As a diehard Cleveland Browns fan, Joe Cleveland has seen his share of frustrating losses.
But last Sunday's home 23-21 loss to the hated Baltimore Ravens, the team I've referred to as the Thieving Bastards and I've now referred to as the Lying Bastards due to the Ray Rice incident, may have been one of the most frustrated I've been.
The Week 1 30-27 loss at Pittsburgh sucked, but the fact that the Browns rallied from a 27-3 halftime deficit to tie the game, only to lose on a last-play field goal, left me feeling conflicted. I hated losing to the Steelers, but I found myself feeling good that this Browns team didn't tuck its tail between its legs like so many other Browns teams have done in Pittsburgh. They sucked it up and played their asses off and had the Steelers and their front-running fans on the ropes.
Then was Week 2 and the 26-24 win over a rollicking FirstEnergy Stadium that had some of us harkening back to the "Pandemonium Palace" days of the 1980s and 90s at the original Cleveland Stadium. The crowd was energized in the newly-refurbished stadium from beginning to end and the drive Brian Hoyer and the offense put together to win the game (without Jordan Cameron, Ben Tate and Josh Gordon, by the way) had most cynical Browns fans believing that this wasn't the "Same Old Browns."
With the Ravens organization rocked following allegations that they colluded with the NFL on a backdoor deal to reduce Ray Rice's suspension and hid the results of the damning elevator video that showed the running back clocking his future wife and knocking her out cold, and with Browns riding a wave of positive momentum, fans showed up Sunday believing that their team not only could win, but also that they would win.
And, for all but the final seconds of the game, the Browns were in position to win and improve to 2-1 going into their bye week. They scored on their opening possession of the game, got two rushing touchdowns and a passing touchdown from Hoyer to Miles Austin and saw Hoyer only throw six incomplete passes the entire game. The Browns got a big interception from Tashaun Gipson, a huge fourth-down stop in their own territory, a 70-yard completion to rookie Taylor Gabriel and an apparent TD pass to Austin that was called back because Hoyer had crossed the line of scrimmage.
And, the Browns wound up with no points as a result of those huge fourth quarter plays thanks to two missed field goals by Billy Cundiff, who's biggest sin in the eyes of Browns fans is that he is not Phil Dawson. Seriously.
The first three Browns games have all been decided in the final seconds and both losses came from last-second field goals. Their win, coincidentally, came on a last-second field goal as well. So this team could just as easily be 3-0, 0-3 or 2-1, but are 1-2.
Joe Cleveland believes that there are parties to blame for the Ravens loss, but he thinks the blame is being misdirected at certain people. Namely, Cundiff and, for some inexplicable reason, Hoyer.
For the latter, I think it's because there are still a few Johnny Manziel honks out there who want to see their boy at quarterback and looking to find something, ANYTHING, to discredit the guy who beat him out. For those people, I highly suggest going to W. 6th with all the other douchebags and get off the Manziel hype. Hoyer has clearly played well enough to be the Browns' starter for the remainder of the season, so give it up.
And, the Browns have played the overhyped rookie all of five plays in three games. He's handed off three times (for losses on each), threw a pass that was dropped by a rookie fullback (that even Manziel admitted wasn't the best pass he ever threw) and caught a 39-yard pass on a trick play that was called back due to an illegal shift penalty on rookie Terrance West.
MANZIEL'S BEST PLAY AS AN NFL PLAYER CAME AS A RECEIVER! Keep that in mind! And, it didn't even count!
If it wasn't for Hoyer, the Browns don't rally in the second half of the Steeler game, they certainly don't win the Saints game and they aren't in position to win the Ravens game. Those are facts, and it's time to swallow that bitter pill, Johnny fans.
Now, on to Cundiff.
To be honest, the blame should go to long snapper Christian Yount, who is starting to go through a Ryan Pontbriand-esque 2011 slump. He's made bad snaps in each of the last two games, and all have directly cost the Browns points.
He delivered a high snap on an extra point snap that Spencer Lanning couldn't get down for Cundiff, and Lanning tried to run it in for two points and was stopped. The Browns were down by one point instead of tied when Hoyer took over possession at his own 4 with just over two minutes to go. The field goal team redeemed itself at the end of that drive, but that winning field goal came within an eyelash of being blocked.
On a 50-yard field goal attempt (into the wind, by the way) following Gipson's interception, Yount delivered a low snap to Lanning that may have messed with the timing. Cundiff's kick hooked at the last possible second and clanged off the left upright. But, it was a 50-yard attempt. Once upon a time, those kicks weren't deemed automatic in the NFL, and, to be honest, they still aren't. And, while Cundiff has a huge leg, he's never been the most accurate kicker from 50 yards and beyond.
After the 4th down stop by the defense, offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan dialed up a deep ball, and Hoyer found Gabriel wide open. Gabriel fell down making the catch, but had the presence of mind to get up and race down inside the 20. Had Gabriel not fell down, it would have been a touchdown. But, clearly, the Browns were within chipshot field goal range.
Hoyer's biggest mistake came on a third-down play. Being pressured and with nobody open, Hoyer began to scramble. But, he noticed the defender peel off Austin in the back of the end zone, leaving him wide open. Hoyer lofted a pass to Austin, but he didn't realize that he was well beyond the line of scrimmage. As a veteran lauded for his football intelligence, it was a rare boner by Hoyer. The result of the play was a loss of 10 yards and down, making the field goal a 36-yard attempt.
Once again, Yount's snap was a bit off, and Cundiff's kick was blocked by the Ravens. You can blame the line for that one. And, if you recall how close Cundiff's game-winner came to being blocked one week ago, it shouldn't come as a surprise that the kick was blocked.
To be honest, the special teams unit a whole needs to be addressed, because they have been a letdown all season long. The Browns have had a problem allowing long returns on kickoffs and punts and Travis Benjamin has clearly lost his X-factor abilities as a punt returner. His decision to not catch a punt he signaled a fair catch for and letting it bounce and roll inside the 10 was a swing of almost 25 yards of field position and may have been the difference in the Ravens getting great field position for their game-winning drive.
Chris Tabor has survived two coaching regime changes, but if his unit keeps this up, he won't survive into next year. This unit has clearly regressed and it cost the Browns the Ravens game, plain and simple.
While some fans are calling for a new kicker, perhaps the Browns should look at long snappers and new punt and kickoff returners. Jim Leonard isn't a big-play threat returning punts, but he's experienced enough that he'll make the smart decision. He'll catch the punt and not muff it, and he'll fair catch it if it's needed. Benjamin even muffed a punt earlier in the Ravens game.
Fortunately, Justin Tucker boomed most of his kickoffs out of the end zone, because the Browns have made a bad habit out of returning kicks out from deep in the end zone and getting stuff before they reach the 20. Take a knee and start at the 20. It's the smart football decision, and the Browns need to get smart football players back there to make those decisions. Nobody the Browns have returning kicks have the track record to take the ball out of the back of the end zone. You didn't doubt Josh Cribbs doing it because Cribbs had returned so many kickoffs for touchdowns in his career. But Marlon Moore and Taylor Gabriel don't have that track record, and Benjamin clearly isn't the same since he tore his ACL last year.
Joe Haden has been hearing his lion's share of criticism and some of it's deserved. I don't blame him for Week 2 because Jimmy Graham is such a matchup nightmare for any cornerback because of his height and athleticism. Haden gave up almost a foot in that matchup, and all Drew Brees had to do was loft it high and Graham was going to go up and get it. Haden did what he could, which was keep Graham in front of him and prevent him from turning catches into big ones.
However, Antonio Brown torched him in Week 1 and he gave up a huge catch to the aging Steve Smith at the end of last Sunday's loss to Baltimore. The 30-plus yard catch put the Ravens in chip-shot range for Tucker, and the Browns weren't able to get a push to block the kick.
With Haden just signing a big contract extension that pays him in the ballpark as shutdown corners like Richard Sherman, Darrelle Revis and Patrick Peterson, it's fair for Browns to expect stellar play from Haden. Perhaps Haden suddenly has a case of "big-contract-itis" that seems to plague many of Cleveland's athletes.
Haden says and does all the right things off the field. He's endeared himself to the fanbase by really falling in love with Cleveland. When Cleveland was taking a beating nationally following LeBron James' departure, Haden embraced the city and the city was only too happy to embrace him back. He's easy to root for, and he's shown the ability to play a good cornerback in the NFL. But, on a team where everyone has to do their 1/11th to the best of their ability if this team's going to win, Haden's struggles are amplified. The Browns want to pressure the quarterback with their front-seven, and in order to do that, the cornerbacks are often left out on an island. Mike Pettine's defense did that with Revis and the Jets, and Revis embraced that concept.
Also, first-round rookie Justin Gilbert -- expected to be the Frank Minnifield to Haden's Hanford Dixon -- has had a rough baptism to life in the NFL. He struggled in the preseason and those struggles carried over to the games against the Steelers and the Ravens. For the Browns to be successful, Buster Skrine cannot be the No. 2 cornerback. Skrine is better served as the nickelback, and that means Gilbert has to grow up and play. I still believe Gilbert can be the Minnifield in this defense, but when you were taken 8th overall (and your bosses passed on the chance to take Sammy Watkins in order to take you), the target is upon you, fair or not.
With that being said, it's not totally on the secondary, either. For whatever reason, the Browns have historically struggled stopping the run, and through 3 games this year, those struggles have returned. You can say that Week 2 was part of the gameplan -- to focus on stopping Brees and the dangerous passing game by sacrificing the run defense. But what's the excuse for last Sunday? Some rookie named Lorenzo Taliaferro and a journeyman named Justin Forsett made the Ravens forget all about Rice by running roughshod all over the Browns. Taliaferro was the best rookie running back on the field Sunday, which isn't good when the Browns were relying on two rookies in West and Isiah Crowell.
Speaking of West, he's channeling his inner Trent Richardson by dancing too much before hitting the hole. He clearly took a step backward on Sunday. Crowell, to me, has outplayed West thus far. And, with Ben Tate slated to return following the bye, West could be in danger of falling to third on the depth chart. Any talk of there not being a role for Tate because of West is quiet now.
The Browns lost to the Ravens on Sunday in "Same Old Browns" fashion, which is a shame. I can't tell you how many games the Browns have invented new ways to lose since 1999, and Sunday was the latest in a long line of those struggles.
Mike Pettine blamed himself and his coaching staff for the loss, and the players blamed themselves and not the coach. Pettine has shrugged off the talk of "moral victories" that so many coaches (Butch Davis, for one) relied on in the past and has made this team accountable for wins and losses. It's refreshing, and that's sad because that was lacking from this team for so long.
I believe the players have bought into what Pettine is selling. I believe that they have bought into Hoyer as the starting quarterback and have rallied around their veteran leaders such as Karlos Dansby, Dante Whitner, Hoyer and Joe Thomas. It's encouraging to see the Browns actually resemble an NFL TEAM out there on Sundays instead of a hodge-podge of individuals setting football back to the stone ages with their play.
However, Sunday showed that Rome wasn't built in a day and this Browns team still has a ways to go before they are a legitimate playoff contender. A win over the Ravens could have put the Browns in a great position coming off the bye and facing several winnable opponents over the next five weeks like the Titans, the Steelers (at home), the Jaguars, the Raiders and the Buccaneers (in back-to-back home games). The Browns being 7-1 going into a nationally-televised game at Cincinnati would have been amazing, and there's a chance they could be 6-2 going into that game. However, chances are more likely they will be 4-4, 5-3, or even 3-5.
How the Browns respond to last Sunday's disappointment through the bye week will go a long way. There were a lot of lessons to be learned by everyone, including Hoyer, Haden, Cundiff, Whitner, West, Gilbert, even Manziel and especially Pettine, Shanahan, Jim O'Neil and Tabor. Here's hoping they learned those lessons of what not do to and not let them happen again.
The "Same Old Browns" wouldn't learn from their mistakes. If Pettine is truly going to change the culture and make "Play Like a Brown" a positive mantra, they can't make the same mistakes twice.
Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!
Showing posts with label Brian Hoyer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brian Hoyer. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Saturday, June 28, 2014
Johnny-Mania
So, did you miss me?
It's been several months since I donned my "Joe Cleveland" hat and took to this blog to vent about Cleveland sports. And, it's not because I haven't have a lack of material to vent about.
My favorite whipping boy, Mike Lombardi, was fired along with Joe Banner. The new streamlined braintrust, led by promoted GM Ray Farmer (who has already made three-times the public appearances in just a few months than his predecessor did in a full year), had what looks to be a successful draft, led by cornerback Justin Gilbert and embattled quarterback Johnny Manziel (more on him in a bit).
The Cavs ran Chris Grant out of town midway through the season and then gave Mike Brown the ax after his Cavs won just 33 games this past year. David Griffin was promoted to GM, who hired David Blatt, the "Phil Jackson of Europe," as the new Cavaliers' head coach. And, the ping-pong balls bounced in the Cavs' favor and landed them the No. 1 pick, which they used on Kansas freshman Andrew Wiggins.
The Indians, well ... they're the Indians. Just when you write them off, they reel off 6 or 7 straight wins. And just when you're ready to jump back on the bandwagon, they lose 7 or 8 straight games. They're a very frustrating team to follow.
But, Joe Cleveland has been biding his time and waiting to pick his spot to talk about the newest Browns quarterback, the guy who many fans believe is the "savior" and who many other fans feel is a bust waiting to happen. The guy who made dynamic plays in college, but is under 6-feet tall and has a game built around his legs. The guy who can come off as quiet and says the right things in press conferences, but shows up all over social media making a giant jackass of himself.
Let's face it, either you're with Johnny Manziel or you're against him. There's no middle ground here. He's arguably the most divisive sports personality Cleveland has ever seen.
You could make a case for Albert Belle, who made his share of foul-ups while he was playing for the Indians. But fans, by and large, seemed to turn a blind eye to it as long as he hit home runs and his team won. But, as soon as he bolted in free agency to Chicago, the gloves came off. Only recently has Belle, the Indians and the fan base come to some sort of uneasy alliance.
You could make a case for John Rocker, who alienated a lot of people with some comments that some people took as racist as the closer for the Braves. But he wasn't in Cleveland for very long, didn't play very well while he was here, and was quickly shipped out. Most fans probably don't even remember he was an Indian.
You could bring up LeBron James, but most of the vitriol was directed at James after he made his infamous "Decision." (By the way, don't get me started on Decision II. I will say this -- there's no chance he signs back with the Cavs, so I'm not getting emotionally vested in it. If he does, so be it.) Cleveland fans loved James, even though they feared he was going to leave. And, when he left, fans weren't shy about their allegations that he "quit" on his team, his city and his fanbase in back-to-back playoff series'. A lot of fans still would rather him not come back due to his actions in 2010, but quite a few are ready to forgive.
I honestly can't think of a guy on a Cleveland team who has split the fanbase more than the so-called "Johnny Football." And, there are many factors to this.
First, there were quite a few NFL folks who were concerned that his game wouldn't translate to the pros. He doesn't have the size that prototypical NFL quarterbacks have. He doesn't have the game (aka pocket presence) that the NFL seems to prefer. He likes to freelance, which the NFL doesn't really seem to like. His scrambling opens himself up to injury (see Robert Griffin III), and he's coming into the league with a reputation that may only make him more of a target.
Second, there were the off-the-field concerns that have reared it's ugly head in only two months as a Brown. Manziel was a social media target as a quarterback at Texas A&M. Manziel loved to party. Manziel loved to drink. Manziel loved to be around celebrities and hot women. Manziel loved to make a money sign with his fingers on the field, especially after he was investigated by the NCAA for allegedly selling his autograph for money following his Heisman Trophy-winning season.
He created the "Johnny Football" persona, and it reflected all that was wrong with Manziel. Some NFL execs were convinced he has maturity issues and that it would derail his career. Some NFL teams didn't want to deal with the "circus atmosphere" that comes with Manziel, who has been under the ESPN microscope since he dazzled Alabama as a redshirt freshman and upset them.
It was a big reason why Manziel, who had been slotted to go as high as No. 1 overall (Houston passed and took defensive lineman Jadaveon Clowney), plummeted down the first round to the 22nd pick. It was the Browns, who seemed to be rumored destination at No. 4, who finally stopped the slide, traded up from No. 26 and snagged him. Immediately, season ticket sales spiked and orders for his No. 2 jersey came from all over the country.
Manziel's jersey is the top-selling jersey in the NFL, and he hasn't even taken a snap yet. Suddenly, the Browns are national news. ESPN remembered that there was an NFL team in Cleveland with uniforms and everything, as did the NFL Network and other outlets. And, it seems that Manziel is the hot topic of discussion.
Sure, sometimes it's because new coach Mike Pettine won't hand Manziel the starting quarterback job and has entrenched Brian Hoyer as the starter. But, mostly, it's because of some picture or video of a drunken Manziel popping up on social media.
Manziel spent a weekend in Las Vegas, and the pictures of him drinking with bikini-clad women at a pool party were all over the place. It seems that he loves champagne, because every other picture or video of Manziel has him holding a bottle, either swigging out of it or spraying it at people or, simply, being passed out on an inflatable swan.
Someone filed a hoax lawsuit in Florida about Manziel, alleging some type of sexual harassment of a TV personality. That lawsuit was quickly dismissed, but not before it became national news.
Then there was the video that popped up on Instagram of a drunken Manziel in a hot tub holding a stack of cash to his ear like a phone and slurring, "I can't hear you because I've got so much fucking cash in my hand." A day later, it was announced that Manziel had signed his rookie contract with the Browns.
The Manziel critics had a field day with all of these. The Manziel fans used the "he's only 21" defense until they were blue in the face and claimed, "the season hasn't started yet. He's allowed to have fun."
Joe Cleveland will admit that he's NEVER been a Manziel fan. I didn't like him in college. I thought he was an ass, a douchebag. I didn't care for his game very much, either. I felt he'd be another Heisman bust in the NFL. I felt he was too small for the NFL. I felt that his partying would only get worse in the NFL after getting millions of dollars from his contract and from his endorsements. And, I felt that he could be a distraction for a team that's so desperately trying to rediscover its winning ways.
I did not want him in Cleveland, but now he's here. Yay!
From what I've heard, when Manziel is sober and is around football, he's very quiet and unassuming. But get him to the club with his boys and women and a bottle of champagne, and Johnny Football comes out. And I'm starting to realize that I'm not a fan of this Johnny Football fellow.
As a Browns fan, I think Manziel's drunken antics are embarrassing. And, for those who want to blame the media, umm, the media's not the one holding up their cell phones taking pictures and video of the guy. It's the media's job to report on this and, unfortunately, Manziel has made himself a target for this because of his antics at Texas A&M. And, it's only going to get worse.
Manziel, the other day at the NFL Rookie Symposium, told reporters that he wants to be "left alone." Sorry, dude, but you brought this all on yourself by being a drunken douche and letting your boys and female fans take pictures and videos and not objecting to them being Instagrammed and Twittered and Facebooked for the world to see. You created the Johnny Football monster. You looked up at the sky and rubbed your index fingers and thumbs together as a sign for getting paid. It's too late, son!
You made your bed, now you've got to lie in it.
The only way Manziel quiets the noise is to become a choir boy off the field. Stop going to the clubs. Stop buying expensive bottles of Cristal. Stop going to the strip clubs. Stop going out in public with celebrities and acting a fool.
He's already been brought to the principal's office, so to speak, and been given a talking to from Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, who felt his recent social media antics were embarrassing for himself and the franchise. Joe Haden has already given him some advice, saying he needs a phone valet to stop people from posting embarrassing videos of him. His teammates are tired of answering questions about him, both fellow rookies and the veterans.
You don't think an opposing veteran will want to put this spoiled rookie in his place during a game this year by giving him a nice little love tap or two? You don't think teams will look to knock the kid out?
Obviously, Manziel quiets the noise by winning. He will win over the local skeptics by playing great on the field, making the Browns exciting and leading this team to wins, the playoffs and (hopefully) a Super Bowl championship. His fans believe that this WILL happen, and that's why they defend him. As a Browns fan, I hope it DOES happen, because I'm tired of losing.
Of course, winning could only exacerbate the Johnny Football persona. More celebrities will come out of the woodwork if he wins. More women will come out of the woodwork. More vices may pop up. Alcohol will be more available than it already is. Drugs (cocaine, marijuana, ecstasy) may become available at the drop of the hat. The cellphone cameras will be directed at him every time he goes out in public. If he takes a shit at a public restroom, it will be big news.
But that's the price you pay for fame and when you've never shied away from the spotlight. Manziel used the spotlight as an act of defiance toward the NCAA and Texas A&M, and the legend of Johnny Football grew and grew. It didn't hurt that his Aggies were entertaining and won more than they lost (although they never won a national championship or even an SEC championship). It's up to Manziel to surround himself with the right people and check the Johnny Football persona at the door.
Manziel talks about his "brand" (which is such an annoying term that modern athletes use) and wanting to advance it. Well, the best way to enhance your "brand," besides becoming a winner on the field, staying healthy and throwing more touchdowns than interceptions, is keeping your nose clean. Sponsors will shy away from the kid who is a drunk all the time, but will flock to the man who is polished on and off the field.
The days of Joe Namath and Bobby Layne, swashbuckling quarterbacks who never saw a drink, or a woman, they didn't like but were praised for it, are over. Namath's career was ruined by knee injuries before it ever really took off, and perhaps his lifestyle contributed to that. Layne won championships for the Lions but wound up drinking himself out of the league as a Steeler. Both QBs are in the Hall of Fame and have championships. But this isn't the 1950s, 60s and 70s anymore.
Peyton Manning had his moments in college, but he cleaned up his act in the NFL and is now, even at 38, one of the biggest pitchmen in the NFL. Tom Brady, a tabloid target due to his high-profile relationships and subsequent marriage, has, by and large, kept a polished image off the field.
But, on the other side of the spectrum, there was Ryan Leaf, who didn't play well, popped off the media one too many times and wound up in trouble for drugs. There was Matt Leinart, who was a celebrity while playing for USC and leading the team to multiple national championships, partying with A-list celebrities and dating actresses. But, that lifestyle caught up with him in the NFL and his spotlight faded as quickly as his on-field career did. Now, the guy can't even keep a backup job in the NFL.
Hall of Famers such as Joe Montana and Emmitt Smith have offered their unsolicited advice to Manziel about his antics. It's become a distraction.
It's up to Manziel which path he chooses. He could be another Manning, or another Leaf. He could be another Brady, or another Leinart. Manziel should benefit from playing with a guy like Hoyer, who spent his formative years as Brady's understudy and saw what it takes to become a solid NFL quarterback. But, no one can hold Manziel's hand and make him listen to Hoyer, veteran Tyler Thigpen, QB coach Dowell Loggains and offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. Manziel's got to own it himself.
Joe Cleveland always roots for the name on the front of the jersey and not the name on the back. Johnny Manziel is a Cleveland Brown for the foreseeable future, whether we like it or not. And, I will root for him to excel on the field because it's best for the Browns and for the City of Cleveland. If he delivers an NFL championship to Cleveland, I will gladly take back every critical statement I've made about the guy, and I hope I have the chance to do so.
But if he fails, he'll hear it worse than guys like Brandon Weeden, Derek Anderson, Tim Couch, Jeff Garcia, Brady Quinn, Colt McCoy and Charlie Frye, among others, ever did. It comes with the territory, and he better buckle up and get ready for it.
Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!
It's been several months since I donned my "Joe Cleveland" hat and took to this blog to vent about Cleveland sports. And, it's not because I haven't have a lack of material to vent about.
My favorite whipping boy, Mike Lombardi, was fired along with Joe Banner. The new streamlined braintrust, led by promoted GM Ray Farmer (who has already made three-times the public appearances in just a few months than his predecessor did in a full year), had what looks to be a successful draft, led by cornerback Justin Gilbert and embattled quarterback Johnny Manziel (more on him in a bit).
The Cavs ran Chris Grant out of town midway through the season and then gave Mike Brown the ax after his Cavs won just 33 games this past year. David Griffin was promoted to GM, who hired David Blatt, the "Phil Jackson of Europe," as the new Cavaliers' head coach. And, the ping-pong balls bounced in the Cavs' favor and landed them the No. 1 pick, which they used on Kansas freshman Andrew Wiggins.
The Indians, well ... they're the Indians. Just when you write them off, they reel off 6 or 7 straight wins. And just when you're ready to jump back on the bandwagon, they lose 7 or 8 straight games. They're a very frustrating team to follow.
But, Joe Cleveland has been biding his time and waiting to pick his spot to talk about the newest Browns quarterback, the guy who many fans believe is the "savior" and who many other fans feel is a bust waiting to happen. The guy who made dynamic plays in college, but is under 6-feet tall and has a game built around his legs. The guy who can come off as quiet and says the right things in press conferences, but shows up all over social media making a giant jackass of himself.
Let's face it, either you're with Johnny Manziel or you're against him. There's no middle ground here. He's arguably the most divisive sports personality Cleveland has ever seen.
You could make a case for Albert Belle, who made his share of foul-ups while he was playing for the Indians. But fans, by and large, seemed to turn a blind eye to it as long as he hit home runs and his team won. But, as soon as he bolted in free agency to Chicago, the gloves came off. Only recently has Belle, the Indians and the fan base come to some sort of uneasy alliance.
You could make a case for John Rocker, who alienated a lot of people with some comments that some people took as racist as the closer for the Braves. But he wasn't in Cleveland for very long, didn't play very well while he was here, and was quickly shipped out. Most fans probably don't even remember he was an Indian.
You could bring up LeBron James, but most of the vitriol was directed at James after he made his infamous "Decision." (By the way, don't get me started on Decision II. I will say this -- there's no chance he signs back with the Cavs, so I'm not getting emotionally vested in it. If he does, so be it.) Cleveland fans loved James, even though they feared he was going to leave. And, when he left, fans weren't shy about their allegations that he "quit" on his team, his city and his fanbase in back-to-back playoff series'. A lot of fans still would rather him not come back due to his actions in 2010, but quite a few are ready to forgive.
I honestly can't think of a guy on a Cleveland team who has split the fanbase more than the so-called "Johnny Football." And, there are many factors to this.
First, there were quite a few NFL folks who were concerned that his game wouldn't translate to the pros. He doesn't have the size that prototypical NFL quarterbacks have. He doesn't have the game (aka pocket presence) that the NFL seems to prefer. He likes to freelance, which the NFL doesn't really seem to like. His scrambling opens himself up to injury (see Robert Griffin III), and he's coming into the league with a reputation that may only make him more of a target.
Second, there were the off-the-field concerns that have reared it's ugly head in only two months as a Brown. Manziel was a social media target as a quarterback at Texas A&M. Manziel loved to party. Manziel loved to drink. Manziel loved to be around celebrities and hot women. Manziel loved to make a money sign with his fingers on the field, especially after he was investigated by the NCAA for allegedly selling his autograph for money following his Heisman Trophy-winning season.
He created the "Johnny Football" persona, and it reflected all that was wrong with Manziel. Some NFL execs were convinced he has maturity issues and that it would derail his career. Some NFL teams didn't want to deal with the "circus atmosphere" that comes with Manziel, who has been under the ESPN microscope since he dazzled Alabama as a redshirt freshman and upset them.
It was a big reason why Manziel, who had been slotted to go as high as No. 1 overall (Houston passed and took defensive lineman Jadaveon Clowney), plummeted down the first round to the 22nd pick. It was the Browns, who seemed to be rumored destination at No. 4, who finally stopped the slide, traded up from No. 26 and snagged him. Immediately, season ticket sales spiked and orders for his No. 2 jersey came from all over the country.
Manziel's jersey is the top-selling jersey in the NFL, and he hasn't even taken a snap yet. Suddenly, the Browns are national news. ESPN remembered that there was an NFL team in Cleveland with uniforms and everything, as did the NFL Network and other outlets. And, it seems that Manziel is the hot topic of discussion.
Sure, sometimes it's because new coach Mike Pettine won't hand Manziel the starting quarterback job and has entrenched Brian Hoyer as the starter. But, mostly, it's because of some picture or video of a drunken Manziel popping up on social media.
Manziel spent a weekend in Las Vegas, and the pictures of him drinking with bikini-clad women at a pool party were all over the place. It seems that he loves champagne, because every other picture or video of Manziel has him holding a bottle, either swigging out of it or spraying it at people or, simply, being passed out on an inflatable swan.
Someone filed a hoax lawsuit in Florida about Manziel, alleging some type of sexual harassment of a TV personality. That lawsuit was quickly dismissed, but not before it became national news.
Then there was the video that popped up on Instagram of a drunken Manziel in a hot tub holding a stack of cash to his ear like a phone and slurring, "I can't hear you because I've got so much fucking cash in my hand." A day later, it was announced that Manziel had signed his rookie contract with the Browns.
The Manziel critics had a field day with all of these. The Manziel fans used the "he's only 21" defense until they were blue in the face and claimed, "the season hasn't started yet. He's allowed to have fun."
Joe Cleveland will admit that he's NEVER been a Manziel fan. I didn't like him in college. I thought he was an ass, a douchebag. I didn't care for his game very much, either. I felt he'd be another Heisman bust in the NFL. I felt he was too small for the NFL. I felt that his partying would only get worse in the NFL after getting millions of dollars from his contract and from his endorsements. And, I felt that he could be a distraction for a team that's so desperately trying to rediscover its winning ways.
I did not want him in Cleveland, but now he's here. Yay!
From what I've heard, when Manziel is sober and is around football, he's very quiet and unassuming. But get him to the club with his boys and women and a bottle of champagne, and Johnny Football comes out. And I'm starting to realize that I'm not a fan of this Johnny Football fellow.
As a Browns fan, I think Manziel's drunken antics are embarrassing. And, for those who want to blame the media, umm, the media's not the one holding up their cell phones taking pictures and video of the guy. It's the media's job to report on this and, unfortunately, Manziel has made himself a target for this because of his antics at Texas A&M. And, it's only going to get worse.
Manziel, the other day at the NFL Rookie Symposium, told reporters that he wants to be "left alone." Sorry, dude, but you brought this all on yourself by being a drunken douche and letting your boys and female fans take pictures and videos and not objecting to them being Instagrammed and Twittered and Facebooked for the world to see. You created the Johnny Football monster. You looked up at the sky and rubbed your index fingers and thumbs together as a sign for getting paid. It's too late, son!
You made your bed, now you've got to lie in it.
The only way Manziel quiets the noise is to become a choir boy off the field. Stop going to the clubs. Stop buying expensive bottles of Cristal. Stop going to the strip clubs. Stop going out in public with celebrities and acting a fool.
He's already been brought to the principal's office, so to speak, and been given a talking to from Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, who felt his recent social media antics were embarrassing for himself and the franchise. Joe Haden has already given him some advice, saying he needs a phone valet to stop people from posting embarrassing videos of him. His teammates are tired of answering questions about him, both fellow rookies and the veterans.
You don't think an opposing veteran will want to put this spoiled rookie in his place during a game this year by giving him a nice little love tap or two? You don't think teams will look to knock the kid out?
Obviously, Manziel quiets the noise by winning. He will win over the local skeptics by playing great on the field, making the Browns exciting and leading this team to wins, the playoffs and (hopefully) a Super Bowl championship. His fans believe that this WILL happen, and that's why they defend him. As a Browns fan, I hope it DOES happen, because I'm tired of losing.
Of course, winning could only exacerbate the Johnny Football persona. More celebrities will come out of the woodwork if he wins. More women will come out of the woodwork. More vices may pop up. Alcohol will be more available than it already is. Drugs (cocaine, marijuana, ecstasy) may become available at the drop of the hat. The cellphone cameras will be directed at him every time he goes out in public. If he takes a shit at a public restroom, it will be big news.
But that's the price you pay for fame and when you've never shied away from the spotlight. Manziel used the spotlight as an act of defiance toward the NCAA and Texas A&M, and the legend of Johnny Football grew and grew. It didn't hurt that his Aggies were entertaining and won more than they lost (although they never won a national championship or even an SEC championship). It's up to Manziel to surround himself with the right people and check the Johnny Football persona at the door.
Manziel talks about his "brand" (which is such an annoying term that modern athletes use) and wanting to advance it. Well, the best way to enhance your "brand," besides becoming a winner on the field, staying healthy and throwing more touchdowns than interceptions, is keeping your nose clean. Sponsors will shy away from the kid who is a drunk all the time, but will flock to the man who is polished on and off the field.
The days of Joe Namath and Bobby Layne, swashbuckling quarterbacks who never saw a drink, or a woman, they didn't like but were praised for it, are over. Namath's career was ruined by knee injuries before it ever really took off, and perhaps his lifestyle contributed to that. Layne won championships for the Lions but wound up drinking himself out of the league as a Steeler. Both QBs are in the Hall of Fame and have championships. But this isn't the 1950s, 60s and 70s anymore.
Peyton Manning had his moments in college, but he cleaned up his act in the NFL and is now, even at 38, one of the biggest pitchmen in the NFL. Tom Brady, a tabloid target due to his high-profile relationships and subsequent marriage, has, by and large, kept a polished image off the field.
But, on the other side of the spectrum, there was Ryan Leaf, who didn't play well, popped off the media one too many times and wound up in trouble for drugs. There was Matt Leinart, who was a celebrity while playing for USC and leading the team to multiple national championships, partying with A-list celebrities and dating actresses. But, that lifestyle caught up with him in the NFL and his spotlight faded as quickly as his on-field career did. Now, the guy can't even keep a backup job in the NFL.
Hall of Famers such as Joe Montana and Emmitt Smith have offered their unsolicited advice to Manziel about his antics. It's become a distraction.
It's up to Manziel which path he chooses. He could be another Manning, or another Leaf. He could be another Brady, or another Leinart. Manziel should benefit from playing with a guy like Hoyer, who spent his formative years as Brady's understudy and saw what it takes to become a solid NFL quarterback. But, no one can hold Manziel's hand and make him listen to Hoyer, veteran Tyler Thigpen, QB coach Dowell Loggains and offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. Manziel's got to own it himself.
Joe Cleveland always roots for the name on the front of the jersey and not the name on the back. Johnny Manziel is a Cleveland Brown for the foreseeable future, whether we like it or not. And, I will root for him to excel on the field because it's best for the Browns and for the City of Cleveland. If he delivers an NFL championship to Cleveland, I will gladly take back every critical statement I've made about the guy, and I hope I have the chance to do so.
But if he fails, he'll hear it worse than guys like Brandon Weeden, Derek Anderson, Tim Couch, Jeff Garcia, Brady Quinn, Colt McCoy and Charlie Frye, among others, ever did. It comes with the territory, and he better buckle up and get ready for it.
Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!
Monday, October 7, 2013
Hoyer Paranoia
One day after the Cleveland Indians did their usual disappearing act whenever fans fill those green seats at Progressive Field to the max and the national media pays attention, the Cleveland Browns had the chance to turn those frowns upside down in the exact same scenario.
While most of the NFL Network's preseason hype on this game surrounded Buffalo first-round rookie quarterback E.J. Manuel, lately, the talk had shifted to this little-known third-string quarterback that had suddenly made the Browns relevant this early in the season -- North Olmsted native Brian Hoyer.
Most football gurus remembered Hoyer as Tom Brady's primary backup for a few seasons in New England after Hoyer made the Patriots as an undrafted rookie out of Michigan State. Hoyer had a stellar career at St. Ignatius, but wasn't exactly the second-coming while playing for the Spartans. In fact, some might say his college career was eerily similar to that of Brady's -- both were Big Ten quarterbacks in the state of Michigan, both weren't exactly great in college and both were lightly regarded by the NFL after their senior seasons.
Whatever knowledge Brady passed on to Hoyer he appeared to soak up like a sponge. Those close to Patriots head coach Bill Belichick believed that Hoyer had what it took to become a good starting quarterback in the NFL, including an NFL Network insider who previously worked in Cleveland named Michael Lombardi.
In December of 2011, Lombardi went on the NFL Network and proclaimed that both New England backups Hoyer and Ryan Mallett had what it took to become franchise quarterbacks in the NFL. His quote that has gotten repeated a lot over the past few weeks -- "I think Brian Hoyer and Ryan Mallett are starters. I've said this many times; If I would have taken the GM job of the 49ers, I would have gone after Brian Hoyer, because I think he has all the traits and characteristics. If I were the Cleveland Browns, I'd rather have Brian Hoyer behind center than Colt McCoy. I think he's got all the traits you need, in terms of leadership, toughness, the arm strength, the ability to move a team."
Within months of becoming the new GM of the Cleveland Browns, Lombardi proved to be a man of his word, signing Hoyer to a two-year contract. Then, after Brandon Weeden sprained his thumb late in a Week 2 14-6 loss to Baltimore and backup Jason Campbell threw an ill-advised underhanded toss to Jordan Cameron on fourth down with his team trailing by eight, Hoyer got his chance to show the world that Lombardi was actually right.
Hoyer's come-from-behind rally to beat the Minnesota Vikings after a tumultuous Week 3 had Cleveland buzzing. He then outplayed Cincinnati's Andy Dalton in his first home start ever, leading the Browns to a 17-6 win over the team most had pegged as the favorite to win the AFC North this season.
Needless to say, the NFL Network and the rest of the country had begun to take notice of Hoyer. Cleveland was already going nuts over their homegrown quarterback. In a hero-starved city desperately looking for the next Brian Sipe, Bernie Kosar or a combination of both, Hoyer appeared to be on his way to becoming the next one on that list.
Then, just six snaps into his nationally-televised debut, after what could have been an 90-yard touchdown pass to Josh Gordon was dropped after hitting Gordon in stride and right in the breadbasket, Hoyer took off on an innocent scramble after not seeing anyone open, went to slide after an 11-yard gain, was blasted by Buffalo rookie linebacker Kiko Alonso and tore the ACL of his knee when his leg bent awkwardly beneath him.
Now, the old Browns would have simply tucked their tail between their legs and gotten run out of their own building. The Bills had a 10-0 lead and Weeden, who had barely taken any snaps since suffering his thumb injury three weeks ago, was rusty as heck and was hearing about it from the Browns fans who had fallen head-over-heels in love with their homegrown quarterback. Even those who had supported Weeden were now buying into "Hoyer Paranoia."
However, these Browns aren't those old Browns.
Weeden suddenly shook off the rust and led the Browns to a touchdown drive. Then Travis Benjamin lit a spark in the crowd of 73,000 with a long, dazzling punt return touchdown that gave the Browns a sudden 17-10 lead.
Even after Buffalo came storming back to take a 24-17 lead, the Browns didn't quit. Weeden made, arguably, the two best throws of his career on back-to-back plays -- a 47-yard rope to Greg Little and a 37-yard bomb to Gordon that Gordon made a fantastic play on -- to tie the game at 24. Weeden then led the Browns to two more field goals before T.J. Ward sealed the deal with a pick-six off of undrafted rookie Jeff Tuel, who appears to have no business being on an NFL roster, let alone as the backup of the Bills (the Bills agreed, promoting ex-Browns third-stinger Thad Lewis to starter for the foreseeable future with Manuel's timetable to return undetermined).
Cleveland was understandably happy. The bad taste left in their mouths following the Indians' 4-0 loss to Tampa Bay was gone. The Browns had won three straight games and found themselves in sole possession of first place in the AFC North five weeks into the season. This after many believed they were raising the white flag on the season after giving up Trent Richardson for a 2014 first-round pick.
But, when the news hit that Hoyer was out for the rest of the season, suddenly first place didn't matter (at least to some people). That entertaining performance the previous night under the national spotlight was forgotten. The fact that Weeden was the quarterback for 95 percent of that game was apparently forgotten as well.
This is Cleveland, where we dwell on the negative and forget about the positive. Hoyer was done, and apparently, so are the Browns.
Joe Cleveland begs to differ.
Keep in mind that Weeden came into this season as the Browns' starting quarterback. He was a first round pick last season and started 15 of 16 games. If he doesn't injure his thumb in Week 2, Hoyer doesn't even get his chance.
Hoyer couldn't even beat out Campbell for the backup job in preseason, even though, by all accounts, Hoyer outplayed the veteran. And, when Rob Chudzinski announced that Hoyer was going to bypass Campbell and start in Week 3, many of you felt that it was a sure sign that the Browns were in tank mode.
Just two weeks later, many of those same fans believe that Hoyer was the next Kosar or Sipe, and he only played in two full games. Calm down, people!
We may never know if Hoyer would have been the answer or not, which is a shame because he had been playing so well. But Hoyer's debut coincided with the debut of Gordon after a two-game suspension, and if you can't see the difference in the Browns offense with it's only true vertical threat playing, then you're not watching the same game.
Perhaps the Browns would be 0-4 if Weeden hadn't gotten hurt, but we'll never know, will we? The fact is, Hoyer came in, played very well and helped the Browns get into the position that they are. And while Weeden does not have Hoyer's quick release and takes too many sacks, the fact is, when they take the shackles off of him, Weeden can make any throw necessary for his team to win. That was evident on those two tosses to Little and Gordon that turned this game solely on its axis in favor of the Browns.
When Weeden says he was friends with Hoyer, I believe him. And when he says he learned from some of the attributes Hoyer brought to the table, along with the work ethic he brought with him from the Patriots, I believe him too. And, if Weeden can't be motivated to play his absolute best after seeing one his backups play as well as he did with talk still swirling about the Browns still targeting a quarterback in next year's draft, then there's no hope for him.
I believe we'll see the Brandon Weeden that some folks believed he could be after a stellar career at Oklahoma State. Perhaps it took getting injured and coming off the bench to light a fire under his ass. Prior to that, everything was handed to him. The starting job was handed to him after Mike Holmgren and Tom Heckert took him with the 22nd overall pick, and he was never challenged by Colt McCoy or Lewis or Seneca Wallace. His GM called the Weeden selection a "panicked disaster" on the NFL Network last season, so he knows the deck is stacked against him.
He very correctly answered that "those things are out of my control," when Rich Eisen asked him about the QB rumors in the postgame show Thursday night. It's true. All he can do is play as well as he can and things will take care of themselves.
This Browns team has a legitimate shot at a postseason berth, something I don't think anybody would have said with a straight face just three weeks ago. The North Division looks very mortal, as the Bengals and Ravens pull Jeckyl and Hyde impressions every other week and the Steelers can't win a single game. The rest of the schedule doesn't look very daunting, as a 3-2 Lions team comes to town this Sunday that was just throttled by the Packers and went a dismal 4-12 last season. Even Green Bay looks beatable this season, as does New England (both on the Browns schedule).
The Browns aren't going to win every single game the rest of the season, and if they happen to lose to Detroit, fans will point out Weeden's 0-3 record as a starter compared to Hoyer's 3-0. But they have the defense to hang with any team in front of them, and the offense has enough playmakers (even without Richardson and Hoyer) to do some damage.
Remember how people were complaining about the kicker position and how the Browns would regret letting Phil Dawson go? You don't hear that very much anymore, do you? Billy Cundiff has only missed two field goals (one was blocked) and most of his kickoffs go through the uprights. Spencer Lanning even made an extra point for good measure and has proven to be the Browns' most reliable punter since the days of Dave Zastudil. And Benjamin has made many people forget about Josh Cribbs, although they do miss Cribbs on kickoff returns.
The Browns are not a finished product, by any means. But can they win this season and make a playoff push? Absolutely.
The Browns may wind up being like the Indians in this regard -- being good enough to qualify for the playoffs, but not quite good enough to make a championship push. And you know what, that's fine.
You don't hear many people complaining about the Indians today because they exceeded everyone's expectations by simply winning 92 games and qualifying for a Wild Card berth. Sure, you would have liked to see them score at least one run against the Rays, especially when they had numerous chances to do so, but the fact that they brought exciting October baseball back to Carnegie and Ontario after five years seemed to have lit a spark under this dormant fan base. Now, everyone's excited about this offseason, and deservedly so. It's been a while since fans have legitimately been anticipating an Indians offseason, and the Tribe has some decisions to make if they want to keep building off of this season.
The Browns are in the same boat. If this team somehow goes 10-6 or 9-7 or even 8-8 and wins the AFC North, you don't think Browns fans aren't going to be excited? Even if that means they're set up for an ass-kicking by the Denver Broncos, so be it. This offseason was already anticipated before the Browns captured our imaginations and won three straight games. Every Browns offseason is anticipated, but you don't think the anticipation would grow 10-fold if this team somehow snuck into the playoffs? NFL playoff football hasn't visited Cleveland since 2002 and only twice since 1994 -- you're damn right we're going to go apeshit, just like everyone did when the Tribe made it after a six-year absence.
Cleveland fans are dying to see what the Indians can do for an encore in 2014 and whether or not the 2013 was an abberation or something that can be built upon. They will be dying to see what the Browns can do for 2014, regardless of whether they make the playoffs or not (but it will be greater if they can be a postseason team). And, Lord only knows about the Cavs in the summer of 2014 when you-know-who decides to become a free agent, regardless of whether they can finally taste the postseason for the first time since that you-know-who took his talents elsewhere in the summer of 2010.
Can we see three playoff teams in the same calender year for the first time in a long time, perhaps EVER? The closest we got was 2007, with the Cavs making the NBA Finals, the Indians making the ALCS and the Browns winning 10 games, but finishing a tiebreaker shy of an NFL playoff berth. Too early to tell.
But don't let Hoyer's season-ending injury spoil your feelings about the Cleveland Browns. Yeah, it's a tough break for the hometown hero. But let's see if Weeden can rise to the challenge and answer the bell. Let's see if this defense continues to play like one of the best units in the NFL. Let's see if the special teams continue to do special things. Let's see if Willis McGahee can get better as he works off his own rust, and let's see if Gordon, Little, Cameron and Davone Bess can continue to give Weeden reliable weapons that he can use to attack NFL defenses and put points on the board.
The Browns are playing their best football in YEARS. Don't let an injury to a guy who began the year as the third-string quarterback spoil that.
Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!
While most of the NFL Network's preseason hype on this game surrounded Buffalo first-round rookie quarterback E.J. Manuel, lately, the talk had shifted to this little-known third-string quarterback that had suddenly made the Browns relevant this early in the season -- North Olmsted native Brian Hoyer.
Most football gurus remembered Hoyer as Tom Brady's primary backup for a few seasons in New England after Hoyer made the Patriots as an undrafted rookie out of Michigan State. Hoyer had a stellar career at St. Ignatius, but wasn't exactly the second-coming while playing for the Spartans. In fact, some might say his college career was eerily similar to that of Brady's -- both were Big Ten quarterbacks in the state of Michigan, both weren't exactly great in college and both were lightly regarded by the NFL after their senior seasons.
Whatever knowledge Brady passed on to Hoyer he appeared to soak up like a sponge. Those close to Patriots head coach Bill Belichick believed that Hoyer had what it took to become a good starting quarterback in the NFL, including an NFL Network insider who previously worked in Cleveland named Michael Lombardi.
In December of 2011, Lombardi went on the NFL Network and proclaimed that both New England backups Hoyer and Ryan Mallett had what it took to become franchise quarterbacks in the NFL. His quote that has gotten repeated a lot over the past few weeks -- "I think Brian Hoyer and Ryan Mallett are starters. I've said this many times; If I would have taken the GM job of the 49ers, I would have gone after Brian Hoyer, because I think he has all the traits and characteristics. If I were the Cleveland Browns, I'd rather have Brian Hoyer behind center than Colt McCoy. I think he's got all the traits you need, in terms of leadership, toughness, the arm strength, the ability to move a team."
Within months of becoming the new GM of the Cleveland Browns, Lombardi proved to be a man of his word, signing Hoyer to a two-year contract. Then, after Brandon Weeden sprained his thumb late in a Week 2 14-6 loss to Baltimore and backup Jason Campbell threw an ill-advised underhanded toss to Jordan Cameron on fourth down with his team trailing by eight, Hoyer got his chance to show the world that Lombardi was actually right.
Hoyer's come-from-behind rally to beat the Minnesota Vikings after a tumultuous Week 3 had Cleveland buzzing. He then outplayed Cincinnati's Andy Dalton in his first home start ever, leading the Browns to a 17-6 win over the team most had pegged as the favorite to win the AFC North this season.
Needless to say, the NFL Network and the rest of the country had begun to take notice of Hoyer. Cleveland was already going nuts over their homegrown quarterback. In a hero-starved city desperately looking for the next Brian Sipe, Bernie Kosar or a combination of both, Hoyer appeared to be on his way to becoming the next one on that list.
Then, just six snaps into his nationally-televised debut, after what could have been an 90-yard touchdown pass to Josh Gordon was dropped after hitting Gordon in stride and right in the breadbasket, Hoyer took off on an innocent scramble after not seeing anyone open, went to slide after an 11-yard gain, was blasted by Buffalo rookie linebacker Kiko Alonso and tore the ACL of his knee when his leg bent awkwardly beneath him.
Now, the old Browns would have simply tucked their tail between their legs and gotten run out of their own building. The Bills had a 10-0 lead and Weeden, who had barely taken any snaps since suffering his thumb injury three weeks ago, was rusty as heck and was hearing about it from the Browns fans who had fallen head-over-heels in love with their homegrown quarterback. Even those who had supported Weeden were now buying into "Hoyer Paranoia."
However, these Browns aren't those old Browns.
Weeden suddenly shook off the rust and led the Browns to a touchdown drive. Then Travis Benjamin lit a spark in the crowd of 73,000 with a long, dazzling punt return touchdown that gave the Browns a sudden 17-10 lead.
Even after Buffalo came storming back to take a 24-17 lead, the Browns didn't quit. Weeden made, arguably, the two best throws of his career on back-to-back plays -- a 47-yard rope to Greg Little and a 37-yard bomb to Gordon that Gordon made a fantastic play on -- to tie the game at 24. Weeden then led the Browns to two more field goals before T.J. Ward sealed the deal with a pick-six off of undrafted rookie Jeff Tuel, who appears to have no business being on an NFL roster, let alone as the backup of the Bills (the Bills agreed, promoting ex-Browns third-stinger Thad Lewis to starter for the foreseeable future with Manuel's timetable to return undetermined).
Cleveland was understandably happy. The bad taste left in their mouths following the Indians' 4-0 loss to Tampa Bay was gone. The Browns had won three straight games and found themselves in sole possession of first place in the AFC North five weeks into the season. This after many believed they were raising the white flag on the season after giving up Trent Richardson for a 2014 first-round pick.
But, when the news hit that Hoyer was out for the rest of the season, suddenly first place didn't matter (at least to some people). That entertaining performance the previous night under the national spotlight was forgotten. The fact that Weeden was the quarterback for 95 percent of that game was apparently forgotten as well.
This is Cleveland, where we dwell on the negative and forget about the positive. Hoyer was done, and apparently, so are the Browns.
Joe Cleveland begs to differ.
Keep in mind that Weeden came into this season as the Browns' starting quarterback. He was a first round pick last season and started 15 of 16 games. If he doesn't injure his thumb in Week 2, Hoyer doesn't even get his chance.
Hoyer couldn't even beat out Campbell for the backup job in preseason, even though, by all accounts, Hoyer outplayed the veteran. And, when Rob Chudzinski announced that Hoyer was going to bypass Campbell and start in Week 3, many of you felt that it was a sure sign that the Browns were in tank mode.
Just two weeks later, many of those same fans believe that Hoyer was the next Kosar or Sipe, and he only played in two full games. Calm down, people!
We may never know if Hoyer would have been the answer or not, which is a shame because he had been playing so well. But Hoyer's debut coincided with the debut of Gordon after a two-game suspension, and if you can't see the difference in the Browns offense with it's only true vertical threat playing, then you're not watching the same game.
Perhaps the Browns would be 0-4 if Weeden hadn't gotten hurt, but we'll never know, will we? The fact is, Hoyer came in, played very well and helped the Browns get into the position that they are. And while Weeden does not have Hoyer's quick release and takes too many sacks, the fact is, when they take the shackles off of him, Weeden can make any throw necessary for his team to win. That was evident on those two tosses to Little and Gordon that turned this game solely on its axis in favor of the Browns.
When Weeden says he was friends with Hoyer, I believe him. And when he says he learned from some of the attributes Hoyer brought to the table, along with the work ethic he brought with him from the Patriots, I believe him too. And, if Weeden can't be motivated to play his absolute best after seeing one his backups play as well as he did with talk still swirling about the Browns still targeting a quarterback in next year's draft, then there's no hope for him.
I believe we'll see the Brandon Weeden that some folks believed he could be after a stellar career at Oklahoma State. Perhaps it took getting injured and coming off the bench to light a fire under his ass. Prior to that, everything was handed to him. The starting job was handed to him after Mike Holmgren and Tom Heckert took him with the 22nd overall pick, and he was never challenged by Colt McCoy or Lewis or Seneca Wallace. His GM called the Weeden selection a "panicked disaster" on the NFL Network last season, so he knows the deck is stacked against him.
He very correctly answered that "those things are out of my control," when Rich Eisen asked him about the QB rumors in the postgame show Thursday night. It's true. All he can do is play as well as he can and things will take care of themselves.
This Browns team has a legitimate shot at a postseason berth, something I don't think anybody would have said with a straight face just three weeks ago. The North Division looks very mortal, as the Bengals and Ravens pull Jeckyl and Hyde impressions every other week and the Steelers can't win a single game. The rest of the schedule doesn't look very daunting, as a 3-2 Lions team comes to town this Sunday that was just throttled by the Packers and went a dismal 4-12 last season. Even Green Bay looks beatable this season, as does New England (both on the Browns schedule).
The Browns aren't going to win every single game the rest of the season, and if they happen to lose to Detroit, fans will point out Weeden's 0-3 record as a starter compared to Hoyer's 3-0. But they have the defense to hang with any team in front of them, and the offense has enough playmakers (even without Richardson and Hoyer) to do some damage.
Remember how people were complaining about the kicker position and how the Browns would regret letting Phil Dawson go? You don't hear that very much anymore, do you? Billy Cundiff has only missed two field goals (one was blocked) and most of his kickoffs go through the uprights. Spencer Lanning even made an extra point for good measure and has proven to be the Browns' most reliable punter since the days of Dave Zastudil. And Benjamin has made many people forget about Josh Cribbs, although they do miss Cribbs on kickoff returns.
The Browns are not a finished product, by any means. But can they win this season and make a playoff push? Absolutely.
The Browns may wind up being like the Indians in this regard -- being good enough to qualify for the playoffs, but not quite good enough to make a championship push. And you know what, that's fine.
You don't hear many people complaining about the Indians today because they exceeded everyone's expectations by simply winning 92 games and qualifying for a Wild Card berth. Sure, you would have liked to see them score at least one run against the Rays, especially when they had numerous chances to do so, but the fact that they brought exciting October baseball back to Carnegie and Ontario after five years seemed to have lit a spark under this dormant fan base. Now, everyone's excited about this offseason, and deservedly so. It's been a while since fans have legitimately been anticipating an Indians offseason, and the Tribe has some decisions to make if they want to keep building off of this season.
The Browns are in the same boat. If this team somehow goes 10-6 or 9-7 or even 8-8 and wins the AFC North, you don't think Browns fans aren't going to be excited? Even if that means they're set up for an ass-kicking by the Denver Broncos, so be it. This offseason was already anticipated before the Browns captured our imaginations and won three straight games. Every Browns offseason is anticipated, but you don't think the anticipation would grow 10-fold if this team somehow snuck into the playoffs? NFL playoff football hasn't visited Cleveland since 2002 and only twice since 1994 -- you're damn right we're going to go apeshit, just like everyone did when the Tribe made it after a six-year absence.
Cleveland fans are dying to see what the Indians can do for an encore in 2014 and whether or not the 2013 was an abberation or something that can be built upon. They will be dying to see what the Browns can do for 2014, regardless of whether they make the playoffs or not (but it will be greater if they can be a postseason team). And, Lord only knows about the Cavs in the summer of 2014 when you-know-who decides to become a free agent, regardless of whether they can finally taste the postseason for the first time since that you-know-who took his talents elsewhere in the summer of 2010.
Can we see three playoff teams in the same calender year for the first time in a long time, perhaps EVER? The closest we got was 2007, with the Cavs making the NBA Finals, the Indians making the ALCS and the Browns winning 10 games, but finishing a tiebreaker shy of an NFL playoff berth. Too early to tell.
But don't let Hoyer's season-ending injury spoil your feelings about the Cleveland Browns. Yeah, it's a tough break for the hometown hero. But let's see if Weeden can rise to the challenge and answer the bell. Let's see if this defense continues to play like one of the best units in the NFL. Let's see if the special teams continue to do special things. Let's see if Willis McGahee can get better as he works off his own rust, and let's see if Gordon, Little, Cameron and Davone Bess can continue to give Weeden reliable weapons that he can use to attack NFL defenses and put points on the board.
The Browns are playing their best football in YEARS. Don't let an injury to a guy who began the year as the third-string quarterback spoil that.
Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!
Monday, September 30, 2013
A Perfect Day
Why do I suddenly get flashbacks to 2007 all over again?
2007 was the last time fortunes shone so well for the landscape of Cleveland sports. The LeBron James-led Cavs upset the Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals to punch their ticket to the NBA Finals for the first (and only) time in franchise history. The Indians won 96 games and won their first AL Central title since 2001, and came within a game of reaching the World Series (leading the Red Sox 3-1 in the ALCS). And the Browns used a eyebrow-raising early-season transaction to reel off 10 victories -- the most since the team returned in 1999 -- and came within a tiebreaker of reaching the NFL Playoffs for just the second time since that return.
Unfortunately, 2008 happened, which led to every other year until now. The Cavs never could reach the NBA Finals again and then wound up losing James to Miami. The Indians couldn't take advantage of back-to-back Cy Young Award winning pitchers and wound up trading both away for not much in return. The Browns quickly realized that Derek Anderson was a mediocre quarterback and suddenly found themselves back in the position they've been in -- changing regimes, changing coaches, changing quarterbacks, etc.
"Saviors" came and went -- Mike Holmgren, Byron Scott, Manny Acta, Colt McCoy, James, Eric Mangini, Victor Martinez, Mo Williams, etc. The Cavs became irrelevant after James took his talents down south. The Indians would tease in May but fall apart in June, July and August. The Browns just became a revolving door of mediocrity, as snake-oil salesmen came in with their "grand plans," would blow everything up, but couldn't quite seem to win more than 4 or 5 games each year.
But Sunday -- where both the Browns and Indians won meaningful games, and won them in convincing fashion -- was a day to wash all that away. Today is day where, despite the rainy weather, it looked a bit brighter outside, your breakfast tasted better, your good morning kiss lasted a little longer and you felt about 10 points lighter than you already were.
And, the sad part is, neither the Indians and the Browns have won anything truly meaningful (a.k.a. a championship) yet. But today, Joe Cleveland doesn't care, and I believe most of you don't either.
We'll start with the Indians, since their 5-1 win over the Minnesota Twins clinched something that seemed impossible not just at the start of the season, but at various times DURING this season -- their first playoff berth since 2007 and first-ever Wild-Card berth (all other playoff berths were AL Central Division titles).
Look at this team a little closer -- they had no pitchers with at least 15 victories. Their closer had a "whopping" 25 saves and wound up losing his job down this stretch. They had nobody with 25 home runs or 90 RBIs. They had nobody batting over .300 that was an every-day starter.
But yet, this team -- a team that lost 94 games last season -- went 92-70 this season and will HOST the AL Wild-Card game Wednesday night against whoever wins a one-game playoff between Tampa Bay and Texas.
Even those of you Wahoo Warriors who live, eat and breathe Tribe, those of you who made up the 19,000-fan average at Progressive Field this summer, have to step back and take a look at this team and pinch yourselves. Yeah, they spent some money this offseason. Yeah, they got rid of the Shelly Duncans and Brent Lillibridges and David Delluccis of year's past and brought in viable major league talent. But Nick Swisher, until September, was proving to be a waste of money and Michael Bourn, who led the NL in steals virtually every season, wasn't having the same success in the AL with the Indians. And Drew Stubbs, who was acquired for Shin-Soo Choo, couldn't even stay in the lineup regularly, having been beaten out by Ryan Raburn -- a guy who was brought to camp under a minor-league deal with the most everyone thought of him being was "depth."
Third base was a disaster, as Lonnie Chisenhall couldn't keep his job, Mark Reynolds was even worse and it became a revolving door of Chisenhall and Mark Aviles (a regular shortstop). Carlos Santana regressed as a catcher and Yan Gomes wound up becoming the every-day catcher. And they held on to a 42-year-old former steroid cheat who, if he wasn't hitting a home run or a seeing-eye single, was giving the fans around home plate some additional air conditioning with his hacks.
The pitching -- I won't go into detail. But you went into September with your No. 1 starter on the shelf with an injury and your former two-time All-Star closer suddenly developing a serious case of the yips and becoming more unreliable than he had become in the past.
And yet, with this cast of characters, the Indians go 22-6 in September and end the season on a 10-game winning streak. Go back even further, and they won 17-of-their-last-19 games. Sure, they had a bunch of cupcakes on the schedule in September (they went 17-2 against the White Sox -- and these weren't the 2005 World Champion White Sox), but they played the hand they were dealt and took advantage. They needed to win their last 10 games in a row to even hope that they would be, at least, in a two- or three-way tie for the Wild Card spot, let alone in it at all, and they not only did that, but also cemented that game at home while Tampa Bay and Texas have to waste pitching today to try to simply get the right to play the Indians at a sold-out Progressive Field Wednesday night.
You had that 42-year-old former steroid cheat Jason Giambi deliver, arguably, the biggest home run of the season -- a two-out, two-run walkoff jack to deep right off of White Sox closer Addison Reed that pulled their kiesters squarely out of the fire. Chris Perez gave away a two-run lead in the 9th by giving up a pair of home runs. I would say, if they wind up losing that game, we're not talking about the playoff-bound Indians. We're lamenting about another late season collapse.
I'm not a Giambi fan and I never will be. But I will thank him for single-handedly saving this season. With that home run, they don't win 10 straight games and they don't host the Wild Card game. They might not even be playing today for the right to be in that Wild Card game.
But the biggest reason why this team with this mismatched cast of characters, without a true superstar, without anyone with glittering stats, with former All-Stars going through season-long slumps and high-priced free agent signings underperforming (two of them didn't even last the full season with the Indians -- Reynolds and Brett Myers), is the manager -- Terry Francona.
I will always be a critic of Mark Shapiro and Chris Antonetti, but they used their prior relationship with Francona to lure him away from the desk of ESPN back into the dugout wearing Chief Wahoo on his hat. Francona came to town with two World Series rings from his days as a Boston Red Sox manager (2004 and 2007), but some felt his resume was blown up by the fact that the Red Sox had one of the highest-payrolls in MLB during that span. He fielded an All-Star team rife with superstar talent, and even when his team wasn't winning World Series titles, they were always in the playoffs and a threat to do so.
With the Indians, he wasn't going to have an owner willing to spend over $100 million to put out the best possible team money can buy. Sure, payroll went up this year, but he didn't have Dustin Pedroia at second base, David Ortiz at DH, Curt Schilling as the ace of the staff, along with Pedro Martinez, or a young fireballer named Jonathan Papalbon as the up-and-coming closer. He didn't have Johnny Damon in his prime. If he would have shown up last year, he would have dealt with Johnny Damon over the hill.
I would argue and say that the managing job Francona did with this Indians team to turn them into a 92-70, playoff team (that actually finished one game behind Detroit for the AL Central crown) was better than the job he did with the Sox in 2004 and 2007. This year, he did more with less. He pushed all the right buttons, kept his team focused, overcame a mountain of adversity in various aspects and, at the end of the day, has them in the postseason.
No one expected them do it. I predicted 81-81 this year, using this as a step in the right direction. No one turns a 94-loss team into a 92-win team in one season -- not in today's Major League Baseball, where there is no salary cap and there is no parity.
Well, Terry Francona did it, and for that, Joe Cleveland thanks him with all of his heart. You made baseball relevant in this town again after years of it not being so. 44,000 people will be at Progressive Field for an October baseball game, and that's because of Terry Francona.
Even if they lose on Wednesday, and even if they can't get past the Red Sox in the ALDS if they do win on Wednesday, I will not be disappointed. It's hard to be disappointed in something you really didn't believe in in the first place. I had written the Indians off many times this year, especially when they stumbled to a 4-15 record against the Tigers. I even had the Indians written off two weeks ago, when they couldn't take advantage of Texas and Tampa Bay playing each other in a four-game series. My tough-love approach worked, and it's not crazy if it doesn't work.
Right now, it's all icing on the cake. Sure, I want the Indians to win a World Series championship -- we all want to see one championship in our lifetimes, especially when we've been devoid of one since 1964. But, to me, the true litmus test is next season. This front office can't sit on their laurels and pat themselves on the back about getting to the playoffs, like they did in 2007. They need to be proactive NOW. If you don't believe in Chris Perez or Asdrubal Cabrera or Carlos Santana, do something about it! Use them to build up your assets for 2014 and beyond! Sure, find some other low-priced free agents that pan out, like Scott Kazmir, Raburn and Giambi, but don't settle for the cheap approach. Sign at least one more guy like you signed Swisher and Bourn. You have $15 million coming off the books with Myers and Reynolds gone, and it could be more by parting with Perez and Cabrera. Use that money for more talent.
Attendance is guaranteed to spike next season. Tribe fans played the "show-me" game with this franchise this year, and they went out and showed us. Now, we believe. Now, we want to be swept up in Tribe fever like we were in the 1990s. You have a manager that, as Swisher says in his annoying commercial, players respect and love playing for.
2013 should be the start of something great for the Cleveland Indians, not the culmination of something. Larry Dolan said his goal was to win "World Series championships" when he bought this team. Now it's time to put his money where his mouth was.
Which brings me to the Browns ...
Two weeks ago, most Browns fans were talking about "Tanking for Teddy" or "Tanking for Tajh" after Joe Banner and Mike Lombardi stunningly traded Trent Richardson to the Colts for their 2014 first-round pick. The same day, Rob Chudzinski announced that third-stringer Brian Hoyer would be the starting quarterback in place of the injured Brandon Weeden, which only intensified those tank feelings.
Today, nobody's talking about Teddy Bridgewater or any "Bridgewater Bowls" against Jacksonville or anything else like that. Today, everyone's wrapped up in "Hoyer Paranoia" and believing that the Browns can actually do something positive this season.
Sure, it's only 2-2, but they just beat two teams that were in the postseason last season -- the Vikings on the road and the Bengals at home. The Bengals were everyone's pick to win the AFC North this season, and the Browns DOMINATED them, 17-6. The score should have been worse, but kicker Billy Cundiff missed one field goal and had another one partially blocked.
North Olmsted native and St. Ignatius grad Brian Hoyer has become the latest folk hero around these parts. The Cleveland Kid came back to the team he grew up rooting for and led them to two wins in his first two starts. You can't script that any better. And this was a kid that couldn't beat out Jason Campbell to be Weeden's primary backup in training camp (although many observers thought that he did).
All of a sudden, this Browns defense looks to be at tough as advertised before the season. This wasn't the same team that lost, 23-10, to Miami in the season opener at FirstEnergy Stadium. This was a team that could very well be the best team in the AFC North.
Today, the Browns, the Bengals and those Thieving Bastards from Baltimore are all 2-2. The Pittsburgh Steelers are 0-4 ..... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!
OK, Joe Cleveland had to get that out of his system. Remember, we still have to play the Squeelers from Pittspuke twice, but boy, don't those games sure look winnable now? Especially when you see the Browns beat the Bengals and the Vikings and then notice that both of those teams beat Pittsburgh?
You harken back to that Baltimore game two weeks ago, and can you imagine if Hoyer and Josh Gordon played in that game? The Browns held Joe Flacco and the Ravens to just two touchdowns, but all Weeden could accomplish was two field goals as Greg Little dropped pass after pass and Richardson struggled to gain more than three yards per carry. This team could very well be 3-1 now, because the Ravens aren't that good.
Remember when Browns fans were bitching about taking Barkevioius Mingo over Jarvis Jones, and then feeling that we'd regret that decision when Jones blossoms into another stellar Steeler linebacker? Yeah, me neither. Spinal Stenosis Jones has underwhelmed, to put it nicely, while Mingo -- after a suffering a lung injury that cost him the season opener -- has been an animal out on the field, a true difference maker.
Buster Skrine has even gotten better at what he does. Even Oniel Cousins, who I wanted to hoist off of the 480 bridge after his "performance" in the season opener, has buckled down and been better at the fill-in right guard.
D'Qwell Jackson has emerged as the Ray Lewis of the Browns team (without the murder charge or the insane pregame rants that didn't make any sense). He's become a leader that all sides of the football respect. Jackson is one of the best inside/middle linebackers in the NFL and has made this team HIS team. Same with Joe Thomas, another quiet guy who just goes about his business and could very well be the first Hall of Fame Brown during the expansion era. Hell, same with Phil Taylor.
You remember Phil Taylor, the guy the Browns traded down and drafted instead of Julio Jones, right? Sure, while Holmgren and Tom Heckert botched that trade overall (and the 2012 draft overall), the fact is Phil Taylor is now their version of Haloi Ngata or Casey Hampton -- the big nose tackle in the middle who hits like a freight train and isn't afraid to carry himself with some swagger. He's not Gerard Warren, a guy who talked the talk but, more often than not, didn't walk the walk. He's more like Bob Golic, and that's what this Browns team needs.
The Browns are coached and quarterbacked by guys that grew up in Ohio as Browns fans and are responsible for turning this franchise around. How cool would that be if they actually took this team back to where it hasn't been since 2002?
This week, the national media descends upon Cleveland, with Progressive Field hosting the Wild Card game Wednesday and the Buffalo Bills (also 2-2) coming to FirstEnergy Stadium Thursday. Both games will be nationally televised. Both games are in prime-time. Both games will be played in front of packed houses filled with rabid CLEVELAND fans. Whether you wear Wahoo on your cap with red, blue and white or you prefer Brownie the Elf along with your brown, orange and white jerseys, you will show the country why Cleveland has the best damn sports fans around.
Yeah, we bitch and we moan and we complain about this or that, but wouldn't you when you've been buried in mediocrity for so long? You can only take so many ESPN punchlines for so long before you get resentful. It's what makes us so passionate. As I tried to explain to people who called me an "Indians hater" -- I don't hate the Indians. If I didn't care about them, I wouldn't complain. If I didn't care, I'd ignore them.
This town is full of people who truly care about the Indians, Browns, Cavaliers and Ohio State football (they won on Saturday, too, by the way, over a ranked Wisconsin team that a few in the national media predicted they'd lose to). They want to be entertained, but they want to win. Deep down, a lot of them believe, in their heart of hearts, that "this" is the year that the (fill in the blanks) turn it around.
Well, we can honestly say that about the Indians, whether they continue this remarkable journey or not. We want to believe we can say that about the Browns. The Cavs ... we're not quite there yet, but there was a lot of hype when Andrew Bynum was signed in free agency, so you never know.
Hopefully, in five years, we can look back at 2013 as the year where it all began and not as the blip on the radar screen like we're doing six years later as we look back at 2007.
Shout from the rooftops, Cleveland! Today is your day! Hopefully, by Friday, we're still feeling as good as we are.
Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!
2007 was the last time fortunes shone so well for the landscape of Cleveland sports. The LeBron James-led Cavs upset the Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals to punch their ticket to the NBA Finals for the first (and only) time in franchise history. The Indians won 96 games and won their first AL Central title since 2001, and came within a game of reaching the World Series (leading the Red Sox 3-1 in the ALCS). And the Browns used a eyebrow-raising early-season transaction to reel off 10 victories -- the most since the team returned in 1999 -- and came within a tiebreaker of reaching the NFL Playoffs for just the second time since that return.
Unfortunately, 2008 happened, which led to every other year until now. The Cavs never could reach the NBA Finals again and then wound up losing James to Miami. The Indians couldn't take advantage of back-to-back Cy Young Award winning pitchers and wound up trading both away for not much in return. The Browns quickly realized that Derek Anderson was a mediocre quarterback and suddenly found themselves back in the position they've been in -- changing regimes, changing coaches, changing quarterbacks, etc.
"Saviors" came and went -- Mike Holmgren, Byron Scott, Manny Acta, Colt McCoy, James, Eric Mangini, Victor Martinez, Mo Williams, etc. The Cavs became irrelevant after James took his talents down south. The Indians would tease in May but fall apart in June, July and August. The Browns just became a revolving door of mediocrity, as snake-oil salesmen came in with their "grand plans," would blow everything up, but couldn't quite seem to win more than 4 or 5 games each year.
But Sunday -- where both the Browns and Indians won meaningful games, and won them in convincing fashion -- was a day to wash all that away. Today is day where, despite the rainy weather, it looked a bit brighter outside, your breakfast tasted better, your good morning kiss lasted a little longer and you felt about 10 points lighter than you already were.
And, the sad part is, neither the Indians and the Browns have won anything truly meaningful (a.k.a. a championship) yet. But today, Joe Cleveland doesn't care, and I believe most of you don't either.
We'll start with the Indians, since their 5-1 win over the Minnesota Twins clinched something that seemed impossible not just at the start of the season, but at various times DURING this season -- their first playoff berth since 2007 and first-ever Wild-Card berth (all other playoff berths were AL Central Division titles).
Look at this team a little closer -- they had no pitchers with at least 15 victories. Their closer had a "whopping" 25 saves and wound up losing his job down this stretch. They had nobody with 25 home runs or 90 RBIs. They had nobody batting over .300 that was an every-day starter.
But yet, this team -- a team that lost 94 games last season -- went 92-70 this season and will HOST the AL Wild-Card game Wednesday night against whoever wins a one-game playoff between Tampa Bay and Texas.
Even those of you Wahoo Warriors who live, eat and breathe Tribe, those of you who made up the 19,000-fan average at Progressive Field this summer, have to step back and take a look at this team and pinch yourselves. Yeah, they spent some money this offseason. Yeah, they got rid of the Shelly Duncans and Brent Lillibridges and David Delluccis of year's past and brought in viable major league talent. But Nick Swisher, until September, was proving to be a waste of money and Michael Bourn, who led the NL in steals virtually every season, wasn't having the same success in the AL with the Indians. And Drew Stubbs, who was acquired for Shin-Soo Choo, couldn't even stay in the lineup regularly, having been beaten out by Ryan Raburn -- a guy who was brought to camp under a minor-league deal with the most everyone thought of him being was "depth."
Third base was a disaster, as Lonnie Chisenhall couldn't keep his job, Mark Reynolds was even worse and it became a revolving door of Chisenhall and Mark Aviles (a regular shortstop). Carlos Santana regressed as a catcher and Yan Gomes wound up becoming the every-day catcher. And they held on to a 42-year-old former steroid cheat who, if he wasn't hitting a home run or a seeing-eye single, was giving the fans around home plate some additional air conditioning with his hacks.
The pitching -- I won't go into detail. But you went into September with your No. 1 starter on the shelf with an injury and your former two-time All-Star closer suddenly developing a serious case of the yips and becoming more unreliable than he had become in the past.
And yet, with this cast of characters, the Indians go 22-6 in September and end the season on a 10-game winning streak. Go back even further, and they won 17-of-their-last-19 games. Sure, they had a bunch of cupcakes on the schedule in September (they went 17-2 against the White Sox -- and these weren't the 2005 World Champion White Sox), but they played the hand they were dealt and took advantage. They needed to win their last 10 games in a row to even hope that they would be, at least, in a two- or three-way tie for the Wild Card spot, let alone in it at all, and they not only did that, but also cemented that game at home while Tampa Bay and Texas have to waste pitching today to try to simply get the right to play the Indians at a sold-out Progressive Field Wednesday night.
You had that 42-year-old former steroid cheat Jason Giambi deliver, arguably, the biggest home run of the season -- a two-out, two-run walkoff jack to deep right off of White Sox closer Addison Reed that pulled their kiesters squarely out of the fire. Chris Perez gave away a two-run lead in the 9th by giving up a pair of home runs. I would say, if they wind up losing that game, we're not talking about the playoff-bound Indians. We're lamenting about another late season collapse.
I'm not a Giambi fan and I never will be. But I will thank him for single-handedly saving this season. With that home run, they don't win 10 straight games and they don't host the Wild Card game. They might not even be playing today for the right to be in that Wild Card game.
But the biggest reason why this team with this mismatched cast of characters, without a true superstar, without anyone with glittering stats, with former All-Stars going through season-long slumps and high-priced free agent signings underperforming (two of them didn't even last the full season with the Indians -- Reynolds and Brett Myers), is the manager -- Terry Francona.
I will always be a critic of Mark Shapiro and Chris Antonetti, but they used their prior relationship with Francona to lure him away from the desk of ESPN back into the dugout wearing Chief Wahoo on his hat. Francona came to town with two World Series rings from his days as a Boston Red Sox manager (2004 and 2007), but some felt his resume was blown up by the fact that the Red Sox had one of the highest-payrolls in MLB during that span. He fielded an All-Star team rife with superstar talent, and even when his team wasn't winning World Series titles, they were always in the playoffs and a threat to do so.
With the Indians, he wasn't going to have an owner willing to spend over $100 million to put out the best possible team money can buy. Sure, payroll went up this year, but he didn't have Dustin Pedroia at second base, David Ortiz at DH, Curt Schilling as the ace of the staff, along with Pedro Martinez, or a young fireballer named Jonathan Papalbon as the up-and-coming closer. He didn't have Johnny Damon in his prime. If he would have shown up last year, he would have dealt with Johnny Damon over the hill.
I would argue and say that the managing job Francona did with this Indians team to turn them into a 92-70, playoff team (that actually finished one game behind Detroit for the AL Central crown) was better than the job he did with the Sox in 2004 and 2007. This year, he did more with less. He pushed all the right buttons, kept his team focused, overcame a mountain of adversity in various aspects and, at the end of the day, has them in the postseason.
No one expected them do it. I predicted 81-81 this year, using this as a step in the right direction. No one turns a 94-loss team into a 92-win team in one season -- not in today's Major League Baseball, where there is no salary cap and there is no parity.
Well, Terry Francona did it, and for that, Joe Cleveland thanks him with all of his heart. You made baseball relevant in this town again after years of it not being so. 44,000 people will be at Progressive Field for an October baseball game, and that's because of Terry Francona.
Even if they lose on Wednesday, and even if they can't get past the Red Sox in the ALDS if they do win on Wednesday, I will not be disappointed. It's hard to be disappointed in something you really didn't believe in in the first place. I had written the Indians off many times this year, especially when they stumbled to a 4-15 record against the Tigers. I even had the Indians written off two weeks ago, when they couldn't take advantage of Texas and Tampa Bay playing each other in a four-game series. My tough-love approach worked, and it's not crazy if it doesn't work.
Right now, it's all icing on the cake. Sure, I want the Indians to win a World Series championship -- we all want to see one championship in our lifetimes, especially when we've been devoid of one since 1964. But, to me, the true litmus test is next season. This front office can't sit on their laurels and pat themselves on the back about getting to the playoffs, like they did in 2007. They need to be proactive NOW. If you don't believe in Chris Perez or Asdrubal Cabrera or Carlos Santana, do something about it! Use them to build up your assets for 2014 and beyond! Sure, find some other low-priced free agents that pan out, like Scott Kazmir, Raburn and Giambi, but don't settle for the cheap approach. Sign at least one more guy like you signed Swisher and Bourn. You have $15 million coming off the books with Myers and Reynolds gone, and it could be more by parting with Perez and Cabrera. Use that money for more talent.
Attendance is guaranteed to spike next season. Tribe fans played the "show-me" game with this franchise this year, and they went out and showed us. Now, we believe. Now, we want to be swept up in Tribe fever like we were in the 1990s. You have a manager that, as Swisher says in his annoying commercial, players respect and love playing for.
2013 should be the start of something great for the Cleveland Indians, not the culmination of something. Larry Dolan said his goal was to win "World Series championships" when he bought this team. Now it's time to put his money where his mouth was.
Which brings me to the Browns ...
Two weeks ago, most Browns fans were talking about "Tanking for Teddy" or "Tanking for Tajh" after Joe Banner and Mike Lombardi stunningly traded Trent Richardson to the Colts for their 2014 first-round pick. The same day, Rob Chudzinski announced that third-stringer Brian Hoyer would be the starting quarterback in place of the injured Brandon Weeden, which only intensified those tank feelings.
Today, nobody's talking about Teddy Bridgewater or any "Bridgewater Bowls" against Jacksonville or anything else like that. Today, everyone's wrapped up in "Hoyer Paranoia" and believing that the Browns can actually do something positive this season.
Sure, it's only 2-2, but they just beat two teams that were in the postseason last season -- the Vikings on the road and the Bengals at home. The Bengals were everyone's pick to win the AFC North this season, and the Browns DOMINATED them, 17-6. The score should have been worse, but kicker Billy Cundiff missed one field goal and had another one partially blocked.
North Olmsted native and St. Ignatius grad Brian Hoyer has become the latest folk hero around these parts. The Cleveland Kid came back to the team he grew up rooting for and led them to two wins in his first two starts. You can't script that any better. And this was a kid that couldn't beat out Jason Campbell to be Weeden's primary backup in training camp (although many observers thought that he did).
All of a sudden, this Browns defense looks to be at tough as advertised before the season. This wasn't the same team that lost, 23-10, to Miami in the season opener at FirstEnergy Stadium. This was a team that could very well be the best team in the AFC North.
Today, the Browns, the Bengals and those Thieving Bastards from Baltimore are all 2-2. The Pittsburgh Steelers are 0-4 ..... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!
OK, Joe Cleveland had to get that out of his system. Remember, we still have to play the Squeelers from Pittspuke twice, but boy, don't those games sure look winnable now? Especially when you see the Browns beat the Bengals and the Vikings and then notice that both of those teams beat Pittsburgh?
You harken back to that Baltimore game two weeks ago, and can you imagine if Hoyer and Josh Gordon played in that game? The Browns held Joe Flacco and the Ravens to just two touchdowns, but all Weeden could accomplish was two field goals as Greg Little dropped pass after pass and Richardson struggled to gain more than three yards per carry. This team could very well be 3-1 now, because the Ravens aren't that good.
Remember when Browns fans were bitching about taking Barkevioius Mingo over Jarvis Jones, and then feeling that we'd regret that decision when Jones blossoms into another stellar Steeler linebacker? Yeah, me neither. Spinal Stenosis Jones has underwhelmed, to put it nicely, while Mingo -- after a suffering a lung injury that cost him the season opener -- has been an animal out on the field, a true difference maker.
Buster Skrine has even gotten better at what he does. Even Oniel Cousins, who I wanted to hoist off of the 480 bridge after his "performance" in the season opener, has buckled down and been better at the fill-in right guard.
D'Qwell Jackson has emerged as the Ray Lewis of the Browns team (without the murder charge or the insane pregame rants that didn't make any sense). He's become a leader that all sides of the football respect. Jackson is one of the best inside/middle linebackers in the NFL and has made this team HIS team. Same with Joe Thomas, another quiet guy who just goes about his business and could very well be the first Hall of Fame Brown during the expansion era. Hell, same with Phil Taylor.
You remember Phil Taylor, the guy the Browns traded down and drafted instead of Julio Jones, right? Sure, while Holmgren and Tom Heckert botched that trade overall (and the 2012 draft overall), the fact is Phil Taylor is now their version of Haloi Ngata or Casey Hampton -- the big nose tackle in the middle who hits like a freight train and isn't afraid to carry himself with some swagger. He's not Gerard Warren, a guy who talked the talk but, more often than not, didn't walk the walk. He's more like Bob Golic, and that's what this Browns team needs.
The Browns are coached and quarterbacked by guys that grew up in Ohio as Browns fans and are responsible for turning this franchise around. How cool would that be if they actually took this team back to where it hasn't been since 2002?
This week, the national media descends upon Cleveland, with Progressive Field hosting the Wild Card game Wednesday and the Buffalo Bills (also 2-2) coming to FirstEnergy Stadium Thursday. Both games will be nationally televised. Both games are in prime-time. Both games will be played in front of packed houses filled with rabid CLEVELAND fans. Whether you wear Wahoo on your cap with red, blue and white or you prefer Brownie the Elf along with your brown, orange and white jerseys, you will show the country why Cleveland has the best damn sports fans around.
Yeah, we bitch and we moan and we complain about this or that, but wouldn't you when you've been buried in mediocrity for so long? You can only take so many ESPN punchlines for so long before you get resentful. It's what makes us so passionate. As I tried to explain to people who called me an "Indians hater" -- I don't hate the Indians. If I didn't care about them, I wouldn't complain. If I didn't care, I'd ignore them.
This town is full of people who truly care about the Indians, Browns, Cavaliers and Ohio State football (they won on Saturday, too, by the way, over a ranked Wisconsin team that a few in the national media predicted they'd lose to). They want to be entertained, but they want to win. Deep down, a lot of them believe, in their heart of hearts, that "this" is the year that the (fill in the blanks) turn it around.
Well, we can honestly say that about the Indians, whether they continue this remarkable journey or not. We want to believe we can say that about the Browns. The Cavs ... we're not quite there yet, but there was a lot of hype when Andrew Bynum was signed in free agency, so you never know.
Hopefully, in five years, we can look back at 2013 as the year where it all began and not as the blip on the radar screen like we're doing six years later as we look back at 2007.
Shout from the rooftops, Cleveland! Today is your day! Hopefully, by Friday, we're still feeling as good as we are.
Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!
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