Terry had managed to stay cool through a difficult sporting summer in Cleveland, but Braylon Edwards has set him off.
Should we really be all that surprised that up is down and down is up when it comes to Braylon Edwards' unique NFL reality?CLEVELAND, Ohio -- It's been a stormy sports summer around here, but that's just material to give Terry more to talk about:
About Braylon Edwards ...
I know I shouldn't be lured into the delusional world of Braylon Edwards, but I've had it.
I've had it with a No.3 overall draft choice blaming the Browns and Cleveland fans for his being an underachiever.
I've had it with a guy who consistently has been near the league lead in passes dropped, but his mother said that stat was "created because of him," according to a story by Greg Bishop in the New York Times.
I've had it with Edwards, who was handed $17 million before he caught a pass as a Brown, saying: "There's nothing going on in Cleveland. There's no real estate. There's no social life, no social networking. All the people who have something going on leave Cleveland. So Cleveland has nothing, and I came in there with a New York-type of essence. So what? That was the attitude I came in with. Like, this is who I am. They didn't like the flash."
Can you imagine Paul Warfield, Reggie Langhorne or even Keenan McCardell saying something like that? Hey, Braylon, that $17 million bonus was paid so you can go to work! Catch some passes!
As for the New York Essence, Edwards is from Detroit! No one was complaining about Edwards in 2007 when he caught 16 touchdown passes and the Browns were 10-6. Instead, he was cheered.
The New York Times story almost sounds like a parody of a spoiled athlete. My goodness, his mother said, "No one would understand what he's been through unless you've been drowning." His mother also said that Edwards told her that his "career was over" after the Browns lost to Cincinnati last season and he didn't catch a pass.
I've had it Edwards claiming the fans here didn't like him because he played for Michigan. I've had it with people such as Edwards who play here and say, "I felt like I'd be stuck in a less than mediocre team, organization, system, forever ..."
Here's what Edwards did after he was traded to the Jets: He caught 35 passes in 12 games, four for touchdowns and four drops.
In the playoffs, he caught six passes in three games, one for a touchdown.
Those Jet numbers were no better than what he did with the Browns in 2008, when he had 55 catches (and 16 drops) in 16 games. In the past two seasons, he's averaged about three catches a game, and has a total of seven touchdowns in 2008-09.
You can argue the Jets were a run-first team (true), but is there any reason to consider Edwards a star other than his insistence that that's how he should be treated? Remember that Edwards ripped the play-calling after the Jets lost to Indianapolis in the AFC Championship Game: "I don't call the plays, I just run them."
Just glad he's doing it in New York, where they will soon learn that nothing is ever the fault of Braylon Edwards.
About the Browns ...
Matt Roth has come to training camp in a positive mood despite his off-season contract issues.1. The Browns wondered how Matt Roth's attitude would be after he was frustrated first by being made a restricted free agent and then by not receiving a long-term deal. At one point, his agent asked for a trade. The Browns ignored the noise, telling Roth to have a good year -- and the money will come. Well, he's had a solid camp and been in a good frame of mind. That's key, because the outside linebacker can be an impact pass rusher in coach Rob Ryan's system.
2. Brandon McDonald tweeting a foul message about Terrell Owens had the Browns shaking their heads. Here's a guy talking about shutting down Owens now that he's signed with the Bengals when the reality is McDonald is fighting for a spot on the roster. Brandon, the Browns didn't trade for veteran cornerback Sheldon Brown and make another cornerback -- Joe Haden -- their first-round draft choice because they think you've been doing a great job.
3. Don't expect to see much of veteran linebacker David Bowens in the preseason. He battles knee problems and the Browns want to make sure that he doesn't wear out over the 16-game schedule. He was a key to the defense at the end of last season. The same is true for Pork Chop Womack. The veteran offensive lineman is battling some minor injuries and is not expected to play much before the regular season.
4. Rookie safety Larry Asante was strong in the minicamps, but struggled in the regular training camp. The Browns hoped the fifth-rounder from Nebraska could push T.J. Ward at safety, or perhaps find a role as an extra defensive back. But based on his performance so far, he'll be battling for a spot as a special teams player unless he picks it up quickly.
About the Indians ...
Jayson Nix has had a few nice moments for the Indians this season, but Terry Pluto doesn't believe he's a real answer to the team's infield needs.1. Every day that I see Luis Valbuena or Jayson Nix starting at third base for the Indians, I wonder why. Is either player going to be there next season? But they need someone for third, and why not bring up Jared Goedert from Class AAA Columbus? Yes, his defense is suspect. Yes, heading into the weekend, he was batting only .268 with one homer in his past 10 games. But he's hitting .286 (.972 OPS) with 18 HRs in 241 at-bats for the Clippers. Toss in his time at Akron, and he's at .302 (.952 OPS) with 25 HRs and 75 RBI. He's 25, why not look at him?
2. Nix may be a valuable player coming off the bench. He also did a decent job at second base, but he does not look like a regular third baseman. Between Jason Donald in Cleveland along with Cord Phelps and Jason Kipnis in the minors (and Nix), the Indians can find a second baseman for next season.
3. But third is a problem. At Akron, Lonnie Chisenhall is batting .264 (.764 OPS) with 14 HRs and 59 RBI, solid numbers for a 21-year-old at Class AA. But it would be a shock if he's ready for Cleveland in 2011. Paul Cousineau takes a very in-depth look at this subject at his DiaTribe blog (clevelandtribeblog.blogspot.com). He favors another look at Andy Marte, but I prefer Goedert.
4. At the end of spring training, who'd have guessed that other than Mitch Talbot, the Indians' most intriguing rookie starters would be Josh Tomlin and Jeanmar Gomez? They have combined for a 4-2 record and a 2.27 ERA in eight starts. The key? Only 10 walks in 47 innings. The Indians told David Huff that they want him to pitch like these guys -- get ahead in the count with a well-placed fastball, trust your stuff.
5. In his past 10 starts, Carlos Carrasco is 4-2 with a 3.50 ERA. On the season, he's 9-5 with a 3.92 ERA. It appears he's in line to be the next starter promoted.
6. Some fans wonder what happened to Nick Weglarz, hitting a combined .285 (.893 OPS) with 13 HRs in 312 at-bats between Class AA and Class AAA. He was hitting .412 in his past 10 games at the end of July when he injured his thumb diving for a ball. He probably won't play the rest of the season. He is expected to be healthy for winter ball and spring training. At 22, he is a legitimate outfield prospect for sometime in 2011.
7. The Indians aren't saying much about Travis Hafner's latest trip to the disabled list, but there is real concern. He's having the same problems -- weakness and inflammation in his surgically repaired shoulder. He is working to come back again.
8. When Carlos Santana was first injured in that home plate collision, there was a real concern that his knee had sustained so much damage that he'd never be able to catch again. After the surgery to repair the lateral collateral ligament, it appears he will be set for spring training with no real problems. This is not like the micro-fracture surgery that Grady Sizemore had ... and so far, so good for Sizemore. But his surgery was far more serious.
About the Cavaliers ...
If the Cavaliers are going to develop an offense without a certain guard/forward, Antawn Jamison will need to be productive in Byron Scott's offense.1. The Cavs will probably go into the season with Joey Graham, Jawad Williams (a restricted free agent who has yet to sign) or Jamario Moon starting at LeBron James' small forward spot. The hope is these players can bring some defense to the spot. They certainly aren't scorers. The problem is one way to put pressure on a high scorer is to come back at him on the offensive end -- and make him move and play defense.
2. The newcomer is Graham, who started 18 games for Denver last season, averaging 7.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and shooting 47 percent in 22 minutes. In five years, the most he's averaged is 7.7 points with Toronto in 2008-09.
3. That's why Byron Scott is talking about an offense with points coming from power forward Antawn Jamison, and the backcourt beginning with Mo Williams. The coach talks about a "two-guard front," meaning he can have either guard handle the ball -- or shoot. He really likes Ramon Sessions for his speed, and believes Daniel Gibson and Anthony Parker will have a lot of open shots in his motion offense.
4. This could be a huge season for J.J. Hickson, who will split time between power forward and center. The Cavs think he can put up some big numbers, especially if the Cavs are able to run as Scott plans. Hickson is very quick for a big man and a strong finisher at the rim.
5. The Cavs are about to add 6-8 Samardo Samuels, who was a power forward at Louisville. He was ranked as one of the top five players in the country coming out of high school. While he was a good player (15.3 points, 7.1 rebounds as a sophomore) for the Cardinals, their coaches were surprised when he declared for the draft. They warned him that he might not be picked -- and he wasn't. The Cavs think he has second-round talent and can eventually help them as a low-post scorer. But this is not a major move.
6. In that four-team trade, the player the Cavs wanted most was not Darren Collison or Trevor Ariza. It was guard Courtney Lee of New Jersey. But the Cavs would have had to take James Posey as part of the deal, and they didn't want to add the Twinsburg product's $13.5 million over the next two seasons to their payroll. Posey is 33 and averaged 5.2 points, shooting 37 percent last season.
7. After fighting off the Cavs to sign Ariza to a five-year, $35 million contract last summer, Houston traded him to New Orleans. In 36 minutes, Ariza averaged 14.9 points but shot only 39 percent (64 percent at the foul line). He and the Rockets hoped he'd be a significant scorer, but they now see him more as a good role player.
8. Glad to see the Cavs kept assistant Chris Jent, who needed to get away from LeBron James so that he would be viewed as a real coach -- not as LeBron's personal coach. Scott's staff now has three former NBA players. Scott was a starter for the Lakers, top assistant Paul Pressey was a very good player for the Bucks and Jent also played in the league. Jent was the only former player on coach Mike Brown's staff.
About Lou and Jackie Groza ...
This email came from Tim Pembridge: "I attended the funeral of Jackie Groza, wife of Lou. I grew up in western New York. In 1964, Lou Groza came to my high school and gave a speech at a sports banquet. Jackie came with him. My parents, Don and Ro Pembridge, were asked to serve as the welcoming committee and hosts for the Grozas during their short visit to Lake Chautauqua.
"So began an amazing friendship between my family and the Groza family which has lasted to this day – getting together at least once or twice a year (at least one of which would be for a Browns game). Jackie showed the world how to be supportive, dignified and loyal to a husband who had way too many demands put on his time (and who hated to say no to anyone).
Lou was all smiles and strength and grace.
"When Mike Phipps was scheduled to challenge for the starting QB position, I asked Lou how Phipps was doing in camp that August. He answered, 'Oh he's fine, but the kid you really need to watch won't be playing for a couple years. His name is Brian Sipe, and I really think he has that magic to lead a team.'
"The passing of Jackie Groza seems to signal the end of an era for me. She was my last direct link to the storied Browns teams of the 1950-60s. I will miss her as much as I miss the successes of those years."