Mile High Mania
03-01-2005, 10:18 AM
So, they trade for the underachieving former 1st round pick to shore up the Dline in the what appears to be new 3-4 defense.
What do you guys think of Warren and the trade?
I'm cautiously optimistic - the risk/reward is good, but there's much more to be done defensively before there's too much to get crazy about.
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INDIANAPOLIS - "Big Money" is about to become new currency in Denver.
The Browns and Broncos have agreed on a trade that would send Gerard Warren to the Broncos for a fourth-round draft choice in the 2005 draft, a league source said Monday as the scouting combine was winding down.
The trade cannot be consummated until Wednesday, the first day trades in the NFL can be made in 2005. Wednesday is also the first day of free agency.
In yet another move as the Browns try to move away from back-to-back seasons of 5-11 and 4-12, starting strong safety Robert Griffith was released Monday, two days before the Browns would have to pay him a roster bonus.
"After three years in Cleveland, the Browns and I have decided that it is in both of our best interests that I become a free agent," Griffith said in a statement released by the team.
A fourth-round draft choice for Warren, who was selected third overall in the 2001 draft, is a reflection of how far Warren's status has fallen in four seasons. One week ago today, the Browns gave the 6-4, 325-pound defensive tackle permission to seek a trade with the goal of working out a deal before Wednesday, when he is due a $1.3 million roster bonus.
Warren will be reunited with Andre Patterson, his defensive line coach the last two seasons. Patterson was hired to coach the Broncos' defensive line after being told Browns coach Romeo Crennel would not retain him.
Patterson must have sold Broncos coach Mike Shanahan that Warren is not the off-the-field problem "Big Money" has earned the reputation for being. He also had to convince Shanahan that Warren could help a Broncos defense that in 2004 was the fourth-best in the NFL. The Broncos ranked fourth against the run and sixth against the pass.
"If I didn't coach him and wasn't around him every day, with what I read and what I see, I would probably have the same opinion of Gerard (as an underachiever)," Patterson said as he passed through a hallway at the Indiana Convention Center. "Nobody really understands him. Is he the smart, intelligent guy you see on Monday or is he the hip-hop gangster you see on Wednesday?
"I got to see the consistent guy all the time in my meeting room that could pick up stuff. I turned over my line games to him during the game. In that Houston game (the 2004 season finale), we had six sacks. He was the reason, whether it was him penetrating or him making the right call."
Warren was credited with 30 tackles and four sacks in 2004. He had most of his success the last five games, after Terry Robiskie took over for Butch Davis as head coach.
"He finished 2003 the same way," Patterson said.
Warren made 196 tackles and 12.5 sacks his first three seasons. His most productive season was as a rookie in 2001 when he finished with 78 tackles. He was suspended one game in 2001, when he was arrested for having an unregistered firearm in his possession. He was nearly unstoppable upon returning, making 44 tackles and three sacks in six games. He never seemed to play with the same fire until the final five games last season.
What do you guys think of Warren and the trade?
I'm cautiously optimistic - the risk/reward is good, but there's much more to be done defensively before there's too much to get crazy about.
---------------
INDIANAPOLIS - "Big Money" is about to become new currency in Denver.
The Browns and Broncos have agreed on a trade that would send Gerard Warren to the Broncos for a fourth-round draft choice in the 2005 draft, a league source said Monday as the scouting combine was winding down.
The trade cannot be consummated until Wednesday, the first day trades in the NFL can be made in 2005. Wednesday is also the first day of free agency.
In yet another move as the Browns try to move away from back-to-back seasons of 5-11 and 4-12, starting strong safety Robert Griffith was released Monday, two days before the Browns would have to pay him a roster bonus.
"After three years in Cleveland, the Browns and I have decided that it is in both of our best interests that I become a free agent," Griffith said in a statement released by the team.
A fourth-round draft choice for Warren, who was selected third overall in the 2001 draft, is a reflection of how far Warren's status has fallen in four seasons. One week ago today, the Browns gave the 6-4, 325-pound defensive tackle permission to seek a trade with the goal of working out a deal before Wednesday, when he is due a $1.3 million roster bonus.
Warren will be reunited with Andre Patterson, his defensive line coach the last two seasons. Patterson was hired to coach the Broncos' defensive line after being told Browns coach Romeo Crennel would not retain him.
Patterson must have sold Broncos coach Mike Shanahan that Warren is not the off-the-field problem "Big Money" has earned the reputation for being. He also had to convince Shanahan that Warren could help a Broncos defense that in 2004 was the fourth-best in the NFL. The Broncos ranked fourth against the run and sixth against the pass.
"If I didn't coach him and wasn't around him every day, with what I read and what I see, I would probably have the same opinion of Gerard (as an underachiever)," Patterson said as he passed through a hallway at the Indiana Convention Center. "Nobody really understands him. Is he the smart, intelligent guy you see on Monday or is he the hip-hop gangster you see on Wednesday?
"I got to see the consistent guy all the time in my meeting room that could pick up stuff. I turned over my line games to him during the game. In that Houston game (the 2004 season finale), we had six sacks. He was the reason, whether it was him penetrating or him making the right call."
Warren was credited with 30 tackles and four sacks in 2004. He had most of his success the last five games, after Terry Robiskie took over for Butch Davis as head coach.
"He finished 2003 the same way," Patterson said.
Warren made 196 tackles and 12.5 sacks his first three seasons. His most productive season was as a rookie in 2001 when he finished with 78 tackles. He was suspended one game in 2001, when he was arrested for having an unregistered firearm in his possession. He was nearly unstoppable upon returning, making 44 tackles and three sacks in six games. He never seemed to play with the same fire until the final five games last season.