Life will go on for the Yankees without Mariano Rivera but it won't be the same

Only twice in the past 19 years have the New York Yankees missed the playoffs.

First in 2008, the final year of old Yankee Stadium, and now again in 2013, the last for Mariano Rivera.

As the end came for two pillars of Yankee lore, neither received a storybook October ending you would have expected.

Rivera's exit Thursday night at Yankee Stadium was undoubtedly emotional as Derek Jeter and Andy Pettitte, fellow members of the "core four" group that came up to the big leagues together in the mid-90s, took the ball from him.

It was sentimental and special.

But it was not a clutch cutter to cut down another contender's hopes on a crisp fall evening.

Not a postseason save with 50,000 on their feet.

Not a mobbing of the mound as the Yankees celebrated a series win.

Rivera's final Bronx bow was spotless as ever - four batters set down straight - and poignant as you would expect after an iconic career. But it was not even a save situation, the Yankees down 4-0 on their way to being swept by the Rays, a night after getting knocked out of the wild card chase.

Much like his bobblehead arriving late to the stadium and causing a chaotic scene Tuesday night, this wasn't the anticipated scenario. 

Similarly, you never imagined old Yankee Stadium closing its gates in any month other than October.

After all the incredible playoff moments in The House That Ruth Built, "The Called Shot," "Mr. October," "Mr. November," its final game was a regular season contest, a Yankees win on Sept. 21, 2008, that merely kept their slim playoff hopes alive for one more day .

Three days later, a Red Sox win eliminated the Yankees from contention and quashed the possibility of the patriotic postseason bunting being hung around the hallowed grounds once more.

As the walls of old Yankee Stadium came down and a brand spanking new structure was built across the street, many were upset that tradition was being abandoned.

That it would never be the same.

But a crazy thing happened in the first season at new Yankee Stadium: the Bronx Bombers christened their fresh stomping grounds with their 27th World Series.

Life too will go on for the Yankees without Rivera, strange as it will be to no longer see No. 42 on the mound in the ninth.

Never again, in fact, will the No. 42 be worn by a major league player.

Rivera is the last.

Fitting it was he who wore Jackie Robinson's number, so full of meaning, for so long since it was retired around baseball.

With Rivera stepping away, there will be a new closer in the pinstripes. Whether it be heir apparent David Robertson or someone else, fans will still get on their feet and cheer as that guy sets down the final batter to earn a save.

It will never be the same though, which is a testament to Rivera, who became not just great in that role but the greatest of all-time.

Just as with the new stadium, you can build a shiny replica as a replacement but you can never bring back the original.

"Exit light, enter night, take my hand, we're off to never never land."

So long, Mariano. 

From Chris Perez to Jason Giambi, dejection turns to euphoria for Indians

This past winter, Jason Giambi wasn’t thinking about playing baseball.

The 42-year-old was interviewing to be the Colorado Rockies’ manager. After Walt Weiss got the job, Giambi passed up an offer to be the team’s hitting coach and decided to keep playing baseball.

Cleveland should be happy about that.

Wednesday night, Giambi turned a dejected, then vitriolic Progressive Field into a 1997-style party, jacking a two-out, pinch-hit walk-off homer after polarizing closer Chris Perez blew a save in the top of the ninth inning.

Giambi may be hitting just .181 in 182 at-bats in 2013 but his finest moments have come in the most magnified.

Go back to July 29 against the White Sox: Giambi becomes the oldest player in major league history to hit a walk-off home run.

With his blast Wednesday, Giambi just added a few months to his own record.

“You could fill up a book, because I keep trying to say how I feel about him, and I just don't feel like I ever quite get there. That's how valuable I feel like he is to our team," manager Terry Francona said after the July walk-off.

Francona, who should be the AL Manager of the Year in his first season in Cleveland, tried again to articulate Giambi’s importance now in the crucial final push of September.

"He's always ready, and that's why he's playing this game -- because he wants to win," Francona said after the latest win over the White Sox. "He is willing to do anything for anybody at any time. He's been a blessing for all of us."

Game 157 very well could have been remembered for Perez’s implosion but Giambi had other ideas.

He was ready and seized the moment, anger turning to ecstasy in a matter of minutes as the crowd at Progressive Field did a complete 180.

No matter what happens in the final week of this season, Giambi’s homer will live on in Tribe lore - the night the grizzled veteran bailed out the scorned closer.

Tom Hamilton: 'It's Mardi Gras in September in Cleveland'

No one calls a walk-off winner like Indians’ play-by-play voice Tom Hamilton.

He was in fine form Tuesday night as Jason Giambi sent one into the night to push the Indians to a dramatic 5-4 win and stay a game up on the Texas Rangers for the American League’s second wild card.

Here’s the must-hear Hamilton call:

Mobile users: http://on.wews.com/1bFqEpz

“A swing and a drive to deep right, a waaaaay back! Goooone! [pause] Jason Giambi has done it for the second time off the White Sox! A walk-off game-winner! A two out, two-run blast to right! Mardi Gras in September in Cleveland! Oh what a mob scene! Giambi has come off the bench and for the third time this year, a pinch-hit home run. And Giambi, for the second time, a walk-off game-winning home run against the Chicago White Sox. One of the most incredible wins in many a year! The Indians stay in second in the wild card chase.”

And Matt Underwood’s on Fox SportsTime Ohio:

“Reed ready, 1-1 pitch…Giambi with a drive, deep right field, are you kiddin’ me? Oh my! The Indians have won it. They’re 11th walk-off win of the season and none more dramatic than this one right here, right now. If you don’t believe there’s something special happening with this bunch then you haven’t been paying attention.”

Then there’s Chicago White Sox notorious play-by-play voice Hawk Harrelson’s version, which just doesn't quite capture the euphoria inside Progressive Field:

Mobile users: http://on.wews.com/16HWU4v

“This ballgame is over. [pause for 1:04] Well your Johnny Gomes, your Jason Giambis bring a lot to a ball club.”

Undefeated Michigan doesn't deserve top 25 ranking

Strip the maize and blue from the uniforms, put the Michigan Wolverines up against the rest of the nation and you will quickly discover they are not one of its best 25.

Not four weeks into the 2013 college football season at least.

After stomping a weak Mid-American Conference school, Central Michigan, 59-9, then taking care of Associated Press No. 14 at the time Notre Dame, the shine wore away.

A week later, Akron, riding a 27-game road losing streak, came within a yard of winning at the Big House, falling just short in the final seconds in a 28-24 heartbreaker.

The Zips very well should have won that game with multiple opportunities in the late-going.

Squeaking out a win against one of the lowlier teams in the MAC had consequences for the Wolverines, dropping them from No. 11 to No. 15 in the AP poll.

Saturday marked a chance for Michigan to redeem itself and at the very least solidify its top 15 ranking.

The opponent: Winless Connecticut, who suffered their first loss of the season at home to FCS (formerly Division I-AA) school Towson.

Michigan knows a thing or two about that type of loss. See: Appalachian State, 2007.

Back to 2013 and Saturday night’s game in East Hartford. Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner failed to complete a pass in the second quarter and the Wolverines struggled through the first half, again showing little resemblance of a pulse in taking a 14-7 deficit into the locker room.

They capitalized on Husky mistakes in the second half but only took the lead with 4:36 left in the game on a field goal that would ultimately prove decisive in the 24-21 win.

Michigan is 4-0 on paper but full of problems on the field.

Yet the pollsters still haven’t seemed to fully notice.

Michigan did fall another three spots, down to No. 18, in Monday’s latest AP poll. However, what have they done to merit any ranking at all, besides “earning” a spot in the preseason top 25?

Shaky even in a home win against their only “formidable” opponent this year, Michigan has looked bad more often than good. Take the Notre Dame game when, up two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, Gardner threw a pick six while trying to avoid a sack in the end zone and let the Irish back into the game.

Had their been no preseason poll, which sets in motion each season’s college football hierarchy, would the Wolverines have any justification for being ranked.

The answer is no.

That very well could change - and we will find out soon. If the Wolverines can’t handle business against unranked Minnesota, Penn State and Indiana, it will be time to drop the number next to the name.

It’s also time to ditch the preseason polls, once and for all.

Sure, they create buzz and generate fodder for hyping up early-season TV matchups. It’s much easier to promote when you can bill a game as a battle of two of the top 25 teams in the country.

The problem is it comes too early to assign such significant, yet subjective, distinctions.

In this week’s Sagarin ratings, based on a number of computer ratings, Michigan comes in at No. 34. The Fighting Irish, the only ranked team they’ve beaten, is 28th.

Sometimes the computers do know better. Pollsters are people, who can’t and don’t watch every game.

They first put together the preseason polls, pointless endeavors based off hype and preconceived ideas.

If the NFL were based on a poll system, the 3-0 Miami Dolphins would probably be mired below some 2-1 team because they were not expected to be undefeated up to this point.
Ohio State (4-0) is right now No. 3, while Stanford (3-0) places a spot below despite each notching their best win against a Pac 12 opponent with the Cardinal’s the ranked Arizona State. Texas A&M (3-1) has not yet beaten a BCS-conference team but comes in ahead of Oklahoma State (3-0), who handled Mississippi State at a neutral site.

Somehow it has been decided that No. 12 South Carolina (2-1) is better than No. 15 Miami (3-0) and No. 16 Washington (3-0) because the Gamecocks’ only loss was to No. 9 Georgia (2-1), who lost to No. 3 Clemson (3-0).

Here’s the key: South Carolina and Georgia were ranked 5th and 6th respectively in the AP’s preseason poll. Miami and Washington were both unranked.

Once the pecking order is established, it’s extra difficult to break through it and reach the top. Just ask Utah fans, who in 2008 saw the undefeated Utes start the season unranked and finish it No. 2 in the final poll.

Perennial powerhouses plopped atop the polls can take a stranglehold just by taking care of business.

Michigan is one that has clearly proven thus far that undefeated doesn't mean unscathed.

It’s taking pollsters a little too long to figure that one out.

How Browns' Trent Richardson trade saga all began with missing out on Julio Jones, RG III

Has an NFL team ever so boldly waved the white flag two weeks into a season?

Sure, the Browns tried to give them away as a promotional item last season but even that wasn’t until Week 12.

Thursday, they traded Trent Richardson, after a season and change in brown and orange, to the Indianapolis Colts for a first round pick. The third overall pick in the 2012 Draft, a guy the Browns traded up to choose, got just 17 games to prove himself in Cleveland.

To put that in perspective, Ryan Leaf, one of the biggest draft busts in NFL history, was given 18 starts as the San Diego Chargers’ quarterback. The New York Jets held onto Vernon Gholston, the Ohio State workout wonder who didn’t work out, for 45 games before cutting the cord.

Again, the Browns pin their hopes on the draft, the solution for salvation that has proven an abyss for 14 years.

The draft is a place where the Browns, a team desperate for offense, have in just the past three years: traded out of a pick that could have landed wide receiver Julio Jones, failed to do enough to move up for quarterback Robert Griffin III and moved up in the top 5 to select a running back they traded after only one full season of action.

Missing out on both Jones and Griffin III may have been the biggest blows, in hindsight setting into action this entire situation. Still needing a playmaker, the Browns took Richardson, who appeared to be a building block for the future. Again, members of the old regime wanted him badly enough to jump up a pick to ensure his selection.

When the Browns’ second first round pick came around at No. 22, they would have selected Kendall Wright had he not been taken a pick before by the Tennessee Titans, at least according to a report by ESPN insider Adam Schefter. Instead, still in need of a quarterback with shaky Colt McCoy the incumbent, they seemed to panic and selected Brandon Weeden.

Now, Weeden’s future is uncertain and Richardson is a goner.

For Cleveland, the Richardson trade is like quitting a job because you just bought 55 Powerball tickets and are sure you’re going to win the jackpot with so many tickets. You just have that sixth sense.

It’s a move a disgruntled gamer might make after losing their first two games in a franchise mode in Madden.

Maybe worst of all, it again leaves fans of this team without a face of the franchise. For years and years, the Browns failed to field a signature player who you could proudly look toward as “your guy.”

Richardson was that, if only for one year.

Whether he would prove to be any more long-term a “face” for Cleveland than Peyton Hillis or Braylon Edwards or Brady Quinn, a player whose jersey you could sport at a sports bar for more than a year or two, was up for debate. The Alabama back did break Jim Brown’s team record for rookie rushing touchdowns in his first season though.

Did he really get a fair shake? Didn’t he deserve better than this outcome?

Richardson was not a locker room cancer or even distraction. He hasn’t violated traffic rules or league policies. He came off as a classy pro who only campaigned for more carries in the most diplomatic manner possible.

Why did it have to come to this so soon, two weeks into his second season? 

“To have made some real progress with the team this offseason, to be in very good cap shape going into next season, and accumulated those picks, I think we’re positioning ourselves to build a team that is good and sustainable,” Browns chief executive officer Joe Banner said. 

Maybe Banner and general manager Mike Lombardi know something deeper about Richardson or how to mastermind this year’s draft or a reason why the Colts’ first round pick won’t be in the mid 20s.

But reading tea leaves is nearly impossible in sports, especially when it comes to drafting. That’s why the experts couldn’t predict Ryan Leaf as a bust and Tom Brady to be the best.

What will come out of this trade is still to be determined and will undoubtedly be dissected with immense scrutiny. Trades have rarely worked in the Browns’ favor of late, from trading down so the Falcons could add Jones to their explosive mix to the Redskins trading up ahead of them to select Griffin III.

Now though, for the Browns’ Week 3 matchup with the Minnesota Vikings, a healthy backup quarterback was passed up for the third-stringer to take the helm and a running back who was third on the depth chart before an injury and trade is penciled in as the starter.

Sept. 18 had to feel a whole lot like April 1, Browns fans.

The best hope may be that May 8, 2014, the date of the next NFL Draft, will feel like December 25. Because Wednesday, the Grinch came to Cleveland early and stole the current face of the franchise.

Weeden behind play clock, Little still dropping passes as Browns lose 11th straight to Ravens

Close as they may have been at times, the Browns fell just short.

On a 4th and 4 at the Baltimore 39 on the fourth quarter’s first play, Jordan Cameron lunged toward the sticks after running a route that pinnacled a yard shy of a first.

Once spotted, the football was mind-numbingly close, at most an inch short, of moving the chains.

It was so close head coach Rob Chudzinski threw out his red flag.

He lost the challenge.

The Browns lost the game.

For the 11th straight time, the Ravens got the better of the Browns, 14-6 winners Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. The Browns have lost by a possession or less in four of the last seven meetings but that means nil in the big picture.

Can you really even call it a true division “rivalry” at this point when the results are this one-sided?

Super Bowl-winning Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco has never tasted defeat against the Browns.

Second-year Browns quarterback Brandon Weeden has never thrown a touchdown against the Baltimore defense.

Stark is the juxtaposition.

Weeden was knocked around throughout the game and then finally knocked out in the fourth quarter with a thumb injury.  Jason Campbell took the helm with the Browns down by eight but could muster only a first down through pass interference before turning the ball over on downs.

Many of the same themes of Week 1 were present in Week 2.

-The offensive line struggled to protect Weeden, especially on the right side. This week Elvis Dumervil repeatedly surged by tackle Mitchell Schwartz and got to Weeden, who was sacked five times and hit 12. A week ago, Cameron Wake and the Dolphins’ front seven wreaked havoc sacking Weeden six times.

-Drops were again a problem, Greg Little a major culprit as has become all too common a trend. The Usain Bolt pose can stay far, far away.

- Weeden himself was not without blame either. Three times on third downs, the quarterback was called for a delay of game.

-Trent Richardson has not received a fourth quarter carry yet this season. After last week’s loss, Chudzinski said the situation would dictate how many times Richardson got the rock. But Cleveland never trailed by more than a possession in this game yet in 14 fourth quarter plays, Richardson didn’t get one handoff. He also remained on the sideline on third downs, where the Browns have struggled mightily, 4-15 Sunday and now 5-29 on the season.

For the day, Richardson ran for 58 yards on 18 carries. His longest run netted nine yards.

- A bright spot was the run defense that held the Dolphins to just 20 yards and the Baltimore rushing attack under 100 yards. Still the secondary struggled, allowing too much space for Ravens receivers crossing the field on key third downs.

In a nutshell, there’s more bad than good. That’s obvious to anyone watching the games. Parity can be plentiful in the NFL but not when persistent problems fail to be addressed.

Chudzinski will have to keep answering the same questions week after week until even just one is fixed.

How can the line be improved? Why isn’t Richardson seeing the field on even a few third down calls and being abandoned in the fourth quarter? Is Brandon Weeden doing enough to win games or are the players around him the problem?

It’s still too early to place complete blame or make sweeping assessments but in a new year with a new regime, it’s thus far the same story.

While the Ravens fend off a winless start to the season, the Browns fall to 0-2 and stay in the division’s cellar, where they have been most of the last 14 years.

Déjà vu seems like destiny when it comes to Cleveland football and the continual sight is one for sore eyes.

The game no one remembers

It has been played ad nauseam. Not Stephen Hill's costly drop in the Jets' Oct. 2012 loss to the New England Patriots.

No, you know exactly what I'm talking about here.

Mark Sanchez's butt fumble on Thanksgiving night against the Pats has been shown approximately 514,212 times on the Worldwide Leader by my last count.

The play that just kept giving will probably go down in football lore as even more embarrassing than Leon Lett's gaffe that also came on Thanksgiving, back in 1993.

Back to Stephen Hill though.

With a little more than two minutes left in last year's Week 7 contest at Gillette Stadium, the Jets trailed the Patriots 23-20, driving and attempting to come back from a 10-point fourth quarter deficit. 

On 3rd and 3 with 2:15 left on the clock, Sanchez stuck a pass on the numbers of the rookie Hill, who dropped it. Had Hill held on at the Patriots' 14 yard-line, he would have given the Jets a first down approaching the two-minute warning, as well as a chance to both score the game-winning touchdown and wind the clock down.

Instead a wild series of events played out in the final two minutes. After a Nick Folk field goal tied the game at 23, Devin McCourty fumbled the kickoff. The Jets' offense again couldn't run the clock out, settling for three and giving the Patriots the ball back. 

Big mistake there. Tom Brady of course got the Pats into position for a Stephen Gostkowski game-tying field goal, which sent the game to overtime.

On the first drive of extra time, the Jets' defense held the Patriots to a field goal, giving the offense the ball and another chance. But Sanchez was strip-sacked, turning the ball over and ending the game.

Not a win but far from hapless either.

Far from 49-19, the Week 12 final score.

No one remembers Hill's costly drop a month before the fumble that will live in infamy. 

No one can forget Sanchez's blunder that thrust a new buzz term into the sports lexicon. 

The vast majority remember the Pats' 45-3 thumping in Dec. of 2010 with the AFC East lead on the line, not the Jets' 16-9 home win early in the 2009 season.

While the Pats have won the last four meetings, the Jets were actually 4-2 in the six before those. 

But when your missteps are as lofty as the Jets' have been lately in this rivalry, no one is going to remember your close calls or even triumphs. 

Stephen Hill probably knows that already. Now with Mark Sanchez out, the 700-pound gorilla of embarrassment to hide behind is gone, so everyone in green and white should be on notice.

BROWNS BREAKDOWN: Weeden not as bad as box score looked

Scan Brandon Weeden’s numbers in Sunday’s box score and his performance doesn’t look pretty: 26/53, 289 yards, TD, 3 INT.

The 29-year-old completed just 49 percent of his passes in the opener of his second season as the Browns’ starting quarterback.

Last year, I broke down Weeden’s first NFL start , a loss to the Eagles in which he threw four interceptions. Weeden struggled handling pressure in that game.

One year later, Weeden again had problems precipitated by an offensive line that rarely gave him much of a chance. He was sacked six times and hit 16. Cameron Wake and the Dolphins’ front seven were consistently flustering Weeden, if not getting sacks, hurrying him or collapsing the pocket.

Oneil Cousins struggled mightily, committing penalties and failing to hold back rushers at the right guard spot. At right tackle, Mitchell Schwartz was no match for Wake, who repeatedly blew past him on the outside. On one 4th quarter play, Weeden had just three seconds to make a decision before Wake reached him. 

Weeden was also hurt by mistakes from his own receivers. Four passes were dropped, one glaring example a throw on target but off the hands of Greg Little and intercepted by the Dolphins.

That is a recipe for the type of mediocre numbers Weeden put up.

There were still flaws in the quarterback’s play but when given time to throw and step into the pocket, Weeden did not look bad. His touchdown throw to Jordan Cameron was a thing of beauty and he showed his arm strength putting zip on throws he had time and room into which to step up.

Weeden is not without fault. He still made mistakes and stared down receivers.

His very poor stat line, however, is deceiving and his overall performance, under duress, was better than a shaky first career start in 2012.

Here’s a throw-by-throw breakdown of Weeden’s first start of 2013:

QUARTER 1

DRIVE 1
1- 1 ^st and 10- CLE 34 - Shotgun, 2 WRs to near side, 2 backs beside Weeden, playaction for Richardson, quick pass right to Benjamin for 4 yards
2- 2 ^nd and 6 – CLE 38 - Shotgun, 3 WRs, Richardson lineup next to Weeeden on 2 ^nd and 6 - Quick release and complete right to Little for 10 yards
3- Shotgun 2 ^nd and 8, MIA 41 – 2 WR, 2 TE – Miami blitzes corner lined up on Benjamin to right side, Richardson blocks blitzer, Weeden has pocket to step into, late for Little, nearly picked by Patterson
4- 3 ^rd and 8 – Shotgun -3 WRs, 2 TE - MIA 41 – Miami sends Ellerbe on blitz, Ogbonaya fails to pick him up, applies pressure to Weeden’s  left forcing him to throw pass for grabs in double coverage, intended for Benjamin, INT by Carroll

DRIVE 2
1 – 1 ^st and 10 -Pistol– 2 WRs -  CLE 39 – play action Richardson , pass for Richardson incomplete, with Starks coming up the middle
2- 3 ^rd and 10 – Shotgun – 3WR, 2 TE – quick drop and release for Benjamin on the slant, on target, DROPPED

DRIVE 3
1- 2 ^nd and 10 – CLE 19 - Shotgun – 2 WR, 2 TE – Stares left, hits Little for 8 yards
2- 3 ^rd and 2 – CLE 27 - Shotgun – 4 WR (Cameron lined up as WR) 4 man rush, pocket collapsing on Weeden, finds Little crossing the field, deflects off Little’s hands, INT by Patterson 

QUARTER 2

DRIVE 1
1- 2 ^nd and 8 – CLE 16 – Shotgun -  2 WR, 2 TE – slant 18 yards to Bess called back by Cousins illegal use of hands  - NO PLAY
2 – 2 ^nd and 16 – CLE 8- Shotgun – 3 WR, TE –quick pass short left to Bess for 4 yards
3- 3 ^rd and 12 – CLE 12- Shotgun – 3 WR, Cameron, Richardson lined up next to Weeden, time to throw, checks down to Ogbonaya for 10 yards, good Miami coverage

DRIVE 2
1- 1 ^st and 10 – MIA 49 - under center for first time – 3 WR, TE, Rich in backfield, play action, Weeden looks left can’t find anyone downfield, looks shorter to Richardson in flat, opts against that, protection has broken down now, rolls right, finds Jordan Cameron – 22 yards – impressive use of looking at all reads and buying time for TE to get open downfield
2 – 1 ^st and 10 – MIA 27 – 2 WR, under center again – play action Richardson, long drop, sets, plenty of time, throw a bit high and behind Cameron, deflected off his left hand, INT by Patterson –INT on Weeden – poor throw

DRIVE 3
1- 2 ^nd and 5- no huddle, shotgun – CLE 49 – looks right, has time, finds Bess
2- 1 ^st and 10 – MIA 41 – shotgun – no one beside Weeden – 5 WR – Schwartz blown by, Weeden with pressure at his feet from his right from Wake, still not a bad throw to Little on slant that goes off his hands
3- 2 ^nd and 20 – CLE 49 – 3 WR, TE – shotgun - LB blitz, Starks   unchecked shot at Weeden who still gets it accurately to Cameron for 16 yards
4 – 3 ^rd and 4 – MIA 35 – 3 WR – shotgun – looking left right from snap toward Bess who’s running slant, finds him with a good throw for 8 yards and first down
5- 1 ^st and 15 – MIA 32 – shotgun – 3 WR, TE- Wake gets by Schwartz again – pressure at Weeden’s feet from Wake forces him into Joe Thomas and Vernon – pocket collapses and sack

by Wake and Starks – no chance for Weeden
6-  MIA 38 – 4 WR – Shotgun – has time and gets off good throw to Bess for 8 yards
7 – 1 ^st and 10 – MIA 15 – 2 WR – Under center – Soliai pushes back Cousins, gets hands up and bats down Weeden’s pass
8- 2 ^nd and 10 – MIA 15 – under center – 2 WR – Little in motion – play action, Weeden, rolling right, throws across body to open Cameron for 11 yards, good play design pulled the defense right, Cameron lined up right goes across field to left side
9 – 1 ^st and goal – MIA 4- 3 WR – shotgun – time to throw, Weeden can’t find anyone, rolls left, throws it away out of end zone
10 – 1 ^st and goal – MIA 2 – 4 WR – play action, Weeden moves right, pressured by Clemons on the blitz, finds Bess at 1, NO PLAY, illegal formation before
11- 1 ^st and goal – MIA 7 – shotgun – 3 WR – pass tipped by Soliai, again on Cousins
12 – 2 ^nd and goal – MIA 7 – shotgun – 3 WR – Cameron gets by Wheeler, has Grimes come over, Weeden steps up into pocket, excellent throw to Cameron back right corner of end zone for TOUCHDOWN

QUARTER 3

DRIVE 1 1 – 3 ^rd and 5 – CLE 27 – Shotgun 4 WR – Weeden deep drop, doesn’t step into throw, way overthrows pass intended for Bess

DRIVE 2 1- 2 ^nd and 10 – CLE 19 – shotgun – 4 WR – 4-man rush, Wake again past Schwartz outside, Weeden can’t find receiver, no pocket to step into, sacked by Wake
2- 3 ^rd and 18 – CLE 11 – shotgun – 4 WR – Wake getting by Schwartz, Jordan by Thomas to Weeden’s blind side, Cousins gets plowed through and Weeden’s pass facing pressure is errant for Ogbonaya

DRIVE 3
1- 1 ^st and 10 – CLE 20 – under center – 2 WR – Weeden has pocket to throw in, fires for 21 yards to Cameron
2- 1 ^st and 10 – CLE 41 – shotgun – 2 WR – fake end around to Little loss of 2
3- 2 ^nd and 12 – CLE 39 – under center – 2 WR – play action to Richardson, Weeden finds Richardson out of the backfield for 18 yards
4- 2 ^nd and 8 – MIA 41 –under center- 3 WR – Weeden rears back, reads coverage well as LB comes up and hits Benjamin for 20 yards
5- 1 ^st and 10 – MIA 21 – under center – 2 WR, TE in motion – time for Weeden, short underneath to Richardson, incomplete as he is hit hard
6- 2 ^nd and 10 – MIA 21 – under center – 2 WR – play action – Wake past Greco off edge, forces Weeden into throw Ogbonaya can’t hold onto as he’s about to be hit
7- 3 ^rd and 10 –MIA 21 – shotgun – 3 WR- Weeden pushed back as pressure comes off left side by 50, can’t find a WR, pulls ball down and moves left, retreating further back, then throws it away 

QUARTER 4 

DRIVE 1
1-   2 ^nd and 3- CLE 24- shotgun 3 WR – Weeden blitzed, releases and hit hard by LB Misi but puts accurate throw on Little for 10 yards and 1 ^st down
2-   1 ^st and 10 – CLE 34- shotgun – 3 WR – pass dropped by Benjamin
3-   2 ^nd and 5 – CLE 39 – shotgun 2 WR – 9 yards to Barnidge
4-   1 ^st and 10 – CLE 48 – shotgun 2 WR – 2 beside Weeden –looks left the whole way, pumps and pulls it down as Shelby gets by Thomas (Barnidge fails to help) & forces fumble, Browns recover
5-   2 ^nd and 19 – CLE 39 – shotgun 3 WR –Wake shoots by Schwartz, forces Weeden to throw screen attempt too quickly intended for Richardson. Weeden has 3 seconds before Wake gets to him
6-   3 ^rd  and 19 – CLE 39 – shotgun 4 WR –steps into throw and completes to Cameron for 10 yards

DRIVE 2
1-   1 ^st and 10 – CLE 25 – shotgun – 3 WR –pressured, can’t find WR, incomplete attempt to Richardson
2-   2 ^nd and 10 – CLE 25 – shotgun – 4 WR –throws off back foot, caught by Cameron for 1 yard
3-   3 ^rd and 8 – CLE 27 – shotgun – 4 WR – quick pass to Cameron shy of sticks
4-   4 ^th and 2- CLE 33 – shotgun – 4 WR –  looking left the whole way, Ogbonaya fails to block Wake on blind side, Wake sacks Weeden
DRIVE 3
1 – 1 ^st and 10 – CLE 14 – shotgun – 4 WR – pocket collapses in on Weeden from Greco, Weeden hits Benjamin, for 20 yards
2- 1 ^st and 10 – CLE 34 – shotgun no huddle – 4 WR- incomplete deep left to Benjamin
3- 2 ^nd and 10 – CLE 34 –shotgun – 4 WR – sailed left sideline for Little incomplete
4- 3 ^rd and 10 – CLE 34- shotgun 4 WR – Odrick pressures Weeden off LG, hits him, incomplete pass
5 – 4 ^th and 10 – CLE 34 – shotgun 3 WR – Weeden has time, 13 yards to Cameron
6- 1 ^st and 10 – CLE 47 – shotgun no huddle 3 WR- high, incomplete to Bess
7- 2 ^nd and 10 – CLE 47- shotgun 3 WR- steps up doesn’t go for open WR Bess immediately, pulls it down then throws late  and almost has it picked
8- 3 ^rd and 10 – CLE 47 – shotgun 3 WR – pass deflected, incomplete
9 – 4 ^th and 10 – CLE 47 – shotgun 3 WR – steps up, hits Gurley on sideline for 1 ^st down
10 – 1 ^st and 10 – MIA 38 – shotgun 3 WR – hits Cooper on free play
11 -  1 ^st and 5 – MIA 33 – shotgun 3 WR – pump, right sideline, good catch by Bess
12- 1 ^st and 10 – MIA 16 – shotgun 3 WR – hit by Shelby, throws it away
13 – 2 ^nd and 10 – MIA 16 – shotgun 3 WR – sacked by Starks, past Cousins
14 – 3 ^rd and 19 – MIA 25 – shotgun 3 WR – pocket collapses, sack by Jordan mitigated by facemask penalty on Jordan
15 – 1 ^st and 10 – MIA 20 – shotgun 3 WR – high intended for Bess, pressure off right side
16 – 2 ^nd and 10 – MIA 20 – shotgun 4 WR – scrambles, hits Barnidge for TD, nullified by Cousins holding
17 – 2 ^nd and 20 – MIA 30 – shotgun 5 WR – shovel pass to Richardson
18 – 3 ^rd and 8 – MIA 18 – shotgun 3 WR – avoids blitzing #20, throws it away
19 – 4 ^th and 8 – MIA 18 – shotgun 3 WR – no one open, rolls out, shovels it away incomplete

Indians attendance a Progressive Field September low

This is a franchise record the Tribe won’t want to brag about.

The team set a low-water mark for September attendance at Progressive Field Monday night, Indians Senior Director of Communications Curtis Danburg said.

Just 9,794 fans were at the game as the Indians took on fellow American League wild card contender Kansas City. It was a promotional night, the team’s second “Puppypalooza,” where fans can bring their dogs to the game, of the season.

The Tribe, now sitting just 1 1/2 games out of the league's second wild card spot with 19 games to play, began its postseason ticketing process Friday.

Attendance issues are nothing new for the Indians, who have struggled to fill the ballpark on weeknights throughout the season.

Their game last Tuesday against the Orioles barely eclipsed Monday night’s crowd with 9,962 people in attendance. Only once in their last seven home games, Saturday night vs. the Mets, did the Tribe draw more than 20,000 fans to the park.

Still, Monday night's figure is not the lowest of the season. Only 9,143 watched a 7-2 Indians loss to the Red Sox on April 16.

Crowds have been bigger for weekend games, especially those with promotions such as dollar dogs or fireworks. After drawing 41,567 for their home opener, the Indians have gotten a crowd of 40,000 only once more in 2013, Friday, July 5 against division rival Detroit.

Cleveland is 27th in Major League Baseball attendance in 2013, averaging 19,632 fans per home game. Tampa Bay, also a playoff contender, comes in with a league worst 18,719.

Progressive Field opened as Jacobs Field in 1994.

Weeden hit hard as offensive line struggles in Browns Week 1 loss

Hurried, flustered and hit - Brandon Weeden found himself at the mercy of the Dolphins’ front seven often Sunday afternoon in the Browns’ 23-10 Week 1 loss.

"They get after the passer. They create havoc there,” Weeden said. 

Six times Weeden was sacked and sixteen times hit as the Browns' offensive line failed to contain the Dolphins' pass rush.

"Miami has an outstanding front between the pressure patterns and just the guys they have up front," Head Coach Rob Chudzinski said.

It's a group paced by Cameron Wake, the fearsome end who Dolphins Head Coach Joe Philibin says just "loves football." He also loves getting to the quarterback, which he did against the Browns, recording 2.5 sacks.

Weeden called the rough day a learning experience and said there was no reason to point fingers at anybody.

It was hard though not to notice the struggles in particular of Oneil Cousins. Transitioning from tackle to guard, Cousins was called for four penalties.

“He’s the best we have and he’s gonna get the job done for us,” Chudzinski said.

For Weeden, game one of 2013 invoked memories of the 2012 opener in which, as a rookie starting his first game, he threw four interceptions in a loss to the Eagles.

Against the Dolphins Sunday, he threw three first-half interceptions, two on deflections.

“First game out of the blocks is one of the hardest games of the year because you don’t have a great idea what you’re going to do,” Weeden said. “The mental errors are the ones that we’ll look back and reflect on.”

Chudzinski said his quarterback was harassed by the Dolphins' pressure and it affected his throws.

Despite that, Weeden said he felt more confident in his abilities in his second NFL opener and that his attitude has not changed.

“I’m still extremely excited. This is not the way we wanted to start. We’re gonna scratch, claw, fight, do whatever we can to put ourselves in positions to win games,” Weeden said.

Next week the challenge will be a Ravens defense that was obliterated by Peyton Manning and the Broncos offense to the tune of 49 points Thursday night.

No doubt they will be hungry coming off the shellacking and playing in their home opener. That means Weeden has to hope his line can improve its play or the hits won't stop soon.

Team Tampon Tailgate protests NFL bag policy before Browns opener

Cleveland’s Muni Lot is infamous for its many interesting tailgating scenes (remember the guy who dunked his head in a bucket of urine for money?) but this may have been a first.

Team. Tampon. Tailgate.

It’s the brainchild of Jen Verrillo, a blogger and NFL fan who is none too happy with the NFL’s new purse policy, which allows only clear bags no larger than 12 inches by 6 inches by 12 inches into the stadium.

“Do you feel safer knowing who has a tampon stash? Are you terrified that under-appreciated soccer moms are secretly terrorists? My guess is no,” Verrillo snarkily writes on the Facebook event page for the tailgate.

Verrillo was joined by other supporters Thursday night at Lakewood’s World of Beer for a purse-making party.

Sunday, the tampon team took its territory, not too different from other congregations, music playing and drinks flowing, but also with Ziploc bags held together by orange tape on their shoulders and picket signs in hand.

"I feel much safer (knowing about your tampons)," read a sign held up by Christian Dela Vega.

Other signs said "1...2...3...4...Tampons do not start a war," and a double-sided piece reading "Am I supposed to put my wallet and keys in my....uterus?!"

In her open letter to Commissioner Roger Goodell on her blog, Verrillo sports tampon-concealing earrings, a tampon necklace and keychain. She said she has not received a response from the NFL or Goodell.

"I honestly feel like we’re dating ‘cause he ignores me," Verrillo said about Goodell. "He doesn’t give me the attention I deserve."

The commish may not be answering back but bagmaker Ziploc has.

"Ziploc sent me a message the other day telling me they saw it on the news and they thought it was the most creative thing ever and they were sending me a goodie bag," Verrillo said.

Verrillo acknowledges her "protest" is all in good fun and others have caught on to that too.

But it does raise the question - has feminine hygiene ever been this fashionable?

"I don't think you can say yes to that," Verillo said.

Could kicker Billy Cundiff cost Browns games in 2013?

Picture this: Five seconds left on the clock in a one-point game against the division rival Ravens. Billy Cundiff comes out for a game-winning 39-yard field goal.

How comfortable will you feel?

The Browns’ new kicker Billy Cundiff is no Phil Dawson - years worth of stats sufficiently bear that out.

Throughout his NFL career, Cundiff has been inconsistent, a stark contrast to the reliable Dawson.

In 11 of his 14 seasons in Cleveland, Dawson hit more than 80 percent of the field goals he attempted.

Just once in nine seasons has Cundiff reached that threshold.

Cundiff couldn’t cut it last season in Washington, released after missing four of six field goals in a two-game span. On 12 attempts, Cundiff was making his kicks under 60 percent of the time.

Leg strength is a question when it comes to the 33-year-old who has had stints with five teams, including five games with the Browns in 2006.

On attempts of 50 yards of more, Cundiff is 5 for 21, which is less than a quarter converted over the course of his career. Dawson, on the the other hand, was 24 of 34 from that range with the Browns, missing just once in 15 attempts in the past two seasons.

Kickers are unpredictable and have turned it around before. Nick Folk went from despised in Dallas to an relatively effective option with the Jets, rectifying his issues in a matter of a year. It’s not an impossibility.

Cundiff has had one very stellar season, notching nearly 90 percent of his field goal tries with the Ravens in 2010. His postseason numbers are solid too, 12 of 14 on field goals and perfect on PATs.

But even that banner year with the Ravens was marred by his 32-yard, game-tying miss in the final seconds of the AFC Championship game in New England.

He was let go by the team the next offseason.

Replacing the productivity of a Pro Bowl kicker who rarely wavered was never going to be an easy prospect for the Browns. Was Cundiff really, however, the best the Browns could do?

While some may think of the kicker as a trivial spot easily filled by anyone who can pick up a football in their backyard, it can and will rear its ugly head at the worst of times.

If the Browns offense can put it together under a new coaching staff, the kicker should be less leaned on to pick up the slack. That has to be the team’s hope, at least.

However, in a 16-game season where the competition is so close and margin for error so razor thin, every point matters. When a closer blows a regular season save it’s detrimental but not typically devastating in baseball's 162-game big picture.

Brushing off one loss as you would in baseball is difficult to do in football.

A kicker costing you one or two close games can be the difference between fighting for the playoffs and playing out the schedule come the season’s final weeks.

Discount the kicker at your own risk. Rest assured though, the first time Cundiff trots out for a pressure kick you’ll be remembering his name and weighing the Browns’ decision in the hit/miss game of hero or goat.

Life without Phil Dawson for the Browns

Filed this piece to newsnet5 this morning. The Browns have since signed Billy Cundiff to handle kicking duties this afternoon. More on that tomorrow.

Five days until the season opener, the Browns are without a guy to kick it off.

Let the jokes commence.

“One lucky fan who goes to the Browns game gets to be the kicker for the day,” tweeted @ColeLopez77 . “If Urban had his way with the Browns he'd say screw signing a kicker and go for 2 every time,” @AK_BigChief tweeted.

With the final roster cut of Shayne Graham and injury to Brandon Bogotay, the Browns’ preseason kicker battle ended without winner.

Now what has been the most dependable position in Cleveland for more than a decade is the most up in the air.

Life without Phil has begun.

We all knew the day would come. As he notched his final kicks at Browns Stadium last season, fans cheered for Phil Dawson with a penchant that it was the end of an era.

Deep down, he knew it too.

“Took a moment to soak it all in and say my farewells to the people that have been so supportive to me,” a reflective Dawson said that day after the Week 15 loss to the Redskins.

Outsiders might be confused by Cleveland’s love affair with Phil.

He was just a kicker - big deal, they might say.

He wasn’t throwing bombs for touchdowns, or sprinting past defenders, or even on the field for a majority of plays.

But through 18 different starting quarterbacks and six head coaches in 14 years, Phil was a constant - consistent, consummate and classy.

“I don’t deserve the support I get from these guys," Dawson said about the fans after what would be his last game in the brown and orange. "I consider it a privilege to get to play for them."

While the Browns were without a franchise quarterback, they did have a franchise kicker.

Okay, admittedly, that does sound a bit ridiculous to say. Too many times, however, only No. 4 was putting points up, Browns box scores looking like a weekly rehash of the three times tables.

That too is pretty ridiculous from an NFL team that hopes to contend.

While he too suffered through the losses, Phil never let it effect his effort.

“You don’t get paid to only work hard when you have a chance to go to the playoffs," Dawson said once the Browns were officially eliminated from contention last season. "You get paid to do your job no matter what."

As drive after drive stalled, Dawson became therapy for fans’ woes, a pillar of reliability amid offensive futility.

Maybe the Browns couldn’t score a touchdown - and that hurt  - but there was at least solace in Phil filling a factory of sadness with just a fleeting bit of happiness.

Maybe the kicker isn’t a team’s marquee guy but he can ultimately be the difference between a title and heartbreak - just ask Adam Vinatieri or Scott Norwood.

Maybe now it’s only fitting that, less than a week before the Browns’ first game without him, Dawson’s void is so palpable.