Peter King: Latest MMQB criticism of Cleveland Browns is unfair

In his latest MMQB column, Peter King questioned some Browns roster moves that have taken place over the last couple of off seasons, and it’s unfair.

Being a prisoner of the moment. We’ve all been there, digging in on opinions made when are emotions are out are highest.

It’s a slippery slope to walk, because bias almost always affects our ability to comprehend decisions.

The MMQB’s Peter King was critical of the Browns when the organization let a slew of good players leave, as the front office moved into an analytically oriented way of doing business.

With that in mind, King is accurate in stating that he’s given the Browns more credit than most, but in his latest MMQB column, he turns on the burner, and re-hashes the old hash, and it doesn’t play quite as well.

King re-criticized the Browns for giving up on Alex Mack, Taylor Gabriel, Mitchell Schwartz, Terrelle Pryor, Tashaun Gipson and Andy Lee.

About Mack: Alex Mack’s departure via free agency still leaves a salty taste in the Dawg Pound.

Yes, the Browns have missed him, to claim otherwise would be asinine. But what were they winning with the former second-round pick out of Cal?

Running the ball? Isaiah Crowell did that very well last season, with Cameron Erving in the lineup most of the time! If anything it’s that the Browns didn’t rush enough.

Having a good quarterback also masks the stench emanating from stinking at other positions. While the line was good, the Browns didn’t have their field general. They easily could’ve gone 1-15 with Mack on last year’s team.

But now, the line has a very good center in J.C. Tretter and hope at the QB position in DeShone Kizer.

Meanwhile, you just can’t ignore what happened after Mack left. Cleveland got a compensatory pick, and flipped it to the New England Patriots for Jamie Collins.

Collins is a Pro Bowl caliber player who makes the Browns defense immensely better. All of a sudden, Cleveland has two defensive players who could start for every other team in the NFL. When’s the last time you could say that?

We all questioned letting Mack go, but his departure became a gain.

About Lee: Andy Lee, a punter, was traded for a fourth-round pick. The Browns have Britton Colquuit. He’s good. Lee was cut after one season with his new team. Gain, Browns.

About Tashaun: Tashaun Gipson flashed as hard hitting safety with a nose for the ball. The Browns let him walk, Browns Nation got peeved, and Gipson became rich, signing a a five-year, $36 million contract.

His performance in 2016 was not worthy of the $12 million he’s guaranteed as part of the deal.

Gipson scored a 68.8 as Pro Football Focus’ 65th rated safety in 2016. Against the pass, Gibson rated 56.3. Yikes. He had just one interception, his lowest total since he was a rookie for the Browns in 2012.

Now, Cleveland appears poised to start Jabrill Peppers at free safety. He’s the same type of player as Gipson. He hits hard and he’s expected to excel at the “center field” position. Plus, Peppers has added value as a special teams player because of his ability to return kicks and punts.

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Whom would you rather have right now? Peppers or Gipson?

About receivers: King has a point about the receivers. Taylor Gabriel could help this team. Would he make a huge difference? Probably not. Gabriel is a small, fast receiver who benefits by playing on the same corps as Julio Jones. It doesn’t hurt he’s got Matt Ryan throws him passes, either.

In Cleveland, he’d probably have his moments here and there, but would he be a difference maker?

Now, with that said, the Browns kept Andrew Hawkins over Gabriel when the final roster was selected in 2016. Gabriel went to the Super Bowl, Hawkins retired, and the Browns still need receivers.

And then Pryor. I still can’t get over this one. It’s frustrating because the Browns accurately gauged his free-agent market.

When Pryor turned his 4-year, $32 million deal down, Cleveland went to Kenny Britt, who happily accepted. Cleveland won the negotiation, but lost the player. Are they better off for that?

Next: Does Sashi have a QB trade lined up?

Pryor’s upside is considerably higher, and Britt’s preseason play have people worried he’s going to turn into Dwyane Bowe. We’ll see on this one.