the nail in the coffin | A Cleveland sports podcast

Mercifully, the Browns’ season is over, but the interesting times are just getting started. Tom and Travis discuss decisions made—John Dorsey replacing Sashi Brown, transitioning from collecting assets to acquiring players, and (against all odds) keeping Hue Jackson—and the decisions to come (read: “quarterback, quarterback and quarterback”). As the Browns sort through their issues, there’s one other decision that’s easy for the guys: Neither of them would be caught dead at this weekend’s 0-16 parade. … Plus: Thoughts on the Rose Bowl and the upcoming college football national championship game, Isaiah Thomas’ exciting Cavs debut and what to do with J.R. Smith and Tristan Thompson.

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Play Music | Stitcher

Catch us on WaitingForNextYear.com

Like us on Facebook: Facebook.com/TheNailPodcast

Follow us on Twitter: @TheNailPodcast 

Email us: thenailpodcast [at] gmail.com

Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the third straight year, Mark Podolski, sports editor of The News-Herald, joins Tom and Travis for a marathon rundown of college football’s New Year’s Six bowl games, including Ohio State-USC in the Cotton Bowl, as well as the College Football Playoff semifinals between Oklahoma and Georgia (Rose Bowl), and Clemson and Alabama (Sugar). Plus: Quarterbacks Sam Darnold of USC and Baker Mayfield of Oklahoma, as well as Penn State running back Saquon Barkley (playing in the Fiesta Bowl vs. Washington), could figure prominently into the Browns’ draft plans in April. How much of an impact, if at all, will their bowl game performances have on where they land on draft day?

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Play Music | Stitcher

Catch us on WaitingForNextYear.com

Like us on Facebook: Facebook.com/TheNailPodcast

Follow us on Twitter: @TheNailPodcast 

Email us: thenailpodcast [at] gmail.com

Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

News-Herald sports editor Mark Podolski is back for our second annual college football bowl game extravaganza. In a colorful hour-plus, the guys cover: the playoff semifinals, including a potentially tremendous Fiesta Bowl between Ohio State and Clemson, Western Michigan’s chances of pulling an upset vs. Wisconsin, which games can lift up a mostly lackluster bowl season, players skipping bowl games, the draft stock of North Carolina QB Mitch Trubisky, and New Year’s Day being the latest sports tradition messed up by the (bleeping) NFL.

Subscribe: iTunes | Google Play Music | Stitcher

Like us on Facebook: Facebook.com/TheNailPodcast

Follow us on Twitter: @TheNailPodcast 

Email us: thenailpodcast [at] gmail.com

Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott Sargent, editor and co-founder of WaitingForNextYear.com and a contributing writer for Bleacher Report, joins the show to bring the guys up to speed on the state of the Cavs heading into another Christmas showdown with the Warriors. New faces such as Dwyane Wade, Jose Calderon and Jeff Green have the team surging after a rough start to the year. Scott explains what has made the Cavs’ excellent second unit work so well, why Calderon has been a surprisingly good fit with the starters, where Isaiah Thomas and Derrick Rose will fit moving forward, what Tristan Thompson’s role will look like and whether any roster moves are coming later this season. … Plus: A quick rundown on the Warriors, and the LeBron James vs. James Harden MVP debate.

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Play Music | Stitcher

Catch us on WaitingForNextYear.com

Like us on Facebook: Facebook.com/TheNailPodcast

Follow us on Twitter: @TheNailPodcast 

Email us: thenailpodcast [at] gmail.com

Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s episode 100 of The Nail, and the guys are keeping it a buck on new Browns GM John Dorsey, how we watch Cavs games, NBA All-Star Games, the Indians’ offseason, Rice Krispie Treats and more. On the anniversary of Mike Holmgren’s infamous “Don’t call me for playoff tickets” diatribe and the disastrous debut of Johnny Football, John Dorsey added a new entry into Browns lore by declaring he wants “real players.” Fair or unfair? … Plus: How do you watch the Cavs? The guys discuss the merits of national TV broadcasts vs. Fox Sports Ohio productions, as well as watching live vs. on DVR.

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Play Music | Stitcher

Catch us on WaitingForNextYear.com

Like us on Facebook: Facebook.com/TheNailPodcast

Follow us on Twitter: @TheNailPodcast 

Email us: thenailpodcast [at] gmail.com

Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The College Football Playoff pairings were released on Sunday, and despite winning the Big Ten championship, the Ohio State Buckeyes were left out of the national title picture. Instead, they’re headed to the Cotton Bowl to face USC. The guys welcome Josh Poloha of Waiting For Next Year to figure out how Alabama moved up into the fourth playoff spot without playing in a conference title game, whether OSU ever had a realistic chance at getting in after all, and whether factors that weren’t supposed to matter – the potential for Clemson-Alabama III vs. a rematch of last year’s Clemson-Ohio State blowout, the Big Ten’s recent playoff history – actually played a role in determining this year’s field.

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Play Music | Stitcher

Catch us on WaitingForNextYear.com

Like us on Facebook: Facebook.com/TheNailPodcast

Follow us on Twitter: @TheNailPodcast 

Email us: thenailpodcast [at] gmail.com

Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Four games between top-10 teams in one day! Playoff implications abound! Saturday has all the makings of a great day for college football, but the biggest fight of the weekend could be waged on Sunday morning if perennial powerhouses Ohio State and Alabama are left to scrap for a fourth and final College Football Playoff berth. Bill Bender of the Sporting News is back on the show to help the guys navigate the battlefield. Quality wins? Bad losses? Conference titles? What will sway the selection committee? Do precedents matter? Are any other teams outside the current top four in the mix? Can any of those top four stay in even with a loss? It’s an action-packed – and, at times, contentious! – episode of The Nail.

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Play Music | Stitcher

Catch us on WaitingForNextYear.com

Like us on Facebook: Facebook.com/TheNailPodcast

Follow us on Twitter: @TheNailPodcast 

Email us: thenailpodcast [at] gmail.com

Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As you may have heard, The Nail is joining up with Waiting For Next Year. The guys welcome Craig Lyndall of WFNY to discuss that news, the NFL and Craig's #SellTheBrowns mantra, and the state of the Cavs one month into the NBA season. Are the Celtics an actual threat in the East or another in a long line of media creations stemming from LeBron fatigue? What in God’s name possesses fans to defend Derrick Rose? Plus: Thoughts on Jae Crowder, Jeff Green, Dwyane Wade and the almighty Brooklyn pick.

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Play Music | Stitcher

Like us on Facebook: Facebook.com/TheNailPodcast

Follow us on Twitter: @TheNailPodcast 

Email us: thenailpodcast [at] gmail.com

Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's been a dismal, dysfunctional week in Cleveland, from the Browns botching the trade deadline as only the Browns can to the Cavs taking their infamous regular season malaise to new depths. Thankfully, Ohio State gave us something to enjoy, as J.T. Barrett delivered an all-time performance in an instant classic victory over Penn State, launching the Buckeyes back into the national title picture and J.T. back into the Heisman race.

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Play Music | Stitcher

Like us on Facebook: Facebook.com/TheNailPodcast

Follow us on Twitter: @TheNailPodcast 

Email us: thenailpodcast [at] gmail.com

Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s Halloween weekend, so it’s a fitting time for the guys to finally take on the scariest house of horrors in town: Browns headquarters in Berea. … Plus: A preview of Ohio State’s big challenge Saturday vs. Penn State, J.T. Barrett’s search for a second signature win, #Pac12AfterDark and Halloween costumes.

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Play Music | Stitcher

Like us on Facebook: Facebook.com/TheNailPodcast

Follow us on Twitter: @TheNailPodcast 

Email us: thenailpodcast [at] gmail.com

Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices