Can 2019 finally be the year when Yandy Diaz becomes a regular? What about Jason Kipnis?

ABOUT MICHAEL BRANTLEY & YANDY DIAZ

For a variety of reasons, the Indians are going to have a different looking team next season:

1. Michael Brantley is a free agent. The Indians have to decide if they want to extend him a qualifying offer of $18 million. If they do that, they'll receive a draft pick as compensation if Brantley signs with another team.

2. The Indians also have to be prepared for Brantley to possibly accept the $18 million -- a $6 million raise from his $12 million salary in 2018.

3. The 32-year-old Brantley batted .309 (.832 OPS) with 17 HR and 76 RBI. I've heard whispers of Brantley being in line for a 3-year deal in the $45 million range from some team. Given Brantley's injury history (major ankle and shoulder surgeries), he should pursue a long-term deal. It's doubtful it will come from the Tribe.

4. My best guess is the replacement for Brantley in left field will be...Jason Kipnis. Fans say, "Trade him." The Indians will probably try to do just that. But Kipnis is due $14.7 million in 2019. He has a $2.5 million buyout In 2020.

5. In the last two years, Kipnis has batted .231 (.705 OPS), averaging 15 HR and 55 RBI. He was hurt in part of 2017. Healthy in 2018, he still batted .230, but showed some power with 18 HR and 75 RBI. He can probably do a decent job defensively in left field.

6. Kipnis to left field opens up third base for Yandy Diaz. Finally, the Indians seem prepared to give him a chance to be a regular. Kipnis to left, Diaz to third is not being discussed publicly by the Tribe. But I do know it's under serious consideration.

7. Since the 2017 All-Star break, Diaz is batting .312 (62-for-201) with 1 HR, 15 RBI and a .797 OPS. He is respectable at third base. The 27-year-old Diaz is a career .319 hitter (.848 OPS) in Class AAA. Just play him.

8. Assuming my theory is correct, that means Jose Ramirez plays second base. Francisco Lindor stays at shortstop. Yonder Alonso is at first base.

9. Some fans want the Tribe to re-sign Josh Donaldson. His calf injuries are scary. The Indians saw Lonnie Chisenhall deal with that for the last two years. It makes more sense (and saves a lot of money) to put Diaz at third and leave him alone.

10. He became the forgotten man because of his life-threatening bacterial infection in early August, but Leonys Martin could be a factor in center field. As of now, he is considered healthy. The 30-year-old wants to keep playing. He is an excellent center fielder. He is mostly a platoon player, batting .279 vs. righties as opposed to .176 vs. lefties.

11. Martin made $1.75 million. He is eligible for arbitration. I hope the Indians can work a reasonable 1-year deal. If healthy, he can platoon with Greg Allen in center field. Allen is a switch hitter. He batted .257 (.554 OPS) with 2 HR and 20 RBI last season. After the All-Star break, the rookie batted .310 (.784 OPS).

12. What about Bradley Zimmer? He was the opening day center fielder in 2018. He had major shoulder surgery on July 22. He was projected to be out 8 to 12 months. He is making progress, but shoulder injuries are tricky and scary. Remember what Brantley endured in 2016 and 2017. Hard to put him in the picture right now.

13. Outfield free agents: Brantley, Chisenhall, Rajai Davis and Melky Cabrera. Brandon Guyer has a $3 million club option. I doubt the Indians will keep Guyer, after he batted .206 (.671 OPS) with 7 HR and 27 RBI.

14. Who plays right field? At the moment, the best bet is Tyler Naquin. He has recovered well from his hip surgery on July 26. He batted .264 (.651 OPS) with 3 HR and 23 RBI in 174 at bats. Naquin had hip problems earlier in his career. The surgery should fix that. He was playing games against young prospects in Goodyear as the playoffs ended. His prognosis is good.

15. An outfield prospect is Oscar Mercado, acquired from St. Louis at the end of July. He batted .278 (.738 OPS) with 8 HR, 47 RBI and 37 stolen bases in Class AAA last season. He's 23 and could be a factor later in the 2019 season.

16. I doubt the Indians will open the season with a starting outfield of Kipnis (LF), Martin/Allen (CF) and Naquin (RF). They will add some players. The outfield screams for help via a trade. The Indians are not going to spend much money on free agents, it's futile to discuss that possibility.

17. But I do expect Kipnis to be in the outfield, Ramirez at second and Diaz at third.
 

Tribe Manager Terry Francona and team president Chris Antonetti have combined to give the Indians the best record in the American League over the last six seasons.Chuck Crow / Plain Dealer 

ABOUT TERRY FRANCONA

I received this email from a guy named Terry...no, not me!

"Terry, Do you think Terry Francona should stay? He lost the last 3 (playoff) games in last 3 years. Great pitching, bad managing. Tribe needs young aggressive manager like (Alex) Cora.

"I'd hire Omar Vizquel! Would not be boring and be a good in-game manager. Francona over the hill...out of shape...no energy!!"

Where to begin?

1. Maybe Omar Vizquel will be a good manager. Or maybe not. He was a great shortstop and received my Hall of Fame vote. He is one of my all-time favorite Indians. After he retired, he was a first base coach from 2013-17 for the Tigers.

2. Last season, he managed at Class A Winston-Salem and was the Carolina League Manager of the Year as his team had an 85-54 record. His roster was loaded with top prospects, but he did the job well.

3. He is on the road to becoming a big league manager. He did interview for the Angels job, but reportedly was told he is no longer a candidate.

4. I've received a few emails from frustrated fans wanting to replace Francona. Fire the guy who has had six consecutive winning seasons...four playoff berths...one World Series...IN CLEVELAND?

5. In Francona's six seasons, the Indians have a .542 winning percentage...best in the American League over that span.

6. The previous four seasons (2009-12) before Francona arrived, the Tribe's average record was 70-92. As Tribe President Chris Antonetti said at the postseason press conference, the team has to take the long view - and not just react to playing poorly against Houston.

7. Francona has delivered winning, contending baseball with a team that has not been higher than 16th out of 30 teams in payroll -- and that was this year. Most years, the Tribe was in the bottom 30 percent in payroll.

8. One of the reasons the Indians are contenders in a small market is their stability in the front office and with the manager. It's a competitive advantage, assuming the key people continue working well together.

9. Some fans have wondered about Francona's stance of no changes to the coaching staff. That has some fans angry. Ike emailed: "My friend, summa cum laude from CWRU, watched almost all the games and he agrees with me that the hitting coach job should go to someone else."

10. The Indians changed bullpen and pitching coaches last season. The pitching coach move was forced on them when Mickey Callaway was hired to manage the Mets. Carl Willis is a solid pitching coach, but I thought Callaway was fabulous -- and missed.

11. Callaway is still the Mets manager. The team is coming off a dismal season and is looking to hire a new general manager. After that happens, then Callaway's future will be discussed.

12. Scott Atchison replaced Jason Bere as bullpen coach. I don't know how much (if any) of the bullpen's struggles had to do with the change of coaches.

13. Some fans fans want to change hitting coaches. Batting .144 in the 3-game sweep by Houston has fans angry. In the regular season, the Indians ranked No. 3 in runs scored. They were ahead of Houston. They only trailed Boston and New York.

14. In 2017, the Indians were No. 6 in runs scored. In 2016, they were No. 2. So they have ranked high in the last three seasons. Francona said changing hitting coaches would be "reactionary."

15. My guess is most coaching staffs should probably make a change nearly every year, partly because good people become available when they are fired elsewhere. But the core people with the Indians deserve to stay in place.

Check here for top plays from NBA games of Saturday, Oct. 20. LeBron James' Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Houston Rockets in Los Angeles.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Houston Rockets defeated the host Los Angeles Lakers, 124-115, as part of the NBA schedule for Saturday, Oct. 20. LeBron James scored 24 in 39 minutes of his home debut with the Lakers, but he was a non-factor in the fourth quarter.

Tempers flared between the teams in the fourth. Lakers guard Rajon Rondo and Rockets guard Chris Paul, who exchanged punches, were ejected, as was Lakers forward Brandon Ingram.

The Lakers slipped to 0-2. James Harden scored 36 for the Rockets (1-1).

In earlier games Oct. 20: The Toronto Raptors defeated the Washington Wizards, 117-113; the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Orlando Magic, 116-115; and the Indiana Pacers defeated the Brooklyn Nets, 132-112.

The Bucs' have the No. 1 pass offense in the NFL and have 16 TD passes, second in the NFL. Watch video

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Browns' matchup today against the Bucs' No. 1-ranked pass offense would be a perfect opportunity for 2017 No. 1 overall pick Myles Garrett and 2018 No. 4 overall pick Denzel Ward to step up and carry the defense.

The Browns' defense, 20th against the pass, will have the tall task - literally - of minimizing the Bucs' formidable trio of receivers in 6-5 Mike Evans, DeSean Jackson and Chris Godwin.

The three have combined for 13 of the Bucs' 16 TD catches this season, rank second in the NFL only to the Steelers' 18. For comparison's sake, the Browns have six TD passes this season, tied for 28th in the NFL.

What's more, the Browns are down to their third option at starting cornerback opposite Ward in T.J. Carrie, who's stepping in for E.J. Gaines. Gaines, who was subbing for Terrance Mitchell (broken wrist) was diagnosed with a concussion on Thursday and will sit out this game.
 
"It stresses the coaches, too - the guys, coaches, everybody. They are good. Make no doubt about it. We have one that is averaging 23 yards a reception (Jackson), another guy that is 14 yards per reception (Evans) and another guy that is [averaging] 13 or 12, whatever he is - Godwin. They all are making plays. They've all scored touchdowns. Then you throw the tight ends in there, too. They have some weapons. Guys that can score the ball. It's a big challenge for us. Have to go play well."

So how to go from defending a big, physical receiver like Evans to a smaller, faster receiver like Jackson?

"It's all about film study,'' said Carrie. "From a perspective of DeSean and Mike, they both are completely different receivers. So if you're watching film, you are going to get things from DeSean that you are not going to get from Mike. That is the big part of why this game is so much more mental than physical. With film study, you can ID more of what these guys like within the individual personnel."

So how will the 5-11 Ward and 6-0 Carrie cover the 6-5 Evans?

"Body position,'' said Carrie. "You've got to put yourself always in a great body position so that you're always in his way, you're not giving him the leverage that he wants to take, you're taking away where he wants to do. At that same time, you're both competing for the ball.''

Coach Hue Jackson believes Ward is up to the challenge.

"He's competed against bigger guys and smaller guys,'' Jackson said. "What's going to be important is how we decide to match up with that football team. It's a tall challenge, but we have guys that we feel very confident and comfortable with that we will go out and cover these guys. Obviously, we're going to have to rush the quarterback. We can't let him stand back thereand let him make normal, rhythm plays.''

Fortunately for the Browns, Garrett plans to take out his frustrations this week on the Bucs, and fellow defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi is determined to sack Jameis Winston.

"Rush the quarterback. Collapse the pocket. Put pressure in his face,'' said Ogunjobi. "Disguising coverages. All types of things. Get him off his spot. Make him run around. You have to stop the run first because they are definitely going to try to run the ball just because of what they saw last week. You have got to stop the run to earn the right to rush the passer."

Getting an interception or two would help. Winston has thrown four in his six quarters.

"I picked [Winston] off last year, even though it was in the preseason,'' said Peppers. "I'm definitely looking forward to going down there and getting my hands on the ball again. We know that they're going to try us deep. Why not after last week? We're ready for the challenge. We're ready to rock. We'll go down there and put our best foot forward."

The NBA G League announced it would extend "Select Contracts," paying $125,000 to elite basketball prospects as an alternative to going one-and-done in college.

The NBA G-League announced it would extend "Select Contracts," paying $125,000 to elite basketball prospects, as an alternative to going one-and-done in college. Many feel this poaching of potential NCAA superstars will destroy the sport. Others believe losing a few elite prospects won't be fatal for college basketball and there is plenty of talent to keep the sport exciting. What do you think? 

PERSPECTIVES

The NBA G League will give elite high school graduates who are not eligible for the NBA Draft $125,000 to come to the G-League and take advantage of multiple programs that run through the NBA infrastructure, preparing young athletes for a career in the pros. Is this going to kill college basketball as we know it?

ESPN: G League to offer $125K option to 1-and-done

This move will be a huge blow to the NCAA. Schools will lose talented prospect who would've been superstars in college basketball, killing the product on the court. When the best players don't even go to the college, the overall talent pool diminishes and the quality of game play suffers. 

What kid would want to go to school when they can get over $100,000 and work toward their dream straight out of high school? This is the beginning of the end of college basketball.

Rip college basketball

-- Dwayne Haskins SZN (@PrimeCedi) October 18, 2018

G League life isn't exactly the NBA. Players have red-eye flights, long bus rides and less than glamorous conditions in dingy motels. They're also not playing to sold-out stadiums. 

Elite NCAA athletes get spoiled with state-of-the-art facilities, chartered jets and the admiration of everyone around campus. College basketball might not even lose top talent if it sells the experience right. Even if colleges lose a few prospects here and there, nothing can replace the unpredictability and excitement of the sport. The NCAA will be fine.

I have doubts about how many top players will go this route. Some, yes. But G-League is full of early connecting flights, long bus rides, small gyms. It isn't glamorous. Big-time NCAA ball still has the trappings of exposure, packed houses, private jets. You'll get paid there too

-- Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 18, 2018

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Duke Johnson is listed as the Browns starting running back, and JC Tretter will start at center.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Duke Johnson is listed as the Browns' starting running back in the absence of Carlos Hyde, and center JC Tretter is active for this matchup against the 2-3 Bucs at Raymond James Stadium.

Browns new receiver Breshad Perriman, signed Oct. 13 is also active for the first time and receiver Da'Mari Scott is inactive. Perriman, a 2015 first-round pick of the Ravens, was inactive last week against the Chargers after signing with Cleveland the day before.

Despite Tretter's high left ankle sprain and the fact he spent most of the week in a walking boot, he'll start at center as usual. It means the Browns won't have to start rookie lineman Austin Corbett at an unfamiliar position.

As for Johnson, the fact he's listed as a starter doesn't mean he'll actually be the first running back on the field or get the bulk of the carries. That distinction could go to rookie Nick Chubb, who will be the workhorse back with Hyde shipped to the Jaguars for a fifth-round pick in 2019.

Chubb heads into the game with only 16 carries for 173 yards (10.8-yard average), but two of those carries went for long touchdowns of 41 and 63 yards in Oakland.

Johnson has 19 carries for 111 yards (5.8-yard average) and has caught 14 passes for 164 yards.

The Browns are without two key defenders today in linebacker Joe Schobert (hamstring) and cornerback E.J. Gaines (concussion). Schobert will be replaced by Christian Kirksey and Gaines will be replaced by T.J. Carrie. Briean Body-Calhoun will replace Carrie as the nickel back.

The Browns other inactives today Drew Stanton, receiver Rashard Higgins and defensive lineman Carl Davis.

For the Bucs, starting defensive linemen Vinny Curry (ankle) and Gerald McCoy (calf) are both inactive, which is a huge break for the Browns. The Bucs own the league's 32nd-ranked pass defense.

Meyer has personal connections to a lot of his assistants, and a few of their position groups aren't playing up to the Ohio State standard.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- The end came for Urban Meyer at Florida when he lost assistants he trusted and tried to do too much himself while leading a new staff that didn't inspire the same faith as when the Gators won two national titles.

If Meyer is having trouble with his assistant coaches at Ohio State right now, it's not the same problem. It's an overreaction to that problem, with this coaching staff the opposite of that later Florida staff.

Then, Meyer had coaches he didn't know as well and didn't trust as much.

Now, he may have coaches he knows too well, and coaches he trusts too much.

Every time Ohio State loses, like Saturday night's 49-20 loss to Purdue, the view is that the Buckeyes were out-coached. And that's not wrong. Unless the Buckeyes are playing Alabama or Clemson, they'll probably own the talent edge. 

Meyer is 77-9 at Ohio State. The losses came to Michigan State, Clemson, Virginia Tech, Michigan State, Penn State, Clemson, Oklahoma, Iowa and Purdue. In only the two Clemson losses and the Oklahoma game (mostly due to Baker Mayfield) would you say the Buckeyes had less talent.

More talent usually wins. When it doesn't, looking at the adults making millions (or at least hundreds of thousands) of dollars is the place to start, as opposed to with the unpaid amateurs.

The Buckeyes appear to have one great assistant coach right now in defensive line coach Larry Johnson, or probably two with quarterbacks coach Ryan Day.

When they won the national title in 2014, they probably had six in Johnson, Kerry Coombs (corners), Luke Fickell (linebackers), Chris Ash (safeties), Tom Herman (quarterbacks) and Ed Warriner (offensive line.)

The co-offensive coordinators, Day and Kevin Wilson, are a rising star who was heralded for leading the Buckeyes to a 3-0 start during Meyer's absence and a former head coach at Indiana who lit it up as an offensive coordinator before that. 

The co-defensive coordinators, Greg Schiano and Alex Grinch, are an overqualified former NFL head coach and a hot name plucked off the Washington State staff after he did a great job as the defensive coordinator there last season.

They're all at a low point right now. The offense can't score in the red zone and the defense can't stop giving up big plays, and those coordinators are on the hook.

Meyer, like Hue Jackson with the Browns, is ultimately responsible for everything, and a loss like this starts with him. He's also 182-31 with three national title rings, so he's shown he knows how to do this. But he's also responsible for hiring assistants.

And on that front, I think he has missed on a few recent hires.

Johnson is the only assistant remaining from Ohio State's 2014 title team, and I don't think the Buckeyes have substantially improved on any hire since and have taken a major step back on a few.

I've railed against overpaying assistants, the middle men of college football, in a world where multimillionaire coaches and multi-talented players really determine wins and losses. That's because a place like Ohio State should be able to hire good people. No one is irreplaceable, as long as you replace them. 

At Florida, Meyer found trouble with a staff he didn't know, after long-time Meyer loyalists like offensive coordinator Dan Mullen left. 

"I think he's adjusted to the whole staff situation," Mullen told me in the spring of 2015, when the Buckeyes were basking in their national title. "I think he had a group of us that were there a long time and that there was a big security blanket, and all of a sudden when he didn't know anybody in the room, I don't know if he knew ... it was a different type of situation for him."

The reaction? At Ohio State, after losing his initial staff, Meyer has hired people he knows too well. He went for the blanket instead of the best available. And that's showing up now.

Look at what happened with former receivers coach Zach Smith. Hiring a staff that you are too close to personally can lead to problems.

Linebackers coach Bill Davis is the most obvious issue now.

The best man in Meyer's wedding, he spent more than two decades coaching in the NFL, but he'd never coached in college before his friend gave him a job replacing Fickell. Davis had been an unpaid helper with the Buckeyes the year before, and his hiring for the 2017 season was too easy, and obviously wrong from the start.

No national search for the best possible replacement would have landed on an NFL assistant fired many times who hadn't recruited or coached teenagers before.

The linebackers have lacked fundamentals and confidence since Davis arrived. For everyone wondering now why Davis is employed by the Buckeyes, welcome to my corner. It will be a shock if Davis is back next season, and it would show Meyer values personal loyalty over performance if he is.

While Warinner has revamped and revitalized Michigan's line this season as the offensive line coach for the Wolverines, the line here has struggled under Studrawa. Some of that is due to recruiting failures that occurred under Warinner.

But Studrawa is another long-time Meyer friend and was the line coach on Meyer's first staff at Bowling Green. Studrawa had a long career in the college game, but he was ousted at LSU after seven seasons and had dropped down to Maryland for two seasons before he was hired in 2016. 

Right now, Michigan's offensive line under Warinner is better than Ohio State's offensive line under Studrawa. Warinner was promoted, out of necessity and over his skill level, when Meyer named him offensive coordinator in 2015. OSU fans weren't sad to see him go after 2016. But from 2012 to 2014, he was a great offensive line coach for the Buckeyes. Meyer replaced him with an old friend, and the line right now isn't where it has been.

At cornerback, Meyer replaced Kerry Coombs with Taver Johnson. Johnson didn't have a major Meyer link, but he'd held the same job at Ohio State under Jim Tressel. He was an easy find.

At running back, Meyer replaced Stan Drayton, when he left for the NFL, with Tony Alford. Meyer was a Colorado State assistant when Alford was a running back there. Alford has done well, and there hasn't been a dropoff from Drayton to Alford. But he's another example of Meyer going with the familiar, of staying in the blanket.

Schiano, one of Meyer's best friends, was a great hire in 2015. A former NFL head coach in Tampa and the long-time head coach at Rutgers, he probably wouldn't have taken a college assistant's job for anyone but Meyer. 

He's good. But now, when the defense has problems, Meyer isn't just dealing with a defensive coordinator with an underperforming unit. He's dealing with one of his best friends.

On one level, maybe that's a good thing. But do you demand the same changes and light the same fires under someone you've known for decades? 

When Meyer hired his first staff, he didn't know Herman or Warinner or Fickell or Coombs. When the defense needed help after the 2013 season, he didn't know Ash. 

Now, of his 10 assistants, six had obvious, easy connections to either Meyer or Ohio State - Davis, Studrawa, Schiano, Alford, Taver Johnson and new receivers coach Brian Hartline. And Day was a one-year grad assistant under Meyer at Florida and came off the coaching tree of Chip Kelly, Meyer's good friend.

Only Larry Johnson, Grinch and Wilson arrived as best available candidates, without personal relationships with the head coach or the school. 

This is a caution, for instance, of automatically elevating Hartline to a full-time job after Smith's firing. Hartline seems to be doing well in his interim role this season, but if you did a national search for the best candidate, would he bit it? Maybe. But the Buckeyes should at least look around before deciding that.

Meyer shoulders the brunt of Saturday's loss. He's paid handsomely to do that. He's also paid to hire the best coaching staff possible. By going with the familiar too often lately, he hasn't done that.

The tailgate started Saturday evening at 7 and was open to any fans were were traveling to Florida for the game and and were up for paying $20 for a full spread of food and drink.

TAMPA, Fla. - The Browns may be on the road today, but the Browns Backers chapter in Tampa made Cleveland fans feel right at home Sunday morning before the game.

The tailgate started Saturday evening at 7 and was open to any fans were were traveling to Florida for the game and and were up for paying $20 for a full spread of food and drink. Organizer A.J. Brilla was expecting about 600 fans to show up. The estimate about 1,000.

Doug Lesmerises takes your questions after Ohio State's 49-20 loss to the Boilermakers.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Ohio State was upset by Purdue 49-20 on Saturday night, and a lot went wrong. Urban Meyer knows that, and so do you.

Ohio State now embarks on a two-week plan to fix these issues, and we embarked on a postgame Buckeye Talk Podcast after our loyal listeners sent in 149 questions on Twitter after I put the call out after the loss.

I didn't get to all of them, sadly, because I don't think our podcast hosting platform can handle an 11-hour show.

But I hit a lot of the main topics, from Urban Meyer to Bill Davis to more Bill Davis to the run game to more Bill Davis.

As always, we appreciate you guys engaging with the podcast. We'll be back Wednesday with the usual mid-week pod to get into everything we didn't touch on here. But for now, here's almost an hour of postgame podcasting about the 7-1 Ohio State Buckeyes.

Before listening to the podcast below, make sure to subscribe to Buckeye Talk at any of these places:

* Buckeye Talk on iTunes

* Buckeye Talk on Google Play

* Buckeye Talk on Stitcher

* Buckeye Talk on Spotify

Thank as always to ShopOhioState.com and MinuteManTickets.comfor supporting Buckeye Talk.

Facing the NFL's worst defense, the Cleveland Browns showed no spark against Tampa Bay.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Scribbles in my notebook at halftime as the Browns trail Tampa Bay, 16-2.

1. The Browns offense was shockingly awful against the NFL's worst defense. The Bucs entered having allowed nearly 35 points a game.

2. The Browns offense hit bottom late in the first half when former Brown Carl Nassib sacked Baker Mayfield to force a punt. The Browns didn't score in the first half.

3. The Browns defense had a safety. It had an interception by Christian Kirksey, who also recovered a fumble. The Browns offense did nothing with it.

4. Three first downs. THREE FIRST DOWNS IN THE FIRST HALF!!! Two were on the opening drive.

5. Mayfield looked overwhelmed. He was sacked twice. He was 10-of-16 passing, but only for 62 yards. Nick Chubb had 24 yards on eight carries. Duke Johnson Jr. carried the ball once for minus-4 yards.

6. The offense was conservative. This is painful to watch.

7. Lots of empty seats here and lots of Browns fans. On the West Coast of Florida, there is a lot of transplanted Midwesterners, especially those from Ohio. Browns Backers have a huge presence.

8. First two plays of the game, passes from Baker Mayfield to Jarvis Landry. Those covered 11 yards. Landry had only two catches (also for 11 yards) in last week's 38-14 loss to the Chargers.

9. Great special teams play: Britton Colquitt's punt pinned Tampa on its own 1-yard line. Colquitt is outstanding at punting the ball so that it's downed deep in the opponent's territory and it doesn't go into the end zone. That was his 23rd punt inside the 20-yard line, most in the NFL.

10.  Then Trevon Coley tackled Peyton Barber in the end zone for a safety. I thought Kirksey had tackled Barber in the end zone on the previous play.

11. That was the Browns first safety since Tank Carder blocked a punt in the end zone in 2014.

12. When he's been in coverage, Briean Boddy-Calhoun has been chewed up this season. Quarterbacks are 9-of-11 passing in his direction. With all the injuries at cornerback (EJ Gaines, Terrance Mitchell), Gregg Williams decided to open the game with Calhoun at deep free safety. Usual safety Damarious Randall opened at cornerback. Randall did play cornerback in previous seasons with Green Bay. But safety is his best spot.

13. The Browns defense keeps acting as if its never seen a receiver run a sweep. Last week, the Chargers had tremendous success with that play. The first time Tampa used it, DeSean Jackson ran for a 14-yard TD.

14. Denzel Ward made a great play by ripping the ball out of Jackson's hands after Jackson had caught what appeared to be a Tampa TD pass in the end zone.

Ohio State dropped after its blowout loss at Purdue on Saturday night.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The new AP Top 25 college football poll was released this afternoon, and after its loss to Purdue on Saturday night, Ohio State is now 11th.

Alabama (8-0) stayed at No. 1 after it handled Tennessee, 58-21. Alabama, which received all 61 first-place votes, plays at No. 4 LSU on Saturday. The Tigers (7-1) topped then-No. 22 Mississippi State, 19-3, on Saturday.

No. 2 Clemson (7-0) handled N.C. State 41-7 and will play at Florida State next Saturday.

The Browns tied the Buccaneers late in the fourth quarter on a Jarvis Landry touchdown.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Jarvis Landry helped the Browns tie the Buccaneers in the fourth quarter on Sunday by reaching the ball across the goal line as he fell to the ground.

Landry caught the pass from Baker Mayfield at the 2-yard line and lost his balance, but was able to reach the ball over the goal line before Buccaneers defenders could get to him.

It was Landry's 10^th catch of the day, giving him 97 yards. Greg Joseph's extra point tied the game at 23 with 2:28 left in the fourth quarter.

BLESS'M @God_Son80 pic.twitter.com/nwP9aTIVGa

-- Cleveland Browns (@Browns) October 21, 2018

Nance, who has missed the first two regular games against Toronto and Minnesota as well as the preseason finale because of a sprained ankle, will come off the bench and be on a minutes restriction.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Larry Nance Jr. will make his season debut for the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday night in the home opener. 

Nance, who has missed the first two regular games against Toronto and Minnesota as well as the preseason finale because of a sprained ankle, will come off the bench and be on a minutes restriction. 

Tristan Thompson will make his third straight start at center. 

The Cavaliers host the Atlanta Hawks, one of four Eastern Conference teams without a win this season. 

Peppers fumbled the ball on a punt return, and the Bucs cashed in.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Another week, another overtime game for the Browns.

But the road isn't friendly to the Browns, who tied an NFL record for 24 straight road losses.

They lost to the Buccaneers 26-23 Sunday on a 59-yard field goal by Chandler Catanzaro with 1:50 left in OT to fall to 2-4-1.  The kick -- the longest OT field goal in NFL history -- cashed in on Jabrill Peppers' fumble on a punt return that started the Bucs at the Browns' 48 with 3:12 left in the 10-minute session.

Peppers, who's 32-yard punt return set up Jarvis Landry's gametying 16-yard TD catch in regulation, blamed himself for the loss.

"I'll take full responsibility,'' he said. "This one's on me. Anybody can say it's not just you, it's a lot of things, I don't care about that. All the miscues we had, we still had a chance to win in that moment and I fumbled the ball.

"I don't want to hear, 'oh well we could have done this, could have done this,' whatever the case may be, we still had a chance to win the game and  I fumbled the ball and that's just what it is.

"I take it on the chin. It hurts. Definitely stings to fight all the way back like that and then to go out like that and it's your fault. Take it on the chin, get in there and watch the film and move past it.''

It was the fourth overtime game for the Browns this season. The record for OT games in a season is five. The Browns are 1-2-1 in OT this season.

After the Bucs started at the Browns' 48, the Browns sacked Tampa Bay quarterback Jameis Winston on back-to-back plays to knock them back to their own 45. But DeSean Jackson caught a 14-yarder to the Browns' 41.

Catanzaro, who missed a 40-yarder at the end of regulation, boomed the 59-yarder through the uprights. 

The Browns lost despite four takeaways by the defense, including an interception by Jamie Collins in OT.

The Browns got the ball first in overtime and started at their 25, but left tackle Desmond Harrison committed a holding penalty on the first play and the Browns went three-and-out.

Collins picked off Winston with 6:15 left in the 10-minute OT, but the Browns went three-and-out on their second possession of OT. 

The Bucs took over with 2:28 left in regulation after the Browns tied it at 23, and drove to the 22, where Catanzaro pushed the 40-yard field goal attempt wide right. 

End of regulation

With 4:55 left in regulation, Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield was stopped on a sneak on fourth and 1 on a play that would've tied it at 23 had Greg Joseph made the extra point. Nick Chubb gained a yard on third and 2 the play before.

The Bucs took over on downs at their 1, and the defense came up big, with Emmanuel Ogbah sacking Winston and then Genard Avery making a third-down stop.

Jabrill Peppers returned the punt 32 yards to the Tampa Bay 16, and then Jarvis Landry laid out for a 16-yard TD catch from Mayfield that did tie it at 23 on the first play of the drive with 2:28 left in regulation. 

Chubb produces

It was the first game for the Browns after Carlos Hyde was traded to the Jaguars on Friday, and Chubb made sure they weren't sorry they did it.

Chubb finished the game with 18 carries for 80 yards and one TD.

The Browns got three takeaways from their defense on consecutive drives to keep them in the game. Unfortunately for the defense, the offense only scored on one of those takeaways. 

Chubb ran in from the 1 to cut the Browns' deficit to 23-16 with 12:17 left in regulation. Chubb plowed 21 yards up the middle earlier in the drive, and then Landry leaped and caught an 18-yard pass on third and 9 to the Bucs' 25. Antonio Callaway drew a 24-yard interference call in the end zone to the 1 to set up Chubb's TD.

Myles Garrett's strip and David Njoku's TD

The Browns came out with some energy in the second half, with Myles Garrett stripping Jameis Winston and Genard Avery recovering just 29 second into the third quarter to start Mayfield at the Bucs' 26. It was the third straight takeaway for the Browns. Three plays later, Njoku caught a 15-yard TD pass from Mayfield in the left corner of the end zone to cut the Browns' deficit to 16-9.

But the Bucs came back and scored again on a 2-yard run by Ronald Jones with 28 seconds left in the third to make it 23-9. Key play on the drive was a 24-yard catch by tight end O.J. Howard over Jabrill Peppers to the 1.

Bad end to the half

The first half ended with Mayfield fumbling out of bounds at the Bucs' 10 after he had avoided a sack on fourth and 2 and scrambled for a first down with 19 seconds left. Mayfield had gained the first down, but when the ball was knocked out of hands, it went backward and out of bounds, leaving the Browns short.

The Bucs took over on downs and took a knee to preserve their 16-2 halftime led. It summarized the way the brutal half went for the Browns.

Mayfield's fumble wasted the Browns' second defensive takeaway od the half that started him at the Bucs' 19 with 50 seconds remaining. With the Browns trailing 16-2,  Genard Avery forced tight Cameron Brate to fumble, and Christian Kirksey recovered.

And still, the Browns couldn't score on a Bucs defense that had surrendered 125 first-half points in its previous five games, and had allowed touchdowns on 15 of the opponents' 16 trips inside the red zone.

That's how far the Browns' receiver-challenged offense has fallen.

The first play of the drive was a throwaway to Landry near the 5; and the second was an incompletion to a tightly covered Landry at the right side of the end zone.  Landry wanted a pass-interference call on the play and didn't get it. Tight end David Njoku was also open on a post route on that play.

Damion Ratley caught an 8-yard pass on third down, and then the Browns went for it on fourth and 2, with the disastrous result when Lavonte David stripped Mayfield of the ball.

Kirksey's pick

With the Bucs up 16-2, Kirksey picked off Winston with 2:19 left in the half. Unfortunately for Kirksey, Emmanuel Ogbah committed a blindside block on the return for a 15-yard penalty. The Browns started at their 25, but went three and out after Mayfield was sacked for a 9-yard loss by former Browns defensive lineman Carl Nassib.    

First-half woes

The Bucs outgained the Browns 243 yards to 74 in the first half and made 17 first downs to the Browns' 3. The Browns also went 1-for-8 on third down while the Bucs converted 3-of-4. Winston outpassed Mayfield 184 yards to 64.

Browns open with safety

The Bucs started their opening drive at the 1 after cornerback Tavierre Thomas downed Britton Colquitt's 55-yard punt there. Trevon Coley tackled Peyton Barber in the end zone for a safety with 9:18 ft in the first quarter, the Browns' first safety since Oct. 5, 2014 when Tank Carder blocked a punt in the end zone in Tennessee. Little did the Browns know they'd be their only first-half points of the half.  

Extra points

With cornerback E.J. Gaines out with a concussion, Damarious Randall started the game at cornerback. T.J. Carrie remained at nickelback and Briean Boddy-Calhoun played safety.  

Next

The Browns have a rematch with the Steelers next Sunday at 1 p.m. in Pittsburgh. The teams tied 21-21 in the opener in Cleveland.

Chance after chance was there for the Browns. They failed to take advantage of them.

TAMPA, Fla. -- If this game ends up as the one that starts the spiral downward of the Browns' season, they'll have no one to blame but themselves. This was a game there for the taking and they couldn't take it. This is one, entering a brutal stretch against Pittsburgh, Kansas City and Atlanta, that they will regret.

The Buccaneers came into this game allowing 440 yards of offense per game. The Browns managed 74 in the first half.

The defense forced four turnovers. The offense only managed one score off of those turnovers.

The Bucs gave the Browns the ball with excellent field position in overtime. The offense couldn't capitalize.

The Browns defense got a stop in overtime, and Jabrill Peppers fumbled the punt return. It's what set up the game-winning 59-yard field goal by Chandler Catanzaro.

Sometimes you just lose to better teams, like what happened in New Orleans in Week 2. Last week, the Chargers were better by a significant margin.

This game went from a 23-9 disaster to a game the Browns should have won. They didn't.

They gave it away. They might have given away their season, too.

Let us know how Baker Mayfield did for the Browns on Sunday.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The email landed in my inbox around the end of the first quarter on Sunday.

"Sorry guys but we picked the wrong QB once again we should have gone (with) darnold," read the critique from Ron. At that point, the Browns trailed 3-2, and the offense had 28 yards and two first downs.

Ron wasn't happy.

He probably felt even worse when the Buccaneers won the game in overtime with a 59-yard field goal. But, to borrow a phrase, we're not here to talk about that. We're here to talk about Mayfield.

The Browns' rookie quarterback finished 23-of-34 passing for 215 yards and two touchdowns (104.4 QB rating). He was 2-for-3 for 16 yards in two overtime possessions that went nowhere.

Mayfield rushed for 41 yards, with 35 coming on second-and-26 play in the fourth quarter. Another rush, on fourth-and-2 in the second quarter, ended with Mayfield fumbling the ball out of bounds short of the first down marker at the Bucs 10-yard line.

He was sacked five times.

What grade do you give Mayfield against the Buccaneers? Check out the poll below and let us know what you think. You can explain your grade in the comment section.

After the Browns' 26-23 overtime loss in Tampa Bay, coach Hue Jackson has vowed to be more involved with the offense. Is this a good idea?

TAMPA -- Hue Jackson couldn't watch it anymore.

The Browns head coach has watched his offense score just four touchdowns in the last three games.

His team is now 2-4-1 after the 26-23 overtime loss in Tampa, and Jackson is frustrated.

Very, very frustrated.

I wondered how long it would be before Jackson would grab back some of the offense from new coordinator Todd Haley.

Well, it begins this week.

"I have to," Jackson said. "I want to...it's what I know...I need to be a little more involved."

I bet Haley will be less than overjoyed when he hears that.

Here's my problem: I'd like to tell Jackson not to micromanage the offense. But I have a hard time defending how Haley has been performing in the job.

It's not all coaching, but there are issues with play-calling. And Haley seems to have a hard time figuring out who are his best play-makers and how to get them the ball.

Jackson has vowed to "jump in head-first...hands...feet..."

My guess is, Jackson is thinking that if he's going to lose this job, he's going to do it his way.

The Browns had three first downs at halftime against the NFL's worst defense.

That's right...THREE!!!

It was pathetic.

Want good news? The Browns finally scored in the first quarter.

But it was the defense...a safety thanks to tackle Trevon Conley.

I want to defend Haley, but the Browns offense has scored just six points in the first quarter all season.

That's six points in seven opening quarters.

That's two field goals.

Teams should have some element of surprise and production in the first quarter because they prepare plays to run early in the game.

At halftime, the score was 16-2!

WHO TO TRUST?

Haley and Jackson have not exactly been singing in harmony since training camp. There were a few minor clashes that appeared in "Hard Knocks."

The last few weeks, Jackson has been talking about Duke Johnson Jr. and Nick Chubb getting the ball more.

That finally happened Sunday after John Dorsey traded starting running back Carlos Hyde to Jacksonville.

That set up Chubb as a starter. The rookie had 80 yards in 14 carries (4.4 yard average). The only real disappointing play was when he failed to score from the 2-yard line in the fourth quarter.

But overall, it was a good start for the powerful back from Georgia.

Jackson has spent much of his life calling plays.

It was his play-calling and tactics on offense with the Cincinnati Bengals that partly inspired the Browns to hire him as head coach in 2016.

But doing both jobs, Jackson struggled in Cleveland.

Jackson stressed Haley is the play caller, but I wonder if that will change in the future.

STRONG-WILLED

Haley was a former head coach in Kansas City.

He spent the previous six years calling plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers. A split with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger led to head coach Mike Tomlin firing Haley.

The Browns quickly hired him.

But now, there are problems.

Jackson insisted "it's not accurate" to claim there is an issue between the head coach and the coordinator.

But the offense is regressing.

Mayfield has taken a significant step backward after his blazing first two games -- 63 points scored in six quarters.

Since then, the Browns have scored 49 points in the last 12 quarters.

The development of Mayfield is one of the ways the coaching staff will be judged this season.

"I'll do whatever I need to do," Jackson said. "I'm the head coach of this football team."

A few times, Jackson mentioned being the head coach.

And ultimately, the head coach makes these decisions. But you also can be sure Haley won't simply back down. That's not his personality.

Jackson's record fell to 2-10-1 in games decided by three or fewer points in his two-plus seasons with the Browns.

This years, it's 1-3-1.

He is 0-19 in road games with the Browns.

The Browns have a lot to work out, and who runs the offense falls under that heading.

And Jackson's job will be decided with how that turns out.

Jackson doesn't rule out taking the playcalling back from Todd Haley.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Coach Hue Jackson was furious about the Browns' offensive performance during Sunday's 26-23 overtime loss to the Bucs, and didn't rule out taking the playcalling back from offensive coordinator Todd Haley.

Is he concerned about butting heads with his strong-willed OC?

"It's not going to be about butting heads,'' said Jackson. "I'm the head coach of the football team. I will do what I feel I need to do to get this team where it needs to be.''

Pressed further on that issue, he reiterated, "I'm the head coach of the football team, period. Period. There's nothing else that needs to be said. Nothing. I'm the head coach of the football team.''

Asked what that might look like next time out, which is Sunday in Haley's old stomping ground in Pittsburgh, he said, "I don't know. I haven't thought through that part of that yet. I'll figure that out as I move forward.''

He was asked if Haley his playcaller.

"Yeah, he's the playcaller,'' he said. "Trust me when I say I'm not trying to create any issue here, but I think if the offense is not playing well, and we haven't over a period of time, being a head coach and an offensive guy who's done this, I think I have every right as a head coach to jump in and see if I can help and assist and get this thing to where I think it needs to be, because we need to be better on offense. And if that's my specialty, then I need to be involved more and I will be.''

#Browns Hue Jackson says he'll dive in and be more involved in the offense. "I'll do whatever I need to do" to get this offense going. I'm the head coach of this football team" pic.twitter.com/k47lYjZoyV

-- Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) October 21, 2018

He confirmed that Haley's called all the plays so far this season, but he made no promises that will continue. Haley was the Steelers' offensive coordinator for the previous six seasons.

"Yeah, I mean, I've been respectful,'' said Jackson. "That's why you bring guys in and you make them the coordinator. Again, there are some things we've got to fix fast to get this thing back to where it needs to be.''

He's tired of watching the offense sputter week after week, especially with Baker Mayfield at quarterback.

"I feel like I have to (get more involved). And I want to,'' said Jackson. "That's what I know, so I'm not going to continue to watch something that I know how to do keep being that way. That's just the truth. I mean, that's nothing against anybody in our building. I just think that's what I do, and I think I need to be a little bit more involved."

The Browns' offense failed to score a first-half point against a Bucs defense that was horrible in the first half all season, surrendering 125 points. The Bucs had also allowed TDs on 15 of 16 trips inside the red zone, and the Browns couldn't score when handed the ball at the Bucs 19 following one of the defense's four takeaways. The offense is last in the NFL this season in converting takeaways, and the Browns' D just keeps producing them. The four-turnover game pushed their league-high total to 20.

The Browns also went three-and-out twice in OT, and converted only one of the four takeaways into points.

"I've got to figure that out,'' said Jackson. "I've got to figure that out. I've totally got to figure that out. I've got to jump in head first, all hands, feet, everything and go figure that out. It's just that simple.''

The Browns have thrown only seven TD passes this season, which is near the bottom of the league. Against the Bucs, they converted 3-of-14 third downs. In the first half, they were outgained 243 yards to 74.

Jackson said he was involved in going for it on fourth and 2 at the end of the half instead of kicking a field goal "because I needed to jumpstart our offense. You're in fourth and 2, I thought we had a good play call. And we did. It's unfortunate. Baker is running for it and made it, and the guy stripped the ball out and the ball goes backwards. Normally it doesn't happen that way where the ball goes backwards. The ball normally goes forward. Could've kicked a field goal, no question, but I thought our offense needed something to feel good about in the first half. We did not play well.''

He indicated he may have had something to do with the second-half improvement, in which the Browns scored 21 points.
 
"We made some adjustments,'' he said. "I think our guys started making some plays. I think the protection was a little better. Baker's getting hit way too much. We have to figure that out. He's getting hit way too much. Ball came out a little quicker. He did run around and make some plays. But we've got to find a way to get this offense up and going in the first half.''

The Browns already forced Haley to use Nick Chubb and Duke Johnson more by trading away his workhorse back Carlos Hyde. Chubb responded with 80 yards on 18 carries and scored on a 1-yard run. It could be the first of major changes coming on offense.

Not the least of which is Jackson getting way more involved, and possibly even taking back the playcalling.

Mary Kay Cabot and Dan Labbe talk about the Browns' loss to the Buccaneers.

The Browns lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, 26-23, in overtime. It drops them to 2-4-1 on the season.

The offense struggled again, especially early when they managed just 74 first-half yards. They were unable to take advantage of the four turnovers forced by the defense.

Mary Kay Cabot and I talked about the game on Sunday night from Tampa. We discussed:

• What an expanded role in the offense looks like for Hue Jackson.
• How the Browns fix their receiver situation.
• Why it's important to give Baker Mayfield another receiver.

Want our podcasts delivered directly to your phone? We have an Apple podcasts channel exclusively for this podcast. Subscribe to it here. You can also subscribe on Google Play and listen on Spotify. Search Orange and Brown Talk podcast or click here.

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The Cavs lost their home opener, 133-111, failing to correct many of the same issues that plagued them in back-to-back losses on the road to open the 2018-19 season.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue was asked pregame how to best define a good night on defense with the league's widespread offensive eruption.

"I don't even really know," he said.

Well, the Cavaliers' performance on Sunday night against the woebegone Atlanta Hawks -- who had lost their first two games by double figures -- certainly doesn't qualify. 

The Cavs lost their home opener, 133-111, failing to correct many of the same issues that plagued them in back-to-back losses to open the season.

Burned by another dreadful second quarter, the Cavs watched a 15-point lead evaporate quickly, as the Hawks regained control in that quarter, overcoming a sluggish start and taking a lead into halftime that they never relinquished. 

The common denominator in three straight losses to open the season: a problematic defense. 

"We had a good thing going in the first quarter and then we couldn't defend the perimeter," Kevin Love said. "Our switches weren't there and our coverages weren't there for the next three quarters. They were just free-stroking out there. Our schemes, when the guy was beaten covering for the other man so it wasn't a good outing for us."

While the Cavs have been pointing to their transition defense, which was lackluster once again, the problems on that end of the floor go much deeper.

Hawks rookie point guard Trae Young decimated Cleveland's switch-heavy scheme, attacking mismatches off the dribble and getting into the paint with little resistance. He also scorched the nets from 3-point range, piling up 35 points and hitting six bombs.

In the fourth quarter, the Cavs finally started springing some traps, hoping the extra defender would fluster the 20-year-old rook. That's when Young poked more holes in Cleveland's already-vulnerable defense, using his vision and deft passing to rack up a career-best 11 assists.

Closeouts were lethargic, as the Hawks went 22-of-47 from beyond the arc.

Young led the way with six long-range hits. Kent Bazemore added four, helping him pour in 23 points. Kevin Huerter, one of three first-round picks playing for Atlanta, canned three. 

The interior defense was flimsy. The Hawks scored 52 points in the paint and Atlanta grabbed nine offensive rebounds, turning those into 13 second-chance points. Center Alex Len scored 16 points on an efficient 7-of-12 from the field to go with 11 rebounds and dunked on multiple Cavaliers. 

As for the transition defense, the Hawks raced to 11 fastbreak points, becoming the third straight team to reach double figures in that category. 

The Cavs gave up multiple 40-point quarters. Even in this new NBA era, where defensive success needs to be redefined, that's not good enough. 

It all added up to Cleveland's worst loss of the young season.

"The last three quarters were pretty damn alarming," Love said. "Opening Night at home we expect to play better. We expect to play better in front of our home crowd. I don't know if alarming is the right word but it sure sounds right, just with our effort level. Our effort level wasn't there, especially defending the 3-point line. They were just gunning and we weren't getting into them. We weren't physical."

Losing to Toronto and Minnesota on the road is understandable. Both teams are out of Cleveland's weight class. The Hawks? They are one of the teams the Cavs should be able to handle, especially at home. There are only a handful of nights when the Cavs can claim to be the more talented team, even favored in a game. 

Sunday was one of them. It didn't matter. The Cavs still got knocked out. 

If anything, the home-opener loss against Atlanta showed that winning will be a challenge all season. Yes, even against teams like the rebuilding Hawks.

Collin Sexton struggles

This was supposed to be Collin Sexton's night.

As Lue said before the game, the bigger the moment and the bigger the stage, the better Sexton plays. It's something the Cavaliers noticed when scouting him in college and one of the reasons they selected him with the eighth overall pick, making him a franchise building block.

Sunday's stage: Sexton's home debut -- a matchup against fellow first-rounder Young, who went three picks ahead of Sexton in the 2018 NBA Draft.

These are the matchups that typically bring out Sexton's best. Not Sunday night.

The first duel between Eastern Conference rookie point guards went to Young. Decisively. Sexton scored just four points on 2-of-11 from the field. He had twice as many fouls (4) as assists (2).

Meanwhile, Young became the first rookie since Stephen Curry in 2010 to record at least 35 points and 10 assists in a game.

Bright spot 

Jordan Clarkson has been able to erase the memories from a horrific postseason quickly. The bench spark plug tallied 19 points on Sunday night, going 7-of-12 from the field, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc.

"He's been really good," Lue said. "I think coming off the bench, giving us the offensive spark, giving us what we need, to score the basketball. I think defensively he's trying. He's fighting the bigs on the switches, he's fronting the post like he's supposed to. He's boxing out. So Jordan all around he's been really good, preseason onto the regular season, so hopefully he can keep it up."

He has scored at least 15 points in all three games this season and is once again among the league leaders in bench scoring. 

Homecoming

Omari Spellman, who had a brief high school stint at North Royalton, returned after missing the second game with an ankle injury.

Spellman tallied 17 points on 6-of-9 from the field and 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. His spacing created problems for the spread-out Cavs defense all night.

Up next

The Cavs will return to the court on Wednesday night, hosting the Brooklyn Nets at The Q.

Peppers took responsibility for his mistake that set up the Buccaneers game-winning field goal.

TAMPA -- Damarious Randall thought the Browns defense had picked up his backfieldmate, Jabrill Peppers following his fumble on a punt return in overtime. Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston completed a 14-yard pass to DeSean Jackson at the Browns' 41-yard line for 14 yards. It was fourth down.

"I was like, hey, man, we got your back, and then I see them lining up for a field goal," Randall said. "I'm like, no way he's making this field goal."

Which is fair. Bucs kicker Chandler Catanzaro had sent a 40-yarder just to the outside of the right upright at the end of regulation. This one, however, snuck just inside the same upright and the Browns came away overtime losers for the second time this season.

It shouldn't have been that way, though. The Browns defense forced a Bucs three-and-out and Peppers fielded a punt at the Browns' 24 and found room. He made it out to the 38 and, after leaping a defender, the ball got punched out by Anthony Auclair and Tampa took over.

Peppers said he had yet to watch the play when he spoke after the game, but he recalled the ball getting away from his body after he leapt a defender and the ball getting punched out.

"Crucial, crucial mistake," he said. "Just can't have that happen in overtime."

It was a heartbreaking wrap on what has become a positive for Peppers. He had a solid day returning against the Chargers last week. Sunday, he managed a 32-yard return in the fourth quarter. The first offensive play after that return, Baker Mayfield hit Jarvis Landry for a 16-yard touchdown that tied the game at 23.

"All of that is negated by the fumble," Peppers said.

"I fumbled and lost us the game," he added later in response to another question about the long return. "That's what's going to be remembered about this game. That's what I'm going to remember about this game. Getting the yardage on punt return, that's what I'm supposed to do."

The fumble happened right after Peppers jumped over a diving Jacquizz Rodgers. The ball was recovered by Isaiah Johnson.

"Just got to stop," Peppers said. "Had positive yards on a punt return, should have just went down, fighting for extra yards, trying to make something happen."

Head coach Hue Jackson said he told Peppers when he was walking off the field with him to put his head up and pointed to other plays the second-year safety had made. He also didn't mince words after the game.

"In a huge moment, he's got to make that play; he knows that as well as anybody," Jackson said. He's got to hold onto that ball for his teammates."

"I'll take full responsibility," Peppers said. "This one's on me. Anybody can say it's not just you, it's a lot of things, I don't care about that. All the miscues we had, we still had a chance to win in that moment and I fumbled the ball."

It was the toughest play on a tough day for the Browns.

"One bad play can just outshine everything you did," Peppers said.