Dear Ray Farmer,

Sammy Watkins, 2014 Orange Bowl (photo USA TODAY SPORTS / Joshua S. Kelly)

Dear Ray Farmer,

Congratulations on your promotion within the Browns organization, but let’s not get overly excited, we’ve seen so many in the front office come and go like the winds off of Lake Erie. As a lifelong fan of the Browns I feel the need to say a few very important things, First off, don’t screw this up, I would kill or at least deeply hurt to hold a GM position with any organization in the NFL so don’t you dare take this for granted. The fans will stick behind you if you can show us that you are doing EVERYTHING in your power to bring greatness to the city. We are tired of being a joke, we are tired of being let down year after miserable year but mostly we are tired of not having the ability to cheer our beloved team on in playoffs. Really it’s just that simple, put together a team that makes it to the playoffs and this city will name streets after you, fans will name their babies after you and husbands will offer their wives to you. Just WIN!

Secondly, DO NOT MAKE DRAFT MISTAKES! With that being said, stay away from QB’s and RB’s in the 1st round. Looking back on our draft history one could easily see that those 2 positions have not been that solid for us and to keep trying the same things with the same outcome really is a sign of insanity. Don’t be afraid to trade down, we need more than what 1 player can do alone. We need a group of guys that wan to Browns; we need a group of guys much like yourself and Coach Pettine, guys that have something to prove. I can’t see any good reason to draft a guy from the University of Michigan in the 1st round EVER. I can’t see a reason to make any trades with the Patriots, Steelers or Ravens EVER. You need to think like a fan sometimes and understand that although our hearts are more involved than our minds we all see the issues and have a good idea how to fix them.

Next, you need to get with Coach Pettine and decide what the personality of the team will be and find guys to build on that mentality. I say you should go with a tough and nasty defense and build from that, we’ve seen over and over that defenses do win games.

Lastly, I’ll leave you with this; this is a brief hint at my Blue Print for the future.

Free Agents:

Sign: Free Safety Jairus Byrd (He knows the defensive system)

Sign: ILB Pat Angerer (Smart, and needs to prove he can stay healthy, should get him for cheap)

Sign: Right Tackle Austin Howard (Young and  6’7’’ 333 lbs)

Draft:

1st round: Sammy Watkins, it doesn’t matter who is throwing him the ball, with him and Gordon that’s a DYNAMIC DUO for the record books.

Good Luck Ray! I hope you do the organization right and I hope you bring an era of winning to a team with the BEST fans in the NFL!

Sincerely,

Ott