SportsStreet Ohio

The next time you see a Cleveland Browns defender flying past a ball carrier trying to deliver a knockout blow, chances are it won’t be veteran safety Robert Griffith. One of the better defensive performers for the Cleveland Browns over the past three seasons, Griffith and the Browns parted ways on Monday.

According to the SI.com article, Griffith and the Browns agreed to go in different directions. Add William Green and Gerard Warren to the mix and its quite apparent the new head coach wants to make significant changes to the team, both on the field and on the balance sheet. Dropping Green and Warren address two Butch Davis mistakes, and Griffith’s departure opens the door for a youth movement in the back of the secondary.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Wow. You have to hand it to ESPN The Magazine. Loose lips might sink ships, but for the self-proclaimed ‘The Magazine’, loyalty means saving your career.

Tom Friend basically apologizes for Maurice Clarett’s poor performance at the NFL Combines in Indianapolis, citing a desire to reduce his body fat. The now-larger Clarett then went out laid an egg. Boo-hoo-hoo.

Let me get this straight…Clarett sells out the Ohio State program after one injury-riddled season, makes a beeline for the NFL, leaves behind a storm of allegations and misrepresentations, bleeds his heart to ‘The Magazine’, and then The Magazine asks us to pity him because he was just trying to make himself a better player. As if Clarett’s problems aren’t self-inflicted, he actually thinks he’s going to work out at Ohio State’s pro day. And ‘The Magazine’ rides along.

Tammy Wynette ain’t got nothing on The Magazine…

Popularity: 9% [?]

Someone in the NBA’s New York office needed to send a message across the Hudson River yesterday to notify the officiating crew that the New Jersey Nets weren’t the only team in the building with All-Stars on the roster. Frustrated by repeated hacking, the Cavaliers rolled up four technical fouls in a 104-98 loss to the Nets at the Meadowlands on Sunday afternoon. The loss, the Cavs’ sixth straight on the road, marks the emergence of a troubling trend for the young team from Cleveland…they’re getting frustrated and they can’t win on the road.

Zyndrunas Ilgauskas clawed for every one of his 20 points and 18 rebounds inside, as retreads Jason Collins, Jabari Smith, Elden Campbell, and Nenad Krstic continuosly pounded on the big guy. But Z wasn’t the only Cavaliers player taking a beating. On each of his drives to the hoop, LeBron James was met with a shove, poke, and/or slap. His rewards…a suspect charging call against Jason Kidd and a mess of missed layups. Even when the Cavs tried to push away the hacking Nets, they were teed up. After a classic Vince Carter flop (is there a softer star in the NBA?), Robert Traylor picked up a technical foul for shoving Carter to the floor.

On the other end of the floor, Vince Carter had his way with the Cavaliers defense. The star treatment was in full-effect as the officiating crew made it very clear VC was not to be touched. Carter landed 34 points, even as he hesitated to take the ball inside. The Cavs perimeter defense had no answer.

Questionable officiating aside, however, is the matter of six consecutive road losses. Winning on the road in the NBA requires considerable mental toughness, and evidenced by the Cavs’ four technical fouls, something in the mental makeup of Paul Silas’ has gone awry. The team is upset, not winning, and playing pretty bad basketball.

The next four games feature matchups against Western Conference heavies San Antonio and Seattle and Eastern Conference chargers Miami, Orlando, and Indiana. The dog-days of winter have bitten the Cavaliers, and its due time they bite back or they’ll be fighting for their playoff lives in March.

Popularity: 5% [?]