Surprisingly, the NFL season didn't end about 8 weeks ago for me and other Cleveland fans. However, with the devastating loss to the Titans, the NFL holds nothing for me anymore. The main reason I kept up with the NFL for this long is because I had one fantasy team in the playoffs. Now since that's over...well fuck the 2008 season. Anwyay, the only victory for the Browns this season was the completely perplexing throttling of their toughest opponent, the New York Giants. There is a slight chance I'll watch this Monday Night's matchup with the mediocre Eagles and the final Steelers game. But if the Cavs are on, fuck that.
So what do the Browns do this offseason? Well, firing fat fuck Romeo is probably the last move Savage should do before getting canned by Lerner. At least he can go out on a high note. Although, I think Savage gets a hard time from the fans, myself included, for how he's handled the Browns in his tenure. His drafting has been pretty superb with jems such as Brady Quinn, Josh Cribbs, D'Qwell Jackson, and Kamerion Wimbely. I attribute the shittiness of the Browns to poor coaching and, somewhat less, to injuries. Injuries are moot because every team has to deal with them. However, losing two straight games after leading by 13+ at the half is squarely put on the shoulders of atrocious coaching.
Romeo Crennell has done an awful job this year with clock management, personell management, and general gameplan. This was a team that won 10 games last year and had one of the top offenses in the league! In 2008, they couldn't score a TD if their lives depended on it. Who loses 3 games in one season by the score of 10-6. Its absolutely unbelievable.
My hope is that Lerner goes out of his way to get Bill Cowher to coach. I know this is a longshot but give him money, operations control, ANYTHING to get that man on the Cleveland sidelines. We need someone to instill discipline and a culture of winning on this Browns team. Sure Schottenheimer can get the wins, but whats the point of winning 12 games and then losing in the playoffs for no apparent reason. He'd be a good short term fix, but what the Browns need is a sense of stability and continuity. They've gone through a revolving door of coaches since their inception 10 years ago. I'm sure that doesn't help with the inherent identity crisis that comes with being an expansion team.
C.C. Sabathia.
I'll be doing another more extensive Hot Stove piece during the holidays when the GM meetings are over and the deals that are in the works are either confirmed or quashed. For now, I'll talk about CC's decision to go with the Yankees. From what I understand, Sabathia took his time making the decision and I'm sure that it wasn't a foregone conclusion. Sources close to Sabathia have repeatedly stated that he wanted to play on the west coast near his family. Rumor has it that if the Dodgers or Giants made an offer anywhere in the proximity of the Yankees' offer, he would have taken it.
I'm disappointed in CC's decision because it forces me to root against him. I've had my ups and down with the pitcher since he came up through the Indians farm system but he was always one of my favorite players on the Indians. I wanted him to win a World Series, whether with the Tribe or longshot Brewers last year. I could even stomach a Dodger win if it meant Sabathia got the ring (the Giants are more dubious). However, since he plays on the Yankees, there is no way that I'll root for that to happen now. I hope Cliff Lee and the Indians spoil the Yanks home opener next year. From then on, Sabathia will become an uneasy enemy to me.
The other reason I'm disappointed with CC's decision is that it really doesn't make much sense. Logic would dictate that it was the best offer because it could potentially pay $160 million and has a player option on the last 3 years of the contract. That's good for Sabathia but a terrible decision by the Yanks. If Sabathia flops in New York, nobody would pick up that contract and he'd be able to pick up his own option and just eat salary space while being another mediocre starting pitcher. Obviously the Yankees thought very highly of him to offer that arrangement. Where the agreement doesn't make sense is the location. Why would Sabathia relocate to the AL East to a team that is aging and is probably past its prime?
The Yankees aren't a lock anymore to make the playoffs. Sure they'll have a great rotation if they sign Burnett and Joba lives up to his potential, but the chemistry on the team is obviously not there. They really fell apart last season due to early injuries and an epic failure on the part of their young players. The front office continually trades the homegrown talent for veterans that bring their own agenda and personality to a clubhouse already divided in a cold war between Jeter and A-Rod. Their outfield is weak by AL standards and their middle infield is deficient on defense. Robinson Cano is turning into a one season wonder. It seems like the Yankees need to blow up and reboot, but the culture in New York obviously won't let that happen.
Plus, they aren't even the best team in the East. That battle is going to be between the Red Sox and Rays for a couple of seasons to come. The Rays are young and dynamic. They have everything the Yankees don't in terms of defense, chemistry, and young blood. They have all that without the drama of being in New York. Sabathia probably won't be affected by any of this though. He thrives on pressure and plays well when under the gun. I'm confident that he'll struggle early with the Yanks but get his bearings straight quickly and play as well as they need him to down the stretch. It just boggles my mind why he wouldn't stay in the NL where he would dominate and win Cy Young awards for years to come.
Maybe that's why he's a professional athlete and I'm not.
The Cavs are Good.
This obviously comes with a caveat because I'm from Cleveland. While the Cavs have set an NBA record by winning 9 games by 12+ points, they came against opponents who are under .500 on the season. I think only one or two of those teams were above .500 during that stretch. However, their style of play has altered drastically this season with the addition of Mo Williams on the team.
A true point guard makes the game much easier for the rest of the team. The Cavs have the best offense, statistically in the NBA, and the best defense in terms of points allowed and field goal percentage allowed. Lebron hasn't been playing the 4th quarter during the blowouts so he'll be fresher to play against tougher opponents deeper into the season. The bench is strong with Daniel Gibson averaging 10 ppg and surprising rookie JJ Hickson providing energy and defense. Delonte West is definitely better as an off guard and has played incredibly well to start the season in terms of shooting and defense. Since the burden of running the point is now on Mo Williams, he gets to expend more energy on defense shutting down the other team's perimeter threat.
If the Cavs can keep this pace, or even come close to it, for the rest of the season, they'll be a tough out in the playoffs. I think they legitimately have a chance at beating the Celtics in the playoffs this year and winning the title. I'm not calling it by any means, but this is the strongest Cavs team that I have seen in the Lebron era, by far. Obviously its too early to call anything about 20 games into the season but its enough of a sample space to make a fair assessment of a team's chances.
So what do the Browns do this offseason? Well, firing fat fuck Romeo is probably the last move Savage should do before getting canned by Lerner. At least he can go out on a high note. Although, I think Savage gets a hard time from the fans, myself included, for how he's handled the Browns in his tenure. His drafting has been pretty superb with jems such as Brady Quinn, Josh Cribbs, D'Qwell Jackson, and Kamerion Wimbely. I attribute the shittiness of the Browns to poor coaching and, somewhat less, to injuries. Injuries are moot because every team has to deal with them. However, losing two straight games after leading by 13+ at the half is squarely put on the shoulders of atrocious coaching.
Romeo Crennell has done an awful job this year with clock management, personell management, and general gameplan. This was a team that won 10 games last year and had one of the top offenses in the league! In 2008, they couldn't score a TD if their lives depended on it. Who loses 3 games in one season by the score of 10-6. Its absolutely unbelievable.
My hope is that Lerner goes out of his way to get Bill Cowher to coach. I know this is a longshot but give him money, operations control, ANYTHING to get that man on the Cleveland sidelines. We need someone to instill discipline and a culture of winning on this Browns team. Sure Schottenheimer can get the wins, but whats the point of winning 12 games and then losing in the playoffs for no apparent reason. He'd be a good short term fix, but what the Browns need is a sense of stability and continuity. They've gone through a revolving door of coaches since their inception 10 years ago. I'm sure that doesn't help with the inherent identity crisis that comes with being an expansion team.
C.C. Sabathia.
I'll be doing another more extensive Hot Stove piece during the holidays when the GM meetings are over and the deals that are in the works are either confirmed or quashed. For now, I'll talk about CC's decision to go with the Yankees. From what I understand, Sabathia took his time making the decision and I'm sure that it wasn't a foregone conclusion. Sources close to Sabathia have repeatedly stated that he wanted to play on the west coast near his family. Rumor has it that if the Dodgers or Giants made an offer anywhere in the proximity of the Yankees' offer, he would have taken it.
I'm disappointed in CC's decision because it forces me to root against him. I've had my ups and down with the pitcher since he came up through the Indians farm system but he was always one of my favorite players on the Indians. I wanted him to win a World Series, whether with the Tribe or longshot Brewers last year. I could even stomach a Dodger win if it meant Sabathia got the ring (the Giants are more dubious). However, since he plays on the Yankees, there is no way that I'll root for that to happen now. I hope Cliff Lee and the Indians spoil the Yanks home opener next year. From then on, Sabathia will become an uneasy enemy to me.
The other reason I'm disappointed with CC's decision is that it really doesn't make much sense. Logic would dictate that it was the best offer because it could potentially pay $160 million and has a player option on the last 3 years of the contract. That's good for Sabathia but a terrible decision by the Yanks. If Sabathia flops in New York, nobody would pick up that contract and he'd be able to pick up his own option and just eat salary space while being another mediocre starting pitcher. Obviously the Yankees thought very highly of him to offer that arrangement. Where the agreement doesn't make sense is the location. Why would Sabathia relocate to the AL East to a team that is aging and is probably past its prime?
The Yankees aren't a lock anymore to make the playoffs. Sure they'll have a great rotation if they sign Burnett and Joba lives up to his potential, but the chemistry on the team is obviously not there. They really fell apart last season due to early injuries and an epic failure on the part of their young players. The front office continually trades the homegrown talent for veterans that bring their own agenda and personality to a clubhouse already divided in a cold war between Jeter and A-Rod. Their outfield is weak by AL standards and their middle infield is deficient on defense. Robinson Cano is turning into a one season wonder. It seems like the Yankees need to blow up and reboot, but the culture in New York obviously won't let that happen.
Plus, they aren't even the best team in the East. That battle is going to be between the Red Sox and Rays for a couple of seasons to come. The Rays are young and dynamic. They have everything the Yankees don't in terms of defense, chemistry, and young blood. They have all that without the drama of being in New York. Sabathia probably won't be affected by any of this though. He thrives on pressure and plays well when under the gun. I'm confident that he'll struggle early with the Yanks but get his bearings straight quickly and play as well as they need him to down the stretch. It just boggles my mind why he wouldn't stay in the NL where he would dominate and win Cy Young awards for years to come.
Maybe that's why he's a professional athlete and I'm not.
The Cavs are Good.
This obviously comes with a caveat because I'm from Cleveland. While the Cavs have set an NBA record by winning 9 games by 12+ points, they came against opponents who are under .500 on the season. I think only one or two of those teams were above .500 during that stretch. However, their style of play has altered drastically this season with the addition of Mo Williams on the team.
A true point guard makes the game much easier for the rest of the team. The Cavs have the best offense, statistically in the NBA, and the best defense in terms of points allowed and field goal percentage allowed. Lebron hasn't been playing the 4th quarter during the blowouts so he'll be fresher to play against tougher opponents deeper into the season. The bench is strong with Daniel Gibson averaging 10 ppg and surprising rookie JJ Hickson providing energy and defense. Delonte West is definitely better as an off guard and has played incredibly well to start the season in terms of shooting and defense. Since the burden of running the point is now on Mo Williams, he gets to expend more energy on defense shutting down the other team's perimeter threat.
If the Cavs can keep this pace, or even come close to it, for the rest of the season, they'll be a tough out in the playoffs. I think they legitimately have a chance at beating the Celtics in the playoffs this year and winning the title. I'm not calling it by any means, but this is the strongest Cavs team that I have seen in the Lebron era, by far. Obviously its too early to call anything about 20 games into the season but its enough of a sample space to make a fair assessment of a team's chances.
1 comment:
Great blog! Check out mine sometime ;-)
**********************************
http://nfl-merchandise.blogspot.com/
**********************************
Post a Comment