Hoyer’s Lack Of Production Means It’s Time for Manziel

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that one of our central theories in evaluating players is the “can’t do any worse” theory.

Simply put, when looking at a veteran player’s performance, you have to determine whether a young player could do any worse than the incumbent, because it isn’t a stretch to believe the young player will get better with age and experience.

That’s where we are with the Cleveland Browns and their quarterback situation.

In the first nine games this season, Brian Hoyer provided stability at the position. No, he wasnt’ Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, or Aaron Rodgers, but he moved the team and protected the football, leading the Browns to a 6-3 record, one far better than most figured at the beginning of the season.

He threw 10 touchdown passes and just four interceptions in those nine contests.

In the last four games, something has changed. Hoyer has become turnover prone and his inaccuracy has become a huge problem. He’s thrown just one TD pass and six interceptions in those three games. His completion percentage, never high even when he wasn’t turning the ball over, is a paltry 50.8% over that span, which has resulted in two losses.

We understand that players have bad games, but the good ones rebound with a solid game the following week. When a player like Hoyer, who really doesn’t have a proven track record in the NFL has three straight mediocre games, you have to question whether or not he is the guy to lead the team going forward.

And it’s not only protecting the ball either. Hoyer isn’t taking advantage of the turnovers his defense is creating for him.

Against Atlanta, the Browns’ defense handed him the ball twice in Falcon territory and in both cases, Cleveland could only muster a field goal.

And Sunday versus the Bills, Joe Haden picked off Kyle Orton on the second play of the second half, giving the Browns the ball on the Buffalo 30-yard line. This time, the offense was forced to punt the ball away when Hoyer took a critical sack.

That’s the kind of performance you would expect from an average or below average player at the position. And because of that, the Browns need to find out if Johnny Manziel can be a difference maker.

We have said all along that the quarterback who gives the Browns the best chance to win should be the guy who plays, which is what Mike Pettine has always said. Right now, do you really think Manziel gives Cleveland less of a chance of winning?

With all things being equal, why not play the younger, more athletic player? Manziel has more upside and quite frankly, why not see what you have in a first round draft pick.

Had Hoyer been playing at the same level he was during the first half of the season, it would be ridiculous to make such a change in the middle of a post-season race, and make no mistake, despite not having the advantage in the tie breaking scenarios, the brown and orange are right in the thick of the playoff chase.

However, the offense has bogged down and the Browns need to score points to win.

Still, offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan and Pettine need to tell Manziel that possession of the football is a precious thing, and stress to him that the Cleveland formula for winning is the way they played during the first eight games, and that is mistake free/turnover free football.

If you can get the best of what Hoyer did in the first half of the season with Manziel’s arm and mobility, it may be just what the doctor ordered for the Browns.

The time is here. Manziel should get the start against Indianapolis at home this Sunday.

Browns Loss Sure To Be Overshadowed.

The Cleveland Browns were in trouble at halftime even though they were leading 3-0 over the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

Why? Because they pretty much dominated the half and yet had only a three-point lead. Billy Cundiff missed a 37-yard field goal, his third miss inside 40 yards in the last three games.

The Bills had only one sustained drive, and that resulted in Jim Leonhard’s interception in the end zone.

Otherwise, the Browns controlled the game. They had two drives of 15 plays and yet put only three points on the scoreboard.

Once the second half started, once again Cleveland made big plays yet couldn’t do anything.

Bills’ QB Kyle Orton’s second half of the half was intercepted by Joe Haden, giving the brown and orange the ball on the Buffalo 30 yard line.

But the offense could do nothing and a sack of Brian Hoyer resulted in the Browns having to punt, thus getting no points out of the turnover.

And that was really the story of the game. Buffalo got 10 points off of the three Cleveland turnovers, while the Browns didn’t or couldn’t take advantage of the Bills’ two.

Yet, all anyone will be talking about is who will start at quarterback for the Browns next week at home against Indianapolis, because after Hoyer’s second pick, his fifth in the last two games without a touchdown, coach Mike Pettine decided to give first round draft pick Johnny Manziel a shot.

And the rookie took advantage on his first drive, moving the Browns down the field and getting into the end zone himself on a 10-yard run.

He looked poised and in charge, telling players to get in the correct position. He didn’t look like he was unsure at all.

The next time Cleveland got the ball, he looked like a rookie, almost fumbling (the officials ruled his arm going forward) and throwing a 5-yard pass on 4th down and 6, thereby turning the ball over to Buffalo.

Still, we can understand Pettine’s decision.

Hoyer’s chief attribute this season was not making the big mistake and in the last two games he has committed five turnovers, putting undo pressure on the Cleveland defense.

If he’s not going to take care of the football, why not go with the guy with the better arm and more mobility.

That’s not to say that Manziel should be the starter next Sunday. It could be that Pettine and offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan was sending a message to Hoyer that carelessness cannot and will not be tolerated.

Or perhaps the coaching staff feels Manziel is ready to play after watching 11 games from the sidelines, and his time is now.

It’s a delicate decision because only Cincinnati won in the AFC North today, meaning the Browns are still tied for second at 7-5 with the Steelers and Ravens, and don’t forget, the Bengals come here in two weeks.

There is no doubt that whatever Pettine decides it will over analyzed and over discussed.

Hoyer needs to have a strong running game to play well, and the Bills put eight and nine men in the box regularly, determined to stop the run.

Isaiah Crowell had just 29 yards in 17 carries, and even though Terrance West had 32 in seven attempts, his fumble gave the Bills a 14-3 lead when it was returned for a touchdown. Cleveland gained just 2.8 yards in 26 attempts.

On defense, Joe Haden made life miserable for rookie WR Sammy Watkins, who caught just three passes for 11 yards. After a slow start to the season, Haden is showing again why he is an elite cornerback.

Now, the season is into the last quarter, and the Browns, despite today’s loss are right in the thick of the playoff race. So, while fans may want to look toward the future with Manziel, Pettine still wants to win games. He now faces the controversial decision of just who gives him the best chance to do that.

Hoyer Overcomes Mistakes With GW Drive

If Brian Hoyer were so inclined to listen to sports talk shows in Cleveland, he had to be thinking there would be overwhelming support for his back up after his last interception, his third of the game, this one to Dezmen Southworth, set up Atlanta with excellent field position to take a 24-23 lead with under a minute remaining.

However, the Falcons kicked the go ahead field goal with :49 remaining and their defense had been a sieve the entire game.

So, much like his first start as a Brown last season, which coincidentally was WR Josh Gordon’s first game back from suspension in 2013, Hoyer ignored the three picks and put Cleveland kicker Billy Cundiff in position to win the game from 37 yards out.

Cundiff converted and the Browns are now 7-4 on the season, and continue to be in the chase for a playoff spot in the AFC.

While the Manzealots will continue to call for Hoyer’s benching, there is no doubt he will continue to start and play until Mike Pettine’s crew is mathematically eliminated from post-season consideration.

Make no mistake, Hoyer’s two interceptions in the fourth quarter in a game that the Browns needed to win were horrible throws and decisions.

The first one in the end zone, a back leg throw picked by Desmond Trufant, came on first and goal from the Atlanta six yard line. The smart play, the obvious play is to throw the ball into the stands. Hoyer couldn’t or didn’t get it there, and a chance to build on a 23-21 advantage went out the window.

The defense held that time, giving Cleveland the ball on their own 16 with 3:46 left. The way Atlanta’s defense had performed all day, it was certainly an amount of time where the Browns could run the ball and run out the clock.

Instead, following an eight yard run by Isaiah Crowell, and a false start on rookie guard Joe Bitonio, making it 2nd and 8, the Browns’ QB threw a deep throw over the middle to TE Gary Barnidge that was almost picked off, and did throw an interception on a sideline throw on the next play to Southworth.

Too many unnecessary risks taken by Hoyer and offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan.

Particularly when the Browns were gaining 5.6 yards per average running play. Crowell ran for 88 yards on 12 attempts and fellow rookie Terrance West gained 62 more on 14 carries.

Why not continue to run it down the throat of the Falcons, they couldn’t stop it all day?

We believe the hardest thing for pro offensive coordinator is to NOT pass the ball.

Atlanta threw the ball 43 times plus three sacks, so they called 46 passing plays compared to 23 runs when the Browns weakness on defense is running the football.

Granted, the Falcons only gained 63 yards on those 23 attempts, but they really made no attempt to established a ground game either, and with their defense, it would be in their best interest to keep the pigskin in their hands.

The big news coming into the game was Gordon’s return and he did not disappoint, grabbing eight throws for 120 yards and reminding everyone what a beast he is. He picks up a ton of yards after the catch because he is tough to bring down.

His presence made things easier for everyone. The ground game picked up and Andrew Hawkins (5 catches, 93 yards) and Miles Austin (6 catches, 64 yards)

The banged up defense responded somehow with three sacks of Matt Ryan, two by Paul Kruger and an interception by Joe Haden. Unfortunately, the Browns could only turn the two Falcon turnovers (a fumble caused by Kruger’s sack) into two Billy Cundiff field goals.

Cundiff responded from his horrible miss last week with four field goals, included the game-winner. Spencer Lanning punted just once, after the first drive of the game.

So, it’s on to Buffalo (or somewhere) to play the Bills and another week of people saying Manziel should be the starting quarterback.

However, if it were Aaron Rodgers who did what Hoyer did today, it would be reported how he overcame a bad game to lead his team to victory. That will be heard with deaf ears in Cleveland.

Cavs’ Defense Needs to Start With Guards

The most recognized weakness experts thought the Cleveland Cavaliers would have going into the season was on the defensive end, and to this point in the campaign, that has been the case.

The wine and gold currently rank 24th in the NBA in points allowed at 104.3, 7th from the bottom, and are third last in the association in defensive field goal percentage, allowing opponents to make 48.4% of their shots.

In regard to the points, the Cavs are scoring 106.7 points per night, meaning they are outscoring their opponents by 2.4 points a game.

In defending three-point shooting, Cleveland is in the middle of the pack, allowing a 35.8 % rate, meaning the bigger problem is inside the three-point arc.

Now, this is no question that the defense is definitely affected by the number of new people on the roster. Playing well on that end of the floor requires knowing where your teammates are and having the trust that if you leave your man to help, someone else will cover for you.

That comes from playing together, and there isn’t a question here that the Cavaliers will be a better defensive team after the All Star Game than they are right now.

However, any improvement to be made on the defensive end has to come with a better effort from the backcourt, particularly Kyrie Irving.

First, let’s remember that a good portion of defense is “want to”. Working hard on that end of the floor is half the battle.

Let’s also remember that Irving has plenty of quickness. He is a superb penetrator on offense with the ability to seemingly get to the rim any time he wants to. So, there shouldn’t be any reason why the likes of Ty Lawson and Rajon Rondo blow past him time and time again during a game.

When this happens, we all know what comes next. Either Tristan Thompson, Anderson Varajao, or Kevin Love have to stop the man going to the basket, allowing a player like Rondo to dish to the vacated teammate. Rondo wound up with 16 assists against the Cavs last Friday night, and Lawson had 12 last night.

What is puzzling is that Rondo is not renown as a good shooter from outside and Lawson was 0 for 6 from behind the arc last night. This begs the question, why not give either player a step defensively and force them to beat you from outside first?

It still comes back to Irving making a commitment to be a solid player on the defensive end. Yes, it’s still early in the season and to be sure, LeBron James has to be in his ear about getting better in that area, but the two-time all-star has to get better on that end of the floor.

David Blatt cannot continue to have to put James or Shawn Marion on the opposition’s point guard when Irving can’t handle the job. They will get worn out sooner than later.

When Matthew Dellavedova gets back, you may see him take that responsibility at the end of games.

The point is this, Kyrie Irving has too much ability to be this poor of the defensive player and any improvement in this area for the Cavaliers rests on him being able to stop the parade on opposing guard going toward Cleveland’s basket.

As Cavs’ announcer Austin Carr likes to tell the story of what Jim Chones would say to him when he didn’t keep his man in front of him. Chones would tell him he was going to let him score, rather than pick up a foul.

This edition of the Cavaliers can score the basketball, but they won’t be an elite team, a championship team until they can stop the other team. Irving is the key to making that happen.

Browns Performance Workmanlike, Dominant

Anybody else doubt that things are different for the Cleveland Browns under Mike Pettine?

The Browns broke their losing streak against divisional foes on the road with a dominating performance at Paul Brown Stadium, winning 24-3 over the Bengals to move into a first place tie with the Steelers at 6-3.

It’s the most wins for Cleveland since 2007 when they went 10-6.

Pettine likes to use the expression “play like a Brown”, and tonight his entire team did just that. They played tough defense, ran the ball effectively, and avoided mistakes.

First, the running game returned for Kyle Shanahan’s offense as the three-headed monster of Terrance West, Isaiah Crowell, and Ben Tate combined for 170 yards on the ground with each scoring a touchdown. West was the feature back, getting 94 yards on 26 carries. And Crowell reemerged to give the offense a boost in the second quarter.

Brian Hoyer was incredibly efficient, completing 15 of his 23 throws for 198 yards, with Miles Austin being the primary target. Austin caught five throws for 48 yards.

On a windy night, Shanahan obviously wanted to keep the ball on the ground, and his offensive line and backs didn’t let him down.

The offense played efficiently. The defense was dominant.

In fact, it was the kind of defense fans thought they were going to see from the opening game, as they held Cincinnati to just a measly 165 yards in total offense, and QB Andy Dalton was particularly dreadful, completing only 10 of 33 passes for just 86 yards. He compounded that by throwing three interceptions, including one on the Bengals’ first drive, which was picked off by Craig Robertson.

Joe Haden was criticized early in the season when he struggled a little bit, but tonight, he took All Pro wide receiver A.J. Green completely out of the game, as Green caught only three passes for 23 yards.

Another player who gets called out when beaten on big plays, Buster Skrine, picked off two passes. Truth be told, Skrine is a solid NFL cornerback and is excellent in the slot.

Besides the interceptions, Dalton was also sacked twice on successive plays by DE Desmond Bryant in the third quarter.

And the Cincinnati running game wasn’t a factor either, getting just 86 yards on 22 carries, an average of less than four yards per carry. It was by far the Browns best performance against the running game all season.

Cleveland dominated the time of possession, holding the ball for 36 minutes, partially because of the success of the running game, but also because Jim O’Neil’s defense held Cincy to just three of 17 on third down conversions.

In short, the Browns has an answer for everything that Cincinnati threw at them.

Punter Kevin Huber was perhaps the busiest Bengal, having to kick the ball away to Cleveland eight times.

The win ensures that Cleveland will be playing meaningful football in November and should be in the mix for an extended period. That, of course, should end any thought of playing Johnny Manziel unless Hoyer is injured.

The Browns have won two divisional games in dominating fashion and the two games they lost were on field goals on the last play of the game. In order to be a playoff team, you have to be competitive within the AFC North.

Right now, the Cleveland Browns have shown the rest of the teams in the division they can no longer be taken lightly. And they showed the nation they are no longer the doormats of the NFL.

It Isn’t Easy to Dominate NFL Teams, Even the Bad Ones.

Cleveland Browns’ fans overestimated this team after they routed the Pittsburgh Steelers in week six. With Jacksonville, Oakland, and Tampa Bay coming up on the slate, most supporters figured three blowout wins would follow and the Browns would go to Cincinnati with a 6-2 mark.

However, that’s not how the NFL works.

Instead the Browns lost to the Jaguars, and then won two home games, both in workmanlike fashion, and head to the Queen City at 5-3, still very much in the playoff race as the calendar turned to November.

The truth is that the Browns are not an elite NFL team, they aren’t even a very good team. They are in the middle of the pack, and that is good enough to play meaningful football at this point in the season.

After years of hopelessness regarding this football team, we should all be excited about that.

Cleveland’s offense couldn’t get into the end zone in the first half, getting only three Billy Cundiff field goals (49, 29, and 43 yards) and trailed going into the locker room 10-9.

After a touchdown a little less than six minutes into the second half, Mike Pettine’s team took a 16-10 lead.

The lead was short-lived, as the Bucs’ went deep to Johnny Manziel’s former teammate at Texas A & M, Mike Evans, caught a 24-yard throw from Mike Glennon to give Tampa a one point lead.

But Brian Hoyer led the Browns back, hitting rookie WR Taylor Gabriel (with the aid of a crushing block by Terrance West) to give the home team a lead it would never surrender.

As we said before, it isn’t easy in the NFL.

Look at today’s results. Cincinnati didn’t blow up Jacksonville either, although they did beat them, and San Diego, thought to be one of the AFC’s best teams, were dominated by Miami, losing 37-0.

Earlier this year, this same Tampa Bay team went into Pittsburgh and beat the Steelers.

Style points do not matter, but wins do, and right now the Browns have collected five of them, one more than they had all of last season. In fact, the last time Cleveland won more than five games in a season was 2007, when they went 10-6.

That’s not to say the Browns are a team without problems.

The running game continues to sputter without Alex Mack, averaging less than two yards per carry again (50 yards in 28 attempts), and Mack’s replacement, Nick McDonald was dominated by Tampa Bay DT Gerald McCoy, who sacked Hoyer twice.

Another problem is the run defense, which to be fair, did improve in the second half, but still allowed 113 yards in total. Former Brown, Bobby Rainey, deemed unusable by Joe Banner and Mike Lombardi, picked up 87 yards on 19 carries.

Defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil did make an adjustment in the second half, as Rainey gained just 17 yards on his last nine carries.

The special teams were also a huge factor in today’s win. Billy Winn blocked a field goal in the first quarter, and Craig Robertson blocked a punt that set up the winning touchdown. It was the second blocked punt of the season, and both were major factors in victories. We can’t remember the last time a Cleveland special teams unit blocked two punts in a season.

Donte Whitner had his best game as a Brown too, getting an interception off a pass batted away by Joe Haden, and he forced a fumble on a play that was called back because of a penalty. The former Glenville product is starting to make his presence felt.

And we have to mention Hoyer, who threw for 300 yards despite two interceptions, one a horrible throw, and the other off a deflection. He evened up the two picks by throwing two touchdown passes.

It’s a short week for both the Browns and Bengals as they play Thursday night. Because the AFC North is so good and so bunched up in the standings, any divisional game is huge.

Cleveland is 5-3, but they need to start playing better if they want to stay in the race for a playoff spot.

Browns Formula For Winning Today Is What We Expected

The Cleveland Browns didn’t lose to another winless team this evening, defeating the Oakland Raiders, 23-13 to run their record to 4-3 on the season. This means they have already won as many games as they did all last year and they still have nine games remaining.

They also demonstrated that Alex Mack may just be the MVP of the AFC this morning, because since he went out, Cleveland has had all kinds of problems running the football. They gained just 39 yards on the ground in 25 attempts, a paltry 1.6 yards per carry.

If the Browns can’t correct this, they will have a huge problem on offense the rest of the season.

In reality, the last two games for the Cleveland Browns were what everyone thought they would be in the off-season, a strong defense and an offense that would put just enough points on the board for victory.

The Browns’ defense had three sacks and three turnovers and two of those turnovers set up the offense for scores on a day where the running games was once again non-existent.

Mike Pettine’s crew had a 9-0 lead as they couldn’t get in the end zone again, and with the Raiders getting two field goals late in the second quarter it looked shaky for the home team.

Three straight three and outs for the offense didn’t exactly inspire confidence, and following a punt, the Raiders started a drive on their own nine, and started moving down the field until the play of the game.

On a 2nd and 6 from the Browns’ 29, Darren McFadden was stripped by Donte Whitner and when the ball popped in the air, it landed in the arms of Joe Haden, who returned it to the CLE 47.

Four plays later, QB Brian Hoyer hit Andrew Hawkins with a 4 yard TD pass and that extended the advantage to 16-6. From then on, the Browns were in control of the game.

Raiders’ QB Derek Carr played up to his norm so far this season, that is to say, he put together a good statistical game, but didn’t put points on the scoreboard. Oakland came into the game one of the worst scoring teams in the NFL.

The Browns defense looked shaky against the run on the game’s first drive, allowing 23 yards on the first two Oakland runs, but after that, the Raiders gained just 48 yards on the next 20 attempts, so the opponents’ running game was not a factor.

Paul Kruger had three sacks and a forced fumble and Tashaun Gipson had another interception, his fifth of the year as he continues to make a case for a Pro Bowl berth.

And Haden was in on nine tackles and broke up several passes in his best game of the year, and first round pick Justin Gilbert also played the best contest of his young career.

Hoyer hit on 19 of 28 throws for 275 yards and the TD toss to Hawkins, but still made a couple of throws that should have been picked off by Oakland defenders, something his critics will no doubt bring up tomorrow.

Hawkins was his main target, grabbing seven catches for 88 yards, and TE Jordan Cameron was a factor early as well (3 receptions, 40 yards) before leaving with a concussion just before halftime.

However, whatever is ailing the running game has to be addressed before next Sunday’s game against Tampa Bay. Although Mack is an all pro, he cannot be that much of a difference in this area. There has to be other adjustments that have to be made to get the running game going once again.

Defenses are stacking men in the box to try to make Hoyer beat them, so it may have to start with short throws on first down to get the opponents on their heels just a bit.

And once again, something has to be done with the punt return unit. Travis Benjamin went back there after a few weeks off, but fumbled his second return.

With another home game next week, the Browns are 4-3 and just a half game out of first in the balanced AFC North. After several years in a losing abyss, that’s a nice thing to say as the schedule moves into November.

Jags Stuff the Run, Offense Couldn’t Handle It.

Cleveland Browns’ fans have a history of over reacting and it showed up again today.

After the Browns’ huge win over the Steelers last week, supporters of the team starting talking about how the team had turned the corner.

The Jacksonville Jaguars reminded everyone today that although the Browns have indeed improved, there is a long way to go, defeating the Browns 24-6.

We have sung the praises of Brian Hoyer after the first four games, but Jags’ coach Gus Bradley decided to see just how good Hoyer is, and put the game on his arm by playing nine men in the box on a regular basis, and stuffing the best things about the Cleveland offense after five games, the running attack.

Kyle Shanahan’s offense gained just 69 yards on 30 carries, an average of just over two yards a crack, and that put the entire onus on moving the ball on Hoyer’s right arm. And he had a bad day.

Meanwhile, the weakness on the Cleveland defense also killed them, the inability to stop the run. The Jaguars had one of the worst running games in the NFL coming into the game, but they ran for 174 yards today.

Once again, we will reiterate. If you can’t run the ball, and you can’t stop the run, it is difficult to win in the National Football League.

And add in three turnovers, two by Hoyer (fumble being hit while throwing, and an interception), and a horrible decision to try to catch a punt inside the five yard line by Jordan Poyer, and it became a recipe for defeat.

Also, to be sure, other teams will copy this formula to stop the Cleveland running game, and it is up to Shanahan to devise a counter for what Jacksonville did to his offense.

It certainly didn’t help that Hoyer was inaccurate either. He completed just 16 of 41 throws for 215 yards, and for the first time this year, he couldn’t guide the team into the end zone.

The best way to combat the Jags’ philosophy is to throw on first down with so many players near the line of scrimmage, but Hoyer couldn’t hit on some short throws early, and add in some drops by receivers as well, and they seemed to be in second and third and long all day, in direct contrast with the season’s first five contests.

Many will point to Mike Pettine’s gamble late in the first half with Cleveland leading 6-0, to go for it on fourth down from the Jacksonville 24-yard line with two minutes to go. They failed and the momentum switched. The Jaguars suddenly had hope.

The defense tried its best to keep the Browns in the game with three interceptions of rookie QB Blake Bortles, two by Tashaun Gipson and another by Buster Skrine in the red zone.

Bortles threw for just 159 yards on the day, but once again the defense couldn’t contain the ground game and that made it is easier for Bortles, who hurt the Browns in the second half with some read option plays.

Keep in mind, even with all of the problems Cleveland had today, this was very much a game until Poyer dropped the punt with a little over six minutes to go. It was a 10-6 game at that point.

Pettine and GM Ray Farmer simply have to shore up the punt returner spot, as it has been a problem all year.

With the next two games against losing teams and at home, here’s hoping today’s defeat was a wake up call that the Browns aren’t as good as they thought they were.

The coaching staff should be held accountable too, they seemed to coach like the Jaguars had no chance to win, and it came back to bite them.

Playoff teams would have found a way to win this game, it just shows the Browns aren’t there quite yet.

Will Bosh’s Feelings Affect Love?

We have always had the thought that everyone likes to win, but we’d rather have players that hate to lose.

We will find out this season if the Cleveland Cavaliers have enough of the latter.

All of the holdovers from last season’s team have to be thrilled to have players like LeBron James, Kevin Love, Mike Miller, and Shawn Marion join the roster, because the days of finishing under .500 are over. The sheer talent brought in this off-season pretty much guarantees that.

However, if all of those players loathe losing, then the Cavs have a chance to be something special.

We bring this up because of Chris Bosh’s comments today about playing with a guy like James, more specifically the adjustments that Kevin Love will have to make coming from being the best player on a also-ran to being the second or third best player on a great team.

We agree with Bosh that some guys can make that transition and other guys can’t.

Going back in NBA history, we can think of at least two times where a superstar player subjugated his game for the good of the team.

The first is when Wilt Chamberlain did it twice, first with the 1966-67 Philadelphia 76ers, and again with the Lakers in 1971-72.

In the first case, The Big Dipper’s scoring average dropped from 33.5 to 24.1 and his assist total jumped from 5.2 to 7.8 playing with the likes of Hal Greer, Chet Walker, and Luke Jackson.

With the Lakers in 71-72, Chamberlain’s scoring average dipped drastically again from 20.7 to 14.8, allowing Jerry West, Gail Goodrich, and Jim McMillian to do the heavy lifting in the scoring department.

Earl Monroe made a similar transition when he went from prolific scorer with the Baltimore Bullets (20.0 plus average) to fit in with a very good New York Knicks group.

In recent times, we saw the Boston Celtics put together Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen to go with Paul Pierce, and win a title in their first year together. All three had to change their games for the greater good.

If you think that is normal, think about how many titles Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant could have one if either decided taking a step back was worth it to collect more hardware.

The fact that the situation in Miami the past few seasons seems to irritate Bosh slightly is probably the reason it didn’t work in the long run. And if Bosh hated losing, he wouldn’t have cared how many touches he would be getting, as long as the Heat kept collecting Larry O’Brien Trophies.

Comparing Love to Bosh, remember that Love wanted to come here once James announced his return because he wanted to escape the losing. He didn’t come to Cleveland as part of a plan devised by friends while playing together on the US National team.

Plus, passing has always been a part of Love’s game, going back to his college days. We were struck watching him at UCLA the good court vision he had, and that was before he became an outside shooting threat.

Only time will tell of course, but it seems that Love has the disdain for losing that is needed to play with James. There is no question that players like Love, Miller, Marion, etc. came to Cleveland not only to play with LeBron, but to play with him knowing a title was very much possible.

The bigger question is can they all, including James, sacrifice individual stats to accomplish that goal.

Another huge question is how the holdover Cavs handle the culture change as well. With the youth in that group, that could be the bigger challenge.

Shapiro’s Message Isn’t the One Fans Want to Hear

There was a lot of conservation today regarding Indians’ president Mark Shapiro’s interview with Kevin Kleps in Crain’s Cleveland Business. Most of the discussion had to do with Shapiro’s comment that the Tribe will use every method they can find to improve the team other than “the highest level of free agent”.

In reality, that’s understandable.

If you look at the list of free agents, particularly hitters, which is the team’s biggest need, it consists of a lot of players in their 30’s, an age where skills are declining.

To be fair, to get one of those players, the franchise would have to get involved with a bloated deal, which runs for longer than the player is useful.

We get that, and most intelligent baseball fans understand it.

However, to say it this while most ticket buyers are still a little upset that the Indians did not make the playoffs, probably isn’t the smartest thing to say, particularly if you already have an attendance problem.

Shapiro thinks he is just being honest and realistic, but he’s now dealing with a fan base that has seen two of the biggest stars in basketball choose to come to Cleveland, and the Browns have a national face in Johnny Manziel.

If the front office is going to make any public statement, it should be something like they are disappointed not to make the post-season in 2014 and the organizational goal is to win a World Series, and everything we do this off-season is working toward that goal.

That isn’t saying you are going to go hog-wild and spend millions and millions of dollars. But it is proclaiming to everyone that the Cleveland Indians organization is about winning, a thought that many baseball fans in the area don’t think is the case.

Instead, fans get more talk about budgets and positives.

We hate to bring up the past, but when the Dolan family bought the team, they told everyone they would spend when it was appropriate.

Our question is when will it be more appropriate than right now.

They say the name of the game in baseball is pitching, and over the last two months of the season, the Tribe’s starting pitching was championship quality.

Cleveland now has an ace at the top of the rotation in Corey Kluber, who will no doubt finish in the top two in this year’s Cy Young Award voting. To compliment Kluber, they have a cadre of young, hard throwers in Carlos Carrasco, Danny Salazar, and Trevor Bauer.

Adding another arm to compete with lefty T. J. House, Zack McAllister, and Josh Tomlin, along with some much-needed hitting to put the 2015 Indians in position to be right where the Orioles and Royals are right now, a chance to get to the World Series.

Again, we understand the market constraints and the probability the Indians can’t (or won’t) support a $100 million payroll. However, isn’t this off-season the time to get out of their $80-$85 million “comfort zone”, and add another $10-$15 million to get this team the help it needs?

We realize that high payrolls don’t always result in a playoff spot or a title, but it helps, and both Kansas City and Baltimore aren’t in the upper echelon in terms of salaries, they do outspend the Indians.

The television ratings show there is interest in the Cleveland Indians, it’s time the ownership and front office gave the fans a reason to buy tickets to Progressive Field. That reason is showing they want to win and win now.