Cleveland Browns: Jamal Lewis Signed - Oh Joy!
Posted March 7th, 2007 by George Thomas
After watching the first half of the Cavs' game at a local Winking Lizard, I got in my car to listen to halftime stuff on their flagship station only to discover that the Browns had reached a deal with now former Baltimore Ravens running back Jamal Lewis. How do I contain my enthusiasm?
Normally my gauge of local sports is my favorite watering hole, Scalpers in Mayfield Heights. I walked in tonight, grumbling about Lewis' acquisition and my Wednesday night bartender Joey D. was ecstatic over the Browns' news. This is what it's come to - mere desperation.
That's where Cleveland Browns fans are right now. Lewis rushed for a massive 1132 yards on 314 carries for a whopping 3.6 yards per carry. Hello!!!! What's mesmerizing about that? What's significant about it? The fact that the yards were actually in the positive?
What I like less about this one-year signing is what it possibly portends. Could the Browns be tipping their hand with respect to the 2007 draft? If so you can guess what General Manager Phil Savage and his fellow gurus are thinking:
With Lewis we have a viable, touch running back. There's no need to draft Adrian Peterson out of Oklahoma. We have a running back, now let's get a quarterback. What? You thought Charlie Frye was the answer? And that's what scares me.
Notre Dame's Brady Quinn has made little secret of his desire to play for the Browns and apparently, after the recent NFL Combine in Indianapolis his stock has been very much on the rise. Quinn apparently made all the throws and exhibited a wonderful aptitude for the Wonderlic I.Q. test.
My problem? In big games, he doesn't really show up. The Ohio State Buckeyes cooked his grits in the Fiesta Bowl more than a year ago and the Louisiana State University Tigers nailed him in this year's Sugar Bowl. He's got happier feet than those penguins in the movie Happy Feet only it's a less likable feature on him.
Taking Quinn would be a reach on a team that has far too many other holes than at QB - even with Frye there.
