7 is Heaven

Down 5-2 heading into the bottom of the eighth a three run outburst topped off by a Jhonny Peralta 2 run jack. Casey Blake wins it with a walk off bomb int he 11th. Is the magic back? Can we say the "P" word? Consider this:

The Tribe has 12 games left. If the Indians split those games, 6-6, Detroit would have to win its remaining 11 to force a tie.

The Final Dagger?

Kansas City Royals… never had a chance.

Chicago White Sox… left for dead long ago.

Minnesota Twins… pounded into submission.

The only thing left between the Cleveland Indians and the 2007 AL Central Division title is the nemesis that is the Detroit Tigers. The Browns and Lions used to battle it out in the 1950’s and 1960’s NFL when they were the most revered franchise in pro football. Ohio State and Michigan have been butting heads in the Big Ten for eons. The Cavs and Pistons is one of the NBA’s newest and feistiest rivalries today. It’s time to add the Indians and Tigers to the list.

This never has been a rivalry before because the Indians and Tigers have never been good at the same time. When the Tribe has flourished, the Motor City Kitties have floundered. When the Tigers have been strong the Erie Warriors have been weak. It’s taken over 100 year of the American League’s existence to finally get both franchises to be contenders at the same time.

I’ve always despised the Twins and hated the White Sox but the tigers have managed to piss me off this year. Maybe it’s calling for the stopwatch on Rafael Betancourt and then denying they had anything to do with it. Please, spare me the lame excuses. Maybe it’s alleged former ‘roid boy Pudge Rodriguez complaining about Travis Hafner standing on the back line of the batters box. Or maybe it’s the fact that they have hit over 10 Indians hitters this year, mostly during Tribe blow out wins, and the Indians have only hit 1. Maybe it’s just because Gary Sheffield is a total prick. I don’t know, but I just don’t like them.

But opportunity knocks. Three games. Four and a half game lead. Magic Number of 9. Jacobs Field. The pitching match-ups favor Detroit so the Tribe offense is going to have to step up. I’m looking at you Travis Hafner. The Tigers are hot, winners of 8 of their last 10, but the Indians have been in a groove as well. The Indians can wither put the Tigers out of their misery or create some indigestion for Tribe fans over the last week of the season.

It’s about time that the Detroit Tigers go swimming with the fishes… Uncle Eric you know what you and the boys have to do.

Out of Nowhere

Anyone who claims to have seen the Browns 51 point outburst coming is either Nostradamus or a liar, and last time I checked Nostradamus is dead.

Regardless, the hope for the 2007 season was restored when Leigh Bodden picked off Carson Palmer with less than 30 seconds left in the to preserve a 51-45 Browns victory in the highest scoring home game In Cleveland Browns history. In a game when defense was in short supply, the Browns D managed to force a couple of punts, cause a fumble and intercept two passes when it needed to.

The defensive line still looks horrible, but the overall speed of the defense is night and day compared to last season, limiting the number of big plays by one of the league best WR tandems, Ocho Cinco and TJ Whosyourmama. Rookie CB Eric Wright and hobbled CB Leigh Bodden gave up a ton of catches and a ton of yards but in the end they managed to win, even with a depleted secondary.

Brodney Pool left the game early when he concussed himself on a bone rattling tackle that earned, and rightfully so, a 15 yard unnecessary roughness penalty. Daven Holly dressed, but did not play, after being taking a cheap shot from Hines Ward last week. Mike Adams and Kenny Wright filled in, but more often than not, you didn’t notice, which is good.

The highlight on the day was obviously the debut of the “Air Chud” offense. And what a debut it was. Derek Anderson looked tight on the first series, quickly going 3 and out with two awful throws, but took a deep breath and tied the franchise record for TD passes in a single game with 5 (along with over 300 passing yards) and could have easily had 7 if he didn’t overthrow Joe J after recovering his own fumble and missing an open K2 on 3rd and Goal from the 1. This was the DA the Browns hoped would emerge in Training Camp this year but did not. Maybe trading Charlie Frye was really necessary for the mental stability of DA and Quinn. This does temper the need to rush Quinn in and buy him some time to sit back and learn which, despite what some others think, is a good thing.

The ball was spread out as both Braylon Edwards and K2 had over 100 yards receiving. Edwards and Jurevicius both had 2 TDs while Winslow pulled in another. Steve Heiden and Lawrence Vickers added key catches and the Browns executed a Josh Cribbs end around to perfection. The Browns actually utilized their weapons for the first time since the 2002 Wild Card Game and were aggressive and went for the win instead of playing not to lose. A nice change in offensive philosophy.

The only frustrating thing was the continued obsession with Vickers. I am instituting “The Lawrence Vickers Commandment” which states, “Thou shall not give the ball to Lawrence Vickers on 3rd or 4th Down when the yardage is 1 or less.” Fourth and 1, stuffed, enough said. Also, it is painfully obvious that Tim Carter may be fast but he is not good. What does that say about Travis Wilson if he can not make the dress squad? Put K2 or Cribbs in the slot and Heiden at TE in 3 wide sets, please and thank you.

Hands down the best thing about the game… offensive line. Holy crap! Jamal Lewis, 215 yards, and he looked frisky when doing it. He wasn’t kidding when he said he gets stronger as the game goes and the opposing D wears down. Sweet Lord, 8.0 yards per carry! And most of that was on the left side where Thomas, Steinbach and Fat Hank Fraley just mauled the Bengals and Seth McKinney could pull and lead Lewis through the hole. This also eliminates a weakness by running away from the Human Parking Cone, Kevin Shaffer, brilliant! Its ok, because once Ryan Tucker is out of steroid de-tox in 2 weeks, the HPC will become a thing of the past. Thomas and Steinbach are just big, not fat, just big and muscular. Fraley and McKinney are two of the most athletic fat guys the Browns have had in years, and everybody loves a fat guy!

Best play of the game… The DA knee down to run out the clock and the smile on his face when the Referee let him keep the ball, his first win as an NFL starting QB. Quote of the day, “How about that, a division win!” said with a smile and a chuckle by Romeo Crennel, who despite taking some deserved criticism this year stays one of the classiest guys in the league. To be able to make fun of himself under all the scrutiny tells you the kind of person he is.

A good win, that must be enjoyed, but the Browns can not lose focus. A dangerous Oakland team is lurking. They have a legit D and have looked more than adequate on offense in new head coach Lane Kiffin’s system. They run the ball well with LaMont Jordan and that will give the Browns D troubles. They suffered 2 bitter losses in the first 2 weeks so they will be hungry and the Browns have a history of poor performances on the West Coast.

The Browns notched only their second divisional win in the last 3 years this week. They haven’t won 2 games in a row in over 3 years. It’s time for that to end this week.

A Flaming Bag of Dawg Poo

All the optimism for the 2007 Cleveland Browns season disappeared in a puff of smoke in the span of a 3 play, -3 yard, 1 minute and 10 seconds drive for the Browns and a 4 play, 22 yard, 2 minute and 1 second drive for the hated Pittsburgh Steelers.

Let's recap... after a touch back on the opening kickoff the Browns started off the 2007 season with a bit of trickery with a dive by Jamal Lewis off right guard for a gain of 2 yards. With the Browns Hall of Famers on hand to honor newly inducted Gene Hickerson, this play was more of a throwback to the "Metcalf up the Middle" plays of "Martyball", the pre-Super Bowl years of Bill Belichick and Trent Dilfer's best friend Maurice Carthon than to the Browns Glory years of the 40's, 50's and 60's. The 4 month installation of the new offense culminated with a hand off up the middle.

Unfortunately for all Browns fans, this was the best offensive play we would see for some time. It was followed up by a poorly thrown, yet catchable, slant from Charlie Frye that was dropped by Joe Jurevicius. This led to a 3rd and 8 in which RT Kevin Shaffer, the Human Parking Cone, was PANCAKED by Steelers DE Aaron Smith who sacked Frye for a 5 yards loss. Drive totals: 3 plays, -3 yards.

And just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, the Browns had to punt. Now normally this is no big deal. Dave Zastudil is one of the best punters in the NFL. But alas, he injured his back on Monday and the Brwons decided to play coy for a week and did not sign a punter until Saturday afternoon after auditioning 6 replacement Tuesday. It laster came out that Zastudil did not even try to attempt to punt until Saturday morning and at that time he told the Browns he could not punt after attempting a few kicks. Enter Paul Ernster, the punter for the Denver Broncos last season. He got a few snaps with long snapper Ryan Pontbriand Saturay afternoon, but no live practice.

This proved critical as when Pontbriand hit him right in the hands in the middle of Ernster's #7, Ernster dropped the ball and a Chinese Fire Drill ensued. This is an insult to all Chinese Fire Drills and I sincerely apologize. After succeeding, while in a frantic panic, to pick up the ball Ernster managed to avoid the rush, roll left and get off a rugby style kick that went 15 yards to the Browns 32. What you might have missed while watching this lunacy was the tsunami of yellow flags that rained upon the field. The Browns succeeding in doing something I had never seen before by committing 4 penalties on the play as a result of the botched punt. Antwaan Peek was guilty party #1 as he lined up off the line of scrimmage for an illegal formation. Jerome Harrison was forced to commit a holding penalty to give Ernster time to get off the punt. Same for David McMillian. The forth, and mercifully, last penalty was an illegal man down field due to one of the interior linemen releasing automatically. The holding penalty on Harrison was enforced giving the Steelers their first possession of 2007 on the Browns 22.

It took the Steelers 4 plays to hit Hines Ward on a fade rout to the right corner of the end zone over rookie CB Eric Wright for a 7-0 lead. When the Browns got the ball back on the ensuing kickoff, Charlie Frye began to unravel and looked lost and he scrambled for one yard before dropping back on the second play of the drive and hit Deshea Townsend right in the hands and to give the ball back to the Steelers on the Browns 17. The Browns D held them to a FG to keep it a manageable 10-0 deficit. The Browns and Steelers traded punts before Jamal Lewis fumbled and gave the Steelers on the Browns 40. Ben Roethlisberger promptly hit Santonio Homes on the first play of the drive for a 40 yard TD on a blown coverage by safeties Brodney Pool and Sean Jones and it was 17-0 Steelers, with 58 seconds left in the first quarter and the game was, for all intensive purposes, over.

Charlie Frye continued to look lost, over matched and incompetent and was pulled with 6:34 left in the second quarter. He lasted less than 25 minutes in which he was sacked 5 times, went 4-10 for 34 yards and was intercepted once. He looked completely and utterly confused and like he had no grasp of what to do or how to play quarterback in the NFL, holding the ball way to long and having little or no accuracy on his throws. Derek Anderson did not fair much better but did manage to lead the Browns to a score to avert being shut-out. The final score ended up being 34-7 Pittspuke, but it could have been much worse with the Steelers barely throwing in the second half and their receiving corps dropping a number of balls in the first.

Other glaring issues than the punting and QB debacles included the loss of 2006 defensive leader Brian Russell was evident as Sean Jones and Brodney Pool did not appear to on the same page the entire game. Rookie Eric Wright was picked on early and often, which was to be expected, but a veteran like Russell would have helped the kid out. Tim Carter, wearing #86, stirred echoes of scissors-handed Dennis Northcutt with a few drops throw right to him. I am dubbing this the "Curse of Brian Brennan" as the sure handed Brennan reliable wore #86 during the Browns' last period of relevance in the late 80's and early 90's. Those who have worn he number since can't seem to catch a ball cleanly. Both sides of the ball were plagued by stupid penalties which were reflected in the final stats as many were declined. And not to be outdone, Romeo Crennel went 0-2 on two awful, awful challenges int he first half that anyone could see were the correct calls. This drops him to 0-9 lifetime in Coaches' Challenges.

2007 was supposed to be the year the Browns turned the corner. They may not win many games but they were going to be a factor and be competitive. Well that went down the toilet in a matter of minutes and if that type of performance continues the Browns will struggle to beat anyone. Once again the management of this team from the top down comes into question. The smokescreen with the punters should have never happened. It's a frickin' punter, there is no competitive advantage to hiding that. All it would have cost you was cutting DB Jereme Perry a few days earlier and most likely resigning him when Zastudil was healthy. The joke of a QB competition was exposed in front of the national TV audience and the cries for Brady Quinn could be heard early int eh second quarter. To lose happens. To be man handled is not acceptable. To be embarrassed, at home, to your rival, who you play twice a year, who you have played twice a year for over 40 years, after prepping for 4 months, is down right inexcusable. The Browns lost by 27 points and it would have been more if the Steelers hadn't have called off the dogs. Only the Saints lost by more (31) but they were actually competitive for most of the game. The Browns were out of the game after the first series. The responsibility for that falls on Randy Lerner, Phil Savage, Romeo Crennel and the entire coaching staff.

Where the Browns go from here is a mystery. But one this is for certain. The cautious optimism of all Browns fans has turned into a haunting fear after Week #1 of the NFL season. The high powered Cincinnati Bengals visit the shore of Lake Erie this coming Sunday and they should be frothing at the mouth to face the Browns.

Browns Roster Thoughts

SPECIALISTS

Phil Dawson (K), Dave Zastudil (P), Ryan Pontbriand (LS)

No surprises here with Zastudil and Pontbriand two of the best at their craft. Zastudil could be a perennial Pro Bowler if the Browns could win some games. Everyone loves to whine about Phil Dawson but he is the franchise leader in FG accuracy, in the top 1/4 of the league in FG accuracy since 1999 and hasn't cost the Browns many games with crucial misses. If that starts happening then you can start whining.

SAFETIES

Mike Adams, Gary Baxter, Sean Jones, Brodney Pool

Jones needs to take it to the next level after a breakout season in 2006. Pool needs to step up with the departure of Brian Russell. The Browns may have prematurely taken Baxter of off the PUP List as he isn't ready to play and they may be wasting a roster spot. I hope he makes it back but an extra 6 weeks would have helped him. Interesting was the release of 2006 draft pick Justin Hamilton who looked good in spot action last year but awful in camp this year.

CORNERBACKS

Leigh Bodden, Daven Holly, Brandon McDonald, Jereme Perry, Eric Wright, Kenny Wright

Bodden and Eric Wright look to be a formidable tandem. Daven Holly won the nickel back job in camp. It will be interesting to see who plays in the dime as neither Kenny Wright, McDonald nor Perry looked great in pre-season. In fact they looked pretty bad and the fact that Perry made the squad was a big surprise. The Browns just may be keeping a safety net with the past history of injuries at the position.

LINEBACKERS

Andra Davis, Kris Griffin, D'Qwell Jackson, Willie McGinest, David McMillan, Antwaan Peek, Matt Stewart (IR), Chaun Thompson, Mason Unck (IR), Leon Williams, Kamerion Wimbley

A more than solid group all around. Wimbley and Peek looked like "mayhem and chaos" at OLB in the pre-season as the injury to Willie McGinest turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Davis and Jackson will man the middle at ILB but Leon Williams has looked good in spot duty. How they rotate the ILBs will be an interesting storyline. Chaun Thompson seemed to thrive in the jack-of-all-trades role he had last year and has been trust into that role again. McMillan is a pre-season all-American who hasn't done much and I can't seem to figure out how or why Griffin made the team. Stewart and Unck are out for the season but that will impact special teams minimally.

DEFENSIVE LINE

Simon Fraser, Ethan Kelley, Orpheus Roye, Robaire Smith, Shaun Smith, Ted Washington

It will be interesting to see how they rotate Big Ted and Shaun Smith at the nose. Big Ted is big but not much of anything else. Kelley has potential but has yet to fulfil it. End wise, Roye had a bad year last year and it getting up there in age. Robaire Smith was one of the Browns big free agent signings but didn't do much in the pre-season. Fraser is good in a rotation but lacks the skills to start. Shaun Smith should also see some time at end. The weakest unit on the team.

OFFENSIVE LINE

LeCharles Bentley (PUP), Kelly Butler, Nat Dorsey, Hank Fraley, Lennie Friedman, Seth McKinney, Kevin Shaffer, Isaac Sowells, Eric Steinbach, Joe Thomas, Ryan Tucker

The most improved unit on the team. With a line of Thomas, Steinbach, Fraley, McKinney and Tucker the Browns actually have a legit O-Line for the first time since 1995. The problem is with Steinbach being hurt in camp and Tucker suspended for 4 games it will be a while before they are together as a unit. Butler is a capable back up at tackle but Dorsey is awful. I don't know why he is on this roster at the expense of a younger guy they can develop. Lennie Friedman is a solid guard and we didn't even notice Steinbach was out during the pre-season. Kevin Shaffer, the Human Parking Cone (HPC) as dubbed by my pal Robbie, is serviceable at best but is by far the least athletic lineman the Browns have. They like Sowells and are grooming him to eventually take over at RG. I hope LeCharles makes it back but my gut says he won't be back until 2008. Fat Hank held down the fort quite at C nicely last season.

TIGHT ENDS

Darnell Dinkins, Steve Heiden, Kellen Winslow

If The Soldier is healthy, he may become one of the best TEs in football, even with his below average blocking. Who knew micro-fracture surgery was so simple... we hope. Heiden has been the Browns most consistent player since he arrived in 2001. He would start on most other teams. He will get tons of PT with Winslow's injury history. Dinkins is a big blocker but not much else. I thought they'd keep Ryan Krause, too, as he has been in the offensive system for 3 years but so be it... CUT!

WIDE RECEIVERS

Tim Carter, Josh Cribbs, Braylon Edwards, Joe Jurevicius, Travis Wilson

More questions at this position than any other. At least Josh Cribbs saved a roster spot by winning the PR job in camp. Has Edwards matured and can he produce to justify where he was drafted? Will they throw a pass to Joe before Week 6? Can Travis Wilson actually catch a pass? How will they use Josh Cribbs in offensive sets? Who is Tim Carter? Why was Norberg on the "I Luv U"? Why would Vincent Ludwig be involved in a plot to assassinate the Queen? And most importantly... Where the hell was I?

RUNNING BACKS

Charles Ali, Jerome Harrison, Jamal Lewis, Lawrence Vickers, Jason Wright

Lewis looks primed for a bounce back season, whether or not he has one will be seen. Wright and Harrison are both shifty out of the back field but are not your traditional back-up RBs. Vickers takes over at FB in a more traditional role and has some pass catching skills. Ali is the only undrafted rookie to make the squad and in what facet he contributes will be curious. Not a lot of depth here.

QUARTERBACK

Derek Anderson, Charlie Frye, Brady Quinn

The million dollar question. Who can lead this team? Anderson and Frye looked putrid in pre-season while Quinn shined. Eventually, Brady Quinn will be QB1. Week 1, it will be Charlie Frye. Will Anderson or Quinn be #2 on Opening Weekend is another question. It's actually simple. If the Browns win under Frye, he will continue to play. If they falter, we may see Quinn sooner than later. The wild card is Anderson. If Frye does falter, will Romeo go to Quinn or will Anderson be used as a stop gap? That may be why they kept Anderson over Ken Dorsey. That and the fact that the odds of someone claiming Ken Dorsey are slim. But don't be surprised if Dorsey returns in Frye or Anderson falters... or is traded.

PRACTICE SQUAD

Chris Barclay (RB), Jonny Harline (TE), Cliff Louis (OT), Tim Mixon (DB), Chase Pittman (DE), Melila Purcell (DE), Steve Sanders (WR), Syndric Steptoe (WR)

Pittman, Purcell and Steptoe are all 2007 draft picks. We'll see Steptoe if Cribbs can't handle returning punts. Pittman and Purcell don't really fit into a 3-4 based on their college programs but Pittman looked good in camp. Barclay was the camp darling but lacks the size to make a huge impact. We may see Sanders if Carter, Cribbs and Wilson can't lock down the 3rd receiver spot.

More talent than they have had recently but still lacking the depth and impact players of the rest of the AFC North. We'll see how they gel together and if they can put up more of a fight in 2007. The schedule is brutal but there needs to be extreme improvement to establish a foundation to build upon. I see 5-8 wins in the 2007 season depending on how the team gels with a new offense and whether or not Romeo Crennel is actually in control of this team. Regardless, I see the shadow of a man with a mustache and a prominent chin lurking in the distance...

Perfect Timing?

After what can only be described as a painful and arduous July and early August the Indians seem to have found their grove as they head into the stretch run in September. The starting pitching continues to be the foundation of the team with C. C., Fausto, Jake and the Byrdman all seeming in a groove. However, in can not be a coincidence that the signs of life shown from the offense in recent weeks have paralleled the heightened play of DH Travis Hafner.

This was highlighted by two monster home runs (and the game winning SF) in leading the Indians to a come from behind victor on Tuesday and followed that us with a 2-3 performance with a key RBI on Wednesday. With Hafner firing on all cylinders it allows Victor Martinez to see better pitching and the rest of the team to take a collective sigh of relief and not press to make up for Lord Pronk's lack of production as they did int he first half of the season.

Indians fans have been grumbling all season about the Tribe's inability to get all phases of their game in sync at the same time and their failure to break away for the rest of the pack in the AL Central. After burying the Twins sweeping them for the 4th time this season the Indians' lead int he Central stands a 7 full games over Detroit. With 33 to go. Magic number is 18 ladies and gentlemen.