Category: Kenny Roda (Page 4 of 6)

Buckeye Breakdown

September 4, 2006 /

Kenny Roda from WKNR SportsTalk 850 will be writing a weekly blog on Cleveland Scores covering the sports world both locally and nationally. Check back often for his updates!

I was impressed with Ohio State’s offense in their 35-12 win over Northern Illinois. Not from the standpoint of the Buckeyes’ two Heisman Trophy candidates putting up the numbers they did. Troy Smith threw for 298 yards and 3 touchdowns and Ted Ginn Jr. racked up 123 of those yards on 4 catches, two for touchdowns. No, I was impressed that head coach Jim Tressel unleashed Smith and Ginn from the get go and then mixed in the running game to allow Antonio Pittman to rush for 110 yards and a score. Tressel also got true freshman running back Chris “Beanie” Wells into the game for 10 carries and 52 yards and a score on his second carry of his career. Yes, Wells did fumble later in the game, but he got the experience of playing in a Division 1 game so when he plays against Texas on Saturday in Austin, it won’t be such a shock.

There were two things that I didn’t like about the offense. The first was when Tressel substituted backup quarterback Justin Zwick for Troy Smith in the middle of a series down near the goalline. Zwick obviously wasn’t ready. He tripped over an offensive lineman’s leg and then fumbled the handoff with the Huskies recovering and keeping OSU from scoring its sixth TD of the game. Bad coaching move. The second area that concerned me was the kicking game. Both Ryan Pretorious and Aaron Pettrey missed long field goals. The kicking game is a huge part of “Tressel Ball”, so one of these two better step up and perform or the Buckeyes could lose a tough,close game late in the fourth quarter.

Defensively, the Buckeyes have a long way to go and not a lot of time to get there. In fact, the time frame is less than a week to get ready for Colt McCoy and the defending National Champion Longhorns. Garrett Wolfe, Northern Illinois’ All-American running back, racked up 172 yards rushing and 115 more receiving this past Saturday. If Ohio State’s “D” allows that to happen against Texas, the Buckeyes will leave the Lone Star state a .500 team and no longer ranked #1 in the country.

Defensive end Vernon Gholston and linebacker Larry Grant were the only two defensive players who really caught my attention in game #1. Gholston recorded 1 1/2 sacks and made his presence felt in the Huskies’ backfield. Grant, the junior college transfer, came up with a big interception in the red zone and made other plays throughout the game. Yes, senior defensive linemen Quinn Pitcock, David Patterson and Jay Richardson played well, but they’re going to have to turn up their intensity and performance a few notches against Texas if they want sweet revenge for last year’s 25-22 loss at “The Shoe” in Columbus.

If they can put pressure on Texas QB Colt McCoy, it will go a long way in helping out an inexperienced secondary of Jenkins, Mitchell, Patterson, Smith, O’Neal and the rest of the defensive backs.

But all in all, a 35-12 win over Northern Illinois showed that they weren’t looking ahead to Texas, which is a good sign of leadership and focus. So let the fun begin this week for one of the most anticipated games of the season. A showdown in Austin between this year’s #1 team, Ohio State, and last year’s #1 team and National Champion, Texas. My prediction?

The last team to have the ball will win in a high scoring affair. So here’s hoping Ohio State gets the ball last and Troy Smith and Ted Ginn Jr. hook up on a fade in the endzone in front of thousands of Longhorn fans who will feel the same pain Buckeye fans felt last year. And then maybe that will pave the way for the Scarlet and Gray to accomplish what Texas did last year, hold that crystal football up in the middle of the field on January 8, 2007 as college football’s National Champions!

Kenny Roda, OSU Football

Browns’ dress rehearsal…not bad

August 29, 2006 /

Kenny Roda from WKNR SportsTalk 850 will be writing a weekly blog on Cleveland Scores covering the sports world both locally and nationally. Check back often for his updates!

The 3rd pre-season game in the NFL is the one that is considered the most important of the meaningless games. Why? Because it’s the game where the starters play their most minutes and hope to get their timing down with each other so they’re ready for the regular season opener. A 20-17 win for the Browns, even though it was against one of the worst teams in the league in the Bills, is still a step forward. With that in mind, here’s a look at what players are ready, who’s not, and some I’m not sure of yet, as the Browns near their September 10th regular season opener against the New Orleans Saints.

Call’ em butter…they’re on a roll

CB Leigh Bodden – From what I’ve seen and what I’ve heard, is the camp MVP this year. The only starting corner who’s healthy and impressed every time he was on the field.

RB Jerome Harrison – In my opinion this fifth-round pick out of Washington St. has impressed enough to be the back-up to starter Rueben Droughns. He’s averaged nearly 7 yards per touch, gets into the end zone and can run and catch it. Could be one of the top steals of the draft. Kudos to Phil Savage!

TE Steve Heiden – Everyone has been focused on the “Chosen One” Kellen Winslow Jr.
Heiden has quietly made plays catching, scoring and blocking on offense. Should Winlsow be limited in his playing time or, heaven forbid, something happen to #80, Heiden has proven to me he can be a starter if needed in the NFL.

DT Ted Washington – Here’s hoping there’s enough gas left in his huge tank to get as many miles out of this run stopper as possible. He’s become Andra Davis’ best friend, allowing Davis to go sideline to sideline and run free. If “Big Ted” can do that in the regular season, opponents’ rushing yards will surely go down and #54’s tackles will go up!

KR/WR Josh Cribbs – Catching on as a wide receiver and still returning kicks better than anyone on the team. Could be the “slash” player the Browns have been looking for to pose many problems for the opposition.

DE/LB Kamerion Wimbley – Whenever I’ve seen him on the field he’s been in the opponents backfield sacking quarterbacks, causing fumbles, dropping running backs for a loss or forcing an offensive lineman into a holding penalty. Not bad for a rookie learning a new position!

Question Marks?

LB Willie McGinest, CB Gary Baxter and CB Daylon McCutcheon – three vets who are recovering from surgery or injury. McGinest looked decent against Buffalo and should start on Sept. 10th. Baxter said today after practice that he will start on Sept. 10th. McCutcheon, I’m hearing, probably won’t be ready for the opener on Sept. 10th.

WR Braylon Edwards – Participated in 16 plays in the win over the Bills. Caught one ball. Made a few blocks and got hit a couple of times and got up and walked off the field without a limp or getting re-injured. I think they’re rushing Edwards back and taking a big chance, but both Braylon and the team seem to be willing to roll the dice. Let’s just hope it doesn’t come up craps.

TE Kellen Winslow Jr. – Looks physically ready to play and start, but really hasn’t done much in games. In practice, from what I’ve been told, he has looked great at times, but can he take that and duplicate it on the field on Sunday afternoons?

QB Charlie Frye – With only five regular season starts under his belt and his fourth starting center, with maybe a fifth to take over soon, who knows, Frye has handled things pretty well in camp and in games in 2006. But can he continue to do that and get better when it really counts. The Browns are throwing him into the “Frye-ing Pan” and we”ll find out sooner or later if Charles is indeed in charge!

Major Concerns

Back-up Quarterback – Derek Anderson and Ken Dorsey, that’s my order of who’s 2nd string and 3rd string. But neither excite me. In fact, both concern me. Who’s Frye going to go to with questions? What if Frye goes down? Hopefully the Browns will find a veteran QB after all the cutdowns to bring in and back up Charlie.

The Secondary – Other than Leigh Bodden, the entire defensive backfield is a major concern. McCutcheon and Baxter are coming off injuries and may or may not be ready to go by Week 1. If so, can they both stay healthy? Sean Jones and Brodney Poole have hardly any experience at the safety position and one of them will start. Brian Russell really doesn’t strike fear into the heart of the opposition. This could be the weakest part of the team.

The Offensive Line – Center LeCharles Bentley is out for the season. Left tackle Kevin Shaffer looks barely average in games and practice. Right tackle Ryan Tucker is coming off knee surgery. This could surpass the secondary as the weakest part of the team and that’s not good news for a young quarterback who’s trying to grow at the toughest position on the field.

Cleveland Browns, Kenny Roda

Fantasy preview: Wide Receivers

August 21, 2006 /

Kenny Roda from WKNR SportsTalk 850 will be writing a weekly blog on Cleveland Scores covering the sports world both locally and nationally. Check back often for his updates!

With the NFL season just around the corner, that means Fantasy Football season has already begun. Today I’m going to share with you some information I get on a regular basis for Fantasy Football that you can’t find anywhere else. You’ve heard him on my show and he’ll be on the show every Thursday this year throughout the season. His name is Nathan Zagura, better know as “The Fantasy Consultant” at www.thefantasyconsultant.com.

Nathan breaks it down better than anybody and my blog today will give you a sample of what I’m talking about. If you want this type of info to help you in your leagues on an every day basis then go to the website mentioned above and sign up. It’s well worth it, especially at the end of the year when you have bragging rights over everybody and your also putting a little cha-ching in your pockets. This is Nathan’s info on the Wide Receivers for 2006.
ENJOY….

2006 WR Fantasy Preview
Posted on Aug 14, 2006
2006 Fantasy WR Preview: Bounce Back, Breakout Players, Sleepers and Busts

Bounce Back Players

Randy Moss (OAK)

The Freak has been slowed by injuries in each of the last two seasons, but a rigorous off-season regimen has him ready to explode in 2006

New QB Aaron Brooks is a good scrambler who throws a great deep ball, which means that Moss will have plenty of time and chances to make big plays down the field.

Despite injuries last year, still was 12th among WRs with a 53.3% consistency score

Pre-Injury in 2005 (4 Game Totals): 19 catches for 466 yards and 2 TDs.

During that span he had 3, 100 yard games and 86 yards was his lowest output while he averaged 24.5 yards per catch

From 1998-2003, he was a top 5 fantasy WR every year and was #1 3 times!

Moss is falling to the 3rd round, where he is an absolute steal

TFC RANK: #2

Andre Johnson (HOU)

· Johnson has all of the talent and physical attributes to be a dominant NFL WR

· New HC Gary Kubiak called the plays in Denver, where #1 WR Rod Smith has topped 1,000 yards receiving in 8 of the last 9 seasons

· Addition of Eric Moulds gives Johnson a legit #2 WR for the first time in his career. If teams single cover Moulds he will kill them for 10-15 yards every play, which will free up Johnson to get more chances down the field

. Was slowed by injuries and ranked 28th in terms of targets last year. Now he is healthy and will be in the top 15 in targets, which = a big jump in his production.

· TFC RANK: #14

3. Other Bounce Back Candidates: Michael Clayton (TB), Javon Walker (DEN), Muhsin Muhammad (CHI), Joe Horn (NO), Koren Robinson (MIN)

Breakout Players

Torry Holt (STL)

You already know he is great, so I am just going to tell you why this will be his best year ever

New HC Scott Linehan knows how to generate TDs for his #1 WR

Over the last 4 seasons, Linehan’s #1 WR has been the most targeted WR in both the RZ and GL areas

Last year, Chris Chambers broke out with 11 TDs due in large part to the fact that no WR had more opportunities in scoring situations

Mike Martz called the 2nd most running plays near the GL while running the Rams and Holt had just 1 GL target in the last two years combined!

Linehan’s #1 WRs have 19 GL targets during that span and his teams have thrown the ball 4th most up close

Holt may see his yardage totals dip, but that is unlikely as Linehan does not use as many multiple WR sets as Martz did and his #1 and #2 WRs get the bulk of the action

In fact, both of Randy Moss’ 100 catch seasons came with Linehan calling the plays and Chambers’ 82 catches last year were his career high

Bottom Line: Holt has a chance to score 15-16 TDs with Linehan calling his number in scoring situations, which means that he will be the #1 fantasy WR when it is all said and done in 2006

TFC RANK: #1

Roy Williams (DET)

· With new OC Mike Martz calling the plays, Roy Williams will finally get enough chances to become an elite WR

· Still ranked 11th among WRs with a 53.8% consistency score last season

· “Roy’s one of those guys that it doesn’t take very long to be around him to see (he’s special),” Martz said. “If you’ve watched practice out here at all it’s not hard to figure that one out. I think he could be very effective.”

· Martz calls passes on 63% of his plays, highest in the league and his teams have ranked in the top 5 in passing every single year

· Martz’s #1 WR averages 4 targets more per game than Williams did under HC Steve Mariucci, which means 64 more chances to produce over a 16 game season.

· With QB Jon Kitna, a 60% career passer under center, look for Williams to be more consistent than he was with Joey Harrington

· Already a great TD producer: He is one of 6 WRs to have at least 8 TD catches in each of the last two seasons

· His yardage totals will no doubt go up under Martz and his TD production will hold steady in the worst case scenario, which means that Williams has a great chance to be a top 10 fantasy WR.

· TFC RANK: #13

Matt Jones (JAC)

· The retirement of Jimmy Smith opens the way for the Jags #1 pick in 2005 to become something special ahead of schedule as the team’s #1 WR

· At 6’6”, 240 with blazing speed, Jones can beat you deep and kill you in the Red Zone

· A TD machine: As a rookie, 1 of every 7 receptions went for a TD

· Scored a TD on 3 of his 8 targets inside of the opponent’s 10 yard line

· Got better as the year went on and scored a TD in 4 of QB Byron Leftwich’s final 5 games in 2005

· Led the team with 6 catches for 94 yards in playoff loss to New England

· Snagged a 50 yard TD in the team’s 1st pre-season game and is a great steal as your #3 WR.

· TFC RANK: # 20

4. Other Breakout Candidates: Derrick Mason (BAL), Nate Burleson (SEA)

Sleepers:

Reggie Brown (PHI)

· With T.O. off to Dallas, Brown will be the #1 WR for the Eagles

· In 9 games as starter he averaged 51 yards per game and scored 4 TDs…(McNabb was only the QB for one of those games, so you know the numbers will be better this year)

· Other WRs are so weak: Pinkston, Gaffney, Lewis, Baskett, Avant are not threats to take looks away from Brown

· Brown, Westbrook and TE L.J. Smith will be the top 3 options in the Eagles passing game

· Has a 43 inch vertical leap and will be a good Red Zone threat

· McNabb will struggle, but the #1 WR in Philly should be a viable #3 fantasy WR, with #2 WR potential

· TFC RANK: #30

Antonio Bryant (SF)

Bryant topped 1,000 yards as a member of the Cleveland Browns last year and is now the top WR for the awful 49ers

Has developed a great rapport with QB Alex Smith and should get plenty of passes as the 49ers constantly play from behind

“I’ve never played with a guy like him,” Smith said. “I’ve always played with receivers that if they’re winning by half a step, I’ve got half-a-step’s room to throw the ball in there. With him, you’ve kind of got some room for error. He’s going to make you look good.”

In 2004, Bryant led the league by averaging over 10 yards per target and has the ability to put up huge numbers

In the pre-season opener, Bryant and Smith were on the same page and hooked up 5 times for 54 yards in limited action against the Bears

TFC RANK: # 23 – He is currently the 39th WR taken in most drafts and will be a great #3 for your team

Reche Caldwell (NE)

· With the holdout of Deion Branch ongoing and rookie WR Chad Jackson injured, Caldwell has locked up a starting WR job in New England

· Caldwell has a ton of talent, but injuries and circumstances have prevented him from realizing it thus far

· In 2004, he had over 300 yards and 3 TDs in the first 5 games before tearing his ACL

· He is healthy, has good hands (65% target conversion rate last year) and could end up as the #1 WR for half of the year if Branch continues to hold out

· “He’s very athletic, he’s smooth, he’s fast, he’s got good hands, he’s quick, he’s smart…he’s really going to be an asset for us this year,” QB Tom Brady told the Boston Globe. “I’m glad he’s here. He’s an exciting player.”

· TFC RANK: In the 40’s but rising fast. Grab him in the late rounds and you could have a starter on your hands

Other Sleepers: Ernest Wilford (JAC), Kevin Curtis (STL) Troy Williamson (MIN), Eric Parker (SD), Doug Gabriel (OAK), Roddy White (ATL), Michael Jenkins (ATL), Corey Bradford (DET), Mark Clayton (BAL), Greg Jennings (GB), Brandon Lloyd (WAS)

Deep Sleepers: Jerricho Cotchery (NYJ), Chad Jackson (NE), Vincent Jackson (SD), Bernard Berrian/Mark Bradley (whoever starts – CHI), Hank Baskett (PHI)

Busts/Big Downside:

Robert Ferguson (GB)

Ferguson averages 37 yards receiving and has 7 TDs in 24 career starts

He does not have great hands and has caught less than 50% of his targets for his career with Brett Favre as his QB!

Struggles to stay healthy and will lose his job to rookie Greg Jennings (a good sleeper who has been the talk of training camp) before long

TFC RANK: Do not draft

Justin McCareins (NYJ)

· McCareins was dead last among starting WRs with a 42.2% target conversion rank

· He was placed on the PUP list at the beginning of training camp for being out of shape and has already angered the Eric Mangini regime

· One of only two WRs in the NFL to start every game over the last two years and have 6 or fewer TD catches

· 18.8% consistency score last year was 61st among all WRs

· Could lose job to Jerricho Cotchery who has been the star of Jets training camp and a TFC sleeper

· TFC RANK: Do Not Draft!

Other Busts/Big Downside Players: Rod Smith (DEN) – At 36, he has lost a step and Javon Walker will cut into his production; Ike Bruce (STL) – Will have a tough time keeping Kevin Curtis off of the field; Eddie Kennison (KC) – Down year for the Chiefs’ passing game for anyone not name Tony Gonzalez

Kenny Roda

Roda Ramblings

August 14, 2006 /

Kenny Roda from WKNR SportsTalk 850 will be writing a weekly blog on Cleveland Scores covering the sports world both locally and nationally. Check back often for his updates!

Center of disaster

The Browns better get some help at the center position or this could be a very long and painful season for both inexperienced QB Charlie Frye and Browns fans everywhere. The season-ending injury to LeCharles Bentley was devastating enough, but to have his backup Bob Hallen retire on top of that just before the team’s first pre-season game was brutal. It really doesn’t matter if Hallen was hurt or if he was having a Butch Davis-like panic attack. His calling it quits puts Frye and the offense way behind. Sources tell the Roadman don’t be surprised if GM Phil Savage waits until the final week of cutdowns to get his starting center from another team or if the Browns swing a deal involving one of their running backs for a more experienced center than any they have on the roster. If not, then the Browns must choose from what’s behind door # 1…Alonzo Ephraim, door # 2…Mike Mabry or door #3…Ross Tucker. And let’s be honest, none of those choices is a prize that Charlie Frye will be happy with.

Rook rises to the occasion

I loved what I saw out of #1 pick Kamerion Wimbley against Philly. For a guy learning a new position he played very well, registering 5 tackles, one for a 3-yard loss on the goal line, and forced a holding call early in the game. Wimbley’s got a great first step, is athletic and seems to have a high football IQ. That’s a great combination to have for a young linebacker/defensive end in this league.

Channel 212 rules

Thank God for the NFL Network, or channel 212 on DirecTV. Saturday night I got to watch the debuts of Reggie Bush, Vince Young and A.J. Hawk. All three did well in their first NFLgame.

Bush, who is wearing #25 for the Saints, carried the ball 6 times for 59 yards and caught 2 passes for 10 yards. His longest run of the game was typical R-E-G-G-I-E! A play that was designed to go left was all clogged up so Bush cut back to his right and turned in a highlight run of 44 yards in the first half of New Orleans’ game with Tennessee. Deuce McAllister better get healthy in a hurry or he may quickly lose his starting job.

Vince Young wasn’t as effective as Bush but he showed signs of what he can do, both good and bad. He finished 4-for-11 for 56 yards passing and rushed 4 times for 28 yards. The good…his scrambling ability bought him time to throw the ball and he picked up yards on the ground. The bad…his scrambling ability led to him spraining his left ankle and exiting the contest in the 4th quarter. But with Billy Volek there as the starter, Young will have time to heal and learn, much like Carson Palmer and Steve McNair did.

Former Buckeye A.J. Hawk is wearing #50 for the Packers and was all over the field Saturday night in Green Bay’s game against San Diego. He was always around the ball, either making tackles or breaking up pass plays. A solid start for Hawk in his debut. Also, in that same game, another former Ohio State linebacker made his presence felt. The last time we saw Matt Wilhelm causing havoc was in the National Championship game against Miami in 2003. That’s when he was knocking out current Browns backup QB Ken Dorsey and leading the Buckeyes to the title. Well, four years later, Wilhelm is ready to make an impact for the San Diego Chargers, much like he did at OSU. Wearing number #57 for Marty Schottenheimer, Wilhelm had 1 sack of Brett Favre and, like Hawk, was running sideline to sideline making plays.

One other player who looked very good in that Chargers-Packers game was Chargers’ quarterback Phillip Rivers. The former #1 pick, taking over for Drew Brees, completed 15-of-21 passes for 169 yards and 1 touchdown in the first half. Granted, it’s just an exhibition game, but Rivers looked very comfortable out there and is someone to watch this season.

The only bad thing about channel 212 is former Browns head coach Paul “Butch” Davis. Why he is their analyst is beyond me. Who is the talent evaluator of the network? Didn’t they look at his drafts when he was with the Browns? Aren’t they concerned he might have a panic attack just moments before he goes on the air with co-host Rich Eisen? FrankenButch was still going to bat for, can you believe this…KELLY HOLCOMB! He picked Kelly to win the quarterback job in Buffalo over J.P. Losman. So, what did Holcomb do after getting that resounding vote of confidence from his former head coach? KELLLLLLLY went out with the Bills’ first-team offense in the 1st quarter of their first exhibition game and went
2-for-4 for 16 yards and 1 interception, which was returned for a touchdown, and was sacked once in limited time. Butch and Kelly, it’s nice to see some things never change! Here’s hoping the NFL Network will wise up and can Butch now before he embarasses them, like he did the Browns.

Cleveland Browns, Kenny Roda

Roda Ramblings

August 8, 2006 /

Kenny Roda from WKNR SportsTalk 850 will be writing a weekly blog on Cleveland Scores covering the sports world both locally and nationally. Check back often for his updates!

Tribe woes

If you feel like you had a rough week or a not so good weekend, then this should make you feel good. Put yourself in Fausto Carmona’s shoes, or spikes in this case. The Indians’ 22-year-old closer, for now, went 0-4 with 3 blown saves and an ERA of 37.08. And three of the losses were walk-off wins for the opposition. Which was more devastating, Big Papi’s three-run walk-off homer to dead center at Fenway Park or Pudge’s two-run rocket in Detroit? After seeing Carmona’s reaction after Pudge’s ball left the yard, I would say that’s the winner. Here’s hoping this doesn’t ruin Carmona for good. And here’s hoping the Indians take him out of the closer’s role immediately so, if his head isn’t totally fried already, they can do something he couldn’t…save something. Save what is left of a career for this kid for the future!

By the way, Jason Davis should take Carmona’s place. In his last four outings, he’s picked up one win, one save (the only one the Tribe has since they traded Wickman), and hasn’t given up a run in eight innings of work. He also picked up his teammates after they made errors behind him on defense in Detroit. The 26-year-old right-hander didn’t wilt under the pressure and rose to the challenge. Unlike C.C, Cliff Lee and others on the staff, Davis made the pitch to get out of the inning and showed great emotion walking off the field. Give him the ball in the ninth!

Indians GM Mark Shapiro told me last week on my radio show that he still thinks Eric Wedge is part of the solution and not part of the problem for the Indians. Shapiro, who I respect a great deal, and I disagree on this. Maybe it’s because of the team’s slow starts over the last four years. Or their poor base running night in and night out. Or their inability to play small ball. Or, I don’t know, maybe the fact that, counting Sunday’s loss at Detroit, in the last two years the Indians are a combined 31-55 in one-run games. That’s right, a winning percentage of just .360 in tight games where a manager does make a difference!

At 47-63, the fourth place Indians are a season worst 27.5 games behind first-place Detroit in the Central Division. By the way, all three losses in the Motor City this past weekend were by one-run (7-6), (4-3) and (1-0). Last year after 110 games the Indians were 58-52, good for second place in the division, 13 games behind first-place Chicago. But only 4.5 games out of the wild card.

Wright’s new deal

A few blogs ago we told you we thought All-Star third baseman David Wright could be to the Mets what Derek Jeter is to the Yankees, both on and off the field. While Wright still has a long way to go to accomplish that, he’s off to a good start. At last check, he’s hitting .308 with 22 homers and 82 RBI. The Mets obviously agree with us about the 23-year-old stud because they just signed him to a 6-year, $55 million contract. Now with the pressure on after inking a big deal, let’s see if David can be like Derek and produce the Wright stuff!

Browns’ first preseason game

Players I’ll be watching during Thursday’s exhibition game between the Browns and Eagles in Philadelphia. Rookie linebackers Kamerion Wimbley and D’Qwell Jackson. Center Bob Hallen, if he returns in time from his back injury, and right tackle Kirk Chambers. Mr. “Even at 90% I’m still better than any tight end in the league” Kellen Winlsow Jr. It’s time to shut up and put up for him. And last but not least, quarterback Charlie Frye. It recently came out that he suffered an apparent thumb injury which was why he exited early in the scrimmage Friday night. We’ll see how it affects him Thursday night in the city of Brotherly Love as number 9 is supposed to play about one quarter.

Strong start for LBJ and the USA

LeBron and Team USA was impressive the other nite in Las Vegas as they destroyed
Puerto Rico 114-69 in an exhibition game as they’re tuning up for the World Championships and down the road for the 2008 Olympics. LBJ’s linescore: 10 pts, 5 ast, 4 rebs in limited playing time. I love the fact that he’s finally getting some good coaching (sorry Mike Brown) from Duke’s Coach K!

Tiger

Congrats to Tiger Woods, the greatest sports star on the planet. All he did was record career PGA Tour win number 50 at the Buick Open on Sunday, becoming the youngest to reach such a mark. Sam Snead holds the all-time PGA record (for now) of 82 tour wins. When it’s all said and done, Tiger will break that and the record he covets most, the 18 major wins set by Jack Nicklaus. Tiger is at 11 majors with one more to play this year after winning the British Open.

Bucks #1

No surprise here. The USA Today coaches pre-season poll has Ohio St. ranked as its #1 team. Should the Buckeyes win the national title this season, they’ll be deserving champions considering they have regular season matchups at Texas and Iowa along with home contests against Penn St. and Michigan. All four teams are pre-season top 20 teams with the defending national champion Longhorns ranked #2. This year’s title game is Ohio State’s home away from home, the Fiesta Bowl, where they won their last national title five years ago and beat Notre Dame last year.

Talledega Nights

And finally…Went to see Talledega Nights this weekend. I’m a huge Will Ferrell fan and couldn’t wait to see him as NASCAR driver Ricky Bobby. Problem is I felt like I had already seen the movie. From all of his appearances on talk shows and with the trailers being played everywhere, when I went to the theater to watch, I had already witnessed all the funny scenes. Well, with the exception of his potty-mouthed sons Walker and Texas Ranger. Don’t get me wrong, it was still funny and I enjoyed the movie, but not as much as I thought I would. Sorry, Ricky Bobby. As you like to say, “If you’re not first you’re last!” So in this case, you’re last and the checkered flag for first place goes to Ron Burgundy!

Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Chatter, Cleveland Indians, Kenny Roda, LeBron James, OSU Football

« Older posts Newer posts »

© 2025 Cleveland Teams at ClevelandTeams.com

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑