So You Had a Bad Day

Cheer up, Bunky -- it could be worse. You could be Vesa Toskala.

SI seems to like one and questions the other.

Don Banks of SI.com loves the Browns' acquisition of Corey Williams. Here's what he said:

" One deal that seems like a grand slam to me at first glance is the Browns acquiring Packers defensive tackle Corey Williams for a '08 second-round pick. Williams is an underrated young player who has posted seven sacks in each of the past two seasons. With the free-agent defensive tackle market rather slim, and the draft not having much depth at the position, landing Williams is a good move by Cleveland."

He's not so excited about Shaun Rogers because of Rogers' propensity for coasting on plays:

"When he wants to, Detroit defensive tackle Shaun Rogers can be a truly dominant player. But his inconsistency would scare me if I were the Bengals, who on Friday traded third and fifth-round picks for him. Getting Rogers on his good days at that price is a bargain, but why do we only see him show up in some games? "

Rust never sleeps. He's at it again.

Apparently, Savage wasn't satisfied giving up his highest pick for a defensive lineman in the early morning on Friday, because he did it again late last night. The Browns traded Leigh Bodden and their 3rd (87th overall) to get talented but sometimes lackadaisical defensive tackle, Shaun Rogers. Rogers is 6'4" , 330 lbs. of fury who's great at clogging up the line by occupying a couple of offensive linemen. Like Corey Williams, Rogers got to the QB 7 times last year. He's a two time All Pro, and when he's motivated, there are few offensive linemen who can stop him. Rogers will likely line up over the center and Williams will line up as a DE.

I like Rogers. He's a nasty S.O.B. The interesting thing about the trade is that the Browns gave up Bodden, who was very productive during his career here. The other interesting thing is that the Bengals had announced that they'd received Rogers for a 3rd and a 5th. That makes it sound like Savage overpaid by substituting Bodden for a 5th, and he very well may have. But, it's no secret that the Browns' inability to stop the run and control the line of scrimmage cost them dearly last year. Rogers can really be disruptive, and Rogers + Williams can be part of a much tougher, much more athletic front seven.

Like I said yesterday, Savage likes playing without a net. The Browns will go into April's draft without a pick in the first three rounds. That takes balls. There's no doubt that Phil's got 'em, but this latest move means he really has to be aggressive in acquiring a free agent. The Browns won't have a pick until #119 and they desperately need a linebacker. It's just my two cents, but wouldn't unrestricted free agent Lance Briggs of the Bears look pretty good in a pumpkin colored helmet? All he'll cost is money.

Come on Phil. You've traded away your first three picks in '08. Go all in and bring home Briggs.