Archive for November 17th, 2009

WATERCOOLER CHAT: BROWNS WENT DOWN, IVERSON NO HOME

FOOTBALL

On Monday Night Football, there were two teams with something to prove.  The Baltimore Ravens wanted to show the world that they weren’t done yet; that the team that started out 3-0 was, in fact, a force to be reckoned with.  In the other corner, the Cleveland Browns hoped to show that they actually do have some fight in them; that this putrid season is at least served with some promising moments.  And on top of that, the Browns went with Brady Quinn at starting QB.  He began the season as captain of the ship, lost the gig, and now was getting another chance.  Would he make the most of it?

Ray RiceThe answer:  Nope, not at all.  The Browns couldn’t have looked worse.  It’s like the don’t even have an offense out there.  And remember, they traded one of their only weapons, wide-receiver Braylon Edwards, to the Jets earlier in the season.  Edwards wanted out of there, and let him out (although Edwards situation in New York with the Jets is only marginally better).  Quinn finished the game throwing 13 of 31 for only 99 yards passing.  Plus, he threw two interceptions.  No promise on display for Cleveland.  Meanwhile, the Ravens looked decent in comparison to the Browns, but not dominant. Running back Ray Rice was the highlight, rushing for 89 yards and a TD.  Browns fans… you have a long road of recovery to sit through.  It could be 3 full seasons before this team can even compete for a playoff birth. Baltimore 16, Cleveland 0.

BASKETBALL

And in the NBA, it looks like the Allen Iverson experiment in Memphis is officially over.  They released the former all-star yesterday, making the future quite uncertain for Iverson.  Apparently, the Grizzlies felt that Iverson couldn’t start for their squad, and Iverson vehemently disagreed.  Reports said he and the coach weren’t even talking.  So the Grizzlies let him go. 

The question is… can anybody use a guy who used to be one of the marquee players of the league.  This guy has to have some practical value for some team.  If you think about it though, if one of the league’s worst teams (Memphis), thinks they will be fine without him, than what decent team would actually benefit from his skills.  You’d think Boston could find a spot for him.  After all, they have so many other aging superstars (Garnett, Allen, Pierce).  Then again, he would most certainly have a bench role in Beantown, and that doesn’t seem to suit him.  Charlotte is supposedly interested, but they are all set at both starting (Felton) and back-up (Augustin) point-guard.  What does this mean?  You might see an Iverson retirement conference soon.  Kind of sad that one of the most influential players of the last 15 years will just sort of fade out.

Share
No comments