Today's edition of Around the Pound is almost a continuation of yesterday afternoon's discussion of the Cleveland Browns' version of March Madness excitement -- trading QB Brady Quinn to the Denver Broncos and trading LB Kamerion Wimbley to the Oakland Raiders. If you missed the 900+ comments from Part 1 of the discussion, check it out here.
Now it's time to take a look at what the media thinks of the deal, both local and mainstream. Let's get started...
John Clayton: Browns Under Construction, Again
Don't think Holmgren, who ripped apart the Seahawks' roster after settling into the Seattle job in the late 1990s, is done at quarterback. Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace are caretakers until Holmgren develops a young quarterback from this year's draft. Drafting seventh, Holmgren would have to trade up to get Sam Bradford or Jimmy Clausen. Bradford probably will go No. 1, so the Browns would have to target the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' pick at No. 3 to jump ahead of the Redskins for Clausen.
If that fails, the Browns will have to look at Colt McCoy or Dan LeFevour in the second or third rounds.
Pete Prisco: Denver Fleeced Cleveland
Quinn has had some tough moments with the Browns, but he's never really been given much to work with or been truly given the keys the car. He will compete with Kyle Orton in Denver, and here's a guess that Quinn pushes Orton for the starting job.
The one knock on Quinn is that he didn't let it go last season, that he wouldn't make the chance throw. He has to do more of that. But once he gets around a better offense, I think he’ll do more of that.
I still can't believe the Browns are willing to play with Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace. Did they watch tape from 2009? Unless they draft a guy in the first round, the Browns will be a disaster in 2010. Delhomme and Wallace? How would you like to be stuck with that mess?
Terry Pluto: Browns Prompt Plenty of Questions
*Note: I encourage you to read Pluto's full column as always, as he offers more opinions on recent team moves than the selected quotations reprinted below.
Q: Do you think the Browns will draft a quarterback?
A: Definitely, perhaps as high as the second round. If not, then they'll use one of their three third-round picks on a quarterback. When he was in Philadelphia, current Browns General Manager Tom Heckert picked quarterback Kevin Kolb out of Houston with the second-round pick in 2007. Heckert targeted the guy, and took Kolb even though Donovan McNabb was clearly the starter. This makes me believe the Browns have their eye on a Kolb-type player in this draft.
Q: Like who?
A: The four quarterbacks expected to be taken in the second and third rounds are Colt McCoy (Texas), Dan LeFevour (Central Michigan), Tony Pike (Cincinnati) and Tim Tebow (Florida). At least one of these guys intrigues the Browns. Maybe they think Tebow can surprise his critics and develop into a solid pro despite his unorthodox throwing style. Or perhaps they really like McCoy or LeFevour.
Q: Did Wimbley have a good season?
A: I thought so. He led the team with 6.5 sacks. He is a good citizen. He is a free agent after 2010, and the Browns may have decided they didn't want to re-sign him.
Peter King: Monday Morning Quarterback
You think the McNabb market is soft? Look at what Brady Quinn yielded. Denver gave Cleveland versatile backup runner Peyton Hillis (who might be the best player in this trade), a sixth-round pick this year and a conditional pick in the 2012 draft that I'm told won't be better than a fourth-round pick. This for the 22nd pick in 2007, who had 12 starts to prove he belonged.
Unfortunately for Quinn the Cleveland regime changed, and Eric Mangini wasn't a big fan -- not that Quinn gave him much reason to be. In Denver, Quinn enters camp as the clear backup to restricted free-agent Kyle Orton (Josh McDaniels called Orton to tell him he was the starter on Sunday). But being under the tutelage of McDaniels should help Quinn, who needs to become less frenetic in his drops and picking out the open receiver.
Hillis prove more than capable under Mike Shanahan in 2008, playing running back and fullback for the Broncos and going on a strong five-game run in the backfield before tearing his hamstring late in the season; I guarantee he'll be a favorite of Mangini's for his versatility, the way Mangini loves players like Josh Cribbs and Blake Costanzo.
The Raiders get a rusher. Maybe. Kamerion Wimbley, the Browns' first-round pick in 2006, got off to a great start rushing the passer for Cleveland, with 11 sacks in 16 games as a rookie. In the 47 games since, Wimbley's had 15.5 sacks and too often gets caught in traffic, unable to consistently turn the corner and get to the passer. The Raiders paid a third-round pick for Wimbley on Sunday, a price I think is a little generous -- except when you consider they dealt another pass-rusher, Derrick Burgess to New England for third- and fifth-round picks last year, and Wimbley is much younger than Burgess.
Mike Lombardi: Hillis Iffy to Make Roster, Interested in John Fox
Yes, I know some fans might think Hillis is a valuable commodity, but his lack of blocking and production without the ball makes him very iffy to even make the Browns roster next season. Hillis might look good occasionally with the ball in his hands, but his lack of overall toughness without it has to be in question.
The Browns under Mike Holmgren are changing their approach to everything, and these changes will keep happening. Holmgren is in charge and is making his presence felt, so much that I often ask myself, “Where is Eric Mangini?” Mangini has gone from being in control of everything, from the décor of the office to just being in the office. His fate now is tied to Delhomme and Seneca Wallace.
Once the signing of Delhomme was announced, I wondered how much longer until the Browns announce the hiring of John Fox as head coach? Fox has less than a year left on his deal in Carolina, so the “Fox Watch” in Brownstown has officially begun. More on that later.
Final Compensation in Wimbley Deal
We originally thought we might receive the higher of the Raiders' third-round picks, which would have been No. 69 overall. Instead, we are receiving pick No. 85. It's still good to have another third-rounder, but it's not as close to a second-rounder as I had hoped.
Off-Beat Notes
- There are no off-beat notes today. Eric Mangini and Mike Holmgren are scheduled to speak to the media at 4 PM, where they will surely address the big moves made on Sunday.