With three sons and a son-in-law on NFL rosters, she anxiously opened the Browns’ and Philadelphia Eagles’ schedules on separate windows on her computer and compared them side-by-side.

She attended all the home games the previous year, when sons Joe and Dave played defensive line at the University of Utah and oldest son Paul started eight games at linebacker for the Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens. The Browns lured Paul away in free agency and Dave, signed as an undrafted rookie, joined him in Cleveland. The Eagles selected Joe, who left college with a year of eligibility remaining, in the seventh round. Jennifer Kruger also hoped to squeeze in a couple of games in Oakland since daughter Jessica’s husband, Tony Bergstrom, plays guard for the Raiders.

But Jennifer Kruger wasn’t sure the scheduling gods would be on her side for two years in a row.

“The schedules matched up perfect. She started crying,” Dave said Saturday. “When we’re home, Philly’s away and when Philly’s away, we’re home. That really gave her comfort that she could be at all the games.”

Jennifer Kruger called the scheduling quirk “remarkable” and said, “I feel so lucky.”

The six Kruger children will turn that sentiment around today. Because of offseason NFL workouts and minicamps, their Mother’s Day celebration in Orem, Utah, will be without Paul, Dave and Joe. But the rest of the Kruger clan, which also includes two grandchildren, will attend church, then gather for a barbecue.

In a telephone interview last week, Jennifer Kruger called herself “a professional spectator.”

To Dave Kruger, she is much more than that.

“She’s an amazing woman,” Dave said. “She’s, as you could say, the owner of our family. She runs the business.”

He was talking about the business of family, not the family’s Green Life Labs, a nutritional company that sells protein for athletes, owned by his father, Paul. His job commitments mean much of the time Jennifer is traveling alone.

“It’s crazy. I don’t know how she does it, to be honest,” Dave said. “Last year, she’d fly to Baltimore, then Oakland, then she’d go to the Utah games, then to my little brother’s games and to my little sister’s events.”

Jennifer Kruger, 47, is used to the hectic life. She’s raised Paul, 29; Jessica, 25; Dave, who turns 23 Friday; Joe, 20; Mark, 18 this week; and Erica, 16.

All four boys played football, basketball and baseball, although not all the way through high school. Jessica and Erica participated in volleyball and cheerleading, although Erica is giving up both to concentrate on student government for her senior year. Mark was an all-state defensive tackle and guard as a senior at Pleasant Grove High School who also placed second in the state in powerlifting. After his upcoming graduation, he will serve a two-year Mormon mission in Adelaide, Australia.

“I say my two youngest ones were raised on a basketball court or on a football field. We had to take little toddlers and make it all work,” Jennifer Kruger said.

When the oldest boys were growing up, Jennifer Kruger drove a Suburban around town, her sons often changing clothes in the back. But none of it may have prepared her for the unusual situation of having the three University of Utah products in the NFL at the same time.

It has been done before. In 2011, there were three Gronkowskis (Rob, Chris and Dan, the latter in Cleveland) playing in the league. Presently, there are three Trufants — Marcus with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Desmond with the Atlanta Falcons and Isaiah with the New York Jets — on NFL rosters.

But a list of brothers compiled by the Pro Football Hall of Fame through the 2012 season had only 24 families with three or more and only eight that played at the same time. Three of those eight were in the 1920s.

Jennifer Kruger said she knew early on her boys would be football players. Her husband played at Oregon State, her father, Brent Hafen, at the University of Utah before becoming a professor of health sciences at BYU. But she feels it has been a natural progression with Paul, Dave and Joe.

“People marvel and they’re like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe it.’ It is amazing and we feel so blessed and it is a remarkable thing, but at the same time, it felt really natural,” she said. “Here you are in high school, you have a couple scholarship offers, this is where you’re going and now you’re starting. Now it’s your senior year. … I guess we’ve been doing it for a while. I don’t mean to minimize how special it is and how blessed we are and the boys have been.”

There has been glory — none more so than Paul’s Super Bowl triumph last season. There have also been frightening experiences, including the day in January 2008 when Paul and Dave were attacked in an encounter with a gang. It was Dave’s recruiting trip to Utah. They were leaving a football gathering in Salt Lake City and headed to the Sundance Film Festival in Park City when a snowball thrown by a teammate led to a fight.

Paul suffering life-threatening slashes to his ribs and abdomen that required 50 staples and four hours of surgery to close. Dave’s nose was broken and a cheekbone shattered by what might have been brass knuckles.

“[Jessica] called me from the ambulance,” Jennifer Kruger remembered. “My knees buckled. I couldn’t stand for a minute. I thought, ‘While I’m down here on the floor, I’m going to say a prayer.’ ”

The incident rocked the Krugers, although Jennifer Kruger now calls it a “growth experience.”

“Our family is really close so when one of us is affected by something it really reaches deep to all of us,” she said. “It was really hard.”

As they celebrate this Mother’s Day, the Krugers’ lives seem idyllic. Things are so going so well that Jennifer Kruger has only one nagging concern as she prepares for the 2013 season.

“There’s no direct flights from Utah to Cleveland,” Dave Kruger said. “That was the one thing she was bugged about.”

Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the her blog at http://www.ohio.com/marla. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MRidenourABJ and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sports.abj.

Carrying a mere 237 pounds on a 6-foot-4 frame wouldn’t have cut it for an outside linebacker, especially one expected to bring ferocity to a pass rush that hasn’t produced a Pro Bowler since 2003.

When then-player personnel director Lombardi and coach Bill Belichick were collaborating with the Browns from 1991-95, they had a prototype for each position. Included were more than height, weight and speed. Anything that could be measured was likely fair game for their pre-draft discussion.

But this time around, with Lombardi serving as the new regime’s general manager, the Browns were set on LSU defensive end Mingo with their first pick. They were so smitten that they wrote his name on the dry erase board in the war room at 2:30 p.m. when the draft didn’t begin until 8, according to a Chuck Klosterman story on Grantland.com this week.

That tells us either Lombardi really has changed, or CEO Joe Banner has the power when it comes to picking players. Or perhaps both, although Klosterman’s story said Banner ran the draft room.

Lombardi might not be the only one who finds it difficult to give up on Belichick’s standards. Mingo’s lack of upper body strength and the resulting question about his defense against the run were two of the biggest knocks on him in Pro Football Weekly’s 2013 Draft Preview.

Some observers in Northeast Ohio continue to obsess about Mingo’s weight. Browns beat writer Mike McLain of the Warren Tribune compared the frenzy to that of New Jersey governor Chris Christie’s recent lap band surgery. But Mingo is not a possible Republican presidential candidate, although first-round picks are afforded similar status here.

When it comes to how Mingo is moving the needle (on the Browns’ scale, that is) I say, enough already.

When Mingo put on his uniform for the first time for Friday’s opening of rookie minicamp, he looked much more like a linebacker than he did in his superbly tailored draft day suit. His quickness, even when the players were participating in inane drills, was clearly evident.

“He looked pretty quick and pretty fast. He moved around the field pretty well,” Browns coach Rob Chudzinski said. “It’s always different when you see guys live and you are close on the field to them.”

Those who met Mingo’s mother Barbara Johnson, who came to Berea for her son’s news conference the day after the draft, could see where his lithe frame comes from. Mingo acknowledged that he’s always been able to eat whatever he wants, although he admitted he’s given up fast food.

There are plenty of high-end Cleveland restaurants to make up for that.

Chudzinski said he will give Mingo a target weight for the start of training camp in late July. But when it was suggested that Mingo might need to add 15 to 20 pounds, Chudzinski said, “I don’t know if it’s 15-20 pounds.”

To that suggestion, Mingo said, “As far as how much [weight], I think I can hold a pretty good bit and still be effective.”

Chudzinski doesn’t want to compromise Mingo’s speed, which included a pre-draft clocking of 4.58 seconds in the 40-yard dash. Mingo said he has run the 200 meters in 22.7 seconds and the 400 in 48.5.

For Chudzinski, Mingo’s sacks and speed should be more important than pounds.

Well aware of how much faith the Browns had in him, Mingo will listen to his coaches, especially strength and conditioning coach Brad Roll, and do whatever they say. The affable Mingo seemed like he’d survive on nuts and berries — or protein shakes and free-range chicken breasts — if that’s what the Browns suggest.

Right now, Mingo looks more suited for 2-guard in the NBA. He might never measure up to 11-year NFL pass rush standout Jevon “The Freak” Kearse, who stood 6-4 and 265 (and ran the same 40 time as Mingo). But two years in an NFL strength and conditioning program should make a huge difference in Mingo’s body.

When the questions about his weight persisted Friday, Mingo was amused. Asked if he considers himself skinny, he laughed heartily.

“Naw, I think I’m just fine the way I am,” Mingo said.

Prototypes be damned, I’ll second that notion.

Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the her blog at http://www.ohio.com/marla. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MRidenourABJ and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sports.abj.

That’s a misnomer of sorts, because the 18-year-old freshman ranked No. 2 in the nation is actually embarking on nearly two months of pressure-packed competition.

Then comes the fun part, a summer calendar that includes meets in Russia, Colombia and perhaps France.

This week’s Mid-American Conference Outdoor Championships, which open today at the Lee R. Jackson Track and Field Complex, will serve as a tune-up, although Barber would never admit that. He’s driven to improve on a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships in March and sees something to be gained from every competition.

When his performance at the Indoor came up during an interview before practice Monday, Barber referenced the words of his elementary school soccer coach in Kingwood, Texas.

“He told me, ‘No game goes to waste. Even if you lose a game, there’s something you can learn from it. You can always build on that and become a better player,’ become a better pole vaulter in this case,” Barber said.

“It wasn’t something I was happy with and something you walk away from proud of.”

Barber has already cleared 18 feet three times this year, twice outdoors. His best was a UA outdoor mark of 18-.08.75 at the Texas Relays on March 29, when he finished second.

“I have a long ways to go before the season’s over and hopefully by the end of the year I’ll be in a place where I don’t have any regrets looking back,” Barber said of his freshman year. “It’s definitely a new experience. It’s kind of a small fish in a big world in college.”

UA track and field coach Dennis Mitchell is handling what some of his sport’s websites call a phenom. Mitchell seems pleased with Barber’s progress.

“I feel like everything’s right where it should be,” Mitchell said. “It’s really going to come down to nationals. They’re all going to start jumping high this weekend and for nationals.”

Barber is gearing up for the NCAA Outdoor Championships on June 5-8 in Eugene, Ore. But after the MAC meet, he must worry about qualifying at the NCAA prelims May 23-25 in Greensboro, N.C.

Only the top 12 advance, which would seem easy for Barber. But Mitchell said in 2012 then-Arkansas freshman Andrew Irwin, who won the 2013 NCAA Indoor with a vault of 18-08.25, didn’t make it out of the prelims.

“Because it seems too easy, it isn’t,” Mitchell said. “It’s quite a mental toll. Last year [Irwin], the No. 1 kid in the country who held the U.S. national junior record, didn’t clear a bar.”

Barber seemed well aware of that.

“I just want to make sure I do well enough to make it there,” Barber said of the NCAA Outdoor. “I’ll worry about peaking when I get there.”

Barber finds himself in the midst of a pole vaulting heyday. At the NCAA Indoor, four of the top five finishers were sophomores or freshmen. Mississippi sophomore Sam Kendricks (18-04.50) and Tennessee freshman Jake Blankenship (18-04.50) also finished ahead of Barber (18-00.50).

“This is definitely one of the best years in collegiate pole vaulting in 20 years, if not the best of all time,” Mitchell said. “Everyone’s young. They’re going to be battling each other for the next few years, both in the NCAA and internationally. There was another kid who broke the junior national meet record, that guy’s probably 10th out of the group right now. That’s how good they are. It’s something Shawn will get used to.”

Asked about the collegiate rivalries he’s developing, Barber said, “You kind of jump to the level of competition. Having these great pole vaulters to jump against is going to help me in the long run.”

After the NCAA Outdoor, Barber can think about the World University Games in Kazan, Russia, in July and the IAAF World Championships in Moscow and the Junior Pan Am Games in Medellin, Colombia, in August. He might also go to the Francophone Games in Nice, France, in September.

He looks forward to traveling the world, but Barber seems to be settling in at UA. He said he has made friends with members of the Zips’ soccer team and attended all the home games.

“Sports in college is a little bit different than high school sports,” Barber said. “We’re all one really big team for the University of Akron, so we all do get along. It is a lot of fun with these other athletes.”

Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Read her blog at http://www.ohio.com/marla. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MRidenourABJ and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sports.abj.

While the current pace of the Indians’ home-run barrage might be hard to sustain, the man who made those words one of his trademarks, Tribe play-by-play announcer Tom Hamilton, watches, enjoys and remembers.

For Hamilton, some of the recent blasts — including the 460-foot shot Mark Reynolds hit Monday against the Oakland Athletics — underscore just how long it’s been since the Indians had this kind of power.

July 16 will mark 18 years since Dennis Eckersley’s “Wow” moment, which the A’s closer mouthed after giving up a walk-off home run to Manny Ramirez.

That season was the first of six times in seven years that the Indians hit 200-plus home runs and they were two shy in 1998 of making it 7-for-7.

The 1995 Opening Day lineup had Kenny Lofton, Omar Vizquel, Carlos Baerga, Albert Belle, Eddie Murray, Jim Thome, Ramirez and Paul Sorrento hitting first through eighth. It was as close as the Tribe had come to Murderers’ Row.

But since that run ended with the 2001 season, the Indians have hit the 200 mark only once, in 2005. Of late, the Tribe’s stars have been pitchers, not hitters.

Last year, the Indians ranked 12th out of 14 teams in the American League with 136 home runs, 109 fewer than the major league-leading New York Yankees. No team in the AL had a home run leader with as few as the Indians’ Carlos Santana’s 18, except for the Houston Astros, who switched from the National League in 2013.

That’s what makes what’s happening now so stunning. The Indians have gone from a power outage to a power outrage.

The Indians entered Tuesday night’s game against the visiting A’s tied with the Atlanta Braves for the major-league lead with 44 home runs. They had four or more homers in a game four times after accomplishing the feat only once last season.

Even after squeaking out a homerless 1-0 victory, they are on pace for 237, which would shatter the team record of 221 in 2000.

Going into the night, the Tribe’s Mark Reynolds was leading the American League with 10 home runs, only eight away from Santana’s 2012 total.

Nonetheless, Tribe manager Terry Francona downplayed the long-ball prowess.

“I think maybe you guys are getting more carried away about the homers than we are,” Francona said before the game. “What we care about are scoring runs and winning, however we do it. Some nights it might be a home run. Some nights it could be a ball in the dirt and a guy moves up on a base hit. That’s really what I care about.”

That could be Francona’s way of saying he doesn’t want his players swinging for the fences every time up. It could also show his disregard for (or ignorance of) the Indians’ powerless past.

Francona didn’t re-watch Reynolds’ smash on Monday, when the ball hit four rows from the top of the left-field bleachers.

“We get so caught up in the game,” Francona said. “If they started giving you extra credit for the length, then I would. As long as it goes over, I’m good.”

Reynolds saw the replay, but only because his teammates were talking about how far it went.

“Normally I rarely watch video,” he said.

Reynolds, 29, is on pace to surpass his career high of 44 home runs with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2009. He is making Tribe General Manager Chris Antonetti look wise for giving him a one-year, $6 million contract after the Baltimore Orioles elected not to resign him.

But Reynolds is not projecting anything.

“There’s none of that going on, trust me. I’m worried about wearing the same pair of underwear, not shaving, putting my socks on the same way each day,” he said.

Hopefully he was joking about his superstitions, at least when it comes to the first.

“I’m not worried about September,” Reynolds continued. “If you did that, you’d go down the drain so quick in this game it would eat you alive. I’m living in the moment and enjoying the ride I’m on right now. Struggles will come, trust me.”

When that happens, the Indians might have another from the likes of Nick Swisher, Jason Giambi, Asdrubal Cabrera, Jason Kipnis, Drew Stubbs and Santana on a power surge of their own. It could make for an exciting season for Tribe fans, and a nostalgic one for Hamilton.

Swing and a drive, waaaay back & gone!

Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the her blog at http://www.ohio.com/marla. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MRidenourABJ and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sports.abj.

Bryant owes $1,136 in fines and court costs, and he has set up payment arrangements. He also must listen to a victim-impact panel and attend a substance-abuse evaluation within 180 days.

Bryant and his attorney, Frank Stout, appeared before Special Judge Steven Kessinger on Tuesday afternoon.

Bryant was arrested at 3:46 a.m. Friday in Ada and charged with DUI. Bryant repeatedly refused to properly blow into a Breathalyzer before the test eventually yielded a result of 0.098, according to the police report. Oklahoma’s legal limit for intoxication is 0.08.

Bryant, 22, also repeatedly refused to adequately blow into an Intoxilyzer, though two deficient samples read 0.10 and 0.09, according to the report. He also verbally declined the state’s blood test.

Bryant’s most recent arrest came less than a week after the Browns picked him in the seventh round (No. 217 overall) of the NFL Draft out of East Central University, a Division II school in Ada. Bryant was suspended for three games and charged in October with selling $20 of marijuana twice to an undercover officer, both times in a campus parking lot. He was charged with a felony because the transactions came within 2,000 feet of a school, police said.

Bryant is scheduled to report to rookie minicamp Thursday at the Browns’ headquarters in Berea. The minicamp will run Friday through Sunday.

Browns Backers in Akron

Offensive coordinator Norv Turner will be the featured speaker and linebacker D’Qwell Jackson will be on hand to accept the Dino Lucarelli Good Guy Award at the 34th annual Akron Browns Backers banquet May 20 at Tangier restaurant.

In his first season with the Browns and 29th in the NFL, Turner has coached the Washington Redskins (1994-2000), Oakland Raiders (2004-05) and San Diego Chargers (2007-12).

Also honored will be Dave Robinson, a longtime Akron resident who is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2013, and Clarence Scott, inducted into the Browns Legends in 2012.

The Cleveland chapter of the Pro Football Writers of America will honor Jackson and Phil Dawson, who won the 2012 player of the year award. Dawson signed with the San Francisco 49ers in free agency and will be unable to attend.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m., with dinner at 7:30 p.m. at Tangier, 532 W. Market St., Akron.

Tickets are $50. Corporate tables are $1,000, which includes a VIP cocktail party.

Proceeds go to the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank and the Wounded Warriors Project.

For tickets, call Jim Iona at 330-630-2311 or Wally Wieclaw at 330-773-9297.

Also honored will be Dave Robinson, a longtime Akron resident who is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2013, and Clarence Scott, inducted into the Browns Legends in 2012.

Among the Browns alumni planning to attend are Bob Gain, Dick Ambrose, Frank Stams, Don Cockroft, Ernie Kellerman, Rich Mostardi and former coach Sam Rutigliano. That list could also include more of Scott’s Kardiac Kids teammates.
The Cleveland chapter of the Pro Football Writers of America will honor Jackson and Phil Dawson, who won the 2012 player of the year award. Dawson signed with the San Francisco 49ers in free agency and will be unable to attend.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m., with dinner at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are $50. Corporate tables are $1,000, which includes a VIP cocktail party.
Proceeds go to the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank and the Wounded Warriors project.

For tickets, call Jim Iona at 330-630-2311 or Wally Wieclaw at 330-773-9297.
 

Because East Central (Okla.) University defensive end Bryant could no longer live on campus after he left school to train for the NFL Scouting Combine, the football coach let Bryant live with him for about two months.

McCarty said Bryant not only slept and showered there, but he sat around the dinner table with McCarty’s wife, Jillian, and teenage daughters Bailey and Kendall talking and laughing over pictures on their cellphones. The McCartys had also temporarily taken in two recently hired football coaches, which made for a rollicking group.

“He just blended right in,” McCarty said of Bryant. “It was a good thing for him, and it was a good thing for us, too. He stays with us whenever he needs to.”

After being so close to Bryant, McCarty doesn’t believe the Browns took a huge risk when they selected the defensive playmaker with a penchant for blocking kicks in the seventh round, No. 217 overall.

Bryant was suspended for three games last season after being arrested in October for selling $20 of marijuana twice to an undercover officer, both times in an ECU parking lot, according to the Ada (Okla.) News. Because the transactions came within 2,000 feet of a school, he was charged with a felony.

Bryant was given a suspended sentence, according to the newspaper, and can have the felony charge expunged if he follows the terms of his probation, which runs through Oct. 18, 2017.

“I know Cleveland got a heckuva football player,” McCarty said. “Most of the scouts told us he was second- or third-round in terms of his grade.

“He’s paid a price. He made a terrible decision. Moving forward, I think he’s 10 times the person now.”

McCarty believes Bryant was caught in a police sting.

“I think another college kid had gotten in trouble and was doing something and was calling guys,” McCarty said. “Armonty made a poor choice. He had passed all his [drug] tests with us.”

McCarty said Bryant was not arrested at practice, as has been reported, but in the training room before practice.

“It was humiliating, it didn’t matter where it was,” McCarty said. “I didn’t ask him how he felt about all of it, but I know how I felt. It’s devastating when a young man puts his life or his career in jeopardy by making a simple decision and doesn’t understand the ramifications. I’d stand on the table any day and say he’s a quality young man.”

A semester from graduating from the Division II school with a kinesiology degree, Bryant sounded determined to prove to the Browns he wouldn’t be a problem child. During a conference call after he was drafted, Bryant said he hadn’t expected to be selected.

“Good people make mistakes’ is something that I’ve always been told by my coach,” Bryant said a week ago. “I feel like it was just a stupid move on my part. I should have been more mature about the situation and be more focused on football, which is something I really want to do with my life.

“Now that I’ve gotten that second chance, I feel like I won’t let anyone down. I won’t let myself, the people around me or the Cleveland Browns down. I appreciate them for taking this chance on me.”

Browns coach Rob Chudzinski said they sent defensive line coach Joe Cullen to work out Bryant and believe Bryant has matured.

“Looking into his background with coach Cullen out there, as well as our scouting staff, we felt like he is past the mistakes he has made and ready to move on,” Chudzinski said.

There are other concerns with Bryant. He said he underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder in January 2012, but did not bench press at the combine because of what he called “a minor tweaking” after the Texas vs. the Nation all-star game.

”I feel 100 percent right now, no issues whatsoever,” Bryant said.

Bryant also attended three colleges. A native of Wichita Falls, Texas, he started out at Abilene Christian but did not play because of academic issues. He spent one year at Cisco (Texas) Junior College. McCarty said he wouldn’t have known Bryant was leaving Cisco if he hadn’t just gotten a graduate assistant a job there.

In three years at East Central, which also produced the New York Jets’ Mark Gastineau, Bryant set a school record with 26.5 sacks. He also blocked nine kicks.

“A lot of people throw around the ‘it’ factor, and whatever it is, he has it in that area,” McCarty said. “He understands leverage and pad level and how to get push at that right spot.”

But Bryant, 6-foot-4 and 263 pounds, can do more than swat kicks.

“He’s a terrific athlete,” McCarty said. “He’s got great change of direction. He’s got a burst of speed, he’s got closing speed and he’s got general speed. He’s got a lot of pass-rush moves and knows how to finish plays.

“As a senior he only played in eight games and he was running wild out there.”

McCarty has three plays he’ll remember from Bryant’s time at East Central, with the best coming in his final game against Southeastern.

“Here comes the quarterback down the line. He grabs him with his right arm and the quarterback tries to figure out how to pitch. He pitches it and Armonty slaps it with his left arm, throws the quarterback down and scoops it up and runs [50] yards for a touchdown,” McCarty said.

“I’ve watched him defend the corner route and play man-to-man about 35 yards downfield and have a pass breakup in the corner of the end zone. His sophomore season I watched him jump and bat a ball and catch it and run 65 yards for a touchdown and outrun the receiver. The guy’s got some juice, now. He’s fun to watch.”

Contract information

New Browns wide receiver Davone Bess’ three-year contract extension that secures him through the 2016 season is worth $11.5 million, including $5.75 million guaranteed, a league source confirmed for the Beacon Journal. The source spoke on condition of anonymity because the Browns do not publicize the financial terms of player contracts.

The Browns acquired Bess, 27, this past weekend in a trade with the Miami Dolphins. The deal involved a swap of draft picks between the two teams.

Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com.

The new Aeros owner and CEO has been obsessed with details of the ballpark experience since he was a youngster growing up in the Washington, D.C., area and attending Baltimore Orioles games at Memorial Stadium with his dad.

He considers his beloved Camden Yards the gold standard and he’s not alone, with the quaint yet stunning brick stadium built adjacent to a warehouse known as much for its food and beverage choices as its architecture. The place was even buzzing for a game last June 29 against the Indians when the temperature was 100 degrees at first pitch.

Babby, 33, is constantly taking pictures and making notes on everything he sees that he likes at other venues, from food, promotions and community-service projects to what some would consider minutia.

In Babby’s mind, it seems there is no such thing as minutia.

He’s willing to think outside the box, which might explain Jim Tressel Bobblehead Night tonight at Canal Park to commemorate the former Ohio State football coach’s first anniversary as a University of Akron administrator. Tressel, whose statute has him dressed in a blue sweater vest, will throw out the first pitch and sign autographs. Babby’s roots are in the nation’s capital, but he knows OSU — and anything ever associated with it — sells. The 1,000 bobbleheads should go quickly.

Babby is not too proud to borrow from the best minor-league teams in the business. When the current six-game homestand concludes Wednesday afternoon, he’s taking the entire front office to Reading and Lehigh Valley, Pa.

He said Lehigh Valley is tops in attendance in all of Minor League Baseball, and Reading is known for its fan experience. Babby is also intrigued by Reading’s program that invites honor roll students on the field to talk to players and hopes to bring a version to the Aeros.

On Thursday, he and the Aeros’ food and beverage director visited the Lake County Captains.

Babby also continues to sell the Aeros’ “Extreme Eats” menu, devised under the previous ownership in 2011, all the while knowing Northeast Ohioans risk their cholesterol and calorie counts with the outrageous concoctions.

Items like “The Screamer,” a 5-pound sundae in a real batting helmet with 21 scoops of ice cream, four bananas, a pound of crumbled brownie, whipped cream and sprinkles, seem devised as much for publicity as for public consumption. On the Atkins diet? Then the “Nice 2 Meat You Burger” is for you, as long as you throw out the bun. It has a 1¼-pound hamburger stuffed with a half-pound hot dog and a quarter pound of bacon, cheese and onions. Such feasts have already gained mention on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and CNBC Sports.

On opening day, Babby unveiled the largest video board in AA baseball, unofficially the fourth largest in the minor leagues.

Talking frequently with Indians president Mark Shapiro, who likely filled him in on the popularity of fireworks nights, the Aeros have “doubled down,” adding Saturdays in June, July and August to their regular Fridays.

Babby might seem like a carnival barker, a modern day Bill Veeck ready to try anything short of a miniature man to get people in the seats. But that’s not all that drives him, even though he’s sunk his life savings into buying the Aeros. He wants fans to enjoy themselves, to be treated well, to fall in love with the game.

If the vendor serving those 21 scoops isn’t happy with his lot in life or the person on the other side of the counter thinks he only got 20, Babby knows he or she might not be back.

Speaking to the Akron Press Club on Friday at Canal Park, Babby shared the mission statement he wrote on a napkin one day when he stopped in Breezewood, Pa. With his purchase of the Aeros about to become official, he was making one of his many drives from Washington to Akron.

“ … To deliver lasting and memorable experiences for families night after night by creating a fun, safe and unique environment where people can unwind and slow down from life’s paces, to laugh, to cheer and enjoy time with the people they care about most, all in a rich, lively community setting at an affordable price,” Babby read.

He made his mission sound as much about making memories as making money.

Just a month into his first season, Babby doesn’t care how many brains he has to pick, how many field trips he has to take. He’s ready to load up the bus. For now it’s Reading and Lehigh Valley, but soon it might be Camden Yards or bust.

Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the her blog at http://www.ohio.com/marla. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MRidenourABJ and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sports.abj.

The yet-unnamed restaurant will be open year-round, with patio seating also on the ballpark’s right-field concourse.

Babby revealed the plan during a luncheon speech to the Akron Press Club. The speech was staged in the ground-level area where the restaurant will be constructed. It has handicapped accessibility from the street,

Babby said the Aeros are still working on developing the concept, with more details expected in the coming weeks.

“We’ll have TVs for those who want to have a great sports bar experience, a very robust menu,” Babby said. “If we were sitting here eight to 12 months from now, you’d be sitting in the newest restaurant in Akron, a pretty special place to bring your family.

“This space symbolizes my commitment and our team’s commitment to Akron.”

Canal Park has been home to Wing Warehouse, which closed after last season, and Menches Brothers burgers. Both inhabited a second-floor space, with Menches spending nine years in the location through the 2009 season.

Now the challenge could be sticking to his budget.

The three-time NBA Most Valuable Player now with the Miami Heat has donated $1 million for a state-of-the-art gym at his alma mater that is slated for completion this fall.

James has appointed St. V-M boys basketball coach Dru Joyce II to oversee the project for him, but Joyce said everything will be run by James.

“He has some ideas, for sure,” Joyce said.

James will be heavily involved, he said in a telephone interview Thursday evening as the Heat await the second round of the NBA playoffs.

“I’m a hands-on guy and this is going to be more hands-on because it’s something that means a lot to me,” James said. “I’ll try to be hands on with Coach Dru, with the school, with the floor, the locker rooms, the bleachers. … I have a good sense of what stadiums or arenas or schools or gyms should look like.”

But James agreed he might have more than $1 million taste.

“I’ve got to keep it right there now. I’ve got to be responsible,” he said. “I told Coach Dru, ‘We’ve got a budget. We’ve got to stay inside that budget.’ ”

Planning started in January and renderings are under way for what will be named the LeBron James Arena. The project will include a new floor, lighting, bleachers, locker rooms, restrooms and an upgraded training room. One wall will tell the story of James and his high school friendships and “why he is so emotionally tied to us,” said Patty Burdon, St. V-M public relations manager.

The seating capacity might be slightly larger than its current size of about 1,700, Joyce said.

Built in 1958 and opened Feb. 16, 1959, the old gym cost $270,000, the equivalent of $2.16 million today. Its court measured 84 feet by 50 feet, not the 94 by 50 size being constructed now.

“It is a funny quirk, but clearly it hasn’t stopped world champions from developing basketball skills,” said Ellen Zegarra, St. V-M’s director of advancement.

St. V-M President Tom Carone said he hopes the new gym will be completed by the end of September.

“With a project of this magnitude that’s this exciting, it’s amazing how quickly people can get to work and get things done,” Zegarra said. “We’re just overwhelmed with gratitude.”

Roar of applause

St. V-M students learned the news in an announcement made over the intercom on Thursday afternoon.

“There was definitely a roar of applause heard throughout the campus,” Zegarra said.

“I’m grateful to have that support in that school, all the students and everyone,” James said. “I’m not doing it for applause or a roar from anyone. I’m doing it because it’s going to benefit the kids that are there now and in the future. It holds a special meaning for me being from Akron, Ohio, and being at that school for four years.”

Those who have known James for years and have seen him return in the offseason to work out in the auxiliary gym or catch passes at football practice are not surprised.

“LeBron has never left St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, or the Akron community for that matter,” Burdon said. “He’s been giving since the day he left.”

James, 28, was the NBA’s first overall pick in 2003 out of St. V-M. He is competing in his 10th season, seven of those with the Cavaliers. Last season, he led the Heat to the NBA championship, then followed it up with a gold medal at the London Olympics.

Joyce called the announcement “a great day for St. V.”

“There’s always some nostalgia, but for the safety of my players and the fans, this is great news,” Joyce said. “The floor we’re playing on right now is the original floor. It’s almost like playing on concrete. There’s some wear and tear because of it.

“The stands were the original set. This will be a great attraction for some alumni and some people who weren’t too sure of navigating those old bleachers.”

James admitted his trainer didn’t want him working out in the soon-to-be gutted gym.

“He tried to keep me off that floor as much as possible. It wasn’t the best floor for my knees and my ankles,” James said. “I am happy that I can put a new floor up, new everything and in the offseason I can be back in the gym where I first started.”

The gymnasium isn’t James’ only financial commitment for the 2013-14 school year. At an assembly at St. V-M in September built around his “I Promise” campaign, James vowed to purchase new Nike uniforms for all Irish athletic teams. Members of the golf and cross country teams were assured by James they would be included.

Something for seniors

James wants to make sure they can choose from the latest styles, so orders will be placed in three waves for fall, winter and spring. James felt badly that the Class of 2013 would not enjoy them, so he is getting the seniors something for graduation, according to Michele Campbell, executive director of the LeBron James Family Foundation.

“Even though he’s not here, his heart’s still here,” Campbell said. “Those type of things are what show that.”

James sounded like he can’t wait for the day the newly outfitted Irish play their first game in the arena bearing his name.

“We want ’em to look sharp, we want ’em to feel good,’ he said. “But at the end of the day, we know what’s most important: education and winning. We want ’em to win, we want ’em to get a great education, then everything will take care of itself.”

Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the her blog at http://www.ohio.com/marla. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MRidenourABJ and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sports.abj.

They thought the man who managed the Indians from 2000 to mid-2002 was all corn-pone fluff with no substance.

Those people never sat down and talked baseball and listened to his tales from playing in Japan as I did one evening at the Renaissance hotel, one of the most enjoyable nights of my career.

They never saw the loyalty the former Tribe hitting coach still inspires in his players.

Manuel said ex-Indians slugger Jim Thome called about two weeks ago and asked, “ ‘Chuck, do you mind if I come and hang out with you?’ Manuel said he told the unsigned free agent, ‘No, you can come live with me.’ ”

During his 51 years in professional baseball, Manuel never seemed to mind that he was underestimated, both for his people skills and his baseball knowledge. He might have slipped only once, after he managed the Philadelphia Phillies to the 2008 World Championship. That night he spied the Plain Dealer’s Paul Hoynes among the press corps and said, “Tell them in Cleveland, we just won a World Series.”

As he brought the Phillies to Progressive Field for a two-game series against the Indians that began Tuesday night, Manuel might be about to get underestimated again.

He turned 69 in January and is in the final year of his contract. Philadelphia went 81-81 last season and finished third in the National League East. There has been speculation that hall of famer Ryne Sandberg, 53, in his first season as third-base coach, could succeed Manuel.

Manuel still lives in Winter Haven, Fla., where the Indians held spring training from 1993-2008 and his fiancée Melissa Martin is from. He remodeled their home two years ago. He boasts that the town now has Chick-fil-A, Panera, Five Guys, Honey Baked Ham and Starbucks. He can see himself running a hitting school in retirement.

But he is by no means ready. And he won’t go in the same manner as he did the first time.

“I want to manage as long as I can. I never told nobody I was going to retire. We’ll see,” Mauel said in the Phillies’ dugout before the game.

Asked how he was handling the contract situation with the team 12-14 before Tuesday’s loss to the Tribe, Manuel said: “That’s no problem. In spring training I told the guys I didn’t want to talk about it no more. Just go out and do my job and not get caught up in it. I’m not worried about nothing.”

That wasn’t the case during his tenure as Indians manager, when worrying too much got him fired.

Winning 181 games and finishing second and first in the division in his first two seasons, Manuel wanted to know if then-general manager Mark Shapiro was bringing him back in 2003. He asked Shapiro at the All-Star break. The Tribe was 39-47, and Shapiro wasn’t ready to give Manuel an answer. Manuel’s persistence prompted Shapiro to let him go.

Manuel had the chance to tell the Indians on Tuesday that he’d proved there was something behind that aw-shucks façade. In his ninth year with the Phillies, he is back as the franchise leader in victories with 739. Gene Mauch (645) is a distant second. Dallas Green, the only other manager to win the World Series, didn’t last long enough to make the top 10.

Manuel has joined the short list of those who were fired in Cleveland and went on to win it all, along with Bill Belichick (New England Patriots, 2001-03-04), Bill Fitch (Boston Celtics, 1981) and Chuck Daly (Detroit Pistons, 1989, 90).

But Manuel resisted the chance to say ‘I told you so.’

“When I left Cleveland everything was changing. We were changing our team, we were changing ownership,” he said. “I think I probably got caught up in that.”

Arriving here on an off-day Monday, Manuel walked around the city he’s always liked. He said he lost $100 at the Horseshoe Casino, and it could have been more.

“I got lucky for a little while,” he said.

Actually, he got lucky for a long while. Manuel realizes he’s always been around great talent, including the ’95, ’96 and ’97 Indians, which he said were capable of winning the world championship.

“I say this every day, the more I’m around the game, people don’t even see how much luck’s involved,” Manuel said. “To get to a World Series is big, but to win it is even harder.”

Perhaps that prompted Manuel’s message to Cleveland after he did, even though it still seems out of character.

“To me I’ve never had to have attention,” he said. “The game gave me my attention.”

In Northeast Ohio, Manuel was almost regarded as a cartoon character, never fully embraced by the fans or the front office. So he relished his own little moment Tuesday morning while standing in line at the Marriott Starbucks.

“This lady hollered back and asked me what I wanted,” Manuel said. “I said I wanted a medium black coffee and she said, ‘What’s your name?’ Some people turned around and told her my name. That kinda felt good.”

Save for his post-World Series shout-out, that seems as close as Manuel will ever come to gloating.

Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the her blog at http://www.ohio.com/marla. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MRidenourABJ and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sports.abj.

Not only did the Browns pass on quarterbacks who could have provided more competition for the incumbent starter in all three days of the draft. but they also traded with the Miami Dolphins for slot receiver Davone Bess, who will become their best third-down target since Joe Jurevicius in 2008.

And Jurevicius — known for his emphatic first-down signal — never moved the chains like Bess. According to the Browns, Bess has 130 third-down receptions, second most in the NFL during the past five years.

The Browns made a statement this weekend. They are giving Weeden a year to prove himself in new offensive coordinator Norv Turner’s system. They didn’t jump off the high dive for a quarterback in a weak year at the position.

Next year, however, is another matter.

Matt Barkley’s drop from a projected high first-round pick in 2012 to the fourth round, No. 98 overall in 2013, could prompt a rush of quarterbacks to declare early for the 2014 draft. The four-year starter and three-time captain at Southern California elected to return for his senior season, then suffered a shoulder injury that sidelined him for the final two games. It must have scared off NFL general managers, especially since he was considered a reincarnation of Colt McCoy, anyway. At one point during his junior season, Barkley was expected to be the No. 1 pick in 2012.

Among the quarterbacks who could leave school with eligibility remaining after next season are Louisville’s Teddy Bridgewater, Texas A&M’s Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel, Michigan’s Devin Gardner, UCLA’s Brett Hundley, Oregon’s Marcus Mariota and N.C. State’s Pete Thomas. Ohio State’s Braxton Miller will probably submit his paperwork to the NFL’s Draft advisory board, although he doesn’t seem ready. A Heisman-winning season could change that thinking, though.

There is also a talented class of seniors, including Alabama’s A.J. McCarron, Georgia’s Aaron Murray, Clemson’s Tajh Boyd, Miami’s Stephen Morris and North Carolina’s Bryn Renner.

Saturday’s final four rounds of the draft also gave the Browns ammunition for next year. Trades with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Indianapolis Colts netted third- and fourth-round picks in 2014. Presumably those will be late in their respective rounds, which might be more valuable to cobble together in a trade package.

The Browns had plenty of chances in this draft to add a quarterback to the room occupied by second-year man Weeden, free-agent signee Jason Campbell and No. 3 Thad Lewis, who started the season finale in December.

On Thursday, they could have had Florida State’s EJ Manuel, who went to the Buffalo Bills. Solomon Wilcots, in Berea for the NFL Network, thought the Browns had interest in Manuel, presumably if they traded down.

On Friday, West Virginia’s Geno Smith went to the New York Jets in the second round, when the Browns had no pick. The Browns investigated Smith extensively and many mock drafts by long-time NFL analysts and beat writers had Smith going to the Browns. In the third round, N.C. State’s Mike Glennon went to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 73rd overall, five picks after the Browns.

Saturday could have been the day that rattled Weeden. Overnight, Barkley, Syracuse’s Ryan Nassib, Arkansas’ Tyler Wilson and Oklahoma’s Landry Jones were among those still available. If the Browns wanted to turn up the heat on Weeden, they would have taken one, even if the prospect were considered a project. It would have made for an interesting training camp with Weeden, Campbell and a drafted rookie.

Instead they traded out of the fourth round entirely, giving the 111th overall pick to division rival Pittsburgh. (I’m not a fan of that move, mainly because of the visions of Haloti Ngata it stirs.)

Weeden and his wife, Melanie, wherever they are, could have popped the champagne.

The Browns are rumored to be in the market for another signal-caller, although he would likely replace Lewis since Campbell signed on March 26. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported Saturday that the Browns were “sniffing around” for a backup and could be interested in the Arizona Cardinals’ Brian Hoyer. A native of North Olmsted and a Cleveland St. Ignatius graduate, Hoyer, 27, has started one game in four NFL seasons, that a loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 17 last year.

But even if the Browns want another quarterback for camp, it appears it will be no one who will immediately unseat Weeden. Weeden’s one-year tryout officially began Saturday.

Physically Weeden seems to be a perfect fit for the stretch-the-field scheme of Turner and new coach Rob Chudzinski. Turner in particular seems a fan. But the Browns’ braintrust still has questions about Weeden’s preparation, work ethic and leadership. There’s also a concern about the former professional baseball player turning 30 on Oct. 14.

The Browns’ lack of attention to the quarterback position in the draft saved Weeden from what could have been a stressful weekend. But they served notice he’s now on the clock.

Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the her blog at http://www.ohio.com/marla. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MRidenourABJ and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sports.abj.

So when Barkevious Mingo was convinced to risk life and limb — at least in his mother’s mind — the Browns’ future first-round draft choice had to sneak around to attend practice his junior year in high school.

“I wasn’t technically going around her back, but I really didn’t have her blessing,” LSU defensive end/linebacker Mingo said. “I won her over late in the year and got her to come to some games.”

Johnson didn’t want to come. She resisted when a co-worker at Lowe’s told her how good Mingo was and that she needed to see him play.

“I said, ‘I’m not going, I’m going to see him get hurt,’ ” Johnson said after Mingo’s introductory news conference Friday at Browns headquarters. “He said, ‘He’s not going to get hurt, he’s knocking everybody else down.’ ”

She went but didn’t watch, sitting in the bleachers with her hands covering her face. But apparently, she peeked occasionally.

“I said, ‘Oh, my God, he’s going to hurt somebody else’s child. He needs to stop,’ ” Johnson said. “I’m like, ‘KeKe, stop that.’ He can’t hear me cause it’s loud. When he got home I said, ‘Why did you hit that boy that hard?’ He said, ‘Mama, that’s the game.’ ”

Johnson didn’t know anything about football then. She’s still learning. But now she worries less and believes more.

“I think he can hold his own,” she said. “I’ve seen what he can do. I like to say, ‘He likes to eat quarterbacks.’ ”

Johnson had never been north of her home state until the past week. Mingo’s 15 quarterback sacks and 27 quarterback pressures in three years at LSU got her to New York, where Mingo was feted in the NFL’s pre-draft festivities and fitted by a stylist. Then it was on to Cleveland after the Browns used their No. 6 pick on Mingo in Thursday’s first round.

“I haven’t been anywhere, Louisiana and Florida,” Johnson said. “I go south, I don’t go north. That’s all over now.

“That’s what’s so amazing about it. I’ve never been [to New York] and then my child takes me there.”

A high school basketball player in Montgomery, La., Johnson still battles her sons on the court in one-on-one or two-on-two. The eldest, Hugh, played basketball at Louisiana-Monroe and hopes to continue his career overseas. The two youngest, Malik and LaDarian Johnson, played football and basketball. Barbara Johnson came up with the name Barkevious, using part of her first name, but it was second-oldest son Hughtavious who nicknamed him “KeKe.”

As Barbara Johnson talked about her on-court escapades with her sons, a little bit of the determination Mingo showed to play football came through.

“They don’t try to stop me too much,” Johnson said of their on-court battles. “They say I’m old, I’m not that old. They’ll let me get to the goal, but I can shoot. I play them hard, but they don’t want to play me hard.

“Even with my little guy they’re like, ‘Mama, get back, you’re going to get hurt.’ I say, “I’m playing. Come on.’ ”

But off the field and the court, Johnson said Mingo is humble and quiet.

“You never know he’s in the room if you don’t go in and say, ‘KeKe, are you in there?’ ” Johnson said.

Mingo has also shown a big heart and a commitment to community service. That should quickly make him a favorite of fans and charities in Northeast Ohio.

At a recent pre-draft visit to a children’s hospital in New York, Mingo’s agent Jeff Guerriero said an NFL representative told him: “ ‘Your guy was one of the only guys who came over and was hugging those kids, passing out stuff. You could tell he genuinely cared about those kids.’ It’s not something you have to tell KeKe to do, it’s something he wants to do.”

Two weeks ago at KeKe Mingo Day at the convention center in Monroe, La., Guerriero said he was blown away by a story told by Don Shows, Mingo’s football coach at West Monroe High School. Shows recalled a team activity during Mingo’s junior year.

“Coach Shows said, ‘I knew this kid was a good person when I saw a physically handicapped child. He went over and spent three hours with that child,’ ” Guerriero said of Shows’ speech. “’No one knew he did it. I saw him and I never said anything about it until today. I knew then that was a good guy.

“Then I got him on the field and was like, ‘That’s a great guy.’ ”

For the Browns and their fans, Mingo seems to offer the perfect dichotomy — a handicapped child’s best friend and a pass rusher who feasts on quarterbacks. It’s a disparate combination a mother can learn to love.

Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the her blog at http://www.ohio.com/marla. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MRidenourABJ and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sports.abj.

The Browns selected San Diego State cornerback Leon McFadden tonight in the third round (No. 68 overall) of the NFL Draft.

The 5-foot-10, 193-pound McFadden started all 39 games in the past three seasons and 45 of the 51 games in which he appeared in college. McFadden compiled eight interceptions in his career, including three this past season. He compiled 61 tackles and a forced fumble as a senior in 2012.

Three notable quarterbacks – Syracuse’s Ryan Nassib, Southern California’s Matt Barkley, and North Carolina State’s Mike Glennon – were on the board. Louisiana State cornerback Tyrann Mathieu, otherwise known as “Honey Badger,” was also available, and the Arizona Cardinals nabbed him with the next pick, No. 69 overall.

The Browns had a dire need for a starting cornerback and addressed the position by taking McFadden. His father, Leon, played baseball for the Houston Astros’ organization.

In staying at No. 6 and using the selection on LSU defensive end Barkevious Mingo, they minimized their risk.

The Browns don’t have to worry about the five surgeries Alabama cornerback Dee Milliner has already undergone at age 21.

They didn’t overdraft a quarterback like West Virginia’s Geno Smith. That would have opened up General Manager Mike Lombardi to criticism since the then-NFL Network analyst said the same thing about them using the 22nd overall pick on quarterback Brandon Weeden in 2012.

They found the perfect pass-rushing partner for the prize of their free-agent class, former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Paul Kruger. CEO Joe Banner said they liked Mingo so much that they had a trade in place to move down if Mingo had been off the board.

They acquired a freak athlete who is “explosive, with great speed off the edge,” according to coach Rob Chudzinski.

Above all, the Browns stuck with their plan. It started in free agency when they added linebackers Kruger and Quentin Groves and defensive lineman Desmond Bryant, players they needed as they make the transition from a 4-3 to coordinator Ray Horton’s multi-front 3-4.

But CEO Joe Banner said it started before that.

“It really started with our coaching search and Chud’s philosophy, which was part of the reason he got the job, frankly, about playing aggressive, attacking defense, making life uncomfortable for quarterbacks, being on the attack even when the other team has the ball,” Banner said. “You can see it in the moves we have made, the philosophy’s consistent, whether it was the free-agent moves or what you’ve seen so far in the draft. It fit the plan from hiring the coach to the coordinator and through to the players we’re adding.”

I love the latter most of all. Months ago, I wanted the Browns to devote all their offseason resources to the defense. And for the most part they have, with the most notable exception being free-agent quarterback Jason Campbell, also needed to pressure incumbent Weeden.

Picking Mingo is not without some risk. At 6-foot-4 and 241 pounds, he’s lean and needs to add weight. He must make the transition from defensive end to outside linebacker, just as 2011 second-round pick Jabaal Sheard is being asked to do. Mingo must learn how to drop into coverage, which he had little experience in at LSU.

But the Browns seem confident that Mingo can do it after putting him through extensive classroom work in his visit to Berea earlier this month.

The Browns also took a page from the past, sticking to the high-character model that dates back at least two regimes.

“The things that stood out to us, the first thing was the kind of person he is,” Chudzinski said. “Outstanding character, highly recommended from the people down there we talked to. We spent the day with him, extremely impressive young man, somebody that we felt like we strongly wanted to put in our locker room.”

Chudzinski couldn’t offer an example from Mingo’s visit, but he did elaborate on the young man he referred to as “KeKe,” which is part of Mingo’s Twitter handle (@keke_mingo).

“He’s the type of guy you enjoy the conversation with and spending time with,” Chudzinki said. “Everybody that met him and had the opportunity to spend time with him felt the same way. He was a unanimous-type person in terms of the recommendations from different people that met him around the building.”

If a player’s smile is any indication, Mingo is all that and more. That was evident at the NFL Combine with his captivating countenance during his media room interview.

Asked if he got that dazzling smile from anyone in his family, Mingo said on a conference call, “I don’t know. I don’t know. But thanks.”

Mingo truly sounded appreciative of the compliment.

Some of his personality came through on his post-draft tweet. “Really want to thank everyone who has ever made an impact on my life. From the bottom of my heart thank you. #trulyblessed.”

Just as impressive was his confidence. Mingo said he believed he was the best pass rusher in the draft, better than Oregon’s Dion Jordan, who went No. 3 to the Miami Dolphins.

“I want to be great,” Mingo said. “I want to be one of those guys that gets their name called in Canton, Ohio,” Mingo said.

There is no guarantee Mingo will achieve his goal of making the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But the Browns’ logical, methodical plan seems off to a great start.

Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the her blog at http://www.ohio.com/marla. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MRidenourABJ and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sports.abj.

“Yeah, it was a mistake. For sure it was a mistake. In hindsight it was a mistake,” the Cavs owner said Wednesday.

He was talking about the May 2010 decision to fire coach Mike Brown in a desperate attempt to keep free agent LeBron James.

Gilbert doesn’t keep a lid on his feelings. He’s infamous for his outrageous tweets and post-Decision email. But it still seemed rare for a billionaire businessman like Gilbert to fall on his sword.

He was expected to express some regret as he reintroduced Brown as the replacement for Byron Scott. But even those who have spent time around Gilbert were surprised at how far he went during a news conference at the Cleveland Clinic Courts.

“That summer we went through three years ago, which in NBA years is about 60 years, it seems that long ago, it was a unique time for us,” Gilbert said. “The franchise, there was a lot of uncertainty on all levels. We’re very happy we get to rectify the position we took back then. Maybe it’s meant to be.”

A rush to judgment cost Brown his job after the Cavs lost to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Cavs were torn about whether to keep Brown, the 2009 NBA Coach of the Year. When the season ended, they had a 10-day window to make a decision before they owed Brown the full $4 million for the remaining year of his contract. They asked for an extension, but Brown said no, worried that letting the situation drag out would jeopardize his chances of finding another job.

On Wednesday when Brown was asked if Gilbert admitted that firing him wasn’t his greatest idea, Gilbert jumped in to banter with General Manager Chris Grant.

“Chris, didn’t you fire him?” Gilbert said. “Who fired him?”

It shouldn’t have been a surprise that the Cavs took the impatient route. Gilbert showed the world that trait in full Comic Sans glory two months later.

Such impatience seems to cling to Brown. The Los Angeles Lakers dumped him five games into his second season last November even though he had a reported $11 million remaining on his contract.

But giving Brown the boot wasn’t the only mistake Gilbert made during James’ seven seasons in Cleveland. Five of those seasons (along with two months of the 2004-05 season) came under Gilbert. The owner might regret the franchise’s laissez-faire attitude toward James that led to a lack of accountability for the then-two-time MVP. He might wish he hadn’t given James’ entourage such access. Gilbert might also approach the free-agent puppetry James put prospective employers through differently if he had the chance.

Gilbert’s knee-jerk reaction in what he referred to as “Mike Brown 1.0” set the team back defensively, even as it found itself forced to rebuild after James’ departure. Scott was fired after three seasons with the worst winning percentage of any Cavs coach with one full season. Surely that percentage would have been higher if Brown had been guiding the young Cavs and emphasizing defense.

As unimaginative as the Cavs’ offense was in Brown’s first installment, I don’t believe the Cavs’ decision to embark on “Mike Brown 2.0” will cost them a chance to lure James in free agency in the summer of 2014. Brown has to have learned something about offense — or at least learned the value of an offensive coordinator — from his time with the Cavs and Lakers.

James should have realized Brown helped him become one of the league’s best defensive players. James might have come to regard Brown in the same way he looks at his former St. Vincent-St. Mary coach Keith Dambrot, now at the University of Akron. James admitted in March how hard Dambrot was on him as a youngster, but said he now understands why Dambrot pushed him so hard.

The question of how the rehiring of Brown might play with James was danced around Wednesday, with James referred to only as “the elephant in the room.”

“In NBA terms, there’s so much that happens in a year,” Gilbert said. “You can’t speculate in the next 12 months what’s going to happen and where we’re going to be and where everybody else is going to be. You focus on right now. You can’t get too far ahead of yourself because you don’t control certain things.”

Rather than worry about where the relationship between James and Brown stands, Cavs fans should be more concerned with how Brown will get Kyrie Irving to buy into his defense-first philosophy after showing no interest in it in two years. Should Irving become disenchanted with the Cavs and start planning his departure, there’s no way James would return.

But as Gilbert brought back Brown, he showed a desire to get it right eventually. He sucked it up and hired the best candidate available who was willing to come to Cleveland. He showed he’d learned from his mistake. It could bode well for the future, even when it comes to that far-from-anonymous elephant.

Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the her blog at http://www.ohio.com/marla. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MRidenourABJ and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sports.abj.

Milliner had already earned a starting spot on the varsity at free safety, where Foshee wanted him instead of at cornerback so opponents couldn’t throw away from him. Foshee had known Milliner was special since he first saw him play in junior high. But Foshee found out how special when he talked to Milliner about his future.

“He told me what he wanted to do and I told him what it really took to get there,” said Foshee, a former University of Alabama linebacker and graduate assistant. “I do that with all my players. Some listen, some don’t. He took it to heart.”

Foshee said Milliner raised his grades to A’s and B’s. He never needed chiding to lift weights. He stayed out of trouble at school. And when it came to football, basketball and track, Milliner was determined to put in his best effort.

“He lives about a mile and a half from school. He would run to workouts in the summer with a 20-, 25-pound vest on,” Foshee said during an April 10 telephone interview. “He had a great work ethic.

“When you put that together with a guy who’s got that kind of ability and you’ve got a great attitude and you have a tremendous amount of want-to, there’s no failing in that system. That’s the recipe for a lot of success. That’s why he’s where he is now.”

In the first round of the NFL Draft today, Milliner could find himself among the top 10 picks. Several draft analysts expect the All-American cornerback from Alabama to be selected No. 6 by the Browns, where he would be a good partner for Joe Haden.

But Milliner might not last that long. Milliner elevated his status when he ran the 40 in 4.37 seconds at the NFL Combine. Testing for an ESPN Sport Science segment put Milliner in the 92nd percentile, on par with Arizona Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson, a two-time Pro Bowler.

Sport Science host John Brenkus said Milliner topped 20 mph in 2.34 seconds, the quickest acceleration of any player in 2013, and said Milliner’s maximum vertical jump of 41 inches was one of the highest ever measured.

Milliner vowed to put on a show at the combine when he was interviewed before his Tuesday workout. He postponed surgery for a torn labrum in his right shoulder until March 12 so he could run. But when asked how fast he would go, Milliner said, “Watch the NFL Combine.”

Foshee and his assistants were parked in front of the television and couldn’t believe what the NFL Network commentators were saying as Milliner stepped to the line.

“They kept saying, ‘The big question on the Milliner kid is his speed.’ The other guy said, ‘Yeah, I think he’s probably a mid-4.5 guy.’ I’m sitting here going, ‘These guys don’t know,’ ” Foshee said.

“I had talked to Dee a couple days before about his times and he said a couple high-4.2s and some 4.3s. That’s the norm for him. Then he clocks that [unofficial] 4.31, and they’re like, ‘Oh, my God, where did that come from?’ I’m thinking, ‘Y’all didn’t do your homework because this cat’s been running that since junior high school.’ ”

Former Browns General Manager Phil Savage, now director of the Senior Bowl and color analyst for the Alabama radio network, praised Milliner’s 2012 season while in Indianapolis. Milliner, 5-foot-11½ and 200 pounds, was a finalist for the Jim Thorpe and Bronko Nagurski awards after recording a career-high 20 pass breakups, giving him 36 in his three-year career along with six interceptions, as Alabama won its second consecutive national title.

“Dee had a fabulous year,” Savage said. “He started as a freshman in 2010 and basically lost his job in 2011 to DeQuan Menzie, a junior college transfer. Even though [Milliner] was the nickel that year, he had to go back and re-earn his spot and really change some things.

“I think if he’s paired off with another good corner he’s got a better chance going forward. But I like Dee. He’s competitive and he tackles and he can play the ball in the air.”

NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock, one of those who questioned Milliner’s speed on the combine broadcast, gushed about Milliner.

“What I see on tape is a tough instinctive guy who tackles, which I love,” Mayock said during a Feb. 24 conference call. “When you come out of Nick Saban’s Alabama program, you are well coached. [Milliner] understands zone concepts, he plays man-to-man, he presses, he tackles.”

Asked what separated him from other cornerbacks at the combine, Milliner said, “My mentality as a football player. My toughness, the physical play, it’s just different from some cornerbacks in today’s league.”

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Milliner’s medical history includes a total of five surgeries: right knee scope, sports hernia, right tibia stress fracture, left shoulder and right shoulder. Despite his recent labrum surgery, Milliner told reporters Wednesday at a pre-draft event in New York that he’ll “be back well before training camp,” according to Clark Judge of CBS.

Saban, the former Browns defensive coordinator who played defensive back at Kent State, praised Milliner for his versatility.

“He’s by far been the leader in the secondary with the way he’s played,” Saban said on a Nov. 20 video posted on Alabama’s web site. “He’s a good tackler, he’s tough, he’s a good cover guy. He can play a number of different positions so there’s a lot of diversity in what he can do for you. And we’ve put him on most of the other teams’ best players.

“Dee has done a great job for us, he’s a good person and he’s a real joy to coach.”

Foshee thinks the same way. He thought back to Milliner’s ninth-grade year, when Milliner vowed he would become a pro football player.

“Some of his teammates acted like, ‘Oh, yeah, whatever.’ But I knew,” Foshee said. “I used to tell guys, ‘If he doesn’t get hurt and he keeps doing what he’s doing right now, he will play in the NFL.’ He had that much ability.

“His demeanor, his work ethic, the way he carried himself on and off the field, you could tell he was going to have a great chance.”

Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the her blog at http://www.ohio.com/marla. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MRidenourABJ and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sports.abj.

But the Mormon missionary, then a sophomore at Brigham Young University, wasn’t prepared for the man vs. mouse scenario that arose when the 5-foot-9, 170-pound Frei baptized 6-foot-5 Ansah into the Latter Day Saints faith.

As he stood alongside the 8-foot by 4-foot font in the Accra LDS chapel, Frei faced the daunting task of helping Ansah lean back for the immersion.

“With someone as big as Ziggy, that was kind of a challenge,” Frei said. “He went back with such force to make sure he got all the way under, I could barely hold him up. He about pulled me down into the water with him.

“He and I joke about it now, I probably strained his back a little bit. It was kind of a funny experience.”

Starting next season, Ansah might be the one inflicting pain. With a meteoric rise that ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. called the most stunning he has seen in his 35 years in the business. Despite playing football for only three years and starting only nine games, the 23-year-old defensive end has a chance to be a top 10 pick in the draft that starts Thursday.

When Frei took him to his first BYU game, Ansah didn’t know what a first down was. When Ansah joined the team in 2010, he didn’t know how to put his uniform on. Now he’s among the players the Browns could consider with the sixth overall pick.

“Anywhere between two, five and eight is where he should come off the board, which is amazing considering he was off the radar, completely undrafted, when the season began,” Kiper said during an April 10 conference call.

“You’re not sure what you’re going to get, but there is a potential for this huge upside,” NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock said during a conference call Thursday. “I think it’s the best story in the draft. … It scares me, and it scares teams how little he has played.”

A series of nurturing and motivating relationships, including the one with Frei, led Ansah to the doorstep of NFL stardom.

During the six months they spent together in Ghana, they developed a close friendship that included being roommates for a year at BYU. Frei said Ansah’s sports heroes were LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and soccer’s Lionel Messi. Now they talk about Ansah’s growing fame.

“I say, ‘Do you realize you’re going to be a professional athlete like some of these guys you’ve idolized? It’s a neat opportunity very few people get,’ ” Frei said in an April 10 telephone interview from Provo, Utah. “He’s pretty excited.”

While Frei is considered the person who discovered Ansah, he was not the first missionary who approached him. During his two years in Ghana, Frei was transferred to Accra, the capital of Ghana, where he was one of four LDS disciples. Frei said he was told to seek out Ansah when he arrived.

They were introduced at Golden Sunbeam, a K-through-12 school where Ansah served as an 18-year-old teaching assistant. It was owned by a Mormon and boasted a basketball court and soccer field donated by hall of fame quarterback Steve Young’s “Forever Young” foundation.

“When I got there, of course he stands out,” Frei said of Ansah. “He wasn’t all well-built and muscular as he is now. He was a skinny kid.”

Rather than dig into the Book of Mormon right away, Frei decided to first become Ansah’s friend. Frei, a varsity point guard in high school in Idaho Falls, Idaho, played basketball or soccer at Sunbeam on his off day.

“You could tell he was pretty athletic,” Frei said. “He was a very good soccer player. He was fast for his size. But when I first started playing I kind of underestimated him because I’d seen several Ghanaians play basketball and frankly none of them were any good. It’s just not their sport. So even though he was big, I didn’t think he could play that much.”

Frei was quickly impressed. Ansah could dribble and rebound and above all else, dunk.

Eventually Frei and Ansah began to discuss LDS beliefs. Ansah had reservations, Frei said. According to Sports Illustrated, Ansah was raised an Anglican and attended Charismatic Church, an all-black congregation with a passionate, music-filled service. Frei said one of Ansah’s best friends was the son of a pastor, who said negative things about Mormons and told the boy they could no longer hang out together if Ansah joined the LDS church.

Ansah’s parents, both now retired, were also skeptical. Ansah’s father was a sales manager for Shell Petroleum, his mother a nurse.

“He decided to get baptized,” Frei said. “We got his mother to come. We showed her around the church and talked to her about some of the things we believed. I remember her saying, ‘This isn’t anything like what I’ve heard. This church is great and what you’ve told me about the teachings are wonderful.’

“She was pleasantly surprised once she opened up her mind and came and saw for herself. That was good for Ziggy to have her a lot more supportive.”

Frei did not convince Ansah to come back with him to BYU. Frei said they hardly talked about college.

“It wasn’t like I was heavily recruiting him,” Frei said. “He wanted to play sports. The family he was really close with who owned that school had sons who had served missions in the U.S. and had gone to BYU. There were some missionaries who came after I left who encouraged him to do that as well. That family helped him apply, get his visa and passport.”

Ansah kept his BYU enrollment a secret from Frei until a day or two before he arrived for the fall semester.

“It was a little bit unexpected,” Frei said.

Driven to be an athlete, Ansah twice tried out for the BYU basketball team, only to be cut both times. Frei believes that might have been different if Ansah had more organized training.

“He made the final cut, they were considering him for the practice squad. He just missed it,” Frei said.

BYU outside linebackers coach Kelly Poppinga has been entertained by now-270-pound Ansah during dunk contests.

“Doing 360 dunks off the backboard, between his legs. He can dunk with the best of ‘em,” Poppinga said during an April 1 telephone interview. “He has a (34½)-inch vertical. For a guy who has really long arms and is 6-5, that’s pretty good.”

The rejection prompted Ansah to try track.

“We saw him running around the track one day as we were working out,” Poppinga said. “We said, ‘That guy doesn’t belong on the track, he belongs on the football field.’ ”

But Ansah said football was frustrating in the beginning, even as he took out three opponents covering his first kickoff.

“I wasn’t treated like Ziggy hasn’t played football at all,” Ansah said at the NFL Scouting Combine. “They were pushing me like I was playing football for 25 years. It was crazy.”

Ansah started out on special teams and defensive line, switched to outside linebacker in 2011 before becoming a defensive end last season. In 13 games in 2012 he recorded 62 tackles, 13 for losses, 4½ sacks, an interception, nine pass breakups, six quarterback hurries and a forced fumble. He was unimpressive in Senior Bowl practices — with Ansah explaining he was trying not to make mistakes — but dominated the game.

Frei, 26, a 2012 BYU graduate, remains in Provo running a small start-up company called Screenie, which provides video interviewing software. He thinks back to the time he and Ansah lived together, battling intensely in FIFA soccer video games and talking about Ansah’s passion for cooking Ghanaian dishes. He pictures Ansah’s messy room strewn with shoes, which Ansah loves. He mentions Ansah’s dry sense of humor.

But most of all, Frei considers how far Ansah has come.

“Ziggy really has had some good people around him who have been very encouraging,” Frei said. “He’s been very blessed that people have been willing to help and push him in the right direction until he kind of found his niche. It’s been neat to see that progression.

“It’s unbelievable to me that this is happening and people are talking about him in the top five potentially. Four or five years ago I was taking him to his first football game and he didn’t know the difference in offense and defense and how to keep score.”

Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the her blog at http://www.ohio.com/marla. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MRidenourABJ and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sports.abj.