May 23, 2013

While We’re Waiting … End of a Tribe Blog, Avoiding ‘Redskins’ and Bad Browns Offense

October 1, 2012 by 13 Comments

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 “A Lazy Sunday” feature has been a regular read on my Sundays and a regular component of While We’re Waiting posts on Mondays for years now. This is a very sad way to end a very sad season for the Tribe. Everyone should pass along their thanks to Paul for running such a great site for so long, and for having the stomach to write about this awful season. Best of luck in your future journeys, sir:

“Though that title may lead you to believe that I’m finally going to weigh in on the dismissal of Manny Acta from Thursday, it actually refers to someone else exiting stage left, as I’ve decided to walk away from writing about the Indians on these Interwebs on a permanent basis. While I know that I took some ‘time off’ last off-season and there will be those that will only believe there will be permanence to this when they fail to see 3,000 words from these fingers flying at them every couple of days, the time for me to move on from this endeavor has arrived.” [Paul Cousineau/The DiaTribe]

–

Wow. This was peculiar and intriguing to see a newspaper take a stand on this topic. Seems mostly inconvenient, however: “An interesting note from the public editor of The Kansas City Star on the paper’s policy of avoidance when it comes to the mascot of the NFL team from Washington: ‘[H]ere, I also agree very strongly with The Star’s longtime policy on this matter. I remain unconvinced by every argument I’ve ever heard that the name is not a racial epithet, plain and simple. …’” [Isaac Rauch/Deadspin]

–

Hmmmm. Wasn’t the Browns offense like astronomically good in 2007? Lot of good that did us then: “There are all kinds of things the Browns have to improve upon – and kinds of players who must improve — if they want to start winning. You name it, and it has to get better. You name him, and, with one exception — kicker Phil Dawson — he has to get better. The list is endless. There are few things or people not on the list. But there’s one thing that, above all else, must improve. Without it, the improvement of all these other things and people doesn’t matter – not one bit. We’re talking about scoring – or a lack thereof. Until the Browns score more points more consistently, things won’t change in terms of wins and losses.” [Steve King/SportsTimeOhio]

–

About the offense, this looks briefly at the topic of the Browns wide receivers thus far this season: “After Thursday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens, many people are noticing some semblance of what can be called progress. But the Browns continue to wallow in the painful world that is their current crop of wide receivers. Through four games, no Browns receiver has had more than 90 yards in a game (it was Mohamed Massaquoi against the Bengals), and no one has separated himself from the rest of the pack.” [Steve DiMatteo/Dawg Pound Daily]

–

Today is October 1. That means basketball starts this month, hoorah! In that spirit, Cavs: The Blog continues its “10 things to like” series in focusing on that awesome coach of ours: “‘Camp Scott’ opens today, complete with the notorious trash cans for players to chunder into between laps if they show up out of shape. With an extension rumored to be in the works, it’s as good a time as any to look at why Scott appears to be the right guy to develop the Cavs now, and win with them in the future. You have to respect a coach who can whip out his phone and dial up a highlight like this (You’d think a basketball player named Purvis Short would be destined to be posterized, right?)” [Nate Smith/Cavs: The Blog]

–

This was from Friday, but it’s never too late (or, really, since the season is still 4 weeks away, I mean early) to read about fantasy basketball! “Kyrie Irving is a fantasy stud who I think is worth a first-round pick in a 12-team league. … I don’t know who the third-best point guard is in fantasy. It might be Kyrie Irving and not Deron Williams. His ADP of 16.7 is actually too low; I am happy taking Irving ahead of guys like Al Jefferson and Andrew Bynum with bigger fantasy reps. His playing time will go up, his turnovers should be down, his assists will increase and he is almost certain to at least double his 73 three-pointers. What he did at 19, as a point guard, on a team offering him little or no help was remarkable.” [Bruce Wrigley/Sheridan Hoops]

–

Oh viral GIFs are so much fun. The latest example? This gem from right after Saturday’s big Buckeyes victory. A random photographer lined up perfectly for a photobomb and also got the quintessential angle for a nice hello to the crowd. [Lost Lettermen via The Big Lead]

–

Five takeaways from that 17-16 physical victory in East Lansing: “In what will likely turn out to be the 2nd most physical game the Buckeyes play all year, Meyer’s troops overcame a slew of in-game injuries and three Braxton Miller turnovers, escaping East Lansing with a 17-16 victory over a chippy Michigan State squad. The gutsy effort improved Meyer to 11-0 in conference openers and to 95-5 when leading at the half. As a program, the Buckeyes have now won four straight in East Lansing, improving to 14-5 up there overall. Hey Michigan, that’s how you’re supposed to treat your little brother.” [Chris Lauderback/Eleven Warriors]

Filed Under: General Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

While We’re Waiting … Time for Buffalo and Bad Big Ten

September 23, 2012 by Leave a Comment

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 final preview of today’s home game against the Buffalo Bills: “While the Bills exploded last week, they were terrible in Week 1 against the Jets. Cleveland hasn’t exactly strung together two consistent games on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball either. I think Cleveland’s offensive line will have a little bit of difficulty at some points with the Bills’ front four, leading to a more lackluster offensive performance than we saw last week. On the same note, I expect the defense to improve — after seeing where the secondary failed last week, Dick Jauron will make the appropriate adjustments. Fitzpatrick is an inconsistent quarterback, and he’ll turn the ball over one too many times against Cleveland.” [Steve DiMatteo/Dawg Pound Daily]

–

Is this a must-win game though? Well, I guess so in terms of finding a way to finish with more than 4 wins in 2012, as they don’t come much easier than this. “Last Sunday’s game was another loss for the Cleveland Browns. But it kinda felt like a win. Hey, at least it was a positive performance considering the debacle that was the season opener. Now, at 0-2, the Browns need a win as they play host to the Buffalo Bills (0-2) at 1 p.m. Sunday. Pat Shurmur said what we’re all thinking a day after his team lost to the Cincinnati Bengals 34-27. ‘We have to win this game,’ he said. Agreed. For all the good the offense did last Sunday, it was another loss, which was the team’s 48th loss in their last 68 games dating back to the beginning of the 2008 season.” [Don Delco/The OBR]

–

Rare stats, penalties and replacement referees all in one post? Yup, you’ve got check out this theory on how home teams might be benefiting from this chaos: “Last week, I hinted that there may be a bias by the officials in favor of the home team, as these less-experienced referees may be more likely to side with the voices of the crowd. That hypotheses certainly wasn’t disproved this week, as 14 of the 16 home teams won, the first time 14 home teams have won in a week since the league expanded to 32 teams. So far this season, there have been 231 penalties against visiting teams and only 188 penalties against the hosts. That ratio — road teams having to deal with 23% more penalties — is far out of line with historical data, which informs us that road teams had 7% more penalties enforced against them than home teams from 2000 to 2011.” [Chase Stuart/Football Perspective]

–

I wrote about it yesterday, but here’s the first of a couple of posts I’m going to share that lament the sadness that is the Big Ten in 2012: “The overall OOC record for the Big Ten is not terrible, but what the conference has shown us thus far is that every week is Mighty Ducks week. Because apparently any band of misfits from crappy conferences can unite under the auspices of a drunken has-been coach and give a team from the ol’ Bee One Gee a run for their money. This week was no different.” [Johnny Ginter/Eleven Warriors]

–

So really, why is the conference so bad? It’s not like their NFL Draft losses were that much more significant than others: “After almost four weeks of games, which Big Ten teams have impressed you? The list has to be painfully short. At one point in the early games Saturday, Ohio State led UAB 21-15, Wisconsin led Texas-El Paso 23-16 and Iowa led Central Michigan 24-23, with all three of the Big Ten’s opponents holding the ball with a chance to take a fourth-quarter lead. Ohio State and Wisconsin escaped with victories. Iowa wasn’t so lucky. It shouldn’t be surprising that the Big Ten struggled early Saturday, because the conference has underwhelmed all season.” [Frank Schwab/Dr. Saturday]

–

Love Paul’s point here about how the Indians starters might just always have been overrated, and this decline isn’t really a drop-off, but simply their actual, depressing talent level: “As frustrating as it is to watch the Indians in terms of stalled development and regression, the appearance of a team that’s going through the motions and is either ill-prepared or ill-equipped to compete at the MLB level is what gnaws at most of the fanbase…at least those that are still watching. Whether that goes back to the coaching staff or the Front Office that assembled the ‘talent’ for said coaching staff to put into the lineup and into the pitching staff is a question that’s been asked before in this space (and in others); but it’s the MAIN question facing this organization going forward. Because it goes back to the “’Nature vs.Nurture’ argument from a month ago in that it has to be asked whether these players are simply flawed and were overrated in expectations for them or if the players (seemingly the whole lot of them) can regress this quickly and this profoundly.” [Paul Cousineau/The DiaTribe]

Filed Under: General Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Ohio State Recruiting: Urban Meyer Responds To Allegations Of Improper Tactics, Vows To Be ‘Relentless’

February 4, 2012 by 5 Comments

On Friday, Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith responded to comments made by Bret Bielema and the Michigan State staff this week about Urban Meyer’s recruiting. Later, Meyer himself issued a statement on the little dust-up provoked by the Wisconsin coach. In that statement, he vowed that he and his staff will be “relentless” on the recruiting trail.

“We had an opportunity to discuss a number of issues with each other and conference staff, including those that have arisen this week. It should be noted that my coaching staff is in full compliance with our recruiting efforts, and no one on this staff did anything illegal or unethical. We will continue to comply with NCAA rules and recruit with relentless effort, especially the great state of Ohio. I want to thank (Big Ten commissioner Jim) Delany for his insight and leadership, and at this point we all look forward to moving past this week and getting ready for the start of spring football.

You’ve got a responsibility to your home state. Absolutely. There is not a coach in America who’s not going to do that, not going to check on his own state.”

Via FoxSportsOhio.com

Filed Under: Headlines Tagged With: , , , , ,

Kirk Herbstreit Moves Out of Ohio Due to “Relentless” Criticism from OSU Fans

March 12, 2011 by 33 Comments

While some associated with Ohio State want to drive Jim Tressel out of Columbus, the pitchforkers will have to settle for ESPN analyst and OSU alum Kirk Herbstreit for now.  In this instance, however, it’s an entirely different bent of the pitchfork crowd acting out – those blind loyalists who feel there is no place in this world for criticism of Ohio State and its football team.

Herbie is moving away from his beloved home state to Nashville, Tennessee.  He said he has been considering the move for a few years now, the primary reason being the incessant criticism he receives from a loud minority of OSU fans in Columbus.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Buckeyes Tagged With: , , , ,

While We’re Waiting…number one falls again, and Giants win pennant

October 24, 2010 by 3 Comments
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

Missouri knocks off BCS number one:  “Never had Mizzou beaten a No. 1-ranked team — in the polls, in the Bowl Championship Series standings, by any measurement — before taking down Oklahoma 36-27 in a game that rearranged college football’s national championship race. Yet again.

Alabama didn’t survive a conference road trip to South Carolina two weeks earlier. Ohio State was felled the next weekend at Wisconsin. Now, say good bye to an OU team that sat atop the BCS’ initial rankings of the season.

Just seven unbeatens remain. Missouri is one of them, 7-0 for the first time since Dan Devine was the Tigers’ coach in 1960. They’d laid egg after egg against Oklahoma, losing seven times in seven games against the Sooners since 1998.

But quarterback Blaine Gabbert threw for 308 yards and a touchdown, outplaying OU’s Landry Jones. Missouri running backs knifed for 178 more yards and two more scores. The defense — where the Tigers have most notably upgraded — limited the Sooners to 101 second-half yards and forced three turnovers.”    [Steve Wieberg / USA Today]
[Read more...]

Filed Under: General Tagged With: , , , ,

Buckeyes beat Boilers by lots of points…while Sparty looks like team of “destiny”

October 23, 2010 by 4 Comments

Last week was obviously a tough one for OSU.  While it doesn’t completely numb the sting of getting knocked off the number one spot by Wisconsin, it was nevertheless good to see the Buckeyes bounce back today against Purdue (4-3, 2-1). 

The Buckeyes (7-1, 3-1) led 42-0 at the half, gained over five football fields worth of yardage, scored three TD’s by air, three on the ground, and won 49-0.  In doing so, they also avenged last season’s lone conference loss which came at the hands of Purdue.

A good day overall to be sure for the guy who’s made sleeveless sweaters fashionable, but a day almost made better by the Northwestern Wildcats.   [Read more...]

Filed Under: Buckeyes, College football Tagged With: , , , ,

Buckeyes vs Marshall: Ticket Special

August 28, 2010 by 2 Comments

Full disclosure: This is not a news story or preview. It is an announcement about a ticket special for WFNY readers.

We have received a special from our partners at Tiq IQ to pass along. Right now at WFNY Tickets there are 34 tickets below $100 in Deck B EndZone (30% below overall game average). Many with TicketFast e-tickets.

Opening day at the Horseshoe for under $100 a seat? Yes please. Don’t hesitate and miss out. Grab yours now.

Filed Under: Buckeyes Tagged With: , , , ,

While We’re Waiting…Ravens MNF Struggles, Big 10 Too Conservative, Hoping for CP3 in CLE

November 15, 2009 by 13 Comments

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 in the sidebar.

Quinn Ravens

Browns could be the cure: “Playing on a primetime stage before a national audience has not been a kind setting for the Ravens, who have lost their last five contests on Monday night.  The revelation that the team hasn’t won on Monday night since routing the Green Bay Packers, 48-3, on Dec. 19, 2005 was downright earth-shattering to linebacker Terrell Suggs.  ‘That’s disturbing…Are we really 0-5? I didn’t even know that until you said it. Hopefully, this streak ends Monday, but like I said, we know they’re cooking up some new stuff over there, and they’re going to defend their own field. So we’ve just got to prepare for everything.’’ [Edward Lee/Ravens Insider]

[Read more...]

Filed Under: General Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

While We’re Waiting… Peter King on Browns, Big Ten Review, and LeBron’s Nicknames

October 14, 2009 by 34 Comments

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 in the sidebar.

Browns Fans“The ire of the fans is understandable. This is Year 11 of the Browns’ reincarnation, and it’s hard to say the team is very far ahead of where it was 10 years ago, when the expansion Browns finished 2-14. [...] By the way, Lerner’s not going to cave after a year and sweep clean. He’s tired of the coaching and front-office chaos, and I’m not saying he’s going to give Mankinis three seasons like this one, but to think he’ll fire the building again this winter is just not happening. This is what I’d say to Browns’ fans: It took you years to get into this mess, and it’s going to take you at least two years to get out of it.” [Peter King/SI.com]

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Browns Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

While We’re Waiting… DA’s Bad Touch, MTAG Takes on Akron, and the SEC’s New Media Rules

August 21, 2009 by 7 Comments

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 in the sidebar.

brady-quinn-derek-anderson 

I want you smothered, want you covered like my waffle house hashbrowns: “The NFL average for completing passes in the 1-to-10 yard range is 67.0 percent. Anderson was at 54.2 last season.  In his three years with the Browns, the stats on those passes have been going down for Anderson: 63.0, 57.9 and 54.2.  [...]  Anderson has not been above 60 percent since 2006, when he played five games for the Browns. In his Pro Bowl season of 2007, he was at 57.9 throwing to the sure hands of Kellen Winslow and Joe Jurevicius, not just the sometimes unreliable Braylon Edwards.

What’s the big deal about passes in the 1-to-10 yard range?  In most games, about 55 percent of the passes are 10 or fewer yards. Consider that 155-of-285 (54 percent) of Anderson’s attempts last season fell in that category.” [Terry Pluto/Plain Dealer]

[Read more...]

Filed Under: General Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Open Thread: Ohio State at Michigan State

October 18, 2008 by 12 Comments

Time: 3:30 PM, EDT
TV/Radio: WEWS Ch. 5, WKNR AM/850.
Kickoff Weather: 55 degrees (at kickoff), Winds 4 MPH (SE)
Line: OSU (-4)

The defensive line was abused by Wisconsin.  The defense in general held their own against Purdue.  But neither team we have played in the last two weeks have Javon Ringer in their backfield.  I know that statistics only tell part of the game, but when a guy has over 1,000 yards and double-digit touchdowns at this point in the season, it cannot be ignored.  The trick will be which defensive line shows up?  The one that let the Badgers march down the field at ease in the fourth quarter, or the one that bottles up the run game and forces errant passes?  The Spartans Brian Hoyer hasn’t thrown that many more passes than Terrell Pryor, so obviously the ladder would be more beneficial for the Scarlet and Gray.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Buckeyes Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,