Nor, it wasn't signing Donte Stallworth or shipping Jeff Faine to New Orleans. Nor was it hiring Romeo Crennel (that was mostly done by Randy Lerner and John Collins). Or trading three draft picks from the latest draft.

Watching the Ravens game yesterday, it was clear. Phil Savage's biggest mistake was one of his first. It was when he swapped draft positions with Baltimore so the Ravens could pick up defensive lineman Haloti Ngata.

He can do it all — rush the passer, stop the run, clog lanes, everything. Instead, the Browns got Kamerion Wimbley, who can't really do anything.

Revisionist history is a beautiful thing in sports. Just think about this one. If the Browns had Ngata, who plays end in Baltimore, they would have had to trade a second-round pick for Corey Williams. Then, the Browns could have used that second rounder this year on a cornerback so Brandon McDonald wouldn't be starting. There could be a ton of these sort of scenarios, obviously.

Think Savage has made a worse decision? Try to beat this one.

It's the bye-week, which is classically boring.  There is hardly any team news, so why not take some time to look at the Browns thus far?  Today's look is at the free agent class of 2008.

New Additions

Terry Cousin, CB, (Jaguars):  Signed on May 23rd, 2008 as a reaction to Daven Holly's season ending knee injury, Cousin has been solid performer thus far.  He has played mostly in the dime package, and had an interception against the Bengals this past week.  Cousin is not a great player, but with almost no corner depth, his contribution is huge.

Rex Hadnot, OG, (Dolphins): Originally tabbed as top backup for the line, he's been thrust into action as a starter at right guard with mixed results.  Hadnot was a pretty solid run blocker while in Miami, but he's yet to fit in with the Browns zone blocking scheme.  He's possibly looking at a demotion once Tucker returns. 

Shantee Orr, LB, (Jaguars):  Orr has been a perfect replacement for Chaun Thompson, playing inside/outside linebacker, and providing ace coverage on kick returns.  He's not a headline grabber, but a guy that quietly does his job well. 

Shaun Rogers, DT, (trade w/Lions):  The massive nose tackle has filled out the number 92 jersey well this (formerly of Ted Washington).  He has been the Browns best defensive player thus far (like mentioned below).  He can split the double team, and has played both the run and pass very well.  Watch out for Rogers as the season wears on, because Lions fans have seen this start before. 

Donte' Stallworth, WR, (Patriots): Funny story on Stallworth.  I ran into him the morning of the season opener, shook his hand and wished him luck against the Cowboys.  He's subsequently missed the past four games.  While I'd love to say my handshake is so manly that it caused him to strain his quad, I cannot 100% take that credit.  He's a work in progress, but from what we saw in preseason when he took over as the lead receiver with Edwards hurt, it wasn't pleasing.  Granted Stallworth was playing out of his normal role, so it's hard to judge.  On a sputtering offense, any type of production is a plus.

Corey Williams, DE, (trade w/Packers): The move that on paper looked like the highest impact trade was for Williams.  He's been very quiet thus far, only totaling 14 tackles and 0.5 sacks.  Williams has a big reputation for rushing the passer, with 14 sacks total his previous two seasons in Green Bay.  That player hasn't quite showed up yet, as he adjusts to the Browns new 3-4 defense. 

It's hard to fully judge the new additions, but at this moment the only carrying his weight is Rogers.  He had the most question marks around (maturity, weight, dedication) and thus far he's quieted those concerns.  If Corey Williams can adapt to his new role as a defensive end, it will help shore up what is looking like an improved defense. 

Offensively, the Browns hurt from the lack of production from Hadnot and Stallworth.  Hadnot has struggled at times, especially against the pass.  He may just be a top backup who can play both guard spots and center, but the team did have plans for him to be groomed into a starter eventually.  Stallworth is a total unknown, with so little game action.  With a huge roster bonus coming in March, Stallworth has to perform if he'd like to see that money from the Browns. 

Coming up tomorrow in Part II, a review of the Browns 2008 Draft class.

Thoughts on the veterans?  Comment!

All indications show that outside linebacker should be back for the Giants game on Oct. 12. He sat out the Ravens and Bengals games with a hamstring problem. He's practicing now, so that could mean playing time for seventh-round rookie Alex Hall will be greatly diminished.

But should it be? In the two games he played, McGinest looked all of his almost 37 years, totaling just four tackles. While he can be a good leader, it may be time he's only a leader from the sidelines.

That is because Hall looks like he's a real steal. Watching the Bengals game again, Hall often looked quicker than his outside linebacker counterpart Kamerion Wimbley.

Bizarre stat: Did you know the Browns are 10th in the NFL in defense and 32nd in offense? Who would have guessed that one?

Cool stat: Shaun Rogers has 15 solo tackles. That is a good thing, especially considering middle linebacker Andra Davis only has 14 and he has a much greater likelihood of getting tackles. Jamal Williams of the Chargers, considered the league's best 3-4 nose tackle, only has four. Casey Hampton of the Steelers has only one through three games. Consider things like that when looking for positives with the 1-3 Browns.

Terry Pluto did a great in depth analysis of Jamal Lewis, and what he meant to the Browns ground game in 2007.  Some of the impressive stats throughout that article:

• Lewis averaged 5.2 yards per carry from his fifteenth carry of the game forward, against 4.1 yards per carry with his first fifteen carries.
• When the Browns had a lead of a touchdown or less, he averaged 6.1 yards per carry.
• Running to his left, behind Joe Thomas and Eric Steinbach, Lewis averaged 5.2 yards per carry.

Plain and simple, Lewis carried the offense last season, despite the acrobatics of Winslow and Edwards.  Lewis is 28 years old, but an old 28.  For his eight year career (including one missed season, 2001, due to injury), he has totaled 2120 carries.  While Lewis had a great renaissance last year, the team has to temper expectations on his long term productivity.

That's what makes their interest in former Lion Kevin Jones all the more interesting.  According to the AP Wire, the Browns requested a tape of the workout Jones recently conducted. Jones was cut in the offseason after tearing a ACL late in 2007, a season in which he was coming back from a Lisfranc injury.    Jones may have once been an explosive, slashing back, but to consider him for more than the veterans minimum is silly.

In more important news, IGN has released individual player rankings for Madden 09.  If you're more of a visual learner, you can see the Browns offensive depth chart and then the defensive depth chart. Interesting things that Madden 09's rankings have taught me about the Browns:

• Gary Baxter and his two torn Patella tendons make him an equal with Brodney Pool.
• Leon Williams will apparently be starting over Andra Davis.
• Davis has the second lowest morale on the team, despite being a Captain last year.
• Kellen Winslow blows him away though, with a whopping 45 on morale.
• LeCharles Bentley has a 0 rating for Celebration…guess two years of war with Phil Savage on proper rehab did steal him of his smile.
• Most important though, Bentley has a morale rating of 90.  Madden's staff will never claim to be Nostradamus, just darn close.

Since the real fun is Madden is never to win with your team's roster as it was intended, check out the free agents listed.   The answer there to the Browns cornerback issues are much more interesting than seeing a training camp feud between A.J. Davis and Jereme Perry.   Just go get Ty Law for a few million and go win the Super Bowl!

Lost yesterday in the LeCharles Bentley fiasco was defensive back Gary Baxter's return to the field after he too missed almost two seasons.

Baxter even one-upped Bentley: He tore both of his patellar tendons in 2006. No player has ever returned from tearing both patellas. Baxter participated in team drills on Wednesday, but is challenging for a spot on the roster at safety.

It's probably safe to assume that Baxter has lost some athleticism, but if healthy, he could help as a backup to Brodney Pool and Sean Jones.

Notes…
Speaking of Jones, Zac Jackson of Cleveland Browns.com just wrote about the safety. Jackson writes that Jones is the team's best-kept secret, but he's still trying to establish himself.

ESPN.com senior writer John Clayton has been in Berea watching the Browns. He filed a story on how Shaun Rogers will help Cleveland's run defense, one of the worst in the league the past few seasons.

By now, you're probably aware of Matt Walsh, the former New England Patriots lackey accused of taping coaching signals. The whole mess — not-so-cleverly referred to as SpyGate — began when the Patriots were caught spying on the New York Jets.

Eventually, the Boston Herald wrote that Walsh taped the Rams prior to the 2002 Super Bowl. A whole can of worms was sitting waiting to be opened, yadda yadda yadda, a senator got involved, yadda yadda. You know the story. It's pointless for me to re-hash the whole thing.

Anyway, Walsh just handed over the other tapes he made to the NFL. One of them is of the Browns in 2001. That's right, someone was taping the team during its juggernaut 7-9 season. Clearly, Patriots coach Bill Belichick wasn't trying to get coaching tips from Butch Davis.

Notes…
This season will be the last for outside linebacker Willie McGinest. The Browns signed McGinest to a three-year contract in 2006. Some consider the signing a flop, but it's neither that or a boom. McGinest is just kind of there. He has some impact on young players and does a good job on running downs. The problem is that he's been injury prone and has clearly lost a step.

The Browns will have OTAs next week. They're not open to the public. It should be interesting to hear how new defensive linemen Corey Williams and Shaun Rogers adapt to the new team and the 3-4. Braylon Edwards missed the first day of last year's OTAs and it caused a bit of a stir. Hopefully nothing like that happens this year.

Mike Reiss of the Boston Globe wrote in his notes that the Browns could be simplifying their defense. Read the full article here.

The Browns added considerable bulk in the form of defensive linemen Shaun Rogers and Corey Williams this offseason, but they're trimming down in other areas. Coach Romeo Crennel is considering simplifying the defense as the club transitions to a new coordinator in Mel Tucker. The Browns gave up more first downs than every team but the Lions and were one of the league's worst units against the run. Crennel apparently thinks it might have been a result of players being overloaded, so look for the Browns to get back to basics.

Unless this is about simplifying thing for the group of young defensive backs, I'm not sure this is a wise decision with the addition of veterans on the line. In theory, they should be able to handle whatever Crennel and Tucker throw at them.

Not having NFL Network kind of stinks. Fortunately, Canton Repository Browns writer Steve Doerschuk was able to tune in to catch an interview with quarterback Derek Anderson. Read Doerschuk's story here.

Anderson mostly talked about training camp last season when he had to beat out Charlie Frye and battle for snaps in camp with Brady Quinn. It's a good read, but nothing really new.

Notes…

Anyone worried about whether or not new defensive tackle Shaun Rogers will maintain a solid weight, realize he's not too fat to play basketball. He hooped it up for a charity event run by Michael Huff of the Oakland Raiders. Prior to the game he even managed to dunk the ball.

Sadly, Browns defensive back Kenny Wright has yet to make the Smoking Gun's mugshot index for his hilarious post-arrest head shot. If you haven't seen it, it is after the jump.

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