Over the last two weeks, Peyton Hillis has been quite the source for debate around Cleveland.

Should the Browns give him a contract extension?

Was he too sick to play against Miami?

Was he being punished by the coaching staff for missing the game against the Dolphins?

If he is being phased out, won’t the Browns fans be ticked off?

One thing is for sure, first year head coach Pat Shurmur needs to put out some potential fires within the locker room. 

Evan Moore has popped off about his lack of playing time, and both Shurmur and Hillis have been cloudy about what is going on with the 1,000 yard rusher of a year ago.

Anyway, back to Hillis.  First, he deserves a contract extension based on the very good, but not Pro Bowl worthy, season he had in 2010. 

However, it should be just a two or three-year deal because of the short life span of running backs, and because Hillis is not exactly elusive in his running style. 

A longer deal could hurt the Browns in terms of the salary cap, and GM Tom Heckert would probably like to have some flexibility when his team is ready to make a push deep into the playoffs.

The people questioning Hillis’ resolve in playing against Miami must never have had a severe case of strep.  Taking the running back at his word, he said he slept through most of the game that Sunday, so he definitely shouldn’t be on the gridiron.

As for his usage in the game against the Titans, in the first half, Shurmur probably wanted to keep him fresh for the second half. 

After halftime, with the Browns being behind by quite a bit, the coach went with Montario Hardesty because he is a bigger threat to go the distance if he gets the ball in space. 

At that point in the game, you need to score quickly.  Getting 5 or 6 yards a pop is not conducive to coming back from 18 or 25 points down.  Grinding out yards is Hillis’ thing, not breaking off long runs.

As much as Hillis is a crowd favorite, the faithful will get over it, if in fact, Shurmur does not hold him in the same high regard as the previous coach. 

The one thing we know about Cleveland Browns fans is they support the team no matter what.  Twelve years of mediocre football since the Browns returned to the NFL in 1999 haven’t subdued the people who buy tickets, why would trading someone who has played here for a little over a year?

The Plain Dealer’s Terry Pluto has said you could get 50,000 fans to go to Cleveland Browns Stadium to look at a helmet sitting at the 50 yard line.

Only Art Modell moving the team in 1995 ever got people in Cleveland to stop showing up to watch football.

So, let’s not overrate Hillis’ popularity.  He’s a Cleveland type guy, blue-collar, plays hard, etc., but no one is going to boycott the Browns if he is no longer with the team.

The problem the organization has with losing the game before the bye week is that now two weeks will be spent over analyzing what happened against Tennessee. 

Remember, this team went 5-11 last year.  They weren’t considered to be a Super Bowl contender. 

Browns fans don’t want to hear this, but a little patience is in order.

JD

It was a tough week to watch football if you are a fan in northeast Ohio. 

First, you had to watch Ohio State play really a game that would make you become a soccer fan after looking at their offense during Saturday’s 10-7 loss to Michigan State.

Today, the Browns dropped to 2-2 with a 31-13 loss to Tennessee that wasn’t the mismatch the score would indicate. 

There should be one more category added to the NFL stat sheet for this game, and it would show a huge edge for the Titans, and that would be big plays.  It would say:  Titans 3, Browns 0.

Cleveland had more first downs, 25 to 13, they outgained Tennessee 416 yards to 332.  The time of possession statistic was overwhelmingly in the Browns favor, 37 minutes to just 23 for the Titans.

None of that matters because every big play was made by the opponents from the AFC South, and the home team couldn’t answer with one of their own. 

For a change, Cleveland didn’t need a wake up call on offense, getting a Phil Dawson field goal in the first quarter, and they got a second one after a Titan TD to make it a 7-6 game in favor of the visitors.

Then came the first big play.

Matt Hasselbeck converted the next play into an 80-yard touchdown pass and run to TE Jared Cook to stretch the Tennessee advantage to 14-6.  S Usama Young had a chance to knock Cook out-of-bounds at around the Browns’ 40, but went low instead of high and missed, allowing Tennessee to take an eight point lead with just one play.

The visitors made their second big play right before halftime, when Hasselbeck hit WR Nate Washington on a pick play for 57 yards to the CLE 4.  A TD throw to Damian Williams on the next play gave Tennessee a 21-6 halftime advantage instead of an eight point lead.

The Browns couldn’t allow another touchdown in the second half if they hoped to win this one, and after an exchange of punts, the Titans were held to a 39 yard field goal by Rod Bironas to make it 24-6 with almost seven minutes left in the 3rd quarter.  Still time enough to mount a comeback win.

Cleveland started driving and an 18 yard throw to TE Ben Watson put the ball on the TEN 29 yard line.  But big play #3 came up  next.

Flushed out of the pocket, QB Colt McCoy threw his only interception of the day.  What was worse was that Jordan Babineaux returned the pick 97 yards for a touchdown and that was all she wrote. 

McCoy would up hitting 40 of his 61 passes for 350 yards and a meaningless TD throw to Watson.  The completions were a team record.

Early on, the offense showed a decent mix of the run and pass, but penalties and mistakes halted drives.  Still, looking at the positives, the attack moved the ball effectively.

After getting down 18 and then 25 points, the run had to be abandoned, accounting for all of the passing.

Defensively, for the first time this season, they couldn’t get a lot of pressure on the quarterback.  Plus, the brown and orange got burned on a couple of run blitzes, which resulted in the two big plays.

The Titans gained 332 yards, but 137 of them came on just two plays.  Chris Johnson ran for 101 yards, but 25 came on one run, so the Browns did a decent job of containing him.

After the game, there was total panic and despair among Browns fans.  Why?  Most intelligent football people thought the team would finish at 7-9 or 8-8 at best.  They now sit at .500, the same record as the Steelers, and a game better than everyone’s favorite before the campaign started, the Eagles.

The problem is that fans get carried away looking at the schedule.  Right now, the Tennessee Titans are 3-1 and a pretty good football team.

With the bye week coming up for Cleveland, here’s hoping the Browns can heal up some bumps and bruises, and also evaluate the strengths of the offense.  They need to run the football first, and then use the more sophisticated west coast passing attack in tandem with the ground game.

The Browns are getting there, just not as fast as their fans would like.

JD

Last night was an epic night in baseball with two wild card spots decided in four separate games, two of which went extra innings, and a third decided in the bottom of the ninth.

Great baseball indeed.

Unfortunately, the Cleveland Indians were not part of it. 

They had a 30-15 record and a 7-1/2 game lead in late May, but for the remainder of the schedule, their record was 50-67, and finished well off the pace (15 games) of the division winning Detroit Tigers.

Yes, they finished second, better than most people figured they would, and they won 11 more games than they did in 2010. 

However, the Tigers aren’t going anywhere, so the Indians will have to do a great deal of improving if they want to win the AL Central in 2012.

Detroit will still have the best pitcher in the division in Justin Verlander and the best hitter in Miguel Cabrera.  It was telling that the two teams the Indians pitching staff had the most problems with were the Tigers and Rangers.

Tribe hurlers gave up 6.2 runs per game against those two teams in the 28 games played.  In the other 134 contests, Cleveland pitchers allowed 4.4 runs per game.

Unlike past years, the Indians do have some building blocks in place.

Asdrubal Cabrera proved to be one of the American League’s best shortstops, if not the best, hitting .273 with 25 HR and 92 RBI.  Even better news is that he will be only 26 years old in 2012.  He could cut down on his strikeouts to take the next step.

Carlos Santana had an outstanding first full year in the big leagues, with a .351 on base percentage to go with 27 dingers and 79 RBIs.  He will be in the lineup somewhere next season, probably as the regular catcher.  He’ll be 26 next year.

Two young players showed enough to go into spring training as regulars.  Jason Kipnis, 25 in ’12, hit .272 with 7 HR’s in 150 at bats, and Lonnie Chisenhall, 23 next season, batted .255 with 7 round tripers as well. 

They will be the starters at 2B and 3B in 2012. 

And you have to feel that Shin-Soo Choo will be healthy next season and rebound after an off-year.  Choo has been a solid player from 2008-10, so it’s likely that his 2011 season was an aberration. 

With Michael Brantley considered a starter, that leaves one outfield spot, first base, and designated hitter as question marks. 

Travis Hafner’s contract will be difficult to trade, so he’ll likely be back as DH, but the Indians desperately need right-handed hitters to man the other two spots. 

That means cutting ties with Grady Sizemore.  It will be a sad thing to have to do, but Sizemore’s on going knee problems make him impossible to keep going forward. 

Decisions have already been made on the coaching staff with Tim Tolman and Tim Belcher leaving the staff. 

Tolman’s departure moves Sandy Alomar Jr. to bench coach.  Look for Columbus Clippers’ manager Mike Sarbaugh to replace him in the first base box in 2012.

Belcher’s departure was a surprise, and he did a good job with the staff this year.  He will be tough to replace.

The organization also has to look at Bruce Fields as the hitting coach.  The Indians need to cut down drastically on strikeouts, and perhaps a coach with a proven record of success at the big league level would be in order.

If Cleveland wants to make a run at first place next year, it cannot be a stand pat winter for GM Chris Antonetti.  He will have to follow-up his bold move for Ubaldo Jimenez with other deals of the same ilk. 

It will be a most interesting off-season indeed.

MW

Browns’ QB Colt McCoy was having a miserable game Sunday afternoon. 

With time winding down in the 4th quarter, the former Texas signal caller had completed just 10 of 26 passes for under 150 yards. 

With his team trailing 16-10 and the ball on Cleveland’s own 20 yard line, he clearly needed to start playing better and hitting open receivers.

On the drive that gave the Browns the lead for the first time, and eventually led them to a 2-1 record, McCoy completed 9 of 13 throws for 75 yards, and the game winning touchdown to Mohammad Massaquoi.

Critics will say that this game is proof that McCoy isn’t a legitimate NFL quarterback, and he could only put together one drive on the day.

Supporters of the QB, of which we are one, would say it’s just another demonstration of McCoy’s moxie.  He can overcome his struggles and perform when it counts.

When evaluating Colt McCoy, there are two distinct schools of thought.

One says although McCoy has won in college, he doesn’t have the arm strength to be an elite passer in the NFL.  Most of the people who have this belief are in the media, or are fans.

Those people conveniently overlook all of the guys with big, powerful arms who haven’t been able to succeed at the pro level.  Heck, Cleveland had one of those guys just a few years ago in Derek Anderson.

Those players look good on the field, and it certainly is awe-inspiring to watch someone throw a perfect spiral 60 yards downfield, but it doesn’t translate into victories all the time.

The other thought process is that McCoy has the “it” factor.  He’s a winner, the winningest QB in NCAA history when he left Texas. 

He’s a leader, a confident player who reportedly told the rest of the team before his first professional start, that he was going there to win.

Did we mention that first game was against the Pittsburgh Steelers?

McCoy also told his teammates before a game tying drive against the Jets last season (as a rookie), that they were going to score.

He’s a young player who is very confident in his abilities. 

You know who is in McCoy’s camp?  Former coaches.  They know what kind of player they would want at the most important position on the field, and Colt McCoy fills the bill.

Guys like former Browns’ coach Sam Rutigliano and Jon Gruden both feel the person who wears #12 will be an excellent NFL quarterback.

Isn’t it funny that people who made their living in the league think McCoy has enough ability to be a good quarterback?  Who would know more?  Someone who writes about the sport or someone who coached it?

McCoy is also very accurate, last Sunday’s game notwithstanding.  He hit 70% of his passes during his last season as a Longhorn, and last year connected on over 60% of his throws.

This is not to say last year’s 3rd round pick is perfect.  He needs to show he can play better in the cold, because he plays in Cleveland, and we all know the weather isn’t great here in December and January.

But the great quarterbacks, the legends of the game, are known for their come from behind wins, the ability to erase 58 minutes of football with a game winning drive at the end.

Colt McCoy demonstrated that he can do that Sunday afternoon.  That will only help him the next time the situation arises.

JD

After spending much of the last two seasons having a chance to win football games in the fourth quarter, only to see victories slip away, no one should complain about any win. 

The Browns did not play an artistic game, particularly on offense, but they made plays when they needed to, and ran their record to 2-1 on the season with a 17-16 triumph over the Miami Dolphins.

Pat Shurmur didn’t get good news when he arrived at the stadium, learning that Peyton Hillis was still too ill to play, and he was sent home.  If Hillis watched the contest, nothing he saw made him feel any better until the end.

The west coast offense sputtered and the running attack was ignored early.  Colt McCoy started out very inaccurate, hitting just 2 of 8 passes at one point, and his interception set up the only Miami touchdown. 

And with Hillis out and Josh Cribbs hampered by a groin injury, the head coach couldn’t get the special teams spark from Cribbs he normally does.  The Browns look lethargic.

The Dolphins were poised to score again until Jayme Mitchell forced a Reggie Bush fumble on the Browns’ 22.  Cleveland recovered to dodge one bullet.

On their next possession, Miami again moved into Browns’ territory, but Dan Carpenter missed a 51-yard field goal, and that was the wake up call Cleveland needed.

Making Hillis’ replacement, Montario Hardesty, a part of the offense for the first time (two runs and a pass), Cleveland struck pay dirt for the first time, with McCoy hitting Cribbs (who else) for a 33-yard TD pass off a designed rollout.

Miami kicked a field goal right before halftime on a drive that stalled inside the Cleveland 5 right before halftime to take a 10-7 advantage, but by then defensive coordinator Dick Jauron had started to dial the heat up on Dolphins’ QB Chad Henne.  The Browns finished the game with five sacks in total.  By contrast, McCoy was not sacked at all.

The Browns converted the first drive of the second half into a game tying field goal, and looked to have momentum when they pinned the Dolphins inside their own 5 on the next drive, but a questionable roughing the passer call on rookie Jabaal Sheard gave Miami new life.

McCoy was the benefit of the same call later in the game, and really both calls were ticky tack.  No wonder scoring is up in the NFL, the defensive players have to be playing in fear of hitting people.

Two Miami field goals, the last one coming with 3:23 left in the fourth quarter gave the visitors a 16-10 lead, and it didn’t look good for Cleveland, particularly the way the offense was playing.

Suddenly, the attack showed life.  Rookie WR Greg Little became a factor, catching three balls.  McCoy connected on a series of short passes to keep the chains moving, the biggest one converting a 4th and 4 with a swing pass to Hardesty can gained 10 yards.

Finally, McCoy hit Mohammad Massaquoi for a 14-yard TD pass over the out stretched arms of a Miami defender to give Cleveland their first lead, with Phil Dawson’s extra point, with :43 left.    Those were the only balls Little and Massaquoi caught all day. 

However, a celebration penalty after the score and a horse-collar tackle on the kickoff gave the South Beachers life.

But the defense did not allow any yards to be gained and when Mike Adams picked off Henne’s last pass, the victory was sealed.

McCoy ended up 19 for 39 for 210 yards, 2 TD’s and a pick, while Montario Hardesty gained 67 yards in 14 carries and caught three passes in replacing Hillis.  Ben Watson caught five of McCoy’s tosses for 84 yards.

Defensively, Ahtyba Rubin had eight tackles and 1-1/2 sacks, the same number as Mitchell.  Sheard put heat on Henne all day, and fellow rookie Phil Taylor was stout as well.

And, as usual, you can’t say enough about CB Joe Haden, who held WR Brandon Marshall, one of the league’s best, to just 4 catches for 43 yards.

WIth Tennessee coming to town next week, the Cleveland Browns have a chance to go 3-1 going into the bye week.  You couldn’t ask for anything better than that.

JD

Most of the good feeling that has surrounded the Cleveland Indians season in 2011 has been directed at the pitching staff. 

The hurlers have garnered a great deal of kudos for the Tribe being in contention for most of the season, and a possibility of a .500 record for the campaign.

However, no one should get carried away.

The Indians rank 9th in the American League in ERA, ahead of teams who are recognized as having shaky pitching:  Boston, Toronto, Kansas City, Minnesota, and Baltimore.

In reality, the good feeling generated for the guys on the mound should be directed at the relief crew, which ranks 3rd in the AL in ERA and 5th in the league in innings pitched. 

The starting pitching ranks both 10th in the junior circuit in ERA and innings pitched. 

Why would anyone think this team doesn’t need to improve the staff going into next season?  It would be crazy to stand pat during the off-season.

Especially with the elbow injury to Carlos Carrasco, who was in the rotation for most of the year.

Certainly, there have been some positives for the rotation in 2011.  Justin Masterson has shown that he is indeed a starting pitcher, and has had a good season with a 12-10 record and 3.15 ERA. 

That ERA is a little inflated from the past month when he may have been a little tired and/or left in some games a little longer than he should have.

Josh Tomlin showed he is a guy who can be counted on to keep his team in games on a regular basis.  He went at least five innings in all of his starts except his last, after which he reported an elbow problem that ended his season.  He wound up at 12-7 with a 4.25 ERA.

And picking up Ubaldo Jimenez gives Manny Acta one more starter he can count on. 

After his first few starts, which were marred by an inability to throw strikes, Jimenez has been solid for the most part over the last month. 

And he gives the Tribe a starter who can strike opposing hitters out, averaging a strikeout per inning.

That leaves the poster boy for inconsistency, Fausto Carmona, and a bunch of unproven youngsters as candidates for the rest of the rotation.

The other problem is that most of the Cleveland starters don’t work deep into games, which creates a strain on the bullpen.  Tribe pitchers had two complete games all year long.

Jimenez is prone to high pitch counts, which prohibits him from eating innings, and Acta seems hesitant to let Tomlin go more than six innings.

Another problem for Cleveland is the bullpen is usually the most volatile part of any major league team.  That doesn’t bode well for next year either.

The Indians have a closer in Chris Perez, who had 35 saves this season, and some good young set up men in Tony Sipp and Vinnie Pestano.  Pestano is a great swing and miss guy with 80 punchouts in 59 innings.

Still, look for a few changes in the ‘pen.  The organization will try to work southpaw Nick Hagadone into the mix for ’12, and either Zach Putnam or Josh Judy will likely be a part of next year’s roster.

The stats for the pitching staff aren’t as good as one might think this season. 

Therefore, GM Chris Antonetti has to be looking to add some help for the mound next season. 

Starting 2012 with the same names and faces isn’t going to lead this team into the playoffs.

KM

 

My favorite part of the Sunday Plain Dealer sport section is reading Terry Pluto’s column, usually encompassing a comment on each of Cleveland’s professional teams. 

Last week, he discussed the Indians and their approach to the off-season, mostly in how they will handle the upcoming team options on both Grady Sizemore and Fausto Carmona. 

Pluto figured the Tribe would pick up both options because their 2012 salaries would figure to be what each player would get on the open market. 

However, should GM Chris Antonetti be making that decision based on what other teams might pay?

If Cleveland raised their 2012 player payroll to $80 million, then exercising the options on Sizemore and Carmona, together with Travis Hafner’s salary, would cost the team almost $30 million.

Would it be prudent for a mid-market team like the Indians to commit over 1/3 of the payroll to three players who are question marks for next season?

It says here, no.

It is understandable that this is a tough decision to the Indians’ front office, as all three players have been in the organization for a long time. 

There probably isn’t anything the team can do with Hafner, whose market value isn’t good because he can’t play in the National League, and there aren’t many American League teams interested in a player who can’t play in the field at all.

If Antonetti wants to trade Pronk, the Indians would likely have to absorb a good part of his salary.  And Hafner really isn’t an offensive force anymore, as his slugging percentage has dipped below .450.  He’s not a middle of the order force anymore.

Sizemore looks totally out of sync at this point after three consecutive injury plagued years.  He’s no longer the elite leadoff man he was in his heyday (2005-08), and his strikeout rate in alarming. 

If someone wants to take a chance on Sizemore and pay him close to the $8.5 million he would get from Cleveland next season if his option is picked, good luck to them.  At 29 next season, it is doubtful he can get back to his prime form.

If Sizemore wants to take less cash next year and give the ballclub an extra couple of years, that might be doable.  However, he would have to understand he may need to move out of the leadoff spot and also centerfield.

As for Carmona, would it really be a good idea to pay $7 million for a starter as inconsistent as the former 19 game winner?

One thing needed from a starting pitcher is the ability to keep their teams in games.  That’s the appeal of Josh Tomlin.  You know, for the most part, you will have a chance to win any game he starts.

Since his 19-7 record in 2007, Carmona has put together one decent year (13-14, 3.77 ERA in 2010) in the last four.  That’s doesn’t merit that kind of money.

Now, Carmona’s option may be worth picking up if only to see what kind of interest there may be in a trade.  Some team may want to take a chance on his stuff, which can be tremendous, if you can live with poor performances.

If the Indians want to take the leap into being real contenders to get to the playoffs next season, they will have to do more to the roster than just tweak it.

They need to get a legitimate right-handed hitter and another dependable starting pitcher.  They will need money to get both players, probably in a trade with a team looking to trim payroll.

To base picking up options on struggling players based on market value doesn’t seem to be the smart move for a franchise on a fixed income.

MW

There were several times in the past few years when the Browns scored the same number of times as their opponents, but Cleveland put just three points on the board, while the other team scored touchdowns. 

We used to say the Browns brought field goals to a touchdown fight.  And if you do that, you will lose all the time.

Today, the shoe was on the other foot.  Pat Shurmur’s team scored touchdowns while the Indianapolis Colts scored field goals, and the Browns came away with a 27-19 win on the road to even their record at 1-1.

Imagine the panic that would have swept Cleveland had this one went the other way.

The easy reason for the win was that the Browns got into the red zone four times and scored two touchdowns, while Indianapolis got there three times and only reached the end zone once, because the statistics are virtually identical.

The Browns gained 303 total yards, the Colts 285.  Cleveland ran for 106 yards, Indianapolis 109.  The brown and orange gained just 21 more passing yards than the Colts. 

Cleveland had an edge in two departments:  Turnovers (2 to 1) and return yards (160 to 66).  The latter number was thanks to Josh Cribbs, who is silencing his critics from last year, when he played injured trying to help his team.

Someone might want to tell the Browns that the early games kickoff at 1 PM, because once again the team looked to be lethargic in the opening quarter.  Also, that same person may want to tell the team that they don’t have to wait for Cribbs to do something to get it going. 

It was a 52 yard kickoff return that sparked the offense and got the team started on a drive, which culminated in a 16 yard TD pass from McCoy to Evan Moore to give Cleveland a 7-6 lead.

The former Kent State QB also caught a key third down throw from Colt McCoy for 25 yards to help Shurmur’s crew take a 14-9 lead on Peyton Hillis’ one yard run. 

Cribbs also set up the Browns last touchdown, which gave Cleveland a 24-12 advantage late in the fourth quarter by returning a punt 43 yards to the Indianapolis 28.  Two plays later, Hillis’ 24 yard run sealed the game for Cleveland. 

When Josh Cribbs in healthy, he is indeed a difference maker.  And for good measure, he also recovered the onside kick after the Colts scored late to cut the Cleveland lead to 27-19. 

McCoy was a proficient passer today, the kind needed in the west coast attack, hitting on 22 of 32 passes for 211 yards and the touchdown toss to Moore.

Hillis touched the ball 31 times (27 carries, 4 receptions) accounting for 117 yards.  It was interesting that Montario Hardesty had just three carries in the game, none until the fourth quarter. 

Greg Little caught four passes for 38 yards, and Mohammed Massaquoi hauled in three for 45 yards.  Brian Robiskie was shut out for the second straight week, and will likely lose playing time to Little.

Defensively, D’Qwell Jackson was solid again, as were the two guys in front of him, DTs Ahtyba Rubin and rookie Phil Taylor.  Taylor looks like a player, folks, and Rubin had one of the two sacks on Kerry Collins.  Another rookie, Jabaal Sheard, had the other, forcing a fumble in the process. 

Usama Young had the defense’s other turnover, picking off Collins early in the fourth quarter.

One disturbing element for Cleveland was four fumbles, although only one was recovered by Indianapolis. Everybody who played in the Browns’ backfield lost the ball (McCoy, Hillis, Hardesty, and FB Owen Marecic).  That cannot happen on a weekly basis.

So, the Browns come home at 1-1, and will likely be favored next week against the Dolphins. 

As for the Colts, people who picked them to win figured one player (Peyton Manning) couldn’t make that much of a difference.  By the end of the year, they will see that somebody like Manning does.

JD

 

The Detroit Tigers have made the AL Central Division race a runaway, winning 12 games in a row, and 26 of their last 33 games. 

Even if the Indians had split the six games against the Motor City Kitties instead of losing all six, it still wouldn’t be a race. 

That means it is time to start looking at next season, once again, for the Indians’ front office. 

And they should not be taking the conservative route in terms of their off-season moves.

Really, they can’t do that anyway.  After making the deal for Ubaldo Jimenez at the July 31st trade deadline, the front office signaled they are in a win now mode. 

By making that deal, the organization has to follow-up by improving what has become a .500 team, and make it into a team that can get to the 90 win level in 2012.

First of all, that means increasing the budget for player salaries.  Because of the early success of this year’s team, attendance will be over a half million more than expected by management at the beginning of the season. 

Therefore, fans should be spared all of the rhetoric about the payroll being tied to the number of fans who enter Progressive Field. 

While we can all debate whether or not Jimenez is a number one starter, now that he is here and under Cleveland’s control through 2013, you have to build a team that can win while he is here.

Still, there are tough decisions for GM Chris Antonetti and president Mark Shapiro. 

They have to decide what to do with Grady Sizemore and his $8.5 million option for next season.  Sizemore produced in 2009, although not at the level he showed in the past, but the last two seasons have been washouts.

Injuries are the biggest cause for Sizemore’s problems, but when he has been healthy, he hasn’t done the job.  His swing has more holes than a screen door, and there doesn’t seem to be any change in his approach.

The centerfielder’s batting average is down to .223 and he has struck out a whopping 82 times in 276 plate appearances.  When he makes contact, he can drive the ball, as evidenced by his 32 extra base hits, which still ranks 4th on the team.

However, another thing to look at is that Sizemore hits left-handed and the Tribe figures to start two other outfielders that bat the same way in Michael Brantley and Shin-Soo Choo.

There is no question that this team needs someone who can provide some pop from the right side, and having available the cash from turning down Sizemore’s option would help in that regard.

The Indians also need to get another solid starting pitcher, because even including Josh Tomlin, the Tribe only has three reliable starters, and that includes Jimenez.

There are plenty of options available, but none can be considered proven commodities.  Fausto Carmona simply can no longer be counted on every fifth day.

Since Shapiro took over for John Hart, he has stressed a pitching rich approach, and when you think about it, Cleveland has produced two Cy Young Award winners in his tenure.

Still, you have to score runs to get to the playoffs, and the Indians need to do better in that area.  This is where the team needs to spend money.

Want proof?  Oakland, Seattle, Chicago, and Los Angeles all are among the teams with staff ERA’s under 4.00, and only the Angels have a chance at the post-season.

Trading for Ubaldo Jimenez is setting the tone for the next two seasons.  Ownership cannot make that trade and spend the winter not doing what is needed to win the division in 2012.

KM

It’s amazing that Cleveland Browns’ fans, who spent much of the last two seasons complaining about Eric Mangini, now are complaining about his successor, Pat Shurmur.

The complaints came after the Browns’ 27-17 loss to Cincinnati in their opener, when the team was heavily penalized in the first quarter, and allowed a go ahead touchdown when the defense fell asleep on a quick snap by the Bengals.

There is no question that Shurmur is probably not happy about these events, but seriously, one week?

Plus, other fans want the team to go back to Mangini’s offense, feeling that the new coach passed too much in the opener.  They wanted Peyton Hillis and Montarion Hardesty to get more carries.

Let’s remember a few things.  First, it was Shurmur’s first game as an NFL head coach.  Yes, he made some mistakes, but let’s give him the benefit of the doubt, and assume he will correct those errors.

Second, this is a new offense, and surely, the coaching staff spent much of the off-season and training camp putting in a professional passing attack, something not seen in Cleveland for many years.

So, it’s natural to want to play with your new toy. 

Shurmur probably called too many pass plays and ignored the run a bit, but once again, let’s see what he does this week against an Indianapolis team, which struggled stopping the ground game this past week, adding to its history of coming up short in this area.

If the Browns don’t try to run the ball early and often against the Colts, then these people would have a valid criticism.

Remember that this is the first regular season game Pat Shurmur has been the head coach.  Why would you expect him to be on the same footing as coaches like Mike Tomlin, Marvin Lewis, and Andy Reid.

To be sure, all of those guys made mistakes early in their coaching careers, we just didn’t see them because they were in other cities. 

Look at perhaps the man considered the best coach in the NFL right now, Bill Belichick.  Do you think he made mistakes in his first go round as head coach?

Of course he did. 

He made errors in handling players, clock management, and in-game strategy.  He has publicly acknowledged learning greatly from his time in Cleveland as the coach of the Browns.

Belichick was too stubborn at the time to listen to people, so his growing pains took too long.

By contrast, you can be sure that Shurmur is meeting almost daily with team president Mike Holmgren, a Super Bowl winning coach, and The Big Show is going over any mistakes made by the rookie head coach, and giving him advice on what he should be doing.

If we are still seeing these mistakes and lapses of judgment in November and December, then people can start wondering about whether or not Pat Shurmur can be a good NFL head coach.

It is understandable that Browns’ supporters are impatient, with just one playoff appearance in the last 12 seasons.  However, you can’t run a guy out on a rail after just one game.

Did these people know everything there is to know about their jobs the first day they did it?  Of course not.

Give Shurmur some room to grow.  The fact that he didn’t name his starting quarterback right before kickoff should show he has potential to get better.

JD