ABJ
Ridenour on the Browns
Santa, please make this wish list a reality Defensive end might not fit under tree, but beating Patriots would make year
By Marla Ridenour
Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Sunday, Dec 23, 2007
In the spirit of the holiday season, and with the possible euphoria of clinching a playoff berth this afternoon in Cincinnati, it's time to dream. So here are five Christmas wishes for the Browns in 2008:
1. A defensive end.
Orpheus Roye has been a dedicated player here for the past eight years, but at age 34 and in his 12th NFL season, his body is breaking down. Currently in the bottom six in the league in sacks with 23, the Browns' pass rush needs help. But their search will be tougher because of the type of athlete needed to play end in a 3-4 scheme. Roye is 6-foot-4, 330 pounds, and Robaire Smith is 6-4, 320 pounds.
Matching a list of potential 2008 free-agent defensive ends on theredzone.org (which might not include up-to-the-minute signings) with the list of the NFL's leading sackers (5.0 minimum) offers a few names, but most are not hefty enough for the 3-4. The Browns' ideal choice probably also would be seeking his first free-agent deal, like left guard Eric Steinbach was in March, rather than someone on the downside of his career. Among the possibilities (if they don't re-sign with their respective teams) are Jared Allen (6-6, 270), a fourth-round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs in 2004 who has 39 career sacks, and Antwan Odom (6-5, 274), a second-rounder in '04 for the Tennessee Titans who is from Browns General Manager Phil Savage's hometown of Mobile, Ala. Allen has baggage, including his second DUI arrest before this season began. Restricted free agent Chris Canty of the Dallas Cowboys comes closer to the profile at 6-7 and 280 pounds. A fourth-rounder in 2005, he played in Al Groh's 3-4 scheme at Virginia, but what the Cowboys tender him will determine whether he's an option. The Browns might have to scour the list of available defensive tackles that could make the transition.
Savage probably will look for help in the draft but won't have a shot at some of the top talent without a first-round pick (surrendered to the Cowboys to draft quarterback Brady Quinn). Chris Long (6-4, 282) of Virginia could be a top-five selection. Quentin Groves of Auburn (6-3, 251), whom ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. calls ''a speed rusher with the talent to rank as one of the most feared sack artists in the nation,'' would probably be a linebacker in a 3-4 and could go in the top 15.
Cont...
