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Browns players in Denver – who cares

January 14, 2006 / G

You knew it was coming. Mary Kay Cabot couldn’t help herself. She had to rehash the long-running story of the four Browns defensive linemen who are now playing for Denver in the playoffs.

Frankly, I could care less. These guys generally had solid seasons, but they didn’t set the world on fire. The reasons behind the success of the Broncos defense do not start with these players. Having a solid offense that controls the ball is a huge factor, and there are some pretty good players playing behind this group.

By any measurement, Gerard Warren and Courtney Brown are still busts after this season as well.

Phil Savage did what he had to do. Romeo Crennel wanted to switch to a 3-4 defense, and some of these players didn’t fit. Warren had to go given his history, and Brown wanted too much money. Savage was able to land Rueben Droughns for Ekuban and Myers, and that alone justifies the purge. Droughns was our best players last season, and you can build an offense around a tough back like Droughns.

I’m glad they’re gone. Now let’s get back to the business of rebuilding the Browns.

Cleveland Browns

Boozer setback

January 14, 2006 / G

Jazz fans have to be kicking themselves. They rejoiced when Carlos lied his way out of Cleveland and into a Jazz uniform with a fat contract, but he’s been a huge disappointment ever since. First came the realization that he’s not a franchise player who can carry a team. Sure, he’s a good player, but he needs to play Robin to a real star’s Batman in order to be effective. Also, the sap keeps getting hurt. ESPN is reporting that Boozer, who has yet to play this season after missing around 30 games last season, has suffered a setback in his attempt to return from a hamstring injury. Perhaps there is something to the karma thing after all.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Cavs lose tough one to Lakers

January 13, 2006 / G

Tough loss. The Cavs had chances to win at the end, but they couldn’t handle Kobe Bryant and LeBron couldn’t answer at the end.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Buckeyes bounce Boilermakers

January 12, 2006 / Mark Chalifoux

Ohio State continued their strong Big Ten start with an 80-64 win over Purdue. Je’kel Foster tied a career high with six steals and finished the game with ten points. The important stat here is the six steals, as it was the defense that keyed the victory.

OSU forced 21 turnovers that led to 30 points and Purdue never had a chance. Thad Matta finally has this team buying into his system and the results are staggering. This isn’t the Purdue of the Gene Keady days, but a win like this on the road is still impressive.
Thad Matta= great coach.
OSU=underrated Big Ten team.

Still, they have some big games coming up, including a tilt with Michigan State. We will have a much better idea of just how good this team can be after that game.

OSU Basketball

What’s going on at the Jake?

January 12, 2006 / JEC

The Indians missed out on Trevor Hoffman. They missed out on Nomar Garciaparra. Their big free-agent acquisitions? Paul Byrd, Jason Johnson and Eduardo Perez. Oh wait, Steve Karsay, Danny Graves and Todd Hollandsworth too. Can’t forget those monster signings.

I guess it’s too easy to blame the Indians for all the free-agency failures. Check that, it’s too easy to blame Mark Shapiro for those failures. There were big holes on this team that needed to be filled, and while guys like Byrd, Johnson and even Perez will help fill those holes, those aren’t the names we all envisioned heading into the offseason. Shapiro says the Perez signing likely will be the last major move before the start of spring training. Aside from questioning his definition of a “major move,” that statement tells Tribe fans that this is it. Don’t look for an out-of-the-blue signing of Frank Thomas or Mike Piazza. This is the team, at least until the trading deadline.

The unfortunate thing is, the Indians actually have some money to spend, with the coin from the Hoffman and Nomar offers still jingling in their pockets, not to mention the added cash they’ll see with this new TV deal. You’ve got to credit Shapiro for not throwing that money into a high-risk guy like Preston Wilson just because he’s got the extra cash. At the same time, I’m tired of having to settle for guys like Byrd and Perez when there were so many better options available. Maybe that means Dolan and Shapiro need to be much more aggressive earlier in the process and perhaps even overpay for someone who represents a clear upgrade in an area of significant need.

All I know is, the White Sox got better this offseason and the Indians did not. Granted, they could improve this year simply because their young talent will continue to mature, but as nice as it is to rely on all of that home-grown talent, you’ve also got to be able to supplement that with some key free agent signings. And I’m not talking about Eduardo Perez.

Cleveland Indians