Archive for December, 2011

It’s the holiday season. That means two things: you’ve spent some time in the last two weeks avoiding a family member or friend who you didn’t really want to see, and the Browns have been eliminated from playoff contention. Granted, the latter usually happens closer to Thanksgiving, but it’s still notable as playoff time is just around the corner. This Christmas featured a nice array of gifts from my parents, per usual. One of the interesting bits was a book of Cleveland sports trivia. Nice, right? I get to read up and relearn things that have been squashed in my [...]

Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis has had one of the most bizarre seasons in recent memory. From sitting out a game due to strep throat to messy contract negotiations to a nagging hamstring injury that kept him out for five straight games, this has been a season to forget for Hillis. But could it all really stem from the dreaded Madden curse? At the beginning of the season, it was certainly something to scoff at. There was no way it would happen to the “Madden NFL 12″ cover boy – the big, bruising back would surely build on his 2010 [...]

Cleveland Browns quarterback Colt McCoy still hasn’t been medically cleared to practice, though he hasn’t been ruled out for Sunday’s season finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Regardless, it still doesn’t seem likely that McCoy will be able to take the field no matter how much he would like to do so. Despite not being cleared to play, McCoy did speak out about his concussion for the first time since it happened on Dec. 8. He praised the Browns medical staff, but didn’t want to get into any details about that game or the symptoms he has been feeling since suffering the [...]

Cleveland Browns fans have stuck themselves between a rock and a hard place. Everyone is afraid to draft a quarterback with a high first round pick given all the needs they have at other positions. But at the same time, pretty much everyone is coming to the conclusion, that while Colt McCoy would benefit from better players around him, his upside isn’t high enough to get you to the Super Bowl out of the AFC North. Thus, the Browns need to get a new quarterback, but they can’t draft one, even though the upcoming draft has two promising quarterbacks in [...]

The Cleveland Browns and Colt McCoy both hoped the quarterback would be able to return to practice this week in preparation for the season finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he still has not been cleared to do so. Knowing that, it seems all but officially announced that backup Seneca Wallace will be making his third start of the season on Sunday. McCoy hasn’t been completely shut down in the last few weeks, as he has been running, lifting weights, attending team meetings, and just about everything else except participating in actual drills. Despite that, he has not been medically cleared to [...]

There are currently two things you can count on when it comes to the Cleveland Browns: 1) They will search high and low for a new and inexplicable way to lose a game they likely should have won 2) Left tackle Joe Thomas will be selected to the Pro Bowl Thomas was selected to his fifth straight Pro Bowl on Tuesday, one for every year that he has been in the league. He has been the definition of stability at left tackle for the Browns, something that often feels overlooked until Pro Bowl selections are unveiled each year and fans remember [...]

Cleveland Browns quarterback Colt McCoy continues to recover from a concussion and could be cleared to practice this week. He has already missed games against the Arizona Cardinals and Baltimore Ravens after suffering the concussion against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Dec. 8. While it is possible that McCoy could be cleared to play this week as the Browns prepare for a rematch with the Steelers and linebacker James Harrison, who gave McCoy the concussion, the real question is, should he? The Browns are sitting at 4-11, about to face the best defense in the NFL. There’s no denying the severity [...]

The young Cleveland Browns took another team to the brink of an upset on Saturday, but, as has been the case with so many games this season, they doomed themselves with mistakes and an inability to score touchdowns when it counts. Whether it was the poor clock management at the end of the first half or rookie defensive tackle Phil Taylor’s mental error at the end of the game, there is no denying that the Browns sabotaged themselves in a bid to beat the Ravens in Baltimore. But, as always, the most disappointing thing of all might just be that [...]

The Cleveland Browns have truly been their own worst enemy this season. Critical errors at crucial times have been their downfall in a number of games, and it was no different on Saturday, as the Browns blundered their way to a 20-14 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. This time, it was two particular plays that helped lead the Browns to a loss: 1) At the end of the first half, with less than a minute remaining, the Browns offense looked apathetic getting to the line of scrimmage and confusion set in with 13 seconds left, as quarterback Seneca Wallace took it [...]

What was simply a foregone conclusion is finally a fact – Cleveland Browns backup quarterback Seneca Wallace will be starting in Baltimore on Saturday. With Colt McCoy still not cleared to even practice after suffering a concussion on Dec. 8, starting Wallace was an obvious choice. Some might see this as yet another audition for Seneca Wallace to prove that he can be a starting quarterback in the NFL. The nine-year veteran has a lot of experience in this type of offense and did provide a spark – at least for a little bit – in the Browns’ overtime loss to the [...]