National Football League

Browns GM Farmer says it's all about the team concept

Published Apr. 23, 2015 12:59 p.m. ET

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Was it just smoke or did Ray Farmer sound like he's leaning to use his two draft picks to help continue to build the Browns?

Farmer said all options are on the table, but he isn't going to make moves just to make moves.

"For me it's more looking at not being aggressive for the sake of being aggressive or moving for the sake of moving, but trying to create opportunities where you can create value and capitalize on that value."

So much has been talked about the Browns drafting or trading for a quarterback leading up to the draft and Farmer tried his best to downplay the need, even though it was pointed out to him that for the most part, teams in the playoffs every year, have an established quarterback.

"You could say that, but I could in turn say that when Tom Brady got to New England they were built on defense and the run game," Farmer said. "So was he really the magic bullet or did he grow into that? It's the what came first, the chicken or the egg? At some point, yeah, the guy's a really good player and I don't doubt that at all. I don't doubt that (Andrew) Luck's a good player, I don't doubt that (Peyton) Manning's a good player. The reality is that it takes a team to win. Those guys need the team to have success. Without the team, you don't see the benefits of what they produce."

The biggest rumors surrounding the Browns is that they will try to trade their two first-round picks and possibly more to move up to select Marcus Mariota. Farmer was asked why the Browns are continually linked to Mariota.

"Because it's constantly reported that we're just starved and we're going to do whatever we've got to do to get there and we're going to trade everything we have to get one person," Farmer said. "I don't know why that is, but it seems to make for good media, because people like it. You read it, you see it and it's what it is. End of the day, the object is to improve your football team and to win football games, so I get that there's this notion at times that there's a silver bullet or there's this one magic player that's going to walk in here on a horse and we're going to start winning games and he's going to be the reason we did it.

"I just don't believe in the fairytale anymore," he said. "I just think you got to get your hammer and your nails and you got to go out and build a house and that's what it's going to take. You got to take your time and put it together the right way."

He said he's willing to be patient, even if Browns fans aren't.

"I've said this repeatedly, I like the idea of slow-brewed, fresh-brewed coffee," Farmer said. "I'm going to grind my coffee beans, I'm going to get my filter out, I'm going to pour it in, I'm going to let it simmer, I'm going to get a good cup. We all want it to happen like right away, we want these guys to come in, you want to improve your football team, I thought we did that last year.

"We found guys in the second round, third round, free agents, guys who came in and contributed and played," he said. "Now, the reality that everybody wants the first ones to be great players right away. Sometimes that happens, sometimes it doesn't. I think from my perspective, yeah, do you feel like you want those guys to come in and contribute more? Yeah, you'd love for everybody to come in and play great. I don't think they're done, I think they have more to offer and at the end of the day, I'm going to do the same thing. I'm going to try to add guys to this roster I think can improve us."