Is pressure building for Commissioner Roger Goodell to postpone the NFL draft?
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland.
Takeaways from the Browns and NFL trying to conduct business as usual …
1. Must the show go on?
While some NFL general managers favor delaying the NFL draft, Commissioner Roger Goodell so far is holding firm to a modified draft as scheduled for April 23-25.
The spectacle originally planned at the Bellagio in Las Vegas has been scrapped. The NFL is contemplating a draft from New York, minus the hoopla, but with enough pizzazz to provide the two TV networks planning to carry it a good show over the three days.
A committee of NFL general managers has recommended to Goodell to postpone the draft during this period while team facilities are closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. College pro days, scouting visits and medical re-checks for draft prospects have come to a halt.
Goodell this week pronounced all NFL facilities closed, forcing GMs and their staffs to prepare for the draft from remote locations at a time teams would be conducting their final meetings.
In an appearance on Countdown to the Draft on 850 ESPN Cleveland, long-time NFL executive and Hall of Famer Bill Polian speculated that Goodell may change his mind and delay the draft.
“The fact he closed the facilities indicates he’s concerned we’re going to have a little more difficulty going forward, and he’s responded to what’s being done by state governments all across the country,” Polian said.
“Could it happen? Yeah. I don’t see any downside in postponing it. You’re not going to have OTAs anyway. So what’s the harm in postponing it? And obviously some of the GMs feel that way. There may be some good reasons that I’m not aware of. One way or another, we’ll find out pretty soon.”
The issue comes down to revenue derived from providing the networks some prime-time programming while no other sports are active.
When it comes down to revenue decisions in the NFL, the commissioner’s office and the owners rule, no matter what their general managers and coaches want.
2. Rooting for A.B.
Polian was Indianapolis Colts president and general manager when Andrew Berry joined the organization as an entry-level scouting assistant at the age of 22.
Now at 32, Berry is the youngest GM in NFL history, making the calls on Browns player transactions and the draft.
“I think the world of him,” said Polian, who at 77 is old enough to be Berry’s grandfather.
“He’s a bright young man, tremendously hard working, has great background educationally at Harvard. He had a wide variety of positions with us.
“He came in basically in an analyst role and proved in six weeks he was much better than that and did yeoman work in developing systems and studies for us on how to look at things analytically through the draft. He then transferred into pro personnel and dig a bang-up job there. I think he did some college work after we had left (in 2012).
“He was a star when he walked into the building, a rising star. And a guy I did predict 4-5 years ago would become a general manager soon. I’m rooting for him.”
3. The perfect fit
There’s never been a year in which so many NFL veteran quarterbacks were available in free agency and trade.
And the fact that Case Keenum was the first quarterback to change teams – from Washington to the Browns – underscores how eager the Browns were to anoint him their veteran backup quarterback.
Keenum’s experience and exposure in Kevin Stefanski’s offensive system, combined with his understanding of his role behind Baker Mayfield, make him the perfect fit in Cleveland.
“Obviously my role, one, is to be ready to play,” Keenum said on a conference call on Wednesday.
“I know the situation with Baker, how he has played and the investment the team has in him. I am excited to kind of come alongside and really be a part of the quarterback room and the offensive side of the ball to try to help out in any way that I can in the meeting rooms and in the film room.
“Just supporting Baker, Coach [offensive coordinator Alex] Van Pelt and those guys and [Head] Coach [Kevin] Stefanski as we install an offense that I feel like I have some familiarity with.”
Keenum, 32, had his best year in nine NFL seasons in 2017 when Stefanski was quarterbacks coach with the Minnesota Vikings. Keenum won 11 of 14 starts, then one in the playoffs, completing 67.6 percent of his passes, with 22 touchdowns v. seven interceptions.
That was in the offensive system coordinated by Pat Shurmur – not exactly what Stefanski will implement with the Browns.
Keenum, however, did play in the same offense under Gary Kubiak in his first two NFL seasons with the Houston Texans.
“That was really my first taste of NFL ball was coach Kubiak and him just grinding me on reads and footwork, and just where my eyes were,” Keenum said. “He coached me hard for my first two and a half years in this league. It really laid a foundation for me and for my career. I think it is the reason I am in Year 9. I owe a lot to coach Kubiak. I have a lot of great training as far as what it means to be a rhythm and timing passer, to get the ball out on time, to recognize defenses and know what type of concepts work into what type of defenses.”
Cleveland is Keenum’s fourth NFL stop in four seasons. He knows his place behind Mayfield but believes he can win if called upon. He was pleased that Mayfield texted him almost immediately after the news of his signing with the Browns came out.
“If Baker’s shoelace comes untied and he needs to maybe go get a drink of Gatorade at the water station, I am going to be ready to go,” Keenum said. “If I need to take a few snaps, I am going to handle myself well and I know that I can. That is my main job, but at the same time, I do know that I am coming into a [quarterback] room where I am excited to help bring that room together, help bring an offense together and do the best I can to be the best team player I can be.”