Daily Dawg Chow: Browns news (6/14/13)

Cleveland Browns:

• "Gordon's suspension no laughing matter" (FS Ohio) - "Let’s not pretend that Josh Gordon’s two-game suspension at the start of the Browns 2013 season is a minor thing. It’s not. It’s a pretty big thing. Because it could cost the Browns two wins. Just like Joe Haden’s suspension a year ago cost the Browns wins. The two are key players, and their absence matters."
• "Hardesty may have to carry load in Richardson's absence" (Canton Rep) - "The Browns know what it is like to plow through a stretch of games without two of their most valuable players. What if they have to again? Before the 2012 season, the defense got slugged in the mouth when former first-round picks Joe Haden (suspension) and Phil Taylor (injury) coped with the prospect of missing a fat chunk of go time."
• "Time to Field New Turf" (OBR) - "By now you’ve probably heard Jon Bon Jovi is coming to town. On May 28, the Cleveland Browns announced Bon Jovi 'will help launch the 2013 football season with a special ‘Fan Kickoff Concert’ July 14 at FirstEnergy Stadium.' Cheesy? Maybe. Unless you’re a die-hard Bon Jovi fan. And there are plenty of those."
• "Browns talked to agent of ex-Ravens fullback Vonta Leach, but not interested in signing him" (Beacon Journal) - "The Browns spoke to the agent of free-agent fullback Vonta Leach, but they are not interested in signing him, a league source confirmed for the Beacon Journal this morning."

NFL:

• "Broncos release top rusher Willis McGahee" (AP) - "Willis McGahee's decision to skip offseason workouts isn't what cost the veteran running back his job with the Denver Broncos. His absence, however, did allow the organization to see ample promise in rookie Montee Ball and abundant progress from second-year speedster Ronnie Hillman."
• "Wallace: 'Money isn't everything'" (ESPN) - "Mike Wallace cashed in during this year's free-agency period when he signed a $60 million contract to join the Miami Dolphins. But the speedy wide receiver evidently turned down a more lucrative offer from the Minnesota Vikings."
• "J.J. Watt's historic 2012 season for Texans examined" (NFL.com) - "Houston Texans coordinator Wade Phillips keeps upping the ante on the expectations for defensive end J.J. Watt. After only one season, Phillips predicted that Watt's career would result in a Hall of Fame bust. Now, Phillips tells the Houston Chronicle's John McClain that Watt's 2013 season was the best he's ever seen by a defensive lineman."
• "Whose job is it to keep RG III safe?" (ESPN) - "Blame can do a lot of damage when there's raw emotion behind it, and the early part of the Washington Redskins' offseason strayed into that territory. Coach Mike Shanahan said something at the league meetings about the need for quarterback Robert Griffin III to do more to protect himself."