CLEVELAND, Ohio -- One of the biggest off-season moves the Cleveland Browns made so far was the signing of local star Donte Whitner. The former Glenville star signed with the Browns on March 11 after playing the last three seasons with the San Francisco 49ers. As a Hall of Fame safety himself, Rod Woodson said Whitner will bring a lot...

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- One of the biggest off-season moves the Cleveland Browns made so far was the signing of local star Donte Whitner. The former Glenville star signed with the Browns on March 11 after playing the last three seasons with the San Francisco 49ers.

As a Hall of Fame safety himself, Rod Woodson said Whitner will bring a lot to the Browns, both for his play on the field and his leadership abilities.

"He brings veteran leadership, someone who has been in the league a long time and is a tremendous hitter," Woodson said. "You need to have that veteran leadership because coaches can only do so much. When you have the guys take over and make it their own team in the locker room, meeting room and on the field, and I think he is going to be key in leadership. He can also change the game with one hit, because the guy can hit."

During his career, Woodson played both safety and cornerback. He was named to the Pro Bowl an NFL-record 11 times for a defensive back. He was the first player to be named to the Pro Bowl as a safety, cornerback and kick returner. Woodson is third all time with 71 career interceptions, and was named the defensive player of the year in 1993."

The talk of the NFL draft has been about Jadeveon Clowney and Johnny Manziel, but there is also some talent in the secondary.

One player that has caught the attention of Woodson is Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, a safety from Alabama.

"You look at Clinton-Dix from Alabama, and he is a long guy with range that can guard the slot." Woodson said. "That really helps out the defensive coordinator, especially with so many offenses going to the spread look. He can come down and cover the slot receiver and then you don't have to go to your sub package every time out. When you can find guys like that, it can be a huge advantage for a defense."

Woodson was most known as being a playmaker during his time in the NFL, and he wants these young guys to not be scared to take chances.

"You don't know what you don't know yet," Woodson said. "Empty yourself to learn and keep learning throughout the years. Never be scared to take that chance."

Ken Houston hopes festival will continue for years to come.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Pro Football Hall of Fame member Ken Houston spent the early morning hosting fans at the Bust Gallery during the Fan Fest on Sunday at the I-X Center in Cleveland.

See what Houston had to say during his session before speaking to the Holy Name football team later that afternoon.

Name: Ken Houston

Inducted: 1986

Position: Strong Safety

Teams: Houston Oilers (1967-1972), Washington Redskins (1973-1980)

Awards: Ninth-round pick in 1967; traded to Redskins for five players in 1973; acclaimed NFL's premier strong safety of 1970s; intercepted 49 passes for 898 yards, nine TDs; also scored on blocked FG, fumble, punt return; named to two AFL All-Star games; 10 Pro Bowls; All-Pro or All-AFC/NFC eight of nine years, 1971-1979.

Information provided by the Pro Football of Fame.

Contact Nathaniel Cline by email (ncline@cleveland.com) or Twitter (@nathanielcline). Or log in and leave a message in the comments section below.

Chris Doleman plays golf during break at Pro Football Hall of Fame Fan Fest.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Hall of Fame member Chris Doleman said he is impressed with the Pro Football Hall of Fame Fan Fest being held at the I-X Center in Cleveland. Not only did Doleman get to meet fans on Sunday during his visit, but he also play had a chance to play golf during his break.

See what Doleman had to say after his autograph session with former football players Dermontti Dawson, Rickey Jackson, Floyd Little and Warren Sapp.

Name: Chris Doleman

Inducted: 2012

Position: Defensive End, Linebacker

Teams: Pittsburgh (1985-1993), Atlanta Falcons (1994-1995), San Francisco 49ers (1996-1998), Minnesota Vikings (1999).

Awards: Drafted as linebacker in first round by Vikings in 1985; moved to starting defensive end late in second season; eight team sack titles (six with Vikings, once each with Falcons and 49ers); led NFL with 21 sacks, one shy of record at time in 1989; career sack total of 150.5 sacks was fourth best at retirement; eight seasons with 10 or more sacks; eight Pro Bowl selections.

Information provided by the Pro Football of Fame.

The Indians dropped a 4-3 contest to the White Sox on Sunday afternoon, as John Axford's blown save forced Kluber's dazzling start to the footnotes.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- With the draft looming, much of the talk surrounding the Pro Football Hall of Fame Fan Fest was who could be 'that guy' to help, or even lead, a franchise. Is 'that guy' Johnny Manziel? Sammy Watkins? Jadeveon Clowney? Khalil Mack? Former Ohio State and Browns wide receiver Paul Warfield chatted with Northeast Ohio Media Group's Tom...

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- With the draft looming, much of the talk surrounding the Pro Football Hall of Fame Fan Fest was who could be 'that guy' to help, or even lead, a franchise.

The two conferences will make a joint basketball announcement at 12:30 p.m. Monday and reports are that it will be a new challenge series starting in 2015-16, which could mean the Buckeyes and Musketeers will meet at some point.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- When Ohio State was paired with Dayton in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, some people wanted to know why the Buckeyes didn't play regular-season basketball games against major in-state programs like the Flyers, Xavier or Cincinnati.

When Dayton beat the Buckeyes, it offered a reminder of why Ohio State may not be interested in those games. There's not a lot to gain for Ohio State, and when the other team wins, it's kind of a big deal. Or "The" big deal, as a Dayton Daily News headline pointed out.

So don't hold your breath on Ohio State and Dayton planning a game. But are the Big Ten and Big East setting up the chance for Ohio State and Xavier to meet in the regular season soon?

The two conferences announced on Sunday that they'll conduct a joint basketball news conference in Madison Square Garden on Monday afternoon featuring both league commissioners. Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany and Big East commissioner Val Ackerman announced through a Sports Illustrated story on Sunday that they'll begin an eight-game series in 2015-16 that takes place in the first week of the basketball season. It sounds very much like the Big Ten-ACC Challenge, but earlier in the calendar. And that challenge will continue as always. This new challenge is in addition to, not instead of, the Big Ten's ACC matchups.

Each league will host four games each November. ESPN.com reported that according to the eight-year deal for the series, each Big Ten team will play in it at least four times. Each Big East team will play in it at least six times.

With its expansion to 14 teams with Rutgers and Maryland, the Big Ten fancies itself an East Coast league as well now, with a New York office that will open June 1.

The Big East, reshaped in the constant conference shuffle, is a now a 10-team league in basketball that lost one-time heavy hitters like Syracuse, Pitt, Connecticut and Louisville and is looking for a little exposure.

The Big East currently includes Butler, Creighton, DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, St. John's, Seton Hall, Villanova and Xavier.

That means there could be some very natural matchups with Big Ten schools, like Ohio State vs. Xavier, Maryland vs. Georgetown, Indiana or Purdue vs. Butler, Nebraska vs. Creighton, Wisconsin vs. Marquette, Penn State vs. Villanova and Rutgers vs. St. John's or Seton Hall. But, as with the Big Ten-ACC Challenge, adding a little conference pride manages to liven up any regular-season matchup between teams from top conferences. And the commissioners said that strength of schedule will be the main factor in deciding matchups.

But at some point, maybe right away, people will have to decide that Ohio State vs. Xavier is a good idea. If so, that would be the first regular-season basketball meeting between the schools since a two-game series in 1933 and 1934. Since then, the schools have met just twice, the Musketeers winning a 1984 NIT matchup and the Buckeyes famously prevailing in overtime in a second-round NCAA Tournament game in 2007 on the way to the Final Four.

Terry Francona talks following the Indians' 4-3 loss to Chicago.

The Indians lost, 4-3, to the White Sox on Sunday afternoon. John Axford blew a save in the ninth inning.

After the game, Indians manager Terry Francona talked about Axford's blown save. He also talked about the performance of pitcher Corey Kluber, who struck out 13 over eight innings.

Get complete coverage of the game at cleveland.com/tribe.

More postgame video:

• Postgame show with cleveland.com's Zack Meisel and Dan Labbe
• Corey Kluber on his 13-strikeout performance
• John Axford on his blown save
• George Kottaras on his two-homer game

Corey Kluber talks following the Indians' 4-3 loss to the White Sox.

Corey Kluber struck out 13 batters in eight innings on Sunday afternoon at Progressive Field. The Indians lost the game to the White Sox, 4-3, following John Axford's blown save.

Following the game, Kluber talked about his performance and what was working for him. He also talked about working with George Kottaras behind the plate.

You can get complete coverage of today's game at cleveland.com/tribe.

More postgame video:

• Postgame show with cleveland.com's Zack Meisel and Dan Labbe
• Terry Francona postagme
• John Axford on his blown save
• George Kottaras on his two-homer game

John Axford talks following his blown save on Sunday.

The Indians entered the ninth inning with a 3-1 lead over the White Sox on Sunday, but John Axford gave up a 3-run blast to Dayan Viciedo in the top of the ninth to blow the save opportunity. The Indians ended up losing the game, 4-3.

Following the game, Axford talked about what went wrong in the loss. He also talked about moving on after blowing his second save of the season and looking ahead to Monday.

You can get complete coverage of today's game at cleveland.com/tribe.

More postgame video:

• Postgame show with cleveland.com's Zack Meisel and Dan Labbe
• Corey Kluber on his 13-strikeout performance
• Terry Francona postgame
• George Kottaras on his two-homer game

Indians catcher George Kottaras on his two-homer game.

George Kottaras became the first Indians player in history to homer in his first two plate appearances with the team on Sunday. The Indians lost to the White Sox, 4-3.

After the game, Kottaras talked about his power display. He also talked about the challenges of working with a pitcher for the first time, which he did with Corey Kluber, who struck out 13 batters.

You can get complete coverage of today's game at cleveland.com/tribe.

More postgame video:

• Postgame show with cleveland.com's Zack Meisel and Dan Labbe
• Corey Kluber on his 13-strikeout performance
• John Axford on his blown save
• Terry Francona postgame

Watch our postgame show breaking down the Indians' 4-3 loss to the Chicago White Sox.

The Indians came from ahead to lose on Sunday, 4-3, to the Chicago White Sox. John Axford blew his second save of the season.

Following the game, cleveland.com's Zack Meisel and Dan Labbe broke down the loss and looked ahead to Minnesota this week. They discussed how much losing a game like this hurts, as well as the performances from Corey Kluber and George Kottaras. They also talked about what the Indians need to do against Minnesota to put this loss behind them.

You can get complete coverage of today's game at cleveland.com/tribe.

More postgame video:

• Terry Francona postgame
• Corey Kluber on his 13-strikeout performance
• John Axford on his blown save
• George Kottaras on his two-homer game

Right-hander Corey Kluber struck out a career-high 13 in a no-decision as the Indians lost to the White Sox, 4-3.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Indians played the White Sox in the finale of a three-game series Sunday. Here is a capsule look from The Plain Dealer reporter Dennis Manoloff:

Game: 31.

Opponent: White Sox.

Location: Progressive Field, Cleveland.

Time of day: Afternoon.

Time elapsed: 2 hours, 55 minutes.

Result: White Sox 4, Indians 3.

Records: White Sox 15-17, Indians 13-18.

Harsh reality: It's early, yes, but Cleveland sits in last place in the AL Central, 6 1/2 games behind front-running Detroit (17-9).

Streak busters: The White Sox snapped an eight-game losing streak to the Indians in Cleveland.

Economizing: The White Sox won despite going 4-for-29 with 15 strikeouts.

Reversal of fortune: Last season, the White Sox lost 17 of 19 to the Tribe. They are 4-3 this season.

Can't get rolling: The Indians failed to secure their first three-game winning streak of the season.

Runs needed: The Indians slipped to 4-14 when scoring three or fewer runs. That they already have 18 such games is alarming.

RISP issues: Cleveland went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position. It stranded 12.

Chopped up: Tribe closer John Axford gave up a three-run homer to Dayan Viciedo with one out in the ninth inning that enabled the White Sox to pull ahead, 4-3.

Axford is 9-for-11 in save opportunities. Both of the blown saves have come in games started by Corey Kluber against the White Sox courtesy of ninth-inning homers that made the score 4-3. On April 13 in Chicago, Alexei Ramirez walked off with a two-run shot.

No excuses: Axford walked the first batter of the ninth, Gordon Beckham, on four pitches. He was unable to locate the fastball against Beckham, who was hitting .167. Axford rebounded to strike out Jose Abreu with a 2-2 off-speed pitch, but he walked Adam Dunn on six pitches. Dunn checked in time on a full-count fastball up.

Axford started Viciedo with an off-speed pitch up for a ball. Viciedo swung through a fastball, took a fastball for a ball, and took a fastball on the inside corner for a strike. Viciedo got a 96-mph fastball on the outside corner at the belt and shot it into the right-field seats for his second homer.

Viciedo's hit was Chicago's second with runners in scoring position in the series (2-for-24).

The choice of fastball can be second-guessed from this standpoint: Axford technically was ahead in the count, and his fastball command had been off since the beginning of the inning. But it was not as if Axford had great command of his secondary stuff, either. Even as Axford made a bad pitch, Viciedo still needed to do something with it. Viciedo deserves credit for staying on the pitch and letting Axford's velocity, and a breeze, work for him.

After Axford struck out Ramirez, Indians manager Terry Francona signaled for Marc Rzepczynski.

King Corey: Axford flushed a terrific performance by Kluber, who allowed one run on three hits in eight innings. Kluber walked two and struck out a career-high 13. He threw 70 of 110 pitches for strikes.

Kluber relied on a fastball-cutter-slurve combination to dominate for the second straight home start. On April 24 against Kansas City, Kluber allowed one unearned run on four hits and struck out 11 in a complete-game 5-1 victory. He needed just 101 pitches.

The starts against the Royals and White Sox sandwich an uneven outing in a loss to the Angels in Anaheim, Calif.

Missing out: Against the Royals, Kluber got 13 swings and misses. Against the White Sox, the total was 23. Each White Sox starter swung and missed at least once.

The Kluber Seven: Kluber set a franchise record with seven consecutive strikeouts. The run extended from the third inning to the fifth. Here is a breakdown:

Third inning (runner on second, one out):

• Beckham, four pitches, 1-2 count. Swung and missed at 94-mph fastball at belt.

• Abreu, six pitches, full count. Swung and missed at 91-mph cutter outside.

Fourth inning:

• Dunn, eight pitches, full count. Swung and missed at 89-mph cutter low.

• Viciedo, five pitches, 2-2 count. Swung and missed at 83-mph slurve up.

• Ramirez, four pitches, 1-2 count. Swung and missed at 84-mph slurve low.

Fifth inning:

• Jordan Danks, five pitches, 2-2 count. Swung and missed at 89-mph cutter at knees.

• Tyler Flowers, three pitches, 0-2 count. Caught looking at 95-mph fastball over middle.

Near miss: Kluber came oh-so-close to eight straight strikeouts. Leury Garcia, down in the count, 1-2, took a cutter off the outside corner that some umpires would have called a strike. Pat Hoberg never flinched. It was the correct call.

Garcia's nine-pitch at-bat ended in a walk. With Alejandro De Aza batting, Garcia stole second. De Aza struck out swinging.

Prince George: Catcher George Kottaras not only called a superb game for Kluber, he went 2-for-3 with two homers -- in back-to-back innings -- and one walk in his Indians debut. Kottaras is the first player in franchise history to homer in his first two plate appearances.

Kottaras's first at-bat as an Indian came leading off the third. He took two strikes and three balls from righty Andre Rienzo before launching an 85-mph pitch on the inner half into the White Sox bullpen.

At that point, Kottaras had a 1.000 average and 4.000 slugging percentage. It brought to mind catcher Jamie Quirk, who, in his first at-bat with the Indians on Sept. 27, 1984, hit a solo homer for the perfect 1.000/4.000.

Quirk's blast turned out to be his only plate appearance with the Indians. Kottaras still had more game to play.

Kottaras next batted with none on and two outs in the fourth. Ahead in the count, 3-1, he turned on Rienzo's 87-mph pitch on the inner half and sent it into the right-field seats.

In the sixth, Kottaras grounded sharply to first on a full-count pitch from righty Zach Putnam.

In the eighth, Kottaras walked against Daniel Webb.

Notable: Kottaras made his major-league debut for Terry Francona's Red Sox in September 2008.

All or nothing: White Sox first baseman Abreu went 1-for-4 with one homer (No. 12) and three strikeouts. Through seven games against the Indians, Abreu is 5-for-28 with four homers, 5 RBI and 14 strikeouts.

Abreu's homer Sunday occurred with none on and two outs in the first. Kluber threw a fastball low and cutter away to fall behind, 2-0. He ran a fastball inside that Abreu fouled off the front foot. Kluber opted for another fastball inside, and Abreu sent it into the left-field bleachers. Abreu deserves credit for pulling in the hands and getting the barrel on a pitch that was several inches off the plate.

Adjustment made: Kluber and Kottaras stayed away from Abreu the next two times. Abreu struck out swinging at the cutter in third and swinging at slurve in the sixth.

Finally: Designated hitter Lonnie Chisenhall was 3-for-4 with an RBI and steal. Other than Chisenhall and Kottaras, the Indians were 4-for-29 with one double.

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Thurman Thomas spent Sunday walking around the Pro Football Hall of Fame Fan Fest, signing autographs, taking photos, smiling.  He would have rather been with his longtime friend, Jim Kelly. Kelly is the quarterback who led the Bills to four consecutive Super Bowls. Thomas was the running back on those teams. In 2013, Kelly was diagnosed with...

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Thurman Thomas spent Sunday walking around the Pro Football Hall of Fame Fan Fest, signing autographs, taking photos, smiling. 

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Jan Stenerud may be the only pure placekicker to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, but he doesn't devour the facts of every football game still played. Stenerud spoke with Northeast Ohio Media Group's Tom Reed and Glenn Moore. Reed asked Stenerud about the possibility of former Brown's placekicker Phil Dawson being inducted into the Hall...

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Jan Stenerud may be the only pure placekicker to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, but he doesn't devour the facts of every football game still played.

The NFC North battle was one that came down to the last game of the regular season, with Green Bay and Chicago slugging it out over the division crown.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The NFC North battle was one that came down to the last game of the regular season, with Green Bay and Chicago slugging it out over the division crown. It was Green Bay, who grabbed the division title. They also took Chicago's best pass rusher, Julius Peppers this off-season. At pick No. 21, the Pack could continue the improvement on that side of the ball. Then again, they could also add to one of the most dangerous offenses in the game. 

Green Bay is not the only team that will be looking for defense. Chicago rebuilt its front four with free-agent additions Jared Allen, Lamarr Houston and Willie Young. They will likely turn toward the secondary in the draft. Speaking of secondary, one of these days the Lions will have a corner to match up with the talented pass-catchers in the division, and the opportunity may be too tough to pass with the 10th pick.

Then there's Minnesota, whose most important decision involves what they plan on doing with their quarterback position.

Chicago Bears (click here for depth chart)

1. Cornerback – Charles Tillman and Kelvin Hayden both re-signed this off-season. But Tillman, Hayden and Tim Jennings - the Bears' top three cornerbacks - are all 30 years or older. That's a bad sign for a team that was known for defense the last decade.

2. Safety – The two signings, Ryan Mundy and M.D. Jennings, don't make up for the loss of Major Wright. If the Bears don't address the safety spot then they will have a hard time dealing with the explosive passing attacks of Detroit and Green Bay within the division.

3. Defensive Tackle – The Bears did a terrific job of boosting their defensive ends by adding Willie Young, Jared Allen and Lamarr Houston. But the tackle spot is still a work in progress.

Detroit Lions

1. Cornerback – Going into the 2014 season with Rashean Mathis and Chris Houston as the starting cornerbacks is not a wise plan, especially in a division with Green Bay's Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson as well as Chicago's Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery. The Lions' pass rush is good, but it's not that good.

2. Center – 35-year-old Dominic Raiola's best days are in the past. It's time for the Lions to start searching for his replacement.

3. Defensive Tackle – The Lions' plan was to assemble one of the best duos on the interior of the defensive line with Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley. However, Fairley is a free agent at the end of the season and Suh could be on the trade block.

Green Bay Packers

1. Safety – There were only four teams in the NFL that allowed more passing touchdowns than Green Bay. If the Packers are serious about changing that then the back end of the defense needs at least one new addition.

2. Tight End – I prefer quality over quantity. The Packers have four tight ends on the roster – Andrew Quarless, Ryan Taylor, Brandon Bostick and Jake Stoneburner. Those options will only make Green Bay fans miss Jermichael Finley more.

3. Inside Linebacker - General manager Ted Thompson handed Brad Jones a three-year, $11.75 million deal last March, one that he may regret after Jones' poor play this past season. The linebacker is also tough to rely on from an injury standpoint, playing all 16 games once in five seasons.

Minnesota Vikings

1. Quarterback – Christian Ponder and Matt Cassel are the top two quarterbacks on the depth chart. So they're not serious about winning this year, huh? 

2. Inside Linebacker – After cutting Erin Henderson because of off-the-field issues, the Vikings are left with a gaping hole in the middle of a defense that finished last, allowing 30 points per game.

3. Safety – The second-worst pass defense in the league isn't going to get much better when Kurt Coleman was the big acquisition in the secondary.

Join cleveland.com's Zack Meisel for a live in-game chat as the Indians take on the Twins at Progressive Field.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Get scoring updates and analysis as the Indians take on the Minnesota Twins at Progressive Field and chat with cleveland.com's Zack Meisel in the comments section.

Game 32: Indians (13-18) vs. Twins (14-15)

First pitch: 7:05 p.m. at Progressive Field

TV/radio: STO; WTAM AM/1100, WMMS 100.7

Johnny Manziel has run the ball more times in his last two years of college than Russell Wilson or Robert Griffin III did in their final two college seasons.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Do the Browns fans who want their team to draft Johnny Manziel really want Johnny Manziel?

Or are some of them -- remember, I wrote SOME -- just in love with the idea of Johnny Football playing in Cleveland?

For good reason, Browns fans long for their team to matter once again. They want to watch the orange helmets in prime time.

Manziel would immediately make that happen.

He's charismatic. He's fun to watch. He is great television.

And he was a terrific college quarterback.

But will it work in the NFL?

That question is why so much attention would be on the Browns if they draft Manziel.

The 5-foot-11 Manziel is so unconventional, so small -- yet, so appealing. As CNNSI's Peter King reports, experts are intrigued and divided about the quarterback.

But I still want no part of the Texas A&M product. Remember, I do want a quarterback later in the draft. The Browns must find a quarterback in this draft who can open the season behind Brian Hoyer and have the ability to eventually start.

But I'll pass on Manziel.

My primitive scouting report is that little quarterbacks who run around are asking to get hurt.

Greg Cosell of Yahoo Sports said it much better in a story he wrote for the website:

"You see a quarterback who creates his own problems with what appears to be a lack of understanding and discipline, and then once in a while he makes an unbelievable unstructured play.

"There's a sense that he makes it up as he goes, a shoot from the hip element that is so much fun and entertaining to watch. But you're not sure that will work in the NFL. Entertaining is great for fans and highlight shows ... but a QB cannot live on the edge, play randomly and be consistently successful against NFL defenses."

There always are exceptions.

Russell Wilson is about the same size. So is Drew Brees.

Let's look at a few stats dealing with quarterbacks running the ball:

1. In two years at Texas A&M, Manziel had 343 carries.

2. In his final two years at Baylor, Robert Griffin III had 328 carries.

3. In his final two college seasons, Russell Wilson had 222 carries.

Running the ball is such a huge part of Manziel's game. The same is true of RG3. Of course, RG3 ended up with a knee injury in college -- and another after his rookie NFL season.

In his rookie season, RG3 carried the ball 120 times. And he needed knee surgery. Last year, it was 85 times. And he was not close to the player that he was in his first season.

Russell has carried the ball 190 times in his two pro seasons. He is very smart about sliding and running out of bounds.

Can Manziel learn to do that?

Perhaps.

But part of what makes him Johnny Football is that he'll try to run over a linebacker -- or run away from a safety.

Yes, he faced the fastest defenses in college football by playing in the SEC. But they are even quicker and stronger in the NFL.

At minicamp last week, offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan said: "The guy can play football. I don’t care if you’re a big guy or a small guy, if you take too many hits in the league ... it’s tough to stay healthy. He’s got to take care of himself, especially with the way he plays, but I think he definitely has the size to succeed in the league.''

Drew Brees and Wilson have shown that you can be under 6-feet and win in the NFL. Brees barely runs, so he's not part of the discussion.

Shanahan called the plays and designed the offense for RG3 in the last two seasons, so he is familiar with a quarterback who likes to use his legs. But after two years, the reviews on RG3 are mixed because of his knee problems.

Is it possible the Browns will draft Manziel?

Certainly.

Is it also possible the Browns want teams to think they'll take Manziel in order to create a trade market for the No. 4 pick?

That may be very likely.

Is it possible Manziel will be an effective NFL quarterback?

Yes, there's a chance.

But it's not a chance that I want to take.

The Keystone softball team moved up to No. 2 in the coaches poll.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- On Sunday, the brackets were made for the 2014 OHSAA softball state tournaments, and the action will get underway on May 14.

On Monday, the third state coaches poll came out, and it features five teams from the Northeast Ohio area.

Here is a look at the rankings by division.

DIVISION I

1. Lebanon                                    11 125

2. North Canton Hoover                  1   102

3. Marysville                                  0     82

4. Brecksville-Broadview Heights     1     82

5. Gahanna Lincoln                         0     75  

6. Delaware Hayes                          0     40

7. Oregon Clay                                0    39

8. Holland Springfield                      0     36

9. Walsh Jesuit                              0     24

10. Centerville                                0     22

DIVISION II

1. Licking Valley                              5     105

2. Keystone                                    3       95

3. Greeneville                                 1       81

4. Kenton Ridge                              2       79

5. Lima Bath                                   0       57

6. Milan Edison                                1       51

7. Granville                                     0       49

8. Hebron Lakewood                        0       48

9. Jonathon Alder                            0       31

10. Tallmadge                                 0        23

DIVISION III

1. Bloom Carroll                             8        97

2. Wheelersburg                             2        67

3. Fairview Sherwood                      0        58

3. Kirtland                                     0        58

5. North Union                                0        48

6. Warren Champion                       0         41

7. Archibold                                    0         30

7. New London                                0         30

9. West Jefferson                             0         27

10. Youngstown Ursuline                  0         22

DIVISION IV

1. Strasburg Franklin                       5        86

2. Minister                                      2         71

3. New Reigel                                 2         69

4. Leesburg Fairfield                        0         55

5. Vienna Matthews                         0         38

6. Covington                                   0         37

7. Portsmouth Notre Dame               0         25

8. Danville                                      0         18

9. Windham                                    0         18

10. Convoy Crestview                      0         15

Tune in every Monday night throughout the rest of the season as the poll will be released.

Contact high school sports reporter Mark Kern by email mkern@cleveland.com or Twitter (@Markkern11). Or log in and leave a message in the comments section below.

Started in 1998, the Big Ten Basketball Tournament has so far only been held in Indianapolis or Chicago.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Big Ten march East continues.

The league and commissioner Jim Delany on Tuesday will hold a news conference in Washington, D.C., to announce that the Big Ten Basketball Tournament will be played in the nation's capital at the Verizon Center, the home of the Washington Wizards, in 2017.

The current contract calls for the tournament to be played in Chicago in 2015 and Indianapolis in 2016. Those are the only two cities to ever host the event, which began in 1998.

But as Delany has grown the conference with the addition of Rutgers and Maryland taking the Big Ten to 14 teams this year, now he wants to spread the love. He told Sports Illustrated that he expects to see the tournament move around to sites in the Midwest and Northeast in the future.

Given that Delany was at a news conference in New York on Monday to officially announce the new basketball series between the Big Ten and Big East, it wouldn't be a shock to see him try to get the Big Ten's event into Manhattan, Brooklyn, or at least Newark, at some point.

Heck, who knows, this news might open up the chance for Cleveland to host the Big Ten Tournament. If the Q can host the Midwest Regional of the NCAA Tournament next year, then why not the Big Ten Tournament?

Indianapolis has been an ideal, convenient and centrally-located host city for the Big Ten over the years. And Chicago is the home of the Big Ten headquarters and a lovely place to visit when the league checks in there.

But, as we all know, this isn't the Midwest's conference any more. Delany is taking this show on the road. In 2017, that means D.C. After that, anything can happen.

This should at least keep hope alive for Dallas as a host if Texas ever joins the Big Ten.

Four-star defensive end Darius Fullwood of Olney (Md.) Good Counsel released his top five Monday evening and Ohio State made the cut.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Four-star defensive end Darius Fullwood of Olney (Md.) Good Counsel announced his top five Monday evening, and Ohio State made the cut.

Joining Ohio State in Fullwood's top five are Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Miami (Fla.) and Virginia Tech. There was no specific order to the 6-foot-4, 240-pounder's list.

MY TOP 5 SCHOOLS!![?]#ItAintOver #GoHokies [?] #BBN [?][?][?] #GoYellowJackets [?] #GoBuckeyes [?] [?][?] #GoHurricanes [?] [?] pic.twitter.com/ppsCoryX29

— Dee Fullwood (@realdeewood) May 5, 2014

Rated by Rivals.com the No. 20 defensive end in the 2015 recruiting class, Fullwood also said Boston College, Penn State, Wake Forest and West Virginia are still under "high consideration."