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NoLogoNeeded.com's All-Decade Bust Team: Defense

This is the second installment of NoLogoNeeded.com's all-bust team of the last 10 years, or dating back to 1999 when the Browns re-entered the NFL.

Here is the offense.

Today, it's the defense's turn. In the coming days we will have the Browns' best all-decade offense and defense teams.

DEFENSIVE LINE
Courtney Brown – The "Quiet Storm" was supposed to wreak havoc in opposing backfields as another No. 1 overall selection in 2000. Instead, he was too soft to make an impact on the field and injuries eventually ruined his career.

Gerard Warren – The Browns passed over LaDainian Tomlinson and Richard Seymour in order to select Warren with the third overall selection in 2001. "Big Money" turned out to be nothing special, had a questionable work ethic and was traded to Denver for a 4th round pick after four seasons.

Ted Washington – This massive player was supposed to be the run stopper the team needed since its return. Instead, the Browns got an overweight player who was past his prime and could not get a push up the middle anymore.

Honorable Mention

•Jason Fisk – Fisk was signed to man the middle in the first year of the 3-4 defense under Romeo Crennel in 2005. The team was looking for a nose tackle again in Crennel's second year.

•Jerry Ball – Ball also played for the original Browns. He returned in 1999 to help slow down opposing runners. He managed to play three games and had one sack.

•Roy Barker – Barker was traded to the Browns in 1999 to provide a pass rush to the defense. His previous three seasons with the 49ers, he had 12, 5.5, and 12.5 sacks, respectively. In Cleveland, he played 12 games, started three and managed a two sacks and 12 tackles.

•Hurvin McCormack – Selected by the Browns in the expansion draft, McCormack was an up and coming defensive lineman. Had had five sacks in 1998 for Dallas. He lasted one season with the Browns before retiring.

LINEBACKERS
Rahim Abdullah – He was a second round pick in 1999. At 6-foot-5, 233 pounds, the Clemson product was believed to be the Browns' future impact outside linebacker. His rookie year he played in all 16 games and recorded 68 tackles. The next year he only played in 13 games recording 20 tackles. After two years he was done in the NFL. He took a couple years off before playing in the CFL.

Chaun Thompson – The Browns drafted him unexpectedly in the second round in 2003 and raved about his athleticism. They expected him to become an impact linebacker. He became a special teams player because he struggled to grasp the defense.

Antwaan Peek – The Browns signed this free agent in 2007 to pressure opposing quarterbacks. He was described as an edge rusher. Peek managed to play in 14 games in 2007 recording 19 tackles and four sacks. He was hurt before the 2008 season started and released this past offseason.

Jeremiah Pharms – He was a fifth round draft pick in 2004 that could have developed into an impact player on defense. Before signing a contract he was arrested and charged with shooting and pistol whipping a man and stealing $1,500 worth of marijuana.

Honorable Mention

•Ben Taylor – A fourth round pick by Butch Davis in 2002, Taylor was described as an athletic linebacker that was made to fit the Browns' needs. Taylor could play all three linebacker positions. After battling injuries throughout his career, Taylor managed one productive season out of his four with the Browns. He then signed with the Packers and played one season.

•Warrick Holdman – The Browns signed Holdman in 2004 to be an impact linebacker and help stop the run. Holdman had one productive, but not outstanding season in Cleveland and then moved on to the Redskins in 2005.

•David McMillan – He was drafted in the fifth round in 2005 to be a pass rushing specialist. Each season the Browns talked of how he improved in the offseason and this could be his breakout year. He lasted two seasons in Cleveland, never registering a sack.

DEFENSIVE BACK
Percy Ellsworth – Ellsworth came to the Browns in 2000 with the label of a ball hawk having intercepted 11 passes the previous two seasons. He played two seasons in Cleveland. The "Ball Hawk" had one interception in each season and missed plenty of tackles.

Earl Little – Little was an average player whose mouth never stopped telling anyone how great he was. He was a self-proclaimed Pro Bowl snub. Little was knocked unconscious by Hines Ward, but called Hines Ward a “Chinese B***H." Little was eventually benched in favor of Chris Crocker.

Marquez Pope – Pope was brought in in 1999 to be a big-play safety for the Browns. He always seemed a step slow and lasted one season in Cleveland.

Antonio Perkins – A fourth round draft pick in 2005, Perkins was expected to contribute at cornerback and take over kick return duties. He is tied for the most punt return touchdowns in a college career. Perkins managed to see the field in five games and recorded two tackles.

Honorable Mention

•Marquis Smith – The Browns expected this third round safety out of Cal in 1999 to develop into a full time player. Instead, they got a special teams player who recorded 11 total tackles in his third and final year with the team.

•Daylon McCutcheon – McCutcheon was the first pick of the third round in 1999. He had a long tenure in Cleveland (eight seasons) and a decent career. But he became known for shying away from contact and didn’t have the size or athleticism to cover the top receivers.

June 29, 2009 at 7:00 PM

Comments

Great series...albeit extraordinarily depressing. I think a shorter version could have just included the following:

1999-2000: Dwight Clark blows 23 draft picks.

We still haven't recovered.

June 29, 2009 at 10:09 PM by Cleveland Reboot

Cleveland Reboot,
I think you may have jumped the gun - here's to hoping the last installment of the series is front office/coaching busts. If Al Lerner leaving the team to Randy can be considered a bust that gets my vote for #1.

June 29, 2009 at 10:10 AM by Bryon

Daylon McCutcheon was one of the few bright spots and sure tacklers on the Browns when he played. He may have not been a top CB in the league, but he was the best on the Browns while he was there.

June 29, 2009 at 10:22 AM by Chad

I don't know about you guys, but I miss the great Percy "Ballhawk" Ellsworth.

June 29, 2009 at 10:53 AM by Don_NoLogoNeeded.com

Chad,

McCutcheon my have been a servicable CB. But if you believe he was a sure tackler, you should rewatch the game against the Ravens when Jamal Lewis ran for 295 yards and watch him shy away from trying to tackle Lewis. McCutcheon also was an ankle diver instead of being a tackler.

June 29, 2009 at 11:49 AM by Brandon

Not many corners CAN tackle Jamal Lewis.

This is quite the depressing list, though. I am looking forward to the "Best of" series.

June 29, 2009 at 2:03 PM by Jerrytown

Saying McCutcheon was the best Browns' DB of that era is like saying you make the best tasting poop sandwich. It's a nice honor to have, but it's not really saying much.

June 29, 2009 at 3:38 PM by The Voice of Reason

no Mike Junkin ?

June 29, 2009 at 8:09 PM by Rick in Dayton

I agree with most of these. I do not agree with tagging someone a "bust" who has struggled with injuries, as Brown has. He had no injury history whatsoever at PSU, so there was no reason to suspect he was brittle.

I also disagree with Chaun Thompson being on this list. He was a stretch of a pick, and not exactly spectacular, but he was pretty solid. He somehow became another casualty of one-person-trashes-him/everyone-jumps-on-the-bandwagon. I remember watching games where people in the bar would complain about him, only to hear his name called for tackle after tackle.

June 29, 2009 at 12:59 PM by Terry

NoLogoNeeded.com's All-Decade Bust Team: Defense

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