Minicamp provides confirmation of picks’ skills

By Bernie Kosar, Special Contributor to ClevelandBrowns.com

Here are some highlights from my latest appearance on “Cleveland Browns Daily, Driven by Liberty Ford”:

It didn’t surprise me that Brandon Weeden had such a solid minicamp in terms of throwing the ball.

And, of course, you can’t forget that it is a non-contact environment and that a lot more goes into playing quarterback, or any position, when it’s live and the hitting’s going on.  But just in terms of being able to show confidence, show his ability to throw the ball, show his ability to handle some of things he’ll see from different teams and read defenses, I thought he performed exceptionally well.

Even without contact, Trent Richardson was able to display his potential to be a top-tier, workhorse back. That was something we saw with Peyton Hillis a few years ago when he had his magical season. He had the ability to come in contact with a defender and break the tackle and make yards after that.

Not to over-glorify or over-hype it, but I think you’d be hard-pressed to say that anybody in college football in the last couple years has run like Trent Richardson. He shows that rare ability to break tackles and get those yards after contact, which is now becoming an incredibly important statistic and quality that you look for with running backs.

You go into these minicamps hoping to see on your own practice field what you saw of these draft picks during their college careers, especially the high picks. So, from that standpoint, it’s just nice to kind of get confirmation of that in real life with your playbook, with your plays, doing it in your situation.

The other nice thing is seeing the guys’ intensity – intensity to play, intensity to be part of this team now, to pick up the offense and defense, and make the plays that you’re used to seeing or you expect to see come Sunday afternoon in the fall. And that was the case throughout all three days of minicamp.

Be sure to catch Bernie Kosar’s regular appearances with Vic Carucci on “Cleveland Browns Daily, Driven by Liberty Ford,” Monday through Friday, 6-7 p.m. ET, live on ESPN 850 WKNR and ClevelandBrowns.com

Weeden’s impressive passing looks like real deal

By Vic Carucci, Senior Editor

You can’t conclude a whole lot from a minicamp practice. A rookie minicamp offers even less fodder for conclusions.

Helmets, yes. Pads, no. Contact, accidental at the most.

The pace and tempo are nothing remotely close to what is found in an NFL game. But it’s something. It’s a starting point. It’s football’s version of sort of stretching before the workout (even though there is actually stretching before these minicamp practices).

And most of what it comes down to is an elongated passing drill. Sure, there are some running plays sprinkled into the mix. Sure, the players at other positions do what they and their coaches deem significant work on the field.

However, the practices only offer us a chance to make what we think is a substantive judgment in one area: How the quarterback throws the ball. Because regardless of the circumstances and no matter who is on the field and the manner in which they perform, a throw is a throw. You can determine its quality or lack thereof.

So I feel fairly comfortable in saying this about Browns first-round draft pick Brandon Weeden: He can throw a football extremely well. He can throw it hard or soft, fast or slow, and usually with considerable accuracy. He delivers an ultra-tight spiral that cuts through the air like a laser.

At one point during the morning practice, one of those spirals was traveling straight to where three of us were standing together on the sidelines. Truth was, one of us (probably me) would have likely have been struck by the ball before being able to step out of the way. Fortunately, Josh Cooper, an undrafted free agent who caught passes from Weeden at Oklahoma State, stepped in front of us at the last moment to make the grab.

I was mesmerized in the same way I was when Weeden fired passes through defensive traffic, when he connected on several nice deep outs, when he hooked up with his tight end in the seam.

I reminded myself that it was May, not September. I reminded myself that he was surrounded by other rookies, many of whom won’t make it to the final roster of the Browns or any NFL team for that matter. I reminded myself the weather was perfect, a sun-splashed day without a hint of wind. I reminded myself of everything that would force me to keep my enthusiasm about Weeden’s talent in check.

Still, your eyes know what they’ve seen, and what I saw was the big arm, the strong pocket presence, the quick decision-making. What I saw was what was advertised after the Browns made this 28-year-old rookie the 22^nd overall pick of the draft last month.

“He reminds me of Bernie Kosar in the huddle, and that’s saying a lot,” Hanford Dixon told me later when we gathered to discuss the first day of minicamp on “Cleveland Browns Daily, Driven by Liberty Ford.”

Yes, that is saying a lot.

But I have this feeling it just might not be saying too much.

>>Be sure to tune in Monday through Friday, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. ET, for “Cleveland Browns Daily, Driven by Liberty Ford” on ESPN 850 WKNR or catch the live stream right here on ClevelandBrowns.com.

>>Have a question for “Cleveland Browns Daily, Driven by Liberty Ford”? Ask me at Twitter.com/viccarucci

Minicamp can bring out the best in the rest

By Bernie Kosar, Special Contributor to ClevelandBrowns.com

Here are some highlights from my latest appearance on “Cleveland Browns Daily, Driven by Liberty Ford”:

The focus on the Browns’ minicamp this weekend will no doubt be on Trent Richardson and Brandon Weeden.

They’ll do about a million interviews. They’ll be all that anyone wants to talk about.

But the players that you really need to pay attention to are the lower-round picks and the undrafted free agents. We’ve talked a lot through the offseason about how many gifted and talented football players there are out there. And you don’t necessarily find them within the first 10 picks of the draft or the first 22 picks of the draft.

What coaches, scouts, and front-office people are really asking themselves at that first minicamp is whether there is another Josh Cribbs out there? Or is there another Victor Cruz out there? Or is one of our sixth-round draft picks another Ahtyba Rubin? And there will be guys on the field trying to make that sort of a statement, trying to make an impression to see if they could earn a roster spot and contribute at that level.

It won’t just be lower-round choices or undrafted rookies. There will be a few guys in this minicamp who are just there on tryouts. They’ll come in without any publicity or recognition, and because they literally have  a few days or even one day to stick with the team, they’ll try and do things out there that make them stand out.

The incumbent players won’t be part of this minicamp, but when they do start practicing with the rookies, they’re going to be looking for what I looked for when I was a veteran player. Because there’s not a lot of head-banging and physical contact, it’s tough to get the truest reads of some of the players.

But you can see how hungry these guys are. You can see how much they want to be out there and what level of expectation they have for themselves.

You want to see the confidence of not only wanting to do well, but expecting to do well.

Be sure to catch Bernie Kosar’s regular appearances with Vic Carucci on “Cleveland Browns Daily, Driven by Liberty Ford,” Monday through Friday, 6-7 p.m. ET, live on ESPN 850 WKNR and ClevelandBrowns.com

Richardson’s impact goes beyond running

By Bernie Kosar, Special Contributor to ClevelandBrowns.com

Here are some highlights from my latest appearance on “Cleveland Browns Daily, Driven by Liberty Ford”:

There’s no doubt about the type of impact a great running back can have on a team’s success.

You look at Marshall Faulk when Kurt Warner came to St. Louis and the Rams won the Super Bowl. You look at Adrian Peterson when Brett Favre went to the NFC Championship game with the Vikings.

And I don’t want to put the pressure on Trent Richardson, but I believe he has the opportunity to be talked about in the same breath as those types of running backs. He has that many God-given gifts, abilities, along with tremendous passion for the game.

But when you have guys like that it makes defensive coordinators and defenses play that eighth man in the box, play that extra guy up there. It puts single coverage outside. It significantly simplifies pass defenses.

So, in turn, it actually makes it easier for your quarterback because he gets easier defenses to read. He gets one-on-one coverage, and then he has the ability to run the ball and be on the positive side in down-and-distance situations. And Trent is the kind of running back who doesn’t have to leave the field.

I’m a big fan of Trent’s coach at Alabama, Nick Saban, in terms of how he coaches and teaches his guys. His guys are NFL-ready and for a superstar runner like Trent to be not only a constant threat as a runner but to also have the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and pass protect is something special.

To have someone back there who can pick up the linebackers, handle the blitzes, chip on offensive linemen and then release gives you the chance to play more of a well-rounded, physical game. And I really believe it makes the whole team a more physical, tougher – a more Cleveland-area type of approach.

I just think it’s going to add a lot of benefits to the team.

Be sure to catch Bernie Kosar’s regular appearances with Vic Carucci on “Cleveland Browns Daily, Driven by Liberty Ford,” Monday through Friday, 6-7 p.m. ET, live on ESPN 850 WKNR and ClevelandBrowns.com

Immediate impact key to judging Weeden

By Bernie Kosar, Special Contributor to ClevelandBrowns.com

Here are some highlights from my latest appearance on “Cleveland Browns Daily, Driven by Liberty Ford”:

You can’t underestimate the importance of acquiring a potential franchise quarterback, as the Browns did by making Brandon Weeden the 22^nd overall pick of the draft.

That’s especially important for the Browns fans, given the last 13 years and the state of the record.

Does the fact he is 28 years old possibly take away from his ability to be a long-term answer? In a perfect world, I’d like to have someone in place for 10 to 15 years.

But at the end of the day, this world is not perfect and you have to adjust. And the next five years, the next couple of years, this pick definitely upgrades us and gives us a chance to be better and deeper at the quarterback position.

Marc Trestman, head coach of the Canadian Football League’s Montreal Alouettes and a guy I really respect and who had a big influence on my life professionally and personally, was one of the guys who worked out and prepared Weeden for the Senior Bowl, the Combine, and the draft. He loves Weeden’s ability to throw the ball – his release, his footwork, his intelligence, and his passion for the game. He’s a big believer in Brandon Weeden.

In addition to Weeden’s age, a lot has also been made of the fact he played professional baseball before establishing himself as a top quarterback at Oklahoma State, and the fact he played in a spread offense in college. The spread offense that Oklahoma State ran throws a lot of glorified running plays in the form of bubble screens and things of that nature.

But at the end of the day, Weeden went to the Senior Bowl from a pro-style offense and he’s able to make the pro-style throws. I don’t think the fact he played in a spread offense in college will be a problem.

And I think the fact that, in college, he has been able to throw the ball with some velocity in tough situations is going to allow him to progress in the pros.

Be sure to catch Bernie Kosar’s regular appearances with Vic Carucci on “Cleveland Browns Daily, Driven by Liberty Ford,” Monday through Friday, 6-7 p.m. ET, live on ESPN 850 WKNR and ClevelandBrowns.com

Essence of Browns’ draft comes down to four picks

By Vic Carucci, Senior Editor

The Browns had 11 picks in the 2012 draft, but the essence of what they accomplished over the past three days comes down to four choices: Trent Richardson, Brandon Weeden, Mitchell Schwartz, and Travis Benjamin.

This is in no way is to suggest that any or all of the remaining seven picks won’t become good or even great players in the NFL.

But for all practical purposes, it is fair to say that Richardson, Weeden, Schwartz, and Benjamin are being counted on the most to have the sort of immediate impact that will allow the Browns to make the “big jump” that team president Mike Holmgren called a “reasonable” expectation when addressing reporters near the draft’s end on Saturday.

Based on what they’ve done at the collegiate level and how they’ve been evaluated by general manager Tom Heckert and the rest of the Browns’ player-personnel staff, the four look to be direct answers to the following pressing questions that have lingered since last season’s 4-12 finish:

Who is going to carry the load at running back now that Peyton Hillis has moved on to the Kansas City Chiefs?

The Browns were so confident in Richardson’s ability to do so that they made a trade with the Minnesota Vikings to move from the No. 4 to the No. 3 overall pick to guarantee that they would land the former Alabama star. Richardson not only is the most talented running back in the draft, he is arguably the most dynamic player, period. He provides greater versatility than Hillis did even when Hillis was in the midst of the one standout season he has had so far, in 2010. The Browns’ anemic offense instantly improves with the addition of a highly explosive runner who can be as effective working between the tackles as he is going outside, who catches the ball exceptionally well, and who is an excellent blocker in the passing game.

Who is going to be the franchise quarterback?

Neither Holmgren nor anyone else within the Browns’ hierarchy is anointing Weeden as the team’s starter. None of them is saying the job still belongs to Colt McCoy, either. The fact is, however, the Browns invested a first-round pick in Weeden with the idea of upgrading themselves at quarterback. And, as Holmgren and coach Pat Shurmur mentioned on Saturday, the former Oklahoma State standout enters the NFL with an elevated level of maturity because he is 28 and has already been exposed to professional sports as a former baseball player in the New York Yankees’ organization. The Browns’ brass clearly is excited about Weeden’s powerful arm, strong pocket presence, and superb decision-making skills on the field.

Who will replace Tony Pashos at right tackle?

The Browns parted ways with the oft-injured Pashos earlier in the offseason, but questions would have lingered about the right tackle spot even if he were still on the roster. Oneil Cousins and John Greco could conceivably have helped patch the hole, as they tried to do last season, but there was a need to have a more definitive answer. Granted, nothing can be considered definitive with any rookie at any position, let alone one as challenging as offensive tackle, but the Browns feel very good about Schwartz’s chances of sufficiently handling the chore as their starting right tackle. Schwartz gives them a combination of good size, strength, and athleticism that should allow him to be a force in helping to make room for Richardson in the running game and providing solid pass protection. The Browns’ big-picture view of their offensive line is that they will eventually have three highly dependable pieces in Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas, center Alex Mack, and Schwartz.

How will the receiving corps improve?

This, by far, was the hottest of the burning questions among the majority of Browns followers. And the general consensus is that, by selecting only one wide receiver in the draft, the team essentially ignored it. Not true. Let’s start with the addition of Benjamin. At 5-foot-10 and 172 pounds, he isn’t nearly as tall or thick as receivers typically found in the West Coast-style offense the Browns run. However, what the Browns coveted was Benjamin’s remarkable speed (he runs a 4.3-second 40-yard dash), something they feel will provide a game-breaking dimension to their passing game and their kick returns. Additionally, if Richardson is the same player in the NFL that he was in college, the Browns’ passing game should easily improve because opposing defenses will be forced to honor his presence in ways they did not have to do against Cleveland’s virtually non-existent running game last season. And if Weeden is the highly accurate and smart passer in the NFL that he was in college, the Browns’ incumbent receivers should thrive more … provided, as Holmgren was quick to point out, they catch the ball better than they did a year ago. And the team president is expecting they will.

>>Be sure to tune in Monday through Friday, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. ET, for “Cleveland Browns Daily, Driven by Liberty Ford” on ESPN 850 WKNR or catch the live stream right here on ClevelandBrowns.com.

>>Have a question for “Cleveland Browns Daily, Driven by Liberty Ford”? Ask me at Twitter.com/viccarucci

Browns target Schwartz in thin tackle crop

By Vic Carucci, Senior Editor

Understand this about the 2012 NFL draft crop: It did not offer a whole lot in the way of exceptional offensive tackles.

Some would argue that only one was Matt Kalil, the former USC standout chosen by the Minnesota Vikings with the fourth overall choice acquired in a trade with the Browns.

The Browns had an offensive tackle need as well, someone to take over on the right side after they parted ways with Tony Pashos. But according to their player evaluations, after Kalil, they did not see a second one worthy of a first-round pick. That is why, after using the third overall choice on running back Trent Richardson, they used the 22^nd on quarterback Brandon Weeden.

The Browns did, however, identify a player they believe can satisfactorily address their hole at right tackle: Mitchell Schwartz, from California. And that is why they decided to select him with their second-round pick, ahead of other tackles who received greater discussion from national draft analysts.

The Browns like the power with which he plays, the exact quality that a right tackle must have to help lead the charge in the running game.

The Browns also like the fact that he has a solid physique, with long arms (33 inches), and is capable of adding more muscle. Mitchell is smart, agile, and has strong instincts.

In addition, he is a highly aggressive player who gives full effort on every snap, the perfect attitude when getting out in front on run plays. And Mitchell does a nice job of working in space.

Some draftniks might have had Mitchell rated a lower than where the Browns chose him, but that doesn’t matter to general manager Tom Heckert and the rest of the team’s decision-makers. The Browns thoroughly scouted the position, and were convinced Mitchell was the right man to address a pressing need.

And, as far as the Browns were concerned, Mitchell brought better value than the remaining wide receivers on the board. They saw far more urgency in landing him where they did because they want someone who can help them get the most from their two other newest additions on offense, Richardson and Weeden.

With better offensive line play, the Browns have every reason to believe they’ve already done enough to improve their production on that side of the ball.

>>Be sure to tune in Monday through Friday, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. ET, for “Cleveland Browns Daily, Driven by Liberty Ford” on ESPN 850 WKNR or catch the live stream right here on ClevelandBrowns.com.

>>Have a question for “Cleveland Browns Daily, Driven by Liberty Ford”? Ask me at Twitter.com/viccarucci

With big-armed Weeden, age is not a problem

By Vic Carucci, Senior Editor

NEW YORK – Forget about the age thing.

Brandon Weeden might be “old” for an NFL rookie, but he is far from ancient.

At 28 (he’ll be 29 in October) he is plenty young to be viewed as a player with the proverbial upside.

And let’s face it: The goal is to have a quarterback who can make a major impact in the next three to five years. In the grand scheme of things, worrying about what he will do 10 years from now is fairly irrelevant.

The Browns needed a passer with a big arm that allows him to handle the inclement conditions with which they often have to cope at home as well as at the three other stadiums they visit each year in the AFC North. Weeden gives them that.

They needed a quarterback with a strong pocket presence – a strong, fearless leader who won’t back down from the challenges prevented by the stout defenses of the Steelers, Ravens, and Bengals. Those can both be checked off with Weeden.

Getting that kind of player at the most important position on the team was critical enough for the Browns not to take a chance on waiting beyond the No. 22 pick to do so.

Don’t fret. The Browns still have the ability to find the help they need at wide receiver and on the offensive line on Friday night, and can hit their defensive needs through the balance of the draft as well.

Weeden is a poised professional. The time he spent as a professional baseball player, which caused him to put his football career on hold, allowed him to grow and develop as a man. It hardened him – gave him more of an edge than can be found from the typical rookie.

The fact Weeden is older than Colt McCoy, as well as many other players on the Browns, is no small consideration. He won’t feel any sense of intimidation or trepidation about stepping into an NFL locker room.

You want your quarterback feeling that he is not merely leasing the spot behind center. You want him to feel that he owns it. That is the sort of feeling Weeden will have.

With a dynamic running back in Trent Richardson and a big-armed passer in Brandon Weeden, the Browns have every reason to feel good about the way they have begun one of the most critical drafts in team history.

>>Be sure to tune in Monday through Friday, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. ET, for “Cleveland Browns Daily, Driven by Liberty Ford” on ESPN 850 WKNR or catch the live stream right here on ClevelandBrowns.com.

>>Have a question for “Cleveland Browns Daily, Driven by Liberty Ford”? Ask me at Twitter.com/viccarucci

Browns did what was necessary to land Richardson

By Vic Carucci, Senior Editor

NEW YORK – In the end, this was the move that made the most sense.

The Browns desperately needed to land a difference-making player in the 2012 draft. They could not take the risk of sitting at No. 4 and hoping that Trent Richardson – the most dynamic force in this year’s college crop outside of Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III – would be available for them to take.

Hope is not a strategy.

Making a trade with the Minnesota Vikings to move up one spot to assure themselves of getting Richardson was. And the Browns did the somewhat bold and extremely smart thing by pulling off that deal.

Now, the team has someone it can count on to make an enormous impact right away … and for years to come.

Yes, Richardson is a running back, and, yes, the NFL is a pass-first league. However, his presence in the Browns’ backfield should go a long way toward enhancing their passing game. He will force opposing defenses to put a safety in the box and, therefore, leave an extra hole to be exploited through the air.

Richardson also is a superb receiver out of the backfield and can also be split wide. In addition, he can help in pass protection.

Most of all, though, he is a highly effective ball-carrier. He can pound out the tough yards between the tackles. He can explode for long gains up the middle and outside. He is the multi-dimensional running back talent that the Browns haven’t had in a long time. As strong a season as Peyton Hillis had in 2010, he still wasn’t what you could call highly versatile. He did a nice job of catching the ball, but the bulk of his damage on the ground came through straight-ahead, power running. And he wasn’t able to sustain that high level of performance in 2011.

The majority of draft evaluators with whom I’ve spoken say Richardson has the talent to consistently produce at an elite level. And with Richardson running well, the Browns should be able to get much more from the passing game that Pat Shurmur installed last year and will have a full offseason, training camp, and preseason to enhance.

I have no problem whatsoever with the fact the Browns parted with fourth-, fifth-, and seventh-round choices to acquire the pick to land Richardson.

In the long run, those players are unlikely to make the individual or even collective impact that Richardson will make. When you have a conviction on a player, as the Browns did with Richardson, you have to do what you can (within reason) to get him. This transaction fell in the parameters of being “within reason.”

The Browns can do something they haven’t been able to do for much of this offseason, and that’s give their fans a reason to feel excited and hopeful.

That’s what dynamic players such as Trent Richardson do.

>>Be sure to tune in Monday through Friday, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. ET, for “Cleveland Browns Daily, Driven by Liberty Ford” on ESPN 850 WKNR or catch the live stream right here on ClevelandBrowns.com.

>>Have a question for “Cleveland Browns Daily, Driven by Liberty Ford”? Ask me at Twitter.com/viccarucci

With draft decisions, follow your convictions

By Bernie Kosar, Special Contributor to ClevelandBrowns.com

Here are some highlights from my latest appearance on “Cleveland Browns Daily, Driven by Liberty Ford”:

When all is said and done, the decision with your first pick in the draft comes down to this: If, in your heart of hearts, you are convinced that you’re going to get a difference-maker, that he’s going make you an exponentially better team and is going to be a starter and difference-maker for years to come in the league, then you have to take that guy.

And I don’t necessarily mean a difference-maker as in someone who scores touchdowns. Joe Thomas has been a difference-maker by holding down the left tackle position for five years, by being consistent, by being reliable, by not being an issue, by locking down the left side of the line. I think Alex Mack has done that, too, at center.

So it doesn’t have to be a player at a so-called “sexy” position, but it is imperative that you get a guy who is going to play and contribute solidly for you for years to come.

I read an interesting article on Cleveland.com about the history of the top 10 picks of the draft since the Browns came back in ’99, and, boy, there have been some incredible years where most of the top 10 was a disaster – to the point where you look at it and say, “Oh, my God, I’m glad I didn’t pick there.”

You’re talking about cases of six, seven, eight, nine of the top 10 guys who haven’t really been playmakers. Instead, it’s been players selected 15-30 who have been the better long-term NFL playmakers and pros.

Now, if you have those demons in your head and you’re just not sure about any of the players available when you make that first pick, you know there are typically other teams that want to jump up and they’re paying incredibly higher prices in picks to move up, sometimes only a few spots. And if you’re able to get picks next year and get some picks later this year and still keep your first-round pick but only a few spots lower than where you started, there’s a lot of great depth at certain positions in this draft to make that move work.

I think history’s going to say that in this draft, yes, the top two quarterbacks are getting a lot of the hype at as the first two picks, but there are some other players in some other spots that I think really are going to be special for years to come.

Be sure to catch Bernie Kosar’s regular appearances with Vic Carucci on “Cleveland Browns Daily, Driven by Liberty Ford,” Monday through Friday, 6-7 p.m. ET, live on ESPN 850 WKNR and ClevelandBrowns.com