Updates

Hello everyone. Sorry for the long delay. Lets get going.

Browns

-Boy do the Cleveland Browns suck. I thought they would at least win 6 games this year but that is a huge stretch. In the first half of each of the two games, the Browns defense has kept the team in the game. Due to the fact of our anemic offense, the defense stays on the field too long. Throughout the first two games, the Browns defense has been on the field for 66 minutes and 6 seconds, while the offense has been on the field for 53 minutes and 54 seconds. As you can see the offense is not holding up its end of the bargain.

-Brady Quinn is struggling (QB rating 66.9, 1 TD, 2 INT, 59% completion percentage), and he seems nervous in the pocket. He seems to be scared to making the big throw because he does not want to throw an interception. I understand the new offense is a ball control, short passing oriented style, but at the same time you need to let your quarterback loose a little big. Let him do some roll out plays, and slants. Every pass seems to be a checkdown pass. We need to be aiming for the endzone, and not just settle for field goals.

-People are questioning whether of not we should've drafted Jets QB Mark Sanchez in the first round and traded Brady Quinn. I understand Sanchez is 2-0, but at the same time, Quinn has made 5 starts his entire career. He needs time, and a couple more weapons on offense. An obvious need is a TE who can catch, and a #2 receiver. 2nd round picks WR's Brian Robiskie and Mo Massaqoui haven't seen too much of the field in the first two games, and they really need to step up. Josh Cribbs does not seem like he can fill the position of a #2 receiver (he dropped an important first down catch in Denver).

-The right side of the offense line is a mess. RT John St. Clair could not handle DT Elvis Dumervil on Sunday, as he had 4 sacks. Hank Fraley will be filling in at RG, and he will do a serviceable job. Quinn needs as much protection as he can get because of the fact that he is a young QB (24 yrs old), and has limited experience. He is still getting in the flow of offense.

-C 1st round pick Alex Mack has been struggling a little bit. He had a bad snap that led to a fumble in Denver. Give him some time, I think you will see a very solid player that will anchor the line. People often time complain that we traded our 5th pick to get a C, but at the time can you tell me a player we could've drafted that would start on this team, and that was a need? Mangini was right when he called WR Michael Crabtree a "diva" as he has yet to sign with the 49'ers, DE Brian Orakpo wasn't drafted till the middle of the first round, LB Aaron Curry was gone, there was no TE worth taking in the first round, and the Browns had Brady Quinn at QB.

-Mangini and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll need to open up the playbook a little bit. They need to stretch defenses out. If you are just throwing the ball 5-6 yards a play, defenses will just stack the line and put 8 men in the box. By throwing the ball down the field a little bit, it opens up defenses and allows more operating room for our wide receivers. Remember how many times DA threw the ball down the field in 2007? That offense really seemed to work.

-I don't have much to say on the defense because the offense can't seem to stay on the field. Any defense that stays on the field that much will eventually break down. You can defintley see the Browns and defensive coordinator Rob Ryan are blitzing more. While this is nice to see, it leaves CB's Eric Wright and Brandon McDonald in one on one coverage. We saw Denver WR Jabbar Gaffney burn Brandon McDonald because he had no one to support him. The Browns need to blitz a little less because our corners aren't strong enough to be left alone for a good portion of the game. You saw Eric Wright get tossed by Adrian Peterson and Corell Buckhalter.

-Kamerion Wimbley seems to have improved a little bit. You can see him pressuring the QB more often. He might not be the dominant 11 sack a year LB, but he is solid. LB Eric Barton is a solid veteran out there, and he seems to know Mangini's system well. I would like to see 2nd round pick LB David Veikune more often. We passed on LB Rey Mealuga (who is doing well for the Bengals now) to draft 2 WR's and a LB. It seems that the Browns won't be going to the playoffs, you might as well play some of the youngsters you got to see what you have.

-It is going to be a long season for the Browns. I had no idea things were this bad. The offense is timid and lacks a playmaker aside from Braylon Edwards, Jamal Lewis has looked OK so far, maybe we should see more of James Davis and Jerome Harrison. Play Mo Massaqoui and Brian Robiskie more, play rookie CB Coye Francies as the nickleback (Hank Poteat won't cut it), and play LB David Veikune more. Lets see what Mangini's draft could be made of. As long as the offense cannot convert 3rd downs, the defense will get worn down and we won't win too many games....

Indians

-Man, talk about another struggling team. The Indians have lost 10 straight games. They seem to have run out of gas. Seeing them out there play is just difficult. I bet you most people can't name 5 people in the starting lineup. Chris Giminez anyone?

-Manager Eric Wedge will probably be fired at the end of the year. I have no idea who will replace him or who will be a candidate. In his years here, he has made the playoffs once in his tenure. I really haven't been a big fan of Wedge. He doesn't seem to get my attention, and he just never seems to have a complete grip on things with the team.

-The Indians should be playing OF's Michael Brantley, Matt Laporta, Trevor Crowe, INF's Luis Valbuena, and Ande Marte. Lets see what these youngsters are made of. Brantley and Laporta were the key pieces of the CC deal. These are the future of the Indians and they can give us a glimmer of hope next year.

-The rotation next year is a complete tossup. If we do fire Wedge, I am interested in seeing what GM Mark Shapiro will do. Will he go out and sign a middle of the rotation pitcher? What is the status of Jake Westbrook? Will Kerry Wood get traded? Is Justin Masterson a starter or reliver? Will Grady Sizemore come back healthy?

-The Indians have a lot of question marks going into next year. This offseason could be a very active one for the Indians.

Cavs

-With training camp coming up soon, I am very excited about the upcoming season. According to sources, all the players are in the training facility working out now.

-Delonte West' arrest is a scary one. He has a history of depression, and I hope he gets better. He needs as much emotional support as ever. Brian Windhorst wrote a piece about how the Cavs are now examining their future with West. He was charged with marijuana possession last year, but the charges were dropped. He left the team for 10 days during training camp, and he showed up an hour before the Cavs played the Lakers this year. He has a history of problems and the Cavs have done a great job of giving Delonte freedom on this issue.

-I really hope Delonte stays in Cleveland. He plays a tough, nitty gritty style of basketball. He never quits, and he puts his heart into every game. He was a key piece to the 66 wins we had last year, and he is the 2nd best ball handler behind LeBron. In terms of a suspension, Delonte will probably be suspended for about 5-7 games. G Sebastian Telfair was suspended 3 games for gun possession, and G Stephen Jackson fired a gun in a parking lot and he got a 7 game suspension. West won't miss much time this year, but lets hope he stays healthy.

-Lastly, JJ Hickson is reportedly 100% and has been playing 5 v 5 for the past few weeks. This is great news as he missed the end of last season with back problems. He has been working out with LeBron this offseason, and he is excited for the upcoming season. I am a big fan of Hickson, as he posses great athletic skills, and low post skills. He will get time as the 4th bigman in the rotation. If he continues to develop, he could also be used as a trading piece come trading deadline time.

Thats it folks, I hope to update my blog more often. Thanks for reading and go Cleveland!

-Raz