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Sources near the Browns organization say Derek Anderson will return to the Cleveland for the 2008 season after agreeing to a multi-year deal. Terms were not disclosed, but the Browns had offered a three-year, $20 million contract that was rejected as recently as yesterday.

The Pro Bowl quarterback will compete with Brady Quinn for the starting quarterback position, something Anderson failed to do in 2007 when he lost the job to Charlie Frye. Frye, after a dismal opening game, was then traded to Seattle, opening the door for Anderson to put up career numbers.

It had been rumored that Anderson’s agents were looking for Tony Romo-type money, but its clear after resigning so quickly, much of the posturing was a bluff to get the Browns to up the ante. Smartly, Savage played it cool knowing he had another franchise quarterback and first-round pick in Brady waiting in the wings.

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The Indians already had their hands full with the Boston Red Sox. Now they’ll have the media and questions about Paul Byrd’s HGH to contend with as Game 7 looms.

In what can only be considered conspicuous timing despite the newsworthiness of the San Francisco Chronicle’s revelation that Byrd spent thousands on HGH, the Indians must find a way to top the Red Sox while problems with their pitching staff continue to mount. Why now? The story couldn’t wait until tomorrow? Or perhaps the story was ready sooner?

Update: According to FOXSports.com, Byrd acknowledged use of HGH to combat a tumor on his pituitary gland and states MLB was aware of his usage.

On the field, the Indians look lost. C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona can’t seem to find the strike zone and Cleveland clearly appears rattled. The bullpen looks worn out. Perez isn’t trusting his stuff. Borowski is and always be a question mark in the ninth inning despite his ability to close out games.

Travis Hafner has barely put the ball in play and the defense has shown signs of shakiness. In all, it appears the Red Sox have made adjustments and now the Indians stubbornly stick to the plan despite being outscored 19-3 the past two games.

Tonight’s Game 7 will be all about adjustments. The Indians should count on a decent effort from Jake Westbrook, but should also count on him to get knocked around a bit as his groundballs have a tendency to find holes every so often. Of most concern for the Tribe will be how far they can ride Westbrook and get the game into the hands of the bullpen’s backend of Betancourt and Borowski.

On offense, Cleveland needs a spark. They’ve barely threatened against seeing Beckett and Schilling which again supports the theory that the Red Sox have adjustments and the Indians haven’t. After two duds in Games 5 and 6, the Indians should show up for Game 7. The problem being the Red Sox have already arrived.

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During halftime of ESPN’s telecast of the Cavs-Mavericks matchup at Gund Arena, Jim Gray broke down his halftime conversation with Cleveland head coach Mike Brown. Gray report that Brown felt his biggest concern was Cleveland’s lack of defensive intensity - however, at one point in the third quarter, Cleveland managed 24 points in 19 minutes. Meanwhile Dallas showed no signs of eclipsing 100 points. Brown insists Cleveland needs to turn up its defense?

Cleveland’s plodding, predictable offense shouldn’t be dictated by Brown’s previous tenure at San Antonio. Brown fails to see the possibility in Cleveland’s offense, and his insistence on defensive posturing prevents any creativity from being injected into the game plan.

Disputing the notion that defense wins championships isn’t the argument. Its a key component in winning basketball and can be a catalyst for easy baskets. But constantly believing the only recourse to turning a ballgame around is playing more defense only produces dull basketball with scores in the 80s.

Even ESPN’s announcers Bill Walton and Jon Barry wondered aloud why Cleveland (and Ohio State for that matter) insisted on pedestrian offense tactics. At some point Brown must recognize he has more than a cast of marginal players and open up the game. Phoenix doesn’t seem to struggle…

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Yahoo! Sports reports the Sacramento Kings have nixed a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers because Kings GM Geoff Petrie expressed little interest in receiving Drew Gooden as part of the package. So, despite his best efforts, GM Danny Ferry failed to secure a playmaker capable of reducing LeBron’s workload and boost the roster toward championship status similar to the way Pistons GM Joe Dumars managed to land Chris Webber.

Placing blame on any of the parties would be unfair, particularly considering Gooden has played reasonably well this season and the Cavs really didn’t have much to offer that would give the Kings the salary relief they were seeking. And while the Cavs seem to sit a notch below championship contenders Dallas, Phoenix, San Antonio, and Detroit, Cleveland’s playoff prospects can’t be considered grim given the Eastern Conference’s limited arsenal of talented teams.

On a related note, the Cavs would do themselves a favor by taking a pass on the un-retiring Scottie Pippen. The Cavs already have Donyell Marshall and Damon Jones, so adding a third guy to stand around the three-point line and wait for LeBron to kick the ball out doesn’t seem to be the missing piece the Cavaliers need to take the next step.

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Remembering Bill Belichick’s days as head coach of the Cleveland Browns harkens back to a time most Browns fans would rather to forget. Symbolic of Art Modell’s decision to move the team out of Cleveland to Baltimore, the Belichick years were the worst of times for a coach regarded as one of the best of his generation.

On the surface, Belichick seems to have escaped the failures of his time in Cleveland whereas Browns fans tend to mark his tenure as the beginning of the Cleveland Browns fall from among the NFL’s storied and respected franchises. In David Halberstam’s “Education of a Coach”, the most profound statement of Belichick’s failures with the Browns were succinctly summarized by another writer’s, Peter Richmond, comments:

“He is what he is. There is no pretense, and he is utterly authentic in a world where because of television there is more and more which is inauthentic. What is troubling about all this is that a lot of people are more comfortable with the inauthentic, if it reassuring, than they are with the truth, if it is not reassuring. He doesn’t play the role of the coach. He is the coach.”

It is the reason Browns fans should read this book. Not so much because it celebrates Belichick’s accomplishments or chronicles his failures in Cleveland. Rather it outlines what fans should expect in a head coach and how expectations – legitimate or not – interfere with the overall objective of winning championships.

This is not an easy read when Belichick talks about the departure of Bernie Kosar and his assessment of the Browns teams in the early 1990s. But also, in a way, it is a bit of an apology. Belichick recognizes mistakes were made along the way – notably the unceremonious dismissal of the Browns quarterback and leader. In the end, he viewed Kosar’s actions as a challenge to his authority – a necessary absolute authority requisite in creating a football team capable of playing together as a team and achieving unparalleled success. In his mind the end justified the means. But in retrospect, he admitted the entire situation could have been handled better.

Browns fans demand an aura of infallibility in their coaches – an infallibility often not present in the fan’s own behavior or assessment of the situation. We’ve begged for both Kelly Holcomb and Charlie Frye, and in both instances, received our just desserts. We’re critical until we are blue in the face, wanting nothing more than the championship teams we deserve. However, to some degree, we are also naïve to the sacrifice and commitments made by those entrusted with our teams. May this book serve as a painful reminder regardless of our desire to endure any more football-related hardship.

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Watching the Cavs come up short against the red-hot Phoenix Suns Sunday afternoon demonstrated why this year’s team will have a hard time topping last season’s accomplishments - it’s pretty much the same roster and too many guys defer to LeBron James when the game hangs in the balance. They simply lack the requisite firepower to overcome premier opponents.

On Monday night, albiet against the much weaker Golden State Warriors, the Cavs thumped the Warriors 124-97 with eight guys scoring double-figures. The Cavs are 8-2 without LeBron James the past two seasons. They are not a better team without King James. But you have to wonder how the team’s approach changes with James on the floor. Do they become too passive on offense? There seems to be quite a bit of standing around when the ball is in James’ hands. James casts quite a large shadow - and the Cavs need to find a way to become more than just LeBron’s team.

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Three things to watch in tonight’s matchup:

1. The Sideline. Both Ohio State’s Jim Tressel and Florida’s Urban Meyer have adopted wide-open attacks, but while this fits Meyer’s style of play, Tressel has had to adapt to the talent on the field. Both coaches will have a few tricks up the sleeve as they’ve had quite a bit of time to prepare, but Tressel’s defensive game plan against Meyer’s attacking style offense will make or break the Buckeyes.

2. The Pocket. Baring injury, Troy Smith will be the only Buckeye lining up behind center tonight for Ohio State. Florida, on the other hand, will use a mix of Chris Leak and Tim Tebow to confuse the defense and exploit mismatches. Smith’s Heisman Trophy indicates superiority, but the two quarterbacks from Gainesville can get after it as well. Expect points to be scored.

3. The Secondary. Florida claims Ohio State has yet to see speed like the Gators. I’m sure no one in the SEC has jets like Ted Ginn, Jr. Both defensive backfields will be tested and the one that best handles the pressure may just win the title.

Prediction: Ohio State 32, Florida 24.

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Is there anyone on the Browns that isn’t injured? Lee Suggs, the running back cast off to the Jets because of frequent injuries, returns to Cleveland as a result of a failed physical in New York. Even guys Phil Savage doesn’t want - he can’t get rid of them.

While this is a raw deal for the Browns, it’s even worse for the Jets. Without a top-flight tailback, New York enters the season with Derrick Blaylock and Cedric Houston as its top two runners.

One has to assume Savage will continue to scour the league for defensive backs and centers. Unfortunately, one of his bargaining chips just lost its value.

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It appears the Cavs of the future are the Cavs of the present. After securing LeBron James, Cleveland’s next biggest off-season priority signed a three-year, $23 million contract as the Cavaliers management continues to find ways to surround James with a cast capable of lifting the franchise to a NBA title. Gooden, considered one of the better free agent forward available, joins a Cavaliers team that looks a lot like the one from last season that pushed Detroit to seven games in second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Cavs GM Danny Ferry continues to make solid moves this offseason. After drafting Shannon Brown and Daniel Gibson, the former Cavaliers forward moved on signing James to a max contract and then immediately jumped into a potentially problematic negotiation. Given Denver forked over $60 million for the oft-injured Nene, Ferry and Gooden could have haggled over millions. Instead, the two found common ground and got a deal done.

While many Cavs fans would love to have seen Cleveland upgrade at the power forward position, the development of Anderson Varejao and Gooden’s continuing maturation in a stable coaching environment will pay dividends in 2006-2007.

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Lee Suggs, who struggled with injuries and playing time during his three-year stint with the Browns, was traded to the New York Jets on Monday for defensive back Derrick Strait. Strait enters his third season without ever starting an NFL game, but injuries to the Browns secondary and the expendability of Suggs aided the move.

Savage continues to remake the Browns and casting off Butch Davis draft picks seems to be a popular method for the Browns GM. While a center remains high on the list of priorities for Cleveland, shoring up a depleted secondary for a guy who spends more time on the IR than on the field seems to be a smart move. Without knowing much about Strait - it’s hard to grade the trade.

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