Dawgs By Nature: All Posts by Chris Pokorny

Brian Urlacher Announcers Retirement from the NFL

2013-05-23T00:57:09Z

This news is not necessarily Cleveland Browns-related, but it closes the book on the career of another one of the league's best inside linebackers. Ray Lewis and Brian Urlacher were the best players at their positions in their respective conferences for a very long time, and earlier today, Urlacher officially announced his retirement from the NFL.

Our Bears affiliate, Windy City Gridiron, posted some of the reactions people and teams have had on Twitter. Here is a nice one from the Arizona Cardinals organization, giving Urlacher a shout out for the havoc he has caused them in the past:

You were who we thought you were.Congrats.RT @burlacher54: It was an honor to play my entire career for the @chicagobears.
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) May 22, 2013

More reaction on Urlacher's retirement can be found here.

In recent memory, the only player on the Browns who stacks up to Urlacher in terms of a legacy is kicker Phil Dawson. After 14 seasons with the team, though Dawson signed with the San Francisco 49ers this offseason. In a couple of years, Joe Thomas will fall into the category of being a legendary Brown.

Browns Waive QB Thaddeus Lewis

2013-05-22T23:28:33Z

So much for Thaddeus Lewis having a chance to compete to be the Cleveland Browns' No. 3 quarterback in 2013:

Browns waive QB Thaddeus Lewis, per league source.
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) May 22, 2013

It is not like the Browns had some long-running ties or investment in Lewis, but it still seemed like he was a viable option to bring in as a fourth quarterback. There is no word yet on who he is being waived for; we'll see if there is an undrafted free agent quarterback who caught Cleveland's eye.

Lewis originally joined the Browns at the start of the 2011 season, when he was claimed off waivers from Pat Shurmur's former team, the St. Louis Rams. At the time, Rams fans were disappointed to see him waived, believing he should be Sam Bradford's backup quarterback.

When Joe Haden returned from his suspension part-way through 2012, the Browns waived Lewis and put him on the practice squad. He was called up to the 53-man roster in Week 17 to start against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the No. 1 ranked defense in the NFL. Given the circumstances, Lewis did quite a good job, completing 22-of-32 passes for 204 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception in a losing effort.

This offseason, the Browns have already gotten rid of two of their quarterbacks from last year -- Colt McCoy via a trade to the 49ers, and now Lewis. The only one who remains is starter Brandon Weeden, now in his second year. Jason Campbell was added earlier in free agency, and Brian Hoyer was signed last week. Campbell and Hoyer should compete for the No. 2 and No. 3 roles in training camp.

Are you disappointed in Lewis departing?

UPDATE: Lewis tweeted the following goodbye message to fans:

Thanks to all the fans and support. Cleveland was fun thanks for the opportunity. Now I'm looking forward to whatever's next.
— Thaddeus Lewis (@t_lew9) May 23, 2013

49ers WR Michael Crabtree Tears Achilles; What Injury Would Cripple the Browns?

2013-05-22T23:13:30Z

Teams are starting up their offseason activities again, and while that is supposed to be a time for joy, it is also a time for concern:

In one week, WR Michael Crabtree tore his Achilles and LB Melvin Ingram tore his ACL. Who's next, because someone will be.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 22, 2013

With the 49ers' situation, I would not be as concerned as Niners Nation appears to be. Yes, losing Michael Crabtree hurts, considering his blocking skills, and the fact that he was a nice security blanket for Colin Kaepernick at the end of last season. But, this is a 49ers team that got by with an older Randy Moss as their No. 2 receiver in 2012. They acquired Anquan Boldin in the offseason, and have Kyle Williams and Mario Manningham returning from injury. They also drafted a guy named A.J. Jenkins in the first round last year. Do you think he's looking for a shot at playing time?

When it comes to the Cleveland Browns, which player (excluding Joe Thomas) would you be most concerned about suffering an injury at this time of the year? In terms of magnitude, let's call it an torn Achilles', ACL, or pectoral. We saw it last year with Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Phil Taylor. He did come back part-way through the season, but not having a full second year of development for him hurt. With the Browns trying to grow this year under new offensive and defensive systems, which one player suffering an injury would really set things back for the entire 2013 season?

Sign on Browns Stadium Still Not Removed; Field Re-Sodded for Soccer Match

2013-05-22T22:46:55Z

A few days ago, a report by FOX 8 news led us to believe that the "Cleveland Browns Stadium" signage was completely removed already. As it turns out, that is not the case. One of our readers, M. Anthony, took a trip down to the stadium in hopes of photographing the bare facade, or to see if any part of the "FirstEnergy Stadium" signage had been put up. Instead, we're still stuck with appearing as "Cleveland Browns Sta," which I guess you could spin off of "gangsta" or something. You can see a couple of other photos of the signage here.

In other news related to the stadium, the Official Team Site posted a video earlier today (2:30 in length) showing how the grounds crew has been busy re-sodding parts of the field this week, in preparation for the international friendly soccer match between the USA and Belgium next Wednesday, May 29th.

Cleveland Browns Sign 6th Round Draft Pick, S Jamoris Slaughter

2013-05-21T22:58:49Z

One down, four to go. The Cleveland Browns signed their first draft pick of the season: safety Jamoris Slaughter. Taken in the 6th round at No. 175 overall, Slaughter agreed to a four-year deal. According to a pre-determined draft chart, Slaughter's contract will be worth about $2.27 million, with a $118,000 signing bonus.

Slaughter is recovering from an Achilles' injury he suffered last season. He has not been able to participate in offseason activities so far, but he is expected to be ready-to-go for training camp. After the team released safety Eric Hagg earlier in the day, it would seem as though Slaughter will have a one-on-one competition with Tashaun Gipson for the starting safety role opposite T.J. Ward.

Status of Cleveland Browns Draft Picks

ROUND	OVERALL	PLAYER	STATUS	CONTRACT*	BONUS*
1	6	Barkevious Mingo	Unsigned	$16,347,012	$10,268,736
3	68	Leon McFadden	Unsigned	$3,070,832	$690,832
6	175	Jamoris Slaughter	Signed	$2,277,932	$117,932
7	217	Armonty Bryant	Unsigned	$2,222,248	$62,248
7	227	Garrett Gilkey	Unsigned	$2,215,952	$55,952

*Projections

Musical Chairs Continue for Cleveland Browns as They Claim Running Back Miguel Maysonet Off Waivers

2013-05-21T22:21:52Z

The Cleveland Browns are playing musical chairs at the lower end of the running back position.

This morning, the team officially announced the re-signing of veteran running back Brandon Jackson to a one-year deal. In the process, they released UDFA running back Robbie Rouse, leaving the team with six running backs. Then, just a few hours later, the team announced that they were awarded UDFA running back Miguel Maysonet off waivers from the Philadelphia Eagles. In order to complete the move, they had to waive UDFA running back Jamaine Cooke, a local player who was signed after the draft.

Whew.

Forgive me for not being completely in tap with the college market, but Maysonet played for Stony Brook University, where he ran for 1,964 yards and 21 touchdowns in his senior year. He must have been facing some stiff competition, eh? Based on his stats, it doesn't sound as though he was asked to catch the ball very often, though.

Maysonet is 5-10, 205 lbs, and was ranked as the No. 26 running back coming out of the draft by CBS Sports' Dane Brugler (sadly, that is just one spot shy of having a scouting report available by Brugler!). Apparantly, though, Maysonet's release from the Eagles on Monday drew some buzz:

It was curious on a few levels. Maysonet received a $10,000 signing bonus, the largest amount for any undrafted running back, according to a source. But he never got a chance to prove himself in OTA practices.

By NCAA rule, Maysonet wasn't allowed to participate in last week's OTAs because his class at Stony Brook still hasn't graduated. He took part in a three-day rookie minicamp almost two weeks ago, and that was it.

Maysonet's release created an immediate buzz. In fact, he was trending for several minutes on Twitter, highly unusual for a small-school player.

Here is an updated look at the Browns' depth chart at running back, but after Trent Richardson, pretty much anyone on the list could win a backup or third-down role:

Trent Richardson
Montario Hardesty
Chris Ogbonnaya
Brandon Jackson
Dion Lewis
Miguel Maysonet

Does anyone out there have some extra intel on Maysonet?

Browns Waive RB Robbie Rouse, LB Ryan Rau, Sign Three Players

2013-05-21T19:31:06Z

In addition to waiving former starting FS Eric Hagg, the Cleveland Browns released two other players and confirmed the signings of three others on Tuesday.

Besides Hagg, the two other players waived included RB Robbie Rouse and LB Ryan Rau. I guess these guys didn't get the memo: if your first and last names begin with an 'R,' you're out of here! In all seriousness, it was a little surprising to see Rouse released so soon after we had built expectations up for him when he was signed last week. With the confirmation that RB Brandon Jackson was re-signed, though, this kind of avoids having a surplus of cooks in the kitchen.

Rau was claimed off waivers from the Eagles back in April. He was seen as a guy who might be camp fodder or a special teams type of player, and quite honestly, I had forgotten he was on the roster.

Taking those players spots are WR Michael Edwards and SS Kenronte Walker. This is a quick comeback for Edwards; he was released a little over a week ago after originally signing on as an undrafted free agent following the draft. Walker tried out for the Browns during rookie minicamp last week. In terms of numbers, he takes Hagg's spot as a safety.

The other addition, as previously reported, was Jackson.

OG John Greco Gets the Honor of Being Called a "Secret Superstar" by PFF for 2013

2013-05-21T01:05:45Z

Each offseason, Pro Football Focus seeks out a little more than a handful of players who they deem as "secret superstars" heading into the next NFL season. Last year, they gave that label to Cleveland Browns safety T.J. Ward. Another member of the Browns was given the label for 2013, and it's a guy who has gotten a lot of low-key love from fans and other sites: OG John Greco.

Before we get to Greco, here are the other "secret superstars" that PFF has named for 2013 as of this post:

Arizona Cardinals OT Bobby Massie
Baltimore Ravens RB Bernard Pierce
Atlanta Falcons CB Robert McClain
Buffalo Bills DE Alex Carrington
Carolina Panthers CB Captain Munnerlyn
Chicago Bears DT Nate Collins
Cincinnati Bengals CB Adam Jones

...and now Greco. The utility offensive lineman filled in for Jason Pinkston at left guard last season for 10 games, and he could be a serious contender to start at either guard position in 2013. Here are some of the highlights from the article by PFF, explaining why he is projected to be a "secret superstar" this season:

Greco started with a bang, delivering the best performance of his career in his first start for the Browns against the Indianapolis Colts. Perfect in pass protection, it was as a run blocker that he truly starred. The highest yards per carry for the Browns that day came on runs to either side of him. ...

... Pinkston was better as a pass blocker in the limited amount of action he saw in 2012, with a PBE Rating of 98.0 before his injury. Greco was impressive as a starter, but his own PBE Rating of 96.5 wasn’t much better than Pinkston’s 2011 mark — it was his work as a run blocker that set him apart. Playing 714 snaps, Greco’s run blocking grade of +11.3 was seventh among all guards. ...

... When you look at the players at the guard position in the NFL, there are two tiers at the top. The first features Evan Mathis alone, such has been his level of dominance at the position, but in the next tier you have players like Mike Iupati, Marshal Yanda and Josh Sitton. It’s unlikely that Greco is going to put together a season that would put him on par with Mathis but, with 16 starts and a slight improvement in play, it’s not out of the question for him to enter that second tier.

If a guy has that type of potential, how can he not be a starter? One thing is for sure: Rob Chudzinski will give him a legitimate chance to start. The team has no long-term investment when it comes to a contract in Jason Pinkston or Shawn Lauvao, so it's not like there is a need to build a guy for the future if Greco ends up being the "here and now."