When being wrong feels so right, The NCP gears up for the 6-3 Browns taking on The Texans:

Follow @northcoastposse for Sunday snark and analysis of Cleveland's favorite sons 

Big$- In all honesty, when we started this little project I never expected to be writing about a 6-3 football team. As a lifelong Browns fan, I’m not just a glass half empty guy, I’m a “holy crap, now were gonna die of dehydration guy”, but even I am having a hard time focusing on the negatives from last week. The defense forced a $20-million-a-year QB into Joe Bauserman land and the offense was smooth and efficient. It was great to see the three headed monster running attack chew up the field allowing Hoyer to fire off precise strikes when necessary. As a side note, I want to personally take the time to apologize for my lack of faith in new center, Nick McDonald. He came up a big last week, and after reading about he overcame being abandoned by his widower father as an early teen I feel bad for doubting him. So in conclusion, rather than harp endlessly about the punt return woes (hopefully Jim Leonard was reminded he isn’t Gale Sayers during film sessions this week), I’m gonna sip my Four-String Brass Knuckle, kick back and enjoy 6-3.

K-Dubs, the Soldier- It took nine games, but the Browns finally put together a complete game effort.  The offense was balanced, as the team rediscovered the running game.  The Browns gained more yards through the air (198) and nearly as much on the ground (170) as the Bengals had in total offense (179).  The defense caused four turnovers, turning one of them into a touchdown and missing a field goal on another, and the offense dominated time of possession, holding the ball for 11 and ½ more minutes.  I honestly did not see this one coming, but the performance—not just the win—lent legitimacy to the Browns record, as coming into the game they only had one win over a plus-.500 team in the schizophrenic Steelers.  As the NCP hates on all AFC North rivals equally, watching Andy Dalton get pulled to lick his wounds was an early Christmas gift.  The win on the national, Thursday-night stage, gives the team great momentum heading into the second-half of the season.

Where we starting LeBron this week?

Big$- This week, I’m giving the King a 1 day reprieve from his Cavalier duties and calling on him to keep the WR1 spot warm for the soon to be returning Josh Gordon. His athletic prowess should allow for muscle memory to kick in and recall his 2002 all state days.

K-Dubs, the Soldier- No offense to Gary “Big Play” Barnidge and Jim Dray “Day,” who have filled in quite admirably in the absence of Jordan Cameron, but I would like to see LeBron start at tight end this week.  If you think Jimmy Graham, who played basketball at the University at Miami, Florida is great at tight end, think of the damage a guy that went from dominating in high school to dominating in the NBA in a span of six months would do.

Prediction:

Big$- Although it may be easier for me to write about painful losses, I don’t foresee one coming this week. As excited as I am for the all of the elements that have been working for the Browns, my main source of optimism comes from the Texans starting QB Ryan Mallett. He has always seemed to me to be, for lack of a better term, disinterested. I have full faith that Dansby, Whitner, Haden and company will find ways to exploit this lack of interest. On offense for some reason, I have a strange feeling that Dr. Dray will find a way to impact this game as Hoyer may be looking for quick outlets in the face of J.J. Watt. In the end, with the Dawg Pound as rabid as ever, I expect a 17-10 Browns victory.

K-Dubs, the Soldier- This game is a tough one to predict.   The Texans have a very good defensive line, even if No.1 draft pick Jadeveon Clowney sits this one out with the knee injury that has hampered him this season.  The Browns have struggled this season when they played defensive fronts that can get penetration to stifle the run and pressure Hoyer.  See the Jacksonville and Tampa Bay games.  I imagine nightmares involving J.J. Watt have kept Kyle Shannahan up late all week.   There are a lot of factors cutting in the Browns’ favor, though.  For starters, despite having an All-World D-end in Watt, the Texans still rank 28th in the league in total defense.  Second, the Browns are up against another inexperienced quarterback in Mallett, who is making his first pro start.  This is good news for the Browns, who are plus-9 in turnover margin this year.  Also, Texans running back Arian Foster is injured and not expected to play.  He left last week’s game against the Eagles with a groin injury.  The loss of Foster, who leads the AFC with 822 yards, is also huge because of his utility in the passing game, as the Texans like to flex him out into the slot position to match up against linebackers and safeties.   The production they have gotten from Foster has been necessary because the drop-off in production from perennial all-star wideout Andre Johnson.  He is no longer the deep threat he once was, having a career low in yards-per-catch and tallying only 1TD so far this year.  He is the type of receiver Joe Haden has had success against in the past.  The real battle to watch will be between second-year receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who leads the team in receiving yards and TDs, and which ever No.2 cornerback will be covering him, likely Buster Skrine.  This game is also at home and will presumably be in bad weather.  Therefore, the conditions should favor a quarterback in Hoyer, a Cleveland native and Michigan State grad, over a guy in Mallett that played at Arkansas.  Considering these factors, I think the Browns will win a tight game, benefiting from turnovers to overcome a lack of production on offense.  Look for the Browns to win 20-13.

Baver's Picks and Colin's College Football Questions 11/14/14

Colin: Give us an update on your picks to date and what games and lines you find interesting this weekend?

Baver: 22-13-1 against the spread, including the OSU games, where I’m 7-1-1.  I think Bama is the best play on the board, laying 9.5 against Miss State.  Don’t see much of a hangover from the LSU OT win with the Tide now facing the nation’s #1 ranked team.  The Messy State defense has struggled recently and won’t be able to stop the balanced Bama offense.  I also like Utah getting 8 on the road at Stanford.  I guess the argument against the Utes is that they are reeling with two straight losses.  Regardless, the line is too high and that game should be close.  And I like the Noles giving 2 ½ at Miami.  No, it wouldn’t shock me to see FSU’s luck in close games finally run out, but there is simply too much of a talent differential for Florida State to be laying only 2 ½ against the Canes.   

Colin: Geez… an 11 am local kick and frigid weather on the road following on the heels of a huge win. Additionally, all the pundits are popping off about how the Buckeyes need to run up the score on a tough Minnesota defense.  OSU v Gophers has all the makings of a classic trap game. How do feel about this one knowing what you know now?

Baver: I’m more concerned now than I was earlier in the week.  The first two things you mentioned…the 11 am (local) kick after three straight night games and a game time temperature of around 22 degrees.  Fortunately, the wind forecast doesn’t look too bad.  It’s no secret that JT Barrett’s biggest downside is his arm strength.  If he struggles throwing the ball with the wind playing a factor, Meyer may play things close to the vest like he did in Happy Valley.  I’ll still take the Bucks to cover, but I’d steer clear of this one if I were a bettor, especially with the line back up to 14.  Yes, definitely a trap game for the Bucks.

Colin: Since everyone is asking, I guess I have to ask too….does Braxton return to Ohio State next year?  And if he does, is he the #1 QB?

Baver: My guess is that Braxton returns to OSU, despite the fact that he is completely detached from this year’s Buckeye team.  I do think there are some games going on with Meyer and Herman talking about having Braxton next year….like it’s a done deal.  I think Meyer will continue to tell you that Miller will be back next year, and that he is the starter at QB when he returns….whether he believes these things or not.  I tend to doubt that Miller goes the graduate transfer route, and also doubt that the QB job will simply be handed back to him if he returns to Columbus.  I see no way a healthy JT Barrett isn’t taking at least 40% of the QB snaps next season even if Miller is back and stays relatively healthy.  Barrett has been the most pleasant surprise I have ever seen at Ohio State with the amount of progress he has made in such a short time.  And it wouldn’t surprise me to see Miller used primarily as the H-back next year should he return.  He has no future as an NFL QB, so I would hope Braxton is open to idea of playing some TB, WR or H-back if he dons the scarlet and gray for one more season. 

Colin: Ok, you have answered JT vs Braxton, but I have a bigger question: Why is ANYBODY talking about this right now? It's 0.00% impact on this season. Can't we just agree to save it for spring practice? 

Baver: I guess the JT vs Braxton topic is right there with 2015 & 2016 recruiting, along with the most current top 4 playoff committee ranking.  There are Buckeye fans that spend more time in the fall following recruiting than they do following that year’s Buckeye team.  And the current top 4 ranking by the playoff committee?  Basically worthless right now – don’t know why people get so worked up about it.

Colin: Why is Nebraska suddenly being given respect? No team has been softer for the past decade than the Cornhuskers and I fully expect Wisconsin to completely embarrass them yet again this weekend in Madison. The only difference between the two is that Wisconsin lost a close game to LSU and the Blackshirts played nobody in the non conference. Would you take the over/under on Badgers 450 yards rushing?

Baver: I’m with you in thinking the Huskers are in trouble against the Badgers with Melvin Gordon likely sticking it down their throat.  And despite having only one loss right now, with their remaining schedule, Nebraska should still be able to achieve their mandatory 4 losses that Pelini is required to have each season.

Colin: ESPN already starting to rev up the OSU bandwagon. Let's face it, if OSU wins out, the committee will be throwing metrics, Baylor and TCU out the window in favor of TV ratings and an Urban Meyer storyline. If OSU wins out, are they in?

Baver: I’ve been saying it since before the Sparty game….if the Bucks win out they are in.  It’s possible that they win out and don’t get in, but it’s unlikely.  And the Bucks seem to be getting love from unlikely places since beating MSU in East Lansing.  Taking a Baylor or TCU team that did not win a conference championship game over a 13-1 Ohio State team that beat Wisconsin or Nebraska in the B10 title game?  Don’t think it happens.  And your almighty dollar argument supports this argument even more.

Today's-Hot-Young-Country Country Op-Ed by Aaron Beck

Thanks to Aaron Beck for letting us re-post his piece about last week's Country Music Awards. I didn't want you to miss it. Colin G.

Twenty years ago, today's-hot-young-country country was hilarious enough. But the new breed is taking it to Spinal Tap levels. Things I loved about last night's Country Music Awards, which - in a perfect world - would be aired for 3 hours every Wednesday night:

1) That all the aw-shucks dudes are so supernaturally clean.
Seriously, does a team of handlers power wash these fellas all day
before these shows? I mean, Vince Gill, one of the cuddliest
pop-country singers 20 yrs back, today is as threatening as a Hell's
Angel in comparison.

2) That the names of all the singers sound like characters from
General Hospital. I give you Luke Bryan, who dodged some nasty
lightning strikes last night (see photo).

3) "Outlaw" Eric Church. This guy. My God. Trying way too hard, dude.
Waylon Jennings had more "outlaw" in any one of the goddamn toes he
had amputated right before he died of "the sugar."

4) That the songs are either Spring Break Country-ish (let's go to
Cabo der der der der der) or "rockin' " a Coldplay/Bon Jovi/Journey
vein. Hilarious.

5) That an award dubbed "Entertainer of the Year" is given to someone.
Always seems like the winner of this ought to be juggling a kitten, a
chainsaw, and an apple, rather than singing lyrics written by seven song-
factory-line-workers in an office near Vanderbilt.

6) That said winner will then thank his manager at Mercury South, his
publicist, the guy who precision trims his 3-day beard, and then point
to the roof of the building and thank Jesus, who no doubt is wearing
fashion jeans and a sleeveless black T while glued to his fresh
900-inch flat screen in his new condo in a new mixed-use building in a
neighborhood full of earth-to-mouth gastropub-dive-bar concepts.

7) That the Dierks Bentley song "Drunk on a Plane" wasn't written by
Weird Al or Ray "The Streak" Stevens.

8) Florida Georgia Line! Yes! These top-shelf cornballs are a couple
clicks away from Chippendale's auditions at 2 p.m. on a Monday
afternoon in Tampa at the former Structure store in the West Shore
Plaza.

9) That rootin', tootin' Garth Brooks is still with us and possibly
could revive Chris Gaines and tour with Keith Urban.

10) That, based on all this evidence, that there's a big chance this
time next year that you'll catch my new band, Tanktop, featuring Cody
Papaw on lead vocals, performing our first sensitive-man single "You
Call Me Stupid, I Call Me Country (While Ya'll Treat Me Like That?)."

Uploaded by vn Bsers on 2014-11-06.

Baver's Buckeye Bag 11/12/14

Baver’s Buckeye Bag 11/12/14

Thoughts on the Sparty win and going forward

--Urban Meyer teams continue to be deadly as underdogs, with the Buckeyes soundly beating Michigan State in East Lansing, at night.  The Buckeye offense now has to be considered the real deal, and will be very tough for anyone to stop from here on out…even a playoff team, should the Buckeyes get there.  The defense on the other hand certainly did not play their best game and will likely face an offense better than Michigan State’s if they make the playoff.  Regardless, that was a GREAT win.

--Was Michigan State really that good?  Maybe, maybe not.  I give a ton of credit to the Buckeye offense, but I think it’s now obvious that the Sparty defense is not on par with what they had a year ago.  Again….regardless…..a GREAT win for the Bucks.

--Hats off to left guard Billy Price, who got beaten early, but went on to have his best game as a Buckeye.  The Buckeye interior O-line trio of Price, Boren and Elflein took care of business in East Lansing.

--Two guys that are really helping this Buckeye offense reach the next level: veteran WR’s Devin Smith and Evan Spencer.  Smith has come alive, and if the kid comes to play, there aren’t many corners in the Big Ten that can cover him.  And Evan Spencer does everything that doesn’t show up in the box scores.  A tip of the hat to these two seniors.

--Dontre Wilson continues to be up and down, but I hate to lose him with the foot injury.  Although, Meyer says Dontre Wilson will be out “a few weeks”.  Only out a few weeks with a broken foot?  That would seem to be a quick return.

--It appeared to be a big downgrade at the field corner spot with Gareon Conley subbing for Eli Apple the first two drives against MSU, as Apple dealt with a hamstring injury.  Conley got beat early and that may have been a different game had Apple not spelled him on Michigan State’s third drive.  Apple didn’t practice all week because of the injury, so that was a gutsy performance out of Eli.

--Michael Bennett is a beast – period.

--Some strange happenings with nickel back Armani Reeves?  The Buckeye coaches continue to say they “can’t” comment on Reeves’ status.  I won’t speculate as to what is going on with Reeves and just say that I think the Bucks could have used him Saturday in East Lansing. 

--Based on the updated odds to win the National Championship, the chances of Ohio State making the playoff still appear to be excellent “if” they win their next 3 games “and” the B10 title game.  Four more wins should bounce the Buckeyes up from #8 in the current playoff committee poll to top 4.  Ohio State is the third overall favorite to win the National Championship game at sportsbook.com with 6.5-1 odds, trailing Alabama (3.5 to 1) and Oregon (4 to 1).  OSU is the 6th favorite at the 5 Dimes sportsbook, with 8 to 1 odds, behind Alabama (4.5 to 1), Oregon (5 to 1), and the trio of TCU, Miss St, and Fla State, each of which is catching 7.5 to 1.

The trip to Minny and possible winter wonderland

As of early Wednesday morning, the weather forecast for the Minnesota game was a high of 29 degrees with a 40% chance of snow.  This worries me.  And it’s obviously a bad spot for Ohio State after such a big win against Sparty.  So, you have the bad spot, the act of facing a tough defense on the road, and the uncertainty that comes with snow and cold weather. 

As for the matchup….  Minnesota’s offense is a big downgrade from Michigan State’s, with the Gophers ranking 96th in the country in total offense, despite playing a weak schedule.  I am not sure if they did it with mirrors last week, putting up a 51-spot on Iowa, but I don’t expect much from the Gopher offense this week.

There is more of a concern on the other side of the ball, as the Gopher defense has been stubborn all year.  They rank 21st nationally in total defense and are fairly strong against both the run and the pass.  TCU has one of the best offenses in the country, averaging 47.2 pts per game, but scored only 30 on the Gophers in decent weather (in Fort Worth) in mid-September.

If the weather ends up being “not so bad,” I like the Buckeyes here, regardless of the spot (on the schedule).  I may change the score prediction later in the week, based on an updated weather forecast, but I almost certainly will still like the Buckeyes to cover the spread (currently OSU by 12, as of Wednesday morning) regardless of how much the line moves.  The Call: Ohio State 28 Minnesota 10.

--Brent Baver

This Date in Rock n Roll History: KISS Releases (Music From) The Elder by Scott Carr

(Music From) The Elder is the ninth studio album from KISS released on November 10, 1981.

After the less than impressive sales of their 1980 release Unmasked, which saw the band take a turn towards a more pop-oriented sound, it was initially teased in the office KISS Army newsletter that the next KISS release would be "hard and heavy from start to finish — straight-on rock and roll that will knock your socks off." Ultimately what they delivered is without a doubt the strangest album in the KISS catalog. Instead of a no frills straight ahead rock record....the fans got a concept record based on a story by bassist Gene Simmons. The album was produced by Bob Ezrin, who had previously worked with the band on their 1976 Destroyer album and had also worked with Alice Cooper, Pink Floyd and many others. The idea was to make a record that would showcase KISS as serious musicians and try to pander to the critics who were never too kind to KISS.

The Elder was truly a transitional record for the band as it was their first release with new drummer Eric Carr who had replaced departed original drummer Peter Criss a year earlier when Criss bowed out to begin his solo career. Eric toured throughout Europe with KISS on their Unmasked tour and proved to be a breath of fresh air for the band and brought a level of energy that had been missing on their last tour with Criss. 

Initially there were big plans that would tie in with the release of The Elder.......there was a movie planned, a new tour was on the horizon with a whole new stage show and a new look for the band......they had all cut their hair shorter than it had ever been and the new costumes were a more streamlined look than the previous costumes they had for the Dynasty/Unmasked tours, and there was also talk of several sequels that would continue the story of The Elder. As quickly as these plans were announced....they were soon cancelled. The movie idea was scrapped and the tour never came to be. 

Picture Disc for single "World Without Heroes". Olivia Newton John's influence was hard to escape during this period in American music. CG

The only live performance of any material from The Elder was on a late-night sketch comedy show on ABC called Fridays. Fridays was ABC's short-lived answer to NBC's Saturday Night Live. KISS appeared on Fridays and performed three songs from The Elder......"The Oath", "A World Without Heroes" and "I." This is the only time any material from The Elder was performed live until August, 1995 when KISS taped their MTV Unplugged concert and surprised fans with "A World Without Heroes." After the MTV taping it seemed The Elder had been put back into the closet to never be heard from again.....until recently when KISS played "The Oath" on their fourth annual KISS Kruise.

The Elder was quite a dud sales-wise for the band.......it would be their commercial low point and worst-selling album of their entire career. At the time most fans weren't sure what to make of this new serious KISS record that sounded more like a Pink Floyd record than a KISS record.....a lot of fans felt let down by their comic book heroes and began to move to bands like Motley Crue, who released their iconic debut album Too Fast For Love the same month as The Elder . A new breed of rock and metal bands were coming out of LA and taking a lot of influence from the early days of KISS.....black leather, studs, fire and really raw rock music. These bands were filling the void that KISS had left behind and it would take another year or so before KISS would begin to get their career back on the right track.

As time has passed The Elder has become a fan favorite....although there seems to be no middle ground for this record....you either love it or you hate it. The members of KISS have pretty much disowned the album and rarely have any positive things to say about it. I personally love it and it is ranked in my top 5 all time favorite KISS records. I liked that they were trying something completely different....to me it sounded fresh and interesting but I completely understand why it didn't work on a mass level. People want KISS to rock and roll all night and party every day....they don't want them singing about the recruitment and training of a young hero (The Boy) by the Council of Elders who belong to the Order of the Rose, a mysterious group dedicated to combating evil. And an elderly caretaker named Morpheus. It's hard to write catchy songs about that kind of stuff.

There always seems to be interest surrounding The Elder.....On November 16, 2011 it was announced that pre-production had begun on an independently produced adaptation of Music from "The Elder" .......no word on when or if this project will ever get off the ground....but the film company has released a teaser trailer for the movie.

So...Happy 33rd birthday to the weirdest and most controversial album in the KISS discography.......

Scott Carr is a guitarist who plays in the Columbus, OH  bands Radio Tramps and Returning April. Scott is also an avid collector of vinyl records and works at Lost Weekend Records. So...if you are looking for Scott....you'll either find him in a dimly lit bar playing his guitar or in a record store digging for the holy grail.

Editor's note: Obviously, I was going to first embed the footage of KISS performing said material on ABC Fridays. UNTIL, Scott  dropped the bomb that  a "new Elder" movie is currently in production being made by Seb Hunter, a cultish looking figure from the U.K. It's due for release in 2014 and it may or may not be a hoax. Brilliant. My jaw is on the floor this is sooooo awesome. I think Brian Phillips and myself may have a reelin' and rockin' candidate. Check out the trailer below before enjoying KISS in all their 1982 glory.

The Official Trailer of The Elder - an independent movie being made in the UK by Seb Hunter. The movie is inspired by the album Music From The Elder by KISS. It is scheduled for a 2014 release.

Friday night comedy show which ran for two seasons on ABC television . Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, ACE Frehley and Eric Carr .

Under-rated as musicians.   CG

Easy Money! Baver now 20-11-1 on CFB Picks.This Week's Picks and Colin's Questions OSU v MSU

Follow @baverbuckeyebag and click here for Baver Buckeye Bag  OSU v MSU

1) Give me an update on your picks so far and what lines do you find interesting this week?

Overall picks on the year, combining the OSU picks with the weekly plays of the week, I am 20-11-1 against the spread (7-0-1 picking the Ohio State games ATS).  I like Virginia getting 20 against Florida State.  Coming off the big comeback win over Louisville on the road, I think the Noles get complacent again.  And Virginia has a stingy defense.  I’ll go with another dog and advise taking Notre Dame getting the 2 ½ at Arizona State.  I tend to think Notre Dame wins a tight game outright.  And despite the tough remaining schedule, I think Notre Dame may win all four of their remaining games and end up in the playoff.  Finally, I like Oregon laying 8 at Utah, despite what appears to be a bad spot for the Ducks coming off their spanking of Stanford.  Not a great spot for Utah either, after the tough OT loss at Arizona State.  And I think Oregon, as a team, is starting to pull together nicely.

2) Wow. This is a big game. Lose and the best we can hope for is third in the frigging Big Ten. Yuk. Can you recall a more important Buckeye conference game with still so much football to be played?

 Wrong or right, lose this game, and the Buckeyes look like a fraud to those CFB fans outside of Ohio.  I mean, sooner or later, Urban Meyer has to beat a top team.  And like you said….lose this game and for all intents and purposes, the Bucks are at best #3 in the Big Ten.  And come 2015, four Big Ten Championship games will then be in the books, of which Ohio State will have won none of.  So, no….I can’t recall another game that means so much, three games prior to the Michigan game.

3)This same Buckeye team had trouble scoring against MSU just 11 months ago with the two time Big Ten MVP at QB and Carlos Hyde pounding the rock behind our best O line in decades. I'm trying to imagine how on Earth we are going to score any points let alone enough to win. Help me out.
 
I guess one counter argument is that Michigan State’s defense appears to be a notch below where they were a year ago, which offsets some of OSU’s offensive downgrade.  But your points are very much valid.  I tend to think the Buckeye defense and/or special teams are going to have to score in order for Ohio State to win this game.  And the Buckeye defense is going to have to play far better than they did in last year’s Big Ten Championship game.  They simply cannot give up 30+ points again.

4) You recently returned from the game in Happy Valley. How did that insane environment help prepare this team for what lies ahead at East Lansing? How tough of a venue is Spartan Stadium?
 
It won’t be as crazy as Happy Valley – not sure any venue is.  I have been to Spartan Stadium twice; both were beat downs, with OSU winning 38-7 in 2006 and 45-7 in 2008.  But Michigan State is such a better program now and that stadium will be rocking Saturday night.  I think the craziness in Beaver Stadium two weeks ago will indeed help the Buckeyes deal with the Sparty crowd tomorrow night.

5) Doesn't the case of MSU once again prove the advantage of having a tough schedule a myth? Instead of losing to Oregon on the road, what if Sparty had traveled to say, Central Florida and come into this game undefeated? Surely they would be top six in the country and in much better shape for the playoff. Why bother to schedule such tough games?
 
I guess I’ll go back to what I keep harping on….just win (from here on out), and things will take care of themselves.  I think there is a 90%-plus chance that the winner of Ohio State – Michigan State will be in the CFB playoff if they win their other games as well (which is not a given).  Therefore, I don’t think the Oregon loss hurt Sparty that bad.  But I see where you are coming from.  In some cases, scheduling the big dog can do more harm than good.