"Regardless whether he really believes in the curse, the guy is a stud when healthy. You cannot replace a player like that. If the Browns can't re-sign him, then you have to question management's process of evaluation and player value. Hillis really wants to be here? Then make it happen!" - ohio2

View full sizePlain Dealer file photoPeyton Hillis has had a rough 2011.

"Regardless whether he really believes in the curse, the guy is a stud when healthy. You cannot replace a player like that. If the Browns can't re-sign him, then you have to question management's process of evaluation and player value. Hillis really wants to be here? Then make it happen!"

"I think the Cavaliers should definitely look into locking up Sessions. He is a tremendous point guard and would be an extraordinary backup, as he's also a proven capable starter. It would also be interesting to see how he and Irving fair together in the back court. Their speed would give defenses headaches and match up problems." - LBCavsfan

View full sizeJoshua Gunter | The Plain DealerRamon Sessions.

"I think the Cavaliers should definitely look into locking up Sessions. He is a tremendous point guard and would be an extraordinary backup, as he's also a proven capable starter. It would also be interesting to see how he and Irving fair together in the back court. Their speed would give defenses headaches and match up problems."

"I did some bad things, but the only thing I regret is my triple-double. But everything else comes with experience," former Cavalier "Wrong Way" Ricky Davis said.

Roadell Hickman, The Plain DealerRicky Davis averaged 20 points a game for the Cavs in 2002-03.

Former Cavalier Ricky Davis scored 6 points for the Maine Red Claws in his NBDL  debut against the Charge in Canton last night.

Davis, who was given the nickname "Wrong Way" for shooting at his own basket in an attempt at a triple-double in 2003, is older, wiser and reflective as he attempts a comeback to the NBA.

In an interview posted on NBA.com, Davis talked about his reputation as a selfish player.

"I did some bad things, but the only thing I regret is my triple-double. But everything else comes with experience. People forget I got drafted when I was 17, so I had a lot of young ‘myself-myself’ attitude, and now it’s more about being part of a team, and more of what I can do to help the team."

You can read the entire of the interview here. Check out Ricky Davis' career stats here.

Pacers' size presents challenge for Cavaliers, who plan to stick with Samuels in the lineup

View full sizeSamardo Samuels will remain in the Cavaliers' lineup tonight against the Pacers

Cleveland Browns quarterback Colt McCoy has officially been ruled out for the Steelers game.

John Kuntz / The Plain DealerCleveland Browns quarterback Colt McCoy has been ruled out for the season finale against the Steelers.

BEREA -- Browns quarterback Colt McCoy (concussion) has been ruled out of Sunday's season finale against the Steelers, and Seneca Wallace will make his third straight start of the season.

McCoy seemed to hold out hope on Thursday that he might at least be on the sidelines for the game. But he still hasn't been cleared medically for football activity.

Coach Pat Shurmur said McCoy improved as a quarterback as the season progressed, but declined to provide much of an evaluation of his season. He re-iterated that it will be done after the season.

It means McCoy will miss the final three games after suffering his concussion Dec. 8 against the Steelers.

Wide receiver Jordan Norwood (concussion) and right tackle Tony Pashos (ankle, illness) have also been ruled out. Pashos, who's been suffering from a stomach ailment, will be replaced by Artis Hicks. Norwood will miss his second straight game with his concussion.

In other Browns news, linebacker D'Qwell  Jackson has been voted Browns Player of the Year by the local chapter of the Pro Football Writers of America. Safety Mike Adams has been voted the team's Good Guy for the way he conducts himself with the media, in the community and with his teammates.

Adams, whose contract is up after this season, said he'd love to be back in Cleveland to be part of the winning seasons that are ahead.

Plain Dealer's Cleveland Browns beat writer Mary Kay Cabot hosts News and Notes with Colt McCoy, Peyton Hillis, D'Qwell Jackson, and Greg Little before they play the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Watch video

"As you saw Colt (McCoy) wasn’t out here today. Tony Pashos and Jordan Norwood, those three guys will be out this week. Those three guys will miss this game. Obviously, Seneca (Wallace) will be the starter..."

AP Photo" think the one thing that's a little bit reassuring for me is I can visualize what the offseason is going to look like. Last year, we were just waiting so there was some uncertainty and uneasiness with that. This year, I've got it all planned out down to the day already, all the way through the summer time. From me, I like to be able to do that and that will allow me to direct us the right way," Pat Shurmur said as he prepares for the final game of the 2011 season.

"Despite how things ended last year, I still have to thank Ricky Davis, coach Lucas and the entire '02-'03 Cavs team for tanking miserably. 2003-2010 would not have have happened without them." - 1oldrocker

View full sizeRoadell Hickman | The Plain DealerRicky Davis.

"Despite how things ended last year, I still have to thank Ricky Davis, coach Lucas and the entire '02-'03 Cavs team for tanking miserably. 2003-2010 would not have have happened without them."

"Actually, the thing that hurt the most was their ridiculous selection at head coach, and it's been hurting them for 12 years." - twinsdays

View full sizePat Shurmur.

"Actually, the thing that hurt the most was their ridiculous selection at head coach, and it's been hurting them for 12 years."

Get live Twitter updates from Tom Reed @PDCavsInsider as the Cavaliers look for their second win of the season tonight against the Pacers.

The Cavaliers look for their second win of the season tonight in Indiana against the much-improved Pacers. Get Twitter updates from Tom Reed @PDCavsInsider in the box below. Check out the in-game box score here. Read on for a game preview. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

AP PhotoNew Indiana forward David West came over from the Hornets in the offseason.

Indianapolis, Indiana (AP) -- The Indiana Pacers are pleased they can count on a number of players to make baskets late in games.

That's a role the Cleveland Cavaliers may still be trying to fill 18 months after the franchise's superstar skipped town, but they've been getting nice production throughout the lineup so far this season.

The host Pacers look to open 3-0 for the first time in four seasons Friday night when they go for a sixth consecutive victory over the Cavaliers.

Indiana gained a wealth of confidence during last season's tightly contested first-round playoff loss to top-seeded Chicago, as four of the five games were decided by six points or fewer.

But the team also learned it needed more offensive options late in games. The Pacers were outscored by a combined 36 in the fourth quarters by the Bulls, with Danny Granger accounting for 32 of the team's 109 points.

Granger is still the Pacers' go-to scorer, and point guard Darren Collison was 18th in the NBA last season with 122 points in the final three minutes of the fourth quarter.

The addition of David West, however, has given Indiana a legitimate late threat in the post, while also handing coach Frank Vogel a solid three-man rotation at the power forward and center spots with Tyler Hansbrough and Roy Hibbert.

After Toronto rallied to within three points Wednesday, West's fadeaway 14-footer with 9 seconds remaining helped Indiana hold on for a 90-85 road win.

"We have so many weapons down the stretch," said Granger, who scored nine of his team-high 21 points in the final five minutes. "We have so many options. I think it's going to be the mark of us being a good team."

The Cavs likely have a ways to go before making much noise in the Eastern Conference, but shooting 48.4 percent and having six players average double-figure scoring during a 1-1 start has at least given them some optimism.

Rookie Kyrie Irving, the new face of the franchise after LeBron James left for Miami in 2010, has handed out seven assists in each contest. The No. 1 overall draft pick scored 14 points in Wednesday's 105-89 victory at Detroit after finishing with six on 2-of-12 shooting in his debut, a 104-96 loss to Toronto on Monday.

"In the last game, I wasn't enjoying the game," Irving said. "I think I wanted to be so serious. I wasn't joking around and there was no smile on my face. It's just about feeling comfortable out there."

Fellow first-round pick Tristan Thompson has enjoyed a quick start with 22 points and nine rebounds, while Ramon Sessions is averaging a team-high 17.0 points off the bench.

The Cavaliers' reserves have outscored the starters 107-94.

"It's only two games but (the bench players) definitely have cohesiveness about them right now and I think it starts with Ramon Sessions," coach Byron Scott said. "I think he's doing a terrific job of leading those guys. He's probably the guy with the most experience out there."

Sessions had 15.8 points and 5.3 assists per game as the Cavs lost all four meetings with Indiana in 2010-11. Granger averaged 27.8 points and hit 15 of 29 from 3-point range in those contests.

West scored 57 points and grabbed 18 boards in two games - both wins - against Cleveland last season while with New Orleans.

Both teams are 6-6. Much of the interest in this game centers on Ohio State's recent coaching hire of Urban Meyer, who was Florida's coach from 2005-10.

Marvin Fong, The Plain DealerSenior center Mike Brewster (50) will complete his standout Ohio State career and quarterback Braxton Miller (5) will finish his freshman season when the Buckeyes play Florida in Monday's Gator Bowl.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Ohio State's Buckeyes and Florida's Gators will play in a bowl game on Monday.

In most seasons, that would be a high-stakes matchup.

Not this time, when the teams play the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida. One thing we know for sure is that one of the perennial powerhouse college football teams will finish the 2011 season with a losing record.

Both Ohio State and Florida are 6-6. The Buckeyes went 3-5 in the Big Ten and the Gators were 3-5 in the SEC.

Much of the attention paid to this game centers around Urban Meyer. Ohio State has hired former Florida coach Meyer as its next coach, though he won't be on the sidelines for the Gator Bowl. Leading the Buckeyes will be Luke Fickell, who served as the team's interim coach this season and will stay at OSU as a member of Meyer's staff.

Fickell replaced Jim Tressel as the Buckeyes coach prior to the season. Tressel was forced to resign in the wake of the infamous memorabilia for tattoos/cash scandal, which led to the premature departure from OSU of quarterback Terrelle Pryor and multiple-game suspensions for several other key players.

Meyer stepped down as Florida's coach, citing health concerns and the desire to spend more time with his family, after the 2010 season. He had five years remaining on his Gators' contract, but gave that up and joined ESPN as an analyst. Meyer coached Florida to national titles in the 2006 and 2008 seasons. The Gators routed Ohio State, 41-14, in the 2006 season national championship game.

Ohio State's 2011 game results, in order: 42-0 win over Akron; 27-22 win over Toledo; 24-6 loss at Miami (Fla.); 37-17 win over Colorado; 10-7 loss to Michigan State; 34-27 loss at Nebraska; 17-7 win at Illinois; 33-29 win over Wisconsin; 34-20 win over Indiana; 26-23 loss (overtime) at Purdue; 20-14 loss to Penn State; 40-34 loss at Michigan.

Florida's results, in order: 41-3 win over Florida Atlantic; 39-0 win over UAB; 33-23 win over Tennessee; 48-10 win at Kentucky; 38-10 loss to Alabama; 41-11 loss at LSU; 17-6 loss at Auburn; 24-20 loss to Georgia; 26-21 win over Vanderbilt; 17-12 loss at South Carolina; 54-32 win over Furman; 21-7 loss to Florida State.

Browns highlights against the Pittsburgh Steelers have been scarce in the Ben Roethlisberger era. One of them was produced Dec. 8 by Scott Paxson. Scott Paxson? Yes, he was the guy who toppled the towering Pittsburgh quarterback with a low hit while Brian Schaefering hit him high. As Roethlisberger crumpled to the ground, the two backup defensive tackles fell...

Browns highlights against the Pittsburgh Steelers have been scarce in the Ben Roethlisberger era. One of them was produced Dec. 8 by Scott Paxson.

Scott Paxson?

Yes, he was the guy who toppled the towering Pittsburgh quarterback with a low hit while Brian Schaefering hit him high. As Roethlisberger crumpled to the ground, the two backup defensive tackles fell on him.

View full sizeChristopher Horner, AP/Pittsburgh Tribune ReviewBrowns defensive linemen Scott Paxson, bottom, and Brian Schaefering bring down Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger during their game Dec. 8. Roethlisberger suffered a high ankle sprain on the play and sat out last Saturday's game.

"They hit him from opposite sides," Browns defensive coordinator Dick Jauron said. "One of them was going down, and he just got twisted underneath them. It was really remarkable that [Roethlisberger] came back."

Roethlisberger was taken inside for X-rays. After halftime, he limped back to the Steelers' bench, hobbled by what later was diagnosed as a Grade I high ankle sprain. He heroically completed that 14-3 victory against the Browns with a bunch of short passes, one of which Antonio Brown turned into a long touchdown.

Roethlisberger hasn't shaken off the injury. After a painful performance in a loss in San Francisco and then a week off, he expects to play Sunday in the season finale at Cleveland Browns Stadium.

"I hope there's much more to come [from me]," Paxson said of his impact on the Steelers' season. "I hope that's just the start."

Paxson doesn't hate the Steelers like the typical Browns fan, though he has good reason to.

As a high school star in Philadelphia, Paxson was recruited by most of the college football powers in the East. Western Pennsylvania wasn't on his radar.

"Pittsburgh didn't exist [in my mind]," he said. "Pittsburgh feels like 'We're real football' and Philly kids are just 'city kids.' "

Paxson signed with Penn State, thinking he'd be the next Kyle Brady, its legendary tight end. He wound up playing defensive end.

"One of our coaches sat me down once and showed me video of Courtney Brown," Paxson said of the 2000 Browns' No. 1 draft pick. "I was like, 'Coach, I'm sorry. I can't do those things.' I mean, Courtney Brown was a freak."

After Penn State, Paxson was signed as an undrafted free agent by, of all teams, the Pittsburgh Steelers. This was in 2006. In four years, the Steelers waived Paxson six times. Six times.

"At that time, they were the No. 1 defense," Paxson said. "One year, they were No. 3. Another year, they were No. 2 or No. 1. I was basically third string, second string, on the No. 1 or No. 2 defense. I played both [end and tackle].

"I filled in for [Casey] Hampton, [Brett] Keisel, played on special teams. Anything to keep my butt there, I was doing. It was a lot of learning.

"Those guys were a little better, and I couldn't find a situation where I could get on the field."

After the sixth release from Pittsburgh, Paxson spent all the 2010 NFL season "on the streets . . . doing odds-and-ends jobs and working out for teams."

The Browns worked him out and sent him home. In January, they called to offer what amounted to a training camp tryout.

He made the final roster but received little playing time until midway through the season. Lately, he's been averaging about 20 snaps a game in relief of No. 1 pick Phil Taylor and mainstay tackle Ahtyba Rubin.

"Pax is great," Jauron said. "He's a great teammate, a very solid player. He plays the one and three technique for us. Plays them well. He's always trying to do it exactly as he's told. He's got a feel for it. A very tough guy. He takes his reps, takes other people's reps, never complains."

Paxson, 28, is hopeful he has finally found a home in the NFL.

"A real good thing about me is just being a good character guy, a smart guy, knowing the defense, a reliable backup," he said.

In parts of four seasons with the Steelers, Paxson appeared in only one game and was never active for a game against the Browns.

"I would say this rivalry means a little more to me now because this is the team I'm with and I'm playing," he said.

Paxson's sack of Roethlisberger could ultimately affect the Steelers' season more than James Harrison's cheap-shot helmet hit on Colt McCoy affected the Browns' season. If Roethlisberger is subpar in the playoffs, the Steelers aren't going anywhere.

Still, Paxson wasn't deluged with Cleveland fan mail after the sack.

"I just got a couple of texts from my buddies in Pittsburgh telling me not to come back anytime soon," Paxson said.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A bitter, shocking year for Ohio State is almost over. But not before the scandals that cost football coach Jim Tressel his job and sabotaged the 2011 season also blighted plans for a swift return to glory next year with Urban Meyer. Fittingly, a 6-6 Ohio State team, wounded by its own players' selfishness, faces a...

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A bitter, shocking year for Ohio State is almost over. But not before the scandals that cost football coach Jim Tressel his job and sabotaged the 2011 season also blighted plans for a swift return to glory next year with Urban Meyer.

Fittingly, a 6-6 Ohio State team, wounded by its own players' selfishness, faces a 6-6 Florida team still recovering from Meyer's resignation. Playing the Gators in the Gator Bowl is a road game for the Buckeyes, whose fan base mostly just wants this season to go away.

Monday's game is of consequence only in player development for the coming season and as a historical footnote. The Gator Bowl, played then at a different stadium, was the scene of Woody Hayes' punch to the throat of a Clemson player in 1978. Hayes was fired, taking with him the lifetime-achievement awards for sorest loser and shortest fuse.

Many fans correctly think the current OSU infractions were small compared with the cover-up of sickening child-abuse charges that brought down Joe Paterno at Penn State. A more saintly figure in national perception than even the beatified Tressel, Paterno fell further than anyone. For Tressel's part, he toppled mostly from a need to win before the clock ran out on Terrelle Pryor's career, despite the list of excuses the coach offered.

The Penn State case will be settled in civil courts. Ohio State's punishment seems harsh for violations that fall within the NCAA's jurisdiction over fun and games. The Buckeyes, however, not only committed serious violations of the rules, but their former coach also lied about what he knew on a signed affidavit. This was guaranteed to stiffen OSU's penalties.

Tressel had four opportunities to inform authorities of his players' violations and passed on them. Knowingly playing ineligible players is cheating to win. The 2012 bowl ban seems excessive only because Gene Smith, the athletic director, a Cleveland native, mishandled things worse than anybody in these parts since Braylon Edwards' skillet hands were deflecting passes with the Browns.

Smith should never have risked a bowl ban for next season by not self-imposing one in the aftermath of a season that was about damage control. But he wanted to have it both ways -- a bowl game after what should have been a season of penance and Big Ten championship and BCS bowl eligibility amid the fanfare of Meyer's first season in 2012.

Ohio State even has two coaching staffs in place now, one to manage the bowl game here under Luke Fickell, and the other, under Meyer, to hit recruits like a hurricane. Such is also the case at other bowl-bound schools that fired coaches, such as Illinois, UCLA and Arizona State, but only North Carolina, after sacking the ethically challenged Butch Davis, is also attempting to profit by wrongdoing.

The NCAA has dirty hands in this, too. It ruled the Tattooed Five eligible for the Sugar Bowl in a cynical deal that involved TV ratings, bowl revenue and enough ethical flexibility to shame contortionists. All the players were instrumental in the since-vacated victory against Arkansas. All but the instigator, Pryor, who fled to the Oakland Raiders, now get to play two bowl games, the Sugar and Gator. Next year's seniors will serve their penalty instead.

The incidents of pay for no work from Cleveland booster Bobby DiGeronimo, occurring in the very midst of the memorabilia sale scandal, also infuriated the NCAA. This is the rebuttal to fans who decry the year it took for the NCAA to reach its verdict. More brush fires kept flaring up, requiring more investigations.

DeVier Posey and Dan Herron, who were involved in both the DiGeronimo and memorabilia scandals, were greeted with open arms when they returned at long last to the fold after missing 10 and six games, respectively. The players even voted Herron the offense's most valuable player. This is known as flouting the rules and then flaunting the flouting.

Both Smith and school President E. Gordon Gee, he of the cockamamie news conference quote, still have their jobs. Yet there was a leadership vacuum at Ohio State, from the top down. Accountability, other than in getting rid of Tressel with a sweet retirement package that amounted to hush money, was only a theoretical concept.

This Ohio State team lost its way under Tressel, but somehow it got back to the same place where Hayes, the only OSU coach with a greater legacy, lost his job. At Ohio State, the Gator Bowl is traditionally more punishment than reward. It is an ending rich in irony for a season poor in performance, on the field and off.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Jim Heacock arrived at Ohio State 16 years ago after eight seasons as the head coach at Illinois State, and he never thought about leaving. "Anytime in your profession, you want to get to the top. And Ohio State is the top of the profession. When you're at Ohio State, how does it get much better?"...

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Jim Heacock arrived at Ohio State 16 years ago after eight seasons as the head coach at Illinois State, and he never thought about leaving.

"Anytime in your profession, you want to get to the top. And Ohio State is the top of the profession. When you're at Ohio State, how does it get much better?" Heacock asked this week. "It's a great football environment, the fans are second to none, we fill the stadium -- there are just so many positives, why would you be out looking to move?"

View full sizeThomas Ondrey, The Plain DealerBuckeyes offensive coordinator Jim Bollman has been with the team for 11 years and will coach in his final game for Ohio State on Monday in the Gator Bowl.

After Monday's Gator Bowl, Heacock will be moving, as will four other assistants who will be coaching in their final game for the Buckeyes. Four coaches from this staff -- Luke Fickell, Mike Vrabel, Taver Johnson and Stan Drayton -- will stay in Columbus as assistants under new head coach Urban Meyer. One, Paul Haynes, already left to take over as the defensive coordinator at Arkansas.

Heacock (defensive coordinator, 16 years), Jim Bollman (offensive coordinator, 11 years), Dick Tressel (running backs coach, 11 years), John Peterson (tight ends coach, eight years) and Nick Siciliano (quarterbacks coach, seven years) will be on the sideline Monday against the Florida Gators and then looking for new jobs Tuesday. None plans to retire.

They spoke this week to The Plain Dealer about their time at Ohio State, which included six straight on-field Big Ten titles (2005-10) before everything changed with the NCAA violations and forced resignation of former head coach Jim Tressel in May. In an often transient business, they all settled in at Ohio State, which they considered a luxury, both for themselves and their families. They were here awhile. And they won a lot of games.

•Dick Tressel: "There's no better place to be an assistant coach than Ohio State, and there was no better place to be an assistant coach than to be working for Jim Tressel. So if you weren't committed to being a head coach, it was easy to not move on because there wasn't a better assistant job. You had to have a burning desire to be a head coach to go somewhere else because this was such a good situation."

•Luke Fickell: "Nobody jumped just to go chase money because of how special Ohio State is. That's how coach [Jim Tressel] put it all together. It's not about the money. And it's such a special place."

•Nick Siciliano: "It was the guy that was the boss. Nobody wanted to leave him because it was so good to work for him and work with him and learn from him. It would have to be an exceptional opportunity to leave here because he treated you so well."

•Fickell: "I think it was the type of people that were put together. And I'm not sure there are many places you could go and say it's as good of a true football program. You've got to go to the NFL, in my opinion."

•Jim Bollman: "When you're in this racket, shoot, when you're 25 years old, you hope and dream of having a chance to coach at a place like Ohio State. And then to have the chance to do it for 11 years? If you think about it for two seconds, it's pretty neat. And to have the kind of run we've had, certainly that's nothing to sneeze at -- all the things that Tress got done while we were here. I've been pretty fortunate for 15, 16 years of my life to have worked for Jim Tressel at Youngstown State and at Ohio State."

•Jim Heacock: "We work long hours, and you're over there seven days a week most of the time. So you get to know these guys pretty well, you know what they're thinking and doing. It's kind of a cliche, but it becomes like a family type situation."

•Tressel: "The fun parts are you know what a guy's hot buttons are, so if you want to irritate somebody, you know how to irritate them. On the other hand, you came to understand people."

•Bollman: "It allows you to grow closer to the people that you're working with, and then, out of the office, we've made some great friends, and you don't come across those when you have some short stints. That helps keep everything relevant and grounded, too."

•Siciliano: "The first four years my wife and I were married, we moved five times. It's been great to settle down and have a home base. We felt fortunate to be here."

•Heacock: "It doesn't matter where you are in the coaching profession, it's hard on your families. You can't sugarcoat that. They don't see much of you, and you're scrutinized in the public eye. But the upside is our families have experienced so much, with going to bowl games and being around a competitive atmosphere and seeing and handling the adversity."

•Tressel: "I'm going to think about it as unreal. It's unreal, the support we get. It's unreal that we beat Michigan the number of times in a row we beat Michigan. It's unreal the number of conference championships we had in a row. This is outside-the-box stuff. It will probably be a few years before you look back and realize, holy smokes, it was unbelievable. When we step away, we'll be able to not pat ourselves on the back, but realize how the stars aligned and it happened."

•Siciliano: "We were very fortunate that the ball bounced our way, and we've got a lot of great moments that nobody can ever take away from us. That's the thing that you cherish the most."

•Heacock: "I think it's been an unbelievable run. I'm very proud of the accomplishments that the Buckeyes made while I've been here. Everyone was united. It was never an individual thing, it was, 'What can we do for the Buckeyes?' "

•Fickell: "It's going to be tough to beat. The landscape of college football is going to change, it's going to be different. But when you look back at it, it's going to be tough to beat the 10 years here of everything that we've done. If you really look at the body of work, not just the games won and the titles because there were times when they had more, but the true body of work is tough to beat. The good kids and all the things that have happened here, that's what you'll remember."

•Heacock: "What I take the most pleasure from is all the defensive linemen and defensive players that I've coached and the relationships that you made with those players. Even in this situation, to have them call and see how you're doing, to say sorry, it's pretty special."

•Tressel: "I ran over to get some water bottles at practice, and I said, 'OK guys, this is the last time I'm getting you water.' It's been stuff like that. But it's been, 'Let's make these kids understand, no matter what your situation, you've got to do your part and get it done.' This is the situation we're in, play the hand that's dealt and let's go play as well as we can."

•Siciliano: "It's been a little different for this game. I'd be lying if I said otherwise. But it's been a good challenge."

•Bollman: "It's all about the people you're doing things with, and starting from the top down, it was a good bunch of guys to be with. You look forward to going to work every day, and there are plenty of people in this world that aren't blessed with the opportunity of looking forward to getting out of bed and going to work every day. And when you can honestly feel that, it's pretty neat."

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- At the start of the season, it looked as if Ohio State may have almost too many tailbacks, with five legitimate candidates fighting for carries. Now it looks as if none of those running backs will wind up playing in every game this season, with a missed flight just one more way not to be on...

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- At the start of the season, it looked as if Ohio State may have almost too many tailbacks, with five legitimate candidates fighting for carries. Now it looks as if none of those running backs will wind up playing in every game this season, with a missed flight just one more way not to be on the field.

View full sizeMarvin Fong, The Plain DealerOhio State running back Rod Smith (5) missed the team flight to Jacksonville for the Gator Bowl. Doh!

Redshirt freshman running back Rod Smith missed the Buckeyes' team charter flight to Jacksonville on Tuesday and remains in Ohio, a team spokesman said Friday. It's uncertain whether he's going to make it to Florida on his own, but he has already missed three days of practice and meetings. So he probably won't play in the Gator Bowl, missing his first game of the season, though most of his action in the first 12 games has come on special teams.

Smith has 29 carries for 116 yards and one touchdown this season, with 18 rushes in the season opener against Akron while both Dan Herron and Jordan Hall were suspended, and none since Game 4 against Colorado.

So he won't be missed Monday, but this isn't a great impression to make for 2012. Herron, who despite his suspension for the first six games led OSU running backs with 596 yards on 123 carries for a 4.8-yard average, will be gone to graduation. But true freshmen Warren Ball and Bri'onte Dunn will join Smith, Hall, Carlos Hyde and maybe Jaamal Berry in the mix at running back. New head coach Urban Meyer previously seemed intrigued about handing off to a guy such as Smith.

"I'm excited about big backs. I haven't had a big back in a while," Meyer said.

Smith, at 6-3 and 230 pounds, best fits that mold. Hyde is 6-0 and 238 pounds. Ball is 6-2 and 200, and Dunn is 6-2 and 215.

A year ago, Smith was lauded by teammates as a bowl practice star, but he never got rolling this season after fumbling in each of the first two games of the year.

Now Hyde should go into spring practice as the No. 1 back, after rushing for 549 yards and a team-high six touchdowns on 101 carries, a 5.4-yard average. He missed one game this season, not getting in against Wisconsin.

Hall ran for 381 yards on 95 carries, a 4-yard average, after missing the first two games of the season due to suspension and another with an injury.

Berry carried just three times for 5 yards and hasn't been with the team since he was charged with misdemeanor assault and disorderly conduct in early November. His future is uncertain.

And Smith most recently touched the ball when he carried four times for 18 yards on Sept. 24.

There's no information that this is anything more than a missed flight. And Ohio State's relationship with the Smith family goes behind Rod. His younger brother, Jaylon, is a high school junior and a linebacker with a scholarship offer from the Buckeyes.

Notes: The Buckeyes practiced for the third time in Florida on Thursday morning after a Fellowship of Christian Athletes breakfast at 7 a.m. that was attended by the entire team and coaching staff. . . . Ohio State's final Gator Bowl practice will be this morning, followed by a Gator Bowl luncheon and walkthrough at EverBank Field, where the game will be played.

Browns quarterback Seneca Wallace will go out this season the same way he came in: determined to prove he should be the Browns' starting quarterback. With Colt McCoy officially ruled out for Sunday's game against the Steelers, Wallace will make his third straight start, and he indicated it shouldn't have taken so long for him to get his chance....

Browns quarterback Seneca Wallace will go out this season the same way he came in: determined to prove he should be the Browns' starting quarterback.

With Colt McCoy officially ruled out for Sunday's game against the Steelers, Wallace will make his third straight start, and he indicated it shouldn't have taken so long for him to get his chance.

View full sizeJoshua Gunter, The Plain DealerBrowns QB Seneca Wallace will make his third straight start Sunday against the Steelers.

"At the end of the day, I can control what I can control," he said. "Yeah, I get frustrated that, hey, I feel like I deserve a shot or I want a shot. But at the end of the day, it's just a matter of making sure I lead my teammates in the right direction. The rest will take care of itself."

Asked if he should he have a chance to compete for the starting job next season, Wallace said: "Maybe so. I don't know. I'll let you guys evaluate that."

Before the season, Wallace, who had just signed a new three-year deal worth $9 million, told The Plain Dealer that he'd do everything he could to beat out McCoy for the starting job in camp.

"I still want the opportunity to go out and be able to play myself, so I'm not just going to sit back and watch," he said then. "I'd rather go out there and play."

During an interview Thursday on FM/92.3, Wallace said it's been "very tough" for him to sit all season.

"Do I feel like things always are fair? No. And that's just the way it is. . . . It was Pat [Shurmur's] decision to give Colt an opportunity, and that's what it was."

A nine-year pro, Wallace reiterated what he told The Plain Dealer in June -- that he wasn't going to share all his knowledge of the West Coast offense with McCoy because he wanted to beat him for the job.

Asked during Thursday's interview how much mentoring he's done with McCoy this season, Wallace said: "Not much. Not much. That was Jake [Delhomme's] deal. He did a lot of some stuff with him last year. But that's not my thing. It's just one thing I don't do. I came in with the mind-set I wanted to compete, whatever case that was."

Wallace said he'd answer any questions McCoy might have about the West Coast offense, but he wouldn't offer unsolicited help.

Also during his radio interview Thursday, Wallace changed his tune a little about the botched ending of the first half in Baltimore. Instead of assuming full blame for not spiking the ball as he did after the game, he put some of it on Shurmur. He said the players looked over to the sideline after tight end Evan Moore wasn't ruled out of bounds and the clock was ticking down.

"I don't know if Pat was ready to have his next call, or whatever the case may be," Wallace said. "It was just a miscommunication between us, at that point."

Jackson, Adams honored: The local chapter of the Pro Football Writers of America voted linebacker D'Qwell Jackson as the Browns Player of the Year, and safety Mike Adams was voted the winner of the Good Guy Award for his cooperation with the media and for the way he carries himself in the community and with his teammates.

"I guess it means a lot," Adams said, laughing. "It also means you guys are slipping because I've been here for five years and you finally got it right. I commend you guys for finally getting it right. I appreciate it. It's an honor. I always try to tell the truth and tell as much as I can without giving any secrets away. I try to be as honest as possible, straightforward and just try say what I'm feeling, and I guess a lot of people respect that."

Adams, who's contract is up after this season, said he'd love to be back with the Browns.

"It's my first choice, but I have to embrace change if change happens," he said. "I've been around this business a long time. I've seen guys I never thought would get released get released. I think I did a good job this year. I definitely think I showed I'm a starter and I showed that I can make plays, get my team lined up and make the right calls."

He said the Browns have given no indication they want him back.

"There's been no numbers, no contract talk," he said. "But that's OK because I didn't want it to mess me up mentally."

But he wants to be around when the good times roll.

"When we went 10-6, that feeling was like no other -- and we didn't even go to the playoffs," he said. "I want to experience that here again."

Hicks to start: Artis Hicks will start Sunday at right tackle in place of Tony Pashos, who has been out all week with a stomach issue. Pashos has also been battling an ankle injury.

"People always remember what they saw last, so you always want to leave your best stuff out there," Hicks said.

He's gearing up for outside linebacker James Harrison, who lines up all over.

"In their nickel packages, they'll move him inside, he'll come over, he'll rush on the right side. When you have a guy like that who's capable of creating havoc, you want to get him moved around and try to get matchups with him all game."

Hicks said he won't get hung up on trying to get revenge on Harrison for his hit on McCoy on Dec. 8.

"All I focus on is what's happening right now in front of me," he said.

Injury update: Several key Steelers are probable, including quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (ankle), safety Troy Polamalu (knee), Harrison (neck), center Maurkice Pouncey (ankle) and receiver Mike Wallace (ankle).

Indianapolis -- Cavaliers rookie Kyrie Irving was taking advice this week from a coach other than Byron Scott. A cause for concern? Scott said in general terms it can be. But not when that coach is Coach K. Irving said he has spoken to Duke's Mike Krzyzewski three times since the season began. The point guard played for the...

Indianapolis -- Cavaliers rookie Kyrie Irving was taking advice this week from a coach other than Byron Scott.

A cause for concern? Scott said in general terms it can be. But not when that coach is Coach K.

Irving said he has spoken to Duke's Mike Krzyzewski three times since the season began. The point guard played for the Blue Devils last season before turning pro.

"He didn't like the pace I was playing at in the first game," Irving said in reference to his NBA opener on Monday, a night he shot 2-of-12 from the field in a loss to Toronto.

"He said I needed to play a little bit quicker, which I agree with. He offered as much advice as he could."

Scott said he and Krzyzewski are of like mind when it comes to the speed at which Irving needs to play. He puts the 19-year-old in the same conversation with Chicago's Derrick Rose and Washington's John Wall as far as being able to push the pace.

That might be a stretch, but Irving certainly played a quicker game Wednesday in Detroit, where he scored 14 points and added seven assists.

"We both know he needs to play faster," Scott said. "[Irving] knows it. We want to be that type of team. Hearing it from me and also hearing it from a great coach like Mike, who coached him for the last year and knows him pretty well, I think kind of reinforces the way we want him to play. I don't have a problem with that."

Scott said he and Krzyzewski have spoken about Irving's game.

"One thing he told me was, 'I only had him for 11 games, so there's some things I don't know,' " Scott said. "Obviously I'll have to find out on my own. For the most part he gave me great insight into Kyrie as a person and a basketball player that I thought was helpful."

Long road ahead: The Cavaliers on Wednesday begin their season-long, seven-game trip, which carries them through two countries and four-time zones.

Scott entertained his players Friday with stories of long trips of yore. As a member of Los Angeles Lakers in the 1980s and '90s, Scott said players had to carry their own shoes and multiple pairs of practice gear with them. Players who didn't pack enough duds had to wash the soiled ones in hotel-room sinks and dry them on air-conditioning vents.

The showtime Lakers of Magic Johnson and James Worthy doing wash by hand? Scott swears it's true. The Lakers typically went on a pair of two-week trips East each season.

"I told guys we didn't have chefs, we didn't have practice facilities," Scott said. "We were world champions and we practiced at Loyola Marymount."

Anthony Parker, who played in Europe and in the minors, enjoyed the story. He understands how pampered players have become. They don't touch their gear after training. Everything is waiting for them when they arrive at practice.

"It gives you an idea of how easy they make it for you," Parker said. "All you have to do is focus on the game."

Pass the check: Players get their first checks Sunday. Good thing, too. Rookie Tristan Thompson needs a cash infusion if he's going to keep dining out with Irving. The kid averaging seven assists in his first two games is apparently pretty good at passing the check.

The power forward said he got stuck with the bill Thursday night. Fortunately for him, the youngsters just went to Steak 'n Shake.

INDIANAPOLIS -- The 19-year-old kid wanted the ball in his hands. That's why the Cavaliers drafted him, right? To be a difference-maker in moments like these. Kyrie Irving had attempted three of his team's previous four shots, and with 4.4 seconds remaining in a tie game everybody in Bankers Life Fieldhouse knew who would take the next one. From...

View full sizeMichael Conroy, APCavs rookie Kyrie Irving can't hide his disappointment after missing a potential game-winning shot in regulation Friday in Indianapolis. The Pacers won in overtime, 98-91.

INDIANAPOLIS -- The 19-year-old kid wanted the ball in his hands. That's why the Cavaliers drafted him, right? To be a difference-maker in moments like these.

Kyrie Irving had attempted three of his team's previous four shots, and with 4.4 seconds remaining in a tie game everybody in Bankers Life Fieldhouse knew who would take the next one.

From the top of the key Irving drove the lane, shook Indiana guard Paul George with a ridiculous crossover dribble and lofted the ball toward the basket with his left hand. It rimmed out as the horn sounded sending the teams to overtime.

Irving didn't make the shot. He also wasn't afraid to take it. And, that's what many teammates, coaches and fans probably will remember about Friday night.

While the Cavaliers fell, 98-91, in overtime to the Pacers, Irving scored 20 points and showed the kind of nerve and leadership a team can perhaps build around.

"I wanted the ball in his hands so he could create and get a shot for himself or his teammates," coach Byron Scott said of the out-of-bounds play at the end of regulation. "He did the right thing. He got all the way to the basket."

The Cavaliers (1-2) hung tough against a physical opponent, a playoff qualifier from a season ago. Bodies crashed to the floor all night. Daniel Gibson needed X-rays on his right ring finger to confirm it wasn't broken. Anderson Varejao needed treatment on his back along the sidelines after a nasty collision with Pacers power forward David West.

The Cavaliers trailed by 11 points with 10 minutes remaining, but rallied to take an 84-82 lead on a 27-foot, shot-clock-beating jumper from Anthony Parker with 17.9 seconds left. Pacers free-agent acquisition David West, however, hit a 7-foot floater with 4.4 seconds to tie it.

Scott called timeout and set up a play designed for Irving. The point guard had returned to action with 7:10 remaining and the Cavs trailing by six points. The ball never seemed to leave his hands when the visitors were in possession of it.

His dribble crossover on Paul drew ahhs from the crowd, but he couldn't finish.

"I had a great look at it," said Irving, who also took two of the Cavs' first four shots of overtime. "I wish it would have gone down for me and my teammates to get this win, but it didn't."

"Coach Scott told me to be real aggressive and to take what the defense gave me and I did."

The Cavaliers led briefly in the five-minute overtime thanks to another Parker 3-pointer, but a 7-0 Pacers run sealed the verdict.

The Pacers' front line was too much for the Cavs. Danny Granger finished with a game-high 22 points, while 7-2 center Roy Hibbert had 17 points and 13 rebounds. The Pacers had 52 points in the paint.

Meanwhile, Varejao supplied 14 points and 13 rebounds playing through back pain. Reserve small forward Alonzo Gee enjoyed another strong night with 10 points and solid defense.

But after the game everyone wanted to talk to Irving. Reporters formed a semi-circle around his locker as he dressed, some staring at "The Journey Is the Reward" tattoo between his shoulder blades.

An Indianapolis radio reporter asked Irving, "Are you doing OK after missing that shot?" The youngster flashed a smile and responded, "I'm doing well, how 'bout yourself?"

His teammates loved that he took command in the final minutes.

"That's what a player of his caliber, his talent is supposed to do," Gibson said.

Cavs let the game get away in the third quarter thanks to seven turnovers and poor shooting

View full sizeCleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving shoots over Indiana Pacers guard Darren Collison

It doesn't matter how the Browns fare in the season-ending game against the Steelers. The team's place in history is already secure. The Cleveland Browns (second edition) is the worst professional sports franchise in the city's history, Brent Larkin writes

View full sizeGene J. Puskar, Associated PressTrainers tend to Cleveland Browns quarterback Colt McCoy on Dec. 8 after he was hit by Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison.

It doesn't matter how the Browns fare in the season-ending game against the Steelers. The team's place in history is already secure.

The Cleveland Browns (second edition) is the worst professional sports franchise in the city's history.

True, the Browns have suffered through no single season as abominable as that of National League baseball's 1899 Cleveland Spiders: 134 losses in 154 games.

But for sustained ineptitude, this atrocious, Randy Lerner-owned Browns franchise has no peer. The numbers prove it.

Entering this weekend's Steelers game, the Browns' record since the team's return in 1999 is a mind-numbing 68-139. That's a winning percentage of less than 33 percent. The team has one playoff game to its credit -- a first-round loss to the Steelers nine years ago.

Contrast that with Cleveland's other expansion franchise, the Cavaliers, which entered the NBA in 1970. Over the first 13 seasons, the team's record was 407-659, for a winning percentage of just over 38 percent. In addition, those Cavaliers made three trips to the playoffs -- including the heart-stopping Miracle of Richfield team in 1975-76.

But, you might ask, what about all those pathetic Indians clubs from the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s, when the team was saddled with owners who could barely afford to keep the lights on?

There's no comparison.

The Indians' worst 13-year run appears to be 1973 through 1985, when the team's overall record was 943-1,091. That's a winning percentage of 46 percent.

And like the Browns in 1999, the Indians were essentially an expansion team when Dick Jacobs bought them in 1986. Nine years later, they were in the World Series -- beginning a run of six playoff appearances in seven years.

Another fascinating, albeit not necessarily on point, comparison: From 1946 through 1958 -- the first years of existence for the real Browns -- the team's record was 128-29, with five ties. That's a winning percentage above 81 percent. In those first 13 years, the Browns won seven championships and were in the postseason every year but one. The first four of those years were in the old All-America Football Conference.

From the very first season, the reborn Browns have had bad players, bad head coaches and a really bad front office.

The late Al Lerner made some gigantic personnel mistakes early in his ownership. But Lerner, who died in 2002, was an incredibly bright guy who, I believe, would have figured out a way to clean up this mess of a franchise.

Lerner's son, an absentee owner, has failed miserably at that task. And though it's too early to fairly evaluate the Mike Holgren era, the first two years under the latest president of the Browns have been underwhelming.

Besides their uniquely awful overall winning percentage, only one other thing is remarkable about the Browns since 1999: the incredibly loyal fans who regularly fill a below-average stadium to watch a team that destroys its own quarterbacks (in more ways than one) and loses 64 percent of its home games.

Never in Cleveland sports history have so many given so much to a team that gives back so little.

Unlike Browns fans, Clevelanders were quick to turn away from the Spiders in those days long ago, when the team played at League Park -- even though the Spiders' winning percentage during the team's 11 years of existence was better than that posted by the new version of the Browns.

In 1899, average attendance at a Spiders game was about what the Browns ownership deserves:

A bit less than 145 paying customers per game.

(Disad)vantage point

Speaking of mistakes on the lake, that's exactly what one of Cleveland's most respected business leaders thinks the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority and the city made by creating a storage area within view of a $150 million office building under construction in the Flats.

Don Misheff, who retired Monday as managing partner of Ernst & Young's Cleveland office -- and was the person responsible for the giant accounting firm's decision to relocate to the Flats rather than flee downtown for the suburbs -- is perturbed by what he considers shockingly poor judgment on the part of the port and city. And Misheff has expressed this opinion to many of the town's CEOs.

Apparently, close proximity to an outdoor storage bin is Ernst & Young's reward for keeping 1,000 good jobs downtown.

The plot sickens

All is not well at the Ohio Board of Regents. Nine months ago, Gov. John Kasich unwisely forced out Eric Fingerhut as higher education chancellor, naming former Attorney General Jim Petro to replace him.

Petro is a first-rate administrator. But folks in the governor's office wanted a visionary. (Note: In Fingerhut, they had one.) Meanwhile, Gary Cates, the senior vice chancellor and a Kasich loyalist, is angling for Petro's job.

The sure loser in this mess? Higher education.

Larkin was The Plain Dealer's editorial director from 1991 until his retirement in 2009.

To reach Brent Larkin: blarkin@plaind.com, 216-999-4252

Previous columns online: cleveland.com/columns