Weekend Thoughts

Cavs:

1. The Cavs mailed it in for 3 quarters and dropped another game in Washington this afternoon. I think there are a few things going on with this team. On offense, I think they've just gotten out of sync. I hate watching them run high screen after high screen when we've all seen that they're capable of doing so much more. On defense, I think it's January and the Cavs are having trouble getting up for bad opponents. They showed again today that are perfectly capable of turning the screws on a team when so inclined, but unfortunately, this team is not to the point yet where playing all out for 48 minutes is a given.

2. If I had to make a prediction, I'll take the Cavs to win the next two. I think they are completely psyched to get Boston at home and will use the Bobcat game to re-establish their offensive flow so that they're clicking on all cylinders by Friday. The Cavs may be playing poorly right now but I really think they win out the rest of the week.

3. There's an obvious silver lining with the injury to Z. The extra rest for Z won't hurt come playoff time and Hickson should benefit from the additional minutes. That said, these advantages may be negated by the fact that the Cavs may lose some seeding ground this month. January wasn't going to be a picnic, even with a fully healthy roster. Playing shorthanded, I could see the Cavs having a .500 month. They're going to drop, at least for a while, but then Boston has a very tough February.

4. If I had to predict what the rest of this season will look like, I would say we're in store for a rough January followed by a resurgence leading up to the trade deadline. After that, it all depends on whether or not there is a major move to be made. If the right guy with the right contract becomes available, I expect Ferry to move quickly.

Browns:

1. I'm not going to go into a long Browns discussion because frankly, this organization gives me a headache every time I think about it. Seriously, WTF are they doing? Does anyone else find it a little discouraging that for the second time in as many tries, the Browns are hot on the trail of another coaching candidate that NOBODY ELSE SEEMS TO WANT? Listen, I don't have any beef with Mangini but if people around the league really thought he had head coaching talent, spygate wouldn't prevent them from pursuing him. Isn't this the same red flag we ignored with Romeo? And who is this personnel guy from the Ravens? Has anyone even heard of him before? And didn't we just fail with a Belichick disciple and a Ravens exec? My head hurts.

2. At least if we hire Mangini, we won't be bringing in Pioli, who (and this is not a joke) apparently wants to bring in Kirk Ferentz to be the new head coach. This is the same Kirk Ferentz who has done nothing in the last five year at Iowa except preside over a program that has had a lot of player discipline problems. Of course, he also hasn't been on an NFL sideline in over a decade so maybe he could bring some new ideas to the table? If that made no sense to you, it's because it doesn't make any sense in general. The Browns are a rudderless ship. God I hate them.

3. Watching Baltimore play defense today made me insanely jealous. Those dudes are the real deal. But on the bright side, the Browns are really only about 9 players away from having that type of defense themselves. After watching Ed Reed and Ray Lewis destroy a playoff team today, I've decided I want Ray Maualuga or Taylor Mays in the draft.

Indians:

1. I think Shapiro has done a solid job this offseason but when you look at the Indians lineup, it still seems like something is missing. I guess a lot of it has to do with the giant hole in the middle. Who bats cleanup? I know Peralta hit well in that spot last year but he's....he's Peralta! Unless Hafner un-dies (or re-roids?), I see this being a bit of a problem until Matt LaPorta, the only high-level power prospect in our system, is ready to play, and that probably won't be any time soon.

2. I need someone to explain to me why the Indians plan to play DeRosa at 3rd instead of putting him at 2nd and letting Cabrera and Peralta slide over. Why isn't this the obvious move?

Ohio State:

1. The Buckeyes' starting O-line for this game is projected to be: Boone at LT, Rehring at LG, Brewster at C, Person at RG, and Browning at RT. That's just not good enough. The Buckeyes definitely have a shot in this game against a very beatable Texas team but if they're going to get it done, it will have to be with a lot of misdirection and a little trickery. With that o-line, I can't see Ohio State just lining up and pushing the Longhorns around. Moreover, if they're put into obvious passing situations, I think Pryor will be running for his life. Not a pleasant thought.

2. It's amazing how much psychological damage the last couple of years have caused. I remember when OSU played Notre Dame in the 2006 Fiesta Bowl, I fully expected Ohio State to go out there and dominate (Notre Dame being horrible and overrated certainly helped). The same was true with Florida in 07. Yet, as we head into this game, I've envisioned only two scenarios: 1) Ohio State is blown out by halftime and I go to be early or 2) it's a close game that turns on a couple of key plays. I haven't even considered the possibility of Ohio State just showing up and delivering a beatdown. I'm not saying its likely to happen, but I do find it telling that this doesn't even seem like a remote possibility anymore.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend everyone and GO BUCKS!