CLEVELAND, OHIO (TheOBR.com) - Good morning, Cleveland Browns fans! The Browns edge closer to Saturday's final pre-season game as Joe Flacco talks to the press, the team's secondary dodges a bullet (apparently), and practice goes into regular-season mode.
THE DAILY BLOVIATION
Is it time for a this-and-that day on the OBR Daily Newswire? It's time for a this-and-that day on the OBR Daily Newswire!
MY VIBE CONCERNING THE CLEVELAND BROWNS: We got a question in Ask the Insiders concerning our outlook on the season yesterday. I'm not a historically unstoppable prognosticator, but I screwed up my courage and answered the question, which I'll discuss in the Newswire as well.
My expectations for the Browns in 2025 are not extravagant. The schedule is quite brutal, especially the first six games; the division is tough as always, and the team's offense remains unproven. If we come out of those first six games with a 2-4 record, I'll be happy. If they break even, I'll be ecstatic.
But the vibe is generally good as we head into the season. Allowing me to knock on wood furiously, aside from the injury to M.J. Emerson, the team hasn't received the usual dose of horrible pre-season injury news. The rookie class looks promising - and we haven't seen Quinshon Judkins yet - and I'm very intrigued with the development of what looks to be a challenging pass rush.
Denzel Ward
Denzel Ward at 2025 off-season practice (Photo: Getty)
Just yesterday, Denzel Ward walked off the field with a shoulder injury. My first thought was "here we go again", of course. I'm a Browns fan. But the injury does not appear to be serious, and the Browns dodged a bullet. Hopefully, that bullet doesn't ricochet back at us.
This season could be a lot of fun if you come into it with reasonable expectations. There is a lot of young talent that will have its ups and downs this season, but the early returns are promising. The Browns' receiver corps could surprise with the emergence of young players like Ced Tillman and Jamari Thrash.
There's promise. The team will be interesting to watch, and, in what looks like a rebuilding year, the team could play some good football. I'm anxious for the start of the season, with the note that NO ONE is allowed to get hurt this weekend. It's simply not permitted.
ADIOS, AMIGOS: Last night, some of our YouTube viewers were disappointed to hear that Brad Ward, a constant presence on our site, has moved to another platform. We'll certainly miss Brad. He's a good guy. He'll still be a good guy even if he's not working here. However, this gives us a chance to refresh our video lineup and apply what we've learned these last few years. Change means opportunity. You can watch some of that change in action tonight at 7PM as the new "Inside the Browns Beat" show welcomes the Beacon-Journal's Chris Easterling.
Over the years, the OBR has been a place where new talent is discovered and mentored. We take pride in the fact that alumni of our site have grown here and gone on to roles at notable organizations such as NBC, Cleveland.com, Bleacher Report, ESPN, 247Sports, and others. Even companies like CBS Sports and FOX Sports have employed your bloviator at various times. Part of our team has remained intact for decades, but many talented individuals have come and gone.
We're used to it. We look at it this way: The OBR is the top independent site for Browns news, and has been since 1999. We're aligned with CBS Sports, credentialed, and constantly working to improve our product. Whether you're a championship football team or a good website, it's only natural that people will want to sign away your talent. You reload. You move on.
We wish Brad the best of luck and are excited about our future and the talent we've assembled here. Back here at your everyday base of Browns news, views and analysis, there are many new and exciting developments ahead.
READ THE DAMN ROOM: I'm not sure I can say more than T-Dog did in his Watercooler post, but it's come to my attention that the despicable Ratbirds of Baltimore intend to have themselves a "30th season celebration" built around their home opener against the Cleveland Browns.
Um, guys, well...
Even Baltimore Ratbird marketing people should be aware of the fact that the Cleveland Browns were a team they stole from their loyal fans by making a deal with a despicable man who was summarily booted out of the league several years later.
There were victims here: Browns fans. We went three years without football, and dedicated fans who loved their team had to fight like hell to get back their franchise name, colors, and history. Jimmy Haslam didn't do that. Nor did the Lerner family. The fans did.
The lack of awareness on the part of the Baltimore organization is staggering. They can go ahead and celebrate their ignoble actions if they want, but doing so with the Browns in town is unaware of the history, to say the least.
Perhaps it will be a good time to remember not the Rats, but what the fans who did, accomplished, achieved, something that no other group of fans has been able to do. Note to Ratbirds: Browns are still here.
Have a good one! GO BROWNS!
Newswire Bloviation Archive
OBR STUFF
ARTICLES
Browns Joe Flacco Says He Feels "Just as Good as Ever"; Updates on Sanders, Kenny Pickett, Newsome, More - Fred
Cleveland Browns Heading into Final Preseason Game: What We've Been Told - WRITER
Cleveland Browns News and Rumors 8/19 A Brother in Arms - WRITER
Cleveland Browns Daily News Ticker 8/19 - WRITER
FORUMS
Sanders practicing (VIP)
Is Deandre Carter a lock? (VIP)
DTs (VIP)
Season outlook (VIP)
Ward? (VIP)
Bond a target from the beginning? (VIP)
Kevin S as QB whisperer II? (VIP)
Podcasts (VIP)
Is Snoop Huntley cover for potential Pickett trade? (VIP)
Anyone with Updates on K Battles in Camps? (VIP)
Baltiwhore: no class, 100% jackass.
OT: LeBrons I Promise School video.
Ward hurt in practice (don't panic yet)
OT: Why can't I watch my Game??
LiveWire Reaction Thread for 8/19
LiveWire Thread for 8/19 - Twitter, Video, Articles
SamAtlanta has Passed Away
Daniel Jones starter for the Colts
Browns-centric fantasy league - join now!
VIDEOS ** Joe Flacco Named Browns Starting QB - The OBR Check In - (youtube.com)
Joe and Pete Talk Browns! - (youtube.com)
Browns 3D- Denzel Ward injured at practice, Flacco the starter, more news from practice - (youtube.com)
THE LIFT
Positive news from the world of sports and beyond...
People Globally Are Living Better Lives, More Hopeful About the Future: We Know Because They Said So - (goodnewsnetwork.org)
I lived through the 1980s. I grew from being a starry-eyed college student in his first year to being an experienced professional, husband, and father in that decade. I have fond memories of it, and many look back on it as being a happier time, albeit one with big hair and a lot of drum machines.
But during that time, we had our struggles. The spectre of the Cold War and possible nuclear annihilation hung over our heads; people were concerned that video games would flatten the minds of our youth, and so forth. It wasn't so different from today, when people worry about things like climate change and people who seem to live on their phones.
What I'm saying is that during the intervening forty years, some things have gotten demonstrably better. Medicine has continued to make great strides; we all carry powerful computers in our pockets, broadened our reach into space, and more. So, it's not surprising to me that people around the Earth are thinking hopefully about the future.
Yes, we have troublesome problems we must solve. However, life continues to improve, and I believe that trend will persist. It's a great time to be alive.
WRAPPING UP
When not mindlessly playing solitaire on his pocket supercomputer, 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.
CONTACT Barry to sponsor the OBR. We have plans for nearly any budget!
OBR Across the Internet
OBR on BlueSky
OBR on Twitter
OBR on Threads
OBR on LinkedIN
OBR on Youtube
OBR on Twitch
Handy Links:
Sign up for our newsletter
Sign up for breaking news text alerts
OBR Unpublished RSS Feed
If you have made it this far, you must subscribe to the OBR. Them's the rules.