Monthly Archives: April 2022

Browns solid in day two of draft

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The Cleveland Browns were not scheduled to make a selection in the 2022 NFL Draft until pick 44. Cleveland then decided to trade back to acquire more picks giving them more shots at filling some needs on both sides of the ball. 

Martin Emerson

Waiting until the fourth selection in the third round, Cleveland selected cornerback Martin Emerson out of Mississippi State. Emerson joins a defensive backfield that features Denzel Ward, Greg Newsome, and Greedy Williams. With crucial pass defense is in the modern NFL, adding another defensive back to the mix will give the Browns defense their best chance to slow them down. 

As far as big picture is concerned, Ward signed a five-year extension not too long ago and Newsome just finished his rookie season. That brings the focus to Williams who has dealt with injuries early on in his career. It’s possible that longevity concerns exist and instead of offering Williams a large deal that they are beginning their own succession plan that will help control costs in a crucial position group. 

Alex Wright

The Browns decided to address one of their positions of need with their own third round selection. UAB’s Alex Wright was the pick at 78th overall which will help bolster their defensive line. 

Myles Garrett is entrenched on one side of the line with consistent production being all-but guaranteed. Last season the opposite side of the line featured Jadeveon Clowney. A reunion with Clowney is still possible, but it is worth noting that Cleveland traded for New England’s Chase Winovich and just selected Wright in the draft. While neither move particularly precludes the Browns from bringing back Clowney, they are ensuring they are not left with their hands in their pockets should he sign elsewhere.

David Bell

At some point the Cleveland Browns are going to draft a wide receiver. At 99th overall David Bell was that wide receiver. Bell joins Amari Cooper as the top two receivers on the Browns roster with Donovan Peoples-Jones and Anthony Schwartz playing roles of some sort.

Bell does not possess top end speed and is most likely to end up being the number two receiver in Cleveland long term. The problem on the short term is that the team still lacks a true number one receiver.

Long ball powers Guardians past A’s

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It took longer than anyone would have liked, but the Cleveland Guardians have snapped their seven-game losing streak. Jose Ramirez, Andres Gimenez, and Josh Naylor all homered in the contest. 

Gimenez’ grand slam in the third and Naylor’s two-run shot in the seventh did a lot of the heavy lifting for Cleveland. The clear the bases job from Gimenez gave the Guardians a temporary 5-4 lead while Naylor’s homer was of the game-winning variety with two innings to go. 

Aaron CIvale struggled yet again, allowing six runs on seven hits in just four innings. The 26-year old Guardians right hander has allowed six runs in back-to-back starts totaling just seven innings. The only other Cleveland pitcher to allow a run(s) to score was Enyel De Los Santos. Sam Hentges, Trevor Stephan, and Emmanuel Clase all combined to allow just one hit (Clase) while striking out five in 4.1 innings. 

After back-to-back sweeps at the hands of the Yankees and Angels, Cleveland found their offensive groove against the A’s. As a team, Cleveland combined for 11 hits and five walks, a breath of fresh air for the Guardians and their recent struggles. With the first win of the series under their belt, Cleveland has a chance to continue the trading sweeps pattern that has been going on for most of the season. 

Shane Bieber will take the mound for the Guardians Saturday afternoon as the Athletics will trot out Cole Irvin. 

Round 1 a new experience for Browns

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Round one of the 2022 NFL Draft presented an unusual set of circumstances for the Cleveland Browns fans. Their perennial search for an answer at the quarterback position is not taking center stage. Instead it is other teams wading the waters of a draft class that is considered weak with a very down quarterback class. While hyperbole is the word used to describe this pattern year in and year out, it is quite accurate this time around. There is not a surefire quarterback going first overall as the Jacksonville Jaguars opted for defensive help in Travon Walker. As Kenny Pickett has been selected and Malik Willis is still waiting for his name to be called one thing is for certain, Cleveland will not be making the call this year. 

The Browns instead made the trade to acquire Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans in a blockbluster move which essentially will be their first round selection for the next three years. Watson is the franchise quarterback this team has been searching for since 1999. Ironically enough the pick used to select Watson in 2017 by Houston belonged to Cleveland before they traded down for a second time in that draft. Eventually the Browns were able to get the player they should have drafted a few years prior, it just cost three times as much and then some with later picks involved.

With no first round pressure, fans can sit back and enjoy the draft as a whole. There is no nerves to be had and Browns fans can put their trust in Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski to supplement their roster with veteran free agents and their selections beginning in round two. 

Baker Mayfield landing spots developing?

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The moment that the Carolina Panthers selected offensive lineman Ickey Ekwonu sixth overall the rumor mill went into motion focusing on Baker Mayfield. Carolina has been rumored on and off to be interested in the services of Mayfield and this first round selection only propelled them further. 

The Panthers do not have another pick until the 137th overall selection, preventing them from selecting any of the quarterbacks of note in this draft. With Sam Darnold on his fifth-year option their defacto starter, perhaps this could propel the Panthers to make a move for Mayfield. Mayfield and Darnold have both been disappointments which led to the franchises that drafted them moving on before their rookie deals were up. Carolina has stated that previously that a trade for Mayfield would not happen in the first half of the draft, although things can always change. 

Seattle in the mix?

Just like Carolina, Seattle selected an offensive tackle, Charles Cross at ninth overall. The Seahawks have also been a possible landing spot for Baker Mayfield. The quarterback situation in Seattle currently features Drew Lock and Geno Smith, both underwhelming. Mayfield should at least be able to push these two for the starting job should Seattle come calling and inquiring about landing Mayfield. 

As far as the Browns are concerned, return package is not necessarily the focus here as a bidding war for Baker Mayfield does not exist. Cleveland needs to find an offer, accept it, and move forward as their quarterback room is complete with the likes of Deshaun Watson, Jacoby Brissett, and Josh Dobbs. The Browns just need to remove the elephant in the room from the equation and put the Mayfield era behind them once and for all. 

The nightmare scenario that nobody trades for Baker Mayfield still exists, backing Cleveland into a corner that will see them receiving zero sympathy from anyone. As of now that is still a break glass in case of emergency scenario, but should be noted as a scenario that is very and more possible than some realize. 

Browns draft options after the first round

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The Cleveland Browns enter days two and three of the NFL Draft with some pretty clear needs that need to be addressed. At this moment in time they are still interested in bringing back Jarvis Landry and Jadeveon Clowney, but they must operate if their returns are not on the table. This puts defensive line and wide receiver at the forefront of team needs. 

With the run on receiver in round one it may be a bit tough for Cleveland to get one of the options they were hoping for when their turn came around in round two. That’s not a reason to panic as they still have Landry as an option in free agency. In regards to the draft they must compare their draft boards (horizontal and vertical) with who is still available. If there is a receiver available that was slotted as an option at 44 (or higher), it makes everything a bit easier selection wise. 

Even if a receiver is not an option, the Browns can still address their defense line. Myles Garrett is still the key pass rusher on the Cleveland defense, but he needs help. Clowney was able to play better than he has in some time, but repeatability is an issue. Additionally, the interior defensive line was about as useful at stopping blockers as saloon doors were at stopping Buford “Mad Dog” Tannen chase down Marty McFly in 1885 Hill Valley. The Browns need interior line help as well and if they were to turn inward with their day two selections they would be draft picks well spent.

Of course the option to trade down exists, but selecting a player who has inexplicably slid in the draft may be a better option rather than punting their pick until later rounds or next year. Simply put, this team has an open contention window and they to infuse young talent into their long term completive vision. 

Guardians offensive woes key factor in losing streak

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It was more of the same on offense for the Cleveland Guardians, problem is that is not a good thing. Cleveland lost their seventh straight game Thursday and their once impressive run differential now sits at zero. Being swept in back-to-back series by the Yankees and Angels has shown just how vulnerable this young team can be. 

The ups and downs of the Guardians offense would be great if one was riding a roller coaster. Unfortunately they are trying to win baseball games and that is not a recipe for success. The Guardians have found themselves on the wrong side of a 39-14 run differential. Allowing four or more runs in a game does not trend towards winning baseball and they’ve done just that in six of seven losses. 

An early West coast road trip can trip up even the most veteran and dominant teams. The Guardians being the young outfit they are mixed in with injuries, COVID list designations, and a slow start combined with this trip simply is too much for them at this time. On the bright side they got this trip over with at the beginning and not at the end if they were to find themselves somehow contending for a playoff spot. Losing seven straight games on the west coast would be such a disappointing end to a season. 

Next up are the Oakland A’s, a team that has played better than expected this season. Perhaps the Guardians can reverse their fortunes with an Athletics sweep to head home on a good note. A two game series with San Diego awaits them and that will provide one of the bigger challenges for this team up to this point.

The struggles of Franmil Reyes

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Franmil Reyes is slumping and everyone knows it. Reyes continues to be a non-factor at the plate and his constant tinkering with his swing and stance has not provided the results that he is seeking. Cleveland’s offense has been struggling to score enough runs to win games and the lack of production from Reyes is a large factor. 

The Guardians outfielder/designated hitter is striking out at 43.1% rate, the second-highest in all of baseball. This is unacceptable for what should be a key foundational bat in the lineup.

Does the failures of the Guardians offense this season fall entirely on Franmil Reyes? Of course not, don’t be ridiculous. However, with the youth that this team is currently featuring all over the diamond, even the 26-year old Reyes has to start taking on veteran responsibilities. That means being able to produce at an acceptable rate and not be a compete afterthought once the game is complete. The latter applies at this current time while it needs to be the former.

Once that happens the Guardians should be able to start piling some wins on top of each other. Without that much needed turnaround at the plate, it will be a long season at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario. 

Guarding The Corner Ep. 6 – Myles Straw’s (Almost) Fight Club

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Guarding The Corner Episode 6 – Myles Straw’s (Almost) Fight Club: James and Bryan discuss the Guardians being swept in New York, Myles Straw, Kyle Schwarber’s problem with Angel Hernandez, the injury to Eloy Jimenez, and their series against the Angels.

Guarding The Corner Ep. 6 – Myles Straw's (Almost) Fight Club by This Is Believeland

Guardians swept by Yankees

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The trials and tribulations of a young baseball team were on full display as the Cleveland Guardians leave The Bronx without a win. It was the sputtering New York Yankees who managed to find their form and hand Cleveland three consecutive losses.

Cleveland was outscored 19-7 in the series, with Saturday’s loss being the first time the Guardians have come up short when scoring four or more runs. Unfortunately that game is completely overshadowed by the shenanigans of a certain section of Yankees fans. This group decided to berate Steven Kwan after crashing into the wall before throwing trash and other assorted items at Guardians players following their walk-off win. Even in victory a fanbase that most describe as insufferable sink to new lows.

The 10-2 loss in the series finale Sunday came hardly as a surprise. Considering the events that transpired the day before and a pitcher in Gerrit Cole who was due, this was a loss that seemed inevitable. The only reason the Guardians scored Sunday was thanks to a lackluster inning from Yankees pitcher Ron Marinaccio. Both of Cleveland’s runs came off the reliever as did two of their six hits.

This series serves as another learning experience for the young Guardians as they were swept by an opponent for the second consecutive weekend. Just a couple weeks into the season and this team has experienced the highest highs and lowest lows. This appears to be a pretty good forecaster of how the rest of the season will play out for a team expected to be middle of the pack in a transition year. Now, onto Los Angeles.

Guarding The Corner episode 5 – Hit Parade

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Guarding The Corner episode 5 – Hit Parade: James and Bryan discuss the Cleveland Guardians sweep of Chicago, Miguel Cabrera, and the Yankees series.

Guarding The Corner Episode 5.- Hit Parade by This Is Believeland