CLEVELAND, Ohio (TheOBR.com) ood morning, Cleveland Browns fans!
A little bit of This n’ That as we cruise through the week, hurtling headlong into the Browns’ battle against the Detroit Lions on Sunday.
RIDING THE WAVES
I believe that this upcoming game against the Detroit Lions will reveal much about the Browns’ prospects in 2025. Look at it this way: they’ve had one fluky loss against the Bengals due to kicking issues, one fluky win against the Packers as they won the last four minutes of the game but lost the rest, and one bad loss against the Ravens due to offensive ineffectiveness. Their defense has been superb in all three games, except for being exploited by the cornerback depth in Baltimore.
With all that contradicting information, it’s tough to see how well the Browns match up against opponents and how much the team’s stumbling offense will get its act together.
As fans, we ride the emotional waves with each game. Frustration after the Bengals, a bit of despair and anger after the loss to the theft-celebrating Ratbirds, and exuberance after a win. Even the objective media ride these waves, seeing gloom after wins and hopefulness after victories. It’s only when you get enough data points on the curve that you can see the real trends, and an important data point is coming on Sunday.
We need to see continued improvements from the team’s offense to have hope for the future of this season, which will be tough given the situation at tackle. But the game will tell a lot. I’m anxiously awaiting one of the young receivers to break out and for Quinshon Judkins to get even more carries. The offense’s progress will dictate what sort of wave we’re riding this time next week.
MENTOR NATIVE CONTINUES THE DREAM
As expected, the Browns have re-signed WR Luke Floriea to the practice squad, continuing the Mentor native’s dream of playing for his hometown Browns. It’s a great story, thanks to Floreia’s background and, to some degree, his being undersized for the NFL game. It’s a great underdog story. K.J. Henry got the bad news that he was going to be released from the practice squad.
Floreia, who played college ball at Kent State, was derailed somewhat by a hamstring injury and was re-added once he got through that. He hurt himself on a very memorable play in the pre-season, making a one-handed catch on a ball against the Panthers. That, and showing out in training camp, captured the imagination of Browns fans, who cheered on the hometown product.
As a native of Mentor myself, I expect to receive many questions from people I encounter who know what I do for a living about how Floreia is doing. There’s a lot of interest here, particularly, and it’s a great story. The NFL, however, is brutal and unforgiving, and Floriea still has a lot to prove before his dream can come true.
THE NFL LOOKS FOR YET MORE MONEY
Because of the OBR’s birth as part of the fan movement that sprang up following Art Modell’s decision (and the NFL’s approval) to steal the team away to Baltimore, I have to admit that I’ve always looked askance at the NFL’s use and abuse of its de facto monopoly over professional football. The NFL is a cash extraction machine, growing ever richer as it leverages its position and drives the value of individual franchises to unprecedented levels.
The league is extraordinarily well-positioned right now, in part due to the massive adoption of commercial-free or commercial-skippable streaming. Live sports are one of the few arenas where fans are compelled to watch advertising as they watch the games live. It’s also extraordinarily popular, as the vast majority of the most-watched programs are NFL games.
The NFL needs to have various streamers and networks agree to new negotiations, which they are compelled to accept to secure long-term rights. The NFL wants to do this as soon as the upcoming offseason.
To be sure, the result of new negotiations will be more money for the NFL, and that money will come from somewhere. Likely, it will be passed to consumers as marketing becomes more expensive or streaming networks require subscriptions to watch games. The latter will, in particular, spark consumer angst. Will there be enough blowback to effect change? Unlikely. The NFL is smartly run and knows just how far it can push its position without stirring up an unacceptable amount of consumer angst.
The NFL will renegotiate, they will become richer, and we’ll all dump money into the coffers of the league and their partners because we’re football addicts who can’t go without what they produce. And so it goes.
Just don’t be surprised when you can’t afford tickets in the fancy new stadium or the game you want to see requires a streaming subscription. This is just going to continue the way it’s been going.
That’s all for today unless I’m compelled to unleash an Instant Bloviation at some point later today. GO BROWNS!
OBR VIDEO
Week 3 Pete and Joe – (youtube.com)
OBR ARTICLES
Players The Cleveland Browns Are Most Likely To Trade Away – Jack
PFF Report Card Grades and Data from the Cleveland Browns Week 2 Victory Over the Green Bay Packers – Sam
Cleveland Browns: What We Learned From Week 3 Upset of Green Bay Packers – Sam
Cleveland Browns News and Rumors 9/23: Oblong Balls and Football Gods – Barry
MESSAGE BOARD POSTS
Can somebody explain dead cap?
So I was scanning practice squads for an interesting OT
Would Thayer Munford be an OT candidate?
Can somebody explain dead cap?
How long does Stefanski stick with Flacco?
Player Respect of Coaching = Winning?
Garrett is gifted. That is all.
OT – ESPN Power Rankings Week 4 (for ships and giggles)
LiveWire Thread for 923 – Twitter, Video, Articles
Positive news from the world of sports and beyond…
‘A front-row seat to history’: NASA’s Artemis 2 moonshot could launch as early as Feb. 5 – (space.com)
Well, it’s about time. While I must admit that I’d love to see space cooperation rather than space competition, it’s clear that a race back to the Moon is underway. NASA is considering accelerating timelines to restart moon exploration. I’m a big believer that humanity needs to venture out into the unknown to truly appreciate and take care of our home planet, and I am excited to see this adventure renewed.
When not reviewing his monthly subscription budget and grimacing, Barry McBride, the Publisher and Founder of the OBR, bloviates this nonsense every morning. You can follow him on Twitter @barrymcbride or write him at barry@theobr.com if you are so compelled.
SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
CONTACT Barry to sponsor the OBR. We have plans for nearly any budget!
OBR Across the Internet
Handy Links
Sign up for breaking news text alerts
If you have made it this far, you must subscribe to the OBR. Them’s the rules.
Copyright 2025 WOIO via TheOBR.com. All rights reserved.