Chris Oakley led all scorers with 21 points on Tuesday.

Chris Oakley led all scorers with 21 points on Tuesday.

The Lake Erie Monsters are shut out by the Milwaukee Admirals, 4-0.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Milwaukee Admirals scored twice in the third period to break open a close game, defeating the Lake Erie Monsters, 4-0, Tuesday night at Quicken Loans Arena.

Marek Mazanec stopped 29 shots in recording the shutout and handing the Monsters their second straight loss and snapping the Admirals seven-game winless streak. The Monsters, 12-10-2-2 on the season, are 6-2 in their last eight games.

Brendan Leipsec scored twice for the Admirals against Monsters goalie Roman Will, who had 27 saves in taking the loss.

The Monsters trailed 2-0 after two periods before Leipsec scored on a power play at 6:37. Milwaukee added an empty-net goal at 18:11.

TV deal: Before the game the Monsters announced that five regular season games will be broadcast on Channel 43.

Games to be televised are: Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. vs. San Antonio; Feb. 7 at 7 p.m. vs. Hamilton; Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. vs. Rockford; March 21 at 7 p.m. vs. Grand Rapids; and April 17 at 7:30 vs. Hamilton.

By halftime of the Cincinnati game, it was obvious the 2014 season was more about the 2015 season. Now Cleveland Browns' head coach Mike Pettine has to find a way to finish strong -- Bud Shaw's Sports Spin. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- More than the quarterback has changed in Berea. So has the way Mike Pettine is advertising him.

The "best chance to win" label is replaced by the more modest "a chance to win." Anybody buying it?

The Browns' head coach isn't claiming Johnny Manziel maximizes the Browns' odds for victory Sunday in Carolina. How could he after Bengals 30, Browns 0, and five plays run in Cincinnati territory all day long?

He's saying Manziel gives the Browns "an opportunity" to win. So, technically, does Connor Shaw.

Translation: the Browns need to find out about Manziel, but no coach is going to say that out loud needing to motivate players for two more weeks. Pettine doesn't want players who had visions of the postseason dancing in their heads turning the calendar to 2015 just yet.

Even though the organization has obviously moved on.

(Was it really so long ago when the locker room broke into what could only kindly be called song and dance?)

"We're going to move forward with him as our quarterback," Pettine said of Manziel in Monday's press conference. "We feel he gives us an opportunity to win ... when you look at how we played around him, I think it's very unfair to judge somebody, what their career is going to be like, off of their first start. I'm sure you could go back and find a lot of other regrettable performances in a first start."

True enough. You just wouldn't find many so late in a winning season that came about through a coach's decision (or organizational decision), not by injury.

If Sunday was any indication, after the first few series some of Pettine's players didn't buy into the quarterback change as a way of salvaging 2014.

They sounded as if they bought it during the week. But they were so ineffective so early on offense, and maybe so beaten down on defense from the effort the week before, that whatever they told themselves about Manziel didn't last.

If they never once considered that Hoyer had helped engineer a 24-3 smackdown of this same team a month earlier, well, give them credit for that much. I would've.

Pettine had flipped the script on Hoyer giving the Browns their best chance to beat Indy to making the same claim for a rookie quarterback who hadn't been reading defenses all year. And doing it in a rematch with a first-place division rival seven days later.

The offense played so poorly against Indy under Hoyer that Pettine could present Manziel as a reasonable alternative without a laugh track. But were players truly sold? It didn't look like it.

Browns coaches had talked up Manziel all week, saying he'd be "absolutely" prepared for his first start. Then Sunday Pettine was "shocked" (his word) by the flat-line performance of a team he thought he knew. Maybe his team was just as shocked by what it saw.

What the head coach can expect in focus and effort the last two weeks looks like a grab bag. Locker rooms don't speak in one voice. Teams don't play with one universal effort.

The coaches will at least be able to identify which players are committed to the program and which players are planning their off-seasons. But that's such a far cry from the shared belief that they'd be playing with something on the line in Carolina and Baltimore.

If the effort is similar to what we saw in the Bengals' game, Pettine will finish 7-9 in his first season with losses in six of his final seven games.

That would still leap frog Rob Chudzinski's 4-12 (and losses in seven of his final eight games and 10 of 11) but it would bring complete whiplash to the momentum built through September, October and half of November.

Losing out shouldn't affect Pettine's status with owner Jimmy Haslam, in part because playing Manziel now is so clearly an organizational decision. Pettine had a tough job this year and did it well enough for a rookie head coach.

But like so many other endings since 1999, it's never good when the season in progress is already about next year.

For more Bud Shaw, read Spinoffs and You Said It.

Browns head coach Mike Pettine talks about Johnny Manziel, the final two games and more.

Cleveland Browns head coach Mike Pettine met with the media today in Berea as the team prepares to face the Carolina Panthers on Sunday on the road. Pettine addressed the team's performance against the Bengals, updated on player injuries and talked about the loss of center Alex Mack.

Here is a transcript of Pettine's press conference courtesy of Cleveland Browns media relations.

Opening statement: "The message to the team this morning was pretty simple. This week represents another opportunity to get a win in the National Football League. Those opportunities you don't get that many of them. You train for a long time for 16 opportunities in a regular season, and this is one that is just as important as any other. There's no better feeling than winning, and that's something that we need to get that feeling back. In the Panthers, we're playing a team...They're, despite their record, in the thick of the race in the NFC South. We all know that's well documented. Offensively, they do a lot of different things – a very unique running game. They do a real nice job. They have three backs that are very capable. They involve the quarterback in the run game a lot, very aware of (Panthers QB) Cam's (Newton) situation, his unfortunate accident last week. We do expect him to play. I know there's still a little gray about that, but we do fully expect him to play. That's a big part of our prep. Defensively, it's a good group led by (Panthers LB) Luke Kuechly who, to me, is one of the best linebackers in football. We're going to have to be on point in what we do in all phases, whether it's setting the edge in the run game, whether it's us on offense being physical at the point of attack. It's emphasizing the little stuff this week. It's not about the call. I would think that we are not going to try to reinvent the wheel scheme wise. We need to go out and play great fundamental football. I talked to the team about their focus this week. We're kind of sandwiched in between a very disheartening loss, and we also have the end of the season is on the horizon. That's a difficult spot to be in because your focus can tend to stray. That's a big part for us this week is we are in the moment of this week. I cautioned them about looking back and cautioned them about looking forward because I have a feeling that they're going to be asked questions about last week and the end of the year. That's something we have to guard against. These opportunities, like I said before, are few and far between. It's something that we need to put our full focus on. We've got a real bad taste in our mouth. We've had it now for a month, and we need to get rid of it." 

On if he has a better idea of why the team lost its edge on Sunday against the Bengals: "I don't because I just think it is hard to predict, and especially when a team is as young as we are. That is very difficult to kind of see. You look for the tell-tale signs, and it's even more puzzling when they're not there when you have a good week of prep. You kind of look at how many times did we have to repeat a play in practice or how many times did you have to go back over something in a meeting? How many missed assignments did we have? Those are all indicators that the focus isn't there, and that hasn't been there. I said this before, if we could figure out, as coaches, how to control that and how to guarantee that that edge will be there and put it in a bottle we'd make a lot of money." 

On if the QB change played a part in the team losing its edge: "That's a theory. It could have, but I don't have any definitive proof that that would be the case." 

On if he has a sense of where the players' heads are at coming off the loss: "Not a good sense today because we were only around them briefly on Monday to meet and review it. Then, just having them in the team meeting this morning, you could tell there's a sense of focus and they're ready to move onto the next one. I'll probably have a better feeling after our two heavier days today and tomorrow." 

On how much of the offensive problems last week were because QB Johnny Manziel only had one week of practice with the first team: "I wouldn't want to just drop it all on that. I think there were some issues because of with him individually that only comes from playing in a game. Real game experience, there's no substitute for it. I've said that a million times. I think that had something to do with it, but as far as the other guys doing their job and they were asked to do jobs, stuff we had done, we had been executing all year. Is it part of it at quarterback? Somewhat, but I'm not willing to hang the offensive performance on his lack of practice time." 

On if he is shooting for a culture change and if the final two games are important in achieving it: "I think that's critical. Just momentum in the offseason is critical. I've said it before that the NFL, like most sports, it is what have you done lately. How we started the year, a lot of people won't remember that. We'll be remembered by our last game, our last performance or our last month or our last two months. I think that is important as you move forward. As far as the culture change part of it, that's something consciously and subconsciously, we've been working on doing here since the end of January a year ago, just to come in and implement a system. When you have the culture of losing that's been here when it's been only four or five wins a year going back however many years, that's a difficult thing to overcome because it's a mentality. When you get stuck in a rut like we're in now it's easy to fall back into an old habit. That's what I've been saying. We need to fight our way out of it. We were close against Indy and have lost some tight games, but as I said after the Pittsburgh game in the opener, pass-fail. Right now, we've gotten ourselves in a mode where we've been failing more than we should." 

On if any of the culture changes that have been made will be lost if the team can't finish the season strong: "I won't say it would have been lost. I think in the short term – and I hate dealing in hypotheticals saying that things aren't going to go well in the next two weeks – we've accomplished a lot. We'll be very proud of what we've accomplished, and we're going to work our butts off to finish on a positive note. To me, it would just be human nature not to feel great about it, but I think as time went on and we look back the feelings would be different. As I stressed to the players, we're in the moment now, and our sole focus is Carolina." 

On why the run defense struggled against Cincinnati: "It's been the answer at other times before that it was no one thing. I think part of it was just the overall when I talked about the 'it' factor. If you're going to stop the run that has to be a big part of it. We did a lot of the little things wrong across the board, whether it was awareness, gathering information pre-snap to aiming points to how we played blocks. I thought sometimes we waited, as opposed to when something developed going and getting it. It was a lot of little things." 

On the challenges of dealing with someone like Panthers LB Luke Kuechly: "He has great awareness. You can tell he's a great student of the game. You can just see that he kind of knows things are coming before they...probably one of the best at gathering pre-snap info and sliding, kind of knowing where the play is going to go. They play a lot of zone. He has great vision on the quarterback and awareness of...he kind of feels what's around him as opposed to having to see it. He does as good a job under coverage, him and (Carolina LB Thomas) Davis both, of playing the quarterbacks eyes. That's why (QB) Johnny (Manziel) is going to have to do a good job this week of manipulating guys with his eyes as all quarterbacks do, but it's especially important this week with as much zone as they play." 

On what happened with K Billy Cundiff and how he feels going forward with K Garrett Hartley: "Well, this week we don't feel that bad. He's played in that stadium more than any of our guys have with his history in New Orleans. There was nothing below the surface will Billy. He was injured in practice and unable to kick. That's plain and simple. He went down to the stadium to do some work, and was actually having a great day kicking and injured his knee. It stiffened up on him the next day, and we didn't feel, he didn't feel that he would be able to kick. That's a position where you obviously have to...that's not one that can be a game-time decision. It was a situation where we needed to make a move and we did." 

On if Hartley isn't going to kick off: "(P) Spencer (Lanning) has done it before, and he did a good job of it in the game. Unfortunately, we only got the one opportunity to kick off, but I think he put it maybe five deep and decent hang-time. We'll see. That might be based on who feels better in warm-ups because I think they're probably very similar with depth and hang-time." 

On if he has anymore clarity on what they're going to do at center: "No more clarity today. We'll work our guys. We'll see where we are rep-wise. I don't think we've put it out yet, but I think we have a couple of guys that are sick today, so that might affect us just from alignment. This flu bug has hit a couple of guys, so it's something I'll have to see. I know there were a couple of offensive linemen involved. That might affect our rotation." 

On if he has an update on the injured guys like TE Gary Barnidge and LB Karlos Dansby: "Barnidge will work today, but he'll...no contact. We won't know until the end of the week just kind of how he feels running around from a comfort level, how we can protect him." 

On if he thinks DB Tashaun Gipson will be back this week: "Gip (Gipson), I'm not real positive about Gip. (Head athletic trainer) Joe (Sheehan) will know late in the week. He truly is day to day. Dansby should get some good work today. We'll have a much better sense of where he is after today and tomorrow." 

On what he's seen from Panthers QB Derek Anderson in case he starts: "I think he started two games for them this year and he's 2-0, so there's something to be said for that. I was actually in Baltimore when we drafted him, so I've known Derek for a long time. I think we drafted him in the sixth and had him early on the roster. Then we wanted to get him on the practice squad, and Cleveland grabbed him. The rest is history, but I'm very familiar with Derek and his skillset. It's a credit to him that he's been able to survive in this league for as long as he has." 

On how significant it was losing OL Alex Mack when he steps back and takes a look at the season, especially given the emphasis on the run game: "We have talked about this. When you lose a Pro Bowl player you don't replace him. There are certain positions that are, you hate to say are more important that others but, have more of a significant impact. Center's a guy that puts his hand on the ball every single play, and the big part of the run game, big part of the protections getting all the information correct and relayed to the other guys. You don't replace an Alex Mack. You've got to replace him with one player, but there's going to be a definite drop-off. It's something that we've had to deal with. Those guys have stepped in and played well, but when you lose a player there's going to be an inevitable drop-off." 

On if DB Joe Haden will practice today: "I don't know. If he does anything it might be just some conditioning stuff off to the side. I don't know if we'll do anything...They had him in to assess where he is with it. I don't know if he'll take any reps today." 

On if he looks to get DB Pierre Desir more reps this week against Carolina no matter what: "I wouldn't no matter what. The game plan will be formed and the depth chart will be formed on who gives us the best opportunity based on the matchups. Pierre was a big unknown, and I addressed this on Monday. I thought he did a heck of a job for us. I feel a lot more comfortable now and have a lot more confidence in Pierre knowing that he's going into a game in a situation going from zero plays to all of a sudden playing just a hair under 40 and played some quality reps for us. There will be a lot less hesitation to put Pierre in at this point." 

On Bernie Kosar's comments about the Browns' front office and saying that no matter what quarterback they play the Browns can't be successful: "I think that's a little dramatic. I know I talked about this before when sometimes guys will make comments that are a little bit over the top. I have a lot of respect for Bernie. He was one of my favorite guys growing up, heck of a quarterback. He's entitled to his opinion, but being here on the inside of it and seeing what we're building and seeing the interaction we have between (Browns Owner) Jimmy Haslam and (Browns General Manager) Ray Farmer and (Browns President) Alec Scheiner and myself – the commitment is all there for us to successful. Obstacles are being removed for us to be successful, and I'm very encouraged about the future here, very encouraged. I'd be the last one to tell you that the odds are stacked against us to be successful because of management. That couldn't be further from the truth. We're in the society of instant gratification. Everybody wants it to happen now, and as much as we want that to happen, it is a process. When you build a house you've got to build it from the foundation. You've got to build the right way and make sure it's rock solid. We're in the middle of that. I get people are going to have their opinions and say what they say, but a lot more of that happens when you've lost three in a row. I didn't hear a lot of that when we had just gotten our seventh win. We want that stuff to go away. It still comes back to bottom-line business. You've got to win games."

The Cleveland Cavaliers had their six-game home winning streak snapped by the Atlanta Hawks, 127-98.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Cavaliers had their six-game home winning streak snapped by the Atlanta Hawks, 127-98. 

The Hawks got 24 points from Shelvin Mack, who went 7-of-8 from the field. Atlanta shot 64 percent from the field as the Hawks had seven players score in double figures. 

LeBron James led the way for the Cavs in a losing effort. He had 21 points. Dion Waiters matched James, scoring 21 off the bench. 

Get live updates and analysis as cleveland.com's Chris Fedor brings you the latest on the game in the comments section below.

Make sure you're following Chris as well as Chris Haynes and Joe Vardon on Twitter.

Scoring Summary:

End of 3rd Quarter - Hawks lead Cavs, 95-75. LeBron James has a game-high 21 points. Kevin Love has added 13 points and nine rebounds. Shelvin Mack has scored 20 points off the bench for the Hawks. Atlanta is shooting 63 percent through three quarters. 

End of 2nd Quarter - Hawks catch fire from three-point range and lead the Cavs, 65-60. LeBron James leads the way. He has 17 points on 6-of-11 from the field. Kyrie Irving, Dion Waiters and Kevin Love each have nine points. For the Hawks, it's Shelvin Mack's season-high 17 points leading the way. 

End of 1st Quarter - Cavs lead the Hawks, 34-26. LeBron James leads the way. He has 11 points on 4-of-7 from the field. Kevin Love has added nine points and five rebounds. Atlanta, who is playing without leading scorer Jeff Teague, is paced by Dennis Schroeder. He has six points. 

Game 24: Cavs (14-9) vs. Hawks (17-7)

Tip off: 7 p.m. at Quicken Loans Arena

TV/radio: Fox Sports Ohio; WTAM AM/1100, WMMS 100.7 FM

Cavs probable starting lineup: Kyrie Irving, Shawn Marion, LeBron James, Kevin Love and Anderson Varejao.

Hawks probable starting lineup: Dennis Schroeder, Kyle Korver, DeMarre Carroll, Paul Millsap and Al Horford.

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

Cleveland Cavaliers shooter Mike Miller will return to the lineup as his team takes on the Atlanta Hawks.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Cavaliers' forward Kevin Love will play tonight against the Atlanta Hawks after missing morning shootaround with flu-like symptoms.

Head coach David Blatt didn't sound confident that his power forward was 100 percent. He just said, "He's going to give it a go."

Mike Miller will miss his seventh consecutive game as he deals with a stiff neck, Blatt said. Miller passed the fifth and final phase of the NBA's concussion recovery protocol this morning. Blatt said they just wanted to hold him out one more game.

Miller sustained the concussion on Dec. 4 towards the end of a 90-87 road win over the New York Knicks.

In 13 appearances the long-range threat is averaging 1.5 points, 2.1 rebounds and shooting 25 percent from three-point range.

A look at everything going on in the local softball scene.

A look at everything going on in the local softball scene.

There are a few things Tide fans are just sick of hearing at this point.

Alabama fans can enjoy trash talk from opposing fans, but there are a few things they are just sick of hearing at this point.

With that in mind, AL.com put together the 10 things you should never say to an Alabama football fan. AL.com staffers Alex McDaniel, Matt Scalici, Josh Bean, Drew Champlin and Mike Herndon offered submissions.

Did we miss an obvious one, Ohio State fans? Let us know in the comments: 

1. Got a Second?

No, Auburn fans, they don't have a second to spare anymore.

2. Bear Bryant never wore houndstooth

Pure blasphemy. The Bear rocked the heck out of those houndstooth hats. 

3. Alabama doesn't really have 15 national championships

It still has more national championships than your school. 

4. Did you actually go to Alabama?

Don't quote Clay Travis' "85 percent" line, either. Alabama football fans are as passionate as they come, whether they graduated from the school or not. Football is like a religion and you don't have to go to seminary school to believe in God. 

5. Nick Saban is probably leaving for ______

There rumors pop up every year, but hit a fever pitch last year with Texas. Nick Saban isn't going to Michigan, Florida or any other school that has a job opening. He's content in Tuscaloosa. 

6. Dreamland is overrated

Don't trash talk Alabama barbecue to an Alabama fan. Arguments that Archibald's is better are acceptable, though. 

7. Better coach: Mike Shula or Mike DuBose?

Crimson Tide fans would probably prefer to forget these coaching tenures ever happened. 

8. Don't you think you're wearing a bit too much houndstooth?

There's no such thing. 

9. What's Albert Means up to these days?

Alabama fans aren't too fond of the player involved in a recruiting scandal that put Alabama on probation. 

10. Auburn's Gus Malzahn is better

Just don't say it. 

President Barack Obama praised LeBron James and others for wearing "I Can't Breathe" t-shirt, compared the act to those of Ali, Ashe, and Russell

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- President Barack Obama said "I think LeBron did the right thing" in reference to the Cavaliers superstar wearing an "I Can't Breathe" T-shirt prior to a game earlier this month, according to People Magazine.

In an interview published this week with both the President and First Lady Michelle Obama, Obama supported the decision not only of James, but other athletes who've worn the shirts since a grand jury decided not to indict a Staten Island police officer in the death of Eric Garner.

Garner died after he was placed in a choke hold by Staten Island police during an arrest for selling loose cigarettes in July. A grand jury decided not to indict the officer on Dec. 3, which sparked protests across New York.

The first athlete to wear the T-shirt was Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose on Dec. 6. James, Kyrie Irving, and some Brooklyn Nets wore the shirts on Dec. 8.

"I think LeBron did the right thing," Obama said, according to an ABC News account of the People interview. The magazine is on newsstands now but the interview is to be released digitally Friday.

"We forget the role that Muhammad Ali, Arthur Ashe, and Bill Russell played in raising consciousness," Obama said. "I'd like to see more athletes do that -- not just around this issue, but around a range of issues."

James said he was wearing the shirt in support of Garner and his survivors. He has been outspoken in recent weeks over two high-profile cases of police brutality against unarmed, African-Americans that resulted in deaths, including the Ferguson, Missouri incident involving Mike Brown. But James has also said he's not blaming police, either.

"It's just to understand what we're going through as a society," James said the night he wore the "I Can't Breathe" shirt.

"I've been quoted over and over as far as what's going on, it's more of a notion to the family. More than anything. As a society we have to do better. We have to be better for one another, don't matter what race you are."

Observations from Alabama's Wednesday practice in Tuscaloosa.

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama -- Alabama emphasized the fundamentals once again at Wednesday's football practice as the Ohio State preparations are still a few days away.

What we saw

-- Backup offensive lineman Grant Hill was absent for a second straight day. Nick Saban said he was sick after Tuesday's workout. Also, left tackle Cam Robinson was back for the viewing period after traffic made him late Tuesday returning from Louisiana.

-- The Tide wore full pads for Day 2 after going in helmets and shoulder pads Tuesday.

-- T.J. Yeldon was watching most drills during the media viewing period. Running backs were doing drills that included sharp cuts that could aggravate the ankle sprain that slowed some of his progress late in the year.

-- Like Saban said Tuesday, there was a heavy focus on the basics. For the second straight day, basic quarterback-running back exchanges were practiced along with toss plays.

-- Strength and conditioning coach Scott Cochran was on the prowl once again seeking fumbles. He punched one out of running back Tyren Jones' arms from behind.

-- Like Tuesday and is customary during pre-bowl practices, a handful of high school coaches were on hand to observe the workout.

What comes next

Alabama returns to practice Thursday afternoon.

The podcast took a look at the big weekend ahead in local hoops.

The podcast took a look at the big weekend ahead in local hoops.

Other notes include more indignity for the run defense and injury updates.

BEREA, Ohio – The Browns enter Sunday's game against the Panthers riding one of the NFL's most dubious streaks.

There's been little merry or festive about the holiday season for the franchise since it returned to the NFL in 1999. The Browns are 19-55 in regular-season games played in December and January. They're 2-19 over the past five seasons, including a league-worst 10 straight losses.

Browns coach Mike Pettine addressed his team about maintaining its focus for the final two games after their fleeting playoff hopes were crushed by the Bengals in a 30-0 rout.

"We're kind of sandwiched in between a very disheartening loss, and we also have the end of the season on the horizon," he said. "That's a difficult spot to be in because your focus can tend to stray. That's a big part for us this week is we are in the moment."

Pettine isn't the first Browns coach in the last 15 years to preach the importance of finishing strong. Few others, however, had them in playoff contention when December opened. The Browns, losers of three straight, were 7-5 at the start of the month.

A large chunk of the fan base remains enraged by the team's performance in the Bengals' game --  Johnny Manziel's debut as a starter. Former Browns quarterbacks Bernie Kosar and Tim Couch have been critical of the organization in recent days.

While Pettine didn't agree with Kosar's critique of management, he understands the need to carry positive momentum into the off-season. It wasn't long ago the club was 7-4.

"I've said it before that the NFL, like most sports, it is 'What have you done lately?' Pettine said. "How we started the year, a lot of people won't remember that. We'll be remembered by our last game, our last performance or our last month or our last two months . . .

"We've got a real bad taste in our mouth. We've had it now for a month, and we need to get rid of it."

Still searching for answers

Pettine and several players admitted they were missing an "edge" against the Bengals. Three days after the loss, the coach still isn't sure why it was lacking.

The Browns (7-7) had a solid week of practice leading into the AFC North rematch, he said.

"You look for the tell-tale signs, and it's even more puzzling when they're not there ..." he said. "You kind of look at how many times did we have to repeat a play in practice or how many times did you have to go back over something in a meeting? How many missed assignments did we have? Those are all indicators that the focus isn't there, and that (wasn't the case)."

Run over

The Browns' inability to stop the run against the Bengals manifested itself again Wednesday as rookie halfback Jeremy Hill earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors rushing for his 148-yard, two-TD performance Sunday.

The club surrendered a season-high 244 yards – the most in three years – during the setback. The Browns' woes against the run have been a recurring problem. The rush defense ranks 31^st at 137.6 yards per game.

"It has been frustrating that we haven't consistently stopped the run," safety Jim Leonhard said. "That's what this defense is built around. If we stop the run we will dictate the game and we'll be in position to win a lot of games."

The Browns rank seventh in pass defense (221.9), first in interceptions (20) and 14th in scoring defense (21.4)

Missed tackles, inability to shed blocks, poor pre-snap recognition and lack of gap integrity are reasons proffered for struggles on the run defense this season.

Against the Bengals, Pettine said the Browns did "a lot of the little things wrong across the board."

Brownies

Pettine expects safety Tashaun Gipson (knee) to miss his fourth straight game against Carolina. He said it's too early to make calls on cornerback Joe Haden (shoulder), linebacker Karlos Dansby (knee) and tight end Gary Barnidge (ribs) ... The club still hasn't decided on a center, Pettine said. Third-stringer Ryan Seymour occupied the spot the past two games . . . Pettine expects Panthers quarterback Cam Newton to start Sunday. Newton missed last week's game after injuring his back in a car accident.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Plain Dealer photographers are at Quicken Loans Arena tonight as the Cleveland Cavaliers face the Atlanta Hawks. The gallery will be updated throughout the game. Check back for all the action.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Plain Dealer photographers are at Quicken Loans Arena tonight as the Cleveland Cavaliers face the Atlanta Hawks. The gallery will be updated throughout the game. Check back for all the action.

Instant recap of Ohio State's 97-55 win over North Carolina A&T.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – D'Angelo Russell cut to the basket, drew a foul and then effortlessly laid the ball in the hoop. 

He walked a few feet toward the hoop stanchion and flicked his fingers down, the body language equivalent of saying, "Gimme that." 

That play was too easy. Really, everything about No. 12 Ohio State's 97-55 win over North Carolina A&T in Nationwide Arena on Wednesday night was way too easy. 

Now the Buckeyes (9-1) have their first real test since losing at Louisville a few weeks ago. 

Russell led Ohio State with 21 points, sophomore Marc Loving added and Amir Williams had his second productive game in a row with 11 points. 

Following is the instant gamer from Thad Matta's Buckeyes' latest win. 

What it means: Nothing. It was another overmatched opponent that Ohio State blew off the court from the beginning. The good news is that it's almost Christmas – which was evident on the arena's video board – and the nonconference schedule vs. cupcakes is coming to an end soon. 

When it was over: When North Carolina A&T called a timeout 88 seconds into the game already trailing 8-0. Ohio State went on to open its lead 17-2 with 15 minutes remaining in the first half and never looked back. 

Crucial run: Ohio State slowed down at the end of the first half and took only a 39-26 lead into the locker room. Then the Buckeyes blew the game wide open out of the gates of the second half, beginning the period on a 19-4 run that spanned three minutes to open their lead to 55-30 with 16:59 remaining. 

Playing Scottish: The North Carolina game is probably extra special for Scott considering his father, Charlie, is a Tarheel legend. The senior point guard had a good warm up before facing North Carolina, posting a career-high seven steals and 12 assists. Ohio State had 18 steals in the game, tied for third-all time in program history for a single game. 

Play of the game: Senior Sam Thompson stole a pass at the top of the arc and went coast-to-coast before finishing with a one-handed slam on the other end. That extended Ohio State's lead to 37-20 and extended his impressive dunk streak to more games in a row than anyone can count. 

What's next: Ohio State has spent much of the last two weeks thinking about its loss at Louisville, but it is hard, even for Matta, to analyze how far the Buckeyes have come considering their competition in their last four wins. 

Now that Ohio State is moving on to face North Carolina in Chicago's United Center on Saturday as part of the CBS Sports Classic, Matta will get a real gauge on how much his team has grown during the course of its last four blowouts. 

Bring in Lorbach: When games are complete blowouts like this one, Matta likes to get his walk-ons into the game. With roughly four minutes left, St. Edward product Jake Lorbach checked into the game. Last season, Lorbach had a two-handed slam in an appearance like this. 

Mount Union quarterback Kevin Burke is the first player to win the Gagliardi Trophy twice. The award is given to the top Division III football player with consideration of academics and community service.

SALEM, Virginia – Mount Union senior quarterback Kevin Burke won a historic second Gagliardi Trophy on Wednesday, becoming the first player to win Division III college football's top prize twice.

Burke received the trophy at a kickoff banquet for the Stagg Bowl national championship game. Burke and the Purple Raiders play defending champion Wisconsin-Whitewater at 7 p.m. Friday (ESPNU) at Salem Civic Center.

"If you'd have asked me four years ago what I would have thought about my college football career, I never would have thought, 'two-time winner of the Gagliardi Trophy and player of the year.' I am so grateful and so humbled," Burke said.

Burke was asked in a webcast of the event how he felt about joining Ohio State two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin as a rare, two-time winner of one of college football's premier awards.

"Considering me with Archie Griffin in my mind is outrageous. It's crazy to me, but to be even asked that question, obviously I've done something right,'' Burke said.

The Gagliardi Trophy, awarded since 1993, weighs academics and community service as well as football success. Burke became the first non-senior to win the award last year, and the sixth Mount Union player.

The other three finalists were Illinois College senior quarterback Michael Bates, Wesley College junior quarterback Joe Callahan and Willamette senior running back Dylan Jones.

A video presentation for each finalist was shown at the banquet before the winner was announced. Burke's video is at the bottom of this story.

Through 14 games this season, Burke has 4,609 yards combined passing and rushing and 59 touchdowns. He has completed 65 percent of his passes for 4,089 yards passing and 49 TDs, with five interceptions.

Burke, a St. Edward grad from Westlake, has a 3.37 grade-point average in business management and last summer interned with the U.S. Secret Service. He was second-team academic All-America.

Burke has been involved in numerous community service projects, including packing and distributing meals to needy school children, organizing a fundraiser around Mount Union's Relay for Life event, reading to elementary students with the 2nd and 7 Foundation and being part of Trick or Treat with the Purple Raiders community event.

In three seasons as Mount Union's starter, Burke is 43-1 and will be the school's first QB to start three Stagg Bowls. He guided UMU to a 15-0 season as a sophomore, winning the national championship, and 14-1 last year with a loss in the Stagg Bowl.

The award is named for John Gagliardi, who retired as Saint John's coach in 2012 with 489 career victories, the most in college football history.

Bates ended the regular season as the active NCAA Division III leader in career passing yardage. He led nation in points responsible for (244), and his 32 touchdown passes were tied for fourth. He was as vice president and secretary for the organization Brothers and Sisters in Christ and raised money for Pregnancy Resource Center in Jacksonville, Ill.

Callahan was third in Division III with 34 touchdown passes, fifth in both passing efficiency (181.1) and points responsible for (228). He recorded seven games of 300 passing yards or more. He is a volunteer at the annual Wesley SAAC Food Drive for the Food Bank of Delaware, is a math tutor and participated in Read Across America.

Jones led Division III in rushing yards per game (177.7) and finished second in total rushing yards (1,599). He set school records for single-season rushing yards and single-game rushing yards (350). He volunteered with United Way and a local food-sharing program.

Mount Union's previous winners are quarterback Jim Ballard (1993), quarterback Bill Borchert (1997), running backs Chuck Moore (2001) and Dan Pugh (2002), and quarterback Greg Micheli (2008).

The No. 18 Walsh Jesuit Warriors boys basketball team remained undefeated with a victory against Lincoln West

The No. 18 Walsh Jesuit Warriors boys basketball team remained undefeated with a victory against Lincoln West

LeBron James scores 21 but the Cavaliers' six-game home winning streak ended with thud.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – LeBron James scored 21 points for the Cavaliers Monday night, but his contributions mattered little in a 127-98 loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

Perhaps the lone silver lining -- at least for James and arguably the Cavaliers -- was James played just 29 minutes, sitting out the fourth quarter with the game already a blowout.

This was the Cavs' worst loss (by 29 points) this season.

James shot 8-of-16 from the field, but contributed just three rebounds and two assists. But this one wasn't so much about James as it was about the Hawks, who repaid the Cavaliers for a 33-point drubbing at The Q back on Nov. 15.

Here is an instant, quarter-by-quarter briefing on James' performance against the Hawks.

1^st Quarter

Stats: 11 pts, 1 rb, 2 ast, 4-7 FG, 3-4 FT

Highlight: James scored seven points in a span of 52 seconds, including a layup in traffic after a steal with 5:39 left.

Briefing: James had two tough possessions late in the quarter when Atlanta reserve Thabo Sefolosha started to guard him. James was dribbling too much and couldn't beat Sefolosha, but on that second possession, James crossed over so quick that the defender fell down. James then zipped a pass over to Matthew Dellavedova for a three-pointer with 2.8 seconds left, finishing off a really strong opening 12 minutes.

2^nd Quarter

Stats: 6 pts, 0 rbs, 0 ast, 2-4 FG, 2-3 FT

Highlight: James caught a quick pass from Kevin Love, steered toward the baseline and then went up for a powerful, two-handed slam with 2:22 to go.

Briefing: James sat for nearly seven minutes in the second quarter. Problem was, things didn't improve when he came back. The Cavaliers still led 52-46 when James returned at 5:02, though the Hawks had already begun their three-point barrage. Atlanta's 12th and final three (the ninth of the quarter), from Mike Scott at the buzzer gave the Hawks a 65-60 lead. That's an 11-point swing in the wrong direction for the Cavs with James out there. The Hawks scored 39 that quarter.

3^rd Quarter

Stats: 4 pts, 2 rbs, 0 ast, 2-5 FG, 0-0 FT

Highlight: For the third time this game, James caught a long outlet from Love and turned it into two points – the latest at 10:48.

Briefing: It's ugly, folks. There wasn't much that James did, or perhaps could've done, to stop the onslaught. The Hawks were getting everything they wanted offensively, from layups to open threes. James was among the guilty for leaving too much room between him and his man on the perimeter; but, again, the Hawks were a force of nature. Atlanta's starting frontcourt had 41 points, while backup guard Shelvin Mack had 20 points (6-of-6 from three-point range) through three periods.

4th Quarter

Stats: 0 pts, 0 rbs, 0 ast, 0-0 FG, 0-0 FT

Highlight: James knew it just wasn't the Cavaliers' night. With 3:19 left and the team down by 27, James and Kyrie Irving engaged in one of their special handshakes and shared what looked like a "we'll get em next time" nod.

Briefing: James started the fourth quarter on the bench with the Cavaliers down 20. It got worse from there, so, no, there was no reason to return. James' previous three games consisted of 42, 38, and 40 minutes on the floor.

Totals: 21 pts, 3 rbs, 2 ast, 8-16 FG, 5-7 FT, 29 min

From Pelini ripping Nebraska's athletic director to Chryst being introduced at Wisconsin to Harbaugh reportedly having a huge offer from Michigan, the coaching wheel in the Big Ten is spinning at high speed, as the Buckeyes prepare for their playoff game.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Could the rest of the Big Ten be anymore upside down?

While the conference's best team tries to win a national title, Wisconsin, Nebraska and Michigan all made news while trying to get themselves settled off the field. 

Think about if Urban Meyer hadn't been available when the Buckeyes were looking for a coach after the 2011 season? Pelini would have been in that mix. Ohio State may have hired a very capable coach and been just fine. But, three years later, there's also the chance the Buckeyes would be in turmoil if Meyer, a two-time national champion, hadn't been there to right the ship.

Look at what happened Wednesday with the Badgers, Cornhuskers and Wolverines, three teams that should be challenging Ohio State.

• Wisconsin introduced new coach Paul Chryst at a news conference, which should get back to the Bret Bielema days after two years with Gary Andersen, who bolted for Oregon State. Chryst is a Badger through and through, and when asked at his news conference if Wisconsin was a "destination job," which has become a buzz phrase in Madison since Andersen's surprise decision to leave, he said, "I think that when you talk about destination job, I think you've got to earn the right to stay that long."

That was a good answer. Chryst may not be flashy, but he was very good assistant at Wisconsin and was 19-19 in three years at Pitt. At age 49, he may settle in for 20 years if he wins.

He might be just what Wisconsin needed. Or he might be the hometown candidate who doesn't cut it.

• Pelini was introduced as the new coach at Youngstown State on Wednesday, an unbelievable hire for an FCS team, getting a coach fresh off winning nine games a year for seven years at Nebraska. That wasn't good enough there, but it's a dream for the Penguins.

At his intro news conference, Pelini talked of having a school president "who understands football" and is going to support him, which Pelini said he didn't know if he ever had at Nebraska.

Youngstown State's president, you may have heard, is Jim Tressel.

But there wasn't much time to relax and enjoy the Pelini-Tressel collaboration because a story came out about Pelini ripping Nebraska athletic Shawn Eichorst as someone with "no integrity" -- and much worse. Pelini was recorded without his knowledge while speaking to his team after he was fired.

The story from the Omaha World-Herald is worth your time. 

So is the reaction from Nebraska, which replaced Pelini with nice-guy coach Mike Riley.

"If these comments were, indeed, spoken by Mr. Pelini, we are extremely disappointed, but it only reaffirms the decision that he should no longer be a leader of young men at Nebraska," reads the statement in part.

Yowza.

• And then there's Michigan, and reports that the Wolverines are ready to offer Jim Harbaugh more than $8 million a year over six years to be their new head coach. Urban Meyer, by comparison, makes less than $5 million per year. That rate would make Harbaugh the highest-paid coach in college football, ahead of Alabama's Nick Saban.

(Though if Harbaugh comes to Ann Arbor, you can bet everyone from Saban to Meyer and many others will be getting raises and saying thank you.)

Crazy money. If I was Michigan, I'd pay it.

Sources: #Michigan has made another run at Jim Harbaugh after he initially rebuffed the school. U-M has made an offer of 6 years, $48M. Wow.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 17, 2014

So Ohio State fans, would you rather be getting ready for a College Football Playoff game or be knee deep in coaching craziness?  

What else we learned Wednesday

• Former Cleveland Heights star Kyle Dodson has been forced out of football because of injury 

• Joey Bosa is a unanimous first-team All-American

• Urban Meyer had the magic words for Vonn Bell

• Two Sugar Bowl freshman game-changers are a punter and a speedster

• Thad Matta has reason to show the basketball team film of the football team

• Our map shows where all the playoff players come from

From Alabama

• Alabama's president is leaving

• Alabama named permanent captains

• Alabama's practice report

• Don't ask Nick Saban about what he said to Will Muschamp

The Cleveland Cavaliers struggled mightily on defense against the Atlanta Hawks.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cavaliers were hit with a Mack Truck as Shelvin Mack dazzled and the Atlanta Hawks put on a dizzying offensive display in a 127-98 victory Wednesday night at The Q.

Cleveland (14-10) was once in control, up 50-38 midway through the second quarter. Then the floor dropped out. The Hawks moved the ball swiftly from left to right and the Cavaliers were repeatedly late on their defensive rotations.

Mack was the main beneficiary of the tardiness, scoring 17 of his 24 points in the second quarter as the Hawks outscored the Cavaliers, 39-26. He was 6-of-6 from beyond the arc and didn't miss a field goal until early in the final quarter.

Entering the night, the fourth-year veteran from Butler had a season high of 13 points on Nov. 25 against Washington. The only reason he played significant minutes was due to Jeff Teague, the Hawks' leading scorer, being out with a strained left hamstring.

It was disastrous quarter for the Cavs, who allowed multiple wide-open looks. LeBron James was barking orders and showing his frustration.

Atlanta (18-7) was in so much of a rhythm that Mike Scott buried an uncontested buzzer-beating 28-foot three-pointer to end the half. It was a couple of feet out of his range, but again, he was wide open.

The Hawks went into the break up 65-60, having shot 69 percent from the field. Every single Hawks player was shooting 50 percent or higher.

In an attempt to buckle down on defense, the Cavaliers forgot how to score in the third. Atlanta held them to 15 third-quarter points and increased their lead to 20 heading into the fourth.

Head coach David Blatt waited approximately four minutes to see if his team could build some momentum. They could not, and the starters were pulled. When it was all said and done, Kyle Korver (1-of-3) and Thabo Sefolosha (1-of-3) were the only visitors to not hit 50 percent of their shots.

The 65 percent shooting was the highest Cleveland has given up all season.

The season-series is tied at 1-1. It was payback for Atlanta, which lost, 127-94, at The Q on Nov. 15.

James had 21 points, three rebounds and two assists. Kevin Love snatched his 14^th double double of the season, providing 13 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Dion Waiters added 21 off the bench.

Bench update

Atlanta outscored Cleveland's bench 66-45.

Who's on deck?

Cleveland will get a second look at the Brooklyn Nets Friday at The Q. On Dec. 8 Cleveland got a quality 110-88 road win vs. the Nets.

See the transcript of Mike Pettine's press conference from Thursday afternoon.

Cleveland Browns head coach Mike Pettine met with the media prior to practice on Thursday afternoon in Berea. Here is a transcript of what he had to say courtesy of Cleveland Browns media relations.

On OL Joe Thomas winning the local PFWA Player of the Year Award and what has impressed about Thomas in his first season with him: "From an NFL player standpoint and beyond that, he's just the total package, very professional, high character. Sometimes you have superstar players that are top of their game that there's a sense of entitlement or they don't practice as hard. He's the exact opposite of that. We give him a day off, but it's like we're protecting him from himself. He'd want to go. To me, you know you've got a special guy when one of your best players is also one of your best examples and your best worker. It's not a surprise to me that you guys saw that too." 

On some examples of guys who've played like a Brown and played up to what he had hoped this year: "(WR Andrew) Hawkins is another guy that we have to pull him out at times because he just works so hard. Joe, already mentioned. (OL Joel) Bitonio is a guy that we've been very impressed with. Again, if you spend some time around us and don't have a roster and don't know who was who you'd never think this was his first year in the NFL, also not coming from a huge program, too. He's been great for us. (OL John) Greco is another guy I'd put in that category. (TE) Jim Dray just goes out and never says a...You'd think he's on a budget for words on the year. He says nothing, and all he does is go out and do everything we ask and then some. 'Kitch' (DL Ishmaa'ily Kitchen) on defense is a guy, great work ethic, just wants to get better, has shown improvement through the year. Another obvious one is (LB) Craig Robertson. We already talked about that when he received the Man of the Year Award. His level of play this year, a guy that's bought into what we're doing and very coachable. You could see the difference – again, I didn't study him too much from last year's tape – but you could see just a big improvement in his approach to the game, how hard he works. It's a lot of guys. (DB) Joe Haden's been good for us. (DB) Pierre Desir's a good example. I talked about just kind of given a set of circumstances where it was, 'Hey, you're given a redshirt.' Then all he's done is work and found himself on the field and found himself being productive. (DB) Jim Leonhard, don't let the looks fool you. He's just a guy that's a consummate professional on and off the field. There's a bunch more. I could bore you." 

On how the season so far has been a learning experience for him in his first season as a head coach: "It's tough for me to really reflect back on that now. We've got two left, and I said it the other day, none more important than this one. I don't want to get in the mode where...It's not time for reflection yet. I have plenty of time when we're done to do that. We will do a very detailed, whether it's self-assessment, self-scout, audit when we're done and just look back evaluate everything with this program from A to Z. I'll look at myself and ask for feedback from people, as well, that I'm close to, that I trust on, 'Hey, what did we do well as a program? What did we not do well?' That's all stuff for postseason. We'll be able to pour through that information when we get it and act on it accordingly, but our primary concern now is Carolina." 

On if a player like QB Johnny Manziel could help the Browns defense prepare for Panthers QB Cam Newton: "He could, but (QB) Connor Shaw has a good amount of mobility to him, as well. Then, a lot of the stuff we're doing defensively at this time of year it's more walkthrough, jog-through. So, as far as simulating full speed, we're not getting as much as that as we would have earlier in the year. We do scale back, more tempo than reps at this point. We always kind of look at, 'Where are we? How much full speed work or padded work do we need?' We're at that point now where we've really pushed back on both." 

On how he balances fans being frustrated with the what have you done for me lately nature of the league and wanting to build something: "To me, each week is a block and you approach it...It goes back to the whole concept of compartmentalizing. It's hard, and I just addressed it here with Jeff is that it's hard to look back and reflect at this point. We are, week to week, trying to stack as many wins as we can. Then, when the smoke clears we'll do our evaluations and act accordingly. When you get into the routine of an NFL week it is really hard to do anything other than that normal routine to prepare for the opponent." 

On if he can be impacted by just going for quick fixes: "I just think when you get in coach mode that each week is a new challenge, and you get what's thrown on the table, here's what's available to me. I've got to find a way to take what we have and look at what problems or what challenges the opponent presents, and you formulate a plan to be successful. When you go through that week you go out and give the best effort you can. Then, you're onto the next one. Then, like I said, there'll be a time and a place to look back on all of it and deal with more of the big picture stuff." 

On why the running game hasn't been what he would like it to be since its big night in Cincinnati: "Same answer the run defense being inconsistent. It's little things. Sometimes, it's matchups. You look at a lot of plays we're close on, and the difference between a successful run and an unsuccessful one, sometimes, is an inch or two. It's a click, a tenth of a second or two, not recognizing something soon enough. So many plays are close. You've just got to get to the point where you get that it's a subtle difference. It doesn't take much to get some of those plays flipped. You have a 1-yard run that was real close to being out the gate. That makes a huge difference in the game. All of a sudden, some of those go your way, and the results are much different." 

On if he attributes any of that to the rookie running backs: "There's some to it. There is a learning process for them, certainly with the scheme, that these guys are not familiar with. It's all learning for them. As I've said a bunch of times, you simulate it as best you can in practice, as best you can in preseason games, but there's just no substitute for it. That's hard when you want results. You want instant results, but there's also you don't want a quick fixes. You don't want to, 'Hey, let's change because of what we know.' Let's make sure that we're building the structure to be solid for years to come." 

On previously saying that he wouldn't mind seeing Browns RB Glenn Winston on the field and why he has recently been inactive for two games: "It's not as much Glenn because Glenn did a good job for us on special teams. We were very impressed with (RB) Shaun (Draughn) when he came in here, Shaun Draughn. I think he brought a different skill set, a different mentality to that. When we make that judgment each week of, 'Hey, who were the three guys that we want up,' that's been the answer each time. Glenn is a guy that we think has a bright future in this league. It just hasn't worked out for him yet that he's been out there on offense and gotten touches." 

On if good teams consistently have 11 guys doing the right thing on every play or if they have players that make up for another making a mistake: "It's a variety of things. I think that could be the case. Sometimes, you have guys...You'll watch plays and you'll have three or four guys get a minus, but it didn't impact the play or somebody just made such an extraordinary play that you were able to overcome it. Same with defensively, you'll have games where you have guys that aren't playing well or getting minuses on plays, but it didn't affect it. The defense was still effective or we've had instances you've got 10 guys doing their job and they found the one that wasn't and it ended up in a big play. There's some luck involved, but obviously as coaches, you want as many of your guys as possible doing their job each play. I said it a lot – it's them against the grade sheet. Go ahead and get a plus. Do your job, and good things will happen." 

On how often do 11 guys get a plus on a play: "We have very high standards and grade our guys very tough. It's rare that all 11...That a coach would say, 'Yes, I feel good. He absolutely earned a plus here.'" 

On the false starts and a timeout after a two-minute warning, what was going on there and how much can be cleaned up: "We can definitely clean it up. I think that's part of getting used to a new quarterback and a new cadence. It was all different things involved with it, but that's stuff that falls in that category of self-inflicted wounds. You have to be able to avoid those, and the good teams do. That's on us to get that cleaned up. Timeouts, as I said before, they're like gold bricks. You can't waste them, especially in the second half. The procedure penalties are just...You're giving yards away." 

On how much of that falls on the quarterback: "Some, I wouldn't say all, but it's some." 

On if yesterday's practice cleared up what the team will do at the center position this week: "Yeah, (OL Ryan) Seymour was able to get through practice. He still split some of the reps, but if I had to say today that's where we're going to go. I wouldn't etch that in stone though." 

On the Browns averaging seven penalties a game and if he's fine with seven a game: "I'd be real happy with zero."

On what an acceptable number of penalties per game is: "I don't have acceptable numbers for penalties. If you have a guy that's beat for a touchdown, and he grabs a guy or he takes a P.I. (pass interference) that's something that you'd be willing to live with. You look at each one. Could it have been avoided? We have our interaction with the league, the very private, behind the scenes interaction where we submit calls that we think are...It's not to complain. To me, it's more, 'How do we teach our guys better when you're getting an illegal contact,' or 'Can you please clarify?' Sometimes, it's professional development for the referees, as well, like 'Hey, listen we think this was this. Please clarify.' I think (NFL vice president of officiating) Dean Blandino has done an outstanding job with just being very open and honest with us. They admit when mistakes are made, and they help us coach. He sends out a video each week. It's usually 10-12 minutes long, very detailed, plays from around the league. A lot of times, I'll take that information and pass it right along to the team. I think it's a process that's a good one. I think, the league, we're doing it there right was." 

On what he's learned about DL Ahtyba Rubin this season, saying that Rubin had the best technique at stopping the run in the system and if injuries interfered with that coming to fruition throughout the season: "That's a factor for sure. I know he's tough, and he's been through a lot. He's battled through some things that maybe some other guys would have shut it down. To me, it speaks to the kind of competitor that he is. He's played some good football for sure, and hopefully another good game this week and one in Baltimore. Who knows after that?"