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| Puffing Ravens and Idling Cornerbacks Posted: 29 Jun 2008 11:37 PM CDT
The airport has been a wretched hive of scum and villainy ever since the Leigh Bodden Parking Catastrophe of 2007, and the airport's mean and hazy reputation got even worse today. |
OBR News-o-rama |
| Posted: 28 Jun 2008 10:53 PM CDT Braylon Edwards suffered his ACL tear in December 2005. Edwards surprised just about everyone by being ready for the season opener in 2006, but couldn't escape the old chestnut about two years being the usual recuperation time from this type of knee injury. Like clockwork, Edwards exploded in 2007 with a breakout season that showed what the receiver could do when completely healthy. Despite getting back in the game quickly, it took Edwards nearly two years to really get back to 100 percent. Lions RB Kevin Jones is trying to prove to NFL teams that he's back in just six months and the Browns wanted to look at the video of a recent workout to see for themselves. If healthy, Jones could be the type of runner the Browns might grab should something happen to Jamal Lewis. After a 1,133-yard rookie season, it's been all downhill for Jones, who has had to deal with declining opportunities and a series of injuries. Prior to tearing up his leg last year, Jones had missed the end of 2006 and the start of 2007 with a foot injury. Despite the fewest attempts of his career (153), Jones scored eight touchdowns, a career high, and remained effective catching passes out of the backfield (32 receptions, 197 yards). That was only half of his previous year's total of 61 catches in 2006. His contract ($2.37 million salary in 2008), injury history, and declining production led the Lions to release him in March. A number of teams have expressed some interest in Jones in recent weeks. The Patriots are among them, and Jones has visited the Titans. Jones has himself talked about a desire to head to Chicago to play for the Bears. Even the Lions are pondering re-signing him, albeit at a reduced salary. If Jones is ready to play during pre-season, it would be quite a story. Not expected to be ready this season, Jones revitalized his knee using a combination of low-tech lifting, acupuncture and holistic medicine practiced by his agent, Dr. D.S. Ping. If Jones is really back, he could get some contract offers. The Browns, meanwhile, are studying up on Jones by looking at the video from his recent workout. The team's depth chart at running back seems fairly solid and the team is likely not desperate enough to enter into a bidding war for Jones, if one ensues. If the back remains on the market, the team may simply want to be well-informed in case they need to bring him in as an injury replacement*. As to whether Jones is really back, take a look for yourself. Here is video of a workout from last week.
* Knock on wood. Throw salt over your shoulder. Sacrifice a goat, whatever. |
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| On the Edges of the Browns News Desert Posted: 27 Jun 2008 07:36 PM CDT There's not a lot of Browns or NFL news breaking around the internet, which will probably remain the case for the next three weeks or so. Here's some items of interest from the last couple of days…
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| Posted: 23 Jun 2008 11:29 PM CDT
The other day I worked in a reference to a giant projected squid into a blog post* and no one commented. No one. Granted, other than the squid, the blog was basically just a rushed expression of vacant 21st century short-attention-span rambling. Still, you people clearly don't know how difficult it is to combine giant squids and football. |
OBR News-o-rama |
| Posted: 23 Jun 2008 10:19 AM CDT
Case in point would be the recent mini-buzz of interest in WR Matt Jones and a possible fit with the Cleveland Browns. Any buzz about Jones and the Browns at this point is merely a combination of typical-but-acceptable mainstream journalism combining with fast-and-dirty headline ripping by fantasy sports services. Nothing more. |
OBR News-o-rama |
| Posted: 21 Jun 2008 12:07 AM CDT
The game may now be over, as the Wall Street Journal reports that the league is in talks to partner with ESPN to run the network. |
OBR News-o-rama |
| Willie McGinest on Sirius Radio Posted: 19 Jun 2008 07:15 PM CDT I got a heads-up from my friend Jon that Willie McGinest was going to be on Sirius Radio this afternoon, but by the time I was able to tune in, I had juuuuust missed it. Fortunately, LeHooper was tuned in, and he summarized the interview for us on the Watercooler. Here's Hooper's recap: Willie: The Young guys are buying into the new program. I don't preach I set by example. BTW, Hooper is a tailgating fiend who hangs out at "The Island" in front of the parking booths in the Muni Lot. You can check out his website here. |
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| Newspapers Die First. Then the Internet. Posted: 18 Jun 2008 02:41 PM CDT There is a lot of recent news that will impact Browns and other sports fans on the internet of late, very little of it good. I think we're at The Empire Strikes Back stage of the internet. There are things going on now that are very, very bad for sports fans. The Associated Press and others want to remind you who the real bosses are, and they'll cut off your arm and let you drop into a bottomless tube if they have to. As sports fans, we've come to rely on having multiple quick, objective sources of news about our favorite teams and sports. No, I don't mean sports blogs, which typically just recycle information produced elsewhere and provide some commentary. And I don't mean team or league-owned sites, which have a need to leave out certain types of stories. I mean newspaper and print journalists, who cover the team on a daily basis, get the stories right (usually), and provide independent and objective coverage of local sports. Say goodbye to all that. These will be remembered at the good old days. According to a job tracker calling itself "Paper Cuts", over 4,400 newspaper jobs have already been lost in the first half of 2008. Included was this nugget that I hadn't heard about before: June 11, 2008 / Plain Dealer executives told editorial staff members that the paper will cut 35 pages per week and 20 percent of its workforce. I'm not sure how accurate that is, but similar stories are appearing all over the place. For anyone wondering why newspapers reporters of all stripes have a sudden fascination with blogging and interacting with web readers, it isn't because they suddenly care what you think. It's because they have to move to the internet to survive. But survival on the 'net is tough. They're replacing dollars with pennies. These are the good old days for local news. Enjoy them while you have them. * * * The good news, I guess, is that the print business isn't sinking so fast that professional sports leagues can't step on their necks to speed up the process. Last year's stunningly restrictive media policies for web sites are in effect again this year, with the mild change that the laughable 45-seconds of audio and video that sites can post (for 24 hours with a link back to the team site and no advertising allowed) has been extended to a just-as-laughable 90 seconds. There is no value now in providing this sort of multi-media coverage - another life preserver is yanked away. As I predicted before, the NFL is also following the steps of the MLB by wiping out live blogs or other means of communicating in-game status outside of strict guidelines which render it nearly useless. A recent notice sent out by the Dallas Cowboys reads as follows: While a game is in progress, any forms of accounts of the game must be sufficiently time-delayed and limited in amount (e.g., score updates with detail given only in quarterly game updates, fewer than 10 photographs during the game) so that the Accredited Organization's game coverage cannot be used as a substitute for, or otherwise approximate, authorized play-by-play accounts. What this will do is wipe out anything like a live blog for credentialed outlets, while fan blogs will likely continue to run wild because NFL teams have little leverage or ability to track them. This will just hasten the fall of local sports coverage as pro sports leagues tilt the playing field against them. * * * Just in case you were concerned about internet sites not having their own threats to worry about, you can rest easy. Two trends are developing in the industry as powerful old-guard industries try to control the internet. Both are very, very bad for sports fans or anyone else who likes the flow of information brought to them by the internet. The first is the Associated Press, which is attacking the notion of "fair use" by going after bloggers who quote snippets as short as 39 words from their stories. I've tried – and failed - for a long time to help fan sites and forums try to understand the concept of "fair use" (versus the concept of "just stealing what you want"). That usually resulted in interesting combinations of four-letter words and emails so angry you had to get a towel to wipe off the spittle. What the AP is doing is a response to that sort of constant content theft, but it goes way too far. The blogosphere relies to no small degree on commentary which spins off of news items. With more newspapers cutting back and relying on AP stories, the newspaper service wants to bring the hammer down. The AP now wants to charge you $12.50 to quote five words from their stories. Insane. The initial response from the blogosphere is "To Hell with the AP", and a number of sites are no longer linking AP stories. If the AP takes this to court and wins, or lobbies for legislation which enforces their restrictive view, it could have a significant cooling effect on the web and bloggers in general. Linking or accurately citing sources could get reduced dramatically. Newspapers and others already use phrases like "published reports" or "internet reports" to avoid crediting competitors. It frightens me to think of an entire internet that behaves that way because an organization like the AP wants to pound dollars out of bloggers. Even more insane are recent trials among ISPs to throttle types of services (bittorrent, usenet) and begin metered service. Time Warner has started with a trial in Texas where they are charging users more if they go over 40GB of data transfer a month. How much data have you transferred this month? Don't know? Join the club. I assure you that plans like this will dramatically slow the adoption of multi-media and video on the web. People will use the internet less as they are uncertain about their 'net usage. Just not knowing will instill fear about watching that video on Hulu or Youtube. With the efficiencies introduced by the internet one of the few good things happening in the US economy, ISPs like Time Warner and Comcast want to shake the web for pennies and crush its growth. This, you may note, is also insane. I wish I had some good news to report, but the powerful now want to cripple the internet to profit themselves at the expense of the weak. If we let them, we'll have no one but ourselves to blame. |
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| Decision Time on Bentley: Monday Posted: 06 Jun 2008 09:43 AM CDT If you give the Cleveland Browns a few million dollars, it's amazing the interviews you can get. For example, WTAM, the team's official broadcast partner and OBR photo recycler, gets to talk to Browns GM Phil Savage every Thursday morning. Yesterday, Savage appeared on the Wills and Synder radio program for about five minutes, half of which was spent pimping ticket plans and corporate charity events that I'm too poor to attend. In any event, during the interview, Savage did say something of news value regarding LeCharles Bentley. The Browns and Savage continue to downplay the return of one-time free agent savior LeCharles Bentley. In our view, that's the wise thing to do, since it will be so difficult for Bentley to make a comeback on his repaired knee. When asked about Bentley's return, Savage talked about how important it was for the Browns to ensure that they and Bentley are "protected". This was to be done by making sure the player was truly fit to play before he stepped onto the field. Savage said that the physical will take place on Monday, which the point where the decision will be made. The team starts practicing on Tuesday morning. The team has been low-key about a Bentley return ever since he was hauled off the field with a patellar tear in August 2006. Savage also said that the Browns "have been told" that Kellen Winslow would be at camp but that the team "isn't sure at what level he will participate", since Winslow hasn't gotten a physical done by the team. The Browns GM also continued to speak glowingly of Brady Quinn, and compared him to other quarterbacks who came into his own in their third season. Interestingly, next year will be Quinn's third year, and current starting QB Derek Anderson has a huge roster bonus due somewhere around 3/15/2009. |
| Message Board Troll Owes Browns $18,000 Posted: 05 Jun 2008 11:01 PM CDT Some things you can understand only if you spend waaaaay too much time on the Internet. Back in 2006, there were rumors going around that terrorists were going to strike at a number of NFL stadiums, including Cleveland, in a coordinated "dirty bomb" attack. It didn't take long to discount the rumors, and most of us went on with our plans to attend the game, which was against the Denver Broncos. It turns out the most dangerous thing one display during that game was Mo Carthon's offensive game plan, which mustered only seven points. The Browns offensive coordinator "resigned" soon thereafter. The terrorist hoax was largely forgotten until reports came across the wire earlier today that a man in Wisconsin had gotten six months in federal prison for creating the rumors and spreading them on an internet message board. Thanks to the scarce nature of Browns news this time of year, I intended to blog about this as soon as I heard of it. Based on what I knew, I prepared myself compose a post which made liberal use of the phrase "moonbat" and pondered the weirdness of a culture where causing a public disturbance equates to celebrity status. I put that blog post on hold when I read a much more detailed account of the sentencing in an out-of-town paper. Something important was buried in the article, but people who don't spend a lot of time on the net will never realize it: Turns out that the guy posting the bomb threat was doing it on 4chan. Why is this important? Basically, most people who have been on the 'net for any period of time know that one of the primary purposes of 4chan is to troll, shock, and offend. Unlike the OBR forums, where users have to register and post under a particular username, 4chan is structured for nearly complete anonymity, and much of the communication between members occurs through doctored photos. This allows people to indulge in what one hopes is their absolutely worst behavior, letting their inner id shine forth without constraint. Out of the bubbling cauldron of offensiveness and strangeness which results, some internet "memes" have emerged which have spread over into the general consciousness. The "LOLCats" and "Fail" memes of photos with text seem to have originated on 4chan, and a group on the forum called "Anonymous" has made news because of its campaign against Scientology. Of course, the group is called "Anonymous" because it would be impossible to call it anything else. Just about anyone there posts anonymously. Anyone with knowledge of 4chan realizes it's ridiculous to take anything at face value there. Putting something on 4chan to communicate urgent information would be like trying to interview for a job by dressing yourself in a Goofy costume and then lighting yourself on fire. Of course, the nitwit didn't help himself by posting it ten times a week for four weeks. What I'm guessing happened next is that someone saw the posts on 4chan and then reposted them on sites where things are taken seriously. Apparently, the people who then read them didn't have any context for the messages, and things spiraled out of control. The man who started the rumors apparently still thought it was a joke as the police cars rolled up and officers came to talk to him. He was declaring it an "epic win" before he realized that the authorities didn't find it funny at all. So, the dope who trolled 4chan with the terrorist hoax is being sentenced to six months in federal prison. Not only that, but the ex-grocery store clerk now has to repay the cash-loaded Cleveland Browns - whose franchise is worth close to a billion dollars, supposedly - a settlement of $18,000 for the extra costs involved in security. Wow. The internet is sort of the Bounty Paper Towel of stupidity. It can soak up a lot of it. Still, this incident shows that there are some things so amazingly dumb even the internet can't contain them. If I were the Browns, though, I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for that $18,000 check to arrive. |
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| Browns Work Out Another Famous Name Posted: 05 Jun 2008 12:15 AM CDT Browns GM Phil Savage appears to be a strong believer in the genetic nature of football ability, because the progeny of another Browns Hall of Famer is going to work out for the team on Thursday. If one recalls, Todd Delamielleure briefly captured the attention of the Cleveland media as he tried out for the Browns. Now it's another Hall-of-Famer's son who will get a shot. The Baltimore Mariners, a franchise of the American Indoor Football Association (AIFA), announced on Wednesday that defensive back LeRoy Kelly will be working out for the Browns. This may come as a surprise to Browns fans, most of whom have managed to live their lives without being aware that there is such a thing as the AIFA, or that they have a team in Baltimore. Something Browns fans are keenly aware of, however, is the legacy of Hall-of-Fame running back Leroy Kelly, who just happens to LeRoy Kelly's father. The AIFA and Mariners are playing up the invite for all it's worth, using it to claim that the CFL and NFL are keeping a sharp eye on the league's players. The Mariner's web site refers to Kelly as "lead(ing) a defensive unit that ranks fourth in the league in pass interceptions". The team's season-to-date statistics, however, show Kelly without an interception and as having appeared in just five of the team's eleven games.
The logo of the Baltimore Mariners, however, appears to be some sort of desiccated pirate. While we can safely say that pirates are a sub-class of mariner, the logo seems to degrade the accomplishments of legitimate nautical adventurers. Nearly all of whom had less interest in plank-walking and rather more flesh and skin. If I was a law-abiding Mariner, this would upset me. But there are only so many battles one man can wage, and I am not foolish enough to take on a skeletal pirate. |
| The Long Delayed Official Sayonara Posted: 04 Jun 2008 07:04 PM CDT I suspect future generations will be able to use the phrase "Junefirst" as a synonym for an anticlimactic event. For example, "I just saw that Indiana Jones movie, but it was kind of Junefirsty to me". Or "In Junefirstian news, Barack Obama just clinched the Democratic nomination". Even though the NFL has figured out the salary cap well enough to make the June first cuts a non-event of Y2K (Oh no! We're all gonna die!) proportions, there is often some actual news that comes out on that day. Travis Henry getting cut, for example. Another thing that happens is that goodbyes become official for undrafted free agents. Teams have until June 1 to give qualifying offers to free agents. They can basically offer UFA vets something 10% greater than the money they made the year before. If the player is tendered, then they have until July 22nd to sign with a different club. If they don't sign with another club by then, the club has exclusive rights to the player. If the vet doesn't sign with his previous club by week 10 of the season, they can't play football at all that year. What a weird rule. There's no telling how many dramatically overpriced Floridian resort gin-and-tonics went into coming up with that one. If nothing else, though, the lack of a qualifying offer by June 1 sends a very clear message to player about how very, very little the team cares if they come back. So, say an official goodbye to the following free agents who didn't receive qualifying offers from our Brownies: LB Keith Adams; OT Nat Dorsey; DE Bobby Hamilton; NT Ethan Kelley, and nose tackle / media relations advisor Ted Washington. See ya, fellas. Hope you weren't holding your breath for a phone call from Berea. There are lots of players who are in the same boat and may be seeing the end of their careers. Here are some other free agents were officially not tendered squat on 6/1. The list was fairly long, but here are some old friends and some of the bigger names. One-time Cleveland Browns are in italics: S Gerome Sapp (Ravens), LB Mario Haggan (Bills), TE Stephen Alexander (Broncos), RB Ron Dayne (Texans), WR Aaron Moorehead (Colts), NT Grady Jackson (Jaguars), OT Stockar McDougle (Jaguars), PK John Carney (Chiefs), WR/KR Eddie Drummond (Chiefs) OL Gene Mruczkowski (Dolphins) S Lance Schulters (Dolphins), S Travares Tillman (Dolphins), WR Troy Brown (Patriots), CB Chad Scott(Patriots), LB Junior Seau (Patriots), QB Daunte Culpepper (Raiders), WR/KR Tim Dwight (Raiders), Verron Haynes (Steelers), FB Dan Kreider (Steelers), WR Eric Moulds (Titans), QB Tim Hasselbeck (Cardinals), QB Tim Rattay (Cardinals), PK Morten Andersen (Falcons), TE Christian Fauria (Panthers), OG Ruben Brown (Bears), DT Antonio Garay (Bears), OT Barry Stokes (Lions), WR Troy Walters (Lions), S Mike Doss (Vikings), QB Jamie Martin (Saints), DE Renaldo Wynn (Saints), LS Ryan Kuehl (Giants), DT Kimo von Oelhoffen (Eagles), C Andy McCollum (Rams), S Hanik Milligan (Rams), OG Larry Allen (49ers), QB Chris Weinke (49ers), LB Jeremiah Trotter (Bucs), WR Keenan McCardell (Redskins), C/G Mike Pucillo (Redskins), S Omar Stoutmire (Redskins). |
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Cleveland Hopkins Airport is a Mecca for misbehaving NFL players. It's the Mos Eisley spaceport, transplanted from Tatooine to Cleveland, but with more weed and SUVs.
Listen up, people. 
Late June is the time of year when just about any Browns-related story can get heavy play on the 'net, not matter how thin it happens to be. 
IMPORTANT NOTE: A "mariner" is defined as "one who navigates a ship" or someone who "serves as a sailor".I know, because I researched the matter. Namely, I surfed to some online dictionaries which said exactly that.