The Cleveland Browns had high hopes for their second-round draft pick Montario Hardesty this year. But, those hopes will have to be shelved as Adam Schefter reports that the team fears that Hardesty has a torn ACL.

“Early diagnosis on Browns rookie RB Montario Hardesty: torn ACL. More exams today to confirm the news, but a blow to the Browns,” Schefter tweets.

Hardesty had microfracture surgery on his right knee in 2006, which is a pretty bad thing for a running back. And now for him to potentially have a torn ACL? Ouch. Not sure what they could expect from him moving forward.

Especially since he plays for the Browns, which means a staph infection is just right around the corner.

Move Jerome Harrison up your draft boards.

Former University of Texas star QB Colt McCoy saw his free fall finally end. Considered one of the top QB prospects in the draft, McCoy slid past the first round (pretty much expected) and then out of the second round (maybe expected) and fell past team after team that needed a QB. Finally, the Browns grabbed him in the third round.

But the Browns passed on him several times before they took him at #85, so clearly they aren’t in love with him. And many wondered how they could continually pass on a QB when they currently have Seneca Wallace and Jake Delhomme on the roster.

“We had too many other areas of the football team to try and build on that we just thought we had to go in a different direction now,” Holmgren said.

McCoy said before the draft that he thought he’d be a good fit in Cleveland. We think he said this after reviewing the Browns QB situation and comparing and contrasting that with the QB situations of other teams. Upon doing so, it was quickly apparent to him that he’d be 334x more likely to play in Cleveland as opposed 99% of other teams.

“My heart skipped a beat,” McCoy said in an interview on ESPN immediately after he was drafted. “I was so thankful to hear from coach Holmgren. . . . He just asked me if it had been a long day and I said yes. He said, ‘We want you to be a Cleveland Brown’ and I said, ‘You won’t regret it and we’re going to win a lot of games.’”

Cleveland Browns CB Sheldon Brown went on 610 WIP the other day to speak with Howard Eskin and Ike Reese. He made some comments that dovetailed with our report from a couple of days ago about Jeremiah Trotter being brought in to keep CB Asante Samuel in line.

“I just think, we as a defense in Philadelphia, you just have to believe in what coach McDermott preaches and follow the plan,” cornerback Sheldon Brown told Howard Eskin and Ike Reese of WIP radio in Philly this week. “You know, sometimes I look back at last year, the season, I feel that we had some players that really was questioning some of the things that were being done. And [we] never had that situation since I’ve been there. And first and foremost, you have to believe in the system, believe in the plan, or you lose before you even go out there. And if the guys can remember to do that, stick together, they’ll be fine.”

We think he’s referring to Samuel, who signed a $57 million deal in 2008. Samuel was known to be freelancing in the last two Dallas games and doing whatever he wanted.

“Sometimes when guys come from other places, and you feel as if some guys in house that have been working hard feel as they’re not appreciated, then obviously in any workplace, it’s gonna become a problem,” Brown continued.

Again, he’s probably talking about Samuel. This Eagles team is in trouble. We don’t think they want any parts of Samuel any more, but at the same time they simply can’t add another hole to the defense or lose another playmaker on that side of the ball.

Adam Schefter announced today that the Eagles and Browns have finalized their deal.

Schefter tweets:

“Filed to ESPN: Eagles-Browns make 5-player deal: Browns get CB Sheldon Brown, LB Chris Gocong; Eagles get 4th and 5th rd picks, LB Alex Hall”

That brings the Eagles to 10 picks for draft day: 1st, 2nd, two 3rds, two 4ths, 5th, 6th and two 7ths.

This is a brilliant trade by the Eagles, who have tons of great defensive players and can afford to part with guys like Sheldon Brown who can actually play. But it’s better that everyone is perfectly happy with their contracts. Who wants guys that can actually make plays?

Cleveland.com is reporting that Cleveland Browns DT Shaun Rogers has been arrested at Hopkins International Airport in Cleveland. Rogers was boarding a plane when they found a gun in his bag.

Police say that the gun was loaded and we have to wonder how on god’s green earth Rogers thought this was a good idea. One report says that he claims he forgot the gun was in his bag.

Uh huh. We don’t have any more details right now.

Rogers recorded 36 tackles and two sacks in 11 games for the Browns. He broke his leg in Week 12 against the Bengals and was done for the year. It’s not known if the gun is related to the broken leg.

The Cleveland Browns are busy beavers today, huh? First, they send Brady “The Stinkbomb” Quinn to the Broncos for a bag of rusty thumbtacks, and now they are shipping off another once-promising first-round pick. The team has traded OLB Kamerion Wimbley to the Oakland Raiders in exchange for a third-round pick.

Wimbley is durable and has started all but two games in four years with the Browns. He had 11 sacks as a rookie, which most likely had the Browns patting themselves on the back for making a brave choice in the first round. Well, he just hasn’t been the same since his rookie year and new president Mike Holmgren decided it was time to move on.

According to Chris Mortensen of ESPN (one of the most overrated NFL information people in the business), there were numerous teams interested in Wimbley’s services, but the Raiders’ had the highest third-round pick (surprise) so they won out.

Look for Al Davis to move Wimbley to tight end or wide receiver.

With the acquisitions of Seneca Wallace and Jake Delhomme, it didn’t take a genius to figure out that former first-round pick Brady Quinn was in trouble in Cleveland. And now we know for sure, as the Denver Broncos and Cleveland Browns have announced that Quinn was shipped to Denver for fullback Peyton Hillis, a 2011 sixth-round draft pick and a conditional 2012 draft pick.

That’s not exactly a large haul for a guy who supposed to be a stud in the NFL.

“I appreciate everything Brady did for us last year and in his three seasons with the Cleveland Browns,” head coach Eric Mangini said. “He is professional in the way he goes about doing his job and worked extremely hard at every aspect of his game. I wish him the best of success in Denver.”

We don’t know if he added, “and I’m the next to go,” but he should have.

So now the question becomes, who is the starter in Denver? Is it restricted free agent Kyle Orton? Or Quinn? Well, a league source tells Mike Klis of the Denver Post that Orton is still the guy. You never know what will happen in training camp, but as of now Orton will start. Quinn does have a one-time escalator bonus in his contract of $5.9 million if he were to take 70% of the snaps, but he never hit that while he was in Cleveland. Who negotiated this deal for him?

If Quinn ever remotely reaches his potential, this is a steal for the Broncos. But, we have a feeling that the Browns are well aware that they aren’t shipping off Joe Montana to Denver for a bag of footballs.

Former New England Patriots tight end Ben Watson has completely lost the spirit of winning.  Earlier today, the former first-round draft pick signed a three-year, $12 million deal ($6.35 million guaranteed) with the Cleveland Browns.

PHOTO CAPTION: Ben Watson signals for the alley oop dunk

Clearly, Watson’s decision was made easier when the Browns acquired Seneca Wallace earlier this week.  Sometimes a tight end needs a change of pace.  Too much Tom Brady can ruin a career.

After releasing Derek Anderson and signing Seneca Wallace, the Cleveland Browns are now shopping former first-round pick Brady Quinn.

PHOTO CAPTION:  After this pass was completed to the other team, one coach was heard saying, “Maybe Quinn’s left-handed?”

It’s being rumored that the Cleveland Browns are willing to trade Quinn and five-hundred dollars in cash money to any team for a hearty handshake and a thank you. 

After being drafted 22nd overall in the 2007 NFL Draft, Quinn hasn’t amounted to anything.  Furthermore, Wallace stated earlier this week that he thinks he is going to start for the Browns this coming season.

The early favorite to land Quinn is The Salvation Army.

Well this isn’t even mildly surprising. The Cleveland Browns have announced that they have terminated the contract of QB Derek Anderson. Anderson had a very good year in 2007 but then fell off of a cliff.

There has been a battle for the QB spot in Cleveland between him and Brady Quinn, but both are pretty bad. The Browns just traded for Seneca Wallace and that all but sealed Anderson’s fate.

All that said, he’s still good enough that he’ll land on another roster.

ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter is reporting that the Seattle Seahawks have traded Seneca Wallace to the Cleveland Browns.

Cleveland fans have to be partying in the streets right now.

PHOTO CAPTION: Seneca throws a touchdown pass

Seneca was the first woman to ever play in the NFL.  She has played in five seasons with Seattle after they drafted her in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL draft out of Iowa State.  She has played in 48 games and has a career QB rating of 83.1.  Wallace has thrown for 3547 career yards and 25 touchdowns.

Before the 2009 NFL season started, we announced that we were getting involved with Braylon Edward’s charity Project ACT, a charity which ensures that homeless children and youth in the Cleveland area have access to the same free and appropriate education all housed students receive within the district.

Braylon donated $1,000 to Project Act for every touchdown he caught last year.  The previous year he did the same; however, he only caught three touchdowns.

In 2008, he led the NFL with 16 drops, so OTR did some thinking.  We thought it would make more sense for Edwards to donate money based on his drops, not his touchdown catches.  Wouldn’t Project ACT benefit more?  That’s where we came in to play.

We decided OTR would donate $5 for every pass Braylon dropped during the regular season and increased it to $10 for every playoff drop.  At the time we didn’t think Cleveland had any shot at the playoffs, but who knew Edwards would be traded to the Jets and play in three playoff games?

PHOTO CAPTION: Was this a $1000 donation or possibly a $5 one?

Unofficially, we had Braylon dropping five balls in the regular season and two in the playoffs, totalling $45.  OTR rounded that number up and a $50 check will be sent to Project ACT on Monday.

We realize this donation is small, but every bit helps.  As our site grows bigger our plan is to continue donating to Project ACT and charities alike.

Please contact us with any other charity ideas or questions on how to donate to Project ACT.

According to Mike Lombardi of the National Football Post, no one in the Cleveland Browns organization believes that Brady Quinn is the short- or long-term answer at quarterback. They also most likely have no intentions of giving Derek Anderson his roster bonus, so all these reports that they are looking to trade for a QB are probably true.

We happen to agree. Anderson had one productive year and 2007 was a long time ago. We aren’t sure what anyone could see in Quinn at this point. He can’t stretch the field at all and is generally lousy.

With the connections between Mike Holmgren, Tom Heckert and Andy Reid, they are surely inquiring about Kevin Kolb, Michael Vick and perhaps even Donovan McNabb. Although, we aren’t entirely sure that they’d be interested in a 33-year old QB when they have so many other issues.

The only player that has any skill on the Cleveland Browns, Josh Cribbs could have a new deal with the Cleveland Browns as early as next week, a league source said Friday.

Cribbs, who is signed through 2012 for a little more than $1 million per year, is looking for a contract that will pay him closer to $4-$5 million per year.  The Browns and Cribbs have essentially agreed to a restructuring of his grossly underpaid deal.  However, sources say the two parties are still far away on a number of issues, including guaranteed money ($5 million apart) and escalators (Cribbs wants his own escalator as an entrance to Cleveland Brown Stadium).

The Browns say they want to include Cribbs more in the offense for the upcoming season.  This would be smart, considering he was the only offense during this past season.

It’s safe to move Jerome Harrison up your fantasy draft boards at this point. The Cleveland Browns have released RB Jamal Lewis, according to Adam Schefter’s Twitter page.

“Browns terminated the contract of running back Jamal Lewis, the team announced,” he tweets.

Lewis will be 31-years old in August and he suffered a pretty nasty concussion in Week 12. The Browns owed him a $1.5 million roster bonus and $2.4 million in salary this year. Cap or no cap, that wasn’t happening.

A league source tells PFT that former Cleveland Browns WR Donte Stallworth is working out for the Detroit Lions. Surprisingly, the Lions could use a WR. Tough to imagine since they took them high in the first round in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2007.

The Lions still have Bryant Johnson and Dennis Northcutt, but the problem with that is they have Bryant Johnson and Dennis Northcutt. They also have Derrick Williams who reminds too many people of Derrick Williams for him to be effective at the pro level.

It’s been quite a bumpy ride for Stallworth these last few years. In 2005, he was with the team that drafted him, the Saints. In 2006, he played for the Philadelphia Eagles. 2007? The New England Patriots. In 2008, it was the Cleveland Browns. And of course, in 2009 he was suspended by the league for killing Mario Reyes with his car while impaired.

So yeah, if he signs with the Lions, he’ll be the NFL version of Kenny Lofton.

In a move that should surprise no one, the Cleveland Browns have released troubled wide receiver Donte Stallworth. Stallworth was due a $1 million roster bonus in March and you just knew that wasn’t going to happen. He’s only 29 and can still contribute, but the Browns clearly don’t want the PR nightmare around.

Look for a team like the Baltimore Ravens to kick his tires. They have a young QB with a laser gun of an arm, but no one that can get deep. Stallworth hasn’t played in a year, but most likely still has the jets.

Stallworth was recently reinstated by commissioner Roger Goodell who insists that Stallworth is “in a better place than he was.”

Cleveland Brown’s wide receiver Donte Stallworth will be reinstated from his suspension for killing a pedestrian while driving drunk, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said on Friday at this annual Super Bowl-week news conference.  The suspension will be lifted after the Super Bowl on Sunday.

Stallworth’s future with the Browns is still uncertain, although he is expected to be released.  Maybe Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid will give Donte’ a second chance?

Cleveland Browns president Mike Holmgren went on the Dan Patrick show today and was asked about his QB situation. Would he let Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson battle it out in training camp like they did last year? Will both of them even be on the roster come training camp?

“I won’t tell you that right now,” Holmgren said. “They’re both here right now. We’ll see how it goes. I’m not a big believer in that competition stuff.

“We better make up our mind before we go to camp and then put our resources into one guy.”

Photo Caption: Bad idea (left) and Bad idea (right).

Sounds like a smarter plan than last year, regardless of whatever the plan was last year. Their QB play was an unmitigated disgrace, so do the opposite of whatever Mangini did last year.

Actually, he did the competition thing last year. So we aren’t surprised that Holmgren wants to do something else. We can’t see both of these guys being the first and second stringers regardless of who starts. They were just terrible last season and something has to change.

Holmgren also talked about his decision to keep Mangini as head coach.

“Eric and I had a number of discussions and once I was sold on how he did things, his approach, how we hit it off and how I figured we could work together, then I made my decision,” Holmgren said. “I think it would have been really unfair of me to make any of those decisions prior to our having those meetings and so I tried purposely not to do that.”

Former Denver Broncos, Cleveland Browns and New York Giants RB Rueben Droughns apparently likes to partake. More specifically, he’s under investigation by the DEA for having a li’l marijuana growing operation going on in his Centennial, CO home. Droughns sources say that it’s for medicinal purposes, but OTR says it’s for bagging and selling purposes. We don’t know for sure, we just thoroughly enjoy a good speculation.

Supposedly, agents found his operation in his spare bedrooms. The Fox 31 story says nothing about why agents were in there in the first place. Droughns has not shown a medicinal marijuana card, but his mother and brother did.

Medicinal marijuana is legal in Colorado, but possession and use still violates federal law.

OTR is just curious: HOW MUCH F’ING MONEY ARE WE WASTING ON STUPID S**T LIKE THIS? It’s ok to have it for medicinal uses, but in this country you can’t have it or use it. Makes PERFECT sense. This is beyond stupid and beyond a waste of everyone’s time and money.

Hey Obama, you need a few extra bucks for your spending habits? Legalize it and tax it! What’s the concern? That high people will take over? They won’t take over anything but a PS3 console and a bag of Doritos. If the conservative Christians can’t handle it, then some of their money-grubbing, thieving churches (not saying all of them are, just to be clear) can chip in what the taxes on pot would have been. It’s ok to go out and get drunk and act like an idiot in this country, but god forbid someone gets high in their house and passes out on their couch in the middle of an awful B movie.

Sound like a plan?

ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter is reporting New York Jets wide receiver Braylon Edwards pleaded no contest to misdemeanor aggravated disorderly conduct this week, was fined $1,000, and given a suspended 180-day jail sentence.

PHOTO CAPTION:  Oops

The charge was stemming from a nightclub incident where Edwards punched a friend of NBA star LeBron James on October 5th outside of Cleveland, two days before he was traded to the New York Jets.  It was said that LeBron James’ friend handed Braylon a drink, but Edwards dropped it, causing all mayhem to break loose.  LeBron tried breaking up the fight by throwing chalk up in the air, but that really didn’t accomplish anything, nor does it ever.

The league will not punish Edwards this season, but he is facing some type of punishment for the 2010 season, and a suspension will be considered.

We aren’t sure what the Cleveland Browns aren’t seeing that everyone else in the 216 – and the entire country for that matter – does. Josh Cribbs does it all and he is woefully underpaid. You have a team that stinks with the exception of a few players. Cribbs is one of those few players.

Hell, even the local pizza guys know it. Cribbs’ agent, Peter Schaffer, says that they even let the coaches know it.

“I was told last week the coaches were working late and a pizza delivery company wrote on the inside of every one of the boxes, ‘Pay the man,’ ” Schaffer said.

That’s great. It’s not like Cribbs will command an $8 million salary, but he’s certainly worth more than the paltry $1.4 million they offered him. Stop being stupid, Browns.

Cleveland Browns KR/RB/WR/QB/PR Joshua Cribbs thinks his time is over in Cleveland. He feels betrayed and rightfully so. He says he was promised a new contract a year or so ago. Didn’t happen. They he got some lame take-it-or-leave-it $1.4 million/year offer. OTR doesn’t blame him for feeling like his time in Cleveland is over.

“I said good-bye to some people on the medical staff, some of the equipment guys and the coaches,” he said. “I wished the coaches luck and told them I hoped they kept their job. But it absolutely felt like the last time I’d be setting foot inside the building. I feel like it’s over for me in Cleveland.”

This next part is great. And true, considering that Mangini will be kept on for another season.

“I’d like to think that some of my play over those last four games helped those guys keep their jobs, including my two kickoff returns for touchdowns against Kansas City,” he said. “I wonder how many jobs would’ve been lost if I hadn’t laid it on the line for them every single week?”

We have to think that Holmgren will step in and take care of this guy. He is the Browns best player and he was a good soldier all year despite feeling lied to. He’s says that, absent a new deal, he’ll never play for the Browns again.

“There’s no way I’ll play another down for the Browns without the new contract,” he said. “They won’t let me sit, because I have value. They’d be forced to trade me.”

Cribbs then said, “I’m shocked they make me an offer like that after all I’ve done for this team. They told me to be the good soldier and prove it on the field and I did that. I can’t be told to wait again. I just don’t see it happening now.”

We can’t imagine any NFL team not wanting this guy.

The unthinkable has happened. Cleveland Browns head coach Eric Mangini will be back as head coach of the Cleveland Browns. New football czar Mike Holmgren has decided that he did a good enough job to warrant a second chance. The four-game win streak to end the season probably helped quite a bit.

“I’m happy to announce that Eric Mangini will return as head coach of the Cleveland Browns in 2010,” Holmgren said in a statement. “Over the past few weeks Eric and I have had a chance to talk on a number of occasions including our meetings over the last two days. I was able to gain some tremendous insight into his thought process and philosophies, and came away from our meetings very impressed.

“In my opinion, Eric has gained the respect and admiration of players, coaches and others in the organization, and with him continuing to lead the team I feel that we are headed in the right direction. Working together, our goal is to build on the strong tradition of this franchise and help get the Browns back to the playoffs.”

Now to pay Josh Cribbs.

A source with knowledge of the situation tells NFL Network’s Jason La Canfora that the Philadelphia Eagles have given the Cleveland Browns permission to interview GM Tom Heckert for their vacant general manager job.

Heckert has done a very good job in Philly and is certainly well versed in the West Coast offense that new Browns president Mike Holmgren will surely want to install. According to La Canfora, Heckert and Randy Mueller are the favorites to land the job.

The source says that the Browns could fill the GM job by next week, so Heckert could be on the move quickly.

We’re just speculating here, but this could mean significant changes for the Eagles. If Heckert were to become the Browns GM, it’s not out of the question that he gives Marty Mornhinweg a shout to coach the team. Unless, that is, you think Holmgren really has any interest in keeping Eric Mangini on board. We highly doubt that based on recent comments from Holmgren.

If Marty gets the call to become a head coach again (he was the head coach in Detroit for a minute or two. Anyone remember when he got so mad he rode his motorcycle off the practice field?), you can imagine that he’ll have interest in grabbing some Eagles assistants to go with him. Premature speculation? Of course, but not crazy talk.

We know this season isn’t over, but it could be what the Eagles need. We would just hope that they don’t promote from within and we’ll tell you why. They promote from within constantly. So what you end up with is a bunch of people that know Andy’s way of doing things. Not that it’s a bad thing, Andy has a very good way of doing things. But it’s the only way some of these guys know. Go outside the organization and get some new faces. Maybe a fresh set of eyes and some new ideas would be a good thing.

Jerome Harrison is amongst some elite company. Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs, he went absolutely bonkos. Three times in the second half he ran for touchdowns on the way to racking up 286 yards on the ground.

That’s right, we said Jerome Harrison ran for 286 yards. That’s good for third all-time for single-game performances. Adrian Peterson has the record with 296 yards, and he’s followed closely by Harrison’s teammate Jamal Lewis, who once had 295 back in 2003.

So, did you have Harrison in your fantasy lineup? How many people got bounced from the playoffs because they played some idiot that drafted poorly and was forced to start Harrison. We think a lot.

There is a lot of talk (maybe too much talk) about the Cleveland Browns bringing in Mike Holmgren to be their football czar. Sources tell NFL Network’s Jason La Canfora that Holmgren is very interested in the job and that owner Randy Lerner is quite excited at the thought of adding the former Super Bowl-winning coach to his executive team.

However, several league executives tell La Canfora that if Holmgren were to get the job, it would mean the end of head coach Eric Mangini’s brief tenure with the club.

Mangini hasn’t had a ton of time to implement his system (whatever that means) and get his players in, but he hasn’t done a lot to make any friends either. The bottom line is that the Browns absolutely stink, and someone is going to have to pay. Is it Mangini’s fault that Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn can’t play? No, but if Holmgren came in, it would make perfect sense that he would want to hire someone in the Bill Walsh/West Coast mold.

Cleveland Browns head coach (for now) Eric Mangini said he’s considering converting his all-world, all-everything player Josh Cribbs into a traditional tailback.

Cribbs already returns punts, kicks, covers kicks, runs out of the wildcat and catches passes, so it’s not like playing RB is beyond his scope of abilities.

Mike Lombardi of the National Football Post says that former Cleveland Browns QB Bernie Kosar is going to interview former Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen on behalf of the Browns.

Did anyone else see the ESPN 30-in-30 special on the University of Miami on Saturday night? Was anyone else embarrassed every time they cut to Kosar speaking about his time there? His hair was disheveled, he was glimmering with sweat and he sounded drunk, if not mildly retarded. We’re being serious, we aren’t breaking balls here.

He did not remotely sound like someone you’d want representing your team to speak to possible the future of your hurting franchise.

Photo Caption: “Mmmmbllaaahhh….I wanna kissyu. I wanna kissyu.”

Oh wow, and we just saw this. He was rumored to actually be drunk.

If you didn’t see this, it’s a must-watch. If you did see it, it’s a must-watch-again. New York Jets WR Braylon Edwards is known for his drops, but this one is right out of the “oh no he dii’nt” file.

We counted another drop that he had last night too where he alligator armed it over the middle. Teams who flirted with trading for Braylon when he was with the Browns but didn’t, should be thanking their lucky stars. For all the talent he has, he is some kind of knucklehead on the field. You have a rookie QB trying to find his way and a supposed top-tier WR making plays like this for him. Sigh.

So far, we count four drops for Braylon this year. Let us know if we are wrong. We are up to a $20 donation for Braylon’s Project Act charity in Cleveland.

For those of you who don’t know, we saw that Braylon is donating $1,000 to Project Act for every TD he scores this season. We thought it’d be entertaining to donate $5 for every dropped pass. It’s not much, but we fully intend to cut that check at the end of the year.