Junior linebackers Etienne Sabino and Andrew Sweat are competing for Ohio State's strongside linebacker job, with Sweat back after an ACL injury he never saw coming.

Marvin Fong / The Plain DealerA top recruit when he signed with Ohio State two years ago, Etienne Sabino has the lead on the starting strongside linebacker position for the Buckeyes this fall. But the talented junior is facing a challenge from another junior, Andrew Sweat, this fall.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Andrew Sweat's version of a torn ACL was one of the strangest that Ohio State's team doctors had ever seen.

Last Sept. 26, the Ohio State backup linebacker made five tackles and recorded a sack against Illinois after starter Ross Homan left the game with a concussion. In that game, Sweat's left knee began to hurt, though there was no single play, no particular moment that caused it. A month later, Sweat was gone for the season, lost to knee surgery for something that had happened to him years earlier.

"They think it might have been in high school," Sweat said Sunday, though he'd never had any swelling in his knee.

Now, with a fully functioning left knee for the first time as a Buckeye -- "I feel faster, I honestly do," Sweat said -- he is involved in one of the few fights for a starting job taking place in preseason camp. It's two linebackers from the Class of 2008 for one spot.

Miami native Etienne Sabino was rated as the No. 1 inside linebacker prospect as a recruit. Sweat, from western Pennsylvania, was the No. 17 inside linebacker in the Class of 2008 according to Rivals.com.

Now they're going head-to-head. Unless Sweat redshirts.

OSU photo"I enjoy being in camp and enjoy playing (strongside linebacker)," says junior Andrew Sweat. "But if I'm not good enough at the SAM position, I guess I've heard redshirt talk."

Sweat played weakside and middle linebacker during his first two seasons, but he would be stuck behind seniors Homan and Brian Rolle there. So after he missed the last six games of last season and all of spring ball, he was moved to strongside linebacker to compete with Sabino, who has been running with the first team early in camp.

Linebacker coach Luke Fickell said he always does what he needs to do to get his best three linebackers on the field, so Sweat has been shifted to unfamiliar territory.

The Buckeyes like him, clearly. And that's the issue. Sweat said he's heard the talk of maybe taking a redshirt in the middle of his career. If he doesn't earn the starting job, he could bank a year and then have two seasons left to potentially start.

Homan redshirted in the middle of his career, though it was because of an injury, and it proved to be a bonus for him and the Buckeyes, as he's ready to star as a fifth-year senior. But for a team readying for a national title run, Sweat is probably too good to hold back. So into the fight he goes.

"I enjoy being in camp and enjoying playing SAM," Sweat said of his new spot. "It's new to me but it's fine, I like it. But if I'm not good enough at the SAM position, I guess I've heard redshirt talk."

"At first you thought about [a redshirt], to see how he felt," Fickell said. "But Andrew is not a kid who takes things slowly. He goes and goes. And he's one of the few guys I've seen who had a knee injury and came back and never had any setbacks."

His only setback is the time he's missed, especially the time away in the spring. Sabino grabbed the lead in the position battle and has held it through the start of camp. Sabino has 12 career tackles in 26 games. Sweat has 20 tackles in 16 games. Both are at that point where they're pushing for their careers to pick up speed.

"You come in and everyone wants to be a starter," Sabino said. "I don't think anyone coming into a school like this is thinking they only want to play special teams. But I've known my role in the past and I'll keep doing the same thing to help my team."

"There are some great linebackers here," Sweat said. "It's kind of like you come in and wait your turn and you can't get down about it. You just keep working."

At the same time, they're both also competing with Tyler Moeller, who is working with the first-team defense at the star position, the defensive back spot that replaces the strongside linebacker in passing situations. Sabino is also working at the star. Barring injury, only one can be on the field at a time.

They've all waited and watched long enough.

"I just looked up narcissism in the dictionary and saw a picture of Braylon Edwards with his mom. I don't know what he's been through unless I was drowning? Man, what a hard life he must have. At least I can catch a ball." - bennyben

View full sizeRob Carr | Associated PressBraylon Edwards has struggled hanging on to the football his entire career so far in the NFL.

In response to the story Braylon Edwards thinks he was too Hot in Cleveland: Browns Insider, cleveland.com reader bennyben isn't surprised by Braylon's comments. This reader writes,

"I just looked up narcissism in the dictionary and saw a picture of Braylon Edwards with his mom. I don't know what he's been through unless I was drowning? Man, what a hard life he must have. At least I can catch a ball."

A new, more mature Terrelle Pryor plans to be a four-year-man for the Buckeyes. But will that happen?

View full sizeAP FileHeisman hopeful Terrelle Pryor insists he's coming back for his senior year.

Pryor claimed Sunday he's not ready for it to end anytime soon. Unprompted, he said he'd return for his senior season, which might be a smart move according to some draft analysts.

Pryor's far from the first player to promise to come back -- in recent years, running backs Antonio Pittman and Beanie Wells and receiver Anthony Gonzalez all talked about returning before passing on their senior seasons. But again, Pryor wasn't pressed on this. He was just looking into the future, just as he'd been looking at the past.

"I want to leave a legacy, that's my goal," Pryor said. "That's why I'll be here for four years. I can't wait. I'm so happy." 

If he does, and has the year he's expected to have this year, Buckeyes fans will be even happier.

Manager says that Bolt -- world record-holder in the 100 and 200 -- has been examined and the back problem "restricts his ability to generate power in his stride," and that racing "in this condition could risk injury" to Bolt's legs.

Associated PressUsain Bolt will take the rest of 2010 off to ease the stiffness in his lower back.

-- Usain Bolt's manager says the Olympic track star is taking the rest of 2010 off because of tightness in his lower back.

Manager Ricky Simms says in an e-mail Tuesday that Bolt has been examined by a doctor in Germany and the back problem "restricts his ability to generate power in his stride." Simms says racing "in this condition could risk injury" to Bolt's legs.

Simms says an MRI exam showed that a previous Achilles' tendon injury is healed.

Bolt will have treatment to loosen his back and then rest, skipping track and field meets in Zurich and Brussels.

The announcement comes less than a week after Bolt lost to American rival Tyson Gay in the 100 meters at Stockholm.

Bolt owns world records in the 100 and 200.

"I'd be happy with an alternative scenario where James gives it his all and doesn't quit in the playoffs and in the offseason tries his best to recruit top talent to play alongside him." - mosescleaveland

View full sizeJoshua Gunter | The Plain DealerLeBron James' final game in Cleveland left a bad taste in fans' mouths.

In response to the story In an alternate universe, there was a dream LeBron James scenario: Bill Livingston, cleveland.com reader mosescleaveland has his own vision of an alternate universe. This reader writes,

"I'd be happy with an alternative scenario where James gives it his all and doesn't quit in the playoffs and in the offseason tries his best to recruit top talent to play alongside him."

"Jake Locker of Washington was basically a joke as a passing quarterback as a freshman and needed time to grow. Remember when OSU played Washington Locker's freshman year? His passing was awful - less than 50% completion for the year. Locker is now a projected as a high first round pick, possibly the first overall pick. The point is, Pryor is developing like Locker did and, yes, he may evolve into a very good passer. If he does develop, the sky is the limit for Pryor and the Buckeyes." - centervillebuckeye

View full sizeAP photoWashington quarterback Jake Locker is projected as one of the top quarterbacks in the 2011 NFL Draft.

"Jake Locker of Washington was basically a joke as a passing quarterback as a freshman and needed time to grow. Remember when OSU played Washington Locker's freshman year? His passing was awful - less than 50% completion for the year. Locker is now as a projected high first round pick, possibly the first overall pick. The point is, Pryor is developing like Locker did and, yes, he may evolve into a very good passer. If he does develop, the sky is the limit for Pryor and the Buckeyes."

PD Ohio State reporter says one reason the game has been so good is it almost always decides the championship race.

Ohio State's Jim Tressel and Michigan's Rich Rodriguez: Will the annual rivalry game move from the end of the season?

Welcome to today's edition of Starting Blocks TV, our Web video show about what's going on in Cleveland sports. Today's show is hosted by Chuck Yarborough and Branson "I Love Soccer" Wright. On to the highlights:

• The Big Ten's expansion and realignment causes scheduling challenges, especially when it comes to the Ohio State Buckeyes vs. the Michigan Wolverines. How would you feel about the teams playing more than once a year, as would happen if they both made the new Big Ten championship game? Vote in the poll now posted in the Starting Blocks blog.

Today's guest, Plain Dealer Ohio State reporter Doug Lesmerises, blogged Monday about OSU-Michigan and the case against putting them in different divisions. He says on today's show that moving the date of the game to the middle of the season could take away from the rivalry's impact, especially if one of the team's isn't contending for a title. Doug, who was at OSU's practice as he did the interview, also talks about the maturation of QB Terrelle Pryor; and what position battles he'll be keeping an eye on, including at strongside linebacker, which he wrote about in today's paper.

SBTV will return Wednesday morning with Plain Dealer reporter Dennis Manoloff as the guest.

Toledo native Jack Mewhort expects to play in his first Ohio State football game next month. Mewhort, who arrived in Columbus in 2009, worked at several positions on the offensive line until the coaching staff settled on his position as a back-up to senior guard Bryant Browning. In The Toledo Blade: "We need Jack to be a solid member of...

Marvin Fong/ The Plain DealerCoach Jim Tressel

Toledo native Jack Mewhort expects to play in his first Ohio State football game next month. Mewhort, who arrived in Columbus in 2009, worked at several positions on the offensive line until the coaching staff settled on his position as a back-up to senior guard Bryant Browning.

In The Toledo Blade:

"We need Jack to be a solid member of the first eight or nine guys," Coach Jim Tressel said about his plans for the Ohio State offensive line.

"Progression is so important, and Jack has been steadily progressing since he got here. That's what you hope for from all of your guys. You hope you never see the guy you saw last week. You want them to get better and better and really seize that opportunity to play when it comes along."

Ready to fill in

Orhian Johnson will compete for one of the starting safety positions this summer for the Ohio State Buckeyes. Johnson, a sophomore, hopes to replace 2009 captain Kurt Coleman.

Reporter Tim May writes in The Columbus Dispatch:

"I am just going out there trying to gain the trust of the defense, to let them know I am back there to help them out," Johnson said.

There is one way of doing that, he said. "By making those plays in the back."

Asked whether the 6-foot-2, 205-pound Johnson was ready to step into a starter's role,  Jermale Hines didn't hesitate.

"Orhian is a real good player," Hines said. "He's got smarts; he's got the physical tools. He's ready."

Power Rankings

Adam Rittenberg of ESPN.com has Ohio State No. 1 in his conference power rankings. That was the easy part. He lists Iowa and Wisconsin second and third in the conference, respectively.

If OSU falters, Iowa and Wisconsin are ready to take over the top spot.

1. Ohio State: There isn't a glaring weakness on this team. History shows the defense will be extremely stingy, and if quarterback Terrelle Pryor continues to develop, the offense should be more than capable of putting up points. A bona fide national title contender.

2. Iowa: The core from the Orange Bowl championship team returns, led by defensive end Adrian Clayborn and quarterback Ricky Stanzi. Iowa must reload at offensive line but has a strong tradition there. A Week 3 test at Arizona could be tricky, but Iowa will be a BCS bowl contender if it defends its home turf.

3. Wisconsin: No Big Ten team returns more individual stars than the Badgers. A balanced offense led by one of the nation's best lines could be unstoppable if John Clay, Scott Tolzien and others can stay healthy. The defense is young in spots but talented, and safety Jay Valai promises me they'll lay the wood. Can head coach Bret Bielema take this program from very good to great? 

 

Coming back

Former Ohio State kicker Mike Nugent hopes to return from injuries with the Cincinnati Bengals. Nugent started his NFL career five years ago with the New York Jets. Nugent tore his quad two years ago while attempting a kick.

Nugent, who had not missed a game in three seasons, dating to his rookie year of 2005, has appeared in only six games since the injury.

In The Columbus Dispatch:

"It was tough sitting on the couch and watching football on Sundays when you want to be out there kicking," Nugent said.

"I feel like I've come back stronger after an injury like that."

After the departure of Bengals mainstay Shayne Graham to the Baltimore Ravens this offseason, Nugent is competing with veteran Dave Rayner for the position.

Eric Mangini offers no surprises on his depth chart prior to Green Bay game.

John Kuntz, The Plain DealerBrowns rookie T.J. Ward is listed as a starting safety on Eric Mangini's first depth chart of the preseason.

BEREA, Ohio -- The first preseason game of a new year always is notable because it's the first time NFL coaches are required to post a depth chart.

Here is what Browns coach Eric Mangini turned in as his team's first official depth chart:

Offense: WR Mohamed Massaquoi, LT Joe Thomas, LG Eric Steinbach, C Alex Mack, RG Floyd Womack, RT John St. Clair, TE Benjamin Watson, WR Brian Robiskie, QB Jake Delhomme, FB Lawrence Vickers, RB Jerome Harrison.

Defense: LE Robaire Smith, NT Ahytba Rubin, RE Kenyon Coleman, OLB Matt Roth, ILB D'Qwell Jackson, ILB Chris Gocong, OLB Scott Fujita, LCB Eric Wright, RCB Sheldon Brown, S Abram Elam, S T.J. Ward.

 In other depth chart items:

• With rookie Montario Hardesty still out with a knee injury, James Davis is listed as the No. 2 back.

• Josh Cribbs is listed behind Robiskie at one WR spot. Chansi Stuckey is listed behind Massaquoi.

• The top backup CBs are Brandon McDonald and Joe Haden.

• The top backup ILBs are Eric Barton and Kaluka Maiava.

• David Bowens, who spent a lot of 2009 playing inside, is listed as the first backup behind Fujita on the right outside. Marcus Benard is the other backup OLB.

Browns coach Eric Mangini talked to rookie Joe Haden about revealing a fine for a cell phone going off in a team meeting in a tweet. The tweet came just hours after Mangini warned the team about responsible tweeting.

Joe Haden heard from coach Eric Mangini about Tweeting in-house team business.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- News and notes from the morning session and Eric Mangini's press conference, Aug. 10:

•  Mangini talked to Joe Haden this morning about revealing a fine for a cell phone going off in a team meeting. "I think our social media is a work in progress,'' said Mangini with a chuckle. "Sometimes with ironing you have to add a little steam. They're young. We're entering new ground.'' He said he'll talk to GM Tom Heckert and the two will try to work out some guidelines.

• Starting cornerback Eric Wright left the field this morning with his leg wrapped, but Mangini hadn't talked to the trainers and didn't know if he'd be back for the evening session.

• Mangini showed the team clips of players getting hurt celebrating TDs in the aftermath of Brandon McDonald's front flip into the end zone during the scrimmage. McDonald is still out with a sore right ankle, but Mangini said it didn't happen on the flip.

• Right tackle Tony Pashos probably won't be out there this afternoon and maybe not this week. He suffered a shoulder injury on Monday and sat out this morning. John St. Clair is starting at RT.

• Mangini is looking forward to seeing rookie T.J. Ward play Saturday in Green Bay. "Part of his charm is the way he's able to hit and tackle. It'll be fun to see him get some live action.''

Remember Raymond Towler? He's the Cleveland native who was falsely imprisoned for 29 years before he was released this year. The Cleveland Cavaliers invited him to a playoff game (Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semi finals). The Cavs gave him a jersey, VIP access to food and he stood on the court with the players during the national anthem....

Joshua Gunter, The Plain DealerRaymond Towler

Remember Raymond Towler? He's the Cleveland native who was falsely imprisoned for 29 years before he was released this year.

The Cleveland Cavaliers invited him to a playoff game (Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semi finals). The Cavs gave him a jersey, VIP access to food and he stood on the court with the players during the national anthem.

The Cavs didn't win Game 5 and they went on to the lose the series to the Boston Celtics to continue the non-championship drought for this city. Yahoo.com reporter Eric Adelson intertwines Towler's story with the story of sports in Cleveland, and how Towler and Cleveland fans have persevered through the years.

And will have to persevere some more.

So he’s a different kind of sports fan. It’s the rest of us who expect the millionaire athletes to act right, work hard and bring home a title – or else. Ray just wants them to play. He didn’t get through 29 years in prison by expecting much from others. No, he didn’t like “The Decision,” but he’s dealt with much worse decisions. “Maybe LeBron isn’t the answer,” he says. “We’ll keep looking.” He pauses.

“Gotta look at reality and deal with it.” 

O's come to town riding a hot streak.

View full sizeGene Sweeney Jr.,
Baltimore SunHis Baltimore teammates mob Oriole Brian Roberts after a 10th-inning home run to beat the White Sox. The Orioles start a three-game stretch at Progressive Field tonight.

Cleveland, Ohio -- Man, the Tribe just can't catch a break (unless you're Asdrubal Cabrera, but that's a different story). The worst team in baseball is coming into town . . . and they're red-flippin'-hot.

That would be the Baltimore Orioles, who have a 38-74 record, losing at a percentage that translates to 107 games in the L column. Right now, the O's are 311/2 games behind the first-place Yankees.

Apparently, though, new manager Buck Showalter has fired up the rotisserie under the Birds. Here's how Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun tells the story in his blog:

The Orioles have been the talk of the town lately. With no stories from Ravens camp about knocking out teeth and not passing conditioning tests lately, the Birds took advantage of the Baltimore sports lull with some stories of their own. With stellar pitching, a few walk-offs, and the new-found confidence the team has under Buck, the O's just finished a 2 series home stand with a fantastic 6-1 mark. Sweeping the Angels (who have been over .500 all season until today) and taking 3 of 4 from the White Sox (have led in the AL Central for over a month, now tied with Twins) has satisfied one goal the Orioles set: Win some games to hurt other teams' playoff hopes.

Heading into Cleveland, one of the biggest story lines to follow will definitely be pitching. In terms of the Orioles, it will be watching Jake Arrieta, Brad Bergesen, and Kevin Millwood all attempt to continue the trend that the team has had at home recently with their starting pitching (7 straight quality starts, 1.89 ERA, .205 BAA). For the Indians, it will be about seeing the progression of some of their future stars. Past Justin Masterson, the Tribe will throw out two newer arms in Josh Tomlin and Jeanmar Gomez (combined 6 starts in MLB).

While Tomlin is 26, and took a while to develop the 2.68 ERA and 1.08 WHIP at AAA Columbus, Gomez is a bright spot in the Indians pitching staff of the future. Though he struggled with a 5.70 ERA and 1.55 WHIP in AAA ball, Gomez has made 3 starts in the majors, posting a 2-0 record with a 1.56 ERA and .222 BAA, not to mention his spot start call-up in July where he debuted with a 7 inning, 5 hit shutout of the Tigers. The two have combined in their 6 starts for an overall ERA of 2.21 and WHIP of 0.93.

You know, despite all that has happened this season – the annual fire sale, injuries, etc. – this STILL could be a fun series even with the two teams' losing records. And to be honest, Starting Blocks kind of likes the brand of National League-style baseball that Tribe skipper Manny Acta and Showalter seem to favor. Three-run homers are fun, and we admit we couldn't hit one if you moved home plate to the middle of center field and put the ball on a tee. But there's just something to be said about fundamental baseball – hitting behind runners, bunting a guy into scoring position, and the chess match behind pitching – that's nothing short of amazing.

Shoot, maybe they'll even make the pitchers bat.

Why me, lord?

Stephanie Storm of the Akron Beacon-Journal profiles one of those young arms for the Tribe, Jeanmar Gomez, and answers one of those questions baseball fans always want to know: Why was this guy called up and not that guy.

"I'd been working with my pitching coach in Columbus [Charles Nagy] and [Indians pitching coordinator] Dave Miller on putting more of my lower half in my delivery," Gomez said. "Now, I'm staying back a little bit more and all my pitches are going more down and aren't so flat."

After two weeks he was recalled to the majors. And despite pitching on short rest in his second big-league game against the host Toronto Blue Jays, Gomez limited them to two runs over five innings for his second victory.

Gomez was even better Friday night against the Minnesota Twins, limiting them to a run on four hits in 51/3 innings -- in a game in which he battled without his good stuff.

Let's hope the Indians don't pitch him against the Yankees. Oh, not that he won't do well against the Bombers; it's just that maybe this is one light the Tribe really should hide under a bushel.

From The Plain Dealer


Beat writer Paul Hoynes' off-day feature takes a look at Shelley Duncan, whose swing and home run totals are markedly different than that of Sandy Duncan, is getting his shot at batting cleanup for the Indians.

Duncan, at 6-5 and 225 pounds, is hard to miss on the field. It's not just his size, but the way he plays. There's probably still a hole in the left field grandstand at Citizens Bank Park from where Duncan slid into it trying to make a catch against the Phillies in June. On Aug. 2 at Fenway Park, Duncan had the first four-hit game of his career. The next night, he was easy to spot in a swirl of bodies going none-to-nose with Boston's Josh Beckett in a bench's clearing incident.

Friday night, in a 7-6 victory, he doubled home two runs in the first inning against Minnesota's Francisco Liriano. On Saturday, he went from first to third on Jordan Brown's single in the sixth inning with the score still tied, 2-2, in what turned into a 7-2 loss.

"That's a big body flying around out there," said GM Mark Shapiro. Duncan, 30, is hitting .263 (35-for-133) with eight doubles, six homers and 22 RBI. He's struck out 52 times. "To me the best part of being here is what this team is doing," said Duncan, whose father, Dave, played for the Indians 1973-74 and is currently Tony La Russa's pitching coach in St. Louis. "How the organization is moving in the direction they're going. The team is extremely young. And Manny is teaching everybody how to play aggressive, but smart baseball."

New Browns president Holmgren presides over a franchise trying to revive a city's optimism for its teams. Plus, Joe Haden, Peyton Hillis, Phil Dawson, etc.

John Kuntz, The Plain Dealer Browns president Mike Holmgren (left) with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell during a Browns practice on Aug. 5.

Cleveland, Ohio -- It's no stretch to say that Mike Holmgren is one of America's most accomplished football coaches.

His most noteworthy achivements begin with his role as the quarterbacks coach for Brigham Young University's 1984 national championship team. He was the San Francisco 49ers' QB mentor for one Super Bowl winner, and their offensive coordinator for another.

As head coach, he led the Green Bay Packers to two Super Bowls, including one championship. He coached the Seattle Seahawks to their lone Super Bowl berth.

Holmgren tutored some of the modern era's elite quarterbacks, including Hall of Famers Joe Montana and Steve Young, and future inductee Brett Favre.

Now, as the Cleveland Browns' new team president, Holmgren faces a most urgent challenge, according to the title of a FoxSports.com feature: "Holmgren's challenge: Save the Browns."

Woods, without a coach since Hank Haney left, asked Sean Foley to observe his PGA Championship practice today. Mickelson gets another chance to replace Woods at No.1, and Stricker's now in the hunt.

Charlie Neibergall, Associated PressTiger Woods (left) talks with Sean Foley, the swing coach for several PGA stars, during a practice today for the PGA Championship.

Sheboygan, Wis. -- Tiger Woods is preparing for the final major with a swing coach at his side.

Sean Foley is not Woods' coach — at least not yet. The Canadian-born swing coach works with Firestone winner Hunter Mahan, Sean O'Hair, Stephen Ames and others.

Foley says Woods asked him to look at his swing during Tuesday's practice round at the PGA Championship. On two holes, Foley stood behind and in front of Woods to videotape his swing.

Asked if he was working with Woods, Foley said, "I wouldn't say that. But the possibility is there."

Woods played with Mahan and O'Hair, as he did at The Players Championship in May when Foley joined him and prompted speculation of a new swing coach. Foley dropped back after nine holes to spend time with Ames.

Also from Associated Press, an update on the quest for golf's No. 1 ranking:

Sheboygan, Wis. -- Phil Mickelson isn't the only player capable of replacing Tiger Woods at No. 1.

For the second straight week, Woods is looking over his shoulder at two players who can end his record 270-week reign atop the world ranking — Mickelson and Steve Stricker.

Mickelson would reach No. 1 for the first time with five scenarios: a victory in the PGA Championship; runner-up finish with Woods out of the top three; third-place finish with Woods out of the top 11; fourth-place finish with Woods outside the top 46; a two-way tie for fourth with Woods missing the cut.

Stricker has a tougher time. He could go to No. 1 only by winning the PGA Championship, provided Woods finishes out of the top 24 and Mickelson is out of the top three.

Eric Wright, Brian Schaefering and Marcus Benard all leave the field with injuries.

View full sizeTracy Boulian | The Plain DealerEric Wright suffered an injury in today's morning practice.

BEREA -- Observations, opinions and some facts on the Browns morning practice ...

 * Three defensive players left the practice with different degrees of injuries. The most serious appeared to be a hamstring or thigh injury to cornerback Eric Wright. It's not a leap to suspect the injury would push Joe Haden into the starting spot in the first preseason game in Green Bay on Saturday. Also, defensive lineman Brian Schaefering and linebacker Marcus Benard left the field under their own power and then were carted to the building (it's quite a walk from the field they were on). No updates from the club.

 * Right tackle Tony Pashos, who missed the first few days of camp during a bout of food poisoning, has missed the last two days with an apparent shoulder injury. He missed 11 games last season in San Francisco with a shoulder injury. No update from the club.

 * Haden apologized to coach Eric Mangini for Tweeting that a player was fined $1,760 for having his cellphone go off in a meeting. That followed Brandon McDonald's infamous Tweet about Terrell Owens. All of which has Mangini and his bosses pondering a club social media policy. Great line from Mangini: "I think our social media policy is a work in progress. We'll iron it out. Sometimes with ironing you have to apply a little steam."

 * Safety T.J. Ward intercepted a Jake Delhomme pass intended for Benjamin Watson. Watson also had two drops and was not happy with them.

 * Just a fantastic catch by Josh Cribbs in the right corner of the end zone on a perfect pass from Seneca Wallace. Cribbs caught it over his right shoulder with one hand as he was tumbling to the ground. Gerard Lawson's coverage was pretty good on the play.

 * The Monday practice was so bad -- Mangini called parts of it "horrendous" -- that the coach challenged his team to put two good ones together on Tuesday. It appeared that the morning session qualified as good. Mangini wants to see his players put bad plays, bad days, behind them, so the evening session will be a test.

The OSU veteran got back to hitting today and said he felt great after sitting out last year with a head injury.

Ohio State had its fifth practice of the preseason today, and by NCAA rules, that meant this was the first day that the Buckeyes went in full pads. So safety Tyler Moeller got back to hitting.

Moeller said he actually got in his first big shot of camp against receiver DeVier Posey on Monday, and he was right in the thick of it today, continuing to work at the star position when the Buckeyes went to their nickel package.

Moeller is coming back after missing last year with a head injury that happened when he was assaulted in a Florida restaurant last July.

"In a nutshell, it means everything to me," Moeller said of being back on the field full-go, after practicing in April but sitting out contact drills. "Playing here is everything to me. Riding the bench for three years and then getting a shot and then getting hurt, to be able to contribute to this team is everything to me."

Moeller did little during the first six months of his recovery, so he said it took a lot to get back into condition. He said during the summer he nearly passed out on three or four occasions during workouts. He said one time "about five trainers were around me ready to call an ambulance for me."

But he said it with a laugh. Now he said he's 100 percent.
 
"I feel really good, I feel really good about this team," Moeller said.

 And he feels really good about quarterback Terrelle Pryor, which Moeller admitted wasn't always the case. The fifth-year player backed up what Pryor said on Sunday, when the quarterback said he used to be arrogant but has matured as a player and a teammate.

"Terrelle is a great player," Moeller said. "You know it's a huge difference when he first got here to now, his maturity and how he became a leader. When he first got here, I don't think too many people liked him, really. He was kind of a punk. But now I have the utmost respect for him. He's a great player and a great leader and I would follow him into battle any day."

"At what point do we realize Huff is not a major league starting pitcher? He has lost ten games and pitched poorly, except for three or four games. I figure we need to score about eight runs any game he pitches. When Talbot returns in two weeks, hopefully our rotation will not include Huff, who is a decent AAA pitcher but not a Major League one." - joedean

View full sizeAP Photo | Keith SrakocicDavid Huff has struggled in 2010 after finding some success in 2009.

In response to the story Sunday defeat doesn't dim Tribe pride in post All-Star performance: Indians Insider, cleveland.com reader joedean is done with David Huff. This reader writes,

"At what point do we realize Huff is not a major league starting pitcher? He has lost ten games and pitched poorly, except for three or four games. I figure we need to score about eight runs any game he pitches. When Talbot returns in two weeks, hopefully our rotation will not include Huff, who is a decent AAA pitcher but not a Major League one."

Browns rookie T.J. Ward was the player fined $1,760 for his cell phone going off in a team meeting Tuesday, nationalfootballpost.com reported. Ward confirmed in a tweet that he got fined Monday, but didn't say for what.

Joshua Gunter / The Plain DealerBrowns rookie T.J. Ward learned the hard way to turn his cell phone off during team meetings.

CLEVELAND -- Browns safety T.J. Ward was the player fined $1,760 for his cell phone going off in a team meeting Monday, nationalfootballpost.com reported.

Ward seems to confirm he was the one with a tweet from Monday that read: got my first fine. That won't ever happen again.

He didn't specify what it was for. The fine was first revealed by fellow rookie defensive back Joe Haden, who tweeted on Monday that someone received the fine for the phone going off. Haden's tweet came just hours after coach Eric Mangini talked to the team about being careful with tweets because of Brandon McDonald's obnoxious post aimed at Terrell Owens.

Haden apologized to Mangini Tuesday for airing team laundry. "I need to make sure I don't reveal what's going on inside the locker room,'' said Haden. "I apologized and he said we were going to move on.''

Haden said he didn't know if he'd get fined for his tweet.

Mangini chuckled when asked about it. "I think our social media policy is a work in progress. I know we're ironing it out. Sometime with ironing you have to apply a little steam.''

He said he'll sit down with Browns President Mike Holmgren and general manager Tom Heckert and work out some guidelines.

This week, PGA pro Scott Pollack of Grantwood Golf Course in Solon explains the correct club alignment at the top of the backswing and demonstrates some drills.

Local pros solve your swing problems in a weekly instruction video at cleveland.com/golf with Plain Dealer columnist Bud Shaw.

This week, PGA pro Scott Pollack of Grantwood Golf Course in Solon explains the correct club alignment at the top of the backswing and demonstrates some drills.

Need help with your game? Explain your problem to golf@plaind.com in an e-mail. We will select one e-mail each week. All videos are archived.

The Ohio State quarterback, with the first-team offense against the first-team defense, escapes pressure and finds DeVier Posey between defenders.

What would Ohio State do with one last play on offense, needing a touchdown to win?

Today, what the Buckeyes did in practice worked.

During their fifth practice of preseason camp, the Buckeyes worked out for the first time in full pads, and they were drenched after a hot morning on their two turf practice fields.

There was a lot of action between the first-team offense and defense, second-team offense and defense and down the line. It began with several goalline plays, then ran through other scenarios set up by Jim Tressel.

The first team offense was the usual, with Mike Adams working at left tackle today. The defense saw Travis Howard replacing Devon Torrence at one corner, with Torrence nursing a hamstring injury. And Andrew Sweat stepped in for Brian Rolle, who missed much of practice with what team spokespeople said was a class. He arrived later in the day. Sweat had been moved to strongside linebacker this camp after playing weakside and middle linebacker in the past. Though Storm Klein has been the middle linebacker with the second team, I think this showed that, if he's not starting, Sweat is clearly the No. 4 linebacker and will step in if any of the three starters go down.

Now, to the play.

Tressel told the team this was the "last play in the world." His scenario: Ball on the 15-yardline, one second left, Ohio State down by 5.

What would the Buckeyes do?

They came out with Terrelle Pryor in the shotgun, running back Brandon Saine to his right. Two receivers go left, with DeVier Posey out wide, covered by Travis Howard, and Dane Sanzenbacher next to him in the slot, covered by Tyler Moeller. Taurian Washington splits out as the third receiver to the right, covered by Chimdi Chekwa, with Jake Stoneburner on the right end of the line as the tight end.

And then this happens.