From: mocnik@iccgcc.decnet.ab.com
Newsgroups: rec.sport.football.pro
Subject: Browns News - 1st qtr review - Steeler preview
Date: 9 Oct 92 10:52:47 EST

Browns News - Oct 9th
---------------------

1. The Steelers come to town this weekend. They are 3-1 having beaten
   Houston, San Diego, and NY Jets. THey lost to the Packers. Their only
   impressive win was against the Oilers. San Diego and the Jets are
   not very good. Bill Cowher has the Steelers playing with a lot
   of emotion and has been refreshing for the team.

2. Brad Goebel (QB) has been activated from the IR. Note: Brad passed thru
   waivers. The Browns did not use one of their 5 roster additions.
   Each NFL team can activate 5 players from IR without asking for waivers.
   If a player is placed on waivers, anyone can claim him.

   Jeff Francis (QB) was waived. 

   The Browns are hinting they may activate Kevin Mack and Frank Stamms
   from the IR. This has not happened yet. I think Kevin will be activated.
   I don't know about Frank. The Browns signed a linebacker who had played
   for the Giants and Cowboys. I don't know his name. Sorry. I would assume
   this signed LB would be used instead of Frank Stamms.

   Also their are hints that Keenan McCardall may be signed from the
   practice squad. Shawn Collins ribs are still sore, such that he may
   be placed on IR.

3. Predictions:
   - Pittsburgh has a strong defense and they should be able to stop the
     Browns running game.  Thus the Browns will try a couple of trick
     plays (ie end-arounds or halfback option passes.) A couple of 
     successful trick plays will keep the defense guessing.
   - The Browns will need to go deep a couple of times so as to get the
     safeties and cornerbacks away from the line of scrimmage.
   - The defense MUST stop the running game and MUST pressure the QB.
     O'Donnell must be forced to pass.
   - Special teams and the defense must force turnovers.   
   
   Final score: Pitts - 17  Cleveland - 20 on a last second Stover field goal.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

 It's time to show the updated Roster and the grades per position for the
1st quarter. Grading scale:
                             A  - superior effort
                             B  - above average effort
                             C  - average effort
                             D  - disappointing effort
                             F  - get rid of this bum
                             I  - not enough game experience to make judgement

Overall I'd rate the team as a D. The coaching staff has not prepared the team
to play in a couple of games. Part of the problems stem from injuries and
the many new players. The Browns could very easily be 3-1. Denver and 
Indy were winnable and Miami, enough said.

The schedule get easier: Pittsburgh, Green Bay, New England and Cinci are
coming up. The first 2 are at home.

A 2-2 record would be good, although a 3-1 or a 4-0 is originally what I 
expected. The limitiations of Tomczak will show up. The games should all
be close and entertaining.

My choice for MVP of the first 4 weeks goes to Rob Burnett. He has played
better than any other player on the team so far.

Now for the review:
 - {sorry for the length.}
=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+
			Position: QUARTERBACK    Overall Grade: C
                                   
No.  Player         Grade     Notes
--- -------------   -----  -----------------------------------------------
18  Mike Tomczak     I     only been on team 3 weeks. Threw 2 Ints and 0 TD
                           in his only game. Should be better with more
                           knowledge of the team. Is short and does not
                           have a strong arm. Cannot be counted on to win
                           a game all by himself.
19  Bernie Kosar     C     played in 2 games. Did not have any time to throw in
                           Indy game. Played 3 qtrs on broken ankle in Miami
                           game. Only looked good in 4th qtr of Miami game.
                           May return in late October or early November,
                           according to Browns. Had a walking cast placed on
                           his ankle. In 2 weeks a softer cast or a brace will
                           be used. I don't expect to see him able to play until
                           mid-November.
17  Todd Philcox     C     played in 1 game. Threw 3 TD's and 0 Ints. Other
                           than the TD's Todd was unimpressive. Had a pin
                           inserted in thumb to help healing. Will be out til
                           atleast November. Played 3 qtrs of Raider game with
                           the broken thumb.
                    
----------- On Injured Reserve List ----------------------------------
19  Bernie Kosar  ( Broken ankle - out til Oct 25th atleast)  
17  Todd Philcox  ( Fracture thumb - out til Nov 1st atleast)
7   Brad Goebel   ( injured elbow - has be reactivate for 10/11 game (Steelers)

----------- Released Players during first quarter of season ----------------
12  Jeff Francis  - was signed for the Bronco game, as insurance only. Was
                    released Sept. 29th so Brad Grobel can be activated.
                    May be resigned again if another QB injury. He was in 
                    training camp and knows the Browns system, although he
                    played very little in pre-season games.

=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+
			Position: Offensive Lineman   Overall Grade: C

 All of the lineman have gotten progressively better. They still can't run
block very good, although the defenses stacking of the line doesn't help.

No.  Player         Grade     Notes
--- --------------  -----   -----------------------------------------------
66  Tony Jones        C     Starting Left Tackle.
77  Fred Childress    C-    Starting Right Tackle, who has shown an inability
                            to block quick linebackers. He is improving. Was
                            picked up and charged with a DUI. He has been able
                            to keep his weight down so far (330 lbs.)
69  Dan Fike          B     Mr. Versatility. He has filled in at both Guards
                            spots and Right Tackle. Wherever he has played, he
                            has played very good. Currently has a sprained
                            ankle, but he still can play.
68  Ed King           D     Ed has been disappointing so far. He has been very
                            inconsistent, such that he is in Belichick's dog-
                            house. Ed is in his second year. He is only 22.
70  John Rienstra     D     John has been troubled with anxiety attacks, which
                            has affected his play on the field. These attacks
                            have bothering John during his entire NFL career.
                            Medication and therapy are being used to get this
                            condition under control.
64  Tom Myslinski     I     Has not played yet.
67  Chris Thome       I     Has not played yet.
63  Jay Hilgenberg    C     Jay has looked better each week. He has shown a lot
                            of rust, due to his missing training camp. He is
                            becoming the leader of the line. I believe it is
                            through his influence that the line has gone from
                            terrible to respectable. 

----------- On Injured Reserve List ----------------------------------
74  Paul Farren	   injured back may keep him out all year
65  Rod Milstead   injured back can return Oct. 11th, picked up from Cowboys.

----------- Miscellaneous Notes ----------------
Lance Zeno (C), has been re-signed and is a member of the practice squad. Lance
was picked up in training camp, but saw little game time. He played in the WLAF,
and could become the long snapper if Brian Kinchen does not improve.
Also Jay Hilgenberg has been getting reps in practice snapping the ball. Since
Jay is a full-time player, it is very difficult for him to be the long snapper
also.

=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+
			Position: Running Backs   Overall Grade: B-

The group overall has been inconsistent. Part of this inconsistency can be
attributed to the rotation of the backs. It seems they are only on the field
for a few plays then they are replaced. This hurts the confidence as well
as the timing.

No.  Player         Grade     Notes
--- --------------  -----   -----------------------------------------------
21  Eric Metcalf      B     Had a career day against the Raiders, (4 TD's).
                            His holdout didn't affect his conditioning. He has
                            looked as quick as ever. He still has a tendency
                            to dance, instead of lowering the head and running,
                            especially on punt returns.
24  Randy Baldwin     A     Has performed well returning kickoffs. He is among
                            the league leaders. Has not played in backfield yet.
26  Ron Wolfley       D     Has been used out of the backfield with very little
                            yardage. Is basically a special team player. Has
                            had a nagging injury which may be hampering his
                            special team performance.
33  Leroy Hoard	      B     Leory missed most of the pre-season with a knee
                            injury. Has been healthy since. Has continued his 
                            good play from a year ago. Has not scored a TD yet,
                            but has made many big plays. According to reports,
                            he beat James Brooks out of a job. That's why he
                            was getting the playing time and James wasn't. 
34  Kevin Mack        -     Was on IR and did not play. Will be activated
                            for the Steelers game. Will be rotated with the
                            other backs.
44  Tommy Vardell     A     Considering he is a rookie, Tommy has played
                            very good. His blocking has been excellent. A better
                            offensive line and Tommy would be living up to 
                            his nickname. A great draft pick so far.
28  James Brooks      D     Never was given a fair shot, IMHO. I still feel
                            the rotating of the RB's hurt him. James needs a
                            decent offensive line. Plus he needs a lot of
                            reps, so as to get his timing down. I remember
                            in Cinci, James was most dangerous in the 4th
                            quarter. He became expendable due to the abundance
                            of quality RB's on the roster PLUS his salary was
                            to high for a part-time performer.

----------- On Injured Reserve List ----------------------------------
19  Kevin Mack    ( Calf injury - will return for Steeler game)
27  Derrick Douglas    (recovering from knee surgery - out for year)

----------- Released Players during first quarter of season ----------------
28  James Brooks - released last Monday (9-28). Blasted the Browns in the
                  local paper after his release. He complained that he found out
                  about his release from the radio. Plus he blasted the Browns
                  offensive philsophy or lack thereof. In the Browns defense,
                  James was on the road going to-from Cincinnati, and the Browns
                  had tried to get a hold of him to tell him of his release.
                  They couldn't reach him, so they told James' agent, who 
                  started to shop James' services. The national media heard 
                  about the agent's actions and published it. The Browns had not
                  made any announcement of his release, since they wanted to
                  tell him first. The agent and the media broke the story, 
                  before James could be found and notified.

=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+
			Position: Tight End   Overall Grade: C

No.  Player         Grade     Notes
--- --------------  -----   -----------------------------------------------
81  Scott Galbraith  I      Have not seen him in a game yet.
83  Mark Bavaro      B      Excellent blocker. Has shown minimal effects
                            from the knee injury and the year's rehabilitation.
                            Playing as well as he ever has. His knee bothers
                            him on occasion, which is to be expected.
88  Brian Kinchen    I      As a tight end, he has not played much. As the long
                            snapper, his punt snaps have been good, but his
                            placement snaps have not been consistently good.
                            With the games being close, every detail of the
                            kicking game is magnified. 
89  Pete Holohan     B      Excellent hands. Should become more a part of the
                            offense the rest of the season.

=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+
			Position: Wide Receiver   Overall Grade: D

No.  Player         Grade     Notes
--- --------------  -----   -----------------------------------------------
 1  Michael Jackson   F     Has had 2 drops already. Both were catchable balls.
                            There is a lot of pressure on him, due to the
                            abscence of Slaughter, Brennen, and Langhorne. He
                            has not shown that he can overcome this pressure.
 4  Rico Smith        I     Used only on special teams so far.
                            Will wear number #84 from now on.
87  Jamie Holland     F     Also has a case of the dropsies. He has been
                            released (9-29-92). 
80  Shawn Collins     I     Has played in one game, and has made one great 
                            catch for a TD, although it was called back due to
                            a penalty. This play also broke a rib, such that
                            Shawn has been unable to play. He still is hurting,
                            and may not play this week (Steelers).

----------- On Injured Reserve List ----------------------------------
    Patrick Rowe   ( Knee injury - out for year). Hurt in exhibition game.

----------- Miscellaneous Notes ----------------
87  Keenan McCardall was in training camp and looked good on occasion. The rap
against him was that he didn't run the right pass routes. BY being on the
practice sqaud for the past 4 weeks, it is hoped that he has learned the
routes. He may be activated for the Steeler game.

Lawyer Tillman (WR), has been practicing and is eligible to be activated next
week (Packer game). It currently looks like he will be able to play this year.

Eric Metcalf has been playing a semi-wide receiver role. That's the position
he was playing when he scored all the TD's against the Raiders. THe Broncos
got smart and double teamed Eric, knowing they could easily cover any other
wide out one-on-one. This is a philosophy other teams are going to employ,
until the Browns show that another wide out deserves additional attention.

----------- Released Players during first quarter of season ----------------
87 Jamie Holland - released Setp. 29th 

=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+
			Position:Special Teams   Overall Grade: D

No.  Player         Grade     Notes
--- --------------  -----   -----------------------------------------------
 3  Matt Stover       F     Has NOT shown any improvement from last season's
                            inconsistencies. Has missed numerous field goals
                            and one very important extra point.
11  Brian Hansen      C     Has seen a lot of action as the punter. For the
                            most part he has kicked good. The "shank" though
                            comes at the most inopportune time.

=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+
			Position: Defensive Line   Overall Grade: A

This is one area that has played well. Remarkabley their best player, MDP,
has not played much. I like the philosophy of rotating the players to
keep them fresh. It has shown dividends in the fourth quarter.

No.  Player         Grade     Notes
--- --------------  -----   -----------------------------------------------
90  Rob Burnett      A      Has been a terror. Has provided a decent pass
                            rush. Rob has proven to be in the right place,
                            in regards to fumbles. Has blocked a field goal too.
97  Ernie Logan      C      Has not played a lot. 
98  Anthony Pleasant B      Has improved in the past few games. Has provided
                            some pass rushing pressure. Had a few late-hits
                            that hurt.
75  P. Sagapoulutele C      Has played in the rotation, but haven't seen him
                            make a lot of plays. He can play both tackle and
                            end.
94  Bill Johnson     B      His play has been very good. With all the talk about
                            injuries, Bill has surprised me with his power and
                            quickness. He has played both Tackle and End. He
                            is living up to his pre-injury reports. (potential
                            #1 draft choice.)
92  Michael D. Perry I      Has missed 2+ games, due to him re-injuring his
                            knee in the Indy game. IN the Bronco game, MDP
                            looked good. The bye week should also help him.
                            He should be ready to return to the spectactulars.
96  James Jones      B      Has played well. Being next to MDP helps. But with
                            MDP out, James has stepped up his game and has 
                            played like MDP on occasion.
99  Alvin Wright     I      Has not played much.

----------- On Injured Reserve List ----------------------------------
95  George Williams  (out til Oct. 11th - unsure of his injury)
91  John Thornton    ( out for year - broken leg inn pre-season)

=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+
			Position: Linebacker   Overall Grade: C

This might not seem like a good grade, but I think the linebackers are the
most important players on defense now-a-days. All of the backs have been good
against the run, but have not been able to cover any backs. This is a
big achilles heal. 

No.  Player         Grade     Notes
--- --------------  -----   -----------------------------------------------
52  Richard Brown    C      Has played on occasion. Usually filling in for
                            Mike Johnson, when he has been unable to play.
                            Has made a couple of good plays on special teams.
57  Clay Matthews    A      Considering his age, Clay has played very good.
                            He has lost a step of quickness, but has not lost
                            any enthusiasm for the game. He is playing up to
                            his potential. He is best at rushing the passer.
58  David Brandon    C      Has had a few nagging injuries which have limited
                            his playing time. 
59  Mike Johnson     C      Has also had a few nagging injuries that has
                            hurt his performance. Is the leader of the defense.
53  Cedric Figero    C      Has gotten a lot of playing time with the above
                            mentioned injuries. Is best at stopping the
                            run.
50 Frank Stamms      I      Played in the Indy game and looked good. Also got
                            a leg injury which forced him to go on IR. Is the
                            best pass cover linebacker.

----------- On Injured Reserve List ----------------------------------
51  Gerald Dixon    (hamstring and other injuries - eliglble Oct. 11th)
50  Frank Stamms    (leg injury - can return Oct. 11th)

=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+
			Position: Defensive Backs   Overall Grade: C

There really is no all-pro cover guy in this group. Most seem able to
be hard hitters, but cannot cover one-on-one. Thus a lot of zone defense
and a lot of completions.

Pos. No.  Player         Grade     Notes
---  --- --------------  -----   -----------------------------------------------
S    22  Vince Newsome    B      Has played well. Has a couple of INT's and
                                 fumble recoveries. Has beated out Stevon 
                                 for the starting job.
S    27  Stevon Moore     B      This is his first year of playing in the last
                                 3. Is a hard hitter.
S    29  Eric Turner      C      I expected a lot more from Eric. He has proven
                                 to be a hard hitter, who plays the run very
                                 good. Pass defense if it's in front of him,
                                 isn't a problem for the most part. It's the
                                 plays behind him, that he has trouble with.
                                 He is still young, and I hope he can avoid
                                 injuries. Maybe with time he can become
                                 a dominating safety.
S    37  Harlon Barnett   I      Has not played much.
CB   24  Terry Taylor     C      His assetts are his punt blocking ability.
                                 He has come close, but no blocks yet.
                                 He plays a loose zone defense and will gamble
                                 on occasion. Seems to get burned by the better 
                                 receivers.
CB   25  Alfred Jackson   D      Has not played much, but when he has, a 
                                 completion will be made to his man. Gambles
                                 for the interception on occasion too.
CB   39  Randy Hilliard   D      Has played a little more than Alfred, but
                                 has shown the same problems.
CB   47  Barry Wilburn    C      Is still showing the rust from not playing for
                                 the past couple of years. Should get better.

----------- On Injured Reserve List ----------------------------------
31  Frank Minnifield CB ( Blood in Urine - elible to return Oct. 4th)
                        (Frank looked healthy for the past 3 weeks, until
                         a relapse occured last week. Unsure when he will
                         return.)
48  Selwyn Jones  CB    ( hip injury - out for year.)


----------- Released Players during first quarter of season ----------------
38  Odie Harris	  released during the first few weeks.

=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+


Later,

Don Mocnik
Newsgroups: rec.sport.football.pro