From The Greatest

Jim Brown talks to Steve Doerschuk of the Canton Rep about the latest offseason moves.

I liked the way Jim Brown put it during a phone conversation after Jamal Lewis ran Reuben Droughns out of Cleveland.

The Hall of Fame running back, now a team consultant, was weighing the pieces added - including guard Eric Steinbach - and the ones still in the mist.

"This is a major chess game going on right now," Brown said. "All these pieces have to be developed. Those two individuals will definitely add something positive."

Brown made it clear he isn't hinting Savage should endorse Charlie Frye, nor discounts the possibility another quarterback will be brought in. "I like Charlie as quarterback and a human being," Brown said. "Charlie Frye is a fine quarterback and a fine young man. He has worked hard, he will work hard and he can play."

Is it time for Lewis, a first-round pick in 2000, to start wearing down? Lewis has made 1,822 career carries. Jim Brown logged 2,359 carries before retiring at age 29. Hall of Famer Leroy Kelly was washed up before he made the last of his 1,727 carries. LaDainian Tomlinson, who is two months older than Lewis, has carried 2,050 times. Shaun Alexander, drafted the same year as Lewis but two years older, has carried 1,969 times and is coming off a bad year.

Two of Brown's favorites were Earl Campbell and John Riggins. When healthy, Brown said, Lewis has run with their kind off power. "(Lewis) will run over you, and he'll run around you," Brown said, emphasizing, "if he's healthy."

Fools Lie Ahead

Steve Doerschuk outlines the Raiders and Lions draft plans.

Who will be the Browns Pick?

One educated guess: Savage is warming up to Quinn, not erasing Peterson just because he has Jamal Lewis, and wishing Joe Thomas oozed more "great" than "really good," given what he will cost. To a large extent, I think, Savage himself is still heavily engaged in guessing.

Savage has a clue who the Raiders and Lions will pick ahead of him, but everyone knows those are two teams whose ideas can be odd. The top of the draft is thick with intrigue for teams needing juice on offense, where the best talent in the draft is pooled. Quarterbacks JaMarcus Russell and Brady Quinn, wideout Calvin Johnson, left tackle Joe Thomas and running back Adrian Peterson could be the top five picks.

Unpredictability is Raider czar Al Davis' favorite sport, his 31-year-old head coach being the latest case in point. This old dude once picked Sebastian Janikowski one spot before he could have had Shaun Alexander. The crazy Lions spent No. 2, No. 7 and No. 10 overall picks on wideouts in consecutive years.

Matt Millen obviously likes receivers. Everybody loves Calvin. Some mock drafts, including nfldraftscout.com, have Russell and Quinn going to Oakland and Detroit. But there are as many combinations of things that could happen at the top of the draft as in a lotto "pick three." Bottom line: Savage must monitor all five players listed above, unable to be sure which one might drop in his lap.

Grossi Answers Lots of Your Questions

PD Reporter tackles the draft and free agency
"At present, I still think they are leaning to Adrian Peterson."

PatMac: Lewis Still Has It, He thinks the Pick is Quinn

In this mornings Ohio.com column, Pat McManamon, offers his take on the guards, Jamal Lewis and the draft, as well as free agency.

One NFL front-office type, who was told his insights would be used but without his name, shared his opinion. (We'll call him Mr. Front Office, 'cuz that always seems to add an air of mystery and intrigue to a guy's opinions.)

Lewis and Droughns ``are probably comparable,'' he said. ``Reuben, at his best, did good things. He's a hard runner. Reuben can do a little more on the outside. Inside, Jamal can be as good or better.''

If there is any difference between the Lewis of today and the Lewis of 2003, it's the inability to turn 5-yard runs into 50-yarders, Mr. Front Office said.

One scout said Lewis had gone from being a freak with size who could run to more like Stephen Davis, a hard-running, powerful inside back. Mr. Front Office did not disagree.
Lewis is ``a horse,'' he said. ``There's not the huge explosion plays like he once had, but he can be a consistent pounder for you.''

He also said, however, that Lewis had a better year in 2006, when he played with bone spurs, than in 2004 and 2005.

``If he's back on the upswing, I don't know,'' Mr. Front Office said. ``Sometimes backs have a resurgence. He's not done by any means.''