Browns' Richardson shows his heart, takes 17-year-old leukemia survivor to prom

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It's been a busy weekend for me, so haven't gotten to put down all my thoughts about the Browns draft (happy, confused, happy again, confounded, satisfied), but it's really good to see the heart of the Browns #3 pick, Trent Richardson.

Less than two weeks before the draft, Richardson brought a leukemia patient, 17-year-old Courtney Alvis of Hueytown, Alabama, to her senior prom. She had been too sick to attend her junior prom.  Trent's own mother is a cancer survivor, and this seemed to be something very close to his heart.

I know Trent Richardson will be remembered for how many times he hits the end zone, and how much postseason success he can help the Browns too. But it's nice to know he seems to a be a good guy, also.

Draft's first round kick-starts Browns' hearts

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You wanted a sense of urgency from your front office, Browns fans? How about a nice pulse-frying shot of adrenalin delivered straight to the heart from a franchise that seemed dedicated to a glacially slow rebuild?

T-Rich and Old Man Weeden, together at last.

The Browns showed a boldness last night never before seen with this regime.  These are same guys who sat idly on the sidewalk for two straight free agency fire sales; the selfsame "process" pansies who used past drafts as a means to acquire more picks. Last night was about "winning now," and whether or not you agree with the moves, the attitude behind them was past due for the leadership of this team.

Giving up three "precious" mid-to-late-round picks for Trent Richardson was easy math. The Browns need quality over quantity, particularly on offense. Getting the best running back in the draft, an impact guy who won't even turn 21 until July, is more than worth a few picks who would likely serve as depth for their first year or two of service, should they pan out at all.

Why the Browns should take Trent Richardson, and NFL Draft predictions you've surely seen all month

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“Well, you can’t really go wrong with the #4 pick.”

Those were actual words spoken to me last week when discussing the Browns’ position in tonight’s draft. Naturally, the gentleman speaking those words was not a Browns fan, and apparently woefully ignorant of what it means to be a Cleveland fan.

The draft history of the “new Browns” was so bad that I started rooting for the team to trade their #1 picks - and the crushing failure they were destined to be - for a handful of #2s and #3s, knowing that their failure wouldn’t be as hurtful—and any upside that much sweeter. When Tim Couch was drafted, everyone knew he racked up yards in a dink- and dunk- offense. But that didn’t scare the team. Unfortunately. Some picks (Courtney Brown and Gerard Warren, in particular), did look good at the time. I distinctly remember a “Courtney Brown or Trade Down” sign in the stadium. And I agreed. William Green, Brady Quinn, Kellen Winslow, Craig Powell, Clifford Charlton, Mike Junkin. You don’t have to reach to find a disappointing Browns first round pick.

Then again, that’s not a problem unique to Cleveland. Perhaps the frequency of failed picks is noteworthy for the Brown and Orange, but the mere existence of failure is evident with every team. Drafting is an imprecise science, to say the least. If it were easy to do, Mel Kiper would be pulling down $20 million a year working for an actual team, instead of making predictions with no fear of failure. “Who the hell is Mel Kiper,” Colts GM Bill Tobin asked in 1994. Exactly. Although, to be fair, Kiper still has his job.

The debate about Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III this year is exciting, fun, and oh so familiar. Pundits may point to 1998, with the decision between Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf, to draw a “coin flip” analogy to this year’s choice between Luck and Griffin. But there really was never a choice. This has been the #SuckForLuck era for OVER a year now, since before Luck decided to return for last season at Stanford. RGIII came from greater obscurity, and to be honest has excited at least some fans and pundits (including this one) more than a little bit.

State Farm wants you to be a specific, but dedicated, Cavs fan

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A new State Farm ad stresses the importance of being specific when describing yourself as a Cavaliers fan.

Normally the word I'd use is "defensive" as in "No, I was a fan of the Cavs long before LeBron and I'm a fan after, so leave me alone you new-Miami fan-bandwagon-jumper-jackass." And that's just when someone asks me what time the next bus is coming.

I guess we can be glad this guy didn't say he was a Vikings, Lumberjack, or Jaguars fan. And I know State Farm is not putting an ad together for some stereotypical Native American themed team.

Why do we love the NFL draft?

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   The human chess match that is the NFL draft has hypnotized Cleveland fans into a state of goggle-eyed wonder. GM Tom Heckert certainly did his best Garry Kasparov impression in a Thursday press conference, avoiding specifics as nimbly as the world's best chess player moved his pieces around against that giant computer some years ago.

Who will the Browns take at No. 4? It seems like Trent Richardson's the man but Heckert isn't saying. If you believe Browns' brass, the team is interested in taking project QB Ryan Tannehill, too, perhaps nabbing my sainted mother with the 22nd selection. Who knows? All the answers are tucked behind Heckert's Vincent D'Onofrio-looking face.

The minutiae of Cleveland's draft plans are fascinating to some fans much as Kasparov vs. Deep Blue must have enthralled millions of chess enthusiasts. Personally, I don't find chess all that interesting. Still, I'd rather watch a monkey play checkers against a Commodore 64 than listen to another minute of this draft talk. What is now a ratings-grabbing, three-day spectacle bores me to death.