Welcome to today’s edition of Starting Blocks TV, hosted by Chuck Yarborough and Branson Wright, who are working toward the weekend (with apologies to any of those who might be reminded of the Loverboy tune of a similar name) by talking to Plain Dealer Browns writer Tony Grossi.

Fridays are Hey Tony! days, when Branson and Chuck pose your Cleveland Browns questions to Tony. And since it’s an all-Browns, all-the-time day, the guys decided to put together today’s Starting Blocks poll, which asks which Browns legend should be honored with a statue outside Cleveland Browns Stadium.

Tony, as usual, cut right to the chase: Forget Otto Graham, forget Jim Brown, forget anybody who wore the uniform. The man who deserves a statue is Browns founder, and the first head coach, Paul Brown.

Tony stopped the debate with that answer. You know, when you’re right, you’re right.

But the easy questions ended right there for T. Readers want to know if Matt Roth, one of the pending free agents in this lockout era, has any interest in returning to the team. Before the regime change, most likely not, Tony said. But now? Well, Tony said Roth would be a pretty good fit at left defensive end, the position he played in college, in new defensive coordinator Dick Jauron’s 4-3 defense. But before the season ended, he got the sense that Roth was really interested in trying free agency.

Tony also tackled a couple of draft questions, noting again that Donovan McNabb was a better pick for the Eagles in 1999 than Tim Couch was for the Browns, and reiterating his opinion that trading down in this year’s draft may end up biting the Browns and General Manager Tom Heckert in the behind.

Tune in to SBTV on Monday when reporter Dennis Manoloff joins the guys to talk Indians, the NBA and whatever else tickles his fancy.

Cleveland, Ohio — The Dallas Cowboys in the early ’90s were a pretty good team. Troy Aikman survived a 1-15 rookie year to develop into a smart, confident quarterback. Emmitt Smith should’ve come with a saddle on his back. Michael Irvin didn’t have a ton of speed, but he ran routes (and pushed off, to be fair) so precise that he might be off a couple of millimeters. Daryl Johnston went from 6-foot-2 to 6-0 blocking from the fullback position (the latter is a guess, but an educated one).

So how did the Cowboys become perennial Super Bowl contenders and/or winners? Two words: Jay Novacek.

The tight end became Aikman’s safety valve, more comforting than Linus’s blanket.

So it’s understandable why coach Pat Shurmur got a little hot in Thursday’s conference call with about 5,000 Browns season ticketholders when one suggested the team had no playmakers, and pointed to the production of tight end Ben Watson.

That’s where profootballtalk.com’s Greg Rosenthal chimes in:

That says it all.  You are in deep trouble when Watson is the first and only name that gets brought up when your playmakers are questioned.

Don’t get us wrong:  Watson was a great free agent signing last year, producing careers highs in catches (68) and yards (763) at age 30. Ideally, he’s your third or fourth option though.  The next best receiving yardage number on the team was Mohammad Massaquoi with 483 yards.

Yeah, that’s true. They don’t have a wideout (at least not in the unimaginative offense of ex-offensive coordinator Brian Daboll), and truly, the tight end SHOULDN’T be the major threat through the air. So we’ll give that one to Rosenthal … sort of.

But we go back to our first installment: The Cowboys were good before Novacek. They were champions WITH him. Don’t underestimate the playmaking ability of Ben Watson (and Evan Moore, who’s next on the depth chart behind Watson).

Gridlock
* James Walker, who blogs about the AFC North for ESPN.com, answers reader mail on Fridays, a lot like The Plain Dealer’s Tony Grossi in his Hey Tony! feature (and today’s SBTV show). Both men field questions that almost always are interesting. Our favorite today for Walker asks if former Ohio State star Vernon Gholston, recently let go by the Jets, would be a good fit for the Browns. Walker’s answer:

Someone will give Gholston another chance, Allan. But the Browns are switching to a 4-3 defense and I don’t see Gholston fitting into that scheme. I’ve covered New York Jets coach Rex Ryan since he was in Baltimore, and I have a lot of respect for his coaching ability, particularly on defense. And if Ryan couldn’t get anything out of Gholston in two years, there’s a good chance he’s legitimately a bust. Sometimes a change of scenery can help a player, but for Ryan to give up on Gholston says a lot.

In other words, it’s more likely that the Browns will cut Colt McCoy and Seneca Wallace  and resign Brian Sipe and Spurgeon Wynn.

* Scott Garbarini of the Sports Network chimes in with his latest mock draft. He’s figuring on Browns President Mike Holmgren having the team tap Georgia wideout A.J. Green.

* The court-ordered talks between the NFL and the players not-a-union-union have recessed till Tuesday, ESPN reports.

From The Plain Dealer
Browns writer Tony Grossi breaks out his Mock Draft 8.0, and this time, he has the team tapping Alabama receiver Julio Jones, he of the 4.39 40 at the NFL Combine. But there are other scenarios that could unfold, depending on who goes to whom in the first five picks of the draft.

Not to wish our lives away, but April 28 can’t get her quickly enough.

Tony also wrote a piece off the conference call with the ticketholders. General Manager Tom Heckert paradoxically said that while the team’s draft board is pretty well set, they don’t know who they’re going to choose with that No. 6 pick.

“Right now, we’re just going through different scenarios. If we trade up, who do we trade up for? If we trade back, who can we still get? Those are the things we’re pretty much thinking of.”

Thirteen days. Just 13 more days.

 

Cleveland, Ohio — Most draft experts (and that pretty much means anyone with access to a computer and the Internet) say that Auburn’s Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Cam Newton will be the first pick of the draft and end up wearing Carolina blue.

But prognosticators aren’t always right and because of the current NFL labor situation, this is an extremely weird draft season. Teams can trade picks but not players, free agents can’t sign, etc.

So, what will President Mike Holmgren, assistant Gil Haskell, General Manager (and draft guru) Tom Heckert and coach Pat Shurmur do if by some chance Carolina, Denver, Buffalo, Cincinnati and Arizona — all of whom pick before the Browns — pass on Newton? Twenty-six teams pick after the Browns. Of those, only half are pretty much set at the quarterback position.

Moreover, one of those set at QB is New England, which already has two first-round picks. It’s not impossible to conjure up a scenario where Bill Belichick and the Browns get involved with another team for a three-way draft-choice trade.

Ladies and gentlemen, place your bets.

If Auburn QB Cam Newton is available at the No. 6 pick, the Browns should …survey software

 CLEVELAND, Ohio — With the NFL Draft two weeks away, the Browns don’t know which player they will choose at No. 6 in the first round — or even if they will stay at No. 6.

“[Our draft board] is pretty much set,” General Manager Tom Heckert said on a conference call with season-ticket holders. “There are obviously some tweaks. We’re not exactly sure exactly who we’re going to take with the first pick. It all depends on what happens in front of us.

“Right now, we’re just going through different scenarios. If we trade up, who do we trade up for? If we trade back, who can we still get? Those are the things we’re pretty much thinking of.”

Heckert was joined by coach Pat Shurmur, who filled in for President Mike Holmgren, who had to skip because he wasn’t feeling well.

Heckert said he and Shurmur’s assistant coaches will meet next week to complete the team’s plans for the draft April 28-30.

Heckert would not confirm media reports of the marquee names who have been among the Browns’ allowable 30 player visits.

“As far as somebody we’re thinking of taking at No. 6, it’s pretty much safe to say we’ve had him in here,” he said.

Heckert and Shurmur tried to downplay the universal belief the Browns must focus on defensive line and wide receiver early in the draft.

“It’s easy to look at the glorified positions and say we always want those, but you still have to make sure the grunt work is done and you have good players up front, too,” Heckert said.

On other topics:

• Shurmur reiterated his confidence in quarterback Colt McCoy, saying he has “all the attributes you’re looking for.” Shurmur also said he intends to be “aggressive, yet smart” as a play-caller.

• Shurmur said the switch to a 4-3 defensive system was made because he and Heckert are comfortable with it, and the team’s defensive front needed to get younger, anyway.

The conference call was set up ostensibly for NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to interact with fans and assure them he’s doing everything possible to end the labor dispute and have the 2011 season start on time. League spokesman Greg Aiello Tweeted that more than 5,000 Browns ticket-holders were on the call.

Goodell joined the call about 40 minutes in during a break from mediation talks in Minneapolis. He could not guarantee no games would be missed and said that the league has a contingency to postpone the Super Bowl one week beyond its Feb. 5 scheduled date. He also said the league has the option of reducing the bye period before the Super Bowl to one week — if need be.

“We prefer not to do it, but you always have that option,” Goodell said. “Right now, we want to play the schedule as it’s laid out.”

Goodell said he hopes to have the full 2011 regular-season schedule announced in 10 days.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: tgrossi@plaind.com, 216-999-4670

 BEREA — General Manager Tom Heckert admitted Thursday on a conference call with season ticket holders that he’s not sure whom the Browns will take with their first pick at No. 6.

 Or even if they will be picking at No. 6.

 ”(Our draft board) is pretty much set,” Heckert said. “There are obviously some tweaks. We’re not exactly sure exactly who we’re going to take with the first pick. It all depends on what happens in front of us.

 ”Right now, we’re just going thru different scenarios. If we trade up, who do we trade up for? If we trade back, who can we still get? Those are the things we’re pretty much thinking of.”

 Heckert would not confirm media reports of the marquee names who have been among the Browns’ allowable 30 player visits.

 ”As far as somebody we’re thinking of taking at No. 6, it’s pretty much safe to say we’ve had him in here.”

 Heckert was joined by coach Pat Shurmur, who filled in for President Mike Holmgren, who had to skip because he wasn’t feeling well.

 Shurmur confirmed to a questioner several points he has made in previous reports — that he believes quarterback Colt McCoy has all the skills to be successful, that the team is not as bereft of offensive talent as is publicly believed, that the switch to the 4-3 defense was made because he and Heckert are most comfortable with it.

 Commissioner Roger Goodell took a break from labor mediation meetings in Minneapolis, Minn.,  and joined the conference call about 40 minutes in.
 
 Goodell said the league hopes to announce its complete 2011 regular-season schedule in 10 days and he is working hard to have the season played in its entirety.

 Goodell did say there are contingencies built into this season to have the Super Bowl in Indianapolis played a week later than the scheduled date of Feb. 5. He also said the league has the option of reducing the two-week bye to one week — if need be.

 ”We prefer not to do it, but you always have that option,” Goodell said. “Right now, we want to play the sechedule as its laid out.”

 According to NFL spokesman Greg Aiello, more than 5,000 ticket holders were on the call.
 

 

CLEVELAND – It’s a big week for the Browns as they’ll host some of the biggest names in the draft, including  receivers A.J. Green and Julio Jones, cornerbacks Patrick Peterson and Prince Amukamara and defensive linemen Da’Quan Bowers.

Other top prospects expected to visit include quarterback Cam Newton and defensive tackles Marcell Dareus and Nick Fairley.

The marquee names are among the 30 players the Browns are permitted to bring in for visits. During their trip, they’re allowed to be interviewed and examined, but not worked out.

Texas A&M outside linebacker Von Miller, the premier rush ‘backer in the draft,  is expected here on Monday and Tuesday. Miller, who had a sensational showing at the NFL Combine in February, had 50.5 sacks in his four college seasons. Although he’s viewed primarily as an outside linebacker in a 3-4, he’s still very much on the Browns’ radar for their 4-3 scheme.

Georgia’s Green is the player most draft experts predict the Browns will pick at No. 6, but Alabama’s Jones is closing the gap between the two top-ranked wideouts, according to ESPN’s Mel Kiper.

Bowers, who will visit the Browns on Tuesday and Wednesday, underwent another MRI in Indianapolis on Saturday to determined how his repaired torn meniscus is healing. Results have not been available, but the Browns will have a chance to exam the knee themselves this week.

Browns general manager Tom Heckert has made it clear that he wouldn’t hesitate to draft another cornerback at No. 6 despite the fact he picked Joe Haden at No. 7 last year. LSU’s Peterson is thought by some to be the best player in this draft and could be gone by No. 6. But Nebraska’s Amukamara, who had five interceptions in 2009, is expected to be there.

The draft is April 28-30.

 

Published: Thursday, March 03, 2011, 7:28 PM     Updated: Thursday, March 03, 2011, 7:48 PM

 

CLEVELAND — The Browns have extended a second-round tender offer to cornerback Eric Wright, a league source told the Plain Dealer.

Tender amounts haven’t been set yet, but last year’s number for players with four accrued seasons was $1.759 million for the year. Under rules of the current collective bargaining agreement, a team signing Wright as a restricted free agent would have to give the Browns a second-round pick.

Under a new labor agreement, players with three accrued seasons might become eligible for unrestricted free agency.

Wright, a fifth-year pro,  finished the 2010 on injured reserve with a knee injury and didn’t have the season he hoped. But he said recently he’s confident he can come back strong in 2011 and be the premier cornerback the Browns expected him to be last season.

Wright, the Browns second-round pick in 2007, has said he’d like to finish his career in Cleveland. Browns general manager Tom Heckert said last week that he thinks Wright is a good corner and would like to have him back.

Wright, who struggled in Week 3 against Baltimore’s Anquan Boldin, ultimately lost his starting job at the end of last season to rookie Joe Haden. But he started the season with a pulled hamstring and then suffered a sprained knee in Week 10 in Jacksonville that was supposed to keep him out four games. He sat out only one week instead.

Wright played  at far less than 100% the next three weeks before re-injuring the knee in Cincinnati in Week 14. He missed the final two games, against Baltimore and Pittsburgh.

Published: Thursday, March 03, 2011, 5:01 PM     Updated: Thursday, March 03, 2011, 8:00 PM

 

CLEVELAND — The Browns signed linebacker D’Qwell Jackson to a one-year deal worth up to about $4.5 million, a league source told the Plain Dealer.

It’s an incentive-laden contract that enables Jackson to make more money based on things such as playing time and production. The incentives are regarded as likely to be reached if he can stay healthy.

Jackson, a sixth-year pro, has missed most of the past two seasons with two torn pectoral tendons that required surgery.

Last week at the NFL Combine, Browns general manager Tom Heckert said he thought Jackson would fit better in the Browns’ new 4-3 defense because of his ideal size (6-0, 240) for an inside ‘backer in the scheme.

 Jackson, the Browns second-round pick in 2006, led the league with 188 tackles in 2008.

 

Published: Saturday, February 26, 2011, 4:06 PM     Updated: Saturday, February 26, 2011, 4:47 PM

INDIANAPOLIS — Browns general manager Tom Heckert praised Clemson defensive end Da’Quan Bowers and the other top defensive lineman in the draft at the NFL Combine today.

Bowers, projected to go No. 1 overall by some draft experts, led the nation with 15.5 sacks in 2010.

“He’s a super-productive guy,” said Heckert. “He’s a big guy that can rush the passer. Anytime you can get a guy like that, you’d have to be interested.”

On North Carolina end Robert Quinn, who sat out last season after accepting money from agents, Heckert said that wouldn’t be a dealbreaker for him. He said he’d investigate and make a determination on Quinn’s character.

But he praised his pass-rush ability and said sitting out a year could mean one less season of wear and tear. He said Quinn could go No. 1 or slip down the board.

As for Auburn defensive tackle Nick Fairly, Heckert said his reputation as a dirty player is unwarranted. “It’s not after the whistle,” Heckert said. “It’s more toughness than being a dirty player.”

He said Alabama defensive tackle Marcell Dareus is a “high-motor guy, relentless, makes plays all over.”

He also praised Purdue end Ryan Kerrigan, calling him a “supreme playmaker” and thinks Ohio State end Cam Heyward “can be a defensive tackle for us, I really do.”

  

Published: Friday, February 25, 2011, 2:05 PM     Updated: Friday, February 25, 2011, 2:26 PM

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Welcome to today’s edition of Starting Blocks TV, hosted by Chuck Yarborough, as his partner in crime, Branson Wright, is being held hostage by Old Man Winter.

We caught up with Browns writer Tony Grossi just after he’d left a meeting at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis with new coach Pat Shurmur and General Manager Tom Heckert. The sense that Tony got was that the Browns brain trust is wholly committed to Colt McCoy as the team’s franchise quarterback.

The Browns very well may draft a quarterback, but that will be in the later rounds, and he’ll be a developmental project, maybe even someone President Mike Holmgren and his team can use for trade bait two or three years down the road, Tony said. Do you agree? Vote in today’s Starting Blocks poll.

In answer to one question of the weekly Hey Tony! segment, Tony listed five guys the Browns could go after in that first round, and only one was an offensive player — Georgia wideout A.J. Green. LSU cornerback Pat Peterson is one of those options, even though the Browns took a corner — Joe Haden — in last year’s draft.

Tony is in Indianapolis covering the NFL Combine. Be sure to follow him on cleveland.com/browns and at twitter.com/TonyGrossi.

Join us on SBTV Monday when Plain Dealer reporter Dennis Manoloff will talk Browns, Tribe, Cavs and whatever else he feels like talking about. (DMan is sort of a free spirit, lol).

BEREA, Ohio (AP) – Pat Shurmur has been introduced as Cleveland’s coach, the fifth in 13 years for the perpetually bad Browns.

Shurmur was hired by Browns president Mike Holmgren despite not having any head coaching experience. Shurmur spent the past two seasons as St. Louis’ offensive coordinator. He helped develop Rams rookie quarterback Sam Bradford, who led the team to a 7-9 record this season after going 1-15 in 2009.

The 45-year-old Shurmur may be new to Browns players and fans, but he’s very familiar to Cleveland’s front office. He spent eight seasons working in Philadelphia with Browns general manager Tom Heckert. His late uncle, Fritz, was Holmgren’s defensive coordinator when Green Bay won the Super Bowl.

The Browns officially welcomed Shurmur on Friday.

The Cleveland Browns have completed their interview process and are in talks with St. Louis Rams offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur to become their head coach, league sources said Wednesday.

The Browns expect to announce the move Thursday, when Shurmur’s agent, Bob LaMonte, comes to Cleveland to finalize the deal. LaMonte’s clients also include Browns president Mike Holmgren, general manager Tom Heckert and executive vice president Bryan Wiedmeier.

Lamonte didn’t return numerous phone messages left by The Associated Press with his agency.

Shurmur, 45, is one of the rising coordinators in the NFL, and Rams officials have said privately that they expected the Browns to hire him sometime this week.

Shurmur worked in Philadelphia under coach Andy Reid, a protege and close friend of Holmgren, and helped develop Donovan McNabb into one of the league’s top quarterbacks. Shurmur also worked with Browns general manager Tom Heckert as an Eagle.

Although he lacks head-coaching experience, Shurmur’s background running a West Coast offense and working with young quarterbacks appeals to Holmgren, who started his search determined to “find exactly the right person for the job who can eventually someday lead us to the championship. That is my only goal.”

Holmgren wants to expand the Browns’ offense, which languished under coach Eric Mangini and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll. Mangini was fired earlier this month after two 5-11 seasons.

Under Shurmur’s guidance this season, Rams rookie quarterback Sam Bradford passed for 18 touchdowns and 3,512 yards — second-most by a rookie behind Peyton Manning’s 3,739 in 1998

When Shurmur departs, former Denver Broncos coach Josh McDaniels is among the candidates to replace him in St. Louis.

The Browns met with two other head-coaching candidates, Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey and New York Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell, over the past week. It also was assumed that the Browns would interview Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, but that meeting never took place.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.