It looks like another long horrible season for Bungle fans.

Rivers is a nice LB pickup, but he is the only one on the team. They love to draft guys out of prison, and at least they seem to have potential replacements for Ocho Stinko and TJ Whosyormama. Levi Jones wants to quit the team, and when Palmer gets his bell rung week 1, he will too.

The Bungles are amazing , they need help in many areas , especially defense . Where did they go wrong ? Let us see
1] Keeping Chad around so they can show him who is boss ( they could really those draft picks Skins offered them)
2] Drafting players who cant stay on their teams or out of police cars ? Didnt they learn anything from character risk picks ?
3] They were drooling for Sedrick Ellis , so were other teams . What , they cant call the Patroits to see what it takes to move up ?
4] WR Simpson , is he better player than Kelly, Jackson , Sweed ? We see.
Bungles , you just shot yourselves in foot again .

First of all Mike brown is running the show and that is a negative right from the start. They don't have a great GM running the show and that hurts them .. Marvin is just a case of another coach getting a great reputation as a defensive coach that doesn't neccessary equate to a good head coach. Listen whether you want to admit it or not PHIL SAVAGE has turn the browns around very fast since he took over. I am going to tell the homers in this town that he was the real brain in the ravens War Room and not OZZIe like everybody thinks .We are so far behind the browns now it's not even funny. People will tell me what a great draft the ravens have had since phil Left and that is bullcrap. Outside of ngata name me somebody that has even remotley contributed to the ravens the last 2 years . landry was suppose to be so good at safety but he is terrible in coverage. Just look at this year s draft and see that the ravens drafted 2 safety's when both our corner backs went out, look who they put in pittman ,etc etc they couldn't cover hight school players We drafted terry in the second round and he is a bust out.so please don't tell me what great drafts the ravens have had. What matters in a good organization is who is running the show. Cinn doesn't have anybody and Cleveland does. END OF STORY

I predict Marvin Lewis will be looking for a job after next season. Maybe he can join Billick on FOX and talk about old times.

Bob, the Browns won 10 games one time. They have a worse record then we do over the last 3.
They got some real good players at the top of the draft, but the Ravens have continued to draft well without Phil.
Ngata was a great pick, Grubbs was a great pick. Landry, McClain, Gaither, Yanda, Barnes, Burgess, Smith, Williams and other guys have shown they can make an impact.

If Cleveland can win the divison and retain the key free agents (Winslow and Edwards), then they can crow.

What are you talking about Mclain Gaither Yanda Burgess Smith Williams and other guys. have made a impact.What games are you watching. The jury is still out on grubbs, They are trying to replace Landry so please tell me what impact are we talking about. gaither can't even understand the play book, Barnes might be a good situational rusher. Since Phil Savage has been there they drafted Joe thomas who filled a huge need on that line. They signed steinback you also filled ahuge hole. They took a reject running back that quit on us and had a great year with the browns. They are a much better team then what we have right now. So please tell me what IMPACT THAT BUNCH YOU MENTIONED HAS MADE> PLEASE TELL ME

Bob
You give Phil way to much credit. First of all, half of there offensive starters from last year and going into next year were not even drafted by the Browns. If he's so great at drafting why hasnt any of his second day draft picks been able to beat out guys he bought in as free agents. Second of all, Phil has picked in the top 10 of the draft 3 of the previous 4 seasons. You and I could find success doing that. Ozzie has done more with less. Very rarely does he get to pick in the top 10 and when he does he nails it. And he and Eric usually do a tremendous job on the second day and with undrafted free agents. The sign of a good GM, is being able to sustain a competative team over time and find good players to develop. So, far Savage has done neither of the above. It seems you've fallen in love with the Browns like the media has, so there is no need to argue. We will find out soon enough, what kind of team the Browns really are.

And for Landry. The back up CB's that we plugged in all year made him look really bad. The reason he seemed to blow coverage so often is because he cant cover his guy and the guy that Ivy or Pittman is supposed to be covering as well. He's only one man. The fact that it looked like him blowing the coverage means he did his job. He found away to rebound when someone in front of him screwed up. You seem to forget that football is a TEAM sport and if the guys around you are not playing well, your not going to play well either, unless your an absolutly great player. Which Landry is not, he's a good player with loads of potential.

Bob, pleease move to Cleveland, do us all a favor.

Troy Smith played well in 3 games beating the Stillers.

McClain started all year had a lot of nice blocks and a couple TDs.

Yanda started as a rookie, and played pretty well.

Gaither may be young and raw, but he is huge, athletic and an incredible value pick.

Barnes was a very good situational rusher.

Ozzie and Eric drafted Landry in the 5th round . Who did Savage drafted in 5th round ? Savage got his experience working under Ozzie , so to compare Savage to Ozzie is premature at this point . Let's see how the Savage handle tougher schedule , cap room , free agency losses , injuries , contract renegotiations, trades , etc. Drafting players is only ONE part of GM's job. Just wait till those 'crises ' arrive in Cleveland , then we get to see what Savage is made of .
The spotlight will be on Browns this year too .

You know i will give you die hard ravens fans the same credit that i give the die hard Gary williams fans, but the sad thing is soon as you point out things that they don't agree with they tell you to move to cleveland and just stop watching the terps play if you don't like them. Why does it have to be that way guys. If you don't see the improvement in the browns since phil has been here they you truly aren't being realistic. Keep looking for excuses to why phil won't be successful. That stuff about phil learning everything from ozzie is a bunch of crap. Phil savage ran that war room and made all those great drafts. If you don't belive that you are just kidding yourself.JJ you listed those players and you must have been watching different games then me. None of those guys contributed one bit. Yanda got mcnair killed, forcing him top retire. Landry is doing so good , that the ravens decided to draft 2 safties in this years draft to replace him. Gaither can't even remember the playbook,Terry was drafted number 2 and is a complete bust out.So please guys wake up and be realistic . I am the biggest raven and terps fan in this town but i will not say what people want , That doesn't make you a fan it makes you a puppet.

Say what you want to Bob, but being from Cleveland I can honestly say he is dead on. Even if you look past the draft, the moves that Phil Savage has made to turn this franchise around is remarkable.

In 2007, the Browns had 7 Pro-Bowlers. Prior to that, they had just 1 since 1999 (Jamir Miller). Of those Pro Bowlers, 5 were men he acquired. One of which was Josh Cribbs -- currently one of the best return men in the business. This guy was signed as an undrafted free agent; played QB for Kent State.

Need I mention Derek Anderson? A guy who was on the Baltimore practice squad wasting away and may become a kid that is efficient enough to lead his team deep into the playoffs. He also took from within the division when he signed Eric Steinbach (who was phenomenal last year) along with a rejuvinated Jamal Lewis.

When our O-Line was pitiful, he went out and signed LeCharles Bentley, possibly the best C in the league. When he went down, he pulled a huge trade for Hank Fraley whose proven to still be one of the top centers out there.

He's also been fantastic in terms of the coaching staff. Prior to last year, this team's offense was horrendous. The difference between Rob Chudzinski and his predecessor is the reason the Browns were able to win 10 games last year.

There's a saying we have here in Cleveland now: there are three men in the world that I truly love -- my father, my son, and Phil Savage.

Phil's notable draft picks:

Braylon Edwards (pro bowl)
Brodney Pool (starter)
Kamerion Wimbley (potential pro bowler)
D'Qwell Jackson (starter)
Leon Williams (starter)
Lawrence Vickers (potential pro bowler)
Joe Thomas (pro bowler)
Eric Wright (starter)
Brady Quinn (projected starter)
Brandon McDonald (starter)

Not too shabby...

Allan,
1) They didn't trade Chad Johnson, because they have too much money tied up in the rest of the offense and couldn't afford the under-reported $8 million hit to the cap. After June 1, might be a different story. Then again, old man Brown has been negotiating contracts in the NFL longer than Rosenhouse has been alive, so I doubt Brown would ever be bullied into Rosenhouse's demands for yet another contract rengotiation or trade.
2) Maybe old man Brown still lives in the good ol' days when he and his dad could protect criminals like Jim Brown from the press. Regardless, this "character" risk concept is rather vague. If you quit the team after your sister died (Sims) or talk trash (Simpson), then you are a charcter risk. That's not the same as Shirley who has been mentioned as a faster Tony Siragusa w/ a rap sheet. Check out is video on youtube while he throws around opposing linemen at an all-star game. If Shirley screws up, they cut him like AJ Nicholson. It's a 5th rounder.
3) The Pats trade would have been essentially Sims and Rivers for Ellis. For a defense that needs a lot of help in the front seven, 2 may be better than 1.
4) The Bengals have a had a good record for drafting receivers (at least on talent). They needed to get restocked closer to the 2005 team with Henry (cut), Tab Perry (injuries/FA) and Kevin Walter (FA - Texans #2 WR) off the bench. Combined with Chad's tired act, they needed two or three WRs. Just because there are bigger names from bigger schools, doesn't mean they will be better NFL players. Not that Simpson is the next Jerry Rice, but two can't miss receivers did go in front of Rice in the draft. Bratowski drafted Chad Johnson at TJ in the 2nd and 7th and he picked Simpson. I would give Brat the benefit of the doubt.

In the end the Bengals will sweep the Ravens again, because for all of the good and great players Newsome has brought in in Baltimore, the QB and receivers (less Heap) stink. No passing game then no points. The D and power running game that won the superbowl are a great but distant memory. Given the schedule and no QB, the Ravens will be lucky to win 4 games this year.

Troy Smith : Heisman Trophy Winner that can't see over the line. Will never start full-time in the NFL.

McClain : who?

Yanda : who?

Gaither : Uh, who?

Barnes : Great situational rusher.. what kind of situations? Running out the clock?

Bill:
If the $8 million cap hit was the reason Bengals didnt trade Chad , as you said , then we see if Bengals[ or Brown himself ] do something about Chad after june 1st . As for character risk picks your Bengals made , i dont consider trash talking one of them , but one of your picks got 'thrown off the team' and Mr Brown drafted him ? Was that Sims or Shirley? My point was that Bengals had at least 10 players cited for off the field incidents , why are they still gambling ? even if it was 5th round pick ?
On Patroits pick and Ellis , Ellis is stud DT that Bengals depleted defense could really use. The Bengals could offered a 6th , 5th or a 4th , just to move up to Patroits 7th spot . Yes , two players are better than one , but DT like Ellis is bigger help than Rivers ever be .
Bengals going to sweep the Ravens again this year ? Hmmmm , no Henry , no Chad , where is the Bengals defense ? Ravens have new offensive coord, Cam , he will make Ravens gain yards and points against phantom Bengals defense . Good old Rex is getting his injured starters back to sacking poor Palmer.
After season , Coach Lewis will be fired/resign .

Troy Smith- the QB who cant see over the line , beat the Steelers , in his second start .

McClain-our starting fullback , the one who makes McGahee slash through those pathetic Brown/Bengal defenses.

Yanda - our tackle/guard , who was able to start as rookie .

Gaither - our future tackle from supplemental draft .

If any Bengal/Brown fans watched any Ravens games , they would known who these players are .

Grady,
The Bengals deserve some abuse for the Shirley pick - a lot of talent and only a 5th - but with the media's selective concern over the Bengals off the field issues it was not wise. The same gamble as AJ Nicholson the year before, but that's Mike Brown - always looking for a bargain. For all of Shirley's issues, he still doesn't have the rap sheet of Jamal or Ray Lewis. So don't throw stones in glass houses. Imagine what Goodell would have to Messers Lewis.

The Ellis trade would have had to match the Saints a 3rd and 1st, if not bid further in a bidding war. Those picks were Sims (a good college DT) and Rivers (the "best" LB in the draft). We'll see who comes out better in 2 or 3 years on that deal, but 2 bets are better than one.

The Bengals offense will be vastly improved with a healthy Jones, Johnson and Anderson. Palmer's jersey will remain clean. They added 2 TEs that can catch in Utecht and Sherry. Don't count Chad out either, his agent has just met his match in old man Brown. The league pressured him to vote for the CBA and he still voted "no".

Yippee on the coordinator. Being the Ravens O coordinator is the equivalent of being the Bengals D coordinator - trying to make chicken salad out of well you know. At least the Bengals have some injured players and drafted players adding something to the D. I see a #15-20 ranked D for Zimmer. Cameron can't make Boller into a real QB. Troy Smith defines good college QB / not a pro. Maybe the Delaware kid can do something someday, but not this year. So yeah, another Bengals sweep.

All you browns fans remember derek anderson had one good season remember "one shot wonders" and look at the browns roster jamal lewis, drek anderson, and darnell dinkins came from the ravens. It looks like ol' Phil is being makin the cleveland ravens. Everyone is going crazy over the browns 10-6 season, they only one 10 games because no one took them serious and they really didn't play nobody. I like to see what browns do against elite teams this year. Remember what phil learned came from the ravens.

Owner Mike Brown can say no all he wants , he better pray Chad blinks first . Chad wants out of Cinncy , he doesnt like QB Palmer and Coach Lewis , he didnt say it was money either . Even tackle Levi Jones wants to get out of Cinncy . Please saying no ,Mr. Brown , the Ravens and other NFL teams would be happy to profit from your mismanagement.

Jamal Lewis is still playing in Cleveland and Ray Lewis still playing in Baltimore , where are your felons ?

I saw that the Ravens believe a new O Coordinator will save them. Please Cameron is good but not that good. However at least the new Bengals Defensive Coordinator has something to work with. A young secondary 2 first round picks at corner and 2 second year safeties. Also welcome back Odell Thurman, Ahmad Brooks from injury and Keith Rivers. Now throw in a pass rusher in Antwan Odom not a big run stuffer like Justin Smith. With the additions they made in the draft this Bengals defense will improve dramatically.

Now lets look at the Offense of the Bengals. Rudi Johnson is healthy, Willie Anderson is healthy, Levi Jones is healthy and Chris Perry is claiming to be healthy. Add this to what was a top 10 Offense from last season. As for Chad Johnson if he is not traded he will want to get paid so evetually he will show up and earn his money. If not he will be like Latrell Sprewell; getting his property repossesed.

Most of the special teamers we had last year came from the practice squad or free agents that were released from their 4th team that season. With a healthy magority of our special teams crew coming back that unit should also improve.

As for our 5th Round selection; sometimes the biggest gambles have the biggest reward. If not then it is a 5th rounder and no big lose.

Look at the Bengals Draft history. They do draft talented players, though some get in trouble or suffer career ending injuries. They also have an exceptional history of developing WRs under Bratkowski (the O-Coordinator). If they trade picks they lose out on the depth of this draft class. The Bengals should be solid and beat the Ravens twice again in '08.