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Data on Derek
By Terry Pluto
TALKIN' DEREK ANDERSON
? I looked up some stuff on Browns quarterback Derek Anderson, who did a decent job in the 27-7 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. He has been a major achiever in high school -- first in the history Oregon 3A sports to be the state's Player of the Year football and basketball. He averaged 27 points and 11 rebounds as a forward.
? At Oregon State, he was the first quarterback to lead his team to three bowl games. Only Andrew Walter (85) of Arizona State threw for more touchdown's than Anderson (79) in his Pac-10 career. He was only the second Pac-10 player to throw for more than 4,000 yards in a season.
? At Oregon State, he was known for making big plays -- and throwing interceptions. He had 79 touchdown passes but had 57 interceptions. His 24 interceptions in 2003 tied a Pac-10 season record. One scouting report read, ``He fumbled 23 times, 14 resulting in turnovers and his indecision in the pocket resulted in him being sacked 95 times.''
? The odd thing is he has made quick decisions in his six quarters with the Browns and has been sacked only once. His two interceptions have been on poor throws, but most of his passes have been on target. His 57 percent rate could be much higher as he has been hurt by several drops.
? Another college scouting report said he gets passes batted down at the line (there have been two of those), and that he ``locks in on a receiver.'' We've not seen that often as Anderson appears to be aware of what's happening on the field. They added that while he's not quick, he does ``throw well on the move.'' That appears to be true.
? I received an e-mail from Ed Franks, a Tallmadge native in Portland. His daughter graduated from Oregon State with Anderson. ``She took a couple of classes with him and said he's a genuine nice guy.''
? I've made a couple of mistakes about him. I wrote that Phil Savage recommended that the Baltimore Ravens consider drafting Anderson before Savage left to become the Browns' general manager. Not true. But Savage did like Anderson from some reports that he had, and Anderson was on the Browns' board as a low-round pick if they had failed to take Charlie Frye in the third round in 2005. Anderson was a sixth-rounder.
? I also wrote that the Ravens ``cut'' Anderson. As some sharp readers e-mailed, not exactly true. He was placed on waivers so they could get him on the practice squad. Savage claimed him late last season.
? I'll say it again. This is not a comment on Frye, just common sense: The kid has an 84.5 rating with three touchdown passes, two interceptions and one sack in six quarters. He deserves to play in Baltimore, where the Ravens know him well and should be ready for him. That will show the Browns even more of what he can do, because there will be no element of surprise.
TALKIN' BROWNS
? Almost every year since the Browns moved, I wonder if the fans can be any more discouraged. It seems like the the team keeps hitting a new bottom, which they did again in the 27-7 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was like watching one of those Ohio State games against an independent team where Jim Tressel could score 60 points but keeps the ball on the ground so as not to embarrass anyone.
? At the end of last season, the Browns were 6-10. They need to win two out of three to reach that. They thought they had a running back in Reuben Droughns, now they think otherwise. They thought they had a quarterback in Charlie Frye. They sort of do, but they also might have one in Derek Anderson. They need to look at both. They thought the offensive line was OK at three spots with veteran guards Cosey Coleman and Joe Andruzzi and right tackle Ryan Tucker. All three are question marks for 2007.
? A year ago, they thought they'd have three experienced cornerbacks for 2006: Daylon McCutcheon, Gary Baxter and Leigh Bodden. They can only count on Bodden in 2007. They hoped to be better against the run. They are not.
? I'm going to stop with all that; it's too depressing. Here's who has played well for the most part: Andra Davis, D'Qwell Jackson, Kamerion Wimbley, Orpehus Roye (when healthy), Sean Jones, Brian Russell, Kellen Winslow, Leigh Bodden (when healthy), Dave Zastudil, Joshua Cribbs, Steve Heiden and Joe Jurevicius (when they remember he's on the team).
? After the game, Braylon Edwards told some reporters, ``There are a lot of things going on that are bothering us . . . . and bothering the whole organization . . . . I will not comment about that.'' I wish Edwards would just keep quiet and catch the ball. He needs to cut out the big-picture thinking and concentrate on his job, because he seems distracted.
? E-mailer Joe Clark mentioned that in the past two weeks, the Browns gave up a 99-yard touchdown drive to the Kansas City Chiefs and a 97-yarder to the Steelers. On either side of the 31-28 victory over the Chiefs is the 30-0 embarrassment against the Cincinnati Bengals and the 27-7 stinker in Pittsburgh. I keep wanting to say the Browns are making progress, but other than with some young players -- I don't see it.
TALKIN' TRIBE
Signing of Joe Borowski good move by Indians ? Teams backed away from Joe Borowski because of his past elbow and shoulder problems. He is an excellent signing for the Indians, because it's a one-year deal, and he did save 36 games last season. Overall, he was 3-3 with 36 saves in 43 tries and a 3.75 ERA for the Florida Marlins. The Indians have not committed the closer's job to him, but he has at least done it with some success.
? Borowski is 35, and he no longer throws 92-94 mph as he did with the the Chicago Cubs in 2003, when he saved 37 games. His fastball is more in the 88-90 mph range, and he relies on a big slider to keep hitters off balance. One scout said he's a little like Bob Wickman, in that you're not sure how he saves games with the stuff that he has -- but he's done pretty well.
? Borowski is a right-hander, yet lefties hit only .167 with three home runs in 120 at-bats off him. Righties were .291 with four homers in 148 at-bats. During the past three years, he's .202 vs. lefties, .275 vs. righties. He struck out 63 in 69 innings last season, walking 33. He had a 3.71 ERA before the All-Star break, 3.79 after.
? Marlins GM Larry Beinfast told reporters Dec. 1, before the Indians signed the reliever, that Borowski passed their postseason physical. He was surprised that the Philadelphia Phillies backed off a two-year deal because of a doctor's report. That led to Borowski coming to the Tribe.
? It's possible Borowski can get hurt again. He pitched much better at home (3.07) than on the road (4.71), and the Marlins' park is excellent for pitchers. But overall, he's a good gamble for one year. The same with Roberto Hernandez, even if he's 627 years old. OK, he's 42, but his ERA was a solid 3.11.
? Wish I could be as enthusiastic about Aaron Fultz. There were some disagreements on his numbers against lefties -- overall, they hit .277 off him in 2006. The Indians like the fact that lefties had only five doubles and one home run in 94 at-bats. In the past three years, lefties hit .238 with two home runs in 261 at-bats off him. But it still bothers me that his 4.54 ERA is the second lowest of his seven-year career. The Indians are desperate for a lefty in the bullpen, and this guy was available for one year at $1.3 million.
? Fultz throws 86-88 mph with a breaking ball and a change-up, so he's not overpowering -- as is the case with most situational lefty relievers. The Indians also will look at young lefties such as Rafael Perez, Juan Lara and Tony Sipp for bullpen spots.
? Before signing David Dellucci, the Indians talked to Trot Nixon. The 32-year-old is a free agent, and looking for a one-year deal in the $8 million range. He batted .268 with eight home runs and 52 RBI in 381 at-bats for the Boston Red Sox. He's strictly a platoon player, hitting only .204 vs. lefties in the past three years.
? What has worried the Indians and other teams is a major drop in power for Nixon. In 2003, he had 28 home runs in 441 at-bats. In the next three years, he has a total of 27 home runs in 938 at-bats. Nixon is the same age as Dellucci (32), but the Indians believe Dellucci has more left.
? Yes, the Indians did make another attempt to ask about Manny Ramirez. The Red Sox stuck to the price they set before the winter meetings -- Fausto Carmona, Adam Miller, Trevor Crowe and the Tribe paying the last $20 million annually on the contract for 2007 and 2008. There are reports Ramirez might also want his two $20 million-per-season options for 2009 and 2010 picked up before he'd waive his no-trade clause.
? It's hard to believe the Red Sox would not deal Ramirez after committing $70 million to J.D. Drew, but supposedly Drew believes Ramirez will stay. In the end, these winter meetings went like the last few years -- many Manny rumors, but the Red Sox believing he means too much to the lineup to give up.
? The Indians did some research on Cliff Floyd, who hit .244 with 11 home runs in 332 at-bats for the New York Mets. But he has Achilles tendon problems and very little interest in the Indians. He also wants a two-year deal in the $16 million range. They believed Dellucci was a safer bet at $11 million for three years.
? Former Indian Ronnie Belliard thought he was going to the San Diego Padres to replace Josh Barfield (traded to the Tribe for Kevin Kouzmanoff), but the Padres changed their minds and signed Todd Walker to play second instead. So far, there has been little interest in Belliard.
? Belliard's performance with the St. Louis Cardinals -- he hit only .237 with a .295 on-base percentage after joining the team in July -- has made many scouts wonder if he still is a regular. His defense was so-so and his energy level wasn't high, especially strange in a free-agent season. The Cardinals replaced him with free-agent second baseman Adam Kennedy.
? The Indians talked with the Pittsburgh Pirates about Mike Gonzalez, who is emerging as a prime closer. He was 3-4 with 2.17 ERA and 24-of-24 in save opportunities. For his career, he has a 2.37 ERA in 168 games, and he's 28. The price? The Pirates wanted Victor Martinez. They planned to move him to first base. They also offered some reserve catching prospects. The Indians were not about to deal Martinez for a reliever.
* I thought this was a good read. I think the Victor trade for Gonzalez is pretty intriguing. It could go either way. Gonzalez is a young stud closer, something the Tribe could definitely use. But Victor is a big part of that clubhouse and is still a very solid bat. But the more I hear about Joe Borowski, the less I like. I hope we snag Gange if this trade with PITT is now dead. I think TP is dead on about Braylon. I also thought the same things about Anderson when he came out of college. I watched a few Oregon State games his senior year. While he would make big plays and had a cannon, his decision making also seemed poor. Do you guys think he could be one of those QB's that really benefited from watching for a couple of years, because he seems to make very quick decisions now. A lot of QB's say watching from the sidelines really helped them read defenses (i.e. Gannon). Thoughts?
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