Chico Harlan of the Pitteburgh Post-Gazette was on Kenny Roda this afternoon. He noted that the Bucks linebackers will probably shut down the Penn State running game. A regular at Chico’s Q&A page isn’t impressed.

I forced myself to go to Columbus, Ohio, and lo and behold I saw two men with hair so ratty it looked like they were using a new shampoo called Raw Sewage. Women would walk up to them on High Street and ask them how they were doing in their AIDS Awareness and golf classes and, immediately, I knew: These were Ohio State linebackers.

Nothing like some good trash talk, eh?? There’s lots more where that came from, so click the link. I think those ratty haired linebackers are gonna run rampant on Penn State, like they’re gonna do all year, every game.

One of the best things about preseason was how Josh Cribbs returned kickoffs. Straight upfield. No nonsense. Fearless. He should be back in the lineup this week…

Cribbs never ran kickoffs until he came to the Browns. It’s a job nobody else wants. Former Browns returner Andre Davis didn’t want to do it, and punt returner Dennis Northcutt doesn’t want to do it. Cribbs embraces the job. “There’s a lot of linebackers running down full speed,” he said. “Wide receivers want to stay away from linebackers. I don’t care at all. I’m trying to make a mark at it. I’m trying to make a name for myself, being that tough guy willing to do whatever it takes.

On a side note…why was William Green the only one running back kickoffs in the meantime? He seems the antithesis of Cribbs, seems to slow down the closer he gets to the wedge.

Pat McManamon at the Akron Beacon Journal wrings his hands about how reporters deal with rumors on the Browns that swirled in the bye week, and kinda screws up.

Example two came during the off week when word spread around town that Trent Dilfer might not start against Chicago and that Charlie Frye had been told to get ready to start. These reports never reached print or broadcast; they were underground scuttlebutt. But the scuttlebutt was strong. Crennel brusquely cast those rumors aside as well, and without being mean or nasty made it clear exactly what he thought of them.

Ummm….did Pat know that it was the PD’s Roger Brown who made sure the rumor “reached print”?

Now, see, this is a good little tidbit.

Marshall learned his outside touch as a little man. It then elevated his game far more than the growth spurt of 8 inches in two years that turned him into a big one.

Bill Livingston often will give you that kind of insight into a guy’s game. But he’ll just as likely give you a whopper like this.

The Marshall Plan can help rebuild a long-suffering franchise.

Rebuild the franchise? I think someone else’s plan is doing that. His name is Lebron James. Whatever Donyell Marshall does along the way might help rebuild the team, but certainly not the franchise.

Note to sports bloggers. Don’t try to blog anything in the PD before….let’s see, what time is it now….8.30 am, because as of this ungodly hour, Cleveland.com still has YESTERDAY’S sports content at the sports page.