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In Cleveland, hope dies last

Archive for the month “March, 2013”

20 Mar 2013

Browns GM needs to focus on working, not talking

When the Cleveland Browns hired Mike Lombardi in January as vice president of player personnel, it was a controversial move that raised several questions among Browns fans (although not in the Jim Nantz household, of course).

After being out of the NFL since 2007 – and having what could best be described as a dodgy track record when he actually was employed with an NFL team – there’s more than reasonable doubt that Lombardi, who has since been promoted to general manager, may not be fully qualified for the job he currently holds with the Browns.

But one thing that is not in doubt is this: it is far more important for Lombardi to actually work on scouting players and trying to make the Browns relevant, and far less important for him to spend time talking with the media.

Hit up The Cleveland Fan for the rest of the story.

(Photo by ClevelandBrowns.com)

Posted in Cleveland Browns, Mike Lombardi and tagged Cleveland Browns, Mike Lombardi | Leave a comment

19 Mar 2013

1 Comment

Phil Dawson era comes to an end in Cleveland

The Phil Dawson era came to a predictable end on Tuesday as the veteran kicker reportedly signed a contract with the San Francisco 49ers.

The signing ends Dawson’s 14-year career with the Cleveland Browns. He made his final season in Brown and Orange his best as he earned his first Pro Bowl appearance after making 93.5 percent of his field-goal attempts – the second-best percentage in the NFL.

“Hey, Cleveland. Thank you for a tremendous ride,” Dawson wrote on his Twitter account. “Your love, support & encouragement have blessed me deeply. Playing for you has been one of the great joys of my life and I wish you all the best.”

Posted in Cleveland Browns, Phil Dawson and tagged Cleveland Browns, Phil Dawson

17 Mar 2013

Browns doing things in free agency

The Cleveland Browns – much like the Cleveland Indians before them – are doing things in free agency.

And, just like the moves that the Tribe made, it remains to be seen if the new acquisitions are going to make a difference as the Browns continue to rebuild the team and try to become a relevant player in the AFC North Division.

The additions – especially along the defensive line – give the Browns something they haven’t had in … well, we’re not sure, let’s say quite a while, which is depth.

And nothing bad can ever come from having depth – especially in today’s NFL.

We take a look at what (and why) the Browns are doing at The Cleveland Fan.

Posted in Cleveland Browns and tagged Cleveland Browns | Leave a comment

16 Mar 2013

Browns take a look at Brent Grimes

The Cleveland Browns reportedly hosted free agent cornerback Brent Grimes on Saturday.

Grimes tore his Achilles’ tendon in the opening game of the 2012 season with Atlanta after the Falcons put the franchise tag on him. He is the No. 1 rated free agent among cornerbacks, according to Pro Football Focus, which wrote that:

“Grimes shows a fantastic instinct for zone coverage and reminds me a little of Asante Samuel without the lapses and questionable desire for contact. He has fantastic fundamentals, quick reactions and a pretty good set of ball skills when the ball is in the air. Along with everybody else on this list, however, he comes with some risk attached. He will be 30 years old by the time he next sees the field, and is coming off a season-ending injury.

“In the 2011 season he got his hands to 13 passes while allowing just 25 to be completed all year, and QBs had a rating of only 62.9 when targeting him, but this offseason he might have to accept a short-term ‘prove it’ contract to see a more healthy return a year from now.”

Grimes definitely sounds like the type of player the Browns should be investigating as, when healthy, he would be a nice player to pair with Joe Haden.

Posted in Cleveland Browns and tagged Cleveland Browns, free agency | Leave a comment

16 Mar 2013

Time for Liverpool to start thinking about next season

Well, that didn’t last very long.

A week ago, Liverpool pulled of its fourth consecutive win, an exciting victory against Tottenham Hotspur, to give fans hope that, somehow, someway, the Reds would find a way to grab a surprise fourth-place spot in the Premier League table.

On Saturday, Southampton – a team that is battling to stay out of the relegation zone – pretty much shut the door on that hope, posting a 3-1 win before a record Premier League crowd at St Mary’s of 32,070.

The loss drops the Reds seven points behind fourth-place Chelsea, which has two games in hand. Even if Liverpool were to win out, the most points they can finish with are 69, meaning Chelsea just has to win six of its final 10 games to keep Liverpool out of a Champions League spot.

Posted in Brendan Rodgers, Liverpool and tagged Brendan Rodgers, Liverpool | Leave a comment

14 Mar 2013

USMNT coming to Cleveland

The U.S. Men’s National Team is coming to Cleveland, as U.S. Soccer announced on Wednesday that the team will host Belgium on May 29 in a friendly at FirstEnergy Stadium.

The match will kickoff at 8 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ESPN2.

It will be the fifth meeting between the teams, but the first time that the U.S. has played the Red Devils as the home team. The U.S. won the first meeting – at the 1930 World Cup in Uruguay – but has lost the last three meetings, all in Belgium, without scoring a goal.

Posted in Jurgen Klinsmann, US soccer and tagged Jurgen Klinsmann, US Soccer | Leave a comment

14 Mar 2013

Browns continue to add talent and depth to the defense

The Cleveland Browns continued to add depth to the defense, coming to terms with defensive lineman Desmond Bryant late Tuesday night and outside linebacker Quentin Groves early Tuesday morning.

The moves mean the Browns currently have a six-man rotation on the defensive line where the oldest player is the 27-year-old Bryant, and a six-man linebacker group where the 30-year-old Groves is the oldest.

Not a bad start for the first two-days of free agency for CEO Joe Banner and head coach Rob Chudzinski.

Posted in Cleveland Browns and tagged Cleveland Browns, Desmond Bryant, Quentin Groves | Leave a comment

13 Mar 2013

Browns open free agency by reaching deal with Paul Kruger

The Cleveland Browns jumped into the free agent pool with both feet on Tuesday, signing Baltimore linebacker Paul Kruger to a reported five-year deal worth $40 million (with $21 million guaranteed).

Kruger hit the national spotlight after recording 4.5 sacks during the playoffs, although people seem to want to overlook that he was shut out in the Ravens’ games against Denver and New England. And that the Ravens had to limit the time he was on the field in the Super Bowl because, as Pro Football Focus put it, he “has an awful habit of blowing contain in run defense when he tries to crash down on run plays.”

On the plus side, Kruger had nine sacks in 2012 during his first extended action in the starting lineup for Baltimore (he made six starts this season, bringing his four-year total to seven starts). Kruger earned a +7.9 grade from Pro Football Focus, the sixth-best of any 3-4 outside linebacker, and his 12.2 Pass Rushing Productivity was the highest score at his position.

Posted in Cleveland Browns and tagged Cleveland Browns, Paul Kruger | Leave a comment

12 Mar 2013

The most important lesson of free agency for the Browns

If you only read one other story today Cleveland Browns fans, it should be this one by Bill Barnwell at Grantland.

In it, Barnwell writes about how more talent is becoming available at below-market rates in NFL free agency, which officially opens today at 4 p.m.

If you don’t have time to read the entire article, here is the most-relevant part:

“Almost nobody scouts well enough to overcome huge value gaps …, which is why the league’s smarter teams go out of their way to acquire additional picks and are happy to take 90 percent of the player for 50 percent of the price in free agency. What those smart teams will do in this new economy is — very simply — be patient. The true stars will disappear off the market early, and the dumber teams will pay a premium for talent to lock them up in the first 24 to 48 hours, but the smart teams will wait. Even if it’s just a week, antsy players will see the open slots beginning to fill up around them and settle for far less than they would have at the opening of free agency.”

Posted in Cleveland Browns and tagged Cleveland Browns, free agency | Leave a comment

12 Mar 2013

What can the Cavs do about their glass man?

The Cleveland Cavaliers announced on Monday that point guard Kyrie Irving will be shut down for three to four weeks with an AC sprain in his shoulder.

Are there any Cavs fans who are surprised?

In the short run, the Cavs plans for Irving should be pretty easy – with only five weeks left in the season, they should shut him down for the rest of the year. With the Cavs looking to maximize their draft position rather than battling for a playoff spot, there is little reason to bring Irving back this season just so he can play for a week.

It’s easy enough to make plans for the next few weeks; it is the long-run plan that may be a bit trickier.

We look for answers at The Cleveland Fan.

(Photo by The Associated Press)

Posted in Cleveland Cavaliers, Kyrie Irving and tagged Cleveland Cavaliers, Kyrie Irving | Leave a comment

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