Thursday, June 5, 2008

OBR News-o-rama

OBR News-o-rama

Browns Work Out Another Famous Name

Posted: 05 Jun 2008 12:15 AM CDT

Browns GM Phil Savage appears to be a strong believer in the genetic nature of football ability, because the progeny of another Browns Hall of Famer is going to work out for the team on Thursday.

If one recalls, Todd Delamielleure briefly captured the attention of the Cleveland media as he tried out for the Browns. Now it's another Hall-of-Famer's son who will get a shot.

The Baltimore Mariners, a franchise of the American Indoor Football Association (AIFA), announced on Wednesday that defensive back LeRoy Kelly will be working out for the Browns.

This may come as a surprise to Browns fans, most of whom have managed to live their lives without being aware that there is such a thing as the AIFA, or that they have a team in Baltimore.

Something Browns fans are keenly aware of, however, is the legacy of Hall-of-Fame running back Leroy Kelly, who just happens to LeRoy Kelly's father.

The AIFA and Mariners are playing up the invite for all it's worth, using it to claim that the CFL and NFL are keeping a sharp eye on the league's players. The Mariner's web site refers to Kelly as "lead(ing) a defensive unit that ranks fourth in the league in pass interceptions".

The team's season-to-date statistics, however, show Kelly without an interception and as having appeared in just five of the team's eleven games.

MarinersIMPORTANT NOTE: A "mariner" is defined as "one who navigates a ship" or someone who "serves as a sailor".I know, because I researched the matter. Namely, I surfed to some online dictionaries which said exactly that. 

The logo of the Baltimore Mariners, however, appears to be some sort of desiccated pirate. While we can safely say that pirates are a sub-class of mariner, the logo seems to degrade the accomplishments of legitimate nautical adventurers. Nearly all of whom had less interest in plank-walking and rather more flesh and skin.

If I was a law-abiding Mariner, this would upset me. But there are only so many battles one man can wage, and I am not foolish enough to take on a skeletal pirate.

The Long Delayed Official Sayonara

Posted: 04 Jun 2008 07:04 PM CDT

I suspect future generations will be able to use the phrase "Junefirst" as a synonym for an anticlimactic event. For example, "I just saw that Indiana Jones movie, but it was kind of Junefirsty to me". Or "In Junefirstian news, Barack Obama just clinched the Democratic nomination".

Even though the NFL has figured out the salary cap well enough to make the June first cuts a non-event of Y2K (Oh no! We're all gonna die!) proportions, there is often some actual news that comes out on that day. Travis Henry getting cut, for example.

Another thing that happens is that goodbyes become official for undrafted free agents.

Teams have until June 1 to give qualifying offers to free agents. They can basically offer UFA vets something 10% greater than the money they made the year before. If the player is tendered, then they have until July 22nd to sign with a different club. If they don't sign with another club by then, the club has exclusive rights to the player. If the vet doesn't sign with his previous club by week 10 of the season, they can't play football at all that year.

What a weird rule. There's no telling how many dramatically overpriced Floridian resort gin-and-tonics went into coming up with that one.

If nothing else, though, the lack of a qualifying offer by June 1 sends a very clear message to player about how very, very little the team cares if they come back.

So, say an official goodbye to the following free agents who didn't receive qualifying offers from our Brownies: LB Keith Adams; OT Nat Dorsey; DE Bobby Hamilton; NT Ethan Kelley, and nose tackle / media relations advisor Ted Washington.

See ya, fellas. Hope you weren't holding your breath for a phone call from Berea.

There are lots of players who are in the same boat and may be seeing the end of their careers.

Here are some other free agents were officially not tendered squat on 6/1. The list was fairly long, but here are some old friends and some of the bigger names.

One-time Cleveland Browns are in italics:

S Gerome Sapp (Ravens), LB Mario Haggan (Bills), TE Stephen Alexander (Broncos), RB Ron Dayne (Texans), WR Aaron Moorehead (Colts), NT Grady Jackson (Jaguars), OT Stockar McDougle (Jaguars), PK John Carney (Chiefs), WR/KR Eddie Drummond (Chiefs) OL Gene Mruczkowski (Dolphins) S Lance Schulters (Dolphins), S Travares Tillman (Dolphins), WR Troy Brown (Patriots), CB Chad Scott(Patriots), LB Junior Seau (Patriots), QB Daunte Culpepper (Raiders), WR/KR Tim Dwight (Raiders), Verron Haynes (Steelers), FB Dan Kreider (Steelers), WR Eric Moulds (Titans), QB Tim Hasselbeck (Cardinals), QB Tim Rattay (Cardinals), PK Morten Andersen (Falcons), TE Christian Fauria (Panthers), OG Ruben Brown (Bears), DT Antonio Garay (Bears), OT Barry Stokes (Lions), WR Troy Walters (Lions), S Mike Doss (Vikings), QB Jamie Martin (Saints), DE Renaldo Wynn (Saints), LS Ryan Kuehl (Giants), DT Kimo von Oelhoffen (Eagles), C Andy McCollum (Rams), S Hanik Milligan (Rams), OG Larry Allen (49ers), QB Chris Weinke (49ers), LB Jeremiah Trotter (Bucs), WR Keenan McCardell (Redskins), C/G Mike Pucillo (Redskins), S Omar Stoutmire (Redskins).
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