Bernie Kosar gave full voice to the frustrations felt by Browns fans, but the idea of changing the front office again doesn't remedy the situation.

BEREA, Ohio -- There are times when it hurts to follow the Browns.

And I don't mean watching your team embarrassed on the lakefront, 30-0, by the Bengals.

It's more about what all the years of losing can do to some in the media and fan base, especially when a polarizing figure such as Johnny Manziel shows up at quarterback.

Bernie Kosar sounded like so many Browns fans when he unleashed his rant that can be headlined "I've seen enough."

Speaking on WTAM's Mike Trivisonno program, Kosar correctly diagnosed the problem of all the changes since this franchise returned in 1999. Twenty-one different starting quarterbacks, eight different head coaches ... blah, blah, blah.

We all know the lament.

And we all know the Browns have been infected with a "losing culture," as Kosar mentioned.

Kosar exonerated coach Mike Pettine from criticism, but seemed to imply there was a problem with the front office and ownership.

OK, then what?

When it comes to owners, always remember this -- owners are owners because they own the team.

That means owners can do what they want. Fans can't fire owners. No one can fire an owner, unless he decides to sell the team. So Jimmy Haslam isn't going anywhere, especially since his problems with the FBI over the Flying J scandal seem close to being resolved.

BEING REALISTIC

The only criticism that I have of Kosar's remarks comes down to this question: "What should be done?"

He never really answered it.

Kosar said, "When you have a front office that's really uneducated, and I'm not talking just about the coach, there's way above him that deserves this. They don't know how to lead and organize and set up a culture to playing winning football..."

Subtract the coach, and that leaves the owner and general manager.

Do you really want to change general managers ... again?

This is Ray Farmer's first full season in the job. He was the assistant general manager in 2013 and was not even involved in the interviews for the coaching search that led to Pettine being hired.

So if the idea to fix the losing culture is to replace Farmer ... that takes the Browns to their fourth general manager in four years. Exactly how does that create any stability?

Farmer and Pettine have one of the best working relationships that the new Browns have seen when it comes to the coach and general manager.

My guess is Kosar was venting after the 30-0 loss, and really didn't think through the next step.

"I'm 51,'' he said. "At this pace, I'm going to die by 60. For the last 25 years of my life, all I'm going to talk about is, 'Who do you think the quarterback should be?'

"That's all we talk about. And you can't fix it until you fix it above it.''

ABOUT THE BLAME

Since 1999, here's the basic list of all the team's presidents/general managers and coaches with full power: Carmen Policy, Butch Davis, Eric Mangini, Tom Heckert, Mike Holmgren, Joe Banner, Mike Lombardi ...

Those guys keep changing, too.

So it's not as if one front office was in place for even four years with a chance to create a team. The longest is 3 1/2 seasons -- the Butch Davis Days.

"You can't put these kids (the quarterbacks) in these spots,'' Kosar said. "It's almost abuse. If you're going to keep running it the way we're running it, we may as well do nothing (to fix the quarterback situation), because you'll kill two more kids coming in here. It'll fail. It does not matter right now.''

It's hard to know how they have been running it, because so many different people have been running it -- often, right into the ground.

If anything, this list underlines how the Browns have tried everything except stability.

TALKIN' QUARTERBACKS

Consider this list:

• Tim Couch
• Kelly Holcolmb
• Jeff Garcia
• Derek Anderson
• Brady Quinn
• Colt McCoy
• Charlie Frye
• Brandon Weeden

There were others, such as Ty Detmer, Trent Dilfer, Luke McCown and Jake Delhomme who spent time here.

But here is my main point: Name one Browns quarterback since 1999 who left here and has become a viable NFL starter?

Garcia had a nice little run with the Eagles. But it's not as if McCoy, Anderson, Quinn, etc. have found new life and a playoff berth with another team. If they have remained in the league, it is primarily as a back up.

You can argue that some, such as Couch, were physically beat up in their time with the Browns. But it's not as if what a quarterback has to do is get out of Cleveland in order to revive his career.

Nor have the Browns brought in a successful veteran quarterback in the middle of his career and watched his career disintegrate in Cleveland.

Kosar's point would have been stronger if he had said that this team has done a poor job of scouting and drafting quarterbacks.

And perhaps Manziel will be on that list as a draft-day miss. We don't know.

What is certain is that Kosar -- like many Browns fans -- is in pain.

Part of it must be from being let go by the team from his broadcasting job during the preseason. The other part is that the Browns were such a pleasant surprise at 6-3 this season.

And now, they are 7-7 with a sinking feeling.

But that's not reason enough to even think about changing the front office yet again.

Will a byproduct of President Obama's efforts to improve relations with Cuba be an influx of tbaseball players to the big leagues?

CLEVELAND, Ohio – It's too early to draw any conclusions, but President Obama's efforts to improve relations between the United States and Cuba may one day open the island's wealth of baseball talent to the big leagues on a broader scope than now exists.

Over the last few years the talent to come out of Cuba has been spectacular. Jose Abreu, Yoenis Cespedes and Yasiel Puig have quickly established themselves as some of the best players in the game.

This winter the Arizona Diamondbacks signed Cuban outfielder Yasmany Tomas to a six-year $68.5 million deal. The Red Sox signed Rusney Castillo, another Cuban outfielder, to a seven-year $72.5 million deal in August. The Angels are close to signing infielder Roberto Baldoquin for $8 million.

In each case, the player defected from Cuba, established residency in another country and received clearance from the United States government to sign with a big league team. It is a journey fraught not only with danger, but a sleazy element of payoffs to handlers and agents before a player can step on the field.

"You risk your life when you go into the ocean in a small boat," said Cuban native Minnie Mendoza, Indians advisor for Latin American operations. "The waters are very rough off Cuba. If you get caught and brought back, you can go to jail for five years. And the Cuban government will ban you from playing baseball."

The U.S. put an embargo on communist Cuba in 1960, just after Fidel Castro's revolutionary government took control of the island. Obama and Cuban dictator Raul Castro, Fidel's brother, are trying to normalize relations between the old enemies.

Obama has eased travel and trade restrictions to Cuba. Each country will open an embassy in the other country.

How this will affect the flow of talent from Cuba to the big leagues is unknown. First the embargo must be lifted and only Congress can do that.

"International politics and baseball is a messy combination," said John Mirabelli, who travels the world in search of talent for the Indians. "I don't think anyone can accurately predict what's going to happen down the road.

"In the short term, I don't see MLB changing any policies or practices concerning Cuban players."

After Obama made his announcement Wednesday, MLB made one of its own, stating, "Major League Baseball is closely monitoring the White House's announcement regarding Cuban-American relations. While there are not sufficient details to make a realistic evaluation, we will continue to track this significant issue, and we will keep our clubs informed if this different direction may impact the manner in which they conduct business on issues related to Cuba."

The MLB players association said, "We will watch this situation closely as it continues to unfold and we remain hopeful that it will lead to further positive developments."

Mirabelli, Indians senior director of scouting operations, said any changes regarding the acquisition of Cuban players would first have to be worked out between the two countries.

Regarding MLB's approach, Mirabelli guessed that not much would change until after a new basic agreement was reached between owners and players. The current one expires after the 2016 season.

It has been suggested that if MLB's access to Cuban players increases, it would drive their bargaining power down.

Mendoza and Mirabelli disagreed.

"The Castro family always takes advantage of situations," said Mendoza, 81, who left Cuba as a minor league player in 1960 and was not allowed to return for 19 years. "I would think the government would sell those players."

The Cuban government started selling players to the professional leagues in Japan, Mexico and Korea in 2013. The players must return in the offseason to play for Cuba.

"I could see Cuba using a system similar to the posting deals in Asia," said Mirabelli.

Would MLB's intrusion threaten the existence of Cuba's professional league, the Serie Nacional? When Jackie Robinson and Larry Doby broke the color line in the big leagues, it was the beginning of the end of the Negro Leagues.

"I do not see the Cuban government letting that happen," said Mirabelli.

Mirabelli did see one short-term change that could happen in the wake of Obama's announcement.

MLB currently prohibits any team employee from scouting in Cuba.

"However, if the new Obama agreement allows U.S. business travel to Cuba, maybe MLB will adjust that rule," said Mirabelli. "Currently you can only scout Cuban players outside the country."

The view from MLB scouts is that much of the top talent in Cuba is already playing in the big leagues.

"I think the major-league ready talent has definitely thinned out," said Mirabelli. "But no telling how much talent is in the developmental/youth pipeline. My guess is probably a lot. I'm talking 13 to 14 year olds."

Spoken like a true scout.

See the Players of the Week for Dec. 18, 2014.

See the Players of the Week for Dec. 18, 2014.

Urban Meyer said there's a 50 percent chance H-back Dontre Wilson plays against Alabama in the College Football Playoff semifinals. Watch video

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Another weapon for Cardale Jones? Maybe. Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said H-back Dontre Wilson is "50/50" right now for the Buckeyes' College Football Playoff semifinal in the Sugar Bowl against Alabama on Jan. 1.

Wilson suffered a broken foot against Michigan State on Nov. 8 and has been out since.

"Dontre's going to be a close call," Meyer said Thursday during his last media availability in Columbus before the Buckeyes fly to New Orleans on Dec. 27.

"It's all about healing, and that bone healing."

At the time of the injury, Meyer listed Jalin Marshall, Curtis Samuel, Noah Brown, Nick Vannett and Evan Spencer as players who could take over at the H-back spot in Wilson's absence. It didn't exactly work out that way.

It's been almost exclusively Marshall. Samuel has had a few touches in that role, and while Brown has been on the field, he hasn't touched the ball since Wilson went down. Spencer has stuck to receiver and Vannett to tight end.

Getting Wilson back would not only add another weapon to the Buckeyes offense, but possibly free up Marshall to be used in other ways — namely as a Wildcat quarterback who can throw the ball.

Anything to help Jones in his second start at quarterback.

Meyer said the Buckeyes are most healthy heading into the playoff. Besides the obvious loss of quarterback J.T. Barrett, Meyer said nickelback Armani Reeves has been dealing with more injury issues.

"Armani got dinged," Meyer said. "We're hoping to get a Saturday-Sunday practice out of him. He should be good to go."

Here's more from Meyer's time at the podium:

• Ohio State announced Wednesday that third-year offensive lineman Kyle Dodson has been medically disqualified from playing football. Dodson, a Cleveland Heights grad, has played in one game this season and had two more years of eligibility left.

In the release sent Wednesday, Ohio State said it was a neck condition that sidelined Dodson.

"He's part of our program," Meyer said. "It was from high school, actually, the injury. So our doctors are phenomenal here, they caught it, so he's not going to play."

• The Buckeyes are spending all of their time on Alabama, according to Meyer.

In the new age of the playoff, whoever wins on New Year's Day will have a quick turnaround before playing the College Football Playoff National Championship on Jan. 12.

Meyer thought about using some his resources to prepare for Florida State or Oregon just in case it came to that, but opted against it.

"It would be a tactical error on my part to have anyone in this facility working on something other than Alabama," Meyer said.

• Tim Tebow, Meyer's former national championship and Heisman Trophy winning quarterback at Florida, spoke the to the Buckeyes during a meeting on Wednesday.

"I have very few jerseys hanging in my office, and his is one of them because of the relentless pursuit of excellence and the way he treats people," Meyer said. "It was great, great conversation with our players. Kind of on the spot."

"I saw everyone was having a fit about that," Jones said, "like, 'Dang, what is his name?'"

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- You know who will start at quarterback for Ohio State against Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. But are you sure you know his name?

Is he sure he knows his name?

When he was the Buckeyes' third-string quarterback, the question of the true identity of Cardale/Cordale Jones wasn't much of an issue. In his official Ohio State bio, he was Cardale, just as he'd been at Glenville High School. (But Ohio State also had J.T. Barrett's name listed as John Thomas before Braxton Miller got hurt, and then corrected it to Joe Thomas once Barrett became the starter.)

But on Jones' social media accounts on Twitter, Instagram and SnapChat, he listed himself as Cordale.

Add me on snapchat #cordale10

— Cardale Jones (@CJ12_) December 11, 2014

Now that he's the starter, now that the national championship hopes of the Buckeyes lie largely in the hands of the redshirt sophomore from Cleveland, he wanted to clear up the confusion.

The quarterback said he changed his social media accounts to reflect his true first name.

"I saw everyone was having a fit about that," Jones said, "like, 'Dang, what is his name?'"

And his name is?

"Man, my name is Cardale. And everyone should know it's Cardale."

But what do all his friends from Glenville and back in Cleveland call him?

Cordale.

Here's why, as explained by Quarterback Jones.

When he played at Glenville High, Jones had an older teammate named Cordale Scott, a receiver who was recruited by Ohio State but chose to go to Illinois. He played two seasons there in 2008 and 2009 before transferring to Toledo and finishing his career with the Rockets in 2011 and 2012 as a tight end.

Cardale and Cordale sound alike.

"Everyone would be like, 'Cordale, Cordale,' and I'd think they were trying to say my name and they're getting it wrong," Jones said. "And we both used to look up, like,'What?'

"So it just kind of stuck."

It didn't just stick. It reached the point where Jones not only answered to Cordale, he stopped responding to anyone calling him Cardale.

"It was a joke at first," Jones said. "I wouldn't answer to nothing but Cordale."

But then it became who he was. It's who he still is to the friends back home who know him best. But now there's a whole new world of people getting to know the starting quarterback for the No. 4 team in the country.

And this story tells you a little bit about him. Jones is not a guy who worries about much. His Ohio State roommate, safety Tyvis Powell, tried to explain the Cardale/Cordale story, but didn't quite get it right.

"I asked him the same thing two years ago," Powell said of the first name. "Cardale is a weird guy. He does things where you go, 'Really, Cardale? For what?' I don't know. He's a silly guy."

But now he made the switch. Cardale is Cardale again.

And what does Cordale Scott think?

"He always tells me, 'Man, your name is not Cordale,'" Jones said. "I'm like, 'Yes, it is.'

"I'm just messing with him. It's Cardale."

Confession..... my name is really Cardale [?] not Cordale

— Cardale Jones (@CJ12_) December 8, 2014

"He has a 38-game resume on me right now that he saw live and three years worth of work, so," Warinner said. "Besides that, he'll figure it all out and he'll do what's best for all parties involved."

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Urban Meyer runs Ohio State's program like he's the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, so Ed Warinner wrote a cover letter, got scented paper for his resume and put together a portfolio to apply for a new job opening. 

OK ... Warinner didn't do that, but Ohio State's co-offensive coordinator now steps into the center of Urban Meyer's coaching search to replace Tom Herman, who will begin his job as the head coach at Houston after the bowl season. 

"He has a 38-game resume on me right now that he saw live and three years worth of work, so," Warinner said. "Besides that, he'll figure it all out and he'll do what's best for all parties involved." 

Yeah, forget the cover letter.

Warinner has made his case. 

He did something right. When asked about his short list for replacing Herman, the team's play-caller and quarterbacks coach, Meyer involuntarily brought up Warinner's name before saying he has already thought about replacements. 

Meyer isn't waiting to cross the replacements bridge. 

"I'm crossing it now," Meyer said. "You don't want to lose someone because there is a lot of activity right now. That is the unfortunate thing, but this is a big hire. This is huge. ... The good thing I've had Coach Warriner. 

"I'm not going to release any (details), but I've got plans. I want to keep evaluating the next couple of weeks, but there is a short list all over the place with each position and strength coaches and everybody." 

Warinner is best known for his work developing Ohio State's offensive line, and that has been the catalyst for Buckeyes teams that have competed for national titles in each of the last two seasons. 

View full sizeOhio State co-offensive coordinator Ed Warinner reportedly interviewed for the head coaching job at Kansas this month. Now he's a candidate to replace Tom Herman as the Buckeyes' offensive coordinator. Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer 

Though he doesn't call the plays, Warinner was as deeply involved in the installation of Ohio State's up-tempo spread. His relationship with Herman goes back to 2008 – he was at Kansas and Herman was at Rice – when they became friends and discussed offensive strategy. 

Warinner, who was in the mix to land the Kansas job this month, wouldn't elaborate more on how badly he wants to move into Ohio State's offensive coordinator position. But he has his resume ready because, well, he didn't have to do anything to put it together. 

"Right now, to be honest, my focus is 100 percent on how to get this team ready to beat Alabama," Warinner said. "Other than that, that's all we've spent our time and energy on. ... That stuff takes care of itself. I come to work every day and worry about what I am in charge of and try to do the best I can with all the responsibilities I have." 

View full sizeTom Herman, the next head coach at Houston, is sticking around until after Ohio State's playoff run is over. Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer 

Meyer has to think about replacements for Herman, but the fortunate thing for Ohio State – who faces No. 1 Alabama in the Sugar Bowl as part of the inaugural College Football Playoff on Jan. 1 – is that Herman will stay with the Buckeyes until their season is over. 

It's business as usual in Columbus heading into the holidays, even if things are a tad hectic for Herman. 

"It looks like someone hit him with a bat when he's walking around here ... A good bat, though," Meyer said of Herman. "He's a pro.

"I took a chance on Tom. Some people don't realize that. I'm sure some of you remember. It started with Chip Kelly and some close friends said look at this guy. I talked to him several times. His interview was off the charts. He's been a really instrumental member of our staff."

Who is Ohio State's next risk? Meyer might know.

He just doesn't have to worry too much about it until after the playoff. 

See everything Urban Meyer had to say after Ohio State's practice on Thursday.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — A complete transcript of everything Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said during his news conference after the Buckeyes' practice on Thursday.

Q. Now that you've had a chance to study Alabama a little bit, what do you think of the match-up? How do you think you match up? There was a lot of talk when you came here. You wanted to build an SEC-caliber kind of team. How close are you to that?

The only thing you just wish you're 100% healthy whenever you go into a title match like this. You just wish that for everybody, but we don't. Dontre's going to be a close call. I'd say 50-50 at best. It's all about healing and that bone healing: Obviously, you lose J.T., so that is the biggest thing is making sure that we're on point mentally and physically, but also just got to keep these guys healthy. We can't lose another player.

It's amazing the amount of season-ending, the Marshon Lattimores of the world, the Evan Lisles of the world, there are just a bunch. I think there are ten season-ending injuries of our young players. But at special teams, that's depth at corner, depth at the offensive line.

Those are all areas that we have to keep pushing.

They're a great team. Obviously, No. 1 team in America. When you watch video, there is not much difference than the other Alabama teams that we've studied, very physical. They have the depth. They roll about eight to ten guys on the defensive line, and it's hard to tell one from the other. They're well-coached, hand placement, just obviously big guys, big run stoppers up front, and obviously very good defense. Little bit of difference, but it's really not. They used to have Julio Jones when we played them before, and they have No. 9, Cooper, and he's tremendous. When you focus on him, there are two other ones that are really good. One that's got our defense really concerned.

Special teams, an extremely solid group. So I think it's going to be an excellent opportunity for us.

Q. Do you feel like this is a team that can compete with them?

Absolutely. After week three, probably not. I thought at some point we're building one. I made the comment I thought it was a year away. We need to start watching these young players and say, boy, I can't wait to get a year in the weight room with them and get their bodies. Darron Lee I thought was still a year away, and there is a multitude of other players. Our two safeties and sophomores will be back. Future is bright.

We have six or seven freshmen All-Americans, I think, Jeremy told me, and I'm not sure if any other team has close to that? So it's a good team.

Q. How has he managed his time (Indiscernible)?

Looks like someone hit him with a bat when he's walking around here. A good bat though. There are bad bats and a lot to go on with college football with bad bats. He's a pro. I really admire the way -- we had a good conversation this morning. He didn't initiate it; I did. How can I help you? Where are you at? I've got a team meeting tomorrow, and had that frazzled look that we've all seen. So he's really handling it well.
He loves Ohio State. He's appreciative of Ohio State. It's all good. It's all good. Took a chance on Tom. Some people don't realize that. I'm sure some of you remember. Tom Herman, we're bringing Ohio State's offense to Ohio State, and what his recommendation and what people told me about him was correct. It started with Chip Kelly and some close friends said look at this guy. I talked to him several times. His interview was off the charts. He's been a really instrumental member of our staff.

Q. Does it help you that you've actually been in this situation before?
Yeah, with Coach Mullen and Coach Strong, a bunch of them. Trying to think of who else. I think Mike Sanford. I think there are some other ones. The whole key is be a pro. Dan Mullen is a pro. We won the National Championship partially because of his efforts. We'll be ready to go. I'm not concerned about Tom at all.

Q. Urban, this is a little off beat, but I think you and Coach Saban have had to share the anecdote and you called him at University of Toledo for an opening. What do you remember about talking to him?
I didn't get it. That's what I remember. His wife was tremendous. I thought I had. I'm a recruiter so I find out the decision maker. What am I? 50. That was 27, 28 years ago. He was at Toledo and it didn't work out.

Q. Did you think you had it?
I have a hard time remembering. I can't remember. I'm from Ohio, so I thought I had my foot in the door, I guess.

Q. Haven't had a whole lot of chance to ask you about Cardale. And really our only knowledge of him because we haven't had much interaction with him is based on that ill-advised tweet that he sent out. What's he like in terms of his game preparation? He seemed like 180° opposite of that tweet.
It's been a process. He's changed. I can give you a list of 20 guys. But that's the job of Ohio State and job of our coaching staff and job of educators to help develop, and sometimes you miss, and sometimes you hit it. We had a couple examples of guys that didn't make it and didn't do very well. Cardale is a great story. It's still in process now. He's not the grown man that he needs to be, but he's getting close.
You know, the thing that really struck me is when he made a mistake during the course of the game, and I gave him one of these and was ready to dive right in. He looked me right in the eye and said, "I made a mistake, coach. It won't happen again." I said, "Go back and tell the offensive line that."
That's a good sign of maturity. Where that kid would have heard every excuse possible. But he's in a culture in this room where if I hear an excuse, we can't have that. So he's really matured. But we're one of the most difference-- what am I trying to say? What you said, the whole 180, I'm not sure I've experienced one like that.

Q. What is your message to this team? You mentioned about earlier in the season maybe thinking that this group was a year away. How do you frame this whole playoff? What is your message to them?
We're not to that point. I think we're to the point that we made it through finals. That ended two days ago, and that was hard here. Once again, Ohio State's not getting any easier, so our kids, Taylor Decker looked like a zombie out there. He's in zoology.
So we haven't had a lot of conversation about it. I talked about it. We're in increments about how to win a game like this. Every day you've got to do-- your percentage goes up to compete and win this game if you have a good Tuesday, and listen. We hit a hook when I was talking about that. Have a really good Tuesday, have a good Wednesday, and your percentage just went up to compete in this game. That is kind of the mythology we've been using up until we get to New Orleans. Every day is another chance to get close to win that game. If you don't have a good day, your chances of winning this game are probably zero, and they buy into that.

Q. Everybody on the roster who is not injured, you haven't lost anybody to academics or suspensions or anything like that?
I don't believe we have. Kyle Dodson is not going to be with us. I mean, he's part of our program. It was from high school, actually, that injury, so our doctors are phenomenal here. They caught it. So he's not going to play. The suspensions, no.
Was it injuries? Armani got dinged, so his demeanor's great. We're hoping to get a Saturday-Sunday out of him in two days, Saturday, Sunday. He should be ready to go. Dontre is the 50-50 guy. Academics you said, we don't have finals, but what they tell me is we don't anticipate that problem.

Q. Can you get a feel for what your players think of Alabama?
I've used Alabama. I've used any time the top of the mountain, I've used them. I've respectfully used them because they played very well. Every year they're in a championship hunt and I've used them. So there is a lot of respect for the University of Alabama and their athletes.

Q. This group of second-year guys and the 2013 recruiting class, we talked last year as freshmen how they helped that team. When you look at Bosa, Zeke and (Indiscernible), and Darron, that group that you have this core group of some pretty young guys who are playing at a pretty high level. I don't know. When you got that class in here, did you have an idea?
Yeah, we felt really, really good about that class. Now that you say those names, those are all program-changer guys. I'd have to look at the class to see it, which I'll probably do now that you have me thinking. That's a heck of a class.

Q. You're the first really number four team in college football ever that has a chance to win a national title. Just the idea that if this was a year ago you guys would not have a chance to win the national title. I don't know. Do you feel--
We had a Utah team that finished fourth. That Utah game on any given day, it's more inclusion. When I think about it, I would love to have this in 2004 and take that swing of players and swing as hard as you can, and who knows what happens. The more I think about it, it's ridiculously tough on our players and players families. Everybody's going to get tired of saying it until someone does something about it, because that is real as real.
When you take them to a championship game, which is great for our conference and great for coaches and great for everybody, but the family's still got to get into cars and hotel rooms and all of that. Then we go from there to a playoff and if you're' fortunate enough to win the second one, people tell me it's average on a normal sized family, $5,000, where are they going to come up with that? I just worry about bad things happening because families can't go see it.
But I think it's good. I just go back. I was thinking about that the other day, and we're the number four team in America, so is Utah. Imagine that? At a school like that with a great school and a great team that should have had a chance to go do it. Auburn that year didn't have a chance. That was a great football team. So I think it's all good.

Q. We've heard the stories over the years when you were in that championship game that you were the underdog.
We're not there yet. We'll see what kind of team we have. That was over the top.

Q. Is there anything unique about playing in the college football playoff rather than a bowl game?
It's completely different. That is one of the negatives of it. You don't even think about the Bowl. The Sugar Bowl is one of the great bowls in college football history and football playoffs. So it will be interesting how that evolves over the years here, but it's real. I love Bowl games. It's a playoff game.

Q. Have you consulted with anyone with playoff experience either at the FCS?
No, just trying to get guys ready to go.

Q. In terms of finding a replacement for Tom Herman, you'll hear athletic directors say they have a short list of candidate physician they need to look for a head coach. Do you keep a short list of candidates for an offensive coordinator? That's probably a bridge you'll cross after the playoffs?

I'm crossing it now. You don't want to lose someone because there is a lot of activity right now. That is the unfortunate thing. But this is a big hire. This is huge. The good thing I've had Coach Warriner. I'm not going to release any, but I've got plans. I want to keep evaluating the next couple of weeks, but there is a short list all over the place with each position and strength coaches and everybody.

Q. There is another whole different game. How do you feel at preparing and GAs watching film?
That's a good question, and I thought I would in the summer because I was asked a question, how are you going to do this? Every available hand in this facility is working for this one, and we'll worry about the next one. I talked to our coordinators a little bit about it. I've done it before where during the course of the season you maybe send a GA to start getting ready for Michigan State coming down the road or something like that. But this one it would be a tactical error on my part to have anyone in this facility working on something other than Alabama.

Q. How do you explain stockpiling? All these quarterbacks that get used right away?
I didn't know. I think we're a quarterback friendly offense. I don't want to take anything away from there. We have a very systematic approach to football here. If you sit in those meetings, you should know where and what to do, and we recruited really well in some skill spots. But I go back to the development.
You want to see a bad quarterback? Put a bad offensive line in front of him. I'm not taking a shot at anybody, but we don't look very good against Virginia Tech and Navy because we had a bad offensive line. Go look at the film against Wisconsin, and that was a good offensive line. There are a lot of common denominators, and if you had told me that Cardale would be able to manage that, I would have said there is no chance. Even said last year in spring practice, I remember Tom and I walking off the field, d you think Cardale will ever be an Ohio State quarterback? He said, absolutely. I saw it too.
It's player development, surround him with good players because sometimes you get caught and these offenses are changing coordinators, changing this, changing this. We're not changing anything. I've had five coordinators go on to be head football coaches. Next year there is not going to be new terminology. Those kids are going to continue to learn a system.
So I get a little upset when I hear he's a sytem quarterback. Damn right he is. He's not a grab bag quarterback, I can promise you that. That's why I like the way we do our business.

Q. I was going to ask you basically the same question. The success that you've had with quarterbacks filling in for each other, so a little more specifically about quarterback development here that you've seen in all three guys.
You have four. You have Kenny Guiton, Braxton Miller, Kenny Guiton, J.T. Barrett, and Cardale Jones. That's kind of charted waters. We had Brett Elliott go down to Utah, and skinny kid did very good. You had Chris Leak followed up by Tim Tebow. There's been a nice pattern.
I don't want to take away from the quarterback coach because that's where it all starts. But like I said, there is no variance as far as the kids are not going to come in here or change in spring ball. By the way, we're scratching everything we're doing. That's where I think you see a slow development of a quarterback when you start seeing offense of the day or offense of the season. In the spring we're going to change our offense, and I think that's when quarterbacks really go backwards.

Q. You've known Nick Saban for a while or watched him for a while, and he's 13 years older than you or whatever. What is it about him that you admire the way he goes about his business and things that you've emulated a little bit as you've watched him?
He's tough. He's not a whole lot of nonsense. We have a lot of conversations and people probably say that about me. There is not a whole lot of wee-- we're not talking about the 1992 Chicago Bulls or something like that. He's a very player oriented coach, which I like to think we are, and very fundamental guy. It's been that way for years.
We have mutual friends like Bill Belichick. And I just admire guys like that, and he wins.

Q. You guys seem to approach recruiting the same way, sort of like a Bulldog. Did you take that from him too? I mean, you're as involved in recruiting as any head coach out there.
I believe that came from a long time ago. I love recruiting. I love recruiting good players, good guys, I love it. Can't get enough of it when they're good guys and you're selling something you love. So that's been that way. I had chances to go into the pros years back and all of that. To take that, where some guys I can't wait to get away from recruiting. I never looked at it that way.

Q. Tim Tebow, your next quarterback coach, what did you want your team to get out of his?
He came here from ESPN. I love Tim. Tim's a two-time national champion. Of two players that have that same bizarre work ethic and toughness, and it's John Simon and Tim. And that's not being demeaning to Zach Boren or some of these other great players; it's just different. The players know that it's different.
I had very few jerseys hanging in my office, and his is one of them because of the relentless pursuit of excellence and the way he treats people. It was great, great conversation with our players. Kind of on the spot. ESPN brought him in just for a conversation, and I said do you mind and he was great.

Q. Do you think he'll continue to stay in TV?
He wants another shot at playing.

Q. He does.
Yeah, I hope he gets it. If not, I think he's going to continue what he's doing.

Q. Speaking of loving recruiting, you obviously want to find a quarterback coach and coordinator that can replace Tom. But as you're well aware he had a lot of success in Texas.
Yeah, big part of the thought.

Q. When you look at the short list that you talked about, how important is it to get somebody who recruits that area, or are you comfortable redoing your recruiting territory?
No, I'm playing with that a little bit. Texas is Texas now. I'm trying to think of the players, David Nelson and (Indiscernible) at Florida, and I'm sure I'm going to miss someone. But Texas guys, I don't want to stereotype them, but they're usually very well-coached. They love football. They've been raised a lot like Ohio. A kid in Ohio, you're going to play football normally. Kid in Texas you're probably going to play. I've always loved to go down there. I love the high school coaches. So we need to, and that's part of the job description is to be able to go get a kid out of Texas.

Q. So that's like something that--
Right now it is, unless like you said, I rejiggle and move things around, but I'd rather not. I'd rather get a guy that has a footprint if I can. But one thing about recruiting, if you're a great recruiter, we have some great recruiters on staff, and I'll take them into Texas and they'll get some players.

Q. Just wondering, what is the key to-- you deal with this every year. There is a Bowl game. You have three more practices here and then the guys go home and it's go time. What is the key when you're preparing a team for a game like this that they're ready 8:30 New Year's night?
Good question. I asked that question to Coach Holtz in 2006. That was my first time as a head football coach. The extended time for a Bowl. It was like 40 days. He kept saying, you don't have to play that game. So for us, there is not a lot of rah-rah going on right now.
It's all about taking care of business, and we break it into three phases. Phase one are fundamentals and conditioning. Phase two, game plan, installation and phase three is game week. The way a young mind and even an old mind works, hey, if we got 18 or whatever practices we are, I don't know how many practices we are, we're in phase two, and we have two left because I'm going to give them tomorrow off. We're going to meet, but we're not going to practice.
So I want to make sure the nine coaches, our strength coach, and most importantly our players enter that mentality, because you can't handle that. There is too much going on. It's very compartmentalized, and that came from Lou Holtz back in 2006. Do not play the game. They don't have to play the game today. Don't even think about the game yet. There will be the right time, and that's going to be once we hit New Orleans.

Q. What is your message to them when they have those five days at home?
Well, it's four and a half days that we're going to give them because we're going to come in and practice. They'll go home. It will be a hard practice. There will be a pro. You're playing for the championship of college football. If I'm worried about curfew. Well, what is the curfew. If I have to worry about that, we're not going to win. There is too much investment around here.

Several high school hockey teams will take part in at least one holiday tournament during the next week or so.

Several high school hockey teams will take part in at least one holiday tournament during the next week or so.

Browns offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan has been a big Johnny Manziel supporter all year and one bad game hasn't dashed his enthusiasm for the rookie.

BEREA, Ohio -- Browns offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan is still as fired up about Johnny Manziel as he was the day the Browns draft him No. 22 overall.  

"I feel the same about Johnny as I always have,'' Shanahan said. "Johnny is a playmaker. He's done that throughout his career. Nobody can argue with that at all. There were a couple times in that game he did make some plays. We weren't able to capitalize on it.

He acknowledged, however, that it won't happen overnight.

"Johnny is going to have some growing pains,'' he said. "He's played a type of football that he's not going to be able to down in and down out in the NFL, but you still want him to do it at times. He did it at times. You know he's going to have some bad plays from his lack of experience, and we hope to manage those and not put him in those situations as much.''

Shanahan is confident that Manziel's disastrous starting debut against the Bengals was not indicative of the pro he'll become. He completed only 10-of-18 attempts for 80 yards, with no touchdown passes and two interceptions for a 27.3 rating. He ran only 38 plays and managed five first downs. At times, he was hesitant to the throw with authority, and at other times, he made horrible decisions. The Browns were blown out, 30-0.

"When he does have some of those bad plays, you hope he comes back and makes one of his great plays that not many people can do,'' Shanahan said. "We overcompensate for it, and the more reps he gets the better. The more game experience he gets the better.

"That was a tough one to learn from, but I think he'll get better from it because I do think he's a strong guy. I think he does have confidence. He's been locked in this week. He's not going in the tank. He realizes he needs to continue to improve, and I think Johnny will continue to improve because that's the type of a person he is. He won't shut it down."

He's been around Manziel, who will start Sunday in Carolina, long enough to believe he's mentally tough enough to overcome the shutout by Cincinnati.

"I think he is,'' said Shanahan. "Johnny is a real impressive guy. I don't think everybody knows really what Johnny is about, and Johnny is very humble. Johnny is a real dude. He's not going to sit there and BS me or anything. We all were embarrassed by that game.

"Anytime you don't put up points – it's not just Johnny – all of us are extremely embarrassed about that. We want to get back to Sunday, and Sunday couldn't come quick enough. Monday and Tuesday were real rough. Felt a little better Wednesday getting out and practicing. Felt better today getting our practice in, and we just want to get out there again so we can get that bad taste out of our mouths."

Shanahan agreed with coach Mike Pettine that Manziel's three starts this season won't give them all the data they need to determined if he's their quarterback of the future. For comparison's sake, Shanahan coached Robert Griffin III to a stellar rookie season in Washington, and he's struggled a lot ever since. Even 16 games isn't always enough to know what you have.

"That's always a work in progress,'' said Shanahan. "There's lots of quarterbacks around this league who've been playing for five years that people still aren't quite sure about. Someone like (Packers QB) Aaron Rodgers didn't get to play for a while. I don't know how many years it was, three or four or whatever it was. You never stay the same in this league. Even guys who come out lighting it up, that doesn't mean anything either.

"People are going to be better against you next year, and it's about how you are week-in and week-out. As long as you have the skillset to do it and you keep working at it, and when you do fail, you learn from your mistakes, then you can have a good career. Johnny does look at it that way. He knows he's not there yet, like every rookie quarterback isn't. He knows he's got a ways to go, but I think he'll keep working to do it."

The poor outing didn't dash Shanahan's enthusiasm for Manziel in part because of how the team played around him. The defense surrendered a season-high 244 yards rushing, and the offense eked out only 53 yards on the ground. It was the exact opposite of what they hoped to do.

 "It doesn't really change anything,'' said Shanahan. "I felt bad for him because I know he had a lot of pressure on him, and anytime someone has that pressure on them, they want to go out and perform. He definitely didn't play his best, but I don't think we helped him either.

"He didn't get many opportunities at all, and the times that I thought he did make some plays that we all were hoping to see, we dropped the ball and we didn't get to capitalize on them. That's going to happen, but when you have a limited number of plays because you're not getting first downs and they were doing pretty good, too, everything is magnified. We definitely didn't play well. I think Johnny can do better, but in order to give him an opportunity to do better, we've got to do better all around."

Shanahan cited two plays where Manziel showed flashes of the Johnny Football everyone was expecting to see.

"I thought he made a real good play on the second third-down of the game,'' he said. "We had a third-and-13. He stepped up, and pulled a zoning defense up and threw it to Hawk (Andrew Hawkins), and (Bengals safety Reggie) Nelson made a good play and knocked it out. Another good play he made was the one to (tight end ) Jim Dray where he broke the pocket, and Jim mistimed his jump a little bit and just missed it. Those were two plays I thought he made that we didn't execute on the other half. Besides that, not much good happened."

He agreed with Manziel that he hesitated on some plays, and therefore didn't have the necessary zip on the ball.

"It's something you coach all the time,'' he said. "You try to get quarterbacks to understand the timing of the play, try to read with their feet, try to let it go in the right timing, take a hitch and let it rip. Usually when you take that second hitch, it's time to check it down. Really, if you're taking a third hitch you're usually getting drilled by that time. It happens to a lot of guys. They want to make sure they see it perfect, and he took an extra one on his interception and the man travels faster than the ball.

"When a guy is open and you wait just a second longer and you let it go, that guy can undercut and get him. I think he learned from that because he saw what happened, and hopefully he'll be better with that next week."

 He emphasized that Manziel has a gun, even though it didn't look like it on some of his throws.

"If you are late on a ball, you've got to throw it with a ton of velocity,'' he said. "There aren't a ton of people on the planet who can do that. I think Johnny does have a real strong arm, but it's hard for anybody when you're a little bit late. You'd rather throw it on time. Then, you don't have to throw a Howitzer to make up for that."

 He's reminded Manziel that once he decides to take off run, it's probably just best to get as many yards as possible and not revert back to the pass.

"Sometimes when you're caught in between running and throwing, you lose that balance,'' Shanahan said. "That happens with guys who can make plays with their legs, so it's not just Johnny. It's anybody who's mobile like that. That's why you try to find, as a player and as a coach, that fine line between, 'Hey, you're going to be a passer here, but once you become a runner, become a runner.' It's hard to do both. When you try to do both, usually the accuracy and the velocity of your throws are inconsistent."

Shanahan tailored the gameplan to Manziel's strengths, but the whole offense was inefficient. The Browns ran a season-low 38 plays -- 16 fewer than the previous low -- and Manziel never got much of a chance to showcase his skills.

"That was the fewest amount of plays I think I've ever called in a game,'' said Shanahan. There wasn't anything that we did in that game that Johnny hadn't done before in training camp or practice, every single play in that game I called except for one,  Brian (Hoyer) ran throughout the year. We just weren't on, and it wasn't just him. It was the whole offense, coaches included. I don't think there was anything he couldn't do. We've just got to do it at a higher level."

He said part of the reason Manziel couldn't run more was the Bengals took it away, in part corralling him with a wide-nine scheme.

"Johnny wants to run,'' said Shanahan. "He enjoys that stuff. They weren't going to let him. That was pretty obvious early. They were playing the quarterback. We had to give the ball off every time. Johnny's got no problem running. He wants to make plays any way he can. When it's there he'll take it, but people know he can run, also. It's not always there."

 He noted that he couldn't call more than two bootlegs because Manziel would've gotten drilled. One of them resulted in a 19-yard strike to Josh Gordon.

"If people are playing it, you call one and you get some pretty violent hits into you,'' he said. "Usually, that does help out the run game and stuff so you're always looking for that as a coach. If they're giving you the bootleg, I'll call it every play as you probably saw with (Redskins QB) Kirk Cousins in 2012 when we played here, but if they're taking the bootleg away, I'm not going to call it and have him run into a knockout."

Shanahan is confident that more of Johnny Football will be evident this week in Carolina.

Browns left tackle Joe Thomas was named Browns Player of the Year and Brian Hoyer was voted "Good Guy'' by the local chapter of the Pro Football Writers.

BEREA, Ohio -- Browns offensive lineman Joe Thomas was surprised to be voted Browns Player of the Year by the local chapter of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA) for the 2014 season.

 "Yeah, that's pretty humbling and that's one award I never even thought I had a chance to win,'' said the seven-time Pro Bowler. "So it's pretty special and definitely a little bit humbling."

And why did he think he'd never earn the award?

"'Cause I'm a lineman,'' he said. "I don't know if I've been an MVP of any team of any football team I've ever been on because it never goes to a lineman. It's always the quarterback or a running back or a receiver or somebody on defense who gets a lot of stats."

Thomas was a unanimous selection for the honor and Brian Hoyer was named the PFWA Dino Lucarelli 'Good Guy Award' winner. The pair will be honored at the 35th annual Akron Browns Backers banquet in May at the Tangier Restaurant.

"Joe's been great,'' said offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. "I've always studied Joe throughout my whole career, and he's always been one of the better pass-blocking tackles in the league. Joe hasn't, I don't think, been in a system that's really asked him to do a ton in the run game so I never actually knew about him as a run blocker because it wasn't on tape very much.

"That was one of the questions I had about him coming into this year. We asked him to do a lot of stuff. He done better than I expected. He's been a very good run blocker. Everyone knows what he is as a pass blocker. There's a reason that he's one, if not the best to play the position, and he's been to the Pro Bowl every year of his career."

Hoyer was one of nine players and one coach (Mike Pettine) nominated by the local media for the award. Hoyer started the first 13 games of the season and led the Browns to a 7-6 record, the club's best start to a season since 2007. Hoyer engineered four fourth-quarter game-winning drives and threw for 3,192 yards, the 11th highest total in Browns history.

"I appreciate it,'' said Hoyer. "I know this is part of the job, and as rough as some of the weeks have been, I know for me to come in here and talk to you guys and put it on the line, that's what it's all about. I appreciate it. Thank you guys for giving me the award. It means a lot because it is a big part of the job, and it's not always easy. I appreciate it.''

Hoyer talked to the media every Monday and Wednesday, win or lose. Many NFL quarterbacks talk only once during the week.

"I just think it's my responsibility,'' he said. "As a quarterback, it's your job to get the message out, win, loss or draw, whatever it may be, and sometimes, it's good. Sometimes, it's bad. You can't just come and talk to you guys when you win. You've got to do it when the times are tough too. It's a part of the job. I have a lot of respect for you guys, and I'm glad to see the feeling's mutual.''

Hoyer congratulated Thomas for winning his award.

"Joe is Mr. Brown,'' he said. "He's the only thing that's really been consistent since he's been here. For a guy to be a constant and play at the level he has, regardless of the level the team has played at, I've earned a lot of respect for Joe Thomas because you see his work ethic, day-in and day-out. He comes and he wants to be the best left tackle he can be, and obviously, in years past, he hasn't been on the best teams.

"This year, we changed that a little bit, but he comes with the same preparation and intensity to be the best that he can every day, and when you're with an organization that hasn't had success, sometimes, you can kind of get away from that. I think he's a very prideful guy, and he wants to be the best. When guys have a person like that to look up, it's a great example.''

Likewise, Thomas has admired the way Hoyer has conducted himself all year under trying circumstances.

"Going back to beginning of the year with the draft he's done an outstanding job handling his business as a professional through tough times to when Johnny got drafted in the first round to the quarterback competition in camp to losing his job a couple of weeks ago,'' said Thomas. "He's always been a true professional in the locker room, with the media and most importantly in the meeting room. He's the first guy in there helping Johnny along and I think Johnny will even say he appreciates it because most guys in Brian's position would be cheering against him, but he's not that type of guy.''

Browns former longtime left tackle Doug Dieken was thrilled to see Thomas earn Player of the Year.

"Joe is the picture of consistency week in and week out,'' he said. "You know what you're going to get with him - top-flight play from a top-flight player. Seven years, seven Pro Bowls speaks for itself. Joe's not a real loud vocal guy, but he commands respect because of what he's done and he lets his body of work do the speaking for it.''

Dieken noted that Thomas is having another great season against some of the top pass-rushers in the NFL.

"Every year's been good and the offense in some way, the emphasis on the running game helps any offensive lineman but Joe is a target for every defensive end, because if you're going to try to make a name for yourself, you want the best and everybody brings their A-game when they play Joe,'' he said.

He said Thomas deserved the award "without a doubt. The emphasis on left tackle has become pretty high and if you see teams that have struggles in their pass protections, it's usually because of the left tackle. For a quarterback to know he can step back in that pocket and not really worry about getting anything in his back, there's a lot of security to it. He's got great technique, he's a great competitive nature and sometimes I don't think it comes across but he's very competitive as a player.''

The following Browns were idle Thursday: safety Tashaun Gipson (knee), cornerback Joe Haden (shoulder), receiver Andrew Hawkins (illness), and cornerback K'Waun Williams (hamstring). Tight end Gary Barnidge (ribs) and linebacker Karlos Dansby (knee) were among those limited.

Watch Mary Kay Cabot and Tom Reed recap the news from Berea as Johnny Manziel looks to rebound for the Browns Sunday against the Panthers. Also watch videos with Kyle Shanahan and Joe Thomas. Watch video

BEREA, Ohio -- Cleveland Browns beat writers Mary Kay Cabot and Tom Reed fill you in on what happened the last couple days in Berea, including Johnny Manziel preparing for his second start Sunday against the Panthers in Carolina. 

Topics include:

• Manziel and the offense look to bounce back from being shutout by the Bengals last week in his first NFL start.
• The defensive secondary could be without cornerbacks Joe Haden and K'Waun Williams who have not practiced this week.
• The run defense continues to be a problem after rookie Jeremy Hill ran all over them last week.
• Joe Thomas named the Player of the Year and Brian Hoyer receiving the Good Guy Award from the local chapter of the Pro Footballs Writers.
•  Kyle Shanahan is still excited about Johnny Manziel after awful debut.

On Twitter: @CLEvideos

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Sixth-ranked Virginia knocks off Cleveland State, 70-54.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Justin Anderson scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half Thursday night and No. 6 Virginia returned from an 11-day layoff for exams with a 70-54 victory against Cleveland State.

Malcolm Brogdon also scored 16 and Anthony Gill had 13 for the Cavaliers (10-0), who matched their best start since the 2001-01 season. Next up for Virginia is a visit from scrappy Harvard on Sunday.

Trey Lewis scored 18 to lead the Vikings (5-6). Cleveland State scored just four points in the first 13 1/2 minutes against the Cavaliers' top-ranked scoring defense and No. 3-rated field goal percentage defense.

Virginia led 31-18 at halftime, and Anderson scored the Cavaliers' first eight points of the second half, twice converting on drives inside and then making a four-point play from the top of the key.

The Cavaliers stretched their lead to 49-29 on a 3-pointer by Marial Shayok with 13:59 to play. Cleveland State got no closer than 14 the rest of the way.

The Cavaliers looked sluggish throughout the first half, keeping the Vikings within striking distance. They did play their usual tough defense, but even when Cleveland State went 10:05 between points, Virginia's lead was just 16-4.

After making their first field goal attempt, the Vikings hit just one of their next 16. Vinny Zollo ended the drought with a 3-pointer 6:28 before halftime, one of four the Vikings hit before the break.

Virginia, meantime, made only two outside shots the entire half.

TIP-INS

Cleveland State: Trey Lewis, coming of a 32-point performance that included nine 3-pointers in a victory against Mount Vernon, hit his first 3 with 33 seconds left before halftime. He finished 7 for 13 from the field, and 4 of 9 from 3-point range.

Virginia: Former Cavaliers guard Sean Singletary was at the game, and got a huge ovation when introduced in the second half. Another former Cavaliers point guard, Cory Alexander, was the color analyst on the TV broadcast.

UP NEXT

Cleveland State is at home against San Francisco on Sunday.

Virginia is at home against Harvard on Sunday.

No. 6 VIRGINIA 70, CLEVELAND ST. 54

Yates 1-2 0-0 3, Lewis 7-13 0-0 18, Grady 4-13 0-0 8, Lee 2-7 4-4 8, Mason 2-4 2-2 6, Sloan 0-0 0-0 0, Carpenter 0-1 0-0 0, Hales 1-1 0-0 2, Keane 2-3 1-2 6, Scales 0-1 0-0 0, Flannigan 0-1 0-0 0, Zollo 1-7 0-1 3. Totals 20-53 7-9 54.

Anderson 6-11 2-2 16, Tobey 2-2 2-2 6, Gill 4-10 5-9 13, Brogdon 4-9 8-9 16, Perrantes 0-2 0-0 0, Hall 0-0 0-0 0, Stith 0-0 0-0 0, Shayok 1-2 2-2 5, Atkins 1-2 1-2 3, Nolte 3-4 0-0 8, Wilkins 1-2 1-2 3, Frazier 0-0 0-0 0, Vozenilek 0-0 0-0 0, Kirven 0-0 0-0 0, Jones 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 22-44 21-28 70.

Halftime_Virginia 31-18. 3-Point Goals_Cleveland St. 7-23 (Lewis 4-9, Keane 1-1, Yates 1-2, Zollo 1-5, Mason 0-2, Lee 0-4), Virginia 5-11 (Anderson 2-3, Nolte 2-3, Shayok 1-2, Perrantes 0-1, Brogdon 0-2). Fouled Out_Grady. Rebounds_Cleveland St. 26 (Mason 5), Virginia 32 (Gill 8). Assists_Cleveland St. 9 (Keane, Mason 2), Virginia 14 (Perrantes 5). Total Fouls_Cleveland St. 24, Virginia 13. Technical_Lee. A_11,812.

The Lake Erie Monsters stop the Milwaukee Admirals, 4-3.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Lake Erie Monsters scored three goals in the third period then held on to defeat the Milwaukee Admirals, 4-3, Thursday at Quicken Loans Arena.

The win improved the Monsters record to 13-10-2-2, snapping a two-game losing streak and earning a split of the two-game series with the Admirals. Milwaukee defeat Lake Erie on Tuesday, 4-0.

Marek Mazanec, who shut out the Monsters on Tuesday, had a 2-1 lead entering the third period, having stopped 20 shots. But the Monsters peppered him with 12 shots in the third period and scored three times in just over five minutes for the win.

Paul Carey got the blitz started with a goal at 13:23 to tie the score, 2-2.

Stefan Elliott gave the Monsters their first lead, scoring on a power play at 18:04, and just 24 seconds later Andrew Agozzino scored to make it 4-2.

Austin Watson scored for the Admirals with 55 seconds remaining, but the Monsters were able to hang on from there.

Roman Will had 19 saves to get the win for the Monsters. Mazanec had 28 saves for Milwaukee. Mitchell Heard also scored for the Monsters.

The Monsters will host the Grand Rapids Griffins on Saturday at the Q at 7 p.m.

Few pro athletes have earned so many individual accolades without ever reaching the postseason.

BEREA, Ohio – After a devastating last-minute loss to the Colts two weeks ago, Browns' veteran Joe Thomas shot a text message to a former teammate who could appreciate the left tackle's momentary agony.

Ironically, the recipient was a man who had just beaten the Browns, mortally wounding their playoff hopes. Linebacker D'Qwell Jackson had sat in the same locker room with Thomas after so many disheartening defeats. They were teammates on the 10-6 club that fell just short of the 2007 playoffs and were trusted leaders on so many franchise reboots.

Last week, as the Browns suffered an embarrassing 30-0 loss to the Bengals, Thomas sent his friend another text congratulating him on his first postseason appearance after the Colts outlasted the Texans.

"It said, 'I'm really happy for you,'" Thomas said Thursday sharing the content of text. "'I'm so glad for you and Josh (Cribbs) that you guys finally got the chance to play in the playoffs. I'm hoping I'm next.'"

The left tackle spoke to reporters on a day the local chapter of the Pro Football Writers of America named him the Browns' Player of the Year. Another individual honor at the end of another season bereft of tournament football.

How many teammates have the seven-time Pro Bowler watch leave town only to make deep runs into January? Phil Dawson. Mike Adams. Braylon Edwards. Maybe, T.J. Ward this season.

Name another Cleveland pro athlete so decorated without at least one playoff game on his resume? Thomas doesn't want to retire as football's equivalent to Ernie Banks. The Hall of Fame baseball player was known affectionately as Mr. Cub.

On Thursday, quarterback Brian Hoyer dubbed his left tackle "Mr. Brown."

"He's the only thing that's been consistent since he's been here," Hoyer said of the linemen who's never missed a snap in 126 games. "For a guy to be a constant and play at the level he has, regardless of the level the team has played at, I have a lot of respect for Joe Thomas because you see his work ethic day in and day out."

Thomas has played for five head coaches and six offensive coordinators in eight seasons. He's protected almost as many starting quarterbacks as Lloyd's of London. He's railed against the franchise's lack of continuity and spoken of the "drudgery" of so many seasons when the Browns were out of the playoff picture by Halloween.

Despite all the losing, Thomas is an eternal optimist. This season marks just his second with more than five wins. The Browns (7-7) sat alone atop the AFC North for a week in November at 6-3 and were 7-4 not long ago.

While many fans are upset with another late-season swoon, Thomas is encouraged by what he sees as progress. This year doesn't feel like so many others to him. Never mind that quarterback remains as much a question mark as when Tim Couch's first pass was intercepted in 1999.

He laughed as a reporter mentioned some fans were wondering on talk radio whether coach Mike Pettine would earn a second season.

"It would be shocking to me if they didn't want to keep this good nucleus that we have right now going," Thomas said. "And I think they will (keep it). There's no reason we shouldn't."

The fortunes of the Browns' season swung when Thomas' good friend and linemate Alex Mack broke his leg in the Oct. 12 win over the Steelers. Seeing the All Pro center carted off the field reduced the left tackle to tears. Mack, like Thomas, had never missed a snap since entering the league.

The left tackle could not believe the capriciousness of the football gods, denying Mack a chance at making his playoff push. His absence proved too much for the offense, particularly the running game, to overcome. The attack bottomed out Sunday in Johnny Manziel's debut as the Browns were blanked for the first time in five seasons.

Thomas lobbied against a change of quarterbacks prior to the Colts' game saying it was akin to waving a white flag at their postseason hopes. But he's supported Manziel before and after his disastrous debut.

"Johnny is getting his action, getting an opportunity to get better, to show that he can be a great player in the NFL and I've already seen improvement from him in practice this week, so I think there's a sense of excitement right now in the last couple games," Thomas said.

The season will end with an eighth consecutive trip to the Pro Bowl for No. 73. He's not only ProFootballFocus.com's highest-rated tackle, but its top-rated offensive player. He's performed at a high level while undergoing the biggest schematic chance of his career.

New offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan prefers a wide-zone blocking scheme for his run game. Thomas estimates the Browns ran such plays maybe five times a season in past years. They employed it about 20 times a game this campaign.

How did it impact Thomas? Best known for his pass protection, he's the NFL's top-rated, run-blocking tackle, according to ProFootballFocus.  

"There's a reason that he's one of, if not, the best to play the position," Shanahan said.

And here we are back to the individual accolades that have defined Thomas' career. Although he'll need to build an extension to his trophy case, there remains an emptiness, a feeling an unfulfillment.

Thomas receives many congratulatory texts this time of year. He just wants one he can share with with teammates.

LeBron James said the Cavaliers have enough talent to win now, even after a 29-point drubbing at the hands of the Atlanta Hawks.

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio – Now that NBA teams are beginning to seriously consider trades, LeBron James said the Cavaliers "do have enough talent" to win but that more "trust" was needed among teammates to play better defense.

Poor defense was the obvious culprit in a 127-98 loss Wednesday night to the Atlanta Hawks, in which some of the areas the Cavaliers are said to be seeking to improve via trades (wing and post defense) were exposed.

"The guys in the locker room is who we have and I think we can compete against anybody when we're playing at our best," James said after practice Thursday. "But it's going to take us to maintain our focus every single day, because we cannot afford to take a step backwards because a lot of teams are just better than us as far as chemistry, as far as the camaraderie they have over the years, and we don't have that.

"We do have enough talent, but talent doesn't win anything."

The Hawks drained 16 three-pointers on 28 attempts, many of those shots coming from wide-open players whom the Cavaliers either failed to rotate to or were late arriving to meet on the perimeter. Twelve of those threes came in the first half; Atlanta switched gears and converted 10-of-13 shots inside the paint in the third quarter.

The Cavaliers are said to be interested in Minnesota guard Corey Brewer, Memphis center Kousta Koufos, and Portland guard Wesley Matthews, among others, but being interested and acquiring one of these players are different things. Cleveland hosts the Brooklyn Nets at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

Immediately following the loss Wednesday night, James said the Cavaliers needed to play better defense individually, which would lead to better team defense. On Thursday, James said part of playing better man defense is building trust.

"You have the trust that if my guy gets beat, then I'm going to step up and help that guy and the next man and so on and so on," James said. "That trust isn't always there right now, it's something we need to get more consistent with."

Cavaliers coach David Blatt, who perhaps took Wednesday night's loss the hardest of anyone – he called it "embarrassing" -- was asked if he was considering changes to the starting lineup. The Cavaliers have dropped three of their last four and allowed an average of 116 points in those losses.

"We're considering everything," Blatt said. "I got to tell you the truth, it doesn't seem like the starting lineup is the problem," Blatt said. "We seem to be doing pretty good starting. But in order to change other things you may have to do that. So we're thinking about some different things."

Blatt declined to say what those changes could be. Mike Miller (concussion) has missed seven straight games and could return Friday. Before he was injured on Dec. 4 against the New York Knicks, it appeared Blatt was toying with the idea of starting him at shooting guard over Shawn Marion, who could then be used off the bench to fill in for James.

Reserve center Tristan Thompson is averaging 11.1 points and 9.6 rebounds in his last seven games, and leads all NBA bench players with an average of 3.5 offensive rebounds per game. 

But while apparently considering lineup or player rotation changes, Blatt also seemed to suggest the ugliness from Wednesday night occurred in a vacuum and was not suggestive of a longer, negative trend. At least not entirely.

In a 103-94 loss to Oklahoma City last week, the Cavs played without James. The next night, a 119-114 loss in New Orleans, was Cleveland's sixth game in nine days.

And on Monday night, the Cavaliers beat Charlotte 97-88 for their ninth win in 11 games.

"It was a bad night," Blatt said. "A few nights earlier we gave up 88 points. We played pretty good. But there were things there that have repeated themselves and that's what we're trying to address."

James said "our losses have been a combination of us just not playing the way we've been practicing or what we've been going over, and then just having one of those games.

"You've got to continue to work the habits, continue to get better every day and once you get out on the floor just do what you've been practicing," James said.

The Cavaliers beat Brooklyn 110-88 on Dec. 8 -- the night James and Kyrie Irving wore "I Can't Breathe" t-shirts and James met Prince William and the former Kate Middleton afterwards.

James needs just four points to pass Charles Barkley (23,757 points) for 23rd place on the NBA's all-time scoring list.

The Cleveland Cavaliers bounced back on Friday night, beating the Brooklyn Nets, 95-91.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Cavaliers bounced back on Friday night, beating the Brooklyn Nets, 95-91.

LeBron James split a pair of free throws with less than two seconds left to ice the game away. James scored a team-high 22 points. Mike Miller, in the starting lineup for the first time, scored 21 points. Kyrie Irving added 16 points and four assists.  

The Cavs, 15-10, will continue their homestand on Sunday against the Memphis Grizzlies. 

Scoring Summary:

End of 3rd Quarter - Cavs lead the Nets, 74-71. Mike Miller has scored 21 points in his first start of the season. LeBron James and Kyrie Irving have each added 14 points. The Nets are being led by Joe Johnson's 19 points. 

End of 2nd Quarter - Cavs lead the Nets, 54-49. Mike Miller has a season-high 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting. Kyrie Irving and LeBron James have each added 10 points. The Nets are led by Sergey Karasev, who has a season-high 12 points. 

End of 1st Quarter - Cavs trail the Nets, 33-26. Mike Miller, making his first start, leads the way with nine points on 3-of-3 shooting. LeBron James has eight points and five assists. For the Nets, former Cavalier Sergey Karasev has nine points. 

Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel will get a chance to learn from one of the dual-threat masters in Cam Newton, providing Newton is healthy enough to run just 12 days after his car accident.

BEREA, Ohio -- Johnny Manziel will likely oppose one of the premier dual-threat quarterbacks in the NFL in Cam Newton on Sunday, and when he's not huddling up with Kyle Shanahan on the sidelines, he can take a peek at the Panthers quarterback and try to pick up a few things.

"Cam is the definition of a dual-threat quarterback,'' said defensive end Desmond Bryant. "Not only can he beat with you his arm -- and he has a big arm -- he can make all the throws and especially ones down deep. He's athletically gifted, I'd say moreso than any other quarterback in the league right now.''

Manziel will try to bounce back from his horrendous starting debut against the Bengals with a better game Sunday in Carolina. At first, it appeared that former Browns quarterback Derek Anderson, who's gone 2-0 this season, might get the nod. But Newton (3-8-1) is listed as probable with his fractured lower back suffered Dec. 9, and is probable to play against the Browns just 12 days after his car flipped over in a two-car accident in uptown Charlotte.

 Panthers coach Ron Rivera told reporters Friday he's  "very confident" Newton will be able to start against the 7-7 Browns. The 5-8-1 Panthers are a half-game out of first place in the NFC South and need to win to keep their postseason hopes alive.
"He did a lot of turning and twisting today. We put a lot of pressure on it," Rivera said. "We had him do some things on purpose, and he seemed to be right on track. He's had no ill effects every morning."

On Thursday, Newton fired a 65-yard pass in practice, showing that the injury hasn't affected his arm strength. He took reps with the first-team offense both Thursday and Friday.

"We're pointed in the right direction," Rivera said. "Good things have happened. He's done a lot of positive things."

Browns coach Mike Pettine is preparing for the full Newton experience despite the accident.

"Yeah, we'll see,'' he said. "It's a large inventory. They have a lot of things they can go to. We truly don't know whether he's full go and they can open everything up with all the quarterback runs and him as they've done. We've prepared for what they've put on tape."

Newton (6-5, 245) has used his cannon-arm and fast legs to produce 16,568 combined rushing and passing yards, second-most in NFL history through a player's first 60 games.

As a rookie in 2011, when he was coached by then offensive coordinator and former Browns coach Rob Chudzinski, Newton threw for 4,051 yards with 21 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. He also rushed for 706 yards and 14 TDs -- most ever by an NFL quarterback -- to earn a Pro Bowl berth and AP Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.

Thanks in large part to Newton's success, other teams drafted dual-threat quarterbacks and let them run their college-style read-option offense in the pros.
But few have managed to match the two-time Pro Bowlers numbers: Newton is the first player to have 10,000 passing and 2,000 rushing yards in his first four seasons. He also leads the NFL with a 40.8 first-down percentage since 2011.

The difference, of course, between Newton and Manziel is size. Newton is almost a half a foot taller than Manziel and has 35 pounds on him. Still, he's been sacked 36 times this season, which is tied for seventh-most in the NFL.

"In my opinion, he's probably the toughest one to bring down,'' said Bryant. "I played against him one time and I never got him down the way I wanted to. I got a sack on him, but only because someone else came and helped out. I was still hanging on to his foot. It's definitely a challenge bringing him down.''

Bryant is confident that the two-time Pro Bowler will play his usual two-pronged game. Despite an ankle injury, broken ribs that kept him out of an earlier game and now the fractured back -- the same injury that Dallas' Tony Romo has been playing with -- Newton is the team's second-leading rusher with 425 yards and first with a 5.0-yard average.

"If he's in there, he's going to be giving it his all,'' Bryant said.  He's going to be putting out a good product and we're going to have a tough time trying to stop him. After you see the pictures of the car on its side, for him to be playing a game less than two weeks later, that's very remarkable.''

Defensive end Billy Winn acknowledged that Newton brings a different dimension providing they don't limit his running.

"It's a big difference from what we've been playing,'' said Winn. "He's not Andy Dalton, he's not Andrew Luck. This guy can get out and go. He can definitely make guys miss.  And Cam still has that strong powerful arm.  He can throw the ball 50 yards downfield and he's got (rookie Kelvin) Benjamin as a receiver and that guy can fly.''

What's more, the Browns might have to take on Newton without Newton's old college good friend Joe Haden, who's questionable with his shoulder injury. The Browns are also still without nickelback K'Waun Williams (hamstring) and safety Tashaun Gipson (knee).

"Cam has such a strong arm, he can be on his back foot and still make the throws,'' said cornerback Buster Skrine, who will spend time on Benjamin if Haden can't go.  You've got to respect his arm and respect his legs too.''

Skrine acknowledged that Newton being able to walk away from the accident was a blessing.

"He was lucky to get out of that situation,'' said Skrine. "It will probably be an emotional game for him, but he's been through a lot. I'm pretty sure he's going to be strong enough to fight through it.''

Skrine knows he'll probably have to help take away Newton's biggest TD threat in Benjamin, who leads the team with nine.  

"He makes a lot of plays, wins a lot of jump balls, and he's having a very productive year,'' said Skrine. "He's a big red zone target and he looks like a vet out there.''
Browns defensive coordinator Jim O'Neil compared some of Newton's skills to those of Ben Roethlisberger.

"But at this point in his career, Cam makes a lot more plays with the ball below his shoulder than what probably Ben does right now,'' said O'Neil.

And if Manziel has a moment or two when his defense is on the field, he just might pick up a tip or two.

After Bryan Price cleared waivers, the Indians outrighted him to Class AAA Colmbus and then invited him to big-league spring training in February.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Right-hander Bryan Price made his big league debut last season and that's a good thing.

What happened to him during his brief stay with the Indians was not so good. He allowed six runs on eight hits in three appearances for 20.25 ERA. In his 2 2/3 innings of work, the opposition hit .500, including three home runs.

When the Indians acquired Brandon Moss on Dec. 8 from Oakland, Price was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster. Price cleared waivers and was outrighted to Class AAA Columbus.

The Indians announced Friday that they are inviting Price to big league spring training in February.

Price pitched well in 2013 at Class AA Akron and Columbus. Last spring he came to camp with the big league club and injured his right shoulder. His season did not begin until June 1.

The Indians to date have invited eight players to big league camp on minor league deals including pitchers Price, Tyler Cloyd, Shaun Marcum and Dustin Molleken, catchers Brett Hayes and Adam Moore and outfielders Destin Hood and Sands.

The Indians acquired Price, Nick Hagadone and Justin Masterson from Boston in 2009 for Victor Martinez.

On the heels of the Cleveland Cavaliers' most lopsided loss of the season, head coach David Blatt will make another change to his starting lineup, swapping Shawn Marion for Mike Miller.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- On the heels of the Cleveland Cavaliers' most lopsided loss of the season, head coach David Blatt will make another change to his starting lineup, swapping out Shawn Marion for Mike Miller.

"We really have been getting a great contribution from Shawn when he was starting, but we are looking at our situation and we have had some issues coming off the bench," Blatt said. "We're looking for a way to fortify that."

The Cavs' bench has been a point of concern since the beginning of the season, averaging 24.8 points (27^th) on 43 percent shooting.

"If you look at the starts of our games, for quite some time they have been good," Blatt said. "Shawn Marion has very much been a part of that. I don't think we weren't getting what we want out of that unit. We're just looking a little further and deeper into the rotation and thinking about how we can get more from the overall."

Miller has missed the last seven games with a concussion, but will not be on a minutes restriction against Brooklyn. Had he not gotten injured, the move might've been made sooner.

"Just before he got hurt, he was going pretty good and very much involved in the rotation," Blatt said. "He's going to be back in there and we will have to gauge on the court how he is wind wise."

The decision to start Miller is more about strengthening the bench, but it could also help ignite Miller, one of the best shooters on the roster, who has yet to find his role.

"My job is to go out there and hopefully make the other guys' jobs easier," Miller said before Friday's game. "Space the floor a little bit and hopefully make some shots."

Miller is averaging 1.5 points while shooting 30 percent from the field, including 25 percent from three-point range in 13 games. As Blatt continues to search for consistency, he is hoping Miller in the starting lineup is more than a band-aid.

"You're always trying to figure out how you can improve in different areas of the game," Blatt said. "Sometimes you just want to shake things up a little bit too."

The starting lineup change also allows Marion to slide back into a position and role he was expected to play when he signed in the off-season: James' backup. The switch may help limit James' minutes, something Blatt admitted was part of his thought process. James is currently fourth in the NBA in minutes played, averaging nearly 38 per contest.

Marion has started the last 21 games, taking over for Dion Waiters, who got off to a rocky start in his first three games as starter before being moved to the second unit. Marion, 36, is averaging 5.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists while playing 24.1 minutes. 

"It's also a chance for us to get more defense and activity and maybe a little more room for Shawn to play with that second unit and see how it goes." Blatt said. 

Cleveland Browns linebacker Paul Kruger has 10 sacks and need four to tie Reggie Camp for the team sack record.

BEREA, Ohio -- Linebacker Paul Kruger recorded his team-high 10th sack of the season against the Bengals last week and has his sights set on the Browns franchise record of 14, set in 1984 by Reggie Camp.

"I'd have to have a good couple weeks but there's time for that,'' said Kruger.
Kruger would need a couple against Cam Newton Sunday in Carolina and a couple more next week against his old Ravens team to pull off the feat.

But his defensive coordinator Jim O'Neil would love to see  it.

"Paul has done a really nice job,'' said O'Neil. "We've obviously changed a lot technique-wise from what he's been used to, our system compared to previous systems that he might have played in. (Assistant linebackers coach) Brian Fleury has done a great job with him. Paul bought into the fact that we have to stop the run early, get teams behind the sticks and that's going to allow me to go rush the passer.

"That's obviously the best thing he's done, and I'm happy for him. I'm happy he got double-digit sacks. We're hoping to get him 14-plus. That way, he can break the franchise record."

Kruger's 10 sacks, including eight in the last eight games, are tied for seventh in the NFL -- just one shy of his old Ravens teammate Terrell Suggs.  They're also the most by a Brown since Kamerion Wimbley had 11 in 2006. He's the eighth Brown to reach double-digits.

"That's one of the things I hoped I accomplished this year is just proving that I was the type of player they expected and wanted to have here,'' he said. "I'm excited for what we have going on here now and what we have to come. It's definitely an upward progression.''

Kruger was the first free agent signed by former Browns CEO Joe Banner last season, receiving a five-year, $40 million deal. But he recorded only 4.5 sacks in Ray Horton's defense, which required him to drop into coverage more, and he was frustrated much of the season.

"I definitely felt pressure and fans will react the way they do,'' he said. "You've got to just move towards the things that are going to help you out. You've got to hear the voices that are actually going to do some good for you.''

Kruger knew he was capable of double-digit sacks after coming close in 2012. That year, he finished with nine during the regular season and 4.5 more during the playoffs, which prompted Banner to make him a priority signing.

"I always knew what I could do,'' said Kruger. "It was just a matter of being in the right situation and as a team, the more success you have as a defense, the more numbers guys are going to have and it all plays together.''

 In O'Neil's defense, Kruger mostly rushes off the edge and plays to his strength. He's been a menace to quarterbacks all season.

"I definitely feel much more comfortable,'' he said. "I feel like I've been given a little more freedom, especially when your job is more simple and designed to get to the passer, so yeah, it feels good.''

Over the past eight games, Kruger has reached his goal of about one per game, and

"I feel like I still have more to go. I had a couple of sacks taken away and there's so many I left out there. This could just be a standard that I could set for myself.''
The Browns hope it's just the beginning.

Ahtyba Rubin's 100th: Rubin will become the ninth Browns player to hit the 100-game milestone on Sunday.

"It means a lot, man,'' he said. "It's been a long journey, been a long grind, and it just feels great. I'm stoked about it, I'm happy. I feel like it's a great achievement in my life.

Rubin, who's in the final year of his contract, would love to be back.

"Definitely,'' he said. "I love it here, and I've spent my whole career here. My 100th game is coming up here this Sunday, so it would be awesome to keep that streak going.''

He stressed that he wants to finish his career here.

"I just think about showing the coaches that I belong here, showing that I want to be a Brown for life, and try to do the best  I can to perfect my craft every chance I get to touch the practice field,'' he said.

Joe Haden questionable: Haden (shoulder) practiced for the first time on Friday and is one of six players listed as questionable for the Panthers. The others are Karlos Dansby (knee), Gary Barnidge (rib), Marlon Moore (knee), Robert Nelson (hamstring), and Jabaal Sheard (foot).

Pettine said Haden will come down to a gametime decision and that he has a little time for the shoulder to settle down. In addition, cornerback K'Waun Williams (hamstring) and Tashaun Gipson (knee) are out.

Kicker Garrett Hartley was absent Friday for a personal reason, but coach Mike Pettine expects him to kick on Sunday.

 Buster Skrine on his future: Skrine is one of a handful of Browns who are in the final year of their contract.

"I definitely want to be part of this team, but we just have to see what happens,'' he said. "I just want to be back.''

Judging from the way Pettine praised Skrine, the Browns would like to have him back.

"I think he showed it last week. He showed it last week. That was the one positive coming out of the game. They wanted to throw deep on us. I think they took seven or eight deep shots, and we defended all of them. Most of them were on 'Bus' (Skrine). I think Buster's very underrated, and he's quietly going about. I know he had a couple hiccups here and there, but if you just look at his overall body of work I think he's been outstanding."