How much risk is too much for a team to take on when it considers a particular player?
That’s the question currently facing the front offices of the Cleveland Indians and Cleveland Browns.
The Indians are heading into the off-season in the surprisingly spot of having to make a tough decision on starting pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez. The Browns are facing a decision on wide receiver Josh Gordon as well, but for entirely different reasons.
When the Cleveland Browns beat Buffalo on Thursday night it guaranteed that the Browns will remain at least tied for first place in the AFC North once Week 5 is complete.
The good news is the Browns have now won three consecutive games for just the second time since 2007. Their 3-2 start is also the team’s best since 2001, when they also started 3-2 along their way to a 7-9 season.
The bad news is the team has lost Brian Hoyer for the remainder of the season as he suffered a complete tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee on a first-quarter scramble.
The worst part is it may not really matter who is at quarterback the rest of the season.
A lot has happened in just five games for the Browns. We try to figure out what may happen over the final 11 games of the season in our latest post at The Cleveland Fan.
The Cleveland Browns make their annual primetime appearance tonight, taking on the Buffalo Bills in the NFL Network game of the week.
The Browns are looking for their third consecutive win, which would help maintain their grasp of the AFC North division lead.
One of these teams will walk off the field tonight at 3-2 and in the heart of the playoff race in the AFC.
Let’s try to find out who that will be in our game preview at The Cleveland Fan.
The Cleveland Browns rode a defense that is getting better by the week to a 17-6 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.
The win is the Browns second in a row and, coupled with Baltimore’s loss in Buffalo, leaves the Browns tied for first place in the AFC North with the Bengals and the Ravens.
The victory sets up what is sure to be one heck of a week for Cleveland sports, as the Indians will host either Texas or Tampa Bay on Wednesday night in the Wild Card game, followed by the first-place Browns hosting Buffalo on Thursday night in a primetime game.
What year is it again?
We have the full breakdown of the Browns win at The Cleveland Fan.
(Photo courtesy of The Plain Dealer)
The Cleveland Browns return home to take on the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Browns are coming off a last-second victory in Minnesota over the 0-3 Vikings that set the town a buzz with (Brian) Hoyer Mania.
Can Cleveland kick off a stretch that will see them play three consecutive home games in the span of 14 days with a win and reach the .500 mark for the first time since Week 4 of 2011?
Let’s try to find out as we preview Week 4 at The Cleveland Fan.
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon made one heck of a debut on Sunday in his return from a two-game suspension handed down by the NFL.
But even with all his talent, Gordon presents a particularly tough equation for Browns CEO Joe Banner, one that if Banner gets right could go a long way toward finally moving the Browns in the right direction.
We look at that and a few other leftover items from the Browns Week 3 win in Minnesota in our latest at The Cleveland Fan.
(Photo courtesy of ClevelandBrowns.com)
The Cleveland Browns prevailed on Sunday in the battle of the winless teams, beating the Minnesota Vikings, 31-27.
The Browns pulled out a back-and-forth game that featured plenty of big plays – and bad quarterback play – from both teams, with quarterback Brian Hoyer hitting tight end Jordan Cameron with a seven-yard touchdown pass with 51 seconds left in the game. Those were the only points the Browns scored in the second half and they came at a most-opportune time.
The win breaks a five-game losing streak, dating back to last season, and is the first time this year the Browns were able to turn a halftime lead into a victory.
But more than all that, the Browns hopefully learned an important lesson in the Metrodome: the problems of the offense can no longer be laid solely at the feet of Brandon Weeden and Trent Richardson.
The Cleveland Browns head to Minneapolis on Sunday to take on the Minnesota Vikings, with each team still looking for its first victory on the season.
The Browns leading rusher on the season will miss the game with a thumb injury and in his place we will see Brian Hoyer make the leap from inactive third-string quarterback to starter.
In typical Browns fashion, the team made more news off the field this past week with the promotion of Hoyer and the trade of starting running back Trent Richardson than it has so far through two games of the season.
It’s been quite a year so far, hasn’t it Browns fans?
Our preview starts now at The Cleveland Fan.
(Photo by Getty Images)
A day after the Cleveland Browns threw in the towel on the 2013 NFL season by trading starting running back Trent Richardson to Indianapolis, we found these quotes about the move particularly interesting:
“Cleveland knows they have time and are just accumulating picks. Sooner or later, (the) future will get here.” – NFL personnel executive to USA Today.
Can we take the “sooner” on that, please?
“From Cleveland’s standpoint, they’re 0-2 but in a honeymoon year with a new owner (Jimmy Haslam), team prez (Joe Banner), GM and head coach. So, if you’re gonna be bold, this is the time to do it.” – NFL executive to USA Today
This is a honeymoon year? Man, if that’s true, we hate to see what next year is going to be like.
“Anytime a great young player like Trent Richardson leaves your division—now we still get to face him this year, but once instead of twice. He’s a fine player and, I think, has a big career ahead of him, so not bad that he drives two hours west of us instead of four hours north.” – Cincinnati coach Marvin Lewis on Sirius NFL Radio
We have a feeling that Mike Tomlin and John Harbaugh would agree.
“We have a commitment to win. That goal is something we strive for regardless of circumstances, of anything put in our path. That’s how we roll.” – Colts GM Ryan Grigson.
Hmm, a commitment to winning. Wonder what that is like?
“When it’s the player that it is, I don’t know how you pass it up or don’t give it some thought, try to make it work. We did not bring him in here to, I guess, be the water boy. He’ll be ready to roll.” – Colts coach Chuck Pagano
Ready to roll!
“We have to earn their belief and trust in the decisions we’re going to make as a group, and I don’t expect them to trust that until we prove that the trust is well placed. So, I understand the skepticism for now. We have to do what we think is right, move the franchise forward and get it to where we want it to be.” – Browns CEO Joe Banner
The Cleveland Browns. Earning (and abusing) the fans trust since 1999.
(Photo courtesy of The Plain Dealer)
Cleveland Browns CEO Joe Banner has apparently seen enough.
Starting quarterback Brandon Weeden? Out for third-string quarterback Brian Hoyer. Supposedly it’s because of Weeden’s injury, but that is just the excuse the team was looking for to make a switch that has probably been in the works for a while.
Staring running back Trent Richardson? Shipped to Indianapolis for a No. 1 pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.
Add in all the things the Browns did not do in the off-season: fixing holes at right guard and corner back, among other areas; basically sitting out the 2013 NFL Draft; hoarding cap space for … what exactly? … and Wednesday’s moves and it is clear that Banner has closed the books on this season – with 14 games left on the schedule.
Red Right 88 