Week 1: Browns vs. Cowboys

So after what was seemingly a neverending wait for the start of the NFL season, Week 1 is finally upon us. As Browns fans we have gone from lofty expectations during training camp to a bit of worry over the 0-4 preseason, and more importantly, all the injuries. Such is the nature of things here in Cleveland... we have come to expect freak knee injuries like the one that happened Wednesday that will keep Antwan Peek out for the entire 2008 season. Not that I think Peek is an essential player to the team's success this year, but it's the type of downer that you don't want to start a season on. But injuries or not, the season kicks off with a tough opponent in the Cowboys on Sunday at 4:15. Here are the things I will be watching:

1. The Cowboys air attack vs. the Browns secondary: Much has been made of the Browns' perceived lack of depth in their secondary after trading Leigh Bodden and losing Daven Holly to injury. Terry Cousin and Travis Daniels were added during camp. But the real pressure will be on Eric Wright and Brandon McDonald at corner and Brodney Pool and Sean Jones at the safety spots. For as much as I dislike Terrell Owens, I won't kid myself and think that we can stop him. We just can't allow him to go off like he did when the Eagles came into town in 2006. And keeping track of Cowboys tight end Jason Witten also scares me a lot. If we start playing back off the line of scrimmage I think they will look to Witten a lot underneath and that could spell trouble.
   
2. The Browns defensive line: The off-season additions of Shaun Rogers and Corey Williams gave a lot of us hope that the Browns would not only be able to better defend the run, but also finally get some pressure on the quarterback. This will be imperative in Week 1 against the Cowboys, because if Tony Romo is given time he will find the open receiver and pick the defense apart. And Marion Barber is more than capable enough to break of some big runs if he isn't contained.
   
3. The Browns offensive line: This unit has been considered one of the best in the NFL after a stellar 2007 season. Left tackle Joe Thomas is a beast and will only get better as he progresses into his second NFL season. But he will have his hands full with DeMarcus Ware and the rest of the Cowboys defensive line. And the Browns didn't do a great job of protecting Derek Anderson in limited action in the preseason. It will be imperative that they give Anderson time on Sunday, as well as opening up some running lanes for Jamal Lewis.
   
4. The Browns receivers vs. the Cowboys secondary: Obviously Braylon Edwards had his breakout season last year. I expect much more of the same this year as he and Anderson really developed good chemistry. And the addition of Donte Stallworth gives the Browns more speed and a reliable second option. And Kellen Winslow is the ultimate pass-catching tight end with the size, speed, and fearlessness that will make and defense afraid. But the Cowboys secondary is very talented (namely Roy Williams) and this may well be the matchup that decides the game. We all know how much better the Browns were last season when Anderson was able to limit his turnovers and didn't force mistakes. It is a must that the Browns don't give the Cowboys extra possessions or a short field to work with.
   
5. Special teams: Mainly I'm referring to the Browns special teams here. A huge key for me will be if Josh Cribbs is healthy enough to play. If his ankle isn't an issue and he is on the field he is a game-changer. Syndric Steptoe did a nice job stepping in during the preseason, but he is nowhere near the caliber of Cribbs. If #16 is back there receiving the opening kickoff, I will be breathing much easier. It will also be important for Dave Zastudil and Phil Dawson to step up when called upon. Field position or an extra 3 points could be the difference in this game.

DeMarcus Ware vs. Joe Thomas will be just one of the big matchups on Sunday

Summing everything up I'm just not sure I love this matchup to start the year for our Browns. But I also know that we have become a dominant team at home (7-1 last year, with the one loss featuring Charlie Frye under center). I definitely think this could become a shootout which could also favor the Browns (5-0 under Romeo Crennel when scoring 30 points or more). Ultimately this game will come down to which team can take care of the ball better on offense and get stops on defense. I'm just not sure the Browns can make all the stops they need to in this one.

It's not that I don't think the Browns can't win this game... I wouldn't put anything past them with their explosive offense. And I know the crowd will be a huge factor (I can't wait to be in the middle of 73,000 screaming fans on Sunday). If the Browns do lose, this would be a game to do it (non-conference so it likely wouldn't play a part in playoff tiebreakers). Weighing everything, I'm going with a prediction of... Cowboys 30 Browns 27. But I reserve the right to change my pick if anything changes my mind before Sunday morning...

No more day games, please

One look at the expanded MLB standings and you'll notice something very peculiar about the 2008 Indians... they are an abysmal 15-26 in day games (.365) compared to a very respectable 52-45 (.536) in night games. What's the reason for this oddity? Is it that we are now loaded with younger players that like to stay out late and party till the wee hours of the morning (I know I would be doing that)? Maybe they just can't get up for day games. Or were they cursed by Grady Sizemore losing that ball in the sun in Kansas City late September of 2005? Although that doesn't really check out since they did go 29-19 during the day last year. Or maybe it's just a random occurrence in a long 162-game season and there really isn't any relevance to it. Whatever the case, they need to start playing better during the day. (Note to self: If you do renew your 20-game plan next year, don't get one that includes 7 Sunday games like this year).

The Tribe couldn't complete the three-game sweep at the Prog yesterday afternoon, falling 4-2 to the White Sox. Sweeping the Central division leaders would have been a tall order, especially with the inconsistent Jeremy Sowers on the mound for the Tribe. Yesterday he was able to give the Indians only 5-1/3 innings and gave up all four runs, including 2 homers. But at least the bullpen did give the Tribe some solid work again, with four relievers combining for 3-2/3 scoreless innings.

The White Sox went all out for this one, giving Jenks a rare 5-out save

Obviously I'm not a fan of these weekday getaway games. But this one really boggles my mind, considering both the Indians and White Sox have an off-day today. What was the reasoning behind scheduling this one as a day game? So you could only get a half-capacity crowd to show up? If that was the goal, then good work. The Tribe will resume play tomorrow night as they embark on a 8-game road trip starting in Kansas City. Not only will they have a chance to get back over .500 this month, but they can also get their division record over .500 and that would be a major accomplishment to me. They currently sit at 25-31 in the division with 16 games left against their Central foes.

Other Tribe Notes: Cliff Lee was named AL pitcher of the month yesterday. And with a 5-0 record and 1.86 ERA in August, who could possibly argue that selection?... Newcomer Rich Rundles is excited for his chance to be in the big leagues. He debuted with a four-pitch walk yesterday... And this is Cleveland, so I guess it's time to start worrying about Cliff Lee's future here.

Browns Update: More bad news on the injury front from Berea yesterday. Not exactly the way I was hoping we'd be going into the Cowboys game. But it sounds as if Jamal Lewis will be ready to go. As promised, I will have my Browns/Cowboys thoughts featured here tomorrow. Just don't take my advice to Vegas or your local bookie.

Cavs Update: LeBron made an appearance on ESPN yesterday. And Brian Windhorst says we are close to signing Lorenzen Wright as big-man insurance. I'd like to think of him as a slightly upgraded Scot Pollard, but of course without the fun hairdos and advice for the kids.

Locked in the cellar

The Tribe ended another 'blah' weekend in Minnesota yesterday with the Twins taking two out of three in the series. Friday night featured Nick Blackburn shutting down the Indians' offense yet again (he's 3-0 with a 1.30 ERA in four starts against the Tribe this year) in a 4-1 Twins' victory. The Indians did put a nice game together on Saturday night behind another strong start from Paul Byrd for a 5-1 win. Byrd has only given up five earned runs over his last four starts, totaling 26 innings of work. But the same old Tribe reappeared yesterday when they had a chance to win a series, this time in a 6-2 loss to the recently reactivated Francisco Liriano (of course his first win of the season). The Tribe is now 17-30 (.362) vs. the Central Division, and that is the main reason they are now firmly locked in the Central cellar, a full three games behind the Royals. The series loss also makes them 19-36 (.345) on the road and by my unofficial count, 12-20-4 overall in series this season. I guess the good news is there are only 52 games left.

The Twins are now 10-5 vs. the Tribe this year... compared to 4-14 last year

The Indians continue their road trip tonight when they open a three-game series vs. the AL East leading Tampa Bay Rays (only five sellouts this year???). The Rays should have revenge on their minds in this series after losing four in a row at the Prog back in July. At least we get to see Cliff Lee pitch tonight.

Other Tribe Notes: Not that this is really news, but Eric Wedge would like a new closer by next spring (I'm begging, please be K-Rod, please be K-Rod). And the Red Sox have reportedly offered Joe Borowski a contract. Not exactly the recipe for repeating as World Series champs.

Browns Update: Remember Travis Wilson? The Browns used a third round pick in 2006 on the receiver from Oklahoma and so far he has given us just two career receptions for 32 yards. With the injury to Joe Jurevicius the Browns are looking for someone to step us as a reliable third receiver and he has impressed his coaches thus far in training camp.

''Travis has had a particularly good OTA (organized team activities) period, he began to show up and make some plays, and I think that has carried over to training camp here because when the ball comes his way, he's been catching them,'' Crennel said.

The Browns may also have found a diamond in the rough to fill in for the injured Antwan Peek. And today is Monday so don't forget about Tony Grossi's noon update from training camp (if you can't tell by now I'm a big fan of these).

Cavs Update: Terry Pluto reports that the Cavaliers are talking to Denver about J.R. Smith. Personally I'd be shocked if we gave an offer sheet to a restricted free agent at this point. I think a trade would be the only possibility, but I've been wrong before.

Could Smith soon be wearing wine and gold?

And from China, LeBron James chipped in 10 points in 24 minutes to help lead Team USA to a 21-point win over Russia. The Redeem Team has one final tune-up vs. Australia tomorrow before the real games begin.

Finally a 'getaway' win!

I've been harping on it all season here, but the Tribe finally accomplished what I thought was impossible yesterday - a win in the dreaded weekday 'getaway' game. The 9-4 win gave them a split in the 4-game series with the Tigers (although they really should have taken 3 of 4), and gave Fausto Carmona his first win since May 12. He was much stronger in this outing than his previous one, going 6-1/3 innings and allowing only 2 earned runs on 99 pitches. Grady Sizemore provided some offensive punch with his 27th home run (2nd in the AL), a 3-run shot in the 5th. And Ben Francisco made a terrific diving catch early in the game.

This picture just speaks for itself - Fasano & Kobayashi, an unstoppable battery

Granted, the Indians are still in last place in the Central - a full two games behind Kansas City - but they have played much better of late. Since the 10 game losing streak that seemed to last forever (June 28-July 9) they have gone 10-7. Not earth-shattering, but respectable given all the injuries, trades to key players, bullpen struggles, and pitching rotation scrambling. The trade deadline did pass without Paul Byrd being dealt yesterday, but he still could be moved sometime this month.

The Tribe pushes on tonight in Minnesota, beginning a 9-game road trip that will also take them to Tampa Bay and Toronto. Jeremy Sowers will get the start tonight and can hopefully improve his dreadful 5.86 ERA and 1-5 record.

Other Tribe Updates: Some info here about finalizing the CC trade and some early returns on the Casey Blake trade. And some updates from the farm. And Grady Sizemore is having a career year, in case you hadn't noticed.

''I just pace around the clubhouse,'' Sizemore said. ''My routine is so crazy; I don't really want to get into it. I think I do more running in the clubhouse than I would if I was playing in the field."

Browns Update: The first injury news of training camp hit yesterday. Not a huge blow but it's always nice to have depth on defense, so let's hope Peek is back for the regular season. Terry Cousin is one guy who's not worried about the Browns' secondary. And Andra Davis likes the talent all around him. Finally, Terry Pluto gives some views from Thursday's practice.

Of course no training camp report would be complete without a dumb video update:


Cavs Update: LeBron returned to action yesterday with 20 points (8-9 from the floor) to lead Team USA to a 114-82 exhibition win over Turkey in China. He then chipped in 15 points this morning (7-9 from the floor) as Team USA dumped Lithuania, 120-84. And LeBron is now using FIBA rules to his advantage in China.

You just know Loozer wishes he still had this guy on his team every night