Cleveland Sports Chatter

[Unchainme]

Do you guys want to hear something entirely Stupid.

Okay, Joe Thunder is such an idiot. He picked the Browns to Suck Because We picked Up Willie McGinest and Have RAC as a coach, Because they're Black . It's pretty amazing though, That Willie and RAC have a history together, and have one 3 Super Bowls together. Only a True Moron would say that having those two would be a step backwards for the browns. I think that RAC could get us in the playoffs in at leat 2 years, And Willie will help out our LB's.

[POJO_Risin]

Well...not a great year...

still waiting on that Tribe run...

only this time with no playoffs at stake...

anyways...Hafner hit his 6th Granny today...tying Mattingly for the record in one year...

similar players...hafner with more power though...

I'm hoping he can pass him later this year...

something to hang your hat on anyways...

[POJO_Risin]

They swept the Royals...which is nothing big...except when you consider the fact that until this sweep...KC was leading them this season...

sad really...but who knows...

perhaps Cleveland can get back to .500...

and be ready for next year...

all major players on the team are signed long-term...

and would like to see them get another strong arm.

Of course...now they need a closer as well...

[Unchainme]

http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news_room/n...rts/5608.0.html

Browns acquire CB Derrick Strait
By Jeff Walcoff, Staff Writer
August 14, 2006

Lee Suggs was traded to the New York Jets Monday.

Photo By John H. Reid III
On Aug. 14, the Browns acquired third-year cornerback Derrick Strait from the New York Jets in exchange for fourth-year running back Lee Suggs, filling a need for both teams.

The trade came four days after starting cornerback Gary Baxter was sidelined by a right shoulder injury during the team's preseason opener in Philadelphia. The setback is expected to keep him out for the remainder of the preseason. Daylon McCutcheon, who was competing with Leigh Bodden for the team's other starting role, is also out for several weeks while he recovers from a knee surgery he had on Aug. 1.

The Jets, meanwhile, are without all-time leading rusher Curtis Martin, who is fighting a knee injury.

Strait (5-feet-11, 189 pounds) was a third-round draft pick (76th overall) by the Jets in 2004. He played in all 16 games last season with two starts, marking 31 tackles and a pair of pass breakups. During his rookie season of 2004, he played in 5 games (he missed 7 due to an ankle injury) and managed 5 tackles. He also has totaled 17 special teams tackles during his career.

When healthy, Suggs (6-0, 213) cwas productive for the Browns. He rushed for 186 yards on 26 carries and 2 scores during a win over Cincinnati on Dec. 28, 2003. But he battled numerous injuries during his tenure with the team. He missed all but the final 7 games of his rookie season recovering from shoulder surgery. He played in 10 games with 3 starts in '04 mounting career highs with 199 carries for 744 yards, but then had an injury-plagued '05 season when he played in 8 games and rushed just 8 times for 15 yards. Suggs had been competing for the starting running back job during '04 camp before a left ankle injury kept him out of practice and allowed the job to be earned by now-starter Reuben Droughns.

Strait and Suggs were both collegiate stars. Strait won the Jim Thorpe Award (nation's best defensive back) and the Nagurski Award (nation's top defensive player) as a senior at Oklahoma and also holds the Sooners' record for career starts with 53.

Suggs was an All-America selection who led Division I-A in scoring as a senior. He rushed for 2,767 yards on 535 carries. Suggs is the Big East's all-time rushing touchdowns leader with 53.

[Unchainme]

Derrick Strait
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Derrick Strait (born August 27, 1980) is an NFL cornerback with the Cleveland Browns.

Strait was selected with the 13th pick in the 3rd round of the 2004 NFL Draft by the New York Jets. After spending two seasons primarily as a backup defensive back, Straight was traded to Cleavland on August 14, 2006 for running back Lee Suggs.

Playing his collegiate football at the University of Oklahoma, Derrick was a 2 time All-American, recipient of the Bronko Nagurski Trophy , and the Jim Thorpe Award his Junior season. He holds the Sooners record with five fumble recoveries in a single season.

Strait attended Lanier High School in Austin Texas.

* Born: August 27, 1980 Austin, TX
* Height: 5-11
* Weight: 189 lbs.

[Unchainme]

He sounds good, It looks like we made out like thieves, Since Suggs gets hurt all the time.

Though I would've rather gotten a Center, The idea of another addition to our D, is great.

[Unchainme]

Frye's competitiveness key to success

BEREA, Ohio -- Goaded into participating in the long-drive competition at a charity golf tournament in the spring of 2005, Charlie Frye decided to muscle up for any of the good-natured hecklers who had questioned his strength. Paid to endorse Nike products, the then-rookie quarterback grabbed the company's new Ignite driver from his bag, ripped a monumental shot of nearly 340 yards, and took home the trophy.

Inside Browns camp
BrownsHow is the health of Kellen Winslow Jr. and Braylon Edwards? Can the Browns overcome their offensive line issues? Those are just two of the things Len Pasquarelli touches on in his observations from Browns camp.
• Inside Browns camp
"Yeah, I can hit 'em long," Frye said with a laugh after Wednesday afternoon's training camp practice here. "When I hit 'em straight."

The Cleveland Browns don't necessarily need the second-year quarterback to throw 'em all that long in 2006. But if the Browns are to improve on a 2005 performance in which their offense ranked 26th in the NFL overall and their passing game was 23rd, and are to close the gap on the AFC North's tag-team bullies, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, they definitely need Charlie Frye to throw 'em straight.

Because with the trade that sent Trent Dilfer to San Francisco after only one year with the Browns, and a dubious depth chart that features four other quarterbacks who have started a total of 10 games in the NFL, Frye might be the only guy capable of throwing 'em, period.

It has been noted in Cleveland, ad nauseam, in fact, that the Browns' football brain trust has leaped out of the fire and into the Frye-pan with its decision to hand the reins to the former University of Akron star, a local kid who grew up with a picture of former Browns star quarterback Bernie Kosar taped to his bedroom wall. There is, for sure, considerable heat, given that this storied franchise has posted one playoff season since its reincarnation in 1999 and has lacked stability at the game's highest profile position.

What is clear, however, is that Frye -- who has replaced the poster of Kosar with a list of personal and team goals that he taped to the bedroom wall of the suburban Cleveland home he recently purchased -- isn't exactly fazed by the crucible. When the anxious fans turn up the heat, Frye turns up the good ol' boy veneer, shrugs off the pressure, and keeps preparing for his first professional season as the full-time starter.

"I really can't let someone else's expectations affect what I do," said Frye, a third-round choice in the '05 draft who won two of five starts as a rookie. "I've got enough [expectations] of my own, and enough for this team, to worry about right now. I set goals every season, so this year is no different. Now it's up to me to go after them."

Those goals, at least for now, remain confidential, shared between Frye and his bedroom wall. But that's part of the mystery of Frye, a young player who somehow manages to exude confidence while at the same time exhibiting a kind of heartland homespun mien that is both engaging and disarming and seemingly devoid of sophistication.

Fantasy take
Eric Karabell
Where's the love for Reuben Droughns? While he didn't match his Broncos success, mainly in scoring, Droughns was a very consistent fantasy performer in 2005, rushing for at least 70 yards in 10 games. There's value in knowing you'll get something from a running back each week, even if you seldom get that monster game. Droughns is a safe No. 2 running back in fantasy.
-- Eric Karabell

• Play ESPN fantasy football!
• Check out ESPN's draft kit
When he began working out with rehabilitating tight end Kellen Winslow this spring, and was introduced to some new methodologies, Frye had never even heard of Pilates.

"I knew yoga and stuff, but some of the things Kellen was doing … hey, they were totally foreign to me," Frye said.

The lack of pretense from Frye, insist teammates, is not feigned. But neither is he a shrinking violet in the huddle, or if a receiver blows a route adjustment or hot-read, and he wants the people surrounding him to recognize who's in charge. He may be callow but there have been times, even as a rookie last year, when Frye was also callous.

Said one veteran offensive player: "If you don't know him, he may come off as a hayseed, OK, but trust me, he knows the score."

Whether he can play well enough in 2006 to put up some winning scores for a club that has averaged 5.1 victories since 1999, when the Browns were reborn after owner Art Modell defected to Baltimore with the original franchise, remains to be seen. In seven appearances as a rookie, Frye completed 98 of 164 passes for 1,002 yards, with four touchdown passes and five interceptions, and a 72.8 efficiency rating.

There were times when Frye was very good, and stretches in which he struggled mightily, but he was never completely overwhelmed. That might be because Frye is a gamer, an admirable trait sometimes difficult to discern, but evidenced even in Wednesday's practice.

Frye doesn't have great stopwatch speed, but is resourceful enough to have some "escapability" dimension. He isn't possessed of the strongest arm, and he'll throw some flutter balls, but the passes usually arrive on time. And there is a competitive bent, likely born of his background in the Mid-American Conference, that he seems to share with some of its other recently notable products.

The MAC in recent years has delivered Chad Pennington, Byron Leftwich and Ben Roethlisberger, among others, to the NFL. Not bad -- one passing champion and one Super Bowl champion -- from what was once considered to be a nettlesome but still stepsister conference. It has also delivered a subset of quarterbacks hungry to prove themselves to the world outside the MAC's still-limited sphere of influence.

"If you look, probably none of those guys was recruited by Big Ten schools, either," said Frye, who exited Willard (Ohio) High School holding 17 career records. "At Akron, we could upset some bigger team, and I knew that when I opened the Sunday newspaper, it was going to be Ohio State on the front, no matter what they had done, and we'd be buried on some inside page. So, definitely, you develop a little bit of a chip on your shoulder. And to tell you the truth, I always want that chip to be there, just as long as it doesn't get too big. That's a motivator for me. It's part of who I am."

What the Browns want Frye to be is a quarterback who doesn't feel he has to be too much, in fact, for them to be successful. The rationale of general manager Phil Savage when he selected Frye with the 67th pick in the 2005 draft was that he was taking a player around whom, not on whom, he might build a winning team.

"We are going down a path with Charlie, and we are trying to build a team around him, rather than through him. Now, obviously, there are going to be times in games when we are going to need him to make plays for us. We think he's capable of doing that."
Phil Savage, Browns general manager

Frye, who turns 25 on Aug. 28, is certainly central to the success of the offense, but that doesn't mean he has to be the epicenter of everything Cleveland is attempting to accomplish.

The Browns went with the big-name quarterback philosophy in the past, most notably when they selected Tim Couch with the top overall pick in the 1999 draft, and did not want to mortgage the future this time around in trying to identify a candidate to groom as their long-term starter. Savage conceded that Frye is not a "silver-platter quarterback" and acknowledges his somewhat modest physical talents, but liked the fact the youngster had "earned his way" and loved his competitiveness.

"We are going down a path with Charlie, and we are trying to build a team around him, rather than through him," Savage said. "Now, obviously, there are going to be times in games when we are going to need him to make plays for us. We think he's capable of doing that."

He'd better be, because the trade of Dilfer, who privately chafed after losing his starting job to Frye last season, has left the Browns with little else. There is no veteran mentor, no fallback guy Cleveland coaches can turn to, no grizzled veteran on the roster Frye can turn to for counsel in the rough times.

There is, though, the work ethic that Frye learned from Dilfer during their long tutorials last year. The two would sit for two or three hours watching tape and, when Frye's attention wandered at times ("I would be watching, you know, how Peyton Manning threw the ball instead of what the coverage was," he said), the veteran would refocus him. Those lessons on game preparation, on knowing every facet of the offense, on working harder than everyone else around you, Frye said, have stuck with him.

"This spring, I worked harder than ever at being a good quarterback, not just a good player," Frye said. "I mean, even had Trent been here, I would have considered this my team. I didn't want guys coming to me with questions about the offense, and me not being able to answer them. I'm still not sure I've got all of the answers yet, but I know that, from my own standpoint, I sure don't have as many questions now."

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/trainingcamp06/columns/story?columnist=pasquarelli_len&id=2553492

[Unchainme]

Frye's a Good Kid, I'm mixed about him though, Like I don't entirely trust he's our future QB and all. I do like the fact that he was Always a browns fan and grew up on Bernie, that could be a good sign..

[POJO_Risin]

Nice role player pick up for the Cavs in Pollard...

curious trade though...I'm not sure about Bradsen...but he must have some upside if you deal a 7' 2" athletic project...

we shall see...

Cavs sign Pollard, send Andriuskevicius to Bulls
Aug. 18, 2006
CBS SportsLine.com wire reports




CLEVELAND -- Scot Pollard promises to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers in bruises and floor burns.

"I'm not a pretty player," he said. "I go in there and do the dirty work. I dive on the floor. I take charges. I set screens. I do a lot of things guys don't like doing. I found my niche and I'm sticking with it."

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Pollard, a free agent known as much for his ever-changing hair and sideburn styles, signed a one-year contract with the Cavaliers, who also traded center Martynas Andriuskevicius to the Chicago Bulls for guard Eddie Basden on Friday.

Financial terms were not available.

Pollard averaged 3.8 points and 4.8 rebounds in 45 games -- 32 starts -- last season for the Indiana Pacers, his third NBA team. The 6-foot-11, 265-pound Pollard will give the Cavs more inside muscle and can provide needed energy along with Anderson Varejao, Cleveland's mop-topped Brazilian.

"I'm a piece to a championship puzzle," Pollard said from his home in Indianapolis.

He has worn his hair in a variety of ways during his NBA career. This summer, he went for a new look.

"I cut all my hair off," he said. "I got tired of taking care of it. Right now, it's a summer cut, but who knows what I might have by the time the season gets here."

Pollard, 31, has made 460 career starts and appeared in 57 playoff games since being drafted by Detroit in the first round (19th overall) in 1997.

"Adding Scot to our roster gives us more depth, size, toughness and experience," Cavaliers general manager Danny Ferry said. "We believe Scot can be a valuable contributor to our team as we continue to build a championship-level team here in Cleveland."

Pollard played 33 games with the Pistons before being dealt to Atlanta for Christian Laettner. After being waived the Hawks, Pollard signed as a free agent with Sacramento and spent six seasons with the Kings.

He was traded to the Pacers in a three-team deal in 2003. In Indiana, Pollard felt restricted as the Pacers played a slower brand of ball than he was used to with the Kings. He's looking forward to the chance to get out and run with LeBron James and the Cavs.

"This is definitely a team on the upswing," he said. "We've got a chance to be one of the top two or three teams in the East, and we have a legitimate chance to get out of the East."

Andriuskevicius was a project for the Cavaliers, who acquired the 7-foot-2 Lithuanian last year from Orlando for a second-round draft pick and cash. He played just nine minutes in six games for Cleveland, spending most of the season in the Development League.

"Marty is a young and talented kid and he made good strides during the past year, but ultimately this trade puts us in a more flexible position with our roster," Ferry said.

Basden, 23, played in 19 games for the Bulls last season, averaging 2.1 points, 1.5 rebounds.

AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service

Copyright 2005-2006, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved

[POJO_Risin]

Well...Cleveland has won 18 of 23...

to bad they couldn't have started this way...

hopefully...they'll get over .500...at least something to build on for next year I guess...

they are getting better pitching...

finally have found a closer...

and are actually playing defense...

what they need is a horse to start...someone they can count on from day 1...

CC is great...but not that guy...

[twonabomber]

Dolan is reportedly willing to spend more money next season. we'll see how that pans out...

[Unchainme]

Browns Most Loyal Fans..

Cleveland is No. 1 in rankings of NFL fan loyalty
Kansas City and Philadelphia are second and third, Oakland is last

By G. Scott Thomas
American City Business Journals
Updated: 6:13 p.m. ET Sept. 8, 2006

The Cleveland Browns stumbled to a 6-10 record last year, their third straight losing season. Browns Stadium was sold out for every game.

The Kansas City Chiefs entered the season with high hopes, but missed the playoffs for the second year in a row. Arrowhead Stadium was sold out for every game.

The Philadelphia Eagles plummeted to a 6-10 mark, their worst since 1999. Lincoln Financial Field was sold out for every game.



Cleveland fans earned first place by routinely packing their 73,000-seat stadium despite the dismal play of the Browns — who have won only 36 of 112 games since 1999 — and a climate that is among the coldest in the league.

Such steadfast support is the reason why Cleveland, Kansas City and Philadelphia are 1-2-3 in Bizjournals's new rankings of National Football League fan loyalty. (Click here for the top-to-bottom standings of all 32 teams.)

The study set out to identify the NFL's best fans. Not the ones who turn out in strong numbers for a winning team, but the ones who stay loyal even if their team is losing, the weather is frightful or their local market is small.

Cleveland fans earned first place by routinely packing their 73,000-seat stadium despite the dismal play of the Browns — who have won only 36 of 112 games since 1999 — and a climate that is among the coldest in the league.

Kansas City and Philadelphia received high marks for consistently drawing capacity crowds in both good seasons and bad. K.C. has averaged 77,300 fans per game since 1996, while Philly has filled 99.8 percent of available seats. Both figures rank second in the NFL over the 10-year span.

Rounding out the top 10 in the fan rankings are the Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans, Denver Broncos, Baltimore Ravens and Washington Redskins. (Click here for detailed profiles of all 32 teams.)

Each NFL team's performance was analyzed in seven categories for the period of 1996-2005, including average attendance, percentage of seats filled, fluctuation in attendance between good and bad seasons, on-field record, market population, local income levels and weather.

The study analyzed each team in two ways — first for its level of fan support and then for the difficulty it poses to long-term supporters. Cleveland is No. 1 on both lists, clinching first place in the overall rankings of fan loyalty.

Sixty percent of each team's final score is based on the quality of its support, while 40 percent depends on the difficulties its fans face. The tougher the conditions become — a losing record, a small market or harsh weather — the higher a team's difficulty score will be.

Right behind the Browns on the support list are Philadelphia, Kansas City, Denver and Green Bay. All attract capacity crowds game after game, year after year.

The runners-up to Cleveland in the difficulty standings are Buffalo, Cincinnati, New Orleans and Arizona. All are small to medium-sized markets whose teams have posted losing records during the past decade.

At the bottom of the overall fan loyalty rankings are the Oakland Raiders, whose average attendance is second-worst in the NFL since 1996, even though they play in one of the league's largest, most affluent markets.

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14686579/

[POJO_Risin]

I'm sorry...but Pittsburgh not in the top 10 is ridiculous...

game after game...year after year...period...

there's something like a 10 year waiting list just to get a SEASON ticket...

[Unchainme]

Originally posted by POJO_Risin
I'm sorry...but Pittsburgh not in the top 10 is ridiculous...

game after game...year after year...period...

there's something like a 10 year waiting list just to get a SEASON ticket...

You guys do pick up a lot of bandwagoners though..

Something the (new?) browns could never say..lol.

It's funny seeing the tools wearing terrible towels and Polamalu jersey's thinking they're cool. When You Know for a Fact that 2 years back they were Browns fans

Today is the big game, I got WMMS cranked so I can listen to Jimmy Donovan call the game and the game on Fox.

Braylon and KW2 playing together for the first time..


Should be great.

[Va Beach VH Fan]

I agree, the bandwagon did get a little heavy last year....

But you have to agree at the same time, Steeler Nation is fucking massive bro....