The Browns Manage to Hang on to Game Versus Steelers. Huge Win in the Rebuilding Process.

 

       In a year that has been filled with disappointment and many highs and lows, the Cleveland Browns managed to accomplish something that hasn’t been done in over six years. Amidst a 2 game losing streak by the Cavaliers and the Indians executing 0 helpful moves so far during this offseason of disappointment and resentment towards the highest officials in the front office, there isn’t much to look forward to in Cleveland until now.

        On a cold blustery night, -12 degree wind chills to be exact, the Cleveland Browns managed to beat their biggest rival and Superbowl champion Steelers. Led by third year QB Brady Quinn, the Browns were able to score 13 points which proved to be enough after Rob Ryan’s defense held the stagnant Steelers offense to only two field goals while only converting on only 3 of 14 third downs. Ryan’s normally bad defense was able to pressure Roethlisberger all night and took him down for 8 sacks. The Browns defense may have been the story, however their normally non-existent running game was revived as running back Chris Jennings and WR/QB Josh Cribs combined for a total of 160 yards and the first rushing TD of the year. Cribbs also had 104 yards in the return game including a punt return to the 9 yard line. However, the Browns had a costly penalty and had to settle for a field goal. Rookie Tight End Evan Moore once again showed the Browns coaching staff why he should be a starter in the NFL after a very athletic catch in which he reached behind his body to corral the ball with his right hand then securing it in his left for a first down. He only finished with 34 yards with only two catches. Quinn was not at fault for this though, the weather played a major part on the passing game. Quinn finished the game with a passer rating of 48.1 and only threw for 90 yards, but he was able to manage the game which led the Browns the victory.

       To say that the Browns are a team on the rise may not be practical. However, after 3 straight close losses and a victory against above .500 teams, it is almost certain that Mangini should be given a chance to continue to try to bring the Browns back to glory especially with how young of a team his has and the 11 picks in the upcoming draft.

Cavs Let an Easy One Get Away Lose 111-109 to the Grizzlies

Based on the way that the Cavs play against sub .500 teams, last night’s result was no surprise. They went up against the 8-12 Grizzlies who are actually doing good as of late. They started 1-8 and went 7-4 up to last night. Five of the six teams that the Cavs have lost to this year have sub .500 records. The fans knew that the Cavs would face a tough opponent in the Grizzlies, but apparently the team didn’t.

As mentioned above the Grizzlies have turned their season around by going 7-4 after a terrible start. They have the youngest team in the league and it showed by how they started the season. However, once they learned to play together they were successful. Under second year guard O.J. Mayo they are climbing out of the NBA cellar and into playoff contention. The Nets forcefully shoved them out of the cellar. They also get great numbers from Rudy Gay and Zach Randolph. The three combined for 81 of the Grizzlies 111 points last night.

As usual the Cavs came out firing and had a great first quarter scoring 31 points. Lebron had three dunks in the first few minutes of the game. They continued in the second quarter and at halftime had an 11 point lead. This game turned out to be a story of two halves (and overtime).

The Cavs had one of their signature third quarters. The one where they don’t show up in the first half and let the other team get right back into the game. At the end of the quarter they were only up by two and this is not a good thing against a young team like the Grizzlies who play off of momentum. Also because they had their biggest crowd of the year show up last night.

In the fourth the teams traded baskets for most of the time. Then with 18 seconds left and the Cavs up by two they had a lapse of concentration on defense. They let Rudy Gay drive right to the hoop and make an easy lay-up. This is ok because we have Lebron to save the day. Not this time. Lebron had the ball in his hands for the last 18 seconds and could not even get a shot off. He drove with less than 3 seconds left and lost control of the ball. Time quickly expired. In overtime the Cavs found themselves down by 4 with less than 2 minutes left. Lebron changed that by hitting a 3 and making it a one point game. With 14 seconds left the Cavs once again found themselves down, this time by 2. Mr. Clutch Lebron made two free throws. Unfortunately, the Cavs let another easy basket to be made by the Grizzlies. This time it was and OSU alumni, if one year at the school counts, Mike Conley who drove right to the hoop. Lebron came down for the game winner but came up way short. The Cavs fell to 15-6 on the year which is not too bad, but for us as fans we are not accustomed to seeing them lost that often. When the Cavs get Jamario back and Leon Powe on the team things will change. If they can do this good without them imagine the team with these two. For any one who cares, Lebron did have 43 points last night.

TCU and Boise State Best BCS Bowl?

 

Last night the BCS bowls were announced on FOX and ESPN. Most of the picks were not suprising to anyone who watched. Everyone knew that it was going to be Texas vs. Bama in the Championship Game, OSU Vs Oregon in the Rose Bowl, Iowa vs GT in the Orange Bowl, and after Florida lost they would be in the Sugar Bowl vs. Cincy.

One little surprise is the battle of unknowns with TCU and Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. No one knew where to put these two teams, some thought TCU could belong in the championship game if Texas lost some thought Boise State didnt deserve to be in a BCS game because of a weak schedule. Which is true, Boise had only two good teams on the schedule (Oregon and Nevada). TCU also had plenty of easy games but they play in a harder conference and they have also played BYU, Clemson and Utah.

Boise State may have the best offense in the nation scoring more than 40 points 10 times! Their QB Kellen Moore has thrown for 39 td and only 3 ints. Even if you play for a Boston 9 year old pee wee team 3 ints is nothing short of amazing. BSU has a very balanced rushing game with Jeremy Avery 1130 yards and 6 tds and Doug Martin with 723 yards and 14 tds.

TCU has been called the most balanced team and some have dared to call them the best team in the nation. Led by QB Andy Dalton and the best D in the nation. Their defense allows only 12 points per game which will have a every tough match vs the high scoring Broncos.TCU also have balance RBs like Boise but lack the talented wide outs Boise State has. Boise’s top two guys have at least 60 catches and 10 touchdowns, while TCU has only ONE guy over 30 catches and he only has 2 touchdowns. This may hurt TCU if they fall behind Boise State early.

My Pick: Last season same situation in the Poinsettia Bowl great Boise offense vs. great TCU defense and TCU won 17-16. I see the same happening TCU 28 BSU 15.

Huge 2nd quarter run leads to Cavs Victory over Bucks 101-86

The Packers play tonight on MNF which meant yesterday, all eyes in Wisconsin were on the Bucks. It did not take them much time to impress their fans. They jumped out to a quick 11-0 lead and looked like they would not miss a shot. Too bad they couldn’t keep it up.

After the teams exchanged scores for a few minutes the Cavs took over. After Ersan Ilyasova’s two point score with 4:35 left in the first quarter, the Bucks would not score again for almost twelve minutes. The Cavs took advantage of the Bucks’ cold streak by scoring 29 straight points. The highlight of this run was Delonte West who scored 12 straight off the bench with two and one’s. The bench, especially Lebron, was loving this. The whole team is pulling for Delonte who is struggling to overcome his illness and get his head back in the right place. The Bucks did manage to score in the last half of the second quarter. They put 17 on the board in the last six minutes but the Cavs scored 31. This gave the Cavs a 52-33 lead at halftime.

Besides the obvious difference is points, the stats do not really show that the Cavs dominated the game. Bucks standout rookie Brandon Jennings had 24 and Hakim Warrick added 11. The Cavs’ leading scorer was no other than Delonte with 21 points. However, all of the Cavs starters had at least 8 points which gives them more balance in the scoring. The Cavs had 7 more turnovers than the Bucks but it did not factor into the outcome.

If you were watching the game closely then you heard that obnoxious horn in the background of the game. That came from the section of seats that Andrew Bogut paid for. He wanted to have a section that created a college type atmosphere. All I can say is that I feel bad for the people who sit near the section. Luckily, the section got realllly quiet during the Cavs’ 29-0 run.

“It’s Our Time”

Growing up in Cleveland as a child I had a hard time getting into Cleveland sports. Not because of the fans, they are the best our nation has to offer, sticking with their beloved Brownies and Cavs through the thick and the thin. Reason I had a tough time getting into Cleveland sports? Let’s face it Clevelanders, until recently, Cleveland wasn’ t known for it’s amazing sports teams. Actually we were somewhat more notorious for the lack of being able to grab championship gold, whether being the Cavs of today or the Indians in the mid to late 90′s, Cleveland just doesn’t seem to have what it takes to get the job done. Shifting back to the fans (who I know are going to demand my head on a platter after reading this), I know Cleveland has the best fans around. What else can you say about a teams fans that support their team whether they are looking at the playoffs or wrapping up their 2 W season, these fans know how to back their team NO MATTER THE CIRCUMSTANCES.

When Art Modell took the then-Browns and turned them into the Baltimore Ravens fans were pissed. Not pissed because Baltimore stole their championship winning team, but because Art was taking THEIR team, which in Cleveland is an offense many would like to be seen punishable with death. That’s the thing that makes Cleveland different than pretty much any other major city is that you don’t tend to look around and see many front-runner fans. Chances are that the drunken guy in his mid 30′s who painted himself half orange and half brown at the game was more than likely just as passionate about his brownies today as he was when he was younger. In recent memory I can only think of a couple times in the past 20 years that brought on the front-runners. Back in the mid-90′s when the Indians were making the play-offs possible again, and the recent hike in popularity of the so-close-to-a-championship-it-seriously-hurts-Cavs. The Cavs have re-ignited not only tourism in Cleveland but also numbers for the modern day front-runner fan. It’s hard not to get excited for the Cavs, whether your excited for Shaq coming to Cleveland or pumped for the new LeBron jersey, Cleveland is finally getting the mainstream noticing our city for basketball, a hard task to manage. I remember back when Mark Price was all the rage Cleveland had when it comes to basketball, now we have arguably the leagues greatest MVP, LeBron James and the leagues largest overall player, Shaq. Pretty much a modern day dream team in theirselves, in short it’s easy to see why Cleveland is finally getting the ball rolling (pardon my bad pun).

Will 2010 finally be the year that the Cavs (and Cleveland for that matter) get the ball rolling? It’s obvious that there’s no time like the present to be a Cavs fan, but what about the Indians? or The Browns? I’d like to hear more from you, the reader, e-mails can be sent to me at wookmike@gmail.com .  Is Cleveland finally ready for the bigtimes? Think I’m right/wrong about Cleveland”s surge of front-runner fans? Does Shaq have what it takes to help launch LeBron and team to their first NBA Championship? Sound off and let me hear what you got to say, there’s no time like the present.

Turner lost for 8 weeks in a Buckeye blowout.

There was a basketball game today at The Value City Arena but no one must have told the Eastern Michigan Eagles. The Eagles had a 5 and 2 record coming in to this game, but didn’t show it against the Bucks. The Eagles shot 28% from 3-point land and 43% overall. One bright spot was Brandon Bowdry, who scored 24 points; one bad spot they gave up 111 points. The Bucks on the other hand played completely the opposite. Ohio State shot a tremendous 63% from the field and 55% from 3. Ohio State’s D caused 24 turnovers and out rebounded them 32 to 25. Ohio State didn’t skip a beat even without the injured Turner scoring a whopping 111 points. 111 is the most points the Bucks scored this year beating out their 110 point win vs. St. Francis (PA) which may have been a high school team from all we know.

OSU also had 5 players in double figures (Lighty 16, Buford 16, Simmons 17, Hill 18, and Diebler 21.) One name you think you would see but isn’t up there is Evan Turner. Turner (who is averaging a 20 points, 6 apg, and 12 rpg ) was hurt on a dunk attempted in the 1st half and broke vertebrae in his spine. OUCH! You could hear his screams of pain and his screams of a certain “F” word through the tv. Turner who is going to miss 8 weeks and some big games vs. Butler, (Michigan will be called scUM or That State Up North) scUM, Purdue, and West Virginia. In ET’s absence not only one player, but the whole team will need to step up. Diebler needs to keep up his great shooting, Buford needs to pick up his game, only scoring 10 ppg and Lighthy needs to learn how shoot a basketball. Ohio State got the win today but has a tough road ahead versus Butler without Turner.

Third Quarter Run Leads Cavs to Victory over Bulls 101-87

 

The Cavs were having a great time before and after the game. Joakim Noah was not. Lebron had the whole dancing last night in their revenge win over the Bulls. Lebron’s dancing only angered one person and that was Noah. When Lebron was shooting free throws late in the game, Noah decided to trash talk him from the bench. Lebron gave him a quick look and knocked down the shot. He then walked over to the bench but it was quickly broken up by Z. Noah complained that Lebron was rubbing it in to the Bulls. If the Bulls would have shown up in the third quarter, it would not be an issue. They were outscored by 14 by the Cavs and that gave the Cavs control for the rest of the game.

The first and second half were two different games. At halftime it was 47-46 Cavs and they had 11 turnovers. Lebron was clearly upset and got off the court quickly. Whatever happened in the locker room worked. The Cavs did not turn the ball over once in the second half and outscored the Bulls by 13. Lebron flirted with a triple double with 21 points, 11 assists, and 6 rebounds. Mo and Boobie each had 15 while Varejao added 10 points. Rookie Taj Gibson led the Bulls with 14 points but it was not enough on breast cancer awareness night.

Delonte West played for five minutes with no points last night. The announcers on Espn said that Coach Brown told them that Delonte was having a bad day with his illness. Brown should have just had him be inactive so he could rest and get better. However, basketball might be the only thing that makes him better.