There are many theories that have been bandied about as to why the Cleveland Cavaliers have struggled this season.  I say "struggled", which shows how far the franchise has come since drafting LeBron James.  The wine and gold have a record of 14-9 and currently have one of the four best records in the Eastern Conference.  However, there is no doubt that the team has not played up to expectations.  Why?

 

I would agree with those who say Coach Mike Brown’s rotation needs some work.  Generally, his first substitution of the game occurs with 4-5 minutes to go in the first quarter when Donyell Marshall and Damon Jones replace Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Eric Snow.  This essentially replaces one of the team’s best inside scorers and a pass first point guard with two guys who shoot 3 pointers.  Jones is strictly a long range shooter and Marshall is quickly becoming one.  Slightly over one half of his shots this season have been from beyond the arc.  That’s not helping the offense.

 

What happens is that either the triple duo is hot and blows the game open or they aren’t hitting the shots and what occurred in Saturday’s game against Orlando happens.  The Cavs had a big lead in the first quarter which quickly evaporated.  They jumped out to a big lead by taking the ball to the basket and creating easy shots.  That ended when Jones and Marshall entered the fray.  This early substitution makes the Cavaliers an easier team to defend.  The only driving threat becomes James.  Defenses can settle into zones and take that part of his game away. 

 

Another problem is that Brown uses Marshall at the "4" spot and he cannot defend the new age power forwards in today’s NBA.  Guys like Dwight Howard and Sean May have abused the veteran in the past week.  They have too much bulk and power for Marshall to handle.  So, the defense suffers after the first subbing since Jones would have a problem guarding a boulder.  Thus, the coach’s first personnel move hurts the team on both sides of the ball.

 

This is not to say Jones and Marshall are useless, but they shouldn’t be on the floor at the same time.  A better substitution would be to sub Jones for Snow and Anderson Varajao (if they aren’t going to start him) for Z.  This would give the team more balance on offense and defense.  At this point in his career, Marshall plays more like a "3", but that would limit his minutes since the Cavs have the best small forward in the game.  On the other hand, using him at that spot could result in getting more rest for the King. 

 

One other thing…please give some playing time to Shannon Brown at the off guard spot to spell Larry Hughes.  The rookie from Michigan State is being wasted.  Last Friday, with the Cavs getting a blowout win against Seattle, Brown didn’t get any badly needed minutes because David Wesley was active for that game.  David Wesley!  Brown needs to get on the court and to deactivate him for Wesley makes absolutely no sense. 

 

The season has passed the quarter pole, so the time for trying to see who can play and who can’t should be over.  Guys like Marshall and Wesley aren’t helping.  It’s time to give others a chance.

 

JK  

 

A lot is being made about the Cleveland Browns going 0 for the AFC North in 2006.  There was another "0" that might have been the chief reason for yesterday’s 27-17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.  The Browns failed to convert any third down opportunities during the game, going 0 for 11 in that situation.  The really strange thing was the team had several 3 and 1’s or 3rd and 2’s and used questionable play calling to avoid picking up the first down and keeping possession of the ball.

 

In the first half, offensive coordinator Jeff Davidson seemed to call deep throws on several third and short situations instead of running plays or short tosses to Joe Jurevicius or TE Kellen Winslow or Steve Heiden.  The object of the game is that the offense should stay on the field and try to score points.  Get the two or three yards and keep the recently shaky defense off the field.  I can understand trying the strategy of throwing a deep ball once, but Davidson tried it repeatedly early in the game.

 

Cleveland didn’t try to run the ball much, but that is sound strategy against the Ravens defense.  Remember, the brown and orange used the same game plan in their first meeting with success.  Derek Anderson threw two interceptions, but also had two TD tosses and 226 yards passing.  He acquitted himself very well against a very strong defense.  He deserves to start the rest of this season, if only to see how he can play when the Browns are the better team, which they will be against Tampa Bay and Houston.  Anderson has a quick release and a strong arm.  He also does a good job ball handling on play fakes.  With two wins the next two weeks, wouldn’t the former Oregon State signal caller go into camp as the starter?

 

The injury riddled defense was hurt by big plays.  A 52 yard run by Jamal Lewis, a 77 yard TD pass to Demetrius Williams, and a 42 yard toss to Mark Clayton to set up a field goal that put the game away for Baltimore.  Those three plays accounted for 46% of the total yards gained by the Ravens.  I know that sounds like a Butch Davis justification, but it is merely an indication of how those big plays hurt the defense.  Losing so many starters to injury before and during the game is taking its toll on this team.  However, Leon Williams did play very well at inside linebacker subbing for D’Qwell Jackson. 

 

As previously stated, Cleveland has two winnable games to end the season.  If they can pull off those victories, they would end the season with the same 6-10 record as last season.  That’s not progress.  However, there are some unforeseen circumstances to qualify that mark.  It is a fact that the Browns played a brutal schedule.  Look at a list of the best teams in the NFL.  Chances are the Browns had to play them this season.  Count them off…San Diego 12-2, Baltimore 11-3, New Orleans 9-5.  They did beat two teams in contention for the post season in Atlanta and the Jets.  In order to compete for the playoffs though, they must get better within the division.  Going 1-5 or 0-6 against the Ravens, Bengals, and Steelers is just going to lead to more losing seasons and even more frustration from the fans. 

 

That’s what Phil Savage and Romeo Crennel are faced with in the off season.

 

JD

 

Listen to Cleveland Sports View on blogtalkradio.com Friday nights resuming January 5, 2007.   

 

Now that Ohio State’s Troy Smith won the Heisman Trophy, Browns’ fans everywhere are fantasizing about having the Cleveland native starting at quarterback for the hometown team.  Even ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit said this after Smith won the award Saturday night.  He said the Browns would be insane to pass up the former Glenville signal caller.  However, is that the correct move for the future of this franchise.

 

There certainly is more than one way to build a successful NFL franchise.  Unfortunately, the Browns have not stumbled on one of them as of yet.  It is evident that the brown and orange have more problems that getting a good QB will not cure them all.  You don’t have to be a member of Mensa to see Cleveland needs offensive line help.  LeCharles Bentley may miss the 2007 season as well, and Joe Andruzzi and Cosey Coleman haven’t played effectively either.  Starting tackles Ryan Tucker and Kevin Shaffer aren’t going to the Pro Bowl either.  Two players need to be replaced and maybe change the positions of others.  At least one offensive lineman should be picked in the first two rounds of next spring’s draft.

 

One need people don’t really talk about is at running back.  It appears the Browns squeezed the last very good year Reuben Droughns may have in 2005.  Jason Wright certainly isn’t the answer, so Cleveland should be looking for a guy to tote the pigskin in the draft.  If Oklahoma’s Adrian Peterson is there in round #1, that might be a smarter pick than taking a quarterback. 

 

On defense, the biggest problem area is the line which has problems stopping blockers from getting to the linebackers and they can’t mount a pass rush either.  The linebackers show promise with rookies Kamerion Wimbley and D’Qwell Jackson both playing well.  They should get better with experience.  Andra Davis is average.  In the secondary, the team needs another shutdown corner to go with Leigh Bodden.  This would allow the front seven to take more chances with blitzing.  Davin Holly has done an acceptable job, but is probably better suited as a nickel back. 

 

Without a running game and poor play from the offensive line, how do we know that Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson can’t be good quarterbacks.  Without correcting these problems, it is likely that Smith would be ineffective as the Cleveland QB.  However, Smith has excellent accuracy and he is a winner.  He plays his best when the games are the biggest.  That’s very important.  Heck, Michael Vick is about the same size as Smith and isn’t as good a passer, and he went first overall in the draft.

 

Thinking with my head, and not as an OSU fan, I don’t think it would be wise to take Troy Smith with a top ten pick, which the Browns most certainly will have.  A trade further down in the first round, picking up more picks in the deal might be the wisest course of action.  Let’s say Phil Savage is now picking #20 with a couple of second round picks.  It might be impossible to pass on Troy Smith in that situation.  Providing he is still on the board.

 

KM

 

 

Drew Gooden was injured during warmups of Saturday night’s Cavaliers game against the Indiana Pacers, so Mike Brown was forced to start Anderson Varajao at power forward.  The result was a 32 point blowout win by the wine and gold.  Granted, Indiana is playing shorthanded with big man Jermaine O’Neal currently out, but the Cavs’ problem recently has been not putting inferior teams away early.  Saturday night was a refreshing change.

 

This is not to say Gooden isn’t a useful player, or that GM Danny Ferry should not have re-signed him during the off season.  However, Varajao is the more consistent player at this point, and inconsistent players should come off the bench.  If Gooden comes in and plays well, he gets more time.  If he’s struggling, the coach can get him out of there. 

 

It’s also time that Varajao gets more involved in the offense.  Last season in the playoffs, he became a lethal combination with LeBron James on the pick and roll.  The more time the Brazilian gets, the more comfortable he will become when the Cavs have the ball.  It’s part of the natural progression of the "Wild Thing" as a player.

 

There is no question that the team could use Varajao’s intensity at the beginning of a game.  Too many times this season, the Cavaliers have gotten off to poor starts, generally against poor teams.  This team needs a shot of something at the beginning of games.  It cannot depend on LeBron James to provide everything.  Someone else has to contribute. 

 

Another problem the wine and gold have had is the reliance on the three point shot.  Their average is slightly higher than last year, but it is the timing of the shot that is problematic.  The other night against Toronto, the Cavs were down seven in the third quarter and fought their way into the lead in four minutes.  They followed that up by shooting three point attempts the next four times down the floor.  None connected and Cleveland gave up the lead again.  They are too busy trying to bury a dagger instead of showing they are the better team and build the lead by playing good basketball.  The coach has to stress that this type of play is not needed.

 

I do like that Brown is starting to work both Daniel Gibson and Shannon Brown into the rotation, although I would like to see even more of Brown.  Both rookies lend some quickness to the Cavaliers which is needed on defense as well as offense.  With Sasha Pavlovic going back to his non-existent self, why not give Brown some of his time.  Develop him into the back up for Larry Hughes, because you don’t know how many game Hughes will play in this year.  The Cavs will need both rookies to make a legitimate post season push.

 

Has anyone else realized the Eastern Conference is up for grabs?  Currently, Orlando has the best record, and although they have a beast in Dwight Howard, most of their players have never made it to the playoffs.  Cleveland and Detroit are next in the standings.  With the best player in the league, there is no reason the Cleveland Cavaliers can get to The Finals.  They just need to learn that every game is important, whether they’re playing the Spurs or the Bobcats.

 

JK

 

 

 

Didn’t I see this movie before.  Let me think, it was Christmas Eve 2005 when the Steelers hammered the Browns 41-0 in Cleveland.  The location and score changed, but it was pretty much a re-run of last year as Pittsburgh trampled the Browns 27-7 in the Steel City last night.  I bet the NFL Network was happy it put this debacle on its airwaves.

 

Pittsburgh ran for 303 yards against the Cleveland defense, and gained over 500 yards in total offense overall.  The Browns simply had no answer for Willie Parker, Ben Roethlisberger, and Santonio Holmes who moved through the defense like a hot knife through butter.  The black and gold converted third down opportunities with ease, not allowing the Cleveland defenders to get off the field.  The time of possession took its toll in the second half, as the Steelers scored quickly.  Thankfully, Bill Cowher called off the dogs, took Parker out of the game (after he broke the Steelers’ record for rushing yards in a game), and starting running the ball exclusively.

 

Once again, the Steelers signal caller had all day to throw.  The Browns put no pressure on Roethlisberger at all.  And if they did happen to flush him out of the pocket, he did his normal good job of improvising and making plays on the run.

 

That said, the Browns trailed only 10-0 at halftime and it could have been 10-3 had not Phil Dawson missed a 40 yard field goal.  The team came out throwing, a tactic to negate the Pittsburgh zone blitz, and backup QB Derek Anderson was very effective, firing for 276 yards on a 21 for 37 passing night.  His statistics would have been better had the receivers not had a case of the dropsies.  The offensive line did a good job of protecting Anderson, as he was not sacked at all. 

 

Braylon Edwards demonstrated exactly why he should not be critiquing anyone’s performance by dropping two balls in the first half which stopped drives.  Edwards should shut his mouth until he catches the pigskin on a consistent basis.  Dennis Northcutt dropped several passes, including a simple flair pass which would have produced a first down in the first quarter.  Northcutt should not see the field the rest of the season outside of returning punts.  It’s pretty safe to say the former second round pick will not be back with the team next season. 

 

If not for these dropped passes, the offense could have sustained some drives and kept the defense off the field.  As it was, the Steelers controlled the ball for almost 39 minutes.  That kind of ball control would put any defensive squad in trouble. 

 

Anderson’s performance earned him another look see.  The Ravens are next on the schedule and it would be interesting to see him go against his former teammates to see how he does against another stout defense.  That’s not to say the Browns should give up on Frye, but the more alternatives the team has, the better off it is.  Anderson has done nothing to warrant his benching.  He sets up quickly and appears to have a quick release.  The passing game looks more crisp with him at the helm. 

 

With three games left on the slate, it’s time for the players to play for jobs in 2007.  It’s time to see Isaac Sowells at guard and Travis Wilson at wide receiver.  Why not?  It’s not like Romeo Crennel would be taking Pro Bowl players out of the line up to see them.  At least the last three games would answer some questions for next year.  After last night’s performance, that’s what is remaining of this season.

 

Reminder:  Listen to Cleveland Sports View on blogtalkradio.com tonight at 10PM for more sports opinions. 

 

JD

 

 

 

 

Indians’ GM Mark Shapiro went into the offseason looking for a closer.  Now that the winter meetings are in full force, he’s still looking, but he has added depth to the Tribe’s relief corps.  On Saturday, Cleveland signed right hander Roberto Hernandez and lefty Aaron Fultz, and today it appears they will sign former Marlins closer Joe Borowski to a contract.  All three reportedly signed one year deals, giving the Indians the payroll flexibility that they crave.

 

Shapiro has pointed out that the ballclub is still looking for a closer.  These three guys will simply give Eric Wedge more options in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings.  And since they are all one year deals, there is minimal risk for the Indians.  Which is important in that no one wants to get stuck with a three year deal (see Dannys Baez) if the guy can no longer be effective. 

 

Hernandez is 42, but has been very effective the past two seasons as a set up man.  His batting average against in those years were .228 in ’05 and .248 in ’06.  He was valuable in match up situations last season, holding right handed hitters to a .219 average.  He’s a guy who can pitch to a tough righty or pitch the 7th or 8th if righties are due up.  He can also close, with 326 saves lifetime, although he has not been a closer since the 2002 season with the Royals.

 

Fultz is 33 and basically a match up guy vs. left handed hitters.  He didn’t have a particularly good year in 2006, with an ERA of 4.54.  However, he has held lefties to an OPS of around .650 for his career.  He will be limited to facing one or two lefties in a game.  He’s very comparable to former Indian Jim Poole.

 

Borowski will be 36 next season, and has saved over 30 games in a season twice in his career, including 36 with the Marlins in 2006.  The right hander has held hitters to under a .240 batting average in four of the last five years.  The only year he didn’t accomplish this was in 2004 when he had shoulder problems.  That shoulder is the reason he is only getting a one year deal.  His strikeout numbers did return the level they were at before his arm woes, so perhaps the strength has returned to the joint.  He did benefit from pitching in the large ballpark the Marlins play in, but over the past five years, he has been a solid major league relief pitcher.

 

Some in the media want the Tribe to make a big splash in the free agent market and sign a big name.  When you are dealing with relief pitching, that’s a dicey proposition.  Outside of Mariano Rivera or Trevor Hoffman, you can’t name a back of the bullpen guy who is consistantly effective.  They all have ups and downs.  What Shapiro is doing is giving himself as many options as he can find to pitch the last three innings. 

 

Besides the three free agents, Wedge can choose from Fernando Cabrera, Rafael Betancourt, Matt Miller, Tom Mastny, Jason Davis, Tony Sipp, Edward Mujica, Juan Lara, and Rafael Perez to make up the ’07 relief corps.  They only need half of these guys to pitch effectively.  If the GM can swing a deal for a closer, it should be a solid bullpen with alternatives and depth.  That’s about the best you can hope for with middle relievers. 

 

Tribe fans were spoiled by the success the bullpen had in the late 1990’s.  Guys like Eric Plunk and Paul Assenmacher were good year in and year out.  But think about how dominant Julian Tavarez was in 1995 and how he struggled in ’96.  Jose Mesa was outstanding in ’95 and ’96, and then his career went up and down like a yo-yo.  That’s the nature of relief pitchers. 

 

Maybe these guys will work out and maybe they won’t.  The same can be said for the high priced pitchers the Baltimore Orioles signed.  The difference is that the Indians can release somebody if they don’t work out, Baltimore will be stuck with them for two more seasons.  You tell me who’s making the better decision.

 

MW

 

All of the pundants who thought the Cleveland Browns needed a new coach after getting hammered by Cincinnati a week ago, please raise your hand.  You were wrong!  Any doubt about whether or not Romeo Crennel lost his team was removed after the Browns’ come from behind, overtime 31-28 win over the Kansas City Chiefs at home yesterday afternoon.  The brown and orange played hard, played with passion, and didn’t make many mistakes in the victory, which raised their record to 4-8 on the season.

 

Derek Anderson came off the bench for an injured Charlie Frye and did a great job of moving the team on offense.  However, the Browns moved the ball all day long, even before Frye was hurt.  Frye hit on 11 of his 13 passes and moved the team for two touchdowns in the first half.  Reuben Droughns ran well, and Jeff Davidson opened up the attack with a couple of flea flickers and even had Josh Cribbs take a snap at QB from which he ran for nine yards.  Joe Jurevicius had a big game, catching six passes, and Braylon Edwards made an excellent catch for a touchdown in the first quarter.

 

Kellen Winslow was taken out of the game by the KC defense, but the emphasis on him allowed Jurevicius and Steve Heiden to have big days.  The tight end’s growing maturity showed as he didn’t rant or rave after the game.  That’s what makes him different from Braylon Edwards.

 

One disturbing trend is struggles of the defense.  Over the last ten quarters, the defenders have not stopped anyone.  Granted, the Chiefs have some great weapons in Larry Johnson and Tony Gonzales, as well as quarterback Trent Green, but Kansas City moved the ball up and down the field with relative ease.  Even getting Leigh Bodden back didn’t help the secondary, as Green didn’t have problems finding receivers.  The Browns have done a decent job against the run the past two games.  Johnson didn’t run wild yesterday and Cincinnati’s Rudi Johnson averaged less than 3 yards a carry last week. 

 

Cleveland is getting killed by the pass.  The reason for this is their inability to get any pressure on the opposing quarterback.  Any QB can find receivers when they are getting five or six seconds to throw.  Defensive coordinator Todd Grantham must find a way to get to the passer or else this will continue.  What happened to blitzing?  Do the injuries in the secondary preclude sending extra guys to rush?  If the Browns can’t find a way to get after the passer, Ben Roethlisberger will have a big night Thursday.

 

Here’s hoping fans also don’t expect Anderson to play the same way against the Steelers.  For one, the Chiefs defense is not very good.  Secondly, Pittsburgh will now have some film to look at on the new starter.  Being prepared is half the battle for defensive coordinators.  Here’s hoping the Oregon State product plays well again, but the team has to be prepared if he doesn’t. 

 

Is it my imagination or does the team run the ball better with Kelly Butler at tackle rather than Ryan Tucker?  The Browns ran well against Atlanta in the former Lion’s first start, and ran well yesterday. 

 

Thursday night, it’s the Steelers again.  Remember they were also crushed last weekend by the Ravens, and rebounded to win yesterday against Tampa Bay.  Also, remember they are only 5-7.  They are not a playoff team.  Hopefully after the game here a few weeks ago, the Browns are not intimidated.  The Browns play better away from home.  Maybe they can win two straight for the first time in 3-1/2 years by beating Pittsburgh.  Now that would be a sweet victory.

 

JD

 

As we start a new month, the last month of 2006, I decided it was time to get some stuff off my chest and make a major announcement for readers of this blog.

 

The Cavaliers  The wine and gold have been very inconsistent this year, beating the Spurs and Bulls, but losing to teams like the Knicks and Bobcats.  One of the problems has been the up and down play of many players.  Coach Mike Brown can only count on a few players to do the same thing every night.  Drew Gooden has been like a yo-yo.  Sasha Pavlovic played every well for a few games, and then went back to being a non factor. 

 

One thing that has been a constant has been the poor play of free agent David Wesley and the slump of Donyell Marshall.  Marshall was productive last year, so he deserves time to work out of his funk, but Wesley looks like he has nothing left.  The coach looks like he is starting to work rookies Shannon Brown and Daniel Gibson into the rotation, but still doesn’t trust them enough to extend their minutes. 

 

I would make a move to get off to better starts on a regular basis by moving Anderson Varajao into the starting line up and bringing Gooden off the bench.  Gooden could provide the scoring off the bench that Marshall is not providing right now.  The other thing Brown needs to do is to stop the team from relying on the 3-point shot.  Too often, the Cavs’ are playing well, but allow other teams to get back into the game by starting to jack up 3’s.  No team with LeBron James should be content with settling for the outside shot.  Take the ball to the hole, please!

 

Don’t panic, though.  This team is still one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.  The Heat is struggling. so are the Nets.  The Pistons still look strong, and the Bulls should be improved.  If the wine and gold can straighten out these minor things and give experience to the rookies, they can get to the Eastern Conference finals.

 

The Indians  Does anyone really think Mark Shapiro is not going to make anymore moves this off season?  That’s what you would think from listening to Kenny Roda this week.  They didn’t sign a reliever first?  It’s the end of the world!  Of course, the front office knows the weakness of this club is it’s bullpen, and they will sign or trade for some bullpen help.  Roda wanted the Tribe to sign sidearmer Chad Bradford for the same money they gave David Dellucci.  Bradford is a situational reliever, and most baseball experts can’t believe the Orioles paid that much money for him.

 

Speaking of the WKNR afternoon host, how many baseball writers will he get on his show to point out the non-logic of his thoughts before he learns something.  Last summer, Ken Rosenthal said he was miguided and earlier this week so did the ABJ’s Sheldon Ocker.  Here’s a clue Roadman…Learn something from your guests.

 

Goodbye, Roger  We would be remiss if we didn’t mention Roger Brown’s last raving in The Plain Dealer last Sunday.  Brown continued his idiotic theory that on a neutral field, Michigan would beat Ohio State.  He also took more shots at the Browns’ Coach Romeo Crennel and defended wide receiver Braylon Edwards attack on his own teammate, Brian Russell, and predicted the Cavaliers would lose in the first round of this year’s playoffs.  Quite a send off, Roger.  Adios.  Here’s hoping the PD gives that column to Dennis Manoloff, who would provide some fresh views on Cleveland sports. 

 

Now if only we could get rid of Kenny Roda…

 

Cleveland State hoops  What a difference a good coach can make.  Gary Watters has the Vikings at 5-3, a better record than most thought they would be after eight games.  CSU has beaten a strong program like Kent State, and defeated an ACC team in Miami (FL).  Also, has anyone else noticed that Rutgers, the school Watters coached last year is struggling mightily under new head man Fred Hill.

 

Announcement  Some of our writers are hosting an internet radio show on blogtalkradio.com.  The show airs Friday nights at 10 PM and is called Cleveland Sports View.  Go to blogtalkradio.com, check under the sports category and you can listen.  Feel free to call as well.  The guys would love to hear from you. 

 

JK

 

 

 

Coming into the off season, the Cleveland Indians’ needs were relief pitching, more relief pitching, a second baseman, and a professional right handed bat.  Yesterday, the Tribe signed their first free agent of the winter, inking left handed hitting outfielder David Dellucci to a three year deal.  Dellucci does not fit any of the needs listed earlier.  Why was the Tribe interested?

 

Dellucci just turned 33 years old and is basically a platoon player.  He hit .299 with a .904 OPS against righties in 2006, but had just 20 at bats against lefties last year.  In 2005, he hit only .251 vs. RHP, but belted 28 HR’s in 402 at bats against them.  The ’06 Tribe hit lefties and righties about the same, but with Travis Hafner and Grady Sizemore both being left handed hitters and the best hitters on the team, it doesn’t seem like a another left handed bat is needed.  Although, the Cleveland’s newest addition is a lethal weapon against right handers.

 

Yes, Dellucci can play LF against righties and will probably bat second.  He could platoon in left with Jason Michaels, who hits lefties very well.  It’s a natural fit.  But, what about RF?  Will Eric Wedge platoon in both corner outfield spots, using a combination of Shin-Soo Choo and Casey Blake in right?  Assuming Ryan Garko is the first baseman, the 2007 bench for the Tribe will include backup catcher Kelly Shoppach, an extra infielder (Hector Luna or Joe Inglett), and whoever is not used in the platoon that day.  Granted Blake can play 1B, 3B, and both corner outfield spots, but this leaves no room for a Franklin Gutierrez or a slick glove at SS. 

 

Perhaps the signing is a precursor to a deal involving Choo or Garko or Michaels to bring in some bullpen help.  The Tribe certainly can trade from a position of strength here.  However, considering defense is a priority for next year, Garko would seem to be the most expendable.  That scares me.  Making Casey Blake your everyday 1B is a huge risk.  Blake is solid, but if he reverts to his ’05 performance, it leaves a huge hole at a position where you need offensive production.  That is unless Wedge plans on playing Victor Martinez some at first as well. 

 

This signing makes a unclear situation even murkier.  With the Winter Meetings being held next week in Orlando, maybe things will become clearer.  For now, the offense is improved, but Mark Shapiro has done nothing to help the bullpen.  Everyone agrees that was the area that needs the most repair.

 

UPDATE:  There are rumors the Tribe is talking to the Cubs regarding a deal involving Jake Westbrook.  Supposedly, the Indians would get Cubs’ closer Ryan Dempster among others.

 

MW

 

The Cleveland Browns gave its fans a huge Thanksgiving weekend turkey yesterday as they were embarrassed by the Cincinnati Bengals 30-0 at Browns’ Stadium.  The beatdown including a shouting match on the Browns’ sideline apparently between wide receiver Braylon Edwards and quarterback Charlie Frye.  Although reports now have Edwards yelling at the offensive line, which is still unacceptable.  The second year man should be worried about his own performance before he critiques his teammates and the coaching staff.

 

Edwards made a remarkable comeback from knee surgery to take the field for the opener this season.  However, his performance has been spotty.  He drops far too many balls, is hesitant to go across the middle, and still doesn’t have his breakaway speed back.  He is far from being an All Pro.  Yet, he has not been shy about pointing out other weaknesses on the team. 

 

He spent last week blasting the play calling and Brian Russell for a legal and unfined hit on the Bengals’ Chad Johnson is the teams’ first meeting of the season in week #2.  Why should #17 care about an opposing players getting laid out?  Probably because he wants to join the fraternity of big mouth wide receivers.  The problem for the Browns is that none of those guys (Terrell Owens, Chad Johnson, etc.) have ever won anything.  When Kellen Winslow got after the coaching staff early in the season, it sounded like he was interested in winning and team had a better chance of that with him on the field.  Edwards not only wants to be out there, he wants the ball too.

 

Calling out the offensive line might seem acceptable to some because of their performance, but it is no different than climbing all over Frye.  Edwards isn’t perfect, so why should he expect everyone else to be.  Let he who is sinless cast the first stone.  Edwards shouldn’t be lobbing rocks at anyone wearing the brown and orange.

 

The other thing that bothered me about the game was that no one stood up to the Bengals player who clotheslined Joshua Cribbs following the last Cincinnati kickoff.  The tackle was clearly a cheap shot and the Bengals were penalized for a personal foul.  Yet, not one Browns’ player went after the guy.  Cribbs is one of the best special teams players on the team, maybe even the league, and for another team to take a shot at him, there has to be some retaliation.  Instead, the Browns left the field meekly for the change in position. 

 

This doesn’t bode well for Romeo Crennel, who I continue to feel should get another year.  But, more performances like yesterday, coupled with a complete lack of interest in playing, you have to wonder if he is the right man for the job.  Not having talent is one thing, not hustling enough to compete is another.

 

ALSO…Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of sportscaster Casey Coleman, who passed away this morning from cancer.  Coleman made some mistakes in his life, but owned up to them, unlike others in the spotlight.  His courageous fight with the disease should be a model to all stricken with it.  Rest in peace, Casey.

 

JD