Plain Dealer Link

BEREA, Ohio -- Browns general manager George Kokinis was escorted out of the Browns facility in Berea by security, two league sources told the Plain Dealer, and is believed to have been fired.

 The Browns did not immediately return calls or emails, including an email to owner Randy Lerner.

 Kokinis was handpicked by Browns coach Eric Mangini to be his general manager, but was barely heard from after his hiring in January. Both began their careers in Cleveland as underlings to Bill Belichick in the early 1990s.
 One league source said "Kokinis is a great guy who does not deserve this. He is taking the fall for the team's problems and it's not right.''

 Browns owner Randy Lerner spent considerable time following Sunday's 30-6 loss to the Bears on Sunday talking one-on-one with Dawn Aponte, Vice President, Football Administration, who was under Kokinis' jurisdiction in the football operations department.

You know, because it's clearly his fault that the Browns are 1-7. His 6 Months on the job dismantled the Super Bowl caliber team we call the Cleveland Browns.

Per ESPN:

The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Phoenix Suns have come to an agreement on a blockbuster trade that sends Shaquille O'Neal to Cleveland to team with LeBron James, according to sources.

The deal has been agreed to in principle and is expected to be finalized Thursday, according to sources.

Cleveland will send Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic to Phoenix for the future Hall of Famer. Sources said the Suns will also receive the 46th pick in Thursday's NBA draft and $500,000.

Various links after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

A good play is easy to spot on game day. It’s the decision to go for it on fourth-and-one that yields a fresh set of downs, a blitz-beating touchdown toss, or even a basic trap play, executed perfectly a handful of times, that marches your offense down the field. But while these plays unfold in the moment, it’s the weeks and even months of preparation that ultimately make them work. Good play calling is the result of repetition and trial and error without the glare of the lights or the eyes of the crowd. It’s the tweaking and the teaching and the implementation of concepts that were rolled out in spring practices or honed on hot summer days.

For some, it’s a near exact science. For others, it’s an innate feel when they are in the flow of the game. And for others still, it’s a bit of both. Play calling can be as unique as the person calling the game.”

Continue reading this post »