It was deja vu all over again. It seems like every year you can write the same story about the Browns season opener before the game is even played. It goes something like this: Everyone is pumped for the game, the season. Fans are out at the bars/tailgating early. Cleveland is covered in brown and orange. The excitement is at an all time high and everyone is having a great time… until the game starts. Then all that excitement blows up faster than Tom Brady’s knee or Donte Stallworth’s hamstring.
This has to stop. The Browns have opened at home every year since coming back to the NFL in 1999 and have lost every game but one. The lone win coming against the Ravens with Jeff Gracia as our quarterback. It’s ridiculous. I know the Browns haven’t been good in past years but to loss nine of 10 season openers at home is awful. I’m not going to look it up but I think they have been outscored something like 1,649 to 14 in those 10 to games. How do you not get your team ready to play in the first game of the season? Romeo is 0-3 in openers. He hasn’t beat Pittsburgh and he hasn’t won a big game (Cincy last year). The Browns made so many stupid plays and penalties yesterday you can’t help but think it has something to do with the man leading the way. And how do you kick a field goal down 28-7 with 10 minutes to play on a 4th-and-2? I’d say half the people in the stadium left after that call. Awful decision.
To sum up the game; there was more action in the crowd than there was on the field. Several fights broke out between Cowboy fans and Browns fans. (Surprisingly none involving me although I did my best to piss off as many Cowboy fans as I could, including little girls.) It was like being at an Indians game against the Red Sox or Yankees. There were so many Cowboy fans it pissed me off. And some Browns fans were even at the game with Cowboy fans. I would never, ever, everevereverever, take an opposing fan to a Browns game, or and professional sporting event.
As for the game itself, every part of the team where there was question marks during the preseason, those question and be answered with a simple “yes.” As in “yes, we aren’t very good.” Defense, not good. Linebackers, not good. Defensive backs, really not good. Coaching, not good. (How can you have so many illegal shift penalties? Stop running stupid shift formations with Syndric Steptoe and non-90210 Steve Sanders playing their first NFL games.) Offense’s health, not good. (Still don’t understand how you get hurt in pregame warm-ups.) Braylon’s hands, just don’t throw right at them. (Seriously, four drops? Your cut was on your foot, not your hands. I don’t care how long you were out, you should catch the ball. And, Braylon, FYI, you had more than the two drops you admitted too.)
OK, that’s enough. We all saw the game and all saw how much it sucked. Realistically, I don’t think many of us thought the Browns would win. With the tough opening two week schedule, going 1-1 would be a major plus. If the Browns can beat the Steelers next week, then no one will even talk about the Cowboys game again.
But yesterday wasn’t all bad. I went to the game with GFB, GFB-2, and GFD, or BIL-1, BIL-2 and FIL. We got to this exclusive, private tailgate party hosted by Miller Lite thanks to GFB’s buddy. Free food, free beer and Eric Metcalf. That’s right. The Eric Metcalf of “Metcalf up the middle for no gain” fame. He was there at the party signing autographs. (So was Reggie Langhorn and Leory Kelly, but who cares about a No. 2 wide receiver and a HOFer when there is Eric ‘Freakin’ Metcalf in the house.) Getting Metcalf’s autograph was almost worth the horrible show I was about to witness.
Here is Metcalf and I. And no, that isn’t a security guard outfit Eric is wearing.
The day could have been worse. We could have been the Detroit Lions and lose to Atlanta by 55 points.
Awesome picture. That was definitely the highlight of my day. I forgot my login for my picture. Did you happen to see if mine was there?
You need your card with that number on it. I tried just changing my number by one either way and it didn’t work so it looks like you are never going to see your picture w/ Metcalf. Sorry GFB.
LOOK OUT, there’s a black guy next to you! Who’s #33, I can’t think of it for the life of me. Please tell me you don’t have your last name on the back of that jersey.
Braylon Edwards is a long way away from being a star in this league. Just pathetic.
Romeo is a coward. That 4th quarter FG was just another sign that he has no idea how to coach.
Get ready for the coaching clinic that Romeo and Zorn will be putting on in a few weeks!!!
Simply a pathetic performance, but as you said all is not lost because a win next week all this is forgotten. Although, as good as the Steelers looked and as bad as the Browns looked makes me think that will be next to impossible.
What planet was Braylon on? He was looked like he was just going through the motions all day. He looked fucking terrible. At least he had shoes on.
I know they had no choice, but I saw waaaaaaaay too much Syndric Steptoe and Steve Sanders yesterday. They looked like the ’99 Browns at times with some of the names that were out there. We just needed Spurgeon Wynn and Ben Gay out there and we’d be all set.
Everytime they show Romeo on the sidelines I want to punch him in the face. He always has the same “I am a fucking moron” look on his face. We need Bernie on the sidelines to fire up the troops.
“I am a fucking moron” look on his face
Wade Phillips has that trademarked. Speaking of Wade, how great is it to see the camera on him after a questionable call? Fantastic.
Damman, thank you for bringing up the Braylon comments. Beanie im not too sure how you didnt talk more about this. (I know you mentioned a little, but im guessing you didnt rip into him more because he is from michigan). But he looked soooo terrible!! Four dropped balls?!?!? one that would have been 6. Two illegal shift penalties and one false start??!! Are you fucking kidding me? One of the best recievers in the league my ass. I really think he either didnt even want to play or hates DA and tries to fuck up the game enough to get his boyfriends Brady in there… Why throw it to him when Winlows might never drop a pass the rest of his career.
#33 = the man the myth the legend—LEROY HOARD, thats a sweet jersey where did you get it?
Romeo had a perfect legitimate reason for that field goal “i wanted to put points on the board” – not even points to cover a spread or anything.
Did you say “Metcalf up the middle” to MEtcalf I would have?
A question to ponder about your Browns and Cowboy fans going to the games together. Did you ever consider that the COwboy fan brought the Browns fan? If you had no ticket to te game and your buddy who is a Cowboy fan offered you a ticket to go wouldnt you go? Betteryet if Seal invited you t othe OSU-UM game, you would go right? (Well maybe not since I’d rather sit by myself than hang out with Seal)
OK, good stuff here. I didn’t get too much in to Braylon because I didn’t get that much really into the game itself. I talked more about BE than anything else in the game and it was so obvious he was more interested in giving himself a rim job than playing football, it wasn’t worth getting all worked up about. That’s why I have you guys.
Romeo’s look on the sideline isn’t so much the “I’m a fucking moron” look as it is the “I’m so hungry that all those guys out there look like steaks.” You know in cartoons when someone is so hungry the person they are talking to starts to look like a piece of food? That’s how Romeo sees every game. You can’t expect someone to coach when instead of X’s an O’s he is seeing cheeseburgers and chicken wings.
Ben Gay was the greatest running back of the new Browns. Bring him back but as a defensive back.
James Jackson dominates!!!
What about Karim Abdul-Jabar?
Touchdown Travis Prentice was the best RB in Browns history.
TP wasn’t even the best RB with the nickname Touchdown – Tommy Vardell rules!! (was that his name?)
It sure was!!! I think his only touchdown came in a preseason game.