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
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
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
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
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
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 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
Monday, October 6, 2008
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
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
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
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
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
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