Terry's Talkin' Cavs, LeBron, Browns and Tribe
If Austin Carr, right, could get his microphone close to LeBron James, the former Cavs star and current TV broadcaster says there a couple questions he would like answered. In this photo Carr talks to play by play man Fred McLeod before a game in Indianapolis.Question: Several fans have e-mailed wanting me to ask you about LeBron James leaving for Miami, so what are your thoughts?
Answer: I'd like to ask him a few questions that no reporter has since he's left.
Go for it.
No one has asked him what happened in those last two games of the Boston series. It's like he went to South Beach, and no one cares. But I want to know.
Why?
I don't want to use the word . . . quit . . . but he didn't play as he normally did in the playoffs in the past. I have never seen a [star] do what he did in the playoffs. People can ignore it, but we all saw it. He has to live with it, and he should have to answer for it.
What do you think happened?
I don't know. I do think that from the moment [Chris] Bosh, [Dwyane] Wade and LeBron signed those three-year contracts, they were thinking about playing together. Was LeBron thinking about that [leaving]? I'd like to know because it now feels premeditated to me.
Do you really think he'd answer these questions?
(Carr's answer is a laugh.) OK, how about this . . . whatever happened to the elbow? He goes to Miami and you don't hear a word about the elbow.
Does LeBron leaving still bother you?
How he did it does . . . it was second class, bush league. He threw Cleveland under the bus when all the people did was love and support him. Hey, we didn't go south on him, he went south on us. He should have nothing to complain about.
Are you looking forward to the season?
I really am. I've gone golfing a few times with [coach] Byron Scott. He's exactly what we need. He will hold the players accountable. He has told them to come to camp in shape and be ready to run. He's old school, and I like that.
Will the team be any good?
I see us as close to .500 and competing for a playoff spot. I think Byron will push and challenge the players. I heard some guys tell me that LeBron would hold the ball and then throw it to them with three seconds left and expect them to shoot. Now, the ball will move. Players have a chance to establish themselves as leaders.
So you disagree with those who think there's not much talent on the team since LeBron left?
Come on! In March, we had the best talent in the league, we were supposed to be the team to beat. Now, we have nothing because LeBron leaves? I don't believe that. Not at all. This could be a fun team to watch if they all pull together, I really believe that.
ABOUT THE BROWNS . . .
1. Browns coaches have been stressing to the players how they believe in them as people, and believe not only that the talent is better than a year ago -- but the character and intelligence are, too. They are pounding away at the basics . . . stay away from penalties, turnovers and make sure you are lined up in the right spot. "Before you can win the game, you have to make sure you don't do things to lose the game," is what Eric Mangini has told them over and over.
2. Look for a lot of no-huddle offense today, and you can thank Brady Quinn for that. While it was the coaches' idea to switch to the no-huddle during the bye week in 2009, Quinn showed how it could work with the right quarterback. The coaches liked how it developed a tempo to help the running game and make it hard for the defense to substitute. They are pleased with how Jake Delhomme ran it during the preseason.
3. That brings us back to the "Before you can win the game, you have to make sure you don't lose the game" speech. Since the Browns plan to use the no-huddle, the wildcat and a variety of formations on defense (four, five, even six linebackers!), it's mandatory they pay attention to details. Guys have to know their assignments. The playbook is not simple. The approach has to be somewhat complicated because the Browns are not a quick or athletic team.
4. Defensive line coach Bryan Cox is in charge of preparing the "Show" defense, which means they tried to mirror Tampa's defense this week. Cox has been able to get his players to mimic different defenses each week. The Browns put more emphasis on the details of the opposing defenses than some teams -- because the no-huddle is a way to probe for weaknesses and catch defenses lined up in the wrong spot.
5. A year ago, Delhomme entered the opening game trying to shake off his five-interception debacle in a playoff loss to Arizona to end Carolina's 2008 season. But to start 2009, he had four picks against the Eagles, a game where he threw only 17 times. That seemed to send him spinning down for the rest of the season. So a good start today is critical.
6. It is interesting that the '09 opener against Philadelphia was one of Delhomme's worst games, yet former Eagles executive and new Browns GM Tom Heckert was supportive of signing Delhomme.
Tight ends Evan Moore, above, and Ben Watson could be key performers in today's season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.7. Look for Tampa to frequently put seven or eight men on the line, daring Delhomme to throw. And look for Delhomme to throw a lot to the tight ends -- Ben Watson and Evan Moore. This also could be a day where Peyton Hillis looks good catching some passes. Tampa is a much quicker team than the Browns, and that is a concern of the coaches.
8. The coaches are stressing to keep Tampa quarterback Josh Freeman in the pocket. They are showing tapes not only of Freeman, but how they played the Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger during the Browns' December victory. Freeman can evade a serious rush, buy time for a receiver and throw well on the run. As they did with Roethlisberger, they want to close the pocket around him, contain him and use the pressure to squeeze him from both sides.
9. Shaun Rogers is not expected to start. While there has been a lot of talk about him playing defensive end, he probably will be mostly at nose tackle in this game as the Browns will alternate a lot of defensive linemen to battle the heat -- expected to be in the 90s.
10. While the Browns practiced the past few days indoors with the heat cranked up, they couldn't get it much past 90 degrees . . . and could not create the humidity they'll experience today. They continually slipped wet balls into the practice sessions to work on avoiding the fumbles they had in the rain-soaked preseason loss to St. Louis.
11. After a slow start in camp because of injuries, veteran offensive lineman Tony Pashos has impressed the coaches the past few weeks and looks ready to play on the right side of the line.
12. I will be talking Browns with Mary Kay Cabot and Tony Grossi at the Pro Football Breakfast on Friday at 8 a.m. at The Plain Dealer. A lot of fans enjoyed the event last season, as we take questions, eat warm food and give away prizes. Cost is $25 per person. Call 216-999-4028 or check at plaindealer.com/footballbreakfast for information.
ABOUT THE TRIBE . . .
Everyone talks about Travis Hafner, but no one is exactly sure what to do with him. Though he is nowhere near the hitter he was when he signed his big-money deal, the Indians believe he can still be productive playing four to five times a week.1. Last season, Travis Hafner batted .272 (.826 OPS) with 16 home runs and 19 doubles in 338 at-bats. Heading into Saturday, the DH was at .272 (.810 OPS) with 11 HRs and 25 doubles in 339 at-bats. Yes, we have a pattern here. Hafner can be a useful player -- he's at .337 (.942 OPS) in 101 at-bats since the All-Star break. But he has to sit after every three to four games because of chronic pain in his shoulder. At age 33, this probably won't change.
2. Some fans will say the Indians should dump Hafner and his salary ($13 million in 2011 and 2012) for a younger player. The Indians believe they can still get some production from Hafner, if he is used wisely. They also can use another DH on the days when Hafner rests -- perhaps young catcher Carlos Santana, who will be coming off knee surgery in 2011 and should not be catching every day.
3. Among DHs with at least 300 at-bats, Hafner ranks fifth in batting average (.272), sixth in OPS (.810) and eighth in home runs (11).The Tribe's point is even at his current level, he has value to the team.
4. The Indians haven't said as much publicly, but Justin Masterson will enter spring training as a starter and will only lose the spot if he has a total collapse. Masterson is 3-4 with a 4.13 ERA in 10 starts since the All-Star break, and they see him as making progress. It's 3-2 with a 2.95 ERA in his past seven starts. That means Fausto Carmona, Mitch Talbot and Masterson will take up three spots. While Talbot is 1-3 with a 5.54 ERA since the All-Star break, the Indians believe some of that is due to the slight back injury that landed him on the disabled list last month.
5. Battling for the other two spots will be Carlos Carrasco, Jeanmar Gomez and Josh Tomlin. They would love to see Gomez and Carrasco continue their excellent performances, and believe Tomlin can help in relief and as a spot starter. They want at least seven viable options for starters, and David Huff would be the seventh. Huff is 8-2 at Class AAA Columbus, but he has a 4.36 ERA and opposing batters are hitting .288.
6. A few years ago, the hot pitching prospects were Jeremy Sowers, Hector Rondon and Adam Miller. Sowers is on the disabled list with shoulder problems. Rondon is recovering from elbow surgery. Miller is trying another comeback from a finger surgery. Aaron Laffey had a "tired arm," and is expected to compete for a bullpen spot next season. So a team needs depth because of injuries or poor performance.
7. Expected to be in the rotation at Columbus next season are Alex White, Corey Kluber and Zach McAllister, along with those who fail to make the Tribe out of spring training. In his first pro season, White was an impressive 8-7 with a 2.28 ERA at Class AA Akron. Obtained in the Jake Westbrook deal, Kluber was a combined 9-9 with a 3.49 ERA between Class AA and AAA. Picked up in the Austin Kearns deal, McAllister was 9-12 in Class AAA with a 5.09 ERA. The Indians are optimistic about McAllister because he's only 22, and he was 7-5 with a 2.27 ERA at Class AA in 2009.