Only in Cleveland: The 53 Man Roster is in and We Don't Have a Kicker

Yesterday saw the end of several players runs at becoming Cleveland Browns.  Among the more notable departures were WR David Nelson. He didn't seem to have recovered from the knee injury that ended his season in the first game of last year.  Additionally LB James Michael Johnson was once thought of possibly starting in the middle of the defense, and that is obviously no longer the case.

But more curious is the fact that there is no kicker remaining on this team.  Brandon Bogotay was released with the final cutdown. Then Shayne Graham's contract was terminated.  This means that we will have to kick extra points and field goals with either our punter, or a jugs machine...  Only in Cleveland.      

Owen Marecic Majored in Biology at Stanford, I Hope He Still Remembers What He Learned

Yesterday the sad tale that was Owen Marecic's Cleveland Browns career came to an end.  Marecic was drafted in the 4th round of the 2010 NFL draft, in hopes that he could become a versatile threat at fullback in Pat Shurmur's west coast offense.  Instead he may have had one of the most comical careers in NFL history.

He almost instantly struggled in the NFL game.  He was a below average blocker for a fullback, but he was picked up to be a viable option in the passing game which also wasn't going well.  Hoping that a year under his belt would help his game, Marecic was targeted 4 times early in the season only to drop each and every pass.  Soon tight end Alex Smith was placed at fullback just to keep Marecic off the field.  Marecic's lone highlight of the 2013 preseason came when he made a diving (more like flopping) catch, and then took about four minutes to realize that he was untouched and he could get up before being tackled well short of a first down.

Owen may be a nice kid, but here at Cleveland Browns Memes we don't have to be nice.  We haven't been this relieved to see a player leave this team since that Michigan piece of trash Braylon Edwards got shipped to football purgatory in New York.  Even so, at least Braylon caught a small percentage of passes that hit him in the hands.

It Has Been a Rough Week For Many of Our Old Friends

With rosters capped at 75 starting today at 4pm, and then 53 starting Saturday at 6pm it is becoming nervous time for many guys on the roster bubble for their respective teams.  It's already been a tough preseason for many of our old friends of the orange and brown.

Most notably was Sunday's release of Joshua Cribbs, the longtime Cleveland Brown kick returner by the Oakland Raiders.  I think the move shows how devalued the position of kick returner has become in today's NFL.

Colt McCoy also restructured his contract with the 49ers in order to either make his stock more appealing, or raise his trade value.  Mohammed Massaquoi was released by the Jaguars, then found himself where no football player wants to end up... the New York Jets.  And Peyton Hillis seems to be tumbling off the Buccaneer depth chart.  Perhaps Mr. Hillis should have actually tried to be a football player in 2011.    

Uh-Oh First Big Cut Day is Tomorrow

Well Tuesday at 4pm is the deadline for NFL teams to cut their rosters from 90 down to 75.  This marks the end of NFL dreams for many players doing their best to impress the coaching staffs.  With such a dismal performance by the Browns in the "Dress Rehearsal" game this past weekend, many players missed out on their last chances at playing time.

It's already been a rough weekend for some former Browns.  Most notably Joshua Cribbs was handed his walking papers by the Oakland Raiders, leaving his future in the league up in the air.  Also Colt McCoy was asked to take a paycut by the San Francisco 49ers in order to save his roster spot.

Regardless it will be a bad weekend for many young aspiring pro football players .