Bad news, worse news

From the bad news department . . . 

National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell shed a brightly shining light Tuesday on what he expects to hear from Peter Harvey when the designee reaches a decision in the battle between the league and Deshaun Watson.

Asked at a league meeting in Bloomington, Minn., why the league had sought an indefinite suspension for the Browns quarterback, Goodell referenced the initial six-game suspension ruling by league disciplinary officer Sue L. Robinson.

"We've seen the evidence," he said. "She was very clear about the evidence. She reinforced the evidence. There were multiple violations that were egregious and it was predatory behavior."

Draw your own conclusions, but based on that, it sure sounds as though Goodell expects Harvey, whose final decision in the matter is binding according to the last Collective Bargaining Agreement with the players, to drop a significant hammer on Watson.

Goodell stands by Robinson's thought process that Watson's behavior "cast a negative light on the league and its players" and that his conduct posed "a genuine danger to the safety and well-being of another person, and conduct that undermines or puts at risk the integrity of the NFL."

Doesn't take much mind reading to determine he believes Robinson's punishment did not come close to fitting the crime, as seen and defined by the NFL, even though two Texas grand juries failed to bring criminal charges against Watson.

If I were a betting man, my money would be placed on at least an increase in games missed to anywhere between 10 and 12 and a sizable fine in the eight-figure neighborhood. Goodell wants to make certain something like this never happens again.

From the worse news department . . . 

The Browns have established near-permanent residence near the bottom of the NFL the last several seasons with special teams, most notably in kick and punt returns. That was expected to change this season with the signing of free agent Jakeem Grant.

Grant has visited the end zone on returns seven times in his six-year career, mostly with the Miami Dolphins and last season with the Chicago Bears. The 5-7 speedster, while no Josh Cribbs, was expected to help the offense with returns this season that produced short fields.

That dream ended abruptly in practice Tuesday when Grant, getting in work as a wide receiver, ruptured his Achilles' tendon in a one-on-one drill. The non-contact injury ended his season and catapulted the Browns back to mediocrity in the return game.

Unless General Manager Andrew Berry can uncover another Grant-like returner, it looks as though special teams coordinator Mike Priefer is back to the drawing board again with wide receiver Anthony Schwartz and running backs Demetric Felton and D'Ernest Johnson.

Travis Benjamin was the last Brown to reach the end zone on a punt return in November of 2015 against Tennessee. And you have to go way back to December of 2009 when the incomparable Cribbs returned two kickoffs 100 yards and 103 yards in a victory over Kansas City.

The former Kent State University quarterback racked up a remarkable 13,488 yards and 11 touchdowns on returns in his 10-season NFL career.