When Modell first announced his intentions to move the team, his plans were not accepted with open arms from the city of Cleveland or the league.  However, all sides were eventually able to negotiate a deal that would allow the Browns’ name, colors, uniform designs and franchise records to remain in Cleveland.  The Browns would be reactivated three years later, whereas the Ravens would be considered an expansion franchise in 1996.

The Ravens would begin to build a solid franchise from there, drafting Jonathan Ogden and Ray Lewis in the first-round of the 1996 draft, and Peter Boulware during the next year’s draft.  It would not be long before they found themselves in the Super Bowl, defeating the New York Giants in the big game on January 28, 2001.

Here is a highlight video from the Ravens’ Super Bowl victory.

Notable Birthdays

With the Browns driving down the field in the fourth quarter in search of the go-ahead touchdown, quarterback Colt McCoy was looking to escape the pressure by scrambling out of the pocket, but one man who he couldn’t get away from was Harrison, who proceeded to drive the crown of his helmet into the chin of McCoy.

The hit left McCoy on the ground in pain.  He had to be taken out of the game, but much to the surprise of everyone who witnessed the hit, McCoy was able to return to the game just in time to throw a game-clinching interception in the end zone.

During a post-game interview Harrison claimed that he felt the hit was legal, stating the following:

“From what I understand, once the quarterback leaves the pocket, he’s considered a runner.  All the defenseless[ness] and liberties that a quarterback has in the pocket are gone and you can tackle him just as he’s a running back. The hit wasn’t late, so I really don’t understand why it was called.”

Don’t worry James.  If you still don’t understand why your hit was penalized, I’m sure commissioner Roger Goodell will be explaining it to you in the very near future.

Here is a look at the hit that will likely cause James Harrison’s bank account to take a hit of its own.

For example, you could put on a bald cap (because LJ’s hairline is receding) and then stop trying in the forth quarter. Or you could act like you’re on a high dive platform, but are afraid to jump off. Best yet, if you’re a football player, you could do like Nate Burleson of the Detroit Lions and mimic LeBron’s famous pre-game powder toss after scoring a touchdown.

Check out the clip:

Now, I know it’s subtle, but after Burleson makes a nice catch for a TD against the Browns in last Saturday’s preseason game, he taunts the rabid fans in the famous Cleveland “dog pound” by pretending to shake powder into his cupped hands and then tossing the imaginary power up into the air like LeBron. In cased you missed it, it’s at the :30 mark of the video.

It didn’t look like much on TV, but it drove Clevelanders crazy.

When LeBron made his first return to Cleveland as a member of the Miami Heat this past NBA season, there was a lot of talk about whether he would do his famous powder toss or not. Well, he did, and the fans did not like it. So, Nate Burleson is probably #2 on Cleveland’s most-hated list right now.

Hat Tip -[Ball Don't Lie]

Just over two weeks ago we featured the above picture as our “Picture of the Day,” and asked the question “Could it be?”

At that point in time, Peyton Hillis was on the verge of defeating the Green Bay Packers’ Aaron Rodgers in the semi-finals of the 32-team Madden cover bracket.  Hillis would go on to advance to the final, where he would take on Eagles quarterback Michael Vick.  After tallying over one million votes in the finals, the verdict was in.   Peyton Hillis was named the Madden 12 Cover Boy.

When it was all said and done, almost 13 million votes were cast throughout the entire competition, which was hosted by ESPN.  Hillis was announced as the winner earlier today on “SportsNation.”  He entered the competition with a No. 10 ranking, but pulled his own VCU-like run.  The only difference was that in the end, he did what the Rams couldn’t do – take home the title.

Here is footage of the announcement being made on “SportsNation.”

When the Madden ’12 Cover Tournament began, the front-runners to receive the honor/jinx appeared to be Aaron Rodger, Michael Vick, and Adrian Peterson.  Well it seems like even this tournament bracket has a Cinderella of its own, and that would be Peyton Hillis wearing the glass slipper in this case.

One year ago, Hillis was viewed as expendable by the Denver Broncos when they traded him away for Brady Quinn.  That would end up being a big mistake for Denver, as Hillis would go on to record 1654 total yards and 13 touchdowns.  And now, thanks to online campaigns on Twitter, Facebook and ClevelandBrowns.com, Hillis appears to be on the verge of another surprise performance, as he currently find himself in the Final Four of the Madden ’12 cover vote.  Despite being up against Super Bowl MVP, Aaron Rodgers, Hillis currently holds a sizable lead.

Yes, Peyton Can!

Hat Tip – [ESPN]

At one point during Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns, Reed grabbed a jacket and headed right for the nearest heater, but while that combination may have seemed like a good idea to help the Ravens’ safety keep warm, it ended up being enough to light a fire under his ass.

Cameras caught footage of Reed’s jacket begin to smoke up.  Thankfully he was able to get it off before any real damage could be done, but there was simply no denying the fact that Reed was the hottest player on the field yesterday afternoon at Cleveland Browns Stadium.  In addition to having his jacket set on fire, the ball-hawking defensive back recorded two interceptions in the Ravens’ 20-10 victory, helping them clinch a playoff spot.

Hopefully Reed can continue to stay hot without the need for another sideline fire drill.

While Ben Rothlisberger of the Steelers looked very good, Brady was just better.  He completed 30 of his 43 passes for 350 yards.  Not only did he complete 70% of his passes, but he also slung 3 touchdowns and did not throw a single interception.  He spread the ball to 8 different receivers.  Welker led the team with 8 receptions and tight end Rob Gronkowski had 7 catches, 3 of which were for touchdowns.  Brady’s passer rating was an impressive 117.4.  Brady also added a rushing touchdown in the 3rd quarter to essentially put the game out of reach.  While the Steelers did mount a comeback in the 4th quarter, the Patriots responded as Brady led them on 2 touchdown drives.

Tom Brady is one of the best quarterbacks in the game, if not the best.  He showed why again, bouncing back from a lackluster performance against Cleveland to raise the Patriots to a 7-2 record and a share of the top spot in the conference.  Brady earns “The Stat Line of the Night” for the great game he had.  Now the Patriots turn to the stretch run with an eye on the Lombardi Trophy.

If that is the case, I wonder why more teams don’t use it.  After all, it was good enough to allow the Cleveland Browns to score against the New England Patriots during their 34-14 victory Sunday afternoon.

So if this trick play was enough to help the 2-5 Browns pull off the improbable upset against the 6-1 Patriots, one would think it would be employed in a successful manner a lot more often.  Although, I guess the element of surprise has something to do with its effectiveness, and needless to say, the Patriots looked quite surprised after seeing Chansi Stuckey sneak into the end zone on this play.

But… with that being said, WE GOT SCREWED!

Sunday’s game against the red hot Cincinnati Bengals was a tighter affair than expected, and not only did it make it into overtime, all but 4 seconds of said overtime were utilised to (unjustly) find a winner. Shayne Graham put the ball between the posts… or did he? On closer review, and after a few choice words from Browns’ defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, I’m not convinced.

Yes it’s in my interest to not be convinced because a tie game would mean we’d be let off our 0-16 path by a technicality, but this deserves another look so decide for yourself:

Pittsburgh Steelers

Offseason: Tired clichés tell us that if it isn’t broke you don’t fix it, so it was no surprise that the influx of players in Pittsburgh was pretty much limited to the draft where they added the versatile Evander Hood to their front three, and a likely starter at guard in Kraig Urbik with their first two selections. Pittsburgh won’t have been thrilled to see nickel corner Bryant McFadden walk for Arizona or Nate Washington for Tennessee, but despite not being ideal the Steelers won’t be that broken up.

Offense: We all know the Steelers aren’t Super Bowl champions off the back of an explosive offense. They were good for 20th in points per game, struggled to find a healthy running back and had one of the worst lines in football allowing a miserable 49 sacks in 2008. Outside of Urbik, Pittsburgh didn’t make the total o-line overhaul I expected meaning they’ll bank on the poor play of 2008 being down to injury and not a fundamental lack of talent. Their receiving core is okay, but a lot of 2009 will hinge on which Santonio Holmes turns up: the Super Bowl/postseason hero, or the player that posted 8 sub-40 yard efforts in the 2008 regular season. Health is the big question mark hanging over their running back troupe, whilst Ben Roethlisberger remains one of the best leaders and clutch quarterbacks in the league – even if the statistics don’t show it, his two rings do.

Defense: Suffocating the run, locking down the pass and a lethal blitz saw the Steelers conceded the fewest points and yards per game in 2008 whilst ranking first and second against the pass and run respectively, and the good news for Steelernation is that there is no sign of this slowing down in 2009. Pittsburgh philosophy advocates limiting the role of defensive rookies in their first year to allow them to mature, and word out of Steelers camp is that 2007 first round selection Lawrence Timmons is looking dominant at inside linebacker in lieu of the now departed Larry Foote. Couple him with James Harrison, Casey Hampton, James Farrior, Troy Polamalu (the list goes on), and you can see why the Steelers are perennial Super Bowl contenders.

Key Games: Opening against Tennessee, travelling to Chicago, the Ravens twice and hosting Minnesota are all tough challenges.

Predicted Record: 13-3

Baltimore Ravens

Offseason: Derrick Mason’s non-retirement doesn’t inspire confidence in Mark Clayton and Demetrius Williams’ ability to clear the box for the run, because in all honesty, I don’t even fear those guys. A veteran free agent or possible Boldin trade may make things interesting, but an already conservative offense also lost Lorenzo Neal from the blocking game which can’t be underestimated. Bart Scott: product of the system or integral cog? Time will tell.

Offense: Le’Ron McClain returns to fullback and it looks like the majority of the workload, and hence the offense, will rest on the shoulders of second year running back Ray Rice. Rice can catch out of the backfield as well as grind between the tackles and will have the broken Willis McGahee for support and McClain at the goal line, but thanks to that diminished receiving core and a second year QB who overachieved as a rookie, this Ravens’ offense isn’t scaring many.

Defense: That offense doesn’t have to put up 30 points if they only concede 7, but despite being an outstanding unit you can start to see the fraying edges of the Baltimore D. Age is against a lot of these players – especially in the secondary – not to mention the loss of mastermind Rex Ryan and Bart Scott’s 80+ tackles, so a repeat of their 2008 form is unlikely. Still a great D… but I expect 2009 to be the year it begins to unravel.

Key Games: Visiting the NFC North, at the Chargers, at New England, welcoming the Colts and that double against Pittsburgh give Baltimore a tough schedule to contend with.

Predicted Record: 9-7

Cincinnati Bengals

Offseason: Laveranues Coles will do a poor impression of TJ Houshmandzadeh, whilst Roy Williams and rookie Rey Maualuga will sure up their run defense. Tackle Andre Smith could be the steal of the draft if he applies himself, but history has shown us that if you need to focus and behave Cincinnati is the worst place to do it. Defensive end Michael Johnson is a physically gifted athlete, but like Smith, lacks motivation coming out of college.

Offense: Saying you like Chad Ochocinco is enough to get you lynched in some parts, but this guy is so talented that with Carson Palmer back there is no way he repeats the miserable 540 yard effort of 2008. Liking Cedric Benson is also a taboo, but he didn’t look too bad over the backend of last year. Chris Henry: potential breakout year. Carson Palmer’s return. When you start to break it down, Cincinnati are going to surprise a few people this year.

Defense: Quick quiz: who gave up fewest passing yards per game in 2008, the Bengals, Jets or Falcons? Better rush defence in 2008, Bengals or Bills? Thankfully for this critique, the answer for both is Cincinnati (sure would have been hard to make my point if they weren’t) so the framework for success is there. 17 sacks however held them back in 2008, but if they solve that problem this could be a much underrated entity.

Key Games: Underrated best describes Cincinnati, and they pose a potential banana skin for the Bears, Chargers and Packers.

Predicted Record: 7-9

Cleveland Browns

Offseason: Eric Mangini wasn’t the vibrant new coach Browns’ fans wanted, but hey, at least he isn’t Josh McDaniels. Cleveland signed quantity over quality but lost quality over quantity this offseason, as Kellen Winslow and Sean Jones departed only to be replaced by Robert Royal and Abram Elam… yeah. The draft was a bit of a mess as well, as Browns’ management decided adding to a decent line with Alex Mack a higher priority than say, improving their cataclysmic pass rush, paper thin linebacker core, broken running back or anywhere else for that matter. I do like Brian Robiskie as a legitimate threat opposite Edwards though.

Offense: Despite the naysayers I don’t think this offense is as terrible as people make out. Quinn vs. Anderson is unnecessary drama as I like Quinn all day long, Braylon Edwards should bounce back in his contract year and that o-line led by Joe Thomas is one of the better lines in the league. There’s money to be made on betting rookie James Davis to be the starting back come the end of the season.

Defense: Utterly uninspiring is the best way to describe Cleveland. Shaun Rogers will be gone next year, mark my words, and nothing else in that front seven is much to get excited over. Sean Jones leaves a previously young and talented secondary, and I expect them to get beaten up all year thanks to an embarrassing pass rush that managed a pitiful 17 sacks last year. Come week 17 Browns’ fans might well be wondering what could of been if Brian Orakpo had been brought to Ohio.

Key Games: I think they go winless within the division so their best hope of victory is visiting Detroit and Kansas, or hosting the Jaguars and Raiders.

Predicted Record: 2-14