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!
Thursday, July 4, 2013
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!
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!
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Great Scott?
Add the Cleveland Cavaliers to the list of Cleveland sports franchises in 2012-13 who decided their current head coach wasn't getting the job done and decided to make a change.
After Manny Acta (Indians) and Pat Shurmur (Browns) were each shown the door by their respective teams, the Cavs have followed suit today by dismissing head coach Byron Scott after three years on the job.
I think what surprises me more than anything, especially in this town, is that most people believe that Scott should have gotten another year.
To be honest, I really don't have an opinion one way or another. I've never been a big fan of the NBA, and my interest in the Cavs has waned, especially this year. All I know is, Scott had three big factors working against him in his bid for an elusive fourth year:
1. His average of 22 wins per season. Sure, the Cavs were in rebuilding mode after LeBron James decided to take his talents south, but I can't think of any head coach whose winning percentage was just .278 being allowed to coach a team longer than 3 years. It's a bottom-line wins, and wins are the bottom line. The Cavs were 64-146 under Scott, and Scott's wins and win percentage rank last among all full-time head coaches that have been with the team longer than one season.
2. His teams being among the worst in the NBA in overall defense. The Cavs finished last in the league in defensive field goal percentage, allowing teams to shoot better than 47 percent. During Scott's three years in charge, opponents shot .475, .467 and .476 this season. They never ranked higher than 27th in the league defensively -- a stark contrast to the LeBron James-Mike Brown-era Cavs, who annually ranked in the top five teams defensively.
3. The team's performance this season. What should have been a season of continued growth and potential contention for a playoff berth turned into a miserable season. Sure, star point guard Kyrie Irving, forward Anderson Varejao and last summer's fourth-overall pick Dion Waiters each missed significant time with injuries this season. However, the Cavs blew four second-half leads of 20 points or more this season -- the only team in the NBA to do so and the first team in the last 15 years to do so, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The Cavs blew leads of 27 points (at home to LeBron and his Heat) and 26 points (at home to Phoenix), which are the two largest leads blown team history and the two largest leads blown in the NBA this year. The Cavs also lost 16 of their last 18 games and looked listless at times, with some players questioning Scott's coaching decisions to the Akron Beacon Journal.
Sure, you can say that Scott played against a stacked deck from the beginning. Scott was hired after Michigan State coach Tom Izzo turned down a substantial offer from Dan Gilbert to be the new head coach. Scott was an All-Star point guard with the Showtime Los Angeles Lakers in the 1980s and had success in two other coaching stops in New Jersey (an NBA Finals berth) and New Orleans (helped develop Chris Paul into the best point guard in the NBA).
Scott was also hired just days before LeBron James went on ESPN and embarassed the city and the organization by announcing that he was signing with the Miami Heat. I'm sure Scott believed that he was coming here to help coach James and get him over the playoff hump. Instead, he inherited a listless group that lacked direction and missed their superstar teammate. That team slumped to a 19-63 record and lost an NBA-record 26 straight games. That team also disappeared with the world watching on Dec, 8, 2010, when Cleveland came out to voice their displeasure against LeBron James and saw a team that buddied up to him all game, didn't hardly guard him, let alone foul him, and lost by 30 points.
The second season, shortened to 66 games due to the lockout, had promise due to No. 1 overall pick Kyrie Irving and fourth-overall pick Tristan Thompson joining the fold. However, Irving battled injuries (as did Varejao) and the Cavs only won 21 games, landing another spot in the NBA lottery.
This season began with the fourth- (Dion Waiters) and 17th- (Tyler Zeller) overall draft choices joining the fold, and the team showed some promise at times. However, another Varejao season-ending injury pushed up the timetable on Zeller and forced veteran Luke Walton to play a lot more minutes than the team hoped. And, after a steller showing at All-Star weekend put Irving on the NBA map, he suffered yet another injury and missed a good chunk of the second half.
Irving, when he did come back, seemed to sulk both on and off the court. His final home appearance was marred when former Cleveland State standout Norris Cole made him look foolish on an attempted game-winning shot against the LeBron-less Heat, and then compounded when he walked off the court without taking part in the Fan Appreciation postgame ceremonies. While Irving has said all the right things today, it looked to most observers that Scott has lost the ear of his superstar point guard.
With the Cavs believed to be interested in luring James back to town next summer, when LeBron opts out of his contract with the Miami Heat, the time to make a splash is now. Perhaps LeBron never wanted to play for Byron Scott, and his hiring may have been his final push in Miami's direction (probably not, but it's an interesting theory). However, if the Cavs want to be considered a serious player in the LeBron sweepstakes, they need to show immediate improvement next season. That means not playing for ping-pong balls in hoppers and instead playing for playoff berths.
The Cavs enter this offseason with yet another high choice in the NBA lottery, where they could pick as high as first or as low as sixth (or stay put at third). Irving and Thompson will enter their third years as professionals, while Waiters and Zeller will become second-year pros. Young guys such as Shawn Livingston, Mareece Speights and Wayne Ellington could be counted on to add depth, and the team could be an active player in the free agent market for the first time since you-know-who left. The clock is ticking.
Several names have popped up in the early going in the search for the new head coach. The most intriguing is former Lakers coach Phil Jackson, but I don't think he comes here unless he's almost assured LeBron James returns for the 2014-15 season and beyond. Another intriguing name is Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who has rebuffed many chances to jump to the NBA but could want to be paired up with his former point guard Irving (and, of course, LeBron loves playing for him).
More realistic names include Pacers assistant Bryan Shaw (who always seems to be linked to head coaching jobs, but hasn't landed one), Warriors assistant Mike Malone (a former Cavs assistant under Mike Brown), Miami assistant David Fizdale, former Pistons head coach Flip Saunders (a Cuyahoga Heights native), former Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy and current ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy.
There are some who think that Gilbert may make another overture to Izzo. Also, ex-Cavs coach Mike Brown, who was run out of Los Angeles just one week into this season, has already let it be known that he'd love to come back and coach the Cavs.
Joe Cleveland will go on record and say that, if the Cavs decide to re-hire Mike Brown, he will be officially done with Cavs. So, you basically are admitting that the last three years were a mistake. It also makes Gilbert (who fired Brown over the objections of GM Danny Ferry, who subsequently quit) look even more foolish than the national perception already is. And, when so many believed that LeBron was behind the firing of Brown (by quitting on him during the Celtics series and talking about wanting to play for a guy who at least had a track record of playing and coaching), why would those of you who think that LeBron would return next summer believe that he'd want to come back playing for Mike Brown?
It just doesn't make sense. But then again, nothing about the NBA makes any sense to me.
At the very least, the NBA planets aligned (wink-wink) and the Lakers backed into the playoffs, even without Kobe Bryant. That means the Cavs can get the Lakers' No. 1 overall pick this year instead of the Miami Heat's last pick in the first round. So, the Cavs should have two more first rounders in the top 16, which is a good thing.
A very precarious fan base hangs in the balance with this head coaching hire and what the team does this offseason. The Indians won back many disgruntled fans when they landed the big fish in Terry Francona and shown a willingness to spend money in free agency that they lacked recently. The Browns didn't land their so-called "big fish" in either Chip Kelly or Nick Saban, and a fan base waits with baited breath to see how new coach Rob Chudzinski and coordinators Norv Turner and Ray Horton mesh together with the new group of players. New owner Jimmy Haslam's problems with the feds stemming from Pilot Flying J, along with distrust of returning GM Mike Lombardi, have only added to the fan base's anxiety of the upcoming season.
The Cavs were a solid No. 2 (not counting Ohio State football) behind the Browns locally until this season. What they do between now and August will say a lot about if they can regain that spot among the locals, or if they will fade into more apathy and obscurity.
***
By the way, you may have noticed that I've written Joe Cleveland under my real identity. It was time. As it is, most of the people who read this blog already know who I am anyway. When I decided to bring back Off The Turnbuckle (theoriginalott.blogspot.com), I had to change my Blogger profile. That included Joe Cleveland. So, from now on, you will know that Dan Gilles is the guy writing Joe Cleveland.
Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!
After Manny Acta (Indians) and Pat Shurmur (Browns) were each shown the door by their respective teams, the Cavs have followed suit today by dismissing head coach Byron Scott after three years on the job.
I think what surprises me more than anything, especially in this town, is that most people believe that Scott should have gotten another year.
To be honest, I really don't have an opinion one way or another. I've never been a big fan of the NBA, and my interest in the Cavs has waned, especially this year. All I know is, Scott had three big factors working against him in his bid for an elusive fourth year:
1. His average of 22 wins per season. Sure, the Cavs were in rebuilding mode after LeBron James decided to take his talents south, but I can't think of any head coach whose winning percentage was just .278 being allowed to coach a team longer than 3 years. It's a bottom-line wins, and wins are the bottom line. The Cavs were 64-146 under Scott, and Scott's wins and win percentage rank last among all full-time head coaches that have been with the team longer than one season.
2. His teams being among the worst in the NBA in overall defense. The Cavs finished last in the league in defensive field goal percentage, allowing teams to shoot better than 47 percent. During Scott's three years in charge, opponents shot .475, .467 and .476 this season. They never ranked higher than 27th in the league defensively -- a stark contrast to the LeBron James-Mike Brown-era Cavs, who annually ranked in the top five teams defensively.
3. The team's performance this season. What should have been a season of continued growth and potential contention for a playoff berth turned into a miserable season. Sure, star point guard Kyrie Irving, forward Anderson Varejao and last summer's fourth-overall pick Dion Waiters each missed significant time with injuries this season. However, the Cavs blew four second-half leads of 20 points or more this season -- the only team in the NBA to do so and the first team in the last 15 years to do so, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The Cavs blew leads of 27 points (at home to LeBron and his Heat) and 26 points (at home to Phoenix), which are the two largest leads blown team history and the two largest leads blown in the NBA this year. The Cavs also lost 16 of their last 18 games and looked listless at times, with some players questioning Scott's coaching decisions to the Akron Beacon Journal.
Sure, you can say that Scott played against a stacked deck from the beginning. Scott was hired after Michigan State coach Tom Izzo turned down a substantial offer from Dan Gilbert to be the new head coach. Scott was an All-Star point guard with the Showtime Los Angeles Lakers in the 1980s and had success in two other coaching stops in New Jersey (an NBA Finals berth) and New Orleans (helped develop Chris Paul into the best point guard in the NBA).
Scott was also hired just days before LeBron James went on ESPN and embarassed the city and the organization by announcing that he was signing with the Miami Heat. I'm sure Scott believed that he was coming here to help coach James and get him over the playoff hump. Instead, he inherited a listless group that lacked direction and missed their superstar teammate. That team slumped to a 19-63 record and lost an NBA-record 26 straight games. That team also disappeared with the world watching on Dec, 8, 2010, when Cleveland came out to voice their displeasure against LeBron James and saw a team that buddied up to him all game, didn't hardly guard him, let alone foul him, and lost by 30 points.
The second season, shortened to 66 games due to the lockout, had promise due to No. 1 overall pick Kyrie Irving and fourth-overall pick Tristan Thompson joining the fold. However, Irving battled injuries (as did Varejao) and the Cavs only won 21 games, landing another spot in the NBA lottery.
This season began with the fourth- (Dion Waiters) and 17th- (Tyler Zeller) overall draft choices joining the fold, and the team showed some promise at times. However, another Varejao season-ending injury pushed up the timetable on Zeller and forced veteran Luke Walton to play a lot more minutes than the team hoped. And, after a steller showing at All-Star weekend put Irving on the NBA map, he suffered yet another injury and missed a good chunk of the second half.
Irving, when he did come back, seemed to sulk both on and off the court. His final home appearance was marred when former Cleveland State standout Norris Cole made him look foolish on an attempted game-winning shot against the LeBron-less Heat, and then compounded when he walked off the court without taking part in the Fan Appreciation postgame ceremonies. While Irving has said all the right things today, it looked to most observers that Scott has lost the ear of his superstar point guard.
With the Cavs believed to be interested in luring James back to town next summer, when LeBron opts out of his contract with the Miami Heat, the time to make a splash is now. Perhaps LeBron never wanted to play for Byron Scott, and his hiring may have been his final push in Miami's direction (probably not, but it's an interesting theory). However, if the Cavs want to be considered a serious player in the LeBron sweepstakes, they need to show immediate improvement next season. That means not playing for ping-pong balls in hoppers and instead playing for playoff berths.
The Cavs enter this offseason with yet another high choice in the NBA lottery, where they could pick as high as first or as low as sixth (or stay put at third). Irving and Thompson will enter their third years as professionals, while Waiters and Zeller will become second-year pros. Young guys such as Shawn Livingston, Mareece Speights and Wayne Ellington could be counted on to add depth, and the team could be an active player in the free agent market for the first time since you-know-who left. The clock is ticking.
Several names have popped up in the early going in the search for the new head coach. The most intriguing is former Lakers coach Phil Jackson, but I don't think he comes here unless he's almost assured LeBron James returns for the 2014-15 season and beyond. Another intriguing name is Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who has rebuffed many chances to jump to the NBA but could want to be paired up with his former point guard Irving (and, of course, LeBron loves playing for him).
More realistic names include Pacers assistant Bryan Shaw (who always seems to be linked to head coaching jobs, but hasn't landed one), Warriors assistant Mike Malone (a former Cavs assistant under Mike Brown), Miami assistant David Fizdale, former Pistons head coach Flip Saunders (a Cuyahoga Heights native), former Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy and current ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy.
There are some who think that Gilbert may make another overture to Izzo. Also, ex-Cavs coach Mike Brown, who was run out of Los Angeles just one week into this season, has already let it be known that he'd love to come back and coach the Cavs.
Joe Cleveland will go on record and say that, if the Cavs decide to re-hire Mike Brown, he will be officially done with Cavs. So, you basically are admitting that the last three years were a mistake. It also makes Gilbert (who fired Brown over the objections of GM Danny Ferry, who subsequently quit) look even more foolish than the national perception already is. And, when so many believed that LeBron was behind the firing of Brown (by quitting on him during the Celtics series and talking about wanting to play for a guy who at least had a track record of playing and coaching), why would those of you who think that LeBron would return next summer believe that he'd want to come back playing for Mike Brown?
It just doesn't make sense. But then again, nothing about the NBA makes any sense to me.
At the very least, the NBA planets aligned (wink-wink) and the Lakers backed into the playoffs, even without Kobe Bryant. That means the Cavs can get the Lakers' No. 1 overall pick this year instead of the Miami Heat's last pick in the first round. So, the Cavs should have two more first rounders in the top 16, which is a good thing.
A very precarious fan base hangs in the balance with this head coaching hire and what the team does this offseason. The Indians won back many disgruntled fans when they landed the big fish in Terry Francona and shown a willingness to spend money in free agency that they lacked recently. The Browns didn't land their so-called "big fish" in either Chip Kelly or Nick Saban, and a fan base waits with baited breath to see how new coach Rob Chudzinski and coordinators Norv Turner and Ray Horton mesh together with the new group of players. New owner Jimmy Haslam's problems with the feds stemming from Pilot Flying J, along with distrust of returning GM Mike Lombardi, have only added to the fan base's anxiety of the upcoming season.
The Cavs were a solid No. 2 (not counting Ohio State football) behind the Browns locally until this season. What they do between now and August will say a lot about if they can regain that spot among the locals, or if they will fade into more apathy and obscurity.
***
By the way, you may have noticed that I've written Joe Cleveland under my real identity. It was time. As it is, most of the people who read this blog already know who I am anyway. When I decided to bring back Off The Turnbuckle (theoriginalott.blogspot.com), I had to change my Blogger profile. That included Joe Cleveland. So, from now on, you will know that Dan Gilles is the guy writing Joe Cleveland.
Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Outbreak of Tribe fever
"Indians fever ... It starts from the very first inning."
Remember that old jingle from the 1980s? If you grew up in Northeast Ohio like I did back then and watched the Indians on WUAB-TV 43, you probably do.
It's been a while since we can talk about "Indians fever" and talk about it positively. The last several years, "Indians fever" could have been likened to an epidemic like E-Coli or the West Nile Virus. Cases of "Indians fever" included referring to seasons as "a grind," getting off to a slow start one season and then limping down the stretch in a second, becoming a penny-pinching miser that liked to go bargain-hunting in the discount rack and sinking resources into a toboggan ramp during the winter months, among others.
Three names have turned "Indians fever" into something positive -- Terry Francona, Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn.
Although, it starts with Francona, because without him (even if they made Sandy Alomar Jr. the manager), neither Swisher or Bourn come to Cleveland, even with the deals they offered them.
Francona became, arguably, the biggest name manager the Indians have ever hired. John McNamara was a successful manager with the Red Sox, but was aging when he was hired in the early 1990s. Frank Robinson garnered a lot of headlines because he was the first African-American manager in Major League Baseball history in 1975, but he had never managed before and was mostly known as a player.
Even Mike Hargrove, arguably the Tribe's most successful manager ever (although you could make a case for Al Lopez or Lou Boudreau), while coming in with a lot of hype because of his status as a former Indian ballplayer, had never been a MLB manager before he took over for John McNamara (and, briefly, John Hart) in 1991.
Francona came back to the Indians with two World Series rings from his successful stint as the Red Sox manager, which came to an inglorious end in 2011 when his team gave up a large lead in the AL East and wound up totally missing the playoffs.
By and large, since hiring McNamara, and even before that, the Indians have usually settled for hiring the unknown commodity. Following Hargrove, Charlie Manuel, Joel Skinner, Eric Wedge and Manny Acta were hired to mostly yawns from the fanbase. All four were fired (although Skinner got a job on Wedge's staff and will always been known as "Stop-Sign Skinner" as a result) after just two playoff berths and four winning seasons during that span.
The last two years under Acta, the Indians got off to great starts only to falter in the second half. Last year's five-win August essentially sealed Acta's fate.
When Acta got hired, he claimed that managerial jobs for franchises like the Indians "go to guys like me" and that "Tony LaRussa wouldn't be walking through that door." Who knew how wrong he would be!
Francona spent his early childhood in Cleveland while his father, Tito Francona, played for the Indians from 1959-64. Terry himself spent the second-to-last season of his 10-year MLB career playing for the Indians, batting .311 with one home run and 12 RBIs in 60 games in 1988.
In the three seasons before he became Boston's manager in 2004 and after he had managed the Philadelphia Phillies from 1997-2000, Francona spent one year serving as a special assistant to Tribe general manager Mark Shapiro. Francona and Shapiro and Chris Antonetti, who wound up becoming the team's GM when Shapiro was inexplicably promoted following a disasterous 2009 season, all grew to be very close.
Both of those factors played into Francona's decision to leave a cushy gig analyzing baseball for ESPN to head back to the dugout with the Indians. In fact, Francona stated that the Indians' job was the only one he would have considered, which the Cleveland-hating ESPN felt was incredulous.
Many felt that if the Indians were going to resume their bargain-basement spending ways, they might as well have saved their money and kept Alomar in the manager's office. Alomar is one of the most popular players from the "Jacobs Field Era of Champions" and fans would have given him a considerable longer leash than they did did Wedge and Acta. Alomar could have been allowed to grow into the job like Hargrove did. However, the Indians had another trick up their sleeves.
Using Francona as their lead recruiter, the Indians hit the free agent market ready to shop. It didn't hurt that Larry and Paul Dolan had $250 million to spend after selling SportsTime Ohio to FOX Sports.
Along with Swisher and Bourn -- the latter signed a four-year, $44 million deal on the eve of spring training -- the Indians also signed slugger Mark Reynolds and pitcher Brett Myers and traded Shin-Shoo Choo's expiring contract to the Reds for speedy outfielder Drew Stubbs and top-notch pitching prospect Trevor Bauer, among others.
They also showed that old habits die hard and did their share of bargain hunting. Signed to minor league deals were aging slugger and former steroid cheat Jason Giambi, former standout pitchers Scott Kazmir and Daisuke Matsuzaka, oft-injured closer Matt Capps and outfielder Ryan Raburn. Kazmir and Raburn made the team. Giambi will open the season on the disabled list with a phony injury, while Matsuzaka and Capps agreed to start the season in Class AAA Columbus.
With another season of Indians baseball set to begin tonight at Toronto, optimism is at its highest in many, many years. You'd probably have to back to 2002 for similar optimism, and that's only because the Indians had just made the playoffs six times in the previous seven seasons. Optimism wasn't high in 2008 following their spirited postseason run in 2007 because the Indians did nothing during the offseason to build off of what they did, unless you consider giving designated hitter Travis Hafner $57 million to spend more time in the training room than he did in the batters box.
Joe Cleveland hasn't been shy about his criticism of the Indians in recent years, especially when it comes to the Dolans, Shapiro, Antonetti and Wedge or Acta. And, while I applaud their recent spending spree, I'm not ready to anoint them a playoff team just yet.
Various preseason prognasticators have the Indians finishing as high as second or even as low as fifth in the AL Central. Some have them winning one of the Wild Card spots, while others think they'll flirt with 90 losses again.
And, the main reason for that, and the main reason why Joe Cleveland is skeptical about this Indians team, is their sketchy pitching staff.
While the Indians spent a lot of money to beef up their lineup with a nice mixture of power (Reynolds, Swisher, Stubbs) and speed (Bourn, Stubbs), they really neglected to address their questionable starting pitching.
The Indians' top two starters, Justin Masterson and Ubaldo Jimenez, went 11-15 and 9-17, respectively, with ERAs of 4.93 and 5.40, respectively. Not exactly the second-coming of Bob Feller and Bob Lemon.
The fourth starter, Zach McAllister, went 6-8 with a 4.24 ERA last season. He was the Indians' third-best starting pitcher last season.
Myers, the free agent signed by the Indians in the offseason, split the 2012 season between Houston (0-4, 19 saves) and the Chicago White Sox (3-4). All told, he went 3-8 with a 3.31, making 70 appearances WITHOUT A SINGLE START!
Kazmir, the bargain-basement signing who beat out Bauer and Carlos Carrasco for the fifth spot in the rotation, was out of the majors last year, spending 2012 with the Sugar Land Skeeters of the independent Atlantic League and going 3-6 with a 5.34 ERA. He was 9-15 with 5.94 ERA with the Los Angeles Angels in his last full big-league season, which was 2010. He hasn't appeared in a major league game since making one start with the Angels in 2011.
This is the rotation the Indians will trot out for the start of the 2013 season, a season that has many folks dreaming of October baseball.
Sure, the defense should be better, with three center fielders in Bourn, Stubbs and holdover Michael Brantley patrolling the outfield. While neither Nick Swisher or Mark Reynolds are fantastic defensemen, they should be better than Casey Kotchman or Matt LaPorta at first base, and you should expect better defensive years from second baseman Jason Kipnis, shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera and third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall.
However, the infielders aren't exactly Tinker-to-Evers-to-Chance, and three center fielders could be an experiment that blows up due to Stubbs playing an unfamiliar position.
Sure, Bauer could be up in the big leagues before the season comes to a close, but Bauer only went 1-2 with a 6.06 ERA in four starts with the DiamondBacks last season. He's far from a finished product.
And, the closer is still Mt. Saint Chris Perez, a volcanic force that can be light's out one minute and be flirting with disaster the next. And, let's not forget his penchant for being a lightning rod of controversy with his mouth. The Indians dangled Perez and Cabrera in the offseason, along with Masterson, but didn't find any offers to their liking.
I expect the Indians to be much better than they were last season. However, I don't think this team will win 90 games. In fact, anything above-.500 this season would surprise me. They need Masterson and Ubaldo to pitch like the aces the team expects if they want any chance at a playoff berth. If not, it will be back to the drawing board for next season.
I think the Indians will engage in a lot of 7-6 games as a result of their sketchy pitching and shaky infield defense and slugging offense (that may set a single-season record for most strikeouts as a team). I think the Indians will finish third in the AL Central behind Detroit (who are legitimate candidates for another World Series, and even a title) and the up-and-coming Kansas City Royals, who may be a year ahead of the Indians in their rebuilding efforts.
The Indians will go 81-81; not horrible, but enough to raise the optimism for next season.
Hopefully, the Tribe exceeds my expectations, but after watching the Indians for most of my life, I can't help but have tempered expectations.
While Terry Francona can proclaim that this is "a Tribe Town" and "a baseball town," at this moment, it certainly is not. However, if Francona can get this team back to the winning ways we saw from 1995-2001 (and the Browns continue to be stuck in mediocrity), that proclamation could very well come true.
Until next time, Go Tribe, and remember that Cleveland Rocks!
Remember that old jingle from the 1980s? If you grew up in Northeast Ohio like I did back then and watched the Indians on WUAB-TV 43, you probably do.
It's been a while since we can talk about "Indians fever" and talk about it positively. The last several years, "Indians fever" could have been likened to an epidemic like E-Coli or the West Nile Virus. Cases of "Indians fever" included referring to seasons as "a grind," getting off to a slow start one season and then limping down the stretch in a second, becoming a penny-pinching miser that liked to go bargain-hunting in the discount rack and sinking resources into a toboggan ramp during the winter months, among others.
Three names have turned "Indians fever" into something positive -- Terry Francona, Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn.
Although, it starts with Francona, because without him (even if they made Sandy Alomar Jr. the manager), neither Swisher or Bourn come to Cleveland, even with the deals they offered them.
Francona became, arguably, the biggest name manager the Indians have ever hired. John McNamara was a successful manager with the Red Sox, but was aging when he was hired in the early 1990s. Frank Robinson garnered a lot of headlines because he was the first African-American manager in Major League Baseball history in 1975, but he had never managed before and was mostly known as a player.
Even Mike Hargrove, arguably the Tribe's most successful manager ever (although you could make a case for Al Lopez or Lou Boudreau), while coming in with a lot of hype because of his status as a former Indian ballplayer, had never been a MLB manager before he took over for John McNamara (and, briefly, John Hart) in 1991.
Francona came back to the Indians with two World Series rings from his successful stint as the Red Sox manager, which came to an inglorious end in 2011 when his team gave up a large lead in the AL East and wound up totally missing the playoffs.
By and large, since hiring McNamara, and even before that, the Indians have usually settled for hiring the unknown commodity. Following Hargrove, Charlie Manuel, Joel Skinner, Eric Wedge and Manny Acta were hired to mostly yawns from the fanbase. All four were fired (although Skinner got a job on Wedge's staff and will always been known as "Stop-Sign Skinner" as a result) after just two playoff berths and four winning seasons during that span.
The last two years under Acta, the Indians got off to great starts only to falter in the second half. Last year's five-win August essentially sealed Acta's fate.
When Acta got hired, he claimed that managerial jobs for franchises like the Indians "go to guys like me" and that "Tony LaRussa wouldn't be walking through that door." Who knew how wrong he would be!
Francona spent his early childhood in Cleveland while his father, Tito Francona, played for the Indians from 1959-64. Terry himself spent the second-to-last season of his 10-year MLB career playing for the Indians, batting .311 with one home run and 12 RBIs in 60 games in 1988.
In the three seasons before he became Boston's manager in 2004 and after he had managed the Philadelphia Phillies from 1997-2000, Francona spent one year serving as a special assistant to Tribe general manager Mark Shapiro. Francona and Shapiro and Chris Antonetti, who wound up becoming the team's GM when Shapiro was inexplicably promoted following a disasterous 2009 season, all grew to be very close.
Both of those factors played into Francona's decision to leave a cushy gig analyzing baseball for ESPN to head back to the dugout with the Indians. In fact, Francona stated that the Indians' job was the only one he would have considered, which the Cleveland-hating ESPN felt was incredulous.
Many felt that if the Indians were going to resume their bargain-basement spending ways, they might as well have saved their money and kept Alomar in the manager's office. Alomar is one of the most popular players from the "Jacobs Field Era of Champions" and fans would have given him a considerable longer leash than they did did Wedge and Acta. Alomar could have been allowed to grow into the job like Hargrove did. However, the Indians had another trick up their sleeves.
Using Francona as their lead recruiter, the Indians hit the free agent market ready to shop. It didn't hurt that Larry and Paul Dolan had $250 million to spend after selling SportsTime Ohio to FOX Sports.
Along with Swisher and Bourn -- the latter signed a four-year, $44 million deal on the eve of spring training -- the Indians also signed slugger Mark Reynolds and pitcher Brett Myers and traded Shin-Shoo Choo's expiring contract to the Reds for speedy outfielder Drew Stubbs and top-notch pitching prospect Trevor Bauer, among others.
They also showed that old habits die hard and did their share of bargain hunting. Signed to minor league deals were aging slugger and former steroid cheat Jason Giambi, former standout pitchers Scott Kazmir and Daisuke Matsuzaka, oft-injured closer Matt Capps and outfielder Ryan Raburn. Kazmir and Raburn made the team. Giambi will open the season on the disabled list with a phony injury, while Matsuzaka and Capps agreed to start the season in Class AAA Columbus.
With another season of Indians baseball set to begin tonight at Toronto, optimism is at its highest in many, many years. You'd probably have to back to 2002 for similar optimism, and that's only because the Indians had just made the playoffs six times in the previous seven seasons. Optimism wasn't high in 2008 following their spirited postseason run in 2007 because the Indians did nothing during the offseason to build off of what they did, unless you consider giving designated hitter Travis Hafner $57 million to spend more time in the training room than he did in the batters box.
Joe Cleveland hasn't been shy about his criticism of the Indians in recent years, especially when it comes to the Dolans, Shapiro, Antonetti and Wedge or Acta. And, while I applaud their recent spending spree, I'm not ready to anoint them a playoff team just yet.
Various preseason prognasticators have the Indians finishing as high as second or even as low as fifth in the AL Central. Some have them winning one of the Wild Card spots, while others think they'll flirt with 90 losses again.
And, the main reason for that, and the main reason why Joe Cleveland is skeptical about this Indians team, is their sketchy pitching staff.
While the Indians spent a lot of money to beef up their lineup with a nice mixture of power (Reynolds, Swisher, Stubbs) and speed (Bourn, Stubbs), they really neglected to address their questionable starting pitching.
The Indians' top two starters, Justin Masterson and Ubaldo Jimenez, went 11-15 and 9-17, respectively, with ERAs of 4.93 and 5.40, respectively. Not exactly the second-coming of Bob Feller and Bob Lemon.
The fourth starter, Zach McAllister, went 6-8 with a 4.24 ERA last season. He was the Indians' third-best starting pitcher last season.
Myers, the free agent signed by the Indians in the offseason, split the 2012 season between Houston (0-4, 19 saves) and the Chicago White Sox (3-4). All told, he went 3-8 with a 3.31, making 70 appearances WITHOUT A SINGLE START!
Kazmir, the bargain-basement signing who beat out Bauer and Carlos Carrasco for the fifth spot in the rotation, was out of the majors last year, spending 2012 with the Sugar Land Skeeters of the independent Atlantic League and going 3-6 with a 5.34 ERA. He was 9-15 with 5.94 ERA with the Los Angeles Angels in his last full big-league season, which was 2010. He hasn't appeared in a major league game since making one start with the Angels in 2011.
This is the rotation the Indians will trot out for the start of the 2013 season, a season that has many folks dreaming of October baseball.
Sure, the defense should be better, with three center fielders in Bourn, Stubbs and holdover Michael Brantley patrolling the outfield. While neither Nick Swisher or Mark Reynolds are fantastic defensemen, they should be better than Casey Kotchman or Matt LaPorta at first base, and you should expect better defensive years from second baseman Jason Kipnis, shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera and third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall.
However, the infielders aren't exactly Tinker-to-Evers-to-Chance, and three center fielders could be an experiment that blows up due to Stubbs playing an unfamiliar position.
Sure, Bauer could be up in the big leagues before the season comes to a close, but Bauer only went 1-2 with a 6.06 ERA in four starts with the DiamondBacks last season. He's far from a finished product.
And, the closer is still Mt. Saint Chris Perez, a volcanic force that can be light's out one minute and be flirting with disaster the next. And, let's not forget his penchant for being a lightning rod of controversy with his mouth. The Indians dangled Perez and Cabrera in the offseason, along with Masterson, but didn't find any offers to their liking.
I expect the Indians to be much better than they were last season. However, I don't think this team will win 90 games. In fact, anything above-.500 this season would surprise me. They need Masterson and Ubaldo to pitch like the aces the team expects if they want any chance at a playoff berth. If not, it will be back to the drawing board for next season.
I think the Indians will engage in a lot of 7-6 games as a result of their sketchy pitching and shaky infield defense and slugging offense (that may set a single-season record for most strikeouts as a team). I think the Indians will finish third in the AL Central behind Detroit (who are legitimate candidates for another World Series, and even a title) and the up-and-coming Kansas City Royals, who may be a year ahead of the Indians in their rebuilding efforts.
The Indians will go 81-81; not horrible, but enough to raise the optimism for next season.
Hopefully, the Tribe exceeds my expectations, but after watching the Indians for most of my life, I can't help but have tempered expectations.
While Terry Francona can proclaim that this is "a Tribe Town" and "a baseball town," at this moment, it certainly is not. However, if Francona can get this team back to the winning ways we saw from 1995-2001 (and the Browns continue to be stuck in mediocrity), that proclamation could very well come true.
Until next time, Go Tribe, and remember that Cleveland Rocks!
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Just for kicks
They were two of the most popular Browns players since the franchise returned to the NFL in 1999.
One arrived at the very beginning with nothing but a promise of an opportunity after being undrafted and failing in two other stints with two other franchises in 1998. In fact, when he won the job, he was given the caveat from then-head coach Chris Palmer -- "We'll go with you for now."
The other arrived in 2005 after a stellar career as a quarterback at Kent State, but went undrafted in seven rounds by every team in the league because no one was really sure where he could excel. With nothing more of a promise to simply "play," he signed with the Browns and found his niche as a kickoff and punt returner.
Today, both Phil Dawson (49ers) and Josh Cribbs (Cardinals, although his failed physical puts his status in limbo) are with different NFL franchises for the first times in their respective NFL careers after both became local folk-heroes based on their performances over the years with the Cleveland Browns.
Cribbs became a perennial Pro Bowler as a returner and special teams player. His eight career kickoff return touchdowns is still an NFL record, even though he hasn't had one since returning three for scores in 2009 -- the best all-around year of his career that finally earned him the payday he had always desired.
Dawson toiled in relative NFL obscurity, mostly because the Browns teams he's played on have largely been mediocre. He was finally rewarded with a berth to the Pro Bowl this past season. I'm sure it had to mean a lot to him that his last game wearing an orange helmet was while wearing the AFC's game jersey in Hawaii.
In fact, Dawson and Cribbs were two of the Browns' three Pro Bowlers this season (the other being perennial Pro Bowl and possible future Hall of Fame tackle Joe Thomas). While that's a great accomplishment, it's also indicative of all the people who have been making decisions here with the Browns from 1999 until now.
The Browns had never used their franchise tag on any player until Dawson became a free agent following the 2010 season. They used it on him again following the 2011 season. While it kept Dawson a Brown for two more seasons and paid him a nice chunk of change for doing so, the fact that the only player in Browns history to be franchised was a kicker is just sad.
The fact that two of the most popular (fanbase-wise) players during the expansion era are a kicker and a special-teamer is also just sad.
Joe Cleveland was not surprised to see either go, although I did hold out hope that Dawson would be brought back at least one more year. Cribbs, on the other hand, I had washed my hands of.
Cribbs' "home run" ability (his ability to change games with long kickoff returns) had waned over the past few years -- ironically, since he finally signed a lucrative contact extension prior to the 2010 season. The contract may have played a part in it. However, changes in NFL rules concerning kickoffs (kicking from the 35, which greatly increased touchbacks) and injuries building up due to his reckless style of play were starting to catch up to him.
Plus, he's 29. You don't see a whole lot of 30-year-old kickoff and punt returners in the NFL. And, with Cribbs, he was never really able to find his niche offensively with the Browns. While that may be a slam on some of the coaches he's had for not better utilizing his playmaking ability, it is also indicative of Cribbs. Perhaps he was just too raw of a project to do much offensively, and us fans were not able to take off the Orange and Brown blinders to see it.
Cribbs endeared himself to Browns fans not just with his big play ability, whether it was returning kickoffs or punts, taking Wildcat snaps on offense, or covering kicks and punts and making big hits, but also with his accessibility. Cribbs became one of the most visible Browns players during his career. Whether he was attending other sporting events in town or Tweeting or visiting local schools or making other public appearances, Cribbs quickly became Mr. Cleveland. Some even compared him to Bernie Kosar, who was also a beloved Cleveland sports icon who fans loved because of his play and his accessibility.
When Cribbs complained about his contract, which he signed shortly into his rookie year, instead of rebelling against him, fans took up for him. "Pay Da Man" became a rallying cry when it came to Cribbs, especially when he backed up his cries for more money with his 2009 season.
Cribbs returned three kickoffs -- two of which in a wild 40-34 win over Kansas City that highlighted a season-ending four-game win streak -- and one punt for a touchdown during that Pro Bowl season. He also carried the ball a career-best 55 times for 381 yards (mostly out of the Wildcat formation) and one touchdown, and added 20 receptions for 135 yards and another score. The 20 catches, at the time, were his season-best and exceeded his career reception total by four. He was rewarded with his second Pro Bowl berth, and incoming president Mike Holmgren tore up the remaining three years on his rookie contract and gave him a big pay raise.
In the three years since, Cribbs only returned one punt for a touchdown. While he set a career-high with 41 receptions for 518 yards and 4 scores in 2011, he became an offensive afterthought in 2012. In fact, 2012 was the first season in his eight-year career that he was held without a single touchdown (although he did catch a TD pass in the Pro Bowl).
Cribbs could be a bit of a "drama queen" in the locker room, complaining about playcalling, his contract, his coaches, etc. Especially on a team that was losing a lot more than it won, it could become an unwanted distraction.
Dawson, on the other hand, seemed to be getting better with age. After missing five games due to injury in 2009, Dawson became one of the NFL's most reliable kickers over the past three years, especially from long range. Which is interesting because the knock on Dawson early in his career was that he did not possess the leg to consistently hit deep field goals or touchbacks.
His 29 field goals this past season was one off his career-high for field goals in a season (30 in 2008), and his 29-of-31 performance gave him the highest field goal percentage (single-season) of his career (93.5 percent, which exceeded his 93.1 in 2005. He was also 7-of-7 on kicks longer than 50 yards, which was by far his best percentage from that distance and matched the 7 50-plus yarders he made in 2011 for the most in his career.
Dawson was old reliable, which was big because many times over the years, the Browns' offense had difficulty putting the ball in the end zone. It seemed like coaches would get conservative in the red zone because they knew Dawson would give them a guaranteed three points on each drive.
One thing the Browns have had extremely good luck with in their storied 66 years as a franchise was finding good kickers. From the great Lou "The Toe" Groza during all but one season from 1946-67 to Don Cockroft to Matt Bahr to Matt Stover to Dawson, you can trace the kicker lineage fairly quickly. Sure, there were a few blips on the radar -- Sam Baker in 1960, Dave Jacobs in 1981, Jerry Kauric in 1990, Jeff Jaeger in 1988, and even Dawson was replaced twice by Brett Conway (2003) and Billy Cundiff (2009) due to injuries -- but for the most part, kicker has been the one rock-solid position the Browns have had. Especially during the expansion era, when you consider Dawson has been the last remaining regular player from that rag-tag group of 1999'ers.
While the Browns made no secret about their desire to walk away from Cribbs (and Cribbs made no secret about his desire to come back) this offseason, the situation with Dawson is still pretty questionable.
The Browns were pretty coy about their intentions with Dawson, and, likewise, Dawson was coy right back. Even after he signed with the 49ers, Dawson wouldn't confirm or deny that the Browns made him a contract offer, only to say that once the 49er interest happened, he made that his priority. Likewise, Browns CEO Joe Banner has resisted commenting on the Dawson situation from the end of the season until now.
Somewhat surprisingly, the fan backlash has been more about Dawson than Cribbs. Dawson wasn't as visible as Cribbs was. However, Dawson endeared himself to the fanbase just because he became the lone reliable offensive weapon for so many years.
Dawson left just 73 points shy of matching Groza's record as the Browns' all-time leading scorer. He was also within reach of passing Groza and linebacker Clay Matthews for the most games in a Cleveland Browns' uniform. Instead, he'll be content with sitting second on the scoring list with 1,271 points and third on the games list with 215.
"I think Mr. Groza deserves to be the all-time leading scorer of the Cleveland Browns," Dawson told Cleveland reporters in a conference call the day after he signed with the 49ers. "He's Mr. Cleveland Brown, and I'm happy with that."
After the 2010 season, Dawson was set to become a free agent and seemed ready to move on to the next phase of his football career with a new team. He sold his Westlake home and didn't make a secret about testing the free agency market. He wasn't happy that the Browns weren't offering him a multi-year deal and was starting to get tired of the losing, aching for a chance to kick for a winner while he still had the chance. In fact, the Browns themselves took a moment to honor Dawson during the 2010 season finale.
However, in a surprising move, Holmgren decided to give Dawson the franchise tag that offseason. The move paid him over $3 million a year. Dawson briefly held out, but signed his franchise tender and went out and had a phenomenal 2011 season.
The following year, Holmgren quickly tagged Dawson for the second-year in a row, and Dawson quickly signed the tender. However, with the sale from Randy Lerner to Jimmy Haslam III and the move from Holmgren and Tom Heckert to Banner and Mike Lombardi, Dawson expected that he'd be moving on.
By rule, the Browns couldn't offer him the franchise tag for a third-year-in-a-row. If they did, they'd have to pay him a one-year salary that was an average of the top five overall salaries in the league. No team is going to pay a kicker quarterback money. For that matter, very few teams would pay a kicker over $3 million a year.
Dawson signed a one-year, $2.25 million deal with the 49ers. It was one that the Browns probably easily could have matched, but didn't. Now, Dawson gets a legitimate chance to kick in a Super Bowl (and possibly win). Had he stayed in Cleveland, he likely wouldn't have gotten that chance -- the Browns may not be a legitimate contender until he'd be over 40.
The Browns have been pushing for signing younger players; players in the prime of their careers. Dawson, Cribbs and tight end Ben Watson (who was allowed to walk to the Saints for a three-year deal) are older and may not fit into this braintrusts' immediate plans.
Just a day later, the Browns brought in internet sensation Havard Rugland for a tryout and an interview. Rugland, a Norwegian, posted a video that quickly went viral of him kicking balls a very long way and other trick kicks. They may even spend one of their later-round picks on a kicker like Florida's Caleb Sturgis or Oklahoma State's Quinn Sharp (who also projects to be a punter).
The Browns may already have Cribbs' replacement on the team in second-year speedster Travis Benjamin, who wowed fans with a 93-yard punt return touchdown during a blowout win over Kansas City. However, they do not have a kicker in tow.
Free agents come and go in all three sports. It seems like with Cleveland teams, they go more than they come. A lot of them have been booed with their other teams, with LeBron James leading the charge in that regard. Very few of them continued get cheered.
Dawson may never get a chance to play against the Browns before he retires (the 49ers don't play the Browns again until 2015, and I'd be surprised if they met in a Super Bowl prior to that), but you can bet he'd be cheered if he came back in another uniform.
The only other player I can think of like that was Omar Vizquel. Vizquel was extremely popular in Cleveland, and when he left in free agency following the 2004 season, it was clear that the Indians had no interest in bringing him back.
While Omar was cheered whenever he came back to Jacobs/Progressive Field in an opposing uniform, his replacements at shortstop -- Jhonny Peralta and Asdrubal Cabrera -- have been lightning rods for criticism by fans and the media. Peralta was run out of town; Cabrera came very close to doing so this offseason.
Also, the Indians dispatched Vizquel because he was 37. And yet, he wound up playing eight more seasons for four different franchises, finally retiring at the ripe age of 45 this offseason. Couldn't you see that happening with Dawson?
Whoever becomes the next Browns kicker may have to be perfect (or darn near close) to even attempt to fill Dawson's shoes over the next few seasons. Or else, he (or they) will get booed and heavily criticized.
The Browns don't need another Peralta or Cabrera to replace their version of Omar. They need a Stover to replace their Bahr, or a Dawson to replace their Stover, or a Bahr to replace their Cockroft.
Good luck to whoever the Browns' new kicker will be in 2013 and beyond. I'm afraid you'll need it.
Until next time, remember the Cleveland Rocks!
One arrived at the very beginning with nothing but a promise of an opportunity after being undrafted and failing in two other stints with two other franchises in 1998. In fact, when he won the job, he was given the caveat from then-head coach Chris Palmer -- "We'll go with you for now."
The other arrived in 2005 after a stellar career as a quarterback at Kent State, but went undrafted in seven rounds by every team in the league because no one was really sure where he could excel. With nothing more of a promise to simply "play," he signed with the Browns and found his niche as a kickoff and punt returner.
Today, both Phil Dawson (49ers) and Josh Cribbs (Cardinals, although his failed physical puts his status in limbo) are with different NFL franchises for the first times in their respective NFL careers after both became local folk-heroes based on their performances over the years with the Cleveland Browns.
Cribbs became a perennial Pro Bowler as a returner and special teams player. His eight career kickoff return touchdowns is still an NFL record, even though he hasn't had one since returning three for scores in 2009 -- the best all-around year of his career that finally earned him the payday he had always desired.
Dawson toiled in relative NFL obscurity, mostly because the Browns teams he's played on have largely been mediocre. He was finally rewarded with a berth to the Pro Bowl this past season. I'm sure it had to mean a lot to him that his last game wearing an orange helmet was while wearing the AFC's game jersey in Hawaii.
In fact, Dawson and Cribbs were two of the Browns' three Pro Bowlers this season (the other being perennial Pro Bowl and possible future Hall of Fame tackle Joe Thomas). While that's a great accomplishment, it's also indicative of all the people who have been making decisions here with the Browns from 1999 until now.
The Browns had never used their franchise tag on any player until Dawson became a free agent following the 2010 season. They used it on him again following the 2011 season. While it kept Dawson a Brown for two more seasons and paid him a nice chunk of change for doing so, the fact that the only player in Browns history to be franchised was a kicker is just sad.
The fact that two of the most popular (fanbase-wise) players during the expansion era are a kicker and a special-teamer is also just sad.
Joe Cleveland was not surprised to see either go, although I did hold out hope that Dawson would be brought back at least one more year. Cribbs, on the other hand, I had washed my hands of.
Cribbs' "home run" ability (his ability to change games with long kickoff returns) had waned over the past few years -- ironically, since he finally signed a lucrative contact extension prior to the 2010 season. The contract may have played a part in it. However, changes in NFL rules concerning kickoffs (kicking from the 35, which greatly increased touchbacks) and injuries building up due to his reckless style of play were starting to catch up to him.
Plus, he's 29. You don't see a whole lot of 30-year-old kickoff and punt returners in the NFL. And, with Cribbs, he was never really able to find his niche offensively with the Browns. While that may be a slam on some of the coaches he's had for not better utilizing his playmaking ability, it is also indicative of Cribbs. Perhaps he was just too raw of a project to do much offensively, and us fans were not able to take off the Orange and Brown blinders to see it.
Cribbs endeared himself to Browns fans not just with his big play ability, whether it was returning kickoffs or punts, taking Wildcat snaps on offense, or covering kicks and punts and making big hits, but also with his accessibility. Cribbs became one of the most visible Browns players during his career. Whether he was attending other sporting events in town or Tweeting or visiting local schools or making other public appearances, Cribbs quickly became Mr. Cleveland. Some even compared him to Bernie Kosar, who was also a beloved Cleveland sports icon who fans loved because of his play and his accessibility.
When Cribbs complained about his contract, which he signed shortly into his rookie year, instead of rebelling against him, fans took up for him. "Pay Da Man" became a rallying cry when it came to Cribbs, especially when he backed up his cries for more money with his 2009 season.
Cribbs returned three kickoffs -- two of which in a wild 40-34 win over Kansas City that highlighted a season-ending four-game win streak -- and one punt for a touchdown during that Pro Bowl season. He also carried the ball a career-best 55 times for 381 yards (mostly out of the Wildcat formation) and one touchdown, and added 20 receptions for 135 yards and another score. The 20 catches, at the time, were his season-best and exceeded his career reception total by four. He was rewarded with his second Pro Bowl berth, and incoming president Mike Holmgren tore up the remaining three years on his rookie contract and gave him a big pay raise.
In the three years since, Cribbs only returned one punt for a touchdown. While he set a career-high with 41 receptions for 518 yards and 4 scores in 2011, he became an offensive afterthought in 2012. In fact, 2012 was the first season in his eight-year career that he was held without a single touchdown (although he did catch a TD pass in the Pro Bowl).
Cribbs could be a bit of a "drama queen" in the locker room, complaining about playcalling, his contract, his coaches, etc. Especially on a team that was losing a lot more than it won, it could become an unwanted distraction.
Dawson, on the other hand, seemed to be getting better with age. After missing five games due to injury in 2009, Dawson became one of the NFL's most reliable kickers over the past three years, especially from long range. Which is interesting because the knock on Dawson early in his career was that he did not possess the leg to consistently hit deep field goals or touchbacks.
His 29 field goals this past season was one off his career-high for field goals in a season (30 in 2008), and his 29-of-31 performance gave him the highest field goal percentage (single-season) of his career (93.5 percent, which exceeded his 93.1 in 2005. He was also 7-of-7 on kicks longer than 50 yards, which was by far his best percentage from that distance and matched the 7 50-plus yarders he made in 2011 for the most in his career.
Dawson was old reliable, which was big because many times over the years, the Browns' offense had difficulty putting the ball in the end zone. It seemed like coaches would get conservative in the red zone because they knew Dawson would give them a guaranteed three points on each drive.
One thing the Browns have had extremely good luck with in their storied 66 years as a franchise was finding good kickers. From the great Lou "The Toe" Groza during all but one season from 1946-67 to Don Cockroft to Matt Bahr to Matt Stover to Dawson, you can trace the kicker lineage fairly quickly. Sure, there were a few blips on the radar -- Sam Baker in 1960, Dave Jacobs in 1981, Jerry Kauric in 1990, Jeff Jaeger in 1988, and even Dawson was replaced twice by Brett Conway (2003) and Billy Cundiff (2009) due to injuries -- but for the most part, kicker has been the one rock-solid position the Browns have had. Especially during the expansion era, when you consider Dawson has been the last remaining regular player from that rag-tag group of 1999'ers.
While the Browns made no secret about their desire to walk away from Cribbs (and Cribbs made no secret about his desire to come back) this offseason, the situation with Dawson is still pretty questionable.
The Browns were pretty coy about their intentions with Dawson, and, likewise, Dawson was coy right back. Even after he signed with the 49ers, Dawson wouldn't confirm or deny that the Browns made him a contract offer, only to say that once the 49er interest happened, he made that his priority. Likewise, Browns CEO Joe Banner has resisted commenting on the Dawson situation from the end of the season until now.
Somewhat surprisingly, the fan backlash has been more about Dawson than Cribbs. Dawson wasn't as visible as Cribbs was. However, Dawson endeared himself to the fanbase just because he became the lone reliable offensive weapon for so many years.
Dawson left just 73 points shy of matching Groza's record as the Browns' all-time leading scorer. He was also within reach of passing Groza and linebacker Clay Matthews for the most games in a Cleveland Browns' uniform. Instead, he'll be content with sitting second on the scoring list with 1,271 points and third on the games list with 215.
"I think Mr. Groza deserves to be the all-time leading scorer of the Cleveland Browns," Dawson told Cleveland reporters in a conference call the day after he signed with the 49ers. "He's Mr. Cleveland Brown, and I'm happy with that."
After the 2010 season, Dawson was set to become a free agent and seemed ready to move on to the next phase of his football career with a new team. He sold his Westlake home and didn't make a secret about testing the free agency market. He wasn't happy that the Browns weren't offering him a multi-year deal and was starting to get tired of the losing, aching for a chance to kick for a winner while he still had the chance. In fact, the Browns themselves took a moment to honor Dawson during the 2010 season finale.
However, in a surprising move, Holmgren decided to give Dawson the franchise tag that offseason. The move paid him over $3 million a year. Dawson briefly held out, but signed his franchise tender and went out and had a phenomenal 2011 season.
The following year, Holmgren quickly tagged Dawson for the second-year in a row, and Dawson quickly signed the tender. However, with the sale from Randy Lerner to Jimmy Haslam III and the move from Holmgren and Tom Heckert to Banner and Mike Lombardi, Dawson expected that he'd be moving on.
By rule, the Browns couldn't offer him the franchise tag for a third-year-in-a-row. If they did, they'd have to pay him a one-year salary that was an average of the top five overall salaries in the league. No team is going to pay a kicker quarterback money. For that matter, very few teams would pay a kicker over $3 million a year.
Dawson signed a one-year, $2.25 million deal with the 49ers. It was one that the Browns probably easily could have matched, but didn't. Now, Dawson gets a legitimate chance to kick in a Super Bowl (and possibly win). Had he stayed in Cleveland, he likely wouldn't have gotten that chance -- the Browns may not be a legitimate contender until he'd be over 40.
The Browns have been pushing for signing younger players; players in the prime of their careers. Dawson, Cribbs and tight end Ben Watson (who was allowed to walk to the Saints for a three-year deal) are older and may not fit into this braintrusts' immediate plans.
Just a day later, the Browns brought in internet sensation Havard Rugland for a tryout and an interview. Rugland, a Norwegian, posted a video that quickly went viral of him kicking balls a very long way and other trick kicks. They may even spend one of their later-round picks on a kicker like Florida's Caleb Sturgis or Oklahoma State's Quinn Sharp (who also projects to be a punter).
The Browns may already have Cribbs' replacement on the team in second-year speedster Travis Benjamin, who wowed fans with a 93-yard punt return touchdown during a blowout win over Kansas City. However, they do not have a kicker in tow.
Free agents come and go in all three sports. It seems like with Cleveland teams, they go more than they come. A lot of them have been booed with their other teams, with LeBron James leading the charge in that regard. Very few of them continued get cheered.
Dawson may never get a chance to play against the Browns before he retires (the 49ers don't play the Browns again until 2015, and I'd be surprised if they met in a Super Bowl prior to that), but you can bet he'd be cheered if he came back in another uniform.
The only other player I can think of like that was Omar Vizquel. Vizquel was extremely popular in Cleveland, and when he left in free agency following the 2004 season, it was clear that the Indians had no interest in bringing him back.
While Omar was cheered whenever he came back to Jacobs/Progressive Field in an opposing uniform, his replacements at shortstop -- Jhonny Peralta and Asdrubal Cabrera -- have been lightning rods for criticism by fans and the media. Peralta was run out of town; Cabrera came very close to doing so this offseason.
Also, the Indians dispatched Vizquel because he was 37. And yet, he wound up playing eight more seasons for four different franchises, finally retiring at the ripe age of 45 this offseason. Couldn't you see that happening with Dawson?
Whoever becomes the next Browns kicker may have to be perfect (or darn near close) to even attempt to fill Dawson's shoes over the next few seasons. Or else, he (or they) will get booed and heavily criticized.
The Browns don't need another Peralta or Cabrera to replace their version of Omar. They need a Stover to replace their Bahr, or a Dawson to replace their Stover, or a Bahr to replace their Cockroft.
Good luck to whoever the Browns' new kicker will be in 2013 and beyond. I'm afraid you'll need it.
Until next time, remember the Cleveland Rocks!
Friday, March 15, 2013
The forgotten man
Not many people would respond to this job opening:
"NFL team with new ownership group of a formerly storied franchise seeking new general manager/personnel director that will be hired after the head coach and will report directly to the CEO. If you've had a disasterous tenure with this franchise before, so be it. You will likely be blamed when/if things fail and just be considered 'part of the process' when/if things succeed. Please contact Jimmy Haslam III and Joe Banner with your interest at 76 Lou Groza Blvd., Berea, OH."
In fact, only two known candidates did emerge. One wound up being hired to be the assistant general manager -- Ray Farmer. The other got the job -- Mike Lombardi.
Lombardi must have been desperate for any NFL job after five years of exile, being relegated to a talking head on television, serving as an "NFL insider" of sorts.
He must have been desperate to know that that job opening was in Cleveland, where he worked in the early 1990s with Bill Belichick and managed to anger media members and fans so bad, that 17 years after the franchise moved to Baltimore and he was told to not come along for the ride, they still held anger and resentment whenever his name came up or he appeared on the radio or television.
He must have been desperate to go to a team that he did nothing but trash from his perch on TV, questioning the moves to acquire several players that are still on the team and that he'll have to look in the eye at team headquarters -- if he ever appears.
He must have been desperate to know that he'll never get credit for anything that goes right with the Browns, but if things go wrong, Banner would not hesitate to hold his carcass in front of him so it can be riddled with bullets from the media, season ticket holders, fans and his own boss, Haslam.
Lombardi is in such a no-win situation that, even when it gets announced that his job title changes from Vice President of Player Personnel to General Manager, he doesn't get to answer questions about it and only a hastily called conference call by Banner would address it.
Lombardi had to feel good to beat out Farmer for the job, but then had to recoil when Farmer was added to the front office and given the title of his assistant. Looks like the Browns have already lined up his replacement, and he's only been on the job for a few months.
Since his disasterous introductary press conference, where the press came out firing with 17 years of pent up ammunition at him, Banner and Haslam, Lombardi has not made a public appearance with his new team.
When the Browns went to the NFL Combine, the only personnel made available to the media were Banner and new head coach Rob Chudzinski. No Lombardi.
When the Browns made their first free agent signings this week -- Ravens linebacker Paul Kruger, Raiders defensive lineman Desmond Bryant and Cardinals linebacker Quinton Groves -- Banner and Chudzinski sat in front of the press with the players and discussed the signings. The general manager? Nowhere to be found.
This week, the Browns sent out their forms to season ticket holders seeking their renewal. On the first page of the pamphlet was a photo of Haslam and Banner together. Below it were photos of Chudzinski, offensive coordinator Norv Turner and defensive coordinator Ray Horton.
Guess who's photo wasn't included? Guess who's name wasn't even mentioned?
Yep, Lombardi.
Perhaps Haslam and Banner didn't realize the deep resentment attached to Lombardi in this region until they actually hired him. But it seems pretty certain that Haslam and Banner have gone out of their way to deemphsize his role within the organization, even with an upgraded title to GM.
The hiring of Farmer didn't come until AFTER Lombardi's grilling by the press. The only way they could hire him was to give him a "promotion," so they had to give him the title of assistant GM. However, there was no official GM, so Lombardi was given the title. So, it seems they begrudgingly gave Lombardi a title only so Farmer could join their front office.
How's that for a ringing vote of confidence?
Lombardi appears to be on a very short leash. The media is just waiting, like dogs salivating over a piece of steak, for Lombardi to screw up so they can tear him apart.
Perhaps Lombardi was brought on as nothing more than a glorified fall guy for Banner and Chudzinski. Think about it.
Banner's dour personality (some say he resembles the Dr. No character from the James Bond movies) did not sit well with Eagles fans, and it was starting to rub some Browns fans the wrong way. Perhaps Banner needed someone who was reviled even worse to make him look better, the Ugly Duckling Theory, if you will.
Browns fans have also been notoriously unkind to head coaches, especially those who came in without any head coaching experience. The last two head coaches -- Eric Mangini and Pat Shurmur -- each barely last two seasons in Cleveland, with the buzzards circling their carcasses even before that second year began.
The only coach to take the Browns to the playoffs during the expansion era -- Butch Davis -- didn't even last four full seasons, resigning with five games left in 2004 due to "panic attacks." Terry Robiskie only won his final game as the interim head coach that year and was so lightly regarded around the NFL, he took a demotion to wide receivers coach when Romeo Crennel was hired.
Crennel lasted four full seasons, but always seemed to be dodging bullets. Only an out-of-nowhere 10-6 2007 season bought him an extension, but when his team slumped to 4-12 the following year and the general manager who hired him, Phil Savage, became an embarassment, he was shown the door.
Some Browns fans were ready to jump on Chudzinski when he was hired, especially when Haslam and Banner talked a lot about seeking a "dynamic leader" to be the head coach. This, despite Chudzinski being a native Ohioan who not only grew up a diehard Browns fan, but was moderately successful in his two previous stints as a Browns assistant coach.
With a figure so reviled like Lombardi in the building, suddenly fan sentiment has softened on Chud. Sure, his hiring of proven commodoties like Turner and Horton to run his offense and defense didn't hurt one bit. But, with the human shield in the building, Chud may not take as many bullets. If his team doesn't get off to a great start, unlike Mangini, Shurmur and every other head coach that preceeded them, Chud won't have to be the fall guy or the target.
I have a feeling that, win or lose, Lombardi won't last very long with the Browns organization. As someone with a large ego, I'm sure it has to bother him to be used as somewhat of a foil in this organization. Even if the Browns do very well this season, Lombardi could leave with his reputation somewhat intact and say that he was only here "to help this regime get off the ground" and go back to the comforts of TV or to another team that will let him be the dominant voice of the organization.
Sure, even though most fans and media know that Banner is the lead voice in the football organization, you don't think they'll pass up the opportunity to rip Lombardi a new one if any of the free agent signings fail to pan out or they have a bad draft? There are some members of the media (one rhymes with Bony Schmossi) who would take personal delight in running Lombardi out of town for the second time, even knowingly overlooking the Banner factor.
This is the hell that is Lombardi's second tenure as the Browns' general manager/director of personnel. He asked for it, and he's going to get it. And, Joe Cleveland certainly doesn't feel sorry for him.
This is what you get when you compile a video list of lowlights and embarassing plays on company time just so you can run a beloved quarterback and ambassador to the town out of it. Joe Cleveland ddn't forget, and neither did a lot of Browns fans and media, apparently.
Happy hunting!
Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!
"NFL team with new ownership group of a formerly storied franchise seeking new general manager/personnel director that will be hired after the head coach and will report directly to the CEO. If you've had a disasterous tenure with this franchise before, so be it. You will likely be blamed when/if things fail and just be considered 'part of the process' when/if things succeed. Please contact Jimmy Haslam III and Joe Banner with your interest at 76 Lou Groza Blvd., Berea, OH."
In fact, only two known candidates did emerge. One wound up being hired to be the assistant general manager -- Ray Farmer. The other got the job -- Mike Lombardi.
Lombardi must have been desperate for any NFL job after five years of exile, being relegated to a talking head on television, serving as an "NFL insider" of sorts.
He must have been desperate to know that that job opening was in Cleveland, where he worked in the early 1990s with Bill Belichick and managed to anger media members and fans so bad, that 17 years after the franchise moved to Baltimore and he was told to not come along for the ride, they still held anger and resentment whenever his name came up or he appeared on the radio or television.
He must have been desperate to go to a team that he did nothing but trash from his perch on TV, questioning the moves to acquire several players that are still on the team and that he'll have to look in the eye at team headquarters -- if he ever appears.
He must have been desperate to know that he'll never get credit for anything that goes right with the Browns, but if things go wrong, Banner would not hesitate to hold his carcass in front of him so it can be riddled with bullets from the media, season ticket holders, fans and his own boss, Haslam.
Lombardi is in such a no-win situation that, even when it gets announced that his job title changes from Vice President of Player Personnel to General Manager, he doesn't get to answer questions about it and only a hastily called conference call by Banner would address it.
Lombardi had to feel good to beat out Farmer for the job, but then had to recoil when Farmer was added to the front office and given the title of his assistant. Looks like the Browns have already lined up his replacement, and he's only been on the job for a few months.
Since his disasterous introductary press conference, where the press came out firing with 17 years of pent up ammunition at him, Banner and Haslam, Lombardi has not made a public appearance with his new team.
When the Browns went to the NFL Combine, the only personnel made available to the media were Banner and new head coach Rob Chudzinski. No Lombardi.
When the Browns made their first free agent signings this week -- Ravens linebacker Paul Kruger, Raiders defensive lineman Desmond Bryant and Cardinals linebacker Quinton Groves -- Banner and Chudzinski sat in front of the press with the players and discussed the signings. The general manager? Nowhere to be found.
This week, the Browns sent out their forms to season ticket holders seeking their renewal. On the first page of the pamphlet was a photo of Haslam and Banner together. Below it were photos of Chudzinski, offensive coordinator Norv Turner and defensive coordinator Ray Horton.
Guess who's photo wasn't included? Guess who's name wasn't even mentioned?
Yep, Lombardi.
Perhaps Haslam and Banner didn't realize the deep resentment attached to Lombardi in this region until they actually hired him. But it seems pretty certain that Haslam and Banner have gone out of their way to deemphsize his role within the organization, even with an upgraded title to GM.
The hiring of Farmer didn't come until AFTER Lombardi's grilling by the press. The only way they could hire him was to give him a "promotion," so they had to give him the title of assistant GM. However, there was no official GM, so Lombardi was given the title. So, it seems they begrudgingly gave Lombardi a title only so Farmer could join their front office.
How's that for a ringing vote of confidence?
Lombardi appears to be on a very short leash. The media is just waiting, like dogs salivating over a piece of steak, for Lombardi to screw up so they can tear him apart.
Perhaps Lombardi was brought on as nothing more than a glorified fall guy for Banner and Chudzinski. Think about it.
Banner's dour personality (some say he resembles the Dr. No character from the James Bond movies) did not sit well with Eagles fans, and it was starting to rub some Browns fans the wrong way. Perhaps Banner needed someone who was reviled even worse to make him look better, the Ugly Duckling Theory, if you will.
Browns fans have also been notoriously unkind to head coaches, especially those who came in without any head coaching experience. The last two head coaches -- Eric Mangini and Pat Shurmur -- each barely last two seasons in Cleveland, with the buzzards circling their carcasses even before that second year began.
The only coach to take the Browns to the playoffs during the expansion era -- Butch Davis -- didn't even last four full seasons, resigning with five games left in 2004 due to "panic attacks." Terry Robiskie only won his final game as the interim head coach that year and was so lightly regarded around the NFL, he took a demotion to wide receivers coach when Romeo Crennel was hired.
Crennel lasted four full seasons, but always seemed to be dodging bullets. Only an out-of-nowhere 10-6 2007 season bought him an extension, but when his team slumped to 4-12 the following year and the general manager who hired him, Phil Savage, became an embarassment, he was shown the door.
Some Browns fans were ready to jump on Chudzinski when he was hired, especially when Haslam and Banner talked a lot about seeking a "dynamic leader" to be the head coach. This, despite Chudzinski being a native Ohioan who not only grew up a diehard Browns fan, but was moderately successful in his two previous stints as a Browns assistant coach.
With a figure so reviled like Lombardi in the building, suddenly fan sentiment has softened on Chud. Sure, his hiring of proven commodoties like Turner and Horton to run his offense and defense didn't hurt one bit. But, with the human shield in the building, Chud may not take as many bullets. If his team doesn't get off to a great start, unlike Mangini, Shurmur and every other head coach that preceeded them, Chud won't have to be the fall guy or the target.
I have a feeling that, win or lose, Lombardi won't last very long with the Browns organization. As someone with a large ego, I'm sure it has to bother him to be used as somewhat of a foil in this organization. Even if the Browns do very well this season, Lombardi could leave with his reputation somewhat intact and say that he was only here "to help this regime get off the ground" and go back to the comforts of TV or to another team that will let him be the dominant voice of the organization.
Sure, even though most fans and media know that Banner is the lead voice in the football organization, you don't think they'll pass up the opportunity to rip Lombardi a new one if any of the free agent signings fail to pan out or they have a bad draft? There are some members of the media (one rhymes with Bony Schmossi) who would take personal delight in running Lombardi out of town for the second time, even knowingly overlooking the Banner factor.
This is the hell that is Lombardi's second tenure as the Browns' general manager/director of personnel. He asked for it, and he's going to get it. And, Joe Cleveland certainly doesn't feel sorry for him.
This is what you get when you compile a video list of lowlights and embarassing plays on company time just so you can run a beloved quarterback and ambassador to the town out of it. Joe Cleveland ddn't forget, and neither did a lot of Browns fans and media, apparently.
Happy hunting!
Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!
Sunday, February 10, 2013
A little bit of this ...
Today marks the first Sunday without football since September. Mrs. Joe Cleveland calls this a "holiday" for herself, since she's survived another football season with me.
On this day, we can take a look at the three pro teams in Cleveland and see how they stand or what's to come. That, and I realized I've done nothing but write about the Browns in this blog for the last three months, and "Joe Cleveland" was supposed to encompass the entire sporting scene in Northeast Ohio. So, let's take a whirlwind look at our three pro teams, starting with the only one that's currently playing, the Cavs:
CAVS
The Cavs were in the midst of another forgettable and miserable season "A.L." (aka "After LeBron") when things suddenly began to click.
It started when GM Chris Grant traded a stiff journeyman named Jon Leuer to the Memphis Grizzlies for Marreese Speights, Wayne Ellington, Josh Selby (who was demoted to Canton) and a future first-round pick. Speights has been a force for the Cavs since coming here on Jan. 22, picking up the slack for the injured Anderson Varejao down low, while Ellington has been a solid contributor off the bench adding some depth to the guard positions.
Suddenly, coach Byron Scott has a bench he can trust to give his superstar point guard Kyrie Irving a breather now and then.
The Cavs are still pretty miserable at 16-33, but they've put together two three-game winning streaks since the deal, including a huge 115-110 win at Quicken Loans Arena against defending NBA runner-up Oklahoma City (who currently have the best record in the NBA) and have gone 7-4 since Jan. 16.
They have two more home games before the All-Star Break, in which Irving may become the East's starting point guard due to the season-ending injury to Rajon Rondo and Irving, Deon Waiters, Tristan Thompson and Tyler Zeller are all members of the Rising Stars game held during the weekend. Irving will also take part in the 3-Point Shootout as well.
The Cavs are interested in signing former Ohio State 7-footer Greg Oden (the former No. 1 overall pick who hasn't played since 2009 due to chronic knee injuries) and could sign him after Feb. 22 for the next two seasons. If Oden is healthy, he could be a huge coup for this young team.
And, of course, the rumors about "you know who" coming back to Cleveland during the summer of 2014 continue to pick up traction. A few published reports have said that LeBron James winning the NBA title last year with the Heat means that "his job there is accomplished," and that he's looking for the next challenge. According to several close to LeBron, he still has a "soft spot" for Northeast Ohio and the fans and would "love nothing more" than to come back and deliver on his promise to bring a championship to his hometown.
Of course, other reports link him to the Lakers to pick up the slack from Kobe Bryant, who is on the downside of his career, and the Knicks, Bulls and Brooklyn Nets are always speculated destinations when it comes to him. It could be another circus all over again as fans await "The Decision II."
For the Cavs to become serious players, they'd need to improve on the court, starting now. The playoffs aren't likely for this season, but anything less than the playoffs in the 2013-14 season would seriously diminish their prospects. Why would the best player in the NBA come to a team that has been a perennial loser since he left following the 2009-10 season?
The team he'd be coming back to would, arguably, have the most and deepest talent he's ever seen. Irving would be a bonafide superstar by then at point guard, and Thompson, Waiters and Zeller should continue improving. If Oden bounces back, that's another bonus, and if Varejao can shake off the injury bug, that's more depth.
Speights could be dealt before the deadline for more picks, with speculation that he might want to opt out of his contract. If he stays, he's another piece to make it that much more enticing for James to come back.
Joe Cleveland, for one, isn't ready to buy into this hype. LeBron still has some apologies to make and some explaining to do. And, it could be another giant ruse where he plays Cleveland and signs with L.A. or New York (which I'm sure the NBA would love for him to do). Fool me once, shame on you; fool my twice, shame on me.
Joe Cleveland's not ready to get fooled again, so I'll believe LeBron James becomes a Cleveland Cavalier again when it actually happens. Until then, hopefully the young nucleus we've put together continues to improve and be ready for a playoff run of their own.
It does seem like this team is becoming more entertaining to watch lately, which is nice. They have the sports landscape all to themselves until April (with some offseason stuff by the Browns and spring training by the Indians to contend with), so let's see how they do.
INDIANS:
To say Joe Cleveland's been impressed by what the Indians have done this offseason would be an understatement.
The hiring of veteran skipper Terry Francona was an incredible hiring that immediately gives the Tribe a credible voice in the clubhouse. According to Francona, if the Indians didn't hire him, he'd return to ESPN, so the fact that this two-time World Series winner wanted to be here is huge.
Francona's presense has helped the Indians make their biggest free agency spash in many years, signing Ohio State standout Nick Swisher to a $57 million contract to play the outfield/first base for the next four seasons. Swisher could quickly become a fan-favorite based on his local ties and the way he carries himself on and off the field, and he gives the Tribe a credible bat they've been lacking in the middle of their order for the last few years.
Coupled with the signing of Mark Reynolds to play first base and DH -- a classic power hitter who can hit the ball a country mile but tends to strikeout whenever he doesn't -- is another big bat this team has been sorely lacking and gives the team a solid stick at a position that's been lacking that big bopper for a long time. Carlos Santana should be a happy guy with that type of protection in the lineup.
The Tribe dealt Shin-Soo Choo, an impending free agent who had no desire to re-sign here, to the Reds in a three-team deal that landed, among others, speedy outfielder Drew Stubbs and promising pitching prospect Trevor Bauer, along with some solid bullpen arms. Stubbs could be a presense either at the top or very bottom of the lineup, and Bauer could be a promising starter for many years (although speculation has him starting the season at Columbus).
Of course, it wouldn't be a Tribe offseason without some bargain-basement minor-league signings of retread, oft-injured players. The Tribe just finished signing former steriod cheat Jason Giambi and oft-injured former Japanese phenom Daiskue Matsuzaka to similar deals, while also signing pitchers Matt Capps and Scott Kazmir to those types of deals earlier in the offseason.
It baffles me that Paul and Larry Dolan, after selling their fledgling network SportsTime Ohio to FOX Sports for $250 million and getting additional money for the broadcast rights to their games, they wouldn't invest more of that windfall into their team. Sure, signing Swisher was a big one that normally wouldn't happen under this regime. However, it looks like the Dolans are going to pocket as much as they can to turn whatever kind of profit they can while still crying the poorhouse blues to their front office and the media and the Indians' fan base.
Hopefully, this spurs them on to sell off their last remaining asset, the Cleveland Indians themselves, winding up in the black and being away from the business of running a professional sports franchise. We can only hope.
Until then, we can hope that the Indians make enough moves to keep themselves relevent. Their pitching is still suspect, with the shaky Justin Masterson, the even worse Ubaldo Jimenez and the converted closer Brett Myers as the top three starters, and Matsuzaka and Kazmir in the mix with Carlos Carrasco (returning from Tommy John surgery), Corey Kluber and even Bauer.
At the very least, the Indians should be more entertaining than they've been in the past. Perhaps they won't flirt with 100 losses this year.
However, even with a high-profile manager and a high-profile free agent signing, this team will still struggle to win 81 games this season. Hopefully, they can turn Asdrubal Cabrera (who always mails in the second half and has been an attitude problem) and Chris Perez (enough said) into some more positive assets to help this team improve.
BROWNS:
The first offseason of the Jimmy Haslam-Joe Banner era has begun, with defensive end Frostee Rucker being released before his contract kicked in. Rucker, who signed a large contract with Tom Heckert last season as a key defensive end in their 4-3 scheme, was expendable thanks to the switch to the 3-4.
While the Browns have some significant holes to fill, especially in the defensive secondary and may have to replace both their punter and kicker (I hope not on the latter's sake; I'm a big Phil Dawson fan), the quarterback talk is fired up once again.
Haslam, Banner, Mike Lombardi and head coach Rob Chudzinski have been non-committal to Brandon Weeden's future as the Browns' starting quarterback. Haslam said he wants to bring in someone to provide competition and "push" Weeden for the job.
There's competition, and then there's an outright successor. If the Browns make a run at (and sign) former 49ers No. 1 overall pick and starting quarterback Alex Smith, either via trade or through free agency if Smith is released, Smith will be the starting quarterback, hand's down.
It will take a large salary to pluck Smith from other suitors. As it is, he has a large contract that he signed with the Niners prior to this season, so if you decide to part with draft picks or other assets, you will still have to pay him. You don't pay a quarterback a large salary and then have him "compete" with the starter from last year.
Some Browns fans are hoping they make a run at free agent Joe Flacco. However, the Ravens will franshise Flacco before he even gets a chance to test the market. Sure, the Browns could try to sign him to a big offer sheet that Baltimore would have to match to drive up his price (the Browns have the cap room to do it), but I doubt that happens. As it is, the Ravens will have to part with several assets to sign Flacco to the huge contract that he will command (he was the real winner of this Super Bowl based off of that), so it looks like this was Baltimore's one chance to win a title. It may be another 12 years before the Ravens get back to a Super Bowl (like the gap was the last time), so enjoy the title while it lasts, Baltimore.
Smith is really the only other starting-calibur QB that could be available on the open market. Other veterans that could be available, such as Matt Moore, Derek Anderson (please, God, hell no!), Matt Cassel, Brian Hoyer, Brady Quinn (see the Anderson comment), Tim Tebow or Kevin Kolb would fit Haslam's description of "competition" for Weeden.
Michael Vick would be a dumb decision, and not just because of his baggage and the PR nightmare that is a convisted dog killer playing in front of fans who sit in a section called the Dawg Pound. Vick is an old 33. His skills are clearly diminishing. He's taken too many hits to be at his best, which is using his legs along with his arm to beat you. The two-year layoff for prison may have given Vick an extended life, but it was clear that he's taken a beating with the Eagles over the last three years. Banner was the person who sold the Eagles' organization on signing Vick upon his release from prison, but Banner would be foolish to think that the 29-year-old Vick is the same as the 33-year-old Vick.
I, for one, believe that Weeden deserves another chance. I think Chudzinski's and Norv Turner's vertical-based offense fits Weeden's skill set like a glove and that he can truly be "coached up." I think Colt McCoy will be let go, as will Thaddeus Lewis (both are more West Coast-style quarterbacks), which is why I think they go shopping for a new signal-caller, if only to provide a new backup.
There's no one in the draft that is worthy. The supplemental pick of Josh Gordon cust the Browns their second-round pick (which would have been sixth-overall in that round), so they have to make their first-round selection (No. 6 overall) count. The deficiancies of the defense, along with the weakness of this quarterback class, should dissuade them from reaching on a Mike Glennon or a Matt Barkley. Stick with Dee Millner of Alabama and be happy, or look at trading down to get lower in the first and add a second-rounder.
If the Browns give up on Weeden, it essentially makes Tom Heckert's decision to trade down with Atlanta so they could acquire Julio Jones two years ago a horrible decision. Weeden was taken with Atlanta's first-rounder last year. With the four picks they acquired, the Browns essentially acquired nose tackle Phil Taylor, wide receiver Greg Little, fullback Owen Marecic and Weeden, and used the other pick to move up to get Trent Richardson. Meanwhile, Jones made his first Pro Bowl this season and has emerged as a stud wideout that the Browns have been seeking since Braylon Edwards displayed an occasional flash of brilliance.
Some fans are up in arms about the switch from a 4-3 base defense to a 3-4, but I'm not as angry about it. I think we're all a little concerned about the last time we made this switch, and Romeo Crennel (and later Eric Mangin) continued to forcefeed their bland 3-4 onto the Browns that never seemed to be built correctly for the scheme. What's funny is the switch to the 4-3 under Pat Shurmur and Dick Jauron almost seemed seemless.
Ray Horton's 3-4 scheme isn't as bland and predictable as Crennel's and Mangini's was. Horton's scheme should be adapted fairly easily by the existing personnel. In fact, you can say that if they remained a 4-3, they would have still have had to fill the same holes on defense (linebackers and secondary) this year that they have to with the 3-4.
Free agency will get underway the second week of March. Haslam cautioned against any "splasy" signings. However, I think they will be active and try to acquire some pieces that can make an impact on this team. Unlike the last two years, where Heckert and Holmgren essentially ignored the free agent market, I think that changes this year.
We'll see what happens.
MISCELLANEOUS:
<> It was good to see Ohio State reel in a No. 1, 2 or 3 recruiting class (depending on which service you trust) this month after National Signing Day. Urban Meyer only had a few months to bring in a top freshman class last season. With the benefit of a full season under his belt, Meyer showed why he is one of the best college coaches/recruitors in the country.
I don't buy into the hype about recruiting classes. How often to you see a "can't miss" high school, blue-chip senior fade into obscurity while the guy who accepted the final scholarship become one of the best players in the country? A lot, actually. I don't follow the recruiting scene or anything like that. All I know is the Buckeyes did farily well on paper, and that's encouraging for this season and beyond.
<> The Ravens winning the Super Bowl last Sunday was the lesser of two evils, in my opinion. The fact that the Hall of Fame shut the door on Art Modell again (and did it as decisively as they did back in 2001) tells me that his chances have greatly diminished in the future.
Modell's best chance may have been this year. With the dirt over his grave still fresh and his former franchise making a Super Bowl run, Modell became a hot name. Baltimore made a full-court press to promote his candidacy, while Cleveland did one to diminish his candidacy. Modell's name was the second-longest debate among the 16 candidates, and his name was the first one to get cut from 15 to 10 regardless.
I got into a very heated argument about the subject with my dad and one of my uncles during the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, we can be a very stubborn family. There's no reasoning with us. They believe that the City of Cleveland was at the most fault. I've stated my case as to why it was Modell's fault. Somewhere in the middle lies the truth.
The voters did the right thing. Part of me believes that, ultimately, the location will keep Modell out. If the Hall of Fame was in Hershey, PA., or somewhere like that, Modell probably would have already got in. But because the Hall of Fame is in Canton, right in Browns Country, it may be his undoing.
<> Baltimore liked to bring up the fact that there are several team owners in the Hall of Fame that moved their franchises, such as Lamar Hunt, Al Davis, George Preston Marshall and Dan Reeves. Reeves, in fact, moved his Rams franchise from Cleveland to Los Angeles following the 1945 season.
Allow Joe Cleveland to dissect each one, starting with Reeves.
Reeves was a Cleveland businessman who bought the Cleveland Rams in 1941, but struggled during his ownership. The Rams never had a definite home stadium, alternating between League Park and Cleveland Stadium, and even had to suspend operations in 1943 due to a shortage of players during World War II. Thanks to rookie quarterback Bob Waterfield, who wound up winning the NFL's MVP award, the Rams turned it around in 1945 and won the NFL Championship with a 15-14 win over Sammy Baugh and the Washington Redskins. But, Reeves convinced the NFL to let him leave Clevveland for the West Coast.
The news that Paul Brown was going to be involved with a new professional football franchise in Cleveland in a new league starting in 1946, and that team (which would called the Browns) already locked down a lease to play in Cleveland Stadium, along with the untapped resourses of Los Angeles, gave Reeves the reason he needed to relocate. The move was met with little resistance from Clevelanders, who were gaga over the new Browns (and justifiably so -- the Browns won the AAFC title all four years, won the NFL title their first year in the league and reached 10 consecutive championship games their first 10 years of existance, winning seven). The Rams came back to Cleveland for the 1950 NFL Championship Game (losing a thrilling 30-28 game) and beat the Browns in L.A. in 1951.
Reeves ultimately got in because he had the foresight to take advantage of the West Coast, which helped the NFL blossom, broke the NFL's color barrior in 1946 with the signing of Kenny Washington and Woody Strode, and hired a young executive named Pete Rozelle who wound up becoming the NFL commissioner in 1960.
Hunt was the founder of the American Football League. For that alone, he deserves to be enshrined into the Hall of Fame.
Hunt moved his team from Dallas (known as the Texans) to Kansas City following the 1962 season (and the Texans winning the AFL title) because his team couldn't compete financially with the more stable NFL Cowboys, which debuted the same year as his Texans did. To help the league succeed, Hunt sacrificed his home market and found a viable market in Kansas City. The move did help the league thrive, as the newly-christened Chiefs became one of the AFL's most recognizable franchises.
Marshall was a notorious bigot who stubbornly refused to break the NFL's color line until 1961, when he acquired Bobby Mitchell from the Browns (who wound up making the Hall of Fame himself). Marshall might not have gotten into the Hall of Fame today if he was still on the outside looking in.
However, Marshall is enshrined because several of his innovations, such as pushing for the forward pass to be legal from anywhere beyond the line of scrimmage, moving the goal posts to the goal-line (which was changed back to the end line in 1974), and pushing for a standardized schedule for each team, defined what the NFL became.
The Redskins were initially called the Boston Braves, having shared Braves Park with the baseball Boston Braves. A year into Marshall's tenure, he moved the team to Fenway Park and called the Redskins. However, he moved to the Nation's Capital in 1937, citing the need to put an NFL presence in the capital. It was also the NFL's southern-most market until they expanded to Dallas in 1960, and Marshall kept his teams lily white to appeal to the Southerners (or so he said). Marshall also found it difficult for his team to succeed in the baseball-mad Boston area, and when football returned in 1959 with the AFL's Boston Patriots, they had a tough time gaining a foothold in the market.
Finally, Davis, the most notorious mover of them all. Davis is enshrined mostly because of how he helped the AFL blossom from a fly-by-night operation into a legitimate rival to the NFL, which necessitated the merger. He was the NFL's most controversial owner, suing the league and Pete Rozelle many times during his tenure. However, he built the Raiders' organization into one of the most respected organizations in football during the 1960s through the early 2000s, reaching the Super Bowl in four different decades and winning three of them.
While Davis moved his team twice (and both more recently than the other three men I've mentioned), both moves were within the same state. After the Rams left L.A. for a stadium in suburban Anaheim, Davis sued the NFL in 1980 to move into the vacated L.A. stadium. He won the suit in 1982 and moved to Los Angeles. In the late 1990s, he sued again to move back to Oakland, and then sued after the move claiming that he still had control of the L.A. market.
It would be like if Modell decided to move the Browns to Columbus (which almost happened. If Modell was forced to stay, Cleveland was prepared to build a new stadium. They would have torn down the old stadium and had the Browns play at Ohio Stadium while the new stadium was built).
So, of the owners in the Hall of Fame who moved, the most comporable to what Modell did was Davis, and Davis didn't exactly move to another state when he moved the Raiders.
<> The best collegiate basketball team in the state of Ohio may not be Ohio State (even though they are ranked in the top 10). It's definitely not Cleveland State, who is below .500 this season after battling injuries. No, it may be the University of Akron.
The Zips have won a nations-best 15-straight games and are 19-4 overall. They became the first Zips hoops team to ever be ranked in the Top 25 during the regular season a few weeks ago and they continue to keep climbing up the poll.
Akron could be an interesting decision made by the NCAA Tournament selection committee if they don't win the MAC Tournament. The MAC hasn't had more than one bid in recent years, and the Zips have been a notable snub in the past. However, they may have both the national ranking and RPI ranking to make their case for an at-large bid.
That's about all for now. Glad I was able to cover a wide range of topics in this one.
Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!
On this day, we can take a look at the three pro teams in Cleveland and see how they stand or what's to come. That, and I realized I've done nothing but write about the Browns in this blog for the last three months, and "Joe Cleveland" was supposed to encompass the entire sporting scene in Northeast Ohio. So, let's take a whirlwind look at our three pro teams, starting with the only one that's currently playing, the Cavs:
CAVS
The Cavs were in the midst of another forgettable and miserable season "A.L." (aka "After LeBron") when things suddenly began to click.
It started when GM Chris Grant traded a stiff journeyman named Jon Leuer to the Memphis Grizzlies for Marreese Speights, Wayne Ellington, Josh Selby (who was demoted to Canton) and a future first-round pick. Speights has been a force for the Cavs since coming here on Jan. 22, picking up the slack for the injured Anderson Varejao down low, while Ellington has been a solid contributor off the bench adding some depth to the guard positions.
Suddenly, coach Byron Scott has a bench he can trust to give his superstar point guard Kyrie Irving a breather now and then.
The Cavs are still pretty miserable at 16-33, but they've put together two three-game winning streaks since the deal, including a huge 115-110 win at Quicken Loans Arena against defending NBA runner-up Oklahoma City (who currently have the best record in the NBA) and have gone 7-4 since Jan. 16.
They have two more home games before the All-Star Break, in which Irving may become the East's starting point guard due to the season-ending injury to Rajon Rondo and Irving, Deon Waiters, Tristan Thompson and Tyler Zeller are all members of the Rising Stars game held during the weekend. Irving will also take part in the 3-Point Shootout as well.
The Cavs are interested in signing former Ohio State 7-footer Greg Oden (the former No. 1 overall pick who hasn't played since 2009 due to chronic knee injuries) and could sign him after Feb. 22 for the next two seasons. If Oden is healthy, he could be a huge coup for this young team.
And, of course, the rumors about "you know who" coming back to Cleveland during the summer of 2014 continue to pick up traction. A few published reports have said that LeBron James winning the NBA title last year with the Heat means that "his job there is accomplished," and that he's looking for the next challenge. According to several close to LeBron, he still has a "soft spot" for Northeast Ohio and the fans and would "love nothing more" than to come back and deliver on his promise to bring a championship to his hometown.
Of course, other reports link him to the Lakers to pick up the slack from Kobe Bryant, who is on the downside of his career, and the Knicks, Bulls and Brooklyn Nets are always speculated destinations when it comes to him. It could be another circus all over again as fans await "The Decision II."
For the Cavs to become serious players, they'd need to improve on the court, starting now. The playoffs aren't likely for this season, but anything less than the playoffs in the 2013-14 season would seriously diminish their prospects. Why would the best player in the NBA come to a team that has been a perennial loser since he left following the 2009-10 season?
The team he'd be coming back to would, arguably, have the most and deepest talent he's ever seen. Irving would be a bonafide superstar by then at point guard, and Thompson, Waiters and Zeller should continue improving. If Oden bounces back, that's another bonus, and if Varejao can shake off the injury bug, that's more depth.
Speights could be dealt before the deadline for more picks, with speculation that he might want to opt out of his contract. If he stays, he's another piece to make it that much more enticing for James to come back.
Joe Cleveland, for one, isn't ready to buy into this hype. LeBron still has some apologies to make and some explaining to do. And, it could be another giant ruse where he plays Cleveland and signs with L.A. or New York (which I'm sure the NBA would love for him to do). Fool me once, shame on you; fool my twice, shame on me.
Joe Cleveland's not ready to get fooled again, so I'll believe LeBron James becomes a Cleveland Cavalier again when it actually happens. Until then, hopefully the young nucleus we've put together continues to improve and be ready for a playoff run of their own.
It does seem like this team is becoming more entertaining to watch lately, which is nice. They have the sports landscape all to themselves until April (with some offseason stuff by the Browns and spring training by the Indians to contend with), so let's see how they do.
INDIANS:
To say Joe Cleveland's been impressed by what the Indians have done this offseason would be an understatement.
The hiring of veteran skipper Terry Francona was an incredible hiring that immediately gives the Tribe a credible voice in the clubhouse. According to Francona, if the Indians didn't hire him, he'd return to ESPN, so the fact that this two-time World Series winner wanted to be here is huge.
Francona's presense has helped the Indians make their biggest free agency spash in many years, signing Ohio State standout Nick Swisher to a $57 million contract to play the outfield/first base for the next four seasons. Swisher could quickly become a fan-favorite based on his local ties and the way he carries himself on and off the field, and he gives the Tribe a credible bat they've been lacking in the middle of their order for the last few years.
Coupled with the signing of Mark Reynolds to play first base and DH -- a classic power hitter who can hit the ball a country mile but tends to strikeout whenever he doesn't -- is another big bat this team has been sorely lacking and gives the team a solid stick at a position that's been lacking that big bopper for a long time. Carlos Santana should be a happy guy with that type of protection in the lineup.
The Tribe dealt Shin-Soo Choo, an impending free agent who had no desire to re-sign here, to the Reds in a three-team deal that landed, among others, speedy outfielder Drew Stubbs and promising pitching prospect Trevor Bauer, along with some solid bullpen arms. Stubbs could be a presense either at the top or very bottom of the lineup, and Bauer could be a promising starter for many years (although speculation has him starting the season at Columbus).
Of course, it wouldn't be a Tribe offseason without some bargain-basement minor-league signings of retread, oft-injured players. The Tribe just finished signing former steriod cheat Jason Giambi and oft-injured former Japanese phenom Daiskue Matsuzaka to similar deals, while also signing pitchers Matt Capps and Scott Kazmir to those types of deals earlier in the offseason.
It baffles me that Paul and Larry Dolan, after selling their fledgling network SportsTime Ohio to FOX Sports for $250 million and getting additional money for the broadcast rights to their games, they wouldn't invest more of that windfall into their team. Sure, signing Swisher was a big one that normally wouldn't happen under this regime. However, it looks like the Dolans are going to pocket as much as they can to turn whatever kind of profit they can while still crying the poorhouse blues to their front office and the media and the Indians' fan base.
Hopefully, this spurs them on to sell off their last remaining asset, the Cleveland Indians themselves, winding up in the black and being away from the business of running a professional sports franchise. We can only hope.
Until then, we can hope that the Indians make enough moves to keep themselves relevent. Their pitching is still suspect, with the shaky Justin Masterson, the even worse Ubaldo Jimenez and the converted closer Brett Myers as the top three starters, and Matsuzaka and Kazmir in the mix with Carlos Carrasco (returning from Tommy John surgery), Corey Kluber and even Bauer.
At the very least, the Indians should be more entertaining than they've been in the past. Perhaps they won't flirt with 100 losses this year.
However, even with a high-profile manager and a high-profile free agent signing, this team will still struggle to win 81 games this season. Hopefully, they can turn Asdrubal Cabrera (who always mails in the second half and has been an attitude problem) and Chris Perez (enough said) into some more positive assets to help this team improve.
BROWNS:
The first offseason of the Jimmy Haslam-Joe Banner era has begun, with defensive end Frostee Rucker being released before his contract kicked in. Rucker, who signed a large contract with Tom Heckert last season as a key defensive end in their 4-3 scheme, was expendable thanks to the switch to the 3-4.
While the Browns have some significant holes to fill, especially in the defensive secondary and may have to replace both their punter and kicker (I hope not on the latter's sake; I'm a big Phil Dawson fan), the quarterback talk is fired up once again.
Haslam, Banner, Mike Lombardi and head coach Rob Chudzinski have been non-committal to Brandon Weeden's future as the Browns' starting quarterback. Haslam said he wants to bring in someone to provide competition and "push" Weeden for the job.
There's competition, and then there's an outright successor. If the Browns make a run at (and sign) former 49ers No. 1 overall pick and starting quarterback Alex Smith, either via trade or through free agency if Smith is released, Smith will be the starting quarterback, hand's down.
It will take a large salary to pluck Smith from other suitors. As it is, he has a large contract that he signed with the Niners prior to this season, so if you decide to part with draft picks or other assets, you will still have to pay him. You don't pay a quarterback a large salary and then have him "compete" with the starter from last year.
Some Browns fans are hoping they make a run at free agent Joe Flacco. However, the Ravens will franshise Flacco before he even gets a chance to test the market. Sure, the Browns could try to sign him to a big offer sheet that Baltimore would have to match to drive up his price (the Browns have the cap room to do it), but I doubt that happens. As it is, the Ravens will have to part with several assets to sign Flacco to the huge contract that he will command (he was the real winner of this Super Bowl based off of that), so it looks like this was Baltimore's one chance to win a title. It may be another 12 years before the Ravens get back to a Super Bowl (like the gap was the last time), so enjoy the title while it lasts, Baltimore.
Smith is really the only other starting-calibur QB that could be available on the open market. Other veterans that could be available, such as Matt Moore, Derek Anderson (please, God, hell no!), Matt Cassel, Brian Hoyer, Brady Quinn (see the Anderson comment), Tim Tebow or Kevin Kolb would fit Haslam's description of "competition" for Weeden.
Michael Vick would be a dumb decision, and not just because of his baggage and the PR nightmare that is a convisted dog killer playing in front of fans who sit in a section called the Dawg Pound. Vick is an old 33. His skills are clearly diminishing. He's taken too many hits to be at his best, which is using his legs along with his arm to beat you. The two-year layoff for prison may have given Vick an extended life, but it was clear that he's taken a beating with the Eagles over the last three years. Banner was the person who sold the Eagles' organization on signing Vick upon his release from prison, but Banner would be foolish to think that the 29-year-old Vick is the same as the 33-year-old Vick.
I, for one, believe that Weeden deserves another chance. I think Chudzinski's and Norv Turner's vertical-based offense fits Weeden's skill set like a glove and that he can truly be "coached up." I think Colt McCoy will be let go, as will Thaddeus Lewis (both are more West Coast-style quarterbacks), which is why I think they go shopping for a new signal-caller, if only to provide a new backup.
There's no one in the draft that is worthy. The supplemental pick of Josh Gordon cust the Browns their second-round pick (which would have been sixth-overall in that round), so they have to make their first-round selection (No. 6 overall) count. The deficiancies of the defense, along with the weakness of this quarterback class, should dissuade them from reaching on a Mike Glennon or a Matt Barkley. Stick with Dee Millner of Alabama and be happy, or look at trading down to get lower in the first and add a second-rounder.
If the Browns give up on Weeden, it essentially makes Tom Heckert's decision to trade down with Atlanta so they could acquire Julio Jones two years ago a horrible decision. Weeden was taken with Atlanta's first-rounder last year. With the four picks they acquired, the Browns essentially acquired nose tackle Phil Taylor, wide receiver Greg Little, fullback Owen Marecic and Weeden, and used the other pick to move up to get Trent Richardson. Meanwhile, Jones made his first Pro Bowl this season and has emerged as a stud wideout that the Browns have been seeking since Braylon Edwards displayed an occasional flash of brilliance.
Some fans are up in arms about the switch from a 4-3 base defense to a 3-4, but I'm not as angry about it. I think we're all a little concerned about the last time we made this switch, and Romeo Crennel (and later Eric Mangin) continued to forcefeed their bland 3-4 onto the Browns that never seemed to be built correctly for the scheme. What's funny is the switch to the 4-3 under Pat Shurmur and Dick Jauron almost seemed seemless.
Ray Horton's 3-4 scheme isn't as bland and predictable as Crennel's and Mangini's was. Horton's scheme should be adapted fairly easily by the existing personnel. In fact, you can say that if they remained a 4-3, they would have still have had to fill the same holes on defense (linebackers and secondary) this year that they have to with the 3-4.
Free agency will get underway the second week of March. Haslam cautioned against any "splasy" signings. However, I think they will be active and try to acquire some pieces that can make an impact on this team. Unlike the last two years, where Heckert and Holmgren essentially ignored the free agent market, I think that changes this year.
We'll see what happens.
MISCELLANEOUS:
<> It was good to see Ohio State reel in a No. 1, 2 or 3 recruiting class (depending on which service you trust) this month after National Signing Day. Urban Meyer only had a few months to bring in a top freshman class last season. With the benefit of a full season under his belt, Meyer showed why he is one of the best college coaches/recruitors in the country.
I don't buy into the hype about recruiting classes. How often to you see a "can't miss" high school, blue-chip senior fade into obscurity while the guy who accepted the final scholarship become one of the best players in the country? A lot, actually. I don't follow the recruiting scene or anything like that. All I know is the Buckeyes did farily well on paper, and that's encouraging for this season and beyond.
<> The Ravens winning the Super Bowl last Sunday was the lesser of two evils, in my opinion. The fact that the Hall of Fame shut the door on Art Modell again (and did it as decisively as they did back in 2001) tells me that his chances have greatly diminished in the future.
Modell's best chance may have been this year. With the dirt over his grave still fresh and his former franchise making a Super Bowl run, Modell became a hot name. Baltimore made a full-court press to promote his candidacy, while Cleveland did one to diminish his candidacy. Modell's name was the second-longest debate among the 16 candidates, and his name was the first one to get cut from 15 to 10 regardless.
I got into a very heated argument about the subject with my dad and one of my uncles during the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, we can be a very stubborn family. There's no reasoning with us. They believe that the City of Cleveland was at the most fault. I've stated my case as to why it was Modell's fault. Somewhere in the middle lies the truth.
The voters did the right thing. Part of me believes that, ultimately, the location will keep Modell out. If the Hall of Fame was in Hershey, PA., or somewhere like that, Modell probably would have already got in. But because the Hall of Fame is in Canton, right in Browns Country, it may be his undoing.
<> Baltimore liked to bring up the fact that there are several team owners in the Hall of Fame that moved their franchises, such as Lamar Hunt, Al Davis, George Preston Marshall and Dan Reeves. Reeves, in fact, moved his Rams franchise from Cleveland to Los Angeles following the 1945 season.
Allow Joe Cleveland to dissect each one, starting with Reeves.
Reeves was a Cleveland businessman who bought the Cleveland Rams in 1941, but struggled during his ownership. The Rams never had a definite home stadium, alternating between League Park and Cleveland Stadium, and even had to suspend operations in 1943 due to a shortage of players during World War II. Thanks to rookie quarterback Bob Waterfield, who wound up winning the NFL's MVP award, the Rams turned it around in 1945 and won the NFL Championship with a 15-14 win over Sammy Baugh and the Washington Redskins. But, Reeves convinced the NFL to let him leave Clevveland for the West Coast.
The news that Paul Brown was going to be involved with a new professional football franchise in Cleveland in a new league starting in 1946, and that team (which would called the Browns) already locked down a lease to play in Cleveland Stadium, along with the untapped resourses of Los Angeles, gave Reeves the reason he needed to relocate. The move was met with little resistance from Clevelanders, who were gaga over the new Browns (and justifiably so -- the Browns won the AAFC title all four years, won the NFL title their first year in the league and reached 10 consecutive championship games their first 10 years of existance, winning seven). The Rams came back to Cleveland for the 1950 NFL Championship Game (losing a thrilling 30-28 game) and beat the Browns in L.A. in 1951.
Reeves ultimately got in because he had the foresight to take advantage of the West Coast, which helped the NFL blossom, broke the NFL's color barrior in 1946 with the signing of Kenny Washington and Woody Strode, and hired a young executive named Pete Rozelle who wound up becoming the NFL commissioner in 1960.
Hunt was the founder of the American Football League. For that alone, he deserves to be enshrined into the Hall of Fame.
Hunt moved his team from Dallas (known as the Texans) to Kansas City following the 1962 season (and the Texans winning the AFL title) because his team couldn't compete financially with the more stable NFL Cowboys, which debuted the same year as his Texans did. To help the league succeed, Hunt sacrificed his home market and found a viable market in Kansas City. The move did help the league thrive, as the newly-christened Chiefs became one of the AFL's most recognizable franchises.
Marshall was a notorious bigot who stubbornly refused to break the NFL's color line until 1961, when he acquired Bobby Mitchell from the Browns (who wound up making the Hall of Fame himself). Marshall might not have gotten into the Hall of Fame today if he was still on the outside looking in.
However, Marshall is enshrined because several of his innovations, such as pushing for the forward pass to be legal from anywhere beyond the line of scrimmage, moving the goal posts to the goal-line (which was changed back to the end line in 1974), and pushing for a standardized schedule for each team, defined what the NFL became.
The Redskins were initially called the Boston Braves, having shared Braves Park with the baseball Boston Braves. A year into Marshall's tenure, he moved the team to Fenway Park and called the Redskins. However, he moved to the Nation's Capital in 1937, citing the need to put an NFL presence in the capital. It was also the NFL's southern-most market until they expanded to Dallas in 1960, and Marshall kept his teams lily white to appeal to the Southerners (or so he said). Marshall also found it difficult for his team to succeed in the baseball-mad Boston area, and when football returned in 1959 with the AFL's Boston Patriots, they had a tough time gaining a foothold in the market.
Finally, Davis, the most notorious mover of them all. Davis is enshrined mostly because of how he helped the AFL blossom from a fly-by-night operation into a legitimate rival to the NFL, which necessitated the merger. He was the NFL's most controversial owner, suing the league and Pete Rozelle many times during his tenure. However, he built the Raiders' organization into one of the most respected organizations in football during the 1960s through the early 2000s, reaching the Super Bowl in four different decades and winning three of them.
While Davis moved his team twice (and both more recently than the other three men I've mentioned), both moves were within the same state. After the Rams left L.A. for a stadium in suburban Anaheim, Davis sued the NFL in 1980 to move into the vacated L.A. stadium. He won the suit in 1982 and moved to Los Angeles. In the late 1990s, he sued again to move back to Oakland, and then sued after the move claiming that he still had control of the L.A. market.
It would be like if Modell decided to move the Browns to Columbus (which almost happened. If Modell was forced to stay, Cleveland was prepared to build a new stadium. They would have torn down the old stadium and had the Browns play at Ohio Stadium while the new stadium was built).
So, of the owners in the Hall of Fame who moved, the most comporable to what Modell did was Davis, and Davis didn't exactly move to another state when he moved the Raiders.
<> The best collegiate basketball team in the state of Ohio may not be Ohio State (even though they are ranked in the top 10). It's definitely not Cleveland State, who is below .500 this season after battling injuries. No, it may be the University of Akron.
The Zips have won a nations-best 15-straight games and are 19-4 overall. They became the first Zips hoops team to ever be ranked in the Top 25 during the regular season a few weeks ago and they continue to keep climbing up the poll.
Akron could be an interesting decision made by the NCAA Tournament selection committee if they don't win the MAC Tournament. The MAC hasn't had more than one bid in recent years, and the Zips have been a notable snub in the past. However, they may have both the national ranking and RPI ranking to make their case for an at-large bid.
That's about all for now. Glad I was able to cover a wide range of topics in this one.
Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!
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