Vinny and the Hornless Rhino

You're a Better Man Than I Am, Brady Quinn

2008-06-19T14:37:00Z

For those of you who are long-time readers of my drivel, you know I've never been a big fan of Brady Quinn. Heck, I started bashing the guy even before the Browns drafted him. But I've got to admit, after watching Quinn deal with his situation as a back-up QB for the past year, I think I was wrong about the guy. To me, Quinn was a guy who, despite smashing almost every ND passing record, never beat USC and never led the Irish to victory in a single bowl game during his career. Quinn's...(read more)

Huh??? OH SH*T !!!

2008-05-22T04:42:00Z

That's what everyone's favorite seven- time Cy Young award winner must have said when he read this one ....(read more)

What the hell happened while I was enjoying a little baseball?

2008-05-18T15:43:00Z

Well, it's the off season for football. So, that means some calamity has to strike the Browns. It has . Ryan Tucker broke his hip and will miss two months, or so SI reports. Two months is probably the estimate some deluded physician gave, but that's the normal projected recovery from a break. I'll bet those two months don't include any time for the all-but-certain staph infection that Berea seems to guarantee each year. It's good that Savage kept Kevin Shaffer around and picked...(read more)

Speed Racer

2008-05-17T15:18:00Z

It's a pretty cool movie. My kids, who are 8 and 5, loved it and wanted to stick around and see it again. We didn't. Here are a few of my thoughts: Christina Ricci looks great. John Goodman looks a lot like Pops. Lots of people were singing the theme song on the way out. Here he comes, here comes Speed Racer He's a demon on wheels He's a demon and he's gonna be chasing after someone He's gaining on you so you better look alive He's busy revving up the powerful Mach Five...(read more)

How about that...

2008-05-13T21:25:00Z

I saw a little baseball history last night at the Prog last night. With runners on first and second and the Blue Jays trying a hit and run, Asdrubal Cabrera snagged a line drive, stepped on second, and then tagged a runner, who'd rounded second and had been heading to third. When the dust cleared, Dru was hanging on to the ball and the inning was over---an unassisted triple play! That was only the 14th one in the history of Major League Baseball. I was there. It was very cool. Here's a quick...(read more)

CAVS get bounced out of the playoffs.

2008-05-09T11:55:00Z

A few loyal readers have written and pointed out that the Rhino and I haven't been posting as frequently as we had. Guilty. We've both been busy. That's why I want to publish the inevitable news of the Cavs' playoff demise while I have a few moments. Let's just say that they'll play better than they did in last year's championship round---Celtics win in five. You can read now or sometime next week. It doesn't matter. The result will be the same. This team just isn't...(read more)

Round 7--- someone the writers don't know

2008-04-27T22:12:00Z

With pick #231, the Browns finally drafted a pass rusher--- Alex Hall of St. Augustine, a Division II All American. Hall's 6'6" and 260 pounds defensive end. He had 7 sacks and 15 tackles for loss in 9 games this past season. His unofficial time in the forty is 4.77. He's a tall, thin guy. I suspect that the Browns will get him in the weight room and have him add some muscle....(read more)

Picks 190 and 191

2008-04-27T20:27:00Z

The Browns had back-to-back picks in the 6th round. They used the first, which they got from Seattle in the Charlie Frye trade, to take a nose tackle, Ahtyba Rubin , of Iowa State. He's 6'3" and weighs 315 pounds. At Iowa State, he clogged up the middle for the Cyclones. He has a chance to play in the Browns' line rotation this year. The Browns sent their 2009 5th round pick to the Eagles for the next pick, and took a big, strong wide receiver, Paul Hubbard of Wisconsin. He's...(read more)

Here come the Browns---ahead of schedule

2008-04-27T16:35:00Z

Savage did what I thought he would---he jumped up to draft early in the 4th round. He traded his 4th (#122) and 5th (#155) to Dallas for pick #104. With it, he took Beau Bell , a linebacker from UNLV. Bell's a tough guy and a good tackler. There's some question as to whether he'll play inside or outside because he switched between both spots in college. He's 6'1", 244lbs. and runs a 4.75 forty. He can really stick ball carriers and will be a nice addition. I suspect he'll...(read more)

Well, here we go without the fanfare.

2008-04-27T10:56:00Z

All loyal readers know that NFL Draft Day is one of the favorites around V&THR corporate headquarters. Not so much this year. The Browns first scheduled pick is in round 4 (#122). All the rags have written that Savage has already had his draft by nabbing Brady Quinn (1st), Corey Williams (2nd) and Shaun Rogers (3rd and Leigh Bodden). I see their point, but Savage has a nice reputation for finding players on day 2 and the Browns still aren't a complete team. This year, the Browns' biggest...(read more)

Okay, I'm Back

2008-04-23T22:29:00Z

I know it's been a while. Did anybody miss me? Yeah, I didn't think so. Anyway, why didn't I write anything for almost two months? The answer is that I've been dealing with a severe case of Cleveland sports malaise. For better or worse, I truly haven't given a damn about teams that I usually obsess about. Start of the Tribe's season? Yawn. Cavs playoffs? I think my left foot is asleep. The new Arena team? Jeezes, Bernie, I love you man, but try as you might , there's no...(read more)

So You Had a Bad Day

2008-03-19T17:43:00Z

Cheer up, Bunky -- it could be worse. You could be Vesa Toskala....(read more)

SI seems to like one and questions the other.

2008-03-03T01:18:00Z

Don Banks of SI.com loves the Browns' acquisition of Corey Williams. Here's what he said: " One deal that seems like a grand slam to me at first glance is the Browns acquiring Packers defensive tackle Corey Williams for a '08 second-round pick. Williams is an underrated young player who has posted seven sacks in each of the past two seasons. With the free-agent defensive tackle market rather slim, and the draft not having much depth at the position, landing Williams is a good move...(read more)

Rust never sleeps. He's at it again.

2008-03-01T13:11:00Z

Apparently, Savage wasn't satisfied giving up his highest pick for a defensive lineman in the early morning on Friday, because he did it again late last night. The Browns traded Leigh Bodden and their 3rd (57th overall) to get talented but sometimes lackadaisical defensive tackle, Shaun Rogers . Rogers is 6'4" , 330 lbs. of fury who's great at clogging up the line by occupying of offensive linemen. Like Corey Williams, Rogers got to the QB 7 times last year. He's a two time All...(read more)

I know absolutely nothing.

2008-02-29T15:36:00Z

The Browns just signed free agent QB, Derek Anderson. Huh ? I guess my post a couple of hours ago was pretty stupid. So, does this mean that the Browns will really sit out the first day of the draft, or will Savage trade Anderson to a team for something other than the league mandated 1st and 3rd ? If Anderson signed a three-year deal for reasonable money, that contract would probably make him more attractive to another team than having to actually negotiate a new contract that would top the one the...(read more)