Browns Abysmal In 30-12 Drubbing
The score is not truly indicative of the beating that the Houston Texans administered to the Cleveland Browns yesterday at Reliant Stadium. It seems like it was 1999 as the Browns truly looked like an expansion team. The only bright spot on this team was Phil Dawson, who once again was the Browns main point scorer with two field goals. This game illustrated that the Browns need help just about everywhere.
You have to feel sorry for Colt McCoy. The kid took a beating and the play which characterized the beating was when he was hit after he threw a pass that was caught by Greg Little which set up the Browns only touchdown. McCoy was nearly drilled into the ground by a hard charging Texan defender. One has to wonder how long McCoy can take this type of physical beating. You have to wonder if this kid will regress because of the physical pounding. It kind of reminds me of Tim Couch and we know how that story turned out.
The Browns running game yesterday was a total joke. Neither guy should be playing in the NFL let alone getting major carries. The offensive line is in complete shambles. If Tony Pashos is on this team next year then there should be an investigation. I'm also getting tired of Mohammed Massaquoi. The kid is injury prone and I think as long as he is with the Browns he will never be more than a mediocre receiver. The Browns only offensive threat is Josh Cribbs and the team refuses to utilize him more by putting him in the backfield.
Defensively, the Browns were gashed on the ground as both Arian Foster and Ben Tate rushed for over 100 yards each. If TJ Ward is out for an extended period of time the Browns secondary will only get worse. Matt Schaub had all day to throw and it was a good thing that Andre Johnson didn't play because the score would have been worse.
The St.Louis Rams come to Cleveland next week and it is not a given that the Browns will win. The Rams are playing better football and Sam Bradford is back. If the Browns do not win next week, it's quite possible that they won't win another game this year. Last year 5-11 and this year 3-13. Do you call that improvement?? It's time that Mike Holmgren and Tom Heckert come out and explain to the greatest fans in football what is happening to their football team. It's time that they explain what the game plan is and how they are going to right this ship. A ship that has been going in circles since 1999. Holmgren and Company came into Cleveland giving us hope. But it's tough to believe when this team continues to be an embarassment week in and week out.
Hillis Situation Push Browns Backwards
Word out of Cleveland is that the Browns are prepared to let Peyton Hillis walk at the end of this season when his contract runs out. Reportedly players are not happy with the way Hillis has handled the situation. Several weeks ago on this blog I stated that based on comments made by Pat Shurmur and Mike Holmgren that the Browns would not bring Hillis back. It looks like I was right.
Since 1999, the Browns have never had a running back that they could rely on to grind out the tough yards and possibly break one. William Green, Abdul Karim al-Jabbar, Marc Edwards, Charles Ali, Jerome Harrison and Terry Kirby are a few names that were Browns backs and from this esteemed group its easy to see why they have essentially had no running game to speak of. For a team whose history is filled with star running backs (Marion Motley, Jim Brown, Leroy Kelly, Greg Pruitt, Kevin Mack and Earnest Byner) its really a bad joke and is another example of what long suffering Browns fans have had to endure since they have come back to the NFL.
Last season, Peyton Hillis had the type of season that Browns fans were accustomed to prior to their moving to Baltimore. Hillis was a Kevin Mack-Earnest Byner type all wrapped into one. He could run hard and get the tough yards and he had the ability to break one to keep a drive going in a third and long situation. He also is a good receiver out of the backfield. Think about the Patriot game last year when the Pats scored in the fourth quarter to make the game interesting. The Browns engineered a long drive which gave the Patriots a diet of Peyton Hillis. Hillis carried the ball 10 out of 11 plays on the time consuming drive that ended with a Hillis touchdown. Fast forward to this year against the Colts when late in the fourth quarter Hillis scored a touchdown which basically put the game away for the Browns.
That Colts game was very telling because if you remember with the ball down within the five yard line earlier in the game, Hillis was taken out of the game and Montario Hardesty was stuffed 3 times. There was also a critical 4th and 1 situation in another game when Hillis was taken out and a flip hand-off to Armond Smith actually lost yards. Both situations told me, along with the above referenced comments, that Hillis's days were numbered.
Peyton Hillis was an Eric Mangini guy. Yes I know that Heckert and Holmgren were there when the Brady Quinn trade was made but it is my understanding that Mangini was the one who pushed for Hillis. Heckert traded up to draft Hardesty. To me Hardesty will constantly be a player who will be injury-proned. I also think he does not have the physical ability to be a 25-30 carry per game guy over a season. So with Hillis gone the Browns will have to try to get a running back along with looking to upgrade the offensive line, bringing in a playmaking receiver, getting defensive back and linebacker depth and if it is determined that Colt McCoy is not the guy drafting a quarterback.
This is what a long suffering fan base has to look forward to as the Browns approach today's game against the Houston Texans. While Hillis deserves to bear some responsibility here, the Browns organization deserves blame also. Once again the team goes backwards and we fans just have to endure another hopeless football season. Not sure when it ends.
Scrivens Saves As Leafs Win 4-1
Coach Ron Wilson pulled the old switcheroo on the Toronto media yesterday as all reports indicated that Jonas Gustavsson would be in the net for the Maple Leafs. All of the gameday focus was about James Reimer. But, lo and behold Jonas Gustavsson was the back-up and Ben Scrivens was the starter. Scrivens was arguably the best goalie in training camp this year and some were suggesting that Scrivens should have made the team. Well, last night Scrivens showed why some felt that way as he was solid in goal making 38 saves leading the Leafs to a 4-1 win over the lowly Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Leafs who played the night before only managed 18 shots themselves and seemed to be sluggish particularly in the third period. As a result, Scrivens had to be sharp and he made some big saves when he needed to. Scrivens was positionally sound and looked more steady in net than Gustavsson. Not sure if it's style or size but I just felt more confident with Scrivens in net than the Monster. At the very least, Scrivens' performance illustrates another area of the Leaf roster where the team has depth. With Gustavsson in the last year of his contract, the Leafs will have a decision to make as to whether or not to retain him. While it is only one game, Scrivens certainly impressed and gives the Leafs some options.
The Leaf penalty killiing unit had a good night as they killed off four penalties. Hopefully, they can build on this as they head into their game Saturday against the defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins. The Leafs were aggressive on the PK and Scrivens did come up with some big saves while the Leafs were shorthanded. Once again the Leafs received balanced scoring as Joey Crabb once again opened the scoring on a beautiful pass from Joffrey Lupul and Clarke MacArthur continued his hot streak scoring 2 goals. John-Michael Liles notched his 1st goal as a Maple Leaf early in the second period.
As Coach Ron Wilson indicated in his post-game press conference, the Leafs will need to pick up their play as they certainly were helped by some weak goaltending as Steve Mason was pulled after the 4th Leaf goal. However, the coach is also accurate in saying that the Leafs need to "make hay while the sun shines". Padding points now will help later on in the season when things are bound to get tougher. It's worth noting that the Leafs did not get their 19th point last year until December 4th. They have beaten the teams they need to beat and but for the game in Boston they have been in every game that they lost. An interesting stat that reflects this team's "never say die attitude" is the fact that the period in which the Leafs have scored the most goals has been the third period.
Saturday night the Leafs have an opportunity to avenge their loss to the Bruins. The puck drop is 7pm at the ACC.
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Later today, NFL Week 9 Picks.
Lupul Leads Leafs to 5-3 Win
Joffrey Lupul became the second Maple Leaf to score a hat trick this season as he led Toronto to a 5-3 win over the New Jersey Devils. The Leafs were able to overcome poor penalty killing once again as the Devils first two goals were on the power play. The first power play goal was scored with 5 seconds remaining in the penalty. While it's hard to quibble with a win, the Leafs need to turn this around as they have now fallen to be the worst penalty killing unit in the league.
It seems that the time has come for Coach Ron Wilson to give Luke Schenn some time in the press box. The big young defenseman has struggled throughout the first 12 games of the season. Last year it seemed that the banishment upstairs turned Schenn's season around and with Cody Franson available it would make sense. While Jake Gardiner had a couple of defensive lapses, his offensive flair helped set up two goals and further illustrates this kid's potential.
While the first two periods was loaded with defensive lapses, the Leafs did an excellent job in the third period clamping down on the Devils with an aggressive forecheck. This gave the Leafs some scoring chances including one by Phil Kessel that was thwarted by a brilliant save by Martin Brodeur. Kessel chipped in with two assists and his line was dangerous most of the game. Once again the Leafs received scoring from 3 lines as Mikhail Grabovski scored on a nice feed from Gardiner and Joey Crabb notched his first goal since being called up from the Marlies.
The Leafs head to Columbus to take on the Blue Jackets tonight at 7pm. The Blue Jackets have the worst record in the league but have been playing better as of late including a recent victory over the Red Wings. Last season when the Leafs were on their late season run, they played down to their opponents and they need to guard against that tonight. It's a game that they need to take hold of right away so as not to give the Jackets any confidence. Still not clear if James Reimer will play tonight. If he is not ready to go Jonas Gustavsson will get the start. The Monster played well last night and bounced back from the soft goal he gave up against Ottawa.
Friday morning Leafs-Jackets post and in the afternoon my weekly NFL Picks (9-3 over last 4 weeks!!)
Yankee Rumblings Part II
The New York Yankees announced the signing of CC Sabathia to a contract extension thus precluding the big lefty from opting out from his original contract. The move ensures that the Yankees will have their left-handed ace for the next 5 years. One thing that Sabathia needs to do is take care of himself better and I am particularly referring to his weight. Carrying the extra weight could ultimately be a problem the older Sabathia gets.
With CC secured, the Yankees will not be in panic mode this year however General Manager Brian Cashman indicated that the team will try to bolster the pitching staff. As it stands, four spots are set for the rotation: Sabathia, Ivan Nova, Phil Hughes and AJ Burnett. The Yankees have indicated that they may be willing to bring Freddy Garcia back for the last spot in the rotation. However, there may be better options. The guy I would like to see the Yankees make a run at is Mark Buerhle. Buerhle is 31 years old and has been a solid successful pitcher for the Chicago White Sox. Buerhle was a part of the White Sox World Series Championship team in 2005 and is an innings eater. In my mind, Buerhle would be your number 2 starter behind CC.
There are three other pitching free agents who I believe the Yankees should stay away from. CJ Wilson will be looking for big dollars and quite frankly I am not impressed. He doesn't have that big of a body of work to warrant a big contract. The Japanese phenom, Yu Darvish has many people salivating over his abilities. Quite frankly, it has been proven that pitchers from Japan have not translated well in the U.S. Let someone else spend the money. In fact, but for El Duque, the Yankees have had terrible luck in the importing of pitchers from other countries. The Phillies did not pick up the option on Roy Oswalt and the Yankees should steer clear. Oswalt has never pitched in the American League and I don't believe he has the personal make-up to handle pitching in New York.
Another way to improve the starting rotation would be through a trade. A name that has been floating around which may be able to be had is John Danks. Danks is 25 years old and the White Sox are looking to shave payroll which could mean that the asking price for Danks may be reasonable. A couple of mid-level prospects for Danks would be a good move.
The bullpen appears to be solid. It would be nice if the Yankees could get another lefty reliever in addition to Boone Logan. But once again the Yanks do not need to overpay for one. They will be getting Joba Chamberlain back and Rafael Soriano elected not to exercize his opt-out clause and he will be back. This should once again be a strength.
There are some who are suggesting that it is not essential to have a dominating pitching staff as they point to the ouster of the Phillies and the success of the Rangers. But I would still want to have a good pitching staff going into a short playoff series. That being said, the Yankees need to make sure that Phil Hughes comes into camp in good shape and that Ivan Nova does not suffer a sophomore jinx. That's why my ideal situation would be to sign Buerhle and bring Garcia back. If Nova or Hughes falter in camp you have a fall back option in Garcia. If they do well, then you can use Garcia as a long reliever or cut him. The other wild card is Burnett but as the Yankees proved this year their offense can compensate for him.
One other area that needs to be looked at is the Manager, Joe Girardi. While many praise Girardi for his handling of the bullpen, I believe that the manager needs to be more closely scrutinized. Girardi is addicted to his binder with all of his statistical match-ups. While numbers are important, as a manager you also need to have a feel for who's hot and who's not. Case in point: this year's playoffs. While everyone wants to get on Nick Swisher for not producing, my question is why wouldn't Girardi have flipped Jorge Posada with Swisher in the line-up. Posada hit over .400 and certainly had successful playoff experience. In addition, with offensive production being a problem, Girardi did not utilize his bench at all during the post season. With Russell Martin struggling at the plate, I don't understand why Jesus Montero wasn't given an opportunity. And as I mentioned in my previous post, Andruw Jones should have been given more opportunities particularly with Swisher struggling. Girardi will tell you that the Tigers had mainly right handed starters and that he wanted to get more left handed bats in the lineup. But once again if you see that guys are struggling, you need to shake things up.
The Yankees also need to begin the process of incorporating more youth in the lineup. Hopefully, Manuel Banuelos and Dellin Betances will be able to make a contribution this year. They also need to see some progress from Eduardo Nunez and Brett Gardner. They must avoid bringing in aging players unless they are going to be around in a back-up roll. Some are clamoring for the Yanks to get Carlos Beltran or Grady Sizemore. The problem with both is that they are injury prone and could clog up an already overcrowded DH spot in the lineup due to the aging of ARod and Derek Jeter.
With the Red Sox in disarray and the Rays not in a position to substantially improve their offense, the Yankees should be in good position to qualify for the playoffs again in 2012. The key will be performance in the post season and the progression of young players to ensure long term success for the future.
Tuesday’s Thoughts
While thinking about whatever happened to the "Tiny Tot of the Killowatt", here is what's on my mind this morning:
* CC Sabathia and the New York Yankees reached an agreement that would keep the big lefty as a Yankee for the next 5 years. In the end, Sabathia did not want to leave New York and loves the idea that the Yankees are always in the hunt to win a championship. Sabathia joins a small group of pitching free agents that have actually succeeded in Pinstripes.
* I am truly amazed at Yankee fans who have such a hate on for Nick Swisher. The way I see it, Swisher has one year remaining on a $10.25 million contract. He has been productive in the regular season and is a great clubhouse presence. At the end of the 2012 season the Yankees can let him go. The refrain is that Swisher hasn't performed in October. I can't deny that but what about Mark Teixeira, who has 5 years remaining on a no-trade clause contract earning $22.5 million per year. By the way, Swisher's numbers as a Yankee in October: .160 BA 4 HR's 5 RBI's. Teixeira's numbers as a Yankee in October: .170 BA 3 HR's 12 RBI's. You tell me who needs to be held responsible???? Oh and by the way, Teixeira was batting third for the most part with plenty of opportunities for RBI's.
* The Toronto Maple Leafs dropped a 3-2 decision to the Ottawa Senators Sunday night. The Leafs seemed to be sluggish though they did have opportunities to tie the game late in the third period. It's apparent that the Leafs really need James Reimer back as Jonas Gustavsson misplayed a shot that resulted in the game winning goal that had Leaf fans thinking about the infamous Vesa Toskala's misplayed goal against the Buffalo Sabres. This game was also the first game that the Phil Kessel line did not register a point and was held in check fairly well. Clarke MacArthur did score both of the Leaf goals and that is obviously a good sign for the Mikhail Grabovski line. Once again the Leaf penalty killing was terrible. It allowed 2 power play goals and it is becoming increasingly frustrating to watch. The Leafs are next in action Wednesday at New Jersey against the Devils.
* Watched Browns Coach Pat Shurmur's press conference yesterday and I just get the feeling that he is in over his head. The Browns seriously need to hire an offensive coordinator next year. As for this season, Shurmur needs to be held accountable for not creating a gameplan that can help Colt McCoy and this offense to succeed. He needs to take advantage of McCoy's ability to throw on the run and once again I will ask the question: why not run the hurry up offense???
* Notre Dame is facing a difficult decision as to whether or not they want to remain a part of the Big East for all of their sports teams except football. There are rumblings that they may head to the Big 12 and develop their own television network similar to Texas. What has college athletics come to??? What a disgrace!!!
* Tony LaRussa announced his retirement yesterday. He goes out on top and baseball loses one of it great managers of the modern era.
* Buffalo sports fans never cease to amaze me. First, the constant cry from some that Jhonas Enroth should be the starting goaltender and Ryan Miller should be traded for some top line scorer. Ryan Miller is one of the best goalies in the world, not just in the NHL but in the world!!! Enroth is a nice backup and it may at some point make sense for the Sabres to look to move Enroth. Miller is the man and I will laugh like a hyena when at the end of his contract he bolts to Detroit to win a Stanley Cup a la Dominik Hasek.
* Secondly, I'm tired of the whining and crying about the Bills games being played in Toronto. This move was what was needed to keep the team in Buffalo. It increased season ticket sales by getting more Canadians to purchase them and it put more money into the pocket of the decrepit owner, Ralph Wilson and that is the bottom line for Mr. Wilson. I find it incredible that these so-called die hard Bills fans refuse to drive up the QEW to watch their beloved Bills play. Is it because they can't get stone cold drunk before the game up in Toronto???? Is the problem that Chester Cheektowaga can't get enough Old Milwaukee into his pie hole before the game. Maybe Louie Lackawanna can't get a passport?? I know it has to be that Danny Depew doesn't like the fact that he can't pick a fight with Mikey Marilla over who spilled the last bottle of Labatt's.
*It looks like Tebowmania is short-lived. I have never thought that Tim Tebow was a good quarterback. It has nothing to do with his religious beliefs. What it has to do with is that he is nothing more than a running quarterback and it won't play against NFL defenses.
* And finally, the Alabama-LSU game on Saturday night should be a good one to watch as it pits number one against number two. Do you think the geniuses at WGR 550 will spend one minute talking about it?? Hardly. I'm sure they will be more concerned with how many Egg McMuffins Howard Simon can down in 5 minutes.
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Yankee fans if you haven't already check out Yankee Rumblings Part I. Tomorrow morning Yankee Rumblings Part II will be posted
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