Cleveland's sports bloggers discuss their views of Eric Mangini, the Browns' defense, the LeBron-era Cavaliers and the post-LeBron Cavaliers and how Boise State stacks up with the big boys.
View full sizeBrowns cornerback Eric Wright opened the season as one of the team's top two corners.Browns
Cleveland Reboot: "In terms of steadfast support for Eric Mangini and his Process, I figured out a long time ago that such a thing was unfortunately necessary for the Browns to continue to exist as an NFL franchise. Of even greater importance was the idea that the Browns were doomed to continually engage in the downward spiral of regime change every three years. However, in terms of waffling, it really depends on what time someone catches me during a game. Whenever Eric Barton is inexplicably standing on the field during a key third down, I have clearly reached a 'turning point' regarding my relationship with Mangini. Whenever the phrase 'power defense' is mentioned, I'm very much in the anti-Mangini camp that has become so popular over the past year. And, of course, when the 'integrity' of Eric Wright's coverage assignment is deemed too important to be altered, I run through a sad, mental Rolodex of available coaching candidates." » Read more
Cleveland Frowns: "So when Coach says that the integrity of the defense would suffer if he'd have moved Wright off of Boldin, all he means is that the defensive backs spent a significant amount of time learning very specific roles, each defensive back is uniquely prepared to play his specific role and all of that preparation goes out the window when you start jerking them around." » Read more
Cavaliers
Cavs: the blog: "For six years, the national media gave LeBron a free pass when the Cavaliers came up short because he was playing with a 'ragtag group of role players.' However, last year's team was no 'rag-tag' group. The Cavaliers were considered by many to be the deepest and most versatile team in the NBA, a label they had never previously owned. Even now, the stench of the Boston series is a forgotten memory to many outside Cleveland. In the wake of the apocalyptic fall from grace, however, many felt that LeBron was the reason for the collapse." » Read more
Cavs HQ: "Personally, I think that [Ramon] Sessions will prove to be better than Mo at pushing the ball, creating shots for his teammates and defending opposing guards, three very valuable skills in the Byron Scott system. But I am not convinced that a small backcourt of Sessions and Williams is going to work." » Read more
WaitingForNextYear: "The Cavaliers still have a little talent left over. Mo Williams, Daniel Gibson, Ramon Sessions, Anthony Parker, Jamario Moon, Anderson Varejao, Antawn Jamison, JJ Hickson, Leon Powe, etc. These are all guys who have some game in them. The Cavs lack size, but they have shooting, a little depth, athleticism, and a coach who wins games." » Read more
Ohio State football
Land Loyalty: "It's just not fair to a team like Alabama or Ohio State to get bumped out for Boise. With their schedules, they simply have more hurdles to jump. I can't say for certain how Boise would fare in the SEC or Big Ten, but playing that schedule would give us a better idea how good they really are." » Read more