The NFL draft brings a yearly reminder of just what a good personnel man can mean for a franchise. Tom Heckert is off to a good start, Bud Shaw writes in his Spin column.
View full sizeTom Heckert could offer the most savvy of any Browns GM in recent memory ... not that that's a particularly high bar to clear, says Bud Shaw.CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A review of the last two decades indicates Tom Heckert could be in line for a different kind of bust...
Shining moments in the draft have eluded the Browns more often than not. But then again, I've only been here for 20 years.
As for the other moments, can you spare three hours?
Let's just say the only personnel man with an easier act to follow than Phil Savage in my two decades in Cleveland is Heckert. Heckert's work in his first draft -- Joe Haden, T.J. Ward and Colt McCoy in the first three rounds -- is the primary reason for hope in 2011.
Nobody is building a statue to Heckert quite yet. No one is proclaiming him a can't-miss talent evaluator. But not only does he have an opportunity again Thursday to score big in the first round, where others before him have failed so miserably, he looks entirely capable of avoiding the kinds of picks that have doomed this franchise since 1999.
A review of the "Worst Of" list I've compiled since my first draft in Cleveland in 1992 should make you appreciate Heckert even more. It includes an inappropriately named running back, a self-titled defensive tackle, a wide receiver who declared himself the best in the draft (no, it wasn't Braylon) and a player under investigation for a felony at the time the Browns proclaimed him a great family man.
You can decide the worst of the worst. To me, it's Gerard Warren, but they all run together.
Courtney Brown (First round, 1st overall, 2000). Could've been somebody. Compared to Hall of Famer Bruce Smith while in college. Missed more games (51) than he played (45) over the last six seasons of his career.
Gerard Warren (First round, 3rd, 2001). Other than questions about his character and work ethic sending off alarms the Browns should've heeded, it's probably best to avoid drafting anybody calling himself "Big Money." Nicest guy Pittsburgh police ever arrested, according to Carmen Policy.
Could've been somebody, too -- LaDainian Tomlinson.
View full sizeWilliam Green may not have been the worst Browns draft pick, but he was no LaDainian Tomlinson. William Green (First round, 16th, 2002). A makeup pick for not getting a franchise back when they were in position to do so the year before. Green's issues made Warren look like a Boy Scout. Say what you will about Big Money, at least he never claimed to have fallen on scissors and stabbing himself in the back while walking up the steps.
Craig Powell (First round, 30th, 1995). When the Jets took Penn State tight end Kyle Brady one spot ahead of the Browns, Bill Belichick either said, "Shucks," or threw a phone against the wall, depending on what story you believe. The upshot was Belichick traded down to the 30th pick and drafted Powell, a Buckeyes linebacker.
Depending on your perspective, this could be the worst pick of the two decades in question. The Browns traded down, passing up Warren Sapp despite a serious need for defensive linemen. Plus, not only did the extra picks acquired by trading down in a multi-team deal leave for Baltimore with Art Modell, but one of them turned into future Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis.
Travis Wilson (Third round, 78th, 2006). The self-declared best receiver in the draft. Career stats as of 2010: two catches, 32 yards.
Rahim Abdullah (Second round, 45th, 1999). He was gone two years later. If you consider winning a Grey Cup with Edmonton the last laugh, I guess he got it. Now employed as a high school defensive line coach.
Touchdown Tommy Vardell (First round, 9th, 1992). On the list because he was a Top 10 pick. Had three rushing TDs in four seasons with Browns.
His best year came blocking for Barry Sanders in Detroit. Got a better last laugh than Abdullah. Founded Northgate Capital, a private equities investment firm, where he works as managing director.
David Veikune (Second round, 52nd, 2009). Hawaii is a good place to look if you need a limbo dancer for a halftime show.
Chaun Thompson (Second round, 52nd, 2003). Why did Butch Davis and Pete Garcia outsmart themselves so often? Because they could.
Jeremiah Pharms (Fifth round, 134th, 2001). The Browns praised him as a mature family man on the day of the draft. One media account said while "his Washington teammates were out socializing on Friday and Saturday nights, Jeremiah Pharms was home changing diapers."
Apparently not all the time. He was also changing into ski masks. Pharms had been under investigation for most of the past season for a felony assault. He did time and never played in the NFL.
So ... Tom Heckert ... what's your preference for a statue? Marble or bronze?
SPINOFFS
In a development that conspirators inside Cleveland sports believe was a fraternity initiation rite, the Lake Erie Monsters lost Game 7 of their playoff series against Manitoba after holding a 3-1 lead...
Former Boston outfielder Carl Everett, a volatile player during his playing days, was arrested in Tampa for pointing a gun at his wife. His attorney called it a "family matter." Unless her family name is Soprano, good try...
How ridiculous does it look now that Ohio State initially planned to suspend Jim Tressel for only two games? Something tells me that's one of the many questions the NCAA was asking. Now it's asking how ridiculous it looks that the suspension is only five games...
SEPARATED AT BIRTH
View full sizeHe drafted some great rock and roll, but could he find NFL talent?Browns GM Tom Heckert and Akron Heavy Metal Hero Tim "Ripper" Owens -- Brian Heldman.
Harvey Updyke Jr., Auburn tree killer and Curt Schilling, Yankee killer. -- Bob H., Medina
YOU SAID IT
"Bud:
"The Jets' D'Brickashaw Ferguson earns a $750,000 bonus just to work out. What does the PD pay you extra for?" -- Tom Hoffner
I'm trying to work out a deal to get paid extra for exclamation points!!!! Imagine!!
"Bud:
"Before the Browns consider drafting A.J. Green, should they find out if he has a New York Essence?" -- Daniel Jenkins, Xenia
According to Wikipedia, which is never wrong, A.J. Green was on his elementary school "juggling team" and began riding a unicycle in the fourth grade. I'd be more worried about him running away from here to join the circus.
"Bud:
"Albert Haynesworth was indicted for fondling a waitress in Washington. Based on the way he played last year that's about the only thing he put his hands on." -- Angelo, Cleveland
Not true. He also was seen fondling and kissing an oversized paycheck.
"Bud:
"Was it any surprise to you that with all of his troubles, Jim Tressel came to the OSU spring game in a camo cap? He wasn't trying to hide anything was he? Himself, for instance?" -- Steam
I thought that was a tattoo of camouflage cap.
"Hey Bud:
"Do the recent developments at Ohio State make Jim Tressel the odds-on favorite to win coach of the year honors in the SEC?" -- Dan Coughlin
First-time "You Said It" winners receive a T-shirt from the Mental Floss collection.
"Bud:
"These attacks on OSU make me so mad, I could punch a Clemson player." -- Joe S
Repeat winners receive an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
Source: http://www.cleveland.com/budshaw/index.ssf/2011/04/shaw_sports_spin_4-28.html
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