Welcome to a Saturday edition of Around the Pound. The AFC and NFC Championship games are tomorrow, and both contests should be intriguing match-ups. I'd rather not see the Jets make the Super Bowl, but even with them, almost every hypothetical Super Bowl match should be an entertaining one.
Stan Edwards Buying His Own BS
As if it wasn't annoying enough that WR Braylon Edwards persisted in trashing the Cleveland Browns ever since he the Jets made the postseason, now his father, Stan Edwards, is following in his footsteps. This comes from Tony Grossi's interview with Stan:
[Edwards'] father, Stan, said the relationship between Edwards and Cleveland fans was never going to improve and he is "100 percent sure" the root of the problem lies with Edwards being a University of Michigan graduate in Ohio State country.
[Stan] Edwards does not think his son's history of dropped passes, or the perception of him disrespecting quarterback Charlie Frye in one memorable moment in a 2006 game, or his famous outspokenness, or his off-the-field incident right before his trade are in the same league as the Michigan affiliation.
"There have been [Browns] who played for Michigan (Steve Everitt, Leroy Hoard, Derrick Alexander, Thom Darden) that didn't get the flak that Braylon got. I would agree with that," he said. "But the fact of the matter is there are so many people who didn't like him because he played for Michigan and gave him more crap and actually put our lives in danger on more than one occasion.
"But that's what fans do. Nobody can hold the fans accountable. It's virtually impossible. But Braylon's drops get talked about more in Cleveland because he is from Michigan. You can't tell me anything different."
In the rest of the article, Stan attempts to say that Kellen Winslow had the same problems catching the football and false starting and yet did not receive the same flak that Braylon did. Talk about being blind to reality. These comments come a few weeks after Stan did not make excuses for Edwards or slam the Browns organization. Now the entire family is on the douche-list, and it's not because Braylon played for Michigan -- it's because of comments exactly like the ones presented in the interview.
Cribbs Talks Going Well
In case you missed it yesterday, things are starting to look a little bit brighter in the contract negotiations with Joshua Cribbs. The new front office has stated that a "take it or leave it" offer was never offered. That supposed "offer" was presented, perhaps with that tone, by Dawn Aponte, according to Cribbs' agents. I still wonder whether the verbiage she used/how she handled the situation will be the cause of her soon-to-be-departure.
Either way, a few weeks after the initial "uh-oh," it's starting to look like Cribbs will play for the Browns again for many years to come.
Chudzinski Receiving an Interview in Chicago
Former Browns offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski is interviewing with the Chicago Bears. The Bears are looking to fill their offensive coordinator position. Since leaving the Browns, Chudzinski went back to San Diego as an assistant coach with the tight ends. Current Browns defensive coordinator Rob Ryan praised Chudzinski's abilities:
"That guy is outstanding," Ryan said on "The Waddle & Silvy Show." "There's a great mind right there. ... He does a great job. He had this Cleveland Browns offense clicking just two years ago. He's been fantastic."
Droughns Under Investigation
According to reports, former Browns RB Reuben Droughns is under investigation after authorities discovered an indoor marijuana farm in the spare bedrooms of his residence. Droughns claims he needs it for medicinal purposes. Raise your hand if you believe him.
Off-Beat Notes
- I mentioned Ghostbusters 3 a few days ago, and there's another rumor regarding it now: the film could be done in 3D.
- That was a fun few weeks of the Late Night saga, wasn't it? Unfortunately, with Conan O'Brien's final show on NBC airing yesterday, the fireworks are probably going to die off for a little bit (at least until September). Ratings-wise, Conan went out with a bang, having a 7.0 rating/16 share on Friday. That is a huge number for the 11:35 pm timeslot. In comparison, Letterman had a 2.5/5. I would love nothing more than for Jay Leno to return to pitiful ratings in March.
- I heard reports that one frame or so was released by ABC promoting the upcoming season of LOST. I'll try to stay away from it until February 2. If I see it before that while I'm watching ABC programming though, I'll probably keep my eyes open for a quick peak. If you want to know about it, here is a link though.
- Winter ending early? The high could get up to 45 degrees in Cleveland today, but rest assured, we'll be back underneath the 30s with flurries by next week.