Michael Langston Moore's Cleveland Browns fan blog

This isn't going to be an entry that gushes over Brett Favre and suggests that he never retire because he's "great for the game."  I don't deny that, Favre was an incredible quarterback--one could argue he is a top five quarterback of all time.

He was also the most durable player to ever play the game.  Playing the position of quarterback is the toughest of all sports, and signal callers in the NFL get beaten to a bloody pulp.  It wasn't that Favre never got injured, it's just that he was able to push through it.  Favre started a mind-boggling 253 starts, a streak I'm comfortable in feeling that no one will break in my lifetime.

Continue reading "Memo To Favre: You Need To Give It One More Year"

Hank Steinbrenner has recently come out and stated that he doesn't "like baseball being singled out" when it comes to the attention by media and congress over the steroids issue.  He later commented, "Everybody that knows sports knows football is tailor-made for performance-enhancing drugs. I don't know how they managed to skate by. It irritates me. Don't tell me it's not more prevalent. The number in football is at least twice as many. Look at the speed and size of those players."

 I will give Steinbrenner some credit.  I do think it is amazing that guys like Shawne Merriman and Rodney Harrison--two prominent defensive players in the NFL--can test positive for steroids/HGH and no one truly seem to care.  Do fans not care about the integrity of the game?  Do fans and maybe even media enable these players because they want to see brutal collisions on the field?

Continue reading "Steroids: Contrasting Football and Baseball"

Haven't we all had enough of spygate, already?

I don't condone cheating, in sports or otherwise, but this is just getting ridiculous.

Doesn't Senator Specter have anything else to worry about?  While I do care about fair play in the NFL, I am much more concerned about some of the awful officiating this season than whether or not the Patriots may or may not have benefited from video taping signals.

What's lost in this "controversy" is that while the Patriots did indeed cheat, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has conceeded that opposing coaches are seen waving at the camera on these recently destroyed video tapes.  If this is indeed the case, then this means that coaches within the NFL knew that New England was video taping them.  If this was such a big deal, why wouldn't opposing teams blow the whistle on the Patriots before now?

Continue reading "Enough Is Enough, Already!"

If you're a fan of Madden and have no problems with the game, then this is good news.  If you were an NFL 2K fan, or feels Madden has significant issues that have lingered for years, then break out the tissues.  According to Joystiq.com, EA Sports has extended its exclusive contract with the NFL through the 2012.  EA Sports will now be the sole company capable of making NFL video games (with its huge money-making series Madden) for the next five years.

Here's a link to the article (also posted below):

http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/12/ea-extends-nfl-lock-to-2012/

Those hoping to get their NFL gaming fix from anywhere other than EA anytime soon are apparently in for a long wait: EA revealed today that it had extended its exclusive contract with the organization until the end of the 2012 season, which falls in February of 2013. A similar deal was also made with the NFL players association.

Continue reading "EA Sports Extends Exclusive Contract with the NFL"

On Sunday, the Cleveland Browns won their tenth game of the season against a San Francisco team in disarray. A season that started off so poorly in Week 1 resulted in expectations being surpassed for Browns’ fans.

On Sunday night, however, the dream ended in disappointing fashion. After having not beaten the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 16 to allow entrance into the playoffs, the Browns needed the Tennessee Titans to lose to the Indianapolis Colts.  Browns’ fans were teased and given hope, as the Colts’ backups managed to take a three point lead in the third quarter. It was evident, though, that the Colts’ were highly disinterred in beating their division rival, and they certainly didn’t have the personnel to do so. The Titans won the game 16-10, and sent the Browns into the off-season on a frustrating note.

Continue reading "Dream Season Over, Off-Season Begins (January 2, 2008)"

This has been a dream season for Cleveland Browns’ fans. After watching a putrid product on the field for years, Browns’ fans were treated to high scoring, competitive football every weekend this season. The city embraced the “Believeland” moniker, and NFL pundits have openly stated that the Browns are the surprise of the NFL this season.

There’s no bigger of a surprise than quarterback Derek Anderson. A third year player and former sixth round pick, Anderson has been instrumental in pulling the Browns from the ashes.

So there’s no problem, right? Well, not exactly.

While Anderson has big numbers, one cannot know everything there is to know about Anderson’s play just by his stats. Last week, I wrote a blog entry about how the Browns needed to take care of their own business to get into the playoffs. They controlled their own destiny. With a win, they would be invited to the post-season party.

Continue reading "The Problem with Derek Anderson (December 27, 2007)"

On Sunday, the Cleveland Browns will play their most important game in five years. Not since 2002 when the Browns beat the Atlanta Falcons in Week 17 to advance to the post-season has a game of this magnitude been within reach.

It’s simple, really. If the Browns beat the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, they are playoff bound. If Cleveland loses, their playoff hopes become quite murky.

This is a scary game.  Although the Bengals are closing the book on a sub-par season, they are still a potent team. They have only won just five games this season which may come as a surprise to read. The Bengals, though, are not the Miami Dolphins. Their offense in particular is full of playmakers and Pro Bowlers.

One former All Pro is quarterback Carson Palmer, who has publicly stated this week that he would like to ruin the Browns’ chances for post-season play.  Palmer believes when the Browns beat the Bengals in Week 2 to the tune of 51-45, the Bengals began their downward spiral.  And the Browns’ season was launched.

Continue reading "Browns Need Win to Enter Playoffs (December 21, 2007)"

On Sunday, the Browns beat the Houston Texans to the score of 27-17. Afterwards, on such Cleveland sports programs like “Browns Redzone,” fans called in to voice their anxiety about the quarterback situation. 

Derek Anderson, just 24 years old, is having a sensational season for a man who lost the
starting quarterback job to Charlie Frye in August. A former sixth round draft pick, Anderson’s Browns are fast becoming the Cinderella story of the NFL. A significant reason for the team’s success rests on the shoulders of the 6’6” signal caller. Anderson’s stats are great, as he has thrown for 2,758 yards, 22 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. His quarterback rating is 89.5, better than Peyton Manning. 

Continue reading "The Quarterback Dilemma in Cleveland (November 28, 2007)"

The Browns lost on Sunday to the New England Patriots to the tune of 34-17.  But did anyone really expect them to win?  Despite many opportunities to stay in the game, the Browns tallied up mistakes and turnovers which led to the defeat.

The Browns now sit at 2-3. Maybe not that impressive to some, but much better than expected considering the Browns’ opponents. With a win this Sunday against the hapless Dolphins, the Browns could march into their bye week at 3-3. If that is the case, third year wideout Braylon Edwards will certainly have done his part.

Edwards came into the league in 2005. Highly touted from Michigan, it was immediately evident that the young man had talent. But he also had concentration issues. For every incredible catch, he would follow it up with a back breaking drop.

Continue reading "Braylon Edwards Becoming a Star (Written October 10th, 2007)"

March 30, 2007

There is a lot of debate surrounding the Cleveland Browns and their No.3 selection in next month's NFL Draft.

Should they solidify their offensive line and select Wisconsin left tackle Joe Thomas? Might the team give up on quarterback Charlie Frye after just two seasons and select LSU standout JaMarcus Russell or Notre Dame's Brady Quinn? Could the Browns bolster their receiving corps by selecting the incredible wideout from Georgia Tech, Calvin Johnson?

And one cannot forget the ever popular “trade down" option.

The truth is that all of the above would make sense on some level. However on April 28th, the Browns need to select Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson with their first round pick. Period. If they don't, Cleveland could regret the decision for years.

Continue reading "If He's There, Peterson is the Pick for Browns (Written March 30, 2007)"