Terrys Talkin about Cleveland Browns, Mike Pettine, David Blatt and Cleveland Indians -- Terry Pluto CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Talking about how Mike Pettine thinks the Browns were a better team than the record showed, about new Cavs coach David Blatt and about the Tribe and Omar Vizquel: ABOUT THE BROWNS In an interview with Greg Bedard of Monday Morning Quarterback, Browns coach Mike Pettine said, If you look at the Browns film from a year ago and just watched them, youd say theres no way they won only four games. Do you agree with Mike Pettine that the Browns looked better than a 4-12 team last season? Yes No Vote View Results Pettine added the plan is to lets build the best team first ... there was so much pressure internally to take the quarterback with the fourth pick, but we werent going to do it because the grade didnt justify it. We werent going to just draft for need. A few interesting points: 1. Pettine talked about the model for the Browns being the Seahawks and the 49ers, two teams built on defense. Neither has a first-round pick at quarterback. Colin Kapernick (49ers) was a second-round pick. Russell Wilson (Seahawks) was drafted in the third round. The Browns traded up to take Johnny Manziel, but he was the 22nd pick. 2. Pettine also said Manziel was the only quarterback in the draft that had a chance, given the right circumstances, to be an opening-day starter. It could happen, but in my ideal world, its not opening day. 3. The Browns want fans to understand that Manziel was the No. 22 pick, not No. 2. And he is probably not ready to start soon this season. There may be public pressure to start Manziel immediately, but the Browns will resist it -- just as they ignored the noise about taking a quarterback at No. 4. 4. Brian Hoyer gives the Browns time to develop Manziel. And the fact is that virtually every member of the national media who watched the OTAs and other practices that were open has written that Hoyer is far ahead of Manziel at this point. 5. Think about how the Browns want to play -- a team based on defense. They dont want a quarterback making outrageous rookie mistakes. My guess is if you want to look at the model game for the Browns (at least early in the season), watch the 17-6 victory over the Bengals last September 29. The defense dominated. Hoyer was 25-of-38 passing with two touchdowns, no interceptions and 269 yards in the air. It was a physical game, the kind often played in the AFC North. The Browns had two long TD drives -- 95 and 91 yards. 6. A year ago, the Browns defense ranked 29th in the red zone. Pettines defense in Buffalo was No. 6. The Browns gave up 32 red-zone touchdowns, it was 24 in Buffalo. So you can see what Pettine wants to bring to the Browns -- a defense that is imposing as the goal line looms near. ABOUT MIKE PETTINE For the first time, the Browns head coach made an obvious rookie mistake. Im talking about a small part of his interview with Bedard of Monday Morning Quarterback. Most of the story was very good and informative, especially how he doesnt want to be just a ground and pound team. In other words, he wants a passing attack. He wants to score points. But why get into the mess about how at a wedding, Tom Brady told Jets assistant Mike Smith that the Patriots may or may not have had portion of a couple of the Jets defensive play books. Pettine said he wasnt surprised, because (Jets coach) Rex Ryan gave them (play books) out like candy. There was a little more along those lines -- and its a very small part of the story. But why get into this inside football, which now has both Patriots coach Bill Belichick and Ryan angry at Pettine? Both veteran coaches lashed back at Pettine. Coaches talk about how they hate distractions. Pettine created one for himself. Is this a big deal? No. Was it smart? No. Will Pettine learn from it? I bet he does. Im sure his father -- Mike Pettine Sr. -- would tell his son that its hard enough coaching your team, leave the other stuff (and playbook issues) alone. ABOUT EARL BENNETT When Earl Bennett was cut this week, my first thought was, Shows what I know. I didnt spend all the practices staring at the veteran receiver, but I noticed him enough to think hed at least make it to veterans camp and perhaps help the team. The Browns obviously saw some real flaws -- just as the Bears did. Bennett caught 32 passes a year ago, but only averaged 7.5 yards per catch. He had only two drops. Obviously, speed is a problem. His longest catch was for 17 yards. Bennett signed a $730,000 contract with the Browns, but only $75,000 was guaranteed. So there wasnt much of a market for him -- and hes back on the market again. As for the other recently signed veteran wide receivers still in camp: Miles Austin signed a $1.7 million deal with a $300,000 signing bonus; Nate Burlesons contract is for $955,000 -- but only $65,000 is guaranteed. Austin and Burleson didnt take part in the 11-on-11 drills. Austin had hamstring problems with Dallas last year, and the Browns are being careful with him. Burleson is recovering from an arm injury. Cutting Bennett is a sign the Browns will keep shopping and probably will bring in other receivers who are cut this summer. David Blatt David Blatt has a chance to establish himself as an NBA coach if he has even modest success with the Cavs. AP ABOUT DAVID BLATT, PART ONE One of the dumbest reports was that David Blatt was advised to take the job as Golden States top assistant compared to being head coach of the Cavs. The implication was that Blatt would follow that route. OK, lets say the report was accurate, someone told Blatt to do that. But think about it for a moment. Blatt is 55. He never coached a game for a U.S. college or NBA team. He has a chance to come from Europe and take an NBA head coaching job -- one of only 30 in the world? Of course, he takes it. Furthermore, the Cavs have a chance to improve. They have the drafts No. 1 pick. They have more than $20 million on the salary cap. They have a rich owner desperate to win -- and willing to spend. Maybe it wont work for Blatt, but if he comes close to a .500 record -- he could establish himself in the NBA. Its a good spot for him. And if it doesnt work, Steve Kerr or another NBA coach will probably hire him. ABOUT DAVID BLATT, PART TWO Because Blatts teams in Tel Aviv were among the leaders in scoring, I assumed they played at a quick pace. They didnt. They usually ranked between 12-17 in pace, among the 24 EuroLeague teams. But the bottom line is scoring. In his four years with the team, they ranked fourth, ninth, eighth and first in points per game. His team was known for ball movement, player movement and creating open shots. His teams have been gritty on defense. Its fascinating to see what hell do with the Cavs. Jabari Parker Dukes Jabari Parker was at the top of the Cavs draft board for most of the season until Joel Embiid emerged as a top prospect. AP ABOUT THE CAVS DRAFT When the basketball season began, Jabari Parker was on top of the Cavs draft board. That didnt change for several months. Remember that no one anticipated the rise of Joel Embiid, the 7-foot center for Kansas. Embiid is from Cameroon. When he enrolled at the school, the expectation was that hed need a few years of college basketball to become a major prospect. Instead, it happened in a few months. And I believe the Cavs were prepared to draft him until the stress fracture in his foot was discovered this week. Now, the debate is Parker vs. Andrew Wiggins. When I write about Parker being No. 1 for the Cavs, that was when Chris Grant was the general manager. He was fired in February, with David Griffin (his assistant) taking over. I do believe that Griffin may have a higher of opinion of Wiggins than the Cavs did early in the college season. Does that now mean they will take Wiggins? Who knows? Just as so much changed in February when Griffin replaced Grant, it has changed again with the hiring of Blatt. While Blatt will have to rely on Griffin and his scouts, Blatt also will be the guy coaching the top pick. And he must be in harmony with the selection. Its hard to believe the Cavs would still take Embiid. The pressure is on to win now. The hiring of Blatt indicates just that, although the risk is his lack of NBA experience. Most NBA executives that Ive contacted prefer Parker in terms of making an immediate impact. But thats a small sample size, hardly an indication of what the Cavs may do. None expect the Cavs to take Embiid. ABOUT NBA COACHES There have been 21 coaching changes in the last 16 months. Teams such as the Cavs have had two -- the firing of Byron Scott and Mike Brown. In the Eastern Conference, only six of 15 coaches have been with their current teams for more than a single season. I wondered how many coaches have been with their current teams for at least three years. The answer is nine of 30. Three seasons is 230 games, because 2011-12 was a 66-game season due to labor problems. So heres the list: San Antonios Gregg Popovich (1,410 games). Miamis Erik Spoelstra (476 games). Dallas Rick Carlisle (476 games). Oklahoma Citys Scott Brooks (463 games). Chicagos Tom Thibodeau (312 games). New Orleans Monty Williams (312 games). Indianas Frank Vogel (267 games) Torontos Dwane Casey (230 games). Houstons Kevin McHale (230 games). Cleveland Indians Pre-Game Activities, June 3, 2014 The Indians remain very encouraged by T.J. House. Chuck Crow / The Plain Dealer ABOUT THE INDIANS 1. The Indians were not discouraged by how T.J. House pitched -- 0-1 with a 4.88 ERA. He ranks among the top 10 percent in ground-ball rates, meaning he has given up more grounders than 90 percent of the pitchers in the minors this season. It was about the same rate in his brief big league tenure. The infield defense didnt help him, especially the left side. Its not just the errors, but lack of range. 2. House is a control pitcher. He averaged only 2.8 walks per nine innings for the Tribe. Hes like Josh Tomlin, who gives up home runs -- four in his 27 2/3 innings. House had the back-in-AAA blues, giving up seven runs in six innings in his first start after returning to Columbus. He is 1-3 with a 3.42 ERA overall for the Clippers. 3. Because the schedule contains some off days, the Indians will go with four starters until July. In the meanwhile, they will watch how Zach McAllister and House pitch in Columbus -- then pick between them. 4. Michael Bourns problem is left-handed pitching. Hes hitting .291 vs. righties, but only .194 vs. lefties this season. That had not been a major issue in the past for the left-handed batter. In the previous three seasons, it was .283 vs. righties. .268 vs. lefties. If Ryan Raburn starts to hit, then the Tribe could sometimes rest Bourn against lefties -- using Michael Brantley in his center field spot. 5. When does a slump turn into a bad year? Raburn entered the weekend batting .211 (.525 OPS) with one homer and 14 RBI. He hit .272 (.901 OPS) with 16 homers last season, crushing left-handed pitching. Raburn looks now like the Ryan Raburn of 2012, who batted .171 with one homer and 12 RBI for the Tigers. He is a player who struggles with his confidence, and it shows with his up-and-down performances over the years. 6. The Indians have been trying to convince Nick Swisher to work on hitting the ball up the middle. So often, he is fixated on pulling the ball. That produced two game-winning homers last week. But he entered the weekend 3-of-25 (two homers) with 10 strikeouts since coming off the disabled list on June 12. 7. The Tribe believes the key to Lonnie Chisenhalls success this season is NOT trying to hit home runs. Its looking to help the team, with everything from opposite-field singles to even dropping down three sacrifice bunts. And sure enough, trying to hit the ball up the middle suddenly produced home runs. A key stat is hes tied for the team lead with 17 doubles. 8. Maybe his Thursday start will help the confidence of Justin Masterson. He threw strike one to only 8-of-26 batters. He threw 66 strikes compared to 50 balls, not a good ratio. At times, he seemed frustrated about his control. Yet he held the Angels to one run in seven innings, and walked three. He found a way to not only survive, but deliver one of his better games of the season. 9. The Tribe had Aaron Harang in spring training, but decided not to keep him. He was claimed by the Braves, and got off to a strong start. Overall, he is 5-6 with a 3.83 ERA. He had a 2.97 ERA in April, and its 4.63 since then. 10. Just as former Indian Drew Pomeranz was rebuilding his career in Oakland, he put himself on the disabled list. Pomeranz punched a chair after allowing seven earned runs in 3 2/3 innings. The result is a broken right hand. On the season, the lefty is 5-4 with a 2.91 ERA. 11. Former Indian Scott Kazmir seems All-Star bound as hes 9-2 with a 2.08 ERA for the As. Ubaldo Jimenez is 2-8 with a 4.86 ERA for Baltimore. 12. As Josh Outman has been designated for assignment, the Indians are looking to work a minor trade for the lefty. Cleveland Indians vs Los Angeles Angels Trevor Bauer threw more than 130 pitches in a game at UCLA several times. He completed 10-of-16 starts in his final college season. Thomas Ondrey / The Plain Dealer ABOUT TREVOR BAUER Lost in all the discussion of how Trevor Bauer is obsessed with pitching and the mechanics of throwing a baseball is his drive to be a great pitcher. He is so competitive, said General Manager Chris Antonetti. Hes so tough mentally. Antonetti said thats why he told Terry Francona that the manager can have a little longer leash with Bauer, compared to some other young pitchers when it comes to pitch counts. In the Tribes 4-3 victory over the Angels, Bauer threw 119 pitches in 6 2/3 innings. He allowed three runs. He threw first-pitch strikes to 19-of-32 batters. The 119 pitches were the most for anyone in a Tribe uniform this season. The most pitches Bauer threw in a game this season were 105 before Monday night. Francona said he doesnt always want Bauer throwing nearly 120 pitches a game. But that night, the bullpen was weary -- except for Carlos Carrasco, who went 2 1/3 scoreless innings for the save. There were games where he threw 130 pitches in college, said Antonetti. In his final college season, Bauer completed 10-of-16 starts at UCLA. He was 13-2 with a 1.25 ERA. He had 203 strikeouts compared to 36 walks. Some of his pitch counts: 135, 134, 134, 128 and 120. His college coaches mentioned that Bauer usually started every seven days, so he could pitch longer. Bauer hates pitch counts. After Mondays game, he said he could throw: 130, 140, 150, 200, whatever. That obviously is extreme, but Antonetti has had long talks with Bauer on the subject. His point is that you shouldnt judge every pitcher by the same pitch counts, said the general manager. Its a good point, because pitchers are different in terms of their mechanics, arm strength, conditioning and things like that. But the Tribe doesnt plan to allow Bauer to chase 150 or 200 pitches. Bauer is only 23. In his seven starts, he has allowed more than three runs only twice (four runs both times). Its exciting to watch what Trevor is doing and how he really is feeling comfortable on and off the field right now, said Antonetti. ABOUT OMAR VIZQUEL I once asked Hall of Fame sports writer Hal Lebovitz who was the best defensive shortstop that he ever watched. The former Plain Dealer sports editor talked about everyone from Marty Marion to Lou Boudreau to Luis Aparicio to Ozzie Smith. But he picked Omar Vizquel, with Smith coming in second. I mentioned Mark Belanger, one of my favorites from covering the Orioles in 1979. Hal said Omar had better range. Both had amazing hands. I agreed with Hal on that. Its terrific to see the Tribe honor Omar this weekend. Im sure Hal would endorse it. And remember, Hal dated back to League Park, where he sold hot dogs -- and once sold one to Babe Ruth before a game!
Posted on: Tue, 24 Jun 2014 10:50:51 +0000
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