After finishing last season as a spectator while his Cleveland Cavaliers teammates were chasing an NBA championship, Anderson Varejao heard a few words recently that made his grueling off-season all worth it. Watch video

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- After finishing last season as a spectator on an NBA Finals team, Anderson Varejao heard a few words recently that made his grueling off-season rehab worth it. They came from the doctors who cleared Varejao to participate when the Cavs open training camp on Tuesday at Cleveland Clinic Courts. 

"I'm ready to go for the season," Varejao said with a wide smile during Cavs Media Day Monday. "I sat down with the medical staff and we had a nice talk and I'm able to be full go from the beginning. Of course, we are going to have to be smart and not overdo it because I'm coming back from a big injury. But I'm excited."

Varejao's season ended on Dec. 23 of last year when the 32-year-old, known for his endless energy and hustle, crumbled to the Quicken Loans Arena hardwood with a torn left Achilles that required extensive rehab. The injury is commonly known as one of the most challenging to come back from, and his age and lengthy injury history make it even more difficult. 

"I knew eventually I was working hard and I was going to be back," he said. "But it's good to hear from the doctors that you're full go and you don't have to worry about things. 'Your Achilles is as strong as it could be.' I just got more excited when I heard the news."

Varejao has yet to play a full season in his 11-year career. He's dealt with injuries to his face, wrist, knee and ankle, among others. But this was different. Not only has this particular injury caused major long-term issues for others, but it prevented him from participating in Cleveland's title chase. 

"It was tough," he admitted. "It was one of the toughest times of my career, especially after the last four years before last year. Going through a rebuilding process, we all know it's not fun. Last year everything was fine and I was ready for the season. We had a lot of expectations coming into the season, with LeBron coming back and a lot of new players. Unfortunately I could only play 27 games or something like that. Not being out there when I felt the team needed me and needed my experience, it was tough.

"It's a new season now and I'm healthy again. All I can ask for is no more injuries. I don't care about anything else. I will do whatever I have to. I just want to stay healthy."

A lot has changed for Varejao and the Cavs since that December day against the Minnesota Timberwolves. A slow, discouraging start for the team morphed into an NBA Finals run. Tristan Thompson enjoyed a breakout season that could springboard him into more minutes, provided Thompson and the Cavs end their lengthy contract dispute. Timofey Mozgov arrived, providing a much-needed defensive presence.

Suddenly, the longest-tenured member of the Cavaliers enters the 2015-16 campaign in an unfamiliar spot, staring at a crowded frontcourt depth chart and an uncertain role.

"Did you talk to Coach Blatt?" Varejao asked with a laugh when asked about his role changing. "It is something I don't care about. As long as I am important for the team and as long as I can help the team it doesn't matter to me if I'm the starter or not or how many minutes I'm going to play. I want to stay healthy. That's it."

Anger. Frustration. Disappointment. The feelings from last year are still looming and will likely be used as fuel. But Media Day marked the beginning of a new season, an opportunity to turn the page. 

"The organization was able to bring most of the guys back," Varejao said. "With me, Kevin and Kyrie (returning from injury) I really believe we can do something special in this town. We just got Richard Jefferson, Sasha (Kaun) and we got Mo (Williams). Those guys are thirsty to win as well. I really believe we can do it."

With tangible improvements offensively and defensively, Kent State is a much better football team going into Mid-American Conference play.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- If the mission in non-conference football is to identify the strengths and weaknesses of your football team, consider coach Paul Haynes' Kent State team a success by any measure, short of its 1-3 record going into Mid-American Conference play.

The Golden Flashes defense allowed 342 yards of offense and 52 points to Illinois in the opener. No team has gained that much yardage against Kent since, including the painful 36-29 double-overtime loss to Marshall on Saturday. Collectively, the opposition has scored 59 points in those three games, 45 in regulation time.

Offensively, Kent has discovered it can pound the football between the tackles with senior tailback Trayion Durham and freshman Myles Washington, a pair of bruisers who gained 114 and 56 yards, respectively, against Marshall.

"They are playing fantastic defense," Miami head coach Chuck Martin said as he preps the RedHawks (1-3) this week to play at KSU. "They were very good on defense a year ago and they basically got everyone back. They have played defense very, very well all season long."

Martin then turned his attention to KSU's offense, which still is not pretty, but is becoming more effective.

"They're doing a good job of running the football, doing a good job of taking short passes down the field, they're doing a good job with some misdirection to create some big plays,'' Martin said. "They've got a great plan."

After the first game of the season, nobody was talking like that about the Golden Flashes.

• Haynes said tailback Nick Holley will be out of action again this week.
• Defensive back Demetrius Monday, who limped off the field at one point against Marshall, is full go. "He just wanted some TV time,'' the coach said.
• Defensive lineman Terence Waugh is climbing the charts for sacks with six.
• Saturday will be Kent State's homecoming game, with a 3:30 p.m. kickoff.

Johnny Manziel won't be considered to start in San Diego Sunday despite Josh McCown struggling at times in 27-20 loss to Raiders. Watch video

BEREA, Ohio -- Browns quarterback Josh McCown wasn't the only one who ignored the 'John-ny! John-ny' chants at FirstEnergy Stadium Sunday.

Coach Mike Pettine was asked Monday if McCown did anything during Sunday's 27-20 loss to the Raiders to make the staff consider starting Johnny Manziel Sunday in San Diego.

"No,'' Pettine answered unequivocally.

It was the same answer he gave after the game Sunday when asked if he gave any thought to inserting Manziel in the first half when McCown couldn't get anything going.

"No, none,'' said Pettine. "As I said during the week, you can't put a player in a situation where he feels like he's playing with a short leash; then, it just becomes self-fulfilling. If we want our quarterback to play well, we have to play better around him."

McCown, who fell to 0-2 as a Brown, showed up in the locker room on Monday with a swollen right hand and a gash on the back of it. His right index finger -- which he originally jammed in the second preseason game against Buffalo -- was wrapped with an ace bandage again.

"I came to the sideline, it was bleeding and they patched it up and I was looking at pictures while they were doing it and so I don't (know exactly when it happened),'' he said. "I wish I could tell you.

His best guess was that someone on it hand after a third-quarter sack. But he said he's fine and won't miss any practice time. X-rays after the game were negative and he didn't undergo any further exams Monday.

"Rub a little dirt on it,'' McCown kidded. "It'll be all right."

He added that the hand injury didn't impact his underthrown ball to Travis Benjamin down the right sideline that was picked off by crafty old veteran safety Charles Woodson with 38 seconds remaining that halted his furious rally. Needing a touchdown to tie, McCown had taken over at his 2 with 2:26 and completed six passes for 69 yards, including those of 19, 15 and 18 yards.  Pettine agreed with the 13-year pro that the hand was no excuse, but it looked plenty puffy in the locker room on Monday.

"I knew he got hit, but it didn't appear to any of us that it had a significant impact,'' Pettine said.

He acknowledged that McCown (28-of-49 for 341 yards, two TDS, 1 INT, five sacks, 83.8 rating) was considerably off on some of his throws and would've liked to have more back than just the rally-spoiling pick.

"It was a windy day,'' said Pettine. "I know the one long ball he would've wanted to have back, I think it was to (Taylor Gabriel). The one to Travis (in the third quarter), I thought Travis relaxed a little bit and pulled away from the guy late, he wasn't primary in the read. I think overall he showed what he's capable of doing. And hopefully he'll only get better and learn from some of the situations that came up yesterday.''

Despite some big-time throws by McCown in the second half, especially on third down, Pettine re-inforced the notion that McCown's timing was off when rattling off who graded out well in the game.

"Our receivers I think at times --  when the ball's where it should be -- I think they made plays,'' Pettine said.

The coach, wearing more of an offensive hat this year, also made it clear after the game that he felt McCown should've either released the ball earlier on the deep ball to Benjamin that was picked off at the 12, or go over the middle to an open Gary Barnidge. Monday, he added that running back Duke Johnson was the second option.

"To me, the coverage that we anticipated, the route was if you read the backside, if he squeezes Barnidge, then you go to Duke (Johnson),'' said Pettine. "And I don't know if he felt there was a big enough window there to get it to Travis, but that's the read on that coverage. I think he, seeing the film, I'm sure regrets not just letting the progression take care of itself, backside defender squeezed it and he had Duke leaking out.''

Facing a third and 14 at the Oakland 35 on that fateful play, McCown didn't seem interested in much other than the go-route to Rabbit against the Raiders' Cover 2.

"Had I been able to throw the ball the way I want to throw it, yeah I'm OK with it,'' McCown said of his decision. "Could we have checked it down and got some more yardage that way and kept it going? Yes, absolutely. But again, that's hindsight. You never want to turn the ball over. That's for sure."

He credited 38-year-old Woodson with a heads-up play, but mostly blamed himself.
 
"Like I said, the location of the throw was not where I wanted it,'' he said. "It was not the type of throw that I wanted to make. So I felt like everything I did on the play, my intention was to hold him and do what we did, was good, it was just getting enough on the ball. That being said, he made an excellent play on the ball and to catch it and get his feet inbounds was an excellent ball."

He said more than anything, he wasn't able to step into his throw and to put the requisite zip on hit. Although right guard John Greco did a fine job of holding up Justin Tuck and then Khalil Mack, he still got pushed back enough to affect the toss.

"No, I didn't (step into it), and that was part of it,'' said McCown. "I wasn't quite able to finish the motion the way I wanted to so I didn't get as much on the ball as I would've liked."

As for his first underthrown ball on that drive -- another heave to Benjamin down the right side from the 2-yard line that was broken up -- he had time to set his feet.

 "No, I was able to get into that one,'' he said. "I just didn't get it up early enough. You're just learning on the go with Travis and his speed and the off coverage that they had. There was safety help on that side, and I really didn't think he'd get past those guys like that. But Trav is so fast. He got on top of them. The ball got up late, though. That was on me for sure."

McCown, who was cleared Wednesday from his concussion and re-instated ahead of Manziel, couldn't say if coming off the head injury contributed to his sluggish start, one in which he netted only 35 yards on his first three drives and punted on all three.

 "I don't want to say that,'' he said. "We just didn't get started fast, and I felt like the week of work was good, the preparation was good. I don't feel like that was an issue. You never know, but I don't feel that way."

McCown disagreed with the notion, espoused by Brian Hartline and Benjamin after the game, that the offense didn't attack enough in the first half.

"I just think we have to execute better earlier,'' said McCown. "We just got through watching the tape and felt like everybody kind of took a turn early. When all 11 guys aren't firing, it'll stop you quick and it'll slow things down. We talked about establishing the run with the team, so that's something we'll never get away from.''

McCown acknowledged that the Raiders game was his first extended action in almost a month, since the third preseason game in Tampa Bay Aug. 29.  In between, he had the one 17-play drive against the Jets, on which he suffered the concussion that knocked him out for the rest of the game and the next week against the Titans.

"We had a good week of work last week and finally, a little too late in that game, got a little groove going and started moving the ball around,'' he said. "That's the one thing, offensively we've got to build on. We've got to pick up where we left off in that sense, of just how well we were moving the ball and keep that going.''

Fortunately for McCown, Pettine won't hesitate to give him that chance.

Kyrie Irving likes where he's at with rehab, but there's still no timetable on his return. Watch video

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio - If you observed Kyrie Irving making the media rounds from end of the court to the other on Monday, you might think he was ready to hit the court full blast.

After dislocating his left kneecap in Game 1 of The Finals in June, Irving's stride looked surprisingly good with no obvious signs of a limp. It's a testament to how much he attacked his rehabilitation over the summer.

"When I was doing my rehab in the off-season .. we did a great job of getting better every single day," Irving said. "It hurt a lot, but I mean repairing or getting back from any knee injury is going to take a lot of physical and mental will. So it's testing, but not anything I can't handle."

If Irving is already healthy enough for full-contact practice, the Cavaliers aren't interested in trying it quite yet. Like Kevin Love, the team will be judicious in how soon they accelerate his training camp workload.

There is no timetable for his return.

"I think you're going to see us bring those guys along very slowly, very intentionally," General Manager David Griffin said. "I would not read too much into the appearances that those guys make or don't make in the preseason. This is not something that we have an aggressive timetable on for any of our guys who are returning.

"We're about playing into the postseason, and what we're going to do is utilize the depth the best we can to bring everybody along and the timing that works best for them long-term."

Love will return to action in a meaningful game before Irving, I'm told, and Love is on target to be in the opening night lineup against the Chicago Bulls on Oct. 27.

The team's first two-a-day is scheduled for Wednesday and Irving will only participate in one of those sessions. As long as he's hitting the floor everyday with teammates, that's good enough.

"We don't want it to flare up or have any setbacks," Irving said. "So for me it's just about getting better and not missing one day. That's what I've been doing the last month and a half, and trying not to miss those days and those times. We have to be smart about it with the team that I have from Atlanta, we're doing a great job of being smart about it."

See how a panel of Ohio sports writers and broadcasters ranks Ohio high school football teams.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — How a state panel of sports writers and broadcasters rates Ohio high school football teams in the third weekly Associated Press poll of 2015, by OHSAA divisions, with won-lost record and total points (first-place votes in parentheses).

See the ballots that cleveland.com submitted for the state poll in all seven divisions earlier Monday.

Others receiving 12 or more points: 11, Mentor 26. 12, Hilliard Davidson 13. 13, Berea-Midpark 12.

Others receiving 12 or more points: 12, Warren G. Harding 18. 13, Glenville 14.

Others receiving 12 or more points: 11, Tipp City Tippecanoe 34. 12, Columbus St. Francis DeSales 12.

Others receiving 12 or more points: 11, Youngstown Ursuline 27. 12, Clarksville Clinton-Massie 21. 13, Salem 18. 14, Byesville Meadowbrook 14. 15, Zanesville Maysville 12.

Others receiving 12 or more points: 11, Creston Norwayne 27. 12, Magnolia Sandy Valley 20. 13, Elyria Catholic 14.

Others receiving 12 or more points: 11, Beverly Fort Frye 26. 12, Columbus Grove 23. 13, Defiance Tinora 18. 14, Bucyrus Wynford 14. 15, Jeromesville Hillsdale 13.

Others receiving 12 or more points: 11, Norwalk St. Paul 35. 12, Bellaire St. John 30. 13, Glouster Trimble 22. 14, North Jackson Jackson-Milton 16. 15, DeGraff Riverside 15. 16, Vienna Mathews 12.

The Browns lost to the Raiders on Sunday. Were there any positives? Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Browns lost an ugly game to the Raiders on Sunday afternoon at FirstEnergy Stadium. So, was there anything positive to take from it?

Chris Fedor, Michael Reghi and Bud Shaw tried to find the bright spots on our Monday morning Browns show. Watch the video above to see what they found.

Want to see the show in its entirety? Check it out here.

"We don't want this kid to have to learn on his own. That's not fair. And nobody wants to beat him up. We just want to help him be the very best player he can be, whatever that may be."

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Chris Speier yelled at Terry Francona so much, the young corner outfielder nearly cried.

"I got so mad I had tears in my eyes," Francona said.

Speier, a veteran shortstop with the Montreal Expos in the early '80s, gave Francona some tough love when Francona made a mistake.

"I never did it again," Francona said. "And I knew he cared. I went up and hit a home run, I was so mad. I probably should have done it more."

When Francona returned to the dugout, Speier was first in line to commend him.

"I was probably pretty fortunate," Francona said, "because when I came up in the major leagues ... I had veterans that, although they were pretty tough on me, I knew they cared about me."

Recently, Francona has watched a similar dynamic unfold with Indians rookie shortstop Francisco Lindor. That "tough love" isn't as harsh in today's game -- except, perhaps, in Washington. 

When Lindor reached on a base hit in Minnesota last Thursday and the Twins overthrew the cut-off man, Francona said the 21-year-old "was feeling good about his hit" instead of advancing to the next base. Michael Brantley later pulled Lindor aside.

"[It was] just to talk to him about how, 'Hey, you need to be standing on second base,' which he understands," Francona said.

In Lindor's next plate appearance, he stretched a double into a triple with two outs.

"In my opinion, he should have stayed at second," Francona said. "But the kid is hustling. But then it gives us a chance to talk and say, 'Hey, look, this is what we mean here: Your hustle is good, but you have to have the game awareness to go with it.' To [his] credit, he really does listen. We haven't seen him make mistakes the second time, which is a good thing."

Francona met with Lindor in Cincinnati in late July after the first-year big leaguer failed to hustle down the line on a fly ball to center field.

"There's a way to talk to younger players," Francona said. "One isn't by beating them up. It's so easy in our game, we've all seen it. You make the young kid ride on the bus with the coaches. I think to a point it's fun to make the young kids carry the [food/drinks]. But they're part of the team. That's something we've talked about a lot here because I'm not a real big fan of beating people up and making them outcasts."

Francona said he has turned to Brantley and Corey Kluber to monitor such situations.

"I've told [them] many times, just in passing, 'Hey, don't forget how he's feeling,'" Francona said. "Like when something happens and they look like, 'Man, how did he do that?' Hey man, it wasn't that long ago when you were in that same spot. Just remember how you felt. Because after you play 4-5-600 games, that's a lot of baseball. And it's easy to forget how intimidated or nervous or unsure younger guys can be.

"We don't want this kid to have to learn on his own. That's not fair. And nobody wants to beat him up. We just want to help him be the very best player he can be, whatever that may be."

Fight club: The Washington Nationals suspended reliever Jonathan Papelbon for four games -- the remainder of the season, when coupled with the other ban he is serving -- following his duel with outfielder Bryce Harper on Sunday.

"The good places police themselves," Francona said. "When it gets that far, it's probably gone a bit too far. Those things all happen. It's just when it happens in public, one, you have handle it and two, if it happened like that there's a chance there's other stuff happening."

A summation of what some of the Cleveland Cavaliers had to say at Media Day on Monday. Watch video

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio - There was a lot to take from Cleveland Cavaliers' Media Day on Monday.

Among some of the topics were the absence of a particular player, the team's goals, summer workout regimens, free agency, gambling and much more. Here is a summation of what some of the players had to say that stuck out. 

* LeBron James was his usual business-like self. He talked about setting the tone for the upcoming season but what was most telling is that he's not stepping in the middle of negotiations between Tristan Thompson and the Cavaliers. He's had several opportunities to stick it to the team for not surrendering to Rich Paul's demand and he has chosen to stay neutral. He's not getting involved.

* Iman Shumpert said his emphasis in the off-season was to work on his ball-handling and footwork. Tightening up his dribbling is surprising considering he played the point guard position in college. Expect him to be better creating off the dribble this year.

* J.R. Smith is the gift that keeps on giving. Last season he came up with a golden quote by saying open shots are too boring and adding that he prefers contested looks. But on Monday, he might have just topped that one. He was asked if he had any regrets about opting out of a player option that would have paid him $6.4 million this season. He's making $5 million instead.

"I'm a gambler," he said. "I'll take a gamble on myself any day. If anybody who doesn't have confidence in themselves and they want inspiration, I'm betting on myself in the situation no matter what it is. So, you know, hopefully in the future I'll get another chance to do it again." 

* Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving are super close. Those two are basically inseparable. They were laughing and joking around all afternoon, but when it was time to talk basketball, they both spoke about the fire that's burning inside to accomplish the goal of being the last team standing in June. You got the sense that they're eager to demonstrate that whenever they return from their perspective injuries. 

* Mo Williams discussed how he hasn't fared well in free agency over the last few years and how he took matters into his own hands this time around. Instead of waiting all summer for a lucrative offer that might or might not have come, he chose to return to the Cavaliers for a chance at a championship on a below-market salary.

"I couldn't get them up on the money, but it's cool," he said jokingly about the Cavs.

* Timofey Mozgov revealed that the left knee scoped over the summer had been bothering him the last few years. The pain had increased that it prevented him from playing for his national team. That's what led to the surgery. One can only imagine the impact he'll have on the team once he's 100 percent. He said he will be a go for opening night.

And lastly... 

* Anderson Varejao has apparently forgotten about big man Mozgov. I asked the center what it would be like coming off the bench this year and he was a little taken back by the question.

"Have you talked to Coach Blatt?" he asked me. "You sure I'm going to be on the second [team]? I didn't know."

I thought it was a legitimate question to ask. The frontcourt is loaded. I guess we'll just wait and see what happens. Day 1 of training camp starts Tuesday.

Cleveland Cavaliers center Timofey Mozgov had his knee cleaned out this summer, but is nearing full strength and expects to be available for the team's opener on Oct. 27 against the Chicago Bulls.

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- Cleveland Cavaliers center Timofey Mozgov had his knee cleaned out over summer, but is nearing full strength and expects to be available for the team's opener on Oct. 27 against the Chicago Bulls.

"My knee's not perfect yet," Mozgov admitted Monday. "My knee bothered me for the last few years, but probably because of a lot of playing time and a lot of hard work, they started getting worse at the end of the season especially. But we'll be good, no worries."

He was then asked whether he would be ready for Opening Night and quickly responded with a one-word answer: yes. 

Mozgov, 29, blossomed in Cleveland following a midseason trade from Denver. He averaged 10.6 points and 6.9 rebounds while providing a defensive presence near the rim and becoming an integral part of Cavs head coach David Blatt's rotation.

With a renewed sense of confidence, Mozgov is heading into an important campaign. The 7-footer's contract expires at the end of the year and he could command big money on the open market, especially as the salary cap is projected to explode thanks to a new TV deal. The future, however, isn't his focus. Nor is what happened last year during 66 games with the Cavs.

"It's all about your right mindset for all season," he said. "You've got to be ready for anything that can happen. Play a lot or don't play at all. Injuries, no injuries. You've just got to stay strong. That's it."

Following a successful first year in Cleveland, Mozgov was hoping to play for the Russian National Team this summer, but his achy knee altered his plan. That's when he elected to undergo surgery, hoping to finally correct the lingering problem.

"First of all, to get healthy," Blatt said of what he wanted from Mozgov following the loss in the NBA Finals. "He did have a procedure, and it was very important for him to recover as close to 100 percent as he could at the start of camp. At the same time, I think Timo needed some rest because he went through a very long and strenuous year after having played in the summer the year before with his National Team. We wanted him to shut it down a little bit as well. I'm just excited about him getting on the court and getting to play again because he didn't do a whole lot of that in summer, nor could he. But he seems to be ready to go. He'll catch the rhythm very quickly."

Mozgov will be on the court for the start of training camp, which begins Tuesday. Along with his teammates from last year, Mozgov will see a familiar face, Sasha Kaun, who signed as a free agent after spending eight years playing professionally in Russia. The two have been teammates before, playing for the Russian National Team. They've also had numerous on-court battles as Mozgov's professional career began just like Kaun's -- playing overseas.

"When Sasha signed, everybody called me and said, 'How are you going to be with Sasha? You guys going to fight each other or what?' But I looked at the situation, and looked at it, and we have the same target," Mozgov said. "We're not enemies, we are friends. He's not my best friend, but I've known him a long time. We played on the National Team together. So we'll be good."

Following Cavs Media Day, our team -- Chris Haynes, Joe Vardon and I -- recapped the event. Watch video

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- On Monday, the Cleveland Cavaliers gathered inside Cleveland Clinic Courts for this year's Media Day. 

Unlike last year, when TV trucks lined the exterior of the building and a white tent was provided for media members because of the amount of requested credentials, there wasn't as much commotion or anticipation.

Tristan Thompson's absence was the main topic. The restricted free agent power forward remains without a contract despite a summer of discussions about a long-term deal. Thompson also won't be present on Tuesday, the first day of training camp.

LeBron James shelved the "patience" talk and spoke instead about the anger of losing in the NBA Finals and entering the new year with a sense of urgency, a message that was echoed by a number of his other teammates. 

Following the event, our Cavaliers team -- Chris Haynes, Joe Vardon and I -- recapped the day. We talked about Thompson's contract situation, James' approach and when Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, Anderson Varejao and Timofey Mozgov will be ready after rehabbing injuries this off-season. 

The No. 18 player in the 2016 recruiting class has not set a commitment date yet.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Kobi Simmons, a five-star combo guard in the Class of 2016, confirmed what everyone had been thinking about his recruitment on Monday night, announcing his final three schools.

Simmons will choose from a final three of Ohio State, Kentucky and UNLV. He announced the finalists on his Twitter account.

That Simmons would have those three schools as his finalists makes sense. They were among the four schools he officially visited. Georgia was the only school that got an official visit from Simmons, but didn't make the cut.

Simmons' father, Demond Stephens, told Northeast Ohio Media Group on Monday night that no commitment date has been set.

Simmons, the No. 3 combo guard and No. 18 overall player in the 2016 class according to 247Sports, visited Ohio State with his family on Sept. 11, the same weekend the football team hosted Hawaii.

"He loves Ohio State," Stephens told NEOMG after the visit. "He's been in love with them forever."

But he feels the same way about Kentucky, and was surprised on his trip to UNLV, which has the Rebels in the running here at the end.

Final 3!!![?] [?] #Blessed #KJ2 pic.twitter.com/tllad7lIld

-- Shoogs (@JordanKobi) September 29, 2015

The Buckeyes, whom Simmons visited last, knew all of that. So they brought out the big guns for Simmons' visit. Simmons was spotted on the sideline before the football game with former Buckeye and current Los Angeles Laker D'Angelo Russell.

* The D'Angelo Russell Effect: How long can Ohio State recruit off the star name?

Russell wasn't the only pro there. Former Buckeyes Evan Turner, Michael Conley and Michael Redd, and former Cleveland State star and New Orleans Pelicans guard Norris Cole were also in Columbus that weekend.

"No that's not normal," Stephens said. "I've been coaching and mentoring children for 18 years, and I always tell Kobi, one thing that is more valuable than where somebody goes and how successful they are is do they call you back for their marriage, their college graduation? After they've gone on, do they still even talk to you?"

So that was impressive, and enough to get Ohio State in the final three.

The Buckeyes are currently full for the 2016 recruiting class with commitments from Derek Funderburk and Micah Potter. Both players are playing at prep schools this year, and Potter told NEOMG in July that it's possible he reclassifies to 2017, but he hadn't had any conversations with Ohio State about that at that point.

Here are high school sports highlights from Monday.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Here are high school sports highlights from Monday. See below for information on how you team’s accomplishments can be recognized in these daily roundups.

FIELD HOCKEY

Shaker Heights 3, Stow 1

Three different players scored for Shaker Heights in the Raiders' win at Stow.

The game was tied at halftime before Shaker Heights scored twice in the second half. Stow only had one shot on goal.

BOYS GOLF

Division II Sectionals

At Quail Hollow

Led by a 74 from Charlie Toman, NDCL's boys golf team earned a sectional championship with a 73. Atya Achar shot a 77 and Corbin Wainsch added a 78 for Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin.

Orange finished in second place with 324, and Hawken finished third with 330.

Individual qualifiers were Sam Fisher from Berkshire, who shot a 77, Howie Taylor, who shot a 78, and Zack Kirchner, who qualified with a score of 81.

All three teams and top three individuals not from those three teams will advance to the district tournament at Windmill Lakes on Oct. 6.

At Windmill Lakes

Crestwood senior Danny Jones shot a 75 to qualify for the district tournament. His 75 was tied for the best score of the meet.

Garrettsville Garfield sophomore Derek Miller also qualified with an 82. Youngstown Cardinal Mooney won the meet, with Girard finishing second and Struthers coming in third place.

All three teams and top three individuals not from those three teams will advance to the district tournament at Windmill Lakes on Oct. 6.

GIRLS GOLF

Greater Cleveland Conference Championship

Solon won the first Greater Cleveland Conference championship meet at Turkeyfoot, shooing a strong 321. Jennifer Wang was named the conference player of the year after she shot an even-par 72.

Five of the six lowest scores were from Solon. Strongsville's Alyssa Wohlleber finished fourth overall with an 84 and helped her team to a second-place finish with a score of 377.

BOYS SOCCER

Cleveland Heights 2, Avon 1

Gabriel Pewu scored twice in the second half to give Cleveland Heights a comeback win against Avon.

Trey Grudzien had Avon's lone goal.

GIRLS SOCCER

Avon Lake 3, Olmsted Falls 0

Three first-half goals allowed Avon Lake to stay undefeated in Southwestern Conference play.

Allie Heschel, Olivia Siko and Maggie Moore had Avon Lake's goals.

Elise Duvall made two saves to record her 16th career shutout.

Firelands 3, Milan Edison 0

Lexi McCrary scored two goals to lead Firelands to a home win. Zoe Simmons added a goal and an assist.

Firelands goalkeeper Alex Willis made four saves for the shutout.

Mentor 4, Chagrin Falls 3

Kelly Colon's goal with two minutes to go gave the Cardinals the win. Katja Josipovic, Jessie Hedegus and Kassie Burger also scored for Mentor.

Chagrin Falls' Brianna Baker scored twice and Kelly Dishong also had a goal.

Mentor had a 2-0 lead at halftime.

Trinity 6, Cornerstone Christian 2

A four-goal second half helped the Trojans improve their record to 8-2-1.

Brooke Garey and Anna Hawersaat each had two goals for Trinity, and Rose Eyerman added three assists.

GIRLS TENNIS

Brush 3, Cleveland Heights 2

Brush's Ashley Duncan overcame a loss in the first set of her third singles match to Cleveland Heights' Sheree Nobles to win and give her team a 3-2 win.

Brush won both doubles matches with Maryha Smith and Zoe Thomas in first doubles, and Shelby Cooper and Branika Campbell in second doubles.

VOLLEYBALL

Mentor Power Tournament

NDCL took third at the Mentor Power Tournament on Sunday, defeating Lake Catholic in five games, 22-25, 25-19, 25-21, 21-25, 15-11.

NDCL's Amber Pierce and Erica Kostelac were each named to the All-Tournament team along with Lake Catholic's Lauren Witte, Gilmour's Alexa Turk and Nordonia's Sierra Pla.

Cincinnati Ursuline defeated Massillon Jackson to win the tournament. Massillon Jackson's Brooke Bailey earned MVP honors.

North Olmsted 3, Westlake 1

North Olmsted rallied from a loss in the first game to defeat Southwestern Conference rival Westlake.

How your team can be included in these roundups

These roundups are based on box scores and game notes entered in cleveland.com’s database by school or team representatives. If your team is not participating in the box score program please contact your athletic director or coach and encourage them to do so. They can obtain instructions and database login information from High School Sports Manager Kristen Davis at kdavis@cleveland.com.

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Browns receiver Dwayne Bowe has not been right all season because of a strained hamstring suffered during camp. Watch video

BEREA, Ohio -- Browns receiver Dwayne Bowe is not jeopardy of getting cut, coach Mike Pettine said Monday.

"No. It's a long season,'' said Pettine. "It hasn't started out the way that we've all -- including Dwayne -- wanted it to but we're confident that we'll get him contributing here sooner than later.''

Bowe was inactive for the opener against the Jets because of his strained hamstring, and again during Sunday's 27-20 loss to the Raiders despite the fact he wasn't on the injury report all week.

But offensive coordinator John DeFilippo revealed on Wedneday that Bowe wasn't 100% yet and that playing him might set him back more. So although he wasn't taking reps off in practice, he likely wasn't able to run full speed.

"He's going to play,'' said Pettine. "It's a long year. The decision came down from a numbers standpoint with K'Waun (Williams) being down, that number was needed on the defense and particularly on the special teams part of it. So Dwayne will help us, but he's just not there yet. The setback that he suffered during training camp, it's just hard to make those reps up. Now that we're in a practice week we're hopeful we'll get him out there and he'll contribute as we expect him to do.''

The Browns signed Bowe, 31, to a two-year deal in the offseason worth $12.5 million, including $9 million guaranteed. But he spent his first eight seasons in Kansas City, and it has been an adjustment to a new team and scheme.

"It might be a little more physical at this point than it is (mental) but it's combination,'' said Pettine.

Against the Titans, Bowe played only eight snaps, a sign that he just wasn't ready.

Mental toughness

Pettine lectured the players today on not being up one week and then down the next.

"We're just not that team that's going to be at the opposite extremes,'' he said. "We don't play well and then we rally back and then play well and as a result of that we take a step backwards. The psyche of a football team cannot be fragile, and that's something we need to work on.''

Missed tackles

What distressed Pettine the most defensively during Sunday's 27-20 loss to the Raiders were the missed tackles -- many of which led to the 469 total yards of offense.

"There were 14 that we charted yesterday,'' he said. "We do a lot, how we play blocks and how we get to the ball, how we fly to the ball, we get guys in a position to make tackles at the point of attack, and when you miss them that's hard to handle. I don't know the exact totally yardage that led to, but when I look at yesterday and I have to say one thing defensively, that would be it.''

The Browns finished last in the NFL in run defense last year, with 141.6 yards per game. This year, they're surrendering 158.3 per game despite investing heavily in their defensive front in the offseason.

Pettine said he's still involved with the defense even though he's helping out on offense more this year.

"It hasn't been a wholesale, complete shift, and those guys are very open,'' he said. "(I have) very open lines of communication with Jim (O'Neil) and the rest of guys on that staff."

Poor run game

Pettine said the lackluster running game, which netted 39 yards on 14 carries (2.8-yard average), is due to "a lot of little things. I think Crow (Isaiah Crowell) missed some runs yesterday. I think the most obvious one was the one on the goal line. If he just stays outside the fullback, he goes in standing up. So that one was tough 'cause we ended up having to kick the field goal on that drive after we had the penalty on fourth down."

On Paul Kruger

Pettine said Paul Kruger, who led the Browns with 11 sacks last year, has "yet to find his groove rushing the passer this year. We do need better push up the middle, but it just hasn't been consistent enough. But I thought yesterday they had a good plan picking up some of the pressure, blocking our four-man front where some of the stuff we were successful with last week as not there yesterday."

He singled out Armonty Bryant for some positive plays. On the first drive, he had a tackle for a loss and forced Derek Carr out of the pocket.

On Donte Whitner
 
"I think he'd be the first to tell you that he's been inconsistent, that there's been some plays for him to make that he hasn't made,'' said Pettine. "He's done some good things for us and he's left some plays out there."

 On Joe Haden

Pettine was less critical of Haden's coverage on Amari Cooper once he realized he suffered the rib injury on the first play. Haden is day-to-day with a rib contusion, a source said.

"I didn't know it was the first play,'' said Pettine. "....There are some plays Joe would want to have back and I was proud that he battled through the injury the way that he did. If there's anybody we're ultra-confident will stay confident and bounce back it's Joe Haden. ''

Injuries

Craig Robertson could be out awhile with his sprained ankle. Tashaun Gipson is day to day with his groin injury. K'Waun Williams is still in the concussion protocol.

 Pettine said Scott Solomon (ankle) and Desmond Bryant (shoulder) are "both close. Probably Des would be a better chance of going this week than Scott. Robert Turbin (ankle) is also progressing too. He'll be on the horizon, probably not this week, but potentially the next two or three getting him back. I would think Des would probably have the best chance of those three to go this week."

On Justin Gilbert's role in the muffed fair catch

Travis Benjamin said he was bumped, and the film shows that Gilbert may have grazed him. "I wouldn't say he was out of position,'' said Pettine. "Sometimes guys get pushed him into him, there's traffic around him, guys flying by. I think that's a ball Travis agrees that he needed to hold onto.''

Who graded out well

"Danny Shelton continues to play at a very high level,'' said Pettine. "He was impressive. Tramon (Williams) has been very consistent. He gives up some throws every now and again, but it's rarely for a big one. Offensively Malcolm (Johnson) in his limited role has done some good things for us. Duke (Johnson) did some good things as well.

"I think Gary Barnidge has been very much under the radar this year as far as tight ends, but he gets open, he catches the ball, he makes big plays. Our receivers I think at times, when the ball's where it should be, I think they made plays. (Brian) Hartline added another circus catch that forced another team to challenge it and ended up being rule a catch, so that group's done a nice job overall.''

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Left-hander Tommy Milone allowed two runs in 5 2/3 innings and Trevor Plouffe hit a two-run homer as the Minnesota Twins defeated the Cleveland Indians, 4-2, Monday night at Progressive Field. Tribe shortstop Francisco Lindor homered. Here is a capsule look at the game after a DVR review of the Fox SportsTime Ohio telecast: No comfort:...

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Left-hander Tommy Milone allowed two runs in 5 2/3 innings and Trevor Plouffe hit a two-run homer as the Minnesota Twins defeated the Cleveland Indians, 4-2, Monday night at Progressive Field. Tribe shortstop Francisco Lindor homered.

Here is a capsule look at the game after a DVR review of the Fox SportsTime Ohio telecast:

No comfort: The Indians (77-78) slipped to 35-39 at home.

Impressive: The Twins (81-75) remain in the thick of the race for the second AL wild card. Not bad for a club predicted by many to finish last in the AL Central.

Minnesota's ETA was supposed to be 2016.

Hard to believe, but true: The Indians, who were supposed to compete for a division title, are in third place and no longer relevant in the playoff discussion. The main reason for their status is collective failure against the four divisional opponents.

Monday's defeat guaranteed that the Indians lost the season series to all four. They finished 9-10 against the White Sox and 9-10 against the Royals. They are 7-11 against the Tigers with one game remaining that almost certainly will not be made up. They are 6-10 against the Twins with three to play.

Can't happen: In a game with wild-card implications, Milone -- a sub for flu-ridden Phil Hughes -- out-pitched Kluber.

Milone (9-5, 4.04 ERA) allowed four hits, walked none and struck out four. At one point, he retired 10 straight.

In his previous two starts, Sept. 12 and 17, Milone allowed a combined nine earned runs on 12 hits in five innings.

Four relievers held the Tribe to two hits. During one stretch, they threw 18 straight strikes and 26 of 27.

Kluber (8-16, 3.62) gave up four runs on seven hits in six innings. He walked three and struck out six.

Kluber's fastball/cutter location got him into trouble in the first. With two outs, Joe Mauer drilled a fastball over the plate above the knees for a double to center. Miguel Sano lined a fastball on the inner third at the knees for an RBI double to center. Plouffe pounced on a hanging cutter and sent it into the left-field bleachers to give the Twins a 3-0 lead.

Lindor's homer came in the bottom of the inning.

The Twins made it 4-1 on Brian Dozier's sacrifice fly in the fourth.

Jason Kipnis led off the sixth with a triple and scored on Lindor's grounder to short.

Hard to believe, but true, Part II: The Indians are 10-21 in games started by Kluber, the defending AL Cy Young Award winner.

Ten and 21.

Let this sink in: If the Indians were just 15-16 in Kluber's starts, they would be legit playoff contenders.

The Indians (77-78), for all intents and purposes, are essentially out of the wild-card race.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The defibrillators worked in late August.

The Indians again had a heartbeat, although it seemed a long shot for it to last. They found themselves toward the back of a field of mostly pseudo-contenders chasing a readily available second American League Wild Card berth. The Tribe, though, had enough trouble with the pesky .500 mark.

When Jason Kipnis tripled to lead off the sixth inning Monday, he stared and shouted at his dugout, in an effort to revive a team on life support. It only served as a temporary resuscitation.

A few innings later, the club took its last few breaths in a 4-2 loss to the Minnesota Twins.

Cause of death: an appalling April, a regularly dormant offense, underperforming veterans, a revolving door for a fifth starter and a handful of other ailments that proved too imposing to surmount.

The Tribe's loss on Monday dropped the club back below the .500 mark. The club finally evened its record at 70-70 after a stretch of 12 wins in 16 games earlier this month. Since, the Indians are 7-8. That includes three defeats in four encounters with the Twins, another team eyeing a one-game playoff next week.

The Twins pounced on Corey Kluber (8-16, 3.62 ERA) for three runs in the first, as Trevor Plouffe followed consecutive two-out doubles by Joe Mauer and Miguel Sano with a 425-foot blast into the bleacher seats.

Francisco Lindor, Cleveland's Rookie of the Year candidate, answered with a solo shot to left-center in the bottom of the first. After he rounded third, Lindor spread his arms out wide, leaned forward and slapped hands with third-base coach Mike Sarbaugh. The Indians didn't muster much else against Minnesota southpaw Tommy Milone, however.

Milone wasn't even supposed to be the Twins' starter; Phil Hughes was scratched a few hours before first pitch because of an illness. Milone proceeded to limit the Tribe to two runs on four hits across 5 2/3 innings.

The lefty out-dueled Corey Kluber, who yielded four runs on seven hits over six frames. Kluber walked three and plunked a batter. The Twins scratched across their fourth run on a Brian Dozier sacrifice fly in the fourth.

What it means

With a 7-0 sprint to the finish line -- quite the unlikely proposition -- the Indians would finish with an 84-78 record. Boasting an 82-74 record, Houston entered Monday's action atop the race for the second wild card spot. The Indians have wrapped up a day with a winning record only twice this season. On April 9, the club topped the Astros to move to 2-1. On Saturday, they beat the Royals to push their record to 77-76.

Ice Klubes

Kluber owns a 5.81 ERA in the first inning this season. Last year, he was at 2.12. In three starts since returning from a strained right hamstring, Kluber owns an 0-3 record and a 6.59 ERA. He has surrendered 17 hits and three home runs in 13 2/3 innings.

Mad dash

Kipnis nearly ran through Sarbaugh's stop sign on his sixth-inning triple. Center fielder Aaron Hicks fell to the ground on his attempt to snag the fly ball. Kipnis' helmet flew off as he rounded third. When he pumped the brakes, he slipped on the grass and fell down. Minnesota mishandled the relay, so Kipnis may have made it home safely. Kipnis, though, retreated to third base and scored on Lindor's groundout to short.

Quick change

Tribe catcher Yan Gomes picked Torii Hunter off of second base in the second inning. Initially, Hunter was called safe. Francona challenged and after a 37-second review, the ruling was overturned.

Standing ovation

Lindor snagged a Dozier grounder deep in the hole at shortstop on the game's opening play. His throw yanked Carlos Santana off the bag a bit, but the first baseman tagged Dozier, who dove on the outside part of the base. Dozier stood up and applauded the play.

They came, they saw

An announced crowd of 10,007 watched the affair at the ballpark on a 78-degree night.

What's next

The Indians and Twins will reconvene at Progressive Field on Tuesday evening. Cleveland will send right-hander Cody Anderson (6-3, 3.31 ERA) to the mound to oppose Minnesota righty Kyle Gibson (10-11, 3.96). Anderson has posted a 4-0 record and 1.38 over his last four outings. He scattered 10 hits over 6 2/3 frames against Minnesota at Target Field in a 6-3 Tribe victory last Thursday.

Garfield Heights assistant boys basketball coach Demetrius Johnson met with Donald Trump during a gathering of religious leaders in New York on Monday.

GARFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio — Garfield Heights boys basketball assistant coach Demetrius Johnson got to meet with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Monday at Trump Tower in New York City.

Johnson, a minister at Harvest Time Evangelistic Ministries in Cleveland, said the meeting was part of a gathering between Trump and dozens of religious leaders from across the country. Friend and pastor Darrell Scott of the New Spirit Revival Center in Cleveland Heights invited Johnson to come with him to Trump Tower.

This is for my beautiful wife @nitababy10

A video posted by Mechie Johnson (@hwbball15) on Sep 28, 2015 at 3:28pm PDT

"The meeting alone, me getting the invite, was so special," Johnson said. "Growing up as a kid, you always hear Donald Trump's name. He's got his money. He's a billionaire. You always see his face on things.

"To be in the same room as him during this time — he's running for President — it was a big deal for me to be able to go down, meet him, talk to him, take pictures with him, shake hands. It was an honor."

Johnson said Trump talked about numerous religious and political issues. He also got Trump to provide a video message to his wife that he posted on his Instagram account.

The Cavs say it's time for the next man to step up with Iman Shumpert sidelined for three months with a wrist injury.

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio - The Cleveland Cavaliers have been down this road before.

The roster is without another key player as they announced Tuesday that shooting guard Iman Shumpert will be out for up to three months following surgery Wednesday on his right wrist.

Shumpert, who re-signed with the Eastern Conference champs over the summer for four years and $40 million, ruptured the extensor carpri ulnaris in his wrist last week during a training session in Atlanta.

According to General Manager David Griffin, Shumpert informed the team on Monday at Media Day that he banged his wrist on the rim while trying to catch a lob dunk. He continued to play, even though he was experiencing some pain.

The team asked that he see Dr. Thomas Graham and Dr. Richard Parker of Cleveland Clinic Sports Health, and they confirmed the injury. His timetable to return is 12-14 weeks.

That's a date in or near January. Griffin said there was no risk of complicating the injury by not reporting it right away. Cleveland is already slowly working Kyrie Irving (knee), Kevin Love (shoulder) and Timofey Mozgov (knee) back into the fold from their respective surgeries.

This wasn't the best way to begin Day 1 of training camp.

"It's 'next man up' for our team," LeBron James said. "It's a big blow for our team. He's a guy that we wanted around here long-term, and he still will be around here long-term obviously, but the next man up will be ready to go until he gets back."

Cavs coach David Blatt echoed those sentiments.

"He will eventually be back and in the meantime, we will follow the same philosophy that we had all last year: Face the adversity, next man up and play the game that we know how and the way that we should," Blatt said.

With Shumpert sidelined, Griffin said there are no immediate plans to tinker with the roster due to the team's depth. But he's keeping his options open.

"We're going to give people a chance to kind of absorb it from within," he said "but obviously we're paying a lot of attention to opportunities that we may be able to improve the group. We'll just play it by ear."

J.R. Smith will likely get the starting nod in the backcourt along with Mo Williams at the start of the regular season. The acquisition of Richard Jefferson should also play a key part in stabilizing the rotation.

Griffin said Shumpert worked "incredibly hard" this off-season to come into camp in top shape.

Injuries are something that all 30 NBA teams have to deal with at some point. The Cavs know first-hand that injuries at the wrong time can hinder them from reaching their ultimate goal.

"Injuries will probably be the only thing that can stop us long-term, [but Shump] is a short-term thing," James said.

In an effort to stay with the original plan, Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving did not participate in team drills on the first day of training camp.

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- In an effort to stay with the original plan, Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving did not participate in team drills on the first day of training camp.

Irving, who continues to recover from surgery on his fractured left kneecap, hinted at taking a cautious approach on Monday at media day and his absence wasn't a surprise. Even though the 23-year-old point guard didn't participate in the team portion of Monday's workout, Cavs coach David Blatt said Irving did some work on the side.

"Kyrie is in a different point right now," Blatt said. "As far as his progression is concerned, his progress is going to be on a whole different scale."

While Irving was held out, Kevin Love, returning from a dislocated left shoulder, and Timofey Mozgov, who had surgery to clean out his troublesome knee this off-season, were both able to go through the entire practice.

"We did not do any contact," Blatt said of the first practice. "Kevin is still on limitation as far as that is concerned. We will do our progressions with him and gradually ramp that up. But he's not at that point right at this moment. He did do the full practice today. Timo the same."

It's been nearly five months since Love underwent surgery to repair the injury suffered during the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs against Boston. Love admitted Monday he expects to be limited early, especially when it comes to on-court contact.

The three-time All-Star did some body pad work after Tuesday's practice, which is part of the plan in hopes of getting him prepared to play in the opener on Oct. 27 against the Chicago Bulls.

"Felt great," he said while wiping the dripping sweat from his face. "Condition feels great and I'm sure it will keep coming along until the 27th. Anything that can replicate a game-type situation is going to be better for me. Start with the pad and go from there. See what the training staff and doctors tell me and whatever the coaching staff asks we will just go from there."

The intensity will begin to increase, starting with Wednesday when the Cavs hold their first two-a-day session. Blatt, however, was impressed with what he saw from his team on the first day at Cleveland Clinic Courts.

"Felt really good with how the guys came back," Blatt said. "People have done work this summer. That's critical coming into the start of the season. Our guys put in a serious amount of work."

The Browns have a multitude of issues surrounding the team and they get pushed to the back burner because of the story. Watch video

BEREA, Ohio - The Browns were blindsided by a TMZ report Tuesday anonymously quoting three offensive starters saying they would prefer Johnny Manziel as their quarterback over Josh McCown.

The club has issued no formal statement although receiver Andrew Hawkins took to Twitter calling the report, "%1000 made up."

Here's how bad things are for the Browns, who own a 1-2 record and begin a brutal stretch of their schedule Sunday in San Diego:

The report might act as a blessing because it shifts focus away from other problems ailing the club. Would Manziel's presence Sunday have limited the defense's 14 missed tackles or helped the offensive line block better on a first-and-goal from the 1 against the Raiders?

Many of the Browns' best players and units are underachieving. Some of the schemes coaches are putting them in deserve questioning. The next two days in Berea, however, will be dominated by the TMZ story in part because the Browns are idle on Tuesdays.

Coach Mike Pettine will be grilled on the topic. So will players. McCown or Manziel? Is there dissent inside the locker room? Is McCown impacted by teammates allegedly "furious" over Pettine's decision to return him to the lineup after Manziel helped the Browns beat the Titans, 28-14 with a pair of long touchdown passes to Travis Benjamin?

Let's put aside questions over the validity of the quotes for a second and put on our common-sense hats.

Wouldn't it be human nature for some teammates to think Manziel is the better option, especially with the improvement he's making? In announcing his decision to start McCown last week Pettine acknowledged there "might be some difference of opinions" in a locker room where you're never getting players "100 percent on board" with big choices.

If Manziel's most vocal critic, Merril Hoge, said the Browns should stick with No. 2 you know there are teammates who feel the same way. Pettine isn't paid to make popular decisions, but NEOMG's Mary Kay Cabot reported Tuesday the locker room generally remains behind McCown, citing his experience and veteran leadership.

My take: Manziel becomes the starter within a few weeks assuming the losses continue. The organization will have ample time to evaluate whether he's the Browns' quarterback of the future.

The coaches and players have been answering Manziel questions since the day they drafted him last May. He has been the biggest talking point surrounding the franchise for two years and the position has dominated conversation in Cleveland since Bernie Kosar was released in 1993.

But there are so many pressing concerns about the defense, running game, compete level and composition of the roster. Those likely get pushed from the front burner for a few days as the TMZ story gets discussed and dissected.

Given the state of the Browns, that might not be the worst news for the organization.  

St. Ignatius offensive lineman Liam Eichenberg will participate in Under Armour All-America high school football game in January.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – St. Ignatius senior offensive lineman Liam Eichenberg has been selected to play in the Under Armour All-America high school football game.

Eichenberg, who committed to Notre Dame in April, will receive his honorary game jersey Friday afternoon when the American Family Insurance selection tour visits the high school.

The ninth annual Under Armour All-America game will be played Jan. 2 at noon at a TBD location and will be televised live on ESPN2.

Eichenberg is among about 90 players nationally who will participate in the game. He is a four-star prospect by recruiting service 247Sports.com and is ranked as the country’s sixth-best offensive tackle in the ESPN Top 300.

He has missed the past three games with a viral infection. His status is questionable for Friday’s Parma game.

Eichenberg is the first local player to be selected to participate in the Under Armour game. Last week, the U.S. Army All-American selection tour visited North Ridgeville and presented Rangers RB/Ohio State commit Demario McCall with his jersey for that game.

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