Reviewing the tape-Peterson runs over Cleveland

This post will feature some thoughts on the Browns 34-20 loss to the Minnesota Vikings after reviewing the tape after getting some badly needed rest yesterday morning.
I'll try to get the look back at the Seahawks win over the Rams later today.

The Cleveland Browns caught some breaks early and were able to hang with the Vikings for the first half as they trotted into the locker room with a 13-10 lead and thinking they had controlled Adrian Peterson.
What they didn't know was Peterson was dehydrated and barely able to function for the half.
Well, an IV allowed Peterson to step into the phone booth and become Superman,roll over the helpless Brown defense in the second half and take away any hope of an upset win.....

Brownie Bits

1) I am a huge fan of Adrian Peterson,I made a fantasy football trade,while he played for Oklahoma in order to make sure he was on my team when the rap on him was durability,so I have a small bias.
However,Adrian Peterson may be the most complete running back since Jim Brown.
There may have been faster backs,shiftier backs and backs with more power,but I feel pretty comfortable in saying that he is the most complete since Brown and with a little more time,maybe even the best since Brown period.
And that covers a ton of great backs..


2) The Browns were overmatched by the Vikings and this was an expected defeat,but considering that next weeks opponent (Denver) needed a miracle to defeat the Bengals,we should have a decent handle on whether this is 6-10 team or a 3-13 team after the trip to the Mile High City.

3) Once again,the Browns best player is Joshua Cribbs.Cribbs scored the Browns only meaningful touchdown on a punt return and saw plenty of action on offense as well,but he could have used better in the offense.
How so?Glad you asked.....

4) I know the Wildcat (or Single Wing) is the NFL version of the chocolate brown leisure suit right now,but when you consistently run the same damn play out of the formation-you aren't tricking anyone!!!
I screamed about this with Romeo Crennel and Eric Mangini is doing the same thing,Throw one pass with Cribbs out of this and you will open SO MUCH ground on future plays,then you really have teams confused!
Not to mention teams see Cribbs in the backfield and play him to run,which is exactly what Cleveland did twice inside the Viking ten and ignored two wide open receivers that would have been a touchdown instead settling for a field goal.
If you are just going to run Cribbs out of the formation,then it is just another running play.

5) The Browns did manage to break their long touchdown drought in the fourth quarter with a meaningless score,but when your top offensive threat turns out to be Robert Royal (4 catches,60 yards and the TD),it could be a long season offensively.
Brady Quinn makes one read and then looks for the tight end,which would have worked brilliantly with the departed Kellen Winslow,but not so much with pedestrian Royal...

6) Speaking of Quinn,not impressed.
Most of his passing yards came in garbage time and his Garo Yepremian like pass/fumble was a total joke.
I am not saying Derek Anderson is any better,mind you,but Quinn's opener was not encouraging to me..

7) Jamal Lewis ran reasonably well ( 57 yards on 11 carries) against one of the top run defenses in the league and gives me some hope that he can be at least average this season.
He may have to be,considering Jerome Harrison is still on the shelf and James Davis being injured in the Viking game...

8) Braylon Edwards caught only one ball and had a touchdown taken away (good call,I thought) and generally was a non-factor,but his grab on the non-TD was phenomenal.
Just goes to show that Edwards has the talent when motivated,which he seldom is...

9) The Browns rookie pass catchers were a non factor as Mohammed Massquoi caught one pass for 18 yards on the last drive,while Brian Robiskie had nothing on the stat sheet.
If these two are the future,let's see more of them and less of Mike Furrey.

10) The Browns were able to put some pressure on Brett Favre with four sacks and give defensive coordinator Rob Ryan credit for being aggressive and creative in figuring ways out to press Favre,but the second half was not as effective.
Ryan is going to have to mix things up from week to week to best utilize his less than stellar talent base..

11) The tackling was improved until the last Peterson TD run in which he bum rushed over what seemed to be half the stadium,but the Browns defended only one pass on the game (Eric Wright).
That is not going to cut it when you play more pass oriented teams.

12) If I could pick one play that showed the NFL's feelings about the Browns,I would pick Adrian Petersons' last TD run where he broke Brandon McDonald and Eric Wright's tackle attempts and then tossed McDonald's second attempt aside with a dismissive shove.
That play was like a stern school principal dismissing a miscreant from his office and that much like Cleveland's attempt to defeat top teams...


13) Finally,this was not a total disaster.
Sure,there were bad points in the game,but those were expected.
Next week is going to be an interesting game as both the Browns and Broncos are similar teams.
New coaches,new quarterbacks and not excessively talented.
This is a winnable game on the road for Cleveland and could be a valuable building block with a win.....

Photo Credits
Peterson,Quinn:Mark Duncan-AP Photo
Royal:Tony Dejak-AP Photo

Week one

The NFL season (or as I like to call my waste of money for the year) kicks off today with the Browns and Seahawks in action.

The Cleveland Browns host the Brett Favre media circus otherwise known as the Minnesota Vikings in their opener.
The Browns are 1-9 in their ten openers since returning to the league and they drew a tough card this season to start with.
Brett Favre is getting all the ink (or font,if you will) but the real key is Adrian Peterson,the NFL's best back.
Minnesota does two things incredibly well-run the football and stop the opponent running game.
Cleveland does little well unless you count Eric Mangini's playing of I've got a secret as part of the team.
The Vikings shut down good teams backs,the Browns runners aren't even at the average level.
Cleveland's route to victory starts with keeping Peterson away from the long runs that earned his reputation,he'll get his yards-just not the massive ones.
Make Brett Favre beat you,the Viking receivers are not much better than the Browns.
And be able to run the ball just enough to keep Minnesota honest.

The Seattle Seahawks host the St.Louis Rams in a division matchup.
A win would go a long way to showing that last seasons poor record was a fluke.
Seattle is the better team and just needs to play up to their abilities.
Keep the pass rush off Matt Hasselbeck and don't let Stephen Jackson run wild and things should take care of themselves..

Our Predictions
Vikings 31-14
Seahawks 24-10

Sometimes you just know....

Every once in a while,you have a bit of total clarity.
Mine came last night in the fourth quarter of Ohio State's 18-15 loss to USC.
I thought things were looking up with a 15-10 Buckeye lead and the Buckeyes driving with a third down coming up inside Trojan territory.
But a conservative call lost four yards on a quarterback draw and as soon as I saw the punting unit on the field instead of Aaron Pettrey attempting a 53 yard field goal,the moment hit me-USC was going to pull the game out.
As I screamed at the television at work,it was so clear-Playing not to lose instead of to win.
And the result was 18-15 USC.

Buckeye Branches

1) I think the world of Jim Tressel,but last night was the chance to rip up the "safe" playbook and roll the dice.
Tressel did neither and as a result,a win turned into a loss.

2) The Buckeye defense did its job for sure as they held the Trojans to 18 points and seven of those were handed to them with a drive that started at the Buckeye five.
The Buckeye pass rush was effective until the final drive and I think things will only improve on the defensive side of the ball.

3) Wish I could say the same for Terrelle Pryor,who seems to save his worst for last.
The Buckeyes had little time and no timeouts in a dire situation,but Pryor didn't seem very poised on the final drive and his start was not much better when an interception was thrown right to a USC linebacker that led to a touchdown.
Pryor may be the most electrifying player in the game,but electricity can get you shocked if you don't use it properly.

4) The lack of a true top notch runner bit the Bucks and I would wager that will happen again over the course of the season.
Boom Herron is not the guy to carry the mail as a number one back as his 44 yards on 18 carries with a long of eight yards shows.
Brandon Saine had one carry and Jamaal Berry sat for the second week in a row.

5) Had to love the continued great play of linebackers Brian Rolle and Ross Homan.
Both of the two seemed to be in on every play.

6) Ohio State kept Joe McKnight under wraps until the final drive.
Ignore all the hype of Matt Barkley,this game was won by Mcknight.

7) Another just missed it moment came early in the 4th when Ohio State had a rusher in the face of punter Billy O'Malley but overshot the spot and missed what would have been a sure two points and maybe seven.
The little things that add up.

8) More Pryor,watching the game reminded me of when Donovan McNabb decided to prove that he could be a passer from the pocket and refused to run as often.
I got the feeling that Pryor is doing the same thing and his effectiveness is falling as a result.

9) I railed against the Ohio State secondary last week,but I thought they played reasonably well last night.
They were able to avoid the big play that happened so often against Navy and kept the USC players in front of them.

10) Finally,this game showed once and for all that Ohio State needs someone new to call the plays on offense.
Too much Vanilla considering the average running game.
Is it too much to ask Jim Tressel to give up a little control in order to win these games against elite competition???

11) More Tressel, as the play calling at the end of the first half went into the other direction.
Up 10-7 and USC with no timeouts,OSU threw two passes instead of running into the locker room,that resulted in a USC field goal in a three point loss.
That was the time to be conservative and yet they were not.

Bullpen Notes

I know I have bias here,but sorry if I am not screaming about the Michigan "Big win" over Notre Dame at home?
Wow,you beat a team that was 3-8 last year and was only ranked 22nd because of their name.
If Notre Dame would have ranked where they deserved to be,this would be just another win...

Guess these two teams don't look as good as they did last week.
Oklahoma State went out and followed up a win over Georgia with an inexplicable loss at home to Houston and to one person out there in particular-Does Miami's win over Florida State lose some gloss after almost losing after trailing the whole night to Jacksonville State?
I think so,I didn't even know Jacksonville State's mascot (Gamecocks) until I did a Google search,that is how non-descript they are!

The New Jersey Devils opened camp and a surprise player showed up.
Former Buffalo enforcer Andrew Peters arrived at camp and will be attempting to take the enforcer role for Pierre Luc LeBlond.
Shapes up to be an interesting battle....

Photo Credit
AP Photo-Terry Gilliam

Revenge time?

The Ohio State Buckeyes have a chance to regain some polish on a tarnished reputation for themselves and the Big Ten conference as the mighty USC Trojans visit Columbus for a night game.
Now,I know that the Buckeyes have lost some prestige with their less than glowing BCS title game losses in Florida and LSU (although to this day,I fail to see the big hate on the LSU loss,the Tigers were clearly the better team) and last years pounding at USC.
However,I would have thought that last seasons Fiesta Bowl loss to Texas in a game that could have went either way would have gotten a piece of that back.
So it appears that a win tonight is needed to relieve some of the national criticism that Ohio State and therefore the Big Ten receives.
Can this happen?
Sure,USC does start a freshman quarterback coming into his first road game into a hostile environment and they did suffer many losses to the NFL on defense,but all the offensive starters other than QB Mark Sanchez return and against a Buckeye defense that looked pretty slow against Navy could speed right on by.
Ohio State is going to need to run the ball effectively enough to set Terrelle Pryor up to mix up his runs and passes and that may be a problem.

The Navy game showed some issues for OSU and I am concerned.
Sometimes,teams play poorly prior to a big showdown and bounce back strong in a surprise effort,but just as many times it is a precursor to major problems.
Ohio State appears to have secondary concerns other than Kurt Coleman and a pass rush that will need to pick things up tonight after an average game against an undersized opponent.
The Buckeyes will need to rush Matt Barkley and attempt to fluster him and in order to stop Joe McKnight (I REALLY like McKnight a lot),OSU may have to put eight men in the box and gamble on their questionable secondary.

Our prediction
I don't think this is a blowout and it could be closer than the morning line (7 pts).
A week ago,I might have picked OSU,but last weeks performance worried me.
I hate to do it,but USC 21-16.

Bullpen Notes

Just a word on the lack of Pirate coverage.
With their games being shown less in the month of September and pretty much no real news to be found after the rosters enlarged,it has become hard to find things to write about.
Considering that with football kicking off and hockey opening camp,it is just a little slow.
I will try to catch a game or so soon in order to keep things going.

I am hoping to sometime in October,do a "State of the system" address for the Pirates and Indians.
This would cover not only 2009 in review,but also look at positional strengths and weaknesses that each team should be attempting to address over the next season...

Boxing doubleheader on Showtime as the final prelude to the "Super Six" Super Middleweight tournament occurs with WBA champ Mikkel Kessler defending his belt against Gusmyl Perdomo in Denmark,while Andre Ward tunes up for his fight with Kessler with a bout against Tocker Pudwill in Oakland.
The Super Six is a great idea,but it could have been even better with either of two changes.
One is the inclusion of Jermain Taylor,who has lost three of his last four major fights and seems to have gotten into "not wanting to get into top shape" mode.
Taylor fades down the stretch of his tough fights,often costing him wins.
I would have replaced Taylor with the winner of the upcoming IBF title rematch between Lucien Bute (Champ) and Librado Andrade or Tulsa,Oklahoma star Allan Green instead.
But,if Taylor was a must have,I would have made it tournament an "Elite Eight" and added those two fighters anyway.
In any event,it is a innovative idea and one that shows a lot of potential in changing the way Boxing does business.

One final note-do you know what our highest search has been for lately?
Sal Amato from the last things that make us laugh!
All these work and Sal Amato is what gets people here???
Now THAT makes me laugh!

Back tomorrow with Buckeyes-Trojans and our picks for the first week of NFL Action.

Photo Credits
Helmets:Helmet Project
Kessler:Scanpix

Seattle Seahawks Preview

The Seattle Seahawks come off a disappointing and injury plagued 2008 with what appears to be an improved team that should have an excellent chance of winning the NFC West.
New coach Jim Mora Jr has some wrinkles that he is adding to the Mike Holmgren playbook and here hopes that a new shine helps some possibly fading players.

Matt Hasselbeck fought off back injuries much of last season and claims to be healthy.
He better be as Seneca Wallace returns as the main backup after some less than impressive outings as the quarterback replacement last year.
Mike Teel was drafted out of Rutgers to be the third string clipboard carrier.
Wallace brings versatility to the offense with the various things that he can do,but as a pure QB,he lacks the ideal numbers that you need from a backup quarterback.
Once again,the season could hinge on the health of Hasselbeck.

Julius Jones returns as the teams leading rusher and hopes to solidify himself there after an erratic 2008.
Jones averaged 4.4 yards a carry for a career high,but only carried the ball 10 times a game as Holmgren seemed to lack confidence in him.
Edgerrin James was signed to back up Jones and possibly take his place if needed.
James had his issues last season with the Cardinals,but played well in the Arizona playoff run,giving hope that he may have a little left in the tank.
Justin Forsett is back as the change of pace back and brings valuable special teams play.
Owen Schmitt was drafted in 2008 as the long term fullback,but one year later is the backup as Mora brings in his former Falcon starter Justin Griffith to start.
Griffith is a solid lead blocker and fair pass catcher to boot.

The Seattle strength should be the receiving corps.
Between injured players returning and two top notch acquisitions,Seattle should have little problem finding targets.
T.J.Houshmanzdeh arrives as a free agent from the Bengals and brings his excellent hands to Seattle as he looks to finally escape the shadow of the more publicized Chad Johnson.
Nate Burleson returns from injury to provide the Seahawks with a legitimate deep threat.
Deion Branch may return to form as the slot receiver,which is a role that he may be better suited for and speedy rookie Deon Butler adds to the quality of the unit.
Ben Obomanu completes the excellent group.
John Carlson had an excellent rookie season and with a similar jump in production in 2009 could become one of the top pass catching tight ends in the game.
Journeyman John Owens is the top backup,but watch for rookie Cameron Morrah's development.
Morrah surprisingly entered the draft early and could be a late round steal for the Hawks.

The offensive line is a question mark as future Hall of Famer Walter Jones continues to struggle with injuries and to cover for the ailing Jones,Seattle is forced to shuffle positions.
Jones starts when healthy at left tackle,but with his injury,Sean Locklear moves from right tackle to left,Ray Willis from guard to right tackle,rookie Max Unger from center to guard and Steve Vallos takes over at center.
With Jones,this is a pretty good line,without? We will have to see.
Former first round center Chris Spencer is also injured,so the Seattle line could improve quickly once things get better on the physical front.
Veterans Mansfield Vrotto and Brandon Frye are the backups.

Seattle attempted to fortify the defensive line by bringing in players with top of the talent that had disappointed after big contracts.
Cory Redding was acquired from the Lions in the deal that cost the Hawks Julian Peterson.
Redding has been pedestrian for the last two seasons after an excellent 2006.
Patrick Kerney attempts a return after missing nine games last season.
The 32 year old veteran still managed 5 sacks in the seven games he played and his intensity is never questioned,only his age and durability.
Darryl Tapp and 2008 top pick Lawrence Jackson will see plenty of action in the defensive end rotation as well.
Colin Cole arrived from Green Bay as Seattle attempts to replace the up the middle pass rush that was lost when Rocky Bernard signed with the Giants.
Replacing Bernard is a tough task and I doubt that Cole can completely do that,but he will need to provide some sort of rush.
Brandon Mebane was one of the few Seahawks to have a top year in 2008,showing power and potential as a future stalwart.
Mebane shows the possibility of being a future star in Seattle with continued progress.
Veteran Craig Terrill and second year man Red Bryant are the other parts of the tackle rotation.

Julian Peterson will be missed.
Peterson was sent to the Lions and took the best all around backing play that Seattle has seen in years with him.
Peterson's pass rush from the outside will be very difficult to replace,but top pick Aaron Curry will try to do just that.
Curry was rated as the top overall player in the draft and Seattle was fortunate to steal him with the fourth pick.
Tackling machine Lofa Tatupu was down a bit in production last season,but still ranked among the leagues top tacklers and Leroy Hill is solid enough at the other outside position.
Health is paramount here as the backup crew of Will Herring,David Hawthorne and Lance Laury leaves much to be desired....

The secondary took a huge hit when Pro Bowl corner Marcus Trufant went down in training camp.Trufant was placed on the Physically Unable to Perform list and is ineligible to return until after the bye week.
Josh Wilson and veteran Ken Lucas will be the starters for now with former starter Kelly Jennings as the top backup.
Wilson came along very well last season and continues to develop into a top notch corner.
Travis Fisher is the depth corner.
HURRAY! Brian Russell was released and the secondary improved with that move only.
Jordan Babineaux (who never seemed to do anything,but make big plays) will finally get his chance to start for Russell.
Seattle brought aging veteran Lawyer Milloy to backup Babineaux and hopefully teach him a few things as well.
Milloy still hits as well as any safety and was a nice pickup.
Deon Grant returns as the safety on the other side after a nice season.
C.J.Wallace backs up Grant.

Olindo Mare replaced Josh Brown better than I would have expected last season and missed just three of 27 field goal attempts.
Not sure if Mare can do that again,but it is certainly possible.
Canadian Jon Ryan is back after averaging 45 yards a boot last season.
Josh Wilson and Justin Forsett will be the kick returners again,while Forsett along with Nate Burleson and Deon Butler will all see punt return action.

I think the Seahawks will bounce back after a fluky 2008 with a vengeance.
The schedule isn't overall all that tough and I think Seattle has stepped forward and I don't see any huge steps forward from the other three division foes.
Our Prediction
11-5 NFC West Champions

Cleveland Browns Preview

Here is one of our two football previews for the upcoming NFL season.
With time at a premium,I decided to do the Browns first,so the one that was more important was guaranteed to be finished before Sunday.

Eric Mangini continues his Bill Belichick impersonation with his silly refusal to announce the starting quarterback for Sunday's game against the Vikings.
Word has leaked out that Brady Quinn was given the nod over Derek Anderson and I can see why.
It is well known that I am not a Brady Quinn believer,but after spending a first round pick on Quinn and seeing him play very little over the first two seasons,it is clear that now is the time to give the Notre Dame product his opportunity to fish or cut bait.
Quinn seems a better fit with the Browns receivers and a better fit into the offense that Mangini wants to run.
Also,starting with Quinn and then going to Anderson if things go badly is a better plan than leading with Anderson and then going to Quinn.
Brett Ratliff comes over from the Jets to fill the third string spot.
The Browns running game was quite a disappointment last season and if any turnaround is possible in Cleveland,the ground game will have to improve.
Jamal Lewis looks to be about done to me and would be best suited for a "Jerome Bettis" type role that not only would improve his effectiveness but also prolong his career.
Sixth round pick James Davis from Clemson has been very impressive in pre-season play and should see plenty of action,while Jerome Harrison might get the most snaps of all when you consider his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield.
Cedric Peerman was claimed off waivers from Baltimore after the Ravens released the sixth round pick.
Peerman is the low man of the depth chart.
Lawrence Vickers will see the most playing time at fullback since he is the only fullback on the roster.

The pass catchers start with the enigmatic Braylon Edwards and end with a lot of questions.
When Braylon Edwards is the guy you need to count on,you have issues.
The long striding speedster led the league in dropped passes last season and was near the top in whining,over-inflated ego and excuses as well.
Edwards should be motivated to shape up as this is a contract season for him.
Joshua Cribbs wants a new contract and in an unusual move in today's NFL is attempting to earn it on the field.
The special teams ace has won the WR position opposite Edwards as the Browns attempt to get the ball into the hands of their most electrifying player more often.
Veteran Mike Furrey comes over from the Lions as the slot possession reciever.Furrey had some solid season in that role in the past as a Ram and should be the hot read for Quinn if he is being pressured.
Second round rookies Brian Robiskie and Mohammed Massaquoi complete the Browns receiving corps.

The tight end spot was given to former Bill Robert Royal over veteran Steve Heiden and second year man Martin Rucker.
Royal is the best blocker of the bunch and that seems to be the attribute most valued by Mangini from a tight end.
Royal specializes in the 2 yard TD flip to the tight end,so don't expect huge numbers with the hands.
Rucker is the pass catcher of the group,but plays soft and I was mildly surprised to see him make the team at all.
Heiden is the most complete player of the three,but has battled injuries over the last few seasons.

The offensive line is anchored by the excellent left side of Pro Bowl tackle Joe Thomas and guard Eric Steinbach.
The pair ranks among the best in the game and gives the Browns a solid anchor in attempting to pick up the ground game.
I wish that I could say the same about the right side with journeyman John St.Clair and former Seahawk Floyd "Pork Chop" Womack.
Both are better suited as backups,especially St.Clair,but will have to step their game up in order to compete.
Rex Hadnot backs up both players,but better suits as a guard.
The starting center also has not been announced as undersized veteran Hank Fraley attempts to hold off the challenge of first round pick Alex Mack.
Fraley may be the better player now,but Mack better suits the style of play and needs to get experience as soon as possible....

The Browns continue to run the 3-4 defense and I do not see a huge improvement over last years version for the most part.
Shaun Rogers returns to anchor the defensive line from the nose tackle spot.
Rogers was and is the Browns only impact player on the defense and will need to continue his play of last season for the Browns to have any chance of success.
Ahtyba Rubin backs up the Pro Bowler.
Former Jet Kenyon Coleman man one end with Robaire Smith returning from injury on the other side.
High priced bust Corey Williams and yet another former Jet C.J. Mosley are the backups.

D'Qwell Jackson returns as the Browns top linebacker after a breakout season last year.
Jackson led the team in tackles and seemed to be one of the few Browns that was a good fit in the 3-4 defense.
Disappointing first round pick Kamerion Wimbley keeps one of the outside spots in what is likely his last chance to turn around a flagging career.
Two more former Jets hold the remaining starting spots as Eric Barton and David Bowens move in from New York.
Barton is an excellent tackler and Bowens knows the system.
Rookies David Veikune and Kalava Maiava are the long term hopes for those spots and they are the main backups along with 2008 pre-season sensation Alex Hall,who will mainly be used as a pass rusher and returning Leon Williams adds depth as well.

Three of the four starting spots from 2008 stay the same as Eric Wright and Brandon McDonald hold down their corner spots with Brodney Pool back at free safety.
Former Jet Abram Elam replaces the departed Sean Jones at the strong safety slot.
I like Wright,but McDonald would be better as the nickel or dime corner and his starting shows the weakness of the Browns secondary.
Well traveled vet Hank Poteat leads a collection of young unproven backups at corner.
Pool has been average during his time in Cleveland and Elam seems to be about the same.
Veteran Mike Adams and special teamer Nick Sorensen are the depth providers.

Josh Cribbs will be the main kick and punt returner with Jerome Harrison taking a few as well.
Phil Dawson and Dave Zastudil keep the solid core of the kicking game together for another season.

Frankly,this team doesn't look very good and even worse,they don't even look interesting.
James Davis could be fun to watch and seeing if Brady Quinn develops adds something worth paying attention to,but the Browns could be bad and boring and that is not very entertaining viewing and really not getting any bang for my Sunday Ticket buck.

Our Prediction-Giving the Browns every benefit of each game that looks close and we all know that will not happen.
5-11.
However,expect worse......

On the Signing Front-Rome Braves

Working our way back through the pile of autographs,we will start with the Rome Braves.
Rome brought a few high picks to Hagerstown in the first visit to the Hub City from the Atlanta affiliate in years.
Manager Randy Ingle was a really nice guy as he spent time speaking before the game.
Ingle signed everything and chuckled when his wife called as he signed and his coach Bobby Moore told her that Ingle was busy signing autographs!

One of the top players was highly touted pitcher Julio Teheran.
Teheran looked very strong in his outing against the Suns and was a good signer as well.
Julio signed more cards than I could count in the parking lot and had a nice signature as well.
Second baseman Joel Campusano was a nice addition as well.
Power armed pitcher JJ Hoover signed,but we missed two highly touted pitchers as Brett DeVall was on the DL and Zeke Spruill was sent to Florida before the road trip for personal issues.
I finally was able to get third baseman Adam Coe after waiting three years for him to sign his 2006 Bowman.

The Braves first round pick Mike Minor was traveling with the team,although Minor was still on the reserve list.
Minor was very engaging and signed his Team USA card along with the Rome Braves logo card from the team set.
Outfield prospect Luis Sumoza signed cards that I had missed him on when he signed in Frederick as a Myrtle Beach Pelican and Moises Hernandez signed card from two years ago from his stint with the Pelicans.

Around this time,our friend Tom O'Brien helped us with a large chunk of the Connecticut Defenders,the AA affiliate of the San Francisco Giants.
The biggest catches being pitcher Tim Alderson (who was traded to the Pirates during the series against Bowie when Tom was there),and three quarters of a fine Defender infield in Brandon Crawford,Brett Pill and Brock Bond.
I would get more help on the Defenders later in the year from Bill Cover.
Tom also worked on Oriole top pick Brian Matusz on his Frederick card (Matusz was said to have gotten worse as the season went on,but my experience with Brian was fine),Brandon Erbe from the Bowie set and many cards of Phillie prospect Joe Savery.
Savery was one of those players that I missed a lot and his cards piled up.
Thanks to Tom for his help.

Next time on the Signing Front will be more help from our friends from other places and the Augusta Greenjackets visit to Hagerstown...