On The Mark 11.17.14: #Buckeyes & #Browns Recap

Buckeyes Win In Brutal Minnesota, Browns Just Brutal In Loss To Texans
By @MarkW2112

It was a split weekend for fans of the Buckeyes and Browns.  Here's my recap of both.

Buckeyes

The Ohio State Buckeyes, ranked 8th before the game, defeated 25th ranked Minnesota 31-21 in brutally cold and snowy weather conditions. J.T. Barrett was once again the player of the game, breaking several of Braxton Miller's records along with an incredible 86 yard touchdown run that added to his record setting 189 yards rushing..  While he did give up an interception and wasn't able to pass at will like he did against Michigan State, he was still able to throw for 200 yards and 3 touchdowns.  It did appear, however, that Jalin Marshall really wanted to give the game away with 2 fumbles, including one at the goal line as he was about to get a touchdown.

The Golden Gophers put up a very tough fight, with running back David Cobb the leading with 145 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns. He was extremely hard for the Buckeyes defense to handle.  But they were able to just enough to hold quarterback Mitch Leidner to 85 passing yards and 2 interceptions.

My Take: J.T. Barrett should be invited to New York for the Heisman award with another MVP performance.  The defense wasn't great but again did enough to win with Joey Bosa having a better game against the Gophers than he did against the Spartans.  They beat a very tough Gophers team in extreme weather conditions and with Virginia Tech beating 21 ranked Duke, it should help their cause. The Buckeyes need to win out the rest of the season for a chance at the last playoff spot.

Next up: Back at the Horseshoe against Indiana at noon next Saturday.

Browns

Sadly, the Browns were not able to find any groove both offensively or defensively yesterday in Cleveland, losing to the Houston Texans 23-7.  It could have been called the J.J. Watt show, as he was everywhere on defense and also caught the first touchdown of Ryan Mallett's career.  He forced a fumble on Brian Hoyer in the red zone and was a general nuisance to the offense and Cleveland fans in general.

Hoyer had a miserable game for the most part, going 20-of-50 for 330 yards, a touchdown and crucial interception.  Isaiah Crowell, starting his first professional game, had some good looks, rushing for 61 yards but also had a crucial turnover in the redzone which then led the Texans to go down the field and score a touchdown, making it 14-7 before halftime.  Dropped passes also didn't help the cause, with Miles Austin dropping an easy pass on fourth down which would have moved the chains.

Mallett was calm, cool and collected all day, going 20-30 for 211 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception. He performed well above expectations in his first start as a pro. It also helped that rookie running back Alfred Blue ran for 156 yards through a porous Browns defense that wasn't able to make the stops against the run or get pressure on Mallett.

My Take:  The injuries continue to pile up for the Browns.  Karlos Dansby has been diagnosed with a sprained MCL but will have tests today.  Brian Hoyer looked lost once again, as in the Jacksonville game, due to lack of a running of a game.  It also didn't help that he was playing against the most talented defensive linemen, if not player, in the NFL.  J.J. Watt is a freak of nature and his presence was felt, even giving the CBS announcers woody's with his play.  The good news is that Josh Gordon comes back to practice today and hopefully will help become a bigger target for Hoyer.  At this point, it's better to let Hoyer, no matter how mediocre he really is, play out the season while Johnny waits in the wings for his turn to shine.

Up Next: in Atlanta against the Falcons at 1 PM

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.

Leadoff with Lee 9.3.14

By @cleeverizon

-Despite a 2 a two run homerun by Carlos Santana, despite the Tigers being shutout from innings 3-8 and despite the Tribe heading into the top of the 9th with a 2-1 lead, J.D. Martinez hit a 3 run homerun to give the Detroit Tigers a 4-2 win at Progressive Field over the Indians. Carlos Carassco pitched 5.1 innings giving up 10 hits, 1 earned run and recording 10 strikeouts. The Indians pitching staff as a whole had 14 strikeouts for the game. Cody Allen have up the 3 run bomb in the top off the 9th to earn his 2nd blown save within a month and recording his 4th loss of the season. Tonight, Danny Salazar (5-6, 4.23 era) will face Detroit's Justin Verlander (12-11, 4.68 era). The Indians are 3 games behind Seattle for the last wild card spot. FYI: Indians tickets for the last 2 games of the Detroit series are going for as little as $10 on StubHub.

-Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert wants the NBA all-star game to return to Cleveland. The last time Cleveland hosted the mid season spectacular was in 1997. This is also when the NBA honored the 50 Greatest Players. If Cleveland can host the 2017 game, that will be officially 20 years since Cleveland had the festivities. And wouldn't it be nice to have all eyes on Cleveland with LeBron James having a all-star game in his own backyard? LBJ, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving would all be in their 2nd year of max deals. Downtown Cleveland and the surrounding areas have a lot to offer and is growing with massive improvements and renovations. Casinos, new hotels being built, the soon revival of the East Banks of The Flats, the vast array of dining and culture throughout and the Republican National Convention coming to town. Things are looking good for the 'Land. New York and Toronto have the All Star festivities in 2015 and 2016, respectively.

-Weeks ago, Under Armour offered Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Kevin Durant a 10-year $265-$285 million dollar endorsement deal. Nike told Durant and his represenitives at Jay-Z's Roc Nation Sports that they would match the Under Armour offer. Durant should make $41.2 million dollars more than what he is being paid by the Thunder over the next 2 years.

-Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay was suspended by the NFL for the first 6 games of the season and also fined $500,000 dollars after pleading guilty to one count of misdemeanor OVI charges. Irsay was pulled over for eratic driving. Toxicology reports showed he had Xanax in his system. But he was also found with pill bottles containing large amounts of oxycodone and hydrocodone. Also having over $30,000 cash on hand. People may say "Well Josh Gordon got suspended a full season and only failed a drug test". I agree, but owners are not subject to the same collective bargaining agreement as players. Now the "average Joe" like me or you, if we would have been caught with as much weight as Irsay did, we would be doing time under the jail. Prime example of "Money will make your problems go away".

-Wes Welker has been suspended for the first 4 games of this NFL season for testing positive for amphetamines. Welker appealed the suspension 2 weeks ago but was denied by the league. Amphetamines is the parent compound of the drug ecstasy or as the kids call it "Molly". I guess Welker was on his "TURN DOWN FOR WHAT" ish.

-Star defensive end J.J. Watt and the Houston Texans have agreed on a 6-year contract extension that could net him a total of $100 million. The deal that kicks in on the final two years of his current contract will keep Watt in a Texans uniform through 2021. He is guaranteed $51.8 million, the highest amount for a defensive player in NFL history. The $16.6 million annual value is also the most for a defensive player ever.

-The Kansas City Chiefs signed quarterback Alex Smith to a 4-year, $68 million dollar contract extension, which includes a $18 million dollar signing bonus. His salary for 2014 is $1 million dollars,but spikes up to $11.9 in 2015,$14.1 in 2016,down to $10.2 in '17 and back up to $14.5 in '18. $2 million in roster bonuses in '17 and '18.

-Michael Sam was cut by the St. Louis Rams on Saturday, but is on his way to Dallas for a physical with the Cowboys. The NFL's first openly gay player is expected to be signed to the Cowboys practice squad pending his physical results. In related news, the WWE has invited Sam to the September 8th episode of Raw. I expect Sam to decline this offer especially if the Cowboys sign him to the practice squad.

-The NFL and the NFLPA have begun talks to raise the marijuana test levels for the next CBA. It's very clear both sides see the need for the change considering it is the lowest out of all competitive sports. If this was the NBA, MLB, Olympics or the United States Army, we wouldn't even have this issue.

-Browns, Directv, Raycom. Ok I have been corrected on my previous tweets by saying Directv NFL Sunday ticket subscribers will be able to watch the game this weekend despite the contract dispute between Raycom and DirecTV. After further research, I found out the since it is a AFC game and the visiting team is responsible for the national feed the game WILL NOT be available. Unlike baseball to where you can select the local or visiting feed for announcers on different channels. NFL guidelines state it is the visitors who are responsible. But don't feel bad Cleveland fans. There are other markets that are owned by Raycom and broadcast NFL football games that are going through the same thing. Raycom had this same issue with Dish Network last year around the same time and a resolution was found. Too much advertising money will be lost by Raycom if they don't strike a deal. Companies pay millions of dollars to have their commercials shown during football games. Fellow DirecTV customers just need to remain calm.