Pat Shurmur confirmed Thursday what most of us have assumed for quite some time - that he will indeed go without an Offensive Coordinator in his first year as Head Coach.  When asked at the Greater Cleveland Sports Awards if he was going to go OC-less, Paddy responded:

"I think it's going to stay that way.  I will actually take that role and then we have quite a few very accomplished coaches on offense.  I feel like we've hired a terrific staff and everybody on this staff has roles and issues of the day.  I feel really good about how we've structured things and I think it's going to work well."

This is not a normal situation - only the Patriots went without an OC last year.  There are 2 ways to look at it:

1. Oh my God!  How can a rookie Head Coach expect to call his own plays, much less be his own Offensive Coordinator!  This going to fail in a huge way!  Why does everything in Cleveland suck?  We're doomed, I tells ya, doomed!!!

2. If Shurmur is calling his own plays, then he's the de facto OC anyway.  So not giving someone a glorified title just to appease the writhing masses is no big deal.  He hired Mark Whipple (QB Coach) to be his de facto non-playcalling OC.  Dick Jauron will basically be the Head Coach on the Defensive side of the ball.  Shurmur will have ultimate final say, but I'd venture to guess that he'll let Jauron have fairly free reign (for the time being, at least) while he concentrates on running what he knows best.  Not to mention that Mike Holmgren will probably be issuing many "suggestions" from his ivory tower, so this unconventional set-up has as much of a chance at succeeding here in Cleveland as anything else.

(Which is likely zero, but that's neither here nor there.)

In the end, it all comes down to talent, and if the Browns don't throw a lot more of it out on the field, it won't matter a lot if Paddy O'Shurmur has an OC or not.

According to Jon Heyman, the Indians are close to signing Orlando Cabrera, who spent last season as the Reds' SS before losing his job, thanks mainly to a 2010 OPS of .657. Where Orlando Cabrera fits on the Indians (assuming he is signed – and there has not been an indication as to whether it would be a Minor League deal or to an MLB contract) is not all that clear as Orlando Cabrera has played all but 33 games in his Big League career at SS, which would seem to be one of the only positions that seems to have an obvious starter in the infield with Asdrubal Cabrera.

Perhaps Orlando Cabrera fits into the Adam Everett column as a middle infield depth option that can play SS, perhaps as the Indians' Utility IF as no other player in the infield mix (besides Everett...and yes, I'm excluding Donald here) looks to be a suitable back-up at SS. There is a possibility that Orlando Cabrera is in the mix in the 2B or 3B quagmires, but realize that his cumulative OPS over the last 3 years is .692 (OPS+ of 83) and that his once-steady glovework has been deteriorating for the last few years at SS. Asking him to learn a new position when his bat doesn't justify it would be positively Nixian.

If Orlando Cabrera is brought in for depth or figures to have the same chance at contributing as Adam Everett (whose OPS over the last 3 years has been .589 cumulatively), that's all well and good, particularly for a team who is in need of a back-up SS.

Counting on him (or even hoping for him) to be much more than that looks like wishful thinking...

Browns head coach Pat Shurmur didn't wait long before mixing things up in Cleveland, cutting defensive linemen Shaun Rodgers and Kenyon Coleman, linebackers David Bowens and Eric Barton, offensive tackle John St. Clair and Tight End Robert Royal from the roster late Wednesday afternoon.

Personnel changes were expected when Shurmur took over and players that Mangini/Ryan favored like Bowens were the anticipated candidates. The most notable name though is Rodgers, who came to Cleveland in a trade with Detriot in 2008. After one pro-bowl year with Cleveland in his first season with the Browns, the massive defensive tackle struggled to stay healthy and only started one game last season. With the emergance of Ahtyba Rubin, who anchored Clevelands defensive front last year, Rodgers only notched 17 tackles and two sacks in 2010. Compare those numbers to his '08 season where he racked up 81 tackles and 4.5 sacks -- you can clearly see Rodgers' regression. Rumors of Rodgers questionable work ethic probably didn't help his case either. 

Linebackers Bowens and Barton were brought in by Mangini's staff to help implement Rob Ryan's 3-4 defense, but with the Browns new brass moving to a 4-3 system, the veteran backers were cut. Same goes for Kenyon Coleman, who started 14 of Cleveland's 16 games last season at defensive end.

Apropos of absolutely nothing (and with a hat tip to Hardball Talk), here are a couple of old renderings of rejected stadium ideas from Cleveland's past. With Snow Days now in the rearview and with another Super Bowl that didn't happen in Cleveland (with the requisite “we should have built a dome”) as CBS sits empty for about 350 days out of the year, maybe these will quicken your pulse so slowed by the frigid temps.

First up we have a dome concept from the 1980's on the Gateway site where The Jake and The Q now sit:

Next is an August 1989 proposal by Art Modell to renovate Cleveland Stadium which I can't figure out what's different, other than the flags, from my memories of the old Mausoleum on the Lakefront:

After scoring 19 points and 15 rebounds against Michigan on Thursday and racking up 18 points and 13 rebounds against Minnesota yesterday, Jared Sullinger was named the Big Ten's freshman player of the week. Sullinger has taken the honor 11 of 13 weeks so far this season -- freshmen teamates Deshaun Thomas and Aaron Craft took the honors away from Sullinger during his two "off weeks". 

Ohio State's streak of dominating the freshman POW award might come to an end this week as Ohio State only plays one game -- this Saturday against Wisconsin. The Badgers typically play styngy defense and low-possession basketball, so there's a good possibility that none of Ohio State's talented freshman will blow up the stat sheet. There are certaintly a lot of talented freshman in the conference this year, and if any of them want to make some noise and steal the honor away from the Buckeyes, this would be the week to do it. 

Cleveland State's Norris Cole is still in the running for the Bob Cousy Award.

The senior guard from Dayton was named one of 10 finalists for the Bob Cousy Award, given to the nation's top point guard, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced on Monday.

The other finalists are Corey Fisher of Villanova, Jimmer Fredette of BYU, DJ Gay of San Diego State, Brandon Knight of Kentucky, Demetri McCamey of Illinois, Mickey McConnell of St. Mary's, Nolan Smith of Duke, Isaiah Thomas of Washington, and Kemba Walker of Connecticut.

Cole leads the Horizon League with 20.1 points, 5.2 assists and 2.3 steals per game.

The list will be narrowed down to five players by March 10th and the winner will be announced on April 4th in Houston, Texas as part of NCAA Final Four weekend.

Beginning on Feb. 8 fans will be able to vote for the top point guard by visiting, www.cousyaward.com. The player that receives the most fan votes will receive one vote toward the final committee vote. Voting ends on March 8.

2011 Bob Cousy Award Finalists

Norris Cole - Cleveland State

Corey Fisher - Villanova

Jimmer Fredette - BYU

DJ Gay - San Diego State

Brandon Knight - Kentucky

Demetri McCamey - Illinois

Mickey McConnell - St. Mary's

Nolan Smith - Duke

Isaiah Thomas - Washington

Kemba Walker - Connecticut

Well, well, well. After 51 games of the current NBA season, it turns out that the reasons given by The-Traitorous-Scuzball-Who-Shall-Remain-Nameless for jumping teams during the off-season have no basis in fact.

When he decided to take his talents to South Beach, his main rationale for making the switch was that the Cleveland Cavaliers management team was not surrounding him with enough quality impact players to win an NBA Championship. So far, his current Miami Heat have statistically done no better than his last two Cavalier teams. What's a person to make of that?

To date, the Heat have won 72.5% of their games this season. During the past two regular seasons, the Cavs won 74.4% and 80.4% of their games. The Heat's offensive efficiency rating is 116.4. During the past two regular seasons, the Cavs' offensive efficiency was 118.4 and 115.5. The Traitorous Scuzball is averaging 38.3 minutes per game with the Heat; in the past two seasons, he has averaged 39.0 and 37.7 MPG. (See chart for a more complete comparison of the Scuzball with the Heat in 2010-2011 and with the Cavs in the preceding two seasons.)

No, the only thing we can conclude from the statistics is that the Traitorous Scuzball must have made the jump for totally personal and selfish reasons -- not because the Heat offer him a better chance to win a championship than the Cavaliers did. Of course, we knew that all along. South Beach is just more fun than Cleveland. He can be worshipped just as much in South Beach as he was in northern Ohio, while bathing himself in much more decadence.

Look up "selfish" and "turncoat" in the dictionary. You'll find pictures of the Traitorous Scuzball.

Leopards....spots....

Art Schlichter?  Swindling people to support his gambling habit? Say it ain't so!

From a Columbus Dispatch report:

Former Ohio State quarterback Art Schlichter, already known as one of the nation's most compulsive gamblers, is the target of an investigation by local and federal authorities that centers on a sports ticket scheme that has swindled dozens of people out of millions of dollars, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Sources said Schlichter began soliciting people for money as part of an "investment opportunity" involving brokering and selling tickets for Ohio State football games and other prominent sporting events to various people about two years ago.

[...]

Since 1994, Schlichter has served time in 44 prisons or jails, mainly for fraud and forgery for having swindled people out of money or writing bad checks to feed his addiction to gambling on sports and horse races. Those close to him estimate Schlichter has flushed away millions while gambling.

[...]

The big payoff in the ticket-selling operation was supposedly to come around the Super Bowl, when Schlichter was going to sell dozens of the prized tickets for hundreds of thousands of dollars. But Schlichter wasn't able to deliver the Super Bowl tickets, sources said, and some people promised tickets to the game have been left in the Dallas area without any way into the game.

Update 2/5: More details in the latest Dispatch story

Chris Carter, the offensive lineman from Cleveland JFK who verbally committed to Ohio State, will formally sign with the Buckeyes as a member of the 2011 class. Carter was arrested Tuesday for allegedly fondling multiple girls at his school, and as a result, did not sign his letter of intent on Wednesday with the rest of the OSU recruits. According to this report from Bucknuts.com, it has been determined that Carter will not be criminally charged in the case, and after an investigation of the circumstances by OSU staff, Carter will be allowed to enroll and join the football program.

UPDATE: The Bucknuts report linked above is being called into question as events transpire Friday afternoon. Things may not be quite so settled after all. Conflicting reports are circulating that the police may not be finished investigating, and Carter's inclusion in the OSU recruiting class may not yet be a done deal.

Cleveland Plain Dealer Browns reporter Tony Grossi has written one of the more head-scratchingly bitter articles that I've read in recent history, bemoaning all the ex-Browns players and coaches that have gone on to play in the Super Bowl after leaving Cleveland.

Naturally, the list is littered with players who sucked here, players that had little or no role with the team they went to the SB with, special teamers and backup Fullbacks and, now, 3rd string QB's:

Remember Graham Harrell, the prolific dink-and-dunk quarterback from Texas Tech who was invited to Browns rookie camps in 2009 and 2010 but wasn't good enough even to be brought to minicamp?

Yep, he's in the Super Bowl as the third quarterback of the Green Bay Packers. That places Harrell on the ongoing list of players, coaches and executives who have been with the Browns in my time covering the team (since 1984) only to leave and make it to the Super Bowl.

Harrell was invited to former coach Eric Mangini's 2009 rookie camp on a tryout basis, but did not earn a contract for minicamp. He spent the '09 season on an injury list with Saskatchewan of the Canadian Football League.

Harrell was released by the CFL team in April. Mangini gave him another tryout, and he left again without a contract. Then the Packers signed him in May.

Harrell stuck with the Packers and opened the season on their practice squad. He was promoted to the regular roster on Dec. 18 after Aaron Rodgers suffered a concussion. He didn't play in a game, but he is on the active roster heading into the Super Bowl.

Figures, huh? Liberated from Browns. Go to Super Bowl.

Wow.  Is it me, or is Grossi whining because the Browns let a 3rd string QB go and he is now "basking in Super Bowl glory", carrying the clipboards for people who will actually play, backing up the backup?  My God, what a horrible mistake they made!

This time of year, with the Steelers in yet another SB, it's not hard to find some bitterness and consternation.  But pining after Graham F-Bomb Harrell?  Whoa.

Normally, I think Grossi does a decent job, and after pouting initially at the inception of the Mangini era, recovered nicely and has been fairly objective since then.

Let's hope this piece was just the product of one too many shots of Jaeger.