Publisher's Notebook
Grading Browns is more fun than Trump
I was not really wanting another Donald Trump question for our last Weekly Online Poll, but since the paper came out on his 100th-y day it felt like the obligatory thing to do. While there were five possible answers the results of the voting can pretty much be summed up as this: 43.6 percent of you dislike Trump completely. The rest have varying shades of love/hate/indecision on the subject, including myself.
This week, we have five more possible answers about a much more fun subject, the Cleveland Browns 2017 draft. Sorry ladies. Oh that’s right, sorry, that was a sexist remark. Us boomers tend to say stupid stuff like that. I should have said sorry to all of our readers of the various genders in today’s world that don’t like the NFL or just the Browns version of it.
My feelings about Trump may include “multiple shades of gray” but my eyes can see only one color when it comes to the NFL. I love all shades of Brown(s).
We are making this week’s poll very simple. The five choices are letter grades. This is not some mamby-pamby pass/fail test. It is an A-B-C-D-F letter graded final exam. Perhaps I should not have used the words fail and pass together when discussing my team as I don’t want you to think I am being sarcastic.
Unlike most of my fellow journalists at The Plain Dealer and Beacon Journal, I am never sarcastic about my Brownies. I will leave that to the sportswriters and save my sarcasm for politicians.
This week’s question is “What grade would you give the Cleveland Browns for their 2017 draft choices? Head to our website and tell us what letter grade you have assigned to the Browns 2017 draft.
Like John McLaughlin used to say — the correct answer is: A! Or like Cavs owner Dan Gilbert’s son once said about the Cavs’ draft: “What’s not to like?”
They stuck to their guns and took the almost universally acclaimed best talent, defensive end Myles Garrett with their No. 1 overall pick. They wanted to trade up from their number 12 overall pick and tab Mentor’s Mitchell (don’t call me Mitch) Trubisky as the long awaited successor to Bernie Kosar. But alas, we were blindsided by what I thought was a crazy Bears team. The Bad News Bears themselves pulled off a surprise trade up and picked Trubisky with the second pick of the draft.
I liked the hometown kid but not at that price. “Good things come to those who wait” is what I say. So then they thought they could get Texas Tech gunslinger Patrick Mahomes at 12, but were beaten to the punch by a rampaging Buffalo team. I was okay with that too because it meant that Ohio State safety Malik Hooker would fall into our lap.
Not to be. The analytical “money ball” Browns had already made a handshake deal with Houston to trade that pick for the 26th pick in the first round and Houston’s first round pick next year. That means that the Browns also passed up on the chance to pick the quarterback I had been rooting all season for them to get — Clemson’s Deshawn Watson. I can’t argue with that either. We have a lot of holes to fill. Patience, patience. We Browns fans are nothing if not patient, right?
We got our safety with that 26th pick in _ichigan’s Jabril Peppers. I think he will make a good strong safety although I personally would never pick someone from _ichigan. Oh well, it looks good on paper. Then they traded up to get a third first round choice by taking a highly rated tight end at 29. Smart move.
Lo and behold another quarterback from Ohio (well, Toledo is sort of in Ohio) fell to them with the 52nd overall pick. Deshone (don’t call me Deshawn) Kizer. Great gamble on a high ceiling but erratic kid. We are due to get lucky I think. We will also need some legal and moral luck on the defensive tackle we selected who’s got a bit of an anger management issue ... but that is another story better left to my cynical sports writing brethren at the PD.
Go Browns! A-plus! This is the year! Take it to the bank!
This week, we have five more possible answers about a much more fun subject, the Cleveland Browns 2017 draft. Sorry ladies. Oh that’s right, sorry, that was a sexist remark. Us boomers tend to say stupid stuff like that. I should have said sorry to all of our readers of the various genders in today’s world that don’t like the NFL or just the Browns version of it.
My feelings about Trump may include “multiple shades of gray” but my eyes can see only one color when it comes to the NFL. I love all shades of Brown(s).
We are making this week’s poll very simple. The five choices are letter grades. This is not some mamby-pamby pass/fail test. It is an A-B-C-D-F letter graded final exam. Perhaps I should not have used the words fail and pass together when discussing my team as I don’t want you to think I am being sarcastic.
Unlike most of my fellow journalists at The Plain Dealer and Beacon Journal, I am never sarcastic about my Brownies. I will leave that to the sportswriters and save my sarcasm for politicians.
This week’s question is “What grade would you give the Cleveland Browns for their 2017 draft choices? Head to our website and tell us what letter grade you have assigned to the Browns 2017 draft.
Like John McLaughlin used to say — the correct answer is: A! Or like Cavs owner Dan Gilbert’s son once said about the Cavs’ draft: “What’s not to like?”
They stuck to their guns and took the almost universally acclaimed best talent, defensive end Myles Garrett with their No. 1 overall pick. They wanted to trade up from their number 12 overall pick and tab Mentor’s Mitchell (don’t call me Mitch) Trubisky as the long awaited successor to Bernie Kosar. But alas, we were blindsided by what I thought was a crazy Bears team. The Bad News Bears themselves pulled off a surprise trade up and picked Trubisky with the second pick of the draft.
I liked the hometown kid but not at that price. “Good things come to those who wait” is what I say. So then they thought they could get Texas Tech gunslinger Patrick Mahomes at 12, but were beaten to the punch by a rampaging Buffalo team. I was okay with that too because it meant that Ohio State safety Malik Hooker would fall into our lap.
Not to be. The analytical “money ball” Browns had already made a handshake deal with Houston to trade that pick for the 26th pick in the first round and Houston’s first round pick next year. That means that the Browns also passed up on the chance to pick the quarterback I had been rooting all season for them to get — Clemson’s Deshawn Watson. I can’t argue with that either. We have a lot of holes to fill. Patience, patience. We Browns fans are nothing if not patient, right?
We got our safety with that 26th pick in _ichigan’s Jabril Peppers. I think he will make a good strong safety although I personally would never pick someone from _ichigan. Oh well, it looks good on paper. Then they traded up to get a third first round choice by taking a highly rated tight end at 29. Smart move.
Lo and behold another quarterback from Ohio (well, Toledo is sort of in Ohio) fell to them with the 52nd overall pick. Deshone (don’t call me Deshawn) Kizer. Great gamble on a high ceiling but erratic kid. We are due to get lucky I think. We will also need some legal and moral luck on the defensive tackle we selected who’s got a bit of an anger management issue ... but that is another story better left to my cynical sports writing brethren at the PD.
Go Browns! A-plus! This is the year! Take it to the bank!
