Jan 9, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide running back Trent Richardson (3) looks at LSU Tigers safety Eric Reid (1) coming toward him during the BCS National Championship game at the Louisiana Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-US PRESSWIRE

Pictured here is the apparent savior of the Browns offense for 2012. With Colt McCoy not showing any signs of breaking out, the Browns took Alabama beastly RB Trent Richardson. Here’s the Browns 2012 draft:

1 3 Trent Richardson RB Alabama
1 22 Brandon Weeden QB Oklahoma State
2 37 Mitchell Schwartz T California
3 87 John Hughes DT Cincinnati
4 100 Travis Benjamin WR Miami (Fla.)
4 120 James-Michael Johnson LB Nevada-Reno
5 160 Ryan Miller T Colorado
6 204 Emmanuel Acho LB Texas
6 205 Billy Winn DT Boise State
7 245 Trevin Wade CB Arizona
7 247 Brad Smelley RB Alabama

The Browns wanted Richardson so badly they unnecessarily traded up from 4th to 3rd overall to get him. Be that as it may, it was worth it for a team with no real weapons on offense to draft him at all costs. The Browns have built a solid defense and the plan is to use Richardson as a workhorse back – something rare these days – and shorten games to keep things closer.

Along those lines, they drafted Oklahoma State’s Brandon Weeden with their 22nd pick overall. Word is he’ll start over Colt McCoy and Richardson’s presence will force opposing defenses to play “honestly.” That should open the passing lanes a bit more, improving overall efficiency. They have all the makings of a run-first offense while mixing in a lot of play action passes.

The also drafted two tackles for the offensive line which should help fill holes they had. I’d expect Mitchell Schwartz to be able to start immediately on the right side while All-Pro tackle Joe Thomas anchors the left side. Mitchell is Minnesota Vikings tackle Geoff Schwartz’s younger brother, so the pedigree is there.

I don’t know yet for sure, but it’s possible Ryan Miller will be moved inside to guard – a more and more common strategy these days and he played both positions in college. For instance, the Panthers drafted Amini Silatolu from Midwestern State to kick inside (he was a left tackle there) and the Bills drafted guard prospect Cordy Glenn to play tackle. So, don’t let the college position fool you. They mean little especially after the first round. They have one of the best young and underrated centers in the league in Alex Mack, but need help at both guard spots and right tackle. They appear to have taken care of most of that during the offseason, so it looks like Richardson will indeed find holes to get through.

Also drafted was Emmanuel Acho from Texas. Another brotherly connection, Sam, played well in his rookie campaign with the Arizona Cardinals with 7 sacks from the OLB position. Travis Benjamin, a WR from U of Miami, should crack the starting lineup since that’s another position of need for this team. Josh Cribbs is a capable starter but his biggest value lies in the return game, so Benjamin and probably Mohamed Massaquoi along with Greg Little will be their 3 main targets at that position. The receiving corps isn’t quite as bereft of talent as people say, but they just don’t have anyone that stands out.

D’Quell Jackson is the tackling machine on the defense, having totaled 158 in 2011. Fellow LB Scott Fujita is embroiled in the Bountygate saga as he was a part of that New Orleans team so his contribution early on is questionable as suspensions are being appealed and lawsuits filed. Chris Gocong is a name nobody outside Cleveland knows about but racked up 70 tackles while starting all 16 games once again.

Former first-round pick Joe Haden capably holds down one cornerback spot. Remember how he slid because of a poor 40 time at the NFL combine? His play shows that a bad day at the combine doesn’t necessarily mean anything. He’s no blazer, but he does his job well. However, the secondary really has no big playmakers, so the Browns need to put heat on opposing quarterbacks. Doesn’t everyone need more pass rushers?

All in all, the Browns should wind up in the cellar once again in the NFL’s second-toughest division but if Richardson stays healthy and runs like we think he’s capable of, they’ll be an improved team and will pose difficulties for other teams to deal with in their old-school style of play. Offensively, probably the best comparison in that style would be the New York Jets. Defensively they remind me of the Miami Dolphins – very few standouts individually, but they play pretty well collectively.

It’s interesting that the Browns knew Oklahoma State WR Justin Blackmon and Richardson would both be available to them…even if they felt they had to trade up a spot for Trent Richardson. They knew quite well they were going to be able to nab QB Brandon Weeden at 22 overall – that was the plan going in. They COULD have had a situation like in Indianapolis where they drafted Andrew Luck with their #1 overall and added TE Coby Fleener with their top pick in round 2. Fleener was Luck’s favorite target at Stanford and should help give Luck some measure of comfort. A Weeden-Blackmon pairing would have given the Browns’ offense, aching for years for a passing game, an instant connection.

However nice that would have been, it didn’t fit in with the plan. Instead, they went for the stud running back in a pass-happy era. Look for Richardson to get 350+ carries in 2012 if he stays healthy, and watch Cleveland upset the Pittsburgh Steelers once and the Bengals once. I’m not sure they can handle the Ravens and their run defense, but even they will be without Terrell Suggs for most of the year. The Browns could be the Kingmakers in the division this year. Or…King breakers.

If everything falls into place and they take care of the football, the Browns could push for an 8-8 season in 2012. That would be a good start with Head Coach Pat Shurmur’s second year looming. They still need help at TE, S, and in the DL/pass rush but I really like what the team has done in the draft since Mike Holmgren took over the General Manager position. It’s a tough division to climb with the Steelers always being so good and the Ravens defense so stifling. Now, the Bengals are on the rise and appear to be poised to stay a force in the future. With all this in mind, I say the Browns took….

One step forward. The divisional headwinds mean this team needs to improve more than most would in order to compete and they got some really good help at several positions of need. They had to draft well just to keep pace and they did. Give ‘em a year to grow up, and with another very above-average draft in 2013, they could muscle their way into contention with the others.

Next up: the Dallas Cowboys

December 8, 2011; Pittsburgh,PA, USA: Cleveland Browns quarterback Colt McCoy (12) is attended to by medical personnel after a helmet to helmet hit by Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison (92) during the fourth quarter at Heinz Field. The Steelers won 14-3. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USPRESSWIRE

Talk of player safety has increased over the past few years, but little of consequence seems to have been done about it. Sure, we’ve seen James Harrison getting fined every other week, and new “rules” for concussion recipients are in place.

Tell that to Colt McCoy, who was clobbered in a game against – you guessed it, the Steelers by – you guessed it – James Harrison. McCoy sat woozy on the turf and was obviously wobbling when he did get up.

He was left in the game.

That one play could wind up being the centerpiece of the massive lawsuit against the NFL and used as an example of total systemic failure on the part of the NFL to properly protect players and could wind up being the costliest hit Harrison has ever delivered.

However, he won’t be the only one paying for it.

Should the multibillion-dollar suit succeed, there’s a very real possibility that the league could be shut down either temporarily or have outsiders dictate the rules of the game. We could wind up with the FFL, and I’m talking “Flag” not “Fantasy” depending on how things go.

To add fuel to the fire, league Guru Ricky Williams said that he doesn’t trust “doctors” as he air-quoted the word, when it comes to medicine. Really?

Considering the source, that should make the NFL even that much more worried over the litigation it faces. Whatever the league airhead proclaims to be true, the opposite should be assumed and move forward from there. The fact Williams retired after last season notwithstanding.

Even back in 2009, GQ of all publications came out with an article called “Game Brain” prompted in large part by the death of former all-universe center and – you guessed it – former Steeler – Mike Webster back in 2002.

The full 9-page article can be found here:

http://www.gq.com/sports/profiles/200909/nfl-players-brain-dementia-study-memory-concussions?currentPage=1

I highly recommend reading it in its’ entirety, but here I’ll sum up as much as I can.

Webster had retired after fifteen seasons, all with the Steelers, and his life after football became one tragic turn after another. At one point, he was broke and living in a car without even all the windows intact. He reportedly bought a Taser and would tase HIMSELF unconscious so he could sleep.

If that’s not someone in dire need of assistance, I don’t know who is.

What the autopsy revealed at the time was Webster suffered from “Punch-Drunk Syndrome” which is just as it sounds like: something that Boxers (ever seen Mohammed Ali after about age 40?) get way too much. But Webster’s brain didn’t look different from a normal one on the outside – Boxers often wind up with visible contusions on their brain from repeated blows to the head.

Webster wore a helmet. That should’ve prevented such a thing right?

Not so fast.

Webster had been to multiple doctors, asked for help many times, and according to the GQ piece, applied for the highest compensation level allowed by the NFL: “total disability, football-related.” Had he gotten approved, he would have gotten as much as $12,000 monthly. After 6 months of tracking down Webster’s doctors and medical records since Webster’s memory was by now horrible (he couldn’t recall if he were married or not, for instance) and presenting the case to the NFL, the league responded by “wanting Mike Webster to see THEIR doctor.”

What this almost always translates to is “Before we can make a decision, you have to see a doctor that is on OUR payroll and whose job it is to minimize awards to former players so he can save us (the NFL) TONS and TONS of cash.”

Webster’s case was so obvious, as it turns out, even the NFL’s doctor agreed with Webster’s others: his injuries were caused by playing football.

The NFL committee unanimously voted for PARTIAL disability despite this. That’s the lowest level allowed. LOWEST LEVEL FOR MIKE WEBSTER?

Appeals followed, the NFL fought them. Webster died soon afterward.

I could recount case after case after case, starting with the hit on Cleveland Browns’ signal caller Colt McCoy, continue with Junior Seau, and bring up several players that have recently retired because of concussions. I trust my point is made.

No doubt, the litigators have gathered information like this and hundreds of other cases. Granted, Webster’s is an extreme example, but he’s not alone by any means. The attorneys will present each case along with the records that the NFL will be forced to provide to paint a picture of the league ignoring the issue probably for much, much longer than we even know today.

What I see coming out of this is MAJOR trouble for the league in general. With today’s Workers’ Compensation laws and Federal vs. state jurisdictions, it’s already a big mess but unifying the lawsuits has brought some measure of focus to the problem as well as intense media and fan scrutiny.

I can’t see how the NFL will be left untarnished and unpunished. As a result, should the suit succeed, at minimum we should see a large increase in prices and fees the league and NFL franchises will charge for everything from tickets to jerseys – forcing the middle class to stay home instead of attending the games. Revenue will be more difficult to generate with a smaller paying fan base, and the entire pie will shrink.

Furthermore, the ripple effects will be that player salaries could very well begin to _decrease_ which in turn will cause more labor strife. The NFLPA union will rightly demand more concessions for ex-players and a much larger revenue share going to the retired players’ fund for these injuries and in turn putting even further strain on the finances of the NFL.

After that, the entire business model could collapse.

Welcome to reality, folks.

Dec 4, 2011; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Colt McCoy (12) against the Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-US PRESSWIRE

This comes after the Browns gave Colt McCoy their word that they would not draft a QB in the 1st round.

So, now that Weeden is a Brown, rumor has it that Colt McCoy is on the trading block, and he could fit in well in Carolina’s scheme.

Right now Cam Newton is being backed up by Jimmy Clausen and Derek Anderson. These guys have shown the football world that they lack the talent to be solid players in the NFL. McCoy on the other hand, has proven that with a team around him he could succeed.

But, if Carolina picks him up, he won’t be a starter for obvious reasons. McCoy could come in and be the back-up that Carolina needs.

Carolina’s offense is built around a mobile QB, and neither of our current back-ups can be considered mobile. McCoy on the other hand, is an outstanding scrambler. He has the ability to make plays on the ground if there is nothing open down-field.

Colt is a great passer, but lacks in the area of arm strength. Carolina has a great set of coaches that could turn McCoy around and turn him into starter material, eventually becoming trade material. If they could prove that he can be a starter with the right tools, Carolina could fill future needs.

McCoy gives Carolina a chance to keep the same playbook in the works if Cam Newton goes down at any point in the season. He also brings the winning mentality he’s had since he was a High School QB at Jim Ned High School.

He’s a proven locker-room booster, and having a guy like that wouldn’t hurt.

I say get rid of Clausen and Anderson and bring McCoy in. He could fill the back-up spot that so many people think you can fill with rejects and scrubs.