Brownie Bits

The Cleveland Browns have been somewhat active since the player movement period has started,but not as frantic as some thought could mark the beginning of the Holmgren/Heckert era.
The Browns have added two likely starters and a possible third and released Derek Anderson and dropped some salary with his release.

Before we look at the newest Browns,lets say goodbye to Derek Anderson,who for all of his flaws did bring Browns fans their only season of good news over the last ten years.
Anderson was not the best passer that Cleveland has ever had,but he might have had the strongest arm the Browns have seen and that arm is exactly why Anderson will have little problem finding a team over the next few weeks for 2010.
Derek Anderson will be playing in this league after Brady Quinn and Seneca Wallace are gone because of his arm.
Coaches and player personnel people will give Anderson chance after chance for that reason.
Take a look at the long and lucrative career of Vinny Testaverde,who looks like just what I see Anderson's career unfolding as.
It is hard to say Anderson will be missed,but the Browns have had far worse quarterbacks in Brown and Orange.

I did like the Browns two free agent signings and both should be starters in the opening day lineup.
Linebacker Scott Fujita will step right in and add a veteran leader that specializes in tackling,which is something this team needs badly.
The thirty year old has been with three teams and spent the last four with the Saints after stops in Kansas City and Dallas.
Don't expect Fujita to be a high impact player,but he is just the type of steady veteran that a rebuilding team needs.

Tony Pashos signed from San Francisco to basically become the right tackle.
This should shove Pork Chop Womack over to guard and shove John St.Clair to the unemployment line.
Pashos missed the final ten games of 2009 after injuring his left shoulder,but was a durable player before then in his time with the Ravens and Jaguars.
Pashos doesn't have to be Joe Thomas,he just has to not be the revolving door that St.Clair was.
Both Fujita and Pashos signed three year deals.

The Browns then traded for Mike Holmgren favorite Seneca Wallace from the Seahawks for an undisclosed/conditional draft pick in 2011.
I have seen every game that Seneca Wallace has quarterbacked in with the Seahawks and lets hope that the Browns long term plan is not Seneca Wallace.
Wallace is athletic,adds a different dimension to the offense off the bench and I can imagine that with some creativity (Wait,isn't Brian Daboll still the OC?,Never mind) that a Wallace/Josh Cribbs formations could be quite effective.
However,he is short at 5'11,his arm is not exactly huge and hasn't exactly shined for the most part in his starts in Seattle,which were quite frequent over the last two seasons with the injuries to brittle Matt Hasselbeck.
I have no problem with Wallace as a backup and he does being unique skills to Cleveland,but if this is another "West Coast" Guru that is going to "Remake" a quarterback into a star,then I am worried.
I do think that the Browns could have added a Seneca Wallace type without surrendering a draft pick,but at least it is a conditional one,so that is a bit better.

So,the Browns addressed the right side of the offensive line,added a starting linebacker and replaced one player at quarterback.
Overall,a small step of improvement.
What does this mean for the Browns in the draft?
With the loss of Brodney Pool and no veterans brought in,it looks to me like the Browns are looking at DB in the draft with Eric Berry (I hope) or Joe Haden (slow 40 time at the combine) as the likely picks for Cleveland.

Working extra tonight,so some planned posts are pushed back a bit,so more tomorrow....

Photo Credits
Fujita-AP Photo
Wallace-Unknown

Photo Credits