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12 Mar 2010

Browns Sign Benjamin Watson

Eric Mangini re-ignites the war! Benjamin Watson heads to the Browns on a three-year, $12 million deal with $6.35 million guaranteed!

Ok, maybe the war is over.

Posted by: Bill Barnwell on 12 Mar 2010

27 comments, Last at 27 Mar 2010, 4:11am by sports-veronica

Comments

1
by Theo :: Fri, 03/12/2010 - 11:16am

Here's the real link:
http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d816e8775&template=with-video-wi...

2
by Theo :: Fri, 03/12/2010 - 11:21am

If he has a big year, and I think he will, it's not because the Browns passing game is good, but because they will play ketchup a lot, have no receivers and because the QB will check down a lot.

3
by Key19 :: Fri, 03/12/2010 - 11:58am

Better than playing mustard I suppose.

4
by Mike B. In Va :: Fri, 03/12/2010 - 12:04pm

Not if you're in the Drawing Room with Miss Scarlet.

5
by Key19 :: Fri, 03/12/2010 - 12:15pm

Touche.

24
by Mr Shush :: Sat, 03/13/2010 - 5:43pm

Miss Scarlett can touche my revolver in the drawing room any time.

7
by James-London :: Fri, 03/12/2010 - 12:39pm

Very good. Is there a "with the lead piping joke", here somewhere?

Phil Simms is a Cretin.

13
by Dan :: Fri, 03/12/2010 - 1:26pm

Not for this TE, but there would be with some others.

15
by Bobman :: Fri, 03/12/2010 - 1:57pm

Key19,

I suppose you really relish making those comments.

Jarrod Mayo would like to have some, er, words with you.

6
by Phil Osopher :: Fri, 03/12/2010 - 12:33pm

nice signing. Now to cut Robert Royal.......

8
by Johnny (not verified) :: Fri, 03/12/2010 - 12:39pm

Congrats Browns, you signed an average TE with no block skills and brick hands. He'll be invisible for half of the season, but make 1 or 2 great plays in a random game at some point.

9
by Independent George :: Fri, 03/12/2010 - 12:55pm

And that's an improvement!

14
by sundown (not verified) :: Fri, 03/12/2010 - 1:52pm

Not like the good ol' days when they had a "soldier" at TE. But maybe Watson can avoid those pesky curbs while hotrodding on his motorcycle.

10
by MJK :: Fri, 03/12/2010 - 1:08pm

Wow. Belichick called the 2009 training camp battle between the four NE TE's on the roster "the best he'd ever seen". And now none of those four are on the roster:

* Alex Smith was cut at the end of training camp.

* David Thomas (still on his rookie deal and very cheap) was traded to the Saints for a 2011 7th round pick. Yes, the David Thomas that was just an important cog in the Saints SB-winning season.

* Chris Baker was cut this offseason after on disappointing season of not living up to his free agent contract.

* They make no effort to re-sign Ben Watson, who is allowed to leave and sign a relatively modest deal elsewhere.

On top of that, in the past few years, they allowed H-back/TE Garret Mills to get snatched up by the Packers (?) by trying to play roster games with the practice squad, and allowed another highly drafted, solid TE (Daniel Graham) to be signed away by McDaniels.

Talent evaluation of TE's has to be Belichick's worst ability as a coach (unless it's talent evaluation of 2nd round wide receivers).

11
by loneweasel (not verified) :: Fri, 03/12/2010 - 1:14pm

You trusted him. You messed up.

Now who's naive?

12
by RickD :: Fri, 03/12/2010 - 1:21pm

Watson not only had a great training camp, he also had a great Week 1.

And then he disappeared again.

Watson never reached the elite TE level that the Pats haven't had since Ben Coates was in his prime. There are supposedly several good TE prospects coming out in the draft. I expect the Pats will take one.

When you have a lot of players all competing for playing time, it's probably a sign that no one of them really was all that great. You don't see the Colts having intense training camp competitions at TE, do you?

The same problem applies to the Pats' RB situation, FWIW.

16
by Bobman :: Fri, 03/12/2010 - 2:04pm

I think the Ben Coates benchmark is ridiculously high to expect any more than once every 20 years for any particular team. He and Bledsoe had something special (did he have any viable WRs taking away receptions--not a Pats fan, so don't recall?) That's almost like the Chiefs complaining in a decade that they haven't had any TE as good as Gonzalez in years. Duh. Exaggeration, I lknow, but the idea is the same. Thinking that you'd have guys like Coates, Moss, and Welker on the same team at the same time is pretty unlikely. (says the fan of Dallas Clark, Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, Brandon Stokely, Gonzo, Garcon, and Collie....) Three 1,000/10 guys has only happened once (2004 Indy), and three 1,000 yard guys without 10 TDs has only happened one or two other times, IIRC.

My question for Pats fans, is what TEs figure prominently in the draft and what might be FA pickups? You need SOMEBODY, don't you? Maybe not....

19
by greybeard :: Fri, 03/12/2010 - 5:07pm

They should trade for Greg Olsen.

23
by loki (not verified) :: Sat, 03/13/2010 - 7:08am

Mills went to the Vikings. And by far the worst move was letting Thomas go. He had excellent hands and by all accounts he was an absolutely top guy.

17
by Johnny (not verified) :: Fri, 03/12/2010 - 3:43pm

Allegedly, the Pats are interested in Alge Crumpler. Ugh, I hope not. He's about to eat his way out of the NFL in a year. He's worthless. I guess the draft is the only way. Either way, this position has been a huge failure.

18
by JFP (not verified) :: Fri, 03/12/2010 - 4:18pm

Good luck to him!

I'll always remember him for running down Champ Bailey in a playoff game loss against Denver. One of the most incredible plays I've ever seen.

Here's a YouTube link. Watch the replay starting at 1:58.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VKUSgHPm4E

20
by PatsFan :: Fri, 03/12/2010 - 8:49pm

Damn you to hell, physics- and geometry-challenged Larry Triplette!

21
by Treima (not verified) :: Sat, 03/13/2010 - 2:45am

Interesting that you didn't make note that he was actually the leader among tight ends for DVOA in 2009, and by no small margin, either. Still, watching him chase Champ Bailey from behind and just plow the MF'er was awesome. Everybody I was watching the game with (some of whom were rooting for Denver) were just shocked at how far across the field he'd run to make that bonejarring slam.

And yes, to hell with the ref that called that obvious touchback "out at the one".

22
by Bright Blue Shorts :: Sat, 03/13/2010 - 6:45am

I love hustle plays like that ... ranks up with possibly my all-time favourite play by Don Beebe (SB XXVII)

25
by Rocco :: Sat, 03/13/2010 - 9:18pm

He left the Pats, therefore he must suck. Anyone the Pats sign is the best player in football. Just listen to Mike Lombardi embarrassingly fawning over Andrew Walter and Derrick Burgess last summer.

26
by Alternator :: Sun, 03/14/2010 - 12:46am

The irrational, mindless hatred is not healthy, dude.

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