CLEVELAND, OHIO (TheOBR.com) - Good morning, Cleveland Browns fans!
So, we've been preparing for this day for months and looking forward to this date on the calendar. As a webdork, we're anticipating a great deal of traffic on our forums, and I'll be plugging into the VIP Discussion Thread with other OBR team members to talk about the game as it happens with our subscribers.
THE DAILY BLOVIATION
Like a deer in the headlights, though, the big day has arrived, and I'm not sure what to say as the season kicks off. Everything that has happened over the last few months has led to this. Now that the moment is here, I'm fumbling to put my feelings about the season into words.
OK. Alright. Breathe.
I've been doing this Cleveland Browns website thing for thirty years or so, the last twenty-six of which included a team that actually was playing on Sundays. I've become accustomed to high hopes at the start of the season, which are promptly squashed almost immediately by the brutal reality that most of the Browns squads I've covered haven't been very good.
There have been years where I had high hopes, which collided with the annoying fact that most NFL teams are outstanding, and even though the Browns showed promise, they could out-play the Browns with brighter stars and better roster depth.
Last year was one of those seasons where hopes were high, but most Browns fans were in wait-and-see mode on the quarterback. We all know how that turned out. After that year, I think most Browns fans have muted expectations about what to expect in 2025. I'm not reading any hyperbolic posts on our forums or video streams, expecting a deep playoff run. That was more the case last season, when Browns fans hoped that Deshaun Watson could lead this team. We quickly learned that wasn't going to happen.
Now, following Watson's singular failure, the Browns need to reload and rebuild. They went three years without high draft choices, creating a void where some skilled players needed to be. Now that Andrew Berry has more experience and more picks in hand, the team is bringing along what looks like an impressive draft class and putting the 53-man roster's deep group of youngsters into essential positions.
What I expect isn't a team that is uniformly horrible or good. I'm expecting, because of the youth of the roster, a team that displays flashes of greatness and flashes of inexperience. With youth comes inconsistency, as physical tools show themselves, but the speed of the NFL game leaves youngsters flummoxed at times.
While the roster is anchored by savvy veterans like Myles Garrett and Joel Bitonio, I'm anticipating more of a roller coaster ride because the roster is filled with drafted rookies and UDFAs.
Although I'm not expecting a playoff berth, I am hopeful about this team because of the quality of the draft class and the vibes I'm getting (via Fred Greetham and others on the local beat) about this squad. They've been relatively lucky with injuries so far (despite the deep cut of losing Martin Emerson), the defense is playing with swagger, and they've got a dependable veteran at quarterback rather than a wild card.
Joe Flacco
Joe Flacco (Photo: Getty)
So, I've got a positive view of the team. I have no idea how many games they'll win or whether they'll get a few drubbings, I'm just looking forward to some good football. I'm very excited to see what havoc this defensive line can muster, hoping that Myles Garrett has that career year everyone expects, biting my fingernails about whether quarterback Flacco still has it and whether the young receivers can emerge.
Just go into the season without many expectations, replete with the knowledge that the Browns have stockpiled draft picks again for 2026, and this is a team under construction. Relax. Have fun with it. Let's go.
Have a good one! GO BROWNS!
Newswire Bloviation Archive
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VIDEOS
2026 QB Class Updates, Stock Up Stock Down, and a Look at CFB Week 2
ARTICLES
3 Cleveland Browns 2026 NFL Draft Prospects to Watch in Michigan vs Oklahoma - Jacob
Cleveland Browns News and Rumors 9/6: Adin Huntington, Healthy Rosters, and Bad Internet - Barry
Cleveland Browns Film Room: How Adin Huntington Made the Team - Sam
Preview Nine Questions that need to be Answered for the Cleveland Browns to have a Chance for a Winning Season - Fred
UPDATED Cleveland Browns Sign Rookie Running Back Quinshon Judkins Browns get TwoGame Roster Exemption - Fred
Predicting The Cleveland Browns Inactives : Cincinnati Bengals - Jack
FORUM POSTS
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Qb situation in 2026?
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Exemption Status Time Served
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Judkins FINALLY Signed!!
THE WATERCOOLER
OT: What movies actually frightened you?
OT - at 80 Eric Clapton can still play
OT - Grambling vs. OSU
OT - Grambling vs. OSU
OT - The Real College Ball Week 2 Thread
Anyone keeping an eye on Drew Allar?
OT: Inside America's #1 Trade School | Sheree Utash Mike Rowe
'Twas the night before Brownsmass….
The USA Today Sports Weekly - Projections AFC North
NFL WEEK #1 - The OTHER GAMES Pitt@Jets Tits@Donks RATS@BILLS
THE LIFT
Positive news from the world of sports and beyond...
Earth-size stars and alien oceans – an astronomer explains the case for life around white dwarfs - (space.com)
3D-Printing 'Glue Gun' Can Repair Bone Fractures During Surgery Filling-in the Gaps Around Jagged Edges - (goodnewsnetwork.org)
I've never had high expectations for 3-D printing, nor felt the urge to run off and devote a chunk of my limited office space to a big plastic-churning monster apparatus. After I had 3-D printed a plastic statue of Bullwinkle the Moose, I'm pretty sure that I would run out of uses for it. But the surgical application mentioned above seems pretty darn cool and useful. I'm not sure that 3-D printing will ever get the massive adoption its advocates want, but niche applications like this seems pretty darn cool. \
WRAPPING UP
When not allowing the season to come to him, Barry McBride is the Publisher and Founder of the OBR and bloviates this nonsense every morning. You can follow him on Twitter @barrymcbride or write him at barry@theobr.com if you are so compelled.
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