Key to building this team out and key to this upcoming draft?  Key to how well we do in 2012. Key to what we think of HHS going into season? Key to commentary on Randy Lerner?

I'm thinking this Free Agency is going to be huge and it is not going to be easy.  We may not be able to do it well.

Consider the Free Agents available.  http://www.ourlads.com/nflfa/


   There is a lot of talent there.  Upgrades at every position. Not likely to be cheap.  NOT listed is Peyton Manning and he could be the biggest acquisition of the offseason. Peyton will not come cheap. Brady is 19+ million on a 2 year old contract. Reportedly Brees' agent Tom Condon has turned down 20 million and Peyton is leaving 28 million in INDY.  Bidding by Miami and DC and the Jets equals BIG bucks.

I'm not interested in manning coming to the Browns. I am interested in the money some FAs will demand, especially at DE. Williams, Campbell and Avril are the top three DEs and each will get a huge payday. Other FA's at DE will also cash in. The Pats have Carter as a FA. He will get paid. How important is a pass rushing DE? Consider that Brady went 7 for 17 after taking the hit in the SB and landing on his bum shoulder. Consider it is the weakest spot on the Pats defense.  Consider the Brown have ONE DE and a team to have a great defense needs TWO.

Build through the draft. Nice cliche. How about build? There are a lot of players 27 or younger with 4 years or more left in the tank.  We could upgrade our OL with a RT and Guard. Pick up a couple of WRs. Add a stellar TE, one who can block and catch. A running back with quicks would be a difference maker.  Of course we could get a couple of LBs and a couple of DBs and add that needed DE.  How about a QB?

Free Agency is a target rich arena to build a respectable team.  Selecting a couple of players on defense and a couple of players on offense that fit and matching them to our draft turns this franchise around.  Respectable on field football, best STR, it's there.  Commitment, Money, Evaluation, Selection, Can we do it?

Where we go and what we do or do not do in Free Agence is telling.

Here's another grouping to add to the confusion of what to do where to go and whom to get.

http://nfltraderumors.co/2012-nfl-free-agents/

Flynn not in the top25. Wes Welker lowly listed. Landry and Pouha at the bottom, and when you get to notables, what's there?

Still there is a cornucopia of talent and properly matched with the draft gives us a winner.

Wake me up at 12:01 am on the first signing day.

A lot of these guys will be re-signed by their current teams (including DQ, I hope) or franchised. I'd like to get Bowe, Vincent Jackson, or DeSean Jackson and instantly upgrade the WR corps.

I think you're aiming too high with those WR's. Those guys will target, and be targeted by, winning teams. We need to identify, go hard after, and overpay a guy like Stevie Johnson or Brandon Lloyd. I prefer the former. In general, we should target and aggressively pursue solid, 2nd tier FA's that can start for us and be upgrades. Do that in all positions of dire need, like WR, OT, DE and S. Then go into the draft a lot less desperate.

I'm mystified that so many fans are hellbent on re-signing Jackson. I'd look at other MLB's. Jackson's tackle numbers are inflated and low quality. Take the yards given up and divide by his tackle count and you'd have a meaningful stat. Jackson has a lot of tackle because teams ran on us so much because they could. Only the Colts were run on more in 2011. The problem is that Jackson has way too many tackles 4 or more yards past the Line of Scrimmage. It's not the Dline either. It's that Jackson isn't quick enough to get to the point of attack or strong enough to shed a blocker. Jackson also has missed about half his career due to injury. This defense would be a lot better with a bigger, faster MLB and a fast WOLB. 

Meanwhile, many are content to let a real difference maker like Hillis walk. Good teams find a way to keep their best players. Hillis' contract year sins are no worse than Cribbs'. Hillis has low miles and is an ideal WCO RB. Hillis also loves Cleveland and WANTS to be a Brown. I don't think they'll need to pay all that much to keep him. I'd still draft an alternate back in the middle rounds, but it would be a huge mistake to let Hillis walk.

PROSECUTOR wrote: A lot of these guys will be re-signed by their current teams (including DQ, I hope) or franchised. I'd like to get Bowe, Vincent Jackson, or DeSean Jackson and instantly upgrade the WR corps.

though we won't do both...signing Flynn  would probably allow RG3 to drop to us