In yet another U-Turn to the Browns' season, we arrive Sunday at Jake by the Lake, Bud Shaw writes in his Sunday Spin.
View full sizeJake Delhomme's return to the starting lineup provides an interesting backdrop to Sunday's Browns-Panthers game.CLEVELAND, Ohio -- In yet another U-Turn in the Browns season, we have arrived at Jake By the Lake.
Jake Delhomme's return to the huddle shouldn't be viewed simply as a lifetime achievement award for him. It has a chance to be more instructive than that.
Everyone outside of Seneca Wallace should at least be interested in seeing what Browns' president Mike Holmgren and head coach Eric Mangini had in mind when Delhomme broke camp as the starter. If Delhomme can stay healthy, we might get a glimpse of what the offense was supposed to look like behind a veteran quarterback.
Holmgren's argument that the wide receivers are "better than OK" is still in need of supporting evidence 10 games into the season. Can Delhomme involve them more than Wallace and Colt McCoy did, or is there no hope for them?
After supposedly gaining confidence in McCoy while watching him help beat New Orleans and direct a game-tying drive against the Jets, Brian Daboll and Mangini didn't show it against Jacksonville. McCoy rarely took shots downfield after an early underthrow was almost intercepted and despite lots of opportunities off turnovers to go for the knockout punch.
Instead, the Browns scored a single field goal off five Jaguars' turnovers.
In seeing what Delhomme can do, the Browns enter into the compare-and-contrast portion of their schedule. They may very well come away feeling even more strongly about McCoy.
For now, with any luck on the injury front, they'll have more information on how the offense performed under Delhomme's hand versus what it did behind McCoy.
Even if McCoy doesn't play again this season, the Browns have seen enough to go into 2011 believing he can be the quarterback. But when Derek Anderson had his Pro Bowl alternate year, the Browns still struggled to determine whether it was the pilot or the cockpit.
If nothing else, Delhomme's performance in his return to the huddle can help sort out how much McCoy grew within the offense and how much the offense worked because of McCoy.
Of course, Delhomme's return might just also result in more business for the city's newest commercial enterprise -- North Coast Walking Boots.
He would neither confirm or deny he knows what the term "rebound" means...
View full sizePlanning for the future isn't apparently part of J.J. Hickson's mindset during his third NBA season.In a Wall Street Journal story on how NBA players are cutting costs and saving money in expectation of a lockout, Cavaliers' big man J.J. Hickson said, "I don't know anything about that saving stuff."
Other players, notably Brandon Jennings of the Milwaukee Bucks and Brandan Wright of the Golden State Warriors, admitted to making lifestyle changes based on expected loss of income.
"Cheap is the best way to be," Wright said.
Finally, I feel vindicated.
No truth to the rumor that the Broncos video department wore Buckingham Palace bearskin hats to hide their cameras...
The Denver Broncos were fined $100,000 for impermissable videotaping of an opponent. The fine stems from their videotaping of the San Francisco 49ers walk-through practice session the day before a Oct. 31 game at London's Wembley Stadium.
Steve Scarnecchia, the Broncos' video operations director, was fired on Saturday.
Where have we heard of this kind of story before? Oh, right.
Scarnecchia worked for the New England Patriots along with Broncos' head coach Josh McDaniels in 2008 when the league punished the Patriots for "Spygate."
The Broncos said Scarnecchia acted on his own and that when presented with the tape, McDaniels refused to look at it.
In unrelated news, Bill Clinton still says he never inhaled.
SPINOFFS
Thanks for playing, Rich Rodriguez, and now Don Pardo will tell you the lovely parting gift you've won...
The Wallace wildcat pass back to Delhomme should probably be taken out of the game plan. I'm just saying...
Boobie Gibson's Hummer ran out of gas on the way to the airport recently. Gibson failed to realize that when the "low fuel" light comes on in the ultimate gas guzzler you have the equivalent of a fresh shot clock to find a pump...
Media reports say NBA players are cutting costs in preparation for a lockout. I'll believe that when passers-by have to help Boobie push his Prius into the nearest gas station...
Charles Barkley on Miami's struggles: "Teams are going to start scheduling the Heat for Homecoming..."
Did I mention I'd vote for Barkley for Mayor of Cleveland?...
View full sizeWould Tully Banta-Cain (95) and the Patriots really take shots at the recently healed left arm of Detroit's Shaun Hill? Not in the NFL, and certainly not from the gentlemanly New England team, scoffs Bud Shaw ... well, kinda scoffs.Detroit's Shaun Hill says the New England Patriots tried to re-break his left arm during the Thanksgiving Day game. As if a Bill Belichick team would do anything underhanded...
The Miami Heat take solace in the fact that nobody ever said it would be easy...except them...
Rex Ryan on the Dec. 6 matchup between his Jets and the Patriots: "Clearly, they're the best team in football. That's what all the experts say -- except me."
Clearly...
HE SAID IT
"I like the fact that we are where we are. We could be 15-0 right now thinking we have the world in the palm of our hands. We would be fooling ourselves." -- Chris Bosh on the Heat's slow start.
Good. The rest of us don't mind it either.
YOU SAID IT
"Bud:
"Can they flex schedule the Browns-Panthers game to the NFL Network?" -- Jay S
They tried. The NFL Network turned it down, citing the higher ratings it expected by airing "Matt Millen: My Glory Years as GM."
"Bud:
"I have a recurring nightmare of being locked in a room with ESPN's Chris Berman. What should I do?" -- Tom Hoffner
That's not a nightmare. That's Sunday NFL Countdown. Eject. Eject.
"Bud:
"I missed the late football games on Thanksgiving with yet another bout of Detroitophan." -- Paul S.
Like tryptophan and Joe Theismann, the effect can, in a fortunate few cases, induce what doctors call The Van Winkle Sleep.
"Bud:
"If Snow Days bring in money for the Dolans, do you think they might consider turning Progressive Field into a house of horrors, seeing as it will be empty in Oct? Oh wait, they already tried that." -- Dan C.
Yes. They even toyed with the idea of a Fenway Park Haunted House exhibit. Those who've seen it say Kenny Lofton is still standing at third base.
"Bud:
"Do you think Mangini is starting Delhomme against Carolina due to Delhomme's familiarity with which of the Carolina defensive backs have the best hands?" -- Jim Lefkowitz, Pepper Pike
If you're a first-time winner you receive a T-shirt from the Mental Floss collection.
"Bud:
"Happy Holidays. Does the opening of Snow Days mean the Tribe's slide to the bottom has already begun?" -- R. Walker, Medina
If you're a repeat winner, chalk it up to brain freeze.
"Hey, Bud:
"It might just be the medical maryjane talkin,' but do you suppose the newly-mustachioed Eric Wedge and Stacy Keach as Sgt. Stedenko from 'Up in Smoke' were separated at birth?" -- J. Lauer, Middleburg Hts.
Or something else clouding your judgment.