CLEVELAND TEAMS

Greg Oden ignored the smack talk and led the Buckeyes to a victory over Memphis to seal a Final Four appearance.

Kellen Winslow claims the Internet rumors that he would miss the 2007 season are false. He claims he’s ahead of schedule in his rehab.

Ohio State has landed three top recruits for 2008.

The Ohio State football team has already picked up three commitments in the class of 2008, and at least one recruiting analyst ranks the trio with the best at their positions nationally among seniors-to-be.

Dublin Coffman tackle Mike Adams, Cincinnati LaSalle receiver DeVier Posey and Westerville Central punter-kicker Ben Buchanan have all accepted scholarships from the Buckeyes.

Duane Long of Bucknuts.com, who publishes the Ohio High scouting report, has the 6-foot-8, 300-pound Adams rated as the top player in the state.

“I’ve only seen one offensive lineman — Orlando Pace — better at the high school level in Ohio,” Long said. “He’s better than Korey Stringer and better than Alex Boone. He’s a special athlete.”

Eric Steinbach was the high-profile signing, but the Browns have been busy adding more players that will help fill out their roster. Defensive lineman Robaire Smith should be a starter at right end and can move to the middle on passing downs. Offensive lineman Seth McKinney was injured last season and might be a risk, but he can provided much-needed depth on the offensive line. He has started at center and at guard.

Let’s hope the Bengals don’t match the offer sheet for nose tackle Shaun Smith. If he’s in the fold, the Browns can feel much better about both lines.

They’ll probably address the lines in the draft as well, but at least they won’t be doing so as much out of desperation. There are some good offensive linemen in this draft, so hopefully they’ll snag one in the first three rounds.

Trading Reuben Droughns makes sense now that we have Jamal Lewis.

This is definitely an upgrade at the tailback position. If Lewis is healthy, the Browns will have a legitimate offense next season, especially if they add another lineman as everyone expects. It’s hard to warm up to the former Raven, but he can be a force and he’s only 27 years old. Having bone spurs removed from his ankle could set him up for a big year. He’s also the punishing kind of runner that helps in our physical division.

I have no idea if this will affect the draft. Lewis has a one-year deal, so this should not prevent them from drafting Peterson. Also, if they’re serious about looking at Brady Quinn, adding someone like Lewis will give the offense a running identity while they groom Quinn for the future.

My preference right now would be Peterson, then Joe Thomas if he’s available, then trading down. I don’t want them to go with Quinn at #3.