@riffer-x said:

Until these guys start getting hurt etc. It's so tempting to try to shortcut but we don't want to be the AFC's version of Dan Snyder. I like the idea of Rogers at DE though, I've been saying that for awhile. Actually, I say line him up on whoever the other team's weakest lineman is and let him go crazy. He's a playmaker, let him do it. At NT, all he is doing is creating holes with his penetration.

I don't understand all these rumors flying around about getting rid of Rogers! Just cuz the defense played decent without him for a couple games doesn't mean the lack of him being there was the reason for it. Rogers was the only one making any plays on defense while he was playing and if it was a defensive adjustment that was made to compensate for his absence, he can certainly fit into any style of d. Rogers is the most dominant NT in the league...did people not see him being double and triple teamed and still applying pressure? Unless someone is gonna give us the farm(I'd say two 1st rounders and a third) then I say no way we even consider moving him.

I think this is a no-brainer...if Holmgren can get Peppers as his first acquisition, I'd be estatic! Peppers has been saying and experts have conquered(Do you conquer Dr.?) that Peppers would be a beast at the OLB in a 3-4 defense. You're talking bout adding 12-15 sacks and another 25 hurries to a defense that was lacking to say the least at many times. We get him and draft Haden(loving this guy more the more research I do...not just Mel "The Hair" Kiper" does) and you're instantly talking upgrade. Can you imagine opposing offenses having to prepare for Rogers, Peppers, Wimbley, and my new boy Roth coming at them each week. A pass rush consisting of those guys would only make our secondary that much better. Look, all I'm saying is that Peppers is has Icon status on Madden and that's good enough for me....let's back the Brinks truck up to his door step and make this happen, we've got the money to spend, so let's spend it!

@cimo. said:

That is AWESOME! LOL

@kosar_for_president said:

Agreed. I think he will be an all-star in 2-3 years. He just has to learn not to turn the ball over as much. I think that will come from learning about the offense more.

I've always been a person that learns best from experience and JJ Hickson so far has shown us that he's the same way...as his minutes have increased, his turnovers have decreased and his play-making presence has dramatically INCREASED! He's out there playing w/some serious intensity on both ends of the floor and it would be a huge mistake for the Cavs to include JJ in a trade.

I think you hit the nail on the head as far as 2-3 years from being a all-star. That would only put him at 22 years old?! I think we've finally found the replacement for F*%$ing Boozer....think about it, the guy plays hard, provides a post presence, cuts great to the hole, is contributing big-time on the glass both offensively and defensively, and is working on a decent jump shot...he merely doesn't have the four years of college playing time that made Boozer a smarter player. But, in a couple of years, JJ could be far greater at the same point in his career that Boozer was. I don't know if he's going to be a participant in the "Freshman vs. Sophomore" game, but if he isn't on the list David Stern needs to send him a invite, cuz he's becoming one of the most electrifying players in the league!

@ballpeen said:

Actually, I do think the punishments fit the crimes.

You can't get around the fact the outcome of Stallworth's situation had nothing to do with him having had a few drinks.

Stallworth paid the price of a normal DUI and more.

Burris is paying the minimum price for his.....do I agree with that price??? No, but it is what it is. Until the law in NY or wherever it was is changed, no amount of litigating is going to get around the mandatory minimums. The judge has no sentencing grid where he or she can reduce the time based on mitigating factors in cases like his. You get X time at minimum, and that's that if found guilty.

We live in a world where there are alot of plea agreements reached and this is an instance where if the situation had been handled properly from the get go instead of his attorney's "fumbling" from the start...he may have received a lesser sentence and possibly saved himself alot of heartache. Plax initially denied things like a ruh-tard and it ended up costing him. Had he had the right people representing him early in the precedings and he just admitted to his wrong-doings maybe the prosicuting attorney doesn't try to make an example of him as an athelete/celebrity in this situation. Perhaps he gets what an "average joe" would've gotten, which is probably just a slap on the wrist...don't get me wrong, I think he needed to be punished and that pro athletes carrying guns in our day and age is a horrible thing that needs to stop...Gilbert is being made an example of as well, and quite honestly I love it. I have had good friends taken away b/c of guns and I hate guns.

Let me repeat....my whole argument in this whole thing is that Plax received worse advice and had a far inferior legal staff handling his case....that's it, not endorsing either side or the punishments that they received, merely stating the facts, which is Donte got off on far less than Buress for "kinda" similar indescrepencies.

@ballpeen said:

Dude, in many cases the attorney doesn't matter. They can't walk on water or leap tall buildings.

In Stallworths case there was a DUI, and a unavoidable accident that was determined to be no fault of his. The DUI complicated things no doubt, but had he been sober, he wouldn't have been cited for anything.

Stallworths attorney didn't pull a rabbit out of his hat here....he made his plea to the jury based on the actual circumstances surround the incident.

It was good advocating no doubt, but it wasn't something for the ages.

In the end, fair is fair. You can't just pile on bogus charges because the guy blew over the limit.

You have to consider the facts in their entirety.

Let's look at the cases...one guy accidentally killed another human while intoxicated...something that if he hadn't been impaired could'be possibly been avoided by a man whose lifestyle is made by incredibly quick decisions made in a heartbeat. Perhaps if he was sober, he would've been able to react quicker and avoid the man. On the other hand we have a dumb ass that was carrying a gun(illegally, but something that could've been legal had he had it registered) and accidentally shot himself like a dumb ass. One man is out and about and roaming the streets, one is serving HARD time for 2 years...do the crimes both fit the punishments, I think not, but that just my opinion. All I was stating is that one OBVIOUSLY had a team behind him that was able to litigate and deter the situation for a much more favorable outcome than the other.

@thaak said:

I was just thinking that. What if the Browns try to get some trade value out of him?

Not sure if we can get anything, but even a 6th or 7th would be great...we need ALOT....and the more draft picks we can get, the better!

I'd love to see us go Haden, RT in round 2, and Rolle in round 3....IF this guy lasts to round 3, he's gonna be a steal. He would've prolly went round 1 two years ago, and is reportedly in stellar shape at the all star game. NOT gonna find a smarter guy in the draft(Rhodes Schollar) and I think if we can address those things and land those players in the first few picks, I'd certainly be happy with it. Haden by all accounts will be Mangini's Revis...he already got his Mangold last year, now he's going for his shutdown corner. When I look at the way they built the Jets while he was there with a kick ass line and defense, I'm jealous...I can see us in the same mold and would love it. McDonald and Wright are not the future 1 and 2 we need....one of them would be a great nickel back though backing up these two!

Chicken wings, and pizza, and Cheez-its man...and some of that stuff we used to eat back in the day, what was that called??? Ah, that's right ............

How hard do you think Plaxico is sitting in his cell kicking himself for not getting this guys attorney?! If Donte is re-instated, someone will bite, hopefully the Browns waste no time in releasing ...hell, better yet, see if we can swing a 6th or 7th rounder for him? Can't hurt right?

Hickson is coming on strong....and you are constantly seeing him improve. Hell, the guy should only be a junior in college, he's still growing into his body. And Hickson is explosive as hell, if he continues to work with Lebron during the offseason and improve exponentially as he has the past two years, we've really got a player here....and a play maker: did you see that dunk over Wade and then rejecting Wade minutes later! Come 'on man.

I say we pull the trigger on this one or Jamison...either would provide that athletic long 4 that we need. I don't think there's any way that we even think about including Hickson in a trade, he's a star in the making and explosive as they come. If we can do the whole trade Z and then get him back type deal, then we do it...otherwise, screw it, let's do it with what we got!

I think I would like to see this go through...we are totally retooling and I really like the pieces that we are putting together.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4339432

@cimo. said:

This year is even worse than most for bigs in the late 1st. According to nbadraft.net The only two available are Tyler Hansbrough, who, honestly, I wouldn't mind drafting. I've never thought he'd make it in the NBA, but he could be a more polished Varejao for us (but I still doubt he'll be there at 30)...and Taj Gibson who's 6'10, 214. That's about 60 pounds lighter than LeBron. Don't expect him to be anything more than Z-light.

I'd rather draft for size on the perimeter and get a low-budget big man in free agency (Chris Wilcox could be a great fit here). This of course is assuming Ferry pulls out all the stops in getting an Amare or Bosh or Dirk via trade or getting them signed early in the 2010 offseason.

I would really like to see us land Psycho T...guy is definitely in the Carlos Boozer mold and we all saw how well he has turned out. He is a smart player that I don't think we can get w/our 30th pick, but rumor does have it that the Cavs are looking to buy someone's pick in the 1st round and maybe Danny G's pockets are deep enough to get us up high enough to get Hansbrough. I'm not saying he's gonna be a All-star in Booz fashion, but he certainly has a chance and I def feel he can be a solid contributor to a defensive laden team like the Cavs. I think that who we choose in the draft could certainly change based on trades that could possibly go down prior to or during the draft, but I think that we would be lucky as hell to land Psycho T in the draft if nothing happens trade-wise.

I can't remember which ESPN guy said it, but apparently the Suns are wanting someone like possibly Delonte thrown in the deal and that is where the hang-up is in this trade...I think the Cavs would be crazy to throw in a guy like West, unless, and this is the only way, we know that we can sign Turkey-glue when he opts out and becomes a free agent. Snow balls chance I know. Crazier shat has happened.

I wouldn't be supprised to see the Cavs make a deal and land Jason Kidd, albeit four years too late. I remember him saying a couple months ago after the Cavs worked the Mavs over that he would take less and even come off the bench if he had a chance to play with Lebron. This is the kind of thing I like to see, we are getting to that point when players will take less to come and try to win a championship/have the opportunity to play with LBJ. I am not saying I want J Kidd, but I think that this an amazing sign considering 5 years ago, we couldn't pay anyone enough to come and play for Cleveland.

To Danny Ferry:

Key to a guaranteed championship next year...make a deal happen for Chris Bosh somehow.

You gotta pull the trigger on this if it's really available right now....imagine how much more entertaining the Cavs pre-game will be too! Let's build so we can beat the Magic...this would be about the only guy that can POSSIBLY give Dwight some fits and guard him man-to-man.

Ok, so the guy got out coached in the Eastern Conference finals...that we can agree on. But, Mike Brown did make many great calls this season in leading the Cavs to 66 wins and into the EC finals(sure LBJ actually led them, but that's obvious). Rumors that the Cavs brass are torn between keeping him or letting him go lead the question as well that who would replace him and the name being thown around is Pat Riley?! Isn't that the same guy that is 107 years old, GM of the Heat, and can't even coach a full season w/o having to get a hip replacement? I know there's something to be said for all his knowledge, but why would we want a guy that has been collecting social security for 35 years already?

So, you ask who would be the coach to get to replace Mike Brown and Cleveland would actually be able to justify it??? Mike Krzyzewski!!!! Dan Gilbert go out and throw the whole kitchen sink at Coach K and you WILL win your championship. We all know that he absolutely loves LeBron and that LBJ might actually be capable of luring Coach K from Duke, if anyone can. This would be just about the only way IMO that Cleveland would really start to feel a sense of belief that we can actually do it as well. Gilbert always makes a point to note that the Cavs are willing to spend whatever it takes to bring a championship to Cleveland and here's their chance to actually prove it...I don't care if it takes 20 million a year, go out and get the man and WE WILL WIN BABY!!!!!!!!!

Unfortuneatley the Ben Wallace experiment didn't lead to a championship, so far. Wallace has been plagued by injuries that have limited his ability to be the dominant DPOY that he once was and never has that fact been more evident than in the later games of the Orlando series when Dwight had him worn down and clueless on how to defend him. Granted, Varejo didn't stop Howard either(and interestlingly rumors has it that Andy will opt out), but I don't expect Andy to. I feel he is merely a role player and not a starter and unfortunately that wasn't the case for Cleveland. And let's not forget who let Rashard sneak right around Dwight to hit the series changer in game 3....yes, Big Slow Ben. I like the frow bro, and dig the rows, but it's time to go! Leave behind the guaranteed 14 million bucks and let Cleveland find a way to replace you w/a capable even perhaps a dominant(I really want Bosh somehow) big man. If only for the sake of the team so that LeBron will stay in Cleveland in 2010, for the city of Cleveland, for NE Ohio for christ's sake man, hang 'em up and let us bring in someone that can contribute to a Championship!

Josh Cribbs just needs to go Elliot Spitzer style and change sides....time to join the defense JC! Cribbs would be a great safety....dude would be knocking fools out like he's Roy Jones Jr in the 90s. Cribbs has unfortuneately been a bystandard of the systems that he's been in throughout his career. Remember back in pee-wee when the most athletic was the QB, well that's what happend to him at Kent State and that stigma that he was merely intended for offense stuck on his ass. He's practically been begging to be placed there, think about it-he can make plays when he has the ball, but drops passes that the best receivers catch. On special teams he's jacking mofo's like Bobby on Whitney. In Mangini's inteview today, he even stated that Cribbs is claiming that he wants Mangini to quiz him b/c he's already learned several defenses down pat...he has football intelligence, and Mangini has to love the thought of having another smart guy out there...that's exactly why he didn't bite on Mauluga when he was still there in the 2nd, I mean the guy only got a 2 on the Wonderlic(get 3 points for spelling your name correctly on the sheet-that's where he messed up). Clearly Cribbs in an athlete....let's give him the chance to show that he can also be the quarterback on the defensive side of the ball. With all that said, he could ultimately still be utilized on the kicking teams too...there are certainly other defensive backs out there that return kicks as well.

What makes me think this may actually be possible is the fact that Mangini seems particularly high on doing his own evalutaion of players, running them through his own process to determine where each guys skill set is going to fit into his system and what he and the coaches are trying to accomplish as a unit. The man seems more organized than my ugly ass secretary(always a must, just so I'm able to work at work). Mangini is actually Johnny Facts 'n' Stats, keeper of the pocket protector...Manigini has actually turned football into a science somewhat with his approach and honestly I love it....the team will have balance and will be as good or better mentally prepared come the beginning of the season than any other team. He is bringing about a key component to any winning team and that is "accountability". Accountability is the most important thing that can be established at any point in a teams season or in running a business and that's the mentality that he is putting in these players minds. Having to know things like he stated in his intervies like for example, knowing the routes and duties on every play, every player, like you've got the memory skills of Rainman. The only problem with Mangini being a nerd-like coach is that means we will need a motivator on the field and in the locker room in a player. Gonna have to find our Ray Lewis like(minus the whole murder thing) motivator/coach/player to lead this team emotionally, or will uber son Rex Ryan fill that void?!

I like what I'm hearing from Mangini and I think that they are gonna place Cribbs where he can benefit the TEAM the most and that is on the field...not fighting over money. Pay the man, let him get back to being the guy that is a role model on and off the field...this guy has put his effort into it like he's Evander Holeyfield, taking blows, and even brain damage, and still gets back up in pursuit of the ultimate goal...win, of course The Real Deal needed to feed his 43 kids too!!!!

Stick with what we've got...Edge is over the hill and gonna demand too much, wouldn't provide enough bang for the buck. Time to give Harrison the reins and let's really see what he can do. Mangini utilized Leon Washington's scat back skills and I look for him to demand more outta Harrison this year as he did Leon. He got him to use all of his abilities and will use Harrison in the same mold. Given the fact that it's his second time around he can use Washington's development and maturation as a blueprint for Jerome. Just as Thomas Jones handed over duties to Leon, Jamal will hand off to Harrison. I only see this helping Lewis to remain healthier and fresh during late game and late season situations. Notice the teams across the league that do use 2 or 3 RBs always seem to be so much more impactful. With a much improved line and inexperienced wide receivers, I look for the running game to be our strength this year and for Harrison to lead the way and have a huge breakout season.