What does Norv Turner mean for Josh Gordon?

May 31, 2013 Coaches

With Norv Turner, you know what you’re going to get. Turner was fired in San Diego after the Chargers failed to make the playoffs in each of the last three years, but as usual, Turner was able to find a nice landing spot. He’ll be the Browns offensive coordinator in 2013, which will mark his [...]

Read the full article →

Season in review: AFC and NFC North

January 3, 2013 Review

On Monday, I examined the seasons of the teams in the AFC and NFC East. Today I will do the same for the AFC and NFC North, starting in the AFC. Pittsburgh Steelers Pre-season Projection: 10 wins Maximum wins: 11 wins (after weeks 2, 5, and 9) Minimum wins: 8 (after week 16) Week 1 [...]

Read the full article →

Russell Wilson continues the NFL’s rookie movement at quarterback

August 27, 2012 Passing

Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III were drafted as franchise saviors, and have been expected to start on opening day for months; more recently Brandon Weeden in Cleveland and Ryan Tannehill in Miami won starting jobs. Then, last night, Pete Carroll announced that Russell Wilson had beaten Matt Flynn in the Seahawks quarterback battle. Barring [...]

Read the full article →

How often does the best rookie running back end up having the best career?

August 7, 2012 History

Yesterday, I looked at how frequently the highest drafted rookie running back ended leading his draft class in rushing yards. Today, we’ll examine how often the best rookie running back ends up being having the most career rushing yards among the members from his class. I performed this same exercise at wide receiver, and concluded [...]

Read the full article →

Random Perspective On: The 2012 Cleveland Browns

August 6, 2012 History

Last month, I wondered whether previous Justin Blackmons — i.e., the first receiver selected in the draft — lived up to their lofty draft status. There have been 42 drafts since 1970, but only five times has the highest selected wideout gained the most receiving yards among all rookie receivers. The long-term odds were slightly [...]

Read the full article →

2011 Age-adjusted team rosters

August 1, 2012 Statistics

Measuring team age in the N.F.L. is tricky. Calculating the average age of a 53-man roster is misleading because the age of a team’s starters is much more relevant than the age of a team’s reserves. The average age of a team’s starting lineup isn’t perfect, either. The age of the quarterback and key offensive [...]

Read the full article →

Cleveland Browns: Through 13 seasons, where do they rank among expansion teams? (Part II)

June 21, 2012 History

Yesterday, I began looking at how the 12 expansion teams of the modern era fared during their first 13 years of existence. Today, the bottom half of the list: #6 Cincinnati Bengals (1968-1980) Art Modell purchased the Browns in 1961; Modell and Paul Brown, the only coach the franchise had ever known, clashed almost immediately. [...]

Read the full article →

Cleveland Browns: Through 13 seasons, where do they rank among expansion teams?

June 20, 2012 History

Thirteen years ago, the Cleveland Browns were preparing for their return to the NFL. The Browns were the dominant team of the ’50s and were a consistent playoff contender for much of the ’60s and ’80s. In 1996, Art Modell took the Browns to Baltimore and renamed them the Ravens. Three years later, the NFL [...]

Read the full article →