Mike Holmgren, beginning his third season as team president, sounds committed to keeping Colt McCoy as the Browns starting quarterback for 2012 after failing to wrest the second pick in the draft from the Rams to use on Robert Griffin III.
Holmgren said the Browns offer to the Rams "was every bit the offer" the Rams accepted from the Redskins. The Redskins traded three first-round picks plus a second round pick to be used on Griffin.
The Browns president said reports the Browns also offered three first-round picks and a second round pick were incorrect, but he refused to be specific about what the Browns did offer.
"We were very, very aggressive and it didn't work," Holmgren told season ticket holders in a conference call. "The other plan we talked about was to use those draft picks to make our football team better immediately; to help our quarterbacks on the team, or anybody else who would come on the team, be better because we've surrounded the position with better players."
The Browns pick fourth and 22nd in the first round and fifth in the second round - pick 37 overall. They are guaranteed of the opportunity to draft either running back Trent Richardson or wide receiver Justin Blackmon if they hold onto the fourth pick as long as Andrew Luck goes first to the Colts and Griffin second to the Redskins as expected.
The Browns were 4-12 last year. McCoy, a third-round draft choice in 2010, was 4-9 as a starter before missing the last three games recovering from a concussion sustained in Pittsburgh. McCoy was 2-6 as a rookie starter.
Only two teams scored fewer than the 218 points the Browns scored in 2011. The total was the second-lowest in the 13 seasons since the Browns returned in 1999.
One caller skeptical of the West Coast offense was told it takes time to learn. It is a point Holmgren has made many times.
"I grew up in the West Coast offense," Holmgren told her. "We will stick with our system. The big thing is learning the system. I think in the second year of the system you will see more productivity from the offense.
"We're not going to change it, but it takes times to get good at it. If you can stick with your quarterback and you stick with the system and you stick with the coaches in the program, it works. You just have to trust me on that."
Holmgren said McCoy was stunted in his development last year because there was no offseason program in a year where a new offense was installed and there was no offensive coordinator. Brad Childress was named offensive coordinator last month.
"Now we don't have those things to deal with," Holmgren said. "We don't have any more excuses, either. But those are real things that happened."
General manager Tom Heckert said McCoy has "a big ceiling." The remark is consistent with what he said before the 2012 league year began March 13.
"We do think Colt has a big ceiling," Heckert told the season ticket holders. "It's my job to get better players surrounding him. After the season we said we have to protect him better. We have to be able to run the football, which we did at times last year. If you look a t the games when we ran well and protected well, Colt played very well.
"Colt has proven he can play in this league. As coach Holmgren said, another year in the system and we get him better players, he has a chance to be really good."
So far the Browns have not signed an offensive player in free agency this year.
With all the support, Holmgren said he is not ready to "anoint" McCoy. The Browns could still use the fourth pick on Ryan Tannehill from Texas A&M or the 22nd pick on Brandon Weeden from Oklahoma State.
NOTES, QUOTES
Holmgren admits considering pursuing Flynn
--Safety Mike Adams played five seasons for the Browns before signing a two-year contract with the Broncos. Adams in a tweet said the Browns did not try to keep him.
"Clev didn't offer a contract for me 2 stay, so now I'm a Bronco," Adams tweeted. "I went hard every play 4 u Clev! I will miss that locker room, and the fans!"
--The Browns were so happy with the way defensive back Dimitri Patterson performed as the nickel back last season that they re-signed him to a three-year, $16 million contract.
--Browns president Mike Holmgren, during an interview with a Seattle radio station, said he and general manager Tom Heckert did consider going after Matt Flynn before Flynn signed a three-year contract with Seattle.
"We did our due diligence and looked at, I would guess we probably, including the draft, looked at 10 or 12 quarterbacks, maybe even more," Holmgren told KJR. "Matt was one them."
--Phil Dawson, the only full-time kicker the Browns have had since returning to the NFL in 1999, on Monday officially signed his franchise tender after agreeing to it last week.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "I'm not down on Colt McCoy at all. But I will always, and I think as long as I'm in a position like this, we are always going to look for quarterbacks, make that pile a little bigger, try to create some competition to try to bring the best out of the people you already have." - Browns president Mike Holmgren
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
The Browns have signed two players from other teams since free agency began and both are defensive ends. Frostee Rucker, a third-round choice by the Bengals in 2006, will replace Jayme Mitchell as the starting right end.
The signing of end Juqua Parker, an 11-year veteran who played with the Eagles from 2005-2011, capped off a quiet first week for the Browns.
"Juqua is one of the toughest players I've ever been around," said general manager Tom Heckert, who was with Parker from 2005-09 in Philadelphia. "He performs extremely hard on every play. With the additions of Juqua and Frostee, we have added to the defensive mentality that we are looking for."
Rucker and Parker made Mitchell expendable. The Browns released Mitchell, thereby clearing $2.4 million of cap space.
TEAM NEEDS
1. Right tackle: The tendon surgery performed on Tony Pashos last week was likely to keep him sidelined all of 2012 even before he was released. The two players who started for Pashos in the three games he missed were Oniel Cousins and Artis Hicks. Cousins re-signed, while Hicks signed with Miami. Ideally the Browns will find a young veteran in free agency such as they did in 2007 when they signed Eric Steinbach to play left guard. Steinbach was entering his fifth season at the time.
2. Running back: Peyton Hillis left the Browns and signed a one-year contract with the Chiefs for $2.6 million. Now there is a hole in the backfield that probably means finding a starter in the draft. The three backs on the roster - Montario Hardesty, Chris Ogbonnaya and Brandon Jacobs -- are reliable as backups but not carrying 280 times a season.
3. Wide receiver: Greg Little should improve in his second season and Jordan Norwood shows promise as a third receiver. But the Browns haven't had an impact receiver since Braylon Edwards and it is time to change that.
MEDICAL WATCH: No updates.
FRANCHISE PLAYER: K Phil Dawson (tendered at $3.81 million); signed tender March 19.
TRANSITION PLAYER: None
UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS
--P Brand Maynard did an excellent job filling in after the Browns lost two punters with injuries, but he won't be back because Reggie Hodges has recovered from an Achilles injury that wiped out his season in training camp.
UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS (not tendered offers)
--LB Titus Brown (not tendered as ERFA) is a solid special teams player and capable backup, but he is coming off a knee injury. Re-signing him is not a high priority.
RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: None.
EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS FREE AGENTS
--WR Jordan Norwood came on strong at the end of the season. He definitely will be re-signed. General manager Tom Heckert really likes Norwood.
PLAYERS RE-SIGNED
--OT Oniel Cousins: UFA; 2 yrs, terms unknown.
--K Phil Dawson: Franchise FA; $3.81M/1 yr.
--OG John Greco: Potential UFA; terms unknown.
--LB D'Qwell Jackson: Potential UFA; $42.5M/5 yrs, $7M SB/$1.3M RB/$3.4M base guarantee '12/$3.6M base guarantee injury '13.
--CB Dimitri Patterson: UFA; $16M/3 yrs, $8M guaranteed.
--DL Brian Schaefering: ERFA; $615,000/1 yr.
--TE Alex Smith: Potential UFA; 1 yr, terms unknown.
PLAYERS ACQUIRED
--DE Juqua Parker: UFA Eagles; 1 yr, terms unknown.
--DE Frostee Rucker: UFA Bengals; $21M/5 yrs, $8M guaranteed.
PLAYERS LOST
--S Mike Adams: UFA Broncos; 2 yrs, terms unknown.
--T/G Artis Hicks: UFA Dolphins; $2M/1 yr.
--RB Peyton Hillis: UFA Chiefs: $2.6M/1 yr.
--P Richmond McGee (released).
--DE Jayme Mitchell (released).
--OT Tony Pashos (released/failed physical).
--OG Eric Steinbach (released).
--C/G Steve Vallos: UFA Eagles; 1 yr, terms unknown.
