Its Been Too Long....

Why hello everybody! I am apologize for not writing for so long. When laziness and busyness intersect, you have a combination of not writing blogs. But I am back, and I hope to keep this train running! Instead of writing on one subject, I am going to touch on a few subjects today. Here we go!

The Indians have gotten better
With the struggling economy upon us, we probably expected our cheap owner (Larry Dolan) to spend his money on a utility infielder, or a backup outfielder. Instead, he went out and signed Chicago Cubs closer Kerry Wood. At $10 million a year, I was somewhat surprised he overspent to get a closer. We might sit and complain that we overpaid for a guy who is very injury-prone, but look at the market for closers, Colorado wanted too much for Brian Fuentes, and K-Rod got almost $40 million over 3 years. Closers are at a premium, and the Indians really needed a consistent one. We can't go into the season dependent on Jensen Lewis, we need someone who is proven. Also, the Indians came away with reliever Joe Smith, and middle infield prospect Luis Valbuena. Not bad, considering last year we signed just Jamey Carroll. Adding Kerry Wood strengthens our bullpen greatly. He had 34 saves, and a 3.26 ERA, and he blew just 6 saves. Joe Smith is also a very solid reliever and he posted a 3.55 ERA in 82 games. The Indians need one more infield bat with some pop, and I really think they can begin to seriously contend in the AL again. It is very important for us to do this because our team has very good starting pitching, and by adding one more solid hitter, we can really do some damage. The Yankees have gotten much stronger, Boston is still a very good team, Tampa Bay is a young and hungry team, Chicago and Minnesota will come in strong next year as well. Brian Roberts, JJ Hardy, and Garrett Atkins are all names I would love to see in an Indians uniform, and Terry Pluto of the Plain Dealer has said that the Indians have made calls about Roberts, but Baltimore seems reluctant to give him up. By adding one of these guys, it would help solidify our lineup with another consistent hitter besides Victor and Grady. We can no longer rely on Travis Hafner because of his health issues.
Overall, the Indians added two solid relievers to a struggling bullpen, and a young infielder who can actually hit! (In AAA last year he hit .302 with 10 SB in 58 games). In the years that the Indians did well, (2007 and 2005) we had great bullpens both those years. Our starting rotation will continue to be solid, and I expect Carmona to bounce back well. Victor should come back strong from his injury, and we all have to pray Hafner and Garko can return to their previous forms. All in all, a good start, but we still have some work to do.....

My o my how the mighty have fallen
The Browns have really been bad this year. It seemed that we had a whole bunch of little problems, that lead to this teams demise. First, Joe Jurevicous was lost for the year with a knee injury. He was clutch in 3rd down situations last year, and he was really missed this year. Add in the fact that Derek Anderson, Brady Quinn, Braylon Edwards, Josh Cribbs, Ryan Tucker, Kellen Winslow, and Donte Stallworth all missed time with injuries. Edwards forgot how to catch the ball, Jamal Lewis began to slow down, Kellen Winslow demanded a trade, Brady Quinn got punched in the face, and Derek Anderson continued his inconsistent play. The defense cannot generate any pass rush, we cannot make tackles, our linebackers can't cover, and our corners get burned. The only positive from this defense is that we lead the NFL in takeaways, but when your Defense spends so much time on the field, I guess its somewhat believable. It is kind of sad when your nose tackle Shaun Rogers has 4.5 sacks, and he LEADS your team in sacks. For those of you who don't know, in a 3-4 defense, you have 3 defensive lineman and 4 linebackers. The defensive lineman are supposed to eat up blockers so the linebackers can roam free to make tackles and pressure the QB. Rogers constantly has 2 guys blocking him, and he still leads the team in sacks! If we add the sack totals of our four starting linebackers (McGinest, Wimbley, Davis, and Jackson) they have a whopping 7 sacks. I think that speaks for itself......
In terms of coaching, Romeo is as good as gone. He is a nice guy, and the guys play for him, but he is not enough of a disciplinarian, and motivator. He can't manage the game, and he often times under utilizes his players (Jerome Harrison, Josh Cribbs, Beau Bell, Martin Rucker?) He shows no expression on the sideline, and he puts up with mediocrity too often. People have mentioned Bill Cowher and Marty Shottenheimer as possible replacements. I would like to have Cowher for a couple reasons. One, he is a great motivator and developer of talent. In Cowher's last seven years, here are the players he drafted and developed: Santonio Holmes, Willie Colon, Heath Miller, Chris Kemoeatu, Ben Roethlisberger, Troy Polamalu, Kendall Simmons, Antwaan Randel El, Plaxico Burress, Larry Foote, Chris Hope, Casey Hampton, James Harrison, Joey Porter, Clark Haggans, and Marvel Smith. Now list me the players the Browns have drafted in the past seven years that have had the impact these guys have had. Cowher had a lot of good Steeler teams in his tenure, and he was able to motivate his players to go out and smash opponents. Another reason I like him is that he will give us an identity as a team. Under Romeo, can you tell me what our identity has been? I sure can't. When he was in Pittsburgh, he continued the style of smash mouth football, and hard nosed defense. Those traits are still evident in Pittsburgh today. The one drawback I see from him, is that he is not that good of a coach in terms of implementing a game plan and adjusting to his opponents. Numerous times I saw Bill Belichick, and Tony Dungy make this man look stupid in the playoffs, and he sometimes does not come up with the best game plans. Marty Shottenheimer is a good coach, but in terms of playoffs (5-13 record) and finding the right players, he is not that good. Id rather have Cowher.....

The Cavaliers are for real
The Cavaliers have probably been the most positive thing this year in this city. LeBron James is playing less, and scoring almost as much as he did last year, Delonte West his playing his natural position of shooting guard and doing well, Ben Wallace seems very happy here and he is playing is role well, Z is shooting well and playing a great game downlow, and Mo Williams has been a great addition to this team. We have to give credit to Mike Brown for making John Kuester the "offensive coordinator" and giving him freedom to operate the offense. Very seldom do you see LeBron carrying the ball up the court, holding it, and waiting for a pick. Now we have Mo Williams handling the ball, facilitating, slashing, or shooting. This allows LeBron much freedom on offense as he can come off screens, and post up. Delonte West is a great spot up shooter, and he is beginning to slash to the hoop with ease. Wally seems to be more comfortable in his role as the floor spacer and shooter, Anderson Varaejo realized he is not Dr. J anymore, and he has began to get hustle points, provide energy off the bench, rebound, play defense, and annoy the hell out of everyone. No longer do you see him shooting 17 foot jumpers, or cutting to the hoop, only to lose the ball before he gets to the rim. I call him "controlled chaos". Sasha Pavlovic for some reason is playing good, but I still think he sucks. Everytime he gets the ball he stops, fakes a shot, looks at the defender, then realizes that he sucks, and he passes the ball. Other times, he gets the ball and just shoots, and he misses most of the time. Daniel Gibson was slowed by an injury, but he has come back well, and he is playing his role of ball handler, and 3 point specialist. He added the facet of slashing to the hoop to his game, which makes him very dangerous. JJ Hickson has look very raw as a rookie, but he has had some very promising games (@ Oklahoma City and @ Minnesota), and he shows great promise. Darnell Jackson looks like a solid rebounder, and defender. He will have a valuable spot on this team.
Now that we have looked at this roster, I feel that we are still one post player away from contending for a title. Z and Ben Wallace are injury prone, and if they suffer an injury at any point, we will be very thin in our frontcourt. Hickson is still very young, and Jackson is a bench option. We cannot rely on two rookies to help us throughout the playoffs. The Cavaliers need to acquire one swingman/bigman to compete against Boston and the LA Lakers. Why would you say that Raz? The team is 24-4 and they have great team chemistry! Well when it comes to the playoffs, the Celtics have a frontcourt of Kevin Garnett, Leon Powe, Kendrick Perkins, and Glen Davis. The Lakers have a frontcourt of Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol, Trevor Ariza, and Lamar Odom. Perkins and Davis have improved this year, as has Ariza. The Cavaliers need one more forward/big man to help solidify the front court, in order take scoring pressure off Z downlow, and continue our tough rebounding. Some names that have been thrown around are: John Salmons, Gerald Wallace, Chris Kaman, and Marcus Camby. I would like any of these guys, as they are all solid on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. Camby is a great defender and rebounder, Kaman can score and rebound, Wallace plays great defense and is an amazing athlete, and Salmons can do a little bit of everything. I don't really know what the odds are of us landing any of these guys, but as I wrote earlier, we have draft picks, 2 players on cheap short term rookie contracts (Hickson, Jackson), Wally's expiring contract, and two young players (Sasha and AV). We have the ammunition to make a move, but I have heard from Brian Windhorst and other sources that if we make a trade, its going to be for a great player. We aren't going to make a move to make a move. Also, we aren't going to trade half our roster either. Windhorst reported that if Wally is traded, he probably will ask for a buyout and comeback to Cleveland, a-la Antonio McDyess to Detroit. So if we don't trade away half our roster, and if Wally does indeed come back, our chemistry really won't be disrupted too much. The 2010 clock is ticking louder every day, and the Cavaliers have a great team right now, but I still believe that they are one player away from a championship banner.

CSU Basketball?
Now this is a subject most Cleveland fans are blind to, Cleveland State Vikings Basketball. We have a great basketball team in our backyard, and I am sure 75% of Cleveland sports fans can't name 2 players on this team. This team is 9-4, and have a good chance to make the NCAA Tournament this year. I went and saw this team play Kent State last night at the Wolstein Center, and boy did they look good. They destroyed them by a score of 67-41. Forwards George Tandy and J'Nathan Bullock, and guard Cedric Jackson all played great. All three of these players are seniors this year, and they played like it. Tandy blocked shots and grabbed 13 rebounds. Bullock shot well, provided great leadership, and had an amazing one handed dunk to go with his 24 point 10 rebound effort. Jackson cut throughout the Golden Flashes defense and dished out 6 assists. Center Chris Moore provided size and rebounding down low. Norris Cole and D'Aundrey Brown are going to be two great players. Both of these guys are sophomore guards, and they are great athletes, great defenders, and can score. Cole can shoot, slash, and play great perimeter defense. Brown can rebound well for a guard, defend, and score. Both of these guys have been great contributors to this team this year. Jeremy Montgomery is a very promising young guard. He runs the PG position when Cedric is on the bench, and he does a great job of taking care of the ball and initiating the offense. This CSU team is deep, and are lead by great coaches. Their head coach Gary Waters is a great guy, and his assistants Jason Gee, Gary DeSempliere, and Jermaine Kimbrough are also great guys. Three years ago, I attended a CSU basketball camp with one of my friends, and we got to talk to coach Waters, and he was truly a nice guy. He told us great stories, and gave us great advice. He stressed the importance of family, and he has shown it throughout his tenure at CSU. There have not been any player problems on the court, his team has improved greatly since his arrival (In three years he has a 40-38 record, he went to the Horizon League Championship last year, and he upset #11 Butler last year, and #13 Syracuse this year), the team looks very unified, and they have great chemistry. Coach Kimbrough was also a very great guy. When the camp ended we spoke to him, and he asked us where we were going to college. He told us if we ever wanted to be student assistants on our schools basketball teams, he would make phone calls to help us out. People should wake up and realize that we have more than 3 or 4 solid Division I basketball teams in Ohio, and probably one of the best ones is a team that they didn't even know about......

Well folks, that was a lot, but I have to make up for lost time. I hope you enjoyed it, and feel free to write any comments. Have a Happy Holiday, and I will probably write soon! Thank you, and Go Cleveland!

-Raz

New Day Rising

Well the Brady Quinn era began tonight. The Browns did indeed lose to the Denver Broncos 34-30. There were some good things and some real bad things in this game. Lets go over them:

Brady Quinn looked good
With only 2 full practices, and a notice only 3 days before the game, Brady Quinn did pretty well. He finished the game 23 for 35, 239 yards and 2 TDs with a 104.3 passer rating. He did not get sacked at all, and he used his mobility to avoid pressure. His first touchdown pass came with pressure in his face as Elvis Dumervill almost sacked him, but Brady avoided the sack and threw the touchdown. Brady made good, crisp passes, something that DA was unable to do. On the short routes to Jerome Harrison and Jamal Lewis, Brady got the passes to them very well. The final drive was a tough one for Quinn, in that 2 of the passes he threw were dropped by our receivers. We should also note that Quinn played a defense that did not feature cornerback Champ Bailey, and Denver's defense is ranked 29th in the league. Also, Denver really did not have any tape on Quinn, he only played one drive last year, and that was the last game of the year. But given the fact that he had only 2 practices for his first NFL start, Quinn did very well. He seems to have a bright future ahead of him.

The defense has taken 2 steps back
After a good performance versus the Jaguars, this defense has been rather porous. Against the Ravens, the Browns have allowed 429 and 564 yards. As Rick James once said "That is absurd" The problem that I see with the defense is blown coverages, missed tackles, and our linebackers inability to cover the pass. The blown coverages were seen in both the Baltimore game and the Denver game. In the Baltimore game, Sean Jones was supposed to help Brandon McDonald when he was covering Mark Clayton, but he bit inside and left McDonald by himself. This caused the 47 yard touchdown pass in the first half. Later in that game, the Browns had a lot of trouble tackling Ray Rice when he was running. He busted out for 154 yards on 21 carries. Also, in the fourth quarter when the Ravens were mounting their comeback, Eric Wright had a missed tackle on Derek Mason, which led to the 2nd of 3 touchdowns in that half. Also, in that game, did you notice how many times the receivers caught passes across the middle. These linebackers cannot cover these receivers. Mark Clayton and Derrick Mason do not strike fear in opposing defensive coordinators, and they played very well. This was also evident in the Denver game. TE Tony Scheffler had 4 catches for 94 yards, and he repeatedly caught passes over the middle and over the linebackers. Brandon McDonald was again abused when Eddie Royal caught a 93 yard pass from Jay Cutler. McDonald missed the tackle (notice the problem?), and there was no one to help him on that side of the field (blown coverage, problem?). Daniel Graham's touchdown in the 4th quarter was inexcusable as well. The Browns had 2 missed tackles, and he went in the last 5 yards untouched. The defense didn't generate that much pressure either, getting only one sack. If we have any chance of winning, we need consistent pressure. You can't blame the offense for keeping the defense on the field in this game, the offense was on the field longer than the Broncos were (32:09 compared to 27:51). The Browns allowed 447 yards in the air, which is ridiculous. We can't seem to make the 3rd down stop, we know these teams are going to pass, and we just get into these zone coverages without pressure, and the offenses complete the passes with ease. Denver converted 6 of its 11 3rd downs. Another concern I have is that this defense has blown leads of over 13 points in the last two games. We allowed 24 points in the second half of each of these games. The defense needs to play with fire, intensity, and discipline all 60 minutes of the football game. They cannot afford to take plays off, and let teams get back into games. The coaches should be disturbed by this because they are the main external factors that can motivate the players, and it has not happened in the second half of the past two game. The defense really needs to improve its play, they need to instill themselves with more discipline, smarts, and a better tackling technique.

Jerome, Jerome, where are thou Jerome?
Memo to the Browns: Give Jerome Harrison the ball. This game, the Browns got that memo and gave him the ball for 5 carries and 48 yards. After that 5th carry, the Browns threw the memo away, and he was not seen again. 5 carries? 5 carries? He was almost averaging 10 yards a carry and after 5 carries you stop! This guy is explosive, he lead the NCAA in rushing his last year in college. You don't lead the NCAA in rushing for no reason. This guy is explosive, and he has some moves. He can be the lighting to Jamal Lewis' thunder. This worked well with Jerome Bettis and Willie Parker. You can pound defenses with Lewis' strength, then let them try to chase the quick and elusive Harrison. The Browns should give him the ball more, it will help their offense.

Well this just about wraps it up. Sorry that I have no written in awhile, I have been busy with school. My next blog will probably be about the Cavaliers, unless the Indians make a move. About Brady being put in at QB, I agree with the move. I have said before that we should bench DA, and it finally happened. The problems DA has showed again in the Ravens game (bad throws, not clutch, no mobility, can't handle defensive pressure). Quinn solves a lot of these problems because he is accurate and he is mobile. Josh Cribbs played another great game with special teams tackles, and some good returns on kicks. Kellen Winslow had a great game aside from his fumble and dropped pass. The offensive line played great, as the Browns ran for over 100 yards and they did not give up a sack. Well thank you for reading, and I hope to write more in the future. Cleveland St. Vikings Basketball starts Monday, and I will be attending the game. I will write some of my observations in a future blog. I wish you all the best, and have a great week. Thanks and go Cleveland!

-Raz

Its War! Im a F*****n soldier!

As all of you know by know, the Cleveland Browns Tight End Kellen Winslow Jr. has been suspended for this weeks game. The reason for this is because of "conduct detrimental to the team". This came about on Sunday when K2 told WEWS Browns reporter Mary Kay Cabot that he was hospitalized with a staph infection, and that the Browns kept it quiet to protect themselves. He said he had been treated like a "piece of meat" and that this is "bigger than football" He went as far to say that he contemplated asking for a trade before Tuesdays deadline. In the past few years, 5 different players have had staph infections (Braylon Edwards, LeCharles Bentley, Ben Taylor, Brian Russell, Joe Jurevicius), so I can understand where K2 is coming from, but I feel that there is more than meets the eye here. K2 wants a new contract, and he still has 3 years left on his current contract. He hired a new agent in Drew Rosenhaus, and he wants to get paid. Here are the two points of view I see.

K2 has a right to speak up
If it is indeed true that the Browns did try cover up his injury, he definitely has a right to complain. I have the feeling that K2 should not have played this past week, and he stood up and played. I know that Edwards and Jurevicius lost much time because of a staph infection. Bentley's career is in serious jeopardy because a staph infection occurred in his injured knee, and Brian Russell missed the rest of the season when he had a staph infection in his elbow. Also, K2 is infamous for playing hurt. I know last year that he had bad shoulders, and a banged up knee, and he played in all 16 games last year and the year before. The last two seasons he has had (171 receptions, 1,981 yards and 8 touchdowns, abd 1 Pro Bowl too!) Last year he was 3rd in receiving yards , and 3rd in receptions among tight ends. K2 is one of the three best tight ends in the league (Antonio Gates and Jason Witten are the other two), and he is way to important to this team. Everyweek he goes out and fights hard. He brings a competitive swagger to the team and he makes amazing plays (Knocking Joey Porter to the ground, the Catch in Arizona last year, and the basketball catch versus Pittsburgh this year). So the reasons why K2 can talk is because the Browns have had a history of staph infections, he is too good of a player, and as long as he is on the field, he produces and fights.

K2 should keep his mouth quiet
Now the reasons why K2 should keep his mouth quiet is because the Browns have paid him very handsomely. In his first two seasons as a Brown he made $11.6 million. You know how many games he played in those two seasons? Two. Yes he played two games in those two seasons. He was hurt on an onside kick versus the Cowboys, and the year after he hurt himself in a motorcycle accident. Also, the Browns could have taken away $4.4 million from his motorcycle accident, but the Browns did not do that. The Browns have been fair to K2 in terms of his contract. Here is an example: This past summer the Golden State Warriors PG Monta Ellis signed a 6 year $66 million dollar extension. They decided to keep him over Baron Davis (who is a great player), and they made Monta their cornerstone player. This summer Ellis was injured in a mo-ped accident (athletes should get off these motorcycles!), and he is out for 2-4 months. The Warriors decided to suspend Ellis for 30 games (he is going to miss these games regardless because of the injury) without pay. Now look at what the Browns did, they could have taken away a lot of money from K2 but they were very fair with him and let him earn it. Technically, K2 did violate the rules of his contract by riding on a motorcycle, and the Browns still rewarded him. Also, when K2 came into the league as a rookie as the highest paid tight end. He hadn't played a down and he was already the highest paid tight end. Another reason why K2 should stay quiet is because both Josh Cribbs and Braylon Edwards had Pro Bowl seasons, and they did not blow up about asking for new contracts. Devin Hester got a brand new contract, and Cribbs has asked the Browns to re-work it, but he has not criticized the team or asked for a trade. The same goes along with Edwards. If the case is that K2 wanted his injury to be kept quiet, then I feel that K2 should keep quiet because he is hurting team morale. These types of situations should be kept in house and not for the media to jump on. The Browns are already struggling this season with a 2-4 record, and they really do not need this right now.

In conclusion, I am not really sure how I feel about this. I don't like how the Browns suspended K2 for this weeks game, especially since it is a must win. If K2 is really exposing a cover up by the Browns, then he definitely has a right to speak up. At the same time I like how the Browns took the team first approach and suspended one of their best players for causing this ruckus. The Browns have been very fair with K2, and K2 has fought very hard for the Browns as well. Now is not the time though to be causing harm in the locker room, if you want a new contract, play out this year and then in the offseason go for it. If I were the Browns, I would reward K2 at the end of the year if he continues his great play. He has fought greatly through these injuries (Stallworth missed 4 weeks because of a quad injury, but K2 plays on a bum knee and shoulders) and he has proven that he is one of the best tight ends in the league. Linebackers cannot cover him, and he is always a threat on the field. So if he continues his great play again this year, pay the man, he is that good. Just know that there are always three parts to a story, his side, the other guys side, and the truth. We are all trying to figure out the truth, and that is the hard part.

-Raz

Back to page one

Man, that Browns game really sucked. I felt that we were just a couple plays away from pulling away a victory but we just could not pull it off. Derek Anderson continued his inconsistent play, the Browns defense struggled against the run, and there seems to be some internal problems cooking within this team. In my last blog, I said the Browns would continue to play well, or would just flop, I think they went with the latter. Here are some observations:

Derek Anderson needs to be benched
I have always been a big DA fan. I think he is a solid NFL QB, but he has really struggled this year. Aside from the Giants game, he has been downright bad. Even last year, DA seemed to tail off. Since week 10 of last year, DA has gone 240 for 418 (57% completion) 18 TD's, 17 INT's, and a 70.7 QB rating. Yikes, for a team that is supposed to go to the playoffs those are some average numbers. In those 14 games, the Browns are 7-7. It is obvious that DA can be very good (Week 2 vs. Cincinnati, Week 8 vs St. Louis, Week 9 vs Seattle, in those three games he completed 63% of his passes and threw 8 TD's and 2 INT's, the Browns went 3-0 in those games), but the last half of the 2007 season, and this season, he has been below average. We have a youngster in Brady Quinn waiting to play, and I feel that a change would be a good thing. In one of my previous blogs I gave reasons why we should use Quinn (more mobile in pocket, accurate passer, competitive spirit, field general), and I am going to stick by it. During todays game, every time DA got pressured he threw passes over the heads of receivers, at their feet, and completely away from them. He just did not look in sync. Albeit, the receivers did drop a couple passes, but DA really did not throw well. Also, DA did not seem to manage the game as well. He didn't seem aggressive on the field, and he just looked passive the whole game. I am sure Romeo won't make a QB change, but he should really consider it if he wants to save the season.

The Defense kept us in the game
The Defense really played good this game, not great, but good. They kept this game close, but they still allowed too many rushing yards (193 total rushing yards). It is imperative to stop the run, especially because our secondary has played so well. If we stop the run, we will get more 3 and outs, and teams will be forced to pass the ball more. We have seen how well our secondary has progressed this year. The D is 11th in the league against the pass, and they are 2nd in the league in take-aways (9 INT's). The Defense needs to continue to pressure the QB and force opposing offenses to make mistakes. Shaun Rodgers played a good game and he had a sack as well. The Browns only gave up 158 yards through the air. The D also got a stop at the end of the game to get the ball back to the offense. The D struggled a little bit in the second half because they were on the field for so long in the first half. If the Browns want to completely solidify the D, they need to stop the run, and to continue the take-aways.

Internal problems are brewing
On the field, you could definitely tell the players were not on the same page. The communication between the QB and the WR was just not there. This erupted when fullback Lawrence Vickers and Derek Anderson got onto a dispute on the field, as both of them were trying to call timeouts. You could sense the frustration from Vickers. He seemed very upset and he looked like someone who had no faith in his QB. These types of problems are ones that the QB has to solve. He needs to grab his players by the collar and let them know who is the leader on the field. Apparently the dispute was about calling a timeout. They don't call QB's "field generals" for no reason. Most of the times QB's will call the timeout, but I guess Anderson went AWOL or MIA. Also, TE Kellen Winslow is very upset with the team because he wanted to disclose that his injury was a staph infection. The Browns have had 6 players who have had staph infections in past few years. Also, K2 said that "I'm just frustrated with a lot of things, I feel it's been going on for a while. I don't get treated right and it's not fair. Sometimes I just feel under-appreciated. I felt it was time to say something." The Browns did not want it getting around that he had a staph infection because it has happened numerous times. He even contemplated asking for a trade on Monday. K2 is also upset at the fact that General Manager Phil Savage did not call him when he was in the hospital. This is not good for a team that is 2-4, and really struggling. K2 is one of the best TE in the league, and the Browns have to do their best to keep him a Brown. He is too good of a player to be unhappy.

Keep it going Jamal
Man, Jamal Lewis just continues to impress me. He is one tough runner. Every single time he touches the ball he just chugs away, he does not go down easily. He had a great game as he ran for 80 yards on 19 carries. The Redskins had a hard time bringing him down and he just ran tough. The Browns should continue to give him the ball because we know that he will give it his all every single time he runs. If there is one positive the Browns offense has had it is that Lewis has never quit, and he is always running his hardest in every game.

For next week, its do or die. The Browns will be facing an solid Jaguars team (3-3) in Jacksonville. We will see how the team responds to this weeks loss. Either they will come together and play a great game, or the season will just crumble. It is important to pay attention to who takes reps with the first team at QB. Hopefully the Browns will try to figure out new defensive schemes to stop the run, continue to blitz the QB, continue to run the ball, practice catching the ball with the wide receivers and replace an inconsistent QB. The Browns are 2-4, and if they have chance of making the playoffs, it will start with a win next week with the Jags. Thanks for reading, and go Cleveland!!

-Raz

A Giant Victory

Wow, what a game. I was very fortunate enough to go to the Monday Night Football game in which the Cleveland Browns defeated the defending Super Bowl Champion New York Giants 35-14. The crowd was roaring all game, and they seemed to keep the Browns amped on the field. This game has huge implications for us. One, it keeps our season alive, the Browns now stand at 2-3 and tied for second place in the AFC North with the Baltimore Ravens. Second, it gave a huge boost of confidence for our team. We were able to show what the Browns were made of in a must-win game on the national stage. Braylon Edwards and Derek Anderson seemed to break out of their slumps and they each had huge games. Third, this game proved that the Browns have depth on offense. 8 different players caught passes, and Kellen Winslow did not even play. Here are some other notes I had about this game.

The Offensive line played great
When you surrender 0 sacks against the 3rd best Defense in the league, your offensive line is doing something right. Even without Usi Umenyora or Michael Strahan, the Giants have Justin Tuck, Cleveland native Barry Colfield, and Mathia Kiwanuka. Add in middle linebacker Antonio Pierce, and you have a very good front 7. Derek Anderson did not have a lot of pressure on him this game, and he showed how well he could do when give time in the pocket (310 passing yards, 2 TD's). Also, I attribute their great play to the return of Ryan Tucker. He helped solidify the right side of the line. Also, the Browns were able to run for 144 yards on the ground. The reason why the Browns offense was so great last year was because the offensive line played great and gave Derek Anderson time to throw the ball, and the line really showed that this game.

Welcome back Braylon and DA
Aside from one dropped pass, Braylon Edwards played great. From the player introductions (he did a cartwheel flip) to the end of the game, Edwards gave a great effort. Edwards had 5 receptions for 154 yards and a touchdown. He got things going on the first drive when he broke out for a 49 yard pass. The following quarter, he connected on a huge 70 yard bomb. Edwards is extremely important because he is the teams best downfield threat, and he helps stretch the field out. When he is stretching defenses out, it allows players like Darnell Dinkins and Steve Heiden to make plays across the middle (the two combined for 6 catches, 81 yards and a touchdown). Defenses have to account for Braylon making plays long, and when this occurs, it gives the offense more options on what they want to do.

DA had a great game as well. He did not make dumb throws (0 interceptions), and most of his throws were accurate. Braylon Edwards dropped a strike to his chest for a first down, and Stallworth let the ball go threw his hands on a fade route in the end zone. For the first time in a long time, Anderson was checking all his receivers, and not throwing to the first one he saw. He threw some very sharp passes and the TD pass to Edwards was great. He managed the game well, minimized mistakes, and most importantly he threw accurate passes.

Nice job using your weapons
The Browns coaching staff finally got the memo to use ALL their offensive players. 8 different players caught passes, and 5 different players ran the ball (discounting Derek Anderson) . The team is starting to use Steve Heiden and Jerome Harrison, which is great because they are both solid players. Harrison is a great change of pace back, and he reminds me of Derrick Ward. The team should consider using Kellen Winslow as a slot reciever more and Heiden at tight end. Line up Edwards, Stallworth, and K2 as our recievers, I am sure opposing defensive coordinators will love that. Also, I loved the fact that our coaches decided to start calling some different plays. Twice we used Cribbs in a direct snap situation which resulted in good yardage, and we did the double reverse play which resulted in a big gain as well. Plays like that keep opposing defenses off balance because they come at times they least expect it, and it is very hard to prepare for plays like that when the Browns really have not used them before. Kudos to the coaching staff for unleashing all the weapons, and finally throwing the ball down the field.

The penalties have got to stop
If there is one point the Browns have to work on this week, it is cutting down on the penalties. You have no idea how many times we heard "False Start, #...., Offense, 5 yard penalty, repeat 1st down". 10 penalties for 55 yards will not cut it every week. The team needs to get their timing together, because these penalties will begin to add up. The coaches should spend extra time getting the offensive unit in sync to not make dumb penalties.

The Defense was bent, but it was not broken
The Defense played a good game, but not a great one. They allowed 373 total yards and 181 rushing yards. Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward both had good games as they were able to make solid gains. You are not going to win too many games giving up 181 yards on the ground. The pass defense played a little better as Eric Wright had a couple pass break ups, and they did a great job of containing the Giants best receiver Plaxico Burress (4 catches, 58 yards, 1 TD) . The Browns did not allow the big passing play to happen either. The defense did not do a great job of consistently putting pressure on Eli Manning. Only once did we sack him. The only times that there were pressure were on third downs when the Browns brought the house, and I thought they were somewhat effective. The D did make big plays when they had to, and I will give credit where credit is due. Brodney Pool and Brandon McDonald both made great INT's but Eric Wright's was a complete gamechangers. On two of the INT's (Wright and Pool) the Giants were driving down the field and they stepped up to make huge plays. Also, Alex Hall continues to impress me, and he came up with a huge sack on 3rd down in the 3rd quarter. The Browns should continue blitz Hall more, along with a safety or corner. The Defense continues to play better, and they made numerous game changing plays, and I feel that the D is starting to turn the corner. In the Browns two victories this year, they have given up 12 points per game. Hopefully the D can continue their improvements throughout the season.

In conclusion, I want to note that the Browns did a great job of managing the game. Their time of possession was 32:25, compared to the Giants who had the ball for 27:35. This was huge because it kept our defense off the field and fresh. Also, it allowed the Browns to continuously pound the ball with Jamal Lewis, and keep the clock running. When the Browns had their lead in the 4th quarter, it was vital to gain first downs, and keep the clock running, which they did. The Browns have a tough schedule ahead of them (home vs. Washington, away vs Jax). But both of these games are winnable. Washington just lost to the lowly St. Louis Rams, and Jax is only 3-3. The Browns are booming with confidence right now after beating the defending Super Bowl champs, but they must not get carried away. They have to continue to play physical, mistake free, and disciplined football. The coaches have to continue to use the weapons that they have at their disposal. Also, the coaches should keep calling plays for deeper passes, and a few trick plays here and there. The defense should work on trying to consistently pressure QB's, and trying to stop the run. The Browns have allowed over 100 yards on the ground every game this year but one (Cincinnati). These games are won and lost in the trenches, and the Browns seem to be improving much faster on the offensive line, than on the defensive line, and stopping the run. The implications of this game are huge. The Browns keep the season alive, but they have to be careful and take each game one at a time. Either the Browns will come out and continue to play well, or they are gonna fall flat on their faces. Consistency is key, and when hard work and opportunity meet, you have good things. The Browns needs to remember those two pieces of advice. Well, I think that just about wraps it up. Thank you again for reading, and I would love to hear your comments. Have a great week, and go Cleveland!

-Raz

The Cavaliers and the L-Train

So far, I have covered the Browns and the Indians. Now, its time for a review of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Now we all know that the Cavs have the best player in the world in LeBron James. He is without a doubt one of my favorite athletes. His talent level just gets better every year, and he has show that he can take games over (Portland and Toronto last year, Game 5 vs Detroit). Speaking of Game 5 versus Detroit. That in my opinion is the greatest single performance these beautiful eyes have ever seen. To score 25 straight points in the last few minutes of a 4th quarter, and 2 overtimes is just insane. I find it also important that before that game some basketball analysts (Skip Bayless, Marc Stein, and Stephen A. Smith) all said that LeBron did not have the killer instinct and that he could not take the games over. Heck even some of my friends said that he did not have the ability to win games himself. Well I think he shut just about everyone up with that performance.

Now last season ended in somewhat of a disappointment because I really believed the Cavs could have won. The reason why I thought the Cavs could have won is because they play really good defense and rebound. The Cavs allowed only 84 ppg, and they actually outscored the Celtics in the series. (592-588). LeBron James had an amazing game 7 performance with 45 points and we came up short. Anytime you play good defense you always give your team a chance to win. Couple that with the fact that we have a superstar in LeBron James, the Cavs are an extremely dangerous playoff team.

The Cavs midseason trade gave us roster flexibility
Everyone, including myself thought the Cavs would go on a monster tear, but they only went 14-13. I feel like all Cavs fans thought we would do so well was because we really had not made a major move since the signing of Larry Hughes in the summer of 2005. Most Cavs fans were hungry for a roster move, and the Cavs did so. Bringing in Ben Wallace helped our interior defense and rebounding, but offensively it really hurt us. Drew Gooden was an ample rebounder and he could hit the base line jumper really well. When Anderson Varaejo and Wallace were on the floor together we could get no interior scoring. Joe Smith was a solid addition downlow. He is someone who can do the dirty work, and hit a couple jumpers. Wally Szczerbiak was supposed to be the sharpshooter, but he really struggled to find his rhythm. Delonte West was a player who really impressed me. He can do a little bit of everything. He runs the point, plays defense, can drive to the hoop, and shoot. In the playoffs he really stepped his game up, he hit the game winning shot versus the Wizards in game 4, and he played very well in the Boston series. He is definitely a keeper, and I am glad the Cavs signed him to an extension in the offseason. While the trade did not directly improve our record, it allowed us to shed some deadweight on our team, and give us roster flexibility. Shannon Brown rarely played, Donyell Marshall was going to be collecting Social Security in a few months, and Cedric Simmons signs autographs for himself. Those guys basically contributed nothing. I believe Larry Hughes was not used correctly here, but at the same time he did not like being the teams point guard. I remember after the trade he said he really did not care about winning a championship, and that he just wanted to play. I don't believe thats the type of sidekick you want with LeBron James. He seems to have lost his game in general because he put up very similar statistics after the trade. This trade gave us flexibility in that we acquired 2 expiring contracts for this year in Joe Smith (8 million dollars), Wally (14 million dollars), and a second round pick. We traded Smith in the summer, but we still have the expiring contract of Wally to use this year. People seem to get confused about expiring contracts, so I will give a quick explanation. Lets say the Cavs want to trade Wally and Anderson Varaejo, the salaries that they get back must be 125% plus $100,000 of what we are trading. Lets say the Wolves want to trade Randy Foye (hypothetical). Lets say he is making 8 million dollars, but his contract runs for 2 more years. The Wolves would then include 1-3 contracts that add up to 14 million dollars (to make salaries traded equal) , and those contracts would run past that year (not expiring). This might seem like an unfair trade, but in reality it gives the Wolves a lot of cap room that summer because they would rid themselves of salary and they wont be tied up in long-term contracts. The Cavs are able to acquire a good player in Randy Foye. This coming season, the Cavs have Wally, Anderson (he has an opt out clause this year, and he will probably opt out, so he is almost an expiring contract), and 2 draft picks (1 first round, 1 second round) to trade. The Cavs have the ammo to make a move. You might be asking yourself, if the Cavs keep taking on contracts they will have a bloated payroll. Well we already do, but thank god for our owner Dan Gilbert. Our payroll is 2nd highest in the NBA, and we pay about 20 million dollars in luxary tax. Gilbert has made it clear he will do anything, and pay as much money to win a championship, and keep LeBron happy (bigger payroll, upgrading the Q, new practice facility in Independence). So the result of this trade was that it gave us a good shake up to a dried roster, 2 expiring contracts (Wally/Smith), a solid guard (West), and a good veteran defender (Wallace).

Mo Williams is a good acquisition
After a summer full of rumors for the Cavs (Baron Davis, Monta Ellis, Leandro Barbosa, Ryan Gomes), they finally pulled off a trade to acquire Maurice Williams from the Milwaukee Bucks. The Cavs sent Joe Smith (expiring contract) to the Oklahoma City Thunder, and they sent guard Damon Jones (expiring contract, notice the trend?) to the Bucks. There were other players traded but they really are not important for our sake. Mo Williams brings something that the Cavs have not really had, and that is someone who can score. For the past two seasons he has averaged 17 ppg and 6 assists. He has shown that he can consistently score, and he shoots pretty decently (39% from 3 last year, 48% FG). People might say "Hey he is another Larry Hughes" wrong. Hughes was entering a the last year of his contract when he put up his career numbers. Many players play their best in the last year of a contract because they want to make the most money. Hughes before that never averaged his career numbers (22 PPG), and in Cleveland he never came close to that. Williams signed a 5 year deal last year, and he put up better numbers the year after he signed the contract. He has shown that he can shoot, dish, and penetrate consistently. The only drawback I have is that Williams does have a checkered history of getting hurt, but I hope he can avoid that this year. You see what two expiring contracts can get you in the NBA. If you look on paper Joe Smith and Damon Jones for Mo Williams, it looks like a rip-off but both teams in the three way deal acquired cap flexibility in the expiring contracts. Hopefully in February, the Cavs can make another move.

Our 2008 Draft might be pretty good
J.J. Hickson, Power Forward, NC State. Once David Stern said that name, numerous people shook their heads, and even some of my friends were unhappy. Now I used to go to numerous websites (nbadraft.net, draftexpress.com, espn.com) to read up on this years prospects and watch some of their videos. I do remember reading up on Hickson, but I was not that familiar with him. He drew comparisons to Brandon Bass and Chris Wilcox. When watching videos of him, you can kind of see why the Cavaliers drafted him. The Cavs need youth down low. Z, Ben Wallace, and Joe Smith are all over the age of 33. Varaejo cant score downlow if you locked him in a gym. Hickson loves playing downlow, and he thrives on dunking on his opponents. He lead the ACC in rebounding (8.5 per game) and he scored 15 points per game. If you want a good indicator of how a player will transition to the NBA, look at his rebounding totals. Most college players who rebound well can hold their own when it comes to rebounding in the NBA. Post players Darnell Jackson and Sasha Kaun both played at Kansas, and were acquired for a draft pick and cash. Jackson will be a glue guy at best. He will be good for rebounding and defense. Kaun will be stashed over in Russia, and he will play over there for a couple years. We will evaluate him when his contract runs out. The Cavs added youth to their frontcourt with Hickson and Jackson, and they were able to get two guys who can rebound, and a guy who wants to bang down low in Hickson. (People said we should have drafted Darrell Arthur, well he got kicked out of Rookie Camp for having weed and women in his room. Also, he has concerns with his kidney)

The Cavs can win it all this year (with a mid season trade)
Yes I said it. I really feel that this Cavaliers squad can really win it all this year. All they have to do is stay healthy, develop Hickson and Jackson, and make another acquistion at the trade deadline. Last year, the Cavs were really bit with the injury bug, and they led the NBA in most man games missed. The longer the Cavs stay healthy, the more time they will have to gel and build chemistry. If Hickson and Jackson can develop, the Cavs will have more low post options to score, and they can also give these two increased playing time, and rest up Z and Ben Wallace for the playoffs. The big factor this year is making another trade for a good player at the deadline. The Cavaliers have the ammo (listed above) to make a move. By adding another good player to the mix of Lebron, Delonte, Mo, Boobie, and Z, the Cavs really set themselves up well. The Cavs have a lot of depth at guard (Williams, Boobie, West, Wally, Sasha,) so maybe they should try to get themselves a low post threat, but any good player will do.

Another reason why I think we will win is because the Cavaliers do not have any contract holdouts to worry about (Sasha and Varaejo), and everyone seems to be in good spirits about this year. The Cavs know they were very close to beating the Celtics, and by adding Hickson, Jackson, Kinsey, and Williams, the Cavs know they are a better team. The Cavaliers did a good job of shaking up the roster and making some moves. This brings excitement to the team and its fans. Last year, the Cavs were fresh off the NBA Finals, and they did not make any moves in the offseason. The team was basically stale all year, and they just looked like they ghost walked through this past season. The Cavs brought in new bodies, and they kept the team young (All 4 guys we brought in are under the age of 26). The Cavs are showing LeBron that we are committed to bringing in a good team (making 2 big trades in 6 months, adding salary to the payroll), thus increasing his chances of re-signing with us in 2010 (he is going to re-sign, don't worry). The East is also ours for the taking as well. Gilbert Arenas is out for about the first month and a half, so the Wizards will struggle. The Pistons are going stale and they won't make too much noise. Jermaine O'Neal is old, and he really has not shown the old player he used to be (Raptors). Elton Brand was out all last year and there is no guarantee he will continue to play well, also the 76'ers are very young, and they still need time to learn. The Celtics are returning everyone, but the fire to win a championship will be much less. Pierce, Allen, and Garnott had not won a championship at all, and they ALL really wanted a ring badly. Now that they have one, the desire to win another won't be as hot. The Cavs really have positioned themselves to get a good seed in the playoffs.

The Cavs now have West coming off the bench, which is great considering he started last year. We have two good shooters in Daniel Gibson (who is very clutch, game 6 vs. Pistons?) and Wally. I have read numerous stories that Sasha is starting to get his head on straight and that he might be getting if finally. In the 2007 playoffs he played great, but he really lost it after that. Sasha has shown flashes of being a solid player, but until I see it with my eyes, he is still an 8th man. Hopefully all this talk is true about him. Also, we now have a full roster together, and they will have an entire training camp together to work and gel together. The only concern I have is the age of our 2 frontcourt starters. Z and Wallace are starting to really show their age, and they have battled injuries. Keeping those two healthy is key because Z is a great rebounder and he can shoot. Wallace has showed he can play D, block shots, and rebound. Remember game 2 versus the Celtics last year? After he left the game with allergies, the Cavaliers really struggled defensively, and that was the only blow out game that the Cavs lost. This is why the development of Hickson and Jackson are key. The better they play, the more rest we can give these two guys. Another strategy the Cavs might try is to play LeBron at Power Forward. I really don't like this because LeBron does not really have good post moves, and this takes away his best assets (facilitating and driving to the hoop).

In conclusion, I just want to say that I am extremely excited for this comming season. LeBron James showed that he can take his game to another level (2008 Olympics), and that he is trying to improve his shooting. The acquisition of Mo Williams brought another scorer to help take the load of LeBron. Drafting Hickson and Jackson brought youth to the frontcourt. Signing Tarrance Kinsey was a bargain signing, in the last 24 games of the 2007 season he averaged 11 points per game. He will add athleticism to this team, and he can defend the perimeter well. Also, the Cavs will always play great defense and rebound under coach Mike Brown. All that was needed last year was a little more offensive push, and the Cavs got that this offseason. I am really excited about the fact that we have the assets to make a trade and make the team even better!

Thank you all for reading and I hope you will all comment on my review of the Cavaliers. I wish you all the best of luck, and go Cleveland!

-Raz

A review of the Indians. Ho Hum.

Hello everyone,

With a quiet week of Cleveland sports coming up (Browns bye week, Indians season just ended, Cavs preseason does not start for about another week) I thought this would be a good time to begin talking about the Indians past season.

The Indians season can be summed up in one word: weird. This team was one game away from going to the World Series last year, and they finished this season with a record of 81-81.

Aside from bringing in Jamey Carroll and Masa Kobayashi, the Indians did nothing in the past offseason. I believe this is one of the main reasons why the team did not do as well this year. When you are one game away from winning the ALCS, and you collapse against a good Boston Red Sox team, you have to make some changes. When a team makes changes I feel that it brings some sort of excitement to the team, and their fans. How can you go into the season with the same exact squad you had, with the bad taste of the collapse versus Boston? The team needed a little bit of a shake up, and they did not do that. Remember when the Indians traded for Kenny Lofton last year? Remember how much excitement that brought to both the team and fans? I remember Kenny got a standing ovation when he came up to bat, and the stadium in his first game was full. Kenny was an important part of the Indians success last year in the playoffs. While his stats did not wow anyone, he worked the counts against pitchers, and when he got on base, he was always a threat to steal, and he was always a good left fielder. By not bringing in any new blood, the Indians would just hope that some of our players would continue their great play, but this often times does not happen. Players do not have career years every year. Aside from Grady Sizemore and Victor Martinez, what "great" players does this lineup have? Every playoff team in the AL has 2-3 great hitters in their lineup. Boston had Manny, David Ortiz, Kevin Youkilis, and Dustin Pedroia. Angels have Vlad, Torii Hunter, Mark Texiera. Chicago has Jermaine Dye, and Carlos Quentin. Tampa Bay has Evan Longoria, Carlos Pena, Carl Crawford and B. J. Upton. The Indians need great players in their lineup, and by not having a great hitter in our lineup this season (minus Sizemore) really hurt us. Here is also what went wrong this offseason:

Injuries really killed this squad as well. Joe Borowski, Jake Westbrook, Travis Hafner, Victor Martinez, Josh Barfield, and Fausto Carmona all suffered injuries this year. All of these guys except Borowski all spent time on the 60 day DL. I felt that these guys were all major parts of the Indians rise in the Central Division last year. When your 3 and 4 hitters in your lineup, closer, 2nd and 3rd starters go down, the odds of your team doing aren't that good.

The bullpen was extremely inconsistent. Aside from Rafael Perez and Jensen Lewis, the Indians have a set of inconsistent arms. My father could pitch better than Joe Borowski, Rafael Betancourt seems to have lost his touch, Tom Mastny is not that reliable, Masa Kobayashi is not a closer and he seemed to get tired by the end of the year, and Edward Mujica just wont cut it. Our bullpen had a 19-25 record with a 5.13 ERA. You don't make it to the playoffs with a record like that.

The platoon in left field sucked. David Dellucci and Jason Michaels are not supposed to be starters on a playoff team. I feel that this really killed the team because I feel that everyone but Mark Shapiro knew this was a bad idea. I heard from Terry Pluto (one of the best sports writers in Cleveland) that Eric Wedge wanted Ben Francisco in left field, but Shapiro opposed it. These two guys really sucked the life out of the offense because they couldn't hit or field. When we brought in Francisco, we finally got some offense from left field. I like Francisco and I feel that hes a solid 3rd outfielder. Even though he tailed off a little bit in the second half, he can be used as a stopgap until Matt LaPorta comes in, or be used as trade bait at a later date.

Now that I have gone over what went wrong this season. I feel that Cliff Lee, Shin-Soo Choo, Grady Sizemore, Jensen Lewis, and Rafael Perez all had good seasons. I feel that Ryan Garko and Jhonny Peralta had solid seasons as well. Cliff Lee became the first Indians pitcher to win 20 games since 1974, Choo destroyed in the second half (.343 11 HR, 48 RBI) , Sizemore continued his great fielding and had a nice surge in power (33 homeruns) , Lewis saved 13 games, and Perez continued to be the dominant lefty in the bullpen (4-4, 3.54 ERA, 86 strikeouts and 2 saves). If theres anything to salvage from this season, its that all of these guys are at or are under the age of 30. We can continue to build our team around these guys.

What to do in the offseason?
Sign a reliever or two.
I feel that this team is very close to going back to the World Series. The first thing the Indians must do is sign a couple of bullpen arms. I'm sorry, I cannot rely on a couple of AAA prospects to come into our bullpen and carry us to the playoffs. Octavio Dotel and Matt Herges will be free agent, maybe look into signing one of them. After the trades of CC Sabathia, Paul Byrd, and Casey Blake, the Indians were able to shed some salary, so they have some wiggle room to spend this offseason ($14 million, according to Terry Plut0). Since K-Rod is way out of our price range, the most probable way of getting some good arms will have to come through a trade. By trading for a couple of solid bullpen arms, you can add them to the mix of Perez, and Lewis which will solidify the bullpen. If Mastny, Kobayashi, or Beatancourt can return to the way they are capable of pitching, the Indians will have a solid bullpen. We wont be relying on a bad closer in Joe Borowski, or an inconsistent Edward Mujica.

Trade for JJ Hardy or Brian Roberts
These guys would really solidify our infield. With the emergence of Kelly Shoppach at catcher (21 HR, 55 RBI in 112 games), Victor Martinez can be moved to first base. This makes either Hafner or Garko expendable. Teams would probably prefer Garko because he makes less money, is younger, and has played better the past two seasons. The Brewers are trying to shed salary this offseason, and I am sure Hardy will come up in trade talks. Brian Roberts is due for 8 million dollars next year, and I don't see the Orioles going anywhere next year. They can shed his salary, and add some young prospects through a trade. Garko does not make nearly as much as Roberts or Hardy do, so it makes fiscal sense for these teams to make a trade. Lets say the Indians try to get Roberts, they can trade Garko (who came on very strong at the end of the year and his value increased), Sowers/Laffey/Barfield/Franklin Guiterrez (one of these three), and a top level prospect (3B Jared Goedert, he batted .317, 20 HR and 74 RBI in Class A Kinston). You might say why are we trading a 3B prospect? Well we have 2 3B in Wes Hodges (.288 15 HR 71 RBI in Class A Kinston) and Beau Mills (.261 6 HR 42 RBI in rookie ball) waiting in the wings. Shapiro has to have the attitude that he has 2-3 years to win a World Series, and that he might have to deal away with a couple of top prospects to get a player like Brian Roberts. So lets say we get Roberts, we have Victor at first, Roberts at second, Asdrubal at short, and Peralta at third. Our lineup then becomes:
Roberts
Choo
Sizemore
Victor
Hafner
Peralta
Francisco
Shoppach
Asdrubal
If we get JJ Hardy, we would keep Asdrubal at second, and Hardy would play shortstop. Not bad of a lineup. You have speed at the top, Grady can continue to hit for power, Victor and Hafner can hit homers, and the rest of the lineup rounds out to be pretty solid. We cannot win a World Series with Jamey Carroll or Josh Barfield in our infield. I feel that adding Roberts (.296 9 HR 57 RBI and 40 stolen bases) or Hardy (.283 24 HR 74 RBI) would solidfy not only our infield, but our lineup as well.

Sign or trade for a 4th or 5th starter
Cliff Lee, Fausto Carmona seem to be the two penciled in starters next year. Scott Lewis seems like a good candidate to be the third starter. This leaves the 4th and 5th rotation spots open. I feel that Zach Jackson is not that good, and at best he is a 5th starter. Sowers and Laffey have both been inconsistent and one of them could be traded. If we sign or trade for a 4th starter, we can add him to the rotation of Lee, Carmona, Lewis, 4th starter, Laffey/Sowers/Jackson or upcoming prospect. Jake Westbrook should be back near the middle of the year, so he can help fill the rotation as well. By signing a solid 4th starter, the Indians will not have to rely on 2 inexperienced or inconsistent starters. As I said before, I think this squad can go very far next year, and they cannot rely on rookies or second year players to carry them.

If the Indians do what I have suggested, to me, they are the team to beat in the Central. Chicago got lucky this year, and they are very old. Jim Thome, Jermaine Dye, Ken Griffey Jr., and Paul Konerko will all be over the age of 33 by next year. The Detroit Tigers are cutting salary this offseason, and they have no pitching to speak of. The Minnesota Twins seem to be the team that will battle with the Indians next year. . With a young nucleus of pitchers (Scott Baker, Nick Blackburn, and Kevin Slowey) and hitters (Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, Denard Span, Delmon Young, and Michael Cuddyer), the Twins will be around for awhile. The Indians went 44-30 in the second half of the year. By adding a Hardy or Roberts, along with a healthy Victor Martinez and Travis Hafner (start making your money) to a lineup that played better in the second half of the season, the Indians can make it back to the playoffs. By solidifying the bullpen, the Indians will finally be able to close out games, and they wont be worn down by the frustrations of a two blown saves a week. By adding a starter to the rotation, the Indians will have depth, and a solidified rotation. The Indians showed in the second half that they have the ability to be a good team in the AL. The hitting had improved, the starters were pitching better, and the bullpen began to become stable. By making some additions in the offseason, the Indians can make a lot of noise next year.

The Indians have some young prospects waiting in the wings as well. Matt LaPorta came from the CC trade, and he looks like the real deal. Also, the Indians will be choosing between OF Michael Brantley (.319 4 HR 40 RBI in AA Hunstville) or 3B Taylor Green (.289 15 HR 73 RBI in Class A Brevard County) to complete the CC trade. Beau Mills and Wes Hodges are both solid infield prospects, Adam Miller is a top pitching prospect who is being moved to the bullpen, and catcher Carlos Santana, who was acquired in the Casey Blake trade (.324 14 HR 96 RBI in Class A minors, Victor Martinez anyone?) was named the California League MVP.

I agree with all the trades Shapiro made. CC was not going to re-sign with us, and we weren't headed to the playoffs WHEN we made the trade. Instead of getting 2 draft picks, we got two very good prospects (LaPorta and Green/Brantley) who will help us greatly now (shedding CC's salary) and in the future. Casey Blake was hitting well, but again, the Indians were going no where, so getting Santana to me was great. Blake is basically a 4 month rental to the Dodgers, and hes 35 years old. Cutting off Paul Byrd's salary was also a good idea. The Indians were able to shed salary, pick up 3-4 good prospects, and were able to evaluate and give ample playing time to youngsters such as Scott Lewis, Anthony Reyes, Zach Jackson, former no. 1 pick Bryan Bullington, and Michael Aubrey. Other youngsters who got playing time such as Franklin Guiterriez and Andy Marte did not do that well. Marte is not that good, and Franklin is a good defensive outfielder and is a 4th or 5th outfielder, not a starter.

Finally, I want to comment on the fact that the Indians need to learn from their past mistakes. They need to know that they need to make some moves in the offseason to give some sort of excitement to the fans, and inside the clubhouse. If you do not make changes, your team will begin to get stale. I mean look at the Cavaliers in the 2007-2008 season, they made no moves in the offseason, and they looked sluggish throughout the whole regular season. Also, this team needs to learn with pressure. I feel that this team gets tentative when they feel pressure, and this was evident in the Boston series last year, and this year as well. Lets take a look at the numbers: In 2005 the Indians went 93-69. They cut a 10 game lead to a 1 game lead, but they were unable to make the playoffs. That year the Indians were supposed still be in the middle/late stages of rebuilding. No one expected them to even contend for the Central. The expectations, the pressure was not there. They flew under the radar, and they played well. The next year in 2006 , many people believed the Indians would win the Central, but they finished 78-84. The team came out sluggish, and had a horrible April, and never recovered. After a disappointing 2006, people did not have great expectations for them, and what did they do? You guessed it, they won 96 games, and were very close to going to the World Series. This past season, many people, including ESPN's Buster Olney and Mike Greenberg predicted the Indians to go to the World Series. The pressure was on to go far in the playoffs, especially after winning 96 games the year before. What did the Indians do? Ha, right again! They won 81 games, and finished in 3rd place in the Central. Eric Wedge needs to sit his team down and tell them that they need to learn how to play under great expectations, and they need to fight through the adversity of a 182 game season. Now I am sure there are other factors to the reasons why the Indians played the ways they did in the last few years, but the pressure and expectations were still there.

Well I know this was a long assessment of the Indians season, but I feel that I touched on most of the important stuff that happened, and what needs to happen. Usually I will be writing about one topic, and not a huge assessment or summary like I did right now. I want to thank all of you for reading, and I hope you will leave your thoughts in he "comments" section. Again thanks, and I wish you all the best! Go Cleveland!

-Raz

A Win. O HELL YA!

Hello everyone,

I was unable to watch the Browns game live, but I ended up recording it on my DVR. I came away with a few observations from the Browns 20-12 victory over the Bengals.

Jamal Lewis still has it. This guy impressed me both on and off the field during this game. He set the tone early in the game. In the first drive he had a couple of big runs that set us up for a field goal. Lewis never went down on first contact, and he just kept his feet moving. Throughout the game he ran hard and tired out the Bengals D. Along with his tough running (24 carries for 79 yards and a TD) , he caught 2 passes for 15 yards. Also, in the third quarter, after the Braylon Edwards was flagged for an unnecessary roughness penalty, it seemed that Derek Anderson got in his face about it, and Braylon seemed to be jawing back. Jamal got in the middle of both of them, grabbed both their jerseys and tried to calm them down. I thought this was a great example of veteran leadership by Lewis. Both Anderson and Edwards are 25 years old, and they still have some learning to do in the NFL, and I thought that Lewis did a good job of acting as a mediator to these young talents.

This Defense is not that bad. I know the Bengals did not have their starting QB in Carson Palmer, but they still had Chad Johnson, TJ Houshmanzadeh, Chris Perry, and Ben Utecht. The D did a great job of stopping the run. D'Qwell Jackson, and Brandon McDonald both had great plays where they stopped the run in the backfield. We did not let the Bengals get that big gain on the ground. Our front 7 seemed to get good penetration up front. The Bengals starting running back Chris Perry was held to 28 yards on 12 carries. The previous three games he averaged 60 yards per game. Our secondary also played well in that Eric Wright made some good plays, especially in the first half where had a good pass deflection and a great interception. He should have done a better job of holding on to the ball during the INT return. Mike Adams played a good game, he had an INT, a sack, and a fumble recovery. I also liked the fact that we were sending more guys to blitz from our secondary. It was a smart idea to pressure an inexperienced QB, this resulted in 3 sacks. Shaun Rogers continues to play well as he added a sack and continued to put pressure on their offense. Kamerion Wimbley finally recorded his first sack, so hopefully he can break out of the slump he has been in for the last few months. I was particularly impressed with our tackling. We did not let the Bengals break away from big plays, and we did a great job of wrapping up the opposition. Alex Hall definitely looks like a keeper. He pressured the QB, forced a fumble, and had a sack. Not bad for a rookie 7th round rounder who was drafted out of D III school St. Augustine's. The unit finally seemed to play as a whole, and they did not let the big play happen.

We still look kind of sloppy. In the first half, Derek Anderson did not look good at all. We ran the ball more, but in the times that we did throw, we still did not do a good job of getting passes out to our receivers. He continued to throw passes in double coverage, or passes at the receivers feet. After the INT in the 2nd half, Anderson seemed to make better passes. He threw a good TD pass to Braylon, and he went 6 for 7 for 46 yards. I feel that he had more poise in the pocket, and he did not make the dumb mistakes he usually does. Also, I attribute the better play to the offensive line. They had their best game in my mind in that we allowed 1 sack all game, and ran for 134 yards. When the offensive line plays well, it benefits DA in a few ways. One, the run does better, so opposing defenses must account for both the run and pass. This takes pressure off DA to make big plays when the run is taken away, as opposed to having a good running game, which allows him to do more. Another benefit is that DA has more time in the pocket. When DA does not feel rushed he seems to make better passes and he does not make dumb throws. He won't lock on a receiver, and he can scan the field for an open receiver with more time. Overall, I feel that DA played a little above average game. The Browns still had a few penalties in the game (9 of them for 52 yards), turnovers (Eric Wright Fumble, DA INT), and it took them a long time to finally get in the flow of the game (We didn't score a TD till the 4th quarter).

The Browns still have some quirks to work out in practice. I feel that this team can get much better with practice, or they can just fall right back on their faces and be a below-average squad. We have the talent to do well, we just have to play disciplined, and smart. Our coaches need to continue to use Jerome Harrison more in the offense. I was glad to see him used, but he can be used even more because he only had 4 carries, and he was thrown to a few times. Alex Hall should continue to play more, and the coaches should concentrate on throwing the ball deep down the field. This will open up the whole field for our offense and make us a very potent offensive squad. DA has a make or break week vs the Giants. I say this because if he does not play well, the season will probably be a wash, and there will be an incentive to see what Brady Quinn will do. DA did not wow anyone with his performance, but he definitely should not lose his job over this game either. With a bye week coming up, some of our key offensive players should get healthy (Donte Stallworth, Ryan Tucker, maybe Joe Jurevicus) . The D should continue to pressure and confuse offenses in the trenches, and they should send more blitzes to force turnovers. The Browns have a huge game vs the Giants, and I hope they pull out a victory. A win vs. the defending Super Bowl Champs can go a long way to building confidence in this team, and taking us in the right direction for this season.

Well, I have to go back to studying for my Accounting exam. Wish me luck, I am going to need it! Hopefully sometime this coming week (Tuesday or Wed.) I can write about the Indians and my thoughts on the season, and the upcoming offseason. Thank you for reading, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Leave me a comment, and go Cleveland!

-Raz

To be or not to be? DA vs Brady and others

After the dissapointing loss that the Browns encounter on Sunday against the Ravens, every Browns fan seems to be calling for the heads of Romeo Crennell and Derek Anderson. Before I get to the DA vs Brady question, I will take a look at Romeo.

While I am not a big fan of Romeo Crennell, I do like him for a couple of reasons. One, the players respect him well. You do not hear too many stories of mutiny in the locker room or players getting arrested. Back when we had Butch Davis, you had scuffles between players such as William Green and Kevin Johnson, veterans like Ross Verba calling out the coaches, and a very non-disciplined team doing dumb things such as throwing off a helmet before a game ends.

Another reason why I like Romeo is he has done somewhat of a good job of scouting, and using talent that he has had. While most of the credit should go to GM Phil Savage, Romeo does have a say in what players come in and out. We have had some pretty solid draft picks under Savage/Crennell. This includes linebackers Kamerion Wimbley, D'Qwell Jackson, Leon Williams, running back Jerome Harrison, special teams ace Josh Cribbs, wide reciever Braylon Edwards, quarterback Derek Anderson, offensive tackle Joe Thomas, and safety Brodney Pool. While these guys are not bone fide Pro Bowlers, they are a pretty solid group of players. Romeo probably was not responsible for bringing all these guys in, but I am sure he had a hand in scouting, and he has done a solid job of coaching them. Last year we had 5 Pro Bowlers, and only one of them was not from the Savage/Crennell regime (Kellen Winslow Jr.), so obviously we have done a good job of upgrading our talent base, and we have used our players in a productive way.

Now that the good has been established, we have to show the cons of Romeo's coaching tenure. I feel that with the current controversy that we have between DA and Brady is one that is not good. Romeo should have learned his lesson from Week 1 in 2007 when he decided to flip a coin before the game to decide the starter for the game vs. Pittsburgh. We all saw how well that played out. What I did like was that he was very quick to a decision in getting Charlie Frye out of here a couple days later. Romeo needs to set the precedent of who his QB is going to be. Romeo seems to lack decision making skills. His gaffe of not calling a timeout before the 2nd quarter vs. Pittsburgh really killed us. Going for a field goal when you are down 28-7 in the fourth quarter is also pretty dumb. He should have gone for it on 4th down in the 4th quarter vs. Pittsburgh. If you get the TD the game is tied and your defense can get a stop. By kicking a field goal you NEED a stop, along with a TD to win the game. Romeo seems to take the safe route with his calls, and he needs to learn that this team played its best when we threw the ball down the field and attacked defenses.

Another problem I have with Romeo is that he is too nice of a head coach. I have only see Romeo yell at his players on the sidelines 2 or 3 times. When we make mistakes he just has a blank stare on the sidelines. During press conferences he usually says that we either made too many mistakes, or just played poorly. He should be calling out his players to do better and light their fires. A bad coach is one who calls his players out but does not motivate them to do well. A great coach is one who can call his players out, tell them what they are doing wrong, fix it in practice, and see a better result on the field. His players seem to be too comfortable on the field, and they do not seem like they are ready to make big plays happen. He does not seem to like the challenge of the pressure that big games bring, as he has not beaten the Steelers in his tenure, and the team lost a critical game vs the Bengals last year that cost us the playoffs. After going 10-6 last year, the Browns were poised to make a playoff run and many analyst's predicated that they would win the AFC North, but this has not happened. We have great expectations for this team, and we seem to have buckled under the pressure. I make this sound very simple, and I am sure there is more too it, but Romeo needs to start being more aggressive with his players, and coaching style.

We are in the 4th week of our season and we are 0-3. We are taking on a Cincinnati team who barely lost to the Super Bowl champion NY Giants. They will be full of confidence knowing that they hung with one of the best teams in the NFL. Their QB Carson Palmer and WR TJ Houshmanzadeh seem to have broken out of their slump as Carson threw for 286 yds, and Housh caught for over 100 yds at a TD. The Bengals have an offensive arsenal that is bound to explode any week, and if theres a week where they can do it, it will be against the young and ineffective Browns secondary. Palmer and Housh, along with Chris Perry, Chad Ocho Cinco, and Chris Henry are too good to be sputtering on offense. Add this with the fact that Josh Cribbs, Eric Steinbach, Jamal Lewis, Donte Stallworth, and Sean Jones are all battling injuries, the Browns really need some stability going into this game, especially from the QB position. Heres what I would do:

Bench DA, and start Brady Quinn. Do this because DA seems to have lost his confidence, and he looks very tentative and slow throwing the ball. I get nervous every time he throws the ball because every time he throws, the ball is thrown near 2-3 defenders. He does not seem to do a good job of finding receivers in single coverage. This might not all be his fault because 2 of his 3 top receivers are hurt. Syndric Steptoe, who is a 7th round pick is our 2nd receiver. He has very little experience in the NFL. Also, his receivers have dropped a lot of passes, especially Braylon Edwards. Still, DA threw a crucial INT to Ed Reed that really killed us. In this Pittsburgh game this year, he could not get us in the endzone, and when we got down the field he threw another crucial INT to Troy Polamalu before the first half ended. He seems to lack consistency, he is either really on, throwing the ball down the field and moving the chains, or he is really off, going 4 drives and throwing 2-3 INT in the process. This was evidenced last year in the Cincinnati, Arizona, and Oakland away games where he just downright horrible for stretches in those games and he threw a combined 8 INTs in those games compared to 5 TD's. (Remember too that those 3 teams last year had a combined record of 19-29)

By bringing in Quinn, we will have a QB that defenses have not really seen before. He is mobile in the pocket, and he can keep plays alive better than DA can. He is a more accurate passer, and he does not make the dumb mistake of throwing into double coverage as much as DA does. I base this off of preseason games, and while preseason games are not the best indicator of performance, they are a showcase of what Quinn can do. Also, Brady seems to have more command in the huddle and he looks and sounds more like a General on the field. When you hear DA in an interview, he seems to have either been drinking, or he is just nervous. Rarely do you seem him getting in the faces of his teammates going crazy. Quinn is someone who is well versed in interviews, and he seeks to take charge in the huddle with his teammates. I feel that Quinn's intangibles, along with his mobility and decision making abilities make him a better choice for a spark than DA and his strong arm and experience.

Play Jerome Harrison more. I am not saying give this guy 20 carries a game, but give him 10-12 carries, along with 4-5 throws a game. He can be the "lightning" to Jamal Lewis' "thunder". He is a great change of pace back who demonstrated his agility, and moves against the Steelers and Ravens. Our only TD in the Ravens game was a screen pass that went to Harrison and he ran past their defense. The second best offensive play we have had all year was the long run that Harrison had vs. the Steelers. While Lewis is pounding and tiring defenses out, Harrison can get the long 10-12 yard gains by using his agility to knock defenses out.

Blitz our corners more, along with Alex Hall. In the Pittsburgh and Baltimore games, we saw a little bit more blitzing from the Browns D. In the Pittsburgh game I thought we did a solid job of getting to Big Ben. In the Baltimore game when we blitzed our corners, we forced some incomplete passes from Joe Flacco. Also, the Browns should use Alex Hall more. He seems to be a very athletic LB. He got his first career sack and he had 7 tackles vs. Pittsburgh. He was in on many plays and he seems to be adjusting well. I feel that if we pressure the QB more, the less pressure our secondary will feel. We will either be forcing the opposing QB to throw a bad or errant pass, or we will be sacking him.

Now while this is not going to guarantee us a win vs the Bengals, I feel that if Quinn plays mistake free football, gets the ball in the hands of Edwards, Harrison, K2, and Lewis, the Browns can win. If the D can get some pressure on Palmer and force him to make mistakes (which he has, he threw 20 INT's last year, good for a tie for first in the NFL), the Browns can put themselves in a great position to win.

In conclusion, the Browns have had numerous problems outside of Romeo's and DA's control. The injuries have really hurt this team, and they really need the continuity of playing together. Also, we have played 2 very good teams in Dallas and Pittsburgh, and we played Pittsburgh pretty damn well. But the mistakes, lack of confidence, and leadership from Derek Anderson are just too costly to have on a team with this much talent. Romeo needs to make his choice on who is starter is going to be, and he needs to mix up his play calling a little more by blitzing more on D, and throwing the long ball on O. By bringing in Quinn, you are trying to spark your anemic offense, and you have a QB who won't make as many mistakes. I do believe the Browns season is salvageable but it is going to take hard work, personnel changes, and this damn injury bug to go away. We will see how the team plays and reacts this week vs Cincinnati. Until then, go Browns and thanks for reading!

-Raz

P.S. I apologize for writing so much, I have a lot on my mind and I don't like making statements without backing them up with some sort of evidence.

The Debut

Why hello everyone. My name is Raz Pounardjian and this is the first time I have ever written a blog. I was born on June 18th 1988 in Cleveland Ohio. I am a junior at John Carroll University. One of the many loves in my life is sports. I truly enjoy all Cleveland sports, this includes the Cleveland Browns, Indians, and Cavaliers. Also, I am a big fan of the Cleveland State Vikings basketball team. Aside from Cleveland Sports, I root for the UCLA Bruins basketball team. Some of my favorite athletes include: Shannon Stewart, LeBron James, Steve Prefontaine, Rafael Betancourt, Ben Wallace, Kevin Love, Allen Iverson, John Wooden, Michael Beasley, J'Nathon Bullock, Victor Morris, Jim Brown, Ted Ginn Jr., Chris Douglas Roberts, Josh Cribbs, and Kellen Winslow Jr. There are many others but I probably have forgotten about them now.

The reason why I decided to start writing a blog is because I would like to increase the exposure of Cleveland Sports on the internet. Also, I host a radio program on WJCU 88.7 FM, and I talk lots of sports on my show. I want to put these thoughts on the web for everyone to read. I will try to give equal time to all Cleveland teams on my blog. For those of you who are OSU fans, I apologize. I probably won't write about them, unless there is a big game or an interesting story coming out. When I decide to write on a specific team, I hope to give the actual story, along with the implications and any opinions I may have on the matter. When reading through my blogs, I am sure you will begin to notice the types of players I like, and the types of players I don't like. My intentions are not to just call out players and criticize them, but to see why they are playing they way they are.

The first actual story will hopefully be posted within the coming week. I want to thank all of you who read this first blog, and I hope you will not only read, but contribute with your thoughts.

-Raz