While 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 at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.

“How do we evaluate the job Shurmur did in his first year? I like to ask myself if there are any redeeming qualities when it comes to keeping a head coach. In other words, “is there something I can look back at on this season and say, ‘Shurmur did [this] well.’?” The Browns played well defensively, but I don’t see how you can directly attribute that to the “offensive-minded” Shurmur. Shurmur was brought here to install the West Coast Offense. After 16 games, I don’t see how anyone can say they were encouraged by the offense this year. The Browns scored 218 points all season. The only two teams who scored less were the Chiefs and the Rams, and they are both undergoing coaching changes.” [Pokorny/Dawgs by Nature] [Read more...]

While 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 at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.

Been saying this for a while. Starting to really wonder. “I hate to be this guy, but the biggest “misstep” the Cavs could make this year would be winning a few too many games and not landing Anthony Davis or Andre Drummond. We need one more elite guy to develop into a contender. Dan Gilbert can find us the supplementary guys (e.g. the Iguodala’s of the world)…and I’m hoping we need only one more draft to hit on a second star.” [Braun/Cavs the Blog] [Read more...]

While 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 at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.

Eleven Warriors has the Top 11 Moments of the Year for Buckeye Fans, including #2 about Bo Ryan and dealing with it, “The home fans were not disappointed as the Buckeyes used two big first half runs to turn what had been a relatively close game into a blowout. The team would go on to shoot a blistering 68% from the field for the game, including an insane 93% from downtown (14/15) in a 93-65 laugher, that concluded a perfect season at home for Ohio State.” [Eleven Warriors]

Next, Chris Pokorny at Dawgs By Nature covers Seneca Wallace and his opinion that he maybe should have had a shot at starting for the Browns earlier than Week 15, “”At the end of the day, I can control what I can control,” said Wallace. “Yeah, I get frustrated that, hey, I feel like I deserve a shot or I want a shot.” … Asked if he should he have a chance to compete for the starting job next season, Wallace said: “Maybe so. I don’t know. I’ll let you guys evaluate that.” [Dawgs By Nature]

Dawgs by Nature also recapped the playoff and draft order scenarios that are the top storylines for this Sunday.

UniWatch has a new installment, which includes the special Rose Bowl uniforms for both Wisconsin and Oregon.

If you’re looking for some humor, Brian Tarcy made some Week 17 NFL picks, including a Browns’ victory.

Finally, Mo Williams just cannot catch a break in Los Angeles. After getting pushed behind Chris Paul and Chauncey Billups on the depth chart, the PA announcer can’t even remember his name.

While 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 at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.

Leading off, our own Brendan Bowers caught up with Tristan Thompson for SLAM Magazine, and when asked about starting for the Cavs being a goal right now, Tristan replied “No, my focus is clearly on winning basketball games for the Cavs and getting better everyday. I think those are the two most important things. Starting is just a position. At the end of the day, I’m a basketball player, and I’m a basketball player who just wants to win. So winning trumps everything, and getting better everyday is how I feel like I can help us do that. The whole starting or not starting doesn’t faze me at all because I just play basketball for the love of the game. Whenever Coach Scott wants to put me in, or whatever unit he wants to put me on, I know he’s going to make the right decision so I’m not worried about it.” [SLAM Online]

Chris Pokorny at Dawgs by Nature captured some of Browns defensive coordinator Dick Jauron’s quotes from Thursday’s media session, including some thoughts on his defensive line, “”You’ve talked about Phil (Taylor) a lot. I think Phil has grown a lot through the course of the year. In the last five or six games he’s played pretty consistently and played well. He seems to be getting stronger. This will be a huge test obviously again this Sunday. Jabaal (Sheard) has just played well from the beginning to the end. Rube’s (Ahtyba Rubin) played well from the beginning to the end. At the right defensive end, Jayme (Mitchell) got hurt and then we struggled for a while.” [Dawgs by Nature]

Shutdown Corner published a Peyton Hillis quote about his tough season and the role he thinks the Madden Curse played in it, “”No doubt about it, things haven’t worked to my favor this year. There’s a few things that happened that made me believe in curses. Ain’t no doubt about it.”" ESPN’s AFC North Blog also has this about Hillis, “The Cleveland Browns’ Peyton Hillis has recently looked like the running back from last season. He has a total of 211 rushing yards in two games after producing just 346 yards rushing in his previous seven this season (that’s 49.4 yards per game). Hillis is once again powering his way up the middle of defenses. He has 57 carries in between the tackles the last four games; no other player has more than 38 over that span, according to ESPN Stats & Information.”

Let’s Go Tribe has an entertaining article chronicling the frustration of a quiet offseason for the Tribe and a quiet landscape in general for MLB right now.

And finally, from Ball Don’t Lie, former Cleveland Cavalier Shaq’s willing to give you one thousand dollars! The catch: you need to get a tattoo, but not just any tattoo.

While 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 at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.

A good read about MVP voting and year by year snubs- “The Cleveland Indians from 1994 to 2002 had some of the most amazing offensive lineups in baseball history. They reached two World Series. They led the league in runs scored three times and finished second another three. They had players lead the league in runs (Albert Belle, Robbie Alomar), hits (Kenny Lofton), doubles (Belle), triples (Kenny Lofton), homers (Belle), RBIs (MannyBManny, Albert Belle), OPS (MannyBManny, Thome), stolen bases (Lofton), slugging percentage (Belle, MannyBManny, Thome) and walks (Thome). They did not have a single player win the MVP award.

I don’t like RBIs as a defining statistics, but we know the MVP voters do. In 1999, Manny Ramirez drove in ONE HUNDRED SIXTY FIVE. That was the most in baseball since Jimmie Foxx. Jimmie Bleepin’ Foxx. He finished tied for THIRD in the MVP balloting. Whew. What does an enigma have to do around here to get some respect?” [Posnanski/SI.com] [Read more...]

While 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 at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.

“The University of Akron won one football game in 2011. A few of you knew that. Most of you didn’t — or more likely didn’t care. Terry Bowden knows all of that, certainly he does now. Bowden was hired as Akron’s new coach last week, a month after the job came open and a week or so after he was first contacted about the opening. He was introduced by the school at a news conference Wednesday. He’d been coaching at Division II North Alabama.

But he made his name in the 1990s in the SEC, at Auburn. And I North Alabama is 500 football miles from the football hotbed that won the BCS championship just a season ago, Akron is 5,000 miles away from it.” [Jackson/FSO] [Read more...]

While 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 at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.

I like your optimism, but I don’t think it will play out like this- “2013 – 2014 Cavs: With the Cavs’ first round pick, P.J. Hairston of North Carolina is selected and with their second rounder, Aaron Craft of Ohio State. With the Heat and Magic picks, the Cavs choose another wing and a 5th big man. Casspi is re-signed for 4 years, $16 million and Daniel Gibson is re-signed for 3 years, $7.5 million.

The big, final free agent piece is James Harden. Harden is a restricted free agent and the Cavs can offer him a max contract of 4 years and approximately $66 million. As some background, OKC’s payroll for 6 players in 2013 – 2014 is $38.3 million. This doesn’t sound bad, except none of those players is Russell Westbrook, James Harden, or Serge Ibaka. Given that the Cavs have offered Harden $15+ million per year and Westbrook and Ibaka could cost $30 million a year; that leaves OKC looking at $84 million for 9 players. The luxury tax limit will be approximately $74 million. Are they willing to go $15 – $20 million into the luxury tax given the new CBA’s strict provisions? OKC can do a lot to juggle their roster between now and then; but for the purposes of this extremely hypothetical scenario, an assumption will be made that they won’t spend 70% of the luxury tax threshold on three backcourt players. So the Cavs convince Harden that a max contract and his ability to be a focal point of the offense make Cleveland his best destination.” [Hetrick/Cavs the Blog] [Read more...]

While 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 at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.

“Two plays to get five yards and the Browns netted zero. Naturally, part of the reason for the offense’s inability to get the first down was because the Ravens defense is one of the best in the NFL. But also it is because the Browns offense does not have playmakers. This isn’t groundbreaking news.

Here is what we do know. The Browns have lost 11 games in a season for three consecutive seasons. The Browns are one of the youngest teams in the NFL. The Browns’ defense starts – when healthy – a first- and second-round draft pick from the last two drafts. The offense needs to be addressed.” [Delco/The Orange and Brown Report] [Read more...]

While 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 at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.

Serving Shurmur some humble pie- “That’s the problem in Cleveland. Pat Shurmur is quick to point out his team’s flaws, and talk about how a drop here, or a drop there, or a missed tackle on this drive, or that drive, could’ve changed the game. Rarely do you ever hear Shurmur admit his mistakes in front of the press, and his arrogant ego won’t let him do so. For much of the season it has appeared that Shurmur is in way over his head; taking on the offensive play-calling duties, as well as the head coaching responsibilities. Still, Mike Holmgren has given Shurmur his vote of confidence, stating that he expects Pat to be around for a long – long – time.

Holmgren was on hand for today’s game in Baltimore, and he’s going to have a tough time defending his ol’ buddy Pat after today’s pitiful coaching performance. Shurmur’s shortcomings as a (potential) head coach in the NFL have been clear to everyone but Holmgren. Time-after-time, Shurmur has deflected all the criticism towards his players. All those 4th Quarter collapses have been Colt McCoy’s fault, or the offensive-line’s. Maybe in those other games the players deserve much of the credit, but so has Shurmur. Today, was all Shurmur.” [McQuaid/Browns Gab] [Read more...]

While 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 at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.

Our very own Brendan Bowers took a stab at quantifying expectations for the Cavaliers over at his blog, Stepien Rules, “There is no statistical equation, in fact, that will properly and completely analyze the progress these Cavs will or won’t make on a daily basis in their effort to rebuild this organization as the season goes on. The only way we will truly be able to understand our chances as fans to witness the greatest rebuilding effort since the Chicago fire of 1873 is to collect our data the old fashioned way. We just have to watch.” [Stepien Rules]

Phil Taylor made a costly mistake that ended the Browns’ chances yesterday, and the AFC North Blog has some quotes surrounding that, including Taylor’s reaction, “It was the first hard count and we stayed onside. The second time, I just jumped,” Taylor told The Associated Press. “Of course you feel bad but you just got to move on.” [ESPN AFC North Blog]

Eleven Warriors continues to look back at 2011 with October and November installments of their 11 days of 11W segment. Also, for your viewing pleasure, 11W has some highlights from the first eight Buckeye basketball games.

[Read more...]

While 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 at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.

Colin McGowan at Cavs: The Blog breaks down the condensed Cavalier schedule, one that is bound to have its ups and downs, “Last season, when the Cavaliers were at their fan-demoralizing worst, I would scan the schedule for bad teams that might help the Cavs snap their losing streak. Because the team was too horrible to entertain the idea that they could beat a championship contender like Boston or even an okay team like Atlanta. It just wasn’t happening. All I can say to about this opening slate of games is: where the hell was this stretch of schedule last season???” [Cavs: The Blog]

Chris Pokorny at Dawgs by Nature breaks down the Browns-Ravens matchup by position, starting with the quarterbacks, “The Ravens have really struggled on the road compared to home this year, but one thing has remained constant: it’s been a pretty below average year for Joe Flacco. He has turned the ball over 17 times this season after coughing it up just 14 times all of last season. On top of that, his completion percentage and touchdown rate are down as well.” [Dawgs by Nature]

Eleven Warriors is reflecting on the season that was for Ohio State. This installment covers the month of September, “Regardless, there was some new, valuable context: We were much more comfortable critiquing coaching decisions and football plays than were were ruminating over the athletic department’s handling of the neverending summer.” [Eleven Warriors]

[Read more...]

While 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 at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.

Craig’s piece on chasing rings sure got some attention- “But in so many other cases (including the two accounts I started this piece with), the fans seem to be tertiary to a) the satisfaction of the players and coaches’ intrinsic competitiveness and b) the relationships the team has among themselves as a collective. Bill Russell and Boston had a tenuous allegiance that easily veered into outright hostility at times (which had a lot to do with racism in that era). Russell and the city have patched up a great deal of their differences (albeit very slowly), and surely that must matter to Russell. But, if anything, doesn’t Russell’s jaw-dropping, undeniable success mean more in the context of the adverse hostility he faced? And, given that Boston wasn’t behind Russell 100%, isn’t it fair for Russell to look instead to the beautiful collective basketball he and coach Red Auerbach envisioned and implemented, to look instead to the relationships he made with his team and coach as far more than a consolation prize? What about Russell’s legendary respect for the other greats of his era? Where does that fit into a fans-first narrative? Sure, the screaming fans may have added something to his enjoyment, and their gradual reconciliation with Russell must mean something big, but in the meantime doesn’t Russell have a lot of history, legacy, and – in the end – a lot of intrinsic and extrinsic joy behind his rings to look back on?” [Dewey/Gothic Ginobili] [Read more...]

While 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 at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.

C0-sign all of this- “On defense, the Cavaliers have the potential to be tremendous inside. Thompson will need some time to learn how to play help defense in the NBA, and he might need to add some bulk to guard stronger PFs, but between Varejao’s quick feet and Thompson’s athleticism and shot-blocking ability, the Cleveland paint, especially for penetrating guards, could become a hazardous area. On the perimeter, Parker is above average; Casspi, though he tries hard, is pretty awful; and Kyrie Irving will be solid, but no one will confuse him with Rajon Rondo. I think Varejao and Thompson (after he grows into his role) will be able to compensate capably when Casspi guards athletic 3s who can get around him easily, and the guards will provide a decent enough defensive presence that the Cavs won’t get torched by an exceptional backcourt.

One area in which the Cavs need to improve is defending the three-point line. Any team that played the Cavs last season put up Anthony “I Don’t Miss” Morrow numbers from beyond the arc (41%!). I would be more concerned about this problem if it didn’t seem, at least in the midst of last season’s unrelentingly depressing losing streak, to be an issue of effort. I don’t think we’ll see as many poor closeouts or wide-open opponents this season if only because two rookies—who Scott can pull of the floor if their defensive effort wanes—will be playing big minutes, Casspi and Varejao are extremely hard workers, and even the most fervent pessimist can’t anticipate the Cavs will suffer another losing streak that numbers in the twenties and demoralizes every single person who roots for, is employed by, or has heard of the Cleveland Cavaliers. But, y’know, getting that opponent 3FG% down to a respectable number (is 35% doable?) would help this team stay in some games.” [McGowan/Cavs the Blog] [Read more...]

While 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 at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.

“Apparently, there is a line of thinking that what’s out there now is really no better than the Indians’ internal options and namely that Shelley Duncan could play the role of “RH bat”, bouncing around between 1B and LF and providing some insurance for if/when Sizemore and/or Hafner spend some time on the shelf. Maybe that’s true if you’re talking about Coco Crisp or Juan Pierre…but if the idea is that what WAS out there (namely Willingham and Cuddyer) weren’t that much of an upgrade over those internal options (namely Duncan) to justify the risk that would have been assumed by giving either of those players, 3-year deal, I would point out that Shelley Duncan just turned 32 and (if you’ll remember from that Pouliat piece) if solid MLB bats turn into borderline regulars around the age of 32 or 33, what do borderline regulars become?

Let’s not forget what Shelley Duncan’s career line was from the start of his career in 2007 through September 2, 2011: .234 BA / .308 OBP / .413 SLG / .721 OPS with 23 HR and 24 2B in 582 PA

Of course, we all know that Duncan went on a tear in those last 3 weeks of the season, posting a .981 OPS in his final 87 PA in 24 games, stroking 7 HR in those 24 games. But which player do you think is closer to the real Shelley Duncan…the one that posted a .721 OPS in 205 games to start his career or the one that posted a .981 OPS in his last 24 games of 2011?” [Cousineau/The DiaTribe] [Read more...]

While 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 at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.

Ball Don’t Lie’s season preview for the Cavs is up- “For a team that was massively worked over by a pair of narcissists — former franchise player LeBron James and current owner Dan Gilbert — the Cleveland Cavaliers appear to be in fantastic shape moving forward. Not this year, of course. They’ll be terrible. The future is bright, though; provided the team does well with all its incoming assets moving forward. You’ve seen me work up this dance before, but it bears repeating that the team was too late in its attempt to rebuild. The Cavs should not have attempted to shoot for a mediocre record last season by hanging on to all their veterans and appearing as if they thought a LeBron James-less squad would have a chance at making the playoffs. Antawn Jamison actually had trade value a year and a half ago, Anderson Varejao will be of no use to a rebuilt team once the Cavs find their playoff footing again, and the crew could have been sick with draft picks moving forward had they just accepted their NBA fate in the wake of LeBron James’ prick move.

Instead, they dallied. And, while they dallied, they got incredibly lucky. Lord knows they deserved it.” [Ball Don't Lie] [Read more...]