THE DAILY BLOVIATION
Good morning, Cleveland Browns fans!
I’m excited and happy this morning because we’re finally getting into football season. Lane Adkins is back in Ask the Insiders, and we’ve got more exciting things happening that we’ll announce soon. Football season is finally rustling to life.
I don’t think I’m revealing too much when I say that this was a rough off-season for Webdorks. The team didn’t do all that much from a transactional standpoint, stood pat for the most part, and had a lack of big stories. I’ve been anxiously awaiting the start of the season for fans to return, conversations to ignite, and interest to perk back up. That all showed signs of happening as the team gathered in Berea yesterday.
I’ve been trying to balance “life” and “OBR” (I won’t call it “work”) over the last few weeks because I know things are going to get crazy for the next nine months. I’m psyched. I’m revved up.
Everyone has a lot riding on the 2024 Cleveland Browns season, from Andrew Berry on down through the coaching staff to the roster starting with Deshaun Watson and finally ending up at the bottom of the food chain with webdorks trying take their sites up a level in a competitive market. We’re going with a new slate of writers this season led by Pete Smith – the best lead editor I’ve ever had – and a new schedule of video shows we’ll introduce over the next few weeks. While your favorites like The React, OBR Weekly, and All Eyez on Cleveland will remain, we’re adding new ones to the mix, along with new podcasts and presences on more social media networks.
There’s a lot of time and effort awaiting the OBR team as 2024 kicks off, and we can’t wait. This is going to be a fun season on and off the field.
Today’s Newswire doesn’t hold many surprises. There’s the usual Deshaun Watson skepticism from national pundits, training camp previews and similar stories, and everything you would expect as the local and national media get you ready for training camp to begin.
5: MORE WATSON SKEPTICISM
2024 NFL Future Power Rankings: Projections for all 32 teams – ESPN – (espn.com, paywalled)
I don’t like pointing our readers to paywalled articles in this section, but ESPN’s gate is so omnipresent and tied into things like Hulu and Disney+ that I make exceptions at times. You should probably know that they gave the Browns an “okay” three-year prognosis in their “future power rankings”, which was held back almost entirely by the quarterback position, as you would expect from them. Coaching and Front Office were given top ten scores, and the roster (minus QB) was considered 12th best in the NFL, suggesting a top ten ranking. But they ranked Watson and the QB position 26th best in the NFL, pushing the Browns out of the top ten, below the Bengals and Ravens.
If Watson shows up this year, chickens will need to work overtime to provide all the egg that will be on the faces of the national media. And I’ll be here for it.
4: WATCHING FOR THE AX ALREADY
1 Cut Candidate for Every AFC North Team: David Bell, Jackson Carman on the Outside Looking In – (profootballnetwork.com)
Pro Football Network takes the easy path when looking for a “cut candidate” for the Browns, focusing on the wide receiver position. There’s an obvious log jam there, with David Bell looking like the odd man out. A bigger challenge, and a more interesting situation in my eyes, would be to look at defensive tackle, where there’s a similar log jam and players with potential and talent like Siaka Ika and Maurice Hurst have to prove themselves this pre-season. But pre-season injuries will be the unexpected dynamic that will most likely make predictions like this irrelevant very quickly.
3: JOHN HARBAUGH FIBBING?!? THAT’S UNPOSSIBLE!
Stephen A. Smith accuses John Harbaugh of lying about Lamar Jackson – (awfulannouncing.com)
I admit to reading Awful Announcing every day, because it’s about the business of sports and often overlaps into my world. If I had a complaint about the site, it’s that it leans very heavily on the Stephan A. Smith and Skip Bayless world of attention-whoring hot take artists for stories, and I generally don’t care what those guys have to say or their latest artificial drama.
Here, the Ravens get involved, because Ravens head coach John Harbaugh transparently tried to fire up Lamar Jackson by making mild criticisms of him (he hasn’t won a Super Bowl) into personal attacks. Smith calls him out on it, and everyone gets too carried away.
Total non-story, but it was either this or Demetric Felton trying out for the Patriots to round out my listing to five topics. I went with this. Sue me.
2: 53-MAN ROSTER PROJECTIONS
Cleveland Browns roster projections 2024: 53-man depth chart prediction for training camp – (beaconjournal.com)
2024 Cleveland Browns 53-man roster projection – ESPN – (espn.com)
Another pre-training camp staple, the 53-man roster projection, is a lot easier this year, with a small number of positions actually in dispute. One can start with the Browns contracts with large guarantees, put those down, and go from there. There are only a few positions on the 53 that are really up for grabs (last WR, last DT, maybe at safety, etc), so this article almost writes itself.
1: YOUR DREADED CAMP PREVIEWS
Cleveland Browns preseason schedule: Everything to know from The Greenbrier to roster cuts – (beaconjournal.com)
2024 Cleveland Browns training camp preview – ESPN – (espn.com)
2024 NFL training camp previews, projections for all 32 teams – ESPN – (espn.com)
Top Position Battles To Watch in NFL Training Camp in the AFC North: Can Russell Wilson Hold Off Justin Fields? – (profootballnetwork.com)
Predicting Browns’ Top NFL Training Camp Breakout Players – (bleacherreport.com)
Training Camp Preview: Five (and a bonus) players to watch – BrownsZone with Scott Petrak – (brownszone.com)
Here, have a camp preview or four. We’ve got some ourselves coming out today. These are largely overviews of the Browns camp schedules, training camp battles, stories to watch, etc. Most of this has been covered this off-season thoroughly, but if you’re coming back to the Browns after focusing on other things during the slow months, they represent a good starting point for getting back into the flow.
Have a good one! GO BROWNS!
THE LIFT
Positive news from the world of sports and beyond…
Chimpanzees communicate in similar quick-fire fashion to humans, study shows – (theguardian.com)
I avoid mentioning my personal take on “third-rail” issues like religion or politics on the OBR so we can focus on football, and I ask folks on our forums to do the same. The Lift, however, gives me an excuse to go into areas outside of football to things that I consider positive or somehow inspiring of wonder.
One thing that inspires wonder in me is what we’re learning about nature nearly every day and the sophistication of other living creatures; here, there are similarities between how chimps and humans communicate. We have a kinship with these critters. As much as we are separate from animals, we’re also plugged into the fabric of an amazing world in many ways.
OBR VIDEO
Tonight: The React at 7PM on YouTube and Twitch.
Over 400 Browns fans have subscribed to the new OBR Youtube Channel in the last few weeks. Join the fast-growing channel to be alerted to new shows and videos as we expand our coverage with new personalities and shows this coming season!
From CBS: AFC North Best Bets: Top QB Prop
OBR ARTICLES FROM YESTERDAY
Cleveland Browns 2024 Cornerback Room Practice Squad Prediction – (Jack)
AFC North Rankings Edge Defenders – (Pete)
Cleveland Browns News and Rumors 7/22: The Week We’ve Been Waiting For – (Barry)
FROM THE FORUMS
Follow Up On Ayiuk Demanding Trade
Remember SoboDawg? His crew predicts mediocrity for the Browns
OT: Installation of Google Doorbell Camera
LiveWire Thread for 7/22 – Twitter, Articles, Videos,OPEN THREAD
WRAPPING UP
When not chattering rapidly and eating bananas, 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!
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