Sometimes, Joe Cleveland wonders why he so steadfastly roots for the sports teams in this city when so many of them do dumb things.
The Indians organization, for example, it a walking nightmare. It would not surprise me to see them hand out white flags to the 8,000 fans who show up to watch a game against the Tigers or the White Sox. You would hope, however, that they would be smart enough to not do it.
Unfortunately, sometimes the Browns organization IS that dumb. Like this Sunday, for instance.
The national media and some comedians (and I'm sure Steeler fans) are having a field day over the morons in the Browns' marketing department's latest decision -- to hand out inflatable white flags to all the fans who walk into Browns Stadium Sunday morning for their huge game with the hated Stillers.
As a Browns fan, I can't even try to defend this decision. It's moronic. It's stupid.
I can only imagine how this went down:
(Browns Marketing Department meeting, late August, discussing promotions)
"Well, we need a promotion for the game on Nov. 25. Who are they playing again?"
"Ummm, that would be Pittsburgh."
"Yeah, Pittsburgh. Don't their fans bring in little yellow towels to wave whenever that does something?"
"Yeah. I think they call them 'Terrible Towels.'"
"You're darn right those things are terrible. They terribly clash with our orange seats. They're terrible to watch. We need something that will clash with that."
"How about a flag?"
"Perfect. A flag is better than a towel. What color should that flag be?"
(The closet Steeler fan working in the department, silently taking it all in, seizes his opportunity)
"Well, how about a WHITE flag? You know, because white should blind out the yellow."
"A white flag ..."
(The Steeler fan, who barely suppressed his or her laughter while saying that last word, holds his or her breath as that person's sure the suggestion will be laughed out of the room)
"... BRILLIANT! I like it. How about you, Johnson?"
"White flag sounds good. Anyone else?"
(unanimous grumbling about how a white flag sounds perfect)
"I'm sure Mr. Lerner and Mr. Holmgren will be pleased. Next game ..."
Well, unfortunately for the nincompoops that make up the Browns marketing department, Mr. Lerner and Mr. Holmgren aren't around anymore. Mr. Lerner was barely around to begin with, and Mr. Holmgren didn't seem too concerned about any matters that weren't football related.
Now, it's Mr. Haslam and Mr. Banner. And if Mr. Haslam and Mr. Banner had any decency, even though 50,000 of these ridiculous white flags have already been ordered, they would keep those things locked away on palates and not hand out anything.
Because NOTHING is better than a national joke.
This is my third year of being a Browns season ticket holder. If someone tries to hand me one of those ridiculous things, I either throw it on the ground in front of them, or I keep walking.
Because when I think of finally beating the hated Steelers, I think of 50,000 fans waving white flags in the crow to combat the sea of yellow from the black jersey-clad Yinzers and Northeast Ohio frontrunners.
The craxy part is, this may not be an isolated incident when it comes to the Browns marketing department, and why the man who made his fortune creating multipurpose truck stops needs to run these idiots all out of town and hire his own people.
He'll be hiring all his own people to run the football team next year from the head coach on down, why stop there?
According to ESPNCleveland.com, a story has been circulating about why the marketing department didn't sell any game-day programs to the season-opening game against the Eagles.
The Browns marketing department is in charge of the editing and printing of the
game day programs. A source told the radio station that just hours before kickoff, someone in
the communications department noticed that on the main roster centerfold, the
first page everyone opens to in the program, the head coach’s name was spelled
“Pat Schurmur.”
Yes, the head coaches name was spelled wrong.
As the team was scrambling to figure out an easy fix, the marketing department
had a brilliant idea. They decided they would add a separate one page insert
with a corrected roster. At the top of that insert, in bold letters it said,
“Please disregard the misspelling of Pat Shurmur’s name on the
original roster."
You can’t make this stuff up folks. The marketing department misspelled the
most important person on the roster’s name and then, to cover it up, drew more
attention to the mistake.
According to the article, the communications department pushed hard and
finally got all programs pulled from the game before fans arrived. If you
somehow got a hold of one of those, it might be worth some money someday.
Browns players are hoping the white flags idea doesn't come to fruition.
“I try to focus on the Steelers but I’m not a fan of the white flags,” middle linebacker
D’Qwell Jackson said. “That’s the simplest way I can put it. I’m not
a fan of it whatsoever knowing that we’ll see the terrible towels flying and
it’s just not a message I like and I’m sure other guys don’t approve of.”
“I think I’m going to let D’Qwell speak for all of us,” added long-time kicker Phil
Dawson, who has (literally) seen it all when it comes to the Browns. “When your mom told you growing up if you don’t have anything
good to say, probably better not to say it, I think I am going to follow those
words.”
If there is one positive to that story, it's that it is never too late to
pull a mistake. Let's hope Haslam (or anybody for that matter) pulls the plug on
this one, too.
The Browns were able to avoid one embarassment when they were able to convince the NFL to exempt them from the league-wide mandate to have a moment of silence for Dead Judas the Theiving One prior to that Eagles game. Hopefully, they can avoid another.
***
Speaking of waving the white flag, that's exactly what Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith and president Gordon Gee decided to do when they decided to accept a berth to the Gator Bowl so their 6-6 Buckeyes with the lame-duck head coach could play Florida.
Taking that bowl game (and losing to suffer the very rare under-.500 season) allowed the NCAA to hand down a bowl ban for this season when they officially announced their sanctions agaisnt Ohio State for Tattoo-Gate.
So, a 6-6 team with a meaningless head coach and meaningless lame-duck coaching staff played in a meaningless bowl and lost, so that a potential 12-0 team with a fantastic head coach and fantastic coaching staff (except for the defense) can stay home instead of accepting a potential berth in the BCS National Championship Game.
Take a bow, Gene Smith! Take a bow!
Smith incredulously refused to believe that, had he self-imposed a bowl ban last year, the NCAA would not have given them one this year. He still maintains he did the right thing.
How this man has a high-profile job at a Division I university is one of life's great mysteries. How he didn't get run out of town along with Lord Tressel in the wake of Tattoo-Gate has baffled me ever since the scandal broke.
Then again, we have a guy working for the Cleveland Indians who traded back-to-back AL Cy Young award winners and not only got bubkiss for them, but wound up with a promotion. We have a head coach for the Cleveland Browns who was only an offensive coordinator for one season, and it was for a mediocre team. We have a marketing department that believes it is a great idea to hand out white flags to wave for a game against your most hated and bitter rival.
This is why Joe Cleveland should have his head examined for rooting for these teams. Apparently, shit does flow upstream in Ohio.
Please, for the love of God, can the Buckeyes and the Browns just do right on the field Saturday and Sunday against the teams this fanbase loves to hate? All of the above will go away, even if for just one day, week or month.
Here's hoping for some great news on ALL fronts come Monday.
O-H ... I-O!!!
Here we go, Brownies! Here we go! WOOF-WOOF!
And remember ...
We don't give a damn about the whole state of Michigan, cuz we're from Oh-Hi-O!
Finally ...
Only bitches wave little yellow towels! Beat Pittsburgh and the Three River Rednecks they brought with them!
Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!
Showing posts with label Jim Tressel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jim Tressel. Show all posts
Friday, November 23, 2012
Monday, October 22, 2012
Shurmur's Replacements
Before we get going, wasn't it refreshing to see the owner of the Cleveland Browns during a telecast of the football game?
Seeing him was enough (especially since we never saw Randy Lerner). But seeing him give genuine emotion during the game? Times, they are a changing, my friends.
Jimmy Haslam III's body language during Sunday's game in Indianapolis told Joe Cleveland a lot about what he thinks about the coach he inherited, Pat Shurmur.
It now leads me to believe that the question is no longer "if" Shurmur will be fired at the end of the season, it now becomes "when."
As in, will Haslam fire Shurmur next week? At the bye week? With two weeks to go in the regular season? In the locker room following the season finale?
Mike Holmgren is on his way out the door. Shurmur's fresh out of friends. Sure, new CEO Joe Banner knew Shurmur when the latter was an assistant coach on Andy Reid's staff in Philadelphia, but that may not be the best thing for Shurmur.
Shurmur's only won five games in a year-and-a-half. Shurmur has an 11-game losing streak to his credit. Shurmur has made countless coaching blunders during games that have cost his teams a chance to win.
I'll let this one sink in for you ... Shurmur was outcoached yesterday by an interim coach. Bruce Arians (remember him as the offensive coordinator who perpetuated the Tim Couch-Kelly Holcomb controversy back in the early 2000s) outcoached Pat Shurmur.
Joe Cleveland woke up Monday fully expecting to see a banner headline on Cleveland.com saying that Shurmur was fired. It would not have surprised me.
Sure, Shurmur could still save his job. But this team is 1-6 and lost to a very beatable Colts team. Coaching decisions, such as the decision to punt on fourth-and-1 from the Indy 40 with six minutes left (then going for it from the same yard line but fourth-and-six), kicking the extra point instead of going for the potential game-tying 2-point conversion after Josh Gordon's touchdown to start the third quarter, and essentially abandoning the run game against a very weak run defense in a game that within one possession the majority of the game will come back to haunt him.
Shurmur would have to win at least five more games over the remaining nine to even be in the discussion to come back. I believe that he would have to sweep the Steelers as well. Can it be done? There are some winnable games on the schedule -- the Chiefs, the Redskins, the Raiders, the Steelers (both), the Ravens and the Chargers are all winnable games. That's seven of the remaining nine games, so it's not as if they're having to play the Patriots, Packers, Falcons, Texans and 49ers.
The only two games on the schedule that look like definite losses are the Cowboys and the Broncos on the road. Even the Cowboys look beatable.
Will it be done? Even with a roster of up-and-coming talent that has been competitive each and every week, I don't think it will.
So, let's get the ball rolling and see who could be on the short list of guys to replace Shurmur. Mike Holmgren essentially took himself out of the equation by retiring at the end of this season, and I can't see existing assistants with head coaching experience such as Brad Childress and Dick Jauron being legitimate candidates.
Haslam and Banner will want a proven head coach that can turn this collection of talent into a perennial winner, or at lease someone with a winning background. Here's who could be on that list:
1. Jon Gruden, ESPN Monday Night Football analyst: Gruden, a Sandusky native who grew up as a Browns fan, was everyone's No. 1 choice two years ago when Holmgren fired Eric Mangini. Gruden was from the Holmgren coaching tree and the two remained close through the years. Gruden turned a struggling Raiders franchise into a winner then left after a falling out with owner Al Davis. He landed in Tampa Bay and won a Super Bowl (over the Raiders) in his first season there, giving the perennial losing Bucs their first Super Bowl berth and title. He kept the Bucs a perennnial winner, but was fired in 2008 after his team missed the playoffs. For whatever reason (ego?), Holmgren decided to go the unproven route (a decision that greased his skids out of town). But the time may be right for Gruden to get back into coaching. He's also high on current rookie QB Brandon Weeden, and he may look forward to working with him. Gruden has ring, the local pedigree and the big name to get people talking.
2. Bill Cowher, CBS NFL analyst: Cowher is always on Browns fans' radars whenever they make a coaching change. He'll always be the one that got away in a lot of fans' eyes when the Dead Judas passed on the former Browns linebacker and defensive assistant for Bill Belichick back in 1991. The next year, Cowher was hired to replace Chuck Noll at Pittsburgh, and he immediately turned around a franchise that was stagnant under Noll back into a contender. Cowher was always a thorn in the Browns' side, but, like his mentor Marty Schottenheimer, his Steeler teams were prone to a big playoff choke every single year. He finally got that monkey off his back in his second-to-last year when the Steelers won the Super Bowl in 2005. Since he stepped down, he's been a fixture on CBS's Sunday game-day telecasts. At least once, Cowher turned down Randy Lerner to be the Browns head coach and he has not given any indication that he would be interested in returning. Also, Haslam's Steeler ties occurred AFTER Cowher left, so they do not have a prior relationship. Do I think Cowher would come to Cleveland? Probably not. But, as long as there is a coaching vacancy, you have to include him on any short list.
3. Nick Saban, Alabama head coach: Saban's name has suddenly become hot rumored commodity, especially after Saban's interview for the NFL Network documentary "Cleveland 95: A Football Life," in which he waxes poetically about his time as the Browns defensive coordinator under Belichick and how close that team was to becoming a winner. Saban left the Browns to become Michigan State's head coach, and he has been very successful there, at Louisiana State (a national championship in 2006) and at Alabama (two national championships in 2008 and 2011 and potentially a third this year). In between LSU and Alabama, there was a forgettable two-year stint as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins from 2005-06, in which his teams went 15-17. Saban's track record shows a guy who doesn't like to get settled down in one place too long, and he may feel the time is right for a return to the pro game. With his former Tide star Trent Richardson as the cornerstone of the Browns' offense, and with Haslam's deep checkbook, Saban could come here. But, let's take a moment and remember the last college coach that came here, Butch Davis, and how well that four-year stint went. Just because a guy was successful in college doesn't mean that will translate to the pros.
4. Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles head coach: Reid's hot seat in Philly keeps getting hotter the more his team loses games. His firing of defensive coordinator Juan Castillo at the bye week reeked of a desperation move. He came very close to losing his job last year after going 8-8 despite a ton of high profile free agent signings that bolstered both defense and the offense. He's only been to one Super Bowl in his 10 years in Philly, so it may be title or bust for him. Banner worked closely with Reid at the Eagles, although their relationship was strained at best (according to some reports). Reid also worked with current Browns GM Tom Heckert, although Reid had final say on the roster. Reid may keep a lot of the assistant coaches because of his familiarity with them and may keep up some of continuity. Reid's a proven winner (129-83-1), but he's never won a championship.
5. Brian Billick, FOX NFL/college game analyst: If Cowher's the one that got away for the old Browns, Billick is the one that got away for the expansion era. Billick quickly emerged as Carmen Policy's No. 1 candidate to be the head coach of the new Browns. After his Vikings were upset in the NFC Championship game by the Atlanta Falcons, then-GM Dwight Clark was whisked to Minneapolis on Al Lerner's private jet with a contract for Billick to sign. However, Billick wanted to meet with the Ravens first and talk about their opening. An insulted Policy yanked the offer away from Billick and watched him agree to become the Ravens coach. He quickly turned Baltimore's fortunes around, winning the Super Bowl in just his second year and turning the franchise into a perennial winner. The Browns may have cost him his job in 2007, when they memorably swept his Ravens and knocked them into a losing season. Since then, he has not been a serious candidate for any head coaching openings. Who knows if he has the itch, but his familiarity with the AFC North Division (especially the Ravens) would make him a legitimate candidate if he decided to test the waters. Plus, he has a ring and his name is recognizable. Oh, and did I mention he was an Ohio native (Fairborn)?
6. Jim Tressel, University of Akron vice president: Tressel is like a modern-day Paul Brown when it comes to Ohio football coaches. Tressel, after turning Youngstown State into a perennnial Division I-AA (FCS) powerhouse, winning four national championships in the 80s and 90s, came to Ohio State and immediatly won the school's first national championship since 1968 (well, in his second year, but it was pretty close to immediate). He coached the Buckeyes to two other national championship games and always had his program on the verge of national contention. His teams owned the Michigan rivalry, only losing once from 2001-10. However, he was forced out following a scandal involving several of his players selling their memorablilia (such as trophies) for tattoos. Last season, he served as a consultant for the Indianapolis Colts and was interviewed for their head coaching job (which wound up going to Chuck Pagano). The NCAA has barred him from accepting another college head coaching job for the next five years. He stated many times that the one NFL job he would even consider leaving Ohio State for was the Browns job, because he grew up in Berea and was still a die-hard Browns fan. He was even linked to the job twice during Romeo Crennel's up-and-down four-year tenure, but was never a serious candidate. While his style may be best suited for college players, there's no denying that he's a winner. Plus, he'd be a very popular choice with the fans -- many still think he got a raw deal even though it was proven that he lied to NCAA investigators.
7. Tony Dungy, NBC Sunday Night Football analyst: Dungy, like Cowher, Gruden and Billick, has found a home on television following his retirement from being the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts following the 2008 season. Since then, Dungy has been a fixture on NBC's Football Night in America highlight show and on the SNF postgame studio show. Dungy was in the process of turning Tampa Bay's football fortunes around from 1996-2001 before he was mysteriously fired (and replaced by Jon Gruden, who promptly won a Super Bowl with his players). Indy snapped him up to replace Jim Mora, and, with the help of Peyton Manning, rode a wave of prosperity with the Colts from 2002-08, even winning the Super Bowl in 2006 and building a team that got to the Super Bowl a year after he stepped down. Dungy, a former Steeler player and assistant coach, is one of the most respected figures in professional football today and would bring instant credibility to this franchise. However, it appears he's comfortable as a TV analyst and hasn't leaked any indication of a possible return to coaching. He'd be worth talking to, though.
8. Kevin Gilbride, New York Giants offensive coordinator: As the architect of the Giants' offense, Gilbride has won two Super Bowl championships over the last five years and has the chance to win a third this season. Gilbride is one of the most respected offensive minds in the NFL, dating back to his Run-&-Shoot offensive scheme with the Houston Oilers in the early 1990s. However, as a head coach, he didn't cut the mustard, going 6-16 during his two years as the head coach of the San Diego Chargers (1996-98). Gilbride may be one of those guys who is just cut out to be a top-level assistant but not ready to be a head coach. However, the work he's done with the Giants lately has seemingly put him back on the radar for head coaching gigs. He's arguably the top candidate among current assistant coaches. If the Giants reach the Super Bowl again, his name will definitely be a hot commodity.
9. Philip Fulmer, CBS college football analyst: I throw Fulmer's name on this list because he's a coaching legend from the University of Tennessee. Haslam's father was a football player for the Volunteers, and the Haslam family is one of Tennessee's biggest athletic boosters and a very influential family down there. Fulmer won Tennessee's only BCS National Championship in 1997, and his Volunteers are still the last SEC team to win back-to-back conference championships (1997-98). Fulmer hasn't coached anyone since Tennessee fired him after a 5-7 season in 2008, but he has said that he hasn't ruled out a return to coaching. I refer to my earlier statement on college coaches making the transition to the NFL, and, if any college coach makes the jump, it's likely to be Saban. Also, Fulmer has never even been an NFL assistant coach. But, anything's possible.
10. Dom Capers, Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator: Capers has had a sketchy track record as an NFL head coach. In two four-year stints with the Carolina Panthers (1995-98) and the Houston Texans (2002-05), his record is just 48-80. However, he did take over two expansion franchises, and his Panthers reached the NFC Championship game in just his second year. However, that 1996 season was his only winning season as a head coach. His defenses were always tough, but his offenses were conservative and lackluster. Capers is an Ohio native (Byesville) who played collegiately at Mount Union and also served as an assistant coach with both Kent State (1972-74) and Ohio State (1982-83), so he has some Ohio ties. He was also the Steelers' defensive coordinator from 1992-94 under Cowher. His Packers' units are known to be among the top defenses in the NFL. However, he did win a Super Bowl with the Packers in 2010 and could very well do it again this year. His background in the 3-4 defense clashes with the Browns' current desire to go with a 4-3.
HONORABLE MENTION: Urban Meyer, Ohio State head coach; Aaron Kromer, New Orleans Saints interim head coach; Todd Haley, Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator; Herman Edwards, NFL Network analyst; Kirk Ferentz, Iowa head coach; Jay Gruden, Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator; Wade Phillips, Houston Texans defensive coordinator; Joe Vitt, New Orleans Saints assistant head coach; Rob Ryan, Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator.
There is no shortage of legitimate candidates to be the next Browns head coach, one that would surely get the fans excited and help put this team over the hump.
And, I've got to say, I would prefer anyone on this list over Pat Shurmur.
Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!
Seeing him was enough (especially since we never saw Randy Lerner). But seeing him give genuine emotion during the game? Times, they are a changing, my friends.
Jimmy Haslam III's body language during Sunday's game in Indianapolis told Joe Cleveland a lot about what he thinks about the coach he inherited, Pat Shurmur.
It now leads me to believe that the question is no longer "if" Shurmur will be fired at the end of the season, it now becomes "when."
As in, will Haslam fire Shurmur next week? At the bye week? With two weeks to go in the regular season? In the locker room following the season finale?
Mike Holmgren is on his way out the door. Shurmur's fresh out of friends. Sure, new CEO Joe Banner knew Shurmur when the latter was an assistant coach on Andy Reid's staff in Philadelphia, but that may not be the best thing for Shurmur.
Shurmur's only won five games in a year-and-a-half. Shurmur has an 11-game losing streak to his credit. Shurmur has made countless coaching blunders during games that have cost his teams a chance to win.
I'll let this one sink in for you ... Shurmur was outcoached yesterday by an interim coach. Bruce Arians (remember him as the offensive coordinator who perpetuated the Tim Couch-Kelly Holcomb controversy back in the early 2000s) outcoached Pat Shurmur.
Joe Cleveland woke up Monday fully expecting to see a banner headline on Cleveland.com saying that Shurmur was fired. It would not have surprised me.
Sure, Shurmur could still save his job. But this team is 1-6 and lost to a very beatable Colts team. Coaching decisions, such as the decision to punt on fourth-and-1 from the Indy 40 with six minutes left (then going for it from the same yard line but fourth-and-six), kicking the extra point instead of going for the potential game-tying 2-point conversion after Josh Gordon's touchdown to start the third quarter, and essentially abandoning the run game against a very weak run defense in a game that within one possession the majority of the game will come back to haunt him.
Shurmur would have to win at least five more games over the remaining nine to even be in the discussion to come back. I believe that he would have to sweep the Steelers as well. Can it be done? There are some winnable games on the schedule -- the Chiefs, the Redskins, the Raiders, the Steelers (both), the Ravens and the Chargers are all winnable games. That's seven of the remaining nine games, so it's not as if they're having to play the Patriots, Packers, Falcons, Texans and 49ers.
The only two games on the schedule that look like definite losses are the Cowboys and the Broncos on the road. Even the Cowboys look beatable.
Will it be done? Even with a roster of up-and-coming talent that has been competitive each and every week, I don't think it will.
So, let's get the ball rolling and see who could be on the short list of guys to replace Shurmur. Mike Holmgren essentially took himself out of the equation by retiring at the end of this season, and I can't see existing assistants with head coaching experience such as Brad Childress and Dick Jauron being legitimate candidates.
Haslam and Banner will want a proven head coach that can turn this collection of talent into a perennial winner, or at lease someone with a winning background. Here's who could be on that list:
1. Jon Gruden, ESPN Monday Night Football analyst: Gruden, a Sandusky native who grew up as a Browns fan, was everyone's No. 1 choice two years ago when Holmgren fired Eric Mangini. Gruden was from the Holmgren coaching tree and the two remained close through the years. Gruden turned a struggling Raiders franchise into a winner then left after a falling out with owner Al Davis. He landed in Tampa Bay and won a Super Bowl (over the Raiders) in his first season there, giving the perennial losing Bucs their first Super Bowl berth and title. He kept the Bucs a perennnial winner, but was fired in 2008 after his team missed the playoffs. For whatever reason (ego?), Holmgren decided to go the unproven route (a decision that greased his skids out of town). But the time may be right for Gruden to get back into coaching. He's also high on current rookie QB Brandon Weeden, and he may look forward to working with him. Gruden has ring, the local pedigree and the big name to get people talking.
2. Bill Cowher, CBS NFL analyst: Cowher is always on Browns fans' radars whenever they make a coaching change. He'll always be the one that got away in a lot of fans' eyes when the Dead Judas passed on the former Browns linebacker and defensive assistant for Bill Belichick back in 1991. The next year, Cowher was hired to replace Chuck Noll at Pittsburgh, and he immediately turned around a franchise that was stagnant under Noll back into a contender. Cowher was always a thorn in the Browns' side, but, like his mentor Marty Schottenheimer, his Steeler teams were prone to a big playoff choke every single year. He finally got that monkey off his back in his second-to-last year when the Steelers won the Super Bowl in 2005. Since he stepped down, he's been a fixture on CBS's Sunday game-day telecasts. At least once, Cowher turned down Randy Lerner to be the Browns head coach and he has not given any indication that he would be interested in returning. Also, Haslam's Steeler ties occurred AFTER Cowher left, so they do not have a prior relationship. Do I think Cowher would come to Cleveland? Probably not. But, as long as there is a coaching vacancy, you have to include him on any short list.
3. Nick Saban, Alabama head coach: Saban's name has suddenly become hot rumored commodity, especially after Saban's interview for the NFL Network documentary "Cleveland 95: A Football Life," in which he waxes poetically about his time as the Browns defensive coordinator under Belichick and how close that team was to becoming a winner. Saban left the Browns to become Michigan State's head coach, and he has been very successful there, at Louisiana State (a national championship in 2006) and at Alabama (two national championships in 2008 and 2011 and potentially a third this year). In between LSU and Alabama, there was a forgettable two-year stint as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins from 2005-06, in which his teams went 15-17. Saban's track record shows a guy who doesn't like to get settled down in one place too long, and he may feel the time is right for a return to the pro game. With his former Tide star Trent Richardson as the cornerstone of the Browns' offense, and with Haslam's deep checkbook, Saban could come here. But, let's take a moment and remember the last college coach that came here, Butch Davis, and how well that four-year stint went. Just because a guy was successful in college doesn't mean that will translate to the pros.
4. Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles head coach: Reid's hot seat in Philly keeps getting hotter the more his team loses games. His firing of defensive coordinator Juan Castillo at the bye week reeked of a desperation move. He came very close to losing his job last year after going 8-8 despite a ton of high profile free agent signings that bolstered both defense and the offense. He's only been to one Super Bowl in his 10 years in Philly, so it may be title or bust for him. Banner worked closely with Reid at the Eagles, although their relationship was strained at best (according to some reports). Reid also worked with current Browns GM Tom Heckert, although Reid had final say on the roster. Reid may keep a lot of the assistant coaches because of his familiarity with them and may keep up some of continuity. Reid's a proven winner (129-83-1), but he's never won a championship.
5. Brian Billick, FOX NFL/college game analyst: If Cowher's the one that got away for the old Browns, Billick is the one that got away for the expansion era. Billick quickly emerged as Carmen Policy's No. 1 candidate to be the head coach of the new Browns. After his Vikings were upset in the NFC Championship game by the Atlanta Falcons, then-GM Dwight Clark was whisked to Minneapolis on Al Lerner's private jet with a contract for Billick to sign. However, Billick wanted to meet with the Ravens first and talk about their opening. An insulted Policy yanked the offer away from Billick and watched him agree to become the Ravens coach. He quickly turned Baltimore's fortunes around, winning the Super Bowl in just his second year and turning the franchise into a perennial winner. The Browns may have cost him his job in 2007, when they memorably swept his Ravens and knocked them into a losing season. Since then, he has not been a serious candidate for any head coaching openings. Who knows if he has the itch, but his familiarity with the AFC North Division (especially the Ravens) would make him a legitimate candidate if he decided to test the waters. Plus, he has a ring and his name is recognizable. Oh, and did I mention he was an Ohio native (Fairborn)?
6. Jim Tressel, University of Akron vice president: Tressel is like a modern-day Paul Brown when it comes to Ohio football coaches. Tressel, after turning Youngstown State into a perennnial Division I-AA (FCS) powerhouse, winning four national championships in the 80s and 90s, came to Ohio State and immediatly won the school's first national championship since 1968 (well, in his second year, but it was pretty close to immediate). He coached the Buckeyes to two other national championship games and always had his program on the verge of national contention. His teams owned the Michigan rivalry, only losing once from 2001-10. However, he was forced out following a scandal involving several of his players selling their memorablilia (such as trophies) for tattoos. Last season, he served as a consultant for the Indianapolis Colts and was interviewed for their head coaching job (which wound up going to Chuck Pagano). The NCAA has barred him from accepting another college head coaching job for the next five years. He stated many times that the one NFL job he would even consider leaving Ohio State for was the Browns job, because he grew up in Berea and was still a die-hard Browns fan. He was even linked to the job twice during Romeo Crennel's up-and-down four-year tenure, but was never a serious candidate. While his style may be best suited for college players, there's no denying that he's a winner. Plus, he'd be a very popular choice with the fans -- many still think he got a raw deal even though it was proven that he lied to NCAA investigators.
7. Tony Dungy, NBC Sunday Night Football analyst: Dungy, like Cowher, Gruden and Billick, has found a home on television following his retirement from being the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts following the 2008 season. Since then, Dungy has been a fixture on NBC's Football Night in America highlight show and on the SNF postgame studio show. Dungy was in the process of turning Tampa Bay's football fortunes around from 1996-2001 before he was mysteriously fired (and replaced by Jon Gruden, who promptly won a Super Bowl with his players). Indy snapped him up to replace Jim Mora, and, with the help of Peyton Manning, rode a wave of prosperity with the Colts from 2002-08, even winning the Super Bowl in 2006 and building a team that got to the Super Bowl a year after he stepped down. Dungy, a former Steeler player and assistant coach, is one of the most respected figures in professional football today and would bring instant credibility to this franchise. However, it appears he's comfortable as a TV analyst and hasn't leaked any indication of a possible return to coaching. He'd be worth talking to, though.
8. Kevin Gilbride, New York Giants offensive coordinator: As the architect of the Giants' offense, Gilbride has won two Super Bowl championships over the last five years and has the chance to win a third this season. Gilbride is one of the most respected offensive minds in the NFL, dating back to his Run-&-Shoot offensive scheme with the Houston Oilers in the early 1990s. However, as a head coach, he didn't cut the mustard, going 6-16 during his two years as the head coach of the San Diego Chargers (1996-98). Gilbride may be one of those guys who is just cut out to be a top-level assistant but not ready to be a head coach. However, the work he's done with the Giants lately has seemingly put him back on the radar for head coaching gigs. He's arguably the top candidate among current assistant coaches. If the Giants reach the Super Bowl again, his name will definitely be a hot commodity.
9. Philip Fulmer, CBS college football analyst: I throw Fulmer's name on this list because he's a coaching legend from the University of Tennessee. Haslam's father was a football player for the Volunteers, and the Haslam family is one of Tennessee's biggest athletic boosters and a very influential family down there. Fulmer won Tennessee's only BCS National Championship in 1997, and his Volunteers are still the last SEC team to win back-to-back conference championships (1997-98). Fulmer hasn't coached anyone since Tennessee fired him after a 5-7 season in 2008, but he has said that he hasn't ruled out a return to coaching. I refer to my earlier statement on college coaches making the transition to the NFL, and, if any college coach makes the jump, it's likely to be Saban. Also, Fulmer has never even been an NFL assistant coach. But, anything's possible.
10. Dom Capers, Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator: Capers has had a sketchy track record as an NFL head coach. In two four-year stints with the Carolina Panthers (1995-98) and the Houston Texans (2002-05), his record is just 48-80. However, he did take over two expansion franchises, and his Panthers reached the NFC Championship game in just his second year. However, that 1996 season was his only winning season as a head coach. His defenses were always tough, but his offenses were conservative and lackluster. Capers is an Ohio native (Byesville) who played collegiately at Mount Union and also served as an assistant coach with both Kent State (1972-74) and Ohio State (1982-83), so he has some Ohio ties. He was also the Steelers' defensive coordinator from 1992-94 under Cowher. His Packers' units are known to be among the top defenses in the NFL. However, he did win a Super Bowl with the Packers in 2010 and could very well do it again this year. His background in the 3-4 defense clashes with the Browns' current desire to go with a 4-3.
HONORABLE MENTION: Urban Meyer, Ohio State head coach; Aaron Kromer, New Orleans Saints interim head coach; Todd Haley, Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator; Herman Edwards, NFL Network analyst; Kirk Ferentz, Iowa head coach; Jay Gruden, Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator; Wade Phillips, Houston Texans defensive coordinator; Joe Vitt, New Orleans Saints assistant head coach; Rob Ryan, Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator.
There is no shortage of legitimate candidates to be the next Browns head coach, one that would surely get the fans excited and help put this team over the hump.
And, I've got to say, I would prefer anyone on this list over Pat Shurmur.
Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!
Monday, May 2, 2011
Tressel's replacements?
Before Joe Cleveland speaks on the world of sports, I'd like to take a moment and reflect on a great thing that happened in the "real world" -- the death of Osama (or Usama) bin Laden.
Bin Laden's death should come as a joy and relief to not just Americans, but for others who live in the Free World. A despicable man who masterminded numerous terrorist attacks on many countries, including the horrific events of Sept. 11, 2001, has been snuffed out thanks to a very brave mission by American special forces units.
Putting aside personal politics and biases and all the other things that Americans fight among themselves, I believe all Americans can unite with pride that Public Enemy No. 1 was finally found, captured and (when he wouldn't go quietly) killed. Hell has a new resident, and his name is Osama bin Laden.
Moving on ...
The more Joe Cleveland hears about the Jim Tressel saga at Ohio State, the more he realizes that Ohio State better start making a list of coaching candidates, because chances are great that the Sweater Vest won't be around much longer.
Essentially, the NCAA might force OSU's hand on this one. If they want lighter sanctions, you might want to send your coach packing. The NCAA doesn't look to kindly on being lied to or deceived, especially by coaches.
If I'm Tressel, I'm reaching out to my new good friend Mike Holmgren and asking if there would be a spot for him with the Browns somewhere. They do need an offensive coordinator. How about an additional college scout? Tressel always said the one place he'd leave Columbus for was a job with his beloved Browns. He might have to do it now.
Or, maybe the Bengals try to cash in on Buckeye fans locally by hiring Tressel as their new head coach when Marvin Lewis' contract expires. Mike Brown has some ties to Ohio State, since his dad was one of their great head coaches, and Cincy has always had a history of drafting players from OSU. I don't think Tressel is cut out to be an NFL coach, but at this point, any job might be a good job.
After the John Cooper debacle, Ohio State has made it known that they will only be interested in head coaches with Ohio State or Ohio ties -- coaches who understand the traditions of Ohio State football; coaches who embrace the rich Michigan rivalry and rivalries with other schools in the Big Ten; coaches who will continue to recruit the top athletes in the state of Ohio. Tressel did that (even though he lied). Whoever takes his place will have to do it as well.
Also, when Tressel took it over, OSU was still a prominant name, but nowhere near the national powerhouse that it is. The BCS is partly responsible for that. But when you win a national championship and reach the title game in two other seasons, your school is mentioned in the same breath as the Floridas, Alabamas, USCs and Notre Dames of the world.
So, with that in mind, here's a list of candidates Gene Smith and Gordon Gee might want to consider:
1. Urban Meyer -- The No. 1 candidate on this list, mostly because he's currently unemployed. Meyer is from Ashtabula and spent time coaching at Ohio State before getting his first head coaching gig at Bowling Green. Meyer has been a winner everywhere he's gone, even at Florida, where he had big shoes to fill from Steve Spurrier and still on a national title and coached a Heisman Trophy winner in Tim Tebow. Some feel Ohio State would be a "step backward" for Meyer. Really? Ohio State has more tradition than Florida ever had. That, and OSU doesn't have to compete with Miami, Florida State, South Florida and Central Florida for in-state recruits.
2. Bob Stoops -- Stoops was believed to be Ohio State's top choice when Cooper was fired before he decided to stay at Oklahoma, where he's been ever since. Stoops is from Youngstown and also coached at Ohio State before leaving for other jobs. He took the Sooners to a national title just before the OSU job opened, and he's continued to keep them in the national spotlight. A tradition-rich program with an insane fan base, it would probably take a phenomenal offer for Stoops to leave for Columbus, especially if the program is hamstrung by NCAA sanctions (such as reduction in scholarships, bowl game restrictions, etc.)
3. Les Miles -- Miles is a "Michigan Man," but grew up in Ohio (Elyria) and still has family here. Miles turned down the opportunity to coach at his alma mater this past year, so I can't see him leaving LSU for Ohio State. However, he'd be worth an overture. Miles has made a living out of bolting job after job, so even though he turned down Michigan, maybe he felt the program wasn't in the best shape. And, besides, Bo Schembechler was an "Ohio Man" before he took the Michigan job. Maybe the historical factor would weigh in on Miles.
4. Jon Gruden -- Gruden might be higher on this list because he's currently out of a coaching job and serving as a popular football analyst on ESPN. When OSU was seeking Tressel's replacement, Gruden was one of the candidates. Another Ohio guy (Sandusky) with ties to Ohio State, Gruden was contacted when it appeared his relationship with the Raiders was fracturing. He turned it down, and wound up going to Tampa Bay one year later (leading them to a Super Bowl over his former Raider team). He's been a winner everywhere in the NFL and has a terrific knowledge of football. He's shown some great knowledge for the college game during his "QB school" run thorugh ESPN and his draft analysis. He turned down the chance to coach the Browns this season, so the college game may be up his alley. He probably woundn't be too daunted about NCAA sanctions, either.
5. Bo Pellini -- Pellini is also a Youngstown guy with ties to Ohio State. The main thing holding him back is that he's the head coach at Nebraska, which will be a conference rival of Ohio State beginning this year. I don't think he would leave Nebraska to join an in-house rival, especially when he essentially just started there and is starting to get the program back on its feet. Worth an overture, though.
6. Mike Stoops -- Bob's younger brother is currently the head coach at Arizona. The younger Stoops isn't as successful as his older brother, but he does bring with him head coaching experience at a major level and has shown an ability to field a competitive team. He'd probably be more apt to move from Arizona to Ohio State considering his situation.
7. Larry Kehres -- If Gene Smith wants to travel down the road his predecessor did with Tressel, he might want to explore Kehres. All Kehres has done has turned little Mount Union into a Division III dynasty. They rarely lose games and routinely have a date in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl (the D-III title game). I don't know if Kehres would leave Alliance, and a jump from D-III to D-I is more severe than a jump from D-IAA to D-IA like Tressel did. I do believe the hiring would be popular in-state.
8. Frank Solich -- Solich had the misfortune of following the legendary Tom Osborne at Nebraska. All he did was win more than he lost, but it wasn't enough for the school's AD, who replaced him with ex-Raiders coach Bill Callahan. That turned out to be a disaster. Solich, who has also been arrested for a DUI, has resurfaced at Ohio University, doing decently at a smaller D-I school not known for its football prowess. Solich is also an Ohio guy (Cleveland), and a move up the road might not be out of the realm of possibility.
9. Chris Spielman -- Every time an Ohio State coaching position opens, Spielman's name is dangled. He may be the most popular ex-Buckeye ever (Archie Griffin has a legitimate case, too). Buckeye fans and alumni would be thrilled if Spielman took the job. However, he's never had very much coaching experience, let alone head coaching experience. The thing about Spielman is that he "gets it," which you can never underestimate among Buckeye fans. I'm sure he'd be considered a candidate, even it it is kind of an "honorary candidate."
10. Luke Fickell -- Why wouldn't Ohio State look for an in-house candidate like Fickell, who is currently the acting coach during Tressel's suspension? Perhaps the Buckeyes do well under Fickell while Tressel is doing his time. Would it make sense to give him the job full-time and see what happens? He's not a flashy name like some of the other guys above him, and maybe Ohio State is to the point where they would need a proven commodity to take the reins. I wouldn't discount it, though.
Darkhorses: Mark Dantonio (former top assistant at OSU has gone on to good coaching stints at Cincinnati and Michigan State); Don Treadwell (Oberlin native, filled in for Dantonio well at MSU and is now coaching at Miami OH); Butch Davis (has Ohio ties with his stint with the Browns and has shown he can build winning programs and can recruit as well as the best of them); Eric Mangini (Ohio ties from his Browns stint; might be more suited to college coaching because of his emphasis on character and was a big fan of coaching in this area); Chuck Kyle (one of the most successful Ohio high school coaches ever at St. Ignatius); Ted Ginn (has a tie-in to Ohio State with all of the kids he's sent there from Glenville and has proven to be a successful high school coach).
Any names I forgot about? Feel free to comment and include them under this post.
Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!
Bin Laden's death should come as a joy and relief to not just Americans, but for others who live in the Free World. A despicable man who masterminded numerous terrorist attacks on many countries, including the horrific events of Sept. 11, 2001, has been snuffed out thanks to a very brave mission by American special forces units.
Putting aside personal politics and biases and all the other things that Americans fight among themselves, I believe all Americans can unite with pride that Public Enemy No. 1 was finally found, captured and (when he wouldn't go quietly) killed. Hell has a new resident, and his name is Osama bin Laden.
Moving on ...
The more Joe Cleveland hears about the Jim Tressel saga at Ohio State, the more he realizes that Ohio State better start making a list of coaching candidates, because chances are great that the Sweater Vest won't be around much longer.
Essentially, the NCAA might force OSU's hand on this one. If they want lighter sanctions, you might want to send your coach packing. The NCAA doesn't look to kindly on being lied to or deceived, especially by coaches.
If I'm Tressel, I'm reaching out to my new good friend Mike Holmgren and asking if there would be a spot for him with the Browns somewhere. They do need an offensive coordinator. How about an additional college scout? Tressel always said the one place he'd leave Columbus for was a job with his beloved Browns. He might have to do it now.
Or, maybe the Bengals try to cash in on Buckeye fans locally by hiring Tressel as their new head coach when Marvin Lewis' contract expires. Mike Brown has some ties to Ohio State, since his dad was one of their great head coaches, and Cincy has always had a history of drafting players from OSU. I don't think Tressel is cut out to be an NFL coach, but at this point, any job might be a good job.
After the John Cooper debacle, Ohio State has made it known that they will only be interested in head coaches with Ohio State or Ohio ties -- coaches who understand the traditions of Ohio State football; coaches who embrace the rich Michigan rivalry and rivalries with other schools in the Big Ten; coaches who will continue to recruit the top athletes in the state of Ohio. Tressel did that (even though he lied). Whoever takes his place will have to do it as well.
Also, when Tressel took it over, OSU was still a prominant name, but nowhere near the national powerhouse that it is. The BCS is partly responsible for that. But when you win a national championship and reach the title game in two other seasons, your school is mentioned in the same breath as the Floridas, Alabamas, USCs and Notre Dames of the world.
So, with that in mind, here's a list of candidates Gene Smith and Gordon Gee might want to consider:
1. Urban Meyer -- The No. 1 candidate on this list, mostly because he's currently unemployed. Meyer is from Ashtabula and spent time coaching at Ohio State before getting his first head coaching gig at Bowling Green. Meyer has been a winner everywhere he's gone, even at Florida, where he had big shoes to fill from Steve Spurrier and still on a national title and coached a Heisman Trophy winner in Tim Tebow. Some feel Ohio State would be a "step backward" for Meyer. Really? Ohio State has more tradition than Florida ever had. That, and OSU doesn't have to compete with Miami, Florida State, South Florida and Central Florida for in-state recruits.
2. Bob Stoops -- Stoops was believed to be Ohio State's top choice when Cooper was fired before he decided to stay at Oklahoma, where he's been ever since. Stoops is from Youngstown and also coached at Ohio State before leaving for other jobs. He took the Sooners to a national title just before the OSU job opened, and he's continued to keep them in the national spotlight. A tradition-rich program with an insane fan base, it would probably take a phenomenal offer for Stoops to leave for Columbus, especially if the program is hamstrung by NCAA sanctions (such as reduction in scholarships, bowl game restrictions, etc.)
3. Les Miles -- Miles is a "Michigan Man," but grew up in Ohio (Elyria) and still has family here. Miles turned down the opportunity to coach at his alma mater this past year, so I can't see him leaving LSU for Ohio State. However, he'd be worth an overture. Miles has made a living out of bolting job after job, so even though he turned down Michigan, maybe he felt the program wasn't in the best shape. And, besides, Bo Schembechler was an "Ohio Man" before he took the Michigan job. Maybe the historical factor would weigh in on Miles.
4. Jon Gruden -- Gruden might be higher on this list because he's currently out of a coaching job and serving as a popular football analyst on ESPN. When OSU was seeking Tressel's replacement, Gruden was one of the candidates. Another Ohio guy (Sandusky) with ties to Ohio State, Gruden was contacted when it appeared his relationship with the Raiders was fracturing. He turned it down, and wound up going to Tampa Bay one year later (leading them to a Super Bowl over his former Raider team). He's been a winner everywhere in the NFL and has a terrific knowledge of football. He's shown some great knowledge for the college game during his "QB school" run thorugh ESPN and his draft analysis. He turned down the chance to coach the Browns this season, so the college game may be up his alley. He probably woundn't be too daunted about NCAA sanctions, either.
5. Bo Pellini -- Pellini is also a Youngstown guy with ties to Ohio State. The main thing holding him back is that he's the head coach at Nebraska, which will be a conference rival of Ohio State beginning this year. I don't think he would leave Nebraska to join an in-house rival, especially when he essentially just started there and is starting to get the program back on its feet. Worth an overture, though.
6. Mike Stoops -- Bob's younger brother is currently the head coach at Arizona. The younger Stoops isn't as successful as his older brother, but he does bring with him head coaching experience at a major level and has shown an ability to field a competitive team. He'd probably be more apt to move from Arizona to Ohio State considering his situation.
7. Larry Kehres -- If Gene Smith wants to travel down the road his predecessor did with Tressel, he might want to explore Kehres. All Kehres has done has turned little Mount Union into a Division III dynasty. They rarely lose games and routinely have a date in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl (the D-III title game). I don't know if Kehres would leave Alliance, and a jump from D-III to D-I is more severe than a jump from D-IAA to D-IA like Tressel did. I do believe the hiring would be popular in-state.
8. Frank Solich -- Solich had the misfortune of following the legendary Tom Osborne at Nebraska. All he did was win more than he lost, but it wasn't enough for the school's AD, who replaced him with ex-Raiders coach Bill Callahan. That turned out to be a disaster. Solich, who has also been arrested for a DUI, has resurfaced at Ohio University, doing decently at a smaller D-I school not known for its football prowess. Solich is also an Ohio guy (Cleveland), and a move up the road might not be out of the realm of possibility.
9. Chris Spielman -- Every time an Ohio State coaching position opens, Spielman's name is dangled. He may be the most popular ex-Buckeye ever (Archie Griffin has a legitimate case, too). Buckeye fans and alumni would be thrilled if Spielman took the job. However, he's never had very much coaching experience, let alone head coaching experience. The thing about Spielman is that he "gets it," which you can never underestimate among Buckeye fans. I'm sure he'd be considered a candidate, even it it is kind of an "honorary candidate."
10. Luke Fickell -- Why wouldn't Ohio State look for an in-house candidate like Fickell, who is currently the acting coach during Tressel's suspension? Perhaps the Buckeyes do well under Fickell while Tressel is doing his time. Would it make sense to give him the job full-time and see what happens? He's not a flashy name like some of the other guys above him, and maybe Ohio State is to the point where they would need a proven commodity to take the reins. I wouldn't discount it, though.
Darkhorses: Mark Dantonio (former top assistant at OSU has gone on to good coaching stints at Cincinnati and Michigan State); Don Treadwell (Oberlin native, filled in for Dantonio well at MSU and is now coaching at Miami OH); Butch Davis (has Ohio ties with his stint with the Browns and has shown he can build winning programs and can recruit as well as the best of them); Eric Mangini (Ohio ties from his Browns stint; might be more suited to college coaching because of his emphasis on character and was a big fan of coaching in this area); Chuck Kyle (one of the most successful Ohio high school coaches ever at St. Ignatius); Ted Ginn (has a tie-in to Ohio State with all of the kids he's sent there from Glenville and has proven to be a successful high school coach).
Any names I forgot about? Feel free to comment and include them under this post.
Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Close to the Vest
Joe Cleveland would like to take the opportunity to apologize for the long droughts between blog updates. With high school wrestling season over and girls and boys hoops not too far behind, the man behind the alter ego seems to have a bit of free time, which allows me to put on my "Joe Cleveland" hat and pontificate on the state of sports.
Joe Cleveland had to come out of hiding today, as the legend that is Jim Tressel came crashing down today when he all but admitted that he lied to the NCAA and his own bosses about e-mails that blew the whistle on his players accepting cash and tattoos for memorabilia that they won or were given as members of his Buckeyes.
Yahoo Sports blew the whistle on this story yesterday, quoting a source as saying that Tressel received e-mails from the attorney of tattoo shop owner Edward Rife back in April. Ohio State didn't find out about it until December, when a federal raid on the tattoo parlor uncovered the stuff. The school and the NCAA suspended five players, including starting QB Terrelle Pryor, for violating NCAA by-laws by accepting cash and gifts for their various awards and jersies. The school and the NCAA agreeed to let the violaters play in the Sugar Bowl -- which OSU won -- and allowed for the suspension to start with the first game of the 2011 season.
Ohio State had been appealing the suspension's length for the five players. But now that their "squeaky clean" head coach wasn't complicent himself, they might as well quit while they're ahead.
I worked with a guy who covered Ohio State for many years (both before and after Tressel's hiring) and he was convinced that the Tressel the public saw, the conservative, sweater-vest wearing disciplinarian who has done nothing but beat the tar out of Michigan and get OSU into tons of prestigious bowl games, wasn't the real Tressel. He was convinced that Tressel was shady, but he just couldn't prove it.
Red flags propped up shortly after Tressel guided the Buckeyes to a shocking National Championship in 2002. Maurice Clarett, the star freshman running back on that team, was linked to accepting improper benefits from an OSU booster. Tressel and the school claimed that they had no idea this was going on. Meanwhile, Clarett was threatening to blow the whistle on Tress and the school. Unfortunately, Clarett's credibility was shot. He was dismissed from the team and the school, tried to challenge the NFL's draft laws (and failed), was selected by the Broncos in the third round, signed an incentive-laden contract that didn't guarantee him a DIME and then was cut in training camp. Oh yeah, then he robbed someone at gunpoint in Columbus and spent some time in prison. Nice going, Maurice.
After the Clarett debacle, Troy Smith was also found to have accepted gifts from a booster. He was quickly suspended for the Alamo Bowl (this was right after he engineered a huge upset of Michigan in one of his first starts) and his first two games of the next season. He came back for a huge No. 1 vs. No. 2 clash with Texas, but Tressel kept flip-flopping between him and Justin Zwick, and the Buckeyes lost.
Following that, Smith regained his job and embarked on a remarkable career that resulted in his winning the Heisman Trophy and getting the Buckeyes back in the National Championship game. They were blown out by Florida, but Smith's legacy was secured. He's been mostly a backup QB in the NFL for the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers, with flashes of good play here and there while more than a few Browns fans clamored for their native son to be brought back home to play for their favorite team (not gonna happen).
Tressel got off scot free from both instances with his reputation in tact. Buckeye fans lauded Tressel, sang songs about him, named their kids after him, dressed up for Haloween as him. Unfortunately, die-hard Buckeye fans can be a tad bit obnoxious, but you get the point. As long as Tressel owned "that team up North," kept churning out top recruiting classes and had the Buckeyes in the national title hunt every single year, that was all that mattered.
Until today.
Before I get in on this rant, Joe Cleveland would like everyone to know that I am, in fact, an Ohio State Buckeye fan and a Michigan hater. I don't exactly bleed Scarlet and Gray, as the Browns have always been my first true-love when it comes to football. However, when it comes to college football, I root for Ohio State first and foremost; always have, always will. That being said ...
I took a listen to sports-talk radio on my way to an assignment prior to the press conference, and you should have heard the shilling going on for "Lord Tressel." Idiots went as far as to say that the two Yahoo reporters were from Michigan and "planted" the story to make Ohio State look bad (really? Are you that delusional, Buckeye Fan?) The hosts of the program lambasted anyone who tried to speak unkind of "Lord Tressel," even going so far as suggestng to someone to go to the NCAA with their allegations of what he was up to at Youngstown State if they had the "proof."
Take off your Scarlet and Gray glasses, folks. Your "Lord" is a sham, just like every other college football coach out there.
Ohio State decided to fine Tressel and suspend him for the first two games of 2011. So, they'll be without five players for five games and without their head coach for two of them. Way to get off to a great start, Buckeyes. And, they have no one to blame but themselves.
What's amazing is that Tressel can get away with decieving his bosses and still keep his job. And, if you think Tressel is going to resign, think again. Today was the perfect opportunity for him to leave, and he sat there, stoically steadfast, barely admitting he did something wrong.
No, the only way Ohio State is going to get rid of Tressel is if they fire him. And, trust me, they don't want to fire him. Not with the way he makes money hand over fist for the university. Not with the way he's turned their college football program into one of the best in the country. Not after he turned the name "John Cooper" into an afterthought, a "who was the coach before Tressel?" afterthought.
It's amazing how much Tressel is becoming like the guy he emulated, Woody Hayes. Woody was God, Jesus and Satan all rolled into one as the head coach of the Buckeyes. Woody was a cantankerous son of a bitch who was hated by his opponents, hated by some of his players, and hated by some in the media. But, everyone respected Woody. Woody hated Michigan. Therefore, Buckeye fans LOVED Woody. Woody pushed his car from Michigan into Ohio because he didn't want to spend any money on Michigan gas, as folklore has it. Nevermind the fact that he punched an opposing player on the sidelines during his final game, which resulted in his "I guess we have to" firing. Woody is a legend.
It appears that Tressel may have his "punching the opposing player" moment if more and more comes out about his deceptions and his underhanded tactics. For some Buckeye fans, it was their "Say it ain't so, Joe" moment. You would have thought someone kicked their dog and pissed in their Cheerios with the news that Tressel actually did sit on some e-mails months before the school found out and that they had to suspend him.
There are already rumors that Urban Meyer could be a possible replacement for Tressel when, and if, Tressel quits or gets fired or mutually departs. Meyer is from Ohio originally. And, of course, the Bob Stoops rumors could be out there again, or the Jon Gruden rumors (both were rumored candidates when Tressel originally took the job over from Cooper).
Then, there was always the rumors about Tressel's interest in coaching the Cleveland Browns. Something tells me he might have better off jumping off SS Buckeye when he had the chance three years ago, when the Browns were clearly angling to get rid of Romeo Crennel and Tressel's name popped up as a possible candidate. With Holmgren running the ship, there's no way Tressel would get hired now. Maybe as some type of assistant or advisor, but not as the head coach.
Just like many Buckeye fans were ready to throw Terrelle Pryor overboard following the revolations that he sold his Gold Pants trinkets (given to Buckeyes for beating Michigan every year) and his Most Valuable Player Award from the Rose Bowl for some new ink, some are ready to wash their hands of the guy they once idolized.
Tressel still has his job, and our society is, by and large, a forgiving one, so if Tressel can get back to the business of winning football games (especially against Michigan), fans will turn a blind eye to what happened. If Tressel becomes the "Straight-arrow Gennaro" that everyone envisioned him to be after this, more power to him.
Tressel could run for Governor of Ohio and win easily if he wanted. Today, not so much. The curtain has been pulled back on the Wizard of Oz. We'll see if it's truly a horse of a different color after all.
Joe Cleveland would like to shed a tear for the Miami Heat's recent woes, but they are only tears of laughter.
Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!
Joe Cleveland had to come out of hiding today, as the legend that is Jim Tressel came crashing down today when he all but admitted that he lied to the NCAA and his own bosses about e-mails that blew the whistle on his players accepting cash and tattoos for memorabilia that they won or were given as members of his Buckeyes.
Yahoo Sports blew the whistle on this story yesterday, quoting a source as saying that Tressel received e-mails from the attorney of tattoo shop owner Edward Rife back in April. Ohio State didn't find out about it until December, when a federal raid on the tattoo parlor uncovered the stuff. The school and the NCAA suspended five players, including starting QB Terrelle Pryor, for violating NCAA by-laws by accepting cash and gifts for their various awards and jersies. The school and the NCAA agreeed to let the violaters play in the Sugar Bowl -- which OSU won -- and allowed for the suspension to start with the first game of the 2011 season.
Ohio State had been appealing the suspension's length for the five players. But now that their "squeaky clean" head coach wasn't complicent himself, they might as well quit while they're ahead.
I worked with a guy who covered Ohio State for many years (both before and after Tressel's hiring) and he was convinced that the Tressel the public saw, the conservative, sweater-vest wearing disciplinarian who has done nothing but beat the tar out of Michigan and get OSU into tons of prestigious bowl games, wasn't the real Tressel. He was convinced that Tressel was shady, but he just couldn't prove it.
Red flags propped up shortly after Tressel guided the Buckeyes to a shocking National Championship in 2002. Maurice Clarett, the star freshman running back on that team, was linked to accepting improper benefits from an OSU booster. Tressel and the school claimed that they had no idea this was going on. Meanwhile, Clarett was threatening to blow the whistle on Tress and the school. Unfortunately, Clarett's credibility was shot. He was dismissed from the team and the school, tried to challenge the NFL's draft laws (and failed), was selected by the Broncos in the third round, signed an incentive-laden contract that didn't guarantee him a DIME and then was cut in training camp. Oh yeah, then he robbed someone at gunpoint in Columbus and spent some time in prison. Nice going, Maurice.
After the Clarett debacle, Troy Smith was also found to have accepted gifts from a booster. He was quickly suspended for the Alamo Bowl (this was right after he engineered a huge upset of Michigan in one of his first starts) and his first two games of the next season. He came back for a huge No. 1 vs. No. 2 clash with Texas, but Tressel kept flip-flopping between him and Justin Zwick, and the Buckeyes lost.
Following that, Smith regained his job and embarked on a remarkable career that resulted in his winning the Heisman Trophy and getting the Buckeyes back in the National Championship game. They were blown out by Florida, but Smith's legacy was secured. He's been mostly a backup QB in the NFL for the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers, with flashes of good play here and there while more than a few Browns fans clamored for their native son to be brought back home to play for their favorite team (not gonna happen).
Tressel got off scot free from both instances with his reputation in tact. Buckeye fans lauded Tressel, sang songs about him, named their kids after him, dressed up for Haloween as him. Unfortunately, die-hard Buckeye fans can be a tad bit obnoxious, but you get the point. As long as Tressel owned "that team up North," kept churning out top recruiting classes and had the Buckeyes in the national title hunt every single year, that was all that mattered.
Until today.
Before I get in on this rant, Joe Cleveland would like everyone to know that I am, in fact, an Ohio State Buckeye fan and a Michigan hater. I don't exactly bleed Scarlet and Gray, as the Browns have always been my first true-love when it comes to football. However, when it comes to college football, I root for Ohio State first and foremost; always have, always will. That being said ...
I took a listen to sports-talk radio on my way to an assignment prior to the press conference, and you should have heard the shilling going on for "Lord Tressel." Idiots went as far as to say that the two Yahoo reporters were from Michigan and "planted" the story to make Ohio State look bad (really? Are you that delusional, Buckeye Fan?) The hosts of the program lambasted anyone who tried to speak unkind of "Lord Tressel," even going so far as suggestng to someone to go to the NCAA with their allegations of what he was up to at Youngstown State if they had the "proof."
Take off your Scarlet and Gray glasses, folks. Your "Lord" is a sham, just like every other college football coach out there.
Ohio State decided to fine Tressel and suspend him for the first two games of 2011. So, they'll be without five players for five games and without their head coach for two of them. Way to get off to a great start, Buckeyes. And, they have no one to blame but themselves.
What's amazing is that Tressel can get away with decieving his bosses and still keep his job. And, if you think Tressel is going to resign, think again. Today was the perfect opportunity for him to leave, and he sat there, stoically steadfast, barely admitting he did something wrong.
No, the only way Ohio State is going to get rid of Tressel is if they fire him. And, trust me, they don't want to fire him. Not with the way he makes money hand over fist for the university. Not with the way he's turned their college football program into one of the best in the country. Not after he turned the name "John Cooper" into an afterthought, a "who was the coach before Tressel?" afterthought.
It's amazing how much Tressel is becoming like the guy he emulated, Woody Hayes. Woody was God, Jesus and Satan all rolled into one as the head coach of the Buckeyes. Woody was a cantankerous son of a bitch who was hated by his opponents, hated by some of his players, and hated by some in the media. But, everyone respected Woody. Woody hated Michigan. Therefore, Buckeye fans LOVED Woody. Woody pushed his car from Michigan into Ohio because he didn't want to spend any money on Michigan gas, as folklore has it. Nevermind the fact that he punched an opposing player on the sidelines during his final game, which resulted in his "I guess we have to" firing. Woody is a legend.
It appears that Tressel may have his "punching the opposing player" moment if more and more comes out about his deceptions and his underhanded tactics. For some Buckeye fans, it was their "Say it ain't so, Joe" moment. You would have thought someone kicked their dog and pissed in their Cheerios with the news that Tressel actually did sit on some e-mails months before the school found out and that they had to suspend him.
There are already rumors that Urban Meyer could be a possible replacement for Tressel when, and if, Tressel quits or gets fired or mutually departs. Meyer is from Ohio originally. And, of course, the Bob Stoops rumors could be out there again, or the Jon Gruden rumors (both were rumored candidates when Tressel originally took the job over from Cooper).
Then, there was always the rumors about Tressel's interest in coaching the Cleveland Browns. Something tells me he might have better off jumping off SS Buckeye when he had the chance three years ago, when the Browns were clearly angling to get rid of Romeo Crennel and Tressel's name popped up as a possible candidate. With Holmgren running the ship, there's no way Tressel would get hired now. Maybe as some type of assistant or advisor, but not as the head coach.
Just like many Buckeye fans were ready to throw Terrelle Pryor overboard following the revolations that he sold his Gold Pants trinkets (given to Buckeyes for beating Michigan every year) and his Most Valuable Player Award from the Rose Bowl for some new ink, some are ready to wash their hands of the guy they once idolized.
Tressel still has his job, and our society is, by and large, a forgiving one, so if Tressel can get back to the business of winning football games (especially against Michigan), fans will turn a blind eye to what happened. If Tressel becomes the "Straight-arrow Gennaro" that everyone envisioned him to be after this, more power to him.
Tressel could run for Governor of Ohio and win easily if he wanted. Today, not so much. The curtain has been pulled back on the Wizard of Oz. We'll see if it's truly a horse of a different color after all.
Joe Cleveland would like to shed a tear for the Miami Heat's recent woes, but they are only tears of laughter.
Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
O-H ... UH-OH!
So, Joe Cleveland missed the first half of tonight's Sugar Bowl because of his real job, which is fine. He had friends giving him text updates while he plugged away on stories about high school basketball. And, judging by those texts, Ohio State was looking really good.
Then, I decided to watch the game, and just like that, their luck took a turn for the worse. Coincidence?
Seriously, I was pleasently surprised that Ohio State jumped on Arkansas as great as they did in the first half. I was worried that the tattoo controversy surrounding Terrelle Pryor and his junior co-horts would prove to be a distraction. Instead, it almost seemed like it served as motivation. They looked unstoppable.
But, in typical Tressel fashion, the Buckeyes went away from what was working in the first half in the second half. They allowed Arkansas to get back into it and steal the momentum. And, even though Ohio State was making some plays in the fourth quarter offensively, it didn't look like it was going to be enough.
Special teams have been a thorn in Ohio State's side all season long, and I always felt that, if they didn't correct those issues, it would come back to bite them in the ass when it counted. That blocked punt sure looked like it was going to lead to a game-winning touchdown, didn't it?
The walls in my house reverberated from Joe Cleveland's swearing at his TV. How do they let a punt get blocked? Especially in that situation.
Fortunately, college football has a rule that says, once a runner's knee is down, the play is blown dead. The Arkansas player couldn't scoop it up and run with it; he had to fall on it. Had this been the NFL, that would have been a touchdown and the game would have been over. But, it's not the NFL.
I don't know, but Ryan Mallett looked overrated to me. This is a "can't-miss" NFL prospect? He reminds me of Jake Locker, who all the draft pundits love but hasn't done jack in games. Mallett didn't wow me when he was at Michigan, and he certainly didn't wow me tonight. Sure, his receivers dropped a lot of passes, but come on. A true winner at QB wouldn't have made that terrible of a throw in that situation. It was great coverage by Solomon Thomas, but if Mallett was all that, he would have known better to not make that throw. I don't know, that's just Joe Cleveland's opinion.
I do feel that, even though OSU almost melted down in the second half, they helped put some of those pro-SEC, anti-Ohio State stereotypes to bed. Remember that Ohio State isn't quick enough to play with teams from the SEC. Remember that the Big Ten is an archaic conference that can't hold a candle to the SEC, and that Ohio State would be mediocre if they played in the SEC. I think they proved that they can play with the SEC's best and beat them. Sure, they're still 1-9 vs. the SEC in bowl games, but it's that one win that counts.
Joe Cleveland, however, was a bit conflicted about cheering for the Buckeyes in this one. He was not a happy person with Pryor and his buddies for selling their memorabilia (especially their gold pants trinkets they get for beating Michigan) for free tattoos. He almost wished Tressel would suspend all of those players for the bowl game, even though it would have meant a certain loss. He almost hoped Pryor would have a terrible game as a result. However, I'm an Ohio State fan first and foremost. I rooted for the Browns, Indians and Cavs in the past even though there were players on those teams I didn't care for, so why should this be different?
I would not be surprised, however, to see Pryor and Herron reneg on their "word" to Tressel that they will return for their senior years and go out for the draft. For Pryor, however, it's almost worth it to suck it up, take his suspension, and try to establish himself as a QB afterward. As of now, the NFL sees him more as a receiver and gimmick player instead of a bonafide QB, and that would likely mean a lower draft status and less money.
In the end, though, it's always good to see ESPN look bad. They love the SEC and hate the Big Ten, so it was good to see (and funny to see Mark May get booed when he tried to interview Cameron Heyward. He's such a hater.)
Joe Cleveland will enjoy this Buckeye bowl victory and hope that the SEC gets theirs later in the week when Auburn plays Oregon (Go Ducks!) And, now, he can turn his attention back to that Browns coaching search ...
Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!
Then, I decided to watch the game, and just like that, their luck took a turn for the worse. Coincidence?
Seriously, I was pleasently surprised that Ohio State jumped on Arkansas as great as they did in the first half. I was worried that the tattoo controversy surrounding Terrelle Pryor and his junior co-horts would prove to be a distraction. Instead, it almost seemed like it served as motivation. They looked unstoppable.
But, in typical Tressel fashion, the Buckeyes went away from what was working in the first half in the second half. They allowed Arkansas to get back into it and steal the momentum. And, even though Ohio State was making some plays in the fourth quarter offensively, it didn't look like it was going to be enough.
Special teams have been a thorn in Ohio State's side all season long, and I always felt that, if they didn't correct those issues, it would come back to bite them in the ass when it counted. That blocked punt sure looked like it was going to lead to a game-winning touchdown, didn't it?
The walls in my house reverberated from Joe Cleveland's swearing at his TV. How do they let a punt get blocked? Especially in that situation.
Fortunately, college football has a rule that says, once a runner's knee is down, the play is blown dead. The Arkansas player couldn't scoop it up and run with it; he had to fall on it. Had this been the NFL, that would have been a touchdown and the game would have been over. But, it's not the NFL.
I don't know, but Ryan Mallett looked overrated to me. This is a "can't-miss" NFL prospect? He reminds me of Jake Locker, who all the draft pundits love but hasn't done jack in games. Mallett didn't wow me when he was at Michigan, and he certainly didn't wow me tonight. Sure, his receivers dropped a lot of passes, but come on. A true winner at QB wouldn't have made that terrible of a throw in that situation. It was great coverage by Solomon Thomas, but if Mallett was all that, he would have known better to not make that throw. I don't know, that's just Joe Cleveland's opinion.
I do feel that, even though OSU almost melted down in the second half, they helped put some of those pro-SEC, anti-Ohio State stereotypes to bed. Remember that Ohio State isn't quick enough to play with teams from the SEC. Remember that the Big Ten is an archaic conference that can't hold a candle to the SEC, and that Ohio State would be mediocre if they played in the SEC. I think they proved that they can play with the SEC's best and beat them. Sure, they're still 1-9 vs. the SEC in bowl games, but it's that one win that counts.
Joe Cleveland, however, was a bit conflicted about cheering for the Buckeyes in this one. He was not a happy person with Pryor and his buddies for selling their memorabilia (especially their gold pants trinkets they get for beating Michigan) for free tattoos. He almost wished Tressel would suspend all of those players for the bowl game, even though it would have meant a certain loss. He almost hoped Pryor would have a terrible game as a result. However, I'm an Ohio State fan first and foremost. I rooted for the Browns, Indians and Cavs in the past even though there were players on those teams I didn't care for, so why should this be different?
I would not be surprised, however, to see Pryor and Herron reneg on their "word" to Tressel that they will return for their senior years and go out for the draft. For Pryor, however, it's almost worth it to suck it up, take his suspension, and try to establish himself as a QB afterward. As of now, the NFL sees him more as a receiver and gimmick player instead of a bonafide QB, and that would likely mean a lower draft status and less money.
In the end, though, it's always good to see ESPN look bad. They love the SEC and hate the Big Ten, so it was good to see (and funny to see Mark May get booed when he tried to interview Cameron Heyward. He's such a hater.)
Joe Cleveland will enjoy this Buckeye bowl victory and hope that the SEC gets theirs later in the week when Auburn plays Oregon (Go Ducks!) And, now, he can turn his attention back to that Browns coaching search ...
Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!
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