"I'm just grateful for the opportunity because so many things happen during the course of the season," Barrett said. Watch video

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Scooter flashback.

When the Ohio State Buckeyes arrived in Arizona on Sunday, the scooter returned. This time, senior defensive lineman Tommy Schutt was using it to roll across the tarmac, taking pressure off the broken foot that will keep him out of the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1 against Notre Dame.

You may remember that type of scooter. It was like an extra appendage for injured quarterback J.T. Barrett a year ago. Here's the obvious reminder. While quarterback Cardale Jones emerged as a playoff star last season, Barrett rolled through the playoff thanks to a broken right ankle.

Barrett watched everything, just like he did while redshirting his first season when he was in South Florida to watch Ohio State's Orange Bowl loss to Clemson.

But he didn't play.

So when Barrett takes the field against the Fighting Irish, he'll be playing in a bowl game for the first time. That's no small thing.

"Actually I didn't even think about that," Barrett said earlier during bowl practice in Columbus. "I'm excited about it, I'm just grateful for the opportunity because so many things happen during the course of the season. People get hurt and things happen ... so being able to play in a bowl game and going against a great team like Notre Dame are things you're thankful for."

Urban Meyer left open the possibility that both Barrett and Jones could see time at quarterback for the Buckeyes, with Jones starting eight games this season and Barrett four. But Barrett started the last three games as the quarterback many felt would win the job by the end of the season, even if he wasn't sure.

"I didn't think too far ahead," Barrett said. "When you're not the starting quarterback you're just trying to prepare yourself each and every week to be the starting quarterback. So I never thought far ahead enough to be like, 'At the end of the season I'm going to be the starting quarterback.'"

J.T. Barrett had his scooter with him everywhere during the postseason last year. Now? He can walk, and play, through bowl season.Chuck Crow, The Plain Dealer 

This is the end. Look where he is.

Barrett is ready for his postseason debut, a year after he was forced to watch his team win a national title while he watched from the scooter.

"I feel like I was at peace with it," Barrett said. "I feel it would have been different, I don't know, the way I thought about it was, "I can't do anything about it, I broke my leg.' It wasn't like a pulled hamstring I could have prevented. I broke my ankle.

"This are the cards I got dealt and now I've got to play them and do what's best for the team and what can I do for the team? And that was just being a leader on the sideline and helping Cardale and the offense.

"So it wasn't that rough for me. I wanted to play absolutely, but it was one of the deals like, 'Come on now, I can't, I'm on a scooter,'" Barrett said.

The scooter still made the bowl trip. This time, not for the quarterback.

Newcomers Rajai Davis and Mike Napoli have good track records against left-handed pitching, but how many lefties can they realistically expect to face with the Indians in 2016?

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Do you have a question that you'd like to have answered in Hey, Hoynsie? Submit it here or Tweet him at @hoynsie.

Hey, Hoynsie: Mike Napoli and Rajai Davis, both right-handed hitters, hit left-handers well, but in reality unless they pinch hit how many lefties does a team see in in one season? - Barry Elliott, Jackson Center.

Hey, Barry: As long as the Indians top hitters bat left-handed, they'll face plenty of lefties, which means plenty of work for Napoli and Davis.

Last season the Indians had the second most at-bats against lefties in the big leagues with 3,322. The Yankees were first with 3,830.

The Indians faced left-handed starters in 55 games or 34 percent of the schedule in 2015. Texas, Houston and Kansas City were the only AL teams that faced more left-handed starters.

When Brandon Moss was with the Indians last season, he couldn't believe how many lefties the opposition rolled out against them. The White Sox, for instance, will probably open the 2016 season with four lefties in the rotation. The Indians and White Sox are scheduled to play 19 times in the upcoming season.

Hey, Hoynsie: Is there any chance the Indians revisit the Carlos Santana at third base experiment? - Peter Appenheimer, Bay Village.

Hey, Peter: No.

Hey, Hoynsie: I'd like to see the Tribe pick up a couple of good, young, major league ready, controllable, position players. Which teams have players to spare and who would you be most interested in obtaining? - Dwain Slaven, Dade City, Fla.

Hey, Dwain: You haven't been attending our regular meetings, have you? That has been the Indians' game plan since the end of last season. The sticking point has been their reluctance to trade one of their top starting pitchers to accomplish it.

Hey, Hoynsie: I was very sad to see Mike Aviles sign with Detroit, the Indians rival. Why wouldn't the Indians give Aviles a shot at being their starting third baseman? - Scott, Conneaut.

Hey, Scott: Manager Terry Francona always felt Aviles could be an starter, but he valued his versatility more. Aviles often allowed Francona to carry an extra reliever because of his ability to play several positions.

Hey, Hoynsie: Why do you think Jesus Aguilar has played well in the minors, but struggled in the big leagues? Do you see anything specific he needs to change in his game? - Ryan Wonders, Cleveland.

Hey, Ryan: Opportunity and confidence play a big role in every player's success. Aguilar's confidence soars at Triple-A, not so much in the big leagues. Aguilar's opportunities have been limited as well. To be exact, he's had 33 at-bats in the big leagues in parts of two seasons.

To me, Aguilar needs a change of scenery, but he still has one minor league option left with the Indians.

Hey, Hoynsie: Aren't the Indians now serious contenders for three or four years, what with their starting rotation plus Cody Anderson and Josh Tomlin and some youngsters in the wings? - Larry Garzony, Bowling Green.

Hey, Larry: Man does not live by ice cream and brownies alone. It's the same with a baseball team. Pitching is great, but until the Indians find some offense to go along with those arms, they are going to be a team struggling to get to and stay above .500.

http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/index.ssf/2015/12/cleveland_indians_cody_anderso_3.html

Hey, Hoynsie: Yan Gomes has been a terrific asset for the Indians, even though he endured injury challenges, last year especially. However, in his three years with the Tribe his BB/AB ratios have been declining: 6.14 percent, 4.94 percent and 3.6 percent. Does it not seem that being more selective at he plate might help him become even a more effective hitter? - Larry Gainer, St. Marys, W. Va.

Hey, Larry: Being more selective would help any hitter, including Gomes. I don't think last year was a fair test because he was playing catch up after his April 12th knee injury. It was clear he was pressing when he returned.

Still, one of the reasons manager Terry Francona doesn't like to hit Gomes in the middle of the lineup is because he swings and misses a lot. He prefers the ambush-quality of Gomes' bat lower in the lineup.

http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/index.ssf/2015/04/cleveland_indians_catcher_yan_3.html

Hey, Hoynsie: Any word if the Tribe has interest in Jonathan Papelbon? -- Nick Kellogg, Austin, Texas.

Hey, Nick: I don't think the Indians need anyone to put a chokehold on Michael Brantley, do you? Besides two proven closers in one bullpen usually ends badly. Remember John Rocker and Bob Wickman?

Hey, Hoynsie: It seems to me that the acquisition of Mike Napoli and Rajai Davis gives the Tribe a real chance to build its farm system, which should be the focus of a franchise that won't spend enough money to truly compete, similar to the opportunity the Browns had with the draft two years ago that was wasted. If they could work a deal for three or four really good prospects for one of the starters, that would really give the system a boost. They'd still have very good starting pitching, some real depth at various positions at various levels and be ready to plug holes invariably come through injuries and free agency. Then, if they
are smart enough, they can sign willing players to long-term contracts like they should have all along. - Doug Leedy, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Hey, Doug: Sounds good, but remember this is the real world not Disneyland where all your dreams come true.

Hey, Hoynsie: Could the Tribe trade Danny Salazar or Carlos Carrasco for Justin Turner, Corey Seager, or Yasiel Puig? - John Smitz, Solon.

Hey, John: If the Indians were going to trade Salazar or Carrasco, they wanted more than a 1-for-1 deal because they had more than one hole to fill. Deep down, I don't think they ever intended to trade one of their top starters.

Hey, Hoynsie: What was gained by the signing of Mike Napoli over keeping Chris Johnson? The money obligation is still there and Johnson can play first base as well. Except for a little more offensive "pop", the financials don't make much sense. - Jim Larimer, Granville.

Hey, Jim: From the outside looking in, it seemed like Johnson was just taking up space from the moment he arrived in Cleveland from Atlanta. Napoli should give the Indians better defense at first base and more power.

Johnson's top power year was 2012 when he hit 15 homers with 76 RBI, both career highs. Napoli hit 18 homers last year with 50 RBI in 407 at-bats. Since 2008, he's never hit fewer than 17 homers in a season and in 2013 set a career high with 92 RBI. Johnson's salary is part of the price for dumpingo Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn on Atlanta in August.

That and $15 million.

http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/index.ssf/2015/12/cleveland_indians_cut_ties_wit.html#incart_social_feature

Hey, Hoynsie: Now that the Indians messed up on getting Todd Frazier from Cincinnati, what other third baseman can they hope to get? - Richard Grimes, Carlisle, Pa.

Hey, Richard: I think they already have their third baseman in Giovanny Urshela with an assist from Jose Ramirez.

http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/index.ssf/2015/12/on_cleveland_indians_keeping_s.html#incart_river_index

Hear reaction from Fighting Irish coach Dru Joyce, junior point guard Jon Williams and senior Henry Baddley.

AKRON, Ohio -- An advantageous St. Vincent-St. Mary boys basketball team forced Garfield Heights into 22 turnovers as fuel for its 69-50 win Monday night in a showdown of the top ranked teams in Northeast Ohio.

Hear reaction from Fighting Irish coach Dru Joyce, junior point guard Jon Williams and senior Henry Baddley in the video above. If those highlights are not enough, here's a breakdown of how the No. 2 team in the cleveland.com Top 25 beat the No. 1-ranked Bulldogs.

Related: As Williams grows, so do Irish.

Early Monday, Garfield Heights (8-1) looked poised to remain unbeaten. Junior point guard Marreon Jackson found senior forward Willie Jackson on this lob.

Here's how Garfield Heights got tonight started. @marreon_jackson @willie_jack2 pic.twitter.com/XgRPqLdLI1

— Matt Goul (@mgoul) December 29, 2015

The Irish took control with a 13-point run following Jackson's dunk.

Here's some highlights of how @STVMHoops seized early control. pic.twitter.com/fwvC65Tyyt

— Matt Goul (@mgoul) December 29, 2015

Down by eight to start the second quarter, Garfield Heights answered. Willie Jackson gave the Bulldogs a 25-24 lead, which proved to be their last advantage.

Garfield Heights answered the early run. Here's how the Bulldogs did it. pic.twitter.com/9MquUPMLDT

— Matt Goul (@mgoul) December 29, 2015

A Malik Wooldridge putback gave St. Vincent-St. Mary the lead for good. St. Vincent-St. Mary's bench outscored Garfield Heights reserves, 12-0. In fact, all of Garfield Heights' points came from four players: Willie Jackson (21 points), Frankie Hughes (12), Shawn Christian (nine) and Marreon Jackson (eight).

The Irish took a 29-25 lead into halftime after Jayvon Graves' three-point play in transition off a Bulldogs turnover.

STVM's @JayGravess23 had an answer, too. pic.twitter.com/eag44QJ5ix

— Matt Goul (@mgoul) December 29, 2015

Garfield Heights cut the difference to 30-28 before an 11-2 third-quarter run. St. Vincent-St. Mary's lead increased to 39-30 on this play.

Here's a @nlalos to @Hen_Dogg7 play that led to more hustle and summed up @STVMHoops' night. pic.twitter.com/0R1j3SEZI6

— Matt Goul (@mgoul) December 29, 2015

In control, Williams knocked down this long 3-pointer to end the third quarter. St. Vincent-St. Mary's lead increased to 46-35 entering the fourth.

Here's Jon Williams' 3 to close the third for St. Vincent-St. Mary. pic.twitter.com/bD45YQ78io

— Matt Goul (@mgoul) December 29, 2015

Williams finished with 17 points, six assists and four steals.

Jon Williams: 17 points, six assists. Here's some of that production. pic.twitter.com/sfjCQdJ7hU

— Matt Goul (@mgoul) December 29, 2015

Baddley added a team-high 20 points.

Some more from @Hen_Dogg7's 20-point performance. pic.twitter.com/yjJxEh2gLR

— Matt Goul (@mgoul) December 29, 2015

Willie Jackson led Garfield Heights with 21 points and 17 rebounds.

Here's a sample of why @willie_jack2 is going to Mizzou: 21 points, 17 rebounds. pic.twitter.com/LcMS3jACXY

— Matt Goul (@mgoul) December 29, 2015

For more high school sports news, like NEOvarsity on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Contact high school sports reporter Matt Goul on Twitter (@mgoul) or email (mgoul@cleveland.com). Or log in and leave a message below in the comments section.

Keeping tabs on the Big Ten Player of the Year candidates throughout the conference basketball season.

Top sports stories of 2015

"If you ever get a moment in a game to step back and look around, it's a lot of fun, because you're playing with a lot of great talent." Watch video

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The Ohio State defense was ready for another championship. The Ohio State Buckeyes as a whole weren't.

You could tell that by the defense's production, its presence, by the stats that show that the average Ohio State opponent scored 12 fewer points against the Buckeyes than in the rest of its games. 

Middle linebacker Raekwon McMillan could tell just by looking around.

"I'm the middle linebacker and I'm in the middle of some of the best athletes in the nation," McMillan said. "I got two safeties that are going to play in the NFL, two cornerbacks that are definitely going to be some of the top draft picks, my whole D line is going to go and the guys right beside me are NFL caliber linebackers.

"So I feel we just bring the best out of each other. ... Some of the tremendous plays they make, it's like a wow factor sometimes, but once you see these guys do it in practice almost every day in becomes common."

Before anyone panics, McMillan doesn't mean all those defender are headed to the NFL right now, after No. 7 Ohio State finishes this season against No. 8 Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1.

But if every defensive player who could possibly consider leaving did turn pro, the Buckeyes would be looking at seven NFL picks from the 11 starters: defensive linemen Joey Bosa and Adolphus Washington (who is suspended for the Fiesta Bowl), linebackers Joshua Perry and Darron Lee, safeties Vonn Bell and Tyvis Powell and cornerback Eli Apple.

Notre Dame offensive coordinator Mike Sanford said Monday that Ohio State's defensive talent was as good as any defense the Fighting Irish has seen this season, and "as good as any defense I've seen on tape in the last 11 years," Sanford said.

His comparison? The USC defenses of 2007 and 2008, which Sanford faced when he was coaching at Stanford. The Trojans had four defensive players taken in the first two rounds of the 2008 NFL Draft (DT Sedrick Ellis, LB Keith Rivers, DE Lawrence Jackson and DB Terrell Thomas) and four more in the first two rounds in 2009 (LB Brian Cushing, LB Clay Matthews, LB Rey Maualuga, DT Fili Moala).

"You look at it, you're look, 'OK, they have really good front players, they have really good linebackers, they have really good back end players,' and they've done an incredible job recruiting," Sanford said.

At the very least, figure Bosa, Washington, Perry and Bell for high picks this year. Lee and Apple could go this season or next, while Powell would be a senior next year and McMillan, a sophomore, is a future high pick who can't leave until at least after next season.

"If you ever get a moment in a game to step back and look around, it's a lot of fun, because you're playing with a lot of great talent," Lee said, basically naming the entire starting defense. "It'll be fun to look back when it's all said and done."

What they'll see is not just talent but a level of play that backed it up. Yes, running quarterbacks bothered them at times, and yes they gave up some big drives in key spots, like against Indiana at the end when the Hoosiers took shots near the endzone to tie and against Michigan State, when the Spartans moved the ball to set up their game-winning field goal.

But the Spartans, albeit in the rain and without starting quarterback Connor Cook, scored 17 points in that lone loss of the season for Ohio State with an offense that is averaging more than 32 points per game. If anything, Michigan State's defense was maybe a little better that day. But Ohio State's defense could have been good enough.

And all year, the defense has been better than a year ago, when the Buckeyes did win a title.

"Very happy with the way we played this year," said co-defensive coordinator Chris Ash, who is coaching his last game with the Buckeyes before he takes over as the Rutgers head coach. "Could we have played even better at times? Yeah, absolutely.

"(But) I think we have played extremely well at times and there's some times especially earlier in the season we probably would have liked to have played a little bit better. But when you look at the stats, they tell a pretty good story and I think we have played pretty well this year."

With those stats, the Buckeyes rank second in the nation, giving up just 12 points per game, and 10th in the nation giving up 303.5 yards. That's 10 points per game and nearly 39 yards per game better than last season.

"Number two overall in scoring defense, that's kind of a stat that tells a story a little it," Perry, the senior weakside linebacker, said. "We've been pretty stingy and hopefully we can continue that. The defense is pretty doggone good."

As Perry, Ash and others pointed out, the performance of the defense in the three-game postseason last year went to a higher level, with Urban Meyer calling it as good of a defensive effort as he's seen. But over an entire season, week to week, the defense was more of a constant this season.

"I think we came together a little bit sooner," Perry said. 

"I think we're really good," co-defensive coordinator Luke Fickell said. "We've got great talent, but great talent doesn't always equate to statistically the best defense and things like that. The reality is, this is an unselfish group."

"We knew about that unselfish approach early on in the year," Perry said, "because we had some guys, some stars on the defense, that didn't get the stats they thought they would. But that didn't mean they didn't play hard and that didn't stop them. I think we did a great job."

Bell at safety had 6 interceptions last season. He has 2 this year.

Lee had 7.5 sacks and 16.5 tackles for loss last season. He has 2.5 and 9 this season.

Bosa, a potential No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft, went from 13.5 sacks last season to 5 this year.

"They put those human elements behind them," Fickell said.

They just played. And they held up their end of the bargain when the offense sometimes didn't hold up its end.

"The offense was struggling early in the year so the defense, we kind of had to carry the team," Powell, the junior safety, said. 

They did that with a collection of talent on one side of the ball that's a bit unusual even at a talent factory like Ohio State.

"Usually it's not the way it is for us right now where you can see just about every guy running out there at some point is going to be playing in the league," Perry said. 

The last time Ohio State had four defensive players drafted in the first three rounds was 2006.

Back then, linebackers A.J Hawk and Bobby Carpenter and safety Donte Whitner went in the first round, while linebacker Anthony Schlegel and cornerback Ashton Youboty went in the third round. Now the CBSSports.com draft rankings project Bosa, the suspended Washington, Bell and Perry as first- or second-round picks, with Lee and Apple not evaluated at the moment.

This is a rare collection of defensive talent.

It came together to create a defense better than a year ago, a defense that carried the Buckeyes this season and a defense that could have been ready to defend a national title.

Points per game allowed

Only one team, Maryland, scored more points against Ohio State than it averaged over the course of the season. The first number in this chart is what each opponent scored against the Buckeyes, the second number the average points per game for that opponent.

Team Score/Avg

Virginia Tech: 24/31

Hawaii: 0/17.6

Northern Illinois: 13/31.1

Western Michigan: 12/36

Indiana: 27/36.7

Maryland: 28/24.7

Penn State: 10/23.7

Rutgers: 7/27.1

Minnesota: 14/22.6

Michigan State: 17/32.1

Michigan: 13/30.6

Kizer may seem like the Ohio-raised quarterback who turned his back on the Buckeyes to star for another Midwestern college football powerhouse. But what really happened? Watch video

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- DeShone Kizer remembers walking the halls of his Toledo elementary school during an Ohio State-Michigan week and hearing the Buckeyes fight song glaring through the intercom. 

"It kind of felt like it was being force-fed to me," Kizer said. 

That's probably not what you'd expect to hear from an Ohioan, but it's convenient for Kizer to bring up now that he's the starting quarterback for Notre Dame who is preparing the Irish to face Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1. 

It sets up the enemy story perfectly: Ohio-raised quarterback turns his back on the Buckeyes to star for another Midwestern college football powerhouse. 

That's all true, but that's not really how the story went. 

Kizer, a former four-star prospect from Toledo Central Catholic, ended up at Notre Dame as part of the Irish's 2014 recruiting class only after Ohio State didn't offer him a scholarship. 

Had the Buckeyes came after Kizer strong from the beginning of his recruiting process, it's possible he'd be humming Ohio State's fight song under his breath this week in Phoenix. 

Notre Dame quarterback DeShone Kizer ended up with the Irish after it became apparent Ohio State wasn't all-in on him during his 2014 recruiting process. Marcio Jose Sanchez, AP 

"I definitely would have considered them," Kizer said. "It was great football in my area. I wasn't going to allow some premature hatred for a school when I was in elementary school to impact where I was going to make a decision to go play college football." 

OK -- so how about what really happened?

Ohio State recruited Kizer from the beginning of his high school career spanning back to the Jim Tressel era. 

But in the 2014 recruiting class, Urban Meyer locked in on Deshaun Watson as his top quarterback prospect.

After Watson decided to go to Clemson, Ohio State moved onto guys like Kyle Allen, Jerrod Heard, Brandon Harris and Zach Darlington. 

Kizer was still in touch with former offensive coordinator Tom Herman while this was all happening, but he followed the recruiting class closely enough to know that he wasn't an Ohio State priority. 

"As a family, we did a really good job with a formula about how we wanted to go about the recruiting process," Kizer said. "When you're dealing with quarterbacks and schools who only take one at a time, it's easy to follow where guys are at. You know the big-named guys. You know there's a list of about 10-to-12 that are going to picked wherever they want to go.

Notre Dame quarterback DeShone Kizer never earned an Ohio State offer. Michael Conroy, AP 

"It's kind of first come, first serve in that sense. Then there are the second-tier guys who are going to try follow behind that. And when it came to Ohio State, I just wasn't a part of their first-tier group."

At places like Alabama, LSU and Notre Dame, Kizer was part of the first-tier group, so he moved on. He fell in love with the Irish's top-rate education, comparable football program and the proximity to home. 

As Ohio State continued to strike out on quarterback prospects, Kizer's bond with Notre Dame grew. By the time Ohio State expressed real interest in Kizer after his Notre Dame commitment, it was too late. 

"By that time," Kizer said, "it was already set in stone with where I wanted to be." 

But that's the difference between Kizer and most other Ohio prospects. Meyer and his staff typically have the luxury of putting second-tier Ohio prospects on the back-burner with the security of knowing it can get involved late and still sign most of them. 

Not Kizer. Once he felt as if Ohio State was focused on other prospects -- most of which he knew from the Elite 11 camp circuit -- Kizer moved on and never looked back. 

Ohio State ended up signing a quarterback in the 2014 class in three-star prospect Stephen Collier, who has been a reserve in his first two years with the Buckeyes. If things would have gone differently, maybe Ohio State would have Kizer on its roster.

"There's a lot of things that can weigh into your decisions," Kizer said. "Obviously Ohio State not offering was part of the selection process." 

Notre Dame offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley and Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa might provide the best one-on-one matchup of the entire bowl season. Watch video

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Ohio State plays Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1, a bowl filled with NFL-ready talent. This week, we're giving you a deeper look at the best one-on-one matchups to watch when the Buckeyes and Fighting Irish meet.

Ohio State DE Joey Bosa vs. Notre Dame OT Ronnie Stanley

Why it's interesting: This might be the best one-on-one matchup of the entire bowl season. Bosa is without question Ohio State's best NFL prospect, and Stanley is widely considered the second-best offensive line prospect for the 2016 NFL Draft.

Just look at ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr.'s big board, Bosa is No. 1 and Stanley is No. 8. There isn't another matchup with two players rated so highly in any other bowl game. If you want to get an idea of how each guy might fare against NFL talent, the Fiesta Bowl will be a good indication.

Bosa has a real shot at being the No. 1 overall pick, Stanley is a little further down in most mocks, but still a top 10 pick. So maybe it's Stanley who can help his standing more if he gets the best of Bosa in this matchup.

What it could mean for the game: Bosa and Stanley won't be going head to head on every play. Stanley will be at his left tackle spot, but Ohio State likes to move Bosa around.

There's been a lot of talk about Bosa possibly moving to defensive tackle with Adolphus Washington suspended and Tommy Schutt injured, but that doesn't mean that these two aren't going to square off at some point. It will happen often because even if Ohio State wants to work matchups in its favor, everyone wants to see Bosa vs. Stanley.

Stanley will be trying to neutralize Ohio state's best defensive player, while Bosa could be the one to give Stanley some trouble and help the Buckeyes bring pressure on a side from which Notre Dame quarterback Deshone Kizer isn't used to seeing it.

Can load of NFL talent make Fiesta Bowl interesting?

What Bosa said about Stanley: "He can run, he's athletic, he's long and I can tell he's getting better every week. It's definitely going to be a challenge going against him, along with the rest of the line."

"He's definitely more of a long athlete than a power, strong guy. You watch him run down the field, it's pretty crazy watching a guy that big run like that. He's rated as high as he is for a reason."

What Stanley said about Bosa: "He's a great player, he makes plays. You gotta account for players who make plays. We're not gonna do anything drastically different, we just need to lock in on our fundamentals to keep him at bay."

"Yeah I look at it as an opportunity, that's all it is to me. At a critical moment in my life like this, leading into my life outside of college, you have to take advantage of every opportunity and this is a big one."

"It's an opportunity to really set myself apart from all the other offensive linemen out there. That's how I look at it in my head."

During an 81-80 season, in which the Indians were above the .500 mark for only three days, the organization had a front-office shakeup, a roster shakeup and plenty of other storylines. Let's take a look at all that unfolded.

Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam is still deciding what changes need to be made, but changes are coming: Terry Pluto's Scribbles.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Scribbles in my Browns notebook about Mike Pettine and Ray Farmer rumors:

1. This is the season when many people in the media will be telling you what Browns owner Jimmy Haslam plans to do with his franchise. The Bleacher Report's Jason Cole says general manager Ray Farmer will go, coach Mike Pettine will stay. Others have said both will go.

2. I've been told that Haslam has not made up his mind. But the owner does know that he can't be held to his "I won't blow it up..." statements made last July 31. At that point, Haslam never saw this 3-12 season coming. He believed that Farmer and Pettine were growing together as a front office/coaching team.

3. Haslam thought his team would at least come close to the 7-9 record that they had in 2014. What has happened this season has been a shock to the owner. The Browns have been outscored by an average of 9.2 points per game. Only San Francisco (10.1) is worse in the point-differential department. It's not as if the 3-12 Browns are losing a bunch of close games. They often are being blown out.

4. Haslam desperately wants stability. He knows that his reputation suffers each time he makes major changes. He bought the team in 2012 and fired the Mike Holmgren/Tom Heckert from office. He had inherited them. After the 2013 season, he fired the Joe Banner/Mike Lombardi front office. Those were his guys. Now, he probably will replace Farmer -- who also was a Haslam choice.

5. The assumption that the Browns are a mess mostly because of Farmer has some validity because Farmer picks the players. But Pettine also had some major influence on certain acquisitions, including 2014 first-round pick Justin Gilbert. An argument can be made that the worst draft selection since Haslam bought the team is Gilbert, given the defensive back was the No. 8 overall pick in the 2014 draft.

6. Pettine was strongly in favor of the signings of free agents Donte Whitner and Karlos Dansby. One of the reasons the Browns allowed Jabaal Sheard to leave via free agency for New England is they didn't believe Sheard was a good fit in Pettine's 3-4 defense. Sheard was drafted in 2011 by Heckert to play in a  4-3 defense. New England coach Bill Belichick uses a variety of defenses and has maximized the value of Sheard. He has 8.0 sacks, his best since he had 8.5 sacks with the Browns as a rookie in 2011.

7. Haslam made the final call on hiring Pettine on January 23, 2014. He then decided to fire Banner and Lombardi on February 11, 2014. That's three weeks after Pettine was hired by the Banner front office. It must be underlined that Haslam really, really liked Pettine. That's part of the reason for the rumors of Pettine surviving.

8. On February 11, 2014, Farmer was promoted to general manager. He took no part in the interviewing process during the hiring of Pettine. The two men were patched together by Haslam. Farmer was the team's assistant general manager. Pettine was the defensive coordinator in Buffalo. But were rookies in their new jobs with the Browns.

9. The welding of Pettine and Farmer was not smooth. Other things such as Farmer's suspension for texting during games in the 2014 season led to tension between the front office and coaching staff. And Pettine's decisions with some of the players frustrated the front office.

10. While Haslam would prefer stability, the question that he's pondering is this: "Do I have the right guys to move forward? To have stability, you do need the right people."

11. I would ask this question: "Suppose Farmer and Pettine were on the open market after the season. Would any team be likely to hire them into their current positions? Would Pettine be a candidate for a head coaching job? Would Farmer be considered for another general manager position?"

12. A good argument can be made that both men were thrown together in difficult circumstances. The odds of success were stacked against them. Because Farmer had nothing to do with the hiring of Pettine -- it was hard for the two men to build a relationship in the pressurized environment of trying to fix the NFL's most beleaguered franchise.

13. Adding Johnny Manziel would have been a challenge for even the most experienced NFL coach. So it's no surprise that Pettine has struggled with how best to handle Manziel.

14. A positive for Pettine (along with assistant coaches John DeFilippo and Kevin O'Connell) has been the progress of Manziel. Still hard to know if he's a long-term starting quarterback, but Manziel has improved dramatically over last year. He at least looks like an NFL quarterback this season.

15. So if Haslam decides to fire Farmer, does he then insist his new general manager keep Pettine? Isn't this a repeat of what he did in 2014, which was not close to an ideal setup?

16. If you keep Pettine, do you enhance his power by giving him even more of a say in picking players? Why would you do that?

17. A far more successful coach is Chip Kelly. After two seasons with the Eagles (2013-14), Kelly was given more power to select players. He made several questionable moves. After a pair of 10-6 seasons, Kelly has a 6-9 record this season. His player personnel moves are part of the reason for the decline.

18. It's very hard to have a coach who also runs the draft and makes the trades. I have always favored a front office with the strong general manager for the Browns.

19. I've heard this theory, "You can bring in the new general manager and give him a year with Pettine to see how they work together." That would be much like what happened in 2010. Holmgren was hired as team president. He decided to retain Eric Mangini as coach for a year. Soon it was clear Holmgren would want his own coach. Mangini had very little chance of survival and he knew it.

20. Suppose you were the new general manager with the Browns. Wouldn't you want to bring in your own coach? And if you're Haslam, wouldn't you want to make sure your GM/coach combination at least starts with a sense of unity and purpose?

21. If you were the new general manager of the Browns, why would you want to keep a coach who has lost 17-of-20 games? The only reason would be that you had a previous relationship with Pettine and believe you can work well together. Unless that's the situation, it makes no sense to force Pettine on the new general manager.

22. While there are reports about different people who have spoken to Haslam in an advisory role, one person who has talked to Haslam over the last few years is Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells. It's doubtful Parcells becomes a part of the new front office. He's 74. His last role was as the president of the Miami Dolphins (2008-2010).

23. Currently an assistant with Jacksonville, Doug Marrone was a hot candidate for the Browns job prior to the 2013 season. But Marrone also was wanted by Buffalo. The Bills hired Marrone on January 6, 2014. My impression was that the Browns really liked Marrone, but had him behind Chip Kelly on their coaching list.

24. Kelly wasn't sure if he wanted to leave Oregon early in January. The Browns decided to wait. Marrone went to the Bills. Then the Browns realized they would not get Kelly. They hired Rob Chudzinski on January 10, 2013. Chudzinski was fired after a 4-12 record in 2013. He lost his last seven games.

25. In two years with Buffalo, Marrone had records of 6-10 and 9-7. He left after the 2014 season when the team was sold. In 2013, his defensive coordinator was Pettine. Could Marrone take the Browns job and keep Pettine as defensive coordinator? Maybe. But it could be awkward for Pettine to stay with the team after being essentially demoted as head coach.

26. My point is to keep Marrone's name in mind if the Browns do indeed go on a coaching search.

27. But before looking at coaching candidates such as Marrone or Chicago assistant Adam Gase, the Browns must figure what is to be done about the general manager. Keep Farmer? Hire someone else? Have a general manager in place before hiring a coach?

28. Is it possible that Haslam keeps Farmer and looks for a new coach? With the Browns, never say never ... but I doubt it.

29. There will be tons of crazy rumors this week. Agents will be using friends in the media to push their clients for the various jobs. Haslam will be making a lot of phone calls, looking for information and advice. That will turn into more rumors. Some people will simply write things to draw internet hits.

30. This much seems very close to certain: The Browns current front office/coaching setup will not remain the same for the 2016 season.

A look back at the year's best name-calling, disputes and feuds between athletes, journalists and anyone related to the sports world in 2015.

Doug, Ari and Bill answer a reader question about three Buckeyes who could leave early for the NFL. Watch video

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Ohio State has one game left, the Fiesta Bowl against Notre Dame, and then everyone is leaving.

OK, it's not that drastic, but players -- a large group of them -- are going to the NFL after this season either as seniors or third-year players ready to make the jump.

It's not worth talking about whether guys like Joey Bosa or Ezekiel Elliott will be leaving early, because that's obvious. But there are guys on the fence, and we were asked on Twitter about futures of linebacker Darron Lee, receiver Jalin Marshall and cornerback Eli Apple.

Here's the question from Anton Golden, @Atonimal on Twitter:

@DougLesmerises Are Lee, Apple and Marshall going pro?

-- Anton Golden (@Antonimal) December 28, 2015

Watch the video above to hear our answer.

We're taking the week off. Join us back again next week.

The Terry Pluto podcast is off this week. Terry will be back next week at his regular time to start a new year of chats and podcasts.

In the meantime, catch up on all of our sports podcasts on our Sports Podcast channel.

Here's everything you need to know about the Pittsburgh Steelers.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Steelers can't win their way into the playoffs this weekend at FirstEnergy Stadium. They need help in the form of the Jets losing. Regardless, there are playoff implications involved. 

It's Steelers week. Here's what you need to know about them:

QUARTERBACK

Ben Roethlisberger has missed four games this season. He was supposed to miss the first meeting between these two teams but instead came off the bench and threw for 379 yards and three touchdowns. Big Ben is coming off of a two-interception performance against the Ravens. During the six-game stretch prior to that, he had been on a roll, throwing for more than 300 yards in five games. 

The Edge: Steelers

Roethlisberger's 18 touchdown passes this season would be his lowest total since 2010, but he loves beating the Browns.

RUNNING BACK

Not many teams can withstand the loss of Le'Veon Bell, but De'Angelo Williams has put together his best season since 2009. He's rushed for 899 yards and 11 scores. Fitzgerald Toussaint will play sparingly behind Williams. Fullback Roosevelt Nix was placed on IR on Monday. Will Johnson will take on lead blocking duties in his place.

The Edge: Steelers

The Browns' running game has been coming on, but Williams has been good all season.

WIDE RECEIVER

Pro Bowler Antonio Brown leads this group with 1,647 receiving yards. He put up 139 yards, two scores and a back flip against the Browns in their first meeting. If he's not the best receiver in the league, he's up there. Martavis Bryant and Markus Wheaton start alongside Brown. Bryant is second in yards and touchdowns. Bryant, like Brown, will take handoffs on end-arounds. Darrius Heyward-Bey plays sparingly but has 240 receiving yards and a couple of scores this season.

The Edge: Steelers

Anyone who has Brown can't be at a disadvantage at this position.

TIGHT ENDS

Heath Miller is the guy with the name. He's close to 600 receiving yards on the season. The Steelers played three other tight ends on Sunday in Baltimore, too. Jesse James has played in seven games and has eight catches. Matt Spaeth is more of a blocker. Johnson lines up at tight end, too, and they look for him in the passing game, though with Nix out, Johnson's responsibility as a lead blocker may change his role.

The Edge: Browns

Last time I get to write it this season, so, two words: Gary Barnidge.

OFFENSIVE LINE

Pittsburgh lost starting left tackle Kelvin Beachum to a torn ACL. Alejandro Villanueva starts in his place. He's joined by Ramon Foster on the left side at guard. Center Cody Wallace replaces Maurkice Pouncey, lost for the year with an ankle injury. On the right side is Pro Bowler David DeCastro at guard and Marcus Gilbert at right tackle.

The Edge: Even

The Browns line has slowly played better as the year's gone along, with Alex Mack's recovery from a leg injury becoming more and more evident. Austin Pasztor has stabilized the left side while Cameron Erving held his own at right guard against Kansas City. We'll see if that lasts.

DEFENSIVE LINE

Cameron Heyward leads the Steelers in sacks this season.Ed Zurga, Associated Press 

Cam Heyward leads the team with seven sacks. Steve McLendon plays in the middle with Stephon Tuitt on the other side. Tuitt has 4.5 sacks. Cam Thomas and Daniel McCullers will see what few reserve snaps exist.

The Edge: Steelers

This is not just a front three that takes up space. They wreak havoc.

LINEBACKERS

Pro Bowler Lawrence Timmons is the team's leading tackler from his inside spot and has 3.5 sacks. Ryan Shazier has three sacks next to him and is the second leading tackler among the linebackers. Bud Dupree and Arthur Moats split time on the left outside and Jarvis Jones and somehow still James Harrison work on the other side.

The Edge: Steelers

Just a more disruptive group than what the Browns throw at opponents.

SECONDARY

Free safety Mike Mitchell re-injured his shoulder against the Ravens. Robert Golden, who has seen an increased role already, is next on the depth chart. Will Allen has an interception, two forced fumbles and three sacks from his strong safety position. William Gay and Antwon Blake start at corner. Blake has two interceptions and Gay has one. Brandon Boykin and Ross Cockrell will see snaps as well.

The Edge: Steelers

Neither pass defense is very good. The Steelers are just more opportunistic.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Antonio Brown knows how to find the end zone -- and how to celebrate once he gets there.Don Wright, Associated Press 

Wheaton is the primary kick returner. Brown handles punt return duties and is as dangerous as any punt returner in the game. Chris Boswell has stabilized the kicking game, missing just twice this season. Jordan Berry is averaging a shade over 42 yards per punt.

The Edge: Steelers

Brown is literally good at everything. Meanwhile, the Browns have been unable to get Travis Benjamin loose in a while. Travis Coons had another kick blocked on Sunday. Andy Lee has been good, but not enough to tip the balance.

COACHING

There are probably Steelers fans out there anxious about a future with Mike Tomlin, but he continues to regularly keep his teams in contention and, make no mistake about it, if they get in, they'll be dangerous. Todd Haley handles one of the league's most potent offenses. Keith Butler has managed to dial up the pressure on defense but the back end leaves something to be desired.

The Edge: Steelers

If Mike Pettine could come close to matching Mike Tomlin's success, he'll be a rock star in this town.

MEMORY LANE

October 24, 1993: Eric Metcalf takes two to the house

It was a "where were you when..." moment in Browns history. The Browns were on the verge of blowing a 14-0 lead, built, in part, because of a 91-yard punt return by Metcalf. Trailing 23-21 with just over two minutes left in the game, Metcalf returned a second punt 75 yards for the go-ahead score. 

Here's what No. 2 looked like:

Check out this video if you want to see both punt returns.

Kevin Love downplayed the extent of his right hand injury after the 101-97 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Monday night.

PHOENIX - Cavaliers power forward Kevin Love downplayed the extent of his right hand injury after the 101-97 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Monday night.

"I'm fine," Love said. "I'll be OK."

Love suffered the injury in the third quarter when Tyson Chandler slapped him on his hand while the two were boxing out for a rebound. Immediately the power forward grimaced in pain as he tried shaking out the discomfort. He called it a stinger.

As it turns out, it was his thumb that was hurting.

Up to that point, Love was having a nice night. He was engaged, had 16 points and drained three 3-pointers, but it bothered him throughout the contest and he did not score the rest of the way.

He finished with seven boards and four assists in 25 minutes. He says he expects to play tonight against the Denver Nuggets in the four-game road trip finale.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," he said.

Kevin's right hand. pic.twitter.com/a9NHd7Mw0v

-- Joe Vardon (@joevardon) December 29, 2015

The Cleveland Cavaliers (20-9) can end their four-game trip with a 2-2 mark if they can get a win against the Denver Nuggets (12-19) tonight in the Mile High City.

DENVER - The Cleveland Cavaliers (20-9) can end their four-game trip with a 2-2 mark if they can get a win against the Denver Nuggets (12-19) tonight in the Mile High City.

Tipoff: 9 p.m. at the Pepsi Center.

TV/radio: FOX Sports Ohio; WTAM 1100, 87.7 La Mega.

Last game: The Cavaliers broke their two-game slide with a 101-97 win over Suns on Monday.

Primer: David Blatt called for a team meeting before the Cavs' win over the Suns.

Cavaliers' probable starting lineup: 6-3 Matthew Dellavedova (9.0 ppg, 5.3 apg), 6-6 J.R. Smith (10.7 ppg, 2.8 rpg), 6-8 LeBron James (25.4 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 6.1 apg), 6-10 Kevin Love (17.0 ppg, 10.6 rpg) and 6-10 Timofey Mozgov (7.0 ppg, 10.0 rpg).

Nuggets' probable starting lineup: 5-10 Jameer Nelson (8.1 ppg, 4.6 apg), 6-5 Gary Harris (10.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg), 6-8 Kostas Papanikolaou (2.7 ppg, 1.4 rpg), 6-8 Kenneth Faried (12.9 ppg, 8.8 rpg) and 6-11 Joffrey Lauvergne (8.9 ppg, 6.0 rpg).

Will Barton: The team's active leading scorer at 15.8 points and pulling down six boards per game off the bench.

2014-15 season-series record: Tied, 1-1.

Nuggets' record last season: 30-52.

Key additions: Emmanuel Mudiay and Mike Miller.

Key losses: Ty Lawson.

Injuries for Cleveland: Kyrie Irving (knee) will rest tonight.

Injuries For Denver: Emmanuel Mudiay (ankle) and Danilo Gallinari are out.

Cavaliers' next opponent: The Cavs get a few days off and are back home Saturday against the Orlando Magic. Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m., and the game will be shown on Fox Sports Ohio.

It wasn't in emphatic fashion, but the Cleveland Cavaliers broke a two-game losing streak in beating the drama-filled Phoenix Suns Monday night.

PHOENIX - With an old friend making big shots late, the Cleveland Cavaliers broke a two-game losing streak in beating the drama-filled Phoenix Suns 101-97 Monday at Talking Stick Resort Arena.

Kyrie Irving's best game since his return was capped by a huge 3-pointer at the shot-clock buzzer to put the Cavaliers up four with 21 seconds remaining. Coupled with a banked floater and two free throws in a seven-point final minute, he finished with a game-high 22 points in 24 minutes for the Cavaliers (20-9).

Kevin Love supplied 16 points and seven boards while LeBron James registered 14 points, four rebounds and seven assists. After scoring his fifth point, James Alex English (25,613) for 17^th on the NBA's all-time scoring list.

The Suns (12-21) are in immense turmoil. Going into Monday's game, they had dropped 10 of their last 11 games.

The organization lost its best player in Eric Bledsoe to a knee injury and let go of two assistants on Sunday. With the Cavaliers a bit out of sync after two losses to start this four-game trip, it could have been another trap game.

"Little things like that sometimes ignites the locker room and it has guys play harder, Tristan Thompson said, "so we got to be ready for the extra fight tonight from them."

To help set the right frame of mind, Thompson, who pulled down 10 boards, was awarded the start at center in place of the struggling Timofey Mozgov.

Phoenix came out like a desperate squad. Although Cleveland led for nearly all of the first half, the Cavs never took full control, allowing the Suns to build some confidence. The Eastern Conference champs found themselves down 48-45 midway in the second quarter before a 10-1 run led the way to a 60-54 lead at halftime.

"We need to be focused, we need to be prepared and we need to be motivated to play," head coach David Blatt said before the game. "That's the key thing."

The Cavaliers did shoot extremely well in the half (64 percent) and it was reflected by J.R. Smith, who caught a high pass from Love in the deepest part of the right baseline. But Smith landed with both feet tightly together -- just inbounds -- and flung up an off-balance, falling-over-the-baseline 3-pointer that found the bottom of the net.

Smith, who was 5-of-11 beyond the arc and had 17 points, just flashed that big smile of his.

With the help of Brandan Knight going for nine of his 18 points in the third, Phoenix kept the contest close. Cleveland again kept the lead, but not command of the game, and went into the fourth with an eight-point advantage.

The Suns cut the deficit to one with 1:28 remaining. The Cavaliers dodged a bullet on the Suns' next trip down the floor when Tyson Chandler was called for an illegal screen as Knight nailed a 3-pointer that would have put them up two.

On the night's key possession, Smith saved a wayward pass from going out of bounds, got the ball to Love, who found Irving who got his deep trey off with 0.2 left on the shot clock.

TJ Warren scored 23 for Phoenix off the bench.

Got banged up

Love injured his right hand in the third quarter during a rebound battle with Tyson Chandler. It's the same hand Love broke in January of 2013. He played through it, but was in obvious pain as he shook it from time to time.

He ended up missing a point-blank transition layup a few minutes later. The ball never made it over the front of the rim. He wasn't very effective after the injury.

Going deep

The Cavaliers attempted 41 3-pointers, making 17 (41 percent).

On deck

The Denver Nuggets concludes the four-game roadie on Tuesday. The ball will be tipped at 9 p.m. on Fox Sports Ohio. It will be the first meeting of the season between the teams.

No. 22 LSU used a big third quarter to pull away for a 56-27 win over Texas Tech.

HOUSTON (AP) -- Leonard Fournette scored five touchdowns and ran for 212 yards as No. 22 LSU used a big third quarter to pull away for a 56-27 win over Texas Tech on Tuesday night in the Texas Bowl.

Texas Tech (7-6) cut the lead to 1 early in the third quarter before the Tigers (9-3) scored 21 straight points, with two touchdowns by Fournette, to make it 42-20 entering the fourth.

Fournette had two rushing touchdowns of 2 yards, ran for TDs of 43 and 4 yards and took a screen pass 44 yards for another score.

Patrick Mahomes threw for 370 yards and four touchdowns for Texas Tech, but was under heavy pressure all night and was sacked six times and scrambled away from probably 10 more. Jakeem Grant set a Texas Tech bowl record with three receiving touchdowns.

It was the 10th 100-yard rushing game and fourth of 200 this season for Fournette, who extended his LSU single-season rushing record with 1,953 yards. LSU outrushed Texas Tech 384-29 as the Tigers took advantage of a run defense that is one of the worst in the nation.

Brandon Harris threw for 254 yards with a touchdown and an interception and ran for another score for LSU.

Dakota Allen intercepted a pass by Harris early in the third quarter and Texas Tech made it 21-20 on a 31-yard touchdown reception by Reginald Davis three plays later.

Fournette was stopped for no gain on one carry on LSU's next drive and managed just two yards on the next one. But Texas Tech couldn't corral him on his next run and he broke free for a 43-yard run to give him the LSU record for rushing touchdowns in a season with 20 and push the lead to 28-20.

The Red Raiders were driving on their next possession when Rickey Jefferson intercepted a pass that was deflected on the LSU 1-yard line.

Fournette pushed LSU's lead to 35-20 on a 4-yard touchdown run after the interception. Trey Quinn had a 46-yard reception to set up that score.

Harris made it 42-20 when he ran 26 yards for a touchdown with nine seconds left in the third quarter.

Grant had a 4-yard reception for Texas Tech that made it 42-27 early in the fourth quarter.

Fournette sailed into the end zone Superman style on a 2-yard run with about eight minutes left.

He got going early when he shed one defender and hurdled another one on a 35-yard run on his second carry. He finished that drive with a 2-yard touchdown run to give LSU a 7-0 lead. He celebrated the score with the "running off on the da plug twice" dance from a song by rapper Plies. The dance basically looks like a spirited run in place, with arms pumping and a bit of a shuffle.

Texas Tech closed the gap when Grant got in front of the secondary and grabbed a 46-yard touchdown pass, but the 2-point conversion failed to make it 7-6.

D.J. Chark ran 79 yards for a touchdown on LSU's next play to make it 14-6. One Texas Tech defender caught up to him at about the 10-yard line but Chark simply dragged him into the end zone for the longest run in Texas Bowl history.

Fournette's fast start and the run by Chark left LSU with 143 yards rushing in the first quarter to minus-15 yards by the Red Raiders.

Fournette pushed LSU's lead to 21-6 when he took a screen pass 44 yards for a touchdown with about 6 1/2 minutes left in the second quarter.

The Red Raiders got within eight points when Grant, who finished with 125 yards receiving, grabbed a 3-yard pass from Mahomes about three minutes later.

LeBron James, in the NBA regular season and playoffs combined, scored 30,677 points and won 740 games through age 30. He turned 31 on Wednesday.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Since I began following professional basketball in the mid-1970s, my three favorite players to watch have been LeBron James, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. The reasons are many, beginning and ending with their respective ability to dominate a game in multiple ways.

LeBron turned 31 on Wednesday, so I thought it would be interesting to stack next to each other the statistics of LeBron, Jordan and Bryant through age 30.

LeBron and Bryant opted for the NBA out of high school, so they got a significant jump on Jordan, who played three seasons at North Carolina.

Jordan's 31st birthday came on Feb. 17, 1994, which happened to be 10 days after he signed a minor-league contract with the Chicago White Sox. Jordan, on hiatus from the Chicago Bulls for the 1993-94 season, played for manager Terry Francona's Birmingham Barons in 1994.

Bryant's 31st birthday came on Aug. 23, 2009.

Here are the numbers for LeBron, Bryant and Jordan through age 30 (from regular season unless noted):

The sharp suits are part of the awareness LeBron James says he has of who he is and where he is in life as he ages. Today is his 31st birthday.

DENVER - That blue, pristine, made-for-a-movie-star-or-chief-executive suit LeBron James wore to the arena on Christmas Day for the Cavaliers' game at Golden State?

Yeah, he had no idea who made it.

"My wife bought it," James cracked. "She said it would look good."

James knows how it looks when he dresses to come to the arena for games that way, too.

He looks like one of the most popular, powerful, richest, professional athletes in the world. He looks like someone who demands greatness from teammates and GMs, who inspires youths, who makes political, societal statements because of the influence he knows holds.

James turns 31 today, and he is all of those things. He shares a birthday with Tiger Woods, who knows a little bit about what it's like to be James. Few others do.

"I'm just aware of what's going on," James said to cleveland.com, reflecting on his place in life as he turned another year older. "I'm more aware of the position I'm in and I don't take it for granted."

James led the Cavs to a 93-87 victory in Denver Tuesday night, the final night of his life as a 30-year-old. Family and friends - including his mother, Gloria, and long-time business partner Maverick Carter, were among those spotted at the game, but there were others - joined James for dinner in the Mile High City after the win.

James scored a game-high 34 points and contributed six rebounds. He'd been mired in a shooting slump - heck, he entered play as the worst shooter in the league outside the paint this season, the kind of slump that can make one mindful of his basketball mortality.

Of course, James is nowhere near finished with his illustrious, sure-fire hall-of-fame career. So he fought the Denver elevation and knocked down 7-of-12 jumpers and 13-of-24 shots, overall.

But in conversations this week about his upcoming birthday, the theme James stressed time and again was awareness. He's cognizant of the fortune he's built, the basketball gifts he's cultivated, the responsibility he feels he owns because of it.

That's why, he said, he chose to dramatically upgrade his game-day attire this season, choosing the several-thousand-dollar suit most nights (but not always) instead of a T-shirt, or jeans, or sweats. It's a part of maturing as he ages.

"It has everything to do with being a professional," James said. "For me, being a professional, you dress a certain way. Especially with me and my age and also what I represent, and my influence, I like putting on (nice) clothes and that's what it's about. If I worked at a Fortune 500 company or I worked at a 9-to-5, there's a certain way that you've got to dress. I believe in that."

Earlier in the week, James was asked during a group session with the media if he rued getting older. If not now, then last year when he hit the big 3-0. He said, "I mean, I loved being an 18-year old, 19, 20, 21-year old, but the stuff that I enjoy today doesn't even compare.

"The stuff that I was doing back when I was 18, 19, 20 doesn't even compare to the life that I have now and what I like, what I enjoy, I don't want those days back," he said. "I'm happy where I'm at. I feel good."

In between his 30^th and 31^st birthdays, James inspired and carried a wounded and undermanned Cavs team to the Finals, winning two games. He held a supporting role in his first motion picture. He announced a program to send potentially thousands of inner-city Akron children to college one day. He dumped McDonald's for Blaze Pizza. He inked a lifetime deal with Nike.

That's a pretty good year. When a reporter mentioned to him that the real trouble hits when he turns 35, he fired back "at 35, I'll be about out of the league by then, y'all can bother somebody else."

He was joking, but he was also acknowledging that, yes, he's aware there's an end, however small of a blip on his radar that end might be.

If he's really talking about walking away in four years (he isn't), then it's not so small.

"Uh, no, I won't be done by 35," he said. "I hope I'm still around at 35."