This & That

Colts
I agree completely with Michael Irvin. If you have a chance to go undefeated and be recognized as the greatest team of all-time, you go for it. The Colts are within striking range of that feat. To begin resting players is simply playing it safe and there is no guarantee those same players can turn the switch back on come playoff time.

This is history that’s being fooled with. That’s a serious thing. If you are banged up, you sit. If you get a nice lead, you can sit. Otherwise, go make history. Besides, this is mostly about one player anyway - Peyton Manning.

Steelers
Experts are lamenting the fact the Steelers are struggling. Some have even gone to the “They need to get back to running the football like the old Steelers did” card. Right.

They won the Super Bowl last season by having BR throwing the football to their talented receivers and by playing solid defense. They are struggling in 2009 mainly due to two factors - their talented quarterback is banged up, having taken a ton of hits again this fall, including suffering a recent concussion, and they lost arguably the league’s best defensive players to injury in Troy Paluamalu.

The close games the Steelers were winning in the past are losses this season. It happens.

No, an overhaul isn’t needed. I would be stunned to see what some are predicting at the end of the year – the firing of the special teams coach and offensive coordinator. That’s not what the Steelers do. They are the most patient franchise in sports. That’s a good thing. Look at their brand and winning percentage if you want proof.

Drew Brees
I recently watched the best free agent pickup of all-time in sports play and lose his first game this year.

Drew Brees is that man and he plays for the 13-1 Saints. We loved Brees coming out of college and wanted the Browns to chase him down when the Chargers soured on him. But that’s ancient history.

Draft
If I’m the Browns and Nebraska’s Ndamukong Su is on the board, I don’t hesitate. Add him to that defense, and the Browns will have their best defensive front since their return in 1999 - which isn't saying that much when you see where they've ranked every year in rush defense.

Two other guys I like coming out of the draft – Notre Dame’s Golden Tate and Stanford’s Toby Gerhart.

I can hear the draft experts already – Tate is too small and Gerhart is to slow. Right. Neither one will be a “Combine Freak.” So what? They were the best football players on the field just about every time they played this fall. That’s enough for me. They'll be good pros.

Are you sure Washington quarterback Jake Locker didn’t suffer a concussion this season? This guy needs his head examined. I’m told he’s a likely top-5 pick in April yet he decided to go back to college so he can play in a Bowl game in 2010.

First, his stock can’t get much higher. In fact, it can only get worse. Secondly, he could go down and lose millions (see Oklahoma QB). And third, no one is sure what the collective bargaining agreement will look like a year from now.

A rookie cap is coming fact. The NFL players have finally figured out NFL players who get the best deals are those who haven’t even paid their first union dues yet. Why the NFLPA hasn’t used that chip in the past to get better deals for its veterans is beyond me.

One more time – you attend college so you can make a good living once your college career ends. If you have an opportunity to win the lottery 32 credits shy of graduating, you go. Period.

Besides, when you move mom out of Gary, Indiana and buy her that condo on the beach in sunny Florida with a small portion of your signing bonus, she won’t be complaining you left early.

Browns
The Browns have won back to back games. That’s the good news. At least they have stopped embarrassing themselves. But let’s not get too excited. Two of their three wins are over the Bills and Chiefs where their quarterbacks completed a handful of passes each. That’s not impressive to this observer.

We did finally find a receiving group on par with the Browns. The Chiefs’ wideouts are horrible. Check that - at least they get open occasionally. But their hands, as a group, rivals Cleveland’s hapless bunch. The Browns’ receivers don’t get open, they run routes short of the sticks and they have trouble holding on to the ball.

Again, Eric Mangini won’t be back if the “Walrus” comes to town. I’ve had several semi-smart people tell me otherwise. I didn’t bother discussing it with them. It wasn’t worth it. They are wrong.

Who is stupid enough to take over an army and not put his own generals in charge of the troops?

John Gruden might be a good fit on the sidelines since he worked with the “Walrus” once. Gruden has a huge ego, but he can coach. We thought he was also a good fit for Notre Dame. If I’m Brady Quinn, I’m nervous if that happens. Gruden changes quarterbacks like most of us change underwear.

Speaking of my boy Quinn - he looked like DA yesterday against the Chiefs. That’s not a good thing. He sailed one pick and threw into double coverage on another. I do like the fact they finally used his athleticism in short yardage by having him play fake and keep it around the edge. That's a start. Now moving him out of the pocket in the red zone would be a nice next step.

We still believe BQ will be a very good quarterback. Like the Steelers, we are patient. As we stated earlier this season, it’s next to impossible to judge a Browns’ quarterback with this talent level at the skilled positions.

On a positive note, we like the no huddle and we like the fact Jerome Harrison is finally getting 20-25 touches a game (more on that later). Next is the dire need for wide receivers that can actually get open and catch the ball.

Case in point, on Quinn’s second pick Sunday, MM made a horrible adjustment on that deep ball. Quinn made a terrible decision in throwing the ball, but his receiver has to give him some help. MM has, on more than one occasion this fall, looked lost on deep balls. He did it to Anderson and now he’s doing it to Quinn. That’s not good. Yes, he’s a rookie, but it’s like trying to learn to bunt at the Major League level – you either know how to do it, or you don’t.


Sports Morons
Okay, I heard this one on the radio yesterday. One moron fan told a talk show host the Browns’ defensive is better without its best player, Shaun Rogers, on the field. It got worse. The host agreed. They figured Rogers shoots the gap too much, thus getting too much penetration, and not maintaining his “gap integrity.” Nice us of football jargon there.

That sounds good, until you ask NFL guards and centers who they would rather go up against – Rogers or Ahtyba Rubin. Look, I like Rubin. The second-year player has performed well when given the opportunity. But for anyone to think this defense is better with its only playmaker on the sideline in street clothes borders on the ridiculous. The scary part is that much of that listening audience probably agreed when the term "gap integrity" was used.

I quickly turned my radio back to Dave Ramsey – the dude who gives you advice on handling money. He knew what he was talking about.

Jerome
Congratulations to Jerome Harrison for setting the Browns’ team record for yards rushing in a game. Now, he needs to finish strong in the final two weeks and continue to establish himself as an every down back. We’ve always liked Harrison – especially in a no huddle system. He seems to be able to make the first guy miss on occasion – which is what you need to do when you aren’t 6-2/225. He has more drops than I’d like to see, but that's for another day.

Lessons Leared
One personal note - I am teaching my sports PR course after a two-year layoff this spring. Yes, I am looking forward to it. I’ll be able to influence 15-20 college kids this spring who either are going into the business or who love watching this stuff. My skills are limited, but this is one thing I do relatively well.

Get the Fruity Drinks Ready
I’ll see some of you tomorrow (22nd) at Olive Garden.