While We’re Waiting… Avoiding the Browns, Tribe Training Staff, and the USC Non-TD
Written By: Scott | Category: Best of the Web | Comments: 25While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email in the sidebar.
No love for both of our buildings? “Though the Cleveland Browns were able to lure to town today a couple of players with connections to coach Eric Mangini (safety Ray Ventrone and guard Billy Yates), multiple sources have told us that some agents plan to steer their clients away from the Browns. Right or wrong, there’s a sense of discontent regarding the new regime in Cleveland, where coach Eric Mangini and G.M. George Kokinis are running the show, with Mangini serving essentially as the man in charge.
As one source explained it, the Browns likely will be required to overpay free agents in the offseason. If the money that Cleveland is offering matches the money on the table from another team, the thinking is that the players will be far more inclined to sign with the team not named the Browns.” [Pro Football Talk]
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John Stockton compared to his peers, including Mark Price, Steve Kerr, Craig Ehlo and Dan Majerle. [Stepien Rules]
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My hindsight is 20/20 (Peralta voice): “A slimmed-down Hafner will be “more mobile,” hey? Then, on whose watch did he get so big in the first place? What, was he sneaking protein shakes, like a high schooler smoking behind the band trailer? Or how about Jensen Lewis’ evaporating velocity act in 2008, passed off as Stomp “leaving something in the tank”? At what point, if not at the start of the season, should we have expected him to be in condition to bring his A-game? June? September? Or, famously, what about Jhonny’s deteriorating vision? This guy’s defense looked good enough that he beat out Brandon Phillips, and suddenly he starts giving the “olé bulls***” to routine grounders … and nothing happens until the off-season? I know there’s a recovery time for LASIK, but it only takes an afternoon to fit a guy for a pair of RecSpecs. Whose job was it to identify the problems and to get these guys into fighting shape? Who answered for the failure?” [Let's Go Tribe?]
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Welcome Biff (of CMCR fame) to Cleveland Frowns this morning. He’s an Ohio State grad, so it’s only fitting that his debut post is about said University. [Cleveland Frowns]
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About that whole non-touchdown thing: “That sequence occurred less than four minutes into the game. Knowing Ohio State, the Buckeyes would have fumbled in their own end zone for a USC touchdown on the next play, All The Right Moves style, been demoralized by the irony and lost by thirty.” [Dr. Saturday/Men of Scarlet and Gray]
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And apparently, Andra Davis looks forward to making tackles five or six yards downfield this weekend. [James Walker/ESPN]
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(“Don’t Stop Believin” via ringerbrokaw/Flickr)
Author: Scott
Scott is a co-founder/editor of Waiting For Next Year who resides in Cleveland, Ohio. Feel free to follow him on Twitter or email him at scott@waitingfornextyear.com.Scott has written 2013 articles for Waiting for Next Year.
I dont buy into that Browns free agency thing what so ever.
And that thing about OSU is just ignorant. So since tOSU would have “probably” fumbled it’s ok that they got screwed over on a game altering play.
Scott, I just gotta say, you’re the man. Every single morning, I fire up my computer and grab a coffee and WWW is up right about 9.
I’d like to thank you for helping me put off work until 9:30.
This is a complete turnaround from the days when Cleveland was the destination of choice for all big-time free agents.
The USC non-call isn’t worth getting worked up about at this point for a few reasons:
1) If that doesn’t get called a TD, who knows if we get out of the end zone.
2) It was early, and yes – things could have been very different, but on the next drive we went down and got the TD, so it’s safe to say that we recovered from it.
3) It was about as close to being a TD as Boom’s TD, so let’s just call the two a wash.
4) Most importantly – the game’s over. It’s done and passed. There’s no point in wallowing in self-pity and wailing and grinding teeth about what could have been.
@ 2. completely agree. the www makes my morning.
Wow, that USC non-call just rocked me world. Makes me wonder why that play wasn’t reviewed? @ Denny I agree with all your points except #3. I believe that play was reviewed to confirm it too. That should have been done for the USC TD.
But as you say, the game’s over and it’s done and passed. Still hurts though.
wait a second ProFootballTalk…you mean to tell me that if given a choice between equal money and 2 teams…a free agent would choose to NOT sign with the bad team?!?!?!
BRAINSPLOSION!!!!!!!!!!!
Aside from Florio’s obvious anti-Mangini/Browns style over at PFT (THANKFULLY NO ONE AROUND HERE IS SO INEXPLICABLY BIASED), that whole “avoiding Cleveland” idea is ridiculous in that it’s not like the Browns were ever pulling big name, in-their-prime FAs to begin with. Andre Rison? Jamal Lewis? Gary Baxter? Am I missing any? And were they even half the player they had been in their primes when they came here? The fact is, winning and money attract FAs–we don’t do the former often enough, and we don’t have large amounts of the latter. To think it’s a surprise that the Browns would have to “overpay” is just silly–it’s the reality Cleveland has faced for years now. It’s essentially bashing for the sake of bashing, not any real insight or revelation.
I like that the agents are steering their clients away from Cleveland…ya know…b/c it’s the agents’ decision and they’re the ones playing the game and all.
Well, do agents get a cut if the player gets a bonus for going to the Pro Bowl, or hits 1000 yards rushing- If so, then they could be losing money by signing a player with a team like Cleveland, or Detroit, or Oakland. I have no idea how that all really works though, just a thought.
Chris M, Dr. Cleveland: Thanks for the kind words.
If there’s a blizzard and everyone is slowed down to his speed, Andra will have a huge game…
Actually, I saw his numbers from the Bengals game and seemed to play very well. Figures…
Nobody in NFL circles (players, management, media) want anything to do with Mangini. All of the above was known prior to his absurd hire. The Browns have no GM. The ex Jets and New England imports (role players/backups/butt suckers) will continue ad-infinitem. Unless you really believe Randy Lerner and Eric Mangini are smarter than everyone else in the room.
Fast foward three years-Lerner will be forced to sell the team. Mangini will be lisping over the dinner table with payout in hand. Book it.
If the browns win games this year, players will come. if they lose, well it doesnt take a genius to know theyll want to go elsewhere.
@8 Lecharles was one FA in his prime who signed… just didn’t quite pan out. Steinbach is also a big FA, but thats about it.
While rightfully knocking Andra Davis, how many tackles has and does DQwell J. make inside five yards beyond the line of scrimmage? I’m listening…….waiting………
bobby-if I had wings I could fly.
You need to stop the “if” and back up your claim of “nine plausible wins”.
Lerner won’t sell, no matter how bad things get (unless the NFL lockout changes things big time).
Isis- i wasnt trying to argue, you could say it about any team. If Detroit starts winning, FAs might look there to put them over the hump. Not a profound statement, its a common sense one. Also, 8 plausible wins, starting this week, 9 with an upset of Baltimore, or beating cincy twice. If Quinn plays more like he did this preseason then he did last week and the O gets on track then I fully expect them to be right around .500.
@ bobby – your optimism is awesome, but after seeing Baltimore with a THROWING offense, do you seriously think this Browns team could beat them -
That’s funny, I thought I read that bobby would consider beating Baltimore an “upset”. Oh wait, I did read that. So why is Isis hassling him again? All he’s done is name the 9 most probable wins. No need for Isis to be petty about it and continue dragging old arguments around. It’s simply the most likely scenario for having a decent number of wins. Sheesh.
After reading KSK’s Rex Ryan post, I really wish he was our coach if only for the KSKharicture… Just sayin.
THEN WE’RE GOIN’ TUBING!
I fully plan on using that in my everyday speak
probably not, but still i think a better shot beating baltimore then pittsburg.. we were pretty much in both baltimore games last year until ints and penalties took us out.
@24 – don’t forget a huge drop by Braylon.