Why the Cleveland Browns Should Draft Chris Wells

"Glory Days, They'll Pass You By"

There are teams in the NFL, which carry a psychological and intangible weight.  The Lions, Eagles, and Browns all come to mind, and the Cardinals no longer.

Why do those teams carry that weight?  Hard to say, but I happen to believe those once-great teams never moved from the pre-Super Bowl era of NFL to the Modern era of the NFL.  But their fans still carry the success of those days with them.

I know, I as a Raider fan do the same thing.  The difference is, the Raiders have won the Super Bowl, while League Titles have been devalued in the eyes of the common fan because of the Super Bowl. 

The Browns for instance, have won 9 League Titles yet have never appeared in the Super Bowl... and of course, have the Broncos, Raiders and Art Modell to thank for that.

And on top of that, the state of Ohio can identify with the Cleveland Rams (now the St. Louis Rams), Canton/Cleveland Bulldogs (the reason why the Hall of Fame is in Canton), Akron Pros, and Cleveland Indians that cumulatively have won five League Titles; along with great players like Jim Thorpe, Jim Brown and Paul Robeson amongst many others.

Nevertheless, I think Browns fans can be insufferable but for a good reason.  They get screwed.  The Rams left for Los Angeles and ultimately won the Super Bowl in St. Louis; the Browns left for Baltimore and ultimately won the Super Bowl as the Ravens; and the common fan does not understand about the fact that Ohio can claim the most NFL Titles at 14, ahead of Wisconsin at 12, and a tie between Illinois and California at 11.

Browns fans though, are insufferable because they are impatient (like Al Davis).  Take Braylon Edwards for instance.  Edwards had a great season in 2007 when the Cleveland offense was balanced, but because Edwards struggled in 2008 in an offense that struggled overall, they want to trade him.  Nonsense!

On Offense and Why The Browns Should Select Chris Wells

Chris Wells seems to go hot and cold in Mock Drafts, but the Browns badly need an upgrade at running back to take the load off Brady Quinn or Derek Anderson and the passing game in general. Thus, the Browns take the former Buckeye.

I'm aware of the discontent within the Cleveland organization, but I think the Browns need to appease those players without trades. 

To start over with Michael Crabtree could end in the same result as Braylon Edwards.  Braylon Edwards proved that he can be a big-time receiver in the NFL, when the Browns have a balanced offense (passing, running). Thus, why should anyone believe that the Browns can do better with Michael Crabtree than they have with Braylon Edwards (and Kellen Winslow II)?

If your team cannot learn how to retain your players and develop them, then the Draft just turns your franchise into the story structure of Groundhog's Day.  Or should I say, the Detroit Lions?

As Albert Einstein once said, "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."  In other words, the impatience that will lead to constant turnover of talent at the same position will not put you ahead.  Just ask Matt Millen.

Moreover, in 2007, the Browns won 10 with a lousy defense.  When the offense clicks, they can win. Thus, taking a linebacker wouldn't really put them ahead.  They need to get their offense back to where it was in 2007 (running, passing).

Granted, that Jamal Lewis had not been the same player since his 2000 yard season, but he was certainly a known commodity in comparison to Derek Anderson.  So by focusing on Lewis, that allowed Anderson to open the passing game, which opened the running lanes for Lewis.

But then suddenly, Anderson was the guy to target.  Once he went down, Lewis wasn't good enough to carry the offense.  The losing led to discontent and the pointing of fingers. 

A Closer Look At Taking Brian Orakpo

I realize that Cleveland needs a rusher, but the question is: Is Brian Orakpo the answer, and is he worth the risk?

Eric Mangini took a project rusher for the Jets in 2008, Vernon Gholston, who struggled.  Brian Orakpo is similar to Gholston.  Gholston, in my mind, is the real
reason that Mangini was let go from the Jets.

Not Brett Favre -- but the fact that Mangini wanted a high-pick who flopped and in effect threw gas on their draft fire by trading for Brett Favre.  Had the Jets scored on that pick in the draft, they probably would have earned a postseason berth.  Instead, the Jets passed on LB Jerod Mayo, QB Joe Flacco and OT Ryan Clady.

Mangini and the Jets in effect went all-in with New York's draft picks by trading for Favre, trading back into the first round in 2008 for Dustin Keller and taking Vernon Gholston.  Keller has succeeded (but not as much as John Carlson), Favre was lukewarm while Gholston was a non-factor.

So, I'm left to wonder: Does Eric Mangini want to again play Texas Hold 'Em by taking Brian Orakpo from Texas when the Browns can take a safe pick in Chris Wells?

Orakpo has durability issues and questionable abilities to drop-back into coverage.  Orakpo, in my opinion, should remain at defensive-end and that the Browns would be foolish to use a high-pick on a project.

A Culture of Losing

The culture of losing is the problem in Cleveland, which has clouded the decisions of the Cleveland Browns organization.  And in my mind, insufferable fans are why teams pack-up and leave.

Look at Atlanta.  With Michael Vick, the Falcons had quite possibly the biggest disaster in the NFL since the inception of the Super Bowl.  Yet, the Falcons turned around in one-offseason by taking a player, Matt Ryan, that came in and changed the psychological dynamic around that team. 

Granted that the city of Atlanta does not have fans like Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia, but the bottom line is, when the team is filled with discontent -- the last thing you want to do is take project picks, or turnover talent (like Edwards) for nothing in hopes that a different player will yield a different result in the same situation.