The Cleveland Browns signed ILB D'Qwell Jackson to a 5 year extension today, a deal worth reportedly around $42.5 million ($19 million guaranteed).

The Browns had planned on using the Franchise tag on DQ if they were unable to come to an agreement, but this signing not only frees up some cap space (with the prorated contract amount vs. the Franchise amount) but the Franchise tag as well, which can now be used to keep someone like, say, Phil Dawson from leaving.

The contract specifics are obviously not out yet, so there is really no reason to debate if it was too much to pay or not.  Essentially, the contract is for $19 mil, since that's all that's guaranteed.

What we do know is that while DQ is hardly an All Pro Linebacker, he's certainly more than functional at a position of weakness (his 158 tackles in 2011 was 2nd in the NFL, and - no - they were not all 5 yards down the field as the sadists would have you believe).  On the field, his internal value is increased by his role as "QB of the Defense".  Not to mention that he is truly one of the few veteran team leaders on the team, and the fact that he chose to sign this contract and essentially make himself a career Brown sends a message to the locker room as well.

D'Qwell is 28 now and will be 33 at the end of his contract (in the event he makes it that far), so a 5 year deal seems a bit lengthy.  But he also spent the bulk of 2009-2010 sidelined with an upper body (pectoral) tear - hardly putting the miles on his body that he would have had he played.  Regardless, if you get 3-4 solid years out of him, this contract is probably worth it.  It's not like he wouldn't have gotten similar somewhere else.

Some have speculated that DQ might be better served to be moved to the outside, where his speed and lack of size wouldn't be as much a detriment.  Which I find an interesting idea.  But working in the more concrete, even if he stays in the middle, he may never be a world-beater but at least the Browns shouldn't have to worry about that position for a while.

On senior day, the Cleveland State men's basketball team took care of business.

They secured the No. 2 seed in the Horizon League tournament Saturday with a 77-55 win over Wright State before 3,891 at the Wolstein Center.

With the No. 2 seed, CSU gets a double-bye into the Horizon semifinals on Saturday at Valparaiso and only needs to win two games to get back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2009.

They also get some much needed rest.

"I think we are in a great place right now to go into this tournament," said CSU head coach Gary Waters. "We are banged up right now. Trey (Harmon) needs the rest and D'Aundray (Brown) needs another week at least."

Brown, who was expected to return for Saturday's game, missed his seventh game in the last eight with a groin injury. Harmon has been dealing with a broken toe. And Jeremy Montgomery has a thigh bruise.

"(D'Aundray) couldn't move laterally," said Waters.

After losing five straight, CSU closed out the regular season with back-to-back home wins against Detroit on Thursday and WSU to improve to 22-9 overall and 12-6 in the Horizon.

Montgomery feels confident heading into the tournament.

Read more...

The Spring Training injury bug bit another victim out in Goodyear, AZ, this time chomping down on the midsection of Chris Perez. The Indians closer suffered a strained left oblique and will miss the next 4-6 weeks. Indians head athletic trainer Lonnie Soloff did not rule out a return prior to Opening Day, which is 39 days away.

Perez, who went 36/40 in save chances last year, threw one live mound session this past week and was scratched from all subsequent appearances. Soloff addressed the media saying that the cause for the injury was that Perez's body "wasn't ready for the intensity" that he threw with during his first bullpen of the Spring.

The Indians are hopeful that Perez will be able to make a few Spring Training apperances near the end of the Cactus League schedule. They are optimistic that the shorter time period needed for closers to build their arms up and get in game shape will allow Perez to be ready for Opening Day.

If Perez is unavailable to close at the start of the season, Vinnie Pestano would likely shift to the closer's role with Joe Smith becoming the primary eighth inning right handed setup man. Guys who could get extended looks in Spring Training for the additional bullpen spot, if there is one, would include Jeremy Accardo, Chris Ray, Chen Lee, Dan Wheeler, and Frank Herrmann.

He knew he did wrong as soon as he reached down to field a grounder.

"I knew it was a mistake," Indians outfielder Grady Sizemore said. "I knew I shouldn't have taken that bet with Felix Pie that I could stay healthier longer than him. It was just asking for trouble. I jinxed myself and I feel horrible about it."

The Indians have now decided to shut Sizemore down from baseball activities, which will likely keep him out until Opening Day and make his 2012 debut later than everyone elses. The Tribe's newest old edition will have to wait to play.

Because he did not make it to March 1st without an injury, Sizemore's contract dictates that he will forefit $1 million in salary.

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You just wish that last sentence was true right?

Of course if you've read news (and if you haven't, you missed the voice of Cleveland giving you a Charlie Brown UGH), you know that Grady Sizemore is indeed injured and he will likely miss Opening Day. What that actually means? He'll miss more than just one game, but how much is really an unknown at this point. Because the Indians will be shutting him down from baseball activities, it's tough to gauge just how long it will take to get him back going and ready to play a full game consistently. He could very well hit the disabled list, but we haven't reached that point yet.

Whatever the case may be, the Indians are paying him $5 million dollars in base salary this year and did so on a free agent contract because they believed he could return to form. So far, no good. Here is a healthy reminder for you though. The season is long and this can all turn around in an instant. Remember when Grady came back last season to make his debut and did so in grand style? Of course the end results did not cause as much jubilation, but the point is there.

It is just another bump in that Sizemore road for the Indians. But don't go jumping off the cliff quite yet. The Indians signed a plethora of veterans in the outfield for just this reason. Fred Lewis, Felix Pie, Ryan Spilborghs, get your running shoes on, you just got a boost in your battle for a roster spot.

So much for that normal spring training, right? I guess I'm really the one to be blamed here. 

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Cleveland State got a lift from its freshmen Thursday night as the Vikings snapped their five game losing streak with a 77-64 victory against Detroit at the Wolstein Center.

"This team really needed (this win)," said CSU head coach Gary Waters. "I thought our freshman did a great job of giving us a lift. Our freshman did very well in a lot of areas today and if they continue to do that, that will only make us stronger down the stretch."

Senior Trey Harmon led the Vikings with 16 points. CSU's freshman trio of Marlin Mason, Charlie Lee and Ike Nwamu combined to score 35 points.

Also credit CSU's defense as they held Detroit to five field goals in the second half and held them without a field goal for the final 9:15.

The win also keeps CSU's (21-9, 11-6) chances alive for the No. 2 seed in the Horizon League tournament and the all important double-bye into the semifinals.

The Vikings are currently tied with Butler (18-12, 11-6) for the No. 2 seed.

In order for CSU to get the No. 2 seed, they need a loss by Butler at Valparaiso on Friday night and a Viking win over Wright State on Saturday.

If Butler wins Friday, the best CSU can hope for is the No. 3 seed.

If CSU gets the No. 3 seed or less, they would host a first round game on Tuesday and have to win four games in eight days to win the Horizon championship -- something only the 2008-09 Vikings have accomplished.

Midway through the second half, CSU was forced to play Lee, Nwamu, and Mason on the floor as Trey Harmon and Aaron Pogue sat on the bench with foul trouble and Jeremy Montgomery left the game with a thigh bruise.

Read more...

When the Columbus Blue Jackets acquired Jeff Carter during the offseason, the expectation was that he would play well with Rick Nash and help the team contend in a highly-contested Western Conference. Unfortunately for the Blue Jackets fans and the front office, Carter would get injured early in the season with a broken foot and never contribute to his fullest potential. With rampant speculation abound regarding Carter's level of happiness in the Ohio capital, the writing appeared to be on the wall that Scott Howson would have to trade his prized offseason acquisition and try his best to recoup the value he traded away in June of 2011.

That trade finally happened on the night of February 23. After weeks of proposals and rumors, Jeff Carter will make the cross-country trek to Los Angeles, CA to suit up for the offensively-inept Los Angeles Kings. In return, the Kings will send University of Michigan alum Jack Johnson to Columbus along with a first round pick in either 2012 or 2013. The Blue Jackets hold the option of which pick they would like to receive. According to Columbus Dispatch beat writer Aaron Portzline, the Blue Jackets have until two picks before the Kings are on the clock for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft to make their decision.

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Last week, Jon Garland, who was coming off torn labrum surgery, was reportedly ready to be signed to a minor league deal with a Spring Training invite pending a physical. That physical, which was scheduled for this past Monday, never took place according to Paul Hoynes on Twitter. Furthermore, former MLB GM Jim Bowden, now an on-air personality with ESPN's XM Satellite Radio channel, tweeted that Indians GM Chris Antonetti told him that Garland was not physically ready to compete for a job.

There remains a chance that the Indians could sign Garland in the near future and allow him to build his arm strength in extended Spring Training or with Triple-A Columbus so that he could be a depth option later in the season. The Tribe's medical staff is highly regarded in light of one-year signings like Kevin Millwood, Carl Pavano, the rehabilition process of Jake Westbrook, Scott Elarton, and others, so they are often an attractive option to pitchers looking to get their careers back on track.

Along with providing an update on the Garland talks, this Hitting the Fan post is largely to amend my View from the Porch article from last Saturday where I essentially handed Jon Garland the fifth starter spot, assuming that the smoke and fire about his contract talks meant that a physical was just a formality and that Garland would work to be ready by mid-April, the first time the Indians really need a fifth starter. Clearly, that did not come to fruition. My apologies for jumping the gun with Garland.

Kevin Slowey, David Huff, Zach McAllister, and Jeanmar Gomez will now battle it out for the final rotation spot, barring any other starting pitcher signings by the Indians.

The Cleveland State men's basketball team ran into a buzzsaw Saturday morning in its BracketBusters game at the Wolstein Center, as Drexel led wire-to-wire in an 69-49 decision.

"We are playing pretty average right now," said CSU head coach Gary Waters. "We have young kids that don't know some stuff. Right now we're in limbo and got to find a remedy to the problem."

It's the Vikings (20-8) fourth straight loss and third straight loss at home. Drexel (23-5) hasn't lost since Jan. 4 and have won 15 in a roll.

"It's already in their heads," said Waters. "You can't lose and not struggle, that's life."

The Vikings played again without senior guard D'Aundray Brown, who has missed four of the last five games with a groin injury.

"These freshmen got to grow up here pretty soon because we are going to need them down the stretch," said Waters. "I don't know if (Brown) is coming back anytime soon."

Ten days ago, CSU were 20-4 and a top of the Horizon League standings with an outside shot at gaining an at-large bid.

Now CSU's chance of gaining the No. 1 seed in next month's Horizon League tournament are slim-to-none. Valparaiso only needs to win one of its final two games to clinch the No. 1 seed. And CSU's chances of an at-large bid are long gone.

Without Brown, CSU has played like a completely different team and has struggled on both sides of the floor.

Drexel shot 48.9 percent for the game and went 19-of-26 (73.1 percent) at the line.

"It's all about our defense," said CSU senior guard Trey Harmon, who led the Vikings with a game-high 23 points despite playing with a broken toe. "We have been scored on too easily and we need to get stops. Until we do that its going to be tough for us."

The Vikings offense had its own struggles as they shot 27 percent (17-of-63) from the field and were 7-of-28 (25 percent) on 3-pointers.

"Right now we are offensively challenged and we don't have enough guys producing for us," said Waters, whose team has failed to score 50 points in three of their last four games.

In all four losses, CSU has gotten off to slow starts in the first half and have trailed at the half. They trailed Valparaiso, 29-17; Butler, 28-18; and Milwaukee, 50-41.

On Saturday, the Dragons scored the first six points and led 19-3 eight minutes into the game.

CSU would cut the lead down to eight (23-15) on back-to-back 3-pointers from senior guard Jeremy Montgomery and Harmon, but that would be as close as they would get to on this day.

A 9-1 run by Drexel pushed the lead back out to 16 (32-16) on sophomore forward Dartaye Ruffin's jumper. The Dragons led by as much as 19 in the first half and took a 38-22 advantage at the break.

"I don't know it's puzzling to me," said Waters on why CSU has come out slow in the first half in each of the four losses. "We missed our first two shots and then on it clutches up."

In the first half, Drexel shot 50 percent and outscored CSU 20 to 6 in the paint. The Vikings only shot 26.7 percent in the opening half as they missed 22 shots.

Freshmen guard Damion Lee scored 13 of his team-high 18 points in the first half for the Dragons.

In the second half, Drexel led by as many as 29 and never let the Vikings get closer then 19.

The Dragons also had double-digit scoring from junior center Daryl McCoy (13 points, nine rebounds), and 10 points each from sophomore guard Frantz Massenat and junior guard Chris Fouch.

Harmon didn't get much help from his teammates. Montgomery, CSU's second leading scorer at 11.1 points per game, struggled against Drexel, going 2-of-8 for six points.

"If you take J-Mo away and he doesn't produce then you only have one entity," said Waters. "The person we got to try to get more out of is Anton Grady because he is the only other one that has the potential to score."

Grady, CSU's top reserve, also struggled, finishing with six points and eight rebounds in 23 minutes. He went 2-of-6 from the field.

Waters also said he needs to get more production out of senior Aaron Pogue, who has been in a season-slump and is averaging career-lows in points (6.0) and rebounds (4.2).

Pogue, a 6-9 center, had five points and eight rebounds against the Dragons. He only made one of six shots from the field and missed several lay-ups.

"Right now we are playing with four instead of five," said Waters on Pogue's struggles. "(Pogue's) got the ability. I know he's got the ability. He's got to find a way to pull out of it."

CSU finishes Horizon play next week with three games in five days. They travel to Green Bay (7-8 HL) on Tuesday and host Detroit (10-6 HL) Thursday and Wright State (7-9 HL) Saturday.

The Vikings (10-5 HL) need to win them all to secure the No. 2 seed in the tournament and get the automatic bye into the semi-finals.

"(We know these next) three games are the most important games of the season," said Waters. "What we got to do is get better if we want to perform in this tournament. And I got to find out what can get us to play better so we can perform in this tournament."

Photo: courtesy of Cleveland State athletics

Today, on ESPN's Mike & Mike In The Morning program, the Mikes discussed the Cleveland Browns offseason needs in their "Two-A-Days" segment.

Here is the keen insight they provided:

1. The Browns were a disappointment in 2011. (no shit)

2. The Browns need to address the QB position by either staying with Colt McCoy or getting a different QB. (no shit)

Then they read an e-mail from a supposed Browns fan that stated that no QB could succeed in Cleveland behind their Offensive Line, which is the kind of bitter babbling bullshit you will find from the special needs cases that watch ESPN on a regular basis.

That was the entirety of their review. 

Which actually should be considered in-depth analysis from the great sports minds at ESPN.  At least they didn't make it into a song.

God bless the Worldwide Leader In Sports (For Fans of the Cowboys, Jets, Patriots, Lakers, Heat, Knicks, Red Sox, Yankees, Tiger Woods, and Tim Tebow).