CLEVELAND, Ohio -- "He embraces the moment."
That's what an almost awestruck Kyle Korver said about LeBron James.
The moment could be anything from a Game 7 to a chase-down blocked shot to a scowling face and a roar that made his teammates believe, "We are not losing this game."
Or wasting the moment.
So we find the Cleveland Cavaliers not only embracing the moment, but hugging yet another NBA Eastern Conference championship trophy.
Four in a row.
And James is 4-for-4 in trips to The NBA Finals since returning to the Cavs in the summer of 2014.
"It was Game 7 in Boston," said Cavs coach Tyronn Lue. "There's all the history in Boston ... they were undefeated at home (in the playoffs) ... it was a hostile environment.
And the final score: Cavaliers 87, Boston 79.
James played all 48 minutes. He scored 35 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter.
Want more?
He ripped down 15 rebounds. He had nine assists.
In the fourth quarter, all but two of the Cavs 23 points were the results of either a pass or a shot by James.
"He's unbelievable," said Boston coach Brad Stevens. "It's ridiculous, and he does it at this level with the pressure and the scrutiny ... our goal was to make him exert as much energy as humanly possible...
"I thought we were pretty good at that ... but he still scored 35. It's a joke."
But no one in Boston is laughing, while Cavs fans once again are celebrating.
BIG GAME, BIG HEART
It starts with this: No James, no trip to The NBA Finals.
"The bigger the stage, the bigger the player," said Lue.
But some other Cavs refused to shrink under the bright lights and the insanely loud crowd in Boston.
Cavs fans watched Jeff Green play the game of his life at the age of 31 This is the same Jeff Green who has been with six teams in 10 years.
It's the same Jeff Green who had fallen out of favor with other teams and ended up signing a one-year veteran's minimum contract with the Cavs after being paid $14 million in Orlando last season.
It's the same Jeff Green who has a reputation of sometimes disappearing in pressure situations.
Not this time.
"I told myself to have fun with it," said Green. "Enjoy the moment."
Did he ever!
The man who had open heart surgery at Cleveland Clinic and missed the entire 2011-12 season showed his heart for the game.
The 6-foot-10 forward started in the place of Kevin Love (concussion) and scored 19 points. He also had eight rebounds, more than anyone in a Boston uniform.
But there was more.
After looking like a man in a parking lot who couldn't find his car keys in the first half -- J.R. Smith put his game into overdrive.
Smith outscored Boston's starting backcourt of Terry Rozier and Jaylen Brown (9-7) in the second half.
When it meant the most, Smith delivered his best.
George Hill scored only six points, but the Cavs outscored Boston by 24 points when the veteran point guard was on the court.
Tristan Thompson? He took four shots, made them all. They were power layups and dunks. And he had nine rebounds.
MORE THAN ONE
The bigger the stage ... the bigger the PLAYERS ... as in more than one for the Cavs.
Green mentioned how "everyone doubted us" heading into the playoffs.
That was especially true after the Cavs needed seven games and an epic 43-point Game 7 performance by James to beat Indiana in the first round.
James heard the negative noise, but tried to ignore it.
"But I think Coach Lue, he feeds off it," said James. "Some of our teammates kind of feed off it -- just people counting us out and counting them out personally."
At one point during the Indiana series, James became upset with all the questions about his teammates not producing.
"You guys think I'm going to throw my teammates under the bus?" he asked with a cold, hard stare. "I'm not about that."
James did have doubts, even if he refused to admit it. His body language screamed it at times.
But he just tried to keep playing ... waiting ... and hoping for games like this.
"(Game 7) was another example of counting my guys out," said James. "Saying they've been struggling ... they won't play well on the road ... and counting my coach out. I think they all rose to the occasion."
That's what an almost awestruck Kyle Korver said about LeBron James.
The moment could be anything from a Game 7 to a chase-down blocked shot to a scowling face and a roar that made his teammates believe, "We are not losing this game."
Or wasting the moment.
So we find the Cleveland Cavaliers not only embracing the moment, but hugging yet another NBA Eastern Conference championship trophy.
Four in a row.
And James is 4-for-4 in trips to The NBA Finals since returning to the Cavs in the summer of 2014.
"It was Game 7 in Boston," said Cavs coach Tyronn Lue. "There's all the history in Boston ... they were undefeated at home (in the playoffs) ... it was a hostile environment.
And the final score: Cavaliers 87, Boston 79.
James played all 48 minutes. He scored 35 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter.
Want more?
He ripped down 15 rebounds. He had nine assists.
In the fourth quarter, all but two of the Cavs 23 points were the results of either a pass or a shot by James.
"He's unbelievable," said Boston coach Brad Stevens. "It's ridiculous, and he does it at this level with the pressure and the scrutiny ... our goal was to make him exert as much energy as humanly possible...
"I thought we were pretty good at that ... but he still scored 35. It's a joke."
But no one in Boston is laughing, while Cavs fans once again are celebrating.
BIG GAME, BIG HEART
It starts with this: No James, no trip to The NBA Finals.
"The bigger the stage, the bigger the player," said Lue.
But some other Cavs refused to shrink under the bright lights and the insanely loud crowd in Boston.
Cavs fans watched Jeff Green play the game of his life at the age of 31 This is the same Jeff Green who has been with six teams in 10 years.
It's the same Jeff Green who had fallen out of favor with other teams and ended up signing a one-year veteran's minimum contract with the Cavs after being paid $14 million in Orlando last season.
It's the same Jeff Green who has a reputation of sometimes disappearing in pressure situations.
Not this time.
"I told myself to have fun with it," said Green. "Enjoy the moment."
Did he ever!
The man who had open heart surgery at Cleveland Clinic and missed the entire 2011-12 season showed his heart for the game.
The 6-foot-10 forward started in the place of Kevin Love (concussion) and scored 19 points. He also had eight rebounds, more than anyone in a Boston uniform.
But there was more.
After looking like a man in a parking lot who couldn't find his car keys in the first half -- J.R. Smith put his game into overdrive.
Smith outscored Boston's starting backcourt of Terry Rozier and Jaylen Brown (9-7) in the second half.
When it meant the most, Smith delivered his best.
George Hill scored only six points, but the Cavs outscored Boston by 24 points when the veteran point guard was on the court.
Tristan Thompson? He took four shots, made them all. They were power layups and dunks. And he had nine rebounds.
MORE THAN ONE
The bigger the stage ... the bigger the PLAYERS ... as in more than one for the Cavs.
Green mentioned how "everyone doubted us" heading into the playoffs.
That was especially true after the Cavs needed seven games and an epic 43-point Game 7 performance by James to beat Indiana in the first round.
James heard the negative noise, but tried to ignore it.
"But I think Coach Lue, he feeds off it," said James. "Some of our teammates kind of feed off it -- just people counting us out and counting them out personally."
At one point during the Indiana series, James became upset with all the questions about his teammates not producing.
"You guys think I'm going to throw my teammates under the bus?" he asked with a cold, hard stare. "I'm not about that."
James did have doubts, even if he refused to admit it. His body language screamed it at times.
But he just tried to keep playing ... waiting ... and hoping for games like this.
"(Game 7) was another example of counting my guys out," said James. "Saying they've been struggling ... they won't play well on the road ... and counting my coach out. I think they all rose to the occasion."
Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron James ... how did they do it again? -- Terry Pluto (photos)
Updated ; Posted
36
Gallery: NBA Playoffs - Eastern Conference Finals, Cleveland Cavaliers vs Boston Celtics, Game 7
BOSTON -- Game Seven.
"The best two words in sports," is how LeBron James talks about it.
And when LeBron James is on your team -- Game Seven is a thing of beauty.
Game 7 is James scoring 35 points and leading the Cavs past the Celtics in Boston's TD Garden.
Game 7 is LeBron James playing all 48 minutes.
Game 7 now belongs to LeBron James when you look at it in terms of NBA history.
The final score: Cavs 87, Boston 79.
The final verdict: A fourth consecutive trip to the NBA Finals for the Cavaliers.
Or how about this?
It's eight in a row for James, dating back to his days with the Miami Heat.
Or this?
James has a 6-2 record in Game 7's, having won his last six in a row.
Odds are we may never seeing anything like this on the Cleveland sports scene with any franchise.
Every game, every playoff round, we are witnessing history from a player making a bid to be the greatest of all time.
And that player is a local son from Akron.
LOOK AT THE NAMES
When the Cavs stepped on the court for the opening tap, I looked at the other Cleveland starters besides James:
Jeff Green, Tristan Thompson, George Hill and J.R. Smith.
James was going to win the biggest game of the season on a court where Boston is 10-0 in the playoffs ... with those guys?
Second-leading scorer Kevin Love was out with a concussion.
James was playing his 100th consecutive game. No player had piled up more minutes in the regular season ... or the playoffs ... than James.
In Friday's Game 6 win-or-go-home, James played 46 minutes and scored 46 points.
He should have been exhausted. He was sweating buckets. His right leg was bothering him after a slight injury.
"My leg has been better," James said before the game. "I'll be ready."
Ready indeed.
At the end of first quarter, Boston was leading 26-18.
In the middle of the second quarter, the Cavs were losing by 12.
I thought, "It's over. The Cavs are finally done."
I was wrong.
James was not done. Not at all.
THERE WAS HELP
Then came ... Jeff Green?
That's right, Jeff Green!
On a night when it seemed both teams were shooting at those tiny rims at a local carnival.
So this was about grit and will and yes ... LeBron James.
But Green delivered 19 points and eight rebounds.
J.R. Smith, Tristan Thompson and George Hill had their moments.
Thompson made all four of his shots and finished with 10 points to go with eight rebounds. Smith scored a dozen points.
But it was Green who was there with James when it meant the most.
"Their defense is more unpredictable in a lot of ways (without Love)," said Boston coach Brad Stevens. "Jeff (Green) gives them another long, versatile athlete on the defensive end of the court."
And the Cavs did what James said was needed when he spoke before the game.
"They are not going to show us anything in Xs and Os that we haven't seen in the first six games," said James. "It comes down to making shots. Getting defensive stops. Getting 50-50 balls. Being the first man to the floor."
And they did just that.
When it meant the most the Cavs were more determined on defense, tougher on the boards and showed more poise when neither team could make an outside shot for long stretches.
The Cavs held Boston to 34 percent shooting, including 18 percent on 3-pointers. The younger, quicker Celtics had only three fast-break points.
James led the way with 15 rebounds. No one else had more than eight on either team.
The Cavs won this game the hard way on the road in front of a wild, hostile crowd.
"We've been counted out for a long time this season," James said to ESPN after the game. "This is a heckuva accomplishment for our ball club."
And for James.
"The best two words in sports," is how LeBron James talks about it.
And when LeBron James is on your team -- Game Seven is a thing of beauty.
Game 7 is James scoring 35 points and leading the Cavs past the Celtics in Boston's TD Garden.
Game 7 is LeBron James playing all 48 minutes.
Game 7 now belongs to LeBron James when you look at it in terms of NBA history.
The final score: Cavs 87, Boston 79.
The final verdict: A fourth consecutive trip to the NBA Finals for the Cavaliers.
Or how about this?
It's eight in a row for James, dating back to his days with the Miami Heat.
Or this?
James has a 6-2 record in Game 7's, having won his last six in a row.
Odds are we may never seeing anything like this on the Cleveland sports scene with any franchise.
Every game, every playoff round, we are witnessing history from a player making a bid to be the greatest of all time.
And that player is a local son from Akron.
LOOK AT THE NAMES
When the Cavs stepped on the court for the opening tap, I looked at the other Cleveland starters besides James:
Jeff Green, Tristan Thompson, George Hill and J.R. Smith.
James was going to win the biggest game of the season on a court where Boston is 10-0 in the playoffs ... with those guys?
Second-leading scorer Kevin Love was out with a concussion.
James was playing his 100th consecutive game. No player had piled up more minutes in the regular season ... or the playoffs ... than James.
In Friday's Game 6 win-or-go-home, James played 46 minutes and scored 46 points.
He should have been exhausted. He was sweating buckets. His right leg was bothering him after a slight injury.
"My leg has been better," James said before the game. "I'll be ready."
Ready indeed.
At the end of first quarter, Boston was leading 26-18.
In the middle of the second quarter, the Cavs were losing by 12.
I thought, "It's over. The Cavs are finally done."
I was wrong.
James was not done. Not at all.
THERE WAS HELP
Then came ... Jeff Green?
That's right, Jeff Green!
On a night when it seemed both teams were shooting at those tiny rims at a local carnival.
So this was about grit and will and yes ... LeBron James.
But Green delivered 19 points and eight rebounds.
J.R. Smith, Tristan Thompson and George Hill had their moments.
Thompson made all four of his shots and finished with 10 points to go with eight rebounds. Smith scored a dozen points.
But it was Green who was there with James when it meant the most.
"Their defense is more unpredictable in a lot of ways (without Love)," said Boston coach Brad Stevens. "Jeff (Green) gives them another long, versatile athlete on the defensive end of the court."
And the Cavs did what James said was needed when he spoke before the game.
"They are not going to show us anything in Xs and Os that we haven't seen in the first six games," said James. "It comes down to making shots. Getting defensive stops. Getting 50-50 balls. Being the first man to the floor."
And they did just that.
When it meant the most the Cavs were more determined on defense, tougher on the boards and showed more poise when neither team could make an outside shot for long stretches.
The Cavs held Boston to 34 percent shooting, including 18 percent on 3-pointers. The younger, quicker Celtics had only three fast-break points.
James led the way with 15 rebounds. No one else had more than eight on either team.
The Cavs won this game the hard way on the road in front of a wild, hostile crowd.
"We've been counted out for a long time this season," James said to ESPN after the game. "This is a heckuva accomplishment for our ball club."
And for James.
Cleveland Cavalier fans need to savor these playoffs -- Terry Pluto (photos)
Updated ; Posted
69
Gallery: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics game 6 of the Eastern Conference Championship, May 25, 2018
BOSTON - I know, it's just a game.
And I know, the Cavaliers are trying to go to their fourth consecutive NBA Finals. It's almost a given ever since LeBron James returned in the summer of 2014.
But I remember all the bad old days with Cavaliers, sitting under the basket for $2.50 at the old, long-gone Cleveland Arena in 1970. That expansion team opened the season by losing 27 of its first 28 games.
And I remember when winning a round of the playoffs in 1975 was considered "The Miracle of Richfield." That was when it seemed the Cavs would never make the playoffs.
You can add your own memories from Ted Stepien to World B. Free to Mark Price to the first coming-and-going of LeBron James.
How about that 26-game losing streak the season after James left for Miami. That set an NBA record for futility.
But these Cavaliers can make another memory tonight in Boston, a very special one.
"Game 7, the best two words in sports," as James has often said.
That's what the Cavs have in Boston.
Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, against the NBA's most storied franchise, on a court where the home team has not lost a playoff game in 2018.
Game 7, where James has a career-record of 6-2 in these dramatic clashes.
Game 7, where the Cavs already won once - defeating Indiana in the first round.
MORE THAN A GAME
"To get this opportunity, it's once in a lifetime. You've got to take advantage of it."
Those were the words not of James, but of George Hill.
He came to the Cavaliers from Sacramento, the NBA Devil's Island. He is 32 years old. This is his 10th NBA season. He has been in 97 playoff games.
But he's never been to the NBA Finals.
He was thinking about that early in Friday's 109-99 victory. He was fearing a loss and the end of a dream.
"There was a moment where the adrenaline kicked in and and I was saying, 'I'm not going home today,'" explained Hill, who made sure of that by scoring 20 points.
NOT MANY LEFT
Then there's Kyle Korver. He is 37 years old. He, like James, is in his 15th NBA season.
James was the No. 1 pick in the 2003 draft. Korver was No. 51.
"There aren't many of us around," James said recently, thinking back to that draft and about having Korver as a teammate.
I checked.
Here is a list of players from the 2003 draft who played in the NBA this season: Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Zaza Pachulia, Nick Collison, James and Korver.
Korver doesn't have a championship ring. He never made the NBA Finals until last season, when he was traded to the Cavs and teamed up with James.
That was his 14th year in the NBA, when the Cavs were eliminated in five games by Golden State.
They are not life-and-death. Korver knows that. His younger brother died unexpectedly this spring at the age of 27.
That's real life.
But Korver, Hill and yes, even James know the clock is ticking down on their careers.
Consider LeBron's rookie year with the Cavs - 2003-04. None of his teammates from that season are still in the NBA.
"Father time is undefeated," James has often said.
WHAT ABOUT FANS?
Think about your time as a Cleveland sports fan.
It wasn't so long ago - 2015 - when ESPN named Cleveland the "most tortured sports city" where fans have suffered the most.
And guess what? We earned the right to write our own book of sports lamentations.
But that was then.
This is now.
Game 7, in Boston.
Think about Game 6, the Cavs facing elimination. In the middle of the first quarter, they lost Kevin Love when he banged heads with Boston's Jayson Tatum. Love will miss Game 7 with a concussion.
But Larry Nance Jr. came off the bench to spark the Cavs.
Don't you love that?
Larry...Nance...Junior.
Son of Larry Nance, who starred for the Cavs in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when they couldn't get past Chicago's Michael Jordan in the playoffs.
Larry Nance Jr. is wearing his father's No. 22...the same number hanging from the ceiling in Quicken Loans Arena.
Larry Nance Jr., who played at Revere High and who has developed a chemistry with James.
"Of course," said James. "He's from here."
James is from Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary. Two local guys playing in Game 7 in Boston.
That may be a story we'll tell one day.
Game 7 is here. The story starts soon.
And I know, the Cavaliers are trying to go to their fourth consecutive NBA Finals. It's almost a given ever since LeBron James returned in the summer of 2014.
But I remember all the bad old days with Cavaliers, sitting under the basket for $2.50 at the old, long-gone Cleveland Arena in 1970. That expansion team opened the season by losing 27 of its first 28 games.
And I remember when winning a round of the playoffs in 1975 was considered "The Miracle of Richfield." That was when it seemed the Cavs would never make the playoffs.
You can add your own memories from Ted Stepien to World B. Free to Mark Price to the first coming-and-going of LeBron James.
How about that 26-game losing streak the season after James left for Miami. That set an NBA record for futility.
But these Cavaliers can make another memory tonight in Boston, a very special one.
"Game 7, the best two words in sports," as James has often said.
That's what the Cavs have in Boston.
Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, against the NBA's most storied franchise, on a court where the home team has not lost a playoff game in 2018.
Game 7, where James has a career-record of 6-2 in these dramatic clashes.
Game 7, where the Cavs already won once - defeating Indiana in the first round.
MORE THAN A GAME
"To get this opportunity, it's once in a lifetime. You've got to take advantage of it."
Those were the words not of James, but of George Hill.
He came to the Cavaliers from Sacramento, the NBA Devil's Island. He is 32 years old. This is his 10th NBA season. He has been in 97 playoff games.
But he's never been to the NBA Finals.
He was thinking about that early in Friday's 109-99 victory. He was fearing a loss and the end of a dream.
"There was a moment where the adrenaline kicked in and and I was saying, 'I'm not going home today,'" explained Hill, who made sure of that by scoring 20 points.
NOT MANY LEFT
Then there's Kyle Korver. He is 37 years old. He, like James, is in his 15th NBA season.
James was the No. 1 pick in the 2003 draft. Korver was No. 51.
"There aren't many of us around," James said recently, thinking back to that draft and about having Korver as a teammate.
I checked.
Here is a list of players from the 2003 draft who played in the NBA this season: Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Zaza Pachulia, Nick Collison, James and Korver.
Korver doesn't have a championship ring. He never made the NBA Finals until last season, when he was traded to the Cavs and teamed up with James.
That was his 14th year in the NBA, when the Cavs were eliminated in five games by Golden State.
They are not life-and-death. Korver knows that. His younger brother died unexpectedly this spring at the age of 27.
That's real life.
But Korver, Hill and yes, even James know the clock is ticking down on their careers.
Consider LeBron's rookie year with the Cavs - 2003-04. None of his teammates from that season are still in the NBA.
"Father time is undefeated," James has often said.
WHAT ABOUT FANS?
Think about your time as a Cleveland sports fan.
It wasn't so long ago - 2015 - when ESPN named Cleveland the "most tortured sports city" where fans have suffered the most.
And guess what? We earned the right to write our own book of sports lamentations.
But that was then.
This is now.
Game 7, in Boston.
Think about Game 6, the Cavs facing elimination. In the middle of the first quarter, they lost Kevin Love when he banged heads with Boston's Jayson Tatum. Love will miss Game 7 with a concussion.
But Larry Nance Jr. came off the bench to spark the Cavs.
Don't you love that?
Larry...Nance...Junior.
Son of Larry Nance, who starred for the Cavs in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when they couldn't get past Chicago's Michael Jordan in the playoffs.
Larry Nance Jr. is wearing his father's No. 22...the same number hanging from the ceiling in Quicken Loans Arena.
Larry Nance Jr., who played at Revere High and who has developed a chemistry with James.
"Of course," said James. "He's from here."
James is from Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary. Two local guys playing in Game 7 in Boston.
That may be a story we'll tell one day.
Game 7 is here. The story starts soon.
Cleveland Browns receivers: Will they stop dropping the ball? -- Terry Pluto (video)
Updated ; Posted
At one point in the OTA's, the Browns lined up with Josh Gordon wide on the right side, Antonio Callaway out wide left.
The slot receiver was Jarvis Landry.
I found myself thinking, "If everything goes reasonably well..."
It's a huge IF...
Callaway was suspended all last season at Florida. He flunked a drug test at the NFL Combine - a very bad sign.
Gordon has flunked several drug tests and been suspended so often, he has played only 10 of 64 games in the last four seasons.
Corey Coleman made a couple of very athletic catches.
Of course, Coleman has broken his hand in each of the last two seasons. He has played only 19 of 32 games. The team's first round pick in 2016 does have some talent, but he hasn't done much with it even when healthy the last two seasons.
So there's Coleman, Gordon and Callaway - all with major question marks next to their names.
And all with a lot of God-given talent, especially Gordon.
"Josh is one of the bigger receivers in this league and one of the fastest receivers in this league," said quarterback Tyrod Taylor. "His explosiveness is definitely something that you don't come across at his size."
The 6-foot-3, 225-pound Gordon played the final five games of last season. He caught 18 passes for an average of 18.6 yards per reception. He was a bit rusty (hadn't played in a regular season game since 2014).
But the talent is there.
As for Callaway, he glides more than runs - very smooth. He showed good hands catching a few low passes. I can see why scouts said he had first-round talent.
KEEPING IT REAL
Having so many receivers with so many personal/injury issues worries me.
Callaway and/or Gordon can lose their sobriety and end up suspended. Coleman could get hurt again, or just play poorly. It's not difficult to create a worst-case scenario.
It's why I'm glad they traded for Landry, who caught 400 passes (220 for first downs) in his first four years in NFL. That was with Miami, where he never missed a game.
Landry has an ego, as is true of most good receivers.
"I consider myself the best receiver in the NFL," he said at OTAs. "I consider myself the most complete receiver. If you turn on the film, I do everything. I block. I play inside. I play outside. I can come out of the backfield."
The best? That's doubtful. Statements like that are why some have said he can be difficult to coach.
But the man has been good and he's been consistent. He caught 112 passes last season. Many were short - 8.8 average. But as he told me in an answer to a question, there is value in first downs and moving the chains.
That's especially true for the Browns, who have lacked a possession receiver for years.
Taylor said Landry's "catch radius is the widest I've seen from a receiver."
The Browns receivers were awful last season. Profootballfocus (PFF) ranked them No. 27 in the NFL.
But the analytics website rated Buffalo's 32nd overall. So Taylor was throwing to the worst receivers in the NFL, at least according to PFF.
I actually believe the Browns receivers were worse than the group in Buffalo. But there is no debate, Landry is the most dependable receiver Taylor has thrown to in his three pro seasons.
Leading Buffalo receivers: In 2015, Sammy Watkins had 60 catches. In 2016, Robert Woods had 51 catches. In 2017, Deonte Thompson and Zay Jones each had 27 catches.
Taylor's main target was tight end Charles Clay.
So when Taylor raves about the overall big play potential of his receivers, he is telling the truth - especially after what he dealt with in Buffalo.
LOOKING BACK
I knew the Browns receivers were terrible...but the stats are stunning in terms of sheer incompetence. The dropped pass stats come from PFF.
1. The leading Browns receivers were Rashard Higgins and Ricardo Louis, each with 27 catches.
2. Louis had seven drops compared to those 27 catches...that's right, SEVEN drops!
3. Landry had seven drops compared to his 112 catches in Miami last season.
4. The ghost of Kenny Britt: 18 catches compared to five drops!
5. Coleman had 23 catches compared to four drops.
6. Higgins had only two drops to his 27 catches. Gordon had one drop compared to 18 catches.
7. Adding it up, the Browns' top five receivers had 113 catches compared to 19 drops..YIKES.
8. Those top five receivers combined for seven TD catches...the same as Landry had last season.
9. Maybe Landry will turn into another Kenny Britt or Dwayne Bowe, a paid of high-priced veteran receivers who were embarrassingly bad. But I doubt it.
10. The real key will be finding the wide receivers and deep threats who can help create big plays - and that depends upon how Gordon, Callaway and Coleman handle things.
ABOUT THE BROWNS
1. The subject of Baker Mayfield taking snaps under center came up this week. I wrote about it last weekend, how the rookie from Oklahoma took only seven total snaps under center last season.
2. I thought Mayfield looked OK in some of those situations when the media was permitted to watch Wednesday's practice. He did throw two interceptions. You could see he was a rookie adjusting to the speed of the game.
3. Taylor said this about Todd Haley's new offense: "It's balanced. As a quarterback, it's definitely good to have a foundation of being able to go from the gun as well as under center...it's important to get the fundamentals down."
4. I refuse to over-analyze Mayfield in these early practices. Makes no sense. I thought all three quarterbacks - Taylor, Mayfield and Drew Stanton - were fairly accurate to very accurate passers.
5. Shon Coleman was playing with the first string at left tackle, replacing Joe Thomas. I have doubts about that working out, as I've outlined in previous stories. At the less-demanding right tackle spot, Coleman allowed six sacks last season. He also led all offensive linemen with 12 penalties, according to PFF.
6. Rookie Austin Corbett played both left tackle and guard with the second string. Spencer Drango (who filled in at left tackle when Thomas was injured) played mostly guard - a better spot for him.
7. Duke Johnson made me smile when he said: "They made a whole new team" as he looked around at all the players on the field. Johnson and Matthew Dayes are the only returning running backs. No quarterbacks are back. Lots of changes everywhere.
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