Cleveland Sports Blog

In case you’ve been wondering about the lack of coverage regarding Cleveland‘s biggest sports story since Summer 2010, and no it isn’t related to the Browns, Indians, or any current Cleveland athlete, the silence may be broken an some point. However, considering the uninspired play of the Cavaliers and depressing ineptitude of the roster combined with the collective heartbreak still unmended across the entire state of Ohio, there’s simply nothing worth saying. Citing every bitter ex-girlfriend with whom I’ve shared less-than-pleasantries, there are two options at this point: 1) Cut of all contact and pretend as if said person was never born; or 2) Board a deeply dark and disturbing emotional roller coaster, to play out in fits, tantrums and regrettable mornings over the course of the next half decade. For me, option 1 is in progress so without further ado, how ’bout those Indians?Mired somewhere between a 5-11 Browns showing and the Cavs reassignment to the NBDL, Spring Training offers a slim glimmer of hope. It’s Cleveland, it’s winter, it’s freezing, and yes, Spring Training is still over a month away (February 27 opener, but no one’s counting), but alas, it’s the last straw to grab at as a Cleveland sports fan. It’s probably too soon to venture forth with any projections at such an early juncture, but forgive me for approaching the 2011 Indians with tempered optimism. weiter lesen …

Granted, head coach Eric Mangini was opposed to Colt McCoy‘s selection in the 2010 NFL Draft, both in the second round and the third round, when he was overruled by general manager Mike Holmgren, McCoy is perhaps already the qualified field general the Browns could place under center to start the 2010 season. For starters, McCoy is a winner every single way you slice it. The only quarterback to win at least 10 games while starting all 4 years of eligibility, his success is unparalleled on the college level and would be a welcome, albeit decidedly different, mindset in the Browns huddle. In his last two preseason games combined, McCoy went 23 for 27 on his way to completing 85 of his passes. While this astronomical number is unlikely to hold up, over the course of his collegiate career, McCoy established himself as arguably the most accurate passer in the country, setting the NCAA record for Highest Career Completion Percentage with a remarkable 70.9. Accuracy is by far the best case for McCoy to start as the Browns will likely run a conservative, ball-control offense, not relying on numerous shots downfield. After all, it’s not like Delhomme’s cannon has been firing long range in recent memory. In the 5 games the Browns won down the stretch, they relied heavily on the running game, passing less than 40 times in total. To win this way consistently, the team will need who hits his spots and doesn’t make mistakes, a tailor made situation for McCoy. And with such little demand for complex formations, it’s not as if the role is too tall for a rookie quarterback. weiter lesen …

While the Browns are slim in terms of big name talent headed into the 2010 season, to say the roster on the whole isn’t talented would be mistaken. Here is a look at some players who may be less familiar on a national scale, but could be poised to breakout for the Browns in a big way this coming year.Mohamed Massaquoi In his first year out of the University of Georgia, Massaquoi quietly posted perhaps the most surprising rookie campaign in the NFL. Tallying 624 yards on 34 receptions (both team highs for 2009), the second round pick showed some big play capability, emerging as the Browns top receiving option by season’s end. Were Massaquoi to have had the benefit of a reliable arm throwing the ball his way, who knows how much higher these totals might have been.James Davis A year ago, Davis was all the rage as far as preseason analysts go, expecting major contributions from the rookie out of Clemson. Highlighted by a 12 carry 116 yard outburst against the Lions, Davis averaged 7.75 yards per carry in the 2009 preseason, before an early season injury put him on IR for the remainder of the season. With rookie RB Montario Hardesty already out for the year, Davis could see a significant number of carries in 2010, as starter Jerome Harrison likely can’t handle the entire load of a run-first Browns attack. weiter lesen …

At 35-years old, with a quarterback rating that declined by a full 25 points last season, ladies and gentleman, meet Cleveland Browns starting quarterback Jake Delhomme. It may seem tough to fathom that a quarterback could legitimately drop his rating so heavily in such a short amount of time, but just call Delhomme’s 59.4-rated 2009 unbelievably bad. In 11 games started before a season ending finger injury, Delhome racked up an 8:18 touchdown to interception ratio (no, that’s not an inverted typo). In Cleveland, he won’t even have the benefit of the two-headed monster at running back he enjoyed in Carolina, taking pressure off the passing game. In this opinion, there is no starting quarterback in the league bringing less to the table at this point in his career than Jake Delhomme. To prove a point, here are 3 quarterbacks not even on NFL rosters who would be better suited under center (bear in mind, that’s not saying much):Jeff Garcia Even at 40, Garcia’s return to the Browns offers more upside. Currently playing for the Omaha Nighthawks, the man obviously would welcome a return to the big stage. Consider Garcia the anti-Delhomme, actually improving his play in his last few NFL seasons. Playing with the Lions in 2005, Garcia still never had a year quite as bad as Delhomme’s 2009, though he was surrounded with a far inferior supporting cast. Garcia resurrected his career with stops in Philadelphia and Tampa over the next 3 years.Pat White Sure, he has only thrown 13 passes of which he’s completed just 5 at the NFL level, but bear in mind most of those were trick plays out of the wildcat package in Miami. Under center against the Falcons this preseason, in the only significant playing time he saw, White completed 4 of 4 passes and looked accurate. Yes, it’s a small sample size, but who knows there could be some Willie Beaman (Any Given Sunday) potential there. weiter lesen …

Most Cleveland fans probably dismissed the Browns‘ 2^nd round pick in the 2010 draft with a mere shrug. After all, most were hoping for Colt McCoy, the prolific quarterback of the Texas Longhorns who happened to slide all the way down the Browns’ 3^rd round selection. When Cleveland made Montario Hardesty, running back out of the University of Tennessee, the 59^th overall player off the board, the organization knew exactly what they were getting into in terms of injury history. Hardesty was constantly hampered by ailments that kept him off the field during his tenure at Tennessee, however, after careful consideration and evaluation, the Browns elected to select Hardesty despite these concerns. Now, Hardesty has been placed on Injured Reserve, meaning he will miss at least the first 6 games of the season, though the recovery process for the torn ACL he suffered this season will likely cost him the season. Most Cleveland fans figured the team was set at running back after Jerome Harrison rattled off 561 yards and 5 touchdowns in the final 3 games of last season. Considering those gaudy numbers, does it really even matter if Hardesty ever dons the orange helmet in the regular season? In a word, yes. weiter lesen …