On The Mark 12.8.14 #Browns Recap & Opinion

Brian Hoyer Ruins Great Defensive Play In 25-24 Loss To The Indianapolis Colts
By @MarkW2112

With this column, I usually write up a quick Browns recap with highlights or low lights from the game, give you my take and then say what's next for the Browns.  However, I'm going to just give you my take today.  We Browns fans already know how the game went.  The Browns defense was phenomenal against Andrew Luck but, because of the horrific play by Brian Hoyer and the offense, were exhausted by the end of the game which lead Luck to take advantage and score 18 unanswered points to win with 32 seconds left in the game.  So I'm just going to give you my take on Hoyer.

Brian Hoyer has no business being the starting quarterback for the last 3 games of the season.  This was a must win for the Browns today, so what did he do?  Play his worst game since the Jacksonville game in week 5.  He went 14-of-31 for 140 yards and 2 interceptions.  In 4 games, he's thrown 1 touchdown and 8 interceptions.  That is unacceptable.  Supporters of Hoyer will say "but he's 10-6 as a starter!  He's the reason why this team has a winning record!"  Yet he's also the reason why the Browns playoff chances are just about over with.  Jordan Cameron can say he ran a bad route on Hoyer's interception in the end zone, but upon closer look, he was staring down Jim Dray all along who was double teamed.  And while it doesn't help that Josh Gordon appears to not be in football shape, he had him wide open only to overthrow him by 10 yards.  Which was the same problem with Taylor Gabriel being wide open but throwing it over 10 yards in front of him.

The problem with Hoyer doesn't appear to be confidence.  It appears that defenses have not only figured him out but have also dared him to beat them with his arm.  He has had too many to count instances of balls going off defenders hands when they aren't being intercepted.  He either overthrows or throws behind his receivers, causing them to try and adjust on the fly.  The 2 interceptions he had again today has become an all too common trend the past few weeks.  This isn't just a slump.  This is a quarterback who is, at best, a career back up.

I thought Johnny Manziel should have started this week.  I screamed that Manziel needed to go in to get a spark today.  Yet Mike Pettine, the first year head coach of the Browns, refused to even consider putting Manziel in to game, according to what he said after the game today.  I don't know if it's out of loyalty to Hoyer for getting them this far or the fact that he doesn't believe Manziel is ready to be the starter for the Browns.  But whatever he thought going in to the Colts game should be thrown out of the window moving forward.  Manziel needs to start the rest of the season.  The playoffs at this point are probably a distant memory so why not see what they have in the Texas A&M rookie?  I (along with most Browns fans) would rather go through some rookie pains than seeing a veteran quarterback struggle to get anything going over the next 3 weeks.  I will also say that if Hoyer is the quarterback for the rest of year, I myself will not be watching.

Next week, the Browns play Cincinnati in the final home game of 2014.  If Mike Pettine is smart, he'll have Johnny Manziel be the one behind center.   We'll see if he is.

The Raven Report 10.10.14

By @neveRWilliams

-Andrew Luck, T.Y. Hilton and the Indianapolis Colts went down to Houston and pulled out a 33-28 win against the Texans. Luck finished with 370 yards passing and 3 touchdowns, with 223 of those yards going to receiver T.Y. Hilton and his 1 TD. Texans running back Arian Foster gained 109 yards on 20 carries and 2 touchdowns. Texans QB Ryan Fitzpatrick didn't have a bad statistical night, going 15/23 for 212 yards, 1 TD and 0 interceptions. Houston defensive end J.J. Watt had a fumble recovery and scored his 3 touchdown of the season. The Colts had a 24-0 lead at the end of the 1st quarter, but Watt's fumble return TD in the 4th quarter cut the Colts lead to the 33-28 score. Houston had two chances to come back and take the lead, but a fumble by WR Andre Johnson and another by Fitzpatrick nixed that in the last five minutes. The Colts improved their record to 4-2, while the Texans pulled even at 3-3. Next week's Thursday night game will be the New York Jets heading up to Foxboro, Massachusetts to take on the New England Patriots.

-University of Georgia star running back Todd Gurley was suspended by the school indefinitely on Thursday. The suspension is pending an investigation in the alleged NCAA violation of Gurley being given money for his autographs, memorabilia and use of his own likeness. A source told ESPN's Darren Rovell that Gurley would seek $8-$25 per signature. Authentication company James Spence Authentication as authenticated at least 500 signed items with Gurley's signature including mini-helmets, jerseys, photos and cleats. Personally, I still think it's ridiculous and silly that the NCAA and schools can make LITERALLY BILLIONS of dollars on these kids, but then turn around an scream out violation because one of them signs their name, gets an extra taco, another plate of pasta or uses a water hose to wash a car. All of which are true stories that the NCAA seen as violations.

Last weekend against Vanderbilt, Gurley rushed for 163 yards and 2 touchdowns. He will likely be replaced by freshman Nick Chubb. In 2010, Georgia receiver and current Cincinnati Bengal AJ Green was suspended 4 games for selling his own Independence Bowl jersey. Todd Gurley is currently ranked 9th on Mel Kiper's NFL draft board.

-Speaking of silliness, the NFL decided to fine San Francisco 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick $10,000 for wearing pink Beats by Dre headphones around his neck at a press conference. The NFL has an exclusive agreement with Bose, while Kaepernick has an endorsement deal with Beats By Dre. Ridiculous.

-The American League Championship Series opens tonight with Chris Tillman and the Baltimore Orioles hosting James Shields and the Kansas City Royals. Back in April, would anyone have pick these two teams to be the final two of the American League? But as they say, that's why you play the games. Both teams are the epitome of a "miracle run" or a "team of destiny".

-The Blue Jackets opened up the 2014-2015 NHL season against the Buffalo Sabres with a 3-1 victory. The first period ended 0-0 but the Jackets outshot the Sabres 12-7. Both goaltenders were on their game making amazing saves. The second period was a little bit different with Jack Skille(1) opening up the scoring with his first of the year with assists from Jarod Boll(1) and Michael Chaput(1). Buffalo tied it up a minute later with a goal from Zemgus Girgensons (1). Shots for both teams in the second were the same as the first 12-7 making it 24-14 through two periods. The third period just like the first two periods as both teams playing a tight close checking game. Cam Atkinson (1) scored on the power play half way through the period to give the Jackets a 2-1 lead with assists going to Ryan Johansen (1) and Nick Foligno (1). Joining the scoring party was Artem Anisimov (1) with assists to Scott Hartnell (1) and rookie Alexander Wennberg (1). The rookies showed poise and promise while the veterans did the brunt work in the win. Sergei Bobrovsky (1-0) was his usual brick wall self stopping 22 out of 23 shots while Buffalos Jhonas Enroth (0-1) stopped 37 out of 40 with both goalies making highlight real saves. The Blue Jackets (1-0 2 points) have their home opener and play this Saturday October 11 against the New York Rangers at 7pm.

-Pop music and pop culture superstar Katy Perry will be the Super Bowl XLIX halftime performer. The game will be held February 1 in Glendale, Arizona, the home of the Arizona Cardinals. Other artists who were in contention were Rihanna and Coldplay. Adding Perry should be a major draw for the NFL. Last year's Super Bowl that had the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos with Bruno Mars at halftime, brought in over 111 million viewers.

-Opening in theaters today is the action horror film "Dracula Untold", legal drama "The Judge" starring Robert Downey Jr. and Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner's family comedy "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day". All 3 films should have pretty decent opening numbers, but will anyone of them overcome Ben Affleck's "Gone Girl" which pulled in $37.5 million last week? Not so sure about that one.

-The uber popular zombie action drama "The Walking Dead" starts it's 5th season this Sunday on AMC at 9pm.

-Lastly, I'd like to announce that plans are moving forward to bring TripleThreatCLE.com to internet radio and podcast outlets. Please, stay posted for more on that news coming soon.