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!

Mr. Bungle?

The Cleveland Browns head coaching search was so long and exhaustive, it seemed to take on a life of it's own.

I'm sure someone created a Twitter account for the Browns' 2014 head coaching search. They've already created one for the I-480 bridge, "The Three Stooges" (the moniker bestowed upon owner Jimmy Haslam, CEO Joe Banner and general manager-in-hiding Mike Lombardi) and "The Factory of Sadness" (what comedian Mike Polk Jr. referred to FirstEnergy Stadium as during an epic rant in the midst of a forgettable 2011 season).

The national media had a field day with it, because as we all know, any chance to further embarrass Cleveland is too hard to pass up for the ESPNs of the world. The Browns organization was referred to as "toxic," among other adjectives, by coaches who dropped out of the running or various other league sources.

Finally, after 24 long days and at least 10 candidates interviewed, the Browns introduced former Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Mike Pettine as the 15th full-time head coach in franchise history. He also becomes the 7th full-time head coach hired since the franchise came back to Cleveland in 1999, which means Browns' head coaches last here an average of 2.2 years before they are fired or leave.

As expected, the hiring of a coach like Pettine, a widely respected coach in NFL circles who worked his way from being a great high school coach into an NFL head coach in 10 years, was universally praised. The Buffalo media and fans were upset that they were losing a coach of his caliber. Reports out of Baltimore -- where the Ravens gave him his first coaching job -- were equally favorable, as well as from New York, where Rex Ryan took Pettine with him and made him his first defensive coordinator. However, the journey to get to Pettine -- a coach the Browns could have hired three days after Rob Chudzinski was fired because his Bills did not make the playoffs -- is still a head-scratcher.

The decision to bring Pettine in and ultimately hire him is probably because Haslam took over the search himself. Unfortunately, Banner and Lombardi butchered this search from the rip, and the longer it drug out, the worse it looked for the CEO and his puppet GM.

Ultimately, the one who looks the worst (and will be blamed by the Cleveland media who never liked him to begin with) is Lombardi. When Lombardi was being touted as the Browns' next GM under Haslam and Banner, Lombardi leaked to his cronies in the national media that whoever brought him in would have their choice of either Nick Saban, Chip Kelly, Bill O'Brien or Josh McDaniels as the new head coach. He also talked up Doug Marrone, the former Syracuse head coach who wound up taking the Buffalo job and hired Pettine as his defensive coordinator. And, two coaching searches in two years later, none of those guys are the head coach of the Cleveland Browns.

It appeared early on that McDaniels had the inside track on the job, to the point that many figured that it was his job to lose. Whether McDaniels withdrew after his interview because he wasn't Haslam's No. 1 candidate, or whether McDaniels was assured by Robert Kraft that he is the heir apparent whenever Bill Belichick retires (which could be within the next couple of seasons), or whether McDaniels didn't want to uproot his family after settling into the Boston area, or whether he believed that Browns job was as "toxic" as some felt, we'll never really know. It was probably a combination of all four of those reasons. At any rate, Lombardi's golden boy was out, which had to make his seat even hotter than before.

Banner brags to everyone who will listen how he found Andy Reid and turned him into a great NFL coach. Reid wasn't even a coordinator when Banner's Eagles interviewed him -- the only NFL team that did interview him -- and hired him in 1999. Reid took the Eagles to the Super Bowl and kept them relevant before he was unceremoniously fired last season. He quickly found a home in Kansas City and turned the Chiefs from the NFL's worst team into a playoff contender in one season. So, when the Browns were bringing in unknown guys like Ben McAdoo, who was Green Bay's quarterback coach, it had Banner's fingerprints all over it. McAdoo wound up becoming the offensive coordinator of the Giants, which is probably a better job for him than the head coach of the Browns.

Haslam fell in love with Adam Gase, the young Denver Broncos offensive coordinator, because of his connection to Peyton Manning. Haslam has made it clear that Manning can have a job within the Browns organization as soon as his playing career is over if he would like it. The two became close because of their University of Tennessee connections, and as Manning praised the young offensive guru, the more interested Haslam became. But Gase never interviewed with the Browns. First, he declined interview requests during the first week because he wanted focus on his team's run to the playoffs. Then, after the Broncos reached the Super Bowl, he finally got around to telling Haslam that he might as well not even wait until Feb. 3 to interview him because he wasn't going to take the job.

Seattle defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, who bears a striking resemblance to Pettine, did interview during that first week and quickly became a hot target as his Seahawks made their run to the Super Bowl. But, after spending several days with Pettine last week and dragging things out, it became clear that the Browns had a choice to make.

Do they give Pettine the job, who said that if he wasn't going to get the offer, he would take himself out of the running to be fair to the Bills? Or, do they wait for the Super Bowl to over and offer Quinn the job? Either choice would have been good. However, it would have been a gamble to wait for Quinn. While Quinn said he was interested in the Browns job, a lot could change between now and the Super Bowl. Quinn and the Seahawks could win the Super Bowl and Seattle could offer him more money and a better job title to stay put. He could simply determine he loved coaching his young defense in Seattle and wanted to stay. Or, he could say (like Gase did) that he didn't feel ready to be a head coach yet and would wait. If the Browns waited and Quinn said no, it could have been fatal. Pettine would not be a fallback choice. Most of the other candidates they interviewed either took different jobs or simply took themselves out of the running.

They may have had to settle for Atlanta offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, ex-Tampa Bay head coach Greg Schiano or former Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel (who was gaining a grass-roots push to be considered a candidate from local football fans). The hiring of either Koetter or Schiano, who were both interviewed days before Pettine got the job, would have went over like a fart in church, and hiring Tressel would have looked embarrassing because of the fans' push for the team to hire him.

Banner and Lombardi appeared to be so sold on Pettine that one of them (probably Lombardi) reached back out to McDaniels the day before Pettine was hired to see if he was serious about taking himself out of the running. And, Banner wasn't shy about his praise of Quinn during the Pettine introduction, but said they couldn't risk waiting until after the Super Bowl when they had a coach in their laps that they really liked. Also, like he's been at just about every major press conference, Lombardi was conspicuous by his absence at the Pettine press conference.

Hopefully, Pettine becomes the head coach who can lift this franchise too the next level. Pettine, who bears a resemblance to former pro wrestler and NFL player Bill Goldberg, won skeptical fans over when he talked about holding players accountable for their mistakes, how they needed to "bloody their nose a bit" if they wanted to compete for an AFC North title, and how nothing he could say in his introductory press conference would really win over the fan base, that they'd have to do their talking with how they play on the field and win games. By saying he wasn't about winning press conferences and more about winning games, he essentially won the press conference.

Pettine has a reputation for being a no-nonsense kind of coach. His players respect him, fear him and love him. His nickname is "Blunt Force Trauma," which had to get Browns fans fired up. Jets linebacker Bart Scott, who followed Ryan and Pettine to New York from Baltimore, couldn't stop praising him. And, while the Bills went 6-10 this past season, it certainly wasn't the defense's fault. Pettine turned the Bills into the hybrid 3-4 defense that Haslam and Banner prefer (the same defense that Ray Horton ran here last year) and got tremendous results. He coaxed a comeback season from Mario Williams by lining him up both as a down lineman and at linebacker, depending on the situation. He turned Kiko Alonso into the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year.

And, while Browns fans remember the Bills giving up 37 points in that Thursday Night game in Cleveland, they forget that 14 of those points were the result of a punt return by Travis Benjamin and an interception return by T.J. Ward. And, Brandon Weeden only threw two truly great passes in that game, and they were on back-to-back plays and resulted in a long touchdown by Josh Gordon.

Pettine's first challenge was hiring a staff. He was able to get a few of his Bills' assistants to come to Cleveland and be his defensive staff, such as Jim O'Neil as the new defensive coordinator, and retained Chris Tabor to be the special teams coordinator. It appears, as of this writing, that former Washington offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan is the front-runner to be Pettine's offensive coordinator, with Oakland running backs coach John DeFilippo and Dallas offensive coordinator Bill Callahan also as contenders.

But the hiring of Pettine and Haslam's increased role in the search may have put the target squarely on the backs of both Banner and Lombardi. Banner attempted to alleviate some of the tension by making a "Three Stooges" joke to start Pettine's press conference, saying that "since Mike and I are Larry and Moe, we needed a Curly. And there's not many Curly's around, but we found one in Mike Pettine." The joke worked, but I'm sure Banner's seat is getting a bit warmer than it was.

The team announcing that Ray Farmer, the assistant GM, would not be taking the Miami GM job only seems to solidify that that Lombardi will be the next one fired. Farmer's interview with Haslam was so good two seasons ago that he created a position for Farmer on the staff, essentially promoting Lombardi from VP of Player Personnel to GM so there could be an assistant GM.

The bizarre saga of receiver Davone Bess only makes Lombardi look worse, since it was he who traded for him and then suggested re-signing him to a lengthy contract extension. Banner admitted that the Browns did not know about Bess' arrest and hospitalization a month before the trade was made, which means that somebody did not do their due diligence on the subject. Sure, you can blame the Dolphins and Jeff Ireland (who is out of job now) for withholding that information and dealing the Browns some damaged goods. But, it's buyer beware in the NFL.

Many of Lombardi's moves during the season deserve to be questioned. The signing of a wide receiver of the Green Bay practice squad, who showed up to Berea with a torn ACL, was a bad one. Because the Browns purchased a player off an opposing practice squad, they had to (by rule) keep that player on the 53-man roster for three weeks. So, that player took up a roster spot for three weeks before he could be placed on injured reserve. Not very good.

Last year, there was dischord between the front office and the coaching staff and the result was a 4-12 season, a seven-game losing streak to end the season and the dismissal of the head coach, the offensive coordinator and the defensive coordinator. I'm sure Haslam will now hold Banner and his cronies more accountable for the support they give Pettine and his staff, because the national perception was that they did little to support Chud and his staff.

Pettine will get more than one year for sure, unless the Browns go 0-16 (God, let's hope not). The fanbase is restless, and many loyal season ticket holders are ready to put their wallet where their mouths are and not renew. The Browns will have a remodeled stadium next year, a new coach and coaching staff and some new players, even perhaps a new quarterback (although Pettine loves Brian Hoyer and said he'd open training camp as the starter). If there was ever a make-or-break season for the Cleveland Browns, the 2014 season is it.

It seems unlikely that Cleveland fans would treat the Browns like the Indians, where years of years of dischord between the team's front office and the fan base resulted in low attendance numbers for a team that had hired a marquee manager and won 93 games, even qualifying for the postseason. While season ticket and advance ticket sales may spike this season, it probably won't be anything earth shattering. It will be up to the Indians to prove to the fans that they are, indeed, committed to fielding a winning product every single season.

The Browns have never had to prove anything to the fanbase, other than just show up in July for training camp in those brown jerseys and orange helmets and then take the field in early September. That's pretty much it. The fans have desperately proved to the NFL that they can support a team after it was stolen from them in 1995, but I think we've proved enough. We've proved that we're extremely passionate about the Cleveland Browns. We're very angry and not shy about spewing it on message boards or on Twitter or Facebook or in blogs such as this one. But, we continue to go back like lemmings on their death march to the Stadium every Sunday because we hope that "this year's gonna be the year we turn it around."

At least with the Indians, fans are still passionate about them. Hatred or criticism can be construed as interest, and I'm sure the Dolans and Mark Shapiro do that. With the Cavs, the team has been so bad for four years and continues to struggle that the fans have begun to not care about them -- just like they did before LeBron James was dropped on our doorstep in 2003.

2014 is a big year for Cleveland sports. The Indians have to prove to their skeptical fans that last season wasn't a fluke (like 2007 was) and sustain winning. The Browns have to prove that their heads aren't up their collective asses and actually put a winning product on the field for once. The Cavs just have to regain their relevance locally, and trading for Luol Deng was a good start, but it hasn't translated into wins. They may have to do something drastic, like running GM Chris Grant and head coach Mike Brown out of town after the season is over. Bringing Brown back three years after firing him wasn't a very popular move locally to begin with, and it's only gotten worse as the team plays worse.

In case you were wondering about the title to this blog, it's a reference to Mike Patton (whose name sounds very similar to Mike Pettine's). Patton is known mainstream as the former lead singer of Faith No More, who had that hit song "Epic" back in the early 1990s. But he also (at least to fans of music and heavier music) is known as the front man for his side project, Mr. Bungle. He also wore a Mr. Bungle T-shirt in the video for "Epic," which was played everyday on MTV for about a year.

Basically, Joe Cleveland can only hope that I'm not referring to Mike Pettine as "Mr. Bungle" when the games are being played this season. Because the Browns front office, while also living up to their "Three Stooges" moniker, really Mr. Bungled this coaching search from the rip. Hopefully, they stumbled into their diamond in the rough, because I don't know how much more of this we can take as Browns fans.

Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!

Three Stooges and a Dud

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!

It's been a while

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

Such as (in no particular order):

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

<> Will the real Indians please stand up?

<> Are the Indians contenders or pretenders?

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

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

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

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

<> How will Rob Chudzinski's Browns fare?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Draft dodging

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!

The forgotten man

Not many people would respond to this job opening:

"NFL team with new ownership group of a formerly storied franchise seeking new general manager/personnel director that will be hired after the head coach and will report directly to the CEO. If you've had a disasterous tenure with this franchise before, so be it. You will likely be blamed when/if things fail and just be considered 'part of the process' when/if things succeed. Please contact Jimmy Haslam III and Joe Banner with your interest at 76 Lou Groza Blvd., Berea, OH."

In fact, only two known candidates did emerge. One wound up being hired to be the assistant general manager -- Ray Farmer. The other got the job -- Mike Lombardi.

Lombardi must have been desperate for any NFL job after five years of exile, being relegated to a talking head on television, serving as an "NFL insider" of sorts.

He must have been desperate to know that that job opening was in Cleveland, where he worked in the early 1990s with Bill Belichick and managed to anger media members and fans so bad, that 17 years after the franchise moved to Baltimore and he was told to not come along for the ride, they still held anger and resentment whenever his name came up or he appeared on the radio or television.

He must have been desperate to go to a team that he did nothing but trash from his perch on TV, questioning the moves to acquire several players that are still on the team and that he'll have to look in the eye at team headquarters -- if he ever appears.

He must have been desperate to know that he'll never get credit for anything that goes right with the Browns, but if things go wrong, Banner would not hesitate to hold his carcass in front of him so it can be riddled with bullets from the media, season ticket holders, fans and his own boss, Haslam.

Lombardi is in such a no-win situation that, even when it gets announced that his job title changes from Vice President of Player Personnel to General Manager, he doesn't get to answer questions about it and only a hastily called conference call by Banner would address it.

Lombardi had to feel good to beat out Farmer for the job, but then had to recoil when Farmer was added to the front office and given the title of his assistant. Looks like the Browns have already lined up his replacement, and he's only been on the job for a few months.

Since his disasterous introductary press conference, where the press came out firing with 17 years of pent up ammunition at him, Banner and Haslam, Lombardi has not made a public appearance with his new team.

When the Browns went to the NFL Combine, the only personnel made available to the media were Banner and new head coach Rob Chudzinski. No Lombardi.

When the Browns made their first free agent signings this week -- Ravens linebacker Paul Kruger, Raiders defensive lineman Desmond Bryant and Cardinals linebacker Quinton Groves -- Banner and Chudzinski sat in front of the press with the players and discussed the signings. The general manager? Nowhere to be found.

This week, the Browns sent out their forms to season ticket holders seeking their renewal. On the first page of the pamphlet was a photo of Haslam and Banner together. Below it were photos of Chudzinski, offensive coordinator Norv Turner and defensive coordinator Ray Horton.

Guess who's photo wasn't included? Guess who's name wasn't even mentioned?

Yep, Lombardi.

Perhaps Haslam and Banner didn't realize the deep resentment attached to Lombardi in this region until they actually hired him. But it seems pretty certain that Haslam and Banner have gone out of their way to deemphsize his role within the organization, even with an upgraded title to GM.

The hiring of Farmer didn't come until AFTER Lombardi's grilling by the press. The only way they could hire him was to give him a "promotion," so they had to give him the title of assistant GM. However, there was no official GM, so Lombardi was given the title. So, it seems they begrudgingly gave Lombardi a title only so Farmer could join their front office.

How's that for a ringing vote of confidence?

Lombardi appears to be on a very short leash. The media is just waiting, like dogs salivating over a piece of steak, for Lombardi to screw up so they can tear him apart.

Perhaps Lombardi was brought on as nothing more than a glorified fall guy for Banner and Chudzinski. Think about it.

Banner's dour personality (some say he resembles the Dr. No character from the James Bond movies) did not sit well with Eagles fans, and it was starting to rub some Browns fans the wrong way. Perhaps Banner needed someone who was reviled even worse to make him look better, the Ugly Duckling Theory, if you will.

Browns fans have also been notoriously unkind to head coaches, especially those who came in without any head coaching experience. The last two head coaches -- Eric Mangini and Pat Shurmur -- each barely last two seasons in Cleveland, with the buzzards circling their carcasses even before that second year began.

The only coach to take the Browns to the playoffs during the expansion era -- Butch Davis -- didn't even last four full seasons, resigning with five games left in 2004 due to "panic attacks." Terry Robiskie only won his final game as the interim head coach that year and was so lightly regarded around the NFL, he took a demotion to wide receivers coach when Romeo Crennel was hired.

Crennel lasted four full seasons, but always seemed to be dodging bullets. Only an out-of-nowhere 10-6 2007 season bought him an extension, but when his team slumped to 4-12 the following year and the general manager who hired him, Phil Savage, became an embarassment, he was shown the door.

Some Browns fans were ready to jump on Chudzinski when he was hired, especially when Haslam and Banner talked a lot about seeking a "dynamic leader" to be the head coach. This, despite Chudzinski being a native Ohioan who not only grew up a diehard Browns fan, but was moderately successful in his two previous stints as a Browns assistant coach.

With a figure so reviled like Lombardi in the building, suddenly fan sentiment has softened on Chud. Sure, his hiring of proven commodoties like Turner and Horton to run his offense and defense didn't hurt one bit. But, with the human shield in the building, Chud may not take as many bullets. If his team doesn't get off to a great start, unlike Mangini, Shurmur and every other head coach that preceeded them, Chud won't have to be the fall guy or the target.

I have a feeling that, win or lose, Lombardi won't last very long with the Browns organization. As someone with a large ego, I'm sure it has to bother him to be used as somewhat of a foil in this organization. Even if the Browns do very well this season, Lombardi could leave with his reputation somewhat intact and say that he was only here "to help this regime get off the ground" and go back to the comforts of TV or to another team that will let him be the dominant voice of the organization.

Sure, even though most fans and media know that Banner is the lead voice in the football organization, you don't think they'll pass up the opportunity to rip Lombardi a new one if any of the free agent signings fail to pan out or they have a bad draft? There are some members of the media (one rhymes with Bony Schmossi) who would take personal delight in running Lombardi out of town for the second time, even knowingly overlooking the Banner factor.

This is the hell that is Lombardi's second tenure as the Browns' general manager/director of personnel. He asked for it, and he's going to get it. And, Joe Cleveland certainly doesn't feel sorry for him.

This is what you get when you compile a video list of lowlights and embarassing plays on company time just so you can run a beloved quarterback and ambassador to the town out of it. Joe Cleveland ddn't forget, and neither did a lot of Browns fans and media, apparently.

Happy hunting!

Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!

A little bit of this ...

Today marks the first Sunday without football since September. Mrs. Joe Cleveland calls this a "holiday" for herself, since she's survived another football season with me.

On this day, we can take a look at the three pro teams in Cleveland and see how they stand or what's to come. That, and I realized I've done nothing but write about the Browns in this blog for the last three months, and "Joe Cleveland" was supposed to encompass the entire sporting scene in Northeast Ohio. So, let's take a whirlwind look at our three pro teams, starting with the only one that's currently playing, the Cavs:

CAVS

The Cavs were in the midst of another forgettable and miserable season "A.L." (aka "After LeBron") when things suddenly began to click.

It started when GM Chris Grant traded a stiff journeyman named Jon Leuer to the Memphis Grizzlies for Marreese Speights, Wayne Ellington, Josh Selby (who was demoted to Canton) and a future first-round pick. Speights has been a force for the Cavs since coming here on Jan. 22, picking up the slack for the injured Anderson Varejao down low, while Ellington has been a solid contributor off the bench adding some depth to the guard positions.

Suddenly, coach Byron Scott has a bench he can trust to give his superstar point guard Kyrie Irving a breather now and then.

The Cavs are still pretty miserable at 16-33, but they've put together two three-game winning streaks since the deal, including a huge 115-110 win at Quicken Loans Arena against defending NBA runner-up Oklahoma City (who currently have the best record in the NBA) and have gone 7-4 since Jan. 16.

They have two more home games before the All-Star Break, in which Irving may become the East's starting point guard due to the season-ending injury to Rajon Rondo and Irving, Deon Waiters, Tristan Thompson and Tyler Zeller are all members of the Rising Stars game held during the weekend. Irving will also take part in the 3-Point Shootout as well.

The Cavs are interested in signing former Ohio State 7-footer Greg Oden (the former No. 1 overall pick who hasn't played since 2009 due to chronic knee injuries) and could sign him after Feb. 22 for the next two seasons. If Oden is healthy, he could be a huge coup for this young team.

And, of course, the rumors about "you know who" coming back to Cleveland during the summer of 2014 continue to pick up traction. A few published reports have said that LeBron James winning the NBA title last year with the Heat means that "his job there is accomplished," and that he's looking for the next challenge. According to several close to LeBron, he still has a "soft spot" for Northeast Ohio and the fans and would "love nothing more" than to come back and deliver on his promise to bring a championship to his hometown.

Of course, other reports link him to the Lakers to pick up the slack from Kobe Bryant, who is on the downside of his career, and the Knicks, Bulls and Brooklyn Nets are always speculated destinations when it comes to him. It could be another circus all over again as fans await "The Decision II."

For the Cavs to become serious players, they'd need to improve on the court, starting now. The playoffs aren't likely for this season, but anything less than the playoffs in the 2013-14 season would seriously diminish their prospects. Why would the best player in the NBA come to a team that has been a perennial loser since he left following the 2009-10 season?

The team he'd be coming back to would, arguably, have the most and deepest talent he's ever seen. Irving would be a bonafide superstar by then at point guard, and Thompson, Waiters and Zeller should continue improving. If Oden bounces back, that's another bonus, and if Varejao can shake off the injury bug, that's more depth.

Speights could be dealt before the deadline for more picks, with speculation that he might want to opt out of his contract. If he stays, he's another piece to make it that much more enticing for James to come back.

Joe Cleveland, for one, isn't ready to buy into this hype. LeBron still has some apologies to make and some explaining to do. And, it could be another giant ruse where he plays Cleveland and signs with L.A. or New York (which I'm sure the NBA would love for him to do). Fool me once, shame on you; fool my twice, shame on me.

Joe Cleveland's not ready to get fooled again, so I'll believe LeBron James becomes a Cleveland Cavalier again when it actually happens. Until then, hopefully the young nucleus we've put together continues to improve and be ready for a playoff run of their own.

It does seem like this team is becoming more entertaining to watch lately, which is nice. They have the sports landscape all to themselves until April (with some offseason stuff by the Browns and spring training by the Indians to contend with), so let's see how they do.

INDIANS:

To say Joe Cleveland's been impressed by what the Indians have done this offseason would be an understatement.

The hiring of veteran skipper Terry Francona was an incredible hiring that immediately gives the Tribe a credible voice in the clubhouse. According to Francona, if the Indians didn't hire him, he'd return to ESPN, so the fact that this two-time World Series winner wanted to be here is huge.

Francona's presense has helped the Indians make their biggest free agency spash in many years, signing Ohio State standout Nick Swisher to a $57 million contract to play the outfield/first base for the next four seasons. Swisher could quickly become a fan-favorite based on his local ties and the way he carries himself on and off the field, and he gives the Tribe a credible bat they've been lacking in the middle of their order for the last few years.

Coupled with the signing of Mark Reynolds to play first base and DH -- a classic power hitter who can hit the ball a country mile but tends to strikeout whenever he doesn't -- is another big bat this team has been sorely lacking and gives the team a solid stick at a position that's been lacking that big bopper for a long time. Carlos Santana should be a happy guy with that type of protection in the lineup.

The Tribe dealt Shin-Soo Choo, an impending free agent who had no desire to re-sign here, to the Reds in a three-team deal that landed, among others, speedy outfielder Drew Stubbs and promising pitching prospect Trevor Bauer, along with some solid bullpen arms. Stubbs could be a presense either at the top or very bottom of the lineup, and Bauer could be a promising starter for many years (although speculation has him starting the season at Columbus).

Of course, it wouldn't be a Tribe offseason without some bargain-basement minor-league signings of retread, oft-injured players. The Tribe just finished signing former steriod cheat Jason Giambi and oft-injured former Japanese phenom Daiskue Matsuzaka to similar deals, while also signing pitchers Matt Capps and Scott Kazmir to those types of deals earlier in the offseason.

It baffles me that Paul and Larry Dolan, after selling their fledgling network SportsTime Ohio to FOX Sports for $250 million and getting additional money for the broadcast rights to their games, they wouldn't invest more of that windfall into their team. Sure, signing Swisher was a big one that normally wouldn't happen under this regime. However, it looks like the Dolans are going to pocket as much as they can to turn whatever kind of profit they can while still crying the poorhouse blues to their front office and the media and the Indians' fan base.

Hopefully, this spurs them on to sell off their last remaining asset, the Cleveland Indians themselves, winding up in the black and being away from the business of running a professional sports franchise. We can only hope.

Until then, we can hope that the Indians make enough moves to keep themselves relevent. Their pitching is still suspect, with the shaky Justin Masterson, the even worse Ubaldo Jimenez and the converted closer Brett Myers as the top three starters, and Matsuzaka and Kazmir in the mix with Carlos Carrasco (returning from Tommy John surgery), Corey Kluber and even Bauer.

At the very least, the Indians should be more entertaining than they've been in the past. Perhaps they won't flirt with 100 losses this year.

However, even with a high-profile manager and a high-profile free agent signing, this team will still struggle to win 81 games this season. Hopefully, they can turn Asdrubal Cabrera (who always mails in the second half and has been an attitude problem) and Chris Perez (enough said) into some more positive assets to help this team improve.

BROWNS:

The first offseason of the Jimmy Haslam-Joe Banner era has begun, with defensive end Frostee Rucker being released before his contract kicked in. Rucker, who signed a large contract with Tom Heckert last season as a key defensive end in their 4-3 scheme, was expendable thanks to the switch to the 3-4.

While the Browns have some significant holes to fill, especially in the defensive secondary and may have to replace both their punter and kicker (I hope not on the latter's sake; I'm a big Phil Dawson fan), the quarterback talk is fired up once again.

Haslam, Banner, Mike Lombardi and head coach Rob Chudzinski have been non-committal to Brandon Weeden's future as the Browns' starting quarterback. Haslam said he wants to bring in someone to provide competition and "push" Weeden for the job.

There's competition, and then there's an outright successor. If the Browns make a run at (and sign) former 49ers No. 1 overall pick and starting quarterback Alex Smith, either via trade or through free agency if Smith is released, Smith will be the starting quarterback, hand's down.

It will take a large salary to pluck Smith from other suitors. As it is, he has a large contract that he signed with the Niners prior to this season, so if you decide to part with draft picks or other assets, you will still have to pay him. You don't pay a quarterback a large salary and then have him "compete" with the starter from last year.

Some Browns fans are hoping they make a run at free agent Joe Flacco. However, the Ravens will franshise Flacco before he even gets a chance to test the market. Sure, the Browns could try to sign him to a big offer sheet that Baltimore would have to match to drive up his price (the Browns have the cap room to do it), but I doubt that happens. As it is, the Ravens will have to part with several assets to sign Flacco to the huge contract that he will command (he was the real winner of this Super Bowl based off of that), so it looks like this was Baltimore's one chance to win a title. It may be another 12 years before the Ravens get back to a Super Bowl (like the gap was the last time), so enjoy the title while it lasts, Baltimore.

Smith is really the only other starting-calibur QB that could be available on the open market. Other veterans that could be available, such as Matt Moore, Derek Anderson (please, God, hell no!), Matt Cassel, Brian Hoyer, Brady Quinn (see the Anderson comment), Tim Tebow or Kevin Kolb would fit Haslam's description of "competition" for Weeden.

Michael Vick would be a dumb decision, and not just because of his baggage and the PR nightmare that is a convisted dog killer playing in front of fans who sit in a section called the Dawg Pound. Vick is an old 33. His skills are clearly diminishing. He's taken too many hits to be at his best, which is using his legs along with his arm to beat you. The two-year layoff for prison may have given Vick an extended life, but it was clear that he's taken a beating with the Eagles over the last three years. Banner was the person who sold the Eagles' organization on signing Vick upon his release from prison, but Banner would be foolish to think that the 29-year-old Vick is the same as the 33-year-old Vick.

I, for one, believe that Weeden deserves another chance. I think Chudzinski's and Norv Turner's vertical-based offense fits Weeden's skill set like a glove and that he can truly be "coached up." I think Colt McCoy will be let go, as will Thaddeus Lewis (both are more West Coast-style quarterbacks), which is why I think they go shopping for a new signal-caller, if only to provide a new backup.

There's no one in the draft that is worthy. The supplemental pick of Josh Gordon cust the Browns their second-round pick (which would have been sixth-overall in that round), so they have to make their first-round selection (No. 6 overall) count. The deficiancies of the defense, along with the weakness of this quarterback class, should dissuade them from reaching on a Mike Glennon or a Matt Barkley. Stick with Dee Millner of Alabama and be happy, or look at trading down to get lower in the first and add a second-rounder.

If the Browns give up on Weeden, it essentially makes Tom Heckert's decision to trade down with Atlanta so they could acquire Julio Jones two years ago a horrible decision. Weeden was taken with Atlanta's first-rounder last year. With the four picks they acquired, the Browns essentially acquired nose tackle Phil Taylor, wide receiver Greg Little, fullback Owen Marecic and Weeden, and used the other pick to move up to get Trent Richardson. Meanwhile, Jones made his first Pro Bowl this season and has emerged as a stud wideout that the Browns have been seeking since Braylon Edwards displayed an occasional flash of brilliance.

Some fans are up in arms about the switch from a 4-3 base defense to a 3-4, but I'm not as angry about it. I think we're all a little concerned about the last time we made this switch, and Romeo Crennel (and later Eric Mangin) continued to forcefeed their bland 3-4 onto the Browns that never seemed to be built correctly for the scheme. What's funny is the switch to the 4-3 under Pat Shurmur and Dick Jauron almost seemed seemless.

Ray Horton's 3-4 scheme isn't as bland and predictable as Crennel's and Mangini's was. Horton's scheme should be adapted fairly easily by the existing personnel. In fact, you can say that if they remained a 4-3, they would have still have had to fill the same holes on defense (linebackers and secondary) this year that they have to with the 3-4.

Free agency will get underway the second week of March. Haslam cautioned against any "splasy" signings. However, I think they will be active and try to acquire some pieces that can make an impact on this team. Unlike the last two years, where Heckert and Holmgren essentially ignored the free agent market, I think that changes this year.

We'll see what happens.

MISCELLANEOUS:

<> It was good to see Ohio State reel in a No. 1, 2 or 3 recruiting class (depending on which service you trust) this month after National Signing Day. Urban Meyer only had a few months to bring in a top freshman class last season. With the benefit of a full season under his belt, Meyer showed why he is one of the best college coaches/recruitors in the country.

I don't buy into the hype about recruiting classes. How often to you see a "can't miss" high school, blue-chip senior fade into obscurity while the guy who accepted the final scholarship become one of the best players in the country? A lot, actually. I don't follow the recruiting scene or anything like that. All I know is the Buckeyes did farily well on paper, and that's encouraging for this season and beyond.

<> The Ravens winning the Super Bowl last Sunday was the lesser of two evils, in my opinion. The fact that the Hall of Fame shut the door on Art Modell again (and did it as decisively as they did back in 2001) tells me that his chances have greatly diminished in the future.

Modell's best chance may have been this year. With the dirt over his grave still fresh and his former franchise making a Super Bowl run, Modell became a hot name. Baltimore made a full-court press to promote his candidacy, while Cleveland did one to diminish his candidacy. Modell's name was the second-longest debate among the 16 candidates, and his name was the first one to get cut from 15 to 10 regardless.

I got into a very heated argument about the subject with my dad and one of my uncles during the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, we can be a very stubborn family. There's no reasoning with us. They believe that the City of Cleveland was at the most fault. I've stated my case as to why it was Modell's fault. Somewhere in the middle lies the truth.

The voters did the right thing. Part of me believes that, ultimately, the location will keep Modell out. If the Hall of Fame was in Hershey, PA., or somewhere like that, Modell probably would have already got in. But because the Hall of Fame is in Canton, right in Browns Country, it may be his undoing.

<> Baltimore liked to bring up the fact that there are several team owners in the Hall of Fame that moved their franchises, such as Lamar Hunt, Al Davis, George Preston Marshall and Dan Reeves. Reeves, in fact, moved his Rams franchise from Cleveland to Los Angeles following the 1945 season.

Allow Joe Cleveland to dissect each one, starting with Reeves.

Reeves was a Cleveland businessman who bought the Cleveland Rams in 1941, but struggled during his ownership. The Rams never had a definite home stadium, alternating between League Park and Cleveland Stadium, and even had to suspend operations in 1943 due to a shortage of players during World War II. Thanks to rookie quarterback Bob Waterfield, who wound up winning the NFL's MVP award, the Rams turned it around in 1945 and won the NFL Championship with a 15-14 win over Sammy Baugh and the Washington Redskins. But, Reeves convinced the NFL to let him leave Clevveland for the West Coast.

The news that Paul Brown was going to be involved with a new professional football franchise in Cleveland in a new league starting in 1946, and that team (which would called the Browns) already locked down a lease to play in Cleveland Stadium, along with the untapped resourses of Los Angeles, gave Reeves the reason he needed to relocate. The move was met with little resistance from Clevelanders, who were gaga over the new Browns (and justifiably so -- the Browns won the AAFC title all four years, won the NFL title their first year in the league and reached 10 consecutive championship games their first 10 years of existance, winning seven). The Rams came back to Cleveland for the 1950 NFL Championship Game (losing a thrilling 30-28 game) and beat the Browns in L.A. in 1951.

Reeves ultimately got in because he had the foresight to take advantage of the West Coast, which helped the NFL blossom, broke the NFL's color barrior in 1946 with the signing of Kenny Washington and Woody Strode, and hired a young executive named Pete Rozelle who wound up becoming the NFL commissioner in 1960.

Hunt was the founder of the American Football League. For that alone, he deserves to be enshrined into the Hall of Fame.

Hunt moved his team from Dallas (known as the Texans) to Kansas City following the 1962 season (and the Texans winning the AFL title) because his team couldn't compete financially with the more stable NFL Cowboys, which debuted the same year as his Texans did. To help the league succeed, Hunt sacrificed his home market and found a viable market in Kansas City. The move did help the league thrive, as the newly-christened Chiefs became one of the AFL's most recognizable franchises.

Marshall was a notorious bigot who stubbornly refused to break the NFL's color line until 1961, when he acquired Bobby Mitchell from the Browns (who wound up making the Hall of Fame himself). Marshall might not have gotten into the Hall of Fame today if he was still on the outside looking in.

However, Marshall is enshrined because several of his innovations, such as pushing for the forward pass to be legal from anywhere beyond the line of scrimmage, moving the goal posts to the goal-line (which was changed back to the end line in 1974), and pushing for a standardized schedule for each team, defined what the NFL became.

The Redskins were initially called the Boston Braves, having shared Braves Park with the baseball Boston Braves. A year into Marshall's tenure, he moved the team to Fenway Park and called the Redskins. However, he moved to the Nation's Capital in 1937, citing the need to put an NFL presence in the capital. It was also the NFL's southern-most market until they expanded to Dallas in 1960, and Marshall kept his teams lily white to appeal to the Southerners (or so he said). Marshall also found it difficult for his team to succeed in the baseball-mad Boston area, and when football returned in 1959 with the AFL's Boston Patriots, they had a tough time gaining a foothold in the market.

Finally, Davis, the most notorious mover of them all. Davis is enshrined mostly because of how he helped the AFL blossom from a fly-by-night operation into a legitimate rival to the NFL, which necessitated the merger. He was the NFL's most controversial owner, suing the league and Pete Rozelle many times during his tenure. However, he built the Raiders' organization into one of the most respected organizations in football during the 1960s through the early 2000s, reaching the Super Bowl in four different decades and winning three of them.

While Davis moved his team twice (and both more recently than the other three men I've mentioned), both moves were within the same state. After the Rams left L.A. for a stadium in suburban Anaheim, Davis sued the NFL in 1980 to move into the vacated L.A. stadium. He won the suit in 1982 and moved to Los Angeles. In the late 1990s, he sued again to move back to Oakland, and then sued after the move claiming that he still had control of the L.A. market.

It would be like if Modell decided to move the Browns to Columbus (which almost happened. If Modell was forced to stay, Cleveland was prepared to build a new stadium. They would have torn down the old stadium and had the Browns play at Ohio Stadium while the new stadium was built).

So, of the owners in the Hall of Fame who moved, the most comporable to what Modell did was Davis, and Davis didn't exactly move to another state when he moved the Raiders.

<> The best collegiate basketball team in the state of Ohio may not be Ohio State (even though they are ranked in the top 10). It's definitely not Cleveland State, who is below .500 this season after battling injuries. No, it may be the University of Akron.

The Zips have won a nations-best 15-straight games and are 19-4 overall. They became the first Zips hoops team to ever be ranked in the Top 25 during the regular season a few weeks ago and they continue to keep climbing up the poll.

Akron could be an interesting decision made by the NCAA Tournament selection committee if they don't win the MAC Tournament. The MAC hasn't had more than one bid in recent years, and the Zips have been a notable snub in the past. However, they may have both the national ranking and RPI ranking to make their case for an at-large bid.

That's about all for now. Glad I was able to cover a wide range of topics in this one.

Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!