Browns
18 Bears 16
Even with “scrubs” playing, this turned out to
be a ball game and with the come from behind victory, Browns finish the
preseason 3-1. Not too shabby… But I have to say, I dislike the term “scrubs.”
These are guys fighting for their dream, to play in the NFL. They have more
guts than I do and risk pain and injury to get a job playing the game they
love. So, hats off to those guys and best of luck to the ones that got cut this
week.
While fans were moaning and groaning over moves
made by their teams as the 53-man roster deadline approached on Saturday, I
want to use my five takes this week to talk about some guys that the Browns let
go. I am hopeful they will either be re-signed to the Practice Squad or catch
on with another team. The guys mentioned below have been the topic of many conversations around the Cleveland area. Abduel Kanneh was one of my favorites to watch at training camp, but apparently I was alone in my opinion that the kid had potential because his being waived has gone relatively unnoticed around here.
Kate’s 5 Takes
Inside Linebacker
James-Michael Johnson was taken in the 2012 draft by the Browns in the 4th
round. He played in 10 games his rookie season, racking up 20 solo tackles and
16 assists. He had a great INT return for a TD in the P4 game vs Bears. With
the Browns move to the 3-4 defense, JMJ’s talents just didn’t mesh with the new
scheme. He was picked up off waivers by
the Kansas City Chiefs. Since they run the 3-4 defense also, this may not be a better fit for him...
Safety Jamoris Slaughter
– when the Browns drafted Jamoris in the 6th round this year, there
was a lot of head scratching around town. While he showed real promise, he also
missed the entire 2012 season at Notre Dame with a torn Achilles. He saw little
playing time during training camp even though he has been medically cleared to
play. Monday, the team announced that he cleared waivers and had been signed to
the Practice Squad. I guess they aren’t quite ready to write off one of the few
draft picks they selected this year.
WR Tori Gurley, Naaman Roosevelt, David Nelson – Cutting the Boys from Buffalo
wasn’t much of a surprise. Nelson hasn’t mentally recovered from the ACL injury
that ended his time with the Bills. I don’t have any inside information or
anything, but it just looked to me like he didn’t trust the knee yet. Roosevelt was a received I really like in
training camp. I thought he was quick and athletic enough to make the team, but
he was also plagued with minor injuries that kept him off the field. Gurley was the real surprise for me. We don’t
have enough depth at WR so I was sad to see this athletic young man go. At 6’4”
and 230 lbs., he’s the size I like in a receiver. Luckily, he cleared waivers
and was signed to the Practice Squad on Monday. I’m keeping my fingers crossed
for him.
TE Kellen Davis, HB Brad Smelley – Nobody’s
talking about why Davis was cut. He made the 53-man roster but was cut the next
day. With the release, he becomes a free agent. I saw some really good blocking
and tackling from him in camp, but he had trouble making catches. Smelley was drafted in the 7th
round 2012. It feels like the new regime is cleaning house and getting rid of
players that “aren’t their guys.” Or maybe it’s just me. Anyway, while he could play H-back or TE, the
Browns weren’t completely in love with him. They put in a claim for TE MarQueis
Gray who had been dropped by the 49ers and once they were awarded him, Smelley
was history.
K Brandon Bogotay,
Shayne Graham – yeah, so we don’t have a kicker. Graham was just released with his contract terminated but Bogotay was listed as waived/injury. So, when no one claimed him, he was moved to IR (groin injury he suffered in preseason).
Normally, this wouldn’t be a big deal.
Teams don’t need a kicker until game time and I can understand wanting
to keep other guys that you are still “on the bubble” about. HOWEVER…. THIS IS CLEVELAND. Phil Dawson, our
much beloved kicker and the only remaining player from the 1999 team, moved on
to San Fran last year and fans have done
nothing but bemoan the fact that our Ace Kicker is gone and who could possibly
deal with the weather and wind that come in off Lake Erie for 8 games a year?
Meh. If a kicker is our biggest problem, I’ll be a very happy fan. Oh, BTW, they’re having Kicker Tryouts on
Tuesday… anyone interested? (Dan
Carpenter and Billy Cundiff are the leading candidates, but who knows?)
Week 1 will be here in just a few days and my Browns will
face the ‘Phins of Miami. We have a terrible track record for the home opener
and this season there is the added pressure of a fan base that is so hopeful, so
desperate to believe in the changes the team has made. I believe we’ll win, but
then again, I always believe.Don't forget to check out all of my Browns articles, plus stuff from the other 31 teams on www.nflfemale.com. We may be ladies but WE KNOW FOOTBALL!
Respectfully
Submitted,
Cleveland
Kate
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