"Handoff to Harrison" is the new "Metcalf up the middle"

Reading the play-by-play for the first half of the Browns' embarrassing 34-3 loss to the Ravens, and I got sick and tired of reading Jerome Harrison's name. It was frustrating. Kind of like driving down Mentor Ave. and catching every single red light.

Don't get me wrong, I like the fact that he's in the game and getting his touches. He deserves a shot as the team's RB1, and he's a much better fit than Jamal Lewis at this stage in both of their careers.

Starting Harrison and giving him the majority of the action would do a lot to make Lewis better when he returns to the lineup. Harrison needs a rest? Okay. Plug in the beastly Lewis with fresh legs! Short yardage situation? Okay. Plug in the battering ram! Make Lewis the big back for Harrison like Pittsburgh did when Jerome Bettis was handing over the reigns of the backfield to Willie Parker.

But damn! The Browns ran Harrison into the ground Sunday. The guy was hit by birds worse than Fabio on a roller coaster.

Check it out for yourself and tell me what you think:

1st Browns offensive series:

- 5 plays (1 run to Harrison).

2nd series:

- 5 plays (2 runs, 2 passes to Harrison).

3rd series:

- 6 plays (3 runs, 1 pass to Harrison).

4th series:

- 3 plays (2 runs to Harrison).

5th series:

- 3 plays (3 runs to Harrison).

You sick of reading his name yet? The guy was battered by the Ravens defense in the first half worse than a 9th inning Phillies game every time Charlie Manuel hands Brad Lidge the ball.

Of these five first-half offensive possessions, the Browns ran a total of 22 plays. Fourteen of them were either runs or passes to Harrison.

Remember when the Browns would have a 2nd-and-long or a 3rd-and-short and hand the ball off to Eric Metcalf, who would in turn stutter-step a few times in both directions before running straight up the middle, only to get stuffed at the line of scrimmage?

We referred to that circus act as "Metcalf up the middle," before the Browns would punt and Jimmie Donovan would lead us into another frustrating commercial break.

What the Browns are doing now with Harrison reminds me of "Metcalf up the middle," because I get the feeling that this team has no confidence in any other playmaker.

In the second half he continued to get the crap beat out of him, only it wasn't as bad as it was in the first half:

6th series:

- 5 plays (2 runs, 2 passes to Harrison).

At this point of the game, the Browns had run 27 plays and 18 of those were to Harrison. Seriously.

7th series:

- 13 plays (zero runs or passes to Harrison. Yes, he actually got a breather and saw no action on this series).

8th series:

- 4 plays (1 pass to Harrison).

9th series:

- 1 play (zero runs or passes to Harrison).

10th series:

- 5 plays (2 runs to Harrison).

11th series:

- 3 plays (1 run, 1 pass to Harrison).

12th series:

- 1 play (1 run to Harrison).

So at the end of the day, the Browns ran a total of 54 plays on offense, going to Harrison on 24 of them.

To reiterate, Harrison had the ball on 18 of the first 27. For the final 27 plays ... try just six plays for Harrison.

It was a case of either involving the guy way too much, or not involving him enough. He's 26 years old. Now is the time to start using him the right way.

*Notes on Harrison

2009 stats:

35 carries, 112 yards rushing, 0 TDs (3.2 avg)

14 catches, 90 yards receiving, 0 TDs (6.4 avg)

2008 stats:

34 carries, 246 yards rushing, 1 TD (7.2 avg)

12 catches, 116 yards receiving, 1 TD (9.7 avg)

2007 stats:

23 carries, 142 yards rushing, 0 TDs (6.2 avg)

2 catches, 19 yards receiving, 0 TDs (9.5 avg)

I'll be honest...

Sure - I only posted the first 2 quarters of the game yesterday. I barely watched any of the second half. Derrick "INT" Anderson came in and I almost gagged. I didn't even think the second quarter posted, as the website was giving me headaches (as if the Browns headache wasn't bad enough).

So - we logged off and went fishing. Had a blast and forgot about the Browns.

Screw 'em.

2nd quarter...

Harrison runs for 17!!

Quinn with a QB keeper. Really? That's our call? Even the Announcers questioned it.

2nd and 8. Harrison picks up 3.

I'm calling a screen pass for 3 yards here.

Terrible throw. We will punt.

They get the first.

McGahee runs for one yard. They said he was done. He looks good to me.

They throw for 9. It's like a free for all.

"This game is more depressing than my sex life." - Rellik Dodge. Whoa.

Almost an INT for us. OF course we drop it.

3rd and 3...They just ran the option against us. We are THAT SAD.

Ravens are moving the ball at will.

We can't tackle. It's very sad.

We may hold them to a FG here...unless they go for it.

Looks as though they'll kick. Watch for the fake.

Browns 0 - Ravens 13 (I'm +1)

I'm at a boiling point. Browns are HORRID and then I have to watch a Coors Light commercial featuring Romeo Crennel?? SERIOUSLY?? Stick to eye.

3rd and 7 for the Browns...can we please get a first down? Anyone? Bueller??

And we're 2 yards shy. Ravens appeared to be offsides. UNREAL.

Pass to Todd Heap. We blow ANOTHER tackle.

Elam hits Heap hard on the next play. However he holds on.

They throw to the end zone. Eric Wright with a solid play.

2nd and 1o at the 15...McGahee waltzes in. Nobody laid a hand on him.

Browns get the ball with 1 minute remaining and ran the ball three times. If the players haven't given up, it seems like the coach has. Absolutely no confidence in our passing game.

Halftime. Get some food. Do whatever you want.

First quarter

Start the internal meltdown.

Ravens jerseys look so lame.

CRIBBS! To the 30. He hesitated, I think he could've busted it.

Brady Quinn time. Tick...tick...tick...

Conley's calling handoff. We have 4 WR wide. We throw for 5 yards.

2nd and 5...We throw again, Braylon stretches, I think we have it.

Quinn throws an interception. Awesome. Shoot me.

Commentators are already riding the BEEP of the Ravens.

They love them some Flacco.

Ravens are in the red zone. I missed a few plays, was carrying the meatballs into the basement. Men are lazy on Sundays. Going upstairs to the kitchen wasn't an option.

Ray Rice stopped for no gain. D-Jackson with the stop.

Ravens are going to go for it on 4th.

They got it. QB keeper. Of course. FLACCO FOR PRESIDENT!

Shaun Rogers just stole your lunch. Get over it.

McGahee scores. Sweet.

Head + ass.

Missed some more.

Ravens with a long strike to LJ Smith. Clayton with a penalty. Still got the first. Screw them.

Empty backfield...McGahee wide.

Pressure on Flacco. He throws for 2.

Flacco goes deep. McDonald almost snags it. DAMN!

Flacco has ALL DAY TO THROW. Gain of 18.

We can't sack him.

Wimbley with a sack! LOSS OF 10!!!

Quinn is 4-5 for 16 yards. I've said it 100 times. Tim Couch.

"WE NEED TO GO DEEP!" - Conley

Quinn to Harrison for a gain of 12. Short screen pass. It's working, but it's really Harrison making cuts. He's very elusive.

Harrison runs. Loses 2. We can't run.

Browns 0 - Ravens 10 (so I'm +4 right now. Not good at all)

Some pregame thoughts

LaDanian Tomlinson (BYL) is out this week. He sure isn't what he used to be, but he'd look good in a Cleveland Browns uniform.

Speaking of out and running backs, Jamal Lewis won't start for the Cleveland Browns. Browns are beat up. Hope guys aren't giving up already?

Phildo Dawson is out as well. Sweet.

Sunday Night: Colts vs Cardinals. Shoot out.

"Remember how bad the Cardinals were a few years ago?" - Conley. It goes to show you that a few decent drafts and a front office with their head not up their ass can turn a team around. Hmm....

ESPN pregame hasn't even mentioned the Browns vs Ravens matchup today. We are THAT sad.

So far the entire pregame staff has taken the Jets over the Titans. Berman just took the Titans. I'm saying Titans also.

Colts vs Cards...I'm taking Colts.

I have a bet on the Browns game. Yes, I'm a mo-ron. I have +14 points in a bet w/ my boss from Baltimore. COME ON NOW!

Conley is taking the Dolphins over the Chargers. Bold choice. Tom Jackson just took the Dolphins too.

Cris Carter is lame. "I'm taking the Chargers homie."

"Alright Brownies, give me something to believe in again..." - Kyle Carroll via text.

I have 96 meatballs in the crockpot. Covered in Open Pit bbq sauce. $.99 a bottle. Biggest steal since Ricky Henderson roamed the paths. Believe 'dat.

Almost time for kick off...get up!

Disgruntled? You could say that.

Well, I wasn't able to make it to the Minnesota Vikings game. I had my best friends bachelor party, and was out of town.

We hurried up and cleaned the lodge we rented, so we could be on the road to make it home for the Browns game.

As we drove through Columbus and towards Cleveland, we saw a ton of Browns fans heading down to the Cleveland area to watch the game, albeit at the stadium or a local watering hole.

Should've told them the roads were closed or that the game was canceled.

Little did they know the Adrain Peterson train was rolling through Northeast Ohio that day.

Then we had the Broncos game. Was that even a game? It was embarrassing. There's no other way to describe it.

Next we play the Ravens, in Baltimore. Should I even focus my entire Sunday around this game? You and I both know that I will, but will it be more enjoyable than stepping on a Lego in the dark? The Broncos game sure wasn't, and the Ravens look like Super Bowl contenders. Browns...they are just pretenders.

The Browns honestly may not win a game until the end of November, when the Detroit Lions come to town. And that may even be a reach. Despite their record, they WERE better than the Browns last year.

That being said, I've put my Cincinatti Bengals tickets up for sale. It's a sad day when a die hard, season ticket holding Browns fan can't even muster up the rally to attend a home game.

Let's look at the finances of going to a Browns game for a quick minute:

(2) tickets = $100 total
(2) parking spaces (one for the van, other to tailgate in) = $30 total
Gas for the van = $20
Food = $25 (and that's on the low end)
Beer/Drinks = $20
Propane tanks = $10

So, on the day of a home game, I've dropped $205...and I HAVEN'T EVEN GOTTEN INTO THE STADIUM YET! That's a tough pill to swallow, for such a shitty product.

The Browns are so bad and break my heart so often, I had to be sure I was current on my Life Insurance Policy, so I contacted my Insurance Agent to be sure. Gabe Cicconetti had this to say:

"Well Joe...I don't know what really to say except that I cannot believe that I will have to pay $25 to Muni-lot garage this year for the Browns games. It is so frustrating that as fans we are charged outrageous ticket prices for a sub-par product, $7 for beer, over $4 for a bottle of water, and now the city wants to get in on the action and start digging deeper in our other pocket for parking. It's disheartening that we (Browns fans) are the only people embarking on the city of Cleveland to spend money on a Sunday (or any day for that matter) and the city feels that it is necessary to take advantage of tens of thousands of people that actually still support a business that calls Cleveland home. I look at it this way, how long would I continue to go to my favorite restaurant if every time I go the food sucks but they keep promising it will get better on my next visit, so I keep going back, but now the hostess starts punching me in the face every time I go in. Not sure how long I or anyone could continue to put up with that."

Well said, Gabe. I couldn't of said it better myself.

Tailgating is the only fun a Browns fan has on Sunday. If you don't believe me, hit the ATM and come down on a Sunday and ask them. While at that ATM, got a few hundred I can borrow?

- Salty

Browns ain't what they used to be, but it doesn't matter ...

Why can't the Cleveland Browns field a consistently good team like they used to in the 1980s?

That is the question that springs to mind every time the Browns lose another sloppily-played football game - which seems to be becoming a pattern every Sunday.

During the Browns' heyday from 1979-1989, their record was 92-75-1 (.551 winning pct.).

Since their return to the NFL from 1999-2009, their record is 54-108 (.333 winning pct.).

In the Browns' recent 10-year span they have played 162 games and won 54 times. Major League Baseball's season is also 162 games, and the last time the Indians held a .333 winning percentage over a single season was ... well, never.

The worst Indians season on record was 1991, when the Tribe won just 57 of 162, finishing with a winning pct. of .352.

So its safe to say that the over the last 10 seasons, the Browns have been worse than the worst Cleveland Indians team of all-time. Ouch! It hurts just typing it. That 1991 Indians lineup consisted of:

C - Joel Skinner (.243-1-24)

1B - Brook Jacoby (.234-4-24)

2B - Mark Lewis (.264-0-30)

SS - Felix Fermin (.262-0-31)

3B - Carlos Baerga (.288-11-69)

LF - Albert Belle (.282-28-95)

CF - Alex Cole (.295-0-21)

RF - Mark Whiten (.256-7-26)

DH - Chris James (.238-5-41)

SP - Greg Swindell (9-16, 3.48)

SP - Charles Nagy (10-15, 4.13)

SP - Eric King (6-11, 4.60)

SP - Rod Nichols (2-11, 3.54)

SP - Tom Candiotti (7-6, 2.24)

SP - Dave Otto (2-8, 4.23)

CL - Steve Olin (3-6, 3.36, 17 saves)

Horrible team. Of course, a few of those players went on to have great careers for the Tribe (Baerga, Belle and Nagy).

But the Browns have failed to have all but two players become even decent. And those two players who have had a decent careers as Browns are Joshua Cribbs and Phil Dawson. Sad thing is, their accomplishments in orange and brown have been as special teams players. And having one or two marquee special teams player just doesn't cut it. You can have the best kick/punt returner and field goal kicker in NFL history, and if the rest of your team is in shambles, then your entire team - overall - will still suck. Special teams make a difference, for sure. But special teams don't make your team.

The only other guy you could have put into that category of even coming close to approaching a decent career as a Brown was Kellen Winslow Jr., who is now playing with Tampa Bay. The other players who have come close have been very inconsistent. No need to mention names, but take away the one statistical spike that was 2007 and ... well, you know what I mean.

As the games go by, 2007 is looking more and more like the fluke season we all thought it was. The Browns went 10-6 that year and shocked the league. The reason it was a shocker was because the team went 4-12, 6-10, 4-12 and 5-11 in its previous four seasons.

We had one of the easiest schedules in the NFL in 2007, the one year where the Browns looked like they were actually primed to turn things around and return to the glory days of fielding a winning and competitive team for perhaps the next decade. Cleveland was chocked full of what looked to be young talent, and it only had a few problem areas to address - those being the offensive line, defensive line and secondary.

Well, the offensive and defensive lines were addressed, but the secondary is still flailing. And during the 2007 and 2008 offseasons, addressing and focusing the concerns of 2007's roster holes only opened up new and different concerns for the team. Too much attention was being focused on the problem areas, and the other positions I believe suffered.

Now we look bleak at wide receiver, tight end and linebacker. Also, aside from the couple bright spots on the offensive line, there are other major issues there. And the secondary never really got fixed. AND our quarterback and running back situations are also questionable. Nobody really knows if Brady Quinn or Derek Anderson should be the starter. Nobody really knows if Jamal Lewis still has some gas left in the tank, or if the Browns should shift to the younger and more promising Jerome Harrison, who averaged 7.2 yards per carry in 2008 and showed that he can be a decent pass-catcher out of the backfield.

So many holes, so many questions. The one thing the Browns front office won't have to worry much about is the fans. The fans will always be there because Browns fans are arguably the most rabid and loyal fans in the NFL.

If the Browns win - good. Fans will obviously be there. But it almost feels like the front office has the mantra of "if we lose - so what - the fans will still be there." Well you can't just take the fans for granted. See Jacksonville, Detroit. How many years of losing can a city that's already down on its luck take?

What Browns fans want now, more than ever, is a team like that of the 1986 squad that went 12-4 (5-1 against the division), including 27-24 and 37-31 wins over Pittsburgh. Our scoring offense was 5th in the league. Our defense was 11th. Our turnover differential 4th best. I'll even go so far as to say that there are probably some unemployed Browns fans throughout Northeast Ohio that will take a winning Browns team over a job. That's how much we love this team. It also further emphasizes how painful it is for us to watch this team lose so badly.

We all remember the '86 roster. Every player was a household name. We painted "#1 Dawgs" on our faces. We ate football-shaped Browns cookies from the local bakery. The chile tasted better on Sundays.

You can picture them running up the stairs of the dugout at old Municipal Stadium, and onto the field. Fans barking in the Dawg Pound! Biscuits flying onto the field!

The roster was classic! I never knew how good we had it until 2009.

Quarterback

- #19 Bernie Kosar

Quarterback

- #10 Mike Pagel

Left Tackle

- #77 Rickey Bolden

Left Guard

- #74 Paul Farren

Center

- #61 Mike Baab

Right Guard

- #69 Dan Fike

Right Tackle

- #63 Cody Risien

Running Back

- #44 Earnest Byner

Running Back

- #28 Herman Fontenot

Fullback

- #34 Kevin Mack

Wide Receiver

- #84 Webster Slaughter

Wide Receiver

- #88 Reggie Langhorne

Wide Receiver

- #86 Brian Brennan

Wide Receiver

- #89 Gerald "Ice Cube" McNeil

Wide Receiver

- #85 Clarence Weathers

Tight End

- #82 Ozzie Newsome

Tight End

- #81 Harry Holt

Left Defensive End

- #96 Reggie Camp

Nose Tackle

- #79 Bob Golic

Nose Tackle

- #72 Dave Puzzuoli

Right Defensive End

- #78 Carl "Big Daddy" Hairston

Defensive End

- #96 Reggie Camp

Defensive End

- #91 Sam Clancy

Left Outside Linebacker

- #56 Chip Banks

Left Inside Linebacker

- #51 Eddie Johnson

Right Inside Linebacker

- #53 Anthony Griggs

Right Outside Linebacker

- #57 Clay Matthews

Linebacker

- #59 Mike Johnson

Linebacker

- #58 Scott Nicolas

Left Cornerback

- #31 Frank Minnifield

Right Cornerback

- #29 Hanford Dixon

Strong Safety

- #24 Ray Ellis

Strong Safety

- #22 Felix Wright

Free Safety

- #37 Chris Rockins

Kicker

- #9 Matt Bahr

Punter

- #7 Jeff Gossett

Punt and Kick Returner

- #89 Gerald "Ice Cube" McNeil

What I wouldn't give for a roster like that one today? What I wouldn't give for a meaningful drive to the local bakery for Browns cookies while the chile slow-cooked on the stove early Sunday morning? So while you are pulling your Browns jersey over your shoulders on Sunday mornings, just remember how great it can be in Cleveland. Be rabid and continue rooting for the Dawgs! The 53-orange helmets that make up our team need us now more than ever.

4th Quarter

Huge gain to Buckhalter. Marshall flagged for holding! HUGE!

Moreno stuffed again like a turkey breast.

"I f*cking hate the Browns." - Conley

Huge strike to Jabar Gaffney for 49 yards. Frustrationville. Population us.

They scored. I hate this.

We are down two scores. We have one offensive touchdown in the last 33 quarters. We're still in this, right? Right?

We throw to Harrison. No gain.

We were now offsides. This is a bad dream.

2nd and 17...sure...

Quinn is sacked! WOW! GO BRONCOS!

Quinn sacked again. Almost a safety. Boy are we sad.

Moreno with a great run.

I'm logging off and researching which team I should root for.

3rd Quarter

I'm not feeling too hot. See, I went to my buddy's wedding last night. If I don't finish the blog, you'll have to deal with it.

3rd and 9 for the Browns. Quinn drops back hits Cribbs (short of the 1st down AGAIN) and Cribbs fumbles the ball. Broncos recover. This is just amazing.

False start on the Broncos. We cheered. It's come to this. It's sad.

Orton to Marshall. Hate them both.

Conley said the Browns need a sack. I think they need another kind of sack. Get it? Marbles.

Sorry, that was R Rated.

Marshall runs the ball for a first down. He's the greatest ever to touch a football. He's so dreamy. Announcers sure think so.

1st and 10...Moreno meets the brick wall that is Shaun Rogers.

Orton throws to Graham.

3rd down...can we finally stop them on 3rd?

Stokley drops it. Orton hit him in the hands. SHUCKS!

Denver hits the FG.

Browns 6 - Denver 13

Braylon with a GREAT catch, and then he was literally DDT'd. What the?

Harrison stuffed. I hate Shannon Sharpe.

It's 6:10pm and Delonte West is still playing Grand Theft Auto.

Can I buy a TV package that will mute Shannon Sharpe for life? I'd pay $9.95/mo for it.

Browns will punt.

Moreno runs. Flag down. Minniti says it's on us. And it was. Minniti is no longer with us.

Moreno with a first down, pass from Orton.

Orton scrambles, and is taken down.

"Lot of F bombs flying." - Karissa

Megan is sleeping. Sweet.

Orton scrambles, and is slow, and rifles to Marshall. Seriously, we are weak.

I'm eating. Deal with it.

End of the third quarter. You didn't miss anything. Trust me.

Browns 6 - Denver 13

2nd Quarter

Ok, time flies when you're grubbing and blogging.

We are watching a dog challenge on ESPN during commercials. Hilarious. There's a guy with a dog, and the guy is wearing dual knee braces. HA!

McDonald almost picks the ball off in the corner. That would've been huuuuuge. Damn!

He stepped out with his 2nd foot.

3rd and goal...David Bowens pressures! Orton incomplete.

Broncos to kick a field goal.

Kick is good. Hate them.

Browns 6 - Broncos 10

"Broncos aren't scoring the rest of the game" - Minniti. I think he's eaten too much grub.

Nate, Conley and Minniti are HOOKED on this dog challenge shit. Maybe they're stoned and I just don't know it??

Cribbs returns just short of the 20. We need to drive on this one.

Jamal Lewis with another good run.

Pass complete to Braylon for a first down. I called him a Nancy Bitch, Minniti hated it.

Harrison up the middle. Got 4-5 there. Mangini loves running up the gut.

Cribbs runs to the left. Good run, and a flag down. Thumb is claiming facemask. He is CORRECT!

15 yard penalty. ALRIGHT!

1st and 10...Quinn throws it away.

Lewis lost a few.

Quinn to Cribbs SHORT of the first down. That's the second time already that Quinn has thrown to Quinn MUCH SHORT of the first down. We can't afford that. We welcome Tim Couch back, again?

Dog Challenge time. Shoot me.

Moreno with a sprint. AWESOME. Come on Defense.

Run again for -2.

2nd and 12...Orton has ALL DAY TO THROW. But he tosses incomplete. That was close.

3rd and 12...Orton in the shotgun. ALL DAY AGAIN. Luckily he sucks. Geez o man.

Denver fans are turning into BOO BIRDS! Team Turmoil!

Cribbs returns to the 25 or so.

There's a dog on this named Very Beary. SHOOT ME.

Another named Slim Shady. This is bad TV.

These dogs really wipe out. "Anything can happen out there." - the dumb announcer

Jamal Lewis with a good catch and run.

3rd and 1...we run and don't get it. AWESOME.

We will punt.

Thumb is on sandwich #3.

Megan is about asleep. And she's complaining.

Moreno with another solid run.

3rd and 1...Moreno BARELY gets it. Unreal. Game of inches.

Dog Challenge. I hate it. "What gave you the edge today?" - Announcer. "Lots of hard work." - the lady that owns the dog that won. Spare me. Seriously??

2nd and 6...Nate said it best that we need some pressure!!

Orton throws high, and terribly. He does suck.

3rd and 6...spirit fingers don't work. They complete it.

Eric Wright was just called one of the best corners in the league. Wow.

2nd and 10...Orton throws into the ground.

3rd and 10...Stokley is killing us. Orton only completes on 3rd down. SHOOT ME.

Pass interference on us. Why not, right?

1st and 10 from the 30...Ball is tipped. Browns just let it drop. Really?

Orton almost sacked. Again. And completes to Stokley. Again. Geezus.

Almost picked off. Almost.

Orton throws a duck. Again. He only completes on 3rd down. Kinda like Cris Carter only caught touchdowns. Yes, I just used Orton and Carter in the same sentence.

Orton throws another mallard. Fans mad.

Elways jerseys sighting.

Broncos to attempt a FG. He shanks it! The wind took it, that was wild!

LaMont Jordan looks like a house.

Browns to take a knee. We didn't need to attempt to score again. Why would we? Too much fun.

Browns 6 - Denver 10.

Halftime.

First Quarter - Denver game

Here we go! Blogging quarter by quarter from the Conley Compound! First time for the QbQ (Quarter by Quarter) blog from a remote location! Conley even said I could keep the laptop!!

Browns kick off and DENVER FUMBLES! WOOHOO! Browns recover!

Brady Quinn delivers a strike to Braylon Edwards that gets us within the 10.

Jamal Lewis for no gain.

Incomplete.

Browns settle for a friggin' field goal. Awesome. WASTED OPPORTUNITY #1.

Denver takes over. I'm playing catch up here a bit, so I'll summarize.

Denver slowly moving the ball.

"Kyle Orton's going to have a career day." - Conley

"No he's not." - Nick Minniti

Sausage Sandwiches today were provided by Conley's girlfriend, Mary. We would like to thank her. Nate already spilled some on his shorts. Ha! Chewtoy!

Denver is kicking. Cribbers on the return. Fields from the 6, and dropped at the 12. Browns take over.

Browns 3 - Denver 0

Incomplete to Cribbs. Pass was there, he got popped.

Run to Harrison. No gain.

Our offense reminds me of sitting in class during high school. Dry and boring. Time moves SO SLOW.

Quinn in the shotgun, fumbled the snap.

Broncos recover. Boy I can't wait for the bell. I have study hall next.

We can blame that snap on Alex Mack.

Knowshon Moreno (BYL) runs for no gain.

2nd and goal...Moreno again to the right. Stopped short.

Orton throws a TD to Tony Sheffler. Awesome. Screw this.

Let's take a moment and think about Delonte West for a second. Dude was pulled over carrying a pistol in his waistband, one strapped to his leg, and a loaded shotgun in a guitar case over his shoulder. Both pistols were also loaded. He was riding a 3 wheel motorcycle. Talk about a potion for potential headache. More on that later.

Browns 1st and 10 from the 20.

Jamal Lewis runs for 3 yards.

Jamal Lewis to the right for a nice gain! First down Browns!

Quinn runs it for about 7 yards, before running out of bounds.

Quinn to Furrey for a first down! There we go!

I am a Furrey fan. He has solid hands.

Jamal Lewis up the middle for a yard or two.

Quinn to Braylon for about 20 yards!

Lewis up the gut again, no gain.

Quinn throws to Cribbs. He loses yards.

Browns will kick a FG.

Kick is good.

Browns 6 - Broncos 7

Browns kick off. Dawson had to have a holder for it. Windy? Not sure. It's just Phil being Phil.

Knowshon Moreno to the left for 11 yards. Kid is strong.

Correll Buckhalter runs it. Thought he was still with the Eagles. Who knew?

2nd and 8...Orton throws...over the middle to Brandon Marshall. Eric Wright on the tackle.

Chargers up on the Ravens. BELIEVE THAT!

Pittsburgh winning. Screw that noise.

3rd and 5...Orton throws complete to Stokley. DAMN IT. Huge gain.

Moreno for 5.

Orton throws to Royal. First down Denver. Our defense is paper thin.

1st and 10...Buckhalter stopped.

Whoops! We're in the 2nd quarter! HA!

Tisket atasket Browns want Hank Baskett?

Now that wide receiver Hank Baskett has been placed on waivers by the Philadelphia Eagles, he's liable to draw heavy interest on waivers. Before he was let go by Philadelphia, several teams contacted the Eagles about prospective trades for Baskett. That included the Tennessee Titans, Chicago Bears, St. Louis Rams, Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns,Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs, according to a league source.

National Football Post

Salty's Thoughts: Baskett get's the Jeff Garcia treatment here. The math is simple: If your girls hotness is above your celebrity status, you get her picture on the blog, and not yours. Simple.

TO...a leader?

When the Bills signed Terrell Owens, we were told he would be a leader for a young team, a better teammate than we realized, a star who would bring some straight talk and swagger to the locker room. Owens pulled the old silent act after Buffalo blew a late 11-point lead in New England. He took a pass. The kind you can't drop. Owens has sold himself as a personality, a guy who commands people's attention. He got a key to the city. He has his own reality TV show. The reality after Monday's game was that he lacked the decency to stand and face the music after a tough loss.

Buffalo News

LT had clean pee pee

Legendary Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor submitted a teammate's sample when he failed his first drug test in 1987, he told the Yes network's "Centerstage." "Actually, it wasn't my urine. I failed the drug test and he didn't. I couldn't believe it." Taylor also told Michael Kay: "The night before I retired, I realized that I wanted to do recreational drugs again.

New York Post

Salty's Thoughts: Never mess with Karma. You will lose every time.

4th quarter...

Sound has cut out again. Amateur hour on Fox. Thanks for tuning in. This rocks.

Quinn throws a duck, it's tipped, and Braylon comes down with it. Good snag.

Donovan McNabb appears to be hurt. Nate is mad. Well, he's not mad. I just like to act like he is. It's called creating drama on a blog. Ask Stephen King.

Sounds back!

3rd and 8...False start on James Davis. AWESOME!

3rd and 13...Quinn guns deep and out of bounds. Browns will punt like bitches. Sorry.

So let's see. Notre Dame lost. Ohio State lost. Browns are losing and I'm going to lose in Fantasy Football. I'm a sports fan because....???

LL Cool J doing a Direct TV commercial is bush league. Just saying.

AP slashes us again.

Favre throws incomplete.

2nd and 10...run for 4.

3rd and 6...Favre has ALL DAY. Pass is dropped, they will kick to the Browns!

Cribbs, always electric.

For the record, Kyle Carroll's boyfriend, Joe, is sporting his infamous rattail for the Browns game today. Don't let him down.

Quinn to James Davis, who gets leveled. Looks like potential shoulder, or got the wind knocked out of him.

2nd and 9...Quinn to Steve Heiden. Short pick up.

3rd and 2...false start on Joe Thomas.

3rd and 7...Quinn delivers to Mike Furrey for a first down.

Browns are running the no huddle. I dig it.

Quinn scrambles out, and may of fumbled.

Vikings ball. Guess you can't teach old dogs new tricks. We sure look like the Browns of old.

AP runs for 3. Blah blah blah.

AP is killing us. Runs again for a chunk.

Favre sacked by our boy, WIMBLEY!

AP dropped at the line of scrimmage.

Vikings will attempt a FG. BLOCK THAT KICK! BLOCK THAT KICK!

Field goal is good. BLAH.

Cribbs returns the ball.

Romeo Crennel is in the new Coors Light commercial. Boy, I won't miss his dullness after each game. Trust me there.

Another false start for the Browns. Sad.

Quinn incomplete.

Braylon drops a ball. Granted it was a diving catch, but still, dropped it nonetheless.

Browns kick. BLAH.

Quinn is 14/23 for 98 yards. When did we get Tim Couch back?

AP just made us look like a Midget Football Team. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

That is just piss poor. Very simply put. Glad to see we'll be on ESPN tonight.

Nate is going to get AP tattoo'd on his arm. Ok, I kid. Nate has gotten 40 points from him today.

At least Jamal Lewis hasn't given up.

Two bright spots for the Browns today, well maybe 3:

1. Jamal Lewis has looked good
2. Kamerion Wimbley has looked good
3. They don't play AP every week

Two things that have pissed me off today, well maybe 3:

1. AP
2. Fox Sports for lack of sound half the damn game
3. Reggie Wayne (playing against him in Fantasy and he has 162 yards and a TD)

Quinn looking weak on this drive. Royal just dropped one. COME ON. Thought we were supposed to be improved this year? Less penalties, less dropped balls. Looks like the same dog and pony show that we subject ourselves to week in and week out.

Tav Jackson in for the Vikings.

Hand off to Chester Taylor.

Taylor again.

3rd and 9...Tav Jackson throws incomplete.

Vikings kick. Anyone still watching? You're lucky I love you all or I would've logged off a while ago. As if anyone reads this anyways.

Quinn pump fakes twice, and then takes off. First down due to the feet of Quinn. Nice.

Dump pass to Jamal Lewis for a first down.

Mike Furrey with a drop. What is in the Gatorade cooler that these guys drink from? Something is seriously wrong over the last 2 years.

Another dump pass to Jamal Lewis. Another first down. At least he can catch. Keep giving it to him.

Quinn to Furrey for 5.

2nd and 5...throw to Furrey for a first down!

Quinn to Cribbs. Cribbs was hit hard. Browns are really trying to score, get the old monkey off the back. Vikings should just let us. Be boys. Be friends.

Quinn to Massequai...screw you, I don't know how to spell it. Ha!

Quinn is sacked.

40 seconds left in this game, if you'd call it that.

Royal with CHEESE scores on a strike from Brady Quinn!

BROWNS SCORE! WOOOHOOO!

Browns onside kick. A shitty onside kick.

That's ball game.

Thanks for reading. Thanks to the Browns for 'playing'. Sweet.

3rd Quarter...

Vikings movimg the ball. Percy Harvin (BYL) runs for 11 yards.

Delay of game on the Vikings. 1st and 15 now.

Favre goes DEEP to Moss again, and he catches it, but was out of bounds.

McDonald got beat on that play, hands down mans down. Pick it up.

Run to Chester Taylor. Anytime it's not AP running the pill, I'm happy.

Favre avoids a big sack. Completes to his TE with the funky name. Yes, still lazy.

16 yard pass from Favre to Moss again. Defensive pass interference on McDonald. Sweet.

1st and goal...run to AP who gains a few. Ball on the 1.

2nd and goal...this is huge...Browns stop AP once again! Stopping that guy is a real feat. Can they do it again? If I'm the Vikings I do one of two things: give to AP or go back to Moss who has a big advantage over McDonald.

3rd and goal...they go Peterson for a touchdown. Damn it. We can't buckle here.

Do you think Favre hates it, or will hate it, that the Vikings prefer to run in the red zone? Stay tuned. It's a long season.

AP bleeding from his arm. Probably from carrying the Vikings. Fake.

Vikings kick off to Cribbs, who looked like he may bust it.

Jamal Lewis with another dicing run! Way to go!

Lewis runs again for about 8 yards. Guy is looking good.

Bennie Sapp limping off the field for the Vikings. He looks to have cramps, real hard. (That's a Raising Arizona reference)

Brady Quinn throws a TERRIBLE ball. Directly to the Vikings. You've got to be kidding me. Vikings ball.

Favre throws again to that damn TE.

3rd and 1...AP gets it. Of course he does. Here we go.

Shaun Rogers sacks Favre! That was fantastic! Man-CHILD.

Screen cut out again. Sweet.

Favre finds Harvin (BYL) for a big gain.

1st and 10...AP gets about 4.

2nd and 6...AP gets it. He's starting to wear the Browns down.

2nd and 5 now...AP get it. He's starting to wear the Browns down even more.

Handoff to AP, who was literally a step away from being in the end zone. Was tripped up. Unreal.

AP runs again and loses 2. Barton on the tackle.

Browns need to get fired up real fast.

Favre to Harvin again.

3rd and 3 here...Touchdown throw to Percy Harvin.

This is ugly.

Vikings kick off the Cribbs. We held on it, of course. Why wouldn't we?

Vikings 24 -- Browns 13

Quinn to Royal for a first down. Nice play.

Text from Rellik: This game is horseshit.

Jamal Lewis bulls ahead for 2 yards.

End of the third quarter.

Went from excited to annoyed. Ahh, the life of a Browns fan.

2nd quarter...

Well, a lot happened. Braylon had an amazing grab that was called back. I talked about how much I hated Brian Billick, and stuff like that.

Then my blog disappeared. So, we start here.

Vikings 10 -- Browns 6

We are at the 5 minute mark in the 2nd quarter.

3rd and 1...BROWNS STOP CHESTER TAYLOR in the backfield! Elam with another stellar play! Way to go!

Vikings punt!

Browns ball at about the 40 or so.

4 minutes left in the second quarter.

"Browns still haven't scored a touchdown" - Natey "True" - me

Quinn throws behind Braylon Edwards on a quick route. Incomplete.

False start on Braylon Edwards. Another penalty.

Jamal Lewis stopped for no gain.

3rd and 16...Quinn keeps it and is about 2 yards short. We will kick.

3 minute mark.

Favre incomplete to Harvin (BYL). Bad throw.

Shaun Rogers is all sorts of big. Dude is a monster.

Brodney Pool on a safety blitz and he drops Favre like an aged bag of potato's!

Billick is coming down on the Vikings. Just saw a pig fly by my house...

2 minute warning. Browns defense looking strong!

3rd and 16 for the Vikings. Damn, the Browns almost had Favre in the end zone. Dump pass to Chester Taylor, they are short of the first.

Wimbley took Favre down hard. Love it.

Vikings punt to Cribbs, fielded at the 33...JOSH CRIBBS TO THE HOUSE! (Still not an offensive touchdown.) WE SCORED!

UNREAL!

VanHuss has found a bar to watch the game! Albeit it without sound, and being surrounded by Philly fans, he is not in jail. Via text: "Cribbs!!!! Pay that man!!!!!!!!!!"

Browns kick to Harvin. Dropped by Francies. Vikings have 1:24 to drive the field.

Mike Yozipovich via text regarding Cribbs: He's the best.

Favre throws to the sideline. Deflected by Eric Wright.

Screen cut out for a second. Not cool.

2nd and 10...Favre throws to Rice for 8 yards.

3rd and 2..with 1:14 left before the half.

Billick NEVER shuts up. Ever.

Favre from the shotgun. Wimbley drops Favre again, but he got the ball off. Incomplete. WIMBLEY IS BACK! He heard us!

Vikings have to kick again. They kick it WAY short to avoid Cribbs.

Browns have 1:04 to drive the field. We have the ball at the 39 yard line. Let's drive it!

We better go for the house here, no dink and dunk run the clock out bullshit.

Vikings send the house. Quinn throws it away. Smart play.

Good point by Nate that DA would've been sacked there.

Quinn to Davis, who gains a few.

3rd and 8...Quinn runs for 1. Halftime.

GREAT HALF FOR THE BROWNS! See you in the third quarter!

Back by popular demand...

The quarter by quarter blog!

First Quarter --

Vikings try to onside kick. NOT IN OUR HOUSE!

Jamal Lewis with a solid run.

Quinn looks pretty solid. Glad we know he's starting.

Shawn Conley via text: "wow browns look good"

Browns settle for a FG. Does not end our drought of quarters without a touchdown.

Shawn VanHuss via text: "No browns in pa. They bar said they would. Can't find a place that will carry it." He's in PA for a wedding. Not a good way to start his Sunday, I'm sure.

Percy Harvin looks quick. He's also a Backyard Legend. Believe 'dat.

Browns have shut Adrian Peterson down.

3rd and 9...Nate says to bring some heat!

Screen play to Chester Taylor, and loook who's out there with him! Shaun Rogers!

Vikings punt to Cribbs.

Braylon Edwards flagged. Gosh, it's been so long since I told him to screw himself. Welcome back!

2nd and 16...we hand off.

3rd and 16...we hand off. Hey, joke's on us! Romeo Crennel must be back!

Drew Brees has 2 TD strikes already. One to Marques Colston (BYL). Natey isn't happy, as he's playing against Brees this week.

No reply yet from VanHuss. He may be in a PA jail. Stay tuned.

Favre throws a pass to their TE. I'm not typing the TE's name, as it's just too difficult. I'm lazy.

Run up the middle to AP, very close to a first down. Should be 3rd and 1. Mr. Rogers, won't you be my neighbor?

AP picks up about 10. Dude is good.

Abraham Elam with a sack on Favre! He even jumped over Favre's walker before tackling him. Classy move.

"Come on Wimbley" - Nate "Yeah, Wimbley needs to step up" - Me

AP to the right side. 9 yards. Damn.

3rd and 1...Dugan up the middle. Remember when Jimmy Doogan said there's no crying in baseball? Just thought I'd ask.

Favre has all day, literally, to throw.

Gains 5 yards on a pass to Chester Taylor.

Hand off to Percy Harvin (BYL) for 7 yards.

1st and goal...hand off to AP - shocker - and he's down at the 1. Almost fumbled.

2nd and goal...Peterson again to the left. WIMBLEY steps up! He loses 3 to 4 yards!

3rd and goal...Natey is saying they have to pass. They do. Terrible throw by Favre.

Vikings will line up for a FG. Solid stand by the Browns, considering they stopped AP twice inside the 5 yard line.

Longwell hits the FG.

Tied 3-3 at the end of the first quarter.

I'm going to finish my Chipolte.

Kyle Carroll via text: "Woot woot! Go Browns!" She loves the blog! Welcome back, Kyle!

Lawyers, insurance firms cash in on fantasy football

(CNN) -- Henry Olszewski was stoked in 2008 when he, along with millions of Americans, drafted New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady to his fantasy football team.

About eight minutes into the season, a 220-pound safety was blocked into Brady's knee, tearing two of the quarterback's ligaments. Brady's season ended, as did Olszewski's.

"That Monday, [Olszewski] came in the office, and he was bummed out," said Anthony Giaccone, president of Intermarket Insurance. "He asked, 'Why can't we buy insurance for fantasy team players?' "

Thus spawned the brainchild for Fantasy Sports Insurance, which guarantees that NFL players won't miss a certain number of games. FSI will reimburse a fantasy player's entry fee if they do.

It's one of a blitz of bizarre businesses cropping up in the $800 million industry of turning quarterback stats to greenbacks, said Paul Charchian, president of the Fantasy Sports Trade Association. See fantasy football's top 10 prospects »

Charchian is familiar with the wellspring of offbeat companies fueled by the fantasy football craze; he owns LeagueSafe, which stores league entry fees in a bank until it issues a payout to the winner at season's end.

Other specialty businesses, he said, range from the obvious, such as trophy companies, to the esoteric, such as fantasy dispute resolution.

You read the last one correctly.

Web sites like fantasydispute.com and sportsjudge.com offer to mitigate fretful fantasy feuds. Think there was collusion in a trade or your league commissioner is playing favorites? Write up your dispute and send it to one of the sites. For $15, a lawyer will settle your quibble.

Rest of the story.

Cleveland makes Forbes list of 10 most miserable cities

Was reading through some old magazines earlier today, when I ran across an issue of Forbes from February 2009.

Found a list that I thought was interesting. It was "America's 10 Most Miserable Cities." Sad to report, but Cleveland made the list. Top 5 actually.

Most of the cities are big sports towns with die-hard fans who root for one team or another. Despite the number of "sports cities" that made the list, the only mention of sports for these cities was with Cleveland and Detroit.

I've included with this list Forbes' short paragraph for each city. Also, I thought I'd add the professional sports franchises that each of these cities stand by, no matter how good or bad they might be.

10. St. Louis, Mo.

- The Gateway City scored in the bottom half of all nine categories we looked at for the Forbes Misery Measure. It was the only metro area to pull that off.

- City's team: St. Louis Cardinals, MLB.

9. Miami, Fla.

- Miami has been crushed by the housing collapse. Moody's Economy.com estimates that 26% of mortgages in Miami are delinquent or are likely to be written off as bad debt that can not be collected. Violent crime and corruption are also off the charts.

- City's team: Miami Heat, NBA.

8. Buffalo, N.Y.

- If you like snow, Buffalo is your place - to the tune of 90 inches a year, more than any other metro area that has a million people. Buffalo's population has been steadily shrinking since the mid-1990s.

- City's team: Buffalo Bills, NFL.

7. Detroit, Mich.

- Former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was sentenced to four months in jail last year for his sex-and-text scandal. Tough year also for the state's football teams, as the University of Michigan suffered through its first losing season in 40 years and the NFL's Lions failed to win a game.

- City's team: Detroit Pistons, NBA.

6. Flint, Mich.

- The city immortalized in Michael Moore's documentary "Roger & Me," is plagued by the double whammy of high crime and high unemployment. General Motors employs one-tenth the number of employees in Flint compared to its peak in the 1970s.

5. Modesto, Calif.

- Unemployment has skyrocketed in Modesto with further pain to come. It is expected to average 16.7% in 2009, up from 11.4% last year. Another drawback: It has the highest car theft rate in the U.S.

4. Cleveland, Ohio

- Only Denver gets socked with more snow than Cleveland's 52-inch annual average among the 50 largest metros. Clevelanders wait in fear for July 1, 2010, when hoops star LeBron James can switch teams as a free agent.

- City's team: Cleveland Browns, NFL

3. Chicago, Ill.

- Living costs in the Second City are not much higher than the national average, but the 10.3% sales tax is a killer and is the highest of any city. A winning Olympic bid should move along needed transportation infrastructure improvements.

- City's team: Chicago Bears, NFL

2. Memphis, Tenn.

- Memphis scores points for not having a state income tax, but the sales tax is an onerous 9.3%, one of the highest in the country. FedEx is the biggest employer in the area by far with 30,000 employees.

- City's team: Memphis Grizzlies, NBA

1. Stockton, Calif.

- Only 15% of Stockton adults have a college degree, which is one of the lowest rates in the U.S. Unemployment is expected to hit 15% in 2010, while housing prices should keep falling back to their mid-1990s level when the median home price was $130,000.

Big Dog wearing Browns orange

CLEVELAND -- John Thompson, who is known to many Browns fans as Big Dawg, pleaded guilty Tuesday to drunken driving. A judge sentenced Thompson to three days in jail, one year of probation and he has to attend three MADD meetings. Thompson was arrested last month at West 128th Street and Lorain Avenue. Police said he was driving without the vehicle’s headlights on and weaving. Police said his blood-alcohol level was .125. The legal limit in Ohio .08.

Deion blowing smoke?

Deion Sanders, who was represented during his playing career by Michael Crabtree's agent, Eugene Parker, and who still is believed to have close ties to him, said that Crabtree is willing to sit out the entire season and re-enter the draft in 2010. "You can't miss what you don't have," Sanders said regarding the money that Crabtree currently is leaving on the table. Sanders also said that two teams contacted the 49ers regarding a trade for Crabtree, that the teams were willing to pay Crabtree, and that Crabtree knows it. Though Sanders didn't say so directly, he implied that the other teams were willing to pay Crabtree a contract worth $40 million.

profootballtalk

Salty's Thoughts: Take anything Neon says with a grain of salt. No pun intended. But really, sitting out the entire season? I say no chance.

Jeff Garcia cut

The Raiders cut the safety net. It's JaMarcus Russell or bust. Quarterback Jeff Garcia was released Saturday, the surprise chop of 22 player cuts on 53-man roster day around the league. Garcia, 39, was hired in April to push Russell, if not for the starting job, then to teach the former No. 1 overall draft pick how to be a dedicated NFL quarterback in his third season.

San Francisco Chronicle

Salty's Thoughts: This one surprised me. I figured Garcia to see some starts for the lowly Raiders. My guess is he threw a fit when told that he was a clear #2 and wanted out. Terrell Owens still hates him. Trust.

ps: that image is his girl. Never will I ever post a Jeff Garcia picture on here. He will always be known as the ugly QB with the hot girl.

Blount absent from Ducks practice

Running back LeGarrette Blount did not practice with Oregon on Monday even though he was allowed to under a season-long suspension for a postgame punch in the Ducks' opener.

Coach Chip Kelly said he did not expect Blount at practice.

"People I think should respect he's been through a lot the past few days," Kelly said during a conference call. "He's got to make some decisions on where he is and everything. But we have a plan in place for him and when he decides to come back."

Rest of Story.

Salty's Thoughts: Moron.

Interesting point of view from blogger on ESPN

Check this out. Was one of the responses to the Anderson-Quinn story on ESPN.

TO ANY AND ALL BROWNS FANS: Quinn will lead your team to the bottom of the AFC North, with Anderson at least you have a chance. As a Ravens fan I cant even believe this is that close, Anderson is the best QB in the organization and its sad that the people in Cleveland are letting in house politics influence the decision. Quinn has NEVER proven he can be an NFL QB, going back to the games he started last year. Anderson has all of the tools to do it and was the sacrificial lamb last year when his WR's couldnt catch H1N1. If Quinn is named started I can tell you the Ravens will be licking their chops to play that bum twice.

Thoughts?

All Aboard! LeBron Rollercoaster Continues!

LeBron James has more reasons to stay than ever. He holds all the cards. He's not showing them. "I'm excited about the upcoming season and I have never given any indication that I'm leaving Cleveland," he said. "I've been happy with what the franchise has done for me and my family. It's been great. Hopefully everything goes right and hopefully I can sign a big contract to stay in Cleveland."

Associated Press

Browns went after another QB?

It turns out Josh McDaniels was interested in reuniting with Kevin O'Connell. Contrary to what was reported right here earlier today, the Denver Broncos did put in a waiver claim for O'Connell, who was awarded to the Detroit Lions. According to league sources, four clubs placed claims for the third-round pick of the New England Patriots last season -- Detroit, Cleveland, Denver and the New York Jets. So McDaniels was not blocked by just the Lions in his effort to add a quarterback familiar with his system to his stable of quarterbacks in Denver.

National Football Post

Salty's Thoughts: Would this of meant we'd trade either Derrick Anderson or Brady Quinn if they weren't the #1? Or did we simply want this kid as a #3?

AJ Hawk not a starter?

It's starting to look like A.J. Hawk is going to have to accept a reduced role in the Green Bay Packers' defense. As long as Nick Barnett's reconstructed right knee can handle a full workload, the Packers are considering using Barnett and Brandon Chillar as the inside linebackers in the nickel defense. Such a move would cut Hawk's snaps almost in half, considering the nickel is used every time opposing offenses line up with more than two receivers. What's more, it means that 3 1/2 years after making him the fifth overall pick in the draft, the Packers might be conceding that Hawk is not an every-down player.

Green Bay Gazette