Browns sign Rosen!?!?

[Logic]

So let's recap: "Sure thing" Baker Mayfield was traded to Carolina to battle against "sure thing" Sam Darnold, who himself was also traded. To temporarily replace Mayfield, the Browns just signed "sure thing" Josh Rosen, who is on his fourth team. Meanwhile, "wide receiver" Lamar Jackson has already won a league MVP award and Josh "parody of a quarterback prospect" Allen is a superstar whose team is favored to win the Super Bowl this year.

This seems like a good time to have a chuckle at an article written by professional sports journalists in 2018 about that year's quarterback class. I'll post some highlights that I enjoyed.

[Note: I've always espoused Danny Kelly's "good names" idea when it comes to quarterbacks. Looks like this theory was correct once again.]


https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/4/26/17281910/draft-quarterback-rankings-baker-mayfield-josh-allen-sam-darnold

 

The 2018 NFL draft has arrived, and one question transcends the rest: Who is the best quarterback in this year’s class? Is it Baker Mayfield, the Oklahoma star who torched defenses en route to winning the Heisman Trophy? Is it Sam Darnold, the USC standout who’s been linked to the Browns for months? Is it Josh Allen, the Wyoming product whose arm strength is otherworldly but whose accuracy remains iffy at best?

Twelve Ringer staffers agreed to list their top five options to be recorded for posterity. For more NFL draft coverage, check out our features, columns, and videos published in the lead-up to the first round.

Danny Kelly:

1. Josh Allen
2. Lamar Jackson
3. Mason Rudolph
4. Sam Darnold
5. Josh Rosen

There are plenty of traits that a quarterback prospect needs in order to succeed at the most difficult position in sports, but scientifically speaking, signal-callers with strong, quarterbacky names have a distinct advantage in the NFL. I’ll even take it a step further: Passers with two first names have basically zero chance of failure.

Tom Brady. Jim Kelly. Matt Ryan. Russell Wilson. David Garrard. Otto Graham. Lynn Dickey. Michael Vic(k). Aaron Rodger … s. Uh, Andy Dalton? Tyrod Taylor. Deshaun Watson. Brian Drew. (I’m counting him.) Joe Kane. (I’m counting him, too.) If you’re reaching, Philip Rivers. (That one guy from Weezer is named Rivers, look it up.) Sam Bradford. Robert Griffin III. (Injuries derailed his career, not his name.)

Following this unassailable logic, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Mason Rudolph are all guaranteed to be future Pro Bowlers. Sam Darnold is one letter away from the Hall of Fame. Baker Mayfield is screwed.


 

Rodger Sherman:
1. Baker Mayfield
2. Lamar Jackson
3. Sam Darnold
4. Josh Rosen
5. Mason Rudolph

Personally, I think it’s bad that Josh Allen doesn’t know how to throw footballs to other football players.



 

Megan Schuster:

1. Josh Allen
2. Baker Mayfield
3. Sam Darnold
4. Lamar Jackson
5. Josh Rosen

Let me preface this by saying: I know Josh Allen’s stats. You don’t need to tweet them at me, or email them to me, or send them to my home. I know that, for a projected first-round pick, he had a historically bad completion percentage in college. I know that he’d have one of the lowest QBASE scores ever given to a first-rounder, and I know that expecting him to hit it big in the league is, as my colleague Ryan O’Hanlon wrote, a football fantasy. But does that mean we can’t dream? Can’t fantasize about a guy with THIS FREAKING ARM actually succeeding in the NFL???

 

Sure, the chances of Allen folding in the pros are much higher than the chances of him getting drafted into a good system, fixing his accuracy issues, and emerging as an elite-level passer. But the odds are long for virtually every quarterback entering the league. Why not roll the dice and take a chance on a guy who could have a once-in-a-generation arm? Especially if you’re the Browns— what do you really have to lose?



Danny Heifetz:

1. Josh Rosen
2. Baker Mayfield
3. Lamar Jackson
4. Sam Darnold
5. Kyle Lauletta

Things I believe: Darnold’s footwork will be an issue early in his career, Baker and Lamar will finish no. 1 and no. 2 in Rookie of the Year voting as long as they start at least 12 games this fall, Richmond’s Kyle Lauletta will be a starter by his second contract, Rosen and Baker’s “attitude issues” will be considered “leadership qualities” two seasons from now, and Rosen will be the first white NFL MVP to speak passionately about racial injustice.

Things I do not believe: The Browns can teach Josh Allen how to competently play quarterback in the NFL.


 

Andrew Gruttadaro:

1. Josh Rosen
2. Lamar Jackson
3. Sam Darnold
4. Baker Mayfield
5. Josh Allen

As a Bills fan, I look at these five guys and have to ask myself one question: “Who is most reminiscent of J.P. Losman and EJ Manuel?” Those are the past two quarterbacks the Bills drafted in the first round, and both are total trash. I’m not sure Manuel ever threw for more than 200 yards in a game, and there’s a Losman video on YouTube titled “J.P. Losman makes several costly mistakes.” I’m fairly certain Buffalo is going to take a QB on Thursday, and I’m equally certain that it will trade away a bunch of draft capital to do so. All that matters is that the player the Bills pick doesn’t remind me of J.P. Losman or EJ Manuel.

Let’s start with Allen. This guy has Losman written all over him. Both are from smaller schools, both have big arms, and both had ***** college completion percentages. I’m dying for the Browns or Jets to pick him.

As for Mayfield, in general I believe in him. And maybe if he fell to no. 12, the chip on his shoulder would grow even bigger and that’d propel him to success. But this dude would not make it in Buffalo. He needs a spotlight, not a lifetime gift card to the Mighty Taco in Cheektowaga. He’d crash his Porsche into people quicker than Marshawn Lynch did.

I don’t know why, but Darnold’s big dumb face worries me. J.P. had one of those, too. And my personal fear with Jackson is that he’s a better version of Tyrod Taylor, and the Bills just bounced that dude out of town without ever trying to game plan around him. Lamar Jackson feels like a guy who will dominate wherever he gets picked— unless he gets picked by the Bills.

Then there’s Josh Rosen. Yeah, bring him to me.

 

Zach Schwartz:

1. Josh Rosen
2. Baker Mayfield
3. Sam Darnold
4. Mason Rudolph
5. Lamar Jackson

 

Michael Baumann:

1. Lamar Jackson
2. Baker Mayfield
3. Josh Rosen
4. Mason Rudolph
5. John McEntee (the former UConn trick-shot quarterback turned Trump body man who looks like a skinny Patrick Reed and got fired for “serious financial crimes,” which is like getting fired by Blackbeard the pirate for drinking and stealing)

 

Paolo Uggetti:

1. Josh Rosen
2. Lamar Jackson
3. Sam Darnold
4. Baker Mayfield
5. Mason Rudolph
6. That guy from Wyoming

 

Jack McCluskey:

1. Baker Mayfield
2. Lamar Jackson
3. Sam Darnold
4. Josh Rosen
5. Anyone else
Not Rated. Josh Allen

 

 

 

[RiotAct]

^^^^^Give Danny Kelly and Megan Schuster a promotion!!!

[Logic]

3 minutes ago, RiotAct said:

^^^^^Give Danny Kelly and Megan Schuster a promotion!!!

Funny, isn't it? 

If football genius John Dorsey had simply listened to Megan Schuster, a reporter no one has ever heard of, the Browns would have Josh Allen right now. It's not as if "roll the dice on elite traits since drafting QBs is a crapshoot anyway" is so radical a theory.

[Bob in STL]

13 hours ago, Rew said:

Does Rosen classify as "journeyman", or do you actually have to play meaningful games to enter that elite club?

Thus far, Rosen is not good enough to be a journeyman.  He has not played enough for that.  He is still a bust that is hanging on by a thread.  

 

Fitz is the ultimate journeyman.  McCown and Hoyer are also journeymen.  Usually journeymen have starter status on several teams over a long career and are capable of being adequate.  

 

 

[C.Biscuit97]

Wow, Josh Allen is on the hot seat. This might blow up in the bills face after all!

 

and I fully admit, I loved Rosen in the draft. Thought he had A Rodgers type throws. Clearly, the Bills are geniuses but Rosen was never really give a great shot to succeed though. I hate young qbs who get destroyed by bad franchises.

 

but I’ve never been happier to be so wrong. 

[YoloinOhio]

24 minutes ago, Logic said:

So let's recap: "Sure thing" Baker Mayfield was traded to Carolina to battle against "sure thing" Sam Darnold, who himself was also traded. To temporarily replace Mayfield, the Browns just signed "sure thing" Josh Rosen, who is on his fourth team. Meanwhile, "wide receiver" Lamar Jackson has already won a league MVP award and Josh "parody of a quarterback prospect" Allen is a superstar whose team is favored to win the Super Bowl this year.

This seems like a good time to have a chuckle at an article written by professional sports journalists in 2018 about that year's quarterback class. I'll post some highlights that I enjoyed.

[Note: I've always espoused Danny Kelly's "good names" idea when it comes to quarterbacks. Looks like this theory was correct once again.]


https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/4/26/17281910/draft-quarterback-rankings-baker-mayfield-josh-allen-sam-darnold

 

The 2018 NFL draft has arrived, and one question transcends the rest: Who is the best quarterback in this year’s class? Is it Baker Mayfield, the Oklahoma star who torched defenses en route to winning the Heisman Trophy? Is it Sam Darnold, the USC standout who’s been linked to the Browns for months? Is it Josh Allen, the Wyoming product whose arm strength is otherworldly but whose accuracy remains iffy at best?

Twelve Ringer staffers agreed to list their top five options to be recorded for posterity. For more NFL draft coverage, check out our features, columns, and videos published in the lead-up to the first round.

Danny Kelly:

1. Josh Allen
2. Lamar Jackson
3. Mason Rudolph
4. Sam Darnold
5. Josh Rosen

There are plenty of traits that a quarterback prospect needs in order to succeed at the most difficult position in sports, but scientifically speaking, signal-callers with strong, quarterbacky names have a distinct advantage in the NFL. I’ll even take it a step further: Passers with two first names have basically zero chance of failure.

Tom Brady. Jim Kelly. Matt Ryan. Russell Wilson. David Garrard. Otto Graham. Lynn Dickey. Michael Vic(k). Aaron Rodger … s. Uh, Andy Dalton? Tyrod Taylor. Deshaun Watson. Brian Drew. (I’m counting him.) Joe Kane. (I’m counting him, too.) If you’re reaching, Philip Rivers. (That one guy from Weezer is named Rivers, look it up.) Sam Bradford. Robert Griffin III. (Injuries derailed his career, not his name.)

Following this unassailable logic, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Mason Rudolph are all guaranteed to be future Pro Bowlers. Sam Darnold is one letter away from the Hall of Fame. Baker Mayfield is screwed.


 

Rodger Sherman:
1. Baker Mayfield
2. Lamar Jackson
3. Sam Darnold
4. Josh Rosen
5. Mason Rudolph

Personally, I think it’s bad that Josh Allen doesn’t know how to throw footballs to other football players.



 

Megan Schuster:

1. Josh Allen
2. Baker Mayfield
3. Sam Darnold
4. Lamar Jackson
5. Josh Rosen

Let me preface this by saying: I know Josh Allen’s stats. You don’t need to tweet them at me, or email them to me, or send them to my home. I know that, for a projected first-round pick, he had a historically bad completion percentage in college. I know that he’d have one of the lowest QBASE scores ever given to a first-rounder, and I know that expecting him to hit it big in the league is, as my colleague Ryan O’Hanlon wrote, a football fantasy. But does that mean we can’t dream? Can’t fantasize about a guy with THIS FREAKING ARM actually succeeding in the NFL???

 

Sure, the chances of Allen folding in the pros are much higher than the chances of him getting drafted into a good system, fixing his accuracy issues, and emerging as an elite-level passer. But the odds are long for virtually every quarterback entering the league. Why not roll the dice and take a chance on a guy who could have a once-in-a-generation arm? Especially if you’re the Browns— what do you really have to lose?



Danny Heifetz:

1. Josh Rosen
2. Baker Mayfield
3. Lamar Jackson
4. Sam Darnold
5. Kyle Lauletta

Things I believe: Darnold’s footwork will be an issue early in his career, Baker and Lamar will finish no. 1 and no. 2 in Rookie of the Year voting as long as they start at least 12 games this fall, Richmond’s Kyle Lauletta will be a starter by his second contract, Rosen and Baker’s “attitude issues” will be considered “leadership qualities” two seasons from now, and Rosen will be the first white NFL MVP to speak passionately about racial injustice.

Things I do not believe: The Browns can teach Josh Allen how to competently play quarterback in the NFL.


 

Andrew Gruttadaro:

1. Josh Rosen
2. Lamar Jackson
3. Sam Darnold
4. Baker Mayfield
5. Josh Allen

As a Bills fan, I look at these five guys and have to ask myself one question: “Who is most reminiscent of J.P. Losman and EJ Manuel?” Those are the past two quarterbacks the Bills drafted in the first round, and both are total trash. I’m not sure Manuel ever threw for more than 200 yards in a game, and there’s a Losman video on YouTube titled “J.P. Losman makes several costly mistakes.” I’m fairly certain Buffalo is going to take a QB on Thursday, and I’m equally certain that it will trade away a bunch of draft capital to do so. All that matters is that the player the Bills pick doesn’t remind me of J.P. Losman or EJ Manuel.

Let’s start with Allen. This guy has Losman written all over him. Both are from smaller schools, both have big arms, and both had ***** college completion percentages. I’m dying for the Browns or Jets to pick him.

As for Mayfield, in general I believe in him. And maybe if he fell to no. 12, the chip on his shoulder would grow even bigger and that’d propel him to success. But this dude would not make it in Buffalo. He needs a spotlight, not a lifetime gift card to the Mighty Taco in Cheektowaga. He’d crash his Porsche into people quicker than Marshawn Lynch did.

I don’t know why, but Darnold’s big dumb face worries me. J.P. had one of those, too. And my personal fear with Jackson is that he’s a better version of Tyrod Taylor, and the Bills just bounced that dude out of town without ever trying to game plan around him. Lamar Jackson feels like a guy who will dominate wherever he gets picked— unless he gets picked by the Bills.

Then there’s Josh Rosen. Yeah, bring him to me.

 

Zach Schwartz:

1. Josh Rosen
2. Baker Mayfield
3. Sam Darnold
4. Mason Rudolph
5. Lamar Jackson

 

Michael Baumann:

1. Lamar Jackson
2. Baker Mayfield
3. Josh Rosen
4. Mason Rudolph
5. John McEntee (the former UConn trick-shot quarterback turned Trump body man who looks like a skinny Patrick Reed and got fired for “serious financial crimes,” which is like getting fired by Blackbeard the pirate for drinking and stealing)

 

Paolo Uggetti:

1. Josh Rosen
2. Lamar Jackson
3. Sam Darnold
4. Baker Mayfield
5. Mason Rudolph
6. That guy from Wyoming

 

Jack McCluskey:

1. Baker Mayfield
2. Lamar Jackson
3. Sam Darnold
4. Josh Rosen
5. Anyone else
Not Rated. Josh Allen

 

 

 

Bottom line, I think Josh Allen is going to be a “one of one” draft prospect in the way that Tom Brady was a “one of one” 6th rd pick that became the best Qb in the league. For years everyone tried to say you could find a guy late in the draft because “look at Tom Brady”… no, he was the exception to the rule. Now everyone is saying “this QB is raw but toolsy and big and strong so he can be Josh Allen” or “this QB was not very good early  but it’s his 3rd year now so he can be Josh Allen” — no, he has a rare combination of size, strength, arm, work ethic, intelligence, intrinsic motivation and inherent drive to get better that is not all part of a chart used to evaluate draft prospects. 

[RangerDave]

4 hours ago, YoloinOhio said:

Rosen vs Baker week 1 or we riot 

If so, it'll be a quiet riot....

[C.Biscuit97]

11 minutes ago, Logic said:

Funny, isn't it? 

If football genius John Dorsey had simply listened to Megan Schuster, a reporter no one has ever heard of, the Browns would have Josh Allen right now. It's not as if "roll the dice on elite traits since drafting QBs is a crapshoot anyway" is so radical a theory.

I think the idea that a 56% passer who didn’t make 1st or 2nd team Mountain West would become a star NFL qb is completely mind blowing. These guys with all the tool but haven’t really produced on the field fail 99/100 times. Allen is truly a unicorn and the Bills deserve all the credit in the world for beleiveing/ developing him. It absolutely doesn’t seem real that a guy from Wyoming should make the Bills Super Bowl contenders. 

[YoloinOhio]

Just now, RangerDave said:

If so, it'll be a quiet riot....

I’m not watching that stupid game unless I’m duct taped to a chair not in a reach of a remote and Alexa is on strike 

[C.Biscuit97]

3 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

Bottom line, I think Josh Allen is going to be a “one of one” draft prospect in the way that Tom Brady was a “one of one” 6th rd pick that became the best Qb in the league. For years everyone tried to say you could find a guy late in the draft because “look at Tom Brady”… no, he was the exception to the rule. Now everyone is saying “this QB is raw but toolsy and big and strong so he can be Josh Allen” or “this QB was not very good early  but it’s his 3rd year now so he can be Josh Allen” — no, he has a rare combination of size, strength, arm, work ethic, intelligence, intrinsic motivation and inherent drive to get better that is not all part of a chart used to evaluate draft prospects. 

Well said. Teams are going to try to look for “Allen” type guy now. I think Trey Lance got compared to him but Lance actually produced better number than him. What Allen has become is one of the greatest success stories in NFL history. 

[Logic]

1 minute ago, C.Biscuit97 said:

I think the idea that a 56% passer who didn’t make 1st or 2nd team Mountain West would become a star NFL qb is completely mind blowing. These guys with all the tool but haven’t really produced on the field fail 99/100 times. Allen is truly a unicorn and the Bills deserve all the credit in the world for beleiveing/ developing him. It absolutely doesn’t seem real that a guy from Wyoming should make the Bills Super Bowl contenders. 

Allen is certainly the exception rather than the rule.

And it certainly wasn't a crazy idea to pick Sam Darnold or Baker Mayfield -- two guys with quality production in tough conferences -- ahead of Allen.

That said, picking Allen first also wasn't a completely crazy notion with no chance of happening. There were rumors leading all the way up to the morning of the draft that the Browns were down to either Mayfield or Allen, and there were even reports that they were leaning Allen. Mel Kiper had Allen ranked as his number one quarterback.

Drafting a quarterback is such a career shaping thing for a GM. John Dorsey drafted the wrong one.

[SWATeam]

1 minute ago, C.Biscuit97 said:

Well said. Teams are going to try to look for “Allen” type guy now. I think Trey Lance got compared to him but Lance actually produced better number than him. What Allen has become is one of the greatest success stories in NFL history. 

It was always insane using college stats as predictive.  Use your eyeballs and you could see it.

[C.Biscuit97]

4 hours ago, BobbyC81 said:

Remember when he said the teams that took other QBs ahead of him would be sorry they passed on him?!

 

Bwahahahaha!

I mean what should he say?

[Gugny]

2 minutes ago, C.Biscuit97 said:

I mean what should he say?

 

Nothing.

 

That's always been his problem.  He doesn't know when to shut the hell up.

 

[C.Biscuit97]

1 minute ago, SWATeam said:

It was always insane using college stats as predictive.  Use your eyeballs and you could see it.

Find me a qb who was less than a 60% passer in a non power 5 conference in the last 10 years who has become a successful NFL qb? While great stats mean nothing, the under 60% benchmark is a pretty good one for determining It will be really hard to be successful in the NFL. 
 

all the credit goes to the Bills and Allen. I remember watching a few Wyoming games and thinking, how is this guy really going to be a high draft pick? I was very, very wrong. 

[RangerDave]

14 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

I’m not watching that stupid game unless I’m duct taped to a chair not in a reach of a remote and Alexa is on strike 

LOL

 

And I bet you just drive by a bloody car wreck without rubbernecking.  Party pooper!  😜

[SWATeam]

5 minutes ago, C.Biscuit97 said:

Find me a qb who was less than a 60% passer in a non power 5 conference in the last 10 years who has become a successful NFL qb? While great stats mean nothing, the under 60% benchmark is a pretty good one for determining It will be really hard to be successful in the NFL. 
 

all the credit goes to the Bills and Allen. I remember watching a few Wyoming games and thinking, how is this guy really going to be a high draft pick? I was very, very wrong. 

The completion % thing is so skewed due to the style of most college offense.  Wyoming was "pro-style", which is extremely rare, and Allen was constantly running for his life behind a horrid line.

 

I used to be really into watching all the draft prospects but found, for me, it's mostly useless.  I think- by far- the biggest factor for success is the mental makeup which we do not have access to. 

[NoHuddleKelly12]

5 hours ago, dollars 2 donuts said:

 

I've told this story before.

 

Leading up to the 2018 draft I was interested in him for the Bills. 

 

I have a best friend who is always all over draft stuff, just very knowledgeable and he never had Rosen on his list of QBs.  He would stop after listing 4 and never bring him up. Considering my friend is also more liberally minded I thought he would like the idea of Rosen.

 

I asked him, "Why don't you have Rosen on any of your lists?"

 

Answer...I know people who know him and he is a d**k.  Just a real jerk that would be a cancer to the team.  All the rehabilitation his teammates, coach and school are doing with him leading up to the the draft is a joke. He is simply terrible to be around and not a leader of men.

 

 

Donuts, going forward I think it’s high time you introduce another draft thread into the TBD sauce where you pass off your friend’s prescient nuggets as your own to all of us! 

[FilthyBeast]

The Browns know that Watson will be sitting this year, the question is how long?

 

So with the roster they have assembled they are going to have to do whatever it takes to stay afloat until Watson is able to play or make 2022 look respectable assuming he's suspended the whole season.

[dollars 2 donuts]

7 minutes ago, NoHuddleKelly12 said:

Donuts, going forward I think it’s high time you introduce another draft thread into the TBD sauce where you pass off your friend’s prescient nuggets as your own to all of us! 

 

HUDS, I have so many stories about interesting things I have heard from other people.