Browns sign Kenny Britt,Trade with Texans.

I wrote earlier on the Browns efforts to improve the offensive line and how I believe that the additions have moved those efforts forward.

The first signing of the day saw the Browns perhaps move on from Terrelle Pryor,although they still say that they would like to return Pryor to the team,Pryor has begun to take the tours and talk the talk with other teams.
The player that will slot into the place of Pryor as the presumed number one receiver will be Kenny Britt,formerly of the Rams (and Titans previously),who signed a four year contract for 32 million.

Britt and Pryor's age (28 to 27) and their 2016 statistics (68 catches,1,002 yds,5 TD's for Britt compared to 77 catches,1,007 yards and 4 scores for Pryor) are remarkably similar,but Britt comes with some baggage to consider.
Britt has suffered a torn ACL and MCL(2011),has had some legal issues and has carried a rap of not always being a top effort player.
Let's look at it this way,the Rams offense was terrible last season and they allowed Britt to leave.
I suppose one could say the same about the Browns with Terrelle Pryor,but all things considered,if I can only have one or the other and if the price is similar (and it may or may not be before all is concrete) ,I lean toward the bigger player without an injury history with the higher upside.

I'm not against signing Kenny Britt,not at all,but I don't think he is a number one receiver and planning on him to be such might prove to be faulty thinking.
A top three WR corps of Pryor,Britt and Corey Coleman is pretty solid.
One of Britt,Coleman and question marks makes one think that the Browns have ran in place at the wideout position and it still might need to be further addressed without Pryor.

The final transaction of the day saw a deal that has not been seen in the NFL as the Browns took the hefty contract (16 million) of quarterback Brock Osweiler off the Houston Texans cap along with a 2018 second round pick and a sixth rounder in the 2017 draft in return for the 2017 4th round compensation pick.
I've heard different plans for Osweiler that include reworking his contract to make it easier to swap him and pick up more draft picks,releasing him to take the one year cap hit (Osweiler's deal while large is only on the cap for one season) and being done with him or even keeping him around to compete for the job with whomever is still around.

I don't think the Browns will keep Osweiler around,but honestly I'm not against it,if the offers for Osweiler aren't up to par.
I mean if you are going to eat the 16 million,you might as well take a look at him,right?
I know he was terrible in Houston,but his size and arm are a good fit for the AFC North in theory,so I'm fine with bringing him to camp,although I'd prefer moving him along for more capital.

I know 16 million is a lot of money to pay for a second round pick, (give Jimmy Haslem some credit for writing the check too),but this has no downside other than money.
You get a pick for nothing in football assets and if you get anything out of Osweiler at all (either on field or in the event that you get something for him),you get even more.

I don't grade this post quite as high as the previous post.
Britt for Pryor is a wash at best,but the Osweiler deal is not just low risk,it's no risk and I applaud the radical (for NFL anyway) thinking by the Browns.
I've been quite critical of the qualifications of Sashi Brown for running this team.
This was a excellent day and Brown looks good for now,but a caveat-All of these picks mean nothing,if you fail to take the right people.
The jury is still out for the 2016 draft,although the results early on can be questioned-the 2017 draft has to be a different story,if things are to continue to improve.

Browns beef up offensive line

The Cleveland Browns made a major leap forward in arguably making their offensive line one of the better O-line units in the league in free agency with a few signings,an extension for a current Brown and what might be an underrated waiver claim that flew under the radar on day one of free agency.

I'm going to write about the flashier news in a second post on offense and concentrate on the beef up front.
The effort is clearly being made to protect the quarterback (whomever that may be) and being able to open holes for the running game (Isaiah Crowell or any challenger that may come to town).

The biggest addition was guard Kevin Zeitler from the division rival Bengals to be installed at right guard.
The right side of the line was the weaker side last season and most observers had Zeitler as the top offensive lineman available in free agency,
At five years and sixty million dollars,which makes Zeitler the highest paid guard in the game,Zeitler didn't come cheap,but at 27 is in the middle of his prime,so that is a plus as so often in free agency,teams are paying for past production.
Zeitler should be spending his best seasons in Cleveland and the former first rounder from Wisconsin immediately improves the line.

The Browns also decided to scrap any thoughts of returning Cameron Erving to center as they signed J.C. Tretter from Green Bay to man that position.
The sites that grade offensive line play give Tretter high grades,but the concern with Tretter is staying healthy as he has missed 33 games due to injury in his four years with the Packers.
The former Cornell standout (wonder if he knows Andy Bernard?) will solidify the middle of the line,if he can just stay on the field and at 26,he has his best years in front of him.

Cleveland hedged their bets on Tretter as they took advantage of being first on the waiver claim list by claiming former third rounder (2014) Marcus Martin from the 49ers.
Martin started 22 games at center for the Niners in his three seasons and can play guard and even tackle in a pinch,so he not only adds insurance for the health of Tretter,he could be a versatile reserve.
A young player with starting experience on the waiver wire?
There has to be more than this for a crummy team like San Francisco to release Martin,so maybe Martin was their Cameron Erving,but for the waiver cost,I'm willing to take a look.

The final move on the offensive line was an extension to left guard Joel Bitonio for five years and 47 million.
Bitonio is coming off a foot injury,which adds some trepidation,but when he is on the field-Bitonio is a top level player and signing him now keeps him off next years free agent market,where he would have been the best guard available.

I love all these moves and you could make an argument that if any of the contenders at right tackle
(Shon Coleman,Spencer Drango and maybe Cameron Erving) can be even league average,this could be an offensive line that ranks in the top five to ten in the league and that would go a long way in a return to any type of respectability.
Combine those guys with the eventual return of John Greco from injury,the Browns line will be deep as well as good-Been a long time since I've said that!

I'll be back with the signing of Kenny Britt and yes,the trade with the Texans might come up as well...

Cleaning out the inbox-Mostly Non-Sports Edition

I wanted to get this finished before the Browns start of free agency later today and then boxing over the weekend,so here is a quick and mostly non-sports cleaning of the inbox.

Vulture.com (which I had never heard of) landed a great interview with David Letterman.
The wide ranging feature does discuss a lot about Donald Trump,but more than you would think about Letterman's home life along with his thoughts on television,late night,his life after retirement and more.
If you even are a mild Letterman fan,this is a fascinating read.

The New York Times as part of their series "Vietnam 1967" writes about Lyndon Johnson's Vietnam and how the former President and master politician wound up immersing himself in what the Times describes as an "Unwinnable War'.
The article discusses Johnson's fear of appearing weak,the domino theory and the various reasons that Johnson got into Vietnam and how he couldn't get out...

The Comeback writes of the finding of the "Chase Car" of one of the famous chase scenes in film history from the 1968 film "Bullitt" starring Steve McQueen.
Apparently,car customizers often make replicas from the 1967/68 Mustangs to make replicas from a car used in the film "Gone in Sixty Seconds".
I've never seen that movie,so I wouldn't know much about it,but people in that industry seem to be looking for those models for the above reason.
The car was found in a Mexican junkyard and upon some research and the handy VIN number managed to trace it back to being one of the two"Bullitt' cars.
Instead of being processing for its original intention,the car will be fixed up in true Bullitt style.
An estimate in the Los Angeles Times has the car perhaps reaching one million dollars if the owner chose to sell it after renovation.
The article says Steve McQueen,who died in 1980,reportedly tried in vain to find the car before his death.
Wonder if his son,Chad McQueen (as in Dutch from Karate Kid) might be interested in obtaining the car?

Sorry to hear of the death of Robert Osborne at the age of 84.
Osborne was the host of Turner Classic Movies,who appeared at the beginning and end of each TCM offering,giving some interesting facts and anecdotes on the film.
I remember first seeing Osborne in a similar position for the Movie Channel when Cherie and I were first married and we had that channel.
Osborne was so knowledgeable about film history and seemed like a pretty nice person in the years that he was in that position.

I wrote recently in an edition of the inbox about Ball Four and saw another piece to mention today.
Mark Armour of SABR brought this article of his about the book back on a tweet honoring Jim Bouton's birthday.
Bouton turned 78 yesterday and I hope it was a good one.
The article is a comprehensive one that mainly looks at Bouton,co-author Leonard Shector,the book and its aftermath.
It's a very deep look at the topic and very well written.

Blame it on- And a possible Goodbye

Photo Credit:Jason Christensen

Sorry,I've been away.
I'm going to try to catch up over the next few days,the Jackasses at Verizon have made my online life miserable and it could be as many as five days before I get this fixed.

Actually,if they don't do things then to my satisfaction,I may be changing servers and then that will drag the time out further before they could come and fix things.
So,I suppose unless I can get very lucky (on occasion,I do get some "good" time when things are running smoothly),I'll be doing much of my blog work from the road office.

I do have some podcasts planned,but I have to be honest-If I change IP providers,the cost will go up.
We all know how the economy works,but since things continue to rise and my paycheck does not,I may have to cut a thing or two and the 100+ dollars to Podbean will likely be a start.
I enjoy doing the show and I wish it wasn't so,but life is about choices.

I do plan going out with a bang though with two visits from Daniel Parlegreco and Scott Dryden on the NFL Draft and if he recovers from his broken jaw (get well soon,Joe),Joe Werner on baseball prospects.
I gave the TRS podcast an extra year after losing the sponsorship and with a few tweaks,some things were going to need decisions.
Sad to say,unless I get the proverbial Sack of Money falling from the sky to save the show,Sometime in May or June (I think that's the date) will be the last podcast.
Unless someone has a "Podbean" like base that they are willing to host my data on anyway,that is.

Blame it on Verizon.....
I'm still catching up and I'll get there soon-Thanks for reading...

Editors Note;This will have no effect on Fightheads,You can still catch me there every Monday night...

Cleaning out the inbox

Time to clean out the inbox with a few things that have piled up!

The 1968 Topps set is a real love or hate it with its "Burlap" background.
I like it,but my favorite set of the 1960's is 1965 with 1963 and 1968 battling for the place spot.
With the set being my birth year,you would figure that would be a set that I would work on,but the oppressive cost of the Nolan Ryan and Johnny Bench rookie cards have scared me off through the years.
1968 Topps also has my favorite insert set of all time with the Baseball Game set that came one card per pack in that years set.

The 1968 Topps design is back in the headlines this season as it is the chosen design for the Topps Heritage line.
Heritage is pretty much the only major league cards that I buy to have a set of for personal collection and for the occasional major leaguer that I would see on the trail.
Topps takes a gander at their own product here.

I'm working on a future post on one of my all time favorites-"Mr.Perfect" Curt Hennig and found this terrific article from SI in 2016 that looks back at the "Perfect Athlete",but does it with his son,current WWE wrestler "Curtis Axel" Joe Hennig.
That adds a special spin on the article as it talks just as much about Hennig the man as the wrestler and it allows his son to be more than just the current performer.
I found it quite absorbing...

Rolling Stone writes about the 40th anniversary of Slap Shot and why it is the quintessential sports movie of the 70's.
One of the best parts of the movie (besides the Hansons!) is just looking around an average small city in the 1970's and what it looked in an era when I was a child.
Slap Shot is truly a funny movie and ranks with some of the best sports movies made for fun and laughter..
Toe Blake! Eddie Shore! Old Time Hockey!

Wired has an oral history of the O.J.-Made in America documentary,which not only I recommend,but won an Oscar for best documentary.
It focuses on the making of the film and the people being interviewed more than Simpson,so if you've seen the film,it is a nice companion piece and if not,a good starting point for knowing a few of the interviewees before you start....

Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes of the rise from almost nowhere for Ashland tight end Adam Shaheen,who could be drafted as high as the third round in the NFL Draft,depending on what draft meister that you choose to read.
The 6'6 tight end is a former basketball player,which seems to attract players to the tight end position...

Thurman decisions Garcia-Boxing Challenge

The run of getting decisions in borderline fights ran out for Danny Garcia as he lost his WBC welterweight title to WBA champion Keith Thurman via split decision in Brooklyn.

The bout was nothing visually impressive and nothing to get excited about as Thurman controlled the bout winning 116-112 on my card despite giving away the final two rounds by "boxing" AKA running away to avoid contact.
I tweeted during the late rounds of the fight that some judge was going to have this close and sure enough, there was one.
The fight wasn't a classic by any means and I doubt that even with two title belts now that Thurman will be gaining a lot of points in the TRS rankings.
I earned two points in the boxing challenge by picking Thurman, while Ramon Malpica picked Garcia.

The undercard saw talented junior middleweight Erickson Lubin crunch overmatched Jorge Cota with a powerful left hand in the 4th and qualify for a WBC title shot vs the winner of Jermell Charlo-Charles Hatley.
Lubin is a strong prospect and it'll be interesting to see how he steps up in his title challenge.
Lubin's KO gave me two points to Ramon Malpica's one.

Andrezj Fonfara stopped former world champion Chad Dawson in an untelevised bout on the card in the tenth and final round.
Fonfara's KO allowed me two points to Ramon Malpica's one.

The fight of the day was in London, where WBC cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew move up to heavyweight and pull a massive upset over former cruiser and heavyweight champion David Haye in the 11th round of a bombs-away slugfest.
Haye had his moments in the 4th and 5th rounds hurting Bellew before slipping on some water in the 6th and injuring his Achilles Tendon.

Bellew took over against the battered Haye, scoring a knockdown in the 6th round before ending the fight by sending Haye through the ropes in the 11th and his corner threw into the towel.
I had Bellew ahead 95-94 entering the final round with Haye winning the first five rounds prior to the injury and Bellew winning the rounds thereafter.
Haye's loss cost the UK a huge fight there with Haye challenging Anthony Joshua (assuming Joshua wins against Wladimir Klitschko).
I doubt Bellew wants that fight with the size difference, so the best payday for Bellew might be waiting for Haye to heal for a rematch.
Both Ramon and I picked Haye to win for no points.

The boxing challenge saw me outscore Ramon six to two on the weekend and move ahead in the overall challenge 22-20.

Boxing Challenge

The Boxing Challenge continues with a huge fight to set the winner forward to an argument for being the best welterweight in the world.
Ramon Malpica currently leads me in the challenge 18-16.

On CBS on Saturday night,WBA welterweight champion Keith Thurman will unify his title with the WBC title held by Danny Garcia to create an arguable claim to the top 147 pounder in the world (In the TRS rankings,it is a battle of the 4th and 5th rated in the division).

I have been critical of both Thurman (for overrated power and less than strong opponents) and Garcia (weak opposition over the last three years and getting close decisions that he hasn't always deserved),but I am excited about this bout.
I am always in favor of titles being unified and it's nice to see these two fighting good fighters,but this hype of this being like this generation's Leonard-Hearns seems far too excessive.
This might be a good fight,but I have my doubts about it being an all time classic.
Garcia is more proven against better competition,Thurman has looked better at the weight,so this is a pickem fight,but one thing that cannot be questioned-the winner of this fight will have other bigger fights ahead such as the winner of Kell Brook-Errol Spence.
The winner of this fight against the winner of that fight is a great fight-that winner will be truly the top welterweight in the world...

The undercard is nothing special with promising Erickson Lubin in what is expected to be a squash match against Jorge Cota in a junior middleweight fight and former champion Chad Dawson fighting Andrezj Fonfara in a light heavyweight bout that could mean the end of the line for the loser.
The main challenge of interest other than Thurman-Garcia is the heavyweight bout from England with former heavyweight champion David Haye against current WBC cruiserweight belt holder Tony Bellew.
This bout seems pretty heated and might be fun for a while before Haye overpowers the smaller man.
If you cannot take the shots of Adonis Stevenson at 175,I'm doubtful you can handle David Haye...

WBA-WBC Welterweight title unification .12 rds
Keith Thurman vs Danny Garcia
R.L:Garcia split decision
TRS;Thurman split decision

Junior Middleweight.12 rds
Erickson Lubin vs Jorge Cota
R.L;Lubin unanimous decision
TRS:Lubin KO 5

Light Heavyweights,10 rds
Andrzej Fonfara vs Chad Dawson
R.L;Fonfara unanimous decision
TRS;Fonfara KO 6

Heavyweights.12 rds
David Haye vs Tony Bellew
R.L; Haye KO 4
TRS: Haye KO 6