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With the announcement of the resigning of Donovan Mitchell by the Cavaliers, it got me thinking about how it’s a great time to be a fan of Cleveland sports. All three professional sports team are trending in the right direction. The best move the Cavs made was hiring Kenny Atkinson as their head coach. He’s an offensive minded coach who knows how to get the best out NBA big men. As for Mitchell, in an Instagram post he said, “All year I’ve been saying the same sh*t. I say how much I like it but everyday it’s like, Oh he gonna do this, he gonna do that. I’m glad I got this shit done man. I’m glad I got this shit done in Cleveland. Now we can focus—let’s get to it.” Sounds like someone is ready to go.

As for the Guardians, it started with their best player Jose Ramirez signing a “hometown” discount to stay with the team. The hiring of manager Stephen Vogt set the tone for this year. Two years ago, he was a player and last year he was a bullpen coach. He knows bench players don’t like to sit around and wait to play, so he makes sure players play and which keeps them sharp. Because he was a bullpen coach, he knows how to use a bullpen. The Guardians have one of the best bullpens in Major League Baseball.

Over in Berea, the Browns have one of their most talented rosters. Their two best players, Nick Chubb and Myles Garrett, embody how important it is to win for the fans of Cleveland. Garrett won his Defensive Player of the Year last year and it well deserved. This year his focus is to get to the Super Bowl. Nick Chubb is defying the odds and trying to give the front office and medical staff a tough decision week one. He took a $9.9 million pay cut with incentives to play for the Browns in 2024 and told the local media he loves Cleveland. The front office resigned players who wanted to be with the Browns. Za’Darius Smith, Shelby Harris, Murice Hurst and Rodney McLeod. While fans were upset the team didn’t resign Joe Flacco, I’m very happy they signed Jamies Winston. Flacco was asked how he could help Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson to be a better player, and he said he wasn’t there to teach but to be ready to start. While Winston said he came to the Browns to help Deshaun Watson be the best player he can.

National media will always dump on Cleveland and some fans have been programed to think the worst. I tell people I’m not an optimist nor a pessimist. I’m a realist. I believe what I see, the good and the bad and right now things are looking good in Cleveland. Stay safe and Go Browns.

I don’t wager on games, nor do I take part in fantasy football. Never had the desire. I am interested to see what the betting professionals think prior to training camp. Frist some NFL salary cap housekeeping. According to https://overthecap.com/salary-cap/cleveland-browns the Browns have $13.7 million in cap space. I’m still of the belief that the Browns won’t restructure quarterback Deshaun Watson’s contract this year. They can get by without doing it until next year. As for wide receiver Amari Cooper, I still think they’ll get a deal done before training camp. They’ve already agreed on the money for a two-year deal, however the guaranteed money for next year is still the sticking point. He’s 30 years old and the team needs to be careful not to get stuck with an aging player in his second year. Hopefully the deal will be similar to the deal Mike Evans received from Tampa. His cap number for 2024 is $5.6 million and for 2025 it’s $22.3 million.

According to https://www.espn.com/espn/betting/story/_/id/39706974/2024-nfl-betting-futures-super-bowl-59-afc-nfc-championship-odds the Browns Super Bowl odds are 35-1. On this list they would be ninth in the AFC. ESPN has the Dolphins (20-1), the Jets (25-1) and the Chargers (30-1) as six through eight. Sorry I’m not buying any of these teams. The Browns play both the Dolphins and the Chargers, so they could take care of those two in a tie breaker. As for the Jets, no fricking way they should be ahead of the Browns. Ahead of those teams are the Texans (18-), the Bengals (14-1), the Bills (13-1), the Ravens (+900) and the Chiefs (+650). Of these teams, after an entire off-season, let’s see how NFL defensive coordinators handle C.J. Stroud. The Bengals have to hope Joe Burrow is healthy, after all he suffered an injury that no other quarterback has ever suffered. I can’t put my finger on it, but that sound familiar. I’m not buying the Bills; their playoff window seems to be closing fast. As for Baltimore and Kansas City, the Browns play both. It’ll work itself out.

Early week one lines: Ravens @ Chiefs -3, Packers @ Eagles -2.5, Steelers @ Falcons -3, Cardinals @ Bills -7, Titans @ Bears -4.5, Patriots @ Bengals -8.5, Texans -1.5 @ Colts, Jaguars @ Dolphins -3.5, Panthers @ Saints -4.5, Vikings @ Giants -0.5, Raiders @ Chargers -3.5, Broncos @ Seahawks -4.5, Commanders @ Buccaneers -4, Cowboys @ Browns -1, Rams @ Lions -3.5 and Jets @ 49ers -5.5.

Finally it was announced today the dates training camp is open to the public in Berea. Sunday August 4, Tuesday August 6, Thursday August 8, Monday August 12, Tuesday August 20 and Wednesday August 21. These dates do not include practices in West Virginia or the scrimmages against the Vikings. Plan accordingly. If you’ve never been to training camp, go if you can, it’s great. Stay safe and Go Browns.

The Browns and their fans now head into the quiet period, six weeks before training camp starts in July. The main question for the team, will they get a new deal done with wide receiver Amari Cooper. The Browns and Cooper’s agents are talking, so I’m inclined to think they’ll get it done. If I had to wager a guess, it could be either a three-year deal or a two-year deal. If it’s a three-year contract, the Browns would most certainly reduce his 2024 cap number from $23.8 million (according to https://overthecap.com/salary-cap/cleveland-browns) to around $13.8 million. With incentives and cash, Cooper could increase his 2024 salary to $23 million. That’s still a great deal for a number one WR considering the current market. If it’s a two-year contract, then look at the deal Mike Evans received from Tampa, somewhere in the neighborhood of $20.5 million per year.

Watching the videos from minicamp on social media, I’m even more convinced the Browns will have six defensive ends on the final 53-man roster. I wrote an article about it about a month ago. Here’s a link, https://www.fansfirstsports.com/the-fanatical-elfz-network/browns-way-too-early-53-man-roster-post-draft-browns/. My six are Dalvin Tomlinson, Quinton Jefferson, Shelby Harris, Maurice Hurst, Siaki Ika, and Michael Hall. The team can place Jovon Briggs to the practice squad where I think the seven round pick would be safe from other teams. Add to this, defensive ends Za’Darius Smith and Alex Wright can play inside, and Jefferson and Hall can play outside. Some have predicted Ika would be cut, I’m not going to believe that until I see it. It’s way too early to give up on him. Besides, the Browns need a run-stopper to rotate in on early downs and he was a Jim Schwartz draft pick. All in all, I’m predicting the Browns will have eleven defensive linemen on their final 53-man roster.

If you’re wondering about the new kickoff format the league has implemented, here’s a link to an article I wrote explaining the new rules, https://www.fansfirstsports.com/nfl/get-ready-for-the-new-nfl-kicking-format-browns/. There’s a lot of stats in the article, but there’s one I missed, courteous of Baltimore kicker Justin Tucker. This new format was taken from the XFL and in 2023 XFL kickers were involved in 25% of the tackles on kickoff returns. Browns kicker Dustin Hopkins had one tackle on a return last year, one. Then he got hurt in the regular season game in Houston and was out for the season. No thanks. As I point out in the article, the Chiefs are experimenting with using a safety (Justin Reid) for kickoffs. If memory serves, safety D’Anthony Bell was pressed into service to kick off during the Houston game. Dust off those kicking shoes Mr. Bell. Stay safe and Go Browns.

Starting tomorrow, the last of the off-season programs begins, mandatory minicamp. After Thursday, the team won’t convene again until they head to West Virginia. I expect there to be 100% participation, but if someone is missing, we’ll find out Tuesday. They more than likely would be excused. I expect there will be holdouts at two of the other AFC North teams, Cincinnati and Pittsburg. In Cincinnati, both Trey Hendrickson and Tee Higgins will likely not be there and in Pittsburg Cam Heyward might be missing. All are seeking new contracts. It’s a good time to be a Browns fan.

I’m going to pay close attention to the videos of all three phases of the game, offense, defense and special teams. On offense I want to see if there’s more pre snap movement, how the quarterbacks, especially Deshaun Watson, are throwing to new WR Jerry Jeudy and how the tight ends and running backs are lining up. On defense, I’m curious to see where the defensive linemen line up and who’s running with the starters. I also want to see which linebackers run with the starters and how Devin Bush will be used. With special teams, because of the new kickoff rules, I want to see if the team will be using a designated kicker for kickoffs. In Kansas City, the Chiefs are using a safety to make kickoffs. Might not be a bad idea for the Browns to do the same. No one wants to see Dustin Hopkins get hurt again. The last videos I saw last week of kickoff practice, there were defensive ends, Isaiah McGuire and Alex Wright being used.

As for the coaches, I’m really interested in seeing where consultant Mike Vrabel helps out. So far, he’s been with the linebackers and special teams. We’ll get some idea how new offensive line coaches Andy Dickerson and Roy Istvan plan on using one the strengths of this team. Dickerson came highly recommended by previous offensive line coach Bill Callahan and Istvan has other 30 years of coaching experience. He was last with the Eagles who basically run the same offensive line calls as the Browns. I hope new running backs coach Duce Staley or new defensive line coach Jacques Cesarie are wearing microphones. Friery is an understatement.

All in all, I hope for no injuries and a quiet period between Thursday and the start of training camp. We’re 90 days away from week one. Stay safe and Go Browns.

The general consensus among Browns fans, Cleveland’s defense was the best in the league in 2023. In some categories, it was. Those who disagree with this ranking will point out the loss to the Texans in the playoff game as an example that it wasn’t. There are a few notable exceptions to this thinking. Yes, the defense was burned in the first half, but the starting safeties for the Browns were D’Anthony Bell and Ronnie Hickman. Even though the Browns couldn’t stop the Texans, at halftime it was still a ten-point game. Houston got the ball first in the second half and the defense held. The Browns were driving with their first second half possession and then QB Joe Flacco started to throw pick sixes. Two in fifteen seconds. Game over.

During OTA’s, defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz took full responsibility for the wildcard game, saying they made serious mistakes. However, they adjusted at halftime and if not for the offensive mistakes that followed, you never know what could have happened. So, were they really that good? In some ways they were. The Browns defense was top five in forcing the other team to punt and number one in three-and-outs by the opposing team. They rarely let the opposing team into the red zone. Schwartz wants to build on these defensive traits and used a baseball analogy. A great pitcher can have a fantastic fastball, but he’ll need an out-pitch, i.e. curveball, slider or changeup to be a truly great pitcher. The out-pitch Schwartz is referring to is getting better at other areas.

The Browns were the worst redzone defense in the NFL. They allowed a staggering 71% scoring rate when the opponent got inside the twenty. They also were bottom five against the run. The most notable discrepancy is how the defense performed at home versus on the road. They allowed fourteen points at home and 29 points on the road. A lot of those road points allowed were because the Browns quarterbacks kept throwing touchdown passes to the other team. But still, their road performances were lacking to say the least. How do they fix this?

First of all, bringing back veteran players will help. They learned the system for the first-time last year and now have a better understanding of Schwartz’s plan. The defensive line as it’s currently constructed, has versability. Za’Darius Smith, Quinton Jefferson, Alex Wright and Michael Hall can all play both defensive end and defensive tackle. Both Jefferson and Hall have high pass rush win rates for tackles. Also, the linebackers have gotten faster with the additions of Jordan Hicks and Devin Bush. Hicks played for Schwartz in Philidelphia, so he already knows the defense. Because the defense has three very good press-coverage corners (Denzel Ward, Martin Emerson & Greg Newsome) Schwartz may mix in more zone coverages to confuse the opposing offense. The key again this year will be how well the safeties play. Schwartz loves to play three safeties and Juan Thornhill, Grant Delpit and Rodney McLeod will have to stay healthy. If the Browns are smart, and they are, I would have Adrian Phillips, Tashaun Gipson, Keanu Neal and Adrian Amos on speed dial. I’m looking forward to 2024 to see if the defense truly improves. Saty safe and GO Browns.

Stage two of phase three of OTA’s is currently happening. Good to see WR Elijah Moore joining in this week. It’s not mandatory, but I’m glad to see him there. Tomorrow, Thursday, the local media will be in Berea and it’s also a scheduled day for QB Deshaun Watson to throw. Excellent. Now the media can give the fans their expert QB coach/medical opinion of Watson’s throwing motion. Can’t wait and by that, I mean I just can’t. I do like watching the videos on social media, only because it gets me in the mood for the season to start. In between now and training camp, I’ll occupy my time watching games from last year to refresh my memory of certain games and certain players. It really helps with future articles and podcasts.

Just finished watching the new episode of “Unleashed” on YouTube. This week’s episode features DT Michael Hall. He’s an extremely quick and powerful player. As I said in all my mock drafts, I wanted an offensive tackle with the Browns first pick in the second round, but if Michael Hall was available with that pick, the Browns have to pick him. He’s that kind of player. Other impressions for the show, the team really goes all out when they welcome a new player. Nice to see. New defensive line coach Jacques Cesaire is going to have a big influence on these players. This defensive line is already great, but he’s going to take them up a notch. Very vocal and very focused. One other thing I noticed, DT Siaki Ika is thinner and looks in better shape than last year. Good to see. Every episode of “Unleashed” I’ve seen has been great to watch.

Salary cap update. Once or twice a week I check https://overthecap.com/ to see where the Browns stand. I know, I’m a salary cap geek. This week I noticed their cap space went up to $13,988,033.00. Then I heard, they have Nick Chubbs new contract information. Prior to the new contract, Chubb was due in 2024 $12.2 million unguaranteed. Looking at the website, Chubb has taken a pay cut of $9.9 million. His guaranteed salary is $1,125,000.00 and his cap number is $6,275,000.00. There’s a roster bonus of $225,000.00, which is probably for his first game played. He received $2,275,000.00 of upfront cash and has bonus incentives of $2.05 million. I can’t wait to see the incentive breakdown, because that’ll tell me how confident the Browns are in his rehab. Easy incentives mean great confidence. All I know, Chubb and his representatives took a pay cut for him to stay with the Browns. As I’ve said previously, he’s more valuable to the Browns than any other team and he’ll get more money form the Browns than any other team. Stay safe and Go Browns.

The Browns schedule was finally released. Way to bring the drama NFL. I’ve discussed it on three podcasts and in one article, so let’s talk about it again, briefly. Bottom line, if the Browns can stay healthy at key positions and you know what position I’m talking about, the early schedule is very encouraging. The bye week is in a great spot, week ten and the final eight games will determine the fate of the 2024 Browns. Four primetime games, two Thursday night games a Monday night game and a Suday night game. So two short weeks and two mini byes. Four games against AFC North opponents, three home games and five road games. Yep, the league wants the Browns to sink or swim the last eight games.

This week phase three of the team’s OTA’s start on Tuesday May 21 and run through Thursday May 23. What’s so important about this? Every beat reporter for the Browns will have their camera phones pointed at quarterback Deshaun Watson when he throws the ball. In phase three, teams can’t hit but they can line up in 7-on-7, 9-on-9, and 11-on-11. I know it’s just practice and not even real practice, but it’s nice to see the players on a field working. Phase three continues Tuesday May 28 through Thursday May 30 and Tuesday June 11 through Thursday June 13.

Finally, according to https://overthecap.com/salary-cap/cleveland-browns the Browns have about $13.4 million in cap space and 90 players on their roster. Because of the injuries to Deshaun Watson and Dorian Thompson-Robinson, the team is carrying five quarterbacks. If DTR shows up healthy, then rookie camp QB Jacob Sirmon will be cut and another player will be added, probably an offensive tackle. Why an OT? After signing tackle Kellen Diesch, he was cut because of a failed physical. After last year, the Browns will always be looking for extra offensive tackles to put on the practice squad. Stay safe and Go Browns.

All the NFL teams know their schedules, so it’s schedule leak day. The league has already started announcing certain games. Here’s what we know. The Browns will open their season at home against the Cowboy’s in a Sunday afternoon game. Besides the two teams as an attraction, it will by the booth debut of Tom Brady. Yep, it’s going to be the national game that afternoon. As for the other games we know involving AFC North teams, the Ravens will open the season at the Chiefs and the Chiefs will be hosting the Bengals in week two. There’s a rumor the Steelers will start on the road at the Falcons week one.

Tomorrow morning on the NFL Network, the international games will be announced. I’m still of the belief the Browns will play the Jaguars in London on October 20. That would be week seven. A week eight bye would be perfect for the Browns. As for the rest of Cleveland’s schedule, week two will be on the road because of the Billy Joel/Rod Stewart concert at the stadium on September 13. I can’t see them getting the field ready in time. It’ll probably be a divisional game. Since the Bengals have their week two opponent, it’ll probably either be the Steelers of the Ravens. The Browns played the Steelers week two last year, so my money’s on the Ravens.

Cleveland has two west coast trips this year, Raiders and Broncos. Hopefully the league will break them up and not have the Browns play back-to-back games. I can’t imagine the league doing that again. If Nick Chubb starts the season on the PUP list like everyone thinks, he would miss the first four games of the season. He could be back for week six. The Browns will get a Thursday night game and probably a Monday night game. Please no Christmas day game. As for the week eighteen game, the league loves ending the season with divisional opponents. I’m thinking the Steelers. Hopefully the Browns will have wrapped up the AFC North and the Steelers will be playing for pride. Enjoy the schedule show Wednesday night and join us on http://@ElfzNetwork. Stay safe and Go Browns.

When you’re in the podcast business, you try to time your shows so they’re correct and prior to breaking news. Covering the NFL makes this almost impossible. Monday, I recorded a show discussing the air date (Thursday May 9) and the process involved in creating the NFL schedule. And then I find out last night the NFL schedule show will be Wednesday May 15. Thanks for news NFL. Usually, the league announces the schedule the Thursday after Mother’s Day, and yes, it’s pathetic I know this fact. That’s why everyone covering the NFL was sure it would be May 9. So why the delay? It seems the league is having trouble scheduling their Christmas Day games. Christmas happens to be on a Wednesday this year and to play on a Wednesday, the league would have to schedule the teams the prior week to play on Thursday or coming off a late bye week. I believe the NFL is going to have two games on Christmas, so this involves four teams. Good luck with that and knowing the league one of those teams will be the Browns.

The schedule process will be the same as any other year. Monday May 13, it’ll be finalized at the league offices. Tuesday May 14 will be when schedule leaks will start. You can follow me at http://@ctownthug, I’ll be reposting any Browns scheduling news. Here are the Browns opponents for 2024. Home: Ravens, Bengals, Steelers, Chargers, Chiefs, Cowboys, Giants and Dolphins. Road. Ravens, Bengals, Steelers, Broncos, Commanders, Eagles, Jaguars, Raiders and Saints. There’s been early speculation the Browns will play the Jaguars in London at Wembly Stadium on October 20. Then I hear the Browns won’t play overseas. It would make sense for the first statement to be true, because the Browns haven’t played overseas since 2017 against the Vikings. They were scheduled to play in 2020, but covid put an end to that. So they’re due and this might put an end speculation of the Browns playing on Christmas Day.

Besides the opener and the AFC North games, the most anticipated part of the schedule is the bye week. Thanks to “NFL Schedule Update” http://@NerdingonNFL, for the following bye week and strength of schedule post draft statistics. The average bye week for the AFC North teams the last ten years: Bengals week 8, Steelers week 8, Browns week 9 and Ravens week 9. The last five years: Steelers week 6, Browns week 8, Bengals week 9 and Ravens week 9. The strength of schedule post draft according to “DraftKings” easiest to hardest with 2023 opponent’s win percentage: Bengals 5th (.479), Ravens 27th (.517), Browns 30th (.528) and Steelers 32nd (.535). Home schedule: Bengals 3rd (.456), Ravens tied for 14th (.493), Browns and Steelers tied for 32nd (.566). Road schedule: Browns tied for 10th (.493), Bengals tied for 13th (.500), Steelers tied for 16th (.507) and Ravens 32nd (.539). As I’ve said in the past, right now strength of schedule is useless, but will become clearer Wednesday. Stay safe and Go Browns.

Now that the NFL draft is over, let’s take a look at what they did. First remember when reading draft grades, which I don’t, the Browns draft strategy was to draft depth and future contributors. Of the six picks, I project four will make the 53-man roster. Michael Hall, Zak Zinter, Jamari Thrash and Nathaniel Watson. Myles Harden and Jowon Biggs can make the practice squad. Hall is actually the type of player DC Jim Schwartz wants, an interior pass rusher. He’s not excellent against the run, but he can hold his own. There is speculation for Hall to make the roster, Siaki Ika would be cut to make room. They aren’t the same player. Ika is a run stopper. The player that would be cut would be Maurice Hurst. Hall is younger and Hurst is always an injury risk. Bring everyone to training camp and let them fight it out.

Zak Zinter could be the Browns fourth guard, if they keep four. I think they will and keep two tight ends. More on that later. Jamari Thrash will probably push James Proche off the roster, unless Andrew Berry can trade him prior to the season started. It wouldn’t surprise me. As for Nathaniel Watson, he’s your substitute for Takitaki, but better. The roster players in jeopardy here are Tony Fields or Mohamoud Diabate. If Watson can play special teams at a high level, he’s making the team. Like I said, Harden & Biggs are practice squad players.

Looking at the undrafted free agents, G Javion Cohen, RB Aiden Robbins, CB Dyshawn Gales, TE Treyton Welch and C/OT Jalen Sundell are good players to place on the practice squad and develop. The others are camp bodies.

This draft and the previous moves made earlier this year, give you a hint on what the Browns are thinking on offense. Thrash and Jerry Jeudy are excellent at yards after the catch (YAC). The Browns were 26th in YAC in 2023. This means getting the ball out of Deshaun Watson’s hand quickly with short to intermediate passing. Thus, the Browns will probably only keep two tight ends. They might sign another veteran tight end for training camp to compete with Jordan Akins.

On defense, it looks like Jim Schwartz wants to more pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Drafting Hall, signing Quinton Jefferson, and resigning Shelby Harris, Mo Hurst and Za’Darius Smith points to that conclusion. Hopefully they can find a way to keep Hurst on the roster. To help with pressure, the Browns picked up Greg Newsome’s fifth-year option. Pressure requires corners who can play press coverage. Ward, Emerson and Newsome are three of the best.

Other things I can conclude from the draft. No running back selected tells me the team is satisfied with Nick Chubb’s rehab. No tight end drafted tells me about the change in the offense. No left tackle drafted tells me they’ll either resign Wills or draft a tackle next year with their first pick. Next year is another good year for tackles. No safety drafted tells me they are satisfied with D’Anthony Bell and Ronnie Hickman.

Other news and notes. As I write this the Browns signed veteran center Brian Allen. He’s a six-year veteran who last played for the Rams where he started 32 games in four seasons. In 2021 he started sixteen games. This brings the Browns roster to 90 players. It appears the schedule will be released on May 9 and the rookie training camp is May 10-12. Stay safe and Go Browns.