Around the Pound (1/17): Ravens Lose, Update on Aponte's Status

You voted, and "Around the Pound" came out victorious as the title that will be associated with this regular feature. There was something to celebrate yesterday as the Indianapolis Colts eliminated the Baltimore Ravens from the postseason. It was a somewhat competitive game until late in the first half, when Peyton Manning tossed two touchdown passes in the final two minutes.

Ravens Lose 20-3 to Colts

It shouldn't have been a surprise to anybody that Indianapolis came out on top. I was pleased to see Joe Flacco not come through as well as a starting quarterback should. His final line was 20-of-35 for 189 yards and 2 interceptions. Both interceptions came late in the game when he was trying to rally from behind, but he was at fault in both instances.

The play of the game came from WR Pierre Garcon, who never game up after Ed Reed intercepted a pass in front of him and was running 38 yards down the field. Garcon forced the fumble and Dallas Clark recovered it. Had the fumble not occurred, Baltimore would've had a short field to work with and still could have made a game of it.

Aponte Not Quite Out Yet?

It was originally reported by the Plain Dealer that Dawn Aponte left the team for the Miami Dolphins. Later Saturday night, Tony Grossi updated his story with further information...

In what would amount to the first trade of the Mike Holmgren administration, the Browns and Miami Dolphins are contemplating swapping salary cap specialists, according to a league source.

If it works out, Dawn Aponte would leave the Browns to join the Dolphins, said the source. She would be replaced by Matt Thomas, a vice president of football administration of the Dolphins.

Aponte would fit well with Miami, since she has experience working with Bill Parcells. However, as of Saturday, she was "still an employee of [the Browns]," according to a team spokesman, reports the PD.

Too Many Restricted Free Agents

Scout.com’s Free Agent Rankings are out, and one thing’s for certain: If your team wants a top free agent, it’s going to cost it dearly.

Because of the new rules brought about by the owners opting out of the collective bargaining agreement, the timeline to become an unrestricted free agent has moved from four years of accrued experience to six. Because of that fundamental change, the vast majority of the top free agents will be restricted. In this year’s Scout.com rankings, 31 of the top 50 are restricted. Last year, only three of the top 50 were restricted.

The only Brown listed in the top 50 is LB D'Qwell Jackson, but he is a restricted free agent.

Mike Holmgren's Career (Mini-Biography)

This was a well-written piece over at the Plain Dealer on Mike Holmgren's personal life and career en route to joining the Browns.

New Job for Frisman Jackson

Remember WR Frisman Jackson? The guy who had that one breakout game against the Cincinnati Bengals, and who could throw it a mile as a quarterback if asked to? Since leaving the NFL, Jackson shifted to coaching. It was announced Saturday that Jackson will be the new wide receivers coach for the Akron Zips next season.

"Frisman brings a great background as a player and a coach," UA head football coach Rob Ianello said. "He has played at the highest level in the offensive system we will run. He has the rare ability to translate success on the field as a player to having great vision and communication skills as a coach. I have been impressed with his presence, work ethic and ability to work with young men."

Jackson comes to Akron after two seasons (2008-09) as receivers coach at his alma mater Western Illinois. In Jackson's first season as a Leatherneck coach, then sophomore wide receiver Lito Senatus was named to the league's All-Newcomer Team. This past season, Senatus ranked 29th in NCAA FCS for receptions (5.9) and 39th in receiving yards (74.45 avg.)

Off-Beat Notes

• I mentioned this earlier in the week, but I'll do it again because I'll be tuning in tonight. "Human Target" debuts on FOX at 8 PM EST, and "24" will premiere for two hours from 9 PM to 11 PM EST, also on FOX. There's nothing better than seeing Jack Bauer kick ass each and every hour of the day. Let's just hope he's not seizing/collapsing every hour like he did at the end of last season.
• It sounds like Conan O'Brien might be getting a $30 million payout, and the no-complete clause will not come into play. I think FOX should jump at the opportunity to bring Conan aboard and establish a show; I'm sure the FOX network would be very much open to allowing Conan to gear his show toward his liking.
• One of our members, Bernie19Kosar, has a FanPost up related to the Haiti situation. Any assistance that can be provided to the relief efforts are very much appreciated.
• A family in Nebraska built a 30-foot snowman (video link is to the left of the article). That trumps the 7-8 foot snowman I helped construct on Friday.
• The Golden Globes are on tonight. I always miss it because something else I prefer to see tends to be on, but I'm interested in seeing how Ricky Gervais handles it...I might just try to tape it this year and see it later. There's a certain television show that I'd love to see come away with a few awards in it's first season, but I'll refrain from saying what show that is.