Five Things Browns Fans Should Be Thankful For

Brady Quinn fans are furious that Eric Mangini benched Quinn earlier in the season. Mangini denies that the reason for the benching had anything to do with Quinn’s salary escalator kicking in if he took 70% of the snaps.

Whether Mangini’s reasons were more nefarious than he’s willing to admit, it certainly helps the franchise moving forward.

If Mangini (or the next head coach) decides that Brady is their man, Quinn’s contract will not get in the way of signing free agents or upper-tier rookies in the coming seasons.

If Quinn is not in the franchise’s future, he clearly will be more attractive on the trade market without the anchor of his contract weighing down his value.

Prior to 2008, the former General Manager mortgaged the future of the franchise and left the team with no picks in the first three rounds of the 2008 draft.

Conventional wisdom in the NFL is that successful football teams build through the draft. Phil Savage apparently played hooky for those lessons.

The team will have 11 picks in the upcoming draft, including four in the first three rounds. That bodes well in a draft that will be as deep as any in recent memory.

One major variable that will play a role in making the draft pool even deeper is the fact that the league is considering a rookie salary cap during the next collective bargaining negotiations.

Because of that, more college juniors will make the decision to jump to the NFL early before those new rules take effect.

The rookie draft is always a crap shoot, but with 11 picks, the odds increase on adding four to six new players that can make a contribution in 2010.

Massaquoi had a break-out game in week 4 against the Bengals, catching eight passes for 148 yards.

However, after Braylon Edwards was traded away, he has found the sledding tough for a number of reasons—not least of which is Edwards’ absence.

He has made rookie mistakes, but he has improved each week, culminating in a five-catch, 115-yard day in Detroit. The week before he caught a quick slant and bounced off a defender to turn in a 30-yard gain.

He possesses good speed and tremendous body control. He also has excellent size at 6’2”, 210 pounds and will get even stronger under the guidance of NFL strength coaches.

Just as important, he is an extremely intelligent kid. You can see his confidence gaining as he gets a feel for the NFL game.

The two most important positions on the offensive line are the center and the left tackle. Those spots have been filled for years to come.

Left tackle Joe Thomas has already earned two Pro Bowl appearances in his short career, and there will be more to come in his future.

Rookie center Alex Mack will be following him shortly.

For those who questioned the Browns' decision to move down in the draft by passing up quarterback Mark Sanchez, you haven’t been watching closely enough.

The picks for Sanchez turned into the aforementioned Massaquoi and center Mack. It is arguable whether Sanchez straight up for Mack is a fair deal today.

While the right side of the offensive line has been atrocious, Mack is fast establishing himself as an upper-tier center in this league.

There are only a handful of centers in this league that would even be asked to pull-out and lead block on the edge. Mack does so successfully on a regular basis.

He had the ability to downhill block in the running game from day one and his pass blocking is improving weekly.

The defense has been inconsistent to say the least. But two players who bring their A games virtually every week are cornerback Eric Wright and nosetackle Shawn Rogers.

There is not a center in the entire league that can handle Rogers one-on-one.

He is a disruptive force in the pass game who demands double and triple teams. In the run game, he not only plugs the middle but makes plays.

Meanwhile, Eric Wright is quietly having a nice season. While his counterparts in the defensive backfield are getting beat like drums, Wright is rarely out of position.

He already has nine passes defensed. That total is extremely high when you consider that teams frequently pick on opposite corner Brandon McDonald and nickleback Hank Poteat.

It’s unfortunate that because of the teams’ lack of success, Rogers and Wright go unnoticed amongst the fanbase.