Stallworth Says Road to Super Bowl Goes Through Cleveland

One of the new additions to the Browns, wide receiver Donte’ Stallworth, recently said that he turned down more money from a noncontender this past off-season.  He also said he jokes around with former teammate Randy Moss that “the road to the Super Bowl goes through Cleveland.”  Whether or not that is the case, it does not necessarily matter.  All we need as fans is a show of confidence from the team, and a player like Stallworth will be a great addition in that regard.  The Browns could use a player that talks the proverbial “smack” and walks with a, dare I say, certain swagger about them.  The match-ups with the Steelers this season should be classic.

- On another note, keep the date of July 23rd in your mind, because it is the date Christmas has been rescheduled to.  That’s right, the Browns’ training camp begins in just a few short weeks and we will be ready to dust off our writing talent here at DPD to offer up analysis and attempts at hilarity all the way through next season and beyond.

Brook Lopez, “Pulling a Brady Quinn”

It seems that Brook Lopez, recent draft pick of the New Jersey Nets, has no intentions of being like Brady Quinn. He was ranked high (as high as one of the top-three picks in some mock drafts) going into the 2008 NBA Draft only to see his stock fall all the way to #10 and the Nets. Here is a video of him waiting around for his name to be called. The best part has to do with another highly-ranked draft prospect that fell into the hands of the Cleveland Browns. Hopefully, “pulling a Brady Quinn” becomes a household saying for rookies who plummet to better teams for less money. Boo-hoo. At the very least, I’m going to start using the “pulling a Brady Quinn” line.

As Slow As It Gets…

In addition to being a little busier than I thought I would be this week, the news for the Cleveland Browns has been at a healthy standstill.  As fans, we just have to get through this particular slow period (the slowest one of all), and it essentially becomes smooth sailing all the way through next February.

Just letting you guys know we’re still alive, maybe in hibernation, but still alive.  Part Two of the off-season rundown will be coming at you soon, so look out for it.

Monday Afternoon Link Fest

Here are some links for this beautiful Monday afternoon (at least where I am sitting). Additionally, as all of you know, the Dallas Cowboys are the Browns’ first opponent in the upcoming 2008 season. There is also a good chance that the arrogance of “America’s Team” makes you at least chuckle, especially after yet another disappointing showing by them in the playoffs. If that is the case, then here is the best news you will hear today: the Browns are 3-point favorites in that Week One match-up. Should be interesting leading up to the game. - First, the Browns were apparently interested in acquiring veteran receiver Eric Parker from the San Diego Chargers. Now, the team could be interested in the Jaguars’ Matt Jones. This certainly raises some questions, as the Browns originally seemed solid at the receiver position. Perhaps Joe Jurevicius has more physical ailments than we could imagine and can contribute even less than that of a third receiver. I wouldn’t be suprised if he gave the Browns the go-ahead to go shopping for yet another wide receiver, as he wasn’t shy to originally inform them he was incapable of handling the duties of the #2 wide receiver. - Terry Pluto thinks the Browns should shop one of their tight ends or fullbacks in order to obtain a cornerback they so desperately need. - Is rookie linebacker Beau Bell going to be enough of a hard-nosed player for the Browns? Around the AFC North: - Running back Rudi Johnson - isn’t it great Cincinnati is back to being the lovable Bungles? - has had an impressive off-season. Around the NFL: - Our blogger over at Black & Teal is certainly making an impression with The Landry Hat. Apparently, Dan can’t seem to handle sarcasm directed at his ‘Boys, which led to something similar to a childish fit of anger followed by a storm of angry Cowboys fans. Jeanne gets a smiley face next to her name in my book. And finally… - Wall-E and the future of sports (p.s. I NEED to see Wall-E, in the worst way). And while I am on the topic of movies, let me remind you to NEVER see “The Love Guru.” That is, unless your only form of entertainment and satisfaction is found through wasting your money. In that case, just burn it at home. Mike Myers’ comedy is currently dead and buried and, by the looks of it, I would hope to never see it resurrected.

Friday Afternoon Link Love

On this Friday afternoon, I figured I would introduce some links.  The goal would be to start making this a daily endeavor, and hopefully we follow through with it, because that would really be swell:

- Screenshots of Cleveland Browns Stadium in Madden ‘09.

- The best Cleveland games ever seen, including the Browns’ 34-30 playoff win against the Buffalo Bills in 1990.

- The Browns’ rookies - along with those of the Giants, Texans, and Saints - visited the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Wednesday.

Around the AFC North:

- Chad Johnson appears humble, and the media couldn’t care less about reporting it.  David, our Bengals blogger, wonders where the media is when Johnson isn’t causing a ruckus.  It really shouldn’t come as a surprise.

- Watching the Baltimore Ravens suffer is somewhat of a glorious pastime for Browns fans.  It rivals Christmas in its abilities to instill feel-good vibes among all who inhabit the Cleveland area and are avid supporters of the Brownies.  On that note, let’s hope the Ravens never find the starting quarterback they so desperately seek.

Other News:

- Fan-Sided blogs has had a busy week, debuting a brand-new main site.  In addition to that, the network is proud to introduce Jeanne, the lead blogger for Black & Teal, the network’s Jacksonville Jaguars blog.  Head on over there and wish her a warm welcome, or something of the sort.

Browns Sign Rookie Lineman

The Browns continued to add depth to their offensive line by signing rookie free agent Derrick Morse.  Morse (6-4, 320) played college ball at Miami (Fla.) and was with the Browns in May for their rookie mini-camp.  He also started every game the last two seasons.

Morse is primarily a center according to his nfldraftscout.com profile, but started all 12 games at right guard in 2006.  Morse is going to certainly be a project for the Browns, and will probably be shifted along the line to help wherever necessary.  The health of the current line and the development of Morse will probably determine where he eventually ends up if the Browns stick with him.  His potential versatility is a major plus.

Additionally, three players have been waived by the team:

• WR Nate Hughes
• LB Xavier Mitchell
• DB Darnell Terrell

New Fan-Sided Blog: Toro Times

In Fan-Sided’s quest to cover all 32 NFL teams, the network has added a blog for the Houston Texans - Toro Times! John Harden is the lead blogger over there and while he is only seventeen, I would not let the age fool you; this guy knows his stuff.  Plus, it’s not so bad being the youngest blogger on this network anymore.

Head on over there, give John a shout-out and a hearty hello, and begin reading the appropriate onslaught of Texans content.  By the way, the Browns play the Texans on November 23rd, so we’ll be keeping a close eye on John and perhaps fire some choice words his way when the game is approaching - all in good fun, of course.

Stallworth Making Good Impression

With the main focus of this article surrounding the ongoing discussion over Kellen Winslow’s contract situation, the little tidbit about Donte’ Stallworth seems to get lost.  We all know about Winslow, Rosenhaus, and the happy face K2 was probably forcing throughout minicamp.  What should be celebrated more is what Stallworth did.

The Browns’ new wide receiver took a red-eye flight from California and returned to Cleveland at 6:30 Wednesday morning so he could participate in the team’s final practice.  He was attending a funeral for a family member.  It would have been understandable for him to miss practice because of a funeral, but this was a move that displayed strong character.

I don’t know why I still wonder why these stories don’t get more space in the papers.  After all, it’s just a boring tidbit about a player dedicated to his team, but these are becoming more rare than the stories that involve players in contract disputes.  And of course, Stallworth has been known to be unhappy with some teams in the past…

But at least he likes Cleveland so far!

Mascot Battle Raging Over at CBS

If any form of competition gets your juices flowing, then this will definitely be up your alley.  CBS Sports is running a tournament of the NFL’s mascots, and the Browns’ TD is currently locked (sort of) in a second-round battle with the Dolphin’s TD.  After voting, and seeing the results, it would seem that TD (our TD, that is) is going to need all the help he can get because he currently holds only about 32% of the vote.

A 13-seed, TD took down the Kansas City Chiefs’ mascot KC Wolf in the first round.  Take that, KC!  Sorry, I am a sucker for any sort of competition, especially a tournament (and this one being utterly meaningless makes it even better).

If you have a minute, head on over there and vote for the Browns’ TD.  I can’t say that we have the most imaginative mascots (pretty simple dogs), but they get the job done, which is simply entertaining kiddies.  Plus, we have to stay loyal.  And when are the Browns going to get mascots for the adults, i.e. cheerleaders?

Surprise, Surprise: Browns in No Hurry to Give Winslow New Deal

The Kellen Winslow contract situation/OTA absence has been a major topic of discussion in the past few weeks in Browns country.  It has been no secret that the Browns’ tight end wants a new contract.  And now, Phil Savage has said the team does not “have a lot of wiggle room right now at this particular time.”  In other words, it’s not happening anytime soon and there is a chance it may never happen at this point.

Winslow, everyone’s favorite soldier, is probably becoming more jaded by the day, flabbergasted by the disrespect he thinks he is receiving by the Browns organization.  After all, he is a Pro Bowler.  What he probably fails to realize is that the Browns stood by him after a broken leg, which was not his fault, but also after that motorcycle accident in hopes that he could regain some shred of his former self.  And this is without mentioning the right knee that he is continuing to rehab that has forced to him to miss all of the team’s voluntary workouts and will most likely limit his activity during minicamp.  The least Kellen could do is buy the team a thank-you card or, better yet, not request more money.

He should be counting his blessings; not only does he get to make over $4 million each of the next three years, the guy is still alive.  When Drew Rosenhaus is your agent, you tend to overlook those little facts.  And while Winslow’s play on the field has warranted a raise, it wouldn’t come as a surprise to see it come from another team.  One can only imagine what kind of physical condition he will be in four years down the road.

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