Set Your Watch By It

Not everyone has access to a flip phone with a calendar function like I do, and not everyone likes to have actual calendars hanging on every wall like my wife does. Because of that, and because Cleveland is a lot like “Game of Thrones” (in that winter is apparently the one and only everlasting  season) there can be some confusion as to what part of the year it actually is around these parts. Perpetual darkness can create confusion.

But even for the technology deprived and the calendar-deficient, there is an easy way in Cleveland to answer the question of “What the hell month is this, anyway?”

You just follow the Cleveland Browns.

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Peyton Hillis – A Memoriam Circa 2010

The year was 2010. It was the morning of week three. The Cleveland Browns were doing things that the Cleveland Browns typically do. Getting ready to lose a football game….

Jerome Harrison was the “featured tailback” and he stunk. I believe I was in six fantasy football leagues that year. I had Peyton Hillis as a sleeper in all six leagues. The Browns were not giving him the ball enough at this time. Week three though I took a chance and started Hillis in all six leagues despite the Browns playing the Baltimore Raven vaunted defense. He went off for 144 yards and touchdown on 22 carries one of which was this run. Also chipping in with 7 receptions for 36 yards.

A fantasy football star was born in Cleveland. At last a player with a Browns uniform that you could actually start and depend on for fantasy points.

This is the part where I tell you that I hate the Browns. I’ve hated them for my entire life. When I tell people this they usually say something like, “You must be a dirty Steelers fan then.” No quite the contrary. I actually like no NFL teams and do not like football in general. I have no dog in this fight except I thoroughly enjoy when the Browns lose football games. Generally speaking, most Sundays have been good days for me over the years .

Rearview Mirror: The Browns Logo-Gate

The Cleveland Browns are an endless supply of things to talk about, even during a time of the year when there shouldn’t be anything to talk about. If only they could be so interesting on the field…

Let’s talk about the Browns “new” logo.

The new logo was about as exciting as a luke-warm glass of water. And with the big deal they made out of it, it was very Cleveland Brown-y to have such an underwhelming offering. Oh, those Browns. They can’t get out of their own way.

The Cleveland Browns logo, the sports media in Cleveland and beyond, and Kendrick Perkins–EHC Podcast 12–2/24/2015

Really?

WFNY’s & FoxSportsOhio.com’s Rick Grayshock joins the show with our first podcast talking Cleveland sports. We dive right into it, talking how the sports media portrays Cleveland, why the Browns should (or shouldn’t) change the logo, the role of Kendrick Perkins, Josh Gordon, and whether or not J.R. Smith can keep it together in 2015 and beyond.

Rick was a co-founder at WFNY, along with Scott Sargent and Andrew Schnitkey. Make sure you check out all of their stuff at http://www.waitingfornextyear.com. There isn’t a better all-encompassing Cleveland sports website on the interwebs. You can also check out Rick’s work at FoxSportsOhio.com.

Subscribe to EHC the Podcast on iTunes right here.

Subscribe to the Everybody Hates Cleveland YouTube channel right here.

Check out the podcast, after the jump:

Sorting Out the QB Mess (Again) In Cleveland Ahead of the NFL Scouting Combine

With the NFL Scouting Combine beginning on Wednesday, all talk in Cleveland, of course, turns to offensive linemen. Just kidding. It’s yet again time to talk quarterbacks. Yea.

So the Browns have a few things to consider as they prepare for the draft and free agency. The roster has needs all over the place, except maybe at running back and…….no, that’s pretty much it.

But there’s no reason to talk about any of that without first discussing their annual quarterback problem. I have to admit that this year is particularly messy. Let’s break it down.

Pick Vick? Browns could do (not much) worse

Alright. You paying attention?

Allow me to play devil’s advocate for a moment.

10 Orbservations: Cavaliers’ streak halts, LeBron’s injury scare, the Browns’ dysfunction

10 Orbservations is a regular Saturday piece at Everybody Hates Cleveland where EHC Managing Editor Steve Orbanek offers 10 quick sports takes, both on Cleveland topics and national ones.

(AP Photo/AJ Mast)

1. And the streak is over. Last night, the Cleveland Cavaliers fell 103-99 to the Indiana Pacers to halt the Cavs’ win streak at 12. Perhaps the team was somewhat tired from this being the second game of a back-to-back, but there’s no denying that both offensively and defensively, the Cavaliers looked sluggish. Still, no win streaks last forever, and let’s consider the progress that has been made in this process. For starters, the Cavaliers have climbed up in the standings where they’re now tied for the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference with the Chicago Bulls. Before the streak began, they trailed Chicago by seven games. Furthermore, they’re just a half game out of the third seed and 3 ½ games out of the second seed. They’re now also 10 games over .500 after being one game under that mark before this streak started. So yes, Friday’s loss was a bad one, but let’s not take it for anything more than that — one loss. Over the past few weeks, the positives have far outweighed any negatives with this team.

Rearview Mirror: The Browns Having a tough 2015 so far

It just never stops with the Cleveland Browns. Never. It may pause every once in a while, but it never completely stops. If there’s anything this fanbase has learned to say, it’s “Same old Browns.”

When the regular season ends, it’s usually a slow time for anyone following the Browns. I mean, they’re certainly not playing in the postseason.

A lot of writers will use the time to grade positions, getting themselves in position for when all talk turns to free agents and draft picks. For the fans, you watch the other teams play in the postseason and sort of space out on the fact that none of these teams are yours. Other than that, nothing. Well, there’s the biannual coach firing, but not much more after that, not until after the Super Bowl.

I was really looking forward to that this year, after having to watch the team nosedive at the end of 2014.

But no, not this year. Not this team. They just couldn’t lay low for a few weeks. Check this out:

10 Orbservations: Cavaliers’ streak hits nine, Josh Gordon’s letter, some T.J. House love

10 Orbservations is a regular Saturday piece at Everybody Hates Cleveland where EHC Managing Editor Steve Orbanek offers 10 quick sports takes, both on Cleveland topics and national ones.

(Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images)

1. Another night. Another win for the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs avenged an earlier loss to the Sacramento Kings last night with a 101-90 win at the Quicken Loans Arena. If anything, it was almost a boring victory, but who says there’s anything wrong with those? The Cavaliers were not really ever challenged throughout the contest and led the entire way. Sure, the Kings are far from one of the NBA’s elite teams, but it says something about how a team has been playing when their latest win is described as “boring.” The key last night was defense as the Cavaliers held the Kings to a 35.7 percent shooting percentage (30-of-84). Defense has been the calling card for the Cavaliers as of late as the team has not allowed an opponent to score more than 100 points in their last seven games. This new commitment to defense coupled with the team’s acquisitions of Timofey Mozgov, J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert has had a radical effect on this team. Translation? We’re now seeing a title contender emerge right before our eyes.

Orbiting Cleveland: The colossal fall of Johnny Football

Elsa/Getty Images

Even when he’s not directly involved in the news, Johnny Manziel is still making headlines.

On Friday, ESPN.com released a story, titled “Inside Johnny Manziel’s rocky rookie season,” which was written by Pat McManamon and Jeremy Fowler. Interviews were conducted with nearly 20 Cleveland Browns sources for the story, both on the record and on condition of anonymity, and the overwhelming theme was this: Manziel, as a teammate, player and professional, was an absolute joke in 2014.

Now, why should any of this come to a surprise? Isn’t this something we already know?

That’s true, but it’s a compelling tale nonetheless. Now, teammates and coaches, have taken the time to publicly shred Manziel. How does that happen and has there ever been a quicker downfall than what we’ve seen from Manziel this past season?

What I’m most interested with is how we got to this point? How did “Johnny Football” suddenly become “Johnny Drop the Ball?”