If I were running the Memphis Grizzlies or Boston Celtics right now, I'd be working on trying to rid myself of a serious hangover.  Usually when someone goes on a serious bender it starts innocently enough with a beer or three.  A buddy meets you and you start to think you're twentysomething and in college once again, so shots get added to the mix.  Finally, complete and utter stupidity sets in and Jager Bombs began to get tossed down the gullet.  

For the Grizzlies and Celtics, last night was a go-straight-to-the-151-rum kinda night because their dreams of getting one of two prized picks - Ohio  State center Greg Oden or University of Texas' Kevin Durant - morphed into one of those nightmares remembered for a lifetime.

Memphis and Boston finished with the worst records in basketball, respectively, so they figured that when it came to the league's annual ping pong derby last night that there was little way that they could lose.  HA!  There won't be any New York Knicks-Patrick Ewing-bent-corner-conspiracies this year.  The Portland Trail Blazers and the Seattle Supersonics will select one and two next month.

Perhaps it was the Hoops gods looking down on Memphis and Boston and chastising them for allegedly tanking games at the end of the season just so they could be in the prime position to win the lottery.  And before anyone utters the words:  "the Cavaliers did the same thing four years ago" I will only say the Cavs sucked for so long that they were due for some sort of good luck.   Almost 40 years and no championship?  Something had to be happen.  Think of it as Al Pacino finally getting the Oscar for A Scent of a Woman that he deserved for any number of prior roles.

But this year Memphis and Boston were shameless.  The Grizzlies locked up the worst record in the league and then proceeded to play great basketball the last week of the season against playoff teams.  As for the Celtics?  Wasn't that Danny Ainge salivating over Durant in the stands during March Madness?

If anything it puts to rest the notion that such things are fixed.  Oh wait, given the Sonics threat to leave Seattle next year unless a new facility is built, that does look a little suspicious now, doesn't it?  Somebody put Mulder and Scully on the case, please.

If first impressions mean everything in any relationship, Joe Thomas, Brady Quinn and Eric Wright, the Cleveland Browns top three draft choices made huge ones Sunday in Berea, the day after they were selected in the first, first and second round respectively.

Some might expect that of Thomas and Quinn, but given the perceived baggage that's accompanying Wright, many might prefer to adopt a wait-and-see attitude.  For those who need a summary of his past problems, they can be found here.

In light of the NFL's new player conduct policy, it would seem that Wright is a huge gamble.  It was last night and it may still be, but after the way in which he turned on the charm in Berea Sunday, it's easy to see why the Browns selected him.  He's an articulate, charismatic guy with an easy going sense of humor, who's faced his issues and is ready to move on.

“It was definitely a long road and it was very hard. It was a roller coaster ride if you will. I feel like it made me weary of the people I trusted and weary of the people I associate myself with. I grew up in strong household and was an honor roll student my entire life. I went to an all boys catholic school and that sort of thing. I really need to present myself in a proper light so people can really know who I am," he said.  "I think this organization has done all they could to get the proper information. That’s why I think they were comfortable in picking me and trading up to get me. I really appreciate that.”

As for Quinn, it's difficult to not like the guy.  Did anyone notice that after the Browns traded up and selected him that as he walked to the podium, he seemed to be on the verge of tears.  Even as he held his new jersey, he looked as if he were about to cry.  He mentioned more than once in interviews that playing for the Browns was a dream come true.

“It was always something where we started watching Browns games. When I was seven, we started going to Browns games," Quinn said.  "My mom’s father, who passed away when I was younger, was huge into the Browns. I think he gave the uniform I was wearing when I was younger that was flashed on TV. It was ingrained in me from day one.”

The last quarterback that wanted to come to Cleveland and lived in Ohio had a pretty good run here.  It took a gutsy move on General Manager Phil Savage's part to take a gamble and move up to acquire him.  Quinn dropped to the 22nd pick, a fate that normally hits some bewildered QB.  The Browns should send flowers, chocolates and a new Lexus to Ted Ginn and the Miami Dolphins for selecting him.  Conventional wisdom said that the Dolphins, who are in need of a QB, would take Brady if the Browns passed on him.  Shows how unconventional the draft can be.

As for Joe Thomas, having grown up in Northeast Ohio I feel comfortable saying he's the type of player the Browns fan base can take to.  Another bright guy to be sure, but what struck me is his attitude.  He's a blue collar type of guy who wants to pack his lunch pail, go to work and do his job.

"I didn’t want to take this off season and waste it. And what I mean by that is waste it by preparing for the combine or the draft. The most important thing is to be ready for your NFL career. I wasn’t going to judge my pro career by where I was drafted yesterday," he said. "I was lucky enough to be drafted high by a great organization and by a team and a city that I fit in very well with. For me, the work has just begun now. The important this is how I play in my career, not where I was drafted. That was the mentality that I took over the off season.”

Ultimately these words will ring hollow if Wright, Quinn and Thomas don't perform on the field.  But proud cynic that I am, I have to confess that when I left from covering the Browns Draft Party Saturday and the dark clouds from the morning had given way to afternoon sunshine, I was optimistic.  Draft Day euphoria?  Maybe.  Ultimately we won't know until next season.

 Pure elation.  That's the only way to describe the fans here when it was announced that the Browns moved up to acquire Brady Quinn.

G.M. Phil Savage had a rep as being a risk taker when he arrived in Cleveland.  Sorry, but I hadn't seen much of that - until today.  Quinn at No. 3 when there are more pressing needs?  No thanks. Quinn at No. 22 by giving up next year's first round pick and this year's second rounder which was at 36.  I'll take a flyer on that.  And allow me to correct myself from an earlier post - the Browns would have had to leap frog Tampa Bay and Detroit.

For now, I"m outta here and will finish the first round from home.  They're about to kick us out of the stadium.

The Jaguars actually make a pick and it's home state guy Reggie Nelson, a safety out of Florida.

The NFL Network FINALLY reports that the Browns are trying to trade up, packaging picks to get Quinn.  They make it seem like the likelihood of a trade is possible.

The N.Y. Giants go for Texas CB Aaron Ross, given the way they lost games in a couple of instances last year, that can only help given his pedigree.

The NFL Network shills for one of its sponsors, Sprint, during the middle of commentary on the draft.  That's a wee bit tacky.

Let's play "what if".  So what if the Browns can't move up and Brady Quinn doesn't get picked in the first round?  That leaves an interesting scenario out there.  At the top of the second round there's Oakland and they sure as heck don't need a QB after drafting JaMarcus Russell.

But they could call the Browns looking to make a deal and if the Browns are that interested in Quinn they might be listening.  Why?  Because the Detroit Lions sit there with the 34th pick over all just ahead of them.  Do you seriously believe they wouldn't consider taking Quinn given the fact that their current starting QB is Jon Kitna?  It's something to think about.

The Titans select safety Michael Griffin  out of Texas.  Yawn. 

The Bengals needed a CB and they got one in Leon Hall.  He's from Michigan.  Just gives Browns fans another reason to detest the Bengals.

The Bengals are making their choice.  Gee, do you think they need to pick an altarboy?  I do.   

All updates will appear at the top now.

It' s 11:45 and I'm set up here in the pressbox.  I've been hearing certain things from media types that I know who suspect Golden Domer (Notre Dame) fans in the area won't get their wish and get to see Brady Quinn here.  I've heard it's Wisconsin's Joe Thomas a practical pick that could solidify the Browns offensive line for a decade.  Is it a gamble?  Heck yes.  But so is drafting Quinn, who possesses happy feet and an inability to show up in big games.  At best this is all a crapshoot.  Enjoy.

Oakland:  The Oakland Raiders take JaMarcus Russell surprising no one.  He's an Al Davis type of bombs-away QB for the vertical game he so loves.  Here's hoping Al's got a way to bolster that O-line because Russell will need it.  Detroit is on the clock will likely take Calvin Johnson or, possibly, entertainn the idea of a trade from Tampa Bay?

During this 15 minutes it's borderline painful to watch Steve Mariucci on the NFL Network talk about the Butch Davis years here and some of the lame brained draft picks while here.  Gerard "Small Change" Warren anyone?

Strategery in play as ESPN talks about how the Bucs could draft Gaines Adams and trade him to the Lions for Johnson.  Apparently the Lions want the Bucs two second round draft picks.  That may be too much to give up - Tampa Bay has too many holes.

Johnson looks happy going to Motown.  We shall see.  ESPN doesn't expect the Lions to hold on to him.

 The Browns are on the clock and I'm heading back to the club level to gauge reaction at the party.

And the pick is, as you all know by now, left tackle Joe Thomas.  It's about damned time they seriously addressed this offensive line.  Thomas could be an imposing presence on the line and a mainstay for years.

The Browns may have won the P.R. battle with this choice.  Before the team made their pick, anytime Quinn's face showed up on TV, there were resounding boos.  When they announced Thomas' name, universal cheers erupted.  Cheers, high fives and pats on the back.  It's difficult to tell how many were beer induced, but from down here, they're happy in Brownstown.  Give Phil Savage credit.  He snookered many in the media until the last minute and two of the best known draft gurus out there - Mel Kiper Jr. and Mike Mayock.

Also consider that it also might be a lukewarm endorsement of Charlie Frye.  Perhaps they recognized that no one could be expected to function with any degree of efficiency behind the sieve known as the Browns O-line.  Frye fans should be happy at this point.

With respect to broadcasting, the NFL Network wins this one because they apparently have the ability to eventually talk to Thomas from the boat he's fishing from with his father on Lake Michigan.  I like the fact that he isn't wrapped up with the glitz and glamour here.  It shows that his head is on straight and that although football is a game, it's also a business and a job.  His blue-collar mentality should work well in this area.

The Bucs choose Gaines Adams.  Think they're not talking trade with DayTwoi? 

The Arizona Cardinals select Levi Brown.  The consensus on both networks is that the No. 5 pick is too high to reach for him.  This first round is going briskly.  My guess would be because there was little movement trade-wise and with respect to surprises at the top of the draft.

Washington takes LaRon Landry. It's a need.  They're done for the day, however, because for some inexplicable reason they loved to trade draft picks for veteran players who ultimately don't mesh with them.  The Minnesota Vikings are on the clock and they are looking at Oklahoma's Adrian Peterson, but there has been talk of some interest in Brady Quinn.

As many of you know the Vikes went with Petersen.  Not a huge surprise there.  The Atlanta Falcons chose to bolster a weak defense with the addition of DE Jamaal Anderson out of Arkansas.

The first true surprise of the draft comes courtesy of Miami Dolphins who select the OSU Buckeyes' own Ted Ginn Jr. WOW!!  HUGE surprise there because almost everyone projected him to fall out of the Top 10.  What's hilarious is watching and listening to ESPN's Steve Young have a heart attack over th Dolphins' selection.  You'd think that Young owned the team as he talks of the legacy of Dan Marino and such.

That pick says a couple things to me:  Daunte Culpepper's rehab may be further along than anyone may think and new Fish Coach Cam Cameron, who comes from the offensive side of the ball, likes what he sees.  In Culpepper he has a bombadier and Ted Ginn Jr.'s 4.3 speed loosen defenses.  Some question his route running skills and many have said that his teammate Anthony Gonzalez has better hands, but there's little denying he can be lightning in a bottle. 

Or the Fish could be on the verge of getting Trent Green, a QB who doesn't have a canon for an arm, but it's not a pop gun either and before he succumbed to injury with the St. Louis Rams and losing his job, was used to working with speedy receivers.  We shall see.

Remembering what happened with Aaron Rodgers of Green Bay a couple of years ago, NFL Commish Roger Goodell invites him into a private area to await his selection, reports ESPN.  It's a classy move on his part.  Sort of nullifies that ridiculous fine of Brian Urlacher a couple weeks back.

 Where were we?  Marshawn Lynch goes to the Buffalo Bills.  Patrick Willis to the 49ers, Adam Carriker from Nebraska to  the Rams.  Carolina swaps with the Jets who take Darrelle Revis a CB out of Pitt.

Bringing us to the Stillers.  Did anyone truly believe they'd not try to fill the shoes left when they let Joey Porter get away in free agency?  Just another outside linebacker to try to terrorize Browns QBs.

Young is still extolling the virtues of Brady Quinn and Chris Mortensen reports the Browns attempting to move up to get Quinn.  I don't hear any of this on the NFL Network.  It's possible that I've missed some nugget of it, but it's not there.  You see the differences in the respective broadcasts through the personnel on the screen.  After 28 years, ESPN has built trust - enough to get a story like that.

The Pack takes Justin Harrell a DT out of Tennessee.  No, it' s not as if they could have used some offensive help for Brett Farvrrree, especially after Ahman Green vacated Wisconsin.

 Jamie Dukes of the NFL Network hits on a very valid point when it comes to Brady Quinn's freefall - the lwoer he goes in the first round, the better the team he plays for next season.  However, he also points out the loss in dead presidents that he will take.  That's got to be hard to swallow as well.

By the way, Quinn to the Jaguars makes sense given the fact that the team doesn't appear to be particularly enamored of Byron Leftwich, their current signal caller.

Jacksonville has a strategy: trade down and get as many picks as you can.

As a quick aside, I actually found a couple folks wearing Miami Dolphin gear here and they were far from happy with the selection of Teddy Ginn Jr.

Other thoughts on Quinn:  Should he fall to the second round, is that necessarily a bad thing?  It wasn't for another Golden Dome QB named Joe Montana who was taken in the third round, but ended up winning four Super Bowls and being named the game's MVP three times.  Whoever gets him will end up with a QB with an itch to prove everyone wrong.

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.

I'll give the Cleveland Browns some credit; free agency hit and owner Randy Lerner opened his checkbook and landed the premier offensive lineman available in free agency in Eric Steinbach, a now former Cincinnati Bengal.  That's a good thing.  A graduate of Iowa, he knows how to play gritty football.

Additionally, they added outside linebacker Antwan Peek from the Houston Texans and defensive back Kenny Wright from the Washington Redskins.  Not following those teams much I know little about them.

What I do know is that Steinbach is a proven commodity who blocked for one of the NFL's most productive running backs in Rudi Johnson and one of its most prolific quarterbacks in Carson Palmer.  I'd be willing to bet that Palmer isn't happy to lose his starting left guard.

In some respects by signing Steinbach, the Browns may have tipped their hand when it comes to the upcoming draft.    The team's O-line has been the weakest link since returning to the NFL and until last year when they signed center LaCharles Bentley, the team addressed that wound with a Band-aid.

If Bentley and a healthy Ryan Tucker return and gel along with their new teammate, the O-line has the potential to be powerful.  Please note that I said potential.

It has the potential to block for a premier quarterback or running back and do not be surprised if the Browns look to address those needs.  Sorry local folks, I watched from the pressbox last year, Charlie Frye ain't the answer.  Is Derek Anderson?  We don't know.  But the Browns draft the third position this year.  Personally, I'd much rather they trade down and pick up extra draft picks.  However, should they stand pat, look for them to take Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson.  He is the weapon available to them with the potential to loosen up defenses.  They'd have to respect Peterson's speed and ability to break a game wide open.  What's that do?  Open the passing game via play action.

Is that the scenario I prefer?  Not by a long shot.  At this point, I'm happy Lerner and Savage haven't shied away from dropping cash despite what happened with Bentley on the first day of training camp last year. I can only hope that for the fans' sake the team's luck has changed for the better.

It's said that coveting is a bad thing.  Apparently Cleveland Browns owner Randy Lerner covets JaMarcus Russell, that's the word that came from the lips of WKYC (Channel 3) news anchor Romona Robinson Monday night.

In a phone conversation, Lerner said that he would love to see Louisiana State University quarterback who lit up Notre Dame in this year's Sugar Bowl in a Cleveland Browns uniform.  The thought of it made me wretch.  Made me cry.  Made me want to root for the Stillers.  OK, so it's not quite that bad.  And it's not because Russell wouldn't look great in a Browns jersey.  It's because it would seem that the Browns haven't learned anything.

Remember 1999 when they wasted the opportunity to trade down, gather more picks and build the team the way it should have been?  Football games are won at the line of scrimmage with big men groveling like beasts of burden to gain or protect precious yardage.  The Browns could have easily traded down and built the future the way it should have been - on the offensive and defensive lines. Instead they took Tim Couch and - by the way - they didn't bother to build a line that could protect him.

With this current O-line do we dare believe it would be any different with Russell?  The Browns will choose third or fourth in the upcoming draft.  The best thing about that is the teams ahead of them - Oakland and Detroit - both need quarterbacks.  Russell will likely be taken by one of them.  What's scarier is the prospect of the team wasti…errrr…trading selections to move up to get him.

Lerner has been knocked for his laissez-faire attitude when it comes to the Browns.  Personally, I wish he'd not said anything about who he liked in the upcoming draft.  He said that he has a qualified team in place to make draft decisions for him.  Let's just hope they are independent enough to not let that statement influence their thinking.  If they are not it appears that coveting, in this case, is definitely a bad thing.