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The Browns have signed Jake Delhomme to a $7 million contract because apparently they were scared that the home-grown boy from Louisiana didn’t make enough money last year. Shouldn’t it have been a warning sign that the franchise that cut him recently did so despite still owing him $12.7 million from a contract signed last summer? Jake is expected to start for Cleveland Brown as Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn have both been sent away, and now the Browns’ fans have every reason to buy a fresh stock of brown, paper bags to wear at games.

This kind of stuff absolutely infuriates me. Delhomme entered the 2008 season with lots of hope, and his Panthers entered the playoffs with an outside shot of being a decent long shot bet. Then Delhomme threw 5-interceptions in the infamous game against the Cardinals. Apparently those five picks, along with the 12 he threw in the regular season, weren’t enough to stop Carolina from offering him an unearthly contract extension that guaranteed him $20 million and was worth up to $42.5 million.

Delhomme rewarded the Panthers by throwing a career high 18-interceptions with a quarterback rating of just 59.4. Let’s keep in mind that he managed to throw all those gut wrenching turnovers in just 11 games and was unseated by Matt Moore after he broke a finger late in the season.

The two-year deal offered by Mike Holmgren will give Delhomme $7 million this year and a total of $19.7 million in 2010 considering how much the Panthers still have to pay him. You read that right. He could’ve sat on his ass eating gumbo and shooting possums in his back yard and made more money than you or I will ever see in our lifetimes.

The Browns have been very busy at the quarterback position, and signing the 35-year old Delhomme to lead the new era of Browns football in to the new decade is indication that Mike Holmgren has either lost his mind, or just subscribed himself to the many years of ineptitude in Cleveland. In the midst of signing Delhomme, the Browns burned bridges with Derek Anderson and dealt Brady Quinn to the Denver Broncos for a fullback I don’t care about and a bunch of low-end draft picks.

Quinn will be aligned with Josh McDaniels and can now be the franchise guy of the future for the impatient Broncos. Honestly, I know that there are a few Quinn haters out there, but the guy’s mechanics and leadership, along with his experiences at college, could still make him a decent NFL quarterback. All hope isn’t lost with him and Denver can finally forget about subjecting us to any more Rex Grossman appearances.

What all this shuffling does for the Browns is reveal who they’re going to take in the NFL Draft. Sam Bradford has jumped in to the top-spot on most draft boards, especially because St. Louis would rather pay big money to a quarterback than either of the top-rated defensive linemen available. Jimmy Clausen is the second-best quarterback rated in the draft, meaning that Cleveland is slated to take yet another Notre Dame quarterback and employ their second Charlie Weiss product after Quinn.

I hope some day, an undergrad student somewhere decides to do a thesis paper on perception, and chronicles the life and times of Terrell Owens. Almost everyone has an opinion of him, but nobody disagrees that he’s a good football player. While the Buffalo Bills are moving in a different direction, they’re releasing Owens back in to the wild and this beast won’t be unleashed for long.

While he’s turning 37-years old, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone in the league who trains as hard as this man does. He takes immaculate care of himself, which is perhaps one of the best lessons he learned from his days alongside Jerry Rice. Aside from the year he was exiled from Philadelphia, Owens has never played in fewer than 14 games. He might be older. He’s a barn burner for the media. But he’s also a very capable receiver and while you may not like him personally, I’m pretty sure Owens isn’t asking to be your friend.

In a word, when it comes to Owens, people need to get over themselves.

I’ve used my writing career to defend Owens over the years because, when it really comes down to the facts, Owens just hates losing. If you look at his time in Dallas, the only times he erupted was when the Cowboys were a sinking ship. The only time he caused a big riot in Philadelphia is when he threw Donavan McNabb under the bus for puking during the two-minute drill in Super Bowl XXXIX after Owens had rehabbed like a madman to return from a broken leg.

If Chad Ochocinco celebrates, he’s applauded no matter how outrageous his celebrations are. The guy jokingly tried to bribe an official on the field and the announcers just laughed. If Owens tried it he’d be crucified. Randy Moss is noted for taking plays off, something Chris Gamble criticized him of when the Panthers lost to the Patriots 20-10. If Owens even remotely jogs a route, the announcers pounce on him like he’s a hot fudge sundae that was snuck in to a fat kid camp.

Ray Lewis allegedly killed a man in a limousine and he’s destined for the hall of fame. Donte Stallworth did kill a man by accident and he hasn’t been roasted half as badly as Owens, who has never had any brushes with the law whatsoever. Again, it’s simply about perception, and we more often than not just jump on the beatdown bandwagon because it’s more fun to scrutinize an undeserving player rather than laud his achievements.

Owens made the bed he sleeps in, and considering that the Bills paid him $6.5 million for his troubles last year, I’m sure the bed is of the finest goose down feathers in the world. He does have issues on the field, like his poor temper (which more than half the guys in the league have) and his recent problems with holding on to the football. You can judge him all you want, but if he’s playing for my team, I’m going to be happy about it.

That being said, which teams are going to be in the market for T.O.? Some of the teams may surprise you…while one in particular won’t at all.

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The age-old saying that ‘speed kills’ apparently holds no legs in the world of professional football as NFL General managers across the league search for the fastest, play-making athletes anywhere.

Thanks to the clever oddsmakers at BetUS.com – and the ingenious 40-yard dash comparison odds they have cooked up for the 2010 NFL Combine, pro football gamblers across the globe have another way to increase the NFL seasonal betting bankroll.

With the annual combine just a day away, let me break down the entertaining matchups and provide pro football betting fans with my prediction on the outcome of each pairing.

The 40-yard dash is the marquee event at the combine. It’s value is similar to that of the 100-meters at the Olympics. It’s all about speed and explosion and watching skilled athletes run great times. Each player is timed at 10, 20 and 40-yard intervals. What the scouts are looking for is an explosion from a static start.

Fastest 40-Yard Dash Tebow vs. McCoy
Tim Tebow +105
Colt McCoy -145

Analysis: This pairing, featuring two of the biggest names in football the last four years, is going to be very close, but in the end, I’m going with Tim Tebow to narrowly best McCoy here – and I do mean just barely.

I expect Tebow and McCoy to both run somewhere in the neighborhood of 4.6 to 4.9 seconds, but Tebow’s will be closer to the lower end of 4.7 while McCoy comes in just fractions of a second later toward the higher end of 4.7 or 4.8.

One thing’s for sure. As much rushing as Tebow has done throughout his college career, he should be the more polished runner.

NFL Free Picks: Tim Tebow

Fastest 40-Yard Dash N Suh vs. G McCoy
Ndamukong Suh -120
Gerald McCoy -120

Analysis: Suh, a defensive tackle out of Nebraska and McCoy a defensive tackle for Oklahoma, are both rumored to be going in the top five – and it’s easy to see why – both are ‘freaks of nature’.

Suh, has been heralded as the top overall pick in this ear’s draft while McCoy, a first-team All-American in each of the last two seasons, is also expected to be a top five pick.

Suh, stands 6-4 and weighs 305 pounds while McCoy is just a bit lighter, weighing in at 298 pounds while also standing 6-4.

I like Gerald McCoy here with Suh running a 40-yard dash somewhere in the neighborhood of the 4.91 seconds he admits he runs in the 40 while McCoy checks in just under 4.91, likely in the mid-to-high 4.8-second range.

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NFL Expert Picks: Gerald McCoy

Fastest 40-Yard Dash J Dwyer vs. R Mathews
Jonathan Dwyer -120
Ryan Matthews -120

Analysis: Dwyer, a running back out of the Georgia Tech, that was the 2008 ACC Player of the Year, is another speedy player that has already recorded a 4.48 seconds in the 40 and 10.8 in the 100 meters while in high school that made him the second fastest runner in the state.

I really like running back Ryan Mathews, the 220-pound Fresno State bowling ball rusher who made a big name for himself the last two seasons. Unfortunately, this race isn’t real fair with Dwyer behind a lot faster and more elusive than Mathews, who reportedly runs a 4.5 in the 40.