It's that time once again

It’s silly season once again around the National Football League.

It’s that time of the year where rumors float perilously in the blogosphere and take on lives of their own.

The Browns are talking to this guy, says one report. Another report champions the notion they covet that guy.

The need to be first to report any connection between team and player or agent is what drives a lot of these suppositions. It seems that the more names thrown against an imaginary wall, the more likely you’ll be correct in some respect.

It’s fascinating as journalists and bloggers – note the difference – attempt to climb into the minds and war room of, in this case, the Browns. With this new regime, though, it’s almost impossible to determine exactly what’s happening.

Thus far, it appears as though Joe Banner and his henchmen are just as tight-lipped, if not more so, than the previous three regimes. Transparency is an obscene word in their vocabulary. They wrap their plans tightly and drop the cone of silence over them.

National Football League teams generally do not leak information of any kind to the media. That kind if stuff is reserved for those who ply their trade in the world of politics.

When the gun starting free agency is fired today at 4, it gets even worse. That’s when player agents plant stories in order to get their clients the best deal possible. There is no honor among them.

The Browns, of course, will shop the free-agent market. When you’re $45 million under the salary cap and have a fan base absolutely starved for a winner, you’ll do anything to placate them. Even if it means overspending.

Lots of names are being mentioned as possibilities to win up in Seal Brown and Orange and fans who take such blathering seriously are the same fans who are disappointed when the Browns lose out.

There are some nice players out there who would fit in nicely with this team. One of the most intriguing is unrestricted free agent guard Nick Levitre, who played solid football under the radar in Buffalo. The Browns definitely need to upgrade that position.

Notice there was no mention of the Browns contacting his agent. If you want rumors like that, head somewhere else. We deal with facts here.

Now, let’s sit back, watch the facts roll in and then comment. That’s when the silliness stops.