Browns Need to Concentrate on Fundamentals

Most every football fan in American would like their favorite team to be a squad that puts on an aerial circus each and every week.

It’s an exciting and sexy way to play the game.

However, if the Cleveland Browns try to play this way in the 2014 season, it will be a long, long year for coach Mike Pettine and the fans of the brown and orange.

They simply don’t have the personnel to win in that matter.

Part of being a solid coach is knowing what kind of personnel you have and putting together game plans that utilize the talent at hand to win football games. And until we see otherwise, we have to believe Pettine knows what he is doing.

So, here’s hoping fans aren’t expecting an air show every Sunday afternoon from the Cleveland Browns.

We understand that there are a great many fans that want to see Johnny Manziel at quarterback so they are seeing footballs flying around the stadium, but Pettine is more interested in winning games, and if he does that, the fans will be entertained.

Time and again, Pettine has said the Browns want to follow the “Seattle model”, which is based on a strong running game and a very good defense. So, how do you think the Browns will play starting this Sunday?

A tried and true way to win football games having the ability to run the football and also be able to stop the run. When you think about it, this makes total sense.

If you can run the football, you make the defensive unit have to respect both the ground game and the passing game. Too often since the Browns returned in 1999, they haven’t been able to gain yardage running, and that puts the quarterback at a terrible disadvantage. It’s a lot tougher to play when you are consistently in 2nd and 9, and 3rd and 7 situations.

With Ben Tate and Terrence West, if the offense can get four or five yards on first down, it will make Brian Hoyer’s job much, much easier.

On defense, the Browns spent the last two pre-season games playing a lot of zone defense, but that will change in Heinz Field on Sunday. With Joe Haden and Buster Skrine back on the field, and rookie Justin Gilbert playing as well, the defense will play much more press coverage.

And if they are successful at stopping the Steeler running game with an improved front seven, it will make the Pittsburgh offense one-dimensional, and to be sure, Pettine will be dialing up a variety of blitzes to make Ben Roethlisburger very uncomfortable in the pocket.

Really, it’s the way football was played in the 70’s and 80’s, before every rule to help the passing game was put in place.

This style of play will ideally shorten games thus hiding the lack of talent Cleveland has in certain areas.

Pettine doesn’t strike me as a coach who is interested in being flashy and exciting, he wants to win, and if the best way to do that is to dominate on the ground, then that’s how they will play.

And after watching 15 years of futility, putting numbers in the win column should be fine with Browns’ fans everywhere.

Doubt Browns Defense, Offense Will Look Like They Did Vs. Rams

If you look at the final score of Saturday night’s pre-season tilt between the Browns and Rams on Saturday night, you will be disappointed if you are a Browns’ fan. A 33-14 defeat at home cannot be considered encouraging.

While nothing happened in that game to make a supporter of the brown and orange say the Browns should make the playoffs this season, a couple of things jumped out at us during the contest that gives us reason to shrug our shoulders and say that it is not the end of the world.

On defense, based on everything we have heard from Mike Pettine and defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil, the Browns’ defense will be an attacking unit. Without Pro Bowl cornerback Joe Haden and last year’s starter Buster Skrine, the defense was anything but aggressive against St. Louis.

It appeared to us the Browns played a lot of zone coverage and the Rams’ quarterbacks drilled them for playing passive. Would it have been a different story with Haden and Skrine? We think so. It would have also put first round draft choice Justin Gilbert on St. Louis’ secondary receiver, which would have also helped the schemes.

It was a good learning experience for Gilbert, and he will get better for going through that on Saturday.

Being able to find receivers quickly because of the zone coverage also meant it was more difficult to mount an effective pass rush. That said, Armonty Bryant still was able to make an impact, harassing Rams’ passers while he was in the game and his hit on Sam Bradford caused a season ending ACL tear for the former first overall pick.

When the Steelers have the football on September 7th, our guess is the Browns will play press coverage on both wide receivers and will get after Ben Roethlisberger in passing situations.

Yes, there was poor tackling up front on a few runs which led to nice gains, but we trust that for the most part, the Cleveland defense will be one of the better units in the NFL with two solid cornerbacks and the ability to rush the passer.

On offense, offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan ran the football just 15 times for the game. If the Browns only run the ball that few times on a regular basis, they will be in for a long season. We believe the coaching staff would agree with that.

Shanahan is trying to get his quarterbacks, both Brian Hoyer and Johnny Manziel ready to go, and he’s also figuring out which wide receivers will make the final roster. So, he is passing the ball, probably more than he would like to.

The offensive coach has a history of running the football in his other stops around the league, and quite frankly, there is no reason to beat up Ben Tate during meaningless contests. He is trying to get rookie Terrence West some reps, but when the whistle blows for real, we can see Cleveland running the ball 25-35 times per game, unless they fall way behind.

We envision the offense being a ground oriented attack with the quarterback using play action to move the ball down the field. This style will also shorten the game, and keep the defense fresh. And when Tate has been given the ball thus far, he has run it effectively.

There is no question Saturday’s game wasn’t enjoyable to watch, but it doesn’t mean that’s what the regular season will look like.

Until they lay an egg in a game that counts, just relax and keep repeating “the game doesn’t count, the game doesn’t count”.

Browns Handling Johnny Just Fine

After the Cleveland Browns decided to draft Johnny Manziel in the first round (22nd overall) of the NFL Draft, to be sure, they knew things would be different in Berea.

Suddenly, the national media would pay attention to the Browns and the former Heisman Trophy winner’s media persona, “Johnny Football”.

However, we think the brown and orange are handling things just fine so far, although ESPN and other national football writers would probably disagree.

First was owner Jimmy Haslam’s public statement that Manziel should come to the mini camp and training camp “acting like a back-up quarterback”. This statement is fine on so many levels.

It tells the rookie and everyone else that no one, including Manziel, will be handed a starting job. If the 22nd overall pick comes in and plays better than incumbent Brian Hoyer in training camp, he will be the starter against the Steelers in the season opener.

If Hoyer plays better, then he will take the first snap.

The other good reason for the comment is the organization’s read on Manziel, that he is ultra competitive. Telling a player with the competition gene that he isn’t the number one guy is the same as waving a red cape in front of a charging bull.

You know that now Manziel is going to work his tail off to prove the owner, the head coach, and his teammates wrong, and show he is capable of taking the ball at Heinz Field in the opener.

How can blame the Browns for playing that card?

The Browns are also taking heat for limiting the national media during the rookie mini-camp this weekend. Most of the players at the camp are fighting for their NFL lives, and having a tremendous focus on the rookie QB from Texas A & M isn’t fair to those players.

Plus, ESPN is their own classic way, blasted the Jets for the media circus their training camp became after they signed Tim Tebow. Talking out of both sides of their mouth, the hammer the Browns for limiting the media distractions.

Could it be that it’s because Manziel happened to turn up in Cleveland, the poster city for losing according to the four letter network?

As for Manziel, you have to be impressed at how he says the right things. He portrays himself as needing to earn his playing time, he understands he needs to work hard to get the starting job.

He has also said he understands that Hoyer isn’t going to hand him the starting gig.

It is also refreshing to hear how Manziel talks about wanting to be here, to be part of the solution, to be part of a turnaround for the franchise.

We understand that there is a certain part of the fan base that wants Manziel in there no matter what.

But the time to win for the Cleveland Browns is right now. They can’t afford to have another 10 loss season, and most fans don’t want to hear how a rookie quarterback is going to make mistakes that rookies do, and have those error contribute to another 5-11 season.

That would just be more of the “wait ’til next year” theme the franchise has had over the past several years.

If Manziel is the best QB coming out of camp, then start him. We have no problem with that. However, if Hoyer is better right now, than let the rook sit and watch for a while.

He’s the future signal caller for the Browns, but the future doesn’t have to start this September.

Browns Tried to Fill Needs This Weekend.

As usual in Cleveland, with every ray of sunshine, there must be a little rain.

That’s what it felt like this weekend, when the optimism regarding the Browns’ draft was quickly doused by the news of All Pro WR Josh Gordon’s suspension for the 2014 season.

However, as GM Ray Farmer pointed out yesterday, the organization has to treat the news the same as if Gordon suffered an injury to keep him out for the year. The season is still going to be played and the Browns still need to win football games.

Cleveland came into the draft with several areas to upgrade, not just quarterback. They needed an inside linebacker, help in the secondary, offensive line help, another running back, and another wide receiver.

Outside of the last spot, Farmer attempted to fill every one of them. After the first day of the draft, the Browns selected offensive lineman Joel Bitonio, who they will likely play at guard, LB Christian Kirksey, who will compete for a job on the inside, RB Terrance West, and another CB in Pierre Desir.

You have to give the front office credit for recognizing the holes and attempting to fill them.

We aren’t going to be like some people though, and declare the Browns a completed project, because if we know anything about the NFL draft, it’s that it is not an exact process, and some of these players will not work out.

However, there wasn’t a head scratcher pick either. All of the Browns’ choices were thought of as good, solid picks.

And don’t forget, Farmer also added a first round choice in 2015 as well, and from Buffalo, a team no one is projecting as a playoff team at this point in the off-season. If they don’t reach the post-season, that choice will be in the top 20.

We love coach Mike Pettine saying players “play like a Brown”. We understand that it is cliche, but it does show the organization is trying to form an identity, and that is getting tough minded players, who hit hard, and are aggressive. After many years of drifting in the desert, it is a welcome approach.

And even though, Cleveland acquired a second first round choice in 2015, there doesn’t seem to be any look toward the future in Pettine and Farmer either. The time of looking toward next year looks like is over.

That’s why we believe the coach about competition at every position including quarterback. If Brian Hoyer has the best training camp this summer, he should be under center against the Steelers in the season opener. If Johnny Manziel outperforms him, then he should get the nod.

Either passer will not be the featured player in terms of the Browns winning. Pettine and offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan will make sure the Browns will be effective running the football, and it appears Cleveland is building a very good defense.

There won’t be very many games in which the Browns’ QB is out there throwing 40-50 times per contest. The pressure will be off of Hoyer and Manziel, at least in the 2014 season.

We didn’t want Manziel taken with the 4th overall pick because it is time for this football team to take a large step forward. They need to win between 7-9 games this season, at least.

No excuses about growing pains for a rookie QB and how this is part of the grand plan for the future. They need to take a giant step forward in 2014, and we believe the coach and GM understand just that.

The Browns came into the off-season with several holes and they have tried to fill them. They now after another pot hole at WR with Gordon’s possible suspension, and based on what they’ve done so far, it isn’t realistic to think they won’t try to find someone to play that spot before training camp.

There needs to be progress in ’14. The ten loss seasons need to be history.

Farmer’s Trade With Bills Eases Risk on Manziel Pick

For weeks, fans of the Cleveland Browns were wondering about what kind of offensive weapons they could get to instill life into this losing franchise.

They had to wait awhile, but Ray Farmer moved up from the 26th pick to #22 by trading with Philadelphia to get Johnny Manziel, the former Heisman Trophy winner out of Texas A & M.

With the fourth pick, Manziel would have been an incredible risk, and #22, he still is risky, but not as much.

And Farmer minimized the chance even more by trading for another first round in next year’s draft by trading down from the fourth overall pick to ninth, and getting the Bills first rounder next year.

Now, the pressure is squarely on Mike Pettine and Kyle Shanahan to decide who is the best player to take the snap in the opener at Pittsburgh, veteran Brian Hoyer or the much hyped rookie, Johnny Football.

Because we will not back down on our expectation for the Browns this season. It is time to stop looking toward the future, it is time to win and win now.

With Cleveland’s first selection of the night, GM Ray Farmer dug into the team’s history to find out the strengths of the team the last time they were a perennial playoff squad.

Those were the Browns of the late 1980’s. Yes, they had a good quarterback in Bernie Kosar, and a strong running game led by Earnest Byner and Kevin Mack, but the cornerstones of those teams were a pair of excellent cornerbacks in Hanford Dixon and Frank Minnifield.

Perhaps that’s why Farmer’s first pick as GM was Oklahoma State CB Justin Gilbert.

Gilbert was considered by many to be the top player at his position in this year’s draft and together with Pro Bowler Joe Haden, could form this generations pair of excellent corners to compare with Dixon and Mighty Minnie.

Having a pair of excellent cover corners allows the defense to be very creative in putting pressure on the quarterback because you don’t have to double cover any wide receivers. It allows Mike Pettine and defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil to come up with a variety of blitz packages knowing the wide outs will be taken care of.

Of course, picking Gilbert was Farmer’s third move of the night. He traded down from the 4th pick to the 9th pick getting Buffalo’s first round choice next year.

Normally, we criticize the Browns for always playing for next year, but the opportunity to get a first round pick in ’15 from a team not figured to be a playoff contender this season was too much to pass up. Plus, Gilbert appears to be the guy Cleveland wanted all along, so you have to like that move.

So, on the first night of the draft, Farmer improved his defense and took a gamble on a franchise quarterback. Only time will tell if the Browns have solved their woes at quarterback, or Manziel will be latest in a group of failures at the position.

Once again, we repeat, getting another first round pick next year does reduce the risk factor on Manziel.

So Browns’ fans, your football team will be noticed in 2014, whether or not it will be for winning or for a circus, only time will tell.

Fans Split on Manziel, Shouldn’t That Say Something?

A week from today, the first round of the NFL Draft will be history. What will we debate about then?

In Cleveland, it seems about half of Browns’ fans will be ga-ga if GM Ray Farmer selects Texas A & M quarterback Johnny Manziel with the fourth overall pick next Thursday, while the other half will be relieved. Doesn’t that say everything about picking the former Heisman Trophy winner?

If this were two years ago, and Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III were possibilities for the Browns, don’t you think a majority of the team’s supporters would be on board with the choice? Of course.

The NFL talent gurus are also split on taking Manziel. He’s a huge risk, at least that’s the opinion of many of the folks who judge college players coming into the National Football League.

The main questions about the former Texas A & M quarterback are his size and his style of play, which some people consider reckless, too reckless for the NFL. Certainly, Brett Favre was considered a passer who played fast and loose with the football, and carved out a pretty successful career in professional football.

He will be enshrined in Canton some day soon.

As for the size, most of the QB’s supporters talk about New Orleans’ Drew Brees and Seattle’s Russell Wilson, who have both piloted teams to Super Bowl victories as proof shorter quarterbacks can succeed in the league.

However, neither player was selected in the first round, let alone in the top five choices. And although Wilson is a good player, and a great leader, putting him in the discussion of great quarterbacks seems to be a bit of a stretch.

When was the last time a quarterback who measured in at around six feet tall was picked in the top ten selections of the draft?

The answer: It has been 13 years since Michael Vick was selected first overall by Atlanta in 2001.

What has been the wrap on Vick throughout his career? He can’t stay on the field.

This isn’t to say that Manziel will have a similar career path as Vick, but it does explain why many pro scouts are reluctant to say he should be picked in the first five selections next Thursday.

Other bigger quarterbacks get hurt too, and Brees and Wilson have both been durable throughout their NFL careers. But the thing is, neither was a premium selection. If you are picking in the top five, you have to feel you are getting a great player who is going to start in his rookie season and be a mainstay for your team for many, many years.

As for the Browns, even though they finished 4-12 last season, they did have six players who received Pro Bowl recognition, and added two more, S Donte Whitner and LB Karlos Dansby who merited All Pro status last season.

They have to believe they are ready to win in 2014, and are they better off filling the holes they have on the offensive line, wide receiver, inside linebacker, and in the secondary with their first few picks next week than drafting a passer who seems to be risky?

Farmer and new coach Mike Pettine can look in their own division and see Andy Dalton, who has led the Bengals to three straight playoff apperances, despite not being one of the league’s best QBs. They also see the current Super Bowl champion Seahawks, who were led by a strong defense and running game in route to hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.

We still maintain that the Browns certainly need a quarterback, but in this year’s draft, there isn’t one worth picking in the top five. Add more talent, and see who is available in the second and third rounds.

You may just find another Brees or Wilson.

Are Cleveland Fans Not Demanding Enough?

The city of Cleveland has three professional sports teams and in the past four seasons (at least), only one of them, the Indians, have had any success, and that was last year.

However, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of outrage about this lack of success. The Browns have pretty much been lousy since returning to the NFL in 1999, and since LeBron James left for Miami, the Cavaliers have been in the draft lottery every season.

The Tribe’s attendance has suffered since the sellout string ended in 2001, and the Browns no longer fill their stadium week after week on Sunday, despite selling all the tickets. The Cavs actually have drawn better than expected despite some dreadful seasons.

Yet, the sports talk stations in town talk nothing but football, so you would have to assume the populace isn’t fed up with the poor record of the Browns, and year after year, when another mediocre season has ended, there is actually optimism regarding the draft.

The Cavs have another season where they lose, or almost lose 50 games and there is a significant amount of supporters who think it is good because they will be able to secure another lottery pick.

If the baseball draft was followed as closely as the other two sports, perhaps the Indians would get more of a pass from people because it would mean another high first round draft choice.

There is no question that the fan base here is ingrained to look toward the future. Sure, we are disappointed with the losing, but if it happens, then it’s okay, we get to choose high in that respective sports’ draft.

When it comes to the Browns, perhaps there is a nagging feeling that if we are too critical of their foibles, the team will leave town again because the owner is angry. After all, Art Modell was just starting to get heat from the fans and media alike when he picked up and moved to Baltimore.

That’s not going to happen again. The NFL isn’t going to allow it as long as the tickets are sold out every week.

Cavaliers’ owner Dan Gilbert has done a lot for the city, including bringing casino gambling to the area, and a lot of jobs from that business and Quicken Loans.

Because of this, fans feel guilty about holding him responsible for the state of the basketball team. While more criticism has been put on him recently, he still gets off pretty lightly considering the record of the wine and gold since James left town.

The team the fans are toughest on is the only one with any recent success, the Indians, but because of the way the sport’s draft is set up and the fact there is no salary cap, it’s also the hardest for a smaller market to compete.

That’s why the Browns and the Cavaliers can sell hope. With the right draft pick or free agent signing, they can be good again. And the fans obviously just lap it up.

But the ticket buyers should be more demanding of success. The Browns continue to be terrible and last year, didn’t even try to improve when injuries hit or trades were made.

That obviously even infuriated the owner, because Jimmy Haslam was fed up enough to sweep out the old front office and hire new people. At least he got angry.

Gilbert is said to be upset with the Cavs showing this season, but will he fly off the handle and make an impetuous decision, or will he take steps to make sure his team wins more games?

As for the Indians, fans were upset that the franchise didn’t build on the success enjoyed last season. After 92 wins last season, supporters wanted to see the front office “go for it”. There is much pressure on them to at least make the post-season again in 2014.

Cleveland fans have become too soft on demanding success from its teams. That needs to end right away.

Yes, Browns Need a QB, but Do They Need One at #4?

The prevailing debate among Cleveland football fans is the quarterback position and how it relates to this May’s NFL Draft.

Local sports talk shows have been discussing it since the end of the season, and the bad news is, there is still five weeks of draft talk to come.

Should the Browns take a passer with the fourth overall pick? If you don’t believe they should, then people think you believe the Browns don’t really need a QB, and they should settle for Brian Hoyer because he’s a hometown guy.

First, we feel Cleveland should draft a quarterback in 2014, but we don’t feel any of the passers coming out, including the “big three” of Johnny Manziel, Teddy Bridgewater, and Blake Bortles, are worthy of the fourth selection.

We have said this before about all professional drafts. The idea of the draft is to make poor teams better, to upgrade their talent level.

Drafting a player who may be the 15th best talent in the selection process with the fourth pick is just stupid. And moving a player that many spots up the board because they play a certain position defeats the idea of the draft.

You are just pushing better players down to the better teams, which in turn makes them stronger.

Look at how this year’s playoff teams acquired their quarterbacks:

Denver-Peyton Manning: signed as free agent, although he was the first overall pick in 1998
New England-Tom Brady: most famous sixth round pick of all time
Cincinnati-Andy Dalton: second round pick
Indianapolis-Andrew Luck: first overall pick in 2012
Kansas City-Alex Smith: acquired in trade, but was the first overall pick in 2005
San Diego-Philip Rivers: fourth overall pick in 2004.

Seattle-Russell Wilson: third round pick in 2012
Carolina-Cam Newton: first overall pick in 2011Philadelphia-Nick Foles: third round pick in 2012
Green Bay-Aaron Rodgers: first round pick (22nd overall) in 2005
San Francisco-Colin Kaepernick: second round pick in 2011
New Orleans-Drew Brees: second round pick

So, out of the twelve playoff teams, five had their quarterbacks drafted in the first round, but two of those (Manning and Smith) are no longer with the teams that originally drafted them.

Three of the first round picks (Manning, Luck, and Newton) were all considered no-brainers for the first overall pick. They were highly decorated college players, and no one debated Rivers as a top ten selection either.

Smith was considered the best QB in a mediocre lot, and he’s already on his second team, but to be fair, he’s turned into an efficient player and he’s been a winner as of late.

Three more players were drafted in the second round, and one of those (Brees) is likely headed for the Hall of Fame, and Kaepernick has played in a Super Bowl and two other NFC Championship games.

While there are zealots who will tell you that Manziel, Bridgewater, and Bortles will become great NFL players, there are also scouts who have their doubts. That’s why you can’t take them at #4 if you are the Browns.

With that pick, GM Ray Farmer has to take a player who can start immediately and be an All-Pro in a couple of years, regardless of position.

Why not pick up Derek Carr or A.J. McCarron or Jimmy Garoppolo in the second or third round and develop them for a year or two behind Hoyer?

When the Browns had decent quarterback play last season, they won some football games. If Hoyer plays smart, and Cleveland has a solid running game, they should escape the 10 loss season streak.

They don’t need to play a high stakes game of poker. Besides, it’s not like quarterback is the only hole on the roster to fill. The team needs offensive line help, another wide receiver, linebackers, and secondary help.

Why not fill one of those spots with a player who has a higher floor.

Yes, the Cleveland Browns need a quarterback, but there is plenty of evidence that you don’t have to take one in the top five to win in the NFL.

Draft Still Browns Best Chance to Get Better

The NFL free agency season started on Tuesday and already Browns fans are excited about training camp starting in July.

Yes, the Browns have improved, getting ILB Karlos Dansby to replace D’Qwell Jackson, Donte Whitner to replace T. J. Ward, and bringing in running back Ben Tate, formerly of the Houston Texans.

However, note that Jackson was released by new GM Ray Farmer, so that hole was created by the Browns. We say this realizing that Dansby is a much better player than the guy he replaced, although Jackson was a class act during his time in Cleveland.

Ward made the Pro Bowl last season, as did Whitner (who has made two trips to Hawaii in his career), so the gain there is minimal. Both are very good players, and we like the aspect of a local guy playing here because they understand what the Browns are in this city.

Certainly, the Browns needed Tate, who although he has had injury issues in his career, has also gained 1992 yards in three seasons backing up Arian Foster, averaging 4.7 yards per attempt.

He also has experience running the ball in new offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan’s zone blocking running game.

Since the Browns’ leading rusher last season was Willis McGahee with 377 yards, there is no question that if Tate is healthy, he is definitely an upgrade at the running back position.

However, let’s hold off on potential Super Bowl appearances.

We even had some yesterday on Twitter proposing that Dansby, Whitner, and Tate should throw out the first pitch at the Indians home opener. Our question was why?

Look, the Browns improved themselves in free agency. Still, the bigger chance to improve this football team will come in May when the draft occurs. Farmer and his scouting staff have 10 picks in all to work with, and half of those are in the first three rounds.

They should come away with at least three new starters after those picks are made.

And remember, Cleveland was one of the NFL’s youngest teams in 2013, and those players who were added in the past couple of years should do nothing but get better.

The real reason for optimism if you are a Browns’ fan is that finally, the team wants to win right now.

The last few years under Mike Holmgren tenure and the early years of the Haslam ownership were all about rebuilding and adding talent to a roster that was devoid of it.

We remember a comment from Eric Mangini’s last season as head coach, when it was noted the Browns were good on special teams. A football pundit said that they should be, their entire roster was made up of special team players.

Finally, it appears the days of accumulating salary cap space and draft picks are over. Haslam has given Farmer and his staff a directive that this football has to start showing progress in the only area where it counts: The win-loss column.

The owner is tired of the Browns being a laughing-stock around the league, and going to game week in and week out and seeing his team losing in a variety of interesting ways.

This new concept of winning being important should excite Browns’ fans. Especially in a league where at least one team goes from 5-11 to a playoff spot pretty much every year.

Haslam is telling his executives and his fans, why can’t that team be us?

Finally, this organization is taking steps in that direction.

Browns Add Experience, Winners

If you are an NFL fan, today is kind of like Christmas morning.

It’s the first day of free agency, and as of 4 PM, free agents are free to sign with other teams. It’s the first opportunity to start filling some holes on your roster, and it also changes what players teams are looking at in the draft.

The Browns started the league year strong by filling the gap created with T.J. Ward going to free agency by signing S Donte Whitner, a former Glenville High star and Ohio State standout.

Whitner has spent his pro career with both the Bills and 49ers, and has made the Pro Bowl twice. He’s a hard hitter and brings winning experience to the Browns, having made the playoffs each of his years with San Francisco.

Being a local product, he also brings an understanding of how much the Browns mean to the city, something he and QB Brian Hoyer can communicate to the rest of the squad.

GM Ray Farmer also addressed the lack of inside linebackers on the team by signing veteran ILB Karlos Dansby, previously with the Arizona Cardinals and reportedly are close to signing Arthur Moats, who played for Mike Pettine in Buffalo last season.

Dansby is older than former Brown D’Qwell Jackson, but he’s a much better player, ranking among the top inside linebackers in the league according to some websites, and made second team All-Pro last season.

Moats is just 25 years old and a good character guy, winning the Bills’ Walter Payton Award last season. At his age, he should still be improving as a player.

It is telling that all three free agent additions are on the defensive side of the football, which of course is Pettine’s area of expertise. And in Whitner and Dansby, you have two players who have been in the Super Bowl.

Also, it looks like all three players are leadership/character guys too. That’s not to cast dispersions on Jackson or Ward, but the new coach wants his kind of leaders on his defensive unit.

The spending also makes it appears that Farmer has a mandate to make the Cleveland Browns better in the win-loss department, and to do it as soon as possible. The days of accumulating draft picks and salary cap space appear to be over.

The Browns could sign more players in free agency, and may even do it today. However, their next big order of business is to resolve things with C Alex Mack as soon as possible.

We’ve heard people say that if Mack doesn’t want to be here, then let him go, but since the offensive line is already full of holes, it wouldn’t be prudent to create another one at center.

It also wouldn’t be good for Hoyer or whoever the quarterback is to see pass rushers coming right up the middle and be in his face immediately.

Farmer gave Mack the transitional tag for a reason. The team didn’t want him to leave and wanted to buy time to work out a long-term deal with the two-time Pro Bowl lineman.

Teams that go 4-12 can’t afford to let good players leave.