A friend of mine who has been working on a formula for ranking NFL teams for about many years sends me a weekly rundown. I thought you all would like to see this week's. The Browns are rated as the fourth best team in the AFC.

WEEK 10
1. New England (9-0) 108.9
2. Dallas (8-1) 79.9
3. Indianapolis (7-2) 78.4
4. Pittsburgh (7-2) 70.8
5. Green Bay (8-1) 68.7
6. Jacksonville (6-3) 48.6
7. N.Y. Giants (6-3) 47.1
8. Cleveland (5-4) 44.7
9. Detroit (6-3) 43.6
10. Tennessee (6-3) 43.1
11. San Diego (5-4) 40.7
12. Tampa Bay (5-4) 37.8
13. Seattle (5-4) 36.8
14. Arizona (4-5) 31.3
15. Washington (5-4) 30.6
16. Buffalo (5-4) 30.1
17. Philadelphia (4-5) 30.0
18. Houston (4-5) 23.7
19. New Orleans (4-5) 23.6
20. Chicago (4-5) 23.1
21. Carolina (4-5) 18.1
22. Kansas City (4-5) 17.0
23. Minnesota (3-6) 15.2
24. Cincinnati (3-6) 15.0
25. Baltimore (4-5) 14.8
26. Denver (4-5) 13.4
27. Atlanta (3-6) 8.0
28. Oakland (2-7) 3.2
29. San Francisco (2-7) -6.4
30. N.Y. Jets (1-8) -10.8
31. Miami (0-9) -11.4
32. St. Louis (1-8) -11.8

Ohio State did lose to Illinois but the Buckeyes still should win Saturday against Michigan and then go to the Rose Bowl.

The Browns did lose to the Steelers on Sunday but their schedule sets up for a playoff run.

The Cavaliers don't look like they will return to the NBA Finals but they have played fairly well on the West Coast trip and LeBron James still is one of the best, if not the best, players in the NBA. Barring any major injuries, the Cavs are still a playoff team that plays strong defense.

The weekend didn't go as hoped for many but not all is lost for these teams.

At least that is something the folks in Baltimore can't say. Brian Billick and his Ravens are D-O-N-E. Just like the Orioles.

Sorry for the break in blogging but made a family trip to Denver last weekend.

What a beautiful part of the country. We saw the four seasons in four days. Friday, 60s with more sun; Saturday 80 and sun; Sunday 30s with 4 inches of snow. Monday back in the 50s with sun. Did you know that Denver averages more than 300 days of sun per year. I am not sure if we average more than 300 hours of sun here with all the clouds rolling off Lake Erie.

Also did some interesting reading on the Rockies (hard not to like), Nuggets (easy to hate with Iverson and Anthony), Broncos (a .500 team in the making) and Avalanche (Cup-worthy?).

Back to sports …

– I leave for the weekend and the Indians go from being a game from the World Series to at least another season away. What a meltdown!

It seems to me that the suddenly scared pitching staff and the overpaid DH in Travis Hafner did in the Tribe. Hafner finished the season as he started it. Not hitting, at all.

I still think that any chance of the Indians signing C.C. Sabathia ended the day Hafner signed his deal. Now neither was good in the postseason, but C.C. got the Tribe there.

– The Browns could be tied for first place Monday. Who would have thought that sentence would be written this season?

– Ohio State is still the inside favorite to make the BCS title game. Another sentence I didn't expect to write this season, especially in October.

– The Cavaliers are in trouble. I agree with GM Danny Ferry not spending the Cavs into oblivion, but if he sticks to his priorities and doesn't overspend on Pavlovic or Varejao, then he needs to make a deal to support the starting five.

– Rockies in 7. Not sure why. Just a feeling.

– Rick Reilly from Sports Illustrated to ESPN. In his place at SI will be Dan Patrick, formerly of ESPN. Well, that is like trading Tom Brady for Ken Dorsey. Advantage, ESPN.

By the way, Reilly gets $10 million for five years to write one column per week (one week in the magazine, the next for the .com) plus some TV duties. Hopefully SI doesn't continue Patrick's Q/A interviews that used to be on the back page of ESPN Magazine.

Fox has a TV show, Kitchen Nightmares. … And we wonder why the rest of the world hates us. … Super Bowl in London? Don't do it, Roger.

I think with its victory over Kent State on Saturday, Ohio State won the MAC. … Nothing against the Buckeyes, but I am rooting for a Boston College-South Florida title game. … Maybe 15 people will watch.

Devon Hester is a special player. … Think Adrian Peterson would look good playing for the Browns? … Just like LT would have looked good for the Browns, too.

Indians-Rockies World Series. … Both teams are built in the image of John Hart. … Fans of the Texas Rangers want to know what is wrong in Arlington.

UA wants respect, wants excitement, wants more fans. … Well, don't lose to Temple.

The only team beside OSU ranked in the Top 25 is Michigan. That means one loss eliminates the Buckeyes from title game hopes.

Don't miss the announcement today, Arena Football is back in Cleveland. … Vinny Testaverde steps on the field Wednesday and leads a victory Sunday. … First player to be collecting Social Security and an NFL paycheck.

The Cavaliers are doing the right thing. They should not give into the demands of Anderson Varejao or Sasha Pavlovic. … The Indians bullpen is the reason they are where they are, and it will be what decides if they win the World Series or not. … Jamal Lewis being healthy is the difference between 8 wins and 5 or 6 wins for the Browns.

Will any team be undefeated in college football come November? … The Big Ten Network has been a dud. … By the way, that will be the only way to watch the OSU-Kent State game Saturday. … I don't think you will miss much.

Roger Clemens, Cooperstown is calling. It is time to trigger your five-year wait. … Dan O'Dowd of the Rockies and Josh Byrnes of the Diamondbacks; both GMs, also both former members of the Tribe front office. … No wonder the Pirates hired Neal Huntington as GM; the Tribe knows how to grow great front office folks.

Jimmie Johnson or Jeff Gordon? I am pulling for Gordon. … Mike Tirico is everywhere.

… The Browns offense finds its groove and destroys the Bengals defense.

The Bengals offense continues to expose the Browns defense.

It added up to a surprising win for the Browns. It also adds up to another season where high expectations will meet an early ending to a season for the Bengals. Everyone falls in love with offense but defense is the key. The Bengals remind me of the Chargers of the 80s. Lots of Hall of Fame offensive players but no rings to show for it.

… Clint Bowyer wins his first race of the season and is in fourth place in the Race for the Nextel Cup. Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson are tied for first. This will be a battle of attrition.

… Maybe this time O.J. Simpson is guilty.

… Then again …

… Is it better for the Indians to have the Tigers in the playoffs or the Yankees or does it matter. If the Tigers make the playoffs then the Indians will play the Angels in the first round. Otherwise, they are going to Boston or hosting the Yankees. I like their chances better against the Angels.

… Ohio State looks in good shape to play a New Year's Day bowl but I am still not sure if they will win the Big Ten. Penn State and Wisconsin are interesting, and Michigan can't be counted out.

… So will Charlie Weis get the same treatment as Ty Willingham and get fired after what is going to be a horrible third season? Probably not. But it is a valid point.

… I have to like Kent State over Akron in the game at the Rubber Bowl on Saturday. The Zips just seem to lack a strong enough defense to slow down the Flashes. If KSU does win, they are setting up a season that could end in a bowl game.

… Brady who?

… Tiger Woods wins FedExCup. No surprise.

… My guess is that the Bill Belichick video scandal isn't over yet.

… Less than a month until Cavs open training camp.

I spent Monday night at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.

Great seats. Beautiful September night. Great time with my two boys.

Then it struck me.

I know what it feels like to be a Browns fan.

See, the Pirates, the team that I have rooted for since I was little, have not been good for a long time. In fact, I had just graduated from the University of Pittsburgh when Barry Bonds, Andy Van Slyke, Doug Drabek and Jim Leyland left the Pirates an inning short of the 1992 World Series.

It has been a long 15 years. No winning seasons. Let me repeat that. No winning seasons. Not one game over .500.

But here I am on a Monday night sitting in Pittsburgh watching my Pirates. Getting excited about beating the Milwaukee Brewers 9-0.

Seeing young September callups — Nyjer Morgan and Steve Pearce — lead the Bucs to a victory. Watching Nate McLouth hit a home run — the ball landing in the Allegheny River. Viewing Tony Armas and two young relievers combine for a shutout.

I start to get excited.

The Pirates are about to hire a new CEO, who will hire a new GM.

I can't wait until next year.

Then I think back to Sunday afternoon. And recall Kellen Winslow dropping balls, Charlie Frye getting smashed. Joe Thomas turning into a turnstile. Eric Wright and Brodney Pool chasing Steelers receivers AFTER they catch the ball.

You know: the Browns and the Pirates just might be cursed. Neither team might ever amount to anything. But at the end of the day, we fans will continue to live and mostly die with these franchises.

I grew up in Pittsburgh, and the Steelers are my team, but the Pirates give me the same feeling that the Browns give their fans.

An upset stomach.

Has an NFL season ever caved in on a team faster than it did on the Browns on Sunday?

Three-and-out, botched punt, four penalties on one play. All in 61 seconds.

And now Charlie Frye is going to be run out of town as the scape goat.

The special teams stink, the defense gets rolled after halftime and it is Charlie Frye's fault. Just like it was Tim Couch's fault and Trent Dilfer's fault and Kelly Holcomb's fault and so on.

Folks this is Randy Lerner's fault, this is Phil Savage's fault and this is Romeo Crennel's fault.

The team that these three put together quit 61 seconds into the season.

I don't think shipping Frye to Seattle is going to fix that.

That might have been the worst I have seen an NFL team start a season.

The Browns look like they wait for something to go wrong, and then when something does, they fall apart.

Going with Patrick McManamon's theme of taking responsibility for this mess, the organization can no longer point at the Chris Palmer/Dwight Clark/Butch Davis era as the reason for this.

Every team in the NFL experiences turnover from year to year. Look at the Patriots, they are a Super Bowl contender again, just two Super Bowls removed from their last win, and more than half the team is changed.

Also, by the way, I was no fan of Butch Davis, but the Browns did make the playoffs with him.

Charlie Frye or Derek Anderson or Brady Quinn or Joe Thomas? What about one of the guys on defense, Eric Wright or Kamerion Wimbley?

Who is the most important to the Browns?

What about Jamal Lewis? To me, there is no doubt.

With him healthy, he is the key to the Browns being an 8-8 team or better.

If he goes down, the backups are weak and, in turn, put too much pressure back on the quarterback.

With Lewis and a bend-don't-break defense, the QB can throw 15 times or so, and the Browns could win.

If it is not Lewis, the QB goes into throwing 22 times or more, and I think that is trouble, not only for the Browns, but most teams in the league.

Remember, that is how the Steelers brought along Ben Roethlisberger and how the Chargers brought along Phillip Rivers.

With a healthy and productive Lewis, that is the only way the Browns can have a winning season.