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Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Three Stooges and a Dud

Remember when Jimmy Haslam came riding into town from Tennessee in the summer of 2012? Fans were excited that this truck-stop magnate billionaire with a passion for sports, that was endorsed by the likes of the Rooney family, Robert Kraft and Jerry Jones, would give the Cleveland Browns someone who would be more accountable, reputable and visible as an owner than Randy Lerner ever was.

Sure, Haslam has been way more visible than Lerner, albeit for less flattering things like ripping off his trucker customers on their rebates and getting hauled into federal court. But, it appears that the one thing Haslam has in common as Lerner and his father, Al, and even going back to Art "Judas" Modell, is the propensity for running a dysfunctional NFL franchise.

As the Browns prepared to kick off this past Sunday at Heinz Field for their season finale against the hated Steelers, rumors perpetuated the Twitter-verse that Haslam and his top deputies, CEO Joe Banner and the general manager-in-hiding Mike Lombardi, were prepared to fire head coach Rob Chudzinski after just one season coaching the team he grew up rooting for in nearby Toledo. Browns fans were aghast, especially when there were no signs that "Chud" was even in danger.

But, after a disappointing 20-7 loss to the Steelers, and just a few hours after arriving back at Berea, the Browns announced that they were, in fact, firing their first hand-picked head coach less than one year after hiring him.

Browns players, interviewed following the loss in the locker room, were incredulous that the questions about Chud's survival were even brought up. D'Qwell Jackson and Joe Thomas, in particular, were very vocal in their defense of their embattled head coach, even though the team slumped to a 4-12 season after seven consecutive losses and 10 losses in their final 11 games. By the time they arrived in Berea to clean out their lockers for the offseason, they had to be shocked.

Haslam, Banner and Lombardi, in firing Chudzinski, did something that neither of the Lerners, Modell or any other Browns owner in this franchise's storied history had ever done -- fire a coach after just one season. Sure, if Chudzinski's Browns would have gone 0-16 or 1-15 or even 2-14, perhaps you can justify the move. But 4-12?

And after he had to juggle three different starting quarterbacks at various times this season, due to injuries or overall inadequacy? And knowing that he had to give Brandon Weeden not two, but THREE different chances as the starting quarterback after backups Brian Hoyer and Jason Campbell got injured while looking and performing considerably better than the opening day starter?

And after the starting running back and the 2012 No. 3 overall pick in Trent Richardson -- the team's only viable running threat -- was traded for a 2014 first-round pick by the Indianapolis Colts after just two games? And not finding an adequate replacement for Richardson (who struggled considerably in Indy, making the trade look genius) until there were three games left in the season, when an unknown Edwin Baker scored as many rushing TDs as the aging Willis McGahee did all season long?

And having a rotating field at the guard position due to injuries and inadequacy, as John Greco, Oniel Cousins, Shaun Lavauo, Jason Pinkston and Garrett Gilkey all got starts on the interior of the offensive line? And that line couldn't open up holes for a running game all season long and gave up a ton of sacks -- and that's even with two Pro Bowlers (Thomas and center Alex Mack) starting on that line?

And realizing that the rookies Lombardi handed you were underwhelming, to say the least? Barkevious Mingo looked like a playmaker at times, finishing with five sacks on the year, but had a quiet end to his season. Leon McFadden, other than his phantom pass interference penalty at the end of the New England debacle, couldn't get off the bench and then didn't play well when he was finally pressed into service. Gilkey only started the season finale and was taken to school by aging veteran Brett Keisel. Armonty Bryant, the one draft pick that everyone was against due to his checkered past, actually played the best out of all of them, and even he was a situational player.

And opening the year with the NFL's eventual leader in receiving yards, Josh Gordon, suspended for two games and allowing trade rumors to swirl about him until the deadline came and went? And also signing a possession receiver in Davone Bess who suddenly forgot how to catch a football and then was excused from the team for the final two games due to some off-the-field issues? And having to start Greg Little all season long?

Haslam was disgusted by Pat Shurmur for being too conservative and too predictable in his playcalling, and deservedly so. Chud was the antithesis of Shurmur -- he went for it on fourth down a lot (three times in the Steeler game inside of scoring position). He called for fake punts and fake field goals. He allowed his quarterbacks to throw deep (at least when they weren't getting killed or throwing horrible interceptions). But, in the end, in two seasons of Haslam's stewardship, the Browns have fired two head coaches, a team president and a GM.

According to longtime Browns beat reporter Tony Grossi, the decision was made to fire Chud prior to the Steeler game, and not even a win over the team's biggest rival would have saved him. This, despite Banner speaking as late as November in effusive praise of his young head coach.

Part of the problem may have been the disastrous seven-game losing streak. The Browns were 3-2 and 4-5 at various points this season. Coming off their bye week, believe it or not, the team controlled its own playoff destiny and seemed to have the inside track at the AFC North crown. But a 30-point second-quarter monsoon due to special teams breakdowns in Cincinnati led to a 41-20 loss to the eventual division champs (and lone playoff team from the North), and it spiraled from there.

The Browns had a propensity to break down either late in the first half, or in the fourth quarter, or even both. The Browns made two hapless offensive teams in Jacksonville and the New York Jets look almost unstoppable at times in two late-season losses. There was the debacle in New England, in which referee's questionable penalties and decisions allowed Tom Brady to score 13 unanswered points in the final two minutes to pull off an improbable 27-26 win. And there was another fourth quarter meltdown in the home season finale against Chicago that allowed the Bears to come away with a 38-31 victory. Oh, and let's not forget another season sweep by the Steelers after it appeared Pittsburgh was a team on the decline after an 0-4 start.

Another part of the problem may have been the NFL awarding the Browns five Pro Bowl players -- the most out of any other team in the AFC North -- and the opportunity for a sixth in safety T.J. Ward. It's never a good sign when a team has more Pro Bowlers than wins. It shows that there is talent in the building, but coaching isn't getting the most out of said talent.

Grossi goes even further by saying there was a dischord between Chud and Lombardi. Remember that Lombardi wasn't officially hired until AFTER Chud was named head coach, even though most insiders proclaimed that Lombardi was heavily involved with the process. The two butted heads over players receiving playing time all season long.

One of the biggest problems was with the quarterback position. Chudzinski and offensive coordinator Norv Turner seemingly ignored Hoyer during training camp until Hoyer was pressed into service in the preseason finale against Chicago and played very well. Turner, at one point, said that the player of Hoyer "surprised" him and the coaching staff. As Weeden and Campbell combined to win only one game the rest of the season and underwhelm at times, you had to believe that Lombardi was throwing Hoyer's emergence and Turner's "surprised" comment around liberally to Haslam and Banner.

At one point, Banner urged Chud to "shake things up" and release disappointing players such as Little and Lavauo. Chud argued against such moves and stood up for his players. In Banner's eyes, it seemed that Chud wasn't holding the Browns players accountable for their mistakes, which led to the regression in the second half of the season.

The fact that every other new coaching hire had a better record than Chud's Browns -- while the Jaguars under Gus Bradley also finished 4-12, they improved in the second half of the season and also came to Cleveland and won 32-28 -- did not sit well with Haslam, Banner and Lombardi.

Also, keep in mind that Carolina (where Chudzinski was offensive coordinator), San Diego (where Turner was head coach) and Arizona (where Ray Horton was defensive coordinator) all improved in 2013 after those men left to coach the Browns. It may not be a coincidence.

So, while Haslam had many reasons to make the decision that he made, it opened things up for the Browns organization to look like a giant joke on the national sake.

It's another cycle of wash-rinse-repeat -- new coach, new system, new quarterback. This after Chud's predecessors Eric Mangini and Shurmur were only given two seasons before they were sent packing, partly due to the team's incompetence but also due to impending regime changes (Mike Holmgren with Mangini; Haslam and Banner with Shurmur). The Browns have now gone through Chris Palmer (1999-2000), Butch Davis (2001-04), Romeo Crennel (2005-08), Mangini (2009-10), Shurmur (2011-12) and now Chudzinski (2012) -- that's six full-time head coaches and one interim coach in Terry Robiskie (2004) -- that have coached the Browns since the franchise returned in 1999. Meanwhile, the Steelers have only had three different head coaches since 1969 and the Patriots have had just one -- Belichick, who was run out of Cleveland after the move to Baltimore -- since 2000.

Keep in mind that from 1946-70, the Browns only had two full-time head coaches in the legendary Paul Brown (46-62) and Blanton Collier (63-70). Not coincidentally, the Browns won eight world championships during that span and were a legitimate contender throughout. That's what continuity will get you, and this Browns organization has none. However, from 1971-95, Modell ran through six different head coaches. He ran two of them out -- Forrest Gregg and Bud Carson -- fairly quickly, with Carson only lasting a season-and-a-half.

Before the Browns moved away, the franchise had eight full-time head coaches -- Brown, Collier, Nick Skorich, Gregg, Sam Rutigliano, Marty Schottenheimer, Carson and Belichick. The "new" Browns are already dangerously close to eclipsing that number in far less time. Other than Schottenheimer and Belichick, none of the head coaches hired within the last 25 years have gone on to any type of success anywhere else in the NFL as head coaches. And Belichick is the only one who has won a Super Bowl after leaving -- not even Paul Brown won a championship after he was unceremoniously fired by Modell following the 1962 season.

What was also concerning about Monday's press conference was the lack of the third member of the Browns' triumverate -- Lombardi. Since his introductory press conference (and the disaster that it was), Lombardi has been kept under wraps by Banner and Haslam. Other than briefly during the 2013 draft, Lombardi has been the "ghost of Berea." You know he's there, but you don't see him or don't hear from him. Fans were already uncomfortable with Lombardi's return due to his handling of the Bernie Kosar situation and his status as one of Modell's chief lieutenants leading up to The Move. While he deserves credit for pushing for Brian Hoyer's arrival (although only nine quarters isn't that large of an example), most of his other moves have not panned out. His silence on the subject has only fanned the fires among a very frustrated fanbase.

A local TV reporter became a folk-hero of sorts when he, reading off fans comments from his station's Facebook page, gave Haslam and Banner an earful during Monday's press conference. At one point, he asked Haslam what would he say to calm down fans who believe that "The Three Stooges" were running this organization. Suddenly, hashtags mentioning The Three Stooges and YouTube videos of the comic trio were being linked to on-line accounts everywhere. Whether Haslam and Banner like it or not (and it appears they don't, judging by their facial expressions and responses during the presser), that moniker is here to stay.

The only way it changes is if the Browns hit a home run with their coaching hire (they need a Terry Francona-esque hire, seriously), spend their $30 million of salary cap space wisely to improve the team with more talent, use those 10 draft picks and two first-rounders on players that will make not only an immediate impact, but an impact for seasons to come, and -- bottom line -- WIN. Browns fans are sick and tired of the 5-11/4-12 dance that has permeated this franchise every year since 2008. Browns fans are sick of only one playoff berth since they've returned (2002) and only two winning seasons during that span. Browns fans are tired of coaching carousels, quarterback carousels, running back carousels, etc.

A fancy, schmancy scoreboard and restructured seating are nice, but the best way to improve the "game-day experience" is by putting a winning product on the field. You can gloss over those things at Quicken Loans Arena or Progressive Field with fire-breathing scoreboards and fun fan activities during the downtime. But Browns fans are a different animal. They'll even put up with a drumline over a cheerleading squad if it means the team will go 10-6, 11-5, 12-4 or even (gasp) better next season and in the seasons that follow. Browns fans are fiercely loyal to their team, but the constant losing is starting to test that loyalty. The botching of last season's head coaching search and the need for another new one is another loyalty test.

Already, Canton native Josh McDaniels, a former head coach of the Denver Broncos and long-time Bill Belichick disciple, is being mentioned as the leading candidate for the job. This is the same McDaniels who squandered a 6-0 start to his career by never making the playoffs and drafting Tim Tebow in the first round. He also ran off Jay Cutler, Brandon Marshall and Peyton Hillis in one fell sweep (although Hillis wound up proving McDaniels right in the end), depleting his offense. McDaniels tries too hard to be another Belichick. And, like most Belichick disciples (such as Mangini, Crennel, Jim Schwartz, Scott Pioli and Charlie Weis, among others), people have come to realize that there is only one Bill Belichick and the rest should give it up.

Like Belichick, who struggled in his first coaching stop in Cleveland before succeeding in New England, Browns fans can only hope history will repeat itself with McDaniels. It didn't with Mangini, as we remember, so the bar is set pretty low.

Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn is suddenly on the radar, after Chip Kelly (who turned down the Browns) recovered from a slow start to go 10-6 with the Philadelphia Eagles and reach the playoffs -- another offensive genius/guru from college and no NFL experience. Can lighting strike twice, especially after another college coach (Greg Schiano) gets run out of the NFL after two seasons?

Joe Cleveland will likely give up his Browns season tickets this season, but he'll still remain a Browns fan. A very frustrated and angry Browns fan, but a Browns fan nonetheless.

Here's wishing all of you a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a very Happy New Year. Hopefully 2014 is much better than 2013 was, not just in sports, but in overall life.

Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!

Monday, October 21, 2013

Five on the bubble

To say the Cleveland Browns have taken their fans on a roller coaster ride of emotions through the first seven weeks of the NFL season would be a gross understatement.

From Josh Gordon's drug suspension to Brandon Weeden's thumb injury to the trade of Trent Richardson to the emergence of Brian Hoyer and back, Browns fans have went from burying their team to praising it to burying it all over again ... and we're not even in November yet and they still haven't even played the hated Pittsburgh Steelers once.

it's hard to believe that, just two weeks ago, the Browns had first place in the AFC North all to themselves after a thrilling 37-24 home win over the Buffalo Bills on a nationally televised Thursday night. They were 3-2 overall. The defense was outstanding and the offense was starting to find itself.

Two weeks later, you hear fans talking of "tanking" the season to draft a quarterback prospect after back-to-back blowout defeats at the hands of the Detroit Lions at home and the Green Bay Packers on the road. Keep in mind the Browns are still only 3-4, still tied for second in the AFC North and still, technically, in contention for a playoff berth.

Through seven games, this longtime Browns fan and observer can identify at least five players that have underwhelmed with their individual performances and are on the fast track of being replaced next season, if not sooner. Yes, one of those five is the suspect everyone expects, so we'll save him for last.

1. Greg Little, WR -- Why does it seem that, in the expansion era of the Cleveland Browns, whoever is in charge always seems to draft wide receivers that are inconsistent in the one area an NFL wide receiver needs to be consistent in, which is catching the football? From Braylon Edwards to Quincy Morgan to Andre Davis to Dennis Northcutt to Travis Wilson, the Browns have specialized in drafting receivers who couldn't catch a cold if they were stranded naked in Siberia, let alone catch a football on a consistent basis. Some were worse than others. We can safely add Greg Little's name to that list, although it's been on that list ever since he joined this team as a second-rounder in 2011. Little's drops have been highlighted this season because the team was without No. 1 deep threat Josh Gordon for the first two weeks, which meant he was expected to be the Browns' top wideout. Instead, his inconsistencies were on display with no one else to shield him. And, while hands would be an issue alone, he's also had issues with running the right routes, talking to the media and even off-the-field issues concerning traffic violations. After a particularly bad game at Baltimore in Week 2, Little was stopped down in the Flats section of Cleveland after running a stop sign and cited for that, driving under suspension and change of course. He had just $472 in fines the week before after he was caught with an expired license plate and driving 81 in a 60. He's been demoted to kickoff returner, and he even lost his gig doing that after some ill-advised returns out of the end zone during the nationally-televised win over Buffalo. His miserable day Sunday was exacerbated by a drop in the end zone on a slant on fourth down on the Browns' final offensive play of the game. They've shopped him this season, but with no takers, Little may have to play out the string knowing that this is his last chance to make a good impression on a group of gentlemen who not only did not draft him, but may not have even wanted to draft him had they been in charge in 2011.

2. Buster Skrine, CB -- Many Browns fans wanted to see Buster Skrine replaced as the starting cornerback opposite Joe Haden after a miserable 2012 season. Teams repeatedly targeted the undersized Skrine, and receivers continued to beat him for receptions. And when Skrine wasn't getting beat, he was getting whistled for pass interference penalties. He was whistled for nine penalties last season, making him one of the most penalized players in the NFL last season. However, other than a flirtation with free agent cornerback Brent Grimes, who wound up signing with Miami, the Browns braintrust seemed content to go with Skrine, free agent signing Chris Owens and fourth-round draft pick Leon McFadden to lineup opposite shutdown corner Joe Haden this season. After a miserable first two games, Skrine's play improved the last few weeks and had been getting noticed by the Cleveland-area media. Unfortunately, all it took was a wet field and a Jacksonville Jaguars undrafted castoff named Jarrett Boykin to unravel all of that goodwill. Skrine was repeatedly victimized by Boykin, who came into the game with six career catches and one catch this season, and perennial All-Pro quarterback Aaron Rodgers on Sunday's 31-13 loss. Boykin finished with eight catches for 103 yards and his first-career touchdown. According to pro-football-reference.com, Skrine has been whistled for five penalties through seven games this season, including a costly pass interference infraction in the fourth quarter that led to Boykin's lone touchdown. At 5-foot-10, 160-pounds, Skrine is too small and short to hang with the bigger receivers in the NFL. Hopefully, the Browns braintrust has seen enough to know that they can't rely on him as a starter next season and be more aggressive in bringing in some upgrades in the defensive backfield.

3. Craig Robertson, ILB -- For five games, Robertson -- an undrafted rookie in 2012 out of North Texas -- was a perfect fit for defensive coordinator Ray Horton's 3-4 defense. Lining up next to tackling machine and 8-year veteran and captain D'Qwell Jackson, Robertson had been playing very well. Then came the Lions game, where Reggie Bush and Matthew Stafford exposed Robertson as someone who can't cover very well and who's tackling kills are suspect. Robertson was viewed as the main culprit defensively in their 31-23 loss to Detroit two weeks ago. And, it didn't take long for Rodgers to exploit him Sunday. It was Robertson who was the first player to whiff on Jermichael Finley's game-opening 10-yard touchdown reception, in which four Browns missed tackles on the big tight end in the open field. Robertson is third on the team with 28 tackles and has added two sacks, but his play has stood out like a sore thumb on a defense that has been gashed for 31 points in back-to-back weeks. Robertson may be a good special team guy or a good change-of-pace guy. However, the Browns may be in the market to find someone a bit more talented to line up next to Jackson on the inside next season.

4. Mitchell Schwartz, RT -- Last season, the second-round pick out of Cal got off to a slow start, but quickly showed the fans why then-GM Tom Heckert and then-president Mike Holmgren felt he was worth the 37th overall pick. Schwartz became, arguably, the best right tackle the Browns had ever had during the expansion era and led many fans to believe that the offensive line was one of the team's strengths. That was before this season. Schwartz has been miserable this season. Some fans thought it was exacerbated by playing with an inexperienced right guard in Oniel Cousins for the first few games, especially in the 23-10 season-opening loss to the Miami Dolphins. However, with regular starter Shawn Lavauo returning in the Buffalo game, Schwartz's play hasn't gotten any better. He's only been whistled for two penalties this season, but he's been abused by the left-edge pass rushers this season. Plus, the line has regressed in run blocking this season, which was supposedly a Schwartz strength coming out of college. Current general manager Mike Lombardi was very critical of the Browns' entire 2012 draft as a TV analyst, which included the drafting of Schwartz, so it's clear they wouldn't hesitate to replace him. They were also heavily rumored to be interested in former Jaguar tackle Eugene Monroe, who wound up being dealt to the Ravens, and Monroe would have stepped right in and replaced Schwartz. You can say that the sacks are the result of Brandon Weeden holding on to the ball for too long, but Brian Hoyer, who had a much quicker release, was sacked six times in two full games under center, so it's not just the quarterback's fault.

5. Brandon Weeden, QB -- I saved the most obvious choice for last. You won't find very many people in Cleveland defending Weeden at this point, with 90 percent of the fanbase ready to see if journeyman Jason Campbell can do better under center. Weeden entered this season knowing that the new regime did not draft him with the 22nd overall pick last season, nor did they particularly want him. With new head coach Rob Chudzinski, who turned journeyman Derek Anderson into a Pro Bowler here in Cleveland in 2007, and offensive guru Norv Turner coming to town, most people expected the big-armed Weeden to do well in the vertical-based attacking offense they were bringing. Most experts chalked up Weeden's struggles last season to playing in an offense he was ill-suited for, the West Coast offense favored by outgoing coach Pat Shurmur and Holmgren. Many believed that, if Weeden couldn't succeed in the Chudzinski-Turner offense, he wouldn't succeed anywhere in the NFL. Well, through seven games, it looks like the experts were right. Making matters worse for Weeden was injuring his thumb late in the Week 2 14-6 loss to Baltimore and watching third-stringer Brian Hoyer -- a Cleveland product -- succeed in his place. Weeden's play has regressed since coming back from the injury. Barring a miracle, it looks like the Browns will have a new quarterback next season, whether it's a rookie draft pick or a healthy Hoyer or a free agent who's not on the team currently. Weeden may have one last game to show the Browns and their frustrated fanbase that he's worthy of another shot, and against the defensively-tough 7-0 Kansas City Chiefs, that doesn't appear likely. While Jason Campbell isn't necessarily an upgrade, you can only stomach two ill-advised, "bone-headed" (as he called it) underhanded tosses per season. Weeden did it in back-to-back games. Who knows, maybe there is a surprise in store between now and Oct. 29 (the NFL trade deadline) and Nov. 5 (the start of the Browns' bye week).

These five Browns should realize that the clock is ticking on their respective careers. All five, at this moment, will be and should be replaced next season if this franchise wants to take the next logical step. It's up to Little, Skrine, Robertson, Schwartz and Weeden to prove that they belong.

Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!

Monday, October 7, 2013

Hoyer Paranoia

One day after the Cleveland Indians did their usual disappearing act whenever fans fill those green seats at Progressive Field to the max and the national media pays attention, the Cleveland Browns had the chance to turn those frowns upside down in the exact same scenario.

While most of the NFL Network's preseason hype on this game surrounded Buffalo first-round rookie quarterback E.J. Manuel, lately, the talk had shifted to this little-known third-string quarterback that had suddenly made the Browns relevant this early in the season -- North Olmsted native Brian Hoyer.

Most football gurus remembered Hoyer as Tom Brady's primary backup for a few seasons in New England after Hoyer made the Patriots as an undrafted rookie out of Michigan State. Hoyer had a stellar career at St. Ignatius, but wasn't exactly the second-coming while playing for the Spartans. In fact, some might say his college career was eerily similar to that of Brady's -- both were Big Ten quarterbacks in the state of Michigan, both weren't exactly great in college and both were lightly regarded by the NFL after their senior seasons.

Whatever knowledge Brady passed on to Hoyer he appeared to soak up like a sponge. Those close to Patriots head coach Bill Belichick believed that Hoyer had what it took to become a good starting quarterback in the NFL, including an NFL Network insider who previously worked in Cleveland named Michael Lombardi.

In December of 2011, Lombardi went on the NFL Network and proclaimed that both New England backups Hoyer and Ryan Mallett had what it took to become franchise quarterbacks in the NFL. His quote that has gotten repeated a lot over the past few weeks -- "I think Brian Hoyer and Ryan Mallett are starters. I've said this many times; If I would have taken the GM job of the 49ers, I would have gone after Brian Hoyer, because I think he has all the traits and characteristics. If I were the Cleveland Browns, I'd rather have Brian Hoyer behind center than Colt McCoy. I think he's got all the traits you need, in terms of leadership, toughness, the arm strength, the ability to move a team."

Within months of becoming the new GM of the Cleveland Browns, Lombardi proved to be a man of his word, signing Hoyer to a two-year contract. Then, after Brandon Weeden sprained his thumb late in a Week 2 14-6 loss to Baltimore and backup Jason Campbell threw an ill-advised underhanded toss to Jordan Cameron on fourth down with his team trailing by eight, Hoyer got his chance to show the world that Lombardi was actually right.

Hoyer's come-from-behind rally to beat the Minnesota Vikings after a tumultuous Week 3 had Cleveland buzzing. He then outplayed Cincinnati's Andy Dalton in his first home start ever, leading the Browns to a 17-6 win over the team most had pegged as the favorite to win the AFC North this season.

Needless to say, the NFL Network and the rest of the country had begun to take notice of Hoyer. Cleveland was already going nuts over their homegrown quarterback. In a hero-starved city desperately looking for the next Brian Sipe, Bernie Kosar or a combination of both, Hoyer appeared to be on his way to becoming the next one on that list.

Then, just six snaps into his nationally-televised debut, after what could have been an 90-yard touchdown pass to Josh Gordon was dropped after hitting Gordon in stride and right in the breadbasket, Hoyer took off on an innocent scramble after not seeing anyone open, went to slide after an 11-yard gain, was blasted by Buffalo rookie linebacker Kiko Alonso and tore the ACL of his knee when his leg bent awkwardly beneath him.

Now, the old Browns would have simply tucked their tail between their legs and gotten run out of their own building. The Bills had a 10-0 lead and Weeden, who had barely taken any snaps since suffering his thumb injury three weeks ago, was rusty as heck and was hearing about it from the Browns fans who had fallen head-over-heels in love with their homegrown quarterback. Even those who had supported Weeden were now buying into "Hoyer Paranoia."

However, these Browns aren't those old Browns.

Weeden suddenly shook off the rust and led the Browns to a touchdown drive. Then Travis Benjamin lit a spark in the crowd of 73,000 with a long, dazzling punt return touchdown that gave the Browns a sudden 17-10 lead.

Even after Buffalo came storming back to take a 24-17 lead, the Browns didn't quit. Weeden made, arguably, the two best throws of his career on back-to-back plays -- a 47-yard rope to Greg Little and a 37-yard bomb to Gordon that Gordon made a fantastic play on -- to tie the game at 24. Weeden then led the Browns to two more field goals before T.J. Ward sealed the deal with a pick-six off of undrafted rookie Jeff Tuel, who appears to have no business being on an NFL roster, let alone as the backup of the Bills (the Bills agreed, promoting ex-Browns third-stinger Thad Lewis to starter for the foreseeable future with Manuel's timetable to return undetermined).

Cleveland was understandably happy. The bad taste left in their mouths following the Indians' 4-0 loss to Tampa Bay was gone. The Browns had won three straight games and found themselves in sole possession of first place in the AFC North five weeks into the season. This after many believed they were raising the white flag on the season after giving up Trent Richardson for a 2014 first-round pick.

But, when the news hit that Hoyer was out for the rest of the season, suddenly first place didn't matter (at least to some people). That entertaining performance the previous night under the national spotlight was forgotten. The fact that Weeden was the quarterback for 95 percent of that game was apparently forgotten as well.

This is Cleveland, where we dwell on the negative and forget about the positive. Hoyer was done, and apparently, so are the Browns.

Joe Cleveland begs to differ.

Keep in mind that Weeden came into this season as the Browns' starting quarterback. He was a first round pick last season and started 15 of 16 games. If he doesn't injure his thumb in Week 2, Hoyer doesn't even get his chance.

Hoyer couldn't even beat out Campbell for the backup job in preseason, even though, by all accounts, Hoyer outplayed the veteran. And, when Rob Chudzinski announced that Hoyer was going to bypass Campbell and start in Week 3, many of you felt that it was a sure sign that the Browns were in tank mode.

Just two weeks later, many of those same fans believe that Hoyer was the next Kosar or Sipe, and he only played in two full games. Calm down, people!

We may never know if Hoyer would have been the answer or not, which is a shame because he had been playing so well. But Hoyer's debut coincided with the debut of Gordon after a two-game suspension, and if you can't see the difference in the Browns offense with it's only true vertical threat playing, then you're not watching the same game.

Perhaps the Browns would be 0-4 if Weeden hadn't gotten hurt, but we'll never know, will we? The fact is, Hoyer came in, played very well and helped the Browns get into the position that they are. And while Weeden does not have Hoyer's quick release and takes too many sacks, the fact is, when they take the shackles off of him, Weeden can make any throw necessary for his team to win. That was evident on those two tosses to Little and Gordon that turned this game solely on its axis in favor of the Browns.

When Weeden says he was friends with Hoyer, I believe him. And when he says he learned from some of the attributes Hoyer brought to the table, along with the work ethic he brought with him from the Patriots, I believe him too. And, if Weeden can't be motivated to play his absolute best after seeing one his backups play as well as he did with talk still swirling about the Browns still targeting a quarterback in next year's draft, then there's no hope for him.

I believe we'll see the Brandon Weeden that some folks believed he could be after a stellar career at Oklahoma State. Perhaps it took getting injured and coming off the bench to light a fire under his ass. Prior to that, everything was handed to him. The starting job was handed to him after Mike Holmgren and Tom Heckert took him with the 22nd overall pick, and he was never challenged by Colt McCoy or Lewis or Seneca Wallace. His GM called the Weeden selection a "panicked disaster" on the NFL Network last season, so he knows the deck is stacked against him.

He very correctly answered that "those things are out of my control," when Rich Eisen asked him about the QB rumors in the postgame show Thursday night. It's true. All he can do is play as well as he can and things will take care of themselves.

This Browns team has a legitimate shot at a postseason berth, something I don't think anybody would have said with a straight face just three weeks ago. The North Division looks very mortal, as the Bengals and Ravens pull Jeckyl and Hyde impressions every other week and the Steelers can't win a single game. The rest of the schedule doesn't look very daunting, as a 3-2 Lions team comes to town this Sunday that was just throttled by the Packers and went a dismal 4-12 last season. Even Green Bay looks beatable this season, as does New England (both on the Browns schedule).

The Browns aren't going to win every single game the rest of the season, and if they happen to lose to Detroit, fans will point out Weeden's 0-3 record as a starter compared to Hoyer's 3-0. But they have the defense to hang with any team in front of them, and the offense has enough playmakers (even without Richardson and Hoyer) to do some damage.

Remember how people were complaining about the kicker position and how the Browns would regret letting Phil Dawson go? You don't hear that very much anymore, do you? Billy Cundiff has only missed two field goals (one was blocked) and most of his kickoffs go through the uprights. Spencer Lanning even made an extra point for good measure and has proven to be the Browns' most reliable punter since the days of Dave Zastudil. And Benjamin has made many people forget about Josh Cribbs, although they do miss Cribbs on kickoff returns.

The Browns are not a finished product, by any means. But can they win this season and make a playoff push? Absolutely.

The Browns may wind up being like the Indians in this regard -- being good enough to qualify for the playoffs, but not quite good enough to make a championship push. And you know what, that's fine.

You don't hear many people complaining about the Indians today because they exceeded everyone's expectations by simply winning 92 games and qualifying for a Wild Card berth. Sure, you would have liked to see them score at least one run against the Rays, especially when they had numerous chances to do so, but the fact that they brought exciting October baseball back to Carnegie and Ontario after five years seemed to have lit a spark under this dormant fan base. Now, everyone's excited about this offseason, and deservedly so. It's been a while since fans have legitimately been anticipating an Indians offseason, and the Tribe has some decisions to make if they want to keep building off of this season.

The Browns are in the same boat. If this team somehow goes 10-6 or 9-7 or even 8-8 and wins the AFC North, you don't think Browns fans aren't going to be excited? Even if that means they're set up for an ass-kicking by the Denver Broncos, so be it. This offseason was already anticipated before the Browns captured our imaginations and won three straight games. Every Browns offseason is anticipated, but you don't think the anticipation would grow 10-fold if this team somehow snuck into the playoffs? NFL playoff football hasn't visited Cleveland since 2002 and only twice since 1994 -- you're damn right we're going to go apeshit, just like everyone did when the Tribe made it after a six-year absence.

Cleveland fans are dying to see what the Indians can do for an encore in 2014 and whether or not the 2013 was an abberation or something that can be built upon. They will be dying to see what the Browns can do for 2014, regardless of whether they make the playoffs or not (but it will be greater if they can be a postseason team). And, Lord only knows about the Cavs in the summer of 2014 when you-know-who decides to become a free agent, regardless of whether they can finally taste the postseason for the first time since that you-know-who took his talents elsewhere in the summer of 2010.

Can we see three playoff teams in the same calender year for the first time in a long time, perhaps EVER? The closest we got was 2007, with the Cavs making the NBA Finals, the Indians making the ALCS and the Browns winning 10 games, but finishing a tiebreaker shy of an NFL playoff berth. Too early to tell.

But don't let Hoyer's season-ending injury spoil your feelings about the Cleveland Browns. Yeah, it's a tough break for the hometown hero. But let's see if Weeden can rise to the challenge and answer the bell. Let's see if this defense continues to play like one of the best units in the NFL. Let's see if the special teams continue to do special things. Let's see if Willis McGahee can get better as he works off his own rust, and let's see if Gordon, Little, Cameron and Davone Bess can continue to give Weeden reliable weapons that he can use to attack NFL defenses and put points on the board.

The Browns are playing their best football in YEARS. Don't let an injury to a guy who began the year as the third-string quarterback spoil that.

Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!

Monday, September 30, 2013

A Perfect Day

Why do I suddenly get flashbacks to 2007 all over again?

2007 was the last time fortunes shone so well for the landscape of Cleveland sports. The LeBron James-led Cavs upset the Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals to punch their ticket to the NBA Finals for the first (and only) time in franchise history. The Indians won 96 games and won their first AL Central title since 2001, and came within a game of reaching the World Series (leading the Red Sox 3-1 in the ALCS). And the Browns used a eyebrow-raising early-season transaction to reel off 10 victories -- the most since the team returned in 1999 -- and came within a tiebreaker of reaching the NFL Playoffs for just the second time since that return.

Unfortunately, 2008 happened, which led to every other year until now. The Cavs never could reach the NBA Finals again and then wound up losing James to Miami. The Indians couldn't take advantage of back-to-back Cy Young Award winning pitchers and wound up trading both away for not much in return. The Browns quickly realized that Derek Anderson was a mediocre quarterback and suddenly found themselves back in the position they've been in -- changing regimes, changing coaches, changing quarterbacks, etc.

"Saviors" came and went -- Mike Holmgren, Byron Scott, Manny Acta, Colt McCoy, James, Eric Mangini, Victor Martinez, Mo Williams, etc. The Cavs became irrelevant after James took his talents down south. The Indians would tease in May but fall apart in June, July and August. The Browns just became a revolving door of mediocrity, as snake-oil salesmen came in with their "grand plans," would blow everything up, but couldn't quite seem to win more than 4 or 5 games each year.

But Sunday -- where both the Browns and Indians won meaningful games, and won them in convincing fashion -- was a day to wash all that away. Today is day where, despite the rainy weather, it looked a bit brighter outside, your breakfast tasted better, your good morning kiss lasted a little longer and you felt about 10 points lighter than you already were.

And, the sad part is, neither the Indians and the Browns have won anything truly meaningful (a.k.a. a championship) yet. But today, Joe Cleveland doesn't care, and I believe most of you don't either.

We'll start with the Indians, since their 5-1 win over the Minnesota Twins clinched something that seemed impossible not just at the start of the season, but at various times DURING this season -- their first playoff berth since 2007 and first-ever Wild-Card berth (all other playoff berths were AL Central Division titles).

Look at this team a little closer -- they had no pitchers with at least 15 victories. Their closer had a "whopping" 25 saves and wound up losing his job down this stretch. They had nobody with 25 home runs or 90 RBIs. They had nobody batting over .300 that was an every-day starter.

But yet, this team -- a team that lost 94 games last season -- went 92-70 this season and will HOST the AL Wild-Card game Wednesday night against whoever wins a one-game playoff between Tampa Bay and Texas.

Even those of you Wahoo Warriors who live, eat and breathe Tribe, those of you who made up the 19,000-fan average at Progressive Field this summer, have to step back and take a look at this team and pinch yourselves. Yeah, they spent some money this offseason. Yeah, they got rid of the Shelly Duncans and Brent Lillibridges and David Delluccis of year's past and brought in viable major league talent. But Nick Swisher, until September, was proving to be a waste of money and Michael Bourn, who led the NL in steals virtually every season, wasn't having the same success in the AL with the Indians. And Drew Stubbs, who was acquired for Shin-Soo Choo, couldn't even stay in the lineup regularly, having been beaten out by Ryan Raburn -- a guy who was brought to camp under a minor-league deal with the most everyone thought of him being was "depth."

Third base was a disaster, as Lonnie Chisenhall couldn't keep his job, Mark Reynolds was even worse and it became a revolving door of Chisenhall and Mark Aviles (a regular shortstop). Carlos Santana regressed as a catcher and Yan Gomes wound up becoming the every-day catcher. And they held on to a 42-year-old former steroid cheat who, if he wasn't hitting a home run or a seeing-eye single, was giving the fans around home plate some additional air conditioning with his hacks.

The pitching -- I won't go into detail. But you went into September with your No. 1 starter on the shelf with an injury and your former two-time All-Star closer suddenly developing a serious case of the yips and becoming more unreliable than he had become in the past.

And yet, with this cast of characters, the Indians go 22-6 in September and end the season on a 10-game winning streak. Go back even further, and they won 17-of-their-last-19 games. Sure, they had a bunch of cupcakes on the schedule in September (they went 17-2 against the White Sox -- and these weren't the 2005 World Champion White Sox), but they played the hand they were dealt and took advantage. They needed to win their last 10 games in a row to even hope that they would be, at least, in a two- or three-way tie for the Wild Card spot, let alone in it at all, and they not only did that, but also cemented that game at home while Tampa Bay and Texas have to waste pitching today to try to simply get the right to play the Indians at a sold-out Progressive Field Wednesday night.

You had that 42-year-old former steroid cheat Jason Giambi deliver, arguably, the biggest home run of the season -- a two-out, two-run walkoff jack to deep right off of White Sox closer Addison Reed that pulled their kiesters squarely out of the fire. Chris Perez gave away a two-run lead in the 9th by giving up a pair of home runs. I would say, if they wind up losing that game, we're not talking about the playoff-bound Indians. We're lamenting about another late season collapse.

I'm not a Giambi fan and I never will be. But I will thank him for single-handedly saving this season. With that home run, they don't win 10 straight games and they don't host the Wild Card game. They might not even be playing today for the right to be in that Wild Card game.

But the biggest reason why this team with this mismatched cast of characters, without a true superstar, without anyone with glittering stats, with former All-Stars going through season-long slumps and high-priced free agent signings underperforming (two of them didn't even last the full season with the Indians -- Reynolds and Brett Myers), is the manager -- Terry Francona.

I will always be a critic of Mark Shapiro and Chris Antonetti, but they used their prior relationship with Francona to lure him away from the desk of ESPN back into the dugout wearing Chief Wahoo on his hat. Francona came to town with two World Series rings from his days as a Boston Red Sox manager (2004 and 2007), but some felt his resume was blown up by the fact that the Red Sox had one of the highest-payrolls in MLB during that span. He fielded an All-Star team rife with superstar talent, and even when his team wasn't winning World Series titles, they were always in the playoffs and a threat to do so.

With the Indians, he wasn't going to have an owner willing to spend over $100 million to put out the best possible team money can buy. Sure, payroll went up this year, but he didn't have Dustin Pedroia at second base, David Ortiz at DH, Curt Schilling as the ace of the staff, along with Pedro Martinez, or a young fireballer named Jonathan Papalbon as the up-and-coming closer. He didn't have Johnny Damon in his prime. If he would have shown up last year, he would have dealt with Johnny Damon over the hill.

I would argue and say that the managing job Francona did with this Indians team to turn them into a 92-70, playoff team (that actually finished one game behind Detroit for the AL Central crown) was better than the job he did with the Sox in 2004 and 2007. This year, he did more with less. He pushed all the right buttons, kept his team focused, overcame a mountain of adversity in various aspects and, at the end of the day, has them in the postseason.

No one expected them do it. I predicted 81-81 this year, using this as a step in the right direction. No one turns a 94-loss team into a 92-win team in one season -- not in today's Major League Baseball, where there is no salary cap and there is no parity.

Well, Terry Francona did it, and for that, Joe Cleveland thanks him with all of his heart. You made baseball relevant in this town again after years of it not being so. 44,000 people will be at Progressive Field for an October baseball game, and that's because of Terry Francona.

Even if they lose on Wednesday, and even if they can't get past the Red Sox in the ALDS if they do win on Wednesday, I will not be disappointed. It's hard to be disappointed in something you really didn't believe in in the first place. I had written the Indians off many times this year, especially when they stumbled to a 4-15 record against the Tigers. I even had the Indians written off two weeks ago, when they couldn't take advantage of Texas and Tampa Bay playing each other in a four-game series. My tough-love approach worked, and it's not crazy if it doesn't work.

Right now, it's all icing on the cake. Sure, I want the Indians to win a World Series championship -- we all want to see one championship in our lifetimes, especially when we've been devoid of one since 1964. But, to me, the true litmus test is next season. This front office can't sit on their laurels and pat themselves on the back about getting to the playoffs, like they did in 2007. They need to be proactive NOW. If you don't believe in Chris Perez or Asdrubal Cabrera or Carlos Santana, do something about it! Use them to build up your assets for 2014 and beyond! Sure, find some other low-priced free agents that pan out, like Scott Kazmir, Raburn and Giambi, but don't settle for the cheap approach. Sign at least one more guy like you signed Swisher and Bourn. You have $15 million coming off the books with Myers and Reynolds gone, and it could be more by parting with Perez  and Cabrera. Use that money for more talent.

Attendance is guaranteed to spike next season. Tribe fans played the "show-me" game with this franchise this year, and they went out and showed us. Now, we believe. Now, we want to be swept up in Tribe fever like we were in the 1990s. You have a manager that, as Swisher says in his annoying commercial, players respect and love playing for.

2013 should be the start of something great for the Cleveland Indians, not the culmination of something. Larry Dolan said his goal was to win "World Series championships" when he bought this team. Now it's time to put his money where his mouth was.

Which brings me to the Browns ...

Two weeks ago, most Browns fans were talking about "Tanking for Teddy" or "Tanking for Tajh" after Joe Banner and Mike Lombardi stunningly traded Trent Richardson to the Colts for their 2014 first-round pick. The same day, Rob Chudzinski announced that third-stringer Brian Hoyer would be the starting quarterback in place of the injured Brandon Weeden, which only intensified those tank feelings.

Today, nobody's talking about Teddy Bridgewater or any "Bridgewater Bowls" against Jacksonville or anything else like that. Today, everyone's wrapped up in "Hoyer Paranoia" and believing that the Browns can actually do something positive this season.

Sure, it's only 2-2, but they just beat two teams that were in the postseason last season -- the Vikings on the road and the Bengals at home. The Bengals were everyone's pick to win the AFC North this season, and the Browns DOMINATED them, 17-6. The score should have been worse, but kicker Billy Cundiff missed one field goal and had another one partially blocked.

North Olmsted native and St. Ignatius grad Brian Hoyer has become the latest folk hero around these parts. The Cleveland Kid came back to the team he grew up rooting for and led them to two wins in his first two starts. You can't script that any better. And this was a kid that couldn't beat out Jason Campbell to be Weeden's primary backup in training camp (although many observers thought that he did).

All of a sudden, this Browns defense looks to be at tough as advertised before the season. This wasn't the same team that lost, 23-10, to Miami in the season opener at FirstEnergy Stadium. This was a team that could very well be the best team in the AFC North.

Today, the Browns, the Bengals and those Thieving Bastards from Baltimore are all 2-2. The Pittsburgh Steelers are 0-4 ..... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!

OK, Joe Cleveland had to get that out of his system. Remember, we still have to play the Squeelers from Pittspuke twice, but boy, don't those games sure look winnable now? Especially when you see the Browns beat the Bengals and the Vikings and then notice that both of those teams beat Pittsburgh?

You harken back to that Baltimore game two weeks ago, and can you imagine if Hoyer and Josh Gordon played in that game? The Browns held Joe Flacco and the Ravens to just two touchdowns, but all Weeden could accomplish was two field goals as Greg Little dropped pass after pass and Richardson struggled to gain more than three yards per carry. This team could very well be 3-1 now, because the Ravens aren't that good.

Remember when Browns fans were bitching about taking Barkevioius Mingo over Jarvis Jones, and then feeling that we'd regret that decision when Jones blossoms into another stellar Steeler linebacker? Yeah, me neither. Spinal Stenosis Jones has underwhelmed, to put it nicely, while Mingo -- after a suffering a lung injury that cost him the season opener -- has been an animal out on the field, a true difference maker.

Buster Skrine has even gotten better at what he does. Even Oniel Cousins, who I wanted to hoist off of the 480 bridge after his "performance" in the season opener, has buckled down and been better at the fill-in right guard.

D'Qwell Jackson has emerged as the Ray Lewis of the Browns team (without the murder charge or the insane pregame rants that didn't make any sense). He's become a leader that all sides of the football respect. Jackson is one of the best inside/middle linebackers in the NFL and has made this team HIS team. Same with Joe Thomas, another quiet guy who just goes about his business and could very well be the first Hall of Fame Brown during the expansion era. Hell, same with Phil Taylor.

You remember Phil Taylor, the guy the Browns traded down and drafted instead of Julio Jones, right? Sure, while Holmgren and Tom Heckert botched that trade overall (and the 2012 draft overall), the fact is Phil Taylor is now their version of Haloi Ngata or Casey Hampton -- the big nose tackle in the middle who hits like a freight train and isn't afraid to carry himself with some swagger. He's not Gerard Warren, a guy who talked the talk but, more often than not, didn't walk the walk. He's more like Bob Golic, and that's what this Browns team needs.

The Browns are coached and quarterbacked by guys that grew up in Ohio as Browns fans and are responsible for turning this franchise around. How cool would that be if they actually took this team back to where it hasn't been since 2002?

This week, the national media descends upon Cleveland, with Progressive Field hosting the Wild Card game Wednesday and the Buffalo Bills (also 2-2) coming to FirstEnergy Stadium Thursday. Both games will be nationally televised. Both games are in prime-time. Both games will be played in front of packed houses filled with rabid CLEVELAND fans. Whether you wear Wahoo on your cap with red, blue and white or you prefer Brownie the Elf along with your brown, orange and white jerseys, you will show the country why Cleveland has the best damn sports fans around.

Yeah, we bitch and we moan and we complain about this or that, but wouldn't you when you've been buried in mediocrity for so long? You can only take so many ESPN punchlines for so long before you get resentful. It's what makes us so passionate. As I tried to explain to people who called me an "Indians hater" -- I don't hate the Indians. If I didn't care about them, I wouldn't complain. If I didn't care, I'd ignore them.

This town is full of people who truly care about the Indians, Browns, Cavaliers and Ohio State football (they won on Saturday, too, by the way, over a ranked Wisconsin team that a few in the national media predicted they'd lose to). They want to be entertained, but they want to win. Deep down, a lot of them believe, in their heart of hearts, that "this" is the year that the (fill in the blanks) turn it around.

Well, we can honestly say that about the Indians, whether they continue this remarkable journey or not. We want to believe we can say that about the Browns. The Cavs ... we're not quite there yet, but there was a lot of hype when Andrew Bynum was signed in free agency, so you never know.

Hopefully, in five years, we can look back at 2013 as the year where it all began and not as the blip on the radar screen like we're doing six years later as we look back at 2007.

Shout from the rooftops, Cleveland! Today is your day! Hopefully, by Friday, we're still feeling as good as we are.

Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!

Sunday, September 22, 2013

Tanks, Trent

Well, Joe Cleveland was in semi-retirement, having been devoted to his normal job of covering high school and minor league sports. He was watching cautiously as the Indians hung around the American League's Wild-Card hunt and was disappointed in the Browns offense after yet another 0-2 start.

Then, the nuclear bomb dropped on the Cleveland sports scene on a Wednesday evening that shook the foundation of every fan, whether you are a die-hard Browns fan, a season ticket holder or just a casual fan.

Trent Richardson, just one year after the Browns traded four picks to move up one spot in the 2012 draft to take him No. 3 overall, was dealt to the Indianapolis Colts for their 2014 first round selection.

So much for Joe Cleveland's semi-retirement.

My first reaction was shock -- Trent Richardson? Traded? Come on! Really, after two weeks? BS! -- then anger at the Browns. As a season ticket holder entering his fourth year with the Browns, I felt betrayed, gypped, lied to.

The Browns told everyone they planned on having a better product on the field for 2013. They spent money in free agency, brought in big-name coordinators to change the offensive and defensive culture and even tried to better the game-day experience at the stadium. After two games, when they deal the perceived top weapon in the offense, it sends the message that they are giving up on this season.

And, as someone who has already plunked down $900 for two tickets in the upper Dawg Pound, and knowing full well that I not only won't get full value for those tickets if I try to sell them, but also may not be able to rely on the usual cast of characters that usually buy one of the tickets off me for random games, I felt ripped off and very, very angry.

I also, against my better judgment, bought his jersey last year. The Browns caught me in a moment of weakness -- they had just beaten the hated Steelers, 20-14, and Richardson had played a key role in that monumental victory. So, in the Team Shop, I plunked down my hard earned money (using my 20 percent season ticket discount) and purchased a Richardson 33 jersey as a reminder of one of the best Browns games I had attended. Now, that jersey is useless because Richardson is gone so quickly.

It never fails. Every time I buy a jersey for a Browns player, they wind up getting traded or released or they retire. Chris Speilman, Tim Couch, Braylon Edwards, Peyton Hillis, Kamerion Wimbley, Josh Cribbs (although the Cribbs jersey is still pretty relevant, considering he played here for 8 seasons) and now Trent Richardson. Hopefully nothing happens to Joe Thomas within the next few seasons. Even when Mrs. Joe Cleveland wins me a signed Grady Sizemore Indians jersey in a silent auction for charity, Sizemore immediately stops playing baseball, so it's not just with the Browns.

And, I'll admit to being a fan of Trent Richardson. I thought he'd be the workhorse running back that we've been aiming for since the days of Kevin Mack and Earnest Byner. All the Browns fans have this notion of "smash-mouth" football as being "Browns football." Unfortunately, those days in the NFL are gone. It's a passing league now, and while it's helpful to have a good running game, running backs just aren't as valuable to the offense anymore.

That's why many questioned the move to trade up for Richardson and then wait until the 22nd pick to take their "franchise quarterback," which was Brandon Weeden. Weeden, who was 28 when he was drafted, is already injured after taking a beating in his first two games this season and may never take a snap again if North Olmsted's Brian Hoyer has any semblance of a good game today against the Vikings.

So, while I was initially very upset about the Richardson trade, cooler head's prevailed. I listened as the national media universally praised the Browns for making this deal, as they felt that getting a first rounder for a running back (a running back with injury problems that only rushed for 3.6-yards per carry) was a steal. They also felt this gives the Browns great ammunition to get the franchise quarterback they have, arguably, never had since Bernie Kosar in the first round of the 2014 Draft -- a draft that looks to be a very quarterback-heavy draft.

Even the local media -- most of whom do not care for Browns general manager Mike Lombardi -- gave the Browns kudos on the move. They quoted players as saying that Richardson was immature, was aloof, wasn't a good teammate, etc. Scott Fujita, as respected a player as they come who was a Browns captain the last two seasons, was not shy about his feelings on Richardson, saying that he needed to do some growing up and that a lot of his teammates were tired of his act. Even though he played through injuries, some felt that he played those injuries up to show how "heroic" he was. Some even questioned his desire to even play for the Browns.

At any rate, it sends a message to the locker room that no one player is above the team and that ANYONE can be shipped out or dropped. Let's just say the message was received.

On a day that began with the news that Hoyer was going to become the 19th starting quarterback since 1999 and that Greg Little lost his starting job to Davone Bess because of his drops and off-the-field problems, those stories were destroyed by the Richardson trade. It was arguably the most polarizing move the Browns have made since they released Kosar in November of 1993.

With one person in common on both of those transactions, Browns' fans vitriol turned to Mike Lombardi. Lombardi was the guy who spliced together a video of Kosar lowlights and mistakes and took it to Art Modell as evidence that he needed to be released. Many fans never forgave him for that, and, knowing how against the trade up for Richardson he was in the first place, believed he did something similar. When Lombardi didn't appear in front of the media to announce the trade -- CEO Joe Banner and head coach Rob Chudzinski spoke about it instead -- it only added to the furor against him.

But, it was later revealed that it was Banner himself who initiated the trade talks with Colts GM Ryan Grigson and owner Jim Irsay. Of course, Lombardi signed off on the deal, as did Chud and offensive coordinator Norv Turner, but the decision was Banner's to make, and he made it.

But the one thing that may have really put fans on board with this decision came from an unlikely source -- former team president Mike Holmgren.

Holmgren was in charge of the front office that made the decision to trade for Richardson and then acquire Weeden at No. 22. Many have felt that it was Holmgren himself that made the call to make the trade up with the Vikings to get Richardson and then overruled his GM at No. 22 to take Weeden.

After the sale to Jimmy Haslam III, Holmgren was on borrowed time. At first, Haslam and Banner allowed Holmgren to simply retire following the 2012 season. However, after a couple of stunts that didn't sit well, such as openly coveting the Cowboys coaching job (and then meeting with Jerry Jones on the field before the game while Haslam watched from his box) and then signing off on a promotion to hand out little white flags before the game against the Steelers (Banner put the kibosh on it after it was lambasted in the local media and by the fans), Holmgren was fired. His hand-picked coach (Pat Shurmur) and GM (Heckert) were shown the door the day after the 2012 season ended.

The day after the trade, Holmgren came on his favorite Seattle sports talk show hosted by a guy named Softy (seriously) and spouted off about how the Richardson trade was awful, how it was a "knee-jerk" reaction by the front office, how, if he was the head coach, he would have asked to be fired almost immediately, and then insinuated that Chud perhaps didn't have the backbone to confront Banner and Lombardi on the trade.

Considering that public perception (fueled by the media) that Holmgren was in Cleveland only to collect $40 million of Randy Lerner's money and had no interest in really putting a winner on the field (his moves speak for themselves, quite frankly), many believed that Holmgren didn't even have the right to speak out about it the move. As Terry Pluto wrote, Holmgren had the chance to be his own head coach on two separate occasions but decided against it both times, probably for ego-driven reasons, so the fact that he would make that "fire me or I quit" statement reeks of irony. Plus, by doing so, it shows how much of a coach you really are, when you factor in that there are 52 other guys in the locker room that count on you to lead them through thick and thin. It's a short-sighted move that shows the incredible ego and self-centeredness of Mike Holmgren.

Banner responded by taking the high road, saying that Holmgren "had his chance to run the Browns and now it's our turn." But, privately, he had to be thanking his lucky stars, because he got unintentional PR gold. Perhaps Holmgren, oblivious to the fact that most of the Cleveland fan base hated him by the time he left, felt that he was only stroking the fires of the Cleveland fan base against the men who ran him out of town. Instead, it only turned the fire back on Holmgren and allowed the fans to look deeper at the trade.

Maybe, just maybe, it was the right move after all.

Unfortunately, now fans have turned their attentions to the 2014 draft and are speculating on quarterbacks such as Louisville's Teddy Bridgewater, Clemson's Tajh Boyd, Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel, UCLA's Brett Hundley, Oregon's Marcus Mariota and Alabama's A.J. McCarron and how good they'd look in Brown and Orange next season and for the next 10 seasons. Most fans don't believe the Browns have a shot at winning. It doesn't look good when you're starting your third-string quarterback and a 32-year-old running back who was out of the league in Willis McGahee. But, perhaps this is something the team can rally around.

If Richardson was really the cancer that some have played him up to be, maybe it is addition by subtraction. Maybe the players play harder when they feel their jobs are on the line. Maybe Brian Hoyer turns out to be a decent quarterback capable of running the offense better than Weeden and getting the most out of his players. Maybe McGahee can put up similar numbers, or better, than Richardson did running behind this line. Who really knows.

It definitely puts Banner and Lombardi in the cross-hairs. Fans seemed willing to put up with the process of rebuilding with each regime, but a move like this really puts Banner and Lombardi under pressure to turn it around as soon as possible. They cannot miss on the 2014 draft. With 10 picks, they have the ammunition to get some good playmakers and add to the talent that is already here (and, there are some talented players here). But they cannot afford to draft the next Ryan Leaf or Blaine Gabbert or Tim Couch or David Carr or Christian Ponder or Brady Quinn. They have to find another Andrew Luck or Eli Manning or Cam Newton or Colin Kaepernick -- a true, franchise difference-maker under center. Whether he's a dual threat or a pocket passer, he needs to possess the tools to elevate his game and his team to the next level. Luck has done it in Indianapolis, and Kaepernick took his 49ers to the Super Bowl after only starting half the season. They can't afford to wait on another Weeden, a guy with good tools but with bad tendencies that have hurt his game.

A lot of fans don't have faith in the front office, and why should they? Look at all the wasted draft picks the Browns have had since 1999. The only two first rounders that actually made a difference with this team were Joe Thomas and Joe Haden. Perhaps Phil Taylor can be included, but he's a nose tackle. And it's still too early to say if Barkevious Mingo can be included on that list, although he had a great debut last Sunday against Baltimore.

People remember the Lombardi drafts before the move, drafts that yielded future Hall of Famers such as Tommy Vardell, Craig Powell, Patrick Rowe, Antonio Langham, Derrick Alexander, Eric Zeier, Michael Bankson, etc. Only Eric Turner, Leroy Hoard and Steve Everitt could be said were worthy of their high-round selections by the Browns under Lombardi and Bill Belichick. However, they did have that team in the playoffs in 1994 with an 11-5 record and were 4-3 in 1995 before Modell announced the move, ripping the rug out from under them. So, maybe there is a method to their madness.

What the Browns do with this draft will prove that they made the right move. It's not about how Richardson does in Indianapolis or about how long of a career he has. Sure, those are factors. However, what the Browns turn that asset into will be the deciding factor as to whether the Browns made a great trade or not.

And, while most of us are irritated with the Browns right now, and some of us are seriously considering not renewing their season tickets next season, the fact is, deep down, we're all fans. We all want them to win each Sunday, bottom-line. We have every right to be angry and to be skeptical, just as we've been angry and skeptical about the Indians. But, at the end of the day, we want the Browns to be winners. That's all. Those of you who throw up their hands and decide to root for a different team now are nothing but front-runners anyway. You can decide to do housework and yardwork on your Sunday afternoons now; that's fine. But, deep down, you still care about them.

***

Which brings me to the Indians, who, despite being written off at least six different times this season, have found themselves right in the thick of the Wild Card chase in the American League.

If the season were to have ended Saturday, the Indians would be the second Wild Card team and would be travelling to Tampa to take on the Rays in a one-game playoff to decide who plays in the Division Series. Unfortunately for the Indians, they have seven more games to play, but still.

The majority of Indians fans didn't believe. Joe Cleveland will admit that I didn't, and part of me still doesn't believe that it can be done. But, do I want it to happen? Of course, I live in Cleveland!

Slowly bur surely, more and more fans who stayed away from the ballpark this year for reasons that were entirely valid and of their own accord are starting to get sucked into the playoff chase. Why wouldn't you? There's nothing like meaningful late September baseball, and it's been a long time since the Indians have played meaningful September games.

Some people have brought up the failed playoff chases of 2000 and 2005. During the "Era of Champions" and even during 2007, the Indians wrapped up their division titles by mid-September or by the last week of the season. Very rarely had they ever been in a true pennant race, and in the few times they had, they came up short.

In both 2000 and 2005, the Indians went into the last day of the regular season needing a win (or a win coupled with some losses) to clinch a wild card berth. Both times, they came up short. In 2000, the Indians won but wins by the Mariners and the A's bumped them out of the playoffs. In 2005, a 1-6 final week of the season, capped by a sweep at home by the eventual World Champion Chicago White Sox, put a damper on a 93-win season that saw the Indians play a red-hot second-half to overcome a miserable April, only to choke it away.

While manager Terry Francona deserves the lion's share of the credit to turn this team into the playoff contenders that they are, people remember how Francona's Red Sox tenure ended two seasons ago, where they blew a huge lead in September and lost a playoff spot on the final day of the regular season amid allegations that Francona lost control of a wild clubhouse that loved to eat fried chicken and drink beer on a regular basis.

This team doesn't have a bonafide superstar. They only have one player with 20 or more home runs (Nick Swisher) and do not have a regular batting .300 or better. They've been missing their best pitcher (Justin Masterson) all month and their closer (Chris Perez) has had an off-year in every sense of the word. But, somehow, someway, they've gotten it done.

Starting Tuesday, the Indians, Rays and Rangers will go into a six-game sprint to the finish for two playoff spots, with the suddenly surging Royals still hot on their heels, along with the Orioles. The Indians will host the reeling White Sox (who they've owned all season) and travel to Minnesota to take on a Twins team that has struggled.

For whatever reason, this Indians team has struggled to capture the hearts of the local fanbase, probably because they've been burned so often by the Indians in recent memory. They remember how hot starts in April and May the last two years went up in flames in June, July and August. They remember how the Indians held a 3-1 lead on the Red Sox in the 2007 ALCS only to choke the series away. They remember the 2005 collapse. They remember the tenures of managers Eric Wedge and Manny Acta, and remember Mark Shapiro trading Cy Young Award winners in back-to-back years for not much in return.

While the fans struggle to totally embrace this team, there have been a dedicated bunch that have stuck with this team through trial and tribulation, through Detroit sweep after Detroit sweep, all season long, never losing the faith. For that, Joe Cleveland tips his hat to you. If the Indians do make the Wild Card, even if they lose that game, you deserve to take a bow. Your faith was rewarded.

But, even if the Indians come up short, you can't deny that this was a successful season. The Indians clinched a winning record for the first time since 2007 and just the third time since 2002. They spent some money in the past offseason and could very well be proactive this offseason as well (they need to). They will have some dead money coming off the books that can be used for positive assets, and they do have some pieces (Perez, Asdrubal Cabrera, Carlos Santana) that could be moved for the right price that could help this team improve in other areas.

This season could very well be the cornerstone of something great. It may not happen this year. But they have the manager here that has proven he can do it, some players that can be built around and some assets to play with to make this team better. The Indians can't afford to let their window of opportunity slam in their face. I guarantee, if they have another positive offseason like they had last winter, you will see less green seats and more fans in the stands in 2014 at Progressive Field.

Until next time (whenver that is), remember that Cleveland Rocks!

Thursday, July 4, 2013

It's been a while

I didn't realize how long it had been since I put on my "Joe Cleveland" hat and updated this blog. Two full months have gone by with nary a word from Joe Cleveland, and there's been quite a few things to talk about.

Such as (in no particular order):

<> The Indians' tendency to streak one way or the other that saw them flirt with the basement at the start of June but wind up in first place by the end of it (as of today, they are now in second place behind Detroit).

<> Chris Perez's meltdowns, both on and off the field.

<> Browns owner Jimmy Haslam's troubles with the law running Pilot/Flying J and the Browns organization's subsequent pratfalls since, like the kickoff concert debacle, players getting arrested, Josh Gordon being suspended for flunking a drug test, etc.

<> The Cavs winning the NBA's Draft Lottery for the second time in three seasons, only to take a power forward out of UNLV that NOBODY had pegged for the No. 1 overall pick, and then not even guarantee him a starting job.

<> The Cavs bringing back Mike Brown as head coach three years after they fired him when LeBron James and his teammates essentially quit on him during the 2010 NBA Playoffs.

<> LeBron's second consecutive NBA championship, this time outlasting the San Antonio Spurs in a seven-game series that did nothing but add fuel to the conspiracy theorists' fire.

I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but it's been a pretty sketchy few months for Cleveland sports teams.

At the very least, be thankful you don't live in Boston, where your football team lost its star tight end to a murder charge, your hockey team choked a Game 6 Stanley Cup Finals win away in the final minute-and-a-half with two goals in the span of 17 seconds, and your basketball team traded away its coach and two key members of their NBA championship team a few seasons ago and hired a young coach from a mid-major university.

But, Cleveland has had its moments. Even what should be a proud moment, such as the Indians going on a torrid streak to end June and take over first place in the AL Central Division, came with caveats (everything seems to come with a caveat when it comes to the Indians). That first place stint last all off two days. Hope we enjoyed it while it lasted.

The only thing the Browns seem to be doing well at is putting together an on-the-field product, which seems odd because they've struggled with that for most of the time since the franchise returned in 1999. But, beginning with Haslam's troubles that have many believing it will only be a matter of time before he sells the team, either because he's broke or because the NFL forces him to, the organization has had one pitfall after another.

They drafted a defensive end in the seventh round that was arrested for selling drugs to an undercover officer while in school, and days after he's selected, he gets busted for a DUI (Armonty Bryant).

They signed a free agent defensive end who was arrested in a prostitution sting (Quinton Groves).

Their projected No. 1 receiver, who was kicked out of two different colleges due to failing drug tests, failed another drug test as a Brown, costing four game checks and two games (Josh Gordon). Gordon claims that he tested for codeine that came with a prescription to fight off strep throat, but his story just doesn't add up.

Then, Gordon sends out Tweets trumpeting the Miami Heat's championship and brags about partying with the Heat down in South Beach. He also talks smack to Browns fans for chiding him for siding with Cleveland's Public Enemy No. 1, which only adds more fuel to the fire.

The organization promotes a kickoff concert, which coincides with a meet-and-greet walkthrough with the team, on July 14. But they schedule a headliner in Bon Jovi that had just played in Cleveland months before. And then, Bon Jovi cancels the rest of their tour, including the Cleveland date, which means the Browns have to scrap the whole thing.

And, on the heels of Aaron Hernandez's arrest for murder, a little known defensive end who was only signed after a tryout gets arrested for attempted murder after a bar fight in New Jersey. The Browns promptly released the guy, but it only added fuel to the Browns haters' fire.

But the saga of Chris Perez, the former two-time All-Star closer of the Indians, only got more bizarre as this season took hold.

First, Perez seemed to struggle a lot this year. After a bad blown save, which resulted in numerous angry Tweets from Tribe fans, Perez decided to shut down his Twitter account. Of course, he had to release a statement through the media saying he was going to do it. It just showed that the guy can dish it out to the fans, but can't take the criticism from those same fans he ripped on one year ago.

Then, Perez continued to get worse. During a horrible blown save in Boston, Perez left the game with an apparent arm injury. He was placed on the 15-day DL and missed most of the month of June.

And then, while he was injured, he and his wife were arrested for marijuana possession when a package (addressed to his dog Brody) arrived at his rented house in Rocky River that contained the illegal drug.

Perez was torched during a rehab start for the Class AA Akron Aeros shortly after the arrest, giving up five runs in one inning, and his first save situation upon his activation wasn't without its drama, giving up a hit and walking a guy before escaping with the 6-5 win over the Royals Tuesday night.

While Perez rehabbed, his replacement Vinnie Pestano wasn't much better. It wasn't until his last week as closer that he finally put together some solid outings.

High-priced free agent Nick Swisher slumped and then missed time with a shoulder injury (no DL stint, though). Asdrubal Cabrera also was out for a month and served a DL stint, while Mark Reynolds' bat went cold after he took over at third place for the demoted Lonnie Chisenhall.

Despite all of that, the Indians suddenly reeled off five straight wins and 15 wins in their last 20 games before losing Wednesday night, 6-5.

So, as we head into the second half of 2013, many questions remain about our beloved teams. Such as:

<> Will the real Indians please stand up?

<> Are the Indians contenders or pretenders?

<> Will they be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline, or will they stand pat and do nothing like last year, only to watch the season skid off the rails?

<> Will Chris Perez be sent packing, and what will they get for him if they do?

<> Can the Browns avoid any more off-field embarrassment?

<> Will Jimmy Haslam be forced to sell the team, and if he does, what does that mean for Joe Banner, Mike Lombardi and the rest of the restructuring they've done to the front office?

<> How will Rob Chudzinski's Browns fare?

<> Can Brandon Weeden succeed in Chud's and Norv Turner's vertical offense?

<> Will Trent Richardson be 100 percent by the start of the season?

<> How will Barkevious Mingo fare in this 3-4 defense?

<> Will Anthony Bennett stay in shape and become a starter with the Cavs?

<> How will the Cavs respond to Mike Brown's style of coaching?

<> Will the Cavs do anything in free agency or sit pat?

<> Can Kyrie Irving stay healthy for a full season? How about Anderson Varejao?

<> Will any of these three teams make the playoffs in their upcoming seasons? How far are these teams from being a true contender?

<> And, how will Ohio State football fare in Urban Meyer's second season without the stigma of probation hanging over the program's heads? And, is it a good thing that Gordon Gee is no longer the president of the university after he made one too many insulting quips?

Hopefully, the answers to these questions are all positive ones. It's high time for some positive news coming from Cleveland sports because these last two months have been pretty low.

Until next time (hopefully not two months from now), remember that Cleveland Rocks!

Monday, April 29, 2013

Draft dodging

The Browns' first full NFL Draft in the Jimmy Haslam III-Joe Banner-Mike Lombardi regime began under a cloud of ominousness, thanks to the FBI and IRS raiding Haslam's Pilot/Flying J Tennessee headquarters and charging the business with defrauding customers on rebates the company promised to them.

Haslam's reputation around Cleveland took a hit when this news hit the fan. Browns fans weren't happy with his status as a "crook." They were concerned about the status of the Browns' franchise if Haslam is indicted -- would Haslam be forced to sell, would the NFL take over the operations of the team while a buyer is found, you name it. Things even as far-fetched as the Browns eventually relocating from Cleveland again were brought up from paranoid Cleveland sports fans who have been through the ringer and back many times over the last 50 years.

The NFL Draft, which took place this past Thursday-through-Saturday, was going to be the welcome distraction from those fears and get fans focusing on football again.

With Haslam in the "War Room" all three days, what the Cleveland Browns was interesting, to say the least.

The Browns kept their sixth pick, despite a reported offer from the St. Louis Rams to trade down 10 spots, did not add a second round pick and wound up making three separate trades that allowed to land veteran wide receiver Devone Bess from the Miami Dolphins, a third-round pick in the 2014 draft from the (gasp) Pittsburgh Steelers and a fourth-round pick in the same draft from the Indianapolis Colts. The result of those three trades was no picks at all in rounds four and five, one pick in round six and two picks in round seven that the Browns used to draft some gambles -- either high-profile players who are coming off major injuries (like Notre Dame safety Jamoris Slaughter) or Division II players from small schools that could be projects.

In the end, the Browns only had two picks in the first 174 draft picks, wound up with five draft picks total, did not take a rookie quarterback (which several so-called draft experts were predicting and a few more in the Cleveland media were calling for) and wound up taking a top-notch pass rusher in LSU's Barkevious Mingo with the sixth-overall pick instead of Alabama cornerback Dee Milliner (who fell to the New York Jets at No. 9). They also wound up taking San Diego State cornerback Leon McFadden in the third round, just one pick higher than the Arizona Cardinals took a gamble on LSU's Tyrann "Honey Badger" Mathieu, who missed all of last season due to drug-related suspensions.

So, why does Joe Cleveland give them a passing grade for this when there are many (and I mean MANY) people -- pundits, media members and fans -- taking them to task for what they did?

With the fact that I've been openly against Mike Lombardi as the general manager and would look for any way to bash the heck out of the guy, and am not currently thrilled with the things going on with Haslam, I find myself defending what they did.

I've tried to be angry about it, but I simply cannot. In fact, I find myself defending the Browns more than I take them to task.

Heading into the first round, the Browns had reportedly worked out every high-profile quarterback in this draft -- Geno Smith, E.J. Manuel, Ryan Nassib, Matt Barkley, Mike Glennon -- to the point that everyone discarded what Joe Banner said last month and felt that the Browns would take a quarterback.

Maybe not at No. 6, but maybe so. Maybe they trade down and use that later first round pick or pick in the second to take a QB.

So, I feared that the Browns wound use that sixth pick to take a guy like Geno Smith, who I am very down on. I saw a few of his college games last year, and he just didn't look like a guy you could make a franchise quarterback. It seemed like he was one of those "flavor of the month" QBs because of the "flavor of the month" read-option offense that some NFL coaches are importing from the college ranks. My motto was simply -- "Anybody But Geno."

So, when the Browns took Mingo, I let out a loud cheer, mostly in relief. It wasn't Geno Smith, thank God. In fact, Smith was passed over by everyone in the first round and was chosen into the seventh pick of the second round by the Jets, who already had a logjam at quarterback that only got more muddled, even after they gave God's favorite player Tim Tebow his walking papers.

When Miami moved up to take Dion Jordan (the guy I wanted most) and the Eagles surprisingly took offensive lineman Lane Johnson, I figured the Browns weren't going to trade. The three offensive linemen looked the most promising, and having Lane Johnson fall to six would have prompted several teams to make the Browns an offer.

After Ziggy Ansah was drafted by the Lions, I felt that the Browns would take either Mingo or Milliner, with a fear that it would be Geno Smith. I was pleasantly surprised that it was Mingo.

M-I-N-G-O! And Mingo was his name-oh!

Can't you envision yourself at FirstEnergy Stadium over the next several years chanting "MINNNNNGOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...." every time he makes a big play? I sure can.

After Geno Smith and another other player with QB listed as his position, the player I didn't want the Browns to settle for was Milliner. Earlier, I wanted Milliner because he fit that everyone believed was the Browns' biggest need -- a starting cornerback opposite Joe Haden. However, more reports came out about his five surgeries and his most recent torn labrum surgery, along with reports that, while Milliner was the best cornerback in the draft, that doesn't necessarily make him a "shutdown" cornerback.

In other words, he was really good, but he wasn't quite elite.

Some questioned Mingo because the Browns had spent a lot of money in the offseason on adding pass rushers from the outside linebacker and defensive end spots. Paul Kruger from Baltimore was the high-profile signing, while Quinton Groves from Arizona and Desmond Bryant from Oakland were also additions that bring some blitzing ability that Ray Horton wants from his attacking 3-4 defense.

With former second-round pick Jabaal Sheard making the move from outside end to outside linebacker, many felt that the Browns would take themselves out of the running for one of the three highly-projected pass rushers in the draft -- Jordan, Ansah and Mingo. Instead, they wound up with Mingo.

Mingo is a physical freak -- with good size and speed and tackling ability, with the ability to put pressure on the quarterback. He was held to 4.5 sacks last year, which concerned some. However, LSU coach Les Miles conceded that the defensive scheme they used took away from Mingo's main strength and that he was mostly used to "stay home" and defend the read-option quarterbacks they went up against. Also, Mingo was exclusively a defensive end in college, and he'd be asked to move to linebacker in the NFL.

Mingo will compete with Sheard and Groves with one of the starting spots at outside linebacker.

Some fear that Mingo will end up like Kamieron Wimbley, the former top-draft choice by the Browns who was moved from end to linebacker, sacked the QB 11 times as a rookie but fell to earth and was subsequently traded two years later. Wimbley has since played for three other NFL teams and has carved out a nice career for himself, but he certainly did not become the elite pass rusher Phil Savage and Romeo Crennel envisioned when they traded with the Ravens to get him.

Where Wimbley struggled was because the Browns did not have any other pass-rush threats on their defense besides Wimbley. Teams double-teamed him. He also struggled with pass coverage. When Mike Holmgren and Tom Heckert came aboard with visions of switching to a 4-3 defense, they dealt Wimbley to the Raiders for a third-round pick that wound up becoming Colt McCoy.

Mingo comes into a much better situation than Wimbley did. He enters a position of sudden depth thanks to Kruger, Groves and Sheard. He can put his hand down and play end when the Browns employ that 4-3 look (which they plan on). He'll be counted on as a part of the rotation among the front seven that should keep the players fresh and, hopefully, wreak havoc on opposing offenses.

Mingo will be compared not only to Milliner, but also to Georgia linebacker Jarvis Jones, who fell all the way to No. 19 and was taken by the Steelers. Jones was red-flagged because of a spinal stenosis condition that could shave years off his career, along with poor workouts at both his pro day and the NFL combine. However, his 28 sacks over the last two years led the nation (compared to 11.5 sacks over that time frame by Mingo). There are some who felt that the Browns should have taken the trade that was reportedly offered by the Rams and moved down to No. 16 and taken Jones or Texas safety Kenny Vaccaro.

Unfortunately, Browns fans can be a fickle bunch. When the Browns traded down three times in the first round in 2009 (passing Mark Sanchez, Josh Freeman and Jeremy Maclin) and took center Alex Mack, fans complained. When the Browns traded down from No. 6 to No. 24 with the Falcons and wound up with nose tackle Phil Taylor and defensive end Sheard and receiver Greg Little, fans complained that they passed on receiver Julio Jones. When the Browns traded up last year to snag running back Trent Richardson, they complained they paid too steep a price (which also complaining that they didn't pay an even steeper price to try to draft Robert Griffin III).

Let's face it, you guys will complain about anything. If the Browns would have traded down, you would have complained they moved down too far. So, get over it.

Banner said he includes receiver Josh Gordon in this group, and he should. The Browns used their second-round pick on him in last year's supplemental draft. Had Gordon come out this year, he would have been a high first round pick and the top WR taken (ahead of Tavon Austin, who is too small for my tastes). Gordon's addition lifts the status of this draft, in my opinion, and Heckert should take a bow for it.

While the Honey Badger had flash and big-play ability with LSU, playing next to two former No. 1 draft picks in Patrick Peterson and Morris Claiborne, his off-the-field issues and his 5-8 stature worked against him. I felt the Browns would take a chance on him, but only if he fell to the fourth round. Instead, they took McFadden, a four-year starter in the pass-happy Mountain West Conference who, while also small, showed great coverage ability. I have no problems with that pick.

Honey Badger is the ultimate boom or bust pick. If he gets back to drugs, fails on the field, whatever, it's a pick that would have sealed Lombardi's fate. With the Cardinals, he has his old buddy Peterson in the locker room to try to help keep him in line. It's a better situation for him there to succeed than here, even though they already have one of his old teammates in Mingo here. Plus, with his size, Mathieu is more suited to be a nickel back and cover the inside recievers instead of the outside (early plans with Arizona have him moving to safety, which is odd).

Some folks were hoping the Browns would use their fourth and fifth round picks on the plethora of quarterbacks that dropped like stones in this draft. However, I am glad they did not. Guys like Nassib and Barkley fell for a reason. Then, they turn into yet another third- or fourth-round QB that the Browns take that teases fans for a bit but then fall to earth spectacularly. It's a big reason why this team has had trouble developing a long-term quarterback --they always settle for mid-round talent, give them a season or two, and then start over.

See Charlie Frye (third round), Colt McCoy (third round), Luke McCown (fourth round), Spurgeon Wynn (sixth round) and even Derek Anderson (sixth round with Baltimore) as QBs who teased fans with some solid play but flopped when they became the de-facto starting quarterback of the Cleveland Browns. As it is, both Barkley and Nassib were drafted in the fourth round before the Browns chose, so it was a moot point. But even a guy like Tyler Wilson of Arkansas, all he does is give fans false hope that they found the heir-apparent for Weeden and clamor for him when (and if) Weeden struggles. I'm about tired of QB drama in this town.

The Browns are giving Weeden at least one more to prove himself, and he deserves it. He was a first-round draft choice who had success in college and had intangibles that many scouts love (good size, a big arm, etc.) He's in an offense tailored to his strengths that Rob Chudzinski and Norv Turner are bringing to town. He'll also have a better receiving corps to throw to with the additions of Bess and David Nelson, along with the returns of Gordon, Little, Travis Benjamin, Jordan Norwood and Josh Cooper, along with a (hopefully) healthier Trent Richardson running the ball and an improved offensive line.

If he fails, the Browns suddenly are armed with assets in the 2014 draft to try to make a move to land one of the top quarterbacks in next year's class (Teddy Bridgewater, Johnny Manziel, A.J. McCarron, etc.) And that's due to those trades with the Steelers and Colts that everyone complained about.

Some think that the Browns doing what they did in this draft signifies that they are playing for next year already. I don't get that vibe. So, they didn't take a player in the fourth and fifth round. I don't remember a lot of All-Pros coming out of the fourth and fifth round. This is where the Browns typically find players like Owen Marecic, Buster Skrine, James-Michael Johnson, Travis Benjamin, etc. Nice players, but are they going to be studs in the NFL? Doubtful. Most fans are ready to run Marecic and Skrine out of town, as am I? So, they didn't waste a draft pick on a guy that, most likely, wouldn't start on this team and be a training camp body, and they got higher assets in next year's draft for them. Good for them. A solid business move, if you ask me.

I would expect the Browns to become players in the second phase of free agency, that usually heats up after June 1 when players get cut due to contract deadlines. That's where you'll find your depth and special teams help, and, potentially, another starter to go with your existing crew.

I give the draft an early B-, but in reality, how can you legitimately grade a draft two days after it's over when none of these players have gone through training camp or played in a game yet? Last year, there were fans crying that the Browns took Weeden over guard David DeCastro, and then DeCastro suffered a serious injury and missed most of his rookie season with the Steelers. Still crying?

Honestly, what the Browns did in this draft is something most of us aren't used to seeing, which is why some of us are outraged. Would it have helped to add in eight rookie draft picks again? No, it wouldn't have.

I'm willing to give Banner and Co. the benefit of the doubt. I was high on Mingo and was happy they drafted him, and I like the McFadden pick the more I see it. And, let's rejoice for a second that there won't be a quarterback controversy this year.

Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!