Any 2015 Buckeyes Going To Be 2016 Browns?

April 29, 2016 by Leave a Comment

Growing up in the Cleveland area, I have memories of the Cleveland Browns that are quite vivid. I will passionately argue that The Fumble hurt far more than The Drive. I remember being so disgusted when the Browns traded Chip Banks and drafted Mike Junkin. And I proudly wear and own a Brian Sipe jersey, having been in the stands for Sipe’s last game as a Brown versus the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1983, before Sipe jumped to the USFL.

The heartaches and frustrations of the Cleveland Browns fanbase are too many to write; it is painful enough that I remember them. One of the most puzzling decisions the Browns have made since their NFL return in 1999 has been to continually ignore and neglect selecting players from Ohio State.

Yes, I know that the Browns have former Buckeyes Brian Hartline and Terrelle Pryor on the roster. Former Buckeye Simon Fraser played for the Browns as an undrafted free agent from 2005-2007. And I also remember that the Browns drafted former Buckeyes Darnell Sanders in 2002 and Brian Robiskie in 2009. But that’s it – 2 players on the current roster, with a grand total of 5 Buckeyes from 1999 through 2015.

Compare and contrast that with the Pittsburgh Steelers. From 2001, when the Steelers selected Rodney Bailey in the sixth round, the Steelers have picked a total of 8 Buckeyes. The most recent selection was in the 2015 NFL Draft, when Pittsburgh picked Doran Grant in the 4th round. Mike Adams, Doran Grant, Cameron Heyward, and Ryan Shazier are all on the Steelers roster – considering Grant grew up in Akron, and the Browns have a need at cornerback, wouldn’t it be nice to see Grant playing for Cleveland instead of Pittsburgh?

Back to my point. With so many talented Buckeyes in the 2016 NFL Draft, could the Browns wise up and improve their roster with some Buckeyes?

I will quickly add that I do not believe all of the Buckeyes would make sense for the Browns. For example, while Joey Bosa should be a tremendous pro, the Browns are running a 3-4 defense, which would transition Bosa from a 4-3 defensive end to a 3-4 outside linebacker. I am not sure if that would be in Bosa’s best interests as a pro. Besides, I do not believe Bosa will even be on the board for the Browns to pick.

Could Vonn Bell be in the Browns’ draft plans?

Wouldn’t it be nice if the Browns selected Michael Thomas in the second round? How about Nick Vannett in the third round? On day 3 of the draft, picking Jalin Marshall late in the sixth or seventh round? Chase Farris? Tyvis Powell?

Hue Jackson is the latest Cleveland Browns head coach to try and turn around this once proud franchise. A good place to start is to add players from about two and half hours south on I-71.

Filed Under: Ohio State Football Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Why Can’t The Browns “Steel” Some Buckeyes In The NFL Draft?

May 8, 2015 by 2 Comments

Congratulations to Devin Smith, Jeff Heuerman, Doran Grant, Evan Spencer, and Michael Bennett on being selected in the 2015 NFL Draft. This weekend will be the first rookie minicamp for these players with their respective NFL teams. It is challenging to refer to these players as “former Buckeyes”, but they will all be moving forward in their quest for (hopefully) lengthy NFL careers. Good luck also to Darryl Baldwin, Curtis Grant, and Steve Miller, who all were signed as free agents to NFL teams. Jerry Emig of Ohio State had an impressive tweet that summarizes the good fortune of these players as they enter into the NFL…

Former Buckeye Rod Smith is also getting a free agent opportunity, with the Seattle Seahawks…

Remember Verlon Reed? This former Buckeye, who left Ohio State for Findlay, is getting a free agent opportunity with the Detroit Lions…

According to Bill Rabinowitz of The Columbus Dispatch, former Buckeye Kyle Clinton is also getting a free agent tryout with the Pittsburgh Steelers this coming weekend…

At least Clinton and Grant will have some company while in Pittsburgh – over the last six years, the Pittsburgh Steelers have drafted six players from Ohio State.

Prior to the NFL Draft, I held out hope that the Cleveland Browns, the NFL team I have rooted for my entire life, would pick two Buckeyes – Jeff Heuerman and Evan Spencer. Both would have fulfilled position needs on the Browns, and had the skill set that would allow them to succeed in Cleveland’s run-oriented offense.

I was happy for Jeff Heuerman that Denver picked Heuerman in the third round; that was a little higher than I anticipated the Browns would show interest. I thought maybe the Browns would be interested in Heuerman in the fourth round.

As for Evan Spencer, I woke up on Saturday morning and tweeted out the following. My man Shannon Sommers agreed with my line of thinking…

Do you know who the last Ohio State player the Cleveland Browns selected was? Brian Robiskie, back in second round of the 2009 NFL Draft. Prior to Robiskie? 2002, when the Browns picked Darnell Sanders in the fourth round.

Don’t get me wrong – I am happy for all of these Buckeye players to have NFL opportunities, even if it is with the Cleveland Browns’ biggest rival. I just do not understand how the Browns, a team that has long been mired in the basement of its division, and is always trying to close the gap between itself and the division leaders, cannot look into scouting players from a powerhouse program only two hours down I-71. The Pittsburgh Steelers are located further away, and have had no problem with the longer commute to scout out Buckeye talent. Even the comments of Ohio State Head Coach Urban Meyer made me think the Browns would be picking at least one Buckeye…

Even Bill Rabinowitz agrees with me…Below is a tweet sent before the NFL Draft concluded regarding Darryl Baldwin, a Cleveland native, that somewhat mirrors my line of thinking ~

The 2016 NFL Draft is a year away, and I am looking forward to what promises to be an exciting 2015 Ohio State football season. I can only hope that with a crop of players that will be heavily abundant in Buckeye talent in the 2016 NFL Draft that the Browns will “steel” some Buckeyes going forward.

Filed Under: Ohio State Football Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

No Controversies With Florida A&M

September 17, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Congratulations to Ohio State for passing its first road test of the 2013 season against California with flying colors. Traveling across the country to California, facing a team with a developing and fast-paced offensive attack, as well as starting the backup quarterback, Ohio State rose to the challenge and won the game impressively.

Coming home to face Florida A&M, Ohio State fans can rest easy that this is a game that should present no concerns for the Buckeyes before B1G play begins. If you have heard this legendary story regarding tickets, the point is that this is the Ohio State game that should provide any fans the opportunity to find tickets easily. Even Gene Smith recently stated that this is a “challenging” game that may prove difficult to sell out for Ohio State.

Below are my wish list items for Florida A&M:

1. Rest Braxton Miller, and play Kenny Guiton versus Florida A&M: Not trying to fan this into a quarterback controversy, but I am of the opinion that resting Braxton Miller would be in the team’s best interests for the 2013 season. A sprained MCL will only get better with rest. If Braxton Miller is not deemed 100%, rest him.  Kenny Guiton is doing fine piloting the Ohio State offense. No need to put Miller in against Florida A&M and risk further injury.

2. Ease Carlos Hyde into playing time: Hyde will be understandably anxious to show what he can do, after serving his three game suspension. Instead of rushing Hyde into the lineup, I would hope Ohio State would play Hyde after Ohio State establishes a strong lead over Florida A&M.  Happy to see others, such as Beau Bishop, agree with me on this point.

3. Play backups the majority of the second half: More than likely, this game will get out of hand very quickly; Ohio State could possibly be up by forty points at the half. My hope would be to play the starters the first series of the third quarter, then turn the reins over to as many backups as possible ~ Cardale Jones. Warren Ball. Ezekiel Elliott. Rod Smith. Insert the backup offensive line, as Ohio State will lose four starters after this season. Nothing can take the place of actual game experience, and this may be one of the best opportunities for extensive game experience for these units. Play as many redshirt freshmen as possible; these players have already been redshirted, and can only get better by playing. Keep the starters healthy for the B1G games on the horizon. I have been advocating this philosophy for the first few weeks of the season, and others like Ben Axelrod seem to be thinking the same thing ~

Along those lines,

4. Last call for redshirts: If there is a member of the highly-touted freshman class that has not earned playing time yet, why waste a valuable year of eligibility? Even Coach Meyer has stated that Bri’onte Dunn and Michael Thomas may benefit from a redshirt year ~

Think back to 2005, when Ohio State played Brian Robiskie. Robiskie wound up playing sparingly in 2005, with only one catch. Yes, Robiskie concluded his Ohio State career in fine fashion, but Robiskie would have been better served by the previous coaching staff by using 2005 as a redshirt year, allowing Robiskie a chance to play in 2009.

In 2014, Ohio State will have Rod Smith, Warren Ball, and Bri’onte Dunn as running backs. While I am certain Dunn would like to play, it would probably be best for Dunn and the program to save a year of eligibility for 2014.

Look for this game to be over quickly.  Ohio State should have no problem racking up the style points that have eluded them so far this season.

Filed Under: Ohio State Football Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,