I did not share my thoughts last week because I was contemplating keeping such thoughts to myself from here on out.
In simple English, I am tired of not only being ahead of the curve, but of being the F%$#@ curve.
I'm bored by this stuff now because so much of it is obvious to me while it takes everyon else a S%$#@load of time to catch up.
I know it sounds pompous, but as Dizzy Dean said, "It ain't bragging if you can do it."
So the long and the short of it - no more telling the world Reggie Bush wasn't worth a top-5 pick, Peralta needed to be moved to a different position and Cabrera moved to SS, CC needed dealt before he walked (ditto LBJ), Butterfingers and DA needed to be dealt before their value dropped, the Browns' WR corps is of college quality at best, Eric Wright is not a quality starting corner, the Walrus should not have kept Mangini, the Cavs are a 29 win team - at best, etc...
No, I don't have a perfect batting average, but if you check my history, it's better than anyone else's - especially since I say it a year or two before everyone and I don't have the fatal gene the rest of the sports world has - sports amnesia (that short-term memory of only remembering the last week's action.)
Unless I get a clamor demanding I continue to express my thoughts publicly, I will keep them to myself.
Remember - Always piss standing up fellas and enjoy the holidays.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Friday, December 10, 2010
10 Things I Noticed This Past Week
10 Things I noticed this past week follow.
Peyton Manning came out of a slump. That's all it was. You try to carry a team every week without your All-Pro tight end, no running game, an average offensive line and a mediocre defense. And no, it had nothing to do with "balance" versus a sinking Titans' team. They ran for just over 2 yard a carry for pete sake. Trust me, Tennessee was thrilled every time Manning handed it off.
Tom Brady has looked terrific after the Browns made him look like a rookie QB in his first pro start. And he's doing it with kids and some free agents around him. Think about it - what skilled player in NE, besides Brady, is having a Pro Bowl season?
Cam Newton's old man should not show up at the Heisman presentation. It will turn into a circus. Do you think the old guy will scalp his seat if he decides to stay home?
There is absolutely no reason to have the Baseball Winter Meetings any more. Only a handful of teams (Yankees, Sox, etc.) can afford the best free agents, can trade for the good players in the last year of their deal, etc. Why not do the boring stuff via teleconference and just have the big spenders meet on their own with the top player free agents and their reps? Hey, it would help with Global Warming right Mike D in Arizona? There would be fewer carbon emissions if fewer executives travel via air, right? Really, what does Pittsburgh's front office need to be there for anyway?
As an added bonus, I heard a "baseball expert" on ESPN this week telling the world sport is doing "extremely well" right now overall. Yea - tell that to K.C., who is about to unload its best pitcher, or San Diego, who just dealt its stud player before he could walk. Those Pirate and Indians are creating a ton of excitement for their fan base this off-season, aren't they? Morons.
Joe Haden would be having a Pro Bowl rookie season had he started from day one - as we implored the Browns to do back in August. He's looking more and more like their best #1 pick they've had since the team's return in 1999. Ofcourse, that's not saying much with their drafts.
I wonder who Mangini would have taken at #1 last Spring had he still been in charge, don't you? God help us. I still think he's gone at 7-9 if "The Walrus" (MH) gets the itch or if he (MH) can land Gruden. Think about it - the fact that Colt McCoy looks like a keeper will surely make the head coaching job more appealing for Gruden or the "Walrus" himself.
My prediction of 29 wins for the Cavs might be a reach after all. Remember, I said 29based on talent level. After what happened against Miami, we have also verified they have no "stones." That makes my 29 a potential reach. These guys may never show pride and man-up. Once it goes south, it takes leadership and toughness to get it back - exactly what this bunch lacks.
The local morons, who had them competing for the 7th/8th seed in the East, have decided it's Byron Scott's fault they are struggling so much. And I thought I heard it all. Amazing.
I have the Bills winning by 3 this Sunday in Buffalo. Do you think if you combined these two clubs, they'd be a playoff team? I'm not sure they would get to 10-6.
Peyton Manning came out of a slump. That's all it was. You try to carry a team every week without your All-Pro tight end, no running game, an average offensive line and a mediocre defense. And no, it had nothing to do with "balance" versus a sinking Titans' team. They ran for just over 2 yard a carry for pete sake. Trust me, Tennessee was thrilled every time Manning handed it off.
Tom Brady has looked terrific after the Browns made him look like a rookie QB in his first pro start. And he's doing it with kids and some free agents around him. Think about it - what skilled player in NE, besides Brady, is having a Pro Bowl season?
Cam Newton's old man should not show up at the Heisman presentation. It will turn into a circus. Do you think the old guy will scalp his seat if he decides to stay home?
There is absolutely no reason to have the Baseball Winter Meetings any more. Only a handful of teams (Yankees, Sox, etc.) can afford the best free agents, can trade for the good players in the last year of their deal, etc. Why not do the boring stuff via teleconference and just have the big spenders meet on their own with the top player free agents and their reps? Hey, it would help with Global Warming right Mike D in Arizona? There would be fewer carbon emissions if fewer executives travel via air, right? Really, what does Pittsburgh's front office need to be there for anyway?
As an added bonus, I heard a "baseball expert" on ESPN this week telling the world sport is doing "extremely well" right now overall. Yea - tell that to K.C., who is about to unload its best pitcher, or San Diego, who just dealt its stud player before he could walk. Those Pirate and Indians are creating a ton of excitement for their fan base this off-season, aren't they? Morons.
Joe Haden would be having a Pro Bowl rookie season had he started from day one - as we implored the Browns to do back in August. He's looking more and more like their best #1 pick they've had since the team's return in 1999. Ofcourse, that's not saying much with their drafts.
I wonder who Mangini would have taken at #1 last Spring had he still been in charge, don't you? God help us. I still think he's gone at 7-9 if "The Walrus" (MH) gets the itch or if he (MH) can land Gruden. Think about it - the fact that Colt McCoy looks like a keeper will surely make the head coaching job more appealing for Gruden or the "Walrus" himself.
My prediction of 29 wins for the Cavs might be a reach after all. Remember, I said 29based on talent level. After what happened against Miami, we have also verified they have no "stones." That makes my 29 a potential reach. These guys may never show pride and man-up. Once it goes south, it takes leadership and toughness to get it back - exactly what this bunch lacks.
The local morons, who had them competing for the 7th/8th seed in the East, have decided it's Byron Scott's fault they are struggling so much. And I thought I heard it all. Amazing.
I have the Bills winning by 3 this Sunday in Buffalo. Do you think if you combined these two clubs, they'd be a playoff team? I'm not sure they would get to 10-6.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Short & Quick
Cavs
Over 20,000 in attendance and millions viewing on television witnessed a public ass-kissing last night when Le Bron James and the Heat hammered the Cavaliers in Cleveland – and I’m not referring to the final score. That matters little.
The Cavs players embarrassed themselves – not for their on-court performance mind you. I know they have minimal talent and will be fortunate to reach my 29 win total predicted for them back in November.
Rather, they made fools of themselves for not putting James on his ass once, and more importantly, treating him like one of their own during the game as he chatted away with their bench as the contest ensued.
Here’s a guy who leaves you high and dry, returns, kicks your ass on the floor, and you’re all smiles during and after the contest. What pussies!
The future of this franchise is in great hands, isn’t it? You want these guys in a foxhole with you, don’t you? Why didn’t they just ask James for his autograph while they were at it?
I have said over and over again, with each passing generation, we get softer and softer as a nation and it’s clearly reflected in our sports culture - from over-protection of our quarterbacks to so-called rivals" hanging out together and everything in-between. This proves it once again.
Had I been on that bench as he approached to chat, I would have told him to go F$#@ himself. Period. And that’s if I were wearing an assistant trainer shirt.
This has nothing to do with basketball Xs and Os or talent level. It has everything to do with having some pride and competing as a professional. The fans were more pissed than the players - and it showed. If you can't get up for that game, what motivates you to compete?
Hey, I guess it could have been worse – they could have all bent over as a group and let James choose who he was going to F$#@!
That was as disgusted as I have ever been watching a sporting event. Charles Barkley mentioned it in passing during his analysis. I was thinking the exact same thing and much worse.
I hope Byron Scott dressed them down in private. Because if he didn’t, we have a problem at the top as well. He’s from the “old School,” so I assume his public comments on the matter were strictly done to protect his guys – for now. If not, this franchise is truly doomed for years to come.
Browns
Yes, they have regressed the past two weeks after giving fans some hope the ship was headed in the right direction. The win against a 1-9 Carolina team was garbage in garbage out.
Now the locals have started the “Mangini Watch” again after wanting to give him a contract extension and also after concern the “D” coordinator was headed elsewhere for a head coaching gig. Right.
Moronic sports fans change their minds more often than a high maintenance broad with D cups.
As for going with Jake D. over Seneca Wallace, I have no idea what Mangini is thinking. This can’t make the team president (MH) happy, and will be taken into account at the end of the season – especially when Mangini is sitting at 6-10.
Relax Browns fans, Eric Wright has started practicing again following his injury. All is well. If Mangini sticks him back into the starting line-up, he’s asking to get fired. All 23 has done is get picks in three straight games while being named Rookie Defensive Player of the Month.
Big Business
Let’s see, two guys throw down in the middle of an NFL game and no one gets suspended. Nice. The fact that the Texans were on the NFL Network this past Thursday had nothing to do with the decision, I’m sure.
Nice precedent set. You can throw a guy’s helmet off and beat on him and lose all of $25,000. That’s chump change for these guys. I would have sat both dudes for 2 games minimum with a 100,000 fine a piece.
As for the NCAA deciding that your old man can shop you (Can Newton) to the highest bidder and nothing will happen to you, gives a green light to all the moms, pops, uncles, hangers-on, low-lifes, etc… to see what they can get because it isn’t going to affect the player’s eligibility as long as there’s nothing tracing it back to the player knowing about it. Nice.
And yea, I’m sure the player didn’t know dad wanted $180,000 from Mississippi. I'm sure Cam Newton and his dad never talk. Right.
Julian The Elf
Let’s hope the government has more success finding this Julian Assange, the elf that published documents embarrassing our government and diplomatic personnel this past week, than it has finding Osama Bin Laden.
Boy, we are good at keeping secrets aren't we? First, some dude who looks like the kid that always went out first in dodge-ball (a lowly private or something), downloads all these classified files, and gives them to a hair dresser (Assange), who tells you he's going to put them out there, and we can't stop him?
They've finally decided to start looking for this hair dresser. Nice. After his second download, mind you. The first took place this past summer.
Our nation's national security is in good hands, isn't it?
All is good though. We can relax. Sweden is on it, after him as well for some sexual assault beef. I can't see this guy assaulting a steak for dinner, let alone some skirt.
Assange can’t possibly be hard to find. I’m sure he wouldn’t be comfortable in a cave somewhere where you have to crap in a corner and not bathe for months at a time.
This guy (Assange) looks like he pisses sitting down and needs a butler to wipe his ass. Just put some resources near the local Star Bucks. This dude, I’m certain drinks lattes, and reads “Better Home and Garden” – or an Australian facsimile thereof.
Till next time. Be good.
Over 20,000 in attendance and millions viewing on television witnessed a public ass-kissing last night when Le Bron James and the Heat hammered the Cavaliers in Cleveland – and I’m not referring to the final score. That matters little.
The Cavs players embarrassed themselves – not for their on-court performance mind you. I know they have minimal talent and will be fortunate to reach my 29 win total predicted for them back in November.
Rather, they made fools of themselves for not putting James on his ass once, and more importantly, treating him like one of their own during the game as he chatted away with their bench as the contest ensued.
Here’s a guy who leaves you high and dry, returns, kicks your ass on the floor, and you’re all smiles during and after the contest. What pussies!
The future of this franchise is in great hands, isn’t it? You want these guys in a foxhole with you, don’t you? Why didn’t they just ask James for his autograph while they were at it?
I have said over and over again, with each passing generation, we get softer and softer as a nation and it’s clearly reflected in our sports culture - from over-protection of our quarterbacks to so-called rivals" hanging out together and everything in-between. This proves it once again.
Had I been on that bench as he approached to chat, I would have told him to go F$#@ himself. Period. And that’s if I were wearing an assistant trainer shirt.
This has nothing to do with basketball Xs and Os or talent level. It has everything to do with having some pride and competing as a professional. The fans were more pissed than the players - and it showed. If you can't get up for that game, what motivates you to compete?
Hey, I guess it could have been worse – they could have all bent over as a group and let James choose who he was going to F$#@!
That was as disgusted as I have ever been watching a sporting event. Charles Barkley mentioned it in passing during his analysis. I was thinking the exact same thing and much worse.
I hope Byron Scott dressed them down in private. Because if he didn’t, we have a problem at the top as well. He’s from the “old School,” so I assume his public comments on the matter were strictly done to protect his guys – for now. If not, this franchise is truly doomed for years to come.
Browns
Yes, they have regressed the past two weeks after giving fans some hope the ship was headed in the right direction. The win against a 1-9 Carolina team was garbage in garbage out.
Now the locals have started the “Mangini Watch” again after wanting to give him a contract extension and also after concern the “D” coordinator was headed elsewhere for a head coaching gig. Right.
Moronic sports fans change their minds more often than a high maintenance broad with D cups.
As for going with Jake D. over Seneca Wallace, I have no idea what Mangini is thinking. This can’t make the team president (MH) happy, and will be taken into account at the end of the season – especially when Mangini is sitting at 6-10.
Relax Browns fans, Eric Wright has started practicing again following his injury. All is well. If Mangini sticks him back into the starting line-up, he’s asking to get fired. All 23 has done is get picks in three straight games while being named Rookie Defensive Player of the Month.
Big Business
Let’s see, two guys throw down in the middle of an NFL game and no one gets suspended. Nice. The fact that the Texans were on the NFL Network this past Thursday had nothing to do with the decision, I’m sure.
Nice precedent set. You can throw a guy’s helmet off and beat on him and lose all of $25,000. That’s chump change for these guys. I would have sat both dudes for 2 games minimum with a 100,000 fine a piece.
As for the NCAA deciding that your old man can shop you (Can Newton) to the highest bidder and nothing will happen to you, gives a green light to all the moms, pops, uncles, hangers-on, low-lifes, etc… to see what they can get because it isn’t going to affect the player’s eligibility as long as there’s nothing tracing it back to the player knowing about it. Nice.
And yea, I’m sure the player didn’t know dad wanted $180,000 from Mississippi. I'm sure Cam Newton and his dad never talk. Right.
Julian The Elf
Let’s hope the government has more success finding this Julian Assange, the elf that published documents embarrassing our government and diplomatic personnel this past week, than it has finding Osama Bin Laden.
Boy, we are good at keeping secrets aren't we? First, some dude who looks like the kid that always went out first in dodge-ball (a lowly private or something), downloads all these classified files, and gives them to a hair dresser (Assange), who tells you he's going to put them out there, and we can't stop him?
They've finally decided to start looking for this hair dresser. Nice. After his second download, mind you. The first took place this past summer.
Our nation's national security is in good hands, isn't it?
All is good though. We can relax. Sweden is on it, after him as well for some sexual assault beef. I can't see this guy assaulting a steak for dinner, let alone some skirt.
Assange can’t possibly be hard to find. I’m sure he wouldn’t be comfortable in a cave somewhere where you have to crap in a corner and not bathe for months at a time.
This guy (Assange) looks like he pisses sitting down and needs a butler to wipe his ass. Just put some resources near the local Star Bucks. This dude, I’m certain drinks lattes, and reads “Better Home and Garden” – or an Australian facsimile thereof.
Till next time. Be good.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Short & Quick
Politics & Plane Travel
A couple things that seem obvious to me follow.
One more time – Sara Palin is disliked, and/or hated by the left because she’s a MILF who can recognize the difference between a man-to-man defense or zone (having been a former point guard), she cooks/cleans without bitching about it and knows how to load and fire a shotgun.
It ain’t brain surgery. Most of this country’s uptight broads can’t find a kitchen and have put on so much tonnage over the years thus making themselves attractive only to felons who are walking free after doing three years in the Mansfield Reformatory.
As for the men who don’t like her, the only thing I can think of is they have no balls or are gay. What’s there not to like?
Would I vote for her for President? Ask me that question when you tell me who’s she up against. And no, in my book, you don’t have to have an IQ of 150 to be the leader of the free world. A little common sense goes a long way. However, I was disappointed with her resigning as Governor. I know she wanted to cash in, but that would cost her some votes – including possibly mine. If you quit once, you might quit again.
As for this airport hullabaloo, I don’t get it. I don’t have a problem with going through a screening machine that gives off a little radiation. I’ll take that over the groping anytime if given a choice, unless of course, the skirt doing the groping has a slim waist and big jugs. Either way, I don’t care. This is a clearly an example of a story the media loves, so it (media) gives it legs (makes it bigger than it is). Stop bitching, get moving and get on the F%$#@ plane!
Browns
Trivia time – What team can go +5 in the turnover battle and still lose?
That’s’ right – the Cleveland Browns.
Geez, I wasn’t aware that if you put eight in the box and stopped Peyton Hillis, you could stop the Browns offense cold – especially with Josh Cribbs out of the line-up.
For those who wanted the play-calling to be more dynamic in that second half, I have one simple question?
Who in a Cleveland uniform did you want to get the ball to?
As for McCoy, we felt he was due to hit a wall and said so. He played okay. The dude is accurate as hell. However, on several occasions, he held the ball too long when he should have tossed it out of bounds. That has to improve. He looked indecisive for the first time. He’s allowed.
By the way, he made a couple excellent throws on that last drive – including the pass that got picked. He nearly stuck that into an impossible window. The dude is EXTREMELY accurate.
The “O” line had a bad day against the Jaguars. They didn’t run block well, nor did they give McCoy sufficient time to allow someone (anyone) to get open.
As for Sunday, yes, we see the Browns winning over Carolina regardless of who is under center. Both McCoy and Wallace should be able to put enough points on the board to earn a victory. But don’t expect a huge margin of victory. Besides, 23-20 still counts as a W.
My boy Vince Young seems to have worn out his welcome in Tennessee. If you can’t play for that guy (J. Fisher), you have issues. Again, we love his (Young’s) skill set, stating from day one this guy is a potential football freak. However, we can’t account for attitude, work ethic, common sense, selfishness, maturity, etc. Obviously, Vince has some issues that are not football related. That’s too bad. He’s only scratched the surface of what this corner thinks he’s capable of and has still won nearly 2/3 of the games he’s played in.
Maturity is a character trait that some people acquire later in life, or perhaps never at all. That is especially true for many babied athletes who have been "enabled" since their teenage years.
Vince seems like he has a very thin skin – not good for an NFL QB, where you are only as good as your last throw/game, unless your name is Manning or Brady.
Speaking for maturity, I’m curious to see how my other boy, Michael Vick, handles “Success II.” Remember, anyone can say and do all the right things when you’ve been humiliated. How do you handle your business when everyone is kissing your ass again is when you find out about a person. We’ll see this off-season with Vick.
Request Granted
Back to politics, a couple of you have asked me to handicap the Republican field for 2012. Here’s a very early, quick look.
S. Palin – likely unelectable. The media has destroyed her image by effectively building a narrative for 50% of the country that she’s a moron. She also hasn’t helped herself by leaving the governorship (already covered above). However, she’s the one the left wants to run against thinking she has the most holes (that’s not a play on words).
T. Pawlenty – nothing special.
M. Romney - Typical politician in terms of looks and approach. Has money and will have establishment backing but his health care approach (similar to Obamacare) when he was Mass. Governor and the fact that he’s a Mormon will hurt.
N. Ginrich – The smartest of the group, who would hammer Obama in a debate, but has baggage – including when he ditched his cancer-stricken wife for another babe a long time back. Not good.
Bobby Jindhal - I think I've F-up the spelling, regardless, he's intriguing. He's a hard target for the left to hit beacuse he's not a white middle-aged dude. The guy has doen a good job as Louisiana Governor and will likely run. I see him more as a #2, but then again, the Republicans are going to win his state and wouldn't need him on the ticket to do so.
M. Huckabee – I admire the guy. He lost a ton of weight and has done a nice job on his television show without losing credibility. Pretty bright and more likeable than most. Still, he wouldn’t be my first choice.
Yes, we still like Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, who no one is including in either the first tier or second tier of candidates. Not only do we like him because he knows economics inside out (something that is desperately needed at the top right now), but because he’s a straight arrow and hard to hit from the left. He’s a nice, boring guy with a nice looking family. He’ll need a PR person around him who can take his skill set (knowledge of the issues) and couple that with some creative way to make him visually appealing to the public (aka: somewhat charismatic). Yes, I am available on a consultant basis. By the way, Ryan probably won't run.
Look out for Governor Christie of New Jersey. The fat boy is kicking ass and taking names, is good on camera and not afraid to mix it up. He's everyone's GOP VP early choice already because he comes from a coveted democratic state. I doubt he will run - too soon. However, his name will surface a lot, especially as the #2.
Aas for Marco Rubio, newly elected Governor of Florida - again, too soon, but a young, talented up and comer who is setting himself up nicely for 2016. He's the closest thing the Republicans have to a rock star in the party. Until we find out he sleeps with Romanian midgets - three at a time.
You would be amazed how much opposition research goes on. If you have a skeleton, they'll find it. That's why so many don't run.
There are a few others out there most of you don’t know of yet and/or will surface later, so I’ll stop there for now. We can cover those dudes at a later date.
Enjoy your turkey weekend.
Now time for a blast from the past - “Hey, who the hell is the athletic director around here?”
Be good!
A couple things that seem obvious to me follow.
One more time – Sara Palin is disliked, and/or hated by the left because she’s a MILF who can recognize the difference between a man-to-man defense or zone (having been a former point guard), she cooks/cleans without bitching about it and knows how to load and fire a shotgun.
It ain’t brain surgery. Most of this country’s uptight broads can’t find a kitchen and have put on so much tonnage over the years thus making themselves attractive only to felons who are walking free after doing three years in the Mansfield Reformatory.
As for the men who don’t like her, the only thing I can think of is they have no balls or are gay. What’s there not to like?
Would I vote for her for President? Ask me that question when you tell me who’s she up against. And no, in my book, you don’t have to have an IQ of 150 to be the leader of the free world. A little common sense goes a long way. However, I was disappointed with her resigning as Governor. I know she wanted to cash in, but that would cost her some votes – including possibly mine. If you quit once, you might quit again.
As for this airport hullabaloo, I don’t get it. I don’t have a problem with going through a screening machine that gives off a little radiation. I’ll take that over the groping anytime if given a choice, unless of course, the skirt doing the groping has a slim waist and big jugs. Either way, I don’t care. This is a clearly an example of a story the media loves, so it (media) gives it legs (makes it bigger than it is). Stop bitching, get moving and get on the F%$#@ plane!
Browns
Trivia time – What team can go +5 in the turnover battle and still lose?
That’s’ right – the Cleveland Browns.
Geez, I wasn’t aware that if you put eight in the box and stopped Peyton Hillis, you could stop the Browns offense cold – especially with Josh Cribbs out of the line-up.
For those who wanted the play-calling to be more dynamic in that second half, I have one simple question?
Who in a Cleveland uniform did you want to get the ball to?
As for McCoy, we felt he was due to hit a wall and said so. He played okay. The dude is accurate as hell. However, on several occasions, he held the ball too long when he should have tossed it out of bounds. That has to improve. He looked indecisive for the first time. He’s allowed.
By the way, he made a couple excellent throws on that last drive – including the pass that got picked. He nearly stuck that into an impossible window. The dude is EXTREMELY accurate.
The “O” line had a bad day against the Jaguars. They didn’t run block well, nor did they give McCoy sufficient time to allow someone (anyone) to get open.
As for Sunday, yes, we see the Browns winning over Carolina regardless of who is under center. Both McCoy and Wallace should be able to put enough points on the board to earn a victory. But don’t expect a huge margin of victory. Besides, 23-20 still counts as a W.
My boy Vince Young seems to have worn out his welcome in Tennessee. If you can’t play for that guy (J. Fisher), you have issues. Again, we love his (Young’s) skill set, stating from day one this guy is a potential football freak. However, we can’t account for attitude, work ethic, common sense, selfishness, maturity, etc. Obviously, Vince has some issues that are not football related. That’s too bad. He’s only scratched the surface of what this corner thinks he’s capable of and has still won nearly 2/3 of the games he’s played in.
Maturity is a character trait that some people acquire later in life, or perhaps never at all. That is especially true for many babied athletes who have been "enabled" since their teenage years.
Vince seems like he has a very thin skin – not good for an NFL QB, where you are only as good as your last throw/game, unless your name is Manning or Brady.
Speaking for maturity, I’m curious to see how my other boy, Michael Vick, handles “Success II.” Remember, anyone can say and do all the right things when you’ve been humiliated. How do you handle your business when everyone is kissing your ass again is when you find out about a person. We’ll see this off-season with Vick.
Request Granted
Back to politics, a couple of you have asked me to handicap the Republican field for 2012. Here’s a very early, quick look.
S. Palin – likely unelectable. The media has destroyed her image by effectively building a narrative for 50% of the country that she’s a moron. She also hasn’t helped herself by leaving the governorship (already covered above). However, she’s the one the left wants to run against thinking she has the most holes (that’s not a play on words).
T. Pawlenty – nothing special.
M. Romney - Typical politician in terms of looks and approach. Has money and will have establishment backing but his health care approach (similar to Obamacare) when he was Mass. Governor and the fact that he’s a Mormon will hurt.
N. Ginrich – The smartest of the group, who would hammer Obama in a debate, but has baggage – including when he ditched his cancer-stricken wife for another babe a long time back. Not good.
Bobby Jindhal - I think I've F-up the spelling, regardless, he's intriguing. He's a hard target for the left to hit beacuse he's not a white middle-aged dude. The guy has doen a good job as Louisiana Governor and will likely run. I see him more as a #2, but then again, the Republicans are going to win his state and wouldn't need him on the ticket to do so.
M. Huckabee – I admire the guy. He lost a ton of weight and has done a nice job on his television show without losing credibility. Pretty bright and more likeable than most. Still, he wouldn’t be my first choice.
Yes, we still like Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, who no one is including in either the first tier or second tier of candidates. Not only do we like him because he knows economics inside out (something that is desperately needed at the top right now), but because he’s a straight arrow and hard to hit from the left. He’s a nice, boring guy with a nice looking family. He’ll need a PR person around him who can take his skill set (knowledge of the issues) and couple that with some creative way to make him visually appealing to the public (aka: somewhat charismatic). Yes, I am available on a consultant basis. By the way, Ryan probably won't run.
Look out for Governor Christie of New Jersey. The fat boy is kicking ass and taking names, is good on camera and not afraid to mix it up. He's everyone's GOP VP early choice already because he comes from a coveted democratic state. I doubt he will run - too soon. However, his name will surface a lot, especially as the #2.
Aas for Marco Rubio, newly elected Governor of Florida - again, too soon, but a young, talented up and comer who is setting himself up nicely for 2016. He's the closest thing the Republicans have to a rock star in the party. Until we find out he sleeps with Romanian midgets - three at a time.
You would be amazed how much opposition research goes on. If you have a skeleton, they'll find it. That's why so many don't run.
There are a few others out there most of you don’t know of yet and/or will surface later, so I’ll stop there for now. We can cover those dudes at a later date.
Enjoy your turkey weekend.
Now time for a blast from the past - “Hey, who the hell is the athletic director around here?”
Be good!
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Short & Quick
Browns/NFL
Abe Elam made the play last week and failed to do so this past week versus the Jets. That is often what separates a win and a loss – one play you make or don’t make. Ditto for C. Stuckey, who turned it over in overtime when it looked like the Browns were reaching Dawson’s range.
Think about what the national media would be saying about Colt McCoy had the Browns won that game with a 50 yarder from Dawson in OT?
The kid shoved it down the Jets’ throats at the end of regulation to send the game into overtime. He then had them nearing Dawson’s range when Stuckey coughed it up.
Credit should also go to the Jets’ DB for forcing that strip. That was no accident.
We all love Peyton Hillis, but the dude can’t continue to cough it up this much. This team simply isn’t good enough, in terms of talent, for your lead back to average double-digit fumbles a year – which is the pace he’s on.
And I don’t care that he runs hard and his style is conducive to fumbles. Your lead back has to take care of the ball. Period.
There actually are morons out there that wanted the Browns to sit on the ball late and play for the tie in overtime. One more time – “You play to win the game!”
I’m sure those same geniuses would be the first ones out of their seats cheering like a crack addict in a Copenhagen hash house if McCoy had connected with his tight end down the middle on that first down pass in their last possession.
We had the Jets winning a close one because this was simply a bad match up for Cleveland. The Jets stop the run and have arguably the best set of corners in the game.
The Browns, predictably, could not run it down their throats because NY could put 8 in the box to stop Hillis without any concern for the Browns’ wide outs hurting them.
Overall, this was the most entertaining/competitive Browns game I have seen in years, but I do have one criticism - I was not happy with the play selection when the Browns got in the red zone in the 3rd quarter.
They decided to throw three times from the 6-yard line instead of pounding Hillis inside. Play to your strengths gentlemen. Two shots with Hillis inside followed by a play action McCoy roll out giving him a simple pass/run option was needed there.
I feel sorry for Eric Wright. The locals are crucifying him. Let’s try this again – he’s not as bad as he’s looked this year and he was never as good as the rest of the civilized world thought (an NFL starting corner) last year.
The early-game loss at the other corner hurt and so did the Fujita injury. Yet, they hung in there. Good for them.
Just keep Mangini away from the early-look draft board if he's walking the halls and wants to peek in and give his two cents. He's a butcher there and proved it.
Okay, so I’m watching ESPN this past week and I keep seeing that the Redskins are about to give my boy Donovan McNabb $40 million of guaranteed money – at least that’s what the morons kept reporting making themselves look foolish to 1% of the population that “gets it.”
My reaction as I am sitting drinking a margarita – There is no way you give a 30-something QB who has been banged up that kind of guaranteed money. Why would you? Who the hell are you competing against?
The report made no sense even though ESPN ran with it for a couple days. Even the Skins aren’t that stupid. The end result – he didn’t get $40 guaranteed.
My question is this - How come ESPN had no one on salary that questioned this report/lunacy from the beginning? I might have missed it, but no one came on early and said the following – “Why would the Skins give McNabb, who is on the back-9 in football terms, $40 million up front when they don’t have to?
I really believe at times I’m living in an alternate universe.
Yes, we are picking the Browns to lose again this Sunday at Jacksonville. I am going on the theory that McCoy will hit a wall on Sunday. He hasn’t thrown a pick in three weeks. His only semi-playmaker out wide (Cribbs) is hurt, and he’s on the road. Sorry, we like The Jaguars 27-23.
As you can see, there is a pattern forming. The Browns have found an identity and are decent enough now to play teams relatively close, but don’t have the playmakers to finish most times out.
Again, if your QB doesn’t cough it up, your defense plays well in the red zone and you consistently win the special teams battle, you can be 8-8 in this league. This is the first rule of NFL football the way the game and rules (no true free agency) are structured and it has held true since the beginning of time. That’s why I keep repeating it.
The Browns “O” line deserves credit. They have done a good job of keeping McCoy clean the past few weeks.
By the way, kudos to Mangini for trying an on-side kick early. However, it would be nice if the guys on the kick-off team were told about it beforehand.
I like 23 returning kicks. I’d put him back there on punts as well if his hands aren’t made of stone. Then again, if they weren’t, he’d probably be a WR.
Cavs
My poor Cavs are about to start playing better teams. They have been able to stay above water (.500) due to a friendly early-seasons schedule. However, it might get ugly quick. Sit tight, the ride is going to be bumpy.
Early indications tell me coach Scott knows his stuff. Unfortunately, he has limited talent – which is the norm in the Eastern Conference. In simple English – there are a lot of bad teams in the East, the Cavs fit right in.
The only surprise so far – B. Gibson is playing his best basketball to date. He’s doing more than just spotting up. Let’s see if he can keep it up over 82 games.
Nothing else has surprised me about this team to date. They play hard and together, but lack raw talent and finishers.
And thanks for your response to my political piece last week. Yes, I am a jack of all trades and master of none.
To the few/proud - see you on the 23rd!
Abe Elam made the play last week and failed to do so this past week versus the Jets. That is often what separates a win and a loss – one play you make or don’t make. Ditto for C. Stuckey, who turned it over in overtime when it looked like the Browns were reaching Dawson’s range.
Think about what the national media would be saying about Colt McCoy had the Browns won that game with a 50 yarder from Dawson in OT?
The kid shoved it down the Jets’ throats at the end of regulation to send the game into overtime. He then had them nearing Dawson’s range when Stuckey coughed it up.
Credit should also go to the Jets’ DB for forcing that strip. That was no accident.
We all love Peyton Hillis, but the dude can’t continue to cough it up this much. This team simply isn’t good enough, in terms of talent, for your lead back to average double-digit fumbles a year – which is the pace he’s on.
And I don’t care that he runs hard and his style is conducive to fumbles. Your lead back has to take care of the ball. Period.
There actually are morons out there that wanted the Browns to sit on the ball late and play for the tie in overtime. One more time – “You play to win the game!”
I’m sure those same geniuses would be the first ones out of their seats cheering like a crack addict in a Copenhagen hash house if McCoy had connected with his tight end down the middle on that first down pass in their last possession.
We had the Jets winning a close one because this was simply a bad match up for Cleveland. The Jets stop the run and have arguably the best set of corners in the game.
The Browns, predictably, could not run it down their throats because NY could put 8 in the box to stop Hillis without any concern for the Browns’ wide outs hurting them.
Overall, this was the most entertaining/competitive Browns game I have seen in years, but I do have one criticism - I was not happy with the play selection when the Browns got in the red zone in the 3rd quarter.
They decided to throw three times from the 6-yard line instead of pounding Hillis inside. Play to your strengths gentlemen. Two shots with Hillis inside followed by a play action McCoy roll out giving him a simple pass/run option was needed there.
I feel sorry for Eric Wright. The locals are crucifying him. Let’s try this again – he’s not as bad as he’s looked this year and he was never as good as the rest of the civilized world thought (an NFL starting corner) last year.
The early-game loss at the other corner hurt and so did the Fujita injury. Yet, they hung in there. Good for them.
Just keep Mangini away from the early-look draft board if he's walking the halls and wants to peek in and give his two cents. He's a butcher there and proved it.
Okay, so I’m watching ESPN this past week and I keep seeing that the Redskins are about to give my boy Donovan McNabb $40 million of guaranteed money – at least that’s what the morons kept reporting making themselves look foolish to 1% of the population that “gets it.”
My reaction as I am sitting drinking a margarita – There is no way you give a 30-something QB who has been banged up that kind of guaranteed money. Why would you? Who the hell are you competing against?
The report made no sense even though ESPN ran with it for a couple days. Even the Skins aren’t that stupid. The end result – he didn’t get $40 guaranteed.
My question is this - How come ESPN had no one on salary that questioned this report/lunacy from the beginning? I might have missed it, but no one came on early and said the following – “Why would the Skins give McNabb, who is on the back-9 in football terms, $40 million up front when they don’t have to?
I really believe at times I’m living in an alternate universe.
Yes, we are picking the Browns to lose again this Sunday at Jacksonville. I am going on the theory that McCoy will hit a wall on Sunday. He hasn’t thrown a pick in three weeks. His only semi-playmaker out wide (Cribbs) is hurt, and he’s on the road. Sorry, we like The Jaguars 27-23.
As you can see, there is a pattern forming. The Browns have found an identity and are decent enough now to play teams relatively close, but don’t have the playmakers to finish most times out.
Again, if your QB doesn’t cough it up, your defense plays well in the red zone and you consistently win the special teams battle, you can be 8-8 in this league. This is the first rule of NFL football the way the game and rules (no true free agency) are structured and it has held true since the beginning of time. That’s why I keep repeating it.
The Browns “O” line deserves credit. They have done a good job of keeping McCoy clean the past few weeks.
By the way, kudos to Mangini for trying an on-side kick early. However, it would be nice if the guys on the kick-off team were told about it beforehand.
I like 23 returning kicks. I’d put him back there on punts as well if his hands aren’t made of stone. Then again, if they weren’t, he’d probably be a WR.
Cavs
My poor Cavs are about to start playing better teams. They have been able to stay above water (.500) due to a friendly early-seasons schedule. However, it might get ugly quick. Sit tight, the ride is going to be bumpy.
Early indications tell me coach Scott knows his stuff. Unfortunately, he has limited talent – which is the norm in the Eastern Conference. In simple English – there are a lot of bad teams in the East, the Cavs fit right in.
The only surprise so far – B. Gibson is playing his best basketball to date. He’s doing more than just spotting up. Let’s see if he can keep it up over 82 games.
Nothing else has surprised me about this team to date. They play hard and together, but lack raw talent and finishers.
And thanks for your response to my political piece last week. Yes, I am a jack of all trades and master of none.
To the few/proud - see you on the 23rd!
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Short & Quick
Browns
I have no idea what to make of the last two games other than to say the Browns seem to have gotten their sea legs under them when it comes to running the ball effectively on a consistent basis and the defense continues to play outstanding football in the red zone (See Elam’s strip). Couple that with a young quarterback who isn’t turning it over and you have a competitive team.
By the way - Elam's strip and fumble recovery prior to the half is arguably one of the three biggest plays this team has made this year. That was huge. It's what good players on good teams do that eventually gets you that "W" instead of playing well and losing.
Notice I said “competitive team” not “Good.” Listening to the local media and you would think Eric Mangini is now a genius and this team will run the table and finish 10-6 or no worse than 9-7. Right. Again, this is a classic case of short-term thinking at work.
You can’t produce a winning record without a consistent pass rush while also lacking NFL caliber receivers. However, one has to give to Mangini and company credit for “coaching these guys up” the past two games.
They are doing it with mirrors on defense and without quality NFL receivers on offense. That’s saying something.
We had them at 7-9 before the season started. It looked bleak several weeks ago. Now 7-9 looks reachable. Then again, they could go into a tailspin again. Anything is possible.
At least now, we know their personality - run the ball, try a few tricks and gimmick things up defensively. The key is doing it consistently week in week out.
Again, the bottom line is in the NFL, if you don’t’ cough it up, possess solid special teams and you bend but don’t break in the red zone, you can be in games late and win half of them. It shouldn’t be that hard.
Think about it - they are competitive without their outstanding special teams of the past. Cribbs has yet to make a game-changing play this year on special teams.
Separated At Birth
By the way, when I watch Colt McCoy play, a similar veteran NFL quarterback comes to mind. This guy has an outstanding career completion ratio (aka: very accurate), doesn’t turn it over very often, doesn’t possess a big arm, is undersized, somewhat mobile and generally underappreciated because he’s not 6-4/230 with a cannon.
His name?
Chad Pennington. CP’s problem has been staying healthy. Hopefully, McCoy won’t suffer the same fate. The next level up from Pennington in terms of this “genre” of quarterback is named “Montana.”
Now if McCoy reaches that level, we will have something really special. Of course, I’m not betting on it. The Joe Montana’s of the world come around every other generation.
Who's In Charge
I have been asked if I would start my boy, Seneca Wallace, if he’s healthy. Not at this point. I would ride McCoy and get him as much experience as possible. If he continues to win games, then you have a good problem going into next year – two guys who can flat out play. With injuries what they are, especially at QB with this team, you’ll need two guys there.
One thing is for certain – McCoy needs to get in the weight room this off-season.
One final thought on quarterbacks. The most important tool I look for in a quarterback has and always will be ACCURACY. Early returns tell us that’s McCoy’s strength. That’s a good thing.
Now let’s see if he can keep it going. A little more talent around him wouldn’t hurt either.
One of A Kind
One thought on P. Hillis - I simply can’t think of a player in recent history to compare him to. He’s faster and much athletic that Mike Alstot. And he’s much bigger than Jim Kick, an all-purpose back for the undefeated Dophins’ squad of the early 70’s.
I simply can’t think of a 245 pound running back that combines brute force and a fair measure of athleticism. Take a look at his game-ending TD run against the Steelers. He turned the corner and outran the Steelers’ outside linebacker who had the angle. Hillis was flat out faster and/or in better shape.
Versus the Jets
As for this week against the Jets, I simply can’t pick the Browns. The Jets are simply better – although I don’t consider them a true Super Bowl contender yet.
Simply put – if their quarterback doesn’t turn it over and makes a few plays, I see New York winning 23-17. Here’s hoping I’m wrong.
And no, Eric Wright should not be on Edwards tomorrow. He’s not big enough, physical enough or good enough.
One More Time
I also noticed last Sunday Evan Moore lining up more at WR. Why Mangini doesn’t just leave him there 50-60 plays a game is still a mystery to me. If I figured out early he’s better than our group of mediocre third receivers, why can’t he?
I’ll answer my own question – if Mangini sits M. Ali and Robiskie, it proves he didn’t know what the hell he was doing in the draft a couple years ago.
This is another classic example of why a head coach shouldn’t be drafting – it’s called "conflict of interest." It’s hard to sit guys you stuck your neck out for.
Think about it - M. Ali had a handful of catches for about 50 yards last week and that was hailed as a “very good” performance by some in the media in town. Talk about a low bar!
Pats Lack "O" Talent
Is it me or do the Patriots look like they are very pedestrian on offense?
I was stunned by the lack of skilled players on that team. I have no idea how they came into Cleveland with just one loss with that offensive talent pool. I know they are young and have had injuries, but the Browns looked like they had more playmakers than NE last Sunday. And that’s saying something.
Brady must be doing it with mirrors. By the way, he (Brady) actually looked confused against Cleveland. That’s the first time I’ve ever seen Brady lost for the bulk of a game without facing a real pass rush.
My Bad
Looks like I was mistaken about Tampa Bay. When they played the Browns, they looked like a 5 win team at best. With half the season to go, they are overachieving in my book.
Cavaliers & LeBron
One final time – How does LBJ and the media get away with the “I/He wanted to go somewhere where he could win a title” excuse” when he played on a team the past two years that had the BEST record in basketball?
Am I living in the Twilight Zone? I heard a couple morons this week justify James’ move because Miami gives him a better shot at a title and they couldn’t win it in Cleveland. This is amazing logic to say the least.
If you play on a team that wins more games than ANYONE else over a two year period, logic dictates that team has a pretty good chance of winning it all. It doesn’t guarantee it of course, but where are you going to find a better team? In other words, how do you improve on the best record in the sport?
I have yet to hear anyone anyone echo my thoughts.
Overrated
By the way, Chris Bosh is Zach Randolph without the baggage.
For those of you who aren’t basketball junkies, that means he gets stats when it doesn’t count. In Randolph’s case, he’s also one of those guys the Head Coach/GM/COO has to be worried about in terms of getting that 2 a.m. phone call from the police or a local hospital.
I don’t think Bosh is a head case, but he hasn’t proven he’s special – even with his career 20/10 numbers. Remember, he couldn’t even get Toronto an 8th seed in all his time there.
Politics
Nancy Pelosi is the gift that keeps on giving.
An irony of the midterm elections is the fact that the remaining democratic contingent in Congress is even more left than prior to November 2. The majority of moderate democrats from swing districts lost. The only thing that remains are hard-core lefties from districts that lean way left (i.e. SF & inner cities).
This means Nancy “My brains are totally fried” Pelosi will remain as the democratic leader of the House – even though she will be in a diminished role as minority leader. This means Republicans can continue to use her as a poster child for what’s wrong with Democrats.
There aren’t enough sensible Democrats remaining in the House to stop her. Then again, if these so-called moderate Democrats had any common sense, they wouldn’t have walked the plank for Pelosi, Obama and company when the country warned them to vote AGAINST stimulus and health care reform.
These morons want it both ways. They showed no spine when it was clear many voted themselves out of office when they voted “yes” for legislation the majority of the country didn’t want. Now they complain about their leadership (i.e. Nancy and company) leading them into the fire.
Here’s my take – show some balls when the bullets are flying, not after the fact. No one put a gun to your head and forced you to vote with the lefties. Decisions have consequences you pussies!
I don’t recall one Democrat in office at the time standing up during the Health Care debate saying the following – “If we pass this, it will cost us dearly come November 2 and, more importantly, it’s bad legislation when you pass major legislation affecting 1/6th of the economy strictly along partisan lines (no Republicans joined in).”
I have no idea what to make of the last two games other than to say the Browns seem to have gotten their sea legs under them when it comes to running the ball effectively on a consistent basis and the defense continues to play outstanding football in the red zone (See Elam’s strip). Couple that with a young quarterback who isn’t turning it over and you have a competitive team.
By the way - Elam's strip and fumble recovery prior to the half is arguably one of the three biggest plays this team has made this year. That was huge. It's what good players on good teams do that eventually gets you that "W" instead of playing well and losing.
Notice I said “competitive team” not “Good.” Listening to the local media and you would think Eric Mangini is now a genius and this team will run the table and finish 10-6 or no worse than 9-7. Right. Again, this is a classic case of short-term thinking at work.
You can’t produce a winning record without a consistent pass rush while also lacking NFL caliber receivers. However, one has to give to Mangini and company credit for “coaching these guys up” the past two games.
They are doing it with mirrors on defense and without quality NFL receivers on offense. That’s saying something.
We had them at 7-9 before the season started. It looked bleak several weeks ago. Now 7-9 looks reachable. Then again, they could go into a tailspin again. Anything is possible.
At least now, we know their personality - run the ball, try a few tricks and gimmick things up defensively. The key is doing it consistently week in week out.
Again, the bottom line is in the NFL, if you don’t’ cough it up, possess solid special teams and you bend but don’t break in the red zone, you can be in games late and win half of them. It shouldn’t be that hard.
Think about it - they are competitive without their outstanding special teams of the past. Cribbs has yet to make a game-changing play this year on special teams.
Separated At Birth
By the way, when I watch Colt McCoy play, a similar veteran NFL quarterback comes to mind. This guy has an outstanding career completion ratio (aka: very accurate), doesn’t turn it over very often, doesn’t possess a big arm, is undersized, somewhat mobile and generally underappreciated because he’s not 6-4/230 with a cannon.
His name?
Chad Pennington. CP’s problem has been staying healthy. Hopefully, McCoy won’t suffer the same fate. The next level up from Pennington in terms of this “genre” of quarterback is named “Montana.”
Now if McCoy reaches that level, we will have something really special. Of course, I’m not betting on it. The Joe Montana’s of the world come around every other generation.
Who's In Charge
I have been asked if I would start my boy, Seneca Wallace, if he’s healthy. Not at this point. I would ride McCoy and get him as much experience as possible. If he continues to win games, then you have a good problem going into next year – two guys who can flat out play. With injuries what they are, especially at QB with this team, you’ll need two guys there.
One thing is for certain – McCoy needs to get in the weight room this off-season.
One final thought on quarterbacks. The most important tool I look for in a quarterback has and always will be ACCURACY. Early returns tell us that’s McCoy’s strength. That’s a good thing.
Now let’s see if he can keep it going. A little more talent around him wouldn’t hurt either.
One of A Kind
One thought on P. Hillis - I simply can’t think of a player in recent history to compare him to. He’s faster and much athletic that Mike Alstot. And he’s much bigger than Jim Kick, an all-purpose back for the undefeated Dophins’ squad of the early 70’s.
I simply can’t think of a 245 pound running back that combines brute force and a fair measure of athleticism. Take a look at his game-ending TD run against the Steelers. He turned the corner and outran the Steelers’ outside linebacker who had the angle. Hillis was flat out faster and/or in better shape.
Versus the Jets
As for this week against the Jets, I simply can’t pick the Browns. The Jets are simply better – although I don’t consider them a true Super Bowl contender yet.
Simply put – if their quarterback doesn’t turn it over and makes a few plays, I see New York winning 23-17. Here’s hoping I’m wrong.
And no, Eric Wright should not be on Edwards tomorrow. He’s not big enough, physical enough or good enough.
One More Time
I also noticed last Sunday Evan Moore lining up more at WR. Why Mangini doesn’t just leave him there 50-60 plays a game is still a mystery to me. If I figured out early he’s better than our group of mediocre third receivers, why can’t he?
I’ll answer my own question – if Mangini sits M. Ali and Robiskie, it proves he didn’t know what the hell he was doing in the draft a couple years ago.
This is another classic example of why a head coach shouldn’t be drafting – it’s called "conflict of interest." It’s hard to sit guys you stuck your neck out for.
Think about it - M. Ali had a handful of catches for about 50 yards last week and that was hailed as a “very good” performance by some in the media in town. Talk about a low bar!
Pats Lack "O" Talent
Is it me or do the Patriots look like they are very pedestrian on offense?
I was stunned by the lack of skilled players on that team. I have no idea how they came into Cleveland with just one loss with that offensive talent pool. I know they are young and have had injuries, but the Browns looked like they had more playmakers than NE last Sunday. And that’s saying something.
Brady must be doing it with mirrors. By the way, he (Brady) actually looked confused against Cleveland. That’s the first time I’ve ever seen Brady lost for the bulk of a game without facing a real pass rush.
My Bad
Looks like I was mistaken about Tampa Bay. When they played the Browns, they looked like a 5 win team at best. With half the season to go, they are overachieving in my book.
Cavaliers & LeBron
One final time – How does LBJ and the media get away with the “I/He wanted to go somewhere where he could win a title” excuse” when he played on a team the past two years that had the BEST record in basketball?
Am I living in the Twilight Zone? I heard a couple morons this week justify James’ move because Miami gives him a better shot at a title and they couldn’t win it in Cleveland. This is amazing logic to say the least.
If you play on a team that wins more games than ANYONE else over a two year period, logic dictates that team has a pretty good chance of winning it all. It doesn’t guarantee it of course, but where are you going to find a better team? In other words, how do you improve on the best record in the sport?
I have yet to hear anyone anyone echo my thoughts.
Overrated
By the way, Chris Bosh is Zach Randolph without the baggage.
For those of you who aren’t basketball junkies, that means he gets stats when it doesn’t count. In Randolph’s case, he’s also one of those guys the Head Coach/GM/COO has to be worried about in terms of getting that 2 a.m. phone call from the police or a local hospital.
I don’t think Bosh is a head case, but he hasn’t proven he’s special – even with his career 20/10 numbers. Remember, he couldn’t even get Toronto an 8th seed in all his time there.
Politics
Nancy Pelosi is the gift that keeps on giving.
An irony of the midterm elections is the fact that the remaining democratic contingent in Congress is even more left than prior to November 2. The majority of moderate democrats from swing districts lost. The only thing that remains are hard-core lefties from districts that lean way left (i.e. SF & inner cities).
This means Nancy “My brains are totally fried” Pelosi will remain as the democratic leader of the House – even though she will be in a diminished role as minority leader. This means Republicans can continue to use her as a poster child for what’s wrong with Democrats.
There aren’t enough sensible Democrats remaining in the House to stop her. Then again, if these so-called moderate Democrats had any common sense, they wouldn’t have walked the plank for Pelosi, Obama and company when the country warned them to vote AGAINST stimulus and health care reform.
These morons want it both ways. They showed no spine when it was clear many voted themselves out of office when they voted “yes” for legislation the majority of the country didn’t want. Now they complain about their leadership (i.e. Nancy and company) leading them into the fire.
Here’s my take – show some balls when the bullets are flying, not after the fact. No one put a gun to your head and forced you to vote with the lefties. Decisions have consequences you pussies!
I don’t recall one Democrat in office at the time standing up during the Health Care debate saying the following – “If we pass this, it will cost us dearly come November 2 and, more importantly, it’s bad legislation when you pass major legislation affecting 1/6th of the economy strictly along partisan lines (no Republicans joined in).”
Friday, November 5, 2010
Short & Quick
Politics
Elections have consequences as I have often said.
The 2008 presidential election meant this country was going to lurch left – although many didn’t expect it to be such a sharp turn.
Well, the 2010 midterms provided a ‘correction.”
A correction is when the American people tell Washington they’ve got it wrong. In this case, it was as simple as a right/center nation reminding the President and his Democratic cohorts in the House and Senate of this fact.
Remember, every 15-20 years, we give liberals some power and they blow it. This time, they had maximum power (the executive and the legislative branches) and blew it faster than a fat boy downing a pair of twinkies at lunch while the jocks put gum in his hair.
That was my "bullying" reference since it's such a hot topic these days.
By the way, you know how you stop a bully - punch him in the face. And if he doesn't back down and kicks your ass, get your older brother involved or double team him with one of your boys and kick his ass.
Sensitivity training doesn't work with some people. They need beaten on to learn the most valuable lesson of all - there is always someone bigger, badder, and/or better than you.
Back on point.
The Democrats couldn’t help themselves. So they shot their wad so to speak (aka: spent like drunken sailors) until they couldn’t spend any more. And knowing their power was likely to be short-lived, they convinced themselves they had to pass as much liberal legislation as quickly as possible before the correction came.
You see, unlike others, I believe Obama, Pelosi and company knew full well they would lose much of their power in 2010. They saw the anger building (i.e. the town halls). They had pollsters telling them independents were pissed as far back as last year. They didn’t care. So they publicly said what they had to say (aka: “They’ll like the health bill once they know what’s in it.”) to pass the time while they lurched us left.
Either that or they were complete morons and misread the nation. No one walking on two feet is that stupid – not even Nancy Pelosi.
By the way, she's totally gone. I have a feeling, in the near future, we're going to get a scroll on CNN indicating she's dangling buck naked from the Golden Gate Bridge (her home base) singing "There once was a man from Nantucket..." while drinking Vodka straight from the bottle given to her by three circus clowns just passing through.
Back on point - again.
The end result – Obama’s agenda was on trial in the 2010 midterms but he wasn’t. So he didn’t care those he convinced to follow his lead walked the plank and lost their seats. It wasn’t him.
You see, it doesn’t take courage to pass unpopular legislation when you personally aren’t up for re-election. You let others fall on the sword and thank them nicely for being good soldiers as they clean out their Washington offices and turn in their leased condo keys.
Now let’s see how Obama handles matters over the course of the next two years when he’s up for re-election himself.
Will he drift back toward the middle or stay hard left and go down in flames in the next election, assuming the Republicans post a candidate that can walk, chew gum, isn’t a leper and has no child molestation convictions on his record?
My hunch is he’ll drift back toward the middle some to give himself a legitimate shot at re-election. Remember, all he needs is his base (liberals, AA, & Latinos) to turnout, which they likely will in 2012, and to recapture a majority of the all-important independent vote.
He gets the independents back by seeming reasonable and by telling them you don’t want the Republicans in charge of all three branches after the 2012 elections.
“You see how we screwed it up after 2008 when we had all the power? The Republicans will screw it up even worse.” That’s his upcoming narrative folks.
You see, unless the Republicans blow it big time, they are likely to keep the House and regain the Senate in 2012 based on redistricting – which going to take place, state by state. And with most states going red, the Republicans are doing the redistricting. In simple English, they get to “rig the game.”
For example, Obama is looking at a totally different Midwest map than he was two years ago. States like Indiana, Ohio and even Pennsylvania are likely to go Republican next time around. He simple can’t win the election (get electoral votes) without much of the Midwest in his pocket. It isn’t likely to be there next time around with many of these states now in Republican control (i.e. governors & legislatures).
So Obama will attempt to show he’s somewhat reasonable while telling the nation you want divided government – elect me while you stumble toward a Republican legislative branch.
His other alternative is to stay hard left and prove his critics right – that’s he’s a true lefty and doesn’t care about being re-elected. He just wants to fundamentally transform the country regardless of cost to him (no second term) and his Party (getting mauled in elections while he’s in charge).
My money is on him compromising some. Why? The guy’s got way too big an ego to not want the gig for another four years.
Elections have consequences as I have often said.
The 2008 presidential election meant this country was going to lurch left – although many didn’t expect it to be such a sharp turn.
Well, the 2010 midterms provided a ‘correction.”
A correction is when the American people tell Washington they’ve got it wrong. In this case, it was as simple as a right/center nation reminding the President and his Democratic cohorts in the House and Senate of this fact.
Remember, every 15-20 years, we give liberals some power and they blow it. This time, they had maximum power (the executive and the legislative branches) and blew it faster than a fat boy downing a pair of twinkies at lunch while the jocks put gum in his hair.
That was my "bullying" reference since it's such a hot topic these days.
By the way, you know how you stop a bully - punch him in the face. And if he doesn't back down and kicks your ass, get your older brother involved or double team him with one of your boys and kick his ass.
Sensitivity training doesn't work with some people. They need beaten on to learn the most valuable lesson of all - there is always someone bigger, badder, and/or better than you.
Back on point.
The Democrats couldn’t help themselves. So they shot their wad so to speak (aka: spent like drunken sailors) until they couldn’t spend any more. And knowing their power was likely to be short-lived, they convinced themselves they had to pass as much liberal legislation as quickly as possible before the correction came.
You see, unlike others, I believe Obama, Pelosi and company knew full well they would lose much of their power in 2010. They saw the anger building (i.e. the town halls). They had pollsters telling them independents were pissed as far back as last year. They didn’t care. So they publicly said what they had to say (aka: “They’ll like the health bill once they know what’s in it.”) to pass the time while they lurched us left.
Either that or they were complete morons and misread the nation. No one walking on two feet is that stupid – not even Nancy Pelosi.
By the way, she's totally gone. I have a feeling, in the near future, we're going to get a scroll on CNN indicating she's dangling buck naked from the Golden Gate Bridge (her home base) singing "There once was a man from Nantucket..." while drinking Vodka straight from the bottle given to her by three circus clowns just passing through.
Back on point - again.
The end result – Obama’s agenda was on trial in the 2010 midterms but he wasn’t. So he didn’t care those he convinced to follow his lead walked the plank and lost their seats. It wasn’t him.
You see, it doesn’t take courage to pass unpopular legislation when you personally aren’t up for re-election. You let others fall on the sword and thank them nicely for being good soldiers as they clean out their Washington offices and turn in their leased condo keys.
Now let’s see how Obama handles matters over the course of the next two years when he’s up for re-election himself.
Will he drift back toward the middle or stay hard left and go down in flames in the next election, assuming the Republicans post a candidate that can walk, chew gum, isn’t a leper and has no child molestation convictions on his record?
My hunch is he’ll drift back toward the middle some to give himself a legitimate shot at re-election. Remember, all he needs is his base (liberals, AA, & Latinos) to turnout, which they likely will in 2012, and to recapture a majority of the all-important independent vote.
He gets the independents back by seeming reasonable and by telling them you don’t want the Republicans in charge of all three branches after the 2012 elections.
“You see how we screwed it up after 2008 when we had all the power? The Republicans will screw it up even worse.” That’s his upcoming narrative folks.
You see, unless the Republicans blow it big time, they are likely to keep the House and regain the Senate in 2012 based on redistricting – which going to take place, state by state. And with most states going red, the Republicans are doing the redistricting. In simple English, they get to “rig the game.”
For example, Obama is looking at a totally different Midwest map than he was two years ago. States like Indiana, Ohio and even Pennsylvania are likely to go Republican next time around. He simple can’t win the election (get electoral votes) without much of the Midwest in his pocket. It isn’t likely to be there next time around with many of these states now in Republican control (i.e. governors & legislatures).
So Obama will attempt to show he’s somewhat reasonable while telling the nation you want divided government – elect me while you stumble toward a Republican legislative branch.
His other alternative is to stay hard left and prove his critics right – that’s he’s a true lefty and doesn’t care about being re-elected. He just wants to fundamentally transform the country regardless of cost to him (no second term) and his Party (getting mauled in elections while he’s in charge).
My money is on him compromising some. Why? The guy’s got way too big an ego to not want the gig for another four years.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Short & Quick
Browns
Win the turnover battle 4-0 + all trick plays work + 2 defensive TDS = Upset over defending Super Bowl Champions.
Congratulations to the coaching staff for having the players ready to play, an excellent game plan and the best single game execution yet in the Mangini Era. There’s no other way to describe the win over New orleans. We’ll soon see if this is an anomaly or a sign of things to come.
I was especially impressed with the running game late when the Browns shoved it down the Saints’ throats – chewing up time and adding a field goal to stretch the lead to 13.
The Browns were more physical than the Saints – which is a good thing after getting their butts kicked up front the past two weeks.
Do you think Scott Fujita was fired up? He played like a Pro Bowler against his old mates.
When you aren’t very good as a team, you get the third team doing the play-by-play and color. That was evident late when neither talking head mentioned if the Saints won their final challenge, Eric Mangini would take the “hands to the facemask” penalty – basically making the challenge moot.
It took them forever to figure that one out. What’s more perplexing is the fact that obviously no one whispered in their ear up in the booth to cove that ground.
The more you watch 43, the more you have to like him. He can’t cover anyone – that’s expected for a safety – but he’s always around the ball and will smack you in the mouth. On a negative note, he dropped another pick Sunday. He’s had at least two clear chances at INTs and failed both times the past two weeks. That’s the difference between being considered a good-looking rookie and a potential 2010 Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate.
Think about it – Ward might lead the team in tackles as a rookie DB. Couple that with a pick six or two gives you a player everyone is talking about.
A few more screens were in order yesterday to slow down the Saints’ pass rush.
Quiz – Which will have a harder time getting open (football) or open looks (basketball) – the Browns receivers or the Cavs' perimeter players this winter?
Think about it – we’ve covered it time and time again the lack of talent at WR on this team before anyone else started talking about it, but imagine how difficult it will be for the Cavs to score in the half court without anyone needing a double team nor any players who can take guys off the dribble.
It will be ugly to watch most nights. Be prepared Cavs fans. Why do you think Byron Scott wants to run so much with this bunch?
How does 29-53 sound? I have them going 21-20 at home and winning single digits on the road (8-33). No stars, little depth, and few players who can truly defend usually means a very rough road record in the NBA.
Regardless, unless Byron Scott is a wizard and a couple new guys can flat out play, I just don't see much room for error beyond 29 wins. Unfortunately, I see 28 on the top end for the Cavs. They are much closer to 20 wins than 35 victories in my mind.
Finally, what’s with the chew in Mangini’s mouth? Is he trying to show he’s a tough guy? Okay, I’ll back off. The guy did his best coaching job yet. Let’s let him enjoy it now that his job is secure until at least week 18. Why do you think he was smiling so much after the win?
The Browns can’t lose this week (bye), but a double digit loss (27-17) is in order the following week when they host the Pats. I don't buy they've turned the corner - lack of talent folks.
BQ
Are you telling me Brady Quinn couldn't be an effective starter for the Cardinals and that offense compared to what they are running out there behind center? Come on.
Till next time.
Win the turnover battle 4-0 + all trick plays work + 2 defensive TDS = Upset over defending Super Bowl Champions.
Congratulations to the coaching staff for having the players ready to play, an excellent game plan and the best single game execution yet in the Mangini Era. There’s no other way to describe the win over New orleans. We’ll soon see if this is an anomaly or a sign of things to come.
I was especially impressed with the running game late when the Browns shoved it down the Saints’ throats – chewing up time and adding a field goal to stretch the lead to 13.
The Browns were more physical than the Saints – which is a good thing after getting their butts kicked up front the past two weeks.
Do you think Scott Fujita was fired up? He played like a Pro Bowler against his old mates.
When you aren’t very good as a team, you get the third team doing the play-by-play and color. That was evident late when neither talking head mentioned if the Saints won their final challenge, Eric Mangini would take the “hands to the facemask” penalty – basically making the challenge moot.
It took them forever to figure that one out. What’s more perplexing is the fact that obviously no one whispered in their ear up in the booth to cove that ground.
The more you watch 43, the more you have to like him. He can’t cover anyone – that’s expected for a safety – but he’s always around the ball and will smack you in the mouth. On a negative note, he dropped another pick Sunday. He’s had at least two clear chances at INTs and failed both times the past two weeks. That’s the difference between being considered a good-looking rookie and a potential 2010 Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate.
Think about it – Ward might lead the team in tackles as a rookie DB. Couple that with a pick six or two gives you a player everyone is talking about.
A few more screens were in order yesterday to slow down the Saints’ pass rush.
Quiz – Which will have a harder time getting open (football) or open looks (basketball) – the Browns receivers or the Cavs' perimeter players this winter?
Think about it – we’ve covered it time and time again the lack of talent at WR on this team before anyone else started talking about it, but imagine how difficult it will be for the Cavs to score in the half court without anyone needing a double team nor any players who can take guys off the dribble.
It will be ugly to watch most nights. Be prepared Cavs fans. Why do you think Byron Scott wants to run so much with this bunch?
How does 29-53 sound? I have them going 21-20 at home and winning single digits on the road (8-33). No stars, little depth, and few players who can truly defend usually means a very rough road record in the NBA.
Regardless, unless Byron Scott is a wizard and a couple new guys can flat out play, I just don't see much room for error beyond 29 wins. Unfortunately, I see 28 on the top end for the Cavs. They are much closer to 20 wins than 35 victories in my mind.
Finally, what’s with the chew in Mangini’s mouth? Is he trying to show he’s a tough guy? Okay, I’ll back off. The guy did his best coaching job yet. Let’s let him enjoy it now that his job is secure until at least week 18. Why do you think he was smiling so much after the win?
The Browns can’t lose this week (bye), but a double digit loss (27-17) is in order the following week when they host the Pats. I don't buy they've turned the corner - lack of talent folks.
BQ
Are you telling me Brady Quinn couldn't be an effective starter for the Cardinals and that offense compared to what they are running out there behind center? Come on.
Till next time.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Short & Quick
College
I don’t even know the kid’s name, but the Auburn quarterback looks like a poor man’s Vince Young to me. I saw the kid play over the weekend and was impressed by his size, speed and demeanor. And for those of you who still hate on my boy Vince, he’s still winning two of every three starts, and now that he actually has some weapons at WR, his passing numbers should get better.
I watched the Ohio State game over the weekend and was stunned by how bad Tressel’s special teams are. I’m told this has been an on-going problem all year. Of course, when you play Thiel (aka YSU), it doesn’t matter. This guy is as an “old-school” coach if there ever was one. For his ST units to be so bad must drive the dude crazy.
Watched five minutes of the Oregon game last night and realized they are using the fast paced offensive system I have always wanted to see employed. It’s basically a two minute offense being used for 40 minutes. For years, we heard you can’t run the hurry-up for the whole game because it will also tire your players (the offense). Oregon is showing teams it can be done.
In other for it to work, you have to have the talent (as always), depth (to keep people fresh) and be in great shape. They seem to have all three. I’m sure in a copycat world, everyone will be going to it in the coming years, especially if Oregon wins big this year (i.e. National Title).
Pros
The Colts basically do it at the pro level with Manning and company. Yet, my Browns are headed in the other direction with a 1970 approach of having Ed Potolak (look him up) as their main runner and receiver.
The irony is amazing to me. In the age of spreading the field, making defenses cover sideline to sideline/tackle in space, and getting off as many plays (mostly passing) as possible, Cleveland is back in the Dark Ages.
I know better than anyone that it’s their best chance to keep it close, but it doesn’t make it right. Boy do they have work to do in terms of upgrading their talent.
Memo to the Browns, here’s a second round wide receiver who can play – the Caucasian Buckeye wide out with the long name. I’ve seen the kid play 3x now and I don’t need to see more. He’s better than the garbage Cleveland puts out there now.
If Brett Favre sent unsolicited pictures of his schlong to a female Jets’ co-worker, he should be called on the carpet. If all he did was leave a phone message asking some slim-waisted, big-breasted 20 something year-old if she wanted to come over, then there’s no “there” there.
There’s a real line between harassment and some childlike mid-aged jock acting foolish. If it’s just a call, she can say $#@off. If he did more than that, he has bigger problems than a league fine and the NOW wenches who are unhappy with what nature gave them picketing his workplace. His old lady will unload on him and take half of what he’s worth.
Yea, Colt McCoy handled his first start well. No, I’m not ready to crown him king like some moron fans/media are right now in town. These are the same folks who would be ridiculing the organization for taking him had he gone 10-for-29 with three picks.
Obviously, he should be the starter from here on out. There’s absolutely nothing to lose – assuming you can keep him upright. Just like we said with Brady Quinn, the more experience you can get a young player (QB) the better. Unfortunately, they didn’t listen with Quinn. Hopefully, the Walrus will step in and make sure Mangini does the right thing.
One final note on McCoy – he needs to know where he is on the field. In the third quarter, he took a sack on third down that knocked them out of potential field goal range. There's no escuse for that - at any level. No one mentioned it on the broadcast, so I figured I’d do it.
Overall, the kid looks accurate and mobile. And I was impressed he got them in and out of the huddle without drawing flags. That’s also a good thing. Let’s see more of him now.
I just found out last Friday the Browns traded my boy Jerome Harrison. Here’s a guy who saves Mangini’s bacon last year. So Mangini turns around and rewards him by bringing in another back (Hillis) to take his place, then trades Harrison. Nice.
Loyalty works both ways in sports/business folks. If he didn't like him as their lead back, which was obviously the case, he should have done it before the season started when the kid’s value was higher. And, it would have given Harrison an opportunity to perhaps earn serious playing time with his new team. Now, the kid is back on the bench with his head spinning. He simply deserved better for saving Mangini’s job.
Yea, we almost nailed the Steelers’ score dead on - 27-10. See, I can be right sometimes.
When you lose the turnover battle 3-1 to a better team and you give up 5 sacks while registering none yourself, you have the makings of a bloodbath. Fortunately, it wasn’t a total embarrassment except for one thing – for the second straight week, the Browns were manhandled, beaten up, bullied. You choose the adjective. And this coach preaches toughness. Right!
There is absolutely no team identity with this bunch yet. After two years on the job, that’s another indictment of the head coach added to a horrid winning percentage.
So not only do we have a 1-5, bad, slow, under-talented team, but they are relatively soft compared to teams they've played. Nice. The only Browns’ player I see flying around causing havoc is #43. Check that - Josh Cribbs is mentally and physically tough as well.
Some other thoughts follow.
How much longer are they going to sit Haden on the bench on first and seconds down? Come on!
The Harrison hit on M. Ali deserved a flag. I’m not sure there is a clear solution to this mess but here’s my angle - go back to leather helmets. I’m not kidding.
If you wear a leather helmet (or a 21st century facsimile thereof ) you won’t lead with the head – ever, unless you are nuts. Everything else will follow – i.e. how tackling is taught).
No one asked me, but I would have neurologists, engineers and ex-players working together on head gear that’s light, still protects the athlete and simple. What they are wearing now looks like a weapon to me. And it's often used that way unfortunately.
I’m glad to see the Browns decided to change the snap count on occasion in the second quarter. The Steelers were getting a running start at McCoy until then.
Mangini elected to go into the locker room down 7-3 at halftime against the Steelers without even attempting to move the ball forward on the team’s last possession before the break. Doesn’t he know his players view that as a lack of faith in them? At least try a draw or screen.
Then he uses his timeouts with Steelers pinned back deep in their end prior to halftime, but DOESN’T attempt to rush the punter on fourth down with seconds remaining on the clock. What the hell is that?
New Orleans 34 Cleveland 17.
Till next time.
I don’t even know the kid’s name, but the Auburn quarterback looks like a poor man’s Vince Young to me. I saw the kid play over the weekend and was impressed by his size, speed and demeanor. And for those of you who still hate on my boy Vince, he’s still winning two of every three starts, and now that he actually has some weapons at WR, his passing numbers should get better.
I watched the Ohio State game over the weekend and was stunned by how bad Tressel’s special teams are. I’m told this has been an on-going problem all year. Of course, when you play Thiel (aka YSU), it doesn’t matter. This guy is as an “old-school” coach if there ever was one. For his ST units to be so bad must drive the dude crazy.
Watched five minutes of the Oregon game last night and realized they are using the fast paced offensive system I have always wanted to see employed. It’s basically a two minute offense being used for 40 minutes. For years, we heard you can’t run the hurry-up for the whole game because it will also tire your players (the offense). Oregon is showing teams it can be done.
In other for it to work, you have to have the talent (as always), depth (to keep people fresh) and be in great shape. They seem to have all three. I’m sure in a copycat world, everyone will be going to it in the coming years, especially if Oregon wins big this year (i.e. National Title).
Pros
The Colts basically do it at the pro level with Manning and company. Yet, my Browns are headed in the other direction with a 1970 approach of having Ed Potolak (look him up) as their main runner and receiver.
The irony is amazing to me. In the age of spreading the field, making defenses cover sideline to sideline/tackle in space, and getting off as many plays (mostly passing) as possible, Cleveland is back in the Dark Ages.
I know better than anyone that it’s their best chance to keep it close, but it doesn’t make it right. Boy do they have work to do in terms of upgrading their talent.
Memo to the Browns, here’s a second round wide receiver who can play – the Caucasian Buckeye wide out with the long name. I’ve seen the kid play 3x now and I don’t need to see more. He’s better than the garbage Cleveland puts out there now.
If Brett Favre sent unsolicited pictures of his schlong to a female Jets’ co-worker, he should be called on the carpet. If all he did was leave a phone message asking some slim-waisted, big-breasted 20 something year-old if she wanted to come over, then there’s no “there” there.
There’s a real line between harassment and some childlike mid-aged jock acting foolish. If it’s just a call, she can say $#@off. If he did more than that, he has bigger problems than a league fine and the NOW wenches who are unhappy with what nature gave them picketing his workplace. His old lady will unload on him and take half of what he’s worth.
Yea, Colt McCoy handled his first start well. No, I’m not ready to crown him king like some moron fans/media are right now in town. These are the same folks who would be ridiculing the organization for taking him had he gone 10-for-29 with three picks.
Obviously, he should be the starter from here on out. There’s absolutely nothing to lose – assuming you can keep him upright. Just like we said with Brady Quinn, the more experience you can get a young player (QB) the better. Unfortunately, they didn’t listen with Quinn. Hopefully, the Walrus will step in and make sure Mangini does the right thing.
One final note on McCoy – he needs to know where he is on the field. In the third quarter, he took a sack on third down that knocked them out of potential field goal range. There's no escuse for that - at any level. No one mentioned it on the broadcast, so I figured I’d do it.
Overall, the kid looks accurate and mobile. And I was impressed he got them in and out of the huddle without drawing flags. That’s also a good thing. Let’s see more of him now.
I just found out last Friday the Browns traded my boy Jerome Harrison. Here’s a guy who saves Mangini’s bacon last year. So Mangini turns around and rewards him by bringing in another back (Hillis) to take his place, then trades Harrison. Nice.
Loyalty works both ways in sports/business folks. If he didn't like him as their lead back, which was obviously the case, he should have done it before the season started when the kid’s value was higher. And, it would have given Harrison an opportunity to perhaps earn serious playing time with his new team. Now, the kid is back on the bench with his head spinning. He simply deserved better for saving Mangini’s job.
Yea, we almost nailed the Steelers’ score dead on - 27-10. See, I can be right sometimes.
When you lose the turnover battle 3-1 to a better team and you give up 5 sacks while registering none yourself, you have the makings of a bloodbath. Fortunately, it wasn’t a total embarrassment except for one thing – for the second straight week, the Browns were manhandled, beaten up, bullied. You choose the adjective. And this coach preaches toughness. Right!
There is absolutely no team identity with this bunch yet. After two years on the job, that’s another indictment of the head coach added to a horrid winning percentage.
So not only do we have a 1-5, bad, slow, under-talented team, but they are relatively soft compared to teams they've played. Nice. The only Browns’ player I see flying around causing havoc is #43. Check that - Josh Cribbs is mentally and physically tough as well.
Some other thoughts follow.
How much longer are they going to sit Haden on the bench on first and seconds down? Come on!
The Harrison hit on M. Ali deserved a flag. I’m not sure there is a clear solution to this mess but here’s my angle - go back to leather helmets. I’m not kidding.
If you wear a leather helmet (or a 21st century facsimile thereof ) you won’t lead with the head – ever, unless you are nuts. Everything else will follow – i.e. how tackling is taught).
No one asked me, but I would have neurologists, engineers and ex-players working together on head gear that’s light, still protects the athlete and simple. What they are wearing now looks like a weapon to me. And it's often used that way unfortunately.
I’m glad to see the Browns decided to change the snap count on occasion in the second quarter. The Steelers were getting a running start at McCoy until then.
Mangini elected to go into the locker room down 7-3 at halftime against the Steelers without even attempting to move the ball forward on the team’s last possession before the break. Doesn’t he know his players view that as a lack of faith in them? At least try a draw or screen.
Then he uses his timeouts with Steelers pinned back deep in their end prior to halftime, but DOESN’T attempt to rush the punter on fourth down with seconds remaining on the clock. What the hell is that?
New Orleans 34 Cleveland 17.
Till next time.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Short & Quick
Let’s get the bad news out of the way – Steelers 27 Browns 10. We can’t see how Cleveland will move the ball offensively, but we’ll give them double figures based solely on kindness. Obviously, this one has all the makings of getting real ugly quick if the Browns don’t man up at the line of scrimmage.
Speaking of line of scrimmage, I learned one thing from this past Sunday’s loss to the Falcons. Atlanta is very physical. They beat up the Browns – literally. What was especially disappointing was Darcy Egan’s buddy at left tackle. The former All-Pro (Joe Thomas) got beat like a South East Asian prostitute entertaining a pair of drunk/angry Merchant Marines. Thomas needs to spend less time doing a fishing show on Lake Erie and more time in the weight room. Is it me, or is he regressing?
The guy that destroyed him (Abraham) was a Pro-Bowl end made available by the Jets several years ago. At the time, we wrote the Browns should move heaven and earth to get him since true pass rushers aren’t made available every day and the Browns haven’t had one since Kennedy was banging chicks two at a time in the White House. Unfortunately, no one figured it out. Who needs a playmaker on defense anyway?
By the way, the rookie D-lineman for the Falcons (Biermann) may have made the most athletic play I have ever seen out of a near 300 pounder when he batted a pass in the air, caught it on a roll, got up and scampered the distance for a score. Meanwhile, our DBs can’t catch a cold on the rare occasion the opposing QB puts it in their hands.
Why the Browns don’t sign Antonio Bryant, a NFL #2 receiver currently looking for a job, is beyond me. You don’t need 20 years of watching film to determine Bryant is better than anything currently on the roster.
Why didn’t the Browns end the first half with a hail may pass from midfield? Why not take a shot? What’s the worst thing that could happen?
Look, we like Peyton Hillis. He’s a tough kid. But his running style is conducive to getting hit often from all sides. He won’t last very long in this league at this pace.
Did I mention the Browns may have less team speed that Hiram?
Overall, considering they have no pass rush and lack any true playmakers, the defense has performed relatively well. And no, I don’t blame the coordinator every time they blitz and get beat downfield. He has stones, realizes he has no pass rush and understands the guys on the field are not going to make many big plays on their own. He’s forcing the action. I prefer that approach than the sit back and give up 10 play/75 yards drives. Secondly, their red zone defense has been especially good.
Once again, no special plays on special teams. I never thought I’d say this, but Josh Cribbs has been MIA so far this season. He’s been the single most disappointing player in 2010. When you lack talent and your only playmaker isn’t making many plays – you have a real problem. To be kind, they are using him more in the basic offense due to lack of talent at WR. Still, that’s no excuse for not making an impact yet in his specialty. This week would be a good time to get it going.
As for Colt’s debut, my expectations are limited. This is perhaps the worst environment in football to make your first start (Pittsburgh). Still, he is getting paid. I expect a lot of running and dump passes. The offensive line MUST perform well this week. They handled the Ravens up front but then regressed against the Falcons. That can’t happen this week, or else they may be on their fourth QB before we even get to break week.
Right now, it looks like the Browns will realistically be sitting at 1-6 at the break. I doubt anyone with real street credibility (i.e. Chucky) would take the job in the middle of the season, but don’t be stunned if the “Walrus” make a change and turns it over to Ryan if they get blitzed the next two weeks (Steelers & Saints). The margin of defeat will be key for Mangini to keep his job through the holidays.
You know things are bad when all the local media has left is "They are playing better this year. They just don't have a lot of talent." Wow. And here I thought the idea in the multi-billion $ world of professional sports was to accumulate talented athletes, coach 'em up, and win a lot more than you lose. In Cleveland's NFL, it's turned into not looking bad when you lose.
Till next time.
Speaking of line of scrimmage, I learned one thing from this past Sunday’s loss to the Falcons. Atlanta is very physical. They beat up the Browns – literally. What was especially disappointing was Darcy Egan’s buddy at left tackle. The former All-Pro (Joe Thomas) got beat like a South East Asian prostitute entertaining a pair of drunk/angry Merchant Marines. Thomas needs to spend less time doing a fishing show on Lake Erie and more time in the weight room. Is it me, or is he regressing?
The guy that destroyed him (Abraham) was a Pro-Bowl end made available by the Jets several years ago. At the time, we wrote the Browns should move heaven and earth to get him since true pass rushers aren’t made available every day and the Browns haven’t had one since Kennedy was banging chicks two at a time in the White House. Unfortunately, no one figured it out. Who needs a playmaker on defense anyway?
By the way, the rookie D-lineman for the Falcons (Biermann) may have made the most athletic play I have ever seen out of a near 300 pounder when he batted a pass in the air, caught it on a roll, got up and scampered the distance for a score. Meanwhile, our DBs can’t catch a cold on the rare occasion the opposing QB puts it in their hands.
Why the Browns don’t sign Antonio Bryant, a NFL #2 receiver currently looking for a job, is beyond me. You don’t need 20 years of watching film to determine Bryant is better than anything currently on the roster.
Why didn’t the Browns end the first half with a hail may pass from midfield? Why not take a shot? What’s the worst thing that could happen?
Look, we like Peyton Hillis. He’s a tough kid. But his running style is conducive to getting hit often from all sides. He won’t last very long in this league at this pace.
Did I mention the Browns may have less team speed that Hiram?
Overall, considering they have no pass rush and lack any true playmakers, the defense has performed relatively well. And no, I don’t blame the coordinator every time they blitz and get beat downfield. He has stones, realizes he has no pass rush and understands the guys on the field are not going to make many big plays on their own. He’s forcing the action. I prefer that approach than the sit back and give up 10 play/75 yards drives. Secondly, their red zone defense has been especially good.
Once again, no special plays on special teams. I never thought I’d say this, but Josh Cribbs has been MIA so far this season. He’s been the single most disappointing player in 2010. When you lack talent and your only playmaker isn’t making many plays – you have a real problem. To be kind, they are using him more in the basic offense due to lack of talent at WR. Still, that’s no excuse for not making an impact yet in his specialty. This week would be a good time to get it going.
As for Colt’s debut, my expectations are limited. This is perhaps the worst environment in football to make your first start (Pittsburgh). Still, he is getting paid. I expect a lot of running and dump passes. The offensive line MUST perform well this week. They handled the Ravens up front but then regressed against the Falcons. That can’t happen this week, or else they may be on their fourth QB before we even get to break week.
Right now, it looks like the Browns will realistically be sitting at 1-6 at the break. I doubt anyone with real street credibility (i.e. Chucky) would take the job in the middle of the season, but don’t be stunned if the “Walrus” make a change and turns it over to Ryan if they get blitzed the next two weeks (Steelers & Saints). The margin of defeat will be key for Mangini to keep his job through the holidays.
You know things are bad when all the local media has left is "They are playing better this year. They just don't have a lot of talent." Wow. And here I thought the idea in the multi-billion $ world of professional sports was to accumulate talented athletes, coach 'em up, and win a lot more than you lose. In Cleveland's NFL, it's turned into not looking bad when you lose.
Till next time.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Short & Quick
Browns’ First W
The only conclusion I can come to from watching the Browns’ win over the Bengals is that Carson Palmer is on the back 9 of his career.
Matt Roth was able to make a couple of big plays rushing the quarterback. Part of the reason was that #58 was back in the line-up and often drew a chip from the back, allowing Roth to go one-on-one coming off the other edge.
On one of Roth’s two sacks, it was good coverage that allowed it to happen. The Browns will take it any way they can get it.
The Browns figured out in the past two weeks that they need to run the ball early and often. Had they employed that approach against their first two opponents they might not be sitting at 1-3 right now.
I give absolutely no credit to Mangini and his staff for getting it late. This wasn’t difficult to figure out – especially after how they won four in a row down the stretch in ‘09. The problem is you can’t win a lot of games in this league if you can’t throw it at all.
But that’s all they have right now – thanks to some horrid drafting. Take a look at the 3 #2s Mangini took in the 2008 draft and you’ll hurl chunks. That set this team in talent back several years. You can’t blow all three.
If you know what you are doing, 2 of 3 are starters and contributing heavily. If you don’t know what you are doing, 1 of 3 is helping. And if you are officially Joe Biden smart, all three have yet to do a damn thing (aka: Cleveland).
Cleveland actually had a wide receiver catch a pass in the third quarter I never heard of before (#85). Been there done that when it comes to that crew. Everyone else in town is starting to figure it out – two years late.
Seneca Wallace played well in his third start. He has improved steadily with each appearance. He should be sitting with 3 TDs and one pick had not a receiver had the ball bounce off his hands Sunday into the hands of a waiting DB.
What is just as important that fails to get noticed is the sacks he’s avoided with his mobility. He’s not Tom Brady, but he can play.
So Mike Alstot is back. Peyton Hillis did not rush for a ton of yards (27 for 102 yards), but kept the chains moving from time to time and was able to somehow turn the corner late in the game to pick up a first down and seal the win. What does that say about the Bengals D? Hillis will become a folk hero in town if he keeps it up with his hard-hat approach.
Now the down side – this is the slowest group of skilled players on an NFL roster I have ever seen. You have a fullback playing tailback and no speed (we’ve already covered talent) at receiver.
If I were coaching this group of WRs, I would play Evan Moore at WR much more. He may be slow (aka: a tight end), but he’s a big target, has good hands and seems to screen off defenders well. The touchdown pass Wallace hit him with came with Moore lined up wide.
It’s simple, if your #2 tight end is a better receiver than your #1 receiver, you play the tight end. Plus, Moore is somewhat of a hybrid. He’s not a true NFL tight end. He seems fairly comfortable in space. But what do I know?
The Browns punt and kickoff coverage units don’t get enough credit. Special teams play has been this team’s strength during the Mangini Era. On the flip side, the return units (Josh Cribbs & company) however, have not been stellar so far in 2010.
Teams seem to be adjusting to Cribbs in the wildcat formation. Maybe it’s because they can put 11 in the box knowing he’ll keeping it. They need to add a new wrinkle or two.
And I don’t like going to Cribbs at QB nearly as much this year when you already have a mobile guy in Wallace back there. The Browns need to utilize his ability to bootleg more often – especially in third and short situations and near the goal line. Get Wallace out in space on occasion and give him one pass option to go with the run option.
Falcons win 23-20. I actually think this one is very winnable if the Browns don’t cough it up and they can make a couple special teams plays.
I am just having a hard time picking them against a decent team when they have no passing game, the slowest skilled players in the history of the sport and a poor pass rush. If Atlanta has any talent (aka: “The Franchise” Matt Ryan) and the ability to adjust, they should win. I hope I am wrong.
McNabb
I was glad to see the Philly fans cheer Donovan McNabb. He earned it.
Indians
The Indians quietly Monday announced some front office shake ups. In simple English, they won 69 games, missed out on the playoffs for the eighth year in the last nine tries and everyone got promoted. I’m not making this up. Where do I go to get my application?
I Was Wrong
I need to fess up. I was obviously wrong about Steve Fuller (aka: Kyle Orton). Either that or little Belichick (aka: Josh McD.) is a hell of a QB coach. He took what was a back-up signal-caller in Orton and has turned him into a quality starter –or so it seems. Perhaps it’s a little of both.
This begs the question – How bad was Chicago’s offensive system and talent for all those years?
When I mess up, I fess up.
Classic Over-coaching
I caught the replay of LSU’s wonderful clock management against the Vols this past Saturday. I don’t know what was worse – LSU running guys in and out from the 1 yard line prior to the game’s last play or the Vols matching LSU’s madness by having 13 guys on the field.
Can you say OVERCOACHING? The specialization in football has gradually gone from the ridiculous to the sublime. These guys (coaches) spend way too much time looking at film and trying to come up with stupid schemes, plays and personnel groups to justify their jobs.
You are at the 1 yard line. Why the hell do you need to change personnel groups when you were already in your short yardage set prior to that play?
But then again, on third and inches, I would never put the QB in the shot gun and have the ball go back several yards before I try to go forward to get John Holmes’ type yardage. Call me crazy!
Cavaliers
If a team opens camp and no one hardly notices, did it happen? The Cavs have started playing exhibition games but they barely get a notice.
It will get much worse when they are sitting at 12-29 at the half way mark and the media & fans start dumping hard on Gilbert & company hard for not having a plan B. – something we have been saying for a long time.
To make matters worse, they just opened up a brand new two story gift shop at the Q. Obviously, when the team’s number crunchers planned that out they had 23 staying in town. Call me crazy, but I can’t see Daniel Green jerseys flying off the shelf.
And if anyone really thinks this team, as it’s constituted, has a chance at the 8th seed, they need a lobotomy. Again, I hope I am wrong and these coaches can squeeze champagne out of piss.
Till next week.
“Luck is the residue of hard work.”
The only conclusion I can come to from watching the Browns’ win over the Bengals is that Carson Palmer is on the back 9 of his career.
Matt Roth was able to make a couple of big plays rushing the quarterback. Part of the reason was that #58 was back in the line-up and often drew a chip from the back, allowing Roth to go one-on-one coming off the other edge.
On one of Roth’s two sacks, it was good coverage that allowed it to happen. The Browns will take it any way they can get it.
The Browns figured out in the past two weeks that they need to run the ball early and often. Had they employed that approach against their first two opponents they might not be sitting at 1-3 right now.
I give absolutely no credit to Mangini and his staff for getting it late. This wasn’t difficult to figure out – especially after how they won four in a row down the stretch in ‘09. The problem is you can’t win a lot of games in this league if you can’t throw it at all.
But that’s all they have right now – thanks to some horrid drafting. Take a look at the 3 #2s Mangini took in the 2008 draft and you’ll hurl chunks. That set this team in talent back several years. You can’t blow all three.
If you know what you are doing, 2 of 3 are starters and contributing heavily. If you don’t know what you are doing, 1 of 3 is helping. And if you are officially Joe Biden smart, all three have yet to do a damn thing (aka: Cleveland).
Cleveland actually had a wide receiver catch a pass in the third quarter I never heard of before (#85). Been there done that when it comes to that crew. Everyone else in town is starting to figure it out – two years late.
Seneca Wallace played well in his third start. He has improved steadily with each appearance. He should be sitting with 3 TDs and one pick had not a receiver had the ball bounce off his hands Sunday into the hands of a waiting DB.
What is just as important that fails to get noticed is the sacks he’s avoided with his mobility. He’s not Tom Brady, but he can play.
So Mike Alstot is back. Peyton Hillis did not rush for a ton of yards (27 for 102 yards), but kept the chains moving from time to time and was able to somehow turn the corner late in the game to pick up a first down and seal the win. What does that say about the Bengals D? Hillis will become a folk hero in town if he keeps it up with his hard-hat approach.
Now the down side – this is the slowest group of skilled players on an NFL roster I have ever seen. You have a fullback playing tailback and no speed (we’ve already covered talent) at receiver.
If I were coaching this group of WRs, I would play Evan Moore at WR much more. He may be slow (aka: a tight end), but he’s a big target, has good hands and seems to screen off defenders well. The touchdown pass Wallace hit him with came with Moore lined up wide.
It’s simple, if your #2 tight end is a better receiver than your #1 receiver, you play the tight end. Plus, Moore is somewhat of a hybrid. He’s not a true NFL tight end. He seems fairly comfortable in space. But what do I know?
The Browns punt and kickoff coverage units don’t get enough credit. Special teams play has been this team’s strength during the Mangini Era. On the flip side, the return units (Josh Cribbs & company) however, have not been stellar so far in 2010.
Teams seem to be adjusting to Cribbs in the wildcat formation. Maybe it’s because they can put 11 in the box knowing he’ll keeping it. They need to add a new wrinkle or two.
And I don’t like going to Cribbs at QB nearly as much this year when you already have a mobile guy in Wallace back there. The Browns need to utilize his ability to bootleg more often – especially in third and short situations and near the goal line. Get Wallace out in space on occasion and give him one pass option to go with the run option.
Falcons win 23-20. I actually think this one is very winnable if the Browns don’t cough it up and they can make a couple special teams plays.
I am just having a hard time picking them against a decent team when they have no passing game, the slowest skilled players in the history of the sport and a poor pass rush. If Atlanta has any talent (aka: “The Franchise” Matt Ryan) and the ability to adjust, they should win. I hope I am wrong.
McNabb
I was glad to see the Philly fans cheer Donovan McNabb. He earned it.
Indians
The Indians quietly Monday announced some front office shake ups. In simple English, they won 69 games, missed out on the playoffs for the eighth year in the last nine tries and everyone got promoted. I’m not making this up. Where do I go to get my application?
I Was Wrong
I need to fess up. I was obviously wrong about Steve Fuller (aka: Kyle Orton). Either that or little Belichick (aka: Josh McD.) is a hell of a QB coach. He took what was a back-up signal-caller in Orton and has turned him into a quality starter –or so it seems. Perhaps it’s a little of both.
This begs the question – How bad was Chicago’s offensive system and talent for all those years?
When I mess up, I fess up.
Classic Over-coaching
I caught the replay of LSU’s wonderful clock management against the Vols this past Saturday. I don’t know what was worse – LSU running guys in and out from the 1 yard line prior to the game’s last play or the Vols matching LSU’s madness by having 13 guys on the field.
Can you say OVERCOACHING? The specialization in football has gradually gone from the ridiculous to the sublime. These guys (coaches) spend way too much time looking at film and trying to come up with stupid schemes, plays and personnel groups to justify their jobs.
You are at the 1 yard line. Why the hell do you need to change personnel groups when you were already in your short yardage set prior to that play?
But then again, on third and inches, I would never put the QB in the shot gun and have the ball go back several yards before I try to go forward to get John Holmes’ type yardage. Call me crazy!
Cavaliers
If a team opens camp and no one hardly notices, did it happen? The Cavs have started playing exhibition games but they barely get a notice.
It will get much worse when they are sitting at 12-29 at the half way mark and the media & fans start dumping hard on Gilbert & company hard for not having a plan B. – something we have been saying for a long time.
To make matters worse, they just opened up a brand new two story gift shop at the Q. Obviously, when the team’s number crunchers planned that out they had 23 staying in town. Call me crazy, but I can’t see Daniel Green jerseys flying off the shelf.
And if anyone really thinks this team, as it’s constituted, has a chance at the 8th seed, they need a lobotomy. Again, I hope I am wrong and these coaches can squeeze champagne out of piss.
Till next week.
“Luck is the residue of hard work.”
Monday, September 27, 2010
Short & Quick
Poor Eric
Here’s a riddle – What do you do when someone is clearly not getting the job done and keeps making the same mistakes over and over again? Answer – you replace him!
Obviously, the Cleveland Browns’ coaching staff did not take that course in personnel management 101.
Eric Wright, who we have been sounding the alarm bells about for two years, was beaten over and over again like a mouthy step child with bad habits and worse hygiene by the Ravens’ A. Boldin yesterday.
I actually felt bad for Wright, who was left out there on an island time and time again, much like a manager decides to leave his starter on the hill to eat innings down 7-0 early. The only difference is this – the Browns were still in this game.
What was Mangini’s and Ryan’s solution?
Leave him out there and occasionally sliding a safety over on top for help. That worked great by the way.
Obviously, there was never any serious thought to taking the guy off the field and replacing him.
Why would you do that? It’s not like you have a high first round pick on your bench who plays the exact same position ready to step in for just this kind of circumstance.
Here’s an out of the box thought – put Brown on Boldin and slide Haden over on Mason with some help on top if you think the rookie needs it.
Can you spell coaching malpractice? Look, these guys spend 24/7 looking at film and yet can’t make a common sense decision a pee wee coach could figure out.
It gets worse - Here's what their braintrust was saying - Eric Wright is our #1 corner. Why else would you put him on a futue Hall of Famer/their best WR?
A 12 year old who plays for the Catholic Youth Football League knows S. Brown is a superior cover corner. Keep breaking down film guys. It will all make sense someday.
Besides, if a guy is having a terrible day, get him off the field – for his own good. Wright’s head had to be spinning 100 mph. The last place he needed to be was on the field in the second half of that game making a fool of himself and costing his team dearly.
If you don’t want to sit him completely, make him the nickel back for a while to take some pressure off the poor guy.
Quick- What's the definition of insanity? Right. It’s doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. That would be the Browns’ coaching decision yesterday when it came to their secondary.
Now imagine being a player on that team and knowing you have to depend on that bunch(coaches) to make adjustments at halftime to win games. More on that two paragraphs down.
Anyone who had any doubts about Mangini being in over his head should have no more illusions. This was so poorly handled by this guy and his staff even the local media figured it out.
Need more evidence – this team led in the second half in all three games played to date, only to lose all three.
The way the game ended is indicative of the joke that is the Cleveland Browns – a player jumped off sides on 3rd and 4 late, securing the win for Baltimore. Come on –you can’t make this stuff up.
Women in Sports
Warning - I am about to cross the PC line here folks. Read at your own peril.
I am open-minded, but a local female scribe (ABJ) wrote a sidebar this morning with the narrative that Wright sat at his locker and took the heat for the poor play and the loss.
Okay. That’s easy to write and nice. Women like the touchy, feely stuff. I get it.
But the real story was what this broad buried in the piece. At one point she wrote that Wright was "on the verge of being a Pro-Bowl player coming into this season" or something to that effect.
Really? I never read that memo, and more importantly, someone forgot to tell the Ravens.
How the hell could anyone who knows anything about sports come to that conclusion? Understand this – this babe gets paid to watch football and report on it.
Here's my concern - Where the hell was her editor? The guy couldn’t do her a favor and take that line out and save her embarrassment.
He obviously asked her out on a date sometime back and she told him to take a hike, she had to attend practice and marvel at how the Browns throw effectively to their fullbacks. Or maybe not.
Here’s the problem with sports journalism in a nutshell – her editor probably had no idea that throwaway line made a fool of her.
Remember what we stated a long time ago when we started this work – less than 5% get it.
If I were her boss, I would have handed her an apron after she filed that piece and pointed her in the direction of the kitchen and told her to go practice making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for when she squeezes out some puppies.
Hey, at least broads have an excuse. Some male local talk show host got on the air yesterday and ridiculed the coaching staff for putting Wright on a #1 receiver saying he isn’t good enough to cover top flight WRs.
Boy, that takes huge stones after the guy puts on a show worthy on Dennis Northcutt on Monday Night football versus the Steelers when “Cutt” dropped all four passes thrown his way showing clearly that he wanted to get out of the cold.
Where was this genius two week ago?
Look, I saw Wright line up against Boldin in the first series and laughed out loud wondering how you put a nickel back on a true #1 receiver. Add the lack of pass rush and you had a trainwreck in the making.
The truth is I didn’t think the Ravens coaching staff was smart enough to go there time and time again. Unfortunately, I was wrong. Then I figured Mangini and his skinny D-coordinator would adjust accordingly. I was wrong again.
What’s next, the media calling for the rookie corner (#23) to start ahead of Wright this week? Geez, that’s really getting out in front of the story.
I apologize for my sarcasm, but I get closer and closer to quitting this column when I read and hear this stupidity time and time again.
Pass Rush Or Lack There Of
Another riddle – What’s worse, the Browns pass rush without Marcus Bernard or the team’s receivers? Answer – it’s a push.
The Browns turned Joe “I threw four picks last week and cost my team a win” Flacco into Dan Marino on Sunday. It helps when you can play pitch and catch without fear of being touched.
Speaking of the receivers, I heard another funny line prior to kickoff. One of the local talking heads was wondering how the Browns were going to adjust to
the “devastating loss of not having their possession receiver Brian Robiskie active.”
He was serious.
Something Positive
We saved some good news for last. The offensive line played very well yesterday against a very good defense. They pushed the Ravens’ front around and kept Ray Lewis' mouth shut for most of the game.
I ripped them last week, but they finally showed up Sunday. It’s about time.
That allowed Peyton Hillis to put on an “old-school” performance running straight ahead on every touch and rushing for over 140 yards.
One more time – you have to stay with the run and not abandon it early, especially when the alternative is to throw the ball to “Muhammad Ali” and “Stick With Me.”
This ain’t brain surgery folks.
QBs
One final point – It’s been impossible to judge a QB in this town the past two years since this bunch has been lining up at wide receiver. I know I keep belaboring the point, but you really have no idea how bad their receivers are.
Remember what I said last year - the worst group of WRs I have seen in Cleveland in 40 years of watching football.
Regardless, my boy Seneca Wallace was better this week – making the first guy miss, squeezing a couple in tight places and not making any glaring blunders.
Unfortunately, he just has no playmakers around him. There is no one on that roster that scares the defense. That is beyond sad.
And no, Josh Cribbs worries the defense, ne doesn't scare them.
Turnovers
Wouldn’t it be nice if the defense could force a turnover or two on occasion?
When you can’t rush the passer and don’t have any impact players in general you don’t force mistakes. It’s another glaring weakness on this team – among many others.
Expectations
We though this team could win 7 games this fall because of the additions at linebacker, the signing of a legitimate NFL starting corner and the hope they would run the ball effectively.
We also stated the following – “Unfortunately, this team is a lot closer to 5 wins than 9.” I hope I’m wrong, but if they don’t stay on the ground and can’t get to the quarterback, they might have a hard time reaching 5.
Next Week
Bengals 27 Cleveland 20. The Browns find another way to lose.
Here’s a riddle – What do you do when someone is clearly not getting the job done and keeps making the same mistakes over and over again? Answer – you replace him!
Obviously, the Cleveland Browns’ coaching staff did not take that course in personnel management 101.
Eric Wright, who we have been sounding the alarm bells about for two years, was beaten over and over again like a mouthy step child with bad habits and worse hygiene by the Ravens’ A. Boldin yesterday.
I actually felt bad for Wright, who was left out there on an island time and time again, much like a manager decides to leave his starter on the hill to eat innings down 7-0 early. The only difference is this – the Browns were still in this game.
What was Mangini’s and Ryan’s solution?
Leave him out there and occasionally sliding a safety over on top for help. That worked great by the way.
Obviously, there was never any serious thought to taking the guy off the field and replacing him.
Why would you do that? It’s not like you have a high first round pick on your bench who plays the exact same position ready to step in for just this kind of circumstance.
Here’s an out of the box thought – put Brown on Boldin and slide Haden over on Mason with some help on top if you think the rookie needs it.
Can you spell coaching malpractice? Look, these guys spend 24/7 looking at film and yet can’t make a common sense decision a pee wee coach could figure out.
It gets worse - Here's what their braintrust was saying - Eric Wright is our #1 corner. Why else would you put him on a futue Hall of Famer/their best WR?
A 12 year old who plays for the Catholic Youth Football League knows S. Brown is a superior cover corner. Keep breaking down film guys. It will all make sense someday.
Besides, if a guy is having a terrible day, get him off the field – for his own good. Wright’s head had to be spinning 100 mph. The last place he needed to be was on the field in the second half of that game making a fool of himself and costing his team dearly.
If you don’t want to sit him completely, make him the nickel back for a while to take some pressure off the poor guy.
Quick- What's the definition of insanity? Right. It’s doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. That would be the Browns’ coaching decision yesterday when it came to their secondary.
Now imagine being a player on that team and knowing you have to depend on that bunch(coaches) to make adjustments at halftime to win games. More on that two paragraphs down.
Anyone who had any doubts about Mangini being in over his head should have no more illusions. This was so poorly handled by this guy and his staff even the local media figured it out.
Need more evidence – this team led in the second half in all three games played to date, only to lose all three.
The way the game ended is indicative of the joke that is the Cleveland Browns – a player jumped off sides on 3rd and 4 late, securing the win for Baltimore. Come on –you can’t make this stuff up.
Women in Sports
Warning - I am about to cross the PC line here folks. Read at your own peril.
I am open-minded, but a local female scribe (ABJ) wrote a sidebar this morning with the narrative that Wright sat at his locker and took the heat for the poor play and the loss.
Okay. That’s easy to write and nice. Women like the touchy, feely stuff. I get it.
But the real story was what this broad buried in the piece. At one point she wrote that Wright was "on the verge of being a Pro-Bowl player coming into this season" or something to that effect.
Really? I never read that memo, and more importantly, someone forgot to tell the Ravens.
How the hell could anyone who knows anything about sports come to that conclusion? Understand this – this babe gets paid to watch football and report on it.
Here's my concern - Where the hell was her editor? The guy couldn’t do her a favor and take that line out and save her embarrassment.
He obviously asked her out on a date sometime back and she told him to take a hike, she had to attend practice and marvel at how the Browns throw effectively to their fullbacks. Or maybe not.
Here’s the problem with sports journalism in a nutshell – her editor probably had no idea that throwaway line made a fool of her.
Remember what we stated a long time ago when we started this work – less than 5% get it.
If I were her boss, I would have handed her an apron after she filed that piece and pointed her in the direction of the kitchen and told her to go practice making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for when she squeezes out some puppies.
Hey, at least broads have an excuse. Some male local talk show host got on the air yesterday and ridiculed the coaching staff for putting Wright on a #1 receiver saying he isn’t good enough to cover top flight WRs.
Boy, that takes huge stones after the guy puts on a show worthy on Dennis Northcutt on Monday Night football versus the Steelers when “Cutt” dropped all four passes thrown his way showing clearly that he wanted to get out of the cold.
Where was this genius two week ago?
Look, I saw Wright line up against Boldin in the first series and laughed out loud wondering how you put a nickel back on a true #1 receiver. Add the lack of pass rush and you had a trainwreck in the making.
The truth is I didn’t think the Ravens coaching staff was smart enough to go there time and time again. Unfortunately, I was wrong. Then I figured Mangini and his skinny D-coordinator would adjust accordingly. I was wrong again.
What’s next, the media calling for the rookie corner (#23) to start ahead of Wright this week? Geez, that’s really getting out in front of the story.
I apologize for my sarcasm, but I get closer and closer to quitting this column when I read and hear this stupidity time and time again.
Pass Rush Or Lack There Of
Another riddle – What’s worse, the Browns pass rush without Marcus Bernard or the team’s receivers? Answer – it’s a push.
The Browns turned Joe “I threw four picks last week and cost my team a win” Flacco into Dan Marino on Sunday. It helps when you can play pitch and catch without fear of being touched.
Speaking of the receivers, I heard another funny line prior to kickoff. One of the local talking heads was wondering how the Browns were going to adjust to
the “devastating loss of not having their possession receiver Brian Robiskie active.”
He was serious.
Something Positive
We saved some good news for last. The offensive line played very well yesterday against a very good defense. They pushed the Ravens’ front around and kept Ray Lewis' mouth shut for most of the game.
I ripped them last week, but they finally showed up Sunday. It’s about time.
That allowed Peyton Hillis to put on an “old-school” performance running straight ahead on every touch and rushing for over 140 yards.
One more time – you have to stay with the run and not abandon it early, especially when the alternative is to throw the ball to “Muhammad Ali” and “Stick With Me.”
This ain’t brain surgery folks.
QBs
One final point – It’s been impossible to judge a QB in this town the past two years since this bunch has been lining up at wide receiver. I know I keep belaboring the point, but you really have no idea how bad their receivers are.
Remember what I said last year - the worst group of WRs I have seen in Cleveland in 40 years of watching football.
Regardless, my boy Seneca Wallace was better this week – making the first guy miss, squeezing a couple in tight places and not making any glaring blunders.
Unfortunately, he just has no playmakers around him. There is no one on that roster that scares the defense. That is beyond sad.
And no, Josh Cribbs worries the defense, ne doesn't scare them.
Turnovers
Wouldn’t it be nice if the defense could force a turnover or two on occasion?
When you can’t rush the passer and don’t have any impact players in general you don’t force mistakes. It’s another glaring weakness on this team – among many others.
Expectations
We though this team could win 7 games this fall because of the additions at linebacker, the signing of a legitimate NFL starting corner and the hope they would run the ball effectively.
We also stated the following – “Unfortunately, this team is a lot closer to 5 wins than 9.” I hope I’m wrong, but if they don’t stay on the ground and can’t get to the quarterback, they might have a hard time reaching 5.
Next Week
Bengals 27 Cleveland 20. The Browns find another way to lose.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Short & Quick
BROWNS WEEK #2 & MORE
You can’t open 0-2 against Tampa and K.C. It’s that simple. Not when you opened 1-11 last year before getting a handful of semi-garbage wins against poor teams while hardly completing any forward passes.
It made absolutely no sense for the new regime to keep Mangini, and we stated so at the time. And unfortunately, that decision will likely be reversed during the bye week if this team is sitting at 1-6 or 0-7 during that break.
The truth – Mangini has absolutely no one to blame but himself. Not only do his teams lose, but they lose with players he drafted. The wide receiver corps, the one we have ridiculed for over a year, features a pair of starting #2 picks HE drafted.
To be fair, the “Walrus” deserves some blame as well. He revamped a very weak secondary in the off-season. The same should have occurred at wideout. They are trying to win professional football games with good college receivers. Period.
Good teams (aka: Pittsburgh) find ways to win, while bad teams (Browns) seem to always find ways to lose. The truth hurts.
Some thoughts from the KC loss follow.
Marcus Bernard can rush the quarterback. He had one sack Sunday – granted a coverage sack at that – and forced a holding penalty on another strong rush from the outside. He also made a terrific play in space when he tipped a pass during a deep drop. He made plays in 2009 as well when given the opportunity. He should start. End of story.
It's official – the two young DBs drafted early can play. Along with Brown, Cleveland has ¾ of what potentially is a relatively strong secondary. The “Walrus” and his people deserve credit for addressing this problem and getting it right in the off-season.
Now the bad news.
My boy Seneca Wallace cannot go “DA” on us and throw a pick six. The Browns aren’t good enough offensively to make such a huge blunder and still win. Bad decision. Period. Yes, he rebounded and threw a long TD pass to Cribbs on the next series. But I can’t excuse it.
Take that bad play away and they probably win. Yea, but take that five-run third inning away and the starter pitched well. You simply can’t go there.
Someone needs to look it up for me, but this may be the first time in NFL history in the modern age where a team does not have a wide receiver with 50 catches on the year.
Who the hell on this team is going to get open enough to catch 50 balls? These guys couldn’t separate from their mom’s umbilical cord after the doctor cut them loose.
Hell, a former college quarterback (Cribbs) is more dangerous out wide than they are right now. Look for the local media to finally figure it out.
Most obvious line of the day everyone missed yesterday came when the television color commentator said the following late in the Chiefs/Browns game – “Brian Robiskie is not winning the release battle at the line of scrimmage.”
How the hell does #23 not know he’s not allowed to step in the end zone when covering punts?
My other boy, Jerome Harrison, did not make the first guy miss one time during his 16carries yesterday. No, the offensive line is not blocking well on the running game, but once in awhile, you have to make your own hole. JH was tripped up on several occasions by an arm tackle when he had a chance to turn a 3 yard carry into something more.
The most disappointing aspect of this football team after two weeks of play has been the offensive line play – especially the well-paid left side. They simply have not opened up many holes against two very poor run stopping units. This does not bode well for the future folks - like next week at Baltimore.
Look at the bright side - I heard all seven of the Browns’ next opponents had winning record in 2009. Now, I am on record on not giving much credence to past records as an indicator as to what will happen in the future. However, it’s probably safe to say Baltimore, Pittsburgh, New England and New Orleans have a few more playmakers than TB and KC.
So let's get it over with - Baltimore 27-10 over Cleveland in week #3. No, I don't expect them to get totally buried. If they do, Mangini might not make it to break week.
How can anyone ever line up off-sides? I watched small college football in person for 19 years and can honestly say I can count on two fingers how many times I saw it called. I see it called every week in the NFL.
I heard my boy Vince Young was playing poorly and got pulled (again) against the Steelers. This seems to be a yearly occurrence. That’s a game he needed to play well in and win. Credit the best organization in sports for keeping things afloat and winning while using #3 QBs.
I am on record as being a Michael Vick fan in terms of what he brings to the table on the football field. That was not the case when he was drafted, but his on-the-field performance changed my views. Yes, he has proven he cannot be trusted to be the face of a franchise because of his off-the-field behavior. But facts are facts -you have to game-plan for him, unlike most guys who take snaps from center.
ODDS & ENDS
Am I the only one who doesn’t think Joe Torre should be up for sainthood? Here’s a guy who doesn’t win anything until he manages the highest payroll in baseball (New York). He then goes to another large market team (LA) and when it’s clear they are about to cut payroll due to a messy divorce at the top and who knows what else, he bails and says he may go elsewhere to manage next year at age 70.
Let me take a wild guess and predict he won’t end up in KC or Pittsburgh? Billy Martin he’s not.
I heard some national pundit going to the “See, the Rays are proving you can win consistently without a huge payroll” card. Right.
Stop it. Their front office folks, scouts, etc., are obviously very good. But when many of their their top players walk (free agency), they won't be in it every year. That's the shame of this one-sided system known as Major League Baseball.
Perhaps TB can beat the odds, much like Minnesota has, but everything has to go right in order to avoid that “short window of opportunity” a mid/small market has to win it all before the bulk of the talent leaves.
I heard a sick stat yesterday. Thomas Jones did not lose a fumble once in well over 300 carries in 2009. That’s pretty amazing.
OSU
How about a few cupcakes to go with those Canes?
I know OSU scheduled Miami (FL), but do you have to put all cupcakes around Miami when it comes to your non-conference schedule every year? Throw in a relatively weak Big 10 Conference, or whatever you call it now, and you basically have maybe three truly competitive games on the schedule all season long.
Why can’t OSU add a Boise State, or at least a Brigham Young home and home on the schedule from time to time, and play two competitive non-conference opponents a year?
Chris Speilman is going around the country trashing Boise State and saying they would have trouble in the Big 10. I like CS and what he stands for, but Boise State would compete for the Big 10 title. It's not their fault they are where they are. Besides, someone needs to tell Chris this isn't the Big 10 circa 1970. The conference doesn't carry that kind of weight any more. It's a good football conference, but nowhere near the top conference in the country.
POLITICS
First, the media and lefty politicians claimed the “Tea Party Movement” was part of an astro turf program – meaning it was a creation (aka: fake) and funded by the Republic Party and not a true people’s movement.
Second, they ridiculed it by calling them “team baggers,” a derogatory term referring to a sex act.
Then, they went to the “They won’t have any impact on the elections” line.
Now, they are honed in on the narrative that says – they are “kooks,” zealots,” right-wind nuts,” etc…
Even traditional republican operatives and reporters I respect are taking shot s at individual conservative candidates who they feel can’t win in the general election.
They all miss the point – It’s not about winning elections and getting republicans House and Senate leadership and committee chairmanship positions back, it’s about getting people in Congress who have principles and will seriously attempt roll back much of what has been passed in the past 18 months.
What good is it to send a Republican to Washington who looks and acts more like a Democrat when it comes to voting on legislation? That’s what the Tea Party people are saying. And besides, the public uprising is not “republican” based, it’s “Conservative” based. That’s what these folks are missing.
Of course, the media will continue to try to build the template/narrative these candidates are “radical” and/or “dangerous.”
They are also pushing hard on the talking point that the “Republicans are having a civil war within their party” line. Yet, they of course ignore the fact that many democrats running for re-election don’t want to be seen with the president publicly nor are any running on the party’s legislative successes – i.e. Health Care. Talk about a civil war?
It’s not going to work. The majority of the American people know that being fiscal responsible, federal government intrusion into health care, among other areas of private life, and keeping taxes relatively low are sound principles, not “wacky” ideas.
As someone who has a little experience in PR, it’s simple to analyze – if you don’t have anything to run on, attack your opponent. It’s called an “ad hominem” attack.
I don’t think it will work this time.
"You have a right to your own opinion, but not your own facts."
You can’t open 0-2 against Tampa and K.C. It’s that simple. Not when you opened 1-11 last year before getting a handful of semi-garbage wins against poor teams while hardly completing any forward passes.
It made absolutely no sense for the new regime to keep Mangini, and we stated so at the time. And unfortunately, that decision will likely be reversed during the bye week if this team is sitting at 1-6 or 0-7 during that break.
The truth – Mangini has absolutely no one to blame but himself. Not only do his teams lose, but they lose with players he drafted. The wide receiver corps, the one we have ridiculed for over a year, features a pair of starting #2 picks HE drafted.
To be fair, the “Walrus” deserves some blame as well. He revamped a very weak secondary in the off-season. The same should have occurred at wideout. They are trying to win professional football games with good college receivers. Period.
Good teams (aka: Pittsburgh) find ways to win, while bad teams (Browns) seem to always find ways to lose. The truth hurts.
Some thoughts from the KC loss follow.
Marcus Bernard can rush the quarterback. He had one sack Sunday – granted a coverage sack at that – and forced a holding penalty on another strong rush from the outside. He also made a terrific play in space when he tipped a pass during a deep drop. He made plays in 2009 as well when given the opportunity. He should start. End of story.
It's official – the two young DBs drafted early can play. Along with Brown, Cleveland has ¾ of what potentially is a relatively strong secondary. The “Walrus” and his people deserve credit for addressing this problem and getting it right in the off-season.
Now the bad news.
My boy Seneca Wallace cannot go “DA” on us and throw a pick six. The Browns aren’t good enough offensively to make such a huge blunder and still win. Bad decision. Period. Yes, he rebounded and threw a long TD pass to Cribbs on the next series. But I can’t excuse it.
Take that bad play away and they probably win. Yea, but take that five-run third inning away and the starter pitched well. You simply can’t go there.
Someone needs to look it up for me, but this may be the first time in NFL history in the modern age where a team does not have a wide receiver with 50 catches on the year.
Who the hell on this team is going to get open enough to catch 50 balls? These guys couldn’t separate from their mom’s umbilical cord after the doctor cut them loose.
Hell, a former college quarterback (Cribbs) is more dangerous out wide than they are right now. Look for the local media to finally figure it out.
Most obvious line of the day everyone missed yesterday came when the television color commentator said the following late in the Chiefs/Browns game – “Brian Robiskie is not winning the release battle at the line of scrimmage.”
How the hell does #23 not know he’s not allowed to step in the end zone when covering punts?
My other boy, Jerome Harrison, did not make the first guy miss one time during his 16carries yesterday. No, the offensive line is not blocking well on the running game, but once in awhile, you have to make your own hole. JH was tripped up on several occasions by an arm tackle when he had a chance to turn a 3 yard carry into something more.
The most disappointing aspect of this football team after two weeks of play has been the offensive line play – especially the well-paid left side. They simply have not opened up many holes against two very poor run stopping units. This does not bode well for the future folks - like next week at Baltimore.
Look at the bright side - I heard all seven of the Browns’ next opponents had winning record in 2009. Now, I am on record on not giving much credence to past records as an indicator as to what will happen in the future. However, it’s probably safe to say Baltimore, Pittsburgh, New England and New Orleans have a few more playmakers than TB and KC.
So let's get it over with - Baltimore 27-10 over Cleveland in week #3. No, I don't expect them to get totally buried. If they do, Mangini might not make it to break week.
How can anyone ever line up off-sides? I watched small college football in person for 19 years and can honestly say I can count on two fingers how many times I saw it called. I see it called every week in the NFL.
I heard my boy Vince Young was playing poorly and got pulled (again) against the Steelers. This seems to be a yearly occurrence. That’s a game he needed to play well in and win. Credit the best organization in sports for keeping things afloat and winning while using #3 QBs.
I am on record as being a Michael Vick fan in terms of what he brings to the table on the football field. That was not the case when he was drafted, but his on-the-field performance changed my views. Yes, he has proven he cannot be trusted to be the face of a franchise because of his off-the-field behavior. But facts are facts -you have to game-plan for him, unlike most guys who take snaps from center.
ODDS & ENDS
Am I the only one who doesn’t think Joe Torre should be up for sainthood? Here’s a guy who doesn’t win anything until he manages the highest payroll in baseball (New York). He then goes to another large market team (LA) and when it’s clear they are about to cut payroll due to a messy divorce at the top and who knows what else, he bails and says he may go elsewhere to manage next year at age 70.
Let me take a wild guess and predict he won’t end up in KC or Pittsburgh? Billy Martin he’s not.
I heard some national pundit going to the “See, the Rays are proving you can win consistently without a huge payroll” card. Right.
Stop it. Their front office folks, scouts, etc., are obviously very good. But when many of their their top players walk (free agency), they won't be in it every year. That's the shame of this one-sided system known as Major League Baseball.
Perhaps TB can beat the odds, much like Minnesota has, but everything has to go right in order to avoid that “short window of opportunity” a mid/small market has to win it all before the bulk of the talent leaves.
I heard a sick stat yesterday. Thomas Jones did not lose a fumble once in well over 300 carries in 2009. That’s pretty amazing.
OSU
How about a few cupcakes to go with those Canes?
I know OSU scheduled Miami (FL), but do you have to put all cupcakes around Miami when it comes to your non-conference schedule every year? Throw in a relatively weak Big 10 Conference, or whatever you call it now, and you basically have maybe three truly competitive games on the schedule all season long.
Why can’t OSU add a Boise State, or at least a Brigham Young home and home on the schedule from time to time, and play two competitive non-conference opponents a year?
Chris Speilman is going around the country trashing Boise State and saying they would have trouble in the Big 10. I like CS and what he stands for, but Boise State would compete for the Big 10 title. It's not their fault they are where they are. Besides, someone needs to tell Chris this isn't the Big 10 circa 1970. The conference doesn't carry that kind of weight any more. It's a good football conference, but nowhere near the top conference in the country.
POLITICS
First, the media and lefty politicians claimed the “Tea Party Movement” was part of an astro turf program – meaning it was a creation (aka: fake) and funded by the Republic Party and not a true people’s movement.
Second, they ridiculed it by calling them “team baggers,” a derogatory term referring to a sex act.
Then, they went to the “They won’t have any impact on the elections” line.
Now, they are honed in on the narrative that says – they are “kooks,” zealots,” right-wind nuts,” etc…
Even traditional republican operatives and reporters I respect are taking shot s at individual conservative candidates who they feel can’t win in the general election.
They all miss the point – It’s not about winning elections and getting republicans House and Senate leadership and committee chairmanship positions back, it’s about getting people in Congress who have principles and will seriously attempt roll back much of what has been passed in the past 18 months.
What good is it to send a Republican to Washington who looks and acts more like a Democrat when it comes to voting on legislation? That’s what the Tea Party people are saying. And besides, the public uprising is not “republican” based, it’s “Conservative” based. That’s what these folks are missing.
Of course, the media will continue to try to build the template/narrative these candidates are “radical” and/or “dangerous.”
They are also pushing hard on the talking point that the “Republicans are having a civil war within their party” line. Yet, they of course ignore the fact that many democrats running for re-election don’t want to be seen with the president publicly nor are any running on the party’s legislative successes – i.e. Health Care. Talk about a civil war?
It’s not going to work. The majority of the American people know that being fiscal responsible, federal government intrusion into health care, among other areas of private life, and keeping taxes relatively low are sound principles, not “wacky” ideas.
As someone who has a little experience in PR, it’s simple to analyze – if you don’t have anything to run on, attack your opponent. It’s called an “ad hominem” attack.
I don’t think it will work this time.
"You have a right to your own opinion, but not your own facts."
Monday, September 13, 2010
Short & Quick
FYI - I am adding a blog that was misplaced elsewhere last week at the bottom of this latest entry. My apologies. I am a moron. I may have others, but I can't seem to find them at the moment. Sorry.
I know we predicted a loss last week, but that doesn’t mean the following adage isn’t true – “There are losses, then there are bad losses.”
Tampa was actually worse than I thought.
In the season opener versus Tampa, the Browns lost to a team that will be lucky to win 5 games this year.
The Browns lost to a team whose starting quarterback took 8 snaps during the pre-season – and looked the part.
The Browns lost to a team that had a wide receiver corps that wouldn’t dominate the SEC – much like their own.
The Browns lost to a team that was poorly coached. How else to do explain taking your best offensive player (Cadillac Williams) off the field late in the game near the goal line? The great Wayne Fontes did that on occasion with Barry Sanders when he went jumbo backfield. Good call.
The Browns lost to a team that was dead last in the NFL in rush defense in 2009 – even worse than their own. Yet, Eric Mangini and his wizard “O” coordinator who lost 70 pounds in the off-season – mostly brain matter it seems - gave Jerome Harrison less than 10 touches in the running game. That’s the same JH who single-handedly saved Mangini’s job last year by rushing for well over 500 yards in the team’s last four games – all wins.
The Browns lost to a team that had such low expectations there were so many empty seats in the stands it reminded me of Progressive Field in September – circa ’08, ’09, ’10. You get the picture...
The Browns lost to a team that had Rich Gannon, the color commentator, make this remark as he watched the Bucs play midway through the third quarter – “You can’t make this many mistakes and beat a good team.” Gannon of course did not factor in Tampa’s opponent – the Browns, who are not a good team.
A second Gannon observation that caught my attention came when he uttered these words after the Jake D. pick late in the first half that changed the momentum in the contest – “Jake knows better than that.” Really? I’m not so sure. Check his 2009 number s and the fact that he was available and everyone passed but the Browns.
By the way, I like JD’s personality and fire. But in sports, if you lead with your mouth and don’t perform, the guys will turn you off quicker than a prostitute looks for her panties after her fifth john in three hours.
Did you notice the separation, or lack thereof, by Cleveland’s receivers? The scary part is that came against a mediocre secondary. What happens when they play a team that can actually rush the passer with DBs that can cover?
We mentioned this early up top, but someone PLEASE explain to me why you would go away from the one thing that worked last year – JH running the football behind the line – specifically, the left side of the offensive line? This is a classic case of coaches having way too much time on their hands in the off-season and training camp to dream up schemes that $#@! things up. Keep it simple stupid (KISS) works in life and sports as well. You started to form an identity at the tail end of last year.
Why would you go away from it this quickly – especially against a team that can’t stop the run? I know, these coaches are all way too smart for me.
Nice job saving all those timeouts at the end of the game. They’ll come in handy next week. Oops. I forgot. They don’t carry over.
If I were the Bucs, I would have most certainly kicked the field goal on fourth down deep in Browns territory with under a minute remaining instead of going for it on 4th down. Get up so the Browns have to go the distance with seconds remaining and no timeouts.
The Freeman touchdown that beat Joe Haden to put Tampa up was an excellent throw. The coverage wasn’t that bad. Freeman actually made a good pass – one of the few on the day. Just a couple plays earlier, he missed a wide open receiver Joe Namath could probably still hit today while loaded on vodka cruising for babes.
By the way just about every media member in Cleveland had them winning on Sunday. Some even guaranteed it. The cool aid was only 69 cents a pack in Northeast Ohio last week. It will go up some this week however.
If they lose to the Chiefs, the “Walrus” and/or “Chucky” Watch will begin in Cleveland.
As we said last week, we like the Browns to beat the Chiefs in week #2. How does 23-20 sound? Why am I picking them after ripping them? Simple. Tampa, KC and Cleveland are all likely to finish under .500. Therefore, I assume if the three played each other in pool A – they would all split since none of them would likely be good enough to go 2-0. Make sense?
I may actually root for the Ravens against the Jets tonight. Then again, I can’t. I hope it ends in a tie.
The Steelers, playing with a college quarterback at the helm, beat the Falcons, who I am told, have a franchise quarterback leading them. How did that happen?
Another franchise quarterback, Tony Romo, couldn’t get it done in week 1 either.
One more time – a “franchise quarterback” is a guy that has done it for years and is going into the Hall of Fame. There are currently three playing that clearly deserve that moniker – Manning, Brady and Favre. Yes, McNabb and Drew Brees, two of my favorites coming out of college, would be in the discussion. If I missed someone, let me know. I make mistakes like everyone else.
Along with “great,” it is the most overused and inappropriately used term in sports. I should know, I study words for a living.
"You can judge the morality of a nation by the way it treats its animals."
Ghandi
OTHER RECENT ENTRY FOLLOWS BELOW
Why is the NCAA finally deciding to finally crack down on illegal agent-player contact? What, they weren’t aware of it in the past?
How are they physically going to get Reggie Bush’s Heisman? If I am right, the school and player each get one. Sure, Pat Haden can take USC’s Heisman and drive himself it to Indianapolis in his ‘97 Malibu. But how are they going to re-acquire Reggie’s version?
Why does the NFL have to go to 18 games? Why not an odd number – 17? That way, you can keep three exhibition games and not extend the regular season by two more weeks.
I saw where the NFL players showed symbolic union unity prior to the season opener last night between the Vikings and Saints. I wonder how long that unity will last six weeks into the lockout when a good percentage of these scholars are out of money and can’t make their BMW payment. Some may end up on my new favorite television show “Pawn Stars” and fork over their gold earrings and necklaces to buy food for their kids.
Why do I feel the Browns, if they improved at all from a year ago, should open 2-0 based on the opponents, but I know full-well they will find a way to %$#@it up. Perhaps it’s because they have no pass rush whatsoever and not one quality NFL receiver on the roster.
So here goes – Tampa Bay wins 24-23 as K2 makes a couple of big plays to seal it.
For the Browns sake, let’s hope he picks up a flag for taunting and another one for moving too early.
I wonder how many of the cool aid drinking Browns fans/media will do a 180 on Jake D. is he tosses Sunday’s game way with a couple ill-timed picks. Let’s hope he goes 17-for-25 for 200 yards with 1 TD and no picks. If that happens, they win.
And based on what has been written and said to date, how can the Browns possibly win a football game without M. Hardesty in uniform?
Is it just me or is there some light at the end of the tunnel with the Tribe. Even though no one is paying attention, I am actually somewhat encouraged by how some of their young starting pitchers are doing. Yes, I know there’s a lot less pressure when no one is paying attention in August and September when you are 20 games out.
Regardless, you want to see consistency from young players, and when you do, that’s a good indicator the guy might be reliable in the future. Getting Sizemore and Santana back in the middle of that line-up next spring should also help immensely with that anemic offense.
I would also strongly recommend re-signing Westbrook in the off-season if he wants to come back and would work relatively cheap. Having one or two veterans is always a plus.
“Speak so the lowliest can understand you.” Abraham Lincoln
I know we predicted a loss last week, but that doesn’t mean the following adage isn’t true – “There are losses, then there are bad losses.”
Tampa was actually worse than I thought.
In the season opener versus Tampa, the Browns lost to a team that will be lucky to win 5 games this year.
The Browns lost to a team whose starting quarterback took 8 snaps during the pre-season – and looked the part.
The Browns lost to a team that had a wide receiver corps that wouldn’t dominate the SEC – much like their own.
The Browns lost to a team that was poorly coached. How else to do explain taking your best offensive player (Cadillac Williams) off the field late in the game near the goal line? The great Wayne Fontes did that on occasion with Barry Sanders when he went jumbo backfield. Good call.
The Browns lost to a team that was dead last in the NFL in rush defense in 2009 – even worse than their own. Yet, Eric Mangini and his wizard “O” coordinator who lost 70 pounds in the off-season – mostly brain matter it seems - gave Jerome Harrison less than 10 touches in the running game. That’s the same JH who single-handedly saved Mangini’s job last year by rushing for well over 500 yards in the team’s last four games – all wins.
The Browns lost to a team that had such low expectations there were so many empty seats in the stands it reminded me of Progressive Field in September – circa ’08, ’09, ’10. You get the picture...
The Browns lost to a team that had Rich Gannon, the color commentator, make this remark as he watched the Bucs play midway through the third quarter – “You can’t make this many mistakes and beat a good team.” Gannon of course did not factor in Tampa’s opponent – the Browns, who are not a good team.
A second Gannon observation that caught my attention came when he uttered these words after the Jake D. pick late in the first half that changed the momentum in the contest – “Jake knows better than that.” Really? I’m not so sure. Check his 2009 number s and the fact that he was available and everyone passed but the Browns.
By the way, I like JD’s personality and fire. But in sports, if you lead with your mouth and don’t perform, the guys will turn you off quicker than a prostitute looks for her panties after her fifth john in three hours.
Did you notice the separation, or lack thereof, by Cleveland’s receivers? The scary part is that came against a mediocre secondary. What happens when they play a team that can actually rush the passer with DBs that can cover?
We mentioned this early up top, but someone PLEASE explain to me why you would go away from the one thing that worked last year – JH running the football behind the line – specifically, the left side of the offensive line? This is a classic case of coaches having way too much time on their hands in the off-season and training camp to dream up schemes that $#@! things up. Keep it simple stupid (KISS) works in life and sports as well. You started to form an identity at the tail end of last year.
Why would you go away from it this quickly – especially against a team that can’t stop the run? I know, these coaches are all way too smart for me.
Nice job saving all those timeouts at the end of the game. They’ll come in handy next week. Oops. I forgot. They don’t carry over.
If I were the Bucs, I would have most certainly kicked the field goal on fourth down deep in Browns territory with under a minute remaining instead of going for it on 4th down. Get up so the Browns have to go the distance with seconds remaining and no timeouts.
The Freeman touchdown that beat Joe Haden to put Tampa up was an excellent throw. The coverage wasn’t that bad. Freeman actually made a good pass – one of the few on the day. Just a couple plays earlier, he missed a wide open receiver Joe Namath could probably still hit today while loaded on vodka cruising for babes.
By the way just about every media member in Cleveland had them winning on Sunday. Some even guaranteed it. The cool aid was only 69 cents a pack in Northeast Ohio last week. It will go up some this week however.
If they lose to the Chiefs, the “Walrus” and/or “Chucky” Watch will begin in Cleveland.
As we said last week, we like the Browns to beat the Chiefs in week #2. How does 23-20 sound? Why am I picking them after ripping them? Simple. Tampa, KC and Cleveland are all likely to finish under .500. Therefore, I assume if the three played each other in pool A – they would all split since none of them would likely be good enough to go 2-0. Make sense?
I may actually root for the Ravens against the Jets tonight. Then again, I can’t. I hope it ends in a tie.
The Steelers, playing with a college quarterback at the helm, beat the Falcons, who I am told, have a franchise quarterback leading them. How did that happen?
Another franchise quarterback, Tony Romo, couldn’t get it done in week 1 either.
One more time – a “franchise quarterback” is a guy that has done it for years and is going into the Hall of Fame. There are currently three playing that clearly deserve that moniker – Manning, Brady and Favre. Yes, McNabb and Drew Brees, two of my favorites coming out of college, would be in the discussion. If I missed someone, let me know. I make mistakes like everyone else.
Along with “great,” it is the most overused and inappropriately used term in sports. I should know, I study words for a living.
"You can judge the morality of a nation by the way it treats its animals."
Ghandi
OTHER RECENT ENTRY FOLLOWS BELOW
Why is the NCAA finally deciding to finally crack down on illegal agent-player contact? What, they weren’t aware of it in the past?
How are they physically going to get Reggie Bush’s Heisman? If I am right, the school and player each get one. Sure, Pat Haden can take USC’s Heisman and drive himself it to Indianapolis in his ‘97 Malibu. But how are they going to re-acquire Reggie’s version?
Why does the NFL have to go to 18 games? Why not an odd number – 17? That way, you can keep three exhibition games and not extend the regular season by two more weeks.
I saw where the NFL players showed symbolic union unity prior to the season opener last night between the Vikings and Saints. I wonder how long that unity will last six weeks into the lockout when a good percentage of these scholars are out of money and can’t make their BMW payment. Some may end up on my new favorite television show “Pawn Stars” and fork over their gold earrings and necklaces to buy food for their kids.
Why do I feel the Browns, if they improved at all from a year ago, should open 2-0 based on the opponents, but I know full-well they will find a way to %$#@it up. Perhaps it’s because they have no pass rush whatsoever and not one quality NFL receiver on the roster.
So here goes – Tampa Bay wins 24-23 as K2 makes a couple of big plays to seal it.
For the Browns sake, let’s hope he picks up a flag for taunting and another one for moving too early.
I wonder how many of the cool aid drinking Browns fans/media will do a 180 on Jake D. is he tosses Sunday’s game way with a couple ill-timed picks. Let’s hope he goes 17-for-25 for 200 yards with 1 TD and no picks. If that happens, they win.
And based on what has been written and said to date, how can the Browns possibly win a football game without M. Hardesty in uniform?
Is it just me or is there some light at the end of the tunnel with the Tribe. Even though no one is paying attention, I am actually somewhat encouraged by how some of their young starting pitchers are doing. Yes, I know there’s a lot less pressure when no one is paying attention in August and September when you are 20 games out.
Regardless, you want to see consistency from young players, and when you do, that’s a good indicator the guy might be reliable in the future. Getting Sizemore and Santana back in the middle of that line-up next spring should also help immensely with that anemic offense.
I would also strongly recommend re-signing Westbrook in the off-season if he wants to come back and would work relatively cheap. Having one or two veterans is always a plus.
“Speak so the lowliest can understand you.” Abraham Lincoln
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Short & Quick
Ichiro
I was made aware of an amazing stat the other day. Ichiro is closing in on either 10or 11 consecutive 200+ hit seasons. He’s in Ty Cobb/Pete Rose territory here. That’s amazing when you consider he's also been a Gold Glove caliber outfielder player during that span.
If you had to pick a First, Second & Third All-Time MLB team, he’d have to be on it. Of course, since he’s playing in Seattle, he’s gone relatively unnoticed. Imagine the run he’d be getting if he did his work in New York or Boston?
Jets
Speaking of New York - I don’t give a damn about the Jets and no, I don’t have them in the Super Bowl already like a lot of moron national pundits are predicting.
Their quarterback, already in the Hall of Fame according to some, has to do better than 12TDs/20INTs, especially when you consider he has a good running game and a very good defense.
Pre-Season Game 2/Browns Impressions
Same old same old when it comes to a pass rush or lack thereof. If they don’t blitz, they don’t come near the QB. That’s bad news waiting to happen.
Eric Wright is what I said he was two years ago–a nickel back at best. You’ll know their secondary talent is truly improving when this guy isn’t out there on every play.
As for Brandon McDonald – forget about it! I expect him to get cut.
For those morons who are raving about Jake D., I’ll jump on board when he completes a few downfield passes. Everything he’s done in the passing game to date has been underneath.
Yes, Seneca Wallace is still much better in my book – especially when you consider how weak their right side of the “O” line is. Wallace will keep many more plays alive that JD and he has a much better arm.
I’ll say it again – SW has been better than 50% of the starting QBs in this league since he’s been a pro. Period.
Their jumbo back combination of Vickers and Hillis is intriguing. Hillis runs downhill, he’s not flashy, but more athletic than he appears. Running back actually looks to be strength on this team – even if the second coming of Jim Brown Hardesty) according to some doesn’t play a lot.
Along with running back, I like the depth at linebacker. The new additions are actually starting NFL backers. They are good tacklers, are usually in the right place and seem to have a high football IQ.
The end result -this team should be improved against the run in 2010. That’s saying something when you consider this organization has been starting a ton of #2s since 1999.
The same can be said for S. Brown at corner. He’s their best corner right now – it’s not even close. As for the rookie from Florida – we shall see. It’s way too early to come to any conclusions. But if he’s truly talented and a quick study, he should pass up Wright rather quickly.
And no, I haven’t changed my mind. 7-9 looks about right still. I do believe however that Wallave might be able to get them to 8 or 9 wins if he took every snap in 2010.
What should one look for tonight's pre-season game #3 - the dress rehearsal?
Can JD complete a few passes downfield so teams don't put 8 in the box when it counts?
Can the receivers get open? Notice I said "receivers." Their TEs look solid.
Does the O line begin to open holes for J. Harrison like they did in December of last year?
Who the hell will handle the right guard and right tackle spots?
Can the Browns get a pass rushing just 4?
Are the corners making plays on a consistent basis or just tackling guys after the catch like we've been accustomed to seeing?
Indians
The Tribe may lose 100 after all – not that it matters. Regardless, the on the job training continues. Boy, this line-up really stinks without the young catcher in the 3-hole.
Look at the bright side, they are finding out who can and can’t play every day. The sad part is, many are failing the test.
I certainly hope they bring up their top 3rd base prospect in September and give him the final month’s 120 at bats. To do otherwise, makes absolutely no sense.
And if the kid struggles and hits 190, so what? He at least figured out what highway to take to work and where the weight room is located.
Speaking of the Tribe, I hope they bring back Jim Thome next year so he can close out his career in Cleveland. First, it would be good PR. Secondly, he's still good enough to hit somewhere in the middle of that order. Third, he'd come relatively cheap. And finally, the youngest team in baseball could use some veteran leadership.
We wondered why they went the Branyan route months ago instead of Thome in 2010. In 2011, they have a chance to get it right for all the right reasons. Besides, Thome is going to go into the HOF as an Indian. Why not finish up as an Indian?
Yes, I know he $#@ed us when he left for Phily. But it's time to move on.
Think about it. Next year's top of the order should look like this - 1-Sizemore, 2-Cabrera, 3-Choo, 4-Santana, 4-Thome. That's not top-shelf, but it's not terrible either.
Finally on the Tribe, I like Jason Nix. I hope they keep him. The guy won't hit for average, he's an average defender at best, but he can play several positions and has some legitimate pop in his bat.
Cavaliers
I’m told some national publications are actually predicting the Cavaliers to win more than half their games and be a playoff team. Right - and I spent 10 years as a Navy Seals even though I just learned to swim in 2009.
Based on their current roster, if they get 30+ wins, it will be a minor miracle. And I truly hope I’m dead wrong on this one.
And if I hear one more idiot say they hope the team tanks the season so they acquire a higher draft choice, I’m going to pop an artery. You play to win the game. Period!
Anyone with the opposite belief has never put a strap on in his/her life. Either that or they were pussies when they played.
Final Thought – “Tell a lie enough and it becomes the truth.” Lenin
I was made aware of an amazing stat the other day. Ichiro is closing in on either 10or 11 consecutive 200+ hit seasons. He’s in Ty Cobb/Pete Rose territory here. That’s amazing when you consider he's also been a Gold Glove caliber outfielder player during that span.
If you had to pick a First, Second & Third All-Time MLB team, he’d have to be on it. Of course, since he’s playing in Seattle, he’s gone relatively unnoticed. Imagine the run he’d be getting if he did his work in New York or Boston?
Jets
Speaking of New York - I don’t give a damn about the Jets and no, I don’t have them in the Super Bowl already like a lot of moron national pundits are predicting.
Their quarterback, already in the Hall of Fame according to some, has to do better than 12TDs/20INTs, especially when you consider he has a good running game and a very good defense.
Pre-Season Game 2/Browns Impressions
Same old same old when it comes to a pass rush or lack thereof. If they don’t blitz, they don’t come near the QB. That’s bad news waiting to happen.
Eric Wright is what I said he was two years ago–a nickel back at best. You’ll know their secondary talent is truly improving when this guy isn’t out there on every play.
As for Brandon McDonald – forget about it! I expect him to get cut.
For those morons who are raving about Jake D., I’ll jump on board when he completes a few downfield passes. Everything he’s done in the passing game to date has been underneath.
Yes, Seneca Wallace is still much better in my book – especially when you consider how weak their right side of the “O” line is. Wallace will keep many more plays alive that JD and he has a much better arm.
I’ll say it again – SW has been better than 50% of the starting QBs in this league since he’s been a pro. Period.
Their jumbo back combination of Vickers and Hillis is intriguing. Hillis runs downhill, he’s not flashy, but more athletic than he appears. Running back actually looks to be strength on this team – even if the second coming of Jim Brown Hardesty) according to some doesn’t play a lot.
Along with running back, I like the depth at linebacker. The new additions are actually starting NFL backers. They are good tacklers, are usually in the right place and seem to have a high football IQ.
The end result -this team should be improved against the run in 2010. That’s saying something when you consider this organization has been starting a ton of #2s since 1999.
The same can be said for S. Brown at corner. He’s their best corner right now – it’s not even close. As for the rookie from Florida – we shall see. It’s way too early to come to any conclusions. But if he’s truly talented and a quick study, he should pass up Wright rather quickly.
And no, I haven’t changed my mind. 7-9 looks about right still. I do believe however that Wallave might be able to get them to 8 or 9 wins if he took every snap in 2010.
What should one look for tonight's pre-season game #3 - the dress rehearsal?
Can JD complete a few passes downfield so teams don't put 8 in the box when it counts?
Can the receivers get open? Notice I said "receivers." Their TEs look solid.
Does the O line begin to open holes for J. Harrison like they did in December of last year?
Who the hell will handle the right guard and right tackle spots?
Can the Browns get a pass rushing just 4?
Are the corners making plays on a consistent basis or just tackling guys after the catch like we've been accustomed to seeing?
Indians
The Tribe may lose 100 after all – not that it matters. Regardless, the on the job training continues. Boy, this line-up really stinks without the young catcher in the 3-hole.
Look at the bright side, they are finding out who can and can’t play every day. The sad part is, many are failing the test.
I certainly hope they bring up their top 3rd base prospect in September and give him the final month’s 120 at bats. To do otherwise, makes absolutely no sense.
And if the kid struggles and hits 190, so what? He at least figured out what highway to take to work and where the weight room is located.
Speaking of the Tribe, I hope they bring back Jim Thome next year so he can close out his career in Cleveland. First, it would be good PR. Secondly, he's still good enough to hit somewhere in the middle of that order. Third, he'd come relatively cheap. And finally, the youngest team in baseball could use some veteran leadership.
We wondered why they went the Branyan route months ago instead of Thome in 2010. In 2011, they have a chance to get it right for all the right reasons. Besides, Thome is going to go into the HOF as an Indian. Why not finish up as an Indian?
Yes, I know he $#@ed us when he left for Phily. But it's time to move on.
Think about it. Next year's top of the order should look like this - 1-Sizemore, 2-Cabrera, 3-Choo, 4-Santana, 4-Thome. That's not top-shelf, but it's not terrible either.
Finally on the Tribe, I like Jason Nix. I hope they keep him. The guy won't hit for average, he's an average defender at best, but he can play several positions and has some legitimate pop in his bat.
Cavaliers
I’m told some national publications are actually predicting the Cavaliers to win more than half their games and be a playoff team. Right - and I spent 10 years as a Navy Seals even though I just learned to swim in 2009.
Based on their current roster, if they get 30+ wins, it will be a minor miracle. And I truly hope I’m dead wrong on this one.
And if I hear one more idiot say they hope the team tanks the season so they acquire a higher draft choice, I’m going to pop an artery. You play to win the game. Period!
Anyone with the opposite belief has never put a strap on in his/her life. Either that or they were pussies when they played.
Final Thought – “Tell a lie enough and it becomes the truth.” Lenin
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Short @ Quick
South Beach Déjà
I had a request to comment on Butterfingers, so here goes. And I thought I was done with him.
What are the odds two former well-known Cleveland athletes go to the “South Beach” card in the same year? This time its Braylon Edwards taking a shot at Cleveland as a hick town shortly following LBJ’s first utterances describing his exit from town.
James can at least play. He has a reason to be arrogant as hell. We already covered the fact that he had a whole market enabling him since puberty. You can see the narcissistic progression developing if you wanted to see it.
As for Edwards, some guys never get it and never will. And for me to beat on this guy again would be piling on. I could care less. It's just another case of a pro athlete with an inflated opinon of his self-worth.
Like there aren't many of those around? Be glad he's gone.
Media Morons
I have heard numerous local media morons whine about the fact the Browns’ starting running back is on the shelf for several weeks.
The problem is Jerome Harrison is fine. These geniuses already have the Browns' 2010second round pick out of Tennessee sharing time or playing ahead of Harrison.
I don’t mention his name on purpose. Until rookies do something, especially in the NFL where at least half flame out quickly, they should be seen and not heard.
Therefore, ‘No names please” until this young man makes plays on a consistent basis -when it counts.
As for the media getting their panties in a bunch because he’s not available just yet. Relax guys.
It’s pre-season and you have a starting back that went nuts when given the ball at the end of 2009. He gets first dibs. It’s that simple.
By the way, I was impressed with the safety from Oregon during the Browns’ first exhibition game. Yes, he got beat for a touchdown. But the coverage was pretty good for a safety and that quarterback/receiver combination in Green Bay will do that to you.
The kid flew around all night, hit people and generally made his presence felt. He looked like he belonged. Unlike others, I’m not going to get excited by one performance. That’s not how I roll. But it was a good a start. Hopefully, there’s more to come.
And no, I’m not excited they beat the Packers. I’m just pleased at this point they lined up right, didn’t get a ton of illegal procedure penalties, too much time in the huddle infractions or 12 defensive players on the field calls.
Baby steps my friend, baby steps.
I’ve got some politics for you now.
VP
Some media geniuses are pushing the idea Hillary Clinton will be Obama’s VP prior to his next term. Right.
Why would she want that gig and how does she benefit from such a move?
The answer is simple. She wouldn’t want it and she wouldn’t benefit.
Hell, we've already covered she could challenge him in 2012 and give him a run for his money.
The only reason he’d want her as #2 is to keep her from running against him. She’s not stupid. Her and her hubby (Bill) can figure that out if I can.
His offer, if it actually were to take place, to dump Biden and make her number #2 would be a classic case of “Keep your friends close but your enemies closer.”
Come on, she’s not going to fall for that twice.
Election Numbers
A writer wrote an OP ED recently surmising the President may attempt to win re-election solely by going after the 90+% African-American vote, 2/3+ of the Latino vote and approximately 37% of the white vote.
According to this writer, a heavy African-American and Latino turnout in 2012 would mean Obama could win re-election with less than 40% of the expected white vote.
I have no idea if the math actually holds up, but I do know it would be a terrible strategy for both Obama and more importantly the country. This man came to office under the guise of being a post-racial president.
And to follow a re-election strategy along these lines would further divide the nation. He doesn’t need that for his legacy and the country certainly would be worse off for it.
Hopefully, no one in the White House is contemplating such an approach. It would be disastrous for all.
We simply don’t need further identity politics – that is where folks are separated into individual groups with individual grievances. Unfortunately, the Democratic Party seems to be doing that more and more recently.
One could argue this strategy helped win them control of Congress and the White House.
But one could also make the argument it divided the country further and soon the nation will begin making a correction at the ballot box come November.
We shall see.
Robert Gibbs
The President’s press secretary, Robert Gibbs, who’s main job is to keep a low profile and control news flow actually recently committed what is normally a fatal PR flaw by making news with comments attacking the left wing of the Democratic Party.
He stated that many in the left won’t be happy until the Pentagon (those who defend us) is shut down and we have a Canadian health care system in place.
He then went on to say these folks wouldn’t be pleased with Cleveland’s own Dennis Kucinich as president. Kucinich is about as far-left a Politian as there is in Congress. But to his credit, he (DK) doesn’t back down from his positions and ideas.
First off, Gibbs did this on purpose. How do I know? Because he still has his job. He’s the president’s mouthpiece and picking a small fight with the far left might even help Obama with some centrists. That's the strategy.
No, he didn’t do this at a bar late one night after a long day and several drinks. He did it during a scheduled interview with a Washington reporter.
It’s called being the president’s wing man – as simple as that.
Besides, he was dead on.
The far left is bashing a guy (Obama) who’s overall approval ratings are in the mid 40’s and falling because he is passing legislation and governing like a lefty. And these nuts want him to more further to the left?
Amazing!
Till next time. Be good.
I had a request to comment on Butterfingers, so here goes. And I thought I was done with him.
What are the odds two former well-known Cleveland athletes go to the “South Beach” card in the same year? This time its Braylon Edwards taking a shot at Cleveland as a hick town shortly following LBJ’s first utterances describing his exit from town.
James can at least play. He has a reason to be arrogant as hell. We already covered the fact that he had a whole market enabling him since puberty. You can see the narcissistic progression developing if you wanted to see it.
As for Edwards, some guys never get it and never will. And for me to beat on this guy again would be piling on. I could care less. It's just another case of a pro athlete with an inflated opinon of his self-worth.
Like there aren't many of those around? Be glad he's gone.
Media Morons
I have heard numerous local media morons whine about the fact the Browns’ starting running back is on the shelf for several weeks.
The problem is Jerome Harrison is fine. These geniuses already have the Browns' 2010second round pick out of Tennessee sharing time or playing ahead of Harrison.
I don’t mention his name on purpose. Until rookies do something, especially in the NFL where at least half flame out quickly, they should be seen and not heard.
Therefore, ‘No names please” until this young man makes plays on a consistent basis -when it counts.
As for the media getting their panties in a bunch because he’s not available just yet. Relax guys.
It’s pre-season and you have a starting back that went nuts when given the ball at the end of 2009. He gets first dibs. It’s that simple.
By the way, I was impressed with the safety from Oregon during the Browns’ first exhibition game. Yes, he got beat for a touchdown. But the coverage was pretty good for a safety and that quarterback/receiver combination in Green Bay will do that to you.
The kid flew around all night, hit people and generally made his presence felt. He looked like he belonged. Unlike others, I’m not going to get excited by one performance. That’s not how I roll. But it was a good a start. Hopefully, there’s more to come.
And no, I’m not excited they beat the Packers. I’m just pleased at this point they lined up right, didn’t get a ton of illegal procedure penalties, too much time in the huddle infractions or 12 defensive players on the field calls.
Baby steps my friend, baby steps.
I’ve got some politics for you now.
VP
Some media geniuses are pushing the idea Hillary Clinton will be Obama’s VP prior to his next term. Right.
Why would she want that gig and how does she benefit from such a move?
The answer is simple. She wouldn’t want it and she wouldn’t benefit.
Hell, we've already covered she could challenge him in 2012 and give him a run for his money.
The only reason he’d want her as #2 is to keep her from running against him. She’s not stupid. Her and her hubby (Bill) can figure that out if I can.
His offer, if it actually were to take place, to dump Biden and make her number #2 would be a classic case of “Keep your friends close but your enemies closer.”
Come on, she’s not going to fall for that twice.
Election Numbers
A writer wrote an OP ED recently surmising the President may attempt to win re-election solely by going after the 90+% African-American vote, 2/3+ of the Latino vote and approximately 37% of the white vote.
According to this writer, a heavy African-American and Latino turnout in 2012 would mean Obama could win re-election with less than 40% of the expected white vote.
I have no idea if the math actually holds up, but I do know it would be a terrible strategy for both Obama and more importantly the country. This man came to office under the guise of being a post-racial president.
And to follow a re-election strategy along these lines would further divide the nation. He doesn’t need that for his legacy and the country certainly would be worse off for it.
Hopefully, no one in the White House is contemplating such an approach. It would be disastrous for all.
We simply don’t need further identity politics – that is where folks are separated into individual groups with individual grievances. Unfortunately, the Democratic Party seems to be doing that more and more recently.
One could argue this strategy helped win them control of Congress and the White House.
But one could also make the argument it divided the country further and soon the nation will begin making a correction at the ballot box come November.
We shall see.
Robert Gibbs
The President’s press secretary, Robert Gibbs, who’s main job is to keep a low profile and control news flow actually recently committed what is normally a fatal PR flaw by making news with comments attacking the left wing of the Democratic Party.
He stated that many in the left won’t be happy until the Pentagon (those who defend us) is shut down and we have a Canadian health care system in place.
He then went on to say these folks wouldn’t be pleased with Cleveland’s own Dennis Kucinich as president. Kucinich is about as far-left a Politian as there is in Congress. But to his credit, he (DK) doesn’t back down from his positions and ideas.
First off, Gibbs did this on purpose. How do I know? Because he still has his job. He’s the president’s mouthpiece and picking a small fight with the far left might even help Obama with some centrists. That's the strategy.
No, he didn’t do this at a bar late one night after a long day and several drinks. He did it during a scheduled interview with a Washington reporter.
It’s called being the president’s wing man – as simple as that.
Besides, he was dead on.
The far left is bashing a guy (Obama) who’s overall approval ratings are in the mid 40’s and falling because he is passing legislation and governing like a lefty. And these nuts want him to more further to the left?
Amazing!
Till next time. Be good.
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