-
LISTEN LIVE
Click Here to Listen Live!
Archived Rants
- May 2020
- April 2020
- August 2018
- November 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- April 2017
- January 2017
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- March 2013
- November 2012
- October 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- February 2012
- July 2007
- August 2000
Categories
Tags
- Anderson Varejao
- Andrew Wiggins
- Anthony Bennett
- Brian Hoyer
- Browns
- Buckeyes
- Cavs
- Chicago Bulls
- Cleveland Browns
- Cleveland Cavaliers
- Cleveland Indians
- Dan Gilbert
- David Blatt
- David Griffin
- dion waiters
- Golden State Warriors
- J.R. Smith
- J.T. Barrett
- Jabari Parker
- Jimmy Haslam
- Joel Embiid
- Johnny Manziel
- Josh Gordon
- Justin Gilbert
- Kenny Roda
- Kevin Love
- Kyrie Irving
- Lebron James
- Miami Heat
- Mike Brown
- Mike Pettine
- NBA
- NBA Draft
- NBA Finals
- NBA Playoffs
- NFL Draft
- Ohio State
- Ohio State Buckeyes
- OSU
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Ray Farmer
- Sam Amico
- Tribe
- Tristan Thompson
- Urban Meyer
Tag Archives: NFL
Gordon Returns To Browns
Wide receiver Josh Gordon is back with the Browns after missing all of training camp to this point to focus on his physical and mental health. However, Gordon has not yet been cleared to practice and the Browns have placed him on the active/non-football illness list.
Gordon has only played in 10 games over the last 4 seasons for the Browns because he violated the NFL’s substance abuse policy numerous times and was suspended.
The Browns and Gordon released this joint statement:
Statement from John Dorsey on Josh Gordon’s return:
First off, we are pleased for Josh. His overall health and well-being is what is most important. We commend Josh for his hard work, commitment and focus on becoming the best version of himself. We are glad Josh has reached a point where he can return to our organization, be in our building and be around his teammates. As he assimilates back to our team, Josh will initially participate in meetings and conditioning and will gradually resume all football activities as deemed appropriate.
A message from Josh Gordon:
Dear Cleveland Browns and NFL family,
Thank you for your love, support, and most importantly your patience as I took the time needed to ensure my overall mental and physical health.
More specifically, I would like to thank the NFL, NFLPA, the entire Cleveland Browns organization, the University of Florida, and my friend and business manager Michael Johnson Jr for playing such pivotal roles during this process. This has by no means been an easy road and I’m extremely grateful to have all of you in my life.
As I humbly return to being a member of this team with an opportunity to get back to playing this game I love, I realize in order for me to reach my full potential my primary focus must remain on my sobriety and mental well-being.
Let’s get to work!
Much love,
JG
Last season after coming back from a suspension, Gordon played in 5 games for the Browns, catching 18 passes for 355 yards and 1 touchdown.
Gordon’s best year to date was in 2013 when grabbed 87 passes for 1,646 yards and 9 touchdowns in 14 games.
MIKE PETTINE PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT AFTER PRACTICE 9-17-14
Opening statement:
“New week, new challenge. Makes it a little bit more involved with this one because it is a division opponent. This is a good football team. The film doesn’t lie. I don’t think they were really themselves – they’ll be the first ones to admit it – when they played Cincinnati. I think you saw how they want to play going back to the Thursday night game. It’s a big challenge for us. I think it’ll be our stiffest challenge to date, and just wanted to make sure our guys got re-focused today in the team meeting and just still (have) that ability to compartmentalize wins and losses and move onto the next one I think is critical for our success moving forward. We’re two games in, and the guys I think have done a good job realizing that essentially the only thing the Saints game did for us was guarantee that we won’t go 0-16. I have a lot of respect for this franchise we’re getting ready to go against having spent some time there, knowing a lot of people down there that I worked with – a lot of respect for it. Having that information, it’s easy to figure out how big of a challenge this is going to be for us.”
On if there has been any recent news on the length of WR Josh Gordon’s suspension:
“No news, and I know there’s talk with upper level of management, but I’m bunkered in. We’ve got team meetings. We’ve got group meetings. Then, we go into position meetings. Until he’s here and we get official word, then I’ll deal with it at that point, but at this point, I think there’s still a lot of stuff floating out there as far as what – and I’ve heard a lot of different things, and it’s just hard to react to it until we actually get definitive word from the league.”
On if he thinks being around the team would be helpful to Gordon:
“I think so. I think that’s true of any player. I just think the structure, the ability to be around the guys, the camaraderie, just all that goes with it, and going back to the structure part of it – to be able to eat here and to lift here and be under the guidance of our strength and conditioning program, (Director of player engagement) Jamil Northcutt with the player development and (head athletic trainer) Joe Sheehan – just to have that support and that structure around, not just for Josh, I just think that anybody that’s going through anything like that it’d be helpful to be back.”
On if the game can be a statement in regards to the Browns’ past games against divisional opponents:
“We don’t really get into the past other than we looked briefly at the history here so our guys know what we’re dealing with, but previous struggles in the division – that has no bearing on this game, just like what happened this past Sunday has no bearing on this game. I think we have to have that ability to close that noise out so it doesn’t become a self-fulfilling prophecy like, ‘Hey, we’re not supposed to be good in the division, therefore we won’t be.’ I just think that we know it’s a little bit extra when it is a division game, and I just think it’s important for us to play well in the division. You see a lot of teams play well outside of it and can’t get business done in the division, and I just think it’s important when you look at long term, whether it’s any team – any of the 32 – that you’re direct path to the playoffs is through your division. That, to me, just goes with it. You see some teams that are in tough divisions. They fight their way to be 8-8, 9-7, and they get in and make a run because they’ve been battle-tested by the strength of their own division. Again, I don’t want you put too much on it. There’s a little bit more on it because it is a division game, but we don’t look at it that way.
On the defense having trouble stopping the run:
“It was more by design this past week. We were in some smaller groupings and some lighter-spacing defenses more to encourage the run. Sometimes when you go against those elite quarterbacks, you have to have that mentality a little bit that you understand you’re going to concede some rushing yards, but in the long term, the clock’s moving, you’re shortening the game. I think they ended up with 10 possessions for the game, which is below the NFL average. Pittsburgh, I think, was more of a product of us missing tackles. I thought we tackled better against New Orleans, but we still want to go into each week…this week will not be a, ‘Hey, let’s them run the ball.’ I think, going against this team, they ran the ball extremely well against Pittsburgh. I think this’ll be more of a typical AFC North, old school kind of game. We want to run the ball, so do they. I think it’s important for us to take that mentality that we’re going to stop the run.”
On if the Jets defense allowed the Patriots to run the ball when he was on the coaching staff in order to defend Patriots QB Tom Brady:
“Correct, at times. Yes.”
On what he looks for in a MIKE linebacker and if LB Karlos Dansby has ‘it’:
“He absolutely does. That’s why he’s here. We’re looking for a guy that – first and foremost – can be a leader, take charge of the huddle, that is smart, can know the package inside and out, if guys have to be moved or calls need to be changed or check made that he’s capable doing it. The way that we play with our front guys and how we want to them to…if they’re getting double-teamed, to make sure that they anchor in. We have a saying with our d-linemen, ‘Keep your double teams to yourself.’ We don’t want those guys to be able to get off on the linebackers. That Mike linebacker needs to be a playmaker. He’s going to have opportunities where he should be clean to the ball in a lot of situations, and he needs to make plays. He fits that mold. That was something when we evaluated him on tape. We actually had done it in Buffalo and had him in for a visit, free agent visit, and he chose to go to Arizona. As staff, he was on our radar when he came available this year, as well.”
On what about his defensive scheme helps LB Paul Kruger:
“We’ll move him around some, won’t always have him on one side. We’ll give him some freedom with some of his pass rushes where we rarely talk in terms on contain. As a pass rusher, if a tackle presents him with a…it’s an over-set situation and he can come underneath we can give him the green light to do that. I think the guys that have played in it, some of the feedback you get is, ‘Hey, they kind of let me be me.’ There’s structure, but there’s some ability to freelance within it, as long as it’s tied in with everybody else and there’s some awareness of that. I think that’s true at certain positions. Outside linebacker is one of them, but as long as the guy that’s rushing next to me knows that there’s a chance I might take an inside entry then he’ll have to know that because there’s a chance that he might have to overlap. I think those guys do a good job of playing off of each other, but I think that’s important as a pass rusher that you aren’t always in that mold where, ‘Hey, I’ve got to set an edge. I’ve got to contain the quarterback.’ When offenses know that, it makes life easy on the tackles.”
On if it is accurate that Kruger is playing well against the run:
“It is, and I think that was more of a…I think he was always very physically capable of doing it. I just think it was our commitment to doing it at that position and just the techniques that we use, and I think it just became more of stressing it and an aiming point thing. I think a lot of that is just how they’re taking on blocks and the direction where they go towards the tackle. If you’re too far up the field, you’re going to get bounced up field. It’s simple physics. You’re usually outweighed by a lot when you’re going against tackles. If we’re thinking run, then we’re going to tighten those aiming points down, give him more of a chances. He’s bought into it, and there we’re some growing pains with it. There were a couple times in the preseason where he was running up the field. That’s when we hit him with the old, ‘Hey, you can’t get a sack on a running play.’ I overuse the phrase, but he’s one of the ones if you say, ‘Hey, who’s really bought in?’ It’s been ‘Krug.’”
On the physical and mental toughness the Ravens had when he was on their coaching staff and if that’s what he wants the Browns to look like now:
“It is. That’s what I know, and we tried to mold the Jets the same way. I think when you have that err about you – this goes back to the opening press conference – we talk about being tough, mentally tough, physically tough. When you look over the long haul those are the teams that win consistently. You can have long-term, sustained success if that’s your M.O. Even from an offensive standpoint, talking about running the football, sometimes conditions aren’t going to allow you to spread the field and air it out. Defensively, it’s just simple that if you have a great, tough defense and it’s hard for a team to score you’re going to be in most games. It’s something that I learned. It was a blueprint there for sure. When we had our success that’s what it was based on, and when we were successful in New York it was the same way.”
On why running backs coach Wilbert Montgomery is a guy he thought he’d like to have on his staff:
“I was fortunate enough to have worked with not just Wilbert, but with (offensive line coach) Andy (Moeller) for a year. It was on (Ravens Head Coach) John (Harbaugh)’s staff. His first year, Wilbert was the running backs coach and Andy was the offensive line coach. I got to know those guys really well. I was a little bit star struck when I first met Wilbert. I grew up a (Philadelphia) Eagles fan. I had a big poster of him. I had a Wilbert poster and my (Hollywood actress) Farrah Fawcett in my room (laughter). I mean, my hands were shaking when I met him. He’s Wilbert Montgomery. Being an Eagles fan, that was special. I learned very quickly just what a good football coach he is. He’s passionate. He’s tough. I think you need at least one guy like that. Fortunately for us, Andy brings a lot of that mentality, too. It was really a no-brainer to hire both of them.”
On if he’s going to address all the stuff going on in the NFL with the team –HGH testing, the Ravens RB Ray Rice situation and the Vikings RB Adrian Peterson situation:
“We will. I think as everything settles down from this and we get later in the week and the beginning of next week because it’s the bye week, we can spend a little bit more time before we kind of turn guys loose with the time off. That’s something that will definitely be brought up and discussed. I know Jamil Northcutt does a good job keeping those guys educated. It’s very much an open door. If guys are having problems, they know they have places to go. It’s important. You can’t ignore it. It can’t all be about football. There’s a human element here, and I think you’re doing yourself and your team a disservice if you just kind of forget that stuff and hope everything works out. We pick and choose our times to talk about it. Now in a game week it’s tough. We’re bunkered in, focused on this game, but there will be times where we kind of poke our heads up and look at the big picture.”
On if he’ll sit WR Josh Gordon down and have a talk with him when he comes back:
“That’s a hypothetical. I’m sure at some point when he is permitted to come back in the building. I’ve already had some good sit-downs with Josh, (General Manager) Ray (Farmer) and I both. When that occurs, we’ll sit down with him and just kind of lay the plan out for him. We’d like to think that all of our players…we’re on the same page with all of them as far as, ‘Here’s what your role is. Here’s what our expectations are.’ I don’t care if it’s the 10th guy on the practice squad or if it’s one of your better players, I just think that communication is important. Too many times you get caught making assumptions. It’s just better to be out in the open.”
On if the AFC North is one of the most physical conferences in football:
“Back for sure when I was with Baltimore through the bulk of the 2000s, it was very physical. Division games were…they called them double chinstrap games. You knew that – both teams – that the ice tubs were going to be filled up after the game. That was just the nature of the division. I think maybe in recent years it trended away from that, but I think it’s starting to circle back. Pittsburgh looks like they’ve committed themselves more to running the football. Certainly Baltimore…you look at the defenses in the division – Baltimore with the tradition, Pittsburgh with the tradition. Cincinnati’s defense has been real good lately. That’s certainly continued this year. We want to get ourselves to the point where we’re being mentioned with top defenses as well.”
On if the Ravens offense is the same as the Browns:
“There are some similarities, but it’s not tear the cover off the playbook. It’s not the same book. I think that (offensive coordinator) Kyle (Shanahan) took what he liked from (Ravens offensive coordinator) Gary (Kubiak’s) system and kept it and then did some things on his own – changed some things up. I’d say the running game is probably much closer than the passing game is. I’d say the pass concepts between the two teams are different. There are still some similarities with the bootlegs and play action off of it – the early down stuff. I think the third-down pass games are very different.”
On if it’s because of the players’ skill sets:
“I’m not sure. I just think it’s how…I mean Kyle was in Washington and kind of did his own thing. To me, you’re always going to match your scheme to your players. There are some things in Kyle’s playbook that he probably hasn’t used yet just because he’s highlighted a certain area of the book based on who we have here. I’m sure they’re going the same thing. They have two big vertical threats with (Ravens WRs) Jacoby Jones and (Torrey) Smith and then obviously Steve Smith. He’s not as vertical as he was before, but still, he can run all the routes, make all the catches and just brings that high level of energy to that offense.”
On what it is about Ravens LB Terrell Suggs that has made him so successful over the years:
“He had a great position coach when he first started out in the league. I take all the credit (laughter). No Suggs, to me he’s a guy that…he works. He loves football. As goofy as he can be sometimes, at his core he loves the game, loves to compete. Like I said, he’s a fun loving guy, completely unfiltered, but when it’s time to flip the switch, he’s all about it. He’s a unique blend of size, speed and strength. He didn’t time well in the 40 (yard dash), but his short area quickness – which is what you need for a pass rusher – to me, is rare. He’s a guy…like I said, he works at it. He’s gifted naturally, but he’s made himself elite with his work ethic.”
On how glad he was back in 2006 that the Ravens got DL Haloti Ngata when they switched picks with the Browns:
“Oh yeah, when we flipped picks. To me Ngata was one of the top guys on our draft board. We were thrilled that he fell to where he did. I do remember the trade. I think it was (former Browns LB Kamerion) Wimbley, a sixth round pick and (Babatunde) Oshinowo (Jr.), a kid from Stanford. Haloti was a guy that we were thrilled to get. There were some question marks about him coming out that we thought were laughable. To me, we felt it was a steal to get him when we did. Obviously he’s produced at a high level for a long time.”
On if the ‘laughable’ question marks on Ngata were about his health:
“No, I think it was an inconsistent motor, but here was a guy that didn’t come off the field very often. He blocked seven kicks, I think, in college, something like that. When you watch the tape, we just didn’t see it, and it was never an issue for us at all. He loves football and was a great teammate right from the beginning. He was one of those rookies that stepped in, and you wouldn’t have known he was a rookie. Just another rare blend of a guy that big that he brought us videos of his…he was a very good rugby player and just him 320 pounds playing rugby and just five, six guys hanging on him. He just showed what a good athlete he was. He could dunk a basketball any way he wanted to. He’s a very unique athlete, and to his credit, his work ethic has had him playing at a very high level for a long period of time.”
On what his early days at the Ravens were like and if he ever had a vision that he would end up being an NFL head coach:
“No, I was thrilled to be there, and I was very much in the…people say, ‘Be seen and not heard.’ I was the not be seen and not be heard mode because I just know a big part of it is just getting in and I was very fortunate that the circumstances played out that I got my foot in the door. It was just bunker in and work. Worked a lot of long days, I was with the video department during the days, during practices. Then, I went and worked with the coaches at night just helping out with some of the computer stuff and overflow, quality control type of stuff and was just very fortunate to just step into a situation where it was (Falcons defensive coordinator) Mike Nolan, (Falcons Head Coach) Mike Smith, (Jets Head Coach) Rex (Ryan) – just guys that were future head coaches in the league. (I was) just very fortunate to have been essentially dropped into that situation.”
On the status of RB Ben Tate, TE Jordan Cameron and LB Barkevious Mingo:
“I don’t see Tate being able to go this week, and I’ll just hold comment on the other guys until we get them out there and see. Those two guys will likely practice today on a limited basis. We’ll see how they develop as the week goes on.”
On if he sees much of Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan’s defense left in Baltimore:
“Some, not much – I think it’s just kind of been a transition over time. I think when (Ravens defensive coordinator) Dean Pees took over there was much more of a New England influence – what he had done when he coordinated there. I think if it was back when it was (Colts Head Coach Chuck) Pagano or (former Ravens defensive coordinator Greg) Mattison you would have seen a lot of it. I think just over time…there are still elements of it, and I don’t know if the terminology has changed at all and how they identify things – just the language. It’s there, but I don’t think it’s…if you watch the two teams play, you wouldn’t say their roots are in the same defense.”
THE RODA REPORT ON 92.3 THE FAN – JOSH GORDON,ADRIAN PETERSON,BROWNS IN COLUMBUS?
Here’s the podcast of “The Roda Report” with Andy Baskin and Jeff Phelps on 92.3 The Fan from Wednesday, September 17th –
PODCAST – THE RODA REPORT ON 92.3 THE FAN
Here’s my weekly conversation with 92.3 The fan’s Andy Baskin and Jeff Phelps discussing the Browns/Steelers game, injuries to Ben Tate and Jordan Cameron, Josh Gordon and the NFL and NFLPA Drug Policy conversations and more.
HOW PREMIER LEAGUE SOCCER WILL IMPACT THE BIG FOUR SPORTS IN AMERICA
It can’t be long now before the owners make it happen. No, not the Kevin Love trade to Cleveland that everyone is waiting on, but jersey sponsorship for big dollars with the professional sports teams in the U.S.
If 20 Premiere League teams can bring in $325 million for one season with jersey sponsorships, imagine what 32 NFL teams could bring in for one 16 game season. How about 30 MLB teams over 4,860 regular season games or the NBA with its world wide appeal for about 100 games, if your team makes it to the finals. Even the NHL would make a bundle with their multiple country appeal.
With the team en route to America, one fan who can’t wait for #mutour is Miami Dolphins star Cameron Wake (@Kold91). pic.twitter.com/5oi7PMYsqu
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) July 18, 2014
After reading a story like the one posted here – http://www.cbssports.com/general/eye-on-sports/24641471/report-premier-league-jersey-sponsorships-worth-record-325-million – I’ve got to believe that owners in the NBA, NFL, MLB and the NHL will be talking to their league commissioners about making this happen sooner rather than later!
It could be a major plus for the small market teams in Major League Baseball where there is no salary cap and the have-nots can maybe make up some ground on the haves in creating revenue to then turn around and spend those dollars on big name free agents to become more competitive.
In the other leagues, owners may just want to sell jersey sponsorship to bring in more dollars so they can add it to their already growing bank accounts or possibly to put some of the money back into their stadiums, arenas or their farm system.
Owners of professional sports teams are usually smart, greedy business men and I can’t see them missing out on this cash cow for much longer. So get ready for your Cleveland Browns, Cavs and Indians to have more than their team name or city on the front or back of their actual game jerseys. You’ll get used to it after a while and if it allows Larry Dolan, Jimmy Haslam or Dan Gilbert to make their teams better, you’ll accept it just like soccer fans do.
BROWNS DROP GREG LITTLE FROM THEIR ROSTER
Over the last three years as I searched the internet for accurate stats, it looks like the Cleveland Browns rank second in the NFL in a category you don’t want to be ranked that high in, dropped passes. The Detroits Lions look like they are first over the past three seasons with 126 drops, followed by the Browns with 114 footballs hitting the ground. One of the main culprits that helped the Browns reach that spot, Greg Little, was cut today by the team after three years in Cleveland.
Little was a 2nd round pick back in 2011 out of North Carolina. He came with some baggage, as he was suspended for the entire 2010 season at North Carolina by the NCAA for receiving improper benefits and then lying about it to investigators.
The Browns though were willing to take a chance on Little because of the ability they thought they saw in him and his 6’2 – 220 pound frame, thinking he could be a top flight receiver in the NFL. However Little never came close to that. Instead he would be known for dropping passes, 29 to be exact over his three years in C’Town.
Little finishes his Browns career with 155 catches out of 311 targets for 1,821 yards and 8 touchdowns. Those numbers average out to 52 catches for 607 yards and 2.6 touchdowns per season. Not nearly the production they were expecting from the 59th overall pick in the 2011 draft.
Is it somewhat surprising that Ray Farmer cut Little with the potential season long suspension of Josh Gordon still pending? Yes it is. But Farmer must feel that while he has no true number one wide receiver amongst this group of Nate Burleson, Andrew Hawkins, Travis Benjamin, Josh Cooper, Tori Gurley and Charles Johnson, along with a group of undrafted free agent wide outs, it was still best for this team to give those a guys a chance to do what Little couldn’t consistently do, catch the ball!
MANZIEL VS TEBOW – FAIR OR UNFAIR?
With “Manziel Mania” running rampant in Cleveland like “‘Johnny Football” across SEC fields over the last two years I started thinking about Manziel’s career in college and it led me to think about another heralded SEC quarterback named Tim Tebow.
Like Manziel, Tebow ran and threw the ball and brought excitement to the college football world both on and off the field. Like Manziel, people questioned whether Tebow’s style of play could make it in the NFL. Was he a good enough passer? Could he play under center and read defenses? Could he understand to be successful in the league he would have to run less and throw more? Then I started wondering why will “Manziel Mania” be any different than “Tebow Mania”? What gives “TMZ Johnny” a better chance to make it over “Genuflecting Tim”? Will he last longer in the NFL than the three years that Tebow played? If so, why? Are these comparisons fair?
So I decided to go back and look at the first two years that both Tebow and Manziel started at quarterback at their respective colleges in the SEC. There are a lot of similar results that link these two together, and I think fairly raises the question, why will Manziel, drafted 22nd in the first round by the Browns in 2014 make it in the NFL, when Tebow, who was drafted 25th in the first round by the Broncos in 2010, only lasted 3 years?
(Remember these are stats and facts from the first two years as a starting quarterback only)
TIM TEBOW JOHNNY MANZIEL
6’3 – 236 pounds 5’11 – 205 pounds
Played in the SEC at Florida Played in the Sec at Texas A&M
Gesture – “Tebowing” Gesture – “Getting Paid”
1st sophomore to win the Heisman 1st freshman to win the Heisman
Won 1 National Title Did not win a National Title
Won 1 SEC Title Did not win an SEC Title
2-Time first team All-American 1-Time first team All-American
2-Time first team All-SEC 2-Time first team All-SEC
1st year as a starter 32TD passes 1st year as a starter 26TD passes
1st year as a starter 23 rush TD’s 1st year as a starter 21 rush TD’s
Total TD’s in first year (53) Total TD’s in first year (47)
1st year as a starter 3,286yrds passing 1st year as a starter 3,706yrds passing
1st year as a starter 895yrds rushing 1st year as a starter 1,410yrds rushing
1st year total yards 4,181 yards 1st year total yards 5,116 yards
First 2 years as a starter 62 TD passes First 2 years as a starter 63 TD passes
First 2 years as a starter 35 rushing TD’s First 2 years as a starter 30 rushing TD’s
Total TD’s in first 2 years (97) Total TD’s in first two years (93)
Total INT’s thrown first 2 years (10) Total INT’s thrown in first 2 years (22)
66% completion percentage first 2 years 69% completion percentage first 2 years
Total passing yards first 2 years (6,033) Total passing yards in first 2 years (7,820)
Total rush yards first 2 years (1,568) Total rush yards in first 2 years (2,169 yards)
Total yards in first 2 years (7,601) Total yards in first 2 years (9,989)
Both played with heart, desire and passion at the college level. Both were great leaders on the field. But after looking at the numbers and information provided above, is there anything that really stands out as to why Johnny Manziel has a chance to be a better quarterback in the NFL than Tim Tim Tebow? I’m not saying Manziel will. I’m not saying he won’t. I’m just presenting you with comparable information and stats for the two players and would love to hear your reasons why you believe one way or another. Let me know here at www.KennyRoda.com or on Twitter @TheKennyRoda.
Browns Bettin On Pettine
After a long search by Jimmy Haslam, Joe Banner and Mike Lombardi in which a number of candidates pulled their name out of consideration for the job, the Browns have settled on former Bills and Jets defensive coordinator Mike Pettine to replace Rob Chudzinksi, who was fired after just one season by the Browns, as their new head coach.
Pettine’s only season in Buffalo last year, saw the Bills defense rank 10th overall in total defense in the NFL. The Bills defense finished 4th against the pass and 28th against the run as they played a 3-4 hybrid type defense. The Bills did rank 2nd in the NFL in both quarterback sacks (57) and interceptions (23) on defense. They were 20th in points allowed with 388.
Pettine is the son of a coach, his dad Mike Pettine Sr. won the 4A state championship four times at Central Bucks High School in Pennsylvania. He played quarterback for his dad in high school and then went on to play free safety at Virginia, graduating in 1987.
Pettine, 47, does have some head coaching experience, but that came at the high school level from 1997-2001 at North Penn High School in Pennsylvania. From there he went on to start his NFL coaching career with the Ravens from 2002-2008. He left Baltimore for New York to become Rex Ryan’s defensive coordinator from 2009-2012. During his time with the Jets they made it to back-to-back AFC Championship games.
In a head-to-head matchup with the Browns last season, Buffalo lost in Cleveland 37-24 as Brandon Weeden came off the bench for injured quarterback Brian Hoyer to throw for 197 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. Weeden however was sacked five times in the game and 14 of the Browns points were scored on a punt return by Travis Benjamin and a pick six by T.J. Ward.
Pettine takes over a team who finished with a (4-12) record in 2013 and has had six consecutive seasons of 10 or more losses. The Browns do have six players representing them in the Pro Bowl, however they still are looking for a franchise starting quarterback.
Pettine becomes the Browns 8th coach since they returned to the NFL in 1999 and the 18th overall in franchise history. Only 4 of those coaches (Paul Brown, Blanton Collier, Nick Skorich and Marty Schottenheimer) have posted a winning record for their career in the regular season with Cleveland.
BROWNS BY THE UGLY NUMBERS
The Browns have now lost 5 straight games this season and 8 of their last 9 games.
This is the 6th straight season of 10 or more losses for the Browns.
This is the 10th season in the last 11 seasons that the Browns have lost 10 or more games.
Since returning to the NFL in 1999 the Browns have a (.323) winning percentage.
Since 1999 the Browns have won 9 or more games 2 times.
Since 1999 the Browns have had 7 head coaches and 3 owners.
Since 1999 the Browns are (5-25) vs the Steelers, (8-22) vs the Ravens and (11-19) vs the Bengals.
Since 1999 the Browns are a combined (24-66) against their division opponents for a (.266) winning percentage.
The Browns have made the NFL playoffs 1 time in the last 15 years.
The last time the Browns won a Division Championship was in 1989 or 24 years ago!