. awesome name)

2. Andra Davis

3. Beau Bell

4. Leon WIlliams

5. Shantee Or

1. Pool

2. Jones

3. Adams

4. Baxter

CB: Thin.

1. Eric Wright

2. McDonald

3. Cousin

4. Mil'von James

5. Darnell Terrell

6. Jereme Perry

Special Teams:

1. Dawson

2. Zastudil

3. Pontbriand

Once again, I have no idea about practice squad rules, so I used mostly rookies who looked like they had potential.

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OLB position looks pretty bad on paper..

After Wimbley we have ZERO OLB’s. Peek is a solid backup and coming back from injury.

Front 7 needs to be staught if our young and depleted secondary is going to have a prayer…...

Any available LB’s in Free Agency that we could be looking at?

DB – I still think Savage will make a trade for D Foxworth from Denver…

by AaronD on Jun 12, 2008 3:35 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I’m a little higher on Peek than you are, I think he played out of position in Houston for his last years there and then the injuries got to him mlast year. I think if he remains healthy, we could have a very solid pass rushing duo in Wimbley and Peek

by Roger Dorn on Jun 13, 2008 8:27 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I’m going to re-watch all of my LOST episodes soon…it’ll be about the fifth time I’ll have seen ‘em :p I’ll have my own yearly roster projection in a few weeks, so let me offer some general comments about yours:

I can see us cutting either Dinkins or Ali, but not BOTH of them. That’s two special teams contributors last season - part of a unit that led Cribbs with some great blocks. And, if Vickers goes down, you need one of those guys as the backup fullback.

-I’ve liked McMillian’s potential, but I don’t see him finally getting his break. Orr can play both the inside and the outside, so if you take out McMillian, I’d put Orr out there.

-Nat Dorsey isn’t on our roster anymore. Unless you’re projecting that we’ll re-sign him, then there’s another roster spot for you.

-Thinness in the secondary doesn’t mean you carry more people on the roster…I’d lean towards only having four or five cornerbacks on the final roster; not six. Adams can double as a cornerback too.

Nice read :)

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by ChrisPokorny on Jun 12, 2008 8:29 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I got Lost Season 3 on Blu Ray and have started re-watching that season before I move onto re-watching Season 4. If you have a Blu Ray player or a PS3, I highly recommend spending the money to get the seasons on Blu Ray disc

by Roger Dorn on Jun 13, 2008 8:28 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

LOST

If you have an HD TV, do you get the full version of the broadcast episodes? On my standard, old, crappy TV all of the credits are cropped, leading me to believe I am missing subtle clues and such that have been cropped out of what I am seeing.

Has anyone visited the website of that faux commercial they aired during the most recent season finale?

by rufio on Jun 15, 2008 1:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yes, I went to the faux website. I heard that the dates it lists on the site correspond to the dates of Comic Con. Presumably, that’s when something further will be announced about the “offseason game” for LOST this year.

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by ChrisPokorny on Jun 15, 2008 2:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Questions

I agree with most of your picks unlessthere are injuries. I question McMillen, James and Perry, we’ll see. I would love to see us get another veteran corner like Foxworthy.

by bellar on Jun 15, 2008 10:23 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Something I forgot to mention: with all of the talk regarding A.J. Davis thus far, it’d seem like he’s the frontrunner out of the rookie corners to have a crack at the roster, or the practice squad at least. A little surprise that there was no mention of him.

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by ChrisPokorny on Jun 15, 2008 12:25 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I completely agree about Ali and Dinkins. I’d think it would have to be Ali making the roster though, I just don’t know if we could keep 4 TEs. Winslow is going nowhere unless something absurd happens a la Bently, and you’ve got to consider Heiden and Rucker locks to make the roster. Although it would be hard to make space for one of them, we shouldn’t mess (too much) with the success of the blocking units for Cribbs. Special teams are vastly underrated in football.

I don’t trust Orr to play on the outside. If he can, I think we can cut McMillan, but otherwise we need him—and maybe even if Orr can play outside. I don’t think McMillan will “break through”, but due to our lack of depth at OLB (as Aaron D pointed out above), and McGinest/Peek’s injury prone-ness, we have to have players that can play there. If Leon Williams or Orr are versatile enough to back up one of those spots, I think we can cut McMillan. According to clevelandbrowns.com, Chase Ortiz is being slimmed down to play OLB, not bulked up to play DE (my source had him at 270+lbs, between sizes for a defender in the 3-4) Along with CB, OLB should be a position we target next offseason.

Sorry about Dorsey, ESPN still had him on our roster. Then again they still had Ted Washington on the team, so I should have known. I hope Tucker comes back OK, because he can provide some help at OT if we have an injury there. Ali gets his spot with Dorsey out.

I completely forgot about AJ Davis. If we usually go with 5 CB, I’ll take Wright, McDonald, Cousin, Davis, and James with Terrell on the practice squad. I am not holding out for a trade. If we stay healthy and/or one of the lesser-known guys steps up, we will be passable. If we cut down to 5 CB, maybe Dinkins can have his spot too.

Out:
Dorsey
Perry—is he practice squad eligible?
Terrell-practice squad

In:
Davis
Dinkins
Ali

Other bubble guys:
Purcell
Pittman
Eferem Hill
Any Corner
Kris Griffin

Is this more agreeable now? If we could grab a couple of CBs and OLBs next year, along with an every-down-back of the future….....!!!!

by rufio on Jun 15, 2008 1:26 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Good follow-up

Yes, it’s definitely more agreeable for me. Thanks for conforming to my standards ;)

BTW, the roster page here on Dawgs By Nature should be fairly accurate, for future reference. I haven’t validated if everyone’s jersey numbers, heights, weights, etc. are correct, but the names and positions should at least be good-to-go…

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by ChrisPokorny on Jun 15, 2008 2:16 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Speaking of

I have seen Martin Rucker listed at 6’6” and 6’4”, and anywhere from 248-266lbs. Those are very different numbers.

Alex Hall has been listed at 215 and 245lbs. Also very different numbers. Grossi said on Thursday that he is in the team’s long term plans, so he’s gotta be closer to 245, right?

by rufio on Jun 15, 2008 3:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

oops

Hall is listed at 250 on espn.com

by rufio on Jun 15, 2008 3:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Forgot one

I really like Kevin Kasper’s chances…

by bellar on Jun 17, 2008 10:06 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I think the only way he makes the team is if Jurevicius goes on the IR before the season starts. Assuming a healthy Jurevicius, then…

-Edwards
-Stallworth
-Jurevicius
-Cribbs

^^Those four guys are automatic locks^^

It’d seem like a bit much to carry six wide receivers on our roster, especially since we have two receiving tight ends. So, one spot belongs to either Travis Wilson or Kevin Kasper. Wilson has to be the favorite at this point.

Poor Syndric Steptoe…nobody ever mentions him anymore ;)

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by ChrisPokorny on Jun 17, 2008 10:29 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

What did we see in that guy that made us think he’s be a good PR or even WR? He hasn’t looked quick at all from what I have seen. If you are that small, you had better be really fast and/or agile….and he isn’t.

by rufio on Jun 17, 2008 4:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don’t think we saw anything…I think we just bought into the scouting reports and such.

If by “we” you mean the Browns organization, then meh…7th rounders are often miss instead of hit.

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by ChrisPokorny on Jun 17, 2008 4:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Kasper

Any chance we only carry 2 qbs with cribbs in case of an emergency. I love dorsey as a tutor but if that is the only reason I could see Kasper as a big special team contributor. How many teams only carry 2 qbs?

by bellar on Jun 17, 2008 8:44 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Virtually no teams will carry only two quarterbacks, and it would be a bad roster decision IMO. Yes, Cribbs has some quarterback experience, but not nearly enough at this level to be considered a viable option as the third quarterback (unless it’s for a week or two while another QB heals).

Dorsey’s tutoring has to come in handy not only in practice, but on gameday too. If Quinn/Anderson are in the game, when they come to the sidelines, they’re going to want to seek advice from Dorsey I’d imagine. That is a lot more valuable than one special teams player. Also, our special teams unit was tremendous last season…while Kasper would be a nice addition, he’s no where near critical enough to the point where we should only go with two quarterbacks.

Now, if you change the philosophy to carry one less linebacker or one less defensive back, then I’d consider the option.

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by ChrisPokorny on Jun 17, 2008 10:27 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Waiver wirer

I agree Cribbs would only be in dire straights I was just thinking the qbs may have grow enough that they could part with their shrink. I trust the teams choices and recent moves so I think they will make the right decision.
BTW, Jimmy Williams was released last night. DB/special teamer used to play at Va. Tech but I think he has a little baggage. Anyone want to give him a look? Either way, I don’t think the defensive back is done expanding yet especially if there are any more injuries.

by bellar on Jun 18, 2008 11:33 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Maybe

I think it’d be intriguing if we were settled at the cornerback position already. With his past marijuana case and fairly quick downfall with the Falcons though, I don’t think he’s the type of player the team would be able to devote the proper time to. We may be better off just hoping one of the rookie free agents develop well.

Still, it opens another door for Phil Savage and company before training camp comes around…after all, he was a second round pick just two seasons ago…

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by ChrisPokorny on Jun 18, 2008 5:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Williams

I would love it if the Browns gave him a shot.

Yes, he has some baggage, but he was a 2nd round pick and some had him rated as the top CB of his class. He can also play safety. Remember, the Falcons also fell out of favor with their other CB Hall, who is a pretty talented guy so I think its worth it to at least bring him in and interview him.

Whats more likely, Williams being able to stay out of trouble or M’ilvon James developing in to an NFL caliber player? Would you rather have chances of both happening? I would. If he screws up, we can just cut him like Kenny Wright.

by rufio on Jun 18, 2008 8:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Anthony Henry

I have no source other than a friend (who doesn’t even cheer for the Browns) saying he heard there were rumors about the Browns wanting Anthony Henry back. Cleveland and Dallas have pulled off a lot of deals the last couple of years???

by bellar on Jun 19, 2008 4:21 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

The rumors were there, but I think they were promoted a little bit more because he is a former Brown. In reality, I believe a deal for Foxworth (Denver) or Youboty (Buffalo) are/will be more likely to actually occur.

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by ChrisPokorny on Jun 20, 2008 10:15 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs