Apologies go to Browns’ defensive coordinator Rob Ryan.  Before the season began, it was implied here that the defense was the weak point of the Browns,  However, they keep teams out of the end zone for the most part, and they really only allowed 21 points today in a 28-10 loss to Pittsburgh at Heinz Field.

However, they aren’t perfect.  Ryan schemes to hide the personnel shortages he has on his unit, such as the play of his secondary, where his two best players may just be rookies, first round pick Joe Haden, and second rounder T. J. Ward. 

Veteran Eric Wright continues to get picked on by opposing passers, and Sheldon Brown has given up big plays in each of the last two weeks.  Another starter, safety Abe Elam is average at best and isn’t a proficient tackler. 

You don’t hear about Haden often, and when you do, it’s usually something good, like his 50 yard return of an interception of Ben Roethlisberger, which resulted in a Phil Dawson field goal to give Cleveland a 3-0 lead in the first quarter. 

When you hear about Ward, it’s usually because of a big hit he’s put on an opposing player. 

The Browns managed the Steelers’ running attack, holding them to 121 yards on 35 carries, an average of 3.5 per rush.  That’s acceptable.  However, they couldn’t sack Roethlisberger, meaning the secondary was exposed.  Mike Wallace caught three balls for 90 yards, including a 50-yard catch when Cleveland blitzed and he was single covered. 

In fact, that drive killed the Browns, when Pittsburgh went 96 yards in basically three plays:  the pass to Wallace, a 36-yard reception by Heath Miller, and then an eight yard catch for a TD by Hines Ward, who should have been tackled by Wright at the 4-yard line.  That drive turned a close 7-3 contest into a commanding 11 point Steeler lead.

Offensively, the worry was that rookie QB Colt McCoy was being fed to the wolves, but he showed great poise, just like his college coach, Mack Brown said he would.  He completed 23 of 33 passes for 281 yards and a touchdown, with two interceptions, the last one coming late in the fourth quarter and the Browns in desperation mode. 

He earned another opportunity, which he will get against New Orleans next Sunday.  Another performance in that game might be enough to let him go the rest of the year, particularly because this team is not a playoff contender.

McCoy’s game came in spite of an injury to Josh Cribbs early in the game which knocked him out for the game early in the first half.  They also lost Mohammed Massaquoi to a possible concussion in the first half, as well, but based on his recent performance, that wasn’t as critical of a loss. 

Cribbs being out meant that Chansi Stuckey had to return punts, and he looked shaky all day, and his fumble of a punt inside the Cleveland 20 with the score still 14-3, basically ended the game for the Browns.  That’s too bad, because he caught 4 passes for 46 yards on the day. 

TE’s Benjamin Watson and Evan Moore combined for 1o receptions for 172 yards and a touchdown, as they were McCoy’s favorite targets. Probably because the wide receiver play has been a weakness from day one. 

A disturbing thing about the Browns’ roster is that it is one of the oldest in the NFL, and they are 1-5.  The only thing worse than being a bad team is being a bad, old team. 

At this point, maybe it’s time to start turning over things to the McCoys, Hadens, and Wards on this team.  They have played well when given the opportunity.  By the way, that comment isn’t canonizing McCoy, but he played well enough that we should see more.

JD

Now that baseball is down to its league championship match ups and every team has some type of Cleveland connection, we are left to sift through the ashes of another lost season for the hometown Cleveland Indians.

This is the alternative to watching Cliff Lee pitch for the Rangers or seeing C.C. Sabathia in pinstripes in the ALCS or having Charlie Manuel trying to pilot the Phillies to their third straight World Series appearance by out pitching the Giants, led by ace Tim Lincecum, a former Tribe unsigned draftee (look it up, he was Cleveland’s 42^nd round pick in the 2005 draft).

The Plain Dealer’s Paul Hoynes started looking through the rubble of the 2010 season on Sunday with a ranking of every player on the Tribe 40-man roster, including the guys currently on the 60-day disabled list, like Grady Sizemore and Carlos Santana.

The rankings seem accurate and show the problems this team has.  For example, Shelly Duncan’s was ranked at #11.  Duncan did a good job in his role on the team, but if he’s the 11^th best player on your team, your team isn’t very good. 

Some players were ranked a little low in my eyes, such as Matt LaPorta at #22, behind guys like Lou Marson (#16), Jayson Nix (#17), and Joe Smith (#20).  LaPorta did have a disappointing year, hitting .221 with 12 HR, 41 RBI, and a 668 OPS, but he was an everyday player for the most part.  He deserves some credit for that. 

Others were ranked a litte too high, besides the aforementioned players; Hoynes seemed to like Jeanmar Gomez over Josh Tomlin, probably because Gomez throws harder.  Tomlin had the better stats, giving up less hits than innings pitched and having a 2:1 strikeout to walk ratio.  Gomez had a comparable ERA, but allowed 73 hits in 57-2/3 innings with a 34 to 22 whiff to walk rate.

The frightening part of the article was Hoynsie’s take on the opening day roster for 2011.  Granted, this was put together without knowing if new GM Chris Antonetti will make any trades, but if that’s the lineup on April 1, 2011, good luck to the Indians on selling tickets.

First, having Nix opening at either 2B or 3B is a turn off.  The organization has been sending a lot of signals about how excited they are that he will play the hot corner in winter ball, but they should be desperately looking to find someone else to start.  Hopefully, this is just rhetoric from the management, but Nix is not a good player, and they are fooling themselves if they think he is.

 Also, Hoynes’ construction of the bullpen is disturbing.  No one will want to watch this team if they are bringing guys like Aaron Laffey, Justin Germano, and Jensen Lewis in relief.  What is the difference between this and the beginning of this year when the ‘pen struggled.  Also, Laffey and Lewis have problems throwing strikes, and that’s a recipe for a bad bullpen.

Let’s hope the Tribe front office isn’t kidding themselves with their evaluations of players.  That’s why an outside voice is needed.  Antonetti and his staff need to hear that a guy like Jayson Nix isn’t an answer, he’s a question.  Things won’t change at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario until some different viewpoints are part of the process.

KM

The Cleveland Browns announced they have traded RB Jerome Harrison to the Philadelphia Eagles for RB Mike Bell, who spent last season with the Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints.

However, he wasn’t in Eric Mangini’s doghouse.

If you believe that, we have some lakefront property in Akron for you to look at.

Harrison was a major reason for the team winning their last four games of the 2009 season, but the powers that be seemed to always be looking to replace him.  He was a legitimate home run threat, one of the few on this team. 

The trade is another example of the coaching staff running off a talented player, who might not be fully in tune with the attitude of the coaching staff. 

Right now, the Cleveland Browns aren’t good enough for their coach to have a doghouse. 

Harrison wasn’t used much last season until the team was in desperation mode. 

Harrison doesn’t fit the power running style preferred by the coach, but he could have been valuable on short passes and getting the ball in an open space. 

Bell, 27, has gained 1400 yards in his five-year NFL career, which started in Denver in 2006.  He’s more of a Peyton Hillis type of back. 

JD

The NFL season has passed the quarter pole for the Cleveland Browns, and once again the quarterback situation is a mess.  The difference is that this time the upheaval at the position has been caused by injury, and not performance.

The Browns picked up Brett Ratliff from the practice squad of the Patriots to give the Browns two completely healthy options at the position along with rookie Colt McCoy. 

GM Tom Heckert and coach Eric Mangini really had no choice.  Both Seneca Wallace, who was playing extremely well before getting hurt on Sunday, and Jake Delhomme have high ankle sprains and will not be able to play this week, or probably not for a few weeks. 

Ratliff was signed because he was with the team last season, and has been with Mangini for the past two seasons, the first one with the Jets.  And many are speculating already that Ratliff will get the start for the Browns on Sunday at Heinz Field against the Steelers.

However, is that the correct decision?

Many will say that McCoy only made the team because Holmgren and Heckert drafted him, but has Ratliff ever shown anything to merit giving him the reins this Sunday against Pittsburgh?

The grand plan was to allow the rookie to sit, watch, and learn behind the veterans this season, and be ready to contribute to the team next season.  But you know what they say about the best-laid plans of mice and men.

Perhaps Wallace will make a speedy recovery and this quarterback problem will be moot, and he can be the starter against the hated Steelers.  However, if he can’t go, then the choice should be McCoy, even though it is not the way the front office and coaching staff wanted him to get his first game exposure.

Ratliff is living off of his one good pre-season effort against the Browns in 2008, the day Brett Favre was traded to the Jets.  He’s done nothing since to demonstrate why he has the trust and admiration of Mangini. 

In last year’s preseason games, Richard Bartel played better in the games than Ratliff did.  Yet, he was cut before the regular season started in favor of Ratliff.

And if McCoy does get the nod as the starter, let’s hope the offensive game plan doesn’t revert to the Stone Age, with handoffs on first and second downs, and a pass on third and eight.  That’s the best way to get a third quarterback hurt, especially against an outstanding defense like the Steelers. 

The Browns’ offense is based on the short pass anyway, and McCoy showed his accuracy in the last pre-season game when he completed every pass he threw.  His biggest problem will be reading the defense and recognizing where the various blitzes that defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau will dial up for him.

Yes, McCoy is a rookie and hasn’t taken one snap in an NFL regular season game.  Still, Arizona is starting Max Hall, an undrafted rookie free agent out of BYU.  The Steelers started Dennis Dixon, making his first NFL start in their season opener this year. 

Sometimes, things happen out of necessity.  Here’s hoping Mangini doesn’t take the easy way out by starting a quarterback based on experience rather than skill level. 

JD

What happens when a physical football team meets its match?  The Cleveland Browns found out today as they were out-toughed by the Atlanta Falcons, losing 20-10 at Cleveland Browns Stadium.

The old bugaboo that was the biggest reason the team hasn’t been able to win consistently over the last ten years raised its ugly head once again, as the Browns couldn’t run the football, gaining just 48 yards rushing, and they couldn’t stop the run, allowing Atlanta to gain 165 on the ground.  That’s a recipe for defeat on a regular basis. 

The other nightmare that came true for the team was Seneca Wallace getting injured at the end of the first half.  Wallace was playing well, hitting 11 of 15 passes for 139 yards and a touchdown to Peyton Hillis, but when he went down, it forced Jake Delhomme back in the game, and he wasn’t sharp or healthy.

Delhomme missed several open receivers early in the second half, and he was still gimpy enough that he could not elude the pressure applied by Atlanta’s defense.  A mis-handled snap also made the Browns settle for a field goal after a sack of Falcon QB Matt Ryan, which caused a fumble giving Cleveland the ball deep in Atlanta territory. 

Delhomme will be hammered for two interceptions, but the first, which was batted up in the air, caught on a dive by DE Kroy Biermann, and returned 41 yards for a touchdown, wasn’t the quarterback’s fault, as he never saw the Falcon coming until it was too late.  The second was caused when the veteran was hit as he was throwing, causing the ball to be off target. 

Which brings us to the offensive line, which did not give an acceptable performance.  In particular, Pro Bowl tackle Joe Thomas was dominated by Atlanta DE John Abraham.  It was a hit by Abraham that knocked Wallace out of the game, and he also was a factor on the second interception of Delhomme. 

Thomas has not played like a Pro Bowler this season.

Defensively, the Browns did a great job of keeping Ryan in control, as he hit on 16 of 28 passes for 187 yards and a touchdown, most of which came in the second half.  The time of possession in this game was about even, but the Browns’ defense seemed to be on the field most of the game.  In the first half, the offense really only generated one significant drive, that the one they scored on.

Coordinator Rob Ryan did a great job of keeping the Falcons out of the end zone in the first half, and actually allowed just 13 points for the game, which is, when all is said and done, good enough to win. 

LB Marcus Benard had another sack, giving him 3.5 for the year, and Scott Fujita had the one that forced a fumble early in the second half that should have given Cleveland control of the contest.  Not cashing that in for a touchdown was a huge swing in the game, as on the subsequent drive, Ryan hit WR Roddy White for a 45 yard touchdown pass giving Atlanta a lead they would not relinguish.

So, now Eric Mangini has a problem at quarterback, much like he had all of last season.  Will Delhomme be healthy enough to start next week in Pittsburgh?  If he’s not, can Wallace go?  And no matter who plays, can the offensive line protect him.  What happened today is what occurs when you have a one dimensional offense, and the defense takes that option away. 

You have a big problem winning football games.  And when you bill yourself as a physical team and you get dominated, you really have a problem.  The guess here is it will be a tough week of practice for the Cleveland Browns.

JD

Some things that are going through my mind, as the weather gets cooler—

Here’s the bad luck that Cleveland sports fans suffer.  Here are Cliff Lee’s victory totals per season since 2004:  14, 18, 14, 5, 22, 14, and 12.  Note the number right in the middle of those totals, the number 5.  That, of course, came in 2007, the year the Tribe won the AL Central Division title.

Imagine, if you will, an Indians rotation that fall featuring C.C. Sabathia, Fausto Carmona, and the Lee who pitched any of the other six years since he became a full time starter in the big leagues.  If Lee hadn’t been slow to recover from an abdominal injury that season and had a normal season, the Indians may have a World Series trophy from that season.

That’s bad luck.

The venom of Cleveland sports fans is somehow centered on former Plain Dealer basketball writer Brian Windhorst for some reason.  Windhorst is leaving to work for ESPN.com, mostly covering (or as the worldwide leader is known to do, over-cover) the Miami Heat. 

Look, Windhorst is an excellent writer and has earned the right to pursue a better gig.  Beat writers are not making million dollar salaries.  We will miss his outstanding work covering the Cavaliers and the NBA.

That’s the reason that people are mad about this.  Not only have we lost one of the best basketball players around, we’ve also lost one of the sports’ best writers. 

Windhorst should take the anger directed his way as a compliment.  You can’t remember this type of reaction for a member of the media leaving the market.  It just goes to show how good Brian Windhorst is as a writer.

Dwayne Wade strained a hamstring in the Heat’s first exhibition game.  Why did that bring a smile to the face of everyone in northeast Ohio?

And now a beef regarding television sports.  Saturday, with the two National League playoff spots were up for grabs, FOX showed the Cleveland market the Yankees-Red Sox game, which basically meant nothing, except whether the Yanks would be the division titlists or a wild card team.

The real drama was with the Giants-Padres game, which we didn’t get to see.

On the same day, ABC affiliate WEWS showed the Notre Dame-Boston College football game instead of a battle of two top ten teams in Oregon and Stanford which was played at the same time and was also aired on ABC. 

Can we get to see the best games and not the contests the local stations thinks we want to see?

A couple of commercial airing in Cleveland got me wondering.  First is the commercial for Gallucci’s Italian Foods where the owner talks about having to work in the family business while his friends were out playing ball.  The ad is supposed to show how dedicated he is, but instead, he comes off as bitter that he had to do this. 

The other is the commercial for Lady Jane’s, which airs on WKNR where the owner reminds KNR personality Aaron Goldhammer that he doesn’t pay for his haircuts at the establishment.  Look, we get that celebrities get free stuff, but do they really need to flaunt it?  Why not just say that Goldhammer gets his hair cut at the place and leave it at that.

MW

Another baseball season has ended, at least for the Cleveland Indians it has.  The Tribe finished this season with four more wins than they achieved in 2009, finishing at 69-93 for the season, their second consecutive 90-loss season. 

By the way, the last time the Indians had back to back 90-loss seasons was 1977-78, over thirty years ago. 

And of course, the team announced the promotions of several front office people, including Mark Shapiro to team president and Chris Antonetti to general manager.

So, the team has the worst two years in a row in over 30 years, and people get promotions.  Who doesn’t want to work for the Dolan family?

Actually, the only people who need to be replaced are the ones signing the checks.  Until the ownership decides it needs to spend money to make money, the Cleveland Indians are doomed to be a franchise that will contend every once in a while, but won’t be able to sustain it. 

There are other blogs that continue to spout the company line regarding this baseball team, and they can point out how attendance in 2007, a division winning season, did not compare to the Central Division dynasty years of 1995-2001.  But the perception of the fans is that as long as the Dolan’s are running the ship, there is no confidence in the franchise. 

And that is why the people here are reluctant to come out and watch the team play.

Another blog showed the Indians in comparison to teams like the Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Royals, pointing out how many years it has been for those teams to be competitive (1997 for the former, the 1980’s for the latter), thus showing the Tribe in a good light.

However, the Indians’ fans have seen a lot of great players leave the organization in the last five or six years.  Two Cy Young Award winners (C.C. Sabathia and Cliff Lee) and Victor Martinez were all traded in the last three years.  This is following the departures of future Hall of Famers Jim Thome, Manny Ramirez, Roberto Alomar and Omar Vizquel since the turn of the century. 

Who have the Orioles lost?  Mike Mussina left as a free agent after the 2000 season, and the team traded Miguel Tejada, who won an MVP for Oakland, after 2007.  That’s not quite the same now, is it?

As for the Royals, they had star players like Carlos Beltran, Johnny Damon, Raul Ibanez, and Mike Sweeney in 2000, but all but Sweeney were gone by 2005.  And although they are all good players, none carry the resume that Sabathia and Lee have, that is, major award winners.

That’s part of the reason for the malaise of the fans.  They don’t understand why the organization can’t keep at least one of the great players they’ve enjoyed watching over the years.  And that’s why these people point to Minnesota, who was able to keep Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau, while trading Johan Santana and allowing Torii Hunter to leave as a free agent.

Put all these things together, the unwillingness of the ownership to spend money, and therefore having to deal very good players before they hit free agency, and you have what is ailing this franchise. 

Until these things change, the Tribe brass is going to have problems creating excitement about their franchise.  

It’s not a mystery, but it needs to turnaround.  2011 is a good place to start.

MW

The Cleveland Browns continued their struggles in the fourth quarter, but this time they built up enough of a lead to hold on for a 23-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals thus getting their first win of the 2010 season. 

The brown and orange converted a last second field goal at the end of the first half to take a 13-10 advantage, and then took the second half kickoff and drove right down the field on a Peyton Hillis touchdown to extend the lead to 20-10, and then converted a fumble by Bengal QB Carson Palmer to raise the lead to 23-10. 

That gave them enough cushion to withstand an aerial blitz by Palmer from that point on.  He hit on 25 of 36 passes for 371 yards and two touchdowns, finding WR Terrell Owens repeatedly.  Cleveland had no answers for Owens, who caught 10 passes for 222 yards, including a 78 yard catch in the first half. 

In total, Cincy outgained the Browns 413 to 295, as the Cleveland defense allowed the most yards they’ve given up all season, but made enough big plays to win.  The Browns caused two turnovers, both fumbles recovered by DE Kenyon Coleman, and had four sacks, including a key one by LB Matt Roth with the Bengals driving late in the fourth quarter with a chance to tie or perhaps take the lead.  It was the second sack by Roth on the day (Scott Fujita and Coleman had the others).

Cleveland held the Bengals to just 67 yards rushing, but Cincinnati didn’t really try to run, attempting just 18 for the game, choosing instead to take their chances against a secondary that Anquan Boldin exposed last week for three TD receptions.

Outside of Owens, the other Bengal receivers weren’t a huge factor, as the other Cincy diva wide out, Chad Ochocinco had only three catches for 59 yards.

Perhaps the highlight play for the defense was an unnecessary roughness penalty on rookie S T.J. Ward on a devastating hit on Bengal rookie wideout Jordan Shipley after Eric Wright knocked the pass away.  Ward served notice to future Cleveland opponents that they should know where he is on crossing patterns.

Offensively, the Browns used Hillis as a battering ram once again, and he turned in his second straight 100-yard game, gaining 102 on 27 carries, including a huge 24 yard run with two minutes to go, giving Cleveland a first down and allowing them to run out the clock. 

Mohammad Massaquoi wasn’t a factor, which is a concern, but Chansi Stuckey came through catching five balls for 56 yards, and the tight ends had their usual productive day, with Benjamin Watson making six grabs for 60 yards, and Evan Moore making a 24-yard touchdown reception from Seneca Wallace for the Browns’ first touchdown.

Josh Cribbs continues to make strides as a wide receiver as well, making two catches for 24 yards, as well as getting three carries for nine yards out of the wildcat formation. 

Wallace played a solid game, hitting on 18 of 30 passes for 184 yards with the TD pass to Moore and one interception. 

Now, coach Eric Mangini has a problem.  If Jake Delhomme is healthy for next week’s game against Atlanta, does he go with him, or does he stay with Wallace after he led the team to their first victory.  It says here that Wallace should get the nod based on his performance in his three starts.  He’s put the Browns in a position to win in each contest. 

The guess here is that Mangini will go with Delhomme. 

The Browns are making progress.  It sounds strange, but with some luck, they could be 4-0.  If the NFL shortened games to 45 minutes, they would be one of the league’s surprise teams.  Unfortunately, they still play 60 minutes, and the Browns need to learn to do the same.  Sunday’s game was a nice first step.

JD

The Cleveland Indians have completed the home portion of their schedule, and have just three games remaining in the 2010 season, one that will conclude with more victories than last season’s awful 65-97 mark.

The team will be going over the roster in the next few weeks, making evaluations as to who gets added to the 40-man roster, and who will be departing the organization.  Let’s hope good decisions will be made and fans will finally be able to see a competitive ball club in 2011.

That said, here’s hoping the front office is not fooled by these players—

Jayson Nix.  The organization seems enamored by Nix’ power bat, but despite the attempts to make him a third baseman, he really is a second baseman/outfielder.  And his hitting statistics can fool you as well. 

Nix hit a bunch of home run after being picked up on waivers from the White Sox, but several of those were in Texas, a hitting haven.  Since the All-Star break, Nix has hit .234 with a 669 OPS. 

He has an unusually lower RBI total (28) for his 13 dingers with the Tribe as well, probably a result of striking out 74 times in 268 at bats on the season.  That means he has knocked in runners other than himself just 15 times.

In comparable numbers of at bats, Lou Marson (19) and Luis Valbuena (22) have both driven home more runners other than themselves than Nix.  Most people would say than those two have had horrible years at the dish. 

At best, Nix should be fighting for a spot on the Opening Day roster next year.  Being released to create room on the 40-man roster can be an option as well.

Aaron Laffey.  Laffey has two things in his favor.  First, he’s left-handed.  Second, he’s only 25 years old, and sometimes southpaws put it together later in their careers.  Therefore, it’s unlikely he will be released or traded this off-season. 

However, Laffey needs to throw strikes, something that has eluded him over much of his big league tenure.  He’s not a hard thrower so he needs to stay away from walks.  Unfortunately, in 319 innings, he’s walked 128 batters, an average of 3.6 per nine innings. 

Since he’s only struck out 155 hitters, an average of 4.4 per nine innings, that walk total is way too high.  And this year, it’s gotten worse as he’s walked as many as he has fanned.

Laffey deserves a chance to show he can throw strikes consistently, but there’s no way the Indians can count on him to have a significant role on the team next season.

There are other guys the team seems to trust more than most people do.  For example, Mitch Talbot, who has battled injuries the entire second half of the season. 

Talbot has gone 2-5 with a 5.29 ERA after the All-Star game and hitters are batting .300 against him with an 812 OPS.  Plus, the right-hander has walked 68 while striking out just 88, which isn’t a wide enough margin, particularly for a guy who doesn’t throw hard.  And those numbers are after last night’s seven shutout innings against the Tigers.

Talbot should be an option for next year’s rotation, not a lock.

The front office also seems to have soured on a few other players who were with the team this season.  It’s a little surprising that David Huff was not given a September call up, particularly after he started the AAA Championship game.  Huff was terrible here with a 2-11 record and an ERA of over six, but he did win 11 games last season with the Tribe, and is the same age as Laffey. 

Manny Acta was not a fan of Huff’s, but he certainly merits another look. 

Also, Jess Todd didn’t come back either after Columbus ended their season.  That’s a little surprising because he’s been very good at the AAA level and is still just 24 years old.  He struck out nine in his six innings of work with the Indians this summer, and has averaged over a strikeout an inning in his minor league career.

KM

The Cleveland Cavaliers start training camp this week.  It is the first time the entire team will be together after a tumultuous summer, which featured an upset loss in the playoffs to the Boston Celtics and the departure of the team’s best player.

If anyone is feeling bad about the upcoming season, please listen to new coach Byron Scott as he visits the television and print interview circuit.  Scott will change your mind from the gloom and doom forecast for this season’s wine and gold, and have you feeling optimistic about the franchise.