LeBron James returning to the Cavs is one of the most talked about NBA rumors since the Heat were trounced in the Finals. The general consensus around the national media is it WILL happen, but probably not for a few more years. Thinking back to the summer of 2010 and the following season the fact that there is even a discussion about this is amazing. So when might we realistically see the King don wine and gold again?
Pat Riley's press conference yesterday helped the Cavaliers. Don't get me wrong, at the end of the day Lebron is going to do what is best for him and his family, but Riley proved in 2010 that he can influence our native chosen one. Riley's rant summarized was the greats don't chase rings and doing so is going to cheapen the way history looks on him if he bolts south beach. I agree with Pat, I said the same thing 4 years ago, and if Lebron thinks there is a hint of truth to that Pat Riley just reduced Lebron's potential suitors down to two, Miami and Cleveland. LeBron wouldn't be running out the first door by coming to Cleveland he would be walking back through the one he left.
After this years Finals I guessed the odds on LeBron being on the heat at about 70%, Cav's at 20% and the field at 10%. The only reason Riley had that press conference yesterday is because obviously he is nervous about his big 3 becoming a tiny 2. New odds now, Heat 65%, Cav's 35%. The good news for Cav's fans though, is I think Lebron will not opt out this year meaning we will get another 365 or where will Lebron go. Two months ago I was thinking he would opt out to re-up for another four years.
LeBron has a lot of reasons to stay in Miami. It is a destination city, I have no plans of leaving northeast Ohio, but my outlook compared to global icons is a bit different. Well maybe there are not as many reasons as I thought. Do not get me wrong four straight Finals trips is impressive, I do not care how weak the east is. He does have NBA titles, getting past OKC in five games after the lock out and of course the epic seven game series last year against the Spurs. If the big 3 opt in are the Heat really in position to win a ring with so little cap space left.
A lot of media believes there is one big reason that Lebron will not come back, Dan Gilbert. Will the letter that will live in infamy keep the King from coming back. I don't think so. LeBron was wrong, not for leaving but for how he did. Had LeBron spoke with the Cavaliers organization earlier that day and simply said I am moving on, "the letter" would not exist. I am not taking Dan off the hook for writing the letter, and lashing out as a fan instead of an owner. I am guessing you don't run a few different billion dollar companies by missing out on "home run" deals, losing LeBron was probably the first time he failed to that magnitude and he just didn't know how to respond. He was wrong and needs to apologize.
There is a lot of talk about Dan Gilbert being a bad owner. I want examples, but with a catch, the examples need to be from 2010 and before. The last few years he has been trying to "win the break-up" and escape the shadow of the letter and yeah he seems to be too involved but what awful choices did he make while we had Lebron. Sure he hired Mike Brown before his GM, but Brown was one of the most respected assistant's there was, that was considered a win. A superstar in the NBA wields the most power in the franchise, even more then the owner, LeBron wanted rings and the Cav's built a team to accentuate his strengths which led to a 67.6 winning percentage his last four years here.
LeBron's best chance to win multiple rings in the future is with the Cav's. Kyrie, Wiggins and how ever David Griffin uses the rest of our young assets is a better roster then a broken Wade, Bosh and aging veterans they can get in the future. Gilbert never pinched a penny the way Micky Arison did last year when he cut Miller and made a salary dump. The Cav's are not a business to Dan Gilbert, they are a passion and he has proven he will spend any amount of money to strengthen the team.
Showing posts with label Cleveland sportsview. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cleveland sportsview. Show all posts
Friday, June 20, 2014
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
march madness predictions
I am going to share my picks on this years tourney. If you are looking for an expert opinion stop reading. I spend most of my sports attention on the Brown's, Indians, and Cav's plus OSU football. Every March though I enjoy filling out the bracket and while I don't see many games I usually do pretty good with the brackets. Last year I only had 2 of the final four but still picked Kentucky to win it all, I know that was a tough one to call. I did miss Uconn two years ago but after that I would have to go back to 07 for the last time I missed picking the champ and that was one where I picked more with my heart then my head. I still had an incredibly tough time this year and probably would have been better off throwing darts or letting my wife pick the favorite uniform but here we go. By the way I still count the Tuesday/Wednesday games as play ins and round one starts on Thursday.
In the south region I have compete chalk for round one, which if that happens I guess would be an upset of it's own. The MAC usually causes trouble but I could not have Akron beating their old coach without their starting point guard. I did have VCU knocking off Michigan to get to the sweet 16 and UCLA knocking off Florida but that is where the "upsets" end. I have Kansas and Georgetown in the elite 8 with Kansas winning the region. There was a small part of me almost picking UNC to upset Kansas, but I don't think Roy Williams will be able to pull off that feat with an inferior team.
In the East region is where nearly all my upsets lie. I have the 9,10,12, and 13 seed all pulling off upsets in the first round. When picking brackets you almost always have to pick two 12 seeds to win and here is the first of my two. No doubt Syracuse is the better then Montana but is there a team that has to travel farther? I picked Cal and Butler to join Indiana and Miami in the sweet 16. I have the streaky Miami going down to Butler who is going to upset the Hoosiers to punch their ticket to yet another final four. I have become a huge fan of Brad Stevens over the last few years and if Thad ever left the Buckeyes he would be number one on my wishlist.
The Midwest region has the overall number 1 seed in Louisville and much like my Buckeyes a few years ago seem to be punished for that by being in the toughest region. In my opinion they have the strongest 2 seed, 3 seed, and I have seen quite a few predictions of St Louis winning the region. Well I do have Mizzou winning one game before bowing out to Louisville. I went back and forth on the Oregon game before selecting my second 12 seed to advance although I really see that game going either way. The next upset in this bracket will be Creighton knocking off Duke, we all know illogical reasons are sometimes right and history shows Duke seems to really struggle as a 2 seed. By the way two weeks ago Duke was who I was leaning towards winning the whole thing , I know completely illogical. I do have another double digit seed in the sweet 16 with Oregon knocking off St Louis. All said and done thought I have Michigan State coming out of the region outlasting Louisville in the regional final.
Lastly my Buckeyes region, the west. I really did not anticipate being a homer pick, even last week I was thinking elite 8 at best for OSU. Until they knocked off Indiana a few weeks ago I would not have been surprised to see them miss the sweet 16. They have a great coach though and have been playing well with 8 straight wins. In the first round the only upset I have is Belmont winning, actually I have them beating New Mexico as well and I think they will give OSU all they can handle, if Thomas has an off game the buckeyes can be in trouble. but I do have OSU winning not just against Belmont but also getting past the 4 seed Kansas St who will provide the only other upset in the West when they knock off Gonzaga.
The Final four is Kansas, Michigan State, Butler and Ohio State. In this year where no team really separated itself as a clear cut favorite to win it all I think the experience of these teams head coaches will make the difference. I would love to pick my Buckeyes to advance to the title game and while I think it will go down to the wire I don't see them knocking off Tom Izzo's team for a third time this season. On the other side I would love to see Brad Stevens get his team back to the championship game, but I do think Kansas will end the Bull dogs run this year. So in this year of unpredictability who do I have cutting down the nets April 8th? That would be Kansas, a team that lost it's regular season finale, and had a horrible week to start February. Other then that they were nearly flawless, as a matter of fact their only other loss to tarnish their resume was back in November on a neutral site, the Georgia Dome, their opponent, yep you guessed it, Michigan State.
In the south region I have compete chalk for round one, which if that happens I guess would be an upset of it's own. The MAC usually causes trouble but I could not have Akron beating their old coach without their starting point guard. I did have VCU knocking off Michigan to get to the sweet 16 and UCLA knocking off Florida but that is where the "upsets" end. I have Kansas and Georgetown in the elite 8 with Kansas winning the region. There was a small part of me almost picking UNC to upset Kansas, but I don't think Roy Williams will be able to pull off that feat with an inferior team.
In the East region is where nearly all my upsets lie. I have the 9,10,12, and 13 seed all pulling off upsets in the first round. When picking brackets you almost always have to pick two 12 seeds to win and here is the first of my two. No doubt Syracuse is the better then Montana but is there a team that has to travel farther? I picked Cal and Butler to join Indiana and Miami in the sweet 16. I have the streaky Miami going down to Butler who is going to upset the Hoosiers to punch their ticket to yet another final four. I have become a huge fan of Brad Stevens over the last few years and if Thad ever left the Buckeyes he would be number one on my wishlist.
The Midwest region has the overall number 1 seed in Louisville and much like my Buckeyes a few years ago seem to be punished for that by being in the toughest region. In my opinion they have the strongest 2 seed, 3 seed, and I have seen quite a few predictions of St Louis winning the region. Well I do have Mizzou winning one game before bowing out to Louisville. I went back and forth on the Oregon game before selecting my second 12 seed to advance although I really see that game going either way. The next upset in this bracket will be Creighton knocking off Duke, we all know illogical reasons are sometimes right and history shows Duke seems to really struggle as a 2 seed. By the way two weeks ago Duke was who I was leaning towards winning the whole thing , I know completely illogical. I do have another double digit seed in the sweet 16 with Oregon knocking off St Louis. All said and done thought I have Michigan State coming out of the region outlasting Louisville in the regional final.
Lastly my Buckeyes region, the west. I really did not anticipate being a homer pick, even last week I was thinking elite 8 at best for OSU. Until they knocked off Indiana a few weeks ago I would not have been surprised to see them miss the sweet 16. They have a great coach though and have been playing well with 8 straight wins. In the first round the only upset I have is Belmont winning, actually I have them beating New Mexico as well and I think they will give OSU all they can handle, if Thomas has an off game the buckeyes can be in trouble. but I do have OSU winning not just against Belmont but also getting past the 4 seed Kansas St who will provide the only other upset in the West when they knock off Gonzaga.
The Final four is Kansas, Michigan State, Butler and Ohio State. In this year where no team really separated itself as a clear cut favorite to win it all I think the experience of these teams head coaches will make the difference. I would love to pick my Buckeyes to advance to the title game and while I think it will go down to the wire I don't see them knocking off Tom Izzo's team for a third time this season. On the other side I would love to see Brad Stevens get his team back to the championship game, but I do think Kansas will end the Bull dogs run this year. So in this year of unpredictability who do I have cutting down the nets April 8th? That would be Kansas, a team that lost it's regular season finale, and had a horrible week to start February. Other then that they were nearly flawless, as a matter of fact their only other loss to tarnish their resume was back in November on a neutral site, the Georgia Dome, their opponent, yep you guessed it, Michigan State.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Art modell, in or out of the hall of fame.
When I first started this blog I told myself I would post once a week, well that has not worked out so well. It was not a new Years resolution that I broke, no that was getting in better shape again, and so far so good on that. This was just something I decided to start to do because I finally joined social media last year with twitter and sometimes 140 characters are not enough to share my thoughts. I do not have nor expect a large following but I love the direct interaction that I can have with those that I follow. So here are my two longer thoughts and some shorter ones on what has happened since my last post.
Art Modell, in or out. Well I 've lived in Northeast Ohio my entire life and have always rooted for the home team, so it's painfully obvious that ripping this franchise from our hearts is a crime that can never be pardoned with his accomplishments in Canton. Why does he deserve to be in the hall, because he was a major proponent of pairing the NFL and television? Something tells me that marriage was going to happen soon with or without Art. The fact that he made Ozzie Newsome the first African-American General manager in the NFL? While I will admit I was surprised that it was 2002 when the first African-American became a G.M. we're still not talking about a Jacky Robinson barrier breaking here. Mr. Newsome earned that job by being a successful executive for eleven years and being the most qualified candidate for the opening, his track record since being the G.M. reiterates that point. One Superbowl victory, if that is why he shoud be in, he should be inducted with Trent Dilfer and Brad Johnson.
I know, those of you who support him getting in want a reason other then "the move." Before I get there though, I want to be clear that I have no ill will towards the people of Baltimore. I don't snicker at people from Baltimore like I do for those from Pittsburgh or Michigan. Baltimore deserved a franchise after the way yours was ripped from you, and its not your fault that a backstabbing owner is the one who brought it back to you. Had the NFL and the city of Cleveland not struck a deal to get us an expansion franchise we would have been ecstatic to get a franchise like you did, but I would not be endorsing the owner for the HOF. Now to get back on track, why keep Art out other then the move, simple. Only two names merit serious conversation as the greatest coach of all time, Vince Lombardi and Paul Brown. Only one worked for and was fired by Art. Now lets examine who we would consider the greatest coach of this era, yes one name will always rise to the top, Bill Belichick, for those of you who don't remember Art fired him too. Even if you are of the opinion that his good outweighs his bad I doubt the case can be made it is by a wide enough margin to be honored in the Hall of Fame.
I can go on about Art more but I will try to summarize some thoughts on things I have not posted since early January. Did the hiring of Chip Kelly really give the Browns a black eye, IMO no. Sure Chip was on my wish list (although not on top) on 12/31 and now that all the positions are filled it turns out he was the only one on my list that is coaching an NFL team. After his song and dance he did with all the teams only to end up staying and then end up going to Philly I say good riddance. I do not want such an indecisive individual leading this franchise, I would choose Chud over Chip ten times out of ten. Indians spring training is fast approaching and while this off season does not feel like it did when we signed Murry and Martinez, this is the closest it has felt to that since. I just hope Francona wraps up his book tour soon. Congrats to Kyrie Irving, you deserve that starting spot on the All-Star team, thanks for giving us Cavs fans a reason to be hopeful again.
One last thing I want to write about is about Chris Fedor being fired from KNR. I figure most people reading this are the same people who listen to sports radio whenever they have a radio turned on, and I am shocked by some of the venomous tweets I've read. KNR has the right to employ who they want to, period, and for whatever reason they made the decision to part ways with Chris. The joy that some of you are taking in his livelihood being taken away is dumbfounding. I worked with Chris outside of the radio business over 5 years ago. The date is fresh because he and I left that company on the same day, me to take a similar position at a different company, him being promoted at KNR. I always enjoyed "talking"sports with him back then, it usually revolved who was better, Kobe or Lebron, I don't think we ever agreed. The Chris I talked to back then was the same one I listened to on the radio these past years, and when I disagreed, I would send a tweet or even stop listening, just like some days when I turn off the RBS. Radio personalites get paid to create conversation and for those who keep tweeting that his firing is proof that "your take" was right and his was wrong just keeps reiterating that he did his job well.
I think what cracks me up the most is that most of "those" people think they should be hosting a radio show. Well go and do it then. There is no law stating minimum requirements to be on the radio. Some might get in through connections, some by being former athletes, and some by investing their college education in broadcasting. So if your not in the first two groups, invest four years of college, work for free interning to get in the industry and good luck, if you don't want to do that, then shut up and quit saying someone deserved losing their job because your opinions were different. I'm not choosing sides here, I will still listen to the RBS most days and Ken Carmen most nights but I now am having trouble deciding which side of the dial to flip to in between. As for Chris Fedor, I wish you the best of luck and hope that you stay local, and if you do, yes I will turn the dial when you start talking about your man crush on Chip Kelly.
Art Modell, in or out. Well I 've lived in Northeast Ohio my entire life and have always rooted for the home team, so it's painfully obvious that ripping this franchise from our hearts is a crime that can never be pardoned with his accomplishments in Canton. Why does he deserve to be in the hall, because he was a major proponent of pairing the NFL and television? Something tells me that marriage was going to happen soon with or without Art. The fact that he made Ozzie Newsome the first African-American General manager in the NFL? While I will admit I was surprised that it was 2002 when the first African-American became a G.M. we're still not talking about a Jacky Robinson barrier breaking here. Mr. Newsome earned that job by being a successful executive for eleven years and being the most qualified candidate for the opening, his track record since being the G.M. reiterates that point. One Superbowl victory, if that is why he shoud be in, he should be inducted with Trent Dilfer and Brad Johnson.
I know, those of you who support him getting in want a reason other then "the move." Before I get there though, I want to be clear that I have no ill will towards the people of Baltimore. I don't snicker at people from Baltimore like I do for those from Pittsburgh or Michigan. Baltimore deserved a franchise after the way yours was ripped from you, and its not your fault that a backstabbing owner is the one who brought it back to you. Had the NFL and the city of Cleveland not struck a deal to get us an expansion franchise we would have been ecstatic to get a franchise like you did, but I would not be endorsing the owner for the HOF. Now to get back on track, why keep Art out other then the move, simple. Only two names merit serious conversation as the greatest coach of all time, Vince Lombardi and Paul Brown. Only one worked for and was fired by Art. Now lets examine who we would consider the greatest coach of this era, yes one name will always rise to the top, Bill Belichick, for those of you who don't remember Art fired him too. Even if you are of the opinion that his good outweighs his bad I doubt the case can be made it is by a wide enough margin to be honored in the Hall of Fame.
I can go on about Art more but I will try to summarize some thoughts on things I have not posted since early January. Did the hiring of Chip Kelly really give the Browns a black eye, IMO no. Sure Chip was on my wish list (although not on top) on 12/31 and now that all the positions are filled it turns out he was the only one on my list that is coaching an NFL team. After his song and dance he did with all the teams only to end up staying and then end up going to Philly I say good riddance. I do not want such an indecisive individual leading this franchise, I would choose Chud over Chip ten times out of ten. Indians spring training is fast approaching and while this off season does not feel like it did when we signed Murry and Martinez, this is the closest it has felt to that since. I just hope Francona wraps up his book tour soon. Congrats to Kyrie Irving, you deserve that starting spot on the All-Star team, thanks for giving us Cavs fans a reason to be hopeful again.
One last thing I want to write about is about Chris Fedor being fired from KNR. I figure most people reading this are the same people who listen to sports radio whenever they have a radio turned on, and I am shocked by some of the venomous tweets I've read. KNR has the right to employ who they want to, period, and for whatever reason they made the decision to part ways with Chris. The joy that some of you are taking in his livelihood being taken away is dumbfounding. I worked with Chris outside of the radio business over 5 years ago. The date is fresh because he and I left that company on the same day, me to take a similar position at a different company, him being promoted at KNR. I always enjoyed "talking"sports with him back then, it usually revolved who was better, Kobe or Lebron, I don't think we ever agreed. The Chris I talked to back then was the same one I listened to on the radio these past years, and when I disagreed, I would send a tweet or even stop listening, just like some days when I turn off the RBS. Radio personalites get paid to create conversation and for those who keep tweeting that his firing is proof that "your take" was right and his was wrong just keeps reiterating that he did his job well.
I think what cracks me up the most is that most of "those" people think they should be hosting a radio show. Well go and do it then. There is no law stating minimum requirements to be on the radio. Some might get in through connections, some by being former athletes, and some by investing their college education in broadcasting. So if your not in the first two groups, invest four years of college, work for free interning to get in the industry and good luck, if you don't want to do that, then shut up and quit saying someone deserved losing their job because your opinions were different. I'm not choosing sides here, I will still listen to the RBS most days and Ken Carmen most nights but I now am having trouble deciding which side of the dial to flip to in between. As for Chris Fedor, I wish you the best of luck and hope that you stay local, and if you do, yes I will turn the dial when you start talking about your man crush on Chip Kelly.
Monday, December 31, 2012
The Browns new head coach
Luckily my work schedule allowed me to see the press conference today with our owner Jimmy Haslam and his CEO Joe Banner. As sports fans we have the right to scream, cry, and whine about how we are wronged by our teams and lets face it NO ONE has earned the right more then Cleveland fans.
I was never a fan of the hiring of Pat Shurmer, so it was easy for me to see him go. I thought it was completely insane for all you fellow fans calling in to sports radio shows for support of Pat during the 3 game win streak. Those were 3 games we were supposed to win, period. Big picture Pat was not dealt a favorable hand when he took this job but he knew what he was walking into. From my perspective the team was playing hard for the new owner and not the coach but if these players would truly run through walls for Pat he will get another shot and I wish him nothing but success(except of course when he is playing the Browns).
So why am I confident that the Haslam era will be more successful even if they don't land #1 on my wish list, who is Gruden. They have clearly decided that the main attribute our new coach must bring is winning. They are not looking for an offensive or defensive guy, NFL or college, prior HC experience or an up and comer, no they want a winner, and that is what we need. They are going to get the best talent they can and build around that instead of forcing someone to fit their style and if that is the culture that is created then hopefully the coach will coach the same way. No more shoving a square peg into a round hole, game plan around your rosters strengths and you can be a consistent winner.
That is why I do not want and hope we do not hire Chip Kelly. Sure I am worried that he has as much experience as an NFL employee that I have but what I am fearful of is his success at Oregon is based on his system of score, score, and score. I do not think that will translate well to the NFL, maybe a year or two but not sustained success. With our history here a Phoenix Suns type run under D'Antonio might appeal to some fans but not to me. I don't want playoff runs I want the Superbowl runs. College coaches with no NFL experience scare me, yeah I wanted Harbaugh a few years ago and I still think Bob Stoops would have made that jump successfully but those are the exceptions in my opinion, far fewer actually succeed.
My wish list, yeah Nick Sabans on it. Sure his go around in Miami didn't set the world on fire, but neither did Belichicks first stint as an NFL coach, if your reading this you remember it. He has been successful at more then one stop. He quickly succeeded at Toledo, turned around Michigan State, and has won national titles at two different schools. If he is willing to have strong influence over roster and not total control of football operations, it is hard to argue against that resume. That is why he is #2 on my list.
Number one on my wish list is Jon Gruden. I think he will fit the "flexible evolving" culture it seems Haslam and Banner are trying to create. Lets look at his past. Working in an environment not used to winning, check, he got the Raiders to the AFC championship while Al Davis was running the team. Winning with a team he didn't help build, check, remember his Bucs team beat the Raiders team he helped build. Understands the strife of us northeast Ohio fans, check, I have to believe he would love to raise the Lombardi trophy for the franchise he was born just one hour away from. Yes I know his record was slightly above .500 at Tampa but lets not forget that we are talking about a franchise that has a lifetime winning% of .367 when they have anyone other then Jon Gruden as their Head coach. Trust me you don't want to know that number if you subtract Tony Dungy's tenure from there as well (ok fine it's .277).
Mr Haslam do not listen to me though, your are 100% right, bring in a coach who will win and we will embrace him. The team in Black and Gold has won playoff games with two different coaches and O'Donnell, Stewart, and Big Ben at qb, since we last won a playoff game. Their coaches did not force a style on them they made sure their team played to their strenghts and that is why they are a consistent winner. So even if I scream, cry, and whine when you announce the next coach if it's not my #1 choice, pick the man who will fit the culture you want to create. Under your ownership I fully expect an 8-8 season to be a down year instead of a beacon of hope that it would have been since 99. I am not going to wish you luck, instead let you know that Cleveland trusts you, so plan your work and work your plan and success will follow.
I was never a fan of the hiring of Pat Shurmer, so it was easy for me to see him go. I thought it was completely insane for all you fellow fans calling in to sports radio shows for support of Pat during the 3 game win streak. Those were 3 games we were supposed to win, period. Big picture Pat was not dealt a favorable hand when he took this job but he knew what he was walking into. From my perspective the team was playing hard for the new owner and not the coach but if these players would truly run through walls for Pat he will get another shot and I wish him nothing but success(except of course when he is playing the Browns).
So why am I confident that the Haslam era will be more successful even if they don't land #1 on my wish list, who is Gruden. They have clearly decided that the main attribute our new coach must bring is winning. They are not looking for an offensive or defensive guy, NFL or college, prior HC experience or an up and comer, no they want a winner, and that is what we need. They are going to get the best talent they can and build around that instead of forcing someone to fit their style and if that is the culture that is created then hopefully the coach will coach the same way. No more shoving a square peg into a round hole, game plan around your rosters strengths and you can be a consistent winner.
That is why I do not want and hope we do not hire Chip Kelly. Sure I am worried that he has as much experience as an NFL employee that I have but what I am fearful of is his success at Oregon is based on his system of score, score, and score. I do not think that will translate well to the NFL, maybe a year or two but not sustained success. With our history here a Phoenix Suns type run under D'Antonio might appeal to some fans but not to me. I don't want playoff runs I want the Superbowl runs. College coaches with no NFL experience scare me, yeah I wanted Harbaugh a few years ago and I still think Bob Stoops would have made that jump successfully but those are the exceptions in my opinion, far fewer actually succeed.
My wish list, yeah Nick Sabans on it. Sure his go around in Miami didn't set the world on fire, but neither did Belichicks first stint as an NFL coach, if your reading this you remember it. He has been successful at more then one stop. He quickly succeeded at Toledo, turned around Michigan State, and has won national titles at two different schools. If he is willing to have strong influence over roster and not total control of football operations, it is hard to argue against that resume. That is why he is #2 on my list.
Number one on my wish list is Jon Gruden. I think he will fit the "flexible evolving" culture it seems Haslam and Banner are trying to create. Lets look at his past. Working in an environment not used to winning, check, he got the Raiders to the AFC championship while Al Davis was running the team. Winning with a team he didn't help build, check, remember his Bucs team beat the Raiders team he helped build. Understands the strife of us northeast Ohio fans, check, I have to believe he would love to raise the Lombardi trophy for the franchise he was born just one hour away from. Yes I know his record was slightly above .500 at Tampa but lets not forget that we are talking about a franchise that has a lifetime winning% of .367 when they have anyone other then Jon Gruden as their Head coach. Trust me you don't want to know that number if you subtract Tony Dungy's tenure from there as well (ok fine it's .277).
Mr Haslam do not listen to me though, your are 100% right, bring in a coach who will win and we will embrace him. The team in Black and Gold has won playoff games with two different coaches and O'Donnell, Stewart, and Big Ben at qb, since we last won a playoff game. Their coaches did not force a style on them they made sure their team played to their strenghts and that is why they are a consistent winner. So even if I scream, cry, and whine when you announce the next coach if it's not my #1 choice, pick the man who will fit the culture you want to create. Under your ownership I fully expect an 8-8 season to be a down year instead of a beacon of hope that it would have been since 99. I am not going to wish you luck, instead let you know that Cleveland trusts you, so plan your work and work your plan and success will follow.
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