Haslam Needs To Give Pettine Okay To Play Young Guys

Even though the Cleveland Browns last three games could have went either way, all three went to overtime, it seems the media seems hell-bent to continue with the dysfunctional scenario.

At the beginning of the season, no one would have figured the games against San Diego on the road, and Denver, with future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning would be winnable contests, but they very much were, and the brown and orange lost on the last play of the game.

Coach Mike Pettine seems to be frustrated by the losses in two of the games, and he is showing that in his dealings with the media.

He is getting testy about the performance of the defense, his supposed field of expertise, as that unit has been the reason the Browns are 2-4 to date instead of having that record reversed.

Our guess is that Pettine and probably GM Ray Farmer are both concerned with job security, based on the past during Jimmy Haslam’s ownership.

The owner has already started at the start of training camp that he has no plans to make changes to either position, but that was when optimism was high, as it always is, so Haslam’s words can be discounted a bit.

Pettine and Farmer privately have to wonder, despite the reassurance, what would happen if the Browns finished up at 2-14 or 3-13, records the pessimistic fans and media alike predicted.

That has to wear on both men.

This is where Haslam has to take the leadership reins. He needs to tell both the coach and GM that they will be back next year to allow them to make some decisions with next season in mind.

Pettine seems to favor veterans, and that isn’t a trait coaches of losing teams should have. However, does that have to do with the insecurity he may feel in his position, which converts into a need to win now?

On the other hand, his best chance to win may be to play the younger guys.

Out of the over 30 that have been brought in over the past two years, really only Karlos Dansby and Tramon Williams have performed to standards.

It is time to see what Justin Gilbert can do. Against San Diego, Pettine and defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil went with special teams standout Johnson Bademosi at corner instead of Gilbert. Why? Probably because the coach didn’t want to lose the game because of a mistake made by the rookie.

On the other hand, Barkevious Mingo should be on the field more, because he is showing that he is an athletic freak. He broke up a pass a week ago, and soared to pick off Peyton Manning on Sunday.

The coaching staff should be encouraged to find a spot on the field for him. Maybe the reason he is being classified as a “bust” is because he’s not getting an opportunity.

Danny Shelton’s playing time was cut, Nate Orchard gets more time. There doesn’t seem to be a rhyme or reason as to which younger players get time or not.

If the Cleveland Browns want to develop a winning system, it starts with playing younger guys together so they can develop chemistry, a unit so to speak.

To do that, the coaching staff needs to know it is in for the long haul.

That’s up to Mr. Haslam.

Errors By McCown, Pettine, Run Defense Kills Browns

If the Cleveland Browns pulled a victory out of their collective rear ends last week on the road against Baltimore, today was probably the gods of fate evening things out, as Cleveland dropped to 2-4 on the season with an overtime loss to the Denver Broncos 26-23.

Denver out gained Cleveland 442 to 298, so it would appear the Broncos dominated the game, but it was several mistakes by Mike Pettine’s team, including one by Pettine himself, that cost the Browns the contest.

Josh McCown was the reigning AFC offensive player of the week, but he made two colossal errors to aid Denver’s cause.

The first was a pick six by Aquib Talib on the second play of the second quarter. McCown was looking for Travis Benjamin on a short pass to the sideline and apparently never saw the Denver cornerback, who stepped in front of Benjamin and went 63 yards for a score to make it 10-0 Broncos.

The second was with the game tied at 23-23 with a minute to go in regulation with the ball in Denver territory. McCown was trying to throw the ball away, we guess, and instead was picked off by David Bruton on the 31 yard line.

Instead of having a chance to win, Cleveland had to sweat out a final drive by Peyton Manning.

The coach’s mistake was chasing points.

After Karlos Dansby picked off Manning and returned the ball 35 yards for a TD to give the home team a 20-16 lead, Pettine decided to go for two.

We are sure there is some idiotic chart that says to do that, but there was really no point there. If the Browns converted, they would have a 22-16 lead, one that still would have been erased by a Denver touchdown.

And to the people saying they would have went for two after a TD, why would they? It would have been 23-21 with a kick and a field goal would have still tied the game.

And those people are assuming the Broncos would have made it, which the Browns didn’t. That point haunts the Browns in a game that went to overtime.

Last, but not least, the horrific run defense came back to rear its ugly head. Jim O’Neil’s unit gave up 152 yards on the ground again, including 34 on the game winning drive in OT.

Ronnie Hillman wound up with 111 yards on 20 carries, his second effort of that type this season, but in that one (vs. Minnesota) he had a 72-yard run.

The defense also continued its annoying practice of not being able to protect a lead.

After Dansby’s pick gave Cleveland a ~~five~~, four point lead, it took the Broncos just one, that’s right just one play to take the lead back after a 75-yard strike from Manning to Demaryius Thomas.

You cannot be a winning football team if you cannot hold leads.

What is particularly troubling is that this is Pettine’s supposed area of expertise. Here’s hoping Pettine isn’t becoming like his mentor, Rex Ryan, who seems more and more to be good at talking, but not so good at results.

Other thoughts…

Barkevious Mingo had an interception in overtime which gave the Browns a short field they couldn’t capitalize on. Last week, he batted a pass away near the goal line.

The guy may not be worth the sixth overall pick, but he is an athletic freak, and we would like to know why the coaching staff can’t find a way to use him.

Travis Benjamin continues to impress, grabbing 9 passes for 117 yards. Maybe the Browns have a #1 wide out on their roster after all.

The three running back (Isaiah Crowell, Duke Johnson, and Robert Turbin) combined for 99 yards on 30 carries, a solid day on the ground. Hopefully, that’s an area of the team that will continue to improve.

Now it’s on to St. Louis for a date next Sunday with the Rams.

The Cleveland Browns can’t make many mistakes if they want to win football games. They made too many today to get it done.

Proof That Poor Defense Vs. Run Means No Success

Following the Browns’ 33-30 victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, we discussed again the team’s lack of success in stopping the ground game.

We have always believed that if you can’t run the ball and cannot stop the run, you will not be a successful NFL team.

Checking out the last three complete NFL seasons, here is what we found.

For 2014, the five best teams in stopping the run (with their record in parenthesis) are as follows–

Detroit (11-5)
Denver (12-4)
Seattle (12-4)
Baltimore (10-6)
New York Jets (4-12)

Four of the five teams won more than ten games, a mark of big time success in pro football. Here are the worst teams in stopping the run last season:

Cleveland (7-9)
Tennessee (2-14)
New York Giants (6-10)
New Orleans (7-9)
Kansas City (9-7)

Outside of the Chiefs, those teams did not have a winning record.

It’s not much different in 2013.

BEST VS. RUN
Arizona (10-6)
Carolina (12-4)
New York Jets (8-8)
San Francisco (12-4)
Cincinnati (11-5)

WORST VS. RUN
Chicago (8-8)
Atlanta (4-12)
New England (12-4)
Jacksonville (4-12)
Buffalo (6-10)

Apparently, unless you have Tom Brady as your quarterback, you aren’t making the playoffs if you can’t stop the opponent from running the ball.

It’s more of the same in 2012. The worst teams in stopping the ground game were New Orleans (7-9), Buffalo (6-10), Jacksonville (2-14), Indianapolis (11-5), and Arizona (5-11).

Again, if you have Andrew Luck behind center, you can overcome not being able to defend the run.

The best teams at stopping the run in ’12 were Tampa Bay (7-9), Pittsburgh (8-8), Denver (13-3), San Francisco (11-4-1), and Washington (10-6).

Maybe Robert Griffin III wasn’t solely responsible for the Redskins success that year.

So, what conclusions can be made?

In the last three seasons, only two of the 15 teams who were the worst defensively against the run had any success and both of them have great quarterbacks that allowed them to overcome it.

On the other hand, 11 of the 15 teams who were able to stop the run won 10 games or more.

That’s a pretty strong indictment that you cannot be weak in stopping the run and still be a successful team in the NFL.

Apparently, the Browns’ coaching staff and front office do not look at those numbers because as you can see, they were worst in the NFL in this category a year ago, and five games into this season, they have not improved.

We found it funny yesterday that when Scott Solomon was put on the injured reserve list yesterday, Cleveland replaced him with a defensive back.

We know Joe Haden will miss the game against Denver on Sunday, so there is a need there (insert your Justin Gilbert comment here), but it is equally clear the Browns need help against the run.

Mike Pettine seems to feel that since the NFL is a passing league these days, it is of utmost importance to defend it. He’s right, but you can’t ignore the running game.

Right now, the Browns would be better off with the old “rubberband” defenses they had in the late 60’s and early 70’s.

At least then, they wouldn’t be getting gashed for big gains consistently. Right now, they are giving up about four plays of 20+ yards on a weekly basis.

The Browns need to address this weakness, and need to do it right now. They may have to make some concessions in pass defense to do it, but the numbers show, not stopping the run means you will likely have a losing record.

Which One Of Tribe Starters Should Be Dealt?

The Cleveland Indians could use an impact hitter in their lineup.

They finished the season ranking 11th in the American League in runs scored, and they tallied two runs or less in 58 games, more than 1/3 of their schedule, and had an 11-47 record in those contests.

This means when the Tribe can put three runs on the board, they have a 70-33 record, a blistering .680 winning percentage.

Cleveland had the second best ERA in the AL, so the presumption by many is Chris Antonetti and new GM Mike Chernoff will try to get a legitimate hitter by dangling one of the team’s starting pitching, a deal made from strength.

Yes, we know the old adage about not ever having enough pitching, but with Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Danny Salazar, Trevor Bauer, Cody Anderson, Josh Tomlin, and some youngsters close to the big leagues (Mike Clevenger, Adam Plutko, Ryan Merritt), it may be a deal that can be made from strength.

To be sure, the best case scenario would not be to touch one of the top four starters (and we are including Bauer in that group for the sake of argument) in order to get a solid hitter, but it is doubtful another team will give you the kind of hitter you are looking for in exchange for Anderson, Tomlin, or one of the rookies.

Naturally, the hurler most fans would like to see moved is the one who had the worst performance in 2015, and that would be Bauer, who finished at 11-12 with a 4.55 ERA, and struggled in the second half of the season.

This is where the player development people earn their money.

First, because Bauer’s first half was better than his post All Star Game numbers, his market value isn’t as high as let’s say Carrasco and/or Salazar. So, what the Tribe brass has to determine is can the soon to be 25-year-old right-hander pitch a full season as effectively as the first half of this season.

They also have to determine if this is the best Carrasco or Salazar will ever be.

Carrasco will be 29 next year and showed signs this season of being a #1 starter, or at least #1A because of the presence of Kluber. A couple of near no-hitters will be held up as proof. His fielding independent pitching (FIP) is even lower than Kluber’s at 2.84.

Salazar’s figure is 3.62 compared to his real ERA of 3.45, meaning he didn’t pitch as well as his record would indicate. Plus, over the last two months of the season, his strikeout numbers were down as was his velocity.

His struck out only 23 batters in 33-2/3 innings after September 1st, the only month of the season where he did not strikeout as many hitters as innings pitched.

His ERA in September/October was 4.28 too.

The other thing about Salazar in our opinion is that it is tough for him to limit damage. He seems to have trouble getting out of trouble if the first couple batters reach base.

Of course, other teams know the same thing.

If we were Antonetti and Chernoff, we would be more willing to move Salazar to get a bat than any of the other top four starters. If someone wanted to give you a solid hitter for Anderson or Tomlin, that would be the preference, but that’s probably not going to happen.

Let’s see if the front office has the same opinion.

Browns Offense Overcomes More Defensive Struggles

In a battle of teams basically playing for relevance to their seasons, the Cleveland Browns prevailed, beating the Baltimore Ravens in overtime, 33-30 to raise their record to 2-3 on the year.

Although the subject of sports talkers regarding the Browns this year (and really, the last umpteen years) has revolved around the lack of a franchise quarterback and a big time wide receiver, the Cleveland offense continues to click, scoring 108 points over the last four games, an average of 27 per contest.

That will win you a lot of games in the NFL, but unfortunately, and not to be a “Debbie Downer” after a victory, the Cleveland defense needs to get better, because it almost cost the team a win once again.

Josh McCown may be a journeyman QB, and he may have piloted some bad football teams during his career, but he guided Cleveland to 505 total yards today, and the aforementioned 33 points.

He completed 36 passes in 51 attempts for 457 yards, two touchdowns, and a two point conversion with gave Mike Pettine’s team a three point lead with a little over three minutes to go.

The running game struggled, but gained tough yardage down the stretch, with Isaiah Crowell and Duke Johnson getting enough yards to put the offense in very makeable third down situations.

And TE Gary Barnidge continues to be a huge factor, grabbing eight passes for 139 yards and another spectacular catch for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

Johnson and Crowell were big factors in the passing game too, with the latter putting Cleveland ahead 30-27 with a 22-yard catch and run with three minutes left.

However, the defense struggled once again, and almost cost the team a victory.

Pettine can stand at the podium and tell everyone that unit is not a problem, but all he is doing is looking like a man who’s head is firmly entrenched in the sand.

The Ravens ran for 181 more yards against a unit that already ranked 2nd last in the NFL. And the Cleveland defense allowed four more plays of more than 20 yards, including a 32-yard gain on a short pass to Justin Forsett with around a minute and a half to go, which set the Ravens up for a possible go ahead touchdown.

Fortunately, the defense stiffened, and Baltimore could only tie the game and force overtime.

Let’s repeat this again, with the caps intentional…YOU CANNOT WIN IN THE NFL WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO RUN THE BALL AND HAVE THE ABILITY TO STOP THE RUN!!!

Until Pettine and his staff put a priority on stopping the opposition’s ground game, the Browns will not be a good football team. Period.

Other thoughts from today…

The officiating is ruining the NFL product. There were 21 penalties accepted today, with the worst one almost costing the Browns in the 4th quarter. The unnecessary roughness call on K’Waun Williams was simply horrible. He made a football play.

Another weakness of the Browns’ defense is they aren’t forcing turnovers. None today, none last week, and one recovered fumble vs. Oakland.

Travis Coons looks like the next Phil Dawson. The rookie made four field goals today including the game winner. He hasn’t missed at all this season (knock on wood).

The safeties led the Browns in tackles today (Jordan Poyer and Donte Whitner). Where are the linebackers in the run game? Nate Orchard and Tank Carder had four stops each. Maybe more playing time for both of them?

Next on the slate is Denver at First Energy Stadium next week. Peyton Manning is one of the most prolific passers in NFL history, but the Broncos would be crazy to not run the ball next Sunday.

Maybe as crazy as Pettine if he doesn’t realize the defense needs some changes.

Pettine Not Winning PR War.

Mike Pettine has always had a good relationship with the fans of the Cleveland Browns. He has a tough, no-nonsense persona that is important for a football coach, particularly in this region.

It helps that the Browns got off to a good start last year in his first year at the helm, and even though the team slumped at the end of the season, Pettine’s team showed a three win improvement from the prior year, and Cleveland managed to avoid losing ten games for the first time since 2007.

This season’s bad start, not only by record (1-3 meaning the Browns have lost 8 of their last 9 contests), but also the way the team has looked, have fans questioning the head coach for the first time in his tenure.

That may not be fair just 20 games into his time as a head coach, but Pettine has a defensive background during his career in the NFL, and that is the unit that is currently faltering as the season has played so far.

In his press conference on Monday, Pettine didn’t help himself in gaining the fans confidence when he told them that no changes were coming on the defensive side of the ball, and the Browns just needed to play better.

While that may be true, and the film study showed that the schemes and play calls when San Diego had the ball were good and it was one player, albeit a different one each play, who was in the wrong position and caused the huge chunks of yardage being picked up by the Chargers, it still was the wrong thing to say.

What the head coach should have said was something like this:

“We are not satisfied by our performance yesterday, and the coaches and I will study the game film carefully and I promise we will fix what went wrong. We will do everything in our power to get this defense up to the level it needs to be to win football games in the National Football League”.

Is that so difficult?

Pettine might be too honest for his own good, and what is particularly confusing here is that he has been pretty good at saying the right thing at the right time since he became the head coach a year and a half ago.

Part of his job is public relations, whether he likes it or not. It’s his job to communicate to the fans through the media, and he should realize that nobody, particularly the coaching staff should be satisfied with what was transpired over the season’s first four games.

And we are sure he knows that. That’s why his comments were confusing.

He’s probably into protection mode with his defensive coordinator, Jim O’Neil, who has been with him since they were assistants together with the Jets.

He doesn’t want to throw his buddy under the bus, but he could say that O’Neil is a quality coordinator and defensive coach, and he is confident in his ability to correct the problems the defense has had.

That’s what was needed, but instead we heard stubbornness, the mortal enemy of unsuccessful head coaches.

If something is broken, it needs to be fixed.

Mike Pettine knows that, we are confident that he does. Why he chose to communicate poorly in this situation is a bit of a mystery.

Here’s Hoping For A Change in Attitude For Tribe

Now that the 2015 season has ended, the change at the top is official for the Cleveland Indians.

Team president Mark Shapiro is gone, and there will be a new top baseball man at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario.

Rumors have circulated that GM Chris Antonetti may be elevated to President of Baseball Operations, with current assistant GM Mike Chernoff being moved up into Antonetti’s old spot.

We hope this signals more changes in the wigwam, as Antonetti will be free to implement has own vision of a baseball team, which may or may not be the same as the man who went north to Toronto.

We would like to see a change in attitude within the organization, one that could get the city excited about the Tribe once again.

Shapiro talked a lot, even in his appearance in the broadcast booths on Sunday, about the market inequities within the game of baseball, and making sure everyone knew the Indians didn’t have the same revenues as big market teams.

Why not change the culture from that “woe is us” message?

Instead, embrace the small market challenge. Adopt an attitude of not caring if we can’t afford a huge payroll, we are going to beat the big boys anyway.

The Tribe in recent years seem to want to be everyone’s favorite little brother, not wanting to challenge other teams, the umpires, or players who seem to beat them time and time again (see Cabrera, Miguel).

This attitude should permeate from the front office, to the manager and coaches, right down to the players.

Danny Salazar shouldn’t be scolded by Terry Francona for being upset that the plate umpire squeezed him against Minnesota a couple of weeks ago, instead, why not go out there and tell the man in blue that this was a post-season race and he missed a call badly.

Do you know who holds the major league record for ejections in a managerial career? Atlanta’s Bobby Cox who was constantly battling for his players.

This isn’t to say Francona doesn’t. He is a great player’s manager, and the 2015 Tribe fought to the bitter end for him.

Other things we’d like to see…

**How about trying Jose Ramirez in CF? Abraham Almonte looks like a 4th outfielder, and he could be a solid one, but Ramirez has the look of a guy who can play everyday, and is blocked by Jason Kipnis at 2B.

The switch-hitter just turned 23, puts his bat on the ball, and has the speed needed to play in the middle of the diamond. Putting him there would eliminate one hole for Antonetti this winter.

**It is doubtful that the Indians will be able to trade for a middle of the order bat, but what about Michael Brantley there? Brantley is a professional hitter, and if healthy next year, should hit for more power.

If Ramirez plays everyday, a top of the order including Francisco Lindor, Ramirez, and Jason Kipnis will provide plenty of men on base for Brantley, very good with men in scoring position, to drive home and be the first Indians since Victor Martinez in 2007 to have 100 RBIs.

Jason Kipnis put the pressure on the front office after Sunday’s game by saying the pieces to win are in place. Now, it’s up to the remodeled front office to be aggressive and finish the job.

With the pitching in this organization, there is no reason not to win in 2016.

Browns’ Defense Needs Fixing…And Now Would Be Good

Probably the most disheartening defeat the Cleveland Browns had since their return to the NFL in 1999 was the Dwayne Rudd helmet game, when he was penalized for taking his helmet off on what would have been the last play of the game, and instead the Kansas City Chiefs were able to kick a game-winning field goal.

Mr. Rudd is now off the hook.

Today, Tramon Williams, a nine-year NFL veteran, jumped offside as San Diego kicker Josh Lambo missed a 39-yard field goal, which would have sent the game into overtime.

Instead, Lambo made a 34-yarder and the Browns dropped to 1-3 after a 30-27 loss to the Chargers.

Play like a Brown, indeed.

And while we are sure the sports talk in Cleveland will continue the “who should start at quarterback” debate that rages annually in this town, the real question should be “why does this defense stink?”

The Chargers came into this game with a battered offensive line, and had wide receivers leaving the game, and yet, Mike Pettine and defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil’s defense couldn’t slow, let alone stop, the San Diego offense.

Philip Rivers led the Lightning Bolt attack to 438 total yards, and only sacked Rivers twice, while allowing big play after big play, particularly in the second half.

The Cleveland defense allowed five plays of over 20 yards, three of them in the second half, and two of those immediately after the Browns scored, one to take the lead, and the other to close within one point.

Right now, the defense is akin to having a bad bullpen in baseball. You fight to score and take a lead or to get close, and the defense gives up a huge play to give it away.

Pettine came into the game saying San Diego RB Danny Woodhead was a match up nightmare, but apparently he didn’t do anything about that, as Woodhead took a short pass over the middle and ran 61 yards to the CLE 19 after the Browns took a 16-13 lead.

Then, he ran for 19 yards on the last drive to put the Chargers into field goal range, which after Williams’ gaffe, they converted to win the game.

Pettine needs to get this fixed now. And we don’t want to hear excuses (from fans, Pettine won’t make them) that Joe Haden was hurt, and Tashaun Gipson was nicked up too.

The front office and coaching staff has spent many high draft choices and money on free agency on the defense, and to continue to get this kind of result is a disgrace.

It is time to either change personnel and/or scheme, because it isn’t working for Pettine and O’Neil.

It is ironic that one of the sack the Browns had today was from a rookie, DE Xavier Cooper. Maybe more youngsters should be on the field.

Donte Whitner had seven tackles to lead the team, but how many do you remember as being a big play?

The offense gained 432 yards, controlled the ball for 34 minutes, and put 27 points on the board, so you cannot blame them, no matter how many big play guys they are supposed to be lacking.

A couple other thoughts…

People have been asking about using last year’s first round pick, Justin Gilbert, on kick returns, something he excelled at in college. He returned three kickoffs for an average of 36.7 yards per return. Why wasn’t he used there sooner?

Cleveland threw on the first three plays of the game, and 10 of the first 16 plays. Again, running the ball is a mindset, and the Browns seem confused as to how they should play with the ball. Maybe Pettine can communicate this to offensive coordinator John DiFillippo.

The receiving corps is productive without any contribution from Dwayne Bowe. Cut him, and bring in a player who can impact the performance within a game.

Now it’s on to Baltimore with the Ravens coming off a win that salvaged their season, at least for now.

If the coaching staff cannot fix the defense, the Browns season may be beyond that point.

The Tristan Dilemma

Training camp started for the Cleveland Cavaliers this week, and while they are a welcome respite from the mediocrity of the Browns or Indians, there is still an issue hanging over the team.

Tristan Thompson isn’t in camp yet and is still seeking a maximum contract, an estimated $94 million over six years. Reportedly, the Cavaliers have countered with $80 million over five seasons.

The problem is that although Thompson is a very good player, providing he is on a very good team, which the Cavaliers are, he isn’t a starter, and would another team pay him that kind of cash.

Remember, before LeBron James returned to the Cavs, Thompson was looked at as a disappointment because his offensive game is basically non-existent.

In 2013-14, Thompson averaged 11.7 points and 9.2 rebounds per night playing in all 82 games, which is a regular occurrence for the former 4th overall pick.

However, if you are counting on him to be a big contributor on the offensive end, forget it. Thompson can score by grabbing offensive rebounds and putting the ball in the basket or by getting a layup or dunk off another player’s penetration.

He can’t create his own shot, and even if he could, you don’t want him taking it.

You see Thompson has made just 36.7% of his shots from more than three feet away in his career. Yes, you read that right, THREE FEET AWAY.

The people who think the Cavs should pay Thompson have usually two agendas. The first is the worry that it would upset LeBron James, and those people have the constant worry than James will leave for free agency again if he isn’t coddled all the time.

The second concern is that this team is poised to win a championship and therefore, any distractions would be counterproductive, so it would be prudent to just give Thompson the cash.

We would counter that by saying that originally James said he would not sign until everyone else came back, but he didn’t wait until Tristan inked his deal. This may mean that although LBJ sides with his fellow players at least publicly, behind the scenes, he thinks Thompson isn’t reasonable with his demand.

The distraction point is kind of insulting to James’ leadership. He is simply not going to let something like this get in the way of a run toward a title.

Is Thompson worth a maximum deal? Of course not. And the Cavs have to look at the fact that if they pay Thompson the money he is looking for, he will be making roughly the same amount of money as Kyrie Irving, a two-time All Star.

And they have to pay Timofey Mozgov next year too, and he is probably more important to the wine and gold because he’s a rim protector (Thompson averages less than a block per game) and a better offensive player.

Thompson is taking a risk if he signs a qualifying offer, not only because he would leave something like $73 million on the table, but also because there are only a limited amount of teams where his style of play makes a difference.

Can you imagine, let’s say Brooklyn giving him a max deal? They will expect something like 16 points and 12 rebounds per night. Thompson isn’t capable of those numbers, so he will get a lot of grief from a new fan base when he plays like Tristan Thompson.

A compromise is needed and we believe it will occur with Thompson getting less than maximum dollars, but getting the long-term deal because he is important to this franchise.

And then he can go out and be appreciated like he should being the player he is for a championship contending team.

Tribe Starters Fine, But Bullpen Needs Overhaul in ’16

A week ago, we talked about how the past few weeks for the Cleveland Indians should eliminate any notion in the front office’s collective minds that minor tinkering is all the Tribe needs heading into next season.

The offense ranks in the bottom third of the American League and there is no question that should be the primary area of concern this winter.

On the other hand, the pitching staff currently ranks 2nd in the AL in staff ERA, and ranks in the top three in the league in most of the major categories (hits allowed, strikeouts, least walks) and leads the AL in complete games.

The preference would be the leave the pitching staff alone, particularly the starters, because if you are statistically one of the best staffs in your league, why would you make any moves.

However, pitching staffs can be volatile from year to year, and in order to get the bat the Indians so desperately needs, you may have to give up a starting pitcher.

And the Tribe, despite the adage that when you think you have too much pitching, you go out and get more, has some depth in the rotation.

Without question, the big four of Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Danny Salazar, and Trevor Bauer, are pretty durable, and in spite of Bauer’s inconsistent second half, are pretty darn good.

You also have Cody Anderson and Josh Tomlin, both of whom were great after they got healthy after the All Star Game.

Add in T.J. House, who was solid last year, but injured for most of this year, and prospects Mike Clevenger (acquired from the Angels a year ago for Vinnie Pestano) and Adam Plutko, and you can see there is hope for the future.

And perhaps Gavin Floyd will be back as well.

If you have to trade one of the starters, which one should go?

Bauer would be a popular choice, but he’s also the youngest of the quartet, and based on his second half, probably has the least market value.

Kluber would bring the most in return, but he figures to have a bounce back season in 2016 and we would still say in an elite starter.

We would dangle Salazar because we think he is the most mentally fragile. He may improve this with experience, but he doesn’t seem to battle his way out of trouble when things start to go bad.

The bullpen should be rebuilt because outside of closer Cody Allen, the relief corps was inconsistent down the stretch. Zack McAllister has a dominant fastball, but needs to be able to throw a breaking pitch for a strike.

Bryan Shaw seems to be suffering from the huge workload he has had over the past two years, and would seem to have decent trade value.

The rest of the ‘pen is filled with guys that Terry Francona doesn’t have a great deal of faith in, although we would keep Kyle Crockett because he’s demonstrated in the past that he can be effective vs. left-handed hitters.

There are some options in the minor leagues too that haven’t received a decent shot at the major league level. Shawn Armstrong deserves a shot, and the club could take a good look at Jeff Johnson and Josh Martin as well, and there be plenty of veterans available as well in free agency.

The pitching staff is the strength of this team. Unfortunately, the offense wasted a great job by the staff in 2015.