There are no shortage of topics from readers as they get into midseason form with their questions for beat writer Tony Grossi.
As far as Tony Grossi is concerned, the new quarterback duo of Jake Delhomme (left) and Seneca Wallace have already proven to be a significant improvement from last year's pair of Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn.Hey, Tony: I'm all for Roger Goodell's plans to change the contracts of unproven rookies. But a thought occurred to me about the subject that sets the NFL apart from any other pro sports league. Don't these ludicrous contracts have some merit because they keep drafted players with their teams longer? With a huge contract, these players have a long time before they have to renegotiate a new deal, and there isn't as much of a risk losing a player in his second or third year to a better-paying team or contract disputes. -- Dan Kubacki, Parma
Hey, Dan: In the NFL, it's become standard for first-round players to get five-year contracts and everyone after that gets four-year deals. Sometimes the top 3 or 4 picks ink six-year deals. That doesn't stop players from seeking new deals, or enhancements, if they outperform or exceed expectations. Tennessee back Chris Johnson is the perfect example. Minnesota's Adrian Peterson also falls into that category.
Hey, Tony: I've read about the Wildcat package and how the versatility of Josh Cribbs and Seneca Wallace will make it tough for defenses to adjust to the various formations. But how has Seneca Wallace performed in training camp so far aside from his Wildcat duties? It sounded like he had a fairly good inter-squad scrimmage although I don't think his offense scored. -- Greg Dineen, Middletown
Hey, Greg: I think Wallace has looked good, for the most part. He's got the strongest arm of the four quarterbacks. He is accurate from the pocket and on the move. He has to move a lot because he's short and needs to create throwing lanes.
Hey, Tony: When are we going to see more reps for Colt McCoy? -- Ken Owen, Texarkana, Texas
Hey, Ken: Sorry, Longhorn, the plan is for McCoy to sit and learn in 2010.
Hey, Tony: With the Hall of Fame inductions this past week, I can't comprehend why Clay Matthews Jr. is still on the outside looking in. He played 19 years; 278 games (16th place), 4 Pro Bowls. He played at such a high level at a very demanding position. What is it going to take to get him inducted? -- Mike Gron, Tallmadge
Hey, Mike: I've answered this before. Matthews has a tough road to get to Canton. I'm not saying he's not deserving. He is, but the lack of a signature moment/game/championship season hurts him. Even one Super Bowl appearance doesn't guarantee it. Look at Randy Gradishar. I've voted for him in the past, but he has fallen short. The key is for Matthews to make it to the finalist round where his career can be debated in the selection meeting. The good news is Matthews has about 13 more years of eligibility. The bad news is he may need that long for a backlog of other deserving candidates to be inducted.
Hey, Tony: Is there anything different about this training camp vs. all the others since the Browns came back in 1999? Or, is it the "same ol', same ol'?" -- Steve Bohnenkamp, Geneva, Ill.
Hey, Steve: It's pretty organized. Less and less hitting over the years, and this one falls into line there. Through two weeks, I must admit I've seen few plays that elicited a "wow." Then again, Ben Gay isn't here anymore.
Kicker Phil Dawson leads the Browns' special teams, one of the best in the NFL.Hey, Tony: We always hear what the Browns weaknesses are and what we need to improve on. What are our strengths compared to the rest of the league? Is there a single position that you would rank us in the top of the NFL? We have no identity as a team (running team, passing team, run stopping, pass stopping). Can you give me one reason to believe we're even a .500 team? -- Scott Baum, Chicago, Ill.
Hey, Scott: I'd put the Browns' special teams on a par with the league's best. I don't buy the cliche that it's one-third of the game, but we saw special teams win games last year (Buffalo, Kansas City). One reason to believe the Browns are a .500 team? Take these for what they're worth: They're building off the 4-0 finish. They proved to themselves they can run the ball when the opponent knows they're going to run. The defense added new key players at linebacker and in the secondary. They finally beat Pittsburgh and should have gained a little mental edge through that. There's optimism about a new running back and the second year of two starting receivers. There's a new, dependable tight end. P.S. If you come to Cleveland, don't drive over the I-480 bridge. I'm afraid you'll be tempted to jump.
Hey, Tony: On a good defensive team, which position would usually lead the team in tackles? I just read that Abram Elam led the Browns in tackles last year and this is no knock on Abram but I don't think you want your safety to be the position making the most tackles. -- Glenn Studevant, Tucson, Ariz.
Hey, Glenn: It depends on the defensive system used. In this one, the inside linebackers should lead in tackles. That would have happened if D'Qwell Jackson had not missed seven games with an injury.
Hey, Tony: In your opinion, what percentage of the time will we see Josh Cribbs lined up outside compared to the percent we'll see him start out of the backfield? Also, could we see him, at all, in the defensive backfield? -- Joe Cepec, Dublin
Hey, Joe: It may depend on how well Mohamed Massaquoi and Brian Robiskie play in their second season. If they progress as planned, Cribbs may line up only in four-receiver packages (with Chansi Stuckey) or in the special gimmick package with Seneca Wallace at QB. I'm curious how they will incorporate Cribbs in the games. I suspect his use is being overhyped, but we'll see. I see him lining up as an emergency safety only if the position is decimated by injury. That's when Mike Furrey played there last year.
Hey, Tony: Evan Moore was a wide receiver at Stanford. Every report questions his physical size for the tight end position, along with blocking skills. Because the jury really is still out on Josh Cribbs, any chance that Moore can concentrate on the slot receiver position and allow Cribbs to concentrate on running back? -- Richard Markovich, Schaumburg, Ill.
Hey, Richard: No, the team has committed to developing Moore as the No. 2 tight end. He is 6-6 and 250 pounds. While he will motion from a two-tight end set to a wideout position, Moore's days as a pure wide receiver ended when he left Stanford.
Hey, Tony: Why don't the Browns try an all-brown uniform? You have said the brown pants have grown on you but with the white jersey it looks bad. I say they try the brown pants but add white and orange leg stripes and pair it up at home with the traditional brown jersey. I think it would give us a tough look at home without sacrificing tradition too much. The Bengals and Ravens have at least 3 uniform combos, why not us? I would love to hear your take on this! -- Jasin Crauthamel, Brunswick
Hey, Jasin: Thank you for reminding me why I stopped answering uniform questions. The moratorium is back on.
How quickly rookie Shawn Lauvao adjusts to the NFL will determine how the right side of the offensive line shapes up by opening day, says Tony Grossi.Hey, Tony: For the love of God please tell us that John "free pass to the QB" St. Clair is not going to be our starting RT. -- Justin Z, Mariemont
Hey, Justin: With Tony Pashos having shoulder problems, the right tackle competition could come down to St. Clair and Floyd Womack. Ultimately, it may come down to whether rookie Shawn Lauvao is a better player at guard right now than St. Clair is at right tackle. If the answer is yes, Womack could move to tackle.
Hey, Tony: I'm a local comedian trying to get into the Iowa Comedy Festival, where industry people can see me. They're only taking 14 comedians and they're having an Internet vote for the final slot. Tony, could you please ask your readers to help a fellow Clevelander (Mayfield Village)? Tell them to go to iacomedyfest.wordpress.com, look for "Best of the Midwest Poll" and vote for "Bill Russ." -- Bill Russ, Cleveland
Hey, Bill: Next time pass along a one-liner on the Browns, so I can steal it.
Hey, Tony: My gut is telling me we may have had a better draft (and more prudent in some ways) under the first year of the short-lived Mangini/Kokinis era. Yes, Holmgren brought some sorely needed personality to the organization and more respected football expertise at the GM role in plucking Tom Heckert from the Eagles. But, are the Browns really doing better in the draft room? I think it's debatable. Lastly, if the offense continues to struggle, when do you identify that the problem might be Brian Daboll and the system? If I recall, this is the same system Brett Favre used when he went to the Jets. System vs. player mismatches are not a good thing. -- Mike G, Japan
Hey, Mike: I would have liked to have seen what Holmgren and Heckert would have done at No. 5 in 2009 with Mark Sanchez there. Mangini has said he didn't know what he had in Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn, and that's fair. If the offense continues to struggle, the pressure on Daboll will grow. Holmgren has former coordinator Gil Haskell observing everything on offense.
Hey, Tony: What are the keys that will truly determine how much this team has improved since last year? The obvious answer is win-loss, but you also have to account for the fact that you could make Super Bowl cases for seven of the Browns opponents, totaling 10 games on the schedule. So I guess my question is this: Does it look better for Mangini if they lose those 10 games (say five are by one possession) but win the other six games? Or if they win three of those 10 matchups against elite teams, but go 3-3 in the other six? (For full disclosure, the "elite" team matchups I am looking at are the Steelers, Bengals, Ravens, Patriots, Jets, Saints and Falcons.) -- Matthew, Maine
Hey, Matthew: Playing teams close is not the goal. Winning is. No matter which teams the wins are against, a 6-10 record is not going to engender a lot of confidence from the community.
Jerome Harrison certainly expects to be the Browns' feature back when the regular season gets underway.Hey, Tony: With Montario Hardesty out for a bit, does Jerome Harrison have total control of the running back job? Or do guys like James Davis and Peyton Hillis now have a fair shot at it? Because if all the hype about Hillis is correct, I think he should be given his fair shot and we all know what James Davis can do, at least in the preseason. -- Ryan Bonds, Medina
Hey, Ryan: If Harrison loses carries to Hillis and Davis with Hardesty out, I don't think that will go over well with the man known on the team as J.C. (Harrison).
Hey, Tony: It is my understanding that Dick LeBeau was elected to the Hall of Fame solely on his contributions as a player -- not as a coach -- because he is still an active coach. If that is the case, could he be elected again for his contributions as a coach and defensive coordinator? I believe the college football hall allows people to be enshrined as both players and coaches. Who do you think will be the next Cleveland Brown to be enshrined? Clay Matthews? Joe Thomas? Josh Cribbs? -- Dave Masline, Mobile, Ala.
Hey, Dave: On LeBeau, the answer is no. Nobody is important enough to earn two bronze busts and two enshrinement ceremonies. Next Brown to be enshrined? Candidates should include Matthews, Blanton Collier and Gary Collins before Thomas and Cribbs even approach retirement. But I honestly can't say which player has the best shot.
Hey, Tony: I know you are extremely pro Holmgren. However, do you not agree bringing Jake Delhomme to the already worst offense was a horrible idea... and if that had been Mangini doing that and not Holmgren he would have been chased out of town for that insane move. I feel like Holmgren took a tough situation on offense for Mangini and strapped weights to his legs with Delhomme and yelled run! -- Michael Spitale, Galena
Hey, Michael: At this point, I still feel Delhomme and Seneca Wallace are big improvements over Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn. I understand your sentiment, though. The next question is what would Mangini have done if Holmgren had not been hired? My guess is the Browns quarterback would be Kellen Clemens.
Hey, Tony: Is it possible to find out if Seneca Wallace is planning to change his number before I order a jersey? -- James Williams, Cleveland
Hey, James: I believe he is staying with No. 6.
Hey, Tony: Two questions: Which drafted rookies have looked the best and worst; and why has John St. Clair been running with the first team at RT? We saw what happened last year -- could he really open this season as a starter? -- Matt Alsip, Towson, Md.
Hey, Matt: Prior to the Packers game, best looking rookie: T.J. Ward. Worst: Clifton Geathers (he's green). St. Clair has been playing first team right tackle because Tony Pashos hasn't been able to stay healthy. It's possible St. Clair or Floyd Womack could be the starter.
Hey, Tony: I know Eric Barton was hurt last year, but I haven't heard much of anything about him this year. What's up with Eric? -- David Roberts, Tyler, Texas
Hey, David: Barton has recovered nicely from his neck injury and is part of a large group competing for four starting spots. He recently moved into the No. 1 unit as a result of the D'Qwell Jackson injury.
Hey, Tony: Why did Miami release Matt Roth? What were they thinking? He seems like a pretty good player with a lot of upside. -- Daniel Gray, Irvington, N.Y.
Hey, Daniel: Reports at the time said the Dolphins (Bill Parcells) were upset that Roth could not stay on the field because of injuries. Some reports cast doubt on whether the Dolphins thought Roth was truly hurt or not. There could be other insider reasons that haven't come to light.
Hey, Tony: I've noticed Rob Ryan and other Browns' personnel with T-shirts that say "What's up, Bud?" on the back. What's up with that? -- John Lash, Delaware, Ohio
Hey, John: Assistant strength coach Rick Lyle had the shirts made up to pay homage to strength coach Kent Johnston, who greets everyone by saying, "What's up, Bud?"
-- Tony