Lazy Sunday: Pacers-Cavaliers, Behind the Box Score
November 8, 2015Kevin Love credits LeBron James for his huge second half (Video)
November 9, 2015
Well hello there, WFNYers. Can we truly refer to this one as a “happy” Monday given the whole Browns-free Sunday thing? I think so. In fact, I recommend we take any chance we can to enjoy our Mondays, especially when we get to swap a potential (likely?) Browns debacle for a big Cavs win.
No seriously: Enjoy today. The rest of the week in Cleveland will be revolving around whether or not Johnny Manziel should start from this point forward, whether or not Johnny is mature enough to handle the gig, and what it means for Mike Pettine’s future in Cleveland (more on this later today). Taking the lead in the play-Johnny camp is, thankfully, Cleveland.com columnist Terry Pluto. Here’s a snippet from his column from Sunday’s Plain Dealer:
They need to hand the offense over to Manziel and design game plans that accent his strengths. I’m far more of a Manziel Doubter than a Manziel Supporter. But I also can read the calendar. McCown is 36. And I can count. He has had one concussion this season. He was tested for another in the preseason, and tested for yet another one after the loss to the Rams.
Right now, I can’t recall what supposedly is hurting McCown more — his ribs or his shoulder? It makes zero sense to play him on November 15 when the Browns travel to Pittsburgh. As I wrote Friday, Manziel has shown significant progress in terms of his approach and poise to at least look like an NFL quarterback.
Does he have the physical ability to succeed? No idea. But there are seven games left, and it’s time for the Browns to begin to see if Manziel does have starting potential for 2016.
As we discussed in Friday’s Winners and Losers, there’s the ever popular debate as to playing for the future (the fan way of thinking) and for the present (the head coach way of thinking). Tanking isn’t really a thing in the NFL, despite all that “Suck for Luck” and any other cute rhyming phrases that make for great radio1. There is no way Mike Pettine can feel comfortable in his office despite all of the votes of confidence he’s received over the years in addition to Jimmy Haslam yearning for stability. I had envisioned discussing this very item today, but Jason Lloyd beat me to it. Take a look.
I try hard to ignore the #Browns most weeks, but I see strong correlation between Manziel/McCown & #Cavs. So humor my rant…
— Jason Lloyd (@ByJasonLloyd) November 9, 2015
When Blatt was playing his stars way too many minutes last year, another GM told me Blatt was coaching for his job. He wasn't worried about
— Jason Lloyd (@ByJasonLloyd) November 9, 2015
Blatt wasn't worried about April, he had to GET to April after #Cavs fired 2 coaches in 2 years. It's the same with Pettine.
— Jason Lloyd (@ByJasonLloyd) November 9, 2015
He's trying to get to next year. He's not worried about developing Johnny, he's trying to win games. So I expect McCown under center Sunday
— Jason Lloyd (@ByJasonLloyd) November 9, 2015
Only way Manziel should take over is if Pettine has assurance he's back next year, and even then they could change their mind.
— Jason Lloyd (@ByJasonLloyd) November 9, 2015
If he's going down, Pettine is going down with his guy. For that I applaud him. /rant over. I'm going to bed.
— Jason Lloyd (@ByJasonLloyd) November 9, 2015
Meanwhile, the Cavs will take the floor tomorrow in hopes of winning their seventh straight. Debate away!
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A potentially interesting wrinkle that will likely get plenty of burn over the next day or so: Johnny’s trip back to College Station.
Family #GigEm https://t.co/GGoKF7c32C pic.twitter.com/kJCxwAtA6e
— Johnny Manziel (@JManziel2) November 8, 2015
Johnny Football has came back to support his Aggies! #12thMan pic.twitter.com/7HkqVc4GG6
— Shayda Nazifpour (@ShaydaNazifpour) November 7, 2015
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This week in People Are Insane: Starbucks apparently hates Christians. (Oh, to have the energy to care about things like cups.)
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Hey look: #ActualSportswriting
“The Young Man, the Myth, the Legend” by Wright Thompson (ESPN The Magazine): “Fournette is 6-foot-1, 230 pounds, but he looks boyish in his braces, which he got as a senior in high school. They’re finished straightening his teeth, but he can’t find time to have them removed. His schedule is too packed.”2
“Why did Derrick Gordon make history and then suddenly shun the spotlight?” by Pablo S. Torre (ESPN The Magazine): “For a long time, Gordon planned on coming out only when his college career ended. He had a bogus long-distance girlfriend and could keep a secret, so he figured he could survive. But everything changed one night during his first winter break at UMass, at about 11:30 p.m., while Gordon was dancing at his favorite gay club in Asbury Park, New Jersey.”
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And finally, John Oliver skewering Dan Snyder and the Washington Redskins. Enjoy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4P6h1y0290E
Be safe out there, you guys. Mondays are the worst.
21 Comments
Agree with Lloyd’s rant. Regardless of Pettine’s comments to the press about Johnny coming along, he knows and has known better than anyone where Johnny is as far as NFL preparedness. Pettine is caught in the classic NFL push me/pull you. He has to win games or at least show that the team is improving. While Farmer may exert pressure to show that his draft choices were justified. And while the org has to figure out how high a pick they’ll devote to another QB come April, whether Farmer and Pettine are here or not.
I don’t absolve Pettine, because he was presumably on board that the running game and defense would be the team strength and identity, and it’s his job to make that go. But Johnny must scare Pettine to death if he’s so determined to ride a guy like McCown instead, no matter how beat up, no matter the late-game mental meltdowns.
Johnny being Johnny…
http://thebiglead.com/2015/11/09/johnny-manziel-was-out-and-about-in-college-station-this-weekend/
I actually believe that playing Johnny gives Pettine the best chance to keep his job right now.
Scenario 1: Johnny has ups and downs, and the Browns lose most of the remaining games.
Response: These things are expected when you try to bring along a young QB.
Scenario 2: Johnny is really bad. And the Browns lose.
Response: The pressure is suddenly on Farmer for making the pick. Pettine is stuck with bad players.
Scenario 3: Johnny is good, but the Browns still lose.
Response: HOPE AND CHANGE! Keep the band together and pray next year starts out stronger.
Scenario 4: Johnny is good and the Browns win.
Response: SUPER BOWL!
Scenario 5: McCown plays. Browns lose.
Response: Thanks for wasting the remainder of our lost season. I’ll show you the door.
*Note in all scenarios the Browns are losing. This is a bad team that will be lucky to win 2 more. I personally believe the stumble into 1 more win.
I think that Haslam has learned his lesson and the only way that either Farmer or Pettine gets fired is if Jimmy has a replacement’s signature on a contract. The embarrassment of the last barrel-scraping coaching search must have left it’s scars.
So even you aren’t buying scenario 4. Don’t blame you.
Colleen will not be amused.
Sadly no. I think 1,3, or 5 are the most likely.
good post BEN … while mcown may be nothing but a career back-up , he is still the best QB on this team right now … and the difference between 3 wins and 5 or 6 wins may mean pettine keeps or loses his job.
pettine needs to sit down with haslam & farmer & find out if he needs to coach to develop manziel or if he needs to win games to keep his job.
There seems to be some friction between Ray and Mike, but I think Jimmah needs to stay the course for one more season, encouraging his children to play nice, or else.
He needs to establish at least the illusion of some consistency before he gives Ray, or Mike, the boot.
You are missing my point, I don’t think Jimmah CAN fire either of them because he will not find a replacement for either. Are they the right guys? Probably not. Is there friction? Certainly. Has either been successful? No.
But to Billick’s point from the other article on here, Haslam is not going to find anyone with a modicum of potential to replace either guy. We are already scraping down into fourth-tier guys for coaching. People can dream that Jimmy and Peyton Manning have some deep-abiding man-love relationship but PM didn’t get where he is by being stupid and coming to the Browns would be just that: Stupid. So who is left to GM this team? Can we call up Holmgren and make him work out the remainder of his contract?
My guess is 3 because we get juuuuuuust enough hope to sucker us back in again, only to be bludgeoned with the club of reality. The last thing our eyes see before the blackness of death are visions of whichever rookie QB we pass up in the upcoming draft tearing up the league as Johnny immolates himself roundabout week 5, making for another lost season spent wandering.
PROPTIP for being a Browns fan: Imagine the most humiliating, worst possible scenario. Double it, square that and add a Ravens or Steelers Super Bowl ring. Smash your thumb with a hammer and confuse clorox for your re-wetting drops. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
Thanks!
At this point, I’m not sure the difference between 3 and 5 wins does anything for Pettine except hurt the Browns draft position. It’s just another season of “same old 4-12 Browns” football.
6 or 7 wins probably keeps him his job. But that doesn’t seem to be a realistic goal.
if they gave a damn (and apparently theyre more interested in playing politics) they give Mike the ol’ guarantee that he will be back, regardless of record, and then we can see what we have with Johnny. If Pet still has to act as if his job is on the line and play for every possible win, then its on the owner and front office when we face another offseason of uncertainty.
“I felt the coldness of Browns winter, I never thought it would ever go-whoa-whoa whoa
I cursed the gloom that set upon us (Browns fans)…but I know, that I love them so
He could promote from within. Bill Kuharich has a decent reputation and resume’ and seems to get along with Pettine.
Assuming you want to fire Farmer and Pettine is the guy you want to keep.
That is how we got Farmer, no? Promising prospect with a good reputation. I would view anyone within the scouting/personnel department to be part of the problem, not the solution to it.
Based on their previous resumes, one could argue that Kuharich should have been hired as GM instead of Farmer.
Somebody here also mentioned opening the bank vault for Nick Caserio.
I’m not advocating firing anybody at this point.
According to Twitter Michael Brantley had surgery on his right shoulder and could require 6 months to recover!
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CTYzrJyU8AA7r7a.jpg
Dion Lewis tore his ACL and will miss the rest of the season.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CTZBDaoWsAAoii6.jpg
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
Manziel is seriously Uncle Rico.
The dude just cannot NOT go back to A&M every chance he gets to relive his glory days.