Orlando Cabrera to Join Indians?
February 10, 2011Recapping the 2011 Greater Cleveland Sports Awards
February 11, 2011
While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.
Jon and Paul plus baseball is back, this time over at the DiaTribe- “No, what strikes me as the biggest story coming out of Spring Training is that this team is coming off consecutive 90-loss seasons, and nothing has really changed. We’re left looking at largely the same roster that we had last year, with (hopefully) fewer injuries. Does this strike you as a problem? Should there be more intrigue and moving parts for a team with so much room for improvement?” [The DiaTribe]
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Santana had 10 at-bats too many to be considered a rookie this season. Keith Law would have made him the odds on favorite to win AL ROY if he was eligible- “If Santana doesn’t hurt his knee, he grabs another 150 or so at-bats and probably ends up on most AL Rookie of the Year ballots. The injury was apparently less severe than an MCL or ACL tear, with a recovery time of 4-6 months rather than 8-12, so he should be ready to go for spring training, although I wouldn’t be shocked to see Cleveland give him more days off this year than a starting catcher might ordinarily receive. Santana is a well-rounded offensive player with great plate discipline and an explosive bat; if he stays behind the plate long-term, he’ll be one of the best players in the American League.” [Law/ESPN Insider]
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Looking at the Cabrera signing- “Count me among the skeptical that Donald has the arm to play third (and Cabrera has never played there). It still seems to me that Jayson Nix is the favorite to land the most opportunity at the hot corner. We shall see. But if you think Jason Kipnis is likely to win the second base job outright this spring, you haven’t been paying much attention to the methodical way the Indians do things. Kipnis just transitioned to second base a year ago, and his only Triple-A experience came in the International League playoffs last fall. He’ll be Columbus-bound. So given all this youth, uncertainty and instability, the Indians made a wise move in bringing in a veteran stopgap. One who clearly is understanding of his role as a fixer.” [Castrovince/Catroturf]
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Ohio State plays next Saturday at Wisconsin- “There’s no getting around it: The Kohl Center has been a house of horrors for the Buckeyes over the course of the last decade. Ohio State earned wins in their first three trips after the building opened in 1998, but they’ve now lost their last eight. Matta’s teams have gone 0-5 in Madison, including the lone conference blemish for the Thad Five-powered 15-1 squad, but it’s not just Matta’s Buckeyes — every team seems to struggle in that building.” [Jason/Eleven Warriors]
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McShay mock #3- ” Browns select Marcell Dareus, DT, Alabama New defensive coordinator Dick Jauron could use a disruptive 3-technique like Dareus to fit his 4-3 scheme. Dareus missed two games in 2010 thanks to suspension and was hobbled by an ankle injury for several others, but anyone questioning his ability to penetrate and make plays in opposing backfields clearly did not watch tape of the Crimson Tide’s 2009 national title run.” [McShay/ESPN Insider]
(AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
8 Comments
I think Dareus is the best pick the Browns could make. He was a real playmaker on that Alabama defense for 3 years, including knocking our current QB out of the national title game and returning a pick 20 yards for a TD in that game. After all the cuts this week, the AJ Green dream has to go out the window.
Even before the cuts the Browns needed D-line help so I’m fine with that. I think Holmgren believes a change to the WCO will benefit the offense more than drafting AJ Green.
2nd Round – Jon Baldwin or bust.
This Baldwin guy looks promising.
I don’t mind the emphasis on refreshing the defense. The 3-4 only works if you have top flight linebackers. If they are switching to the 4-3, they’ll need all the big men up front they can get.
As for receivers, I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again…If the Browns can’t land a top flight receiver in the first (or maybe second) round, they should just concentrate on scouting and trying out undrafted guys. There are plenty of receivers to go around. There’s no use over-paying a mid-level receiver in the middle rounds when you can find one that’s nearly as good after the draft for the league minimum.
After all, good receivers are only directly involved in about 8 to 10 plays per game. D-linemen, O-linemen, RBs (both when running and in pass protection), and linebackers are involved constantly.
@ C-bus Kevin – you are correct that good receivers are only DIRECTLY involved in 8-10 plays per game, but not having a playmaker that has to be accounted for is a huge weakness. Someone who can back the secondary off allows the defense to focus on stopping the run with no fear of getting burned.
Imagine what a true #1 receiver does to our offense. MoMass becomes a #2, Robiskie a #3 (more suitable for both of them), and now the safeties have to fear play action and can’t sit on the run all day because we actually have someone who can beat them deep. I seriously doubt that Ed Reed or Polumalu were ever scared of MoMass making a big play, so they could cheat up a few steps and focus on stopping Hillis.
A true #1 receiver would have a profound impact on our offense, in my opinion. I’m not necessarily saying that we should draft one, but we need to find SOMEONE who the defenses in our division have to respect.
* correction: NOT HAVING someone who can back the secondary off…
@cb Completely agree. Before this week I was hoping for Green, but with the cuts we appear to have a greater need right now.
Andre Knot was on The Fan in Columbus and brought up a good point that next years draft looks promising with Justin Blackmon and Alshon Jeffrey heading the class. That kind of warmed me up to the idea of getting a top DL prospect this year and holding off for one of them next year and try to find a diamond in the rough in the later rounds. As much as I hate Boise St., I’m a big fan of Titus Young and Austin Pettis and they should be available in the mid-rounds.
@ BuckeyeDawg…I agree that this team needs an offensive playmaker at receiver. To me, it’s a question of value.
I would argue that you can find a fast receiver to stretch a defense after the draft. The team needs better receivers, but right now, they just need someone fast that can run past cornerbacks. I would take average hands at this point.
Take robo for instance. He’s got good hands, but can’t separate very well, and the team overpaid for him. I would rather have a devery henderson from new orleans. He’s got stone hands, but teams need to be aware of him because he is very fast.