Garrett an obvious choice, but Browns still Myles away

Okie dokie, someone needs to explain something to me.

First of all, why did all of the Browns faithful go berserk (with euphoria, presumably) when the Browns made Myles Garrett the first choice in the first round of the draft a few days ago? I mean, this guy was consensus pick numero uno in the NFL for the last three months at least, right? So let's tone it down with the pats on the back of the Browns' "brain trust" (sorry, I have to put those words in sarcasm quotes until proven unnecessary – if indeed that ever happens). Who else could the Browns have drafted at No. 1? Seriously. Giving the Browns credit for choosing Garrett with the first pick would be like crediting the Cavs for drafting LeBron. Or Kyrie.

What the Browns did during the remainder of the first round is indicative of why I harbor great reservations about Browns management. They were sitting at No. 12, and when Mitchell "Don't call me Mitch" Trubisky was drafted by the Chicago Bears (who traded up to do so), I think the Browns then shrugged their collective shoulders, traded down, picked a couple of non-quarterbacks, and said something to the effect of "We did the best we could." So, I guess it was either Mitch or "Wait until next year," huh? Convenient. Very convenient.

The Browns are always talking about "draft capital" and its benefit in the future. So, my question to these guys is, "So when is the 'future' going to arrive, fellas?" Evidently not this year. So then it will be 2018, I guess? Maybe? You picked up more draft capital with another 2018 first-round pick, so apparently you project 2018 as the year we go and get that franchise quarterback, right?"

That's fine and dandy, but I seem to recall that a year ago, when you passed on guys like Carson Wentz, the party line alluded to the class of 2017 being "deeper in quarterbacks" and that 2017 would be a better time to strike. So, even though I wasn’t thrilled at the prospect of waiting yet another year to draft the most important position on the team, I figured you guys had a plan – or at least a reasonable facsimile thereof. Apparently my thought process and yours vary considerably, because I seem to have missed the high-profile QB in this draft. And here – the dummy I am – I thought that’s what you were accumulating all this draft capital for.

As of this writing there were still plenty of draft picks left for this year, and maybe you’ll still parlay those picks into a quality QB. But be forewarned, because you know that if you keep kicking that tin can known as "draft capital" down the street long enough, some bully will come along (in this case, the bully’s name is Jimmy Haslam), take all your draft capital, tell you to get lost, and put someone else in charge (who just might go by the name of Dee).

In other words, you may think you have all the time in the world to “do this thing right” – but you don’t. Before you decide to defer to next year, it might be better for your professional longevity if you decide to – and let’s put it in quarterbacking terms just for fun – throw a “Hail Mary!”

Jeff Bing

Lifelong Westlake resident who dabbles in writing whenever the real world permits. My forte is humor and horror...What a combo!

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Volume 9, Issue 9, Posted 9:30 AM, 05.02.2017