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In Cleveland, hope dies last

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21 Sep 2011
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Shurmur riding high after first win

Fresh off his first win as an NFL head coach, Pat Shurmur is moving up the coach rankings at ESPN.

Shurmur has an 80 percent approval rating following the Browns 27-19 win over Indianapolis, fifth highest in the NFL and tops in the AFC North. Cincinnati’s Marvin Lewis (39 percent) and Baltimore’s John Harbaugh (45 percent) are in the bottom 10.

Not bad for a coach who only met most of his players a little less than two months ago.

***

To commemorate New York’s Mariano Rivera recording his 602nd career save, it’s worth looking back at one big game he couldn’t close out: Game 4 of the 1997 American League Division Series.

Never gets old.

***

Finally, we’re all aware that Fox News is anything but “fair and balanced,” so we guess it shouldn’t come as a surprise that attitude extends to Fox Sports.

According to Jim Romenesko at The Poynter Institute, during the Week 1 broadcast of the game between the Bears and the Falcons, Fox Sports showed the following newspaper “headlines”:

Cutler Leaves With Injury
Cutler Lacks Courage
Cutler’s No Leader

Daryl Johnston was working the game as an announcer and told viewers that “these are the actual headlines from the local papers in Chicago.”

Turns out, that was a blatant lie. The headlines sounded fishy so the Chicago Tribune checked around and found out that Fox Sports fabricated the headlines to sell an angle they decided the game needed.

Not sure why Fox just couldn’t televise the game and let the stories come naturally, but there you go.

(h/t to UniWatch)

(Photo by the Associated Press)

Posted in Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Indians, jounalistic integrity, NFL, Pat Shurmur
19 Sep 2011

Browns think TDs, come home with win

Now that’s more like it.

The Browns cut down on the penalties (only three this week), kept their wits about them (coming back after falling behind 6-0 in the second quarter) and finally wore down the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday to hand coach Pat Shurmur his first NFL win, a 27-19 victory over Indianapolis.

And while things may have turned out differently if Peyton Manning had been at quarterback for the Colts, he doesn’t play defense and its not like the Browns haven’t had to deal with their share of injuries through the years.

“I don’t know if we adjusted. We probably would have seen some different things (against Manning),” Shurmur said in published reports. “Don’t underestimate this (Colts) team. For us to get our first victory against them is good.”

Defensive coordinator Dick Jauron’s “play fast” defense carried the water until the offense got its act together, limiting the Colts to 4-of-14 on third down, 109 yards rushing, four field goals and no first downs from halfway through the third quarter until garbage time, when the Colts scored a meaningless touchdown.

Defensive linemen Ahtyba Rubin (a sack, four tackles), Jabaal Sheard (a strip sack, five tackles) and Phil Taylor (five tackles) all had solid games. Rubin absolutely destroyed Colts center Jeff Saturday on his sack.

“We’re just playing blocks better, getting off blocks versus the run,” Taylor told The Plain Dealer. “We knew (Collins is) not going to run their offense like Peyton (Manning) does. So we knew we could rattle him after we hit him a couple times.”

The defense’s effort kept the game in check until the Browns could get their offense untracked.

Peyton Hillis rushed for 94 yards and two touchdowns, the second a 24-yard run that pretty much put the game away with 3:55 left in the fourth quarter.

Colt McCoy spread the ball round to eight receivers, completing 22-of-32 for 211 yards and a touchdown, hooking up for the second week in a row with tight end Evan Moore.

We’d like to see McCoy throw a little bit less, but today’s game was a good look at what this Browns offense is going to look like. McCoy is going to share the wealth with his passes and the offense is going to try to use the combination of time and pressure to wear down opposing defenses.

Hillis’ second TD run was a perfect example, as the offensive line kept working and working until they finally broke down the Colts.

“That’s Peyton,” McCoy said. “He’s going to run and run and run. Eventually, he’s going to run over someone and go.”

Josh Cribbs also showed that not only is he healthy again, but that the new kickoff rules have made him a weapon again. Cribbs had two kickoff returns for 80 yards – with a long of 52 yards – and two punts for 52 yards – with a long of 43 yards. His ability to continue to give the Browns a short field is going to make it that much easier on the offense.

“I love being the spark on the team,” Cribbs told The Plain Dealer. “That’s my role. I’m embracing that role.”

After two games, despite the problems on offense, the Browns have scored 17 and 27 points. In two years under Eric Mangini, the Browns only scored more than 27 points four times. And as Terry Pluto pointed out in his column today, the 17 points was more than the Browns scored in seven games last year and nine games in 2009.

So now, a week after some believed the season was over after one loss, the Browns have embraced Shurmur’s “think touchdowns, not field goals” philosophy and find themselves in a tie for first place in the AFC North.

Not a bad way to start off the week.

(Photo by The Associated Press)

Posted in Cleveland Browns, NFL | Leave a comment
17 Sep 2011

Browns vs. Colts – Week 2

The Browns head deep into the heartland on Sunday to take on the Peyton Manning-less Colts as the Browns look for not only their first win of the season but also Pat Shurmur’s first win as an NFL head coach.

The Opposition

Indianapolis record: 0-1
Offensive rank: 28th overall/24th passing/26th rushing
Defensive rank: 20th overall/14th passing/29th rushing
All-time record: Browns lead 16-14, with a 3-4 mark in Indianapolis (although the Browns were 6-1 against the Colts when they still played in Baltimore)
Last meeting: Colts won 10-6 in 2008
The line: Browns (-2.5)

What to Watch For

How the Browns respond after last week’s loss to the Bengals.

Far too much importance was placed on last week’s loss – it was Opening Day, it was Shurmur’s first game as coach, the Bengals scored a touchdown on a ridiculous play – that people have forgotten that it still only counts as one loss.

The Browns need to forget about last week, settle down, and just play football. If they do that then everything else will take care of itself.

What they can’t afford is a repeat of Week 2 from last season. After losing the opener because of self-inflicted mistakes, the Browns dialed up a sequel the following week against Kansas City.

They can’t do that again this week – if the offense stumbles around in the first quarter like they’ve never played together and rack up penalties, then this game could look a lot like last week’s game.

Much like last year’s squad, the Browns are still not talented enough to overcome too many mistakes and hope to win. They have to play as close as they can to a perfect game to have a chance to win.

This would be a great week to get the running game back on track. The Texans ran for 167 yards against the Colts in Week 1 – without Arian Foster – so there’s little reason to think that Peyton Hillis and Montario Hardesty can’t have success on the ground.

A strong running game will help take some of the pressure off the offensive line, which will counter the pass rush of Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis with a right tackle rotation of Oriel Cousins and Artis Hicks. Pound the ball between the tackles and Freeney and Mathis can speed rush off the edge all they want and it won’t matter.

On defense the Browns catch a huge break as they will face Kerry Collins rather than Manning at quarterback.

In the opener against Houston, Collins fumbled on consecutive snaps in the first quarter to set up Houston touchdowns, was sacked three times and the offense mustered only 236 yards and 15 first downs.

Sounds like a great day for the Browns front four to show what they can do in defensive coordinator Dick Jauron’s “play fast” defense.

One key to the Browns success on defense will be how well safety T.J. Ward plays against tight end Dallas Clark. Cincinnati’s Jermaine Gresham had six catches last week as the Browns continue to struggle when it comes to covering tight ends, no matter who is running the defense.

One player we’re confident we don’t have to worry about is corner back Joe Haden, who had a monster game in the opener. Haden completely locked down A.J. Green, who’s only catch on the day came when the Browns blew the coverage. Haden’s match-up with Reggie Wayne should be a fun one to watch.

The Best Browns vs. Colts game ever

This is an easy one: the Browns 27-0 win over the Colts in the 1964 NFL championship game – the Browns fourth NFL title and the defining moment for every Cleveland fan born after Dec. 27, 1964.

Honorable mention should go to the 1987 playoff game, however, a 38-21 win by the Browns. As this game was sandwiched by the two AFC Championship games against Denver, it often gets overlooked by Browns fans.

The Prediction

We were sure the Browns were going to get the Pat Shurmur era off on the right foot last week, but that obviously didn’t work out.

We’re a little worried that if the Browns can’t beat the Colts without Manning, who will they beat this year?

And we would feel better if the Browns were getting points, rather than being a road favorite.

But what the heck. Last week was one of those days and, despite everything that happened, the Browns still probably should have won the game. There’s no way they mirror last season and bring out a sequel this week against the Colts.

We’ll take the Browns to win on a Phil Dawson field goal, not only evening their record at 1-1 but also covering the spread.

Record picking the Browns (using the point spread) this year: 0-1-0.

(Photo by The Plain Dealer)

Posted in Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts, NFL, Week 2 | Leave a comment
16 Sep 2011

Browns offensive line facing a big test

While everyone is ready to put the Browns Week 1 loss behind them, things won’t get much easier this week in Indianapolis, even if the Colts are without Peyton Manning.

Colts defensive ends Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis would be a handful even if the Browns were healthy along the offensive line. But with right tackle Tony Pashos expected to miss the game this weekend, the task gets that much harder.

Joe Thomas should be able to hold his own at left tackle, but with him having his hands with whomever lines up opposite him, we have to wonder how much help he will be able to give rookie left guard Jason Pinkston.

“It’s funny because (Freeney’s) kind of known for the spin move and for his speed, but he’s one of the strongest players in the league,” Thomas said in published reports. “You see him picking up 330-pound tackles and throwing them on the quarterback.”

Somehow we don’t see Colt McCoy liking that scenario very much.

We’re more worried about Artis Hicks and Oniel Cousins, who will again split time at right tackle as the Browns continue to hope that one of them will seize the role.

“(They) are premier guys,” Hicks said. “They have a special skill set. We give them a chance to pin their ears back and get after the quarterback and they can be a nightmare. We have to keep out of those Freeney-Mathis killer downs.”

“They’re probably the two greatest defensive ends in the league,” Cousins said.

The best way to keep Freeney and Mathis from having an impact is to get the running game untracked, something the Browns were unable to do against Cincinnati.

“I feel like we’re set up here where we can run the football and be somewhat efficient, but we have to go do it,” coach Pat Shurmur said in his Thursday press conference. “Then we have to get the game in a situation where you can stay run/pass and I think that’s when you play the best ball. I believe in running the football, I think it’s important we do it and I feel we’ve got backs that can carry it.”

Let’s hope so, or it could be another long day.

***

We were surprised – and a little chagrined – how easy it was to put the Indians away for the season once it became clear the Tribe was finished.

As soon as the last out was recorded in Detroit’s sweep in Cleveland on Sept. 7, we pretty much checked out on the season, to the point that we didn’t even know what time the games start each night any more.

The start of the NFL season played a large role, but we were still surprised, especially after spending the summer months watching each game from the first pitch.

***

Cleveland fans, more than most, understand the reality of homegrown players leaving in free agency.

And we get the desire of most players to want to sign the biggest contract they can.

But we were still surprised to hear Prince Fielder talk so openly about how this is most likely his last year in a Brewer uniform – especially at a time when the Brewers are in first place and are trying to make the playoffs.

The part we don’t understand is the attitude that Fielder has no choice in all this – if he wants to stay in Milwaukee no one is stopping him. He won’t get as much money, but we’re sure the Brewers can come up with enough to last him at least this lifetime, if not a couple more.

***

Finally, it must be either extremely liberating or profoundly depressing – we can’t figure out which – to live your entire life blaming everyone else when you fail and never accepting responsibility.

Posted in Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Indians, NFL | Leave a comment
12 Sep 2011
1 Comment

Well that was special

Like the plot in a bad made-for-TV movie from the ’70s, the Browns broke out their schizophrenic personalities on Sunday, losing to Cincinnati in the home opener and Pat Shurmur’s debut as head coach.

There was a lot of bad, followed by some good in the 27-17 loss.

The good: rookies Phil Taylor and Jabaal Sheard teamed up to knock staring quarterback Andy Dalton out of the game with a wrist injury. Hopefully that is the first of many quarterback hits from the duo this season.

The bad: Ten penalties in the first half, including one we’ve never seen before: an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Shurmur for running into an official on the sidelines.

The good: Joe Haden was all over the field, batting down five passes and frustrating Cincy wide receiver A.J. Green all game.

The bad: Green’s 41-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter when the Bengals snapped the ball while the Browns were basically still in their huddle.

“They quick snapped us,” Shurmur said in published reports. “I’ll have to watch the tape, but it’s my understanding they changed personnel, lined up and then quick snapped. There’s rules that go along with that, so we’ll see. My understanding is when the offense changes personnel, the defense is allowed to do so as well and have time to do it.”

The good: Touchdown catches by Ben Watson and Evan Moore, helping the Browns come back from an early 13-0 deficit.

The bad: Cedric Benson had 121 yards rushing – including a game-clinching 39-yard touchdown run – as the Browns still can’t defend the run, giving up 4.2 yards per rush.

The good: Josh Cribbs showed that he is still a threat in the return game. Cribbs returned three kick offs for 91 yards (with a long of 51) and six punts for 58 yards (with a long of 21).

The bad: On Cribbs’ 21-yard return in the fourth quarter, Browns receiver Greg Little blew up Cincy’s punter with a block but his momentum carried him into Cribbs, essentially bringing Cribbs down short of what was shaping up as a big return.

The good: Defensive coordinator Dick Jauron’s new 4-3, play fast, defense produced four sacks, two by D’Qwell Jackson.

The bad: After Green’s TD gave the Bengals a 20-17 lead, the Browns had three more possessions. They ran 12 plays, gained a total of 25 yards with two first downs.

The bad: The offensive line was not good. Two false start penalties on Shaun Lauvao, one on Joe Thomas, Oniel Cousins and Artis Hicks showed why they were available on the waiver wire, the Bengals were able to pressure Colt McCoy all game, just not a good game all around.

The bad: The running game was a non-entity for the Browns. Peyton Hillis had 57 yards on the ground, Montario Hardesty added 18. Not good enough.

The bad: McCoy didn’t look comfortable in the pocket, holding the ball way too long at times. Very surprised by that.

The bad: Wide receiver Brian Robiskie was in mid-season form, putting up his all-too-familiar Blutarsky stat line of 0 receptions for 0 yards. That’s the 11th time he’s pulled off the double zero in 26 career NFL games.

The bad: Punter Richmond McGee had punts of 20, 30 and 28 yards.

OK, that’s enough.

We know some people don’t want to hear it, but it was only one game. As bad as the Browns looked in the first quarter, they looked that good in the second quarter. What happened in the second half was clearly not good, but this is a young team still working to figure things out.

If they are still playing like this in Week 10, we’ll start to get worried. But whether we like it or not as fans, the team is going to continue to have growing pains this year. They are trying to rebuild this team the right way, and there are just no shortcuts along the way.

“The biggest thing is do not let this game trickle over into a whole season,” corner back Sheldon Brown said. “That would be the most frustrating thing.”

Yes it would.

(Photo by The Plain Dealer)

Posted in Cleveland Browns, frustration, NFL, opening day
11 Sep 2011

Browns vs. Bengals – Week 1

The Browns kick off the 2011 NFL season on Sunday at home against Cincinnati, looking to do something they’ve only done once since 1999 – win their season-opening game.

That’s right, the Browns are 1-11 in season openers during the past 12 years, with the lone win coming in 2004 as Jeff Garcia led the team to a win at home over Baltimore. What better way to open the new and improved Pat Shurmur era than with a win against the Bengals – who have lost their last three season openers.

Shurmur is looking to become the first Browns coach to win his debut since Bud Carson in 1989. Since then, Bill Belichick, Chris Palmer, Butch Davis, Romeo Crennel and Eric Mangini have all failed to win in their debuts.

It wasn’t always like that, of course. Of the Browns first five head coaches, only Forrest Gregg, in 1975, came up short in his debut. And, of course, the Browns won the most famous opening day game in NFL history – their 35-10 beating of the defending NFL Champion Philadelphia Eagles when the Browns joined the NFL in 1950.

The Opposition

Cincinnati (2010) record: 4-12
Offensive rank (2010): 20th overall/13th passing/27th rushing
Defensive rank (2010): 18th overall/14th passing/19th rushing

What to Watch For

How effective can the Browns be on offense?

Starting wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi missed the entire preseason with a foot injury, starting left guard Eric Steinbach and projected third-down back Brandon Jackson are out for the season with injuries, starting right tackle Tony Pashos recently spent time in a walking boot and backup running back Montario Hardesty, who the Browns will need to rely on this year so Peyton Hillis doesn’t wear down, only carried the ball five times in the preseason.

Nobody said this was going to be easy.

If the Browns can take a lead into the second half, they should be able to control the clock with Hillis running the ball and McCoy running a short, accurate passing game.

On defense, the Browns catch a break as they will face rookie quarterback Andy Dalton rather than Carson Palmer. That should help the team as it continues to transition to defensive coordinator Dick Jauron’s “play fast, think less” 4-3 defense.

The Browns will have to control running back Cedric Benson. In their 23-20 win over the Bengals last year, the Browns held Benson to 60 yards rushing. In the 19-17 loss, Benson ran for 150 yards.

That may be easier said than done, as the Browns have been extremely poor against the run since 1999, with their average ranking being No. 28.

If the Browns don’t let Benson have a big day, they can go after Dalton with their new front four of Jayme Mitchell, Phil Taylor, Ahtyba Rubin and Jabaal Sheard.

Browns corner back Joe Haden renews his SEC rivalry with wide receiver A.J. Green, which should be a fun match up to watch.

Bengals player that always seemed to torment the Browns

Wide receiver Isaac Curtis, who played for Cincinnati from 1973 to 1984.

Curtis always seemed to have big games against the Browns in the ’70s; in his first four years he caught 33 passes for 739 yards and 11 touchdowns against Cleveland.

Curtis caught 18 percent of his career passes, totaled 20 percent of his career yards and scored 23 percent of his career touchdowns against the Browns.

The Prediction

We’re confident the Browns will get the Shurmur era off on the right foot, breaking the bizarre opening-day losing streak in the process.

We also think the Browns giving 6.5 points is a bit much, so we look for the Browns to win, but not cover.

(Photo by The Plain Dealer)

Posted in Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, NFL, Week 1 | Leave a comment
08 Sep 2011

Delving into the Browns Season

Sunday at Cleveland Browns Stadium, the Browns open the Pat Shurmur era as they take on Cincinnati in the home opener.

A new quarterback, a new offense, the return of the 4-3 defense, improvement in some areas, holes that remain in others, as Browns fans we all know the drill by now.

In addition to the six division games, this year’s schedule once again features old friends in new places, as the Browns take on:

  • Miami, featuring Brian Daboll’s analog, three channels (plus one UHF channel) offense at home on Sept. 25
  • Former first-round draft pick Kameron Wimbley in Oakland on Oct. 16
  • Former first-round draft pick Braylon Edwards in San Francisco on Oct. 30
  • Former Pro Bowl-caliber fullback Lawrence Vickers in Houston on Nov. 6
  • St. Louis, where Shurmur was offensive coordinator the past two years, at home on Nov. 13

Unfortunately, the Browns visit to Arizona won’t offer the opportunity for the defense to abuse former quarterback Derek Anderson, as DA was asked to leave the desert after last season and is now “mentoring” Cam Newton and Jimmy Clausen in Carolina.

The over/under for the Browns victory total this year is 6.5, which shows why the oddsmakers in Las Vegas are the dogs bollocks. It’s easy to talk yourself into both sides of the over/under which looking at the 2011 Browns.

So how will everyone’s favorite team do? We know from past experience the Browns will win a game or two that no one expects them to win (see New England and New Orleans from last year) and lose a game or two that we expect them to win (see Cincinnati and Buffalo from last year).

Let’s break down the schedule into three parts.

Teams the Browns are as good as:

  • Miami
  • Oakland
  • Seattle
  • San Francisco
  • St. Louis
  • Jacksonville
  • Arizona
  • Tennessee

This list is longer than last year and presents nice match-ups for the Browns. Only two of the teams (Miami and San Francisco) were in the Top 10 last year in rush defense, so the Browns should be able to move the ball on the ground against Oakland (29th), Seattle (21st), St. Louis (17th), Jacksonville (22nd), Arizona (30th) and Tennessee (20th).

Plus if you look at the quarterback match-up, the Browns are better than San Francisco, Jacksonville, Seattle and Miami at the position; no worse than Arizona, Oakland and Tennessee; and only St. Louis could make a case for being better with Sam Bradford under center.

None of these teams are offensive powerhouses, either, which means the defense shouldn’t be taxed, forcing the Browns into a shootout.

Can the Browns go 8-0 against this group if they play smart, mistake-free football? Sure. Is that in any way realistic? Nope. But let’s say the Browns will go 4-4 against this group.

Teams that are better than the Browns:

  • Indianapolis
  • Houston

Even with Peyton Manning missing the next few months after undergoing his third operation on his neck, it’s hard to see the Browns beating the Colts on the road. As for Houston, the Texans offense may be too much for the Browns to keep up with.

We’re going to call this group 0-2 for the Browns.

Teams in the AFC North:

Once again, the games within the division are going to be the difference makers for the Browns.

Since the NFL split into four-team divisions in 2002, the Browns have gone 14-40 in the division. That includes matching 1-5 records in each of the past three seasons.

With Pittsburgh and Baltimore still in the division it’s going to be hard for the Browns to make any headway on improving that mark, but they simply have to start getting it done. The Bengals proved two years ago that a mediocre team (4-6 outside the division) can have success by taking care of business within the AFC North (the Bengals were 6-0 that year to emerge as one of the weakest division winners in recent history).

As good as the Steelers and Ravens are expected to be this year, should it really be too much to ask that the Browns win one of the four games they play against those team’s this year?

As for the Bengals, they may be one of the worst teams in the NFL this year with a rookie quarterback (Andy Dalton) throwing to a rookie wide receiver (A.J. Green) that Joe Haden shut down in college. If the Browns can’t take at least one of the two games from the Bengals this year (why not get it out of the way on Sunday?) then we’ll know things went really wrong this year.

Let’s try to stay optimistic and give the Browns a 3-3 record (sweep the Bengals, win one against either Baltimore or Pittsburgh) within the division this year.

Add it all up, and the Browns finish with seven wins, covering the over bet on the season total. We said six wins last year (with an over/under of 5.5) and just missed out; no way that happens two years in a row.

The first step in the journey starts Sunday against the Bengals. The Brown and Orange are almost back. Whatever happens this year, we can be sure it won’t be dull.

(Photo by The Plain Dealer)

Posted in Cleveland Browns, dogs bollocks, NFL, over/under | Leave a comment
26 Aug 2011

Is there a doctor in the house?

Injuries are the word of the day in Cleveland sports.

For the Browns, starting left guard Eric Steinbach and third-down back Brandon Jackson reportedly will be out for a while – and Steinbach may be looking at season-ending back surgery.

Coach Pat Shurmur told The Plain Dealer that Jackson will be out “an extended period.”

As for Steinbach … well it doesn’t sound good.

“At this point, he’s going through some treatments that we’re hoping will get him back, and there’s no real final call yet on whether he’ll be back — or when actually,” Shurmur said of Steinbach.

Doctors are trying to determine whether he needs surgery, according to The PD and, if that’s true, he could be put on injured reserve and be out for the season.

If that turns out to be true then what was shaping up to the a true strength for the team – the offensive line – takes a big hit. Shurmur said rookie guard Jason Pinkston has made “tremendous progress” and Pinkston is expected to replace Steinbach if he can’t come back.

The only possible bright side to that scenario is Pinkston would line up between Joe Thomas and Alex Mack, two of the best offensive linemen in the NFL, who would be able to help him out.

In addition to Steinbach and Jackson, (take a deep breath) backup linebacker Titus Brown has a high-ankle sprain (apparently he didn’t get the memo that that was last year’s injury), while wide receiver Jordan Norwood (knee), defensive end Marcus Benard (sore shoulder), wide receivers Josh Cribbs (hamstring) and Mohamed Massaquoi (left foot), strong safety T.J. Ward (hamstring), free safety Usama Young (hamstring), weakside linebacker Chris Gocong (pinched nerve), cornerback Dimitri Patterson (ankle), wide receiver Carlton Mitchell (finger surgery) and linebacker Steven Octavien (unspecified) are also all injured and had limited to no participation in Thurday’s walk through.

Did we mention that the season-opening game against Cincinnati is just over two weeks away?

The news isn’t much better for the Indians, who just keep seeing players fall by the wayside.

Starting pitcher Josh Tomlin and outfielder Michael Brantley were placed on the 15-day disabled list on Friday.

“Michael was seen again by Dr. (Thomas) Graham at the Cleveland Clinic,” head trainer Lonnie Soloff told The Beacon Journal. ”It was unlikely that he would be able to play in three to five days, so he was placed on the disabled list.

As for Tomlin, ”Josh experienced discomfort in his right elbow during his last start,” Soloff said. “”After an examination and an MRI, it was determined that he has a sprain of the elbow. He will shut down all throwing for two weeks then be re-examined.”

Boy, we just can’t handle all the good news going around town today.

At least Jim Thome has come back to save us all from … something.

But unless Thome earned his medical degree in the nine years he was away from home, it may not matter much.

Posted in Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Indians, Eric Steinbach, injuries, Jim Thome, NFL | Leave a comment
24 Aug 2011

Browns lock up their cornerstone

Josh Cribbs, Peyton Hillis and Joe Haden may be the heart of the Browns, but Joe Thomas is clearly the hardworking soul of the team.

So it was no surprise that the team and the Pro Bowl left tackle have agreed to a seven-year contract extension worth $84 million, including $44 million guaranteed.

And you don’t have to read too hard between the lines to realize that the changes that team president Mike Holmgren and general manager Tom Heckert have made since arriving in town played a big role in Thomas staying with the team.

“We’re really building something special with Tom Heckert and Mike Holmgren and I think this program is headed in the right direction,” Thomas told The Plain Dealer. “It was really important for me to make this a real long-term deal so that I can finish my career here.

“I’ve been so impressed with coach (Pat) Shurmur and the staff that he brought in and the way he teaches the players. Tom Heckert’s been drafting guys I really want to be around and I want to be part of this really great thing that’s going on now. The way the team has picked up the new offense, plenty of mistakes have been made, but you can just see the potential there. It’s so exciting to be part of it.”

Read more…

Posted in Cleveland Browns, Joe Thomas, Josh Cribbs, NFL, Pat Shurmur | Leave a comment
23 Aug 2011

Can You Go Home Again?

“You can’t go back home to your family, back home to your childhood … back home to a young man’s dreams of glory and of fame …” – Thomas Wolfe

Now that Travis Hafner is on the disabled list with an injury to his right foot – “Travis is going to be out for a little while,” general manager Chris Antonetti said – the Indians find themselves in the market for a designated hitter.

As luck would have it, the Twins reportedly put Jim Thome on waivers on Monday.

“Today, I know nothing really about that, so it’s hard for me to answer your questions right now when I don’t know any of that stuff. I think that’s safe,” Thome said. “Out of respect to the organization and all that, the best thing is not to comment, really, to be honest.”

Could Thome come home to Cleveland and, like Kenny Lofton in 2007, help the Indians as they try to get back into the playoff race?

At first we thought, no way. Thome is a 41-year-old part-timer; surely he wouldn’t be an improvement over Hafner?

But then we looked at the numbers. Since the All Star break:

Hafner is batting .220, with a .642 OPS, 3 homers, 14 RBI and 31 strikeouts in 118 at bats.

Thome is batting .300(!), with a .971 OPS, 6 homers, 21 RBI and 27 strikeouts in 90 at bats.

Looks like an upgrade to us, at least on paper.

The good news is, if the Indians do bring Thome back, it would be because they think he can help for the rest of the season, and not just as a PR move. As Terry Pluto pointed out in his column in the Sunday PD, ticket sales are up 45 percent on the season and TV ratings are up nearly 100 percent.

Seems like the Tribe should at least kick the tires on Thome.

***

Switching to the NFL, Pro Football Talk reports that there is more bad news for members of the 2009 NFL Draft class.

Last week, of course, the Bills cut linebacker Aaron Maybin, the team’s selection at No. 11 in that draft. And the Bengals decided not to pick up the option on tackle Andre Smith (selected No. 6), reducing his rookie contract from six years to four.

Now the Seahawks have done the same with linebacker Aaron Curry, the fourth overall pick.

Throw in Jason Smith, taken No. 2 by the Rams, Tyson Jackson (No. 3 to KC), Darrius Heyward-Bey (No. 7 to Oakland) and Michael Crabtree (No. 10 to San Francisco) and that draft starts to look pretty ugly.

The Browns of course selected Alex Mack in that draft. When you play in a division where you have to go against Casey Hampton and Haloti Ngata twice a year, it was a solid pick.

And looking at what the Browns could have ended up with, the pick just looks that much better.

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Finally, Peter King shows the Browns some love in this week’s Monday Morning Quarterback column.

King writes that:

I think if you look at Cleveland’s schedule — the Browns play the NFC West this year — you can see them winning eight games. At least I can. I mean, you look at the schedule in the first 11 games and you think: Somebody at 280 Park Avenue is very fond of Randy Lerner.

The slate includes one team, Indy, with a winning record in 2010: 1. Cincinnati, 2. at Indianapolis, 3. Miami, 4. Tennessee, 5. at Oakland, 6. Seattle, 7. at San Francisco, 8. at Houston, 9. St. Louis, 10. Jacksonville, 11. at Cincinnati.

Not saying they’ll go 10-1, and you gotta think the other teams are looking at Cleveland on the schedule and thinking it’s an eminently winnable game. But the point is, no other team in the league has the kind of chance to start strong and stay strong as Cleveland has. The problem with the first 11 weeks for the Browns is the season isn’t 11 games. It’s 16. And the last five games include two with Baltimore and two with Pittsburgh. But when you face one strong returning playoff team in the first 11 games (Seattle, at 7-9, will forever be asterisked, even with the decisive win over New Orleans), you think it might just be your year.

Posted in Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Indians, Jim Thome, NFL | Leave a comment

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