Posts Tagged ‘Cleveland Browns’

Being geographically close to Cleveland, I feel bad for my fellow sports fans who root for Cleveland teams.  Admittedly, I am a Cavs fan and will continue to root for the team with a shiny new record for most NBA losses in a row with 26. The overall compilation of these three teams has produced zero championships in 50 plus years in any of their respective sports.  Certain towns (Cubs fans, turn your heads), have a team who hasn’t won anything over a longer time span, but collectively, the Browns, Indians, and Cavs comprise the worst trifecta of a regional sports market that currently exists.

Let’s start with the oldest, the Cleveland Indians.  The Indians won a World Series in 1920 then had to wait 28 years to get another.  This is when there were no more than 20 teams in the league and the odds of winning were greater.  The 1954 Indians, who won a then-record, 111 games, failed to complete the mission and are simply a highlight of a Willie Mays running over-the-shoulder catch.  Did this start the futility on the diamond?  In 1995, with a start studded lineup and a brand new stadium, the Indians drew large crowds and won games, but no trophies or flags.  Nowadays they are playing the Pittsburgh Pirates price is right.  Dump Cliff Lee, Victor Martinez, etc. but make some scratch.

Brad Daugherty, Mark Price, and Larry Nance were the nucleus of some of the best Cavs teams of the late eighties and early nineties.  Unfortunately, as Craig Ehlo can testify, they played during the Michael Jordan Era.  We all know about Lebron James and the “decision” he made.   Before his decision, he got Cleveland into the 2007 NBA Finals to play San Antonio.  It was big progress for a franchise that never won.  Now that James is wearing a Heat uniform and playing with two All-Stars and his former supporting cast starring Anderson Varajeo and Antwan Jamison has set the NBA standard for consecutive losses, did he still do the wrong thing?  Or was he that good?  I think he was.  His supporting cast sucked, and still do.  The guy wanted to win a championship, not babysit Delonte West or teach JJ Hickson how to dribble.

Then there are the Browns.  Always a good supporting cast, but no stars, and Phil Dawson may have his own “decision” show on the deuce here pretty quick.  Granted, Art Modell is a hated man in Cleveland and rightfully so.  However, the drafting and coaching since Palmer took over in 1998 for the return season have been awful.  Butch Davis? Wow. The worst part is that Browns fans have argued with anyone who questions the ability of a hired hand in Cleveland.  Draft Day is a mess too. Hopefully the Browns can pick something other than a new season ticket package offering reduced ticket prices for 2011.

The one constant that amazes me is the fan support of all three teams.  Hats off to Cleveland sports fans for remaining some of the most loyal people who root for a team.

James Harrison is many things.  Loudmouth, All-Pro, Egomaniac, Super Bowl Hero, Steeler.  The one thing that Harrison should not be called is a cheap shot artist.  Shame on the NFL for making Harrison the reason for hiked up fines and suspensions for supposed “cheap shots”. 

The NFL is messing up here.  I have heard all of the arguments in the past six days.  The athletes are so much better these days (so is the equipment).  If an NFL player is so much faster than 40 years ago when a helmet looked like a deflated ball, then it would be more difficult to deliver a cheap shot intentionally.  Granted, there have been blatent cheap shots over the years, but how far is the league going to go to protect players and take the barbaric rawness that fans have come to love?

In fairness to Harrison, if he were trying to permanently injure Josh Cribbs, he must be faster than he showed returning a fumble in a Super Bowl a couple of years ago.  Cribbs is hard to just tackle.  How many times have you seen the Browns best weapon juke and make a defender dive and look stupid.  For Harrison to be able to pinpoint Cribbs’ earhole, and deliver a perfect shot with malice is too hard to do.  Who makes the decision on what is malicious and what is clean? 

I’m upset with the new mindset.  I joked a few years back about how the quarterbacks of the NFL would soon be wearing white pinneys and flags.  If you accidentally hit one of them, you will be ejected from the NFL and forced to play arena football in Canada.  Ah, if only Vince McMahon would reactivate the XFL and encourage good hitting… 

Jamaine Cook is probably the quietest and most humble YSU Football Player I have ever interviewed.  He doesn’t like to talk about himself too much, is quick to praise members of his team, and takes the politically correct answer in the shortest form that he can present it.  The introverted running back speaks loudly with the ball in his hands.  Through seven games, Cook leads the Penguins rushing game with 781 yards on 133 carries.  He will probably top the 1,000 yard mark for his career at YSU this weekend, and he is just a sophomore.

Paneech:  What is the mindset of this team following three close heartbreaking losses?

Cook:  We have to get a win this week.  We have goals and if we want to maintain our goals and reach them we have to win this game.

Paneech:  Your coaches have chosen to employ a rotation to keep fresh legs on the field.  When you are feeling it, is it  tough to come out of the game?  What is your favorite play?

Cook:  I love the rotation and I think it helps us a lot.  It keeps all of the backs fresh and I don’t have a problem sharing the reps.  It is a good way to spread the love.  My favorite play is 28 or 29 outside zone.  It is a running play to the outside.

Paneech:  To many, it is amazing that this team only uses 53 of 63 scholarships and have so many freshman and sophomores involved in the grand scheme of things. 

Cook:  We are optimistic about the future, but right now we are way more worried about finishing this year off strong.  We can worry about next year when the time comes.  At this point we are still keeping our hopes alive for making the playoffs. 

Paneech:  You come from Cleveland, and a big family.  How many siblings do you have?

Cook:  I have four sisters and two brothers.  I have a sister that is 21, then me, then a brother who is 17, twin sisters that are 13, another sister who is 11, and a little brother who is four.  My oldest sister is in college working to become a nurse, so the twins are obviously looking up and saying, yeah, that’s my brother playing football (laughs).

Paneech:  Since you are from Cleveland, are you a Browns and Cavs fan? 

Cook:  Yes, I am a Browns fan, and I hate the Steelers.  I don’t know why the Browns can’t ever put it all together, but I keep my faith in them and just hope that they can get a win from week-to-week.  As far as the Cavs go, when Miami comes to Cleveland, I want to see the Cavs shut down LeBron because he left.  He should not have left, so he deserves a loss when he comes here.

Paneech:  Who is the NFL running back that you want to copy both on and off the field?

Cook:  There is really no one right now, but I can say that Walter Payton is my favorite running back.  He ran with an unbelievable amount of heart and passion, that is the way I want to run every time I am on the field.

One Word Answers

Favorite Soft Drink:  Gatorade.

Favorite Fast Food:  Burger King!  Double Stacker, Two Rodeo Burgers and a Medium Fry.

Favorite TV Show:  ESPN Sportscenter.

Favorite Video Game:  Madden 2010.

Favorite Pro Wrestler:  Brock Lesnar.

What’s Easier, The Dentist or The Doctor?  :  The Doctor.

How Many Times Do You Shave In A Month?   Two to Three times to look up to par.

Best Movie Ever Made?  300.

Desperate Housewives or Dancing With The Stars?  Dancing With The Stars.

Being halfway between Cleveland and Pittsburgh, I always seem to hear more from the Steelers fans.  I do not really like or dislike either team, but the Steeler fans who have run their mouths for the past twelve months (on their latest run) sicken me. 

I respect the way that the Rooney Family does their thing.  They don’t indulge in the free agent market, nor do they re-sign many of their players who become free agents.  They use a system to recycle a philosophy instead of players. 

The Browns, on the other hand, spend all kinds of money on the wrong free agents, have an unstable front office, and seem to pull names out of a hat on draft day.  On one cold Thursday night in Cleveland, I wanted the Browns to win.

What made Cleveland’s 13-6 win so satisfying to me was that I didn’t have to hear the fans of either team.  The 2-11 Browns fans are probably pissed that their team blew draft position for a win, albeit against the hated Steelers.

The usually arrogant Steeler fans were nowhere to be found this past weekend.  When you happen to see a known Steeler fan and call them out, they heavily rely on history and “six rings”.  The past is done.  What have you done for me lately?  It is now hockey season in Pittsburgh.  Those defending champs should fare better than the Steelers did this season.

The most verbal feedback I ever took from the locals was when three weeks ago, right here on this website, I predicted that Pittsburgh would not make the playoffs.  Everywhere I went, I caught an earful.  That earful has taken a sharp decrescendo with each passing week.  Sorry Steelers fans, you cannot win all of the time.

Browns fans, you have my sympathy.  By beating a half-hearted Steeler team Thursday night, you have probably gained the pleasure of suffering with Eric Mangini and Brady Quinn for a couple of seasons. 

I’m already hearing the array of comments from Cleveland Browns fans on Sunday’s 38-37 loss at Detroit.  The Browns had a 21-point first half lead and blew that by halftime.  Some Browns fans are whining about a pass interference call which gave the Lions an untimed down to win the game on the one.  Looked like pass interference to this impartial viewer. 

What is fascinating about the loss is that going into the game, Cleveland had a whopping five offensive touchdowns on the year.  Brady Quinn tossed four touchdowns in the loss.  Pinch yourself Browns fans, then say ouch because you can’t dream this stuff up.

Other Browns fans are playing the “Whew, we almost won and blew our first overall draft pick chances”.  Sorry Browns fans, you only get to pick one player with that strategy, you need about 20 to be a .500 team next year.

Again,  I don’t enjoy seeing the Browns lose.  I would prefer they win a few games as they truly are the laughing stock of the NFL these days.  Call it sympathy, but Eric Mangini can’t get a royal straight flush if all the kings were taken out of the deck.  They just don’t have the personnel to win right now.  Bring Drew Brees in, it would make no difference.

It’s basketball season on the Shores of Lake Erie, as of 4:12 pm Sunday.  Even the best and most patient fans in football – Cleveland Browns fans – have to be regurgitating with disgust.

What a horrible year Cleveland Sports fans have had to endure.  The Cavs could have done better.  The Indians started and are ending the season with disgraceful heartless performances.  The Browns are lucky if they win six games this season.  When will it end?  Doesn’t matter what team or season, the result for over 50 years has been disappointment. 

I applaud Cleveland fans for hanging in there and staying true to the teams they root for.  However, after attending a recent Indians game with about 25% of the stands at Progressive Field full, I have to wonder when fans will get disgusted enough to either switch teams or just put Cleveland sports as a whole on the back burner.  Again, there are diehards, but Chicago has tasted victory with the Bears, Detroit with the Pistons, Boston with the Patriots and Red Sox, etc… 

Let me start my story with the team that provides the greatest chance of winning something soon – the Cavs.  With the recent addition of Shaq and departure of Ben Wallace one of two things can happen.  1)  Everything will click, no one will be injured, and the Cavs will make a strong showing for an NBA Championship.  OR.. 2) Shaq will only play about half the year putting LeBron James back into the ‘I have to do it all myself’  mode, or worse yet, James could get injured.  I still argue that he isn’t going anywhere at the end of the season, but watch how that debate rages through the entire season and playoffs and becomes a bigger issue than the Cavs actually winning.

Move to baseball.  Eric Wedge should have been fired on Memorial Day or shortly after.  Wedge’s admitted pal and BFF Mark Shapiro stuck his neck out for Wedge to at least be given the end of the season to present his capabilities as a manager.  He has failed to do so.  Shapiro traded Cliff Lee to Philadelphia this season, even though he had another year on his contract, for pitching prospects like Carlos Carrasco (0-2, 9.64 ERA).  Last year CC Sabathia was pushed away instead of being offered a new contract and he didn’t do too bad in Milwaukee.  Both guys (Shapiro and Wedge) need to go and a true rebuilding process needs to take place, otherwise expect more Pirate-like boneheaded moves followed up by the financial weeping of a money-hungry front office. 

Question: Brady Quinn or Derek Anderson?   Answer: Neither.   Browns fans are truly some of the most loyal people who follow sports.  The defense looked rather good in the first half against Minnesota in the opener.  In the second half, they looked dismal.  There is no consistency on this team.  They will jump up and win a few games, they always manage to do that much.  The problem at quarterback is not the individuals who play that position.  Quinn OR Anderson will be running for their lives as the line is still weak.  When they do have time, who do they throw to?  Braylon ‘drop ’em’ Edwards?  Josh ‘Wildcat’ Cribbs?  They need help at receiver bad.  Cribbs running the Wildcat Offense on Minnesota’s two-yard line was comical, for two plays.  Drew Brees would struggle with this team.

Sorry Cleveland fans.  Mad respect for the loyalty to these three franchises, but if the Cavs don’t do it this year it’s gonna be awhile longer in any sport.

Please comment if you think I am right or wrong, I am anxious to hear what others think about this.

What a horrible weekend for the nationally covered Ohio sports teams!  It’s football season, but they are still playing baseball.  Didn’t matter which level, didn’t matter which sport, all that matters is that my home state, in a 24-hour span, was 0-5 against teams from other states.

The fun started Saturday night when Ohio State hosted USC.  I excitedly watched the Buckeyes dominate the trenches, field position, and play the Tressel ‘three yards and a cloud of dust’  brand of football.  That worked, for three-and-a-half quarters.  Pete Carroll found a way to call a 90+ yard drive to doom the Buckeyes as they went on to lose 18-15.

Sunday, a whole new grouping of ways to lose at various sports came into play.

The Cleveland Indians managed to get only two hits in losing to the Kansas City Royals.  They also gave up seven runs in losing 7-0 to a team with a winning percentage of under .400 at the time. 

The Cincinnati Reds were a little better in losing to the Cubs.  They managed to score a couple of runs, but the Cubbies managed to score five. 

The Cincinnati Bengals probably gave the home loyalists the biggest stomach ache.  A deflected pass lands right into the hands of a Denver receiver who has absolutely no one around him because two Bengals defensive backs and a linebacker had fallen like dominoes.  Brandon Stokley = Hero.  Knock the ball down… DOWN… not up.  12-7 Broncos.

The Cleveland Browns played with purpose for a half.  They basically took away Adrian Peterson and dared Brett Favre to beat them.  A few coaching adjustments at halftime solved the problem and Peterson ran like a deer in a vacant field.  Vikings 34-20.

Remedy?  Musical coaches.  Let’s put Mangini in a Reds uniform.  He can develop a wildcat bunt or something.  He has that chubby baseball look anyway.  Jim Tressel can go coach the Indians.  What would be the odds of him playing the lines with a one run lead to take away extra-base hits?  Eric Wedge would look good in the Bengals stuff.  He is used to dealing with injury-prone lefties who can’t throw anyway.  Marvin Lewis can go to Ohio State.  And by default, Dusty Baker would coach the Browns.

0-5. 

The Cleveland Browns should pursue Jamaican track prodigy, Usain Bolt.  The obvious reason would be because he would clock a great 40-yard dash time at the combine.  Can you imagine getting this guy the ball in the open field?

Now, for the beef of my presentation.  He is no worse than what is already there.  He might even be better.  Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson like to overthrow receivers a few times each game.  Why not put Bolt in the slot and bring him across in motion.  He would be the first WR in NFL history to burn his man by losing him in motion.

Once the play starts, tell Brady or Derek to just heave it, let it fly, he will run under it.  Who knows if he will catch it or not.  Who cares, we already know that Braylon Edwards would probably drop it, so what would be the harm in taking that chance? 

Run a reverse and watch that OLB who sucks in for the play action swear profanity-laced tirades before Bolt even hits the corner.  He would not get touched on the play. 

Use him to promote Cleveland.  Who better than a native Jamaican to promote Bob Marley at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.  How many people would show up at an Indians game if Usain Bolt were going to race Bernie Kosar while running backwards?  The possibilities are just endless.

I could see it now, the new ‘Killer-B’  Browns receiving core.  Braylon, Brian, and Bolt.  Donte Stallworth would be included but when the idea was first dreamt up he took the title to a new level.  But the three ‘Killer-B’s’ !!  “More drops than a three-day tropical rainstorm!”  How ultra-promotable! 

Saturday night’s NFL Preseason opener looked like a 2008 Cleveland Browns highlight reel.  The game against Green Bay featured all of the elements that Browns fans have been getting used to lately.  The two quarterbacks competing for the starting job (Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson, pictured above) were outplayed by Brett Ratliff.  Ratliff will probably be the scrub squad quarterback on the practice team. 

Brady Quinn looked better than Anderson.  Anderson only attempted two throws (neither completions) in his two series.  Quinn drove the Browns down the field before half with four straight completions, only to be *FLASHBACK* intercepted by Anthony Smith.  Before the interception, Braylon Edwards dropped a would-be touchdown *FLASHBACK* and finished the game (one half) with zero receptions. 

Eric Mangini was not pleased at all by much of anything he saw.  Neither were the Browns fans who had to listen to Bernie Kosar do color commentary.  Nothing clicked.  Aaron Rodgers looked decent, but didn’t do anything remarkable for Green Bay.  Rodgers ended up with 102 yards and a TD on 5-10 passing.

The Browns defense gave up 100 yards rushing and 100 yards receiving in a half *FLASHBACK*, they too are in midseason form showing off an array of stupid penalties, missed tackles, and blown coverages. 

If first impressions really do mean anything, we have learned that the Browns haven’t learned much regardless of who is coaching.  We have also learned that Quinn and Anderson either do not have much to work with, or are both not as good as people think.

It’s like watching the Muppet Show.  Everyone knows Kermit The Frog is the star of the show.  Unfortunately, Cleveland is trying to assume that Ernie and Bert (Quinn and Anderson) are every bit as good as Kermit, and unfortunately, they are not.  Cleveland does not have a Kermit The Frog to lead the show, not on this years roster.   Gonna be a long year in Cleveland.  Start the Tim Tebow draft campaign now and get a jump.

The Cleveland Browns would like to put 2008 in their rear view mirror and lose sight of it as fast as they can.  In what can only be categorized as ignorant, Braylon Edwards showed up to Browns camp a day late and failed his physical.  Edwards was placed on the Browns Active/Non-Football Injury list.   Great leverage in a contract year would be to show up early and in shape.

Edwards, who led the entire NFL in drops last year with 17, has to be more of a leader.  If Cleveland is going to turn things around this season, everybody has to chip in and try a little harder.  With this being the first major story from Browns camp, it seems like another step backwards for a team trying to overcome the “underachiever” label they earned last season.

Edwards’ contract is done after this season.  He could be fined up to $17,000 for reporting a day late.  He also missed mandatory minicamp in June with an undisclosed injury.  The swirling rumor mill reported he hurt his ankle playing basketball.  Because he missed minicamp, Edwards was to report with the rookies a week earlier than everyone else on the active roster.  Instead, he showed up a day later than everyone else.

• Style Points added an interesting photo to their blog showing you where Braylon’s priorities lie these days, check it out by clicking on the link.