Lost in the excitement of the Browns’ thrashing of the Patriots on Sunday is the performance of Cleveland’s pro hoops team, currently sitting atop the NBA Central Division at 3-3 following back to back road triumphs over the weekend.

Look, no one is saying the wine and gold will remain in that position, but consecutive road victories in two nights in the Association are nothing to be overlooked.  And it gives the team confidence early in the season.

As for the negative people who will point out that the Cavs only beat the 76ers and Wizards, two teams thought to be in Cleveland’s class, would they prefer that the wine and gold lost to those teams?

In both games, the Cavaliers got off to excellent starts and held leads going into the locker room for halftime.  They had tough third quarters, and then recovered with great fourth quarters to gain wins.  It would be a good bet that Byron Scott would like to eliminate the poor efforts to start the second half.

There is no question that the return of Mo Williams has made an impact for this team.  Williams scored 50 points in the two road wins, and is averaging 20.7 PPG in the three games he has played thus far.

The other star on the trip has been Daniel Gibson, who is becoming a “go to” guy in the fourth quarter, something no one would have thought a year ago.  Gibson is averaging 15.3 points and 4.3 assists per game in the young season, and is shooting 46% from the floor, 36% from the three-point line.

The other member of the Cavs “Big Three” so far is J.J. Hickson, who has emerged to score 16.5 points and 5.5 boards per night, while shooting almost 51% from the floor.  He’s also shooting over 80% from the line, and in fact, the team in total is knocking down 77% of its free throws.

Another interesting thing seen from the stats is that this is truly a team effort.  Only two players are averaging more than 30 minutes a night, Anderson Varajao at 34.4 per game and Anthony Parker at 30.8 a night. 

This is in stark contrast to past years when at least a couple of starters where getting over 35 minutes of playing time.  Of course, coaches tend to lean on superstars a little more often.

Williams, Gibson, Hickson, and Jamario Moon are all getting about 28-29 minutes per game.

One player who has emerged on the trip is veteran small forward Joey Graham, who played well in both contests.  Graham played 15 minutes in Philadelphia scoring 10 points, and came back the next night to log 10 minutes against the Wizards.  If Jawad Williams doesn’t pick it up, Graham could take his minutes when Antawn Jamison’s knee is healthy.

The other thing that Scott has to be concerned about is the defense, which fuels his running game.  Right now, the wine and gold is allowing over 102 points per game.  The coach probably prefers about 7 to 10 points a night less.

One of the problems the team has defensively is that they are small.  Only Varajao has the height and muscle to be a defensive force inside.  Backup center Ryan Hollins can jump, but can be overpowered by bigger and stronger guys.  The team could use another big body defensively.

That’s another reason why Graham is important to this team.

All in all, Cavs’ fans have to be encouraged by a 3-3 start going into another winnable road game tonight in New Jersey.  According to some experts, Scott’s crew should be 0-6 right now.

JK

Who wants to talk about the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns?

Granted, Peyton Hillis ran over the New England Patriots defense this afternoon to the tune of 184 rushing yards on 29 attempts in a dominating 34-14 win, but it would be very difficult to change quarterbacks after back to back wins over the defending Super Bowl champs and a team that came into the game with the best record in the AFC to date.

Sure, the Browns used a trick play to score their second touchdown, a 13 yard run by wide receiver Chansi Stuckey, but this contest was all Browns from the first play of the game, when Josh Cribbs took the opening kickoff back 36 yards. 

You want numbers?  Try 404 total yards to New Englands’ 289, including a whopping 230 yards on the ground.  Let me tell you, if you allow that many rushing yards in an NFL game, you have been totally outplayed. 

Cleveland had the ball for slightly over 38 minutes, keeping Tom Brady and the Patriot offense where they couldn’t hurt the Browns’ defense.  That is the bench. 

As for the quarterbacking play, Colt McCoy was as efficient as you can be, completing 14 of 19 passes for 174 yards, and getting his first NFL touchdown on a 16 yard scramble in the second half.  He hit seven different receivers and orchestrated the attack superbly.  Besides the touchdown run, Eric Mangini mentionned another play where the rookie was flushed out of the pocket and found Josh Cribbs for a first down. 

Those plays are made by playmakers. 

Although Hillis fumbled in the first half, he was tremendous setting a career high in rushing yards and accounted for 220 total yards of offense, including a reception on a touch throw by McCoy for 29 yards and a first down in the second half.  Sports Illustrated’s Peter King said Hillis was the best player in the Brady Quinn transaction and he was absolutely right.

Defensively, coordinator Rob Ryan pulled out his bags of odd formations and blitzes again to confuse Brady and it worked.  There were times when Cleveland lined up without any defensive linemen. 

LB Chris Gocong made several big stops early in the game as the Browns controlled the running game early and made the Patriots a one dimensional attack.  They only sacked Brady once, by Ahtyba Rubin, but the hurried the three time Super Bowl winner several times causing him to throw the ball away or miss his intended target. 

Even the first Patriot touchdown was a deflected pass into the hands of rookie tight end Aaron Hernandez at the back of the end zone, although CBS’ Rich Gannon described the play as if that was the intent all along.

And the defense stopped a late first half drive when S Abe Elam took the ball out of the hands of rookie TE Rob Gronkowski as he fought for extra yardage.

The special teams also contributed with Cribbs’ kickoff returns and the recovery of a short kickoff that was mishandled and recovered by Ray Ventrone.   

So the Browns end the first half of the schedule with a 3-5 record and two straight wins with the New York Jets coming to Browns’ Stadium next week in the “Ryan Bowl”, Jets’ head man Rex against Cleveland defensive coordinator Rob. 

It is apparent that this football team is improving, and is now capable of beating any opponent.  It’s a tough, physical team that when it doesn’t make mistakes can win.  Finally, there may be a light at the end of the tunnel for long suffering Browns’ fans.

JD

It seems like it’s been ages since the Browns knocked off the Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints.

This week the brown and orange take on a Super Bowl contender in the New England Patriots, who happen to be coached by former Cleveland boss Bill Belichick, who also happens to be the guy who gave current Browns’ coach Eric Mangini his first job in football.

It’s like a soap opera.

Another drama filled issue is who should play quarterback for the Browns for the rest of this campaign. The debate seems to surround rookie Colt McCoy and veteran Seneca Wallace since it appears Jake Delhomme will not be ready for a few more weeks. 

McCoy’s impressive performance has people wanting to see more. Plus, with his impressive college resume and the fact he is a rookie, he’s the popular choice among the fans.

However, Wallace played very well in the three games he started. Yes, he had the one bad pick six against Kansas City, but he engineered the win over Cincinnati, and was playing exceptionally well against Atlanta before injuring his ankle.

For that matter, Delhomme played well in the first half against Tampa Bay, the only half he’s been healthy for this season. He did have a horrible interception at the end of that half, though.

The coaching staff needs to balance the need to win football games and still develop McCoy. This week, Mike Holmgren said the team needs to start winning. Coming close and being “in the game” isn’t cutting it anymore.

So, if you were Eric Mangini, you need to play the quarterback who gives you the best opportunity to win, right? And that would be one of the veterans.

That means the question is does Seneca Wallace give you a substantially better chance to win football games than the rookie from Texas?

Look, Wallace has done a good job, but it’s not like you are comparing Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers either. Colt McCoy should continue being the starting quarterback until he shows signs of being overwhelmed; it’s as simple as that.

If McCoy struggles, throws some interceptions, or is getting beaten up badly, then you can either go to Wallace and/or Delhomme.

Otherwise, this organization needs to find out what they have in the rookie. This is a bountiful year for signal callers entering the NFL in the 2011 draft with guys like Stanford’s Andrew Luck (who has Cleveland ties), Arkansas’ Ryan Mallett, and Washington’s Jake Locker looking like first round picks.

If McCoy looks like he can be the future QB of this team, that would mean GM Tom Heckert can use his first round pick to pursue someone who can get to the oppositions’ passer. That is, of course, if the team would draft a quarterback on the first round, something that Mike Holmgren has never done.

Yes, McCoy is not the prototype NFL signal caller. However, if he were two inches taller, he would have been a first round choice. And we have to see if he has enough arm to play in the winter at Browns’ Stadium, where the wind whips up when the snow starts flying.

So far, McCoy is 1-1 as a starter, compared to 0-1 for Delhomme, and 1-3 for Wallace. He hung in there against the aggressive Steeler defense, and although he threw for less than 100 yards against the Saints, he won the game. Let’s see how he does against Belichick’s Patriots. The debate could be over either way after that contest.

JD

With the World Series wrapping up this week, the hot stove league in baseball will start in earnest following the Fall Classic.  Much like the regular season, it appears baseball fans in Cleveland won’t have much to look forward this winter either, it terms of the activities of the hometown team.

It looks like another quiet winter for the Tribe, except for Snowdays at Progressive Field during the holiday season.

In terms of that activity, let us praise the Dolan’s.  If let’s say, the Steinbrenner family had thought of it, having snow related activities at the baseball field would have been heralded as genius. 

Since the frugal Dolans thought of it, having ice-skating and a snow ramp for people to have fun at the ballpark during the winter is sneered upon.  Just another thing that looks embarrassing for the city.

It says here that in the next few years, several other northern cities will do the same thing with their outdoor facilities.  After all, the building is just sitting empty for several months.  Why not do something that will create revenue? 

And as we all know, this franchise needs all the money it can get to acquire and keep players.  Okay, so we couldn’t let the Indians ownership go completely unscathed.

After two consecutive 90 loss seasons, it’s time for the revamped front office to start the process of moving the Indians back into contention in the American League Central Division. 

By the way, let’s just say it doesn’t create a lot of warm and fuzzy feelings for the organization when the team’s former farm director decided to pass on the Cleveland managerial job last year, and then decided to skipper a team in the same division as three of the best teams in baseball.  Yes, that would be John Farrell, new pilot of the Toronto Blue Jays.

It’s nice that Baseball America rated the Indians’ draft last summer as the best after one year.  However, it would be a good guess, based on the way the Tribe develops talent, that none of the guys picked will arrive in Cleveland before 2012, and the closest to the majors is obviously first round pick Drew Pomerantz.

In fact, the last three amateur drafts have been good.  But now the players picked in the 2008 draft have to start showing up at the major league level.  The World Series isn’t determined by who has the best farm system or winning minor league championships.  It’s time to see some of these guys.

Or you can use some of these prospects in trades.  Look at the potential logjam the team has at 2B with Jason Donald, Jayson Nix, Jason Kipnis, Cord “Jason” Phelps, and even Luis “Jason” Valbuena.  Certainly, at least one of those guys could be dealt to get some pitching.

And as we saw in the post-season, pitching is what wins.  You have to score enough runs in the regular season to qualify for the playoffs, but once you are there, you have to have the ability to stifle the opponent’s bats.  That why the development of guys like Pomerantz, Alex White, Carlos Carrasco, Hector Rondon, etc. are so important.

That said, it would still be nice to see a guy like Phelps get a shot at third base.  There is no question that Lonnie Chisenhall is the future there, but if Phelps can get some big league experience at the hot corner, it makes him more valuable to the team or in a trade if say, Kipnis can handle second base.

If the Tribe is going to be idle this off-season, at least make a commitment to play the kids.  And get more pitching!  They cannot depend on anyone in their current starting rotation.  There simply isn’t any track record to feel comfortable in 2011.

KM

The Cleveland Cavaliers have had an interesting first week of the basketball season.  They played extremely well on Opening Night to defeat the Boston Celtics at home, but laid an egg in their first road contest, losing by 20 to a Toronto team that is not considered a playoff contender.

They came back home last night to take on a young Sacramento team, that blew a game to New Jersey the night before.  The wine and gold played a stellar first half, leading by 14 at the intermission.  Unfortunately for them, the game has two halves, and Cleveland got hammered in the third quarter, giving up its lead in the stanza, and wound up losing by three.

Here are the high and lows for the first week of the Cavs’ season:

Highs:  J. J. Hickson looks to be the team’s best offensive player.  The third year player is scoring 14 points and grabbing almost 6 rebounds per night and is shooting 50% from the floor. 

Daniel Gibson has shown he deserves the faith shown in him by coach Byron Scott, scoring 15 points per game while dishing out 6 assists per game.  Gibson has also hit six of 17 three point shots, making him the wine and gold’s best threat from beyond the arc. 

Reserve center Ryan Hollins has looked good.  Although he’s averaging just 18 minutes per game, Hollins is scoring 7.7 points and grabbing 4.3 boards per contest.  It’s the latter category that was said to be his weakness.

The always reliable Anderson Varajao has done a good job in the middle, even though that’s not his natural position.  He’s grabbed 9.5 rebounds in his two starts, and has hit six of ten shots from the field, showing he’s not forcing his offense.

Lows:  The biggest concern for Scott has been the team’s defense.  In their two defeats, Cleveland has allowed over 100 points, and opponents are shooting almost 49% and outrebounding the Cavs by seven per game.  That’s not going to gain the team a lot of victories.  Scott wants to run, but needs his defense to step up so that can occur.

Antawn Jamison has looked lost.  He’s scoring just 6.3 points per game, but more disturbing is that he has taken nine of his 23 shots from behind the three point line.  That’s not his game.  Hickson’s emergence has hurt the veteran, but Scott has to figure out a way to get both of them on the floor at the same time.  That would mean the youngster getting some minutes at center.

Ramon Sessions has scored well, getting 13 points per night, but is not running the offense well, getting just 3.3 assists compared to four turnovers a game.  He has to take care of the ball better, and learn when to look for his shot, and when to set up his teammates.

Jawad Williams played okay against Sacramento, but gave the Cavs nothing in the first two games.  He can’t just settle for the three point shot.  He needs to take the ball to the hole occasionally to keep defenses honest.

The good news is that Scott knows his team hasn’t played good defense the past two games, and the practices the next two days before the Hawks come to town on Tuesday will emphasize that.  Besides, the Cavs also have been missing Mo Williams, who is expected to be back on Tuesday.  That’s probably isn’t a factor defensively, but it does put another guy on the floor who can shoot from the perimeter.

As for the team, yes, 1-2 is below where the Cavs could be, but Houston is 0-3, Utah is 0-2, and Phoenix and Milwaukee have the same records as the wine and gold.  That doesn’t make Byron Scott happy, but it just shows it’s a long season, and improvements will be made.

JK

At least for one night, the Cavaliers and the city of Cleveland can feel good about basketball again. The Cavs knocked off the defending Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics 95-87, who by the way, defeated a Miami Heat team, featuring a superstar who left this summer.

This edition of the wine and gold played with passion and intensity. They ran plays, they played tough defense, and they won. And according to some NBA experts, it will be one of the few victories they will achieve all season.

And they won without Mo Williams, one of their starters. Despite all of his failings in the playoffs the past two seasons, Williams is still one of the team’s best players.

Nor did Antawn Jamison have a great game. The veteran came off the bench to play just 20 minutes, although he did hit a couple of buckets in the fourth quarter, when the wine and gold outscored Boston 27-14 to gain the win.

J.J. Hickson showed how much he improved over the off-season, scoring 21 points on 8 of 11 shooting and he also grabbed 6 rebounds. Anderson Varajao had 8 points and 10 rebounds.

Daniel Gibson shook off a rough start, missing his first eight shots, winding up with 16 points and 8 assists, and played in crunch time. Can you imagine him getting that opportunity last season if he started that cold?

And Ryan Hollins pitched in with 10 points and four boards. Hollins needs to be a contributor because he’s one of the few guys in Cleveland jersey who has some size.

Scott’s crew played decent defense, although he would probably prefer to see a opponent’s shooting percentage lower than Boston’s 47.2% as the season goes on.

Offensively, it was a balanced attack with six players in double figures, and the shots distributed fairly evenly with newcomer Ramon Sessions (15) and Gibson (14) getting the most looks. It was a blueprint as to how the Cavaliers have to play minus a superstar.

Yes, Boston was played the second game of a back-to-back set, having defeated the Heat the night before, but that’s scheduling in the NBA. The Cavs still had to play well, and they did.

No one gives you anything in the league. You have to earn victories. It is important for the wine and gold to get off to a good start, if only to give the players the confidence that they can win without LeBron James.

This team does have some good players, and some of them, particularly guys like Hickson, Gibson, and Hollins need to know they can play and win at this level.

The atmosphere at “The Q” was that of a playoff game. It seemed everyone, the players, the fans, and especially owner Dan Gilbert wanted to show people that basketball isn’t dead in Cleveland it’s just different. It was a feel good win for the city.

As for questions on if James’ #23 will ever hang from the rafters, Gilbert was non-committal saying his former employee is only 25 years old and such talk is way too premature.

Let us speak for him. It won’t be there…ever!

There will be one more banner hoisted this season. A picture of a microphone and the name Joe Tait should be put up there on the season’s last home game.

For one day, Cleveland sports fans are smiling. Thanks to the Cavs.

JK

Basketball time at the Q starts this week without longtime Cavaliers’ radio announcer Joe Tait, who will miss hopefully just the 2010 portion of the 2010-11 schedule due to heart surgery.  Get well, Joe!  The games won’t be the same without you.

As for the actual team, the Cleveland Cavaliers are a team in transition.  They have lost long time center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and also resident superstar LeBron James.  They have a new coach in Byron Scott, who is cause for optimism for this franchise.

The reported demise of the team has been reported by many, with some even going as far as saying the Cavs will be the worst team in the Eastern Conference.  That’s not even close to being true.

It’s understandable that the so-called experts think that way, because they considered the Cavs a terrible team without James.  And if the wine and gold played the same style game as last season without him, they probably would rank as one of the league’s worst teams. 

However, they won’t.  Scott has a different style of offense and has a defensive first mindset as well.  Therefore, you will see more production out of guys like Anthony Parker, Jamario Moon, and Daniel Gibson on the offensive end.

Heck, Parker was even seen going to the basket in exhibition play, something he did on rare occasions last season.

The biggest reason for optimism for the 2010-11 season is a pair of young players:  J.J. Hickson and Ramon Sessions. 

Hickson could wind up being a candidate for the league’s most improved player award next spring.  He is expanding his offensive range and could wind up scoring around 15 points per night this season.  The coach has already started to get on the talented youngster; he’s still just 22 and should be an NBA rookie this season had he stayed at NC State, to improve his attention to detail.  He’s basically telling Hickson to be more professional.

Sessions is just 24 years old and came to the Cavs in the Delonte West deal after spending a year in purgatory with Minnesota.  Two years ago, in Milwaukee, he averaged 12.4 points and almost 6 assists per night with the Bucks.  Last year, his minutes were down in backing up rookie Jonny Flynn, and his production dropped as well.

Various NBA experts have mentioned Sessions in the discussion for Most Improved Player as well.  If the Cavs have two candidates for that award, plus veterans Antawn Jamison, Mo Williams, and Anderson Varajao, it could then be determined the Cavaliers will not be the worst team in the Eastern Conference. 

And if Sessions does indeed show he can start, could a trade involving Williams be far behind?  You would think you could something decent in return for him.

The Cavs lost arguably the most talented player in the NBA, however, it says here that having that player stifled the talents of some of the other players on this team.  Those players will contribute more in 2010-11 under Byron Scott. 

And that’s not a rap on James either (we don’t want to end up on his “list”).  There was just a tendency to stand around and watch.  There was no movement on offense, either by design or as a result of LBJ’s need to have the basketball.  That will change this season.

This year’s edition of the wine and gold will make the playoffs again with a 43-39 record.  And based on the projections for this team, it might just win Scott some honors as coach of the year.

JK

The Cleveland Browns played to win today and shocked the defending Super Bowl champion Saints, 30-17 in New Orleans.

A tip of the cap goes to special teams coach Brad Seely and defensive coordinator Rob Ryan for putting together schemes that totally baffled the Saints. 

The punt return team sent a message immediately that this football team did not want to go into its bye week at 1-6, by using an across the field lateral by Josh Cribbs to Eric Wright, who ran 62 yards to the New Orleans 19 yard line and set up a field goal to give Cleveland a 3-0 lead. 

At the time, it seemed like a good way to make teams pay for ganging up on Cribbs, one of the league’s best return men.  However, it was just the first trick dialed up by Seely.

In the second quarter, Seely obviously saw through films that the Saints left the middle wide open on punt coverage, so Reggie Hodges took advantage by running up the middle for 68 yards from the Browns’ 25 yard line.  That set up another Phil Dawson field goal to give the Browns a 13-3 lead. 

The most daring part of this play was that it came from deep in Cleveland territory.  Had the gamble failed, New Orleans would have been set up for an easy score.

Meanwhile, the defense confused QB Drew Brees the entire game, most of the time by having no down pass rushers.  Brees was picked off twice for touchdowns, both by LB David Bowens, and four times overall.  He was also sacked three times.  Former Saint LB Scott Fujita had one of each, a sack and a pick, which had to be very satisfying for him in his first game against the team he won a Super Bowl ring with.  He was all over the field with 10 tackles overall.

It was a contest to throw the stats away, as the Saints out-gained the Browns, 394 to 210 yards, including 336 passing yards compared to Cleveland’s 85, and the had the ball for 36 minutes.   But the Browns made all the big plays and that earned them the victory. 

Rookie QB Colt McCoy didn’t have to do much today, but he didn’t make any mistakes, which was all the offense needed to do this day.  McCoy hit on 9 of 16 passes for 74 yards, but didn’t throw an interception and was only sacked once.  He did catch a 12 yard pass from Peyton Hillis to keep a drive alive in the fourth quarter with Cleveland holding a 20-3 lead. 

Hillis, for his part, gained 69 yards on 16 attempts, making him the Browns’ leading rusher by one yard over Hodges.  Brian Robiskie caught three passes for just 25 yards to be the leading receiver, although McCoy hit Ben Watson for an 18 yard catch in the second half on one of the few plays they threw the ball downfield. 

One other long toss resulted in a pass interference call on Malcolm Jenkins against Josh Cribbs, which led to the team’s only offensive touchdown.

This was an enjoyable game to watch because the Browns pulled out all the stops, using gadgets and trick plays.  You can’t use that many every week, but once a game wouldn’t be a bad thing to try. 

This football team doesn’t have the talent of many of its opponents, so sometimes you have to trick the opposition.  There is nothing wrong with that. 

With the bye week upon us, it is likely that either Seneca Wallace and/or Jake Delhomme will be ready to start at quarterback in two weeks.  Even if they are, it says here that McCoy should have the reins.  He’s earned the chance to continue playing until he’s forcing plays and making crucial mistakes. 

As long as he plays with poise, let McCoy play with Delhomme and Wallace to counsel him. 

JD

There is no question that football is a violent sport.  It’s a competition where large, fast men run into each other to try to knock each other down.  However, when people are getting severely hurt, it’s no longer fun and no longer good entertainment.

Oh sure, there are “fans” out there who like this aspect of the game.  They also watch car races for the crashes, they watch mixed martial arts (controlled beatings), and a long, long time ago, these people liked the Christians being fed to the lions. 

Just because some people like this sort of thing, doesn’t make it acceptable.  The NFL is hypocritical because they market this sort of violence, but they are correct in taking a stand against it.

The excuses fans have made for Steelers’ LB James Harrison’s hits on Josh Cribbs and Mohammed Massaquoi last Sunday are frightening.  Some say that is how Harrison has had to make his mark in the league, because he was undrafted and was cut three times before sticking with Pittsburgh. 

Others make the excuse that it’s just football, and players take the risk of being injured.  The risk these guys take is blowing out a knee or fracturing a rib, not possible brain damage.

The hit that Harrison put on Cribbs is getting underplayed because he was a running back, but it was a cheap shot nonetheless.  Harrison drove his head into Cribbs’ head.  There was no attempt to try to bring down Cleveland’s best player, and the hit didn’t result from Cribbs dipping his head as he ran.

Harrison tried to knock him unconscious.  That’s not the way sports should be.  Maybe football people like this sort of thing, but it’s lack of respect for your opponent as a human being.

Look, seeing T. J. Ward’s hit on Bengal WR Jordan Shipley was tremendous.  However, Ward led with the shoulder, not the head.

Also, Falcons’ DB Dunta Robinson’s shot on Eagles’ WR DeSean Jackson was vicious, but it doesn’t apply to this argument either because Robinson led with the shoulder.  Even though Robinson was fined, it was a clean hit.

It’s unfortunate that players were injured on this plays, but these hits are part of the game.

Football helmets are weapons.  They are heavy pieces of equipment.  The best comparison to them is they are like a small bowling ball.  What would people think of having bowling balls fired at the heads of football players? 

Earlier this week on ESPN Radio, Hall of Famer Mike Ditka said the helmets used when he played were no where near those of today, and players would hurt themselves if they were used in that manner. 

That fear no longer exists.

Others have made the excuse that these “head shots” aren’t new, and if by new, they mean they’ve been existing over the last 10 years, they are correct.  But these shots were fewer back in the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s. 

That’s not to say there weren’t any vicious hits in those days, they just weren’t helmet to helmet.

The NFL is hypocritical by promoting videos showing big hits, but this issue shouldn’t be lumped in with having an 18 game schedule or not taking care of retired players.  The NFL shouldn’t go to a longer schedule and they should take care of its alumni.

Helmet to helmet hits are the same as hitting another player over the head with a baseball bat.  That’s the sort of thing that needs to be eliminated from football at all costs.

JD

The 2010 season for the Cleveland Browns has started much like last year.  The team has the same record as last year, 1-5.  So, the question is this:  Has this football team improved from last year?

The easy answer is yes.  Last season, the Browns were getting hammered by their opponents, dropping games by scores of 34-20, 27-6, 34-3 in the first three games, with defeats of 31-3 and 30-6 to come. 

This year, the Browns lost their opener to Tampa by a 17-14 score, and lost the next week to Kansas City, 16-14.  The total margin of Cleveland’s five losses this season has been 40 points, compared to over 80 points a year ago.

So, they have moved from being non-competitive to being in every football game.  In fact, the Browns led each of the first four contests in the fourth quarter. 

Still, as Bill Parcells always says, you are what your record says you are, and the Browns are 1-5, the same as last season.  So, in terms of the ultimate measurement of success in sports, the win-loss record, Eric Mangini’s squad has not improved.

What makes it worse for the organization is the fact that several of the teams who picked ahead of the Browns in last year’s draft, thus having worse records, have shown improvement in the win-loss department. 

St. Louis, with rookie QB Sam Bradford at the helm, has already tripled their win total from last year and sit with a 3-3 record.  Tampa Bay had the third overall pick this spring, and they are 3-2, including a win over the Browns.

Washington is 3-3.  Kansas City is 3-2, with one of the wins coming here in the Browns’ home opener, and Seattle, with new coach Pete Carroll is at 3-3. 

The only teams drafting that high who haven’t picked up the pace in terms of wins are Cleveland and the Detroit Lions, who have been without QB Matthew Stafford for several weeks. 

The expectations on Mangini and his staff have increased because of the success of these teams. 

Add in Arizona, who made the playoffs last year, but lost Kurt Warner to retirement and are now starting a undrafted rookie free agent in Max Hall at quarterback, and they’ve won three games. 

Browns’ fans are wondering why the same can’t be true here.

In the case of the Buccaneers and Chiefs, they benefited from their early season wins over the Browns.  They achieved early success this season, and that definitely helps going forward.  Losing those games for the Browns may have created a “here we go again” mentality, particularly after those losses came as a result of critical mistakes by the offense.

In defense of the Browns, they are arguably in the toughest division in the NFL.  Both the Ravens and Steelers are on everyone’s list of the league’s best five teams, and Cleveland gets to play them twice per season.  None of the teams mentioned who have shown improvement is in a division like the AFC North.  It’s easier to get better in a mediocre division.

Still, that doesn’t make the fans more patient.  They’ve been watching the same movie year in and year out since 1999.  As one of my friends once said, “I don’t want excuses, I want results”.  He speaks for all Browns’ supporters.

MW