LeBron James is positioned to become one of 10 players all time to win an NBA MVP award past age 30, or he could be showing signs of breaking down. Either way, he seems more relaxed with the Cavs as he begins Year 2 of his Cleveland return.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - For LeBron James, there's always pressure.

There's the pressure to win. It's a prerequisite to carving one's place on the NBA's Mount Rushmore. Maybe James is already on it. Perhaps there's more carving to be done.

James owns two NBA championships, but none in Cleveland, where the Cavs have never won and no major pro sports franchise has captured a title since 1964. Oddsmakers and league general managers made the Cavs their pick to win it all in 2015-16.

There's the pressure to play great. James, a star and household name across America before he was even drafted No. 1 by the Cavs in 2003 out of Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary, is a four-time MVP. He was the only player in the league last year to average at least 25 points, six rebounds, and seven assists per game while shooting .480 from the field, and the Cavs went 2-11 without him.

He finished third in the MVP race.

There's the pressure of time, or age.

James is only 30, but he's logged the mileage (which, in NBA lingo, means minutes, in his case more than 43,000 of them over 12 seasons) of someone much older.

He's a superbly conditioned athlete with his own trainer and around-the-clock access to all medical marvels. He's also taken two injections in his occasionally ailing back in 10 months, leaving his status for Tuesday's season opener somewhat in question.

There's the pressure to be LeBron James. It means breaking up with McDonald's, calling for greater gun control, sharing a stage with Michelle Obama, walking a red carpet with Amy Schumer, communicating with 24 million Twitter followers, and traveling the globe because there's a Nike shoe with his name stitched on it.

James can never really let his guard down. The world is always watching, and he has a brand worth more than $65 million a year to protect.

Now, here's the catch.

As James prepares to begin his 13^th pro season when the Cavaliers open in Chicago, with all those pressures perched upon his shoulders, he seems more at ease in Cleveland than he did at this time a year ago. His coach has noticed a change.

"I don't know that any of us can possibly even imagine what it is to be LeBron on a daily basis," said Cavs coach David Blatt, who took a full year to understand the complexities of coaching a basketball player with James' star power.

"You know what I mean? And what he had to go through last year, in terms of coming back. ... That's not an easy thing for anyone. And I feel like he came back this year without all of that noise and fanfare and weight. You know, just, he appears to be just a lot more relaxed and a lot more at peace again with being the Cavaliers' name guy."

A man in command

James is already on his second contract with the Cavs since returning to the franchise in the summer of 2014. He inked a two-year, $47 million contract in July, which, much like he did with the contract he inked in 2014, he'll probably terminate with his player's option.

It's a matter of business, James has often said. By doing contracts this way, James maintains the financial flexibility to earn as much money as possible each season, and perhaps one day take advantage of exploding league revenues to become the NBA's first $200 million player.

James also holds leverage over the Cavs to put a championship-caliber team around him or risk losing him. But the organization has indeed amassed arguably the league's deepest roster - there's $330 million tied up in Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson, and Iman Shumpert.

"I think our owner is committed to winning," James said in praising owner Dan Gilbert and signaling that, no, he most likely isn't going anywhere.

And yet, James seemed uncomfortable early in his return to the Cavs, at least from a basketball perspective, over the first few months of the season.

You remember how it ended, with James lifting his team into the Finals, turning in one of the best individual performances in NBA Finals history, and dragging the wounded Cavs to two wins against the Warriors.

But in the beginning, when the entire basketball world descended upon Cleveland to record history, James struggled with his emotions as he was frustrated by Blatt, some young teammates, and a body that was giving him trouble.

"The Finals show what I am capable of doing," James said in a brief interview with the Northeast Ohio Media Group. "You know, last year was a feel-out process for all of us, so I think some of my production was down because of that, I was more like, 'I need to see what we're capable of doing.' "

The last time people really saw James play - the 28 shots he took in two preseason games don't count - they witnessed him at perhaps his greatest, averaging 35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 8.8 assists in the Finals.

But neither Love nor Irving was available for most of the championship round. When they were on the court, James changed his game to be a little more of a facilitator. He still averaged 25.3 points (near a career low) and suffered his first drop in his shooting percentage year over year since 2007. But he also registered a career-high 7.4 assists.

James has already committed to expanding Love's options on offense. When Irving returns from injury, James will further be able to execute the role he covets during a long, 82-game grind that is an NBA season - scoring and attacking when necessary, but making an equal impact creating opportunities (with less stress on his body) for his ultra-talented teammates.

If he averages at least 25 points this season, he'll set an NBA record for 12 consecutive seasons scoring that many points per game, breaking his current tie with Karl Malone and Jerry West. But that streak could be in jeopardy.

"I think he's playing his best complete basketball now," said 3-point specialist James Jones, who played with James in Miami before joining him with the Cavs last season. "He relies on every facet of his game-- his ability to pass, his ability to score, his ability to shoot. He's constantly working on his game, he's constantly evolving, and this team poses a challenge for him because we have so many good players and now he's playing with a stacked deck and he's the type of guy that relishes that opportunity.

"What he does this year will be unlike anything he's ever done in the past because this team is definitely one of the more loaded teams he's ever played with," Jones said.

Logging miles, chasing milestones

James is currently 20^th all-time in scoring (24,913 points). He'll pass West, Reggie Miller, and Alex English in fairly short order, with a chance to maybe catch Oscar Robertson (26,710 points), who is in 11^th place.

(Three players in front of James, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Tim Duncan, are all still active.)

And yet, there are mile markers all over the place to remind James of his own basketball mortality. Last year, James missed a career-high 13 games, mostly due to nagging knee and back injuries, and there is growing confusion over his health entering this season after receiving a second shot in his back since Jan. 1 and missing the last two weeks of practices.

Also this week, an overwhelming majority of NBA GMs said they would choose 22-year-old New Orleans big man Anthony Davis, and not James, as a player around whom they would most want to build a franchise.

James, who turns 31 on Dec. 30, would be the 10^th player in league history over the age of 30 to win to be named MVP, and first since 31-year-old Steve Nash did it in 2006.

Of the previous nine players over the age of 30, only Malone (age 35, in 1999) had logged more NBA minutes (45,548) heading into his MVP season than James' 43,330 minutes entering this year.

The others to win the award past 30 were Michael Jordan in 1996 and 1998, Hakeem Olajuwon (1994), Magic Johnson (1990), Julius Irving (1981), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1980), Wilt Chamberlain (1967 and 1968) and Bill Russell (1965).

Like Jordan and Chamberlain, Nash (2005) and Malone (1997) both collected two MVPs past their 30th birthday.

Unlike the nine elder MVPs, James never played in college. Two former MVPs who (like James) went straight from high school to the NBA, Garnett and Kobe Bryant, didn't win the award past 29.

Garnett, now 39, saw his scoring and rebounding begin to drop as soon as he hit 30, but he was a leader on Boston's 2008 title team. Bryant, 37, continued to thrive in his early 30s, but has played in just 41 games over the past two seasons due to injury.

"It's all about LeBron, as long as he stays healthy," said Miller, now an NBA analyst for TNT. "If he's healthy and he's on the court, it's hard to beat that dude four times (in a playoff series)."

Last year, James averaged a career-low 36.1 minutes per game, but he was still third in the NBA in minutes. As the Cavs struggle to explain James' absence from practice now and their desire to keep him upright this season, they continue to come back to the theme of managing the wear and tear on his body.

These are heavy questions for an organization and a superstar who expect greatness. How can it all be done?

"I don't know, I don't like talking about it," James said. "You'll see."

The Cleveland Browns playing close games, Johnny Manziel fans unhappy with media, it's the weekend Browns notes.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Losing close games. Browns fans know the story.

Andrew Clayman of Waiting For Next Year did a lot of research and determined the Browns have lost 42 "close games" since returning in 1999.

These are games where the team had a chance to win in the last minute. Or games where they lost a lead in the final minute. Some of it is subjective, but the general point that the Browns lose a lot of close games is true.

Consider the following:

1. They lost one of two overtime games this season. Since 2008, they have lost five overtime games. (Editor's note: updated to correct overtime results.)

2. In 2014, they didn't lose any in overtime. But they lost two games (Baltimore and Pittsburgh) on field goals in the final seconds. They lost a third in the final 32 seconds (25-24 to the Colts). They had a 21-7 lead in that game.

3. Since 2014, the Browns have a 9-13 record. Five of those losses have come in the final minute.

4. But guess what? They have won four games in the final minute since 2014. There were three last year, one this season. A lot of NFL games are close.

5. So the record is 4-5 in those very close games. In other words, 9-of-22 games since the 2014 opener have been decided in the final minute.

6. They have lost six games by at least 10 points in 2014-15.

7. The Browns were 9-23 in 2012-13. More revealing, 13-of-23 losses were by at least 10 points.

So losing more close games may be a sign that the team is getting closer to winning.

But as Pettine often says, "This is a pass/fail league."

The other day, he added, "Almost winning is called losing."

But the fact the team is in more close games is a sign that the effort is good and they are improving at least in small increments. But the frustration keeps rising with each close loss.

WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?

You can look at the Denver game and find several places that the Browns lost it -- other than the great debate over the two-point conversion in the fourth quarter that failed:

1. With 7:53 left in the fourth quarter, Emanuel Sanders caught a 75-yard touchdown pass. It was one of the few poor plays by Tramon Williams this season. But safety Jordan Poyer was late arriving. He read the play slowly. A quicker reaction and the pass goes for only 30 yards rather than the touchdown.

2. Offensive Coordinator John DeFilippo admits he made a poor call having Robert Turbin run a sweep around end in the first play of the overtime period. It lost three yards and then came two sacks ... a punt ... a loss.

3. The defense let Denver drive 72 yards in 13 plays to kick the game-winning field goal.

4. In a close game, you can find perhaps a dozen turning points. But I do believe having big-time players are great erasers for mistakes made earlier in the game. Here are the quarterbacks who beat the Browns in those last-minute games since 2014: Peyton Manning, Joe Flacco, Ben Roethlisberger, Andrew Luck and Philip Rivers.

IF I HAD TO PICK...

This season, I'd blame the defense. Probably that also was the case in losing most of the close games last season.

I say that because the offense ranks No. 12 in average points (23.5) per game. If I knew that at the start of the season, I'd think they would be 4-2 instead of 2-4.

General Manager Ray Farmer correctly is criticized for signing Dwayne Bowe to a $9 million guaranteed contract. Bowe can't even beat out four other receivers to dress on game day.

But his other veteran free agents signed this year have helped: Josh McCown, Tramon Williams, and Brian Hartline. When you sign free agents over 30, you take a chance that soon the tank may be empty -- or injuries will mount up.

The offense can be better, especially in the red zone. It's a no-name offense with Travis Benjamin, Gary Barnidge and McCown playing key roles.

But the defense has generally been a disaster. They are allowing 26 points a game. They are ranked No. 30 overall, 32nd against the run.

ABOUT JOHNNY MANZIEL

The vast majority of comments on my Johnny Manziel column were positive.

For the record, I did not demand the Browns cut him. My main point was that Manziel may be only 22, but he is at a major crossroads in his life. I want the Browns to keep Manziel and continue working with him.

If the NFL investigation turns up something more serious than the original conflicting statements in the police report, then my opinion may be revised.

I wrote two columns before the 2014 draft about how the Browns should not take Manziel and one right after the draft saying it was a bad idea. I didn't like his style of play or size for the NFL. So I'm not Johnny Football fan.

But I do hope the Browns stick with him for the rest of the year -- assuming there are no more incidents. It appeared he was making significant progress. They can re-evaluate after the season.

Some fans thought I was unfair. One fan listed all the local players who had a DUI or another brush with the law. He wondered why I didn't write a column like this about them.

None of them had just finished 11 weeks of rehabilitation. That is a sign of dealing with some serious issues.

Another fan wondered why I assumed he had an alcohol problem. Well, ESPN Magazine reported in 2013 how Manziel had seen an alcohol counselor several times when at Texas A&M.

As one former alcoholic wrote me: "It's the obsession of nearly every alcoholic to be able to drink moderately -- only we can't do it."

THEY BEG TO DIFFER

Anyway, some fans thought I was unfair:

From Richard: "If you cared one ounce about him then you wouldn't be writing about him... So sad. I don't (know) how he deals with you guys."

From Texas: "Who cares? You worry about yourself and he'll do the same."

From Ty: "I'm sick of you holier than thou journalists."

From Nick: "Does it make you feel more manly to go out and write an article slamming a 22 year old? Yes, he has made some mistakes in his life. But who are you to slam him? You are the scum of Cleveland sports media."

From Jason: "Your addiction is self-serving editorials with no real journalism involved. Very disappointing."

ABOUT THE BROWNS

I get tired of the negative drumbeat, so here's some stuff to like so far:

1. Travis Benjamin and Gary Barnidge show no signs of falling apart after their fast starts. They have played six games. Opposing defensive coaches are studying them on tape and scheming to stop them. They are still getting open, still catching the ball.

2. Pierre Desir has a chance to become a starting cornerback. Pettine praised the 2014 fourth-rounder for his "strong hands" and ability to play in press coverage. That means it's Desir vs. the receiver, and Desir can muscle the receiver at the line of scrimmage.

3. How the offensive line has come together after a slow start. It's not easy to protect McCown because he hangs on to the ball for a long time. But the linemen do like the fact that McCown stays in the pocket. It helps the linemen know in what direction to aim their blocks.

4. Tramon Williams is a good cornerback, a class act.

5. Valley Forge product Jamie Meder has had some nice moments as a backup defensive lineman.

6. The offense is scoring some points. It's not all field goals, all the time.

7. Andy Lee may be the best Browns punter in my memory.

8. Duke Johnson has real promise as a dual-threat back, catching passes and running the ball.

• Terry's Talkin' Cavs
• Terry's Talkin' Indians

So many health problems for the Cleveland Cavaliers present a huge obstacle to winning the 2015-16 NBA championship. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- How many games will the Cavs win?

They were 53-29 last season. They started 19-20, ended 34-9.

General Manager David Griffin has a stat about the team being 33-3 when the Big Three (LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love) play, along with J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert, Tristan Thompson and Timofey Mozgov.

But there's one problem ... who knows when all those guys will be healthy?

Cavs fans know that Irving is still several weeks away from playing as he recovers from surgery to repair a fragile kneecap. In fact, it could be a month or more.

Shumpert is out for three months after wrist surgery.

I expect James to play in the opener and be ready for the season. But he did take an anti-inflammatory shot in his back last week. The Cavs say it was part of the plan to have the star player ready for the season.

They can't play James big minutes early.

Same for Love, healthy but still coming off shoulder surgery.

Same for Anderson Varejao, coming off Achilles surgery.

Same for Mozgov, coming off knee surgery.

BLATT WILL TAKE HEAT

The only sure thing early in the season is that David Blatt will come under some heavy criticism. The team will lose more games than most expect. They will look ragged at times because so many key players had to sit out practices and preseason games because of health reasons.

Despite his success as the head coach who took the Cavs to the NBA Finals, Blatt is an easy target. The national media focuses on the Cavs because of James, and everyone else is under the unforgiving spotlight. Blatt still The Coach From Europe, the NBA outsider.

Fact is that many NBA coaches are jealous of the opportunity he has to coach James and a team with the NBA's highest payroll. They view him as not having paid his NBA dues and really not being ready for the challenge.

There will be more stories about how players are second-guessing his strategy, etc.

Blatt prevailed last season. He'll have to be even mentally tougher this time around.
 

THE MEDIA FOCUS

I didn't use this part in my interview with Kevin Love, but he mentioned that the media scrutiny surprised him. He knew it was coming. But he didn't understand how unrelenting it could be in the modern media age.

Remember that Love played in Minnesota, where the Timberwolves lost and the national media didn't care. Irving, Thompson and the other Cavs from the pre-James days were generally ignored.

On this team, only James and veteran James Jones truly understand all the media swirl that will follow the team this season. They went through it together in Miami.

The Cavs will have to stay together when criticism comes.

REMEMBER WHAT WON

When the key players are healthy, the Cavs can be a beautiful team to watch on offense. They can outscore probably any team in the NBA.

But the key players won't all be healthy.

Even when Irving returns, how will he play? Most athletes go through a period of adjustment after major surgery.

Love told me that he feels great, but his shoulder surgery was major.

What carried the Cavs into the NBA Finals was defense and rebounding. They became a very, very rugged team. They won several ugly games.

Here's where the Cavs ranked defensively in the postseason:

• 1st: Rebounding margin, 5.6
• 2nd: Points allowed, 95.0
• 2nd: Opposing 3-point shooting, .310
• 3rd: Opposing field goal shooting, .419.

That's how you win big games when key players are out. It's how they will have to do it again.

NOTHING IS GIVEN

That's what James wrote in his letter announcing his return to the Cavs.

I'm predicting James will carry the Cavs to The Finals. Hard to bet against him, considering his teams have reached that lofty level in each of the last five seasons.

His leadership in the playoffs was impressive. James won so many big playoff games with Matthew Dellavedova, Tristan Thompson, J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert as his supporting cast.

I'm still amazed by that.

He truly understands what it takes to win a title. He will teach, preach and even scream a bit to get his teammates to realize it will be harder this time, because everyone expects them to be an elite team.

And with all the injuries, they are not elite.

They will need Love to expand his game on offense. The coaches are supposed to have plans for him to do just that.

Smith will have to remain dedicated to defense and being a good teammate, as he was with the Cavs last season.

Mo Williams and Richard Jefferson must deliver more than Shawn Marion and Mike Miller did last season. And I mean much, much more. There will be games when they will be needed to start.

Varejao, Mozgov and Sasha Kaun can bring a defensive mindset. Mozgov and Kaun played for Blatt on the Russian National team. They know how to deliver hard fouls in front of the rim. They also are utterly dumbfounded that anyone would call a foul on them.

If Varejao can stay healthy ... I could retire now if I had a buck for every time that I've written those words...

Anyway, if Varejao can stay relatively healthy and play about 60 games, it will be a huge bonus. He is such a smart player and savvy rebounder, as is evident in the preseason.

PREDICTION

The Cavs will equal their 53-victory total of last year. They again reach The Finals, but it will be harder this time. They were 12-3 in the first three rounds of the 2014 playoffs. But a title? I fear not.

• Terry's Talkin' Browns
• Terry's Talkin' Indians

If the Cleveland Indians trade Carlos Santana, they have to find someone better than Santana to play first base. That is a problem.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- I received this email from Drew Kulkofsky:

"I have to take you to task a bit for seemingly joining the chorus against Carlos Santana. I don't understand the 'I'm done with him' line of thinking. The guy had a down year (the worst of his career). But I don't understand how selling low (trading him) makes the team better.

"He may never be the guy we envisioned he would be when he arrived in Cleveland and might be miscast in the cleanup spot, but he's still a good offensive player on a team that needs offense. No one is going to trade us an upgrade for him. How is selling low on one of the few players who has averaged near an .800 OPS and and 120 OPS+ in his career improve the team?

"This team will be lucky to ADD a player with career numbers close to Santana's. Part of the reasons people are so impatient with him (apart from never quite living up to very lofty expectations) is his seemingly lazy demeanor. He kind of carries himself with a slow swagger that can give off that the impression that he doesn't care. Jhonny Peralta had a similar problem with the fans.

"I hear a lot of people say, 'All he does is walk, he needs to drive in runs!' But with no real threat behind him in the lineup, he probably didn't get a lot of fastballs to hit. Pitchers were happy to throw off speed and hope he whiffs or rolls over on them (which, I admit, he did a lot) -- or walk him because they were happy to go after the next guy.

"The Indians best bet to contend next year is to hope for bounce backs from Yan Gomes and Santana. If those two had reproduced their 2014 numbers in 2015, the Indians are a playoff team."

OK, here we go:

1. Drew made some very interesting points. His reasoned email hits on some of the points the Indians are having in their meetings. Namely, they don't have anyone else to play first base who would be better. They don't see Jesus Aguilar as a regular first baseman.

2. The Tribe wants to find at least one outfielder who can hit. They don't have a regular DH, but Manager Terry Francona likes the flexibility of using the DH for several players when they need a day off from playing the field.

3. Santana hated being the DH, and performed like it: One homer in 76 at bats, hitting .206 (.536 OPS).

4. Santana finished the season batting .231 (.752 OPS) with 19 HR and 85 RBI. He led the team in home runs and RBI.

5. Compared to other American League first basemen with at least 350 plate appearances, this is where he ranked: 19 HR (8th), 85 RBI (7th), .752 OPS (12th), .231 average (15th). He batted a respectable .261 with runners in scoring position.

6. Santana had what is his usual slow start. He batted .221 before the All-Star game, .242 after. But after September 1, he batted .224 with 4 HR and 19 RBI. That slow finish didn't help the Tribe's attempt to climb into the playoff race.

7. I only used part of Drew's email. He also wrote about Santana having no one hitting behind him who scared pitchers. That led to fewer fastballs, him swinging at bad pitches, etc. I don't buy it. You can't praise Santana for having a good eye at bat and drawing a lot of walks -- then say he swings at bad pitches because of the poor hitters behind him.

8. Santana had a mediocre year. It didn't hurt Michael Brantley, who batted .310 with 15 HR, 84 RBI (.859 OPS). He hit in front of Santana.

9. A big issue with Santana is that he went from a player who often used the entire field for hits to a dead pull hitter. Often, it's killing him as he hits ground balls to the second baseman playing in right field. Teams load up the right side of the infield when he bats left handed, because he pulls the ball so often.

10. Tribe coaches worked with him on hitting the ball to center and left field (when batting lefty). He often did it well in batting practice. But in the game, adrenaline took over. His swing was long and hard, trying to pull most pitches. Pitchers see that he is anxious and they throw him off-speed stuff. The timing of his swing then becomes a mess.

11. Nonetheless, the Indians don't have anyone with his big league power right now on the roster. In fact, one comment during the Tribe's post-season meetings was that if the Indians didn't have Santana, they would be asking about him in a trade. The idea being to obtain a player with some power who is coming off a poor season -- but is not aging.

12. Santana is 29 and under contract for two more seasons. He will be paid $8.5 million in 2016. He is under contract for $12 million in 2017, but only $1 million is guaranteed. Another factor favoring Santana is that he's durable. He's averaged 152 games over the last five seasons.

13. Baseball people like OPS, a stat that takes On-base percentage Plus Slugging percentage and adds them together. Anything over .800 is very good for a first baseman. Santana's OPS has declined the last three years: 832-792-752.

14. Santana's defense slipped from a year ago. In 2014, the Tribe had him rated a little above average. So did several other rating services. But in 2015, he was below average. The Indians thought Santana would improve at first base in 2015. He opened the season at that position. In 2014, he opened as a third baseman. Before that, he was a catcher. He likes first base. It seemed playing exclusively first would help his hitting and fielding. It did not.

15. At the end of the season, Santana said his back was bothering him. The Indians were aware that he dealt with some back issues, but it didn't seem severe. In the post-season media gathering, I asked Francona about that. He mentioned Santana's "violent swing" as an indication that the back was probably not a major problem. If anything, the Tribe wants Santana to take a smaller, tighter, more controlled swing -- try to hit the ball more up the middle or to left field.

16. There were major expectations attached to Santana when he arrived in the majors in 2010. He was a career .290 hitter (.900 OPS) in the minors. As a young player, he was a switch-hitter who was not fixated on home runs and pulling the ball.

17. I find Santana extremely frustrating to watch. He's in his prime and should be improving but recently has been declining. But I also understand why the Indians are reluctant to trade him, unless it would be a major deal where there is a power hitter coming back. It would be interesting to find out what is Santana's trade value. It would be an indication of how other teams view him.

ABOUT ROCKY COLAVITO

I received this email from Greg Williamson about my recent story concerning the 82-year-old Colavito coming back from losing part of a leg to diabetes:

"I was a boy when Rocky reached stardom here in Cleveland. He was and still is my favorite Cleveland athlete. I recall doing the 'Rocky stretch' with my bat when I played ball as a boy. I was not alone. Every young ball player was doing it.

"Rocky was what I wanted to be. Handsome, strong, talented and a good, wholesome person. I cried when he was traded. Again, I was not alone.

"The Yankees had Mickey Mantle. The Giants had Willie Mays. The Cardinals had Stan Musial. The Braves had Hank Aaron. But we had Rocky and all was right with the world. I wish him and his family the best. He will always be my favorite Cleveland sports hero."

Dear Greg: I talked to Rocky a few days ago. He is doing well, learning to walk with a prothesis. His attitude his excellent. Many fans sent me cards for Rocky, and The Plain Dealer's Sue Klein has been forwarding them to Colavito. Rocky's voice cracked when he talked to me about all the cards from fans, "I can't believe so many people still care," he said. "Please thank them so much for me."

• Terry's Talkin' Browns
• Terry's Talkin' Cavs

The Cleveland Browns insist Dwayne Bowe will help them at some point this season but clearly he's been left behind on the depth chart and in the game plan -- Bud Shaw's You Said It.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- You Said It is based on the premise that the only thing Cleveland sports fans need more than a championship is a sense of humor...

YOU SAID IT

Bud: Isn't someone considered 'entrenched' immediately before 'burial'? - Jim Corrigan, Fairview Park

When Mike Pettine said the top four receivers were entrenched, that was the right word choice. I believe you're thinking of "embalmed." But enough about Dwayne Bowe.

Bud: In your fantasy baseball league, when you put on a baseball cap and look in the mirror, do you see Jacob deGrom? --  Randy Verner, Chagrin Falls.

I'd like to think we both have the same flowing locks but I can't say for sure. From the moment I decided to make a career of writing You Said It, I knew I'd never be able to look at myself in the mirror again.

Bud: Do you think that the young lady who attempted to vacate a speeding vehicle on the freeway last week did so to avoid hearing again why Johnny Manziel should be starting based on his performance against the Titans? - Chas K

I'm guessing that for the 1,000^th time she heard a sports talk show caller support a crazy opinion about the Browns by saying, "I know what what I'm talking about; I played pee wee ball," and simply couldn't take it anymore.

Bud: When then-new coach Urban Meyer lowered the academic standards at OSU, did you reflexively lower yours at that time? -- Tony, Maple Heights 

In order to lower standards you'd need to have them.

Bud: I just received an email from Groupon offering Browns ticket packages for the Arizona game...it's really come to this? What's next? Jimmy Haslam doing an infomercial offering a free Flowbee with every ticket package purchased? - Len B., Chesterland

Not sure, but congratulations for catching on to the fact that the surest way to make it into this column is to mention the Flowbee.

Bud: I watched the Bengals post game locker room interviews. When I ordered the NFL package, I had no idea it would be so literal - Paul Ferko, Parma

You Said It winners no longer get dressed down.

See action video highlights from Avon football's 63-15 win in Week 9 against Berea-Midpark.

BEREA, Ohio -- See action video highlights from No. 5 Avon football's 63-15 win in Week 9 against Berea-Midpark.

Avon quarterback Jake Sopko passed for 219 yards and three touchdowns, including a pair to receiver Will Heilman. 

Eagles linebacker Austin Lewis recovered a Berea-Midpark bad snap in the end zone for a touchdown. 

You'll also see Berea-Midpark's Nick Gassman run for a 5-yard score.

For more high school sports news, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Contact high school sports reporter Joe Noga on Twitter (@JoeNogaCLE), by email (jnoga@cleveland.com) or log in and leave a message in the comments section below.

The Irish's versatile quarterback threw for three TDs and ran for two more against Massillon.

MASSILLON, Ohio – All Dominic Davis does is lead St. Vincent-St. Mary football to good places. 

On Friday, the senior quarterback had perhaps his best game of the season in the Irish’s 56-31 win against Massillon. That clinched their seventh straight playoff berth, according to joeeithel.com.

The versatile Davis was 12-of-22 passing for 183 yards and three touchdowns, rushed 11 times for 127 yards and two touchdowns, and also caught a 33-yard pass to set up a momentum-swinging touchdown right before halftime.

“We expect that from Dom. He was a 14-game starter last year, in the state semifinals,” said Irish coach Dan Boarman. “He produced like he can. I feel he’s one of the best quarterbacks around.

“I know people talk about all these other guys, but take a look at his stats and take a look at where he’s taken us.”

Davis, 6-foot-1, 183 pounds, passed for 1,530 yards and rushed for 975 last season, accounting for 26 touchdowns as the Irish rebounded from a 2-2 start to reach the Division III state semifinals. They lost to eventual state runner-up Athens, 34-31, ending their run at a third straight state title.

This season Davis has completed 50 percent of his passes for 1,167 yards, and rushed 70 times for 396 yards. Friday was his first 100-yard rushing game of this season.

He hurt the Tigers repeatedly with his legs. Early, he was able to scramble away from pressure and find wide receiver DeAmonte’ King for long gains, including a 45-yarder on third-and-20 to keep a scoring drive alive.

Davis scored on a 15-yard run in the first half, and set up his third-touchdown pass with a 55-yard run to the Tigers 5-yard line. The touchdown pass went to 6-foot-5 tight end Niko Lalos, who was tapping his helmet prior to the play to get everyone to realize he was matched up with 5-7 defensive back Jeff Koch.

Davis’ lob was easily caught by Lalos, making it 42-17 in the third quarter.

“I was looking at him from the start. He was giving me the signal for our check fade,” said Davis. “I was like, yeah. I mean, 6-5 against 5-7. There’s no way I shouldn’t throw the ball.”

Davis wants to play football in college, but is waiting for his first scholarship offer. He said Mount Union and Dayton have shown interest. On Friday, he showed both schools another dimension of his game.

Wide receiver.

After an interception gave the Irish the ball with 49 seconds left in the half, they worked quickly to build on their 27-17 lead. Donte Taylor moved to quarterback and found Davis open for a 33-yard gain.

“Couple seconds of glory at wide receiver, I guess,” said Davis. “It was just a trick play we’d been waiting to put in and when we starting getting momentum we tried to get a cheap one to keep momentum. We ended up scoring at the end of the drive. It was a play we’ve kept in our back pocket for a while.”

With his performance against the Tigers, Davis is close to leading the Irish to another good place: home.

Now that a playoff spot is locked up, Week 10’s matchup with Youngstown Ursuline becomes a chance to secure a first-round home game.

“That’s huge for us because having a home game last year after finishing strong was huge,” he said. “You’re comfortable. You don’t have to travel anywhere. You don’t have to get your mind off track, you’re not on the bus ride thinking about too much. Staying at home is key.”

For more high school sports news, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Contact high school sports reporter Scott Patsko on Twitter (@ScottPatsko) by email (spatsko@cleveland.com) or log in and leave a message in the comments section below.

Would the Cubs fancy an exchange that includes Carlos Carrasco or Danny Salazar? They are said to be after starting pitching this winter. Would the Indians agree to weaken their rotation in order to upgrade their lineup?

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Trevor Bauer's drone accompanied the Indians on their road trips this season. The pitcher often flew the self-made device above each ballpark a few hours before first pitch.

Bauer strapped a GoPro camera to the drone. The result was a series of photos. Bauer shared a few this week.

Wanted to share some pictures I got this year with my @GoPro cameras. Perfect for strapping to drones! #GoPro pic.twitter.com/QVC2on6f9Q

-- Trevor Bauer (@BauerOutage) October 23, 2015

Here are five thoughts on the Indians.

1. Fall ball: TJ House tossed a 1-2-3 inning in an appearance in an Arizona Fall League game on Thursday, his first action since early June. House needed only eight pitches and he struck out one.

House posted a 13.15 ERA in four starts for the Tribe before his shoulder started to bother him. He appeared in four games with Triple-A Columbus and then was sidelined for the rest of the season.

Todd Hankins, who played outfield and second base at Double-A Akron this year, has seven hits in 17 at-bats, to go along with six walks in five fall games. Former first-round pick Clint Frazier has tallied nine hits -- including two home runs -- in 24 trips to the plate.

2. Power hour: Cubs rookie Kyle Schwarber slugged five home runs and posted a 1.308 OPS in 31 postseason plate appearances. He also committed a couple of defensive flubs in left field. Schwarber ascended -- or, more appropriately, flew -- through the minor league ranks as a catcher. The Cubs, though, have backstop Miguel Montero under contract for another two years. They also have Anthony Rizzo firmly entrenched at first base. So, that left Schwarber to patrol left field, and he seemed a bit out of place.

Could that make Schwarber available? A Grantland.com piece tackled that question this week, and listed the Indians as a potential fit. Schwarber could serve as the Tribe's designated hitter and provide some sorely needed punch in the middle of the order.

3. Give and take: Of course, any acquisition of Schwarber would require the Indians to part with something significant. Would the Cubs fancy an exchange that includes Carlos Carrasco or Danny Salazar? They are said to be after starting pitching this winter. Would the Indians agree to weaken their rotation in order to upgrade their lineup? Schwarber, who doesn't turn 23 until March, posted a .246/.355/.487 slash line over 69 games for Chicago, with 16 home runs and 43 RBIs. He made his big league debut in mid-June against the Indians. He collected six hits in 10 at-bats in the clubs' three games.

4. Award tour: A handful of Indians minor leaguers are in the running for the 2015 MiLBYs, Major League Baseball's minor league awards.

The Columbus Clippers, Cleveland's Triple-A affiliate and the International League champions, are one of 10 nominees in the Best Team category.

Shawn Armstrong, who posted a 2.36 ERA with 80 strikeouts in 49 2/3 innings for the Clippers, is a candidate for Top Relief Pitcher. Armstrong also logged eight innings for the Tribe.

Jesus Aguilar is up for Play of the Year for turning a hidden ball trick in a game. Ryan Rohlinger is also a candidate for his diving stop at shortstop, which helped preserve a no-hitter for pitcher Ryan Merritt at Double-A Akron.

Bryson Myles was nominated for Home Run of the Year. The Double-A outfielder's long ball on Aug. 25 completed the cycle.

5. Throwback: The writers captured the Indians media softball crown for the second straight year in a round-robin tournament held at League Park on Friday morning. NEOMG's own Paul Hoynes tossed complete-game gems in both of the writers' contests, a fitting feat at a venue that hosted major league games when such an accomplishment was common. Hoynes was reportedly quite sore following the event.

League Park, which reopened in 2014, is available for use by the public for a fee. The Baseball Heritage Museum, located in the ballpark's ticket house, is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays and is free of charge.

The readers continue to dominate us in the picks. Expect more of the same this week/

NEWARK, N.J. -- Vegas says USC over Utah. So do a few of our picks.

The fact that 3-3 USC is favored by six points over undefeated Utah, the No. 3 team in the AP poll and the No. 1 team in our College Football Playoff mock committee First Four is the line of the week.

If the betting line says that, there must be something to it, right? Even though USC just fired its coach and Utah has wins over Michigan, Arizona State, Cal and Oregon? 

Four of our six pickers this week went with the Trojans. A win by USC would be good news for Ohio State, which would gain more first-place support if the Utes were no longer undefeated. In the AP poll, the 16 first-place votes for Utah is second to the 28 first-place votes for the Buckeyes. 

Overall, here are the standings from last week's picks:

* Reader Rob Jarowski 17-3

* Bill 17-3 

* Reader Austin Korosei 16-4

* Ari 14-6

* Reader Tim Buckley 12-8

* Doug 12-8

Now, the overall standings:

Teams

Team Bill absolutely dominated as Bill and his partner Rob tied for the best score of the week. Team Doug is is freefall, as Tim couldn't save me.

* Team Bill 206-72

* Team Ari 200-78

* Team Doug 190-88

Readers vs. Us

Should we just give up now? The readers gained two more games on us to extend their lead to 12.

* Readers 304-113

* Cleveland.com 292-125

Now introducing this week's pickers ...

Joining Team Ari is Patrick Tregoning of Shaker Heights. He can be found on Twitter at @patinshaker.

Team Doug welcomes Mike Mitchell of Columbus who is on Twitter @MikeMitchell514.

Adding to Team Bill is Chris Szulc of Sandusky. He hangs out on Twitter @cjszulc.

The picks in 21 games this week:

Ohio State at Rutgers

Ohio State: Everyone

Northwestern at Nebraska

Nebraska: Bill, Ari, Pat, Mike, Chris

Northwestern: Doug

Wisconsin at Illinois

Wisconsin: Everyone

Penn State at Maryland

Penn State: Everyone

Indiana at Michigan State

Michigan State: Everyone

Houston at Central Florida

Houston: Everyone

Pitt at Syracuse

Pitt: Everyone

Clemson at Miami

Clemson: Everyone

Texas Tech at Oklahoma

Texas Tech: Bill, Ari

Oklahoma: Doug, Pat, Mike, Chris

Duke at Virginia Tech

Duke: Bill, Ari, Pat, Mike, Chris

Virginia Tech: Doug

Western Kentucky at LSU

LSU: Everyone

Texas A&M at Ole Miss

Texas A&M: Bill, Doug

Ole Miss: Ari, Pat, Mike, Chris

Florida State at Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech: Bill

Florida State: Doug, Ari, Pat, Mike, Chris

Utah at USC

Utah: Bill, Doug

USC: Ari, Pat, Mike, Chris

Washington at Stanford

Stanford: Everyone

Kansas State at Texas

Texas: Bill, Pat, Chris

Kansas State: Doug, Ari, Mike

Auburn at Arkansas

Auburn: Bill, Ari, Pat, Mike

Arkansas: Doug, Chris

Boston College at Louisville

Boston College: Bill

Louisville: Doug, Ari, Pat, Mike, Chris

Washington State at Arizona

Arizona: Everyone

UConn at Cincinnati

Cincinnati: Everyone

Bowling Green at Kent State

Bowling Green: Everyone

See staff picks from writers at Northeast Ohio Media Group and The Plain Dealer, and make your pick in our weekly poll. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Cleveland Browns take to the road Sunday to play the St. Louis Rams in a 1 p.m. kickoff. The Browns are 2-4; the Rams are 2-3. The game will be shown on WOIO Channel 19. St. Louis had its bye last weekend. 

Here are staff picks from writers at Northeast Ohio Media Group and The Plain Dealer, with each writer's season record in parentheses. And make your pick in our weekly poll:

Mary Kay Cabot (1-5): Browns 24, Rams 23

Josh McCown rebounds and Gary Barnidge catches another TD.

Tom Reed (3-3): Browns 21, Rams 17

Todd Gurley might wear out the carpet against the Browns run defense, but Duke Johnson catches a late TD winner.

Bud Shaw (2-4): Browns 23, Rans 17

I feel like I'm close to getting close to a correct prediction.

Dan Labbe (2-4): Rams 20, Browns 13  

Get ready for another week of trying to explain the run defense.

Bill Livingston (5-1): Rams 23, Browns 21

Third straight overtime game decided in the Browniest way possible, by a safety. 

Terry Pluto (4-2): Rams 20, Browns 17

Another bad feeling for the Browns, another close loss, another game where they can't stop the run. 

Cleveland Cavaliers will release former Duke point guard Quinn Cook, giving Jared Cunningham a roster spot, league sources informed Northeast Ohio Media Group.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Cleveland Cavaliers will release former Duke point guard Quinn Cook, giving Jared Cunningham a roster spot, league sources informed Northeast Ohio Media Group.

Cunningham secures the 15^th and final roster slot.

Head coach David Blatt said the final spot would be issued to a guard, with Kyrie Irving and Iman Shumpert sidelined with injuries.

Cook, 22, appeared in five preseason games and averaged 3.6 points and 1.8 assists in 12.2 minutes a contest.

Cunningham, 24, separated himself from the pack of camp invitees with a 31-point performance against Philadelphia. He scored in double figures off the bench in four of the seven exhibition games.

His contract is non-guaranteed, which means if the team decides to release him at any point during the season, it will not owe the guard a penny more.

Cleveland has a deadline of 5 p.m. to officially waive Cook.

Every Sunday during the Cleveland Browns 2015 NFL season, Plain Dealer illustrator Chris Morris sets up each game, finding storylines worth illustrating, fans with opinions to share, statistics to compare and match ups to watch. The links below will take you to the previous games this season, and this post will be updated every week with new pages as they are drawn....

Every Sunday during the Cleveland Browns 2015 NFL season, Plain Dealer illustrator Chris Morris sets up each game, finding storylines worth illustrating, fans with opinions to share, statistics to compare and match ups to watch. The links below will take you to the previous games this season, and this post will be updated every week with new pages as they are drawn. The printed version will be in the Plain Dealer's Browns Extra every Sunday.

Previous week's Brownstowns

Chris Morris, The Plain Dealer 

"It all starts with great defense," Urban Meyer said. "I really think our defense has been getting better all year. We had some big plays against us the last couple weeks, but we saw this coming." Watch video

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Darron Lee used the word four times in the span of about 35 seconds while summing up Ohio State's 49-7 win over Rutgers on Saturday night.

Elite.

That's the self-imposed benchmark for this Ohio State defense, they want to be elite. They want to be considered the best defense in the country, and leave no doubt. That's great, but that's a lofty goal, and a mark that couldn't truly be quantified until the season is over anyway.

But after the way the Buckeyes played against Rutgers on Saturday night, Lee felt free to throw the word around a few times. It's OK to let the world know where you think you're heading when you basically shut a team out and hold them under 300 yards of total offense.

This defense isn't elite, not yet. Maybe it can get there. It got there by the end of last year.

Through eight games this defense is in a weird spot where it has a shutout against Hawaii and a near shutout against Rutgers sandwiched around games against Northern Illinois, Western Michigan, Indiana, Maryland and Penn State where the Buckeyes were susceptible to big plays and allowed some alarming rushing yards.

Over that span, it went from the unquestioned best part of this team, to a side that had some real questions to answer.

So what is this defense, really?

"We're gonna continue to grow," co-defensive coordinator Luke Fickell said. "At the end of the year, anybody can assess this defense the way they want. We're 8-0, we put some pressure on our guys this week to continue to grow, and not accept being good, but challenge ourselves to be great."

Aside from the second team giving up a late touchdown that ruined the shutout bid, Fickell had plenty to feel good about as the Buckeyes left New Jersey early Sunday morning.

The Buckeyes kept the No. 33 offense in the country, one averaging nearly 450 yards per game, to 293 yards of total offense. The Scarlet Knights were held to 104 rushing yards, the fewest Ohio State has allowed since blanking Hawaii six weeks ago.

Rutgers missed an early chance for points when it missed a field goal on its opening drive. The Scarlet Knights had just two more drives end in Ohio State territory the rest of the night. They went 64 yards on their opening drive, then managed 117 yards from that point until the end of the third quarter.

Cornerback Gareon Conley had an interception, and a blocked punt. Joey Bosa and Sam Hubbard had sacks. Rutgers, which came in 10th in the country in third-down conversions, finished 5-for-15.

It was about as dominant as a defense can be.

"I think we did well," safety Vonn Bell said. "We came out with a little chip on our shoulder, just really getting our passion back. Just getting that edge, because we knew this is the time of the season where teams either decline or increase."

Bell had one of the best plays of the game, sniffing out a throw to the flat and flying up from his safety position to make a stop on third down that set up Rutgers' failed field goal attempt.

He said Ohio State came into Saturday knowing it had given up too much on the ground, especially the last three weeks to a pair of running quarterbacks and a true freshman running back. With Rutgers wanting to establish the run with a trio of good backs, Ohio State employed its Wisconsin strategy from last year's Big Ten championship -- load the box, dare them to win with the pass.

Rutgers averaged 3.6 yards per carry, a big chunk of that coming on a 25-yard run from Paul James on the opening drive that came after corner Eli Apple missed an open field tackle. That, and Apple losing Rutgers receiver Leonte Carroo on a play earlier in that drive which resulted in an 18-yard pickup where two of the few big hits Ohio State allowed.

So the thing that had been plaguing Ohio State was fixed, at least for a night.

"Coming out we thought we had something to prove, and that was stopping the run, because we know we've had a few leaks here or there," Lee said.

Was it enough to convince you Ohio State's defense has things figured out ahead of the bye week, and then four final games against Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan State and Michigan?

None of those teams were ranked higher than 72nd in the country in total offense coming into Saturday.

From here until the postseason, Ohio State is guaranteed to play a team whose offense is significantly worse than the Buckeyes defense, statistically speaking.

But a good performance on Saturday, and favorable matchups the rest of the way don't erase what's already happened. Like last year, Ohio State has allowed some rushing yards, but not very many points. It still appears to sometimes be too aggressive for its own good.

So, elite? No.

Very good on Saturday? Yes.

"It all starts with great defense," Urban Meyer said. "I really think our defense has been getting better all year. We had some big plays against us the last couple weeks, but we saw this coming."

How far can it go?

Elliott had his 13th consecutive 100-yard rushing game on Saturday against Rutgers.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Ezekiel Elliott was getting bottled up, about two yards per carry in the first half of Ohio State's win over Rutgers on Saturday night.

Then Elliott got his, as he usually does.

It seems that every week Elliott has a hard time getting things going early, but always finishes with a bang. On Saturday, it was a 55-yard touchdown in the second half that reminded you why Elliott was considered a Heisman Trophy favorite this year.

Elliott hasn't quite been able to match the huge night he had against Indiana a few weeks ago, but he's now in an offense with J.T. Barrett that should open things up for him in the running game.

That equated to 143 rushing yards and two touchdowns against Rutgers.

Elliott went over 1,000 rushing yards on the season, and gave him a nation-leading 13th consecutive game of 100 or more rushing yards.

With so much hype surrounding Elliott coming into this season, it's fair to ask what he's on pace for this season. That number is 1,695 rushing yards, not including whatever Elliott would do in a possible three-game postseason.

Here are more notes, quotes and nuggets from Ohio State's win:

* Barrett his second straight 100-yard rushing game, and accounted for five total touchdowns against Rutgers for the second straight year.

* Linebacker Joshua Perry played after suffering an ankle sprain last week against Penn State. Perry started, and finished with two tackles.

"It was big," co-defensive coordinator Luke Fickell said. "He stepped a lot, worked his butt off to get back. We really didn't know exactly if we were gonna get him or not. It was big for him to show his preparation."

* Urban Meyer picked up his 150th career victory on Saturday. He also has the highest winning percentage among active coaches.

* Saturday was Ohio State's 28th consecutive Big Ten win, and the Buckeyes are now one win way from tying Florida State's NCAA record for most consecutive conference wins. The Seminoles had their streak from 1992-95.

* Rutgers, one of the best third down offenses in the country, was held to a 5-for-15 conversion rate on third down. Vonn Bell got a big third down stop in the first quarter.

"I told the guy he couldn't have leverage on me in the flats, I told him I'd take it away," Bell said. "They wanted to try it, so I came up and gave him a little hit. It was a nice stop, third down, we had to get off the field. I said it's the money down, so I'll make a stop and we'll get off the field."

* Defensive end Joey Bosa got another sack on Saturday, his third straight game with a sack. But it wasn't Bosa who got to do the post-shack shrug celebration first, it was defensive tackle Joel Hale.

Bosa is not tied with Michigan State's Shilique Calhoun for most career sacks among active player.

The Cleveland Browns' last winning season was 2007. For the St. Louis Rams, it was 2003. And here they meet today.

ST. LOUIS -- Scribbles in my notebook before the Browns face the Rams:

1. Who said this: "(We're) just struggling to find an identity and really just looking to stack games and get on a roll. You can either stack games and get on a roll, or you can lose multiple games and start to sink."

2. That sounds like a member of the 2-4 Browns, but it's James Laurinaitis of the Rams. The former OSU star told this to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The linebacker added that his team is "at a breaking point right now." He meant the season is about to break in a good way, or fall apart. There is fear in St. Louis that their team will crumble again.

3. As Thomas wrote: "What was once referred to as the Lost Decade is now the Lost Decade-Plus. No playoff berth since 2004 (when they were 8-8). Nary a winning season since 2003." Sounds a little like the Browns. Their last winning season was 2007, last playoff was 2002.

4. This is Jeff Fisher's fourth year as coach. His first three records: 7-8-1, 7-9 and 6-10. His team is off to a 2-3 start, averaging only 16.8 points. His problem has been a common one -- finding a quarterback. He had Sam Bradford, but Bradford couldn't stay healthy. He traded Bradford to Philadelphia for Nick Foles. Bradford has a 3-3 record with Philadelphia, nine TD passes compared to nine interceptions. He has been healthy, so far.

5. With Foles, the Rams not only are off to that 2-3 start, they are boring. Their offense is ranked dead last (No. 32) in yards, No. 31 in points. The Rams know that Foles is not any type of long-range answer, and there are lots of short-term questions about him.

6. That's why I'm almost begging: Will the Browns set up a defense prepared to face the run? Maybe they want to, but can they do it? I wonder. In the first six games, the Browns have allowed an average of 149 yards on the ground.

7.  They have faced some big-name quarterbacks: Joe Flacco, Philip Rivers and Peyton Manning. They also have encountered rookie Marcus Mariota, veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick and promising Derek Carr. Good quarterback, old quarterback, so-so quarterback ... it doesn't matter. Every one knows his team can run on the Browns. Which brings us to Foles, who has thrown six TD passes, five interceptions. His rating is 77.6. Three times in five games, the Rams have scored 10 or fewer points.

8. Will the Browns just say, "Let's see if Nick Foles can beat us?" Will they realize that rookie Todd Gurley has rushed for 146 and 159 yards in his last two starts? The No. 10 pick in the draft is coming off ACL knee surgery. He didn't even play until the third game of the season. He carried the ball 30 times in a 24-10 loss to the Packers in his last game. Foles was 11-of-30 for a mere 68 yards. He threw four interceptions.

9. Gurley will probably run for 100 yards. They will keep giving him the ball. But I want to see if the Browns can avoid being embarrassed by him. I want to see if this coaching staff can put together a game plan that simply says, "They won't run all over us!"

10. That has not happened in the two years that Mike Pettine has been head coach. The stats don't lie. The Browns were last in defending the run in 2014, and last again this season. There was a story this week about how some unnamed Browns were confused by the defensive schemes ... or something like that. I have no clue if that's true. The facts say the schemes are not working. Or the wrong players are on the field at the wrong time. Or something.

11. Maybe stacking the defense to stop the run won't work. Once in a while, Foles has a hot game. In the Rams' 24-22 victory in Phoenix, Foles was 16-of-24 for 171 yards and three TDs. Gurley ran for 146 yards. That could happen again.

12. But if you're Fisher and you have Gurley in the backfield, what are you going to do against the Browns? You'll run until the Browns force you to throw it. Sure, you may open with a pass or two just to keep them off-balance. But if you're Fisher, you know the way to win is on the ground.

13. Josh McCown is coming off his first rough game with the Browns in the 26-23 OT loss to Denver. McCown was 20-of-39 with two TDs and two interceptions. He was sacked four times. He faced the NFL's top-ranked defense and it was a struggle. Curious to see how he will react against the Rams.

14. The Rams defense is ranked No. 10. They have 11 sacks in two home games, where crowd noise in the Edward Jones Dome makes it hard for opponents to hear the snap count. Will the Browns continue to put up a respectable number of points? They come into the game averaging 23.5, ranked No. 12.

15. Can the Browns get into the end zone? They have seven TDs in 19 chances in the red zone. That's No. 30. They are scoring because they generally have moved the ball well. But they need to finish off the drives with seven points, or it could be a long day in the dome.

Prediction: Rams 20, Browns 17. More frustration. My record is 4-2 picking the Browns. I picked them to lose to Baltimore (they won) and to beat Oakland (they lost).

These are the players the Browns need to step up on Sunday if they hope to win in St. Louis.

Get ready for Browns-Rams with our pregame chat.

The Browns take on the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis on Sunday afternoon. Get ready for the game with our pregame chat featuring beat writers Mary Kay Cabot and Tom Reed. Leave your questions in the comments below and, starting at 10:30 a.m., Mary Kay and Tom will drop in and answer your questions for about an hour. I'll also be in the comments.

When the game starts, join in our live game chat beginning at kickoff. All of it will be at cleveland.com/browns.

The original 'Chase" field of 16 is now down to 12, but will be cut to eight after Talladega. Jeff Gordon is trying to keep his title hopes alive.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Jeff Gordon is retiring after this season, and on the brink in The Chase for NASCAR's 2015 title. But on the starting grid for today's CampingWorld.com 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, Gordon is on the pole and looking to keep his title hopes alive. You can follow the action here. The green flag drops at 2:10 p.m. and TV coverage on NBCSN begins at 1:30.

Once again, it's cutdown time for NASCAR's Chase of the Sprint Cup Championship as the field of 12 will be cut to eight after Talladega.

Once again, just as in the first round, Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr., among others, need strong finishes to avoid being among those cut from the field.

This will be the sixth race in the 10-race chase with the field to be cut one more time, to four, after the ninth race. Points are reset after each round, so Busch, who had a strong regular season after returning from injury, and Earnhardt can still be strong contenders as long as they continue to advance.

The last race of the season, at Homestead, Fla. on Nov. 22, will determine the season champion, with the finishing order among the remaining drivers in The Chase deciding who wears the crown for 2015.

Following is the schedule for the weekend.

CAMPINGWORLD.COM 500

Site: Talladega, Alabama.
Schedule: Sunday, race, 2:30 p.m. (NBC Sports Network, 2-6 p.m.).
Track: Talladega Superspeedway (oval, 2.66 miles).
Race distance: 500.08 miles, 188 laps.
Last year: Brad Keselowski raced to the last of his six 2014 victories.
Last week: Joey Logano won at Kansas Speedway for his second straight victory, spinning out Matt Kenseth to take the lead. Logano earned a spot in the third round of the Chase two weeks ago with his Charlotte win.
Did you know: Denny Hamlin leads the points race for the remaining third-round spots, five points ahead of Kurt Busch. Carl Edwards is six points behind Hamlin, followed by Kevin Harvick (-11), Jeff Gordon (-11), Keselowski (-11), Martin Truex Jr. (-12), Kyle Busch (-18), Ryan Newman (-20), Dale Earnhardt (-43) and Kenseth (-47). ... Gordon, retiring after the season, and Earnhardt lead active drivers with six Talladega victories. Earnhardt won in May.
Next race: Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500, Nov. 1, Martinsville Speedway, Martinsville, Virginia.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Buckeye and Stow continue to lead as the semifinal round of cleveland.com’s contest to decide the best high school football student section in Northeast Ohio approaches its end on Monday at noon.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Buckeye and Stow continue to lead as the semifinal round of cleveland.com’s contest to decide the best high school football student section in Northeast Ohio approaches its end on Monday at noon. 

Fans of Trinity and Archbishop Hoban still have time to vote for their school's sections but will have some work to do in order to catch up in both cases, though the Knights have made solid progress. 

Here is a look at how voting is going after Day 5. (Click the links to access the polls and photo galleries).

-- No. 1 Trinity vs. No. 5 Buckeye (poll): As of 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, Buckeye has a significant edge on Trinity with about 58 percent (7,949 of 13,680 votes).

-- No. 2 Stow vs. No. 6 Archbishop Hoban (poll): Stow leads Hoban with 53.5 percent (5,606 of 10,479 votes) but the Knights have made tremendous progress since the end of Day 1 when the Bulldogs had 58 percent of the votes. 

Voting in each semifinal matchup is open until Monday, Oct. 26 at noon. Votes are permitted once per hour and do not carry over from previous weeks. 

The final two student sections will square off in the championship round beginning Oct. 26.

For more high school sports news, like NEOvarsity on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Get live updates and chat as the Browns take on the Rams on Sunday afternoon.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Browns and Rams face off on Sunday in St. Louis. Both teams are in need of a win to keep their seasons alive.

Join in the discussion in the comments during the game with live updates and chat with other fans. I'll be in the comments throughout the game, plus you'll see Tweets from Mary Kay Cabot, Tom Reed and others. The game will be broadcast live on CBS beginning at 1 p.m.

App users, click here to join in the chat.

By the way, you should like my page on Facebook.

Listen to our live postgame show right after the game in the player below.