Good morning, Cleveland Browns fans!
I never change. Back in the 1980s, after I graduated from college and was starting to make my way into the working world, a colleague of mine once idly said, "You're a believer in glasnost, aren't you?".
Glasnost was a Soviet policy of openness with the public introduced by Russian leader Mikhail Gorbachev after years of Communist rule and outright deception of its people via the state-controlled press.
One of my challenges, as my present colleagues have pointed out, is my tendency to share information with anyone who might be interested. I'm pretty much an open book. However, that doesn't work in negotiations and business, where there's value in not saying things.
Today, I'm not going to write about what's on my mind, which is all about the future of the OBR and surviving in an overgrazed wilderness. I will instead focus on something you're interested in—namely, QUARTERBACK BATTLES.
The Browns are at the center of a wild one, featuring two veteran quarterbacks and two rookies competing, which has otherwise rational people like Ian Rappoport waxing poetic about the storyline. The Browns re even making to the to of NFL desk listicles about being the most interesting team in pre-season. It's even to the point where people are saying that pre-season games might be worth watching. Whoa.
Interest is so intense and critical to the Browns' success that guys like Mike Florio are making videos about it. No one has any idea what will happen, but they either think or pretend they do, leading to attention-seekers like Colin Cowherd confidently (and foolishly) saying Shedeur Sanders will start game one, more rational minds settling on Kenny Pickett as the guy, or others saying Sanders might be cut or traded. Even staid outlets like The Athletic feature it ($).
News outlets are all over the place on this, sometimes going to extremes as they elbow each other out of the way for attention. In the midst of it all is veteran Joe Flacco, calmly knocking back questions about whether he'll mentor the youngsters, as befits a 40-year-old who finds himself in the eye of a news hurricane.
Joe Flacco
Joe Flacco not mentoring Dillon Gabriel (Photo: USA TODAY Sports)
JERRY JEUDY SPEAKS: Also finding himself in the midst of this is the Browns #1 wide receiver, Jerry Jeudy, who isn't being asked about the change in offensive approach this year. Nope, he's being asked about the quarterback battle. His responses are that it's his job to catch the ball and make it easy on quarterbacks, while also saying that competition brings out the best in people. These are smart responses from the wide receiver, although he may not want to "like" posts talking about the connection between him and Shedeur Sanders, as such things will likely be blown out of proportion.
LET THERE BE FIGHTING: Speaking of being all over the place, so is today's coverage of the Browns stadium fracas with the City of Cleveland as the Haslam Sports Group looks for additional money to complete the Jimmyworld dream and Brook Park looks for cash as well. Meanwhile, the media tries to insert itself into the process, with an editorial in the Akron Beacon-Journal decrying a "billionaire bailout($)" and the Columbus Dispatch saying something about Cleveland($) that I'll never read because I'm not buying a subscription there. Smart Browns fans buy OBR subscriptions instead. Meanwhile, the Fraternal Order of Police weighs in, supporting the new complex for some reason.
BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE!
Have a good one! GO BROWNS!
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