NFL out-punishes court system on Stallworth case

Well, Browns wide receiver Donte' Stallworth got 30 days in jail for killing a man with his car while driving drunk. Whether or not you or I would get the same sentence if we did the same thing is an open question, but I won't address that here.

As Browns fans, many of us probably had the initial reaction upon hearing of that sentence along the line of: Well, that's over with. Maybe he can come back and contribute on the field this year. But Roger Goodell had other ideas, suspending Stallworth indefinitely. And good for Goodell. Stallworth is, from what I understand, a basically good guy who made a colossal mistake, but the NFL can't be having its players getting loaded and driving around killing people.

I guess we'll see how long "indefinitely" is, but I hope we can all agree that a man's life means a lot more than football. And maybe Goodell's swift punishment of Stallworth will help prevent more such tragedies in the future.

Browns stay busy

It appears the Browns have given newly re-signed quarterback Derek Anderson a new target to throw to. Donte' Stallworth, to whom the Patriots declined to give $8 million to play next year, is on board for seven years. Seven years! The deal is worth $35 million, with $10 million of it guaranteed.

It's amazing how these numbers get thrown around in sports these days. But anyway ...

Stallworth, 27, is a six-year veteran, and the Browns will be his fourth team. He caught 46 passes for 697 yards last year as the Patriots' third wide receiver, behind Randy Moss and Wes Welker. His best year was 2005 with the Saints, when he caught 70 balls for 945 yards.

He'll presumably start for the Browns, opposite Pro Bowler Braylon Edwards; and along with Pro Bowl tight end Kellen Winslow Jr., this gives us one hum-dinger of a receiver corps.

And not only does this make the Browns better, it makes the Patriots worse. So that's another reason to like it.

Stallworth, it must be said, is a bit of a wild card. He's had some injury problems, specifically hamstring trouble. And he's got a Martian alter-ego named Nicco. I know what you're thinking, your faithful correspondent is having a laugh with you. If only! Read this post if you don't believe me. Stallworth actually blamed this Nicco character for being caught from behind in this past season's playoff game against the Jaguars. I can only hope he was having a laugh, but whatever. If he catches passes and scores touchdowns, he can have as many alien friends as he wants.