- After a few months of lukewarm comments about Brandon Weeden, suddenly Browns coaches are making positive comments to the press but they still refuse to commit to him. Why the change in tone? Is it a smoke screen? Weeden was the worst QB in the NFL last year in the red zone and not much better in any of his other metrics. Now all of the sudden the Browns see some good things about Weeden? On defense the Browns have shown their hand, they want to run a modern, attacking high octane D that puts pressure on offenses. Do we really believe that all of the sudden, the Browns new leadership is willing to bet the team's future on a plodding QB with poor field vision?
- Mike Lombardi has had a muzzle put on him. Joe Banner says this is because he wants Lombardi 100% focused on the draft. My opinion is that Banner doesn't believe Lombardi can keep his mouth shut. Lombardi has been a member of the press for many years now and there is a risk that Lombardi, with a free hand to talk to the press, will reveal something about the Browns views on Smith that will tip off other teams to the Browns intentions.
- The Browns will have a private workout with Geno Smith. When asked why the Browns are investing in a private workout with Smith, Banner dismisses the notion that the Browns are in fact truly interested in Smith, going to great pains to underline that QB is NOT the focus of the Browns in this draft and that they are only evaluating Smith to make sure they complete their due diligence. Smells like a bluff to me.
- The Browns have been very active signing free agents, and have filled some of the holes on defense that had been previously thought might be filled in the draft. The Browns are now positioned to draft an offensive player in this draft.
Joe Banner likes to run a tight organization and it seems odd to me that suddenly the entire organization is underlining that QB is not our draft focus, are sending positive signals on Weeden, at the same time the team is working out Geno Smith. And why the muzzle on Mike Lombardi?
What just might be happening is that the Browns are trying their best not to alert the rest of the league that Geno Smith is the guy they want for Chud's modern high powered O. So you read it here first, Geno Smith will go somewhere in the first 6 picks of this draft, and the only way the Browns won't get him is if another team grabs him earlier.
