Red Right 88

05 May 2014

Browns gamble on Brandon Weeden does not pay off

The Cleveland Browns hold two first-round draft picks in Thursday night’s NFL Draft.

While many expect the Browns to use one of those picks on a quarterback, history shows that drafting a quarterback – especially one in the first round – has been an exercise in futility for the Browns

Since joining the NFL in 1950, the Browns have drafted six quarterbacks in the first round and none of them have worked out. The list includes:

Harry Agganis, the team’s first-round selection in 1952;
Bobby Garrett, the first Stanford quarterback taken No. 1 overall in the draft;
Mike Phipps, the All-American quarterback from Purdue taken in the first round in 1970;
Tim Couch, the first No. 1 draft pick of the Browns when they returned to the NFL in 1999; and,
Brady Quinn, the surprise first-round pick from 2007.

Today we take a look at the old cowboy, Brandon Weeden.

Posted in Cleveland Browns, NFL draft and tagged Cleveland Browns, NFL draft

04 May 2014

From the editor’s notebook …

While Manchester City’s Edin Dzeko may not have officially buried Liverpool’s title hopes on Saturday, he went as close to putting the final shovel of dirt on the dream as possible.

Dzeko’s two goals helped push City past Everton, 3-2, at Goodison Park and level with Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table. Most importantly, City had a nine-goal lead over Liverpool in goal differential, so it will take one more miracle from Brendan Rodgers’ squad to finish off the dream season with a league title.

Even though his team is in control of its own destiny, Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini is not ready to make room in the trophy case just yet.

Posted in Brendan Rodgers, Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Indians, Liverpool and tagged Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Indians, Liverpool, NBA | Leave a comment

02 May 2014

1 Comment

“We got him.” Browns select Brady Quinn

The Cleveland Browns hold two first-round draft picks in the upcoming NFL Draft.

Since joining the NFL in 1950, the Browns have drafted six quarterbacks in the first round and none of them have worked out.

In Part One of our series on those six quarterbacks, we looked at Harry Agganis, the team’s first-round selection in 1952. Part Two featured Bobby Garrett, the first Stanford quarterback taken No. 1 overall in the draft. Part Three highlighted Mike Phipps, the All-American quarterback from Purdue taken in the first round in 1970. Part Four looked at the first No. 1 draft pick of the Browns when they returned to the NFL in 1999: Tim Couch.

Today, we take a look at Brady Quinn, the surprise first-round pick from 2007.

Posted in Cleveland Browns, NFL draft and tagged Cleveland Browns, NFL draft

30 Apr 2014

3 Comments

Browns select the man with the golden arm: Tim Couch

The Cleveland Browns hold two first-round draft picks in the upcoming NFL Draft.

Since joining the NFL in 1950, the Browns have drafted six quarterbacks in the first round and none of them have worked out.

Today we look at the first No. 1 draft pick of the Browns when they returned to the NFL in 1999: Tim Couch.

Posted in Cleveland Browns, NFL draft and tagged Cleveland Browns, NFL draft

27 Apr 2014

Now it gets really interesting

Liverpool came into the day with a chance to, it not lock up, certainly tighten its grip on the Premier League title.

Ninety minutes later, those championship dreams slipped away just like captain Steven Gerrard’s boot slipped on the Anfield grass at the most inopportune time.

Needing to come out the game with just a single point and playing at home, where they hadn’t lost since Sept. 21 against Southampton, Liverpool were the aggressors in the first half (and in the game as they controlled the ball for 73 percent of the time) but couldn’t find a way past Chelsea goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, who was making his first start of the season.

“It is totally opposite to how we want to play but give credit to them for winning the game. It is not difficult to coach, putting 10 players on the edge of the 18-yard box. ” – Brendan Rodgers

Just before halftime, Gerrard slipped near midfield while collecting a pass and Chelsea’s Demba Ba had a clear path to the goal. His shot beat Simon Mignolet and Liverpool found itself in a bad position, down 1-0 at halftime.

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

25 Apr 2014

7 Comments

“The greatest trade ever” brings Mike Phipps to the Browns

The Cleveland Browns hold two first-round draft picks in the upcoming NFL Draft.

Since joining the NFL in 1950, the Browns have drafted six quarterbacks in the first round and none of them have worked out.

Today we focus on Mike Phipps, the All-American quarterback from Purdue taken in the first round in 1970.

Posted in Cleveland Browns, NFL draft and tagged Cleveland Browns, NFL draft

24 Apr 2014

From the editor’s notebook …

The NFL certainly did the Cleveland Browns no favors when it came to laying out the 2014 schedule.

The Browns open the season in Pittsburgh, where they haven’t won in more than a decade, followed by home games against New Orleans and Baltimore. The team will also finish the year by playing four of their final six games on the road.

Welcome to the NFL, head coach Mike Pettine!

“Browns at Steelers in Week 1, in your first game as an NFL head coach? It doesn’t get any better than that. I love this division,” Pettine said in a team statement.

Posted in Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Indians, Liverpool | Leave a comment

22 Apr 2014

1 Comment

5 Questions: Cleveland Cavaliers season-ending edition

The Cleveland Cavaliers came into the 2013-14 NBA season with high hopes.

The team had spent the previous three years building a young roster of high draft picks that included Kyrie Irving, Dion Waiters and Tristan Thompson. To that group they added veterans Jarrett Jack and Anthony Bynum, along with Anthony Bennett – the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft.

After three seasons, and 166 losses, the Cavs were ready to replace the draft lottery with a return to the NBA playoffs.

Unfortunately, those dreams went unrealized, as the Cavs finished the year with a record of 33-49, five games out of the final playoff spot in the weak Eastern Conference.

While the 33 wins was the most for a non-LeBron James team since the 1997-98 season, and a nine-win improvement over last season, the year was still a disappointing one. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t an interesting one.

From ugly losses to unexpected wins, to accusations of “buddy ball” and rumors of locker room punches, to Irving being named MVP of the All-Star Game and the firing of general manager Chris Grant, this Cavs season is one fans will talk about for quite some time (even if it may not be for the reasons we like).

To help sort through what we all just witnessed over the past 82 games, and figure out some of the important issues facing the team this off-season, we’ve brought together an august panel of some of the best Cavs basketball minds on the Internet for an installment of 5 Questions in 5 Minutes.

Today’s participants are:

Ben Cox, a writer for Waiting for Next Year, Fear the Sword and CavsZine, and possibly the only librarian who can pull off muttonchops. He can be found on Twitter @WFNYBen.

Brendan Bowers, the founding editor of Stepien Rules and a contributing writer for SLAMonline. He is on Twitter @BowersCLE.

Demetri Inembolidis, a former contributing writer for The Cleveland Fan and I Go Hard Now. He is currently a contributor to Goodspeed & Poe and can be found on Twitter @demeatloaf.

Michael Mayer, the founder and editor of Rebuilding Since 1964 and a contributing writer for Real Cavs Fans. Follow him on Twitter @RS64mikemayer.

Wade Foley covers the Cavs for More Than a Fan: Cleveland and scouts and writes for NetScouts Basketball. He can be found on Twitter @FoleyLoaded_NBA.

Posted in Cleveland Cavaliers and tagged Cleveland Cavaliers

21 Apr 2014

4 Comments