News, Notes & Rumors for week 8

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NOTE:  Check out the live News, Notes and Rumors show on Monday and Friday at 6 PM Eastern on The Bill Smith Radio Show or the archive of the shows on https://fryingpansports.com/radio-show/.  On Monday Samantha Bunten of NBC Sports and I discuss the Browns game and the results of the weekend.  On Friday Tony Williams Giants beat writer for Metro New York joins Samantha and me to preview the upcoming games.

 

News:

Eagles Coach Chip Kelly’s offense has now gone 8 quarters without scoring a TD.  The team is now 3-5 and have lost 2 in a row.  Kelly has been forced to slow down the super speed O because of injuries and turnovers.  The only thing keeping the Eagles in the race for the NFC Least title is the bad records of the other teams in the division.  The future of this O is still very much in question.

 

Cowboy WR Dez Bryant went off on the sideline during a loss to the Lions.  He is right that he is the most talented receiver on the team and needs to get the ball more often.  QB Tony Romo is struggling this year to get the ball … Read more at FryingPanSports

News, Notes & Rumors for week 3

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News:

There is trouble in 49er land.  The passing game has gone south because the O line can’t protect Colin Kaepernick and the receivers can’t catch, the running game has disappeared and the D can’t get off the field.  Now LB Aldon Smith’s locker has been cleaned out and the team reports he has been given a leave of absence indefinitely while he goes to a rehab facility.

 

The Giants and Redskins are equally miserable.  Both are 0-3 but for different reasons.  The Giants can’t run the ball and QB Eli Manning throws as many to the other team as he does to his own.    The Redskins are waiting for Robert Griffin III to get back to where he was last year.  He is getting better every week but needs his receivers to catch the ball.  The Redskin defense stinks.  Neither team is getting into the post season but the Skins have hope.  The Giants do not.

 

The Browns traded RB Trent Richardson who was the third pick overall in 2012 to the Colts for a 2014 1st round pick.  For my thoughts on the  trade check out my editorial The Browns’ 2013 season has just been Read more at FryingPanSports

Tonight on News, Notes and Rumors

Joe Reedy

Joe Reedy, Bengal beat writer for the Enquirer joins us to preview the Browns Bengals game.

Doug Upstone of Sports-Watch.com joins us to preview the top college games.

Tony Williams, Giants and Knicks beat writer for the Metro New York Paper joins us to relive the pain of the loss to the Giants.

Tim Bielik, OSU and Browns beat writer for the Loraine Morning Journal joins us to preview those teams games.

Samantha Bunten joins us to talk Browns and maybe a little Indians.

Bill Smith is a former coach of several semi-pro teams, has officiated both football and basketball, done color on radio for college football and basketball and has scouted talent. He edits https://fryingpansports.com.  He has also published several novels on and a non-fiction work at http://www.merriam-press.com/.

He edits . Also listen to the best Sports Talk anywhere on the Internet and hear his sports show Monday-Thursday 6-7:30 PM EST on or http://mooheadradio.com/2.5/?page_id=21.  You can catch any interviews you missed on https://fryingpansports.com/radio-show/.

Read more at FryingPanSports

Browns vs Ratbirds (RB) Week 4 in game notes.

 

Nice run on the first play but the O died due to a bad play call and no blocking against the blitz.

Again a weak punt gives the RBs nice field position.

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Got some pressure on Flacco and the pass was wide

Jauron has a plan to cover Rice. It worked on 2nd down.

Skrine with good coverage on the WR

A great job by the front 4 so far against the run and the pass.  Stopped Rice on 3rd and short.

The ruling on the Cribbs fumble is WRONG.  The play is dead when the helmet comes off.  It is impossible to recover a dead ball.  The ball should have been given back to the Browns because they were the last team to legally possess it prior to the ball  becoming dead.

The new helmet rule has confused both the rule makers and the “real” refs.   The rule may have to be updated to prevent a fumble being caused by a legal hit recoverable.  Again, you can’t recover a dead ball.

Great pick by Robertson.  He saved the league and the refs.  He should be the starter because he has the speed and instincts … Read more at FryingPanSports

Browns vs Bengals: The Browns fans finally have hope for a brighter future for the team.

Browns vs Bengals

Browns vs Bengals

Last week you had to take a number because there was a long line waiting to jump off the I90 bridge after the Browns lack of offense.  In that line were several of the Browns defensive players and coaches.

Week 2 took the team to Cincinnati to face the division foe Bengals.  The offense looked much better.  While the team ended up losing the second straight game, both QB Brandon Weeden and RB Tony Richardson showed the talent you hope every first round draft pick has.

The lack of coverage by the defense allowed the Bengals to win the game but for the first time in a long long time there is a light at the end of the tunnel.  And I do not believe it is an oncoming train.

The first great sign is the new owner Jimmy Haslam.  One of the things that I have talked a lot about on my radio show is the organizational lack of urgency to win.  My Dad was a smart guy.  One of the early lessons he taught me was there is a fine line between being laid back and laid out.  And you better know which side of … Read more at FryingPanSports