CLEVELAND, Ohio (TheOBR.com) Good morning, Cleveland Browns fans!
Well, after several days of healing, I’m finally back to normal and getting psyched up for the start of the Browns’ regular season. The NFL season finally kicked off last night with the Eagles doing Eagle things and the Cowboys doing Cowboys things. In response, I went out and bought a spittoon.. Tonight’s Chiefs-Chargers game should be fun as well. A great weekend of football is lined up. Let’s dig into the usual weirdness around the league and with our beloved Cleveland Browns.
MYLES GARRETT’S HIP INJURY
The Browns haven’t unleashed Myles Garrett during the pre-season, beyond tormenting the Panthers and Eagles in team scrimmages, but all of that was supposed to change this Sunday. Then, we got word that Myles missed practice on Thursday with a “hip injury”. This caused a bit of consternation among fans (and rightly so), and the usual number of clickbait reports on the dire threat. Still, our sources are indicating that he’s expected to play, and that’s been echoed elsewhere as well.
If there’s one function this Massive Morning Missive can serve, it’s to provide confidence that Myles is likely to play, which means that the Joe Burrow torture can continue unabated. This is a relief to everyone, except, of course, Joe Burrow, who probably doesn’t read this column.
MUTED ENTHUSIASM ABOUT SEASON OPENER?
It may shock you that Burrow doesn’t read this column, because this column is so darn awesome. I suspect it’s because I don’t write about the Bengals very much. After all, they bore me. They’ve got a little-brother-syndrome thing going on down there. So needy, and so desperate to be our main rival. It’s sad.
This lack of actual hate can be found in the fact that Ja’Marr Chase jokes about the Dawgpound. It’s not a serious rivalry.
So, considering their pathetic nature, I don’t write about them because I am a benevolent webdork. Sure, they stunk at the right time and got Joe Burrow, but that’s about it in the realm of Bengals’ relevancy in the last decade.
Some folks on our Watercooler forum are admitting that they’re not as hyped about this opener as they have been in recent years. Part of the reason for this is, of course, the Bengals. Part of it, of course, is that Browns fans have been trained that the start of the season is when games start and the bad things happen. Our off-season willingness to get enthusiastic is often slapped down by the fact that other teams have been better most of the time since 1999.
But every season is a reboot. No one knows what’s going to happen, which is one of the keys to the NFL’s success, and there are stunning surprises every year. We have a head coach who has been named Coach of the Year twice because the Browns greatly exceeded expectations, which are minimal again this year. I expect the excitement of the season opener will sneak up on folks, and that most Browns fans will be ready by 1PM on Sunday.
THE BROWNS? UNSTABLE?
An item that surprised me as I was surveying today’s feeds is that the Browns were listed as one of the most “unstable” franchises in the NFL. This struck me as weird, as if the agents who were surveyed for the article had confused “stability” with “winning”. Sure, the Browns have not done much on the field for the past few years beyond that stunning 2023 run, but they’ve at least been stable. Jimmy Haslam has stuck with Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski even through the Deshaun Watson debacle, and shows no sign of interfering of late.
In the churning waters of NFL team leadership, the Browns have been relatively calm and have stuck to a consistent approach at the top of the organization. I’m not sure where Berry and Stefanski stand in terms of longevity in their positions in the NFL, but they’re steadily moving up.
Just like yearly power rankings and other indicators of league respect, until the Browns win consistently, they’re not going to be lathered with positive adjectives. A couple of winning seasons, and this franchise looks stable as heck.
Have a good one! GO BROWNS!
OBR STUFFBROWNS VIDEOS
Browns 3D-Browns Injury Report and why the Browns should BEAT the Bengals – (youtube.com)
Two-Minute Check-In: Browns Practice, 9/4/2025 – (youtube.com)
ARTICLES
Cleveland Browns Prepping for Cincinnati Bengals: What We’ve Been Told (Lane and Petet
Cleveland Browns Film Room: Harold Fannin Jr. Vs. Texas A&M (Sam)
Cleveland Browns News and Rumors 9/4: Bengals Nearing, NFL Squeezing, and Writers Ranking (Barry)
FORUM POSTS
Question for lane- feel of the team coming into 2025?
What is the real reason with Judkins?
Freds Two-Minute Check-In for 9425
LiveWire Thread for 94 – Twitter, Video, Articles
THE LIFT
Positive news from the world of sports and beyond…
Young Woman Accidentally Booked an Airbnb that Turned Out to Be Her Father’s Childhood Home in Italy – (goodnewsnetwork.org)
‘The turtles and the nudists will have to migrate’: SpaceX plan for Starship launches from Florida sparks… – (space.com)
Here’s Why Binge-Watching Is Good for You – (nautil.us)
These Early Humans Walked 8 Miles for the Perfect Rock – (nautil.us)
It’s a veritable plethora of Lift links this morning, although the note about turtles and nudists is somewhat disturbing. Briefly rummaged through my vinyl collection to see if a band with this name was in there. Based on experience, both groups are somewhat constrained by inertia and difficult to dislodge from their habitats. Turtles are notoriously slow-moving, and nudists can’t even get the energy to put some damn clothes on. Contrast them with early humans (also possibly nude) who walked eight miles for a rock. Now there’s some initiative. Why can’t kids these days walk miles for a rock? Too busy on their phones, I guess. Bah. (Dismissive old man hand wave).
WRAPPING UP
When not holding the local rocks in low regard, 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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