Thwarting the RG3 Hysteria

With NFL free agency upon us, and the NFL draft about a month and a half away, many Browns fans have begun the speculation game.

The most popular speculation -- perpetuated by the local sports talk minions -- centers around Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III, the Heisman Trophy winner.

With the St. Louis Rams holding the No. 2 pick and not in any need to take a QB, especially after drafting Sam Bradford No. 1 overall just two years ago, they have made no secret about auctioning off that pick to the highest bidder. 90 percent of the local sports-yammers are demanding that the Browns win that auction to land the guy they believe will get this team to the Promised Land.

Joe Cleveland is not one of those guys. In fact, Joe Cleveland is saying that the Browns should stand pat at No. 4, or even (gasp) trade down and get some more picks.

There's no question that quarterback is the glamour position in the NFL, and, nowadays, it's hard to find a team that wins a Super Bowl without an elite QB under center. You'd probably have to go back to 2002, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won with Brad Johnson taking snaps, to find a Super Bowl champ that didn't have a "superstar" quarterback.

A lot of people seem to think that Robert Griffin III has the tools to become a "superstar" quarterback. He can throw. He can run. He has a good head on his shoulders. He's a great athlete.

But, does that mean he'd be a good fit for the Browns? Not if it means giving up two first-rounders this year and a first-rounder next year. Sorry to burst that bubble, but it's true.

RG3 (I hate using that moniker, just because I hear it so damn much on the radio) is not a good fit for the West Coast Offense that the Browns are trying to impliment. Bringing Brad Childress on board as the offensive coordinator only reaffirms that committment to that offense.

All the draft gurus like Mike Mayock, Todd McShay and Mel Kiper claim that any team who drafts Griffin will have to tailor their offense a little bit to fit his skill set. So, what makes you think that Pat Shurmur, Childress and Mike Holmgren will deviate from their uniform philosophy just to make sure the square peg (Griffin) fits into their round hole? I can't see that happening.

And, with Tom Heckart's love of draft picks and being able to utilize them well (as we've mostly seen these past two years), why do you think he'd suddenly mortgage the future just to bring in one guy?

And, if you do that, Griffin is still playing around the mediocre talent that the Browns have on offense. You lose out on the chance to add a top wide reciever in the draft, or a top lineman (let's face it, the offensive line, especially the right side, need some work), by throwing everything in the Griffin bucket. Griffin will still be throwing to a receiving corps that led the entire NFL in collective dropped passes. Griffin will still be behind an offensive line that has a revolving door at right tackle, a right guard who was good for at least one false start penalty each game, and a left guard who is coming off back surgery and missed an entire season last year.

He'll get a chance to show off those world-class legs, that's for sure. He'll also open himself to injury.

The Colts release of Peyton Manning this week is a huge wild-card in what the Browns are able to do in the draft. Once that domino falls, others will follow and the path will become clear. Here's what Joe Cleveland believes will happen:

Heckart said that the Browns have no interest in entering the Manning sweepstakes, and smartly did so. The Browns don't need to throw a ton of money on a 35-year-old guy coming off three neck surgeries, even if he is one of the best to ever play the position. Besides, I think Manning wants to go to a team that is close to making a deep playoff and Super Bowl run. Also, after playing his entire career in a dome, I think Manning would want to play his home games either for a warm-weather team or a team playing in a climate-controlled facility. The Browns are neither.

Browns fans pining after Griffin are hoping that the Redskins sign Manning. The Redskins seem to be the Browns' top competition in the RG3 sweepstakes, and seem willing to give up as much as possible to draft him. If they sign Manning, suddenly, they may not need to be involved in the Griffin hoopla. That could also allow the Browns to not give up as much to the Rams, since they'd suddenly be (presumably) bidding against themselves.

Not going to happen. Manning doesn't want to play in the same division as his brother, Eli, even if Washington will give him the farm. It also seems like Manning is eager to remain in the AFC, which puts Miami (where Manning lives during the offseason) as the leading contender. However, I could see a team like Kansas City (AFC West), Arizona or Seattle (NFC West) signing him. Everyone knows that the West Divisions in the NFL are the weakest and are the most wide-open each year. The path to the Super Bowl would be a lot clearer coming out of the West. Denver is suddenly an intriguiging option as well, considering they got to the Divisional Round with a guy like Tim Tebow under center.

The other top QB free agent is Matt Flynn, Aaron Rodgers' backup at Green Bay. Flynn put himself squarely on the radar when he broke all the single-season Packer passing records in a wild season-finale win over Detroit, and Green Bay elected not to slap the franchise tag on him. Flynn, who has only started two games in his career (both starts were outstanding), is intriguing because of the system he comes from. Plus, he won a national championship as a college QB at LSU (Buckeye fans remember that one). Any team running a WCO would be interested in Flynn, which is where the Browns come in.

However, Heckart seemed to put the kibosh on signing Flynn with his statement that the Browns weren't going to go "crazy" in free agency this year. If Miami loses out on Manning, they become the top spot for Flynn, since Green Bay offensive coordinator Joe Philbin is now their head coach, and he'd be running the exact same offense he learned the last 3-4 seasons in Green Bay.

I predict Manning will sign with a West team (Denver, Kansas City or Arizona), Flynn will sign with Miami, Washington will give up the farm for the No. 2 pick and draft Griffin, and the Browns ...

Well, I can see the Browns staying put at No. 4 and taking someone like receiver Justin Blackmon, running back Trent Richardson or cornerback Morris Claiborne. At No. 22, if he's still there, the Browns may target Texas A&M quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who played in a WCO system in college. If Tannehill is gone, the Browns may gamble and see if Oklahoma State QB Brandon Weeden tumbles to the second round because of his age (28). I really believe Weeden would be a great fit for the Browns and could easily start immediately. And, by the way, Weeden's team beat Griffin's team and played in a BCS bowl, where they beat Andrew Luck's Stanford team.

Joe Cleveland says that expect either Tannehill or Weeden to be in a Browns uniform next season and competing with incumbant Colt McCoy for the starting job. And, receiver will be addressed in this draft. Can you imagine Blackmon and Weeden renewing their college chemistry in the NFL together in Cleveland?

While Heckart won't go "crazy" in free agency, that doesn't mean they won't sign anybody. I can see them making a play for receivers such as Warren product Mario Manningham, Mount Union grad Pierre Garcon or former Saints first-rounder Robert Meachem. All three wouldn't command exhorbitant bucks to sign. All three would immediately become the top receiving target on the Browns and would allow promising second-year player Greg Little to play more in the slot and for Josh Cribbs to continue to serve as the utilityman. The Browns won't go into next year with just Little, Cribbs and Muhammed Massoquoi as their main receivers again, that's for sure.

While the Browns are willing to draft a QB, I honestly don't think they're ready to give up on Colt McCoy just yet. That's why I think a guy like Weeden, because of his age, becomes a realistic target. Weeden is almost like signing a quarterback in free agency. Weeden can start immediately, but Colt is still young enough that he can be a backup for a year or two and still be in his prime when the time comes for him to start.

I can see the Browns signing a veteran to serve as a sounding board for both McCoy and Weeden/Tannehill, someone like Donavan McNabb. Heckart, Shurmur and Childress are all familiar with McNabb, and McNabb is familiar with their offense. McNabb knows he's done, but who wouldn't turn down some money to serve as mentor and emergency quarterback? McCoy played a lot better when he had Jake Delhomme on the roster helping him out, and regressed when he had just Seneca Wallace, who clearly had his own agenda in mind, playing with him.

The Browns are more than a quarterback away from becoming a contender, which is why I can see Heckart trading down from No. 4 and acquiring more picks, or keeping what they already have. They have holes, plural, and the addition of someone like Robert Griffin III won't suddenly fill all those holes. Sure, he'll be exciting to watch, but I think Browns fans would rather see wins.

We watched how Cam Newton dazzled the highlight reels for the Carolina Panthers last year, but they only won 5 or 6 games last year. Just because Newton rushed for 12 touchdowns and was a terriffic fantasy football quarterback doesn't mean that the Panthers are any closer to the promised land. Griffin can be like Newton was, but that won't translate into wins.

The Steelers appear to be on the decline, and the Ravens aren't getting any younger either. The Browns and the Bengals have a chance to flip the AFC North on its ear and become the two dominant forces that those other two teams were for years based on their young nucleuses and their draft picks. Now's the time to be smart with the cap room and the draft picks and not be greedy. A trade for Robert Griffin III would be greedy.

Give it up, sports-yakkers. Your fantasies of RG3 appear to be over, unless he somehow slips down to No. 4. Time to get on board the realistic train, captained by Joe Cleveland, and get ready for Brandon Weeden or Ryan Tannehill.

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Quick takes on the other team teams in this town:

<> Joe Cleveland wasn't shy about believing the Cavs' should have went Derrick Williams-Brandon Knight at 1-4 in last year's draft. I admit that I was wrong there, although Tristan Thompson still has a way to go.

However, Kyrie Irving was the correct choice at No. 1 and can become a star in the NBA. He's a top-notch point guard and seems to rise up in the clutch (unlike that other self-centered "King Nothing" that the Cavs had for seven years). He's playing not like a 19-year-old kid who only had 13 college games under his belt, but like a seasoned veteran. Unlike King Nothing, who was anointed the Chosen One before he pulled on his Cavs jersey for the first time, Irving had to earn his standing with the fans. He's just fun to watch, which makes the Cavs fun to watch.

The Cavs probably won't make the playoffs, and the lottery may not go their way this year because they're not one of the worst teams in the league. However, they are in a great position to make more strides in the next few years because of what Irving brings to the table.

<> The news just keeps getting worse for the Indians. Grady Sizemore reported to spring training with an injured back that will keep him out a few more months, and he appears content to collect his $5 million when he said he wouldn't "rush himself back." Nice knowing you, Grady.

Then, closer Chris Perez suffered an injury that will keep him out 4-6 weeks. Vinny Pestano suddenly becomes the frontrunner to become the new closer until Perez gets healthy, which puts more strain on the Indians' top strength, its bullpen.

The season hasn't even begun yet, and I'm already dreading it for the Indians. At this rate, 81-81 would be successful.

Joe Cleveland still thinks there's something to the fact that no one is under contract following this year. I can only hope that means Paul and Larry Dolan are ready to cash in their chips and find a new buyer. That might be the light at the end of this dark tunnel.

Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!