The Plain Dealer's Tony Grossi has been scoring some phone interviews with some of the Cleveland Browns' free agents. After talking to fullback Lawrence Vickers the other day, he talked with linebacker Matt Roth in his first interview since the season concluded. While Vickers sounded as if he hoped Cleveland would still try to re-sign him, Roth spoke as if he is already planning on finding another team:
"Right now I kind of like the 3-4 [defensive system]," Roth said in a phone interview, his first since the Browns' season ended and the coaching staff was overhauled. "I feel the Browns are on the right track. But going into my seventh season, I want to play for a winner. I do feel the Browns are right there. They've done a good job. I'm not sure what's going to happen."
Don't get the wrong idea -- in the rest of the interview, Roth praised last year's coaching staff, gave credit to the die-hard fans in Cleveland, and gave his vote of confidence to Colt McCoy and the team's young receivers (he also notes that he thinks a veteran receiver was needed on the roster last year to help guide those youngsters, something I often preached as well). He had a falling out when he was with the Miami Dolphins though, and while he's not saying there is anything wrong with Cleveland's new coaching staff, it sounds like he wants to go to a team where there is a little more proven stability. I'm not so sure the market for Roth will be as lucrative as he envisions though, so we'll see if the Browns end up making him an offer at some point down the road.