A No Brainer for the Browns

For those who, like myself, bleed Brown and Orange every Sunday afternoon from late August through late December (and sometimes January, if we’re lucky), the NFL Draft has become almost like a national holiday. A chance to briefly take a break from Major League Baseball and the NBA, to find the smallest glimpse of hope that perhaps this is the year that our beloved Cleveland Browns can turn it all around. The time of year when we can all put on our respective GM hats, and speculate as to which over-priced, over-hyped young prospect the powers-that-be might select.

The problem, as always, is that the Browns need help everywhere. They could use a Running Back or a Quarterback, they could use help throughout the Offensive and Defensive Lines, they could use help in the Secondary and at Linebacker…to put it bluntly, the Browns have more holes to fill than Justin Timberlake at an after-Grammy’s party. The fortunate thing is that once again the Browns have the honor of selecting in the top 5 (the 5th time in 9 years we’ve had such an honor), and will no doubt have the opportunity to find a premier player at any one of those positions.

So which direction will the Randy Lerner, Phil Savage, and Romeo Crennel decide to go on April 28th? Since the Browns will draft either #3 or #4, depending on the coin flip with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, they will have any number of different options to go with. Personally, I believe there is an obvious choice as to which player they should be thinking about drafting, and if he’s available, cannot afford to pass him up.

That still won’t stop me from laying out the rest of my top 5, in order, as to who I would like to suiting up on the shores of Lake Erie next season (Note: this is assuming that we could choose whomever we want, regardless of draft position, although I do make note as to whether or not I believe each player will be available. Also, I’m assuming that the Browns continue the status quo and lose - this time the coin flip and will draft #4).

So without further ado, here is my Top 5:

5.) Calvin Johnson, WR, Georgia Tech – According to most “experts”, Johnson is the biggest guarantee in the entire draft. True, Wide Receiver is not the most pressing of needs for the Cleveland Browns, but Johnson is #1 on Mel Kiper’s and Scout’s Inc. big board. He is 6’4, 225 who is fast for his size (with a 4.4 – 40), and is compared to Terrell Owens in ability without all the baggage. The Buccaneers are expected to take him with their pick, so he probably won’t be available at #4, but if he is, he’ll be tough to pass up.

4) Alan Branch, DT, Michigan – Most recent mock drafts that I’ve seen project the Browns to take Branch with the first pick. Romeo Crennel is a defense-first guy and will no doubt want to shore up his 3-4 Defense with a dominant run-stopper who can play either NT or DE. Branch is big at 6’5, 330 pounds, but has one huge flaw – he’s from Michigan and I don’t think I can handle the Browns selecting another Wolverine in the first round (or another defensive lineman for that matter). The Browns need some serious help on the D-line, though, and Branch would be a perfect fit.

3) Adrian Peterson, RB, Oklahoma – Peterson has most people in the Dawg Pound salivating. He’s 6’1, 220 lbs, and runs 4.46 – 40 yard dash, with a great combination of size, power, and speed. Reuben Droughns has been a durable back, but adding Peterson will give the Browns that #1 type back that they’ve passed up on in previous drafts (see Tomilinson, LaDanian). So why do I have him at #3? He hasn’t shown any signs of durability, having suffered injuries in all 3 of his years at Oklahoma (shoulder, ankle, and collarbone). A guy with that kind of injury history will have the Cleveland Clinic salivating instead of the Pound. With Peterson’s injury history, combined with Cleveland’s, is he somebody we would want to gamble on? I say yes.

2) Brady Quinn, QB, Notre Dame – JeMarcus Russell is almost definitely heading to Oakland with the #1 pick, which leaves Quinn playing the 2007 role of Matt Leinert. He could (and should) go in the top 5, but could get passed up by Detroit and the Browns which would most likely send him down to the Texans at #8. Most in Cleveland don’t like Quinn, mostly because he played at Notre Dame and secondly because he never won the “big game”. All valid points, but at 6’3, 224 lbs with good size and a great arm, he doesn’t have too many flaws as a Quarterback. Let’s not forget that Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Carson Palmer didn’t have great college resumes, all of which Quinn is compared to (and I would argue that each of those QBs had better players surrounding them). Not to mention he is an Ohio boy. Plus, Romeo Crennel and Charlie Weis are close; so don’t think that he won’t get a long look.

But the player that the Browns need the most:

1) Joe Thomas, T, Wisconsin – Understandably, Browns fans are desperate for a winner. However, for the amount of analysis that is debated every Monday through Sunday during the regular season, the fans have an unusually short attention span. What is the #1 complaint that all Cleveland loyalists have had since the return in 1999? That is a rhetorical question, of course, because anyone who has wasted 5 minutes watching the Browns knows that the answer lies with their pathetic Offensive Line. But many fans, including myself, get excited about the possibility of bringing in a franchise Running Back or a franchise Quarterback, or a big-time Wide Receiver, and forget that ultimately the battle is won and lost in the trenches. True, he’s not the “sexy” pick, but he’s the #2 overall player according to Scouts, Inc. and we can finally get that big-time left tackle that can anchor our line for the foreseeable future. This is the Browns #1 need and if he’s available, they HAVE to take him.

Now, everything depends on what the Detroit Lions do. Like I said, JeMarcus Russell will go #1 to the Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay will probably take Calvin Johnson at #3. The Lions have a need at Quarterback and on the Offensive Line, so they will most likely take Thomas or Quinn with the #2 pick. Ideally, the Lions take Brady Quinn, which is one less decision for the Browns to have to make, and drop Joe Thomas right into our lap at #4 (Adrian Peterson is almost guaranteed to be there for us).

I would look no further than the New York Jets as a team to mirror. Last year, they made the smart pick at #4 by drafting D’Brickashaw Ferguson (T, Virginia) and then they used the #29 overall pick for Nick Mangold (C, Ohio State). Both started as rookies and anchored a revamped line which led them into the playoffs. I’m not saying they’ll make the playoffs next year, but finally with that big left tackle in Cleveland, the Browns will take a huge step towards getting there.

Now all they have to do is fire Romeo Crennel and hire Marty Schottenheimer (but that’s topic for another blog).

Cure for the February Blues

I know its been a few weeks since I’ve posted something here, but a healthy dose of work combined with my inability to put the “Kick Return” game behind me, has kept the creative juices from flowing. But after a few weeks off, I can't keep quiet about the joy and pain that is the 2006-2007 Ohio State Men's Basketball team…

I hate the month of February for sports!

Actually, let me start by explaining something about myself – I have a serious love-hate relationship with the game of basketball. I’m not entirely sure why this is (it’s probably because I’ve never been that good at playing the game…my Dad and Brother have the market cornered in basketball talent in the family), but I have little to no patience for it - and anyone who has watched a game with me knows what I’m talking about. Whether I’m playing or watching, I become completely and utterly irrational and uncontrollable, ultimately leading to embarrassing myself to some heightened degree (example: I’ve been thrown out of a Church league Basketball game before – a memory I would very much like to forget). Point being, no other game gets me more frustrated than hoops.

Anyway, I digress back to my original point.

February is the worst month in sports. It means the end of football, baseball is still a few weeks away from pitchers and catchers reporting to Spring Training, the NBA is pointless to watch until May, and (until the arrival of Thad Matta at Ohio State) college basketball sort of lies in the weeds until March. But this February is different. Greg Oden, Mike Conley Jr., Daequan Cook, Ron Lewis, Jamar Butler, Othello Hunter, Ivan Harris, and David Lighty have saved what would be and has been historically a depressing month.

I love this team! Sure they can be frustrating to watch. Sure they rely way too much on the three-ball. Sure from one game to the next they can look completely different. And sure it seems that with each game, a new weakness is exposed, but they’re starting to show some signs of consistency and I believe are poised to make a serious run in the tournament.

Here are some of my likes and dislikes of THEE Ohio State Buckeyes:

Likes

Greg Oden – I know this is incredibly obvious, but I love turning on ESPN every day or reading countless articles and blogs that mention how good Oden is and can be. He and Kevin Durant are the faces of college basketball.

NBA talent – It is normally believed by most of the college basketball world that a team that has a serious chance at making the Final Four and ultimately winning the NC has to have NBA caliber talent - the more, the better (which is what made the 1998-1999 team that went to the Final Four so special – sure Scoonie Penn was great, but only Michael Redd went to the NBA). The current Buckeye squad has at least 3 NBA players – everyone knows Oden will be one of the 1st or 2nd picks in the Draft, but Daequan Cook and Mike Conley Jr. will also play at the next level. 3 NBA ready players on one team is scary for anyone to face.

Who Will Step Up Today? - When needed, this team has 6 different players that can step up at any crucial time in the game and make a play. Oden, Conley, Cook, Lewis, Harris, and Butler have all made big plays down the stretch during their current 8-game win streak.

Another Out-right Title? – If things go according to plan, the Buckeyes will go into the February 25th game against Wisconsin with a 25-3 record and a what looks to be a shot at their 2nd consecutive OUTRIGHT Big Ten Title. That would be an incredible accomplishment (in a league that hardly ever has an outright champ)!

Dislikes

Where’s the Effort? - At times this team can look bored. They have a tendency to put the game on cruise control in the second half, usually leading to a too-close-for-comfort game. The last 4 games they’ve done this (hell, the last 8 games they've done this), only to turn it on defensively and shut the opposing team down in the final 5 minutes. They can't do this in March if they want to win.

Veteran Pampering – This team is so deep and has so many playmakers, that there aren’t enough shots to go around - a fact that Ron Lewis, Jamar Butler, and Ivan Harris have complained about on several occasions. Butler had a tough time taking a back seat to Mike Conley Jr. (although he’s somewhat come around as of late), while Ron Lewis and Ivan Harris have verbally complained about their lack of minutes. Suck it up boys and play like a team.

A Must Win - They need to beat Wisconsin on February 25th. All 3 of their losses came to Top 10 teams on the road, which is a convenient excuse, but they have no real signature wins. Sure they beat a good Indiana team, and sure they beat a tough Tennessee team, and sure they beat Michigan State twice, but a win against Wisconsin will go a long way to giving them the confidence they need going into the tourney (plus it will all but guarantee them a #1 seed).

Do I think this team has what it takes to win the National Championship? Definitely. They have more talent riding the bench than probably 60% of the Division 1 teams have in their starting line-up (probably a slight exaggeration, but whatever). If they can start playing like a team that actually likes each other (and when Greg Oden has a chance to start using both of his hands) nobody – save Florida – will want to play Ohio State.

"The Kick Return*"

O.K., O.K, O.K., just relax. You’ve been here before. How many times have you had this same exact feeling? Plenty of times! So take a deep breath and we’ll play this one by the book…

Here’s my general progression the day following a devastating loss:

Step 1: The “Shock” phase: This consists of me sort of stumbling around in a daze wondering, “What the hell happened?”

Step 2: The “Why Me” phase: More moping around, although this is more or less me mumbling to myself over and over again some form of, “What did I do to deserve this?”

Step 3: The “Transition” period: This is when I start fading from the “Why Me” phase to the “Anger” phase. This usually takes a while…it’s a culmination of watching Sportscenter, reading the various articles dedicated to my misery, talking to my Dad, my brother, my brother-in-law, and my buddies all going through the same thing. The gamut of emotions that range at this time can’t be classified into one section, but it inevitable ends up in…

Step 4: The “Anger” phase or the “What the F@ck” phase: Pretty self-explanatory. At some point during this time, I swear off sports (Ohio sports especially) or vow never to take anything so seriously again…which then leads to guilt, which then leads back to anger for feeling so guilty about something that makes me feel so shitty…it’s a vicious cycle.

Stage 5: The “Hopelessness” period: “We blew it…I’ll never root for a winner! I’m cursed!”

Stage 6: The “Healing” phase: The endless barrage of “The sun will come out tomorrow” type speeches by my girlfriend finally starts to sink in, and the healing can now begin.

(These steps take anywhere from a day, to a week, to a month or longer to get through...but since I've been here so many times, it's mercifully getting easier.)

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Monday night’s game was a tough one to swallow, just for the sheer shock of it all. I think my good friend Taylor summed it up the best when he emailed, “I just wish we lost a close game, or even looked competitive. I’m not even pissed about it, we were just so bad that I don’t know what to think.” With all of us being dual Cleveland/Ohio State fans, we’ve seen our fair share of “shockers”. But if the likes of “The Drive”, “The Fumble”, “The Shot”, “the Jose Mess-up”, or anything from the "Cooper years" were like taking a swift kick to the frank and beans, then Monday nights National Championship game was like taking a shovel to the face.

(To hammer the point home, by the end of the game I had the “Winston after he got ran over by the ghost of the derailed subway train in Ghostbusters 2” look on my face. All I needed was Egon exclaiming afterwards, “Did anyone catch the number of the locomotive?” “Sorry…I missed it…but I think the plates were from Florida.)

Do I think we lost because of a 51-day layoff? No, that’s a cop-out (although seeing how Michigan played against USC, I guarantee they start scheduling that game a little later. They both looked like they were on sedatives.) Do I think there is a curse on the Heisman trophy? No, although it is difficult to not be distracted by the whirlwind media attention that comes with the honor (Quinn, McFadden, and Smith all had horrible Bowl games, although I didn’t see Brady Quinn or Darren McFadden banging strippers at Scores in New York following the presentation). All in all, I think the entire team was completely swept up by all the hype. Finally, do I think losing Ted Ginn Jr. hurt? Yes, but not 42-14 hurt.

(By the way, since its fun for Ohioans to come up with clever names to describe their heartache, I will stop referring to the 2007 National Championship Game and start calling it “The Kick Return”. Thank you Roy Hall! Thanks a f#ckin’ bunch!)

No, what we got was an old-fashioned beat-down. We got out-ed on every level: Out-played, out-hustled, out-muscled, and more importantly out-coached. If you’ve listened to any of Jim Tressel’s talking points over this season, the concept of accountability and taking responsibility should stand out. That being said, the blame for this whole debacle goes squarely on the shoulders of Coach Tressel.

So what happened? How could he go from being such a big game genius to laying one of the biggest eggs in Ohio State history? I think it could be any number of things, but I think he bought too much into his own “deity” status that all Ohio State fans saddled him with. He tried beating an SEC team by playing an SEC-type game instead of playing our own Big Ten game, and that played right into Urban Meyer’s hands. I know nothing (in fact I know less than nothing) about coaching a football team, but even I knew after the first offensive series that our O-line was incredibly over-matched in their pass protection. Even after our only successful drive (by running the ball no less), he continued to rely on the pass instead of the run, and before you could say “SEC Speed” the game was out of control. Despite being (in my opinion) the best in-game coach in the country, he simply refused to adjust his gameplan. Basically saying, "I'm Jim Tressel, and we can win any type of game, as long as I am the coach."

O.K., so it’s midnight, the chariot turned back into a pumpkin, and Jim Tressel is not as infallible as we all thought. But you know what? It’s not all that bad. Coach Tressel took a natural step that all great coaches take. Woody Hayes was notorious for losing in the Rose Bowl, but always managed to get his team in the NC picture and win a few. Pete Carrol not only lost in the National Championship game, but also lost in his rivalry game and blew another chance at the title, all in the same year. Hell, Bob Stoops lost big in a National Championship game and just got publicly beat by Boise State. All great coaches have tough losses, they wouldn't be great coaches if they didn't. And soon enough Urban Meyer will find that one out as well.

One more thing, sure he didn't look as sharp as usual, but Troy Smith is taking an unfair amount of criticism. How can he be expected to do anything behind that Offensive Line? (Speaking of which, let me leave a message for Troy Smith: I know your dream job is to play quarterback for the Cleveland Browns, but you just got a crash course on what life is like for the man who leads the Brown and Orange. Do you think Charlie Frye enjoys playing hurt every week, constantly on the run behind a pathetic offensive line? Do yourself a favor; go win a super bowl with a team that has a chance. Trust me on this; get out while you still can!)

What’s done is done. I woke up yesterday morning, quickly blew through Steps 1 – 5, and started to begin the healing process. Even if we sometimes treat it like it’s bigger than life, it’s still just a game. And I’ll tell you one thing, I’ll be really sad to see this senior class (and perhaps a few of our juniors) leave for the NFL. Over the past few months, this team carried themselves with more class than I’ve ever seen by a team with that big of a spotlight (and that certainly can’t be said for Pete Carroll’s Trojans, Lloyd Carr’s Wolverine’s, or Urban Meyer’s Gators – Chris Leak notwithstanding). I have never been more proud to be a Buckeye than I have been these past few months and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

So when you get knocked down, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and get back on that bicycle! It’s Basketball season baby, and we’ve got LeBron James and Greg Oden to dull the pain. WITNESS.

GO BUCKEYES (and at least we’re not Michigan)!

*Originally I called this "The Celebration", but upon further review I thought this was too jovial for the way I was feeling, so I changed it to "The Kick Return".

Buckeye Speed

Allow me to make a few points leading up to the National Championship game on Monday night:

Can we please stop with the term “SEC Speed”? It’s like the analysts think every team in the south has been injected with horse tranquilizers that makes them speed demons or something. Don’t get me wrong the Gators are fast as hell, but lets be honest here, despite playing in the SEC, Florida hasn’t seen anything like what they’re about to witness on Monday night.

I read a great point on Swerb’s Blurbs the other day that I think needs repeating (by the way, Swerb’s Blurbs is the best website if you’re a duel Cleveland/Ohio State fan, and you’re doing yourself a disservice if you don’t read it…just letting you know). Anyway, in High School, Maurice Wells was the runner-up for Florida’s Mr. Football Award as a junior and the winner of the award as a senior. So for those who think that the talent in the south is so much better and faster than the talent in Ohio, then why is Wells the Buckeye’s 3rd string running back behind two kids from Akron?

The Buckeyes have had a bullseye on their back since they started the year #1 and have performed at the highest level on the biggest stages all year long. They seem loose and ready to play, while the Gators have looked uptight and bitter all week long (I think this plays in our favor).

How much do you really know about any of the teams in the SEC? They don’t play anyone outside of their own Conference and each team is exactly the same. Trying to analyze a team from the SEC is like trying to dissect the family tree of a back-woods West Virginian (basically they keep it all in the family, everyone bangs everyone and eventually they all look the same). Florida’s out of conference schedule was against Southern Miss, UCF, Western Carolina, and Florida State (who they play every year). Now a few of the teams (like Arkansas, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt) scheduled tough games, but all-in-all the SEC is so difficult to get through undefeated that teams can’t afford to play anyone tough out-of-conference. My point is this; when I see a stat like, Florida ranks 6th in the nation in rushing defense, how reliable can that be? Other than Arkansas (who ranks near the top thanks to Heisman trophy runner up Darren McFadden), no SEC team ranks higher than 37th in the nation in rushing offense. So who knows if the SEC is overrated or underrated.

Looking at the Bowl games, the Big Ten is 2-0 in head-to-head match-ups with the SEC, with Wisconsin beating runner-up Arkansas in the Capital One Bowl and Penn State (9-3) outlasting Tennessee (9-3) in the Outback Bowl. LSU looked like a championship-caliber team, they dominated an overrated and over-hyped Notre Dame team (seriously, can we get over the Charlie Weis is a genius thing, please? The guy is a cartoon character). But Florida dominated that LSU team at home in October, so that's saying something. Florida’s only loss came on the road at Auburn, who beat Nebraska in the Cotton Bowl (17-14).

Don’t underestimate Urban Meyer. The guy has never lost a Bowl Game or a Conference Championship game.

Michigan still sucks.

Ohio State has never beaten a SEC team in a bowl game – they are 0-7 (most recently, twice to South Carolina in the Outback Bowl).

I can’t imagine Troy Smith losing his last college game.

Finally, here’s my prediction for Monday's game. Any time, you pit the best of the SEC and the best of the Big 10 in a National Championship setting you’re going to get a great game. However, there are 2 things that give the Buckeyes the advantage. The Gators have a great coach in Urban Meyer, but we have a better one in Jim Tressel. The Gators have great Quarterbacks in Chris Leak and Tim Teabow, but we have a better one in Troy Smith. That’s what it takes to win big games and that’s what it takes to win championships. In the end, “Buckeye Speed” will be too much for the Gators and Ohio State will be your 2006 National Champions.

Final score: Ohio State 31, Florida 21.

GO BUCKS!

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