Browns
-The hiring of Mike Holmgren to be the President of our organization seems like a step in the right direction. He is a viable face in the NFL, he has a Super Bowl ring, and he has coached well in the past. According to reports, he will have the power to hire a new GM, and a coach if he desires. I wouldn't want Holmgren picking players, because as GM of the Seahawks from 1998-2002, the only solid players he drafted were LB Anthony Simmons, RB Shaun Alexander, WR Darrell Jackson, G Steve Hutchinson, CB Ken Lucas, FB Heath Evans, G Floyd Womack, RB Maurice Morris, and DT Rocky Bernard. In these 4 drafts, he had 46 picks and only 9 of them turned out to be solid/fringe NFL players.
-John Clayton of ESPN is reporting that Holmgren will probably fire HC Eric Mangini. I know I supported Mangini when he was first hired, and I still think he is a solid coach. I think you have to give the guy one more year. Yes he got rid of Braylon Edwards, and Kellen Winslow, but the Jets have no faired well since they added Edwards, and the Bucs have won 2 games this year. Alex Mack has improved, Mo Massaqoui looks like a solid WR, LB Maiava has been solid so far (39 tackles and 1 sack), Jason Trusnik has had 44 tackles in 10 games with the Browns, and Matt Roth has been impressive in his 4 games with the Browns (2.5 sacks, and 21 tackles). Also, the team has dealt with a lot of injuries as well as D'Qwell Jackson, Shaun Rogers, CJ Mosley, Kenyon Coleman, and Brodney Pool missing time.
-Mangini has cleared up a lot of cap space for he team next year (2nd most out of any team in the NFL), and we have 11 draft picks. Lets see what he can do with them. He has done well for the last few weeks as his team fought hard against San Diego, upset the Steelers, and beat the Chiefs.
-Overall, you have to give Mangini some credit as his team has played with discipline (we are the least penalized team in the NFL), and while we might not have a lot of skill players, we fight hard. Yes, WR Brian Robiskie hasn't seen much of the field, and neither has LB David Veikune, but Mangini has been finding some solid players. We can't just say game over after one year with Mangini. We need to be patient, make good use of our cap space, and draft solid players. It is easy to fold your tent when you have one win playing the Steelers, but the team showed that they were not going to back down from anyone. This is a testament to coaching.
-I feel that if Mangini does stay, it will be good to have a GM over him. This is because Mangini right now is doing 2 jobs, which can be very overwhelming. If Mangini turns his attention to coaching, then I think we will see better results.
Cavs
-Everyone seems to be in an uproar about how the team isn't blowing teams out anymore. Well don't expect us to win 66 games this year. Its not about the regular season. Yes, getting a top seed is important, but we need to save our energy and resources for the postseason. Last year, it was smooth sailing the entire year. We faced no problems, no adversity, but when lost game 1 versus the Magic at home, we didn't know how to react. We lost that invincibility. Throughout the year, teams were adjusting to our play, but when we had to adjust to the Magic, we had no idea what to do. The team last year faced no adversity, and its good that we are going through all the bumps in the road now. I would rather have this team be battled tested now, lose a few more games, save some energy and bodies, then winning 66 games again.
-Everyone is whining about how Shaq doesn't fit here. Read Chris Broussard's article about Shaq, its a good one (http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/insider/news/story?id=4762941). Our 3 point shooting is #1 in the league (44%). I am sure Shaq has had some effect on that. Also, Shaq isn't here to beat the Bobcats, Kings, and Warriors. He is here to beat the Magic, Celtics, and Lakers. He will be judged on how well he does in May and June.
-LeBron needs to not stall the offense in the fourth quarter. He gets in LeIso mode, and he dribbles for 15 seconds. The team needs to continue to move the ball around, and keep the ball out of LeBron's hands. We need him coming off screens, setting picks, and rolling to the basket. When everyone stands around LeBron, we become a very ineffective team.
-I have stated numerous times, that this team needs to make a trade. We will barely get out of the Eastern Conference with this team. The Lakers will make quick work of us in the Finals. We need either a tall guard who can create his own shot, or a bigman who can stretch the floor and create his own shot. Antwan Jamison sounds perfect right about now. Brian Windhorst, and Marc Stein have re-iterated that the Cavs have been active on the phone for trades. I would expect a deal to go down before the deadline. Again, as a sign of the tough economic times, the Utah Jazz gave away rookie PG Eric Maynor to the OKC Thunder, along with Matt Harpring's $6 million contract. The Jazz basically said we will give you a young rookie PG if you take on $6 million of salary. The Jazz can't afford to pay the luxury tax, and this shows how desperate they were to get under the luxury tax line. The Pacers, and Hornets are 2 examples of teams in financial problems as well. Again, the Cavs have Z's expiring deal, and the ability to sign and trade Wally Z in a trade. These two trade chips could be very valuable to teams who are looking to get under the tax or get cap space for the future. The NBA trade stove will be cooking for the next couple months.
This about does it. If I hear any substantial rumors about trades, I will be sure to right about them. Until then, have a great holiday and go Cleveland!
-Raz
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