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Cleveland Browns vs. Jacksonville Jaguars: Fedor's five burning questions

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Here are the five questions facing the Cleveland Browns as they play the Jacksonville Jaguars.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- After the Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars selected quarterbacks in the first round of the NFL draft, Sunday's matchup was expected to be the first meeting between Johnny Manziel and Blake Bortles.

That will have to wait.

Brian Hoyer, now 6-2 as the Browns' starting QB dating back to last year, has made Manziel an afterthought and sometimes-decoy in package plays. Thanks in part to Hoyer, the Browns have a two-game winning streak and a top 10 offense.

Jacksonville, on the other hand, made the switch to Bortles in the second half of the Week 3 loss against Indianapolis, hoping to spark the team. While the Jaguars remain winless, they have played better with Bortles at the helm, scaring both the Steelers and Titans.

The last time the Browns and Jaguars played was Dec. 1, 2013, the second of what turned into a three-game winning streak for Jacksonville, and the Browns will look to continue their ascension in a game some have labeled a "trap."

The Browns should have no problem beating the Jaguars provided the plane shows up on time. However, it's the NFL and there's a reason there's the phrase "any given Sunday" so here are the five questions in the game between Cleveland and Jacksonville:

Will Joe Haden get his revenge against wide receiver Cecil Shorts?

Haden, like much of the Browns' defense, got off to a slow start this season. The All Pro cornerback was adjusting to the new rules, a new scheme and some new faces on defense as opposing quarterbacks such as Ben Roethlisberger, Drew Brees and Joe Flacco targeted him in crunch time. But Haden fought through a hip injury and played his best game of the season in last week's signature win against the Steelers. Once again, Haden will have his hands full on Sunday against the Jaguars and Cecil Shorts, who Mike Pettine referred to as an elite receiver. It was Shorts who got the best of Haden in last year's meeting, beating the Browns cornerback for a game-winning 20-yard touchdown reception with 40 seconds left.

Haden was asked about the play all week, even getting testy at times, but will have his chance to answer question on the field.

Shorts, coming off a game in which he posted a career-high 10 catches for 103 yards, is finally healthy after dealing with a nagging hamstring early.

The Jaguars focused a lot of attention on improving the wide receivers in the draft. Allen Robinson and Marqise Lee were taken in the second round and the organization might've found a gem with Allen Hurns, undrafted out of Miami. It's more than Shorts for the Browns to worry about, but whether Haden answers the call against Shorts, the most reliable pass catcher for the Jags, is the No. 1 question for the Browns.

Can the Browns contain Blake Bortles?

One of Blake Bortles' appealing traits is his ability to use strength and athleticism to extend plays. It's added a different dimension to the Jaguars' offense. He doesn't always break free from the pocket looking to run either. Oftentimes Bortles will evade the rush, keep his eyes down field and look for the big play in the passing game. The Browns' discipline will be tested.

With a shaky offensive line that has allowed 27 sacks, getting pressure on Bortles shouldn't be much of a problem for the Browns. Bringing him down is another story.

The last time the Browns faced a mobile, athletic quarterback it was Week 4 against Tennessee. In the first half, before leaving with a thumb injury, Locker was tormenting the Browns with his arm, completing 8-of-11 passes. He was also creating problems with his legs, accounting for nearly 40 yards, including a touchdown.

Locker's elusiveness changed how the Browns tried to attack the Titans. The QB spent the first half breaking tackles, extending plays and getting the defense out of position.

Sunday's game will be the latest test for the Browns' defense. Have they learned from the struggles against the Titans? Will they be more disciplined?

John grecoView full sizeCleveland Browns John Greco (L) blocks the way for running back (R) Ben Tate after replacing injured center Alex Mack after his injury in the second quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

How will new center John Greco play in the place of Alex Mack?

Lost in the excitement of the enormous win over the Steelers was the loss of Mack, a mainstay on the offensive line and the league's best center.

Despite the solid play of Greco when he was shifted from guard to center, there is no replacing Mack and the Browns offensive line, which has been a strength this season, will need to make a big adjustment. The Jaguars don't do a lot of things well, but they can pressure the quarterback.

Jacksonville is second in the NFL in sacks with 19. The front four of Red Bryant, who is also dangerous when it comes to blocking kicks, Sen'Derrick Marks, Roy Miller and Chris Clemons is one of the team's strengths.

Part of the reason for Hoyer's success this season has been the offensive line, which has given him plenty of time to throw and let him get comfortable in the pocket. He has been sacked just six times in five games. 

Can the Browns handle prosperity?

The Browns are in an unfamiliar position: They are expected to win Sunday's game against Jacksonville. Part of it is the Jaguars haven't won a game this year. The other part of it is the Browns play in four of the five games, including last week's demolition against the Steelers, a team tested by Jacksonville. Yes, the Browns have earned the role of favorite. But questions come with increased expectations and coach Mike Pettine and the players have had to answer them.

"This weekend will be as big a test of that maturity and that focus as we've had to date," he said.

He's right. The last time the Browns went into a game as the favorite, the better team, they laid an egg in the first half on the road against the Titans. It took a historic comeback and a lot of good fortune to overcome an embarrassing start.

It was easy to get up at home against Pittsburgh Steelers last week, especially given the way the first meeting between the two teams ended. Today is a different story against the 0-6 Jaguars. The Browns should beat them. All the football-related reasons point to the win. But it's another test for the new-look Browns, one they nearly failed two weeks ago.

Can the Browns defense get off the field on third down?

The Browns are allowing the opponent to convert on third down 43 percent of the time, which ranks in the bottom half of the league. The Steelers converted less than half of their attempts last week.

With the Browns' offense averaging more than 26 points, the Jags might try to play a little keep away and the best chance to do that is move the chains and keep drives alive. It's been a strength of Bortles since taking over.

With Henne, Jacksonville was 6-for-32 on third down. They are 23-for-46 on third down since making the switch to Bortles, who leads the NFL in completion percentage on third down (71.0). 


NFL kickoff: Peyton Manning on brink of yet another record, Week 7 buzz, headlines and picks

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A look at the top storylines and big matchups from around the nation as we near kickoff on another Sunday of NFL football.

Here's a look at the top headlines and stories buzzing around the NFL in advance of Sunday's Week 7 matchups:

Big Buzz: Peyton's latest assault on the NFL record books

San Francisco 49ers at Denver Broncos, 8:30 p.m. EDT

Completion by completion, Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning has burned through the NFL's record book for passers. Heading into tonight's game against the 49ers, Manning is on the verge of another mark. He has 506 touchdown passes. Two more would tie him with Brett Favre for the NFL's career record. Should Manning throw a third touchdown against San Francisco, he will take the record all for himself.

Those holding a ticket in Denver and hoping to see history know that Manning has tossed at least three touchdown passes in four of the Broncos' five games this season. Since the start of the 2013 season, Manning has averaged 3.3 touchdown passes per game.

This week, Manning downplayed the approaching mark. In his matter-of-fact tone, he said the Broncos are not in awe of the moment:

"I think we've concentrated on important things; we've had two good wins coming off a bye week. ... That's what I've concentrated on, kind of doing whatever it takes to win. I don't feel like it's been a distraction.''

While Manning isn't in the mood to discuss the record, others have been this week. NFL.com put together a retrospective on Manning's milestone touchdown passes (there are quite a few).

NBC, which will broadcast the game, compiled a video of Manning's 506 touchdowns so far -- cramming each score into a 30-second montage

Colin Kaepernick, William HayesAt his current pace, 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick will have to play until he is 74 years old to throw 508 touchdown passes. 

Peter King of The MMQB speculates that wherever Manning's touchdown mark sits when he retires, the record could very well be broken. Passing is up in the NFL, King notes, and he anticipates some other passer will come along and throw for more touchdowns than Manning. 

According to a Yahoo! Sports graphic, King might be speaking a bit too soon. Even if Manning does not reach Favre's mark of 508 this weekend, he will top the mark at some point as a 38-year-old. Yahoo! breaks down how old the NFL's current starters will be when they reach 508 career touchdown passes if they keep at their current pace. 

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees is the closest threat to Manning. But he will have to play until the age of 40 to reach that mark. New England's Tom Brady -- who had his single-season touchdown mark bested by Manning last season -- will have to play until he's 42. Aaron Rodgers will have to play until he is 45 to reach 508. He'd hit that mark during the 2029 season on his current pace. 

Manning's opposing quarterback Sunday night is Colin Kaepernick. For the wiry 49ers quarterback to reach 508 touchdown passes, he'd have to play through the 2060 NFL season. That year, Kaepernick will be 74 years old.

Headlines

The Jets sent a draft pick to the Seahawks to acquire wide receiver Percy Harvin, the team announced Saturday. (via NJ.com)

• The Browns have lost Pro Bowl center Alex Mack for the remainder of the season due to a broken leg. (via Cleveland.com)

Jadeveon Clowney, the top pick in the draft, practiced Friday for the first time since undergoing knee surgery Sept. 8. (via ESPN.com)

Percy Harvin, Perry RileyPercy Harvin: Now a Jet. 

Jimmy Graham has a shoulder injury and the Saints aren't sure if the tight end will be ready to face the Lions. (via NOLA.com)

The Cardinals have begun negotiating a new contract with their 34-year-old quarterback Carson Palmer. (via Arizona Republic)

• The Giants have prepped their players and training staff on the Ebola virus ahead of their trip to Dallas this weekend. (via NJ.com)

Lions coach Jim Caldwell said it will take a "miracle" for wide receiver Calvin Johnson to play this week due to an ankle injury. (via MLive.com)

• Former Jets starter (and current Eagles backup) Mark Sanchez enjoyed last weekend's victory over the Giants so much that he ate chicken fingers on the sideline during the game. (via NJ.com)

Who they're picking

• CBSSports.com's Pete Prisco gives the edge to the Bengals in a battle of division leaders in Indianapolis today.

The FoxSports.com crew doesn't give the Giants much of a chance in Dallas.

The 49ers don't have a chance in Denver Sunday night, either, according to ESPN.com's experts.

NFL.com's Elliot Harrison likes the Chargers to get their sixth win against the Chiefs -- though with little room to spare.

What they're saying

• An official notified a Patriots player that he was illegally positioned moments before the Jets snapped the ball to attempt a game-winning field goal that ended up being blocked by the Patriots Thursday night. An NFL spokesman provided NJ.com with reasoning for why the official repositioned the Patriots player:

"It is a standard officiating procedure that occurs regularly. In fact, it is on [vice president for officiating] Dean Blandino's video that went to the teams [Thursday] and will be on the version of it that goes to the media [Friday]. That rule was adopted for player safety purposes, another good reason to help avoid violations in advance."

• The Cowboys are 5-1 and have the best rushing offense in the NFL. But owner Jerry Jones cited another reason for the Cowboys' leap to the top of the NFC East: quarterback Tony Romo, who is fourth in the league in passer rating.

"I don't know that I can say that I've ever seen him play better. We've seen him certainly do what Romo does. That is, instinctively make plays."

• Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said this week that concussions "linger longer" in the NFL now because members of the media are paying more attention to serious head injuries. The comment sparked a pointed response from Eric Winston, the NFL Players Association president:

3 things the Cleveland Browns must do to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars

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Here are three keys to the Browns beating the Jaguars.

JACKSONVILLE, Florida -- Trap game. Road test. Surefire win. Call it what you will, the Browns have a winless Jacksonville team on Sunday and a chance to move to 4-2 on the season with home games against Tampa Bay and Oakland next. I call this an opportunity.

Win Sunday and then win the next two and you're going to Cincinnati at 6-2 and thinking playoffs. Lose Sunday and all that progress from the 31-10 thumping of the Steelers is a distant memory.

Here are three things the Browns must do to beat Jacksonville.

1) Impose their will

Has this ever been a realistic expectation since the Browns returned in 1999? Even in the playoff year of 2002 and the 10-win campaign in 2007, it never felt like the Browns could go into a game and do whatever they wanted to do.

But they can -- and should -- against Jacksonville. Pound them on the ground. Beat them with the controlled passing game. Rattle rookie quarterback Blake Bortles with pressure against a weak offensive line and force turnovers. It's all right in front of them. If the Browns show up and play like they're capable, Jacksonville won't be able to stop them.

2) Take advantage of Bortles' slow release

Bortles has thrown 7 interceptions this season. Part of the reason is his long, slow release when he throws from the pocket. Defensive backs have plenty of time to close on the football and jump in the way when Bortles starts winding up, especially if he telegraphs where he's throwing the ball.

Jacksonville runs plenty of screens to their, backs, too, but again, Bortles' slow release and tendency to float the ball on screens only hurts him. The Browns will have opportunities to force turnovers and plenty of them.

3) Don't get beat deep

When Bortles does have success in the passing game, it's when he throws on the run. His release is quicker and his size allows him to extend plays and break tackles. The biggest concern? Getting beat over the top when he does start extending plays. The secondary will have to cover for long stretches at times and can't be overaggressive when Bortles starts running. Otherwise, Jaguars receivers will have lots of green space to run free and all Bortles has to do is get it in their zip code.  

Urban Meyer STILL wants more from Ohio State football in the red zone: 5 Bill Landis observations

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Despite five touchdowns in six red zone trips on Saturday, Urban Meyer still wants more from the Ohio State offense.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- 5 observations about Ohio State football after the Buckeyes' 56-17 win over Rutgers on Saturday.

1. Urban Meyer will always find something to improve on. Even with all the ridiculous numbers the Buckeyes have put up on offense this season, Meyer still lamented about their productivity in the red zone this week.

Ohio State was 5-for-6 in the red zone on Saturday, all touchdowns. Still, Meyer wants more.

"I still grade us down offensively," Meyer said. "When your quarterback has to scramble on fourth down in the red zone, that's a good play by an individual. We were trying to get Evan (Spencer) isolated on a Mike linebacker and we did. We didn't score."

The Buckeyes were 42nd in the country in red zone touchdown percentage coming into Saturday. After the game, they now sit at No. 25 with 24 touchdowns in 34 attempts.

It was clear Meyer wants more touchdowns in the red zone when he went for it on fourth-and-goal from the 5-yard line with a 42-7 lead, and J.T. Barrett ran in for the score. Ohio State kicker Sean Nuernberger could've had a couple shots at a field goals, instead he stayed on the sideline all game.

Touchdowns on five out of six trips is pretty good. Meyer wants perfection.

"I still consider our red zone offense not as good as it should be," Meyer said. "So that gives us something to really work on (Sunday).

2. If you were left wondering how Ohio State gave up a 9-yard completion on fourth-and-3 in the second quarter, I had safety Vonn Bell break it down.

Bell was on the coverage on the play, and was 10 yards off the line of scrimmage before the snap. Rutgers receiver Janarion Grant cut in front of him for the easy first-down reception.

With so many questions about the pass defense, it seems that's the kind of play the Buckeyes are supposed to stop this year. Here's what Bell said:

"I should have played down. I was playing what I saw, I should have tightened down. I had good position, good drive on the ball, but I need to have a better IQ right there in that situation."

"You gotta know where you're at. That's a critical time at fourth-and-3. I should have tightened down to about seven yards, I could have broke up the pass or made the tackle for shorter yards."

3. For the purposes of gloating, Doug, Ari and I each were spot on with our outrageous predictions for the game.

4. I wondered which version of Rutgers quarterback Gary Nova was going to show up on Saturday.

Throughout his career, it's been rare for Nova to put together back-to-back strong games, but his outing on Saturday (17-for-28, 192 yards, one interception) was a product of what Ohio State's defense did more than it was Nova playing poorly.

The Buckeyes did a good job of keeping Nova grounded after he threw for 404 yards against Michigan two weeks ago. He actually made some nice plays, he was just constantly under fire, and Ohio State had good coverage on a lot of plays.

5. The offensive line, which I'll write more about on Tuesday, held the nation's third best sack defense to zero sacks on Saturday. Barrett was hurried just one time.

Gallery preview 

Cleveland Browns CB Joe Haden vs. Jacksonville Jaguars WR Cecil Shorts III -- Sunday Showdown gameday

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CB Joe Haden gets his second chance against WR Cecil Shorts today.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Sunday Showdown is a weekly feature that examines a key matchup between a Cleveland Browns player and the opponent. Today's matchup is Browns cornerback Joe Haden vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, and Cleveland native, wide receiver Cecil Shorts III.

This is Haden's second game after suffering a hip injury against the Tennessee Titans. Today is Shorts' second straight start after recovering from a hamstring injury.

Check back during the game as we break down the matchup each quarter and wrap up the battle with locker room reaction after the final whistle.

SCOUTING REPORT

Shorts caught six passes for 65 yards and the game-winning 20-yard TD catch on Haden in last year's game in FirstEnergy Stadium. It was the a dream come true for Shorts, a graduate of Collinwood High School and Mount Union.

The play did not sit well with Haden, who was visibly upset following the game. Sunday will give Haden a chance for redemption, as Shorts will certainly be the main target for rookie quarterback Blake Bortles. Shorts had a career-high 10 receptions for 103 yards last week. Expect Haden to play Shorts up close with the intent of disrupting his pass routes.

"Joe must win at the line of scrimmage," said a former NFL defensive back. "He must disrupt Shorts and not allow him a free release up the field. Shorts has been inactive, so Joe must be sure to not allow him early success to get into a rhythm."

TALE OF THE TAPE:

Browns cornerback Joe Haden
School: Florida
Ht/Wt: 5-11, 195
Numbers: Haden is fourth on the team with 25 tackles. And he has zero interceptions.

Jaguars wide receiver Cecil Shorts III
School: Mount Union
Ht/Wt: 6-0, 202
Numbers:  Shorts has 17 catches for 163 yards and one TD.

Ohio State football paints a College Football Playoff picture with fourth straight blowout

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The Buckeyes have outscored opponents 224-69 the last four games, but they were rolling the same way in four games last year before things went south.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — After another blowout win Saturday for Ohio State, a lot to a little, (it's getting hard to keep track), Urban Meyer asked his players to give the Buckeyes' assistants a round of applause.

Earlier this week, Meyer himself had said he doesn't often say nice things about his staff, because they're expected to do a good job. Then he said something nice.

Now this. Offensive line coach and co-offensive coordinator Ed Warinner said it was a first.

"I think he appreciates what the coaching staff is doing getting this team ready to play, getting off to a quick start the last couple games," Warinner said. "We appreciate the compliment."

There are plenty of compliments to go around. The final score, let's check, was 56-17 over Rutgers, bringing the four-game OSU scoreboard total since the Virginia Tech loss to 224-69. The postgame reaction from the No. 13 Buckeyes (5-1, 2-0 Big Ten) focused on what can get better. But in the locker room, remember, they cheered the coaches.

"Obviously, the scoreboard and the stats say that we're playing pretty well," co-offensive coordinator Tom Herman said. "I don't know how well we're playing. Obviously, we're getting into the meat of the Big Ten schedule very shortly, so I think we'll find out a lot more about what the potential is and how good we really are in the next few weeks."

Three straight 8 p.m. kickoffs are ahead, a roadtrip to Penn State followed by a home game with Illinois, then the game of the year at Michigan State. In the moment, something is working. And someone has to be noticing. As contenders to make the first four-team College Football Playoff continue to fall, with Baylor absorbing its first loss Saturday, the Buckeyes are painting their picture. Like the Big Ten, the Pac-12 and Big 12 no longer feature any undefeated teams. And the Buckeyes continue to make their best case before the playoff committee, which is that the Virginia Tech loss was a fluke, the Buckeyes a young team then who have now been transformed.

There is their resume, which can't shake that defeat against what is now a three-loss Virginia Tech team. And there is how Ohio State is playing on the field right now, which is always a little dicey to judge because of the level of competition. The committee's first top 25 will come out on Oct. 28, which will give the first sense of how those 13 members will balance those sometimes competing ideas, resume vs. current level of play.

But the Buckeyes in the last month? Jeez.

"I think the ability to go out and play the way that we're playing, regardless of who lines up against us, is encouraging," Herman said.

"We wake up every Saturday thinking we like our chess pieces compared to other teams," linebacker Joshua Perry said. "Take that for what you want it to be. Is it confident? Yes. We're still a very serious team, though."

Maybe they are serious because the Buckeyes have done this before, for anyone who thought offensive explosions began only with J.T. Barrett at quarterback. Between Oct. 26 and Nov. 23 last season, Ohio State beat four Big Ten teams by a combined total of 221-63. That's rather close to this 224-69 run.

What happened after that four-game run? The Buckeyes beat Michigan by just a point, then lost their last two games of the season against Michigan State and Clemson.

So this is good, but without guarantees. And Perry was nodding his head at the comparison.

"I think toward the end of last year, we were doing so well, we kind of got a little bit complacent," Perry said. "And that's a bad word. We're trying to eliminate that word from our vocabulary."

It's a word that Meyer has clearly planted in the heads of his players.

"The good thing is that I don't feel like there's a complacent attitude," Meyer said. "Complacency is awful in this business, and with the players, we actually could have played a lot better in situations."

But these are good problems to have, the things you work on in house while hoping those on the outside focus on the fact that Ohio State just scored 50 points in four straight games for the first time in school history.

"I've definitely been on some good teams the past couple years. We broke a lot of records here, especially that offense last year," left tackle Taylor Decker said. "But we're rolling right now.

"We want to show that we're going to go out there and set a tone and do what we want to do. We definitely want to make a good impression. We want to let people know we're a team to be reckoned with."

So the Buckeyes add the brushstrokes each week, hoping to catch the eye of the College Football Playoff committee.

Hey Tom Osborne, see the way the run game's working? Another 324 yards Saturday, now an average of 314 per game over the last month.

Hey Barry Alvarez, how about that freshman quarterback? Another 368 total yards of offense for Barrett on Saturday, including his first 100-yard rushing game.

His last four games? How about 293 passing yards per game, 17 passing touchdowns and one interception.

Hey Condoleezza Rice, you like defense? The Buckeyes scored again on defense Saturday, on an Eli Apple fumble return created by a jarring Rashad Frazier hit.

That makes 12 turnovers and 12 sacks for the Buckeyes in the last four games. 

Yet linebacker Darron Lee said when he and his teammates talked after the game about some of the things that went wrong, "we just beat this team pretty badly and it almost felt like a loss."

Wonder what it felt like for Rutgers (5-2, 1-2) then?

"When you play a team like Ohio State and you don't execute, they put 56 up on you," Scarlet Knights defensive end David Milewski said. "That's just how it goes."

For the Buckeyes, it's going well right now. Every week, that means a little more. 

"I definitely do think this is a playoff team," H-back Jalin Marshall said. "I truly believe that if we keep working hard every single week that we can get to where we want to go."

Another gaffe in the punt-return game dooms fourth-quarter comeback: Cleveland Browns Insider

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Other notes include Tashaun Gipson's big day and a career-best outing from Andrew Hawkins.

JACKSONVILLE, Florida – Forget trying to return punts. The Browns struggle just catching them.

Another special-teams blunder erased any hopes of a fourth-quarter comeback Sunday as Jordan Poyer's fumble proved costly in a 24-6 loss to the Jaguars at EverBank Field.

With his team trailing by four points, Poyer stood on Browns' 2 and elected to field the ball instead letting it carom into end zone for a touchback. The ball struck him in the facemask and the Jaguars' LaRoy Reynolds recovered it at the Browns' 8 with 6:12 left. Converted running back Denard Robinson scored on the ensuing play to give Jacksonville a 17-6 lead.

"It came down weird," Poyer said. "I catch that ball nine out of 10 times – 10 out of 10 times – it just happened to be in a clutch moment of the game. I wasn't able to come down with it."

Poyer said he wanted to make a play rather than take the touchback.

"It was one of those plays I wish I could have had back," he said. "I felt I let my team down and the coaches down. I just have to come back next week stronger."

The miscue added to the dreadful start to the season for the Browns in the punt-return game. Travis Benjamin lost the job because he muffed several punts and opted not to field another against the Ravens, a decision which played a role in the Week 3 defeat.

Sunday, with the game on the line and Browns awaiting a punt deep in their end, coaches didn't deploy veteran Jim Leonhard, who's essentially their designated fair catcher.  

Coach Mike Pettine said he hadn't spoken to special teams coordinator Chris Tabor about using Poyer, but defended the decision. The Browns were flagged for offside on the play, which would have allowed Jacksonville to retain possession even without Poyer's mistake.

"To this point, we had no reason to think that Jordan would've been a liability back there," Pettine said. "And, to me, it didn't matter. It was going to be a first down for them anyway. We ended up in the neutral zone."

But starting from the Cleveland 8 rather than the 35 is a big difference.

The Browns entered action ranked next-to-last in punt returns averaging 2.6 yards.

Gipson's big day

Safety Tashaun Gipson made reaching the Pro Bowl one of his preseason goals. He showed again Sunday why he'll merit serious consideration.

Gipson intercepted two more passes, giving him four for the season and nine in the last two years. It marked his first two-pick game.

But the Browns managed just three points off three interceptions of Jaguars' rookie Blake Bortles.

"I broke on a couple of balls and made some plays but at the end of the day it doesn't matter," Gipson said. (The score) 24-6 pretty much explains it all. Those kind of plays are supposed to change the game but they don't mean nothing if you can't come up with the win. Not to point fingers but we didn't play good enough overall.

"Any time you get turnovers you want to generate points. We've got a job to do. I don't control anything with the offense. I can only help control what we did. The defense didn't play lights out, either. We just didn't make enough plays on either side of the ball."

Brownies

The Jaguars scored more than 17 points for the first time all season . . . The Browns have yet to hold an opponent under 100 yards rushing. The Jags ran for 185 yards after entering action ranked last in the league with a 69.5 yard average . . . Andrew Hawkins had five catches for a career-high 112 yards . . .

Cleveland Browns' Brian Hoyer earns an 'F': DMan's QB Report, Game 6, at Jacksonville Jaguars

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Brian Hoyer had nowhere near enough for the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Quarterback Brian Hoyer made all of the dropbacks for the Browns in a 24-6 loss to the Jaguars on Sunday afternoon in Jacksonville, Fla. He went 16-of-41 for 215 yards. He was intercepted once and sacked three times.

Here is a capsule look at Hoyer's performance:

Bottom-line business: The Browns slipped to 3-3, all with Hoyer as the starting quarterback. He is 6-3 in his career as Cleveland's starter.

Lost opportunity: Some defeats are (much) worse than others.

Hoyer factored heavily in the Browns getting dumped by a previously winless outfit. The Jaguars improved to 1-6.

Losing to the Jaguars is one thing. Losing to the Jaguars one week after pounding the Steelers, 31-10, is another.

Not much doing: Hoyer's offense was held to two field goals and six points after it  averaged three touchdowns and 25.2 points in the first five games.

The offense had scored at least 21 points in each of the first five.    

Stark contrast: Last week, Hoyer completed just eight of 17 passes. But all eight of the completions gained at least 9 yards and added to 217. He averaged 12.8 yards per attempt.

Against the Jaguars, Hoyer averaged 5.2 yards per attempt, which contributed to his 46.3 passer rating.

Failure to follow the script: Hoyer and the Browns made sure to credit Jacksonville's defense for its role in their futility, and maintained that the unit is better than the team's won-lost record. Yes, Jacksonville's defense was solid -- but Hoyer was the first opposing quarterback to struggle against it this season. Here is a snapshot of what the other QBs who played the majority of snaps have done:

Week 1 -- Nick Foles, Philadelphia: 45 attempts, 322 yards (7.2 ypa), 87.5 rating.

Week 2 -- Kirk Cousins, Washington: 33 attempts, 250 yards (7.6 ypa), 109.4 rating.

Week 3 -- Andrew Luck, Indianapolis: 39 attempts, 370 yards (9.5 ypa), 140.4 rating.

Week 4 -- Philip Rivers, San Diego: 39 attempts, 377 yards, (9.7 ypa), 130.0 rating.

Week 5 -- Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh: 36 attempts, 273 yards (7.6 ypa), 103.1 rating.

Week 6 -- Charlie Whitehurst, Tennessee: 28 attempts, 233 yards (8.3 ypa), 87.4 rating.

The Week 6 reality should hit Hoyer the hardest. No quarterback ever should seem inferior when compared with Charlie Whitehurst, especially when that quarterback had performed well, on balance, in the first five games.

Twilight zone: In an 11-dropback stretch from late in the second quarter to late in the third, Hoyer was 0-for-10 with one sack for minus-9 yards. During the sack, Hoyer fumbled and the Jaguars recovered. Hoyer thought he had been in a throwing motion, but the on-field and replay officials disagreed.

Issues in the clutch: The Browns were 4-of-17 on third down and 0-for-3 on fourth down. One of the conversions occurred in garbage time.

Misfires: Hoyer did not receive much help from his offensive personnel. The Browns' heretofore potent running game was a rumor -- 29 rushes for 70 yards, not including Hoyer's one for minus-1. The offensive line allowed too much pressure. Coordinator Kyle Shanahan did not have one of his better days. Regardless, Hoyer missed too many no-excuse throws. Here are four that stood out (listed in chronological order):

* First quarter, second-and-9 at Cleveland 36: On the Browns' fourth play from scrimmage in their opening possession, Hoyer play-faked to tailback Ben Tate and bootlegged to open space on the left. With no Jaguar near him, Hoyer fired incomplete to an open Taylor Gabriel on the left sideline at the Jacksonville 49. Even if the diving Gabriel had caught the pass, he would not have been able to stay inbounds.

The pass wasn't a layup because Hoyer needed to release against his body, but it was a pass even Whitehurst is expected to complete.

(On third-and-9, Hoyer threw behind Travis Benjamin over the middle at the Jacksonville 49. The difference between the plays was that this time, Hoyer had Jaguars defensive tackle Sen'Derrick Marks in his face and hitting him upon release. Marks, beginning a disruptive afternoon, beat Browns right guard Paul McQuistan.)

* Second quarter, third-and-goal at the 4: Hoyer, from an empty backfield, set up under no pressure. Tight end Jordan Cameron, lined up on the right, easily beat his man at the goal line and broke wide-open to the right of the goal post. Hoyer overcooked the throw so high that Cameron never had a chance.

CBS analyst Steve Beuerlein, a former NFL quarterback, said: "You see the frustration from Hoyer ... It's the perfect call. (Cameron) is open -- wide-open by NFL terms in the red zone. Hoyer has got to make that throw, and he knows it. That's one he'd love to have back ... As a quarterback, that's as good as it gets in the red zone.''

A CBS camera showed Browns coach Mike Pettine and Shanahan standing next to each other, presumably dumbfounded that the throw was missed.

The Browns should have been ahead, 10-0. Instead, they led, 6-0, after Cundiff's 22-yard field goal.

(On the play before Hoyer threw incomplete to Cameron, Hoyer threw a pass out of the end zone under pressure from two Jaguars. Benjamin, moving left to right, was wide-open in the front of the end zone as Hoyer rolled right. Based on CBS's bird's-eye replay, Hoyer seemingly should have spotted Benjamin. However, Beuerlein said: "You saw Travis Benjamin coming open behind that play ... but Brian Hoyer, with the pressure coming behind him, could not make that throw back to that part of the field.'')

* Third quarter, third-and-11 at Cleveland 30: Hoyer, sensing more pressure than actually existed from a four-man rush, nearly was intercepted by Jaguars linebacker Telvin Smith at the Cleveland 41. Hoyer attempted to connect with Cameron near the left sideline beyond the Cleveland 45.

Hoyer made it too easy for Smith, who zone-dropped and read Hoyer's eyes the entire way.

Beuerlein said: "Brian Hoyer ... the only excuse I have for him is that he didn't see (Smith). He wasn't under tremendous pressure. That ball should never have been thrown. Very, very fortunate for the Cleveland Browns that the ball wasn't picked off.''

The Browns, trailing, 10-6, punted.

* Fourth quarter, third-and-5 at Jacksonville 43: Hoyer, from a three-step drop,   missed an open Andrew Hawkins on the left boundary at the 38.

Hoyer's pass was to the front shoulder when it needed to be to the back shoulder. Hawkins got hands on it, but he was forced to make too much of an adjustment too quickly.

The next play was the Browns' infamous punt-turned-option pitch from Hoyer to Tate, who lost 2 yards. Even though the ball should not have been snapped, the Browns' thought process was highly questionable.

CBS analyst Steve Tasker said: "Wow! How can you make a play like that, with the mass substitution, and then not have a play ready to run?''

Beuerlein said: "That was a complete debacle ... I think it's inexcusable by Mike Pettine as a head coach to let that play materialize.''

The Jaguars took over, leading, 10-6.

Creating a mess: Midway through the first quarter of a scoreless game, Browns safety Tashaun Gipson intercepted Blake Bortles and returned the Jacksonville 17. Bortles had been hit by Jabaal Sheard.

The Browns' offense, thanks to an ugly sequence, managed nothing more than a field goal.

On first down, Hoyer threw incomplete to Miles Austin at the 10. Hoyer went with a slant -- but Austin wasn't looking, and Jacksonville nearly intercepted.

Tasker said: "Miles Austin was thinking it was a different play ... Austin had inside position, but he was facing the defensive back. That was almost offensive pass interference, because he wasn't even playing the football.''

It is not the first time this season that Hoyer and Austin have been on distinctly different pages.

After Cleveland called a late timeout, Hoyer threw a swing pass to running back Terrance West on the right. The Jaguars were all over it; West gained nothing.

Tasker said: "This is a play where I think they should have tried to run the football. There were only six guys in the box, and they tried a little swing pass. That's one place where, as much commitment as the Browns have shown to the running game, they probably should have run it and didn't. That swing pass was going nowhere. The defense for the Jacksonville Jaguars was all spread at the perimeter of the play, and that's exactly where the Browns threw it.''

The Browns compounded their problems with a self-inflicted delay of game.

On third-and-15, Hoyer, facing no pressure, threw behind Austin over the middle at the Jacksonville 17. Even if Austin had made the catch, he would not have gotten the first down.

Billy Cundiff kicked a 40-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead. No matter: The Jaguars were happy.

Outcome-sealing pick: With 5:23 left in the fourth, the Browns faced second-and-10 from the Cleveland 20. They trailed, 17-6.

Hoyer, from the shotgun, threw behind Tate at the 25. The ball deflected off Tate's hand and into those of Smith, who returned it to the 7. Two plays later, Jacksonville scored a TD for the final margin.

Hoyer's second interception of the season came after defensive tackle Abry Jones easily beat McQuistan and hit Hoyer's legs during release.

Where did he go?: Cameron caught one pass for 5 yards. He was targeted six times. The reception occurred on a second-and-12 from the Cleveland 30 with 3:45 left in the fourth.

The previous week, Cameron caught three passes for 102 yards and one touchdown.

Granted, Cameron should have had a TD catch against Jacksonvile. But he can't finish any game, let alone a game against Jacksonville, with one reception for 5 yards.

Beuerlein said: "The amazing thing is, the Jaguars have had a lot of trouble covering tight ends this year. Well, Jordan Cameron, one of the best in the league, has been invisible for the Browns' offense today.''  

Summary: Hoyer was brutal against a team that entered winless. With his running game ineffective, Hoyer needed to carry the offense. Instead, he crumbled. And he crumbled in a matchup against a rookie, Bortles, who left plenty to be desired.

Hoyer's overall grade:

Analyze it yourself! Here is a database of all the Browns passes Dennis Manoloff and a squad of assistants are tracking for a third season. You can select criteria in the form below and get all the matching throws.

How to use the database

  • First, choose a year.
  • After that, choose one or more of the other options for comparisons, such as Quarterback, Receiver, or Pressure, or Direction of throw. (Tip: Don't choose too many.)
  • Click search. You will need to scroll right and left to see all the matched results.
    You can sort the results and look for more patterns by clicking on the heading of any. Click on "Throw #" at far right to put the throws back into their original order.
  • You can see the pass results as a graph, too.

 



Here is all our homework as a spreadsheet


Cleveland Browns' running back Terrance West falters on crucial drive, running game stalls in 24-6 loss to Jacksonville Jaguars

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Browns running back Terrance West came off his benching, but struggled in a 24-6 loss to the Jaguars, especially in a crucial short-yardage situation in the second quarter.

Jacksonville, Fla. -- Browns running back Terrance West was benched last week, but the Browns put the ball in his hands in a crucial situation in the second quarter, and it backfired during their 24-6 loss to the Jaguars.

West, the Browns' third-round pick, was stopped cold on his first run and then failed to convert on two short-yardage opportunities on a key drive in the second quarter. On second and 2 from the Jaguars 25, he danced around for a yard, and then tried to bounce it outside on a third and 1 and was drilled for no gain.

The Browns went for it on fourth and 1 -- and failed -- on an incomplete pass to Jordan Cameron -- and the momentum swung in Jacksonville's favor. The Jaguars marched down and scored a touchdown with 27 seconds left in the first half for a 7-6 advantage -- and never trailed again.

Overall, West --- the first back off the bench after Ben Tate -- ran five times for eight yards and a 1.6 average. His long gain was four yards.

Tate, who rushed 16 times for 36 yards and a 2.3-yard average, wanted to tote the rock on that drive, but had no say in the matter.

"That's coach's decision,'' said Tate. "I can't really control that. but of course in that situation I want the ball. All I can do is carry out whatever coach calls to the best of my ability.''

Tate, who missed two games this season with a knee injury, said he was healthy.

"I'm fine,'' he said.

Isaiah Crowell, who averaged 7.0 yards last week against the Steelers, carried the ball only seven times for 18 yards. Was it because he lost a fumble and dropped two pitches last week?
 
 "No, (running backs coach) Wilbert (Montgomery) handled the substitutions and a lot of it's based on just a feel,'' said coach Mike Pettine. "So there was no concerted effort like we're going to minimize his touches because of what happened last week."

The Jaguars flipped the script on the running game Sunday, holding the Browns to 69 yards and busting out for 185 yards.

It was almost the exact opposite of what's happening for both teams this season.
The Browns came in averaging 146.4 yards per game for No. 3 in the NFL. The Jaguars limped in with 69.5 yards per game for last in the NFL.

But the Jaguars went on a mission to stop the run, and they dusted off former Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson and sent him after the battered Browns' defense, one that was ranked 30th against the run.

The result was a long and frustrating afternoon for Tate, Crowell and West, and career afternoon for Robinson, who rushed for 127 of the Jaguars' 185 yards, including 64 in the first quarter.

Meanwhile, Tate (16 for 36), Crowell (7 for 18) and West (5 for 8) combined for 28 carries and 62 -- a measly 2.2-yard average.

"They had a good play for us, schemed us up pretty well,'' said Tate. "I knew that. I knew that from my previous years in Houston. It was always kind of the same type of game. They always played our scheme, the way we run the ball, they always played it well. Eight men in the box, so it's always going to be bang your head, and hopefully you pop one.''

Tate popped the Browns' only long run of the night, an 18-yarder that led to a second-quarter field. He averaged only 1.2 yards on his other 15 attempts.

 "We definitely can do things better,'' he said. "We didn't play well.''

That was exactly the Jaguars' plan. They shut down the run, and in the process, rendered the Browns' play-action game largely ineffective.

"We came out with a lot of fire to stop the run,'' said defensive end Chris Clemons. "If we stop the run, we'll get an opportunity to rush the quarterback. Today was one of those days.''

The Browns were without two-time Pro Bowl center Alex Mack (broken fibula) and it was the first full game for their makeshift lane, one that currently has John Greco at center and Paul McQuistan in Greco's spot at guard.

"We got outplayed today,'' said Greco. "This is our lineup now and we can't make excuses. We have to perform. We got our butts kicked, took it on the chin. Credit them. They were fired up, gassed up, they were at home hungry for a win and we fell short.''

Greco refused to use Mack's absence as an excuse.

"I have to be careful how I say this,'' said Greco. "If he was here today it doesn't guarantee us a win today. We still didn't make plays. The unfortunate thing is he isn't here so we have to keep going. We had some good plays but we didn't do enough to win the game.''

Brian Hoyer cautioned that the next few teams will try to use the Jaguars' formula: stop the run and neutralize the play-action.

"When you get beat like this, it's a copycat league and teams are going to try to do exactly what Jacksonville did,'' said Hoyer. "When you look at their front seven, front eight, those are some tough players and they handed it to us.''

Cleveland Browns lose to Jacksonville Jaguars: What people are saying (video, photo gallery)

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What seemed like a very winnable game for the Cleveland Browns goes terribly wrong. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The table was set.

The Cleveland Browns had just dismantled their hated rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers, 31-10, to reach 3-2. Brian Hoyer was playing with confidence. The defense had turned in its best effort of the season.

They had the momentum. And they were traveling to Jacksonville, Fla., to take on the winless Jaguars. After that was the winless Oakland Raiders and one-win Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Fans began to envision what once seemed unthinkable: The Browns at 6-2 by the halfway point of the season.

It remains unthinkable.

The Jaguars overturned the table on Sunday and in an extremely rude fashion. Jacksonville got its first win of the season by routing the Browns, 24-6, in a game that was poorly played and poorly coached by Cleveland. (Go here to listen to an analysis of the game from The Plain Dealer's Dennis Manoloff and Northeast Ohio Media Group's Dan Labbe.)

"Obviously a disappointing game for us," Browns coach Mike Pettine said. "We did not play well in all three phases. ... I told our guys after the game, we don't make excuses. They were the better football team today, and we were soundly beaten.

"We're not going to dwell on it. It was a tough day."

The Browns and their fans ... so optimistic after last week ... have been brought back to earth, says The Plain Dealer's Bud Shaw. But he also says it is premature to panic:

Somewhere along the way this season, it was bound to look as if the Browns were betting too much on a rookie head coach and a journeyman quarterback. That it took six games is of no comfort to you, I'm sure. But neither is it reason to welcome doom into the season. This was the first really poor Hoyer performance including last year's extra small sample. It should take at least one or two more to beat the Johnny Manziel drum with any conviction. 

Still, Hoyer is taking a lot of heat ... and it's deserved. He was 16-of-41 for 215 yards with an interception. His effort earned an "F" grade from NEOMG's Dan Labbe. Hoyer called the loss "demoralizing" and Pettine said the offense "took a huge step backward." But Pettine said Hoyer shouldn't take all of the blame:

"I know he missed some throws, but we didn't play near well enough around him,'' said Pettine. "I think he was pressured a lot, got knocked down and then with the inability to run the football, that put us in some predictable down and distance situations where they were able to maximize their coverage and tee off with their front four. To me, that's a perfect example of you've got to play good team offense if you want your quarterback to succeed. You've got to be able to run the ball, get ahead on the sticks and you've got to be able to protect him when you're throwing it, and we did neither."

It's nice that Pettine is standing up for Hoyer. Still, the quarterback played a major role in the strangest play of the day, an option on fourth down in the fourth quarter that was a disaster. Apparently the ball was never supposed to be snapped, but it was:

"We were just trying to catch them in a substitution situation," Pettine explained. "I don't know how it ended up being communicated, but the ball was not supposed to be snapped. So that was a frustrating thing for us. We were really just trying to catch them in a substitution. You either get them to call a timeout or you take the delay and go ahead and punt."

And Pettine isn't off the hook. The Akron Beacon Journal's Marla Ridenour says the rookie coach made several questionable decisions during the game, most of which backfired:

For the first time this season, Pettine struggled on game day and was clearly outcoached. ... Pettine's style usually seems like an asset, with his 3-3 team taking on his intense, demanding personality. His hard-hitting verbal approach seems to be toughening his players. But on Sunday, his aggressiveness backfired and played a huge part in an embarrassing loss. Pettine may have discovered he needs to do a better job of picking his spots and judging when to gamble.

The Browns played like garbage. Now the coaches have to figure out what went wrong, says The Plain Dealer's Terry Pluto:

By far, this was the worst defeat of the year. They entered the day having outscored the opposition by an NFL-best 40 points in the second half. But they were outscored, 17-0, after intermission. A team that seemed adept at regrouping and changing strategies looked stunned and stalled by whatever Jacksonville used against them. ... Adjustments are made each week. Will teams stack the line and dare the Browns to throw it, as Jacksonville did? The Jags are talented with their defensive front, so many other teams won't be as effective. But this much is certain -- other teams will study the film on how Jacksonville defended the Browns.

Next week the Browns host the winless Oakland Raiders at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Raiders look like a team the Browns should beat. But the Jaguars looked the same way.

Which high school football team had the most impressive offensive performance in Week 8? (poll)

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Tell us which local high school football team you think had the most impressive offense in Week 8.

Tell us which local high school football team you think had the most impressive offense in Week 8.

Why does Ezekiel Elliott roll up the bottom of his jersey like former Ohio State RB Eddie George? Buckeye Breakfast

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Elliott has a more practical reason for rolling up the bottom half of his jersey like Eddie George than it just being a fashion statement.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – As Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott continues his step into the spotlight of the Buckeyes offense, it has become harder to ignore his little fashion statement. 

Elliott rolls up the bottom half of his jersey on gameday, exposing his stomach the way former Ohio State great Eddie George did. 

"I like to have a little midriff showing," Elliott joked after rushing for 69 yards and a touchdown in Ohio State's 56-17 win over Rutgers on Saturday. 

That's not the reason. 

Sure, the running back admits there's an element of trying to look good while also paying homage to a former Heisman Trophy winner. But the real reason – a more practical explanation - is this. 

"I don't like how long the jerseys are," Elliott explained. "I don't want people to be able to grab onto me." 

Elliott has enjoyed the feedback, which ranges from how good he looks to if he's worried about taking a hard shot to his unprotected stomach. But Elliott is most comfortable that way. 

"Some people like it, some don't," he said. "I'm going to keep doing it." 

Check out our full coverage from Ohio State's blowout of Rutgers, and be sure to keep up with us all week as we write about the Buckeyes' upcoming road game at Penn State. 

• Ohio State football paints a College Football Playoff picture with fourth straight blowout

• Ohio State football moves up one spot to No. 12 in flawed coaches poll

 Ohio State football QB J.T. Barrett is the reason Buckeyes are back in playoff hunt: 5 Ari Wasserman observations

• Urban Meyer STILL wants more from Ohio State football in the red zone: 5 Bill Landis observations

• Wondering why Ohio State football QB J.T. Barrett stayed in blowout? Why care? 5 Doug Lesmerises observations

• Ohio State football junior Devan Bogard hurt again, Buckeyes rally around 'one of our favorite guys'

• Ohio State football: Jalin Marshall could've played QB at Tennessee, but this is why he's a Buckeye - 7 point breakdown

• Ohio State football: Now rolling, J.T. Barrett learned from taking preparation for Virginia Tech 'too lightly' 

Chicago Bulls versus the Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 things to look for

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5 things to look for when the Cavaliers host the Bulls in Columbus.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The city of Columbus will be in store for quite the contest when the Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls take the court at Value Center Arena Monday at 7 p.m.

Cavaliers head coach David Blatt said he's going to treat this game against their division rivals as if it were a regular season game. That means you'll see a lot of LeBron James, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving.

With that being the case, there is so much to follow but here are five to get you started.

1. Rivalry renewed

These two teams, if healthy, are expected to fight for the division title as well as the Eastern Conference supremacy. Derrick Rose returning to Chicago and their offseason acquisition of Pau Gasol automatically makes them a title-contending team. It also heats this rivalry back up and puts it on a national platform. Will there be any bad blood? Will there be any trash talking or scuffles tonight? It might be too early for that but we'll soon found out.

2. Will Chicago treat tonight like a regular season game?

The Bulls played last night at home against the Charlotte Hornets. Shooting guard Jimmy Butler left the game and did not return with a left thumb sprain. Given Chicago's recent history when it comes to injuries to key players, head coach Tom Thibodeau may elect to take the opposite approach to Blatt. If so, it will definitely take some of the luster away from the evening.

3. Irving versus Rose

It doesn't get any better than these two squaring up on a grand stage. These two at their best are going to be must-see television this season. Derrick Rose and his explosiveness versus the nifty Kyrie Irving could be the best point guard matchup in the league. Their play will dictate how far their teams advance. This will be a nice little preview of how intense their battles will be come the regular season and beyond.

4. Gasol versus Love

Paul Gasol and Kevin Love were viewed as the missing pieces to their respective team's championship quest. Both of them exited the deep Western Conference with hopes of securing a NBA Finals appearance via a subpar Eastern Conference. Which power forward will have the biggest impact on their team? There's no argument to who is currently the better player, but in their situations, it will be about fit and role. Whichever power forward is most comfortable with their task will give its team the better chance of competing for a championship. Who will be more comfortable tonight?

5. Delly or Price?

Matthew Dellavedova has had a strong first half of a preseason while AJ Price is ending the second half playing at a high level. Dellavedova is no longer the clear-cut favorite for backup point guard duties. Price has gained some ground. Since this game will be treated like a real contest, whomever Blatt brings in first to sub out Irving will be telling and barring anything miraculous, that player will likely be the backup on opening night. We'll see who gets the nod.

 

Probable Starters

Chicago Bulls

F Pau Gasol

F Doug McDermott

C Joakim Noah

G Jimmy Butler

G Derrick Rose

Cleveland Cavaliers

F Kevin Love

F LeBron James

C Tristan Thompson

G Dion Waiters

G Kyrie Irving

Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Jones does not support 44-minute games, says it will negatively impact reserve players

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James Jones is not in favor of a 44-minute game because of how it will impact reserve players.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Last night's experimental 44-minute NBA preseason format played by the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets clocked in at a shade less than two hours.

Not bad.

The league used the four 11-minute quarters to examine the flow of the game if four minutes were to be trimmed off. It was merely a trial, but only time will tell if this becomes a permanent NBA fixture.

Cleveland's James Jones, who happens to serve as the secretary-treasurer of the National Basketball Players Association, says he doesn't support the reduction of minutes being that it will have a negative effect on the reserve players.

"The structure of the games, the amounts of minutes that are played are working condition issues for us because it limits how much time our guys actually have to work," Jones told Northeast Ohio Media Group. "It's a major concern for us because there is an attempt, or at least an examination to see whether or not you limit the minutes of the games. And that has a direct impact on player's opportunities to work and to provide for themselves."

Jones elaborated on how the reserves would be impacted.

"If there's 44 minutes in a game and teams decide to play their starters the same exact way, you limit four minutes a game from a reserve," he explained "If you extrapolate that over a course of a season, you're talking 328 minutes. That's a lot when you're talking about value. I think anytime you start talking about shortening games, extending games, there has to be a thorough conversation between the league and the players. Limiting minutes has a bigger impact on reserve players."

The league is made up of more reserve players than starters so the chances of the league implementing the 44-minute contest without a fight from the Player's Association are slim to none.

To Jones' point, in the experimented format, there would be no way of preventing coaches from issuing equivalent minutes to their starters to avoid a reserve from logging the same amount minutes he recorded in a 48-minute basketball game.

Cleveland's LeBron James and Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki says it's not the minutes, they believe an 82-game schedule needs to be reduced, citing injury risk and the chance to elevate the quality of basketball. Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan said if games were dropped, players must be prepared to feel it in their paychecks.

Jones can empathize with both sides of the argument. However, as a player representative, he wants to make certain that the player's voice is heard before any altering, inconvenient changes goes into action.

"I can tell you that our players play a lot of minutes, play a lot of games," he said. "I hear the argument that if fewer games are played we should be prepared to take less money, but I also believe that if you play fewer games, the owner's claim of being at risk and shouldering the burden for 82-games, that argument goes out the window.

"I think either way you slice it, there's an argument on both sides but realistically this is an issue that won't be resolved in the media. This is an issue that can't be resolved with one side just dictating what they think is best for our game."

Similar to the issue with a shortened game, Jones says if the 82-game season were truncated, the matter of coaches overplaying starters would still remain a problem.

"If you're talking about eliminating games, you're talking about something similar to the lockout shortened season where you still don't want to play a guy 40 minutes a game even if you're playing 60 games," Jones said. "The issue isn't to find a way to squeeze the exact same amount of minutes out of a guy over a 66-game season.

"What we're basically saying is that you can get a higher quality 32 minutes a game out of guy. A higher quality 36 minutes a game. We're talking about the quality of the opportunities. If a reserve plays 20 minutes over 82 games or over 66 games, he's still playing 20 minutes. It's different when you're talking about guys going from 20 minutes to playing to 15 in a shortened game. That's one-third of their opportunities."

As LeBron stated last week, Jones is in agreement with his superstar teammate that the consensus from players around the league would be to decrease the games on the schedule. There would be an overabundance of obstacles in the way of granting that request.

But this is a player's league and their well-being should be taken seriously regardless of the economics. This will surely be an ongoing debate that will not be rectified anytime soon.

"I would go as far to say if you ask players if they would be in favor in a reduction of games, if that reduction meant an increase in the quality of our product, I can say players would agree to it," said Jones. "But I get it. It's very, very complex, but we found a way to solve some very complex issues in the past and I'm pretty sure we can find a way to do it now. My position is after you examine everything, both sides need to sit down and talk about what is realistic, what's good and what makes the most sense."

Ohio State football-Rutgers TV Rewatch: On QB J.T. Barrett's progression and game-changing punts

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Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett continues to blossom, and the Buckeyes made things uncomfortable for Rutgers QB Gary Nova. That and more from the TV Rewatch of the Buckeyes' win over the Scarlet Knight.

COLUMBUS, OhioObservations and notes on Ohio State's 56-17 win over Rutgers after watching the TV broadcast.

• Let's start with the progression of Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett, who continues to impress with his poise and decision making. This was probably the Buckeyes' best game in terms of pass protection, and Barrett made the most of it with plays like this completion to tight end Jeff Heuerman in the second quarter.

As ESPN's Todd McShay pointed out in the broadcast, Heuerman was Barrett's fifth progression on this play.

And then of course there was what he did with his feet, putting together his first 100-yard rushing game with runs like this one.

I'm not saying give the guy the Heisman. He missed two open receivers with poorly-timed throws on a second-quarter drive that was thrown off-kilter with two false start penalties. He under-threw an open Dontre Wilson on a deep throw later in the game. He also took a couple ill-advised shots to a covered Evan Spencer in the red zone during the third quarter.

But it's hard to deny Barrett is looking more and more comfortable every week.

• Ohio State's defense got things started quickly with pressure on Rutgers QB Gary Nova on the first two snaps of the game. The Buckeyes made Nova uncomfortable from the jump.

• Barrett picked up 19 yards on fourth down on a designed run behind this jumbo package that puts tackles Taylor Decker and Darryl Baldwin on the left side of the line along with guard Pat Elflein.

jumbo.JPG

Ohio State used this formation on back-to-back plays in the first quarter. First they ran it to the weak side with Ezekiel Elliott behind Billy Price and Heuerman, and that play went nowhere.

On Barrett's strong side run, Ohio State kept its first scoring drive alive.

• Not convinced Urban Meyer loves kick coverage? Check out where he positioned himself on this kick in the first quarter. He might as well be running down the field with the kick coverage team.

Kickoff.JPG

• Ohio State's pass defense has been the topic of a lot of conversation this season. On Saturday, I thought the Buckeyes did a good job overall of keeping the Rutgers passing attack grounded. Nova finished with just 192 passing yards.

Still, there were three plays that stuck out on the rewatch as examples of breakdowns in the pass defense.

Nova completed this pass to a wide open Andrew Turzilli in the first quarter. There is nobody within 10 yards of Turzilli when he makes the catch.

Then on a drive in the second quarter, Doran Grant didn't get deep enough with his man, allowing Nova to complete a 39-yard pass to Leonte Carroo on third-and-10 from the Rutgers 11.

GrantSoft.jpg

On fourth-and-5 during the same drive, Vonn Bell plays way off his man and allows an easy 9-yard completion.

BellSoft.jpg

Grant redeemed himself by intercepting a Nova pass in the end zone later in the drive, but it seems there are still some communication/discipline issues in the secondary.

• Against Maryland, Ohio State punter Cameron Johnston used the wind to boom a ball 69 yards and pin the Terrapins deep in their own territory. Ohio State intercepted Maryland QB C.J. Brown on the next play, and scored later on a Nick Vannett touchdown. The play came at a key time to help give Ohio State momentum for good in that game.

Against Rutgers, Johnston again used the wind to punt a ball 53 yards down to the Rutgers 10. Rashad Frazier caused a fumble on the next play that was returned for a touchdown by Eli Apple to put Ohio State up 28-7 before the half.

That's two momentum-swinging plays in back-to-back games started by getting great field position on strong punts from Johnston.

• Rutgers was having trouble with Ohio State's tempo all game. The Scarlet Knights defense wasn't set on a couple of snaps, including this touchdown run by Elliott in the first quarter.

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Alex Kirk continues to improve as he fights for a roster spot with the Cleveland Cavaliers

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The undrafted rookie Alex Kirk is fighting for a roster spot with the Cavaliers.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Alex Kirk is seven-footer with a unique skill-set that has improved steadily throughout training camp with the Cavaliers.

The undrafted big man out of the University of New Mexico has made quite the impression on head coach David Blatt. After a preseason game last week, Blatt, unprompted, made sure he acknowledged the rookie's play. 

That was telling.

"Alex has come along very, very well," Blatt said after Sunday's practice. "He's shown great improvement."

Kirk, 22, isn't your typical big man. He could be seen as a stretch-five, but has the size to bang and mix it up down low.

Having signed a partially guaranteed deal in the offseason after a successful Summer League stint with the Cavaliers, he's determined to do what he can to make the 15-man regular season roster.

"I'm just trying to improve everyday and learn as much as I can from these great group of guys," Kirk told Northeast Ohio Media Group. "I'm in a great situation and I'm thankful the Cavs presenting me this opportunity to make this team. That's my goal."

He's no stranger to hard work. His two All-Mountain West Conference Defensive Team honors will attest to that. The Cavaliers see potential in Kirk and wanted to invest in his development.

The rookie has made it past the first wave of cuts. Guards Stephen Holt and Chris Crawford were the first set of casualties.

The organization is giving him a thorough assessment before making a final decision. With the traditional centers such as Anderson Varejao and Brendan Haywood on the roster, Kirk believes he adds a different dimension to the position, a dimension that could bode well for his chances.

"I can shoot from the outside and spread the floor a little bit," Kirk said. "I try to be productive no matter where I'm at on the floor and I hope to continue showing that."

During the preseason, Kirk has appeared in four games and is averaging 5.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and a block in 15.2 minutes. He's a perfect eight-for-eight from the foul line. His confidence has grown with each game.

Two preseason games are all that remains to make a lasting impression. But for one of his teammates, he has seen enough.

"Alex has been a surprise," Dion Waiters said to Northeast Ohio Media Group. "He's good defensively and has a nice tough on the outside. He's a gamer, the kind of player you want on your team."

OHSAA football playoffs quick glance: Where teams stand after Week 8 according to computer points gurus Joe Eitel, Drew Pasteur (polls)

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Take a look at the projected Ohio High School Athletic Association football playoff computer points after Week 8 games according to computer points expert Joe Eitel, along with some insight from prognosticator Drew Pasteur.

Take a look at the projected Ohio High School Athletic Association football playoff computer points after Week 8 games according to computer points expert Joe Eitel, along with some insight from prognosticator Drew Pasteur.

Denard Robinson gets a little payback against the state of Ohio: Who won the Day?

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The winner on Sunday is a former quarterback who isn't used to beating Ohio teams.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The first time Denard Robinson touched the football against the Browns on Sunday, he ran around the right side for 14 yards. It was, to that point, his longest run of the season and put him within 19 yards of his career high  for a game. Less than seven minutes later, he'd have a new single-game high when he rushed up the middle for 11 yards.

With Toby Gerhart out for the Jaguars, Robinson took over the role of featured back and took over the role so many running backs have against the Browns in 2014 -- unstoppable. 

"The offensive line fired off the ball," said Robinson of his first run from scrimmage. "I was like, 'I've got to do the same thing. I've got an opportunity, so let's go.'"

Robinson, who football fans in Ohio remember well during his time as the quarterback at the University of Michigan, grabbed the opportunity to show what he could do as the No. 1 back and, well, ran with it. He rushed for 127 yards on 22 carries and scored the touchdown that essentially put the game out of reach in the fourth quarter. 

"I want to show people that I'm not just a scat back," Robinson said. "I want to be that 215-pounder that can run the ball and do different things."

Making Robinson's contributions even more important were the struggles of his quarterback. Rookie Blake Bortles was 17-for-31 for 159 yards and threw three interceptions. As a bonus, Robinson made the tackle on one of those three interception returns.

For essentially being Jacksonville's only real offensive threat throughout the day, and for driving fans in Ohio crazy again (he was 1-for-2 as a UM quarterback against OSU), Robinson wins the day.

Three days left to vote for Top 25 football helmets that will advance in contest to decide NEO's best (slideshow, poll)

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See pictures of all 136 team helmets and vote for your favorite. The Top 25 move on to the next round.

See pictures of all 136 team helmets and vote for your favorite. The Top 25 move on to the next round.

Talk Browns-Jaguars with Chris Fedor, Dan Labbe at 10 a.m.

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Talk about the Browns loss to the Jaguars with Chris Fedor and Dan Labbe live at 10 a.m.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Browns lost to the Jaguars on Sunday. We're going to talk about all that and more on our live call-in show at 10 a.m.

Join cleveland.com's Chris Fedor and Dan Labbe live beginning at 10 a.m. They'll talk all things Browns-Jaguars, hand out game balls, grades and take your calls.

You can call the show at (216) 772-1373.

Click play on the player below to start the video.

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