Browns' Monday- Finally a Team That Screws Up Worse Than the Browns Edition

Week 12- Panthers @ Browns

Cleveland 24
Carolina 23

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter
Carolina TD: Mike Goodson rushed for 26 yards
Cleveland TD: Peyton Hillis rushed for 9 yards
Cleveland TD: Peyton Hillis rushed for 5 yards

2nd Quarter
Cleveland TD: Peyton Hillis rushed for 6 yards
Carolina FG: John Kasey 43 yards
Carolina FG: John Kasey 42 yards

3rd Quarter
Carolina TD: Captain Munnerlyn returned an interception 37 yards

4th Quarter
Carolina FG: John Kasey 43 yards
Cleveland FG: Phil Dawson 41 yards

Important Player Stats
Jake Delhomme: 24-35, 245 yards, 2 INTs

Peyton Hillis: 26 rush, 131 yards, 3 TDs, 6 receptions, 63 yards

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Something we definitely learned yesterday is that the Carolina Panthers are not very good a football. The Browns did their very best to make sure Carolina would win in the 2nd half and they still couldn't quite back their way into the victory.

The game followed the typical pattern for a lot of the Browns' games this season with the edition of the Delhomme factor. Yesterday, as has been the case in many other games this season, Cleveland was pretty damn effective on offense in the first half, but went absolutely stagnant in the second half. The Delhomme factor added the, "I'm gonna throw it to the other team" that Colt McCoy and Seneca Wallace were good at avoiding. It's weird that he can be such an impressive QB at times then he just starts throwing interceptions.

I was impressed with the defensive performance for the most part yesterday. That last drive they allowed was kind of embarrassing, but they managed to shut them out of the end zone for the entire game after the first drive. There are still some issues that improved personnel would address, but even with a bit of a talent deficit this defense is pretty damn good.

If there has been one thing us Cleveland fans have had to hand our hats on it's the Browns' Special Teams. The Special Teams have been the best in the league for years now and yesterday was no exception. The punting game was the most impressive yesterday. As much as I really like Dave Zastudil, his days as a Cleveland Brown are done. Reggie Hodges has secured the job.

It's nice to think that the Browns probably won't finish last in the division this year. I think the next 3 games are winnable. That would bring the record up to 7-7. Maybe just maybe they could split the last two and go .500. That's probably just wishful thinking, they're bound to blow a few games down the stretch.

Thanks for reading and please comment.

-Michael

Buckeye Sunday

Ohio State 37
Michigan 7

Scoring Summary

2nd Quarter
Ohio State FG: Devin Barclay 34 yards
Ohio State TD: Terrelle Pryor passed to Dane Sanzenbacher for 7 yards
Michigan TD: Michael Shaw rushed for 1 yard
Ohio State TD: Jordan Hall returned kick-off 85 yards
Ohio State TD: Terrelle Pryor passed to DeVier Posey for 33 yards

3rd Quarter
Ohio State TD: Daniel Herron rushed for 32 yards
Ohio State FG: Devin Barclay 36 yards
Ohio State FG: Devin Barclay 23 yards

Important Player Stats
Terrelle Pryor: 18-27, 220 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT

Daniel Herron: 22 rushes, 175 yards, TD

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My earliest memories of this game are generally of Ohio State losing to Michigan. Most of the time Ohio State had a superior team, but still would end up losing to the Wolverines. Except for in 1998 when the team had already blown their chance at the National Title, then the Buckeye's managed to win one against Michigan.

Now, it is slowly becoming almost ho-hum to beat Michigan. It's been 7 straight years and 9 of the past 10. I'm not complaining though. It's going to suck when Michigan finally breaks through again.

The game was very similar to the previous two against Michigan. Just general dominance of Ohio State. I don't think Michigan is to far off from being back to being competitive with Ohio State. Provided they don't get rid of Rodriguez.

Pryor had a really nice first half with the exception of his final pass of the half. He didn't really do much in the second half, because he didn't really have to/didn't get to.

The defense did pretty well. You can't really expect to always stop Michigan when Robinson is on the field, but the managed to hold up. Once Robinson was gone Michigan couldn't do a thing.

So, it's on to a bowl game for the Buckeyes. Not surprisingly Wisconsin is ahead of Ohio State in the BCS rankings, so the Badgers will be going to the Rose Bowl. Not to fret though, because Ohio State will be going to a BCS bowl game regardless. Most likely it will against Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl.

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Pasta's Player of the Year Rankings

4. Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford
3. Kellen Moore, QB, Boise State
2. LaMichael James, RB, Oregon
1. Cam Newton, QB, Auburn

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Pasta's Top 5

5. Stanford
4. Wisconsin
3. TCU
2. Auburn
1. Oregon

I'm really wondering if Auburn is already secure in their position in the National Title game. I mean even if they lose next week, I think they may stay ahead of TCU. Or if Auburn would fall in the polls would Stanford or Wisconsin jump TCU.

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I'm skipping the Basketball this week. The games where quite similar and against crappy opponents.

Thanks for reading and please comment.

-Michael

Browns' Monday- Turnover -> 3 and Out Edition

Week 11- Browns @ Jaguars

Cleveland 20
Jacksonville 24

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter
Jacksonville FG: Josh Scobee 47 yards

2nd Quarter
Cleveland TD: Colt McCoy pass to Peyton Hillis for 11 yards
Jacksonville TD: David Garrard pass to Mike Thomas for 5 yards

3rd Quarter
Cleveland TD: Abram Elam returned Jacksonville fumble for 18 yards
Cleveland FG: Phil Dawson 38 yards

4th Quarter
Jacksonville TD: David Garrard pass to Mercedes Lewis for 14 yards
Cleveland FG: Phil Dawson 41 yards
Jacksonville TD: Maurice Jones-Drew rushed for 1 yard

Important Player Stats
Colt McCoy: 17-28, 241 yards, TD, INT

Peyton Hillis: 21 yards, 48 yards, 6 receptions, 95 yards, TD

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5 straight turnovers by the defense. Three offensive points. That's just pathetic. The Browns' offense opened the 2nd half with 5 three and outs in row, 4 of which came off turnovers. The Browns win yesterday if the offense could just get first downs on two of those drives.

I mean the defense did as much as they could, but it was clear that they were dead tired late in the 2nd half. It was entirely due to the failures of the offense.

The game yesterday was just very frustrating.

McCoy played another solid game. He didn't do much in the 2nd half. That's not entirely his fault considering most of the times he passed in the 2nd half were 3rd and longs after two failed runs. The Browns need to find some decent receivers on the outside.

As a game it was reminiscent of the first two games of the season. It just doesn't make sense that Daboll has regressed, but the play-calling in the second half yesterday was tired and predictable, which is something he avoided in recent games.

I don't know what to think about this offseason. The record isn't good enough for Mangini to keep his job, but this team is already lacking talent and is injury depleted. They have been as impressive as I have ever seen a 3-7 team. This team shouldn't be as competitive as they are. So, I'm kind of leaning towards Mangini should keep his job.

Top Draft needs: WR, DE, ILB, DB

Thanks for reading and please comment.

-Michael

Buckeye Sunday

Ohio State 20
Iowa 17

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter
Iowa TD: Ricky Stanzi pass to Marvin McNutt for 19 yards

2nd Quarter
Ohio State FG: Devin Barclay 18 yards

3rd Quarter
Ohio State TD: Terrelle Pryor pass to Reid Fragel for 5 yards
Iowa FG: Michael Meyer 31 yards

4th Quarter
Iowa TD: Marcus Cocker rushed for 1 yard
Ohio State FG: Devin Barclay 48 yards
Ohio State TD: Daniel Herron rushed for 1 yard

Important Player Stats
Terrelle Pryor: 18-33, 195 yards, TD, 2 INTs, 15 rushes, 78 yards

Dane Sanzenbacher: 6 receptions, 102 yards

Daniel Herron: 20 rushes, 69 yards

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Yesterday's performance was probably the most impressed I've been with an Ohio State team in a tough game since the 2005 Michigan game. It was by no means a perfect game and there was a lot of adversity on both sides of the ball, but they managed to tough it out in a difficult environment and get the win.

Terrelle Pryor made some mistakes yesterdays, but did a great job keeping his composure. The Ohio State receivers were dropping balls at a level I've only seen the Cleveland Browns at. He didn't get terribly frustrated and do something stupid, which is awesome. I also really like that he is finally running again. He seemed to be hesitant to run through the middle of the season, either due to injury or over-coaching, but yesterday on scrambles and designed runs he gained yards and kept the opposing defense honest. Since he is such an amazing athlete, he was able to use his legs not his arm to make the biggest play of the game.

The rushing attack definitely benefited from the reintroduction of designed runs for Pryor. Herron wasn't able to put up the big numbers he has been in previous games, but Pryor's numbers more than made up for it.

The defense played a solid game. The secondary had its moments, where you had to worry, but overall it was a good game. Iowa's running game was largely made ineffective. Most importantly, they came up with stops when it was most important. They were able to make Iowa go three and out and four and out in their final two possessions ensuring the Ohio State victory.

I think yesterday's game was the best so far by the Special Teams units. The kick off coverage team had no major lapses. The field-goal unit was finally successful at a long Field Goal attempt. The punting game is still lacking, but it didn't do anything to really mess up.

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Michigan

Yes it is Michigan week. The biggest rivalry in college football. It has finally been pushed till after thanksgiving to somewhat reduce the ridiculous wait that Big 10 teams have until BCS bowl games. No matter how good or bad either team is, this is always a big deal.

Michigan is really simple to explain. Pretty Damn impressive offensively with a high school level defense. It's like this, if you can stop Michigan's offense once, they're fucked, because their defense can't stop anybody, ever.

Ohio State 65
Michigan 24

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Pasta's Player of the Year Rankings

4. Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford
3. Kellen Moore, QB, Boise State
2. LaMichael James, RB, Oregon
1. Cam Newton, QB, Auburn

Note: The winner is not announced until the end of the Bowl season
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Pasta's Top 5

5. Wisconsin
4. TCU
3. Auburn
2. Boise State
1. Oregon

I think Auburn is going to lose to Alabama. My current theory is that Auburn would fall(to 6 or 7) and TCU would move up to #2. Then if Auburn wins the SEC championship, the voters will move them right back up to number 2, because of the entitlement the voters have given the SEC*.

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Ohio State 93
Florida 75

Player Stats

Jared Sullinger 26 points, 10 rebounds

David Lighty 26 points

William Buford 16 points, 8 assists

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Ohio State 81
UNC-Wilmington 41

Stat: Every healthy player on the Ohio State roster played at least 13 minutes

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It was tight for most of the game, but Ohio State took over in the later parts of the 2nd half to rout Florida on their home court. Florida was ranked 9th at the time, but they are overrated. They got that ranking almost entirely on all the starters they returned, but the problem is that those starters aren't very good. So, this victory looks nice now, I don't think it will much matter come selection time in March. Considering that this is without question the toughest out of conference games this year, it may be tough to get a higher seed without a very impressive Big 10 resume.

Jared Sullinger is very impressive. Just three games in and I feel fairly comfortable saying that he is by far the best front court player I've seen at Ohio State.

Something completely different about the Florida game I want to address is the decision by ESPN to cut away from the Ohio State game to go the UConn women's game. Yes, the Ohio State game had gotten out of hand, but damn it I want to watch the Buckeyes not some women's basketball that I do not give a damn about. It's not even like the Women's game would be hard to find if someone really wanted to watch it. It was on fucking ESPN 2! Also, you can't tell me that ESPN isn't able to make sure viewers in Columbus, Ohio can still watch the Ohio State game.

*A Blog First* ESPN, you're on notice.

Yea, UNC-Wilmington was totally outmatched. That's really all that can be said about that game. Holding any team to 41 points does make me one happy dude though, because nothing makes me happier the great defense in Basketball.

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Question for today, How would you like me to organize the Basketball portion of Buckeye Sunday? Do you want the scores and stats for all games that week and then a discussions? Or perhaps have each game taken individually? Let me know in the comments.

Thanks for reading and please comment.

-Michael
*See LSU in 2007

Offensive to My Eyes

Boise State is wearing orange unis on their blue field. As a general rule, Orange uniforms are ugly. Put them on a blue field and it equals seizure.

What else? ALL CAPS. Seriously, I get that you're trying to convey that you're excited/angry/happy/loud. Trying typing what you want to say normally then press Shift+1.

End of bitching session.

Today, I woke up, went to class, and played video games afterward. That' s pretty damn typical for me.

This is bad, I expected something better to come me, but it just isn't.

So, that's it.

Thanks for reading.

-Michael

Browns' Monday- Butterfingers Edition

Week 10- Jets @ Browns

Cleveland 20
New York 26

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter
Cleveland FG: Phil Dawson 34 yards
New York FG: Nick Folk 27 yards
Cleveland TD: Peyton Hills rushed for 12 yards

2nd Quarter
New York TD: Mark Sanchez pass to Jericho Cotchery for 25 yards
Cleveland FG: Phil Dawson 23 yards
New York TD: Mark Sanchez rushed for 1 yard

4th Quarter
New York FG: Nick Folk 25 yards
Cleveland TD: Colt McCoy pass to Mohamed Massaquoi for 3 yards

Overtime
New York TD: Mark Sanchez pass to Santonio Holmes for 37 yards

Important Player Stats

Colt McCoy 18-31, 205 yards, TD

Peyton Hillis 19 rushes, 82 yards, TD

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That was a heart-breaking loss. There's not a lot to be said about it other than that.

Colt McCoy played another solid game. He didn't turn the ball over yet again. He also did something that it feels like ages since it has been done for Browns. He led a late game drive to tie the Jets and force Overtime.

It was looking good in overtime. Colt McCoy completed a nice pass to Stuckey, who proceeded to make some nice moves and got the ball into the edges of field goal range. Why are the players acting weird? It's almost like there's a fumble. Oh shit, Stuckey lost the damn ball. Well, Robo got on top of it right? No. Well then the Jet's players stepped out before recovering, so they weren't allowed to touch the ball? No. But, but, but...

The defense played very well. I mean they got three stops in overtime, which is impressive in the NFL. They even made sure that the turnover in OT didn't lead to anything. The offense was non-existent for the Browns in the second half as well and the defense was able to hold and give McCoy a chance to drive down the field late.

The key play as I see it, is that 2nd and 10 late in the overtime in which Shaun Rogers had Sanchez sacked, but let him escape and complete a pass to Dustin Keller. That was really killer. Almost as much as the fumble by Stuckey. Had he been able to make that sack it would have been 3rd and very long for the Jets at their own five yard line. That would have been nearly impossible for them to convert. Allowing Sanchez to get away, flipped filed position and made it so the Browns were pinned deep to start their final drive, which made doing anything very difficult. It also allowed the Jets to get the ball back in great field position and few missed tackles later; Game Over.

At least, it doesn't look like Cribbs is too badly hurt. Hopefully, he'll be able to practice and play this week.
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Thanks for reading and please comment

-Michael

Buckeye Sunday

Ohio State 38
Penn State 14

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter
Ohio State FG: Devin Barclay 26 yards
Penn State TD: Matthew McGloin pass to Justin Brown for 23 yards

2nd Quarter
Penn State TD: Matthew McGloin pass to Derek Moye for 6 yards

3rd Quarter
Ohio State TD: Daniel Herron rushed for 5 yards
Ohio State TD: Devon Torrence returned an interception 33 yards

4th Quarter
Ohio State TD: Terrelle Pryor passed to Dane Sanzenbacher for 58 yards
Ohio State TD: Travis Howard returned an interception 29 yards
Ohio State TD: Terrelle Pryor passed to Jake Stoneburner for 3 yards

Important Player Stats

Terrelle Pryor: 8-13, 138 yards, 2 TDs, INT

Daniel Herron: 21 rushes, 190 yards, TD

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I couldn't tell whether Ohio State just didn't care in the first half or if they were really that bad, but in the second half they made Penn State look terrible.

Terrelle Pryor wasn't all that impressive yesterday. Virtually all his passing yards came on just two throws. At least he is finally running the ball again.

Matthew McGloin proved that he is still someone who walked on in the Second Half. Playing against Ohio State's defense when they are actually trying made him look bad.

Herron went straight beast-mode.

Yea, I feel like I should be able to offer more insight, but really there wasn't a whole lot to yesterday's game.
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Prediction

Ohio State 27
Iowa 25

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Pasta's Player of the Year Rankings

4. Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford
3. Kellen Moore, QB, Boise State
2. LaMichael James, RB, Oregon
1. Cam Newton, QB, Auburn

Note: Given recent circumstance I feel I should address eligibility requirements for this 'award.' To be considered my Player of the Year one must be eligible to play in the NCAA. If a player is to be given that award and is found to have been ineligible post-fact, the award will be vacated and no one else can be credited with that award.

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Pasta's Top 5

5. Wisconsin
4. TCU
3. Auburn
2. Boise State
1. Oregon
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1st 2nd
Ohio State 102 52 50
North Carolina A & T 61 25 36

Player Stats

Jared Sullinger 19 points, 14 rebounds

Deshaun Thomas 24 points, 8 rebounds

Dallas Lauderdale 12 points, 13 rebounds, 8 blocks

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For the first time in the Blog's brief history, Ohio State Men's Basketball.

The Buckeyes opened this season on Friday night against North Carolina A & T. A new season with four starters returning and a whole lot of Freshman.

Jared Sullinger, Deshaun Thomas and Aaron Craft each played well in their first collegiate playing time. They probably outplayed the returning starters. Of course, we'll have to wait for better opposition to find much out about this team.

The starting line-up lacks a true point guard again this year and that is a major area of concern. I hope Craft will be able to step up and take that role.

Thanks for reading and please comment.

-Michael

Browns' Monday- Where Has This Been? Edition

Week 9- Patriots @ Browns

Cleveland 34
Patriots 14

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter
Cleveland FG: Phil Dawson 38 yards
Cleveland TD: Peyton Hillis rushed for 2 yards

2nd Quarter
New England TD: Tom Brady pass to Aaron Hernandez for for 2 yards
Cleveland TD: Chansi Stuckey rushed for 11 yards

3rd Quarter
Cleveland TD: Colt McCoy rushed for 16 yards

4th Quarter
Cleveland FG: Phil Dawson 37 yards
New England TD: Tom Brady pass to Aaron Hernandez for 1 yard
Cleveland TD: Peyton Hillis rushed for 35 yards

Important Player Stats
Colt McCoy: 14-19, 174 yards, rushing TD

Peyton Hillis: 29 rushes, 184 yards, 2 TDs

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Well, I certainly didn't expect this. This team shouldn't beat the Patriots like that. Unless, maybe, just maybe, they actually are that good.

Colt McCoy had another solid game. It is being made out to be more impressive than it actually was on ESPN and the like. He didn't turn it over and offered enough of a passing threat to help out the running game. He had an awesome highlight running the ball as well. So, he should be credited with an impressive performance for a rookie, but he doesn't need to be anointed yet.

Also, how about the Massaquoi sightings?

Peyton Hillis went straight beast mode yesterday. The offensive line did the same. The Browns held the ball by running the ball very impressively.

The defense put in another great performance. New England was constantly being shutdown on first down. That caused 2nd and 3rd and long situations, which allowed for Rob Ryan to dial up the pressure. The pass rush was effective at putting the pressure on Tom Brady and that is important to stopping an offense.

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Projections

This is a new part to my Browns' Monday post. I'm calling it projections. The idea here is to project what the playoff teams will be given the current data.

With 6 of 17 precincts reporting

AFC North: Too Close to Call(Steelers/Baltimore)
AFC East: Too Close to Call(NYJ/N.E.)
AFC South: Too Close to Call(Indy, Tennessee, Houston, Jacksonville)
AFC West: Too Close to Call(Kansas City and Oakland)
Wildcard : AFC North 2nd place and AFC East 2nd place

NFC North: Green Bay Packers
NFC East: Too Close to Call(Philadelphia, NYG)
NFC South: Too Close to Call(Atlanta, New Orleans)
NFC West: Too Close to Call(Seattle, St. Louis)
Wildcard: NFC East 2nd place and 3rd place

No Longer in the Race: San Francisco, Carolina, Detroit, Buffalo,

On the Brink of Dropping Out: Dallas, San Diego, Denver, Oakland, Cincinnati, Minnesota, Cleveland, Washington

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Checking my preseason prediction

Week 1- @Tampa Bay W Actual Result: L
Week 2- Kansas City W Actual Result: L
Week 3- @Baltimore L Actual Result: L
Week 4- Cincinnati L Actual Result: W
Week 5- Atlanta L Actual Result: L
Week 6- @ Pittsburgh W* Actual Result: L
Week 7- @New Orleans L Actual Result: W
Week 8- Bye
Week 9- New England L Actual Result: W
Week 10- NY Jets L
Week 11- @Jacksonville W
Week 12- Carolina W
Week 13- @Miami W
Week 14- @Buffalo W
Week 15- @Cincinnati L
Week 16- Baltimore L
Week 17- Pittsburgh L

Overall Record: 7-9*(1-5)* Current Record: 1-3

*Under the assumption that Roethlisberger will actually have serve his entire suspension

Thanks for reading and please comment.

-Michael

Buckeye Sunday

Ohio State 0
Bye 0

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I'm kind of up to my eyeballs in homework. Ohio State didn't play this week, so there you go*.

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Pasta's Player of the Year Rankings

4. Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford
3. Kellen Moore, QB, Boise State
2. LaMichael James, RB, Oregon
1. Cam Newton, QB, Auburn


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Pasta's Top 5

5. Wisconsin
4. TCU
3. Auburn
2. Boise State
1. Oregon

-Michael
*If you feel cheated, remember I posted twice on Tuesday, which means I'm averaging more than on post a day right now :)

Midterms Recap

If there one thing to take from any election, it is that everything can change in two years. There are never any absolutes in electoral politics. In the short time that I've been old enough to care about/get politics, I've seen both major parties pronounced dead by pundits. In 2004, it was how marginalized the Democrats had become. In 2008, it was about how the Republicans had become little more than a regional party, whose only supporters are fearful/hateful old people. Lesson here, is that two years following each of these death calls, the party in question had huge electoral victories. So, while the Democrats lost about as bad as any party can in American politics, it doesn't change the fact that the Democrats are still a major party and will without doubt take back congress someday*. And divided may actually work in favor of the Dems in upcoming election, but more on that later.

So, what I want to do is share somethings I think this election did teach us or perhaps some trends that emerged. Again, I'm refraining from any absolutes here, because things can change quick.

Colorado Turning Blue?- Colorado used to be a solid red state. A state where it was a waste of time for a Democrat to spend his time. I mean it would go blue in absolute landslides, like Georgia, but for the most part those electoral votes would go Republican.

Michael Bennet, the Democratic incumbent was able to hold his Senate seat in Colorado. This seemed like a sure pick up for the Republicans, but somehow in a year such as this, a Democrat was able to hold on in Colorado.

Colorado is state that has rapidly changing demographics and those are playing into the Democrats hands. Particularly the increase in the Hispanic population, along with the Republican position on immigration have given the Democrats a pretty good shot at continuing to win in Colorado.

The Tea Party Hurt the Republicans- As massive as Tuesday's victory was the Republicans, it could have been so much worse. Almost the entire reason for that is the Tea Party. The Republican may have picked up 80+ seats in the House and likely would have won control of the Senate had their not been 'Tea Party' candidates. In Colorado, Nevada, and Delaware the Republicans probably would have won easily had their Senate candidates just been mainstream Republicans.

If the tea party continues to be a force in Republican politics, and managed to get their nominee for President, shit will have really had to hit the fan for him to lose reelection. The tea party is very unpopular outside the conservative base and will likely hinder the Republicans in the future.

Of course now there are Tea Party members of Congress now, so the reality of governing may force them to change their ways. Things like voting against raising the Debt ceiling sounds good when you're just rabble-rousing, but when you're actually in government, it's very bad.

2012- It's hard to exactly project what this means for 2012. I mean 2 years is forever in Politics, now more than ever. With the constant media attention, a party or person can go from media darling to pariah. So, here are brief overviews two possible paths. These are both under the assumption that the economy remains shitty.

Good for GOP- The Democrats did hold onto the Senate and of course Obama is still President. If the economy is still bad, the Republicans can blame the Senate for acting on any of their bills or Obama's veto pen. That will probably have some resonance, if the Democrats are as bad message making as they are always are.

Good for Democrats- With GOP control of the House, the Republicans can be forced to take some ownership of the government. This would be aided if the Republicans go for a government shut down or something equally extreme. This allow the Democrats to blame the Republicans for the lack of anything getting done.

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The biggest thing about that can be assured by the results is that absolutely nothing will pass for the next two years. The current congress was amazingly productive, but doesn't get any credit for it. That is almost entirely due to bungling of virtually all the big things that did pass by Obama and the Democratic leadership in Congress. However, I think after two years of truly nothing getting done in Capitol, this congress will finally get some credit.

Thanks for reading and please comment.

-Michael
*Probably sooner rather than later.

Election Night

So, here's going to be the organization of this post. At the top I'll have the current numbers for the House and Senate. Also, I'll have numbers of the important Ohio Races. Below that I'll provide some of my thoughts throughout the night, with the newest ones near the top. Along with that I'll be updating Twitter as well. So, here we go:

U.S. Senate

At the moment with projections
Democrats: 52 seats(including independents) Republicans: 46 seats

Seats That Have Changed Party Control
Indiana D->R
Arkansas D->R
North Dakota D->R
Wisconsin D->R
Pennsylvania D->R
Illinois D->R
Net change: +6 Republican

U.S. House

Pasta's Projection: Republicans 234 Democrats 201 +/- 7 seats

Net change: +61 for the Republicans so far. Only about 10 races are yet to be determined.

Ohio Races

Governor
Ted Strickland(D)
John Kasich(R)*

Senate
Rob Portman(R)*
Lee Fisher(D)

OH-6
Charlie Wilson(D)
Bill Johnson(R)*

OH-12
Pat Tiberi (R)*
Paula Brooks(D)

OH-15
Mary Jo Kilroy(D)
Steve Stivers(R)*

OH-18
Zack Spacke(D)
Robert Gibbs(R)*

*Projected winner

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The Colorado Senate races is finally decided. Michael Bennet holds on to the seat for the Dems in a very tight race.

Washington and Alaska are still undecided. In Washington, the vote counting has come to a stand still at 65% reporting. I can't really find out why. My only guess would be that there is a lot of Mail-in voting there.

In Alaska the winner is likely Lisa Murkowski, the incumbent who failed to win the Republican nomination. In Alaska, they only count Write-in ballots as write-ins unless they can determine the winner of the election, so as of now we just now that Write-in is winning for sure, but Write-in is undoubtedly Murkowski.

This will be the final update on this post unless there is a result out of Washington pretty quickly. I will be doing a wrap-up post on Thursday.

Thanks for reading

-Michael

P.S. I'll update the actual numbers in this post as they come in.

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1:30 am- Apparently there has been a vote counting error in Colorado. Possibly 30,000 to 40,000 votes have been switched from Bennett to Buck. If so, Bennett would retake the lead with a lot of Democratic vote outstanding. It's not clear whether this is an issue with AP or Boulder County itself.

The numbers out of Washington are stagnant.

Unless something interesting happens in about the next fifteen minutes, I'm done for tonight.

Good Night.

-Michael

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1 am- Colorado and Washington are still basically the same as they were. Alaska's polls have closed.

In terms of American politics, what has happened in the House tonight is big. It doesn't get any bigger that this. The Republicans may pick up 65 seats. That's basically a 15% percent turnover, which just doesn't happen.

It's interesting that how bad it is in the House for the Dems, it isn't such a terrible night. It certainly isn't a good night for them, but it could have been so much worse. Really, I think the Democrats can thank the tea party for most of their holds.

I don't know if I'll be up for much longer. Probably only a few more updates.

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12:30 am- Harry Reid holds his seat in Nevada. The Dems are at 51. Still wonder if his leadership will be challenged?

Colorado is looking good for the Dems as well. A lot of the outstanding vote is in Suburban Denver, which should go strongly for the Democrat. So, the margin may be growing there soon.

Washington is also looking good for the Democrats as well.

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The worst kept secret of the night. If you want to read my partisan views on this check the twitter feed on the right side of the blog.

Only 4 Senate seats yet to be decided. Alaska will close at 1am and that will go to the nominated Republican or an independent who would likely caucus with the Republicans. So, there are 3 competitive races left, in Nevada, Colorado and Washington. I'm thinking the Dems go at least 2 of 3 in those races. Maybe even get the sweep.

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It's official Kasich is Governor-elect.

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Thinks it will be called for Kasich pretty soon.

Pat Toomey has won the Pennsylvania Senate seat and Mark Kirk has won the Illinois Senate seat , a fifth and sixth pick up for the GOP

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Midnight- The Governor's race is tightening, but not by enough. It looks like Kasich will win by 50,000+ votes. Provisional ballots still to be counted.

With the polls closing in Hawaii, the Democrats have now won 50 seats. Things are also looking up for them in Nevada and Washington. Pennsylvania and Illinois are looking like Republican pick-ups in very tight races. Colorado is close as well.

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Updating the House Projection. Adjusting the Republican numbers up.

The Ohio Governor's Race is basically down to whether or not Strickland can close the margin with the outstanding vote out of Cuyahoga and Lucas counties. Kasich's vote is virtually entirely in. Once this vote starts coming in the margins will start to close quickly, but still don't think it will be enough.

The Republicans have officially hit their magic number in the house picking up 39 seats. They are likely to just add to that and are unlikely to lost anymore seats.

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11:30 PM- Watching the Governor's race intently. The margin is up to 130,000 votes for Kasich. 1/3 of Cuyahoga county(Cleveland) is yet to be counted and about 40% out of Lucas County (Toledo) still to be counted. This race is going to tighten, but I doubt it will be enough for Strickland.

The Senate Races in Illinois and Pennsylvania are still very tight. They may go into tomorrow.

An hour and a half late we finally get the first returns out of Nevada.

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OH-12 is now called for Tiberi

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I wouldn't have thought OH-12 would be the last one of the four I featured to be called. OH-15 is officially for Stivers. The Governor's races is very tight still. Unlike the Senate races in PA and IL, the Governor's race here in Ohio still has a lot of Democratic vote out. This may take days to figure out who wins.

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11 PM- Nevada still has no returns and their polls have been closed for an hour. The NBC projection for the house just keeps getting worse. They're basically predicting a 60 seat gain, which still seems very generous to me. The Democrats are getting beaten severely, but are showing some more fight that I would've thought.

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OH-6 is another Republican pick-up. It is also showing some evidence that voters in that District voted Republican for the House race and Democrat for the Governor's race.

OH-15 is also looking like another pick up for the GOP.

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10:30 PM- Still no news out of Nevada. Pennsylvania and Illinois still look good for the Democrats. Better in Pennsylvania than Illinois. The vote is largely in for Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, so we'll have to see if Sestak can hold his lead. A lot of Republican vote is still out in Illinois with some of Chicago still to be counted. Either of those holds are big for the Dems on a night such as this.

Ron Johnson has defeated Russ Feingold, which is another pick up for the Republicans.

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OH-18 is looking like it is going to be a Republican pick-up. Space's vote is in and he is still down by a big margin.

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The Ohio Governor's race still looks like it is going to be very tight. Still lots of votes to be counted in Cuyahoga and Franklin county which will be Strickland strongholds. Kasich is running up margins in the rural counties of the western and central part of Ohio. Strickland is doing quite impressively well in his former Congressional District. He's winning in counties in Southeastern Ohio that a Democrat shouldn't.

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10pm- Nevada's polls are closed. This is where the night will really start to get interesting. Pennsylvania and Illinois are still close to call, but it is looking better for the Democrats than I thought they would.

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I made my House Projection. The Republicans will take control of the House of Representatives at the end of this night. The NBC number is still high to me. The Democratic losses will still be ridiculous though.

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9:30 PM- It's looking like Governors race in Ohio will go late into the night as well as the Attorney General race. The votes appear to be coming in very slow from Franklin County. Still a lot to be seen in this state.

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The NBC projections seem quite high to me. I think the Republicans are likely on their way to controlling the house, but 237 seats seems at the very top end of what they can expect. If I had to venture a guess right now, I'd say they'll end up with between 220-230 seats.

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9 PM- NBC news projects the House will be under Republican control. 237-198. It is looking like there is going to be a lot of bloodshed for the Democrats.

Pick up for the Republicans in North Dakota. Another one that isn't at all surprising.

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8:30 PM- The Republicans pick up their second Senate seat. No surprise there. Same as Indiana.
Manchin holds the West Virginia Senate Seat for the Dems. The Dems just need to hold Washington, Nevada, Illinois, or Colorado and will be able to keep control of the Senate.

Not many returns yet out of Ohio.

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No changes in the Senate right at the 8pm closings. I think things are looking good for the seat in West Virginia staying in Democratic hands. I think we're looking at very tight races in Illinois, Colorado, Nevada and Washington. Also it may be closer than expected in Pennsylvania.

The first returns are in for Ohio, but little is too be known yet. The governors race will be close. How close? It's hard to say.

Still looking for more definite info for the House. One pick up for the Dems so far, so the Republicans now need to pick up 40 seats for a majority.

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A lot of closing at 8pm. Things may start to become more clear in the next hour. As of yet it's hard to say.

Election Eve

You know the best thing about this is that I won't have to see anymore of these damn political ads. As much of a political junkie and partisan I am, I just want it to be over. I can't wait until I don't have to hear unfounded attacks as the only thing on TV. It's great that politicians and advocacy think that if you phrase it as a question, you aren't actually making an assertion, but rather are just asking question. I've got to get in on this:

Is Pat Tiberi really a woman?

Does Steve Stivers rape puppies?

Is John Kasich secretly a Nazi who plans to change the Ohio flag to a Swastika?

I'm totally not insinuating anything, I'm just asking questions :)

I've already done my rant about these damn ads. On to more pressing matters.

U.S House of Representatives

It is really hard to get a true grasp as to what exactly will happen when it comes to the final tally in the House. It's clear the Republicans are going to do very well. It's just hard to say whether that very well is 30 seats or 50 seats. The real problem is the lack of reliable polling data for most House races. So, please understand why my projection has wiggle room.

My Projection: The Republicans pick up 40 seats +/- 5 seats.
So, the final tallies: Democrats 210-220 Republicans 210-220

I think we're in for a long night while we try to determine which party will be in control of the House. I think it will be very close and it may hinge on a select few incredibly tight races.

Local Focus

Here are some projections for some of the House Races that are local to me. I'm using a system of my own creation to predict these races. It is based on when I think the race will be called. So here are the four ways I'll be classifying the races:

Called when the polls close- For races that won't really be close

Let me get in a few return to make sure- For races that have the potential or the illusion of being close

Late Night Call- Close race, but the winner becomes evident as the votes get tallied into the late night and early morning

This may take a while- Races that will be very close and the winner might not be known on election night.

I'll be focusing on four Central Ohio races

OH-12

This is the district I live in. It's a pretty safe Republican seat,but has been edging towards almost being competitive the past few cycles. The incumbent Pat Tiberi(R) faces former Franklin County Commissioner Paula Brooks(D).

Tiberi wins reelection easily

Projection: Called when the polls close

OH-15

The three Columbus congressional districts are evidence of the Republicans effective gerrymandering here in Ohio. Columbus is a major metropolitan are that produces 3 Republican seats in virtually every election. That doesn't make sense, but it's the way the lines are drawn. The only seat in the Columbus area that is ever really competitive is OH-15. It definitely leans Republican, but in years such as 2006 and 2008 it can swing to the Democrats largely due to the fact that this district includes Ohio State University. This year it's a rematch of the very close race in 2008 between Steve Stivers(R) and Incumbent Mary Jo Kilroy(D)

Stivers wins comfortably.

Projection: Let me get in a few return to make sure

OH-18

This is a largely rural district, but it has voted overwhelmingly Democratic the past two elections. This district was once held by the disgraced Bob Ney, which is part of the reason a Democrat has been able to do so well in that district. Zack Space(D) is the incumbent and Bob Gibbs is his challenger. This quite the interesting race and has had a ton of money pumped into it. It will be interesting to see if this district reverts back to its conservative ways. It's going to be close.

I think Gibbs wins this one, but it will be very close. I don't think these candidates will be separated by more that 1000 votes.

Projection: This may take a while

OH-6

This is quite the product of redistricting. This district stretches along the Ohio river from just South of Youngstown to the Southern tip of Ohio. It was formerly held by Ohio governor Ted Strickland(D) who went unopposed in 2004. In 2006 and 2008 the Democrat Charlie Wilson won by large margins. This year he is being challenged by Bill Johnson(R). I think this race will be tight, but I think the Democrats will hold.

Charlie Wilson wins in a tight one

Projection: Late Night Call.

U.S. Senate

I'm almost certain that the Democrats will be able to hold Senate. The Republicans must have virtually every competitive race go their way and I don't see that happening. The gap will tighten considerably, but the Dems should still hold the advantage once all the votes have been counted. Here's who I think will win. *Signifies incumbent party keeps the seat.

California- Barbara Boxer(D)*
Colorado- Ken Buck(R)
Illinois- Mark Kirk(R)
Nevada- Harry Reid(D)*
Pennsylvania- Pat Toomey(R)
Washington- Patty Murray(D)*
West Virginia- Joe Manchin(D)*
Wisconsin- Ron Johnson(R)

Add to that sure Republican pickups in Arkansas, Indiana, and North Dakota and it's +7 for the Republicans, which still leaves them short of 51 votes at 48. The races in Nevada and Washington are toss-ups, so the Republicans could easily pick them up, which would leave them at 50 votes, which is still short. If it gets to that point, the biggest race will be for Joe Lieberman. Also Illinois and Colorado are very tight races, which could go either way as well and if the Dems can hold one of those seats, the Republicans won't have a chance.

Projection: 50 Democrats 48 Republicans 2 Independents(who caucus with the Democrats)

Just a side note. This won't really affect the balance of Power, but the Senate Race in Alaska is a 3 way cluster fuck. One of the Republican candidates is sure to win, but I doubt any of them breaks 40%

Local Focus

Ohio Senate Race

This race isn't competitive. Rob Portman(R) will be able to win the seat easily, which is being vacated by the retiring George Voinovich(R). This may be the most impressive of the Republican victories statewide.

Projection: Called when the polls close

Ohio's Governor Race

The fact that this race is even close is a credit to how poorly the Kasich Campaign has been run. The incumbent Governor Ted Strickland(D) has been effective in his attacks against Kasich and has used his war chest to flood the airwaves and the web with last week advertising. John Kasich(R) has been consistently ahead by 3-5 points in the polls for the past week. He's pretty close to getting to 50% as well and it's almost a certainty that the undecideds will break decisively for him.

Kasich wins by a few points.

Projection: Late Night Call.

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Things to Look For Tomorrow Night

Is there a liberal back-lash against the Tea-Party?

It's obvious that the apathetic voters this election are on the Democratic side. A lot of Dems aren't too thrilled with their leadership. However, if there is something that can fire up the Liberal base, it is the tea party. Will the tea party cause enough of a spike in the Democratic vote to help the Democrats hold onto congress? I say look to the Senate Race in Nevada and see what effects the tea party candidate has on turnout on both sides.

Is the recent tightening of races by Democrats an indicator of them being able to survive the night?

This is really hard to say. In races like these, the party in power will likely see a tightening in the polls late, as some apathetic and wandering party voters are pulled back into the fold. The problem is that undecided voters will break overwhelmingly to the Republicans on election day. I'd say if a Democrat isn't up in the polls now, he or she is more than likely going to lose. Again, it will be a long and nervous night for the Democrats.

If Harry Reid loses who will be the new Leader of the Democrats in the Senate?

Chuck Schumer.

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Alright, there you have it. It might all be wrong. Check on this blog tomorrow night as I will provide election night coverage.

Thanks for reading and please comment.

-Michael.

Buckeye Sunday- They're not just Gophers, they're Golden Gophers

Ohio State 52
Minnesota 10

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter
Ohio State TD: Terrelle Pryor rushed for 1 yards
Minnesota TD: DeLeon Eskridge rushed for 7 yards
Ohio State TD: Terrelle Pryor pass to Brandon Saine for 3 yards

2nd Quarter
Ohio State FG: Devin Barclay 23 yards
Ohio State TD: Daniel Herron rushed for 10 yards
Ohio State TD: Terrelle Pryor pass to DeVier Posey for 38 yards

3rd Quarter
Minnesota FG: Eric Ellestad 33 yards
Ohio State TD: Blocked punt recovered by Zach Domicone in the endzone

4th Quarter
Ohio State TD: Jordan Hall rushed for 16 yards
Ohio State TD: John Simon returned a fumble 30 yards

Important Player Stats

Terrelle Pryor: 18-22, 222 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT, 1 rushing TD

Daniel Herron: 17 rush, 114 yards, 1 TD(all in the first half)

DeVier Posey: 6 receptions, 115 yards, TD

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The way this game started out I thought we may be headed for a shoot-out. Minnesota was able to move the ball easily on their first two drives. When Minnesota missed their Field Goal to end their second drive, Ohio State proved that it wouldn't be a shoot-out, because Ohio State has way more guns and bullets.

The defense gave up a lot of big passing plays. I don't think this was a case of poor coverage, but rather the failure of a lot of different defensive players to react properly to the ball in the air. As the game went on this became less of an issue as the Pressure on Minnesota's QB increased. It was a surprisingly aggressive defensive gameplan with loads of blitzs, which left a lot of man coverage, so with no help there were a lot of failures in coverage. That is forgiven though, well because the final score was 52-10.

The offense was able to dominate at the point of attack on most plays, which led to the effective use of Daniel Herron in the power running game. Pryor was efficient in his passing. Either that or Minnesota is terrible defensively. Ok, Minnesota's defense is terrible.

For the first time this season, the Special Teams' Units deserve credit. A huge punt return and punt block. No major lapses in kick coverage. The blocking on FGs and XPs was good. Hopefully they can keep it up for the rest of the season.

There is something, I definitely want to address. Very late in the game Ohio State was up 52-10 and for some reason decided to run the no huddle and pass the ball. I know you want to give Bauserman reps, but that just isn't right. Running the no huddle and passing the ball when you could take three knees and get the win in poor sportsmanship no matter if the backups need reps or not.

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Pasta's Player of the Year Rankings

5. Denard Robinson, QB, Michigan
4. Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford
3. Kellen Moore, QB, Boise State
2. LaMichael James, RB, Oregon
1. Cam Newton, QB, Auburn

The top two players have separated themselves clearly. They are closer to being 1a and 1b than 1 and 2. Kellen Moore is almost in that group, but it's hard because he's done at the half in virtually every game they play.
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Pasta's Top 5

5. Utah
4. TCU
3. Auburn
2. Boise State
1. Oregon

I'm almost sold on Auburn.
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Thanks for reading and please comment.

-Michael

*Note*
Last night I was looking at some new templates and backgrounds and accidentally clicked the wrong button and it stuck. This isn't terrible, but it's not the change I talked about yesterday. So, just don't grow to attached to this look.

Browns' Monday- REVERSE! Edition

Week 7- Browns @ Saints

Cleveland 30
New Orleans 17

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter
Cleveland FG: Phil Dawson 23 yards
Cleveland TD: Peyton Hillis rushed for 4 yards

2nd Quarter
New Orleans FG: Garret Hartley 32 yards
Cleveland FG: Phil Dawson 21 yards
Cleveland FG: David Bowens returned an interception for 30 yards

4th Quarter
New Orleans TD: Drew Brees pass to David Thomas for 11 yards
Cleveland FG: Phil Dawson 48 yards
Cleveland TD: David Bowens returned an interception for 64 yards
New Orleans TD: Drew Brees pass to Marques Colston for 8 yards

Important Player Stats

Colt McCoy 9-16, 74 yards

Reggie Hodges 1 rush, 68 yards

David Bowens 2 INT, 2 TDs

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Well, this certainly wasn't expected. I mean c'mon how are the Browns going to beat the Saints?

It was bout as lack lust a performance as you'll ever see an offense have that puts up 30 points. I mean the starting running back only had one more yard rushing than the punter. McCoy's stats were unimpressive, but compared to the QB play of the end of last season it was tremendous.

The defense played well. They forced many turnovers and for the most part were able to shut down the Saints, which is surprising considering how porous the secondary has been. It just shows what effective pressure can do to even one of the best Quarterbacks in the game.

Trick plays too. You gotta have trick plays.

I'd like to think this will be the turning point, but the more I think about it, yesterday was probably a fluke.
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Projections

This is a new part to my Browns' Monday post. I'm calling it projections. The idea here is to project what the playoff teams will be given the current data.

With 6 of 17 precincts reporting

AFC North: Too Close to Call(Steelers/Baltimore)
AFC East: Too Close to Call(NYJ/N.E.)
AFC South: Too Close to Call(Indy, Tennessee, Houston)
AFC West: Kansas City Chiefs
Wildcard : AFC North 2nd place and AFC East 2nd place

NFC North: Green Bay Packers(based on exit polling)
NFC East: Too Close to Call(Washington, Philadelphia, NYG)
NFC South: Too Close to Call(Atlanta, New Orleans)
NFC West: Seattle Seahawks
Wildcard: NFC East 2nd place and 3rd place

No Longer in the Race: San Francisco, Carolina, Detroit, Cleveland, Buffalo

On the Brink of Dropping Out: Dallas, San Diego, Denver, Oakland, Jacksonville, Cincinnati, Minnesota

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Checking my preseason prediction

Week 1- @Tampa Bay W Actual Result: L
Week 2- Kansas City W Actual Result: L
Week 3- @Baltimore L Actual Result: L
Week 4- Cincinnati L Actual Result: W
Week 5- Atlanta L Actual Result: L
Week 6- @ Pittsburgh W* Actual Result: L
Week 7- @New Orleans L Actual Result: W
Week 8- Bye
Week 9- New England L
Week 10- NY Jets L
Week 11- @Jacksonville W
Week 12- Carolina W
Week 13- @Miami W
Week 14- @Buffalo W
Week 15- @Cincinnati L
Week 16- Baltimore L
Week 17- Pittsburgh L

Overall Record: 7-9*(1-5)* Current Record: 1-3

*Under the assumption that Roethlisberger will actually have serve his entire suspension

Thanks for reading and please comment.

-Michael

Buckeye Sunday

Ohio State 49
Purdue 0

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter
Ohio State TD: Daniel Herron rushed for 11 yards
Ohio State TD: Daniel Herron rushed for 3 yards

2nd Quarter
Ohio State TD: Jordan Hall rushed for 1 yard
Ohio State TD: Terrelle Pryor pass to DeVier Posey for 22 yards
Ohio State TD: Terrelle Pryor pass to Dane Sanzenbacher for 7 yards
Ohio State TD: Terrelle Pryor pass to Corey Brown for 15 yards

4th Quarter
Ohio State TD: Joe Bauserman pass to Spencer Smith for 23 yards

Important Player Stats

Terrelle Pryor 16-22, 270 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs

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Yea, I'm gonna skimp on the discussion again this week. I don't really feel like there was that much to be learned from yesterday's game and I've got a lot of school work to get done tonight.

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Pasta's Player of the Year Rankings

5. Ryan Mallet, QB, Arkansas
4. Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford
3. Kellen Moore, QB, Boise State
2. LaMichael James, RB, Oregon
1. Cam Newton, QB, Auburn

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Pasta's Top 5

5. Michigan State
4. TCU
3. Auburn
2. Boise State
1. Oregon

Thanks for reading and please comment

-Michael

Browns' Monday- I Take It Back Edition

I'm going to start this one off with an apology to Colt McCoy. I totally dissed him last week and have compared him to Brady Quinn twice in the brief history of this blog*. Yesterday, McCoy proved that he is much better than my expectations. His performance was by no means brilliant, but he definitely showed that he is much better than Brady Quinn.

I don't know yet if he is going to be a franchise QB, but he will be better in the NFL that I could have expected.

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Scoring Summary

1st Quarter
Cleveland FG: Phil Dawson 39 yards

2nd Quarter
Pittsburgh TD: Ben Roethlisberger passed to Mike Wallace for 29 yards

3rd Quarter
Pittsburgh TD: Ben Roethlisberger passed to Hines Ward for 8 yards

4th Quarter
Pittsburgh TD: Rashard Mendenhall rushed for 2 yards
Cleveland TD: Colt McCoy passed to Benjamin Watson for 12 yards
Pittsburgh TD: Ben Roethlisberger passed to Heath Miller for 14 yards

Important Player Stats

Colt McCoy: 23-33, 281 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs

Benjamin Watson: 6 receptions, 88 yards, 1 TD

Evan Moore: 4 receptions, 84 yards

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To say I was impressed with Colt McCoy would be an overstatement. To say I was unimpressed by his performance would be an equal overstatement. He did some good things yesterday. He made some mistakes. He showed some signs of inexperience.

Most of the time he stood tall against the Pittsburgh pass rush. He took lots of hits. I mean they blitzed him virtually every play. He kept getting up and showed no signs of fear. There were sometimes that he tucked the ball and ran when the pocket held. Now to be fair to him, There were virtually no receiving threats left to him following the injuries to Cribbs and Massaquoi.

He'll get the start next week. Maybe we'll find out more about his NFL chops against another tough opponent.

The running game has been ineffective the past two weeks. That's a big problem for this team.

The defense has played well for the most part this season and yesterday they continued to play well for the most part. The problem has been lapses in the secondary**. Same thing happened yesterday.

Good punting performance by Reggie Hodges. He looks to be the next in a long line of good punters for the Browns since their return***.

Hopefully Cribbs and Massaquoi will be healthy enough next to play, so we can see McCoy with the closest thing the Browns have to playmakers around him.

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James Harrison

I'm not going to spend a lot of time on this, but I just wanted to say something about the hits Harrison gave to the Browns' two top receivers.

It's really annoying to me that T.J. Ward got so much shit for hit he gave Shipley, but Harrison is receiving kudos for his two helmet-to-helmet hits that knocked Cribbs and Massaquoi out with likely concussions. Ward's hit was not helmet-to-helmet and it was in an important situation were he needed to make sure the receiver didn't catch the ball. I'm not defending it as a clean hit, but it was a football incident. James Harrison was head hunting yesterday.

That's all I have to say about that.
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Projections

This is a new part to my Browns' Monday post. I'm calling it projections. The idea here is to project what the playoff teams will be given the current data.

With 6 of 17 precincts reporting

AFC North: Too Close to Call(Steelers/Baltimore)
AFC East: Too Close to Call(NYJ/N.E.)
AFC South: Too Close to Call(All 4 teams)
AFC West: Kansas City Chiefs
Wildcard : AFC North 2nd place and AFC East 2nd place

NFC North: Green Bay Packers(based on exit polling)
NFC East: Too Close to Call(Washington, Philadelphia, NYG)
NFC South: Too Close to Call(Atlanta, New Orleans)
NFC West: Too Close to Call(3 teams in a giant crap fest)
Wildcard: NFC East 2nd place and NFC South 2nd place

No Longer in the Race: San Francisco, Carolina, Detroit, Cleveland, Buffalo

On the Brink of Dropping Out: Dallas, San Diego, Denver, Oakland

Thanks for reading and please comment.

-Michael
*I know to some that may not seem like a huge insult, but trust me, if I compare a quarterback to Brady Quinn, that is a serious insult.
**By 'secondary,' I mean Eric Wright. I can has Joe Haden?
***Excluding Frost. That guy was a terrible punter. He's the Brady Quinn of punting

Buckeye Sunday- You Tell Me

This is my 100th post. Here's to 100 more

Ohio State 18
Wisconsin 31

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter
Wisconsin TD: David Gilreath returned kick-off 97 yards
Wisconsin TD: John Clay rushed for 14 yards

2nd Quarter
Wisconsin TD: John Clay rushed for 1 yard
Ohio State FG: Devin Barclay 21 yards

3rd Quarter
Ohio State TD: Daniel Herron rushed for 13 yards

4th Quarter
Ohio State TD: Daniel Herron rushed for 1 yard
Wisconsin TD: James White rushed for 12 yards
Wisconsin FG: Philip Welch 41 yards

Important Player Stats
Terrelle Pryor 14-28, 156, 1 INT

Daniel Herron 19 rushes, 91 yards, 2 TDs

Dane Sanzenbacher 6 receptions, 94 yards

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I'm not even going to try to sound reasonably informed about yesterday's game. I watched it out of the corner of my eye. So, You tell me what happened?

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Purdue isn't very good. That's all I have to say about that.

Ohio State 41
Purdue 3
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Pasta's Player of the Year Rankings

5. Ryan Mallet, QB, Arkansas
4. Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford
3. Kellen Moore, QB, Boise State
2. Cam Newton, QB, Auburn
1. LaMichael James, RB, Oregon


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Pasta's Top 5

5. Auburn
4. Oklahoma
3. TCU
2. Boise State
1. Oregon

Thanks for reading and please comment

-Michael

Lacking Inspiration I Turn to...

Politics. Not that it is all that inspiring, but it is something I know pretty well. So, I'm going to talk a little bit about the race for Governor here in Ohio.

The polls seem to tightening again with the latest poll having Strickland only trailing 48-45. That is a statistical tie and most all the polls over the month have fallen into that category. Kasich was leading pretty consistently by double digits going into September.

I still don't feel that Strickland has much of a chance come election day though. I'd like to see him polling with a lead and preferably over 50%. The undecided vote will break Republican come election day, so unless Strickland can get himself a margin he is in trouble. I don't see him getting that margin though.

The only reason this race is even close is John Kasich. He's basically a giant D-bag and his campaign has been run reflecting that. His mistakes along with Strickland having a decent sized war chest has kept this race tight, when honestly, if the Republicans had a decent candidate, this race would be a runaway just like the Senate race.

The funny thing is that it doesn't really matter who wins. It doesn't matter what they are saying now, once one of them gets into office they will be forced to do essentially the same things due to the states budget deficit. They will both have to make big cuts and raise taxes. The only slight difference will be in the cuts. Strickland would avoid cutting too deeply into things that would upset Democrats and Kasich would avoid cutting to deeply into things that would make Republicans unhappy.

That's all I have to say about that.

Thanks for reading and please donate to help sick little kids.

-Michael

Browns' Monday- Forth QB on the Roster Edition

Week 5- Falcons @ Browns

Cleveland 10
Atlanta 20

Scoring Summary

Second Quarter
Atlanta FG: Matt Bryant 24 yards
Cleveland TD: Seneca Wallace pass to Peyton Hillis for 19 yards
Atlanta FG: Matt Bryant 30 yards

Thrid Quarter
Cleveland FG: Phil Dawson 19 yards
Atlanta TD: Matt Ryan Pass to Roddy White for 45 yards

Forth Quarter
Atlanta TD: Kroy Biermann returned an interception for 41 yards

Important Player Stats
Seneca Wallace 11-15, 139 yards, 1 TD
Jake Delhomme 13-23, 97 yards, 2 INTs
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I think I may be the only one who doesn't feel Delhomme deserves to have book thrown at him. His performance wasn't stellar by any means, but I don't think it was horrendous or even a return to what had been Delhomme's form the previous few seasons. I mean he was obviously still injured. He was only slightly less gimpy that Wallace. The Interception weren't really his fault. Here's a break down:

INT 1- On this play, the Falcons sent 5 pass rushers. The two linebacker lined up over the Center. One dropped back and one came on the Blitz. The Offensive line adjusted its protection as if both linebackers were coming, which left the Right End unblocked. When one of the linebackers dropped, Joe Thomas failed to adjust, so Delhomme had to throw it quickly. It got deflected by an unblocked man who managed to Intercept it and take it back for six.

Delhomme knew the Right End would be unblocked and tried to get the ball out quickly to the hot route, which was the back into the left. That was the right thing to try to do in that circumstance, because in most instances the ball will whiz by the defenders helmet for a positive play.

INT 2- Delhomme got pressured quickly on this play from pretty much all angles. He probably should have eaten the ball and taken the sack, but it was late in the game and a sack would have cost precious time. So, he did tried to get the ball out and it deflected off an offensive lineman's helmet since he was being pushed into Delhomme's grill. The ball bounced up into the air and was picked off effectively ending the game.

Back to the general discussion, Delhomme completed passes that were a significant improvement from anything the Browns had last season*. This is not to say the loss of Wallace didn't hurt the Browns. Wallace was playing very well. Add to that, Wallace's maneuverability would have helped against the pass rush of the Falcons. Delhomme was basically a statue back there due to his injury.

Overall, I wasn't incrediably displeased with the offense's performance yesterday; even in the second half. In the first half, the Brown's had some effective passing on first down, which will become a necessity if the Browns are going to continue to be competitive. There wasn't much luck running the football, though, which will need change. There were no sustained drives, but for the most part 3 and outs were avoided. This unit needs to improve, but I can't completely bemoan them either, because I remember the dark ages of last season, before the light of Jerome Harrison. Hopefully, Hillis will heal quickly though.

It was another good effort by the defense. It was just another case of the defense tiring out after being asked to make so many stops following another ineffective offense series. If this team can get to scoring 21 points per game, this defense should be able to win the Browns a lot of game.

Something I am very pleased with is the Field Goal block team. They have gotten two important blocks in the past two games and deserve major kudos for that. The key has been the fear opposing team's special teams have for Shaun Rogers. He has been a blocking machine in the past and is drawing so much attention that the outside rushers have been able to get through to block Field Goals.

That's it for this game. The injury report this week should be interesting.
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Browns resign Ratliff

The injuries to both Wallace and Delhomme have made it necessary for the Browns to add a forth quarterback onto the roster.Knowing this move was coming, I was sort of hoping, they would pick up someone like Jeff Garcia, but figured they would just go snag Ratliff off the New England practice squad.

Does this mean McCoy is going to start against the Steelers? I think yes. There is no way the Browns make this move if they think Wallace or Delhomme could play. I mean Wallace has a fresh ankle sprain and Delhomme proved yesterday that he isn't healed yet.

So, it looks like McCoy is going to be thrown into the fire. There is a chance Ratliff could start, though; especially if the company line is to keep McCoy from playing in year one unless the situation becomes desperate. Either way my feeling is that the offensive gameplan is going to be super conservative**.

It may be a long game next week filled with a lot of three runs and a punt series.


Thanks for reading and please donate to help sick little kids.

And Fuck the Steelers.

-Michael
*Brady Quinn wouldn't throw it more the 5 yards down field.
**Shades of the Bruce Gradkowski start at the end of the '08 season.

Buckeye Sunday- The Exposed

Ohio State 38
Indiana 10

Scoring Summary

First Quarter

Ohio State TD: Daniel Herron rushed for 39 yards
Ohio State TD: Terrelle Pryor pass to Dane Sanzenbacher for 22 yards

Second Quarter
Ohio State TD: Terrelle Pryor pass to Brandon Saine for 60 yards
Ohio State TD: Terrelle Pryor pass to DeVier Posey for 18 yards
Ohio State FG: Devin Barclay 36 yards

Third Quarter
Ohio State TD: Daniel Herron rushed for 8 yards
Indiana FG: Mitch Ewald 36 yards

Forth Quarter
Indiana TD: Antonio Banks rushed for 1 yard

Important Player Stats
Terrelle Pryor: 24-30, 334 yards, 3 TDs

Daniel Herron: 12 rush, 68 yards, 2 TDs

DeVier Posey: 8 reception, 103 yards, 1 TD
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*Disclaimer* I didn't really pay much attention to the game for most of the second half.
Yesterday's performance was pretty much the opposite of what happened last week.

The offense played well. The defense shutdown Indiana. The special teams still iffy.

Starting with the offense, The Buckeyes were able to exploit a very weak Indiana defense. Loads of big plays allowed Ohio State to drive down the field with ease on most first half possessions. Pryor didn't run at all. He didn't need to, because protection, with the exception of a few lapses, was solid. We'll have to wait till next week to find out if this was due to injury, because Wisconsin actually has a defense.

Brandon Saine was basically moved to Wide Receiver for this game and I presume for the rest of the season. He has been largely ineffective in the running game, but has been an effective receiver so far this season, so the move seems natural. He's like Michael Wiley in reverse.

There has been and still is being made about Ohio State's lack of a power running game. I don't really find much of an issue with it. Let's start with an obvious issue. The offensive line is struggling to hold their blocks and getting a shove on power running plays. I can't really explain this away. The line *cough* Browning *cough* just needs to be more physical to maintain the hole. Also I beginning to think that the "starting" running backs aren't the best on the roster. The number twos are coming in and producing behind an inferior offensive line, but still against the opponents number one offense. But perhaps the most glaring issue is how obvious it is that a power running play is coming. I mean, an I-formation means run to the opponents defense, because for all intents and purposes that is what it is used for.

I seem to be the only one who isn't terribly upset by all that though. Honestly, I don't think Ohio State needs a power running game this year. The most effective running back the Buckeyes have is the quarterback. He provides a running game that keeps defenses honest with his threat to run even on pass plays and passing downs.

On to the defense. It was a dominating performance against Indiana. Indiana had no success passing the ball, which is basically all they have.

Another Field Goal was blocked. I disagreed with the decision to kick that field goal, because I was pretty sure that would be the result and the best I thought Ohio State could hope for was a miss. It was a kicker that hasn't shown the leg* to make a 54-yard field goal and a protection unit, which has been exposed repeatedly this season. It was recipe for disaster, but fortunately there wasn't a return and the defense held strong.

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I'm not going to do a long spiel about Wisconsin. They are a very solid football team and visiting Wisconsin is always a scary trip.

Prediction
Ohio State 21
Wisconsin 16
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Pasta's Player of the Year Rankings

5. Cam Newton, QB, Auburn
4. Ryan Mallet, QB, Arkansas
3. Kellen Moore, QB, Boise State
2. Denard Robinson, QB, Michigan
1. LaMichael James, RB, Oregon



A whole lot of players barely missed the cut this week. Andrew Luck, Terrelle Pryor, and Colin Kaepernick and the most notables. Martinez of Nebraska is also rising fast, but I'd like to see him do it against some more impressive opponents. Mark Ingram has fallen completely off the radar.


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Pasta's Top 5 teams(expanded to 10 for this week)

10. South Carolina
9. Utah
8. Oklahoma
7. Alabama
6. Auburn
5. Nebraska
4. TCU
3. Boise State
2. Oregon
1. Ohio State


I expanded it to 10 teams this week, because yesterday's results created an interesting question about the ranking. How far should Alabama fall? Should Anyone jump TCU and Boise State? and on and on.
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Forth Down


I'm starting another new segment this week that I'm going to call, "Forth Down." This will be just a few blurbs about some of the games and people involved in them, done in a satirical style like The Onion.

Brett Bielema's Head Explodes at Post-game Press Conference

While being questioned by reporters following a blowout win against Minnesota, Wisconsin Coach Brett Bielema's head suddenly exploded.


Reporters were questioning his decision to go for two when already having the game in hand. Coach Bielema explained that his coaching sheet said to go for two in the situation.

"What if the sheet told you not to use the sheet?" a reporter asked.

Bielema's rambled for a moment and then his head suddenly exploded revealing him to be a robot.

Fans Wish For Basketball in Louisville

Louisville defeated Memphis 56-0 yesterday on the grid iron, but it was pretty obvious the fans would have preferred the game to be on the hard court.

Late in the game the some contingent of Memphis fans in attendance started chanting, "Let's play basketball." The Louisville fans tried to think of a clever comeback, but then realized that they to would rather be at a basketball game.
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Thanks for reading and please donate to help sick little kids.


-Michael
*I'm sick of hearing about how strong Basil's leg is. He can't get touchbacks and that's all I want from a kick off specialist.