BEREA, Ohio (AP) -Slipping on his reading glasses, Cleveland president Mike Holmgren scanned the names of the Browns’ first-round draft picks since 1999.
Tim Couch. Courtney Brown. Gerard Warren. William Green. Jeff Faine. Kellen Winslow. Braylon Edwards. Kamerion Wimbley. Brady Quinn. Joe Thomas. Alex Mack.
After his review, Holmgren offered a candid assessment.
“That’s a bad list,” he said.
Of the 11 selections, only Thomas, Cleveland’s Pro Bowl left offensive tackle and Mack, who had a strong rookie season at center in 2009, remain on the Browns’ roster. The other nine have moved on. Some were forced to retire early because of injuries while others were traded for a variety of reasons.
restricted free agency year.
“That is the perfect scenario. You know things are going to happen and you might lose a player because of free agency in this day and age. But, no that’s not a good list.”
The Browns’ inability to select intelligently – they’ve had some bad luck, too – in the draft’s opening round since ’99 has doomed the franchise, leading to a succession of double-digit loss seasons, coaching changes and front-office overhauls. If not for Cleveland’s ineptitude, Holmgren would probably still be enjoying semiretirement in Seattle.
But the Super Bowl-winning coach was brought to Cleveland to fix the damage, and it’s extensive. Last season, the Browns ranked dead last in the NFL in total offense and were 31st out of 32 in total defense. There are holes everywhere.
“It’s like, I have two thumbs and there are five holes in the dike,” Holmgren said. “How are we going to do this?”
Cleveland’s first draft under Holmgren and new general manager Tom Heckert is an important one. The Browns are coming off a miserable 5-11 season that was only semi-salvaged by a four-game winning streak to end Eric Mangini’s first year as coach.
It’s time to begin another turnaround.
ams about moving into the No. 1 spot and selecting quarterback Sam Bradford, a player Holmgren has called “the whole package.”
While that swap could be a tough one to pull off, Heckert, who came to Cleveland after four seasons as Philadelphia’s GM, is confident that if the Browns stay put they’ll get a quality player with their top pick. They will expect him to start in his first season.
“If you are drafting a guy at number seven he better be able to play and he better be a good guy and he better be a leader, he better be all that stuff,” Heckert said. “That’s what we are looking for. When you are picking a guy in the top 10, you are expecting a guy to be a player and be a guy that’s going to be on your team for hopefully 15 years.
“That’s what we expect.”
If the Bradford deal doesn’t go down, and it’s a long shot, the Browns are believed to have their sights set on gifted Tennessee safety Eric Berry, a player branded “The Sure Thing” in a recent Sports Illustrated piece. Berry, who had 14 interceptions and three touchdowns during his career with the Volunteers, could be the kind of defensive playmaker Cleveland has lacked for years.
The Browns may have to move up to get him since the Kansas City Chiefs are reportedly smitten with Berry, who can also play cornerback.
temporary fix. Colt McCoy is expected to be around in the second round and Holmgren likes the Texas QB’s intangibles.
The knock on McCoy has been a lack of arm strength, but Holmgren is more concerned about the ball arriving on target as opposed to how fast or how far it travels.
“I’ve had the privilege of coaching a guy who threw it as hard as anybody in Brett (Favre) and the guy that everybody said didn’t have the rocket arm but may have been the best quarterback who ever lived in Joe Montana,” Holmgren said. “I’ve had a real positive experience with arm strength. Having a rocket isn’t the No. 1 thing. Colt falls somewhere in the middle, but he’s really an impressive young guy.”
Holmgren isn’t the first Browns executive to gush about a potential pick, and he won’t be the last.
He knows his legacy in Cleveland will be defined by wins and losses, playoff appearances and perhaps the Browns’ first visit to a Super Bowl.
To accomplish his goals, Holmgren needs the right players. He can’t have first-round busts like so many in Cleveland the past 11 years.
Holmgren and Heckert want to start a new list.
“I hope that 10 years from now,” Holmgren said, “I’d hope we look at it and say, ‘Hey, that’s why they are here.”’
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