Would the Browns take a re-do on the draft? Not a chance...

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Sports Illustrated's Don Banks took a new look at the 2010 NFL Draft, and to the credit of many of the teams drafting high, he didn't think many of them would draft differently if the draft was done over at this point.

But none, perhaps, got as good grades as the Browns. Banks slated Colt McCoy going to the (gasp!) Browns with the 7th pick (Haden's spot), TJ Ward at the 14th spot, and Joe Haden at 17.

Given that nobody is complaining in Berea about the Haden pick at 7, and Ward and McCoy were taken in the second and third rounds, respectively, I'd say that early returns are good. And there's the matter of this running back named Hardesty...

Mangini "consults" with Holmgren, McCoy now starting

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Image by Getty Images

On Thursday, a decision was made.

By whom, we don't know.  But, barring injury (which, given the Browns quarterback situation this year, is far from sure), the Jake Delhomme era in Cleveland is over.  Colt McCoy will start the remainder of the season for the Browns.  It will be quite unusual for him to face a team like the Bengals this week, until getting back into his routine of facing juggernauts, in this case, the much-beloved Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers.

As well observed around the Browns fandom, the decision to pull Delhomme could have been made long ago.  It's even speculated now that Seneca Wallace may be named as the second quarterback, which would allow for some non-Cribbs-Wildcat formations.

So here we go. Three games to once again see what the Browns have at the QB position.

The measure of a man

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Much will be written about Bob Feller in the upcoming days and weeks following his death last night at age 92. Feller’s stratospheric pitching stats will be paired with sepia-toned images of a man who wore a military uniform as comfortably as he did the Chief Wahoo-emblazoned gear of the Cleveland Indians.

Of all the accolades and superlatives surrounding the Hall of Famer’s life and career, there’s one thing that may be said with relative certainty: Feller was not a person who suffered fools lightly. An outspoken critic of Pete Rose’s possible reinstatement into baseball, for example, he told The Associated Press in his usual straight-shooting style, “I'm tired of talking about it. I'm fed up. (Rose) is history.”

The Rose quote seemed typical of Feller’s unabashed old school nature – a fiercely patriotic former Iowa farm boy who as gun captain of the USS Alabama stared down Japanese kamikazes as they came barreling toward his position. In a two-part interview with The Plain Dealer last spring, Feller called joining the Navy two days after Pearl Harbor the “best decision” of his life. In the wake of his death, online commenters are calling Feller “an American hero."

Tornado Alley inspiration

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Another night and another blowout defeat for your reeling Cavaliers. However, unlike the other thumpings the Cavs have taken over the course of an eight-game losing streak, Sunday’s 106-77 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder can at least provide a teachable moment for Cleveland fans.

That moment is this: When it comes to salvaging this quickly sinking franchise, owner Dan Gilbert and GM Christ Grant should be using the Oklahoma City model for inspiration. The Thunder, like the Cavaliers, don’t play in a glamorous city that’s going to attract prima donna free agents looking to party with the rapping singer "Akorn" or whoever the kids are "Spacebooking" (my mom's word) about these days. Nor is Tornado Alley the place where $600 sunglasses-indoors types are flocking to in order to “grow their brand.” Remember when Chris Webber complained about Sacramento having no good soul food restaurants? That's the NBA star secret shoe phone code for, "This place is boring." Like it or not, that's how big shot free agent athletes view our city.

Big Ten proclaims division names, Michigan will never be a "Leader"

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I'll assume that the Big Ten ran through lots of naming scenarios for their new divisions.  My personal preference would have been traditional--such as North and South, or East and West.   But given the fact that there appears to be no geographical relevance whatsoever in the divisions, they've decided on "Legends" and "Leaders".  "Legends" because the memory of football success for teams like Northwestern and Michigan has been lost through the generations, and is now merely "legend."  "Leaders" because Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Penn State will take turns sharing the Big Ten title going forward.   I assume.  Either way, a bit awkward, and I imagine nobody is really thrilled with the names.  Get ready for the inevitable jokes about both divisions "starting with L".

Also, the conference got rid of the "hidden eleven" old logo, in favor of a new uninteresting logo.  Like it matters.  I'm not sure where the bright blue and black color scheme came from, but I suppose that was the result of having to pick a color which doesn't appear to favor any of the ten eleven twelve teams in the Big Ten.  Better than fuchsia, I guess.

And finally, the conference announced eighteen new trophies, with such catch cringe-including, dash-including names as the "Griese-Brees" Quarterback of the Year trophy, or the "Thompson-Randle El" Freshman of the year.  Gotta say, the inability to make a decisive call on these award names, instead having a hyphenated name for each-and-every award-- just seems like the easy way out, making each member school happy.  INCLUDING NEBRASKA which hasn't had a single snap in Big Ten football play yet.  Oy.  On the bright side, as Buckeye Sports Bulletin writer Jeff Svoboda (@JeffSvoboda) pointed out in his tweet, "OSU had 5 figures among the 36 names on the new trophies, most in league. Wisky and Mich had four each. Nebraska and Chicago get one each".