Top 5 Phil Dawson Moments of All-Time

I'm not going to go into the love-fest that's been Phil Dawson since his inevitable departure this afternoon. People who follow our blog and follow us on Twitter know how much we loved Captain Clutch, and while I hate to see him leave, I'm glad to see him find an opportunity with a Super Bowl contender in San Francisco. If anyone in the NFL deserves that, it's Phil.

Now, here are my top 5 Phil Dawson Moments of All-Time.

5. August 9, 1999: Browns VS. Cowboys (Fawcett Stadium)

Phil beats the Cowboys as Cleveland football finally returns in the 1999 Hall of Fame Game. I love the announcers talking in this video about how Phil barely made a 23 yarder earlier in the game. Little did we know that this kid from Texas would become the most steady Browns presence for 14 years.


4. December 16, 2007: Bills AT Browns 

Phil boots a 48 yard knuckleball into the 40 mph blizzard gusts on the shores of Lake Erie. I remember being at that game and thinking it was the most impressive kick I've ever seen considering the conditions. (Kick is at the 1:52 mark).


3. November 18, 2007: Browns AT Ravens

Phil hammers home a miracle 51 yarder to send the Browns to overtime as regulation expires.

2. October 10, 1999: Bengals AT Browns

Couldn't find a video or even a picture, but seriously, Phil Dawson scored the first rushing touchdown of the "new" Browns in 1999.

1. November 14, 1999: Browns AT Steelers

Phil knocks home a game winning field goal as time expires as the 1-8 expansion Browns defeat the 5-3 Pittsburgh Steelers for the first time since their return.

Thanks for a great run, Phil.

*Wipes away tear*

Free Agency Primer 2013

So as of now we have about six hours until free agency begins. That means I have six hours to write up this blog, which is comforting....I just stumbled upon some news regarding Paul Kruger, so I'll make this short and sweet.

Favorite Potential Free Agent Signing:

Jared Cook Jr., TE, Tenn.

I harped on Mary Kay Cabot all day yesterday for her describing Cook as "premier." The fact of the matter is, 1,700 yards and 8 TDs in four years is far from "premier." However, Cook has the skill set to more than flourish in Chud's offense. He's big, he's fast as hell (4.49 40 at the Combine in 2009), and he has good hands. I wouldn't be in favor of offering him Fort Knox, but if anyone has through-the-roof potential coming to the Browns' system it's him.



Least Favorite Potential Free Agent Signing:

Paul Kruger, OLB, Balt. 

Thanks for the help, bro!

Apparently my efforts are too little, too late here, since the Browns are rumored to be close to a deal with Kruger. I hate Chris Fedor as much as the next guy, but he had a great point about Kruger being overrated this morning. In six games without Terrell Suggs playing across from him, Kruger totaled 1.5 sacks. It wasn't until Suggs came back into the lineup and Kruger went on his tear and finished with 13.5 sacks. If this isn't a red flag that Kruger isn't a product (at least somewhat) of a tremendous supporting cast, I don't know what is.

Josh Cribbs: Attention Whore or Realist?

Josh Cribbs has been getting a lot of attention the past few days as free agency approaches and he makes rounds on the radio and other media outlets. For some reason, a lot of Browns fans cannot show him the door fast enough. The thinking is that his production has declined, he gave up after getting a new contract a few years ago, Travis Benjamin is a better returner at this point, and Cribbs is a diva. All ridiculous points if you take five minutes and look at the arguments that you are trying to make.

Since these people obviously won't do it on their own, I'll map out why Browns fans should be hoping that the new front office isn't in too big of a hurry to show Josh the door.

Point #1: Joshua Cribbs' production has declined

My incredibly elementary line chart refutes this. Check out these stats, and keep in mind that 2009 was the year that EVERYONE advocated paying Josh whatever he wanted.

So, when people say that Josh Cribbs isn't good at special teams anymore, that he's "lost a step," they must not be looking at the statistics that he put up last year. Sure, the touchdowns weren't there like they have been in the past. But I think most Cleveland fans got unbelievably spoiled by the

scores Josh had in the past. The fact of the matter is, he's still elite at what he does best. Cribbs' stats in 2012 matched or bested those he put up in 2009, aside from the TDs. If anything, one could even argue that the lack of TDs keep his return average numbers from being skewed by a few long-yardage plays.

Point #2: Travis Benjamin is a better returner at this point.

This is a crazy thing to say. I'm not saying it won't be true in the near future, but to say that after watching all SIX of Benjamin's returns this year he's the elite special teamer that Cribbs isn't (in the minds of these Benjamin advocates), is crazy. Yes, I'll admit he is fast as hell and showed a lot of potential last year. But six touches isn't enough for me to root for cutting ties with one of the best special teamer's ever, who is coming off of one of the best years of his career.

Point #3: Josh Cribbs is a diva with a "me first, team second" attitude.

For all the things Cribbs has said over the years, how many are all that untrue? The man speaks his mind, and is passionate. I have no problem with that if his words are justified. How can someone hold his unhappiness against him this year when he complained about his offensive role after being the second leading receiver last year? After putting up over 40 receptions and tied for the team lead with 4 TDs, people really think he can't be an effective receiver.  Look, I'm not saying the man is Calvin Johnson, but to say he can't be used effectively on offense is outrageous. And following that season, he takes a back seat to Benjamin (18 receptions), Jordan Norwood (13 receptions), and Mo Mass (17 receptions). Is his unhappiness really all that unwarranted? If you put up better numbers than all three of those players EVER have, and then all of a sudden get benched for those same players, would you be upset? If you really think Josh is a "me first, team second" player, why didn't he complain about offensive playing time in 2007? It's because he knew he wasn't as good as Braylon and Joe J. Say what you want about Josh coming out and griping in public, but he has a point. He's better, statistically better, than the wideouts who played in front of him this year.

In summation, I'm not saying the Browns need to break the bank in order to keep Josh around--every player has a cutoff. But to think he deserves to be kicked to the curb is crazy. The man is passionate about the team, the community, and most of all, he's damn good.

Two final notes:

1) Just to show how much value Cribbs has, look at how more effective the coverage units were with him in the lineup. It's an underrated facet of the game until you start giving up big plays, which the Browns did without Josh in there. He made a huge difference.

2) He said on KNR that he wants an opportunity. If he wants an incentive-laden contract when it comes to his offensive role, what's the harm in giving it to him? It's a win-win.

Say what you want about Josh Cribbs, but the man has earned everything he's gotten in Cleveland. At the very least, he's earned the fans' respect for him as well as his game.

Post-Combine Mock Draft

So the Combine is over. To be honest, I can't remember ever being less excited about an upcoming draft. But, hopefully that's a good thing seeing as I always get excited and then let down when I see the Browns' selections (aside from Trent).

Anyway, without further ado, here's my post-Combine mock draft (v. 1.0). Keep in mind, I have no "sources," or special insight. My projections are based on my analysis of team needs and insight from other people who actually have "sources."

1. Kansas City Chiefs: Luke Joeckel, OT Texas A&M
2. Jacksonville Jaguars: Sharrif Floyd, DT Florida
3. Oakland Raiders: Geno Smith, QB West Virginia
4. Philadelphia Eagles: Eric Fisher, OT Central Michigan
5. Detroit Lions: Dee Milliner, CB Alabama
6. Cleveland Browns: Dion Jordan, OLB Oregon

A lot of people are speculating Ziggy Ansah here, mostly due to Tony Grossi's hard-on for him. It'd be foolish to think Ansah isn't in the mix here, but Jordan comparable statistics than Ansah did and had similar numbers at the Combina. He's also further along developmentally. Ansah has an astronomical amount of potential, but at pick six, it also presents a risk.

7. Arizona Cardinals: Matt Barkley, QB USC
8. Buffalo Bills: Cordarrelle Patterson, WR Tennessee
9. New York Jets: Ziggy Ansah, OLB BYU
10. Tennessee Titans: Chance Warmack, OL Alabama
11. San Diego Chargers: Desmond Trufant, CB Washington
12. Miami Dolphins: Bjoern Werner, DE Florida St.
13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Xavier Rhodes, CB Florida St.
14. Carolina Panthers: Star Loutulelei, DT Utah
15. New Orleans Saints: Jarvis Jones, OLB UGA
16. St. Louis Rams: Lane Johnson, OT Oklahoma
17. Pittsburgh Steelers: Damontre Moore, OLB Texas A&M
18. Dallas Cowboys: Jonathon Hankins, DT Ohio St.
19. New York Giants: D.J. Fluker, OT Alabama
20. Chicago Bears: Manti Te'o, LB Notre Dame
21. Cincinnati Bengals: Barkevious Mingo, DE/OLB LSU
22. St. Louis Rams: Tavon Austin, WR WVU
23. Minnesota Vikings: Keenan Allen, WR Cal
24. Indianapolis Colts: Sheldon Richardson, DL Mizzou
25. Seattle Seahawks: Dantone Jones, DE UCLA
26. Green Bay Packers: Tyler Eifert, TE Notre Dame
27. Houston Texans: Kevin Minter, LB LSU
28. Denver Broncos: Eddie Lacy, RB Alabama
29. New England Patriots: Sylvester Williams, DL UNC
30. Atlana Falcons: Sam Montgomery, DE LSU
31. San Francisco 49ers: Margus Hunt, DL SMU
32. Baltimore Ravens: Barrett Jones, C Alabama

Changing of the tide in the AFCN?

            In the midst of all this coaching search hoopla, I’m going to take a break from the hot-topic of the week month season and focus on something that hasn’t been given all too much attention recently—the changing of the guard in the AFC North. Ray Lewis is retiring. Hines Ward stepped down from the League last year. Chad Johnson and Carson Palmer are gone from Cincinnati. Since 1999 I would argue that those four guys were the biggest Browns killers. Yes, Cincy has Dalton and AJ Green manning the helm of their offense. Yes, guys like Antonio Brown and Mike Wallace are much bigger factors than Ward was in the latter stages of his career, and yes, Baltimore’s defense has taken a little bit of their back seat to Ray Rice and the offense as of late.

            But still…are people really concerned about Baltimore and Cincinnati (Cincy’s since been eliminated) making a run this post season? The fact of the matter is the once class division of the NFL is on the decline. This sets up perfect for a young, talented Cleveland team with a (reportedly) new, innovative coach coming aboard in the next few days, maybe even hours. (Should have known better Chip Kelly wasn’t coming when I wrote this last week).

            Regardless, no players have been more symbolic or had as much of an impact to our beloved Browns teams as these four guys. These players have had massive impacts. Not only statistically, but emotionally as leaders of their respective squads.

            Regardless of who the next coach of the Browns is, ask yourself this: do you have faith in Jimmy Haslam (I purposely exclude Joe Banner because I don’t, and Haslam is going to have final say regardless) to make the right choice for our new head coach? I’d hope the answer is yes. If so, ask yourself another question: are you optimistic about the young talent that this team has on its roster? The answer to this should be an emphatic yes.

            So keep your chin up Browns fans. The most hated players of our biggest rivals have come and passed. Our young team is on the rise. Optimism rains on the lakeshore. Well, let’s not get too crazy and call ourselves optimistic—as we know, we are Browns fans. But let’s err on the side of cautious optimism. Maybe the tides are changing . . .