buckeyemike

I went to the morning session of the Browns' training camp today. The Browns have a nice complex in Berea that doubles as their HQ. The guy the Bills have to be most concerned about is a rookie RB from Washington State named Jerome Harrison. He scored the winning touchdown Friday night against the Lions. This kid is short, but he's got quite a bit of speed and seems like a tough young player. Reuben Droughns was nowhere to be seen today. He's in Denver, pleading not guilty in a domestic violence case involving his wife. Another athlete makes the police blotter. Yawn. Braylon Edwards is really coming along nicely. He may even get in a play or two Saturday night...nearly two months ahead of schedule. His only problem is his timing seems to be a little off. At least twice this morning, he dropped short passes because he started to turn upfield before the ball got to him. KWII(aka Solja Boy) has also healed well and was running at full speed during out patterns. One reporter here said he seemed to have a hitch in his step after running plays, but I didn't notice it. Winslow should be near 100% by the opener against New Orleans. Ted Washington is the Browns' oldest player at 38. All the defensive players today were wearing the dark brown jerseys. By the end of practice, the big guy was obviously winded. Even though temps were in the low 70s here, it was a sun-splashed morning. Imagine what it would be like practicing in those brown jerseys for two hours in the sun, even on a mild day like today. Heck, even I was getting hot after a while. Finally, Charlie Frye did make a couple of nice completions, one to rookie wideout Travis Wilson and a couple to Winslow, who seems to be his best friend on the team now. That said, I'm not all that impressed with #9. I believe that the Browns may have to pick up a veteran QB at some point. Vinny Testaverde could be an option (even at 75 or whatever he is now. Still, he's younger than Julio Franco.). Overall, the Browns are not a Super Bowl-caliber team. They aren't even a playoff team this year. I see 8-8 at best. And even if Bentley hadn't gotten hurt early on, they're still an 8-8 team. Hope this helps. From your intrepid Cleveland correspondent, Mike

And that's the best review of SoaP I've heard so far. Mike

Oh gosh, no. It will all be done online. And it's mostly volunteer. They'll get me an Aston Villa kit (jersey) if I want...it's to teach the English blokes about our version of football. Mike

If you heard the news this week, Cleveland Browns owner Randy Lerner has made a bid to purchase the English Premiership team Aston Villa. If the bid is successful, I have inquired about and been approached to be a Browns-Web correspondent for Villatalk.com, a site for Aston Villa fans very similar to the Stadium Wall. The fans on Villatalk are very excited about having an American billionaire and NFL owner pour money into their team...so much so that Randy Lerner's being hailed as a savior. I guess the previous owner is about as vilified there as Art Modell is here (or Old Man Ralph, in some quarters on this board). Anyway, if the Lerner bid is successful, I will be posting at Villatalk quite a bit. That will tend to cut down on my time here. Just wanted to let you all know. Mike

Always a fun thing to do... Mike

After nearly ten years??? And the recent death of Patsy Ramsey? Mike

My, my, my. Mike

You forget how good that movie was. I thoroughly enjoyed it. RIP Bruno. Mike

Kate Hudson is definitely her mother's daughter. And I've never been too crazy about Goldie either. Give me Kelly Clarkson any day of the friggin' week over Little Miss Size Negative 2. Mike

Oh, good Lord. That's evil. Mike

I'd rather have Tim Horton's anyway. We don't have Timmy's in the Cleveland area (and there's only one Krispy Kreme). As far as the restaurants are concerned, Hyde Park Steakhouse is an upscale chain with an expensive menu, similar to Morton's. I've never been to one, but my brother has, and he says the food is very good, if pricey. Hyde Park is HQed here in Cleveland. I'm not crazy about the Cheesecake Factory, except for the cheesecake. I think that's the one thing they do well. Everything else there is mediocre. Mike

The potential is there to surprise...because no one expects the Bills to be good. The schedule is fairly easy, and the Bills get four home games after Thanksgiving, which is unusual. The weather will be a factor. I put the Bills in at 7-9...improvement, but not enough to challenge this year. But, the division is weaker and that can only help Buffalo. I know Miami's a trendy pick for the 547th consecutive year, but I think the fact that Wicky's playing in a country where it's largely legal to smoke pot hurts the Dolphins. Mike

Ah, the Internet. Gambling and sex. Sex and gambling. Tubehos.com must be doing really well. Seriously, how many of those type of videos can you see on line? It must be in the millions. It makes videos like that a dime a dozen...so much so, it's getting boring. In short, nothing special there. Mike

Congratulations and have fun! Mike

In 2001, I noticed the Chicago Bears weren't getting much love. They went 13-3. Two years ago, many were picking the San Diego Chargers as the NFL's worst team. That squad went 12-4. Let the know-it-alls in the media not notice the Bills. If they do surprise, Bills fans will have the last laugh. Mike

Hey, back off. I have an Uncle Guy. My mom's brother. Was the picture of health until about a year ago, when he had a stroke (he's 83 years old). His son is Guy William Jr., but everybody calls him Billy. Mike

The Ottawa Renegades have suspended operations for the 2006 season. They hope to have a new owner and team in 2007. So, now the CFL has eight teams. And only one Roughriders. Mike

And still somehow, George W. Bush will be blamed for all of this. Imagine. When he's out of the White House in 2009, everything will be peaches and cream, and the terrorists will simply give up and learn to live in peace. As I said, it's all Bush's fault. Or Cindy Sheehan and her ilk will have you believe. Mike

No...I've never even been to Texas...try getting tickets and a hotel room for that weekend. That's also my anniversary, and Kim would kill me. We weren't even in the country for last years game. We were in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Mike

udonkey shouldn't go around publishing his home phone number on websites. Mike

I knew I had heard the name Ross Tucker somewhere before...and finding his pic on the Browns website wearing a Bills' white jersey only confirmed my suspicions. If Tucker's healthy, maybe the Browns are OK at center...for now. I hope that Hallen's able to come back without too much trouble. Mike

Screw you! Mike

No more so than Maurice Clarett traveling with four loaded guns and wearing a bulletproof vest while driving. Mike

I think Mo's basic problem was he saw his buddy LeBron James getting all the bling and he started wondering, "Where's mine?" If he had spent two more years in college, he'd now be preparing for his second year as an NFL running back, and probably well on his way to being a star. Instead, he's gonna be starting for the Mean Machine. Mike

This happened about 3:00 this morning...and the trial on his other case (the robbery) is scheduled for this Monday. Reading the article, it sounded like an episode of "Cops". As a longtime observer of Clarett, I agree with inkman. This can only end badly. Mike