Tribe Front Office Can’t Rest Yet

Compared to the recent past off-seasons, the Cleveland Indians have been extremely busy this winter, but they can’t stop there.

There are still a couple of holes to fill if the Tribe wants to contend for an AL Central Division title in 2013.

They still need one more bat and one more starting pitcher.

The hitter is needed because although the lineup is improved from last year by signing Mark Reynolds to replace Casey Kotchman, and getting Drew Stubbs to take the place of the hodge-podge of people who played in leftfield a year ago.

Still, both of those guys aren’t the most stable options in the world and would only be viewed as an upgrade in Cleveland. Also, keep in mind the Indians need a DH as well.

Reynolds has averaged 33 home runs a year in his five full seasons in the major leagues, but his total dropped off by 14 last year (37 to 23), although he played in 20 last games.

Add in the fact that he strikes out excessively and he’s hit over .250 only twice in six big league seasons, and the front office should recognize that there is a possibility that Reynolds could hit .220 with 20 HRs this season.

While that would be better than Kotchman, it would still rank near the bottom in terms of production among all AL first basemen.

As for Stubbs, had GM Chris Antonetti acquired him after the 2010 season, it would be viewed much more favorably. That year, Stubbs hit .255 with 22 HR, 77 RBI and a 773 OPS. At age 25, the hope was he would be improving on those numbers as he approached his prime.

However, the outfielder’s number have declined since then, dropping to a .213 average with 14 HR, 40 RBI, and a 610 OPS.

The question has to be whether or not Stubbs can reverse his career in Cleveland, although he will do so in a less favorable hitters’ park than the one in Cincinnati.

So Antonetti should be working on some contingency plans at both spots as well as finding a DH. It doesn’t make anyone warm and fuzzy than the possibilities is replacing Reynolds with Lou Marson, moving Carlos Santana to first base, or moving Nick Swisher to first and playing someone like Tim Fedroff in RF.

As for Stubbs, you would be looking at someone such as Ezequiel Carrera replacing him in the batting order.

On the mound, we would all feel more comfortable if the starting rotation still wasn’t relying on Ubaldo Jimenez.

Right now, Jimenez is slotting in the #2 or #3 spot along with Justin Masterson and Brett Myers, with Carlos Carrasco, Zack McAllister, and Trevor Bauer among others competing for the last two spots to open the season.

The way Jimenez pitched since coming to Cleveland, it would be better if Antonetti picked up another reliable starting pitcher, sliding the inconsistent right-hander to the fourth or fifth spot in the rotation.

Perhaps new pitching coach Mickey Calloway and Terry Francona can straighten out Jimenez’ seemingly horrible mechanics and get him to be more consistent. Until proof of that exists, you have to assume that the righty will continue to be up and down more than an elevator.

The Indians have to have better than that from a top of the rotation starter if they want to contend. If Ubaldo is in the #4 or #5 slot and he doesn’t pitch effectively, it’s not a huge problem. Right now the Tribe is too dependent on Jimenez for their success.

It is doubtful that Antonetti is sitting on what he has done this off-season, still it would be nice to do something before spring training convenes in a month, rather than during the exhibition season when the price could be higher.

Let Chud Coach A Game First

Of course, for fans of a football team with just two playoff appearances in the last 18 years, the hiring of Rob Chudzinski by the Cleveland Browns was met with a great deal of negativity.

However, if the whole fiasco surrounding Oregon coach Chip Kelly hadn’t taken place, would these people feel any differently?

Even though Kelly hasn’t spent one day in the NFL as an assistant coach or head man, he was a big name and would have created a big splash and a buzz with the Browns’ fan base.

The reality is no one really knows what kind of head coach Rob Chudzinski will be until he coaches a few games in the regular season.

As Plain Dealer columnist Terry Pluto wrote, Steelers fans probably weren’t thrilled about the hire of Mike Tomlin, nor were Raven fans ecstatic when they found out John Harbaugh was their new head coach. Neither was a “hot” candidate when they got the job.

On the converse side, look at the cases of Norv Turner, who is a favorite to be Chudzinski’s new offensive coordinator, and Wade Phillips, currently the defensive coordinator for Houston.

Turner was the OC with the Dallas Cowboys for many years when that team was winning Super Bowls. He directed an offense led by QB Troy Aikman, RB Emmitt Smith, and WR Michael Irvin. He is a great coordinator.

However, his record as a head coach is disappointing to say the least. In 16 years with the Redskins, Raiders, and Chargers, Turner’s record is just 114-122-1, a .483 winning percentage. His teams made the playoffs just four times.

Phillips has a great reputation as a defensive coach, and he has made the Texans a contender by making them stronger on the defensive side of the football. However, although his regular season record as a head coach is better than Turner’s (82-61 in stints with Denver, Buffalo, and Dallas, plus interim stints with the Saints and Falcons), he has won just one playoff game in five appearances.

The point is just because you are a great coordinator, it doesn’t translate into success as a head coach.

And as Tomlin and Harbaugh show us, sometimes a candidate who seemingly comes out of nowhere can be a big winner as a head coach. That’s why any judgment on Chudzinski should be reserved until he coaches a game.

He has had success as a coordinator, most notably with the Browns in 2007 and with the Panthers in 2011. The Browns ranked 8th in the league in points scored in ’07, while the Panthers ranked 5th in ’11.

His offenses have ranked in the top 12 three times in his five years as a coordinator, and his rushing attacks have been in the top ten three times, showing not only that he will make good use of Trent Richardson, but also he’s not a guy who falls in love with the passing game.

You can still hear fans disappointed that Jimmy Haslam III and Joe Banner didn’t hire Bill Cowher, Tony Dungy, or Jon Gruden, the holy trinity of former NFL coaches. Those fans are delusional. Those guys don’t want to coach anymore. They make a lot of money talking about the game and don’t have to suffer through the possibility of losing games each week.

Who knows if Rob Chudzinski will be successful in his new gig? No one. Going into the process, many people said if Haslam and Banner were wowed by a candidate, they should hire him.

They shouldn’t be criticized because that guy was Rob Chudzinski and not Chip Kelly.

Cavs Pass With Fans is Beginning to Wane

The Cleveland Cavaliers are becoming a frustrating basketball team.

After losing superstar LeBron James to his much-celebrated free agency, most of the hoops fans in this city have given them the space to rebuild.

The fact that James didn’t give any clue to the team that he was intending to leave, and that the Cavs management had no Plan B, the following season was a disaster that everyone expected.

The wine and gold went 19-63, and wound up with two picks in the top four of the NBA draft thanks to a trade with the Clippers for Mo Williams.

The following year, armed with the first overall pick in Kyrie Irving, who wound up being the NBA Rookie of the Year, the team improved to 21-45 in a lockout shortened season. This record projects to a 26-56 record for a full 82 game slate.

A seven game improvement is a good start toward the road to respectability.

However, this season has been a huge step backwards. The Cavs currently sit at 8-28 on the season, which projects to an 18-64 season, which puts them right back to where they were the after James went to Miami.

We want to trust Chris Grant and Byron Scott, but right now, it is difficult to do that when the young Cavaliers play so inconsistently. They seem to play to the level of their opponent, which is scary for such a young team.

These guys should be happy to be playing professional basketball and shouldn’t be taking nights off against anybody, especially when their record is so poor. The worst road teams in the NBA have wins on their resume against the Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. That’s not a good sign.

While no one misses Antawn Jamison’s shot selection or poor defense, it is obvious that his veteran leadership is missed. With Anderson Varejao now out 6-8 weeks, there is no one on this roster who provides guidance for the youngsters. Luke Walton has been around the league for a long time, but doesn’t get enough minutes to be a leader to the young roster.

That has to fall on GM Chris Grant for not bringing in someone who can show these players how to act and play like a professional. That’s probably a big reason Scott and Grant brought in Shawn Livingston. He’s a veteran and has a good feel for the game.

Because they have so many young players, the Cavaliers have horrible shot selection. They hoist up a lot of ill-advised three point shots, and too often the ball in monopolized by one player, usually Irving.

That comes down to coaching. Scott and his staff need to remind players that they are usually that wide open for a reason, the defense wants them to shoot.

Also, there doesn’t seem to ever be any low post presence, even when Varejao was healthy. It is understandable that rookie Tyler Zeller isn’t strong enough at this point to not get pushed out of the post, but there is no law that says the center has to be the guy to post up.

Perhaps it is Alonzo Gee or perhaps Irving or Dion Waiters who can line up near the basket on offense. There has to be some option.

The fans are starting to get a little angry. After a nice increase in the win total last year, the wine and gold have taken a step backward. As long as progress was being made, there is optimism, but the way the Cavaliers have played this year has some people worried.

Browns Can Have Open Search for Coach Now

The Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and CEO Joe Banner had a press conference last Monday announcing the firing of coach Pat Shurmur and GM Tom Heckert. In the question and answer period, both gave the public what they were looking for in a new coach.

In reality, they were looking for one man, University of Oregon head coach Chip Kelly. They interviewed other candidates, talking to former Cardinals boss Ken Whisenhunt and Arizona defensive coordinator Ray Horton, and the reportedly interviewed Syracuse coach Doug Marrone.

But more and more it looks like Kelly was the apple of their eye, and that was the wrong way to handle the process, particularly with the Browns being on the cusp of being a contender.

When you have your mind made up, it alters the way you think. You start believing everything said by your guy is golden, and you go into the other interviews not fully engaged.

The whole thing blew up in Haslam and Banner’s face when Kelly didn’t return their affection and will likely stay in college.

The problem that critics of the situation had with Kelly was that he never coached at the NFL level, and betting on him to get the Browns turn the corner seemed like a huge risk. It was the ultimate high risk, high reward hire.

We preferred someone who would put a better offensive scheme in place than the one Pat Shurmur employed, one the stretched the field both horizontally and vertically which would benefit the two players selected in the first round a year ago, QB Brandon Weeden and RB Trent Richardson.

So now the Browns have to start over again. They are looking for an offensive minded head coach and that would mean the leading candidates are probably Whisenhunt, Patriots offensive coordinator and former Broncos’ head coach Josh McDaniels, current Denver O/C Mike McCoy, Washington OC Kyle Shanahan, and 49er offensive head man Greg Roman.

All of their offenses ranked in the league’s top ten, and to be sure there will be mention of Bengals coordinator Jay Gruden as well, and his offense was 11th in the NFL.

Former Bears coach Lovie Smith should be talked to as well, because of his 81-63 record in nine years in Chicago, including four 10 win seasons, a Super Bowl berth, and nothing less than seven victories since his first year at the helm. Smith has a defensive background so he would need an offensive coordinator, but he has a good track record of winning.

Whisenhunt has had offenses ranked in the top half of the league, but in two of the last three seasons, his offense has ranked in the bottom two in terms of yardage. His offense has struggled since Kurt Warner retired.

Shanahan is young, but appealing because of the way he (and his father, Mike) changed their offense to fit what Robert Griffin III could do, and also altered his attack again when Kurt Cousins started against the Browns.

That’s what Cleveland needs. Someone who will get the most out of the talent at hand, particularly when it comes to Weeden and Richardson.

These two were first round picks and they should at least get the opportunity to be in a system that fits their strengths.

Weeden played in a shotgun attack in college, and people who think you can’t run out of that formation simply wasn’t watching the playoff games this weekend.

Maybe Weeden can’t play in the NFL, but there are a lot of experienced people in the league who think he can, but the offense didn’t emphasize what he did well.

His critics say he looked uncomfortable last season, and if that’s the case, maybe it was because he was doing something he wasn’t used to doing.

This is not to say that handling Weeden is the chief chore for the Browns new head coach. He hasn’t reached that level for sure.

However, the new coach should be a guy who looks at the other offenses of winning teams in the NFL, and gives Cleveland an offense that looks similar to those teams.

The talent on the Browns’ roster should be ready to win in 2013. Haslam and Banner need to hire the guy who can get that done.

Tribe Adds Grit This Off-Season

One of the overlooked aspects of the last time the Cleveland Indians made the post-season was the value of the veteran leadership provided by Trot Nixon.

Nixon hit just .251 on the season with 3 HR and 31 RBIs, but he provided a winning attitude since we was a key player on many winning teams with the Boston Red Sox. He didn’t play much after GM Mark Shapiro picked up Kenny Lofton for the stretch drive, but Lofton was another veteran who played on a ton of winning teams throughout his career, most of those being the Indians of the late 90’s.

Since then, the Indians have tried to pick up veterans for leadership but most of them haven’t been able to produce enough to stay on the field, and if they can’t be in the lineup, it is tough to provide guidance for the young players. Look at Orlando Cabrera in 2011, early in the year he provided some big hits and the team won.

However, as the season went on, Cabrera became a problem both offensively and defensively and it was getting difficult for Manny Acta to keep writing his name in the lineup. He was traded to the Giants at the deadline and wasn’t on a big league roster in 2012.

This year, Chris Antonetti has acquired three players who have some grit and can provide leadership and another guy who plays with a little swagger.

Nick Swisher was the plum of the off-season moves by Antonetti, a player who plays everyday and puts up around 25 HR and 80 RBIs on a yearly basis. He also plays with a joy and toughness, something badly needed by a team who has appeared emotionless in recent years, a reflection of the calm hand provided by Acta.

It has been said that Swisher’s enthusiasm was a key addition to a stale Yankee clubhouse when he went there in 2009 and it resulted in the only World Championship for the Bronx Bombers since 2000. He reminded the corporate Yankees that baseball was a game and it was supposed to be fun.

It’s a trait that should be welcome in the Cleveland locker room this season. His personality showed through in the press conference introducing him to the local media.

Brett Myers is another addition with experience on a winner, appearing in three post-seasons with the Phillies from 2007-09. He has been a starter in a World Series game. Put that together with six seasons of throwing 200 innings and he provides help in two areas for the Tribe.

He can give a fairly young pitching staff some leadership and he also gives the Indians a starting pitcher who can soak up innings and pitch deep into games. And he has a lifetime ERA of 4.28 as a starter.

He throws strikes, with a strikeout to walk ratio of over 2 to 1, and allows around a hit per inning for his career. Those are solid numbers.

An under the radar pick up by Antonetti is INF Mike Aviles, who has been a productive big league hitter when given limited at bats. He’s a career .277 hitter with a 715 OPS, but his numbers were dragged down a bit by last season when he played everyday for the first time. He was a .286 hitter with Kansas City (734 OPS).

Aviles struck us as a player with a chip on his shoulder when playing for the Royals. He flipped his bat when homering against the Indians with Kansas City, it was a galling act considering he never hit more than 13 dingers in a season.

However, when he plays for your team, it’s the kind of attitude you like to see. Here’s hoping he brings the same edge to the Indians.

Every move made by the Tribe this off-season has improved the ball club in terms of production, with the exception of swapping Shin-Soo Choo for Swisher which is a break even move.

But these moves have also provided the 2013 Indians with a winning attitude, a ‘tude that starts with the new manager, Terry Francona. The Indians who take the field this coming April won’t make excuses. They will expect to win every game.

Browns Need Coach, Not System

Now that the dust has settled regarding the firings of the Cleveland Browns head coach and general manager, it is time to look at what kind of coach Jimmy Haslam and Joe Banner should be looking for.

The early speculation has the Browns intrigued by Alabama head coach Nick Saban, who has been in charge of an NFL team before, and is a former defensive coordinator with Cleveland in the Bill Belichick regime.

Reportedly, Banner is in Arizona this week to interview Oregon coach Chip Kelly, an offensive guru who runs a spread option type of offense. However, Kelly has never coached at the NFL level.

It would be nice if Haslam and Banner at least kicked the tires on former Bears’ coach Lovie Smith, who has coached in a Super Bowl and whose team went 10-6 this season, and Ken Whisenhunt, who took the Cardinals to the Super Bowl a few years ago.

However, what the Browns really need is a coach. They need a man to come in, look at the talent available and put together a system or game plan that emphasizes the strengths of that talent.

And this isn’t talking solely about Brandon Weeden either. They need to get the most out of Trent Richardson, a young receiving corps, an offensive line with three high draft choices, and a defense that has a good base because of a young, talented line.

So a switch to a 3-4 scheme would involve getting new personnel, which would likely mean a process taking more than one off-season.

If Kelly can do that, great. The same with Saban, Smith, or Whisenhunt.

What cannot happen is another delay of a couple of years waiting for the new coach to bring in players who fit his style of play or system. This is no time for patience, nor is it time to overhaul a roster because a coach wants to bring in his guys.

There can be no more delays in putting together a winning team.

Not after what we saw this year in which Indianapolis went from two wins to the playoffs. The Rams went from two wins to seven. The Vikings and Redskins each made the playoffs after winning three and five games respectively in 2011.

It can be done.

That should be the focus of the interviewing process conducted by Haslam and Banner. Can the coach be adaptable or does he have to play a certain way with a certain system?

Coaches can have a preferred way to win games, particularly offensively, but look at the job John Fox did in Denver last season. He tried to win with a conventional offense, but it wasn’t working, so he went with Tim Tebow and a system that showed off his strengths.

It probably wouldn’t have worked for the long haul, but it did for one season.

Remember also that Belichick went 11-5 with Matt Cassell playing QB for an injured Tom Brady.

The great coaches in the NFL adapt and change based on the talent they have, and from the press conference, it seems that’s the kind of coach the Browns want to hire.

The beef with Pat Shurmur was he was married to the west coast offense even though Weeden and Richardson would have been better in a different kind of attack.

They want someone who will be here for the long haul. Someone that will have long-term success.

The Cleveland Browns need to hire a coach this time. Not a system that the rest of the NFL will catch up to in two years, but a man who can lead and get the most out of his players.

Hopefully, they will find that guy.

Browns Need to Win Now

As expected by virtually everyone on the planet, the Cleveland Browns made it official this morning, firing coach Pat Shurmur and GM Tom Heckert.

The chief reason was the team’s poor record over the last two seasons, winning just nine games and losing 23, the same mark achieved in the two years under the previous head coach, Eric Mangini.

However, there is a major difference between the end of the Mangini era and the current group of Browns who finished the season with three straight losses after a three game winning streak prior.

There is certainly more talent here right now, mostly due to the efforts of Heckert, who should get credit for the talent he’s brought into the organization.

When Mangini was let go after the 2010 season, here are the players on the roster who still remained contributors in 2012: On offense, T Joe Thomas, TE Benjamin Watson, TE Alex Smith, C Alex Mack. On defense: NT Ahtyba Rubin, CB Joe Haden, CB Sheldon Brown, and S T. J. Ward.

Of that group, Haden and Ward were drafted by Heckert and Brown was brought in via a trade with Philadelphia engineered by the general manager. Watson was brought in as a free agent during the off-season as well.

That means only Thomas, Mack, and Rubin were here before Heckert arrived.

Most NFL people believe the Browns are close to being a playoff contender in the AFC. Their primary needs going into the draft next April are help in the secondary, a pass rusher, and another outside linebacker. That’s a far cry from several years ago, when Tony Grossi referred to the roster as a group of special team players.

What this means for whoever will be the new coach and head of player personnel (Joe Banner wants to run things, so the new guy will not be the GM) is there is no grace period. Immediate results will be expected, so a one or two game improvement will not be tolerated by a fan base that has watched more than its share of losing football since 1999.

That is why people are concerned with Banner, that and the unflattering personality traits people here about from his days in Philadelphia. He seems like a guy who wants things done his way, and to the Cleveland football fans, that sounds like starting over once again, something seen five times since ’99.

It is time to build on what is already here and enhance it, getting the Browns back to the post-season. Of the teams with the top four choices in last year’s draft, only the Browns are packing up their lockers today. The other three (Indianapolis, Washington, and Minnesota) are all preparing for the playoffs.

That kind of turn around needs to take place in Cleveland.

One of the things new owner Jimmy Haslam and Banner have to seek in a coach is the ability to make adjustments according to the talent at hand. No more guys with the attitude of this is what I run, so we will try to fit a square peg into a round hole. Let’s try putting Weeden in an offense where he is more comfortable, so he can just play.

Let’s try to utilize Trent Richardson better, and not just have him run up the middle continuously.

It has been said many times that based on the cash Haslam put up for the team, he should get to put his own people in place. That is absolutely true. However, the Cleveland Browns need to start winning in 2013. A 6-10 or 7-9 record is going to get himself and Banner off to a bad start along the shores of Lake Erie.

In Last Game, Shurmur is True to Form

The Cleveland Browns 24-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers this afternoon was a microcosm of Pat Shurmur’s tenure as head coach, a tenure that will end after this contest.

The Browns outgained the Steelers 320 yards to 212, but mistakes made by the offense, mostly turnovers killed any chance for Shurmur’s team to put up points. In the 32 games under his head coaching, Cleveland scored more that 21 points just five times. They moved the ball, but couldn’t put it in the end zone.

The average NFL team scores 22.7 points per game, so to get to that figure and above just five times speaks to the philosophy of the guy calling plays, and that would be Shurmur.

He did show a little aggressiveness today, using a fake punt, but at the end of the half, he did not use a timeout despite getting a nine yard pick up on first down with about 40 seconds remaining. In your last game as head coach, with a 5-10 record and absolutely nothing at stake, why not try to score at least a field goal.

Shurmur supporters will point out that he didn’t want to turn the ball over, but really! You are assuming your quarterback is going to make a poor play? That’s terrible coaching.

Then again, on the last drive of the game trailing by 14 points, he refused to use a timeout until QB Thaddeus Lewis was injured on the games penultimate play. The team was moving the ball, but there didn’t seem to be much of a sense of urgency from the coaching staff.

Lewis acquitted himself well, completing 22 of 32 passes for 204 yards with a touchdown pass to Greg Little and a terrible interception in the first quarter. The Browns also ran the ball fairly well, gaining 138 yards, of which 35 came on the fake field goal run by Ray Ventrone.

Still, even without that run, Cleveland still outgained Pittsburgh on the day on the ground, with Brandon Jackson (remember him?) coming out of moth balls to gaining 54 yards on eight carries. Guess the fresh legs argument would apply to him.

Lewis did run a similar offense to what was run all year, an attack made up of mostly short throws and crossing patterns. He was accurate for the most part and looked like a guy who can play in the NFL.

The defense played fairly well, holding Ben Roethlisburger to just 121 net yards in the air and sacking him twice, both by DE Jabaal Sheard.

The two fumbles, one by Josh Gordon and the other by Travis Benjamin, set up the Steelers for two touchdowns on short fields, and that was the difference in the game.

So now, everyone in the organization is on the watch for when Shurmur and probably GM Tom Heckert will be fired. The latter has brought a lot of talent in the organization and should keep his gig, but won’t because the new boss wants his own man.

We have said this before, but here goes…Fire Heckert if you want, but the next guy has to be better than him. That’s the challenge for Joe Banner, who seems like a guy who was beat up by athletes in high school and now we wants to exact revenge.

Here’s hoping the new crew will put the offensive players in a system suited to their strengths, and add a pass rusher and some secondary help to the defense. If this is done, the Cleveland Browns could be looking at a winning record and a possible playoff berth as early as next season.

This isn’t a Browns team devoid of talent like after Eric Mangini’s tenure, there are pieces in place.

Hopefully, Banner and Jimmy Haslam understand that and don’t start another total rebuilding process. The fans of the Browns are tired of waiting and for the first time there is brightness on the horizon.

If Lewis Plays, Have Some Fun

There is no question that coaches speak their own language. Over the years in Cleveland we have been subject to a few of the great practitioners of “coach speak”.

From Pat Shurmur’s “battling Browns” to Eric Wedge’s “grinding Indians”, we have listened to some of the best people who can say a lot and tell you nothing.

Politicians have nothing on these guys.

The entire Indians’ front office does a tremendous job of trying to confuse its fan base as to what is going on with the organization. They talk much the way Fortune 500 corporations do, instead of conversing in baseball talk.

With Pat Shurmur likely preparing for his last game as Cleveland Browns head coach, he came up with a doozy when talking about his probable starting quarterback this Sunday, third stringer Thaddeus Lewis.

Shurmur said the offense would have to be pared back if Lewis has to go against the Steelers.

First, the obvious question would be “can they really pare back the offense even more?” What would happen? Every play would be a run up the middle?

Further examination though, would show that if Lewis doesn’t know the offense at this point, why does he still have a job?

Lewis has been with Shurmur longer than either of the other two QB’s, rookie Brandon Weeden, and Colt McCoy, who has worked with Shurmur for two years.

Lewis was with the Rams in Shurmur’s last year as offensive coordinator. In fact, the head coach’s high regard for him is the reason he is with the Browns.

He also went to Duke University, one of the nation’s finer institutes of higher learning. So, it’s not like Lewis is some kid just out of high school and barely got good enough grades to graduate.

The last reason to roll your eyes on the coach’s comment is that his football team is 5-10 and going nowhere. He should be calling every gadget play in the playbook this weekend because there literally is nothing to lose.

So why not let Lewis play with reckless abandon and let the chips fall where they may? If he throws five interceptions and completes less than 40% of his throws, who cares?

We will then know that he can’t play in the NFL.

On the other hand, he may do very well. There isn’t a high probability of that, but you never know.

Heck, Shurmur had a front row seat for an NFL team letting a passer with little experience just play when the Redskins did just that with rookie Kirk Cousins.

Certainly, Washington didn’t button up their attack for that game and there was far more on the line for the ‘Skins on that day than there will be for the Browns in week 17.

This is not to say that Lewis’ inexperience will cause him to make mistakes. No doubt Steelers’ defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau will dial up all kinds of disguises for his schemes to confuse someone playing their first NFL game.

But it speaks to Shurmur’s innate move toward conservative football that he wants to pare down the offense in a meaningless game. He’s been reluctant to let Weeden call audibles and really only used gadget plays against arguably the worst team in the league, Kansas City.

The coach is rare in that he’s an offensive coach, but he plays not to lose. Hopefully, the Browns next coach will try to win football games instead of avoiding defeat.

Tribe Gives Fans an Early Gift in Swisher

The Indians front office must have anticipated a Browns’ beatdown in Denver, so they brightened the season for all Cleveland sports fans by announcing they inked free agent OF/1B Nick Swisher to a four-year contract.

The Tribe offense is now better than it was last season with the addition of perhaps the second best hitter on the free agent market.

Swisher isn’t a superstar, but he is a productive, consistent, durable switch-hitter who fits nicely into the 2013 Indians’ batting order.

Since becoming a regular in 2005 with the Oakland A’s, the former Ohio State player has hit at least 21 HR and knocked in 69 runs in every season since. He does strike out a lot, but he also walks, drawing at least 77 free passes in six of the last seven years, and he has a lifetime on-base percentage of .361.

In fact, the best place for Swisher in the Indians’ batting order might just be the #2 spot, where he can draw walks and drive the ball to get rallies going.

As mentioned, he’s a switch-hitter and along with the acquisitions of Mark Reynolds and Drew Stubbs, the Indians have ended their experiment to have an all left-handed batting order.

The offense should be better next season because GM Chris Antonetti has improved three positions in the lineup. Although we have reservations about Reynolds and his strikeouts and ability to hit outside of Arizona, he is an upgrade over Casey Kotchman with the bat. Also, Lonnie Chisenhall should improve upon Jack Hannahan’s batting numbers at third base.

And Stubbs, even though he had a terrible season at the plate for the Reds in 2012, is better than the mishmash the Tribe played in LF last year. And he adds speed and improved defense.

Swisher at the least will make up for Shin-Soo Choo’s numbers in RF, and he will be better than Choo against left-handed pitchers. Here’s the lineup as we see it:

LF Michael Brantley
RF Nick Swisher
2B Jason Kipnis
C Carlos Santana
SS Asdrubal Cabrera
DH
1B Mark Reynolds
3B Lonnie Chisenhall
CF Drew Stubbs

Because of the amount of strikeouts for Reynolds and Stubbs, they would be best served hitting in the bottom third of the order. And we have always thought Cabrera would be better suited for the fifth spot in the order. Also, the guess here is new skipper Terry Francona will have a wonderful effect on the shortstop’s career.

And don’t forget, the GM added a solid bat for the bench in utility man Mike Aviles, who can be very productive in a limited role, say around 350-400 at bats per season.

Now, Antonetti needs to work on the pitching staff, which was the worst in the AL last season. He added a potential top of the rotation guy in Trevor Bauer and Carlos Carrasco will also return following Tommy John surgery. Still, no team wants to depend on a bounce back season by Justin Masterson, a rookie, and a guy coming back from an injury to anchor the starting rotation.

That means another reliable starter is needed, and perhaps closer Chris Perez will be the bait.

Getting another arm would move Ubaldo Jimenez into the fifth spot in the rotation, and don’t forget about Zack McAllister, who might have been the Indians’ most reliable arm at the end of the season.

In fact, Jimenez might even be moved so Cleveland can get out from under the almost $6 million owed to him next season.

After a couple of years of relative inactivity, you have to give props to Antonetti for finally going out and improving this baseball team. While there is some work to do, getting Swisher and Bauer give Tribe fans a good foundation for hope when spring training starts in about six weeks.