Brandon Weeden’s cousin overheard on an airplane talking about the Browns

by Cleveland Frowns on December 15, 2012

My cousin is a Browns fan and a fourth-year med student at Northeast Ohio Medical University who would never lie about anything. This is important because she was on a flight from Chicago to Cleveland this afternoon with Brandon Weeden’s cousin, first name “Darren,” who was sitting in the row in front of her and had a lot to say to the folks sitting next to him about the Browns — a lot of it firsthand info from Weeden himself. It started after the folks in his row, making smalltalk, asked him why he was going to Cleveland. He said he lived in Denver, was on his way to Cleveland for the Browns game, and that he had only missed one game all season. The rowmates were naturally impressed, and asked if he was from Cleveland, which is when he told them he was Weeden’s cousin.

Brandon Weeden’s cousin and my cousin together on a plane today; Kirk Cousins set to start against the Browns tomorrow. What could it mean? Probably a lot. Anyway, here’s some of what Weeden’s cousin was overheard saying today about the Browns.

  • Browns players think it’s a foregone conclusion that Pat Shurmur will not return as head coach after this season. There’s been talk among the players (not apparently founded on anything) about Andy Reid becoming the next head coach, which is an idea that the players “seemed to like.”
  • Josh Cribbs wants to play for a team that will give him more snaps at WR, which might not be especially surprising. But what’s more surprising is that Weeden thinks Cribbs should get more snaps at WR as well. Weeden’s cousin said that on 3rd-and-5, Weeden wants to throw to Josh Cooper (his former teammate at Oklahoma State), and on 3rd-and-20, he wants to throw to Cribbs.
  • Trent Richardson has been playing with three broken ribs. Weeden expects Richardson will be much better once he has a chance to heal.
  • Weeden’s shoulder is “messed up from baseball” so much that Weeden “can’t even play catch” with a baseball anymore. Something about “overthrowing.” Weeden’s cousin said that throwing a football doesn’t aggravate the injury at all.
  • Weeden and Joe Thomas have a trip to Las Vegas planned for January with Weeden’s cousin. There was some talk about Andrew Luck joining them as well depending on how the playoffs go for the Colts.

Which is about it. If any of my cousins hear anything else important I’ll fill you in immediately, of course, and will be back tomorrow either way with a gameday open thread.

  • http://www.clevelandfrowns.com/ Cleveland Frowns

    The cousin who filed this report was at the official Frowns tailgate for the Bills game, and went to the game, so you know she’s legit.

    • nj0

      She needs to be in Cheddar Bay. That’d go a long way in the trust department.

      • http://www.clevelandfrowns.com/ Cleveland Frowns

        TRUTH. This will be a hot topic at Christmas dinner. HEY wait, pot. Tell us more about kettle.

      • http://www.facebook.com/people/Steve-White/100000446546049 Steve White

        Does Cheddar Bay offer a witness protection program?

        • http://www.clevelandfrowns.com/ Cleveland Frowns

          OBV.

    • Petefranklin

      I wont tell anyone in Vegas who’s not a friend about the ribs. How do you say it “la costra nostra” our little thing that we know. Thanks Pete.

  • BIKI024

    looks like Weeden and his cousin might have some explaining to do.. loose lips sink ships!

  • http://www.redright88.com/ Tom_RedRight88

    Damn! You’re a regular Lory Varys with your little spiders everywhere.

    Probably not a surprise that Weeden has a bum shoulder from baseball. I would imagine that anyone who spent a number of years pitching has a bum shoulder; good to know it doesn’t affect his football motion.

    Between your cousin’s report and my connecting the dots yesterday, probably 75 percent of NFL writers would run a story saying Reid to Cleveland was a done deal.

    • BIKI024

      i’m not sure about Andy Reid, every Eagles fan I know said that there was a power struggle between Reid and Banner and they didn’t end on the best of terms, but who knows..

      • Petefranklin

        Ive got a dozen Eagles fan friends who….nevermind.

    • http://www.clevelandfrowns.com/ Cleveland Frowns

      My cousin is gonna be pissed that you called her a little spider but who is Lory Varys? That’s not even googleable.

      • http://www.redright88.com/ Tom_RedRight88

        Sorry. Lord Varys from Game of Thrones. That’s what happens when you type while eating Swenson’s at the same time.

        • http://www.clevelandfrowns.com/ Cleveland Frowns

          I see. So this is your clever way of comparing me to a portly eunuch who is “a cunning and ruthless manipulator.” Well played.

          http://gameofthrones.wikia.com/wiki/Varys

        • architectartvandelay

          Game of Thrones reference followed by mentioning Swenson’s! There is no way this is not getting a like from me.

          • http://www.clevelandfrowns.com/ Cleveland Frowns

            He also basically called me a conniving eunuch so triple like.

          • http://www.redright88.com/ Tom_RedRight88

            I was trying to work around that part …

  • http://twitter.com/Orionfree448 Orionfree

    How does throwing a baseball screw your shoulder up and not a football? Having pitched in college with a partially torn rotator cuff, I can say throwing a football kills my shoulder. How is that possible? Any thoughts?

    • http://www.clevelandfrowns.com/ Cleveland Frowns

      I wonder the same thing. I guess there are different ways to mess up an arm, though.

    • Kamov

      I’m just spitballing, but the pitching motion rotates a lot more through the shoulder than pulling a football back. I know when I do the former sometimes I hear my shoulder pop, but just pulling back in a football-throw-motion there’s none of that rotation pre-throw.

    • GrandRapidsRustlers

      My athletic experience topped out at University of Akron Intramural QB…it’s the strangest thing in the fall I can just grab a football and fire away. No pain and no problems. In the spring I had to move to 1B as it pained me to even toss a softball back 45 feet to a pitcher. 35 years old and still have the same issues. The motion is just different enough that I believe Weeden 100% on this.

      • http://www.clevelandfrowns.com/ Cleveland Frowns

        Weeds’ football arm looks fine to me.

        • GrandRapidsRustlers

          Agreed. Velocity has never been an issue. Just needs to make better decisions.

          • ricktenny

            Better decisions, better throws, throws that clear the defensive line. Then there’s the eyes. Then there’s the jitters he’s when pressured. Then there’s the, scratch that he doesn’t need to move. He has a line that gives him coffee break, sit down and decide what he’s going to do time. Maybe a dose of humility to go along with the rest might help.

        • http://twitter.com/Orionfree448 Orionfree

          That was my major concern…..that we had moved up for damaged goods.

  • Brian Sipe

    nice job Frownie. I hope your cousin and his cousin and the guy down the road are all right and Shurmur is GOOOWWWWNNNNN

    No Reid please… I assume he is San Diego bound if anything.. He lives there, they need a coach and as Biki said… No way Banner brings Reid here

  • rodofdisaster

    Cheddar Action:

    Nevada (win)

    All Play Dallas +2

    Carolina -3

    Indianapolis +8.5

    Detroit -6.5 (ESSAY). Just when I thought I’d seen the worst football team in America (the Chiefs) come in and lay an egg against the Browns, one has to consider that the Cardinals are even worse. Yes, the Cardinals defense has some very good players but football starts with the QB and they have none. If your best offensive weapon is Larry Fitzgerald and your QB can’t get the ball into his area code, you’ve got problems. Detroit will score often and never have to look back. This one could be over quickly.

    Titans -1.5

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Steve-White/100000446546049 Steve White

    I am not sure I want Shurmer gone.

    Before you ban me, let me explain.

    I was firmly convinced two years ago that Mangini should have been given another year AT LEAST. Mangini was turning the team around. But fine, the powers that be didn’t want him.

    Shurmer made me really unhappy last year, particularly with game management. I’m most semi-unhappy this year; he still can’t handle the clock and timeouts, and I still think he’s only read through page 20 in the playbook. Audibles begin on page 23, I think.

    But as Mangini (who also wasn’t great shakes as a game manager) proved, there’s more to being a coach, and one of the big things is getting 53 guys to buy into your system when the team is getting whacked. Mangini knew how to do that, and so (apparently) does Shurmer. It might be easier with rookies and 2nd year guys, but the Browns this year have been a team that shows up to play hard each Sunday. A team that starts 0-5 has serious temptation to start packing it in early, and this one didn’t.

    The team has talent in a lot of spots. Still needs a killer QB and upgrades at a half-dozen positions. But turning over the coach and coordinators (if Shurmer goes, I assume everyone else does too) means yet another re-boot. I’m not convinced that the team needs a re-boot, it just needs upgrades.

    Andy Reid might be a great coach. He usually had the Eagles prepared to be a contender, and most games I’ve ever watched of the Eagles suggest that he too can get a team ready to play.

    But do we really want to blow up the Browns and start over?

    • http://www.clevelandfrowns.com/ Cleveland Frowns

      I don’t read much re: Shurmur into the fact that a bunch of 1st and 2nd year players are playing hard. I agree that there’s a lot of talent and that the team needs upgrades. I’d just call the head coaching position the #1 upgrade need.

      • BIKI024

        there’s a difference in playing hard and playing fundamentally sound within the scheme, particularly this late in the season when they typically hit the proverbial wall. it’s very easy for the young guys to lose focus as they adjust to the NFL life. of course i’m sure if ur coach of choice was here and had the young fellas playing like they have been u would name a street in cleveland after him.

        • http://www.clevelandfrowns.com/ Cleveland Frowns

          Please. If my coach of choice was here this team would be 10-3 right now. But yes, fundamentally sound within the think less play faster scheme by beating the Chiefs and squeaking by the Raiders. Word up.

          • BIKI024

            if my aunt had balls.. it is what it is, i love this roster and cap space we have, whoever the next coach finally will be able to come to the fight lock stock and barrel. love this roster, which will be even better with another draft and shrewd investment of our $40m in cap space.

          • BIKI024

            they won more then u thought they would, so stfu. and ur coach never won more than u thought they would. derp

      • http://www.facebook.com/people/Steve-White/100000446546049 Steve White

        I was of the same mind at the start of the season. Shurmer doesn’t impress me at all as a tactician and a game-day coach. If the team had shown any signs of folding I’d want Shurmer’s head on a stick and Jauron as the interim. But the young players are beginning to produce, and I’m afraid if we blow it up we go to 2016 or so before we’re competitive.

        What if the new coach wants a 3-4 defense? There’s two years easy to rebuild. Dump Weeden and draft someone (one doesn’t get a blue-chip QB on the waiver or FA market as Jake and Seneca demonstrated amply)? Get new coordinators, playbooks, jargon and schemes?

        I dunno. Head coach needs an upgrade, but I have to wonder if the upgrade is for someone to teach Shurmer, not replace him. I’m just not sure.

        • jaws.

          people overblow the 3-4 transition stuff. The guys we have now could run the 3-4. Probably end up better playing 1-gap (phillips 3-4 like what the texans run) than the 2-gap stuff (like what we ran under romeo/mangini). Changing defensive fronts can be easy if you got the guys.

  • Lets_discuss

    with andrew luck? i heard that he is true Browns fan..any chance that he will jump ship after 2y?

    • Kamov

      Your tremendous optimism is an inspiration to me. Liked!

  • GrandRapidsRustlers

    As far as the Richardson thing goes I fully believe that he is playing hurt and hurt badly.

    Joe Thomas stopped just short of outing this info when he was in the process of trashing that diva who got married on a Tuesday and somehow thinks his former LT is the crazy ex-girlfriend.

    Trent has clearly won over the guys in that locker room and this is just another good sign going forward.

  • Dave

    Wow what stupid news

  • GMW740il

    because your cousin went to medical school and doesn’t lie! Hmm so this is almost like a Ferris Buehler story- i heard it from somebody cousins -uncles- friend- da da da —-Andy Reid is not coming to the browns- is is going to Hometown Buffet

  • RB

    Are you kidding me? You must be struggling for content if you publish a conversation that took place on a plane between two people who are at best 3rd hand parties…wow…please get a life…

  • AlvaroEspinoza10

    heresay. only 3 more games of watching put shurmur coach the browns. small victories

  • atdietz80

    I wonder when Weeden and Joe Thomas made their reservations for the Vegas trip. Training camp? Also, hopefully JT has the whole tipping thing down for lap dances. That may come into play.

    • http://www.clevelandfrowns.com/ Cleveland Frowns

      like button

  • https://twitter.com/jimkanicki jimkanicki

    ok. did frowns finally get linked by starting blocks?

    • http://www.clevelandfrowns.com/ Cleveland Frowns

      No. Why do you ask? #BANNED

  • Old goat

    Clowns, clowns, clowns

  • Old goat

    Weeden once again proved himself to a master of the field, unlike Colt. How many TD’s and INTS again.

  • Old goat

    Once again the Clowns have proved that they have the most inept leadership on the field as possible,

  • bob

    i know a guy whos cousins cousin is friends with this guys brothers fatherinlaws uncles cousin said……….. blah blah blah

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