Too Much to Ask

Last night I was witness to one of the most disheartening losses of my sports fan life. My alma mater, the mighty Bowling Green Falcons, lost to those thugs from Toledo 49-41. We were up 27-7 at halftime. That's a 20 point lead, 20! And it was all gone and we were down be 8 by the end of the 3rd quarter. I have to blame this loss squarely on the shoulders of our defense. I mean honestly, if you score 41 points you should win the game. Our D gave up 28 in the 3rd quarter and couldn't stop UT on a 4th and 2 that would have given us the ball back down by 8 with 2 minutes to play.

The offense was great. Omar Jacobs threw for over 400 yards and 4 tds, and no picks. That means for the regular season (let's hope there's a bowl season) he threw 36 tds and 3 picks. That's a 12 to 1 ratio. And this kid is a sophomore. Its a crime that he's not a finalist for the Davey O'Brien Award. PJ Pope ran for 98 and had 10 catches for 134 and 2 scores. He did everything that the best RB in the MAC should do to help his team win. It's too bad he couldn't play defense. It really was ridiculous. How many times has it happened in NCAA history that you have a qb throw for over 400 yards, 3 receivers over 90 yards, and a tailback over 95 yards and still lose the game? If you have any defense at all it shouldn't happen. Obviously some UT fraternity guys jumped out D at halftime, tied them up and dropped them in the ghetto and then put on their jersey's and mascarated as our D in the 2nd half. What a joke.

I guess it was just too much to ask for my teams to go 3-0 in big rivalry games. And this did happen the last time we went to the Glass Bowl in 2002, but it wasn't quite this drastic. BG was up 24-21 at half and lost 42-24. For some reason it seems that Fat Tom Amsteutz is a great halftime adjuster despite his turkey neck.

So now the Falcon nation holds our collective breath to see if we get a bowl at 8-3. If not, it will be the 3rd time in 4 years that we get bypassed. And all 4 seasons we had 8 wins or more. BG has 36 wins in the last 4 years and to this point have 1 bowl bid to show for it. No other team in the nation can make that claim. Its not hard to understand why Urban Meyer jumped at the chance to get out of the MAC.

But now that my stress game is out of the way for this week, I am looking forward to the greatest football weekend of the year, yes, Thanksgiving. Food and football, I don't know if it gets any better. And the football weekend is 4 days long. 4 days of football. College and pro, God what a great country. I'm looking forward to gorging myself Thursday then falling asleep while Peyton Manning throws 6 tds against the Lions. Then I'll wake up in time to watch part of the Bears and Boys, and I'll probably even watch most of the Backyard Brawl. Pitt and WVU don't get the credit they should for being a great rivalry. You're talking about a part of the country where football is life. Pittsburgh is a blue collar, nose to the grind stone kind of town that fell in love with football the first time it was played. And when you talk about WVU football you're talking about one of only two thing in the state of West Virginia. The other being Marshall football. There's a reason that these teams sell out every game and why Bowls jump all over them; because there's nothing else to do in that state.

Do you know what one of the greatest ways to break up a work day is? Go to 7-11 and get a Slurpee. It just makes the rest of the day great. And if you're not mixing your Slurpee flavors you're missing the boat.

I know that I have ranted in the past about the Browns inemptitude during the draft, but it must be something about Cleveland teams because the Cavs haven't been much better. Since Jim Paxson has taken over the team we have had some bad picks. BAD. Diop, Mihm, and Wagner just to name a few. About the only one he got right was LeBron and that's because that was put on a silver platter right in front of him. This is the same organization that during one draft (1986) picked Brad Daugherty (Cavs all-time scoring leader), Mark Price (NBA career free throw % leader), and Ron Harper (4 or 5 time NBA champ). What the hell happened?

I work for the Washington Nationals. And over the last 2 years I really got the feeling that the Expos were the red headed stepkids of MLB. You know, everybody laughs and makes fun of us and we get overlooked for everything. Its why I coined the phrase "You start talkin' bad about the 'Spos, I'm gonna start throwin' blows." But the royal screw job came this year to probably the nicest guy on the team. Mike Matheny won the Catchers Gold Glove this year for the NL. That's great, he's a very good defensive catcher, but in my opinion he won it on reputation. Brian Schneider should have won that award. He was the only regular catcher in the majors to throw out 50% of baserunners (no one else was even close), he made 2 errors (to Matheny's 1), and had 4 passed balls (to Matheny's 2). Oh, and by the way he started 15 more games than Matheny, caught 137 more innings, had 74 more chances, recorded 72 more putouts, and was in on 6 more double plays. And he had to do this becuase our backup catcher was a bum. Ask any ML catcher if 137 innings is a lot, and what kind of wear that puts on your body. Going into August Schneider hadn't made an error. Obviously the two he made in the last 2 months were from fatigue. Yet he still only made 2! Hey Rawlings, open your eyes. Maybe they'll get it right next year when Schneider's playing in that media frenzy that will be DC.

And finally, I'm glad that Grant Hill is back playing well in the NBA. He's the kind of classy guy that this league full of show boaters and maniacs needs. You can definitely tell his father has had a big impact on him. Calvin Hill was always a gritty, hard working, class act in his days in the NFL. And any guy that was part of the Kardiac Kids I have to love. So keep on keepin' on Grant. And if he does, watch out for the Magic.

That's it...have a happy Turkey Day.

What a Weekend

I proudly will admit that I was wrong. I honestly didn't think that Ohio State had much, if any, chance against Michigan. I mean seriously. Our offense has been bad, our defense not great, and the only thing we had going was good special teams play. Talk about picking your spots. The offense played like they did when Hoying and George were in the backfield and Galloway and Glenn were running post patterns. The defense shut down the Big 10's leading rusher. And I mean to the tune of 61 yards shut down. And our special teams were as good as they have ever been (but that should be a given with Jim Tressel as your coach).

37-21!!!

37 freaking points!!! Against a good veteran defense. The Buckeyes finally fulfilled the potential that had given them a top 10 preseason ranking. And it was pretty obvious that Dick Tressel (Jim's crazy and liberal brother) had a say in the offense. Each time we lined up Michigan looked confused. Running and pointing all over the field. It was great. This is the type of offense that Troy Smith was born to play in. Let him run and create, that's when he's at his best.

A few points that became glaringly obvious during this game. Troy Smith is the qb for this team. He leads on the field, he never looks shaken (even under heavy pressure which happened quite a bit Saturday), and he can make a play out of nothing. His long run in the 3rd quarter took the wind out of UM for good. On 3rd and 8 UM wrapped up every OSU receiver, but one problem, no spy for #10. 38 yards later it was 1st and 10 and we eventually scored a TD. I was a huge Justin Zwick fan in the preseason. And I think he can still be a good qb. But during his starts he just looked lost and frazzled. And it showed. He constantly threw behind receivers and doesn't have the same ability to run that Smith has.

Ted Ginn, Jr. has to be mentioned in the same breath as Peterson and Hart as one of the best freshman in the nation. He has great field awareness and did I mention that he runs like a gazelle. His punt return in the 3rd quarter was awesome. I was sitting in my office watching the game (thanks Jesus) with 2 of my co-workers. They were preoccupied looking at the Pacers-Detroit fan fight from the night before on my computer. After Ginn made the first guy miss I tapped one of them on the back and his reaction was the same as mine...GONE! Wait until he's playing both sides of the ball next year. He WILL be a Heisman Candidate. He'll make Chris Gamble look like a bum. Oh, and he's Smith's go to high school buddy. Anytime he needs to hit a big throw he looks for Ginn. Works for me.

Troy Smith was finally able to get the ball to Santonio Holmes. Smith's focus has been on Ginn since he took over as the starter. But Holmes is the best pure receiver on that team and he showed it Saturday. Now if we could just get Ryan Hamby (only the best TE in the Big 10) involved we'd be great.

The defense finally played like its capable of playing. And was it coincidence that three of our starting dbs were back from injury. Dustin Fox did get burnt twice by Braylon Edwards, but it was in the 4th quarter when the game was basically over, and it is Braylon Edwards. Nate Salley and Donte Whitner made big plays and big hits all day. You can't under estimate the impact that 2 experienced safties can have on a defense. It allows everyone else to cut it loose because they know that there are two guys back there that can cover any mistakes.

One tendency that I have noticed since Mike D'Andrea got hurt is that Anthony Schlegel has a lot of problems getting off blocks. Apparently Big 10 blockers are a little bigger and more physical than Mountain West blockers. I don't know why John Kerr hasn't gotten a chance to play (he could have gotten hurt in practice and I missed it) . Indiana maybe a cellar dweller, but it's still the Big 10.

With all of this said it looks like the Bucks will end up in El Paso on New Year's Eve playing in the Sun Bowl. Not great after playing in the Fiesta the last two years, but when you figure that we started 0-3 in conference play I'll take it. We will play the Pac 10 #3 team. Which as of now could be one of 3 teams. Arizona State, UCLA, or Oregon State. Of these 3 I would much rather play UCLA b/c of their lack of a veteran qb, but they have to beat USC to get in, not gonna happen. So its either going to be Andrew Walter (ASU) or Derek Anderson (OSU). 2 senior, successful qbs who will want to go out as winners. Walter hung 44 on the Iowa D in September. The same D that held Ohio St. to 7. Scary. But ASU has no running game, and if there's one thing the Buckeyes can do is handle the pass attack (bend but don't break). ASU finishes up with Arizona so you never know what could happen.

Moving onto Sunday. The Browns are an awful team. We just can't put it all together on the same Sunday. The defense was great the entire game. When you only surrender 10 points in an NFL game you're doing something right. And that something was blitzing on Sunday. Dave Campo finally figured out that our front four isn't very good and we finally got pressure on a qb. But as good as the defense was the offense was equally bad. 7 points. That's ridiculous. And Phil Dawson missed 2, yes 2 field goals. He hadn't missed 1 all season. And he missed from 42 and 37, very makeable and in his range. That team kills me.

Congratulions to the Gators and Ron Zook. They won for the first time at FSU since 1986 and Zook will leave Gainsville as a favorite among his players and most fans. In my mind when Spurrier quit the UF hiring crew knew that the coach that follows a legend never does well. With that in mind they went with a guy that was relatively unknown but had UF ties. A sacrificial lamb if you will. With the talent he has there is no reason this UF team shouldn't be in the BCS hunt. In my opinion, he's too much of a players coach and not enough of a disciplinarian. And you can see it on the field with all of the stupid penalties. Its the same reason that Mike Tice will never win a title in Minnesota. Lack of DISCIPLINE!

I don't mind end zone cameras, but please don't show me live play from that vantage point. I think Joe McGrail summed it up best Saturday when he said "There's a reason why 50 yard line tickets are the most expensive." I have no problem with seeing a replay from the end zone. But I want to see the entire game from the sideline cam.

And finally. My alma mater takes on the hated Toledo Rockets Tuesday night on ESPN2. I don't think that I could be more excited for this game. We NEED to win to keep our slim bowl hopes alive. And as an added bonus it would keep UT from winning the West. But the Glass Bowl has not been kind to us the last couple of trips. 2002 42-24 and 2000 51-17. Of course the 2000 game was BU (before Urban). This team has the fire power to beat any mid level opponent and give any big school a game (ask Oklahoma). If we win tomorrow night it will put my 3 biggest rivalries at the amateur level at a 3-0 record. New Philadelphia H.S. over Dover High 21-20 in their 100th meeting, OSU over UM 37-21, and my BG over UT prediction...BG 48-UT 27. Omar Jacobs throws 4 tds and PJ Pope runs wild through the UT secondary for 150 yards and a couple of scores. Our special teams WILL make a big play. Either a turnover or a big return. They've been doing it all year and it won't stop tomorrow. This is one of the best rivalries for my money. You can fit a lot of hatred into 20 miles and Tuesday night it will all spill onto the turf at the Glass Bowl.

GO FALCONS!!!

Big Weekend

This is one of the biggest weekends in college football. They call it rivalry weekend because that's exactly what it is. There are all kinds of arguements on what rivalry is the best/biggest. To me it doesn't really matter because they're all great games. I'm going to talk about three.

Auburn vs. Alabama

The Iron Bowl. Named for good reason because this game is tough. The state of Alabama doesn't have a major pro sports team so this is their Super Bowl. Bragging rights for the next year, marriages, and sibling rivalries depend on this game. Auburn is flat out awesome this year. But Bama is no slouch. Mike Shula has put a good product on the field in his second season at the helm. But not having Brody Croyle at qb will hurt them big time against that awesome Auburn D. Bama D will keep the first half close, but Auburn will pull away in the second half and put them away.
Score: Auburn 34-Bama 17

Florida vs. Florida State

A rivalry born out of jealousy and hate. For many years UF wouldn't give FSU the time of day, let alone play them in football. And for the first years of the rivalry UF dominated. Both teams were pretty even through the '90s and even into the new millenium. But one thing seperates FSU from UF the last couple of years, DEFENSE! UF's defense, of all things, has fallen off since Spurrier left. And FSU's D has been as strong as ever. The only thing that keeps FSU from winning the National Title is a horrible offense. Hey Bobby, maybe its time to yank your kid out of the coaches box and get someone up there who knows what their doing. This game will be nip and tuck the whole way with the strength of each team controlling the weakness of the other. In the end I don't think that the UF staff can call a consistent enough game to win.
Score: FSU 27-UF 23

Michigan vs. Ohio State

I'm an OSU fan. Born and raised. And to me this is the best rivalry in College Football. But its really not. To me the rivalry has to be the biggest game on both team's schedules. And its not to true, Blue Michigan fans. Their biggest rival is Michigan St. Ask any "real" Michigan fan (this definatly does not include my wife). OSU stinks this year. Porous D and bad offense are not a good combination. Our special teams have been really good, and they will have to be great on Saturday. We'll need at least two big returns and about 3 FGs from Nugent to have a CHANCE to win. I've heard some people referencing OSU's upset in 2001 on why they will win Saturday. WRONG!!! That team could run the ball and we ran it right down UM's throat. Jonathan Wells had so many carries in the first half that he only played one series in the second half. But with this in mind I still think OSU will give them a game. As an Ohio boy through and through Jim Tressel has embraced this rivalry and he will have them ready to play their best game of the season. OSU's key to victory will be keeping Michael Hart under 100 yards rushing and controling Braylan Edwards. If they do that they win, hands down. I just don't think they can pull it off.
Score: UM 31-OSU 20

And while we're on College Football, will someone tell Bob Stoops to shut up. Shooting his mouth off about how ESPN is pushing Auburn because they're an SEC team. Well guess what, the SEC is the best conference in America and if you make it through undeated you should have a shot at the National Title. Stoops is scared of karma. He KNOWS Oklahoma shouldn't have been in the title game last year and they proved it by laying an egg against LSU. And now he's worried that what happened to USC last year will happen to OU this year. And it should. USC-Auburn would be a great game. To great, but different offenses, taking on two dominent defenses. I drool just thinking about it. And by the way, Stoops better issue that apolgy to Trev Alberts. He was one hell of a LB in college and I'm sure with the right motivation he can still lay one heck of lick on someone.

And while we're on coaches shooting their mouths off, will someone tell Tony Dungy to shut up. How can he say that the MNF intro is racist. Are you kidding me? If anything it showed T.O., who in Dungy's mind was representing every Black athlete, as a reserve gentlemen who just wanted to go to work. Nicolette Sheriden was the one seducing him. Its not like T.O. ambushed her and drug her into the shower by her hair. If Tony Dungy were put in that situation I think he would have had a tough time walking, let alone doing his job. I applaud ABC for their shameless self promotion. The NFL is the most popular pro sports league in America and as a televisor they should get all they can out of it because they paid for the rights. Do you want to know why no is joining Tony Dungy? Because no one else wants to sound like militant idiot. Get out of here Tony Dungy.

Musings and Mutterings from the weekend that was...

Just some of my thoughts on the observations I made this past weekend.

My Cleveland Browns are a bad team. I feel betrayed that they tugged at my heart strings with a 3-3 start. Since then they've lost 3 straight. Grant it two were in heart breaking fashion, but losses just the same. This past weekend against the Steelers attacked a different part of the anatomy, kicking our butts.

Even though he's 37, I was a little saddened to see the Cleveland Indians not resign Omar Vizquel. Omar is the only hold over from what I like to call the "Glory Days". And even though it appears the Indians are heading back in the right direction, I think that Omar's clubhouse presence will be sorely missed in a lockeroom full of young guys.

The Auburn Tigers are the best team in college football. I thought that Georgia would at least give them a game, but I was sorely mistaken. David Greene played like the mediocre qb that he is and the Auburn tailbacks played like the two All-Americans that they are. And did I mention the Tiger defense. Their line can bring pressure w/o a blitz, their linebackers can run all day, and their defensive backfield maybe the best in the nation.

Even though I'm from the Midwest I have to admit that the SEC has the best stadiums and atmospheres in the country. Let's run down the list: The Swamp (UF), Neyland (UT), Bryant-Denny (Bama), Jordan-Hare (Auburn), Death Valley (LSU), William Bryant (USC), Sanford (Georgia), and even Reynolds in Arkansas. And what adds to the mystique of these stadiums is that the SEC plays a lot of night games. With those crowds, under the lights, I don't know how anyone ever goes into these places and wins.

My Bowling Green Falcons beat up on the Marshall Thundering Herd Saturday 56-35. Yes 56 points on the #1 defense in the conference. The same defense that held UGA to 13 and OSU to 24 points earlier in the season. Omar Jacobs IS the best qb that no one has ever heard of. He runs like a deer, has a cannon for an arm, and he has 32 TDs and only 2 ints this season. And he's only a sophomore. If he stays until his senior season he'll break every BG passing record.

Since we're on the topic I need to address the excuse for a team that is the 2004 OSU Buckeyes. The defense isn't close to what it has been, the offense is anemic, and our best shot of scoring each week is on special teams. The loss of D coordinator Mark Dantonio was greatly underestimated. Jim Tressel needs to give up the play calling duties. I liked the spread look this week, but we need to let Troy Smith run more and get him to throw to someone besides Ted Ginn. Ginn's great, but we have two potential All-Americans in Santonio Holmes and Ryan Hamby. And one more point, if our defensive backfield is so depleted by injury, then why isn't Ginn playing CB. That's what he was recruited as, so let him play back there. I'm a big believer in getting your #1 playmaker on the field for as many snaps as possible. Miami has figured that out about Devin Hester and its worked out pretty well for them.

I watched the LSU-Bama game Saturday night. I was pretty disappointed. I thought that the Bama defense would eat up the bad LSU offense. But Bama's D just didn't show up. The will be up for the Auburn game and could give them some problems early. But that Tiger running game will wear them down. And Bama's offense is a shadow of itself without Brody Croyle playing qb.

As I was driving the car to the bar Sunday to watch the Browns lose again, "Another Bites the Dust" by Queen came on. That reminded me of probably my favorite commercial of all time. See if you can recall...Hearse driving down the road leading a funeral procession thumping "Another One Bites the Dust" out of its Pioneer system while the navigator yells at people out of the window. Just thinking of that commercial makes me laugh. Death isn't funny, but commercials about it are.

I'm not ashamed to say that I like country music. Not all country music, but a lot of it. Especially old stuff like Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and Merle Haggard. Its a nice change of pace from time to time.

I know its early, but the Cleveland Cavs are a good team. It appears that Paul Silas has found the right mix of running and half court play. Which is important. While we have the 2nd best "true" center in the east (Big Z), we are also very undersized the rest of the way. Drew Gooden is the NBA's biggest anti-power forward and Z's backup is "Tractor" Traylor. He might be 7' wide. But we've got the best trump card in the league; LeBron. He's ridiculous. If he can keep up his current pace (which I don't think he will b/c he's playing too many minutes) he would become the youngest player to lead the league in scoring. Taking the title from another former Ohio phenom, Oscar Robertson.

I stopped drinking at half time of the Browns game this weekend. Not even alcohol could make that team look good.

One of my best friends from my childhood is getting married. Even though I don't keep in touch with him anymore I'd like to say Congratulations to Josh Stephens and his bride to be. I met Josh in 1st grade and we were great friends the rest of the way. We lost touch in college, but that happens.

Its amazing how much slower the day goes when you don't have an excuse to get out of the office. So you try to pass the time by posting a story on your blog page.

My wife is a televisionholic. Don't get me wrong, I watch a lot of TV, but she's ridiculous. Let me run down here weekly schedule...
Mondays: Two and a Half Men, CSI: Miami
Tuesdays: NYPD Blue
Wednesdays: West Wing, CSI: NY
Thursdays: Joey, Will & Grace, CSI:, ER
Fridays: Monk
These are nightly tapings b/c she is usually in bed at 9. Ridiculous, I don't know how our VCR still works.

Gill Grissom and Billy Goren are the two smartest characters on TV today. If you are not familiar with them, Gill is the head CSI on the original CSI, and Goren is the head detective on Law and Order Criminal Intent. Geniuses.

Homer Simpson is still the funniest character on TV. Followed closely by George and Kramer from Seinfeld reruns.

And finally the Ohio State-Michigan game is this weekend. I don't have the brightest outlook for this year's game. I'd love to reference our 2001 win when UM was great and we were bums and we went up there and beat them down. But one big problem this year, we can't run the ball! Let's just say I'm glad that I won't be watching the game with my wife (big UM fan). Instead I'll be at work watching while I'm "supervising" a Christian concert. My prediction: UM 32, OSU 15. Mike Nugent kicks 5 field goals tying his school record. It will be the only bright spot as we finish the regular season 6-5. Thank God Tressel is still in his 5 year grace period after the National Title.

My NFL Pain

I remember watching the NFL Draft this past year. It is always one of my favorite days of the year. It's a great excuse to sit and watch sports all day during a time of year when its not really done too often. I freely admit that there have been many weekends this fall when I haven't walked outside my apartment because I've been so enthralled by both College and NFL Football. I love the thought of a great college player falling through the cracks and someone realizing it in the 5th or 6th round and scooping up a future Hall of Famer (see Terrell Davis, God I hate the Broncos).

But alas, I realize this will never happen as long as Butch Davis is around the Cleveland Browns. Now don't get me wrong, he's taken this team to the next level, up from the cellar Chris Palmer had them in, but they're far from the Penthouse. This is the organization that decided we need to take a quarterback in the 6th round of the 2000 Draft so we took Spergon Wynn from SW Texas St with the 183rd pick. The Patriots took Tom Brady with the 199th pick. Quality.

Butch has come in and run everyone out of town. Hell, the owner even died after he showed up. Great and successful football minds like Carmen Policy and Dwight Clark, gone. I'm Butch Davis, bitch. Its my way or the highway (See Kevin Johnson for proof of this).

Anyways, back to this years draft. I was pretty sad because I ended up having to work that day, but there's a TV in my office, so I got to see most of the first round. Since the Browns have returned to the league, I have dreaded our first round pick. Honestly, I think we'd be better off trading it away every time it's in the top 16. And this year was no different.

The Browns had the 7th pick. Sandwiched in between the Lions at 6 and the Falcons at 8. Everything is going pretty much as planned. Washington takes Sean Taylor at 5. What happens next horrifies me. The Browns trade their 7th pick and their 2nd round pick to Detroit for their pick. In my mind, the Lions were slated to take one of two players, Kellen Winslow or Roy Williams. After we made the trade I knew exactly who we were taking. Straight out of the "U", Kellen Winslow. What, Butch Davis take a player from Miami, never (we are talking about the same man who has insisted on keeping James Jackson and Andre King even though both would struggle to start in NFL Europe).

I had my heart set on us drafting home town boy Ben Roethlisberger from Findlay, OH. Findlay, the small town 20 minutes south of my alma mater. The same alma mater that I saw Big Ben torch once as a freshman (in person) and twice as a junior. When we signed Jeff Garcia I didn't think anything of it. You can't just throw a rookie qb into the fire.

But instead we chose a tight end. The Browns haven't thrown to a tight end since the Oz retired in the early '90s. Our offense isn't set up for it. And did I mention that this guy comes off like a complete ass. God, I don't know how I make it through the football season each year without killing someone.

And now on top of us taking the wrong player (I will not argue this with anyone b/c we could have taken Roy Williams and I would have been happy), he's hurt. Done for the season after 2 games. Awesome, the line of great number one picks continue. Shall I run down the list? Of course...

1999-Tim Couch-I have no problem with this pick. We were new, we needed a face and a qb, Couch fit the
bill. One problem, he never threw a pass longer than 5 yards at KENTUCKY (not exactly football rich).
2000-Courtney Brown-Hated this pick from day one. I am always suspicious of guys who have breakout senior
seasons then are workout wonders and their "Draft Stock" climbs like Google stock. Brown has yet to
make it through an entire season, and when he does play he doesn't play like a #1 pick. But what kills me
most is that LaVar Arrington and Chris Samuels went 2 and 3. Both were college studs from day one and
both are in the Pro Bowl every season.
2001-Gerard Warren-Do I need to even elaborate on this debacle. If you are taking a defensive tackle with the
3rd overall pick he should be in the backfield every play. At least in college. But he wasn't. He's a bum.
2002-William Green-The jury is still out on "Willie". The only thing that burns me is we could have taken one of
Butch's Miami guys (Clinton Portis), but this time he held back and went with a guy who had both drug
and discipline problems at BC.
2003-Jeff Faine-Stud. Absolute stud. He'll be the center of our offensive line for at least 10 years (unless we
foolishly let him walk). By the time he's done he could be recognized as one of the best offensive linemen
in Browns history.
2004-Kellen Winslow-While he will be good eventually. He's stitting on the IR now, while Big Ben is winning
games for the Steelers and thinking of how he's going to beat our butts for the next 10 years.

So with this in mind, I guess my only ray of sunshine in this dark winter are the Cleveland Cavs. Did anyone see them come back and beat the Suns last night? That was the best Cavs game I have seen since Price was running the point. And hands down, there is no doubt in my mind that LeBron James will be recognized as the best player in the league within 3 years. He just decided they were going to win last night and he took over and no one could stop him.

Awesome.

At least someone in this town can get one draft right. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes. Nice job Jim. And keep on keepin' on, Butch.