Events Calendar
In This Section
Most Read Stories
Man robbed at Tallmadge Avenue eatery
Four teens restrain man, take items from his Akron home
Another winter punch heading toward Ohio
Complaints against officer keep coming
Police: Ohio girl dies after fall into snow bank
Cuyahoga Falls residents come home to find burning couch on balcony
Blogs:
First Bell - On Education:
No City of Akron basketball tonight
Pets:
Pet telethon re-airs
The Heldenfiles:
Chipmunks "Squeakquel" on DVD/BD March 30
Akron Zips:
Late surge gives Zips ugly road win
Tribe Matters:
Blogmail response on Hafner
Cleveland Browns:
Stallworth's contract terminated
Balanced Ledger:
Kent State Sports:
KSU Notes – February 9
Cleveland Cavaliers:
NBA Power Rankings from Around the Internet
Buckeye Blogging:
Buckeyes grab 18 players on signing day
Varsity Letters:
Garfield at Buchtel basketball
All Da King's Men:
Palin At The Tea Party Convention
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Republican Pre-Conditions
Akron Law Café:
Citizens United v. F.E.C. (Part 4): Kennedy's and O'Connor's Basic Approaches to Constitutional Decisionmaking – Top Down and Bottom Up
Car Chase:
Collector Car Hobby Loses One of the Best—Jim Roll
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Decisions Decisions: Credit Cards or Your Mortgage?
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Loucile is looking for a Lake Erie getaway in June for three kids, ages 1, 3, and 5.
Sound Check:
Talk of the Town – Top entertainment picks for the weekend
HRLite House:
Track HR Research
Akron Gamer:
Makers of 'Castle Crashers' unveil 'BattleBlock Theater'
See Jane Style:
Do IT this week: Layering
By Patrick McManamon
Beacon Journal sports columnist
POSTED: 06:28 p.m. EDT, Oct 07, 2009
The Browns got rid of a headache Wednesday.
There's a lot to be said for that, especially if the headache wasn't going to get better in Cleveland.
But they sure didn't make themselves playoff-worthy with what they got in return.
That might not even matter, though. Because Braylon Edwards did not want to be in Cleveland, and his every action indicated that reality.
He goes away.
And takes his Michigan rugs and Michigan toilet-seat cover and Michigan drink huggies with him.
For a third overall pick in the draft, the Browns acquired two mid-round draft picks, a young receiver with unknown potential and a special-teams maven from Ohio Northern with six career tackles from the New York Jets.
Apparently one team can never have enough former Jets.
If the Browns set out to put together a roster of more bland, run-of-the-mill players, they probably couldn't do a better job.
That does not matter if they win, of course. But the odds of this team winning this season are about the same as a bunch of Cheez-Its doing the tango.
It almost appears that the Monday morning incident when a friend of LeBron James took a punch to the eye after challenging Edwards' manhood put the Browns over the edge.
They had enough; they traded him for what they could get. Which wasn't much.
What's the old saying? Never act out of emotions, because the emotions will rule the decision, and it won't be clearly thought through.
In the past seven months, the Browns have given the Jets their franchise quarterback and a former Pro Bowl receiver.
The Browns have received a group of ''guys,'' a head coach and a bunch of grievances.
How is this fair to the good fans of this area?
OK, the Browns put up with a lot of nonsense from Edwards, and former coach Romeo Crennel never could cut the cord. Mangini did, and there's a lot to be said for trading somebody who's going to leave via free agency anyway (assuming there is a new collective bargaining agreement).
But in this trade, the key word is getting ''something'' in return.
It's not like the Browns acquired top prospects in this deal. They got a bunch more guys to throw in the wheelbarrow already overflowing with ex-Jets guys.
Shame Marty Lyons is retired.
It well could be that this trade reveals Edwards' market value at the moment, that this was the best the Browns could do.
If that's true, the Browns could have tried what the Denver Broncos did with Brandon Marshall. Suspend Edwards, then work with him and try to make him into a productive player. He had all the motivation in the world in looming free agency.
The way things were going, he was costing himself millions. At some point, he would have had to get it right. Marshall has. Edwards now has the chance in New York. (And the New England Patriots also made it work with a guy named Moss.)
A suspension seemed appropriate, because it would have hurt Edwards where it matters most to him: In the wallet, and in the ego.
Trading him pretty much gives him everything he wanted.
And it also buys Mangini more time. Because trading the player who theoretically was the best on your offense confirms this as a rebuilding season.
Which means fans need to be patient with the process — again.
Is it me or is Cleveland the only city where Cy Young winners and first-round draft picks are traded?
This move does open up playing time for Brian Robiskie and does allow Mohammed Massaquoi to develop and does give Derek Anderson freedom from someone who almost killed Anderson's career with his drops. Those are good things.
Are the Browns better today than yesterday, though?
''They made the decision and we roll with it,'' Anderson said.
Allow me to translate: No.
The Browns now have an offense filled with possession receivers — does that not sound very Mangini? — and a quarterback who likes to go down the field. This could be interesting.
Too, we'll see how Massaquoi functions without Edwards on the other side of the field.
The return? It is, as Bill Clinton might say, what it is. It only makes the Browns better if all the players wanted Edwards gone, and as a result the team bonds.
But there's a talent issue too, and right now the talent is not as good at almost every position as a year ago, except for the new special teamer of course.
This trade is a gift to Edwards.
He's leaving Cleveland, he's leaving Mangini, and he's going to the advertising and media capital of the world.
Broadway. Herald Square. Fifth Avenue.
The Jets get a potential headache, but also a potential 1,000-yard receiver — if he can get back to what he did in 2007. If they don't, the Jets say ''oh well'' at what they gave up.
The Browns get more warm bodies.
Edwards gets what he wanted.
It's almost as if the kid who sat in the corner and cried and screamed and held his breath until he turned blue got his way.
Patrick McManamon can be reached at pmcmanamon@thebeaconjournal.com. Read his blog at http://www.ohio.com/mcmanamon/. Follow Pat on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/patmcmanamon.
The Browns got rid of a headache Wednesday.
There's a lot to be said for that, especially if the headache wasn't going to get better in Cleveland.
But they sure didn't make themselves playoff-worthy with what they got in return.
That might not even matter, though. Because Braylon Edwards did not want to be in Cleveland, and his every action indicated that reality.
He goes away.
And takes his Michigan rugs and Michigan toilet-seat cover and Michigan drink huggies with him.
For a third overall pick in the draft, the Browns acquired two mid-round draft picks, a young receiver with unknown potential and a special-teams maven from Ohio Northern with six career tackles from the New York Jets.
Apparently one team can never have enough former Jets.
If the Browns set out to put together a roster of more bland, run-of-the-mill players, they probably couldn't do a better job.
That does not matter if they win, of course. But the odds of this team winning this season are about the same as a bunch of Cheez-Its doing the tango.
It almost appears that the Monday morning incident when a friend of LeBron James took a punch to the eye after challenging Edwards' manhood put the Browns over the edge.
They had enough; they traded him for what they could get. Which wasn't much.
What's the old saying? Never act out of emotions, because the emotions will rule the decision, and it won't be clearly thought through.
In the past seven months, the Browns have given the Jets their franchise quarterback and a former Pro Bowl receiver.
The Browns have received a group of ''guys,'' a head coach and a bunch of grievances.
How is this fair to the good fans of this area?
OK, the Browns put up with a lot of nonsense from Edwards, and former coach Romeo Crennel never could cut the cord. Mangini did, and there's a lot to be said for trading somebody who's going to leave via free agency anyway (assuming there is a new collective bargaining agreement).
But in this trade, the key word is getting ''something'' in return.
It's not like the Browns acquired top prospects in this deal. They got a bunch more guys to throw in the wheelbarrow already overflowing with ex-Jets guys.
Shame Marty Lyons is retired.
It well could be that this trade reveals Edwards' market value at the moment, that this was the best the Browns could do.
If that's true, the Browns could have tried what the Denver Broncos did with Brandon Marshall. Suspend Edwards, then work with him and try to make him into a productive player. He had all the motivation in the world in looming free agency.
The way things were going, he was costing himself millions. At some point, he would have had to get it right. Marshall has. Edwards now has the chance in New York. (And the New England Patriots also made it work with a guy named Moss.)
A suspension seemed appropriate, because it would have hurt Edwards where it matters most to him: In the wallet, and in the ego.
Trading him pretty much gives him everything he wanted.
And it also buys Mangini more time. Because trading the player who theoretically was the best on your offense confirms this as a rebuilding season.
Which means fans need to be patient with the process — again.
Is it me or is Cleveland the only city where Cy Young winners and first-round draft picks are traded?
This move does open up playing time for Brian Robiskie and does allow Mohammed Massaquoi to develop and does give Derek Anderson freedom from someone who almost killed Anderson's career with his drops. Those are good things.
Are the Browns better today than yesterday, though?
''They made the decision and we roll with it,'' Anderson said.
Allow me to translate: No.
The Browns now have an offense filled with possession receivers — does that not sound very Mangini? — and a quarterback who likes to go down the field. This could be interesting.
Too, we'll see how Massaquoi functions without Edwards on the other side of the field.
The return? It is, as Bill Clinton might say, what it is. It only makes the Browns better if all the players wanted Edwards gone, and as a result the team bonds.
But there's a talent issue too, and right now the talent is not as good at almost every position as a year ago, except for the new special teamer of course.
This trade is a gift to Edwards.
He's leaving Cleveland, he's leaving Mangini, and he's going to the advertising and media capital of the world.
Broadway. Herald Square. Fifth Avenue.
The Jets get a potential headache, but also a potential 1,000-yard receiver — if he can get back to what he did in 2007. If they don't, the Jets say ''oh well'' at what they gave up.
The Browns get more warm bodies.
Edwards gets what he wanted.
It's almost as if the kid who sat in the corner and cried and screamed and held his breath until he turned blue got his way.
Patrick McManamon can be reached at pmcmanamon@thebeaconjournal.com. Read his blog at http://www.ohio.com/mcmanamon/. Follow Pat on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/patmcmanamon.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
uniontown, oh
Posted 06:55 PM, 10/07/2009
no comment. Why bother.
The, US
Posted 06:56 PM, 10/07/2009
So you'd rather keep him and let him go for nothing after the season, all the while treating the fans poorly?
He just told everyone that he was in the last year of his contract last week.
You are not good.
Akron, Oh
Posted 07:08 PM, 10/07/2009
The trade was in the works before his little fit. Stop whining about this Pat for crying out loud. HE DROPPED PASSES he needs to be gone. Let him drop passes in NY
Lima, OH
Posted 07:13 PM, 10/07/2009
I thought it was a decent trade. Hopefully that 3rd round pick will turn into a 2nd rounder for them. Hopefully we'll see Massaquoi and Robiskie develop into great receivers this season. They have the gunslinger to do it. I hope the WR's coach teaches them to go up high for the ball & how to strip the ball from the DB when DA throws it to them
Posted 07:14 PM, 10/07/2009
There are so many bad arguments made in this article, I have to just pick one to start. First of all, your "translation" of what DA said is ridiculous. What do you expect him to say? Yes? Braylon is a former team mate and a friend, so if DA does think they are better, would he say so and risk bullitin board motivation or alienation of his friend and former team mate? I don't think so. He essentially said no comment. If he said no, how would that bode for the new guys? Things happen, good players get traded away, bad players get traded away and become good. Sometimes. Every team has a list of guys like this. Get off Mangini's back already, "former pro bowler" means nothing. Joe Charbaneua (Sp?) was a former rookie of the year. What happened to him? I pretty sure he didn't end up in Cooperstown. What about the running back from the Redskins that was Super Bowl MVP? What happened to him? Did people in DC cry about getting rid of a "Former Superbowl MVP " when they got rid of him? Not if he had been an unproductive cancer for most of his career. Geeze, I could go on, but I'll pic a nother of your points to dismantle in a while. Disappointed Pat.
- Sean II
Anti-Politically Correct & Anti-GOP, OH
Posted 09:25 PM, 10/07/2009
Can we get Dolan or Shapiro to pick on LeBron's friends too so maybe those two can be run out of town as well?
Canton, Oh
Posted 09:31 PM, 10/07/2009
So...he's being rewarded.....hmmmm? Going to New York Jets is a reward? What was their last year? Edwards new quarterback is a rookie. His new head coach is rookie also. Only a quarter of the season has played and you've assumed that the Jets are going to the playoffs.
Believe it or not I wish the young man the best of luck. We just know that there are a thousand hacks like you in the Big Apple, waiting for him to drop his first pass.
Posted 07:09 AM, 10/08/2009
And Edwards was producing what for the Browns?
Akron, OH
Posted 07:52 AM, 10/08/2009
Yet another vintage PM sour grapes article. This is obviously a writer who is bitter about the fact that he has absolutely no connections in Berea. This shrivel appears to condense the ranting of fans on numerous forums into a legit newpaper article.
Cuyahoga Falls, OH
Posted 08:28 AM, 10/08/2009
I'm not sure why Brandon Marshall and Randy Moss keep getting thrown into the mix in analyzing the Edwards trade. Marshall has suffered from attitude problems going back to his college days. The kid keeps his mouth shut for a month, probably because his accountant finally got through to him, and he is deemed forever rehabilitated. Randy Moss has demonstrated repeatedly throughout his career that he's a team guy only when the football comes his way on a regular basis. In my mind, Edwards is no different than these two divas. Some guys are just born and raised with a giant chip on their shoulder, just waiting for a coach or teammate to knock it off. I will be very surprised if this is the last we hear of Braylon and his propensity for crapping on the rug.
Stow, OH
Posted 09:06 AM, 10/08/2009
As I have been saying ,all this incident did was lower the options the Browns had to get rid of him.
This is in Grossi's story today:
Trade talks involving Edwards began in March when he nearly was shipped to the New York Giants. At the time, former Browns tight end Kellen Winslow said that Edwards was looking forward to playing in the Big Apple.
Trade talks began shortly after the Browns learned that Edwards had been drinking with teammate Donte Stallworth on the night of Stallworth's fatal DUI accident. While trade talks stalled, the Browns employed a strategy in the draft to select receivers Brian Robiskie and Mohamed Massaquoi in the second round.
I know of what I speak Pat .
.
Akron, OH
Posted 09:12 AM, 10/08/2009
Hate to stick up for Braylon, but you're being kind of petty mentioning the toilet-seat cover, rug and drink huggies, no? (especially on the front page) What if they were Ohio State logos instead? Anything wrong with him being proud of his college and his contributions there?
myrtle beach, sc
Posted 09:21 AM, 10/08/2009
I agree with Pat. The Browns are a team full of second stringers most would not start for the better teams in the NFL. Listen to Mangini's comment when he said "this gives us more depth on the team", not a scoring threat. They should have traded Edwards earlier in the season.
barberton, oh
Posted 09:23 AM, 10/08/2009
Character aside, ask yourself this:
1. How many more games would the Browns won this year WITH Edwards, than without?
2. Was Edwards going to re-sign here?
ok. given the obvious answer to both of these questions, I'm happy to take the Jets young #2 WR and 3rd round draft pick in return. Think of the special teamer and the 5th rounder as a bonus.
this was a good move both from a football standpoint as well as a locker room environment one.
Bethesda, MD
Posted 09:24 AM, 10/08/2009
Looks like we will have to draft another wide receiver in the first round. Yeah! Maybe we can trade Quinn for a third rounder or move down in the first round and pick-up a long snapper in the second. We'll out smart the entire league!..see where I'm going with this?
poland, oh
Posted 10:19 AM, 10/08/2009
Pat, I'm usually on your side on these issues but you've gone off the deep end on this one. This team is being turned over. The cleveland media has to realize this and stop the outrage after every move.
You have flip flopped on several things but did you really think the 4-12 Browns had talent last year??
Yes, Phil Savage left us with a depleted team and 4 draft picks and 4 stars(Winslow, Edwards, Rogers and Quinn). Three of those wanted out and the QB can't cut it...It'll be painful but the whole roster is going to change..Get over it!
Posted 12:08 PM, 10/08/2009
Few can exercise the right to believe as they wish to believe like the fans of Cleveland.
AKRON, OH
Posted 12:43 PM, 10/08/2009
Too bad we will never get a positive article from
Patrick McManamon...he is taking his personal feelings towards Eric Mangini and turning every article he writes into something bad about the browns...
When the ABJ lost Terry Pluto....they lost a lot of Akron sports readers who followed him to the PD
Posted 02:05 PM, 10/08/2009
What's done is done. BE is in a contract yea and to not produce is losing millions. Someone posted elsewhere that he dropped passes on purpose..if he did he's a bigger head case than any of us can imagine. That being said, he will probably be a star in NY. Rex Ryan will tolerate no bull from him and he will respect that and the chance to shine in a large market. As for the Browns..they are a weaker team without him unless Robiskie and Massaquoi exceed expectations. This could happen.
Mangini will last until the end of next season unless he starts pulling some proverbial rabbits from his hat. I don't see any rabbits coming out to save this franchise anytime soon.
Timbuktu, Ak
Posted 02:28 PM, 10/08/2009
"What's the old saying? Never act out of emotions, because the emotions will rule the decision, and it won't be clearly thought through."
Very catchy. "Old saying"? About a day old, I'd say.
wadsworth, OH
Posted 02:33 PM, 10/08/2009
@ Pat McManamon......I think you're a closet Steelers fan. No matter what the Browns do, you find fault with it. That's fine...you're entitled to your opinion but stop masquerading as a Brown's fan when you're not. Lay your cards on the table and come out of the closet...the Steelers closet....we already know about the other one.
Green, Ohio
Posted 02:53 PM, 10/08/2009
Pat - You are sooooo wrong. They needed to get rid of him long before this last act. The current Browns gave him one more chance and he showed them and all of us he doesn't care for the Browns or Ohio any more than what we all care for him. No one from Ohio like him ever anyway. This was the last straw, is all.
So who cares!
AKRON, OH
Posted 03:58 PM, 10/08/2009
Im going to agree with the author of this article. Why in the heck should the browns have catered to him. I too would have sat his sorry arse on the end of the bench, let him rot, play with the practice squad O. Lets be reasonable BE wants a big contract but doesn't currently have a leg to stand on in negotiations. He had one good season in 07, then became a posterboy for how a man with everything can flush it all down the toilet. He was injured last season while running barefoot, dropped passes on the regular, has never learned to be a good route runner/blocker. So why trade him to a team where he will probably put up good numbers. The Jets have a stud RB, great WR(Crotchery) opposite of him and a rookie QB better than anyone on our current roster. After 4 years of him pouting and whining and dropping the ball why set him up to go earn a fat paycheck. Why not stick it to him. Heres to hoping he tries to outrun Crotchery and miss the rest of the season with a cut foot:)
Posted 06:10 PM, 10/08/2009
Pat, you are an awful writer.
AKRON, OH
Posted 10:49 AM, 10/09/2009
ABJ
Give Terry whatever he wants to come back and send Pat packing......
Cuyahoga Falls, Oh
Posted 09:51 PM, 10/09/2009
I wish we could trade you to New York, You are the most negative writer I have ever seen,I miss Terry!
clinton, oh
Posted 05:07 PM, 10/10/2009
You know you column has hit the nail on the head when you are told you need to get out of Dodge
clinton, oh
Posted 05:07 PM, 10/10/2009
your column
