Terry isn't necessarily in the holiday spirit when it comes to pondering Cleveland's pro football, baseball and basketball teams.
View full sizeSo, did you have Chansi Stuckey in your "Browns player with the most receptions" pool? We didn't, either.CLEVELAND, Ohio -- It's the holiday season, and Terry's opening some opinion gifts under the tree...
About the Browns...
1. At the start of the season, I never would have guessed Chansi Stuckey would be the Browns' most effective receiver, not counting tight ends or running backs. Nor did I think the receivers would have done so little -- they have only four touchdown catches. That's from this group of Mohamed Massaquoi, Evan Moore (listed as a tight end, but really a slot receiver), Brian Robiskie, Joshua Cribbs and Stuckey.
2. Stuckey has caught 31 of 42 passes in his direction. His 8.8-yard average is modest, but he has only one drop -- 17 catches have been for first downs. Stuckey is a possession receiver. He has yet to catch a touchdown pass. This shows the sad state of the receivers if he's the best.
3. The last few games, Massaquoi has been better -- 10 of his 19 catches have been in that span. He has two drops, and has caught 19 of 36 passes in his direction. He caught a 41-yarder from Jake Delhomme in the opener, but his longest catch since is for 22 yards. Of the group, he does have the most potential. But I expected more from him.
4. And much, much more from Robiskie. He looked promising in summer camp, OTAs, etc. But this season, he has only nine catches (two for first downs). He is a non-factor, much as was the case last season.
5. The Browns have had three starting quarterbacks in 10 games, Jake Delhomme being the fourth switch. All of this because of injuries. The constant changes have to make it difficult for the receivers. But as Eric Mangini said: "If you can get open then they'll find you. If you catch the ball, they'll look to you even more. I've seen a lot of receivers play with a lot of different guys and there was pretty consistent production out of them."
6. I don't know if the problem is the patterns run by the receivers, or if the quarterbacks find it easier to throw to tight end Ben Watson or Peyton Hillis in the backfield. But the receivers are a non-factor most games, making it easy for the defenses to stack the line against the Browns.
7. The receivers have been on the field. Massaquoi has played the most with 77 percent of the snaps. Next comes Robiskie (52 percent) and Stuckey (45 percent).
8. The most intriguing receiver is 6-foot-6 Moore, who has caught 14 passes (11 for first downs). He's the only big play threat -- 21.9 yards per catch. He has a history of knee problems and he's not a good blocker, but he should be on the field for more than 27 percent of the snaps. He's such a huge target that he often is open -- and the quarterbacks should look to him more.
9. Mangini was still unhappy with how poorly the Browns ran the ball (49 yards in 21 carries for Hillis) in the 24-20 loss at Jacksonville. He said not only was it a problem with the offensive line, but also the tight ends and the fullback. No one blocked well. The Browns believe the return of Porkchop Womack to the right side of the line will help, because he's not only a strong run blocker -- but excels at helping the other linemen to recognize what the defense is doing. The Browns often seemed confused by the Jags' defense last week.
10. Mangini on the running game: "It sets up everything else if you can run the football. Time of possession ... keeps the defense off the field, it gives them a chance to catch their breath. It puts you into a better position going into the fourth quarter. ... It opens up things in the passing game. When you can't run the football you just become one dimensional."
11. Mangini also said a few of Colt McCoy's six sacks were the rookie's fault for failing to throw the ball, hanging on to it too long trying to make a big play when receivers were covered.
12. Carolina comes to town at 1-9, ranked 24th defending the run and with a coach who won't be back. If the Browns are to have another strong home performance this season, this should be the game. The only other home games are Baltimore and Pittsburgh to end the season.
Talkin to myself about ex-Indians
View full sizeSo, the Detroit Tigers believe they can contend in the AL Central with Jhonny Peralta as their regular shortstop in 2011. There are more than a few skeptics in Cleveland.Question: Do you think the Tigers can win Central Division with Victor Martinez and Jhonny Peralta?
Answer: They sure can. Why else would they commit $11.5 million over two years for Peralta, and $50 million for four years to Martinez?
Q: Beats me, why would they do that?
A: They are the one team in the Central that continually spends beyond the bottom line and is not afraid to rack up financial losses. They just gave Joaquin Benoit a three-year, $16 million deal. He's 33 and had a great season (1.34 ERA) as a setup man with the Royals. But his career ERA is 4.47. And I still can't figure out why they gave Peralta that two-year deal.
Q: Why would they?
A: They want him to be their regular shortstop. They believe at 28, he's in his prime. They see that he had only three errors in 44 errors at short, and they view him as reliable.
Q: What do you think?
A: I think at 28 and with his range, he is a well-below average shortstop. I think the more you see Peralta at short, the more you think about moving him to third base. I also know that over the last two years, Peralta is a .251 hitter (.695 OPS), averaging 13 homers and 82 RBI. For Peralta and Tribe fans, it's best that he's elsewhere.
Q: Even though the Indians have no third baseman?
A: Peralta had a club option for $7 million. No way the Tribe would pick that up. It was over for him here. The fact is that Peralta knew there was a good chance that he'd be a free agent, yet his .249 average ranked 53rd of 69 of AL players with at least 500 plate appearances, his .707 OPS was 51st. I wonder who the Tigers thought they were bidding against.
Q: How about Martinez?
A: He had strong offers from Boston and Baltimore. The Tigers plan to use him mostly as a DH, saying he'll catch 2-3 times a week. He'll be 33 next month, so keeping his catching load light will help him remain a .300 hitter. He also threw out only 21 percent of runners. But Martinez brings a real bat to that lineup.
Q: Were the Indians serious about signing Jake Westbrook?
A: He received a two-year, $16.5 million deal from the Cardinals, so what do you think? He was 4-4 with a 3.48 ERA after the trade. He was 6-7 with a 4.65 ERA for the Tribe.
Q: Who did the Indians get for Westbrook?
A: Pitcher Corey Kubler, who was 1-1 with a 3.27 ERA in two starts for Class AAA Columbus. He was 2-2 with a 3.45 ERA at Class AA Akron. He is considered a legitimate prospect as a starter and will open at Columbus.
Q: Who was in the Peralta deal?
A: Giovanni Soto, who was 9-8 with a 2.93 ERA in the Class A Midwest League.
Q: I know Justin Masterson (6-13, 4.70 for the Tribe) was in the Martinez deal, but who else?
A: The other key player was Nick Hagadone was 2-2 with a 4.50 ERA for Akron, walking 34 in 48 innings. It was a disappointing season.
Talking to myself about some ex-Cavaliers...
View full sizeHe would never admit it, says Terry Pluto, but you-know-who has to be having a few second thoughts after the Heat's slow start.Q: How do you feel about the Heat struggling?
A: Even more revealing, they were 1-6 against teams with winning records. According to ESPN stats, a certain former Cavalier has played at least 40 minutes in seven games, and the Heat are 0-7.
Q: Are you talking about Zydrunas Ilgauskas?
A: No, he's having a solid season, averaging 6.9 points and 5.3 rebounds while shooting 58 percent in 19 minutes a game. South Beach has been good to him.
Q: What about the former Cavalier who used to wear No. 23?
A: He can explain and spin all he wants, he looks grumpy on the court and unsure of how to fit with Dwyane Wade. That former Cavalier is averaging 23.5 points, shooting 45 percent with 5.3 rebounds a game. All of those numbers are either the worst of his career, or the lowest since his rookie season. Only his assists (8.3) are up.
Q: What is the problem?
A: There is a duplication of skills. Wade and the former Cavalier both like to dominate the ball. Neither are used to watching someone else do it. Nor can they like it when the other guy is The Man. It's one thing to drastically change your game for a few months on the Olympic team, it's another to do it for more than six months in the NBA.
Q: So this is a real problem?
A: You better believe it.
Q: Can they fix it?
A: I hope it takes them forever. This is not like Boston, where Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett joined Paul Pierce. All are approaching the end of their careers. All three have different styles. All three were so sick of losing, they were willing to not only be unselfish on offense, but adopt a fierce approach to defense.
Q: And the Heat?
A: It has to kill Pat Riley to watch it, but Miami is a very soft team.
Q: What should the former Cavalier and his teammates do?
A: Don't know. Don't care. But you can be sure that not only Cavs fans, but most of the NBA, hopes that team stays in storm for a long, long time.
Q: Do you think the former Cavalier wishes he were still a Cavalier?
A: Of course, but he'll never admit it.
About the current Cavaliers...
1. The team is struggling with Byron Scott's motion offense. Too often, they run a passive weave above the key -- all the movement being side-to-side. They are not looking for chances to cut to the basket.
2. Some of the players would prefer to just dribble the ball, and play a two-man, pick-and-roll game. But that also creates three guys watching on offense.
3. Scott has the right idea. This team must have movement. It lacks any low-post threat near the basket. It also lacks any real players able to create their own shots off the dribble besides Mo Williams, and possibly Daniel Gibson. They must have a team approach to offense, and it's good that Scott is cemented to this style. It's what the Cavs need.
4. Because of his groin injuries, Mo Williams didn't arrive in camp in great shape. Then he missed much of training camp and some early season games with injuries. Only now is he getting into game condition. I believe the nagging injuries are also why the guard lacked his usual upbeat spirit for most of the early season.
5. J.J. Hickson has been floating on offense, standing on the wing -- and often settling for a jumper. The Cavs don't want him in the low post, but they do want him driving to the rim because he's so athletic, he either scores or draws fouls.
6. Hickson's time has been cut ever since he shot 4-of-12 for 12 points and had only two rebounds in 31 minutes when the Cavs lost to Indiana on Nov. 13. Scott has been after Hickson to concentrate on rebounding, and the 22-year-old showed little interest doing that. So he has been sitting out many fourth quarters ever since.
7. The Cavs say Hickson should be a senior at N.C. State. Immaturity is an issue, and he can become too content with his own performance. Scott's mission is to keep pushing the talented 6-foot-9 forward, and the veteran coach is not afraid of using tough love.