SD:

They bypassed Blackmon , because they needed TR after cocking off the RG3 pick , because the only way you transfix average QB play is to have a tremendous running game .

AA:

Two things.

As Inigo Montoya might have said.  "Transfix?  You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."

The second, when you wrote "because the only way you transfix (ahem) average is QB play is to..."

I was convinced that Thought Train was pulling into Tanneyhill Village. 

Since the Browns failed on getting Mister 1A in Griffin, surely they would have opted for the almost as athletic 1B in Ryan.

Or is the "only way" what the Browns had in mind all along once Griffin was removed from the equation?

Aardvark wrote: SD:

They bypassed Blackmon , because they needed TR after cocking off the RG3 pick , because the only way you transfix average QB play is to have a tremendous running game .

AA:

Two things.

As Inigo Montoya might have said.  "Transfix?  You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."

The second, when you wrote "because the only way you transfix (ahem) average is QB play is to..."

I was convinced that Thought Train was pulling into Tanneyhill Village. 

Since the Browns failed on getting Mister 1A in Griffin, surely they would have opted for the almost as athletic 1B in Ryan.

Or is the "only way" what the Browns had in mind all along once Griffin was removed from the equation?

SD:

Randy's obserations off the cuff in the press  were an  edict and not an observation , as the Browns efforts went from building thru the draft to finding picks which allow them to immediately contend .

They doubled down after the RG3 miss and picked the only QB who could come in and start immediately ,ignoring age and 7 years of lost value long term in Tannehill  who was rated
ahead of Weeden and younger , they thru out allowing the draft to come to them and forged their needs in the fire  of panic.

Your own off the cuffs remarks about them picking Weeden at 22  would be the indicator of panic  have been fullfilled .

Randy musta really reamed some azz over colt falling off the end of the World , and the embarrassment of being the laughingstock of the league over the RG3 gaffe was fresh in their pay any cost to grab their guy  early plays.

SoulDawg

bw wrote: SD:
Randy musta really reamed some azz over colt falling off the end of the World , and the embarrassment of being the laughingstock of the league over the RG3 gaffe was fresh in their pay any cost to grab their guy  early plays.

bw:
Under the heading of "things we'll never know" there's always the possibility of the Athlete himself getting involved in the negotiations through his agent or another intermediary and saying, "I do not want to play in Cleveland".

I think it's much more than possible.

SD:

Flynn made it clear he wanted no parts of the Browns , but RG3 had no such leverage or wanted to risk his value with any such crap as you surmise. with your unfounded unsubstantiated slander.

The player didn't have that luxury before the tits traded up  , but it was something he exercised  with Indy in choosing not to be part of the Irsay daily drama tweet , when he canceled all private workouts after Washington moved up .

It was in his best interest not to let other teams see his wares and develop a scouting report once it was clear he was going to be a skin  or enable Irsay who wanted to drag out the 1st round choice and  keep his name in the paper when everybody including his momma knew they were picking Luck.

SoulDawg74 wrote:

bw wrote: SD:
Randy musta really reamed some azz over colt falling off the end of the World , and the embarrassment of being the laughingstock of the league over the RG3 gaffe was fresh in their pay any cost to grab their guy  early plays.

bw:
Under the heading of "things we'll never know" there's always the possibility of the Athlete himself getting involved in the negotiations through his agent or another intermediary and saying, "I do not want to play in Cleveland".

I think it's much more than possible.

SD:

Flynn made it clear he wanted no parts of the Browns , but RG3 had no such leverage or wanted to risk his value with any such crap as you surmise. with your unfounded unsubstantiated slander.

The player didn't have that luxury before the tits traded up  , but it was something he exercised  with Indy in choosing not to be part of the Irsay daily drama tweet , when he canceled all private workouts after Washington moved up .

It was in his best interest not to let other teams see his wares and develop a scouting report once it was clear he was going to be a skin  or enable Irsay who wanted to drag out the 1st round choice and  keep his name in the paper when everybody including his momma knew they were picking Luck.

That's why I said, "We'll never know".

But as long as we're playing "What If's" how do you think Couch would have done in Philly if we had drafted McNabb instead? 

How many good players, especially QBs, have been destroyed by lousy teams?

I'd venture -- Quite a few.  OTOH, a lot of the QBs that failed did so because.... Well, because they weren't very good quarterbacks.  I'd say that for every one that failed due to lack of talent, there was another one that failed because he was handled improperly.

How many Steve Youngs have there been over the years?  Not that many because once a QB's spirit (and body) get broken, there's not a real good chance of bringing him back.

RGIII is a very bright kid.  He is well aware of this.  Why would he want to go to Cleveland?

Rightly or wrongly, Cleveland has a reputation.  A bad one.  Carmine, D-Wight, Butch, Romeo, Savage....??

If you were a prospective SuperStar QB, would you want to take a chance on Cleveland or go to a team that has its shlt together?  (Especially when the money is virtually identical)

Since the return, we have done nothing but suck.  The only thing we excel in is suckitude.  There should be monuments built to our suckitude.

We need to build a reputation as a winner.  A place where people want to play.  Somewhere that players want to go because they know we're winners.  Not the perennial losers we are today.

'Word' has it that Fisher did his pal Shanahan a brother-in-law deal.  That may be true.  I also think word was gotten out that RGIII didn't want to go to Cleveland.

Can I prove it?  Hell no.  Is there any evidence?  Heavens no.

Do I believe it?    

The people involved wouldn't admit it under ten times the waterboarding we put KSM through.

BW:

But as long as we're playing "What If's" how do you think Couch would have done in Philly if we had drafted McNabb instead?

AA:

Not much differently.  People forget that the Eagles were a truly bad team when they drafted McNabb.
But then the qb helps to elevate them, and then years later people believe that qb was put into some great cockpit.

BW: 

RGIII is a very bright kid.  He is well aware of this.  Why would he want to go to Cleveland?

AA:

Well, first, it's more a matter of Griffin wanting to go to Washington, DC.

Top 7 media market.  Nation's capital.  His parents are in the military and probably have professional and personal ties there.  In a high profile division with more top media markets,

It's nothing against Cleveland.  In fact Cleveland might be attractive based upon the void left by LeBron.
Griffin comes to Cleveland, and he owns this town like no other athlete owned one this side of Peyton and Indy.

BW:

Rightly or wrongly, Cleveland has a reputation.  A bad one.  Carmine, D-Wight, Butch, Romeo, Savage....??

AA:

These guys barely know the name Jim Brown.  They don't get caught up in the minutiae of past front offices or coaches.  If that were true, RGIII would go "If you think I'm going to a club where Edward Bennett William laid waste, forget it!"  or "Washington?  That's where great coaches go to suck when they're old!" [Schottenheimer, Gibbs)

BW:

If you were a prospective SuperStar QB, would you want to take a chance on Cleveland or go to a team that has its shlt together? 

AA:

Obviously the latter. 

So where are you imagining the Redskins?  I see them as 95% of the way towards Cleveland.

BW:

Since the return, we have done nothing but suck.  The only thing we excel in is suckitude.  There should be monuments built to our suckitude.

AA:

And perhaps Dan Snyder can sit on the review committee, cuz that boy done knows suck forward and backwards.

# of winning seasons in last 10 years:
Cleveland- 2
Washington- 2

# of double digit losses in last 10 years:
Cleveland - 8
Washington- 6

BW:

I also think word was gotten out that RGIII didn't want to go to Cleveland.

AA:

That's a mindset for defensive NE Ohioans with feelings of inferiority.

I think, for reasons I described, it was more a matter of Griffin preferring DC rather than wanting to avoid Cleveland.

"'Word' has it that Fisher did his pal Shanahan a brother-in-law deal. That may be true. I also think word was gotten out that RGIII didn't want to go to Cleveland.

Can I prove it? Hell no. Is there any evidence? Heavens no.

Do I believe it?

The people involved wouldn't admit it under ten times the waterboarding we put KSM through."

-- The deal that didn't happen in Cleveland is interesting and what it may say about the NFL and about players is interesting. As you say, much of the detail may never be revealed.

If players start getting attitudes about who should draft them and where they will play it's a bad thing. Parents and agents and unions may also have voices in all of this. If a kid starts to think- or is made to think- about locations before he's even drafted, to me that has an odor of an NFL that isn't competitively balanced. If a draft is managed so that it fits a player's desire, then that draft has been altered for a non-football reason.

And I know it's been done before. Just as people have jumped off the Golden Gate bridge before. Hello, Eli Manning. How are you, John Elway?

When a player gets too much power- whether it's behind his parents or his agent or his union- that may ultimately change the sport. I guess in the era of free agency, that isn't a total suprise.

Again, is this a good thing for real fans? Not fans of media events. Fans of football. Where are any representatives for fee-paying fans to enter the fray?