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In Cleveland, hope dies last

Archive for the category “Cleveland Browns”

08 Feb 2011

Now What Do We Do?

The NFL season ended Sunday … so now what do we do?

The NFL Draft is still a little more than 11 weeks away. If there is no labor-related work stoppage, the Browns won’t play another meaningful game for almost seven months.

And unless the NFL throws realignment into the new CBA, the Browns are still in the same division as Pittsburgh and Baltimore.

So now what do we do?

The Cavs are currently mired in hell, loser’s of an NBA-record 25 consecutive games. Two more losses and they will own the mark for most consecutive losses by any professional team in any sport.

To their credit, the Cavs are trying hard – they’ve held leads in the fourth quarter of the past three games – but with injuries they are just void of any talent after Antawn Jamison.

Nothing against Jamario Moon, but when he is an option to take a game-tying shot at the end of regulation, that pretty much tells us all we need to know about the Cavs season so far.

So now what do we do?

Spring training is just around the corner for the Indians, but the front office is still trying to figure out a way to compete in a sports where the top teams can spent $6 or $7 for every $1 the Tribe spends.

The Phillies spent $120 million guaranteed on Cliff Lee this winter; the Indians big signing was Austin Kearns for $1.8 million.

So now what do we do?

Luckily the Champions League returns next week with the start of the knockout stage and some exciting matchups in Arsenal vs. Barcelona and AC Milan vs. Tottenham Hotspur, among others.

And while we know it probably won’t last, we’re buying into the magic of King Kenny at Liverpool.

And now that Fernando Torres has turned into a bit of a dandy we don’t feel as bad about him leaving Anfield for Chelsea.

And the Cavs are bound to win a game eventually, maybe even this weekend when Washington – currently 0-25 on the road – comes to town.

And maybe the youngsters actually turn out to be pretty good for the Indians this summer.

And the draft isn’t really that far away for the Browns.

So it may get a little dry here for a while, but we’ll find something to do.

***

According to an article in Sports Business Journal Daily, the four major pro leagues in America are missing out on an estimated $370 million annually by not allowing advertising on jerseys the way they do in Europe.

“We don’t necessarily see this happening soon in the U.S.,” said Michael Neuman, Horizon Media’s managing partner for sports, entertainment and events, said in the article, “but until the revenue potential is clear, it certainly won’t go anywhere, and clearly this shows there is significant opportunity at a time when most of the big leagues are looking for new revenue.”

While this is all speculative – “I don’t think we’re anywhere close to that now,” Phoenix Suns President and CEO Rick Welts said in the article – we’re sure if enough teams found a way to make this a viable revenue option, they would be all over it.

Posted in Champions League, Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Indians, Fernando Torres, Liverpool | Leave a comment
07 Feb 2011

Packers truly are NFL royalty

Green Bay brought it home on Sunday in Super Bowl XLV, filling us with a sense of relief and making sure the jerks didn’t win this time.

Along the way to their NFL-record 13th title – more than doubling the take of the self-proclaimed model franchise from Pittsburgh – the Packers exposed the Steelers weaknesses and, for once, Pittsburgh wasn’t able to weasel its way out.

One of the best parts was listening to whiny Steeler fans today on Sirius NFL Radio. The best one may have been the hoople head who called in to say that, since the Steelers turned the ball over three times, the Packers should have put up at least 45 points. Since they didn’t, that means Green Bay really isn’t a very good team.

And Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy showed he’s the dogs bollocks by having the Packers measured for Super Bowl rings the night before the game. Somewhere, over a plate of nachos, Rex Ryan approved.

The Packers put to rest the lie that the Steelers are some kind of NFL royalty; the truth is they are just another franchise.

After winning four Super Bowls in the pre-free agency, steroid-fueled 1970s, the Steelers have picked up just two additional titles in the past 32 years. In that same time period, the 49ers have won five, the Cowboys, Redskins, Giants and Patriots three each, the Raiders, Broncos and Packers two each.

The Steelers are just another team, nothing more.

In fact, since the Browns grew tired in the late ’50s of monopolizing title game appearances, the Packers have won more titles – seven – in the past 50 years than any NFL team. If any team deserves to be treated as NFL royalty, it’s the Packers.

And there is good news for Browns fans in the win, as the Packers proved a West Coast offense can win a title (for those who still doubted). And while we’re not delusional enough to think Colt McCoy is anywhere near Aaron Rogers, it’s not like Jordy Nelson and James Jones – who combined for 14 of Rogers’ 24 completions – are exactly All Pros at the wide receiver position.

Now it’s up to Mike Holmgren and Tom Heckert to give coach Pat Shurmur the pieces so the Browns can continue their seemingly never-ending rebuilding process.

***

We know we shouldn’t, but after Liverpool’s 1-0 win Sunday against Chelsea, we’re starting to believe in the magic of King Kenny.

***

Honestly, we don’t know what all the fuss is over Christina Aguilera have a minor slip while singing the national anthem.

To read some of the comments or listen to the hoople heads on talk radio, you’d think she had burned the flag at midfield.

Don’t we have more important things to worry about right now?

Posted in Cleveland Browns, dogs bollocks, Green Bay, Liverpool, Super Bowl | Leave a comment
06 Feb 2011

They used to win titles here, yes?

As we prepare for another Super Bowl without the Browns being an active participant (again), we’re left to our annual wondering (again, some more,) about when we will see a championship in Cleveland.

And it got us to thinking about the 1950s, the only true golden era of Cleveland sports, and wondering if Clevelanders appreciated what they had during that decade.

After joining the NFL in 1950, the Browns went to seven title games over an eight-year stretch, winning in 1950, 1954 & 1955:

For the better part of the decade, Cleveland fans knew to block out time right around Christmas because the Browns would be playing in the title game.

Imagine what it would be like now if Browns fans had the first Sunday in February booked for the Browns in the Super Bowl? And it went on for the better part of a decade?

Once football season ended the Indians did their part to make the decade memorable. Over seven seasons from 1950 to 1956, the Indians averaged 94.5 wins a year, won an AL pennant in 1954 and finished in second place, behind the Yankees, five times.

We can only dream of a Cleveland sports scene where one championship-chasing season blends into another one, year after year after year.

For now, we’re left hoping that Mike Holmgren got it right in his hiring of Pat Shurmur as coach of the Browns; that the Indians young players are good enough to make the team a contender before they inevitably leave in free agency; and that the Cavs, currently stuck in an NBA-record 24-game losing streak that seems like it will never end, can get lucky in the next couple of years in the draft and rebuild the team.

Because in the absence of wins, all we can cling to is hope.

***

As much as the Pro Bowl is a waste of time, imagine if next week we would be watching the Jets and the Bears, losers of their respective conference championship games, competing in the Playoff Bowl?

That’s what happened at the end of the NFL season from 1961 to 1970.

The league matched the two second-place teams in each conference in the game, played every year but one at the Orange Bowl in Miami. Later the game matched the losers of the league’s playoff games.

And in case you’re wondering, the Browns played in three of these games, losing to the Lions in ’61, the Packers in ’64 and the Rams in ’68.

Posted in Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Indians, no championship | Leave a comment
04 Feb 2011

Super Bowl Pick

We’ve finally reached the Super Bowl and we’re sitting comfortably in first place of the The 2010 Cheddar Bay Invitational at Cleveland Frowns.

We’re 7-3 so far in the playoffs, but a slip up this weekend could drop us from the top spot.

As much as it hurts, we’re going with Pittsburgh +3.

We struggled with this pick for a while, but as soon as the line went to three points we knew what we had to do.

This way, when Green Bay wins on a last-second field goal, but doesn’t cover, we get the satisfaction of the Steelers losing and bringing home the cheddar.

***

Looks like Dan Gilbert and Quicken Loans may be in a spot of trouble.

According to the article on The Center for Public Integrity, “Lawsuits from borrowers and ex-employees claim Quicken’s day-to-day tactics are at odds with its squeaky clean image. They accuse the company of using high-pressure salesmanship to target elderly and vulnerable homeowners, as well as misleading borrowers about their loans, and falsifying property appraisals and other information to push through bad deals.”

A trial starts Tuesday in Detroit. (h/t to Deadspin)

***

No surprise here, as safety officials in the Dallas-Fort Worth area are advising female partygoers not to leave their friends behind with someone they barely know.

Officials said that the campaign — backed by the Safe City Commission, the Women’s Center, the RecoveryResource Council and local law enforcement — has been in the works for a while but that it made sense to launch it in conjunction with the Super Bowl.

We’re sure the fact that the Steelers are in town also played a role in the decision to launch the campaign. (h/t again to Deadspin).

***

While looking for something, we came across this NFL Game of the Week video of the Browns beating the Steelers 21-16 in 1973.

Enjoy.

Posted in Cleveland Browns, Dan Gilbert, NFL, Super Bowl | Leave a comment
03 Feb 2011
2 Comments

Reading is Fundamental – Browns edition

Today we’re passing along some book recommendations for Browns fans.

Some of these books may no longer be in print, but if you can find a copy it will be well worth your time:*

  • Sundays in the Pound: The Heroics and Heartbreak of the 1985-89 Cleveland Browns by Jonathan Knight: (This book) traces quarterback Bernie Kosar’s winding path from Youngstown to Florida to Cleveland, explains why there was so much more to running back Earnest Byner than one unforgotten fumble, and reveals how cornerback Hanford Dixon created a canine phenomenon in the end zone stands that has persevered to this day. Knight delves into the Drive and the Fumble; examines the fairy-tale performance of an aging veteran quarterback who directed the Browns through the snow and into the playoffs in his final game at the old, cavernous Cleveland Stadium; and recounts an epic playoff saga in which the Browns staged one of the greatest comebacks in the history of Cleveland sports.
  • When all the World was Browns Town: Cleveland’s Browns and the Championship Season of ’64 by Terry Pluto: The 1964 Browns were truly Cleveland’s team; Terry Pluto recreates this ear with the words, thoughts and reflections of the men – Jim Brown, Frank Ryan, Dick Modzelewski and Bernie Parrish, among others – for whom team pride was not just a slogan, and who gave their all for themselves, for their teammates and for the fans who loved them.
  • Classic Browns: The 50 Greatest Games in Cleveland Browns History by Jonathan Knight: Classic Browns counts down the 50 greatest Cleveland Browns games, from unexpected upsets to incredible comebacks to titanic championship battles. The rich, six-decade history of the Browns is layered into these tales, tying together the gritty All-American Football Conference games played in the shadow of World War II to the sleek Sunday battles at shimmering Cleveland Browns Stadium today. Knight ranks heartbreakers like The Fumble and The Drive alongside championship duels and epic confrontations with heated rivals. Included in these pages are the heroics of Browns legends like Otto Graham, Lou Groza, Jim Brown, Brian Sipe and Bernie Kosar to name just a few. Whether it was because of the score, the weather, or an amazing individual performance, each game included in Classic Browns is worth remembering and revisiting.
  • False Start: How the New Browns were set up to Fail by Terry Pluto: It was supposed to be the dawn of a grand new era of football in Cleveland. Instead, it was a rude wakeup call. When the new Cleveland Browns took the field in 1999, legions of loyal fans—once heartsick, abandoned, and disgusted at the loss of their team in 1995—were ready to forgive the past and embrace the future . . . a new owner, a new team, a new stadium. They just wanted their Browns back. They didn’t get what they bargained for. In the five years since a new team called the Browns arrived to play on Cleveland’s lakefront, this has become clear: Browns fans got a bum deal. The NFL traded one of the most storied teams in football history for a franchise mired in mediocrity. These were the fans who, after owner Art Modell skipped town with their beloved Browns, became the only fans ever to take on the NFL, demand their team back—and win. Yet while they were celebrating the supposed victory that kept “our name, our colors, our team” in Cleveland, fans should have been looking over their shoulders and keeping a close watch on the NFL. There would be few reasons to celebrate in the years to come.
  • Kardiac Kids: The Story of the 1980 Cleveland Browns by Jonathan Knight: In Kardiac Kids, Jonathan Knight paints a portrait of the Browns storybook 1980 season and its impact on the city of Cleveland. Knight takes us through that unforgettable year from beginning to end, describing in great detail how the city simply fell in love with this team. It was the year long-suffering Cleveland sports fans finally had something to be proud of. Tickets were at a premium, players were pursued like rock stars and songs were written about their on-field heroics.
  • On Being Brown: What it Means to Be a Cleveland Browns Fan by Scott Huler: What is this madness all about? Ask anyone who has experienced it: being a Cleveland Browns fan is just different. Scott Huler looks at this 50-year love affair between town and team in 33 essays recounting his personal saga of “becoming Brown.” Searching out those special elements of shared experience that define what being a Browns fan has meant for us all, he also holds conversations with the true legends of Cleveland Browns history – Jim Brown, Otto Graham, Lou “The Toe” Groza, Brian Sipe, Ozzie Newsome and others – in which they share their own thoughts about just what made this relationship between town and team so special. This odyssey for Browns fans takes them back to some wonderful places. It revives some truly awful moments. And it looks to the future with great hope. Those who are truly Brown will enjoy the ride.
  • Cleveland Browns History by Frank M. Henkel: There was little fanfare when Art “Mickey” McBride flew into Chicago in 1945 to purchase a professional football team for Cleveland. But that act set in motion a tradition that has brought the city of Cleveland together on Sunday afternoons for (most of) the 60 years to follow. Cleveland Browns History is the story of championship seasons, legendary coaches and Hall of Fame players. Coach Paul Brown led his teams to seven league title games in their first 17 seasons. Running backs Marion Motley, Jim Brown and Leroy Kelley each rushed over opposing defenses and straight into Canton, Ohio, along with fellow Browns like Otto Graham, Ozzie Newsome and Len Ford. The Kardiac Kids in 1980 had too many nail-biters for some fans, but won the AFC Central in typical fashion – by three points in the final game of the season. All these stories, plus those of the many unsung heroes to don the NFL’s only logo-less helmet, fill the pages of this book, sure to delight any Cleveland Browns fan.
  • Things I’ve Learned from Watching the Browns by Terry Pluto: Here’s a question for any Browns fan … Why? Why, more than four long decades after your team’s last championship … despite a relentless pattern of heartbreak, teasing, and more heartbreak … capped with a decade of utter futility … do you still stick with the Cleveland Browns? Good question. Veteran sportswriter Terry Pluto gets a daily barrage of e-mail from fans letting their hearts bleed out orange and brown. So he decided to ask his readers: Just what is it about this team that makes you love them, hate them and still keep coming back for more? A thousand fans responded – in detail. Their stories – along with interviews with former players and Pluto’s own expert analysis – deliver the answer. Answers, actually. Because like any intense relationship, it’s a little complicated … Covering the Browns from 1964 through present day, this book does for Cleveland football what Pluto’s classic about the Indians, The Curse of Rocky Colavito, did for Cleveland baseball: It won’t make the pain go away, but it might help you remember why it’s worth enduring.
  • Glory for Sale: Fans, Dollars and the New NFL by Jon Morgan: Morgan, a sports business writer for the Baltimore Sun, believes the major factor behind the flight of professional football franchises from city to city is stadium economics. Items such as skyboxes, retractable roofs, concession contracts, and scoreboard advertising have replaced fan allegiance and municipal loyalty as the deciding issues in the relocation of teams. To illustrate his case, he chronicles in dollar-by-dollar detail the recent move of the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore, an event determined in the end by the highest bidder. Like the league he targets, this study is more business than sport and thus is likely to frustrate traditional fans who cringe at the commingling of the two. Though the message he delivers may be depressing, it is also necessary for developing an understanding of today’s NFL. (summary courtesy of Library Journal)
  • Fumble! The Browns, Modell and the Move: An Insider’s Story by Michael G. Poplar: The author is the former executive vice president-treasurer of Cleveland Stadium Corp, a company formed by Browns owner Art Modell, to operate the stadium under a 25-year lease with the City of Cleveland. The book “Fumble !” chronicles the difficulties that went with operating the aging and obsolete city-owned stadium, as the writer describes from the many diaries and transaction summaries which he maintained since 1975. Along with the interesting tales of the conditions of the building and the other interesting events held there, Poplar also weaves in 20 years of Browns football memories under five head coaches … ranging from Forrest Gregg in 1975 through the end of the reign of Bill Belichick in 1996. The book is sure to rekindle fond memories of those exciting Kardiac Kids finishes, and the not-so-memorable climaxes, including the Drive and the Fumble, along with the terminations of those five head coaches.

If you do decide to check one of these out, you won’t be disappointed. And remember to shop at your local bookstore. If you don’t have one in your area and are in the Hudson area, it’s worth a stop at The Learned Owl.

*Summaries are all taken from the individual book jackets, except where noted.

Posted in Cleveland Browns, NFL, reading
02 Feb 2011

Will the Tribe go young in 2011?

Good news as the Indians prepare for the opening of spring training later this month, as the Tribe may continue to let their numerous prospects get on the field this year.

According to The Plain Dealer, there’s a good chance that first baseman Matt LaPorta, outfielder Michael Brantley and infielder Jason Donald will be in the starting lineup. Justin Masterson and Carlos Carrasco are expected to be in the starting rotation and Lou Marson should be the backup catcher.

“This is a big year for a number of those players to take a step forward in a significant way,” GM Chris Antonetti told the paper.

Those six players, along with pitchers Rob Bryson, Jason Knapp, Nick Hagadone and Bryan Price, were all acquired in the trades that sent CC Sabathia, Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez out of town in the past few years.

Seeing them on the opening day roster will be a plus for fans, as hopefully this means the Indians have realized bringing in the David DeLuccis of the world isn’t worth it. If the team is going to struggle, at least let us watch the young guys who may actually have a future with the team develop.

In the absence of wins, at least give us hope.

For the Indians, the players have so little service time in the majors that the team doesn’t have to worry about free agency for a number of years.

We’re so glad to see the Tribe going young that we’re not bothered that they are pursuing pitcher Jeremy Bonderman, who spent the past eight seasons with the Tigers.

Bonderman was 8-10 with a 5.53 ERA last year in Detroit after missing most of 2008 and 2009 after having surgery for a blood clot in his pitching shoulder.

The economic reality is this is the kind of pitcher the Indians have to go after. And they are probably not going to ask Bonderman to be a top-of-the-rotation pitcher.

Obviously they are hoping for another Kevin Millwood, who made 30 starts and led the AL in ERA in 2005, rather than another Jason Johnson, who went 3-8 with a 5.96 ERA in 2006.

More than likely, Bonderman will fall somewhere in the middle. And, for now, we’re OK with that.

***

St. Louis quarterback Sam Bradford had some nice things to say about Browns coach Pat Shurmur, who was the Rams offensive coordinator last year.

“… for Pat, I think it’s a great opportunity. I’m excited for him,” Bradford told stltoday.com. “I hope hope he has all the success in the world except for when we play him.”

Bradford credits Shurmur with teaching the rookie quarterback the West Coast offense.

“He really just broke it down for me,” Bradford said. “He taught me how to stay within myself. Taught me how to go through my progressions. Really everything about an offense in the NFL, how it’s supposed to be run.”

Hey, what’s not to like about that?

***

Say what you will about the Dolans, but at least they are smarter than the Wilpon family that owns the Mets.

***

Who needs Fernando Torres when you have Luis Suarez? We know, it’s only one game.

But the Reds have climbed to seventh in the table, and have a chance to close the gap on fourth-place Chelsea this weekend.

Posted in Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Indians, Liverpool, stupid owners | Leave a comment
01 Feb 2011
2 Comments

So … about those Browns coaches

Slowly but surely the Browns are filling out their coaching staff under new coach Pat Shurmur.

On Monday the team added Dwaine Board to coach the defensive line, Bill Davis to coach the linebackers, Mike Wilson to coach the wide receivers (he’s going to earn his money with this group) and Mark Whipple as quarterbacks coach.

Missing from that group is an offensive coordinator, a position that NFL teams traditionally find kind of important – the Cardinals had two last season, for example. Technically the Browns do have someone to coordinate the offense as Shurmur plans to call the plays himself.

We didn’t really like that idea when Shurmur mentioned it during his introductory press conference and we’re still a little uneasy about how this is all going to play out. Kansas City showed this season how having two experienced coordinators – Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel – can help a young coach. That’s the model we expected the Browns to follow.

Head coaches have so much to worry about on Sundays – injuries, clock management, etc. – that adding play-calling duties to the list would seem to be a bit overwhelming – especially for a first-time coach.

But who knows? Eric Mangini had Brian Daboll by his side the past two seasons and he still struggled with clock management and other issues on game day. Maybe going against the norm is just what the Browns need to do.

Because what they’ve been doing since 1999 sure hasn’t been working.

For more, visit Waiting for Next Year: Browns could go without offensive coordinator

And Two One Six Sports is less than enamored by the situation.

***

We’re still struggling with Fernando Torres no longer being at Liverpool. We loved watching him play and really thought the new ownership group was going to find a way to keep him at Anfield and it’s going to be painful to see him in blue this Sunday.

Lots on this at:

And it just get worse because Andy Carroll, the club’s big signing in the wake of Torres’ departure, is still weeks away from his debut with Liverpool because of an injury.

Who knew we could carry Cleveland’s bad karma to a team thousands of miles away?

Oh well, this will make us feel a little bit better.

***

Finally, why is Hines Ward dressed like one of the Village People?

Posted in Cleveland Browns, Fernando Torres, Liverpool, NFL, Pat Shurmur
24 Jan 2011

Sleazy people can be good at their jobs

Great read from Sam Mellinger at The Kansas City Star, who writes that just because Ben Roethlisberger is going back to the Super Bowl doesn’t mean he’s a good guy.

Mellinger writes: Roethlisberger is about to be deified by too many. He is the winner, the strutting quarterback fresh off helping the Steelers to a 24-19 win over the Jets in the AFC championship game on Sunday, and we’re about to get two weeks’ worth of redemption stories.

The narrative will be about a young man maturing, of working through mistakes and growing into an all-time great worthy of your admiration. Hopefully enough of us keep some perspective. One’s got nothing to do with the other.

Sleazy people can be good at their jobs.

Gerry Callahan from The Boston Globe came through as well:

This is, of course, is only the beginning. The two-week deification of Roethlisberger begins. It’s been less than a year since he plied a group of college girls with alcohol and allegedly had his way with one of them in the bathroom while his stooge cop friend stood guard. Now Roethlisberger kneels and prays on the field after games. Now there is hardly a reminder of the behavior that got him bounced from the league for six games (later reduced to four).

It will be interesting to see how Roethlisberger reacts when he arrives in Dallas and receives a daily dose of Milledgeville questions, but here’s a Super Bowl prediction for you: Somehow it will be easier for Roethlisberger to put his troubles behind him than it would have been for Michael Vick or even Brett Favre. By gameday, Roethlisberger’s story will be one of redemption and recovery, of a lost soul who is now found.

Mellinger and Callahan are right. After numerous stories came out in the preseason saying that Steeler fans and the Rooney family would never embrace Roethlisberger because he betrayed the “Steeler way,” that all went away as soon as he started throwing touchdown passes.

It’s going to be a long two weeks.

***

Peter King, in his Monday Morning QB column, had some soothing words for Browns fans still worried about the hiring of Pat Shurmur:

King writes: I start to seethe when I hear so many of the fans in Cleveland going crazy about the qualifications of Pat Shurmur to be the new head coach. Specifically, about how it’s agent Bob LaMonte’s hire, or that the fix was in because club president Mike Holmgren and Shurmur share the same agent, and LaMonte orchestrated the hire. Idiocy.

The Browns did what so many teams have done in the last five years: put a good franchise architect in place (or have a good franchise architect in place), then hire a coach to work with said architect.

The tote board: 12 of the 20 coaches hired into classic structures from 2006 to ’09 made the playoffs at least once; that’s 60 percent. Nine of the 20 (45 percent) won at least one playoff game. Five of the 20 (25 percent) won a conference championship game or Super Bowl.

Shurmur’s a smart, anonymous kid, on the same fame level as Mike Smith when the Falcons hired him. He might have the kind of accurate, smart kid who will make a good West Coast quarterback in Colt McCoy. I don’t know how good a GM Tom Heckert will be; we’ll see, but he has a good background in the game, the way Thomas Dimitroff had when he left the Patriots to run Atlanta. I know you’ve heard this before in Cleveland, but give the kid a chance, will you?

That’s the key part: Shurmur hasn’t run a practice, an OTA, a training camp or anything yet and some are ready to run him out of town.

And it’s not as if Mike Holmgren got rid of Paul Brown to bring in Shurmur. Eric Mangini was 10-22 with the Browns and 33-47 for his career. Shurmur deserves a chance to at least see what he can do before we start worrying about whether or not Holmgren made a mistake.

***

Speaking of the Browns and coaches, Mike Tomlin will be entering his fifth season as Pittsburgh coach this fall and will be facing his third Browns head coach in that time period.

***

Browns center Alex Mack is now on the Pro Bowl roster after Jets center Nick Mangold was injured in Sunday’s AFC Championship game. He joins left tackle Joe Thomas, who was named to the AP’s All-Pro team on Monday.

“I’m very excited to be able to go to Hawaii,” Mack said in a statement. “It’s unfortunate that Nick had to get injured for me to go, but I’m looking forward to representing the Browns. It has been a lifelong dream for me and from here on, it’s working to make many more. I’m excited to be going and I can’t wait to play in this game.”

This is the first time since 1981 that the Browns will have two offensive linemen at the Pro Bowl. That year, guard Joe DeLamielleure, center Tom DeLeone and tackle Doug Dieken were all selected.

Posted in Alex Mack, Ben Roethlisberger, Cleveland Browns, Joe Thomas, NFL, Pat Shurmur | Leave a comment
22 Jan 2011

Browns finally getting defensive

The Browns finally made an addition to new coach Pat Shurmur’s staff, hiring Dick Jauron to take over for the departed Rob Ryan as defensive coordinator.

Shurmur has ties, naturally, to team president Mike Holmgren, having coached the defensive backs in Green Bay for three years under Holmgren.

Jauron has head coaching experience with Chicago (1999-2003) where he was 35-45, and in Buffalo (2006-09) where he was 24-33. Throw in his 1-4 record as interim coach in Detroit and he wasn’t very good as a head coach, as 60-82 career record indicates.

So while it’s good the Browns are not bringing him in to be the top man, Jauron should be able to offer Shurmur some guidance about being a head coach.

“He has a tremendous knowledge of the game and is an excellent teacher,” Shurmur told the Associated Press. “His experience in the NFL as a player, position coach, coordinator and head coach will be a huge asset to our staff.”

Cleveland fans should be familiar with Jauron from his time with the Bears, especially from the 2001 season when the Bears won back-to-back overtime games on interception returns, the second coming against, of course, the Browns.

“There were many elements of this job that were attractive for me,” Jauron said in published reports. “I have known Pat and his family for a long time, and in fact I played for and coached with his uncle Fritz. I believe with people like Pat Shurmur, Mike Holmgren and [GM] Tom Heckert in place, this organization is building a solid foundation. I can’t wait to get started with the Browns.”

So what are the Browns getting in Jauron?

In Buffalo, the Bills defense ranked 19th, 14th, 31st and 18th during Jauron’s tenure. In Detroit, his defenses were 20th and 22nd.

His best year came in 2001, as the Bears ranked first in the NFL in points allowed and second in rushing yards allowed.

Compare that to the Browns, who over the past seven years have seen their rush defense finish the season ranked 27th, 28th, 28th, 27th, 29th, 30th and 32nd. So if he brings anything to the table for the run defense, the Browns will be ahead of the game.

A former defensive back, and longtime secondary coach, Jauron should be able to accelerate the learning process of Joe Haden and T.J. Ward.

Just the news that the Browns were looking at Jauron set off a debate over his preferred 4-3 defense vs. the 3-4 defense the Browns have been trying to run for seemingly forever. Now that he is officially on board, the debate should only intensify.

In his excellent book, Take Your Eye off the Ball, Pat Kirwan says that, if a team is smart, it can convert from one system to the other in two years. He also brings up an interesting point:

When most of the NFL played a 4-3 scheme, a 3-4 team like the Steelers faced little competition for their kind of player. Once half the league started running a 3-4, with everyone looking for their own massive nose tackle, it became harder to land the best players for that system. Eventually, so many teams will be playing the 3-4 that teams who stick with the 4-3 will regain the advantage.

Think about that, the Browns may actually be gaining an advantage? How nice that would be for a change.

Kirwin also talks about what teams look for when building a defensive line for the 4-3, citing the Vikings as an example with Kevin Williams (311 pounds) and Pat Williams (317) eating up space at the tackle positions.

It’s pretty easy to see Ahtyba Rubin (330 pounds) and Shaun Rogers (350 pounds) in those roles.

But here’s the important part: it doesn’t matter what defense the team uses – 4-3, 3-4, 0-11 – if the coaches don’t know how to teach the system and if the team doesn’t have players who can excel in the system. And don’t forget, both the Saints and the Colts – last year’s Super Bowl teams – run the 4-3.

If GM Tom Heckert can get the players Jauron needs, and if Jauron can coach them in the proper way to run the defense, then the 4-3 is the perfect defense for the Browns. Sometimes it really is that simple.

While there may be some growing pains as the Browns refit the front seven to the new defense, that is much smaller in importance to getting the right coaches in place, picking one system and sticking with it. You can’t do it in one year; it’s a building process that grows year after year when done right.

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Eric Mangini may be back on the sidelines in 2011, as he is reportedly a candidate to take over as defensive coordinator in Tennessee.

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New Orleans fullback Heath Evans? Not a fan of Brian Daboll.

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The Browns are playing both Tennessee and Miami at home next season.

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We know we have money on the Steelers for Sunday’s game against the Jets. And while we bet with our heads, there is no scenario known that will allow us to root for the Steelers.

So … J-E-T-S Jets! Jets! Jets!

Posted in Cleveland Browns, Dick Jauron, Jets, NFL | Leave a comment
20 Jan 2011

Was it something someone said?

The Browns continue to have trouble filling the openings for the team’s offensive and defensive coordinators.

The Browns have failed to land Mike McCoy, who chose to stay in Denver, and Bill Musgrave, who chose the Vikings instead, where he will work with Tavaris Jackson, Patrick Ramsey and Joe Webb at quarterback.

The team is now reportedly looking at former Steelers quarterbacks coach and Miami Hurricanes offensive coordinator Mark Whipple.

We have to wonder how much new coach Pat Shurmur’s stated desire to continue calling the offensive plays on game day is factoring into the search. That didn’t sound like a very good idea when Shurmur talked about it during his introductory press conference; if it is hindering the team’s ability to hire someone for the position then it sounds even worse.

On the defensive side, the Browns interviewed Philadelphia secondary coach Dick Jauron, but Jauron may be inclined to stay in Philly now that Jim Mora has said he’s not coaching this year.

The Browns are also interviewing Arizona defensive coordinator Bill Davis, who also has former ties to the Steelers, having worked their as linebacker coach under Bill Cowher. That sounds promising, but this year the Cardinals gave up the most points in the NFL under Davis.

Why does all of this seem harder than it should be?

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We’re enjoying the ads on the NFL Network for the upcoming senior bowl, where players reminisce about their experience in the game. But we have to wonder: what happened to the Charlie Frye commerical?

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Two One Six Sports takes a look at What Went Wrong with the Cavs

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Rex Ryan has made considerable changes to the Jets roster since taking over in 2009 and has the Jets in the AFC Championship game for the second year in a row.

Posted in Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Cavaliers, NFL, Rex Ryan, Senior Bowl | Leave a comment

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