After Effectively Accomplishing Nothing, Holmgren is Out in Cleveland

The short and mostly miserable Mike Holmgren Era in Cleveland has come to an end.

Jimmy Haslam III was approved as the new Browns owner by the NFL on Tuesday, and he wasted no time in making an impact statement: Just minutes after his approval, Haslam announced Holmgren was out as the team's president. Effective Oct. 25, Holmgren's duties will be handled by new team CEO Joe Banner, previously of the Philadelphia Eagles. However, Haslam said Holmgren would remain with the team (in some capacity) through the end of the year to help aid in the team's executive transition.

The announcement ends Holmgren's dismal tenure with the Browns--a tenure that began with great hope, only two years ago. Hired by former Browns owner Randy Lerner--a man who always seemed far more interested in Aston Villa, his English Premier League soccer club, than the Browns--Holmgren was tasked with turning a losing franchise into a winner.

Suffice to say, he failed. Since Holmgren's arrival, the Browns have posted a woeful .263 winning percentage, second-worst in the league. They also have yet to find a winning coach, a franchise quarterback or, well, any kind of identity. They simply remain the Cleveland Browns, perennial losers.

In that sense, Holmgren's removal is hardly surprising. And though Haslam said on Tuesday that he would not make any more major moves before the end of the season, coach Pat Shurmur must know that he needs to win, and win immediately, if he has any hope of keeping his job into 2013. - Tim Hyland

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Was Suh's Hit on Cutler 'Dirty?' Opinions Differ

An unusual NFL season--one that has been marked by a bizarre and unnecessary referee labor situation, an ongoing investigation into an alleged-but-hazy bounty scheme and a series of accusations regarding dirty play--continued its unusual course this week.

This time, the target of the hey-that's-not-cool-man talk is none other than Detroit Lions star defensive lineman Ndamakong Suh, who drew some heat from Bears wideout Brandon Marshall for his controversial-yet-completely-legal (according to the NFL) hit on quarterback Jay Cutler on Monday night.

On the play in question, Suh first grabbed Cutler by the arm, then wrapped him up and drove him head-first into the turf. As he did so, Suh had his elbow firmly lodged against the quarterback's head, making it appear as though he intentionally drove Cutler's head into the ground so as to make the hit more severe. No flag was thrown on the play, however, and an ESPN report later said that the NFL considered it to be completely legal. Cutler, too, has said he believed the hit was a clean one.

Marshall, however, took issue with the it, and tweeted after the game that Suh ought to strive to "succeed with character" (which is to say, apparently, he ought to avoid driving quarterbacks head-first into the turf). Speaking to ESPN on Tuesday, Marshall continued to complain about the hit, calling it "dirty." "

"That was dirty," Marshall said. "[Suh] can be one of the best D-tackles that ever done it, but he cannot do that that way. If you look at it, c'mon man, this is not wrestling. You don't do that. That's not clean."

Suh, for his part, said it was "simply a football play," adding that he can't "control his momentum" when chasing a quarterback. Cutler, who said he expects to be cleared to play this week, can attest to precisely that.

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With Gronkowski Injured, More TE Troubles for the Pats

The Patriots road to the Super Bowl just hit a major speed bump.

Star tight end / cult figure Rob Gronkowski, aka "Gronk," suffered a fractured arm late in the Patriots' 59-24 blowout of the Colts on Sunday, and according to an ESPN report, the break was serious enough to require surgery. That surgery happened on Monday and it is widely expected that Gronkowski will now be out of action for as long as six weeks.

The injury is especially problematic for the Pats because they are also still without Aaron Hernandez, who has been injured since Week 2. It is expected that Hernandez may be able to return soon, but there has been no official word from the team just yet.

So far this season, Gronkowski has caught 53 passes for 748 yards and 10 touchdowns, cementing his status as one of the most dangerous tight ends in the game. Against the Colts, he was especially effective, catching seven balls for 137 yards and two touchdowns. Last year, Gronkowski enjoyed a breakout season, catching 90 passes for 1,327 yards and 17 touchdowns, the most ever caught in a single season by a tight end. - Tim Hyland

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Goodell: Evidence of Bountygate is 'Extensive'

Roger Goodell is not backing down.

Despite the fact that his original suspensions of the four New Orleans Saints players involved in the so-called "Bountygate" scandal were reversed by an NFL appeals committee, the commissioner on Tuesday decided once more to punish the four players--linebacker Scott Fujita (now with the Cleveland Browns), defensive end Anthony Hargrove (now with the Green Bay Packers), linebacker Jonathan Vilma and defensive end Will Smith.

Fujita saw his penalty reduced to just a one-game suspension, and Hargrove's penalty was reduced from eight games to seven. But Goodell upheld the original punishments levied against Vilma and Smith.

In a memo sent to all NFL teams, Goodell explained that he kept the punishments in place because, quite simply, there was too much evidence indicating that the Saints players did, in fact, take part in the bounty scheme.

Said Goodell: "The quality, specificity and scope of the evidence supporting the findings of conduct detrimental (to the game) are far greater and more extensive than ordinarily available in such cases."

Not surprisingly, the NFL Players Association backed the players and blasted the commissioner.

"For more than six months, the NFL has ignored the facts, abused the process outlined in our collective bargaining agreement and failed to produce evidence that the players intended to injure anyone, ever," the NFLPA said in a statement. "The only evidence that exists is the league's gross violation of fair due process, transparency and impartiality during this process. Truth and fairness have been the casualties of the league's refusal to admit that it might have made a mistake."

The NFLPA said it would "review all options" regarding the penalties. - Tim Hyland

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Spurrier Says Alabama Could Beat 'A Couple' NFL Teams. Please Ignore Him.

Ah, time to dig up this mindless debate once more: The debate over whether it really is possible for a really, really good college football team to beat a really, really bad NFL team.

South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier, speaking on the Dan Patrick Show this week, said he believed that Nick Saban's current Crimson Tide team is so good that it could probably beat "a couple" of the NFL's weaker squads (looking at you, Chiefs/Jags/Browns).

Said Spurrier: "[Alabama looks] like they could beat a couple of those NFL teams that I've watched on Sundays. I think a lot of the oddsmakers out there that usually know what's going on, I'd guess that Alabama would be favored a little bit."

It may have been a mindless, harmless passing remark. It may have been Spurrier being Spurrier--hyping up the Tide enough to set them up for a big fall. I mean, the latter is certainly a possibility, as few coaches in recent memory have enjoyed gamesmanship more than the Ball Coach.

That being said, the assertion is ridiculous.

Yes, the Tide are fantastic. And yes, they are very likely the best team in college football ... by a wide margin.

But the fact remains that even the most awful NFL team (and I am well-acquainted with teams of that vintage, as I grew up in Cleveland) is stocked with players who were stars and/or physical standouts at the college level. In essence, every NFL team is a college all-star team. No college team, even a team as good (and as well coached) as Alabama, would even stand a chance.

And yeah, that's coming from me, a guy who makes no bones about the fact that I enjoy the college game more (but that's a debate for another time).

In other words, let us move on, shall we? There's nothing to see here. - Tim Hyland

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Texans Accuse Titans OT Stewart of 'Dirty' Play

Last week, it was Redskins rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III making accusations of dirty play against the St. Louis Rams.

This week, it's the Houston Texans--as in, several Houston Texans--who are making the claims, and their target is Tennessee Titans offensive tackle David Stewart.

The Houston Chronicle this week quoted several Texans making claims that Stewart engaged in such over-the-line tactics as pulling the hair of defensive end Brooks Reed and throwing punches. Texans defensive end Antonio Smith went so far as to say that Stewart was doing things he'd "never seen before."

Said Smith: "I saw him try to pull (Reed's) hair out, tried to ride somebody's back, which I thought was kind of funny, actually."

Added linebacker Connor Barwin: "Everybody will say it. (Stewart) is a dirty player. He threw a punch at me. He threw a punch at Brooks."

Not surprisingly, Titans quarterback Matt Hasselback defended his teammate, suggesting that any dirty tactics employed by Stewart were matched by similar actions from the Texans.

"I saw people punch (Stewart) in the face, and there was no (flag)," Hasselbeck said. "I don't know what to say. I guess his reputation got him." - Tim Hyland

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Seahawks CB Sherman: 'Brady Bunch' in New England Runs 'Gimmick Offense'

Yeah, it was just one win. And a one-point win, at that.

But at least in the mind of Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman, his team's 24-23 victory over the Patriots on this weekend was nothing short of a referendum on the state of mighty New England.

What Sherman seems to be telling the world, quite simply, is this: The Seahawks are legit. And the Patriots are not. Not anymore, at least.

The second-year cornerback made big waves on Sunday when he was seen talking trash to Patriots quarterback Tom Brady after the conclusion of Sunday's game. What, exactly, was the message he wanted to deliver? Well, as Sherman explained to the Tacoma News-Tribune: "Me and [safety Earl Thomas] walked up to him and said, 'We're greater than you. We're better than you. You're just a man--we're a team."

Sherman also referred to the Patriots as "the Brady Bunch," and accused New England of running a "gimmick offense" that the Seahawks easily figured out. Brady threw two interceptions on the day, including one to Sherman.

"[The media] is going to say, 'What's wrong? He threw two picks.' Well, he should have thrown five picks," Sherman told the News-Tribune. "If Earl catches every one, then it's a long day for him. People don't understand. We've got great players out here. We've got great players in the Pacific Northwest. The Seattle Seahawks have a lot of talent. People, they don't look at the film. They don't analyze anything. That's why these analysts and commentators need to shut their mouth." - Tim Hyland

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