Browns cut to 53-All draft picks make team-for now

The Cleveland Browns made their required cuts to reach the limit of 53 on Saturday and all of their draft picks (that's right-ALL) made the final roster.

I wouldn't be surprised to see a few additions to the roster after the cuts made by other teams,but for now-every pick made this team!

The Browns did cut a few familiar names,most notably veteran wide receivers Taylor Gabriel and Marlon Moore,but none of the names stand out as huge losses.
I would not have minded seeing Gabriel stay,but with all four draft picks making the team and veterans Terrelle Pryor and Andrew Hawkins having a Hue Jackson background,it was going to be tough for anyone else to make the squad.
Gabriel caught 64 passes in his two years in Cleveland,mostly out of the slot after being signed as a free agent.
Moore was more of a special teams player than a pass catcher as he caught just seven balls (all in 2015) in his two year tenure as a Brown.

The other names of note came from the secondary as the awful draft of 2014 got worse with the release of a fourth rounder from that draft in Pierre Desir.
Desir did play some in 2015.but had been moved from corner to safety this training camp,which led me to think that his time could be numbered.
2015 sixth round cornerback Charles Gaines was also released after one season and the final name was free agent offensive lineman Mike Matthews,who might be signed to the practice squad.

Cleveland did add free agent defensive tackle Stephen Paea,who should be able to enter the defensive line rotation.
Paea was a highly touted free agent signee by the Redskins last season after a career year with the Bears in 2014,but struggled with the Washington scheme and was cut in training camp.
Paea is a pretty strong addition,particularly when you consider that he cost the team nothing to add.

With the Browns holding the second spot in claiming players off waivers,I would think that they should be active and claim at least a few players,so the roster is far from final..

Buckeyes bully BG 77-10

The day started slow for J.T.Barrett,who was victimized by a pick six by visiting Bowling Green,but the Falcons were controlled from there as Ohio State would score ten touchdowns from there on their way to a 77-10 victory.

J.T.Barrett threw for 349 yards and six touchdowns along with running for another.
Curtis Samuel ran for two scores and caught a TD from Barrett through the air.
Mike Weber led the ground game with 136 yards for Ohio State (1-0).
Ohio State will host Tulsa (1-0) next week in Columbus.

Olentangy Offerings

1) 776 yards of total offense,which broke the all-time Buckeye record.
Now even at that number,one would think the record was reasonably recent,but the old record of 718 came against Mount Union in 1930!!

2) J.T.Barrett looked poised in the pocket and what I liked best was that he didn't run a lot-just six times.
Barrett is going to have stay healthy and he won't be doing that running excessively-especially in blowouts...

3) Mike Weber looked good on the ground and his numbers could have looked better had he not gotten tripped up a few times by the last man.
I liked Urban Meyer's press conference joke about "the guy that played here last year didn't have that happen often" was hilarious...

4) The one bad thing saw starting defensive tackle Tracy Sprinkle leave the game with a leg injury.
Urban Meyer addressed this as a tendon injury and is likely to cost him his season.
A young defensive line has just been forced to step up....

5) The Buckeyes were expected to try to get the ball in the hands of Curtis Samuel and they did just that with 13 carries and 9 catches.
Samuel is the most dynamic player on the offense-getting him the ball often will open the offense and give more options in the passing game..

6) Nine different receivers with receptions will also allow young players to perform without the pressure of having just one or two that will have to break out...

7) If I had to pick one to be the breakout star of the wideouts,I'd take Noah Brown.
Brown has the best overall skills,although K.J.Hill might wind up being the deep threat/big play artist..

8) For that was good about the offense,let's talk defense with the two interception game by safety Malik Hooker.
Hooker was all over the place and showed fabulous range with a terrific one handed interception that he tipped to himself.
Hooker might be more than a replacement for Vonn Bell as a playmaker...

9) Almost forgotten in all this-J.T.Barrett's seven touchdowns set a new OSU record...

10) Debut for Nick Bosa,who grabbed his first among what I hope will be many sacks.

11) Ohio State finished their run of MAC scheduling without a loss.
The new policy is to not schedule MAC schools which basically I disagree with as I would like to see the money from playing in Columbus stay in Ohio.
I understand the importance of building schedule strength,but I fail to see how games against UNLV, Florida Atlantic and Tulane (all future opponents) will be any stronger than MAC opponents and the dollars go out of state rather than staying in state.

Browns trade Justin Gilbert to Pittsburgh

The Cleveland Browns are still in the process of trimming the roster to the required 53 players (90 minutes from the time I type this) and that roster will likely look different than this one after teams make cuts,but the team made two moves to improve in two different ways....

The move getting the most attention is the trade of 2014 first rounder Justin Gilbert to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The return was nothing to get excited about-a 2018 sixth round pick,but considering Gilbert was unlikely to make the team in a few hours,getting something more than a set of orange cones for him was more than I thought they would get.

Gilbert,who has tremendous physical tools and was my top rated corner (in a very weak crop) in 2014 just never seemed to grasp the concept of professional football-physically,mentally or in basic professionalism and struggled consistently.
Gilbert will be most remembered for the players passed over for his selection than anything that he ever did on the field,but I do admit to having some trepidation on trading him to Pittsburgh.
Gilbert's physical skills might have made him worth a position change to safety,he does return kickoffs,but his physical skills and comfort with the ball in his hand make me think that the Steelers could look at him as a project and turn him into a receiver (like the Browns are trying to do with Terrelle Pryor).
Pittsburgh's a smart organization,I find it hard to believe that they are going to give up a pick (albeit a late one) without some idea of trying something else with Justin Gilbert.

The Browns upgraded at punter after trading Andy Lee to Carolina and needing a good one and they got one in Britton Colquitt,who was just released by Denver.
Colquitt averaged over 43 yards a kick last year with the Broncos and in his six seasons there,only had one kick blocked.
Colquitt isn't of the level of Andy Lee,but he is a solid veteran leg that cost nothing to sign and is good enough that he shouldn't hurt you.
I hope he is ready to go to work-with this team,that leg will swinging a lot!

Back later with Browns cuts and the Ohio State win over Bowling Green...

Pigskin Pickin' Machine

Back with another year of the PPM.
This year's "Host" of the PPM will be Molly McGrath of ESPN,where she will be doing sideline work on college games.
As a long time Battlebots fan,Molly first came to my attention as the host of the show last season.
She is the 4th person following Heather Cox,Jessica Korda and last year Christi Paul....

Week 1 in PPM action

Ohio State over Bowling Green 43-20
Texas Tech over Stephen F.Austin 58-33
Boise State over UL-Lafayette 35-17
Washington over Rutgers 35-7


Games of the Week
Florida State over Ole Miss 32-21
Alabama over USC 30-21

Podcast:College Football Decisions and more

The Podcast returns with college football on Thursday and bad coaching decisions.
Also autograph thanks,future shows and more!

Ohio State Football Preview

Ohio State football might have lost a large number of players to the Sunday crowd,but that does not mean the Buckeyes are crippled by any means.

This means that despite those losses and the resulting inexperience of the replacements,the Buckeyes are going to be a tough out and by the season's end-few teams are going to want a piece of Urban Meyer's gang.

The quarterback situation gets better by subtraction as J.T.Barrett holds the job alone without the controversy of the two horse race with the departed Cardale Jones.
Barrett will be the player that makes the offense go and if the Buckeyes make a title run,it'll be because J.T.Barrett is having a Heisman type of season.
Redshirt freshman Joe Barrow is the backup with true freshman Dwayne Haskins in the third spot..

Redshirt freshman Mike Weber will be the stalwart in the backfield in the slot vacated by Ezekiel Elliott.
Weber is a different type of back than Elliott at 5'10 and 212,but should prove to be quite productive.
Look for junior Curtis Samuel and senior Dontre' Wilson to see lots of time in the slot catching passes as well as running the ball.
Both have shown flashes of brilliance with the ball in their end and if one breaks out,the pressure on Weber (and J.T.Barrett) will drop immensely.
Freshmen Antonio Williams and DeMario McCall are fighting to pick up any remaining playing time..

The receivers are the least experienced position,but still have plenty of talent.
Noah Brown was impressing everyone last summer and might have won a starting spot before suffering a season ending knee injury.\
Brown will start at one position with Corey Smith on the other side.
Smith was seeing playing time before a season ending broken leg suffered against Indiana.
The reserves are talented,if inexperienced as backups Terry McLaurin and Parris Campbell have been around for a few years without a catch.
Freshmen Binjimin Victor and Austin Mack are pushing for playing time and I also see Curtis Samuel and Dontre' Wilson getting some time lining up on the outside.
Sophomore Johnnie Dixon also might make a run at the position...

Tight end is manned by big (6'5 260) Marcus Baugh,who has three catches in his career,but has played behind NFL talent.
Baugh might put up nice numbers especially early in the season.
Freshman A.J.Alexander has won a battle with several others to be the backup to Baugh.

Senior captain Pat Elflein returns as a starter,but slides over to center from right guard.
The move allows the other returnee Billy Price to flip from the left guard to the right side.
Junior Jamarco Jones starts at left tackle after being a backup that played often in the last two seasons.
Big sophomore Isaiah Prince will start at right tackle after being the only true freshman to play on offense for Ohio State last season and left guard Michael Jordan has won the left guard starting job as as true freshman and has been compared by some to Orlando Pace,which is really high praise...

The defensive line is experienced on the outside,but not as much on the inside.
Sophomore Tyquan Lewis led OSU with eight sacks last season and sophomore Sam Hubbard showed some excellent pass rushing skills of his own.
Several players could see time with the most heralded being freshmen Nick Bosa and Jonathan Cooper...

Junior Raekwon McMillan is the star of the linebacking unit after notching over 100 tackles last season.
McMillan was a Butkus award finalist last season and might be the morning line favorite to win the award in 2016 from the middle linebacker position.
Juniors Dante Booker and Chris Worley move into the starting lineup with McMillan,neither have started,but both have seen their share of playing time.
A crop of backups are nudging each other for the main backup spots,but look for sophomore Jerome Baker and freshman Justim Hillard to be the eventual winners there..

Junior corner Gareon Conley is the only returning starter in the secondary with three losses to the NFL including two (Eli Apple and Vonn Bell) in the first two rounds.
Conley will be leaned with the other corner splitting time with sophomores Marshawn Lattimore and Denzel Ward.
Lattimore has all the tools,but has had issues with health,while Ward has been listed as the fastest player on the team.
Sophomore Malik Hooker and junior Damon Webb won the safety jobs over many other,look for Cam Burrows to see plenty of time as well...

Junior Sean Nuernberger returns at placekicker after starting in 2014 and being beaten out by Jack Willoughby last season.
Nuernberger is questionable for anything over 40 yards,so I have concerns there and walkon senior Tyler Durbin is making a serious run to win the position.
Cameron Johnston is also back as one of the better punters in the nation.

I think Curtis Samuel,Dontre' Wilson and Corey Smith will be the main returners on both kickoffs and punts...

For the season,Ohio State catches a break other than the trip to Oklahoma as the tougher conference opponents come in the middle to late part of the schedule.
Had some of the tougher team gotten an early shot at the Buckeyes,one of those might have had a nice shot at an upset.
I see some struggles early and with the lack of experience,beating Oklahoma at Oklahoma is going to be a tough task.
If they somehow pull that off,it might be a big year.
I think someone in conference might beat them,although I am pressed to pick which one.
I'll be really conservative and say 10-2,8-1 in conference and the Big Ten East title.
11-1 would not surprise me at all either....

Road Trip:Pulaski

 The Appalachian League road trip continued as we left Princeton and drove roughly an hour to Pulaski Virginia to see the Greeneville Astros take on the Pulaski Yankees.

It had been NINE years since I last saw Calfee Park and as I wrote about the Williamsport trip,much had changed in the interim.
My running buddies were different,but so was Calfee as well.
Calfee had been a well maintained,but still aging facility when we last visited,but the park that was waiting for us this time was quite a treat.

When I last visited the Toronto Blue Jays had just left Pulaski,leaving the town without a team.
The Seattle Mariners came in for some seasons,but decided to leave at the end of 2014.
Since teams in the Appy league are owned by their big league affiliates and the markets being so small,every time that a team leaves,there is great concern about the team continuing to survive.
Fortunately,the biggest dog in the yard would come to the league and Pulaski's rescue as the New York Yankees took over the franchise and began to not only run the team,but pour money into not just Calfee Park,but the city as well...
The Yankees helped install a new scoreboard complete with new video board,expanded and improved seating and backed seats in the general admission areas to go with work on the field.
Plus the Yankees are renovating a hotel so that their players can have an on campus feel for players getting their feet wet in organized baseball.
The Yankees are modernizing an older park and yet maintaining the cozy feel of an older facility.
Tip your hat to the Yankees because they have done a tremendous job!

When you drive to Calfee,you drive through what appears to be a forest for miles and as I told Michael (driving),you'll be tempted to think you are nowhere near a park before suddenly,it will appear and hit you in the face without expecting it.
Arriving at Calfee showed more improvements as the behind the plate seating as also improved and even though the Yankees do not have a formal team shop,they do have several NASCAR like trailers to sell team items and it's a pretty impressive amount of stuff.
I didn't do the Pulaski team set there,even though I bought one for the 2017 season,but I decided to work on the visiting Astros with their bright orange jerseys and hats.
The main target was former Astro star Cesar Cedeno,who had been reported to be a grumpy signer.
I asked Cedeno to sign a few cards and he motioned me nearer to the dugout,where I had to put each card perfectly through the screen to get them to fit.
I talked to him briefly about Doug Hopkins and the RC Cola can with the slurpee cups that I had in the car and got this response "I got all that stuff already".
I told him I'd see him after the game with the can and cups and that he could have a cup.
"I think you'll have a hard time finding me".

I was able to get a few other Astros most notably Jonathan Arauz on a Elite,but my favorite was coach Wladimir Sutil.
Sutil made me think of how long I have been doing this as when I was starting this hobby,Wladimir Sutil was a hot prospect with the Astros organization as a shortstop,but his bat didn't carry with him at higher levels.
I talked to Wladimir about his days in Hagerstown and he talked about how long it was ago and we laughed.
Even longer to an old man like me!
And then there was right fielder Luis Payano,who signed one card,but before that offered his hand to Fred and I to shake and thanked for us for asking!
Only in the lower leagues does stuff like that happen!!!

The game itself was neat as we were given excellent seats by the Yankees and enjoyed the game from the front row!
After the Astros win,I went to the Pulaski side in an attempt to get Yankee first rounder Blake Rutherford.
Michael and Fred had got him before the game,but I just missed him.
Rutherford had been taken out of the game with a hamstring pull and was already in the clubhouse to treat the pull that would keep him out of the lineup for two weeks,so I didn't get him then.
Meanwhile,Michael and Fred were with Mr.Cedeno with a few more cards for me and more importantly-Doug's can and cups.
Cedeno first told Fred "I already signed for you",but Fred corrected him that it was actually me and got the cards knocked out.
Michael was next and Cedeno said "you want me to sign all those" and the reply of yes,brought a reply of "Can i have one of these?".
Michael said "of course" and the followup has already caught as a soundbite for us "I'm going to take this home and drink my cocktails out of it tonight."
Hilarious....

Pulaski allows graphers to stay in the park near the front exit and we waited for Blake Rutherford,who finally arrived and talked with us for about five minutes.
Nice guy and Blake signed everything we had along with the only other grapher that we saw...

After a great day of graphing,we were off for a two hour ride to our hotel in Johnson City,Tennessee to end one day and prepare for another!

The next stop in this series will be the afternoon in Johnson City!!!