Is Hardesty done for the Browns year?
Cleveland Browns RB Montario Hardesty was injured during last night’s game, another knee injury after he missed all of training camp and preseason with a deep bone bruise to his knee. Now it appears that he might miss all of the Browns season. Adam Schefter is reporting that Hardesty has suffered a torn ACL and if that is confirmed today, he will miss the entire season. This is a Twitter report, but Adam Schefter is a reliable source.
I was concerned with the selection of Hardesty in the draft given his injury history, but he did come with a tremendous upside if he was able to stay healthy. If being the opportative word.
If this report is confirmed after more tests later today, I don’t think James Davis remains on the roster bubble any longer. Davis looked good last night and I would now expect the Browns to have a rotational backfield with Davis along with Jerome Harrison and Peyton Hillis all seeing action.
Cleveland Browns get good news, bad news
The Cleveland Browns got good news and bad news on Thursday night. Rookie QB Colt McCoy got off to a bad start, fumbling the first snap and then getting sack when a receiver was open. However, Colt McCoy rebounded from his shaky start and completed the next 13 passes in a row. Yes, they were short underneath stuff, but come on, he finished the night 13 of 13 for 131 yards. This is a far cry from earlier on in the pre-season.
On the flip side, rookie RB Montario Hardesty did what he does best, he suffered another knee injury. Hardesty did score a 1 yard touchdown but sustained an undisclosed knee injury. After laying on the field for several minutes, he was helped to the sideline and then exited the stadium. He did not return.
It’s currently unknown the extent of the injury, but face it Browns fans, this is not good news. Hardesty has missed all of pre-season with a bone bruise and tonight’s game was his first action of the pre-season. This is not a very good start for a player who missed significant time in college with various knee and foot injuries. Hardesty exited after collecting 25 yards on 7 carries and a touchdown.
James Davis is making a case to stick around, with 9 minutes to go in the game, Davis has 64 yards on 12 carries, his longest so far is 19 yards.
Is tonight McCoy’s last audition with Browns?
Is tonight Cleveland Browns QB Colt McCoy’s last audition with the club? Last week the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported that Colt McCoy might actually be on the bubble of possible roster cuts as teams are required to get down to 53 players by Saturday. Veteran QB Jake Delhomme has been impressive in his limited time this pre-season, Seneca Wallace has looked serviceable and will be used in the Cleveland Browns version of the Wildcat offense, but 3rd round pick Colt McCoy has not looked particularly sharp.
McCoy’s worst start was against the Green Bay Packers, going 5 of 10 for 25 yards and throwing two interceptions. He did improve a bit last week completing 10 of 14 passes for 76 yards. I never did actually believe the report which surfaced from the Plain Dealer saying that McCoy was on the bubble, I think the coaching staff leaked that to try to get a fire lit under McCoy’s butt. But there is no doubt that McCoy needs to start showing a little something.
During this off-season Browns President Mike Holmgren said he had no plans on using McCoy this season, and that actually might be a very good thing if he remains on the team because he does seem confused with medium range passes and reading defenses.
I don’t think the Browns will cut him, however if he comes out tonight and really stinks it up after all the off-season workouts and pre-season games, one has to wonder. I think he needs to come out tonight and show that he deserves to remain with the Browns. He doesn’t have to look like Joe Montana, but maybe leading them on a scoring drive of some sort might be a nice start in his first series.
Can the Cleveland Browns count on Hardesty in 2011
Can the Cleveland Browns count on rookie RB Montario Hardesty in 2011? Hardesty will get to see his first action of the preseason this Thursday as he has been nursing a bone bruise which he suffered at the start of training camp. Montario Hardesty looked impressive in the offseason workouts he participated in, but will the Browns be able to count on him for a full season?
Of course, you can’t predict when or where an injury will occur, but with Hardesty’s track record and roster cuts looming, his history should factor into the Browns decision at the running back position. Hardesty has undergone three knee surgeries already and only started 19 of 49 games in college. When he was healthy in college, he was a powerful runner with great receiving skills.
The Browns have a dilemma at running back. There is Jerome Harrison who finished the season strong last year but has showcased a talent for fumbling the ball the preseason. There is James Davis who was the darkhorse headed into last season but suffered a season ending knee injury and who has already been rumored to be on the bubble. There is Peyton Hillis, who the Browns acquired in the Brady Anderson trade. Also in the mix is Chris Jennings, a second year player out of Arizona.
If Hardesty had been healthy the entire preseason, the decision at running back might be easier. All the Browns backs have their unique strengths and weaknesses, but someone has got to go, there is no way they all stay on the final 53 roster.
It would be a shame to release someone like a James Davis, who I liked very much heading into last season, and then have Hardesty go down in week 4 with a season ending injury. I think if the Browns were to release Davis, he’d get picked up and put on someone’s practice squad. The decision on who gets released really will come down to Thursday night’s game as no one has clearly been head and shoulders above anyone else so far.
Either way, the Browns need to figure that they might not be able to count on Hardesty for a full season and plan accordingly.
NFL to review Suh’s hit on Browns Delhomme
The key to any success the Cleveland Browns will have on the field this season will depend on a healthy QB Jake Delhomme, but that could be difficult if he receives too many more hits like the one administered by the Detroit Lions DT Ndamukong Suh. During the second quarter Ndamukong Suh tackled a scrambling Jake Delhomme first grabbing his face mask, then trying to remove his helmet and then finished off the tackle by slamming Delhomme to the ground.
There is a fine line between an aggressive play and a dirty play. I admire a player who gives 110% on the field but Suh was over the top on the play. Here we are three days after the play and there still hasn’t been a ruling on the play by the league office yet. I wonder if the league would have waited this long had the same hit been applied to Tom Brady, Peyton Manning or Brett Favre.
Browns backup quarterback Seneca Wallace called for Suh’s suspension yesterday, I doubt that will happen but I thought he at least should have been ejected from the game. I would expect nothing less than a 25,000 dollar fine on Suh.
If you havent seen the play, you can watch it right here.
