Browns Must Draft WR In First Round

The Cleveland Browns have a lot of holes to fix in their young, depleted, factory-of-sadness organization. As I always say: “they’re only a team away from winning the Super Bowl”. Since 1999, the team has only won 10 games once, that being in 2007. They’ve made the playoffs once in 2002, and every other season has been an utter disappointment.

So where do you start in the NFL Draft if you’re the new analytics-backed Browns management? Wide receiver.

Let’s face it. Josh Gordon ain’t bringing what he brought to the team in his record-setting 2013 season. He failed another drug test yesterday, testing positive for marijuana use and dilute. I’m sorry, but if you try and dilute a sample to get away with a positive drug test, after your 3rd and 4th instances with the matter, you don’t get it. Even if you don’t frequently use it, even if it’s your friends’ faults, you clearly do not get the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of being a great NFL wide receiver.

So the Browns need to get a wide receiver in the first round. With the second pick? I wouldn’t recommend it, but I would not be against it. The more likely scenario would be to trade for a later first round pick and another later pick, or trade up for a total of two first round picks (note: Browns have the 32nd pick, since the Patriots forfeited their pick, but it is considered the 2nd round).

Look back at the “successful” Browns years. When’s the last time the Browns won the most? 2007. Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow Jr. were racking up the yards (those were also their best seasons, sadly). They won 10 games and barely missed they playoffs. Yes, they had a pro bowl season out of Derek Anderson, but the WR/TE duo were also pro bowlers.

The Browns also had a duo of Jordan Cameron and Josh Gordon in 2013, who were both pro bowlers, but with no solid QB. Right now, they have a pro bowler in Gary Barnidge, who has at least a few more good years in him, and a good wide receiver would complement him.

Now, the Browns have a coach in Hue Jackson, who runs a pro-QB offense, and a somewhat successful QB in Robert Griffin III, who showed promise in his Pro Bowl rookie-of-the-year season, only to be subject to unfortunate injuries, unfairly getting the boot for not learning a new offense early enough, and getting another shot in Cleveland.

The Browns, as much as the talent is there from Carson Wentz, Jared Goff, and Paxton Lynch, need to cover other areas first before the QB position, and they rarely cover the wide receiver position in the first round, let alone the entire NFL Draft.

Laquon Treadwell, 6’2″, 221 pounds out of Ole Miss, is at the top of the prospect charts. Corey Coleman is a stud out of Baylor, but is under 6 foot, and the Browns are very known for having those on their team. Michael Thomas is high on my list, but maybe because I watched him a lot at Ohio State. But at 6’3″, 221 pounds, and with extreme speed and athleticism, it is hard to not be in favor of him.

Whoever the Browns draft at wide receiver early will make an immediate impact. This draft is stocked with talent at the position, and it has been seen that rookies can make impacts right away.

I’m not condoning drafting a QB early, but the Browns have bigger problems to address before fully addressing that position, especially with the recent news on Josh Gordon.

Browns Hire Bengals OC Hue Jackson as Head Coach

It took a little over a week, but the Cleveland Browns finally have a head coach. Bengals Offensive Coordinator and former Raiders head coach Hue Jackson has been named the next head coach of the Browns. Monday night, LES was told by a source that they were confident that Jackson, 50, would be named head coach.

Browns now finalizing deal to hire Bengals OC Hue Jackson as their next HC, per sources. Close to being wrapped up, per sources.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 13, 2016

Hue Jackson will become the next head coach of the Cleveland Browns. "They made me feel comfortable," he just told me.

— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) January 13, 2016

Source tells me that he is "confident" Bengals OC Hue Jackson will be named the Cleveland Browns next Head Coach.

— Mac Robinson (@MacRobinson95) January 12, 2016

The former Bengals OC was scheduled to meet in New York this Thursday, however the Browns didn’t want to let their top choice get away without an offer. In the end, the Browns interviewed 7 candidates, with Jackson being the only one reported to have multiple interviews.

Jackson, who has worked for the Bengals the past 4 seasons, is very familiar with the AFC North. He’s worked for the Bengals in two stints, 2004-06 and 2012-2015, as well as the Ravens in 2008 and 2009 as the Quarterbacks Coach.

One thing that is true is that where Jackson has gone, results are likely to follow. He helped Flacco make strides from his rookie season to year 2. Flacco had 642 more yards and 7 TDs in his second year with Jackson as his Quarterbacks coach.

The Raiders were also beneficiaries of Jackson’s contagious improvement. In his two seasons in Oakland as OC and head coach, RB Darren McFadden shined and had 2,432 total yards and 15 total touchdowns, despite being limited to only playing in 20 of the possible 32 games. He also had success with Jason Campbell, who went 11-7 under Jackson.

Andy Dalton and the Bengals offense had the most improvement under Hue Jackson. Dalton had an amazing 2015 season, his second under Jackson as OC, throwing for 148 fewer yards in 3 fewer games, as well as throwing 6 more touchdowns and 10 fewer interceptions.

The weapons on the Bengals offense also showed a great turnaround. Almost everyone improved in season two under Jackson in Cincinnati. WR AJ Green had 86 catches, 1297 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns in year 2. RB Giovanni Bernard had 2231 total yards and 9 touchdowns in the two seasons under Jackson.

Jackson also helped WR Marvin Jones and TE Tyler Eifert to have career years in 2015. Jones, who missed all of 2014 due to injury, took control of the 2nd Wide Receiver spot on the team with 65 receptions, 826 yards and 4 tds. Eifert lived up to his first round draft status and more in 2015, after getting injured in his only game in 2014. He had 52 receptions for 615 yards, 13 TDs. Eifert also was tied for 4th in the NFL for TDs.

Reports have also surfaced that Jackson will want to move on from current Browns QB Johnny Manziel. It is worth noting that Jackson was the one who ended the JaMarcus Russell Era in Oakland back in 2010.

The Hue Jackson Era in Cleveland will trigger the end of Johnny Manziel and the #Browns. Expect the new coach to move on from the QB.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 13, 2016

Jackson has brought improvements and turnarounds to teams he’s coached in the past. He knows the division and knows how to get things done. It’s a new day in Cleveland, and one, hopefully, for the better.

Grading the Best Johnny Manziel Moments vs. 49ers

Johnny Manziel regained the Browns starting QB position after losing it for 2 games due to lying about the time the infamous March Madness video took place. And he did very well, completing 21-31 passes for 270 yards, 1 TD and 1 pick, as well as 15 yards on the ground. Manziel looked very composed in the pocket, and used his feet and mobility outside of the pocket very well. He should’ve had another TD, but Brian Hartline fumbled before going into the endzone.

Manziel, who is a 2nd year Brown out of Texas A&M, provided the Browns with their first win in 7 games, the fans some hope, and most importantly, social media with some awesome footage. Here are some of the best Manziel moments from Sunday’s win against San Francisco, graded by yours truly:

Money Manziel Signing a $100 bill

Manziel signed a bunch of autographs before the game, and the best by far was when a fan gave Johnny 100 dollars in cold hard cash. What did Johnny do, you ask? He put his John Hancock on the bill, and wrote “Money Manziel”, while giving the peace sign to the fan afterwards.

Johnny, if you remember, gave up his signature Money Manziel hand gestures after he exited his voluntary rehab this past offseason. So, not only does he show he doesn’t give any f**** at all about what people think with his trademark, but he also defaced a $100 bill, which is an unenforced crime in America.

People would’ve been talking about this if he didn’t sign the dude’s dollar, so there’s no winning for Manziel in this one. However, he’s got the starting job back, and he put the Browns in the winning column this week.

Autograph execution: 10/10

Not giving 1 f*** about committing a federal crime: 10/10

Peace sign symbolizing him saying goodbye to loser critics: 20 points

Still signing the bill with cameras nearby: 18 points

Hearing the fan with headphones on, because they’re wasn’t too much money in his f****** hand: 10/10

Thirst for Benjamins: 25 points

Bringing back Money Manziel traditions: priceless

Overall: A+

Well done Johnny. Excellent execution, especially not caring, knowing people would moronically respond negatively to this.

Destroying a Surface Tablet With Your Head

#2 threw an ill-advised interception across his body, and on his back foot against the 49ers Sunday, where he scrambled out of the pocket and saw what appeared to be an open Brian Hartline. Manziel was not pleased going to the sideline, and after seeing the replay on the Microsoft Surface tablet, he did this:

The fact that he would risk getting a concussion just to provide us with entertainment says enough. The dude is the people’s guy. He “overreacted”, according to analysts whose lives revolve around worthless reporting, but if another guy did this, no one would bat an eye.

Johnny played very well the rest of the day, and he made it very clearly that it was a bad play by attacking the tablet with his steel head.

Precision of headbutting: 11 points

Unintentionally endorsing Microsoft tablets’ durability: 9.5/10

Vandalism: 9/10

Avoiding concussion protocol: 50 points

Reenacting Nike destroying the evidence of LeBron getting dunked on: 10/10

Overall: B+

I would’ve liked to see a body slam, or scattered shrapnel from the tablet. But Manziel has a reputation to build up, and for that, we thank you.

Overreacting on a first down that led to no points

The context of this situation comes about from Manziel almost getting sacked in the end zone, which would have resulted in a safety. However, 49ers LB Corey Lemonier grabbed his face mask, which resulted in an automatic first down, and a hilarious celebration video:

Shotgun Johnny … Manziel Signed a Fan's $100 Bill Before Game https://t.co/SDlzhYtGu7 pic.twitter.com/8zdECQkPFX

— Michael Shamburger (@mshamburger1) December 13, 2015

Manziel pointed his pistols like he was dominating Alabama in his college days. The fact that the drive resulted in no points for the Browns makes this celebration even funnier.

Johnny is more relaxed now, he understands the offensive, he reads plays and defenses better, and he has more fun under control now. That’s what I like to call a “guns out” approach:

Ignoring 2nd amendment controversy: 7.5/10

Overreaction: 15 points

Creativity – Double Meaning of Guns and Sexual Innuendo: 10/10

Vintage Cocky Manziel: 19 points

Giving Madden More Improvisational Celebration Ideas: 8/10

Rocking The Tongue Out: 9/10

Overall: A-

Manziel celebrated amazingly on a play that didn’t matter. I would like to see creativity moreso with touchdown drives as well.

Throwing a TD to Gary Barnidge

https://twitter.com/BeforeFamePics/status/676133079287799808/video/1

Manziel called an audible after noticing a certain defensive scheme from the 49ers. With the play clock quickly winding down to 0, Manziel changed the play, got the ball snapped, and quickly threw a beautiful pass to Gary Barnidge, giving the Browns 6 more points.

Could you imagine a team with Johnny Football, Josh Gordon, Terrelle Pryor, Duke Johnson, and Barnidge, with Jon Gruden?

The answer is 0. But hey, I can dream, can’t I? Anything is possible now that the Browns finally won another game.

Noticing defensive scheme: 30 points

Audible execution: 10/10

TD Celebration: 3.5/10

Doing The Impossible – Making Mike Pettine Really Happy: 11/10

Putting His Money Where The Haters’ Mouths Are: 10/10

Making Browns Fans Happy Again: see below

Overall: A

Beautiful touchdown throw right on the money (lol puns), but I would’ve liked to see a TD celebration, like a choke sign, a rendition of Joe Horn’s “cell-ebration”, or even telling the haters to kiss his a** like Randy Moss. But the points matter in this situation more, unlike the points involved in my unknown algorithms for my grading system.

Getting Really Excited For Teammates on Live TV

Manziel is portrayed by the media to be a selfish me-guy who doesn’t appreciate the NFL game and his opportunity (which I think is total BS). However, Johnny, to my knowledge, has never put out any bad talk about anyone, and always gives the credit to his teammates. He does so on live TV here:

DO NOT show this to anyone on the Really Big Show pic.twitter.com/XX0N3zGYa5

— Bottlegate (@Bottlegate) December 13, 2015

(Don’t show this to anyone who thinks this dude doesn’t care about his teammates)

To my knowledge, living near the guy, he cares a lot about Cleveland and enjoys it here, despite what Stephen A. Smith tells us. The way he has played recently, turning the corner, and his new attitude on the game of football, it’s apparent that we have our future QB.

Sailor Talk: 15 points

Congratulating Lineman I Never Heard of Until Sunday: 9/10

Super Great Attitude: 20 points

Gotta Lotta Energy: 10/10

Being Excited Knowing Cameras Are Watching And Knowing No One Would Talk About This, But Instead the “Negatives”: 10/10

Smile (Since I Have 3 Dentist Generations In My Family): 14 points

Overall: A++

Great job Johnny, A+++++ for giving this fan base life again.

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Joey Kinsley, Founder, Writer, Lake Erie Sports

Follow me on Twitter @KinsleyLES, and our Twitter @LakeErieSports.