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Tag Archives: Karlos Dansby
MY TOP 10 CLEVELAND ATHLETES
1) LeBron James – Yes he’s back and better than ever. Not only is he Cleveland’s best athlete, he’s one of the best athletes in the world. This isn’t a bad resume – 2 NBA Titles, 4 NBA MVP trophies, 2 NBA Finals MVP trophies, an 8-Time All NBA First Team selection, a 10-time All-Star and a 2-Time All-Star game MVP.
2) Kyrie Irving – “Uncle Drew” just picked up another MVP trophy, this time at the FIBA Basketball World Championship after leading Team USA to the gold medal. Plus he’s a two-time NBA All-Star and was last year’s All-Star game MVP. Oh yeah, he’s also a former NBA Rookie of the Year and a 3-point shootout champion and a rookie game MVP.
3) Joe Thomas – He plays one of the most important positions in football at left tackle, and is a 7-time Pro Bowler and a 4-time NFL All-Pro selection.
4) Kevin Love – He’s never played a game for the Cavs, but he will this season and hopefully for many more after that. The former Timberwolves power forward acquired this off-season in a three team trade is a double/double machine averaging 19.2ppg and 12.2rpg in his six year NBA career. He’s a 3-time All-Star, a 2-time All-NBA second teamer, led the NBA in rebounding in 2011 and was also voted the league’s most improved player that season, and like his new teammate Kyrie Irving, an NBA 3-point shootout champion in 2012. Oh yeah, last year in Minnesota he averaged 26.1ppg and 12.5rpg.
5) Joe Haden – He’s becoming one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL and was named to his first Pro Bowl last year, as well as 2nd team All-Pro. How important is he to the Browns? He’s missed 7 games since being drafted in the first round by Cleveland in 2010 and the Browns are (0-7) when he doesn’t play.
6) Michael Brantley – He may be the best “Player To Be Named Later” in any trade in Indians history. He was the “PTBNL” in the Brewers-Indians deal in 2008 for C.C. Sabathia. Since then he’s become the Tribe’s best all-around player and was named an All-Star for the first time this season when he hit .322 with 15 homers and 63 rbi’s in the first half of the 2014 season. He’s on pace for a .320-20hr-100rbi season.
7) Corey Kluber – He came to the Indians as a no-name player in the Jake Westbrook three team trade back in July of 2010. Since then he’s slowly climbed the ladder from a guy who had struggled to make the roster, to one of the best pitchers in the American League this season, and the undisputed ace of the Indians staff. After going 11-5 with a 3.85era last season, Kluber has followed that up with a 16-9 mark so far, with a 2.54 earned run average.
8) Karlos Dansby – The self-proclaimed best linebacker in the NFL has only played two games for the Browns but has made an immediate impact. He picked off Ben Roethlisbrger in the opener in Pittsburgh and then came up with defensive play of the game against the Saints, sacking Drew Brees late in the fourth quarter to force New Orleans to punt the ball which then that allowed Brian Hoyer to lead the Browns down the field for a game winning field goal. His play on the field so far has been outstanding and his leadership in the locker room with a young team may be even more important. With the Cardinals last season, he was an NFL 2nd team All-Pro selection.
9) Yan Gomes – Talk about coming out of nowhere! Well Toronto is somewhere, that’s where Gomes was acquired from in a trade in 2012. After spending time at Triple-A Columbus in 2013 to start the season, Gomes got called up a second time when back-up catcher Lou Marson went down with an injury and hasn’t been back since. In fact he’s become the Indians every day catcher because of his solid defensive skills, his ability to call a game and manage a pitching staff and his offense and power continue to improve with every at bat. Gomes is hitting .286 with 19 homers and 64 runs batted in so far this season.
10) Alex Mack – A 2-time Pro Bowler and an NFL 2nd team All-Pro selection last season, Mack anchors the Browns offensive line and hasn’t missed a game since being selected in the first round of the 2009 draft.
Honorable Mention:
Josh Gordon, Donte Whitner, Dion Waiters, Carlos Santana, Shane Austin
BROWNS WITH PLENTY OF QUESTIONS ENTERING LIONS GAME
The most important thing about Saturday night’s game is obviously the play of the quarterbacks. How does Brian Hoyer’s body hold up for the time he is in there? Is he indeed 100% healthy? Can he put points on the board? How does Johnny Manziel handle the speed of the NFL game even if it is against the second team? Can he command the huddle and call the right plays? How much does Johnny run the football and can he take a hit or two from guys that are bigger, stronger, faster than the ones he played against in college?
These are all questions that hopefully the Browns will get answers to one way or another. It doesn’t seem right to think this way, but you almost hope one of the two guys falls flat on his face or bombs, so it will help make the decision easier and clearer. On the other hand, if both guys do well, then you’ve strengthened the QB position and it’s great in this league to have depth.
Other positions I’ll be watching closely:
WR – Who steps up and makes plays besides Josh Gordon? Will it be the veterans Miles Austin or Nate Burleson? Will Andrew Hawkins show why the Browns paid him a decent amount of money in free agency to come to Cleveland? Does somebody come out of know where and make a name for himself and get the coaches attention? Besides quarterback, the receiver position is my biggest concern with this football team.
RB – Ben Tate was a nice free agent pick up in the off season by Ray Farmer, especially for the price, but how does he handle being the feature back now and can he stay healthy? Also rookie Terrance West has been getting rave reviews for what he’s done in training camp, will that translate to the football field against an opponent that isn’t wearing the same colored jersey you do?
LB – Barkevious Mingo has had a great camp, but can he produce the same results on the field in an actual game? How much of an impact will the self-proclaimed best linebacker in the NFL, Karlos Dansby really make? Can Paul Kruger bounce back from being a big name free agent bust from last season and start earning his money and making plays on the field this year?
CB – Not sure of the injury situation with rookie #1 pick Justin Gilbert and whether or not he’ll play, but from the day he was drafted I expected him to be the starter opposite Joe Harden from day 1. He needs to be able to beat out Buster Skrine for this defense to be a better defense.
HC – How will first time ever head coach Mike Pettine do in his first game? Is the game plan good? How does he handle in game situations from time outs, to challenges to halftime adjustments?
These are all things I will be watching closely in the Browns first and all of their pre-season games, as they get ready for their regular season opener on September 7th at Pittsburgh.
MY 2014 BROWNS PROJECTED STARTERS FOR WEEK ONE
This is of course subject to change based on injury, practice and game performance, but this is how I see the 2014 Cleveland Browns lining up on Sunday, September 7th at Pittsburgh.
I’ve said it all along and I’m sticking to it, I believe it would be smart to start Brian Hoyer at quarterback for the first three games of the season if healthy, and see how he does. If he plays well and you’re winning you stick with him. If he struggles, or the offense struggles and you’re 1-2, or 0-3 after playing Pittsburgh, New Orleans and Baltimore then use the bye week in week #4, to reevaluate the QB position and decide if it’s time for Johnny Manziel to be your starter in game four at Tennessee.
On defense I know that the Browns spent a lot of money in free agency on outside linebacker Paul Kruger last year, but he was a big disappointment. I believe there’s a great chance for second year linebacker and last year’s first round pick Barkevious Mingo to step up in camp and earn a starting job there. I also believe that this year’s first round pick, Justin Gilbert will beat out Buster Skrine for the right corner back spot and start from day one.
Here are my projected starters as of (7-26-14) for the Cleveland Browns:
OFFENSE
QB- Brian Hoyer
RB- Ben Tate
WR- Andrew Hawkins
WR- Miles Austin
WR- Nate Burleson
TE- Jordan Cameron
LT- Joe Thomas,
LG- Joel Bitonio
C – Alex Mack
RG- John Greco
RT- Mitchell Schwartz
DEFENSE
LDE- Ahtyba Rubin
NT- Phil Taylor
RDE- Desmond Bryant
LOLB- Barkevious Mingo
LILB- Craig Robertson
RILB- Karlos Dansby
ROLB- Jabaal Sheard
LCB- Joe Haden
SS- Donte Whitner
FS- Tashaun Gibson
RCB- Justin Gilbert
BROWNS NEEDS IN FREE AGENCY
If I’m new G.M. Ray Farmer I would prioritize my free agency list this way,
biggest need is at inside linebacker followed by safety, running back,
wide receiver, corner back and back-up quarterback.
My targets if I’m the Browns would be:
LB – Karlos Dansby and Arthur Moats
S – Jairus Byrd, TJ Ward, or Donte Whitner
RB – Ben Tate, Rashad Jennings or Andre Brown
WR – Emmanual Sanders, Eric Decker, Julian Edelman or Golden Tate
CB – Aquib Talib, Alterraun Verner, Darrelle Revis(if released)
QB – Rex Grossman or Matt Schaub