We’ve already shared a gallery of depressing pictures from Thursday’s Browns/Steelers game and an even more depressing set about their fans, so it’s no surprise that game’s head-to-softer-head collision that concussed Browns quarterback Colt McCoy would lead somewhere depressing, no matter what side you’re on — the league has decided to celebrate James Harrison’s fifth illegal hit against a quarterback in the past three seasons by making him the first player suspended for helmet-to-helmet since the rule’s emphasis.

“We’re disappointed, we’re disappointed for James,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said Monday. “Because we know, quite frankly, how hard he’s worked to play within the rules. He’s worked extremely hard to adjust his game. Unfortunately, the incident did happen, it was a penalty, we have to be accountable for that. He has to be accountable for that.”

The suspension is effective immediately, but Harrison has requested an expedited hearing and they’ve set a date for his appeal. Oh, and in case you wonder how he feels about the whole thing:

I guess rolling on the floor would’ve been seen as insincere.

If you missed the hit, you can check out the video below.

Read the rest of this entry »

For all intents and purposes, Cleveland’s 14-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers wasn’t that big of a deal.

It was a defensive struggle. The Browns went into the game 4-8 against the 9-3 Steelers, so dropping a game on the road by only 11 points is pretty good. That’s sorta the running theme of being a Cleveland sports fan, you have to watch the Indians do well through June and finish the season clinging to second place in the worst division in baseball going “hey, this isn’t so bad!” Or the alternative, “CLEVELAND HAS WASTED THE LAST 20 YEARS OF MY LIFE, GO CLEVELAND.”

Because I’m not a Lead Football Analyst I can’t provide any insights you wouldn’t catch watching guys talk over a game, but what I can do is show you ten photos from the game and cut to the heart of the situation, bypassing photo service captions like “#18 makes a tackle on December 8, 2011″ with easier to handle captions like “look at this football team suck a f**king dick, you guys”.

So, enjoy that.

Read the rest of this entry »

ESPN reported this morning that Cleveland Browns rookie Colt McCoy will make his first career start when the Browns visit the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. High ankle sprains have plagued Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace, and since nobody else wants to play in Cleveland, McCoy will get most of the work as the Browns prepare this week. The Browns signed Brett Ratliff to back up McCoy. I have no idea who Brett Ratliff is, but there’s no way he’s any worse than Trent Edwards.

The game will also mark the first 2010 start of one Benjamin Todd Roethlisberger, who was suspended for the first four games of the season for attempting a deep ball on a 20-year-old in a rural Georgia bar restroom. Roethlisberger was never formally charged with the incident. Precedent for this case was established by the Supreme Court case, People v. Half Your Age Plus Seven.

Also reportedly starting Sunday: Bears QB Jay Cutler, against Seattle. It will be Cutler’s first start in two weeks, since being concussed after enduring nine sacks in the first half against the Giants. It makes me wonder how one would perform cognitive testing on a guy that would lose a game of checkers to his own breakfast. Stafford might play, too.

Eric Mangini has never met a quarterback situation he hasn’t wanted to muddle. Following QB Seneca Wallace’s high ankle sprain and Jake Delhomme re-aggravating his high ankle sprain, the Cleveland Browns have signed former backup Brett Ratliff from the Patriots practice squad. Cleveland will most likely start rookie Colt McCoy on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. During training camp, there was legitimate concern that McCoy wouldn’t even make the final roster. Now he makes his NFL debut on the road against one of the best and most feared defenses in the league.

The viewing will be held at 1:00pm on Sunday, October 17th at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. Condolences and flower arrangements can be sent to Cleveland Browns Stadium, 1085 W Third St., Cleveland, OH 44114.

Colt McCoy married his longtime girlfriend Rachel Glandorf over the weekend, and the couple was surprised with a personalized serenade by McCoy’s Texas Longhorns teammate Jordan Shipley and country music nobody singer Aaron Watson. The song, entitled “When I Grow Up, I Want to be Like Colt McCoy,” drew laughs with each line as Watson and Shipley shared the twangy crooning duties, but the biggest reaction wasn’t over a line about McCoy or his Baylor track star wife. Nope, the crowd went nuts to a reference to former Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow.

Read the rest of this entry »

Texas Longhorns quarterback Colt McCoy proposed to his girlfriend Rachel Glandorf in Texas Stadium earlier this week. Deadspin had photos of the how he did it: he took her into the stadium at night and had the scoreboard operator flash a message on the JumboTron. I would have flashed something else. You know, like my wang. McCoy, seriously here, says his injured shoulder should be ready to go for the upcoming NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis. He’s currently considered optimistically a low first-day pick. Rachel could have done so much better.