Face of the Franchise

In a move that I would describe as surprising, at the least, the Browns have put the franchise tag on kicker Phil Dawson.  Under the current CBA (set to expire in 10 days), this means that Dawson will receive a 1-yr contract at the average of the top 5 highest paid players at his position.  For Phil this translates into $3.25mil.  Dawson, who counted himself among the many that did not expect the kicker back in Cleveland next season, sold his house in Westlake and was preparing for his first pro season off of the North Coast.  The Brownies will wait until the labor situation is resolved to have conversations with the only kicker the "new" franchise has ever had.  Only in Cleveland do we franchise a kicker.

The Buckeyes shot 53% from the field and turned the ball over just 3 times in beating Illinois 89-70.  The Bucks held the lead for the final 39:27 and remained undefeated at home.  David Lighty lead the way with 21 points and 6 steals.  He put on a clinic early in the 2nd half stripping several Illini and scoring 13 consecutive at one point.  William Buford scored 15 of his 17 in the 1st half, Jared Sullinger added 12 & 11 and Aaron Craft bounced back from a dreadful performance against Purdue with 6 assists and 0 turnovers.  This win was crucial for OSU as they struggle to hang onto a coveted #1 seed in the NCAA tournament.  Twice this season they have lost and twice they have responded by taking down a tough foe in the subsequent game.  The ability to avoid a losing streak will be key in maintaining standing for a selection committee that will have to leave either the Bucks, Kansas, Texas, Pitt or Duke off of the 1 line.  And here's what I would scream at the Buckeyes if I had their ear, "GUARD THE BALL ON THE PERIMETER!  DO NOT GIVE UP OPEN 3s!"  Can I emphasize that more?  If OSU fails in March due to poor perimeter defense, I might go hunt each player down and smack him in mouth.

Go Bucks.

Cheers.