On The Mark 10.19.15: #Browns v #Broncos Recap

Rejected Again: Browns Lose To The Broncos In OT, 26-23
By @MarkW2112

The Cleveland Browns lost to the Denver Broncos, 26-23, on what should have been a victory.  Luke McCown threw for 2 touchdowns but also 2 interceptions, one of them a pick 6 to Aqib Talib.  Peyton Manning also threw for a touchdown and 3 interceptions, including 2 interceptions to Karlos Dansby, including a pick 6 of his own.

McCown was rattled by the Broncos #1 rated defense.  He was sacked 4 times, lost a fumble and was harassed almost every time he went back to pass. Gary Barnidge had another big game with both of the touchdowns for the Browns.  Travis Benjamin led all Browns receivers with 117 yards including some great catches. Duke Johnson lead all rushers with 38 yards, Isiah Crowell with 32 and Robert Turbin, with his first action of the year, 27 yards.

Manning fared no better but was seamlessly untouched by the Browns pass rush.  And was good enough when he needed to be, especially on a 75 yard touchdown pass to Emmanuel Sanders after the Dansby pick 6.  The Broncos run game was helped by Ronnie Hillman who had 111 yards rushing on 20 carries.

The Browns defense, with Dansby in the lead, actually played one of their better games.  While they didn't sack Manning, they were able to keep the Broncos from doing too much damage until the very end of the game when they allowed the Broncos to get in to the 20 yard line to end the game in OT on a 34 yard field goal by Brandon McManus.  The  Broncos defense, on the other hand, was dominant, in McCown's face and keeping the run game for the Browns in tact.  

The biggest play of the game for the Browns was after the Dansby interception.  Instead of going for the extra point, which would have made it 21-16, they went for 2.  They failed on the first attempt but were able to get a second chance after a penalty and failed there as well.  If they would have gone for the extra point they probably would have won the game.

My take:  The Browns always seem to find a way to lose.  Today once again was no exception.  It's a broken record at this point.  Luke McCown had a terrible game.  However, the Broncos have one of the best defenses in the league.  Aqib Talib's interception for a touchdown was the game changer.  On the other hand, Peyton Manning is not the Peyton of old.  But, the old gunslinger did just enough to keep his Broncos undefeated.  And that's what winners do.  The Browns, with clock management issues and sloppy penalties, still have a culture of losing to get out of.  It may take a long time for that to happen.

Player of the game:  Karlos Dansby, who had 2 interceptions including a pick 6 that kept the Browns hopes alive.

Turning Point:  the 2 failed 2 point conversions which, in essence, lost the game for the Browns.

Next game:  facing the St. Louis Rams in St. Louis at 1 PM on Sunday.

Leadoff with Lee 11.18.14

By @cleeverizon

- LeBron James won the Eastern conference player of the week. He averaged 35 points, 7 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game last week. This is the 27th time James has one the player of the week award while wearing a Cavs uniform and 1st this season. This is also the 46th time that James has won the player of the week award, and the 44th time a Cleveland Cavalier has won the player of the week award. Currently, LeBron James is 24th all time in NBA scoring. James also has surpassed Micheal Jordan with 75 games averaging 25+ points per game, 5+ assists per game and 5+ rebounds per game.

- The Miami Marlins and outfielder Giancarlo Stanton have agreed to a 13 year, $325 million contract extension. The deal is pending approval from the commissioner's office which should be complete by today and announced by Wednesday. Stanton's contract is the richest contract in North American sports history, and includes a full no trade clause and a player opt out after six seasons. Stanton is going to make $25 million per season or $154,321 per game or to break it down further, that's $68,449 per day for the next 13 years. Let that marinate for a bit.

- The Atlanta Braves dealt outfielder Jason Heyward and reliever Jordan Walden to the St. Louis Cardinals for pitcher Shelby Miller and minor leaguer Tyrell Jenkins. The Cardinals felt like they needed to pursue Heyward after the death of Oscar Taveras last month. St. Louis hopes to sign the 25 year old Heyward to an extension going into the next season. Last season, Shelby Miller was 10-9 with a 3.74 ERA for the Cards in his second season after going 15-9 with a 3.06 ERA in 2013 as a rookie.

- The Division I Men's NCAA Basketball committee has selected the Final Four game sites for the upcoming years of 2017 through 2021. Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, AZ will host in 2017, San Antonio, TX in 2018, Minneapolis, MN in 2019, Atlanta, GA in 2020 and Indianapolis, IN for 2021. Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium will also host to 2015 final four.

“This certainly was a very competitive process, so selecting Indianapolis to host the 2021 Final Four presented the committee an opportunity to select four other cities for the original span of the bid cycle,” said Dan Gavitt, NCAA vice president of men’s basketball. “The agreement we have with the city of Indianapolis provides flexibility to the site selection process, so any reasonable option that benefited the event while maintaining the integrity of the bid process for the other finalist cities was considered. The Indianapolis local organizing committee was receptive of the idea and assured us that they would be prepared with guarantees from the venues and local hotels.” San Antonio, which hosted the event three times from 1998-2008, was selected to host in 2018. Renovations are planned for the Alamodome, which will become the sixth facility to host at least four Final Fours.

Two buildings currently under construction will host the 2019 and 2020 Final Four tournaments.

Minneapolis most recently hosted the Final Four in 2001, and will stage the event for the fourth time in 2019 at the new Minnesota Multi-Purpose Stadium. This will be the city’s third venue to crown a national champion. Williams Arena hosted the national title game in 1951, while the Metrodome hosted the Final Four in 1992 and 2001.

The Final Four will return to Atlanta for the fifth time in 2020, when new Atlanta Stadium, which is currently under construction, becomes the third venue to host the event in the city. The Omni hosted the Final Four in 1977, while the Georgia Dome was the site in 2002, 2007 and 2013. Atlanta will be the seventh city to host at least five championship games.

- Columbus, OH will host the 2018 NCAA Women's Final Four. New Orleans will host the Women's Final Four for a record 4 time in 2020. They also hosted the 1991, 2004 and 2013 games.

- Jabaal Sheard looks to be out for the rest of the season with a bone injury to his foot. He will get a second opinion today, but it's not expected to be a Lisfranc injury. Karlos Dansby went down Sunday as well with a sprained MCL. Surgery is not required but only time and rest can heal that particular injury. He is expected to be out for 4 weeks, according to Browns head coach Mike Pettine. Phil Taylor had a successful knee surgery yesterday by the world renouned Dr. James Andrews. Taylor is looking forward to a full recovery and will rehab with the Cleveland Browns training staff in Berea.

- The Ohio State Buckeyes chances of playing in the National Championship game this year just increased, according to Vegas oddsmakers. The Buckeyes are now tied for 3rd with Florida State with 6/1 odds. Alabama is 2nd with 5/2 odds and Oregon has the best chance with 15/4 odds.