Category: Browns

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Game 26: Packers @ Browns

December 10, 2017

FirstEnergy Stadium – Cleveland, Ohio

Solo Game #3

 

Pregame Thoughts

Prediction: Packers win by 11

 

Results

Final Score: Packers 27, Browns 21 (OT)

My Record: 16-10

 

I will take the win but I honestly can’t believe the Browns blew this one (well yes I can). This win ensures me at least a .500 season! Yay! The Browns wish they could get one win let alone be .500, but cheers to you Browns, you are on your way to another #1 draft pick.

 

The Game

Not many people expected this game to be close, I mean come on, it is the Browns. I hinted at a chance for the Browns to win in my prediction but didn’t think they would; and well they didn’t. A “good” overtime game, and I use the parentheses because it was very sloppy.

 

I was surprised on the first drive the Packers refused to punt. They went for it twice on 4th down and made both of them, the first was on their own 37 yard line on a fake punt. Then when they scored I thought the game would be over quickly. Browns answered right away though with a score of their own.

 

There weren’t too many stand out plays or stats in this game, but some to note were DeShone Kizer had three passing touchdowns but threw two interceptions including the one in overtime that blew the game.
Isaiah Crowell had a great game with 121 rushing yards on 19 carriers. Davante Adams had 10 receptions for 84 yards and two TDs. Other than that the defenses really dominated from both sides.

 

The way the Browns blew the game was incredible. Up 21-7 early in the 4th quarter the Packers drove to make the game 21-14 without much resistance. They tied the game with 17 seconds left after a 2 minute drive. The Browns started overtime with the ball and Kizer threw one of the worst interceptions I have seen. It was 3rd down and he was about to get sacked and just threw the ball as high as he could like he was a kid playing jackpot. He should have taken a sack then punted so at least Green Bay would have had to go the length of the field. Instead, what happened was the Packers intercepted the ball easily and started the drive on the Browns 35 yard line. It only took Green Bay 6 plays, 3 minutes before Brett Hundley threw a touchdown pass to Adams to win the game.

 

One cool thing that happened was they honored Jim Brown at halftime. The Hall of Fame is doing a “Ring of Honor” for the greatest hall of famers. It was good to see the Syracuse alumni still moving around. Some say he was the greatest athlete that ever lived, look up his stats in NFL and college (along with his lacrosse numbers), you will be impressed.

 

The Stadium

Overall Rating: C

 

Stadiums like this make it harder to not be bias. It’s hard to tell if the Browns being a horrible team again played into my review but at the end of the day I don’t think that was the case. The thing with FirstEnergy stadium is that it’s just okay. One good thing is that the walk isn’t too far from downtown Cleveland and it is easy to enter and exit.

 

A few negatives were that the upper deck only had one bar and very few concessions. You also couldn’t walk around the entire upper level, so check your tickets! The bathrooms also only had very few actual toilets in them (that applies to lower levels too). Even though the upper deck was at 25% capacity, it seemed like it was near full. Also, I am sure the stadium is in a nice location on a summer day, but most games aren’t that warm and the wind coming off the lake can be brutal at times. There are also pretty much zero covered seats, which somewhere like Cleveland could benefit. Luckily the wind wasn’t too bad and it was sunny so those two factors didn’t affect me much, but still know your climate when building a stadium!

 

Love, Hate, Shout Out

Love: Overtime games. Especially when I am at a game where it could have been very boring and cold. The excitement of the game keeps you a little warmer. Good comeback by the Packers too.

 

Hate: Blaming bad plays on rookie quarterbacks. Okay, yes there are sometimes where the decision making of young quarterbacks is fully due to lack on experience; like not getting rid of the ball quick enough, not recognizing double coverage or a safety blitz pre-snap, things like that. However, you can’t blame everything on a player being a rookie, they are professional athletes and played at a high level in college. Kiezer’s “jackpot” throw straight up in the air in overtime without looking was garbage. That’s not a rookie mistake. That’s just a really bad mistake.

 

Shout Out: Cleveland Browns fans. You guys have it rough, yet you are so dedicated to the team. Tailgating in the parking lot early on in the cold is insane for an irrelevant team. The fans I was sitting around were also very generous, shared everything they brought in (pretzels, beef jerky and some other snacks)

 

Fan Tips

If you are sitting in the upper deck, get food and drinks as you walk in before you go up, there are a lot more options on the bottom level

 

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Game 3: Browns @ Ravens

September 17, 2017

M&T Bank Stadium – Baltimore, Maryland

My Friends Duncan (left), Rachel and Mike (right)

 

Pregame Thoughts

Prediction: Ravens win by 17

 

Results

Final Score: Ravens 24, Browns 10

My Record: 2-1

 

Almost nailed it! I am surprised the Browns scored at all to be honest. The Ravens Defense dominated like I said, but I did say “Kizer looks good” which was way off.

 

The Game

The Ravens defense dominated, forcing 5 turnovers, 3 sacks and repeated hits on the quarterback. Outside of a few highlight reel catches, the Browns didn’t have much going for them. DeShone Kizer looked good at times, but the Ravens defense made it hard for him to get any sort of timing down and he ended up with 3 interceptions and got benched.

 

Not too many offensive standouts on either side. Benjamin Watson had 8 receptions for 91 yards for Baltimore and Rashard Higgins had 7 receptions for 95 yards for Cleveland (with a few ridiculous catches too). It is early in the season but both guys are players to keep an eye on.

 

Joe Thomas played in his 10,000 consecutive snap for the Browns. That is an NFL record and unbelievable.

 

The Stadium

Overall Rating: A

 

M&T Bank Stadium was easy to get to and had a great pregame. Getting home wasn’t terrible either. It was a really hot day, so maybe this was just me, but they need escalators to get to the top. Who knows, they might be there somewhere. We took the stairs.

 

I walked around several sections and there isn’t really a bad seat. Some sections lacked restrooms and concessions but you can’t expect them everywhere. Overall great.

 

Love, Hate, Shout Out

Love: Inclusive tailgating. Not every stadium has somewhere that you can simply pay and then party. It was very close to the stadium and the food was amazing.

 

Hate: Odd giveaways. Okay, its marketing, I understand. But little bottles of hand sanitizer with a brand on it (honestly I forgot which one), isn’t a giveaway. The bottle was probably good for two uses and didn’t seem like antibacterial, it was more of straight alcoholic based water. Give a rally towel at least like everyone else or nothing at all.

 

Shout Out: Joe Thomas. 10,000 consecutive snaps. That is just remarkable to think about, especially when you realize he is on the Browns. Every single play he has been in there putting for 10+ seasons!

 

Fan Tips

Don’t get confused by the BWI airport and BWI train station, they are not one in the same (my friends learned this).

 

There is an all you can eat and drink tailgate somewhere around Leadenhall St and Olstend St. There were several, try to find one, best tailgate I have been to over the years (we will see if that is still true at the end of the trip).