May 19, 2013

WFNY Podcast – 2013-03-05 – Diminishing returns in baseball stats?

March 5, 2013 by Leave a Comment

WFNY Podcast LogoJon and Craig got together to talk sports, and this is what went down.

  • MIT Sloan conference (again)
  • Nate Silver the rockstar
  • Baseball analytics… are they a diminishing returns game?
  • Stability to run an analytics department
  • Chip Kelly might be the best thing that ever happened to the Browns
  • Pete Carroll, tall corners
  • Baseball and the closers came after saves
  • Pat Shurmur never played with confidence
  • Puritan and Company in Cambridge and tip to tail dining
  • Horse meat and dog meat
  • The worst tagline I could possibly think of for the podcast

[Read more...]

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Pat Shurmur Reportedly Returning To Philadelphia As Offensive Coordinator

January 20, 2013 by 22 Comments

Chip Kelly in the words of Ricky Bobby wants to go fast. In a head-scratcher for us fans recently released from the offensive reign of Pat Shurmur as head coach, the Philadelphia Eagles have signed Shurmur to be the team’s offensive coordinator, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

For a first time head coach like Kelly, it’s important to have experienced coordinators who may even have some head coaching experience to help the coach along. Shurmur went 9-23 in his two seasons in Cleveland and was fired following the team’s season finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers, a 24-10 loss. Prior to that, he was the offensive coordinator in St. Louis for two seasons with quarterback Sam Bradford after being the Eagles’ quarterback coach under Andy Reid from 2002-2008 and tight ends coach from 1999-2001.

Kelly, you will recall, interviewed with the Browns, Bills, and Eagles for their head coaching opening prior to originally deciding to remain at Oregon before changing his mind and heading to Philadelphia.

Shurmur had reportedly talked to the Carolina Panthers and New York Jets about their offensive coordinator vacancies as well.

Related: Chud, Norv, Horton, and Lombardi: The Future’s In Their Hands

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Philadelphia Eagles and Lurie taking shots at Cleveland Browns and Joe Banner?

January 17, 2013 by 24 Comments

The Chip Kelly hiring in Philly was seemingly linked to Cleveland and it could have stood to reason that it was just Cleveland-born negativity and paranoia driving that bus. Now that Jeffrey Lurie and the Eagles are talking about their newest head coaching hire, Chip Kelly, it appears that there might be just a little bit of gamesmanship between the Eagles and the Browns, if not some outright loathing for the former partnership according to Paul Domowitch.

There are a few things that could potentially going on here. First of all the relationship between Lurie and Banner could truly be as sour as Domowitch indicates it could possibly be. That doesn’t seem all that far-fetched.

From a Browns perspective, this might also mean that Haslam and Banner’s instincts about Chip Kelly might have been right where Cleveland was only being used as a tool for leverage. If you’re one that thinks the Browns were smart to step away from the Kelly situation (and you think they actually did step away) then these statements about it being a two horse race might make you feel even better.

If Chip Kelly turns out to be the next great NFL coach, none of this will make anyone feel better. The Browns at least kicked the tires on the guy and got a chance to interview him, so if he becomes a success, there will always be reason to wonder what could’ve been.

If he fails on the other hand… Well, we’ll just leave that to the budding rivalry between Joe Banner and his former partner / boss.

[Related: WFNY Podcast – 2013-01-17 – Craig and TD talking Browns]

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NFL News: Raheem Morris to interview for Browns defensive coordinator

January 16, 2013 by 29 Comments

Despite the fact that the Eagles got Chip Kelly and the Browns didn’t, the Browns are apparently moving forward trying to put a first class staff together around Rob Chudzinski. Pro Football Talk has the news that the Browns will be interviewing former Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Raheem Morris for the opening.

Morris had a rocky ending to his tenure in Tampa as head coach, but few doubt his abilities as a defensive coach. Most recently he’s been the defensive backs coach for the Washington Redskins this past season.

As Mr. Florio points out the Browns still have Dick Jauron under contract. Oddly enough, Jauron’s name hasn’t even been mentioned anywhere so far this off-season. I didn’t really expect his name to surface in relation to the head coaching positions, but as those were filled, mostly with offensive names, I’m surprised we haven’t heard his name even once for a defensive coordinator spot in transition.

If you’re wondering about Morris’ ability to be coordinator, it might be noteworthy to find out that Morris assumed the defensive playcalling duties during the fourth quarter of a game against the Rams this season at the request of head coach Mike Shanahan following disagreements with D-coordinator Jim Haslett.

[Related: “Chud” may be the man, but the Cleveland Browns were played by Chip Kelly]

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NFL Rumor: Chip Kelly waffled on Oregon on Tuesday January 8th

January 16, 2013 by 15 Comments

There will obviously be more information leaking out about the entire Chip Kelly saga. The initial leaks are happening right now, and it seems that the turning of the tide for Chip Kelly leaving Oregon was last Tuesday January 8th.

The person, who requested anonymity because neither the team nor Kelly’s camp has released details of the talks, said Kelly first let the Eagles know he was having second thoughts about his decision to return to Oregon last Tuesday.

It was right around that time the Eagles were talking to another Kelly – Brian Kelly of Notre Dame, who eventually told them he was returning to school as well.

Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly was talking about returning to Notre Dame and the Browns were working on securing their head coach Rob Chudzinski who was hired on January 10th.

What remains to be seen is if there was any communication between Kelly and the Browns, or if he’d already narrowed his decision down to the Eagles. If he did contact the Browns were they true to their word when they indicated through media sources that they’d decided to move on? Did the Browns consider Kelly one last time or were they never afforded the option?

Maybe we’ll never know for sure, but all that’s left to do is watch it play out and see which team feels vindicated in their process and decisions this time next year. It seems especially painful for the Browns in the media because they’re now viewed as losing out on the same guy for a second time no matter what the truth of the matter might be.

One thing’s for sure right this second. The Philadelphia Eagles won the battle for the headlines by landing the biggest name so far this off-season.

[Related: “Chud” may be the man, but the Cleveland Browns were played by Chip Kelly]

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“Chud” may be the man, but the Cleveland Browns were played by Chip Kelly

January 16, 2013 by 116 Comments

And I have been whining that there hasn’t been much to write about…..

CHIP KELLYHere I was, sitting in the Kansas City airport, waiting for a flight home, perusing Twitter, and ESPN’s Chris Mortensen drops a bomb of atomic proportions: The Philadelphia Eagles will name Oregon’s Chip Kelly as their next head coach.

Wh-wh-what?

I was going to try and not be reactionary to the news, but I just can’t. Let us recap what has happened:

New Browns bossman Jimmy Haslam and his handpicked CEO Joe Banner can tell you all day long that Kelly wasn’t there first choice, but it was clear that he was. The two went to Arizona, met with him for seven hours plus a two-hour dinner, the day after Kelly’s Ducks dispatched the Kansas State Wildcats in the Fiesta Bowl. There was no doubt – their full court press was on. We were led to believe that Haslam was not going to be outbid by anyone for Kelly’s services. As I wrote last week, Haslam and Banner had all of their eggs in Kelly’s basket, thought they had him, yet left Arizona without a deal in place. Kelly went on to meet for another full day interview with Philadelphia owner Jeffrey Lurie and GM Howie Roseman, who is all that remains from the Reid/Banner era front office. Like with the Browns, the Eagles were reportedly rebuffed by Kelly and his agent and had to go back to the drawing board.

[Read more...]

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Browns fan and media reaction to Chip Kelly news is all over the map

January 16, 2013 by 20 Comments

browns eaglesChip Kelly is coming to the NFL. He is joining the Eagles after everyone thought he was going back to Oregon. The Browns have to feel especially snakebitten right now, not because they lost out on Kelly necessarily, but because they lost out on him in the court of public opinion twice. Nobody knows how all the dynamics and timelines worked out, but we know some things are for sure. The Browns targeted Kelly. They were extremely interested in him to the point that he was the first one they aimed to talk to in Arizona. They planned on talking to him a second time and got stood up. They reportedly “moved on” from Kelly and it looked like Kelly had “moved on” from the NFL at least for 2013. That is until today. Here are how some of the reactions looked in the immediate aftermath of the news.

[Read more...]

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NFL News: Philadelphia Eagles land Chip Kelly

January 16, 2013 by 57 Comments

A shocker today from ESPN’s Chris Mortensen-

The Browns of course were in on the Chip Kelly circus immediately after Oregon’s win over Kansas State in the Fiesta Bowl. Following a weekend of wining and dining from the Browns, Eagles and Bills, Chip Kelly announced he was staying at Oregon.

So what changed? And could the Browns have approached Kelly one last time before giving the keys to Berea to Rob Chudzinski?

You can be sure there is more to this story to eventually come out.

[Related: 2013 NFL mock draft has the Browns selecting...]

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Kelly, Chudzinski, & Plan B….Was There One?

January 11, 2013 by 41 Comments

Rob ChudzinskiSo the Browns hired Rob Chudzinski. The city of Cleveland and Browns fans throughout the country run the gamut of opinions with regards to their new head coach. Outrage. Confusion. Laughter. Excitement. I’ve seen and heard it all. My uncle, who has been a season ticket holder since he was a child in the 1940′s and I attend every game with, loves the hire. My brother, who has never forgiven the NFL for allowing the Browns to move in the first place, thinks its brutal. I land somewhere in the middle.

On a daily basis here at WFNY, we have a ton of back and forth over email which often spawn pieces like this one. Our own Andrew came up with a theory that I completely buy into. Jimmy Haslam and Joe Banner had their man targeted. He had all the prerequisites that Haslam talked about when he dropped the bomb on Pat Shurmur. A strong leader of men. An innovator on offense. A man who knew how to run a program. That man was Oregon coach Chip Kelly. [Read more...]

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Browns coach search and why the excitement over Chip Kelly was justified

January 9, 2013 by 41 Comments
Joe Banner will have some decisions to make in Cleveland

On to the next one…

Despite all my criticisms of the Browns’ media handling in the hunt for Chip Kelly, I fully supported their chase of him as a coach for the Browns. The idea of Chip Kelly coaching the Browns was awesome. There’s no guarantee that Chip Kelly was going to be anything more than a complete bust. That’s pretty much the case for any coaching candidate. It drives me nuts that in order to talk about Chip Kelly in Cleveland that we constantly had to talk about Butch Davis because, you know, they both coached in college. That connecting of the dots is probably about as lazy as you can get from an intellectual standpoint.

You just can’t tell me with a straight face that a defensive specialist with experience as defensive coordinator of the Cowboys and head coaching experience at the U is the same thing as a guy who was almost solely an offensive coach on his way to becoming head coach at Oregon. That’s just the resume side of things. The fact remains that each candidate is a completely different human being. Even two doctors who went to the same medical school are completely different, and their training and professional background will be far less diverse than two guys like Butch Davis and Chip Kelly.

[Read more...]

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NFL Report: Trestman interviewed today in Cleveland

January 8, 2013 by 20 Comments

According to Tom Withers, the Browns have interviewed Marc Trestman-

“Trestman interviewed with the Chicago Bears for eight hours Monday night and arrived at the Browns’ facility in suburban Berea late Tuesday morning, said the person who spoke to the Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the search. He is the fifth known candidate to interview with the Browns, seeking their sixth fulltime coach since 1999 after firing Pat Shurmur last week.

Trestman was the Browns’ quarterbacks coach in 1988 and their offensive coordinator in 1989, when Cleveland appeared in its third AFC title game in four years with quarterback Bernie Kosar. Trestman has extensive background as an NFL assistant, working with eight teams, most recently Miami in 2004.”

The Browns have now interviewed Trestman, Chip Kelly, Ken Whisenhunt, Ray Horton, Bill O’Brien, and Doug Marrone, who was hired by Buffalo. Kelly and O’Brien decided to stay with their college teams.

[Related: Saban to NFL, no thanks]

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WFNY Roundtable: The Chip Kelly debacle and the ongoing search for a Browns head coach

January 7, 2013 by 109 Comments

Though the Cleveland Browns’ head coaching search officially began upon the ousting of one Pat Shurmur, it began to pick up substantial steam over the last 48 hours once Oregon’s Chip Kelly did his annual flirtation with a league he is obviously not cut out for. The rumor mill swirled, speculation was ripe, and the Browns left their temporary headquarters in Arizona without a captain for their ship. The result was one part chaos and the other part wonder — wonder surrounding what is to be learned, wonder surrounding what is yet to come. What follows is a roundtable discussion between members of WFNY. Do enjoy.

Scott: Alright. I’ll start things off. Jimmy Haslam III and Joe Banner set up shop in Arizona where there proceeded to interview a handful of qualified candidates, only to seemingly put all of their eggs in the Chip Kelly basket. Not only did Kelly leave without signing whatever offer was presented to him, but he’s going back to college — very Brett Favrian, in my opinion — and the Browns have flown home without a head coach in place while the candidate pool continues to lose depth. What should fans take away from the circus that was the last 48 hours?

[Read more...]

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WFNY Podcast – 2013-01-06 – Brian Spaeth challenges Craig on Browns and media

January 7, 2013 by 13 Comments

What better way to start 2013 than with a Brian Spaeth chat? After writing my article about the Browns and their handling of the media, Brian wanted to talk about it. He initially thought I was being a “baby.” Is that the way he finished thinking about it? You’ll have to listen to find out. (Tease.)

Here’s what else we talked about.

  • The Browns and the current Cleveland media
  • Twitter and the information economy
  • What do the Browns owe the media?
  • What do the Browns owe the fans?
  • Chip Kelly and his agent controlling the message
  • Does talking in the face of rumors help the Browns in any way?
  • How injured and needy are Cleveland sports fans?
  • How much does LeBron have to do with it?
  • What about the 24 hour news cycle?
  • Sulia
  • SportsYapper
  • Cougar Town
  • Funeral reality TV shows [Read more...]

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NFL News: Chip Kelly is staying at Oregon

January 6, 2013 by 19 Comments

The news that was expected for the last few hours appears to be here. Adam Schefter of ESPN is reporting that Chip Kelly will indeed return to Oregon.

Schefter doesn’t even mention the Browns in his tweet. So the Browns can now officially move on to the rest of the board of candidates.

[Related: Browns mishandling media during coaching search]

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Browns mishandling media during coaching search

January 6, 2013 by 143 Comments

The Browns aren’t having the best couple days in their coaching search, at least from the perspective of rumor and anonymous sources. The team camped out in Arizona presumably to talk to Chip Kelly primarily. They’ve talked to some other candidates too, of course, but Kelly was obviously the candidate that required the most immediacy and urgency. Friday night, it was thought the Browns were “close.” Saturday night the Eagles were reportedly “close.” This morning the only thing apparently close to Chip Kelly is Chip Kelly.

Bad pun alert, but those chips will fall as they may. There’s nothing any of our worrying or hoping can do to change it. More distressing to me is that the Browns seem unaware or unwilling to change the negative perception of how this coaching search is going. [Read more...]

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Reports: Browns rebooting head coach search without Chip Kelly

January 6, 2013 by 45 Comments

What a difference two days and a lunch running into dinner makes.

The Browns’ contingency has left Arizona where they interviewed Chip Kelly on Friday among many others this week. According to various reports, including ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, they are heading back to Cleveland to regroup and continue the coaching search with Kelly’s name crossed off the list.

This too, from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, seems to hammer it home.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, who originally reported that the Browns and Kelly were close to an agreement, says that super-booster Phil Knight is pulling Kelly back to Oregon.

So, where do the Browns go from here? Bill O’Brien and Doug Marrone, who the Browns interviewed as well, are now off the board in addition to Kelly. That leaves former Arizona head coach Ken Whisenhunt and Cardinals defensive coordinator Ray Horton as the two candidates the Browns have interviewed that are still in play.

It’s certainly possible that the Browns open the search back up again with several other viable candidates still out there.

[Related: NFL Rumor: Chip Kelly could stay at Oregon]

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NFL Rumor: Chip Kelly could stay at Oregon

January 6, 2013 by 20 Comments

After a back-and-forth 48 hours where he was heading to Cleveland and then to Philadelphia, Chip Kelly could be staying at the University of Oregon, according to at least two reports on Twitter on Sunday morning.

The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane got the rumor mill heated up with his tweet, speculating there’s as much of a chance Kelly stays at Oregon as his reported leap to the NFL. And The Plain Dealer’s Mary Kay Cabot followed up with a report from Michael Lomardi, also a candidate for the Browns executive opening, that Kelly might lean toward staying in school.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport followed up to McLane’s tweet in saying that this could be unlikely, considering the NCAA sanctions the Oregon program is likely to face in the near future.

With Doug Marrone locked into a deal with the Buffalo Bills, it’s likely to be a continued scramble on Twitter for all possible breaking news related to Chip Kelly. We’ll keep you updated with all of the latest reports we see. Stay tuned to WFNY.

[Related: NFL News: Doug Marrone agrees to join Bills]

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While We’re Waiting… Francona brings swagger to Cleveland

January 6, 2013 by 1 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.

“There is a new feeling around the Cleveland Indians. It isn’t a feeling of cockiness, but confidence. It’s a feeling of pride in what has been accomplished since the end of a 94-loss season in 2012, and also a focus on the work that is left to be done. It’s a feeling of comfort and trust, while starting so many things different and new. However you try to describe the feeling, it is one created by new Manager Terry Francona.” [Mike Brandyberry/Did The Tribe Win Last Night?] [Read more...]

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NFL News: Doug Marrone agrees to join Bills

January 6, 2013 by 13 Comments

If Doug Marrone was considered a target on the Browns’ radar, they better start targeting some other people. Adam Schefter reports that Marrone has agreed to make the short hop down the freeway from Syracuse to Buffalo.

The Chip Kelly Watch continues for Cleveland Browns fans. It sure would be nice to even have high level comments out of the Cleveland Browns, but their vow of silence seems to be holding strong.

[Related: Browns/Steelers 2003 AFC Wild Card – The 10 Year Anniversary – A TD Retrospective]

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Rumors: Kelly, Eagles close to agreement; Browns meet again with Marrone

January 5, 2013 by 33 Comments

Two hot rumors just hit the Cleveland Twitter-sphere. First, SportsRadio 94 WIP’s Brain Startare out in Philadelphia has a potentially dynamite rumor for Cleveland Browns fans:

https://twitter.com/brianstartare/status/287748074875531264

The Plain Dealer’s Mary Kay Cabot just retweeted his rumor about Oregon head coach Chip Kelly closing in on a five-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles. As Cabot had just pointed out, the Eagles and Kelly were running late on their scheduled lunch — he had not yet began his dinner appointment out in Arizona with the Browns.

Meanwhile, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network remains a must-follow on the case, as he added these new details about the Browns’ continued pursuit of Syracuse coach Doug Marrone:

Rapoport appeared to be very careful to clarify that the Browns are still deciding who their favorite candidate is.

Eagles report and XM host Adam Caplan added to the story with his tweet, saying that the Eagles appear more confident in their chances of landing Kelly two hours ago, than compared to when their lunch began.

We’ll keep you updated with the latest. But if Startare’s report is true, it could be a heartbreaker for many Cleveland fans. But regardless, Rapoport’s rumor indicates the Browns still aren’t as set on either one of the candidates just yet.

[Related: NFL Rumor: ‘Be ready for something to happen tonight’ with Browns, Chip Kelly]

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