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Archive for the ‘Football’ Category
Browns need a better draft from Ray Farmer
Posted: April 28, 2015 in Browns, FootballTags: Cleveland Browns, Danny Shelton, Johnny Manziel, Justin Gilbert, NFL Draft, Ray Farmer
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The way too early Browns schedule game
Posted: April 26, 2015 in Browns, FootballTags: Cleveland Browns, NFL, NFL schedule
Last week after the NFL released the schedule for the Cleveland Browns, I did a quick analysis on each game. click the link below to see how I project the Browns to do.
Bakers Dozen (Thirteen things I know that you should know too)
Posted: April 21, 2015 in Boxing, Cavaliers, College football, FootballTags: Adidas Superstar, Chicago Bulls, cleveland cavaliers, De La Soul, Derrick Rose, Drive in, Dukes of Hazzard, Floyd Mayweather, Ivan Drago, Joakim Noah, Kyrie Irving, Manny Pacquiao, Mark Wahlberg, Pitbull, Price is Right, The Gambler, Timofey Mozgov
1. Now that the NBA playoffs have started I’ll make my prediction. Those that know me personally can vouch I’ve said this well before the playoffs even started but now I’ll put it down on my column. The Cleveland Cavaliers will win the NBA Finals, ending the city’s 50 years Championship drought, and Kyrie Irving will be named the Finals MVP.
2. Speaking of the NBA playoffs, assuming the Chicago Bulls get by the Milwaukee Bucks, they’ll be next for the Cavaliers. Here’s to hoping D-Rose stays healthy. I, for one, believe the Bulls are a better team WITHOUT Rose. Give me more Rose and less Jimmy Butler. It Just makes the series that much easier for my Cavaliers.
3. Speaking of the Bulls, the series with the Cavs should be fun. We all know how Joakim Noah feels about the City of Cleveland, but do you know what he thinks of LeBron? Well, see for yourself.
4. The mega fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao is less than two weeks away. Boxers usually walk to the ring with a hype song to get them fired up, however, Pacquiao is going to extreme measures with his ring entrance song. He actually recorded his own song to enter to. Chances are you’ve never heard of it, but lucky for you, I’ve got your back. Check it.
Not my idea of a hype song to say the least. If I was advising Pacquiao, I’d have him enter to something a bit more up-tempo. Something like this.
At least there’s an Ivan Drago reference in my pick.
5. Speaking of the fight, Mayweather is rumored to be making north of $100 million for this fight! ‘Money May’ is already the highest paid athlete in the world and when you have that much money and can have pretty much anything you want, you start purchasing silly things. Case in point. Mayweather has a $25,000 mouthpiece that has actual $100 bills sealed on the inside. Crazy, right? Here’s a look at a few of them.
6. Recently I was home during the week in the middle of the day and did what any normal American would do when at home during normal business hours. “What’s that, you ask?” Watch The Price is Right of course. Now I have immense pride in Cleveland, the city I was born in, but even I had to question this. Either Cleveland is truly blowing up, or The Price is Right is on the decline. Get this. One of the prizes on the ‘Showcase Showdown’ was a trip to Cleveland with tickets for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame! I’m not making this up just to get a laugh either, and yes, you read that correctly. I’ll repeat. One of the prizes on the ‘Showcase Showdown’ was a trip to Cleveland with tickets for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame! I’m not talking about one of the prizes that everyone bids on beforehand, now. I’m talking about one of the grand prizes at the end of the show! My jaw is still dropped from that moment lol. I love my city, but even I know that a trip to my hometown shouldn’t be a prize worthy enough for a ‘Showcase Showdown.’ Or am I missing the boat on this one? Cleveland family, feel free to share your thoughts.
7. Got a case of the Monday blues? I’ve got just the answer to wake you up and get you ready to accomplish damn near anything after a party filled weekend. Listen to ‘Pitbull.’ Here’s one such song that should fill your Monday with a little joy.
8. I love Spring, mostly because that means winter is over, but I also love spring because of what it brings. No, I’m not talking about the rain or the flowers that begin to bloom. I’m talking about the Aut-O-Rama drive-in movie theatre and the Dog n Suds drive-in restaurant. I’m a sucker for history and how simple things used to be.
9. One of my favorite shows growing up was the Dukes of Hazzard so I was saddened by the passing of Roscoe P. Coltrane. How can you not be entertained by this sheriff.
10. If you haven’t seen ‘The Gambler’ starring Mark Wahlberg, don’t even waste your time.
Yes, the trailer makes this movie look good, but just believe me. It’s not.
11. If you’re anything like me, you miss the sound of real Hip-Hop. Today’s version of the genre is horrid, so I was beyond excited to learn that De La Soul was coming out with a new album.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1519102394/de-la-souls-new-album/widget/video.html
12. The College football season is just 135 days away!
13. I picked up a new pair of shoes recently. Here is the latest addition to my addiction.
Bakers Dozen (Thirteen things I know that you should know to)
Posted: April 1, 2015 in Boxing, Browns, Cavaliers, College football, Football, Indians, VikingsTags: Adonis Stevenson, Artur Beterbiev, Boxing, Broad City, CBS Sports, Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Indians, Cleveland State Vikings, Denis Shafikov, ESPN2, Fresh off the Boat, Gabriel Campillo, Garfield Heights, Kyrie Irving, Lebron James, Louisville Cardinals, McDonalds All American game, mean tweets, Mickey Bey, nba, Ray Farmer, Russell Wilson, Sakio Bika, Shaker Heights, SI cover jinx, sneakerhead, Sneakers, Sonny Johnson, Terry Rozier, Transfer, Trey Lewis, Zach McAlister
1. The Cleveland Indians were featured on one of the regional covers of the Sports Illustrated MLB preview edition. Naturally, Cleveland fans panicked and brought up the dreaded SI cover jinx. Relax folks. There have been plenty of examples that defunct that so called jinx. Here’s one such example.
2. Speaking of the Tribe, they’ve announced their starting rotation. Taking the mound for the home opener next Friday will be Zach McAlister, who earned the number 4 spot. So far this Spring McAlister has a 3.32 ERA in 19 innings pitched with 24 strikeouts and just four walks. While McAlister had a 5.23 ERA in 2014, he did finish strong, posting just a 2.84 ERA in 19 innings in the month of September.
3. The best marketing department among the Cleveland professional sports teams easily belongs to the Indians. Their latest “Mean Tweets” video is priceless. If you haven’t seen it by now, check it out!
4. We are down to the Final four in college hoops. The baseball season is about to start. The two month long NBA playoff season is about to start. But you know what I’m really excited about? The start of college football season! Yes, I’m aware we’re still about five months away but I get the privilege to work on the “Bible” of college football. Of course I’m talking about Phil Steele’s College Football Preview. The official “on sale” date is July 1st, but there is a way to get it three weeks sooner! How, you ask? We are accepting pre-orders right now by clicking the link below.
https://www.philsteele.com/store/
5. Speaking of College Football, spring practices are underway. Want to get a heads up on the season? Well we at the lovely offices of Phil Steele have put together our annual Spring Preview and it’s available for free.
http://philsteele.com/Pdf/SpringGuide/2015/2015_Spring_Guide1.pdf
6. Time to recognize some Cleveland hoop stars doing big things. Former Shaker Heights High standout & current Louisville Cardinals point guard Terry Rozier has announced his decision to turn pro after two seasons in the college game. The 6-1 Rozier led the Cardinals in scoring, averaging 17.1 points/game. He is projected as a late first round/early second round pick. Hmmm. I know of a particular pro team that plays its home games at Quicken Loans arena in Cleveland that could use a backup point guard.
Louisville may not have to look that far for a replacement as former Garfield Heights High star and current Cleveland State Viking guard Trey Lewis is exploring his options as a graduate transfer and the Cardinals, among many others, have shown interest according to his high school coach and former Ohio Mr. Basketball winner Sonny Johnson.
Lewis set the Viking single season three point record with 93 while averaging a team high 16.3 points/game en route to being named to the Horizon League first team. He played two seasons at CSU after transferring from Penn State after his freshman year following a coaching change there. He will be eligible to play right away because he will have graduated already. To clear up any confusion, it’s the exact same thing Russell Wilson did when he transferred to Wisconsin from NC State for his final year of college eligibility. I have no issue with Lewis transferring at all. I wish him the best. If you never went down to the Wolstein Center to see him play, shame on you.
7. Speaking of amateur hoops, anyone catch the McDonalds All American skills challenge on ESPN? Note to girls that think they belong in a dunk contest with a bunch of dudes. Stop it. Just stop it. I may sound like a chauvinist here, but so what. These are my thoughts and I’m surely not alone in thinking this. This girl for some reason thought it was a good idea to enter the dunk contest and proceeded to miss EVERY SINGLE one of her attempts. I can’t make this up. Every time I see girls on the basketball court I think of this greatly thought about video game concept.
8. Those of you who know me or even those of you who don’t but are among the privileged to be among my Facebook friends (I’m being sarcastic here folks, relax, I really don’t take myself that seriously) are aware of my dislike for one Lebron James AKA ‘LeQuit’. That being said, there is no doubt whatsoever that he is the MVP this season. He won’t win it, which is a disgrace, but can you name another player in the NBA that can make his team among the elite in the game, leave and the aforementioned team sucks so bad that they win the draft lottery THREE times while failing to make the playoffs for four straight years, then come back to make the same team among the elite once again? No you cannot. Also remember, the MVP is a regular season award, so you can bet come crunch time in the playoffs or NBA finals, something will come up with LeQuit that will cost the Cavaliers a championship. Mark it down. It WILL happen.
9. The Browns were of course in the news again this week but the news wasn’t that bad for fans of the team. The NFL handed down its punishment from the result of GM Ray Farmer sending text messages to coaches during games. The team wasn’t docked any draft picks, but Farmer will be suspended for the first four games of the season and the team was hit with a $250K fine. The punishment was fair. They shouldn’t have lost any draft picks. What Farmer did had absolutely no bearing on the outcome of any games. Now let’s hope the team can get some solid contributors in the draft. Here’s a hint. GO INTERIOR DL WITH YOUR FIRST PICK!
10. Boxing is once again on Free network TV this weekend! This time it will be on CBS. Like the March 7th NBC telecast that featured some of the top fighters in the world, this weekend will be no different. The Light Heavyweight division will be the focal point as the main event features the lineal Light Heavyweight Champion of the World, Adonis Stevenson against Sakio Bika. The opening bout will be between a battle of legit top 10 contenders in the same division as Ring Magazine #9 ranked Gabriel Campillo takes on #10 ranked Artur Beterbiev. Don’t miss it as there will surly be fireworks. The broadcast starts at 3PM ET.
11. Speaking of boxing, Cleveland’s Mickey Bey, the IBF World Lightweight titlist, is making the first defense of his title on April 30th in Las Vegas against Denis Shafikov in a fight that will be televised on ESPN2. Bey is a former US Olympian and is a slick boxer with great footwork and defense to go along with excellent hand speed. He is rated as the #4 Lightweight in the world by The Ring and is a member of Floyd Mayweather’s famed TMT.
***Update 4/3. The fight is now off as the two promoters, Mayweather Promotions and Top Rank couldn’t compromise. Instead the fight will be promoted by the highest bidder. Stay tuned for more details.
12. Okay enough about sports. When I do find time to relax and watch something on TV non sports related, it usually consists of something comedy related. I’ll admit, I am a bit of a sitcom guy. Right now there are two shows that I am extremely enjoying. Broad City and Fresh off the Boat. If you enjoy laughing and want to take the edge off, I suggest these two silly shows. Below is the trailer for one of the shows.
13. And finally I’m a bit of a sneaker head. Don’t judge me. Picked up a fresh pair of Kyrie 1’s last week. If you want to be cool like me go cop yourself a pair as well.
My new Kyrie’s
Browns head coach Mike Pettine isn’t concerned, but he should be
Posted: June 11, 2014 in Browns, FootballTags: Cleveland Browns, Johnny football, Johnny Manziel, NFL
@Deadspin not the greatest of pics, but here's Manziel enjoying some X games after party festivities in Austin at Rio pic.twitter.com/PqZNr4TB3F
— Eric (@Ekydoog_Cire) June 7, 2014
Spraying champagne while floating on a blow up swan sounds like fun for a 22 year old doesn’t it? Of course it does. I mean, who wouldn’t call that a fun day? Jokes aside, for a guy that was angry about being passed up until the 22nd pick of the draft, Johnny Manziel sure is acting like that really didn’t bother him after all.
The apologists say, “He’s just doing what any young guy would be doing.” Really? Is Manziel the only 22 year old that was drafted into the NFL last month? I don’t think so.
Then there’s this one. “We are seeing Johnny doing these things because the camera’s follow him around.” Let me be the whistleblower here for all the naïve people that believe this nonsense. The reason why Manziel gets the attention he’s receiving is because he’s putting himself in the position to allow it to happen. If any of the other top quarterbacks in the league were acting in the same manner as “Johnny Football” their faces would be all over the internet and news outlets everywhere as well. The fact of the matter is, the other quarterbacks AREN’T doing the things that Manziel is doing, therefore the cameras AREN’T following them.
For the record I have no problem with players going out and having a good time. I’m all for it. When Josh Gordon or Joe Haden are partying on W. 6th St in the Warehouse district it’s not a big deal. Want to know why? Because they’re not quarterbacks!
Quarterbacks are treated differently than other players in the NFL, as they should be. They’re a rare breed. A top notch QB can be all the difference between a contender and a pretender. They’re supposed to be boring off the football field. We don’t want a quarterback that is getting headlines nationally every week for doing things away from the game. There are four top level QB’s in the league (Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and Aaron Rodgers). When is the last time we’ve seen any of them acting in the same manner that Manziel does? I’ll answer that for you. Never.
To put it simplistically, Manziel needs to grow up and start acting like he wants to be a starting quarterback in the NFL and not the president of a college fraternity. Enough of the money signs. Enough of the poppin’ bottles. Enough of traveling coast to coast every weekend when his team is in the middle of their off-season workouts.
Manziel wanting to blow off some steam after a rigorous season just finishing up would be understandable, but to do so in the middle of off-season workouts? That just adds to the immaturity he’s shown since winning the Heisman Trophy after his redshirt freshman year. It hasn’t even been a year since he was kicked out of the Manning Passing academy. Or how about how he had to broadcast to the world how he couldn’t wait to leave College Station because of a parking ticket he received.
Head coach Mike Pettine and General Manager Ray Farmer should have a heart to heart with Manziel or he’s just going to be another “bust” that had the talent, but threw it away because his mind wasn’t sturdy enough.
Notes and a prediction on the Idaho Potato Bowl
Posted: December 14, 2012 in FootballTags: Chuckie Keeton, Dan Molls, Idaho Potato Bowl, Kerwyn Williams, Terrance Owens, Toledo Rockets, Utah State Aggies
Idaho Potato Bowl. Saturday, December 15th. 4:30 pm. TV: ESPN
Toledo Rockets (9-3) vs Utah St Aggies (10-2)
Offense vs Defense & Offense vs (Lack of) Defense
-Toledo’s potent offense averages 456 yards/game, while Utah St is allowing just 325 yards/game. Something has to give there. Utah St, meanwhile, has a high-powered offense of their own, averaging 462 yards/game, while Toledo’s defense is horrid, allowing 464 yards/game.
QB play
-Utah St has the best QB you may have never heard of in Chuckie Keeton. He’s thrown for over 3,000 yards, while completing over 67% of his passes, with 27 touchdowns vs just 9 interceptions. He is also a threat on the ground, rushing for over 500 yards, with another 7 touchdowns. He threw for over 300 yards in 3 of the last 4 games to end the season. Toledo will counter with Terrance Owens, who sat out the finale with an ankle injury, but had a solid season himself. Owens threw for over 2,600 yards, while rushing for nearly 400 despite not starting the season as the starter.
Williams vs Molls
-Toledo linebacker Dan Molls lead the country with an amazing 166 tackles on the season. Over the final 6 games he had no less than 13 tackles in a single game including 18 twice!! Utah St running back Kerwyn Williams will look to avoid Molls as he has rushed for over 1,000 yards and averaged 131 yards/game over the final 3 games of the season.
Another razor close finish?
-Three of the last six Idaho Potato Bowls have been decided by a single point! Utah St is a double-digit favorite in this one, and will have a definitive crowd edge. The Aggies won 6 in a row to close out the season, while the Rockets lost 2 of their last 3. No one point margin this year. Aggies win 45-27.
A few thoughts on the New Mexico Bowl
Posted: December 14, 2012 in FootballTags: Arizona Wildcats, Ka'deem Carey, Nevada Wolf Pack, New Mexico Bowl, Stefphon Jefferson
Since I work and contribute mightily to the finest College football publication in the world, Phil Steele’s College Football Preview, I thought I might as well give my insight on the bowls.
Let me start by saying, I love the bowls. While some think that the bowls are dumb and pointless, that is an ignorant statement to make. The young men playing each week strive to make a bowl game. Not every team can play for a National Championship and getting to a bowl game is a great incentive after a successful season. One of the main goals for each college team entering the season is becoming bowl eligible. Teams that make a bowl also get extra practices leading up to the bowl, which greatly helps a lot of the younger players on the roster.
Okay, without further adieu, here are a few thoughts on the first bowl game of the 2012 season:
New Mexico Bowl. Saturday, Dec 15th. 1:00 pm. TV: ESPN
Nevada Wolf Pack (7-5) vs Arizona Wildcats (7-5)
All offense, no defense
-Each team averages over 500 yards of total offense/gm, while allowing over 400 on defense!
Run, run, run
-Two of the nations finest running backs square off in this battle. ‘Zona’s Ka’deem Carey finished as the #1 rusher in the country with 1,757 yards, averaging 6.4 yards/carry, with 20 rushing touchdowns. He closed out the season in tremendous fashion, averaging 247 rushing yards over the last three games, including a record-setting 366 yard, 5 td performance vs Colorado! Not to be outdone, the Wolf Pack’s Stefphon Jefferson finished right behind Carey with 1,703 yards, averaging 5.0 yards/carry, with 22 rushing touchdowns. He is averaging 125 rushing yards over the last 6 games of the season with 11 rushing td’s in that span.
Huge schedule difference
-While both teams have identical records, Arizona has played a much tougher schedule, having taken on the likes of Oklahoma St, Oregon, Oregon St, Stanford, USC, & UCLA. Nevada did however, play one Pac-12 team this year in Cal, whom they defeated on the road in the season opener.
Blowout or close?
-The last two New Mexico Bowls have ended in blowout fashion. While Arizona will win, Nevada won’t go down without a fight. Arizona wins 45-38.
Best bets for Saturday, Sept 29th
Posted: September 29, 2012 in FootballTags: bestbets, football, handicapping
Okay, time to right the ship now. A dissapointing 2-3 mark a week ago as Florida State defeated Clemson soundly, but failed to cover and Bowling Green had 4 trips into Va Tech territory but failed to score while only being outgained by 100 total yards. For today’s games I’m going with:
UCF -2 over Missouri
Oregon State +3 over Arizona
Virginia Tech -6.5 over Cincy
Duke +2 over Wake Forest
Best Bets for Saturday, September 22
Posted: September 22, 2012 in FootballTags: bestbets, football, handicapping
It’s that time of the week again. A quick recap on how I finished last week. While the Eagles defeated the Ravens, they failed to cover the 2.5 line. Meanwhile the Jets laid an egg against the Steelers. That left me with my first weekend under .500 on the season, as I went 2-3. Overall on the season I am 7-7-1. A great day to bounce back as there are a ton of games that made my list. I’ve narrowed it down to five games for today!!!
Without further adieu:
Florida State -14 over Clemson
Oklahoma -16 over Kansas State
Georgia -15 over Vanderbilt
Bowling Green +16.5 over Va Tech
Penn State -7 over Temple
7 things I know that you should know too
Posted: September 21, 2012 in Browns, Buckeyes, Football, IndiansTags: Bo Pelini, Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Indians, college football, Devon Walker, Ohio State Buckeyes, Texas Longhorns, Tulane Green Wave, Willie Taggert, WKU Hilltoppers
1. One of the games I charted two weeks ago was the Tulsa vs Tulane matchup. While the game went entirely Tulsa’s way, Devon Walker, a DB from from Tulane suffered a broken neck on the last play of the first half. It was reported that he actually stopped breathing before being revived. I ask that you all pray for Devon, a former walk-on, who worked his tail off to become a scholarship athlete. Tulane has also set up a Devon Walker fund at: http://www.tulane.edu/devonwalker
2. That leads me to a game that I charted last week between Nebraska and Arkansas State. After having his pulse checked during the first half, Bo Pelini was taken to the hospital during halftime as a precaution. While he checked out fine, it served as a reminder of the grind these coaches go through. I know most of them make a TON of money, but still, it shouldn’t be at the benefit of your health. Money can buy a lot of things, but it can’t buy health.
3. The Texas Longhorns may be ranked #12 in the latest AP poll, but in no way are they the 12th best team in the country. Yes, they defeated an overmatched Ole Miss squad by the score of 66-31, but their defense gave up way too many big plays, coupled with a 100 yd kickoff return on special teams.
4. The most underrated coach in College Football is WKU’s Willie Taggert. And it’s not even close. He’s turned the Hilltoppers completely around and he doesn’t need to use the gimmicky uptempo, spread offenses that so many college coaches use these days. He is doing it with a smashmouth, westcoast, run orientated brand of football taught to him first by Jack Harbaugh, and then by Jim Harbaugh. After his playing days were over at WKU, Taggert was an assistant under Jack at his alma mater, then an assistant under Jim at Stanford. And i’m not saying it because of his win over Kentucky. I was more impressed with his ability to hang with LSU last year and Bama this year. The 35-0 loss to Bama was completely misleading. WKU was only outgained by 100 total yards. The score was so lopsided due to Bama forcing 4 turnovers. Oh yeah, and then there’s this. WKU had 6 sacks on the so called “greatest OL in college football!” I can see Taggert taking over for Derek Dooley at Tennessee in the very near future.
5. The Cleveland Browns are heading in the right direction. I know they are 0-2, but they have had a legitimate chance to win each game. This is a team that was considered by many as one of the 5 worst in the league this year. While many were upset after the opening loss to the Eagles, I wasn’t. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I don’t like the fact that they lost, but come on and be realistic. Did you even think they were going to make it a game leading into the season? The fact that they hung with one of the upper echelon teams in the NFL shows that they aren’t the pushovers they have been. They then answered that with a game on the road against the Bengals where they were an onside recovery from a final drive to tie the ball game.
6. The Cleveland Indians must have new ownership if they are ever going to compete for a World Series Championship. I really don’t need to expand on that point at all.
7. My beloved Ohio State Buckeyes will finish with the best record in the Legends division of the B10 this year. I know they didn’t look so hot versus Cal last week, but Urb will right the ship and their real only competition, Wisconsin, is not the Wisconsin team that you are used to seeing. If you think the Buckeyes have struggled, look at the Badgers barely escaping with wins at home against Northern Iowa & Utah State, and losing at a not so talented Oregon State squad.
Castro's Kingdom 