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In Cleveland, hope dies last

27 Mar 2013

Campbell signing seals Weeden as starter in 2013

The Cleveland Browns signed journeyman quarterback Jason Campbell to a reported two-year contract late Tuesday night.

Campbell’s arrival probably means the end of Colt McCoy’s days in Brown and Orange and is most likely the final move to solidify the Brandon Weeden in 2013 campaign.

Campbell’s signing will have a ripple effect with the Browns quarterback situation, just not the one that some will assume, because, barring a complete collapse or an injury in the preseason, Weeden is going to be the starting quarterback when the 2013 season starts.

For the rest of the story, head over to The Cleveland Fan.

(Photo by Getty Images)

Posted in Brandon Weeden, Cleveland Browns and tagged Brandon Weeden, Cleveland Browns, Jason Campbell | Leave a comment

26 Mar 2013

Browns still collecting back-up cornerbacks

The Cleveland Browns added another cornerback in free agency on Monday – and, no, it wasn’t Brent Grimes.

Instead it was Kevin Barnes who signed a one-year deal with the Browns. Barnes played two games with Detroit last season before the Lions – who have one of the worst defensive backfields in the NFL – released him.

Barnes was originally a third-round draft pick by Washington in the 2009 NFL Draft. He has played in 31 games (making three starts) and has 44 career tackles, three interceptions and nine passes defensed.

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

25 Mar 2013

That’s why they call it a home-field advantage

Costa Rica has filed a protest with FIFA – the governing body of world soccer – over the wintery conditions during Friday night’s game with the U.S. Men’s National Team.

According to the Costa Rican Football Federation, the “physical integrity” of the players and officials was comprised by the snow, ball movement was “impossible” and the players could not see the lines on the field.

“We have already handed a formal report and complaint within 24 hours post-match, according to regulations,” Eduardo Li, the federation’s president, told a Costa Rican television station. “It was terrible. While the match was being played, at the same time, machines and people came onto the field to clean the lines. These are embarrassing situations we should not accept.”

Not surprisingly, seeing as how the U.S. won the game and three important points in qualifying for the 2014 World Cup, Costa Rica would like to replay the game under “more favorable conditions.”

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

23 Mar 2013

1 Comment

Cavs racking up historic losses under coach Byron Scott

There are a lot of things that are out of the control of a head coach, which is a lesson that Cleveland Cavaliers coach Byron Scott knows all to well.

You can’t hold it against Scott that LeBron James left in free agency just a short time after Scott took over the job.

Or that center Anderson Varejao missed 51 games in 2011 with a torn ligament in his foot, 41 games last year after breaking his wrist or 57 games this year with a longitudinal split of a muscle between his quadriceps and knee.

Or that point guard Kyrie Irving missed 15 games last season, broke his hand over the summer and has missed 20 games (and counting) so far this season.

Or that Dion Waiters has missed the past week with loose cartilage in his knee that may require arthroscopic surgery.

Or that when he looks at his bench he sees Omri Casspi and Luke Walton staring back at him.

Even taking all those factors into consideration, we can’t help but still feel we need to ask an important question:

Is Scott the right man for the job?

Posted in Byron Scott, Cleveland Cavaliers and tagged Byron Scott, Cleveland Cavaliers

22 Mar 2013

3 Comments

Browns add some more depth with signings of Owens, Davis

The Cleveland Browns added two players in free agency on Friday, signing tight end Kellen Davis and cornerback Chris Owens.

Both players reportedly signed one-year deals and both add depth at areas where the Browns can use it.

Davis, who is 6-foot-7 and 265 pounds, started for Chicago the past two years and has spent his entire NFL career with the Bears after being drafted in the fifth round of the 2008 draft out of Michigan State. He was released after the Bears signed Martellus Bennett.

He had career “highs” in 2012 with 19 catches for 229 yards and two touchdowns. He had eight drops on just 44 attempts – or one fewer than wide receiver Greg Little, who was targeted 87 times.

Posted in Cleveland Browns and tagged Cleveland Browns, free agency

21 Mar 2013

2 Comments

Time is now for the USMNT to pull it together

The U.S. Men’s National Team, already facing the prospect of playing without starting goalie Tim Howard for the next few weeks, could be facing bigger issues as they face two important World Cup qualifying games.

While the squad should be focusing on Friday night’s game against Costa Rica and next week’s game on the road against Mexico, they are instead reportedly losing faith in coach Jürgen Klinsmann’s lineup choices.

Last month against Honduras, Klinsmann benched captain Carlos Bocanegra on the day of the game, a move that backfired as the inexperienced back four of Geoff Cameron, Omar Gonzalez, Fabian Johnson and Timmy Chandler had a rough day in the 2-1 loss in the opening game of their Hexagonal qualifying group.

“They never played together in any game, let alone a Hex,” Howard said after the loss. “The back four is all about jelling. It’s a frying pan. We don’t have time to learn.”

Klinsmann, who has fielded 24 different lineups in the 24 games he has been the coach, claims that disgruntled players are just par for the course.

Posted in Jurgen Klinsmann, US soccer and tagged Jurgen Klinsmann, US Soccer

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

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