Center Anderson Varejao, at age 30, gives a relentless, gives the Cleveland Cavaliers a relentless source of energy and rebounding.

The Cleveland Cavaliers' Anderson Varejao, left, tries to steal the ball from Milwaukee's Luc Richard Mbah a Moute in the first quarter of a game on Dec. 14 in Cleveland. Mark Duncan/Associated Press  

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The gift that is Anderson Varejao just keeps on giving to the Cavaliers.

Night after night, game after game, Varejao provides the sort of effort and energy that causes teammates and opponents to marvel. The bounce in his step is matched only by the bounce of his signature curly hair, and he still has plenty of both at the ripe old age of 30. After registering career highs in points (35) and rebounds (23) earlier this season, he's averaging about 14 points and 14 rebounds a game and leads the league in total rebounds, offensive rebounds and defensive rebounds.

"Freakin' relentless," is what Detroit coach Lawrence Frank called him earlier this season.

Cavaliers coach Byron Scott has suffered through two seasons when Varejao was lost with a pair of freak injuries, and he does not want to go through that again in his third year in Cleveland.

"I said that last year," Scott said of Varejao, who has missed three games with a bruised right knee that is not believed to be serious. "We had a couple of injuries and I said the one guy we can't afford to lose is Andy, and I think the next game we lost him for the whole year. He is that valuable to us. He does a little bit of everything for us. He's a guy we never really worry about on the offensive end. I never call a lot of plays for him. I've called maybe one this whole season and he's still averaging a double-double. He's the one guy I know is going to give you everything he's got every single night."

The funny thing is, Varejao, who was playing in Spain, was almost a throw-in to the Plan B then-general manager Jim Paxson was forced to adopt when Carlos Boozer bolted from Cleveland for Utah in the summer of 2004. Orlando just had drafted Dwight Howard with the No. 1 pick that year and added Varejao with the No. 30 pick at the top of the second round.

"We lost our power forward, and we needed another power forward," Paxson, now executive vice president of basketball operations for the Chicago Bulls, said tactfully. "I knew two things based on what Orlando had just done through the draft: Drew Gooden would be expendable and financially they couldn't keep Varejao.

"Drew was the primary focus for sure, but I knew Orlando couldn't do a buyout and Andy wanted to be in the NBA next year."

Paxson had discovered Varejao in Spain, and he made a special trip back to Europe to see him again.

"I was intrigued by his versatility, his motor, how hard he played and his ability to be a good offensive rebounder and get extra possessions," Paxson recalled. "He was a pretty good defender. Now, whether it translated, or did I think he'd be this good and be able to do what he's been able to do night in and night out? No. But I thought that he could be a top eight player on a playoff team."

Of course, Varejao has become much more. He is arguably the Cavs best player -- or is at least tied with point guard Kyrie Irving for that title -- and would be a lock for the All-Star team if the Cavs record was better. As it is, many support his candidacy anyway. "A definite All-Star," said former teammate Antawn Jamison, now with the Lakers.

Added fellow rebounding-machine Joakim Noah of the Chicago Bulls, "Tough player. He's a hard-playing dude. I got to give credit where credit is due. Do I like playing against him? No. He is one of those guys that never takes a play off. I really respect him on and off the court. Brazilians are usually pretty cool people."

Last summer, he was one of the stars on Brazil's Olympic team, which advanced to the medal round before falling to Argentina in the quarterfinals.

"Since I came to Brazil, undoubtedly the participation of Anderson Varejao in the [London] Olympics was his best participation on the team," Brazilian Olympic coach Ruben Magnano said in an email. "Anderson is the type of player who is never satisfied. He fights constantly to be the best. . . . It motivates him."

Like Scott, Magnano realizes Varejao contributes things that won't show up in a box score.

"Anderson is a very important element for the Brazilian national team," the coach said. "Not only by the technical quality and player quality, but also the human quality. He is a key player in the team for all situations of the game."

Such compliments seem to make Varejao nervous. He says he's been getting a lot of emails and tweets from fans and friends in Brazil assuring him that he'll make the All-Star team.

"I tell them, 'Stop talking about that,' " he says with a smile.

Yet he acknowledges that the honor would be an accomplishment.

"It would mean a lot," he said. "It's a good thing to have in my career. But it's not something I focus on. I just focus on getting better every day and helping my team and trying to get as many wins as we can to try to get into the playoffs. But it would be a great thing in my career."

He continues to be a defensive force and is smart enough to have adjusted his game enough to not have been fined for flopping under the NBA's new stringent rules -- even though he readily admits that was a part of his game when he was younger. The most notable difference to Cavs fans this season is Varejao's involvement in the offense. Only Irving touches the ball more in any given game. Varejao dismissed the notion that perhaps he was taking up some of the slack -- and the shots -- caused by the departure of Jamison.

"Coach tells me to shoot the ball," Varejao said. "He tells me to be aggressive in the offense. Our offense is a little bit different this season. I have the ball in my hands a lot. That way you have a feeling [for the ball]. It's not like when you get the ball and have to shoot it and you really don't get the feel of it.

"I think all that . . . and confidence. When your coach is telling you to shoot the ball and be aggressive, it's a different game. And minutes. The more you play, the more you're going to score, the better numbers you'll get. It's a new season. I'm excited. I had two tough seasons getting hurt. Now I'm healthy and trying to enjoy every game."

Of course, the better he plays, the more trade rumors will swirl, although there has been no indication from the Cavs that they're shopping him and no indication Varejao wants out.

Jamison, for one, can't imagine the Cavs without him. Not bad for a guy who was almost an afterthought eight years ago.

Said Jamison of Varejao, "He's the face of that franchise."

Browns linebacker Scott Fujita teams up with University Hospitals staff members Mary Jo Elmo and Dr. Raymond Onders up to aid ALS-stricken football player Steve Gleason, who was a teammate of Fujita on the New Orleans Saints.

Mary Jo Elmo was driving her Subaru Outback home from work 10 months ago, listening to sports talk radio when her curiosity and Scott Fujita's advocacy intersected somewhere on the road to Lyndhurst.

Elmo, a lifelong Browns fan and University Hospitals nurse practitioner, heard the hosts discussing a Super Bowl pregame feature NBC had aired on former New Orleans Saints special teams ace Steve Gleason. A year earlier, he had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a terminal disease that erodes the nerves controlling voluntary muscle movement and leads to paralysis. The hosts mentioned Gleason was a good friend of Fujita, the Browns linebacker who had done countless interviews promoting the fight against ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

Fujita had become one of Elmo's favorite players in part because she considers him so well spoken. And, also really cute. In terms of her football evaluation, Elmo admits to being "shallow" that way.

But that night, as she typed the keywords "Fujita" and "friend" and "ALS" into her computer, she was driven by empathy. For nine years, she had worked for Dr. Raymond Onders, who helped developed the Diaphragm Pacing System, which has allowed hundreds of spinal cord and ALS patients to breathe easier through electrical stimulation.

Onders had been performing the procedure at University Hospitals since 2000. His third patient was Superman, or at least the actor who portrayed him.

As her research expanded, Elmo discovered Gleason was a celebrity, too. She learned how his blocked punt in the Saints' first home game after Hurricane Katrina is considered one of the franchise's greatest plays. How he lives by the mantras, "No White Flags" and "Awesome Ain't Easy." How he created a video journal for his son, Rivers, knowing he probably would not live long enough to see the boy graduate from high school.

Elmo wondered that night if Gleason was aware of diaphragm pacing or that the doctor most accomplished in the field lived in Cleveland. Locating Fujita's website, she wrote him an email, outlining the benefits and attaching corresponding links.

As Elmo pressed send, she had no idea what the next 10 months held in store. She could not have foreseen Fujita's challenges or Gleason's triumphs and travails.

She told no one of the email. Three days later, her phone rang. She recognized the voice immediately.

"I'm Scott Fujita. I'd like some information on the pacing thing."

A friendship blossoms

Fujita always gets a smile on his face when he remembers meeting Gleason. He had just signed a free-agent deal with a franchise that, like so many of New Orleans' residents, had been displaced from its home in the fall of 2005 due to Katrina.

Some tried to dissuade him on New Orleans, citing the city's upheaval. But Fujita and his wife, Jaclyn, wanted to be part of the Gulf Coast's rebirth. One of the first persons to befriend them was the city's patron Saint.

Fujita was taking part in a conditioning program during the spring of 2006 when he met Gleason. Almost all his new teammates were in the weight room except for a free spirit who sat in the fieldhouse doing yoga.

"I said, 'Who is the guy with long hair?' and people said, 'That's Steve Gleason, he's on his own program,' " Fujita recalled. "I thought right then, 'I could get into this guy.' "

The Fujitas moved downtown and Gleason served as their tour guide to its vibrant culture. Everybody knew Gleason and Gleason knew everybody, his autographed picture hanging like a seal of approval in so many bars and restaurants. The player who Fujita calls the "adopted son of New Orleans" even married a local girl, Michel Varisco.

In Katrina's wake, Gleason's foundation launched "Backpacks for Hope," an initiative providing relief to young hurricane victims in the form of school supplies.

Gleason played seven NFL seasons, all with the Saints. He is best remembered for one play, a blocked punt in the team's first game back in the Superdome on Sept. 25, 2006, that resulted in a touchdown. The moment, captured on national television, became so synonymous with the city's comeback a bronze statue would be erected outside the stadium.

"I never want to overstate football's importance but there was such a connection between the team and the city that year," Fujita said. "It was an emotional wave that carried the team and the city through the rebuilding effort."

Gleason retired in 2008 and the next year began working as a consultant for a clean-energy company. Fujita shares Gleason's passion for environmental issues, as any Browns rookie caught throwing a Styrofoam container in the recycle bin can attest.

Fujita joined the Browns in 2010 after helping deliver a Super Bowl to New Orleans. He returned to the Bayou with his new team that season and played one of his best games as Brown. On that trip, however, Gleason confided that he had begun to experience odd twitching in the muscles of his upper arm and chest.

As doctors began ruling out possible causes, Fujita recalled losing an uncle to ALS, a disease that kills about two in every 100,000 people annually, according to the ALS Association. The average life expectancy is two to five years from time of diagnosis.

In the first week of January 2011, Fujita was at his California home when he received news from Gleason. The linebacker wept so uncontrollably his wife ran into living room assuming a close relative had died.

"We are football guys, we've always been in this football culture and at some point you want to hear someone say, 'Get back on that line and run another gasser, get back on the line and keep running.' " Fujita recalled. "Steve said to me, 'At some point, Bro, I might need you to keep me running,' And that's where we both kind of lost it on the phone.

"Anything I can do to help keep him running, I am all in."

Tumult and teaching

As Fujita helped his friend connect with medical personnel at University Hospitals in February 2012, he took a moment to consider "how the stars had to align" to make it possible.

What were the odds that Mary Jo Elmo, who helps treat ALS patients with a new technology, would be listening to Cleveland sports talk radio at the exact moment the hosts were discussing his friendship with Gleason?

Fujita is a board member of Team Gleason, a foundation that advocates for technological advances benefiting Lou Gehrig patients. Until Elmo's email, Gleason and his supporters were unaware of the pacing system, which received Food and Drug Administration approval for the treatment of ALS last year.

Through a series of correspondences, Elmo and Onders explained to the Gleasons how the device works. Four electrodes, or stainless steel wires as thin as dental floss, are implanted in the diaphragm. They are controlled by a hand-held, battery-powered external pulse generator that stimulates the diaphragm and causes the muscles to contract. Clinical trials showed patients delayed the need for tracheotomy ventilation by 16 months.

Approximately 30,000 Americans live with the disease, but only about 3,300 can benefit from the pacing system for various reasons, according to the ALS Association. To qualify, a patient must show signs of decreased respiratory function but also remain healthy enough to undergo surgery.

In April, Onders and Gleason met in New Orleans for a consultation. The doctor had watched the Super Bowl special and learned of Gleason's desire to provide and develop leading-edge technology for ALS patients. Gleason also was raising money for the nation's second ALS skilled-care residence, to be built in New Orleans.

"Steve is a very courageous man," Onders said. "When he got the disease he didn't try to hide it. He has given people hope through his work."

Fujita had witnessed a gradual deterioration in his friend's motor skills. The teammate who ran down fields fearlessly hurtling his body at kick returners was confined to a wheelchair in May when Gleason and Fujita traveled to New York to address a Social Innovation Summit at the United Nations.

They told the assembly how synthetic voice and eye tracking technology could assist ALS patients in the absence of a cure. The Team Gleason Foundation earned a $25,000 Chase Community Giving Award grant during the three-day event.

"Save my voice, my lungs and my thumbs, and I promise to change the world," Gleason told his audience.

As Fujita advocated for ALS awareness, he was blindsided by a charge that called into question his commitment to player safety. He was one of four players suspended by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell for allegedly contributing to a bounty program run by a New Orleans assistant coach.

Fujita, who initially received a three-game ban, maintained his innocence. He's an executive board member of the NFL Players Association who championed player-safety reform during the last collective bargaining agreement in 2011.

It proved to be an emotional and volatile summer for the 33-year-old linebacker as he prepared for Browns training camp.

"Initially, I was very angry," Fujita said. "It's difficult to compete with this headline, sound-bite culture where they can express their message loudly and clearly and a lot more frequently than I can. All I could do was tell the truth. I would put my track record for player health and safety up against the league's any day of the week."

Debate over the impact of concussions and long-term brain damage has raged in NFL circles for two years. Is there a link between repeated head trauma and ALS? Onders has not seen evidence of it.

Fujita said "in my heart" he believes there's a connection between all the hits Gleason absorbed and his condition, but thinks his friend takes the most reasoned approach.

"27 NFL players have died from ALS over the past 60 yrs. Shocking?!," Gleason wrote on his Twitter account. "27 ALS patients, who never played in the NFL, will die today #CureALS."

As Fujita fought the NFL and dealt with a preseason knee injury he drew strength from Gleason, who has jumped out of airplanes, taken canoe trips and traveled cross country since his ALS diagnosis.

Gleason has compiled video journals teaching his son lessons most parents take for granted. One clip shows him teaching Rivers the proper technique for skipping stones.

"It was so pure and raw and sweet," Fujita said. "The legacy Steve is trying to leave behind to his son I think has helped make me a better dad."

View full size Mary Jo Elmo, left, a nurse at University Hospitals in Cleveland, helped Steve Gleason, a friend of Browns player Scott Fujita, get medical help for ALS from Dr. Raymond Onders, right. The operation by Onders helped Gleason breathe more normally as he battles the disease. Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer  

Disease hits home

Onders can still picture Tom Conlan, the first spinal cord patient implanted with a pacing system, answering questions about the procedure during a 2000 news conference.

The moment culminated three years of research and development alongside Dr. J. Thomas Mortimer at the Case Western Reserve University of Medicine. The next news conference, three years later, attracted an even larger audience.

The late Christopher Reeve, the paralyzed actor who had played Superman, spent four days in Cleveland under the veil of secrecy before addressing a media mob at University Hospitals on March 13, 2003. Reeve told reporters of how his hospital room fell silent the first time his ventilator was shut off.

"All you could hear is me breathing through my nose," he said. "I haven't heard that sound since May 1995."

The exposure from the Reeve surgery landed Onders on the "Today Show." The appearance yielded an unexpected and fortuitous bonus. One of Katie Couric's friends had suffered from ALS, and she convinced the host to ask the doctor if his pacing system could work for Lou Gehrig patients. "It definitely piqued my interest," Onders said.

In 2005, he implanted the electrodes in 49-year-old Susan Larson, of Rogers, Ark., making her the first person with ALS to undergo the surgery.

For the past 15 years, Onders has dedicated himself to increasing the quality of life for more than 600 spinal-cord and ALS patients. Last March, however, he could do nothing to ease the suffering of his sister, Carol Williams, who died of Lou Gehrig's disease. She was among the thousands of patients whose condition disqualified her to receive her brother's care.

Onders, who comes from a family of 10 kids, hopes medical science can find the breakthrough to cure a disease that adds more than 5,000 new diagnoses each year. Until then, he will pursue innovation that gives people such as Gleason more mobility and freedom.

View full size Scott Fujita's Cleveland Browns teammates have taken a major interest in Steve Gleason's battle with ALS. Many of the Browns got together for a picture wearing various Team Gleason shirts. Fujita and Steve Gleason are former New Orleans Saints teammates helping to provide leading-edge technology for ALS patients. Gleason was diagnosed with the disease on Jan. 5, 2011. Fujita serves on the board of Team Gleason. Courtesy of Scott Fujita, used with permission  

Promise kept

The most chaotic and abbreviated regular season of Fujita's 11-year career began with him training alone at Baldwin Wallace University due to his three-game suspension. The linebacker was close enough to his teammates to hear the sounds of practice, yet powerless to help them get ready for the Sept. 9 opener against Philadelphia.

"Weirdest thing about training at Baldwin Wallace this week is hearing the whistles/horns at my team's practice, literally a [quarter]-mile away," Fujita wrote on his Twitter account Sept. 7.

Within hours of posting the Tweet, a three-member appeals panel overturned Goodell's suspensions, but gave the commissioner the power to apply future discipline. The wrangling went unabated throughout the fall as Fujita fought for vindication.

The Browns welcomed him back into the locker room and lineup. Teammates had begun to take serious interest in Gleason's story. Special teams ace Ray Ventrone always had admired his play. Early in Ventrone's career, a coach had advised him to model his game after Gleason's.

Ventrone ordered a Team Gleason T-shirt and posed with a group of teammates wearing them as a show of support.

"He was an incredible football player," Ventrone said. "It is so hard to see him have to deal with this huge obstacle that is probably going to take his life at some point. But the way he's handling it and raising awareness about ALS is really inspiring."

While the disease has paralyzed much of Gleason's body, it hasn't touched his mind. He uses eye-tracking technology to communicate with friends and fans.

Among his recent Tweets:

"Experts say I will die in 2-3 years. With perseverance, support, technology & creativity we will prove them wrong. U in?! –SG"

"Typing with your hands, fingers or thumbs is sooooo . . . 2011."

Gleason's resilience has helped Fujita deal with adverse times. In late October, an old neck injury flared and ended his season, possibly his career. Fujita admits he's contemplating retirement.

Although he missed being a part of the team, the premature finish to his season enabled him to devote more time to family and causes. It also allowed him the freedom to spend three days with Gleason earlier this month as doctors determined it was time to have the pacing system implanted.

Fujita rented a wheelchair-accessible van and met his friend and traveling party at the airport on Dec. 4. A day later, Gleason was wheeled into the same outpatient surgery center room where Reeve had his procedure. Onders required just 45 minutes to complete the task.

The doctor is a lifelong Browns fan, and he's heard the stories of the brotherhood that exists among men who play this violent game. He witnessed it over the course of two days. With Gleason's wife back in New Orleans tending to the couple's son, Fujita shepherded his friend through his stay at University Hospitals. He sat in the waiting room during surgery and at Gleason's bedside after it was over. He helped lift his friend onto tables and into his wheelchair.

Fujita was honoring his promise: Anything to keep his "Bro" running.

"Steve is still so upbeat and positive," Fujita said. "He still has a great smile and a helluva sense of humor. We were kind of the life of the party on our hospital floor."

The only downer was that Gleason and Fujita didn't unite with the woman who helped make their trip possible. Honoring a commitment made months earlier, Elmo was in Chicago for an ALS symposium.

Gleason and Fujita thanked her using Twitter. Elmo said she was happy to play a small part in Gleason's trip to Cleveland.

The good news continued the following week as former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, appointed to handle the second round of bounty appeals, vacated all the player suspensions. He went a step further in Fujita's case, observing the linebacker engaged in no "conduct detrimental to the league." The ruling served as vindication for Fujita, who hasn't spoken publicly about the findings, but is no doubt thrilled with the verdict.

Fujita plans to spend Christmas with his wife and three girls in California. "I love being able to re-live being a kid on Christmas morning, through their eyes."

Gleason will be surrounded by family and close friends in New Orleans, while Elmo will celebrate with her mother in Lyndhurst.

The Onders clan is gathering in Independence, and the doctor says the family will remember Carol, who it lost to ALS 20 months ago. He plans to keep Gleason in his thoughts, too.

His diaphragm-pacing system has brought international acclaim to Onders and comfort to many of its recipients. It saddens him, however, that their stories always end the same.

"The best thing in the world," he said. "would be a day when no one needs this device."

Highlights include five NBA games.

CLEVELAND, Ohio

Today's TV and radio sports listings

MEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

7:30 p.m. Diamond Head Classic, third place, ESPN2

9:30 p.m. Diamond Head Classic, championship, ESPN2

NBA

Noon Boston at Brooklyn, ESPN

3 p.m. New York at L.A. Lakers, WEWS

5:30 p.m. Oklahoma City at Miami, WEWS

8 p.m. Houston at Chicago, ESPN

10:30 p.m. Denver at L.A. Clippers, ESPN

Cleveland Browns coach Pat Shurmur acknowledges "looming change," but says the football team is "much improved" from a season ago.

A day after a second consecutive lopsided loss, Browns coach Pat Shurmur said his club is "much improved" from a season ago and better positioned to "make the next jump."

With speculation rampant that new Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and CEO Joe Banner plan to replace coach Pat Shurmur and general manager Tom Heckert, Shurmur sees team improvement amid "looming change." Joshua Gunter, The Plain Dealer  

Acknowledging "looming change," Shurmur believes the team is relevant again, an important step toward reaching the playoffs. The coach made the remarks Monday when entertaining questions about whether he's witnessed progress in a season that's included five victories, one more than last year.

"I think . . . as a team, and I'm talking about the way we function and the young players we added, we are much improved from a year ago," Shurmur said.

The Browns (5-10) have followed a three-game winning streak -- one which saw them hanging on the fringe of the playoff race -- with two losses to Washington and Denver by a combined score of 72-33.

Speculation is rampant that new owner Jimmy Haslam and CEO Joe Banner plan to replace Shurmur and general manager Tom Heckert. The Browns close the season Sunday in Pittsburgh and Banner has promised a quick decision on those positions.

"I do think we are building a team that is relevant, and you have to be relevant before you become a playoff team," Shurmur said. "Once you're in the playoffs, anything can happen. We've seen that. So, it's somewhat of a journey . . . and we've had to make this journey this year with change, right, and looming change and so that's what you push through. . . . As we push through this, we've got to keep making decisions based on making this team better and unfortunately that involves change, too."

140 characters: Shurmur spoke to Josh Cribbs about his profane Tweet to followers after Sunday's game. The coach's message: He shouldn't be reading fan feedback moments after a loss.

"That's not acceptable," Shurmur said of the Tweet. "You know we had a little conversation about why I don't like that, how he shouldn't do that and I think he's remorseful and I added to that he shouldn't be reading Tweets after the game as well.

"I think [from] the outside looking in on a locker room, you folks report on it but emotions are raw when you don't win a game, and I think he understands that and it's very important that you try to gather yourself and gain composure. We're all competitive people but it's also important that we use good judgment. I think part of using good judgment is don't read that stuff."

Cribbs had a 61-yard punt return nullified by penalty and also fumbled a punt that the Broncos recovered and eventually turned into a touchdown. Last week, he won the fans vote for Pro Bowl AFC Special Teams player. But on Sunday, he was clearly perturbed by some comments he received from them and lashed out:

"I see all the negativity on twitter after I gave my life to this [stuff]," he Tweeted. "So 2 all u who are against me [expletive] all y'all. I'm still gonna do me!"

Cribbs deleted the Tweet, but later made reference to his frustration with a series of posts. Shurmur declined to say whether Cribbs had been fined for his actions.

Decisions, decisions: Shurmur defended his decision to kick off to the Broncos and quarterback Peyton Manning after winning the toss Sunday. The coach often has deferred to the second half, but some questioned the wisdom of doing it against the high-powered Broncos. Manning guided them on an eight-play, 80-yard drive -- their third opening-drive touchdown in the past four weeks.

"Because I like having the ability to get the ball in the second half," Shurmur said when asked of his strategy. "I trust our defense. I knew we were going to get good field position. I trust our defense. That's why. . . . Unfortunately, they went down and scored. We got the ball and went down and scored as well but we got three instead of seven."

Clean hit? Shurmur saw nothing wrong with Brandon Stokley's hit that concussed Browns cornerback Sheldon Brown during the second quarter Sunday. The Broncos receiver was flagged for pass interference on a play in which he appeared to lunge into a defenseless Brown on a crossing pattern. It's common for receivers to try to pick or "rub" a defensive back, but not drive their shoulder into the targeted player.

"I don't think anybody was trying to hurt anybody," Shurmur said. ". . . Properly called a foul but I don't think anybody was trying to hurt somebody."

Browns cornerback Joe Haden believes the NFL office should look into the hit for a possible fine.

Miller out: The Steelers will be without Heath Miller in the finale on Sunday. The tight end, who's had some big games against the Browns, suffered a devastating right knee injury against Cincinnati. He tore his anterior cruciate ligament along with several others. The Pittsburgh Post Gazette reports Miller will require surgery and extensive offseason rehabilitation, according to coach Mike Tomlin. Miller also sustained injuries to his posterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments.

Quotebook: Shurmur on the Browns' chance to sweep the Steelers for the first time since 1988: "Well, we all know important the rivalry is with the Steelers, so yeah, it would be a big deal."

Brownies: The Browns have now lost 10 straight to the Broncos. . . . Browns guard John Greco sustained a thumb injury, but Shurmur said he's "OK" which would imply he he'll play Sunday.

The London Olympics were a Games to remember, but there were other meaningful images from 2012, as well.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - When you look back at 2012 The Year in Sports, one of the first thoughts that comes to mind is the London Olympics.

With Beijing 2008 as a tough act to follow, London put a British spin on the Games and produced a two-week exhibition of organization, charm and competition that drew raves around the globe.

As Plain Dealer reporter Tim Warsinskey wrote in his final Olympics story from London:

The wettest spring and early summer on record in London came to a screeching halt just in time for the Games of the XXX Olympiad.

It's a nice way of saying everything fell into place almost perfectly for Great Britain's great Olympics. Its capital alternately braced for and welcomed 10,000 athletes from 204 countries, 20,000 media members and nearly 8 million spectators.

If London 2012 is a reflection of London itself, the city should bask in the image. It threw a 17-day party to which the world came and left buzzing, especially after Sunday night's British rock concert disguised as the Closing Ceremony.

The host team always gets a medals bump, and Team GB was no exception as British fans savored every podium finish. When each British equestrian athlete, boxer or cyclist won a gold medal, cheers rocked the venues as if it were a World Cup final. To hear and see 23,000 people go crazy at equestrian truly was extraordinary.

They had a great time. So did everyone else.

But the last 12 months featured more memorable images than just the Olympics. Here is a look at some of the most memorable photos from the year in sports, 2012.

And don't miss the slideshow of the best Northeast Ohio sports photos of 2012 taken by Plain Dealer staff photographers, which posted Monday; as well as The Plain Dealer's list of the Top 12 Cleveland-area High School Sports Stories of 2012.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Glenville lineman Marcelys Jones gave Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer an extra Christmas present on Tuesday morning when he orally committed to play for the Buckeyes. Jones, a junior tackle, is Ohio State's first pledge for the Class of 2014. Jones announced his Christmas morning decision on Twitter, tweeting, "Just Verbal Committed To Ohio State."...

Glenville lineman Marcelys Jones became the first prospect from the Class of 2014 to commit to play for Ohio State on Tuesday morning. - (Courtesy of Rivals.com)

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Glenville lineman Marcelys Jones gave Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer an extra Christmas present on Tuesday morning when he orally committed to play for the Buckeyes.

Jones, a junior tackle, is Ohio State's first pledge for the Class of 2014. Jones announced his Christmas morning decision on Twitter, tweeting, "Just Verbal Committed To Ohio State."

Jones, who is 6-foot-4 and 325 pounds, also had offers from Illinois and Indiana with lots more expected.

He was recruited to play guard and tackle for the Buckeyes. Jones is not yet rated by national scouting services Rivals.com and Scout.com.

We know the biggest NBA name out there won't be in the Slam Dunk Contest—but a smaller one could be worth watching.

View full size LeBron James mercifully put to rest what had become an annual will-he/won't-he saga regarding his participation AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee  

Columnist Terry Pluto takes times during the holidays to say "thank you" to the readers.

I'm writing this on Christmas morning, because part of Christmas morning is not about gifts.

At least, it's not about gifts under the tree or gifts that came in the mail.

It's not about turning this column into a deep theological discussion.

It's about the gift of a grateful heart.

That's what beats inside me this morning -- a heart that says, "Thank you."

As in, "Thank you . . . to YOU, the readers." You are one of God's best gifts to me.

I'm grateful that you are there, be it reading in the newspaper or online.

I'm grateful that you still care about our teams and tell me about them. So often, they are like confused, under-achieving children who make us wonder, "Will they ever grow up and get it right?"

I'll also quote one of my mentors, former Cleveland News, Plain Dealer and News-Herald columnist Hal Lebovitz. He often said he was grateful that we had teams in town to follow. He knows of what he speaks, because Hal fought so hard to keep the Tribe from moving. He was a huge supporter of the Cavaliers when they came to town in 1970.

And he was very close to Art Modell, but never spoke to the former Browns owner after he moved the team to Baltimore. That's because Hal knew there was only one thing worse than a bad Browns team -- no Browns team in Cleveland.

For those in the newspaper business, the teams give us something to write about.

And yes, to complain about.

But none of that matters unless we have readers . . . readers like you.

Just as I'm not dealing with theological issues this morning, nor will I engage in a discussion of where the newspaper business is headed -- and what the ever-growing coverage on the Internet means.

But the bottom line is that I still write words about the teams . . . and so many of you still read them.

Only now, it's in different formats. In fact, more of you read us than ever before.

I receive emails from across the globe. I'm serious, they come in from fans all over the world -- when the Browns are sold, when the Indians actually spend big for free agent Nick Swisher.

I've heard from fans in the military stationed in Afghanistan and the Middle East who are worried about what the Browns will do when it comes to the general manager and coaching situations.

That's because sports works best as a diversion from real life.

And I consider it a privilege to be allowed to write things that give you some relief from the everyday, emotionally draining battles.

When I was in my early teens, I used to help my mother at her job. Mary Pluto worked in different bowling centers around town. She had me clean the rental bowling shoes when they were returned.

Now that was work. Real work.

For several summers in high school and college, I worked at the old Fisher-Fazio food warehouse, where my father had worked his way from the line to a superintendent position. The guys there treated me great.

But that was real work, too.

My degree is secondary education and social studies. To become certified, I taught six months at Lincoln West, six classes of social studies a day. Three different preparations.

That was not only work, but the most demanding job I've ever had. So I am grateful that I've been able to write sports in my hometown for you.

And after 32 years of doing that at The Plain Dealer and the Akron Beacon-Journal, I just want to say thank you that you are still there. Still reading. Still responding. Still caring.

You are a tremendous blessing to me and all of us in the newspaper business.

To reach Terry Pluto: terrypluto2003@yahoo.com; 216-999-4674 Previous columns online: cleveland.com/columns

Since the Browns faced them Nov. 25 in Cleveland, the Steelers have gotten their starting quarterback back. Instead of feeding off Ben Roethlisberger's return, though, they fizzled.

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will lead his team onto the field in Pittsburgh on Sunday as the Steelers host the Browns in a mostly meaningless season finale for both teams. An injured Roethlisberger missed the first meeting between the AFC North rivals last month in Cleveland, a game the Browns won, 20-14. GENE J. PUSKAR / ASSOCIATED PRESS  

Since the Browns faced them Nov. 25 in Cleveland, the Steelers have gotten their starting quarterback back. Instead of feeding off Ben Roethlisberger's return, though, they fizzled.

Roethlisberger, by his own admission, has been a major part of the problem.

The Steelers (7-8) are 0-3 since Roethlisberger returned from multiple injuries. The most recent loss, last weekend against the Bengals at Heinz Field, eliminated the Steelers from playoff contention. They need to defeat the Browns on Sunday to avoid the first losing season in Mike Tomlin's six years as coach.

"Not our year," Tomlin told reporters after the Cincinnati game. "Just not enough significant plays at the [right] moments. Sounds like a broken record, but [it's] reality. As we sit here, we accept responsibility for it."

Since 2001, Pittsburgh has followed a two-on, one-off script: Make the playoffs in consecutive seasons with double-digit victory totals, then miss with a single-digit total. With the Philadelphia Eagles also eliminated, this is the first year since 1999 that a Pennsylvania team did not qualify for the playoffs.

Roethlisberger was performing at a high level until Nov. 12 against Kansas City, when a sack forced him to exit because of a shoulder sprain and dislocated rib. Byron Leftwich relieved and helped the Steelers win, 16-13, in overtime. It was their fourth straight victory, pushing their record to 6-3.

The following Sunday against Baltimore, Leftwich made his first start since 2009 and played poorly in a 13-10 loss at Heinz Field. Leftwich cracked ribs during the game, so 37-year-old Charlie Batch was next man up.

Batch, 5-2 as a sub starter since his debut with Pittsburgh in 2003, had not thrown a pass in a game that mattered since Dec. 24, 2011. His rust was on full display in his season's debut against the Browns. His ineffectiveness factored heavily in the Browns' 20-14 victory in Cleveland.

At that point, with uncertainty still surrounding Roethlisberger's health and other injuries dotting the roster, the Steelers appeared to be cooked. But Batch shocked the world with a stellar performance in leading Pittsburgh to a 23-20 victory in Baltimore.

When Roethlisberger returned the following week for a home game against struggling San Diego, Steelers fans had every right to think their team was ready to flip the proverbial switch. Except it didn't happen. The Chargers built a 24-point lead in the third quarter and hung on for a 34-24 victory. The bulk of Roethlisberger's decent stat line came too late.

The Steelers traveled to Dallas, where the game went into overtime. The Steelers received the ball first and had a second-and-3 from their 27. Roethlisberger attempted to connect with Mike Wallace on an out-route to the right sideline, but the throw never got there. Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr intercepted and returned to the 1. The Cowboys kicked a field goal and won, 27-24.

After that game, Roethlisberger questioned some of the decisions of offensive coordinator Todd Haley. Roethlisberger later apologized, and he and Haley seemed to have patched their differences in time for kickoff against the Bengals. No matter. The Steelers kept stumbling.

In the first quarter, Bengals cornerback Leon Hall intercepted Roethlisberger and returned it 17 yards for the game's first points. With the score tied in the final minute of the fourth, Bengals safety Reggie Nelson intercepted near midfield as Roethlisberger overshot Wallace. Cincinnati turned it into a Josh Brown field goal with four seconds left and a 13-10 victory.

"We had a chance to win the game, and I blew it," Roethlisberger said. "We should be [in the playoffs] if it wasn't for me."

Ouch.

Roethlisberger finished 14-of-28 for 220 yards, one TD and the two interceptions. He was sacked four times and posted a "Total QBR" of 7.1 (scale of 100). He owns a 28.7 QBR in the past three games.

The Browns' victory Nov. 25 snapped a four-game losing streak to Pittsburgh. The Steelers have won 16 of 18 in the series since November 2003.

Offensive overview The Steelers have been decimated by injuries, especially on the offensive line. Nine linemen have made two or more starts, leading to inconsistency in the passing and running games. Pittsburgh ranks 21st in total yards -- 11th in passing yards and 26th in rushing yards.

Pittsburgh quarterbacks have been sacked 35 times. According to ESPN Stats and Information, the Bengals sacked Ben Roethlisberger four times on 24 dropbacks when sending a standard pass rush. It marked the most times he has been sacked against four or fewer rushers over the past two seasons.

Roethlisberger was 1-of-8 on third down against Cincinnati, including Hall's pick-6. Roethlisberger entered with an NFL-best 90.4 QBR on third down; he had converted 49.5 percent of his third-down passes into first downs.

As underwhelming as Batch was Nov. 25, his running backs were worse. All four lost fumbles, part of Pittsburgh's eight total and five lost.

Defensive overview Regardless of injuries and inevitable roster turnover, coordinator Dick LeBeau's attacking 3-4 continues to deliver. The Steelers have allowed the fewest yards in the NFL (4,093), comfortably in front of San Francisco (4,448).

Against the Bengals, the Steelers sacked quarterback Andy Dalton six times and intercepted him twice. Dalton threw for 278 yards, which basically was Cincinnati's offense. The Bengals had 16 rushes for 14 yards and zero first downs on the ground. Safety Troy Polamalu had eight tackles and one of the sacks in his sixth game of the season.

Polamalu did not play against Cleveland because of injury Nov. 25, a game in which Browns rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden was 17-of-26 for 158 yards, one touchdown and one interception. The interception was a pick-6 off a batted pass at the line. The Steelers sacked Weeden four times that day. Pittsburgh's front seven thrives on creating confusion via the zone blitz. LeBeau decided to drop more linebackers into coverage against Weeden, who has been hesitant to throw into populated areas.

The Browns were able to run periodically against the Steelers. Trent Richardson gained 85 yards on 29 carries, the bulk of his team's 108 yards on 34 carries. Last Sunday in Denver, Weeden injured his right shoulder and Richardson his left ankle. At this point, neither has been ruled out for the finale.

Special teams overview Shaun Suisham is 27-of-30 on field goals and 31-of-31 on extra points. His longest field goal is 52 yards. Drew Butler is averaging 44.0 yards gross and 37.6 net on 71 punts. Rookie Chris Rainey has returned the vast majority of the kickoffs (37 for 26.7-yard average) and Antonio Brown most of the punts (26 for 6.7-yard average).

Brandon Weeden and Colt McCoy were no match for their counterpart, Peyton Manning.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Quarterback is the most important position in football and arguably the most important position in all of pro sports.

Of the quarterback's many responsibilities, throwing the ball is by far the most important -- especially in today's NFL.

The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com are tracking the Cleveland Browns' passing plays this season using a series of categories. The objective is to search for clues/patterns/tendencies that can help explain why rookie Brandon Weeden -- or, if the need arises, a sub -- performed the way he did.

In Week 16 at Denver, the Weeden Report Card became the Browns Quarterbacks Report Card.

Browns rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden completed 12 of 19 passes for 104 yards before being forced to the sideline because of a shoulder injury in the third quarter. Colt McCoy relieved and threw his first passes of the season, going 9 of 17 for 79 yards and one touchdown. Weeden and McCoy were no match for their counterpart, Peyton Manning, who was 30 of 43 for 339 yards and three touchdowns as the Broncos rolled, 34-12. Manning threw an interception in the end zone and rested late, or the margin could have been wider.

In real time, Weeden and McCoy were mediocre-to-bad on the vast majority of snaps. They were not much better upon dvr review of the CBS telecast.

Here are some other observations:

1. Weeden's team lost.

The skinny: The Browns slipped to 5-10 with Weeden as the starter. A .333 efficiency is excellent for a hitter, terrible for a quarterback. In fairness to Weeden, the Browns likely would not have prevailed even if he had been outstanding because Manning is performing at such a high level. Manning and the Denver offense essentially toyed with the Browns' defense; if they had needed 40, they would have scored 40.

Weeden's struggles in the win-loss column are magnified by the success of the other four rookie quarterbacks with whom he is most mentioned: Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Ryan Tannehill and Russell Wilson.

• Luck, drafted No. 1 overall by Indianapolis, has helped turn a 2-14 sad sack in 2011 into a playoff team at 10-5. Luck has won eight of 10.

• Griffin, No. 2 overall by Washington, has carried the Redskins from 5-11 to the cusp of the playoffs at 9-6. The Redskins have won six straight -- five with Griffin starting and one with 2012 fourth-rounder Kirk Cousins (at Cleveland).

• Tannehill, No. 8 overall by Miami, has helped the Dolphins improve from 6-10 to 7-8.

• Wilson, third round by Seattle, has factored heavily in the Seahawks going from 7-9 to a playoff team at 10-5. Seattle has won six of seven overall and is 7-0 at home.

The Browns were 4-12 last season, so Weeden can point to a slight improvement in his team's fortunes. But it is nowhere near enough to keep up with Luck, Griffin and Wilson.

2. Manning made Weeden/McCoy seem almost slapstick.

The skinny: It is no shame to be outplayed by Manning, one of the game's all-time greats at his position. To be outclassed, though, is another matter. When Manning was on the field, the refrain could have been: "This is how an NFL offense is run.'' When Weeden/McCoy were on the field, it was: "Yikes.''

3. Weeden/McCoy dinked and dunked, as usual.

The skinny: Weeden averaged 5.5 yards per pass; McCoy, 4.6. Together, they managed to pull off a difficult feat in the 21st-century NFL: Average below 4.0 yards (3.9) on 35-plus attempts (36). Add the minus-21 net yards from six sacks and three scrambles, and Weeden/McCoy averaged 3.6 yards on 45 non-penalty dropbacks. That is downright Paleolithic.

Each player was guilty of being prisoner of the dink-and-dunk mindset.

For Weeden, the most egregious example occurred on his first drive. On third-and-goal from the Denver 9, Weeden locked on to Josh Cooper crossing from left to right. Cooper flashed open, so it was all good -- except the throw had no chance at a touchdown. As Cooper caught the ball at the 9, one Bronco was on him in an instant, with a second available for clean-up. Cooper was dragged down and had the ball pop loose after he hit the ground. What should have been a completion was ruled an incompletion, but either way, it didn't matter. The pass never threatened the end zone -- an all-too-common issue for Weeden deep in opponent territory this year.

McCoy's most egregious d-and-d came on third-and-5 from the Cleveland 33 early in the fourth quarter. With the Browns trailing, 24-6, and his pocket relatively clean, McCoy opted for a screen to Chris Ogbonnaya. The Broncos saw it all the way. Ogbonnaya caught the ball five yards behind the line of scrimmage and got back to the line, but no more. The Browns punted.

Later in the fourth, McCoy flipped to Trent Richardson for a 4-yard gain on second-and-17 from the Cleveland 13.

Defenses got wise to Weeden's d-and-d preferences weeks ago. The linebackers and safeties have compressed the field, daring Weeden to beat them over the top. For most of the second half of the season, Weeden has passed on the challenge.

Weeden threw one pass that traveled 21-plus yards in the air; it was an incompletion intended for Gordon. McCoy threw none of 21-plus.

4. The West Coast offense is problematic.

The skinny: When Weeden alone failed to generate enough points and yards in coach Pat Shurmur's West Coast offense through 14 games, Weeden was an easy target: He is a rookie and he's leaving plays on the field, simple as that.

When McCoy joined the party Sunday, the perspective changed a bit. It brought back memories of last season, Shurmur's first in Cleveland, when McCoy played in 13 games and averaged 5.90 yards on 463 attempts. As a rookie in 2010 under coach Eric Mangini, McCoy played in eight games and averaged 7.10 yards on 222 attempts.

No question Weeden and McCoy deserve their share of the blame for the Browns' offensive woes under Shurmur. They have struggled to make an impact. But it is entirely possible that both would be better served in another offense. For Weeden, whose main asset is arm strength, the vertical-power scheme would be a better fit. Would it guarantee success? Of course not. Would it increase his odds of success? Yes.

That Weeden has thrown 517 passes and managed just 14 touchdowns is beyond alarming. It can't all be because of the personnel's shortcomings.

5. Browns tight end Ben Watson was as open as Denny's all afternoon.

The skinny: One player who could argue Sunday that the concern was the quarterback(s), not the system, was Watson. He had minimal difficulty getting open, especially against Broncos safety Mike Adams, a former Brown. Yet Watson had a mere three catches for 47 yards.

The first three times Weeden targeted Watson, they connected. The next seven times Weeden and McCoy targeted Watson, they misfired. McCoy even tossed in a wide one on a play nullified when Adams bumped into Watson's back for a penalty. (Analyst Dan Fouts said the penalty shouldn't have been called because the ball was uncatchable.)

6. On a scale of 1 (lousy) to 3 (expected for NFL QB) to 5 (superb), Weeden and McCoy threw poorly.

The skinny: Weeden averaged 2.84 on 19 graded throws; McCoy was at 2.5 for 16. One of McCoy's throws was not graded because he was hit on release.

A 3.0 average is barely serviceable against suspect defenses, let alone good ones such as Denver's.

Neither Weeden not McCoy posted a 5. McCoy had four 1's, three coming in succession as passes skipped off the turf like rocks on the lake.

Weeden has just two 5's in his last three games.

7. The Browns' O-line did its quarterbacks few favors.

The skinny: Weeden was sacked twice and McCoy four times as the O-line played its worst game of the season. McCoy's mobility saved at least one more sack. Yes, the Broncos have a terrific rush and pass defense, but the Browns' O-line was supposed to be up to the challenge, based on its performance to date. Instead, Denver dictated the terms. When the Broncos needed pressure, they got it.

How to use the database

• First, choose a quarterback.
• After that, choose one or more of the other options for comparisons, such as Receiver, or Pressure, or Direction of throw.  (Tip: Don't choose too many.)
  
• Click search. You will need to scroll right and left to see all the matched results.
  You can sort the results and look for more patterns by clicking on the heading of any.  Click on "Throw #" at far right to put the throws back into their original order.

Here is all our homework as a spreadsheet.  
You can drag and move the dialog box to see it better, and you can copy and paste the spreadsheet into one of your own if you wish.
If your browser or device won't allow that, try this link.

Key to the abbreviations

The Buckeyes' coach pumped his fist at the crowd, swore about Michigan, helped the defense, switched a fullback, celebrated with his family and asked for even more in 2013.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Urban Meyer hasn't won a coach of the year award yet. Not at Ohio State.

Penn State's Bill O'Brien took home the Big Ten awards from the media and his fellow coaches. Notre Dame's Brian Kelly was named the national coach of the year by the Associated Press and the Football Writers Association of America.

Meyer could still win the Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year. He's one of six finalists, with the winner announced on Jan. 17. And he's one of 10 finalists for the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year, with the winner announced on Jan. 7.

But he shouldn't hold his breath.

Or worry about it. Meyer won all his games, so he doesn't need an award to show that his first season at Ohio State went better than anyone could have expected. And OSU fans don't need an award to prove that there's no better coach in the country for Ohio State than this two-time national champ with roots in the Buckeye state.

If fans knew it when he was hired after the 2011 season, they really know it now.

Looking back before moving on, here are my six best Meyer moments from his 12-0 2012.

With his offense and his resume, we all knew Meyer could devise a scheme and make adjustments, and it's obvious that he can recruit. So for this season with this team, many of these moments are about emotion. For a program that was on an emotional downturn when he took over, his ability to lead, and get his players to follow, was more important than anything else he did in 2012.

1. Pumping up the crowd after the overtime win against Purdue: This 29-22 win on Oct. 20 was the closest the Buckeyes came to losing this season, and frankly, they should have lost. The Boilermakers blew it and it helped cost coach Danny Hope his job. Ohio State backup quarterback Kenny Guiton became a legend for a week by leading a game-tying drive in regulation and game-winning drive in overtime.

But the win wasn't complete until Meyer celebrated it, joining his players for Carmen Ohio but first jumping out of line to pump his fist at the chanting and cheering student section in a moment of unscripted excitement. And his players jumped forward right with him.

“It's pretty cool to have your head coach act just like one of us,” safety C.J. Barnett said. “He doesn't shy away from showing his true feelings or emotions and energy, and that carries over to our team.”

“He's awesome,” right tackle Reid Fragel said. “Everyone on the team would say the same thing. Just seeing him after that win, as ugly as it was, at the end of the day to see him pump up the student section is pretty sweet. Just seeing that type of stuff throughout the season is really cool to see. And he kind of feels like one of us in those moments, and that's awesome.”

Here's the video of the moment captured by Tony Gerdeman of the-ozone.net.

2. Michigan makes him swear: Meyer spoke to a gathering of fans the Friday before the Michigan game at Earle Bruce's Beat Michigan Tailgate to benefit Alzheimer's research. Maybe fired up by the presence of his mentor, Meyer cut to the heart of the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry a little over 24 hours before he prepared to lead a team into the game for the first time, ending his talk by saying “let's beat the (snot) out of Michigan.”

That's the kind of thing that goes over well with Buckeye fans.

After beating the Wolverines 26-21 to finish off a perfect season, Meyer was reluctant to make a proclamation about his team, realizing what he'd said Friday morning.

“Just trying to picture the headline here,” Meyer said. “Enough headlines. I don't need anymore. They got me all excited at a pep rally the other day and that was a headline.”

But he wasn't afraid to put his team up again anyone.

“The quote I'd like out there is I think this team could play and compete with any team in the United States of America as of now,” Meyer said.

The other quote was better. Here's the not-safe-for-work or young ears version of Meyer's talk.

3. Taking a defensive stand: After the Buckeyes nearly gave away their 52-49 win at Indiana, surrendering 15 points in the final two minutes, Meyer made a decision. He was going to spend more time with his defense, because that type of defense wasn't cutting it. And he made that clear at the next team meeting for that side of the ball.

“It was just shocking,” senior cornerback Travis Howard said, “because everybody knows what we are capable of doing. And him just coming in there showed that we didn't do so great on Saturday. We definitely need to change and go out there and prove ourselves and practice like the Silver Bullet defense. Once we saw him, we knew it was a big deal. … Of course he was upset. In his voice, he was very unsatisfied with what we did out there.”

After allowing 38 and 49 points in the previous two games, the Buckeyes didn't surrender more than 23 in a game the rest of the season. Most of that credit goes to defensive coordinator Luke Fickell and the defensive staff and defensive players like linebacker Ryan Shazier, who turned it around in the second half of the season.

But Meyer may have helped the group find focus at its lowest point.

“When he challenged us, when he challenged the entire defense, I think we knew we weren't satisfied,” Fickell said after the season of Meyer's effect on the defensive change. “Not that we made big changes but we made some changes, we got back to basics and we grew as a staff, too. We had some growing to do.”

4. Zach Boren to defense: By the end of the season, Meyer was actually asking someone to write a book about Zach Boren's switch from fullback to linebacker.

Moving Zach Boren from fullback to linebacker was one of Urban Meyer's best moments of 2012, as Boren proved in the Michigan game. Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer  

“Talk about Zach Boren. You want someone to write a book on, wow, that would be good if you go write a book on Zach Boren,” Meyer said.

Sure, some may have written a story during the 2011 season that moving Boren to linebacker might be a good idea (OK, it was me), but it took Meyer to make the decision. With injuries tearing the position apart, Meyer flipped Boren from offense to defense during a Tuesday practice, and by the end of the season, Boren looked like he'd been playing there his whole career, and it showed in the defense as a whole.

“Zach Boren on a Tuesday before Indiana steps in and plays. Four periods later, 20 minutes later he's a starting linebacker, middle linebacker at Ohio State,” Meyer said. “One of the great stories, in my mind, in college football and certainly in Ohio State history. What he's done ... the selfless approach and what he would do for this team is extraordinary. Incredible human being.”

It was Meyer who made the call that put that all in motion.

5. Time with his family after Michigan State: The first game of the Big Ten season, on the road at the Michigan State, is the game when Meyer knew the Buckeyes had a shot at something. By the end of the year, Meyer was pointing to the exact moment, at 11:22 a..m. on Sept. 29.

“We had a meeting in a ballroom in East Lansing. Very intense, very emotional meeting. And what's when I saw it,” Meyer said. “Up until then I didn't think we had them, to be honest with you. They weren't playing like it. And they weren't acting like it.”

But Meyer saw it in that meeting and saw it as the Buckeyes held on to beat the Spartans 17-16. He celebrated it first in a loud and boisterous locker room with his team, his joy obvious to his players. And then, after talking with reporters, in a quiet moment with his wife, Shelley, and son Nate.

And at that moment, seeing Meyer enjoy a win that the Buckeyes had to earn against a good team on the road, it was clear that the Buckeyes had him.

“Sometimes I say, 'Why are we doing this again?' But we just can't get away from these kids,” Shelley Meyer told The Plain Dealer after that win and that family moment. “It's a great atmosphere. It's fun. Everyone is good. Urban is good. He handled this very well. It was very stressful, but he did great. And he just loves this team so much. That one point is all you need. We knew how hard this would be. It's the first conference game and we haven't been playing perfect, so it's a huge, huge win.”

And for her, that kind of win and that kind of moment, made her husband's return to coaching “all worth it.”

6. Not enough: After a perfect season led by a sophomore quarterback who would be named the Big Ten's Offensive Player of the Year, and with a new coaching staff that included an offensive coordinator who is one of the brightest young minds in the game, Meyer made it clear he … wasn't satisfied.

Asking more of his best player for next year was Urban Meyer's last great move of 2012. AP  

And that moment in his wrapup to his first year let you know how year one came to be and what year two should be like.

Because Braxton Miller and Tom Herman, two of the brightest spots on the Buckeyes, weren't bright enough.

“Our quarterback wasn't the best quarterback fundamentally in America, so Tom Herman and I are going to have a chat. Why didn't that happen?” Meyer asked. “This is big boy football. That's your job. He did great work in other areas. Tom Herman did a fabulous job. But Tom Herman and Braxton Miller understand they have to get better. And Braxton fundamentally, if he becomes fundamentally the best quarterback in American, I think he will be the best quarterback in America. I think it'll be comical what he'll do. But he's not there yet.”

After moments like these, it's a good bet that Miller, with Meyer's help, will get there eventually.

Get your questions ready and join Terry Pluto today at 12:30 p.m. as he talks Cleveland sports.

Terry Pluto tackles your questions today at 12:30 p.m.

Get your questions ready and join Terry Pluto today at 12:30 p.m. as he talks Cleveland sports.

Terry will talk with cleveland.com's Glenn Moore about the Browns' loss to the Broncos, Nick Swisher signing with the Tribe and the Cavaliers' dismal season so far.

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.

Since Nick Swisher agreed to his four-year, $56 million contract on Sunday, baseball analysts and fans have wondered, "Why would he want to go to Cleveland?"

View full size Nick Swisher fits perfectly in Cleveland. John DunnMCT

 Since Nick Swisher agreed to his four-year, $56 million contract on Sunday, baseball analysts and fans have wondered, "Why would he want to go to Cleveland?"

Swisher seems like the perfect fit for Cleveland. He's hit more than 20 home runs in eight consecutive seasons and becomes the replacement to Shin-Soo Choo in right field for the next four seasons. Swisher just turned 32 years old a month ago and will be only 35 when his contract with the Tribe expires, 36 if the fifth-year option vests.

But why would the trendy, husband of an actress, glamour boy who has been a part of the New York scene for the last four years want to come to Cleveland? New York stars don't leave the Yankees for the Indians for more money very often, like ever. In any regard, it is bizarre at least.

Maybe Cleveland fits Swisher perfectly.

The switch-hitting slugger heads to Cleveland as one of the biggest free agents to ever sign in any sport in this town. And while Kerry Wood (2009) and Larry Hughes (2009) each came to the Lakefront for supporting roles, not since Jamal Lewis (2007) or Jeff Garcia (2004) has a player come to town and been expected to be a leader of any team and greatly impact their record.

It's almost certainly the biggest free agent signing for the Tribe since they inked Roberto Alomar in 1999. To be fair, while Alomar was a star, he joined a team full of stars and leaders—including his brother Sandy—and did not have the pressure to be the team leader, just a run producer on an already high-powered offense.

Swisher joins a team of young players with very little postseason experience and only Asdrubal Cabrera having played in a playoff game in Cleveland. No longer is he one part of the high-powered Yankee offense destined for the playoffs. He, along with Manager Terry Francona, become the face of the franchise before ever taking the field.

And while his New York swagger will be needed to instill confidence inside the Indians' locker room, he has a whole lot more Cleveland attitude than we realize.

Billy Beane and the Oakland Athletics drafted Swisher in 2002, the first piece of the infamous Moneyball draft. Beane wanted only experienced, college players with good statistics. He wasn't concerned about physical tools or attitude—some of the things scouts normally overvalue. Swisher was a position player from the North, raised in West Virginia and playing at Ohio State. It was ill-advised to draft position players from the North, considering the difference in amateur competition versus what could be found in the South.

In that draft, Swisher was Beane's top choice of any player in the draft. The Athletics drafted Swisher with the 16^th overall pick, but would have taken him first if they had the top pick. The New York Mets passed on Swisher with the 15^th pick, electing to go with Scott Kazmir—their sixth favorite selection in the draft. Swisher headed to Oakland with the confidence of a first round pick, yet the chip on his shoulder of knowing he was passed over and doubted by many. You don't have to look far for that combination in Clevelanders.

In 2005, when Swisher's grandmother Betty died after a battle with cancer, he had her initials tattooed over his heart and grew his hair out for more than a year. In May 2007, he flew his father across the country to make the emotional haircut on the field in Oakland before donating his locks to make wigs for women who were battling cancer and going through chemotherapy.

He once dyed his goatee pink in Oakland on Mother's Day to bring awareness to breast cancer and blue on Father's Day for prostate cancer awareness.

"I lost my grandmother in 2005 and my mom is currently going through leukemia," Swisher told ESPN in 2007. "So when someone says cancer, I come running. Everyone knows someone — a friend, relative, co-worker — who's dealt with cancer."

Loves his family and supports a cause with passion. Sounds like Cleveland.

Swisher also never forgot where he came from. He donated $500,000 to Ohio State to help renovate its baseball stadium and install new field turf. His donation was honored when the field was dedicated on Nov. 3, 2011, as Nick Swisher Field at Bill Davis Stadium. "Never forget where you came from," could be the Cleveland motto.

However, what might be most Cleveland-like of Swisher was his choice to sign a five-year, $26.75 million contract with Oakland in May 2007. He was content to stay in Oakland and compete, despite a small team payroll and even smaller attendance and fan support. Cleveland is much like Oakland; fans support their baseball team when it wins—not so much when its doesn't. Times are tough, good jobs aren't easy to find.

Swisher didn't choose to go to Oakland when he was drafted in 2002, but he did commit to them long term. He didn't choose to be traded to the Chicago White Sox just seven months after signing his long-term contract, nor did he choose to be traded to the New York Yankees in November 2008.

"He was great for us. We'll miss him, but I'm happy for him. I think Cleveland got a bargain," Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman said this week to the New York Daily News' Mark Feinsand.

Cashman most likely knows something about Swisher that Clevelanders don't. Cashman must know Swisher has the willingness to lead, along with the chip-on-your-shoulder attitude, long-term dedication and love for family that most Clevelanders have. However, as much as Swisher might fit in Cleveland, he also has a trait most Clevelanders do not that might make him even more endearing.

He chose to come to Cleveland.

Plain Dealer sports columnist Terry Pluto answered your Cleveland sport's questions and more in his weekly podcast with cleveland.com's Glenn Moore.

View full size Do you have faith in Joe Banner and Jimmy Haslam? Terry Pluto talks about this and more during his weekly podcast. Chuck Crow/The Plain Dealer  

Will there be a house cleaning next week for the Browns? Did the Indians overpay for Nick Swisher?

Plain Dealer sports columnist Terry Pluto answered those questions and more in his weekly podcast with cleveland.com’s Glenn Moore.

Among other topics discussed:

• Browns-Broncos and looking ahead to Browns-Steelers.

• Can the Indians still get value from trading Asdrubal Cabrera?

• Cavaliers' season.

• Faith in Joe Banner?

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

Be sure to also like Terry Pluto on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.

The Monsters' left wing scored three goals and added four assists for seven points in the three games leading up to the Christmas break.

Lake Erie Monsters left wing David van der Gulik  

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- Lake Erie Monsters left wing David van der Gulik has been selected as the CCM/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending Dec. 23.

In three games on the week, van der Gulik scored three goals and tallied four assists for seven points to go along with a plus-5 rating for the Monsters.

Last Wednesday night vs. Toronto, van der Gulik recorded three assists in regulation as Lake Erie rallied from a two-goal deficit, then scored in overtime to give the Monsters a 4-3 victory over the Marlies. On Thursday, his power-play goal opened the scoring in a Lake Erie 4-3 win over Houston. And on Saturday, van der Gulik had a goal and an assist to help the Monsters to a 5-2 victory over the Aeros.

Van der Gulik entered the Christmas break with eight goals and 11 assists for 19 points in 29 games for Lake Erie this season, his seventh professional campaign. Originally drafted by the Calgary Flames in 2002, van der Gulik has totaled 103 goals and 141 assists for 244 points, as well as a cumulative plus-78 rating, in 414 AHL games with Omaha, Quad City, Abbotsford and Lake Erie. The native of Abbotsford, B.C., has also appeared in 37 career National Hockey League games with Calgary and Colorado, notching two goals and nine assists.

Van der Gulik will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming Monsters home game.

"Andy is a keeper and is the face of the franchise. Even better is that his reasonable contract runs right up to the point that the Cavs will truly know what they can expect from their current young bigs." - rwbbowg

View full size One cleveland.com reader states that Anderson Varejao is a keeper and face of the franchise. AP Photo/Mark Duncan  

"Andy is a keeper and is the face of the franchise. Even better is that his reasonable contract runs right up to the point that the Cavs will truly know what they can expect from their current young bigs. With the 2013 draft lopsided toward not only bigs, but bigs that will take time to develop, a couple of years of playing with Andy would be a perfect fit. The Cavs can and should demand so much for Andy that if they do trade him, the other team's GM should probably be fired."

Browns left tackle Joe Thomas was voted to his sixth straight Pro Bowl, which puts him in some very elite company. Most of the players who have made it in their first six years end up in the Hall of Fame.

Browns left tackle Joe Thomas has been voted to the Pro Bowl for the sixth straight season, his first six in the league. Joshua Gunter / The Plain Dealer  

BEREA, Ohio -- Browns left tackle Joe Thomas has been voted to his sixth straight AFC Pro Bowl, and kicker Phil Dawson, a 14-year veteran, made the squad for the first time.

 In addition, three Browns have been voted first alternates: receiver Josh Cribbs as both a special teamer and kick returner; D'Qwell Jackson at middle linebacker and Alex Mack at center.

 Thomas finds himself in some very elite company.  Of the 15 players who have made the Pro Bowl in each of their first six seasons, 13 of them are in the Hall of Fame, which was one Thomas' identified goals when he was first drafted by the Browns with the third overall pick in 2007.

 The list includes Jim Brown, Dick Butkus, Joe Greene, Franco Harris, Barry Sanders, Merlin Olsen, Emmitt Smith and Lawrence Taylor.

 Thomas has started all 95 career games at left tackle and has not missed an offensive snap since joining the Browns. According to profootballfocus, he's the second-rated pass blocker this season behind Cincy's Andre Whitworth. Thomas has surrendered three sacks, three hits and hurries.

 "I think I feel I’m getting better every year and my best is still yet to come so I still feel like I’ve got more in the tank and hopefully next year will be better than this year, and I’ll keep growing that pattern,'' Thomas said today before the teams were announced.

Thomas was pulling for Dawson earlier in the day.

"Obviously he’s had a phenomenal year,'' said Thomas. "One miss and it was a block so you can’t play any better as a kicker. He’s definitely deserving.''

Dawson has connected on 28-of-29 field goals this season for a .966 percentage, with a long of 53. Six of his 28 field goals this season have come from 50 yards or longer. The six are tied for third in the NFL.

 Cribbs also said today that it would be important for him to make the Pro Bowl this season, especially considering it could be his last in a Browns uniform.
 
 Cribbs re-iterated he wants to finish his career here. He said he let his anger get the best of him when he sent an angry tweet to his detractors after the Denver game. He said "I can redeem myself by playing good against Pittsburgh'' in the season finale on Sunday

Mack played in the Pro Bowl in 2010, and scored the game's final TD on a 40-yard run off a lateral. 

"This will be one of the most interesting off season the Browns have had in quite awhile. I think Haslam is smart enough to keep the pieces that fit into place. The pieces that don't fit will be discarded. We may not agree with all his decisions, but one thing we all should agree upon..something has got to change...and change for the better." - brownsorno1

View full size One thing is for sure, Browns' fans hope Joe Banner and Jimmy Haslam bring a winning attitude to the organization. Chuck Crow/The Plain Dealer  

"This will be one of the most interesting off season the Browns have had in quite awhile. I think Haslam is smart enough to keep the pieces that fit into place. The pieces that don't fit will be discarded. We may not agree with all his decisions, but one thing we all should agree upon..something has got to change...and change for the better.

Now, let's SWEEP Pittsburgh!!"

After a few days off, the Cavaliers return to action tonight as they travel on the road to face the Washington Wizards.

After a few days off, the Cavaliers return to action tonight as they travel on the road to face the Washington Wizards. Get Twitter updates from Mary Schmitt Boyer (@PDCavsInsider) and Jodie Valade (@JodieValade) in the box below. Check out the in-game box score here. Read on for a game preview. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

View full size Washington Wizards center Nene (42) hits the floor on a foul by Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond (1) in the third quarter at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., Saturday, December 22, 2012. The Pistons beat the Wizards, 96-87. Chuck Myers/MCT  

(AP) -- The Cleveland Cavaliers and Washington Wizards entered Saturday on six-game losing streaks.

It has been difficult to get a read on whether the Browns quarterback is the answer to the Browns' offensive woes.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Brandon Weeden walks off the field after their 23-16 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Baltimore on Sept. 27. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) Associated Press  

Question: You wanted Brandon Weeden to start. So what do you think of him now?

Answer: He started 15 games, was 5-10 and his season is probably over with shoulder injury.

Q: That's no answer, try again.

A: That's my problem. I don't know what to say about Weeden. I don't think he's terrible.

Q: That's the best you can do?

A: I hate rookie quarterbacks because they are rookies.

Q: What does that mean?

A: I'm not going to drag out all the stats on even great quarterbacks such as Peyton Manning, Troy Aikman and others. OK, Terry Bradshaw had six touchdown passes and 24 interceptions as a rookie. In 10 games, John Elway had seven touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Bernie Kosar completed 50 percent of his passes, with eight touchdowns, seven interceptions and a 69.3 rating as a rookie.

Q: Are you actually comparing Weeden to those guys?

A: Of course not. I'm pointing out the problem with evaluating him on one year with a bad team that has been an awful franchise since it returned in 1999. Weeden was the 10th different opening day starter since 1999.

Q: Have any quarterbacks left here and gone on to be viable NFL starters?

A: The last was Vinnie Testaverde, and that was the old Browns.

Q: So what does that tell you?

A: Either the Browns always draft the wrong quarterback, or the quarterback in the orange helmet gets his career killed here. The only recent exception is Jeff Garcia. He was effective before the Browns, awful here in 2004, and then went on to have a couple of decent years later.

Q: Does Weeden have the worst quarterback rating among the five rookie starters?

A: Yes, he's at 72.6, which is No. 32 overall. But Andrew Luck is No. 29. Ryan Tannehill is No. 28.

Q: Tannehill is rated higher than Luck?

A: That's my problem with quarterback ratings. I don't fully understand them. I question what they reveal. Luck is penalized for his 18 interceptions and his 54.3 percent completions. But he's thrown 21 touchdown passes, and his team is a surprising 10-5. Tannehill has 12 touchdown passes, 12 interceptions. His completion rate is 58.4 for a 7-8 team. Not a single NFL coach or executive would take Tannehill over Luck, yet he's rated higher.

Q: What does that have to do with Weeden?

A: If you dig through the rookie quarterbacks, Robert Griffin III has stunning stats: 20 touchdowns, five interceptions, 66.4 completions and a 104.1 rating. But get this: Alex Smith (13 touchdowns, five interceptions) has the same 104.1 rating. Smith has lost his starting quarterback job to Colin Kaepernick.

Q: Why aren't you talking about Weeden?

A: Maybe the rookie quarterback having the best season is Russell Wilson. His Seattle team is 10-5. He has 25 touchdowns compared to 10 interceptions. His rating is 98.0. Tell me how he isn't rated higher than Alex Smith? Anyway, Wilson wasn't even supposed to start. Seattle signed Matt Flynn, but Wilson won the job, and he wins games.

Q: Do you ever plan to talk about Weeden?

A: OK, I still like his arm. He doesn't throw down field as much as he should. I'm still not sure how much of that is part of the West Coast Offense which accents short-to-medium, quick-release passes. Or some of it may be Weeden trying to avoid sacks and interceptions by settling for the short pass. But the fact is every defensive coordinator knows he can throw long.

Q: Does he really shy away from long throws?

A: That question made me do some research. Weeden is 11-of-51 on passes of at least 21 yards. I randomly picked some others and checked: Aaron Rodgers (19-of-48), Andy Dalton (11-of-44), Griffin (12-of-31), Tannehill (14-of-42), Wilson (18-of-53), Peyton Manning (23-of-58) and Luck (26-of-83). So Weeden is throwing deep more than most quarterbacks.

Q: When are you going to give an opinion?

A: You can say Weeden is 29 and should be more advanced than most rookies. But the NFL is a different game, and most rookies have rough years. One stat that bothers me is this: The Browns were 4-4 at home, but Weeden had five touchdown passes compared to 12 interceptions (58.5 rating) on the shores of Lake Erie. He has nine touchdowns, five interceptions and an 87.0 rating on the road. Of course, the Browns are 1-6 on the road. But you'd want Weeden to play better at home.

Q: Is there a bottom line?

A: If Weeden were simply terrible, it would be easy to say, "Next"; when it comes to quarterbacks. Despite his low rating (only Mark Sanchez is worse among starters), I don't see Weeden as a hopeless case. I still prefer him to Colt McCoy, who is a solid backup. It's possible Weeden would be more productive is a system where most of his passing comes from the shotgun. But I doubt that instantly makes him an impact player.

Q: So what should the Browns do?

A: The problem is this -- if not Weeden, then who in 2013? Alex Smith will probably be available as a free agent. In the draft, ESPN's Mel Kiper has Matt Barkley and No. 24, Geno Smith at No. 25. Todd McShay's top two quarterbacks are Smith (No. 23) and Barkley (No. 30). This is nothing like the Luck/Griffin quarterback draft of 2012.

Q: Does it seem like they probably should stick with Weeden?

A: There may not be any other real alternatives. He will probably have a new coaching staff, a new system. But at least he won't be a rookie. When it comes to Weeden, I'm lukewarm mostly because I don't have a better idea at the moment.