Cleveland Browns Blogs

The 2011 NFL regular season ended with a bang with some great finishes and superb drama on Sunday. Records were set by a back-up QB, a team captain was benched for “quitting” and a fat-handed QB lost missed out on the post-season. The Final Drive must begin!

Continue reading "The Final Drive: Week 17, 2011-12"

Taking the Browns to the Toilet Bowl...

Really? Really, Cleveland? You came back to the NFL, and you still haven't produced a professional football team! As a Browns' fan, it's embarrassing, truly embarrassing.

Continue reading "Cleveland Browns"

HAHAHAHAHAHA. I’m sorry, did you want analysis of this latest edition of Thursday Night Football? …Really? Okay, here it goes.

NFL Network is the place for an AFC North division match-up that will serve as a measuring stick for both teams involved. We can see how serious Pittsburgh really is about winning their division by how hard they play against a supposed soft opponent. Cleveland can gauge itself versus the rest of their Northern brethren by mounting a valiant effort tonight.

Continue reading "Joe's 2011 Thursday Night Preview: ..."

Likely the roughest division in the NFL, the AFC North has long been the stomping ground for Big Ben and the Steelers. Last season the Ravens fell short of dethroning the eventual AFC Champs and are looking to finally make it over that yellow and black speed-bump. Cincinnati  has overhauled key positions and look to rebuild while the Browns are slowly regaining traction in the division. The AFC North takes center stage!

Continue reading "Joe's 2011 NFL Season Preview: The AFC North"

And that’s a wrap folks! In their fourth and final preseason outing, the Bears took care of the Cleveland Browns 24-14. Taking their last looks at their roster before trimming it down, the Bear coaching staff has their work cut out for them. Here are my thoughts from tonight’s (still meaningless) win.

Continue reading "2011 Preseason Recap: Bears 24, Browns 14"

With rosters being trimmed to 53 (down from 80) this week, there are quite a few Chicago Bears who will be fighting for their job on Thursday night. Let’s get to the storylines you should watch for as the Browns come into Solider Field for the last preseason game of 2011.

Continue reading "Joe's 2011 Preseason Gameday Preview: ..."

Okay, now that we’ve had some time to digest the draft and some of the immediate ramifications, let’s delve into some of the teams I thought best took advantage of their selections. (Not winners and losers per se, since we can’t actually grade these drafts until three years or so elapse.) Still, what’s the NFL without some premature judging?

Continue reading "The Best and Worst Classes of the 2011 NFL Draft"

With a lock-out now imposed in the NFL, I decided to take a look back at the 2010-2011 season standings and see where I went right/wrong with my preseason picks. Starting with the AFC, here’s what I predicted… and then what really happened, along with a five-star scale of my correctitude.

Continue reading "How Much I Effed Up: The 2010 AFC Edition"

I was sitting in my living room yesterday, watching the Eagles-Packers game, and my Dad--out of nowhere--said, "Can you believe that it has been about 20 years since we had a good team? Earlier today I saw a stat about how Bernie Kosar took us to the playoffs in his first three years in the NFL."

Continue reading "Cleveland Browns: The Losing Continues"

It’s the final week of the 2010 regular season and there are division match-ups everywhere you look! Who needs to win and who looks prime for a loss? Let’s get the Opening Drive going!

Continue reading "Joe's 2010 NFL Opening Drive: Week 17"

Week 14 in the NFL gave us upsets involving supposed Super Bowl contenders, plenty of blow-outs and even a failed extra point. I'm not going to talk about Favre, so go elsewhere for that story. Dude's old. Get over it. 

Continue reading "Joe's 2010 NFL Final Drive: Week 14"

What a weekend of NFL action. The last win-less team finally came out on top and there were blow-outs galore. Most of them were unexpected, to say the least. Without wasting any more time, here's the Final Drive of week 10 in the NFL!

Continue reading "Joe's NFL Final Drive: Week 10"

 Week ten got an early start on Thursday, but the bulk of the action takes place today. Here are the games to keep an eye on this weekend!

 

Continue reading "Joe's 2010 NFL Opening Drive: Week 10"

 

It's that time football fans! After nine weeks of the 2010 season, the picture has become slightly clearer, but in the current NFL, no one team has stood out as head and shoulders above the rest. Here are my grades for all 32 NFL teams, based on a few different criteria, not merely their win/loss record. Meeting, surpassing, or falling short of expectations, staying competitive and showing improvement over the course of the season is all taken into account, specific to that team. (So don't go comparing grades for one team to another, they're graded on their own.) Everyone loves getting graded, right? Here are my breakdowns, including some cheerleader shots to spice it up.

Continue reading "Joe's 2010 NFL Mid-season Grades"

The drama didn't stop in week nine in the NFL. One coach lost his job on Sunday, while another may have earned another week on the job. Here's the best and worst of week nine!

(6-2) Atlanta Falcons 27

Continue reading "Joe's Final Drive: Week 9"

Let’s stop the whining and crying about how the National Football League is being to comforting of injured players, and too strict on head hunters. Yes, this goes out to Troy Polamalu, James Harrison and countless others.

Continue reading "Helmet Hits Warrant Fines, Suspensions"

It's week nine in the NFL season. Teams are beginning to fall from contender to pretender while other squads are starting to fight for postseason slotting. Let's kick off the Opening Drive!

Continue reading "Joe's 2010 NFL Opening Drive: Week 9"

And we thought Myron Pryor did the nation a favor.

 

It was the fourth quarter of last week’s game against the Minnesota Vikings. On third and three, Pryor beat his blocker and landed a crushing hit on quarterback Brett Favre. It left Favre slow to get up and holding his chin. Favre was taken to the locker room and did not return to the game.

Continue reading "Hours After Kickoff: Week 9"

     What emotion described your mood after Sunday’s Superdome debacle? Did you feel disappointed, humiliated, angry, or betrayed? Big Daddy felt so humiliated by the Saints half-hearted effort. Only Brett Farve understood Saints fans embarrassment after his wood-stroking photos surfaced on the internet. Several of Big Daddy’s co-workers revisited the Madden Curse theory, citing Drew Brees’ God-awful performance in which 2 of his 4 interceptions resulted in pick-sixes. Others wondered if Cleveland Head Coach Eric Mangini instructed former Saints Scott Fujita and Mike Bell (two integral pieces to last year’s Super Bowl Championship team) to hire a Voodoo priestess to cast an Early Halloween spell on Drew. One thing is certain, the Browns’ coach unleashed his bag of tricks on the Crescent City, soundly out coaching Sean Payton all afternoon. Saints fans can only pray that the Black ’n’ Gold will collect tons of treats come Halloween night when Pittsburgh comes to town. In this edition of the

Continue reading "Big Daddy Rides Brees’ Avalanche to the Bottom"

A not-really-forgotten superstar returned to be cheered by his home crowd, Tom Brady trash-talks and someone had to lose the Panic Bowl. Here are the highlights of week six in the NFL!

(3-2) Miami Dolphins 23

Continue reading "Joe's Final Drive: Week 6"

Nice to meet you week six. Is that a Vikings-Cowboys game in your pocket or are you just happy to see me? Oh, it's the former? Fine, whatever. I didn't like you anyway. ...Okay, that's a lie. I'm sorry. Let's just get to my analysis. 

Continue reading "Joe's 2010 NFL Opening Drive: Week 6"

Are you kidding me? Did you watch that game? It was a tale of two halves...well, kinda.

First Half:

Well, we looked pretty good in the first quarter. Even with Pork Chop Floyd and John St. Clair anchoring the right side, we still moved the chains. Peyton Hillis ran tough, Jake Delhomme looked sharp, and the defense played with an attitude. Unfortunately, we didn't play flawless football. We turned the ball over and Delhomme tweeked his right ankle. But, that didn't stop our team. We not only dominated the stat department, but we took a 14-3 lead with two minutes left in the second quarter. It was feasible that we could punch in one more score before the half, but that didn't happen. Around mid-field, Delhomme was chased out of the pocket and made an ill-advised chuck which was intercepted. Ronde Barber, who made the pick, took the ball down to the three yard line. One play later, the Bucs punched in a TD, making the half-time score, 14-10, Browns. That's right. Instead of taking a 17-3 or maybe even a 21-3 into the half, the Browns hung on to a 4-point lead. Boo!

Continue reading "Cleveland Browns: Are You Kidding ..."

 

No division in football may be as physical as the AFC North. Even though the Steelers have the rings to back them up, QB woes leave the division in doubt. Can Baltimore claim the throne or Cincinnati repeat? Here's my take on each team's chances: 

Continue reading "Joe's NFL 2010 Season Preview: AFC North"

The preseason is finally over! With the final game in the books (a 13-10 loss to the Browns, if you even care), the Bears have decisions to make before Saturday's 5:00 PM deadline to cut the roster to 53 players. Here's what I saw during this fairly lackluster contest.

Continue reading "Collins impresses in Bears' final preseason game"

 

Since I'm in a crunch for writing time tonight, this will be a speedy preview of the Bears' fourth and final preseason outing! If you actually like watching scrubs fight for jobs (purest form of competition if you ask me), be sure to tune in tonight and cheer for players you'll never see again! Here's what else to watch for tonight before the roster cuts on Saturday:

Continue reading "Joe's Preseason Preview: Bears at Browns"

 

It's finally here. The 2010 NFL Draft is upon us and I couldn't be more excited to hunker down for two nights and another day of coverage. With the new format, tonight will only cover the first round, bringing the drama of the top picks to primetime television. 

Continue reading "2010 NFL Draft: What to Watch for on Day One"

Friends and Countrymen,

 

I know that you have missed me so much over the last month or so and I want to apologize for my extended absence.  I have several ready made excuses for why I haven’t been actively blogging and I am sure that you will accept all of them at face value.  For one thing, there hasn’t been anything going on in the world of sports.  I mean other than the NBA playoffs, the NHL playoffs, the start of the MLB season, the return of Tiger Woods, the transgressions and subsequent suspension of Ben Roethlisberger (I did it! I spelled the damn thing), etc. 

Continue reading "The NFL Rock Draft!"

In anticipation of the NFL Draft, each position will be evaluated for the team’s need at that position. Each position will be rated for the Patriots’ need, with 1 not a need and 5 being ugent:

Continue reading "Draft Evaluation: Wide Receivers/Tight Ends"

Okay, after I posted that we haven't done anything in free agency, we made a little splash!

Offense:

It was no secret that we were going to release DA; it was just a matter of time. If the Browns would have kept him, they would have owed him bonus money. Also, I wish we would have gotten more for Brady Quinn. Peyton Hillis, FB, is a nice player, but how does he fit in our backfield? Furthermore, who will start at QB? If money talks, free agent, Jake Delhomme, will start over Seneca Wallace, who we got from Seattle in a trade. Delhomme spent two years in a West Coast Offense, while Wallace has six years of experience--all with Mike Holmgren.

Continue reading ""

So, free agency began last Thursday, and we signed no one.

Defensively, what are our needs? Many believe that we need a safety, a cornerback, and a linebacker who could put some pressure on the QB. So, what was or is out there?

Continue reading "Cleveland Browns: Free Agency Begins..."

Cleveland Browns Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown said this week that he hopes that Cavaliers basketball icon Lebron James remains in “The Forest City” after this season.

 

Continue reading "Lebron James will truly be a "King" ..."

Let's face it; if you're a Browns' fan, you already know that we have many needs. Our new GM, Tom Heckert likes to build through the draft, and we have 11 picks but is that enough? Probably not. We need some free agents to fill some holes, or we could also trade for players.

Continue reading "Cleveland Browns: What's more exciting? ..."

Although it is way too early to make any definitive statements about a 5-11 team, I definitely think these guys are headed in the right direction.  First they hired Mike Holmgren on as the president of football operations and then Holmgren decided to keep Mangini on as head coach.  I questioned Mangini’s tactics during the season but the fact is that the guy had to implement a culture change in Cleveland.  It was going to be a rough season either way, but once he was able to root out the guys that didn’t want to work and play smart football, this team ended the season on a 4 game winning streak that included the Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers.  The addition of Tom Heckert from Philadelphia will also give them a boost at the GM position. 

Continue reading "Are the Browns Playoof Bound?"

Though it means nothing, I am required by football law to point out I was 7-0 in my Opening Drive predictions for week 17. Woot. Multiple teams lost because they did not keep their starters in while one NFC East leader got railed on. Now, onto the last week of the regular season with this edition of the Final Drive! 

Continue reading "Joe's Final Drive: Week 17"

Hello Chargers fan! Loyal dieharders to erratic bandwagoners.. glad you are all on for the ride of this year and many more to come. I believe that as long as Rivers is OUR qaurterback we have a chance to make the Superbowl every year. That is my undying faith to San Diego, but also my belief in Philip Rivers. Props to the coaching staff(somewhat), the O-line, 6'4" recievers and up, and the backfield combo of Sproles and LT. Props to the defense the last couple weeks on creating turnovers, slowing down the run especially without Jamal, and our secondary which has become increasingly better without the pressure that we've put on the opponents QB the last couple years. Major props goto all the back-ups that are just inserted from all our injuries to make great contributions and keeping the team a cohesive "team".

Continue reading "First down post.. on 4th and 2."

Okay...I'm a die-hard Browns' fan, but I find myself throwing up on game day.

DEFENSE: 

1. With two LBs out for the season--D. Jackson and E. Barton--out for the season, we will continue to struggle on defense.

Continue reading "Cleveland Browns: 1 and sucks? Will ..."

Despite posting a pathetic 23.5 passer rating in Monday’s 16-0 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, beleaguered Cleveland Browns quarterback Brady Quinn has again been named the starter for this weekend’s game versus the Lions in Detroit.

Continue reading "Brady Quinn is too muscular to play QB in the NFL"

After three quarters of a boring contest, we finally got some action late in Thursday's Miami v. Carolina game. To anyone who had Ricky Williams on their fantasy team, good job. Now, we look to the weekend in the week 11 edition of the Oepning Drive!

Continue reading "Joe's Opening Drive: Week 11"

After the Patriots’ loss to the Indianapolis Colts, the first thing I did when I started my car was turn off the radio. I almost didn’t turn on my t.v. When I did, I absolutely didn’t tune in to ESPN or NFL Network. This lasted through the next day until the Monday night football game. I didn’t read the newspapers for almost two days.

Continue reading "Looking Ahead"

It wasn’t pretty, but I’ll take it. The Bears put down the Cleveland Browns by a final score of 30-6 Sunday at Soldier Field. While a 24-point win against a number of other teams would have been memorable, that margin wasn’t enough for Bears fans who wanted to see domination like they saw in Cincinnati. Instead, they saw Lovie Smith’s squad do little more than take advantage of Cleveland’s never-ending mistakes.

Continue reading "Cutler gets "Jay-Roughed" in Bears' ..."

The Chicago Bears had an easy opponent in the Cleveland Browns, and finished them off 30-6 at Soldier Field on Sunday.

Jay Cutler said that the Bears offense needed to get going after the game. He said the team needed to make "big plays" in their mix.  That is true.  You can't depend upon a personal foul to get you close to the goal line. The Bears were the beneficiaries of such a penalty and Matt Forte punched it from the one yard line. Forte had 90 yards for the game. Which says, he is a pretty good runner against bad teams. Now, if you put him up against the Ravens, he might get stuffed.

Continue reading "Bears Beat Browns 30-6, to go 4-3."

In the 2009 NFL, there are more teams at the bottom of the scrap heap than I can ever remember. Three (Tampa, Tennessee, St. Louis) are still winless, and another three (Detroit, Cleveland, Kansas City) have only managed one victory. It’s not just that these teams are bad; they’ve been downright awful this season. That’s why the Bears should (note I said should) have an easy day this Sunday when they welcome in the Cleveland Browns.  

Continue reading "Joe's Gameday Preview: Browns at Bears"

With a busier schedule than normal, the Opening Drive was relegated to Sunday morning! Here’s my quick takes on some of the weekend’s NFL match-ups. 

Continue reading "Joe's Opening Drive: Week 6"

Still love me some NFL. Josh McDaniels kicked Bill Belichick’s Patriots right out of Denver while Matt Ryan picked apart a supposedly stout San Francisco defense. Oh, and Peyton Manning is still awesome. I wrap up week five in the NFL in the Final Drive! 

Continue reading "Joe's Final Drive: Week 5"

Braylon Edwards and his posse apparently are rolling Cleveland looking for LeBron and his posse?  What is going on here?  Braylon Edwards, king of the drop and the one year wonder season, decided that he was ALLEGEDLY going to throw a punch at one of LeBron's friends.  And, I want to be honest here, I've made Rocky references my entire life.. but Braylon really can throw a punch like Rocky and even Ivan Drago.  Rumor out of Cleveland.. and even around the NFL is that Braylon's hands are made of stone, literally.  LeBron's friend basically got lit up with a brick to the face.  That had to hurt a little bit.  

Continue reading "Braylon Edwards Assault?"

ANALYSIS

Okay, we are 0-3. In most cases, you want your team to progress each game. Unfortunately, our team seems to be regressing.

First, we had the lead 13-10 at the half of the Vikings' game, and then we collapsed.

Continue reading "Cleveland Browns: Are we as bad as our record?"

Off to the battle of Ohi-low, no added commentary today.

Week 4:

Bengals over Browns

New England over Baltimore

Washington over Tampa Bay

Tennessee over Jacksonville

Continue reading "Week 4 Hurried Predictions"

In week four of the NFL season, at least one more undefeated team will fall. AFC forces meet in Boston, and one of the best rivalries in the league takes it to a whole ‘nother level thanks to a certain unretiring quarterback. Week four Opening Drive commence! 

Continue reading "Joe's Opening Drive: Week 4"

Plenty of drama in a weekend that saw one team break a 19-game losing streak and another keep their undefeated streak going. Let’s start the Final Drive of week 3! 

(1-2) Detroit Lions 19 (1-2) Washington Redskins 14 

Continue reading "Joe's Final Drive: Week 3"

-Tennessee Volunteers hoops coach Bruce Pearl apologized for making a insensitive joke at a fundraiser:

"I've got a tough job. I've got to put these guys from different worlds together, right?" Pearl said. "I've got guys from Chicago, Detroit ... I'm talking about the 'hood! And I've got guys from Grainger County, where they wear the hood.''

Continue reading "In other news"

Well, I have neglected this blog all year, but I had some free time today, so I figured I'd add a new post.  The first two weeks of the NFL season have been pretty good, with the stupid Hail Mary from the Broncos to win week 1 (gosh I hate watching the highlights of that play) to the great game between Dallas and the NYG last week in the Texas palace.  But the thing that has me the most excited is the Bengals' defense.  They played hard all preseason, did really well agaianst Denver, minus that stupid Hail Mary, and recorded 6 sacks on Aaron Rodgers last week.  This defense finished 15th last year and I feel they are well on their way to being a top 10 unit.  With Odom healthy, it's easy to see why Cincy shelled out so much money for him last offseason.  He has 7 sacks on the season (which leads the NFL) and works really well on third downs with Geathers on one end, Michael Johnson on the other, and Odom inside.  This combo causes a lot of problems for the offenses and I feel that it will again this week against Pittsburgh.

Continue reading "Steelers are going down this Sunday"

Welcome back fellow degenerates, here are my Week 2 NFL predictions:

 New England over New York

New Orleans over Philadelphia

St. Louis over Washington

Jacksonville over Arizona

Continue reading "Week 2 NFL Predictions sure to go right."

Week one of the 2009 NFL season is in the books. Filled with injuries, blowouts and a dramatic ending out in Cincinnati, let’s take a look around the league in this first edition of the Final Drive!

Continue reading "Joe's Final Drive: Week 1"

Do you smell that? It smells like football! No more preseason, no more scrubs fighting for jobs. It's time for the return of the Opening Drive!

Continue reading "Joe's Opening Drive: Week 1"

If you were watching last night’s Bears 26-23 preseason victory over the Browns trying to catch a glimpse of your favorite Bears, I hope you didn’t blink.

After a Zack Bowman interception on the first play from scrimmage, Jay Cutler took the field and handed off to back-up running back Kevin Jones six times, leading to a Robbie Gould field goal. Matt Forte didn't even play. After those first seven plays, it was scrub time.

Continue reading "Bears Answer Few Questions in Victory Over Browns"

I'm going to predict every NFL game this year and keep track of my record, maybe I can help some of you gambling junkies win some money.  I'm going to shoot for a winning percentage of .700.  Here goes:

Continue reading "Week 1 NFL Predictions"

We know that football, or should I say American football, has been growing for years. It's just that the mainstream media does not cover American style football as much as, say, the NCAA or NFL.

Continue reading "Foreigners in NFL History"

We'll get back to horse racing soon. This is a lull in the season. Now, even the horse players are focused on the NFL. Who will be better? Who will be worse.

 In this analysis, I simply take what the teams had, what they lost and gained, and weigh all the potentials. For example, 3 first and second round draft pick linebackers in their third year would translate into at least 2 successes.

Continue reading "NFL Forecast"

I have a problem with Julian Edelman. He shouldn’t be wearing number “11” when a perfectly good “82” is available. “11” should be set aside for when the Patriots retire Drew Bledsoe’s jersey.

Continue reading "Intrigued by Edelman"

Predictions:

Obviously, expectations are high for Browns' fans. Many expect a huge turn-around immediately, and why not? We have a new coach, a new attitude, a new atmosphere, a revamped "O" line, a restocking of WRs, and new blood on "D." Many fans believe that we are ready to compete. Are we ready to compete at a high level? Who knows. We will just have to wait and see.

Continue reading "Cleveland Browns: Time for Camp...Any Predictions?"

As long as everyone else is throwing in their two cents about disgraced NFL quarterback Michael Vick's next career move, I thought I should chime in because the answer is just common sense.

Mike -- can I call you Mike? -- this is what you should do: Forget about a return to pro football for 2009 and contact dog whisperer Cesar Millan about becoming his sidekick.

Continue reading "Two Words of Advice for Vick: Reality Series"

Well, I just purchased my Browns/Bills tickets and made my first payment to the NFL ticket. It's a steep price to pay, but I'm a die-hard fan.

With training camp around the corner, it's time to talk about the Browns again. Last month, I wrote about the offense, particularly the skilled-position players. Obviously, with a new and improved line, these skilled-position players have the opportunity to be successful.

Continue reading "Cleveland Browns...Training Camp ..."

Long time no see! While this 65 degree sunny-sometimes summer has been upon us, I haven’t forgotten about my valued 6 and a half readers! Ha, getting back on topic, we’ve had quite the start to an exciting summer in the sporting world. Whether it be baseball, football, or basketball there’s been something to talk about.

Continue reading "NFL Summer Fun"

Donte Stallworth just plead guilty to DUI manslaughter. It makes you wonder. He seemed to be doing well when he was playing for the Philadelphia Eagles but now that he is playing for the Browns it seems things have gone downhill. Although he did have that one incident while in Philly he seemed like a stand up guy. He got 30 days in jail, 1000 hours community service, his driver’s license suspended for life and has been suspended from the NFL indefinitely. Granted he was facing 15 years in jail so I guess it could have been worse. Either way the incident begs the question how did we get in this situation and could anything have been done to prevent it?

Continue reading "Donte Stallworth Pleads Guilty"

On Tuesday an agreement was reached in Donte Stallworth's drunk driving incident. Stallworth was arrested after he struck and killed a pedestrian with his car in Miami on March 14th. The accident occurred at 7:20am as Stallworth was heading home after a night of drinking at a trendy Miami Beach club. The victim was just finishing his shift at work and was crossing the street to catch his bus when Stallworth struck and killed him with his car. When police arrived Stallworth submitted to a roadside sobriety test and blew a .126, well above Florida's .08 legal limit.

Continue reading "Donte Stallworth sentenced, but was ..."

 I actually wrote this back in the winter, around January following the Browns 2008 season and prior to this past April's NFL draft, but just thought I would post it for hopefully all of you Browns fans to enjoy.

Continue reading "A look back at the 2008 Cleveland ..."

QBs: Okay...after 4 practices, apparently Brady Quinn looked the best. However, according to Coach Mangini, Derek Anderson looked good, as well. Then again, since Brett Ratliff knows Mangini's system, I thought maybe he would be leading the pack early in the game. But, that's not the case. Nevertheless, once again, we will have a QB controversy, or is it healthy competition? On our roster, we have 4 QBs: Derek Anderson, who I believe is starting his 5th year; Brady Quinn, 3; Brett Ratliff, 2; and Richard Bartel, 1. We really don't have a QB who is experienced. Will this be a problem? Anyway, I believe Brady Quinn will be given every opportunity to stabilize this position. It will be his to lose.

Continue reading "Cleveland Browns: So, after 4 practices, ..."

Former Penn State and Cleveland Browns' fullback Tim Manoa played four seasons in the NFL, three with Cleveland and one with the Indianapolis Colts.  Tim was also a member of the 1986 National Champion Penn State Nittany Lions who knocked off the high-powered Miami Hurricanes led then by 1986 Heisman Trophy winner Vinny Testaverde, 14-10 in the Fiesta Bowl.  Tim rushed for 938 career yards on 236 carries with 6 touchdowns and caught 40 passes for 308 yards with 2 touchdowns in his NFL career.

Continue reading "My interview with former Penn State ..."

As OTA's and minicamps progress while training camp begin to roll over the horizon, America's favorite sport nears its regular season.  While nobody knows how well teams will do in a season with the randomness of injuries and several other factors, it's always interesting to look ahead at the schedule and prognosticate.  Unlike most people, I'm not going to give just a win or loss for each game, rather I'm going to predict how many times the Steelers would win if they played a team 10 times.  For instance if the Steelers were playing a very crappy team, I would say 9/10 or 10/10.  At the end i will add up the wins and divide by 10, giving us how many wins they will have this season.

Continue reading "Steelers Game By Game Preview of ..."

This is the year Quinn should be the starter. It's about time the Clevelad Browns start to invest their time into players and make the Browns a legit team. They are always putting players on pedistools them letting them go.

Continue reading "THE BRADY QUINN FACTOR"

The NFL Draft was going according to plan until the Browns went on the clock after Aaron Curry was selected the pick before. They ended up trading their pick to the New York Jets in a mammoth deal in

Continue reading "What a first day of the NFL Draft ..."

So there is barely any news on the Chicago front. After waiting over five hours to make their only pick of the day at number 17 in the second round (49th overall), the Chicago Bears made a trade with the Seattle Seahawks. The Bears sent their 2nd round selection to Seattle and received the Seahawks’ 3rd round (68th overall) and 4th round (105th) choices, both of which will be on Sunday.

Continue reading "NFL Draft Day One: Bears Trade Down ..."

From the stuff that I have heard, it sounds like the Browns like Crabtree and Crabtree likes the Browns. With Braylon most likely leaving via trade or next offseason during free agency, this should be

Continue reading "Crabtree a Brown? Braylon a Giant?"

Like many Browns fans, I am confused as to who the Browns will take in Saturday's NFL Draft. A couple of weeks ago it was rumored to be Michael Crabtree. A couple of weeks before that it was rumored to be Brian Orakpo, a defensive end from Texas. Now it is rumored that the Browns may go after B.J Rajii, a Defensive Tackle from Boston College. Wait... don't we already have one of the nastiest defensive tackles ins the game in Sean Rogers. To me Crabtree makes the most sense at 5. Hes the best player on the board at this point assuming Aaron Curry is gone. And with Braylon Edwards having one foot out the door already and Kellen Winslow gone, the Browns need a playmaker. For the sake of the fans, I hope Kokinis and Mangini take the right guy at 5 and that is Michael Crabtree.

Continue reading "Who will the Browns take at 5?"

I haven't blogged since the Super Bowl, and I probably won't blog again for a while (at least not until the draft), but the 2009 schedule was just released, and it's worth taking a quick look at the way the upcoming season breaks down for the hometown team. One thing you can count on, there are games that look easy right now that will look a lot tougher when they get here, and there are games that look tough now that will end up looking much easier. The most one can do, therefore, is to say: IF LAST SEASON'S RESULTS CARRY OVER INTO NEXT SEASON ... which of course they never do.

Continue reading "Breaking Down the Ravens Schedule, part I"

Yes, that's right, I love April for football.  It's NFL Draft time.  I like listening to the NFL Channel on Sirius and I like reading Draft guides and websites that talk about the draft.  I love paying attention to the draft just because it helps me get ready for fantasy football.  On draft day, I will Tivo and watch all the coverage on both days.

Continue reading "It's April, My Second Favorite Month for Football"

Okay, so the title says it all but it should be repeated.

I am the most optimistic Browns fan ever!

That's right, it's hard for me to ever really doubt that they are doing the right thing.  Maybe it's because they are and have been so bad for so long that I always like to think they have a chance.  If they went into the season without me thinking they had a chance, besides fantasy football, what would be the point of me even watching the season?  So I go into every season hopeful...only to be let down by the time week six rolls around.  

Continue reading "I am the Most Optimistic Cleveland ..."

Well, the first wave of free agency has passed, and the Browns didn't jump in. It appears to me that the Browns don't have a lot of room under the cap to sign high-priced free agents.

Leaving: Kellen Winslow, Joe Jurevicius, Jason Wright, Audra Davis. Is Braylon Edwards next? Next year is a contract year, and it appears that Braylon doesn't want to sign with the Browns again. So, why keep him around when we could get something for him this year? I know...we don't have a lot of quality WRs on the roster. But, if we rely on Braylon's potential, we might as well trade him for draft picks. And if I remember correctly, Braylon couldn't even catch a cold last season. Is Donte Stallworth leaving? After his accident, no one knows his future. Lastly, many experts believe that one of the QBs will be traded. Well, stay tuned.

Continue reading "Cleveland Browns: Molding a New Team"

After watching a dismal NFL season, I look forward to two things--free agency and the draft. So far, our free agency period has been slow....better yet, nonexistent. Mum is still the word, and the draft is about two months away. Needless to say, I am growing impatient. Why?

Continue reading "Cleveland Browns: Free Agency or Not?"

After reading Cleveland newspapers and watching Cleveland sports on STO for the last several weeks, there is nothing really new to report. However, this weekend is the NFL Combine, so there might be more to report. Anyway, there are rumors and speculation.

Continue reading "Cleveland Browns: Mum is the Word"

As the draft approaches, it's obvious that the Patriots need an outside linebacker that can effectively rush the quarterback and maybe another cornerback to add to the competition between Ellis Hobbs, Jonathan Wilhite, and Terrence Wheatley. Finding the kind of LB that would fit in New England will be tougher this year.

Continue reading "A Difficult Search for Patriots-type Players"

Now that our coaching staff is set and we are starting all over...again..., I started thinking about Tony Grossi's recent article in the Plain Dealer. In his article, he wondered what the Browns would be like if we would have drafted Kurt Warner in the expansion draft. It has been ten years now, and we have been to the playoffs once. Butch Davis was our coach, and we lost a close one in Pittsburgh. Actually, it was a heart-breaking loss because we were winning most of the game.

Continue reading "Cleveland Browns: If you had another ..."

In a tough economy, the Kraft family is doing their part to reach out to the community. At Gillette Stadium, the Patriots will host a job fair.All stores and restaurants in Kraft City will be represented, from Bass Pro Shops, Bed and Bath Beyond, the CBS Scene, and The Christmas Tree Shops. Even the Patriots will have a table as the coaching staff and front office has a few entry level positions open.Of course these openings are due to the departure of three long time New England employees.The first to go was offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Josh McDaniels to Denverto be the next Broncos head coach. Just a day later, vice president of player personnel Scot Pioli accepted the general manager job from the Kansas City Chiefs. And earlier today special teams coach Brad Seely accepted the assistant head coach/special teams coordinator job with the Cleveland Browns.Apparently the AFC is adopting the "If you can't beat them, hire them" approach. That's four openings now available when broken down by roles (McDaniels had two titles).

Continue reading "Patriots Job Fair '09"

Continue reading "The old saying seems to be true."

As a Brown fan for nearly 30 years, the Mangini hiring doesn't excite me.

First of all, it seemed like Randy Lerner rushed this decision, especially with other coaches to pick from. This successful list includes Mike Shanahan and Brian Billick, two coaches who have HC experience and who won a Super Bowl. Once again, Lerner hired a coach before hiring the GM, and how did that work out? Both were fired. Also, I just heard this rumor; Romeo Crennel was not able to hire is own assistants. If this is true, no wonder our team was a hot mess for 3 out of Romeo's 4 years here.

Continue reading "Cleveland Browns: Like it or not...Mangini ..."

Well, it sounds like Eric Mangini is in the lead to become the Browns' next HC. According to some sources, Randy Lerner was very impressed with Mangini during the interview. Furthermore, I heard that Lerner is also interested in the Ravens' Director of Pro Personnel, George Kokinis, to become the next GM.

Continue reading "Cleveland Browns: Mangini in the ..."

Putting Shanahan's record aside, let's look at some of his positives. 1) Shanahan's zone blocking style has been successful, not only for the Denver's RBs but for Houston's as well. For instance,

Continue reading "Cleveland Browns: Five Votes for Shanahan"

According to some people, timing is everything when it comes to hiring a new GM and coach. In a way, that makes sense. You want to hire your guy before someone else does. You want people in place to analyze the free agents and college prospects. Speaking of college prospects, it seems like we have a lot of useless college bowl games. It seems like almost every team makes a bowl, even ones that only have 6 wins. Some of these so-called bowl teams aren't even ranked in the Top 25, so why do we have these bowls? Wouldn't be more interesting if we have a playoff bracket, maybe involve the top eight teams in an NCAA bracket? Then, the next eight teams could make an NIT bracket. Obviously, it comes down to money. These colleges get money, and the players get gifts, as well. Furthermore, these games give scouts one more look at pro prospects. 

Continue reading "Cleveland Browns: Rumors and News...Any ..."

Possible coaching replacements could include the following: Jim Schwartz, Titan DC; Marty Schottenheimer, former Browns coach; Bill Cowher, former Steeler coach; Steve Spagnuolo, Giant DC; or Kirk Ferentz, Iowa HC; Eric Mangini, former Jets coach; and Brian Billick, former Ravens coach.

Continue reading "Cleveland Browns: Who Can Fix Our Mess?"

Boy, we don't even get a chance to let the fact that the Patriots are out of the playoffs for the first time since 2002 soak in before the team is involved in off-season news.

On Monday, three teams fired their head coaches, with two of the head men out of work have Patriots ties. Rod Marinelli was canned after a 0-16 season with Detroit, snitch Eric Mangini was let go by the Jets for missing the playoffs two out of three years, and Cleveland had enough of Romeo Crennel after 40 losses in four seasons. Crennel and Mangini were both former defensive coordinators for the Patriots.

Continue reading "Wanna Trade, Cleveland?"

The Cleveland Browns need an individual that will not only bring instant respect, but one that is or has been a Super Bowl winner.They also need an individual that will change the culture and build a franchise much like the Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Giants, New England Patriots, Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears. The team needs to look to its roots. 

Continue reading "Cleveland Brown Outliers for General ..."

From Week 12 to Week 15 the Houston Texans showed great poise and determination. They started a 4-game winning streak in Cleveland in a defensive battle. Not overly impressive, but a win is a win in the National Football League. The team then dominated a displaced looking Jacksonville Jaguars team at home in the first Monday Night game in franchise history.

Continue reading "Still Important"

There's a reason I didn't post a blog after the Browns-Eagles game.  That reason carried over to why I didn't post after the Bengals-Browns game, and it partially explains why I'm posting this one (technically two) day(s) later while everyone else is asleep.  I didn't come to terms with it until just a couple hours ago, but here we go:

Continue reading "Love Punch, Baby!"

Just when I thought I wouldn't have anything to work off of until just before game time, in comes a report that Kellen Winslow did something no one would have expected him to do.  I don't mean that he sat down at his locker and started dealing Tarot cards to the coaching staff, I mean that he said he hopes to come back and play for the Browns next season.

Continue reading "Psychological Hope: The Winslow-Patrick Conundrum"

    I've decided that I'm going to sit back and laugh at the remainder of a Cleveland Browns season that began with such promiise and visions of post-season action play and mabe even a division title. I'm going to do this so as to avoid the alternative which is to drop to the floor, curl into a fetal position and engage in some good old fashioned chest heaving, snot-nosed, thumb-in-the-mouth sobbing.

Continue reading "Wayne Winsley on Why The Cleveland ..."

I've been putting off writing this particular entry for awhile.  I was with my parents as my mother's birthday was yesterday.  I had on my Joe Jurevicius jersey, casually flipping a mini Browns football back and forth with my dad, and breaking down with both of them what was going on in the game.  Usually it was me trying to explain the Browns' play calls with logic, which became more and more challenging as the game went on.

Continue reading "Browns Staff and Quarterbacks: Scramble! ..."

After the loss to the Titans, it's difficult to imagine that we could beat the Eagles next Monday night in Philly.

Yes, we have played well enough on Monday nights this season to win, but if you watched the Titans hammer the Browns on Sunday...you were left with little confidence, pride, and heart. The score: Titans 28, Browns 9. Make all of the excuses that you want, but we didn't look like a professional team out there.

Continue reading "Cleveland Browns: The horror, the horror"

First Down:

If you ever want to get updated Browns' info, tune into STO, channel 662 on Directv. You can call in and complain on All Bets Are Off with Bruce Drennan. On this show, you could also watch press conferences by RC and Savage. In my opinion, RC does a pretty good job answering questions. He really comes off as a nice guy, and he's not stupid. For the most part, he can see thru crappy or ambiguous questions. Savage, for the most part, makes sense, as well. Unlike these two guys, Belichick used to give short press conferences. According to some of the press, Belichick was condescending. Other good shows include the Berea Report, Browns Red Zone, Sunday Strategy, and ClevelandBrowns.com Preview Show.

Continue reading "Cleveland Browns: Forget the Colts...we ..."

Dear Santa,

Here is my wish list for the Brownies' offense:

1. Creative play calling, just like Chud's first year.

2. Fresh legs for Jamal Lewis or more carries for Josh Cribbs and Jerome Harrison because we need the speed.

Continue reading "Cleveland Browns: Dear Santa..."

Well, it's done. Brady Quinn, in what could be called an "I-learned-my-lesson" move, is having surgery on his broken finger and will be off of it for about ten weeks.  On the plus side, he should be good again to sign autographs when the next auto show rolls through the I-X Center.

Continue reading "From Buc to Brown. Hello, Bruce!"