This one just came out of left field.
Jeff Schudel of the News Herald is reporting that Cleveland Browns OL Ryan Tucker is contemplating retirement, rather than going through another full training camp. Schudel wouldn't be surprised to see Tucker on the field when training camp begins:
A Browns spokesman said he was unaware Tucker might walk away from football before the first practice of training camp on Saturday. Repeated calls Monday to Tucker's agent, Joe Colleta, were not returned.
As recently as minicamp last month, Tucker said he wants to play two more seasons, so it would be no surprise to see him stretching along with 79 teammates at 8:45 a.m. Saturday on the practice fields in Berea, but the rumor is out there nonetheless.
Personally, I'd put this one right up there with the rumors that Eric Steinbach would be a surprise training camp cut. Stranger things have happened though, and considering the games Tucker has missed the past few years, I suppose nothing is out of the question. If the Browns lose Tucker, then aren't at a complete loss, having added veteran linemen Floyd Womack, John St. Clair, and George Foster in the offseason, all of whom have starting experience.
0 recs | 36 comments
Oh no!
He should be allowed to sit out the more grueling sessions.
mooncamping - July 28, 2009
No, he should have to go through training camp. Like a football player.
danvail - July 28, 2009
How many years does he have left on his contract
BradyQuinnisBeast - July 28, 2009
I wouldn’t be disappointed if Tucker leaves.
Brownie's Year - July 28, 2009
I’d be a bit disappointed, but really am not expecting anything from him. He has been injured too often to get my hopes up
Roger Dorn - July 28, 2009
Yeah, this.
danvail - July 28, 2009
At this point in time with all of Tuckers injury problems, I personally am thinking that anything we get from Tucker is a bonus. So if he retires, no biggie.
If he stays, awesome.
Bernie19Kosar - July 28, 2009
I really like Tucker and I think he is probably the second best lineman on the team when healthy.
I don’t think this is much of a surprise. Considering the physical injuries, the mental issues, the steroid thing, the coaching change, the crowded depth chart, it may just not be worth it for him to go through a 13th training camp.
If he is retiring, I wish him the best post-football. He had a damn good career, a lot of it in Cleveland, and he is a Super Bowl champ!
Ryan Kelsey - July 28, 2009
Man, he did go through a lot.
gahnki - July 28, 2009
You Heard It Here - Second
TheOBR.com – Coye Francies
CB Coye FranTheOBR.com – Coye Francies
CB Coye Francies was placed on the active/non-football injury list. Francies (6/191; 6-1, 185, San Jose State) was kicked off the team at Oregon State because of charges that were later dropped. He landed at San Jose State after sitting out the 2007 season and made 69 tackles and three interceptions. He is another player who can help on special teams.
The Active/NFI list has a different meaning in the pre-season than it does after final roster cut-downs, where it would prevent a player from returning for six week (a la the PUP list).
Hopefully, more news of Francies’ status will emerge in the following days. Initially, this may not register as more than a mere pre-camp news blip, but it seemed that Francies had as good of a shot at contributing in the Browns secondary as any other newcomer in 2009. Although the Browns have added a volume of bodies at the position, the depth after potential starters Eric Wright and Brandon McDonald is unsettled at best.
Francies seemed destined to compete with fellow rookie Don Carey for perhaps the final cornerback spot on the roster, behind the likes of veterans Rod Hood, Hank Poteat and Corey Ivy. Now, it appears that Francies is entering the realms of darkness once inhabited by DeMario Minter, as he is not going anywhere, but probably will be quickly forgotten as the season progresses.
Although Cleveland Reboot’s sources have not been confirmed, speculation regarding Francies seems to border on deviant sexual behavior, as evidenced by some pre-draft analysis. Perhaps the new regime in Cleveland is trying to cover up a scandal that could shock even the most hardened of Browns fans. Or, Eric Mangini is simply adhering to the Belichickian blueprint of not revealing injury information. But, instead of following clear logic, Cleveland Reboot prefers to dwell in speculation.
cies was placed on the active/non-football injury list. Francies (6/191; 6-1, 185, San Jose State) was kicked off the team at Oregon State because of charges that were later dropped. He landed at San Jose State after sitting out the 2007 season and made 69 tackles and three interceptions. He is another player who can help on special teams.
The Active/NFI list has a different meaning in the pre-season than it does after final roster cut-downs, where it would prevent a player from returning for six week (a la the PUP list).
Hopefully, more news of Francies’ status will emerge in the following days. Initially, this may not register as more than a mere pre-camp news blip, but it seemed that Francies had as good of a shot at contributing in the Browns secondary as any other newcomer in 2009. Although the Browns have added a volume of bodies at the position, the depth after potential starters Eric Wright and Brandon McDonald is unsettled at best.
Francies seemed destined to compete with fellow rookie Don Carey for perhaps the final cornerback spot on the roster, behind the likes of veterans Rod Hood, Hank Poteat and Corey Ivy. Now, it appears that Francies is entering the realms of darkness once inhabited by DeMario Minter, as he is not going anywhere, but probably will be quickly forgotten as the season progresses.
Although Cleveland Reboot’s sources have not been confirmed, speculation regarding Francies seems to border on deviant sexual behavior, as evidenced by some pre-draft analysis. Perhaps the new regime in Cleveland is trying to cover up a scandal that could shock even the most hardened of Browns fans. Or, Eric Mangini is simply adhering to the Belichickian blueprint of not revealing injury information. But, instead of following clear logic, Cleveland Reboot prefers to dwell in speculation.
vincefitz - July 29, 2009
Thanks for that, but perhaps putting this in a new fanpost or the cornerback preview would be better. As it stands Francies has nothing to do with Tucker.
skipkirk - July 29, 2009
FanShot, not FanPost. If you’re only linking to another article then you should use a FanShot.
Buckeye Brad - July 29, 2009
Then you mean to say FanPost, not FanShot like he originally said, correct? Unless you mean that he should’ve just linked the article instead of a copy paste method.
SpecialBrownie - July 29, 2009
He should have just linked the article (if that is copied and pasted).
Original or not, its just a lot of speculation. Francies was reportedly hurt throughout the pre-draft process, so he could be feeling lingering effects from that, or it could have something to do with his transfer several years ago, or it could be space aliens.
rufio - July 29, 2009
Yeah, a FanPost is not for copying and pasting from a website, it’s for original content.
Buckeye Brad - July 29, 2009
Was Looking for where to add.
eom
vincefitz - July 29, 2009
Yeah, it should actually be a FanShot. You would post either a link only (along with a comment of your own), or a brief quote from the article along with the link. I’ve removed your FanPost; if you want to make the FanShot, go ahead.
Chris Pokorny - July 29, 2009
FWIW, Heard an interview with Tucker on the way to work this morning and he said he plans on playing this year and that this would be his last year. Would love to see him return to form but if not, I think we have more than enough depth.
On a related note MSN ranked our line as the worst in the NFL. RB was ranked last also, no suprise and WR and QB were bottom 10. Now I don’t really view MSN as an expert on the NFL but I do like reading all of the pre season predictions just to sate my appetite for anything NFL until the preseason starts. I can see ranking our skill positions so low but I think that we should have one of the better lines in the NFL this year.
Don’t you guys feel pretty good about our OL or am I crazy? Pass rush? I’m worried. QB, same, worried. WR, lots of questions, but OL I feel pretty good about.
mgtbfb - July 30, 2009
I think we have a top 10 line. And I don’t think it’s very controversial to say that.
kwoog - July 30, 2009
I agree, It’s by far the strongest position group on the team and potential to be the best line in the division. If someone from the Quinn, Anderson or Ratliff group can step up we are one or two skill players away from having a very nice offense.
mgtbfb - July 30, 2009
I would say top 5
BradyQuinnisBeast - July 30, 2009
A pessimist would look at the Browns and say that “we only have two good linemen — Thomas and Steinbach. Mack is a crapshoot rookie, and on the whole right side of our line we have washed up 10-year veterans that nobody else wanted competing for starting roles.”
In this case, it appears MSN has to be one of the only places taking this pessimistic view on the Internet, and I’d wholeheartedly disagree with it.
Chris Pokorny - July 30, 2009
RB should be low, WR should be middle of the pack (but is quite hard to rank as we could easily be top-5 or in the bottom 1/3), any line with Joe Thomas shouldn’t be last in the NFL. Ours has Thomas and other good players, meaning we could end up as a top 5-10 unit.
After watching the Denver game a couple of times, I am very confident in Quinn. I didn’t realize how well he moved around in the pocket. I know he can tuck the ball and lower his shoulder if we need him to, but he can dodge guys in the pocket and make some plays, too.
Pass rush could use some help. Do it up, Rob Ryan.
rufio - July 30, 2009
Quinn moved very well that game.
Roger Dorn - July 31, 2009
How is our WR’s middle of the pack? Whats another team that you would consider a “middle of the pack” team in regards to WR?
The Licensed Pessimist - July 31, 2009
Our WRs were bottom 5-10 last year, and I can’t see them doing anything but being better this year. We should have 4 new guys above Steptoe on the depth chart (who played much of the season as our #2 last year).
If Braylon plays like a true #1, and 1 or 2 of Robiskie, Massaquoi, Furrey, Patten, Steptoe, or even Stallworth play like they belong in the NFL, that’s easily middle of the pack. I can count about 11 teams who would have a better WR corps than use if that were the case:
Indy
NE
Buffalo
Zona
Denver
Detroit
Cincy
pit
Atlanta
New Orelans
Houston
So in that very realistic scenario, we could be 12th best in the NFL, pretty squarely in the middle of the pack. We are easily better than:
Oakland
St. Louis
Miami
Washington
NYJ
Minnesota
Chicago
Jacksonville
Tennessee
Tampa
San Diego
and KC
Putting us at worst at 20th in the league, again pretty much in the middle of the pack.
Now if Braylon returns to 2007 form and Robiskie and Massaquoi play like Eddie Royal and DeSean Jackson last year, we could have a top-5 unit. I am not holding my breath for that, but our WRs would really have to disappoint if they were to fail to become a top-15 unit.
True #1 WRs, like good QBs, are very rare today. The fact that we have a guy who should be a true #1 and must be covered as such almost puts us in the top-15 by itself.
rufio - July 31, 2009
Could you do a post on Quinn kinda like you did on B-Mac?
BradyQuinnisBeast - July 31, 2009
He’s definitely on my list. We’ll see how much time I have.
rufio - July 31, 2009
Plus at least the Borwns don’t have Dolan/Shapiro running the team, otherwise Thomas and Steinbach would be traded to the Giants for a couple of ball caps and a few slim jims!
mgtbfb - July 30, 2009
Stop. Just stop.
Buckeye Brad - July 30, 2009
Didn’t the Tribe just make a horrible trade to save some money? I can’t get behind that.
I know the NFL is completely different than the MLB in financial terms, but I am happy about that.
rufio - July 30, 2009
The trade was typical of what a small market team has to do with their best players as free agency approaches. It is actually pretty clear that over-paying for your own free agents (a strategy the Indians cannot even afford) is a less viable winning strategy than moving those guys for young, cost-controlled talent. The unfortunate reality of baseball is that the Indians, as a small to mid-market club will have to go through periods like this every five years. In the current structure, a string of multiple consecutive playoff appearances like in the 90’s is no longer viable for this team.
Roger Dorn - July 31, 2009
Sorry, but many of us are sick of seeing people develop into all stars only to either walk away or be traded for less than what they are worth. Maybe there is a hidden jem or to in this deal ala Grady Sizemore but I for one am sick of constantly told to wait for next year (or the year after next) when it comes to the Indians. IMO, baseball is broken when 2/3rds of the teams don’t really have a shot at being in the hunt for an extended period of time.
I have some sympathy for what ownership and management deals with. Shapiro has no room for error. One bad/unlucky signing (Hafner) and we are screwed, wheras the Yankees or Angels can easily afford such mistakes.
We have four choices when it comes to the Indians: anger, humor, apathy or blind devotion. I choose humor as there is no shortage of material.
This is why the NFL is the best professional sports league. Every team gets the same chance in regards to the draft, salary cap, free agents, etc…. While the sport is the nations most popular no one tried to tamper with small market players to get them to leave for NYC or L.A. like ESPN and Co. is doing with LeBron.
As bad as the Browns were last year it wouldn’t be impossible for them to reverse their record this year. Likely? No. Possible, Absolutely!
For the record I predict them to be around 6-10 to 8-8 but if a QB takes off, Braylon returns to form and a pass rusher emerges…….
mgtbfb - July 31, 2009
You hit on the point to be made here. The fault is not with Larry Dolan, it is with the financial structure of the MLB. The NFL is far superior in this respect.
Roger Dorn - July 31, 2009
Actually given the favorable financial structure of the NFL compared to the MLB, I think Dolan would be perfectly happy extending Joe Thomas. In fact, his team would actually generate a profit year to year, so he wouldn’t have to consistently take a loss just to make the team competitive
Roger Dorn - July 30, 2009
Owning an NFL franchise is a lisence to print money.
mgtbfb - July 31, 2009
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