The Cleveland Sports Flow

Browns Big Board (updated)

2010-01-11T09:55:00.010-05:00

1. Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska- 6’4 300 – By far the most dominating player in the draft. Suh is the perfect size to play DE in the 3-4 defense. I could only dream about the chaos he and Shaun Rogers could create while playing next to each other. Not to mention the immediate impact he would have on the Browns defense. Unfortunately he will definitely be drafted before the Brown pick.

2. Eric Berry*, S, Tennessee- 5’11 203 – The Browns need a playmaker on the defensive side of the ball and Berry is the type of player that could change the outcome of any game at any minute. Berry is my #1 prospect for the Browns and there is a good chance he could slide to the #7 spot.

3. Gerald McCoy*, DT, Oklahoma- 6’4 297 – Basically the same size as Suh but with a little bit less talent. McCoy, is a beast and would be a huge upgrade on the Browns defensive line.

4. Dez Bryant*, WR, Oklahoma State- 6’2 220 – This would be a reach, especially with his suspension last season but lets face it, the Browns need a #1 receiver and Dez is the best receiver in the draft. Dez isn’t the fastest receiver but he has above average height and superior hands. Could be compared to Chad Ocho Cinco.

5. Rolando McClain*, LB, Alabama- 6’4 260 – Another semi-reach but once again McClain would fill a huge hole in the middle of the Browns defense. We all know Barton isn’t the long-term answer. McClain is the best LB coming out this year.

6. Joe Haden*, CB, Florida- 5’11 190 – I don’t personally
think CB is a huge need for the Browns but Joe is definitely the best player available at this point. He’s small but has the potential to be a lock down defender. Pair him up with E. Wright and Brandon McDonald in the slot and the Browns wouldn’t have to worry about a CB for years to come.

7. C.J. Spiller, RB, Clemson- 5’11 195 – Probably the biggest reach on my list but it seems more realistic to draft a RB than an offensive tackle. The argument could be made for a QB but I don’t like any first round QB’s this year. C.J. is a game changer and is capable of taking one to the house every time he touches the ball. True is isn’t your typical north and south pounder that we’re used to seeing in the AFC North but look at what Chris Johnson has been able to do in Tennessee, who really expected that?

Judgement Day

2010-01-05T11:50:00.006-05:00

Has Eric Mangini’s future already been decided?

He is currently meeting with Browns new President, Mike Holmgren, whom will hold a press conference today at 4 o’clock to discuss all things football in Cleveland.

My question is; does Mike already have his mind made up or is he actually going to talk with Eric and see if they can work together?

Gut feeling says Mangini is gone and Mike won’t even give him a chance.

Lets look at what we know.

1. Mangini runs the 3-4 defense and Holmgren runs the 4-3.
2. Holmgren runs the West Coast offense and Mangini does not.
3. The players have bought into Mangini’s system.
4. Eric won more games than the team last year and with much less talent.
5. Mangini removed the divas and added hard core players.
6. Finished the season strong with 4 consecutive wins, including beating the Steelers.
7. Three different systems in 3 consecutive years could ruin some of these players.
8. Mangini is a control freak.
9. One year isn't long enought to evaluate a coach or system.

All in all, the first two points will probably override the rest. I’m not sure how the two systems can coexist. Personally I’m going into this a little bit on the edge of what I want to happen. I like Mangini, I like what he’s done with this team and I don’t want Holmgren to fire him, but I also don’t want to put this organization behind another 2 years. And if the two can’t work together, keeping Mangini on board will only set this team back further and nobody wants that!

I'll put this out there right now. I'm not a fan of the Mike Holmgren hiring! I would choose Mangini being the coach over Holmgren being the President any day. We all know Eric has potential as a coach, he's showed us he can win and he can get the players to buy into his system. Holmgren failed in his only try as GM which to me says he's not credible or experienced at being a President.

Surprising enough, Mangini’s approval rating has sky rocketed to 71% which means people like this loser are now in the minority. Step over to the Pro-Manginious side with the rest of us, it’s going to get lonely over there all by your self.

Laundry List

2009-12-22T11:11:00.007-05:00

Mike Holmgren is the new Browns President and he’s got a lot of work to do. The question is where should he start?

Eric Mangini – Fire him, he took over a crappy team and completely restructured the roster. A roster that was hurting for leadership and passionate players. He got rid of selfish players and slackers and added depth. He also managed to collect 11 draft picks for the 2010 draft, and that is way to many, you can’t build a team through the draft can you? Phil Savage?

Most coaches that don’t perform in their first season with a new team will probably never work out in the NFL. Forget about the Belichick, Bill Walsh, Tuna, and Andy Reid’s of the world, everybody already knows Eric Mangini will never reach that level. Psychic abbilities i assume.

The Browns should hire a new coach every year until they win the super bowl.

Josh Cribbs – Don’t pay the man. This is a new regime, I don’t care what the last GM said about restructuring a deal for him. It only makes sense to see what he can do with the new regime in town before we go tossing money around at a special teams player. Seriously, he shouldn’t have signed that stupid extension in the first place. I would tell Josh to fire his agent, don’t blame the Browns. It’s not like he’s the best player on the team or the fans love him.

Brady Quinn/Derek Anderson - Both of these guys need to be retained, one of them has got to be the future. The Browns organization has invested so much into both of them. If they’re each given another shot in the pre-season and training camp one of them has got to emerge as a franchise QB.

Jim Brown – I know he’s an advisor to Mr. Lerner but with Randy giving Mike Holmgren full control and having Bernie Kosar on hand he wont need Jim Brown as an advisor now.

The Browns should make Jim Brown the team spokesman. Hey, he likes to here himself talk and he never says anything dumb or controversial! The Browns organization could really benefit from this, he would take so much focus off the team.

Jamal Lewis – Re-sign the man. He has produced so much since his last contract extension (1-100 yard game and 4 touchdowns) we would be fools to let him retire like this, we owe him so much more. He is obviously a great leader as well, seeing how the Browns have won 2 games since he’s been out and had their two biggest rushing games of the year. I kind of like listening to Jamal throw his teammates under the bus, it's good for the team, it brings them together.

Will Mangini's "Process" fit in the U-HAUL?

2009-12-22T09:14:00.018-05:00

For the past year the Browns and their fans have been pounded with Eric Mangini's "process". Early in the season as the losses piled up we were told that "this is a process and it's not going to happen overnight". When the Browns beat arch rival Pittsburgh on a frigid Thursday night we were told that "the process is coming together".

The "process" might be leaving on a U-HAUL soon.

He's not Santa Claus but Mike Holmgren is coming to town and he's making a list and you can bet your dawgbones that he will check it at least twice.

Browns owner Randy Lerner did what he said he was going to do and hired a "serious, credible leader" to finally bring the Cleveland Browns back to respectability. Call it a year too late or better late than never but Randy Lerner has used the resources around him to figure this thing out. You can't build a font office by first hiring a head coach and then letting said coach hand pick the GM.

Unless Eric Mangini can sell Mike Holmgren on his "process" there's going to be a new leadership and a new vision for the Cleveland Browns in 2010 and its got nothing to do with $1,200 water bottle fines or not naming a starting QB.

There are people out there trying to make a case that Holmgren should absolutely keep Eric Mangini. These are the same people that have been making excuses for Mangini all season so this comes as no surprise. Mangini made his bed in Cleveland and now he will have to sleep in it for two more weeks.

A legend like Mike Holmgren doesn't come out of retirement to become the President of the Cleveland Browns so he can move out of the way and let Eric Mangini's "process" continue to play out after one of the worst seasons in franchise history.

Call me crazy, but don't call me late for dinner.

Browns Big Board

2009-11-24T12:31:00.006-05:00

Well the Browns have all but locked up the first pick in the draft after the loss in Detroit Sunday. It is sad to say but I’ve been thinking a lot about the draft the last couple days and a top 5 pick scares me to death.

The front of this draft is loaded with defensive players that don’t really fit out system. Where the Browns really need to be picking is between 7 and 15 where they could draft somebody that would fill a huge need. Such as a MLB like Brandon Spikes or a RB like C.J. Spiller. But that’s not going to happen so we will take what we can get.

Assuming the Browns stay in the top 3, here are my favorites.

1 - Ndamukong Suh. DT/Nebraska. A 6’4” 300 pound beast. Suh is the consensus #1 prospect this year. He is the most dominant defensive lineman in college football and would look very good next to Shaun Rogers. Suh has the perfect size and skill to play the DE in a 3-4 defense.

2 - Eric Berry. S/Tennessee. I really hate to put a safety this high on my board specifically because the Browns have much bigger needs. Abe Elam and Brodney Pool have done a good job this year but we’ve all seen what a Troy Palamalu or Ed Reed can do for a teams defense and Eric Berry has that kind of ability. This kid is a defensive playmaker and the Browns are in serious need of one.

3 – Dez Bryant. WR/Oaklahoma St. He will have been out of football for almost a year after being suspended but no matter how you look at it Dez is the #1 receiver entering the draft this year. In a relatively weak WR draft class Dez would be a reach in the top 5 but WR is a top need for the Browns.

The Real Czar

2009-11-23T16:17:00.003-05:00

Book it, Bill Parcells will be the next President of the Cleveland Browns. I actually think he is secretly making the decisions already. I also think this has been in place since last season when the Miami Dolphins owner sold the team and gave Parcells the option to walk away from his contract and still get paid.

Eric Mangini is Parcells boy. Which could be the reason that Randy Lerner immediately jumped on him when he became available last season. It could also mean that Eric Mangini wont be going anywhere for quite some time and I know that bothers a lot of people, but it makes sense.

Think about it. If Parcells is the President and he brings in a GM and he wants to keep his boy Mangini as the coach who would second-guess him. This man has won and turned teams around every place he’s been. There is nobody I would rather see hired than Parcells, nobody.

Who else would you rather give 11 draft picks to?

I know almost everything I’m saying if far fetched but I could see this happening. I’m sure Parcells enjoys being in Miami but that project is over and we all know he doesn’t stay anywhere for to long. Besides who wouldn’t take free money?

Jim Brown! Why?

2009-11-19T14:31:00.010-05:00

I need to get a couple things off my chest.

Most people who follow The Cleveland Sports Flow already know that I think Eric Mangini can be a good coach. I have stuck up for him and pointed out numerous facts and opinions on why I feel the way I do. With that said, I do believe he will be fired, but not just yet.

Chris Mortensen reported on ESPN news last night that if the Browns lose to Detroit, Eric Mangini will be fired next week. Well I can almost guarantee that won’t happen. Who would run this team? Randy Lerner and Rob Ryan? I don’t think so. The point is, until a president and/or a GM is hired don’t plan on Eric being fired. Even if Casserly or Holmgren were hired today they would need at least a couple weeks to evaluate the staff and players before any major decisions were made.

Right now there are a couple of rumors out there about the Browns next leader. One of them says that Charley Casserly, former Houston Texans and Washington Redskins GM has been hired by the Browns as the next President and GM, and will be announced in the next 72 hours.

I don’t buy it but anything is possible with Randy Lerner.

Would Casserly be a good hire? Hard to say. He has definitely had his ups and downs but the one thing that stands out the most to me after reading the good and bad is the draft he put together in 2006. He drafted Mario Williams, DeMeco Ryans and Owen Daniels. That’s 3 pro bowlers in one draft. A draft like that could easily turn a 3 or 4 win team into an 8 or 9 win team.

Which would be great for Cleveland.

The one thing I don’t like about the rumor of Casserly is that he’d be president and GM. This team needs to get with the program and do things the right way and install a chain of command and get Lerner completely out of the picture.

Now to my melt and the point of this whole post.

On Tuesday it was reported that Randy Lerner was interviewing Mike Holmgren, and that’s great, I’m glad to see him being active and trying to get something done. The thing that bothers me is that it was Jim Brown who opened his mouth when obviously Lerner is trying to keep things hush hush.

My question is why is Jim Brown still part of this organization?

I appreciate what Jim did for this organization as a player. I respect his accomplishments and the joy he brought Browns fans but I have no idea why he is on the Browns payroll.

It’s obvious that Jim Brown doesn’t know how to think before he speaks or keep his mouth shut. He is constantly bringing more negative attention to this already depressing organization. From him talking about who Randy is interviewing to calling the NCAA “the most ridiculous organization in the country” or calling out Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan about their lack of effort in social activism. There are so many more examples, i just don't have that much time.

Give it a rest Jim, you’re a wife beater and a black eye to the Browns organization.

Whom ever takes control of this organization, I hope they make getting rid of Jim Brown one of their first priorities. What this organization needs is solid stand up individuals that lead by example and hand out good advice. Not people who constantly bring bad press to this town.

If I were a superstitious person, I would blame him for the curse of Cleveland.

BTW. Congratulations DPM on your failed brown out. You can thank yourself when you get treated like Art Modell in Cleveland Browns Stadium for the rest of your life.

If you were wondering, that yellow sign says Duck Fawg Pound Mike. Classic.

King of Changing the Subject

2009-11-18T15:43:00.005-05:00

Just because LeBron is done talking about his impending free agency doesn't mean he's done talking.

In what may or may not be his intended strategy, LeBron has managed to both change the subject and keep his name in the headlines.

First it was LeBron's announcement that he was thinking about changing his number after this season and his proposed plan to launch a campaign to get the NBA to retire MJ's number permanently.

Good one, LeBron, they bit on it. Next thing you know, those same talking heads who haven't shut up about LeFree Agency are now pondering whether or not the NBA should actually go through with LeBron's idea and honor MJ by retiring his number. Those headlines lasted for about a week.

So what's next?

Now LeBron's talking about playing football again. He told some members of the Cleveland media that if he really worked hard he could be a good NFL player. Now the national media is pondering LeBron's potential as a two sport athlete. They are going as far as to dig up video of LBJ's playing days back at Akron St. Vincent St. Mary and comparing his physical gifts with current NFL players.

Good job, LeBron, you got 'em again!

Here is my guess for LeBron's next "write about this instead of 2010 topic":

LeBron James Ponders a Career in Hollywood

Good one, LeBron. (Wink, Wink)

Brady Quinn Will Start

2009-11-10T12:34:00.003-05:00

Hey Eric Mangini, I’m more smarter than you is. Hey I can think out of the box and get inside the head of a mad man, it’s not that far of a reach for me. I know your starting Brady Quinn this week and I’m going to tell people why.

It’s simple, you have to put people in the stands this week. The Browns are facing a black out on TV and a brown out in the stands, by people who call themselves fans.

You think, best-case scenario for everyone is Brady plays a good game and the Browns win. Hey, it will quiet the fans down for a week and they'll stop hating everyone. You can show everyone that your starting to turn this team around and you actually pulled Quinn after 2 1/2 games to make him a better player.

But lets say Brady falls right on his face, perfect, you can tell the fans to shut up, you know what your doing and he is not the best QB on this team. He is a career back up at best.

You see coach, in your mind you think this is a win win situation but its not. What you don't understand is that 75% of the Cleveland Browns fans have given up on you and will turn anything positive that happens against you.

If Brady wins and plays a good game, the immediate fan reaction will be its your fault that the Browns lost the last 4 games. If you wouldn't of given up on Brady and pulled him after only 2 1/2 games we could of won more games.

If he falls on his face, it'll be because of the play calling and because he's only played against teams with great defenses. You haven't given him a fair shot and your not capable of coaching in the NFL.

Well coach, I can tell you that any decision you make from here on out is lose lose. No matter what you do the fans will make you out to be the enemy, unless you can win, your only option is to win. There are 8 games left, if you can win four then maybe you can get some of the fans back.

The fans have a fever and its only cure is not more cowbell, it's victories.

Browns Delivering Apathy to Die-Hard Fans

2009-11-05T14:22:00.069-05:00

I can honestly say I've had a lot of fun following the Browns since they came back in 1999. Even though I knew they were probably going to lose I was always excited to wake up on Sunday mornings to throw my Browns jersey on and wait for the pre-game shows to start. The team wasn't always good but it didn't matter to me because they were the Browns. My Browns.

I rearranged my entire weekends to guarantee Sunday afternoons would be free to watch the team that I love. At first that was met with a little resistance but eventually my wife grew to enjoy our Sunday routine of watching the Browns game followed by a home cooked dinner and usually a movie of her choice.

While watching the games I would often find myself loudly cheering when anything positive would happen. I couldn't control it, I had to stand up and cheer as if I was at the stadium watching the game in person. Sometimes I actually was at the stadium and sometimes it felt somewhat like a religious experience entering the stadium and seeing the greenest grass I've ever laid my eyes on.

As Browns fans we've all been through some really tough times and endured a lot of pain and disappointment. Many of us have grown numb to the constant losing but have found some solace in the fact that the future looked bright as young players with loads of potential were sure to break out and become superstars.

Some of those young players eventually did live up to their potential and made us proud but the majority of them are gone for whatever reasons and that hopeful feeling has seemingly disappeared in their wake. The future of this team has evaporated into the negativity that has now surrounded the present situation. The "we'll be better next year" mentality that Browns fans for so long claimed ownership of has been traded in for a new attitude of "things are going to get much worse before they even start to get better".

It's hard to imagine this team getting much worse than it is today but we all know that it's coming. Teams like the Browns that lack players with raw talent and God-given ability will only be successful if they are unified under a strong, passionate leader who pushes them to believe not only in themselves but also in each other. Teams like that play with an "us against the world" mentality that doesn't require raw talent but instead guts and the willingness to sacrifice their own bodies for the sake of their teammates and their leader.

I was hopeful heading into this season that Eric Mangini was going to be the kind of leader who would inspire the players to play for each other and to leave everything they had on the field each week. I knew he didn't have the best record of success in his previous employment but I was confident that the players would at least respond positively to his disciplined approach. Clearly that has not been the case and what has ensued this season has become unwatchable and gut wrenching at the same time.

I have never been a season ticket holder so the value of my investment in the Browns can only be measured in the time I've spent in front of my TV, listening to the radio, attending training camp, attending random games when tickets fell into my lap, purchasing apparel and wearing it proudly and spending an entire month last summer hand-painting a corn hole set with an animated Dawg Pound theme.

All of this brought me joy as I often went to great lengths to express my "fan hood" for the Browns. Unfortunately that joy has quickly evaporated and I've become somewhat apathetic towards my beloved Browns. For the sake of accuracy, I looked up the word "apathetic" in the dictionary to make sure that's how I was feeling and I found the definition to be very, very accurate:

ap⋅a⋅thet⋅ic, [ap-uh-thet-ik]
1. having or showing little or no emotion: apathetic behavior.
2. not interested or concerned; indifferent or unresponsive: an apathetic audience.

Bingo. That's exactly how I feel about this team when I watch them play and I know that I'm not alone. Eric Mangini has succeeded in making a once passionate, loyal and die-hard fan lose interest and have little or no emotion while watching the Browns.

There are some people who believe that Eric Mangini may still be successful as the head coach in Cleveland but I'm just not a believer. I want to be supportive and passionate about this team again but I simply cannot do it while he is still employed as the Head Coach. It is remarkable how quickly Eric Mangini was able to suck the life out of this entire organization and how after only 8 games into his tenure there is absolutely nothing fun about being a Browns fan anymore and nothing to look forward to on Sundays.

It pains me beyond belief to write this but if Eric Mangini is still the head coach on opening day in 2010 I will not watch a single snap of Cleveland Browns football for the entire season.

Eric Manginis Second Chance

2009-11-04T08:45:00.003-05:00

There is a reason that George Kokinis was fired and not Eric Mangini and that’s because Randy Lerner and his newly hired consultant Bernie Kosar still buy into his plan but they don’t think he can achieve the goal if he can’t put forth a 100% effort into coaching.

When Eric Mangini was hired he was given complete control over this team. From player movement to game planning to trades to final say of the 53 man roster to what color socks the team wore on off days and it was too much for one person to handle.

What Randy Lerner hopes to accomplish is to get a GM in Cleveland that can handle that side of the business. The Browns need someone to work on contracts, especially for Josh Cribbs and Phil Dawson. The Browns need someone to make player personnel decisions after Mangini gives his opinions. This will free up time for Eric to game plan, coach his team and get more involved with his cordinators because if there isn’t improvement the rest of the season, he will be out of a job too.

Mangini is a very hard worker and dedicated to what he does and despite what people say, he is a very knowledgeable football mind.

If he doesn’t take offense to the changes that are being made and he can dedicate himself solely to coaching this team I think he can make this team competitive by the end of the season. Of course there is option 2, that says if he can't have full control he doesn't want to be part of the team and he'll quit. I know thats what a lot of you want but i don't think its going to happen. If Eric runs out on this team he won't see another coaching job in the NFL.

Would you believe that George Kokinis wasn’t aware of the Braylon Edwards trade until he saw it on tv? This goes to show how little Kokinis was involved in this organization, he was a name and that was it.

(Good)Bye Week in Berea: Kokinis Fired

2009-11-03T09:34:00.015-05:00

When Eric Mangini was hired he hand-picked George Kokinis to be the new GM and essentially his own boss. Randy Lerner took Mangini's word that Kokinis would be the best choice for GM. Now that Kokinis has been fired, things are starting to become more visible in Eric Mangini's world of secrecy.

Mangini knew that Kokinis would allow him to do whatever he wanted to do with the roster, including bringing in several backups who played for him in New York. Kokinis stayed quiet and toed the company line while Mangini put his stamp all over the 53-man roster by trading away disgruntled talent for backups and draft picks.

Sadly, it took bringing in a special consultant before Randy Lerner finally realized what was going on in Berea. Lerner bought what Mangini was selling and he trusted that Mangini's "process" would bring the Browns back to respectability. This week might be the end of Mangini's "process" as he knows it. It appears that there is a different process underway in Berea now and the facts are starting to become more and more clear as each hour passes.

Jamal Lewis, Shut Up

2009-11-02T10:34:00.009-05:00

It takes a lot of nerve for an underachieving line dancer to call somebody out. Yet Jamal Lewis feels compelled to make a fool out of himself and walk down that road, yet again.

This isn’t about whether Eric Mangini is a good coach or not, this is about Jamal Lewis throwing somebody else under the bus again. This is about Jamal Lewis not taking responsibility for his lack of production. This is about Jamal Lewis pretending to be some one that he is not. How dare you call yourself a leader? How dare you blame anybody else for not producing when you haven’t produced for 2 years. How dare you?

Yesterday in an interview Jamal asked the question "Where are we trying to go and what are we trying to accomplish?" Well Jamal, I asked myself the same question when the Browns signed you to a contract extension 2 years ago. (Yet another great decision by Phil Savage) He then went on to say, “I think this is my last year. I think this is it. Honestly, the way this looks, you know, I had a good run. Period. Point blank. I've done what I needed to do." All that I can say is thank god, 2 years to late, but thank god.

So what has Jamal Lewis done for the Browns since his contract extension other than throw his teammates under the bus? Not much. He has played in 22 games and only produced 1 - 100 yard rushing game and a total of 4 touchdowns. If you ask me I’d say we wouldn’t be missing him too much. With numbers like that it would seem as if he retired when he signed that extension.

So I ask you Jamal, do you promise you’ll retire after this season? Do you promise to free the Browns of the $3.9 million that you’re due next year? That is $3.9 million the Browns can use on somebody that will contribute to this team. For 2 years you have danced around in the Browns backfield like you were a member of the Village People. Besides, once you’ve decided your going to retire, chances are you already have so please feel free to retire now, why wait. You can get right back to doing what you love, trafficking cocaine.

Please Eric Mangini, don’t let this worthless bum touch the field again. I’d rather see Jerome Harrison and Chris Jennings out there. I guarantee when they fumble the ball they won’t blame it on the direction of the team or call players out for quitting and I guarantee you they won’t retire.

Browns need a "Serious, Credible Leader"

2009-11-02T09:31:00.022-05:00

As the disaster that we call the Cleveland Browns continues to get worse by the day, the only good news that could be coming out of Berea this week is the possible hiring of a "serious, credible leader" by owner Randy Lerner. I'm using the term "good news" as loosely as I possibly can here, folks. The fact that Randy Lerner obviously doesn't consider Eric Mangini to be a "serious, credible leader" speaks volumes. Hey Randy, your "serious, credible leader" needed to be hired before your head coach and probably not in the middle of the season but I appreciate your passion for finding somebody with credibility. I just wish you would have done that back in January.

Jamal Lewis opened more than a few eyes with his comments after yesterday's game, as noted in the Cleveland Plain Dealer:

Running back Jamal Lewis questioned the direction of the team, saying,

"Where are we trying to go and what are we trying to accomplish?"

The future Hall of Famer said he is so distraught with the way this season has gone south after "everybody bought in" in training camp that this would be his last season of playing.
"Period. Point blank. I've done what I needed to do," Lewis said.

Was that just frustration talking?

"When I talk, I mean what I say," Lewis shot back.

The retirement announcement wasn't the eyebrow raiser, it was Jamal's public questioning of the overall direction of the team that says it all. Lewis is frustrated and his mentioning of how "everybody bought in" and it hasn't payed off clearly reflects that. Lewis is a guy that the players respect and look up to so I have to wonder how many other players in that locker room share his views. Whatever Mangini is selling, the players just aren't buying it and the fans aren't buying it either. You could argue that Mangini deserves more time, but assuming that he'll use that time to straighten this thing out is not something that I'm ready to do.

It's the bye week and this team is a complete disaster. Randy Lerner seems to realize something has to happen but hopefully it won't take him the rest of the season to realize that Eric Mangini has this team heading in the wrong direction and hiring him may have been his biggest mistake yet.

Mangini Deserves His Shot

2009-10-30T09:22:00.008-04:00

When coaches take over teams as crappy as this team Mangini took over, things don’t turn around immediately. In fact, if you can find me an example of long-term success from a first year turn around maybe i'll listen to why people think Mangini should be fired. I am in the minority and I know it but I want to give Eric Mangini his due time to turn this team around, and by the way it can’t be done over night.

When Belichick took over the Patriots he won 5 games his first year, hell Chuck Knoll only won 1 game his first year in Pittsburgh. You want more? Jimmy Johnson won 1 game in Dallas his first year, what about Bill Walsh in SF, 2 games. Parcells, 3 wins his first year. I could go on but I don’t see the point.

It’s not like the new regime is setting this team back. In order to be set back you had to of been going somewhere. What would set this team back is bringing in another coach that wants his own players and installs a new system. We’ve done that enough. This team needs continuity, that’s right continuity, you know, the same coaches and the same system for more than 2 years in a row. The Browns have to stop switching coaches every 4 years and coordinators every 2.

My goal is not to blame the previous regimes’ or make excuses but lets be honest, Mangini walked into a bad situation. Phil Savage mortgaged the Browns future in 07’ when he gave away all the Browns draft picks, and he failed, miserably. Mangini inherited a team that was full of talentless and diva’ish ball players that were cashing in on a free paycheck, thanks to the Romeo Crennell country club that had been taking place here in Cleveland the previous 4 years.

Mangini’s system is very complex, every play has a sub play and a decoy. A lot of these players are young or if they’ve been with the Browns for the last 4 years they’ve have had to deal with a different coordinator every year. The point is it’s going to take some time to completely understand and be able to execute the plays correctly. This is why you haven’t seen a lot of rookies out there yet, they are still learning, but once they get it they will benefit from it significantly.

I don’t know how anybody can complain about the moves Mangini has made. Maybe the way he does things is questionable but not the moves he’s made. Winslow and Edwards were both divas. Not to mention Braylon couldn't catch and Winslow has missed more games than he’s played because of injuries.

We moved down in the draft and got the guy we wanted while we picked up extra draft picks. Say what you want but Eric Mack looks like he is going to be a staple on the Browns offensive line for a long time. We won’t know about the other draft picks for a couple of years, but don’t count them out before they get a chance, even though that’s what every body is doing with Mangini, counting him out before he gets a chance. I will guarantee that 8 out of 10 people trying to run Eric Mangini out of Cleveland after only 7 games are the same people that say 7 games isn’t enough time to judge Brady Quinn. Whatever.

Bernie was brought in to let Lerner know if Mangini was making progress and if his plan is moving in the right direction. If Bernie tells Lerner that Eric is not the man I think you’ll see another change at the end of the season, but I don’t expect that to happen. The man deserves the chance to prove he can win and build a team. It makes no sense to fire him before he get’s a fair shake. He was hired to do a job, so let him do it.

Frustrated Fan Responds to Randy Lerner's Email

2009-10-29T11:36:00.038-04:00

Dawg Pound Mike, formerly of "Charlie Frye-Guys" fame is organizing what is being called a "Brown Out" for the nationally televised Monday Night Football home game on November 16 against the Ravens. The plan is to keep the stadium as empty as possible for the opening kickoff and then to have the fans take their seats immediately following. This is not meant to be a show of disrespect to the Browns but rather a reminder that we're still supporting them but we deserve much better than what we're getting.

I love this idea. The current regime needs to know that the fans are no longer going to sit by quietly as this franchise continues to embarrass us and get worse on an almost daily basis. In Washington they are trying to silence the fans by taking away their right to hold signs that contain negative comments about the team and management. I dare Randy Lerner or Eric Mangini to try that here in Cleveland. The fans of this franchise have already proven that their voices will be heard and things will get done when they unite for one cause. Ten years of backlash and frustration has been quietly building on the shores of Lake Erie and this might just be the year that the fans have finally had enough.

Instead of holding a press conference today and facing us frustrated fans, Browns owner Randy Lerner chose email (of course) as his means to responding to the fans and our frustration with the Browns.

Here is the message that Randy Lerner has sent to us Browns fans, in it's entirety:

''On the grounds of frustration and irritation with performance, then that's the medicine I [we] are going to take, and I accept that. The goal this year was to rebuild the culture at the Browns. We felt at the end of last year that we lacked any overall philosophy, approach or direction regarding recruiting, drafting, coaching, preparation or training. As a result, each season was feeling like starting over and 4-12 following 10-6 felt painfully not all that surprising.
''It's been way too long since the Browns have had anything to feel good about or invest in, and it's clear that the doubt and negativity are taking on a life of their own.

''What I can say is that we, and I, have remained open to new and fresh ideas and thinking and people with passion for the Browns and football experience getting involved and with hope and luck and support, making a difference. We won't become entrenched or stubborn and despite my allergy to be more conspicuous, I do remain eager to seek help and guidance from any and all corners.''

As a frustrated fan who wants some answers, I decided it was important to respond to Mr. Lerner's message with a few thoughts and questions of my own. My responses can be found below in red.

''On the grounds of frustration and irritation with performance, then that's the medicine I [we] are going to take, and I accept that. The goal this year was to rebuild the culture at the Browns."

It's already halfway through this season and the Browns currently have less of an identity than they did all of last season. At what point does it become apparent that the culture of the Browns is actually becoming more damaged by Eric Mangini than improved?

"We felt at the end of last year that we lacked any overall philosophy, approach or direction regarding recruiting, drafting, coaching, preparation or training. As a result, each season was feeling like starting over and 4-12 following 10-6 felt painfully not all that surprising."

If that was how you felt at the end of last year then how do you feel at the halfway point this year with the overall philosophy, approach in recruiting, drafting, coaching, preparation and training of Eric Mangini? These facets were all intended to be improved and they clearly are not. Do you have faith that they will eventually be improved under the current coaching staff?

''It's been way too long since the Browns have had anything to feel good about or invest in, and it's clear that the doubt and negativity are taking on a life of their own."

By "Browns" I really hope you meant to say "Browns fans". If that's the case then I agree. It really has been way too long since we've had anything to get excited about and invest in. Isn't it fair to say that your "investment" in the Browns has been the one consistent element throughout all of the coaching changes that have yet to yield any real success? I also believe it's fair to say that your head coach is responsible for much of the "doubt and negativity" that is now surrounding this franchise. Do you agree?

''What I can say is that we, and I, have remained open to new and fresh ideas and thinking and people with passion for the Browns and football experience getting involved and with hope and luck and support, making a difference."

Randy, we like the idea that you are open to new and fresh ideas but you shouldn't need to rely on "luck" to find somebody that can make a difference with this franchise. I don't think many employers rely on luck to find quality employees who can step in and make a difference. I believe they rely instead on their own ability to identify good candidates who can contribute to the overall success of the organization. Is it time to admit that you made a mistake in hiring Eric Mangini? Or did you just not get lucky, again?

"We won't become entrenched or stubborn and despite my allergy to be more conspicuous, I do remain eager to seek help and guidance from any and all corners.''

Ok, so you won't become "entrenched or stubborn". That's a curious statement especially considering the fact that your current head coach is both "entrenched and stubborn" regarding the current Quarterback situation surrounding the Cleveland Browns. You also claim that you have an "allergy to be more conspicuous". We've come accept that but what we won't accept is an owner who is unwilling to admit he made a mistake and not taking any action with the current state of this franchise. It's good to hear that you are eager to seek help and guidance for any any and all corners. Don't you think that's what you should have done last year while identifying candidates for the vacated head coaching position? I like the fact that you brought in Bernie Kosar to help you as a personal consultant. Hopefully he will be in the corner that you seek guidance from when you start the process of identifying your next head coach. Sooner rather than later, if you don't mind.

Suffering Browns Fans Won't Wait For Mangini

2009-10-28T11:17:00.021-04:00

With the 5th pick in the 2009 NFL Draft the Cleveland Browns traded any chance of competing this season.

On Draft day last April when a desperately needed talent upgrade was there for the taking Eric Mangini decided it was worth it to cash in all of 2008's losses - and there were plenty - for even more losses in 2009. Trading down again and again, all the way down to pick 22 only to take a center? Wouldn't there be a talented center available sometime after the first round?

I didn't want to have to remind myself about the Browns 2009 Draft but I think it's important to realize that the Draft was actually the beginning of this self-funded tank job that has become the 2009-2010 Browns season.

This brings us to today: October 28, 2009.

The fact that the Eric Mangini Cleveland Browns are worse statistically than the Chris Palmer 1999 expansion Cleveland Browns completely defies all sensible logic and blows my mind. If you recall, the Browns were screwed by the NFL in 1998 when they were given a fraction of the time needed to put together a respectable NFL roster heading into the 1999 season. So a team that was mostly made up of rag-tag castoffs that nobody else wanted played with more heart and determination than a team of supposedly legitimate NFL-caliber players making millions more than those 1999 expansion players? Hate to say it, but yes.

It's not hard to realize that much of the 2009 Browns roster is made up of players who were hand-picked by Mangini because they either played for him in New York and bought into his "system" or are guys who he believes will buy into his system eventually. Throughout all of the dismantling of an already talent starved roster, Mangini seems to have already forgotten what makes the Cleveland Browns a semi-relevant NFL franchise in the first place:

The fans.

We've been dragged through the mud for the better part of the last decade and it's safe to say that many of us have become completely numb to most things Browns. Randy Lerner had a golden opportunity to hire somebody with the vision and passion to turn this thing around and give the fans a renewed hope that respectability would be restored and the sun would once again shine on this struggling franchise.

Instead he picked Mangini.

I can't figure out why it made sense to standby and watch his own tenure with the Browns get off to such a bad start. Then again, maybe Eric Mangini didn't do this on purpose. Maybe he actually thought the moves he made during the draft and his antics leading up to the season opener would actually result in some kind of success. I just can't believe that. No way, no how. He never cared about this season or what it meant to the fans and he set the 2009 Browns up to fail with the sole intention of collecting draft picks and "system guys" while torturing the fans with a product that is not NFL caliber by any means.

The only thing more questionable than Eric Mangini's antics is the assumption in Berea that the fans would be willing to suffer through this any longer. We've suffered enough. Thanks, but no thanks.

"In The Flow" or "No Go"

2009-10-23T12:40:00.005-04:00

Welcome to the first installment of “in the flow” or “no go”. This is my version of fantasy football’s start em or sit em. Each week there are players that either under achieve or over achieve and I’m here to tell you in advance who those players will be. Maybe!

It is kind of out of the true fashion of the Cleveland Sports Flow to post about something that isn't strictly about Cleveland sports but i don't care what you think. It's my blog and i'll do what i want.

In The Flow

QB - Jay Cutler. Cutler is averaging 240 yards per game and 2 TD’s and lucky for him and his owners he’s facing a Cincinnati defense this week that is ranked 28th against the pass and giving up an average of 255 yards per game. Plus the Bengals lost they’re top pass rusher Antwan Odom which is going to make those numbers even worse.

RB – Ryan Grant. He’s facing the Browns. You could pretty much start any Packer this week and be safe but Ryan Grant is going to be out to prove something. Green Bay just resigned Ahmad Green because the organization is slowly giving up on Grant.

RB - Frank Gore. He’s back and he’s healthy. He is going to want to prove that he is better than Glen Coffee and lucky for him, Houston has given up more rushing touchdowns than any other team in the league, 10.

WR - Greg Jennings. I know, I’m picking on the Browns but think about how bad they’re defense is. Another factor to add in to this is they’re best corner flipped his car 3 times on the way home from a Jay Z concert early Friday morning. He was released from the hospital but who knows if he’ll have any minor injuries that keep him out of the game. Oh, and by the way, half of the Browns team has the flu!

No Go

QB - Brett Favre. I know this sounds a little out there since the Steelers secondary is a little suspect but if the Steelers keep a tight grip on the run game and force Favre to “make something happen” you can plan on him turning the ball over more than a couple times.

RB - Brandon Jacobs. First of all Ahmad Bradshaw is out performing Jacobs so far this year. Second of all Arizona has the #1 rush defense in the league.

WR – DeSean Jackson. I have two words for you……Champ Bailey.

WR – Miles Austin. The kid’s stock is rising up faster than a 14 year old at a strip club. He’s getting the start this week against Atlanta but don’t start him. The pressure will get to him. Besides, before his week 5 coming out party the kid had 1 touchdown and 81 receiving yards in the previous 4 games.

Cribbs Leaving Cleveland?

2009-10-16T11:15:00.013-04:00

Could it be possible that Josh Cribbs is on his way out of Cleveland? It’s been circulating that he’s asked for a trade, and that’s not hard to believe.

The Dolphins, Colts, Chiefs, Raiders, Jaguars and 49ers have all shown interest in the Browns special teams ace and fan favorite.

It is known that Josh wants a new contract and as far as anyone can tell, that’s not going to happen, at least not this season.

I think Josh deserves a new contract but he’s not going to get the “Devin Hester” money he wants here in Cleveland. Is Josh the best special teams player in the NFL? Yes he is, and on both sides of the ball, but what he isn’t is a reliable receiver and in order to get the money he wants he needs to make some kind of impact on the offense.

It’s pretty obvious that Josh will never be a threat as a WR. He’s a poor route runner and his hands are not reliable. Where he needs to make his impact is in the “flash package” and that hasn’t been accomplished yet, but I blame the coaches for lack of imagination in said formation.

I’d be very surprised if a deal is made for Cribbs. Somebody would have to step way out of the box with a crazy offer. Is it possible? Hell yes, Josh is a game changer. Could you imagine a team like the Colts starting at mid field or better on 75% of they’re drives? Scary.

If Josh gets traded, don’t be surprised to see a fan revolt in Cleveland. The fans have been on edge since the return in 99’ and trading Cribbs could push them over it. Josh is probably the most liked player in Cleveland since Bernie Kosar.

But remember who we're dealing with here, Eric Mangini, and he's capable of just about anything.

UPDATE: This could get ugly. Apparently Cribb's agent is pissed. He claims the Browns are being unfair, in the fact that they won't give Cribbs the money he deserves and they also won't let another team do it either.

I think his agent is trying to cover his arse because of the crappy contract he let Josh sign in 06'.

Benching Quinn Is the Right Move

2009-10-15T08:55:00.016-04:00

I've read a few fan blogs from around the NFL lately and something thing that jumps out at me is the assumption that Brady Quinn is getting screwed by the Browns and that's why he put his house up for sale and that he obviously wants out of Cleveland. After all, he was benched for a guy that just went 2 for 17 against Buffalo, right?

I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that these "experts" didn't have the "pleasure" of watching Brady Quinn's performances in those first 3 games of the season. It's awfully easy for an outsider to say that Brady Quinn didn't get a fair shake while Derek Anderson can complete just two passes in a game and somehow keep his job. Obviously Brady Quinn should still be the Browns starter, right?

Wrong.

With the exception of the first half of the season opener at home vs. Minnesota the Browns offense under Brady Quinn was quite possibly the worst offense of all time. He held on to the ball too long, checked down too fast, didn't allow his WR's to run their routes and took too many sacks. There were times during the Denver and Baltimore games when the Browns weren't even threatening to complete a first down. Comparisons to the Tim Couch Era in Cleveland were drawn up but the conclusion was "at least the Browns could score with Tim Couch and a cast of nobodies". Leaving Brady Quinn in at that point would have been very damaging to his confidence, the entire organization and a fan base that was quickly losing hope that the Browns would improve under Mangini this season.

Say what you will about Derek Anderson but he has given the offense the spark they were looking for. He looked somewhat good against Cincy in a game the Browns could have won. Everybody is quick to jump on Anderson after the Buffalo game but keep in mind he was throwing into 40 mph winds for most of the game. The last time he played in a game with those kinds of gusts was in Cincy in 2007 and he threw 5 INT's and cost the Browns a playoff berth. Jamal Lewis went for over 100 yards in Buffalo so that tells you how much the Browns tried to throw the ball. They played conservative on offense and managed the game without committing a bunch of stupid turnovers and that's why they won the game. It wasn't pretty but it was something to build on moving forward.

Speaking of stupid turnovers, the Bills were flagged for more false starts in that game than some teams commit in an entire month. Much criticism has been thrown at the Browns this week but for the first time in a while they weren't the team that played undisciplined, careless football. That could bode well heading into Pittsburgh.

As a Browns fan I'm very disappointed because I had high hopes for Brady Quinn going into this season and I'm sad to see him go down like this but starting Derek Anderson is the right move, right now. What that said, if Derek Anderson is the opening day starter next season then we're probably in trouble.

Give Mangini Time

2009-10-09T11:11:00.005-04:00

Lets all just sit back and relax for a minute. Lets really try to digest what is going on with this Browns team. I know it’s hard to do but we have to give them a chance.

The first thing we as fans must realize is Mangini and Kokinis walked into a huge mess, this team is terrible and it’s going to take a lot more than 5 games to turn things around.

No matter how you look at it, all of the people in charge of the team since 99’ have failed miserably. The one easy way to tell? There are only 2 players left on the roster that were drafted before 2006. Ryan Pontbriand (2003) and Brodney Pool (2005).

What’s the first thing that needs to be done when rebuilding a team? Get rid of the head cases. Get rid of the players that are going to make your job harder than it already is and get rid of the players that take on a me first attitude.

Kellen Winslow and Braylon Edwards. Two potentially really good players, but two players that are impossible to deal with. These are players that don’t know how to put the team first, players that only care about themselves.

As good as Braylon could be at times and for all the circus catches he made, they will never make up for the inconsistency and lack of concentration he had on the field 90% of the time, or for the distractions he caused off the field. This team will be better off with out him in the long run.

I’m just glad we could get something for him instead of just losing him when the season was over.
Is Derek Anderson the long-term solution at QB? I don’t think so but it could be worse, and at best he could be a 2-year solution.

At least we know he can move the ball, true he may get intercepted more than he gets the ball in the end zone but at least he gives us a chance to get there.

Unlike some other QB I won’t mention because he’s a gun shy pretty boy that completely blew his chances to be an NFL starter unless Derek gets hurt this year and he can redeem himself before he demands a trade in the offseason.

Mangini is rebuilding this team from the inside out. He is stacking this team with depth and lots of young talent. I for one am not of the thinking that building a team through free agency is the way to go (Phil Savage) but by drafting talented quality players in the draft.

Sure, once you have that solid core of players you can bring in your Randy Moss or Jay Cutler via free agency, but you must have a solid core of guys before you bring in your veteran pro-bowler.

Mangini, so far has 11 draft picks next year and he managed to collect 8 last year. We have to give this coach 4 or 5 years to see what he can build. If we throw him out of here before the rebuilding process is complete, the next coach will start the rebuilding all over again. We fans cannot afford that. We need a winner and the quickest way that will happen is if we stick with Mangini, even if that means suffering for 2 or 3 more years.

I believe this coach can get it done. I like his style and I like his attitude. Go Browns.

Braylon's Gone, is Brady Quinn Next?

2009-10-07T15:50:00.020-04:00

With Braylon Edwards headed for Broadway it's obvious that Eric Mangini is planning for the future in Cleveland and if you wear the Brown and Orange and you're not in the future plans for the Cleveland Browns you may soon find yourself with a boarding pass to your new NFL destination. That includes you, Brady Quinn. Yes, you won us over with your Hollywood smile and toned physique and you melted our hearts with your Bernie Kosar replica jersey and helmet as a child but you let us down when we gave you the keys to the castle.

Without getting into what Brady Quinn's trade value could be at this point in his career, lets take a look at a few teams that might be interested in trading for the former first rounder...

Washington Redskins

Washington has spent more money on free agents than any other team in the last few years but for some reason they still think that Jason Campbell is a franchise quarterback. I'm not convinced. Quinn might not be a franchise QB yet either but his contract is affordable and most of the incentives are based on playing time so the financial aspects shouldn't scare Washington away. There's little risk in bringing him in to compete with Campbell for the starting job in 2010. There could be a new head coach in Washington before the end of the season and there is always the possibility that the new coach will want to start fresh with a young QB like Brady Quinn.

Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins made what appeared to be a very questionable decision at the 2007 NFL Draft when they passed on Brady Quinn and instead drafted Buckeye Ted Ginn Jr. and brought in veteran Chad Pennington. The result was a trip to the playoffs. Chad has since been bitten by the injury bug like he was for much of his tenure in New York. Chad Henne is the back up QB and may prove himself to be a quality starter in the NFL but I wouldn't put any money on it. Brady Quinn's athleticism would give the Dolphins' hyped Wildcat formation yet another wrinkle because he's not exactly wearing cement shoes out there. Would it make sense to trade for Quinn if your Bill Parcells and your sitting on South Beach sipping drinks with umbrellas? I guess time will tell.

Seattle Seahawks

Seattle has been sitting on Seneca Wallace for a few years while Matt Hasselbeck slowly got older and less effective. That tells me that they are not 100% sold on Wallace as a starter in the NFL. Instead of testing the waters in the 2010 draft, Seattle may be willing to call Eric Mangini to test the waters about Quinn. Don't forget that the Seahawks gave Cleveland a 7th round pick for Charlie Frye after the debacle in Pittsburgh in 2007. This trade would cost them more than that but it may be worth it.

St. Louis Rams

Let's face it, the Rams are a bad team. The talent level is down and the owners are looking to sell the team. Marc Bulger got hurt so Kyle Boller will be manning the ship this week. Kyle-freakin'-Boller. I don't expect the current GM to make any bold moves but if somebody does buy the Rams and move them to LA there's a good chance that a roster turnover would begin soon after and Brady Quinn would definitely be a possibility but I think he'll be traded before the Rams are in position to make such a deal.

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jags are only a few years removed from beating Pittsburgh on the road in the playoffs. That's a heck of an accomplishment but it's not 2007 anymore and the Jags are in trouble. Much like with the Marlins and Rays there just isn't enough of a fan base to justify keeping the team in Jacksonville. The Jags are flirting with the idea of playing a few home games in Orlando to see if it might make sense to stay in Florida. While attendance is way down and home games are being blacked out here comes Brady Quinn, shirtless and riding a white horse ready to save the Jags from eternal damnation.

Carolina Panthers

I really wanted the Browns to trade Derek Anderson to the Panthers after 2007 but it never happened. I'm not sure if they would be interested in Brady Quinn but Jake Delhomme is 34 and just is not getting it done this year. He failed miserably in their playoff game last year against the underdog Cardinals and for some reason they rewarded him with a fat raise. As I said earlier, Brady Quinn doesn't have a huge price tag so Carolina could come calling before this thing gets out of control. There is plenty of talent on this offense with Steve Smith, DeAngelo Williams and Jonathon Stewart so it's not as if Brady would be asked to win games single-handedly. Brady Quinn has shown that he can manage the game and make smart decisions with the football, which could be enough to make this team a contender again in 2010. If the Browns could somehow get Stewart in this deal I would do it yesterday.

MELT DOWN #1

2009-09-21T11:35:00.004-04:00

I am running out of reasons to follow this team, and am questioning why I put so much time, passion and loyalty into Cleveland Browns football. I have never really questioned my loyalty, at any point in time before. When the Browns were taken away from Cleveland I boycotted football until they came back, and now this.

I almost want to turn my loyalty over to tOSU football and follow the Browns less intently. True the Buckeye’s blow every big game they play in, but at least they give us a winner most of the time. At least they give us the thought that they can win any game they play in. Truth be told I have always been a Browns fan first, but that could slowly be changing.

I have three huge problems with the Browns right now that need to be taken care of quickly.

First. Brady Quinn. I’m fine with him getting off to a slow start, I’m fine with him struggling a bit, but the kid needs to throw the damn ball. He’s not going to have a wide open receiver every play, especially when the teams second receiver is Josh Cribbs. Brady will never be a good quarterback if he’s afraid to throw the ball. Its one thing to be safe but its another thing to be gun shy. Being safe means don’t throw the ball up for grabs in double coverage, being safe means don’t try to throw a left handed pass when your being sacked, hold on to the ball. Brady is gun shy and its killing the offense.

Second. Jamal Lewis. I’ve wanted him replaced since last year and nothing has changed. He’s done. I’m tired of watching him shuffle his feet like he’s a wiener dog. Is James Davis or Harrison the answer? I don’t know, but they cant be much worse, at least they have the chance of breaking a long run from time to time.

Third. St. Clair. Get this scrub out of the game. If he’s not getting called for a false start or holding he’s letting the defense run right past him. He alone is the biggest weakness this team has and something needs to be done about it. How many times can one man get beat before he is pulled out of the game? If he starts next week I will throw a hissy fit like a 10 year old girl….again.

All in all I refuse to give up on Brady or Mangini before they get a fair chance. Two games is not enough for me to throw in the towel. Hell I would love to give them 3 or 4 years. What do we have to lose? Another losing season. It will happen regardless of the coach or QB here in Cleveland. The only way we can become a winner is to stick with what we have. Starting over every 3 or 4 years doesn’t work, this is obvious, we’ve been trying that method since 99’.

Coach Mangini, WTF?

2009-09-04T15:59:00.008-04:00

I really hope the Browns players already know who the starting QB is.

The fans already know. That's for sure. We've seen enough to make an educated selection. Even a wanna-be sports blogger like myself who never played a down of football in high school but follows this team religiously knows that Brady Quinn will be the starter.

That's not the secret.

The secret is why in the hell hasn't Eric Mangini announced his starting QB? There are only 9 days left until the season opener, so his mind has to be already made up. You can't see these guys play everyday for this long without picking your guy. About a month ago when this thing was just starting to get annoying, I assumed that if both guys appear to be "neck and neck" than it could be a tactic to boost Quinn or Anderson's trade value (most likely Anderson's). Well, I'm over that.

I think the "all things will remain a secret" way of doing things that Mangini apparently learned while dog sniffing Mr. Hoodie in New England has manifested itself to a whole new level. It's one thing to not disclose information about injuries. I'd like to know why our best player has been on a stationary bike since early August but I'm not pulling my hair out over it.

Is it possible that Mangini is becoming obsessed with secrecy?

A quick look into the Cleveland Sports Flow Crystal Ball reveals the following...

Media: Coach, what color socks are you planning to
wear tomorrow?

Coach: We're going to continue to evaluate and analyze
the possibilities and make an internal decision and go with it.

Coach, seriously...WTF?

Mangini is Wasting Reps on Anderson

2009-08-19T16:36:00.010-04:00

Like a 6 year old with a Sharpie, Eric Mangini has written his name all over the Cleveland Browns. He's "moved" murals, traded Pro Bowl talent and traded the #5 overall pick to the Jets for a group of former employees who he thought would help him preach the gospel in Cleveland. That was just in the first few months!

I'm not knocking any of those moves because I think they were all smart and cleared the way for a re-building effort that will (hopefully) see this team become more competitive and fundamentally sound in the new few years. I'm ok with that. I know the Browns aren't going to the playoffs this season and I won't be disappointed when that becomes a fact.

What I am disappointed in is the idea that Eric Mangini is giving Derek Anderson snaps in pre-season and training camp with the notion that he might actually win the starting job over Brady Quinn. Look, I'm not 100% sold on either guy as a "franchise QB" but even a casual fan knows that Brady Quinn should be the starter when the Browns open the regular season on September 13 at home against the Minnesota Favrekings. So why is Coach Mangini torturing us with his homemade Quarterback Derby 2009 Edition?

Seriously, is it really necessary?

Speaking of unnecessary, how about waiting until an hour before the first pre-season game to announce the starter? Was that a strategy to try to force Green Bay into having to be prepared for both QBs? I hope not because the Packers came out and looked like the best defense in the world while Coach Mangini was rotating Quinn and Anderson like they were trying out for his Yahoo! Fantasy Football Team. Great "sneaky" tactic to start the season of games that don't even count.

We won't even get into the specifics of the game. Check Ben's recap in the previous post for that info. All I'm going to say is the fact that Quinn didn't pull ahead in this battle was a bigger disappointment than our defense all of a sudden forgetting how to tackle.

So now it's Thursday and we still don't have a confirmation on who will be starting Saturday against Detroit in the (in)famous "Great Lakes Classic" (that almost got blacked out). Why is it taking so long to name a starter this week? Is this forcing the Lions, coming off the league's first ever 0-16 season, to prepare for both guys? Detroit's first team defense is going to see both guys anyway so why not just announce that D.A. will start the second game since apparently it's too early to tell who's leading the race for the starting job and Mangini is hell bent on getting them equal reps? Doesn't that make sense?

Apparently not.

Not a lot of what Mangini is doing with these quarterbacks makes sense to me right now and I have no reason to believe that anything will be cleared up anytime soon either. In my opinion, the logical thing to do would be to name Quinn the starter as soon as possible since he's the guy we gave up a #1 pick for to be our future quarterback and give him all of the reps with the first team in the 3rd pre-season game. Derek Anderson might want to be traded because he believes he can still start in the NFL for another team or he might want to take his chances here as the backup since we're in Cleveland and with our luck there's always the possibility Quinn's arm could fall right off . If I were George Kokinis, I would test the trade market to see what we could get for D.A., but unless somebody gets hurt and a team is desperate it's probably not going to be much especially after the forgettable season he had in 2008. If we can get something of moderate value then pull the trigger and go into the season with Quinn as the starter and Brett Ratliff as the backup. That seems logical, at least to me anyway. Do I expect Mangini to do the logical thing in this case? Hell no.

Here's what I expect Mangini to do....

Keep both quarterbacks and keep this open competition going as long as he possibly can without having to commit one way or the other. Then Go through the rest of the pre-season letting DA and Quinn share reps but without naming a starter or even hinting at who the favorite is. Once the regular season starts, he'll go with Quinn because that's what he was planning on doing all along. So many of us fans will ask "why didn't he just say that from the beginning?"

Because he's Eric Mangini and that's not how he rolls! Next question, please.

Browns vs Packers (what i saw)

2009-08-17T11:37:00.008-04:00

Positives.

Brady Quinn – His pocket presence was excellent. He dropped back in the pocket and planted his feet, something he didn’t do last year. Last year he was bouncing around and had happy feet. If his first receiver was covered he moved on to the next receiver and so on. He made a good showing that he should be the starter, but it was only one game, I’m not going to hand him the keys yet.

Josh Cribbs – He is one of the best players on this team. To see him actually make a couple plays on the offensive side of the ball is very encouraging. If he can become a receiving threat, everything else that he brings to the table on offensive will fall into place.

Blitz – True, the Browns didn’t get to the QB very much against Green Bay but the fact that I saw them actually trying was something I haven’t seen from them in quite a few years. I could tell Kam Wimbley is benefiting from the new coaches, I saw him use a couple of new moves that he hasn’t perfected yet but he’s getting close.

Negatives.

Running Game – Terrible. What is the problem here, by the end of last season it was my number 1 goal to get a new running back. We didn’t, unless James Davis is truly a star and I doubt it. Jamal doesn’t have it anymore and until he does something to prove me wrong I’m standing by my Jamal Lewis is washed up attitude.

Rush Defense – What happened to Zeus? I keep hearing how he’s a tremendous run stopper. When your team gives up over 200 rushing yards rushing nobody on the defensive line should be dubbed “ZEUS”.

Derek Anderson – He didn’t do anything to help his chances of being the Browns starting QB. Zero completions and 1 interception. He locks onto one receiver and holds the ball until the receiver gets open or until he gets sacked. He better get his act together in the next pre-season game or else everybody is going to write him off completely.

F-O-O-T-B-A-L-L

2009-08-13T10:33:00.003-04:00

Just two more days until a meaningful sporting event for Cleveland sports fans. Football season is finally here. This is what we Cleveland fans live for, football, win or lose, we love our football. And even though it is only a pre-season game, for those fans that aren’t die hard enough to follow training camp, this is a sign that football season is back.

I am excited to see the new additions to this team take the field. From the new starters like Abe Elam to the third string quarterbacks like Brett Ratliff. I for one enjoy every minute of Cleveland Browns pre-season football. I love trying to spot the “out of no where guy” like Alex Hall last year, a guy that exceeds every expectation you have of him or a guy you’ve never heard of that comes out and makes a name for himself. Who will it be this year? Wide receiver Lance Leggett? Or maybe running back James Davis? Time will tell.

Who will be the QB this year? It is my impression that Derek Anderson is having a slightly better training camp than Brady. He has really improved his short passing game, but we all know that can change on game day. As good as Derek may be throwing the ball, I really don’t think he has the leadership skills or attitude to run this team. I think he folds under pressure and can’t recoup from bad play. Derek seems to let his emotions get in the way of the sport, and it hurts him more than his great throwing arm helps him. Brady on the other hand seems to have those intangibles to run the team and keep not only his head in the game but the rest of his teams. Brady has great touch on his pass and despite what people say, he can throw the long ball just fine.

I have my own theory on why Derek was with the starters for the Brown and White scrimmage. Coach Mangini figured he would be able to start Brady in the first pre-season game and his reason for picking Quinn could be that Derek played with the first team in the scrimmage so its Quinn’s turn with the starters. I know it doesn’t seem like a big deal, but if he rotates the QB’s in the pre-season games, guess who will be starting in the all-important 3rd game. That’s right, Brady, and he won’t even have to explain why. He’s rotating them with the starters.

I think Brady will be the starter when the regular season starts but I won’t be surprised at all if Derek wins the job.

It was just announced that Donte Stallworth is suspended for the entire season.

Cavaliers Cashing in on LeBron's Questionable Future

2009-07-16T10:13:00.017-04:00

Cavaliers beat writer Brian Windhorst of the Cleveland Plain Dealer is reporting that the Cavs have renewed approximately 95% of their season ticket plans from last year and are threatening to completely sellout every home game of the 2009-2010 campaign. Windy also reports that the Cavs are either first or near the top in every ticket-selling category in the NBA.

Not bad for a team from "small market" Cleveland. Not bad at all, actually.

News of the success the Cavs are experiencing with season tickets for this upcoming season got me thinking. Everybody knows that the 2009-2010 season could possibly be LeBron's last with the Cavaliers as it is highly speculated (by the NY media) that he will opt-out of his current contract next summer and become a free agent. LeBron has been pretty secretive when it comes to his future plans - with the exception of an alleged free agent recruitment here and there.

Here is my question:

Do the Cavaliers, as an organization, prefer LeBron to make it appear that the 2009-2010 season could be his last in Cleveland for the benefit of selling more season ticket plans?

GM Danny Ferry would never admit to it. Owner Dan Gilbert would chase me off his porch with his custom Cavaliers snow shovel if he heard this. But either way, the Cavs are benefiting from LeBron's "flirtation" with leaving Cleveland in 2010 in a big way and this report by Brian Windhorst proves it. Sure, the Big Shaquisition played a definitive role in the increase of season ticket sales, but not as much as LeBron's pending free agency has. People are starting to view 2009-2010 as Cleveland's last chance to win a championship and who can blame them? The team playing across the street at Progressive Field isn't even going to sniff .500 this season and the Browns are at least 4 or 5 years away from really competing with the top level teams in the NFL.

If I was in charge of marketing for the Cavs the possible sales slogans for prospective season ticket holders would have included:

Get your 2009-2010 season tickets: This Could Be LeBron's Last Season in Cleveland. Did You Hear We Got Shaq?

Get your 2009-2010 season tickets: "Do or Die" starring LeBron James and featuring Shaq. Win a Title and LeBron Stays. Lose and He's Gone.

Get your 2009-2010 season tickets: LeBron and Shaq combine forces to take on space aliens who are threatening to destroy Cleveland. Will you be there to cheer them on?

Ok, that last one was just for fun but you get the idea.

Regardless of whether the Cavs were planning on benefiting from LeBron's pending free agency or not, the fact is they are. At least this July, anyway. Hopefully next July won't be any different.

Cavaliers Running Out of Options

2009-07-07T11:09:00.006-04:00

With signing day less than 12 hours away the Cavs don’t have many options left in free agency but that doesn’t mean they won’t get something done. The Cavs have already made a splash by picking up The Big Freeze, but they seem to be coming up short of getting another impact player. One that I think they must get to be able to contend for a championship.

I’m not going to count out Trevor Ariza yet. He told Houston that he’ll sign with them but there are still little rumors flying around. Apparently LeBron has reached out to Trevor in an attempt to bring him to Cleveland, telling Trevor that he (LeBron) will still be in Cleveland after 2010. Whether that’s true or not, I’m hearing that Trevor Ariza could be backing out of his agreement with Houston (aka pulling a "Boozer"). Could this be why Ferry and Coach Brown flew out to the Left Coast?

An off the wall option could be Josh Childress. After playing a year overseas he seems to be ready to come back to the NBA. He’s a lanky small forward who has a lot of hustle in him. Doesn’t really have an outside game but can crash the boards and play solid defense.

One way or another the Cavs are going to get an impact player before the trade deadline comes next February. Don't forget about the Mo Williams trade last summer that nobody saw coming. If the Cavs fail to pick up that impact free agent this summer there will still be teams trying to dump salary at the trade deadline or maybe even sooner. If a team finds itself struggling to stay in the playoff race around the trading deadline in February they may be looking to cash in on a 2010 free agent who they don't expect to re-sign: Chris Bosh, anyone?

3rd & Long: It's July Already?

2009-06-30T16:08:00.014-04:00

Welcome to the first installment of 3rd & Long, a new weekly series that will feature the "big 3" Cleveland teams. This is where we will focus on the high's and low's for the Cavs, Browns and Indians all in one spot.

Let's start with the Cavs, since they are the biggest news makers in this town.

Ryan: Danny Ferry should have Charlie Villanueva's phone number on speed dial by now as Free Agent Season 2009 opened last night. In a surprise move, the Bucks decided not to submit an offer for Charlie V's services making him an Unrestriced Free Agent. What does this mean for the Cavs? Well, it all depends on how bad CV wants to play here and how much he's willing to accept. The Cavs could offer him their Mid Level Exception, which maxes out at about $5.8 million. To put that into perspective, CV made about $3 million last year. Will a 1 year deal with a hefty raise and a chance to win a championship playing with LeBron and Shaq be enough to make that happen? It probably will if Danny Ferry decides to go that route. I hope he does.

Ben: Free agency has begun and i'm curious to see what Ferry does. It's obvious we need to sign a PF that can strech the court and a SG or SF with a little bit of size to match up with other teams bigger players. I'd really like to see Matt Barnes in a Cavaliers uniform but i'm not as high on Villanueva as most people are. Barnes defense is suspect, but in his defense he's played for Phoenix and Golden State the last three years and neither of those teams play very much defense. I like the Shaq trade, we got him for nothing so even if he doesn't play as well as we'd all like, i'll gurantee he'll do more for this team than Ben Wallace or Sasha would of. My dark horse pick up is a sign and trade for Artest!

Ryan: I'm starting to get excited for football season again and I have no idea why. Well, I know why - because it's the Browns and they haven't lost a game in months, but there are so many questions heading into this season that I have no idea what to expect. I'm looking at this time as the calm before the QB storm. Pretty soon the media will be engulfed in the Browns QB battle between Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson. I have no doubt that Quinn will easily win the starting job as Derek Anderson has been horrible in the pre season every year - he couldn't even beat out Charlie Frye in 2007. If the season gets closer and the Browns get a decent offer for Anderson, I would pull the trigger. Mangini got his backup QB in Brett Ratliff. This is Quinn's team, finally. On defense, I have no idea what to expect but if we at least TRY to pressure the QB once in a while I will be happy.

Ben: I hate the Steelers! I'm ready for football season to start. It's amazing how much i look forward to Cleveland football when i know how terrible we've been in the past. Every year i think it will get better and i'm usually let down, but once again i haven't learned my lesson. I'm excited about our defense going into next year. We picked up a lot of good role players and i think Rob Ryan will get the best out of our guys and run a more aggresive defense than we've seen lately.

Ryan: This team is lost and I'm not sure if they can be found at this point. It's hard to be a baseball fan in a small market when your team is struggling like this. The Indians have been built in such a way that the franchise's success has become completely dependent on young, inexperienced players overachieving. When that happens, you get the 2007 Indians. It's 2009 and this team needs a massive overhaul in the front office.

Ben: I have a feeling that Cliff Lee will be gone pretty soon, and i don't agree with it. There is no reason to trade our best players just because this season is done. Fire Wedge! If that doesn't work next year then go ahead and rebuild, AGAIN. We've got to give this team a chance, i think there is a lot of talent here, give Cliff, Victor, Grady and Travis a shot with a real coach and see what they can do. Is Mike Hargrove ready to come out of retirement?

Shaq-Fu at The Q! Cavaliers Land O'Neal

2009-06-25T09:12:00.037-04:00

The worst kept secret in the NBA's rumor mill finally became a reality early this morning when Cavs GM Danny Ferry and his former Cleveland teammate and current Phoenix Suns GM Steve Kerr agreed in principal to a deal that sends Shaq to the Cavs and Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavlovic, the #46 pick and $500,00 to the Suns.

This exact deal reportedly almost happened last February at the trade deadline but the Suns preferred Wally Szczerbiak's expiring contract over Ben Wallace's which had one more year left on it. There was talk earlier this month that the Suns were looking for talent and not just cap relief and were requesting Delonte West be added to the deal. This would have been a deal breaker for the Cavs as they know Delonte is a proven, young defensive minded player who can create his own shot. There aren't many of those types on the current Cleveland roster, if you haven't noticed yet. Ferry was determined to get the best deal with the Sasha/Wallace package and he went out and made the biggest splash he could have possibly made.

This trade could do wonders for both teams as Phoenix is now able to save a ton of money without having to enter complete rebuilding mode and will have an extra draft pick to help them get younger tonight and with all of that money coming off the books next season they may be players in the Free Agency Frenzy of 2010. Or they may opt to start building a younger core of players and stay under the luxury tax.

Even though Shaq is looking for a new 2 or 3 year deal he will probably only be a 1 year rental. He may be the most valuable 1 year rental in the history of the NBA as the existence of the entire franchise hangs in the balance with the anticipated free agency of LeBron James drawing closer by the day. After I got word of the trade early this morning I turned on ESPN Radio to hear the national reaction and Chris Broussard said that this might be enough to entice LeBron to sign an extension this summer. According to Broussard, LeBron signing an extension would make Cleveland a valuable destination for 2010 free agents. Not only that, but it would put several members of the New York media out of work as the constant LeBron-to-NYC buzz would finally come to an end.

People who are hating on this trade, if they exist, need to realize that Cleveland got Shaq for basically nothing. Ben Wallace hasn't been Ben Wallace since 2004 and Sasha Pavlovic has never lived up to his potential and has given the Cavs very inconsistent production the past two seasons. It's a shame that Sasha never established himself with the Cavs because he has the size that the Cavs are looking for in a small forward but his mental lapses always seemed to get in the way of his progress. Wallace gave us good minutes while he was here and Cleveland fans should have nothing but respect for him as he gave it all he had and played through nagging injuries. My fondest memory of Ben as a Cavalier may very well be his first game as a Cavalier when he made his presence known immediately by scoring a layup then turning around and stealing the ensuing inbounds pass and scoring again. Unfortunately, his body started breaking down fast and his passion started to do the same. Phoenix may be able to work a buy out if Wallace decides to retire as he hinted to after the Eastern Conference Finals.

In the end, Danny Ferry was able to get the player he wanted without giving up more than he wanted in the deal. While he got the big fish ("The Big Walleye" ??) that he wanted, he may not be done dealing. With the draft only hours away, another splash will prove just how serious Ferry and the Cavs are about winning a championship in 2010.

edit: The Cavs gave up the 2010 second round pick not the 2009 #46 pick.

Wake Me Up When September Comes

2009-06-17T13:35:00.029-04:00

Camp opens August 1st, which is only 45 days away and we here at The Cleveland Sports Flow love our football. Since the Indians suck we decided to join together and touch on a couple things that are going on with the Browns.

QB situation –
Never one to shy away from drama, Mangini appears ready to let this thing simmer all summer and even possibly into the pre-season. Based on last season alone, my vote goes to Quinn. I’m excited about Brady Quinn, not Derek Anderson. We know about Derek Anderson. We know that he has a huge arm and can stretch the field but his decision making and leadership skills are questionable. Decision making and leadership are the two things that you must have in your franchise quarterback. A strong arm is a plus, but only if it comes with a side of decision making and leadership.

Brady Quinn basically got the shaft last season when Romeo Crennel refused to replace a struggling and frustrated Anderson when it was obvious that it was Quinn’s time. When finally given his chance, Quinn showed some potential but it was short lived of course because he broke a finger on his throwing hand. I have a hunch that Derek Anderson will be traded before the season opener in September. It could be earlier if another team's starting quarterback gets hurt and a quick replacement is needed. We're guessing a 2nd or 3rd round draft choice will get it done, depending on how desperate they might be.

I hope this is the last quarterback competition in Cleveland for a long time. If there is one position on a football team that should be set before training camp it’s the quarterback. Practice Practice Practice. How can a quarterback get in sync with his team if he’s splitting reps with another quarterback? Wouldn’t you want one guy getting most of the reps with the first string offense? This is Brady’s year and it's his time to shine. He's going to need some time to develop and the majority of Cleveland fans have shown nothing but love for him so I would bet most fans believe he is worth waiting for as long as he makes good decisions and gets better each week.

Donte Stallworth –
The thinking in Berea was that Stallworth would not be available this season so the Browns went out and stocked up on a both young and veteran wideouts. Depending on the length of his impending suspension by the commissioner, Stallworth could be eligible to play at some point this season. The question that I am asking is how much the Browns will want him if he’s eligible to play. Will they release him and try to recoup the roster bonus they just paid him? Hopefully this gets resolved without creating a distraction. Stallworth is injury prone and has been known to take plays off. There's no way the new Browns regime is comfortable with his contract. Thanks Phil Savage.

Coach Mangini –
First things first. Thank god we didn’t hire Josh McDaniels. Boy has he really screwed any chances of Denver winning 3 games this year. When we hired Mangini I was a little skeptical, but I like him more and more each day. He’s organized, opinionated, knowledgeable, and very detailed. This Browns team needs to be whipped back into shape after being part of the Country Club that Romeo and Co. ran.

It’s hard to judge a first year head coach in June. From what we’ve seen, Mangini is a coach who knows what he wants. He brought in several of his former players to help spread the gospel and make sure everybody understand what exactly it is that he wants. The Browns might not be a playoff team this season but it won’t be because of a lack of discipline or too many mental mistakes like in years past. Personally, I like what Mangini has done in Berea. Let’s see how it translates to the field.

Biggest rookie impact –
Brian Robiskie. He was thought by most scouts to be the most NFL ready receiver in this years draft. He runs precise routes and has great hands, which should put him in a spot to be the Browns #2 receiver. He’s not the biggest and he’s not the fastest WR that we have but he can catch the ball. You would be hard pressed to find a WR in the draft who had more NFL experience than Robiskie after having been around the league for years with his dad/NFL coach, Terry.

Shaun Smith –
He will be cut before the start of the season. Coach won’t put up with his mouth and the fans hate him because he punched Brady. Nobody puts Brady in a corner. Plus we now have half of the Jets D-linemen so we don’t need him. Mangini is looking for character. Smith is a character, but not the right kind.

Record prediction –
I think we can end up 8-8. This team has some talent. If we can stay healthy I think Mangini will turn things around quickly. The record this season is important, but building consistency is much more important. Mangini's Jets faired well in his first season on the job finishing 10-6 in 2006 but took a dip in his second season as head coach going 4-12 in 2007. Although the Jets finished 9-7 under Mangini in 2008, the Jets ownership felt the need to make a change. Hopefully that moves benefits the Browns in the long run.

Antawn Jamison Anyone?

2009-06-16T10:32:00.012-04:00

Today’s rumor? Antawn Jamison. Brought to you by draftexpress.com.

-While plenty of media outlets are speculating about a potential deal between Cleveland and Phoenix, we’ve heard some talk of a possible trade between Cleveland and Washington actually. The deal would essentially be a cost-cutting move for the Wizards, sending Antawn Jamison and filler (Mike James) to the Cavs for Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic. Wallace seems likely to retire, and Pavlovic is on a non-guaranteed contract for next season. It’s not clear whether the Wizards would need to surrender the #5 pick. Jamison is attractive to the Cavs since he’s exactly the type of combo forward they were missing to match up with Orlando’s Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu.

This is by far my favorite one yet. I hate the Rasheed Wallace rumor. I could live with the Shaq trade, accept now I’m hearing Shaq wants a 2-year extension and I don’t like that idea.

But Antawn Jamison? Yes he’s old, he just turned 33 and has 3 years left on his contract, but who cares? Antawn seems to be getting better every year. Last season he averaged 22.2 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. That would make him the Cavs leading rebounder and second in points per game. Lets face it the Cavs biggest need going into the off-season is a PF and Antawn is a great PF.

The only downside to this trade is the 3-year contract Jamison has. Could his contract potentially block the Cavs from being able to sign a Chris Bosh type of player in 2010 if LBJ sticks around? Possibly, but we need to win now, while we know Lebron is going to be here.

If we could get Shaq and his 1-year deal i would take that trade over Antawn and his 3-year deal. But if Shaq is going to demand a 2-year extension, it comes down to the fact that Antawns contract isn't worth as much money and i think you'd get more production out of him than Shaq over the course of 3 years.

I wouldn't be thrilled about getting the 5th pick in the draft. The value in this draft isn't very good in my opinion. Getting that pick would only add more money to our salary cap that we don't need.

Tomorrows rumor predictions, Hedo or Boozer.

photo credit: si.com

Shaq Crackle and Pop

2009-06-15T11:10:00.004-04:00

We might as well keep going with the rumors. It seems to be the trend around the Cleveland Sports Flow.

The latest rumor has the Cavs trading for Shaq Fu or if traded to Cleveland, he could become know as The Big Walleye or Shaq Magnum.

Last winter these same rumors were floating around and Danny Ferry did say there were talks with Phoenix but both sides were never close on working something out. The deal breaker was Delonte West. Phoenix wanted him and Ferry wouldn’t consider trading his starting SG.

What it comes down to is Phoenix is in salary cap hell and they are rumored to be trying to unload Amare Stoudamire and Shaq.

I would have to imagine they would want some young talent in exchange for Shaq. As much as I would like to think we could give them Ben Wallace and Sasha, we all know that’s not possible. The money adds up but chances are they'll still want Delonte and unless we plan on signing a free agent guard I don’t see this trade happening because Boobie Gibson is not the man.

My plan would be to get Shaq. If Phoenix wants Delonte, give him to them, along with Big Ben. We can sign a free agent point guard and move Mo to the SG position. I don’t see any free agents at the SG position that I like accept Trevor Ariza. I would like to see Andre Miller, Jason Kidd, or Mike Bibby in a Cavs uniform.

Shaq is due $20 next season and we still have Big Z on the roster. With both Shaq and Z being old it would be an ideal situation for them to split time at center. Also both players will be free agents in 2010 so we don’t have to worry about extra money on the books in that crucial free agent year.

Fire Wedge

2009-06-12T13:12:00.009-04:00

“RESPECT THE GAME” Words Cleveland Indians Manager Eric Wedge says repeatedly.

“RESPECT THE GAME” Words athletes should live by.

“RESPECT THE GAME” Something Shapiro should do and FIRE WEDGE!

I’m done. I’ve backed Wedge for six years now and he’s done nothing but underachieve and let Cleveland fans down. Somebody needs to be held responsible for the Indians failures and Wedge is that someone.

One of Wedges’ biggest faults is his inability to win early in the season.

Now in his seventh season, Wedge has led his team to just one winning record after the first 20 games in a season. And to make it worse, his teams are a combined 29-41 for the first 10 games in a season. That’s a wimpy .414 winning percentage.

The slow starts are exhausting and they destroy team chemistry. It’s always easier to win games when you start off with an early lead, and it’s the same for the season.

I’m sure everybody remembers Wedges' one and only playoff experience. The Indians knocked the Yankees out (which is definitely the highlight of Wedges' stay in Cleveland) but what he did next is what I remember. He blew a 3-1 series lead against the Red Sox in the ALCS, but it didn’t stop there. The next season the Indians followed up with an 81-81 record. They went from being one of the best teams in the league to a .500 team. The way he lost in his only playoff appearance is terrible but the way he followed up the next season is just un-excusable.

I believe its time to give Joel Skinner a shot at fixing this season before its too late. Something has to be done and Wedge isn’t going to do it. Step up to the plate Mr. Shapiro, I know he’s your buddy, but it’s time for Wedge to go. You’ve given him plenty of talent to work with for the past 6 seasons and he’s done nothing with it. When will Wedge be held accountable?

Sam Amico Just Got Famous

2009-06-11T10:43:00.013-04:00

By the end of the day every major sports network, radio show, web forum, chat room, twitter, facebook, myspace and elderly person at the grocery store will be talking about Sam Amico's story about the Cavs front office being divided over whether to fire Mike Brown or not.

Who is Sam Amico? He's a beat writer who follows the Cavs, apparently. He's not a 15 year old kid writing a blog from his parents basement. Sam is well known to other members of the Cleveland media and it would be a surprise if he somehow fabricated this story or used bad sources.

In his column, Amico says that "sources close to the situation" have told him that Dan Gilbert is ready to upgrade the coaching staff while Danny Ferry is still in Mike Brown's corner. It's easy to understand the pressure being felt by the Cavs front office to make another run at the NBA championship in 2010 before LeBron James can become a free agent but this would sure be a strange way to go about it.

Another interesting development from Amico's column is the possibility of the Cavs prying Pat Riley away from the Heat to replace Mike Brown. This is the same Pat Riley who has possibly the best job in the world as president and final decision maker of the Miami Heat. Would Riley be willing to give up his job in South Beach to come to Cleveland to coach LeBron? It's not like he's starving for some star power in South Beach with Dwayne Wade on the roster through 2010. Why would any coach in his right mind agree to coach the Cavs when the possibility that LeBron James will leave after next season still very real?

Brian Windhorst was quick to respond to these rumors this morning with his take on Cleveland.com claiming that these rumors are based on "inaccuracies and flawed logic" and according to several of his sources within the organization these reports are false. Brian is the most wired and tuned-in media member in the world when it comes to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Any rumors that come from a source not named Brian Windhorst should be taken with a grain or two of salt, to say the least.

Frank Isola of the New York Daily News writes a column titled Knicks Nation and has already put the typical New York media spin on this story by pondering what effect it will have on LeBron's inevitable move to New York after next season. Isola claims that Pat Riley's arrival in Cleveland would hurt the Knicks' chances of signing LeBron James in 2010.

"How does Brown's job status impact the Knicks? If Cavs owner Dan Gilbert were to decide to make a big, bold coaching move, that would certainly enhance the club's chances of re-signing LeBron James."

Apparently this is the kind of stuff we can expect to come from the New York media machine for the next several months. Forget the fact that LeBron has finally bought in to Mike Brown's defensive philosophy and forget about the kind of message it would send to the league's MVP by firing the most successful coach in franchise history right after the most successful season in franchise history. Sure, Mike Brown was out coached by Stan Van Gundy in the ECF and didn't make the best adjustments but I'm not sure it would have mattered either way. Orlando's size and strengths created the worst possible matchups that the Cavs could have possibly gone up against. When you combine that with the fact that the Magic absolutely shot the lights out against us it's not hard to see why the Cavs are playing golf right now. We just didn't have enough firepower. Who's fault is that?

Not Mike Brown's.

Photo credit: Joshua Gunter, The Plain Dealer

Calling BS on Sheed Rumors

2009-06-10T14:10:00.012-04:00

I’ve made it clear that I’m not interested in Rasheed Wallace one bit, and the more I look into the rumor about the Cavs being in negotiations with him, the more I realize it’s B.S. A guy named J. Gamble from Slam Online reported it last week, and every media source ran with it. Here is what he said,

"My sources say that Rasheed Wallace and the Cavs are beginning talks on a two-year deal worth about $10 million per for the services of the former Piston. The move and negotiations were inspired by Dwight Howard’s dominant performance over Cleveland’s big men in the Eastern Conference Finals. And Wallace will be brought in for that very purpose, to neutralize Dwight Howard next season and help the Cavs get over the hump. This supports what we previously reported about what it will take for Sheed to come back next year. "

"If this signing falls through, I’m hearing that Cleveland may do a sign and trade with the Clippers for Zach Randolph, which certainly makes sense for the Clippers since they are taking Blake Griffin No. 1 overall. "

Now I can’t exactly dispute the fact that Cleveland could be breaking the rules by talking to a player before he is a free agent, I’m sure it happens frequently. My guess is this guy named J. Gamble is pulling this story straight from his butt, trying to make a name for himself. It is only the second article he’s written for Slam Online.

The part that really points to B.S. for me is the part about Zach Randolph. First, you can’t sign and trade a player unless he's a free agent, and Zack Randolph is not a free agent. He has 2 years left on his contract worth more than $33 million. And second, I don't see the Cavs taking on that kind of money, especially when roughly 18 of that $33 million is due in 2010.

Please No Rasheed

2009-06-05T15:01:00.006-04:00

Six words came to mind when I heard the rumor about Rasheed coming to Cleveland. WHO COMES UP WITH THIS CRAP? Seriously, why would we want the crybaby of all crybabies on this team? If there is one guy in the league that I can’t stand, it’s Sheed, closely followed by Kevin Garnett, but that’s another story. Sheed would bring nothing to this team, and in a survey I made up 80% of basketball fans cant stand him either.

He wouldn’t bring youth he’s 35 and getting slower and lazier by the day. He has a terrible attitude so he doesn’t bring leadership or a positive vibe. His field goal percentage and points per game have been in a steady decline the last couple of seasons. And most importantly he’s Sheed.

There are so many other options out there if the main goal is finding someone that can keep Dwight Howard in check next season. It’s rumored that The Raptors are privately acknowledging that they might need to trade Bosh, or risk losing him as a free agent in 2010. Or how about Shaq, he’s apparently on the trading block. I think free agent Chris Andersen could probably play solid defense against Howard. I'd even take a chance on Jermaine O'Neal.

Rasheed is not the answer and he shouldn’t even be thought of as part of the solution. If the Cavs are going to win next year, $10 million a year for 2 years for Rasheed would be a waste of money and space on the roster.

Top 5 Unrestricted Free Agent Targets For Cleveland

2009-06-02T15:21:00.018-04:00

Ron Artest – A true lock down defender. At 6’7” he’s really a SF but can play PF and create a lot of mismatches for opposing teams. Ron Artest is at the top of my list of free agents. Despite his past troubles, he seems to of matured a lot over the last couple of years. Last season he averaged 17.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists.

Chris Andersen – The Birdman. A 6’10” F/C, would be an excellent replacement for Anderson Varejao or Ben Wallace. He is 30 but has only played in the league for 6 seasons due to a drug suspension. The Birdman brings a lot of energy to the defensive side of the ball, would be a quick fan favorite here in Cleveland. Last season he averaged 20.6 minutes, 6.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.5 blocked shots per game.

Trevor Ariza – A 23 year old 6’7” SF that has really shown what he’s capable of in the playoffs this year. Could be a solid back up for LBJ. Ariza is a great defender and even though his jumper could use a little work he couldn't be any worse than Sasha. Last year he averaged 8.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists.

Matt Barnes – Could be a solid back up for LBJ or help defend against bigger SG’s in the league. Barnes is a 6’7” SF but is also able to play shooting guard. He made the league minimum last year so he could probably be attained for cheap. Last year he averaged 10.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists.

Lamar Odom – I love his versatility. Lamar is a 6’10” PF that can dribble the ball coast to coast and finish strong at the rim or pull up short and finess it in. He can also play the SF position with ease. But he does have his knocks too, the main one being he doesn’t show up for every game. Last year he averaged 11.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists.

5 Reasons Why The Cavs Should Sign Ron Artest

2009-06-02T11:04:00.051-04:00

Ron Artest used to be famous for his role in The Malice at the Palace in which he portrayed a young and misguided male from the projects with a short fuse and an appetite for destruction. Fast forward to 2009 and Ron Artest is still famous for what happened on that crazy night in Detroit in 2004 but he decided somewhere along the way not to let that moment define his entire career.

Despite his past transgressions, not many people will argue the fact that Ron Artest is still a difference maker. His passion for the game and the intensity he brings each night are matched by only few and those are just a few of the intangibles that would make him an excellent addition to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Here are 5 reasons why the Cleveland Cavaliers should sign Ron Artest this summer:

#5: Artest is a difference maker when his mind is in the right place.

The Kings finished the 2005-2006 regular season with a 44–38 record and went 20–9 after the All-Star break with Artest in the lineup, which was the second best post-All-Star break record that season. They went on to claim the 8th seed of the Western Conference playoffs, but were defeated by San Antonio 4-2 in the first round. The following season Artest got into trouble with the law for neglecting to care for his dogs. The Kings saw no choice but to trade him. They didn't make the playoffs in 2008 or 2009.

With the Rockets this season Artest averaged 17 ppg in over 35 minutes per game. He played a key role in the Rockets playoff run averaging 15+ ppg and 4 assists in a little over 37 minutes per game. His biggest contribution may have come on the defensive end trying to stop Kobe "3 rings" Bryant. More on that matchup later.

#4: Our backcourt is small. Really small.

At 6'1 and 6'3 respectively, Mo Williams and Delonte West are going to have their hands full covering even a medium-sized backcourt. When you combine that with Daniel Gibson and his 6'2 frame coming off the bench we are in trouble against teams with legitimate size in their backcourt such as Orlando. At 6'7, Sasha Pavlovic is really the only backcourt contributor with any size but his inconsistencies and non-guaranteed contract have made him expendable.

Despite the fact that Delonte West did a respectable job checking Hedo Turkoglu in the Conference Finals Orlando is going to be a very tall hurdle for the Cavs for the foreseeable future unless they add a player like Ron Artest who can shutdown tall players on the wing.

#3: Mike Brown has already established a relationship with Artest.

The most important factor in working with a player like Ron Artest is gaining his respect and his trust. In 2003 Mike Brown was hired by the Indiana Pacers as an Associate Head Coach. One of the players on that Pacers team was Ron Artest.

If Danny Ferry is truly interested in adding Ron Artest there is no doubt that he will ask Mike Brown for his input. This could be the deciding factor on whether or not the Cavs even make an offer. Brown has been through some good times and some tough times with Artest and his endorsement would echo loudly to Danny Ferry should the Cavs find themselves in position to make Artest a realistic offer for his services. Maybe Mike Brown saw too much "ghetto" in Ron Artest and he doesn't want to take a chance on exposing King James to a player with that kind of baggage. I doubt that's true. Mike Brown was actually the first person to enter the stands in Detroit to try to subdue Artest and protect him from the fans and himself.

#2: Artest is in Kobe's head.

Ok, maybe he's not completely in Black Mamba's head but he knows how to get his point across and he's not afraid to play physical with the second best player in the league.

These two players have developed an intense rivalry since Artest moved to the Left Coast in 2006. Even though he's no longer in the same state, Artest has still made it tough on Kobe including in the 2009 Conference Semi-Finals which included verbal exchanges that would sometimes last for what appeared to be an entire quarter. L.A. defeated Houston in 7 games but Kobe was never challenged against Denver the way he was when Artest was checking him.

Kobe vs. LeBron in the NBA Finals is going to happen eventually. You know it. They know it. Nike obviously knows it (or thought they did). With LeBron's pending free agency after next season it's very important that Danny Ferry swings for the fences and hits a homerun this offseason to give the Cavs a great chance to get past Boston and Orlando in the East and even L.A. in the Finals if the inevitable does indeed happen.

#1: If Ron Artest is wearing a Cavaliers jersey he won't be guarding LeBron James.

Nobody can stop The King but Ron Artest may be the very best at keeping LeBron in check. When the Cavs travelled to Houston on February 29 to take on the Rockets, LeBron was held to 21 points on 7-21 shooting in what was possibly his worst game of the season. Guess who was checking him that night: Ron Artest. Oh yeah, LeBron went the entire game without an assist.

It's not a matter of Artest being stronger or faster than LeBron but his physical nature and unwillingness to stop applying constant pressure seem to have an affect on James at times. To put it plainly, Artest doesn't get out of the way.

If there is any player on Cleveland's roster who can keep Ron's head in the game it's #23. Perimeter players love to play with a guy who can drive and kick and there are few players who draw as many defenders as LeBron James. Artest is a pretty good shooter from the oustide so he would get plenty of opportunities to score. With two of the NBA's very best defensive players in his lineup Mike Brown would be in basketball heaven.

Cavaliers Free Agents 09'

2009-06-02T11:01:00.008-04:00

Ben Wallace recently made this statement to the Cleveland Plain Dealer;

“It isn't getting any easier for me. It is tough going out there every night with something hurting and not being able to give the effort you want to give. I love the game and respect the game too much to be going out there half-hearted."

If Big Ben does decide to retire I will graciously respect his decision. Unfortunately I just don’t see Wallace walking away from the $14 million owed to him next season. I could either see the Cavs offering him a buyout or trading his expiring contract. I would prefer getting something out of Wallace, some team will want his expiring contract. He is useless to the Cavs next season.

Zydrunas has an (ETO) which basically means he can terminate his contract and become an unrestricted free agent. This usually takes affect with players that think they can make more money elsewhere. Z has made it known that he doesn’t want to leave Cleveland, and I don’t blame him. He’s been through the good and the bad in his 10 years as a Cavalier. I’ll give Z one more year, but he’s not going to see 27 minutes a game anymore, he’ll be lucky to get 20 next season.

Anderson Varejao has a player option, and don’t be surprised to see him leave his $6.2 mil on the table and bolt for more money. After setting career highs in starts, points and field goal percentage he’ll test the free agency market again. I love the hustle and passion Andy brings to the game but he’s not a starter in this league. He makes the amount of money he should, and unless some team really reaches on him, I don’t see him making more money than he does now. Good-bye Andy, it was nice knowing you.

Wally Szczerbiak, Joe Smith, and Lorenzen Wright are all unrestricted free agents.

I like Wally and he said he wants to stay in Cleveland but if he thinks he’s going to make anywhere close to the $13.7 million he made last year he’s living in LaLa Land. If he can be re-signed for an $11 million three year deal, than I’m all for it.

Joe Smith was a solid contributor to this team the last two seasons, but with J.J. Hickson and Darnell Jackson coming along nicely, its time to say goodbye.

(photo courtesy of msnbc.com)

Orlando Lacks Sportsmanship

2009-06-01T13:50:00.001-04:00

I for one am offended that Orlando didn’t let the Cavs win game 6 of the ECF. It show’s no sportsmanship or class on their part. How hard would it of been for them to miss some shots or turn the ball over and play lazy on defense? Why didn’t Orlando give Cleveland a chance to win? How selfish of Dwight Howard to put up 40 points and 14 rebounds? If that doesn’t scream poor sportsmanship, I don’t know what does.

I understand Orlando is a good team, and they all help out in the community. But what kind of example are they setting for the youth in this country? There are kids looking up to these guys and the Magic decide it’s a good idea to run up the score and rub it in the Cavs face. Is this what we want our kids to think sports are about? Winning?

I also can’t believe all the celebrating that went on after the game was over. The Magic should of just shook hands with the Cavaliers and walked into the locker room quietly. Instead they act like little kids and run around the court holding 1 finger up in the air, claiming to be #1. They purposely rub the victory in the Cavs faces. What ever happened to winning with grace? What ever happened to sportsmanship?

What are sports in this country coming to? Winning seems to be all that matters anymore. I don’t think we should keep score, everyone can be a winner.

Sounds ridiculous right.

The Curse of Cleveland Sports.

2009-05-27T09:20:00.005-04:00

I’m not typically the type of person who is very superstitious. To me the whole idea of it is kind of childish. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll switch seats during a Cavs game for a little change of luck or lie to the wife and tell her the Browns only win when I watch the game at the bar, but that’s about the extent of my belief in superstition.

For arguments sake lets say its true that Cleveland Sports are cursed.

What exactly is a curse? Well according to Wikipedia:

A curse (also called execration) is any manner of adversity thought to be inflicted by any supernatural power, such as a spell, a prayer, an imprecation, an execration, magic, witchcraft, a god, a natural force, or a spirit.

The study of the forms of curses comprise a significant proportion of the study of both folk religion and folklore. The deliberate attempt to levy curses is often part of the practice of magic. In Hindu culture the Fakir is believed to have the power to bless and curse.

Cleveland hasn’t won a championship since the Browns won in 1964. So my feeling is the curse started sometime shortly after the 1964 football season. It couldn’t be the curse of Rocky Colavito, he was traded to Detroit in 1960. Could this be Jim Browns fault? He did shock everybody when he retired in 1965 to produce the World War II movie The Dirty Dozen. The timing works out, so it must be the curse of Jim Brown, right?

The next question I ask my self is how do you get rid of a curse? Boston apparently rid them selves of the Curse of the Bambino that plagued them for 86 years. How did they do it? How can Cleveland get rid of this curse?

1. Don’t Believe The Hype – This means as soon as all Cleveland fans believe that there is no such thing as a “curse” the “curse” will actually end! Sounds easy enough, right?

2. Consult A Shaman - Here we go. This sounds like a great idea. Shamans are able to communicate with the spirit world by creating special relationships with spirits. How do they do this, you may be asking? Well let me tell you. They use techniques that incite trance, such as singing, dancing, smoking, sword fighting, and drumming. There are only two problems I see with this method. 1. Shamans can actually worsen the curse. 2. Shamans are MYTHICAL CREATURES.

3. Say A Little Prayer – Simple. But my guess is at some point every Cleveland fan has asked for a favor from God regarding our sports teams. My guess is this method isn’t going to work. Nothing against God but some methods just don’t work for certain curses.

4. Eliminate The Source – I’m not even going to speculate what this method implies, nor do I condone any such actions. Maybe if Jim Brown would of went to Baltimore with Ozzie the curse would have been lifted.

So if The Catch, Red Right 88, The Drive, The Fumble, The Shot, and The Mesa all happened because of the curse. Its my feeling that the Curse of Cleveland isn't just a curse that causes us to lose in dramatic fashion but it is also a curse that makes us believe the curse has been lifted, a curse of false hope, a curse of deception.

Mo Better Be Right

2009-05-26T12:22:00.022-04:00

Mo Williams recently guaranteed that the Cavaliers will advance past the Orlando Magic and into the NBA Finals. And the boys here at The Cleveland Sports Flow seem to disagree on a few things.

Ryan O'Ryan says:

He better be right.

Surely he didn't have a copy of his own stat sheet in his hand when he made that bold prediction. To put it nicely, Mo has struggled in this series. He's never really looked comfortable on the floor and he still seems to be looking for any kind of groove on offense. That doesn't seem like a justification to guarantee victory.

Mo is becoming the same kind of "villain" that Cleveland fans have loved to hate for years. He is even starting to sound reminiscent of an over-confident Rasheed Wallace with one of his many "Guran-Sheeds". Wallace guaranteed that the Cavs couldn't defeat the Pistons in 2007 on their way to making their first and only Finals appearance. During a post game interview after being eliminated in Game 6, Wallace proclaimed that the Cavs infact did not beat the Pistons but rather they beat themselves. Is this what we can expect to hear from Mo Williams if the Cavs are to be eliminated by the Orlando Magic?

Mo should have known better than to even put himself and his teammates in this position. He should know that nothing...and I mean NOTHING is ever guaranteed in Cleveland. It's the end of May and I can't even guarantee that there won't be a foot of snow on the ground tomorrow in Cleveland. Maybe that's a little far-fetched but you get my point. It's okay to be confident in yourself and your teammates, but don't allow it to come across as arrogance. That's when it comes back to bite you on the you-know-what.

There is one unwritten rule in professional sports that all players should follow: Never give your opponent an added incentive or "bulletin board material". That's what Rasheed Wallace did in 2007 and a young, inexperienced Cavs team shot the lights out and shot their way to the NBA Finals.

Sounds familiar, right?

The only difference now is that this Orlando team isn't young and it isn't inexperienced. If the Cavaliers aren't careful, they could find themselves looking for a place to put the blame, just like Rasheed Wallace in 2007.

Ben Jamin says:

I have never been a fan of the “GUARANTEE” it’s pompous, arrogant, and show’s no form of class. Just look at the people who are usually spiting the words out of they’re mouths. It’s usually loud mouths or players that don’t have the athletic ability to back it up.

Take for instance Rasheed Wallace who guaranteed a game two victory over the Pacers a few years ago, he also guaranteed a victory against the Cavs in 07’. Or how about the Orlando Magic? Jameer Nelson guaranteed a game five victory over the Pistons last year in the playoffs and this year the Magic’s assistant coach Patrick Ewing guaranteed a victory for Orlando in game seven against Boston. J.R. Smith just guaranteed the Nuggets would be in the Championship.

Of the five people mentioned, how many of them are going to win a game by them selves? NONE!

My point is that this is a typical statement, made by a player who can’t individually back it up. Just look at Williams stats against Orlando in this series, 18 – 56 from the field, that’s 31.1%. I average better than that in a church league played on a carpet court. But……..yes I said but, Mo has a right to think the Cavs will win this series.

Does the best record in the league mean anything? How about the fact that the Cavs have only lost 3 games at home all year? Oh, and btw, he has LeBron James standing next to him to bail him out. Come on you know LeBron James, he is the league MVP, you know, the best player in the league.

What did you want Mo to say?

“We could be done, I think Orlando will beat us in seven games”?

I don’t think so, and confidence shouldn’t be confused with arrogance!

Plus it's not like Mo was talking about Dwight Howard's mom.

(Photo courtesy of Tracy Boulian / The Plain Dealer)

Nate Robinson uses Twitter in His Dreams

2009-05-22T15:30:00.011-04:00

As pointed out by one of our favorite sports news/rumors websites RealGM.com, Nate Robinson was busy "Tweeting" while watching Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Apparently little Nate used Twitter as a means to channel his inner Miss Cleo when he boldly posted the following tweet:

Just for fun, let's ignore the fact that Nate Robinson is a professional basketball player and not a 12 year old school boy posting on Twitter before his bed time (although there is a definite resemblance) and try to make sense of what he is trying to say.

According to Nate Robinson, if the Cavs bench doesn't help LeBron the Cavaliers will be eliminated from the playoffs and LeBron will be a New York Knick.

I'm going to give him a little credit because he is right that the bench needs to step up if the Cavs are going to get even tonight. Big time. Not only does the bench need to step up but the other 4 starters do as well. Even LeBron needs to step up and get his teammates involved more down the stretch instead of dribbling the shot clock out.

Obviously my beef isn't with the first part of this Tweet.

Doesn't little Nate know better than to wish something that horrible on another player in the league? For him to threaten LeBron like that is uncalled for and should be considered cruel and unusual. As if potentially losing in the Eastern Conference Finals wouldn't be painful enough for LeBron, according to Nate he will also be forced to instantly become a New York Knick and play for a team that is more dysfunctional than the football team in the current city of LeBron's residence.

And that kids is why you shouldn't use Twitter to create dreams. Even if your name is Nate Robinson and you are a 12 year old school boy posting on Twitter before your bed time.

Eric Mangini Compares Choosing a Starting QB to Proposing Marriage

2009-05-22T11:21:00.009-04:00

Tony Grossi of the Cleveland Plain Dealer published a beautiful quote from new Browns headcoach Eric Mangini in Thursday's edition of the PD.

When asked if he has yet to set a timetable for when he will decide on a starting Quarterback, Mangini offered up this golden nugget of a quote:

"It's like popping the question . . . you just know."

You just know?

You just know that it's the right time choose a quarterback, or you just know it's the right time to ask somebody to share the rest of their life with you?

Because those two things are pretty much the same, right Coach Mangini?

Maybe he meant to say this:

"It's like when Bret Michaels gets down to the last two girls on Rock of Love.....you just know."

Surely that's a more realistic comparison, right Coach Mangini?

I wonder how his wife feels knowing that he uses the same strategy to pick his quarterbacks as he did deciding that it was time to make her "The One".

Hopefully Mangini makes the right decisions and the Browns become a successful franchise. If not, his relationship with the city of Cleveland may just end in divorce.

Joshua Cribbs Statement

2009-05-21T10:05:00.005-04:00

Here is the statement Josh Cribbs made to jocklife.com in its entirety.

"I humbly and respectfully come to Browns’ fans and the Browns letting all know that I have given my all to this team, on and off the field for 4 complete years selflessly without regard to myself and my own family. I have sat by while good players came and went, either due to contracts or injury. I have witnessed a lot of families uprooted from their stable homes and forced to move wherever the money came in from. I realize that this is not a fair sport for the players, it is a business and we are products.

Contracts are one-sided in favor of the team, yet we as players are told to honor our contracts without the team honoring them. We are not doctors and lawyers, we don’t get paid for 25 years of work. If we are lucky, we get 10 years at best to make all the money we can to last the rest of our life. We sacrifice our bodies and our health to make our owners wealthy. I am not asking for nothing that I have not already earned and will continue to earn. This is not personal, but I have to be a man and take care of my family for not just a year or two, but for as long as I am walking this earth.

I have always given the Browns’ team and its fans respect and my loyalty. I have stepped into many different roles for the betterment of my team and have brought honor toCleveland, in the way that I play on the field, and serve in the community.

I have been blessed with this opportunity to be somebody and ask that I be treated and compensated on the level of my peers, fairly, according to my work completed, and on the promise that my future will brightly upheld in a manner gracious of this team and its fans.

I want nothing more but to wear the Browns’ logo on my chest until my career has come to an end, and I am deeply disappointed that the team I put my hard work, blood, sweat and tears in will just write me off as though I am collateral damage. I maintain that this is not personal to Coach Mangini, Mr. Kokinis, or Mr. Lerner, for this is a situation that I could not keep in any longer."

Cavs looking to prove something.

2009-05-20T13:15:00.007-04:00

Tonight the Magic get a chance to prove they belong here and the Cavaliers get a chance to prove that they can get the job done in a tough game against a worthy adversary.

At least for now people consider Orlando a challenge, but if the Cavs manage to beat them in less than 5 games, all you’ll hear is that the Cavs haven’t been tested yet and they don’t have a chance against the West. You won’t hear the media saying how dominant the Cavs have been in the playoffs and you won’t hear NBA fans saying that the Cavs are the best team in the league. What you will hear is that the Cavs are untested and their record against top teams in the league show how weak this team is. Never mind the fact that going into the series against Orlando the Cavs are 8-0 in the playoffs and have won each game by double digits. I don’t care who you play, that kind of record in the playoffs says something about how good a team really is.

The Orlando Magic are a good team and they are coming into this series against the Cavaliers riding high. Why wouldn’t they be, they just knocked off the NBA champion Boston Celtics on the Celtics home court in a game 7. My question is why did it take so long to beat the Celtics? Weren’t they missing the best player on their team?

I think the key for the Cavs to be able to win this series is the defensive effort we will get from our backcourt. Containing Howard will be tough enough, but the ability to challenge shots on the perimeter could be the difference in the series and Mo and Delonte will need to step up. I expect Sasha to get some serious minutes because of his size. Wally will too, but he’s a little slower than Pavs. Don’t plan on Orlando getting as many open shots as they have so far in the playoffs either. If I was an Orlando fan I would also be worried about Hedo. He looked real nervous the first couple of games against Boston and if he has to guard LeBron he may lose all focus on the offensive side of the ball, which could put a big kink in Orlando’s plans.

The big advantage the Cavs have over Orlando is playoff experience. Both teams have a great supporting cast, but in the end it will come down to coaching and experience and I don’t think I even need to mention the MOP (master of panic) Van Gundy.

Cribbs Running Away From Mini-Camp

2009-05-19T09:36:00.035-04:00

Cleveland Browns special teams ace Joshua Cribbs has made his living running away from would-be tacklers. Now he may just find himself running away from the Cleveland Browns if he doesn't get a new contract soon. Heading into the Cleveland Browns first voluntary full team mini-camp with new head coach Eric Mangini, it appears Cribbs, a Cleveland fan favorite, will be absent. Apparently there is a misunderstanding regarding a promise that was supposedly made by owner Randy Lerner.

Cribbs is upset that the Browns new brass has yet to make an attempt to address his current contract. Cribbs claims that Randy Lerner assured him after the old regime was fired that he would make good on Phil Savage's earlier promise that he "would be taken care of".

Earlier this week the Browns organization made this statement:

"Contrary to published reports this morning, no one from the current Browns organization, including Owner Randy Lerner, has ever made any promises to Josh Cribbs with regard to his contract status."

The bottom line here is that somebody isn't telling the truth. This statement obviously can’t be sitting well with Cribbs and can only cause more problems because the Browns are basically calling Cribbs a liar. In the past, Josh Cribbs has been nothing but a hard working player who always put the team's needs before his own. That isn't the type of player who would fabricate a story claiming that he was promised a raise when he wasn't.

On the outside it seems that Cribbs is Mangini's ideal type of player; hard working, all hustle, impact player and not a distraction in the locker room. It has been rumored that Mangini has shown interest in putting Cribbs on defense for 15-18 plays a game. Giving Cribbs a larger role outside of special teams could be the reasoning for the Browns heavy pursuit of former Tennessee Titans free-agent Chris Carr after last season. Carr eventually would sign with AFC North rival Baltimore.

If you can think back to 2005, Josh Cribbs was an undrafted running-style QB out of Kent State in the MAC. He put up crazy numbers with the ball in his hands while crushing MAC rushing records along the way. Back in 2005 B.W. (Before Wildcat), teams were afraid to take a chance on a QB who prefers to run before he throws so Cribbs found himself trying out for the Cleveland Browns while still living with his wife and kids in their small apartment just outside of campus in Kent, barely making enough money to pay the rent. Cribbs impressed Romeo Crennel and Phil Savage enough that he was added to the roster and signed his first NFL contract with the notion that he would most likely make his living as a specialist. His parents were still living back in his hometown of Washington, D.C. and his dream of being able to provide a better life for his family was about to come true. Cribbs wanted to secure his longterm financial future so in 2006 he signed a six year deal.

Although Cribbs has previously expressed some regret for tying himself down to a six year, $6.7 million cap-friendly contract, he has vowed to not let it affect his play as he spent the next 3 seasons proving that he is worth more than the modest contract he signed. He has since fired his previous agent and signed on with J.R. Rickert, who has informed the Browns to find a trading partner if a new contract can't be worked out for his client.

Cribbs has obviously outplayed his guaranteed salary of $645,000 that he will be due at the end of this upcoming season and it seems Mangini has shown interest in increasing his roll on the team. When you look at the $15 million that Chicago's Devin Hester was guaranteed with a chance to escalate to $40 million with performance incentives, it’s not hard to figure out why Cribbs and his agent are seeking a new deal. In a world where sports stars are getting disgustingly large amounts of money to play a game, Josh Cribbs honestly deserves more than what he's getting. In Chicago, Hester has already excelled in his role outside of special teams, while Cribbs has yet to prove he can be a dependable receiver and is waiting to be given a shot in the defensive secondary if needed.

Cribbs and his agent are taking a chance. The major questions are how far are Cribbs and Co. willing to go to get a new deal and how likely are the Browns to trade a talented young player who is under contract for the next four seasons? Stay tuned because this thing could get ugly!

Get the latest breaking news on this story as it happens by visiting:

The Orange and Brown Report and Cleveland.com.

Columnist warns Cleveland. Should we be scared? No.

2009-05-18T12:47:00.017-04:00

I found an article that Gregg Doyle of cbs.sportsline.com wrote the other day and it made me cringe. This article claims the Cavaliers have no chance at winning the NBA title and I felt the need to address a couple of points that I feel he is way off on.

Careful, Cleveland. Your Cavaliers are riding high, which means you're riding high, and that's fine as long as you ride high with one realization:

Your team isn't winning the NBA title. Not this year.

So keep that in mind, or at least keep that possibility in mind, as your Cavs continue to destroy the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Have your confidence. Enjoy this ride. But understand that there are certain things you cannot say, certain ways you cannot act, unless you have the best team in basketball. And you do not.

I beg to differ. Doesn’t having the best record in the NBA give us the right to gloat about being the best team? Doesn’t holding opponents to a league low scoring avg. of 91.4 points per game give us reason to believe we are the best? Or how about the FACT that we had the best point
differential in the NBA at +8.9?

• Series: Cavaliers 3, Hawks 0

So don't let your alligator mouth overload your hummingbird ass.

Pot meet kettle!

Because the Cavaliers, as good as they are -- and they won 66 games this season, scorched Detroit in the first round of the playoffs, and are scorching Atlanta in the second round -- are not good enough to win the NBA title.

And I like Cleveland. Because I love LeBron James. He's my favorite athlete in sports -- I'm allowed to have one, right? -- but I don't like his team. Not as an NBA champion. That's an insult to the champions who came before, none of which had a frontcourt as pathetic as Cleveland's.

Here's a list of NBA champions. Try to find a team that was good enough to win an NBA title yet was bad enough to start players like Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Anderson Varejao at center and power forward. You can't. Don't bother.

Most NBA champions have had someone like Shaquille O'Neal or Tim Duncan -- sometimes with David Robinson -- or Hakeem Olajuwon or the combination of Ben Wallace and Rasheed Wallace. Going back a little farther, NBA champions had big men like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (and James Worthy) or Robert Parish-Kevin McHale-Larry Bird or Moses Malone. Or even Jack Sikma. Wes Unseld. Bill Walton.

Since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976, the only exception to my Big Man Theory is the Chicago Bulls dynasty of Michael Jordan, and Cleveland fans are probably clinging to that exception like a drunk clinging to a barstool. Well, forget it. Sober up.

We will cling to it. There is more than one way to build a basketball team. When you have a player as good as Tim Duncan or Shaq or Hakeem, you build that team from the inside out. But when you have a Michael Jordan or LeBron James you build the team around them. You don't want somebody clogging the lane on this team. You want that area open, so you build your team with one of two things. Jump shooting big men or fast big men that can rebound. The Cavs have both of these players in Anderson and Z, that is why we won 66 games.

I'll give you this, that LeBron James is as good as Michael Jordan. Seriously. He is.

But Cleveland has no Scottie Pippen.

Hell, Cleveland doesn't even have 6-foot-10 Horace Grant, who was good for a double-double. And clearly Cleveland doesn't have Dennis Rodman, who was built like Wally Szczerbiak but averaged a Kareem-like 15.5 rebounds per game when the Bulls were winning titles from 1996-98.

Cleveland doesn’t need Pippen, Grant or Rodman. This Cleveland team has something that you can't put a pricetag on: chemistry - on and off the court. These players stand by each other, they trust each other, they feed off of each other and they are each other’s biggest fans. Each one of these players believes in the system and play their rolls to a T.

The only reason Pippen, Grant and Rodman were as good as they were, is because of Jordan. Don’t act like Rodman and Grant were great players either, together they went to 3 all-star games. The Cavs have Ben Wallace and Z, each with multiple all-star appearances.

So what I'm saying is this: If Cleveland is going to win an NBA title this season, with this roster, it will have to do something that has never been done: Win an NBA title without a great frontcourt, and without a great supporting cast for its superstar.

Hell, maybe LeBron is that good. Honestly, I wouldn't mind it. Wouldn't even mind being wrong about this particular column. I don't want LeBron to make the clichéd leap from small-market Ohio to New York. I live in Ohio, too, and I want him to stay -- but he has to think he can win it all to stay. Winning it all this season, one year before he becomes a free agent, surely would convince him to re-sign with the Cavaliers.

But this team has a major flaw, one that general manager Danny Ferry hasn't corrected. He did fabulous work to acquire Mo Williams, Delonte West and Szczerbiak to play alongside James, and the result was 66 wins. Only 12 teams have won 66 games in the regular season, and since the NBA-ABA merger only one failed to win the title: Dallas, in 2006-07. Guess what that Dallas team didn't have? A great frontcourt. Dirk Nowitzki is 7-0 and brilliant, but the Mavs' inside players were Erick Dampier and DeSagana Diop. And you don't win an NBA title with Erick Dampier and DeSagana Diop.

The Cavs have been second in the league in rebounds the past 2 years. That alone tells you our frontcourt isn’t terrible, plus Z does plenty of scoring. Why would Ferry go out and waste money building up the front court when the Cavs obviously have struggled shooting the outside jumper in past years. This team needed Delonte and Mo “Flo” so defenses couldn’t double LeBron all the time. What Ferry did is gave LeBron a couple jump shooters he could rely on. This includes Z’s spot on jumper.

Nor do you win one with Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Anderson Varejao. No, I take that back. A team could very well win an NBA title with Ilgauskas and Varejao, but only if they're coming off the bench. If those guys are your backups at center and power forward, you have a formidable team. If they're the best you've got? Yuck. Ilgauskas is 7-3 and still plays below the rim, lacking the fast-twitch muscles to do anything but spot up and shoot. Varejao has muscle and effort but no skill. Backups Joe Smith and Ben Wallace? They're done. Their gas tanks are empty. This isn't 2004.

As I agree that Anderson is not a legitimate starter at PF but to say that Z should come off the bench is ridiculous. Z is still a force in the NBA and has played a huge role in getting the Cavs where they are today. I can almost guarantee that teams hate playing against Anderson, he is like an annoying gnat, and hustles till the end. He may not be the most talented player but his hustle and unwillingness to quit more than makes up for it.

And this isn't conjecture, people. This is fact. Look who's left in the East: Orlando and Boston. And look who has been most likely to come out of the West: the Lakers or Rockets. All four of those teams have, or had, great size. Orlando has Dwight Howard, Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis. Boston had Kevin Garnett, plus some Ilgauskas-and-Varejao pieces like Kendrick Perkins, Glen Davis and Leon Powe. Houston: 7-6 Yao Ming. The Lakers: Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom.

Cleveland played those four teams, when those teams were at full strength, a total of 10 times this season.

And lost seven.

Think about it. Against everyone else in the NBA, including the playoffs, Cleveland is 73-9.
Against Boston, Orlando, Los Angeles and Houston -- arguably, teams with the NBA's best four frontcourts -- Cleveland is 3-7.

By my count the Cavs were 4 – 7, and Z was out for 3 of those loses and Wallace was out for a couple also. So of the 10 times those teams were at full strength, 5 of them the Cavs weren’t at full strength. So do some research before you make stupid arguments that hold no weight.

Cleveland has caught a break in two of those cases. Garnett (knee) is out for Boston, and Ming (foot) is done in Houston. But that still leaves Orlando and Los Angeles. In five games this season, Cleveland went 1-4 against the Magic and the Lakers.

And those are the teams between Cleveland and an NBA title.

Hey, Cavs fan: Don't hate me because I'm right.

You are right? You are so right in fact that you forgot to include the Denver Nuggets as one of the teams between Cleveland and the title. I bet you the Lakers won't forget about Denver when it's all said and done. Why let the facts get in the way of a good argument? You didn't use very many facts for all of your other points.

Indians are Worst in MLB. Nobody Cares.

2009-05-11T10:54:00.023-04:00

Let's face it. The Cleveland Indians suck. Period. We can't hit. We can't score runs. We can't put a single run on the board for our ace. We can't throw out runners in a close game. We can't hold runners. We can't hold leads. We can't save games. It's May and while the season isn't anywhere near over, it will be very soon if things don't completely turn around. We are talking 180 degrees. Is that going to happen? Not likely.

With all that said, our question is this: Who cares?!

Don't get us wrong, we don't enjoy it when when one of our teams is the WORST TEAM in their respective sport (as of this morning). We don't appreciate the fact that the Washington Nationals are making the Indians look like a AAA ball club.

It's the simple fact that the team playing across the street at Quicken Loans Arena has all but erased the Indians and their many struggles from the minds of Cleveland sports fans with their flawless execution on offense and defense. Does anybody really care that Grady Sizemore struck out 3 times when LeBron James is putting up 47 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists in one of his best playoff performances ever? At this point, the Indians could call up 15 players from AAA Columbus and trade all of their struggling veterans and few would even notice. Ok, so we would notice. But would we care?

Game 4 is tonight and the Cavs have a chance to sweep the Hawks and go 8-0 after winning the first 7 games by double digits. There is nothing else on the mind of Cleveland sports fans today. We care only about witnessing what LeBron James is going to do as an encore to Saturday's showcase. We don't care if Eric Wedge will still be sitting on the bench wearing an Indians hat at the end of the week. Rumors are already starting to heat up indicating that Wedgie's days may be numbered with the Tribe. If Eric Wedge gets a pink-slip we will wish him well and thank him for his services right after we check the stat sheet to see how close LeBron came to a triple-double the night before.

Is that too harsh? It might be. But it's the truth.

Cavaliers Still Looking For a Fight

2009-05-08T10:33:00.018-04:00

As the Cavaliers were disposing of the Atlanta Hawks in Game 2 at The Q last night I thought about how rare it is for an NBA team to have an 8-day layoff and come back playing better than they played before the break. Who does that? Kenny “The Jet” Smith over at TNT expected the Cavs to look rusty in Game 1. He also predicted that the Cavs would play soft due to the added emotion and nostalgia of LeBron’s pre-game MVP trophy-holding ceremony. Doesn't he realize that this team has been shattering records and winning awards all season? The first quarter back in Game 1 was the only time that this series has actually looked competitive, like the Cavs might have a fight on their hands.

Not the case. At least yet anyway.

More than a few things will have to go Atlanta’s way if they are going to successfully defend their home court and send this series back to Cleveland for Game 5. Here is a quick rundown of what the Hawks will need to do to give themselves a chance against LeBron & Co. as the series heads down to Atlanta.

1) Get Off to a Quick Start: The Hawks have come out aggressive on the offensive end in each of the first 2 games. Josh Smith made his first 4 or 5 shots in Game 1 and the Hawks ran out to a small lead. They will need to pound the ball inside and get Smith and Horford some good looks if they want to establish any kind of rhythm.

2) Put the Cavs in Foul Trouble: The Cavs will need to be careful and play smart in the early goings because I expect Atlanta to come out playing very aggressive and attack them. If LeBron James or Mo Williams picks up a few quick fouls it will force Mike Brown to substitute early and by doing that it will keep the Cavs from getting into an early rhythm both offensively and defensively.

3) Force a Shooting Contest: The Hawks would love the Cavs to come out and get into a shooting contest with them. Teams always seem to shoot better in their arena. The Cavs will not be able to afford very many “1 and done” possessions. LeBron can keep this from happening by challenging Atlanta’s defense and getting to the foul line. Mike Bibby has been lights out from behind the arc but he hasn't taken enough shots to make much of an impact. That will change at home and the Cavs need to be ready with their rotations and make sure they contest every shot and not leave Bibby with any open looks.

4) Enjoy a Little Home Cookin’: The Cavs have yet to play in a truly hostile playoff environment. That worries me a little bit. The two games in Detroit were close to 50/50 as hundreds of Cleveland fans made the 2-hour drive to the state up north. That won’t be the case down in the A-T-L, or Hot-Lanta (depending on your preference of slang hip-hop terminology). Expect the Atlanta faithful to come out loud and energized as they try to breathe new life into their tired and injury depleted Hawks. The key for the Cavs will be to keep the home crowd in their seats and it starts with not allowing the Hawks to get into an early rhythm. LeBron James should take the assignment of guarding Josh Smith in the early going to keep him from pumping up the crowd with a few thunderous between-the-legs dunks. Smith gets easily frustrated when played physically and when you combine that with the possibility of Joe Johnson not playing in Game 2 it means the pressure is on Smith to keep Atlanta in the series. If he handles the pressure well, the Hawks have a chance. If not, we could see a repeat of Games 1 and 2.

5) Get a Few "Lucky Bounces": This might be the most underrated aspect to the game of basketball. Sometimes one team seems to get every “bounce” and the ball just finds its way to the right player whether on a tip, rebound or loose ball. The more aggressive team will get the good bounces more often than not. The Cavs just did not get very many good bounces in the series against Boston in the Semi-Finals last year and it made the difference. A simple offensive rebound and reset of the shot clock be lethal in a close game late in the fourth quarter. Remember when the Cavs were one rebound away from upsetting the Pistons in the 2006 playoffs? One rebound. We failed to get it and Detroit scored and won the series. Good bounces mean everything and the Cavs have been getting them all season. Let’s hope that continues as they push deeper into the playoffs.

Indians. Who, What, When, Where and Why

2009-05-07T12:41:00.010-04:00

Who wins the central?

Jamin: The Central could turn out to be a five-team race until the very last games of the season. There are not really any dominant teams in the division. Right now the Kansas City Zack Greinke’s are playing the best ball, but unless Greinke can win 32 games there is no way they stay at the top of the division. I plan on Chicago being at the top in the end with Cleveland and Minnesota close behind. I refuse to give up completely on the Indians. There is a lot of talent on this team, they just need to shake things up a little and get the ball rolling.

O’Ryan: Kansas City – they are due, big time! I’m not sold on Cleveland winning it and I don’t want to see Chicago or Detroit win it if we don’t!

Where do we finish?

Jamin: I put us in the top 3 for sure. I know we are getting off to a slow start but that’s typical for the Indians. We could win the central but in order for that to happen we need to get the pitching on the right track and we need to add a little speed to the line up. The Indians need a true lead off hitter, someone with speed that can get on base and make things happen. I love Grady just as much as the next guy but let’s face it, he should not be a lead off hitter. Think about it, after Grady there is nobody with any kind of speed on this team.

O’Ryan: I’m hoping we finish on top because I believe we are still within striking distance still if we can get the bullpen squared away. If I had to put money on it I say we finish either 2nd or 3rd. Maybe we can steal the wildcard from New York and sneak into the playoffs. That’s very optimistic.

What player are you most disappointed with so far?

Jamin: What in the world happened to Rafael Perez? In 2007 he was lights out, he dominated batters, he finished that year with a 1.78 ERA. Last year he struggled at times but overall finished with a solid year. Now? 18 hits and 19 earned runs in 10.2 innings pitched? Unacceptable! Think about this, in 07’ he gave up 12 earned runs in 60.2 innings pitched.

O’Ryan: Hate to say it because I’m a huge fan but I’m disappointed in Grady Sizemore. I’m not sure if he’s a power hitter who hits home runs or if he’s a leadoff guy who gets on base and steals a few too. One thing is for sure – he strikes out way too much. The Tribe as a whole strikes out way too much. We need to fix that.

When if ever do we turn things around?

Jamin: Right now. Tonight we could tie our season high win streak……..2? Realistically there is still plenty of time. Yes we may be in last place but we are only 6 games out of first, which is presently occupied by KC, a team that will fall apart soon enough. Like I said earlier, this division should be close all year. With a good second half, the Indians should turn out okay.

O’Ryan: My guess is that we have a good if not great second half of the season and put ourselves back into the hunt for the division. The biggest weakness is the bullpen and I think putting Laffey out there will help. I wonder what Kerry Wood can do in an actual save situation. He hasn’t really gotten much of a chance to answer that this season. I personally thought Jensen Lewis should have had a shot to close this year but I understood the Wood signing.

Why are we talking Indians when the Cavs are playing tonight?

Jamin: This is simple. The Cavs are dominating the competition. How many times do people need to hear me say “Lebron is the King” or “Cleveland in 4”. It was time for a change of pace, plus the Indians finally got another win, so I felt what better time than now.

O’Ryan: Because we are writing The Cleveland Sports Flow, not The Cavaliers Sports Flow.

Another easy one for Cleveland

2009-05-06T12:53:00.005-04:00

Finally, after an eight-day break from meaningful basketball, we Cleveland fans have something to cheer about again. To me it almost felt like the season was over. It had been so long of a break it almost felt like the pre Lebron era, when the Cavaliers never played basketball in May.

Three hours before the first ever postseason matchup between Cleveland and Atlanta, the league MVP was out on the court warming up, even before the lights at The Q were fully illuminated. The first ever Cavalier to win the MVP award shows us why he is what he is. THE KING.

After the 20,000 anxious Cleveland fans drowned David Stern’s MVP presentation speech out, the Cavs were able to shake some of the rust off. After starting off slow the Cavs finally got things rolling in the second half. Mike Brown said “No matter how much rust we have on our bones, we can still play defense.” After halftime the Cavs defense held Atlanta to 28 points. The Cavs have won each of the first five-playoff games by double digits, the first team to do this since Detroit in 2004.

This Cavalier basketball team is the perfect example of how to play team basketball. They put on a clinic every time they go out onto the court. From the before game high fives and photo ops to the on and off the court camaraderie, this team is as one. I don’t see any teams being able to stop them on the road to the championship series.

Congratulations to LeBron James 2009 NBA MVP!

2009-05-05T15:44:00.009-04:00

We here at The Cleveland Sports Flow would like to congratulate Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James for his well deserved 2008-2009 MVP award. It has been an absolutely unbelievable experience following the growth and development of this young man. Not only has he lived up to the hype but he has surpassed it with style and ease that only LeBron James is capable of.

It makes us very proud to know that years from now we will be able to tell our grandchildren about a kid from Akron, Ohio who grew up with very little and yet he accomplished so much because he stayed focused and was able to use his God-given gifts to take him to heights that no other person or athlete from this area has ever been before.

Nobody knows what the future holds for LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers but one thing is for certain...We are all here, WE ARE ALL WITNESSES and this is happening in CLEVELAND, OHIO.

Home of the 2008-2009 NBA Most Valuable Player, LeBron James.

NBA Playoffs Round 2 Preview: Cavaliers vs. ???

2009-05-01T13:34:00.000-04:00

With a win tonight, the Atlanta Hawks will book themselves a Conference Semi-Finals showdown with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Dwayne Wade and the Heat are hoping to extend the series and force the Hawks to defend their homecourt in a possible Game 7. With the James Gang currently on “spring break” after sweeping what’s left of the Detroit Pistons we got to thinking about which opponent (ATL, MIA) would give the Cavs more trouble as they continue their rampage. Here is what the matchups should look like for both scenarios and who we think has the edge at each position:

Point Guard: Mo Williams vs. Mike Bibby vs. Mario Chalmers

O'Ryan: This is a tough one to call. I’m going to toss Chalmers out of the argument because he isn’t Miami’s primary ball handler - that would be DeeWayne Wade. That leaves Williams and Bibby. Both are deadly three point shooters and can make a huge impact by controlling the tempo. I’m going to be a homer and give the nod to Mo Williams but only because he has the luxury of playing with a superstar and Bibby does not. The attention that LeBron receives from the defense allows Mo Williams to play off the ball and get any shot that he wants at anytime. Bibby can thrive on the attention paid to Joe Johnson but nobody is losing sleep over having to double team Joe Johnson so far. Williams also gets to take advantage of LeBron’s pinpoint passing.

Jamin: I will agree with Chalmers not being a big factor in these games but I’m not willing to throw him out of the argument. Can he hang with Bibby or The Mo “Flo”? Not a chance, but he can make a small splash. Lets not forget he got the Cavs for 21 in the only game the Heat beat them in the regular season. As for Mo and Bibby, give me Mo any day of the week. I like Bibby’s game but when it comes down to it, Mo has a much better shot. So who would give the Cavs more trouble here? Atlanta.

Shooting Guard: Delonte West vs. Flip Murray vs. Dwayne Wade

O’Ryan: This isn’t even close. Dwayne Wade vs. two quality role players! I love Delonte West’s game and I wouldn’t trade him for Flip Murray even though Flip played a big role for the Cavs a few years back with his outside shooting and defense so the real battle here is for second place. We all know what Dwayne Wade can do. The problem for Miami is that they are in trouble because Wade looks like he’s battling injuries right now and that’s not good news in South Beach. I will go ahead and give second place to Delonte West because the Cavs just weren’t the same team when he was out with a broken wrist. He simply provides more value to Cleveland than Murray does to Atlanta because he can switch off with Mo Williams and run the point.

Jamin: D-Wade is a superstar. He is not even in the same class as Delonte or Flip, so I will leave him out of this. Delonte has stepped his game up a lot since last year. His shooting is much better but it’s his defense that has really impressed. Flip is a role player and does his job well but no way does he worry me or any other team. Who gives the Cavs more trouble? Miami.

Small Forward: LeBron James vs. Joe Johnson vs. James Jones

O’Ryan: Another laugher! Joe Johnson is an All-Star caliber player but he’s nowhere near the level of LeBron James. I haven’t followed Miami close enough to know what James Jones can do but I’m guessing he sets wicked screens for DeeWade and that’s about it. If the Cavs play Atlanta in the second round it would most likely be LeBron guarding Joe Johnson. That should be fun to watch.

Jamin: Lebron James? Who is Lebron James? Let me start by saying, I want to see LBJ and D-Wade square off in the playoffs. I love watching these two super stars going head to head, they’re my favorite players in the NBA. That being said, Joe Johnson is definitely more of a problem for the Cavs, the boy can shoot and shoot some more. James Jones doesn’t concern me at all, he’s not going to score in double digits, he’s not going to pull in a bunch of boards and he’s not going to slow down the KING. Who gives the Cavs more trouble? Atlanta.

Power Forward: Anderson Varejao vs. Josh Smith vs. Michael Beasley

O’Ryan: I’ll give the edge to Josh Smith even though Varejao is my favorite Cavalier this season. Smith can take some pressure off Bibby and Johnson with his offensive skills. The problem for Smith is that he’s probably going to be defended by Anderson Varejao if Atlanta advances. Andy is one of the best at getting under player’s skins and if memory serves me well – Smith doesn’t have the best control of his temper. I look for Andy to get the better of him in that potential matchup. Beasley is young but he has a nice inside out game. The experience that he’s getting in his rookie season will pay dividends down the road as he develops into an All-Star caliber player.

Jamin: This is a hard one. On one hand you have the no skill all hustle Anderson Varejao. Andy has a knack for getting in the head of his opponents, a skill I admire and love but there is no way he is a better player than Josh Smith or Michael Beasley. Overall, Smith is the better player on all counts here. He can score better, he can rebound better and he can block your shot better. Beasley is going to be a good NBA player one of these days, he has all the tools necessary and is learning a lot in these play off games. I would not be surprised if he turns out to be an all-star eventually. Who gives the Cavs the most trouble? Atlanta.

Center: Zydrunas Ilgauskas vs. Al Horford vs. Jermaine O’Neal

O’Ryan: It’s hard to pick against the Large Lithuanian but I’m going to give this one to O’Neal by the slightest of margins because of the energy that he provides inside the paint. With Wade constantly looking to go to the rim, O’Neal is at his best when he crashes the boards and gets easy put-backs. His low post scoring is better than Z and Horford as well. Big Z brings awesome value to the Cavs because he can spread a defense with his outside shot. That doesn’t seem like it would be that important but opening the lane for LeBron is like giving a fat kid a giant piece of cake with whip cream frosting. Horford is still developing but has been here before as the Hawks gave Boston everything they could handle last year in the first round. I expect him to make an impact and create a tough matchup. Either way the Cavs are going to have matchup problems in my opinion. Mike Brown may choose to assign Anderson Varejao to O’Neal or Horford simply because Big Z doesn’t have enough quickness to stay in front of them.

Jamin: I don’t have much to say here, O’Ryan pretty much nailed this one on the head (yes that was hard for me to say). Overall, Horford and O’Neal are going to tear Big Z up on the inside. Who gives the Cavs the most trouble? Miami.

The Final Flow

Jamin: Overall I think Atlanta gives the Cavs more trouble than Miami. D-Wade just doesn’t have enough help around him to really make it past the first round. Either way the series goes between Atlanta and Miami expect both teams to be beat up when it’s done. There seems to be no love lost between these two teams and I expect there to be a couple ejections in tonight’s game. I see Miami winning at home tonight and then Atlanta winning game 7 at home.

O’Ryan: I have a feeling it’s going to go 7 games too, but since I miss watching the Cavs play and I’m getting pretty anxious I’m going to take Atlanta tonight in a nail-biter and let’s kick things off Sunday at The Q!