If McCoy doesn't play next Sunday ... and there's no upside to putting him out there ... his status will still be a story line because of the matchup and his muddled future here.
View full sizeDon't expect to see quarterback Colt McCoy back on the field this season as he continues to recover from a concussion.A rematch with the Steelers and James Harrison is all that remains for the Browns in 2011, which is more than remains of Colt McCoy's season.
The NFL may have decided not to take any punitive action against the Browns but the team's handling of McCoy's injury against Pittsburgh in the most recent meeting, and the reaction of McCoy's father, almost assures the Browns won't chance playing him again this year even if he's cleared by doctors.
"The reason this became a story is because Colt McCoy's dad decided to make it one," CBS analyst Boomer Esiason said last week on Cleveland's WKRK FM/92.3.
Well, no. Not really.
I agree with Esiason that Brad McCoy's criticisms of the Browns "exacerbated" the fallout. But it was a story for good reason, a reason Esiason acknowledged in the same interview.
"I didn't think Colt McCoy would be back in the game and I was actually shocked [it happened]," Esiason said. ". . . No way he should've been put back on the field."
If McCoy doesn't play Sunday -- and there's no upside to putting him out there -- his status will still be a story line because of the matchup and his muddled future here.
Harrison's hit on McCoy changed policy. When it did not result in the league taking disciplinary action against the Browns, Harrison objected. Knowing him, he won't let it die this week.
"If he was hurt so bad I don't know why they let him back in . . . two plays later," Harrison said. "Something should be done to them, I would think. I don't know. I got a game, what should they get?"
As a serial and largely unrepentant offender, Harrison isn't in the best position to be an arbiter on this particular topic.
But if you want to know why players resent NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's heavyhanded justice, this is part of it.
The league doesn't think twice about reaching into players' pockets but makes an allowance for a team that returned a quarterback to the field -- after a vicious open-field hit -- without administering a concussion test.
Were there mitigating circumstances? Sure. That's why there's a new policy.
Does it still smack of a double standard -- the league protecting one of its own?
You bet.
McCoy's murky future
McCoy Part II: As the season mercifully expires, the McCoy headache gives way to simple head-scratching over what comes next.
Does McCoy have a future with the Browns?
I don't see him as the answer for a contending team.
As hard as it is to tell sometimes, contention is the plan here, right?
Opinions on McCoy's future are mixed. Esiason, for one, believes the Browns should and will take a quarterback in the first round. Another former quarterback, Rich Gannon, believes the Browns should give McCoy more time and that he still has a chance to be "terrific."
Gannon gave his take in Saturday's Plain Dealer. He could be right. But his comparisons leave something to be desired.
He mentions Alex Smith and Sam Bradford. Smith is just now fulfilling promise in his sixth season. Bradford is having a difficult time in a new offense in St. Louis after his team changed offensive coordinators.
McCoy is only in his second season. The West Coast offense is new to him.
All that is indisputable.
But Smith and Bradford were No. 1 overall picks for a reason.
Whatever the ceiling is for McCoy's development, there's a reason why he was a third-rounder.
I mean some people can spend their whole lives writing and not become Hemingway. In fact, I have dedicated my career to proving just that.
Spinoffs
• Quarterback Matt Barkley would've been a good option for the Browns in the 2012 draft before he announced he's staying at Southern Cal for his senior year.
• One take says the Browns aren't overly interested in Baylor QB Robert Griffin III (though Esiason says they are) because he's a shotgun/spread quarterback.
• I don't want to say the Browns are holding a grudge against Brad McCoy, but whomever they pick, the prospect's father might have to agree to never criticize anything the Browns do in the newspaper.
• The new name for the Indiana Pacers' arena is Bankers Life Fieldhouse, a name that only Mr. Potter could love. Presumably "Foreclosure Fieldhouse" was deemed less than intimate.
• Senator Sherrod Brown told USA Today the NFL's blackout policy exercised during several Bengals games this season is no longer necessary.
"The NFL is poised to earn record profits while the Cincinnati taxpayers who built the stadium will be watching reruns rather than touchdown runs. The rule is an outdated relic that doesn't serve the NFL or the fans."
Not surprisingly the NFL disagrees, claiming the blackout policy is needed for teams to sell tickets.
Here's an idea in a league that prints money: Put a good product on the field and set prices that invite sellouts.
You said it
"One of the things that we thought was [that] everybody needed kind of a little bit of football rehab. I mean, you're 6-22, there's a negative feeling about football. That's why John [Fox] was a perfect fit for us, because of his enthusiasm, his energy." -- John Elway, on why he hired John Fox to spark the Broncos' turnaround.
And, of course, because Elway didn't think he could land Pat Shurmur.
He Tweeted it
"Aight I'm headed out in the van to spread some holiday hoop cheer in OKC. Meet up if u wanna make sure #basketballneverstops next yr." -- Kevin Durant, informing his Twitter followers he'd be giving away shoes at various locations.
Except for the $180 price tag and the additional cost of packing pepper spray, Nike's Air Jordan XI are free, too.
You said it (The Expanded Christmas Stocking Stuffer Edition)
Bud: I am confused and suffer from severe headaches and nausea almost every Sunday. Is it possible I'm getting a concussion from watching the Browns on TV? -- Bob H., Medina
Since you're also a Sunday Spin reader, it's hard to say.
Bud: Why does Pat Shurmur want the offense to 'stretch the field'? Isn't the field too long for us already? -- Ignatowski
I think he means sideways.
Bud: Is Gene Smith busy loading up on office supplies? -- Joe S
The way it's going for him these days, only if that's also an NCAA violation.
Bud: In light of the Browns' mishandling of Colt McCoy's concussion, do you think they should vacate their four wins for this season or not be eligible for a playoff appearance in 2012? -- Paul Wehner
I think half of that punishment is already guaranteed.
Bud: Is it just me, or is it downright mind-numbing that Nike would run a campaign titled 'Basketball never stops' in a year when the NBA season has been delayed and shortened by . . . well . . . a stoppage? -- Tom V, Westlake
First-time "You said it" winners receive a T-shirt from the mental_floss collection.
Bud: When Shurmur said that Colt McCoy would play after he went through the process, did that mean free agency or trade? -- Michael Sarro
Repeat winners receive a concussion test.
(The Twelve Days of Christmas)
"In the late 1990s
the NFL gave us
12 points on FGs
11 losing seasons
Modell a-dancing
Harrison a-laughing
Goose eggs a–laying
Rather be raking
6 new head coaches
The league's worst team!
15 quarterbacks
Who all stunk
2 still loyal fans
Even Holmgren can't save this sad team
(everybody sing!) Even Holmgren can't save this sad team!"
Happy Holidays -- Ron
Repeat winners get asked to leave my doorstep immediately.
To reach Bud Shaw: bshaw@plaind.com, 216-999-5639
Source: http://www.cleveland.com/budshaw/index.ssf/2011/12/controversy_over_cleveland_bro.html
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