Remember the scene in the 1987 comedy, Overboard, where the Goldie Hawn is on her yacht complaining about the crappy caviar she had been served?

That’s a pretty good metaphor of Ohio State nation’s attitude towards the mediocre performance the Buckeye offense displayed vs. Hawaii and Northern Illinois.  We are up in arms while having the #1 ranked team in the nation.  We are casting stones while having arguably the top 3 quarterbacks in the Big Ten ALL on our team.  We are so loaded with talent that one of our biggest problems is finding ways to give everyone enough playing time.

Most of us remember that the Declaration of Independence famously promised the right to “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness”.  I think it also assigned a crucial patriotic duty to our nation’s sports’ fans, as well as its teenagers: “Thou shalt always COMPLAIN!”

So let me perform my civic responsibility as a blogger and examine the woes of the O…

Much of the criticism has been thrown at Urban Meyer for the lack of decisiveness in choosing a quarterback to lead his team.  I can’t disagree with that.  Urban loves competition as a motivator, and I am guessing that he is incorporating that mentality into his handling of Cardale Jones and J.T. Barrett.  But quarterback is the one position on the field where the threat of being replaced is much more of a hindrance than a motivator.  The fear of making mistakes can quickly cripple even the most talented signal callers.  And it appears to be taking its toll on these two highly accomplished players.

But I think a much bigger problem for these QBs, and the offense as a whole, has been in the plays being called.  2014 offensive coordinator Tom Herman left to become the head coach at Houston.  Strasburg native Ed Warinner has taken over as O.C., with Coach Meyer and QB coach Tim Beck also helping out with play calling.  The growing pains in this transition have been quite evident over the last two Saturdays.

The quarterbacks have struggled because they have not been given very many easy throws.  Opposing defenses seem to be smothering receivers, as well as ball carriers.  I think it’s because the O.S.U. offense is allowing defenses to play ‘downhill’:  defenders fly up directly towards runners, especially on the wide runs, and while also jumping receivers on their short routes.

The solution, according to television game announcers the last two weeks, is to simply hammer superback Ezekiel  Elliott up the middle to pound these lesser teams into submission.  That mentality will get them wins over the Hawaii’s and Northern Illinois’s of the football world.  But when big boys like Michigan State come calling, being a one-trick pony won’t be enough.  It’s also an enormous waste of the wealth of talent the Buckeyes have at QB and just about every other position.

Instead, O.S.U. needs to a better job of slowing opposing defenses down to create wider lanes for its receivers and runners.  How?  By keeping them honest.  I am not talking about using Wonder Woman’s favorite tool…

(Though a ‘lasso of truth’ would be very handy for any parent of a teenager).

I am talking about using misdirection in running plays and play-action fakes in passing plays.  Currently, when Braxton Miller or any OSU receiver goes in that short, quick motion to receive the ball for a wide ‘jet’ sweep, defenses make a bee line for the motion man.  How about faking that sweep at times to hand off to Zeke Elliott inside.

Speaking of which, when Elliott goes towards the ball, he gets it 90% of the time.  Against Virginia Tech, as well at the end of last season, Cardale would keep the ball periodically on the read option to burn teams that were smothering Elliott.  I have noticed very little of that recently.

And just about every time the Buckeyes pass, it is a straight pass.  How about faking some hand-offs to Elliott or those jet sweep receivers to help get receivers open in the passing  game.  Open receivers make for easy throws, which creates momentum and confidence for the QB.

And one more thing about the passing offense.  Former Browns’ coach Pat Shurmur called…  He wants his crappy West Coast offense back!

Is there anything more frustrating than a 2-yard quick out pass on a 3rd down and four situation.  Doesn’t Cardale have a nickname?  Oh yeah…

!

How ’bout we let Cardale air out his NFL arm and throw some deep balls.  Even if he doesn’t complete very many, it will loosen up those opposing defensive secondaries considerably.

I am sure Ohio State will get this all figured out.  In fact, I described a very similar problem with the Ohio State offense in a blog I wrote last fall.  He is what I said after their Cincinnati win:

The Buckeye offensive play-calling was at it’s most impressive vs. Cincinnati

I know that the Bearcats were Mildcats defensively.  But I thought this was the most creative and innovative offensive display of the Urban Meyer era.   They used motion and play action well, and had a good run/pass balance.  They had some creatively deceptive plays to get backs to the edge and receivers open.  One thing I would like to see more of is stretching defenses with more intermediate and long passes.

So remember Buckeye fans:

We are the defending national champions!

We are the currently the number one ranked team in the nation!

We have a head coach that has lost four games in three years!

Michigan lost four games in a little over a month last season!

Enjoy the caviar while you have it.  Texas Longhorn fans are eating  fishbait right now.

E-mail the author:  macaljancic@yahoo.com

Follow the author on twitter:  @macaljancic

 

Hmmmmm.  What should I write about with the Browns this week???

I could analyze the train wreck that Cleveland appears to be after only one game this year.

Naaaaa.  I’m guessing I’ll have plenty more opportunities for that topic over the next few months.

The Browns’ home opener is this weekend, though.  And the start of another season along the shores of Lake Erie brings back waves of memories of my trips to watch my beloved Brownies.

My father, Andy, was 3rd generation Slovenian-American who grew up in Euclid, about 10 miles east of old Municipal Stadium.  He and his dad, also Andy, caught just about every game through heyday of the Browns in the 50s and 60s.  They even saw the 27-0 upset of the Colts in the 1964 NFL championship game.

Work, family, and a move to Stark County eventually limited the ‘Andy Duo’ to a few games a year.  But in fall of 1978, Dad made a monumental decision that would change the course of world history.  More specifically, the world of 7-year old Andy #3, nicknamed ‘Mac’.

Earlier that summer, when dad took me to a Tribe game, he told me that the Browns played in that exact same stadium.  WHAT?????????????  That completely blew my soon-to-be 2nd grade mind!  How could this beautiful green baseball diamond also be a  football field???

On a beautiful September sunny Sunday afternoon, Dad and I drove up I-77 to join Grandpa to see the Browns take on the Bengals.  The first thing that I learned is that parking is both an art and an adventure.  One of dad’s key commandments of life, one that I use to this day, is…

GO WHERE TRAFFIC ISN’T!

I must note that this commandment that I have passed on to my family often saves me a lot of time.  And periodically gets me in some very hairy situations.

Back to 1978.   Instead of following the thousands of ‘sheep’ down the clogged artery that is East 9th Street on game day, Dad deftly took us on a detour to our eventual Lakeside Avenue destination. That is where I learned Andy’s 2nd commandment:

DON’T EVER PAY FOR PARKING!

I am not married to this one, but I do try to find some deals.   More on that later.

After finding a free spot, we started our long, adventurous journey to the stadium.  I say ‘adventurous’ because my dad was big on short-cuts.  And our short cut for Browns’ games was to go ‘on’ the beaten path–literally.  Instead of walking down to the East 9th Street Bridge, Dad,  grandpa, and I slowly traversed a steep, worn dirt path that wound down what is pretty much about a 100-foot cliff.  I vividly remember that the last 10 feet was pretty much a vertical drop.  And on that day, at that moment, my 60ish-year-old grandpa crashed and burned.  Fortunately, he survived with only his pride broken.  We crossed some railroad tracks and returned to civilization.

That adventure might have saved us 3 minutes, but it became a rite of passage for our family.  My two younger brothers, as well as the various friends we would periodically bring along, would all scaledown that cliff.  In fact, when I moved down south to Muskingum College, a girl I knew was heading up to an OSU game at Cleveland Stadium,  and asked for some pointers. My buddy Steve and I not only gave her our secret parking location, but we DEMANDED that she take the short-cut.  Tracy later reported to us, with a huge smile, that she conquered the cliff!

I am sad to say that I have not passed this tradition on to my sons (which includes Andrew #4).  Cleveland Police closed our ‘trail of tears’ in the early 90s after someone died at the bottom.  D-I-E-D.  But I have taken the boys to the edge to take a peek down to where they almost lost their great-grandfather.

Each time we reached the bottom the cliff, I would be rewarded with my first glimpse of this grand old dame…

In the distance, the thousands of stadium lights were usually on as the yellow upper deck seats slowly began accepting their guests. Cleveland Municipal Stadium had plenty of critics, but I loved the place.

The Browns rolled the O.J Simpson-led 49ers in their opener the week before (remember when O.J. was THE rock star of the sports world!), so the Stadium was surrounded by an electric ocean of orange and brown.  Plenty of SIPE and PRUITT jerseys dotted the massive herd of fans heading for the gates.  As we approached the entrance, Dad scooped me up and told me to act like a little kid.  I think he even told me to say ‘goo-goo ga-ga’.  Huh?  

I guess $6 was a steep ticket price for my dad, so he was hoping I would get a toddler freebie.  As we got to the turnstile, the ticket taker first looked at my innocent mug, then gave Dad the stink-eye and told him that NEXT time, I would need a ticket.  We made it!   ALJANCICS 1, ART MODELL 0!

As I walked through the tunnel to the field, the sights, sounds, and smells were overwhelming…

The  green field.  The smell of hot dogs.  The buzz of 80,000 fans.  Real football players in those iconic NFL helmets.  Guys smoking small brown cigarettes that smelled kinda funny.  All of this –not including those brown cigarettes–  was magic to my 7-year old senses!

The game started, and soon after, Dad signaled a vendor for a foot-long and mentioned something about ‘mustard’.  About 10 guys in our row passed down our dog (all surely with clean hands), and then passed our money back to the vendor.  Dad split it in half, and I got my first taste of the wonder that it is Stadium Mustard.

Nowadays, my boys and I alter this tradition a little.  We get our dogs before the game from our favorite street vendor, Phil.  I can’t get them to do the mustard, but they do channel their inner-Cleveland for some cooked onions.

1978 was the start of the Coach Rutigliano era, and my Stadium debut coincided with what was the first of many “Kardiac Kids” thrillers that would become a staple of Sam’s teams.  The Browns won 13-10 in overtime over Cincinnati.  In fact, the Bengals even missed a 37-yarder to win it.  I quickly concluded that the Browns are not only exciting, but they are also on the right side of the luck coin!  Little did I know.

I rode on Dad’s shoulders as we took our long trek up the East Ninth Street Bridge (we only went DOWN the cliff).  Too often, I have had to join the somber funeral procession of Cleveland fans after a loss.  But on this day, it was a massive wave of joyous Browns’ faithful heading to their cars.

SUPER BOWL!

SIPER BOWL!

HERE WE GO BROWNIES…… HERE WE GO!    WOOF, WOOF!

It took just a few hours, but I was hooked.  I became a full-blown Cleveland Browns’ addict.

That addiction that many of us have inherited from our fathers has been a rollercoaster ride over the  decades.  Unfortunately, the lows of the post-expansion Browns make many of use question our hearts.  I sometimes wonder why I keep watching and rooting.  And why have I put my sons on this tortuous path?  They have never even seen a winner!

Dad passed away a decade ago, a few years after Grandpa.  Thinking back to those special days as the Andy Trio, as well as the magical moments of the Kardiac Kids and Bernie-led Browns, reminds me of how exhilarating it can be to be a Browns’ lover.

I guess I agree with that familiar old Alfred Lord Tennyson phrase…

“Tis better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all.”

Alfred L.T. obviously was not a Browns’ fan.

A few years ago, as I was taking my boys and some friends to our typical Lakeside parking lot, I missed the entrance and had to circle around the block.  Then, I saw on the street, just behind a sweet Porsche and a tricked-out truck, an empty parking space.  FREE PARKING!!!!!

I jumped all over that space.  As we took our long walk to the game, I texted my brothers and buddies to let them know I got Dad’s free parking.  We were all pumped.

The stadium was buzzing.  Eric Mangini’s team had just beaten the powerful Patriots, as well as the defending Super Bowl champion Saints.  Colt McCoy led a last-minute comeback to force the Jets to overtime.  But the Jets stole the game in the final moments (don’t fumble, Chauncey Stuckey!), and we began our sad, familiar trudge back to the car.

As we neared the end of our walk, I noticed from a distance that the Porsche and truck had their windows smashed in.  Poor guys.

Then I saw the side window of my mini-van…

Thanks, dad!

Only in Cleveland.

email the author:  macaljancic@yahoo.com

follow him on twitter:  @macaljancic

Charles Dickens opened his classic novel, The Tale of Two Cities, with the famous line, “It was the best of times, it was  the worst of times…”  Let’s tweak that just a bit to describe the state of  ever beloved Brownies as they kickoff the season…

It was the ‘if we squint just a bit, we almost look like a competent, competitive NFL franchise’ of times…

*Browns are coming off a 7-win season.  Not exactly Euclid Avenue parade-worthy, but it is the 3rd highest win total since the franchise’s return in 1999.

*Mike Pettine seems to be the right fit for Cleveland.  He sets a tone of intensity and accountibility for his players.  His sales pitch for his team is to ‘play like a Brown.’  Well, in comparison to the ghosts of coaches past–Chris Palmer, Pat Shurmur, Romeo Crennel, etc.–Pettine appears to be one that can ‘coach like a Brown’.

*By adding free agent corner Tramon Williams into the mix with 2014 Pro Bowlers Joe Haden, Tashaun Gipson, and Donte Whitner, the Browns’ secondary appears to be one of the best in the league.

*1st round pick Danny Shelton looks to be a beast at nose tackle, solidifying a front seven that finished dead-last in the NFL against the run in 2014.

*Alex Mack is back!!!!  The Browns’ offensive line averaged 146 yards rushing in the 5 games he played at center, but only 91 yards in the final 11 games where he was out with a broken leg.  And another 1st round pick, Cameron Erving, has been added to this already formidable line.

But……..

it was the ‘same old cellar-dwelling, incompetent, only-in-Cleveland’ of times.

*What did the Browns do when their hometown, underdog, undrafted quarterback battled back from a knee injury to become their only QB with a winning record in the post-expansion era?

Don’t let the door hit you on the way out, Brian Hoyer!

*Knowing that the NFL is such a quarterback-driven league, the Brownies decided to turn over the keys to their offense to a 36-year-old career back-up that went 1-10 in the role of a starter last year.

*They recently cut their 2011 first round pick, Phil Taylor.

*Their two 2012 1st round picks are now a Cowboys’ back-up…

and out of the league (Trent Richardson).

*Their  2013 1st round pick, Barkevious Mingo, had knee surgery during training camp after playing all of last season with an injured shoulder.

*Their two 2014 1st round picks, Justin Gilbert and Johnny Manziel, can’t get off the bench, or out of the headlines.

*General Manager Ray Farmer just started his 4-game suspension…

FOR TEXTING!

Rumor is that his parents also took away his X-Box for a month.

*And now for the trump card.  I am in a 10-man fantasy football league.  In our draft, Isaiah Crowell won the honor of being the first Brown drafted…

IN THE 12th ROUND.

We are probably the only NFL team where the leading jersey seller on offense is a lineman!  #73 Joe Thomas is hanging in my son’s closet (beside an immmaculate, unused #33 Richardson jersey and a beat-up #80 Kellen Winslow, Jr.).

So l am gonna make some 2015 Browns’ predictions from a little different angle…

*Number of games  Josh McCown will start this year:  10.

*Number of games Josh McCown will start if he continues to boycott sliding like in his last pre-season game:  2

*Chance that we will see the 2013 version of McCown that threw 13 TDs, 1 interception, and had a 109 QB rating for the Bears:  28%

*Number of games Johnny Manziel will start this year:  5

*Number of Johnny Manziel sideline TV shots for the opening Jets’ game:  37

*Number of Johnny Manziel sideline TV shots for the opening Jets’ game where he is half-grinning while talking to someone:  13

*Say what you want, but Johnny definitely is one cool cat, even when riding the bench!  He could probably go toe-to-toe with the guy in those ‘The Most Interesting Man Alive” commercials!

*First game where a ‘Fail for Cardale’ fan sign will be shown on TV:  game #6 vs. Broncos

*Percent chance that someone other than McCown or Manziel will start the last game vs. the Steelers:  32%.  Remember that Connor Shaw (2014), Thaddeus Lewis (2012), and Bruce Gradkowski (2008) all made their starting debuts for the Browns in the season finale.

*Mystery QB that might start the last game vs. the Steelers:  Kenny Guiton (that was for all you Buckeye fans!)

*Number of TDs scored by Terelle Pryor:  4  ( I guess Ray Farmer didn’t pass out copies of my recent keep Terrelle Pryor blog to his staff on the way out the door to his month-long time-out).

*Number of games where  Solomon Wilcots will be a TV announcer:  4

*Number of Christmas cards that Solomon Wilcots will receive from Dwayne Bowe and Ray Farmer:  0

*Chance that Dwayne Bowe will win the 2015 Keith Hernandez bad over-the-hill veteran contract signing award:  29%

*Chance that Dwayne Bowe will top his 2014 TD total of 0:  78%

*Chance that Ray Farmer with text to the Browns’ sideline this year:  0.01%

*Ray Farmer’s most used phone app this year on game day:  Snapchat

*Best chance for a big upset win this year:  The Broncos.  Peyton Manning is almost 40!

*Most exciting win of the year for Browns’ fans:  whatever NFL game that ends the Steelers’ season.

*Price for cheap seats on StubHub the week of the Dec. 13 game vs. 49ers:  $10  (a couple years ago, I took my boys to a December game vs. the Jaguars for $8 a pop.  And we snuck down to the 10th row bench the Jaguars’ bench for the whole 2nd half.  Shhh.  Don’t tell the ushers!

*Number of times the Browns go orange popsicle look (orange pants, jersey, and helmet):  1

I like the orange jerseys the best!  The Brown ones need some tweaking.

*Most likely to be the new sponsor for the Browns’ offense:  Dunkin’ Donuts

I think it’s gonna be a dink and dunk passing offense this season.  During the preseason, McCown had an impressive 92.8 QB Rating, going 29-for-38 (76% completion percentage) with 3 TDs.  But all of those completions accounted for only 207 yards.  That’s 5.4 yards per attempt, and 7.1 yards per completion.

Whether you liked Hoyer or not, he usually made for good TV.  He wasn’t afraid to throw the ball down field.  He averaged 7.6 yards per attempt, and 13.7 yards per completion!

*Number of 2nd halves where I will fall asleep on my couch watching the ‘dink and dunk’ show:  3

(No offense to McCown.  I have nodded off on my couch to Couch, Dilfer, Delhomme, Weeden, Quinn, Anderson, Frye,…)

Here’s my overall season win-loss prediction.  I like to do it in chunks, since the Browns always lose some they should win, and win some they should lose.  And remember, every other NFL fan looks at their own schedule and counts the Browns’ game as a win for them.

Sept. 13  at Jets, Sept. 20  TITANS, Sept. 27 RAIDERS:

Win 2, lose 1

Oct. 4 at Chargers, Oct. 11 at Ravens, Oct. 18  BRONCOS:

Lose all 3 (2-4 overall)

Oct. 25  at Rams, Nov. 1  CARDINALS, Nov. 5  at Bengals, Nov. 15  at Steelers:

Win 1, lose 3 (3-7 overall)

bye week, Nov. 30  RAVENS, Dec. 6  BENGALS, Dec. 13  49ERS:

win 2, lose 1 (5-8 overall)

Dec. 20 at Seahawks, Dec. 27  at Chiefs, Jan. 3  STEELERS (home)

lose all 3  (5-11 overall)

5 wins and 11 losses.  Just bad enough to possibly fire a head coach and general manager.  Just good enough not to be able to get a good QB in the draft.

ONLY IN CLEVELAND.

Prove me wrong, Brownies!!!

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The recent opening of the school marks my 23^rd year as a teacher.   The first 22 years had a few speed bumps, but overall, it has been a very rewarding career for me.  When I first started, I can remember some of my older teaching colleagues who mistakenly still thought they were young and hip like me and my fellow 20-something-old ‘newbie’ teachers.  

Ummm, I guess that I am that guy now.

In fact, I recently received an e-mail where ‘Millennial Generation’ member referred to me as ‘middle aged’.  I laughed out loud when I read it!  Then, I sobered up to the actual truth of that line.  But hey, if you remember my recent blog, I just ran a 10-mile Tough Mudder, so take that, all you young whippersnappers! 

The start of this new school year also has likely created a strange void in the lives of four people that I consider great heroes in the teaching field.  After a combined 125 years in the classroom, these ‘fab four’ have all begun their retirement from education.  I am guessing that their retirement celebrations of a few months ago might have given way to a slightly awkward feeling right now.  School has started, but there are no lessons to create, names to learn, decorations to hang, and papers to grade.  I am also guessing that awkward feeling won’t last too long, as new adventures will arise for them in this next chapter of their lives.  I would like to give a big shout out to these four that would definitely earn a play in my own personal ‘Teacher Hall of Fame’.

Teachers have been a part of all our lives:  all of us as students, many of us as parents, and a few of us as colleagues.   I am sure each of you could quickly identify certain teachers that made great impressions on your lives.  I am betting that those special educators had these two classroom ingredients in common:

1.  They make learning challenging, engaging, and fun.

2.  They truly cared about you as an individual, as well as the rest of their students.

I believe these principles would also be strong characteristics of these four teachers.  Though I spent very little time in their classrooms, my observations from afar, as well as from the words I hear from their students, would support this claim.

The first member of my ‘Hall of Fame’ inductees would be ranked my all-time favorite teacher for my own children:

Mrs. Joanne Decker was an elementary teacher for 37 years, most of them in Dover.  All three of my children had her for at least part of 3^rd grade at Dover Avenue Elementary School.  Mrs. Decker just bubbles out with energy and enthusiasm.   Everyone’s drivers’ license shows their chronological age. It does not show their ‘personality age’.  I have known 30-something year olds whose sour, bitter attitude makes them seem like long-time owners of this piece of plastic…

 

My apologies to all of the kind and wonderful senior citizens out there with that last reference, but you know what I mean.

One the other hand, I have told Mrs. D several times that she is just about the youngest teacher that I know.  She just radiates joy to those around her, especially her students.  My kids loved their time with her.  From talking with them, it seemed that Mrs. Decker created a classroom that was not only fun, but also safe from bullying and negativity.  She always seemed to encourage them and make them feel good about themselves.

The  ultimate highlight for Mrs. Decker’s students was towards end of each year when she held a Friday overnighter in the school gym for her entire homeroom class.  Students and some courageous parents would bring their sleeping bags and air mattresses for a long night of games, movies, and snacks.  Of course, she told them she would only do this event if the entire class behaved well and worked hard.  I am guessing that every year, her classes passed that test–or maybe got a periodic free pass.

My 6th grade daughter, Audrey, especially loved Mrs. Decker.  I was reminded of that just this weekend when we were attempting to clean her room.  In the corner was a broken fold-up Wal-Mart locker shelf that needed discarded.  She wanted to keep it, though, because she earned it three years earlier in Mrs. Decker’s class.

Thanks, Mrs. Decker, for being such a positive part of the development of my children, as well as hundreds of other impressionable young students that were fortunate enough to spend time in your classroom.

My second Teacher Hall of Famer would be a longtime colleague of mine…

High School basketball fans might be familiar with Bill Eddins as the former head coach at Louisville.  In fact, he has the most coaching wins in school history.  I had the opportunity to coach 8th and 9th grade hoops in Bill’s program, and later coached his two sons.  He was always someone I could go to for great advice not only for game strategy, but also how to best handle individual players.

I got to better know Bill over the last decade when he moved to my building, Louisville Middle School, to teach 6^th grade Language Arts.  Prior to that, he spent about two decades teaching elementary students both at Louisville, Lake, and West Branch.  Bill always seem to bring great enthusiasm and positivity to everyone around him; especially to his students and players.  He always seemed to focus on encouraging them and pointing out the good in them.  A highlight for my 8^th grade students at the end of every school year is getting their individual  ‘time capsules’ that Bill had each of them create when they were 6^th grader.  They would contain a bunch of different things from that earlier time, including a list of their likes, a string showing how tall they are, notes from their parents and friends, as well as a note to themselves.  That creativity on Bill’s part has brought a lot of joy into many teens’ lives.

Beyond the classroom, Bill served as the unofficial leader of our Louisville Middle School teaching staff.  He would create bonding activities for the group, guide us through difficult issues, encourage us, and tactfully use his influence to help make the school a better place.  Thanks Bill, for your leadership and example.  You have been a great influence to me as a teacher, coach, co-worker, and human being.

My Teacher Hall of Fame inductee #3 is someone I would consider a mathematics superstar:

Barb Jefferies started teaching and tutoring part-time at St. Anthony’s in Canton back in 1971 while still going to college.  Upon graduation, she got a job teaching 5th grade in Wayneburg (shout out to Cibo’s Restaurant!), and eventually migrated to Marlington Middle School.

Barb continued teaching until motherhood led to her taking a lengthy sabbatical from the classroom.  As fate would have it, Louisville had a 7^th grade math teaching opening just as she was ready to re-enter the education field.  And the 2nd chapter of her teaching career has definitely been a runaway best seller!  Her students that I would teach the following year would rave about all of the creative things that she does in the classroom.  One of her most popular events for the kids occurs on March 14^th, or 3-14, known as Pi Day to math teachers (in case you forget, pi is that goofy Greek symbol…

that is used in circle formulas, which is 3.14159263….  Sorry if I brought back any junior high math nightmares for any of you.

Anyhow, Mrs. Jefferies is in full party mode on this ‘holiday’, putting her students through fun activities while also filling their tummies with a slice of pie.  They tend to be a bit disappointed the next year when they only get a Froot Loop in my class.  It’s a circle, though!

Students would also tell me about some bird named Dot in Mrs. Jeffries class that was always there to watch and guide them…

Beyond the creativity, Mrs. Jefferies has an ENORMOUS heart for her students.  She heavily invests her time not only into each individual student’s academic performance, but also their overall well-being.  She is like a second mother to all of her students.  I periodically ask my students fun questions about some of their former teachers.  I have asked a few classes if Mrs. Jefferies ever gets mad in class.  I get a ‘no’ answer every time that has a ‘but’ attached:  ‘but she gives us this disappointed look’.  A look that they said was more powerful and motivating than any detention or other discipline method in the teacher playbook.

The best compliment I can give Barb as a teacher is something I have told my students when we talk about Mrs. J in class:  “I really like all of you.  Mrs. Jefferies truly LOVES you!”  Thanks, Barb, for being a warm, loving ray of sunshine in the lives kids for all of these years.

My last inductee into my Teacher Hall of Fame was probably the 1^st teacher that I ever knew.   You will hear about this superstar in Part 2.

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                                      (espn.go.com)

Preseason is just about over, but probably the biggest story and question mark since training camp opened remains the same:  “What should the Browns do with Terrelle Pryor?”

In a recent Cleveland Sports Talk article, Zach Shafron made this very solid case for sending Terelle packing.  The cliff notes version (do high school students still use CliffsNotes??) is that with such a solid cast of supporting characters competing for six likely wide receiver spots, there just isn’t enough room on the roster to roll the dice on such an unproven–and due to a sore hamstring–unseen Terrelle Pryor.

Pryor’s recent conversion from lifelong quarterback to newbie receiver has created a lot of doubters in the sports world.  I have even remembered listening to a very credible radio voice compared the switching between those positions to a pro athlete switching from baseball to football.  In the words of Hall of Famer Chris Carter…

C’MON, MAN!!!!!!!!!!!

But let’s talk about the hypothetical idea of jumping from another sport to football at the professional level.  Could a basketball player do it?  Recent NFL history says yes:

Exhibit A,   Antonio Gates.  This 5-time All-Pro and 9-time pro bowler is a sure-fire future Hall of Famer.  He strictly played hoops at Kent State, helping them on their miracle run to the 2002 NCAA tourney Elite Eight.  San Diego then picked him up as an undrafted free agent.   His success gave hope to just about every forward in college basketball.

Exhibit B,  Jimmy Graham.  This NFL superstar played four years of hoops at the University of Miami.  After that, he played one year of football for ‘The U’ before the Saints made him a 3rd round pick.  He was ranked #31 in the most recent Top 100 players rankings by the NFL Network (down from #10 the year before).

Exhibit C, Julius Thomas.  Peyton Manning’s former TE was a 4-year basketballer at Portland State, playing football only in his final year in college before the Broncos grabbed him in the 4th round.  He just became the highest paid tight end in the NFL after the Jaguars signed him as a free agent this year.

One glaring distinction between Pryor and those three is that they all transitioned to tight end, while Pryor is moving to wide receiver.  That difference actually enhances the argument for T.P.  Transitioning to wide receiver would seem to be much easier than trying to become a tight end.   Which elite NFL player would you rather block?  5′ 11, 195-pound Joe Haden, or this guy…

(usatoday.com)

6′ 5″, 289 pound J.J. Watt?

I know that receiving tight ends don’t mix it up at the line of scrimmage as much as in the past, but they still periodically face off against defensive ends.  A wide receiver blocking a corner is  pretty much a tickle fight in comparison.

Some question whether Pryor could handle the fear of going  across the middle for a pass.  First of all, new rules protecting the ‘defenseless receiver’ greatly reduces the anxiety of getting clotheslined by any Jack Tatum wannabes (millenial Buckeye fans, google Jack Tatum).  And secondly, I would guess it takes a pretty triple scoop cone of courage (with nuts sprinkled on top) to stand in the pocket as an NFL quarterback with someone like this looking to blindside you…

(nfl.com)

And remember, Pryor also has a head start in understanding the X’s and O’s of receivers, since it is a requirement of NFL quarterbacks to know the routes and reads of wide outs.  Let’s hope Johnny is meeting that requirement this year.

But with Terelle being out most of August with a hamstring injury, is he worth the risk?  He appears to be barely hanging on to his NFL career after being drafted four years ago.  But T.P. is no run-of-the-mill NFL journeyman wannnabe.  Look at how his measurements compare to those tight ends mentioned above…

Pretty comparable to these top players until you look at his 40 yard dash time.  That’s elite speed!  The fastest NFL combine time ever (since they went to automatic timing in 2000) was 4.24 by Chris Johnson, and,  according to NFL.com, only eight players ever ran below a 4.3.  T.P.’s long strides hide the fact that he is a burner!

But those figures compare him to tight ends.  How does he stack up against the royalty of  NFL receivers?  And how does he compare to the freakest physical talents of suspended Brown Josh Gordon, on whom the Browns have rolled the dice on several occasions…

Wow!  The only guy that is truly comparable to him is Megatron!  T.P. is a world-class athlete with a world-class body.  Not only was he phenomenal college quarterback, but he was a 4th team Parade All-American in high school hoops.  So why hasn’t he had a successful NFL career?  Simple.  He doesn’t have an NFL arm.   I am guessing that Braxton Miller took Pryor’s NFL history into account when choosing to do his final year of college at wide receiver,

But is he worth taking a spot from the Browns’ bumper crop of receivers?  Let’s check the tale of the tape…

Two Side notes:  Travis Benjamin must have camped out at the buffett for a week before he weighed in.  Or his hair added on at least 15 pounds.   Also, we are just one player away from entering a local 6-foot and under basketball league!  To complete the starting  five, we would just need to track down old school Brownies Dino Hall or this mighty mite…

The Ice Cube, Gerald McNeil!!!

So after looking at those figures, do you think the risk of giving one of the 53 roster spots to Terelle Pryor is worth the potential reward?  His age is still pretty young in comparision to the rest of the receiving corps. And it’s not like the Browns are poised for a championship run this year.

Remember how you felt in the 2nd half of the 2013 year when Josh Gordon blossomed into an elite NFL physical talent, something not seen in the orange and brown since maybe the days of Jim Brown.  Let’s face it. #6 receivers on NFL squads are a dime a dozen.  You can easily put one or two on the practice squad. But dropping a dime into the Terelle Pryor slot machine just might hit a JACKPOT!

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