Niblets from around the net for 4/18/09

Fryingpan Sports By Bill Smith

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Best Email this week:

from TheonlyJustice on Mangini seems to be eliminating the leaders on the Browns.

I would feel a little better if Mangini was at least talking to the media a little .I can understand a new coach wanting to keep quiet a little bit about the off season and pre-draft goings-on, but all we have heard here in the Cleveland area is very little and less.

He has already turned off our best defensive player from last year Shaun Rogers. And he isn’t sure if he should use the 3-4 or 4-3 defense , has he looked at the films from last season? We DO NOT have the right linebackers or speed at D-End to keep the same D as Romeo used. And he is saying Derek and Brady will have to compete for the #1 QB, we in C Town are fed up with QB completions after one has had a chance to prove himself and for most of the time didn’t pass the test, Derek fooled the other teams for the first half of the 2007 season, and looked terrible last season. Anderson has a strong arm, but he Read more at FryingPanSports

The analysis of the Cutler trade.

Fryingpan Sports

The analysis of the Cutler trade.

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By Bill Smith

The Broncos got lucky—real lucky—in the Cutler trade. It is hard to overestimate the NFL owners’ willingness to jump at getting talent. And make no mistake about it, Cutler is talented. But a lot of that talent is not performance, it is potential. And nothing can get a coach fired faster than the P word—potential.

Part of the reason that Cutler went as high as he did was the lack of starting quality QBs available in free agency and the draft. There are a couple of competent veteran FA QBs with starting experience like Byron Leftwitch, J.P Losman, and Joey Harrington among others. So far no one has indicated a great deal of interest in any of the three.

The deal wasn’t all that one sided. The Bears gave the 09 first and third, a first in 2010 and QB Kyle Orton. They got QB Jay Cutler and the Broncos 5th pick in 2010. The first and third picks in 09 was the minimum that you would expect for a young franchise QB. Besides, the Bears received a compensatory pick at the end of the 3rdRead more at FryingPanSports

Don't get too excited about a 3 team deal involving Jay Cutler and the Browns.

Fryingpan Sports

Don’t get too excited about a 3 team deal involving Jay Cutler and the Browns.

By Bill Smith

There is a lot of talk about the Browns being the point guard in a three way deal for Denver QB Jay Cutler. Not so fast, my friend. There are more than a couple chuck holes between Cleveland and anywhere Cutler is liable to end up.

The trade chatter has Brown’s QB Brady Quinn going to Denver, Cutler going to Detroit, Tampa, Seattle, or the Jets, and a covey of draft choices coming to the Browns. There are a covey of problems with that scenario.

  1. There is no way that Denver gives up a semi-proven QB with a pro bowl and 37 starts in the NFL over 3 seasons in exchange for Quinn and his 3 starts and 65.8 passer rating. The Broncos will want Quinn and a high draft pick (late 1 or very early 2) to make that deal.
  1. Tampa is out of the contest because they don’t have a second. They traded it to Cleveland for TE Kelvin Winslow. They would give up their 1 for Cutler but that would have to go to Denver to complete
Read more at FryingPanSports

Several NFL QBs are in the frying pan.

Fryingpan Sports

Several NFL QBs are in the frying pan.

FryPan

By Bill Smith

Several NFL QBs are in the frying pan but some stoves are turned up hotter than others. From top to bottom, these are the QBs I see as having to produce this season or they will be somewhere else next year—maybe bagging groceries at Piggly Wiggly.

So hot they have to carry a fire extinguisher everywhere they go:

Minnesota – Tarvaris Jackson Jackson was the problem last year with the Vikes. When the league realized that he couldn’t hit water falling out of a boat, they played 39 guys on the line to stop the running game. Jackson’s 45 passer rating won’t get him a third year under center.

Oakland – JaMarcus Russell Granted that Russell doesn’t have a great offense to work with but if he doesn’t start making better reads somebody will wake up Al Davis long enough to sack him even if he was a top draft choice. The only thing saving him so far is that total lack of any viable alternative on the Raider roster.

St. Louis – Marc Bulger Bulger has been running on rep for a couple of years. With … Read more at FryingPanSports