The roots run deep in the AFC North. It’s no wonder that these fans and players despise one another. There are so many rivalries, so many interlocking stories. Paul Brown gave the NFL both the Cincinnati Bengals and the Cleveland Browns. Art Modell eventually took over the latter. He moved them to Maryland in the nineties. They became the Baltimore Ravens.

Cleveland has suffered since its reintroduction to the NFL in 1999. Baltimore has flourished. Imagine being a Browns fan. They had to endure their team leaving, transforming its identity, and winning two Super Bowls elsewhere. The Browns, meanwhile, have yet to win an AFC Championship Game.

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Week 2’s Ravens home opener doubles as the 53rd meeting between the two members of this feud. It’s also marked by celebration. Baltimore officially begins its celebration of the home team’s anniversary, and some of the festivities might produce awkward feelings.

The Ozzie Newsome angle

Baltimore plans to honor Ozzie Newsome in Week 2. Think about that for a second. Per the Browns, the Ravens stole him, too. He spent 13 years as Cleveland’s tight end.

He’s a Pro Football Hall of Famer. He spent five years with his former team as an executive, but he came to Baltimore with Modell. He became a Ravens executive vice president and general manager. He’s a two-time Super Bowl winner as part of this organization. Simply put, that has to sting if you’re Cleveland.

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Baltimore always meant to honor this team regardless of who they played in the home-opener. It just happens to be their rivals on the schedule. If you listen closely, you might hear a few giggles.

This feels petty even though it isn’t. This feels like inviting someone you don’t really like to a birthday party to irritate them. Oh well, it’s just another component that should make for fascinating television. CBS has probably already developed the graphics to tell the story about the relocation again.

This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: Ravens marking 30 years in Baltimore could rub salt in Browns’ wound