Cleveland Players.

If not money, than be a winning team. FA’s in the final years of their playing time want to be on a winner, they want a chance to get that ring.
example:
Think about it, you have Albert Haynesworths ability, but your motivation and desire to win. Your 33 and a free agent, you can still bring the hammer but you know the end is comming soon. Because of your age, you are only being offered 1-2 year contracts. What you have on the table infront of you are 3 offers: A. sign a 2 year deal with cleveland for 5 million, 2 of it guarenteed. B. Sign a 2 year deal with San Diego, 4.5 million (1.7 guarenteed, but with escalators could be worth 6 mil) OR C. Sign a 1 year deal with the Pats, 1.5 million guarenteed?

It not always about money, now when I say that is because most teams are going to offer around the same deal. No One is going to over pay, well except the Redskins.

I have wondered this too. I really think we are tight with the money and agents know it or know we are hard to deal with. However- Lerner likes to spend money- Cleveland browns transport was the #1 airline into the Hamptons local airport with something like 390 flights in/out over a couple year period. Way more than any other airline. Most of them were from/going to Laguardia airport and another one not remotely close to Ohio I can’t remember. You would have thought Aston villa airlines would give him a plane. I could be wrong but I’m pretty sure his use of the plane, while allowed, still costs the team and therefore the city. Who knows, maybe I just am jealous I don’t have a browns airplane.

the general consensus is that there is so much turnover and a lack of continuity. Different HCs and GMs and other front office types all seem to have dufferent ideas about the team’s direction. Do we go with a Defensive or Offensive mindset? Or do we go with a balanced approach. You guys have some great players, Haden and Thomas come to mind right away. Hell, if we had Haden we would be the best D in the division IMO. I think McCoy can be a good one as well but the team doesn’t seem to be build around his strengths. He seems to be a WCO QB on a team not built to be a WCO Offense. You are built to ground and pound but your pounder is having a really bad year. Without him to keep the opp D honest your WRs are having a more difficult time getting open.

What I see is a team that keeps hoping to find that one or two great players to try to get it fixed immediately and if they don’t quite pan out it actually sets you back. IMO your team needs to rebuild from the lines outward and build a stock of good solid players to support your top notch guys. Your problrm could be similsr to what the Bengals just went thru. Your big time players like Thomas or Haden or Cribbs want to have a chance to get to the big show and if they finally come to the conclusion that it can’t happen they want a chance to play somewhere it can happen. It seems to me that if you don’t get some consistancy in supporting these guys you could lose them.

I am not here to be critical. I am trying my best to give you as objectivly as possible of an outside perspective. I have no idea if I am right or not. I wouls love to see bioth Ohio teams at the top of the division. I really loved the Browns/Bengals rivalry back in the day when it really meant something. Hell we still have Browns bars and Bengals bars who have sports teams taht play a spirited game of softball and pool but it isn’t like it used to be. I want you guys and the Bengals to get bact up there so the rivalry can peak again. Like I said that was really fun.