Sunday’s Thoughts

I'm on schedule this week.

Browns & Free Agency
I get what Phil Savage is doing in free agency.

He has already traded for a pair of defensive linemen who are still relatively young and proven NFL talents – Corey Williams & Shaun Rogers. He also upgraded the depth at wide receiver with the Donte Stallworth acquisition – something the team clearly needed to do.

Savage did all that and only gave up one proven commodity – Leigh Bodden, arguably the team’s best player on the defensive side of the ball last season. The rest of the cost came in the form of draft picks & the owner's money.

The Browns are banking their young corners will have more help from an improved pass rush in 2008 resulting from the new acquisitions. They’d better get a better push up front or the Bodden loss will be felt.

The loss of Bodden is the only downside from the moves made by Savage in a frenzied early free agency period by the Browns. Clearly, Savage had a plan to upgrade the team’s biggest hole – the front seven – and is doing so swiftly. Good.

Look for the Browns to add at least one more piece to the puzzle - another pass rushing outside linebacker to play opposite K. Wimbley.

As for the three year contract signed by DA four hours after becoming a free agent – all we have to say is this - relax Brady Quinn fans!

The Browns hold all the cards by signing Anderson to a team-friendly three-year deal. Look for Savage to get back into the first day of the 2008 draft by dealing DA prior to or on draft day – regardless of what he says.

It had to be somewhat of a humbling experience for DA and his agent to be free to sign with any team with no takers. Answer this question – can you imagine any other 25-year old Pro Bowl quarterback becoming a free agent with no takers in the open market?

Now it becomes a waiting game.

Clearly, no one was willing to sign DA to a long-term deal and cough up a 1 & 3 as compensation. However, if someone comes to Savage with a 2 & 3 – Savage should pull the trigger. That team in question would get its starter, knowing the exact sticker price with a three-year window to see if he was worth the risk.

As for Quinn, he is saying and doing all the right things. Quinn made clear in his public statements since the DA signing that he expects to compete and win the starting position and take the Browns to the post-season. When asked what he would do if he plays well in camp and the #1 job isn’t his come the opener, he said he would address that at that time and not before. Smart.

If Savage doesn't get his asking price, he will keep both in 2008, which gives the team terrific depth at the most important position on the field. However, the one variable Savage can't totally control is Quinn's response if he decides to make waves.

No objective observer would expect Quinn to stay quiet in year #2 if he plays well in camp but is told he'll be sitting once again in '08. His contract is likely incentive based on playing time. If he doesn't play, he ain't getting paid. The team gave up a #1 & #2 making it clear he was the team's quarterback of the future - would you stay quiet if you were in his shoes?

Hank Steinbrenner
This guy is a trip. Who knew he would be a reporter’s dream. Two weeks ago, he called out the NFL by wondering out loud why that pro league has been able to skirt the steroids issue while it has devastated MLB. This past week, he called out “Red Sox Nation” claiming the Yankees are America’s Team, not the Sox. Nice.

Cavaliers’ Make Over
The Cavaliers will once again try to do what no team in the last 25+ years has done in the NBA – win a title with one superstar and 11 role players. The difference this time around is that the pieces around 23 are a better fit than in '07. The road will be more difficult than it was last spring, but the Cavaliers are capable of making a run to the Finals if 23 plays like 23 did a year ago and he gets some help from his new friends.

NBA Finals
We predicted in our last entry 23 would take his team farther in the post-season this spring than Kobe. If they both make the Finals, it would be the NBA’s PR “Dream Finals” – Kobe versus LeBron. You would think that match-up would draw huge television numbers.

Indians
We still expect the Indians to use their excess of starting pitchers to acquire a full-time leftfielder at some point this spring or early summer. A right handed big bat that can play left would be preferred.

Title Town
We predicted a year ago the Browns were the most likely local team to win a championship first – even when the team was coming off another horrid 2006 campaign. The idea being that the NFL was set up best for a team to go from worst to first. As of today, that analysis has changed.

All three local teams – for the first time in this observer’s memory – have legitimate shots at making the post-season and possibly winning a title this coming year.

Think about it – the Indians are coming off an excellent year and should be very competitive once again in 2008, the Cavaliers went to the Finals in ’07 and look improved since Ferry stepped up, and the Browns have made the biggest splash in free agency so far coming off a 10-6 campaign.

This (2008) could be the first time in this observer’s lifetime – all 46 years of it – where all three teams could reach the post-season.

Yao
You never want to see a terrific player go down. That’s the case with Yao Ming. The Rockets were playing excellent basketball before he went down. Cavalier fans know all too well about losing quality big men. Cleveland has had a history, dating back to Jim Chones going down during the “Miracle In Richfield” year of the mid-late 70s, of losing a center to injury.

As for his talent, we were not that impressed with Yao early on, but clearly, he has established himself recently as one of the game’s best big men. We were curious to see how he would do in the '08 playoffs against the other quality big men out west. Unfortunately, he won’t be playing in April.