The Browns officially lost the "glue" of their secondary when free agent safety Brian Russell was signed to a contract by the Seattle Seahawks. At the moment, terms of the deal have not yet been disclosed. Russell had started for us the past two seasons, and had done a solid job at the position. When other people were hammered by injuries, Russell was able to play sound coverage and ensure that teams would not throw the deep ball down the middle of the field.
The thing that we aren't losing though is the opportunity to get a look at a player that could have a brighter future. Russell was good, but Brodney Pool could blossom in the role if he's given a starting role this season. Pool made several big plays when he was allowed to be more of a nickel or dime safety last season, but wasn't as great during the games in which he was starting. That experience could turn out to be valuable though, because it's not easy to make a major impact when your top three cornerbacks on the depth chart are basically on the injured reserve.
As reported yesterday, one of those cornerbacks was Daylon McCutcheon, who stated that he didn't mind leaving the Browns. He was happy with his stay here, but as several other players have said after leaving the city, they were sick and tired of the losing ways.
- Mary Kay Cabot, Cleveland Plain Dealer
"I feel that they [the Browns] have got a lot of talent," he said. "But it takes more than talent to win, and that shows."
- Patrick McManamon, Akron Beacon Journal