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Cleveland Browns finalizing deal for Kyle Shanahan to be new offensive coordinator

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Former Redskins offensive Kyle Shanahan is in the process of finalizing a deal to become the Browns new offensive coordinator, two league sources told cleveland.com.

NEW YORK -- The Browns are in the process hiring former Redskins offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan as their new coordinator, two sources told cleveland.com.

Shanahan is currently on vacation with his family and won't be able to actually sign the deal for a few days, but for all intents and purposes, it's a done deal, a source said.

A team spokesman, however, said that coach Mike Pettine has had some solid interviews but that a decision on his coordinator has not been made.

Cleveland.com reported Saturday morning that Shanahan was still very much in the mix and that the Browns could name him soon.

Alex Marvez of Fox Sports also tweeted that Shanahan is the Browns new coordinator.

A report on NFL Network that Shanahan's interview "didn't go as planned'' and that the Browns had moved on was inaccurate, a source said.

A source told cleveland.com shortly after the interview that both sides felt it went very well and that Shanahan was an immediate frontrunner.

Shanahan has six years' experience as an NFL coordinator, including two with the Texans and the past four with the Redskins.

The Browns interviewed Shanahan and Raiders quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo for their coordinator vacancy this week. They also hired former Titans offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains as their quarterbacks coach on Thursday, a source told cleveland.com and added former Ravens offensive line coach Andy Moeller to coach their line, two sources told the Baltimore Sun.

The Browns have not yet announced the addition of Shanahan, Loggains or Moeller.

Shanahan, 34, and his father Mike, the former Redskins head coach, were fired after the Redskins tumbled to 3-13 in 2013 and after quarterback Robert Griffin III had a sub-par season.

The Redskins' disappointing year followed their 10-6 playoff campaign in 2012, when RGIII lit it up as a rookie. However, the Redskins lost 24-14 to the Seahawks in the wildcard round, and RGIII suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament and other knee damage in the game.

The Shanahans were fired in large part because of their rift with RGIII, who came to mistrust them, according to the Washington Post.

But former NFL quarterback Chris Simms, a close friend of Shanahan's since they played together at Texas, told cleveland.com on Thursday that Shanahan got a bad rap in the RGIII situation and that no one complained the year before when RGIII was one of the hottest quarterbacks in the NFL.

"To me, you're talking about a guy (in RGIII) who was in the NFL for less than a year, and then we're talking about a guy (in Simms) who's been around the NFL his whole life, has had tremendous success, had top 10 offenses his last two years with the Texans and then in his last two years in Washington,'' said Simms. " So I tend to trust the guy that's been around the league and has the numbers to back it up rather than the guy that came from Baylor and was part of an offense that didn't even have a playbook and really is kind of new to the NFL world. There's a lot of illegitimate perception about Kyle because of kind of the raucous that went on down there this year.''

The 2013 season marked Shanahan's 10th in the NFL and fourth as Redskins coordinator. Shanahan helped create the "“East Coast Offense” in 2012 that led Washington to its first NFC East championship in 13 years. Incorporating the Pistol into his scheme, Shanahan's offense became the first in NFL history to pass for 3,400 yards and rush for 2,700 yards in the same season.

Despite starting rookies at quarterback and running back (Alfred Morris) for all 16 games, the Redskins won their first rushing title since 1993 and led the NFL in yards per play (6.17). RGIII also became the team’s first recipient of the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year award since 1975 and set NFL rookie records for passer rating (102.4), interception percentage (1.27) and rushing yards by a rookie quarterback (815).

In Week 15 against the Browns, Shanahan coached another rookie quarterback, Kirk Cousins, to a 38-21 victory in Cleveland with a season-high 329 yards passing. Morris, a sixth-round pick, also set the Redskins’ team record with 1,613 rushing yards in 2012.

Shanahan's offenses have finished in the top 10 in four of his six years as a coordinator.



Pro Football Hall of Fame 2014: Ray Guy, Michael Strahan among 7 elected

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Two first-time eligible players, linebacker Derrick Brooks and offensive tackle Walter Jones, were selected.

NEW YORK -- The hang time is over for Ray Guy. The longtime punter for the Oakland Raiders is all by himself once again.

After waiting 23 years, Guy is the first punter elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

"Good things are worth waiting for," Guy said Saturday night after being elected along with six other players. "It's just a matter of time when it will show up. And I knew it would, sooner or later. It had to, whether it was me or somebody down the road. But sooner or later, it had to show up, because that is a part of a football game."

The class of 2014 also included defensive end Michael Strahan, receiver Andre Reed, defensive back Aeneas Williams and defensive end Claude Humphrey, who like Guy was a senior selection. Two first-time eligible players, linebacker Derrick Brooks and offensive tackle Walter Jones, were selected.

The announcement was made at the NFL Honors award show, less than 24 hours before the Denver Broncos meet the Seattle Seahawks in the first Super Bowl in a non-domed stadium in a cold-weather city.

Among the finalists who didn't get in were two with ties to the Indianapolis Colts and current Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning -- coach Tony Dungy and receiver Marvin Harrison.

Each of the incoming Hall of Famers walked to the stage and was announced individually. Strahan, who helped the Giants make two Super Bowls, got a huge cheer from the home crowd.

Induction will be on Aug. 1 in Canton, Ohio.

Guy turned the punting job into a defensive weapon after he became the first player at his position to be selected in the first round of the draft in 1973. He made "hang time" part of the football vernacular while playing all of his 207 games in 14 seasons with the Raiders.

The Southern Mississippi product averaged 42.4 yards, falling under the 40-yard bar only during the strike-shortened 1982 season. Only three of his 1,049 punts were blocked, and he set an NFL record with 619 in a row without a block. He had 209 punts downed inside the 20-yard line, including 77 in his final three seasons.

"It's gratifying to now see a punter go into the Hall of Fame," Guy said. "Whether it was me or somebody else, they needed representation in that position."

Brooks was the cornerstone of a Bucs defense that led the league in 2002 and '05, and the NFC five times. He was The Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year when Tampa Bay won its only Super Bowl after the 2002 season.

The linebacker never missed a game in his 14 seasons and averaged a remarkable 146 tackles. Six of his 25 interceptions were returned for touchdowns, including a league-record three in '02. He holds Tampa Bay records for tackles in a game (23), defensive TDs in a season (four), career starts and games, and tackles (2,196).

Seattle certainly got a winner when it moved up to the No. 6 spot in the 1997 draft to take Jones. He immediately provided blindside protection for Warren Moon and quickly became the first Seahawks lineman to earn a Pro Bowl spot. He was one of the chief road graders who helped Shaun Alexander rush for 266 yards in a 2001 game -- the fourth-highest total in NFL history -- and then rush for a team-record 1,880 yards and 28 TDs in his MVP season in 2005.

Strahan set the NFL record for sacks in a single season, getting 22½ in 2001. The one most people remember is the record-setter in the final game of the regular season, when Green Bay's Brett Favre seemed to lay down on a play late in the game.

While there is controversy about that play, the gap-toothed Strahan was one of the top two-way defensive ends. Younger teammates said he taught them how to work to become NFL players, and he walked away from the NFL after winning the Super Bowl in February 2008.

"It's hard to find guys with everything, but this guy had everything . size, speed, power, toughness, endurance, motor, smarts, leadership, heart, love for the game, but what I admired most about Michael was his pride," Giants general Jerry Reese said. "No matter what the circumstances were, when he walked out on that field on Sunday, he was going to give it ALL to you. There aren't many guys who can say that."

Reed came out of little Kutztown (Pa.) University and played his first 15 seasons with Buffalo, getting to four Super Bowls, but never winning one. His final season was with Washington. His 951 career receptions are third in league history, highlighted by nine consecutive seasons of 50-plus catches.

Long before people spoke about yards after the catch, Reed was doing it. He finished with 13,198 yards and 87 touchdowns.

A walk-on at Southern University, Williams was a shutdown cornerback in his 14 NFL seasons, the first 10 with the Cardinals and the last four with the Rams. He had 55 career interceptions, getting at least one in every season except his last. He had five or more in picks in six seasons, with nine being his best in 1994.

Williams shared the NFL record for longest fumble return with a 104-yarder for a touchdown against Washington in 2000, his last year with the Cardinals. He started at cornerback for the Rams in the 2001 Super Bowl and played safety in his final two seasons.

The Hall of Fame doors finally opened for Humphrey on his 28th year of eligibility and his fifth as a finalist. The durable six-time Pro Bowl pick had 122 career sacks in 14 seasons with the Falcons and Eagles, who acquired him after a brief retirement in the 1978 season. His 14½ sacks in 1980 helped the Eagles reach the Super Bowl.


Denver Broncos QB Peyton Manning wins fifth Associated Press NFL MVP award

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Manning won his other MVPs with Indianapolis in 2003, '04, '08 and '09. He also was the runner-up last season to Adrian Peterson.

NEW YORK -- Peyton Manning made his fifth MVP award a family affair.

Manning's record-setting season earned him The Associated Press NFL MVP award Saturday night in a landslide. No other player has won more than three.

Denver's record-setting quarterback, who threw for 55 touchdowns and 5,477 yards in leading the Broncos to the AFC's best record, earned 49 votes from a nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the league. New England quarterback Tom Brady got the other vote.

Manning won his other MVPs with Indianapolis in 2003, '04, '08 and '09. He also was the runner-up last season to Adrian Peterson.

"I am humbled by this recognition and grateful to my family, (Broncos owner) Pat Bowlen, John Elway, John Fox and the entire Denver Broncos organization, and of course, my coaches and my teammates," Manning said in a prepared video acceptance speech. He was not on hand as he gets ready for Sunday's Super Bowl against Seattle.

"Now, I sent a couple of guys over there tonight to pick up the trophy on my behalf: my father Archie and my son Marshall. Thank you very much and God bless you."

Archie Manning, holding his grandson Marshall in his arms, accepted the award from two more MVPs, Joe Montana and Aaron Rodgers.

Manning still trails several Hall of Famers for total MVPs in their sport. Wayne Gretzky won nine NHL MVPs, Barry Bonds owns seven in baseball, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won six in the NBA.

Manning also took the AP's Offensive Player of the Year award for the second time. Elway accepted the Offensive Player award on Manning's behalf.

"I can say I have never seen a better year played by a quarterback than Peyton Manning," said Elway, a Broncos executive who won the MVP award in 1987. "To see what he did this year, it was truly amazing."

Manning received 33 votes for the offensive player honor. He also was runner-up last year to Peterson for the award.

This time, running back LeSean McCoy of Philadelphia was second with 10 votes, followed by Kansas City running back Jamaal Charles with four.

Carolina grabbed two major awards, with Ron Rivera winning AP NFL Coach of the Year and linebacker Luke Kuechly voted top defensive player.

Rivera engineered the Panthers' turnaround from a 7-9 record to 12-4, the NFC South title and a first-round playoff bye. Kuechly keyed a defense that allowed 241 points, less than every team except NFC champion Seattle.

"I had no idea," he said of adding the award to the top defensive rookie honors he got last season. "You look at the list of guys: Robert Mathis, a sack master, a guy that forced a lot of fumbles. And obviously, everybody knows about Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas. Those guys are both studs."

Green Bay running back Eddie Lacy and Jets defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson were the top rookies for 2013.

San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers took the Comeback Player of the Year award at the NFL Honors show.

Rivera's fine work in his third season in charge in Carolina brought him 21½ votes. That outdistanced Kansas City's Andy Reid, who got 13½ votes. In his first year with the Chiefs, Reid took them from 2-14 to 11-5 and an AFC wild-card berth.

"I do feel a lot of pride because it has been a long journey, but it also was a part of the process," Rivera said. "Just like us getting to where we are winning 12 games was part of the process. We started, the team was 2-14 before I got there and we went to 6-10 and then 7-9, and this year we broke through at 12-4. It was part of the process of growing and developing."

Rivera is the second Panthers coach to win the award. Dom Capers was AP Coach of the Year in 1996, Carolina's second season in the NFL.

All-Pro Kuechly received 19 votes, ahead of Indianapolis All-Pro linebacker Mathis, who earned 11½.

Kuechly was credited with 96 tackles, four interceptions, two sacks, eight passes defensed, and was a presence from sideline to sideline on the NFL's No. 2 unit.

A second-round pick (61st overall) from Alabama, Lacy was a key performer in the Packers' offense, particularly when star quarterback Aaron Rodgers was sidelined for seven games. He rushed for 1,178 yards on 284 carries (4.1 average), with 11 touchdowns. He also had 35 receptions.

That was good enough for 35 votes.

"I'm comfortable where I am, and my teammates believe in me, and they make me feel comfortable, so I'm able to play the way I'm capable of playing," said Lacy, who beat out San Diego wide receiver Keenan Allen, who received 12 votes.

Richardson, the 13th overall pick in April's draft on a selection acquired when New York traded star cornerback Darrelle Revis to Tampa Bay, won a close race over Buffalo linebacker Kiko Alonso. Richardson received 23 votes; Alonso, a second-round choice (46th overall), got 19.

Often double-teamed as the season wore on, Richardson made 42 tackles and had 3½ sacks. He clogged the running lanes so effectively that the Jets ranked third against the run this season.

"I'm surprised," Richardson said of beating Alonso and Arizona safety Tyrann Mathieu, who got two votes. "Kiko and Tyrann most definitely had outstanding rookie years and it was a toss-up to me. Kiko made a lot of tackles and Tyrann made a lot of plays down the field. Unfortunately he got hurt, but it was a tight race."

Richardson joked about the possibility of winning both awards -- he scored two touchdowns as a fullback in goal-line situations.

"Eddie Lacy beat me out there," Richardson said. "He had a few more touchdowns than I did."

Rivers led the Chargers to a wild-card playoff spot with four straight victories to close out the schedule, giving them a 9-7 record. He led the league with a 69.5 completion rate and threw for 32 TDs against 11 interceptions.

He received 13 votes in balloting so widespread that 12 players got votes. He was not at the awards show at Radio City Music Hall.

Chicago cornerback Charles Tillman won the Walter Payton Man of the Year award, and accepted the honor with tears in his eyes.

"As a Chicago Bear, this award has a special meaning to me," Tillman said.


Cavaliers show signs of a pulse, but still fall to Houston 106-92

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The Cavaliers actually took the lead early in the third quarter before Houston turned up its effort behind 28 points from James Harden and 26 points from Dwight Howard.

HOUSTON – Faint though it may be, these Cavaliers still have a pulse.

It's definitely not a strong heartbeat, and it's hardly conclusive evidence of a rebirth, but after three lifeless showings in the past week, a mild effort counts as a small victory for Cleveland.

In the standings, however, it's still a loss. A 106-92 stumbling to the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center that was the Cavaliers fourth straight loss, their sixth in the last seven games.

True, the Cavaliers had hardly any interior force as Anderson Varejao sat for his third straight game with a left knee contusion. That made Dwight Howard's 26 points and six rebounds all the easier.

Yes, Cleveland's defense hardly was in lockdown mode in allowing the Rockets to stick to their up-tempo game, easy transition baskets and 51.2-percent shooting.

And yes, it came with much of the same slumped-shouders body language when they fell behind after quick Rockets' spurts. And it came with James Harden blowing up for 28 points, and Jeremy Lin recording his first career triple-double, 15 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists.

But for the first time in a long time, there was some actual effort.

Not enough for the Cavaliers to become a cohesive team overnight, but, perhaps, a sign that this team isn't completely dysfunctional and beyond hope.

"It's been a tough week, obviously," coach Mike Brown said. "But our guys are trying. I thought they competed tonight, we just couldn't get it done."

Amid a steady stream of criticism and speculation about whether the players have tuned out coach Brown or the locker room chemistry simply doesn't work, the Cavaliers tried their best to change things up.

Brown started Jarrett Jack, opting to sit C.J. Miles, so that Cleveland essentially began the game with two point guards when Jack was paired with Kyrie Irving.

And even though it didn't seem to mesh well at first as Houston took as much as a 19-point lead in the first half, it seemed to help.

A 15-point second-quarter outburst from Dion Waiters helped keep the Cavaliers in the game, and three quick Luol Deng baskets after halftime actually gave the Cavaliers a 63-61 advantage with 9:05 left in the third quarter.

And then, of course, the Rockets woke up.

Houston scored nine unanswered points, pushed its lead back to 14 behind 10 Howard points, and the Cavaliers would cut the lead to no more than nine points the rest of the way.

In all, Houston outscored Cleveland 62-32 in the paint, and had 29 fast-break points.

But for the first time in a long time, there was some sign of life. And in Cleveland these days, that's a step forward.


Lake Erie Monsters lose to Charlotte Checkers, 5-3

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Charlotte winger Zach Boychuk notches the hat trick in a 5-3 victory over Lake Erie.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- For the Monsters and goalie Calvin Pickard, the sequel had its moments but ultimately fizzled.

One night after a shutout victory over NHL goalie Cam Ward's Charlotte Checkers, Pickard's Monsters lost, 5-3, Saturday at The Q.

Checkers winger Zach Boychuk notched a hat trick in support of Ward, who made 24 saves in the second game of his rehab assignment. Ward, a former Stanley Cup champion and Conn Smythe winner, plays for the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Monsters (19-21-0-4) had a two-game winning streak and three-game points streak snapped. After rallying from a three-goal deficit, they allowed two goals inside of 30 seconds late in the third period.

On Friday in front of 9,215 fans at The Q, Pickard was magnificent in a duel with Ward, stopping 33 shots as Lake Erie prevailed, 1-0. On Saturday in front of 9,679, Pickard simply was not sharp, giving up the five goals on 25 shots.

Monsters coach Dean Chynoweth, asked about Pickard's performance, said: "I didn't like it. He left a lot of rebounds in front of him. It's an area he's got to work on.''

For the Monsters, the most inopportune of the rebounds came at 17:12 of the third. Charlotte winger Aaron Palushaj pounced and scored his 16th to enable his club to regain the lead. Before the heretofore loud crowd had a chance to recover, Boychuk bagged his 21st at 17:38.

"You need your best players to be your best players,'' Chynoweth said. "Their guys were, ours weren't.''

The Checkers (22-20-0-1) led, 2-0, after one period. It could have been worse for Lake Erie.

At 5:21, Checkers winger Chris Terry was whistled for roughing. His penalty occurred up the ice from where a teammate beat Pickard from the right circle. The goal, of course, was waved off.

At 8:44, Charlotte put the puck on net from a sharp angle and it worked its way past Pickard for a 1-0 lead. Defenseman Mark Flood was credited with the goal, his 10th.

Timing helped put the Monsters down, 2-0. Just as Boychuk's penalty ended, a Charlotte clear resulted in the puck landing on his stick. Boychuk darted in on Pickard from the left, waited a split-second, then flicked a shot into the cage at 16:26.

"It looked like we were in quick sand,'' Chynoweth said of the opening 20 minutes. "We lost way too many battles, spent way too much time in our zone.''

Boychuk made it 3-0 at 11:04 of the second. On a Charlotte counter, Boychuk used a wrister from the slot.

At that point, the Monsters appeared to be in serious trouble. It would have been easy for them to think it was not their night, especially against an NHL goalie. Instead, the Monsters bowed their necks.

They pulled within one thanks to lunch-pail work done by the line of Guillaume Desbiens, Mike Sgarbossa and Mitchell Heard. At 12:31 and 18:03, Heard scored off rebounds. Desbiens and Sgarbossa earned the assists each time.

Lake Erie center Mark Olver whipped the crowd into a frenzy when he tied the score, 3-3, at 11:35 of the third. Olver, as had Boychuk, came out of the penalty box to secure a puck and skate in on the goalie.

Peyton Manning among the greats, but still trying to prove himself at Super Bowl 2014 - Bill Livingston

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Denver Broncos' quarterback Peyton Manning has worked hard for what he's done and now hopes to make it pay off in Super Bowl 2014 against the Seattle Seahawks.

CLEVELAND, Ohio –The temptation in Super Bowl XLVIII is to see Peyton Manning as part of football royalty. Archie Manning’s son and Eli Manning’s brother was born to the ermine, all right.

Also to the video room, the spiral notebook, the practice field and the midnight oil.

The cat is out of the bag now on Peyton Manning. He is the guy who took the notes – 30 pages at a college orientation meeting at Tennessee, while other players reflected on how lucky the Vols were to have them. Manning, the grinder, the player who was too conscientious to ever feel entitled, then went out and set the state aflame as it had not been since the Majors brothers were playing there.

Peyton didn’t win a national championship, though. He couldn’t beat Florida, even before Urban Meyer went there. Someone named Tee Martin, his successor, won a national championship after Manning graduated.

Martin won’t ever have to pay for a beer in Tennessee. But Manning became the biggest star of his era at the highest level of the most popular sport in the country.

Manning scored “only” 1,030 on his SATs. He had to work for his A’s in school and on the field. Manning’s is a beautiful mind, one tempered by experience and sharpened by study. He stands behind center, awaiting the shotgun snap, shouting “Omaha! Omaha!” in audibles, changing pass protections and receivers’ routes and play calls, all on the fly, seldom huddling, with the play clock ticking down.

Much will be made of his comeback after four neck surgeries, when the end of his career was seemingly unavoidable. Even now, he still will have to pass the last test, the hardest one, on Sunday with an arm that has never been the same since he suffered nerve damage, at the Meadowlands in the cold weather that has never been friendly to him, against a Seahawks defense that statistically really is as good as the team's self-congratulating cornerback, Richard Sherman, deems himself.

America loves stories in which tragedy turns into triumph, especially when the victor didn’t have the physical gifts that had the scouts all drooling over him. It wasn’t only the color of the jersey that made Bernie Kosar such a fan favorite in those showdowns with Denver in the 1980s, it was also the compensation he had to make in preparation and execution to overcome his physical limitations.

On the other sideline in those  games with a Super Bowl berth at stake was the almost limitless athlete that was John Elway. In the Super Bowl on Sunday, Denver has at quarterback more of a Kosar than an Elway.

Manning lacks Tom Brady’s crowded jewelry box, Drew Brees’ appeal as the runt of the litter, and the sympathy that was accorded Dan Marino because he had little to complement him.

With Manning’s genes and football family environment, he is hardly a self-made man. He is, however, a self-driven one. That’s not an allusion to the cars he endorses. He has put up the greatest regular season statistics ever, only to see them come to nothing but a mocking heap of numbers in every playoff trip but one.

Yet he has consistently thrilled and wildly popularized, turning Indiana into a football state with the Colts, which wasn’t a water-into-wine thing, but was close.

Basketball was so entrenched in the state, with roots so deep that they went from “Hoosiers,” the movie, and, Hoosiers, the team, through Reggie Miller and Bobby Knight, with stops at Rick Mount, Oscar Robertson and Bobby Plump, all the way back to John Wooden, the “Indiana Rubber Man.” But Manning changed the culture there with a flick of his wrist, almost as easily as a high school player “flips” his college commitment.

Manning has done all this without the arm of Elway or Brett Favre. He lacks the mobility of Russell Wilson, his Seattle counterpart. He is not close to that of Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco’s transformative running-passing threat.

The Denver quarterback does not have the supporting cast of Troy Aikman, although he has certainly had talent around him.

To differentiate between the modern Mannings, Eli is the one who two-upped Brady in the last minutes of those epic Super Bowl games between the Patriots and Giants, although Peyton did widely outplay Brady in the recent AFC Championship Game with the Broncos.

For the longest time, college and pro, Peyton was the king without a crown, until the Colts won the Super Bowl against the Bears, who have been under-quarterbacked since Sid Luckman and had only Rex Grossman as Manning's  opposite number.

The Super Bowl victory of Brees’ Saints, with Manning throwing the killer pick-six in the final minute, was popular around the country after the ravages of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Then news of the Saints’ BountyGate scandal broke, and suddenly it didn’t seem so bad to lose while playing with character and respect for the game.

Sunday, Manning is supposed to be playing for his legacy, for the second ring to go with all the “Star Wars regular-season numbers," which was a sly dig at him made by his former employer Jim Irsay. But when did the NFL become a science experiment, with repetition of results the be-all and end-all? When did multiple championships become the sole test for the pantheon? It didn’t matter with Joe Namath. It didn’t matter with Favre. They only won once each.

Way back at the beginning of the modern NFL, after Paul Brown and "Automatic" Otto systematized game plans, the best quarterback of the era, John Unitas, played with the first copious note-taker, wide receiver Raymond Berry.

Together, in the 1958 sudden-death overtime championship game, they made the two-minute drill something more than the plays after a final stoppage to sell more beer and cars on television. It became through their precision an exercise in suspense and football intelligence. They propelled the Colts downfield to tie the score with their shared memories of the New York Giants' defensive tendencies and the "sight adjustments" to counter them.

Blessed with the perfect name for a quarterback’s task of connecting individuals to the pursuit of a collective goal –- “UNITE-us” -- Johnny U. only played briefly in two Super Bowls -- the end of the legendary SB III upset loss to Namath's Jets and the beginning (before injury) of SB V, a mistake-prone affair won by the Colts over the Dallas Cowboys. The sudden-death game was the making of Unitas and, some say, of pro football. Actually, however, Unitas’ work habits and football IQ had already made him.

Sunday is about more than Manning’s second ring, although it would equal the number of NFL Championships in which Unitas played a commanding role, although he did get  a ring for the "Blooper Bowl" game Dallas lost. 

It is a chance, albeit only briefly, albeit only in a game, for a football royal with the common touch, a high achiever and a hard worker -- America’s Quarterback! -- to unite us.

Super Bowl 2014: 10 preposterous prop bets

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You really have to admire Las Vegas oddsmakers. They can turn just about anything into a bet.

You really have to admire Las Vegas oddsmakers. They can turn just about anything into a bet.

And when it comes to the Super Bowl -- the most popular sports wagering event of the year -- they turn everything into a bet.

Knowshon MorenoSure, Denver Broncos running back Knowshon Moreno looks happy here, but something about the national anthem always makes him weepy. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

So if you love the idea of making a little wager on the big game but don't know the first thing about tonight's showdown between the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks, the fine folks in Nevada have you covered with a marvelous invention called the prop bet.

Is the only Bronco you know made by Ford? No problem. Vegas takes action on which team wins the pregame coin toss.

Can't tell the difference between the Legion of Boom and the Legion of Doom? Your bookie won't mind. Just hazard a guess as to what color Gatorade the winning coach will be doused with after the game.

Vegas sportsbooks now include hundreds of novelty bets for the Super Bowl, many of which have absolutely nothing to do with the game itself. So while some bettors at your Super Bowl viewing party are obsessing over the spread (yawn), you'll be counting how many times the announcers say "Beast Mode" and using your smartphone to time the national anthem.

Here's a look at 10 of the most ridiculous Super Bowl prop bets being offered by Bovada for tonight's big game:

1. If Renée Fleming wears gloves when she starts singing the national anthem, what color will they be?

Renee FlemingOpera singer Renee Fleming will sing the National Anthem before the NFL Super Bowl XLVIII. (AP Photo)

White (+275)

Black (EVEN)

Red (+500)

Any other color (+300)

Advice: Having never been to the opera, I'm not remotely qualified to predict the glove color preference of a celebrated soprano. My only point of reference on this one is that scene in "Pretty Woman" where Richard Gere takes Julia Roberts to the opera and she almost pees her pants. Julia wore white gloves, and Julia wouldn't lead me astray. Go ahead and put your money on white (but if I'm wrong, please direct all angry e-mails to Julia Roberts).

2. Will Knowshon Moreno cry during the singing of the national anthem?

Yes (+135)

No (-175)

Advice: This guy must be half-sprinkler. I mean, I've seen water main breaks that produced less fluid. That said, I expect Moreno to succumb to performance anxiety here. Knowing that millions of people are watching intently to see if you cry kinda spoils the mood.

3. How many times will Eli Manning be shown on TV during the game?

Over 1 1/2 (-200)

Under 1 1/2 (+150)

Advice: Over. Way over. If Peyton Manning leads the Broncos to a win over the Seahawks, he'll tie little brother Eli with two Super Bowl titles. That storyline alone is worth at least a couple shots of Eli hanging out in a luxury suite. And if DirectTV runs a follow-up to "Football on your Phone," this one won't even be close.

4. Who will be seen first on TV after kickoff?

Erin Andrews (-140)

Pam Oliver (EVEN)

Advice: Which one would you put on camera first? Yep. Me, too. Just sayin'.

5. How many times will Peyton Manning say "Omaha" during the game?

Over 27 1/2 (-150)

Under 27 1/2 (+110)

Advice: This over/under seems like a lot until you consider that Manning name-dropped Nebraska's largest city 44 times during the Broncos' divisional playoff win over the Chargers. Plus, Peyton is like the king of marketing. This is the guy who's so close to Papa John that he just calls him Papa. Is there any doubt he plans to parlay this into a sponsorship deal with Omaha Steaks?

6. Will any member of the Red Hot Chili Peppers be shirtless during their performance?

FleaWhen it comes to the music game, Flea's team is always "skins." (Photo by Robb D. Cohen/Invision/AP)

Yes (-250)

No (+170)

Advice: Ummm ... does Flea even own a shirt?

7. Will Percy Harvin be injured in the game?

Yes (+300)

No (-500)

Advice: You ever see the movie "Unbreakable"? Remember Samuel L. Jackson's character? The guy whose bones splinter if anyone sneezes within a five-mile radius? That's Percy Harvin. They call him Mr. Glass.

8. Which region will have the higher local TV rating?

Denver (-150)

Seattle (+110)

Advice: They don't call Seahawks fans the "12th Man" for nothing. Besides, I haven't checked the forecast, but I'm sure it'll be raining in Seattle tonight. What else is there to do but sit in and watch TV?

9. What will be higher?

Peyton Manning passing attempts in Super Bowl XLVIII (-325)

John Elway completions and attempts in Super Bowl XXXII (+250)

Advice: Elway had just 34 combined completions and attempts in Super Bowl XXXII. In 18 games this season, Manning attempted fewer than 34 passes just once. Unless Manning retires before kickoff, Elway's got no shot.

10. Who will the Super Bowl MVP mention first in his speech?

Teammates (1/1)

God (3/1)

Fans (11/2)

Other team or player on other team (10/1)

Family (12/1)

Coach (14/1)

Owner (25/1)

None of the above (9/2)

Advice: Well, first you have to ask yourself who you think will be named MVP. Seattle's Richard Sherman, for example, is more likely to give props to L.O.B. than G-O-D. Peyton "Aw Shucks" Manning, on the other hand, would probably start with kudos for his teammates. I'm going to go with my gut and say Sherman takes the honor, which means my money is going on "other team or player on other team" since Sherman's top priority will be to diss whichever "sorry receiver" he ends up covering tonight.


Super Bowl 2014: What to watch as Broncos battle Seahawks

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Here are five things to watch in Super Bowl XLVIII as the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks throw down in New Jersey tonight to determine which team walks off with the Lombardi Trophy.

Here are five things to watch in Super Bowl XLVIII tonight as the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks throw down in New Jersey to determine which team walks off with the Lombardi Trophy:

1. These Broncos can gallop

Any discussion about the Broncos offense usually goes something like, "Manning, Manning, Manning, blah, blah, blah, Manning, Manning." But don't sleep on Denver running backs Knowshon Moreno and Montee Ball.

Peyton Manning and Denver's record-setting passing attack may get the headlines, but Moreno and Ball make the Broncos much more than a one-trick pony. The running back duo has rushed for 236 total yards in two playoff games, averaging 4.0 yards per carry. More importantly, Moreno and Ball are moving the chains with a combined 18 first downs in the postseason.

The Broncos' running game isn't flashy, but it's reliable -- and Denver is committed to it, averaging 31 rushing attempts per game in playoff wins over the Chargers and Patriots. With Manning locked in what could turn out to be a stalemate against the NFL's No. 1 passing defense, consistent production from Moreno and Ball will be the key to sustaining drives against Seattle.

2. The time bomb

Russell WilsonSeattle Seahawks' Russell Wilson stretches before the NFL football NFC Championship game against the San Francisco 49ers Sunday, Jan. 19, 2014, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

It's pretty difficult for a Super Bowl quarterback to fly under the radar, but Seattle's Russell Wilson has almost managed it with Manning hogging so much of the spotlight in advance of the big game.

The second-year QB has been relatively quiet in these playoffs with just a single touchdown pass and only 318 total yards passing in two games. The Seahawks have been content to pound teams on the ground with Marshawn Lynch, leaving Wilson with an economical 43 postseason passing attempts.

But Wilson, who threw for 3,357 yards in the regular season and rushed for 539 more, is one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the game, and you get the feeling that he's tick-tick-ticking toward an eruption. Will today be the day he explodes?

3. Skittles or "Pot Roast"?

Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch is a battering ram who punishes defenders any time he breaks through the line with a head of steam. Known for his love of Skittles, the candy-powered beast leads all players with 249 yards rushing in the playoffs and is averaging 5.0 yards per carry.

Denver defensive tackle Terrance Knighton is a 335-pound wrecking ball who anchors a Broncos front seven that has surrendered just 64.5 rushing yards per game this postseason. In the AFC Championship Game, the man known as "Pot Roast" flattened Patriots blockers like a boulder rolling downhill, matching his season highs with four tackles and a sack.

Unstoppable force, meet immovable object.

If Knighton can produce the consistent penetration he did against New England and get Lynch moving laterally, the athletic Denver defense should be able to swarm Mr. "Beast Mode" before he reaches ramming speed. If he can't, and Lynch and the Seahawks are able to chew up the clock and keep Manning on the sideline, then "Pot Roast" and the Broncos just might be cooked.

4. Rate of return

Chiefs Broncos FootballDenver Broncos wide receiver Trindon Holliday runs during an NFL football game between the Denver Broncos and the Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2013, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Most of the talk leading up to this game has centered on the Broncos' No. 1 offense and the Seahawks' top-rated defense, with nary a mention of special teams. But the Ravens wouldn't have won the Super Bowl a year ago if Jacoby Jones hadn't returned the second-half kickoff 108 yards for a touchdown, and the kick return and coverage units in tonight's game have the potential to produce a similar game-changing moment.

Denver's Trindon Holliday and Seattle's Doug Baldwin are both dangerous return men. In fact, it was Holliday who almost denied the Ravens a trip to the Super Bowl last season with a pair of special teams touchdowns -- returning a kickoff 104 yards for a TD and bringing a punt back 90 yards for another score -- in Denver's divisional playoff loss to Baltimore. He scored on both a kickoff return and a punt return during the regular season this year, and averaged 27.7 yards per kickoff return.

Baldwin is averaging 32.5 yards on kickoff returns this postseason, including a key 69-yard return in the NFC Championship Game. Percy Harvin, one of the NFL's most electric kick returners when healthy, could also get some opportunities for Seattle tonight. Harvin, back in action after suffering a concussion in the Seahawks' playoff victory over the Saints three weeks ago, missed all but one game during the regular season while recovering from hip surgery but reeled off a 58-yard kickoff return in that lone appearance.

Oh, and did I mention that Denver's kick coverage is the worst in the NFL? The Broncos allowed a league-high 29.3 yards per kick return this season.

5. Richard Sherman's mouth

The self-proclaimed "best corner in the game" has been needling the Broncos all week, and you can bet he'll have plenty to say during the game. The All-Pro corner and leader of Seattle's "Legion of Boom" secondary successfully made Super Bowl week all about him, coaxing Broncos players including Manning and Wes Welker to respond to his slights.

Will Sherman's mouth throw the Broncos receivers off their game? San Francisco WR Michael Crabtree certainly seemed to lose his cool at times while matched up with Sherman in the NFC Championship Game, but will veteran players like Welker and Demaryius Thomas take the bait?

In a Super Bowl showdown between two teams that seem so evenly matched, Sherman's mind games could make a difference. At the very least, it'll make for good TV.

Watch the NFL Network crew break down the battle between the Broncos' passing game and the Seahawks' secondary, with first-hand insight from Sherman and Manning:



Plain Dealer columnists pick Seattle Seahawks over Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII

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Seahawks get the nod over Broncos from PD columnists

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Plain Dealer's three sports columnists all weigh in on Super Bowl XLVIII and all agree that the Seattle Seahawks will edge the Denver Broncos in a close game. Here are their picks:

Bill Livingston

Seattle 24, Denver 20

Sorry, Peyton. Didn't like how you let San Diego hang around in the playoffs.

Bud Shaw

Seattle 23, Denver 20

MVP Marshawn Lynch doesn't stay in front of the camera long enough to say he's going to Disney World. He just says, "I'm going."

Terry Pluto

Seattle 20, Denver 17

Weather makes it tough for Peyton Manning.

Will the Browns trade for Kirk Cousins? Will Texans' Bill O'Brien come after his ol' buddy Brian Hoyer?

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Will the Browns trade for Kirk Cousins now that Kyle Shanahan will be their coordinator? Will Texans coach Bill O'Brien think about trading for his ol' New England QB Brian Hoyer?

NEW YORK -- Redskins backup quarterback Kirk Cousins is open to being traded and Cleveland could be a possible destination, according to a report.

But a source told cleveland.com Sunday that although the Browns will explore all options at quarterback, it's a remote possibility they'd trade for the third-year pro.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Sunday that Cousins, a fourth-round pick in 2012 out of Michigan State, believes he's ready to start and has already talked to the Redskins about possibly dealing him.

Sources also told Schefter that Cleveland is a possible destination because of Browns new coordinator Kyle Shanahan, the former Redskins' playcaller.

Cleveland.com reported Saturday that the Browns offered their coordinator position to Shanahan on Saturday evening and that the deal is expected to be wrapped up as early as Monday.

Shanahan, who was fired by the Redskins after a 3-13 season along with his father Mike, has coached Cousins for two seasons and really likes him, a source told cleveland.com. Question is, why would the Browns think about trading for Cousins when they have fellow Michigan State alum Brian Hoyer gearing up to start for the Browns in 2014?

The truth is, anything can happen with the Browns when it comes to their starting quarterback for 2014. If they draft a quarterback at No. 4 such as Johnny Manziel, Blake Bortles or Teddy Bridgewater, he'll most likely start the season.

Where would that leave Hoyer, who established himself as a bona fide starter last season? His old New England offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien, now the Texans head coach, really likes him. What if O'Brien, who's taking over a 2-14 team, makes the Browns an offer they can't refuse? The Texans, who's starter Matt Schaub had the worst season of his 10-year career, have the No. 1 overall pick and are poised to draft a quarterback. But what if O'Brien makes a pitch for Tom Brady's understudy?

If the Browns decide to part with Hoyer, perhaps they'd want to acquire a quarterback such as Cousins who's familiar with Shanahan's system. Trades can't be executed until March 11, but Browns CEO Joe Banner has already established himself as an aggressive dealmaker.

Cousins is 1-3 in his two-year career, with his only victory coming against the Browns in 2012. With Robert Griffin III injured, Cousins started his first career game against the Browns in Cleveland in December, foiling the Browns with play-action passing to put on an aerial display. He completed 26 of 37 attempts for 329 yards and two touchdowns, with one interceptions. He earned a superb 104.4 rating.

Late last season, Redskins coach Mike Shanahan predicted the club might fetch a first-round pick for the former fourth-rounder, but that was before Cousins started the final three games of last season and went 0-3.

Cousins lost his first two games against Atlanta and Dallas by a point, but struggled in the season finale against the New York Giants. In a 20-6 loss, he completed 19 of 49 attempts for 169 yards, with no TDs and two interceptions. He earned a 31.8 rating. Overall, Cousins has appeared in eight games, throwing eight TDs and 10 interceptions for a 68.7 rating.

Again, it's still early and Shanahan hasn't even signed his contract yet. But anything's possible for the Browns at quarterback, and the next three months promise to be a wild ride.


Super Bowl Bingo: Play along while you watch the big game

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Are you ready for some Super Bowl Bingo? Whether using plain paper, a tablet device or mobile phone, the game is easy to play. All you have to do is spot the clues when you're watching the Super Bowl and all its big commercials.

Don't have a rooting interest in the Broncos or Seahawks? Not sure how to react when Peyton Manning shouts 'Omaha!' Need a good reason to get excited when Chris Christie appears on the TV?

Then, Super Bowl Bingo is for you!

You can play the game on your tablet, phone or the old-fashioned way by printing out a card. Just spot the clues when you're watching the Super Bowl and all those big commercials.

Simply spot the related clue, and mark it down on your bingo board by pressing the square. Or, if you're playing on paper, use a pen or some kind of chip.

First one to BINGO at your party wins*. (* Other than bragging rights, there is no actual prize.)

Kickoff is at 6:30 p.m., so plan accordingly.

The bingo board is below — you can see new cards by pressing "Get New Card." To print a bingo board, just select "Print a Card." If printing a group of cards for your Super Bowl gathering, here's a series of 30 cards that display all together for easy printing. If printing off the game board below, be sure to hit "Get New Card" each time so no one has the same bingo board.

There are 3,297,145,652,534,670,000,000,000,000 possible card combinations!

COMPLETE LIST OF BINGO CLUES

PARTY PLANNERS: To help you keep track of all the Bingo clues as people spot them during the game, here's a printable checklist of all the available game boxes:

If you're playing the game tonight, tell your friends on social media by clicking "Share My Card." Tweet along using the hashtag #superbowlbingo.

Terry Pluto wonders: Have the Cleveland Browns improved their coaching staff from a year ago?

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Finding the right quarterback will solve many of the Browns problems -- but the answer is probably not Kirk Cousins.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Is the new Browns coaching staff any better now than the 2013 model? For simplicity, let's look at the head coach and at the coordinators.

Last season's lineup:

Head Coach: Ron Chudzinski.

Offensive Coordinator: Norv Turner.

Defensive Coordinator: Ray Horton.

Special Teams: Chris Tabor.

A year ago, I was very upbeat about the staff.

Chudzinski was a rookie head coach, but was an experienced offensive coordinator. He also had coached twice in Cleveland, so he knew the town, the challenges of the franchise and seemed prepared to be a head coach.

Furthermore, the front office surrounded him with Turner and Horton, two highly-regarded, experienced coordinators. And Tabor was in his second season as the special teams coach.

shurmur-pensive-game-2012-jg.jpgAs a rookie head coach, Pat Shurmur called his own plays on offense. That was not a good idea.

It looked like an upgrade

This was not former Browns president Mike Holmgren hiring rookie head coach Pat Shurmur in 2011, and allowing Shurmur to be his own offensive coordinator.

Making it worse, Tabor was a rookie special teams coach. Only defensive coordinator Dick Jauron had experience in his new job with the Browns.

So the Chud/Turner/Horton/Tabor combination appeared to be a major upgrade over the last season of Shurmur.

Yet, the Browns were 5-11 in Shurmur's final season with Brandon Weeden starting 15 games. The 2013 Browns were 4-12, losing 9-of-10 to end the season.

I didn't like the firing of Chudzinski, but I also have to admit that I was shocked how the Browns finished the season despite all the problems at quarterback. Even now, I don't know how much blame should be assigned to the coaching staff. But I was convinced that the 2013 coaching staff would fair better than the 2012 group.

Haslam/Banner were destined to hire their own coaching staff. Which they did. It looked good at this time a year ago.

But they ended up 4-12 and were fired.

New Browns head coach Mike PettineAt his press conference, new Browns coach Mike Pettine said he will call the defensive plays for the Browns this season.

Trying it again

This is the 2014 model:

Head Coach: Mike Pettine.

Offensive Coordinator: Kyle Shanahan, although that has not been announced.

Defensive Coordinator: Jim O'Neil.

Special teams: Chris Tabor.

Pettine's background is defense. Chudzinski's expertise is offense. Both rookie head coaches came to Cleveland without huge differences in terms of NFL experience.

O'Neil is a rookie defensive coordinator, but Pettine will call the plays.

As he said at his press conference: "(It will be) very similar to what (head coach) Rex (Ryan) and I did in New York. He called it the first year and then turned it over after that. I have a feeling it will be similar, for lack of a better analogy, training wheels. When I feel comfortable with taking them off, (I'll) take them off.”

Last season in Buffalo, Pettine delivered the type of attacking defense (the Bills were No. 2 in the NFL in sacks) that the Browns expected from Horton.

In fact, the Browns' front office was more disappointed by the defense than offense in 2013. The defense had a sharp decline in the second half of the season. The big free-agent money was spent on defense for Paul Kruger, Desmond Bryant and first-rounder Barkevious Mingo.

By adding four coaches from his Buffalo defensive staff, Pettine should be able to show some improvement on that side of the ball. Meanwhile, Tabor will be in charge of special teams for his third head coach in three years.

Enter Kyle Shanahan

The offensive hire is a huge decision because Pettine will be spending more time with the defense. He set it up that way because he is calling the defensive signals.

Most Browns fans have already studied Shanahan's record. The bottom line is that when he had an emerging Matt Schaub in Houston or a hot Robert Griffin III (2012), he had excellent offenses. The good news is Shanahan found a way to create an effective offense for Schaub (a pocket passer) and RG3 (very mobile).

Yes, Washington was a mess last season. RG3 never seemed fully recovered from his knee surgery, and it's possible he came back too soon. Then they benched him for the final three games, playing Kirk Cousins.

The final record was 3-13, and the coaches were fired.

When Shanahan had a 34-year-old Donovan McNabb in Washington, he struggled with the aging quarterback during a 6-10 season in 2010. In 2011, journeyman Rex Grossman was the quarterback and Washington was 5-11.

Yes, it's the same old quarterback song -- either the blues (bad passer) or it rocks (when the quarterback can play). In four of his six seasons, Shanahan's offenses ranked in the top 10 in terms of total yards. The quarterbacks for most of those games were Schaub and RG3.

As I wrote Sunday, the Browns spent a lot of time studying Shanahan. They wanted to make sure that he was indeed running the offense for Gary Kubiak (2008-09) in Houston, and for his his father (Mike Shanahan) in Washington (2010-13).

Their research showed he was making the key decisions on offense for those teams.

cousins-skins-brns-2012-cc.jpgBy far, Kirk Cousins had the best game of his two-year pro career against the Browns.

About Kirk Cousins

Because it appears Shanahan is headed to Cleveland, speculation is Kirk Cousins will follow. Some fans are enamored with Cousins because they saw the Michigan State product play the best game of his two-year pro career.

Cousins helped Washington beat the Browns, 38-21, on Dec. 16, 2012. He was filling in for the injured Griffin, and Cousins was 26-of-37 for two touchdowns and one interception.

Last season, Cousins was 81-of-155 (52 percent) with seven interceptions and only four touchdowns and a 58.4 rating. He started the final three games of the season. Is he really superior to Brian Hoyer, who showed promise before suffering a knee injury nine quarters into his Browns career?

Yes, there are questions about Hoyer coming back from ACL surgery -- and about his ability (and durability) to be a consistent NFL starter. That's why the the Browns do need a quarterback, and why they should find one in the first or second round of this draft.

Take the performance against the Browns out of Cousins' stats, and he's 88-of-166 (53 percent) with six touchdowns and nine interceptions. He looks like a decent backup. But he's certainly not worthy of a low first- or second-round pick in trade.

Much harder than finding an offensive coordinator, the biggest challenge for the Browns is improving at quarterback. If the Browns find one who can even deliver an average NFL performance most weeks, Shanahan and this coaching staff will probably look very good. Remember the positive vibe when Hoyer took over and delivered victories over Minnesota and Cincinnati. They also beat Buffalo when Weeden relieved the injured Hoyer late in the first quarter.

If not... OK, I don't even want to think about it right now.


Cleveland Cavaliers' search for answers lands on a new starting lineup

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The latest attempt at fixing the 16-31 Cavaliers is moving Jarrett Jack into the starting lineup alongside Kyrie Irving.

DALLAS – In the last seven days, the Cavaliers have had three discouraging losses, one nationally televised meltdown and a handful of locker room dysfunction rumors involving everything from Luol Deng calling Cleveland "a mess" to Dion Waiters getting kicked out of practice.

And on the seventh day, after a week of dispirited play and locker room controversy, the Cavaliers rested.

The Cavaliers were off Sunday, left to reflect on another loss, this time to Houston, that brought their current losing streak to four. They believe they found reason for hope, however, amid the swirling controversy that included Waiters' denial that he was kicked out of practice last week.

For the first time in a week, Cleveland showed some sign of life. It wasn't exactly the kind of basketball that will take the Cavaliers to the NBA Finals, as they allowed the Rockets to shoot 51 percent and score 106 points. But for now, any step toward improvement is an encouraging sign.

Cavaliers coach Mike Brown changed his starting lineup by inserting Jarrett Jack at point guard, removing C.J. Miles – and he and players were generally pleased with the result.

"I just wanted to get ball movement, communication, a little bit better execution," Brown said. "I thought for the most part we got it. I thought we were competitive on both ends of the floor -- minus our turnovers on both ends of the floor."

The move allows Kyrie Irving to play off the ball more, emphasizing his shooting skills while at the same time serving as a reminder that he doesn't need to be the only player

"He's more than capable of playing off the ball and being effective," said Jack, who had seven points and six assists in his start. "If we can get him running off screens and getting the defense to close out to him, that makes him that much more deadly."

Brown admitted, too, that he wants Irving to play less one-on-five basketball, and moving him off primary ball-handling responsibilities encourages that.

"That's something we talk about all the time, we talk about moving the basketball coming off a pick-and-roll and not having to make the great play sometimes," Brown said. "Just drive it and kick it and try to play the game."

Even with the move, Irving still totaled six turnovers against the Rockets, to his seven assists. He also sank 21 points on 8-for-19 shooting.

In Cleveland right now, that qualifies as a moderate success.

"We're just trying to consistently play the way we preach in practice," Jack said. "I think that's what the move was for, to have a more calming effect on the team. I thought the guys responded well."

Meanwhile, the rest of the team was left to ponder on an off day the increasing noise of locker-room dysfunction. Waiters denied getting kicked out of practice, and Deng said he was "disappointed" in an article that suggested he was unhappy in Cleveland.

The Cavaliers are trying to work through the controversy – and eventually come up with a win, too.

"End of the day, man, tough times don't last but tough people do," Waiters said. "We've got to stick with each other. When we're going through things like this, mentally we've got to be with each other because we're all we got. Nobody's not coming in this locker room and saving us."

Cavs at Dallas Mavericks

Time: 8:30 p.m. Monday at American Airlines Center.

TV/radio: Fox Sports Ohio, WTAM AM/1100.

Notable: Anderson Varejao (left knee contusion) is day-to-day. ... Shawn Marion (right shoulder contusion/upper rib contusion) is day-to-day. Gal Mekel (right knee surgery) is out. ... In the first meeting between these teams this season, Dallas went ahead by as many as 24 before the Cavaliers cut the lead to two with 3:25 left. Jarrett Jack's 5-second violation on an inbounds play with 2.8 seconds remaining sealed the Mavericks victory.

Super Bowl 2014: Celebrity predictions, the magic of kickoff, and why NJ can't mess this up

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Here it is: Super Bowl Sunday. If you need help getting ready, you've come to the right place. Watch video

Here it is: Super Bowl Sunday. If you need help getting ready, you've come to the right place.

Looking for some last-minute recipes for your viewing party? We've got some ideas.

Want yet another attraction for your viewing party? Try Super Bowl Bingo.

Need to get pumped for the halftime show? Give this playlist a listen.

Still haven't decided which team to back? Maybe these celebrity predictions will help you pick your pony.

Now that you've got the preparations out of the way, sit back and get ready for kickoff.

 Watch Jerry Izenberg, columnist emeritus for The Star-Ledger and one of only three daily newspaper columnists to have attended all 47 Super Bowls, explain why the opening kickoff of the Super Bowl is the most magical moment in all of professional sports.

OK, ready for some football? Super Bowl XLVIII is shaping up to be a classic. Now all New Jersey has to do is not screw this thing up, writes Star-Ledger columnist Steve Politi: (via NJ.com)

This is a prediction you can take to Vegas: The first Super Bowl in New Jersey will be the last one if the host stadium or the logistics are a major story line in the days that follow the game.

This happens more than you'd think. In New Orleans last year, all anybody could talk about was a power outage that delayed the game for 34 minutes. In Dallas two years before that, a controversy involving several sections of condemned temporary seating ended a disastrous week in which ice storms all but shut down the region.

In Jacksonville? Put it this way: The Super Bowl in Jacksonville was such a debacle, it felt like everyone was racing to the airport to leave town when the game ended -- which, of course, was impossible given the city had one working taxicab.

C'mon, Jersey. Don't be Jacksonville!

Here's a look at some other pregame highlights from NJ.com:

How far will coaches go to find a hidden advantage?

Four miles of hot dogs and sausages -- and that's just at the stadium

$2,000 will get you a ticket to the game

Maxim Super Bowl party delivers the sex (appeal) and Kendrick Lamar

Terrell Owens, Alyssa Milano talk football, fashion at Maxim Super Bowl party in NYC

A look back at some of the most clutch finishes in Super Bowl history

Before the big game, a weekend of big parties

What happens if everything is on the line with two minutes left on the clock?

Jay Z and Beyonce energize DirecTV's Super Saturday Night

For more coverage, check out Super Bowl Central at NJ.com

Gallery preview

Illinois DE, Ohio State commit Dylan Thompson's recruiting snapshot: National Signing Day 2014

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Thompson is a three-star recruit who was disappointed when Mike Vrabel left, but who stuck with the Buckeyes and will bring a high-energy reputation to Columbus.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – In anticipation of National Signing Day on Feb. 5, Cleveland.com is putting together player profiles for each prospect Ohio State will soon officially add to its roster.

Dylan Thompson

School: Montini Catholic, Lombard, Ill.

Position: Defensive end

Height, Weight: 6-foot-4, 271 pounds

Rivals.com rating: Three-star recruit ranked as the No. 17 player in Illinois and No. 23 strongside defensive end.

Other schools: Illinois, Arkansas, Clemson,  Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee, Vanderbilt

How he fits into Ohio State’s plans: Thompson is one of six players among the 22 OSU pledges ranked as a three-star by Rivals, with 15 ranked as four-stars and one as a five-star. So Thompson doesn't have as much hype, he isn't one of the seven players already enrolled and he's not an Ohio kid. So he can just come to Columbus and earn his stripes, as there are always three-stars who put together great careers. Thompson had a very good relationship with former OSU defensive line coach Mike Vrabel, and he wrote on Twitter how disappointed he was when Vrabel left for the Houston Texans. But he also posted a photo on Twitter after getting a visit from Urban Meyer and Vrabel's replacement, Larry Johnson.

Thompson was a good grab for the Buckeyes out of the Chicago area. He projects either as a strongside defensive end or as an active tackle. Having the athleticism to play end and size to play tackle has helped Buckeyes like Michael Bennett, Adolphus Washington, John Simon and Cameron Heyward in the past, and Thompson could fit that mold.

Projection for 2014: Coming in as one of two defensive line recruits into a group that isn't losing any starters from 2014, and has plenty of depth, Thompson certainly could be a redshirt candidate in his first season. But with a reputation as a high-energy guy, he could also jump up as Joey Bosa did in 2013 and be a first-year guy the Buckeyes can't keep off the field.

What we’ve written about Thompson:

How will Mike Vrabel's departure impact recruiting?

What others have written about Thompson:

Thompson a bull in a china shop and meat and potatoes guy 

Thompson dominates everyboyd

Videos: 


Broncos safety Mike Adams wishes his former Browns teammates could experience this Super Bowl feeling

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Former Browns safety Mike Adams wishes his teammates could have the feeling of playing in the Super Bowl.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Former Browns defensive back Mike Adams, the Broncos starting free safety, wishes his former Cleveland teammates could have this feeling of being in the Super Bowl.

“I continue to watch them because I’ve still got the players there and we still talk,'' Adam said this week. "A lot of the guys hit me up – D’Qwell (Jackson), Joe (Haden) and T.J. (Ward) – and I’m glad (Haden and Ward) went to the Pro Bowl. So I always watch them from afar, but I do feel bad for them because they deserve – and not just them, the city – deserves to win. And it’s just like change after change, and rebuilding and rebuilding, and I think I was getting too old to be rebuilding. But that’s just the nature of the beast, I guess.”

Adams, who played for the Browns from 2007-11, signed with the Broncos as a free agent in 2012 after the Browns declined to make him an offer.

"I think it was a bittersweet kind of thing because you wanted to be around your boys that you've been around for five years, even though we weren't winning,'' he said. "But the chemistry and the tightness we had, it couldn't be replaced at all. But I can say the chemistry we have now from winning, it's two different sides from it. But if we win the Super Bowl, it's something we'll have forever. I will remember all 46 players that are out there forever.''

Adams, a 10-year pro, said he's talked to Browns safety T.J. Ward about his upcoming free agency.

"Hopefully he'll just make the right decision for him and his family,'' said Adams. "He's still a young player. It's not like he's got nine or 10 years on and I'd be like, 'You've probably got to move on,' or something. But he's got to make the right decision for him and his family.''

Adams said the aura in Denver in definitely different from what he experienced in Cleveland. In his five seasons with the Browns, he won 28 regular season games. In his two years in Denver, he's won 26.

"The vibe is definitely different,'' he said. "When I was in Cleveland, nothing against the organization, because I appreciate and I love the organization because they gave me my shot, but at the same time, sometimes going to work after every game, when you're losing, you’re going to work like, and it's like awww…but when you’re winning, it’s like you’re getting up and you’re going to work probably an hour earlier because you’re just happy.''

Adams is contemplating walking home to nearby Paterson, N.J., if the Broncos win the game.

“It would probably take two and a half hours,'' he said. "It’s 9.2 miles, if I’m not mistaken. I did the math, so I’m still like, ‘If.’ If we win, I can celebrate with my family, and we’re right here. I can go out in the stands, and IF I decide to walk home, they can walk with me. They probably won’t like it. But it’s a great thing just being home.''


Super Bowl XLVIII: Live updates from Denver Broncos vs. Seattle Seahawks

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Keep refreshing for the latest from the Super Bowl as the Broncos and Seahawks finish off the 2013 football season.

FREQUENTLY REFRESH this page to get the latest updates. If you're viewing this on a mobile device, click here to get updates and comment.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- It wouldn't have been a football season if we didn't end it with one of our super-duper game-long update packages that has every big moment from the XLVIII edition of America's ultimate game. As always, we'll have observations from the best and brightest of the NFL world.

6:23 p.m.: Renee Fleming's national anthem is the backdrop to one of today's better prop bets: Knowshon Moreno -- tear up or not? He did not.

6:19 p.m.: As the teams take their spots on the sidelines, one more example of why today just isn't quite like any other American sporting event.

6:16 p.m.: Former Browns safety Mike Adams, now a starter for the Broncos, told Mary Kay Cabot that he wishes a day like this for some of his old Cleveland teammates, but the memories of the frustrations here are still fresh.

"When I was in Cleveland, nothing against the organization, because I appreciate and I love the organization because they gave me my shot, but at the same time, sometimes going to work after every game, when you're losing, you’re going to work like, and it's like awww…but when you’re winning, it’s like you’re getting up and you’re going to work probably an hour earlier because you’re just happy.''

Adams is back home in North Jersey, and northjersey.com chronicled his route to today's game.

"The quality that has served Adams best is resiliency.

"His mother, Sharon Adams, died of stomach cancer three days before the second eldest of her seven children received his college degree in family communications from Delaware.

"Mike Adams had signed his first NFL contract with the 49ers one month earlier, and from that point he promised to provide for his family and never stop striving for his goals."

6:09 p.m.: I think we've officially hit the one statistic that will guarantee another Super Bowl in New York/New Jersey.

6:03 p.m.: Somehow, hearing Peyton Manning say that he "will compete my butt off" is the single most honest piece of pre-game information available today.

By the way golf fans ... Bubba Watson missed a four-foot par putt on 18 and Kevin Stadler wins the Waste Management Phoenix Open by a shot.

OK, all the preliminaries are done -- except for the official NFL pregame festivities.

5:57 p.m.: There are football fans around the country at large parties with blaring music who have been waiting for the opening of the game broadcast and wondered ... "What the !@!$@!@$%?" Yes, that's the Declaration of Independence recited ... before a football game.

Just remember, the NFL is the greatest representation (and supporter) of the American Way.

Right?

5:53 p.m.: You have to love Twitter, where reporters are emptying their notebooks of data that just didn't find a spot somewhere else.

5:50 p.m.: Fox analysts are split on their predictions. Jimmy Johnson takes Denver, Michael Strahan and Howie Long and the absent Terry Bradshaw (his father passed this weekend in Louisiana) take Seattle.

Perhaps Johnson is basing his pick on this little stat -- gametime temp is somewhere around 48 degrees.

Nice touch by Curt Menefee in dedicating the game broadcast to the Bradshaw family.

5:42 p.m.: Just to have a little laugh before kickoff, feel free to turn up the sound on this inspired Frank Caliendo riff on ESPN's 30-on-30 documentaries and the two-week media fascination with Richard Sherman.

5:36 p.m.: It isn't getting a lot of attention on the preview shows, but a lot of tonight's fans in the stadium are going to have quite a story to tell family and friends, according to cbssports.com's Josh Katzowitz.

"As recounted by the Star Ledger, thousands of fans are stuck at Secaucus Junction as they're transferring from trains out of New York City to the transportation that would ferry them to the stadium.

"The paper said Super Bowl organizers expected between 10,000 and 12,000 people to use the train to get to the stadium while between 30,000-40,000 would use buses. But those laid over in Secaucus said trains were extraordinarily hot and that paramedics were dispatched to attend to fans who had fainted.

"'Worse than a sauna,' a fan named Jason Leavitt told the newspaper. 'There were people passing out.'"

On the other hand, there was this note nearly 90 minutes before kickoff.

Which begs the question ... who are these fans stuck in the stations? Folks who just want to stand outside the gates and throw footballs?

5:30 p.m.: OK, so weather's not a problem. But something always does pop up to give the two teams today an extra challenge. Most years, it's the lengthy halftime show/concert. But 12 months ago, remember this?

Yup, it's always something.

And, of course, Browns fans can look forward to the obligatory graphic at some points today listing the teams that have never reached the final game of the season. But take heart, that means you haven't (yet) had a chance to be gouged quite like this.

On the other hand, there are freebies!

Latest win over Wisconsin can't keep Ohio State from falling out of top 25 for first time in 4 years

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The Buckeyes continued their fall, now out of the AP rankings for the first time since 2010. They formerly had the third-longest streak in the nation of staying the rankings, at 80 straight weeks, behind only Duke and Kansas.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Saturday's win over Wisconsin couldn't keep Ohio State from falling out of the top 25 in the AP poll, it just ensured that the Badgers dropped out along with the Buckeyes.

Losing at home to Penn State last week sealed the fate of the Buckeyes, who should be feeling better today after a 59-58 road win at Wisconsin kept them in the middle of a muddled Big Ten pack behind leaders Michigan State, Michigan and Iowa.

But when Ohio State visits No. 17 Iowa on Tuesday, the Buckeyes will play without a ranking in the AP poll for the first time in four years. According to the AP, Ohio State had been ranked in 80 straight polls, which had been the third-longest streak in the nation behind Duke (130 polls) and Kansas (98).

The Buckeyes did barely hold on to their spot in the coaches poll, coming in at No. 25, with Wisconsin at No. 24.

Michigan State is the highest-ranked Big Ten team in the AP at No. 9, followed by No. 10 Michigan and the No. 17 Hawkeyes. Wisconsin was the first team out of the rankings, at No. 26, while the Buckeyes were next at No. 27. No other Big Ten teams received votes.

In the coaches poll, Michigan State is No. 8, Michigan is No. 16 and Iowa is No. 17.

Ohio State's has been in a freefall in the polls while losing five out of six games before that win in Madison. The Buckeyes went from No. 3 at 15-0 to No. 11 to No. 17 to No. 24 to now unranked.

Undefeated Syracuse is the new unanimous No. 1 after a loss by Arizona.


Isn't it time for Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert to lead? - Bill Livingston

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What was the point with the do-over with Mike Brown anyway? Hadn't we seen this show before?

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- As was the case with Waldo, the reclusive, but colorfully attired figure in the children’s books, I wonder where’s Dan-o these days?

We know Dan Gilbert, the surprisingly reclusive, but once colorfully quotable Cavaliers owner, has not been busting out the Comic Sans font for another defiant message to his fans. At least not so far.

Gilbert’s late-night, emailed tirade to fans about LeBron James’ leaving after quitting on the team was perceived as counterproductive, both in this corner -- at least a little bit, anyway -- and in those circles in which national media fawners would give players absolution for almost everything as long as they still have access to them.

I liked the fighting spirit of Gilbert’s letter to disheartened Cavs fans, although the “personal guarantee” of a title here before James won one (now two) in Miami proved to be earnest, but unlikely to the point of you’ve-got-to-be-kidding.

NBA players are vastly more powerful than players in the other two major sports in this city because of their disproportionate influence on a game played with only five players on a team. In many ways, they run their franchises.

It also is not as though the Cavs are going to sign premier free agents. That didn’t even happen when Michael Jordan was in Chicago. Catered to all their lives recruited to AAU super teams; given, in James’ case, everything he could possibly want -- this generation of superstars prefers stacked teams in resort towns, coastal cribs or the mega-market in New York.

The premium is therefore on finding players by trade or in the draft and developing them with a coaching staff that can connect with these oft-times "basket cases."

The drafting has to be canny, with consideration for chemistry, for how the parts fit together, almost as much as talent. I will grant that, when in doubt, talent trumps all, though.

General manager Chris Grant has provided a talented,but troubled roster, cobbled together of poorly matched pieces.

At least the players are young this time, unlike the desperate days when the Cavs were bringing in the overpaid (Larry Hughes), overrated (Mo Williams and Antawn Jamison), and over-the-hill (Shaquille O’Neal), as they tried to win it all and convince James to stay.

Grant has won enough of his trades to be able to claim some positives, however.

Not so with coach Mike Brown, the defensive guru who sees opponents go 'round his players as if they were the mulberry bush on a nightly basis.

Why the do-over with Brown, anyway? Did Gilbert or Grant really think what Brown could do for them was woo James back? Didn't much of the success came from what James could do for Brown, at least on the offensive end?

Wasn’t Brown 1.0 a glorified defensive coordinator, promoted to try to remake the Cavs in the image of a Gilbert favorite, Detroit’s 2004 defensive-oriented, superstar-less champions? The implosion of the Lakers in the Kobe Bryant-Shaq feud was as big a reason for the Pistons victory as anything else, though.

When the Browns fired Rob Chudzinski, it was unfair, because a wave of injuries at quarterback and running back prevented anyone from knowing how good a coach he might be. The same is not the case with the Brown reboot. He has had Kyrie Irving and Anderson Varejao for more games this season than he ever could have expected.

It has been 3 ½ years since Game 5 vs. the Celtics and the subservient ESPN show and the fog dancers in Miami. The statute of limitations has run out on the goodwill Gilbert inherited by the manner in which James defected.

Gilbert has been a substantial civic asset with the jobs he has created through Quicken Loans and the Horseshoe Casino. But he needs to be the face of the franchise again, as he was in the shocked days after “The Decision.” An over-the-top "guarantee” doesn’t have to result from his accessibility, but resolution, reassurance and vision should.

Right now, the Cavs are recycling futility and hoping no one notices it’s not progress.

It’s really unclear if the correct leaders are in place. A poll with my column last week indicated that (rounding to the nearest whole number) 47 percent of respondents blamed Brown for the team’s tailspin, 31 percent Grant, 12 percent Gilbert and 7 per cent Irving, the Cavs' new interpretation of Allen Iverson, the former ball-hogging point guard in Philadelphia.

Leadership isn’t about avoiding blame. It’s about getting results. It is long past time for someone to lead with the Cavs.

Since it is his team, shouldn’t Gilbert be, as the slogan in James’ last year here claimed, “all in?”

Are traditional hoops powers doing just enough to play in March - Elton Alexander's Top 25 poll vote

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More than half of the Top 25 ranks lost at least one game last week, and several traditional hoops powers are struggling.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Here's what we are dealing with, folks. Last week, 16 teams in the Assocated Press Top 25 -- well more than half -- lost games. Four of those teams lost twice. And the teams that lost twice, of those eight games only three losses were to other Top 25 teams, although Virginia has joined the elite in this week's AP Top 25 Basketball poll.

And this is a mirror of what is happening around the country. While many acknowledged the Big Ten as the top college basketball conference going into the 2014 conference season, understand that right now Northwestern sits fourth in the league at 12-11, 5-5, which puts a strain on anybody believing this is more than a four-bid league for NCAA Tournament purposes.

Yet the the Big Ten is not alone. The same is true in the ACC and the SEC as well. Indeed, it's hard to see any power conference -- Big Ten, Big 12, SEC, ACC, Pac 12 -- getting more than four or five teams in the field of 65. In the recent past, several got six to eight.

But that's today. By the end of the month one would expect a more normal state of affairs. However, one starts to wonder if teams such as North Carolina, Kentucky, Ohio State and others are really engaged in the regular season, or doing just enough to be around in March?

What is equally alarming is there appear to be no slew of real at-large possibilities in the mid-major ranks, beyond the usual suspects. Wichita State, Gonzaga, VCU, New Mexico, Harvard. That's about it. And if those teams win their conference tournaments, well, then teams like Northwestern will suddenly become viable.

Bottom line, this year, there is probably a legitimate Top 10, then 40 other teams that look a whole lot alike. Indeed, as of Monday morning there were 42 teams in Division I college basketball with five losses or less. There are another 46 with six or seven losses.

My Top 25 ballot this week:
1. Syracuse
2. Arizona
3. Florida
4. Wichita State
5. San Diego State
6. Villanova
7. Cincinnati
8. Kansas
9. Michigan State
10. Duke
11. St. Louis
12. Creighton
13. Michigan
14. Kentucky
15. Louisville
16. Texas
17. Iowa
18. Iowa State
19. UConn
20. Virginia
21. Oklahoma
22. Gonzaga
23. Oklahoma State
24. Memphis
25. Harvard
My Top 5 in the state
1. Cincinnati, 21-2
2. Xavier, 15-6
3. Ohio State, 17-5
4. Ohio University, 16-5
5. Cleveland State, 15-9
Next in line: Toledo.

A clear No. 1 with the Bearcats, but probably splitting hairs between No. 2 Xavier, which has lost two straight, and No. 3 Ohio State, which has lost five of its last six. OU moves up by knocking off Toledo, and Cleveland State gets a slim nod over the Rockets (18-3) who are starting to show some cracks after a tough OU road loss a narrow home escape vs. Kent State.

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