Browns HC and the Rooney Rule

As the Browns begin their 4th search for a Head Coach since coming back in '99, they will again interview minority candidates for the position. The "Rooney Rule" (named after Steelers owner Dan Rooney) was designed to increase the number of minority coaches in the NFL. Since its inception in December of '02, it has worked, increasing the percentage of minority Head Coaches from 6% to 22%. Here is a list of potential candidates for the Browns to interview:

1.) Leslie Frazier- current Vikes D Coordinator. Great shot to land one of these head coaching vacancies. For his sake, hope its not Detroit.

2.) Dennis Green- former Vikes and Cards coach and current NFL Radio analyst. "They are who we thought they were!"

3.) Emmitt Thomas- current D Backs coach for Falcons. Name always surfaces when head coaching positions are vacant. May have missed his window. Is older than Crennel.

4.) Mel Tucker- a little shady on the Browns part if they do interview Mel. They, and everyone affiliated with the Browns know he is not ready to be a head coach in this league.

5.) Marvin Lewis- current head coach of Bungles. HOW?! I realize this one is a stretch. But it may take Bungles owner Mike Brown a few weeks to realized they missed the playoffs again and fire Marvin.

If a team does not follow the League's guidelines, they will be fined $200,000, as the Lions were in 2003 when Steve Marrucci was hired. Here's the quandary for the Browns. Some of the "Rooney" candidates are currently on staff and can not interview until their season is over. Also, waiting may hurt the Browns chances of going after big name coaches like newly canned Mike Shanahan. If they can land a coach like Leslie Frazier, the wait may be worth it. If they have to "settle" on a second tier Head Coach, the $200 K fine may be worth not having to search for a 5th HC in a couple years.

Brad Miller for JJ Hickson?

The reason I ask is because in the latest edition of Sports Illustrated, Ian Thomsen listed (5) trades that he thought "should be made by the February deadline."

Among them, was a proposed deal of Eric Snow and JJ Hickson to the Kings for Brad Miller and his $23.6 million contract that expires in 2010. (pg 82) After deliberating on this possible trade I came to the following conclusion:

If this deal really did present itself, and I were the Cavaliers, I would make the trade. You loose the contract dollars of an Eric Snow that come off the books at the end of this year, and you give up a talented young big in Hickson, but...you get a 7 footer in Miller who can score, rebound, and also pass the basketball. He wouldn't start. You would still start Z and Wallace, but he would be better than Hickson this year coming off the bench.

This isn't a move the Cavaliers have to make, and I continue to believe that they can win it all as constructed, but if this deal presented itself, I say it is a move they should make. It makes you better, and deeper this year, without impacting you adversely in offseason of 2010.

Pioli and McDaniels to the Rescue?

The Plain Dealer is reporting that Scott Pioli could be sitting down with Randy Lerner as soon as today, and that he is very interested in the Browns GM position. The article goes on to say the following:

"If Pioli takes the Browns job, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, a Canton native, could be near the top of his list of coaching candidates. Pioli hired McDaniels, 32, in 2001 to be a personnel and coaching assistant for the Patriots. The two remain close. Browns owner Randy Lerner confirmed Monday that McDaniels is on his short list."

The arguements for hiring these two guys are obvious. Pioli has had a ton of success working alongside Bill Belichick and McDaniels looks like a star in the making no doubt...but so did Phil and Romeo when we hired them.

So for the sake of arguement, I will ask the following questions, and call them food for thought, before we get all Butch Davis over these two guys.

Is Scott Pioli's success with the Patriots his success, or is it Belichick's? Was the front office success the Ravens had a few years back due to Phil Savage or Ozzie Newsome?

How have Belichick assistants fared over the last (4) years? I will answer my own question. In that time (3) Belichick assistants have gotten head coaching jobs and (2) have already been fired...Romeo Crennel and Eric Mangini. The (3rd), Chaz Weiss, should have been fired, and will be at the end of next season. Maybe McDaniel is different than those guys though...he certainly weighs a lot less.

Bill Cowher: Playing the Field?

Monday we learned that Bill Cowher met with Browns President Randy Lerner on Saturday, and apparently he told Randy "NO". First off. Good Move by Randy. How could you get anyone to take over this team after watching that garbage on Sunday?

Initial reports were that Cowher does not want to coach in 2009. Don't believe everything you read. Cower most likely said "No...for now" Rumors are now being floated in by ESPN Radio 1050 in NYC that Cowher may be interested in the Jets HC position.

Cowher's name will probably be connected to all teams with Head Coaching vacancies, and see which position may be most lucrative for him.

Shaver Sports does not think Randy Lerner will wait long enough for Cowher to slow dance with all the girls at the prom. The quicker Randy can finalize this decision, the better.

Black Monday - Romeo Crennel Fired

Romeo Crennel has joined his former boss in the unemployment line this Monday morning. ESPN 850 KNR producer Darryl Ruiter confirmed that Browns Owner Randy Lerner had made the decision to fire the coach in his closed door, no recording device press conference this morning.

This move is a shock to no one, the search starts now for the next regime.
ESPN's Chris Mortensen said that the Browns are in the best situation of any of the teams with a head coaching vacancy. Someone please tell that to Bill Cowher. Many sources have said that Cowher is not interested in returning in '09. On Sunday night, WKYC's Jim Donovan reported that Scott Pioli is said to have interest in returning to Cleveland and may bring 33 year old Canton native Josh McDaniels with him.

Romeo will probably not be the last move coming from Berea. Tucker and Chud should be preparing their defense as we speak.

Josh Elliot and Steve Berthiuame Are Hillarious...

psych. Josh Elliot and Steve Berthiuame hosted ESPN's Sportscenter over the holiday and did a pretty poor imitation of their noted heros: Dan Patrick and Keith Olberman. Stevie boy, who reportedly hyperventilated when he first met Olberman, is the little funny man who was filling in for Hannah Storm over the holiday. He used his back-up, fill-in opportunity, to say that LeBron would be playing for the Knicks about a thousand times during the show. That I can take. What bothered me about this though was that I missed the Cavs game, just wanted to catch the highlights, and I had to hear one of those no talent jack asses say 'Knicks Forward LeBron James' before the Cavaliers highlight. Not funny. And memo to the world wide leader...LBJ is under contract for ANOTHER SEASON AFTER THIS ONE. Just roll tape you Scott Van Pelt wannabees, and keep your commentary to yourselves.

Possible Teammates of the King in 2010

Like the 11 year of kid in the midst of a presents crazed Christmas morning with wrapping paper flying like shrapnel, I too am going to get into the spirit of greed this Christmas Eve...with regards to the Cavaliers.

I am going to say the Cavaliers will sign LeBron early, and then ask the question, who should Danny Gilbert sign to play alongside the King in 2010?

The list of possible Free Agents in 2010 is as follows:

Stars:

Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Tracy McGrady, Dirk Nowitzki, Joe Johnson, Amare Stoudemire, Carlos Boozer, Michael Redd, Ray Allen, Josh Howard, Manu Ginóbili, Jermain O’Neal, Steve Nash.

Top Role Players:

Luis Scola, Tyson Chandler, Stephen Jackson, Mehmet Okur, Hedo Turkoglu, Mike Miller, Udonis Haslem, Marcus Camby.

Since its Christmas Eve, and all you have to do is ask Santa Claus I'll take one of each...Joe Johnson and Tyson Chandler...but if you say I can only have one that would be fine too...Mr. Wade, how would you like to buy a house in Strongsville?

Around the Blogosphere: Part III

Nationally, just about every sports blog is talking about the (216) at the moment, and thanks to the Browns it ain't all good...however, thanks to the best basketball - and football - player in Cleveland it ain't all that bad either.

Brian Windhorst set the blogosphere afire with his article about LeBron considering the possibility of signing early with the Cavaliers over the weekend...how do you like them apples Spike? And they are still talking about it.

Tom Ziller at Fanhouse reitereated that LeBron James signing a contract extension is a very real possiblity, Slam Online suggested that this whole time, maybe LeBron was just messing with everyone's head and the Sporting Blog suggests that signing the extension could elevate LeBron to god like status in Cleveland...too late.

Credit Windhorst for asking a simple, seemingly obvious question, that nobody anywhere thougt to ask until he did. Its stories like this, coupled with a 21-4 record, that makes me feel like its Christmas in Cleveland already.

I almost forgot about that team with Orange helmets that plays here.

Around the Blogosphere Part II

Drama Continues for Poor Man's Cowboys

Jim Rome called the Browns "A Poor Man's Dallas Cowboys" last week, and I agree. He said the Browns "have as much drama as the Dallas Cowboys, just not as much talent, or as many wins."

The Drama Continues:

Tony Rizzo read a letter he received from an "anonymous Browns Player" today on the Really Big Show, 850, WKNR that was sent to him at his Fox 8 studios. The letter said that "Phil Savage is the cancer tearing this locker room apart."

The letter went on to say that Romeo is not to blame for the Browns debacle, and the culture that is created by Phil Savage has lead to players listening to IPods and talking on cellphones during meetings, as well as voicing their complaints about how long meetings are.

Rizz went on to talk to Bernie Kosar on the radio afterwards, who seemed to indicate that he will be taking a front office position next year saying that he did not want to speculate on jobs that people currently have "out of respect for them," but that he felt he "knew football, knew this area, and "was willing to do anything Randy Lerner asked of him."

Also, in the Shaun Smith punching Brady Quinn in the face news, Bernie said that things like that went on while he was on the team but he, "was never stupid enough to fight a defensive lineman." The Plain Dealer's Mary Kay Cabot did confirm an altercation took place later on in the day on WKNR.

Marion To Cavaliers Rumors are a Reach

Yahoo's Adrian Worjanowski is reporting that the Cavaliers are in discussions with the Heat in regards to a deal that would send Shawn Marion to Cleveland for Wally Sczerbiak and Anderson Varejeo. Now, I know a lot of Cavs fans aren't too fond of Adrian, but he is a good writer. His book, Miracle of St. Anthony, is actually one of my favorite sports book of all time. That said, he is reaching on this story - big time.

I would say there is no way Danny Ferry is even thinking about this deal. No chance.

The title of the article is that Marion can give the Cavs a Defensive Edge, and he goes on to say this:

"Marion could give the Cavs the versatility on defense that he did the Suns. In the same series, Marion could cover Tony Parker and Tim Duncan. Against the Celtics, Marion could spend time on Rajon Rondo and Kevin Garnett"

This doesn't make any sense to me for a few reasons.

One: the Cavaliers already have a defensive edge.

Two: they already have Mo Williams, Delonte West, and Daniel Gibson who can all cover Rondo.

Three: the Cavs also have Ben Wallace, Anderson Varejeo, Z, Hickson, and Jackson, who could all be rolled out to cover Garnett.

Why do they need Marion to cover both of those guys?

Moreover, if Z is out, like he is now, who starts for you?

Are you starting Mo, LeBron, Marion, Delonte West, and Wallace? Thats a small lineup.

If not West are you starting another big? Who is that then, Jackson or Hickson? Doesn't make sense.

...and I havent even touched on the chemistry that has lead to a 20-4 start.

If the Cavaliers make a move it will include Wally's expiring contract and that's it.

This team is a title contender now whether the national media wants to admit it or not.

Braylon Edwards Starting Trade Rumors

After the Browns embarrassing 30-10 loss last night to the Eagles, where again the Browns O failed to get in the End Zone, Braylon Edwards decided it was time to talk to the media. The NFL Leader in Dropped Passes felt it was time to start his own trade rumors, saying that he was on the trade block. He went on to say that "he has always been unappreciated in Cleveland. Not by the organization, but by the fans and the city." He feels coming out of Michigan he has always had an uphill fight in this city.

Braylon, if I may....We don't care that you played College ball in Michigan. You could put Wolverine stickers on your helmet. We wouldn't care. We just want to see winning football in this town. Your losing attitude and propensity to DROP pass after pass on Sunday is why you have a tough time in this town. Not because of where you went to school.

Keep starting your own trade rumors. Maybe they will come true. We will send Shaver Sports Moving Truck over to help you move. And Braylon, leave the boxes marked "Fragile" for us.....

Cedric Jackson...at the Buzzer...GOOD!

I am proud to say that I was watching the CSU Vikings on Fox Sports over the Brownies on Monday Night Football and THEY DID NOT DISAPPOINT! Battling the 11th Ranked Syracuse Orangemen all night, I felt bad when 'Cuse tied it up on a put back late. I thought, oh well, hard fought loss by CSU...and then Cedric Jackson from 3/4 Court - at least! Are you kidding me?!?! I couldn't believe it went down. The Greatest Buzzer Beater I have ever seen, seriously...I dare you to find a better one.

Congratulations to Gary Waters and congratulations to those kids as well. This is a legit team. J'Nathan Bullock had a tough night until late in the second half. Despite struggling early, he stepped up and hit some big time shots, including a monster three down the stretch. Chris Moore had a huge dunk at the end of the 1st half, and the kid from Chicago, Montgomery, is a baller. Going up against Johnny Flynn, he looked solid, and on the break the no-look pass he left for a lay-up in the 2nd half was flat out sweet. Look for an exciting year this year out of the Vikes. It certainly was last night.

Mo Williams To Visit Jungle

Mo Williams has certainly made a strong impression on Cavalier fans thus far this season, and he is starting to make his presence known on a national level as well. Mo will be a guest on the Jim Rome show tomorrow (850 WKNR), and I appreciate that. Shouts out to Jason Stewart for dialing up a Cleveland player other than Ryan Garko. Karma. No offense Gark.

I am predicting that after the interview Romey will drop a "that is a really good point guard" on Mo, as well as a "the Cavaliers are out quickly." Look for Mo Williams' All Star consideration to be discussed, as well as the traditional 'will LeBron leave town in two years.' The interview is currently slated for the 2nd hour of the show.

A Browns Tragedy

A body was found on the West bank of the Flats early Saturday morning. The man apparently drowned in the cold Cuyahoga river. When police pulled the body out of the water, they noticed he was wearing high heels, women's makeup, and had a cucumber stuck in a not so nice place. He was also wearing a Cleveland Browns jersey.

To save the family any further embarrassment in this tragic time, the Cleveland Police removed the Cleveland Browns jersey from the body.


Philly: 24
Browns:10

Cavs Play Big Once Again

So how much better do you think the Cavaliers are than last year?

Brian Windhorst points out in his column today that after beating the 76ers again last night at the Q, "the Cavs (20-3) have now won 19 of 20 games. Last season, after 23 games the Cavs were 10-13 and didn't win their 20th game until Jan. 15."

Danny Ferry should be GM of the year.

He dumped who he needed to dump (Larry Hughes), and made subtle moves that as a fan, you didn't really notice until nights like last night. Trading for the rights to draft Darnell Jackson didn't have people dancing in the streets, but he came last night played 24 solid minutes of defense and grabbed (8) boards with Z sidelined. In addition, Ferry should be credited for his 'sticktuitiveness' (shout out to Clark Kellog on his lead debut today) with regards to Varejeo (17 points). After his hold-out and garbage play last season, there was talk of moving him, but Ferry held serve and it is paying off now.

LeBron (27-7-7) appreciated the effort with the big fella down.

"Any time you have key guys out it takes a while to get adjusted," James said. "But guys stepped up, Andy stepped up and so did Darnell and it was good to see that."

Game Notes: Congratulations to St. Ed's Product Jawad Williams on his first basket as a Cavalier. Nice work.

They'll Miss The Big Guy

'Heavy Z' sprained his ankle Wednesday night against the 76ers, and according to Brian Windhorst, the early reports indicate that he could miss 2-4 weeks with the injury. This is a shame for Z personally, who has been off to a fast start this season, and certainly warranted more All Star consideration than he has gotten so far.

However, this could be a positive for the Cavaliers in the long run. With Z out for the next few weeks, JJ Hickson and Darnell Jackson should get some big minutes backing up Varejeo and Wallace in the low post rotations, and I expect the duo, Hickson especially, to do well.

With Varejeo playing the way he has thus far, there won't be too much of a drop off in the starting five, but the question will be whether or not the young 'bigs' will be able to contribute as rotation players in Z's absence. From what I have seen from Hickson thus far, I think he will step in and give you a solid 20 minutes of action. I also think Jackson can give you 10, but we will find out what these guys got come Friday. Assuming Z comes back at full strength, in May or June, we may find that additional 'big' people are talking about adding, in the form of a rookie, who already wears Wine and Gold.

Reports Indicate the Tribe Has...a new closer

The Tribe's deal for closer Kerry Wood is almost done. Wood is en route to Cleveland to complete a physical to complete the deal. Assuming Wood stays healthy (one trip to DL with Cubbies last year) he brings something the Tribe hasn't had at the back end of the bullpen since Jose Mesa. A Hard Thrower.

In 2008, the 30 year old Wood was 5-4 with 34 Saves and 6 blown saves. He had a 3.24 ERA with 84 K's to 18 walks.

It looks as if the Tribe's move to Goodyear, AZ has helped get this deal done. Granted they are offering him up to $10 million a year for two years, but Wood resides in Arizona, and the Tribe's brand new training complex in his backyard made it easy for Wood to join the Indians.

Props to Shapiro and Tribe management for dishing out some money to help a glaring need of this team. Jensen Lewis is a nice part of the bullpen, but not an option for closer.

In Other Hot Stove News:

The Tribe's depth at outfield is a little lighter this morning. Franklin Gutierrez, the light hitting corner outfield was part of a 12 man, 3 team trade where the Mets landed JJ Putz. The Tribe in return received 23 Year Old, left handed prospect 2B Luis Valbuena from Seattle and reliever Joe Smith from the Mets.

Smith is key in this trade. In 2008, his rookie year, the Cincinnati, Ohio native pitched in 82 games. He went 6-3 with 18 holds, a 3.55 ERA and 55 K's. He adds another young arm that will bulk up the middle of the bully.

A starter is also to be on Shapiro's wish list for this off season.

One More Laugher

That makes (9), and that's an NBA Record Cavs fans.

The Cavaliers had to beat the Raptors by (12) or more points to set the NBA record for most dominating wins in a row on Tuesday night, and they did. They won by (20) 114-94.

Get this too...during this current winning streak, the Cavaliers average 'Diff' is (22) points per game.

They just won (9) games, In A ROW, IN THE NBA, by an AVERAGE of (22) points per game. That's nasty.

In (30) minutes, LeBron scored (31), and moved past Mark Price on the career steals list. Big Z moved past Brad Daugherty on the career rebounding list as well.

Delonte West and Mo Williams combined for (17) assists and (1) turnover...look what good guard play does for offensive coaching Mike Brown haters.

The Cavaliers moved to 12-0 at home, and have won (17) of their last (18). The only bad news was that Boobie got dinged up a bit, but hopefully he is okay.

Next up is Philly: Get (10) fellas.

You Can't Coach College Football Unless...

no, not if your a man and 40. You can't coach unless your from Ohio apparently...

When Bob Stoops' Sooners square off against Urban Meyer's Gators, the prides of Ashtabula, Ohio and Youngstown, Ohio will try to out x and o each other for the BCS title.

It doesn't stop there either. In addition to Meyer and Stoops, Les Miles, Jim Tressel, and Mark Dantonio, to just name a few, all played Pop Warner in Ohio. Additionally, the eight title games prior all featured a coach with major ties to Ohio. The list is as follows:

2000 Stoops (Youngstown) vs Bowden (Dognabit, not from OH)

01 Cooker vs. Solich (Cleveland)

02 Tressel (Mentor) vs Cooker

03 Saban (Dad played for Browns) vs Stoops(Youngstown)

04 Carroll (Coached at OSU) vs Stoops (Youngstown)

05 Brown vs Carroll (Coached at OSU)

06 Meyer (Ashtabula) vs Tressel (Mentor)

07 Miles (Elyria) vs Tressel (Mentor)

08 Meyer (Astabula) vs Stoops (Youngstown)

That's (5) different cities and (5) different counties represented throughout this cradle of coaching. So, while all the talent seems to be coming from the South and the West, at least the standard for coaching continues to be set in oh-io...if only one of these coaches could run a 4.3 and play for the Bucks.

D'Qwell Jackson: NFL Leader in Tackles

Lone Bright Spot?

Shaver Sports, in a constant effort to find something positive to say about your 2008 Cleveland Browns, decided to look beyond the obvious bright spot in Josh Cribbs and glanced over at the defensive side of the ball. Much was said last week after the Browns defense held The Great One, Peyton Manning without a TD. No need to look further than the NFL's Tackle Leader in D'Qwell Jackson, right? Jackson, leads the league in Total Tackles with 130, after Sunday's 12 tackle, 3 Assist performance.

As Old Man Corso would say, "Not So Fast My Friend". Upon further review, Jackson's numbers are somewhat misleading, and definitely a product of the system, a.k.a. An Awful defense that can't get off the field. The Shaver Sports research department found that the Browns are ranked 25th in the league in Total Defensive Plays (407 total). Only 7 teams have been on the field, for a defensive play more than the Browns. That being said, it makes sense that the Browns would have a good chance to have a League Leader in tackles, right? (In the NBA, the guy who makes the most Free Throws is usually is among the tops in Free Throws Attempted) The Browns Defense ranks 27th in Yards Per Game and 28th in Rushing Yards Per Game. Amazingly, only two teams have have seen more Total Running Plays, Oakland and Detroit. Not a surprising stat. The Browns D is giving up a ridiculous 4.5 Yards/Attempt.

We are not bashing DJ by any means. If he wasn't out there making all of these tackles, who would be? Shante Orr? Overall, Jackson is a good young talent, and one of the few defensive players the Browns can build around for the future. But don't be fooled by the hype. Good but not Great.

Here's hoping Browns management logs onto Shaver Sports before they offer Jackson a huge contract + signing bonus after one big year. (see Rueben Droughns, Jamal Lewis, Derek Anderson, do I need to keep going?)

Around the Blogosphere: Part II

Chris Mortensen reported the Browns are interested in Marty Schottenheimer -to replace a coach they haven't fired yet - just before kick-off yesterday. Pro Football Talk had this response from Shottenheimer on its website today:

While appearing with Adam Schein of Sirius NFL Radio, a caller asked Schottenheimer about the situation. Said Schottenheimer in response, ”I don’t ever say ‘never’ if I don’t have to but I don’t see it as being likely. . . . I really don’t. "

As a Browns fan, I'm glad Marty didn't say 'never', because I would be happy to see him get his Joe Gibbs on in Cleveland next seson. Its a safe bet Chargers fan wishes he 'never' left San Diego. To that point, The Big Lead had this comment on its site today with respect to Schottenheimer:

"After Marty Schottenheimer finished 14-2 in 2007, coming up short at home against the Pats in the playoffs, his team was still viewed as a lock to be a force in the AFC for years to come. He was instead fired in favor of Norv Turner. Read that sentence again "

Whether its Marty coming back, Cowher, or Paul Brown himself, we at Shaver Sports would like to continue to reiterate that our only hope is that the Browns break form, and hire a coach with experience this time.

...lastly, we would like to send a shout out to our friends over at Deadspin for linking our Kosar post on Saturday - much appreciated.

Last Week's edition: Around the Blogosphere: Part I

You Heard it Here First

In Terry Pluto's Talkin Sports Column in the PD this past weekend he wrote te following:

"After a discussion with Plain Dealer hoops writer Brian Windhorst, we both came to the same conclusion: If the Cavs continue to win big and Williams continues to play well, why not give the point guard serious All-Star consideration? He holds the team together when James sits. He has been given freedom to call most of the plays by coach Mike Brown. He loves and appreciates playing on a winner, and that enthusiasm rubs off on his teammates. Yes, the numbers are solid: 15.7 points, 4.4 assists and 44 percent shooting, but his impact is far more than statistics."

A few things here with this. Number one, we predicted Mo Williams would be an All Star in early October. Number two, it is not as complicated as Pluto is making it sound. While all the intangibles he listed are correct, the fact is, if you have a good record, your team gets multiple All Stars. Mo Williams is the second best player on a team that is 17-3. That makes his 16 points, and nearly 5 assists, per game All Star caliber numbers. Furthermore, Mo Williams making the All Star team should not be suprising. He averaged 17 points, and 7 assists for the last two seasons, and will get rewarded for his play this season, playing alongside the King.

Cavaliers Roll: 8th Straight Laugher

With the 1st quarter of the NBA season in the books, the Cavaliers are rolling - in historical proportions. With the 20 point laugher on Saturday, the Cavaliers tied a record set by the 1995-96 Bulls by winning their (8th) game by (12) or more points. If the Cavaliers beat the Raptors Tuesday by more than a dozen, they will be the 1st team ever, in NBA history, to win by (12) or more (9) games in a row. And oh yeah, those Bulls went 72-10 that year and won the NBA title...

With the win, the Cavaliers go to 17-3. For whatever its worth, after (20) Games, the last (3) NBA title winners looked like this:

2008 Celtics - 18-2

2007 Spurs - 15-5

2006 Heat 10-10

...the most encouraging game stat Saturday was the fact that LeBron scored 25 points, with five rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks in only 28 minutes. He was able to get his Tarrance Kinsey on once again for the entire 4th quarter, and that is huge.

This season, LeBron is (49th) in Minutes Per Game averaging (35 mpg). A season ago, LeBron was (3rd) in the NBA averaging 40.4 mpg. This rest could prove to be the difference come June.

Who needs Tickets?

I accidentally left 2 Browns tickets sitting on the dash of my car. Some A**Hole shattered the window, and put two more in there....

Titans: 28

Browns: 9

Kosar to be President of Operations?

Tony Rizzo read an email on The Really Big Show yesterday that Shaver Sports agrees with. The emailer felt that KNR and a lot of callers had become "Kosar honks" and were really pushing for Bernie to become President of Football Operations. The emailer concluded with the fact that they dont want to Kosar's good name in this town to go down in flames.

AGREED.

BK is a legendary figure in this town. For an average QB, with a sidearm delivery, slow feet, and 1 Pro Bowl Appearance on his resume, he is the best QB a generation of Browns fans have ever seen. His Career seems to get better the longer the Browns struggle.

Why would Bernie want to take this risk? He knows how quickly the Browns fans can turn on anyone. Our Pro Bowl QB from last year cant get out of town fast enough.

As a Kosar fan, I think Bernie should stay in the Owners box as an invited guest, not as Top Man.

Browns: Head Coaches Learn From Experience

PGW posted a list for the Shaver Sports faithful earlier this week pointing out the fact that of the (14) Head Coaches the Browns have hired since 1946 "only one coach (Nick Skorich) had previous NFL head coaching experience... all other coaches received their first NFL head coaching job with the Browns."

This means that 93% of the time, the Cleveland Browns hire a Head Coach who does not have any previous NFL Head Coaching experience. I would call this a trend. The Browns are yet to win a Superbowl by doing this.

In contrast, the Shaver Sports research department found that (8) of the last (10) Superbowls were won by Head Coaches who had previous NFL Head Coaching experience, prior to taking the job as Head Coach of the team they eventually led to the Superbowl. The List is as follows:

2008: Giants - Tom Coughlin (Previoulsy Head Coach of the Jaguars)

2007: Colts - Tony Dungy (Previously Head Coach of the Buccanners)

2006: Steelers - Bill Cowher (Hired by Steelers; was in 10th season)


2005: Patriots - Bill Belichick (Previously Head Coach of the Browns)


2004: Patriots - Bill Belicheck (Previosly Head Coach of the Browns)


2003: Tampa Bay - Jon Gruden (Previously Head Coach of the Raiders)


2002: Patriots - Bill Belichick (Previoulsy Head Coach of the Browns)


2001: Ravens - Brian Billick (Hired by Ravens)


2000: Rams - Dick Vermeil (Previously Head Coach of the Eagles)


1999: Broncos - Mike Shanahan (Previously Head Coach of the Raiders)


So Randy Lerner, if its not Cowher, please hire a Coach with some NFL Head Coaching experience...there is no more time for on the job training. Please.

Another Big Win

The Cavaliers' (36) point win last night, 118-82, was the biggest margin in the lifetime series between the Knicks and Cavaliers. The Cavs ran out to an explosive 61-35 halftime lead, and then built on that lead in the 3rd quarter - unlike 3rd quarter gone past. Every Cavalier got into the scoring column, and the Cavs notched their 10th straight home victory of the season, while upping their record to 15-3...but this win wasn't about the numbers. Last night the Cavaliers answered a challenge, and earned valuable experience.

The challenge was from 'Kevin' who posted this comment yesterday in our preview post:

Its time to let LBJ sit more and keep him rested for later in the year. I would be very upset to see LBJ tire down the stretch due to the Long Season last year, Olympics, and playing 40+ min against the Knicks of the world.

Kevin, your point is well taken, and I was glad to see the Cavs answer that call. LBJ certainly sat for extended minutes last night, and didn't play in the 4th quarter at all, and that is certainly paramount for the reasons you stated.

Additionally, the fact that Z and Big Ben have been earning rest in games like this of late is big too. A fresh, active and effective front line can only help this quest for a title. This blow-out win saved some miles on the old legs of those two veterans, and that is a good thing. This win is also big because it allowed guys like Hickson, Sasha, and Darnell Jackson to get big minutes. Down that stretch, you never know when you'll need a guy like that to step up and contribute, and this is just creating a deeper bench, and a deeper team.

Knicks Preview: Handle Success

Tonight's is an opportunity for the Cavaliers to show that they are a team that can handle success, and continued to stay focused on both ends of the floor when things are going good. Complacency will be their enemy tonight if they want to improve on their 14-3 record despite the fact that Cleveland has every reason to be complacent.

They already beat the Knicks 119-101 at the Garden - and could have won by 46 points if they wanted two. In addition to that, off the court, people are also now telling the Cavs how good they are. ESPN's Power Rankings have the Cavaliers as the 2nd best team in the NBA behind only the Celtics. Another ESPN ranking system that I can't pretend to understand -Hollingers Team Offensive Efficiency Rankings - has Cleveland Number 1. Outside the (216), some people are even saying - ughh admitting - that LBJ's best chance to win a title might just be right here in northeast Ohio. Imagine that.

With all that said, now is the time to rise up - uh sorry - capitalize, play with focus, defend your home, and beat the teams you are supposed. And in case you care, I am totally confident the Cavs will do just that. Look for them to score a lot of points in the process as well. The Cavs come in ranked 4th in the NBA in scoring offense (103.6 ppg) and New York is 24th in scoring defense. They won't be booing the King tonight, chalupas all around.

Grass Roots Movement

The Cowher09 website currently has 9,420 signatures on a petition to Randy Lerner to hire Bill Cowher. What bothers me about this is that these Cowher lovers will actually believe they made it happen if the Browns do hire Cowher. This group handed out 500 signs in the muni - lot on Sunday - like the one pictured - and the petition they have going reads as follows:

To: The Cleveland Browns Organization / Randy Lerner

We, the undersigned fans, would like to express our passion. We are both passionately proud and passionately angry. We are especially angry with the current state of our team, in particular its coaching. We demand that you seriously consider bringing in retired head coach Bill Cowher to take over the Cleveland Browns starting with the 2009 season. We have followed the Cleveland Browns with undying loyalty through the good and the bad. Some of us are young children and some of us have been season ticket holders for decades. Although most of us are armchair quarterbacks, we are still the ones who fill the seats and foot your bills. Coach Cowher has the resume and passion to lead our team back to prominence. For the sake of Cleveland’s forever-loyal fans, consider this petition.



Sincerely,



...where were these guys when the Browns hired Bud Carson over Bill Cowher in the early 90's?

Around The Blogosphere: Part I

In the first of a series of posts, known as Around the Blogosphere, Shaver Sports brings you the pictures posted today on Yahoo Sports' Shutdown Corner's Sunday Scrapbook . The shirts aren't really that funny, but face of the guy in the gray shirt is, and so are the earmuffs worn by the guy on the far left. Its only a matter of time for the coach formerly known as RAC.

Also abuzz are LeBron's retaliatory comments directed towards 'He's Turrible' himself, Chuck Barkley. NBA Fanhouse is posting in support of LeBron calling Charles Barkley stupid. This should come as no suprise to anyone who has ever heard Charles Barkley speak. He is stupid. LeBron wouldn't talk about becoming a Free Agent if the national media didn't ask him about it -every, single, day...what do you want him to say Chuck??