Cleveland Browns head coach Pat Shurmur and players talked with the media Monday after their 30 - 12 loss to the Houston Texans. Among the items discussed were Peyton Hillis, pass protection and Colt McCoy and finally the frustrations of losing. Hosted by Plain Dealer's Cleveland Browns beat writer Mary Kay Cabot. Watch video

The Akron men's basketball has a tougher schedule and a tougher front line this season as it tries to build a resume worthy of an NCAA Tournament at-large bid.

View full sizeMarvin Fong, The Plain DealerNow a junior, Zeke Marshall (44) will need to be a consistent force in the middle if Akron is to realize its postseason goals in 2011-12.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Once you look outside college basketball's six power conferences -- the Atlantic Coast, Big Ten, Big 12, Big East, Southeastern and Pacific-12 -- there are various ways to make the men's NCAA Tournament field.

The most direct is to win your league tournament, as the Akron Zips have done two of the last three seasons in the Mid-American Conference. But now that coach Keith Dambrot has arguably has the best collection of talent to ever wear Zips uniforms, he is ready to see if his team can build an at-large resume worthy of an NCAA bid even if it doesn't win the MAC Tournament.

For that to happen, the Zips had to significantly upgrade their nonconference schedule, which they did by adding Mississippi State, West Virginia, VCU, Duquesne and Detroit. Now a team featuring 7-0 junior Zeke Marshall, 6-8 senior Nik Cvetinovic and 6-4 senior Brett McClanahan, plus a bevy of new faces, must step up.

"I'm looking forward to it," Dambrot said of his new scheduling philosophy. "I think it's time. I still think those are hard games to win. But I think, when you go to the NCAA Tournament, you have at least have played against that caliber of team. You are not as intimidated. So I think it will help you when you go to the NCAA Tournament."

The Zips have their eyes focused on a third NCAA trip in four years. While the first two teams lost in the opening round, Akron wants to hang around the next time, and Dambrot believes the Zips have the roster to do it.

Dambrot said 6-7 sophomore forward Nick Harney out of Benedictine High can be a special player.

"He's fluid. He plays like a pro," Dambrot said. "He's going to be hard to keep out of the lineup if he just does a little. If I can get him playing hard, we should be good.

"We've got good big people," he said. "Now we've got to quit messing around trying to score from the outside. If we win, it's going to be because we have better big people than everybody else has. That's how I see it. We have five big kids who can all play."

In Thursday's exhibition 84-62 exhibition win over John Carroll, the Zips won under their old formula, not the new one. Marshall scored five points on just three shots. Cvetinovic had 11 points on five shots, and Harney 10 points on six shots. Meanwhile the prime perimeter shooters -- McClanahan, Quincy Diggs and transfer Chauncey Gilliam, combined to take 22 shots.

Akron will need to get its inside-out philosophy worked out by Wednesday's season opener at Mississippi State, but that could be a challenge: The Zips' steadiest guard throughout the preseason, 6-3 freshman Deji Ibitayo, suffered a knee injury and is out at least a month. His loss was evident against JCU, as the Zips had a whopping 25 turnovers.

Ibitayo should be up to speed by the semester break and hitting top gear by the conference season and the MAC Tournament, which remains Akron's ace in the hole, considering they have been to the title game five straight years and won two of the last three.

In the meantime, the Zips' toughest challenge might not be the change in schedule, but a change in philosophy by pounding the ball inside to their big baseline talent.

Because of the mess Fickell inherited, no one expected him to do a better job than fellow first-year head coach Shurmur. But Fickell clearly has.

View full sizeMarvin Fong, The Plain DealerA series of obstacles -- some coming just hours before a game -- have not prevented Luke Fickell from fashioning a team that remains in the Big Ten title hunt this fall, says Bill Livingston.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Both Luke Fickell with Ohio State and Pat Shurmur with the Browns are first-year head coaches. Nobody expected Fickell to do the better job, because of the mess he inherited.

But he has.

Fickell doesn't actually have the word "interim" in his job title, but everyone knows Ohio State will try to hit a home run next year by hiring Urban Meyer, a two-time national champion at Florida and an Ashtabula native. That's if coming NCAA sanctions don't scare Meyer off.

Shurmur has the seal of approval of his boss, Brown Supremo Mike Holmgren. The pair have sort of a sorcerer to apprentice relationship, although all they've done so far is to make their fans' enthusiasm disappear. That, or enrage them.

Fickell followed a great winner, Jim Tressel.

Shurmur followed a losing coach, Eric Mangini.

Fickell has been dealt as bad a hand as any coach in Ohio State history. During the season, the NCAA has extended some players' already lengthy suspensions. Players have been declared ineligible on the eve of games, meaning the game plan should have been written in pencil. Yet, because of the mediocrity of the Big Ten, the Buckeyes are in the Rose Bowl hunt.

Shurmur keeps talking about the progress quarterback Colt McCoy and the offense has shown. To other eyes, progress seems to be stalled by that open gate on the right side of the line. Turnstiles might work better in slowing down pass rushers.

Fickell's Buckeyes could beat Illinois with one pass completion and Indiana with five completions, and the inherent fan base of loyal OSU alumni was happy.

An NFL team has to entertain casual fans. The Browns, purists in tedium, don't even have cheerleaders to lighten the drab afternoons.

Fickell used the bye week to ready his team for the season-defining Wisconsin upset.

View full sizeJoshua Gunter, The Plain DealerPat Shurmur’s offense has been totally inept in the first or third quarters, when coaches should have the most input via the original game plan and then halftime adjustments.

Shurmur apparently used the bye week before the Oakland game to bid ta-ta to readiness -- at least when it came to a Raiders fake field goal that resulted in a laughably easy touchdown.

Fickell let scandal-plagued quarterback Terrelle Pryor leave OSU because the coach was sick of the high maintenance such a diva required. The coach has made game captains of suspended players Boom Herron and Mike Adams after they returned to the fold.

Shurmur said Monday that when Peyton Hillis comes back from injury/illness/sulking in his tent -- and it won't be Sunday against the Rams -- he will be "embraced" by his teammates.

Fickell has an untried quarterback in Braxton Miller, a true freshman.

Shurmur has a untried quarterback in this version of the West Coast offense in McCoy, a second-year player.

Fickell lost his top running backs and receivers to suspensions and injuries.

Shurmur lost his top running backs and receivers to injuries, sickness and waivers.

Fickell doesn't exert enough influence over the offense. He should have vetoed the pass-happy approach after Miller got hurt at Nebraska.

Shurmur might have too much input in the offense. Critics suggest he needs an offensive coordinator. The lack of one doesn't hamper Packers head coach Mike McCarthy, though. Then again, McCarthy has great players, and Shurmur has a George Gershwin song, "I Got Plenty o' Nuttin'."

Fickell has seen Ohio State lose big leads in the fourth quarter.

Shurmur's team has a statistically impressive defense, mainly because the Browns faced bad teams' backup quarterbacks in four of the first six games.

Fickell's team has barely outscored opponents in the critical fourth quarter, 54-53.

Shurmur's team has been unable to score a single touchdown in the first or third quarters, when coaches should have the most input via the original game plan and then halftime adjustments. The Browns have been outscored, ahem, 90-15, in those quarters.

Fickell's team has no frills, running with the savagery of the Woody Hayes era.

Shurmur's team has been colorful in the red-faced aspect of the term. The Browns have been the straight men for a quick snap by Cincinnati, the Raiders fake field goal, and two tackle-eligible completions by the 49ers.

Fickell has earned Buckeyes fans' respect for fostering unity and toughness amid adversity.

Shurmur, with Browns fans, not so much.

On Twitter: @LivyPD

Bullpens tend to be up-and-down from year to year, but the Indians' relievers may be able to sustain their effectiveness. More Indians links.

John Kuntz, The Plain DealerIndians all-star closer Chris Perez had 36 saves in 40 opportunities last season.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Indians owned one of Major League Baseball's youngest bullpens during the 2010 and 2011 seasons.

During the latter stages of the 2010 campaign, the Indians and manager Manny Acta began to feel they could rely on their relief pitchers.

Virtually the same group of relievers helped the Indians be a factor in the American League Central Division race during much of last season.

Jordan Bastian of MLB.com answers some readers' questions about the Indians.

One query, after correctly pointing out that the overall effectiveness of most bullpens tends to rise and fall from season to season, asks what Bastian thinks of the Indians' relievers going into 2012.

Pat of Bastian's reply:

One thing that the Indians like about their particular group is that it has been a strength for the team two years running. One contributing factor is that Cleveland's relief corps has an assortment of arms with varying styles and approach. The Tribe boasts relievers with different arm angles and pitch types, creating a kind of unpredictability for hitters.

The Indians like that they have a young, established closer in Chris Perez and another hard-throwing righty that looks like a closer-in-the-making in Vinnie Pestano. Then there is a nice quartet of experienced arms between sidearmer Joe Smith (coming off a career year), righty Frank Herrmann and lefties Tony Sipp and Rafael Perez.

Behind that cast, the Indians believe they have a variety of promising bullpen options in the upper levels of the Minor Leagues. Being able to effectively fill spots internally -- rather than overpaying for relief help on the open market -- helps out tremendously. With youth, however, often comes growing pains.

I guess I'm trying to say that it's tough to answer your question. Right now, I like the core of relievers that the Indians have in place, and there is no reason to believe the bullpen can't be solid again in 2012.

As MLB's peak free agency and trade periods -- the "Hot Stove Season" -- approach  
full-go, Plain Dealer and cleveland.com Indians coverage includes Paul Hoynes' story that the departure of center fielder Grady Sizemore doesn't diminish how good the trade was that the Indians made with the Montreal Expos (now Washington Senators) in 2002; Hoynes' rankings of the five best and five worst Indians trades going back to the key date of 1989; Hoynes' "Hey, Hoynesie!;" and "Terry Pluto's Talkin;' " and, more. 

Around the horn

Acquiring veteran starting pitcher Derek Lowe gives the Indians some flexibility, Jason Ruggiero writes for Indians Prospect Insider.

The American League Central Division Hot Stove preview, by Joe Lemire for Sports Illustrated's SI.com.

Outfielder-first baseman Shelley Duncan is working toward being more than a part-time player. By Jordan Bastian of MLB.com.

Should the Indians pursue outfielder Yoenis Cespedes? By Craig Lyndall for WaitingForNextYear.

Thoughts on Indians news about Asdrubal Cabrera, Fausto Carmona, Derek Lowe, Grady Sizemore, etc., by Tony Lastoria of Indians Prospect Insider.

Ranking MLB's free agents, and keeping track of them. On CBSSports.com.

An emotional season that has tugged at the hearts of Rough Rider faithful all year. Their long journey seems far from over.

View full size

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Moments after perhaps the biggest victory in school history last Friday, Kent Roosevelt coach John Nemec walked into the trainer's room and found senior Ryan Anderson quietly tending to sophomore Matt Sommers, who was in agony with a broken ankle.

"I didn't want him to move, so I found a cup of crushed ice and was feeding them to him," Anderson said.

The tender moment fairly summed up an emotional season that has tugged at the hearts of Rough Rider faithful all year. Their long journey seems far from over.

Kent Roosevelt's 30-21 win against Warren Howland was its first playoff victory, a thrilling moment for the Rough Riders as well as the highly regarded Nemec, who is in his 27th season. No. 4 seed Roosevelt (10-1) plays No. 1 Walsh Jesuit (9-1) in a Division II regional semifinal Friday at Twinsburg.

How appropriate it was that, amid celebration, Sommers received solace from Anderson. Both their lives were turned upside down by cancer this year. Sommers lost his father, John, to leukemia the morning of a Sept. 30 game against Streetsboro. Matt and the team played, and won, with heavy hearts that night. The team, especially the sophomores, had been close to John Sommers, a friend to many players and their families.

"We all mourned with Matt and his family, and we all went through it together, just like everyone went through everything with me," Anderson said.

Anderson was to have been Roosevelt's best player, but the lineman's promising career was cut short by bone cancer surgery last spring. He had six inches of a femur removed and replaced by a rod. He is undergoing chemotherapy, and continues to be an inspirational presence on the sidelines, and at midfield for the pregame coin toss. His vulnerable immune system prevents him from attending school, so he takes online classes at home. He has been to all but one game.

Anderson said he is optimistic he will make a full recovery and return to school next semester.

There have been other challenges and emotional moments. Nemec and the Kent community in May mourned the death of a former Roosevelt player, U.S. Army Spc. Adam Hamilton, 22, who was killed in Afghanistan. He was a 2007 graduate.

"Those things kind of added up," Nemec said. "There were some very emotional times, but the kids have stayed grounded and worked hard, and I'm really proud of them."

The appropriately nicknamed Rough Riders have carried on and, this fall, progressed in ways few saw coming. They won a Portage Trail Conference title and have won 10 straight games.

More challenges lay ahead. In addition to Sommers' season-ending injury, Roosevelt might play Walsh without tailback Shakeel Howard (knee), who has started 42 straight games.

It's another worrisome time. The Rough Riders are prepared.

"This team honestly has become such a close group and such a family," Anderson said. "We look out for each other. We're pushing each other always to get better in practice and school. I think we persevere and get through adversity because we are truly a family.

"It just feels like this team is out to do something special, and a lot of it is more than football. It feels so good to be part of it."

On Twitter: @TimsTakePD

The mood in Berea was somber on Monday, and didn't improve with the news that Peyton Hillis and most likely Montario Hardesty will sit out against the Rams. Watch video

View full sizeDavid J. Phillip, Associated PressThe dejection that Alex Smith displayed in the final minutes of Sunday's loss in Houston didn't appear to have left the team Monday in Berea. "It's frustrating," said linebacker Scott Fujita. "I'm not gonna sugarcoat it. The effort was there, but the execution certainly wasn't."

BEREA, Ohio -- Clouds hung over the Browns facility on Monday, and they didn't disperse any with the news that Peyton Hillis was ruled out for the Rams game Sunday with his pulled hamstring and fellow running back Montario Hardesty will most likely miss the second straight week with his torn calf muscle.

Instead of help being on the way for this beleaguered team -- one that's lost four out of the last five -- help seems to be going away.

Receiver Mohamed Massaquoi was sent home Monday because he's still feeling concussion symptoms, and safety T.J. Ward was still having his right foot evaluated, the one in which he heard something pop in the arch during the 30-12 loss to the Texans. He had an MRI on Monday, but results were not made available.

So instead of an upbeat bunch of guys talking about how they plan to beat the 1-7 Rams on Sunday, the locker room was mostly empty, and coach Pat Shurmur was a little brief with some of his answers in his news conference. How many times can he say the Browns are a young team trying to get better and overcome key injuries — including those to its top three running backs?

"I guess what you take from having worked through tough situations is you keep battling, and that's the message," he said. "I'm sure you're all getting tired of hearing me saying that, but that's the reality of it. It's like the diet that doesn't sell: Eat less and exercise more. Football, you keep working."

In the locker room, which contained far more media than players, Hillis stood for a few minutes at his locker, chatting with a team spokesman. Reporters hovered around, hoping to talk about his re-injured hamstring and that the captains group met with him on Wednesday to help him get re-focused on the season. Instead, he walked out without talking, the team spokesman saying he was off to the trainer's room.

Several lockers down, quarterback Colt McCoy -- who was sacked four times and flattened eight others -- sauntered into the locker room with the gait of a man three times his age. Both knees were wrapped, which was a first for any of the observers on hand. McCoy confirmed in a few words that this was not an everyday occurrence. When he bent down twice to pick something up off the floor, he looked like an old man whose bursitis was flaring up. Of course, getting crushed five times by rookie linebacker Brooks Reed alone will do that to a body.

Like Hillis, a subdued McCoy politely declined to be interviewed, only saying about his obvious soreness, "I'm fine. I'll see you guys on Wednesday."

Apparently, the 24-hour rule hadn't expired, and guys were still wallowing in the sorrow of Sunday's loss.

In the back of the locker room, team leader and stand-up guy Scott Fujita was holding court as usual -- and not holding back. After the loss, Fujita had tweeted "Colt McCoy is tough as nails, Josh Cribbs is an all-around baller, and Phil Dawson is money in the bank. Other than that, damn."

On Monday, Fujita elaborated.

"This game is emotional," he said. "You get frustrated about things and there were a couple things to me that stood out watching that game from the sideline when the offense is on the field. I see a guy Colt McCoy, he's just a tough guy. Josh Cribbs doing everything he can to help us win. And Phil Dawson, we all know what he can do.

"But starting with me, I didn't play well enough to help this team win, and collectively, as a whole team, we didn't do enough things to win this game. It's frustrating. I'm not gonna sugarcoat it. The effort was there, but the execution certainly wasn't."

Fujita had just emerged from the meeting room, where the team broke down The Texans Chainsaw Massacre.

"We just had a good talk in our meeting, watching the film, breaking it down, looking at yourselves very, very critically and understanding what you have to do," he said. "For us defensively now, we just have to worry about stopping the run. That's two weeks in a row now. They're good running attacks. Don't get me wrong, but we've got to be better than that. I mean 260 yards or whatever it was yesterday -- that's embarrassing."

But Fujita vowed -- as did veteran cornerback Sheldon Brown across the room -- to provide leadership for the young team so it doesn't fall apart in the second half.

"I think the onus is on the guys who have played this game for a while to come in and set an example Wednesday on the first work day back to get ready for the Rams," he said. "There's going to be probably a lot of guys, with some injuries now, new guys playing more than they need or expected to or ever have in the past. This is also the time of the year where some of those young guys might start to hit the wall a little bit.

"So it's keeping those guys up, keeping them positive, understanding that everything is about the details. Obviously the margin for error for us is extremely small. Defensively, we cannot afford to take a step back. And again, it's on all of us. We did not play well enough yesterday and we've gotta get it fixed as quickly as possible."

Back in the media room, before the open locker room, Shurmur was trying his best to answer the same old questions without snapping. Down to his fourth and fifth running backs -- neither of whom were on the team on Oct. 17 -- he found himself having to explain repeatedly why there were protection problems against the Texans' relentless blitzing.

"I'm a very impatient guy in a lot of ways, but I do know this: Win. That's how you stop any negative momentum in this league."

A date with the 1-7 Rams, Shurmur's former team, might be the Browns' best chance to do just that.

On Twitter: @marykaycabot

Now that the Penn State football culture has been exposed as a haven for an alleged child molester, Paterno needs to do the honorable thing, writes L.A. Times columnist Bill Plaschke.

View full sizeAP fileOn Tuesday, Penn State head coach Joe Paterno will conduct his weekly press conference, in which questions will arise about Paterno's actions in the wake of the arrest on child sexual assault charges against former assistant Jerry Sandusky (left, in a 1999 photo). Los Angeles Times columnist Bill Plaschke says Paterno needs to do the honorable thing and resign.

LOS ANGELES -- In 46 seasons as the football coach at Penn State, Joe Paterno appeared to create a culture of winning and decency he called "Success with Honor."

Now that the culture has been exposed as a haven for an alleged child molester, Paterno needs to do the honorable thing and resign before he coaches another game.

It's sad that the winningest coach in major college football history will end his career with a giant "L" in the human being department, but not nearly so sad as the idea that boys may have been abused because football's most controlling boss did nothing.

Paterno is a simple man, a basic man, with his trademark black shoes and white socks and thick black glasses remaining unchanged for nearly half a century. Surely this fundamental approach can help him understand why he can no longer run a program whose legendary sparkling blue-and-white uniforms hid a dark sickness within its locker room walls.

On Saturday, Jerry Sandusky, 67, a longtime Nittany Lions defensive coordinator who was once thought to be Paterno's successor, was charged with sexually abusing eight boys during a 15-year period. The grand jury's findings of fact in the case read like a horror story, except the location wasn't some haunted mansion, it was Joe Paterno's hallowed halls.

The report charges that Sandusky assaulted children in Penn State locker room showers, at Penn State bowl games, and in his home the night before Penn State home games.

"This is a case about a sexual predator who used his position within the university and community to repeatedly prey on young boys," read a statement from Pennsylvania Attorney General Linda Kelly.

Two top university officials, Vice President Gary Schultz and Athletic Director Tim Curley, were charged with perjury and failure to report to authorities that they knew about the allegations. Paterno was not charged with a crime, but this is where he becomes involved.

How did these men know about the allegations? In one instance, in 2002, Paterno told them, yet they did nothing, and Paterno apparently looked the other direction as Sandusky allegedly continued to molest young boys for seven more years.

According to the grand jury, in 2002, then-graduate assistant coach Mike McQueary witnessed Sandusky sexually assaulting a boy in a shower in the school's Lasch Football Building. Sandusky had retired three years earlier, but he still had an office in the football building, from where he ran his Second Mile Foundation for needy children.

A day after witnessing the assault, McQueary drove to Paterno's home and told him what he had seen. Paterno then informed Curley of the incident.

And then, nothing.

Nearly two weeks after the incident, Curley and Schultz met with Sandusky and told him he could no longer bring any Second Mile children onto the campus. But the officials did not alert the police, and Sandusky continued to work as a welcomed member of the Penn State football family.

Curley and Schultz resigned Sunday while Paterno issued a statement.

"If this is true, we were all fooled, along with scores of professionals trained in such things," read part of the statement. "While I did what I was supposed to do with the one charge brought to my attention, like anyone else involved, I can't help but be deeply saddened these matters are alleged to have occurred."

Paterno was fooled? He was informed that a former longtime assistant coach was "behaving inappropriately" while taking a shower with a boy in his locker room. Surely he couldn't have been less fooled.

Paterno did what he was supposed to do? No, as the most powerful and influential figure on the Penn State campus, he should have done more.

What do you think would have happened if, say, Paterno had gone to his athletic director requesting a change of the shade of black on his football team's legendary shoes. What if Curley had done nothing with the request? How long before Paterno did something himself? Maybe nine minutes?

Yet he tells Curley about an alleged child molester frolicking in his showers and then casually forgets about it for nine years? At some point after informing the athletic director of the report, Paterno should have gone to Curley and said, "If you don't do something, I will."

Although this is not a gesture mandated by state law or school handbook, it is a fact of simple humanity.

"If you don't do something, I will," is a statement that now needs to be directed at the coach by the school's board of trustees.

For the sake of a university whose continued association with him would damage its success and stain its honor, if Joe Paterno doesn't quit, they should fire him.

Bill Plaschke is a columnist with the Los Angeles Times.

What's going on at your high school? Go to cleveland.com/yourspace to send your pictures of varsity teams from your school. We'll publish the best picture each Tuesday in The Plain Dealer, and the entire photo gallery is featured on cleveland.com.

Will the Browns defeat the St. Louis Rams on Sunday?

Mark Duncan, Associated PressColt McCoy and coach Pat Shurmur.

Got a Browns question for Tony Grossi, Mary Kay Cabot or Dennis Manoloff? Want to be part of The Plain Dealer / cleveland.com Browns Insider show? Skype us at clevelanddotcom from 10-11 a.m. or email your video to sports@cleveland.com

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Got a Browns question for Tony Grossi, Mary Kay Cabot or Dennis Manoloff? Want to be part of The Plain Dealer / cleveland.com Browns Insider show?

If you're answered 'yes' and 'yes,' then we want to hear from you!

Can the season be saved? Does Pat Shurmur need to be more flexible or fiery? What would changes would you make on offense or defense?  

Get your question ready, fire up your webcam, make sure you have Skype on your computer and then give us call today from 10-11 a.m.

We'll ask you for your name, your hometown and, in under 30 seconds, to pose your question to our panel of Browns experts.

The call will be recorded and played during Thursday's live show.

Once again, lines will be open from 10-11 a.m.

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The grades are not good for the Browns.

Amy Sancetta, Associated PressPeyton Hillis, right, watches from the Browns sidelines.

Reporter Nate Ulrich of Ohio.com gives out his weekly grades and it's not a report card the Browns want to take home.

The offense was poor, the defense was pitiful, and the coaching was awful. There was a bright spot, the special teams earned a passing grade.

Ulrich writes how the Browns have played some ugly games this season, but their performance Sunday against the Houston Texans was downright hideous.

OFFENSE: D-

Quarterback: C-. McCoy completed 14-of-22 passes for 146 yards and a touchdown with an interception. His passer rating was 79. McCoy earned some bonus points for showing grit despite being repeatedly mauled — the Texans had four sacks and eight quarterback hits — and for correcting the fumbling problem that had plagued him in recent weeks. He threw an interception late in the first half, but it wasn’t entirely his fault.

DEFENSE: F

Secondary: D. The defensive backs missed some tackles and failed to offer adequate run support. Safety Usama Young missed a tackle at the Browns’ 16-yard line, allowing Tate to complete his 27-yard touchdown run during the Texans’ opening drive. On the same play, cornerback Joe Haden was driven back and pancaked by wide receiver Jacoby Jones. Schaub only threw for 119 yards, but he really didn’t need to do much of anything because the Texans had 40 carries for 261 yards (6.5 average).

More Browns

Peyton Hillis ruled out of Sunday's game.

Who will win between the Browns and Rams?

Are the Browns at their lowest right now?

The Rams are still waiting on QB Sam Bradford.

The Rams are hurting at wide receiver.

Get your questions ready and join Terry Pluto today at noon as he talks Cleveland sports. Can we fairly judge Colt McCoy right now? Is the Browns' defense as good as their ranking indicates? We'll talk about those questions and more.

Terry Pluto tackles your questions live every Tuesday at noon.

Get your questions ready and join Terry Pluto today at noon as he talks Cleveland sports.

Can we fairly judge Colt McCoy right now? Is the Browns' defense as good as their ranking indicates?

You can jump in the chat room and ask your questions as well as interact with other users and respond to Terry's remarks, or you can just listen. The chat will also be made available shortly after its completion in mp3 format.

Boston already has interviewed Milwaukee Brewers hitting coach Dale Sveum and Philadelphia Phillies bench coach Pete Mackanin, and it plans to interview Cleveland Indians bench coach Sandy Alomar Jr. on Wednesday.

AP PhotoSandy Alomar Jr. has been an Indians coach for the past two seasons.

The Boston Red Sox plan to add more candidates for their vacant managerial position, The Boston Globe reports.

That news, which came from new general manager Ben Cherington, also came with a strong hint that the candidates would come from outside of the organization. "Haven’t ruled out internal candidates but not focused there right now," Cherington informed the newspaper via e-mail.

The Red Sox had planned to interview Texas Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux on Tuesday, but Maddux removed himself from consideration for the job Monday.

Boston already has interviewed Milwaukee Brewers hitting coach Dale Sveum and Philadelphia Phillies bench coach Pete Mackanin, and it plans to interview Cleveland Indians bench coach Sandy Alomar Jr. on Wednesday.

The Red Sox also are believed to have interest in Tampa Bay Rays bench coach Dave Martinez, though the Tampa Tribune reports Boston hasn’t asked for permission to interview him yet.

Boston's previous manager Terry Francona is set to interview for the St. Louis Cardinals job today.

PSU cancels Joe Paterno's news conference tday, which would have been his first since news of charges broke.

AP fileJerry Sandusky in a 1999 photo.

Updated 1:15 p.m. with cancellation of Joe Paterno press conference.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky had access to the team's weight room as recently as last week, a person familiar with the situation said just hours before the university canceled Joe Paterno's first news conference since his former protege was charged with child sex abuse.

Paterno would have been asked about what he knew and when about Sandusky, his former defensive coordinator and one-time heir apparent, who was indicted on charges of sexually abusing eight boys over 15 years.

Authorities have said that Paterno, who testified in the grand jury proceedings that led to the charges, is not a target of the investigation. But the state police commissioner has chastised him and other school officials for not doing enough to try to stop the suspected abuse.

A person familiar with Sandusky's relationship with Penn State told The Associated Press that the former coach accused of sexually abusing eight children over a 15-year period, long maintained an office in the East Area Locker building which is across the street from the Penn State football team's building, and was on campus as recently as week ago working out.

The university's online director listed Sandusky, whom PSU officials said banned from campus over the weekend -- as an assistant professor emeritus of physical education in the Lasch building.

The grand jury investigating Sandusky found that he was given the office, a parking pass and other amenities as part of his 1999 retirement package.

Such details, along with a front-page call by The Patriot-News of Harrisburg for this season to be Paterno's last, will make the news conference unlike any other for the famed coach.

"There are the obligations we all have to uphold the law. There are then the obligations we all have to do what is right," the editorial board wrote about Penn State President Graham Spanier's role in the sex abuse scandal, along with Paterno's.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, in an editorial, called on Paterno and Penn State president Graham Spanier to both resign, too.

Pennsylvania state police Commissioner Frank Noonan said Monday in Harrisburg that Paterno fulfilled his legal requirement when he relayed to university administrators that a graduate assistant had seen Sandusky attacking a young boy in the team's locker room shower in 2002. But the commissioner also questioned whether Paterno had a moral responsibility to do more.

"Somebody has to question about what I would consider the moral requirements for a human being that knows of sexual things that are taking place with a child," Noonan said.

"I think you have the moral responsibility, anyone. Not whether you're a football coach or a university president or the guy sweeping the building. I think you have a moral responsibility to call us."

Others have also made calls for Paterno's resignation.

"I don't know his involvement, but I do think he could send a very strong message if he would step down and retire, or even make a public statement," said Julie McGinn, a 23-year-old biology major at Penn State from Chicago.

The school issued a statement Monday night reminding media that the main focus of this week's press conference was Saturday's Senior Day game with Nebraska.

The contest, however, is almost an afterthought considering the shocking developments.

"He's a figurehead for this school," said McGinn, who stood in front of the student union Monday afternoon holding a sign that read, "I paid a six-figure tuition and all I got was this lousy sex scandal."

Sandusky was prohibited from holding youth sports camps on campus in 2002, but continued to hold them through 2008 under his Sandusky Associates company at the university's Behrend campus, just outside Erie.

"We provided the facilities for it," Behrend spokesman Bill Gonda said Monday. "There were no allegations, no complaints during his tenure here."

Sandusky also operated football camps at Penn State Capital College in Middletown, Robert Morris University and Muhlenberg College, among others, according to his website, which is now offline.

The camp was aimed at students from fourth grade through high school and offered personal attention and coaching from Sandusky.

Happy Valley has been consumed by the scandal since Sandusky, once revered as the architect of the "Linebacker U." defenses, was charged over the weekend. Penn State athletic director Tim Curley -- Paterno's boss -- and senior vice president Gary Schultz have stepped down, and they surrendered Monday in Harrisburg on charges of perjury and that they failed to alert police about abuse complaints.

Lawyers for Sandusky, Curley and Schultz have said their clients are innocent. Paterno, in a statement Sunday issued by his son, Scott, said he was shocked and saddened by the allegations.

"If this is true we were all fooled, along with scores of professionals trained in such things, and we grieve for the victims and their families. They are in our prayers," Paterno said in the statement.

But Happy Valley has always been different, where the program boasts the slogan "Success with Honor."

"Can they say 'Success with Honor' anymore?" asked Rebecca Durst, owner of Rinaldo's Barber Shop, a fixture in State College since 1926.

At a news conference, Noonan and state Attorney General Linda Kelly were peppered with questions about whether Paterno was given details about what graduate assistant Mike McQueary -- now the team's wide receivers coach -- saw on the night of March 1, 2002.

Paterno has referred to his grand jury testimony in which he testified that he was informed by a graduate assistant that he had witnessed an incident in the shower of the team locker room. Prosecutors have said Paterno passed on the information to Curley.

But Paterno said specific actions alleged to have occurred in the grand jury report were not relayed to him.

"It was obvious that the witness was distraught over what he saw, but he at no time related to me the very specific actions contained in the grand jury report," Paterno said in the statement. "Regardless, it was clear that the witness saw something inappropriate involving Mr. Sandusky. As coach Sandusky was retired from our coaching staff at that time, I referred the matter to university administrators."

Whether that was enough was being debated on campus and across "Happy Valley," where pride in the Nittany Lions is as deep as it is fierce.

"People were talking about having JoePa step down, making Facebook sites about it," Mac Frederick, a Penn State senior from Chambersburg, Pa., said as he ate at The Diner, just across street from campus. "I don't think that's really necessary. It's obvious some individuals tried to cover the story up, but I don't know if JoePa knew much about it."

Alex Fakhraee, 19, of Ambler, Pa., said it might be time for the 84-year-old Paterno to go. But his concerns have more to do with the direction of the program under JoePa's leadership than the scandal.

"I'm sure it's going to affect our image in some way," Fakhraee said outside the union. "From what I know, he knew about it and he reported it. After that I feel it's not his obligation. He's just here to coach the football team."

Others were more critical.

"If he cared, he would have said something 10 years ago," Joshua Daly said as he dined with a friend at Champs Sports Bar and Grill in State College. "He's as guilty as anybody. He knew about it ... no one called the police."

Paterno has won 409 games, the Division I record, along with two national titles. He has an impeccable record of focusing on academics as well as athletics -- it's the Penn State library, not an athletic building, that is named for Paterno and his wife Sue.

But that doesn't absolve him of responsibility, said Lori Schope, who cuts hair at Rinaldo's.

"Anybody that says they knew about it and didn't do anything about it," she said, "is complicit."

Former Penn State safety Byron Scott, now with the Buffalo Bills, believes Paterno's legacy is strong enough to withstand the current turmoil.

Much like JoePa's show on Tuesday afternoon, the rock-solid program may never be quite the same.

"It's sickening, shocking. It's very saddening," said Scott, who played for Penn State from 1999-2002 and roomed with Sandusky's son one year. "Hopefully it's not true. And, if it is, man, it's just bad."

Can the Ohio State Buckeyes find some consistency on defense?

Marvin Fong, The Plain DealerBraxton Miller runs past Indiana.

Ohio State's defense has not been consistent but it has been solid at times, writes Tim May of The Columbus Dispatch.

That’s a reputation that doesn’t satisfy the Buckeyes, who have been among the best defensive teams in the country for the past 10 seasons. Senior linebacker Andrew Sweat said there is still time to live up to that legacy if the Buckeyes learn to do one thing the next three games, starting this week at Purdue.

“We need to focus on finishing more,” Sweat said.

May reminds Buckeye nation how the Buckeyes blew a 21-point lead in the second half against lowly Indiana. One excuse is that the Buckeyes are still an inexperienced group.

“We’re a young defense, but it’s not an excuse,” Howard said.

Around the Horseshoe

Ohio State coach Luke Fickell finds success.

Raheem Mostert is the Big Ten Freshman of the Week.

The Buckeyes are still alive.

OSU/Indiana report card.

Plain Dealer Browns reporter says Pat Shurmur is accountable for team's performance, but deserves some slack because of injuries. Watch video

Cleveland, Ohio - Welcome to today's edition of Starting Blocks TV, hosted Chuck "I Voted" Yarborough and Branson Wright.

The Cleveland Browns are trying to regroup after Sunday's rought loss to the Houston Texans. So, what happens if the Browns lose at home on Sunday to the 1-7 St. Louis Rams? That's our question in today's Starting Blocks poll.

Today's guest on SBTV is Plain Dealer Browns reporter Mary Kay Cabot, who has thoughts on that question and other topics. She says you can't win in the NFL when you are playing third- and fourth-string running backs; she also discusses RB Peyton Hillis' future; and how she thinks the AFC North Division might shake out with a slew of intradivision games coming up.

SBTV will return Wednesday with Plain Dealer Ohio State reporter Doug Lesmerises talking Buckeyes.

And don't miss this week's edition of the Browns Insider show, which streams live Thursday at 10 a.m. and will be archived after the show at cleveland.com/browns.

Is it fair to judge Colt McCoy considering the line and the talent around him? Will the Indians make more moves or is the focus no on the players eligible for arbitration? Plain Dealer sports columnist Terry Pluto answered those questions and more in his weekly podcast.

View full sizeJoshua Gunter | The Plain DealerColt McCoy has been getting hit hard all season.

Is it fair to judge Colt McCoy considering the line and the talent around him? Will the Indians make more moves or is the focus no on the players eligible for arbitration?

Plain Dealer sports columnist Terry Pluto answered those questions and more in his weekly podcast.

Among other topics discussed:

• Are the Browns finally at a point where they're in danger of losing the fans?

• If things continue to go poorly, will we hear from Mike Holmgren again this season?

• Have we seen the last of Peyton Hillis in a Browns uniform?

• Is Colt McCoy being handcuffed by the coaching staff in terms of calling audibles or is that on him?

• Should the Indians have had more of an interest in Jim Thome?

You can download the mp3 or listen with the player to the right.

Be sure to also like Terry Pluto on Facebook.

Reporters planned to ask Paterno about Sandusky, his former defensive coordinator, who was indicted on charges of sexually abusing eight boys over 15 years.

Associated PressPenn State Assistant Athletic Director Jeff Nelson reads a statement today in State College, Pa., announcing that coach Joe Paterno's weekly NCAA college football news conference is canceled. Pennsylvania Attorney General Linda Kelly confirmed that Paterno is not a target of the criminal case involving former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, who was charged with sexually abusing eight boys over a 15-year period.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Penn State's president abruptly canceled Joe Paterno's weekly news conference today amid increasing calls for both men to resign in the wake of a former assistant coach's sex-abuse scandal and as another potential victim came forward.

The news conference was to be the first chance for reporters to ask Paterno about what he knew about Jerry Sandusky, his former defensive coordinator and one-time heir apparent, who was indicted on charges of sexually abusing eight boys over 15 years.

"Due to the ongoing legal circumstances centered around the recent allegations and charges, we have determined that today's press conference cannot be held and will not be rescheduled," assistant Athletic Director Jeff Nelson said in a statement.

Paterno's son Scott told The Associated Press that the decision was made by President Graham Spanier's office. Scott said that his father was disappointed and was prepared to take questions about the scandal as well as the upcoming game against Nebraska.

Authorities have said that Paterno, who testified in the grand jury proceedings that led to the charges, is not a target of the investigation. But the state police commissioner has chastised him and other school officials for not doing enough to try to stop the suspected abuse.

Meanwhile, another potential victim has contacted authorities.

The man, now an adult, contacted the department on Sunday after seeing media accounts of Sandusky's arrest, Lt. David Young at the Montoursville station said. Investigators took a statement from him and forwarded it to the Rockview station for officers there to pursue, Young said.

The Patriot-News of Harrisburg, which first reported that the man had come forward, said he is in his 20s, knew Sandusky from The Second Mile charity and had never told his parents or authorities about the alleged encounters from about a decade ago.

Young declined to release the man's name or provide details about what he claims occurred.

The Patriot-News published a rare full, front-page editorial calling for this season to be Paterno's last and for Spanier to resign immediately.

"There are the obligations we all have to uphold the law. There are then the obligations we all have to do what is right," the editorial board wrote about Spanier's role in the sex abuse scandal, along with Paterno's.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, in an editorial, also called on Paterno and Spanier to both resign.

A person familiar with Sandusky's relationship with Penn State told The Associated Press that the former coach long maintained an office in the East Area Locker building which is across the street from the Penn State football team's building, and was on campus as recently as week ago working out.

The university's online directory listed Sandusky -- whom Penn State officials said banned from campus over the weekend -- as an assistant professor emeritus of physical education in the Lasch building.

The grand jury investigating Sandusky found that he was given the office, a parking pass and other amenities as part of his 1999 retirement package.

Pennsylvania state police Commissioner Frank Noonan said Monday in Harrisburg that Paterno fulfilled his legal requirement when he relayed to university administrators that a graduate assistant had seen Sandusky attacking a young boy in the team's locker room shower in 2002. But the commissioner also questioned whether Paterno had a moral responsibility to do more.

"Somebody has to question about what I would consider the moral requirements for a human being that knows of sexual things that are taking place with a child," Noonan said.

"I think you have the moral responsibility, anyone. Not whether you're a football coach or a university president or the guy sweeping the building. I think you have a moral responsibility to call us."

New York Times reports that the 46-year tenure of Paterno, 84 and major college football's all-time coaching wins leader, "will soon be over, perhaps within days or weeks."

Marvin Fong, The Plain DealerJoe Paterno's 409 wins -- all at Penn State -- are the most ever for a major college football coach. A report says he may soon be out as the Nittany Lions' coach.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Joe Paterno, 84, will soon be finished as Penn State's football coach, in the wake of the sex-abuse scandal that has implicated former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky and university officials, according to the New York Times.

Paterno's 46-year head coaching stay at the university in State College, Pa., "will soon be over, perhaps within days or weeks," report Mark Viera and Pete Thamel for the Times.

Included in their report:

The board of trustees has yet to determine the precise timing of Paterno’s exit, but it is clear that the man who has more victories than any other coach at college football’s top level and who made Penn State a prestigious national brand will not survive to coach another season. Discussions about how to manage his departure have begun, according to the two people.

Paterno was to have held a news conference Tuesday but the university canceled it less than an hour before it was scheduled to start.

At age 84 and with 46 seasons as the Penn State head coach behind him, Paterno’s extraordinary run of success — one that produced tens of millions of dollars for the school and two national championships, and that established him as one of the nation’s most revered leaders, will end with a stunning and humiliating final chapter.

Jerry Sandusky, a former defensive coordinator under Paterno, has been charged with sexually abusing eight boys across a 15-year period, and Paterno has been widely criticized for failing to involve the police when he learned of an allegation of one assault of a young boy in 2002.

Penn State (8-1, 5-0 in the Big Ten Leaders Division) plays at Ohio State (6-3, 3-2) on Nov. 19.

Other Penn State reports today on cleveland.com include Associated Press stories that Penn State has canceled Paterno's weekly Tuesday press conference, and that, according to a source, Sandusky was on the Penn State campus last week. 

Authorities have said that Paterno is not a target of the on-going investigation and that he met his legal obligation when he reported the specific 2002 incident to his Penn State superiors, but, as the Times reports:

But they suggested he might well have failed a moral test for what to do when confronted with such a disturbing allegation involving a child not even in his teens. No one at the university alerted the police or pursued the matter to determine the well-being of the child involved. The identity of that child remains unknown, according to the Attorney General.

Paterno, who played quarterback and cornerback at Brown University from 1946-49, was an assistant coach at Penn State from 1950-65.

Paterno became the Nittany Lions' head coach in 1966. His record at Penn State is 409-136-3, including 24-12-1 in bowl games. Paterno coached the Nittany Lions to national championships in the 1982 and 1986 seasons.

"We need a right tackle, right guard, front end WR, and a feature back. Maybe a quarterback, too. Before we throw any of the coaches under the bus, let's get some decent veteran players in here. I have been disappointed in Shurmur, too, especially with first down play calling, but nobody would be able to run this offense with the talent level they put out there ever week." - Kridda from Oregon

View full sizeJoshua Gunter | The Plain DealerColt McCoy and Pat Shurmur have struggled to get the Browns' offense going this season.

"We need a right tackle, right guard, front end WR, and a feature back. Maybe a quarterback, too. Before we throw any of the coaches under the bus, let's get some decent veteran players in here. I have been disappointed in Shurmur, too, especially with first down play calling, but nobody would be able to run this offense with the talent level they put out there ever week."