Troy Smith, quarterback for The Ohio State University, won the 2006 Heisman Trophy. The show on ESPN was very emotional and showed just what a tough life Smith went through as a child.

Smith had the second most first place votes ever for a Heisman winner. He was only beaten by O.J. Simpson. He did set a record for the highest percentage of first place votes. Troy was calm and show appreciation for everyone that was part of his success.

The last accomplishment for Smith and the rest of the Buckeyes is to win the National Championship in January.

The Cleveland Browns may not be progressing this year, but Kellen Winslow is making huge strides. Winslow will one day be a star in this league because of his talent and maturity. He’s made numerous “questionable” decisions and comments growing up, but seems to learn from each situation.

This Thursday, he attempted to interact with the biggest jerk in the NFL, Pittsburgh linebacker Joey Porter. Porter and Winslow have been exchanging jabs over the past year and Winslow wanted Porter to know it was just talk. He forgot he was dealing with a “big mouth” baby. Porter showed how classless he is by continuing to run his trap.

These are the situations that should inspire Winslow and the Browns to improve and payback a player like Porter. These are opportunities for Romeo Crennel to challenge his teams pride and desire to win. I can only hope that next year we are winning by 10 and Winslow hits Porter so hard he bites his tongue, because that is the only way to shut him up.

The Heisman Trophy will be awarded to the most talented college football player this evening in New York. Troy Smith, the Ohio State quarterback, is favored to win by a landslide.

Smith has fought many battles on and off the field while growing up in inner-city Cleveland. As you watch Troy accept his award tonight, I think it’s important to appreciate the fact that he overcame obstacles on and off the field.

Pat Forde of ESPN share some of the moments in Smith’s life that has lead up to this event. I believe Troy Smith will be drafted in the first round because of his talent and character.

Terry Pluto makes a persuasive argument that Derek Anderson should start the next game against the Ravens. He clearly has an NFL-caliber arm, and he also has a quick release. If he keeps playing, our terrible receivers might even learn how to catch his crisp passes. His decision-making has also been solid, and he does not get rattled. He seems to get rid of the ball – something that Charlie has trouble doing.

They might have something with this guy, but we will only find out if he gets the chance to play.

While they’re at it, they should bench Dennis Northcutt and activate third-round pick Travis Wilson. Let’s see if he can catch the ball.

The Browns scored a late touchdown on a Derek Anderson pass to Braylon Edwards to avoid the shutout, but the damage was already done. For the third time in three weeks, the Cleveland Browns were utterly embarassed by their opponent. The Pittsburgh Steelers issued a 27-7 beatdown of the Browns in a game where Willie Parker rushed for a Pittsburgh single game record 223 yards.

The Browns continue to have no answer for the Steelers, who once again pushed them around like they were a bunch of children. It’s been almost a year since last season’s 41-0 destruction. The score this season wasn’t as bad but the game sure seemed just as pathetic. The Steelers were more physical than us and owned the line of scrimmage. The final net rushing stats were simply deplorable: Pittsburgh – 303, Cleveland – 18. Put me in the backfield, I’ll run for 18 yards, are you kidding me? If a team outsmarts you and out “gameplans” you, that’s one thing. But for Pittsburgh to ram it down our throats was sickening to watch. I mean, the Steelers offense isn’t exactly rocket science. First and foremost, they will run, run and run some more. Everyone knows what they’re going to do offensively but we still couldn’t stop it. Maybe it’s time we think about changing our defensive line personnel.

After such a dramatic and emotional comeback last weekend against the Chiefs, you would think the Browns would come out with some momentum and motivation, especially after they blew a 10-point fourth quarter lead to the Steelers three weeks ago. But of course, these are the Browns, and another inconsistent performance just begs the question whether or not this team really understands the Pittsburgh rivalry. Perhaps I was a little too naive to think the organization had turned a corner after last week’s come from behind victory. No passion, no drive, nothing. Sure it was cold, but that’s no excuse. Looks like we’re headed towards another winless season in the division.

But I guess the real culprit here is us fans for taking time out of our weeknight to watch this sorry excuse for a football team.

The Ohio State Buckeyes football team continues to receive awards. The Bucks had three players make the 1st team All-American squad for 2006. Ohio State was lead by Troy Smith, who was named first team quarterback.

The promising selections were two sophomores, linebacker James Laurinaitis and offensive lineman Alex Boone.

These selections show how Coach Jim Tressel continues to build his program, even during a successful season. Laurinaitis and Boone will be leaders on offense and defense next year for the Buckeyes.

The Cavaliers used a big, fourth quarter run to charge ahead of the Toronto Raptors as they beat them 95-91 at the Q on Wednesday night. They bounced back from their dreadful 63-point performance against the Rockets last weekend and notched a much needed victory. The Cavs, wearing their retro orange uni’s once again, sank some big three pointers down the stretch. None was bigger than Donyell Marshall’s trey with less than 20 seconds left and the Cavs only up by one.

LeBron finished with 26 points and 10 assists, Marshall had 19 off the bench, and Daniel Gibson had 18 (3 0f 6 on three-pointers) in his first ever NBA start. The Cavs saw five players in double figures in points.

It’s obvious Mike Brown is trying anything possible to jumpstart the Hughes-less Cavaliers by juggling the lineup. The Gibson addition worked wonders for one night at least. I’ve been really impressed with this kid so far with this athelticism and ability to shoot the ball. Eric Snow has his good days, but when Larry returns, anyone opposed to starting Gibson at the point along with Larry at the two and having Snow come off the bench? Gibson is a good enough defender and is light years ahead of Snow offensively.

The Cleveland Browns reported that starting quarterback Charlie Frye’s X-rays were negative on his wrist. Although, doctors fear some damage may not have been detected in the tests. Frye looked in pain on Sunday as he cheered the team to victory.

Derek Anderson, the Browns backup quarterback, will get his first NFL start Thursday night against the hated Pittsburgh Steelers. The Browns will try and keep the momentum they had in the 4th quarter and overtime against the Kansas City Chiefs. If Anderson continues to perform, we’ll have a legitimate quarterback controversy.

Jim Tressel, the Ohio State football coach, complimented the Florida Gators and Michigan Wolverines when he chose not to vote in the final polls. Tressel stated it wouldn’t be fair for the Buckeyes to cast a vote one way or the other.

Lloyd Carr, Michigan football coach, called this move “slick” in a statement today. I have finally figured this out. LLOYD CARR IS A POOR LOSER. He’s a “bad” game day coach and “cry baby” when he loses. The University of Michigan is a successful program that’s going through some tough times against their arch rival.

Carr should be concerned about beating the USC Trojans and attracting star recruits to Michigan. Instead, he’s whining about how Tressel didn’t vote in the BCS. This is truly just another reason why Ohio State will find a way to continue beating “that team up North”.

The Ohio State Buckeyes started the awards ceremony a week early. This Saturday, Troy Smith will walk away with the Heisman Trophy. Today, James Laurinaitis, the Bucks star linebacker, won the Bronko Nagurski award for the nation’s best defensive player. This is the first time a sophomore has ever won this award.

The Buckeyes will have to stay focused on the National Championship. They’ll have a wall full of honors by the time January rolls around.