Yardbarker: Daven Holly

Injury News: Robaire Smith Done For Season?

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 08:32:48 -0500

Good morning, folks. While we all sip our coffee an mull the news of the day, I bring you recent, yet not surprising news that another member of the Cleveland Browns will miss the rest of the regular season. MK Cabot reports that the Achilles injury suffered by defensive lineman Robaire Smith is of the serious variety, and could require surgery...

Browns Safety Jones Out Due to Knee Surgery

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 12:46:20 -0500

Just when you think the week can't get much worse for Browns fans after the Dallas game, another log gets thrown into that fire just in time for the Steelers game. According to Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer, Browns starting safety Sean Jones will be out "several weeks" due to knee surgery. The team did say that Jones will not be placed on IR...

2008 Roster Set

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 00:57:02 -0500

They've seen what they can do both in games at during practices and now the Browns coaching staff has cut the teams roster to the final 53, and some change (there are a few guys on the IR, and PUP lists). Anyways here is your 2008 Cleveland Browns, IMO not too many surprises here and I have to agree

Report: Browns Acquire Travis Daniels

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:50:21 -0500

Apparently seeing enough of their defensive backfield getting torched, Phil Savage and company have made a trade for Dolphins defensive back Travis Daniels. Daniels, a former fourth-round draft choice, will bring some much-needed depth to our DB corps. Playing both cornerback and safety last season, the thing that I like the most about Daniels is the fact that he has suited up for 16 games in two of his three seasons in the NFL. Health really has not been our strongest asset as of late, so a 16-game defensive back is easily a step forward given our current situation. But just how big?

Has Phil Done It Again?!?

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 14:27:18 -0500

Seems that Browns GM Phil Savage has a knack for mining that hidden talent pool. Players such as Daven Holly, Derek Anderson, Joshua Cribbs, Lawrence Vickers, Eric Wright, and Brandon McDonald come to mind when thinking of some of Savage's finds in his time here as GM to date. Well early reports seem to indicate that this draft was no different, especially with 7th round OLB Alex Hall, who has done nothing but impress during his time thus far with the club. Hall has been given an opportunity to get more reps in during camp with Antwan Peek's recent injury, and Hall is also benefiting from learning the system from vets like Willie McGinest, Kamerion Wimbley, and Peek. So far in camp, the St. Augustine product has intercepted a Brady Quinn screen pass, had a few would be sacks, and shown great speed off the edge. It may be too soon to anoint Hall as the answer to the other pass-rushing OLB that the Browns need, because he is still raw and needs some more developmental time. However it's safe to say that his future looks bright, and isn't out of the question that he can at least contribute some this year as a back-up and on special teams.

Is Leigh Bodden overpaid? Cleveland thinks so…

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 21:49:40 -0500

I hate being put into the position to defend the Detroit Lions. Thanks to a boneheaded article by Tony Grossi in today's Cleveland Plain Dealer, I'm going to do just that...Damn him. He claims the Lions were too generous in giving Leigh Bodden a new contract, while the Cleveland Browns have a relative bargain in Shaun Rogers. Let's break it down, shall we? My answers are in bold. Who's the better player -- Shaun Rogers or Leigh Bodden? It depends. Is Rogers pushing 4 bills on the scale, or is he in a semblance of shape? If he's in shape, of course Rogers is a better player. But in Detroit, the only sort of shape we saw Rogers in...Is "blob" considered a shape? Yes, that is Shaun Rogers wearing what appears to be a mumu. Big Baby, indeed. More to the point, which player would you pay more? More to the point, which player will show up to play on every snap? Not Rogers. Never going to happen. The Detroit Lions traded Rogers, a former Pro Bowl player at the premium position of defensive line, partly because they didn't want to pay him $17 million over the next three years of his existing contract. But mostly because Rogers would show up to play every other game. As the season went on, and he got more and more out of shape, it was more like every 3rd game. That's why the Lions didn't want to pay him. If Rogers had made even the slightest effort to remain in shape, and played like the impact player he's capable of being, the Lions would have been more than happy to shell out the cash. So they shipped Rogers to the Browns for a third-round draft pick and Bodden. This week, the Lions gave Bodden a four-year contract extension that bumps his 2008 compensation higher than Rogers was scheduled to earn. Sure, I think the Lions overpaid to lock up Bodden. But the money is not guaranteed. It's essentially a 1 year deal if the Lions want it to be, and the big money doesn't kick in unless he's on the roster in 2009. If Bodden plays well enough to earn that $8.6 million '09 roster bonus, it means he would have had a great 2008 for the Lions, and made more of an impact than Big Baby ever would have over the same span. Bodden's new deal reportedly will tack on $2 million to his scheduled '08 salary and bonus package of $2.7 million -- for a total of $4.7 million. Rogers was scheduled to earn $4.25 million in '08 under terms of his Detroit contract. Wow, Bodden is making a whole $475,000 more than Rogers. What an insult to Big Baby! Please, that's chump change in the NFL. Let alone it's being paid to a player whom I'll guarantee will be on the field for more snaps. Many more snaps. This is the reason the Lions extended Bodden. Not a Twinkie in sight... Not many teams would be willing to pay a good but not great cornerback more than a Pro Bowl defensive lineman, but the Lions made that choice. Rogers is 29. Bodden will be 27 in September. Rogers also has a history of injury. A history of not playing hard every snap. A history of being grossly overweight. Think the last reason has much to do with the first two? Bodden is just entering his prime, while Rogers has wasted much of his. If Rogers continues on the track he was in Detroit, and I see no reason to think otherwise, he'll have eaten his way out of football long before Bodden leaves the game. Rogers knows he has bad knees, but he still couldn't keep the weight off that would have relieved the stress on those knees. Thus, he became a part-time player making impact player money. Rogers, of course, signed his own contract extension after joining the Browns. The Browns tacked on about $25 million and three years to Rogers' existing deal and rewrote the '08-'10 seasons to guarantee him $23 million. But that's another story. You're complaining about the money the Lions gave Bodden when the Browns may have given an albatross of a contract to Rogers? Please, write that story. The Lions' new deal with Bodden -- reportedly totaling $27 million over four years -- sheds more light on the Browns' haste to trade him. Again, much of the $27 million is in roster bonuses. For that matter, have you seen any NFL contract go its entire length before being renegotiated to make it more cap friendly? I'll be surprised beyond belief if Bodden sees all $27 million. Besides having a sub-par year in 2007, Bodden was becoming disenchanted with his contract situation. He still had two years to go on a $12 million contract the Browns gave him following the 2005 season, his breakout year. And Shaun Rogers was extremely disenchanted with the Lions. The Lions were fed up with Rogers. Apparently Bodden and the Browns were at odds. Everyone involved was disenchanted. If there was ever a trade made where both players desperately needed a change of scenery, it's this one. When Bodden's agent couldn't extract a new deal from the Browns, Bodden switched agents and basically talked his way off the team. Rogers ate his way off the Lions. Let's not forget he's one strike away from an 8 game drug suspension. "It's something I wanted in Cleveland," Bodden told the Detroit News after receiving his new contract this week. "I wanted to end my career with a long-term deal." Bodden's new deal, which reportedly includes an $8.6 million option bonus in March, lifts his compensation into the top 15 among NFL cornerbacks. He's come a long way from being undrafted out of Duquesne and running down punts for the Browns. A happy player is likely to be a good player. The Lions made Bodden very happy. Was it at too high a cost? As in any deal, we won't know for a few years. It was the Browns' misfortune that the effect of Bodden's departure was exacerbated by the season-ending knee injury to Daven Holly in May. They remain short-handed in experience at cornerback. Yet trading Bodden was a good thing? Even though the Browns are now short-handed at corner. If you say so... Yes, Bodden would look good in the Browns' secondary today. But the acquisition of Rogers, along with fellow lineman Corey Williams, has given the defense a new energy that is fueling the optimism of the entire team. The only energy Rogers gives off anymore is from shoveling Twinkies into his gaping maw. He could then power the entire city of Cleveland. On the football field? Not so much. Rogers spent more time hugging the oxygen tank than he ever did tackling running backs. The Browns would make the trade again, any day. So would most other teams. To be honest, so would the Lions. If this writer had watched ANY Lions football over the past 7 years, he would agree.

NFL Insider: Lions raise eyebrows with contract extension for ex-Brown Leigh Bodden

Sun, 27 Jul 2008 10:40:06 -0500

Who's the better player -- Shaun Rogers or Leigh Bodden? More to the point, which player would you pay more? The Detroit Lions traded Rogers, a former Pro Bowl player at the premium position of defensive line, partly because they didn't want to pay him $17 million over the next three years of his existing contract. So they shipped Rogers to the Browns for a third-round draft pick and Bodden. This week the Lions gave Bodden a four-year contract extension that bumps his 2008 compensation higher than Rogers was scheduled to earn. Bodden's new deal reportedly will tack on $2 million to his scheduled '08 salary and bonus package of $2.7 million -- for a total of $4.7 million. Rogers was scheduled to earn $4.25 million in '08 under terms of his Detroit contract. Not many teams would be willing to pay a good but not great cornerback more than a Pro Bowl defensive lineman, but the Lions made that choice. Rogers is 29. Bodden will be 27 in September. Rogers, of course, signed his own contract extension after joining the Browns. The Browns tacked on about $25 million and three years to Rogers' existing deal and rewrote the '08-'10 seasons to guarantee him $23 million. But that's another story. The Lions' new deal with Bodden -- reportedly totaling $27 million over four years -- sheds more light on the Browns' haste to trade him. Besides having a sub-par year in 2007, Bodden was becoming disenchanted with his contract situation. He still had two years to go on a $12 million contract the Browns gave him following the 2005 season, his breakout year. When Bodden's agent couldn't extract a new deal from the Browns, Bodden switched agents and basically talked his way off the team. "It's something I wanted in Cleveland," Bodden told the Detroit News after receiving his new contract this week. "I wanted to end my career with a long-term deal." Bodden's new contract, which reportedly includes an $8.6 million option bonus in March, lifts his compensation into the top 15 among NFL cornerbacks. He's come a long way from being undrafted out of Duquesne and running down punts for the Browns. It was the Browns' misfortune that the effect of Bodden's departure was exacerbated by the season-ending knee injury to Daven Holly in May. They remain short-handed in experience at cornerback. Yes, Bodden would look good in the Browns' secondary today. But the acquisition of Rogers, along with fellow lineman Corey Williams, has given the defense a new energy that is fueling the optimism of the entire team. The Browns would make the trade again, any day. So would most other teams. Ask Hank: Hank Fraley has ascended from emergency center in 2006 to team captain and O-line anchor in '07 to co-player representative in 2008. Fraley is technically the alternate player rep to tight end Darnell Dinkins, but it was Fraley who attended the all-important annual player rep meeting in Hawaii in March -- when the union outlined its strategy for upcoming labor negotiations with NFL management. Labor strife could occur as early as 2010 -- with the salary cap being eliminated -- if the sides don't arrive at some resolution by March. One of the key issues is the owners' desire for a rookie cap similar to the NBA's that would preclude untested high draft choices from getting $30 million or more in guaranteed money. The owners insist a hard rookie cap would allow more money to flow to veteran players. Fraley, who was undrafted out of Robert Morris in 2000, sees the logic in the owners' view. "Not every first-round pick stays around. Sometimes they give a guy $20 million and he never does anything," Fraley said. "But the issues are how do you guarantee the owners give the money to the vets and would they spread it across the board or just give it to your big-name guys?" Fraley said. "Are you going to give some of it to Hank Fraley or is it all going to go to a Braylon Edwards, a star?" Fraley is optimistic the players and owners will settle their differences and agree to a new labor deal rather then screw up their amazing largesse. You decide: Players union chief Gene Upshaw has come under fire from some quarters in the player ranks. Fraley had some interesting non-comments about Upshaw. Asked if he were pro-Upshaw, Fraley said, "No comment." Asked if his opinion about Upshaw was changed as a result of the March player rep meeting, Fraley said, "No comment." Bentley watch: Rumors are that LeCharles Bentley is pondering contract offers from St. Louis, San Francisco and New England, but the would-be Browns center may opt to retire.

Ricky Manning, Jr. to the Cleveland Browns?

Fri, 23 May 2008 13:56:00 -0500

Cornerback Ricky Manning, Jr., who once dressed like Mortal Combat character Sub-Zero, is close to having his career in Chicago put on ice.

Browns getting desperate at corner

Wed, 21 May 2008 20:25:46 -0500

The one thing the Cleveland Browns did not do during their off-season spending spree was address positional depth. The Browns were pretty weak at corner back after trading Leigh Bodden to the Detroit Lions for defensive lineman Shaun Rogers. So initially that left a starting position open, that was going to come down to a battle between Daven Holly and Brandon McDonald. Well good drawn out plans, tend to fall apart at times and in the NFL that is usually due to the dreaded torn knee ligament. During today's practice Browns CB Daven Holly did just that. Holly suffered ligament and cartilage damage while jumping to break up a pass to Braylon Edwards, he is now most likely done for the entire 2008 season. Where do the Browns go to replace him?

Cleveland Drinks Joey Porter-Flavored Haterade

Sun, 18 Nov 2007 15:36:33 -0500

Before we look forward to the game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Jets, let's look backward for a minute at these articles of interest on the Cleveland Brown's web site. . .

The Dirty Play of Hines Ward Continues to Draw Attention

Sat, 10 Nov 2007 16:04:52 -0500

Hines Ward plays hard, but some of his hits are really late in the play and are relatively meaningless. He has been fined for taunting on more than one occasion after leveling players. I am sure people will defend him, but it seems pretty obvious to me that he relishes the opportunity to find guys who aren't looking at him, pounding them in the head and then bragging about what he has just done.

Daven Holly Wants Hines Ward for Dirty Hit (Video)

Fri, 09 Nov 2007 18:59:33 -0500

Hines Ward likes to hit guys who aren't expecting it. That's fine when it happens before the end of a play, but last year, Ward took out Daven Holly when the Pittsburgh runner was pretty much down. Holly has stated that he thinks it is borderline and he welcomes the opportunity to get back at ward. Click through to see the hit.