The Buckeyes continue the Urban Meyer tradition of rewarding the freshmen who have proven they are ready to go at the college level.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Eight Ohio State freshmen, seven members of the 23-man recruiting class and walkon lineman Aaron Parry, have had their black stripes removed from their helmets during preseason camp. That's Urban Meyer's way of acknowledging that a first-year player has shown that he's ready to really be a college football player and full member of the roster.

The order of stripe removal doesn't tell you everything, but it does give a peek at the young players the staff likes, and it can be some predictor of which freshmen could earn playing time.

That Curtis Samuel and Raekwon McMillan were the first two was no surprise. Samuel at running back and McMillan, pushing Curtis Grant at middle linebacker, are two of the young players with the best chance to do something on the field in 2014.

Some of the others have been a little more interesting. Meyer often likes to reward a walkon who works hard, makes a couple plays and takes care of his business. This camp that is Parry, a Zanesville native.

Darius Slade was the last man in the class, inked on National Signing Day on the recommendation of new defensive line coach Larry Johnson, and the fact he was the third to lose his stripe was a good sign for that signing.

Among the freshmen that Meyer has praised who haven't been reported to lose their stripes yet are the Glenville duo of safety Erick Smith and corner Marshon Lattimore and Florida receiver Johnnie Dixon, who along with McMillan was promoted to work with the upperclassmen on the first day of preseason camp because he handled himself like a grown man.

We'll continue to update this list as we go.

1. Curtis Samuel, RB

2. Raekwon McMillan, LB

Congrats to Curtis Samuel and Raekwon McMillan for being the first 2 freshmen to get their black stripes removed! pic.twitter.com/OZg6314sZ9

— Urban Meyer (@OSUCoachMeyer) August 10, 2014

3. Darius Slade, DE

Congrats to Darius Slade on losing his black stripe at practice this morning!

— Urban Meyer (@OSUCoachMeyer) August 11, 2014

4. Damon Webb, CB

Congrats to Damon Webb on getting his stripe off today. Had a great practice this afternoon.

— Urban Meyer (@OSUCoachMeyer) August 13, 2014

5. Aaron Parry, DL (walkon)

Congrats to walk-on Aaron Parry for getting his black stripe removed today!

— Urban Meyer (@OSUCoachMeyer) August 15, 2014

6. Noah Brown, WR

7. Jalyn Holmes, DE

8. Sam Hubbard, LB

Congrats to Noah Brown, Sam Hubbard, and Jalyn Holmes on losing their black stripes this morning after the scrimmage. Go Bucks!

— Urban Meyer (@OSUCoachMeyer) August 16, 2014

The Western Michigan Broncos look to use the No. 1 recruiting class in the MAC to bolster the program back to respectability.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Western Michigan Broncos had a tough first season under rookie head coach P.J. Fleck, who was long on promotions such as "row the boat" and grand statements that really did not sit well with local fans as the defeats mounted in an 11-loss season.

The saving grace was a recruiting class projected to be the best in the conference. Now, many of those young players will be expected to land on the two-deep in order for the Broncos to make a solid improvement this season. This was a solid MAC program prior to last season and not used to seasons such as 2013.

A quick return to .500 or better will improve the mood greatly around Kalamazoo, Michigan.

This is the latest in The Plain Dealer's daily countdown of MAC football teams, and completes the MAC West. The seven MAC East team previews will begin Monday in alphabetical order.

WESTERN MICHIGAN

Coach: P.J. Fleck (1-11, 1-7), second year.

Last season: 1-11, 1-7.

Offense: While the Broncos return eight starters, Fleck is on record saying true freshmen from a heralded recruiting class could populate his two-deep right out of the gate. However, four returning offensive linemen and sophomore receiver Corey Davis (67 receptions, 941 yards, 6 TD) offer promise.

Defense: Only five starters return, indicating a total overhaul and perhaps a new system as well. Safety Justin Currie (113 tackles, 3 INT, 2 fumbles) is strong on the back end, but he needs help up front to become even more of a ballhawk.

Major loss: QB Tyler Van Tubbergen (930 yards, 4 TD) missed much of his senior season due to injury, but was still the most veteran player at his position. Now he is gone, leaving the Broncos trying to find a new leader in the midst of building a new offense.

Player to watch: Davis (67 receptions, 941 yards, 6 TD) has already made a strong impression after his rookie season and can only get better, especially if the right QB emerges as a starter.

Non-conference schedule: at Purdue, at Idaho, Murray State, at Virginia Tech.

Key game: Sept. 20, vs. Murray State -- Fleck can't afford to bomb in his home opener after last season's debacle, or his tenure could be on countdown.

Overview: Fleck's rookie season was long on gimmicks and bold predictions that fell flat. The Broncos need to settle in quickly on their style of play on both sides of the football then start producing vs. a very comfortable early schedule (at Purdue, at Idaho, Murray State), or the already restless locals will rise up.

For schedule, roster and more, click here.

The PD MAC preview schedule: Tuesday -- Ball State; Wednesday -- Central Michigan; Thursday -- Eastern Michigan; Friday -- Northern Illinois; Saturday -- Toledo; Sunday -- Western Michigan.

The rookie outfielder was optioned to Triple-A Columbus to clear a roster spot for Danny Salazar, who was recalled.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Tyler Holt packed his bags again after Saturday's win against Baltimore. The rookie outfielder was optioned to Triple-A Columbus to clear a roster spot for Danny Salazar, who was recalled.

Salazar will start Sunday's series finale against the Orioles.

Holt provided the Tribe with some much-needed outfield insurance. David Murphy is sidelined until at least mid-September with an oblique injury. Michael Bourn returned to the lineup on Saturday after missing six weeks with a hamstring strain. Holt collected five hits in 13 at-bats and saw time at all three outfield spots.

The 25-year-old is batting .311 with a .420 on-base percentage and 20 stolen bases with the Clippers.

Salazar returns to make his first big league start since an Aug. 6 loss to the Reds. He stands at 4-5 with a 4.88 ERA. In that loss to Cincinnati, he allowed five runs in four innings. At Triple-A, he has posted a 4-6 record and 3.71 ERA in 11 starts.

Indians starting pitchers have logged a 0.69 ERA over their last six outings. 

After being Commissioner Bud Selig's right-hand man through a strike, cancellation of the World Series, the implementation of a drug testing program for steroids and countless rounds of negotiations with the players association, Rob Manfred should be more than ready to replace Selig as MLB's new commissioner. Selig's term officially ends in January.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – In any large business there are always problems, some expected, some unexpected.

Major League baseball is no different and no one knows that more than new Commissioner Rob Manfred. Still, Manfred, elected as baseball's 10^th commissioner last week in Baltimore, is hardly taking over a sport in crisis.

Bud Selig, who will retire in January, was MLB's crisis-commissioner. For over 22 years, Selig was the right man for the job and leaves the position as the game's greatest and most innovative commissioner.

The good thing is Manfred was Selig's right-hand man through most of it. He walked point in negotiations with the players association that brought an unprecedented reign of peace to the sport. He helped forge the Joint Drug Prevention program that has largely kept chemically-enhanced players off the field

It was clear Manfred was Selig's handpicked successor, which made the candidacy of Boston owner Tom Werner so surprising. White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf and other insurgents backed Werner and caused several ballots to be taken until it was clear Manfred had secured the necessary votes (23 of 30) to win the job. The Indians, by the way, from all indications were Manfred supporters from the start.

The reasons for Reinsorf's opposition to Manfred were cloudy at best. It was suggested that he wanted an owner as the next commissioner. Selig was the long-time owner of the Milwaukee Brewers before removing himself to be the full-time commissioner.

It was also mentioned that Reinsdorf and other owners felt Manfred had given away too much in negotiations with the players in contract talks in 2002, 2006 and 2011. The fact that Manfred and the late Michael Weiner, former executive director of the players association, were able to give fans season after season of uninterrupted baseball was apparently missed by the dissidents.

Manfred started working for MLB as an outside counsel in 1994. So he knows what a crisis situation is.

The season had been shut down by a strike. Selig canceled the World Series for the first time in history. The game, at one time America's pastime, was in danger of being marginalized

Then came the steroid era, the Mitchell report and the reputations of game's best players – Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro, Roger Clemens etc. – forever tainted.

It's not like Manfred is taking over a game on cruise control, but there's no comparison between addressing the pace of game problem and a steroid epidemic among the rank-and-file

"I think Rob Manfred is a great choice as commissioner," said Indians President Mark Shapiro. "He's an extremely bright guy. Baseball is a complex business and he knows how to use strategies to guide the game through those complex processes."

Shapiro and Tiger GM Dave Dombrowski were on some candidate lists to replace Selig. In the end, the list was pared to only MLB front office employees and owners -- Manfred, Tim Brosnan and Werner. Brosnan, MLB's executive vice president of business, withdrew from the balloting.

The current working agreement between owners and players ends in 2016. It will bring its own set of issues, such as the players dissatisfaction with the qualifying offer system even though they agreed to it in the last negotiations.

Manfred has proven his acumen in that area, but he will have to deal with other issues: declining attendance, the stadium situation for the Tampa Bay Rays, the territorial dispute between the A's and Giants, how to level the playing field between teams such as the Yankees and Indians and on and on and on.

"Those are individual challenges," said Shapiro. "The greatest challenge is going to be how to grow a tradition-bound sport on a modern sports/entertainment landscape. Baseball is a healthy sport, but there are trends with younger fans that raise cautionary flags.

"The way people watch sports now is so much more fragmented. They don't stay in one place for long time to watch a game. How do we deal with that and grow the game at the same time?"

Shapiro believes the owners have hired the right man to find that answer.

This week in baseball

There are three strikes in an out, three outs in a half inning. Here are two more sets of three things to think about from last week in baseball.

Three up

1. Jon Lester is 3-0 with a 2.49 ERA (six earned runs, 21 2/3 innings) in his first three starts with Oakland since being acquired from Boston.

2. The Royals, who lost their first four games after the All-Star break to fall eight games behind Detroit in the AL Central, have gone 19-4 since to move into first place.

3. Corey Kluber (4-0, 0.74) has the lowest ERA among AL starters with at five starts since the All-Star break. His 55 strikeouts and 47 2/3 innings lead the way as well.

Three down

1. The White Sox were the latest victim of MLB's new rule to prevent collisions at the plate Wednesday when a routine out at home in the seventh inning was overturned and the Giants proceeded to score six runs in a 7-1 victory.

2. J.D. Martinez, who helped carry the Tigers to the top of the AL Central, is hitting just .211 (19-for-90) since the All-Star break.

3. San Francisco's Tim Lincecum is 0-3 with a 8.39 ERA in six appearances since the All-Star break. He's allowed 23 earned runs in 24 2/3 innings.

Tribe talk

"I didn't know until after that it was a fastball, middle away. I had no idea (during the at-bat) because I was so locked in," rookie Zach Walters, after his game-winning homer with one out in the ninth Wednesday against Arizona in the first game of a doubleheader against Arizona.

MLB talk

"Everyone felt like that might be the case, that we might not have them for the rest of the season. Unfortunately, that's what it's going to be," Rockies manager Walt Weiss, to Denver reporters, after it was announced on consecutive days last week stars Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez would need season-ending surgery.

Stat-o-matic

1. Hard to figure: Justin Masterson, who won four games in 19 starts with the Indians, is 2-1 in three starts with St. Louis. His other stats since the trade have a familiar ring: 6.00 ERA, 17 hits, 10 earned runs, six walks and nine strikeouts in 15 innings.

2. Come one, come all: The battered Texas Rangers lead the big leagues with 53 players used, including the most pitchers at 35 pitchers. They rank second in rookies used with 17.

3. On the run: The Pirates have scored 124 runs since the All-Star break to lead the NL. Oakland is the only two that has scored more with 125.

Find out how coaches can nominate an athlete for Players of the Week.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- We are happy to announce the return of Players of the Week for the 2014-15 school year.

We will have Players of the Week for every week in the regular season, starting this upcoming week. The deadline is Monday at noon so act fast.

Here’s information on the nomination process for all sports: Nominations are only accepted it they are submitted by coaches. Coaches can nominate an athlete anytime between the end of all that week’s games and Monday at noon.

Go online to cleveland.com/potw to access the nomination form. Fill in all the blanks, especially the part on what the athlete did last week. The deadline is Monday at noon.

Look for the Players of the Week feature every Thursday on cleveland.com and every Friday in The Plain Dealer.

The Indians have won five of six.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Indians played the Baltimore Orioles in the second of a three-game series Saturday. Here is a capsule look from The Plain Dealer reporter Dennis Manoloff:

Game: 122.

Opponent: Orioles.

Location: Progressive Field, Cleveland.

Time of day: Night.

Time elapsed: 2 hours, 39 minutes.

Attendance: 27,881.

Result: Indians 6, Orioles 0.

Records: Indians 62-60, Orioles 69-52.

Nick Camino Scoreboard Watch: The Indians pulled within 5.0 games of first-place Kansas City (67-55) in the AL Central. The Royals lost to the Twins, 4-1, in Minnesota. The Indians are 4.5 behind Detroit (66-55) for the second wild card. The Tigers defeated Seattle, 4-2, in Detroit.

Heating up: The Tribe has won five of six. 

For the birds: The Indians clinched the series and the season series. They lead the latter, 4-2.

Bottom line, up front: The Indians authored one of their most impressive victories of the season. They dominated a first-place club with power pitching, power hitting and good defensive positioning.

Long-ball fun: The Orioles entered Friday leading the majors with 152 homers. They continue to lead the majors -- but they still have 152. On Friday night, they managed six singles and one double in a 2-1 loss in 11 innings. On Saturday night, they managed three singles and one double.

Meanwhile, the Indians have stolen Baltimore's playbook. On Friday, Zach Walters homered in the fifth inning and Mike Aviles walked off in the 11th. On Saturday, Carlos Santana hit a three-run homer in the first and Michael Brantley a two-run shot in the fifth.

The Indians rank in the top half of MLB with 118 homers.

Cookie Express: This game belonged to Indians right-hander Carlos Carrasco, who delivered one of the best starts of his career. He allowed three hits and struck out five in seven innings. He threw 57 of 79 pitches for strikes.

Carrasco has crafted two scoreless starts since rejoining the rotation after an extended, and productive, stay in the bullpen. On Aug. 10 in the Bronx, he gave up two hits in five shutout innings of a 4-1 victory over the Yankees.

Carrasco proponents often speak of his "electric stuff,'' and, "if only he could harness it....'' Well, the electric stuff was on display Saturday, and he harnessed it. Carrasco didn't merely record outs; he made batters look bad -- otherwise known as The Corey Kluber Effect. The Orioles had no idea what was coming, or where, and swung like it.

Against the Yankees, Carrasco relied primarily on a fastball-slurve combination. The two-pitch maximum was understandable for a pitcher fresh from the bullpen. Against the Orioles, Carrasco knew he needed to expand his repertoire. He used a four-seam fastball, two-seam fastball/sinker, slider, knuckle-curve and splitter/changeup. At various points in the start, all were nasty.

Working out of the stretch throughout, Carrasco demonstrated excellent control and command. He kept the majority of pitches at the thighs or below and worked both corners. He consistently stayed out of the middle of the plate. Some of the balls almost certainly happened on-purpose, so as to change eye levels or set up the next pitch.

Credit catcher Yan Gomes with calling a great game. He quickly got a feel for the quality of Carrasco's stuff and kept the Orioles off-balance. Gomes made sure Carrasco established the fastball but didn't become dependent on it. Gomes knew the Orioles needed to see different pitches in various locations.    

Here is a pitch-by-pitch breakdown of Carrasco's performance. (Note: Some of the pitch identifications fall in the best-guess category -- "off-speed'' -- because of extreme movement and/or atypical velocities.) 

FIRST INNING

LH Nick Markakis -- mid-90s fastball, single up the middle.

LH David Lough -- 98-mph fastball, ball; 98 fastball, swinging strike; 98 fastball, foul; 97 fastball low (barely); 91 splitter, swinging strikeout.

RH Adam Jones -- 97 fastball, 6-4-3 double play.

The skinny: Markakis, figuring Carrasco would open with a heater, ambushed him....  Carrasco showed high-velocity fastballs to Lough, then unleashed a wicked split to whiff him. ... All-Star Jones is aggressive, especially against the fastball. Carrasco kept it off the plate away and at the knees.

SECOND INNING

RH Nelson Cruz -- 98 fastball outer half, called strike; 91 splitter, foul; 87 slider, single to third.

LH Chris Davis -- 98 fastball inside corner, called strike; 98 fastball inside, ball; 82 curve outside corner, called strike (gift from plate umpire Ron Kulpa to Carrasco); 98 fastball outside, ball; 96 fastball inside, ball; 83 curve down and in, swinging strikeout.

RH J.J. Hardy -- 98 fastball outside corner, called strike; 89 off-speed low, ball; 88 off-speed, called strike; 97 fastball in, error by shortstop.

LH Ryan Flaherty -- 97 fastball, ball; 96 fastball, called strike; 90 splitter, swinging strike; 97 fastball, liner to second for double play.

The skinny: Cruz's awkward swing produced a dribbler near the line. Third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall picked the ball cleanly but had no chance. ... Carrasco and Gomes crossed up Davis, who obviously was looking for a heater in and took a three-quarters swing. ... Hardy grounded into a routine double play to end the inning -- until shortstop Jose Ramirez fumbled the ball. ... Flaherty lined to second baseman Jason Kipnis, who stepped on the bag to double off Cruz and knock the goat horns off Ramirez's head. Kipnis's shading of Flaherty up the middle paid off huge, preventing a potential Baltimore uprising. 

THIRD INNING

RH Caleb Joseph -- high-90s fastball inside, ball; 96 fastball, called strike; 97 fastball away, ball; 87 off-speed, swinging strike; 97 fastball outside corner, double to right.

RH Jonathan Schoop -- 95 fastball, called strike; 90 sinker, ball; 89 sinker, swinging strike; 82 slider, swinging strikeout.

LH Nick Markakis -- 97 fastball, ball; 88 splitter, ball; 96 fastball, called strike; 88 splitter, called strike; 84 curve in, foul; 90 sinker away, ball; 97 fastball at belt over plate, pop to left.

LH David Lough -- 96 fastball up, ball; 94 fastball away, ball; 94 fastball away, ball; 95 fastball outside corner, called strike; 95 fastball, foul; 95 fastball over plate at knees, fly to right.

The skinny: Carrasco provided enough swing room for Joseph, who stayed compact and used the fastball's velocity to his advantage. ... Lough thought he had drawn a four-pitch walk; Kulpa disagreed. Tailing action of the fastball was the key to getting the flyout; Lough wasn't able to barrel it.

FOURTH INNING

RH Adam Jones -- 86 slider, called strike; 85 off-speed called strike; 81 curve outside corner, grounder to short.

RH Nelson Cruz -- 87 slider, swinging strike; 96 fastball outside corner at knees, fly to right.

LH Chris Davis -- 81 curve, called strike; 95 fastball, grounder to short.

The skinny: Jones pulled off of another pitch. .... Location of the fastball to Cruz made all the difference; Cruz needed to reach for it just enough to compromise full power. ... Ramirez fielded Davis's grounder on the right side as part of the shift.  

FIFTH INNING

RH J.J. Hardy -- high-90s fastball, called strike; 97 fastball, foul; 96 fastball outside, ball; 83 curve, grounder to short.

LH Ryan Flaherty -- 89 splitter outside, ball; 96 fastball away, ball; 95 fastball, fly to center.

RH Caleb Joseph -- 82 curve outside corner at knees, called strike; 96 fastball outside corner at knees, called strike; 87 slider down and away, swinging strikeout.

The skinny: Whenever Carrasco struggles, he should replay the fifth-inning sequence to Joseph to remind him of how good he can be. Joseph had no chance.   

SIXTH INNING

RH Jonathan Schoop -- 87 slider, called strike; 96 fastball, fly to right.

LH Nick Markakis -- 96 fastball, called strike; 95 fastball away, ball; 89 splitter, ball; 96 fastball away, ball; 96 fastball, foul; 96 fastball, grounder to short.

LH David Lough -- 95 fastball, fly to center.

The skinny: Stress-free inning for Carrasco. ... Ramirez pinched the middle to take away a hit from Markakis.

SEVENTH INNING

RH Adam Jones -- 93 fastball inside, ball; 86 slider outside corner at knees, dribbler to mound.

RH Nelson Cruz -- 93 fastball inner half, swinging strike; 88 slider outside corner, swinging strike; 87 slider outside corner, called strikeout.

LH Chris Davis -- 96 fastball outside corner, called strike;  94 fastball, grounder to second.

The skinny: Jones pulled off of a good slider. ... Cruz disagreed with Kulpa's zone on the final pitch and voiced his displeasure.

Fast fact: Carrasco's ERA since June 10 is 1.42 (38 IP, 6 ER).

Finally: Carrasco easily prevailed in the matchup with Baltimore righty Ubaldo Jimenez. The former Indian Jimenez was "Bad U'' for the second time in two starts against Cleveland this season, giving up the six runs on five hits in 4 1/3.

Santana hit a high fastball an estimated 437 feet to the trees in center. He also drove in Michael Bourn and Ramirez, who had walked. Brantley lined a curve into the right-field seats. He also drove in Ramirez, who had hit an RBI single.  

The Villa Angela-St. Joseph school celebrated renovations to the school on Sunday.

CLEVELAND, Ohio --Three years ago, the enrollment at Villa Angela-St. Joseph was 240 students. Heading into this school year, that number has risen to 420, showing the improvements the school has made.

On Sunday, there was a public ceremony to show some of the changes that have been made to the historic gymnasium. Some of the completed changes include new bleachers, new state championship banners, and basketball goals that now come down from the ceiling.

While athletic director Nathan Zavorek had a plan and an idea of how the changes would look, to see everybody in the gym was even better than he imagined.

"I had the opportunity to be here last night when we were putting the final spit shines on the gym floor, and while we were doing that, I definitely got emotional," Zavorek said. "To see so many people come out today and celebrate, it is truly amazing. We are a family here. I am getting married later this year, and five of the eight people in the wedding are people I met here. This is a special day for everybody involved with our school, and I am honored to be involved with it."

Head boys basketball coach and director of advancement Babe Kwasniak said it is a great day for the program, and it shows the progress the school has made in the past few years.

"We have done some very good things on the court, but the progress we have made in the classroom has been even better," he said. "When I got here, the team GPA was 2.3, and last season, it was 3.57. People are buying into the system not because of the results on the court, but the way the students are performing in other areas."

In the next month or two, the spirit store will be completed, with the renovations to the bathroom being completely finished in time for the start of the 2015 school year. 

All of these changes were made possible by donations from Don and Mary Jo Dailey. Don, a 1970 graduate of St. Joseph, could not believe the changes that had been made.

"We obviously knew the plans that were in place for the renovations, but to see it in person and all of the excitement of the members of the community were truly special," Dailey said. "We had some great memories in the old gym, but seeing all of the people work extremely hard on the project and to see how it looks today is truly exciting. It is beyond our wildest imaginations on how great it looks."

For their donations, the Dailey family was offered as a surprise a new suite by Zavorek. The suite will replace a scoreboard, and the family will be able to attend any event in the gym in that area.

"They are such humble people, they did not want anything in return," Zavorek said. "However, I knew that I had to do something in return. I thought this would be a great way to show how much we truly do appreciate everything they have done for us."

As for the new changes on the court, Kwasniak said the players are definitely excited to play in the gym.

Senior Dererk Pardon, a Northwestern commit, is excited for the opportunity to get back to work in the new home gym.

"It has more of a college feel in the gym, and I know the guys are definitely excited to play on it," Pardon said. "It means a lot to this school, everybody has done so much to make this possible, and to see it now is truly great for our school."

St. Joseph girls basketball player Brittany Morrison has committed to Buffalo.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- St. Joseph girls basketball player Brittany Morrison will be playing her college basketball at Buffalo.

Once she took her visit to the school, she knew this could be another basketball family for her.

"As soon as I got on campus, I knew that this is the place that I wanted to play at," Morrison said. "Everybody was so warm and welcoming to me, and it just showed me this is where I want to be in the future."

Last season, the Jaguars forward played a huge role on the team, averaging a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. However, for her to take the next step in her game, Morrison is looking to become more of a leader.

"We have a lot of talent on our team this year, but we are going to be very young," Morrison said. "The team is going to be looking at me to help make sure that everyone knows what they need to be doing. I will also have to be the person that gets us going if we need that added boost."

The Towson University product is 5-foot-10, 225 pounds of determination and bravado. He's come a long way from selling shoes at a mall in his old neighborhood. Watch video

BALTIMORE, Md. – Terrance West's journey from lightly recruited halfback to third-round draft pick began in the middle of the night three years ago aboard a No. 13 city bus.

Unable to convince major colleges of the talent he saw in himself, the Browns rookie chose an unconventional route, one that required a transfer onto the No. 8 bus bound for leafy Towson. These early-morning commutes from his hardscrabble West Baltimore neighborhood lasted an hour on good days.

West worked as a shoe salesman after spending a year at a Virginia prep school. It was an honest living, but he had no intent of becoming the next Al Bundy, regaling customers with stories of his high-school gridiron prowess over a pair of Air Jordans.

He chose to walk on at Towson University, which meant attending 5:30 a.m. workouts. West wasn't about to be late for what likely represented his last chance to fulfill a dream.

"It's 4:15, I've got a cup of coffee in my hand as I'm walking in the door – I've got to unlock the building because not even the (campus) cops get up that early," recalled Towson football coach Rob Ambrose. "Terrance is sitting there waiting for me. I said, 'What are you doing here?' He said, 'I was afraid I was going to miss the bus.'

"I knew where he was coming from and I knew what he had to do to get here. I've never seen anything like it before."

West is 5-foot-10, 225 pounds of determination and bravado. He highsteps in practice. He refuses to concede the starter's job to veteran Ben Tate. His next unexpressed thought – as his social-media followers and Browns teammates can attest – will be his first.

It's far too early to say whether West will thrive in the NFL, even as he says he wants to be remembered like Jim Brown. The wide-bodied back returns to the region for the first time as a pro Monday night as the Browns face the Washington Redskins in a preseason game. He's unsure how many family members and friends will attend, but he has a message for everyone who knew him from the shoe store and the pre-dawn bus rides:

View full sizeTerrance West spent six months in 2010 working at the Mondawmin Mall in West Baltimore.Tom Reed, NEOMG 

He won't become complacent.   

"I've seen a lot of guys have it easy and then they get to the NFL and don't make it because they always had it easy," said West, who signed a four-year deal worth $2.7 million. "I know for a fact I'm going to play this game for a long time because of my mentality and determination. I want to be the best . . .

"I always wanted to get here, but do other things that make me great in this league like the Jim Browns. His name will last forever. As long as this game is played, Jim Brown's name will be remembered. That's how I want to be remembered."

'You work here?'

The aging Mondawmin Mall is about a five-minute walk from the gritty Whitelock Street neighborhood where West and his three siblings grew up. The spaces between low-income houses here can be measured in feet, not yards.

Asked for a scouting report, West's former Towson teammate and Baltimore native Emmanuel Holder replied: "It's not a gated community."

Ambrose, who prospects for inner-city gems that major colleges overlook, believes talented athletes from blighted boroughs tend to tack one of two ways.

"Kids get caught up in the wash of the city life or, if they can hold it off, they're very hungry," the former Towson receiver said. "Terrance is many things, I mean many things, but he is hungry."

In the fall of 2010, West didn't think he'd be back home searching for work to support his son, Brendan, and mother, Onika. A standout running back at Northwestern High, West lacked the test scores to satisfy the few Division I schools who recruited him.

He spent a season at Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia, where he was a teammate of former Ohio State star Carlos Hyde, yet still couldn't find a scholarship offer. He attempted to walk on at the University of Maryland and Morgan State. Nothing panned out. He trained on his own and applied for a job selling sneakers at Jimmy Jazz in the mall.

As buddies such as St. Louis Rams wideout Tavon Austin were excelling at West Virginia, he peddled sneakers to friends who wondered aloud what had happened to his athletic promise.  

"Guys would come in and say, 'You work here?' " West recalled. "I would say yeah (and they would ask) 'You still playing ball, man? I know you didn't give that up.' That's how it was. They knew I was good. They didn't want to see another guy who had talent let it go to waste working at a shoe store."

He didn't care what others thought of his humble station. Jimmy Jazz was about more than a paycheck. The work kept him off the streets and focused on resurrecting his career.

View full sizeTerrance West played at Johnny Unitas Stadium, where he helped lead the Tigers to national title game appearance last season.Tom Reed, NEOMG 

West decided to visit Towson, which had won a combined three games the previous two seasons under Ambrose. The 44-year-old coach knew of West's ability, but was suspicious of the gap in his playing resume.

"For him to be in that position as talented as he was, (I knew) something's up," Ambrose said. "I'm like a dog with my ears standing up. What's wrong with this kid? But anyone who's as persistent as Terrance is has a chance."

The Tigers couldn't offer him a scholarship or housing in the spring of 2011. But if the kid was willing to commit to offseason workouts, Ambrose vowed to give him a shot.

West woke up at 3 a.m. to make a trek that takes 22 minutes by car. He caught the earliest bus for four straight months and often arrived at Johnny Unitas Stadium an hour early.

"I just had that desire to get where I wanted," he said.  

Pro Bowl tackle Jermon Bushrod played at Towson. So did former punter Sean Landeta and running back Dave Meggett. But the campus is known more for its business, computer science and fine arts departments.

West helped alter the fortunes of the football program almost immediately. The Tigers went 9-3 and won their first Colonial Athletic Association title in his freshman season as he rushed for 1,294 yards. Towson registered a 29-10 mark in his three years, reaching the Division I-AA national title game last year.

"This place has been a jumping off point for a lot of guys who were lost for one reason or another," Ambrose said. "Every school has one or two of those type of players, but Terrance's story gets everyone a little more excited."

'Money man'

Browns fans caught a glimpse of West's personality in one of his first interviews after joining the club.

Reporters inquired whether one-cut runs – a staple of Kyle Shanahan's offense – represented a major adjustment for him.

"That's where I get my money at," said West, the preposition dangling like a small-college cornerback on one of his beefy legs. "I was doing that at Towson. I'm pretty good and confident in what we're doing."

West's brashness is legendary at Unitas Stadium, a renovated venue holding 11,000 spectators. Asked if his former star is a bit of a character, Ambrose smiled:

"You know him already," the coach said. "Lots of energy there."

In one of West's first spring practices at Towson, Ambrose was running a short-yardage drill. The halfback's initial carry produced a 50-yard run. His second delivered a 10-yard gain after he freight-trained a defender. The third remains widely discussed by those witnessing it.

"The hole closed up and instead of just putting his head down and plowing ahead for a yard, Terrance began to backpedal," Ambrose said. "He's literally backpedaling. He got tackled at my feet and I said, 'What the hell are you doing?' He had that confidence that he could always hit home runs, make something out of nothing."

West rushed for 2,509 yards and 41 touchdowns a season ago. When he wasn't compiling big sums, the powerful back usually was cutting up teammates with his humor.

View full size Browns halfback Terrance West (20) found little running room in the preseason opener against the Detroit Lions. John Kuntz, The Plain Dealer 

"He keeps you on your toes," Holder said. "You never know what he's going to say in the meeting room. When he's not being serious about football, just about everything out of his mouth is a joke."

Ambrose described the sports management major as a decent student who never gave the program cause for concern. West's unwavering focus from the day he arrived at Towson, the coach said, was to get drafted.

Three years removed from toiling at Jimmy Jazz, 22 NFL scouts attended West's pro day workout in the spring. The Ravens had interest in drafting him, but several Towson insiders said he needed to get out of the city, away from hangers-on.

Browns running backs coach Wilbert Montgomery likened West to former NFL halfback Brian Westbrook and said he possesses a "lure-you-to-sleep-on-the-sidelines move" reminiscent of Walter Payton and Ricky Watters.

West hardly resembled any of those backs in the club's preseason opener last week at Detroit. After an early 10-yard carry, West struggled behind a second-unit offensive line. His final numbers – 10 carries, 22 yards – were more Trent Richardson than Jim Brown.

View full sizeTerrance West had a prolific three seasons for Tigers, rushing for 2,509 yards and 41 touchdowns a season ago.Courtesy Towson University 

Ambrose, who coached 2009 first-round pick Donald Brown at Connecticut, believes West will succeed in Cleveland.  

"Guys his size just don't do what he does," the coach said. "Guys his size are punishers and he can do that, but he can also make you miss. There's not a human being that's going to intimidate him. It's not going to happen. He's brash and bold and that's part of his personality. Outside of having that 4.4 ridiculous runaway speed, he's got all the tools."

West returned to the shoe store in the spring as part of a video chronicling his odyssey. No photo of the Browns back adorns the Jimmy Jazz walls, but a sales person agreed one is needed.

"He's the money man now," the woman said.

West hopes to inspire other kids from Baltimore. He's proof a dream deferred doesn't need to "dry up like a raisin in the sun," as poet and social activist Langston Hughes wrote.

"Terrance West is a kid who didn't let his environment win," Ambrose said. "He's going to be a good story to tell for a long time."

Get a preview on football coverage, plus dates when special sections will be published.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – High school football fans are in for a treat this fall with blanket coverage throughout Northeast Ohio appearing on cleveland.com and in The Plain Dealer and the Sun News.

The Northeast Ohio Media Group has about a dozen full-time staffers covering high school sports, in addition to a network of freelancers.

Each of the 136 local football teams in the seven-county coverage area has two reporters assigned to cover it. They have been hard at work, debating the Preseason Top 25 poll and which players to put on the Top 100 list, in addition to producing team and conference previews, videos and photo galleries, which began rolling out online last week.

The Plain Dealer will publish a preview section for the seven-county area on Aug. 29. The Suns will publish previews by community zones on Aug. 28.

All of the content also will be housed on cleveland.com/hssports, where you can filter your news by sports, schools and teams.

Look for nearly 100 preseason team videos from recent Media Day events at NEOMG that were attended by 95 teams.

We have big plans for the season. While you wait for games to kick off Aug. 28, here are some highlights of upcoming coverage:

• Team previews on every local team – 136 total – in the seven-county area
• Conference previews on every local league
• Preseason Top 100 players, the Varsity Blitz Elite
• Weekly Top 25 poll and a show breaking down the rankings every Monday
• New weekly area Top 10 polls for Divisions III-IV and Divisions V-VII. (All teams remain eligible for the Top 25, regardless of division)
• Varsity Blitz Live, the center of all the action every Friday night, featuring real-time updates, insight and images throughout the region and a place for fans to interact with each other and our staff
• Live area scoreboard updates and the Blitz live audio broadcast every Friday
• The return of Players of the Week, as well as Game Balls on Fridays to determine the night’s top individual performer
• Lots of photo galleries of action on the field, plus new weekly off the field slideshows showcasing the bands, cheerleaders, student sections, and more
• Videos, podcasts and other multimedia content
• Preview capsules on every game involving a local team each week
• Weekly notebook for each conference looking at coming week, past week
• Weekly zoned athlete profiles in each of the 10 Sun News editions on football and all the other fall sports

Weekly Varsity section returns Aug. 30

Don’t miss the Varsity special section every Saturday during the season in The Plain Dealer recapping all the action from Friday night.

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook

We look forward to covering your favorite teams and players and engaging with fans throughout the season.

Our new staff Twitter page is @NEOvarsity

The hashtag is #NEOvarsity

We invite you to tag your score updates and sports-related Tweets with #NEOvarsity

Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/Cleveland.HS.Sports

We can’t wait for the season to get started.

Time is running out to nominate an athlete for Players of the Week.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- We are happy to announce the return of Players of the Week for the 2014-15 school year. The nomination deadline is Monday at noon so coaches need to act quick if they still have a ballot to submit.

We will have Players of the Week for every week in the regular season for all sports.

Here’s information on the nomination process for all sports: Nominations are only accepted it they are submitted by coaches. Coaches can nominate an athlete anytime between the end of all that week’s games and Monday at noon.

Go online to cleveland.com/potw to access the nomination form. Fill in all the blanks, especially the part on what the athlete did last week. The deadline is Monday at noon.

Look for the Players of the Week feature every Thursday on cleveland.com and every Friday in The Plain Dealer.

"It helps push me knowing that there's always people out there expecting me to do well," he said. "At Ohio State, you really don't have any other choice – you have to do well. I think that's been a really good thing and I expect to perform."

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Forget the competition to be Ohio State's starting kicker for a second. Here's a more intense thought. 

There's a chance that Sean Nuernberger, a freshman, could line up for a field goal this season that could be the difference between a spot for Ohio State in the College Football Playoff or a trip to the Capital One Bowl. 

"Kickers live for moments like that," Nuernberger said. "Confident ones do, at least." 

Nuernberger is a confident one. That's why he's even at Oho State, and that's why he's the favorite to beat fifth-year senior Kyle Clinton, a walk-on, for the Buckeyes' kicker spot. 

He thrives under the pressure.

He wants that moment. 

"I think that's pretty sweet, to think that one kick could determine everything we've worked for the whole year, the whole summer, the whole spring, winter, everything," Nuernberger said. "I think if I got into that situation, I think I'd be able to handle it and make the kick. ... I know I would."

Here comes the logical follow-up question: How does Nuernberger know he'd make it? Well, he actually doesn't. That's just the confidence talking.

In reality, Nuernberger has never stood in front of 100,000 screaming fans and he's never attempted a field goal during a regular season college football game. And if we're begin really honest, there's still a chance Clinton will be the one kicking field goals for the Buckeyes this year. 

"We haven't named Nuernberger the kicker yet," Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said, "but he's really talented." 

It sounds like it's Nuernberger's job to lose, and that makes sense considering Nuernberger doesn't accept the idea that he may not start as a freshman. 

A product of Buckner (Ky.) Oldham County and a former-three-star prospect whom Rivals.com rated the No. 10 kicker in the 2014 class, Nuernberger came to Ohio State for a kicker's camp in high school to compete for a scholarship. 

He did that knowing that Drew Basil would be gone by the time he arrived in Columbus, so he's had the starting job in his crosshairs for more than a year. 

Nuernberger graduated early and enrolled in time to participate in spring practice with the Buckeyes, so he doesn't feel like a newcomer this fall. Now he's just hoping to lock down the spot he came to Ohio State to take. 

"I think coming in the spring, since I graduated early, really helped me out a lot," Nuernberger said. "The specialists group kind of took me, showed the ropes and everything during the spring, so the fall has been really smooth and I know what's going on. I have had a good camp so far. I am hitting the ball pretty well, making most of my kicks, so everything is going good so far." 

Right now, Nuernberger feels as if his range in a game situation is somewhere in the upper-50s. With a little more work, he thinks he'd be comfortable with attempts in the mid-to-low 60s. 

While participating in camp at Ohio State in high school, he routinely struck attempts of that range with Meyer standing right next to him. Leg strength isn't an issue for the 6-foot-2, 230-pounder. And he handled the pressure. 

"It helps push me knowing that there's always people out there expecting me to do well," he said. "At Ohio State, you really don't have any other choice – you have to do well. I think that's been a really good thing and I expect to perform." 

Six weeks remain in the major league regular season. Do the Indians have a run left in them?

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Six weeks remain in the major league regular season. Do the Indians have a run left in them?

Here are five observations.

1. Now and then: On this date one year ago, the Indians trailed the first-place Tigers by seven games in the American League Central. They sat 4 1/2 games behind the Athletics in the race for the second Wild Card spot. Now, Cleveland sits six games behind Kansas City in the AL Central and five games behind Seattle in the race for the second Wild Card spot.

Last year, the Indians were 66-58 at this juncture, with a plus-30 run differential. They are currently 62-61, with a plus-13 run differential.

2. Don't wait: The Indians probably can't bank on another 10-game winning streak to close out the regular season. They can attempt to capitalize on a rather unimposing upcoming schedule. Their next nine games come at Minnesota, against Houston and at Chicago, who all rank in the bottom five in the AL in winning percentage. That said, the Indians are just 5-5 against the Twins and 5-8 against the White Sox this season. Cleveland has yet to meet Houston.

3. Down the road: The Tribe will have plenty to say in the AL Central race, one way or another. Terry Francona's squad has six games remaining against the Royals and seven remaining against the Tigers. They play each adversary once at home and once on the road. The Indians are 7-5 against the Tigers and 6-7 against the Royals this season.

4. How it unfolded: The Indians dropped five straight at the end of August last year. They entered the final month of the regular season 8 1/2 games behind Detroit in the division and 4 1/2 games behind Tampa Bay in the Wild Card chase. Even before the 10-game win streak, they rattled off an 11-6 stretch. The Indians are 9-6 in August and 5-2 since losing four straight in Cincinnati and New York. As has been the case all year, the four-game skid followed a four-game win streak.

5. Lumber slumber: The Indians could benefit from their bats waking up. Cleveland has totaled only 30 runs over its last 11 games, an average of 2.7 runs per contest. Prior to Sunday's loss to Baltimore, Tribe pitchers limited the opposition to five runs in six games. In their last seven games (including Sunday's matinee), Indians starters have posted a 1.02 ERA.

Philadelphia's Mo'ne Davis had a bloop RBI single in the first inning to became the sixth girl to get a hit in Little League World Series history.

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. -- Mo'ne Davis had a bloop RBI single in the first inning to became the sixth girl to get a hit in Little League World Series history, and her Philadelphia team rallied in the sixth inning to beat Pearland, Texas, 7-6 on Sunday night.

On Friday in Philadelphia's opener, Davis threw a two-hitter and struck out eight in a 4-0 victory over Nashville, Tennessee.

In the sixth inning against Pearland, Zion Spearman scored the winning run on shortstop Matt Adams' two-out throwing error to first base. Scott Bandura reached on a bunt leading off the inning. Two outs later, Spearman tied it with a line-drive triple into the left-center gap.

Pearland (1-1) had a four-run fifth to take a 6-3 lead. Cole Smajstrla hit a three-run home run and Layne Roblyer, who homered earlier, had an RBI single.

Spearman and Kai Cummings drove in runs in the bottom of the inning to cut it to 6-5.

Philadelphia will play Las Vegas on Wednesday night, with Davis expected to pitch again. Las Vegas also improved to 2-0 on Sunday, routing Chicago 13-2 in four innings.

On Monday, Pearland will play Lynnwood, Washington; and Chicago will meet Cumberland, Rhode Island.

In International play Sunday, South Korea and Japan each improved to 2-0. Seoul beat Humacao, Puerto Rico, 8-5; and Tokyo topped Guadalupe, Mexico 9-5.

Seoul will face Tokyo on Wednesday.

LAS VEGAS 13, CHICAGO 2, 4 INNINGS

Brad Stone hit a grand slam in the first inning and Las Vegas pounded the Jackie Robinson West team.

"The grand slam was a big momentum changer right out of the gate," Las Vegas manager Ashton Cave said. "The ball started rolling, and the kids just jumped on the train and rode it out."

Austin Kryszczuk homered twice, connecting in the second and fourth innings.

Zach Hare and Dominic Clayton also homered.

Las Vegas starter Brennan Holligan limited Chicago to two hits and struck out six.

Chicago's Pierce Jones, who hit three home runs Thursday against Lynnwood, was 0 for 2 with a walk.

"I've got some things to cheer them up," Chicago manager Darold Butler said. "I kind of let them do what they want to do. ... I just let them be 12-year-old kids and have fun."

SOUTH KOREA 8, PUERTO RICO 5

Jun Hyeok Yun stole home in the top of the sixth for the go-ahead run for Seoul.

Entering as pinch runner, Yun raced home after teammate Hae Chan Choi drew a throw to second base from catcher Jeremy Colon. Seoul added two runs, and Jae Yeong Kim pitched a perfect bottom half.

JAPAN 9, MEXICO 5

Shozo Kamata drove in two runs with pinch-hit single to give Tokyo the lead in the fifth inning.

With the game tied at 5, Kamata hit a slow ground ball up the middle that escaped the reach of Mexico's shortstop and second baseman and made the score 7-5. Japan added two more in the inning.

===

TODAY'S GAMES

Monday, Aug. 18

*All times Eastern

Consolation: Brno vs. Rapid City, 11 a.m. (TV: ESPN2)

Game 17: Perth vs. Guadalupe, 1 p.m. (TV: ESPN)

Game 18: Lynnwood vs. Pearland, 3 p.m. (TV: ESPN)

Game 19: Maracaibo vs. Humacao, 6 p.m. (TV: ESPN2)

Game 20: Cumberland vs. Chicago, 8 p.m. (TV: ESPN2)

Ohio State's 2015 recruiting class currently ranks No. 16 overall, according to Rivals.com. But the prospects for which the Buckeyes are currently fighting for indicates that Urban Meyer may be on his way to a big close.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The first three recruiting classes Urban Meyer assembled at Ohio State were rated as top-five in the nation. So it feels weird that the Buckeyes' 2015 recruiting class is currently rated by Rivals.com No. 18. 

Perhaps there's a lack of star-power in Ohio State's current class. Outside of four-star linebacker Justin Hilliard of Cincinnati St. Xavier – Rivals' top inside linebacker in the country – there aren't any other household names. 

But recruiting titles aren't built in August. And Ohio State is still firmly in the hunt with multiple elite prospects that could eventually help Meyer find his way back into the nation's top five for the fourth consecutive season. 

Keeping up with the countless top-five lists can be exhausting – we get it – so here's a list of the truly elite prospects Ohio State has a legitimate chance of landing in 2015. 

• Four-star QB Torrance Gibson of Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage – Gibson's recruitment has been up-and-down for Ohio State, but he remains a huge target for Meyer. And right now, the Buckeyes are the favorites to land Gibson after first visit to Columbus on July 25 for Friday Night Lights. Rated by Rivals the No. 4 athlete in the nation, Gibson will officially visit Ohio State before he makes his decision Oct. 20. 

• Five-star RB Damien Harris of Berea (Ky.) Madison Southern – Rated by Rivals the No. 1 running back in 2015, Harris is most considering five schools – Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Ohio State and Texas A&M. The 5-foot-11, 205-pound running back has visited Ohio State too many times to count and has a great relationship with Meyer. Right now the Buckeyes are trying to hold off the allure of staying home that Kentucky is trying to sell. He'll announce his decision on Dec. 13, and he's scheduled to officially visit Ohio State the weekend of the Michigan game. 

• Five-star defensive end Josh Sweat of Chesapeake (Va.) Oscar Smith – The No. 1 weakside defensive end in the country, Sweat recently announced that he'll officially visit Ohio State, Florida State, Georgia, Virginia Tech and Oregon. The 6-foot-5, 236-pound prospect may be the most dominant defensive prospect in the country, and getting him on campus for an official visit is a big break for Ohio State. It's clear that Sweat really likes Ohio State because he unofficially visited earlier in the summer and is still spending one of his five officials on the Buckeyes. 

• Five-star linebacker Malik Jefferson of Mesquite (Texas) Poteet – Rated by Rivals the No. 2 outside linebacker in the 2015 class, Jefferson is a 6-foot-2, 218-pound prospect who racked up more than 30 scholarship offers. He already announced that he'll officially visit Ohio State, Stanford and UCLA, and he'll most likely add two more schools to that list. Jefferson plans to announce his college on Dec. 19. 

• Five-star safety Rashad Roundtree of Evans (Ga.) Lakeside – Ohio State, Alabama, Auburn, Duke, Georgia and Michigan State made the most recent cut for Roundtree, Rivals' No. 2 safety in the 2015 class. The 6-foot, 189-pound prospect was closely considering offers from Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Michigan, South Carolina and others before trimming his list. He plans to officially visit Ohio State before making a decision. 

• Four-star linebacker Ricky DeBerry of Richmond (Va.) St. Christopher's – DeBerry, Rivals' No. 9 outside linebacker in the country, released a top eight in early August consisting of Ohio State, Penn State, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, Alabama and Virginia. DeBerry is planning to visit Ohio State for the Buckeyes' home game against Virginia Tech on Sept. 6, a night game that's turning into what could be a huge recruiting weekend for coach Urban Meyer. 

• Four-star WR Christian Kirk of Scottsdale (Ariz.) Saguaro – Ohio State has made strides in landing Kirk, Rivals' No. 3 wide receiver in 2015, from the West Coast. The 5-foot-11, 190-pounder released his top six in early August and the Buckeyes made the cut along with Arizona State, UCLA, Auburn, Texas A&M and USC. He unofficially visited Ohio State on his own dime during the summer, and Meyer is trying to get him back for an official. 

Check out links from across the web about the NFL and the Browns.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The NFL, more and more, is becoming a passing league. And those passers are getting younger and younger. Gone are the days of waiting on young quarterbacks before throwing them into the mix.

Erik Brady and Jim Corbett of USA Today write:

"Such thinking is so last millennium. When the NFL season begins in a few weeks, roughly one-quarter of the league's 32 teams, give or take, figure to be led by quarterbacks in their first, second or third years."

The Browns, of course, are one of those teams considering a rookie starter. But they aren't alone.

"In the past few days, Blake Bortles in Jacksonville and Teddy Bridgewater in Minnesota, rookies both seemingly destined to open the season on the bench, have played well enough in the preseason to potentially change plans in both cities."

Browns head coach Mike Pettine is expected to announce on Tuesday if the Browns will follow the trend of skewing younger at the game's most important position.

(NFL's young QBs thrown into competitive mix from start)

More NFL links

Jags' Blake Bortles should get first-team reps Monday (NFL.com)

Chiefs rookie QB Murray's first NFL completion goes for a TD, also throws INT in 28-16 loss (FOX)

Jimmy Graham protesting the NFL's no-dunking policy (ForTheWin)

Browns links

Washington Redskins vs. Cleveland Browns: 5 Questions (The Washington Times)

State of the Cleveland Browns defense (ClevelandBrowns.com)

The league, which has been around for 27 years, has evolved quite a bit. On Saturday, Aug. 23, the Cleveland Gladiators and the Arizona Rattlers meet in ArenaBowl XXVII.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – How Arena Football was created is a story told with the proverbial image of a light bulb atop someone's head.

Except in this case, the light bulb came in the form of an envelope.

Jim Foster, an innovative young marketing agent from Iowa, found himself at an indoor soccer game in 1981. His idea struck, quick and fast, and he reached for the first scrap of paper he found – an envelope – and began furiously jotting his idea: If we could have soccer played indoors, why not football?

The idea began to form. Goal posts could be vertical. Hanging nets could keep the ball in play. Pads along the side would cushion the blow for players, banged around like human pinballs. And the pace would yield high scores. Really high scores.

The sketch has held up over the years.

"There's always a little tinkering," Foster told The Plain Dealer, "but the basic envelope is pretty close to reality."

As the Cleveland Gladiators get set to host the Arizona Rattlers Saturday night in ArenaBowl XXVII – yes, the league's 27^th title game – the history of the sport is a rich tale.

View full sizeBlack Keys: Expect to hear their tunes - loudly - at Cleveland Gladiators games. Evan Agostini, Associated Press 

From sketch to reality

Foster's epiphany struck on Feb. 11, 1981, when he and a colleague from the NFL Properties and Marketing division decided on a whim to go to a soccer game at Madison Square Garden.

"We brought our briefcases to the game; we went straight from work," he said. "I turned to him and said, 'If you can play soccer indoors I bet you can play football'. He said 'How would you do it?' I reached in my briefcase and found an envelope; my mom had sent me (clippings) on the Iowa basketball team. I drew out what looked like a hockey rink. I started making notes."

After keeping the envelope in a briefcase for years, Foster has the original in a vault; the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton has a special facsimile, he said: "They duplicated the exact printing, even a tear on the original."

The league's evolution has moved from an initial, simple four-team structure – that first year, almost half the players on the Chicago Bruisers were under 6 feet tall – to two conferences totaling 14 teams with postseason play that culminates in the ArenaBowl. Many of the players are former college standouts, some go on to the NFL. Kurt Warner is seen as one of the league's biggest success stories.

It wasn't the first time football had been played inside. Games had been staged indoor on occasion for a variety of reasons. In 1902, a promoter arranged a tournament in Madison Square Garden. In 1932, a playoff game scheduled for Wrigley Field between Chicago and Portsmouth had to be moved to Chicago Stadium because of a blizzard. Chicago won, 9-0.

That game – and score – does not reflect what Arenaball is today.

Teams routinely will top 80 points collectively. Music blares, almost non-stop. Receivers line up on one side of the ball, one gains a running start behind the quarterback, and burst into the defense like rockets.

"I knew it would be higher (scores)," Foster said. "I knew scoring was going to satisfy the palates (of fans) more than a 6-3 scrubbing.

"I knew it was going to sell the game."

Foster didn't go from envelope doodles to organizing games right away. He did his research, knowing trial and error would work out the kinks, and staged test games.

"I wrote the original rules, we did some testing, we videotaped (players)," he said. He even had test-game players sign non-disclosure letters barring them from revealing anything about Arena Football.

"When we played the first test game (in Rockford, Illinois), we played on a soccer field, and there was only a half inch of padding. Fortunately, no one got hurt badly."

(Even today, the padding is amazingly thin, totaling less than an inch of cushion atop concrete flooring.)

The 1986 test game pitted the Chicago Politicians against the Rockford Metros. A subsequent test game was held in Chicago.

"We were only going to play one half," Foster said. "A guy returns the kick, and the fans go crazy, they went nuts. We get to halftime and the guys from Chicago said 'We want to play the second half, we could beat these guys.' So I go to the Rockford players and say 'these guys say they could kick your butts.' So we played another half."

That intensity has remained in the game. Another constant is music – incessant, loud, bursts of everything from rap to rock, at a volume resembling a concert. The idea of music came about indirectly, and dates to one of the test games.

An arena worker asked Foster for a recording of the National Anthem. Foster said it was in his car, and the worker found it, along with other cassettes.

"Hey, you have some pretty good tunes in here," he told Foster. So they decided to have two cassettes in play – one would be queued and ready as soon as the other was done.

Back then, Foster said, it was "old-time rock 'n' roll – something that gets you up and jumping - Mitch Ryder, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry."

Now, music played depends on the market. Iowa Barnstormers fans hear an eclectic range of music, Foster said, while Orlando Predator fans hear a lot of "head-banging" tunes. In Cleveland, fans can hear everything from the Black Keys to Black Sabbath.

"I was scared every day because I knew you had to keep it going, you had to keep going, you can't rely on what worked for you yesterday," Foster said. "We had to constantly think of new things."

By the time the first game in Chicago rolled around, things were in place. Everything went smoothly until the end of regulation. The teams were tied.

"Lee Corso was doing the color and going nuts," Foster said. "I'm running up the steps to the elevator (to get to the announcers). 'What's the rule, what's the rule!' he's screaming. I said 'Lee, we have overtime rules, relax. They put a microphone on me to explain."

View full sizeThe Donald: Trump once owned the USFL's New Jersey Generals. Manuel Balce Ceneta, Associated Press 

Media attention and a rival league

In sports, television deals are a financial holy grail. And the initial offer for Foster's invention looked promising.

"NBC Sports offered a contract before ESPN," he said. "We were going to get $50,000. That went away when the USFL started."

Foster is referring to the alternative, outdoor football league that predated Arena Football and lasted for three seasons in the 1980s.

"The reason Arena Football happened was because of Donald Trump. He ruined the USFL, and when the USFL shut down and didn't play. ... I had an idea they weren't going to get it together. So I told my wife 'now is the time to do Arena Football.'

By then, NBC didn't want it.

"NBC was gun-shy to enter into another league. But ESPN knew if things had been done differently, it could have worked," Foster said. "They were positioned to be a spring-summer league, which is what I wanted to do."

Said Foster: "If we didn't get that contract with ESPN we wouldn't be talking right now."

The timing of a second football league was critical. Foster envisioned Arena Football as a spring game, believing America's appetite for football could be satiated year-round. He thinks that was a key mistake for Trump, who wanted to go head to head with the NFL.

"My whole concept from the beginning is that Arena Football is a niche sport. We're not going to compete with the NFL for stadiums, media time."

Arenaball, he said, "has been pretty consistent. It was really more the marketing side, keeping things relevant. I was blessed that I had a marketing background."

The ignition that the league needed came in the form of media exposure. Sports Illustrated writer Paul Zimmerman – "Dr. Z" – called, Foster said, "and says 'I'd like to come up and see your game'. I thought 'Great, but if we screw up we're dead.' (Former NFL Commissioner) Pete Rozelle understood it. 'Take care of the media and put a good product on the field and you'll be OK.'

So Zimmerman visits and Foster -- wary of some of the old guard in journalism who didn't take to new-fangled ideas -- says: "Well, I tell you. It's like horse racing. There's a difference between quarter horses and thoroughbreds. They do two different things. That's the story. You created a great game when you separated it from the NFL.' "

After that, the phone rang off the hook, and Arenaball was here to stay.

Not everything went smoothly. Foster and company endured some "speed bumps" along the way. The AFL was set up to have league-owned teams. But early on, some "investor-owners wanted to own the teams," Foster said.

"We got into a battle," he said. "It was cat-and-mouse and pretty tough for me as a young guy trying to cut through all that crap."

Foster, and the league, endured, but he looks back - and forward - with a realistic eye.

"I think the league could be doing better, and that's no fault of any one individual," he said. "Early on, I was talked out of signing a deal with Fox that would give them ownership. I should have done the Fox deal."

The game, Foster said, has survived "because it's a good product. The real challenge for people running it today is trying to figure out a way to market it at a higher level. The secret is generating more sponsorship money and more ticket sales. (Gladiators owner Dan) Gilbert is a marketing-oriented guy and has done a pretty good job. Sometimes you get guys who don't understand the marketing side and you don't know what you're going to get.

"It's a good game, and it's survived."

View full sizeIndoor football: In the early days of Arena Football, players went both ways, playing offense and defense. That's changed, but scoring in the game remains high. Joshua Gunter, The Plain Dealer 

The single-platoon identity

Early on, Arena Football's distinctive identity came in one specific throwback notion: Single-platoon football. That is, players went both ways. Offensive linemen turned around and played defense.

"You could get hit, but four plays later get your chance to smack him around a little bit," Foster said. "It defined the game."

Besides, he added, "You don't want to get the sleeping giant upset. I was very adamant about playing single-platoon football. I wanted to differentiate us from the NFL."

In what amounts to one of the few changes it has enacted, the AFL eventually phased out single-platoon football. Foster explained why:

"Some of the coaches began to notice we got guys who were playing in the NFL," he said. "But we saw that very few linemen were making it. It was forcing you to be smaller, lighter. You couldn't get the prototype of the NFL lineman. There was a difference in body mass, different skill sets."

And knowing "the quarterback is so critical to the success ... we created a rule that said in the beginning you didn't have to play the quarterback on defense."

Then an interesting thing happened. Two players from the NFL entered the league.

"Reggie Smith (a receiver who spent two years on the Atlanta Falcons' roster) comes on board with us. He became a phenom. He was incredible off the nets (in Arenaball, ricochets off nets are live balls). Reggie had three or four kickoff returns of 50 yards. To be able to watch that close ... really electrified the fans. The whole place would chant 'Reg-gie, Reg-gie!'

"But," Foster continued about Smith, the league's shortest player, "he couldn't play defense. That was his Achilles heel."

"Then Cliff Branch calls. 'I played for the Oakland Raiders, I want to play Arena Football.' I thought 'yeah, right.' Branch was a well-known player with a long career in the NFL, but he had to convince the commissioner of the fledgling league it was really him on the phone.

"He called back and said 'Call my agent. I want to play. I don't care that you have a set salary structure.' He was a great guy. But he couldn't play defense either!

"So I made an executive decision. I put in the Branch-Smith rule, that you have one offensive specialist and he could have a replacement on defense."

The rule initially "worked great," Foster said, but "the idea has really drifted into the background, and I really miss it."

View full sizeGetting his kicks: Joe Kleinsmith went from St. Edward's High School to kicking for Indiana University and eventually to Arena Football's front office. Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer 

Foster and football

The single-platoon idea was one of many proposals Foster initiated during his direct involvement with the league as commissioner or team owner, ending in 2009. He still lives in his home state, and if you think Iowa is slow-paced you'd be wrong listening to Foster, who rarely takes a breath when talking about his creation.

Foster, who ran track at his hometown University of Iowa, still goes to games and watches on television, and he will be in Cleveland for ArenaBowl. He works in consulting, has had teaching stints at the university, and emphasizes mentoring students. But inside him is still a marketing agent.

Foster knew Arena Football had to be promoted from the outset, but he also knew the game itself was important.

"I thought I really needed a football name," he said, talking about the early front-office structuring. "I was real close to hiring Sam Rutigliano."

Instead, he wound up with a guy named Mouse.

That would be Darrel "Mouse" Davis. Now retired, Davis had stints at every level of coaching. In 1987, he served as executive director of football operations for the AFL. That title is a footnote in a long coaching career, but his influence remains on many levels.

Davis didn't invent the run-and-shoot offense, but he championed it. The idea of a motion-based offense with a mobile quarterback and receivers who constantly shifted routes and adjusted to defenses fit Arenaball comfortably, like pickup games with some order to them.

"There was something about him," Foster said. "He was going to give the game an edge. He did a great job overall.

"At one game I remember Mouse turning to me behind the end zone, and he says 'Jimmy, we might break the century mark tonight, we might go over 100!' "

Ironically, the person in Davis' role today as senior director of football operations is Joe Kleinsmith, a St. Ed's graduate who was born less than a year before Arena Football teams started playing. It didn't take long for him to see what the AFL does right.

"It's a variety of things," said Kleinsmith, who started in 2010 after the league's one-year financial hiatus. "The product is No. 1. We need to make sure we're putting on a good product. ... Then obviously we have solid owners, ones who care about the players but also about the product."

Kleinsmith manages and oversees all the league's teams, which includes players, coaches and officials. He is the liaison between them and the league office.

A busy job, but he's used to handling a variety of tasks. In high school, he was a receiver, kicker, punter, defensive back – "anything the coaches needed, I did." He signed as a kicker at Indiana but shifted to the defensive side of the ball.

"When you're in high school and you're playing for a program like St. Ed's, your ultimate goal is to play professional football. In my mind I thought I would be tied to pro football. ... I did a reality check and realized my playing career was done, but I wanted to stay in pro football; it's been in my life for two decades."

But Arenaball was not like the football he experienced on the gridirons in Lakewood or Bloomington, Indiana.

"At first, when I got out of college, it was a reality check," he said. "I played Arena 2 (development league) for a season. It's a whole new ball game. You have to get used to walls. As a defensive player you have to get used to knowing it's not if you are going to get beat, it's when you are going to get beat."

One thing he's confident about is that his colleagues will be amazed by what he sees as "the buzz around Cleveland sports teams."

While Clevelanders will be cheering the Gladiators, who are making their first ArenaBowl appearance, Foster looks back on a career, satisfied.

"I was blessed," he said. "Have I made millions of dollars? No. Do I have my statue in the Hall of Fame? No, and I don't expect any of that. But to think you sketched something out, and to be able to take your ideas forward... Every day was an adventure."

Watch top draft pick Justin Gilbert talk about making his NFL debut tonight as the Browns face RGIII and the Redskins on Monday Night Football.

BEREA, Ohio -- Cleveland Browns top draft pick Justin Gilbert makes his NFL debut on a big stage tonight when they play the Washington Redskins on Monday Night Football.

"I'm pumped-up."  said Gilbert, who did not play in the first pre-season game because of a groin injury.  "I can't wait to get out there on the field." he added with a smile on the final day on training camp.

It will be the third time that the cornerback has faced quarterback Robert Griffin III.  While at Oklahoma State, the cornerback said they beat RGIII and Baylor both times they played.

How did Gilbert do in those games?  "Not too bad.  A couple of break-ups and an interception," the cornerback said.

Drafted eighth overall, Gilbert has been over shadowed by Johnny Manziel who was selected with the 22nd overall pick.

On Twitter: @CLEvideos

ESPN will air Monday night's Browns vs. Redskins preseason game.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Cleveland Browns continue the preseason tonight against the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field. Kickoff is set for 8:00 p.m.

You can watch the game locally ESPN. 

The game can be heard live on the radio on 92.3 The Fan and 850 ESPN Cleveland WKNR. Get the full list of Browns radio network affiliates here.

If none of those options work, you can subscribe to NFL Preseason Live and watch every NFL preseason game on your computer or tablet for $19.99.

Brian Hoyer will start at quarterback for the second straight game. Hoyer is expected to split time with the first team with rookie quarterback Johnny Manziel.

Browns head coach Mike Pettine indicated earlier this week that the starters would play the first half.

The Redskins may not play their first team that entire time. They are led by first-year head coach Jay Gruden. 

Isaiah Crowell, Josh Aubrey, Dion Lewis, Willie Snead and Leon McFadden among those to watch.

LANDOVER, Md. – The Browns earned a rare prime-time valentine from ESPN after drafting Johnny Manziel.

Or, you think the nation was clamoring for a Monday night matchup featuring two teams with a combined seven wins last year?

Anyway, the game against the Washington Redskins is the last one before Browns coach Mike Pettine names a starting quarterback. That's the focus for many tonight as Johnny Manziel tries to close ground on presumptive Week 1 starter Brian Hoyer. But the staff here at "Five Browns Players . . ." (OK, it's just me) likes to explore the lower rungs of he depth chart, as well.

So, we're skipping the obvious quarterback taffy-pull and moving on. Here's five Browns players who need to play well at FedExField:

Running back Isaiah Crowell: There was some buzz surrounding the undrafted free agent when general manager Ray Farmer signed the Alabama State product the day after the draft. But Crowell, who missed much of spring practice with an injury, did not earn a carry in the preseason opener against Detroit. Crowell needs some positive momentum assuming he sees the field.

Cornerback Leon McFadden: The second-year defensive back returns to Five Browns Players for a second straight week. He gets a big opportunity with injuries to Buster Skrine and Pierre Desir. McFadden was flagged for two holding penalties in Detroit, one nullifying his interception. With the first wave of cuts looming, he needs a good showing.

Running back Dion Lewis: He had a forgettable pre-season opener with a fumble inside the Lions' 30. Lewis finished with six yards on three carries. With lots of competition at running back, the 23-year-old cannot afford another off night.

Receiver Willie Snead: After a strong start to camp and impressive team scrimmage, the Ball State product has lost his momentum. He had at least one dropped pass in the Lions game. The undrafted free agent is fighting for a roster spot with the likes of Charles Johnson and Taylor Gabriel. Gabriel also can contribute in special teams.

Safety Josh Aubrey: The previous administration really liked the defensive back, whose rookie year was cut short with an ankle injury. He's best remembered for his 34-yard run on a fake punt against Minnesota. Aubrey played well in the pre-season opener and earned praise from Pettine. "He's really showed up when we've done live work," the coach said. "I thought that he had a good scrimmage, he made a couple of nice plays in the game, forced a fumble, had another tackle but he's a guy that's fighting for a spot. He's doing everything he can."

Five Browns Players will be back after the game tonight.