6
Apr
2009
Cleveland Rising
This week, READANDREACT spoke with web-journalist Barry McBride, the undisputed figurehead of THE ORANGE AND BROWN REPORT (www.theobr.com), a site dedicated to the Cleveland Browns and their diehard fans. His site, launched with sheer grit and determination in the 1990s as a way to galvanize the city and help engineer the return of the Browns to Cleveland, has transformed into today’s top-flight source of news, rumors, and coverage of the Browns… ANYWHERE. Barry, always humble, gives us his thoughts about Brady Quinn, Braylon Edwards, Eric Mangini, and the team’s glorious (and inglorious) past, as well as their chances of ever getting back to the playoffs (and maybe the Super Bowl?) before we leave this mortal coil.
Barry, thank you for being with us. These days, most people take a site like www.theobr.com for granted. But the site well-represents a shift in sports journalism. Your site’s stories have been lifted by the mainstream media. Did you ever think that might be the case when you started this whole thing?
It’s been an amazing journey, and proof that a website or any other media outlet will be just as good as the people writing for it. We’ve been particularly blessed there.
Back in the 90s, I certainly never thought we’d be at the point where we were battling toe-to-toe with some of the major players in this town for stories and opportunity. The website was started for fun, a sense of adventure, and the vague notion that appreciative readers would buy us beer. We didn’t have any big plan to replace any of Cleveland’s major media players.
In terms of how we’ve been treated by the mainstream media, it’s been a mixed bag. Like any group of people, you’ll have folks with great integrity and folks who lack any at all. You try to learn from the former and ignore the latter, although it can be frustrating or depressing at times.
The Browns have been through 20 years of turbulence. On bad days, the team feels like a franchise slowly rotting from the core out. Is Coach Mangini the one to turn things around? Does he get how much this could mean to the city and the league?
Mangini seems to understand how important this franchise is to Cleveland, and Randy Lerner certainly does. The team’s owner desperately wants the town to be proud of the team again.
The question with both isn’t whether or not they understand how important this is, but rather if they’re capable of making the right detailed decisions to get things back on track.
Mangini, for example, borrows his style from his mentors Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick. The OBR’s Steve King did a neat article not too long ago, which compared Mangini’s arrival in Cleveland to that of Bill Belichick in the early 90s. (The article can be found here: http://cle.scout.com/2/847469.html) The parallels are eerie. But under their surface similarities, will Mangini make the right personnel decisions like Bill Parcells? Is he capable of developing a game plan as effectively as Belichick? On both questions, the results in New York were mixed and the jury remains out. If Mangini builds a winner here, he’s redeemed in the eyes of the NFL. If he doesn’t, Browns fans will suffer through another re-boot in three or four years time.
Along those lines, we’ve seen Winslow shipped south for picks… we’ve heard whispers that Derek Anderson, Brady Quinn, and Braylon Edwards are all available for the right price. Is Mangini confident enough to start from scratch? And, if the team parts ways with its “stars,” would this roster reset be a surprise to Lerner?
We met and talked with Randy Lerner earlier this off-season, and the Browns owner is convinced that the most important decision he can make is to get the right coach. He believes that Bill Belichick was the key to the Patriots turnaround, and that Chuck Noll took the Steelers from perennial losers to one of the league’s top franchises. His instinct tells him he made the right choice in Mangini, and he’s going to let his coach do things how he feels they need to be done.
Mangenius has arrived.
31
Mar
2009
Burress Case Adjourned until June 15th
Lesson learned: pants with belts make better holsters. AP Photo
The New York Giants will have to wait a little longer to determine the fate of Plaxico Burress, in the case of the ultimate dumbass and me-first player shooting himself in the leg at a Manhattan nightclub with an unlicensed gun he’d stuffed into the waistband of his sweatpants.
According to the New York Daily News, the case has been adjourned until June 15th, in the hopes of striking a plea bargain before then:
A quick resolution would certainly help the 31-year-old Burress if he hopes to play sometime during the 2009 season – though that possibility remains seriously in doubt. Sources familiar with the case have told the Daily News that prosecutors are insisting that Burress serve at least some jail time in this case as part of any plea deal. Burress’ desire to avoid jail completely is apparently why no deal has been reached.
So, let’s face it. Plaxico is going to do some jail time. He is charged with two felony counts of second degree criminal possession of a loaded and unlicensed hand gun. There’s a 3-1/2 year minimum sentence if convicted, so even if he manages to work a plea, he’s going to at least spend a few months upstate. NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg is looking to make an example of Burress, so there’s no way he’s getting off scott free here.
It’s time for the Giants to move on. I’ve loved Burress as a Giant. He’s probably the most talented wide receiver to ever play for NY. I will always remember him for the NFC Championship performance at Green Bay (where he owned Al Harris), for playing hurt that entire season, and for catching the winning TD in SB XLII. But it’s time to cut ties with Plax for the good of the franchise. The Giants just can’t afford to sit around and wait for this saga to play out, in the hopes that Burress somehow returns for next season.
Braylon Edwards would look great in Blue
New York doesn’t have much else on the roster at WR – Steve Smith, Domenick Hixon, Sinorice Moss, David Tyree and Mario Manningham – so they need to go out and get a veteran FA. They could use a first round pick on a WR like Hakeem Nicks (UNC), but my hope is that the Giants make a trade for Braylon Edwards. Give up a 1st, 3rd and 5th round pick in this year’s draft, and pair him with Eli for the next 5 years. Problem solved.
