Pat Shurmur has taken a lot of criticism for a guy coaching a team without high expectations coming into the season. 

Nobody expected the Cleveland Browns to make the playoffs this season, and most people figured the brown and orange would wind up around 7-9 or 8-8.

That they are 2-2 right now would seem to bode well for the first year head coach.

Unfortunately, one new coach has taken the NFL by storm this season.  Jim Harbaugh is in his rookie year as a pro head coach and the San Francisco 49ers are off to a 4-1 start.

So, Shurmur is held to that standard by many fans.

On Shurmur’s behalf, let us point out that the team he was the offensive coordinator for last season, the St. Louis Rams, are now 0-4, and Sam Bradford, his prize pupil at QB with the Rams, is playing horribly.

Let’s give the new head coach some slack, after all, he’s had the job for all of four games, and it’s not as though his team has lost every game.

As others have speculated, the bye week came at a good time for a young team with a new head coach, because hopefully he will take a good, hard look at the first four games and determine what worked and what didn’t.

Even though Shurmur and team president Mike Holmgren are advocates of the west coast offense, the talent currently on the team isn’t suited to a total commitment to the attack.

The strength of the team still is a power running game, and that should be the basis for what the Browns are trying to do offensively. 

The game plan should be to get Peyton Hillis and Montario Hardesty the football 25-30 times per game. 

Everyone knows Colt McCoy threw over 60 times in the defeat to Tennessee, but he threw 40 times in the opener against Cincinnati too.

In Cleveland’s best performance of the year, the road victory versus the Colts, McCoy passed less than 30 times.

In his press conferences this week, Shurmur has indicated that he is making adjustments based on the first four games, and mostly that means getting the ball into his playmakers’ hands.

He has publicly stated that rookie Greg Little will start at wide receiver, and the passing game will look to utilize TE Evan Moore too.

Shurmur has also stated the need to get Hillis more involved in the running game.

It’s quite possible that the coach had some ideas about his team in training camp, and after trying some things in games, he now knows who can produce, and who cannot.

Let’s just say that it’s a departure from the previous head coach in that he’s not being stubborn.  Shurmur appears to be ready to adjust.

Of course, no one will know for sure if these changes will be made until this Sunday’s game against the Raiders. 

The coach could get carried away due to an early occurence in the contest, and go back to the same game plan used in the first four games.

Keep in mind that Pat Shurmur is still learning on the job.  He may not be “getting it” as quickly as we, as fans, like, but the willingness to make changes is a good quality to have as a coach.

One thing is for sure.  Shurmur should have learned not to lose by 18 points prior to the bye week.

JD

The baseball post-season is now in round two, and soon the World Series will be here and gone.  That means the only season a Cleveland Indians fan cares about will be here, the hot stove season.

After making a big leap in wins (69 to 80 in one year is a pretty significant jump), the Tribe front office now has pressure to get the Indians into the playoffs next season. 

To do that, they have to be active in terms of player acquisition this winter.

On the offensive end, much of the focus will be on getting an outfielder and/or first baseman, and it would help if that player batted right-handed.

However, if they don’t find a good trade fit, they may have to look from within to fill some holes.

Unfortunately, there isn’t much help on the farm.  Cleveland had two prospects in Baseball America’s top 20 list in the International League, but both are already with the big club:  Jason Kipnis (#7) and Lonnie Chisenhall (#10). 

You have to go all the way to short-season Mahoning Valley ( INF Tony Wolters (#7) and C/1B Jake Lowery (#17)) to find another Cleveland farm hand in a minor league’s top 20 list. 

That means there is much help coming from the AA and A levels of the organization.

And that means, there isn’t much that other organizations will want either.

One place Cleveland has some depth in the system is at second base, where Kipnis is probably the incumbent on the big league team, with Cord Phelps, LuisValbuena, and Jason Donald, all being young players who can play the spot.

Phelps is considered the best prospect, despite his struggles in the majors because of his minor league track record (.288 batting average, 810 OPS in almost 1700 at bats).

He’s also a switch hitter.

It has been reported that the team is going to work with Donald in the outfield to make him a super-utility player.

This is weird because Kipnis played OF in college.  Why not move him back to LF, and use Phelps or a combination of Phelps and Donald at the keystone?

Because the Indians are convinced Kipnis has more value as a 2B.  Still, aren’t the Tribe in the business of winning games, not creating value for its players?

If Kipnis becomes a player who can hit .300 with 15-20 HR’s, wouldn’t that play nicely as a corner outfielder?  Particularly if you have a shortstop who can hit 20 homers.

Especially if Phelps can hit the way his minor league numbers indicate he can.

And if Cord Phelps can be a productive major league hitter, aren’t the Indians better off with both of them in the starting lineup than if Kipnis played 2B, and let’s say Trevor Crowe in LF?

The point is why is the front office slotting Jason Kipnis as an infielder, outside of the time invested into making him one? 

Isn’t the goal to put the best nine (or ten with the DH) on the field everyday? 

If GM Chris Antonetti can acquire a player like Ryan Braun, then no problem, let Kipnis play 2B.  But, if you can get more than a journeyman to play LF, then why not try Kipnis at the spot. 

Here’s hoping the Indians consider all possibilities.

KM

It appears likely that the first two weeks of the NBA season will be postponed due to the current labor situation, which has the players locked out. 

It is said the hold up is the percentage the players will get out of basketball related revenue.  The players were receiving 57% and are willing to settle for 53%.  The owners want to slice the money pie up 50/50.

Let’s hope the owners hold out and get the system right.  That is, a system that allows every team a chance to win, not just those in large markets with deeper pockets.

The NFL should be the gold standard for all sports.  True, they play once a week, so it is easy to market the sport as a “happening”, but just look at the participating teams in the last two Super Bowls.

To refresh your memory they are the Indianapolis Colts, New Orleans Saints, Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers.  No teams from New York, Boston, Philadelphia, or Chicago. 

That’s one of the reasons why the NFL is so successful…fans know if there teams are smart and draft good players, they have a chance to win a championship. 

For those in Cleveland, even the Browns, with the right drafting and coaching, can end the city’s title drought, which has been since 1964.

In the NBA, when was the last time the Milwaukee Bucks were relevant?  The Indiana Pacers?  The Sacramento Kings? 

Yes, if you have a great player, you will be able to have a shot, but in today’s basketball, it is rare that a superstar wants to play his entire career in Orlando (like Shaquille O’Neal), Toronto (Chris Bosh), or yes, even Cleveland like LeBron James. 

Funny, Peyton Manning has become quite famous playing for the Indianapolis Colts, and every knows who Brett Favre is, despite playing most of his NFL life in Green Bay. 

Tim Duncan decided to play in San Antonio when he became a free agent, and that allowed the smaller market Spurs to be relevant in pro basketball for a long, long time.  But more and more, Duncan is the exception.  Today’s athletes want the bright lights of New York, Los Angeles, and yes, Miami.

However, the sport needs to have franchises in other areas beside those mega cities.  To be a national sport, you must have teams in the midwest, south, and northwest.  And fans of those teams need to know, that with the right management and shrewd players moves, they will have a shot at hoisting a banner proclaiming a world title.

Much has been made about baseball’s top payrolls advancing in this year’s post-season. The Phillies, Yankees, and Red Sox are all out of the running in 2011.  However, these teams response to this “failure”, will not be to say spending cash doesn’t work, they will just feel that they didn’t spend enough. 

That will create more disparity between the large markets and the small and mid-markets.

Some people will say Cleveland and Cavs’ owner Dan Gilbert would sing a different tune had James remained in Cleveland.  There probably is some truth in that, but today’s NBA players want to be paid a premium to play in a small, cold city like Cleveland.  That’s just the attitude that exists for today’s pro hoopster.

The NBA needs to create a league where all teams, if run correctly, have a chance to win, and that any city with an NBA franchise is a great place to play, unless the owner is a complete buffoon (see Clippers, Los Angeles).

The owners should not reach an agreement until this is addressed.  They could join the NFL as the model for professional sports leagues if they do just that.

MW

Last week, former Cavs’ center Zydrunas Ilgauskas announced his retirement from professional basketball after 14 seasons in the NBA.  It was big news around these parts because Ilguaukas spent all but his last season toiling for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Many people have speculated that eventually the big man from Lithuania will wind up working for the organization he played for most of his career, and it looks as though the Cavaliers will honor Z by retiring his #11. 

You can discern that because this year’s first overall pick, Kyrie Irving, was dissuaded by the front office from taking the number. 

Certainly, Ilguaskas deserves some sort of tribute by the Cavs, after all, he is the leading rebounder in franchise history as well as playing in more games and blocking more shots as a Cavalier than anyone else.

He’s also in the top five in wine and gold history in points, field goals made and free throws made.  He also was a big contributor on the only Cleveland team to get to the NBA Finals. 

He did this all, yet we still don’t know how good the big man would have been had his career not been plagued by foot problems throughout his career.  He missed his rookie season and most of two others with fractures in his feet. 

He persevered and came back in 2001-02, and actually became a very durable player, appearing in at least 75 games five years in a row from 2002-03 through 2006-07. 

He most definitely is an important figure in the history of the franchise, and should be honored in some way.  Perhaps being a charter member of the team’s Hall of Fame, or maybe a ring of honor at Quicken Loans Arena.  Just don’t retire his number.

This stance really has nothing to do with Ilgauskas.  The problem is retiring a player’s number is the biggest honor a retired player can get, outside of making the sport’s Hall of Fame. 

And that honor should be reserved for players who have claimed the ultimate prize, a title. 

If the Cavs retired Z’s #11, he will be the seventh player so honored by the franchise.  A team that has won ZERO titles.  No championships, but seven players whose jerseys are hanging from the rafters.

No disrespect to Nate Thurmond, an Akron native who is one of the sport’s all-time greats, but he played a total of 114 games with the Cavaliers.

Larry Nance is another great player, and has continued to make his home in the Cleveland area, but he played less than half of his career with the wine and gold, never averaging more than 20.0 points per game.

Brad Daugherty played just eight years in the NBA, all with Cleveland, and made five all-star teams.  However, he averaged 19 points and 9 rebounds in his career and never got to the NBA Finals.

Mark Price played nine years here, and until recently was the only Cavalier to be named first team all-NBA.  Still, Price never scored 20 points per night with the Cavs. 

Bobby “Bingo” Smith is honored because he was an original member of the Cavs, and played on the “Miracle of Richfield” team in 1975-76.  For all of his contributions to the franchise, he never even made an all-star team.

Only Austin Carr, because of his stature as the face of the team, first as a player and then as an announcer, should have his number hanging from the ceiling of The Q. 

If you want to pick a second person, it would likely be a toss-up between Daugherty and Price, both excellent players in Cleveland for a long time.

It isn’t fair to Ilguaskas that the Cavalier organization used retiring jersey numbers as a way to entice people to attend games during the dark days of the franchise. 

And it is doubtful that there is anyway to undo a retired number without it being a disgrace to the player who was honored.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas certainly deserves to be honored by the Cavaliers for his contributions and perseverance to the team.  Just do it in a way that means more for his place in Cavs’ history than retiring his number.

JK

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