A.M. Cleveland Browns links: ‘Skins pick up James Davis; Colt McCoy picks up more backers

Written by: admin on 31st October 2010

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Ex-Brown James Davis finds a new home with the Washington Redskins.

View full sizeJoshua Gunter, The Plain DealerFormer Brown James Davis’ world no longer is upside down. The 2009 seventh-round pick has found a home with the Washington Redskins.

James Davis has found work. The running back chosen by Browns coach Eric Mangini in the seventh round of the 2009 draft is expected to be signed to the Washington Redskins practice squad. He may not remain there long, though. The Redskins have a shortage of available backs, according to the Washington Post.

The Redskins had just two running backs available for last Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears but will have one more in pads as they return to the practice field Wednesday.

The team is expected to add to its practice squad second-year running back James Davis, who was released earlier this week by the Cleveland Browns. It was not immediately clear whose roster spot Davis would be taking. The Redskins had signed running back Jeremiah Johnson to the practice squad one day earlier.

Washington had only running backs Ryan Torain and Keiland Williams available Sunday. … After four years at Clemson, Davis was selected by the Browns in the seventh-round of the 2009 draft. He played in just two games last season, tallying 15 yards on nine carries, before he was placed on the injured reserve list on Oct. 3, 2009.

Davis, who’s listed at 5-feet-11 and 218 pounds, had a very limited role in the Browns’ offense this season before his release Monday. He was inactive in three of Cleveland’s past four games and had only nine yards on four carries this season.

Davis wanted out of Cleveland and now has gotten his wish, shifting from a team in rebuilding mode to one with a Super Bowl coach and a Super Bowl quarterback.

Another McCoy fan
Add Clark Judge to the growing ranks of Colt McCoy supporters. The senior writer for cbssports.com originally was skeptical about the kid from Texas, especially based on his rumblin’, stumblin’, fumblin’ preseason performance. In the immortal words of Roberto Duran, “No mas.”

It’s not just that Colt McCoy is playing better than expected; it’s how he’s taken to his new job. I mean, the minute he stepped into the huddle as a starter he volunteered to break down the team after a practice that week. Maybe some of his teammates found it amusing to have a third-string rookie call them to order, but McCoy didn’t. He not only wanted the job; he knew what to do when he got it.

Then, on the eve of his first starting assignment — against the Pittsburgh Steelers, no less — McCoy stepped in front of his teammates again, this time at the team hotel Saturday night, to tell them what they could expect the following afternoon.

“You can count on me,” he promised. “I’m going to play well.”

And he did. The Browns didn’t lose to Pittsburgh because of Colt McCoy. They lost because the Pittsburgh Steelers are a better team, period. Even so, with four minutes left in the third quarter, Cleveland trailed by only four, and tell me that’s not an achievement.

It was. Only it was nothing compared to what happened last weekend, and that’s what has me thinking that, no matter what quarterbacks are available, the Browns must play McCoy against New England on Nov. 7. I mean, so far, so good, right? It’s not as if McCoy is the next Manning or Brady, but he’s a heckuva lot better than Brady Quinn, and Quinn was a starter last season who, like McCoy, knocked off a defending Super Bowl champion.

Delhomme and Wallace remain sidelined with ankle injuries, with Wallace the more likely to heal first, and both are iffy for the New England game. But this is no longer about them. It’s about Colt McCoy and his future as the Browns’ starter.

All I know is that after two games I want to see more because after two games he’s not the guy I thought he was. I mean, he stunk when he was sitting at the third pole position, fumbling snaps, making bad decisions and throwing interceptions when he got a chance to play, which wasn’t often. But once he assumed command, he transformed into the quarterback he’s been at every level of football — a genuine, honest-to-goodness leader — and that’s something the Cleveland Browns have been missing for years.

Starting Blocks isn’t quite ready to anoint McCoy as the next great thing. Every game he plays gives opponents a little more tape to check for tendencies, mistakes, things to exploit. The key will be his ability to utilize that Marine recon mantra: “adapt, improvise and overcome.” McCoy didn’t lead the Longhorns for four years and won more games than any quarterback in NCAA Division I history by chance. He’s got skills. And they’re not diminished … or diminishing.

And another find
Colt McCoy’s success has been a surprise, but it’s not been the only pleasant surprise for the Browns this season. Or at least a surprise for Browns fans. That would be Peyton Hillis, who came over from Denver in the Brady Quinn trade. Hillis might as well have been a stealth fighter when it came to showing up on Broncos’ coach Josh McDaniels’ radar.

Robert Cobb, writing for bleacherreport.com, lauded Hillis for his “blue collar, lunchpail” style of football.

So far since being acquired for the very popular Brady Quinn, Hillis has become a dominant force on the offense in running tough inside, catching on the outside, such as his 19-yard finger-tip touchdown reception from Seneca Wallace against the Atlanta Falcons to even throwing as evidenced by his 13-yard completion to QB, Colt McCoy in the Browns upset win over the New Orleans Saints.

Currently, Hillis is on pace for about 1,050 yards and 12 touchdowns and with the additions of running backs, Mike Bell in a trade with Philadelphia and Thomas Clayton from waivers, Hillis can hopefully continue to keep up his early-season MVP, Pro Bowl-like production.

I can gladly say that Cleveland finally came out on top against Denver in one thing at least.

It always goes back to The Drive, doesn’t it? Sigh.

From The Plain Dealer
Wideout Mohamed Massaquoi told Browns beat writer Tony Grossi he doesn’t hold any grudges against Steelers linebacker James Harrison, who was fined $75,000 for the concussion-causing hit that kept Massaquoi on the sidelines in the win over the Saints. He also said that as the team’s No. 1 wide receiver, he’s got to step it up.

“I definitely wish my production would be better,” Massaquoi said. “But I’m gonna go back and look at what I can do to better myself and have a bigger second half.

“I just try have to try to learn from some of the little things that didn’t go so right the first half. Just try to get on the same page with everybody and make sure I can do things differently to be as productive as possible in the second part of the season.”

Chansi Stuckey leads the Browns wideouts with 21 catches. Josh Cribbs has 14, Massaquoi nine and Brian Robiskie eight. That’s 52 total. Hakeem Nicks of the Giants, who was Massaquoi’s high school teammate at Independence High School in Charlotte, N.C., has 45 alone, with eight touchdowns.

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